Clues

---24th August 3:01p.m.---

A petite girl appeared out of thin air, carrying a certain Tokiwadai girl in her small arms. She immediately sets her down and Konori Mii along with Uiharu stood around that Tokiwadai girl.

"Misaka-san, are you all right?!" Uiharu raised her voice out of concern since that girl had been missing for days.

"Misaka, what happened?" Konori chimes in.

Misaka looks around the room with a confused expression. Then, her eyes started welling up with tears and she cried out...

"Papa!!"

"Pa...pa...?!"

The whole room was in shock, though Kuroko wasn't as shocked as the other two. But it was still frightening.

"Onee-sama, are you..."

Before Kuroko could ask Misaka anything, Misaka's teary eyes blurred her vision as she pushed her away and screamed at her.

"Go away!! Bad people!! All bad!!"

"Ghk!?!? Bad?!"

Kuroko slumped forward while on her knees as her mind was filled with the negative words that labelled her.

"B-But I'm from Judgement..."

Konori Mii and Uiharu were dazed as they looked at Misaka who was acting like a child. Even though she is supposedly a child, being only 14, and barely even in her teenager years, it was still a shock.

"K-Konori-senpai... what do we do?"

Konori was already thinking before Uiharu asked as she wrapped her index finger around her chin. She rubbed her chin as if she was a wise old man and when an idea popped up, she immediately snapped her fingers.

"Since it's come to this, how about I try this?"

Konori knelt down on one knee beside Misaka and wrapped her arms around her head as if she was a child. She pulled Misaka closer to her chest which acted like a pillow for her tears and comfort.

Immediately after that, Misaka stopped crying as she blinked aimlessly in front of her.

"So warm..."

Misaka whispered under her breath as she tilts her head to face Konori's bigger-than-average chest and snuggled her face in between them.

"So warm and soft... mama where have you been?"

Everyone in the room let out a sudden and awkward "Huh?" as the two younger girls stared at Konori in disbelief.

"K-Konori-senpai, you're amazing! How did you calm down Misaka-san so quickly!"

"Uiharu, isn't it obvious?! It's those things on her chest! That's the only difference between us and her!!"

"Hey, don't talk about your senpai like that."

When Kuroko and Uiharu started shouting out of nowhere, Misaka's senses were immediately triggered as she hid behind Konori.

"Mama...those people are scary..."

"See? The two of you need to lower your voices!"

"Uegh...why is she suddenly acting like she's Misaka's mother..."

Kuroko had a miserable face as she slumped her body yet again.

"A-Anyway...what do you think happened to Onee-sama?"

Kuroko only looked at Uiharu for a response, either because their senpai was too busy trying to comfort Misaka, or she just didn't want to look at how outmatched she was compared to her senpai.

"From what I can infer, I think she's lost her memories. She doesn't remember us, she mistakes Konori-senpai as her mother, and she went missing for a few days. It's obvious that her memories were altered or erased."

"Tch, why did they do it?!"

Kuroko forcefully slammed her hand on the ground, but it didn't have much effect on the environment due to her small size.

"I don't know. But I think we can find out who did it. I only surveyed the cameras around Tokiwadai just now, but if I were to backtrack from that time, I think we can find out who did it."

"There's no need to. I think I know who did it."

"Who?"

"At Tokiwadai, there's a senpai who's the same age as Onee-sama, with the same level, and she has the ability to alter the memories of everyone. I'm very sure she's the suspect."

"I-Is she the #2 Level 5 ranked esper?!"

"No, she's the 5th."

"Huh? Then theoretically, isn't it supposed to be impossible to control Misaka-san's mind? Since Misaka-san is stronger than her."

"Uiharu, you don't know her very well. But I'll tell you this."

Kuroko stood up and looked at Uiharu seriously.

"She's very cunning. She'll find ways to overcome something."

"Sounds very difficult..."

