Electric Princess [Railgun]

The action pair of Misaka and Shirai, arrived at a parking lot or yard reminiscent of the back area of some department store or warehouse. Several gates from attached buildings and storehauses led to the yard, like back entrances for the warehouses of some shops, and only one passage exited to the street. They arrived just as one of the gates was opening, revealing an employee waiting for someone.

A guy in dungarees/overalls noticed them standing in the middle of the yard and called out to them. "Hey!! You are that girls from Tokyo?!"

In a second, Shirai teleported them both right in front of him. "It's pronounced Tokiwadai sir. And yes, that's us. I am Shirai Kuroko, and sorry to bother you so hastily, but we're pressed for time." Kuroko walked past him and looked directly around the warehouse.

.

For some reason, her teleport move dint derail the guy, but he still sounded surprised. "The contact said that it needed to be done immediately, but I didn't think for a moment that it would be so immediately."

"Do you have what we need?" She insisted, glaring at him.

.

"Well, yes. Just a week ago, we had a similar event. You can choose… Actually the contact already make a booking. Follow me." He strode into the warehouse, energetically followed by the redhead, while the brunette stepped into the bowels of the warehouse very reluctantly.

"Great, then don't forget to send us the receipts and other tax documents to the contact, we'll take care of the rest."

.

"That's fine. With such a well-known name we don't have to worry about the bills. If it's absolutely necessary for you, we can arrange, that you will have the whole thing imported and placed in the place you decide by tomorrow morning. I will call a couple of hard workers and they'll set up the stage for you in no time." He stopped in front of a metal heap, gesturing to indicate, from where to where, is what they asking for. He was ready to write down what they were interested in on his working pad/tablet [portable online access console to the system (warehouse)].

But Shirai was like skilled fast warehouse-stock dealer as she interrupted his toughs. "That won't be necessary, we'll take it right away. However, for tomorrow's return... we'll let you know if there's anything to return."

"Hey!!" Mikoto softly barked, offended by that statement about the potential destruction of the entire structure. "I think that trust of yours you declared, is going in a wrong direction. And besides, we, you meant me, didn't you?"

.

"Will you take it away? Right now? Just the two of you? But seriously, how many of you are there for this gig? Or can that friend of yours split into a thousand of copies?" He looked at the brunette expecting to see something unseen, but he only got a stern look from her.

For a moment, Kuroko resisted the thought of having Mikoto around her twenty times, but suddenly shook the thought from her head. "No worries sir, a beautiful flower hides many secrets of its beauty. Sissy, can you handle it as it is?"

"What a stupid metaphor!" The brunette let out a sparkle from her temple. She looked at the pile in front of her, examining it from top to bottom, checking to see if it was metal. After a moment, she stretched her hands towards it and the mass began to move, levitating, as her electromagnetism lifted it. "Hmm. It would work for a while if I carried it over me. But I don't even know how far we are from the dorm. Don't expect me to drag it across the neighborhood without constantly bumping to someone."

.

Kuroko didn't answer for a while, studying something on her phone's holo-display. "About three quarters of a kilometer, down the road, no bridges, overpasses, or cables above the road. I'll go ahead of you, pointing the way and directing traffic. I'll let Uiharu know, to confirm the route we're taking, she'll will pass the intel to Anti-Skill and they shall help with managing the traffic, to keep the road free for us. Hmmm. Maybe it would be better to tie everything with a metal rope. We don't have much time for the whole errand, so we have to hurry."

Mikoto sighed. "Three-quarters of a kilometer, by a walk you say? Hmmm. It could go. As long as no one gets underfoot." She recapitulate for herself observing that heap.

The guy in the dungarees listened to their conversation in silence with a slight uneasiness in his heart. "I'm sorry, girls, for interfering. Regardless of the fact that you're espers, I still have to ask: isn't it too difficult for you? After all, you're just fragile flowers and we can arrange transportation and installation for you." Both girls turned to him with a gentle blush, silently examining him with their eyes, as if they realized that he had no idea who he was the honor to deal with. Or, maybe the guy was trying to get the extra work income for their company... But when a cylinder with a coiled cable, which he wouldn't have dreamed to pick up by himself, arbitrarily rolled around him to the girls... and it started uncoiling and pulling itself out as if alive around the mass of the metal structure, creating various packages from it... he gave up any further efforts in the hope that they would eventually ask for their company assistance. After all, these were young fragile maidens. ...Right?...

.

