[SS] First Class

June 25th

Guy whistled appreciatively as he watched the students pass in waves through the school gates.

"What luck." He admired yet another of the girls as they hurried past. "This assignment might turn out to be what I was looking for after all." He lowered his sunglasses as he looked upwards at the building's red brick walls. With its western style architecture the school would have looked out of place were it not for the walled grounds around it, filled with greenery.

Tokiwadai. A private all girl's school who accepted only the best, or in some cases most well connected, students into its ranks. His early scepticism was hardly unfounded. After all, most of the kids here would be rich brats and snobs, surely?

Still, after such a warm welcome, how could he remain cynical?

Strolling into the building he was greeted with a number of curious looks. He opened the door to the teachers' office only to be greeted with a rough shove.

"You're late." The woman jammed a handful of papers into his chest and steered him back into the corridor. He scrambled to hold them, protesting fruitlessly as the stern looking teacher pushed him in the direction of his first class. "And you could have at least made an effort to look presentable. This is a school, not a host club." She chided him.

"Hey!" Guy tried to interject only to be hushed again. It was true that, in his casual suit and red shirt he looked more like a bartender than a teacher. He adjusted the collar of his shirt as though responding to the criticism, only to leave it unfastened.

"Third door on the left, they've been waiting nearly ten minutes." The other teacher urged him to hurry.

Guy casually leafed through the class register before coming to one name.

"Misaka Mikoto." He read it aloud. "Where have I heard that name before?" He shook the question from his mind as he reached the classroom. He swung open the door with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning, everyone." He announced himself. "I'll be your teacher for this class."

Misaka Mikoto sat at her allocated desk, one hand cupping her chin while the other occasionally twirled a pen. She smiled a greeting at a couple of girls who walked past her, but the cheeriness faded into a look of utter boredom when they passed. Her right foot tapped the floor with mild impatience and she wished the class could start already.

She eyed the round clock on the far wall. Ten minutes into the class already. There had been rumours that a new teacher was coming to teach their class from today. Mikoto could hear the excited chatting of the other students, discussing this new teacher.

“I just hope whoever it is isn’t too strict…”

“Auuu~ I just hope he’s handsome~”

“Fujita-san, you don’t even know if the new teacher is a man or a woman!”

“Well, I don’t particularly care!”

“My my, fantasising about a heated romance with a teacher?~~”

“Eh, what?! That’s not fair!”

Mikoto swallowed the urge to snort and let out a small, inaudible sigh instead. While these girls were nice, they could be a bundle of annoying noise. From the corner of her eyes, Mikoto could see another group of girls giggling. They kept stealing glances at her when they thought she wasn’t looking and blushing when she caught them.

Jeez… What is it now…?

Mikoto wracked her brain, trying to work out if she had done anything worth giggling about in the past few days. She could not come up with anything. Eventually she gave up, concluding that as nice as these girls were, they sure could be really strange. Ignoring them was the best option as usual.

‘Urgh, I wish we could just get on with the class already… The sooner we start the sooner we finish! I’ve got plenty of things I want to do after school…!’

She turned her head to look out of the window. She followed a blimp as it trailed slowly across the sky with her eyes. It was announcing the weather for the coming days and there was no questioning that it was accurate-

"Good morning, everyone. I'll be your teacher for this class."

A sudden, cheerful and familiar voice rang out in the classroom, drowning out all other noises and interrupting Mikoto’s thoughts. Mikoto whipped her head around in surprise as a sudden hush fell among the students.

Standing at the doorway with a large stack of papers piled up in his arms was a familiar figure with a happy smile on his face. His clothes were extremely casual and a collar was slightly crooked as if it had been fiddled with carelessly. The students gaped at him, possibly more out of sheer shock at his sloppy attire than curiosity. No teacher had ever taught at Tokiwadai with such casual clothes on…

Mikoto sat with wide eyes, staring at the teacher in disbelief. How could she have been so stupid? Of course it was him! The new teacher… was him!

Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, Mikoto suddenly stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the classroom floor and shattering the silence. Her hand raised as if it had mind of its own, pointing an accusing finger at the teacher as she loudly blurted out:

“You! What do you think you’re doing here?!”

A shocked silence dawned in the classroom once more and this time, all eyes were on her. Immediately, her face burned a bright shade of red as her actions registered.

