Why hello there! Welcome to the second chapter of 2020! How'd the year going for you guys?
Before we begin: we got some reviews to respond to!
whwsms: If I caught you off guard, then I assume I did something right! Yeah; the names Ishtar and Gilgamesh are super hot right now thanks to the Fate/Grand Order Babylonia anime is going around, but remember: Those are based on actual mythological figures; Fate didn't event them. Though I will openly admit, my choice for which Goddess to use was influenced; I don't deny that one bit. And yeah; covering the Origins of Bust Upper, and its no other then the series' biggest pervert around!
Anime-ted Life116: I'm glad you enjoyed the little twist here! And yes; Touma is 2 for 2 on winning over deities, and this one lives a lot closer than he'd like! As for your question: Bust Upper does only work on physical, flesh bodies. So sorry; no android girls or digital girls inbound.
Guest (1): I thought so too. Glad you agree.
dog: Umm... Guess I did good?
Dragonrails: Things are already twisted due to Touma's position, and this girl comes along wanting to skip the whole process just to take him as a Husband! And she's stuck in his eyes too; she's not going anywhere until she gets what she wants.
Animan10: Sounds like I got you with my twisty-freshness. And yeah; no quick escapes from this Goddess!
wildarms13: Glad you had some fun this holiday season!
Healthcare: Cursed, yet you can't stop reading; am I right? Lots of fun facts around here, and some origins! Ishtar was just a bonus!
Bluejack22: Yup... it's just best to end it while it's good.
MrQuestionMark: You know what they say: there is a method to the madness. And the Method had to be covered to explain the madness with Aleister around! He's just doing things his own way to get into Touma's inner circle in a different way than the others (Specifically Lola) did. Yeah; the Ishtar and Ereshkigal bit is something you'd only really understand if you know Babylonian Mythology, but it felt like a good explanation as to why Touma's shades Magically dispel bust upper, even if just temporarily. I DID mention Butt Upper again didn't I? I wonder what it does... or rather, what SHOULD it do... fufufufufu!
Mr.X: Umm... I shouldn't have to tell you this, but try not to get into people's faces about their preferences just because you don't like them. It's very, very rude. That being said, you have some high expectations to Ishtar... and I can definitely tell your preferred bodytype is "thicc." No judgement, just something I noticed. Either way, I hope that you had fun, despite not caring for Aleis-Tan all that much.
Aminadab Brulle: Yup; no Aleis-tan bunny girls here! Just her being... well her. And their conversations were probably the best part for me to write! I know exposition-heavyness probably was slow, but almost necessary to even touch on Aleister's involvement with this. As for why it stays permanent for some people... 'tis the mystery, is it not? (Also, are animal sounds actually a blessing for this story? I don't even know how this started!)
JCarrasco: Counting this one, we got 5 more chapters! Until then, stay tuned! You never know when someone might pick up on this little idea for a story themselves!
Stitches: Mild misfortune, not-so mild when it comes to life information, especially with Ishtar in his eyes wanting to make a reverse Harem, starting with him! (You're pretty much the only one who paid attention to her Reverse-Harem desire, so props to you.) Don't worry, we will see their take on the whole Ishtar situation eventually!
cat: I guess that you still liked it... but not as much as dog?
fencer29: Yup; it was inevitable. The moment Lola entered the running, Aleister was going to poke his head into this eventually. Glad you had fun though! Yeah; Touma has won over two War Goddesses... I wonder if that's a trend...
Fou: Ok, I'm starting to attract fictional animals now, and I'm not sure how to feel about it! (Also, don't go Primate Murder on me please; I am not Merlin, I swear!)
Rajarshi Sarkar: When you can see the future, but not when it will happen... tough times, huh? Either way, I just wanted to go a different angle with Aleis-Tan, so not to re-tread ground with Lola. Hopefully you had fun regardless!
Guest (2): Not going to lie, I kinda keep forgetting Hyouka exists... of course, the main series does too, but that's beside the point. I currently don't have a plan for her though... I apologize.
fafnir1404: Well... those are a lot of reviews! But it sure seems like you're having fun! Yes... the pairing question is one, isn't it?
someperson: Glad you enjoyed the chaos! I know Kuroko hasn't been seen in a while... but I haven't forgotten her! I would say that someone else picking up the mantle is more likely; I currently have no plans to go beyond this "third season," but what the rest of the community does is a mystery. If anyone wants to, you have my full support! Just don't needlessly copy this one word for word and you have my blessing to be as creative with this idea as you want!
Guest (3): Touma's marriage being the condition for a piece treaty... such misfortune.
Guest (4): She has appeared... but her getting her own chapter is somewhat unlikely; I'm sorry.
And with that done... this one has been a request to see again for a while, so I hope you all enjoy it!
"…What the hell is going on here!?"
Mugino roared as she stepped into the ITEM apartment. She had been feeling a little stressed due to some of the scientist-types hounding her for her yearly testing and had decided to decompress by going for some solo-shopping. When she had returned, she had found the apartment a little cleaner; something she didn't complain about.
What she did mind, though, were the strange smells coming from the kitchen! Sure, there were a few good scents coming from within, but there were so many dank and sour ones that it basically didn't matter! Inside, Kinuhata was working in an apron cooking… something, clearly appearing frustrated with her work. She even had a bucket labeled, "Failed attempts," in the corner. After letting out a low pitch growl, she stepped over to the bucket and scraped off whatever she was trying to call food into it before diving into the fridge for some more ingredients, intending to try again with… whatever she was doing.
"Hey, Kinuhata; what the fuck are you trying to make?" Mugino called out, but didn't receive an answer. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Say something before I rip you a new asshole!"
Hamazura called out from the living room couch. "Don't bother; she's been in commando-mode all day."
"The hell are you talking about?"
Takitsubo poked her head up from her resting position next to the dirty blond boy. "She received good news, I think."
"What kind of good news makes her suddenly want to cook up a storm?" The Meltdowner wandered over to the two. "…Or make a bunch of fucking sewage. At least she's the type to know when her cooking sucks, but still… the smell…" She held her nose, fighting the urge to gag.
"Can't say; you'll get pissed," Hamazura remarked. "By the way, think you could make yourself scarce tonight? It's pretty important for her, I think."
"You trying to kick me out?"
"Just for the night; it'll help her out."
"And what do you expect me to run off and do on a fucking Tuesday?"
"I don't know; you have other friends, don't you?"
"You trying to get yourself killed?"
Takitsubo sighed. "Bad choice of words. We're the only ones she hangs out with."
"Hey, I'm hearing a shit-ton of judging from you! What's going on?" Mugino demanded, moving to stand in front of the couple.
