I am so sorry for the long wait, but I had been busy with other projects that completely took up my writing time. This chapter is completely focused on Machiko's powers, which were fun to think of. I would like to thank Nagisa Tr for being someone who I could discuss ideas with. They were a big help in figuring out what Machiko could potentially do. Hope I got most of the errors, it's hard to catch them all in a 7,000 word chapter.

Electromaster & Pachinkomaster

"Machiko-chan, could you decrease your amperage by 2,000 milliamps?" Asks one of the scientists behind the glass.

"Ok…", I try my best to comply. My voltage and amperage output have increased a lot these past few months. An extra 50,000 volts and another 30 amps. Those in charge of the development program tell me that's very fast for someone who has just started development. Perhaps it's because I am a natural and didn't go through all those scary needles and take all those strange super power drugs that alter your brain chemistry. The whole program is pretty sketchy, injecting kids with drugs to give powers for research purposes. I think I remember there being a darker ulterior motive to creating a city of espers, but I didn't get to that part and I just happened to read it on the wiki. Something to do with the test tube guy.

Although my output of power has increased significantly, I can't say the same about my precision control. Don't get me wrong, it's way better than it was when I first started, I can now lower my output to levels where I won't accidentally turn someone into barbeque, but the intervals I can increase and decrease power is not that impressive. Right now, I can raise and lower my power by intervals of 20,000-30,000 volts, and 5 to 7 amps. I'm trying to make those intervals smaller so I can do more things that don't involve frying equipment. And oh boy, have I fired some equipment. I think they might have given me equipment meant for level 4s because of the massive power spikes I demonstrate. I also think they did some impromptu modifications some of this equipment, because it doesn't fit me properly and its heavy! Like they didn't expect a five-year-old to reach this level so quickly. I have these, what I could only describe a power gloves, on my hands. They have all these lights and monitors on them and thick cables probably connecting them to some computer. I also have some sort of headset on my head that looks like an over sized VR headset, which essentially it is, that displays to me precise numbers and other useful info. Honestly, it's heavy and my makes my neck hurt. I don't like wearing it, but hey, what can a girl do.

I'm sparking, thankfully I am in a secure room where I can hurt anyone, and the headset displays me outputting 35,578 volts and 15.8 amps. I concentrate and the amps start to go down. I feel myself shake from the effort.

12.1 amps.

I let out a gasp of exhaustion. I'm pretty sure my face is beat red, and I feel sweat drip down my cheek.

"3.7 amps, close but not quite." Says the scientist, "You did improve though, your deltas are getting smaller. I think a few more sessions and you'll be right where you should be for someone your level."

Despite improving, I feel frustrated, and I express that frustration by releasing my ability. I feel a sudden heat and a pop as the screen goes dark inside the headset. "Ow!" I yelp as I rip the now smoking headset off my head, my vision starry.

"Looks like your amperage spiked faster than what that piece of equipment could handle…" I hear the scientist say in what sounds like a sigh.

"Sorry…" I let out weakly as I rub my eyes. My vision clears up and I look around and I notice something strange. There are strange squiggles in the air. I rub my eyes again and the squiggles are still there. "Um, I think I am seeing things…" I say, kind of nervous. I hope I didn't fry some braincells with my latest short circuit.

"Oh? Are you alright Machiko-chan? Can you describe what you see?" There was concern in his voice, but I can also hear curiosity as well.

"Well I am seeing squiggly lines in the air." I say.

"Squiggly lines?"

"Yeah, like I am seeing faint, squiggly outlines. The squiggles remind of seeing heat waves radiating off pavement on a hot summer day, but they seem to be coming from electrical things…" I look to the power gloves and to the various equipment around me. I take the gloves off and try touching the transparent squiggles. I feel a tingly sensation on my fingertips. Reminds me of when I touched a Van de Graaf generator back in school in my old life. I withdraw my hands and I notice some squiggles surrounding my arm. I spark electricity to my arm and the squiggles grow wild and bigger.

I stop and look around the room once more. The squiggles are everywhere, and my head starts to hurt from looking at all of them, "All the lines are kinda giving me a headache…" I feel bit nauseous, so I close my eyes to stop seeing the lines.

"I-Impossible…" I hear the scientist stutter over the speaker. I hear him cough to regain composure, "Machiko-chan, I think you might be seeing the electromagnetic fields of all the various electrical equipment…"

What.