Oh crap…

She hadn’t meant to do that…

Face burning tremendously, Mikoto’s arm slowly dropped by her side and she quickly sat back down, keeping her eyes glued to the table in front of her.

Stupid, stupid…! That stupid idiot! It’s his fault! Why couldn’t he go teach somewhere else?

Although logic told her this embarrassing situation was her own doing, but she nevertheless directed her frustration at him. She tilted her head up slightly to look at him with a twitching mouth, trying to ignore the stares and whispers that had erupted around the room. The fire burning on her face was not going to be put out soon.

“You! What do you think you’re doing here?!”

He blinked at the girl's sudden outburst before a look of recognition washed over him.

"Oh. You're that 'Biri-biri' girl." He settled instantly on an oddly familiar sounding name. The class erupted into laughter.

"Wait. You and Misaka-sama know each other?" Came a call from one of the girls. There was another chorus of chattering.

"Yeah, she was kind enough to show me around." His innocent smile took on a wry, knowing quality as he glanced back to Mikoto.

"Oh. You're that 'Biri-biri' girl."
"Wait. You and Misaka-sama know each other?"
"Yeah, she was kind enough to show me around."

By this time, Mikoto’s face colour was competitive enough for a fully ripened tomato. Shame and embarrassment filled her and her hands shook under the table in anger.

“You mean I was forced to!” She shouted out irritably before she could stop herself, “and my name is Misaka Mikoto!”

Calm… Calm…

She breathed in and out, trying to steady herself even as her insides boiled.

She could hear the girls around her giggling and whispering. Mikoto closed her eyes briefly, wanting to shut them out. She wished she could disappear away from this terribly embarrassing situation.

If only I had teleportation like Kuroko or some other useful ability of that kind... Gaaaah, I’ve just made a fool of myself! This is ALL HIS FAULT!

“You mean I was forced to! and my name is Misaka Mikoto!”

"Hmm... Misaka Mikoto..." He pondered for a moment before shrugging his shoulders in resignation. "I'm not so good with names. Biri-biri's much easier to remember."

His relaxed smile didn't fade even in the face of Mikoto's fierce temper. In fact, if anything he seemed to be enjoying her reaction. Perhaps the memory of their first meeting had faded. Or maybe the shock had fried his brain?

The class seemed torn. Half were laughing and whispering amongst themselves, surprised at the new teacher and his laid back demeanour. The other half were waiting in hushed anticipation to see what happened next. A few shot the young man dark looks for daring to enrage their idol.

"Now then, apparently you've got a test coming up..." He leafed through the papers that had been forced onto him moments earlier.

"Hmm... Misaka Mikoto... I'm not so good with names. Biri-biri's much easier to remember."

A few sparks escaped from her bangs dangerously as she seethed in anger.

‘Calm… Calm…’ She told herself.

Even as the Railgun, Mikoto doubted that she would be let off easily if she attacked a teacher in the classroom.

"Now then, apparently you've got a test coming up..."

Throwing a murderous glare at the teacher, Mikoto took out her textbooks from her school bag with more force than necessary. She flipped the pages with utmost violence and then scratched the date with a pen with obvious venom in her actions.

‘I’m so going to FRY him later!’ she vowed to herself furiously. The page she was writing on ripped a little and the fragile pen she held with a vicious grip looked to be on exploding point.

Her fury hadn't gone unnoticed. A few of the girls around Mikoto shied away from the tense atmosphere surrounding the girl. Still, the class seemed to settle down despite the doe-eyed stares that some of Mikoto's classmates were now offering their teacher.

"...and you've all been waiting so I won't bother you all with lengthy introductions. My name is Guy Ashton, and I will be your English teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you all." He introduced himself with a soft voice and dashing smile which triggered more than a few muffled whispers and dreamy sighs. "Could someone please tell me where you've gotten to in the current chapter?" He held the textbook open in his hand while he scanned the room. A devious grin split his lips. "Biri-biri, would you mind?"

"...and you've all been waiting so I won't bother you all with lengthy introductions. My name is Guy Ashton, and I will be your English teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

‘It’ll be my pleasure to turn you into charcoal…’ Mikoto thought viciously.

For some strange reason Mikoto could not decipher, many of her classmates appeared to be very much taken by this teacher. She grimaced as the girl sitting next to her sighed in a dreamy way, goggling with starry eyes at the person Mikoto now labeled as the idiot.

