Shin'enkouji Rurikakesu

Shin'enkouji Rurikakesu (神苑小路 瑠璃懸巣), often called Ruri (ルリ) for short, is a student of Tokiwadai Middle School who appears in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.

Etymology
Her given name, Rurikakesu, means.

Appearance
Ruri looks like a gyaru. She has strawberry blonde hair, tied into an hairstyle with ball-shaped onyx hair clips, and tanned skin. She wears the Tokiwadai Middle School school uniform, sporting white loose/slouch socks with ribbon. She exposed her breasts and tum underneath her blouse. She wears a black pair of shorts under her skirt, and a fanny bag. Instead of the regulatory loafers, she wears sneakers.

Personality
She is described a free spirit who refuses to fit the mold, with not even the teachers able to control her.

Background
At some point during her time at Tokiwadai, Ruri became a member of the school's Judgment branch.

Jailbreaker Arc
Some time after her battle with Shundan Kimi, a hospitalized Misaka Mikoto briefly thought back to her time with Ruri and Kessai while observing the interactions of her similarly hospitalized friends.

Ruri herself has yet to appear in the present day.

First Year Arc
Ruri first encountered the first-year Misaka Mikoto one day in May, one year before the main story, when the latter's money had been eaten by Vending Machine 7116. After telling the freshman that the machine had a "history" and "following tradition", Ruri hit it with a roundhouse kick while yelling "CHASER!". She then handed Mikoto the tea that randomly came out of the machine.

As they walked to the school, she told Mikoto that the machine accepts coins but not bills, describing it as a demonic vending machine. She jokingly teased Mikoto hoping that she'll get her money back, laughing at the fact that she had fed the machine a whopping 10,000 yen. On being asked by Mikoto if she knew her name, Ruri replied that of course she knew, since Mikoto was one of the two long-hoped-for Level 5s joining Tokiwadai that year. She also warned Mikoto that she would find jealousy everywhere, even at a fancy school like theirs, and that stronger powers just make their lives different, wishing her good luck before leaving.

Mikoto later mentioned her encounter to Kessai Kiyoshi, who told her about Ruri, her full name, how she was a 'free spirit who refuses to fit the mold and not even the teachers can control her', and how the top three cliques had their eyes on her. Some time after the switch to the summer uniforms, the two encountered Ruri and visited the vending machine again, with Ruri acknowledging Mikoto getting the hang of the kick.

During the period of increased tensions between the Mikagami and Hasekura cliques, due to alleged attacks by one against the other, Ruri turned up when Mikoto was about to intervene against Asakura Olivia Moa and Urui Aika who had cornered Kessai in an alleyway, suspecting her of another attack that had just occurred in the vicinity. Stopping them before a fight could break out, Ruri managed to defuse the situation, talking the Mikagami clique girls into standing down and leaving. Afterwards, she had a chat with Mikoto and Kessai about the situation.

Sometime later, Ruri was with Mikoto in School Garden's research casino. As Ruri was lamenting the fact that the casino did not pay out cash, Mikoto was looking at the arcade coins, which she would end up using as a typical projectiles for her Railgun.

When Hasekura returned to Tokiwadai and sought Mikoto's help in finding evidence to resolve the clique conflict, she also asked for Ruri's aid and presence. When the Hasekura clique went to confront Montgolfier, whom they had identified as the likely external culprits, Ruri came along with them, providing them with protective Shields with her ability beforehand.

When the man at Montgolfier challenged their lack of a search warrant and threatened legal action if they tried to force a search, Ruri produced a legitimate warrant and revealed herself as a member of Tokiwadai's Judgment branch, to the disbelief of the first and second years.

Abilities
Ruri's esper ability allows her to give a Shield (ガード) to others, supporting them by boosting their physical abilities or placing a defensive layer around them, comparable to an RPG-style 'buff'. The physical boosts are capable of allowing a person to leap onto a building's rooftop, bending guns and knives, and cause an impact that can break concrete. The defensive boosts can protect a person from the aforementioned impact on concrete without a scratch, as well as deflecting or resisting bullets and knives.

Ruri is unable to use her power on herself. She can set her Shields on a timer (e.g. 3 minutes), but is also capable of switching them on or off at will. In addition to boosting her allies, she can also hinder targets by boosting their abilities, resulting in them having trouble controlling more power than they are used to, or removing the buff at an inopportune moment. She has high precision with her power, able to trigger it to match an opponent's step.

As a student of Tokiwadai Middle School, Ruri's ability can be presumed to be at Level 3 or 4.