"Oh…" Is all I can say. I'll freak out later. Must retain my dignity while in front of the science people.

…

…

Electromagnetic Fields!? Is he for real!? How in the hell does one see an electromagnetic field!? It doesn't even have a physical form! The only way you can see it is by seeing its effects on other objects, like iron fillings. Just great. Next, I'll be able to see the flow of electrons.

That gives me an even bigger headache just thinking about it!

"H-How." I croak.

"I don't know! No Electromaster has been able to see them unaided. It has been theorized a level 5 could, but we aren't projected to having one of those for another year or two." The man says quickly.

I groan, "Well whatever, I just want to make it stop. It hurts to look at all this stuff…"

"Hmm, I don't know how to advise you on this, Machiko-chan." The man says regretfully, "You are going to have to use your willpower to perhaps turn off the ability or perhaps try to find a way to ignore it. We could turn some the equipment, perhaps cut the flow of electricity to lessen the number of electromagnetic fields present."

I nod my head, "Please do…" Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like in this world if I had no abilities. I could have been one of those kids who graduate college at like eight and appear on those late-night shows, doing stupid stuff on television like naming all the elements on the periodic table or name all the countries in the world.

I sigh

This is going to be a long day.

XXX

I'm staring at my hands, pulsing electricity and examine how the electromagnetic fields moves and reacts.

I've gotten used to seeing the moving electromagnetic fields around me and figured out how to block them out, so that I see them if I want to see them. In my free time, I even figured out how to manipulate them. I can only make the field move in different directions, nothing fancy yet, but the fact I can even do it in the first place is amazing. Being able to manipulate electromagnetic fields has given me some ideas for applications.

As much as I want to replicate what my sister will be capable of, I don't have the power yet to really do that. I remember the U.S. navy having a railgun back in my previous life, and that it required millions of watts delivered in less than a second to launch a projectile. I have calculated that I could potentially produce over 9 million watts if I push myself to output at full power. It's amazing I have that kind of power, but I can't produce that in an instant without causing some damage and I can't hold up max output for long. I know the theory behind a railgun and other types of magnetic riffles pretty well, but I will need to wait before I attempt something so dangerous as a projectile flying at hypersonic velocities.

However, this new development of seeing and controlling electromagnetic fields, and a massive potential power output has given me another idea. This idea is much smaller and controllable and doesn't require as much power. Well at least not a lot of volts, but a crap ton of amps.

That's why I have a steel ball bearing on the pavement and my hands on both sides of it, not touching it at all. I concentrate and create an electromagnetic field around the ball bearing and slowly make it levitate off from the ground. With that done, I start ramping up the power and start alternating the magnetic field around the bearing. I see some smoke emit from the bearing as it starts to heat up, burning away any dirt or leftover residue on it. I continue to increase the power, making the magnetic field fluctuate. The ball bearing starts to glow a pale red and starts radiating lots of heat. I grit my teeth as I give it one last push of power.

Th ball bearing rapidly heats up, going from red to orange, and finally white hot before losing shape and becoming liquid. I immediately stop and the small drop of molten metal falls to the black surface of the parking lot. I back away quickly and watch the molten metal start to melt a small hole in the asphalt surface.

"Shit!" I say as I notice the smoke being produced by the molten metal and I decide to book it before someone notices. Despite that, I can't help but smile at my achievement. I just successfully melted metal by induction heating. It might have been a small ball bearing, but it confirmed to me that I could do it.

Although, what I did was extremely dangerous, and I probably should have worn proper safety gear…

But, how would I explain needing a welder's mask and heat resistant clothing?

…

Eh, I doubt they care. I remember watching the anime and seeing Espers getting away with so much stuff. I think Mikoto fired her railgun in the middle of street, causing mass damage to buildings. I doubt little ol' me melting a small hole in a parking lot will get their attention.

XXX

I am in a large room with other children, all of them older than me, I estimate their ages range between 11 to 16.

"Congratulations, Machiko-chan, on making level 3!" The nice scientist lady says, "This is a joint study room for level three electro masters. This room is exclusively for other Electromasters to learn from each other and improve themselves."

I look up to her with a quirked brow, "Joint study room? Why am I just now being told of its existence?"

