The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

She stood up from her seat and, as she walked towards her room, said to Misaka Mikoto:

"Hehe! I've already thought of what punishment to give, but... it'll be a secret for now!"

Then I went back to my room and rummaged around in it.

Misaka Mikoto nervously awaited Inoue Hideka's punishment, feeling both anticipation and fear, her face involuntarily turning red.

But upon hearing Inoue Hideka's words, he was immediately enraged and glared fiercely at Inoue Hideka as she walked towards his room.

"Damn it! You bastard! Just you wait, I'll definitely win the punishment game tomorrow! Then I'll do this and that to you! Humph!"

However, Inoue Hideka, who had already entered the room, obviously ignored Misaka Mikoto's anger.

Misaka Mirei, however, looking at her daughter's tense atmosphere, said ambiguously:

"Oh? Something like that? Oh wow! What kind of thing is it? Mom is really looking forward to it!"

"Hey!"

Misaka Mikoto realized that she had probably said something terrible, and her body suddenly stiffened.

"No, no! It's not what you think! Mom! Kuroko? Saten? Hatsuharu?"

He anxiously tried to explain himself, looking to his friends for approval.

but……

Shirai Kuroko glared at Inoue Hideka's room with an expression that looked like her precious treasure had been stolen.

In early spring, Shili adopted an attitude of indifference, as if it were none of her business.

Saten Ruiko's eyes held encouragement, seemingly fully supporting Misaka Mikoto in giving Inoue Eika a good 'lesson'.

"You, you all..."

Misaka Mikoto was increasingly embarrassed and angry, and seemed about to cry.

That's not what I meant at all!

Why can't you believe it!

At that moment, Inoue Hideka also came out of the room.

However, the pockets of the casual pants I changed into when I got home were bulging, clearly indicating that something had been put inside.

She winked smugly at Misaka Mikoto, her eyes full of schadenfreude.

"..."

Misaka Mikoto gritted her teeth as she looked at Inoue Hideka's smug expression.

This guy must have come up with another idea to embarrass me!

It's rare that people changed their opinion of him this afternoon, what a jerk!

"Inoue, as a man, you should be gentle with women and not be too rude!"

Misaka Mirei spoke with a smile, seemingly pleading for her daughter, but the truth could be seen from Misaka Mikoto's reaction.

Upon hearing this, Misaka Mikoto's face suddenly turned bright red.

Seemingly recalling some unpleasant scene, she blushed and paused for a moment before Inoue Eika could reply, then suddenly yelled at Misaka Mirei:

"Mom! What are you saying! Should a mother really say such things?!"

"Oh dear! I was talking about your so-called punishment game! Mikoto, are you getting the wrong idea?"

"Well……"

Misaka Mikoto was speechless, probably knowing she couldn't win an argument with her mother, so she simply lowered her head, her face flushed, and silently ate her rice, no longer saying a word.

"Well, well... Ms. Meiling, please spare Misaka-senpai! If you keep talking, Misaka-senpai is about to lose control, although she really is very cute..."

When Misaka Mikoto heard Saten Ruiko speak up for her, she looked up at Saten Ruiko with gratitude.

But after hearing Saten Ruiko's last words, she lowered her head again, filled with resentment.

In other words, you're talking nonsense just because I look cute that way?

……

Dinner was spent in such a peaceful atmosphere.

Of course, this excludes Misaka Mikoto, who is constantly bullied, and Shirai Kuroko, who is always staring at Inoue Eika with dangerous eyes.

After the meal, everyone tidied up and headed out in a large group.

It was 6:20 p.m., ten minutes before the nighttime parade was scheduled to begin.

But the streets were already packed with people, and various food stalls were vying to hawk their wares on the street.

The closing ceremony of the Daihasei Festival is at 8 p.m., so students are free to wander around the streets until 8 p.m.

Taking advantage of the Academy City's nighttime opening hours, many students came out in groups, some shopping and others strolling around.

At 6:30 p.m., when the nighttime parade begins, fireworks that illuminate the entire Academy City will be set off throughout the city.

Therefore, there are quite a few couples who want to watch fireworks together.

Inoue Hideka was dressed casually, while the ladies had changed into well-fitting kimonos.

Saten Ruiko's was already at home, while Uiharu Kazari went back to her dorm to get it in the afternoon.

Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto were wearing clothes that Misaka Mirei had picked up from the Tokiwadai dormitory that afternoon, just in case.

According to Misaka Mirei herself, she simply showed her identification to the Tokiwadai dormitory supervisor, who then allowed her to pass.

