c3 (1/2)
Chapter 3: A Certain Electromaster's Life Counseling (Girls' Talk) Part 1[edit]
”What...there is someone here?”
The spiky haired boy finally noticed us, his eyes wandered around.
”Stop running!”
*Biri biri biri biri biri*
The tea-color haired girl emitted a violent electric shock and came at him from behind.
”Ahhhh! This idiot!”
The spiky haired boy turned around and raised his right hand at the electric shock.
It hit! —The high-energy spark that almost blinded us struck.
...A few seconds later, after the flash and the sound had calmed down, we noticed the unharmed spiky haired boy was standing in front of us, protecting us.
”Hoh—”
His right hand still raised forward, he let out a sigh of relief.
By the way, from behind me, Kirino had seen everything, she—
”Wow...is that the legendary 'Imagine Breaker'? To witness it from so close, I'm so lucky!”
This girl was really calm.
The spike head turned to us and asked worriedly:
”Ah, is anyone hurt?”
”Probably not...Are you okay?”
I asked Kirino, she nodded slightly.
”That's good then.”
He grinned, then his expression turned serious.
”Leave it to me, you guys run ahead!”
”Wait for me!”
The tea-color haired girl interrupted him.
”Why are you making it sound like I'm the bad guy here?”
”You launched a one billion volt electrical shock at ordinary people, there is no excuse for that. No matter what, you are the bad guy here.”
Yeah, this girl had an expression like she wanted to kick a vending machine.
”Someone who just took a one billion volt electrical shock directly is not an ordinary person at all! Look at yourself...!”
”Don't just biri biri and shoot electricity when you're angry! Any ordinary person would be terrified by now!”
”Kuh...!”
The electric current surrounding her body slowly disappeared.
”...Is this okay, then?”
”...Don't casually shock anyone again.”
”Oh!”
A bunch of exceptionally strong shocks burst from her forehead.
Seemed like it was related to her mood.
That meant it was very easy to understand her mood. It would have been great if my little sister had the same ability.
”Hmph, of course I know.”
She snorted, took a deep breath, then finally the electric current disappeared completely.
”Is this okay now?”
”...Hoh, it's safe now.”
”Hey, don't make it sound like I'm something dangerous.”
The tea-color haired girl lectured the spiky haired boy, who was breaking into cold sweat.
That kind of quarrel sounded like a lover's quarrel, thus I slowly lowered my guard.
Just like Kuroko said, maybe she wasn't that terrifying. Actually, this girl was probably the one we would talk to anyway—
”Mikoto-san.”
Kirino greeted her.
”Yes?”
”You must be Misaka Mikoto-san. And you must be Kamijou Touma-san.”
”Oh? You know us?”
The one Kirino called 'Kamijou Touma' was the spiky haired boy, and the 'Misaka Mikoto' girl went ”Ah!” and pointed at Kirino:
”Could it be...”
”I'm Kousaka Kirino, today I'm going to have a live talk with you on Nico.”
”So, so that's it!”
Mikoto showed a happy expression and patted her head:
”Wow, what wonderful timing. Ah, how should I put it...sorry that your first impression of me is like this...”
Then she dropped her head dejectedly.
She looked like a normal girl, I couldn't believe this was the same girl who threw electric shocks at random a few minutes earlier.
Mikoto stared at Kamijou:
”It's all your fault that they misunderstood.”
”More like it let them know the truth about you...”
Biri biri biri—
”...I didn't say anything.”
”Hmph ~~”
Mikoto put away her electric shock and turned to Kirino:
”Pleased to meet you, Kousaka Kirino-san. I'm Misaka Mikoto. Just now I was acting strange, please don't misunderstand.”
”Ah, it's fine it's fine. I won't misunderstand.”
”Ah?”
”I have read both 'A Certain Magical Index' and 'A Certain Scientific Railgun,' so I knew everything about Mikoto-san and Kamijou-san!”
Kirino hands clenched into fists, her eyes were sparking.
”Ah, about that...”
Mikoto seemed troubled because of Kirino's reaction. At that time, Kuroko interrupted:
”That's right, Onee-sama. I have just had a talk with Kirino-san about Onee-sama. Heheheh, she and I are evenly matched in this!”
”Ah, I see...”
Oh, she seemed interested now.
”Actually ~ I'm not that good ~”
Why are you getting embarra.s.sed? It's not certain that Kuroko was praising you yet.
”...Ah, actually I have read 'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute' too. It's a good novel. They sold it inside Academy City as well.”
”Although I haven't read it, I heard from Uiharu that it's quite popular among Anti-Skill.”
”Ah...I see.”
”Uhm—”
Like a student with bad grades, Kamijou slowly raised his hand.
”...The Dengeki Bunko editor only called me here, they didn't explain anything to me at all...”
”Ah, you are still here, you ape?”
”If I could go back, do you think I would still be here?”
Kamijou scratched his cheek.
Not only was he almost shocked by his girlfriend, he was coldly mocked...somehow I felt a sense of intimacy toward him.
Mikoto thought and said:
”First, let's bring Kousaka-san to the waiting room.”
”You say that, but...didn't Onee-sama destroy the waiting room just now...?”
”Ah...”
