A small episode planted a seed in Shirai Kuroko's heart—read as "affection," written as "perversion"—while the two culprits were slowly strolling and enjoying their parfaits.
"Mikoto, I'm planning to join a faction."
"What? Sister, do you have a fever?!"
When her sister beside her said something so out of character, Mikoto couldn't help but reach out a hand and press it against Chinatsu's forehead to check if her temperature was normal.
After finding that Chinatsu's temperature was perfectly healthy, she began to doubt her own condition, moving the hand from Chinatsu's forehead to her own.
"Both are healthy, no problem?"
Hearing Mikoto's faint mutter, Chinatsu almost burst out laughing. Although she managed to stifle it in the end, this scene, in Mikoto's eyes, was worse than if she had just laughed out loud.
Mikoto puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, giving her sister a resentful glare.
"Is it the Sura Faction?"
"Nope~"
"What! It's actually the Mizukagami Faction!"
Mikoto's eyes widened in shock because the first thing that came to mind regarding the Mizukagami Faction was fat reduction and breast enhancement; the look she gave her sister was mixed with a hint of subtle emotion.
"It's the Sha Faction, Sha Danshan's one!"
Chinatsu didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she revealed the correct answer. She felt that if she didn't reveal it soon, her tall image in her younger sister's heart would be seriously damaged, which simply wouldn't do.
Mikoto nodded as if she understood, though she was sensitive despite her simple appearance, and she vaguely sensed the reason why Chinatsu wanted to join the Sha Faction.
"Sha Danshan, is there something wrong with her?"
Mikoto voiced her thoughts bluntly. Chinatsu didn't deny it; she just nodded and explained briefly.
"She has some dissatisfaction with the school."
As they chatted, they eventually bid each other farewell and headed in different directions. After all, they weren't in the same class, and even their dormitories were in different locations.
Tokiwadai Middle School has two dormitories in total.
The dormitory Mikoto lived in was located outside Academy City, designated as the "Tokiwadai Middle School 7th District Student Dormitory." Chinatsu, on the other hand, lived in the Tower Dormitory inside Academy City.
It was hard not to suspect special arrangements by Tokiwadai regarding the dormitory assignments; after all, if the Esper sisters were placed too close and spent all their time together, the sense of intimidation would be far too strong.
Mikoto walked slowly down the hallway of her dormitory. The moment she reached out to grab the doorknob, a look of confusion appeared on her face.
"Yukiko is back so early?"
In Mikoto's experience, her roommate Yukiko was often busy with various club and faction activities; except for sleeping at night, Yukiko almost never "spawned" in the dormitory.
"Could it be that this week's assignment is too hard, so she wants to borrow mine for reference? I've finally encountered a scene that often appears in manga~"
Mikoto thought to herself. After all, as an elite school, Tokiwadai's assignments were indeed numerous and complex; even the young ladies who had received top-tier education since childhood often fretted over them.
During winter and summer vacations, the pressure of assignments was even greater. Students often had to go to the school library to find reference materials; never mind writing, just filtering the materials was hard enough.
Of course, Mikoto was a bit more relaxed than other students. As a standard Esper who used calculation power and knowledge to activate her ability, not only did her knowledge far exceed that of an ordinary college student, but her calculation ability could rival that of a computer.
With a grin, Mikoto turned the doorknob and pulled the dormitory door open. Before she could call out Yukiko's name, she collided with a hurried Yukiko.
Yukiko leaned against Mikoto. Although it was sudden, Mikoto steadied her, and in the end, neither of them fell to the floor.
"Yukiko, are you okay?"
Mikoto asked with concern, while Yukiko's face was written with nervousness, beads of cold sweat covering her cheeks.
"N-no, I'm fine."
Yukiko hurriedly moved away from Mikoto's embrace. Just as she was about to bypass Mikoto and continue heading out, she realized she was missing something in her hand.
And this missing item was discovered by Mikoto and picked up from the floor. It wasn't a pencil or eraser, nor was it a bag of sweets.
A hairclip.
A hairclip in the shape of a gua tai.
One of Mikoto's favorite hairclips.
"Yukiko, why is my hairclip here?"
Holding the hairclip, Mikoto looked at Yukiko, who kept backing away with her head down in silence. She wanted to continue questioning her, but in the end, she gave up.
"Yukiko, if there's something hard to talk about, you can discuss it with me. Even if I can't help, talking to someone can relieve some pressure. We're friends, aren't we?"
As Mikoto spoke, she pinned the hairclip onto her hair. She was already wearing another gua tai hairclip, which had been a gift from Yukiko, a symbol of their friendship.
Her face beamed with a smile that seemed capable of melting anything, like sunlight. But in Yukiko's eyes, this smile was a different sight. Guilt weighed on her like a giant boulder, making her lower her head and gasp for breath.
[The power of the Railgun is necessary. Please, Yukiko, this is all to avenge the deceased Sister Yeyao. We cannot fail.]
[I can help you get Mikoto's items, but Sister, let's agree beforehand: please don't lay a hand on Mikoto in the future.]
[Of course, I keep my word.]
Yukiko closed her eyes, and Sha Danshan's figure and voice continuously echoed in her mind. Even though she was a beloved sister, she seemed like a demon.
On one side was a true friend.
On the other was a beloved sister.
If it were before she met Mikoto, she didn't think she would hesitate over a mere friend. But the reality was quite the opposite; her beloved sister was also becoming increasingly blinded by hatred, growing more and more like a stranger.
"I'm sorry, Mikoto."
With that, Yukiko turned and walked out of the dormitory as if running away. Mikoto watched Yukiko's departing figure but did not chase after her.
Mikoto thought Yukiko would return to the dormitory once she calmed down at night, but after that day, Yukiko never returned. It wasn't until Mikoto asked the Dorm Supervisor that she learned Yukiko had already applied to move out of the dormitory.
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