Work Text:
August 23, night.
The hospital room in District 7 was much quieter than it had been during the day.
White light fell from the ceiling, draining the bedsheets, the walls, and the IV stand by the window of almost all color. From the hallway came the occasional sound of a nurse's footsteps, only for it to fade away again, as if swallowed by the thick door.
Misaka 10032 sat on the edge of the bed.
A coin lay in her palm.
Its material was ordinary. Its rim showed slight wear. Its diameter, weight, and conductivity all fell within normal ranges. After a simple inspection, it was found to possess no communication function, no positioning function, and no electromagnetic marker previously applied by Onee-sama.
Therefore, from a functional standpoint, it had no special preservation value.
Misaka 10032 looked at it.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
"Misaka is currently reassessing the necessity of preserving this object, Misaka reports."
After saying that, she paused.
She did not upload it.
That sentence did not need to be uploaded to the Misaka Network.
Or rather, for the time being, she did not want to upload it.
There was a soft knock at the door.
"May I come in?"
It was the frog-faced doctor's voice.
"Misaka is not engaging in any private behavior. Misaka permits entry."
The door opened.
The doctor came in with a clipboard in his hand. His gaze fell on the coin in her palm and stopped there for half a second.
"You've been looking at that ever since you came back from your walk, haven't you?"
"Yes. Misaka is confirming whether it possesses non-physical preservation value."
"Non-physical value?"
"It was given to Misaka by Onee-sama and designated as proof of a 'next time.'"
The doctor was silent for a moment.
His expression was as gentle as always, but he did not immediately write anything down on the clipboard.
"I see. Then it really is something very important."
Misaka 10032 looked up.
"Does the doctor judge that it is necessary to preserve it?"
"That isn't something I should decide, is it?"
The doctor smiled.
"If you think it's important, then it's important."
Misaka 10032 lowered her head.
She placed the coin into the small transparent pill case on the bedside cabinet.
The case had originally been used to hold the medicine she needed to take every day, but now one compartment had been emptied. When the coin fell into it, it made a very small sound.
After thinking for a moment, she picked up a label from the side and wrote on it:
Not medicine. Do not discard. Given by Onee-sama.
After writing it, she stuck the label to the outside of the pill case.
The doctor looked at those words. He seemed as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only nodded.
"Mm. That's very clear."
"Misaka judges that explicit labeling can reduce the probability of this object being mistakenly disposed of."
"It can also remind you."
"Remind Misaka of what?"
"That this is yours."
Misaka 10032 looked at the pill case.
Hers.
That description was more ambiguous than "proof given by Onee-sama," and therefore more difficult to categorize.
Experimental equipment was not hers.
Combat uniforms were not hers.
The hospital bed was not hers.
The information in the Misaka Network did not completely belong to any single Misaka individual, either.
Then could an ordinary coin become "hers"?
Misaka 10032 could not yet reach a conclusion.
"Doctor."
"Mm?"
"If 'see you tomorrow' does not occur, will the 'next time' Misaka received today still remain valid?"
The doctor did not answer immediately.
The room was quiet for several seconds.
"That depends on how the two of you agreed on it."
"Onee-sama said, 'See you tomorrow.'"
"That sounds like a promise."
"What is the difference between a promise and a mission?"
The doctor closed his clipboard.
"A mission is something that has to be completed. A promise is something you say because you want to see someone again."
Misaka 10032 repeated those words in her mind.
Something you say because you want to see someone again.
She lowered her head and looked at the coin inside the pill case.
"Misaka requires further observation."
"Mm. Take your time."
After the doctor left, the hospital room became quiet again.
Misaka 10032 turned off the bedside lamp and lay back down.
The pill case was beside her pillow.
The coin lay quietly inside it.
She closed her eyes.
Within the Misaka Network, countless tiny streams of information continued to flow. Other Misakas' physical data, treatment progress, environmental observations, and meaningless short phrases passed steadily along the edges of her consciousness like a low-frequency current in the night.
Misaka 10032 did not upload today's "see you tomorrow."
Nor did she upload the coin.
She simply reached toward the side of her pillow and lightly touched the place where the coin rested, separated from her by the pill case.