Mikoto slightly opened her mouth, as if saying 'yeah, that's right.'
”Oh right, you can call me Kirino. Can I call you Mikoto too?”
”That's fine. Everyone will be more relaxed this way.”
”Alright ~”
”I have just checked with the receptionist. Onee-sama and Kirino-san, please go directly to the recording room.”
Kuroko said as she hung up her cell phone.
”What about us?”
I asked.
”They are preparing a new waiting room, so please go there now. It's the innermost room, it should be easy to find.”
”Alright, then let's go to the recording room.”
”Okay! I have so many things to talk with Mikoto about!”
The two girls left while chatting away happily.
—Thus we males were left behind.
”......”
”......”
Both of us looked at each other in silence.
...Not good.
Kamijou muttered quietly:
”In the end, they didn't explain anything to me...”
I fully understood his feelings. Without any explanation, getting involved in something before I knew it...that was something I was familiar with.
”Then, let me explain.”
”...That'd be a big help.”
We introduced ourselves and walked toward the waiting room. While called a waiting room, it was more accurate to say it was just a room with a long table and some chairs. On a wall inside, there were Kirino's and Mikoto's POP [1] and an LCD, just like a live action.
”Oh, so this is Kirino's POP? It's good.”
Ayase would certainly like to be there.
While Kamijou sat down near Mikoto's POP
”Just now, I only stared at Mikoto's POP, she immediately tried to shock me. Isn't that too much?”
”Ah...could it be that she was trying to hide her embarra.s.sment?”
”...How could that be? I would die if her attack hits me directly, who could take that?”
True, normally that would be the case...but if my little sister had the same power as Mikoto, she would definitely do that.
I sat down in front of the TV with Kamijou.
Then I had a brief planning session for the next situation.
”I can understand why Misaka and your little sister were called here, but why did they call me too...?”
”I don't get it myself...”
”You weren't dragged here because of your little sister, were you?”
”At first, it was like that, but after that I also received a 'come here' invitation from Dengeki Bunko myself.”
”Kuh...I totally don't get it.”
”Is there some reason that forces us to be here no matter what?”
Kamijou and I glanced at each other.
”...Somehow I have a bad feeling.”
”What a coincidence, me too. Since the moment I stepped inside this building, I've felt a misfortune atmosphere following me everywhere.”
Misfortune atmosphere? What was that?
If I had read 'A Certain Magical Index,' I would have already hightailed it away from him as far as possible.
Because when this guy said 'misfortune,' he wasn't joking.
But, what a pity! At that time, I was talking with another protagonist—Kamijou, so I lowered my guard. As fellow Dengeki Bunko protagonists, who also bore the same miserable fate, we developed some kind of camaraderie.
That was the beginning of our misfortune.
Since that incident, I took the following lesson to heart: It isn't a good thing to team up with someone who has the same attributes.
We chatted for a while.
”Say, Kamijou, what do you usually do?”
”Hospitalized.”
”...What?”
”It is always like that—have a fight, get seriously injured, get sent to the hospital—that is my normal life.”
Kamijou hung his shoulders, like he had just done something very tiresome.
”...Ah, ha...”
Not good, did I just step on a land mine?
That meant this guy was the protagonist of a fighting series.
”Especially in August and September, it was the worst. I felt like I had to fight new enemies regularly. The anime also focused on unexpected events in September, during which I had a series of desperate fights. My schedule was so messed up! The author overdid it!”
”You seem to have it hard.”
”Ah, it's fine. However, before I came here, by coincidence I saw the 'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute' anime, you were sent flying quite a distance with a roundhouse kick.”
”...Ah, that is...”
”What a fearsome enemy. It reminds me of a saint who can use an angel's power. Who would be stronger between them...?”
”...No no. It's true that Ayase is the boss of the second volume, but she is not an esper or a magician or anything.”
Although I don't know who he was comparing Ayase to, hearing the word 'angel' made me think of a super charming girl.
In that case, I would like to meet her someday.
”Back to the topic just now, well, although hospitalization is a bad thing, Kamijou-san should be popular with girls, right?”
I heard that in fighting novels, each time the protagonist fought, they would raise a flag, thus they frequently ended up with an uncountable harem. [2]. Since I'm not popular with girls, I should try asking for his advice.
But unexpectedly, Kamijou waved his hand:
”No no, totally not. Not a si—ingle bit popular!”
”For real?”
”Yes, for real. True, I frequently meet girls, but nothing like that happens between me and them! Otherwise, 'such misfortune' wouldn't be my catchphrase!”
Kamijou denied with all of his strength.
I asked him again just to confirm:
”But aren't you surrounded by a lot of girls? Even if you aren't popular, at least you live under the same roof with a beautiful girl, don't you?”
”...Yeah, I had a freeloader at my place. Index is the incarnation of appet.i.te...”
His face darkened, he replied in anger.
Such a poor boy...He really fought hard side by side with so many beautiful girls, yet he didn't manage to raise a single flag.
”Forget it, I was able to save people because of my misfortune, so it's not an entirely bad thing.”
Kamijou said with a proud smile. So cool! When I was thinking that—
”Ah—! But I want something to happen too! Even once is fine, I want something good to happen between me and a girl!”