[SS] Project Radio Noise

The teenaged girl stood her ground as the guy moved closer to grab Sayuri. She moved to keep the smaller girl behind her body, spreading her arms out to prevent him from getting closer.

“Misaka will not let you harm this little girl, Misaka warns you sternly, entering full defensive mode.”

The first skill-out uses the Sister's movement to his advantage and throws a punch at the Sister to get her out the way.
It looked quite painful but the Sister still stood her ground and Sayuri could feel static coming from the Sister, she stepped back instinctively while still keeping behind the girl.

"Hello, nice to meet you, my name's Kerri McKinley, most recent addition to Judgement Branch 177. i noticed these two in this alley and after asking about what they're doing, I think I'm going to tag along to see if I can help. By the way, I would mention that the red haired girl just racked up three criminal charges, note: she only denied one of them, not the other two, but it's not important so I won't. Also...Is she going to be alright? She's been a little freaked out for a while."

Kuroko turned to find herself looking down at a kneeling man. He held out his hand and she pulled back a little, glancing sidelong at Meirin and Kazari with a look of deadpan confusion.

"You say you're Judgement, but aren't you a little old for this outfit?" She questioned him with a skeptical look, her arms folded across her chest and she stood back, regarding him with distant caution.

***

The clone chased the cat through the park's dense foliage. She lost sight of it and slowed to a stop in the clearing ahead. Stooping to catch her breath the Sister spied the telltale sway of bushes as the feline passed underneath them. When Mikoto caught up to her she was already prodding speculatively at the bush. She dropped to her knees, reaching under the bush for the kitten.

The brown-haired girl shifted her head, narrowly avoiding the punch that flew towards her. With the same calm expression, she regarded the Skill Out coolly, assessing him as if he were an insect under a microscope.

“The force behind that punch was only about one-seventieth of the average punching strength of the Target, Misaka assesses accurately. Is that all you have? Misaka wonders in disdain. Misaka suggests that you all run away before you injure yourselves. Misaka gives you her final warning.”

***

Mikoto skidded to a stop after running through the thick foliage of the park. She took a moment to catch her breath, glaring at the familiar figure kneeling ahead of her in front of a bush.

“Hey you! Don’t just run off like that! I still have a lot to ask you, got it?!”

When she received no response, her frown deepened into a scowl. The clone didn’t seem to be listening at all, prodding at the bush carefully.

“I’m talking to you, dammit!”

In quick strides, Mikoto reached her and grabbed her arm forcefully, bringing it out of the bush. With a rough jerking motion, she forced the clone to stand. Her hands gripped the Sister’s arm and shoulder tightly in a threatening gesture.

“Do you want to get hurt?! I can get what I want by force if that’s what you prefer!”

Hard brown eyes met those dull brown orbs. Mikoto felt sweat run down her back in small rivulets. Within those eerily familiar eyes, there was nothing… but also everything. The clone appeared an empty shell at first glance, but something seemed to be stirring deep inside those apathetical eyes. As she stared, Mikoto suddenly felt foolishly small, as if she were just an ignorant child pretending to understand something that was beyond her comprehension.

Her grip loosened slowly, the hard edge in her eyes softening. And she knew- she couldn’t just hurt this girl. She had known from the very start.

“Guah-!! Ow…! What the-?”

Her loosening grip released completely as Mikoto stumbled back a few steps. Looking down, she saw small claw marks running along her leg, flaring an angry red on her skin.

“Meow~”

Turning her head to the sound, Mikoto was met with a vision of a cute cat sitting innocently in front of the bush. It was the cat that had run away earlier, now completely out of the green foliage.

"Target?" Sayuri thought aloud as she watched from behind the taller girl.

The skill-out ignored the Sister's comments and continued on the attack. There was no way some other kid was gonna make a fool out of him.

"You say you're Judgement, but aren't you a little old for this outfit?" Kerri pulls his his back, and moves it to his chin, thoughtfully,

Well, I proved to the red haired one that I can learn from that mistake from earlier... now I'll have to get creative with the mistakes, that way I can keep making the mistakes and not have to worry about repeating them.

