Story of the Day

  “Bzzzzz!!!” the cacophonous sounds of a lightning spear being thrown filled the atmosphere. The Level 0 esper ( in Academy City’s term, students whose physical abilities had been enhanced through Scientific-based curriculum), Kamijou Touma ran for his life as he was being chased by a feisty girl named Misaka Mikoto, a Level 5 esper who was more superior than Touma. The girl who had been given the title as Academy City’s third strongest esper relentlessly chased that boy who has always been plagued with misfortunes in order to demand for a match after he miraculously dodged many of her Electromaster techniques in the past. There have not been reported any news of a Level 0 overpowering a Level 5 before in Academy City but this boy of seventeen years old who was a powerless lad had changed the norm when he used his right hand to negate a 1000000 volts lightning spear delivered by Mikoto who held the title of being the strongest Electromaster. His right hand held a mysterious power where he could negate any esper abilities but sadly the hand also negated his good luck so he had to cope with an endless barrage of misfortunate events because of it.

  After a half an hour of running, Touma turned his back and saw that there was nobody behind him. Thinking that he had outran her, he decided to rest at a field where there was a river flowing next to it. With a heavy sigh, he began to moan over his misfortunes. He was exhausted and thirsty but he could not risk going to a shop where he could be spotted by Mikoto. To stay hidden, he went to the river and decided to drink the crystal clear river water. The river system in Academy City was clean and pollution-free so everybody did not have any qualms or doubts about drinking the river water. The pH range has always been at 7.0 and the law was enforced so that it would stay that way. He drank the water and washed his face at the river. The cold water soothed his aching head and replenished his stamina. The sound of the train driven on the tracks nearby reminded him that it was already evening.

  He walked away from the river to get his school bag and he continued his journey to his dormitory. Not wanting to break curfew, he increased his pace and stopped at a grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner. His dormitory was not that of a normal dormitory where food was served by workers because he had to cook for himself. Upon entering the grocery store, he stumbled upon the girl who was chasing him a while ago. As if he was destined to be a subject of eternal bad luck, he could not believe that his efforts to avoid her were fruitless. Mikoto who was buying an ice cream at that moment looked at him in the eyes as if she was saying “I got you”. That ominous stare sent chills running down Touma’s spine. The mitochondrion in his leg muscles vigorously produced Adenosine Triphosphate as he ran out of the store faster than Usain Bolt; trying to get as far away from that girl as possible. Suddenly, he could not move even though he was not entangled in anything. Then, he heard footsteps coming towards him. The silhouette of a figure walking behind him made him realized that it was Mikoto who did this to him. She used her electromagnetism ability to magnetize the metal parts of his belt and froze him in place.

 

    “I would not let you go unless you duel with me”, said Mikoto. “You would not accept a ‘No’ as an answer, would you?” he replied. Mikoto was aggravated by his answer so she sent an electric shock through her bangs but Touma’s precognition saved him from being electrocuted. She sent more shocks at him but he managed to dodge each of her attacks. The mysterious right hand of his negated each shock as if it was a lightning rod. Realizing the fact that normal attacks would not work on him, Mikoto used melee attacks to hit him. Using electromagnetism, she attracted the metal dust in the ground and vibrated the dust at a tremendous speed; causing a chainsaw-like effect. The vibrated metal dust was able to cut through galvanised steel and could severe a human’s body with ease. Touma looked in horror as the girl in front of him tried to use brute and unreasonable force to defeat a Level 0 like him. Did she forget the fact that he could be killed if he was slashed by her metal dust sword? Did she even consider to go easy on a weakling like him? These questions popped in Touma’s mind at that time. Without a second to spare, Mikoto ran towards him with her metal dust sword. Touma has had enough of the meaningless fight so he used his right hand and street-fighting skills to overpower her. He negated the metal dust sword, causing it to dissipate into its original dust form and quickly grabbed Mikoto’s hands. The bewildered Mikoto could not move and she panicked. It was the first time she felt powerless to do anything. Because of being the third out of only seven level 5s in Academy City, she was extraordinarily confident that she could win but the tables were turned now. Touma clenched his fist and Mikoto could only wait for the final blow that he would inflict over her. “TUKK!!!” the sound of an index finger being flicked to the head could be heard. With water starting to come out from her eyes, Mikoto opened her eyes and noticed that he only flicked his finger at his head. “I win. I want to go home now”, said Touma.

  Mikoto could not believe that she lost and the worst part was that she almost cried in front of him. Touma, who was already walking towards his dormitory felt even more exhausted than before. Then, Mikoto stood up and approached him. The deadbeat boy noticed her actions and he waited for her. She drew her hand and said “You won but I want a rematch someday. Remember this Kamijou Touma!”. The victor, Touma, was apathetic towards her response so he just nodded. Mikoto then said that she would treat Touma for a meal of ramen which enlightened his mood for a bit. He did not get the chance to buy anything at the grocery store because of his encounter with her so a free meal would do just fine for him. As the sun started to set, they went to a famous ramen stall in Academy City. With a smiling face, Touma walked with the girl who almost killed him to the stall. He was very pleased with himself.