She sighs, "Well, you see Machiko-chan, normally you would have been here sooner, but thanks to the, uh, 'special' circumstances of your abilities, it would not have been appropriate to put you in any of the joint study rooms."

So basically, I was too dangerous, and I could have killed someone until I got my abilities under control. Got it. No need to give some obtuse explanation.

"I see…" I deadpan before looking back at the children. Some of them are talking with each other in groups, others are letting out some sparks of electricity, creating minor electromagnetic fields, and others were just sitting on some benches, reading books or doing homework. The room is weird. Half it is like a football field, with artificial turf, some benches and sports balls laying around, and the other half has scientific equipment that some were using to train control of their powers.

Such a weird place. Building an indoor park with research equipment and leaving kids in there to interact with each other. Joint study room they said? Looks more like a zoo, with us children as exhibits. Perhaps they don't have to resources to give us all special attention, like me and Mikoto, so they partially rely on these rooms and the children in them to help each other become more proficient with their abilities, and perhaps they can pick out who are the diamonds in the rough, and who are average or worse.

But I'm pretty sure I am something unique to them, why am I here? Perhaps to see how I interact with others like me? To see how someone half their age, but who has more potential them fits in? Are they thinking me spending time with them will improve my abilities? What kind of weird social experiment are they doing here?

"Um, what am I supposed to do here?" I ask, my voice unsure.

She smiles, "Well, the room says it all. Its purpose is for those with similar abilities to connect with each other and help improve their abilities."

"Ok…" I swallow, "I'm younger than them though, I don't know how they will react to someone like me being in here…" I am shifting around nervously. My concerns are valid. My experiences at school have shown me that kids in this city are very competitive.

"Oh, Machiko-chan, do not worry. As Electromasters of the same level, you'd have a hard time actually hurting each other, because of your control over electricity and the forces that govern it." She brushes aside my concerns, before putting a finger on her chin, "Although, you are pretty strong, definitely above the average level three, especially in your amperage output…" She says, "You have shown things that no other Electromaster has, like the ability to see electromagnetic fields unassisted, which gives you better control over them that a level three should have." She smiles, "You should be fine, we are monitoring the room, so if things get out of hand, we'll step in…"

I eye her suspiciously. Why is she going through the extant of my abilities? To give me some sort of power trip? Perhaps to see if I will rise to the top of some sort of Electromaster social pyramid within the room?

I sigh.

Maybe I am being too cynical. Not everyone involved with this city has to be a raging sociopath with an absent moral compass and lack of ethics.

"Come on, Machiko-chan, let's meet some of your peers!" She says cheerfully.

I'm filled with dread already.

Despite my better judgment, I follow her as she leads me towards a group of children playing around with their powers. Some are playing with what looks like iron filings, some are making each other's hair stand up, some are at machines with screens with what looks like lines of code on them, and some are at machines that have power meters attached to them. I think they are trying to push their limits or something.

"Hello, Children, we have a new student joining your group. Everyone, this is Machiko!" The scientist lady cheers.

It feels like the first day of school again. The younger children say hello and wave, the older ones ignored the lady and continued doing what they are doing.

Well, this has turned awkward.

I give a short wave back, "Hello, I am Machiko, please take care of me." I say with a bow.

"Hello, Machiko-chan!" Says a girl.

Well at least one of them is nice.

"Why is someone so young in a level three area?" Asks a boy. He looks twelve.

"Young Machiko has just advanced to level 3 and we thought it would good for her to join the joint study group to learn from her peers." Says the lady.

One of the older kids, a boy who looks to be 14-15, seems to have his attention piqued as he glances over, "Level 3 at that age? Unbelievable." He says that last part flatly, his eyes narrowing, "Don't bring toddlers in here. This place is for those with real potential, not little kids who can barely change their own clothes."

I don't like him. I feel the urge to fry whatever machine he is working at, but I am adult. Getting into fights with kids is a waste of time. Also, I am physically much smaller than him.

"Now, Sosuke-kun, no need to be so antagonistic." The woman lightly scolds," Machiko-chan here is really a level 3, just like the rest of you."

His face grows annoyed, "Yeah, as if." He scoffs.

My eyes twitch, and I let some off some large arcs of electricity, using maximum power to make the arcs of electricity produce the greatest amount of decibels. If he is going to be a brat, I might as well act my apparent age and show off a bit.

