And here we return with the requests! Honestly, I have to say that the amount of ideas that you people have are amazing and while I'm a bit let down that you guys don't have a try of them yourself (instead just leaving it to little old me), I am honoured to be able to take your ideas and write them down as I do.
The request that is going to be satisfied today though is going to be another two-shot! And don't worry, it isn't going to be as sad as CONS and PROS but rather leaning more to the light hearted side of things. So for those that are looking forward to it, here is the next instalment of Between the Lines.
The request today comes in from Darkness1st who asked:
Listen, I love your stories. Both this and ACUL0 and if you wouldn't mind it, may I suggest a chapter you could write?
Anyways, if you could write a chapter about Misaka Mikoto and Misaki Shokuhou making something like a competition where the prize is Touma (I don't know how they'll compete but I'd leave it up to you to make it hilarious). By the way, if you could add a plot twist at the very end where the two girls (or the winner) will talk to Touma, another person will take him away at the end. I don't know, it seemed interesting in my head and if you could write it out, that would be amazing since you're one of the best authors I know in .
Oh! And if I could suggest another thing you could write is what if Touma and Hamazura switch roles where Hamazura will have to go to Touma's school and create a hilarious bunch of antics with Touma's classmates. While all of that is happening, Touma will have the misfortune to hang out with ITEM. And imagine one or two of the girls actually developing a thing for Touma. Haha, that would be spectacular.
I'm not forcing you or anything but it would be so cool if you could take these suggestions and even if you don't, it won't stop me from reading all the upcoming chapters.
It's going to be the latter idea that is the focus mainly because my Rumour story focuses a bit on the former as of now. So I hope that you enjoy this story and looking at it, it's pretty obvious how it is a two-shot.
And here is the Q & A:
whwsms: Thanks for the kind words! The Rumour has a slow pace for a reason but I hope that you have come to enjoy where it has headed so far and look forward to future updates with that in regards. I only hope that when the City is over and done with that there is a City left in the first place. And Yuiitsu thought that she had done damage with the Elements…..
Guest X: As you have probably realised with my stories, any question that you can probably pick out as being stranger is probably deliberately so and thus has an answer. Keep those questions in mind though and I hope that when the series reaches its resolution that you can believe what the end answer will be and be convinced from it.
seiker: I want to write a Lessar chapter for the Rumour simply because while all of the characters that are mentioned are going after Touma, Lessar's thought processes would be simple as with no overwhelming emotion s behind them. It would serve as a brilliant contrast consequently so I look forward to penning it down. And it's all for bloo – love. And yes, Touma wouldn't be THAT stupid if only for the fact that it places those that he loves at risk too. And Touma's location won't be disclosed for a while, mainly because by that point, all of the girls would have been mentioned and thus swarm him from all directions. And I'm also glad that you liked that 'reliance' that Birdway places on Touma. For all intents and purposes, she is still 12 and thus I felt that delving into that humanism was what was needed to express her emotions correctly. But I won't be looking only at that, mainly because I want to cover other people and their suggestions as well. W-Waiting for the chapters has its own charm as well right?! And yeah, I noticed the problems that you had with the reviews. Guest reviews take longer to upload on the page so you don't need to write them again after you made it; it just takes longer to upload than if you had an actual account. I don't mind the spam though.
Red Glasses: No, each heroine will only get one chapter like has been done previously. I introduced three 'rivals' last chapter but only one of them will be the focus in the next before I address the other two later on. And of course Birdway would flatter herself! W-Well a chapter on Suzushina Yuriko MAY be in the works… 4 years sounds like a good estimate though unfortunately…. Well I mean I had Mikoto first so who the 'final heroine' will be doesn't really matter as the final chapter will be focused on Touma. Kanzaki though is perfect for a final chapter girl but we'll have to see…..
pop2ww: Hmm… I have no idea if this would happen in the canon as a side story. I mean, Index isn't a harem series, it's more of an action series with a harem ELEMENT. The harem elements in Kamachi series are always downplayed and usually there for laughs but I think Kamachi has in mind some aspect of a true 'one' heroine at the end of the day. So looking at that, I don't think that this would happen in the canon as a side story unless it was non-canon. I've always wanted to delve into the individuality of the characters in this way and I felt that just having 'girls' enter the stage without really getting into their heads would feel a bit lazy on my part. I could definitely though pour all of the characters into the next chapter but I feel that looking individually into each character and then progressing their journey onwards like this is better for a development and insight on their part and the like. Hence the Birdway focus, which I am glad that you liked. If none of them held back, there would be no City. It would just be a large crater in the ground, visible from space. I just finished the Index chapter and I really enjoyed it overall. Well if Touma's parents were holding an omiai, I feel that something similar would happen but more on an emotional basis instead of outright war like in here. The girls would 'battle' to reveal their better sides but there would be little fighting. As for the status quo, it's hard to say who will break it. I think Touma would be the one to do so simply because of how his own position within the scope of things makes him in charge of his own life where he takes action based on it. For that reason alone, I'm partial to think that if the status quo changed, it's going to be Touma that changes it rather than a heroine, but then again, having a sudden confession in the heat of the moment works too I guess!
Endo Hanshiro (I finally reached him?!): Endo's character definitely looks something along the lines of Makoto Naegi from Danganronpa. The normalcy that Endo gives off was something that I wanted to at least portray in this which makes his nature as a twisted hero that much harder to see. It wasn't that I wanted to make him look special or anything, I wanted him to be that member of Judgment that has a sense of justice that is removed but acceptable from Judgment values but otherwise looks like he would never become a Judgment member if he hadn't enrolled. Thus, the figure and stance of Makoto is perhaps the best fit although think of him wearing more street-like clothes and having a sterner face to fit with the image of Endo.
