Bringing Index to the shopping district, Su Mo wasn't surprised when she was immediately drawn to the dessert shop's glass display, her eyes sparkling as she admired the various sweets. Su Mo himself wasn't particularly interested in desserts, so after sitting down with her, he casually glanced toward a nearby clothing store. Seeming to recall something, he turned to Index and asked, "Do you want to buy some clothes? You can't keep wearing that nun habit forever, can you?" While the Walking Church she wore had excellent defensive properties, there wasn't much reason for her to wear the same outfit constantly.
"But… I am a nun after all…" Index hesitated. As a girl, she naturally wanted new clothes, but as far back as her memories went, she had never worn anything else. With the Walking Church's self-cleaning properties, there'd never been a need.
"Just get some and keep them ready. At the very least, you need two sets of pajamas," Su Mo said after thinking for a moment. While wearing the Walking Church might be safer outside, there was no reason to keep it on at home. Treat it as a casual dress-up game—it could even be fun.
Index considered this and nodded. Even she wouldn't insist on wearing the Walking Church to bed. Until now, she'd simply worn Su Mo's spare clothes at night. Since he suggested buying sleepwear, it made sense.
After finishing their desserts, the two headed over to the clothing section. As they passed an underwear store, Su Mo paused. He suddenly remembered: Index had absolutely nothing under the Walking Church. This unfortunate fact had come to light the previous day after she'd bathed… the details of which were best left unspoken, though Su Mo had almost been bitten.
"Come to think of it… you're about that age already," Su Mo commented to the silver-haired nun beside him. "Although with your situation, it's not obvious, it's better to get used to these things early."
Index's figure… how should one put it? Compared to Misaka Mikoto's already petite frame, Index looked even younger. In terms of physical development, she arguably didn't need anything just yet. But given that she was fourteen or fifteen years old, it made sense to start. Her loose nun robes hid everything, but once she started wearing other clothes, she'd definitely need proper undergarments.
Hearing his words, Index began grinding her teeth in irritation. "I can sense it… you're mocking me, aren't you? Su Mo, are you looking down on me?"
What did he mean by 'it's not obvious'? Wasn't that basically denying her feminine charm? Su Mo, noticing her growing frustration, glanced at her with pity and wisely decided not to press the issue. "Not at all. I just think it's time. As a mature and responsible nun, wearing mature women's clothing is only natural, don't you think?" To his surprise, this coaxing worked. Index, who had never worn such clothing before, hesitated briefly but eventually nodded, willing to try it since Su Mo said so.
Turning to the store attendant, Su Mo said, "Bring me the smallest children's size, please."
"Of course!" the attendant responded promptly after glancing at Index's build, finding nothing unusual about the request. "I'm not a child…" Index muttered quietly, but when the new clothes were brought out, she still ran toward the fitting room with the excitement of a child.
Watching her happily dart away, Su Mo rubbed his chin and mumbled to himself, "The smallest children's size should fit. I remember Misaki once mentioned that Misaka uses the smallest size too. Judging from this kid's figure… she should be about the same."
After all, in the original series, Index eventually started wearing normal clothes properly. She should fit this size as well. Although Misaka was definitely taller, their 'measurements' were probably similar. Su Mo felt confident in his choice. But just as he said that he suddenly sensed a dark aura rising behind him.
"Su Mo-sensei!" Turning around, Su Mo found himself face-to-face with an extremely displeased Misaka Mikoto, her expression thunderous.
"Who are you calling a flat, empty board who wears the smallest size!?"
Mikoto could barely believe her ears. Today, she had only come shopping with friends. Because of her childish taste in clothes, she'd taken advantage of Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari getting distracted to sneak off and check out some pajamas she liked. She never expected to spot Su Mo here. She'd been about to greet him when she heard the utterly unforgivable words from his mouth: something about 'being just as flat' as someone else.
It's not my fault I'm not growing! I drink milk every day! Mikoto glared at Su Mo with the grief and fury of someone who had just taken critical emotional damage.