"Perhaps I am a little old, but tell me child," he says, " Is there truly an age limit for someone to have a burning desire for... justice!!!" He says dramatically, balling his hands into fist, and placing them at his side as he looks up to the sky,

This would probably somehow look cooler if he wasn't still kneeling.

"Wow, it's a beautiful day," he says, in an absent minded tone. He then abruptly stands up and dusts off his pants,

"Of all the questions you were to ask, why would you ask about my age? Shouldn't you be asking about, oh I don't know, the validity of my claim about being a member of an official police force? That seems kind of obvious." He says, rubbing the back of his head, pretending to be oblivious of how that was the purpose of her question.

"Anyway, if you think that's weird, how do you think I feel? I'm twenty-six, and you're practically half my size, probably half my age, and I'm addressing you as senior officer K-..." He groans audibly, letting his legs buckle out ward slightly, and then steps back to bow, his head going right near her face "Kuroko-Senpai."

He then looks up,pretty much in her face because of the bow, and says, "And if you don't believe me, ask the red haired girl Who-ever-she-is, or Uiharu-Senpai. They already know how official I am as a Judgement member."

He says, and stands up, crossing his arms,

"Screwing around aside, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get filled in on what you know and come along to assist. My mission as Judgement is to protect the people and this city, and if you think Accelerator might be up to something that could threaten either, then my job is to come and help in any way I can. And I won't fool around while we're working with any part of this case." he says earnestly.

Hopefully now, I can get some actual information.

"Another one?" Kuroko muttered something cryptically to herself as she watched the man make a spectacle of himself in the empty alleyway. Why did she seem to attract such strange people? She wondered.

"Screwing around aside, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get filled in on what you know and come along to assist. My mission as Judgement is to protect the people and this city, and if you think Accelerator might be up to something that could threaten either, then my job is to come and help in any way I can. And I won't fool around while we're working with any part of this case."

"He's our only lead right now, but there's nothing to suggest he's behind the bank cards..." Kuroko stroked her chin with an extended forefinger, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "We should avoid getting involved with someone like that unless absolutely necessary."

***

The sister knelt down gingerly to retrieve the kitten, bundling it up into her arms again where it contented itself playing with the girl's short brown hair. She stroked its fur gently.

"This Misaka is grateful to you for coming to its assistance, says Misaka with sisterly admiration." The stoic girl praised Mikoto conspicuously. "I must return this feline to its home before its mother grows worried, says Misaka, suppressing a giggle." The kitten licked at her ears and the clone's lips twitched in a smile.

"Oh, Kuroko. That reminds me," Meirin called out, standing up. She abandoned the trash can, which, though it now resembled what is used to be, leaned a little to one side. She walked up to Kuroko and pressed a bank card into her hand. "I found this on the ground just after you left," she said.

She then turned to glare at Kerri. "Can I hit him? Just a few times? Please?" she asked Kuroko. "I promise not to leave any marks that can't be fixed with surgery. Honest." For whatever reason, everything about Kerri just pushed all of her rage buttons; likely, it was because of his decidedly stupid entrance, where he tried to scare her and Uiharu. If Meirin could make fire, Kerri would already be a scorchmark on the pavement. Alas, she couldn't make fire on her own, and so he remained alive.

The Sister watched with an unimpressed expression as the Skill Outs continued to advance despite her warnings.

“Very well, Misaka sighs, Misaka did warn you…”

Thin tendrils of lightning erupted from her forehead, it struck down the closest Skill Outs with ease as they yelped in pain.

“She’s an esper!” The still standing Skill Out who had been hiding behind his comrade yelled with fury.

Without missing a beat, the Sister suddenly spun around, grabbing Sayuri’s hand. She began to run, racing into the nearest alleyway.

“Shit, they’re getting away! Get them!” The remaining Skill Outs gave chase, their pride not allowing acceptance of a defeat by mere girls.

“Run as fast as you can, Misaka orders, trying to show some leadership.”

