Void Explosion

"So this is why I didn't want to go shopping... especially with a Misaka Sister!" Luo Yifang was practically falling apart. The physical exertion was nothing worth mentioning, but the mental torment was simply unbearable. Could anyone imagine what it felt like to shop with a Misaka Sister? In the thirty minutes since they had entered the mall, Misaka 9982 had dragged him from one end to the other. They had not bought a single piece of clothing, yet Luo Yifang felt like he was about to collapse.

"Is Mister Yifang tired? It would be acceptable to rest for a while. do, Misaka 9982 puts on a concerned expression, while secretly hoping this will make Mister Yifang grow irritated and send Misaka 9982 back to the laboratory."

"I..." Luo Yifang opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. You definitely connected to the Misaka Network in secret yesterday, didn't you? Which Misaka Sister came up with this terrible idea?! If I find out, I'll drag her out and give her a thorough lesson. But Luo Yifang truly had no way to deal with Misaka 9982 right now. He could not send her back, and to keep the Misaka Network from coming up with an even worse idea, he might as well finish this shopping trip first and shut them up.

Seeing that Luo Yifang intended to stubbornly endure it, Misaka 9982 felt somewhat troubled as well. She was about to connect to the Misaka Network again to ask what she should do next. But before she could make any move, Luo Yifang suddenly placed a hand on her head. The light around Misaka 9982 warped under an invisible force. She looked up at Luo Yifang. Though her face remained expressionless, Luo Yifang understood that she was showing her confusion.

"Shh. Don't say anything yet. We've run into trouble." Luo Yifang had a splitting headache. Why had he agreed to come here? Was he really getting the protagonist treatment for once? That person in the pajama store ahead—wasn't that Misaka Mikoto herself? Watching that girl hesitate for ages while holding an unbelievably childish set of pajamas, no one could possibly mistake her for an impostor.

But what now? Should he leave openly, or sneak away? Luo Yifang's eyes shifted as he decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Just as he was about to make his escape, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder. Luo Yifang jumped. Who the hell was that? Who dared to pat me? If I hadn't altered the reflection formula so that not every incoming vector triggered reflection, that hand would probably be gone!

"Senior Yifang, what a coincidence! You're here too!" Ruizi's clear voice not only made Luo Yifang inwardly curse his luck, but also drew the attention of Misaka Mikoto, who was still hesitating some distance away.

"Luo Yifang?" Misaka Mikoto put down the pajamas in her hand and craned her neck toward the voice. Sure enough, that familiar white-haired bastard was awkwardly waving at her with a dry laugh. An inexplicable fire immediately rose in Misaka Mikoto's heart. She clenched both fists, and the crisp crack of her joints made Luo Yifang's heart sink.

"Ah... hahaha... What a coincidence, Misaka!" Luo Yifang looked around, trying to find an escape route. Before he could even spot the emergency exit, Misaka Mikoto had grabbed his sleeve.

A faint sheen of cold sweat appeared on Luo Yifang's forehead. Looking at the menacing girl before him, he said in a low voice, "Hey, hey, we're in public. This isn't good, is it?"

Only then did Misaka Mikoto realize something was wrong. Combined with the strange looks Hatsuharu and Ruizi were giving her, her face reddened. She hurriedly released him and tried to change the subject. "Why are you here?"

Ruizi wrinkled her delicate nose. She smelled the scent of gossip in the air... Right, Senior Misaka always acted strangely whenever she met Senior Yifang. Could it be that they had that kind of relationship?

"Me? I came to buy clothes." Luo Yifang thought for a moment before answering.

"Who are you trying to fool? Isn't this whole floor women's clothing?" Electricity began crackling around Misaka Mikoto again.

"But I really did come to buy clothes." Luo Yifang did not know whether to laugh or cry. What was this supposed to be? And Paqi, why weren't you saying anything? You set me up on purpose, didn't you?!

Just as Misaka Mikoto was about to say something else, a shrill phone ringtone interrupted her. Hatsuharu hurriedly pulled her phone from her bag. "Hello? Ah, Shirai-san, what is it?"

"Hatsuharu! There's been a new development in the Void Explosion case! Academy City's surveillance satellites have detected intense graviton activity again!" Kuroko's tone was extremely urgent. "Hurry back at once!"

"Huh? What?! Please tell me the location!"

"This time, the criminal's target is the dress shop in District 7, seventh mist!"

"What!" Hatsuharu said in shock, but she immediately made her decision. "Shirai-san, I'm already here. I'll begin evacuating the people first!" With that, Hatsuharu hung up and sprang into action.

"Hello? Hello! Damn it, that guy's target is you, Hatsuharu!" Kuroko hurriedly put on her armband and vanished from the office in the blink of an eye, using her ability at full power as she raced toward seventh mist in District 7.

After hanging up, Hatsuharu turned back to Misaka Mikoto and the others. "Sorry, please listen calmly! The Void Explosion incident has happened again, and this dress shop we're currently in is the criminal's target! Senior Misaka, please help me evacuate the customers. Ruizi, go take shelter first! And Senior Yifang... uh, where is Senior Yifang?"

Where was Luo Yifang now? While Hatsuharu had been on the phone, he had slipped out of the dress shop with Misaka 9982. Once outside, he told her, "Wait for me here. Don't run around. I'll be right back!"

With that, Luo Yifang immediately rushed back into the store and began searching for the place where the gravitons were accelerating most intensely. However, with too many customers being evacuated, he feared causing panic by moving against the crowd. He simply traveled along the outer wall to reach the floor where Misaka Mikoto, Hatsuharu, and the others had been. The vector changes just now indicated that the bomb was nearly at its critical point. In other words, it was very likely already beside Hatsuharu!

Sure enough, as soon as Luo Yifang rounded a corner, he saw a little girl carrying a frog plushie as she walked toward Hatsuharu. On the other side was Misaka Mikoto, hurrying over. Misaka Mikoto had also received Kuroko's call and understood that the criminal's first target was Hatsuharu, a member of the Disciplinary Committee. Though she had already evacuated outside, she immediately returned to the dress shop building.

Good thing we made it! Luo Yifang and Misaka Mikoto both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Seeing the grenade the little girl had handed her begin to collapse, Hatsuharu suddenly snatched the plushie away and threw it with all her strength. Then she tightly embraced the little girl, shielding her with her own body.

At that moment, Misaka Mikoto moved as well. She flashed in front of Hatsuharu, pulled out a coin, and prepared to use the Railgun to destroy the plushie. But she had never expected that, due to her nervousness and the running just now, her palm was covered in sweat. The coin slipped from her fingertips.

Damn it! But the bomb would no longer give her another chance to use the Railgun. She could only watch helplessly as the plushie collapsed into a single point.

At that critical moment between life and death, a figure that made Misaka Mikoto's heart stir uneasily stepped in front of them.

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