Uiharu sighs as she took out her phone to message Saten, but when she looked at the time, she immediately jumped.

"Shirai-san! We have to go now! The briefing for the Academic Assembly!!"

Uiharu pulls Kuroko as they leave, leaving Konori and Misaka in the office together.

"What am I supposed to do with you..."

Misaka who was still enjoying the embrace of the high-schooler finally looked up and requested her for something.

Something unusual...

"Mama, I'm thirsty!"

"Oh, would you like some water? I know crying can make you..."

"Milk!"

"very dehy...draaaa...ted?...Huh?"

"I want to drink mama's milk!"

———24th August 4:12p.m.———

An elegant and beautiful girl laid down on the grass outside the School Garden. Her body was covered in shadow, pretty obvious that the sun was being blocked by something.

The winds blew her hair and the cold breeze woke her up from her 'deep' slumber.

Her eyes slowly opened as they adjusted to the shade she was in.

"Ughh...where am I...?"

When she got up and looked around her, she could see female students from different schools walking past her and into the famous School Garden.

"What... what was I doing...?"

She rubbed her prominent forehead as she tried to remember the events that led to her sleeping outside the School Garden.

"I remember...I went to the wrong dormitory, met a pipsquek... got lost... and then met a boy and a girl from Tokiwadai... ugh... my head hurts..."

Even though she could vaguely remember what happened, there was something she couldn't forget.

The white haired boy with red eyes.

"Who is he...?"

That's when the realization hit her.

"He didn't introduce himself..."

She facepalmed herself as she limped all the way to the gates of the School Garden. It was a miserable feeling.

Unbeknownst to her, a white figure jumped down from a tree branch and observed her for a while before fading away into the crowds.

------24th August 6:20p.m.------

"Uiharu, you may attend Edasaki-san's return from the hospital with Haruue-san. I'll have to do a bit of planning."

"Huh? But the party will be meaningless and quiet without you."

"Don't worry. Once I find the 5th ranked Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki, I'll make her spill the beans on what she did to Onee-sama."

Uiharu gave Kuroko a worried look as she tilted her body closer to her.

"But she's a mind control esper, right? How are you so sure that you can reach her before she mind controls you?"

"..."

Kuroko had never thought of it, but the moment she placed her index finger on her forehead to think, an idea came to her head almost immediately.

"I do have an idea actually."

"And what might it be?"

"Uiharu, every esper has a weakness. If I apply enough pressure to them, they won't be able to use their powers. Especially if they're the types whose abilities are not activated passively like yours."

"I-If that's the case, what force are you going to use against her? It won't be excessive force, will it?"

"It won't be. I'll make sure she's still able to talk the moment I pin her down."

Kuroko and Uiharu were at a zebra road crossing. The cars drove past them, causing their hair to sway about left and right. However, it seemed like their ways were about to be separated.

"I'll do it tomorrow since we're nearing our curfew. Tell them I said sorry."

Kuroko was heading back to the office to grab Misaka as she can't keep hiding her forever. Eventually, the dorm supervisor might request for her presence. At that time, what should she say to the dorm supervisor?

She had given out every excuse to the dorm supervisor because it seemed like Misaka always had somewhere to go. The truth can't be hidden from her forever.

"(Tch, the moment I find Shokuhou Misaki, I'm gonna make her turn Onee-sama back to normal!)"

Kuroko arrived at the office and placed her hand on the doorknob. However, before she pushed the door forward, she heard a few strange noises. It was like someone drinking water.

And the next line after the sounds of sipping were...

"Mama, that was delicious!!"

Kuroko's hair immediately stood up as she teleported into the office rather than using the doorknob.

"Konori-senpai!! How could you...do...this?" Her cries gradually softened after every word as she looked at the situation they were in.

Konori Mii was sitting beside Misaka who was holding a cup.

She looked at Kuroko whose mouth was still hanging and she tilted her head to the side.