Misaka Mirei's evaluation of this was: What a kind, understanding, and responsible dormitory supervisor!

Leaving aside Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko's internal complaints about this assessment, the group is now walking on a bustling street.

The parade started in District 7, circled the entire Academy City, and finally returned to District 7.

Therefore, the group of people strolling around could also see the parade convoy parked in front of an international hotel.

On the huge mobile stage, staff are making final checks in preparation for the parade.

Sound testing, lighting, and the placement of tools, etc.

Upon seeing the mobile stage, Inoue Hideka's eyes lit up, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He said something to the others and then walked towards the mobile stage.

"What did that bastard go do?"

"I don't know! Maybe Yinghua wants to give us a surprise?"

"I'm guessing," Saten Ruiko said.

However, Misaka Mikoto had a bad feeling as she watched Inoue Eika walk away.

It might not be a surprise, but a shock?

The parade was about to begin, so the group didn't go far, but stood in place waiting for Inoue Eika to return.

About five or six minutes later, Inoue Hideka returned from the mobile stage with a beaming smile.

Meeting Misaka Mikoto's wary gaze, Inoue Hideka's smile widened.

"Hehe! Mikoto, let's go! Your punishment is done. But I don't really think it counts as punishment; it might just make you world-famous!"

"W-what?! Don't make it sound so strange, what kind of punishment is it?!"

Seeing Inoue Hideka's warm smile, Misaka Mikoto felt inexplicably nervous, as if she was about to fall into a deep pit.

"Would you be willing to become a star?"

Inoue Hideka chuckled and said to Misaka Mikoto with a seductive tone.

"Huh? What?"

"Alright, enough chit-chat! They're waiting over there! So, everyone, please look forward to Misaka's performance!"

Inoue Eika ignored Misaka Mikoto, said something to Saten Ruiko and the others, and walked towards the mobile stage first.

After taking a few steps, she turned back, looked at Misaka Mikoto with disdain, and reminded her:

"Is Mikoto going back on her word? Is the young lady of Tokiwadai going to act like a two-faced villain?"

"Huh! How...how is this possible! Hmph! Fine, I'll go! Lady Mikoto wants to see what tricks you're up to, you bastard!"

Chapter 260 Tonight, I want you to be the brightest star!

School District 7, 6:30 a.m.

The mobile stage parked on the side of the street started the parade on time.

At the same time, colorful fireworks burst in the night sky of Academy City.

Bang! Bang! The sounds of fireworks were deafening, and the dazzling light of the fireworks shone on the faces of the spectators who had come out to watch, reflecting their excited smiles.

The backstage area of ​​the mobile stage.

Inoue Hideka forcefully pressed Misaka Mikoto down in front of the dressing table, then excitedly called the makeup artist to do Misaka Mikoto's makeup.

"Hey! I said! What exactly do you want?! Singing, putting on makeup, and all that! What kind of punishment is it?!"

Misaka Mikoto was naturally unwilling to let Inoue Hideka do as she pleased, and sat in front of the dressing table, looking at Inoue Hideka with dissatisfaction and questioning her.

Just then, the male host's voice, amplified by a microphone, came from the front of the mobile stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen... everyone, good evening! I am Kuro, the host of today's night parade! Before the event begins, I have some great news to announce! It's a huge surprise that has never been seen before in any of the previous Daihasei Festival night parades!"

The host paused here, deliberately making a connection to pique the audience's curiosity.

"OK! I won't keep you in suspense any longer—tonight's concert features a surprisingly important guest, someone whose name I'm sure everyone in Academy City has heard of! That's right, it's none other than A Certain Scientific Railgun—Misaka Mikoto! She will be performing 'Only My Railgun' for you all! She's currently backstage preparing, so please look forward to the third performance from Academy City! Before that, let's have our 'Grey Rabbit' group perform a captivating dance for you. Please welcome the Grey Rabbit group!"

Presumably hoping to leverage Misaka Mikoto's fame to attract more viewers, the host announced at the very beginning that Misaka Mikoto would be performing.

However, this is also something that Inoue Hideka agrees with.

After all, the reason they agreed to cooperate with Inoue Hideka was to use Misaka Mikoto's fame to gain some recognition for their own team.

The sheet music for "Only My Railgun" that Inoue Hideka had previously kept in his pocket was a copy of it; he had written several copies.

It has now been handed over to the other instrumentalists in the orchestra so that they can familiarize themselves with it beforehand to avoid making mistakes when they actually perform.

After all, they are professional musicians. Although the performance time was short, they should be able to play without making any mistakes.