As Misaka Mikoto continued her cutesy act, Selene couldn't help but think maliciously, Is this guy's type… flat?
"Wow! Really?" Misaka was totally into her role, looking excitedly at the delinquent and twisting her body, "So, can you tell me?!"
God, that posture, that tone. Watching this made Selene's skin crawl. There was no way she could act like that.
Meanwhile, Shirai Kuroko was completely captivated.
"Well, I could tell you, but there's no such thing as a free lunch!" The delinquent looked at Misaka's exposed legs, unable to suppress a lustful gaze.
"..." Misaka easily evaded, though the lecherous gaze made her skin crawl and filled her with a revulsion that made her want to strike him down with lightning.
Prioritizing information, Misaka suppressed her urge to fry the guy, determined to maintain the charade. "Well... I can offer some money. I think it should be enough to buy it."
"Money is nice, but what we really want is this!" The delinquent stood up, his eyes filled with lust as he slowly approached Misaka , trying to grab her, but Misaka deftly dodged him.
"But... that scares me a little." Misaka pretended to be shy, even playing cute. "Besides, I'm not too familiar with that kind of thing. Is money really not enough?"
At this point, Kuroko was already banging her head against the table. The frequency and force seemed enough to break the table. Selene had no choice but to put up a soundproof barrier. Honestly, Misaka's performance was enough to shock both Selene and Kuroko for an entire year.
Seeing the delinquents still unmoved, Misaka decided to use her ultimate move. If it didn't work, she would have to resort to force. She was here to get information, not to get herself into trouble.
Misaka burst into tears, sobbing and wiping her eyes, "All I have left to rely on is Level Upper. So, can't you please tell me?"
Seeing such a pitiful Misaka, the delinquent felt his heart melt. "Alright, stop crying."
Finally, under Misaka's rare display of cuteness, the delinquents let their guard down. Seeing she was a student from Tokiwadai, they decided to take her to a less populated area to talk.
"Hey! Kuroko, it's time," Selene said, pulling the still shell-shocked Shirai along as they followed Misaka and the three delinquents leaving the table.
Before leaving, Selene left a deposit and instructed the waiter, "Bring the food; we'll be back to eat."
Outside the restaurant, in a secluded alleyway.
"Well... this should be a good spot." The lead delinquent glanced around the deserted area with satisfaction. "No one will bother us here."
"So..." Misaka started to say, but the delinquent cut her off, "First, hand over all your cash!"
"Huh?" Misaka was momentarily stunned by their sudden change in attitude. Before she could respond, another delinquent added, "Don't forget your bank card and PIN. Oh, and your credit card. A rich Tokiwadai lady like you must have one, right?"
"Well... I did bring some, but asking for everything..." Misaka was taken aback by their greed.
"You wanted to ask us something, didn't you?" the leader said menacingly. "If you want to know, hand it all over!"
"Yeah, you'd better hand it over. Or maybe we'll just take your uniform too." Another delinquent added excitedly.
Taking her uniform too? That's... Hearing this, Misaka lost interest in continuing the act. Her eyes narrowed at the three delinquents.
"What a bother," Misaka sighed. "I can't believe I wasted so much time acting all cute, only for it to be useless. I bet Selene is going to mock me for this."
"Huh? I told you to hand it over..." The delinquent leader, ignorant of his predicament, moved forward, thinking Misaka was bluffing.
However, before him stood one of Academy City's top eight battle powers. With a crackling sound of electricity, the first delinquent to make a move fell to the ground, blackened and smoking, unconscious.
"Bastard!"
"Well, I should have just used force from the start. But since it's come to this, please tell me everything you know about Level Upper." Misaka said, standing confidently in the alleyway, her previous timid demeanor gone.
"In your dreams!" The two remaining delinquents seemed oddly confident, "Let us show you the power we gained from leveling up!" At a signal, footsteps echoed around her, and Misaka realized she was surrounded by delinquents.
"So this is your plan? A numbers game?" Misaka remained calm outwardly, though she was surprised. "Did they all use Level Upper? There are so many upgraded people..."
"Take this! This is what a Level 2 Esper can do..." The leader charged, but his shout was abruptly cut off by a surge of electricity.
A blue-white arc exploded in the alley, emitting a dazzling light. The crackling sound was incessant. After a series of screams, silence fell over the alley.
Looking at the fallen delinquents, Misaka rubbed her head, smoothing her hair. "With so many of them, trying to hold back was quite a hassle."
"What a commotion." A girl in a tracksuit with rose patterns approached, and seeing her, the delinquents were stunned. "Boss..."
"Hey, I told you not to mess with a girl like that. Planning to rob a woman's wallet?" Noticing her unfriendly gaze, the downed delinquent tried to explain, "Sorry... but..."
Smack!
She slapped him hard, "How dare you talk back! Are you tired of living?"
"Sorry!"
"You should apologize to her, not me!"
"We're sorry!" ×N
"Is that enough? Please forgive them." The girl asked Misaka.
Misaka was surprised by the sudden apology and even more shocked by the collective apology from the delinquents.
After they left, the girl, known as the leader, approached Misaka. Misaka couldn't help but ask, "Are you their leader? If so, you should know about Level Upper, right?"
"More importantly, you really worked my boys over just now. I hope you're prepared for the consequences."
Misaka was puzzled. "Prepared for what? What about the apology?"
"That was different. This is separate; I'm going to settle this account with you now." With that, the delinquent leader attacked. "Take this!"
She placed her hand on the ground, causing the pavement to flow like a river. "My ability is Smelting Field, which allows me to control the viscosity of asphalt. What will you do? There's nowhere to run!"
If she knew Misaka's true identity, she wouldn't act so arrogantly. Moreover, she had the nerve to ask Mikoto to use her full strength.
Misaka appreciated her straightforwardness. "I don't dislike people like you." She said, a blue-white arc appearing with a thunderous roar. "So, I'll oblige."
Facing Misaka's electric attack, the delinquent girl calmly used the surrounding concrete for defense. "This kind of attack has no effect on... huh? It disappeared?"
"Not bad." Misaka used the magnetic field properties to cling to the building's side, smiling at the girl below. "Electricity generates a magnetic field, you know. I just used the steel rebar in the wall. Convenient, right?"
A stronger electric attack followed.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed in the alley, accompanied by smoke, as sparks flew from a nearby power pole.
When the smoke cleared, the delinquent girl was panting heavily, her face covered in dust, staring dazedly at the three-meter-wide crater before her. "Unbelievable... So your first attack wasn't serious, and this one was aimed off on purpose?"
"Correct. What do you think?" Misaka asked, looking down at her, her voice gentle. "Are you ready to hand over the information about Level Upper?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" The delinquent girl shouted, surprising Misaka. "I haven't lost yet! If you're a real esper, bring it on! Let's see if your electricity can shatter my steel-forged will!"
Misaka turned and met the girl's determined gaze, smiling, "I don't dislike people like you. In that case..."
Blue-white light filled the space. Its powerful presence made the delinquent girl sweat because she knew being hit by that attack would be deadly.
"Misaka-senpai! Stop! There's a power..." Shirai Kuroko arrived, trying to intervene, but it was too late. The lightning strike had already been unleashed!
Misaka was too excited to hear Kuroko's warning. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing..."
Boom!
"You don't know anything!"