And here we are yet again! Big ol' number thirty is here to amuse you!

Before we begin, let's do some reviews!

whwsms: A big Tournament where Touma is the prize might actually get a lot of participants, wouldn't it? It sure seems like you have some kind of psychic ability for when I upload things...

Fou-Perv: Sorry that it wasn't a massive collection of his whole Harem, but that would have made things a -lot- more busy and make this a lot rougher to make. Besides; as stated a few times, this was Seria basically messing with Misaki, so have a lot of the other named girls might have taken away from that.

Reikson: Such Misfortune...

Aminadab Brulle: Yeah; Misaki seems like that character to often act behind the scenes rather than an open crowed... but at least the idea worked out! I know a second coming of the Perma-Bust-Up Club is a regular demand... I'll see what I can do. The problem lies in that their bust-ups are permanent... thus if they were to get bigger... also, more animal noises. Hazzah? I don't know what to do with this Zoo anymore...

MrQuestionMark: Sounds like going the martial-arts route, even if it was just once, worked out pretty well! And of course, a surprise appearance by Saflee was just a fun little addition to tie everything together. Glad you liked the endgame twist, my friend!

Mr. X: I wouldn't see too much of a difference with Aiho, aside from a more militaristic approach, of course. I covered the Seiri already in the chapter; if Seria had saw Fukiyose, she likely would have bailed, especially since her primary target was messing with Miskai. That third one actually sin't that bad of an idea, but my last six chapters already has a tight window... and yeah; four was a good one; it inspired something to see eventually.

Anime-ted Life116: Shrine Priestess and her magical shocking stick! As for more appearances, we'll see; only have so much time left! I haven't forgotten Kanzaki; we'll see her again more than likely.

Guest00: Yes, there was likely many, many questions about what happened to a certain unlucky Kamijou the previous night, and with no way to answer the questions, either... glad you had fun!

Agent Nine: When Touma got used to it, that's when.

fencer29: Strangeness is the name of the game, my friend. Just about anything can happen here!

touma and misaki: It's like he was unfortunate... but he didn't know it.

wildarms13: Glad to know that what I pulled off wasn't too far out there and you enjoyed it!

Handsomistic1: If you enjoyed it, then I say I did something right! That makes me wonder of Railgun T will give us any foreshadowing to Misaki and Touma's connection or not...

Healthcare: Gotta love what Kamachi sees as perfectly normal English names, huh? Sure sounds like you enjoyed yourself! Touma's life has evolved and gone long and far... but his goal to just make it home every night remains unchanged. I actually like that idea a lot, but my window seems so small for what I want to do... ugh. Anyway, thanks for reading and having fun with us!

question: Uh... what?

dog: A small woof of approval, huh...

Guest (1): If I had an answer for you, i'd give it. So far, I don't think anyone has done any fanart for this series, or if they have, they haven't contacted me at all. If anyone wants to (Either drawing it themselves or commissioning someone else to do so), they're more than welcome to do so... just let me know so I can see it too, ok?

Cat: I... assume the same as the dog? Man, I do not speak animal...

someperson: Glad you liked it. I understand the want to see the perma-bust-up club again... it just, as said, they're permanent, which means if they got even bigger, they'd be permanently bigger, which could cause... complications. I'll see what I can do about some of them at least appearing again, but we'll see. Thanks for the holiday wishes!

Alright, let's jump into this! Enjoy!

Fall was going rather smoothly, as in a certain city in Japan, it was just warm enough to avoid the slick snow but just cold enough to make cozying up in a light jacket the norm. Winter would be right around the corner, but for now, everyone could rest easy and enjoy the cooler weather before the inevitability of ice became a necessary evil.

In this certain city, there was a certain building. Anyone who lived there knew it and could show you how to find it. But a way inside was a much harder task, as it had no doors, nor any windows. If there were any plumbing or electrical lines, none were attached to it above ground, making it appear as a tall white rectangle in the middle of the city.

However, despite this, the structure did have a single resident. And it was none other than the head of this city: Aleister Crowley.

Some might find his name strange; why carry the name of such a controversial man? Especially so many years after his death? The answer is simple: This was that Aleister Crowley. There was but only one in history, and he still walked the Earth… figuratively. He resided upside down in a tube on one of the Windowless Building's upper floors. From there, he had the ability to control every little thing in Academy City. Though he rarely exercised this right, the fact he could do so was absolutely true, even if it being known was limited to a select few.

More importantly, he could also observe everything within his fair city. UNDER_LINE was the name of his network; a seemingly infinite number of microscopic machines used to observe the entire city. Though only information on a precise few was personally attended to, everything that happened in his city was under observation without limit.

However, the flaw to this is that while his sight is omniscient within the confines of Academy City's walls, the exterior is a different story. While he does have devices he uses for this, it is far from the all-seeing degrees he has back home. A few bugs have been assigned to certain people Aleister has found to be important or influential, but otherwise the rest of the world is free from his prying eyes.

One of these few under direct observation is Kamijou Touma. Even if he lives in the city proper, he frequently makes trips outside the city, and as such, has always had a drone specifically designated to follow and observe him.

Eventually, the information this drone presented was a scene involving the unlucky teen and a certain other individual he had previously been unable to observe: Lola Stuart. Here, he was able to witness the rare occurrence of her interacting with the unlucky teen, and seemingly flirting with him. He could tell she was up to something; testimony from a few other magicians who entered his fair city painted a much different picture of her, and of course, Aleister had first-hand experience with the woman as well.

The implication was clear: Lola Stuart, the head of Necessarius, was specifically trying to win over Kamijou Touma.

