Chapter 28: Trouble

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Kamijou Touma was an unlucky person.

There was no need to look any further than the Daihaseisai to understand that. It was clear to everyone. The Daihaseisai was an athletic festival-like event where espers battled it out against one another. But for some reason, Kamijou had gotten tangled up in a battle among magicians on the very first day, and he'd been the last one standing in a huge battle to prevent Academy City from subjugation. He was always getting caught up in crazy situations.

Even with that problem resolved, it didn't change the fact that he was fundamentally unlucky. He'd accidentally walked in on Komoe-sensei changing, endured a head-butt from the steel forehead of Fukiyose Seiri upon her recovery, been bitten by Index, catapulted skyward by Tsuchimikado, only to have his head forcefully brought back to the ground by both Misaka Imouto and Kanzaki.

Threatened by Kanzaki, faced gumballs pelted at him from wheelchair-bound Himegami Aisa... Kamijou was absolutely exhausted in more ways than he could count.

He heaved a sigh as he made his way back to the dorm after a quick trip to the convenience store for breakfast. It was ten in the morning, and with nothing left in the fridge, he had to buy something for Index before she would starve to death... literally.

"I wonder if it was just my imagination," he mused, absentmindedly scratching the back of his head while his other hand juggled a bag of collectibles.

Around sunrise, he had woken up to a slight tremor in his apartment, possibly a mild earthquake. Nothing unusual, considering they lived in a seismically active country like Japan.

Although he thought he heard distant sounds of explosions from time to time, Index didn't seem to notice, deeply asleep.

In the end, he found it a bit curious but didn't have the energy to dwell on it further.

Kamijou descended the staircase that led down from the petite bridge spanning across the main street.

"Huh!? Is it raining?" muttered Kamijou as he looked up into the cloudy sky.

A few drops of rain were finding their way to the black road surface. It was the end of October, so the air had grown quite cold.

(I don't think I had a futon hanging out to dry. I hope Index remembered to close the window before continuing her act of starving.)

Kamijou headed off at random while still looking up at the sky, which was covered with a thick layer of clouds. It was raining, but not enough to need an umbrella.

When he thought about how near his dorm was and the fact that the dorm umbrella stand was full because he would buy a cheap convenience store umbrella whenever it rained, he really did not feel like changing his path and heading to the underground mall to buy some rain gear.

(Is it just me, or are there a lot of Anti-Skill members around here?)

Whether due to the time of day or the weather, there were surprisingly few students on the road trying to find cover. The only people he saw walking around were Anti-Skill.

The Anti-Skill members wandering around wore defensive armor made of layered plastic and shock-absorbing polyurethane. Their equipment had to be waterproof, but Kamijou felt a bit sorry for them when he saw them walking around in the cold rain without an umbrella.

(Hmm. If we're out here late enough, they'll probably try to lead us home. I know how to slip past them...)

Kamijou was just about to look away from the Anti-Skill members.

But before he could do so...

He heard an unusual noise.

"...?"

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