The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

"I'm telling you, you're just fantasizing about rich people..." Saten Ruiko said with a helpless expression, knowing her friend's character quite well.

"No...no, that's not true! By the way, it has nothing to do with my background in Nishi-Kasai. Oh, right, Saten-san and Inoue-san, why don't you come along too?"

Chapter Twenty: Perverts! They're all perverts!

Inoue Eika watched helplessly from the sidelines. He didn't object to Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari associating with Misaka Mikoto. Although they would get involved in various troubles, aside from her meddlesome nature, Misaka Mikoto was a really good friend. She was loyal and would do her best to help her friends in need, and she was also very strong.

Putting aside Saten Ruiko, Uiharu Kazari, as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, is already entangled in all sorts of troubles. As Uiharu Kazari's best friend, Saten Ruiko is naturally not immune to this either. Under these circumstances, knowing Misaka Mikoto without such a powerful friend is actually much safer.

Therefore, Inoue Hideka was very supportive of this meeting, and of course, even if he wanted to stop it, he probably couldn't.

"I don't want to go!" Saten Ruiko refused without hesitation. She had absolutely no interest in the young lady or level 5!

"It's okay~~ It's okay~~ This kind of opportunity is rare!" Saying this, she grabbed Saten Ruiko's hand and dragged her out despite Saten Ruiko's protests, saying as she ran, "Inoue-san, hurry up and catch up!"

Inoue Hideka originally didn't want to go because he and Misaka Mikoto hadn't settled their score yet.

However, he was more concerned about the robber who kicked Saten Ruiko in the face than the troublesome Misaka Mikoto.

Hmph! I'll repay you double for that kick!

As Inoue Hideka followed, she kept up with Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko.

Arriving at the agreed-upon location, a restaurant called Joseph's... Hmm... it's very similar in name to Joseph Dinning, the restaurant where Inoue Hideka previously worked. Inoue Hideka couldn't help but wonder, could it be a chain? (It's impossible to verify whether Joseph Dinning and Joseph' are the same restaurant; relevant information suggests both have appeared. Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Standing outside the restaurant, Inoue Hidekazu and his two companions were redefining their values ​​because:

"Big sister! Big sister values ​​Kuroko so much! Kuroko, Kuroko doesn't know what to do!" Shirai Kuroko was sitting on Misaka Mikoto's lap, her arms wrapped around Misaka Mikoto's neck, rubbing against her frantically. Through the glass window, Shirai Kuroko's perverted and crazy voice could be vaguely heard.

Inoue Hideka was speechless. Couldn't this pervert be a little more mindful of the occasion? Didn't she notice that everyone in the restaurant was staring at them?

Shiori Hatsuharu covered her mouth, looking surprised and embarrassed. She couldn't believe that her usually reliable colleague could have such an unusual and perverted side.

Saten Ruiko stared wide-eyed in astonishment, unable to believe that such a pervert really existed in reality.

In short, it can be summed up in two words: perverted, perverted, perverted!

The farce only ended when the restaurant staff politely asked the two to leave.

Standing under a tree by the street, Shirai Kuroko rubbed her forehead, still in pain from being hit by Misaka Mikoto. She finally calmed down and began, "So, let me introduce myself first..."

Before she could finish speaking, Misaka Mikoto, who had just recovered from her embarrassment and indignation, seemed to have finally noticed something. She jumped up in surprise and pointed at Inoue Eika, saying, "Why are you here?!"

Inoue Hideka wasn't surprised at all by Misaka Mikoto's reaction. She leaned gently against the large tree next to her and said calmly, "I'm here with a friend to meet the polite and well-mannered young lady of Tokiwadai. Hmm? Let me see where she is?"

"Huh?" Misaka Mikoto froze on the spot upon hearing this, feeling quite embarrassed. It seems like I was the one who came here.

"Tsk!" Misaka Mikoto felt extremely frustrated looking at Inoue Hideka's irritating appearance, but she couldn't show it in front of her junior who admired her, so she could only click her tongue in annoyance.