Losing such an important piece to the puzzle of his plan could have been catastrophic. But how to keep him in Academy City? Barring his ability to leave would raise questions and might even cause dissent to grow in the boy. Lola used affection as her tactic, but the old magician lacked this ability; he was but a tall, lanky man, but the blonde was a full-figured woman who, while having a certain toxicity in her personality, was at first glance a kind and loving person. As Kamijou Touma was still a boy in his teens, his hormones would subconsciously pull him to side with the girl without any other evidence on the table.

If he responded in brutality, Lola Stuart would win with this affection. As much as he hated to admit it, he would need to fight fire with fire to win this war. But then came the question: how was he to deal with it? Does he hire someone? Manufacture something with his power to influence his decisions?

He was going to need a creative answer. He was one most accustomed to overpowering his targets, and was very inexperienced with meaningful human interaction; only one person ever came to love the controversial man known as Aleister Crowley, after all.

Yes… he would have to get most creative, indeed…

"Let's see… eggs… milk…" Touma looked down his list. "I have the eggs… but they're out of milk? Oh come on…!"

Kamijou Touma scratched his head as he wandered his local grocery store. He was doing his usual weekly shopping and was doing it by the books: no name brands, bulk only if it's on discount, and apply any and all sale deals he could, even if it belonged to another store. Right now, both eggs and milk were on sale; he knew it was just because they would go bad in about a week, but with the gluttony of his roommate, something that only needed to last a short period of time was actually ideal.

He sighed at the milk section; the sale was out of stock, and it was the last thing he needed. But all that was left was the name brand, and that was out of his tight price range. He mumbled something to himself and prepared to move on when he noticed movement behind the cases. It was quite common for most grocery stores to keep their dairy section, especially their milk, in a cooler right behind where they'd store it so they could stock it directly. Since milk was something almost always in demand, it made sense to have filling the cases as easy as possible.

And as luck would have it, the man working the dairy case was restocking the special milk on sale! It looked like they had plenty in stock too; the week must have been a slow one. Touma, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, simply smiled and grabbed one of the heavy jugs and added to his cart. He was going to make this week's budget after all!

"Hmm… I must admit, the idea of shopping for oneself is not often something I'm capable of. It's been so long since I've gone to a market personally, that I've almost forgotten the necessary pleasantries… not to mention how streamlined it has become. It really is different when you're in person from when you're just watching behind a computer screen."

He didn't notice at first, but a girl had walked up beside him and was looking into the exact same case. She was a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old, but her skin was almost a sickly pale and her hair was a long, distinct silver. She wore a blue double blazer uniform with a short blue skirt, a long black cloak and a witch-like hat decorated with silver ordainments. She was clearly of English descent, but as many people sent their children to Academy City from abroad, that wasn't particularly unusual.

Honestly, she looked like she was from a cosplay for some kind of high-school magic anime rather than a proper resident, but Touma wasn't one to judge; he lived with a girl who dressed like a nun and a Magic God the size of his palm, after all. Her statement caught the boy's curiosity for a brief moment before he moved to check out.

However, the mysterious girl grabbed the back of his shirt. "Excuse me, but if I handed you the money, but could you buy one of these for me?"

"If you have the money, why don't you buy it yourself?" Touma raised an eyebrow.

"The tellers are giving me all weird looks for my sense of style. I just figured it'd be easier than trying to make up some kind of story as to why I look like this."

The spiky haired boy sighed; this girl appeared rather sheltered. But he could understand the awkwardness, as he got those looks too whenever Index tagged along for his grocery runs. In the end, he agreed and picked up a second jug, making the girl smile. Once outside, the girl took to chugging the milk jug right in front of the store, getting some unusual gazes as a result. She actually managed to get through half the container before having to stop for air.

"Tastes a lot better than way back when, too!" She smiled. "Humanity has come a long way since then! It's always the things you take for granted, I suppose!"

"I-is that right?" Touma gave an awkward grin. This girl was definitely keeping up some kind of cosplay act, of that much he was sure. "Well, thanks for paying me back. You try and stay out of trouble, ok?"

"Heading home already, Kamijou Touma?" The girl tilted her head.

The spiky haired boy stopped. She knew his name?

"Have… we met?" He asked. It would have been cruel if she had been a friend of his prior to his memory loss that had just met up with him by chance, but judging from her lack of familiarity, that seemed unlikely.

"Nah, I'm just someone who's been keeping an eye on you," She replied. "I just decided it was time to go from observing to actually meeting. That's all."

She'd been watching him? Also not unusual, but still creepy. However, it was rare for folks to admit it to his face, so maybe she wouldn't be so bad?

Oh, how little he knew.

"Well, that's nice, but I have to get home and put these groceries away… so maybe this can happen another day?" He suggested, motioning toward the bags he held. "Besides, I don't even know who you are, so…"

"That is the topic of conversation, isn't it?" The girl put her hands on her hips. "Yes… who I am is probably your biggest question, right?"

Touma looked away sheepishly. The girl obviously took this as a yes, but the unlucky Kamijou was actually wondering if he'd be able to make it home in time for dinner on time.

"Of course you would be…" She smirked. "You'd be more than a little curious about the one who made those magic eyes of yours, now wouldn't you?"

The boy blinked. "…Come again?"

"Bust Upper: I made it. Doesn't that interest you even a little bit?"

"Yeah, right," Touma rolled his eyes. "As if a cosplay girl can make boob-growing eyes magically happen…"

"It started off as a ring, you know? The man would wear it before getting down and dirty with his woman, but then I ended up losing the thing in a house fire. Personally, I blame Mathers for that, but I suppose I never did find any evidence…"

The girl rubbed the back of her head as Touma's ears perked up a little bit. That did seem like an oddly specific story.

