Disclaimer: I don't own To Aru Majutsu no Index.
Chapter 1:
Looking Ways, Through_the_Great_Maze
Strange_Obsession
In the midst of a cool wind trended to somewhere in all four surrounding directions, a sweat drop glided down from a boy's forehead and continued its way to his chin. With a "flopping" sound, it fused into the vast blue sea.
Leaning his head on a side of lifeboat, the boy then turned around, laying his back down on the floor and looked up to the clear sky with one hand covering his eyes from the gleaming, bright light of the fire ball floating in the center.
It has already half pass noon and naturally this was the period when the sun becomes the brightest and hottest in the day.
The sun rose so high above the horizon and there was no cloud to shield him from the sunlight so the heat just pierced directly into his skin and that has never been a pleasant feeling.
Sometime, he could feel himself getting a heatstroke at any moment just by staying under this heat.
"…."
The boy sighed softly.
The splashing sound of many waves came to his ear and some drops splashed onto his gravity defied hair as if it was trying to comfort him. However, listening to those waves was not helping him at all, it didn't make him feel better even for a little bit. It only reminded him more of the situation he was in.
He was in the middle of the sea, in the middle of nowhere.
There was no landmark, no sign of people, no nothing. All he could see in all four directions are water and water.
And the small lifeboat which he was on just kept floating endlessly to an unknown destination.
"So hot…."
The spiky haired boy tug the front of his orange shirt and waved it non-stop. He said that, but there was no other choice, he has to endure this.
The calm wind continued to flow.
The high school boy slowly sat up, looking down at his blue swim trunks and wiped away a few grain of sand sticking on it. The boy unzipped one of his pockets and took out his phone, which was carefully put inside a waterproof bag, to take a look at the time.
He wasn't surprise, it indeed had halt pass noon. Normally, this was the time when he stays at school or stood in the kitchen to make lunch for Index, Othinus the former Magic God and Sphynx during days off.
Saying normally because as of now, he can't do any of that.
A strange circumstance has happened. Something has happened and he can't no longer do that.
Ah, now that he thought about it.
How long has it been since the last time he cooked breakfast, lunch, dinner and extra meal for them?
How long has it been since the last time he was being chased around the city by Biribiri, ate a cake with Shokuhou and made cookies for Mitsuari?
How many tutoring sessions and extra supplementary classes with senpai and Komoe-sensei has he absent without telling them?
Two days?
Three days?
Four…..
…..wha…..no!
The boy slightly shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
….there's no time to think about this.
There was simply no time, the situation he was facing is too urgent to ignore. Nothing else was more important than what he is doing.
This should be the one and only time he absolutely won't let his mind sway by thinking about them.
Of course, it was not like he didn't concern about them.
He deeply care for his friends.
Then again…..BUT…..
This one time….just this one time, he will refuse to lose his focus on what he was trying to do and that is for a good reason.
He will do this without making them concern him and will never let those concerns stops him.
No matter how it looks, this might have been one of his most selfish acts yet.
Still, if he was to let everything go now, it would be extremely dangerous.
Everything would be meaningless if things didn't go back to normal.
There would be more chaos across the globe if he really gave up.
It's alright.
Be selfish, you are doing this for them…..and for yourself, too.
And most important of all, you are doing this to save them, to free them from whatever phenomena or troubles that is currently driving the world crazy.
That's right.
With that said, Kamijou Touma's grip on the phone tightened, determination burned in his blue eyes.
Although he might seem like someone who got lost in the great maze that is the sea and his sense of direction has been temporarily shut down because of that, Kamijou will definitely make it to the end and solve this circumstance once and for all.
Usually, it was understandable for a normal high school boy you can find anywhere like him to be terrified in this kind of situation.
Yet, at the moment, Kamijou didn't feel any of that. He didn't even feel hopeless or lost.
The reason was simple.
Toward the back of the small boat which was conveniently right next to his left side, a buzzing sound could be heard echoing repeatedly like a board just got electric fried following by a fainted column of black smoke flew up to the sky after it busted.
And…
Staring down at it was another high school boy you can find anywhere in a pair of blue shirt and swim trunks. With one hand grabbed the towel hanging on his shoulder, the high school boy with brown hair used it to wipe away the sweat dripping down on his forehead.
For a few minutes, he looked at the smoke then shifted his eyes to a small tablet holding in his left hand, surfing his fingers on the touch screen.
For some reasons, that boy blinked and he raised up the tablet over his head as if he was trying to gather more signal for the device to work.
A few seconds passed and in the end, the result was still the same. Frowning, the boy let out a small sigh and laid his back against the round edge of the lifeboat. Right hand placed on his neck and it gently swung.
"No good, the engine is dead."-said Kamisato Kakeru in an exhausted voice as he put the small tablet down. But needless to say, his brown eyes still held a calm light."And there is no signal either."
Kamijou was never alone in this strange circumstance.
"Right…..and we also lack the necessary tool to fix this. This is such a dilemma, indeed. This lifeboat must had been kept in the storage for too long before the last time it was used. If I have to give a score to the owner of this boat, it will be zero. The maintenance must have been done poorly without a proper technique or it might have never undergone one at all, the engine got all rusty and the fuel pipe has some dirty rubber sticking inside, there are even a few leaking holes around the tube."
Another voice added in the explanation to the brown haired boy's words. It was a voice belongs to men in their prime. Artificial but very smooth and generous like a true gentle man.
Kamijou slowly turned his eyes toward the source of the new voice. Sitting near to Kamisato and looking down at the boat fried engine was another person…..no….to be more precisely, it was an animal that was quite big and too intelligent to be fitted in the same category of its own kind.
"Even if it just a boat, made to be used for business, work, entertainment. I have to say if you run a business without taking care of your own materials, it will be no different from a scientist who tries to invent stuff that is no longer needed in life and society."
Kamijou was still listening and he could tell…..
If that person….no…..if that animal's face could form an expression, the spiky haired boy could imagine a man sighing with slight annoyance but didn't show it on his face.
Once again, that artificial voice spoke up.
"And now that we all seem to stuck in the middle of nowhere, being lost in a giant maze without a slightest hint to find our way out. Between good and bad, this would be very bad if you don't have a plan to deal with this, but between like and dislike, I wouldn't say I dislike this. Although saying this might be strange as someone who understands romance, sometime it could come in any form, it could even be the newly formed desire that buried deep within your soul, waiting for a chance to burst out like an innocent child with pure heart. This situation itself carries a mean to force the deepest, honest thought out of your own vessel. Such a strong emotion will make you realize how much you desire to survive this harsh reality and stay true to your own self."
Those words, it all belonged to a dog, a golden retriever.
It was Kihara Noukan.
The two normal high school boys you can find anywhere were not the only one on that lifeboat that floated midway through the big sea.
"Your way of depicting romance's definition truly is strange."
"Is it? As I said before, Kamisato-kun. Romance comes in many forms and it depends on each individual, this is a matter of perspective. But overall, I still hold the original meaning of that word. Trying to understand its concept is not easy but it becomes more interesting once you've already got to know it."
The golden retriever with a golden fur replied while proudly sat straight on its four leg.
The spiky haired boy still listened to the conversation between the two. However, his expression appeared unchanged, the blank and exhausted look was on his face the whole time. But it would be a lie if he didn't find himself shocked a tiny bit at the sight of a dog talking in human language.
"…"
"What's wrong, Kamijou-kun?"-noticing the deadpanned stare the spiky haired boy directed at himself, the golden retriever asked.
"…..hm…..you know, normally in this kind of scenario, this Kamijou-san would have been panic all over if he got lost in the sea, which he never was until now. Yet, at the moment, I don't think I can react like that for a short while after knowing something that can only exist in one of those anime series that Index likes so much is actually exists here. Magic God, angel and now this. No offense but seeing a dog talks like a human for the first time in my life, I'm starting to feel that nothing in this world could surprise me anymore. Even right now, Kamijou-san don't feel like he should care about being shivered in hopeless or despair if a vampire suddenly pops up from out of nowhere."