"Hm? How could I do what?"

Once Konori asked her that question, Kuroko snapped back to reality and quickly cleared her throat.

"Ahem ahem...nothing nothing. I mistook you for someone else, that's all."

Kuroko sat beside Misaka, but Misaka quickly moved beside Konori Mii, ensuring Kuroko doesn't get close to her.

Kuroko felt disheartened, but she embraced it.

She had been electrocuted by Misaka on multiple occasions before, and there was a time when she disliked Misaka. But right now, the feeling that she is going through was indescribable. She never would have ever imagined the one person who she respected the most would forget the memorable moments that they had together, and would even go as far as to forget her.

Kuroko clenched her teeth together so hard to the point that it even scared the Level 5 in the room.

"What are you going to do about Misaka-san?"

Kuroko hooked her index finger around her chin as she thought.

A sad and unfortunate thought crossed her mind as she looked at her senpai.

"Konori-senpai, can I entrust Onee-sama to you?

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"*Sigh* As much as I hate to admit it, you're the best fit for Onee-sama."

Kuroko glances at Misaka before making eye contact with her senpai again, and as she expected, Misaka hid away from her.

"I'm really sorry about this, Konori-senpai. But THIS Misaka won't listen and is scared of me. If she were to go back to Tokiwadai, the dorm supervisor might suspect that there is something wrong with her and report it to the higher-ups."

Konori Mii stared at Kuroko in disbelief.

"Wow, I didn't know you were thinking that far ahead to the point where it would reach the Board of Directors. But I guess you are right. I'll take her back with me. In the meantime, try to find the culprit behind this."

"Yeah, I will."

Both of them had a serious expression. However, Kuroko's expression was much more intense compared to the other times when she was in danger.

But during those difficult times, she always had her Onee-sama to count on.

Now, she only has Uiharu and Saten to count on.

Realizing the intense feelings pent up inside Kuroko, Konori Mii placed her hand on Kuroko's shoulder to comfort her.

"Shirai-san, it's okay. We'll find the culprit and we'll make them turn Misaka-san back to normal."

Kuroko looks at her senpai and eases her shoulders.

"Thanks Konori-senpai."

Her expression eases as she took in a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'll definitely save her!!"

--25th August 3:03p.m.--

"(Ughhh...how do I do this?)"

Currently, Kuroko was stalking Misaki behind a pillar by the entrance of one of the many gardens in Tokiwadai Middle School.

Because Tokiwadai Middle School is a school for the prestigious young ladies of Academy City, some of them prefer to be treated like young princesses. So the higher-ups sponsored funds for the development of Tokiwadai Middle School. Moreover, the levels of those 'princesses' are Level 3 and Level 4, so the higher-ups see them as a worthy investment for the future of Academy City.

One of the facilities that the higher-ups have built in for Tokiwadai are the gardens for those fine 'princesses' who prefer to enjoy the breeze of the air while sipping on some homemade tea rather than walking around the School Garden to shop for accessories and indulge themselves in the finest eateries Academy City has to offer.

The person in front of Kuroko was one of the Level 5's of Academy City, but she had a solid plan that could easily take her down so that the use of her abilities would be impossible. However...

There was one thing that she forgot about the 'Queen of Tokiwadai', and leader of the largest clique in Tokiwadai.

And that is...

She is never alone.

Sitting right beside her was a girl with straight lavender hair that was curled down below shoulder length. Kuroko knows well that if she provokes that girl in the slightest bit, she might get crushed immediately no matter how fast she manages to teleport away.

That girl was a Level 4, yet her ability was almost similar to that of a Level 5.

However, today's mission isn't about her. It's about the Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki.

Misaki has long golden-blonde hair, and her most notable feature on first glance are her eyes. Her eyes have a literal star on each side, which is not supposed to be normal, but that's what makes her so unique. She has white gloves and stockings, both decorated with laces. Moreover, slung over her shoulders is a white shoulder bag that keeps her belongings inside. The second most notable thing after her eyes, are her massive breasts that are unbefitting for that of a middle schooler.