Nemoto Toshiko: Definitely the character that most matches Nemoto would have been Lita Kino (Sailor Jupiter) from the Sailor Moon series except perhaps more leaning towards the side of someone that fits the profile of a delinquent with a piercing in her ear and more revealing clothes along with a cigarette. Nemoto was more of a mirror to Shirai if anything when it comes to their values and personalities so I felt that making her a delinquent suited the type of justice that Shirai tends to personify when it comes to her own work. Consequently, I made Nemoto work and look in direct contrast to how Shirai does in terms of clothing, attitude, use of power and the like so for that alone, she sort of acts as an anti-Kuroko and thus her design has been made to reflect that. Disregarding Lita's original character and how she works for good, Nemoto was strictly speaking someone that was the 'black' to counter Kuroko's 'white' which is ironic given the naming scheme.
AleisterCrowley: If anything, I think the conclusion where Touma is not the slacker she thinks he is the end result of doing a Fukiyose and Touma fiction but at the same time I want to avoid looking at something that is entirely romance based. After all, if I did that it would be a majority of romance focused chapters while there are other themes that I think I can cover but in the end, I only hope that whatever direction I take it in that you enjoy it and aren't too disappointed. Overall, the chapter is definitely planned.
Firstly though, before we begin, I would like to thank the usual three people.
The first is my beta reader PokeRescue18, for his hard work on this project. Without him, not only would I not update as much but the updates would be littered with mistakes. So thanks so much man.
The next person I would like to thank is you, the reader. After all, it is together that we have reached this stage and without you, this would not be happening as much.
And the final person I would like to thank is Darkness1st. After all, this is their idea and I hope that it is something that you enjoy to your fullest.
Like CONS and PROS, this will have this note here before concluding as a whole in the next part so there won't really be an end note this part nor a beginning note for the next but rather a 'concluding' end note next chapter.
And from me, I hope that you do what you always do with this two-shot.
Enjoy.
Mr Question Mark.
Chaos within Normalcy. Life_Escape_-_Hamazura_Shiage.
It had been nothing more than a suggestion that he had made however now that it was in play, Hamazura Shiage truly felt sorry for the other person that had participated in his little suggestion that he had not been taking seriously when he had made it.
Today, there was something different about Hamazura and looking at where he was and the people he was hanging around, it was obvious what it was.
Because today, Hamazura Shiage was Kamijou Touma.
It wasn't something as ridiculous as a body swap arc or their minds transferring to each other or Imagine Breaker transferring over to Hamazura. There was nothing like that but for all intents and purposes if you were nothing but an outsider and looking at the situation at hand right now, you would say that Hamazura Shiage was 'Kamijou Touma'.
If only for the simple fact that that former delinquent was sitting at Kamijou Touma's desk within A Certain High School, had answered his name when it had been called out on the roll and was hanging out with his friends as if everything was normal and there was nothing strange about it in the slightest.
The idea and the cause of this entire mess had, as stated, come from Hamazura himself.
He and Kamijou had been on good terms ever since he had returned from World War 3 and the two of them had struck up on odd friendship despite their first meeting being where Kamijou had punched him in the face. While that had set him down a dark path that had eventually ended up with the true happiness and peace he had now, the two of them were on rather friendly terms despite what had happened.
It was almost as if there was something magnetic that drew people closer to Kamijou. It was partially because of his forgiveness for what people did and while that made people somewhat awkward after having put him through hell or sent him to the hospital, it was somewhat refreshing that they had a former enemy turned into an ally that would accept them despite their dark past.
Hamazura, when first faced with it had been unable to understand why the boy would accept him despite only meeting him once and letting him into his home however the charisma and aura that the boy gave was magnetic that before Hamazura knew it, he had been pulled in and was a part of the life that was Kamijou Touma.
He knew it was the same for Accelerator despite what the boy might say in argument but the point of the fact was that Hamazura Shiage and Kamijou Touma were joined in friendship as if they had been childhood friends from Day One.
Of course, while that in turn made Hamazura happy that he could rely on Kamijou despite their differences such as what had happened on December 1st with the St. Germain Incident, the connection that the two of them had meant that it was usually Kamijou that ended up having to bear the negatives of things that happened between them 'because they were friends'.
Things such as Hamazura hiding his stolen porn collections and bunny pictures in Kamijou's apartment only to have them found by the nun that freeloaded with him.
Things such as items that Hamazura had given to Kamijou as gifts which he had originally gotten from his Skill-Out days only to learn that they had been stolen in the first place and Kamijou arrested for having the damning evidence on him.
Things such as babysitting Fremea Seivelun when the other members of ITEM were busy and when Hamazura had a date with his girlfriend Takitsubo Rikou planned.
Hamazura knew that the last point was something that Accelerator had do for him when he was too tired to deal with the girl known as Last Order (something that Hamazura did not know much about) so it meant that Kamijou was used to babysitting this Last Order girl on occasion meaning that Hamazura had felt it no problem to entrust Fremea to Kamijou at all.
After all, they seemed friendly with each other and the girl seemed rather amused at the things that happened with Kamijou as well so there was no harm in it right?
It had been yesterday that Hamazura had left Kamijou to babysit once more, only to return after his date with Takitsubo to find that Kamijou and Fremea had somehow managed to get stuck in the elevator of the boy's dorm for 6 hours. When they had finally been released, what looked like a slap mark on Kamijou's cheek and urine in the corner of the elevator itself filled Hamazura's vision as he had seemed surprised at the sight.
