"Go! Beat this guy to death!"
Six angry words. The delinquents surged forward.
Mikoto's forehead crackled with blue electricity. She prepared to intervene, but in the next second, her eyes widened in surprise.
Crack. Thud.
The delinquents who made contact with the boy flew backward as if hit by a truck, clutching their arms and rolling on the ground.
"Ahhhh! My arm!"
"Gahhh...!"
"Guys who reach into girls' wallets deserve to lose a limb. Don't scream so loud. It's just a fracture; Academy City's doctors can fix it," Yuuya said coldly, his hands still in his pockets.
[Xiao-Li: Active]
With his muscles perfectly relaxed, he absorbed the kinetic energy of their strikes. Then, using perfect muscular synchronization, he reflected that force back instantly. The moment they touched him, it was like punching a steel wall that punched back with 25 tons of force.
Their bones didn't stand a chance.
One thug, clutching his shattered wrist, gritted his teeth. "You wretched brat! Don't think you're so great just because you have superpowers! We're Skill-Out! We're an armed group of Level 0s who hunt—"
BOOM.
Before he could finish, Yuuya stomped his foot.
A muffled thud echoed through the alley. The asphalt beneath the thug's feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern, the shockwave knocking the wind out of him.
"Huh? I didn't catch that. What did you say?" Yuuya cupped his hand to his ear, feigning deafness.
Terrified by the display of raw physical power, the remaining delinquents scrambled away, dragging their injured comrades. They didn't dare utter another threat.
Yuuya curled his lip. "Skill-Out? Please. A group of thugs with bats isn't a threat."
"So you are an Esper. That level of physical enhancement... must be at least Level 3. And here I thought you were just a brainless idiot with a death wish."
Mikoto walked forward, arms crossed. She spoke coolly, her tone rough and boyish—completely lacking the elegance expected of a Tokiwadai "Ojou-sama."
"Is that really how you talk to the person who just saved you?" Yuuya asked, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Golden Treasure Chest floating above her head.
[Ding! Unlock Condition Triggered.]
[Golden Treasure Chest: 3 Unlock Conditions total.]
[Unlock Condition 1: Bully Misaka Mikoto seriously and make a lasting impression on her.]
[Note: Completing Condition 1 will reveal Condition 2.]
Yuuya's smile froze.
'Holy crap. Three stages?'
'And wait... System, explain yourself. What does "seriously bully" mean? Are you trying to get me killed by a Railgun?'
'I think you should rename yourself the "Problem Child Training System."'
[Ding! Host, the unlock conditions are manifestations of your subconscious desires. They have nothing to do with the System.]
Yuuya's eye twitched violently. "No, they're not! Don't slander me!"
[Ding! Please be honest with your true nature.]
"..."
'This damn System is roasting me.'
'Fine. If I have to be a villain to get the loot, I'll go all in. My reputation is doomed anyway.'
"Ding! Host, please unleash your true nature. Indulge in unrestrained behavior. Chaos suits you."
Yuuya took a deep breath. He ignored the System's encouragement to become a supervillain and turned his attention back to Mikoto.
She waved her hand dismissively. "I didn't ask for your help. Those guys would have been luckier if you hadn't intervened; at least I would have held back. You broke their bones."
Yuuya squinted. He raised his index finger and beckoned to her, a provocative sneer curling his lip.
"Yeah, yeah. As the Level 5 Railgun, you don't need saving. Sorry for interrupting your fun."
"But now that the trash is gone... how about a match? Let me see just how amazing the 'Ace of Tokiwadai' really is."
Mikoto blinked. She quickly realized this wasn't a Good Samaritan; it was a challenger. Another idiot who recognized her face and wanted to test his strength.
She sighed, waving her hand wearily.
"So you came here to challenge me? Look, your physical ability is impressive, maybe Level 3. But you're no match for me. Go home."
It wasn't arrogance; it was a fact. She was the third strongest in the city. She dealt with challengers weekly.
"Oh dear... are you scared? The mighty Level 5 is scared of a nobody?" Yuuya stroked his chin, pouring on the mockery.
"Reverse psychology is outdated," Mikoto deadpanned. She slung her school bag over her shoulder and turned to leave.
"This city is never boring, but fighting you would be bullying. Goodbye, troublemaker."
'I need to meet Kuroko at the mall anyway,' she thought. 'We were supposed to go shopping. If I'm late, she'll teleport onto me crying about "Onee-sama abandoning her." Just imagining it gives me goosebumps.'
"Wait a minute."
Yuuya's voice called out from behind her.
"If you see this... will you still refuse, Misaka-san?"
Mikoto, already walking away, glanced back out of the corner of her eye.
She froze.
Her expression did a 180-degree turn. Her cool, boyish face melted into something resembling a stunned frog.
"Geko... Gekota?!"
In Yuuya's hand was a clear plastic display box. Inside sat a pristine, complete set of frog mascots.
Mikoto's feet moved backward instinctively, as if replaying a video in reverse. Her hands clasped together, her eyes sparkling like stars, completely locked onto the box.
"Th-that... isn't that the Limited Edition Gekota Family Set?! Prince Gekota... Mama Gekota... even the Bride and Groom Gekota?! And the rare hand puppet?!"
She started babbling, entranced.
"It's the complete set! Is this real?! They only released 3,000 sets worldwide! The manufacturer split them up as prizes for fifty different drink flavors! The odds of getting the Prince were less than one in a thousand! To get the whole family... it's statistically impossible!"
"Is... is this an illusion? Did Heaven hear my wish and send a Frog Angel to me?"
'Frog Angel...'
Yuuya watched the transformation with amusement. The cool Railgun had vanished, replaced by a Gekota fanatic.
'I knew saving that chest was worth it.'
Just as Mikoto reached out a trembling hand to touch the plastic box, Yuuya pulled it back.
"Ahem."
He coughed lightly, holding the box out of reach. He looked down at her with a playful, devilish grin.
"Well? Do you still have a reason to refuse me now, Misaka-san?"
Mikoto snapped back to reality. Her face flushed bright red as she realized she had been drooling over a toy in front of a stranger.
"W-what are you talking about?!"
She crossed her arms and turned her head away, her tsundere instincts kicking in.
"Th-that kind of thing... it's just a frog! An amphibian! Why would a girl fight someone over a toy?! Besides, unauthorized duels are against school rules. Do you think I'm stupid?"
As she spoke, her eyes kept darting back to the box. Her tone grew softer and softer with every denial.
"Really, Misaka-san? Your face was practically pressed against the plastic just now. Or was I hallucinating?"
Yuuya rubbed his eyes theatrically, then shook the box. The little frogs rattled.
Rattle. Rattle.
Mikoto's head moved in sync with the box. Left. Right. Left. Right.
Realizing she was being played like a fiddle, a large vein popped on her forehead.
She clenched her fist, electricity crackling violently around her.
"Fine! Since you're so eager to fight, don't come crying to me when you lose!"
She pointed a finger at him, blue sparks dancing between them.
"If I win... you hand over the Gekota set!"
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