"…Promise you won't get mad?" The blond boy tried to reason.
"The only fucking thing I'm promising is a Hamazura-sized corpse if I don't get some answers. Spill it!" Was the brown haired girl's remark as she crossed her arms.
"She has a date." Takitsubo lazily leaned over and laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.
"A date?" Mugino seemed confused. "With who- wait… wait, it's that shitty boob-boy again, right!?"
"Yup; right on the money," Hamazura admitted. "She's been seeing him around town and paying his apartment a visit every now and then. The boss noticed they never met up here ever, and apparently wants to see where she lives."
"Why didn't she tell him to fuck off!?"
"Other than the fact she's trying to get into his pants?"
"…Hey, you're making legitimate points. Stop that." Mugino deadpanned.
"To be fair, she said yes on reflex, and only realized how screwed she was afterward," The blond remarked. "Now she's so worked up on making a good impression that she's got tunnel vision."
"Well, I'll yank her out of the damn tunnel then!" The Meltdowner fumed as she marched back over to the kitchen. "Hey, call your fucking wanabe-boyfriend and tell him to eat a dick! I'm not letting that tit-obsessed bastard into-!"
The failure bucket flew from the kitchen and nailed her right in the face, dumping the contents on her, causing the smell of Kinuhata's horrendous creations to immediately overload her sense of smell as the impact knocked her over. In the kitchen, the bobcut girl simply frowned briefly before getting back to her work.
"Warned you about the commando thing," Hamazura called out. "Right now, that kitchen is her battlefield, and anything goes."
Despite being covered in failed culinary creations, Mugino turned her head toward the male. "Haaammmmaaaazzzzuuuurrrraaa…!"
"The hell are you getting mad at me for!? I didn't chuck the fucking bucket at you!"
"Get in here and help me convince her to call it off before I burn a hole through your skull!"
"You think I haven't tried!? I saw the red flags with you being here right away!"
"And you're suddenly taking her side!?"
"Hey; if you blow a hole in my head, it ends up being a pretty painless death. She'll snap all my limbs one at a time and leave me in a bathtub to drown if I go against her."
Mugino opened her mouth to argue, but pulled back at the last second; that was worse than just offing him. Plus, it'd burn a hole in the apartment, and explaining and fixing that would be a pain in the ass.
"Mugino," Takitsubo spoke up. "Can't you let her have this? Just for one night? It means a lot to her."
The brown haired beauty growled in a low tone. She really didn't like the teenage boy known as Kamijou Touma. Aside from the bad first impression, that perverted ability of his really got on her nerves. It didn't matter to her if it was an accident; stupid bullshit like that didn't even register on her radar as a possibility, and seeing it actually be real rubbed her the wrong way. The idea of the bastard running through town blowing up girls' chests to ridiculous sizes got her blood boiling, too…
…Perhaps she was projecting a bit of her thought on what she believed Hamazura would do with it, but the idea of such an ability existing was the main thing eating at her.
"Give me one good reason!" She fired back.
"He makes her happy, like how I make Hamazura happy." Takitsubo spoke casually.
Mugino gritted her teeth. So that's how they're going to play it, huh?
"…Fine, but I'm not going anywhere. If he pisses me off, he's a dead man, got it!?" She stood up, tossing the bucket aside and letting some spilled contents drop to the floor as she stood up. "Hamazura, you're cleaning this up. I'm going to take a shower, and if it's not done before I get back, I'll kick your ass!"
Hamazura grumbled; that likely wasn't just an idle threat. So, begrudgingly, he pealed himself away from his lover and went to clean up… what was likely once something that had the potential to be edible food.
Seriously; it seemed like the only thing Kinuhata could get right were desserts. Add fruit, vegetables, and meat to the mix, and it'd end up a black, corrosive blob from a B-movie… which seemed oddly fitting now that he thought about it. A little bit of elbow grease cleaned up the mess well enough, so he'd at least keep the hothead off his back.
"Hey, Hamazura," Kinuhata stood in front of their microwave with a nervous look. "I super have a question for you."
"What's up? If it's a cooking question, I don't know any more than you do. I'm a frozen and microwave kind of person; any more complicated than that and I'll just say screw it and get take-out."
"I was just super surprised that you and Takitsubo stood up to Mugino for me. Was wondering why."
"Well… haven't seen you this happy in a while, I guess," Hamazura answered. "Not to say you were depressive or anything, but you've been really chipper since you started hanging out with him. Just would like to keep that going."
"That so?"
"Plus, in this little contest thing, I'm rooting for you to win over the boss. Out of all his girls, you're the only one of his I actually know. Of course I'd support a friend over some random bimbos."
"Friend, huh…?" She mused for a moment. "…Thanks, for a Hamazura-y bastard, you can be super supportive."
"Yeah well… everyone decided to put me in charge of Skill-Out for a reason… even if it only lasted for about three days or something," he rubbed his head. "Alright, knowing the boss' luck, if he tries to walk here, he'll get mugged. I'm going to swing by and pick him up."
"Alright… I'll try and… make something super edible."
"I have that pizza joint in my phone if you need it."
"Ugh… I might, thanks," Kinuhata sighed. "Hey, before you head out, I have another question. Why do you super call Kamijou 'boss' all the time?"
"Kinuhata," He started. "He is a guy the same age as me, but has an army of girls wrapped around his finger and can seemingly win over more at the drop of a hat, yet has the discipline to not be sucked into the temptation that kind of power would bring. What would you call someone like that?"
"…Good point."
Thus, Hamazura left the building and drove off. Kinuhata's plan for this attempt was something that could just cook in the oven for a bit and hope that it'd be fine: A spiral-cut ham. No fancy tricks, just put it inside and hope for the best. It wasn't very special or particularly complex, but at this point, she just wanted something that someone could eat and not die from. It was her backup plan, so she had prepared it from the start. It wasn't ready just yet, so all she could do was wait until it was done.
She was a really bad cook. Her only real skill was with sweets and desserts, and all because of that damn movie series she couldn't stop watching. She usually wasn't a fan of romance movies, but this one was different somehow. Something about making a reverse harem with her cooking skills alone really struck her for some reason…
…Even girls can fantasize about that kind of thing, right?
About twenty minutes later, Hamazura returned with a certain someone not far behind.
"Holy… talk about vast living space…!" Touma adjusted his sunglasses as he looked inside. "My wallet is weeping just thinking about living in a place like this…!"
"Well, we got four people living in one space. Gotta make room somehow, I guess," Hamazura shrugged. "…But if you really want to lose it, remember that glass door we passed on a few doors down? That's a private pool!"
"Y-you're shitting me! You four have this huge apartment space AND a reserved pool!? T-the idea of the price for that is physically hurting me…!" Touma doubled over, holding his stomach. The blond had trouble telling if he was over exaggerating or not.
