"Ding-dong!"
"We have arrived at Tokiwadai Middle School Dormitory. Passengers who need to get off, please do so promptly."
Standing up from his seat, Touma Kamijou looked out the bus window at the tall girls' dormitory, took a deep breath, and stepped off the bus.
Under the orange glow of the setting sun, Touma looked up at the entrance, where girls wearing the Tokiwadai Middle School uniforms were coming and going in groups, chatting and laughing about the interesting things that happened today.
Gulp.
Touma swallowed nervously, shook his legs, and walked towards the gate, pushing it open under the curious gazes of the girls nearby.
Seeing the closed dormitory door a short distance from the hall, Touma turned to the girls who were whispering to each other nearby.
"Hello, could you tell me which room Misaka Mikoto's dormitory is?"
"Misaka's dorm? Who are you, and why are you looking for Misaka?"
Hearing that someone knew Misaka Mikoto, Touma quickly nodded and said, "My name is Touma Kamijou. I'm a student from a high school nearby, and I found something Misaka Mikoto dropped, so I came to return it."
"Oh, I see. Senpai, Misaka's dorm room number is 208. You can dial her room number from there. If she's in, she'll answer."
"Also, Senpai, next time, try not to use such a clumsy lie. The route between Tokiwadai and your high school isn't exactly convenient."
Watching the Tokiwadai girls laugh secretly, Touma scratched his head awkwardly, giving a forced laugh as he hurried to dial Misaka Mikoto's dorm room number.
Beep, beep, beep.
Bent over, watching as the call went unanswered, Touma felt like every second was an eternity. He stole a glance at the group of Tokiwadai students whispering behind him, hoping the call would connect soon.
Click.
"Are you Senpai Kamijou?"
"Thank goodness! Finally connected!"
Relieved to hear the call finally go through, Touma quickly asked, "Hello, I'm looking for Misaka Mikoto. Is she in her dorm?"
"You're looking for Onee-sama?!"
On the other end of the line, Kuroko Shirai's voice suddenly amplified as she brought her face closer to the phone and shouted, "Onee-sama is not here! Even if she were, she wouldn't see a monkey like you! Just because you had a small encounter with Onee-sama last time doesn't mean you can shamelessly chase her to her dorm! If you try this again, I'll lock you up!"
"Who are you, anyway?"
Hearing the confused voice over the phone, Kuroko Shirai felt her anger flare.
"You rude person! I am Onee-sama's true love! We've already promised to be together for life!"
"We're already living together, and Onee-sama will surely stay with me forever!"
"Oh, got it. Thanks."
Nodding, Touma glanced at the setting sun, then turned to walk towards the entrance.
Outside, he looked back at the Tokiwadai girls peeking from behind the gate and shook his head helplessly.
"Since she's not in the dorm, I guess I'll have to check at the school. I just hope I can get in."
"And why do I keep running into strange girls lately? It's really odd."
Glancing at Tokiwadai's school grounds in the distance, Touma took large strides in that direction.
Outside the entrance to Tokiwadai's school, Touma paced back and forth, looking up at the gatekeeper who kept a watchful eye on him. Scratching his head in frustration, he shouted, "Why was I caught just when I was about to climb over the wall?! Misfortune!!!"
"Touma-kun, wandering around a girls' school like this could get you labeled as a pervert, you know~~"
A slender arm, gloved in white, wrapped around Touma's arm as Misaki Shokuhou stood on tiptoes, whispering softly in his ear, "Long time no see~"
"Wah! Who are you?!"
Touma instinctively tried to pull away, but for some reason, deep in his consciousness, there was a sense of familiarity—whether it was the voice or that faint fragrance of hair.
Blushing, Touma looked at the girl beside him.
Golden hair, a face as delicate as a doll, and a pair of starry eyes stared at him, reflecting his image as if she could see nothing else. Her white lace-gloved arms were tightly wrapped around his, her uniform clearly belonging to Tokiwadai Middle School, and yet she had a figure that was impossible to ignore.
"Nice to meet you, Touma-kun. My name is Misaki Shokuhou~"
"Oh! Hello."
Avoiding her gaze, Touma muttered softly, "Misaki, could you please let go of me?"
"No! If I let go, you'll run away again, Touma!"
Hugging his arm even tighter, Misaki inhaled deeply, and her emotions were mixed—sweet, sour, spicy, but mostly bitter.
With a smile on her face, Misaki looked up at Touma and asked, "Can you tell me why you're here at the girls' school, Touma-kun? Are you looking for a girlfriend, perhaps?"
"No, no, no!"
Touma shook his head quickly, explaining, "I'm just here to talk to Misaka Mikoto about something."
Looking down at Misaki's starry eyes, that sense of familiarity grew stronger in Touma's heart. He scratched his cheek and cautiously asked, "Misaki, have we met before?"
"Touma, did you remember?!"
Suddenly tightening her grip on him, Misaki's eyes glistened with unprecedented hope as she stared into his eyes, carefully asking, "Did you really remember me?!"
"Uh?!"
Seeing Misaki's tense face, Touma froze, searching his memories desperately, but finally shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't have any memory of you. This should be our first meeting."
"Is that so?"
The light in Misaki's eyes slowly faded as she clung to his arm, her head lowered. She muttered, "I guess I already knew that."
Feeling the dampness on his arm, Touma panicked, nervously looking at the girl leaning on him. He frantically tried to remember any way to comfort a girl.
Suddenly, Misaki felt a gentle sensation on her head. Through her blurry vision, she looked up.
At some point, Touma's hand had rested gently on her head.
"Pfft, hahaha."
"Touma-kun, are you trying to comfort a child?!"
"Shut up! This is all I know."
Blushing, Touma laughed along with Misaki. "Even though I don't know the specifics, for some reason, I feel very familiar with you."
"It's as if you've appeared by my side countless times before."
"Although, in my memory, this is our first meeting."
"Hahaha. I see~"
"Touma, you actually remembered a little about me."
Clutching his arm, Misaki's eyes sparkled once again, and she smiled joyfully, her gaze filled only with Touma.
"That's enough, Touma~"
"By the way, you're looking for Misaka, right? She's not at school. Let me help you find her."
"Really? I hope it's not too much trouble for you."
"It's fine. After all, you're Touma."
Behind a tree, twin red pigtails peeked out. Watching Touma being led away by Misaki, Kuroko Shirai smirked disdainfully. "Ape, just an ape. Getting flustered whenever he sees a girl."
"Allowing that ape near Onee-sama is too dangerous. I'll catch him when he tries anything against Onee-sama."
"Not only will I remove him from Onee-sama's life, but I'll also become her hero. She will definitely devote herself to me in gratitude!"
"Ah~ Onee-sama!"
"Kuroko! Kuroko is here to save you!"