Am I the only one who is not blinded by stupidity?

Mikoto scowled. She kept her head down, glaring at her opened textbook.

Just 40 minutes left of this nightmare…

"Could someone please tell me where you've gotten to in the current chapter?"

I just have to hold on until then… Hold on until…

"Biri-biri, would you mind?"

Damn him!

Her head snapped up, eyes flashing dangerously.

“I said- It’s MISAKA MIKOTO!!” she fumed. Sparks zig-zagged down the length of her brown hair, sizzling in the air.

The girls around her hurried to flinch away as much as possible, but Mikoto took no notice of them. Her narrowed eyes were focused on the teacher and him alone.

“You come in late, call me ridiculous names and don’t even know what you're supposed to be teaching in class?” She continued bitingly, “What kind of irresponsible teacher are you?”

Shocked gasps scattered around the room at the Level 5’s bold and venomous accusation.

Mikoto’s already flushed face reddened further, but she ignored them. At this moment, she didn’t particularly care what other people thought of her. Or so she told herself.

“You come in late, call me ridiculous names and don’t even know what you're supposed to be teaching in class? What kind of irresponsible teacher are you?”

You could cut the tension in the class with a knife. And in the silence that followed Mikoto's outburst Guy retained his relaxed posture.

"You know you're really cute when you're angry." He said with a laugh, speaking in a disarming way that made it difficult to tell if hew as trying to flatter or tease the girl. Not that there was much difference in his mind. Like playing with an easily excited kitten, he couldn't help but be amused by her hair trigger temperament. He returned to his textbook, flipping through it for a few moments before coming to a thin bookmark.

"Ah. Here we go. Page one one three." He declared, changing the subject abruptly.

The rest of the class still sat in an awkward state between fear and intrigue. No one could tell what was going to come next in this worryingly one-sided Mexican stand-off. The way he stood there seemed almost daring Mikoto to take a shot at him.

"You know you're really cute when you're angry."

Mikoto trembled with a mixture of emotions. It took her every ounce of her self-control to not fry him to a pulp there and then.

I can’t believe he just flippantly threw away what I said like that!

He looked very amused much to her chagrin, standing there with a mocking smile on his face. Jaws clenched, she looked down at her textbook page once more, brown hair shifting restlessly with static electricity.

He wouldn’t dare mock me again if he wants to live.

She didn’t know how much of her self-control was left.

"Ah. Here we go. Page one one three."

Mikoto’s knuckles went white from gripping her pen so tightly. He had obviously known but had still asked her and made a fool out of her. Somehow he made her feel childish and it was different to the way Kuroko did it. It was much worse if that was possible.

She looked at today’s material without really seeing the words, obviously too occupied with her own overwhelming feelings. Tension screamed out from the Electromaster, like a string ready to snap any moment.

"Uhh..." One very nervous looking girl spoke to Mikoto. She looked as though she might faint at the slightest of movements from the Level 5. "Misaka-san. Are you alright?" She looked concerned, noticing the Electromaster's state of tension.

To everyone's surprise the class continued as any other. Though far from perfect, the young man was able to conduct the class remarkably well, especially considering his... interesting entrance. After being so used to the typical overly-strict tutors the school normally employed most of them were surprised with his easy going manner and before long all trace of the combative atmosphere that had filled the room was gone.

Well. Most of it anyway.

However, as though in answer to her prayers, Guy avoided teasing Mikoto further. No doubt for her the seconds ticking by felt like hours, but as the clock neared the hour it appeared as though the frustrating teacher had learnt his lesson.

"We've almost run out of time. Does anyone have any questions?" He asked.

"Uhh... Misaka-san. Are you alright?"

Mikoto didn’t even glance in the poor student’s direction as she immediately snarled out “Of course I’m not alright!”

The girl who had asked flinched away in fear, almost falling off her chair in her panicked state. She whimpered and trembled with trepidation at Mikoto’s unpleasant tone, looking as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mikoto felt ashamed and immediately regretted her harsh reaction. Taking a deep breath, the Level 5 quickly turned to look at her classmate, pulling her lips into the most friendly smile she could manage.

“S-sorry… I’m okay, I really am. Thanks for asking Tanaka-san,” Mikoto said more softly.