"Then I guess it just moved? I didn't design it to move from host to host when I crafted it, but maybe the fire caused some kind of spark in its design. I think I heard rumors about it bouncing around from place-to-place, gradually heading east. I think the first time it took up residency in Japan was in a spring up in the northern part of the country. That was a few years ago…"

The girl tilted her head, but all the spiky haired teen did was listen quietly.

"Then the spring dried up, and things went quiet for a little bit. I think it must have been host-hopping without really causing any trouble for a while. The next time I heard about it was with that Indian Poker craze around here. And then, of course, it decided to embed itself into your eyes, where it sure sounds like it's made itself quite the comfy home, if I do say so myself."

"How… do you know all of that?" Touma took a step back. He actually had heard of the spring incident when he went digging into Bust Upper's urban legends; supposedly, any girl who drank from it had their chest grow overnight. It was a low-key story that didn't really make the rounds at any new outlets, likely due to the ridiculousness of the prospect, but a few who swore by it wouldn't let the myth die.

This girl knowing about it didn't automatically make her statement factual, but she clearly knew what she was talking about.

"Well, I keep track of all my projects when they leave my charge if I can. I just thought this one was gone, I suppose. It's hard to imagine certain things surviving a fire; even metals like silver and gold can be melted down by intense heat like that." She remarked. "…Or were you asking who I was? Hmm?"

"I mean…"

"Very well, I suppose I can enlighten you! It's not like anyone would believe this story if you told them anyway!" She walked over and wrapped one arm around the teen's neck, pulling him down to her level. "You see, my spiky-haired friend… I'm the boss."

Touma blinked. "The… boss?"

"The BIG boss… you know? The head honcho? The big man on campus? Well… I suppose it's 'woman' in this case, but do you feel me yet?"

"You mean… the General Superintendent?"

She grinned. "That's right! General Superintendent Aleister Crowley is at your service, Mr. Kamijou Touma. Surely you can imagine all kinds of benefits of having connections to the highest point in the city, right?"

"I mean… yeah?" The unlucky Kamijou deadpanned. "But I find that VERY hard to believe. I mean… you? The General Superintendent when you barely come up to my chest? Get real!"

"You buy that Leivinia Birdway's story, so why not mine?"

"How do you know Birdway?"

"What part of 'I've been watching you,' didn't get through that skull of yours? Besides; the name should be a big tip-off to who I am if you are even slightly familiar with important occult figures."

Touma thought for a moment on the name. Aleister Crowley, huh? Where had he heard that name before…? It felt so familiar, but for some reason he couldn't remember where he had heard it last…

"So, you're a magician then? What the hell is a magician doing in charge of Academy City?" He questioned.

"…Things and stuff."

"You're not helping your case here, pal."

"Eh, what do you want from me? My full life story? I've been around since 1875, you know."

The spiky haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be… older, then?"

"Dead more accurately, but finding methods around the normal ways used by the normal people is what being a magician is all about. One who dedicates themselves to their work enough could discover the key to eternal life… although, I'm not exactly proud of that side these days. Let's just leave it at that."

He didn't come here to regale the teen boy with his (or her) life and revealing such might accidentally tip his hand more than he'd intend.

Aleister Crowley went by many names, but the most notable one was, "The Greatest Magician in History." His greatest personal achievement of this was to effectively "capture and contain" every single possible alternative version of himself that could possibly exist, counting in well over one billion, and still growing. With this, he can exist as a being not defined by a one or a zero; able to have multiple versions of himself exist at once.

His plan was to use one of his various existences against Lola Stuart. Not by attacking her, but rather securing Kamijou Touma through a different method: Friendship. It was irksome that the most compatible possibility was that of a teenage girl, but as the boy appeared to attract women like flies, he also found that it'd be the least questionable way to approach him.

Besides, the main version still observed from his home in the Windowless Building, so it's not like he had really switched genders or anything. However…

"…I have to admit, it feels weird being a girl."

"Y-you used to be a guy!?" Touma shouted.

"More or less. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's beside the point," She spun around to stand in front of the Unlucky Kamijou. "I, Aleister Crowley, have decided to come and meet with you personally; you are a person of great interest. I'm not going to say, 'you should feel privileged,' or anything like that, so just talk to me like you would to anyone else, ok? It's not like anyone would believe you if you told them that the leader of Academy City was a fourteen-year-old girl who's been around since the eighteen-hundreds, right?"

Touma raised a finger to retort, but quickly recalled it. The silver haired magician before him had a point.

"So, you can basically manipulate your age… and your gender…" He reasoned. "…And you made my Bust Upper? Is that right?"

"It had a Latin name back then, but that seems like a good update. I will not lie; it was me." She put one hand on her petite chest and bowed lightly with closed eyes.

"Which means…" Touma trailed off briefly. "…You can take it away from me if you wanted, right?"

Aleister opened one eye with a smirk.

"…Perhaps. If I were to be convinced…"

"W-what do you want then!?" The spiky haired teen sounded excited. After causing so much chaos, he finally had be rid of them once and for all!

"Do you really want to know what I'm after?"

"Why wouldn't I after hearing you can take this curse from my eyes so I can return to a normal everyday life!"

"…I hope you mean that subjectively."

"Yeah, yeah; I get sucked into a new disaster every week. Yes, I mean subjectively normal! J-just name your price!"

The girl laughed. "Well then! I hope you like some good ol' scientific experimentation! I have to admit, it feels strange being in a girl's body; the sensations are completely different, even for something as simple as breathing. I wish to discover all the little differences of these sensations, understand?"

"I think so…?"

"That includes Bust Upper itself."

Touma stammered. "W-why!?"

