Can't You Be Quiet?

"Um, this is the method you came up with, Onee-sama?" Shirai Kuroko asked, the corner of her mouth twitching as she looked utterly dead inside.

"Yeah, isn't this the simplest method?" Misaka Mikoto said with great seriousness, giving Shirai Kuroko a meaningful look at the same time.

"...O-Okay... I belong to Onee-sama to begin with. If Onee-sama wants to play this kind of play, then Kuroko... Kuroko wouldn't be unable to accept it! Ah~ Onee-sama~" A blush spread across Shirai Kuroko's pretty face as she squirmed, a glistening drop of saliva slipping from the corner of her mouth while she gazed at Misaka Mikoto with the eyes of a lovesick pervert.

"Hey! That's not what I meant!?" Misaka Mikoto was left somewhat at a loss by Shirai Kuroko's reaction. She noticed the gazes from everyone in the shop—and, more importantly, Rod's attention.

Gritting her teeth, stamping her foot, and steeling herself—

With a thud, Misaka Mikoto, red-faced, sat down across from Rod together with Kuroko, who now had a huge bump on her head.

"You're still out this late?" Rod asked casually. According to Tokiwadai's curfew, these two little girls were still wandering around outside. Weren't they afraid of their dorm supervisor?

"Don't worry. We filed a report for this operation," Misaka Mikoto answered dejectedly.

"What's with the long face?" Rod asked, taking the so-called "bitter melon snail lasagna" from the waiter.

"It's nothing. We were planning to gather information about Level Upper, but the first step of the plan already fell through. By the way, what is that thing you ordered, mister? It looks really strange." Misaka Mikoto explained first, only to be drawn to the bizarre lasagna in front of Rod and unable to resist commenting on it.

"Oh, it's called bitter melon snail lasagna. I haven't tried it yet either." Rod casually cut off a piece, put the bitter melon snail lasagna into his mouth, chewed it carefully, and swallowed.

"How is it?" Misaka Mikoto asked curiously, unable to read the slightest expression on Rod's face.

Rod responded by cutting off another piece, spearing it with his fork, and holding it out before Misaka Mikoto.

"Not bad. Want to try it?"

"Huh? No..." Misaka Mikoto was about to politely refuse when she suddenly realized that the fork had just been in Rod's mouth. If she ate from it now, wouldn't that mean...

An indirect kiss!?

At that thought, Misaka Mikoto's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, steam practically rising from her head like a steam engine.

"O-Okay." Misaka Mikoto fidgeted with her small hands beneath the table and swallowed, but nodded with forced composure.

Her delicate body trembled, her cheeks were flushed, and she unconsciously brushed the hair by her ear aside. The charm unique to a young girl was on full display, leaving even Rod slightly stunned.

However, at that moment, an ill-timed big mouth abruptly barged into the romantic scene and snatched the food from Rod's fork like a vicious dog tearing into prey.

The sight left Rod and Misaka Mikoto completely dumbfounded. Only Shirai Kuroko glared at Rod with obvious hostility as she chewed the bitter melon snail lasagna in her mouth and commented, "How is this good? It just tastes like bitter melon! Are you messing with Onee-sama!?"

"Kuroko!?" Misaka Mikoto's expression darkened frighteningly. She grabbed Shirai Kuroko's cheeks with both hands and kneaded them, stretching Kuroko's pretty face around like rubber.

"Onee-sama, this really doesn't taste good!?" Shirai Kuroko tried to defend herself.

"Who cares about that!?" Misaka Mikoto retorted irritably, her face bright red.

Watching the two girls fool around, Rod set down his fork with an amused smile. Then he silently pulled over an empty plate and spat the bitter melon snail lasagna out of his mouth.

Seeing that, Shirai Kuroko wore an expression that said, Wow! You're one to talk! She hurriedly pointed at Rod and said, "Look, look, Onee-sama! Didn't that bastard old man spit it out too!? I was protecting your taste buds!"

"Mister..." Misaka Mikoto looked at Rod with a resentful expression as well.

"Haha, I only ordered it out of curiosity and wanted to try it. Who would've thought it'd taste this bad?" Rod said with a shake of his head and a laugh. He had no idea how Kamijo Toma had chosen it—could it be because it was the cheapest dish?

"But you're looking for Level Upper, right?" Rod asked to confirm.

"Yeah, but who could've expected the very first step of the plan to..." Misaka Mikoto was still feeling down when she saw Rod slide a voice recorder in front of her.

"?" Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko both had question marks appear over their heads.

"Hey, hey, hey, you haven't even figured out what Level Upper really is?" Rod asked in astonishment.

The two girls' pretty faces reddened as they defended themselves.

"O-Of course we investigated it. It's precisely because we still don't know that we're investigating it."

"Forget it. There's an audio file in there that's the true form of Level Upper. I'll leave it to you." Rod waved his hand helplessly.

"So this is the true form of Level Upper. But why do you have something like this?" Shirai Kuroko accepted the Level Upper and then turned to Rod with a stern expression.

"Hey, hey, hey, little girl, are you burning the bridge after crossing it?" Rod asked with an amused smile.

"That's not what I meant..." Shirai Kuroko felt a little embarrassed at that. After all, the clue had come from Rod. How could she turn on him and deny all connection so quickly?

"Hey, hey, hey, mister? You're ruining our business like this. You're making things very difficult for us." A group of delinquents noticed what was happening here and, after listening to the whole exchange—

Rod's actions were no different from stealing their business.

Rod was unmoved. He took a sip of his tea, while faint electric currents appeared around Misaka Mikoto's body in front of him, and Shirai Kuroko's hand had already reached toward the hem of her skirt.

"I'm talking to you, did you hear me!?" A hot-tempered young man was the first to move, reaching to grab Rod by the collar.

Yet in the next second, the sound of shattering glass rang out. Everyone's vision blurred, and the figure had already vanished from the shop.

"Junta?" one of the delinquents muttered in confusion.

"Seriously, why are there always punks buzzing around me like flies? Can't you pieces of trash be quiet for once?" A scarlet gleam surfaced in Rod's eyes, and he was clearly not in a good mood.

For some reason, he always ran into delinquents looking to provoke him. Did he really have to let these idiots see some blood?

The faint aura Rod released made the delinquents' legs tremble. Their hairs stood on end, their pants grew wet, and it felt as though an abyssal beast had opened its jaws before them, ready to devour them completely without leaving even the slightest trace of life behind.