"See you tomorrow."
She said it softly.
No one in the hospital room answered.
But Misaka 10032 did not feel that the words had fallen into emptiness.
Because they had never been meant for the present.
They were meant for tomorrow.
At the same time.
Tokiwadai Middle School student dormitory.
Misaka Mikoto lay face-down on her bed, burying her face in her pillow.
Several seconds later, she abruptly rolled over.
"Aaaaah..."
She covered her face with the pillow and let out a muffled groan.
"What was I even saying...?"
"Onee-sama?"
Shirai Kuroko's voice came from the side.
Mikoto froze.
She slowly moved the pillow away from her face just enough to peek through a narrow gap.
Kuroko was sitting at her desk with a Judgment document in her hands, but her expression was filled with unmistakable suspicion.
"Since a moment ago, Onee-sama has sighed seven times, rolled over four times, and covered her face with a pillow twice. May I ask whether something memorable happened during today's walk?"
"Nothing happened!"
Mikoto immediately sat up.
"It was just an ordinary walk!"
"Would an ordinary walk cause Onee-sama to bring back a half-finished can of coconut soda and stare at it?"
Mikoto looked down at the small table beside her bed.
There was indeed a half-finished can of coconut soda sitting there.
She had brought it all the way back.
Even though there had been plenty of recycling bins along the road.
"Th-that was just because I forgot to throw it away!"
"I see. So Onee-sama has finally reached the age where she brings drink cans back to the dormitory as keepsakes."
"It's not a keepsake!"
Kuroko narrowed her eyes.
"Then who did you drink it with?"
"N-no one!"
Mikoto denied it too quickly on reflex.
Kuroko lowered the documents.
"Onee-sama, you are very suspicious right now."
"You're the suspicious one!"
Mikoto snatched up the can of coconut soda and turned to look for the recycling bag.
But the moment her fingers touched the can, she suddenly remembered the way 10032 had stood in front of the vending machine at dusk.
That girl had said in her usual flat, steady voice:
"Because during the experiment, Misaka never possessed a next time."
Mikoto's hand stopped.
It felt as if something had softly lodged in her throat.
To her, "see you tomorrow" was an extremely ordinary phrase.
So ordinary it was no different from "bye," "talk later," or "see you when I'm free."
But to 10032, it might not be a casual farewell.
It might be the first time she had ever been allowed to expect tomorrow.
Mikoto slowly placed the can back on the table.
"Kuroko."
"Yes?"
"What would you do if someone took something you said casually seriously?"
Kuroko blinked, as if she had not expected Mikoto to ask something so serious all of a sudden.
"That would depend on what it was."
"For example... see you tomorrow."
Kuroko's expression became subtle.
"If I were saying it to Onee-sama, then of course I would keep that appointment no matter what."
"That's not what I mean!"
"If Onee-sama said it to someone else..."
Kuroko paused.
"Then perhaps that person would be very happy."
Mikoto fell silent.
"After all, although Onee-sama is often stubborn, she rarely makes clear promises to people who are not important to her."
"I just said it without thinking..."
Her voice trailed off halfway through.
Had she really just said it without thinking?
If it had been nothing more than that, why did she remember the way that girl had looked when she asked about "next time"?
Why did she remember the faint sound of the coin falling into 10032's palm, and the way her fingers had closed around it?
Why, on the way back to the dormitory, had she found herself thinking that maybe she should go take a look at the same time tomorrow?
Mikoto lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
"...What a pain."
"Onee-sama?"
"Nothing."
She turned over, facing away from Kuroko.
Outside the window, Academy City still shone with countless lights.
Mikoto closed her eyes.
But in her mind, the white glow of the vending machine appeared again, along with the strange label on the mint cocoa and that calm sentence that made her heart ache.
--Misaka will preserve it as proof of the next time Misaka contacts Onee-sama.
Mikoto pulled the blanket higher.
"Tomorrow, I'll just be passing by."
She said it softly.
"Just passing by."
The next day, August 24.
Misaka 10032 underwent her routine examination at 8:30 in the morning.
Body temperature: normal.
Blood pressure: normal.
Muscle responses: slightly improved compared with yesterday.