"Well, isn't that a good sign? I'm sure you are still feeling shock about my existence. It's all right, you just need some time to get used to this, young one. As a matter of fact, your reaction at this very moment can help yourself a lot more than you know in this situation."
"…."
Yes.
Now, Kamijou was feeling calm, but it was not the kind of good calm that you feel like when you saw a character successfully got away from the killer's grasp in a horror movie.
In this situation.
In the middle of the sea.
Three unique individuals were on the same small lifeboat with the same goal, the same destination in their mind.
Two high school boys and one dog were stuck on the same small lifeboat with an engine no longer functioned and broken.
Kamijou didn't feel like he should be scared in this strange circumstance but he didn't think he could feel better and put on a smile because of that either. If he could, he will want to scream the catchphrase that has stuck with him for life.
It hasn't been long after their departure from the nearest land. But after the engine suddenly broke down and burned, the trip hasn't been a very smooth one either.
Kamisato had tried to fix the engine with one of the members of the infamous family by using the tablet to connect to the network and look for instruction then doing the work manually.
So far, nothing positive has happened, the result was still the same.
The engine was too old and hadn't been used for nearly a decade so it was difficult to make it function again.
So…
"Hey, let's use this."-Kamisato spoke up as he found a self-contained unit under one of the seat's gaps.
Last resort, they used an electric trolling motor.
Kamijou placed the propeller part under the water while the golden retriever quickly connected the cable to the boat's leftover battery and controlled the device using the robotic arms built in his backpack.
It worked.
It actually worked…in 5 minutes before the battery mysteriously ran out.
"…"
"….."
"….."
So…
Now, the three of them are officially stuck in the sea.
"Such misfortuneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
...
Although saying that they were stuck.
In their case, stuck wasn't the best word to describe their dilemma.
Being unable to move forward and being unable to know where you are were two complete different situations.
"Hm….let's see….."-Kamisato spoke softly as he placed a hand to his chin, falling deep in thought."The sun is still way on top our head. I have an idea, let's just wait a little longer until it passed noon. That way, I can use some of the navigation methods that my friend often use when she is at sea to determine the direction we need to go."
"Often use when at sea? Why do I suddenly have a feeling the girl you are talking about is wearing a large hat with crossbones symbol in the middle and an eye patch over her right eye like one of those ancient pirates?"
"Well, technically, Luca is actually one, a modern pirate. Some of the methods she used depends on the motion of the sun or the shadows casted by it. I can use a stick or something similar to act as a sun rod. Unless my tablet has the signal again, this is the only way we can do to find our way cross this place for now. To be blunt, I'm not an expert like her so I'm not sure this will be 100% correct but it worth to try."
"Heh, now that's a good idea you have there, boy."-the golden retriever complimented."I agree, for now, we should just take a short break and wait."
Kamijou, Kamisato and the golden retriever actually had a clear destination in their mind and their sense of direction wasn't really lost.
They still have the sunlight to let them see what was around them.
Basically, this was not entirely a dead end.
Using the towel to wipe the sweat on his forehead one more time, Kamisato reached both hands inside a middle size bag that he has carried with him when all of this began. He took out a couple of drinks and threw one to Kamijou before opening a can food for the golden retriever.
"….."-Kihara Noukan looked down at his food in silence.
"What's the matter?"-asked Kamisato and Kamijou also looked as they both noticed the dog's reaction.
"This is…..miso soup."
"It is, is something wrong with it? I know you can eat human food like any normal person, but if you want one for dog then sorry I don't have any."
"No, there is nothing wrong. It may not seem relevant, but I guess I could say there was this feeling of nostalgia filled my chest when I look at this."-Kihara Noukan touched the tip of the can with one of his front leg."A memory where an old teacher watched his student hums happily while she stood in the kitchen to make dinner for him every day."
"….."
"….."
To Noukan, that sight held an important meaning.
It could be something that related to the concept of romance that he understood.
It could also meant he was watching the growth of the student who has followed his path.
For a teacher and a scientist such as himself, that is a joy.
But…..
"But…..such beautiful moments like that will never happen again if we can't reach to the source, the core of this strange phenomenon."
Something strange has happened.
It has changed it.
It has twisted it.
The reality that occurs daily, that moment between the master and his apprentice can't no longer happen again.
The conversation stopped, silence filled the air as the wind has also stopped it track from when no one could know.
With little effort, the gentle small waves kept hitting the side of the lifeboat, making it shook lightly with the repeated splashing sound.
The two high school boys let their eyes wandered away as they thought about what had happened recently.
They, too, also in the same situation as the golden retriever.
Even till now, they still didn't know why things has turned out like this.
The strange "chaos" that broke out to the world where they live, without a warning, it turned their life upside down even more than before.
As they all looked back on the strange circumstance that they were in, a buzzing sound suddenly cut short their line of thought.
It came from inside one of the pockets of Kamijou's swim trunks. Putting the drink aside, the spiky haired boy took his phone out and saw a name displayed on the screen.
Hamazura Shiage was calling him.
Listening to the ringtone, Kamisato slowly widened his eyes as a realization struck him. The brown haired boy quickly grabbed the tablet and checked the screen.
The signal is coming back.
Kamijou, not wasting a second, immediately pressed the answer button.
And before the boy could say anything, the person on the other side of the phone has already spoke following by a few heavy gasps.
"Teacher?!"-Hamazura's loud voice was dried, sounded like he was out of breath and panicking."Teacher! Where have you been?! I've been trying to search for you for a whole day but you aren't in the city, I tried to contact you but you didn't pick up until now! Where are you?!"
"C-calm down, Hamazura. I'm out the city for a while and why are you gasping so much? What happen?!"
"Something really weird is happening around the city in the past couple of days! I can't comprehend it, sometime people on the street is not acting like themselves! Even members of ITEM is acting strangely!"
"….?!"
"I don't know why but Mugino has been out there looking for you since this morning! It's night now and she still hasn't come back to the apartment!"
Somehow, even in this heat, Kamijou felt a cold chill ran all over his body when he heard that.
Just what is this bad feeling?
"This morning Takitsubo also went missing and I couldn't find her anywhere! As if things haven't been crazy enough, Fremea even forced me to look at her as a proper young lady!…*gasp*…not only that…*gasp*…not only that…Kinuhata is…huh?"
"Wha-"
Kamijou tried to say something but his word was abruptly interrupted by a very loud bang echoed on Hamazura's side.
Something was violently crashed like a broken wooden door being stepped on and snapped to pieces.
The three heard Hamazura let out a terrified squeak as a voice of a young girl spoke up next.
"Hamazura~, where are you~?"-Kinuhata Saiai strangely sweet tone came through the volume which caused Kamijou to sweat drop and nervous."It's no good running away from me, you know~. I just want to super watch a movie together with you~."
Small gap could be heard, Hamazura must has tried to hold his breath.
He was in hiding.
"Hamazura~, come out~. I've already bought two tickets for us now and I guarantee with you, this movie is super interesting~."
Movements was heard after those words was let out. It was so small that Kamijou had to switch to speakerphone to listen.
"Hurry up and come out now or I'll start searching for you."-footsteps echoed on a wooden floor."Are you in the bathroom?"
"There's no way I would hide in there, this is different from a B-rated horror movie."
Hamazura muttered quietly, unknowing that his voice also came through the phone that the three individual on the lifeboat was listening to intensely.
This is so thrilling.
"Are you behind that sofa?"
"….!"
The footsteps banging against the wooden floor continued and it became clearer and louder on the phone as each second passed.
Hamazura is in big trouble.
Kamijou was really worried for his friend at this point.
Suddenly, another loud bang kicked in his ear as if someone just threw a tennis ball and it hit a solid object with full impact, a door for example.
"Ah! Super Hamazura-y! Are you running away again?! Come back here and go to the movie theater with me!"