The younger kids that are close to me jump a little as loud pops of electricity scorch the ground a bit. The boy, Sosuke I think his name was, narrows his eyes, "Well, looks like you have a little power after all, kid…" He smirks.

"Machiko, please stop." The scientist lady says seriously.

"Hmpf!" I cut off my power and do a pout.

She bends down and whispers in my ear, "Machiko-chan, please have patience. Some of the older children can be a bit immature, but there's no need to discharge such a large amount of power. They don't know, but I could tell those electrical arcs had enough power to kill someone instantaneously. Please don't do that again."

"Yes, yes, I know. It's just his attitude annoyed me. I know better than to actually direct them at someone. I was just showing off a bit to shut him up." I say, looking away from her.

"Good. Remember, some of them might have around the same amount of voltage as you, but your amperage is higher than all of them by a wide margin." She whispers, "I must go, please behave, Machiko-chan." She walks away, leaving me with the other children.

"So…" I say awkwardly, before thinking of something to do, "Wanna see something cool?" I ask the younger children, who were still physically older than me.

A girl shrugs, the one who said hi to me earlier, "Sure! We are always looking for new ways to utilize our abilities!"

I like her.

I smile as I pull out a small steel ball bearing out of my pocket, "Cool. Now, I don't know if you can do this, but I have a cool trick involving this steel ball." I start levitating it.

She cocks her head to the side, "Levitating a steel ball? That's cool, but some of us have figured that out already."

I grin, "Oh, I have something way cooler than that!" I crouch down with the ball, making sure I'm over the concrete floor and start doing what I did in that parking lot.

Let's just say they were impressed.

The scientist running the facility? Not so much.

Mainly because I triggered the fire alarm.

Totally worth it.

XXX

"So you figured out how to manipulate electromagnetic fields to cause induction?" Asks the scientist man. His voice is dumbstruck. "Since when have you been able to do this?"

I shrug, "A week or two after I developed the ability to see electromagnetic fields. After that, I discovered I could manipulate them to a great degree and decided to test myself."

"By playing with molten metal…" The scientist deadpans.

"Yeah, it was kind of stupid. I should have worn proper safety equipment…" I say with embarrassment.

The scientist sweat drops, "Right. Even though you triggered the fire alarm and could have put you and the others in danger, it is incredible you are able to do such a thing, especially so soon after obtaining your abilities. Please come to us next time you discover some new ability. It would provide us with valuable date."

It is my turn to sweat drop. Good to know where your priorities lie.

"Would you mind telling me how you figured out how to cause induction and melt the ball?" He inquires.

I sigh. I don't think he'll accept me being a PhD in physics in another life. "I read about it in a book." I say flatly.

"A book." He echoes, his brow raised.

"Yes, went to library, read a book about electromagnetism, think it was a text book or something, and saw electromagnetic induction. Thought it was cool, so I decided to use my abilities and apply the principles to a steel ball." I explain. I'm not exactly lying. I did learn about Faraday's law of induction from a textbook, just not one from a library from this world, but about two decades ago in another life.

"I forget how unusually smart you are for your age." The scientist rubs the back of his neck.

"I get that a lot." I say coolly. Looks like he bought it. "Being able to see the electromagnetic fields only made it easier. Just pump a lot of amps and fluctuate the electromagnetic fields, and you have one melted ball of steel." It's a very simplified explanation of an induction furnace, but I don't fell like giving a lecture.

"Yes, Machiko-chan, I know how it works. We are just surprised you were able to achieve such a feat. Usually it's very talented level fours that demonstrate such a proficiency in their abilities to pull of tricks that require advanced manipulation of electromagnetic fields. I can't say I've heard of any of them melting a ball bearing though." He taps his pen against his chin, before writing down some notes. "Electromaster is a very common ability. We have a lot of data on the ability and what individuals have achieved with it. Most Electromasters show the same abilities, very little innovation pushing the envelop of what can be done with the ability. The vast majority of Electromasters are in level 3. It takes a lot of talent, regardless of the ability, to make it to level 4."

I raise a brow, "Ok, and why are you telling me this?" I am confused why he is going on this speech about Electromasters and levels. What does have to do with me melting steel?

