Misaka Mikoto quickly wiped her tears and rallied. "Sorry, Misaka Misaka, my bad."
Last Order relaxed, giggling. "Oh, onee-san, Misaka Misaka has a gift for you!"
"A gift?"
Misaka Mikoto blinked. She hadn't seen anything about this in the Misaka Network.
Last Order grinned. She'd deliberately withheld this info to surprise Misaka Mikoto.
The next moment, she pulled out a Gekota pendant and presented it to her.
"Ta-da! This is the gift Misaka Misaka is giving to onee-san. Hope you like it, Misaka Misaka says with worry."
Seeing the Gekota pendant, Misaka Mikoto's eyes lit up.
"It's Gekota!!!"
She carefully took the pendant from Last Order, astonished. "How did you know I like this?"
They'd never met before.
Last Order glanced at Morpheus, and Misaka Mikoto realized Last Order learned of her Gekota love from him.
But how did Morpheus know she liked Gekota?
"Just a little trick," Morpheus said. He couldn't exactly say he knew from the plot—who'd believe that?
The other Misaka Sisters, seeing this, stepped forward with their gifts.
"Nee-san, Misaka 1999 has a gift for you."
"Nee-chan, Misaka 2333 also has a gift for you."
"Nee-sama, Misaka 6666 has a gift for you too."
Misaka Mikoto realized all the Sisters had prepared gifts for her, all Gekota-themed merchandise. Curiously, some items she didn't recognize.
No, Gekota hadn't even made such merchandise.
What was going on?
Misaka Mikoto couldn't figure it out but was deeply moved.
"Thank… thank you all, really, thank you so much."
She'd never helped these Sisters, yet they held her in their hearts and even brought her gifts. It made her feel ashamed yet profoundly touched like never before.
"Meeting you all is just… so wonderful."
"Misaka 2333 also thinks meeting onee-san is wonderful, Misaka 2333 says seriously."
"Misaka 1222 also thinks meeting onee-san is great…"
"Misaka Misaka also thinks onee-san…"
Seeing this, Morpheus slipped out of the auditorium unnoticed, leaving time for Misaka Mikoto and the Sisters.
Their first meeting—they'd have plenty to say, and he didn't want to intrude.
Outside the auditorium, Morpheus turned and met a pair of starry eyes.
Shokuhou Misaki.
The school's Queen Bee, Misaka Mikoto's rival.
"Thank you so much for earlier," Shokuhou Misaki said with ladylike grace, a far cry from her earlier mischief.
Morpheus waved it off. "No big deal."
"Even so, I want to apologize. I offended you, yet you forgave me. It makes me feel ashamed. Please believe me, I didn't invade your mind to control you."
Shokuhou Misaki explained earnestly.
Morpheus knew she wasn't lying.
The real Shokuhou Misaki was strongly just.
Though she could freely manipulate minds, she'd never trample on them and sometimes risked her life for others' hearts.
She even set a personal rule: "I must take responsibility for those whose minds I deeply probe and brainwash."
She believed "'Mental Out' is a power only someone as noble as me can control. In vulgar hands, it'd be misused and dangerous."
She couldn't tolerate misuse of her related technology.
Her animosity toward Misaka Mikoto stemmed from distrust in vague things like cooperation or trust.
She always probed collaborators' minds—their thoughts, principles, and, if needed, manipulated their emotions or actions.
Since her mental interference didn't work on Misaka Mikoto, she was wary of her from the start, not knowing what she was thinking.
This led to Misaka Mikoto's poor impression of her.
But Shokuhou Misaki also did charity work, quietly amassing good deeds. She was a good person.
She'd get angry for others instantly but put on a brave face for her own troubles.
Overall, a pretty great girl.
So when Shokuhou Misaki tried invading Morpheus's mind, he went easy, sparing her a harsh lesson.
For good people, Morpheus always had more leniency.
"I believe you."
Morpheus accepted her explanation fully. "Just as I know what kind of person Misaka Mikoto is, I know what kind you are, Shokuhou Misaki."
"I don't mind what happened earlier, so you don't need to either."
"You know me?"
Shokuhou Misaki paused, tilting her head in confusion at Morpheus. "We just met. How do you know me?"
"Wait." She suddenly thought of something. "You didn't peek into my memories, did you?"
Recalling her failed attempt to read Morpheus's mind and the resulting dizziness, she wondered if Morpheus was also a mental ability user.
Maybe he blocked her ability and read her memories while she was disoriented.
Seeing Shokuhou Misaki's mix of embarrassment and anger, Morpheus couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're overthinking, Shokuhou-san. I didn't read your memories."
"My knowledge of you comes from another source, not memory reading. Rest assured."
Shokuhou Misaki looked at him skeptically. Unable to invade his mind, she couldn't verify his words.
But given his strength, she had to take his words as true.
After all, she had no way to confirm, right?
Then, she couldn't help asking, "By the way, what's your name, and what's your deal with Misaka Mikoto?"
Morpheus gave her a knowing smile. He knew she wasn't asking about Misaka Mikoto but the Misaka Sisters.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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