There was several loud slamming sounds on the floor and the atmosphere went dead silence after that.
Kamijou shared his confused looked to his two companions then looked back at the mobile phone in his hand.
"Hamazura…Hamazura, are you still there?"-the spiky haired boy called his friend with full of concern in his voice.
"…uh…..yeah, teacher, I'm still here."-Hamazura left out a sigh in relief."I'm glad I found something to lure Kinuhata away. Oh man, that was so intense. If she was in her right mind back then, I doubt I could trick her like that."
More footsteps echoed through the phone and the sound of a door opened and closed also followed by.
"Anyway, you've heard all of it, haven't you? You see what I mean now, teacher?! Everyone is acting strange! A few days ago Kinuhata wouldn't be so aggressive like this, but recently something in her changed and do you know what kind of change is that?"
"…..no…?"
"She started watching those A-rated romance movies and now she is chasing after me to force me to watch it with her! This isn't right! Just what the hell is happening?!"
Now that was an incredible change.
As far as Kamijou and the former Skill-Out's leader knew, the only kind of movie that could fully draw out Kinuhata's interest and enjoyment was those C and B movies.
That girl was even once declared that she has no interest in those A movies whether of how good their content are.
Just what the hell is happening?
Kamijou has asked himself that too and the answer was obvious.
"I don't know."
He didn't know. None of the two companions in front of him know.
"But don't worry, I'm trying to figure it out with some help. Just keep in touch with me, Hamazura. And by the way, where are you at now?"
"At ITEM apartment, currently hiding in my room right now. It's just a matter of time before Kinuhata came back. This is so bizarre, I'm glad I dropped Fremea back at your dorm. The maid girl who lives there is looking after her, I hope something like this won't affect a kid's mind any long…ah that's right, Index constantly asked me about you when I came there."
"…?"
"She said she tried to call you countless time but you didn't pick up, she was really worried about you."
"….I know…."
A simple reply escapes the spiky haired boy.
It held so small weight that it nearly voiceless.
Kamisato heard it, yet he just darted his eyes away and stared at the vast open sea. By now, if someone was to ask him about his friends, those in his faction, his reply would just be as weightless as the Imagine Breaker boy's.
A small thumping sound then echoed through the phone. The teenage boy was punching at something.
"Ahh damn it! My mind seems to get off track. I can't hide here, I need to find Takitsubo. I'm really worry about her right now but I don't know where she has gone to. She just mysteriously disappeared this morning. While I was trying to run away from Kinuhata and contacting you, I came to every corner in the entire District and I still couldn't find her anywhere in sight."
The boy with unruly blond hair sighed.
"For something like this to happen, unbelievable. If this strange circumstance last for two more days, I think my insanity gauge is going to shoot off the roof for sure. How come those normal days of me, Takitsubo and the group suddenly turn out like this?"
"I'm sorry to hear that. This Kamijou-san is not even in a better situation than yours, my misfortune seems to linger on my neck right now since we just have ourselves stuck in the middle of the sea."
"In the middle of wha-?!"-Hamazura spoke out loud in surprise but a small gap immediately came next, indicated that he just covered his mouth.
2 seconds….
5 seconds…
No more sound came.
On the other side, it was pure silence.
"Hamazura?"
"I hear someone mumbling. Oh no, don't tell me that aggressive girl is back. Teacher, I got to hide, don't hang up."
"Y-yeah."
Slowly, the creaking sound came through the speaking volume then went dead silence again.
It took on and on.
Kamijou put his phone down on the floor and waited.
Unexpectedly, the creaking noise echoed again and heavy footsteps happened rapidly as if the person on the other side was in a rush.
He must has discovered something.
"Hang on, that mumbling, that voice, I think I just hear Takitsubo's voice just now! She's in the next room!"
With a forceful twisting and a loud bam, they all heard Hamazura called out to the person in front of him.
"Takitsubo!"-a small thud added in between his word as he put the phone down on the ground."Why are you on the floor? Are you feeling alright?!"
"Hamazura….."-Takitsubo Rikou called his name in a weak tone, it was also caught on the speakerphone.
"Where were you?! You suddenly went missing this morning, I looked for you at every-!"
"….no…..!"
"Huh?"
"If you…hold me like this…I won't be able to resist it!"
"What are you saying? And why are you breathing so hard? Wah! Your face looks so red, too! Do you have a fever?"-worry filled in Hamazura's tone."Come on, let me check your forehead…..Uwah!"
Rumbling noise was emitted as someone's back hit against the floor.
"Uhm.…..Ta-Takitsubo?...why….why did you push me away?"
"This morning….I've been trying so hard…to avoid you…I don't know why…."-Rikou spoke between each gasp."But I felt like…if I come closer to you…I won't be able to…..control this feeling that is beating so strongly in my chest…."
Kamijou and Kamisato narrowed their eyes as they listened, something was wrong.
Something strange has happened with Takitsubo's way of speaking.
"Hamazura…I'm not feeling like…I am myself…please….don't….go near-"
"Hm, he didn't seem to be outside, just where did he run off to?"
"Oh crap!"
In that slit of second when another voice of a certain strangely aggressive girl reached the phone. Alarm bell rang in the spiky haired boy's head and he realized that Hamazura was no longer alone with Takitsubo.
Kinuhata Saiai has come back.
That blond haired boy is really standing on a thread now.
"Hamazura~."
"Shh! I'm sorry Takitsubo, but I need to hide us away from Kinuhata, please don't be angry at me."
"…..no…..you're holding me again…I can't…..keep calm…."
The hard breathing stopped.
"….."
"….."
"Hamazura~, I'm going into your room now~."
"What?! Oi! Don't just suddenly barge into my personal space!"-Hamazura quietly spoke through his gritted teeth in annoyance but his tone soon changed differently."Hm? Takitsubo, why are you hugging me? And what's with that stare you're giving? Why do I feel like it filled with so much passion?! Hang on, what's wrong with this ridiculous strong grip on my back?! Is this a punishment? It is because I let Kinuhata go into my room?!"
"Hamazura."-Takitsubo called his name in her usual monotone.
"Y-yes? Hold on, I think I'm starting to see weird things here. Is that a heart shape in your eyes?! And why are you gently caressing my face?"
"Hamazura…you're my boyfriend, aren't you?"
"Yeah….yeah, I am."-the boy quickly replied, slightly shivered.
"No one understand you better than me, am I right?"
"You know, somehow I have a feeling I may step on a landmine later on if I answer that. But either way, yeah, you're right and I want to accept that. Now shall we get back on the crisis at hand? I don't want to be found out…..wh….wh….what the?!…..wait! Takitsubo, this is too sudden! No, don't lean in so close like that! This isn't you at all, don't tell me you have become strange like Mugino and Kinuhata, too!"
"…..Hamazura…..you're mine…don't go anywhere."
"No….NO NO! Please stop this! That thin smile of your is so beautiful I can't handle it! Okay, I admit! It's true that I have always dream of this moment with you, but…..but! I don't want my first kiss to be like this!…..Wah!"
There was a loud rumbling noise and the ITEM errand boy seemed to have hit his back against the floor again. This time it looked more like he was being pushed down to the ground.
"No, Takitsubo! Don't do this! I'll be done for-"
"There you are~."
The deadly sweet voice of Kinuhata rang up through the speakerphone.
Kamijou frozen on the spot, the spiky haired boy found himself pale as he knew what comes next for his friend.
He grabbed the phone and screamed.
"Hamazura! Get out of there!"
But it was too late.
At this very moment, the fate of Hamazura Shiage has been sealed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"
The line went dead.
Silence returned and it brought along an enormous chill running up and down Kamijou's spine.
The spiky haired boy stared at his cell phone in shock and he screamed the name of his seemingly "fallen" comrade.
"Hamazuraaaaaaaaaaa!"
