Before long, evening fell.
Inside a phone booth by the roadside, a girl in Tokiwadai Middle School's summer uniform operated a portable laptop. As though browsing the web, she murmured softly.
"Is this the next place?"
Her voice was heavy with exhaustion.
The cheerful personality Misaka Mikoto had once possessed seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a tone that made people's hearts ache.
With that tone, Misaka Mikoto operated the portable laptop and placed a marker on one corner of the map displayed on its screen.
The marked location clearly displayed the following words.
—"Mizuho Institute of Pathology Analysis Research."
"Click..."
With a soft sound, Misaka Mikoto closed the portable laptop in her hands.
Then, Misaka Mikoto stepped out of the phone booth.
The evening sunlight shone upon the girl, making her squint as she raised a hand to shield herself from it.
"So bright..."
If anyone heard Misaka Mikoto say that, they would surely find it strange.
After all, the setting sun in the evening was not particularly dazzling, so long as one did not look directly at it.
Yet now, even this degree of light irritated Misaka Mikoto's weary eyes.
And Misaka Mikoto merely had this thought.
"Looks like there's no time to go back to the dorm..."
After all, night was about to fall.
When that happened, Misaka Mikoto would be at her busiest.
"It's not like I don't have time to eat..."
But Misaka Mikoto truly had no appetite.
It was not that she did not feel hungry.
In fact, Misaka Mikoto had not eaten for several days.
Yet right now, Misaka Mikoto had absolutely no desire to eat.
"I have to... stop it..."
Using words too quiet to catch to reinforce her resolve, Misaka Mikoto prepared to find somewhere to rest