**

Mikoto looked on jealously as the clone picked up the kitten who appeared quite content in her arms. She wished she could be in her position- being able to stroke a cat’s soft fur without being scratched was something she considered almost a luxury.

‘Well, she’s my clone… Why doesn’t she have the same problems as I do?!’

Something that Mikoto had read from the report she had hacked into earlier came into mind.
Level 2. They couldn’t get the clones produced above level 2…

That was why…

But wasn’t that the reason why they had abandoned the project in the first place?

"This Misaka is grateful to you for coming to its assistance, says Misaka with sisterly admiration." The stoic girl said, bringing Mikoto from her swirl of thoughts, "I must return this feline to its home before its mother grows worried, says Misaka, suppressing a giggle."

The kitten licked the clone’s ears, and Mikoto’s lips pulled down into a small frown.

“You… You don’t have… I mean, the cat’s fine with being close to you?”

At that moment, the cat mewled happily, making Mikoto feel stupid for even asking the obvious question.

“Never mind,” Mikoto said sighing.

“Anyway, where are you heading? Are you going back to your creators?”

Mikoto had no intention of letting the Sister go without finding out some information at least.

Sayuri felt her hand being tugged as she was dragged along with the girl.
“Run as fast as you can, Misaka orders, trying to show some leadership.” The girl said as they ran into an alleyway.

As Sayuri ran she began to tire quickly because she had previously been running prior to the encounter with the girl. It wasn't long before Sayuri felt her arm being tugged more as she panting for breath.

They reached the door of a building and quickly went inside while they heard racing footsteps go past the door. For now they seemed to be in the clear.
Sayuri took long shallow breaths after she was sure the footsteps had distanced themselves from her.

"Another one?" Kerri notices her mumbling to herself, but doesn't know what she means.

Either there are more recruits, or more weird people that this girl knows.

After asking to assist, Kerri watches as Kuroko strokes her chin with her finger, thoughtfully,

"He's our only lead right now, but there's nothing to suggest he's behind the bank cards... We should avoid getting involved with someone like that unless absolutely necessary." Kerri tries to respond, but the red haired girl interrupts him,

I really should learn her name sometime... eh, I'll do it when she bothers to tell me. Maybe. Kerri chuckles inwardly, Well, we won't be pursuing Accelerator as a lead, and whoever he was chatting with gave Kuroko the slip, so...

"Oh, Kuroko. That reminds me," The red haired girl steps away from the battered and burned trash can, walking up to her with the bank card she picked up earlier, "I found this on the ground just after you left," She hands the card to the twin-tailed girl, and glares daggers at Kerri.

Kerri's eyes dull, and he gives her a thin smiles in return, "Can I hit him? Just a few times? Please?" Kerri chuckles as she asks permisssion to beat him up, "I promise not to leave any marks that can't be fixed with surgery. Honest."

Kerri dramatically clasps his hands in front of his face, "That may be the sweetest way anyone's offered to beat me down, ever! Go on Kuroko-Senpai, let'r have her fun, I'll have just as much fun writing the report for her assault on me!" He says, letting his hands go out into the air, ending his bizarre threat in response to the red haired girl's own threat,

Kerri let's his arms fall to his side and starts speaking, fiddling with a golden cross necklace he has,

"So, since Accelerator's going to be a last resort pursuit for this, what are we investigating now? The person he was talking to got away-nice job showing a good example to the rookie by letting a lead escape, ace job Kuroko-Senpai-" he gives her an obviously sarcastic thumbs up before going on, "so... I can't see any other way for this to go except for finding out who's leaving these cards around and why."

Kerri looks up at the three other Judgement members them earnestly, fiddling with his necklace again, "Any clues as to a motive, because I can't see a clear gain for leaving bank cards around."

"That may be the sweetest way anyone's offered to beat me down, ever! Go on Kuroko-Senpai, let'r have her fun, I'll have just as much fun writing the report for her assault on me!"

"Don't tempt me..." Kuroko seemed far from amused at his antics. She started to tap her foot impatiently as Kerri spoke.

