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When Ethan woke up, the sun was already high. He yawned, stretched, and was just about to figure out how to make some money when he noticed something right in front of him—a wallet.
The wallet looked pretty old, the kind of thing only broke people use. But when he opened it, his eyes lit up. There was a decent amount of cash inside. Not a fortune, but enough to get by for a few days at least.
"Well, well, well. I was just thinking about earning some money, and here it shows up in my hands. Maybe I've got some kind of secret 'god-tier luck' skill." He flipped through the wallet. "Owner's name… Kamijou Touma? Hedgehog hair, huh? Figures. Must be a good guy."
Ethan nodded to himself, smiling in satisfaction.
He pulled out the cash—several thousand yen in total. Sure, the local economy was inflated to hell—one drink cost a hundred yen—but still, it was enough for a while.
"I'll just keep the cash. The rest—ID, bank card, student card—nah, I'm not that kind of thief. See? I'm a good person! Someone as morally pure as me is a rare find these days."Feeling rather pleased with himself, Ethan carefully placed the now mostly empty wallet back where he'd found it.
"Well then, time to get to know this city a little better!"He dusted off his clothes (not that they had any dust on them) and strolled out of the park.
A few minutes later, a spiky-haired boy came sprinting into the park, panting hard. He spotted the wallet on a bench and sighed in relief."Ha! Thank god, it's still here!"
But the moment Kamijou Touma picked it up and opened it, his expression froze.Then came the scream."Aaaah! My allowance! My entire month's living expenses! I just withdrew that today! What am I supposed to do now?!"
Of course, Ethan had no idea about the poor hedgehog's misery. With a full wallet and a lighter heart, he strolled down the street. His stomach growled faintly.
"Whew, good thing there are still kind souls out there who 'donate' to me. Otherwise, I'd be starving by now."
He looked around and spotted a brand-new crepe stand across the street, already drawing a long line of customers—mostly kids.
"Guess I'll start with something simple," he said, joining the back of the line.
As he waited, a black-haired girl—probably around ten or so—lined up behind him. She had a bright, sweet smile. Ethan gave her a friendly nod and smile, and she returned it shyly.
The line moved quickly. Before long, it was his turn."Here's your crepe," the cheerful clerk said. "And congratulations, you got the last Gekota keychain!"
"A Gekota keychain, huh? It's just a frog," Ethan muttered, holding it up and letting it dangle from his fingers.
But before he could put it away, he heard a small commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw a short-haired girl in a school uniform kneeling on the ground, looking utterly defeated.
"…She looks kind of familiar," he murmured, tilting his head.
The black-haired girl from before was crouched beside the other, trying to comfort her in a panic. Ethan caught bits of their conversation—it sounded like the brown-haired one really wanted the Gekota keychain. Unfortunately, the one he was holding was the last one.
"She's not a kid, is she? And she's into this childish stuff? Gekota's literally just a frog. Can't believe girls like this exist," Ethan thought, equal parts baffled and amused.
The black-haired girl finally turned to him, looking apologetic."Um… excuse me, would you maybe… give that keychain to my friend? She really likes it…"
It was an awkward request, but she looked so sincere. And since Ethan had already smiled at her earlier, she figured he was a decent guy.
"Sure. It's just a trinket for kids anyway. Hey, short-haired girl, you can stop kneeling now—here, take it."
He held out the keychain.
The girl looked up, eyes wide."Ah, thank you, thank you so mu—wait… YOU?! You damn pervert!"
"YOU?! You fake girl!"
Both of them yelled at once.
The brown-haired girl was none other than Misaka Mikoto.
"You damn pervert! You've got some nerve showing your face again!" Misaka snapped, sparks literally crackling from her hair.
Ethan groaned. "Great. Just my luck. Of course it's you, the fake tomboy! Seriously, you're a guy, right? Why the hell do you keep dressing up like a girl? That's just gross!"
"Shut up, you degenerate! I'll fry you alive!" Misaka shouted, the electricity around her growing wilder.
"Tch! Go ahead, try it, fake girl!" Ethan shot back, glaring with pure disdain.
The black-haired girl—Saten Ruiko—stood frozen between them, completely lost.
"What the heck is happening? They know each other? But why is one calling the other a pervert and the other calling her a fake girl?!"
Honestly, looking at Ethan—tall, sharp features, and that lazy-but-handsome kind of vibe—he didn't look like a pervert at all. If anything, he looked annoyingly cool.
"..."
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