However, his hope disappeared when he watched as they assembled something like a train in the yard from those packages suitable to be transported in few vans or even trucks. The duo of girls bowed respectfully to him, thanking their company for such a quick response to their school request. While the slimmer redhead with two ponytails on the sides of her head put the green scarf of Judgment on her sleeve, the athletic brunette worked out her muscles in a warm up before workout. With a blank expression, he watched as the train of metal soared into the air, forming a more coherent mass above the constantly sparking brunette. His image of fragile little flowers from rich families clamoring for masculine attention faded as he observed the one that was spurting discharges and sparkles to a quite large pile of metal above her. In a non esper setting; to move that pile of metal, they would have required more than one truck. But as if it was straw basked of fruits or washed up clothing that shall rest at top of her head, while she walking through narrow (craggy or scarped) mountain path: She keep that above her as she walked out from the courtyard and stroll down in middle of the street. The other one, as skilled cop, commanded pedestrians and cars with a whistle in her mount.

.

.

All the way she walk, Mikoto tried to ignore the shocked or amazed pedestrians and stooped car drivers by already present Anti-Skill officer. One would think that when one already lives in Gakuen-Toshi [Academic City], such scenes should not attract so much attention. But the opposite was true. Those who did not immediately go aside, or were busy with something else, stopped and looked as if there was a passing procession. Some of the walkers even tried to approach Mikoto and talk to her. But teleporting Kuroko just moved them back on the sidewalk. Turning many of them to face the walls of houses and fences. There was also a very brave person, who was too determined to talk to the brown haired girl with a (balloon?) above her, who did not stop when teleported away and hit the wall head on. However, everyone gave up on another attempt, realizing that the redhead from Judgment was absolutely adamant. She successfully controlled traffic both on the ordinary road and through intersections. One would say that her demeanor exuded authority, but it was more that her appearance had an alien feel to it. Therefore, the majority decided to let both phenomena pass rather than engage in anything that would attract their attention. After all, it is better to let the storm pass, rather than to fight it, or trying to stop it.

As the transport moved forward, Misaka spend a lot of effort to keep her concentration, to not crush anything or anybody. And when she arrived at the high brick fence of the dormitory grounds, she was already dripping with sweat. Kuroko led her through the back gate for supply trucks or firemen. But in order to get to the pool area, Mikoto had to maneuver the cargo to place it safely without damaging anything.

Just as she was about to land it off, suddenly and without a warning, a strong ground wind-breeze blew.

.

The chill disrupted her concentration, causing her to yelp [Kia] and the cargo almost fall. However, she managed to keep her standing, holding it up. Tired, she put everything on the grass field, sighing deeply like an old man. "Ah… I'm abnormally tired. Hey Kuroko, I'm going to rest for a while, okay?" She turned to the redhead to notice that she was muttering something in a low conspiracy voice with a handkerchief on her nose.

"Heh, heh, heh… black, how elegant.

.

Mikoto didn't get it what redhead mumbling so she call at her roommate. "Hey!! Kuroko can you hear me?!"

Shirai swiftly changed the subject while putting her handkerchief back into a pocket. "Sure, sure, you can go, Sissy. A heavy weight was called in to build the stage, for which it will literally be like a children's construction kit. I'm now going to focus on other duties. So Sissy, please go to take a rest and please: no pit-stops anywhere! And lest, so I don't forget: Good job! Please; continue to be more lady like, and bloom into a beauty for us!"

.

"What are you talking about?" She try to ask, but Kuroko had already started happily hopping away towards the buildings, so the red-haired probably didn't hear her. Mikoto looked after the twin tail girl to see if she shall follow, but her eyes fell on the photo camera that the redhead was holding. (("Wait! For what, she does have that camera? She's still babbling about black. Black...")) She suddenly blushed unexpectedly. (("...Black!!...")) She blushed sharply as she realized that the ground wind must have lifted her skirt. And since she doesn't have her shorts today, a view on a (for her taste an extremely elegant) panties had to come to light. When she added into that formula Shirai and that camera...

.

In anger, Railgun sent an electric current-shock after Shirai, but the redhead was already far enough away and the exhausted Mikoto did not put enough force into the blow. The shot missed the target, but that hopping girl didn't even notice. But suddenly Tokiwadai Ace was drenched in an unpleasant sweat. She looked back towards the pool dressing area, where about a dozen girls were standing, looking at her with a dreamy expressions.

Misaka blushed to tomato level, and with embarrassing shriek [Kiaaaaa], she ran away from there.

.