He smiles, "I'm telling you this because you have talent, but are also innovative. What pushes a person past level 3, is talent and innovation. Sometimes mostly natural talent, sometimes mostly innovation. Sometimes a mixture of both. Being stagnant is one reason people don't advance to level 4."

"What about level 5?" I ask, interested in what he is saying.

"Level 5, well that is an entirely different animal." He says.

I cock my head to the side, "How so?"

"Those who reach level 5 are exceptional individuals. The best the human race can offer in regard to potential." He let's out a chuckle, "Which is funny, because Level 5s tend to have… 'behavioral problems'…"

"Behavioral problems?" I ask. I know what he is talking about.

"Oh, nothing to worry about, heh…" He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are there any level 5 Electromasters?" I know the answer to the question, but I should keep up the veil of ignorance of this world.

He shakes his head, but still smiles, "No, but there is one prospect that we are developing that is approaching it." His smile widens, "Her name is Misaka Mikoto. Just like you, she showed great potential and innovation at a young age. She was able to do things that others at her level couldn't, and she still does." He puts his hand on his chin, contemplative, "You know, you kind of remind me of her."

Takes all my willpower to not stiffen like a deer in headlights, "Oh? Did she melt a ball of steel in a parking lot too?"

He raises a brow, "What did you say?"

"Nothing." I smile.

That looks it distracted him from his thoughts, "Well anyways, you should tell us when you discover how to do something new."

I nod, "Ok."

"Keep improving Machiko-chan. Within a few years, you could advance to level 4 as well." He encourages. "Goodbye, Machiko-chan."

XXX

"So… Fujiwara-san, what is this thing?" I ask the red head. The machine was the same machine I noticed earlier that had the codding on the screen when I first visited the joint study room.

Fujiwara is fourteen but isn't a brat like some of the older children, like that one dude who got my nerves. "That machine is for Electromasters to practice manipulating electronics." She smiles, "By level 3, most Electromasters obtain the ability to manipulate the programming of electronics. Most of the time, it's simple things like opening electronic locks, but those who are really talented can do more complex things like re-programming. The higher the level, the easier this task becomes."

"Awesome…" I say, "So, how does one actually, uh, you know… reprogram a machine?" I ask. That was one of the many cool things I remember from the show.

"Well, first you got to, uh, connect with the device you want to control." She thinks for a moment, "I'm not sure how to describe it, but you use your ability to connect with the machine. Got to be careful though, because you can easily fry the circuit." He points to the machines, "Those machines are purpose built to withstand high amounts of voltages and amperages, making them great for Electromasters who are just starting to figure out how to do it."

"Connecting huh…" I say. I think back to that evening where I played nearly flawlessly on the electronic keyboard. I remember feeling in sync with it, like it was a part of me.

She nods, "Yes, connecting. After establishing a connection, there are two ways of controlling the computer. The first is thinking in programming terms. This route is the most used, as anyone can learn programming. Now the exact programming language doesn't particularly matter, it's the mindset when one is programming that matters."

"What do you mean?" I ask. I never liked programming. I remember taking a class in high school as an elective, and finding myself not being particularly interested by it.

"Programming teaches you to think in a logical manner. In addition, most programming courses teach you how to understand binary. Now most espers have an increased ability to process things. For example, teleporters have to make extremely difficult calculations in their heads. The high level ones can make a calculation that would take a normal person with a calculator hours in minutes or even seconds." She explains, "Us Electromasters don't handle a candle to teleporters in that regard, but we are no slouches either. So, with that in mind, we can make up lines of code very quickly, and some can even do straight binary easily."

This world never stops to amaze me. "How fast?"

She thinks for a second, "Well, the fastest I've a person use this style of manipulation was a level 4 rewriting the programming of an autonomous drone in less than a minute."

"Autonomous drone?" I cock my head to the side.

"Oh, they brought this flying drone in for us to examine and the level 4 wanted to see what he could do with it." She rubbed the back of her neck, "The codding was complex, so it took him longer than usual.

I nod, "You said there was another way?"

"Yes." She nods, "The second way is for truly talented individuals, and is a very rare talent among us Electromasters." She says, "Some Electromasters can, uh well, the best way I can describe it is 'will' the computer to do what they want." She is unsure with her explanation, "Like, from what I've heard, those who are able to do it that way don't really do any mental programming, their mental input gets directly translated into a computer and it complies with it. That's the best way I can describe it. The scientists are not sure how it works either. Some people can partially manipulate machines this way, mostly on simple computers, but they still rely on the programming way. Those who do it purely on mental command are very rare and I only know of one person who is able to do it, a level 4. She's truly an exemplar of an Electromaster." She says with admiration in her voice.

