While Su Mo and Misaki Shokuhou were chatting, elsewhere, Mikoto Misaka was wandering around the shopping district with some new acquaintances—Ruiko Saten and Uiharu Kazari. These two were friends of Kuroko Shirai, or more precisely, friends of her friend. Both were first-year students at Sakugawa Middle School and classmates of Shirai.
Apparently, Uiharu was quite the admirer of Level 5 espers, especially elite ones like Mikoto Misaka. She'd been dying to meet her in person. Normally, Mikoto wasn't very good at dealing with people who idolized her—she'd usually dodge such encounters. But this time was different. Shirai had personally sworn up and down that Uiharu was a sweet, quiet girl who wouldn't be a bother.
Mikoto had her doubts. How could someone as perverted as Shirai have normal friends?
Still, Shirai's rare and sincere request piqued her interest. Mikoto eventually agreed to meet them, and when she finally did, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Shirai's friend-making skills weren't as bad as she thought. Both Uiharu and Saten turned out to be friendly and easy to get along with, and surprisingly, their group dynamic worked quite well.
Now, the four girls were window-shopping and chatting about recent trends. As they walked, a worker from one of the stores handed them a flyer.
"A new crepe store just opened! The first 100 customers get a limited-edition Gekota keychain as a bonus!" Uiharu read from the flyer with enthusiasm.
Saten raised an eyebrow. "Who'd even be interested in such cheap merchandise? Aside from actual kids, I mean."
Gekota was a character from a popular animated show aimed at young children in Academy City. Most kids outgrew it by upper elementary school. The giveaway was clearly targeted at younger customers.
Just as Saten finished her comment—
Smack! She bumped straight into Mikoto Misaka.
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized quickly. But as she noticed what Mikoto was holding, she blinked. "Huh?"
Why was the Level 5 Mikoto Misaka staring at the flyer like she was entranced?
"Onee-sama?" Shirai called out with amusement, noticing the strange expression. Then she took one look at Mikoto and instantly covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Don't tell me… you're interested in that Gekota keychain?"
Knowing full well what Mikoto liked, Shirai was clearly teasing.
Mikoto instantly went red and began waving her hands in panic. "No way! Of course not! That's a frog! And amphibians! I mean, what kind of normal girl would like that sort of thing?!"
As she flailed to defend herself, something clinked softly—ding—from her bag. The little sound drew everyone's attention.
Hanging from the side of Mikoto's school bag was… a Gekota keychain.
—But didn't she just say she wasn't into frogs?
Uiharu and Saten exchanged glances but wisely said nothing. Some things were best left unspoken.
So, in that half-exposed, half-ignored atmosphere, the group made their way to the crepe shop to queue up.
Mikoto stood there with her arms crossed, trying to play it cool, but her restless tapping gave her away. The store had opened around noon, and quite some time had passed. Only the first 100 customers would get the Gekota keychains, and although they were still handing them out, the numbers must be dwindling.
She glanced at the growing line and began to wonder if she would make the cutoff. The uncertainty was killing her.
Saten noticed Mikoto's tense expression. "Want to trade places with me?" she offered kindly.
"N-No, it's fine!" Mikoto hesitated for a split second, then quickly shook her head. "It doesn't matter what order I'm in. I'm just here for the crepes, not because of some silly Gekota or anything!"
Saten blinked but didn't press further. If anything, her opinion of the Level 5 esper grew warmer. She had assumed someone like Misaka would be cold and distant, but she was surprisingly approachable. A little stubborn and awkward, sure—but charming in her own way.
A few minutes later, the customer in front of Saten received her order.
"Here you go, miss! This is the last Gekota keychain!" the server announced cheerfully.
"Thank you!" the girl said, turning to leave with her prize in hand.
Saten stepped up, ready to place her order—but paused. "Wait, the last one?"
She looked back in alarm.
Behind her, Mikoto Misaka had gone pale.