Kamisato and the golden retriever didn't say anything, little did they show reaction toward this turn of event of a certain former Skill-Out leader. The brown haired boy just shook his head and leaned his back against the round edge of the lifeboat, feeling the small wave splashed water onto his cheek. Noukan just focused his gaze on the canned food and quietly dig in.
The wind began flowing past the boat, the heat was still as hot as ever.
Neither of them said a word.
Kamijou gripped the phone tighter, another person has become the victim of this strange phenomenon that happened across the world.
No…..
"….no…."
It was not like something life-threatening would come out from it.
He can't think of it like that. He needed to put a stop to this, he has to do something before it really happened to his friend.
"There's still a way."
That line of word attracted the other two's attention and they turned to look at him as the boy dialed some numbers on his phone.
Kamijou pressed the call button and pressed the device to his ear.
A ringtone started playing, increasing his impatient as he waited. Shortly, it stopped, meaning the person on the other side is listening.
"Ah! Accelerator, Are yo-"
"About damn time you call me, hero! I've been trying to call you throughout the entire f*cking day ever since some weird sh*t is happening around the city! Where the hell are you right now?!"-the strongest Level 5 esper of Academy City interrupted, yelling into the boy's ear. He didn't appear to be in a good mood.
"Forget about me! Hamazura is in big trouble back at the ITEM apartment, can you go there to help h-..…..wait, what are those loud banging in the background?"
As Kamijou asked that, he heard Accelerator clicked his tone.
"Last Order, Worst! Stop hitting the door and leave me be, I'm talking to the damn hero here!"
"No! Misaka won't stop until you finally change your mind to let Misaka come in and play the new gekota game with you, says Misaka as Misaka continues to put on the childish act to make her plan a success!"
"What was that?!"
"Misaka also suggests tou-san better let her in before this headache in her head explores! Too many strong feelings in the network, Misaka doesn't know obsession could be this much troubling to her so lead her to your bed and take responsibility!"
"Never! Beat it! It's night time now so be quiet and go back to Yoshikawa's room! There's no way I'm going to open this door and let you two in!"
"Are you sure, tou-san?"-Worst's tone was full of sarcasm."This Misaka knows too damn well that you won't stand a chance if this keeps going. It's just a matter of time before that choker on your neck runs out of battery."
Kamijou's shoulder drooped as he heard that. It sounded like the albino boy was using his esper power to barricade the door that lead into his own room.
Just like that.
The circumstance on that side cannot be deemed as normal anymore.
It was no different from Hamazura's…and them.
To think the strongest esper in the world would had to use his power to struggle in this strange circumstance.
This [phenomenon], how fearsome.
"….such misfortune….."
Indeed, it was.
"You're damn right, it is. Now just ignoring those two and care to explain to me why I have to spend the last few days in this nonsense?! And what was that about Hamazura and ITEM you just said earlier?"
"About Hamazura, you need to hurry! He is having the same problem as yours. I'm not in the city so there's nothing I can do to help him, I thought I could call you to-"
"Well tell him to hide in a bunker or something! It's already a pain in the ass when I have my own problem to deal with right now! Lately, the brat and the bigger brat just keep annoying me to no end, even Estelle is a real pain since she's not acting like her usual self anymore!"
"….?!"
"Sometime she steals a glance at me and then looks away when I turn to her. This morning, I told her to watch the brat and her face just burned red for no reason like those love sick high school girls in that shoujo manga the third rate lent her. Now she is outside, helping those two to gang up on my door!"
"T-that's not true!"-for the first time, Estelle Rosenthal's voice rang up from the speaker phone."Master, I'm sorry if my action makes you uncomfortable….but…but…seeing you suddenly came home and locked yourself in the room like that. I want to know what had happened to you! I…I'm just worrying about my master!"
Kamijou sweat dropped.
Her voice sounded shyly stuttered yet forceful at the same time and the reason seemed a little cliché like those love-comedy novels Aogami used to read.
Accelerator was right.
For a girl with an unwavering, good heart like Estelle to act like that. No doubt, the chaos, this mysterious [phenomenon] has also changed her.
But….Estelle and…..love sick?
That was an odd way he used to describe someone…wasn't it?
The boy darted his eyes around. The other two still didn't show any reaction toward this, Kamisato looked back at the tablet and typed something on the touch screen while the golden retriever just finished his meat and lied down.
They were listening, but not as intense as at the beginning.
That was understandable…because it was too obvious that there was nothing they could do to help the albino boy, who was in the same situation as them, to turn this trouble around.
Until they got to the very deep core of this problem, the albino boy and the other blond boy (if he's still safe and sound) will has no choice but to keep struggling with this reality.
"Answer me, hero! Do you know what is happening with them and those people on the street? Is this magic or whatever you call it is doing or it is something else?"
"I don't know. Actually, no one know what causes this, I'm out of the city right now and I'm trying to figure it out with some helps."
"You what? Tch! Never mind, whatever you do, you better figure it out fast! Even if this isn't a life-threatening situation, I'll be damned if those brats breaks through this door. My abilities won't last long in another 5 minutes!"
Kamijou's jaw dropped. Another dilemma was happening right there on the other side.
"What?! That is way out of the question! This Kamijou-san can't pull off something like that!...wait…..can't you escape through some other ways? I don't know, like…..a window? If I remember correctly, you can fly if you gather enough wind with your power, right? Why not doing that?"
"You think I don't think of that first when I barricade this door? If I can do that then I don't have to be stuck here for two hours! The problem here is I can't get out by any mean, that's why I told you to hurry! Worst stole my crutch! Even if I can get down to the street, I still have to rely on the esper mode in my choker to escape. Not to mention the brat can disconnect me from the network at any time so there goes the plan!"
The spiky haired started to find himself at a loss of word.
This "phenomenon" just kept putting everyone on edge, even Accelerator was not an exception.
"But more importantly…"
"…!"
"If I leave them behind, it will annoy me even more knowing those brats will keep acting this way without a stop."-for some reasons, Accelerator's voice was softened. But one could feel the anger was rising in his tone."This nonsense, I don't care who or whatever came up with this kind of scenario, if they like to toy with people's mind and emotion like that, I'll going to make them pay for making my life even bothersome than it already was."
There was a pause.
"Accelerator….you're-"
"Oho~, did Misaka just hear tou-san said he cares about us so much that he can't even afford to turn his tail and run away? Damn, this headache is getting even worst and Misaka's heart is pounding faster than enough already! Just open this door and let Misaka in!"
"Let Misaka in, too. Misaka wants to play the game with you, says Misaka as Misaka continued clinging to the old tactic to make her guardian give up!"
"M-master!"
Accelerator grunted slightly in respond and he kept quiet.
Of course, if anyone could read between the lines of what he said, they would know what he meant. That much was what he wanted to express.
Then, a small "click" dangerously rang through the speaker. Kamijou thought his heart skipped a beat when it came to his ear.
That didn't sound good.
As if the last defend line of humanity has been breached, a loud thudding noise threw away what left of the safety zone of a certain albino boy.
The choker on his neck has ran out of battery.
"Master, are you alright?"
"Well, well, what do we have here? Tou-san looks so vulnerable when he stumbled to the ground."-Worst's teasing voice showed that they had entered the room.
"Yay we finally got in, says Misaka as Misaka happily raised her hands up in the air! Now play the game with Misa-…hya! Why are you throwing pillows at us, says Misaka as Misaka couldn't understand your course of action?!"
"That's my line, go back to Yoshikawa's room and sleep! Gahh! Worst! Get off-"
The line was forcefully cut off.
It was amazing even with little strength his weak physical body had, the number 1 Level 5 still struggled to the end.
But how much longer can the albino boy hold? Maybe only time could tell.
Overall…..
That is just how it is.
That is just how terrifying this strange circumstance they were in.
It was unclear of how did this happened.
No one knew since when this has started spreading around.
This is the chaos, the troublesome "phenomenon" that was currently rampaging the whole world.