I have a feeling who she is talking about. "I, well, I'm not sure if I have ever controlled an electronic device, but…" I'm unsure if I should tell her about the keyboard or not.

"Go on ahead, I'm not the one judge people." She reassures.

"Well I was playing one of those electronic keyboards, I'm relatively new to playing, making mistakes with my small fingers, and one time I got really passionate playing a song, and well…" I hesitate, "Well I had this feeling, it felt like I was in sync with the keyboard and the song started playing perfectly. I knew I was hitting wrong keys, but the sound the keyboard made matched what I thought it should sound like, ignoring the wrong input."

Fujiwara has a surprised expression before she grins, "Machiko-chan, I think you just might have a natural talent!" She cheers.

"You think so?"

She nods vigorously, "Yes, for sure! It sounded like you made a connection with the machine, the keyboard, and willed it play the notes you wanted to hear. That sounds exactly like I was describing."

I guess that's another thing I can do.

"You should go practice, Machiko-chan! It may take awhile to do it consciously, but I have no doubt you can do it!" She cheers.

With that, I spend the rest of the day experimenting with the machine.

XXX

After spending a few hours messing around the machine, I made little progress. It was starting to get late, so I decided to pick up the practice another time.

I exit the facility and get a good look at the sky, which the sun is turning a brilliant orange. I should probably go home now.

I yawn and start heading towards the nearest bus stop. The words of the scientist replay in my head.

So basically, I am encouraged to experiment with my powers. As long as I show them, they have no qualms about me doing what I want with my powers. Good to know.

So lost in my thoughts, I did not notice the person I bumped into.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't look-"

"Ohhhh Mikoto-channnn *hiccup* I was just looking for youuu" I am cut off mid-sentence by a woman in jeans and a white long sleeve shirt. Her chest is very pronounced, and her brown shoulder length hair matched my mine exactly. Her cheeks are flushed red. She's drunk.

It takes me a few seconds to process where I've seen her before and what she just called me. "W-what? I'm not-"

"Shusshhhh." She puts her finger over my mouth as she squints her eyes, examining me," Youurrrr smaller than I rememberrr, Mikoto-channn" She slurs before her eyes light up with exicitement, " You're soooo cute!" She suddenly grabs my arm, "Weee got to get something cute for you to wearrrr!" She yanks me along.

I let out a yelp of surprise.

I am powerless to resist as this fully-grown woman abducts me and takes me along on her drunken adventure. I try to protest, but she is far too drunk to be rational and hear me out.

This is bad. I can't be with Mikoto's mother! She is probably looking for her, it's too early for us to meet!

Before I know it, I am at a clothing store with a drunken woman looking for clothes that fit me. Despite being inhibited by the power of alcohol and looking for clothes, she still maintains a vice grip on my wrist. "Um…" I say awkwardly, "Ma'am, I am not, um your-"

"Look Mikoto-channn, it's a dress with your favorite froogg.." She pulls out a pink dress with my lord and savior on it, Gekota.

My only weakness.

I stop mid-sentence, "K-Kawaii" I stutter out. My heart throbs and my knees weaken as I gaze upon perfection.

"I know, rrright?" She giggles, "You maayy be almost 12, but youuu will always be my little girlll." She slurs out while giggling.

"B-But I'm not your-"

"Don't beee a sourpussss, Mikoto-chann" She giggles, "Let's buy this dressss…." She yanks me along once more.

We leave the store, or rather she drags me out of the store, "Come on, Mikoto-chann, let's go to play some games!"

I don't resist. It's clear to me now that there is now no escape from the mother of Mikoto. She is an unstoppable force of nature and I am just a lowly five-year-old.

The unstoppable force of nature promptly takes me to a pachinko parlor….

Once again, my wrist in a vice grip as she plays electronic plinko.

Ah Pachinko. A game that is gambling but by a series of loop holes, isn't considered gambling by law.

Am I even allowed in here!?

Perhaps this parlor doesn't payout real money…

"Wooo!" Misuzu cheers as she wins a big prize.

