Seeing that, Makoto did not press any further. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned.
"I definitely won't let a good girl like this slip past me."
Sakiko wanted to act a little reserved.
But the happy curve of her lips and the sweet look she gave Makoto betrayed her mood.
The way the two of them looked made the protective urge that had risen in Mikoto's heart fade fast.
It even left her feeling listless.
She tossed out a quick "I'm going back."
Then lightning crackled over her body and she vanished among the high-rises.
Seeing that, Sakiko could not help speaking up.
"Showing that kind of power in the real world is astonishing."
"So what exactly did you say to her?"
With Mikoto gone, Makoto's curiosity came back, and he pressed her again.
Sakiko tapped her index finger against the corner of his mouth.
"I already told you, it's a secret between girls. Don't ask."
"All right, let's head back to the hotel."
"Mm."
The two of them walked off arm in arm, close and affectionate.
Only when their backs had vanished did Mikoto's figure appear again on a nearby rooftop.
There was a smile on her lips, but it looked bitter no matter how you read it.
"Seriously, why do I feel like the tragic bit player who's destined to get abandoned!"
Complaining aside, deep down she still wished Sakiko a quick recovery.
She even pulled out her phone to look into Sakiko's family background and what had happened to her.
Her face quickly darkened completely.
"Togawa Sadaharu, Togawa Kiyotsugu, the Togawa family... not a single decent one among them?"
"Should I teach them a lesson?"
Mikoto thought about it for a long while, but in the end decided to hold off for now.
"You had all better hope nothing bad happens to Sakiko..."
Meanwhile, Makoto and Sakiko were back at the hotel before long.
On the way he had also received a check-in call from Kamijou Touma.
The two of them exchanged quick reassurances and hung up.
"Who is Kamijou Touma?" Sakiko asked, curious.
Makoto rubbed his chin, then gestured for her to lean in close.
Only then did he say into her ear, "The protagonist of this world."
Sakiko understood exactly what those words meant, and her eyes lit up a little.
Then something seemed to occur to her. "So Mikoto-chan is a protagonist of this world too?"
Makoto shook his head.
"That question is a bit complicated. Or rather, this world is too complicated to sum up so easily."
"Still, if you treat Misaka Mikoto as a protagonist, then you're basically right."
Academy City is the place that gave rise to two anime.
One is A Certain Magical Index, and the other is A Certain Scientific Railgun.
The two works are connected, telling the stories of two groups of people from different viewpoints.
Apart from a few original episodes, it is no real problem to treat the two as one work.
So Makoto was not entirely sure how Main God Space would handle that.
Understanding dawned on Sakiko's face.
"I see. No wonder you got on good terms with Mikoto-chan so quickly..."
"I suppose when the chance comes, she will be our teammate too, right?"
Sakiko wore a knowing look, as if she had seen right through him.
Makoto pinched her cheek lightly.
"I'm not nearly as calculating as you think," he said.
"At first I only got close to her to find information about you."
"Your friend never answered any of my messages, after all."
"Ah, you mean Mutsumi? Her full name is Wakaba Mutsumi. She's not someone who's good with words."
"Besides, I told her not to leak anything about how I have been doing to anyone else."
"She must have hesitated for a long time before she finally decided to tell you about me."
Makoto nodded.
He had already learned all of this from her memories when he first made contact with her.
"When I get the chance to meet her, I'll thank her."
"Without her, I would probably have had to ask Misaka Mikoto to message your phone directly."
Sakiko nodded. She had been wanting to introduce Mutsumi to Makoto anyway.
She had asked Mikoto to watch over Makoto in her place.
If she really died, she wanted Makoto to watch over Mutsumi the same way.
With that thought, Sakiko took out her phone and called Mutsumi on video.
The call connected quickly, and the screen showed a girl in pajamas with damp hair.
She looked exactly like she had just gotten out of the bath.
Her features were even more delicate than Sakiko's.
Yet that delicacy and her lifeless eyes made her seem more porcelain doll than person.
Makoto wanted to look her over a bit more.
