A Certain Scientific Railgun (とある科学の超電磁砲)

Hey, watch what you're doing.

Oh, boy.

It's not working anymore!

The battery coulda died.

But we just charged it earlier.

Here, let me see it.

Maybe it really is broken.

What do you know about it, dummy?

Gimme that.

Ugh!

All right, I think that's as much as my telekinesis can do.

Then it's my turn! Here goes!

Stupid! You're just gonna burn it!

Aww.

Can I see it?

What was that?

She zapped it!

So that's what's wrong.

Something's disconnected on the inside.

Hey. Mind if I help you fix it?

Okay.

Use your telekinesis to hold that wire

against the base plate for me.

-- Like this? -- Mhm!

Now, use the heat of your pyrokinesis

to melt this solder, all right?

I'll try.

There you go!

Awesome!

--It's fixed! --Thanks a whole lot--

Huh?

She was here a second ago.

Hey, she was wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School

uniform, right?

Whoa, you mean that famous all-girls school?

Thank you, shorts-wearing lady.

I really do make too many pit-stops!

Academy City.

It occupies a whopping one-third of Tokyo,

with a total population of 2.3 million.

Eighty percent of that figure is students.

They devote themselves to nurturing and improving

their abilities daily.

And at the top are the Level 5s.

Expansive as the city may be,

only seven people meet the requirements

to be considered a Level 5.

And these seven outliers are officially our new targets.

Are you serious?

You know who these people are, right?

Practically every one of them is a deviant!

I have my concerns, too.

I've heard some are involved with unsavory groups

with no regard for the law.

Do you really think we could win them over?

I dunno, but this will be transmitted beyond

just Academy City;

the whole world will be watching.

So to put on a real demonstration,

the higher-ups made it clear that we have to use

top-class espers.

They're killin' me here!

If the decision has come from above,

we have no choice.

At the very least, we need two Level 5s

to take the athlete's pledge.

That's the bare minimum.

Make use of all your connections to negotiate with them!

Hey! The Daihasei Festival!

Oh, man.

Almost forgot about it, but now I'm excited!

It's crazy to think all of Academy City's schools

come together for seven entire days and hold

a sports festival!

There's nothing like it anywhere else, that's for sure.

Uh-huh.

Uiharu?

Sorry, it's just that if we're holding a big festival,

a lot of people will be entering Academy City

from who-knows-where.

As a member of Judgment, I have to remain vigilant.

And besides...

If something bad were to happen because I wasn't

careful enough, I'd...

Uiha... ru!

-- -- Oh, polka-dots!

The classics never go out of style.

What did you have to go and do that for, Saten?

'Cause at the very least, when you're off duty

from Judgment, you could stand to relax a little.

Everyone knows you're always trying your hardest.

But don't overdo it, okay?

Thank you, Saten.

Hey! Uiharu! Saten!

Sorry I'm late!

--Sissy, it's y--! -- Hello!

So how are you feeling, Shirai? Any better today?

Thought we'd come to check up on you.

Yeah, yeah, all right, thanks for comi--

How's it going, Kuroko?

Doing any better?

Sissy!

Huh?

Wait, the athlete's pledge at the opening ceremonies?

For the Daihasei Festival?

They want you for it, Sissy?

Mm-hmm.

One of the teachers grabbed me as I was leaving

and asked.

Now, Misaka, you have prior experience

doing demonstrations in Russia, right?

There are those among our staff who believe you would be

a fitting representative of Tokiwadai Middle School.

Yeah?

Of course, the final decision is yours.

So...

Do you realize how incredible that is?

The Daihasei Festival's opening ceremony

is supposed to be broadcast to the entire planet!

Misaka's gonna be an international superstar!

As she should be. Is anyone surprised?

Yeah, that sorta thing isn't exactly my style.

Come on!

I'm sure your parents would be psyched

to see you do it, wouldn't they?

Mmm... I'm not so sure they would.

People all over the world are going to start falling

for you now, but I suppose I'll find some way

to deal with not having you all to myself.

I'm sorry?

Well the three of us will make sure to be there.

Wait.

Shirai, you aren't still gonna be stuck in this bed?

Nope.

I'm already scheduled to be discharged by then.

Though as I'm sure you can imagine,

I won't be able to compete.

It's such a pity that all that training I did

with Sissy will go to waste.

Oh, yeah. "Training."

Easy, Kuroko!

Will you chill out? Get off!

Yeah. Well, nothing we can do about it.

Oh, no.

I refuse to leave you stuck on the sidelines, Sissy.

You just let good old Kuroko take care of this

for you.

Well, then, like Uiharu said,

let's all go and show our support!

While do I appreciate the invitation,

it's likely I'll have to catch up on my work

with Judgment then.

Shirai, you're going back to work so soon?

Yes, of course I am.

Once I'm out of the hospital,

there are any number of things I can do to help.

Man. I sure am glad Shirai's in good spirits, y'know?

Oh. Yeah!

Me too.

But I gotta say, it seemed like she was only acting happy.

But why do that?

Well, to keep us all from worrying if I had to guess.

You're right. That does sound like her.

Guess so. All right! I'm gonna try hard too

so Shirai doesn't have to worry about me, either!

You always try hard, Uiharu.

You gonna try even harder?

Yes!

Maybe I should do something for her, too--

Why bother?

Come on, you know that as long as Shirai has you,

she couldn't possibly want anything else.

I'm sure that's not true; she must need

something else.

Is that Misaka?

Oh, Kongo.

Wannai and Awatsuki, too. Hey!

Good afternoon. I hope you're well.

Nice to see you.

Yeah, same.

Is something the matter?

Huh? Oh, no, not really.

Well, if there is something troubling you,

by all means, turn to your finest partner,

Kongo Mitsuko for help!

Partner?

Hey, Kongo!

You can't talk about that!

Huh? How could I make such a blunder?

Kuroko did?

Yeah. It was yesterday, when we went to visit her.

We must have just missed each other

if you went there, too.

Yes, and that's when Shirai asked me to pair up

with you for the festival so you can compete

without her.

She said she would tell you herself,

but then I came along and ruined it.

Me and my big mouth.

So that's what Kuroko meant in the hospital.