Both Kamijou and Fremea seemed rather traumatised and didn't want to talk about it but they still bid each other farewell in a friendly way despite it all. It seemed as though they had fun although how one could have fun stuck in an elevator for 6 hours was beyond Hamazura.
It had been then that the idea had been raised and Hamazura remembered the conversation as if it had happened yesterday. Oh wait, it had.
That thought process showed just how much Hamazura paid attention to things but the conversation had gone something like this:
"Thanks Boss for all of this. Sorry once again for the trouble. I seriously owe you one again." Hamazura had said when the two boys had left the area with the bad smelling elevator.
"It's fine," Kamijou responded although his face looked rather pale and worse for wear. "Anytime. If you need someone to look after Fremea, just give me a call. A-At least this time there was no expense involved so I should be happy…. But those 6 hours… Such misfortune."
Kamijou said those words with a dark aura around him as he started chuckling deeply as Hamazura looked at his friend in a concerned way. Was…he alright? He definitely seemed stressed but for the most part it seemed as though it was nothing serious.
"Boss, I seriously think you need a break." Hamazura said simply as Kamijou snapped out of it, waving his hand in front of his face to reject the comment.
"No, I have school tomorrow. Well actually tomorrow's going to be nothing special because we're doing gym practically all day but I at least have to go to get my attendance filled!"
"Gym? All day tomorrow? How does that work?"
"I have no idea. Apparently, something to do with the balance and maintenance of adrenaline or whatever during extended sport. Our school is participating in some study related to the secretion of adrenaline during physical activity so our class among others got selected for whole gym-focused classes tomorrow." Kamijou confessed as Hamazura raised an eyebrow.
"Do you even need to go tomorrow then?"
"Yes! Yes, I do! My attendance is like the Titanic on the trip to that iceberg! If I miss one, even one more lesson, it's going to end up worse than me just sinking to the ocean floor! I'll probably still be alive and then have to swim all the way up to the surface with all the water pressure surrounding me! That's what it's going to be like Hamazura! Do you hear me?!"
"Y-Yes I do! P-Please stop shaking meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Hamazura had let out that shout as Kamijou realised that he had grabbed his friend's shirt and started shaking the boy rather frantically without realising it. He let go and Hamazura looked in pity at the boy as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I feel for you there Boss. As a former member of Skill-Out I don't understand. But I feel for you. You should get out some more. Get a girlfriend or something."
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! The one with a girlfriend just casually suggested that to make me feel better but it had the opposite effect! You're so far away Hamazura even though you're so close! I want to cry right now! I want to cry and it's all your fault you damn normal!"
Kamijou looked at the verge of bursting into tears at that remark as Hamazura looked rather stunned at the reaction he had gotten. It was either the boy didn't realise the female interest he had gotten or he simply had too much on his plate to consider it. The fact that he had to deal with things such as school, magic, science, babysitting and his usual misfortune truly made the boy feel bad for Kamijou. It was like he was the universe's punching bag; whenever it got stressed or out of balance, it would take it out on Kamijou Touma to make things right.
Hamazura wondered if there was some kind of butterfly effect, like whenever Kamijou experienced misfortune somewhere in the world had fortune to counterbalance but he felt like suggesting it would only make the boy burst into tears.
So he asked a question.
"How much do you want to relax there Boss? Do you just want to put up your feet for the day? Do you just want a rest tomorrow?"
"…Thanks for the offer man, but I seriously have school. I can't afford missing out on any lessons."
"Then I'll go in your place."
"….Huh?"
"I'll call out your name on the roll or whatever and make it seem like you're there for attendance. In turn though, I think that my friends can help you relax despite all of your stress. What do you say Boss? Why not take a chance and let yourself get the well-earned rest you deserve? I'm pretty sure that my friends can show you a good time and be pretty accommodating to relieve stress. You've never asked for money for taking care of Fremea so I kind of owe you more now. Let me make it up to you."
"H-Hang on there, Hamazura. Back up a few steps. What are you saying?"
Hamazura though only sighed, patted Kamijou on the back and grinned.
"I'm saying I'll take your place in school tomorrow. And you can take mine and hang out with my friends who can show you a good time around the City. What do ya say?"
There had been much resistance on the part of Kamijou but for the most part, Hamazura had finally convinced him (more threatened him by saying that he'll have Fremea insist he had assaulted her inside the elevator which was ridiculous because he was threatening Kamijou to have fun) and had taken his place inside A Certain High School.
Personally, he felt it was ridiculous. In his delinquent days, he would have revelled in the chance to skip out on school. He was still doing it and hanging out with everyone else which showed just how much he cared about the education system. No matter where it was, whether it be outside Academy City or inside, he still could never get his head into a 'learning mode' where he really wanted to learn.
It was probably because Kamijou had said that he was having nothing but gym for the entire day that he had even suggested the 'swap' in the first place but as Hamazura placed his head on the desk, he fully realised the consequences of his actions.
For the most part, he remembered exactly why he hated coming to school in the first place although the amount of respect that he had for Kamijou for voluntarily wanting to come here was something amazing in and of itself. Mind you though, if he didn't have that attendance issue, would he still come?
Hamazura put that thought to the side, only shaking his head as he recalled exactly what had happened in the events that had led up to lunch, which it was currently now.
He had walked into the school without a care, the only thing different about him being that he was wearing the winter school uniform of A Certain High School under his usual hoodie. The fact that he zipped up the clothes he was always wearing though gave the impression that he was just a delinquent student and in actuality, that impression was not far removed from the truth.