Kamijou Touma closed his cell phone and let out a long sigh. The situation was really dried, he really wanted to put all of this to an end. However, the questions was "what are they dealing with?" and "how can they reach to it when they don't even know the culprit or the thing that causes this?".
This was strange.
So far, after various encounters with the "phenomenon", he, Kamisato and the golden retriever can only came up with two theories, one of which Kamijou himself didn't come along well.
Either this was caused by a new type of disease that carries the ability to change the course of action of a person and bring out their inner desire, or…
In a more silly but quite reasonable way to say when you compare to what the world has, while sleeping, the cupids themselves has carelessly let trillion of arrows filled with love fell down from the heaven and they became twisted.
Both reason were closed enough to depict this reality, both science and magic respectively.
So far, those who didn't act like themselves all showed one particular feature.
Obsession.
To say it more accurately, it was something that closed to it. But anyhow, they decided to use that term.
"Obsession, when romance has been twisted, it becomes a part of humanity. When love is not recognized or simply a side that cannot be revealed yet cannot be let go, it grows and becomes deeply connected to those who carry it within them. Sometime, such romance is frightening. But other than that, it also shows how genuine a person can be when they devote their whole life to the other half, their soul mate."
Noukan's artificial voice spoke up as he closed his eyes while comfortably stretched his body and lied back on the floor.
"Romance and obsession, the two concepts and emotions that have so much different meaning between them but at one point, they will come to term with each another. A complicated matter."
The two high school boys stared at the dog then turned to look at each other with slight confused.
Was it really like he said?
Wait, more importantly…..
"I'm confused, what does this has anything to do with romance?"-said the dense spiky haired boy."Does people really act that way right now, I mean love? Somehow, Kamijou-san finds himself hardly understood what you said. When you put it like that, it seems this entire [phenomenon] that happens around the world is not that dangerous at all. It was like back then when you said about the theory where the cupid let their arrows run free and make the Earth a place filled with "dere" and harmony. Romance? Sorry, Kamijou-san still won't buy that, there must be something else in this odd circumstance."
A long sigh escaped Kamisato as the boy said that.
"Kamijou-kun, you really are clueless, you know that?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you know? Obsession is another part of romance."
"…"-once again, the dense boy that has stopped WW3 with just a fist slowly raised his eyebrows in doubt."Since when-"
"Don't ask me since when did I know this. Maybe it would be simpler if I explain his words in this way."-Kamisato crossed his arm and gazed down at the floor. A few seconds later, he looked up to Kamijou with a serious expression."…say, Kamijou-kun. Have you ever heard of the term yandere?"
Kamijou's blue eyes widened a bit.
"…..yan…..yandere? Of course."
"Good, think of it like this. When a yandere has feeling for you, what do you think they will do?"
Kamijou didn't respond, but instead he gulped which didn't go unnoticed by the brown haired boy.
Taking that as a cue, the wielder of the World Rejecter continued.
"When a yandere falls in love, they will take any changes to step into your life and make you notice them. Their feeling toward you is so genuine and strong that if one second they know you spend time with another boy/girl beside from them no matter how short it is, that feeling will turn into jealousy and from there, obsession will be born. They will do everything in their power to keep you for themselves for the rest of your life and you don't have a choices."
"…."
"In a way, this [phenomenon] also makes people act in a similar way like a yandere but not as serious and dangerous as it is. Obsession doesn't necessary bear from love alone, it also comes from admiration, idolization, etc. That's all."
Kamijou exhaled through his nose and he closed his eyes, likely to be in deep thought. Kamisato blinked at the boy's reaction to this and waited.
"….hm…..hey, Kamisato…"
"What it is?"
"Does anyone in your faction is actually a yandere?"
For some reason, the brown haired boy flinched lightly and averted his eyes to the side.
"...n…..no….not really. Even if there is, I don't think they will go this extreme. Why do you ask?"
"You seem to know a lot about this."
"You have no idea, Kamijou-kun."
"…..?"
"I only know that term from recently. You don't know how terrified it was to see many girls sat next to your bed with a pair of eyes looking at you as if you were their prey when you woke up in the morning."
Kamijou raised an eyebrow at the brown haired boy's word. From the sound of it, it really was kind of scary.
The Kamisato Faction was about more than a hundred of members. If that many people come to your room and watch your sleeping face in the morning, surely such a sight will give you a heart attack.
The spiky haired boy hung his head backward and thought about his companion's story.
"Yandere and obsession, huh? Just so you know, this Kamijou-san also experienced something like that before, it might not even close to the term but it was similar. And I don't think I have told you this yet."
"Oh really?"-Kamisato stared at him in doubt with a pair of half-opened eyes."Let me hear it then."
With a cough to clear his throat, Kamijou calmly told the story of himself.
"It happened on a certain day…"
"….."
While the boy was having a conversation, Noukan just lied at the back of the lifeboat and listened to their amusing talk.
To think that these two were once against each other. Truly, beside from romance, life was full of interesting developments that no one can foresee.
Imagine Breaker and World Rejecter.
Kamijou Touma and Kamisato Kakeru.
The two powers that fiercely oppose to each other, wielded by the two boys that fate has made them become the counterpart of one another.
Here they are, arguing about yan-something and the strange [phenomenon].
Not only that, their companion on this journey to "nowhere" was him. Not anyone else…..but him, a member of the infamous family that has devoted everything into science without a care of others life and safety, who was supposed to be the one that stood on the "far side" that those two boys couldn't never reach it with their right hand.
The golden retriever let out a short yawn before he looked back at those two boys again. If his face could form an expression, it would be a thin smile.
Fate really works in a strange way, doesn't it?
A moment like this was considered to be quite rare.
Perhaps, it was the sudden change of this reality that has made all of this possible.
Depending on how much their life is affected by many factors from the outside, people can change to adapt to the environment around them. That entire progress happens without them noticing it.
So…
It may has been a little, but perhaps….those two high school boys you can find anywhere has indeed changed their way of interacting with each other.
….
"Like I said, that is not even close or similar to my case! How many more time do I have to make my word get through your thick skull, huh?!"
"Not even close?! Are you telling me Index's habit of biting me whenever I didn't make breakfast, lunch, dinner and extra meal in time for her is not because of her obsession with food?! All those chasing with Biribiri from time to time is not because of her obsession with victory and wanting to retain her pride?! The same goes with Mugino and that ojou-sama?!"
"Not those kind of obsessions…it's not even close to the term…no, maybe except the last two. Anyway, no matter how you look at it, your nun just loves to eat and that Railgun girl is totally head over heel with you!"
"As if something like that could happen. Whenever I do something that is wrong to her, which I don't know why it is wrong…to her, she throws a lightning at me without a warning, where is the romance in that?! And mind you, when things became this way, Index's bite is even more deadly than that of a vicious piranha!"
"You do realize that Index nun bites you is because that is her way of showing you her affection, right!? How come you don't understand what those action means when you yourself have been living together with her in your dorm for nearly half a year? Just how dense can you be?!"
"Just because you have hundreds of girl who ready to follow you to the end of the world, that doesn't mean you can get the right to say others are dense, Mr. Popular! You know how my right hand works considering it even negates the red string of fate. As long as my misfortune keeps making my life a mess, no girl will like this poor Kamijou Touma! By the way, I see Index as an important friend!"
"That's irrelevant and the red string of fate doesn't work like that! You completely understand it backward!"
"…."
The golden retriever watched in silence as the spiky haired boy and the brown haired boy were glaring furiously at each other like they were about to clash.
Perhaps…he should take that back.
Deep down, these two boys probably haven't changed at all…their point of view about their romance, of course.
"This is such a waste of time arguing with you. Now, I'm officially can't get you at all! You know how that mini sized Magic God Othinus felt when you were in Denmark with her. You understood through and through what I felt when you pulled me out from my "new world". You care about the people around you, you can totally understand and feel the pain of others yet why are you so obvious to the girls' affections toward you? It was so clear that even an outsider like me can see it with just a glimpse, it's not that hard to notice!"