"Kamijou!" Kinuhata called out from the kitchen. "Welcome! I hope Hamazura's super driving skills didn't scare you too much!" The strange odors were gone; she must have abused a lot of air fresheners to cover up that colossal stink.
"Hey; my driving is fine! I know the difference between civilian driving and escaping a gunship!" Hamazura fired back.
Touma looked into the kitchen with similar awe as the rest of the apartment. "This kitchen is huge too! I basically just have a hole in the wall by comparison…"
"Yeah… it's fully stocked, but the only one who really super uses it is Mugino," The bobcut girl remarked. "She has an artificial eye and arm, and uses cooking to help calibrate them if she feels like they're off. She is super bad at it though; don't taste anything she makes. She usually puts it right into the trash."
"That so…?"
"Yeah, seriously. None of us are really cooking types, but when she does it? Oh boy, we have to air out the whole apartment for about a week! And-!" Hamazura abruptly began choking when someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt, pulling his collar into his windpipe.
"What's wrong with my cooking, Haaaammmaaazzzuuurrraaa…!?" Said girl in question gripped his shirt tightly. "You're really going out of my way to piss me off today, you know that!?"
"…Erm… h-hi…" Touma greeted.
"Shut the fuck up and stay with Kinuhata and you'll be just fine. Got that?" Mugino dragged the blond into the living room. Touma couldn't tell, but with the ability to manhandle someone like that, she must have been using her artificial limb.
"So, she's just as happy to see me as usual…" Touma sighed.
Kinuhata rubbed the back of her neck. "Y-yeah… Hamazura super tried to get her to leave, but she insisted on sticking around… sorry."
"No, no! It's fine… besides, you're the one I'm here to see, so it works out." He laughed nervously. That line, though, did a good job of putting the bobcut girl into a good mood.
"Just here to see me, huh?" She smirked a little. "With the sunglasses, it super seems like you're expecting something."
"N-no! I just… well…" Touma blushed a little. "…I've just come to see that some people mind my Bust Upper less than others is all… and a select few actually end up enjoying it, so…"
"Fufufu… so you super were expecting something! Naughty boy~"
"N-not in the slightest! I have no idea what to expect! At all!" Touma doubled down on his defense, but all that did was make the girl giggle.
"Well, I'd say make yourself at home, but with Mugino super out there…"
"Yeah, I'll probably need an escort. Sorry."
"That's fine. Just let me…" She trailed off as she turned her attention to the oven's window for a brief moment. "Alright, it'll super take a bit more before it's ready! Let me show you around!"
Their first stop was an area Touma had already partly seen: The living room. It was incredibly large, fully carpeted and colored white with several windows overlooking a good piece of the city and matching blinds to boot. In the middle, there were several plush chairs and a couch with a coffee table in-between them, and a large flat screen television against the far wall. There were three doors in the room, two along the east wall and one on the west. A hallway was visible from the west side, and appeared to lead down to another set of doors.
Hamazura was nursing a bruise on his right cheek as he sat next to his girlfriend, Takitsubo, on the couch while Mugino sat in one of the chairs and was fiddling with her phone.
"Main living area, as you can see. Pretty spacious; we rearrange things super often, but this is our current set up," Kinuhata explained. "The door on the west side is for storage; anything people super don't want out here or in their rooms but don't feel like pitching goes in there. To the east, the left door is an exercise room, and the right leads to the primary bath."
"Only one bathroom?" Touma raised an eyebrow.
"Well, technically this was a super family apartment before we took it over; Mugino's room was the master, so it's the only one with a private bathroom."
"Makes sense… but damn, this place feels even bigger now… you have your own private exercise room… not to mention that view!" He walked out to one of the windows. "Sure, I have a patio, but all you can see from there is the apartment across from us. Nothing like this."
"It's a pretty swanky place," Hamazura spoke up. "When we were doing work for the city, they paid this place off in advance for a shit-ton of time. When we split off, we managed to secure the money they used to pay the rent too."
"How'd you pull that off?"
"Hamazura is good at negotiations." Takitsubo remarked.
The blond just shrugged. "It's pretty easy when you effectively have them by the balls."
"Still though… I only live rent-free because I'm in school. To shell out for a place like this…" Touma shivered a little, imagining the prospect.
"…Hey, Kamijou," Mugino called out gruffly. "What level are you?"
"Sorry, but I'm a big-fat 0," The spiky haired teen shrugged. "I'm no higher than Hamazura… hell, I'm pretty sure I'm lower…"
She raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't question what she heard; it explained his supposed piss-poor living conditions. Even if he was just a level 1, that'd give him a modest stipend that'd let a normal single guy or girl live on their own without too many problems. But from previous encounters, he remembered the boy being able to tank her Meltdowner with just his right hand. What was he doing as a level 0?
Then she remembered the dark underbelly of the city and how manipulative the dark side can be; labeling him a 0 could have been a tactic to keep him out of the whole ordeal… although that raised the question of who exactly was going out of their way to protect the poor bastard from Academy City's darkness.
A perverted silver haired girl sneezed lightly, though no one was around so no one could notice… well, aside from her male counterpart.
"I do have to say; putting the exercise room right next to the primary path was a smart idea," Touma remarked. "You guys use it much?"
"You kidding? You think I tone these grade-A thighs just by thinking super hard?" Kinuhata remarked. "The weights kind of go unused most of the time, but we use just about everything else. Not everyone can get their good workouts in by running away from street thugs like you."
"You make it sound like that's a point of pride for me or something…" Touma rubbed his head.
Mugino snorted. "Chased around by the dregs, huh? Figured it'd be easier to just to beat the shit out of them."
"Not as much as you might think…" The unlucky Kamijou replied. "I can be fine with one or two of the bastards; three if I can get my hands on a weapon. Any more than that? Well… all of Kamijou-chan's power is in his right hand, and only works on espers. Against normal people, I'm just like anybody else… and if I do get into a scrap and they happen to be part of a gang…"
"Avoiding gangsters coming in mass to avenge their fallen friends, right?" Hamazura spoke up.
"Yes, exactly! Three guys is a stretch, but if we start talking ten or twenty? Kamijou-chan is a dead man. Letting them chase me, get pissed off and tired before walking away, thinking I'm just a waste of their time, is much better for my general health…"
"You don't live in a bad part of the district, do you?" Takitsubo questioned.
"He shouldn't; his area is under Hanzou's jurisdiction as far as Skill-Out is concerned," The blond stated. "Doesn't stop all the gangs I'm sure, but not a lot of people will fuck with the main Skill-Out group unless they absolutely have to or if it's another branch. Hanzou runs a pretty good ship; level 0's should be pretty safe over there, even if other gangs are involved."