"Because I could tell how it affected others, but that's not the same as feeling it personally!" Aleister shouted. "There is so much to discover about the female body that can only be done first-hand! It must be done! Or…" She waltzed over and poked the young boy's nose. "Does the idea of losing it after having the ability for nearly a year suddenly fill you with dread? Getting a little attached to the power to change a girl's bra-size at will, are we?"

Touma grumbled a little, not liking the insinuation.

"…It's not active right though." He remarked.

"I am quite aware of that; for as much staring as you're doing, I'm still rather flat," The girl put her hands on her hips. "So! You'll help me feel and understand the other intricacies of the female body in the meantime!"

"It could be days before it turns back on! I managed to shut it off last night!"

"That just means that we have plenty of time for testing! Onward!" She began to march down the street.

"H-hold on, at least let me drop off my groceries first!"

"What… is this?"

"Our testing ground!" Aleister confirmed.

"It looked like an abandoned warehouse with random stuff inside of it…" Touma remarked as he looked around. Random boxes and equipment could be seen all over, ranging from exercise equipment to waterworks, and even some industrial machines. He didn't want to acknowledge it, but he saw a few guns lying around too, and he prayed that the strange leader of Academy City wouldn't force him to use them.

"First things first: We establish a baseline for these sensations running across my skin! I have already taken the liberty in investing in a masseuse to help familiarize myself with the vibrations of pleasure, but what remains unknown is the exact opposite of the spectrum: pain."

"Meaning…?"

"Kamijou Touma," She turned and looked at the spiky haired boy with a grin. "I want you to punch me in the face as hard as you can."

He blinked. "…I'm sorry, what?"

"Punch me. Doesn't really specifically matter where, as long as it makes contact with my cranium. Should probably avoid using your right arm just in case it causes something screwy to happen… but yeah! Hit me with all you got!"

"I… no!"

"Come on, you punch girls all the time. What's so different with me?"

"I do it with purpose!"

"And there is purpose here! So…?"

He was beyond weirded out. Of course, he'd dealt with the battle maniac Thor before, but never had he actually had someone just want to get decked just to see what it'd feel like. Was this actual scientific research? Or was this girl just an eccentric obsessed with knowledge? …Who was he kidding; it was obviously the second one! But if he wanted to be free of this curse in his eyes, he was going to have to play along.

"…Alright, you can't complain about this later, alright!?" Touma reeled back his left fist and threw it. He actually did hold back, not wanting to risk the girl cracking her head against the pavement and dying, but it still hit reasonably hard. Aleister was launched back, slamming against the pavement and skidding back just a little. The spiky haired teen was scared he had knocked her out, but she managed to push herself up enough to sit.

"W-wow… it really does feel… different…" She was smiling, but she had distinct tears in her eyes.

"I warned you this was a bad idea!"

"N-no, it's perfect…!" She breathed deeply. "The female body has more fat; it's what gives girls that 'plumpness' in all the right places men drool over. It's cushioned the blow and it feels so very different!"

"…But it still hurts, right?"

"…Ow."

Touma did his best to not scream at the girl about her being stupid.

"Ok… ok! Next thing!" She dusted herself off and walked (albeit she wobbled with every step) over to a large container that came up to about her waist. She fiddled with the lock before tossing it aside and digging through it. She tossed several objects aside, some were mundane household objects, and others were technological marvels that the boy didn't know even existed. Eventually she popped back out with a large tank full of liquid attached to a hose and a release nozzle that she could barely lift, setting it down with a heavy thud.

"T-that's not a flamethrower, is it!?" Touma shouted, fearful of where her desire to learn was going.

She blinked at him a few times before picking up the nozzle and aiming in a random spot and pulling on the trigger to fire its contents. It wasn't fire that shot out, however, or even a flammable liquid. It was…

"…Water?" The boy blinked.

"Seawater to be exact, pumped all the way from Tokyo Bay," Aleister nodded. "Aleis-tan is curious, not suicidal. There's no way I want to find out what it means to be on fire… I don't think it will be very different either way."

"Ok, thank g- Aleis-tan?" Touma furrowed his brow.

The girl shrugged. "I figured a cutesy nickname would sound better than 'Aleister,' all the time. That's a boy's name, after all, right? Just the Aleis sounds feminine enough."

All the unlucky Kamijou could do was nod and accept, although he did so begrudgingly.

"Anyway," Aleis-tan continued. "The saltiness of seawater gives it an entirely different feel, as you might know if you've ever gone on a beach trip along the edge of Japan. I want you to spray me down with it is all."

"…You're not going to take your clothes off, are you?"

"Didn't intend to… why? Want me to?"

"No!"

"Ok good; that'd be a problem," Aleis-tan nodded. "Alright; put this thing on and blast me, understand?"

"Fine, fine…" Touma just nodded and accepted the task, picking up the heavy device and slinging it over his shoulders. It was heftier than he expected, making him stumble just a little bit before he found his center of gravity. He then took aim and sprayed the silver-haired girl down. The hose was pressurized, but thankfully not enough so that it'd knock someone over, as the only casualty was her hat. It felt like it was just a military grade piece of garden equipment.

The girl spat some of the water out after being fully wetted down and went to grab her cap. "One thing I have to say… taste has definitely NOT changed! Bleh!"

"Hey; its saltwater. You knew what you were getting into." Touma deadpanned.

"I know, but still… bleh!" She wearily put her hat back on and kept walking. "Let's hurry before I dry off; I'm going for twofer."

Their next destination involved a rather large industrial fan that was being housed there.

"So, now we dry you off?" Touma blinked.

"You're catching on!" Aleis-tan stated. "Flip the switch onto its highest setting and let's see how a good air-drying feels!"

Touma struggled his shoulders and went to turn the fan on while the girl got into position. Unfortunately, the sliver haired girl managed to slip on some water that she dripped and fell face forward just as the fan kicked on, launching her to the other end of the hall. It was a powerful piece of equipment designed for cooling off large machinery, and as such it sent her flying with immense wind force. If she had been standing firmly, she might have been fine, but mid-fall was a different story entirely.

