Mikoto could swear this was the most painful and most wonderful winter vacation she had ever experienced. The two extreme feelings almost drove her crazy. Every night she would be on edge, afraid that her nosebleed would be discovered, and then Yowane would mistakenly think she was a girl with an abnormal orientation, which greatly distressed her.
But staying by Yowane's side, she felt like every day was heaven, with a strange feeling lingering in her heart.
"I'm not gay!"
Walking back to her dormitory, Mikoto, feeling that this couldn't go on, suddenly shouted at the sky, her face flushed.
"Mommy~! That Big Sister is so strange."
"Don't look at her, she might abduct you."
"Sigh! Students these days!"
Hearing the conversations around her, Mikoto quickly walked away, before anyone could discover her identity. Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives saw her, tomorrow's headline would probably be something like, 'Shocking~! Tokiwadai Middle School's Third 'Railgun' Actually Declares Yuri on the Street! Who Captured the Heart of This Electric Princess?' or similar headlines, which would surely give her a headache for a long time.
"What… what's wrong with me?"
As soon as she thought of a certain person's figure, she looked up and saw that person's advertisement. The person's voice, appearance, and smile lingered in her mind, causing her both annoyance and confusion as to whether she was broken.
"Forget it, don't think about these things. There are still two days until school starts, calm down."
"I also need to leave a good impression on my juniors."
Thinking this, Mikoto started running towards the school. Actually, she didn't need to rush back so quickly, as there was nothing major. But exercise helps suppress distracting thoughts and prevents her from overthinking. Physical activity diverts mental energy, so she wouldn't think too much. Otherwise, thinking while running could lead to bumping into people, for example:
"Bang~! Ah~! X2"
Just emerging from her dazed running state, Mikoto touched the large bump on her head, electricity sparking on her forehead as she gritted her teeth, looking at the culprit who had caused her to fall.
"Misfortune~!"
"Mami-san, all the protein is gone today."
"In a rush to leave this morning, I accidentally stepped on and broke my bank card. Then I was chased and bitten by a dog when I went out, and then the security robots mistook me for a criminal. Mami-san, today is still as unlucky as ever!"
Mikoto, who had originally intended to confront the other party, was instantly speechless. The sadness in the words made her realize that what the other party said might all be things she had truly experienced. At that moment, hearing so many unfortunate things befall one person, anyone would probably be speechless.
Finally, Mikoto, who decided not to bother with the other party, was about to leave quickly, but unexpectedly a group of flashing alarm robots rushed over.
"Could it be? Run!"
Seeing Mami still squatting on the ground, lamenting her life, Mikoto pulled her up and dragged her by the right hand, frantically fleeing.
"Ha Ha Ha~!"
After running for several blocks, Mikoto and Mami finally shook off the security robots.
"By the way, why am I running with you?"
Suddenly realizing she wasn't the one being pursued, Mikoto found it hard to accept her declining intelligence. Could it be?! She subtly glanced at Mami, who was also exhausted, suspecting that this person not only brought bad luck to others but also lowered their IQ.
Thinking this, Mikoto took two steps to the side.
"Why are you looking at Mami-san with such a 'plague god' expression? That really hurts Mami-san's feelings."
As if sensing something, Mami, dressed in a grey-blue mid-length skirt, looked at Mikoto with a hurt expression.
Even though she muttered apologies, Mikoto still took half a step back, as if she didn't want to get close to Mami at all.
"Forget it, I'm used to it anyway."
The more optimistic Mami eventually forgave Mikoto's rudeness. After all, she had been treated as a 'plague god' since childhood and was long accustomed to it. The sadness and helplessness within her were probably understood by no one.
"I'm truly sorry."
Clearly seeing the dimness that flickered in Mami's bright eyes, Mikoto apologized sincerely to Mami this time. She hadn't expected such a situation to exist; as a person from the scientific side, she couldn't believe in baseless ghostly mischief. If she told anyone, a certain unpleasant fellow would probably laugh their head off (Shokuhou: Achoo~!).
"It's nothing, just a small matter."
"You ran with me and you're tired. I'll treat you to juice."
Saying this, Mami painfully took out a thousand-yen bill from her wallet, the money Yowane had given her. Now, almost half of it was spent. Sometimes, she truly couldn't believe that this money could stay in her hands for so long without being stolen, lost, accidentally dropped in water, or burned by fire.
"Eh~!? This is…"
But today seemed a bit unlucky. Walking up to a red vending machine, she inserted a thousand yen, but unexpectedly...
"It swallowed it~!!!"
Looking at the vending machine that neither dispensed a drink nor returned her money, Mami sadly patted its metal body, but it couldn't change the fact that her money was swallowed.
"Oh! So it's this machine. No wonder your money got swallowed."
Hearing Mami's wail, Mikoto slowly walked to the vending machine. Looking at the familiar scene, wasn't this the damned vending machine that had swallowed her ten thousand yen? What a coincidence. She just happened to know how to fix this kind of machine.
"Move aside, I'm going to unleash my ultimate move."
Pushing aside the still-sad Mami, Mikoto stood in front of the vending machine and began to hop with small steps. Mami suddenly felt that this scene looked a bit familiar.
"Hey~! 'Forty-five-degree Oblique Angle Attack Mechanical Repair Method'!"
Leaping up in the same way, turning one hundred eighty degrees, she kicked the vending machine fiercely. Underneath the skirt, which was lifted by the large movement, was…
"Safety shorts! That's a terrible taste."
Recalling Yowane's black lace, and then seeing the safety shorts in front of her, Mami felt a little disappointed.
"Tch, you're such a…"
Looking at this person like a hentai, Mikoto unhappily threw the drink in her hand at Mami.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, please forgive poor Mami-san!"
Mami shamelessly apologized to 'Tsundere Railgun'. She really didn't want to be smashed to death by this dangerous individual.
"It's getting late. Goodbye!"
Throwing the can accurately into the trash can, Mikoto said to Mami, who was covering the bump on her face from being hit.
"Oh right! I still have homework to finish. This isn't the time to play."
Suddenly remembering her untouched homework, Mami's face turned green. She quickly got up from the park bench and began to run towards the dorm. She absolutely didn't want to be kept by Komoe-sensei for some 'punishment game'.
"What a strange person. I can't feel any magnetism from her at all."
Mikoto whispered this as she watched Mami's retreating figure. The reason she was bumped into was that she hadn't sensed the biological magnetic field emanating from the other person. So, when she was running, she hadn't avoided the other person. When she ran, she would emit a radar-like magnetic wave, and use the information from the magnetic response to avoid obstacles. She hadn't expected that the magnetic wave would disappear the moment it hit the other person.
"Forget it, I should go back first! Maybe we'll meet again."
Thinking this, Mikoto began to walk towards the school as planned.
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