"Oh yeah; where I live is fine. I just have to go far and wide every once in a while. Being frugal sometimes can put me in the hospital."
"…Having to go across the district just to get some cheap food… man; that brings back memories…" Hamazura leaned back.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't use this Kamijou's misfortune to go on a nostalgia trip!" Touma shouted.
Kinuhata smiled; she was very glad everything was going smoothly. While Mugino would be a problem if she got mad, it sure seemed like that aside from the occasional curiosity that she wouldn't be a bother. He already knew Hamazura, and Takitsubo was… well, Takitsubo; as long as no one got between her and her man, she'd be as timid as a kitten.
"Alright! Next stop!" She spoke up. "Down this hall are the super bedrooms!"
"You better fucking not take him into mine." The Meltdowner glared.
Hamazura waved her off though. "Relax, she's just showing him around. He won't know what to avoid unless he actually knows what's yours, right?"
"What did I say about making legitimate points?"
While those two began to argue, Kinuhata and Touma went down the little alcove to the west. It was a short hall with a polished wooden floor, but it was just long enough to warrant an overhead light. There were two doors on both sides, and it ended with one as well.
"On the super right side closest to us is my room!" The bobcut girl stated. "Next to it is Hamazura and Takitsubo's room. It used to belong to just her, but then she and Hamazura started doing super Hamazura-y things together and they thought it'd be better if they just slept in the same place."
Touma could only imagine what "Hamazura-y things" meant… although it wasn't very hard to figure out.
"To the left is… well, a guest room? And next to that Mugino's; the master bedroom. I think all these spots were super different rooms before, but we made use of them as we liked. The end is just a broom closet full of cleaning supplies in case we need it."
"Guest room, huh?" Touma tilted his head.
"Well, it used to be Hamazura's room for a while. And before that… it used to belong to Frenda, so…"
"Ah, right…" Touma frowned. Frenda was the one member of the group "ITEM" that he hadn't met, nor would he ever get the opportunity. She was in a place that no one aside from those with power over life and death could reach. Kinuhata hadn't spoken much of her time in Academy City's dark side, but the few times she had, Frenda had come up as a former comrade. One of the few stories he managed to get out of the bobcut girl was how she died, even if he did so on accident.
Suddenly, loud beeps started going off from the kitchen.
"Hey, Kinuhata!" Hamazura called down. "I think your food just went up in flames!"
"Oh for fucks sake! Not again!" Kinuhata ran around to the kitchen and met up with Takitsubo and Hamazura; the only one who remained seated was Mugino, who promptly used her time by not giving a shit. Indeed, it was from the oven; the spiral-cut ham was burned black, having been left in there for too long. Maybe the bobcut cook was right and it wasn't quite ready yet when she left for the little tour, but she severely underestimated just how long it needed.
"Fucking hell… it super happened again!" She took it out of the oven and set it on the stovetop to put an end to the fire hazard.
"Well… at least it's not corrosive…" Hamazura mused with a nervous smile.
"Like that's any better!" Kinuhata groaned. "Great, even my super backup plan ended up torched! What the hell am I going to do!?"
"…I still have pizza on speed dial."
While the bobcut girl bemoaned her lack of cooking skills, Touma inspected the ham itself. While the outer layer was obviously charred and as hard as stone, but the bits of the interior felt fine to the touch… although, as one would expect, it was beyond dried out from too much heat.
Then he started digging around the kitchen. "Hey, Kinuhata? Can you do me a favor and take the skin off that ham?"
"…? Why? It's a super pile of charcoal at this point."
"Believe me; when you're as poor as me, you find ways to make food edible, even if you burned it," Touma remarked. "The first thing I need you to do is remove the burned crust; make sure to get off as much of the untouched meat as you can. Then I'll have you shred it, and put it into a pan at low heat with juice and whatever veggies you'd like."
Kinuhata blinked. "Does… the super kind of juice matter?"
"A little; it's more just preference. What we want to do is to let it soak and absorb some moisture again," The spiky haired teen remarked as he took a stop off at their fridge. "It'd take too long to make fresh buns from scratch, but I can at least make some barbeque sauce. I'm going very western with this, but if things go right, we should be able to save it."
"…I didn't know you cooked, boss." Hamazura crossed his arms.
"I had to survive on minimalistic income somehow."
Kinuhata did as she was told, shredding the meat quickly. Offence Armor was oddly useful in ripping the ham apart. "…How long do I super leave this in there for?"
"I'd say… fifteen minutes? After that, just take a small piece off, try it, and see if it's still dry or not. Leave it down until you're satisfied, then we'll strain it and mix it with the sauce I'm making."
Hamazura stuck around and watched the duo try to save the pork, while Takitsubo silently went back to lie down on the couch. Mugino, bored with her phone, flipped on the television to a random channel. All the while, the two worked in the kitchen, a new scent began to wash over the apartment.
And by god, it actually smelled edible!
"Ugh… I was super hoping to avoid this…" Kinuhata mumbled lightly.
Touma turned away from the sauce he was making on the stovetop. "Avoid what?"
"Having you super cook for dinner… again…"
"I don't mind, honestly."
"I know you super don't; its more me trying to give you some time and relax and not have to worry about shit."
"Hah… knowing my luck, if that actually did happen, I'd probably get struck by a space rock and sent to the hospital the moment I stepped outside."
"That hasn't super happened to you… has it?"
"I'd rather not talk about it. Such misfortune…"
Honestly, though the bobcut girl was feeling demoralized, she was also rather astonished. She had thought the ham was done for, but Touma's idea was actually working somewhat. It wouldn't end up being a cooking masterpiece, but it'd at least be food someone could eat and actually enjoy.
And… well, the barbeque sauce he was making smelled divine. If anything was going to save the dish, it was going to be was that.
"…To think; while I was off getting poked in the brain when I was younger, you were off learning how to super cook. Having a guy make a meal for a girl insults her super wife skills, you know." She remarked.
"Eh, it's not like I can even remember where I learned all of this."
"That's a good point. It just feels super strange to be living something of a normal life after everything… makes me think about all the stuff I've missed out on. I don't really need school for what I do for a living now, so it'd just be a super lie to try to live out that fantasy… I'm a bit prickly and don't like meeting new people, either. So, it just feels super weird to be doing something like this…"
Touma eyed her as he began straining the pork. "Life is strange like that; things you knew for sure can be flipped on its head."
"It's happened before, so I super know that feeling; it just doesn't make it feel any less strange is all," Kinuhata stretched a little. "I used to be a cutthroat member of Academy City's darkness, cleaning up their messes in the most violent ways possible… and now I'm super cooking to try and score a cute guy I met in a restaurant one day. Bonus points if I can get him to bed."