"Does your older sister know this pervert?" Shirai Kuroko's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint when she saw that Misaka Mikoto seemed to know Inoue Eika, who already looked disgusted with Inoue Eika.

"Pervert?" Misaka Miki asked in confusion.

Inoue Hideka was speechless when he heard Shirai Kuroko's words. He was called a pervert by a pervert again. What sins had he committed in his past lives?

"He's the kind of pervert who gets a nosebleed just from seeing a girl in pajamas!" Shirai Kuroko curled her lip, her expression already showing contempt.

"If you ask me, isn't it perverted of someone to wear such revealing pajamas in front of boys?" Inoue Hideka retorted angrily. "Right? Pervert! You actually want to dress like that in front of your older sister! No! You don't want to wear clothes in front of your older sister at all!"

"What did you say? Pervert! When did it become your place to interfere in my affairs with my sister?!" Although Shirai Kuroko was angry, she obviously did not deny it. Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari, who had been watching the three of them, seemed to understand something.

"You bastard! Do you know what you're saying?! Do you want to fight?" Upon hearing this, Misaka Mikoto lost control of her anger again, and lightning was already brewing within her.

"Well, everyone, please stop arguing! Let me introduce you first, Shirai-kun?" Seeing things getting out of hand, Uiharu Kazari quickly tried to smooth things over, but her voice was incredibly weak, probably because she was used to being bullied.

"Hmph!" The three of them snorted in perfect unison.

Inoue Hideka casually remarked that there was no need for introductions, then walked to the side and silently watched them. He knew everyone there anyway, so introductions were pointless.

After a lengthy introduction, Misaka Mikoto smacked Shirai Kuroko, who was trying to carry out her scheming plan, on the head, and then said helplessly, "There's nothing to do here, so let's go to the game center first."

Then he headed towards the direction of the arcade he was familiar with.

Inoue Hideka silently followed behind, listening to Shirai Kuroko's rambling attempts to raise Misaka Mikoto into the kind of young lady she envisioned, talking about things like illustration and the way of playing the koto.

Saten Ruiko lagged a step behind, walking parallel to Inoue Eika, and whispered, "Don't you think she doesn't act like a young lady at all?"

He casually took a flyer handed to him by the roadside, looked at the advertisement for the newly opened crepe shop, and said lazily, "Isn't it precisely because of people like this that they're easier to get along with? Of course, that's for girls. A rude guy like me would probably only get her to treat me with an electric shock, right? So, Saten, you'd better get along with her!"

"Ah~~ Oh!" they said, confused. It was normal for them not to know each other since it was their first time meeting, and of course they didn't understand what Inoue Eika meant. "What are you looking at?"

"They said the first 100 customers to arrive would receive a Scratch-Off mascot doll?" Uiharu Shiori, who was also looking at the promotional brochure, chimed in from Saten Ruiko.

"What's so special about this cheap stuff? Who buys this stuff these days?" Saten Ruiko's taunting skills were activated once again.

While talking, she didn't pay attention to what was in front of her and bumped into Misaka Mikoto, who had suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Onee-sama?" Shirai Kuroko asked, leaning closer. Seeing the brochure in Misaka Mikoto's hand, she immediately teased her, "Oh~~ Are you interested in the crepes? Or that freebie?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly like a frog? Think about it, it's a frog! An amphibian! How could any girl like something like that!"

Looking at Misaka Mikoto, who was gesticulating wildly and blushing as she explained, Inoue Hideka was truly exasperated with this girl. Had she forgotten that Gekota's mascot was tied to her handbag?

"There's nothing shameful about liking Gekota. Compared to that, it's really something else to like someone so much but pretend to be indifferent. Misaka-senpai, you're such a tsundere!"

Unable to suppress the urge to tease this tsundere girl from the anime world, Inoue Hideka said something reckless.

"Tsundere! Tsundere...!" Misaka Mikoto felt more embarrassed today than in the entire previous week combined. Her face was flushed red as she stood there, sparks flying from her brown hair, which seemed to be brewing a storm. "You, you definitely want to fight, don't you? Come on!"