The unlucky Kamijou didn't see the event unfold, nor could he hear her scream due to the noise it created. Not receiving any kind of a signal, he shut it off after a minute or so and looked around to see her body slammed into a set of crates. He had to contain his laugher at the absurdity of the sight.

"Having some trouble there, chief?"

Aleis-tan grumbled. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Flip the roles and answer the question for yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. Just help me up." She frowned. The fan had seemingly done its job and dried her off, making the act particularly dry. Her hair was a little frizzy, but she didn't pay it any mind.

Touma was actually starting to enjoy this. He immediately scolded himself for it, but he had trouble hiding his smile. They went for a few more experiments; one was to test reaction time of Aleister's female body, the next was a stability exercise that replicated a localized earthquake. They briefly played with smells, but they quickly found that those senses were rather identical across gender lines; apparently, some things were consistent after all.

Touma didn't want to admit it, but as they kept going on with these strange experiments, he was starting to have fun.

After a wind tunnel experience using the giant fan, she began to speak. "Alright… next thing," Aleis-tan popped her back. "I'm going to have you wet me down again, but we're going to go for a campfire-like setup, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." The spiky haired assistant agreed. Thankfully, the fire set-up was just some wooden logs that had been gathered up. In the mostly metallic warehouse, any risk of a fire was pretty low as long as they set up shop away from the crates. Thus, Touma sprayed her with seawater again, followed by using a gas canister to drench the logs and ignite them with a lighter. Then, the two took a seat close to it to warm up. It wasn't exactly cold in the building, but a toasty fire certainly helped Touma feel more comfortable.

"Ok… yeah… heat-drying feels way better." Aleis-tan sighed in relaxation.

"Sure we don't want to stick you in a washing machine for a spin cycle?" Touma joked.

"Sounds like you're having fun, Kamijou."

The boy looked away, not wanting to acknowledge the statement. Although when he did, she laughed.

"I'm glad. I'd feel a little bad if I was dragging you around and you weren't enjoying yourself at least a little."

Touma shrugged. "I'm surprised though. After the first request, I expected something a little more… violent. Especially after I saw the guns…"

"Oh hell no," Aleis-tan shook her head. "I've been shot before. All the way when flintlock rifles were a thing; I don't imagine that it feels any better now than back then. I wanted to familiarize myself with pain in a girl's body, not brutalize myself."

"And then the fan happened."

"Ha-ha," She grumbled. "…Jokes aside, I was serious about this. Being a man for over a hundred years and suddenly being stuck in a girl's body, let alone one so young, is extremely strange. It piqued my intellectual side and before long, I wanted to understand the ins and outs."

"That so…?" Touma remarked. "Is that why you started up Academy City to begin with and switched from magic to science?"

Ah, now came the part that was difficult to navigate. Kamijou Touma was starting to ask questions.

"…In a certain sense," Aleister Crowley nodded. "I felt that the magic side of things was fully understood for the most part, and it became boring to me. The science side, that dealt with the natural world, was just starting to pick up pace so I decided to play a more integral role with it, instead of coming in at the end of discovery like the magic side."

While not technically false, that wasn't the real reason for Aleister Crowley flipping sides so readily. Memories flashed in her (his) mind briefly before he focused on the fire, seeming glimpses of them in the crackling flames. Yes, these embers represented the 'Greatest Magician in History' internally very well, indeed.

"Then can I ask you something that might be a little… personal?" The spiky haired teen shifted as he sat. "You know everything that happens in the city… that means you knew about the Sisters project too, right?"

The girl didn't frown. She simply looked up and stared at the unlucky Kamijou with a rather flat look.

Not receiving an answer, Touma spoke up again. "Listen-"

"Kamijou Touma," She interrupted. "Have you ever felt anger at injustice before?"

"Huh?" It caught him off guard. "I mean… of course I have. What does that have to do with what I asked?"

"What if there was an injustice in the world that swept up every inch of the globe in its splendor, and the only way to stop it and make things better for everyone else was to become the most evil person in the world. Would you do it?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Have you ever had to make a difficult choice, and your actions would unquestionably save the world and the people within it, but you would almost certainly be a villain for doing them. Would you take on that mantle to save the people? Or would you let it continue to fester and destroy, saving yourself from the guilt of having to dirty your hands with the lives of others?"

Touma's jaw dropped slightly. "I…" A certain image popped into his head of a certain perfect world that had been created; one that he had thrown away in the one time he can remember he had been openly selfish. "…I don't think… I can answer that…"

"That's the normal reaction, so its fine. I do not take joy in harming of others, but certain things must be sacrificed for what I must do in the grand scheme. Even if I grow to hate myself and even if I am regarded as villain of the highest order as a result."

"I don't know what it is you want to do, but… are you sure there is no other way…?"

"If there was a way that didn't take over a hundred years, one that didn't necessitate the suffering of others, cause the destruction of life, or make me need to drag myself down into the depths of hell? If there was a method that only checked one of these boxes, let alone all four, I would have already done so. I'd appreciate it if you didn't pry further."

Touma frowned, but the topic was as personal as he thought. He figured that the leader of the city would have to be some kind of cold bastard to allow the atrocities that had plagued its walls to continue, let alone start in the first place, but the person Aleis-tan displayed was far from that. It was difficult to tell if it was all an act or legitimate or not, but maybe that's how he wanted it.

Kamijou Touma couldn't help but detect a cry for help in those words, but even he could see that the time to save this person was not here, and that he might not even be the one to do it.