"I didn't say you were that flat…" Su Mo twitched slightly. He had noticed someone approaching but hadn't thought much of it, since his focus was on Index and he sensed no threat. Who could have predicted that Misaka Mikoto herself would show up?
Wait a second… between the location—the Seventh Mist Mall—and Mikoto shopping for clothes… Su Mo suddenly realized what point in time this was. It had to be right before the "Graviton bombing" incident. While Su Mo pondered this, Mikoto picked up on something else from his earlier muttering.
"Wait… 'Misaki-chan'… don't tell me you're talking about Shokuhou Misaki!?"
"And how does she know my clothing size!?" Sparks of electricity crackled between Mikoto's bangs as she recalled overhearing a suspicious conversation at the office between Su Mo and Shokuhou Misaki. Of course! Shokuhou Misaki must have been badmouthing her behind her back again! She even told Su Mo about her figure!
Calling me flat!?
Mikoto, who respected Su Mo greatly, instinctively assumed he must have been misled. All this insulting information had to have come from that manipulative queen bee.
"I swear, next time I see that woman, I'm going to fry her into a roast frog!" And just like that, Shokuhou Misaki took the blame without even being present. Now that she had vented some of her frustration, Mikoto's thoughts circled back to something else that didn't sit right.
"Also… why do you call that woman by her first name?" In Japanese culture, that level of familiarity usually indicated a very close relationship. "Don't tell me… that woman brainwashed you too!?" Given her dislike of Shokuhou Misaki, Mikoto instinctively suspected mind control.
"…Not exactly." Su Mo sighed. Su Mo shook his head. "I knew her long before I started teaching at Tokiwadai. You could say we share some… complicated history. That's why our relationship looks close."
Hearing that, Misaka Mikoto half-heartedly nodded. "Oh…" She wasn't fully convinced, but thinking about how naturally the two communicated, it did seem like they'd known each other for a long time. Then again, with Shokuhou Misaki's mental manipulation abilities, creating fake memories wasn't impossible either. Subconsciously, Mikoto decided to pin the blame for Su Mo's earlier comments squarely on Shokuhou.
Just then, Index came skipping back, clearly delighted after trying on her clothes. Though reluctant at first, she had to admit the size Su Mo chose fit her perfectly. After paying and packing everything up, Su Mo was about to say goodbye to Mikoto and take Index to pick out more clothes when suddenly, the public announcement system crackled to life.
"Due to a circuit malfunction, this shopping center must close for emergency maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please evacuate the premises immediately." It was a standard emergency closure announcement. Hearing this, Mikoto looked puzzled but, trusting the instructions, started following the crowd toward the exits. After a few steps, though, she realized Su Mo wasn't moving.
"Su Mo-sensei?" she called back in confusion. "Aren't we evacuating?"
Instead of answering directly, Su Mo glanced at her and posed a question of his own. "To a shopping mall, profits come first, right? What kind of circuit failure would be so serious that instead of just repairing it, the entire mall chooses to shut down?" Even in the event of something like an electrical leak, usually only one floor would be closed. Shutting down the whole building didn't add up.
"You're saying there's another reason behind this closure?" Mikoto frowned. "It's not like there's a bomb hidden here. If there were, Judgment would already be—" She trailed off mid-sentence. Just ahead, she saw Uiharu Kazari—who had accompanied her earlier—now wearing her Judgment armband and assisting with the evacuation. Judgment's involvement meant they'd received official orders. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
No way… had she accidentally guessed right?
Could there really be a bomb?
But what kind of criminal plants a bomb in a shopping mall instead of, say, robbing a bank? Terrorists?
"Wait a minute!" As she was about to voice her doubts, a thought struck her. "Su Mo-sensei… could this be related to those Graviton bombing incidents that have been happening lately?" There had been a string of strange explosions across the city recently. Thanks to Kuroko, Mikoto had heard a bit about those cases.
"Exactly." Su Mo nodded calmly. "I can already sense traces of gravitons. Looks like someone's using an ability similar to mine." He smirked slightly, as if finding the situation interesting. "To try and play with gravity right in front of me… how unlucky for them."