"Although I hate to say it, I have to remind you that this Gekota gift is limited. Only the first 100 guests can get it! If you dawdle any longer, it might be gone!" Inoue Hideka had a calm and collected demeanor, as if she had grasped Misaka Mikoto's lifeline.

"Ah!" Upon hearing Inoue Eika's words, Misaka Mikoto was indeed flustered. Ignoring everything else, she let out a strange cry and ran towards the crepe shop.

Saten Ruiko watched Misaka Mikoto run away, a gentle smile on her face. As if talking to herself, or perhaps to everyone present, she murmured, "Misaka-senpai is really cute!"

When Inoue Eika saw Saten Ruiko's familiar yet dangerous smile, she sensed that this girl had awakened some dangerous attribute again, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Misaka Mikoto. From now on, Saten Ruiko might have one more person to tease.

Chapter Twenty-One: I'll repay you double for that kick!

After asking Saten Ruiko to bring two red bean paste-flavored crepes, Inoue Eika followed Uiharu Kazari and Shirai Kuroko to reserve seats.

Sitting comfortably in her chair, Inoue Hideka watched the children playing in the distance. The weather was already quite hot, but the children seemed oblivious, still running around excitedly.

Only Inoue Eika was sitting on the chair, while Uiharu Kazari and Shirai Kuroko stood beside her waiting for Misaka Mikoto and the others to come over.

Shirai Kuroko pouted in a huff, really not wanting to sit with this pervert, but this guy had clearly come along and was occupying the seats that should be occupied by her and her sister!

Haru Kazari felt bad leaving Shirai Kuroko standing alone, so she stood beside her as well.

Thanks to Inoue Hideka's reminder, Misaka Mikoto finally managed to buy Gekota herself, and her mood improved as soon as she got it.

Saten Ruiko came over with Misaka Mikoto carrying several servings of crepes. She handed the crepes to Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari respectively, and then sat down next to Inoue Eika.

Given their current relationship, all that's left is to break the ice, so naturally they won't care about these small details.

Taking the crepe, Inoue Eika said, "Compared to these snack-like things, I still prefer Saten's cooking! Especially the Chinese dishes I recently learned, like braised pork and sweet and sour pork!"

As she spoke, Inoue Hideka revealed a longing expression, practically drooling, "Hey! Saten, when are you going to make it again! I really want to eat it!"

"I really don't understand why you're so greedy!" Saten Ruiko smiled helplessly. "These kinds of dishes take a long time to make, so we can only make them during holidays!"

Misaka Mikoto stood aside, annoyed. This guy had absolutely no manners! He made the girls stand while he sat there so casually.

But hearing their conversation, she couldn't help but wonder, "They seem to have a really good relationship! Could it be that you two are...?"

"No, no!" Before she could finish speaking, Saten Ruiko interrupted her shyly, "It's not that kind of relationship!"

Inoue Hideka glanced at the shy Saten Ruiko and said very calmly, "As you can see, it's definitely not the kind of relationship you described."

Sometimes it's best to let feelings develop naturally. Although Inoue Eika feels that she likes Saten Ruiko, and Saten Ruiko might like her too, it's still best to let things take their course.

Seeing that both of them denied it, Misaka Mikoto didn't press the matter further. Instead, she said, "You jerk, didn't you see there are several pretty girls standing here? You have no sense of chivalry. Get up right now!"

"Hmm... So, does Misaka-senpai, as the young lady of Tokiwadai, intend to send her junior away and then sit down herself?" Inoue Eika said lazily, showing no intention of getting up, since she wouldn't be sitting there for long anyway.

Just as Misaka Mikoto was about to continue her rebuttal, Uiharu Kazari suddenly said, "That bank, even though it's still daytime, why did they lower the roller shutter door?"

Upon hearing this, the four of them followed Haruharu Shiori's gaze, but the lowered roller shutter suddenly burst open with a "whoosh!"

The first to react was Shirai Kuroko. She swallowed the rest of the crepe in one gulp, then used a chair to jump between Inoue Eika and Saten Ruiko.