Tanaka Azami nodded, but still flinched visibly when Mikoto spoke, looking very pale and sickly. Her trembling form turned away and hunched over her textbook with overprotectiveness as if she wanted to pretend she wasn’t sitting next to someone who could produce a billion volts of electricity whenever she wanted to.

A portion of Mikoto’s anger faded, replaced by worry and shame as the full scale of what she had done and said during this class suddenly hit her. Hopefully none of the girls would spread rumours about this incident. No doubt something would leak but surely they wouldn’t be that cruel…

Mikoto smiled to herself bitterly.

Most of them would be too scared to say anything bad about her anyway. Some of them seemed to truly believe Mikoto would fire her railgun at them if they angered her in anyway.

Like Tanaka Azami.

She grimaced, glancing at Azami and wishing again that she hadn’t been so harsh to the kind girl.

Urgghh, I’ve really screwed this up…

Making a mental note to make it up to Azami, Mikoto decided to take her quiet classmate’s example and attempted to turn her attention to the class work at hand.

Much to her relief, the teacher did not pick on her any more. Perhaps he had learnt his lesson, although Mikoto seriously doubted it.

She was nevertheless pleasantly surprised that he had the makings of a good teacher. He was easy going, friendly and could answer all of their questions with wit and ease. It was obvious that most of the students in the classroom were enjoying themselves thoroughly, joyfully asking him questions about the subject matter and eagerly participating.

But Mikoto sat at her desk in stony silence, eyes glued to the page in front of her and scratching away at the exercises. She occasionally sneaked her eyes to the clock on the wall and was disappointed every time.

Finally, at last, Mikoto heard the words she had so desperately wanted to hear for a loooooong time.

"We've almost run out of time. Does anyone have any questions?"

No.

As Mikoto hurried to stuff her books into her schoolbag and get the hell out of there, a sudden exclamation rang in the air.

"Yes!"

An accompanying hand shot up excitably from some desks in front of her and Mikoto let out a light groan.

“Sensei, sensei!” exclaimed a girl with her black hair tied into a ponytail. Eyes bright with curiosity, her voice was very high-pitched, drilling Mikoto’s eardrums painfully.

“Where are you from, sensei? What school did you teach at before ours? Where did you learn to speak English so impressively?!” The girl looked to be on bursting point from excessive excitement. She jiggled around on her chair, obviously wanting every ounce of the teacher’s attention.

“Where are you from, sensei? What school did you teach at before ours? Where did you learn to speak English so impressively?!”

That was unexpected. For a second the usually frank and unflappable Guy looked lost for words. He scratched the back of his head bashfully.

"Um, well I meant about the test, but I guess if you're that curious..." He shrugged. "I'm from the UK originally, but I spent a lot of time in China growing up. So I had plenty of practice with things like languages." He dealt the first and last questions swiftly. "As for where I've taught before. I'm actually sort of new at the job. I guess you could say Academy City is my first assignment. So far I've only taken a couple of classes in that weird high school..." He tried to recall the name before deciding it wasn't important.

“Wow, you must be really gifted for them to hire you to teach here.” One of the girls added. He laughed at the suggestion.

“Well, I suppose you could put it that way. I tend to think of it as luck.” Another flippant remark. It was true enough that teaching positions in the city, along with every other kind of job, were highly competitive. “Or maybe it’s just my way with people.” He smiled wryly. Was that supposed to be another veiled taunt aimed at Mikoto? “But to be honest, I’d much rather hear about all of you.” He glanced at Mikoto briefly as he redirected the line of questioning away from himself with a charming flash of a smile. Like a showman working a crowd he seemed to be gradually enthralling many of Mikoto’s classmates.

Mikoto found Guy’s background and mannerisms intriguing and listened to his answer with interest despite herself. His easy personality and truly carefree attitude astounded and confounded her.

‘His nothing but a simple idiot,’ she told herself irritably.

But deep inside, she found a voice telling her he was much, much more than that.

“Well, I suppose you could put it that way. I tend to think of it as luck.”

The manner with which he talked was flippant- dismissive not in a bad way, but with modesty. Luck couldn’t cover it; even Mikoto grudgingly admitted that Guy must have extraordinary talent to gain a teaching position at Tokiwadai.

“Or maybe it’s just my way with people.”

Mikoto’s eyes narrowed and tensed. Did he just bait her right now?

“But to be honest, I’d much rather hear about all of you.”

