Misaka looked at the mountain of chicken wraps piled onto her plate, then at Aunt May’s expression—the unmistakable look of This poor child must be starving.
Eat some more.
She silently increased the speed of her eating.
The enormous energy consumption that came with being a superpowered esper meant that her appetite was particularly impressive at the moment.
But to the Parkers, her wolfing down the food only served to confirm the tragic story they’d already constructed in their heads.
This poor girl must never have had a proper meal before.
So Aunt May added another generous spoonful of mashed potatoes to her plate.
After dinner, May quietly pulled Ben into the bedroom.
“Ben.”
She closed the door and lowered her voice, but her tone was unusually firm.
“I want to adopt Misaka.”
Ben wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
He took his wife’s hand, his expression warm and certain.
“I was actually planning to talk to you about the same thing tonight. I didn’t expect you to bring it up first.”
He sighed, his voice carrying a mixture of lingering fear and relief.
“May, that girl saved my life. We can’t let her wander around out there alone. She deserves a home. She deserves to go to school and live a normal life, just like Peter.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking!”
May’s eyes reddened again.
“We can’t let her go back to a life like that. A life that must have been like hell.”
The two of them had reached exactly the same conclusion.
Misaka:
“…”
Adopt me?
Just because I ate one meal with you?
Isn’t your decision-making process moving a little too fast?
Soon, the two of them returned to Misaka with solemn expressions.
“Misaka…”
May crouched down so that she was eye level with the girl sitting on the sofa.
“We’d like you to stay here and become part of our family.”
“Would that be all right?”
Afraid that she might refuse, Ben quickly added:
“You don’t need to change your name, and you don’t have to start calling us Mom and Dad. Just call us Uncle Ben and Aunt May, the same way Peter does.”
“We’ll help sort out your identification and legal status. Then you can go to school like the other kids and live a normal life.”
Looking at the two elderly people before her, their eyes sincere and carrying a faint hint of pleading, Misaka felt a complicated mixture of emotions.
She didn’t understand the logic behind all of this.
But she could clearly feel that their kindness was completely genuine.
In this unfamiliar world, she had no family, no acquaintances, and no money.
Staying here was undoubtedly the best option available to her right now.
The Parkers weren’t wealthy, but they were kind-hearted and warm toward others.
For someone transported into an entirely new world who needed an “anchor” from which to observe and integrate into her surroundings, they were practically the perfect family.
And besides…
Misaka’s gaze swept toward Peter, who was standing awkwardly nearby, then toward Ben and May.
With her abilities, protecting this family shouldn’t be particularly difficult.
If anyone wanted to bully them, they’d have to ask the coin in her pocket for permission first.
At that thought, the heart that had remained suspended ever since she arrived in this world finally found somewhere to settle.
She nodded.
“Okay.”
And so, the next stage of Misaka Mikoto’s life was decided by two kind-hearted “guardians” in another room.
For her, it might have been the first—and luckiest—thing to happen since she had arrived in this unfamiliar world.
Peter Parker stood in the corner of the living room like a telephone pole planted in the ground, completely unsure what to do with his hands and feet.
He had just come out of his room when he overheard Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s solemn “adoption declaration.”
And then the girl who had saved Uncle Ben—the girl named Misaka Mikoto—had nodded and agreed.
So…
He suddenly had a little sister?
A little sister two years younger than him, who looked pretty cool and…
seemed really strong?
“Um…”
Peter finally gathered the courage to speak.
He scratched the back of his head, a slightly bashful smile appearing on his face.
“Welcome, Misaka.”
“I’m… I’m Peter Parker.”
Misaka looked up at the boy who was about a head taller than her.
He had kind brown eyes and wore an old T-shirt printed with scientific equations.
His entire appearance radiated a harmless, bookish air.
It was difficult to imagine that this slightly skinny boy was another member of the Parker family.
“Yeah.”
Misaka gave him a simple response, unsure what else to say.
Back in Academy City, she was accustomed to letting her abilities and presence speak for themselves.
When confronted with this kind of pure, uncomplicated family affection, however, she found herself completely at a loss.
“Wonderful!”
May happily clapped her hands when she saw the two children beginning to interact.
“Peter, you’re a big brother now. You’ll have to take good care of Misaka from now on.”
“I… I will!”
Peter hurriedly nodded.
His eyes sparkled behind his rimless glasses.
For the first time in his life, he had gained the identity of an “older brother.”
A strange sense of responsibility naturally welled up inside him.
Looking at Misaka, he spoke with the earnestness unique to a teenage boy.
“If anyone at school gives you trouble, just tell me!”
Misaka glanced at him.
Who’s bullying whom remains to be seen.
But she didn’t say it aloud.
The corner of her mouth merely twitched slightly in response.
That night, the entire Parker family worked together to clean up a room that had originally been used for storage.
Ben brought down a sturdy single bed from the attic.
May made the bed with clean sheets and blankets that smelled faintly of sunshine.
Peter contributed one of his bookshelves and a desk lamp.
The room wasn’t large, and the furnishings were simple, but it was clean and bright, filled with the warmth of a real home.
“Sorry that it’s not much, Misaka.”
May adjusted the pillow, looking slightly apologetic.
“Things are a little tight around here. This was the best room we could put together for you for now.”
“It’s fine. This is already great.”
Misaka stood in the doorway, looking at the soft bed.
This was already infinitely better than the prospect of sleeping on the streets.
Late that night, Misaka lay on the bed with both hands behind her head, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Everything that had happened during the day felt like some bizarre, surreal movie.
She had kicked a vending machine and somehow kicked open the door to an entirely new world.
She had gone from the familiar Academy City to a place called New York.
She had no money, couldn’t properly communicate with the locals, and had thought she was about to enter hardcore wilderness-survival mode.
Instead, after a random act of kindness, she had somehow been adopted by a kind elderly couple.
The emotional whiplash of life was almost too much.
She couldn’t go back.
Back to the world with Gekota, Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, and…
That idiot.
At the thought, her chest felt strangely tight.
Something seemed to be lodged in her heart.
But Misaka Mikoto wasn’t the kind of person who would wallow in sadness.
She shook her head and forced the tangled thoughts out of her mind.
Since I’m already here, I might as well make the best of it.
There was no point dwelling on things she couldn’t change.
She could only take things one step at a time.
At least now she had a “home” where she could sleep safely.
And she had a “big brother” who seemed pretty decent, too.
Just as she was lost in thought and preparing to force herself to sleep, a soft blue light suddenly appeared before her without warning.
Misaka’s body instantly tensed.
A tiny electric arc flashed beneath her bangs and disappeared.
She abruptly sat upright and assumed a defensive stance, warily staring at the light.
The glow rapidly condensed before her.
Eventually, it formed a translucent, futuristic virtual interface.
Lines of Chinese text appeared across its surface.
[Congratulations, Guardian Faction Player—Misaka Mikoto, on successfully surviving.]
[Player action detected: Saved key plot character “Ben Parker” and prevented his death. Reputation gained: 3,000 points.]
[Player action detected: Gained a high level of favor from key plot characters “Ben Parker,” “May Parker,” and “Peter Parker.” Reputation gained: 2,000 points.]
[Player action detected: Formed a “Family” bond with the Parker family and officially integrated into the world. Reputation gained: 3,000 points.]
[Current total Reputation: 8,000 points.]