In a fleeting glimpse, Inoue Hideka saw the black beneath the girl's skirt.

As Shirai Kuroko rushed towards the crime scene, she calmly said to Uiharu Kazari, "Uiharu, contacting the security guards and confirming the injured are your responsibility. Please hurry!"

Upon seeing this, Misaka Mikoto called out "Kuroko," clearly wanting to meddle in other people's business again.

“That won’t do, Onee-sama,” Shirai Kuroko said, taking out her Disciplinary Committee armband and skillfully putting it on her right arm. “Maintaining the order of Academy City is the job of us Disciplinary Committee members. Please do not take action this time.”

A gentle breeze stirred Shirai Kuroko's slightly wavy brown hair, her twin tails swaying in the wind. Shirai Kuroko turned around, looked at Misaka Mikoto, and smiled. Coupled with her serious demeanor, which was typical of her when she was working, Inoue Hideka inexplicably felt that Shirai Kuroko looked very cool at that moment!

Shirai Kuroko at work is completely different from her perverted behavior when facing Misaka Mikoto. She is serious and responsible, has a strong sense of justice, is proud yet reliable, and takes it upon herself to maintain the safety of Academy City!

While Shirai Kuroko's perverse yuri orientation is a major highlight, Inoue Hideka prefers Shirai Kuroko's work style.

"Halt! I'm a member of the Disciplinary Committee!" Shirai Kuroko stood in front of the robbers who rushed out of the thick smoke, grabbing her Disciplinary Committee armband with her left hand to make it visible to the robbers. "I'm arresting you for [damage to property and robbery in the act]!"

Upon hearing this, the robbers showed contemptuous expressions and, instead of thinking about leaving quickly, burst into laughter in the street!

"A kid actually showed up! Are the disciplinary committee members short-staffed too?"

One of the robbers charged at Shirai Kuroko while saying things like, "Listen up, little girl, if you don't get out of the way, you'll get hurt."

Shirai Kuroko's expression remained one of helplessness. "These kinds of low-class lines are the key to getting killed off!" Then, with a graceful dodge, she easily dodged the robber, slapped his forearm, and kicked him in the foot, knocking the robber to the ground in the blink of an eye.

The whole process took less than 5 seconds, it was incredibly cool!

Saten Ruiko and Misaka Mikoto, who were watching the match, also expressed their amazement and praise.

Meanwhile, Shiori Haruyuki was struggling to get her way out of the square, pestering a female teacher who wanted to leave, "I said you can't, if you leave the square now..."

"But..." the female teacher continued to struggle.

The robber was coming. Inoue Hideka, who had been waiting for a long time, knew that the robber would appear soon and grab a boy. Saten Ruiko, who was the first to discover the robbery, would be kicked in the face by the robber during the struggle for the boy.

This was something Inoue Hideka absolutely could not tolerate. Putting aside his feelings for Saten Ruiko, even in his past life, seeing Saten Ruiko's beautiful face being kicked by that disgusting foot of a robber was enough to make him furious. He even posted a lot of comments on a certain website saying he wanted to kill the robber.

After learning the whole story, Misaka Mikoto, Uiharu Kazari, Saten Ruiko, and Inoue Eika all offered to help find the missing boy.

Misaka Mikoto went to the bus, while Uiharu Kazari went to the back of the bus to check. Inoue Eika was also looking for her, but her eyes were constantly on Saten Ruiko's movements.

Saten Ruiko lay prone in the bushes about 20 meters in front of the bus, trying hard to find the boy. Suddenly, she caught sight of the robber grabbing a boy and trying to escape. A firm belief flashed through her mind, and she rushed towards the robber.

"What do you want to do? Let go!" The robber struggled with Saten Ruiko for the boy.

"No!" Saten Ruiko said firmly, holding the boy tightly.

"Get out of the way!" Seeing that the argument was not going to end anytime soon, the robber did not want to waste any more time. He raised a foot and kicked Saten Ruiko in the face, trying to kick her away.