Their eyes met briefly and Mikoto felt herself flush once more under his sudden gaze and charming smile. She felt a little dazed, but quickly shook herself out of the stupor with annoyance.

‘Urgh, he’s a good for nothing idiot who enjoys making fun of me!’

“That’s so amaaaazing~” exclaimed a girl at the far end of the classroom. Her puppy-eyes were wide and sparkling with admiration for the teacher. Many others around her nodded in agreement.

‘Jeez… Shouldn’t it be end of class already?’ Mikoto thought with irritation. The ways these girls were acting annoyed her immensely due to a reason she could not grasp.

“Sensei~” the girl who bombarded Guy with the string of questions earlier fluttered her eyelashes at him, trying to capture all of his attention once more. “You’re so modest! You must have traveled to so many places! You should tell me- I mean us more! How are you finding Academy City so far?”

The girl leaned forward eagerly, eyes bright with excitement and following every single movement Guy met. Mikoto rolled her eyes. It so blatantly obvious the girl was trying to stand out from the other admirers. It was rather creepy.

‘Let me just get out of here!’ Mikoto wanted to scream out. She glared at Guy, trying in desperation to send him a telepathic message. What a useless ability she possessed in times like this…

“Sensei~ You’re so modest! You must have traveled to so many places! You should tell me- I mean us more! How are you finding Academy City so far?”

The boy glanced at his watch. Perhaps he'd registered Mikoto's impatient glare, or perhaps he'd simply grown tired of the questions bombarding him. Either way it seemed the level five's torment was near its end.

"This city has been good to me." He said. "Especially with people like Misaka-san to give me such a warm welcome." He couldn't resist one last taunt it seemed. "But if you want, I'm always more than happy to talk to my lovely students." He delivered a line that sounded like something from a shoujo manga. Obvious flattery, but from the reaction of his adoring crowd it seemed to have done the trick.

They were under his spell.

'A way with people' indeed.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the class.

"Misaka-san. Could I see you for a moment?" He said with such a sweet tone it was hard to believe that he had been teasing her relentlessly before.

"This city has been good to me. Especially with people like Misaka-san to give me such a warm welcome."

Even her ears turning bright red, Mikoto’s mind momentarily lapsed into confusion; she could not detect any sarcasm in his tone.

"But if you want, I'm always more than happy to talk to my lovely students."

Mikoto almost spluttered. His words of obvious flattery starting to sound like lines from manga that she had read in Green Mart. Her lips thinned and she rolled her eyes to glare up at the ceiling as the girls around her gasped in surprise and wonder.

Just as Mikoto was about to think that time had forever frozen within her hellish nightmare, the school bell rang.

Never had the phrase ‘saved by the bell’ been any more truthful.

Mikoto immediately rose, hurriedly grabbing her books and bag to rush out of the room to her freedom. Just as she was about to reach the door though, she heard the now-annoying-familiar and sweet voice calling out to her.

"Misaka-san. Could I see you for a moment?"

She stopped, unable to believe her ears.

Did he seriously want to die?!

She spun around on her heels and marched right up to him, glaring furiously.

‘What is it, Sensei?”

The usual title of respect rolled off her tongue with venomous bite, annoyance and frustration plainly laced within.

Some girls who have not left yet stared at them with curiosity and interest while others threw Mikoto bitter looks of jealousy. A few lingered, still pretending to pack up, hoping that Guy would ask them to stay as well or at least catch some of what the handsome teacher wanted to say to the Level 5.

‘What is it, Sensei?”

Her tone was clear enough warning for him to back off. Even without knowing of her ability one would think twice before approaching the girl.

"Well you ran off so quickly last time I saw you. I wanted to make sure you were all right." He said, unfazed. "Especially since you only got involved because of me in the first place." A sincere admission of guilt made somewhat less convincing by his constant, confident smirk. "I'd hate to think you might get in trouble on my account."

Was he being serious?

"Well, not that you need my help for that, anyway." He shrugged. The slight hint of white canines betrayed his grin. So he hadn't learnt his lesson after all.

The scene called to mind a lion tamer thrusting his head into the cat's waiting jaws.

"Well you ran off so quickly last time I saw you. I wanted to make sure you were all right. Especially since you only got involved because of me in the first place. I'd hate to think you might get in trouble on my account.”