Ability output stability: still requires observation.
After the examination ended, she sat on the edge of her bed and carefully read the doctor's list of instructions.
No strenuous exercise.
No prolonged outings.
No high-intensity ability training without permission.
Short walks in the evening are permitted.
Misaka 10032's gaze stopped on the final line for two seconds.
"Doctor."
"Mm?"
"Is the time limit for short evening walks still twenty minutes?"
"Today, we can extend it to thirty minutes."
"Misaka confirms, thirty minutes."
"But don't go too far."
"Misaka will limit her activity range to within one hundred and sixty meters of the hospital."
The doctor looked at her.
"The same vending machine as yesterday?"
"Yes."
"To buy a drink?"
"That action may occur."
"To meet someone?"
Misaka 10032 paused.
She lowered her head and looked at the instructions in her hand.
"That action has not yet been confirmed."
The doctor smiled faintly and did not continue asking.
"Then remember to take your communicator."
"Misaka understands."
10:45 a.m.
Tokiwadai Middle School.
Mikoto sat in the classroom, staring at the formula in her textbook.
There was nothing wrong with the formula.
There was nothing wrong with the teacher's explanation, either.
But she had absorbed very little of it.
Her attention kept drifting uncontrollably toward the window.
There was still a long time until evening.
If she went from Tokiwadai back to the dormitory after school and then detoured to the hospital in District 7, it would not be a convenient route.
If she said she was just passing by, it would be very unconvincing.
If she bought two cans of drinks before going, it would be even more unconvincing.
If she did not go...
Mikoto's fingers tightened slightly around her pen.
If she did not go, would 10032 wait?
She probably would not, right?
After all, Mikoto had not formally said, "Tomorrow, at this time, at this place."
Only "see you tomorrow."
But that child had even carefully preserved an ordinary coin.
"Misaka-san."
The teacher's voice suddenly sounded.
Mikoto snapped her head up.
"Yes!"
The entire class looked at her.
The teacher pushed up his glasses.
"Please answer the problem on the board."
Mikoto stood.
She looked at the blackboard.
It took her only a few seconds to give the answer.
The teacher nodded and told her to sit down.
Soft murmurs of admiration came from around her.
Mikoto sat back down, but there was no pride on her face.
She lowered her eyes to the textbook again and noticed that, without realizing it, she had written several words in a blank space.
See you tomorrow.
She immediately erased them.
After school, Mikoto walked out of the school gate.
Just as she was about to head toward the station, a gentle voice came from behind her.
"Misaka-san."
Mikoto's steps stopped.
She turned around.
Unabara Mitsuki was standing not far from the school gate, wearing the same gentle smile as always.
"We meet again."
Mikoto's eyebrow twitched almost on reflex.
"Oh. Unabara..."
Of course she knew him.
Unabara Mitsuki, the grandson of the chairman of Tokiwadai Middle School. His family background, manners, and grades were all flawless on the surface, and he always spoke politely. Before recently, they had mostly done no more than exchange greetings. She did not dislike him, but she was not particularly close to him, either.
However, lately, whether it was her imagination or not, he seemed to be appearing a little more often.
More often than before.
Often enough to become somewhat troublesome.
"Are you free today? If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to--"
"I'm not free."
Mikoto answered very quickly.
Unabara blinked, then kept smiling.
"Do you already have plans?"
"Something like that."
"I see. Then shall I walk you partway?"
"No need!"
Mikoto rejected him almost immediately.
Realizing that her tone had been a little sharp, she added:
"I have somewhere else to go, and it's not on your way."
"Where are you going? Perhaps it happens to be on my way."
"It definitely isn't."
After saying it, even Mikoto felt that sounded overly deliberate.
Unabara still looked at her gently.
"Misaka-san seems very busy lately."
"Not really."
"Then tomorrow?"
"I'm busy tomorrow too."
"The day after?"
"Busy too."
"Then this week--"
"I'm busy all week!"
Mikoto could not help raising her voice.
Several students near the gate looked over.
She immediately lowered her voice and scratched irritably at her hair.
"Anyway, I really can't today."
Unabara looked at her.
His expression still did not change noticeably.
