Unlimited Ambition

Then, a tacit understanding formed between us, and we nodded to each other. At the same time, our aura dissipated. The surrounding students felt as if they had come back to life, that they were still alive. Unconsciously, tears of emotion welled up in their eyes.

"There's a curfew in the dorms, so don't be late, Misaka Mikoto. If you want to take things to the next level, wait until you're a little older." Then she turned around and closed the window.

"...Could it be that the dormitory supervisor has approved of Misaka-sama's relationship?!" Mikoto's classmates immediately forgot their fear from before and started chattering even more enthusiastically than before.

Mikoto's face flushed red, like a ripe peach. She grabbed my hand and ran away quickly.

And so, Mikoto and I strolled along the street hand in hand (mainly because once Mikoto grabbed my hand, she showed no intention of letting go), browsing the shops and buying some ice cream or something. We were doing what normal couples do.

During this time, Mikoto mentioned the boy's name: "Kaihara Mitsutaka is the grandson of the chairman of Tokiwadai. A typical rich kid. He appears to be very polite and has excellent grades. However, according to Kuroko's investigation, he cheated using telekinesis."

No, if you ask Kuroko about men, you'll only get negative, fake news. I felt a little sorry for the single guy for a second. Then I listened to Mikoto continue.

"His manners were almost hypocritical. I have a hard time dealing with this type of person. And because of his status, I couldn't just electrocute him. I don't know what's wrong with him these past few days, he keeps bothering me. I was just at my wit's end when you came, thankfully saving my life."

Hearing Mikoto say that, I was a little dissatisfied: "Eh? So the reason you were so enthusiastic just now was actually to use me as a shield?"

Sensing the dissatisfaction in my tone, Mikoto hurriedly explained, "No, that's not it. I meant that I only chose you because you happened to be passing by, not because I wanted you to be a shield."

"If someone else happened to be passing by, would you choose that person?" I pressed on.

Mikoto's face flushed again: "It's you! I won't choose anyone else but you! Are you satisfied with that answer?!"

At that moment, Kamijou was strolling aimlessly through the streets with his two close friends, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and the blue-haired boy with earrings. They saw a disheveled, heartbroken-looking young man walking towards them. His two friends glanced at him and then ignored him. Only Kamijou felt a chill creep into his heart.

"Why do I feel a sense of shared suffering with that person?" Kamijou thought to himself, looking at the back of his head, completely bewildered.

"What are you doing, Kamijou? Come on, come on, you have to treat us today." The blue-haired boy with the earring said, and walked forward with his arm around Kamijou's shoulder.

"Why should I treat you?" Kamijou protested loudly.

“Because your luck has been getting worse lately, right, Mr. Tsuchimikado? Just consider it an act of charity; maybe it will change your luck.” Tsuchimikado Motoharu said.

And so, the three fools walked further and further away, gradually disappearing into the horizon...

“But I just felt like I’ve lost something important,” Kamijou continued.

"What important thing is it? Ah Shang, are you delusional?" the blue-haired man with the earring retorted.

"Because A-Shang is the kind of guy who's totally unlucky with women. It's normal for him to have some fantasies during his youthful years," Tsuchimikado chimed in.

"I don't want to be lectured by you, you siscon. Honestly, I really feel like I've lost something important..."

※※※

Was what Misaka just said... a confession?

I was stunned. Happiness came too fast; I wasn't prepared at all.

Heh, heh heh heh heh...

"What are you grinning about?! You're like an idiot." Mikoto pretended to be angry, but her voice grew softer and softer, followed by her usual arrogance: "Although I'm very reluctant, you did help me out, so I'll just squeeze out a day to spend with you as a way of repaying you."

I chuckled softly: "Speaking of which, I seem to have recently become a little fond of pride again."

"Idiot! What's with all this talk about pride?! I'm not proud at all!"

As we talked, we ended up at a small stall selling hot dogs and cold drinks. The smell of grilled sausages made me realize I was getting hungry. Looking up at the sun, I estimated it was already noon.

"How about I treat you to a simple meal?" I asked Mikoto.

Mikoto, who seemed to have lost a lot of energy from yelling and shouting, nodded in agreement. We chose a table and sat down. I then ordered two hot dogs and a cold drink, which were brought over. After taking a bite, I felt it was a bit bland, so I went back and asked for a tube of salad dressing.