"I see…" He nodded. "Sorry about that. After dealing with it all and meeting the man behind the curtain, I just had to ask."

"For what little it's worth, I would have liked it if less of them had died. Just try to keep in mind that there is a method to my madness… even if it is difficult to stomach."

It was quiet between them for a short time. In that silence, both parties simply watched the logs burn in front of them, listening to the soft crackle of the scorching wood. Absentmindedly, when it was dying down, Touma grabbed one of the spare logs and set it inside to keep it going. It was an oddly calm feeling just to watch an innocent fire burn.

Then, Aleis-tan cried out. "Oww!"

"What's wrong?"

"Bra-clasp," She remarked. "I swear, these things are a colossal pain. I don't see why girls put up with the blasted things. Makes things harder in the bedroom too, you know!"

Touma blinked. "…You're a pervert, aren't you?"

"Yeah? So is everyone else. It's all about self-control… or lack thereof, I suppose," She grimaced lightly. "Alright, screw it. I'm unhooking the damn thing. I'll deal with this later."

"…Wait a minute…" Touma put a hand to his chin.

Aleis-tan sighed as she unhooked her undergarment after reaching a hand down the back of her top. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Look down." Was all he said.

What he was pointing out was pretty clear.

"…Why hello there!" Aleis-tan smirked as she saw her top stretch out as Bust Upper affected her. Slowly, her flat chest had begun to push out, explaining her own bra woes. It was actually pretty hard to notice due to the thickness of her outfit, but it was starting to show in a real way.

Touma deadpanned. "You really are a pervert, aren't you?"

"Like I said earlier, it's a matter of control, or lack there-of! You don't seem me jumping over to you for a ride, do you?"

"No! And please don't! There are at least thirty-five different ways that'd be wrong!"

"Then just sit back and enjoy the show." Aleis-tan leaned back as her chest continued to swell. Now it was more than obvious what was happening, but her oddly packed top kept things sensible for the most part. Her bust swelled larger and larger, but the thick material never gave way or even came close. It only got about as lewd as showing off her navel. It was quite clear that she was becoming quite buxom, but her choice in clothes kept her modest… for the most part. Not for a lack of trying though.

"Getting a little tight here…" She remarked. "They're pretty sensitive too. This is something else…"

"So… how long do you want this to go on for?"

She put a hand to her chin. "…Rip the top?"

"Hell no!"

"Why not? You get to put up with this happening to girls all the time."

"But you're actually a man!"

"…Eh, minor details."

"THIS ISN'T MINOR FOR ME!" Touma shouted and stood up.

The silver haired girl however just cleaned out one ear with her pinky. "So loud… is the possibility of seeing a girl's chest that bad to you?"

"I'm not a sex-crazed loon!" Touma fired back. "Sure, I'd like seeing that kind of thing; I'm a guy after all, but there is a lot more to it than just seeing boobs! Besides; we just met! Among other things that are wrong with this!"

"Bet if I was that big-titted blonde girl, you'd be all over me."

"You leave Shokuhou-san out of this," Touma pointed at the girl. "The others too."

"Even Othinus?"

"Othinus is a special case I don't discuss with anyone but her."

"…Fair. Her leg-game is really strong. Suppose I can't blame anyone on that front." There was a sudden snapping sound as a button flew off and hit Touma's forehead. "Oh boy! One button down, six more to go! Aleis-tan is getting nice and big!"

Touma slapped his hand to his face. "You… are the second worst pervert I've had to put up with…"

"But am I the cutest?"

"Please don't make me shatter that illusion of yours."

"Fine, fine… I suppose we did have a deal…" Aleis-tan slowly stood up, wobbling a little due to the change in her center of gravity. "Put out the fire and I'll set up a circle."

"…Can I use the portable firehose you gave me?" Touma pointed to the device just off to the side.

"I gave it to you to use, didn't I?"

After putting out the fire, the spiky-haired boy turned to see the sliver-haired girl drawing on the floor in chalk. It was a small magic circle but used symbols far different from what he was accustomed to. The differences between this mage and other modern magi were staggering to say the last.

"Alright, the forge is set-up… I'll need something to put it into for holding, but I can carry it for a while," She stated. "Lay down and rest your head in the middle of the circle; avoid using your right hand if you can; one touch and I'll have to remake the forge. It might look simple, but setting up the particulars is very specific. It could take another hour to find an acceptable spot in here."

Touma nodded and took his spot on the concrete floor. Almost immediately, the circle lit up with a bright blue flicker, making him feel a little nervous. "This won't… cause any permanent damage, right?"

"Nah… well, unless it's actually attached itself to your eyesight directly. Then things get… tricky."

"…I am just going to lie here, hope for the best, and not ask any questions about what horrific things will happen to me in that situation."

"Wise choice," Aleis-tan nodded, making motions in the air. Her movements reminded him briefly of swimming, but it looked more like searching through a cluttered dresser drawer the more he watched her move. "I think I have it… well, today is your luck day; it's not attached to your optic nerves!"

"Please don't say that…" The mention of "lucky" immediately put the unlucky Kamijou on high alert. "If it's not in there, where is it?"

"Hmm… very strange… it's almost as though it's found a blind spot in your eyes so that it doesn't impair your vision, but can still exercise its power… it's really evolved since I made it," she stated. "If we want to be specific, it's in your right eye, but it runs its power through your brain to transmit. That's why even if you close your right, it doesn't shut it off."

"Doesn't explain why I can shut it off for a little while by feeling up victims…" Touma grumbled.

After a moment, Aleis-tan made a motion of grabbing something, pulled back, but suddenly stopped and jerked as if he had hit a snag. "…What the…?"

"Why do those words fill me with dread…?"

