Who Did This!?

Misaka Mikoto, the original whose body had been used to create the Misaka Sisters, went to Tokiwadai Middle School, a private school for the children of the wealthy... Rich kids, right?

Honestly, Jiu Ming couldn't figure out how clones of her had come to exist. The Frog-faced Doctor had explained the requirements for cloning someone: first of all, you needed their DNF Diagram. But how could someone of her status have let that thing fall into the wrong hands so easily?

Never mind. He knew who she was now, so the rest would be much easier. He moved his arm, and the faint stiffness made Jiu Ming shake his head. The extra drain from manifesting in this world had increased a little, though only slightly. Still, it wasn't good for things to continue like this.

Jiu Ming himself felt incredibly uncomfortable!

It was like walking normally without getting tired, but then somehow feeling tired just because of an added drain... It was really irritating.

Then there was Accelerator, the White Hair. Compared to Misaka Mikoto's ranking, he was number one—the No. 1 among the seven Level 5s!

Well, it seemed that the person he'd fought back then had been an unconventional big boss. Academy City had a population of 2.3 million, and eighty percent of them were students. It truly lived up to its name. Out of all those people, only seven were at the pinnacle of the ability rankings, the Level 5s. That ratio...

It was settled. Once he found that girl named Misaka Mikoto, he'd go beat up that White Hair. He couldn't leave this world with regrets!

Tokiwadai Middle School.

In the Academy District of District 7, after learning that Jiu Ming had gotten lost, the Frog-faced Doctor had kindly given him a map. Naturally, it was just an ordinary public map, with only the "unimportant" places marked on it.

All right, he'd go take a look around today. Misaka 1 still needed some time to recover from her injuries, and the Frog-faced Doctor's hospital provided pretty good meals. But Jiu Ming had no money...

Well, there were plenty of ATMs in Academy City, weren't there?

In any case, the Frog-faced Doctor had sternly stopped Jiu Ming from doing anything that outrageous. It was just a meal, and the hospital could afford it. Besides, Jiu Ming didn't need to worry about paying; who'd ever heard of a ghost needing to eat?

"Come to think of it, might it be a little inconvenient for you to go out?" The Frog-faced Doctor pointed to the ground beside Jiu Ming. It was empty, with only his own shadow on it; there was nothing where Jiu Ming stood. "If you need one, I can get you a synthetic skin..."

"Stop! I don't want to do anything that involves getting inside an inflatable doll." Jiu Ming had heard this suggestion before and hurriedly cut off the Frog-faced Doctor's well-meaning offer. "Just give me a lab coat, and throw in a hat and glasses."

If Jiu Ming's transparency could be measured, he'd be about eighty percent transparent. Of course, that would drop sharply when he was weak. Right now, he was in top form, so a little disguise would be enough—as long as people didn't stare too hard.

"Suit yourself. But remember, don't lay a hand on any of those students."

"I know, I know. I'm not that messed up. Yeah, I'm lawful neutral..." Jiu Ming waved to the Frog-faced Doctor. "I'm off. Keep an eye on her for me."

Just as he stepped outside, Jiu Ming spotted a young student with hedgehog hair. The other guy was badly bruised, and for some reason, seeing him made Jiu Ming tug at the lab coat he'd borrowed from the Frog-faced Doctor. Damn! Why did he feel like he'd just run into his natural enemy?

"Great, Doctor, I..." The moment the Hedgehog Head Boy saw Jiu Ming, he got excited. Jiu Ming's outfit—a hat, glasses, and lab coat—was a little strange, but he was young too. Maybe this was a doctor who was into fashion and alternative styles?

"!? Stop! Get your hand off me!!"

The Hedgehog Head Boy's right hand was already raised and reaching for him. Jiu Ming's eye twitched violently. Perhaps because of his injuries, the boy was a beat slow to react even after hearing Jiu Ming's shout. Just as his hand was about to touch Jiu Ming—

The Hedgehog Head Boy felt the doctor in front of him move backward at an unbelievable speed... No, he was the one flying backward!

"Phew. Good thing only that hand felt dangerous." Jiu Ming lowered his raised foot and looked in relief at the Hedgehog Head Boy, who was now more than ten meters away. Jiu Ming had indeed kicked him away, but he'd used controlled force. The boy had slid back a fair distance without tumbling or feeling much pain.

"Huh... It doesn't hurt!?"

The Hedgehog Head Boy touched the spot on his stomach where he'd been kicked, looking confused. It felt like someone had just shoved him, yet he'd ended up so far away.

When he looked up, all he could see of Jiu Ming was his back. Seeming to notice the boy's gaze, Jiu Ming abruptly quickened his pace.