Mikoto stared at him with plain disbelief written all over her face. What was he playing at? He was starting to sound like one of those manga-junkies who memorised phrases said by protagonists for their own later use. The confident smirk on his face contrasted so starkly with his sincere statements that Mikoto felt as if she was being mocked all over again.

"Well, not that you need my help for that, anyway."

Her teeth grinded together. It was obvious that the idiotic teacher had not learned anything at all.

Mikoto's eyes narrowed dangerously as her anger flared once more- a perfectly natural reaction to cover up the mixture of confusion and bewilderment the Railgun had originally felt. A couple of the girls who had obviously been eavesdropping a few desks away squeaked in terror at the Level 5’s visible and mounting temper.

“That’s right!” Mikoto huffed, “It WAS all your fault!” She pointed an accusing finger at his chest to accentuate her point.

“But seriously, what kind of apology is that?! Hmph, if that’s all you had to say then I’m outta here. I have a busy afternoon schedule you know!”

Swinging her black school bag over her shoulder with more force than she intended, Mikoto half-turned away from him but did not move. She gave Guy a furious side-glare, as if daring him to actually attempt a proper apology.

“That’s right!” Mikoto huffed, “It WAS all your fault!"

As ever that infuriating look of serene self assurance seemed to deflect all criticism like a shield.

"But seriously, what kind of apology is that?! Hmph, if that’s all you had to say then I’m outta here. I have a busy afternoon schedule you know!”

He sighed.

"I tried." He waited a moment before continuing as though to himself. "Still, that's some way to talk to the person who tried to save your life." He gathered his things and made his own way towards the door past Mikoto. "But still, I am glad you're all right." He couldn't help adding with a playful wink.

(OOC: Feel free to give Mikoto the last word if you want. )

***

The irritating thing scurried about his feet.

"Smoking violation." The cleaning robot declared loudly. Guy kicked at it as though shooing away a pesky cat. Even here on the scenic balcony that overlooked the park he was pestered by the damn things. Nowhere was sacred, he decided.

His phone rang.

"Good morning, Li-san!" Komoe sounded chirpy as usual.

"Good morning, boss. I thought I asked you not to call me that." He said in a low voice.

"Oh, but Li-san, one who can't even turn up to his first day of work in a new job can't possibly ask for favours from his superiors." She said with a cheerful voice but words so blunt they made Guy wince.

"You heard about that, then..." He looked away, grimacing awkwardly.

"Silly Li-san. I know everything." She intoned. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Smoking violation." The robot buzzed again. He punted it hard and it skittered across the ground. Ugh. Surely he could find someone at Dangai who could hack the city mainframe. Maybe then he could get these damn things reprogrammed to ignore him.

"Well then you'll know the class went really well." He stood upright.

"That's not what I heard." She replied. He slumped back onto the park bench behind him.

Half an hour later and she had finished her lecturing. The content of it had largely passed him by and as he hung up the phone he sighed and rolled his head backwards along the back of the bench to look up at the clear skies.

"I tried. Still, that's some way to talk to the person who tried to save your life."

Mikoto watched with twitching eyebrows as Guy gathered his possessions and made his way to the exit.

He paused at the door, turned her direction and gave her a wink that nearly stopped her heart.

"But still, I am glad you're all right."

Mikoto’s face flamed again as he left, and this time she really hurled a thin bolt of lightning.
“BAAAKKKAAA!” She roared after him. But he was already gone and the thin wisp of lightning struck the door frame, charring it black slightly.

“If you’re going to apologise, then do it properly you irresponsible idiot! That wasn’t even an attempt at an apology!” She continued shouting, glaring at the door.

Mumbling angrily under her breath, Mikoto left the classroom, completely oblivious to the startled girls who had seen the events unfold. Whispering excitedly, they left afterward her, the singed doorframe the only evidence left of what had transpired in the classroom.

**
Mikoto sat in the library, not seeing the words written in front of her. Attempting to distract herself with her research project was failing miserably. Her frustrations were still bubbling within, wanting desperately to be let out. Guy’s face kept swimming into her mind and everytime it happened, she felt heat rise to her face. To a casual observer in the library, it would seem a little odd to see a girl sitting by herself and occasionally flushing accompanied by a scowl.

‘That absolute IDIOT! He made a complete fool of me today…’

The final wink he gave her flashed in her mind and she shook her head angrily.

