Sukiyaki Ushinobu, according to review,is a restaurant located in an underground shopping mall in School District 7. This restaurant specializes in suikiyaki, a Japanese beef-based specialty served hot pot style, where soups, ingredients, and broths are cooked right at the customer's table in low, wide pots. Alternatively, you can pay extra for a grill, but the bill for ingredients will surely be destined to went up.
One should never forget, that if we talking about the underground shop mall, we are talking about something that could be called an anthill maze on a human scale. So, to get to this restaurant at all, you first had to make a turn into a specific alley.
However, the entrance or exit to this alley was guarded by members of the Amakusa Church. Which is a mysterious organization of Japanese magicians centered around Kaori Kanzaki, a saint from magicians side, with a two-meter long katana. This group uses everyday objects as the basis for their spells, to create a miniature ceremonies with the sacrifice of objects, sometimes even personal pieces of clothing. Additionally, they excel in their ability to blend in with the environment, especially in a crowd and thus avoid inconvenience.
In fact, few of them, currently using several pieces of Japanese furniture; such as a table, a couple of chairs, an ornamental folding wall made of wood and paper with a beautiful painted pattern of nature used to separate space in room; to create a blending in scene.Those folks, they have managed to almost disguise the obvious entrance to this part of the underground as another garage room used as mall slot for some kind of establishment. In fact, they were so good at it, that any passerby who glanced in their direction would mistake them for a group of friends and locals, having fun while drinking in the mini bar at the side of road.
Even Mikoto (pulling Misaki's hand), with her own esper GPS receiver, who was about to turn into (the alley), she stopped walking in surprise, realizing that she had made a mistake and almost entered the pub instead of the alley in question. Ordinary people would not pay attention to the group in a natural conversation. But if those ordinary people had looked at the scene better, they would have noticed that this whole show was just a cover up to keep the entire alley free of passing visitors. Mikoto was so sure about her planed route that she got confused. She tried to understand where she had made a mistake and tilted her head to the side, looking at the scene in front of her from different perspective.But in reality she was not paying much attention to the glass-fronted display case.
That is, until her gaze (by chance or by just observing) fell on a tanned guy with such a thick Afro tuft of hair on his head, that the man would have been mistaken for a direct descendant of the literary famous ancient Afro samurai. [exaggerated comparison, but it's Tatemiya Saiji and he also uses an unusual sword as his main weapon]
However, as she looked at him, her eyes widened in surprise. She remembered a certain scene, where this guy was bragging about showing off his amazing football skills. Especially when after his penalty kick, the kicked ball hit the head of a certain idiot. His face (deeply buried) in the deep neckline/cleavage, (which was asking for it), on the chest of the girl who was accompanying him at that moment.[Itsuwa, member of Amakusa with a crush on that boy, and the family like members of Amakusa, supporting they sis efforts.]
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An imaginary mental switch [I'll kick your ass] inside of certain impulsive tsundere, has flipped ON.
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She immediately pointed her index finger directly at him in a fighting stance and barked at him: "Hey!! You're the one with that weird sense of the pervert's football art."
The Amakusa group immediately stopped pretending, that they not notice her and soured out in style; (Oh shit!),when most of them who are right here, participated in the incident as spectators or as a secret mental support for the player [Itsuwa] down on the playing field (love/flirting). At the same time, the actor of the football trick kick had an expression exactly like a person, who knew he was going to get a beating from a violent passionate girl. However, this experienced man used all his wits, skills and knowledge to gentlemanly get out of this mess... He used the most effective method in the history of mankind to do so...
He made a hasty panicked escape, a desperate reckless run.
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Misaka could only manage an (Eh?) when all that was left of him was an imaginary wisp of swirling dust, after he had taken off like a sprinter at the sound of the starting gun, circled the folding wall, and disappeared behind it.