"So, since Accelerator's going to be a last resort pursuit for this, what are we investigating now? The person he was talking to got away-nice job showing a good example to the rookie by letting a lead escape, ace job Kuroko-Senpai- so... I can't see any other way for this to go except for finding out who's leaving these cards around and why."

The tapping quickened, Kuroko's humour fading as fast as her patience. It wasn't enough that she had to put up with Meirin's unique brand of law enforcement, but now Mii had saddled her with a wannabe comedian with an overly familiar streak.

"Any clues as to a motive, because I can't see a clear gain for leaving bank cards around."

She was about to chastise him for his disrespect with a drop kick when Kazari piped up.

"They're security blind spots..." She said, seemingly speaking to herself with a tone of surprised revelation. Her eyes darted about the alleyway's walls.

"Huh?" Kuroko cocked her eyebrow curiously.

"Look." The girl with flowers in her hair pointed to the street at the mouth of the alley. "Security cameras. They're everywhere." She said, her eyes tracing a path through the middle distance of the narrow side street. "Except here." She mused quietly.

***

“You… You don’t have… I mean, the cat’s fine with being close to you?”

The clone stared blankly at her as though trying to decipher the meaning of her words.

“Never mind, Anyway, where are you heading? Are you going back to your creators?”

The sister shook her head.

"This Misaka is going home, says Misaka." She stated that simply. "Once I have delivered this cat to his mother, I will return to be with the other sisters., Misaka clarifies." She looked at Mikoto, her eyes seeming strangely wise beyond their years. "It is a good thing to be with loved ones, says Misaka with great sentiment."

The Sister waited, back flat against the shadowed walls of the building as thudding footsteps ran past. Her hand was still holding Sayuri’s arm firmly, a precaution just incase they had to flee again. But the sounds soon faded away, seemingly leaving them alone.

“They appear to have been successfully mislead, Misaka reports with relief.”

Her blank eyes turned to Sayuri, studying the small girl without any hint of emotion.

“Are you hurt? Misaka asks you to show her concern.”

***

"This Misaka is going home, says Misaka. Once I have delivered this cat to his mother, I will return to be with the other sisters, Misaka clarifies. It is a good thing to be with loved ones, says Misaka with great sentiment."

Mikoto blinked, the previous frown still lingering in her expression. Home…? Wasn’t this clone born in some lab? But then, she supposed, if you had spent your whole life in a lab, you’d see the place as home-

Wait, “Sisters”... Sister… s?!

Mikoto had been so preoccupied by the fact that she was actually face to face with a clone of herself, that she had completely overlooked the plural form that Kaede and now this clone had used. Fear and panic struck again.

“How many of you ARE there?! 2? 4? 5? 10? Tell me!”

The electromaster’s body tensed further, her fingernails digging into her palms painfully. She hated to think what the answer might be.

If there were really ten clones of her…

She cringed at the creepy thought.

“Are you hurt? Misaka asks you to show her concern.”

Sayuri smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine"
She seemed quite optimistic despite the circumstances and was now curious about the girl who saved her.

Reaching into her pocket Sayuri pulled out her small whiteboard and begins writing.
"My name's Sayuri, What's yours?" She tilted her head slightly as she showed it to the girl, unsure if she could read it properly in the poorly lit area they were in.

“How many of you ARE there?! 2? 4? 5? 10? Tell me!”

She shook her head.

"A handful." She said. Her unflappable expression gave no hint of deceit. "We are a family, says Misaka, speaking fondly of her siblings." She explained. "I can see this upsets you, but you needn't worry. This Misaka and her sisters will not intrude into your life. We are happy living as we are. Misaka reads the mood carefully." Cradling the kitten in her arms, the girl walked past Mikoto.

In the shadowy darkness, the Sister barely caught the sight of the small girl’s lips moving. Although she could not tell what words had been formed, the chestnut-haired girl saw a glimpse of an optimistic smile grace Sayuri’s lips under the dim light.