"C-can you not mention that last part while I'm finishing this up?"
Kinuhata's ears perked up. "…Oho, is that a super weak point I detect?"
"N-not in the slightest!"
"Are you the kind of guy who'd like it if they came home to find their girl with food and an apron, only to super say, 'would you like dinner, a bath or me?' I bet you are~" She partially purred. "I'm super sure you'd try to suggest the other choices, but would like it even more if she got super forward and made it clear that she was the only option… am I right?"
"O-of course a guy would like that! What guy wouldn't!?" Touma's surprisingly genuine response made her laugh a little. "Look, I might have high self-control, but I'm still a guy, damn it! After how many times that's popped up in media, you can bet your ass just about any guy would like it! Why am I being judged for it!?"
"Kamijou~"
"Yes!?"
"You're super fun to tease."
Touma flushed red and frowned in response to that. Rather than talk back, he simply resumed his cooking. He finally reached the end of mixing the shredded pork with his homemade sauce to put a cap on the dish. It smelled good for sure, but it was the last thing on his mind.
Behind the duo, they heard someone whistle. "Damn, do you two always have exchanges like that? Go from emotional to hot and heavy in the blink of an eye."
"…I super forgot you were still here, Hamazura," Kinuhata turned her head. "Go super back into the living room."
"What? I'm just watching you guys cook- whoa!" He ducked down abruptly as a knife flew at him, sticking into the wall behind the blond.
"Hamazura," Her voice was low. "Go. Super. Back. Into. The. Living. Room. Ok?"
"Y-yeah, um… s-sure, ok." He then slunk away under the counter to avoid a second flying-stab attack from projectile sharp objects. The bobcut girl frowned, plucked the knife from the wall and set it back next to the stove with a heavy sigh.
Touma watched her for a moment. "Hey, Kinuhata?"
"Yeah, what- ophm!?" She opened her mouth only to have something stuck inside of it mid-sentence. She went from confused to relaxed when she tasted the BBQ pork that had been snuck in. "…It's good…"
"I'm glad; I thought it was alright, but needed a second opinion," Touma turned down the heat on the food just so it'd keep warm. "Honestly, you didn't need to try to cook for me just because I was coming over. I'm not so special that I need to be celebrated or anything."
"You are to me," The bobcut girl countered. "I've been through a lot of super shit and done a lot of horrible things, but you happen to make this bad girl feel like a normal person. So yes; you dropping by is super worth going above and beyond."
"…Done a lot of horrible things, huh?"
"More or less. Sometimes I super killed people."
"But you don't anymore, right?"
"Obviously, otherwise we wouldn't be super talking."
"Then that's good enough for me," Touma decided abruptly. "It'd be one thing if you were still doing it, but the past is the past. I'm not interested in what people used to be, but who they are right now and who they're going to be in the future."
Kinuhata's eyed widened a little before she eased into a smile. "…You're too nice."
"I'd like to say I'm just sensible. I'm not going to hassle folks over their past; everyone's lives are different sets of circumstances. You did what you could in the situation you were in… this is after all that Dark May stuff, right?"
"Yeah; I jumped from there, super avoiding a drop in Produce, and wound up with ITEM," she replied. "Just saying… the dark side would have eaten you up and spat you out, ya big softie."
"Well excuse me…"
"But," Kinuhata jumped up to the counter and took a seat. "I wouldn't have you any other way."
Touma blinked a few times before flushing red. "R-right…" He managed to shake it off. "You wouldn't happen to know where your plates are, right?"
"Cabinets above me." She pointed, but didn't move. Touma was able to get in despite the blockage, taking out a few plates; he had enough to probably give the whole apartment at least one round, so he figured she had planned to share.
What he didn't expect was her to suddenly wrap her arms around his neck and hop up on him, doing the same with her legs shortly after.
"Hi there~" Kinuhata giggled, staring into his eyes. "Super fancy meeting you here."
"Hi to you too," Touma played along a little. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Making a girl feel super bubbly inside. That's pretty hard to do for me, you know?"
"…I always forget you're the type to get physical."
"That's right~ but here's a fun fact for you: I can touch anyone I want… but only you can super touch me."
Touma debated briefly if she was referring to her ability, or a sexual innuendo… who was he kidding; she obviously meant the latter. Or both; she would be sneaky enough to go both ways with it… wait, best to get off that topic before something bad happens.
"Well, you got me… what do you intend to do?"
"…Well, do you super want dinner, a bath, or me?"
Now Touma sputtered, and that caused the girl to giggle. "S-seriously!?"
"It was too super easy and you know it!" Kinuhata laughed. "Though if you really wanted…"
"We're in the kitchen; if you're going to do that, at least pick a spot in private!"
"Oho? So, you'd be more accepting of my super advances if we were alone? Good information."
"That's not it and you know it!" Touma set the plates down and put Kinuhata back on the countertop. The girl unhooked her legs but kept her arms in place, holding him down. "What's up?"
"There is something I super want though… And I know you want it to." She remarked. "I'm wearing my sweater top tonight under the apron… how about we lose the sunglasses, hmm?"
"…You can just ask, you know?"
"This is more fun though! I want them super bigger, you like them big, so what's the harm with a little bit of a lead up?"
"I… guess you got a point," Touma rubbed his head. "You can take off my sunglasses and get up to whatever size you want."
"However big I want, huh?" She mused. "…You super saw Mugino, right? Nice, super-model bod, and a nice set of knockers on top of that. How about we go… bigger than Mugino, hmm?"
She then slipped off Touma's sunglasses. Slowly, her modest chest began to swell, stretching out her sweater dress ever so slightly. It was a lot more pronounced because of her apron, though Touma could already she the hem of her skirt rising due to the change in size. Thankfully, the bobcut girl wore something underneath, but that didn't stop the view of her cleavage growing before the spiky haired boy's eyes. Kinuhata caught him looking, but simply grinned; that's the reaction she was going for. Just as she suggested, she went for around the size of the Meltdowner before slipping his sunglasses back on.
"That feels super better… don't you think?" She giggled.
"I mean… I'm not going to complain if you're not."
"That so? I could go super bigger if you'd like… close this chest-gap we have going on."
"If you went that big, you might have trouble walking."
"Good thing there's a guy here who'd super help me, right?"
"For someone with so little dating experience, you sure do like to flirt."
"Just had to find the super right person to do the dance with," She finally let go. "You do have a point though; I like walking. We can save the ultra-huge sizes for later."
"Later, huh… now who's expecting something?"