But Sakiko's hand was already pressing against him, with a hint of urgency.
"No more looking, you idiot!"
"And you too, Mutsumi-chan, put some clothes on!"
"Mm."
A brief reply came from the phone, and then Mutsumi left the frame.
She only reappeared a few minutes later, now wearing a neat school uniform.
Seeing that, Sakiko suddenly felt a little helpless.
But Mutsumi was always like this, and with Makoto beside her she could hardly call her out on it.
"I'm calling today to thank you for passing along the message, and to introduce Makoto-kun to you."
Only then did Sakiko tug at Makoto's arm and sit him down beside her.
She leaned half against him, bringing their closeness into the frame.
"Hello, my name is Kitano Makoto. Thank you for passing the message along earlier."
"It's nice to meet you."
Makoto greeted her calmly, but Mutsumi only stared at his face and said nothing for a long time.
"Mutsumi?" Sakiko was puzzled. What was wrong with her childhood friend?
Only then did Mutsumi come back to herself.
She gave a quiet "Mm," then began introducing herself. "Wakaba Mutsumi."
Seeing that Mutsumi had shut her mouth and said nothing more, Makoto assumed she was done.
He was just about to say something to ease the awkwardness when, to his surprise, she spoke again.
"Are you and Sakiko a couple, Kitano-san?"
Hearing that question, even Sakiko, who had changed a great deal by now, felt her face go pink.
Makoto was just about to answer, but Sakiko beat him to it.
"We haven't officially settled our relationship yet..."
"Mutsumi-chan, don't just ask that kind of question out of nowhere!"
"I was curious."
A faint smile curved Mutsumi's lips too, as if she was happy for Sakiko.
"Sakiko, you look happy. It's been a long time since I saw you like this."
Hearing that, Sakiko's eyes softened a great deal as she looked at Mutsumi.
"Mutsumi-chan, I've made you worry all this time, haven't I?"
"If it's for Sakiko, it's all worth it."
Sakiko fell silent for a moment. She knew Mutsumi had always been like this.
But her own survival was uncertain, and she could barely look after herself.
So she had to leave Mutsumi some new hope to hold on to.
So she took Makoto's hand.
"From now on, the people I trust most have grown from just you to you and Makoto-kun."
"The three of us have to help each other and live well. Remember that, Mutsumi-chan?"
For the first time, something fierce flickered in Mutsumi's hollow eyes.
It was as if Sakiko's words had touched something deep inside her.
Today, for the first time, she did not give an affirmative answer.
Instead, she said, "I don't quite understand..."
"What don't you understand?" Sakiko asked, puzzled.
"...I don't know."
Mutsumi tilted her head slightly, looking genuinely lost.
Sakiko was baffled too. Had she not made herself clear enough?
Sakiko did not want to spell it out too clearly, though.
If Makoto caught on to what she was thinking, she would get another round of physical lecturing.
Just as Sakiko was wondering whether to press further, Makoto spoke up.
"Wakaba-san, my arrival will not rewrite the relationship between you and Sakiko."
"If anything, I hope my joining in can make things between you two smoother."
Sakiko gave him a curious look, and Mutsumi on the screen stared at him in surprise too.
Both of them seemed to be waiting for what he would say next.
And what he said next did shock them.
"There may be things I can't do, but I can promise you one thing."
"From now on, Wakaba-san, you will never have to do what you hate under other people's eyes."
"And Sakiko already understands that you said what you did to share the pressure of the band's breakup."
"She knows you were only trying your best to stay by her side."
"She's just too shy to say it out loud... Mm!"
Makoto wanted to say something more, but her palm was already pressed hard over his mouth.
He thought she was angry, but she was watching Mutsumi on the screen with worry.
Mutsumi did not move at all, seemingly unmoved by his words.
But Sakiko knew very well that Mutsumi had gone stiff, her gaze frozen in place.
On the surface she showed no reaction, but inside her feelings must have been churning.
Sakiko could not even imagine it.
Would a psychological blow like that make Mutsumi shatter like porcelain?