“You are smiling, Misaka observes. Misaka concludes that this means you are unhurt…”

A small whiteboard was pulled out, catching the teenager’s attention. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. It was difficult to read in the darkness, but thin tendrils of electricity sparked from her forehead, lighting up a small area above the whiteboard.

“’My name’s Sayuri, what’s yours?” Misaka reads out aloud what you have written.”

The dull eyes turned on Sayuri once more, regarding her with a mild aura of interest.

“Misaka is Misaka. Misaka introduces herself. You stated you were lost before, Misaka recalls clearly from her memories. Did anything happen? Misaka wonders as she tries to understand the events that occurred earlier.”

***

"A handful. We are a family, says Misaka, speaking fondly of her siblings."

A handful…?

Distractedly, Mikoto stared down at her hand. Five fingers. Did that mean there were five clones of her or something? She gave a sigh, wishing that this girl could be clearer with her explanations.

"I can see this upsets you, but you needn't worry,” The girl continued to talk, “This Misaka and her sisters will not intrude into your life. We are happy living as we are. Misaka reads the mood carefully."

Mikoto stared, trying to decipher those blank eyes. The clone seemed at perfect ease, as if she was speaking nothing but the absolute truth. The calm, monotone voice, within which Mikoto could detect her own tones, was soothing in a strange way. She felt her previously pounding heart slow, at least a small amount of relief replacing the wild panic that had invaded earlier.

If they were happy… That couldn’t be so bad… Right?

Besides, this situation was completely different from what she had imagined. Mikoto had been expecting to uncover some sinister plan by the clone’s creators to try and get rid of her, the “Original”, and replace her with a copy. Or something else ominous along those lines.

But Mikoto had detected nothing of the sort, and this girl didn’t seem like she was lying at all.
Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Perhaps all this was nothing more than a scientist’s simple curiosity. Well, Mikoto still very much disapproved of tampering with lives like that… But if they weren’t doing anything too harmful…

What was done was done, right?

A large sigh rose from her chest and Mikoto buried her throbbing forehead in a palm.

‘If this keeps up, I might just go mad…’

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to think clearly against the beginnings of a headache.

‘Still… I can’t just let this go now though. Since they’re my clones, then I guess I have a responsibility too…’

Behind her closed eyelids, images from a distant memory formed.

‘The fact remains, they lied about the purposes of donating my DNA back then… Unless creating these clones have something to do with finding a cure for muscular dystrophy…’

She straightened from her slouched position, a new resolve settling in. Her hand fell limply by her side, then clenched tightly.

‘Well, I’ll just find these creators and ask them myself!’

Mikoto looked up to face the Sister again, her eyes shining with new determination.

“Hey, could you-? Eh?!“

The Sister had disappeared off again during her musings. Mikoto frantically looked around and managed to catch sight of the familiar figure already quite far into the distance, walking down the street casually as she cradled the kitten with utmost gentleness.

Huffing with irritation, Mikoto ran at top speed to catch up.

“HEY! Didn’t I tell you to stop running off like that, already?!!”

Angrily, she lunged forward and hooked her fingers around a crease on the back of the girl’s light brown sweater. She tugged her to a halt, spinning her around by the shoulder and yelled angrily.

“I was still talking to you! It’s rude to run off like that, you know! I still need-”

“Hey, you twins there!” A sudden voice rang out.

Mikoto turned her head towards the sound, the scowling expression still intact. A driver of an icecream van had pulled up beside them on the road. He looked a little taken aback by Mikoto’s ferocity, but spoke on in a chiding manner.

“Fighting between sisters is no good.”

Mikoto glowered at him, furious at having been interrupted, and then lectured like some kid.

“SHE’S NOT MY SISTER!!!” came the immediate, rough response through gritted teeth.

“Misaka is Misaka. Misaka introduces herself. You stated you were lost before, Misaka recalls clearly from her memories. Did anything happen? Misaka wonders as she tries to understand the events that occurred earlier.”

Sayuri listened to Misaka before quickly rubbing off her whiteboard and began writing again.
"Its nice to meet you. I've been looking for my older sister, I was being chased by some mages.."