When I got back, seeing the two similar hot dogs, I had another idea: to play a trick on Mikoto. I deliberately asked her, "They look almost identical, which one am I going to eat?"

Mikoto sat there, perfectly aware of the situation, just as I suspected. She raised her head and exclaimed, "How would I know, you idiot!"

"That's exactly what I was waiting for." I chuckled to myself, then picked out the one with Mikoto's teeth marks: "This is probably it." I dipped it in some salad dressing, took a bite, and handed the other one that I had already eaten to Mikoto.

Mikoto was incredibly shy, but she didn't say anything. She took it, looked at the bite mark I had made, but didn't open her mouth.

"Eat quickly, Mikoto, it'll get cold soon," I urged her. At the same time, I slurped down my cold drink.

Mikoto finally opened her mouth and took small bites of the hot dog. Her excited yet nervous expression made me want to burst out laughing—just then, an unexpected person appeared!

That handsome, single guy Haiyuan, who had just been dumped, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground with a "plop." He then shouted, "Misaka-san—" before I stepped on his back, silencing him.

"Hey! Don't be so persistent, kid!" I said, pulling him up with extreme annoyance.

"I really have something important to tell Misaka!" Haiyuan shouted. Before I could completely silence him, he said, "I was kidnapped these past few days! I just escaped! The person who broke up with Misaka was an imposter! Someone who wanted to kill Misaka!"

Huh? What's going on?!

I was in a daze when I suddenly realized that someone who looked exactly like the single guy I was holding had just run away.

"Take care of this guy, call an ambulance for him!" I told Mikoto, throwing the real bachelor to the ground. Then I ran after the imposter.

After chasing for a while, the imposter suddenly stopped at an abandoned construction site.

“I didn’t want to fight you, but it seems that’s no longer an option.” The imposter suddenly pulled out a black crystal dagger.

"Obsidian?! You're a mixed-race bastard from Central America?" I scoffed, immediately recognizing him. Then I drew my Heaven-Slaying Sword.

Upon hearing the word "bastard," the imposter's face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. He then brandished his dagger—but it was useless!

"What's going on?!" the imposter shouted. "The Toraviska-Bantik Utori Spear can disintegrate anything below Venus! Why is it malfunctioning?!"

I rolled my eyes at the idiot who was panicking because his ace had malfunctioned. Then I walked over and punched him to the ground: "Venus?! You actually wanted to use Venus to kill me?! That's the funniest joke in the world."

(According to legend, Lucifer's name is the Morning Star, which is Venus, the brightest star in the sky before dawn besides the moon.)

At that moment, the man suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at me, seemingly combining two ancient legends: that the rulers of the earthly kingdom of heaven are the radiant angels under God's throne, and that there is an angel representing Venus. What followed was an unbelievable conclusion.

"You, you, you are actually—"

I immediately punched him in the stomach, shutting him up.

"Now that you've figured it out, are you prepared to die—and be disappointed?" I said halfway through, but then I felt Mikoto running towards me with a powerful electromagnetic force, so I immediately changed my words.

However, that guy didn't have my perception. He just thought I was teasing him, chuckled, and then said, "Can you grant me one last request?"

"Tell me first," I replied.

"Please protect Misaka Mikoto," the imposter said. At the same time, upon hearing her name called, Misaka Mikoto, who had just arrived, immediately hid behind a concrete pillar.

I looked at him with some confusion.

“The organization ordered me to get close to her so I could meet you and gather intelligence. But during this time…” He sighed softly, “I’ve really fallen for Mikoto.”

“…I think it would be better if I killed you,” I said.

He smiled calmly: "You really do care about her. So, could you accept my request so that I can die with fewer regrets?"

I nodded solemnly and then said, "Even without you saying it, I will protect her for the rest of my life."

After that, the imposter nodded in satisfaction, and then I knocked him unconscious with a scabbard: "I'll spare you for Misaka's sake." I rolled my eyes, deliberately ignoring Misaka Mikoto who was hiding behind a pillar and had already crouched down in a ball, and then used a teleportation technique to leave.

Yes, the plan is going ahead.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Return and Promise

After that, I went back to the hot dog stand by the roadside and ordered another cold drink. I asked the owner, and it seemed that the real single guy from earlier had already been taken away by ambulance.