The information the Frog-faced Doctor had given him hadn't mentioned that Hedgehog Head Boy at all. But Jiu Ming had felt a threat from him far more intense than the one he felt from Accelerator!

A threat like he'd encountered his natural enemy...

When he saw the boy, Jiu Ming had, for one brief moment, wanted to chop off his right hand and be done with it.

Anyway, he hadn't taken long to find the Academy District, but... Ah, youth really was wonderful. Looking at the girls of all kinds walking back and forth, Jiu Ming mused contentedly. He was simply appreciating the scenery, with no ulterior motives at all.

But to the people nearby, his getup—covering even most of his face—made him look like a suspicious, creepy man with bad intentions...

In an instant, Jiu Ming felt more than ten pairs of eyes land on him. The corner of his mouth twitched. Come on, was that really necessary? He'd only looked at a few of the schoolgirls here. It wasn't like he had any weird thoughts... Hey! Why were you all taking out your phones?

Were you calling the police?

Even though Jiu Ming had spotted girls wearing the same uniforms as Misaka 1, he couldn't go up and ask them anything now. There were more and more people gathering to watch, especially after the girls who'd "noticed" something wrong with Jiu Ming started telling one another.

Were you really that bored? You saw a man show up around here and couldn't help yourselves, huh? Come to think of it, there hadn't been many men around when he got close.

Snap!

A crisp sound seemed to ring through the air, and Jiu Ming's head tilted slightly to the side as if something had struck him.

A psychic attack? Who was picking a fight!?

Jiu Ming narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and quickly scanned the area. The unknown attacker had hidden themselves well; he couldn't spot anyone suspicious at a glance.

He only saw a few girls in Tokiwadai uniforms whispering together and occasionally pointing at him. Hmm, one of them had long blond hair and a slender figure, but a very generous bust, so she caught Jiu Ming's eye.

Her figure was one thing... But wasn't she still in middle school? That figure made no sense... And she also had a pair of even more inexplicable starry eyes with cross-shaped pupils!

Never mind. The attack just now was probably some ability user deliberately testing him. But he was a ghost, and psychic power was extremely important to him. His own psychic power was outstanding in both quality and quantity, so ordinary psychic attacks couldn't affect him at all. Even against a powerful psychic assault, he had considerable resistance.

Jiu Ming couldn't use psychic power to attack from a distance, but if someone targeted him with a psychic attack and he noticed in advance, they'd better be careful. Just because he couldn't project his psychic power didn't mean he couldn't retaliate. They could easily overdo it and get hit by their own attack.

Jiu Ming's mouth twitched. He turned and left. He'd come back tonight.

"Someone reported that you've been loitering here for a long time with suspicious intentions. Come with us so we can take down your details." As Jiu Ming turned, he saw a group of people in some kind of military-style uniform. Their leader was a mature, beautiful woman with long, dark hair tied back. She was staring at Jiu Ming sternly.

"...Hey! I've been standing here for less than five minutes!" Jiu Ming adjusted his hat, his voice full of exasperation. What did they mean, he'd been loitering too long? Suspicious intentions...? Well, he did have those, but they were clearly for the sake of doing good!

"Enough excuses. Your outfit looks suspicious, so come with us. If it's a misunderstanding, we'll treat you to some tea."

The mature woman stepped forward. Since they'd received a report, they had to look into the matter. Now that she'd seen Jiu Ming dressed like this, she had even more reason to do so. Besides, Academy City had issued a Level Yellow alert not long ago, though it had been lifted soon afterward.

In any case, they'd run into someone pretty suspicious. They should take him in first. Even if it turned out to be a misunderstanding, they could just treat him to tea at their place!

"Well, I guess I have no choice." In a tone full of helplessness, Jiu Ming took two steps forward. "For the sake of my good name and freedom..."

Hearing Jiu Ming give in, the mature woman nodded slightly. "Don't worry. If it's really a misunderstanding, then we'll—"

"Bye-bye!"

"What?"

Jiu Ming's sudden interruption left her momentarily stunned.

"Didn't catch that?" Jiu Ming raised his voice a little. "I said, bye-bye!"

"Grab him!!"

The mature woman's reaction was quick. As soon as she recovered from her surprise, she shouted. By then, Jiu Ming had already turned and bolted, kicking up a cloud of dust. The mature woman and her teammates immediately climbed into the police patrol car behind them and started alerting the others.

"Damn it all..." Why was this so troublesome!?

Heaven and earth could bear witness: he'd really only stood there for five minutes... No, maybe not even five. Why had someone reported him? It was definitely a malicious report. And most importantly, why had those "cops" reacted so quickly...!?