Regarding the Matter of the Misaka Sister Being the Leader of a Gang of Delinquents in Academy City.
As she watched the delinquents move in perfect, sharp unison, a truly terrifying thought popped into 'Reiko's' head.
But the moment it appeared, a certain someone snuffed it out. Both versions of herself took a deep breath.
This was a major crisis that threatened all of the Misaka Sisters!
One had to remember that the Misaka Network was interconnected. To some degree, this was equivalent to every single Sister becoming the leader of a delinquent gang.
'Reiko' stared at the delinquents before her, her gaze turning increasingly dangerous.
Their bodies bent forward at a precise forty-five-degree angle, their eyes burning with an inexplicable conviction, these delinquents, under their Fifth-Generation Leader, displayed a startling level of discipline.
Even covered in bruises and wounds, nothing could dampen their current resolve.
"Misaka, let's get out of here. This place gives me a really bad feeling."
Pulling her gaze away, 'Reiko' tugged on the sleeve of the dazed Misaka 9982 beside her.
The Misaka Sisters often seemed to be spacing out, but this time, she seemed to have entered a secondary phase of spacing out—thinking while staring blankly.
"We were unexpectedly ambushed by enemies. After defeating them all, we became their leader. Misaka finds this development unexpectedly interesting, she says."
A light of interest flickered in Misaka 9982's eyes, as if she was recalling plots from big-budget Hollywood movies.
"Absolutely not! Joining them would make you a delinquent girl. You'd have to smoke, drink, and who knows, maybe even dye your hair!"
Seeing Misaka 9982's growing interest, a certain someone hurriedly objected.
Of course, she was definitely not referring to a certain middle-aged teacher with pink hair.
Reiko's body was much stronger than her original form, so she managed to hold firmly onto Misaka 9982.
Honestly, inexperienced underage girls were so easily tempted.
That's why they needed supervision and guidance from mature individuals like herself.
Besides, most of these delinquent gangs were so-called Skill-Out groups, powerless armed thugs. Letting Misaka 9982 join them would be far too dangerous.
In short, the source of all this trouble was that delinquent paraphernalia.
'Reiko's' face finally turned serious. She had decided she would return all that delinquent stuff in the next few days.
The next second, the light in Misaka 9982's eyes faded away.
"Big Sister does not like delinquents. Reiko doesn't like them either. Therefore, Misaka will not do things that both Big Sister and Reiko dislike, Misaka replies with a serious expression."
Noticing the tension on a certain someone's face, Misaka 9982 reached out and patted Reiko's head, answering expressionlessly yet earnestly.
"So, what should we do about this skull ring? They seemed very serious about it."
Hearing the Sister's words, 'Reiko' was stunned for a moment, her face flushing slightly for some reason.
Remembering something else, she glanced back at the delinquents not far away.
According to Natsume-san's idea, they should return everything. But Misaka 9982 seemed to somewhat like this skull ring.
Because the skull ring looked a bit like a Gekota, or at least, that's what Misaka 9982 thought—a very ugly Gekota ring.
Just then, Misaka 9982 quietly looked at the skull ring in her hand, thinking about something, and then took it off.
"This ring can be given to you. Adhering to the principle of equivalent exchange, Misaka anticipates a suitable item in trade."
Her expression unchanged, Misaka 9982 looked with hollow eyes at the delinquents bowing in unison.
Compared to violence, this kind of sincere emotion was far more moving.
It was just such an ugly Gekota ring, even a bit broken, yet so many people cared about it.
It felt familiar, this feeling of being needed, unrelated to one's own intrinsic value.
Misaka 9982 lowered her head, tracing the patterns on the ring, as if remembering something.
She began hopping slightly, a look of pure joy on her face. It seemed Misaka 9982 was in a very good mood.
Misaka 9982 successfully traded the skull ring for over ten Gekota finger puppets, among which was the red Gekota that Misaka-senpai often pined for.
To collect these Gekota puppets, a group of delinquents had emptied an entire vending machine, finally managing to get them all.
The nearby trash cans were overflowing with empty cans.
Having traded the skull ring for these Gekota puppets, Misaka 9982 was exceptionally pleased, a fact evident from her squinting eyes.
"The Misaka Sisters have changed quite a bit compared to before."
Walking down the street, 'Reiko' suddenly found herself thinking with some emotion.
She had originally thought Misaka 9982 would be rather childish, but she hadn't expected her to make such a choice in the end.
However, a certain someone's opinion of these delinquents had also improved slightly.
From what the Fifth-Generation Leader said, that ring was a memento left by a senior who had managed to get into university, serving as an inspiration for them to study hard and get into college too.
Delinquents who wanted to go to university... how very inspiring. She felt strangely motivated.
By the time the two returned to the Misaka Apartments, Sisters enjoying the cool evening air were everywhere.
Some of the Sisters even had Gekota pins of various colors clipped to their abdomens. Ever since Misaka 9982 got a Gekota pin from Misaka-senpai, it seemed to have become an unofficial trend.
Not wasting any time, 'Reiko' immediately busied herself digging out the items that had been stored in the Misaka Apartments' storage room.
These things had been sitting here for the better part of a month, but the Sisters rarely used this room, so nothing had gone missing.
However, some items were still with Misaka 9982.
That would require Natsume-san to step in personally.
In just over ten minutes, an assortment of bizarre items was laid out in the courtyard of the Misaka Apartments, surrounded by a crowd of Sisters who had come to see what the fuss was about.
It seemed their tendency to gravitate towards commotion was innate.
"Sorry, I have something to take care of. I need to go."
Waving goodbye to Misaka-senpai and the others, the bun-girl, remembering something, seemed to be in a bit of a rush.
The troublesome part was that the delinquents' hangouts were quite spread out, but if she worked together with Reiko, they could save a lot of time.
But before that, she needed to prepare a few things.
"Natsume-san seems particularly busy today," thought Uiharu-san, watching the retreating back of the girl with the bun from just beyond the security tape.
A Gekota T-shirt was traded for a red cape.
A Gekota mask for a slasher movie mask.
A Gekota flashlight for a seven-section whip belt...
By the time Natsume Sonoko emerged from her dorm room, Misaka 9982 had acquired a full set of Gekota gear.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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