Thinking about it carefully, this guy shouldn't be underestimated. Having just escaped the clutches of a kidnapper, he didn't go to the disciplinary committee, the security guards, or even his parents—but went straight to Mikoto's place.

Moreover, they acted with panic, as if their intention to harm Mikoto was more important than his own kidnapping. Who would believe there was nothing going on here?

This guy was probably trying to play the victim card with Mikoto to win her over. Too bad, he's too late, kid. After this, Mikoto will almost certainly be head over heels for me. You can stay single, my friend.

Thinking this, I saw Mikoto walking towards me in a daze, so I waved to let her know I was here.

After sitting down, Mikoto didn't say anything more, just kept her head down and munched on her now-cold hot dog. It took her thirty minutes to finish one hot dog. And she kept glancing at me, as if she thought she was being very discreet and I wouldn't notice.

Because of Mikoto, we wasted a lot of precious time. I figured the little girl and the young lady should have finished shopping and gone home by now. I checked my watch again; it was past 2 PM. So I told Mikoto I had something very, very important to tell her. Then I took her to the riverbank where we had our first duel.

Mikoto probably thought I was about to confess my feelings. It was as if I wanted to run away, but my feet were rooted to the spot. Head down, I looked like a primary school student being scolded by a teacher.

"After today, it will be a little difficult to meet again," I said as my opening remark.

Mikoto thought I was talking about the start of school, so she didn't pay much attention: "On weekends and holidays... it's not like I can't spend time with you..."

I shook my head: "I'm going back to Jerusalem."

Mikoto suddenly raised her head and stared intently at me.

I gave a wry smile and then said, "Actually, there are some things I've been hiding from you—I'm not a student of Academy City. Nor am I a researcher or a teacher. I'm a real Jerusalemite. I'm here only for sightseeing and diplomatic matters."

“Idiot…” Mikoto whispered—then shouted, “None of this matters—”

“Listen to me, Mikoto!” I pressed down on her shoulders. “Besides, I’m not named Stuart, I’m named Baldwin.”

"How could this be?!" Mikoto's mind went blank. She then shook off my hand, shouting, "The great prince is on a business trip to Academy City. He played with an innocent girl, and then just walked away?! Light, you bastard! I misjudged you!!"

"Mikoto, you should watch less romance movies and more fairy tales." I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes: "It's not like that." I hugged her. Mikoto exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" but didn't resist.

"My identity is special. I had no choice but to lie when we first met. But the longer I get to know you, the more I realize that you are indeed a kind and good girl. That's why I don't want to keep lying to you."

"You clearly said you would protect me for the rest of your life..." Mikoto said, tears streaming down her face.

“Of course, I always keep my word.” I gently stroked her hair. “I’ll come to see you here often from now on. Like you said, once a week might not be enough, but I’ll try to come on holidays. How about that?”

"Are you still lying to me?" Mikoto asked.

"Of course not." I shook my head, then whispered, "Mikoto, close your eyes."

"Hmm?" Mikoto hadn't read so many romance novels for nothing; she knew exactly what I was going to do. She closed her eyes, trembling uncontrollably like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

"I love you." I kissed her deeply. Then I whispered in her ear, "When I turn sixteen, I will marry you and make you my queen."

After I finished speaking, I let go of her hand, holding it reluctantly: "Please promise me?"

Mikoto shed tears of happiness and nodded: "I believe you."

The young lovers kissed once more, then parted tearfully, reluctant to leave. I suddenly realized that there seemed to be a touch of sincerity in the lie I had just told.

Misaka Mikoto... huh?

※※※

On my way back, I casually picked up a can of coffee milk from a vending machine. The machine, quite uncooperatively, swallowed my money. I rolled my eyes, then used my lightning magic to unleash a torrent of electricity on the uncooperative vending machine. Afterward, I successfully got my coffee.

Sipping coffee, I walked down the street, lost in thought about Mikoto. So engrossed was I that I bumped into something without realizing it.

I looked down and realized that the person I bumped into was a little girl with a cowlick. And for some reason, she looked a bit like Mikoto.

"Misaka Misaka greets you," the little girl said, then smiled at me. I then noticed that the child was wrapped in a dirty blanket. Her face also looked unhealthy.