_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
"You—you jerk! You just looked at me—looked at me—and then rolled your eyes! What's that supposed to mean? You think you're too good for me, huh?!"
The voice belonged to a girl, though her temper was anything but gentle. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, cheeks blazing red, and tiny sparks of electricity flickering through her short brown hair.
"Tch, seriously? There's nothing even there to cover. And don't act like you're the only one flat, alright? Look at my little Sayuriko—she's just as flat as you!" Ethan gave the short-haired girl a scornful look, then casually pointed at Sayuriko.
"M-Master…" Sayuriko stomped lightly, her face turning pink with embarrassment.
"You… you bastard! Go die!" the brown-haired girl shouted, half furious, half flustered. A sharp crack split the air as a bolt of lightning shot straight at Ethan.
He raised one hand, catching the blast as if it were nothing. His palm tingled slightly. "Tsk, tsk… No wonder you looked familiar. So you're the famous Electromaster herself—Misaka Mikoto, the 'Railgun'!"
"E–Electromaster? Railgun? You bastard! Who are you calling that?!" Another flash of light split the air as she fired again.
Ethan flicked his finger, deflecting the lightning like a gnat.
To be fair, his strength was far beyond anything a Level 5 esper could manage. And Misaka—kindhearted as she was—never unleashed her full power even when angry. The flashes looked intense, but the actual voltage? Barely Level 2 at best.
"Oh? You blocked it without a scratch." Her eyes lit up, excitement replacing irritation. "Not bad! Let's see how strong you really are!"
Another surge of power crackled through the air. Bolts of electricity arced toward him.
Snap!
Ethan smacked the lightning aside with his palm. "Hey, enough already, Sparky!"
"Hmph! Not a chance! You're better than I thought—but that just makes this more fun! Let's go again!"
Misaka's competitive streak flared. The air shimmered with electric discharge as she drew on her true strength. The room hummed with power, yet her control was precise—none of the stray currents touched the timid Sayuriko behind her.
"Hey, hey! You're going too far now! If you keep this up, I will hit back!" Ethan complained. "Such a pain…"
"Then hit back! Come on! Let's settle this fair and square! I'll accept any challenge!" Misaka's eyes blazed with determination. She pulled a coin from her pocket—her signature move—ready to fire a full-blown Railgun.
"…Alright, that's enough."
Before she could launch it, Ethan sighed, rolled his eyes, and vanished in a blur. A heartbeat later, he was right in front of her, grabbing the wrist holding the coin.
"What—?! So fast!" Misaka gasped. She hadn't even seen him move.
Still, she wasn't the type to back down. Pride and stubbornness were practically her trademarks. Even caught off guard, she refused to admit defeat—and besides, she was the Railgun. If he was dumb enough to grab her bare wrist, that was on him.
Electricity surged from her arm, crackling into his hand. But Ethan's palm might as well have been rubber. No matter how much current she poured in, it simply disappeared without a trace.
"Wha—? How—?!" Misaka's eyes widened in disbelief. She twisted her body, using his grip as leverage, and kicked at his head.
He caught her ankle effortlessly. "Alright, that's really enough. And seriously—safety shorts? Come on, you're a girl! Wear something cute once in a while!"
With a flick of his arm, he tossed her aside like a rag doll, scowling at her in mock disgust.
Misaka's face went crimson. She clamped her legs together, pressing her hands to her skirt. "Y-you pervert! You total pervert!"
"Whoa, whoa, don't slander me like that. I could sue for defamation, you know?" Ethan yawned lazily.
"You jerk! You perv! You super perv! Just die already!"
Sparks erupted around her, the lights flickering ominously. The whole room suddenly looked like a horror movie set.
"Alright, alright! Master, maybe stop teasing her before she blows up the building?" Sayuriko hurried forward, trying to calm them both down. "And you, Miss, please don't get angry. You came here because you needed help, didn't you? Tell us—what can we do for you?"
At those words, Misaka froze. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by exhaustion and grief.
"…You're right. I came here… to ask for help. I heard about the Time-Space Odd Jobs Agency—that you can do the impossible. Please… I'm begging you. Help me. Help my sisters…"
Her voice trembled, and tears began to fall. The tough, proud girl from before was gone, replaced by someone fragile, desperate, and heartbreakingly human.
"Help your sisters, huh?" Ethan's tone softened. "No problem. That's easy for me."
Lazy as he was, Ethan actually admired Misaka. He'd seen the Railgun anime before—he knew her story. The girl who carried the guilt of twenty thousand clones, half of them slaughtered in a twisted experiment. A kind soul forced to live in hell.
For someone like him, helping her was a no-brainer.
Besides, with the Time-Space Odd Jobs Agency's powers, he couldn't exactly refuse even if he wanted to.
"..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________