‘And just what the HELL was that?!! Did he seriously think that would have some effect on me or something???!!!’

Irritated, Mikoto flipped a few pages of the book, not really paying any attention to it even when the innocent material ripped and crinkled.

‘Trying to act like a hero and now he tries to sound like one? Just who does he THINK HE IS???!!!”

‘But still, I am glad you're all right,’ his sweet voice resounded in her head.


Mikoto slammed the book closed, furious eyes glaring at the stack of research material in front of her. She put her head in her hands, leaning onto the table.

‘Damn him! I’m so going to kill him! Everything is his fault!’

The wink… the wink…

The wink.

Mikoto abruptly stood up, slamming her hands down onto the table. Some of the nearby girls looked up in surprise and then wariness when they saw who it was.

‘I’ll do this later. I need some fresh air and get his ridiculous image and voice out of my head.’

Picking up her things, Mikoto moved away to put her books away. With just a single glance, one could discern that she was in a murderous, unapproachable mood.

Kuroko was humming cheerfully to herself as she walked through the corridor with a bounce in her step. The familiar feeling in her skin was what caused her to stop. A kind of tingling, like static in the air that made her shiver. Though if that were the case...

She felt her hair stand up on end as Mikoto appeared from the doorway in front of Kuroko. It was clear as day that the older girl was in a foul mood. Carefully weighing her options, Kuroko eventually decided that her usual approach was likely to end with her quivering on the floor.

"Onee-sama! I was just looking for you." Thinking quickly, she concocted a plausible sounding cover story. "I was just heading into the city. I hear there's a new crepe stand nearby that's giving away free gifts." Yeah. That was good enough, she congratulated herself on her wits. It was a good thing she'd seen that flier earlier. "Would you care to take a look?"

"Onee-sama! I was just looking for you. I was just heading into the city. I hear there's a new crepe stand nearby that's giving away free gifts. Would you care to take a look?"

Not really registering in what the familiar was saying, Mikoto turned to see Kuroko who was smiling at her brightly. It was way too bright for her own foul mood that pervaded.

“I’m busy Kuroko,” Mikoto muttered immediately without thinking. She walked past the junior, continuing her way. A few steps later, Mikoto realised what she had just said and stopped.

For the last hour or so, the annoying image of that Idiot had kept growing in her mind, filling it up entirely. Mikoto inwardly sighed. Perhaps it would be a good idea to just follow along with Kuroko’s plans and clear her head. She desperately needed distractions after all.

Mikoto spun around to face the Teleporter again. She unintentionally glared at Kuroko, unable to stop herself from expressing her built-up tension and not even realising she was doing so.

“Urgh, fine let’s go,” the Electromaster said snappishly, “I just realised I’m pretty hungry anyway.”

She glared at Kuroko expectantly, completely oblivious to how charged up she was. Literally. Her brown hair was faintly glowing from tiny blue sparks that occasionally leapt into the air and frizzled angrily.

“I’m busy Kuroko,"

Kuroko's shoulders sank with resignation. Whatever had bothered Mikoto was obviously serious. She watched her go, thankful at least that she'd be spared the girl's wrath this time.

“Urgh, fine let’s go, I just realised I’m pretty hungry anyway.”

Kuroko wondered about the sudden change of mind, but decided not to pry. It seemed she'd be in the firing line after all. Still, she beamed happily, hurrying after Mikoto. Perhaps she'd have a chance to enact her cunning plan today after all.

"I did say I'd meet some friends. I hope it's not a bother if we take a short detour?" She asked, suspiciously polite and agreeable for once.

"I did say I'd meet some friends. I hope it's not a bother if we take a short detour?"

Something about Kuroko’s very polite tone nagged at the back of Mikoto’s mind, but she was too bothered to dwell on it.

“Yeah, alright,” Mikoto said sullenly, “do I know them at all?”

“Yeah, alright, do I know them at all?”

The teleporter shook her head.

"No. But one of them is a big fan of yours." She admitted, before changing the subject for fear of igniting Mikoto's temper. She handed Mikoto one of the leaflets advertising the stand. On it was an offer for free Gekota toys for the first hundred customers. That was sure to attract her attention and hopefully raise her spirits.

***

A short while later they were sat at a small restaurant further into the district. Kuroko was leafing through a notepad, her eyes glazed over as though visualising some plan in her head.