Sayuri quickly rubbed out 'by some mages' moments after writing it and corrected it. ".. by some weirdos who had special powers"

She was abit reluctant to mention magic as not everybody around here believed in magic and she didn't want to annoy the person who she had just befriended with what they'd think was make belief nonsense.

As Sayuri displayed her message she watched in awe at the sparks that kept bouncing to life. It wasn't magic Sayuri knew so it must of meant that this girl was an esper. The thought had crossed her mind earlier but it kinda excited her when ofcourse she wasn't in danger from said powers.

"They're security blind spots..." Kerri notices Uiharu say, just as it looked like Kuroko had lost all patience with him,

Huh? Kuroko says,

"Security blind spots? You mean...?"

"Look. " Kerri watches Uiharu point towards one of the entry ways of the alley they were in, Security cameras. They're everywhere. And watches as she looks to the middle of the alley, Except for here. She says to herself quietly.

Kerri looks at the girl, impressed, And I was worried I'd never hear her speak.

"Good thinking Uiharu-Senpai." He says, sincerely, smiling. "The first words I've heard from you are the most helpful ones yet." He then grips the cross around his neck again, and starts thinking to himself.

Accelerator is having a conversation with someone in a place where no camera's can see him... the same place a person drops a bank card... it might be a coincidence though, the person could just be trying to avoid being seen by the camera's... plus we still need to find a way to track this person down...

"Hey guys," Kerri asks, "Where exactly were the other cards found? And were any found in the same spot?" He asks, still fiddling with the cross around his neck.

"Hey guys, Where exactly were the other cards found? And were any found in the same spot?"

Kazari removed her laptop and crouched down, setting it on her knees as she brought up the map again. All of the reported 'bank card' incidents had occurred in similarly remote alleyways like this one.

"Here's the ones we know about so far." She glanced over her shoulder where Kuroko hovered, regarding the screen with quiet consideration. There didn't seem to be a pattern. At least not one that was immediately obvious. Inspiration struck without warning as Kuroko's eyes lit up.

"Uiharu, you said this place is a security blindspot, right?" She asked. The other girl nodded. "But this alleyway only has a few exits, right?" Kazari nodded at the twin tailed girl's assertion. It took her a few moments to follow Kuroko's train of thought.

"So if we check the footage of the surrounding area we should be able to see who left the bank cards!" She gasped excitably.

"And whoever was meeting with Accelerator." Kuroko added, smiling with self satisfaction as she congratulated herself on her deductive reasoning.

"But we don't have access to the security feed." Kazari's expression faltered. She felt Kuroko's hand on her shoulder.

"That won't be a problem for you though, will it?" The Tokiwadai girl looked her in the eye expectantly. Kazari's shoulders sunk.

"It'll take hours..." The girl with flowers in her hair looked downcast. It was true, combing through the footage would be a serious endeavour.

"I have faith in you, Uiharu." Kuroko dismissed the girl's half hearted complaint.

***

“SHE’S NOT MY SISTER!!!"

"Hey, that's not even funny as a joke." The driver said, stepping out of the van. He opened the freezer chest and fished about inside for a few moments before handing the two girls a pair of ice cream cones. "There. I'll give you this if you make up." He stood back, happy that his contribution had eased the tension between the two girls. The clone looked down at her cone blankly for a second before taking a bite. Her teeth sunk into the cold cream and her stoic expression was replaced with alarm for just a brief moment. She pulled back and swallowed the mouthful wit a shiver.

"It is cold..." She said, her monotone not betraying any feeling about that fact. "But the taste is pleasant, remarks Misaka through her discomfort." The kitten on her shoulder gestured towards the cone with its nose, curiously.

The door slammed wide open, resonating throughout the townhouse which Haragi had called home. His narrow eyes struck with worry, as he shouted, "Aneki!"

The continuous thumping from the stairs grew louder and louder, only to result in the presence of Kaede Faye. Her face looked pale like someone who recently experienced the death of a loved one. Similar to how Misaka had looked back at the park. Why though? Kaede stared at her little brother, and forced a small smile. Her weak little voice spurt out the words:

"Oh, home so early? Do you want me to make lunch?"