"That's a shame."
"Yeah. Bye."
Mikoto turned and left.
She walked quickly.
Not because she was afraid.
Not because she thought Unabara was suspicious.
It was simply that he was troublesome.
And she did not want to be late.
After walking a short distance, Mikoto glanced back.
Unabara was still standing near the school gate. He had not followed her.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"What is up with him lately...?"
Mikoto muttered quietly.
He had never been this persistent before.
She pushed that thought down and did not continue thinking about it.
After all, there was something more troublesome right in front of her.
She looked at the time.
She was already later than yesterday.
5:37 p.m.
In front of the vending machine outside the hospital in District 7.
Misaka 10032 arrived exactly on time.
She still did not buy a drink today.
If Onee-sama appeared, the drink selection could become part of a joint evaluation activity.
If Onee-sama did not appear, she could independently complete the follow-up evaluation of the mint cocoa.
Both options were valid.
She stood in yesterday's position.
Her right hand slipped into her pocket, and her fingertips touched the coin.
Today, the coin had been taken out of the pill case and carried with her.
That was not a necessary action.
But Misaka 10032 judged that since the coin was proof of the "next time," carrying the proof while verifying whether the next time would occur was reasonable.
5:40 p.m.
Onee-sama did not appear.
5:43 p.m.
Onee-sama did not appear.
5:46 p.m.
The black cat slipped out from the flowerbed, crouched by her feet, and looked up with a meow.
Misaka 10032 lowered her head to look at it.
"Misaka did not bring food today."
The black cat meowed again.
"That vocalization cannot change the facts."
The black cat flicked its tail and sat down beside her.
One girl and one cat looked toward the end of the street together.
5:49 p.m.
Misaka 10032 began reorganizing the nature of "see you tomorrow."
See you tomorrow was not a mission.
The doctor had said last night that a promise was something you said because you wanted to see someone again.
But whether a promise required both parties to arrive at the same time had not yet been confirmed.
Whether a promise allowed lateness had not yet been confirmed.
Whether a promise could be automatically voided if one party forgot had not yet been confirmed.
Misaka 10032 lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes.
She did not believe Onee-sama had any obligation to appear.
Nor did she believe she had the right to demand that Onee-sama appear.
However, a faint discomfort that had not yet been classified appeared in her chest.
First, she ruled out any obvious physical abnormality.
Her temperature had not changed.
Her heart rate had increased slightly, but remained within acceptable range.
Her breathing rate was normal.
And yet, that feeling still existed.
It did not resemble pain, nor did it resemble fatigue.
It was even less like standby mode before the beginning of an experiment.
Misaka 10032 could not yet give it a name.
She could only confirm one thing:
This reaction had occurred after Onee-sama failed to appear at the scheduled location.
5:52 p.m.
Footsteps came from the end of the street.
They were more hurried than ordinary walking.
Misaka 10032 looked up.
Misaka Mikoto came running from around the corner.
One hand was holding her schoolbag in place, while the other held two cans of drinks. Her bangs had been blown out of place by the wind, and her breathing was a little uneven. When she stopped beside the vending machine, her first words were:
"I-I just happened to be passing by!"
Misaka 10032 looked at her.
Then she looked at the drinks in her arms.
One can of coconut soda.
One can of mint cocoa.
"While passing by, Onee-sama is carrying the mint cocoa whose evaluation Misaka did not complete yesterday."
"I bought it on the way!"
"The route by which Onee-sama arrived here from Tokiwadai is not the shortest route back to the dormitory."
"I just felt like taking a different route today!"
"Onee-sama's current breathing rate is higher than usual, suggesting running behavior."
"Can't I get some exercise?!"
"Onee-sama is late by twelve minutes and nine seconds."
"Uh..."
Mikoto's objections finally jammed.
She lowered her head and handed over the mint cocoa.
"Sorry."
10032 accepted the drink.
"Onee-sama has arrived. Misaka judges that the promise remains valid."
Mikoto froze for a moment.
The lines she had prepared, such as "I never formally promised you," would not come out at all.
Because 10032 did not blame her.
She did not even ask why Mikoto was late.
She only confirmed that Onee-sama had come, and so the promise had not disappeared.
