"Hey I brought a new friend! Ta-da"
Saten Ruiko beamed, introducing her new friend to the group.
"???"
Misaka Mikoto, Uiharu Kazari, and Shirai Kuroko exchanged puzzled glances.
Misaka spoke up, "Uh… Saten-san, where's this… new friend?"
"Come on, don't joke like that! She's right here!"
"No worries, I'm used to it!"
At her voice, the trio blinked, suddenly noticing the girl beside Saten—Katou Megumi.
"Ah! Sorry, I don't know how I missed you… maybe my eyes were playing tricks. Hi, I'm Misaka Mikoto!"
Misaka blinked, realizing the girl had been there all along, her presence somehow in her memory. She quickly apologized.
"It's fine, happens all the time!"
Katou Megumi, accustomed to being overlooked, smiled calmly and shook Misaka's hand.
The group then exchanged introductions.
"Hey, hey~ I've got something to share. Look at this…"
Saten pulled a black cloth from her bag and draped it over her head.
"What are you doing?"
"Get in here!"
The cloth blocked the sunlight, their faces lit only by a phone's glow, casting a faintly eerie atmosphere.
"This is a really creepy story… something a senpai's boyfriend experienced in real life…"
Saten had a knack for storytelling, her words weaving a chilling mood that drew everyone in.
They instinctively leaned into the tale.
"On a sweltering summer night, in a nearly deserted park, something happened to that boyfriend!"
As Saten spoke, a vivid scene formed in their minds: a summer park, a lone figure walking a path, tree shadows clawing at the ground like monstrous silhouettes.
"A woman approached him, asking for directions to the station!"
A smiling woman appeared, inquiring about the route.
It wasn't unusual—Academy City was somewhat open, with outsiders common enough.
"Just as he kindly explained the way…"
Saten's voice slowed, pausing deliberately to stoke suspense.
Their minds raced with possibilities…
The pause felt like the final moments before an execution, the anticipation breeding dread.
"The hesitant woman raised her hand, and—swish!"
Her tone shifted abruptly, tightening their nerves.
"She yanked off her shirt!"
Silence fell, heavy and bizarre.
It was like expecting a lavish birthday gift, only to open it and find a brick inscribed with "May our friendship be as solid as this rock"—and then breaking the brick in frustration to find it's a cheap knockoff.
They felt played.
But…
"No way, that's a thing?!"
The cloth covered five people: Misaka, Uiharu, Saten, Shirai, and Katou.
Yet that comment… came from a sixth voice.
"Ahhh!"
The cloth flew off. Misaka, Shirai, Uiharu, and Saten jumped, startled, while Katou propped her cheek, looking resignedly at the sixth figure.
"Why are you everywhere?!"
Katou had noticed him halfway through the story.
"Pretty normal, it's my turf!"
Samuel lounged back, legs crossed on the sofa.
"Chairman!! You—"
Shirai grabbed his collar, trying to teleport him away.
He was wedged between her and Misaka, striking a pose like an old-school landlord with beauties on either side.
How could Shirai stand it?
But…
She couldn't move him. Her teleportation limit was 130.7 kilograms, but Samuel felt like a thousand tons.
"Get lost, you—"
Sparks crackled, blue-white lightning bursting from Misaka.
Samuel vanished, dodging the bolt, reappearing beside Katou on a chair.
"Yare yare! So scary. Megumi-chan's much nicer—no attack powers at all."
"No idea how a shameless, carefree guy like you gets by every day."
Katou pushed his leaning face away with one hand.
"Hey! Got any shame?"
Misaka's sparks flared, her glare dangerous.
"What? Arrest her, drag her to my room for a personal interrogation—trafficking organs in broad daylight?"
"Enough! You ape of a Chairman, slacking off again? Poor Shinomiya-senpai."
"Just a perverted Kuroko daring to act so bold."
"Perverted?!"
"What do you all think?"
Misaka and the others nodded, clearly agreeing with Samuel.
"Hey! Onee-sama…"
"Ah, sorry, Kuroko, I didn't mean…"
After the commotion, the topic returned to "urban legends."
"Look at this…"
Uiharu pulled a laptop from her bag—standard for a hacker.
Saten expertly opened it, navigating to a site: "Academy City Urban Legends."
"Look… strange phenomena when wind turbines spin backward!"
Misaka Mikoto!
"Don't wander the school districts at 4:04 PM, or you'll slip into the illusory Imaginary Number District."
Himegami Aisa!
"Use it to adapt, and it boosts your ability—Level Upper."
"Don't waste time on this nonsense! Urban legends are unscientific! This is Academy City, for crying out loud."
"You're so unromantic! Some incidents do become legends. Look—a girl who can nullify any ability? That's peak Academy City!"
"A 'Just Person' roaming the night, enforcing justice."
***
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