Haragi faltered while taking a step forward, resisting to ask any question in relation with the Dark Side. His mouth opened, "I'm fine about lunch... but what about you?... You don't look so good...."

Kaede approached the spiky haired boy and patted him on the head. "It's fine really. I just had a little argument with Misaka-san about work related issues." She tried to keep her smile to avoid Haragi's further worry. "Buuuut, if you take a bath with me, that would make me feel a whole lot better~"

A brief moment of silence occurred while staring at her. He was now expressionless. ".......No thanks....." While trying to collect his thoughts about what possibly the argument could have been about, he remembered that her sister mentioning she worked part time as a nurse at a hospital. Could it be the death of a loved one in relation to Misaka? That would explain why they looked so disturbed, and how it resulted by the look of both their faces. Haragi passed her sister to head to his room upstairs relieving himself of worry.

"Aneki... if you need me to help you with anything... just tell me..."

Kaede nodded, "Sure, but I'll be out till late tonight. I wish I could make you dinner, but work's calling for me."

As disappointing as that was to hear, Haragi simply muttered, "I see..."

After Haragi had vanished upstairs, Kaede approached outside with one goal in mind. And that was to find Accelerator.

“’Its nice to meet you. I've been looking for my older sister, I was being chased by some weirdos who had special powers,’ Misaka reads your explanation.”

The blank gaze focused on Sayuri as a spark from her hair spluttered and died away. She paused for a moment, her face revealing nothing about her thoughts.

“You are looking for your Onee-sama? Misaka asks to clarify. Where did you last see her? Misaka questions, wondering if the knowledge gained from the Testament could be of any use in this situation.”

**

"Hey, that's not even funny as a joke. There. I'll give you this if you make up."

Mikoto’s eyebrows twitched, glaring at the cone suddenly in her hand.

“What, are you pushing sales on us?” Mikoto rounded on the man irritably. “No thanks, this is just like-“

"It is cold...” Her “Sister” suddenly declared. Mikoto glanced at her, distracted.

"But the taste is pleasant, remarks Misaka through her discomfort."

The icecream man laughed joyfully.

“Thanks! The product is my pride and joy, the finest in the city if you ask me!”

Mikoto slumped forward, the ice cream cone untouched in her hand.

“Well I better get going. You sisters get along now!”

With that, he drove off.

“Tch… He was definitely trying to advertise his sales!” Mikoto grumbled, staring at the van fading into the distance. She gave a sigh, wishing this was nothing more than a ridiculous dream.

‘I suppose to other people, it must look like we’re twins huh…’ Mikoto rubbed her throbbing head with a free hand. ‘I guess it can’t be helped… Even they wouldn't believe me if I said something as outrageous as 'she's my clone'... It would be troublesome if anyone found out anyway.”

Turning her head back around, she moved to lick her ice cream cone. But instead of her tongue meeting the expected coldness, it only met empty air.

“Eh?”

Mikoto blinked.

The cone she held in her hand contained no ice cream.

"Testament?" silently speaks before she begins writing on her whiteboard.
"She's staying at Haru Chugakko girls dorms in district 7.

Last time I spoke to her I could speak, but I've lost my voice and my phone was destroyed by the people chasing me"
After showing her message Sayuri begins to wander further into the warehouse where some light poured in through a skylight.

Mikoto's 'sister' stood beside her oblivious to the large smear of fresh ice cream across her mouth where she had hastily forced it down. She met Mikoto's accusing stare with an almost defiant look.

"Since my body temperature has lowered I should drink something hot, says Misaka nonchalantly." The clone narrated her thoughts aloud as she strolled away from Mikoto at a leisurely pace. Clearly she didn't seem awfully bothered whether the original followed her or not.

Kerri watched Uiharu and Kuroko's exchange, listening carefully, to the important parts,

I wonder if these girls are just that much smarter then me, or I'm just this useless, he thinks, hiding his negative thoughts with a smile,

"That won't be a problem for you though, will it?" Kuroko asked Uiharu. He noticed the girl squirm under the expectant gaze,

"It'll take hours..."