Of course, Mikoto, with her (Hey!!, Wait!!), hasty followed him, dragging Misaki with her by hand. But when she managed to get around the decorative folding wall, and look forward: The sprinter had already reached the Sukiyaki Ushinobu restaurant door. He made a suspicious exaggerated ninety-degree turn and ran into the restaurant where the girls were supposed to meet. He slipped between the sliding doors that looked like they were cut out of Japanese classical culture [traditionally a wooden lattice/grid with paper or glass filling] and their slow automatic closing mechanism made it impossible for the pursuer to even get a glimpse inside.
Misaka eyebrows twitched in irritation when she realized that it couldn't be a coincidence, that he ran straight here. Still dragging Shokuhou behind her, she rushed towards the restaurant, completely ignoring the other Amakusa members participating in this theater at the checkpoint turn into the alley. Or the (almost randomly) standing (loitering) spectators in the alley, who may be or not may be there on purpose as if on guard. Siting in front of some shop or a restaurant, at anything that can be used as chair and table, as if on watch. Some of them had a business suit and there had been someone wearing something like a silver plate armor of a knight. They just silently observed as the girls had been on pursuit, tailing Afro guy.
Even the sign at the entrance to the destination who saying, that the restaurant is fully booked for a private event; only added fuel to the imaginary fire of a Railgun. She was so triggered, that when she reached for the door, it was assumed that she would open it so forcefully, that it would noisily slam into the frame, fully opening it in a dramatic entrance. One would also assume, that she would start with her classic exclamation (Hey!!), which would gain the attention of the entire restaurant staff, as she will galloped inside, like some manga hero onto the stage.
Except the heavily panting blonde behind her, was lagging.She couldn't slow down for the one second that took the brunette to open the sliding door. Like a trailer truck on inertia, her entire weight pressed against her tractor, who tried to hit the breaks. Especially a certain duo 'Mi-tan and Hi-tan' pressed against the brunette's back.
Because of this, Mikoto lost her initial momentum, and the door didn't get enough initial momentum to slam against the frame. Instead, she had to fight for her own balance as the (backpack?) on her back shifted its weight onto her, pushing her forward so much, so that she was in real danger of collapsing/stretching out onto the floor face forward. And the backpack will collapse onto her.
So when the door was just opening… she involuntarily took a step inside… 'Whoah??' She was barely half a step inside and immediately received an imaginary slap from the mixture of delicious aromas, that came from the dishes prepared right on the customers' tables, from all the ingredients present, hot pot style. On her second step, she strained her (iron muscles) not to collapse and stiffened in a half-squat. She bent over from the heavy backpack, who must put its weight on its colleague.
Immediately after that, came a second imaginary slap. It was not just from the stares, but also from the subconscious awareness of the presence of relatively strong figures. It was almost as if she had entered not just a restaurant, but some kind of dragon's lair. Regaining her posture and with a stern, almost combative expression, she looked carefully around the entire room.
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Normally one would expect the space to be arranged like a dining room: bench-table-bench, next bench-table-bench and so on. But for this private party, there were additionally portable meter and a quarter high wooden boards between the tables as walls, imaginary dividing boxes for customers who need personal space, yet still be able to observe others or if speaker giving a speech. Although this significantly reduced the number of seats, but the reservation of the entire space compensated for the reorganization from a dining room to a restaurant.
Of course, the offender with the Afro, did not bother to count on any chance to able to hide among the customers or find a help here. He was nowhere to see and was probably already passed the flying door to the kitchen, planning to escape through the passage connecting the back of the restaurant. He must have known at least about some guaranteed way to get out of the restaurant. It did not matter whether it was a service corridor, an elevator, or a shaft, because it would be very embarrassing for him to drive himself into a dead end with no way out.
We probably don't need to remind, that due to their sudden arrival, the pair of girls gained the attention of some customers, regardless of whether they were originally looking around after the previous entrance.