Mikoto suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
"Something came up today," she said.
"Mm."
"So I was late."
"Misaka understands."
"You aren't going to ask what it was?"
10032 looked at her.
"If Onee-sama wishes to explain, she will explain of her own accord. Misaka judges as such."
Mikoto fell silent.
She thought of Unabara at the school gate.
She thought of that invitation and closeness that had only recently become obvious.
It was not dangerous.
At least, not now.
But she still did not want to bring those things to 10032.
This place should only have the vending machine, the drinks, the coin, and "see you tomorrow."
There should not be any other trouble.
"It wasn't anything important," Mikoto said at last.
"Just someone who's been a little hard to deal with lately."
"Hard to deal with?"
"Like... someone who keeps trying to talk to me."
10032 thought for two seconds.
"Onee-sama dislikes that behavior?"
"Not to the point of hating it or anything."
Mikoto opened the coconut soda and took a sip.
The bubbles burst against her tongue, finally letting her recover somewhat from her earlier irritation.
"It's just annoying. He didn't used to be so..."
She stopped there.
"Never mind. Forget it."
10032 did not continue asking.
She also opened the mint cocoa.
She took a small sip.
"Today's evaluation update. Mint cocoa remains strange."
"Then why are you still drinking it?"
"Because yesterday's evaluation was not completed."
"You're way too serious about this."
"In addition, Misaka hopes to complete the evaluation with Onee-sama participating."
Mikoto choked on the coconut soda.
"Cough, cough!"
"Onee-sama's breathing is abnormal."
"Don't just say things like that out of nowhere!"
"Misaka did not say it out of nowhere. That thought has existed since yesterday."
"That makes it even weirder!"
Mikoto's face flushed slightly.
She turned her gaze away, pretending to study the other drinks in the vending machine.
Misaka 10032 looked at her profile.
Today, Onee-sama looked somewhat hurried.
Her bangs were messy.
The strap of her schoolbag was slightly crooked.
There were fine droplets of water on the can of coconut soda, indicating that it had been purchased not long ago.
She had indeed hurried here.
Not for a mission.
Not for an experiment.
Not because she had been ordered.
Onee-sama was not passing by.
That judgment gradually weakened the discomfort in Misaka 10032's chest.
In its place appeared another reaction she had not yet named.
It was not strong.
But it was very clear.
Like the small sound the coin had made when it fell into her palm.
"Onee-sama."
"Mm?"
"Misaka waited for Onee-sama today."
Mikoto turned her head.
10032 lowered her gaze to the mint cocoa in her hands.
"That action does not belong to a mission."
Mikoto did not speak immediately.
The wind came from the street corner, stirring the hair of the two chestnut-haired girls.
The black cat yawned at their feet.
After a long moment, Mikoto gave a soft "Mm."
"I know."
"Misaka does not yet fully understand waiting."
"Mm."
"But Misaka believes that waiting for Onee-sama is not unpleasant."
Mikoto's hand tightened slightly around the coconut soda.
In a low voice, she said:
"Then I'll try not to make you wait too long from now on."
"Does that statement from Onee-sama constitute a new promise?"
"..."
Mikoto's face grew even redder.
She very much wanted to say, "Of course not."
But 10032's eyes were too serious.
It was not a demand.
Nor was it acting spoiled.
It was only a person who had just begun learning everyday life, seriously confirming whether she could place those words into her tomorrow.
So Mikoto looked away and said quietly:
"I guess it does."
10032 nodded.
"Misaka has recorded a new promise."
"You're not uploading this one either?"
"Correct."
"Why?"
10032 slipped her hand into her pocket and touched the coin.
"Because Misaka believes that the process of waiting for Onee-sama, the state in which Onee-sama arrived, and the judgment that Onee-sama was not passing by all belong to Misaka 10032's private preserved content."
Mikoto opened her mouth.
In the end, all she managed to squeeze out was:
"Wh-who wasn't passing by?!"
"Onee-sama."
"I told you, I was just passing by!"
"Misaka respects Onee-sama's statement."
"Then don't look at me like that!"
"Misaka is not using a special look."
"You absolutely are!"