It could even go inch to inch, or maybe be even bigger than Konori Mii's.

Misaki was around her clique again as she elegantly sips the tea from the small white teacup in her hand while the members of her clique were busy chattering with one another.

"(This is going to be difficult...)"

Kuroko leaned against the pillar as she nervously bit her fingernails.

"How should I do this?"

"Do what, Shirai-san?"

A soft playful voice was heard right behind her, she wanted to answer the girl behind her, however, she recognized that voice way too well.

Chills were sent running down her spine as she quickly turned back to find the golden-haired girl peeking at her from the other side of the pillar.

"Sho-Shokuhou Misaki?!"

"Hm? Are you that surprised to see me? You were basically just spying on me weren't you?☆"

"N-No, of course not!"

"Heh...but I was very sure I caught you looking at me just now. Was I mistaken? Oh! Have you come here to join my clique?☆ "

"Of course not! I would never join your clique as long as you and my dear Onee-sama are enemies!"

"Oh...well, that's unfortunate. But if you ever change your mind, do let me know~☆"

Misaki winked at Kuroko and the small girl cringed as she took one step back. But as she was being pushed back, she remembered why she was approaching this Level 5.

"Shokuhou-san, please wait a second."

"Hm?"

Misaki turned back to see what Kuroko was so serious about. The atmosphere changed in a single second.

"Oh, Shirai-san, you may drop the honorifics. Just for you, I'll make an exception."

Instead of being led away by Misaki, Kuroko ignored her remark and continued to interrogate her.

"I won't beat around the bush. Why did you do that to Onee-sama?"

"..."

Instead of answering the question immediately, Misaki was rather dumbfounded to what she meant by 'that'.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb! You know what you did."

"Shirai-san, but I really don't know what you're talking about right now."

"What do you mean you don't know?! You erased Onee-sama's memories!"

Misaki's eyes widened in shock after hearing that.

"Shirai-san...just so you know, my powers can never affect Misaka-san."

"...Huh? Why?"

"My ability, Mental Out, operates using electrical signals from the brain. With Misaka-san being a high leveled electromaster, what do you think that means?"

The sudden realization hit Kuroko, and to back up her point even more, Misaki said one last thing.

"We are separated by rankings. She's the third ranked while I'm the fifth, it would make the ranking system useless if I could just control her mind."

Kuroko was left speechless after all that. It made quite a lot of sense for her to say that.

"But...then, who could've done it?!"

"I'm not sure, but..."

Misaki had a little cheeky smile on her face as she looked at Kuroko.

"If you agree to join my clique, I would gladly assist you."

"What?! Like hell I would do that! You're cooperating with me whether you like it or not."

"Come on now, Shirai-san~☆ If I were to help you, I would be doing charity work. There's just nothing in it for me~"

"Ueghh, disgusting. Don't call me like that..."

"I might even have an idea of who's behind all this. I have my connections, you know?"

"...Tch"

--25th August 4:01p.m.--

"Konori-senpai, meet Shokuhou Misaki-san. Shokuhou-san, meet Konori-senpai."

"Oh? You're Shirai-san's friend?"

"No, she's not my..."

Before Kuroko could finish her sentence, Misaki hugged the side of Kuroko's face, stuffing her face in a warm, cozy pillow.

"Why, of course I am! Nice to meet you!"

"The pleasure's all mine, nice to meet you. Please, have a seat."

Konori Mii led Misaki to the sofa in the middle of the office, where Misaka was sat right opposite her.

"I was informed by Shirai-san that you could help us?"

"Of course~☆"

Konori Mii sat beside Misaka, while Kuroko hesitantly sat beside Misaki.

"I just need to borrow her for a second. I hope you don't mind, do you?"

