"Mikoto, could it be… that you and Haruto already have a child together?"
Misaka Misuzu suddenly voiced her suspicion, pointing off to the side.
Mikoto followed her gaze—and froze.
On the big broadcast screen, another match happening at the same time was being shown.
In one split-screen, amidst the crowd, sat a strikingly handsome boy, gently holding the hand of an adorable little girl.
The girl was chattering noisily, while the boy responded with endless patience—like a picture-perfect scene of fatherly love and daughterly affection.
With just one glance, Mikoto was utterly stunned.
That dazzling boy, the one everyone's eyes would inevitably be drawn to—was none other than that guy her mother had been nagging her about endlessly these past two days.
Haruto.
And the little girl at his side—looked exactly like Mikoto when she was a child.
The impact of the scene was almost on par with the first time Mikoto had met the Sisters.
Standing right next to her was her mother.
For a moment, Mikoto wanted to ask Misuzu if she had secretly given her a younger sister.
But since she'd just been asked the question about having a "child," she knew that couldn't be it.
So… the only possibility left was—she had somehow given birth to a daughter without knowing?! (No, absolutely not!)
Alright… more likely, it was something like the Sisters.
But why was she appearing in the form of a little girl?
"You child, having a daughter is such a big deal, why didn't you tell your mother?"
Misuzu scolded gently.
Mikoto: ??
"Mom! How could that even be possible! I'm still in middle school!" she screamed.
Judging by the age of the little girl, Mikoto would've had to give birth at an age that would have Haruto sentenced to death on the spot.
Impossible. No way.
But Misuzu could be terribly careless at times.
Mikoto's outburst drew the stares of people nearby.
And, of course, at that exact moment the broadcast commentary chimed in with teasing remarks.
"Ahhh, what a heartwarming scene! That boy who steals the spotlight no matter where he goes—he's the same rising star who won yesterday's borrowing-race event and even broke the record! But who would've guessed, this star actually has such a gentle side, hehehe."
Another commentator joined in:
"Though, is that his younger sister beside him? The hair color doesn't seem quite the same."
"Eh? Why does that girl look so familiar? She looks just like Tokiwadai's Railgun Princess."
The commentator, already swooning over Haruto's good looks and gentle demeanor, suddenly clapped his hands.
"Now that you mention it, she really does! Practically identical to Tokiwadai's Ace, the Railgun! And come to think of it, didn't reports about this rising star mention he was deeply involved with Tokiwadai's Ace…?"
Hearing that, Mikoto completely lost it.
A shadow flashed by her side—
Shirai Kuroko appeared, eyes wide in shock, throwing her arms around her "Onee-sama."
"Onee-sama, when did you give birth to a daughter?! How could I not know—"
Zap!
Before she could finish, Kuroko was zapped.
Moments later…
Mikoto, looking utterly done with life, grabbed Haruto.
If looks could kill, he'd have been cut into a thousand pieces.
"Care to explain to me what exactly is going on with that kid!?"
Haruto sighed helplessly.
What could he do? Misaka Misaka was clinging to him—he couldn't just toss away the Sisters' Command Tower.
And now, she'd ended up on live broadcast… right in front of the real deal.
"Onee-sama, Misaka—"
Misaka Misaka started to explain her identity, but Haruto quickly covered her mouth.
Misuzu was right nearby.
This wasn't something she could ever know.
The Sisters project had to remain hidden from her.
God only knew how Misuzu would react if she learned what her daughter's clones had gone through.
And sure enough, Misuzu leaned in, face full of curiosity—clearly wondering if she was about to become a grandmother.
Mikoto, panicking, frantically signaled Haruto with her eyes.
"This child is a distant cousin of mine. But yes, what a coincidence—she does look very much like Mikoto-san."
Haruto spoke calmly.
Misuzu looked a little disappointed—so she wasn't becoming a grandmother after all.
But her eyes lit up again as she looked at Misaka Misaka.
The girl really was the spitting image of Mikoto's childhood.
Without hesitation, Misuzu scooped her up.
"This child is exactly like little Mikoto when she was small. Looking at her, I feel like I'm young again. By the way, what's her name? She's so cute! Let me give her a kiss!"
And with that, Misuzu showered her with kisses.
Mikoto's heart was in her throat the entire time.
But—
"My name is Moeko, I'm Haruto-nii's distant cousin." Misaka Misaka cleverly answered, sneaking a smug glance at Haruto as if to boast about her quick thinking.
Misuzu praised the name immediately, completely overlooking the part where she'd called herself "Misaka Misaka."
Or the bizarre fact that Haruto's so-called cousin looked identical to her daughter.
Sometimes, being a little dense wasn't such a bad thing.
Seeing that her mother hadn't grown suspicious, Mikoto let out a massive sigh of relief.
But when she turned to look at Haruto again, her face was full of despair.
Was she cursed with this guy?!
Yesterday he "stole" her mom, today he nearly "stole" her a daughter.
Meanwhile, Kuroko at the side was already drooling.
"Onee-sama's childhood self… huff huff… too cute!"
She openly declared her wish to "order" a whole collection of Onee-samas of every age.
Money was no object!
Haruto only chuckled softly.
Though unexpected, perhaps letting Misaka Misaka get close to Misuzu—her mother in the truest sense of the word—wasn't a bad thing.
As for the name Misaka Misaka had blurted out—
That name actually belonged to Misaka No. 1.
Somehow, by coincidence or by tampering, she was stationed in the very region Haruto had lived in before coming here.
A parallel reality, yes, but still Haruto's homeland.
Before leaving, Misaka No. 1 needed a proper name for her documents.
After all, you couldn't have twenty thousand Misakas walking around all with the same name.
And among all the Sisters, Misaka No. 1 was the closest to Haruto.
So Haruto had given her the name.
She'd liked it a lot.
Even bragged about it to her sisters—and nearly got herself chased down for it.
Misaka Misaka must have pulled the name from the Network and borrowed it for this moment.
With the "misunderstanding" cleared, Mikoto dragged Haruto off to a quiet corner.
"What is going on with that child? Don't tell me the Mass-Production Esper Project has started up again!?"
Her voice was heavy with worry.
Haruto shook his head, gently brushing her hair, calming her anxiety.
"That project ended long ago. Your gene sequence was completely deleted. That child is a leftover from the old plan—the Command Tower the Sisters were meant to have. She was only recently discovered. But now she's safe, don't worry."
He didn't mention the incident in the underground.
It was already resolved.
Feeling his hand's warmth smoothing over her head, Mikoto's unease miraculously melted away.
If it had been anyone else saying this, she would never have fully trusted it. She'd insist on investigating personally, verifying it with her own eyes.
But since it was Haruto saying it—she chose to believe.
Her taut body relaxed all at once.
Her legs gave out, sending her falling forward—straight into his arms.
Before she could even gasp, she was enveloped in warmth, in a crushing sense of security. And in that instant, Mikoto felt something stir within her.
As a child, she had adored stories of heroes.
When the heroine was in danger, all she had to do was cry out, and her hero would come to save her.
That dream had been buried deep as she grew older, as she gained her powers.
But it had never fully vanished.
During the Sisters incident, it had nearly reignited completely.
And now, standing here, Mikoto felt like the boy before her—was the very hero she had always longed for.
But before she could linger in the moment—
"Ara ara~"
Her mother's mischievous chuckle sounded from behind.
Mikoto jolted like a startled rabbit, leaping out of Haruto's arms.
"Moooom!!!"
Her face was scarlet as she shouted.