Even though she ran past some other people. The only thing they noticed was that a strangely mysterious red aura whizzed around them, which disappeared somewhere on the second floor.

.

.

Only when Mikoto reach her room, and placed her back on the (just closed) door of her room, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, the blushing on her face slowly receding. However, it took some time before she calmed down enough to think at all. (("So much for the 'relaxing backstage' plan, we had. It fell apart beautifully. If only it wasn't for this black nonsense. Just remembering that I have it and I already feel embarrassed. Plus the stupid wind...")) Remembering those dreamy looks from the girls by the pool, her blushing reached her ears again. That's why she quickly shook her head to come up with an idea of what to do. But suddenly she realized that she was very sweaty. That definitely was the exhaustion from the errand, right? She looked at the bathroom door approving that a good excuse for the sweat.

She detached herself from the door as she headed for her wardrobe. But a trio of shopping bags sitting on the coffee table between theirs beds caught her eye. They were from a fashion store and suspiciously identical to the one from the morning. She tried to ignore the trio as best she could. However, even though she already had her wardrobe open, her curiosity still got the better of her. She approached them cautiously, knowing well that it was a trap, or at least something she would not like. For a moment, she hoped, it had something to do with Kuroko, so she could throw it away in that moment, but the resemblance to the one from the morning made her swallow. She looked into the first bag, seeing something black. (("Black... Black?!!")) she very carefully reached in and from the pile that was there she pulled out an exact copy of what she had under her clothes. (("What's that supposed to mean?!!")) She peered into the other one, from which a white pile was shining. Something red again from the third. She tried to resist, but her shaky hand was already pulling out the red variant. She got the feeling that this one was a little smaller than the previous two. (("For Kuroko??!!")) She dropped it back and stepped back to a safe distance, so the bags couldn't jump on her. (("What's that supposed to mean? Judging by how full the bags are, I'd guess there were about five to six sets in each. Oh?... One for each day? That's silly!! Who would go that far? If I recall, this specific brand is the exclusive supplier of uniforms for Tokiwadai. The dorm manager said, something about an order from above. That then... I'm supposed to represent...")) Her eyes widened. (("Is this the price the tricky school president is asking me? Or the chain is going even higher? Representing is one thing, but this awkward wonder? And the color matching? This could be my social death."))

.

She snapped out of her thoughts when croaking of her frog phone reached her ears. It was her red roommate. So she answer that call. "Kuroko?"

*"Sissy, are you rested yet?"* It came from the other side.

.

"Somehow, a little... Listen Kuroko, didn't you order something? Express?" She must have been sure of her theory.

*"Hm? That cant be true!"* There was a realization on the other side. *"Oh common! I told them quite clearly, not to give you two any flowers, bouquets, or welcome gifts at all. We'll have to put a notice on the door. Something like we appreciate your interest and the idea, but we really can't afford to accept your gifts for limited space reasons. Or something like that..."*

.

"In that case, this will be from the school administration."

*"If it's from the higher-ups, then there's not much we can do about it. We'll have to put up with it and accept it. I just hope it's not some childish stupidity. As a school for ladies, the teachers should have that standard."*

.

(("But this standard pretty much imposes itself on a skin level.")) "..."

*"Hm? Oh, don't worry about it for now. Please don't drag out the shower too much! We're running out of time and preparations in the common room will be done soon. We start in twenty minutes."*

.

"What? It that much already? Wait, maybe you don't expect me to handle the entire event all by myself? No matter how good I am at playing the violin, this is just too much for me. By the way, where's my Imoto?!"

*"About the violin... I managed to talk Uiharu out of it. So no violin. About Inoue… she is fine and... excited?... If you can describe it that way. You don't have to worry, Sissy. I managed to string a few... random passers-by into our cause... In fact, those are a few people who share the idea that this city needs to be protected. Whatever you do, I'd like to have you down in ten minutes."* Not bothering to wait for confirmation, Shirai just hang up.

.

Mikoto checked the actual time one more time before she folded her phone close. Then she peered out the window at the happenings on the lawn between the blocks of their dormitory buildings. Sighing a little, she headed to the bathroom. But before that, she reluctantly stopped by three shopping bags, for a spare set.

.

[Notes:]

We shall not forget that even if the space in Garden of Education is spare, the external Tokiwadai dormitory (outside that protectorate area) is quite big and wide, to host a quite big swimming pool and park like grass area. Once more the entry building of dormitory had its front representative side exposed, while the rest of estate land is protected by a tall brick wall.