Although when you looked at it, the fact that Kamijou was skipping out on school as well only told wonders about that particular student.
The day had started with problems from the get go. The class had immediately been suspicious as Hamazura had been the one to walk in and announce that because of 'circumstances', Kamijou had asked him to take his place in class. That had immediately gotten some 'boos' from the girls, something that had done a number on Hamazura's confidence.
One of the girls (with that chest…that chest! That chest!) had frowned in displeasure at him however had muttered something about 'the usual Kamijou' suggesting that Hamazura here was not the problem. He had managed to sit down and answer the boy's name in roll call and it was not until the class had left for gym that Hamazura had almost been caught.
Namely by one Yomikawa Aiho.
He had been surprised by the presence of the Anti-Skill officer in Kamijou's school however it seemed as though she was co-ordinating with the people that were in charge of the study in the first place so beyond telling the class what to do, she never actually got a good look at him. Such a thing had almost scared Hamazura out of his wits however beyond that minor setback, nothing major had happened.
It was lunch now and the sheer exhaustion of all the running and other gym related activities that Hamazura had been made to do have left a rather deep sweat on him. He was currently wearing the gym clothes of the High School right now and simply sitting down and relaxing made him want to fall asleep.
If Hamazura had the chance to do so, he was sure that he would immediately drift off however a voice pulled his head off the desk as he gazed lazily at the person that was looking and talking to him.
"Huh? What d'you say?" Hamazura asked without a particular care as the other boy merely wagged a finger.
"Hah. Honestly Hamazura, you have a long way to go if you think you can take Kami-yan's place like this!"
"…I have no intention of ever going back to school again so that's fine with me." Hamazura replied as he lifted his head off the desk fully and reluctantly turned to the boy that was speaking to him.
Of the people and lives that Kamijou Touma had managed to get involved in, Hamazura knew that he wasn't the only one. The Level 0's connection with Accelerator and the force he had gathered in Hawaii and the Fräulein Kreutune incident demonstrated that so it was no surprise that the boy knew people outside of the usual circle Hamazura felt he had a place in. Still, the people at A Certain High School were definitely the more…unique among them.
"Still, in all honesty, you must seriously owe Kami-yan one if you decided to go to school in his place." Another, sitting in front of Hamazura made that note as the boy nodded in response.
"Something like that. Ask the Bo – ask Kamijou about it." Hamazura said that comment without any commitment as the fatigue of both the physical exercise and the mental exhaustion of once more being in a school environment hit him at the same time. He waved it off though as he placed an elbow on Kamijou's desk and his leaned his cheek against his fist as he stared at the two boys.
"So, what do you guys want?" Hamazura asked Kamijou's friends who in his opinion were perhaps as strange as Kamijou in some ways. Mind you though, part of him felt as though he was the same as them even though he kept…those kind of thoughts to himself in public places.
These two however, had no such intentions.
"What do we want?! Isn't it obvious!? We're talking about the Golden Ratio!"
"…The what?"
"The Golden Ratio nyah~! Didn't Kami-yan explain that this conversation was saved just for today!?"
(He probably forgot about it because of how stupid it is! What in the world were you discussing Boss?!)
Hamazura had that internal thought as he stared at the two boys without an inch of comprehension on his face. Maybe it was because he was tired or maybe it was because of the ridiculousness of what they were talking about (the latter, it was probably the latter) but all Hamazura did was blink in response.
The two boys though merely sighed.
The one that was standing in front of Hamazura now was apparently the class representative. Sporting blue hair and ear piercings, Aogami Pierce was definitely someone that Hamazura knew to be one of those 2D obsessed people that hung around arcades and the anime merchandise stores in order to be the ones in the 'know' about 'moe'.
On the other hand, the one that was sitting in front of Hamazura (not at his own desk though) had spiky blond hair with sunglasses covering his eyes although Hamazura could tell that there was a mischievous glare beneath them. Tsuchimikado Motoharu sat leaning against the chair as Hamazura sighed, taking the energy to speak up to the other boys who were also in their gym uniforms.
"So, what exactly is this Golden Ratio?"
"The ratio between the length of the bloomers and the amount of bare skin that they show!" Aogami gave that comment as Hamazura felt his world explode, the small bits of debris floating through space, never to find another centre of gravity to pull them in close and maintain a semblance of what used to be his world.
"What?"
Hamazura could only give that response as he blinked while Tsuchimikado shook his head and shrugged.
"Have you even been paying attention to what today represents Hamazura?! Do you not see what is around you at this very moment nyah~!?"
Hamazura opened his mouth, trying to say something however a pulling at the back of his mind made him realise something very basic. He gulped, turning his head to face the others in the classroom as sweat poured down his back. His hands were shaking and his breathing was getting laboured but even then, he realised something in this classroom that was not his.
The girls…all of them were wearing bloomers.
They were more shorts in truth, something that was probably put into place to prevent the high school boys from ogling the thighs of the girls however the fact that the entire class had been made to do endless exercise with little breaks to analyse some kind of secretion of whatever chemical it was, the girls had decided that having more air flowing to their legs was something beneficial when everyone was sweating hard.
No one remembered who suggested it in the first place (wasn't it that girl that would look good in a shrine maiden outfit that had suggested it?) but the fact was that the boys and the girls had folded the material of their gym shorts over like a paper fan to allow for more air to flow to their legs as they did the needed exercise.
As a result, the gym shorts that had been rather plain had turned into something entirely different. With the folded material revealing more skin that would surely send the minds of the boys into overdrive, the sweat that covered those legs seemed to give off a soft scent as well.