"Hold on, something's not right here," She repeated the motion a few times, each time stopping a little bit closer to the spiky haired teen. "I've already confirmed it's not attached to the optic nerves, but I still can't pull it out… it's like something is holding it in place."

Touma blinked and frowned. "Please don't tell me it's some kind of 'well, you don't actually want it gone, so I can't take it,' situation, right? I do not want to learn something like that about myself today."

"No, no, nothing like that, it's just…" She tilted her head. "Hold on; let me try something. I think this there is something specific holding it there."

A few changes to the circle caused the light to turn form blue to purple. Unlike before, the sliver haired girl sat with her legs crossed and hands resting on her knees with the palms facing up.

"So… do I get to know what you're doing? Or…?" Touma raised an eyebrow.

"Related to summoning; communion. I think something spiritual tagged along during Bust Upper's trip over to Japan. This should let me figure out what it is… and who knows? Maybe it's intelligent."

"Sentient magic spells is where I start getting mad with the magic side…"

Aleis-tan shrugged. "Let me see…" She closed her eyes and sat still for a moment. Over the next few minutes, her facial expression changed a few times, usually a curious or intrigued look, and appeared to be listening intently. After a brief surprise, her face shifted to annoyance before opening her eyes again.

"…Nothing personal my ass." Aleis-tan frowned.

"So, it is sentient…" Touma grumbled.

"It's a little bit more complicated than that, sadly."

The story began all the way back during the height of Aleister Crowley's life when he was part of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. As one would expect from Bust Upper's relation, it began on the night where a freak fire burned down his home, forcing the magician and his then-current wife to relocate. Something that she had mentioned off handedly earlier ended up being the start of something a little bit more sinister.

The cause: Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. He had a talent for summoning, and this was no exception. Though it was a time when the man considered it a "prank" of sorts, more of a friendly jab rather than an actual attack on the man's life; many years before Battle of Blythe Road (Though Aleister didn't mention that part of history). He had summoned a spirit and gave it the command to, "burn Aleister Crowley alive," with the condition that "If you fail, your summoning will end." Simple, yet affective, as the entire household and only the household burned to the ground. It made Touma wonder what kind of world old magic was if the threat of being cooked over an open flame was their version of a joke.

It was intended for a short summoning anyway, especially with the specific endpoint that would certainly end in failure. But the spirit summoned was one that had clinged to the world, having much attachment to it. Therefore, when its failure condition was to be fulfilled, in an attempt to subvert the condition, it needed to be something different; something that couldn't "end" in the traditional sense of a summoning. That's when, while perusing the blazing manor, the summoned spirit stumbled upon the ring Aleister had given the power now known as Bust Upper. It had to make a choice; be unsummoned and drift away from the realm, or merge with the ability and lose corporeal form, but remain in the world.

The summoned being chose the latter without a second thought, thinking that eventually it might be able to use its power to possess a proper host someday, though it never came to pass. Due to its first condition, the spirit was compelled to attack Aleister, specifically to burn him in flames. Thus, it made its way east subconsciously over time, eventually ending up in Japan to become the famous "Bust Upper" ability that had taken Academy City's rumor boards by storm.

"So… if we take Bust Upper away, the spirit… dies?" Touma asked.

"Well, dies in our sense of the word, I suppose?" Aleis-tan remarked. "It's more like returning to its proper place, but the particular spirit is very attached to the world at hand and doesn't want to leave."

"That's… complicating…" He frowned. "Just what kind of spirit did he summon, anyway?"

"Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, good harvests, war, lust, discord and fertility in Babylonian mythology."

The spiky haired teen blinked. "…What now?"

"I can't give you the full run-down, but it's bad news. Channeling her rage from being rejected and defeated by the ancient King Gilgamesh, and her authority as a goddess of war, making fire is pretty easy though. I can see why Mathers chose such a spirit; if I had encountered her instead of fleeing, she could have given me some trouble."

"H-he sent a goddess of war to kill you as some kind of practical joke!?"

"It's fine; if he actually wanted to kill me, he would have sent a demon instead. Gods and goddesses can be appeased and convinced to abandon their contracts in exchange for goods and favors; demons are relentless and will use their summoned contracts for their own goals, seeking to fulfill them to do just that, making them much more difficult to deal with."

Somewhere, Lola Stuart sneezed. She didn't know why, but the experience put her in a bad mood.

"But yeah… I can't take Bust Upper out or erase the spell without banishing her, which I can't do since she's attached to an ability that lacks such a banishing condition. But at the same time, since her contract only has those two conditions, I can't exactly banish her, as I am not her contract holder, until either requirement is fulfilled; it's a massive catch twenty-two. She's pretty smart, that one; she won't let go of the ability, so there's nothing I can do. We could try surgery to take out your right eye to see if we can capture her from inside, but it seems like she could just jump if it got that dicey."

"Great…" Touma groaned. "Well, can we just convince her to leave or something?"

"That… might be hard. Turns out that little Ishtar there has taken a liking to you and doesn't want to go. Says she finds your life entertaining and amusing. She's the one basically in charge of your on and off switch, by the way. She pushes her power onto those she affects with Bust Upper, and Imagine Breaker negates that power, draining her battery. It's 'off' state is actually just her recharging."

"Recharging? With what!?"

"You, basically. She doesn't know why, but you have a huge storage of mana. Since you're not using it, and for her to consume your mana it doesn't need to be refined, it ends up being a good food source for her. Since it's a resource that constantly refills and you apparently have a lot of it, you probably never noticed." Aleis-tan shrugged.

"So… I've won over a second goddess of war. Neat…" The spiky haired teen growled in frustration.

"She did offer a condition to leave peacefully though."

"And what's that?"

"Well… it's two parts," She held up two fingers. "First, she wants a soulless body she can use as a vessel so she can interact with the world at large… the second is… well; you'll say no."