However, the overreaction came from Touma Kamijou, sitting at one of the tables, who almost choke himself, when he saw the sharp-haired brunette on the hunt. As if he had involuntarily taken the baton in the relay race, meaning that he was now the prey for the nearest beast to run after, or had simply remembered some (perhaps traumatic?) event. He immediately stood up with his right palm pointed open towards the lady from Tokiwadai in a clear defensive gesture.
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Since he was sticking out more than a crooked fence post, his hasty reaction immediately caught Railgun's full attention, and she immediately stopped chasing the previous offender, stomping on the floor and barking at the new offender: "Hey!!, don't try to act like I'm going to attack you, out of nowhere!!"
Except the lad didn't relent in his defense. "That's usually the second thing that happens, or happens to me, after you've storm onto the scene. As the saying goes: (It's better to leave the sleeping beast alone.); because usually, when you start a conversation rashly, it's not just you who jumps on me in a moment." Who would have thought that this hero had too poor a knowledge of the fragile corners of a young lady's delicate heart in bloom...
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His response stirred more anger than understanding in her, as she clenched her free hand into a fist. "So, you've been ignoring me on purpose, for the most part?!"
"That's not what I meant. A poor student like me, sometimes simply has to submit to the constraints of his budget in dealing with his daily woes, that well-heeled rich ladies have no idea about."
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Lady almost cough. "How come?, you always have such a wrong idea about what Tokiwadai looks like?!"
Lad was about to answer, but as he opened his mouth, his attention shifted to the (fatigue-stricken?) blonde that Misaka had dragged with her.
Shokuhou (currently leaning on the back of her classmate) tried to hit her colleague with her handbag, saying "Shut up for a moment! Can you?", but it was so in weak voice that Mikoto could barely understand what she was saying. Even the blow was so weak that the handbag did not make the arc that would have gained the necessary strength to hit the tomboy tsundere with it. Some might say, she was trying to get Misaka's attention. However, the brunette gave her a cold look for her pathetic performance in trying to hit her with her handbag.
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At this moment, Saten Ruiko, who, not coincidentally with Uiharu Kazari, was sitting at the same table as Kamijou, across him. The long haired girl saw that she had a window of opportunity to make a witty remark. "Now it make a sense, why the Afro dude was screaming: (Sparkle alert!)" She outstretched her hand toward them. "Our famous newlyweds, finally arrived. There's so much sparkling ongoing between them, that I can imagine why there's so much passion surrounding the hot news about this star couple."
Except big brother Touma, looked surprised, as if he didn't understand something, when the remark was directed at the pair of girls.
Meanwhile, the big sister Mikoto, felt the urge to talk to the blacky who couldn't help getting into trouble, by talking so freely and by wandering around aimlessly. "Saten san, don't you learn that you shouldn't tease a cobra snake with your bare foot? The same goes for your tendency to gallop into an event scene that would lead you to harm, right?" A vein was throbbing on her forehead, but she still tried to calm herself by closing her eyes for a tiny moment. "We are not married!"
Shokuhou, who had finally stop pant, caught her breath. She has a no more need to lean onto her schoolmate for a support, so she stand up. However, seeing that Kamijou took advantage of the opportunity to sit down when the attention was diverted from him to the brunette; she decided (not so much) to feign exhaustion. All that, so she can drag her body to the certain specific table, one weak step after another one, leaving Misaka behind, aiming for the free spot next to the lad in question. Without a doubt, one could imagine that she intended to sit right next to him. Still on her played exhaustion, she will seek a support for her body and not so innocently lean against him shoulder to shoulder or even more. It was possible to assume that by coincidence after a while she, would rest her head against him, using the exhaustion as excuse to display her body and push her big assets to his field of view. Or even fall on him, as if she (slipped?).
Except Misaka, steeped forward, and pulling at blonde, she caught the sly fox before she could execute her plan and sit down. "Hey! What do you think you're about to do?"