"Like I told you, there's no way I have someone who…..likes….me."-Kamijou's voice trailed off as he just recalled something in his mind."…..maybe…."
"….?"
Kamisato raised an eyebrow at him with a question mark danced on his head when the spiky haired boy suddenly went all silent. Kamijou blinked for a moment then shook his head as if trying to discard the thoughts.
Knowing what those reactions meant, Kamisato took the chance to push the topic further.
"Finally, now you notice that there is someone who likes you, correct?"
Kamijou didn't answer, he crossed his arm then tilted his head to the side, frowning in all seriousness.
"….that time….does that means Shokuhou and Kumokawa-senpai…even Mitsuari...….no…..maybe…."-the boy mumbled.
"…?"
The boy closed his eyes and slowly opened. The idea about what Kamisato said has formed, beginning to reveal in his mind.
"Yup, there's nothing wrong about it. Kamijou-san doesn't have anyone that likes him."
A tick mark popped out on Kamisato's forehead.
"Honestly, Kamijou! You are so dense! If you're stubbornly denying the fact, then let me tell you this!"-Kamisato pointed a finger at him which surprised the boy."The entire world is filled with the strange [phenomenon] that drives out everything in every corner of human's inner desire. Sooner or later, before all of this ends, those that have been interacted with you, both Magic and Science, will do everything to find you, to get in touch with you and satisfy the desires of them, so keep on hold to your belief then and you'll be surprised how wrong you are with that kind of thought!"
"Why are you saying like I have a harem?"
"You do have a harem!"
"Sorry, but that only applies to you. This Kamijou-san doesn't have a harem."
The spiky haired boy is going to be so hopeless in romance at this rate.
"Ahh! You're so hopeless, do you wish for a new world?!"
"Bring it on! I'll break your illusion!"
Both grabbed the collar of the boy in front of them as spark flying everywhere from their eyes contact. Around them, an imaginably immense aura also flew out from their body.
Noukan began sitting up and approached them. Even though their talk about romance and harem was quite amusing, but if a fight between those two boys was about to breakout, he will need to intervene this to prevent his companions from beating themselves up before they could even reach the land.
"Now, now, you two. Kamisato-kun, romance is a complex matter sometime so there's no need to push Kamijou-kun to understand it. It's nearly pass noon now so let's stop this and get back to the situation at hand, shall we?"
The artificial voice calm the aura down as the two still stare at each other with their piercing gaze slowly softened.
Kamijou released Kamisato from his grasp first but that act didn't go with silence alone.
"Let me say this to you one more time, Kamisato. It's true that I've extended my hand to save a lot of people, I don't know why most of them are girl but they hold no affection toward me and before all of this ends, I'll prove to you that fact is true."
"Ho~, are you sure you can prove it? The answer is already as clear as day."
"I'm sure because I don't have a harem."
A familiar buzzing sound echoed in the air.
The cell phone in Kamijou's hand rang immediately after he finished those words.
The boy opened his phone to see the caller ID and his eyes widened a bit.
Surprisingly, it was not a call, it was an email. A message has been sent to him and the sender was…
"Mitsuari?"
Opening the email box section, Kamijou blinked one…then twice…then…..
Kamisato and the golden retriever stared at the boy, slightly wondering what was the boy reading by the expression on his face.
For some reason, Kamijou's face was pale…..really pale.
On the small screen, displayed a numbers that presented the terror of his misfortune.
Sweat streamed down Kamijou's head like river as he looked. Taking a few moments to gather himself, his shivering finger pressed the read mail button.
These were the recently sent messages.
[Mitsuari]
(Kamijou-kun, where are you? I couldn't find you at your school and your dorm.)
(Your classmate said you was absent from school. Are you going to somewhere outside the city?)
(I couldn't call you at all? Are you in some kind of trouble again? Or are you busy saving another girl?! Please reply to me!)
(Why didn't you reply to me? I'm waiting…..)
[Misaka (Misachu)]
(Idiot, There is this new product of the gekota franchise and I need your help to get it. Are you free tomorrow?)
(Hey, why can't I get in touch with you? I came to your school but the teachers there said you haven't come to class lately, and what is this about you on the verge of repeating a year? Don't tell me you've been slacking off in study.)
(Why aren't you answering my calls and emails?! Are you in trouble?! Where are you?!)
[Shokuhou]
(My prince, I can't call you at all, are you busy at the moment? I came to your school but you weren't there, and why is there this rumor about you having a private tutoring session with some old hag? If you need, I can help you to improve your grade in study abilities at any time you want~.)
(You haven't replied to my call at all, I'm so worried! This thrilling in my chest just keeps growing in each minute pass. Are you in some kind of predicament? Please reply to me, my heart won't calm down!)
The content seemed to get darker as he read which only made his face paler than before.
(Kamijou, you got some guts for not answering my call. Now tell me where the heck are you?! Once I find you, be damn sure to ready for another rematch!)
(Kamijou-sama, I came to your school, your dorm, you sensei's place to find you but you don't seem to be anywhere in Academy. I even tried to find you through your scent but that didn't work out either, I can't pick up any of your trace at all. Have you gone outside the city?)
[15 missed call from Index]
The nun in white habit probably didn't call that much just by herself, Othinus must has been trying to call him, too.
In total, there were 194 unread messages and 112 missed calls (not including Hamazura and Accelerator's) that he hasn't touched over the past few days.
The windy cool breeze flew past the small lifeboat as three person stood still, two was watching, waiting for the reaction of the other one.
Kamijou's face went all white like his blood was being drained out. Slowly progressing what he saw into his brain, his lip shakily moved.
"…wh…."
"…?"
"What is with this many messages and missed calls?! None of the person in my call list sent me less than ten emails in one day! This is beyond scary! Obsession is so frightening!"
"Do you see it now, Kamijou-kun? Your harem is worrying about you, if they didn't have an affection for you, do you thing they would make that many calls and sent lots of email to you?"-said Kamisato with a victorious grin flashed on his face.
The spiky haired boy, upon hearing that, yanked himself out of shocked state and stared at the brown haired boy before darting his pair of blue eyes back to his cell phone.
"….."
Scratching the back of his head, Kamijou let out a small sigh.
"Well…this doesn't prove much that I have a harem."-was his reply."I'm their friend and they know that I always charge head first into troubles…..so of course they'll get worry if I suddenly disappear like that. After all, I left Academy city without saying anything to them. I felt a little guilty though, but in this kind of circumstance, that was necessary."-the spiky haired boy crossed his arm and nodded thoughtfully.
The brown haired boy can't help but face palm.
Don't worry Kamisato, it's still too soon to give up.
"Alright now, young ones, I think it's time for us to get back to where we left off. Let's concentrate on finding the right direction."
The golden retriever grabbed the tablet by the robotic arms behind his back and put it down between the two boys, drawing their attention back to the dilemma they were facing.
On the touch screen, a map was displayed with a dot was in the middle of the screen and next to it was an arrow that pointed to the north.
The signal has comeback.
The destination where they need to reach just ahead.
Time to move forward from this great maze.
….
….
….
But….
How can they do that now the engine is dead and the trolling motor is out of battery?
….
"How the hell did it end up like this?! Such misfortune!"
"Stop complaining and put more focus onto this, will you? I rather not doing this, too, but this is the only option we have."
Both Kamijou and Kamisato were under water, swimming. Their voice filled with full of exhaustion while their head was barely floated on the waving surface.
It was not the kind of swimming you always see when you come to the pool or the sea and soak yourself in the water to play around with the cool sensation that covers the entire body.
There was no entertainment or fun in the kind of swimming the two boys were doing.
Currently, they feet were waving rapidly underwater as they placed both hands on the back of the lifeboat body.
The two were trying their best to push the boat forward. Luckily, the boat they on was small enough to carry four people, which meant the weight wasn't too much for their strength. The fact that it was floating on water also added to the advantages.