Instead of looking at the two people in front of her, Misaki chose to look at Kuroko instead.

Kuroko clicked her tongue as she turned away from Misaki's gaze.

"Wonderful! Now then..."

Konori did not understand the tension between those two, but she still stepped back to let Misaki do her wonders on Misaka.

From her small white shoulder bag, she pulled out a simple looking controller. One that any commoner can find in an electronics shop. She pressed it against Misaka's forehead, which made the girl slightly frightened.

"Calm down, Misaka-san. I'll help you out soon."

Misaki smirked as the girl who she despised was now in front of her. If she had truly lost her memories, that means she should have forgotten how to calculate.

Which means, she should be powerless.

"(I wonder what I should make her do once I take over her mind~☆)"

A simple beep rang through the entire office, followed by a crackle of electricity. The controller in front of Misaka malfunctioned and caused a small explosion in between them.

Misaka's head was pushed backwards as if she had been shot by a high-powered sniper rifle, while Misaki stepped back as she placed a hand over the one which held the controller. Her white glove was charred in black.

Misaka started crying as she laid down on the sofa, which prompted Konori to go in and comfort her.

Misaki on the other hand, was looking at her gloves. However, before she had any time to worry about her hand, she was ambushed from the back.

Konori's back was towards her, so she could not see the chaos that was happening behind her.

Misaki was held captive in a headlock maneuver by Kuroko, and the air in her lungs slowly left her as she helplessly struggled.

Her head was already fuzzy, so she couldn't focus on using her Mental Out. All she could do was desperately tap on Kuroko's arms.

"Why did you hurt Onee-sama?! Why can't you let her be happy?! It's all because of you!!"

Misaki pressed her back onto Kuroko's body and pushed her into the wall. However, Kuroko did not let go. Her clutch only became tighter as it continued to strangle the air out of her lungs.

"She endured it all alone!! Why can't you leave her alone?!"

Her pent up feelings exploded onto Misaki. However, Misaki was too light headed to listen to a single word she just said. She only wanted to escape the cobra's clutches.

She thrusted her head backwards, and her skull smashed into Kuroko's nose.

Blood slowly trickled down her mouth, but she kept the lock tight.

Just then, Konori finally heard the commotion that was going on, and so she rushed in to stop Kuroko's rampage.

"Shirai-san! Stop that right now!!"

Konori clenched her fist and threw it at the side of Kuroko's head. Kuroko's head wobbled a bit, but that was enough for her to loosen her grip on the Level 5.

Konori immediately pushed Kuroko to the floor and placed her hands behind her back before putting them in handcuffs.

"That's enough. I think you'd better go back home. Uiharu and I will handle this case ourselves."

Kuroko continued to struggle as more crimson-red blood left her nose.

"But...Onee-sama...!!"

"Misaka-san is fine."

"But she still harmed her... That's...unforgivable!!"

Kuroko teleported the handcuffs to Konori's wrists before teleporting herself off the ground. She teleported right in the middle of the office to try looking for Misaki, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Tch, did she run?"

Kuroko clenched her teeth, but they soon relaxed as her question was answered.

"No, I'm right here~☆"

Misaki stood up from behind the sofa that Misaka was sitting in, and with a single press of a button, Kuroko froze in place and dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

Misaki looked at Kuroko's fallen body for a second to check if she was still breathing.

When there were no signs of her breathing, Misaki took a deep breath before dropping to her knees.

"Haaaaaa...what the hell was that? Haaaaa...I'm so tired...!!"

Misaki laid down on the floor with her arms and legs spread out.

Konori stood over Misaki as she looked at her with a serious expression.

"What was that all about?"

"*Sigh* If you're that curious, all I was trying to do was gain access into her mind. By doing that, I can see what she last saw, or at least have a gauge of how accurate these people were when erasing her memories. Depending on the accuracy of their data erasure, I can roughly gauge who did it."

"..."