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The blonde's fake smile told the brunette that she had hit the nail on the head. "Ara, Ara. Wasn't the main purpose of our outing trip, an invitation to eat in a restaurant? I'm just trying to be sociable. So when I saw an empty seat on a table whit a familiar faces, I decided to sit on it. But if you don't like this bench, the couple opposite bench [Saten, Uiharu] will certainly be more than happy to take you in. Or,-- if you had an issue whit company on this table..." Although she was acting sweet, there were signs of malice on her face. "You can sit at the next table, which would suit your taste." She pointed across the aisle to the second row of tables, specifically at group of ladies of noble birth, who looked like they had fallen out of an illustration depicting some royal family from some fantasy kingdom.
It was actually the British royal family at the hot-pot, on a visit to Japan for lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Queen Elizard and her three daughters, however, seemed so out of place in the surrounding scene that Mikoto ignored them all too easily. In fact, judging by the dishes on their table, it looked like there had only recently been someone (maybe two?) who had perhaps went for a break. Or they went after the Afro guy.
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Except the Level-5 pair wasn't the only couple that headed to the inn, and the big-mouthed duo, plus two security guards with coal dark glasses, also walked in.
Kuroko Shirai, crushed by the facts: that Misaka ignored her, even when she called out to her upon they arrival,-- and for now, she was directly competing with the overly assertive Shokuhou for the clueless hero who didn't get it,-- could do nothing but despair. "What kind of supernatural phenomenon is this?... when not only my Sissy, but also her rival gave her heart to him? What secret lies behind these spells that allowed him to attract the affections of not only the princess of Tokiwadai, but also the supposed queen?" They were ignored even if they come a closer.
Roberto Katze, standing next to judgment girl, had another of his (bright moment) when he simply muss speak up to the young lady in love trouble with his (advice?), placing his hand fatherly on her small shoulder. "Maybe,-- if you will went on a regular date with that boy, maybe after a few attempts to listen to his soul, you would be able to recognize, what is hidden behind their enchantment. That is, if you felt firsthand what they are experiencing with him."
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The red-haired girl turned her head towards him, looking up at him with such a devastated expression, as if her whole world was crumbling right before her eyes.
Of course the trio of Mikoto, Misaki, and Touma heard the comment and turned their attention to them.
Kamijou had a very important point that had to be made, regardless of the consequences. "I don't think, that enforcing police coercion/oppression with, can be considered a date in any context. Like when you arrest a guy, just to force him to help you with a case. But as you'll drag an unwilling volunteer down the street, keeping his hand sealed in your handcuffs, you look all so full of yourself.So that a random passerby will see it as a scene: When is a girl supposed to bring a detained suspect for questioning, but instead of car ride, they walk across half the city. So everybody can see them as some kind of public punishment. And in the end, all I got was disdainful looks, harsh talk and insults."
Both girls on Level-5 looked at him in disbelief with a (Huh?) expression.
However, this was the moment when Roberto excelled with his helpful speeches. "Boy, has it ever occurred to you?; that this is actually an invitation for you? To break those bonds and shakes?To take the lead in the relationship because the girl secretly wants to move into a next base, but can't say it out loud?" He obviously think about handcuffs used for kink role play between lowers, and didn't even bother to think that these were real handcuffs used by academic city enforcers. But he still rise a god job thumb toward the petite girl while having a great grin, for her side intention approach toward the boy.
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Not only did the Level-5 duo react by widening their eyes at what they heard, but the Level-4 Teleporter also chills shivered with the cold until her skin crawled. Then Shirai's expression turned sour. "Unbelievable, one would say, that the ability to wear someone down to the point of them wanting to slap him at every time they cross paths, shouldn't be something a diplomat or politician should have." She sighed before trying to force herself back to normal. "However... I don't suppose the cliché of (You beat me in a fight and therefore 'three dots'.), hardly can be applied to a situation, involving a peak on a mountain glacier called an esper world." She was about to add something more but a random glance at Misaka and Shokuhou literally took her breath away with a (What?!!) expression on her face.