The time was passed noon but the sun was still up high above their head.
"I'm sorry I can't lend you two a hand, for an old dog like myself, swimming around isn't appropriate for my condition."-Noukan spoke up with the usual artificial voice."In the meantime, I'll just observe the map and watch the surrounding for us."
"Yeah."-Kamisato responded."Give us a word if you see something in sight."
"Also, will you please watch the clock for us, too? Tell us when it's time to take a break from this."-Kamijou added between his gasp."This Kamijou-san feels like his leg is getting numb, so tiring."
After that, the "journey" went on.
The small lifeboat continued to surf through the cool, wavy-like surface of the blue sea in a slow pace as the two boys who wielded the most unique powers of the world pushed it with all their strength while the golden retriever stood proud and alone on it.
It was so peaceful, the sea was quiet. Everything remained as calm as it has always been even though "chaos" was making itself known around the world.
It was a pity Kamijou and Kamisato didn't have the change to let that calm sooth their mind, not until they can set foot on the location that lies ahead of them.
However, unfortunately, that peaceful atmosphere didn't last on for long as the sudden appearance of an upcoming problem.
"Hm? Hey, what is that floating things on water?"-asked Kamijou as he pointed a finger toward a short, straight object that cut through the water surface.
"…..?"-Kamisato's eyes followed and his eyes slowly widened when a thought struck him.
"K-Kamisato, it's that what I think it is? Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
It seemed the same thought also struck the spiky haired boy.
The object that they found, it was a dorsal fin.
Which meant…
A shark was coming right at them.
"Tch! Out of all the time, why now?!"
"Hurry and climb up, you two!"
Quickly following Noukan's word, the two began grabbed on the round edge of the lifeboat and pulled themselves up. The moment the "owner" of that fin saw that, it unexpectedly speeded up to shorten the distance.
The brown haired boy has successfully made it while the black spiky haired was still half-way. In the spur of the moment, as if misfortune messed with him again, Kamijou's handed slipped from the round edge, making him fell back into water.
"Uwahh!"
"….!"
"Kamijou?!"
Kamisato and Noukan turned to the side where the boy climbed up and looked down on the water. Bubbles popped up on the surface then it stopped, the "shark" was still a few meters far away from the boat.
Not wasting for any more second, Kamisato bent down and dipped his arm into the water, hoping the unfortunate boy would notice and take it.
"Kamijou, grab my hand!"
The fin was coming closer…
More bubbles started popping up on the surface, still no sign of a hand grab into his.
The fin was coming closer…
Kamijou hurriedly rose up and caught a breath while grabbed hold to Kamisato's hand at the same time. Noukan helped them by controlling a robotic arm from his backpack to grab onto the other free hand of the spiky black haired boy and pulled him up.
But….then again….
Misfortune wasn't really done to him yet.
As they pulled the boy up, the boat also wavered due to a certain amount of weight being gathered at one side, it tilted more than it should be and the result from this was….
The salty taste of the sea once again entered Touma's mouth and eyes. He waved his hands around frantically to gain back the balance and in the corner of his eyes, he saw it.
The "owner" of that dorsal fin was right in front of him.
….eh?
…..
…...
Pure silence lingered around the sea.
The brown haired boy and the golden retriever felt like they were sitting on a fire as there was no sign of the black spiky haired boy coming back to the surface. That fin also dived down and disappeared from their sight.
Fearing for the worst, Kamisato was about to jump down and use his World Rejecter on that shark. The sun was still up high in the sky so there was no need to worry about the length of his right hand shadow.
However, before the brown haired boy could even lift up his feet, Kamijou rose up from underwater and placed one hand on the round edge to keep him close to the boat.
He looked completely fine.
"Huh?"-the wielder of World Rejecter was dumbfound for a second.
"Kamijou-kun, are you alright? What happened down there?"-Noukan asked him.
"…..um….I think we were having a misunderstanding."
As the boy said that, the "owner" of that dorsal fin popped its head out from next to him.
It was a dolphin.
"So I was worried for nothing, huh."-Kamisato said to no one but himself, his eyes seemed blank.
"Worried for what?"
"Nothing, give me your hand."
Kamijou grabbed his companion's hand and was pulled up, finally getting back on the lifeboat. The boy left out a small sigh in relief.
The golden retriever and the dolphin exchanged gaze at each other before the former turned as he decided to break out the odd look the dolphin was giving him.
"Well, that's an intense moment I must say. It was a surprise to see this little friend here came to us from out of nowhere."
"Yeah, it was. But why is it the only one here? I thought the dolphin usually move in group."
"Not group, dolphin tends to travel in pods actually, Kamijou-kun."-Noukan explained."The dolphins don't always swim next to each other, they keep themselves known to their kind within a general vicinity."
"Then, was this fellow here got separated from his group?"-Kamisato questioned, he stared at the dolphin and placed a finger on top it long nose. The dolphin didn't react strongly to this, it seemed willing enough to interact with human.
"I believe that would be a really rare case if a dolphin truly got lost. You see, dolphins often communicate by whistling at a high rate since they always spread out in order to travel."
Listening to his word, Kamijou looked around, both eyes squinted to see more clearly if there were any dolphin in sight.
The boy turned his eyes in all four directions. He saw nothing, only the vast blue sea with its many gentle waves floated around.
"….."
…..nothing, so this dolphin really is got..….huh?
Something came into his view.
There was a small black dot that appeared out of nowhere on top the blue sky and slowly, it became bigger and bigger almost as if it was heading toward their way.
At this very moment, Noukan, while looking at the dolphin with Kamisato, suddenly jerked his head up as he also heard something moving in the air.
That black dot began to gain a form as it approached.
It flew in a perfect straight line like a fighter jet in its maximum speed…..no, perhaps its speed was even greater than that.
It brought a rough sound of something like a powerful booster and let out it roared like a demon tearing apart the calmness of this beautiful sea.
The dolphin dived back underwater as if it tried to run away from the sound. Kamisato also turned his head to the same direction as his other two companions to see where that loud noise coming from.
Eventually, it came closer and closer, close enough that the three can see a human silhouette in the middle of that black form. As the form visibly became clearer, countless cannons, weapons and a giant chainsaw were seen sticking out from its back, armor was added and attached to the limbs.
Steadily, it descended while kept on with great speed.
Three pair of eyes slightly widened in shocked as they all recognized the human silhouette.
It was a young woman with short black haired that went down to her shoulder.
It was a young woman wearing a cheap suit with lab coat and carried a great admiration for an old dog.
It was a young woman that now follows the path of her teacher and aimed to become the only unique existence in her family.
It was Kihara Yuiitsu with a modified Anti-Art Attachment behind her back.
"Senseeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!"
She called out to her teacher in a strangely alluring yet playful tone. Even from a far distance, it still echoed all the way to where they stood.
The A.A.A then made a full brake as it stopped right in front of their lifeboat, which made the water from below it splashed everywhere.
The force from that sudden stop almost knocked the poor, unlucky boy backward while Kamisato had a ton of water splashed onto him, making the brown haired boy all wet again from head to toe. Noukan apparently only had some of the water on his golden fur since he was standing behind the boy. That was a lucky moment of the golden retriever.
"Senseiiiii~, I finally found you~!"-Yuiitsu said, smiling happily as she floated on mid-air thanks to the A.A.A boosters."Suddenly went off alone like that, you had me worried so much~."
"…..Yuiitsu….."
The A.A.A began closing the distance between Yuiitsu and the boat, she was controlling it mentally. It circled around the side of the lifeboat, completely ignored the presence of the other two boys. After reaching a suitable range, it automatically stopped as Yuiitsu stretched out both hands toward the golden retriever and gently caressing his head.
"Sensei~, please don't do that to me again, it felt so empty in that luxury apartment without you. My mind was hardly paid any attention to my research projects."
