A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 922 The Excuse for Covering Up
She fell asleep while taking a bath—hearing the excuse Misaka Mikoto came up with, Shirai Kuroko couldn't help but facepalm again: "Such an excuse...it's amazing that the dorm supervisor could admit it."

Misaka Mikoto was also a little embarrassed. Of course, she knew that the reason was a bit far-fetched, but she really had no other choice.

“The dorm supervisor has a key. Even if I don’t open the door, she can just barge in. What am I supposed to do?” Misaka Mikoto said. “I can only improvise, lock the bathroom door from the inside, and say you’re taking a shower in there…”

Or rather, it was precisely because Misaka Mikoto "resisted the room check" that the dormitory supervisor "forcibly broke in for inspection."

Thanks to Misaka Mikoto's electromagnetic manipulation, she was able to remotely lock the door, making it appear as if someone was inside the bathroom.

"Well...it actually makes sense, doesn't it?" Seemingly feeling a bit embarrassed, Misaka Mikoto couldn't help but defend her plan. "Look, we did have a big battle outside the city, which put a lot of pressure on us. We were covered in dust and sweat, so it's not wrong to relax with a bath after we got back! The only flaw is that Kuroko, you were out there longer than I expected, which is why the excuse of taking a bath gradually turned into you falling asleep in the bathtub... If you hadn't come back soon, we almost wouldn't have been able to hide it anymore! If it weren't for the fact that you were lurking around nearby, I would have even gone next door to borrow someone to impersonate you!"

“Onee-sama, your thinking is not wrong,” Shirai Kuroko sighed again, somewhat helplessly, listening to Misaka Mikoto’s incessant complaints outside the bathroom. “But the problem is, I’ve used the bathing trick so many times, Teacher must have figured it out, right?”

Because of her ability to teleport, Shirai Kuroko can also lock the bathroom door when she is alone.

Although dormitory supervisors have the authority to enter every dormitory room, they cannot just freely enter places like the bathroom.

Therefore, for students, the best place to hide contraband is the bathroom. Similarly, the bathroom is also the most suitable place to hide roommates who are not actually in the dormitory.

Because she often needed to cover for Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko mastered this move early on, and because she used it so often, she also phased out this strategy quite early.

Unexpectedly, tonight Misaka Mikoto also came up with the same strategy, as if by telepathy...

"..." Misaka Mikoto was speechless for a moment, and finally threw away the hair dryer and comb in her hands as if she had given up on herself, and slumped on the bed.

Only after Shirai Kuroko had finished bathing and came out wrapped in a towel did Misaka Mikoto speak again: "Thank you, Kuroko."

"Huh?" Shirai Kuroko was bending down to grab the hair dryer when she suddenly heard this and was stunned. "Onee-sama, you've got it backwards, haven't you? Today I should be thanking you."

“No, what I mean is,” Misaka Mikoto shook her head, “I’m really grateful to you for always helping me cover for the dorm supervisor.”

Some things are only truly understood to be difficult after experiencing them firsthand.

Faced with her older sister's straightforward thanks, Shirai Kuroko felt a little embarrassed and quickly turned away, pretending to fix her hair. However, since it wasn't plugged in, the hairdryer was just for show.

Misaka Mikoto smiled and reached out to pinch the plug of the hair dryer.

Finally, a strong, hot wind blew up the girl's long hair...

"Th...thank you," Shirai Kuroko said, bowing her head.

"You're welcome." Misaka Mikoto leaned back, then braced herself with her arms, her gaze shifting from the ceiling to Shirai Kuroko in front of her.

This time, Shirai Kuroko did not avoid eye contact.

“Nothing happened,” Shirai Kuroko said. Of course she knew what her older sister was really concerned about; since there was no escaping it anyway, there was no point in dragging it out like this, so she might as well just say it directly.

After all, nothing really happened.

“The nameless senior is in good condition. Although he needs to be hospitalized, I don’t see any signs of injury or discomfort,” Shirai Kuroko said. “Also, the reason the senior left the hospital was indeed to go see Chairman Aleister. I waited for the senior downstairs in that windowless building.”

"You don't need to tell me all that," Misaka Mikoto said with a wry smile. "I trust the nameless senior."

She paused briefly, then continued, "I trust you too, Kuroko. So you don't need to explain these things to me..."

The reason she kept staring at Shirai Kuroko was simply because she found it unbelievable—Misaka Mikoto was still in the process of "accepting reality".

Shirai Kuroko is my roommate, my best friend, and I've really started to treat her like a little sister. But today, she suddenly turns into my "love rival"!
The impact of this shock was so strong that Misaka Mikoto is still in a state of shock.

Of course, given the precedents of Misaki Shokuhou and Touka Tomitsu, and the subsequent appearances of the extra characters and Kazakiri Hyouka, Misaka Mikoto had long anticipated the emergence of new "love rivals" or "competitors."

After all, given the nameless senior's excellence and his obtuse and hesitant attitude towards romance, it would be strange if he had no competitors.

However, Misaka Mikoto never expected that this "love rival" would be right next to her—it was Shirai Kuroko!
Looking back now, it seems that Kuroko's feelings for the nameless senior had been brewing for a while, but I just hadn't noticed them.

Although it was just one more person, Shirai Kuroko, Misaka Mikoto felt like she was surrounded by enemies.

Because they are roommates and close friends, Misaka Mikoto knows very well how outstanding Shirai Kuroko is.

To be fair, Misaka Mikoto even felt that Shirai Kuroko was far superior to her, and that her only advantage was her Level 5 superpower.

Aside from not being a Level 5, Shirai Kuroko is impeccable.

She excels in both academics and conduct, is an all-around athlete, and has a strong sense of justice—almost like a female version of the nameless senior!
Moreover, she has a great personality; she's sensible, considerate, gentle, and kind, but also possesses a resilient and indomitable spirit...

Misaka Mikoto thinks that if she were a boy, she would definitely be attracted to a girl as outstanding as Kuroko.

The nameless senior would certainly be no exception...

“But I won’t lose!” Misaka Mikoto said softly.

It was a somewhat abrupt, seemingly nonsensical statement, but Shirai Kuroko understood it. Because she was thinking something similar.

"I won't give up either," Shirai Kuroko said earnestly. "I've thought it through. Things have come to this point, and even if my opponent is my sister, I won't give up! I will absolutely not hand over the nameless senior!"

(End of this chapter)