Had it not been pointed out to Hamazura, his tired mind would have dismissed the idea entirely and not thought anything of it. However, whether he liked it or not, the reality of the situation was pointed out to him in full force.
Just centimetres away, sitting at desks that were in the same classroom were the sight of numerous girls that were trying to catch their breath with their exposed thighs filling his eyesight. Sure, he only had eyes for Takitsubo Rikou his girlfriend but even so….even so!
Hamazura Shiage's eyes went wide as he felt his mind work to process the sight in front of him. No….it wasn't just the sight of the thighs of the girls that was drawing him in, despite what Aogami and Tsuchimikado had told him.
The sweat….it was the sweat! The liquid that was secreted naturally by the body had managed to outline the shapes of the girls in an erotic way, something that was only supported by the fact that no one was taking any care in covering themselves up; they were simply too exhausted to do any of that.
Still the sweat that covered their bodies did so in a way that made their clothes stick to their skin. It was a cliché and something that happened in everyday life, but even so, the fact that it almost made the shirts themselves see through was nothing more than a blessing. As Hamazura was sitting near the back, he was unable to see the front of the shirts however he felt as though the paradise that was awaiting him from the front would only send his mind into a state that he would not be able to recover from.
Seeing the girls' bra straps from behind was one thing…. but seeing them from the front!
Hamazura felt his breathing get more laboured as his mind's eye tried to observe the scene in front of him, before he clenched a fist and slammed it down on the table (that was not his). He trembled slightly in response before he let out a voice that seemed as though it was on the verge of crying.
"I….I didn't notice! Shit! How…how foolish could I have been!?"
"It's OK. It's OK." Aogami let out a soothing voice while patting the boy on the back in a comforting way while Tsuchimikado leaned in close so that the boys could speak in soft tones.
"Well…now that you have seen the light Hamazura, the question remains. What is the Golden Ratio nyah~?!"
"Again, remind me what in the world that was again?! My…my eyes keep on diverting to that scene in front of me! Damn it….where is the one with the chest?! Where is she?" Hamazura started to look around for the girl with the massive chest in the hopes of ogling from a distance her feminine form that would surely have the same sweat causing her clothes to stick to her skin.
Aogami though took up the slack and instantly waved a finger in the air.
"Honestly Hamazura, need we remind you again? The Golden Ratio! The ratio between a girl's bloomers and the amount of skin that they show!" Aogami basically declared that to the world with a confident shout as a number of the girls instantly jerked while they were resting their heads on their desks and glared at the trio of boys. They especially did so to Hamazura who was, in their eyes, nothing but a stranger as they all moved their hands to their shorts in order to pull down the material.
However, they never got to completing the action. The heat and the fact that the day's exercise was not over yet meant that they would have to readjust the gym shorts to a bloomer shape once more and their exhaustion and fatigue meant that they were unwilling to do even that. With hateful glares being their only weapons, they sent them back to the boys before resting their heads on the table once more although with their legs pointed away from the trio.
Hamazura felt as though his eyes were on the verge of tears as he glared at Aogami.
"You idiot!" He hissed. "What the hell are you shouting!?"
"Hahahaha! It doesn't make a difference at this point Hamazura, what I say. The rest of the day means that there is plenty of opportunities to view the sight of that bare skin reflecting the sunlight and the drops of sweat sparkling against the skin of those legs! So, there is nothing to worry about!" declared Aogami confidently as Hamazura merely felt more pissed at the fact that he could no longer surreptitiously view those legs in his own time.
"So? What does this Golden Ratio have to do with anything?" he asked as he tried to sneak his eyes around Aogami who was standing in his line of vision now.
"Tsk, tsk. Hamazura, unlike Kami-yan you lack finesse. You lack the sort of subtlety that comes with these topics." Tsuchimikado spoke now, drawing away Hamazura's attention to him.
Hamazura frowned as he looked at the sunglasses boy that had spoken. While it was true that there was a sort of sensitivity with this sort of topic when discussing it around girls, he hadn't thought that Kamijou himself would take care when discussing them. Again, Hamazura was reminded of the gap between him and the Boss and it only seemed to widen at Tsuchimiado's statement.
But with the next few words, it seemed as though the impression that Hamazura had of Kamijou Touma had definitely lost a lot of points.
"After all! If you're going to marvel at the 3 dimensional structure that is the female body, you may as well be open about it! So, Hamazura! Tell me what you think the Golden Ratio is!"
"Being open about it has nothing to do with finesse or sensitivity whatsoever!"
Tsuchimikado said his words in a confident tone with a light shining behind his glasses that clearly showed that he was serious yet Hamazura could only cover his face with his hands at the fact that it was basically confirming that the Boss took part in these types of conversations on a daily basis.
Mind you though, with both Accelerator and Hamazura Shiage finding close company with girls that they had met, the fact that Kamijou had struck up a friendship with these two guys was probably something that had to be admired.
Even if it was one of the strangest friendships that Hamazura had come across.
"T-the Golden Ratio you say?" asked Hamazura as he sneakily tried to have a good look at one of the girls' thighs that was sitting in front of him. He saw that some of the other boys were trying to do the same however the movement of the girls in protecting their thighs from their gazes was rather successful, much to the boys' disappointment.
"Yes! The Golden Ratio! The Ratio of the length of the bloomer to the amount of bare skin it shows! Do you not agree that bloomers should only hide 5% of the entire leg?" Aogami yelled into the air with a pumped fist before putting his own leg up onto the table and stroking it.