Konori was speechless because the reasoning seemed pretty valid.

"And if you're worried about Shirai-san, I simply put her mind at ease. She should wake up sooner or later."

"So, after your 'test', what have you found out?"

"Hmmm...let's see..."

Once Misaki caught her breath, she stood back up and patted Konori on the shoulder.

"Just forget about it."

"Yes, Queen."

"Ahhh...I'm still so tired from that...maybe I should just erase her memories as well..."

Misaki took a seat on the sofa with her legs crossed like a queen.

"(Well, I'll see how things play out. Anyway, I wonder whose ability is able to pass through Misaka-san's electrofield... Wait, do I even need honorifics right now?)"

Misaki looked around the room for Misaka, but she was nowhere in sight. However, one thing stood out from the whole chaos, and that was...

The door.

The door was wide opened, so if anyone wanted to report any sort of problems to Judgment, the first thing they would see is the whole office in a mess.

And a single Tokiwadai girl sitting down in the middle of all that.

"She...couldn't have ran away, could she?"

Though it was a scary thought, Misaki wasn't too frightened by it. She was rather calm.

"Well, let's see where she could go. For now, I better clean this mess up."

She raised her right hand up as if she was calling a waiter, but just then, another voice could be heard at the doorway.

"Shirai...san? Konori...senpai? And...who are you?"

Misaki turned to the opened door as she starts to panic from the inside.

Misaki remembers this girl being part of Misaka's small group of friends.

The girl with a garden of flowers as her headband. Her innocent smile lighting up the day of others.

However, the usually cheerful girl was nowhere in sight. It was just a scared yet furious girl at the doorway.

"Uh-oh..."

--25th August 6:31p.m.--

"Whew...got out of there safely..."

Misaki was walking back to the School Garden by herself. Sweat ran down her forehead despite previously being in a well-ventilated office.

"I managed to escape with just a tinge of my life ☆"

Misaki rubbed her neck with her delicate hands. There was a blue-black colour surrounding her neck, almost as if it was a collar.

"(Ughh...I hope people don't get the wrong idea about me.)"

She slumped her back forward as her arms dangled in front of her. She was like a zombie walking under the setting sun. She looked very messed up from head to toe, very unbefitting of a Tokiwadai lady, so there were a lot of eyes glancing at her as they passed her.

She was missing one glove, her neck was messed up pretty badly, her clothes were dirty and untidy and most importantly, parts of her hair were sticking out.

"(Rrrrghhhh...maybe I should just erase everyone's memories right here!! Is what I would usually say, but my mood is too good to be ruined right now. And right now, I should be taking a cab, but somehow there's a traffic jam right now and if I don't make it back within 30 minutes, I'll get an earful, especially when I hold the title of a Level 5. Ahhhhh!!! Being a Level 5 is such a pain in the butt!!)"

Even though she was talking inside her head, she was making a lot of weird faces and actions that would make anyone think she escaped from the insane asylum.

Just then, her shoulder bumped into someone's arm, and both of them immediately clicked their tongues. Misaki was already having a bad day and just having this person bump into her annoyed her even more.

However, instead of being the person to initiate the fight, the person who bumped into her was the aggressor.

"Oi, watch where you're goin' you fuckin' bitch!!"

"B-B...?! W-Who do you think you're calling a b-b..."

"It's my mouth, not yours."

A vein had popped in her head as she endured the stubbornness of this boy. By boy, it's more like a high-schooler. This boy was about a head taller than her but he was way skinnier than the average high-schooler.

"Well...you do make a good point..."

"There you have it, bitch. Now have a nice day."

"H-Hey, wait a second! No, wait...I should be heading back now."

Misaki continued walking back to the School Garden where her dorm is located. But there was one thing she was wondering about as she looked back.

"What was the purpose of your action..."

The boy back there had a distinctive feature that no other person in Academy City possess.

White hair and red eyes.

"Accelerator."