"Don't leave me in suspense; at least tell me what it is."

"She wants your hand in marriage."

If Touma had been drinking something, he would have done a spit take. "What!?"

"Looks like she's taken a liking to you in more ways than one!" Aleis-tan joked. "She seems to have picked up in the idea of a reverse-harem from a boy you call 'Aogami Peirce,' and wanted to give it a shot. She chose you to be the lead of her little assortment of men; how about that?"

"…I'm going to punch him. I'm going to punch him a lot," Touma growled. "…Look, I don't even know where we'd find a soulless body. And, it goes without saying, I'm not cool with getting married at sixteen to a girl I don't even know!"

"Well then… I suppose that means you're stuck with Bust Upper for a while, huh?"

The spiky haired teen nearly doubled over when the realization came in. "That means I basically wasted all this time, doesn't it!?"

"Pretty much… but you had some fun along the way, right?" Aleis-tan casually crossed her arms behind her back as she stood up, the circle's glow fading almost immediately. "It'd be one thing if it was something you hated, but you enjoyed yourself a little, didn't you?"

"I… suppose…" Touma put a hand to his chin and rubbed it gently. "Still… at least I learned a little something… maybe Index can help then?"

"Who knows? The Grimoire Library is a powerful resource to those who choose to use it."

"…Hold up; I get the whole back story deal, but something's bugging me," Touma crossed his arms. "I know that if I'm not looking at someone, it doesn't work… but why does putting on sunglasses block it?"

Aleis-tan tapped her chin. "An interesting question… if I had to guess, it might be symbolically related to Ishtar's decent into the underworld where her sister, Ereshkigal, had full and complete authority. It might be that sunglasses symbolize that decent into that world, and where her powers were stripped, and she was killed. Thus, when your sunglasses are used to darken your surroundings like the depths she once trudged through, she is as meek and powerless before you as she was before her sister after passing through the underworld's seven gates."

"I… was not expecting there to be a reason…."

"Also, she had a parting message. She says that she can be patient, and that she has other ways to… entice you."

"Great; what's next on the strange eye power scale!?"

Aleis-tan smiled briefly, recalling the conversation the boy had with Lola Stuart, which lead to the idea of 'Butt-Upper,' but resisted the urge to comment and give away that she knew what transpired between them.

"Well, I suppose we should get you back home then, shouldn't we?" She commented, begging to walk towards the entrance. "I'll at least be a good little girl and walk you home, ok?"

"Shouldn't that be the other way around or something…?" Touma scowled. "Besides, your status as a 'little girl' is questionable."

"Eh… details…" She waved him off. "By the way… gotta say something. After spending a whole day with you…"

Touma raised an eyebrow. He had gotten a tad used to confessions, but-

"…I have no romantic feelings for you at all!"

"Y-YOU SET THAT UP JUST TO PUNCH ME IN THE GUT!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Tee-hee!"

"Don't you 'tee-hee' me!" Touma ran up to her as she walked.

"Relax; I just wanted to see if you'd have the normal reaction," She stated. "Even if committed to another person or otherwise not romantically involved, a person receiving a random rejection from the sex they're attracted too usually causes a large amount of distress. It's quite fascinating, and also a good thing."

"Please explain to me how that is a good thing!" Touma shouted.

"It means you're still human." She came to an abrupt pause. "It means that despite everything that has happened to you, all the trials you have faced, your humanity remains. You aren't broken, and this little test confirms that."

The spiky haired teen came to a stop as the girl began walking again. He watched her for a few moments, her statement filling his brain with questions. Just who was this person who had seemingly been watching him for so long? Had she been watching him before his memory loss? The events of the day didn't seem fake, but everything did feel a little off…

Just what was this person's intent? And why was she concerned with his wellbeing?

"…Besides, shouldn't you be glad in this situation? Or is it perhaps that deep down, you were actually wanting yet another love confession?"

"N-no! Not even a little!"

"Admit it, you were! Talk about pot calling the kettle black!" She smirked smugly. "For all your 'one-girl-only' talk, you'd be totally fine having multiple lovers, wouldn't you?"

"Listen; a confession is something very important to a high school boy on a fundamental level! It doesn't matter if we'd accept it or not, receiving one is special!"

"Sure is. Bet you're just dreaming of some kind of secret route where you come home to find all your lady-loves in bed waiting for you… am I right?"

"N-not a chance in hell! Listen here you!"

Thus, they left the warehouse and left all the strange devices that had been gathered up behind. Although strangely, Touma wandered back over in the morning out of curiosity to find the warehouse missing in its entirety. Not even just what was inside; the entire building was gone, leaving only an empty lot in its place. The unlucky Kamijou figured it was some kind of security measure but found it strange to level the entire building without a trace just to cover tracks.

Still, he had to admit; he had fun with the silver haired girl, so maybe this little adventure wasn't so bad after all?

If only he truly knew about the powers that were watching his every move…

Hello! Welcome to the bottom of what is likely the most cursed chapter of anything I've ever produced!

And so we've covered Aleis-tan, and even tagged on a little bit of the origin to Bust Upper itself... in a way that changes basically nothing about the status quo, much to Touma's misfortune! Some people are hesitant to receive answers to some questions, but I figured that with six chapters remaining after this one, I might as well answer SOME things. I just hope that the little explanation of "It's Aleister's Fault, but also not," worked out well. It felt like something almost necessary to include when covering the big guy himself, as if anyone was involved, it'd be him.

That said, this is chapter 30, which means we have six more chapters. But that also means that you'll have chapters coming for at least six months. Hopefully this was a satisfying halfway point for this "season" of BUI goodness!

I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.

Have a good day, my friends!

Sincerely,
ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.