The horrors of interpretation made the action seem like it was repulsive but if it was a girl doing it, Hamazura was sure that he was going to get a nosebleed. ESPECIALLY if it was Takitsubo. Oh no…. Hamazura could feel something run down his nose as he snivelled while Aogami indicated with his own leg his point.
"As you can see, the length of the bloomer rises up the thigh. It should do so in a way that only covers 5% of the leg, however manages to strike a perfect balance with the thigh and reveal no more than 75% of the thigh itself. Hence the balance of the thigh: leg and thus skin shown should be 75: 95! The bloomers should cover only 25% of the thigh and 5% of the entire leg! Do you not agree that this is the perfect ratio to not only maintain a safe rating that doesn't go into pure hentai yet at the same time allows one to fully grasp the truth and the purity of the thighs of girls?!"
Aogami released that shout into the air as the girls in the room twitched and Hamazura could see that some of them had turned their gazes down to the bloomers (in reality modified gym shorts) that they were wearing in order to try and assess what Aogami was saying.
Hamazura's mouth flapped open and shut as he tried to form words however his own mental image of Takitsubo Rikou having the same ratio of 75: 95 caused his own weak-willed heart to start pounding. He gulped as the mental Takitsubo squirmed as she tried to cover her thighs and leg but were unable to fully do so.
He felt once more something running down his nose and he took another deep sniff to prevent whatever was running down his nose from leaking out. He had to keep whatever was threatening to run down in there for fear of what would happen to him if he accidentally let it out. He had no idea but he could tell that having a nosebleed in this room, here and now was hardly going to be a good idea.
It seemed though that Tsuchimikado in front of Hamazura had a frown on his face.
"75: 95? Are you serious Aogami Pierce? Do you really think that only showing 75% of the thigh is an acceptable ratio? Don't be ridiculous!"
"What? Do you have a different idea of what the Golden Ratio is!?" blurted Aogami as Tsuchimikado merely shook his head. With a fluid motion, he reached for the edges of his sunglasses and pushed the frame up against his face, the sunlight from outside catching on it and making the lens gleam.
"You're a fool Aogami Pierce. Of course, the Golden Ratio is 75: 80 nyah~!"
"Y-You want less of the leg to be showwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn?!"
Hamazura was the one that let out that short of surprise, only for the girls in the room to jump at that as they pretended that they weren't listening. A deathly silence came over the classroom as Tsuchimikado started to chuckle with a dark tone held beneath his voice while nodding his head.
"Of course! You forget something Hamazura and Aogami Pierce! Namely the fact that the leg extends far past the thigh and calf! Depending on who you ask, it can stop at the foot or the ankle so this sort of thing is an important distinction. We're not talking about the perfect Ratio of showing bare skin; we're discussing the Ratio of the bloomer covering the leg and how much bare skin is shown as a result! 75% of the thigh is perfect; there is no doubt about that. But 95% of the leg? Did you inject your brain with something other than the needed drugs Aogami Pierce!?" Tsuchimikado put his own leg on the desk and did the same thing as Aogami, stroking his finger up it.
Again, the horrors of interpretation meant that a filthy and sweaty guy's leg was being caressed on Kamijou's desk however Hamazura was sure that if it was a girl, then there would have been no problems. Some of the sweat dripped onto the desk and was surely going to stay there.
In a way, Hamazura felt bad for what was happening to Kamijou's desk while he was absent however his weak-willed heart felt as though this was a conversation that he could not ignore for the life of him. He had to see this through to the end!
Tsuchimikado though continued, expertly speaking as if he were a connoisseur evaluating a specific brand.
"75: 80 is the Golden Ratio! This isn't a swimsuit discussion; we had that last week and have the bruises to show for it. Bloomers are not supposed to reveal a majority of the leg as a result! Covering 75% of the thigh, I agree. But 95% of the leg!? Doing so means that socks are going to be covering a minimal area and if you look at where the leg starts and stops, that could mean that you can either be covering the ankle slightly or covering it entirely! No, 80% of the leg needs to be shown, not 95!"
"I…see…" Hamazura put a hand underneath his chin as he assessed what Tsuchimikado was saying. Aogami looked at him in surprise however the Level 0 took no notice as he analysed what Tsuchimikado was saying.
"By having 80% of the leg covered, you avoid the entire issue of whether or not you can or can't see the ankle. With the leg, you just want to skin and revealing the bone itself is something of a turn off. We like the meat, not the bone so it makes sense that we have enough lee-way to cover the ankle at the very least. 95% might cut it but making it 80 brings it to a certainty. Meaning that the only visible skin is that of the thigh before going down to the knee, revealing part of the calf and the shin as well. With the 95%, you can reveal most of the shin but leaves the possibility of the ankle being shown too. The ankle thusly cannot fit into the Ratio and cannot be shown."
Hamazura muttered to himself however the truth of the words he felt he was saying seemed rather blinding to him. Although he was whispering, it somehow seemed as though the girls in the class were hanging on every word as they looked down at their own clothes now, truly wondering whether showing too much skin was essentially a good thing given the Ratio.
"See?" Tsuchimikado though took Hamazura's muttering to mean that he agreed with him completely as he thrust a finger into Aogami's face. "75: 95? Are you retarded?! Think about the implications of what you are suggesting! Do you really want the ankle being shown?"
"Is this really about the ankle? Sure, revealing 95% of the leg gives the possibility of that but by no means is it a certainty! Tsuchimikado, are you suggesting that you prefer to give up some of the skin just so you could view the bone? Are you the type of guy that likes a one-piece swimsuit because you think the navel is a turn off!?"
"WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION LAST WEEK NYAH~! A-And no! Don't stray off topic Aogami Pierce! I'm talking about the leg and the stomach is an entirely different area altogether."