"Expecting and wanting…" She countered. "But I can be super patient… for now. I'm just making a good case for myself in this little competition for your heart."
"Well, you're certainly making it a difficult choice…"
"Then I take it as me doing my super job just right," She nodded. "Well… we have this food. What do you say we gather in the living room and watch something?"
Touma shrugged. "I don't mind… are we sharing the grub?"
"It'd be pretty hard not to. Plus, it might be the only way Mugino would let you sit on the furniture."
"Good to know we have the hard part out of the way then…"
Someone came up to the kitchen. "Hey… uh, you two done flirting? We smell the food," Hamazura timidly peered around the corner, fearing another flying dagger.
"Should be; we have enough for everyone to have one serving. That includes Mugino if she's interested." Touma answered.
"She won't say it, but she probably is; she's so much of a meat eater she might as well be a carnivore…" Noticing that flying death was not approaching, the dirty blond fully stepped out. "…Kinuhata? Someone is looking big."
The bobcut girl crossed her arms. "Super large and in charge. Got a problem?"
"Pfft, you think I'm going to complain about a girl's tits getting bigger?"
"Bet you'd be going super wild if it was Takitsubo."
"Throw that in my face when you end up bigger than her."
That struck a nerve, and Kinuhata started popping her knuckles and approaching the soon-to-be dead man, making Touma have to step in. "Easy! It's just a friendly jab, right?"
"You don't super understand; if I let that Hamazura-y bastard get away with that, he'll hold it over my head for a week!"
"No I wouldn't…" Hamazura argued. "…A day; tops."
"Not helping!" Touma argued.
Just then, the loud roar of thunder interrupted the conversation. The lights flickered, but seemed to stay on.
"…It wasn't supposed to storm today, was it?" Touma blinked.
"I don't fucking know; sure didn't look like it when we were driving up." Hamazura answered. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the weather. "Fucking hell… thunderstorm just rolled in. It started fast but is slowing down as it hit the city… shit."
He ran out to check the conditions outside, followed by the unlucky Kamijou and the bobcut Offence Armor. Mugino eyed the two, sneering a little when she saw Kinuhata's enhanced figure, but otherwise didn't say anything.
"Oh fuck…" Hamazura shook his head. "It got bad real quick. I'm already seeing some cars hydroplaning."
"That bad?" Touma frowned. "Would you be able to drive in it?"
"Maybe, but if some moron decides to go full speed, he could lose control and take us out."
"…Then you're not going anywhere, Hamazura," Mugino ordered. "Stick the spiky haired bastard outside; he knows how to use his legs, right?"
"I can… but if it's ok, I'd like to wait it out a bit. See if it gets any better," Touma remarked. "Though… it sure sounds like I'm going to get soaked no matter what, huh? Such misfortune…"
While the others were watching the waterworks, Takitsubo slipped out of the room and into the kitchen.
"You were intending to stay for a bit longer anyway, right? Might as well." Hamazura agreed.
However, Kinuhata was silent. "…Could just stay the night if you can't super make it home."
"Oh hell no; that is NOT happening," The Meltdowner immediately objected. "I feel like heaving just having him around; there is no way in hell he is staying here!"
"Come on; it's a super thunderstorm of death out there! Let alone dumbass drivers, knowing his bad luck, he'll get hit by lightning!"
"…Can I say something?" Touma blinked.
Mugino's answer was immediate. "No, fuck off."
"But I-!"
"I said fuck off!"
"But-!"
"What part of 'fuck off' do you not understand!?"
"But I'm siding with you!" Touma had to tell over her to get his point across.
The Meltdowner blinked. "…What?"
"I wouldn't want to impose like that," He continued. "Besides; you clearly are uncomfortable with me being here, so I wouldn't want to make it worse. I just want to wait it out and see if the storm will go away, or at least lighten up; that's all."
Takitsubo came back with two plates, and set both down on the coffee table before going back for more. It looked like she found some hamburger buns in the cabinets, as she took to making sandwiches out of the meat Touma and Kinuhata had prepared.
"You sure, Boss? It looks pretty shitty." Hamazura asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Like you said, I was going to stick around for a little bit anyway," Touma nodded. "Kinuhata wanted to watch a movie, I think."
"…A movie, huh?" Mugino remarked, eventually shifting to support her head with one hand. "…I guess I can tolerate that. Her taste in movies is shit, but it can't be any worse than the shit on the TV. At least if it's bad, it'll be hilariously bad."
Takitsubo wandered back into the room and set a plate down in front of Mugino before taking a seat herself.
The Meltdowner blinked. "…The fuck is this?"
"Food." Was all Takitsubo said before sitting down.
Mugino stared at the arrangement before her as the others discussed what to do about the weather. She eyed it suspiciously; it had to be the same meat that caused the fire alarm to go off, right? Still, it didn't look or smell bad; actually, it was kind of appetizing, not that she'd admit it.
Seeing Takitsubo dig in without a complaint, she surmised that it was probably fine. She took a bite, took a moment to process what she felt, and then swallowed.
"…Kamijou," She interrupted the group's conversation. "You made this right?"
Touma tilted his head. "Erm… Kinuhata fixed the dry meat issue, but I made the sauce. Why?"
"What I want to know is how the flying fuck did you pull this off?"
"…Eh?"
"This shit was on fucking fire; probably a giant piece of charcoal… and you made it edible. How the hell did you manage that!?"
"W-well… it was just getting some moisture back into the dried meat. The barbeque sauce is my recipe; I had to find ways to make some discount food edible, and there were some times where I had to eat the low-quality stuff or eat nothing at all."
"He cooks all the time," Kinuhata added. "He's self-taught, but he's super good at it. It works out because he never wants to head out to grab food; even if someone else is super buying."
"Eh; I just have stuff that I'd like to get used up most of the time. If Food is on sale, it's usually for a reason, you know," Touma crossed his arms. "Plus, you don't want to pay for Index's eating habits; she can eat enough for an army. She's the type to order two helpings of everything on the menu if you're not watching…"
"It still super amazes me she's so small and thin, but can eat that super much. All that food has to go somewhere, right?"
"Hard to believe that she's just a year younger than me, right?"
"Are you super serious!? I thought she was like… ten."
Hamazura snorted. "And without the gigantic tits you look like you're twelve, thighs or no thighs."
"My age is none of your super business; I could be eighteen for all you know!"
"If you're eighteen, then I apologize for the genetics your kids are gonna get when you start spitting out brats." Hamazura fired back. Touma couldn't save him this time as the bobcut stomped on his foot, sending him stumbling backward in pain into a chair, causing it to fall over with him in it.
"…That brings up a good point, just how old are you?" Touma blinked.