"Yay…" I say in deadpan. I just want to go home before Mikoto finds us.

"Come on, Mikoto-channnn, if we get enough prize toookens, we can get some really cool prizzzes!" She exclaims.

Yay, prizes, how wonderful… My eyes drift over to poster with a prize chart, and one of the top prizes requiring 30,000 tokens a giant Gekota plushie. My fists clench.

Damnit, now I have to get involved!

"Um, uh, K-Kaa-san, let me, uh play." I say nervously. I don't want to call her that, but I have to if I want to win.

Whatever it takes.

"That's the spiiirt Mikoto-chan!" She cheers.

I touch the knob on the machine, and give it a twist, making the balls shoot out and start falling. I adjust the velocity, quickly figuring out the power needed to get the balls to where they needed to go. I watch the screen, it has some anime characters I don't recognize on it and there are three boxes with different numbers. I need to get three 7s to win the top prize. I must get three 7s.

I will get three 7s.

I feel a connection to the machine, and I mentally command it to get the numbers I want. I see the first seven appear and second following suit.

Come on you dumb machine! Give me what I want!

The third 7 appears.

Me and the older woman cheer loudly in excitement.

"You diiiid it, Mikoto-chan!" She yells.

The Gekota plushie is huge. It's about the size of me!

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…

We end up in a park, it's dark out, with the park lights providing us with enough light to see. I'm carrying my new prize and the older woman is carrying a bag with the dress she bought some hours ago. We stop by a bench and she lets out a yawn, "Thaat was fun, Mikoto-channn, we should do this moreee often…"

How is she still this drunk!? She must be a lightweight or something…

My musing is cut short when I feel myself enveloped in warmth and my vison blocked out. I stiffen as I feel arms wrap around me, "I looovvvee you, Mikotooo." I hear the older woman say, her words slurred but no less sincere.

I free my head from her chest and I start to feel a weird feeling inside. It feels familiar, but I can't put a finger on it. I feels like something I haven't felt in a long time. My breath hitches as I utter, "Y-Yeah, me too…"

She snuggles her face against mine, "Mmmm" She hums as she lets go and starts to lay on the park bench, "Goodnight, Mikoto…" She closes her eyes and she promptly falls asleep.

I'm shaking as I feel something fall down my cheeks. I wipe my face with my hand. Its wet. I hold back a small sob and try to regain my composure, but I am failing as more tears fall down my cheeks.

Why am I crying?

I'm not her daughter!

Hell, I'm not even really a little kid! I shouldn't be crying out of some infantile instinct of wanting to be hugged by my mother!

I'm just someone who is in a clone body with stolen D.N.A of her daughter!

I don't need someone to mother over me! I am perfectly fine!

…

I eventually regain my composure and wipe the wetness of my face.

I examine the sleeping woman and notice a cellphone shape bulging out of her pocket. I very carefully retrieve and flip it open. There are dozens of messages from Mikoto. I don't like the feeling of looking through someone else's phone, but I feel compelled to do some snooping to figure out why Mikoto's mom is here and how she got so drunk.

After reading through, I discover that she was here for Student-Teacher conferences as well as scouting out some potential middle schools a few years in advance, Tokiwadai is among those on the list. The rest of the messages are from Mikoto demanding to know where she is along with several missed calls.

I bit the inside of my cheek as butterflies fill my stomach. I look back to the woman and then the phone. I can't just leave her here, but I can't stay with her as well. I take deep breath and start slowly typing, which is very annoying on a flip phone because that's all everyone has in Japan and start entering information on where I-or should I say she is.

'I'mmn in parkke. Districcctt 6. Napppe Timeem" I type, purposely make it seem like it was written while heavily intoxicated. I also put some emoticons for flavor

"Ok, be right there. Don't move, or I swear I'll never forgive you." There is an angry emoticon.

I put the phone back in the woman's pocket. I grab the bag with the dress, to remove 'evidence' of course. I take one last, guilty look at the woman, and I don't know what came over me, but I gave her a kiss on the forehead. Perhaps for a moment, I could pretend we are mother and daughter. I mean, technically, she is my mother, at least biologically… Or would Mikoto be considered that? Biology is not my specialty, so I'm not going to dwell on it.

I run off into the night, to the nearest transport. Shigenomori-san is going to be real upset with me.