Both of the aforementioned celebrities had a dark look on their faces, as if the mere memory of (these meetings or incidents) had caused them deep depression, which they tried to cover up with a forced, desperate smile.
"No,-- it's not like it's purely a defeat or anything like that..."
"He, he,... Let's just say the stress and struggle had its own emotional consequences, until I gave up trying to stay away."
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Fortunately for them, there was another rescue in the form of another maid in training, namely Kumokawa Maria, who was working there as backup waitress. It must be admitted that for a girl from the maid school, hiding her attractive figure in a regular uniform would be a shame, so she wore something yellowish with a mini skirt that you would find in an otaku maid cafe or the like. We must not forget her crazy nature of doing tasks in uncommon way. A convenient example was the task where she was assigned to sell her homemade bentos [homemade lunches] to random passersby on the street to boost her communication skills. So she attached a sign to herself: (Maid in training is looking for her future master.), which ensured her express sales. But in the end, she earned a scolding from the teacher for it. At least, she was aware of her duties and life goals, so she only geek around to the extend as not to have a problem with her own shattered reputation.
For now, this girl confidently stepped forward in front of the troublemakers, demanding their attention with a single clap of her hands. "That's enough! A little more and I'll seat away this class."
Of course, Mikoto immediately recalled a certain encounter in a tense atmosphere, where this particular cosplay maid did not hesitate to use her beautiful teenage girl advantages to assert her own. A particularly disturbing advantage in this waitress's repertoire is the fact that as a maid she can ignore personal space. For example, she jumped into full car, pressed her chest against a certain idiot, asking him to take her with them, with the innocent promise of doing anything for him in return. Whatever he wishes.
But before the brunette could even react to the 'Ryouran Maid School' student, the restaurant helper turned to the lad in the center of the action, her hands on her hips, fittingly as if she were an offended maid, bending a little forward, glaring at her naughty master for causing a more useless work for her. "Kamijou dono [respectful address as for a lord], if I didn't know better, I'd say you've become the protagonist of a 'Shoen manga', destined by fate, to be a magnet for trouble that will fall upon him at the most opportune moment. But even so, I must restrain myself today and ask, not only you but all of you; to please keep your love-filled comedy in check! Remember. This is Academy City that listens and such temptations of fate, tend to throw a test of fate worthy of a mythical epic tale, upon the daredevil who dared to speak up a complain against the gods."
With a sigh, she waved her hand in a gesture as if to encourage them to look around. "Don't forget, that in addition to the OP fighting protagonists visitors, there are also supporting characters in this room, who can't keep up with the main cast. Moreover, in the hierarchy of business, customer, and Japanese culture, I can afford to stomp the floor and show the troublemakers the door. That means you, dear trio." She threatened them with a raised index finger. "So unless you start behaving like proper customers in Japanese hospitality, your flirting will escalate into something extravagant like, for example; The next thing that will roll/gallop through that entrance door..." She pointed to the front door. "...will be someone, who will be so fired up to have some action, that they won't bother with trivial questions about work safety and will just start a fire." She sighed as if insulted. "Please realize that we are underground."
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The brunette felt goosebumps on her skin because the comments touched her too much and she had personal experience with all of the examples. In fact, she might have been directly responsible for a few of them.
The blonde, on the other hand, looked at the fire sprinkler hanging from the ceiling with such distrust, as if it threatened to send a flood upon her. Almost as if she had had some traumatic experience with water in an underground shopping mall. [Thanks to her poor motor skills, she had repeatedly faced drowning...]
The lad (at the center of the dispute?) with a dewy face looked at the foursome [Shirai, Katze, duo of security agents] that entered the restaurant as last, as if they were trailing behind the Level-5 couple. Like him the security guys, surely didn't look twice enthusiastic.
Ironically, Shirai shared her lack of enthusiasm for the conversation and visibly chose to stay away from the debate.
The president, on the other hand, looked as if he had some idea on his mind.
[Continue with next part.]