Misaka Mikoto stared blankly at her junior, Yotsuya Miko, who was sitting in Su Rui's arms, and only slowly spoke after a long while:
"Kuroko, are you perhaps joking?"
"Of course not! I wouldn't joke about such a serious matter, Onee-sama. Su Rui can attest to it. He isn't an esper, but he can use abilities similar to ours."
Shirai Kuroko remembered something as she spoke: "Oh, right, when I first came here, Su Rui was the one who healed my injuries. Onee-sama, are you injured? Let Su Rui heal you!"
"Me? No, I'm not, just a few minor scratches~"
Misaka Mikoto smiled awkwardly: "They'll heal on their own very soon."
"How can that be? Even if it's just a small injury, mmh~ Wuwuwu~"
Su Rui reached out and directly covered Shirai Kuroko's mouth, stopping her from speaking further. Then he released spiritual power, and the golden light brought a warm sensation, healing the scratches on Misaka Mikoto's body from the battle.
Afterward, Su Rui released Shirai Kuroko's mouth:
"That's my ability, it's very convenient, so if you get injured, you can tell me directly. Oh, right."
Su Rui took out an amulet from his pocket and handed it to Misaka Mikoto:
"This is an amulet for self-defense. It contains my spiritual power and can protect you at critical moments."
"Onee-sama, just accept it. After all, this world has existences like evil spirits, and the amulet can protect you from their influence!"
Seeing that Misaka Mikoto seemed to want to politely refuse Su Rui's gift, Shirai Kuroko spoke from the side, which immediately made Misaka Mikoto shiver. Her hand, which was about to return the amulet to Su Rui, also retracted, and she even hastily put the amulet around her neck.
"Thank you very much for your gift~"
As Misaka Mikoto nodded in thanks to Su Rui due to her aversion to evil spirits, Shirai Kuroko winked and smiled at him, as if saying, 'See, how's my assist?'
Su Rui gently kissed the girl's tender, smooth cheek, then saw the vehicle that had arrived in front of them:
"Let's go back first. I'll tell you more details later and arrange your accommodation."
"Mhm, please do."
Misaka Mikoto nodded and got into the car with Su Rui and the others.
However, the seating arrangement in the car was a bit strange. Su Rui was sandwiched between Yotsuya Miko and Shirai Kuroko, while Misaka Mikoto sat next to Shirai Kuroko, a little further from Su Rui.
Although Su Rui and Shirai Kuroko were essentially in the middle, Misaka Mikoto felt as if she was being alienated.
Because both Kuroko and the other girl named Yotsuya Miko were focused on Su Rui, chatting with him about all sorts of gossip.
Misaka Mikoto hadn't yet enrolled in the Shuchiin Academy they spoke of. Although she knew she would go there later, she currently knew nothing about the gossip within it.
Fortunately, Shirai Kuroko still cared about her Onee-sama. After Su Rui gently patted her thigh, the girl came back to her senses and stopped her subtle competition with Yotsuya Miko.
It's all because of Yotsuya Miko, who insisted on competing with me for Su Rui's attention. I just needed to get a little more of Su Rui's attention than her, why was she unwilling? If it ended sooner, I could have talked to Onee-sama.
With a slight resentment towards Yotsuya Miko in her heart, Shirai Kuroko still conceded slightly and began to explain this world to Misaka Mikoto.
"Actually, it's not much different from Academy City, except there are no espers here, and no Academy City. People haven't seen superpowers, so they absolutely aren't allowed to use them casually in front of others."
Shirai Kuroko began to hold up her fingers, lecturing her Onee-sama at length about the precautions for living here.
At first, Misaka Mikoto just found so many requirements a bit troublesome, and was unhappy about not being able to use her abilities freely.
Then, as Shirai Kuroko continued to talk, Su Rui noticed that Misaka Mikoto's eyes started to roll.
It seems everyone has things they can't adapt to.
After glancing at the photos on Yotsuya Miko's phone, Su Rui had no choice but to hold Yotsuya Miko's wrist with one hand to show he was paying attention to her, while turning his head and reaching out to press down on Shirai Kuroko's head, then looked at Misaka Mikoto:
"Alright, Kuroko, you're saying too much at once. I believe Misaka should know how to act appropriately, right?"
"Mhm mhm, Su Rui is right, I won't cause trouble, Kuroko."
With Su Rui's help, Misaka Mikoto nodded eagerly, hoping the lecture would end soon.
"Alright, but Onee-sama must remember not to use your abilities casually in front of people. This isn't Academy City. What if Onee-sama gets caught and dissected as an anomaly?"
Just as the lecture was about to end, Shirai Kuroko still somewhat uneasily threatened Misaka Mikoto. She couldn't help it; after all, Onee-sama was simply too unrestrained.
When they were in Academy City, she had reminded her so many times not to use her abilities casually, yet Onee-sama still got involved in incidents that only Kazari Uiharu would handle.
Su Rui added from the side: "Of course, just try not to use them, but if you encounter danger or trouble, you still need to use your abilities to protect yourself."
"I agree with that."
Shirai Kuroko nodded in agreement: "If such a thing really happens, don't hesitate to use your abilities. Compared to being discovered and causing trouble, Onee-sama's safety is more important."
"And, don't worry about things like dissection that Kuroko mentioned."
Su Rui noticed that Misaka Mikoto was truly scared when Kuroko mentioned dissection, so he comforted her:
"Even if you really get into trouble, I can help solve it. Whether it's through force or connections, I have the ability to directly resolve all problems."
"Mhm, he is indeed very capable."
Seeing that all her warnings were directly resolved by Su Rui, Shirai Kuroko rolled her eyes and leaned into Su Rui's arms, saying grumpily:
"After all, Su Rui is so strong, it's normal for him not to care about those ordinary people."
"Kuroko, you can't be so rude."
Even a tomboyish girl like Misaka Mikoto felt that Shirai Kuroko's words were a bit too sharp.
"Hmph, I'm joking with my boyfriend, Onee-sama, don't be a busybody~"
...Misaka Mikoto looked as if she had been sunk, becoming dejected because of Shirai Kuroko's words.
Yotsuya Miko, beside them, her eyes flickered, and she hugged Su Rui's arm tightly:
"Miss Misaka, don't be sad, you still have a chance..."