"Fine, if you think about it maybe creatures with two legs are something that you don't want to reveal 95% of the leg for to avoid the ankle being shown or maybe a majority of the shin. But what about ghost girls? You know the ones with the transparent feet? What about them? AND MERMAIDS! You can't forget about them! Do you really think when faced with those types of genres, you'll be satisfied with 75: 80? The Ratio I put forward, while ending in a bit of disappointment if the ankle is viewed, depending on where you see the leg starting and stopping, serves to encompass all genres!"
"All genres?! Firstly, would ghost girls even need to wear bloomers? I thought they were the ones that always wore a loose fitting kimono that they think is too big for them however can't adjust it meaning that it gives rise to multiple 'lucky pervert' situations that they can't get mad about because it's their clothes! And mermaids don't even have legs you idiot! They wouldn't have the capacity for bloomers in the first place!"
"B-But for a ghost girl in bloomers you would want the 75: 95 ratio right?! And who cares about mermaids not being able to wear them! You'd still want to see the length of the tail revealing 95% of the entire leg wouldn't you?"
"K-Kh. I can't deny that ghost girl point however, are you seriously thinking that the slimy tail of a mermaid is something that you are fine with viewing? But in all seriousness, it's the 75: 80 Ratio that perfectly grasps the majesty of the female leg!"
"What about maid outfits then? Does that mean in your book they are imperfect as they show practically none of the leg?"
"WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BLOOMERS HERE! Maid outfits and the structural nature of them was saved for tomorrooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
Tsuchimikado wasted no time leaping for Aogami as he tackled the boy to the floor as they wrestled and attacked each other with an aspect of seriousness. Hamazura went wide eyed at the sight however turned to see that the rest of the class were either sighing as if they saw this type of thing every day or were looking at their own bloomers and changing the length of their socks so that either 80% or 95% of the leg was shown.
That said a lot about the class in particular however there was a more important point to deal with right now in the eyes of Hamazura Shiage.
What was the Golden Ratio?
75: 95?
Or 75: 80?
When it came to bloomers, it seemed as though revealing 75% of the thigh was standard. So the question became how much skin of the leg needed to be shown? 80%? Or 95%? The latter gave the chance of revealing the ankle but while Hamazura had said he preferred the meat of a woman's leg, there was nothing wrong with the ankles either. It all went down to personal taste however when viewed objectively, this sort of thing had to branch beyond just high school girls.
For woman, for maids, for lolis, for slime girls, for ghost girls, for androids, for teachers, for corporate officer workers, for those that wore garter belts, for those that had twintails, etc. In the end, if all of those genres suddenly decided to wear bloomers how much of the leg would one want to see?
No….that wasn't the issue here.
This was a Golden Ratio!
What was it that Hamazura wanted to see? If Takitsubo Rikou were to suddenly decide to wear bloomers, how much of her leg would he want to see? How much of the thigh?
Hamazura rose his head in realisation as the perfect solution struck him like a lightning bolt. Sweat ran down his face as he clenched his fists and felt his heart pound uncontrollably. Yes. Yes! The Ratio that filled his mind was surely the perfect solution.
Hamazura had no interest in the past however right here and now, he felt as though he was Leonardo da Vinci when he had finally managed to draw The Vitruvian Man and discover the proportions that consisted of the human body. Yes, this proportion of thigh to leg when wearing bloomers was surely the finest resolution that was ever to hit the minds of man.
In truth, Hamazura hated how foolish he was; unable to see the light of the issue from the very start.
What he wanted to see…
If Takitsubo were wearing bloomers, he would want to see…!
"…You're both wrong."
Those words echoed into the air as two of the members of the Delta Force stopped their fighting, Tsuchimikado in a headlock and Aogami having his eyes almost poked into (wherever they were) as they turned to face Hamazura. Surprise covered their faces as Hamazura clenched his fists tighter so that his knuckles turned white.
"That's right. You're both wrong. Golden Ratio? Don't make me laugh. You were wrong from the outset!"
Hamazura suddenly stood up and knocked both the chair and the table he was sitting at down (even though they weren't his) as he swung out an arm to the side. A look of glee was on his face and a pure happiness of a man enlightened was in his expression.
"75: 95? 75: 80? That only assumes one basic thing. And that's that we want to be limited to those types of numbers with bloomers!"
Hamazura shouted and let out a roar, tears streaming down his face as he spoke his mind and let loose his pent up emotions. What was it that he wanted to see from Takitsubo if she were to wear bloomers? Would he be happy limited to just those numbers? Wasn't there something else he wanted to view altogether?
The only one there with a girlfriend yelled out his answer.
"The Golden Ratio is 100: 100!"
Light seemed to radiate from Hamazura's body as he let out that shout, standing on the edge of the knocked over desk and pulling up his shorts to reveal more of his thigh as sweat and tears dripped down onto the desk.
Again, the horrors of interpretation meant that an adolescent high schooler was revealing some of his leg that no one wanted to see while dripping bodily fluids onto the desk of a particularly unlucky student. If it was a girl though, there would surely be no problem but again, Hamazura seemed not to care as he spoke.
"You idiots thought that 75% of the thigh for bloomers was ideal! But you're wrong. Of course you are! Are you fine being limited to just 75%? You want to go for the full number! Who cares about boundaries?! When it comes to bloomers, I want to see the full 100% of my Takitsubo-chan's thigh! No more or less! And the same goes for her perfect legs! 80? 95? Who gives a shit?! Give it all to me! Give it allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!"
