Ordinary Yet Dazzling

"Are you trying to murder someone?" Shirai Kuroko glared at Rod and shouted.

"No, no, no. How could I be? It wouldn't take this much effort to kill you." Rod shrugged nonchalantly, uttering those terrifying words with a light chuckle.

"You bastard!?" Shirai Kuroko, unable to contain her anger, was about to rush at Rod and tear into him when the quick-eyed Uiharu Kazari stopped her.

"Calm down, Shirai-san. We need to deal with those criminals."

"Hmph..." Glancing at the wreckage around them, Shirai Kuroko could only suppress her indignation and prioritize her duties as a member of Judgment.

Half an hour passed.

The Anti-Skill officers who had come to clean up arrived and escorted the three robbers into a vehicle.

At the same time, Rod noticed three familiar figures.

Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari's senior, Konori Mii of Branch 177, was a member of Judgment. She possessed the Level 3 clairvoyance ability—an esper power said to be "every man's dream." She had black hair and black eyes, a well-proportioned figure, and a busty body that looked especially slender beneath her clothes.

The other two were members of Anti-Skill. Yomikawa Aiho was a beautiful woman with an enormous bust, her long black hair tied behind her head, radiating the sensual charm of a mature adult. She was the PE teacher at Kamijo Toma's school and also an exceptionally dedicated Anti-Skill officer who worked to protect Academy City. She had once been active in the dark side. With the principle of "never confronting students with weapons," she would nevertheless pick up a weapon without hesitation for the sake of students.

Tessou Tsuzuri was timid and cowardly, often seeming at a loss, but she possessed a strong sense of responsibility.

"P-please... move along quickly." Tessou Tsuzuri gestured toward the three robbers, her tone tinged with timidity.

Watching this, a bead of cold sweat slid down Rod's temple. Please?

The one Rod paid the most attention to was Yomikawa Aiho. She was the only ever-present character in the A Certain Magical Index series, appearing prominently in nearly every spin-off. The protagonists may change, but Yomikawa remained constant.

Later on, she would even become one of the two people Accelerator trusted most, the other being Yoshikawa Kikyou.

Sensing Rod's gaze, Yomikawa Aiho looked back at him. Rod casually waved at her, though inwardly he wondered whether he should hand Accelerator over to her early for some discipline. For Yomikawa Aiho to earn the trust of someone as twisted in personality as Accelerator was more than enough proof of her character.

Tilting her head in confusion and narrowing her eyes, Yomikawa Aiho could not recall where she had seen Rod before. Still, she instinctively nodded at him in reply.

Does this guy like them big? You dirty old man!? Misaka Mikoto looked at Yomikawa Aiho, who wore a green tracksuit and had a voluptuous figure that exuded the charm unique to mature women.

Misaka Mikoto subconsciously touched her own flat chest, then lowered her gaze and saw nothing but the ground. Dark energy seemed to radiate from her as she cast a resentful look at the back of Rod's head.

Rod, who had just finished greeting Yomikawa and turned back toward Misaka Mikoto, looked utterly baffled.

Is this girl sulking?

"Thank you so, so much!" The mother of the runaway little brat thanked Saten Ruiko profusely.

"No need... um..." Saten Ruiko waved her hands repeatedly, somewhat taken aback.

"I really don't know how to thank you enough. Come on, you need to thank her properly too." The mother prompted the boy to speak.

"Thank you, big sis. This is for you." The boy thanked Saten Ruiko with a grin, taking a Gekota doll from his pocket and offering it to her. Misaka Mikoto, standing nearby, caught sight of it, and her eyes lit up as she stared unblinkingly at the Gekota doll.

"Th-thank you." Noticing Misaka Mikoto's gaze, a bead of cold sweat slid down Saten Ruiko's temple. She accepted the boy's gift with a smile, said goodbye to him and his mother, then looked toward Misaka Mikoto, who was still staring fixedly at the doll in her hand.

Saten Ruiko gave an awkward smile.

"Um, if you don't mind, Misaka-san, you can have this."

"Of course I don't mind! Thank you, Saten-san! You truly are my best friend!" Misaka Mikoto grabbed Saten Ruiko's hand and shook it wildly.

"Honestly, Onee-sama, how could you be bought off by a single Gekota?" Shirai Kuroko suddenly appeared behind Misaka Mikoto, wrapping an arm around her neck and clinging to her back like a koala.

"Idiot, get off me already!" Misaka Mikoto shook the "koala" on her back in exasperation, trying to throw her off. Yet Shirai Kuroko only hugged her tighter, as though she wanted to meld into her entirely, her cheeks wearing the blissful smile of a lovestruck pervert.

"Nooo~" Shirai Kuroko whined sweetly, leaving Saten Ruiko and the newly arrived Uiharu Kazari covered in awkward sweat.

"Are you all right, Saten-san?" Pulling her gaze away from the eye-catching duo, Uiharu Kazari hurriedly asked with concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It was all thanks to Mr. Rod—I wasn't hurt at all. And thank you too, Mr. Rod. You really gave me a fright back then. I thought I was going to get kicked in the face. As a girl, you know, I care quite a lot about my face." Saten Ruiko explained energetically.

"It's good that you're all right. What were you thinking back then?" Rod asked with a light chuckle, waving a hand dismissively before turning to the question.

"?" Saten Ruiko looked at Rod in confusion.

"Why did you rush over there alone?" Rod asked more specifically.

"..." Silence fell as everyone looked at Saten Ruiko, waiting for her answer.

"I don't know. My body just rushed forward on its own. When I thought that child might get hurt, I just acted without thinking." Saten Ruiko scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Thinking Rod was criticizing her, she felt a little guilty instead.

"That was really cool." The corners of Rod's lips lifted slightly as he praised her.

"Eh? Eh!? Me?" Saten Ruiko pointed at herself in astonishment. In the next instant, her cheeks flushed red; she clearly had not expected Rod to respond that way.

"Yes, Saten-san was really cool. I'm practically going to start idolizing you." Uiharu Kazari chimed in, nodding her little head vigorously in wholehearted agreement with Rod.

"That's right, Saten-san. You did a great job." Misaka Mikoto finally pried Shirai Kuroko off herself, zapped the Kuroko who was about to pounce again until she went numb, and sat beside Saten Ruiko with a smile.

"I-it was nothing. Anyone else would have done the same thing, right?" Embarrassed by all the praise, Saten Ruiko replied.

By then, dusk had arrived. They said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions.

In this Academy City, you are ordinary as a Level 0. Yet when I look at you, I seem to see the ordinary person I once was. But I was never as cheerful as you. Day after day of work, the trivialities of life wore down all my edges. In my eyes, the bright and innocent smile you have maintained beneath all that pressure, inside and out, is far more precious and dazzling than the power and control brought by those so-called esper abilities. Before long, I will give you a trial. Overcome it, and you will gain a power that belongs to you alone.

Watching Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari walk away together, Rod thought with quiet satisfaction. That girl deserved the power she longed for.

As if sensing Rod's gaze, Saten Ruiko looked back and waved goodbye to him with an energetic smile. Rod smiled and waved back before turning and leaving.