Thud. The prideful Level 5 fell to her knees, utterly defeated. The atmosphere around her was one of complete and utter despair.
She slammed her fists to the ground, mourning the tragedy. "Just… one more person! I was so close!"
What terrible luck—to be just a single step away from victory, only to have the prize snatched away at the finish line.
Just as Mikoto wallowed in sorrow—
Jingle.
A Gekota keychain appeared in front of her eyes. It was unmistakably the same limited-edition prize from the crepe shop.
"Huh?" Mikoto's eyes lit up, and she looked up with hope. Had the heavens answered her prayers? Had an angel descended to grant her salvation?
But the face that met her gaze was far from heavenly.
Blonde hair. Sparkling star-like eyes. That familiar, mocking smile.
It was her sworn rival—Misaki Shokuhou.
If Mikoto had thought this was divine intervention, then the angel must've turned out to be a demon.
On a normal day, she would've ignored her completely.
Right now, Shokuhō Misaki held in her hand a temptation too powerful to ignore—something that made Misaka Mikoto unable to look away.
"Misaka-san? You want this keychain, don't you?" Shokuhō asked with a devilish grin, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her rival's inner struggle. If Su Mo hadn't pointed it out, she never would've guessed that the straight-laced Misaka Mikoto had a soft spot for such childish trinkets. And now? The very item Mikoto coveted was in her hands.
She couldn't help but contemplate—how best to toy with Misaka using this little object? The thought alone was so amusing, she nearly burst out laughing.
"W-What are you planning?!" Misaka asked suspiciously, noticing Shokuhō's sinister smile but still unable to tear her gaze from the keychain.
"Hehehe…" Shokuhō gave another grin, words dripping with mischief. "If you really want this, I might be persuaded to give it to you."
Misaka's eyes narrowed. "Since when are you so generous?"
"Of course!" Shokuhō nodded enthusiastically, but just as Misaka's expression began to brighten with hope, she dropped the catch. "There's just one condition. All you have to do is bow respectfully and call me 'Your Majesty, Queen-sama'."
"…Are you serious?"
Misaka stared blankly, her face a mix of disbelief and suppressed frustration. That kind of thing was simply impossible to say out loud. But… she did really want that keychain.
Seeing her waver, Shokuhō sighed dramatically. "Ah, so it turns out Gekota doesn't mean that much to you after all. Such a rare chance to get one of these, and you're just going to let it slip by. You won't even call me Queen-sama…" She shook her head in exaggerated disappointment. "I truly thought better of you."
That did it.
"Gekota is not something trivial!" Misaka retorted hotly. Still, the words 'Queen-sama' stuck in her throat. Worse, Shokuhō had already pulled out her phone and was clearly ready to record.
Misaka was certain—if she said it, the clip would be circulated around Tokiwadai within hours as irrefutable proof that she'd surrendered to her nemesis. Damage control would be impossible.
As the standoff dragged on, a sudden boom exploded beside them. The nearby bank's metal shutter had been blown open with flames.
"What the—?!" Even Shokuhō was caught off guard.
Not far away, Kuroko Shirai immediately recognized the situation. "Esper crime!" she declared, snapping on her Judgment armband. She quickly ordered Uiharu to begin evacuating civilians and teleported toward the scene to intercept the criminals attempting a bank robbery.
Seeing this, Shokuhō and Misaka exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to postpone their petty rivalry. Whatever else was going on, they both had a strong sense of justice—and now wasn't the time to bicker.
Kuroko, using a combination of teleportation and hand-to-hand combat, quickly subdued one of the robbers. However, the second suspect made a break for the crowd—toward a group of children.
"What a scumbag…" Shokuhō frowned. Using kids as a shield? That crossed a line.
Just then, Su Mo leaned in close to Shokuhō and whispered, "Take control of them both. Look for any sign of the Level Upper."
"Got it!" Shokuhō replied cheerfully. She pulled out her remote control device and pressed a button aimed at the fleeing criminal.
Immediately, the attacker froze in place like a statue.