Urban Legends

"Then all of a sudden, with a whoosh!?"

"A whoosh?"

"She took off her shirt."

"..." Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko, and Uiharu Kazari all fell silent, unsure how to respond.

"Hey! That's not scary at all!" Misaka Mikoto slammed her hand on the table and stood up, pulling back the black cloth that had been specially draped over it to set the mood as she loudly complained.

Her outburst drew the attention of everyone in the shop. Shirai Kuroko hurriedly pulled Misaka Mikoto back down into her seat and glanced around apologetically.

"Onee-sama, please keep it down. Don't disturb the others."

"S-Sorry." Realizing she had done something wrong, Misaka Mikoto's pretty face flushed as she apologized softly.

"Huh? You wouldn't find it scary if you ran into someone who suddenly took off their clothes in real life?" Saten Ruiko countered.

"No, no, no. That's just a pervert. You'd have to call the Anti-Skill officers." Misaka Mikoto waved her hands repeatedly, replying speechlessly.

"This is the urban legend known as the [Stripper Woman]."

"What kind of interesting urban legend is that?" Misaka Mikoto looked utterly uninterested.

"Then, then, how about this one?" Hearing that, Uiharu Kazari took out her laptop and placed it on the table, gesturing for everyone to look at the screen.

"When wind turbines spin in reverse, strange phenomena occur throughout the city."

"At 4:04 p.m., don't wander around the school districts, or you'll enter the illusionary Imaginary Number District."

"'Level Upper level up,' which raises one's ability level as soon as it is used."

"Ah, stop looking at these boring websites." Shirai Kuroko sighed helplessly and tried to persuade them. In her opinion, the content on those sites was far too nonsensical to be real.

"Shirai-san really isn't romantic at all~" Saten Ruiko puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"Yes, yes, yes~ I'm not very romantic~" Shirai Kuroko replied dismissively, clearly unwilling to argue with Saten Ruiko any further over the subject.

"Actually, some urban legends even have video evidence. This can also prove that Academy City's urban legends are real." Uiharu Kazari pulled up a video and gestured for everyone to watch.

The four girls huddled together, staring unblinkingly at the screen.

The video began in darkness. Then came the screams of several people. As the phone shook and was finally steadied, an image of a black shadow forming in midair appeared.

A human-faced monstrous bird as large as a small mountain suddenly emerged from the shadow and sped into the distance. The entire video was only half a minute long, yet it sparked a frantic discussion among them.

"A monstrous bird appearing in the city at night. Rumor has it that it destroyed District 7's landmark building, the 'Windowless Building.'" Uiharu Kazari read the video's title aloud.

"Th-That's the mount that old man summoned, isn't it?" Misaka Mikoto had been fortunate enough to ride Nue before. But when she thought of that experience, while there had been the thrill of being so high in the sky, what she remembered more clearly was how wet it had felt down there—and when the wind blew...

Thinking of that, Misaka Mikoto's pretty face visibly reddened, and steam even began to rise from it.

"What, what? Misaka-san, are you saying that monster bird is Mr. Rod's mount!?" Saten Ruiko leaned close to Misaka Mikoto's face, staring into her eyes expectantly.

"Huh? Um... y-yes. It really is old man's mount. I even rode it back then." Misaka Mikoto answered hesitantly.

At those words, Shirai Kuroko beside them turned black and white, wearing an utterly lifeless expression that made a bead of cold sweat slide down Uiharu Kazari's temple.

"What was it like!? Flying freely through the sky—I want to do that too!" Saten Ruiko looked longing. She was extremely interested in riding that monstrous bird through the night sky.

"W-What was it like?! My butt just felt kind of chilly..." Misaka Mikoto froze at the question and inexplicably answered in a low voice.

"...Huh?" The other three girls all froze. After a brief silence, something white resembling a soul drifted out of Shirai Kuroko's mouth, throwing the others into a panic.

"Q-Quick, stuff it back in!?" Saten Ruiko cried frantically.

"Shirai-san! Don't!" Uiharu Kazari wailed.

"Kuroko! What's wrong with you!?" Forgetting what she had just said, Misaka Mikoto began shaking Shirai Kuroko.

"Customers, please quiet down!?" The female clerk could no longer stand it. If these girls kept making such a scene, she would have no choice but to ask them to leave.

"Sorry..." The group of four, having been scolded, shrank like quails and did not dare to argue.

Seeing that, the four of them stopped lingering in the shop, packed up their things, and left together.

"It's all Kuroko's fault. What was that all of a sudden?" Seeing Kuroko return to normal, Misaka Mikoto could not help complaining.

"..." Shirai Kuroko did not argue. Instead, she placed Rod on her "must-kill list."

That guy is definitely the biggest obstacle to winning Onee-sama's heart. But Kuroko will not admit defeat. This is a trial of love!?

For some reason, Kuroko had suddenly become fired up, leaving the other three sweating awkwardly.

"Ah, right, there's also a recently updated urban legend—the man who defeated Accelerator. They say the completely destroyed District 17 was where they fought."

"Huh!? Really? I thought someone was testing a nuclear bomb over there. That night, the explosion woke me up, and I thought I saw two suns. Then I figured I was still dreaming and went back to sleep." Saten Ruiko recalled while stroking her chin.

"Haha~ That really is just like Saten-san~" Uiharu Kazari said with an awkward smile. She truly had not expected Saten to be able to sleep through such a huge disturbance.

"Huh? How could that be? Don't tell me the Number Two and Number One fought?" Shirai Kuroko remained skeptical. She did not believe anyone could defeat Academy City's Number One. After all, he ranked above even her Onee-sama—how could he be defeated so easily?

"No, it's true." Misaka Mikoto shook her head, denying Shirai Kuroko's words.

"Onee-sama?" Shirai Kuroko tilted her little head, looking at Misaka Mikoto in confusion.

"It was old man!" Misaka Mikoto said seriously.

"Huh?" The other three froze, not understanding at first. Only after a while did they react.

"It was Mr. Rod!?" Saten Ruiko exclaimed excitedly, her delicate body trembling in disbelief. The man who had been chatting and laughing with her just a few days ago was actually that terrifyingly powerful.

"How could it be that old man!? Uh..." Shirai Kuroko initially refuted it, but then she recalled the incredible sight of Rod using the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal himself when they had first met. She could not help but believe it somewhat. It was not impossible for him to defeat Accelerator. With such terrifying regenerative power, what enemy would not find him troublesome?

If Shirai Kuroko had known that Rod had suppressed Accelerator throughout the entire fight and had not used the Reverse Cursed Technique at all, she would probably have been scared to death.

"So Mr. Rod is really that amazing? He seemed very approachable to me." Uiharu Kazari covered her little mouth and sighed. In her eyes, Rod was a respectable elder—very generous, often treating her to snacks, and an all-around good person.