"Yuiitsu, you…have heart shape in your eyes…"
Still in shocked, the golden retriever muttered but his artificial voice was clear enough for Yuiitsu to hear it.
"H-heart shape? Oh, dear, Sensei~, you're making me blush. What should I do about this?"-Yuiitsu brought hands onto her cheek as it burning red.
Both Kamijou and Kamisato stared at the researcher in a mix feeling of disbelief and dumbfound. Before them, a Kihara was blushing in a blissful manner, pink background sparkled around her and the monster known as the A.A.A behind her back.
To think that even a pure Kihara could not be able to escape from this [phenomenon].
No doubt about it, the world really is indeed in chaos…big time!
"How did you know I was here?"
The young woman didn't respond to Noukan's question, instead she reached down to the collar on his neck and pulled out a small chip.
"This. I use this tracking device to follow you, I put it inside your collar while you were taking a short nap a few days ago. I was really surprised when you traveled this far. I'm sorry, sensei, but recently I realize I don't want to bear the pain just like that day when you went off and came back mortally wounded."
Kamisato flinched and looked away awkwardly, one hand placing on his neck, rubbing.
"I can't afford to have something like that happens again, so I did this. I want you to stay with me, I want to make food for you every day, I want to take care of you, poking on your sleeping face when you sleep next to my chair after dinner. I want to do many things together with you as a researcher and your only one apprentice."-Yuiitsu held his head up and stared deeply into his eyes."That is my definition of romance to you, sensei~."
Those word wasn't belonged to a young woman speaking to her crush.
It was belonged to a young woman who was speaking to her precious pet, to the teacher she greatly admired.
Since the mysterious [phenomenon] could bring out the deepest, honest feeling in the heart, all of that "I want" were a part of her genuine desire.
It showed how much she cares for the golden retriever, and "caring" was one of the word that never existed in the dictionary of the Kiharas.
Kihara Yuiitsu has started to walk on the right path just like her master.
However, the young woman didn't aware. The way she looked at Noukan in the eyes brought a mysterious chill down the dog's spine.
If only that heart shape wasn't in her eyes, such romance would be the only word that slips from him.
"Let's go home now, sensei. I'll prepare a good meal for you then we can discuss about others ongoing science projects together."
"…Yuiitsu...…"
"Yes?"
"I can't go back."
A long pause occurred as Yuiitsu progressed that into her genius brain.
"…..eh?"
"I can't, at least not right now."
"Sensei, what do you mean by that?"-Yuiitsu began to get confused.
"It's a strange circumstance. As of right now, the world is in an abnormal state and I know you probably haven't aware of that. I went all the way out here with these two young boys to find the source that caused it, whatever it is, to put everything back to normal."-the golden retriever took a step back, broke out from Yuiitsu's soft hands."Including you, back to normal."
"…..."
"That's why I can't."
The young woman remained silent, her head tilted slightly to the two high school boys you can find anywhere. Until this moment, their existences came into her view.
"I see….I get it now."
Yuiitsu lowered her gaze, letting the bangs covered half of her face.
Kamijou and Kamisato began standing side by side with the golden retriever while they observed the reaction of the young woman.
All of a sudden, the A.A.A flew back a few meters, creating a distance from the lifeboat where the three stood. This action of the researcher caught the trio by surprised.
Yuiitsu then lifted her head up, a thin smile was formed on her lip as she looked at the two high school boys.
"Kamijou Touma-kun, Kamisato Kakeru-kun. After that event, I believe I don't hold anymore grudge against you two and I really appreciate that you all have been my sensei's companion until now."
Her gaze darkened, the heart shape in her eyes disappeared.
"Even though we had reached a peaceful conclusion, that is that and this is this."-the young woman flicked some strands of her hair over her ear."For now I advise you to leave sensei out of this trouble before I decide to use a stronger measure to force you."
The three blinked at her word then stared back at each other. Without a word, Noukan stepped back and went behind the two boys.
Kamijou and Kamisato both stood in front of the golden retriever.
Determination burned in their eyes.
The three of them has come this far, there is no way they could back out in the middle of the road.
So….
"….No…."
That was their answer.
"I see, so there is no other choices."-Yuiitsu closed her eyes, that thin smile was still on her expression."Don't hold a grudge on me then."
The A.A.A behind her began to change, every part of the machine moved at the same exact time. Countless weapons focused onto one direction.
Guns, cannons, swords, spears, chainsaw, large caliber rail gun, plasmas blade, missiles, lasers, flamethrowers, acid sprayers, gatling guns, liquid nitrogen emitters, tactical armor-piercing drill.
The extraordinary force that capable of annihilating fortresses pointed straight to the two boys on the small lifeboat.
"Now….."
The thin smile on Yuiitsu's face vanished as she spoke in a cold voice.
"…..Give me back my sensei…."
Unwavering, the wielders of Imagine Breaker and World Rejecter held their ground.
Kamisato calmly cracked his neck and a breaking sound of dry branch echoed.
Kamijou simply clenched his right fist and steady himself for what will come next.
"I hope you two have a plan to get us out of this predicament, the A.A.A right now isn't something that can be easily deal with just by your right hands."-Kihara Noukan, as he stood behind them, spoke.
The two high school boys slowly turned their head around to look at him with one small crystal bead dripped down their forehead.
Of course it won't be easy.
Everything around them….
From the distance to the environment…
To be blunt…..
They were at a total disadvantage.
So….
As the goal was still further away.
The "upcoming problem" that looked like the final boss in a dungeon from a J-RPG game has come to greet them with a dangerous light in her eyes.
And while countless weapons was still pointing at them, Kamijou inhaled deeply and breathed out through his mouth along with a simple two words that can describe the situation in the shortest way.
"Such misfortune."
Author's note:
Hi everyone, author of The Lost Light (TLL) here. I guess this is the very first note I made in this fandom.
Alright, I want to say a few things after you read this one-shot. While I was in the progress of writing the new chapter for the TLL story, this strange idea suddenly came into my mind from out of nowhere and it stuck in my mind for a whole day. I couldn't help but to write it down first before I can finally get back to my other story. So...for any reader who is patiently waiting for the new update, I apologize for this sudden change.
But don't worry, the chapter is about 50% completed so by the end of this month, a new update for TLL will come.
(A small hint to keep your mind busy during the wait: it will take place during chapter 3 and before the BTL, it's about a girl who has never had the chance to meet with Touma again in person after WW3 ended and throughout the entire NT so far.)
Oh, about the fate of a certain samurai ant? It will be revealed later on as the story progress. As for BTL chapter, if you've been wondering and confusing of what's going on in it...then it's your choice to find out what happen (smile). TLL is a mystery story so I'm not going to say anything that could spoil the plot and ruin the mood the prologue has set up. But anyway, seeing the readers' reaction to it, I'm glad the chapter has fulfilled its purpose, truly thank you.
Okay, that's about enough of TLL story. Let's get back to this one-shot.
Since this story also takes place in an AU, some details in the canon has been changed and I guess you've already known that after reading it. Adventure, Romance and Comedy are the main genre and there will be some actions (and you just saw it already). At some point, the story will have some serious moments but it will be lighter than the atmosphere in TLL. By the way, this is also a Touma X Harem story so...there you have it. Can the strange [phenomenon] help Touma's harem to express their feeling to him? Will he realize his way of thinking about him doesn't have a harem or anyone likes him is wrong? Let the story tells you. (Oh! Before you get excited, read the paragraph below.)
However, as I said above, this is the new idea that came to my mind recently, I didn't know why it happened but since it has happened so I decided to write everything down in case I forgot it. Surprisingly, the more I wrote the more the ideas about this strange story popped up. But since TLL is currently my top priority, I decided to make this as a one-shot.
So what do you think?
Should I expand this idea or let it remains as a one-shot?
P.M me or let me know your thought in the review section. It's up to you to decide, my dear readers.
P.S: It felt so good to break through the 9500 words limited of myself.