The Judgment office.
A middle school girl named Mikoto Misaka, one of the seven Espers and respectfully known among the students as Tokiwadai's Electric Princess, sat across the desk with a serious expression.
Her finely featured face was filled with earnest solemnity.
As an Esper with a bright future who had risen to fame at a young age, such composure easily gave people a first impression of someone serious.
But only those who knew her understood that this was proof Mikoto Misaka's mind had wandered.
Although she was an exemplary student through and through, Mikoto Misaka was quite easygoing in everyday interactions, rather than fitting the traditional image of a refined young lady.
Classmates, younger students, admirers from other schools-she did not treat them differently because of their status.
But precisely because of that, anyone who failed to show qualities that earned her recognition could never move beyond that relationship and become her friend in the true sense.
So, despite her popularity, this personality meant she had never established a faction or power base of her own. She always acted independently, and she did not have particularly many genuine friends, let alone a lover...
In the past, Mikoto Misaka had seen nothing wrong with that attitude and had even rather enjoyed it.
Not being arrogant by nature did not mean she lacked pride in her achievements and experiences. She had certain expectations of the friends she acknowledged, too.
But since she was not good at being honest about her feelings, she might as well build friendships this way-few in number, but steadfast enough.
However, people's ways of thinking always changed and grew with their experiences.
Although Mikoto Misaka still had no intention of changing her approach, after suffering defeat and then being saved, her heart had inevitably changed a little