Aogami and Tsuchimikado went open mouthed at the rare statement that Hamazura was giving as everyone in the class turned to look at the boy that had (not directly) turned out to be quite the pervert himself. Hamazura though was not done talking as he clenched his fists tighter and roared into the sky.
"I want it all! Thighs, legs, I want it all! I don't want to be limited to just percentages! 100% is the only percent for me! Bloomers should be as short as possible and the shoes and socks taken off, just for the sole purpose of revealing that Golden Ratio! I want it all! I want it allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll! Shit, I won't lie to myself anymore! I want it all!"
Hamazura broke down into tears as he collapsed to the floor, everyone looking at each other, unable to speak or react. Once again, it seemed as though Kamijou had managed to make another strange friend however this one seemed rather in tune with his own weak heart.
And it seemed as though the other members of the Delta Force were just as sympathetic to the boy's plight as they walked over the boy and placed their hands on Hamazura's shoulders.
"It's alright man," said Aogami in a comforting voice. "Just let it all out."
"It must have been quite the shock. Being so open about the Golden Ratio. But you have truly transcended the realm of being holed up in your desires. May you walk the path of many genres Hamazura." Tsuchimikado said in a rather wise sounding voice however most of the people there had no idea what they were talking about.
It was rather reminiscent of the very first 'open' discussion that the trio of Kamijou Touma, Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu had had in their class, all those months ago about their tastes. Although it seemed as though Hamazura was slowly adjusting and overwhelmed by the fact that the Golden Ratio was something that was so obvious yet so far, the other boys in the class silently nodded as they too realised the truth of the matter.
In the end, the entire thigh and leg was what was wanted! No one wanted to be half assed and leave things half done. It wasn't about how much was hidden. You may as well just have gotten the entire thing over and done with and revealed the entire thigh and leg!
This was the way that things were supposed to be; the true Golden Ratio that needed to be followed when one wore bloomers in revealing their thighs and the amount of needed coverage of the leg itself.
There were to be no protection; no shoes or socks.
Only the thigh, the leg and the perfection of the 100: 100 Golden Ratio.
The girls though only deadpanned without a change in expression as they placed their heads back on the desk, wondering where in the world those idiots got their energy. Still, it seemed as though the Level 0 delinquent that had joined their class fit right in which was somewhat of a relief given how worried he had looked when he had first joined the class.
Still, the girls wished that he had found a way of fitting in in some other way.
Quiet sobbing and tears of joy came from the corner of the room where Hamazura was as he let out his emotions, his mind's eye picturing perfection; of Takitsubo Rikou in bloomers revealing her entire thigh and legs. He had to thank Kinuhata later for the realisation: while Hamazura had already reached the conclusion of 100% leg, it was her exposition of her thighs that made him understand the worth of 100% thighs.
The sound of a door opening filled the room as everyone turned their heads to the newest occupant. They blinked upon seeing the scene in front of them: the sight of two members of the Delta Force and their newest member it seemed sitting in the corner.
"What's going on here?" came the voice as the two members of the Delta Force turned to face who had spoken however they stopped in their tracks as they looked at the person that had walked in.
"F-Fukiyose? Wh-What are you wearing?" asked Aogami. "A-And Hime-yan as well!"
"Huh? It was too hot so I asked the teachers if I could cut the gym shorts that I was wearing. I had folded them to make them bloomers but I felt as though there was no point in trying to make them something they're not. So I cut them. I have a spare pair at home so I have no worries doing this either. Himegami-san did the same."
"…As you can clearly see I did the same. I realise that was unnecessary but I just wanted the dialogue."
"But what's going on here? What did you guys do to that other guy?"
Hamazura heard the girl's voice as he rose his head and went wide eyed.
The Chest Girl (Hamazura forget her name) and the Invisible Girl next to her (Hamazura had forgotten her name as well) were standing in the doorway of the classroom. However, he found himself not looking at their faces but rather their gym shorts.
Or rather lack of them.
They had been cut in a way that meant that there was no material at all resembling the initial gym shorts. It was questionable whether they could be called make-shift bloomers anymore because the reality was simple.
They had been cut down entirely.
Their thighs were showing as the material was cut rather high, resembling panties if anything despite the fact that they were covering such. There was a little leeway meaning that they weren't such in reality, giving the impression that they were either hot pants or extremely short bloomers.
The thighs filled his vision but even then, the utopia did not stop there.
In their hands they held their shoes and socks for whatever reason, meaning that the full majesty of their legs was in full view of Hamazura as there was nothing covering them. Like some kind of divine message from the gods, they seemed to glow with a warm bask of light coming from them, enveloping Hamazura fully as he embraced the warmth.
The Golden Ratio was real.
Bloomers really could give you 100% thighs and 100% legs if you believed.
"…It was worth it."
Hamazura let out that small voice as he mentally pictured Takitsubo Rikou in the same get up, having the physical thing in front of him meaning that the mental imaging process in his mind went perfectly well, giving him a mental eyeful of what his Level 4 girlfriend would look like in that fashion style.
Needless to say though, that in turn elicited a single reaction.
Blood shot out of Hamazura's nose because of the mental stimulus as he fell to the ground, being the happiest that he had felt he could be in a while as imaginary Takitsubo's and her thighs and legs hovered around him.
Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful thing.
And for the life of him, Hamazura Shiage truly felt as though he owed Kamijou Touma his life for giving him the chance to view such a beautiful sight.
The grin on his face as his nose continued to drip with blood was only a testament to that pure happiness he felt.
So, what would you say the Golden Ratio would be? I hope I arrived at the correct answer for you, unlike what I did with Touma's desk.