Perhaps I should tell her the scientist held me real late and they gave me this stuff I have acquired as gifts for reaching level 3. Yeah that should work. I'll make sure to have the other children there to stay away from my Gekota. They wouldn't want to make me angry.

I hope Mikoto's mom drank enough to forget what transpired this evening. It would surely mess things up if she discovered the existence of Misaka clones and decided to pull Mikoto from the city.

XXX

Mikoto found her mother right where she described. In a park in district 6, an entertainment district. Very far away where she ditched Mikoto. She reeked of alcohol and Mikoto sighed, "What am I going to do with you, Kaa-chan…" She said in exasperation. Mikoto loved her mother, make no mistake, but sometimes she does things that really get on Mikoto's nerves. Case in point: Running off and having some random drunken adventure, leaving Mikoto alone and worrying about her.

"Kaa-chan, wake up, it's time to get back to the hotel." Mikoto sais as she shook her mother awake.

The woman mumbled before her eyes slowly opened, "Ow… My head…" The woman groaned, rubbing her temples before sitting up, "What happened, Mikoto-chan?" She asked, her voice tired.

Mikoto crossed her arms, "I don't know, you tell me."

"I think…" Misuzu starts, "I think I drank too much…" She rubed her head, trying to alleviate her splitting headache.

"Kaa-chan, I think even the lightest of beers can get you tipsy…" Mikoto deadpanned.

This causes Misuzu to laugh, despite the headache, "Oh, Mikoto-chan, it's true!" She laughed, "It's just so fun to drink a little, ya know? You never know what type of adventure you'll get yourself into."

Mikoto was unimpressed, "Yeah, like that one time I found you kissing a lamp pole…"

Misuzu laughed, "Sometimes, light poles can be the greatest of companions." She said in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"Whatever." Mikoto shook her head, "Come, let's go. It's very late"

Misuzu nodded and she got up from her bench.

While they were walking, Misuzu giggled.

"What has got you laughing?" Mikoto inquired.

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking of this dream I had." Misuzu giggled some more, "You were a small young girl again, like five or so, and we did many fun things like shopping and playing games." She grinned, "One of the best dreams in a while." She turned her head to Mikoto and pinched one her cheek, "Oh you were so cute in that dream! Your cheeks were so adorable!"

"Ow! Kaa-chan, stop!" Mikoto slapped her hand away and started rubbing her cheek.

"Oh, that's not all!" Misuzu grinned, "You were wearing these adorable frog hair clips. It was your favorite character, Gekota!"

Mikoto's face grew red, "Kaa-chan, not so loud!" She shouted.

"It was just so adorable, my heart melted." Misuzu looked to her embarresed daughter, "Aw, don't worry, you're still cute, Mikoto-chan! You'll bring in all the boys, just like your beautiful mama." She teased before laughing

Mikoto's face couldn't grow any redder.

This made Misuzu laugh even harder.

Mikoto loved her mother, with all her heart, but sometimes, she really pushed Mikoto's buttons.

"Oh, you know I'm just teasing you, Mikoto-chan." She stopped laugh and leaned in, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek, "I love you, Mikoto."

Mikoto was still beat red, "I love you too, Kaa-chan." She whispered, looking away.

Misuzu grinned.

It was a great day and night.

XXX

You know the numbers in the anime & manga are pretty crazy. I looked up what Machiko could do with the numbers she had and was surprised what she could theoretically do already, case in point magnetic induction. I looked up what an induction furnace requires and was surprised that Machiko could do it with her numbers. If I got my math wrong or described something wrong, let me know so I could perhaps fix it. Although, there are a lot of math problems in the anime, like Mikoto's raild gun being a blaring example, I do want to be somewhat accurate.

The last part of the chapter with Misuzu was fun to write. I do enjoy writing semi-family fluff. Machiko was lucky that Misuzu was too drunk to notice her being too young. Yes, it might be unethical for Machiko to take the Gekota plushie and the dress Misuzu bought, but as far as Machiko is concerned, those are evidence of her existence that must be suppressed. Misuzu might have realized her little adventure wasn't a drunken dream afterall.

University has started back up and I am now doing my capstones, which are my final classes, so I don't know how much time I will have to write. I usually write a chapter for my main story then write a chapter for this story. Just remember, I won't abandon this story, but sometimes updates may take awhile.