Kamijou Touma sat on a bench in a small plaza (no smoking) used as a meeting spot in the underground mall. He was drinking oolong tea from a small 200 milliliter plastic bottle he had bought at a shop.
He was currently alone.
Shirai Kuroko had been hanging around, but Misaka Mikoto had beat her down enough to get her to teleport off somewhere while shouting "I was only acting out of concern for you, onee-sama! I never thought my kindness would be a double-edged sword!!" Mikoto herself had headed back to the service store to finish the procedure to register their cell phones. Kamijou had actually gone back with her, but he had left partway through. The Ace of Tokiwadai Middle School had shouted "This store gives you a Pyonko along with Gekota!?" and entered a strange mood with her eyes sparkling. Kamijou decided it was for the best not to deal with someone when they were in such an annoying mood.
"…I hope she calms down soon."
Kamijou sighed and looked down at his cell phone. It was hard to tell while in the underground mall, but it was already past 4 PM. His honest thoughts were nothing more than, "Filling out that application and all that other paperwork sure took a long time."
And as he relaxed on the bench, Misaka Mikoto returned to him.
"Oh, are you done now?"
Kamijou spoke to her, but Mikoto merely turned her head slightly away without speaking a word. It looked like she was hesitant to reply, but he was unsure what about his question would be difficult to answer.
"?" Kamijou tilted his head in puzzlement. "What? Did something happen? Come to think of it, you don't have a bag for a new cell phone. Was there some kind of trouble?"
"N-no, Misaka is…" Mikoto waved her hands with smooth, silent motions and then brought a hand to her own forehead. "This Misaka is one of the Misakas that always wears goggles, says Misaka #10032 as she gives her Serial Number to help identify herself."
"Are you Misaka Imouto?"
Misaka Imouto gave a quick nod in response.
This girl had an identical body to Misaka Mikoto down to every hair on her head, so Kamijou could hardly be blamed for confusing them. She usually had an unrefined pair of night-vision goggles on her forehead, but for some reason she did not today.
Misaka Imouto seemed to be experiencing some kind of special circumstances.
"Did you see a Misaka of about this size? asks Misaka as she holds her hand horizontally just under her chest."
Misaka Imouto was indicating a height about the same or possibly slightly shorter than Komoe-sensei. Kamijou's expression grew a bit confused as he watched her.
"You come in different sizes?"
"Misaka will take that as a no, says Misaka as she is disillusioned by your uselessness and continues calculating out that damn brat's escape route."
Misaka Imouto let out a slight sigh. She adjusted her grip on her school bag and Kamijou heard some kind of heavy metallic noise come from within.
(She's in a bad mood again.)
As Kamijou had that thought, she continued speaking.
"To be blunt, Misaka's goggles were stolen, says Misaka as she reports her situation with a grim expression. Without those goggles, Misaka is difficult to distinguish from the Original, so she must retrieve them as quickly as possible. However, the situation leaves Misaka at a disadvantage, says Misaka as she looks up at you so as to implicitly ask for help."
"…"
Kamijou realized that both the older sister and the younger sister were very coercive in the same kind of way.
In amazement, he said, "It is true you will probably be mistaken for Mikoto looking like that."
"Yes, agrees Misaka. When Misaka was running down an alley with a submachine gun in hand, she had some trouble when a pigtailed schoolgirl suddenly yelling out to her, says Misaka as she earnestly tells a tale of her hardship."
"Um…pigtails you say?"
He had a guess who that might be. He just prayed it would have no negative impact on Mikoto's everyday life. He also thought he had heard the dangerous term "submachine gun", so he just hoped he had misheard.
"Y'know, it would be nice if you had something to distinguish you from Mikoto. At least until you get your goggles back."
"Are you asking Mikoto to become a forehead character? asks Misaka with her head tilted in puzzlement."
"Delete that term from your mind." Kamijou seriously wondered who had taught it to her. "There are other options besides the forehead. You're wearing the same winter uniform, but you could just take off the blazer, I guess."
"So you enjoy forcing girls to strip in public places? asks Misaka as she obeys despite not understanding what is so great about it."
"Bh!? Why are you reaching for your skirt all of a sudden!? Okay, okay! Don't take anything off!! How about you add an accessory to distinguish yourself!?"
"Misaka has no such decorations on hand at the moment and she does not think she could afford to purchase one, says Misaka as she appeals to her family-oriented side by providing a realistic response."
(I need to ask that frog-faced doctor about Misaka Imouto's living environment.)
"No, there are tons of options for accessories. It just has to distinguish you from Mikoto, so I'm sure we can find something for only 1000 yen at a small stand around here. And with something that cheap, I'll even buy it for you."
"Buy it for Misaka…?"
"But what to get? Would a ring make a good accessory for a girl?"
"…A ring?"
Misaka Imouto fell silent for some reason.
But Kamijou was utterly oblivious.
"No, a ring wouldn't stand out enough. You want something that is obvious at a glance, so maybe a skull mask or…Ow!?"
The instant he changed his mind, Misaka Imouto expressionlessly punched him.