The black cat meowed from the side.
It sounded as if it were evaluating this entirely meaningless argument.
In the distance, the lights of the hospital came on.
The sky darkened bit by bit, and the white glow of the vending machine became more apparent.
Mikoto finished the coconut soda and glanced at the time.
"Oh no. How long have you been out today?"
"If calculating from the time Misaka arrived at the vending machine, twenty-four minutes."
"Didn't the doctor say twenty minutes?"
"Today, the doctor permitted Misaka to be outside for thirty minutes."
"...You could've said that earlier."
Mikoto let out a sigh of relief.
"Then I'll walk you back."
"Onee-sama performed the same action yesterday."
"So I'll do it again today."
"Does that action also constitute a promise?"
"Why are you asking about promises so much today?"
"Because Misaka is learning about promises."
10032 said.
"Misaka believes that Onee-sama is currently the most suitable subject of study."
Mikoto's steps stopped.
She had wanted to retort.
But in the end, she only sighed.
"I can't guarantee I'll teach you well."
"Misaka accepts."
"You accept too quickly."
"Because although Onee-sama is often late, stubborn, and denies that she was not passing by, she still arrives."
"Delete those evaluations right now!"
"Misaka refuses. That evaluation possesses high preservation value."
The two girls and one cat headed toward the hospital entrance.
Just like yesterday, 10032 still walked half a step beside Mikoto.
Not behind her, and not in front of her.
It was a position from which she could just see Mikoto's profile without touching her arm.
Mikoto noticed.
She did not point it out, nor did she move away.
She only slowed down a little more naturally than yesterday, making that half step look closer to walking side by side.
When they reached the automatic doors, 10032 stopped.
"Will Onee-sama pass by tomorrow as well?"
Mikoto's expression stiffened again.
She thought of Unabara at the school gate.
She thought of the invitations that might appear again tomorrow.
She thought of the fact that she probably should not casually say things she was not prepared to keep.
But she also thought of what 10032 had just said:
Waiting for Onee-sama is not unpleasant.
Mikoto lowered her eyes to the tips of her shoes.
"If nothing comes up," she said.
"I'll try to pass by."
"Misaka understands. Onee-sama will once again perform passing-by behavior of a non-passing-by nature."
"Don't summarize it so accurately!"
10032 nodded slightly.
"Misaka will take a walk near this time period."
"You don't have to keep waiting the whole time."
"Misaka understands."
Mikoto looked at her.
"Do you really?"
"Misaka understands that Onee-sama does not want Misaka to create a burden on herself through waiting."
Mikoto froze.
"However."
10032 continued.
"If Misaka chooses to wait, then that is also Misaka 10032's personal judgment."
The wind passed through the hospital entrance.
The automatic doors opened and closed, and white light fell between them.
Mikoto looked at her and suddenly did not know what to say.
In the end, she only reached out and lightly touched 10032's hair.
The movement was quick.
As if she were afraid she would regret it.
"Then don't wait too long."
10032 lifted her eyes.
"Misaka will attempt to do so."
"What do you mean, attempt...?"
"Because Misaka has not yet mastered the appropriate length of waiting."
Mikoto smiled.
This time, it was not helpless, nor was it flustered.
It was only a very light smile.
"Then take your time learning."
10032 nodded.
"Misaka will."
She walked into the hospital.
The automatic doors slowly closed behind her.
Mikoto stood outside the doors until 10032's figure disappeared around the hallway corner. Only then did she turn and walk toward the other end of the street.
She did not notice that the route she took back to the dormitory today made a longer detour than usual.
Nor did she notice that when she passed the vending machine, she unconsciously glanced again at the coconut soda and mint cocoa sitting side by side in the second row.
Inside the hospital.
Misaka 10032 returned to her room and placed the coin back into the transparent pill case.
She picked up a label and added one line beneath the original words.
See you tomorrow is not a mission.
After writing it, she paused, then added another line.
Onee-sama was not passing by.
Misaka 10032 looked at those two lines.
Then she placed the pill case back beside her pillow.
"Misaka judges that today's waiting behavior possesses preservation value."
She said it softly.
This time, once again, she did not upload it to the Misaka Network.