"I have faith in you, Uiharu." Kerri gazed at Kuroko, and thought back to the days where he had just began working at hi old job. He had zero confidence in himself, and had always been prepared for the worst possible conclusion, but he still went, not because he gained faith in himself.

Kerri walked over to Uiharu and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder,

"Don't worry about it, you'll do fine. Even if you're still nervous, would someone else be encouraging you to do a job if they thought you weren't anything but capable? I mean, you trust your friend, don't you Uiharu-Senpai?" Kerri said, showing empathy towards the flower haired girl, careful not to pat her shoulder for too long, lest he risk getting punched by the red-haired girl, which he prefer to avoid.

Probably just making her uncomfortable standing near her. I hope not, but I probably am.

"And, while I'm just a stranger to you, I have some faith in you too. You're obviously smart, and I don't think it's so much 'if' you can do it, as opposed to 'when' it'll be done. Plenty of hard work, sure, but," Kerri waved his hand dismissively, "Even I know this ain't an easy job," he says with a smile, betraying his pessimistic thinking about the situation,

Though, she's still just a kid. They're usually young and impulsive, averse to hard work, and unreliable with complicated tasks in general... I'm sure I'll be proven wrong though. I hope. Kerri thought, despite trying not to doubt one of his partners. He couldn't really help it though, since he really didn't know the people he was working with. he'd just decided that he'd take the job in strides, and learn about how they work as he went.

"She's staying at Haru Chugakko girls dorms in district 7. Last time I spoke to her I could speak, but I've lost my voice and my phone was destroyed by the people chasing me."

The Sister’s eyes ran over the words listlessly. She looked up to reply, the emotionless gaze following Sayuri’s movements.

“As Misaka already stated before, this is district seven. Misaka makes use of common knowledge from the Testament.”

The taller girl walked towards Sayuri, her calm expression becoming illuminated by the Skylight.

“Misaka can’t explain it. But Misaka will help you find your Onee-sama, Misaka decides with finality.”

**

There was only one explanation for it.

The large smear of ice cream across that girl’s mouth was definite proof.

“Why you…! That was MINE!”

Mikoto’s accusing glare was simply met with a defiant look.

"Since my body temperature has lowered I should drink something hot, says Misaka nonchalantly."

As the clone moved away, Mikoto quickly followed behind, fuming.

“I can’t believe how greedy you are! Don’t you have any manners at all?! Hey... You’re not even listening to me are you?!”

Small sparks of electricity ran down the length of her brown hair, expressing her vexation most adequately.

'Gah, maybe I’m expecting too much,’ Mikoto thought with frustration, ‘she’s not really human after all. I guess clones wouldn’t be able to understand proper social etiquette…”

Muttering discontently under her breath Mikoto chucked the empty cone into a trash bin as they passed by.

‘I can’t lose sight of her… This is really a troublesome situation to be in, but it’ll be easier to track down the creators this way…’

Something suddenly caught Mikoto’s eye as she trailed after her “sister”, interrupting her thoughts. It was a gachapon, a manual toy dispenser where small prizes would come out if a coin was inserted and a handle turned. Next to it was a bright sign that read: “NEW exclusive prizes to get! Magical Powered Kanamin figurines! Rainbow Mini- slinkies! Gekota badges!”

Mikoto skidded to a stop, staring at the sign with round, sparkling eyes. A hand flew to her pocket, fishing out some coins from her Gekota wallet.

“Alright~! I have lots of change! I can’t use my powers in this situation, but if I just keep trying...! Eh?”

Her ‘sister’ was already further down the street. Torn, Mikoto raced down to catch up to her.

“Wait wait! Can you wait up?! There’s something I really need to take care of back there! It’s really important!” She pointed back up the street eagerly. Mikoto’s eyes were bright, her voice trembling with excitement and something akin to desperation. “I promise it’ll take like two seconds! If you wait for me, I’ll even buy you a hot drink! Or whatever you want!”