Yet to Sakiko's surprise, after a long silence, Mutsumi's lips curved into a faint smile.
As it turned out, Makoto was the first person who had seen through her and understood her.
Though that understanding was so blunt and sharp that it nearly left her breathless.
She did not take his guarantee to heart.
But he had helped Sakiko understand the thoughts she could never voice.
That alone was enough to make her happy.
"Mutsumi, are you all right?" Seeing that, Sakiko asked carefully.
Mutsumi answered in a soft voice.
"I'm fine, Sakiko. And thank you for the explanation, Kitano-san."
"That matter is already in the past. There's no need to bring it up again."
"Sakiko, have you really moved on? It seems that's thanks to Kitano-san."
Only now did Sakiko realize that Makoto had easily smoothed over the rift between her and Mutsumi.
He had also pointed out something she had never noticed before.
For a moment she felt mortified.
She had been the one who wanted to ask Makoto to look after Mutsumi.
Yet before she could even bring it up, he had already mended the relationship between them.
Did that not make it look like she knew nothing at all about her own closest friend?
Fortunately Sakiko was no longer the Black Sakiko who bottled everything up until she hit a dead end.
She changed her expression easily.
"Yes. That whole thing happened because I failed to explain the truth clearly."
"After this trip, I will apologize to everyone who was in the band back then, one by one."
Once she said it, she added a silent condition in her heart.
'If I'm still alive.'
Still, the apology to Mutsumi could be said right now.
Sakiko paused for a few seconds before speaking.
"I'm sorry, Mutsumi-chan. I shouldn't have pushed you to perform under the lights with me."
"You only love playing the guitar. You never wanted to stand in the spotlight."
"I should have realized that long ago."
"From now on, Makoto-kun and I will do what he said and protect the environment you live in."
"So you can enjoy the freedom of playing your guitar in peace."
When she finished, the corners of Sakiko's eyes had gone slightly wet.
On the screen, Mutsumi's pupils dilated for the first time.
It was as if the creed she had lived by, putting Sakiko first, had finally been answered.
Two streams of tears ran from the corners of her eyes.
She wiped them away in a hurry before speaking.
"Sakiko, you didn't do anything wrong. I love playing, and I love playing together with you even more."
"Kitano-san can join in too."
Hearing his own name come up, Makoto waved at the pretty girl on the phone.
Mutsumi showed a faint smile that even Sakiko found stunning.
That smile was clearly meant for Makoto.
Feeling a sudden and inexplicable sense of crisis, Sakiko pushed Makoto away.
She threw out an "I'm going to take a shower" and fled with her phone.
Makoto had no intention of chasing after her.
Sakiko and Mutsumi really did need to have a good talk in private.
Once that knot in her heart was fully untied, her feelings would surely be steadier.
Which would matter when she faced the dangers ahead.
After all, if she could not control her emotions, those eyes of hers would run wild.
A full hour later, Sakiko finally came out in her pajamas.
But the careful way she walked and the glances she kept sneaking at Makoto gave her away.
She had clearly realized that going to shower first was not a good idea.
Makoto's gaze swept over her whole body without any pretense of politeness.
Her hair was still damp, her cheeks warmed pink by the hot water.
Pale toes peeked out below her pajamas, and all of it radiated young-girl hormones.
Under his stare, Sakiko's toes felt hot, and she quickly hid her red face behind her phone.
She lowered her voice. "You can go shower now. Let's turn in early today."
"We still have a mission to run tomorrow."
"Mm."
Makoto nodded and stood up, passing by her side.
Sakiko kept her back ramrod straight, goosebumps rising on her skin.
In her mind, he would definitely take the chance to slip a hand under her pajamas.
And do something unspeakable.
But Makoto did not do that.
He walked straight into the bathroom and shut the door, even locking it from the inside.
That lit a nameless fire in Sakiko's heart.
She quickly opened her phone and messaged Mutsumi, who was already lying in bed.
"Mutsumi-chan, is my figure not good enough?"
…