"Old enough that you and me hanging out won't be seen as off; let's just leave it at that." Kinuhata grumbled. Touma had to admit; prior to Bust Upper, she looked rather young, but not so much by comparison to some others he knew like Mikoto or Index.
"…I guess; it has been more than a few months since we met. I turned sixteen this year, so I'd say there's maybe a year or two difference between us, tops." The spiky haired boy agreed. He briefly thought about that it had been over a year since he had lost his memories, but that didn't stay in his mind for very long.
"It's too bad you're not super staying though; I was kind of looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning."
Mugino's ears twitched as she continued eating.
"My break from cooking is over already, huh?" Touma remarked.
"You have no idea how all my other super shit turned out. I'd turn eggs and sausage into a corrosive paste."
"Really? It did seem like you had some high quality things in the fridge… I find it hard to believe that with four people in one house, no one can cook."
"Well, Takitsubo can, but she really only cooks for Hamazura. Me and Mugino are super on our own."
The Meltdowner's ears twitched again as she finished her meal.
Touma rubbed the back of his head. "Well, they are dating, so…"
"Yeah, I guess…" Kinuhata sighed. "Guess it'll be super take-out breakfast… again…"
"Ok, alright fine!" The damn finally broke as Mugino shot up to her feet. "The spiky haired bastard can stay for one night! One!"
"E-eh!? But I-!"
"Oh? So now that I've changed my mind, we're suddenly too good for you, is that it?"
"N-no! That's not even-!"
"Then you should be happy!" She approached the teen and grabbed his collar. "I mean… you could die out there, right? Slip and crack your skull, struck by lightning, hit by a car… hit by a stray blast of energy from a high-rise building; all of those would be a horrible way to die, wouldn't it?"
Ah, so that's how it was.
"I-In that case, I'll g-gladly accept your hospitality!"
"Good then!" She let go and lightly patted his chest. "You and Kinuhata decide on something to watch; I don't care what." She began to walk toward the bedrooms, but stopped just before entering the hall. "Oh, and Kamijou? Tomorrow morning, the kitchen is all yours! Got it!?"
She then vanished into the little nook.
"…So, uh… want me to super call home for you? Or do you want to?" Kinuhata asked.
"I'll do it…" Touma groaned.
Being threatened with death over some breakfast… Kamijou Touma had truly seen it all.
-0-
A few hours had gone by, and now Kamijou Touma rested in a bed. They ended up watching a classic; something in the realm of a B movie, but managed to surpass the barriers presented and become widespread and popular anyway. There's just something about watching a giant reptile mutated by a nuclear bomb rampage through Tokyo in the fifties that just seems to appeal to everyone.
But right now though? Touma was feeling a little restless. Not so much that he had gone to bed early or anything, but his brain was just… on. It didn't help that he was in the room of someone who was gone; even if he had never met Frenda, it felt weird to stay in the room that belonged to someone who had unfortunately passed away.
It was just unusual; he'd probably pass out eventually, but for now, he just let his mind wander. He kept his clothes on, which probably didn't help him get comfortable, but he didn't want to cross that line tonight. It's not like he brought pajamas or anything like that anyway.
So, he just closed his eyes with the covers over him and let his mind wander. It was bouncing around like hell; ranging from stuff that happened that day, to a few incidents a few weeks ago. Hell; it even focused on his "Goddess" problem for a little bit and how he was going to get a certain deity by the name of Ishtar to leave his eyes and take Bust Upper with her. His plans were right around… zero in number, but he had to at least try to think about it, right?
His mind was so distracted that he didn't notice when someone opened his door. He failed to acknowledge the slow steps to the bed. He didn't see the soft smirk across her face. And he didn't hear when she lifted the covers off him just for a brief moment…
…There was no way to avoid not feeling the girl climb on top of him though.
"H-hey!" Touma shot up, only to be pushed back down with surprising strength.
"Why hello there~" Kinuhata giggled. "Super fancy meeting you here."
She no longer wore her apron, but she hadn't changed out of her now too small wool sweater, giving the unlucky Kamijou a good view of her chest as she rested it on his own. She had pulled the covers back over her, so only her head was sticking out. Her breasts swelled up a little more when he looked, so he quickly grabbed his sunglasses from the nightstand.
"K-Kinuhata!?" Touma tried to keep his voice down. "What are you doing here!?"
"Can't sleep, remembered a guy I liked was sleeping across from me… so I figured I'd pay him a visit."
"You know this is a bad idea! A-and I can feel them pressing, you know-!"
She silenced with a quick little peck on the lips, causing him to flush red. She did the same, but carried a small smile.
"Relax; I'm just seeing how you're super doing," She spoke. "I won't do anything you don't want to… though if you reach around and grab my ass, you're super not sleeping tonight."
"I-I'll try to keep my hands under control then…" He shook his head a little and calmed down.
"Well, don't try too hard~" She teased. "I just felt like doing this; call it a super spur of the moment. The boobs are just a happy upside so I can see your face, so you know… enjoy them."
"…Guess it would be hard the other way around…" Touma admitted.
"Though they'd feel super better for you if you took your shirt off. Just let me-"
"P-please don't go stripping people!" Touma grabbed her hands, but was caught off guard when she wrapped her fingers around his.
"Hehe… are you nervous? Your hands are super cold!"
"Y-you try having a saucy girl like you on top of them and staying calm!"
"Saucy, huh?" She giggled. "Says the boy who likes saucy."
Touma frowned and looked away, not even bothering to hide his red face. She just stared at him for a while, keeping up her grin and holding his hands.
"Kamijou Touma…" She whispered. "Do you know how many people I've done this with?"
"Not many…" He remarked.
"None; not a single person," She answered. "I've never laid on top of someone, never hit on them… I've never even held a boy's hand before."
That got Touma to look at her a little.
"There are a lot of things I haven't done… I don't even super remember where I grew up before Academy City, you know? No Mom, no Dad; no family. I'm sure they existed at some point, but I'm pretty sure they long forgot about me now. It's just me; a hapless child error picked out for a project because no one would miss me. If it didn't work, I'd probably be ash at the super bottom of a furnace by now."
"That's…"
"Shhhh… let me talk for a moment," She interrupted. "I went from a worthless sack of flesh to an Esper… a level 4 with a super ability based on Accelerator's defensive shield. Nitrogen couldn't be used to fully adapt his Vector Change, but it's done what it could. From there… they used that weapon to keep their people in check. They made ITEM, and put their weapon to good use as a silent killer to prevent Academy City's darkness from seeping into the lives of the super normal people."
Touma began to frown, taking on a somber look.
