Arigato~ Rod-san~

"Wait! Onee-sama!?" Seeing Misaka Mikoto on the verge of going berserk, Shirai Kuroko teleported behind her and wrapped her arms around her in one swift motion.

"Mmh~" Shirai Kuroko, numbed by the electricity coursing over Misaka Mikoto's body, let out a strange sound as her pretty face flushed red.

Hearing Shirai Kuroko's strange noise finally snapped Misaka Mikoto back to her senses. Realizing how foolish she had been, she hurriedly withdrew the current and pulled the clinging Shirai Kuroko around in front of her.

"What happened? And how did you get hurt this badly? Are you okay, Kuroko!?" Misaka Mikoto looked at Shirai Kuroko with deep concern.

"Uuu~ It hurts so much, onee-sama~" Shirai Kuroko immediately took advantage of the opening, wrapping her arms around Misaka Mikoto's waist and rubbing her blushing face against a certain flat surface. Drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, leaving Suzushina Yuriko and Uiharu Kazari sweating awkwardly at the sight.

"You little!?" Electricity flickered at Misaka Mikoto's temple, but she could not lash out. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, making Shirai Kuroko enjoy herself all the more.

Seeing this, Misaka Mikoto irritably raised a fist and gave her a good knock on the head!

"Ow!?" Shirai Kuroko clutched her head and looked at Misaka Mikoto with a pitiful expression, but Misaka Mikoto ignored her. Instead, she pointed at Suzushina Yuriko and shouted, "Let go of my friend! You want another fight!?"

Another fight? Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari were both startled. It seemed the two of them had some history.

"Wait, Misaka-san, Saten-san's unconsciousness has nothing to do with Suzushina-senpai!" Uiharu Kazari hurriedly stepped between them to mediate.

"What do you mean?" Even after hearing that, the hostility in Misaka Mikoto's gaze toward Suzushina Yuriko did not lessen in the slightest.

"Tch, boring. You're done recording everything, right? I can leave now, right?" Suzushina Yuriko shoved Saten Ruiko toward Uiharu Kazari, clicked her tongue in displeasure, and ignored Misaka Mikoto's glare as she headed for the door.

Misaka Mikoto instinctively became wary at the sight, yet she did not activate her ability. The space was too cramped, and using it could easily hurt the others by mistake. Not to mention that Accelerator possessed Vector Manipulation—if she launched an attack, Kuroko and the others would be the only ones injured.

Just as the two girls passed each other, Suzushina Yuriko calmly asked, "You know how to contact that guy, don't you?"

"Hmph. Do you really think I'd tell you?" Misaka Mikoto naturally knew who Suzushina Yuriko meant. There was no way she would give Rod's contact information to her.

"Tch, uh...!!!" Suzushina Yuriko clicked her tongue and was no longer planning to pay Misaka Mikoto any mind. She turned toward the door, only for the figure that suddenly appeared there to give her quite the surprise—or perhaps a fright.

"Mr. Rod!" Uiharu Kazari cried out in surprise, drawing everyone's attention to Rod.

"It's quite lively in here." Rod casually swept his gaze over the room and chuckled. The moment he noticed Saten Ruiko had collapsed, he had rushed over without stopping. He truly had not expected to run into Accelerator wearing a JK uniform.

The white-haired girl before him actually had some curves to her chest—perhaps even more than Misaka Mikoto. Had she canceled out part of Vector Manipulation's effect on her own body?

Get into position. Stay sharp. The moon sure is bright... Do your best, do your best...

Suzushina Yuriko recalled that man's brutality from that night. His teasing words continuously surfaced in her mind, and her crimson eyes grew increasingly scarlet as her delicate face twisted into a ferocious grimace.

"Didn't we already fight for real once, 'Strongest'?" Rod said teasingly. A flash of crimson passed through his eyes, making the hairs all over Accelerator's body stand on end.

Her instincts told her that the person before her had become stronger! Stronger than when he had fought her before—so strong that she could not even hope to catch up. Was that the "invincibility" she sought!?

The victor had already been decided before the duel even began. (You could tell from his stance alone that he was absurdly strong!)

"Huff~ Hah~ Huff~ Hah~" Suzushina Yuriko took deep breaths, her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm her tangled thoughts. The person she hated enough to grit her teeth at was right in front of her, yet she did not even have the courage to throw a punch. How was she supposed to bridge this gap, one that felt like divine punishment?

Without saying a word, Suzushina Yuriko walked past Rod with her delicate body trembling. Just before she left, Rod's words reached her ears.

"If you want to keep getting stronger, adopt a loli. The next step is 'White Wings.'"

Accelerator gave Rod's back a long, deep look before turning and leaving. Whether she had truly taken his words to heart was anyone's guess.

"A loli? What the hell is that, you bastard old man? Are you into little girls?" Shirai Kuroko immediately put on the expression of a bratty little girl, just short of saying, "Trash, trash."

"A loli? As far as I'm concerned, you fall under that category too." Rod irritably placed a hand on Shirai Kuroko's head, turning her delicate twin tails into a bird's nest. Shirai Kuroko shook her head in dissatisfaction, her twin tails swaying along with it. (Twin tails boost attack speed.)

"Huh? Shirai-san's facial scar is gone." Uiharu Kazari, ever observant, was the first to notice something off and pointed it out.

"It really is!" Misaka Mikoto said in surprise as well.

"Hm? Ah!" Still confused, Shirai Kuroko suddenly recalled the first time she had met Rod, along with what he had said then.

At the same time, it overlapped with Rod's words now.

"'As long as you're still alive, I can treat you.'"

Shirai Kuroko, who had been about to continue teasing Rod, instead became bashful and thanked him reluctantly.

"Arigatou~ Rod-san~"

That distinctive voice sounded sweet enough to make someone eat three bowls of rice. If she acted cute, she would definitely be even more enticing!

"Alright, go play somewhere else. Uiharu, put Ruiko on the sofa." Rod thought to himself, but his hand shoved Shirai Kuroko away, making her stumble and nearly fall. She shot Rod a resentful glare.

Ruiko!? All three girls were startled. None of them understood when Saten-san and Mr. Rod had become close enough to call each other by name.

Though she was puzzled, Uiharu Kazari still followed Rod's instructions and helped Saten Ruiko onto the sofa, laying her flat.

"Put Ruiko's charm in her hand." Rod continued directing them. Though she did not understand why, Misaka Mikoto followed his instruction, taking the charm off Saten Ruiko's bag and placing it in her palm.

Cursed energy gathered in his palm as Rod slowly reached toward Saten Ruiko's forehead. Along with a strange ripple, Rod entered the depths of Saten Ruiko's soul—her inner world.