"What a coincidence! Academy City really is small. I didn't expect you to be eating here too," Arata said with a smile.
"Yeah, it's quite something, Arata-senpai. I didn't expect you to be able to talk to me so casually after standing me up. You've got some nerve." Misaka Mikoto walked up to Arata, crossed her arms, and spoke with a proud, challenging tone.
"Standing you up?" Arata scratched his cheek, clearly confused. "Did I make any plans with Misaka Mikoto?" He stroked his chin, thinking carefully.
'Sizzle'
Seeing his puzzled expression, electricity crackled across Misaka Mikoto's forehead as she spoke impatiently.
"Arata-senpai has completely forgotten?" She clenched her fists and raised her voice in frustration.
"A duel, a duel! You agreed to meet me at the arcade the day before yesterday to spar, but I waited there the entire afternoon. That offense alone deserves punishment ten thousand times over. Today I'm going to shock you until you twitch like a frog."
Misaka Mikoto, full of pride, raised her arm as sparks danced around it, her determination obvious.
"Pfft! Hahaha, Misaka, you really do look like a frog right now. Your combat ability is pretty good though. Luckily I have time today. I was worried you might not." Arata chuckled and shrugged.
"This is infuriating! You clearly broke your promise and don't even realize it. Hmph, since school is letting out early today, I might as well give my last words and settle my affairs. I'm going to make you tremble in fear."
With veins faintly visible on her forehead, Misaka Mikoto pointed at Arata and declared loudly, "I've been annoyed with this guy who keeps acting like a senior ever since we first met."
"Even if you're Level 5 like me, let's see who is actually stronger. I don't know what the rankings in Academy City are based on, but being ranked third definitely means I'm stronger."
"I'm completely broke, I don't have any assets. If I lose, I'll use all my allowance this month to buy you frog plushies and fill your dorm room with them." Arata spread his hands helplessly. Oh, so it was about that. He had been too busy recently and had completely forgotten.
He did not understand why Misaka Mikoto was so eager to fight him. Maybe she just wanted to test herself against another Level 5.
Still, he felt the same. He clearly had power, yet lacked a proper opponent to train with.
Hearing the words "frog plushies" and imagining a dorm filled with them, Misaka Mikoto's eyes sparkled as if shaped like frogs. She placed her hands on her hips and spoke boldly.
"Then you'd better prepare to spend that money."
Filling her dorm with frog plushies had always been her dream. In reality, she could not afford it since they were quite expensive.
Even if it was said casually, asking for frog plushies as a reward after defeating this annoying guy was perfectly reasonable.
"Sure, but only if you can defeat me. What if I win?" Arata said with a relaxed smile, resting his cheek on his hand.
"Then I'll forgive you for standing me up. That's a pretty good deal, right?" Misaka Mikoto replied confidently.
"What kind of deal is that?" Arata could not help but complain. He tapped the table lightly and added, "Well, you're going to fight me no matter what, right?"
"That's right. You're the one who made me angry," Misaka Mikoto said, hands on her hips, completely self-righteous.
"Fine, you win. Just don't cry when you lose," Arata said.
"Hmph, I'm the one who's going to shock you into a twitching frog so you can properly repent for what you did to me when we first met."
"Being this vengeful isn't a good look for a girl," Arata said with a sigh.
"Onee-sama, why are you still talking to that guy? The pizza is getting cold!" Shirai Kuroko reminded her, clearly irritated. Why did they always run into this ape-like guy everywhere?
This was supposed to be a lunch date with Onee-sama. Having Suzumiya Haruhi tagging along was already bad enough, and now this guy showed up too. What terrible luck.
"Hey Arata, who is she? Hurry up and order something!" Index blinked at Misaka Mikoto, then turned to Arata and urged him.
"Oh, my name is Misaka Mikoto. Nice to meet you. Are you Arata-senpai's friend?" Misaka Mikoto said in a friendly tone.
"Hello, my name is Index. As you can see, I am a nun," Index said softly.
Her gentle appearance and personality made it easy for others to like her.
"Hey, don't even think about running away. After lunch, we're going to find a place to spar," Misaka Mikoto said firmly to Arata.
"Alright, alright. I won't run." Arata glanced at the three-star card floating above Misaka Mikoto's head and sighed. "This one is going to be difficult to obtain."
Misaka Mikoto quickly returned to her seat.
"Was that girl Arata's friend? Why does she want to fight him?" Index blinked in confusion.
"Probably because she's competitive. After all, both of us are Level 5 espers in Academy City," Arata explained.
"Oh, I see." Index nodded as if she understood.
Soon, preheated hamburgers and fried snacks were served. The restaurant was similar to a fast food chain. The key point was speed and quantity. Most items were prepared in advance and simply reheated before serving.
"Can I start eating now?" Index asked, licking her lips.
"Of course. Although it doesn't taste that great," Arata replied.
Index was actually very disciplined. Without permission, she would rather go hungry than touch food in the refrigerator. But once allowed, she could devour even simple condiments like sweet sauce without hesitation.
....
Index immediately began devouring the food on the table. Her enthusiastic eating quickly attracted stunned gazes from nearby customers.
Even the waiter felt embarrassed. No wonder two people had ordered enough food for ten.
"Onee-sama, that guy's friend eats way too much..." Shirai Kuroko tugged at Misaka Mikoto's sleeve and pointed in disbelief.
"Wow, you can really eat. Aren't you worried about getting a stomachache?" Misaka Mikoto asked in surprise.
...
"I'm only half full, but I'm already satisfied," Index said happily, licking ketchup from her lips and patting her slightly rounded stomach.
"Alright, are you ready to get electrocuted and twitch like a frog?" Misaka Mikoto said, her fighting spirit rising again.
"Um, Arata-senpai, is Misaka-senpai really going to fight? I have a bad feeling about this," Uiharu Kazari said timidly.
"Hmph, Onee-sama, beat this ape into the ground," Shirai Kuroko said with her arms crossed. Onee-sama was ranked third. Someone ranked eighth was nothing in comparison.
Just as they stepped out of the restaurant, an explosion suddenly erupted at the corner of the street.
With a loud boom, screams rang out, followed by a burst of wild laughter.
"Come on, let me see your backbone."
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.