"Then the darkness collapsed in on itself… and before long, the weapon was super free to do what she wanted… but she didn't know what she wanted; she still felt like a weapon, after all… that was, until a certain day she met a certain someone. A certain someone who treated her just like everyone else; as if she had been normal all along, and it was someone that not even her Accelerator-based ability could push away. Even when she attacked the boy for something she wanted, not once did that change…"
She leaned down and kissed him again before finally releasing his hands.
"And that… made a super impression on her."
"Kinuhata… I…"
"I know… I'm just here making your choice harder again, aren't I?" She giggled a little. "That's fine; totally fine. I just wanted to tell you how you've made this girl feel in a super honest way. I feel like if I went about this differently, you might not have taken me super seriously."
"I… just don't know what to say."
"Kamijou is super weak to honest confessions, isn't he?"
The boy sighed. "…Yeah he his…"
"I just want you to know that you mean a super lot to me, Kamijou. Taken or not taken… but if you're not taken, you're going to have to put up with me making pass at you for a long time…"
"…Is it weird that I'm kind of ok with that?"
"Now you're speaking my language," She grinned. "You are a tough nut to crack though… another guy would have broken super easily by now."
"Well, Kamijou isn't another guy; this Kamijou-chan is Kamijou-chan."
"That he is… besides… when the dam does eventually break… it makes me super curious as to what is waiting for me behind it."
"You'll just have to wait and see then…" Touma leaned his head back into his pillow. "…Great, now I'm all flustered. I'm probably not going to sleep well tonight, am I?"
"We just need to give you plenty of super happy thoughts and you'll be out cold in no time. I have a few ideas for you… if you're feeling bold."
Touma thought for a moment before leaning back op. In response, Kinuhata pushed herself to sit in his lap.
"Oh, what am I going to do with you?"
"Choose your options super carefully; depending on what you do, I might not be leaving this room tonight."
"I had an idea… but doing it myself as something other than a joke is a little…" His hand rose up to his sunglasses, gripping the rim a little. Kinuhata's reaction was to grab his palm; at first he thought it was to stop him, but then she took ahold of his other one and brought it up to the other side.
"Having that ability must super suck, doesn't it? All the power to indulge in nasty desires… but knowing that you shouldn't. That it'd be super wrong to go blowing up the chests of just about any girl you see… just knowing you have that super ability and have to actively suppress it must be rough."
"Sometimes, yeah… there are a few who are ok with it, but…"
"Then let me take a load off your mind," Kinuhata stated. "Anytime you want to use it on me… while we're together, at a movie, just out on the street… or hell; if you just happened to super see me walking by your dormitory… go ahead. As long and as large as you want."
"…Really?"
"Well, if I have trouble walking, you're super carrying me. But that aside… yes."
"I guess… it's just…"
"I know; you're a teenage boy with a healthy interest in the opposite sex… of all shapes and sizes. I wouldn't be super surprised if I wasn't the only one to make this deal with you."
"Well… yeah."
"Can I guess… Misaka Mikoto?"
"How'd you know?"
"Eh; when the Bust Upper rumor was first going around, me and her super teamed up looking for it. But I do remember seeing her hang around you every so often, so I had an idea…" She mused. "But… Misaka Mikoto… so that's my competition with this super angle, huh?"
She let go of his hands and nodded.
"So… you saying to do it?"
"It's your ballpark now, big guy. If you want to super see just how big Kinuhata Saiai can get, you're just going have to pump me up lots, now aren't you~?"
"…Your terminology is super lewd, you know that?"
"If it makes your heart race, then it's super fair game," She laughed lightly. "Jokes aside… I just want you to feel comfortable in your own skin. If this is how it has to be to make that happen… well; you don't super hear me complaining."
"…Not one complaint, huh?"
"Do your worst, big guy."
Touma slipped off his sunglasses, causing Kinuhata to grin as the effect washed over her. Her already swollen bust taking up more room in her sweater dress, that quickly began to rise and show off her navel. She pulled the hem of her dress down though, causing her swelling flesh to bulge out at the top. Shen then leaned over to make sure her partner got a nice view of what exactly he was doing to her.
She didn't mind one bit; she was loving it just as much as him.
"I'm getting pretty big… how super large do you want me? Hmm?"
"We can stop at any time you want… though if we go too far, your shirt will rip."
"And that would be just a super tragedy, wouldn't it?" She giggled.
"You're in a mood, aren't you?"
"Like you wouldn't super believe…" She sighed a little. "Though I have to say… if you want to keep things PG-13… well, that's going to start getting super hard to do pretty soon"
"Then… maybe it'd be best if we stopped tonight," Touma remarked, putting his sunglasses back on. "But… in the morning is fair game to do the song and dance again, right?"
"Wanting to super start fresh? Naughty boy~"
"Bite me… I'm just thinking that with your current mood, it might start something neither of us will be able to stop."
"…That is true; my every instinct is telling me to tear off your shirt… and I'm pretty sure it won't stop there." She shrugged. "Oh well, I guess that-!"
She moved to step off of him, but Touma reached up and grabbed her arm.
"You… don't have to leave if you don't want to."
"…Oh? Inviting me to super snuggle with you?"
"I-I'm just trying to be considerate after you let out your soul to me, so…"
She smiled at that; she might have not been able to lure him into that, but he still wouldn't let her go, either.
"You sure about that? I just might super try something."
"It'll be fine… I trust you."
…Maybe that was for the best right now, then. She gently pushed him back down and took back her spot on his chest. Obviously more of her covered him than before, but he didn't complain one bit.
"Then… shall we say good night?"
Touma smiled. "Goodnight… Saiai."
She flushed red at that, but responded in kind. "Goodnight… Touma."
They ended up having a pleasant night sleep. And no; nothing else happened until morning. And if you're curious, they also ended up having a pleasant breakfast with no laser beams of death being fired what-so-ever…
…Although, from that point on, they did start using each other's first name.
Kuhahahaha! Here I am again walking the fine line between T and M! This tightrope hasn't thrown me off just yet!
The stuff about concerning Kinuhata's age is here mostly because, while some characters think she is 12, I don't recall her ever actually stating it herself. And also, as pointed out, a Year has gone by since To Aru canon in this story! And that means a good chunk of characters are likely a year older as a result. Hell; did you know that it's confirmed that Touma is 15 years old, and that his birthday is between January and February? That's why he's 16 here, which wouldn't be too far outside of an age-range for girls like Kinuhata, who is at least 13 here, if not more. Just covering my basics here, just in case some folks had questions as to what logic I was operating under here.
That said.. there! That was Kinuhata Part 4: ITEM is Unbreakable (And this is me hitting my JoJo-Joke quota for the month). Did you have fun? I don't have any plans for another Kinuhata focused chapter, although this won't be her last appearance in the story!
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.