Sup amigos... New chappie's up~ Please enjoy~:D
Chapter E11: Rooftop Rendezvous.
"Kurylenko. How was your investigation? Found anything suspicious?" (Kanzaki)
"Nope. Not a single anomaly. The timeline's perfect order; there's not a single contradiction I could find. However, there is substance behind Laura's words. The phase has indeed been tampered with. That much is undeniable." (Nika)
"*sigh* So not even you could trace the source of tampering, huh. That hardly bodes well. For once, I honestly wanted to believe that the Archbishop was simply fooling around." (Kanzaki)
Reality was being tempered— jammed by an unknown force.
Even trying to utter the name of the culprit would send a shock through their minds, rendering them completely dumb if they chose to focus on the matter.
The tampering, which seemed to be quite blatant, appeared to be centered around one existence.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten the name of that one person.
No, the memories themselves were still there, locked deep within their heads. It was just that they couldn't seem to find their way to them.
All they could do was grasp at the vague residues left in the aftermath of its disappearance.
"Solon Ehrenstein was definitely summoned into this world. The records are missing and the archives have been altered. As such, it stands to reason that person responsible is capable of altering St. Maurice's registry extensively." (Nika)
The perpetrator behind the phase tampering and the summoner of Solon Ehrenstein… Nika was positively sure they were both connected.
Not to mention Academy City, too.
What Laura said about the esper city was true. They were really dabbling in some shady stuff.
This was not second-hand information. Nika Kurylenko had covertly visited the place at Kanzaki's behest.
And to say what she witnessed there as "surprising" would be the understatement of the century.
Yet it was also understandable why Albert was able to shrug off the threat.
After all, Suzushina Yuriko— the newly-promoted Level 6 Esper was kept "contained" deep within the bowels of School District 10 in a medically-induced coma.
However, even without the coma, it was highly unlikely she would ever recover from her vegetative state.
Her mind had been annihilated. Possessing powers comparable to a majin with a flesh and blood body had shattered her anima.
Seeing what was left of her, Nika wondered why anyone sane would ever volunteer to become a subject to such barbaric and blatant human experimentation.
However, knowing that girl's circumstances, Nika felt that it was unavoidable.
If only someone had been there to correct her.
Not that it mattered anymore, because that was hardly the end of it.
Four out of the remaining six Level 5 espers and a potential future Level 5 candidate had been admitted to a certain hospital. They had collapsed suddenly.
None of them were illusions or the like. Nika was able to confirm this fact personally.
Unlike the fallen Level 6, however, the Level 5s held much more hope. Both their mind and bodies were intact.
The phenomenon reminded Nika of the Japanese superstition of "Kamikakushi." It was as if their souls were spirited away, somehow.
However, recovery was not entirely off-the-table for them.
Especially considering the person treating them.
As such, at present, there was only one active Level 5 in the city. That "gutsy" oddball gemstone Kanzaki Kaori stated she had made a brief acquaintance of in the past.
Yet while all of these phenomena were surely tragic in nature, none of them were on a level that warranted Nika Kurylenko's concern.
Therefore, what concerned her the most was the atmosphere— or perhaps the lack of it— to a certain extent.
The city always had something.
If she was to make a comparison, the appropriate word might just be "gestalt."
A vast gestalt that connected the city's innumerable cogs together into what was now considered the embodiment of the entire "Science" side.
That something had disappeared, leaving behind an empty husk of a city.
Nika was sure that she knew what it was.
There was no way she didn't. She was the Oracle. Knowing stuff was her business.
Yet her memories about that "something"— that person— came out as a complete mess.
It all felt as hopeless as trying to leave scratch marks on a slippery rubber ball.
Akasha had denied her access to that information. But why?
As such, this sort of experience was completely unprecedented when it came to Nika Kurylenko, and it bewildered her.
"Has the Roman Catholic Church noticed?" (Kanzaki)
"…There's no way they haven't." (Nika)
The seven Level 5s were pretty well-known. They were considered national-level threats, and as such were subject to continuous observation by the Roman Catholic Church.
Their sudden disappearance from the world stage was bound to have some far-reaching and heavy-hitting political ramifications.
"How I wish we could simply sweep the whole issue under the rug." (Kanzaki)
"We cannot keep on hiding this forever. That person will one day, without doubt, appear before us." (Nika)
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he was amongst the most influential of the people." (Kanzaki)
Yes, he was not some pushover like Solon Ehrenstein.
He was mighty, cunning, and strong. Once hailed as the greatest magician, that person was also regarded as their greatest embarrassment.
His prowess and authority equaled, or maybe outright… exceeded that of the entire magical world combined.
As the person responsible for giving an entirely new aspect to the world through science, his name rang as grand as his power.
The name that went A%^le$%^iJSDsSDt345eR.
What was his name?
Mankind as a species was not free of grievances and doubts. Everyone had their secrets and ploys.
Nonetheless, tentative peace finally graced the walls of St. Maurice.
No new guardians appeared for the time being, and it was widely accepted that the Beta temple should be alright for a fair while, giving us some time to take a breather.
I used this month-long recess to train my skills with Nika and Anna. Even Kanzaki and Albert decided to occasionally participate as special guests to my training program, pushing me to the limit.
The peaceful but poignant days had come and gone in the blink of an eye.
And so, I found myself on the eve of my next crusade.
"…" (Touma)
"…" (Kanzaki)
Kanzaki and I stared at the dreadful scene in shock.
We couldn't do a thing. We were powerless to stop it.
"Alright… CHEEEEEERS!" (Anna)
"CHEEEEERS! By the way, Anna; this is orange juice, right?" (Elaine)
"Yeah! And it's 120% fruit to boot!" (Anna)
"Awesooome~ Then I guess there's no need to worry!" (Elaine)
Anna and Elaine, cackling like crazy, were enjoying a certain strange (clearly not orange juice) orange-colored liquid.
The scene was of madness, chaos, and collapse.
The preliminary celebrations for the liberation of the upcoming third temple had escalated to a point of such anarchy that the people of order, like myself and Kanzaki, could only observe the chaos from the sidelines with naught but a fleeting hope of doing something about it.
"…One more~!" (Nika)
"You want to vomit again?" (Female Librarian)
"Puking makes space for more… Uhwwwh…" (Nika)
"I can't tell if you're being optimistic or pessimistic in this case." (Male Librarian)
"I'd say I'm almost impressed in a way." (Female Librarian)
"…Ubwwwh… H-Here it comes. Bucket, where are you?!" (Nika)
The sight alone was enough to fill one's heart with lament.
Anna, who at first was busy declaring toasts, was now only cackling as she took one drink after the other. She seemed to be quite wobbly already.
"Heeeey! Are ya lot drinkin'?" (Anna)
"Yeeeee~aa!" (Crowd)
"Awesome! Nothing matters tonight! Let's all drink until dawn! Oh, right. This ain't booze if anyone's concerned." (Anna)
"Yeeeee~aa!" (Crowd)
Anna raised her glass.
"CHEEEERS! Chug ON, Everyone!" (Anna)
Anna was indeed a very bright and optimistic person. As such she possessed more than enough charisma to take control of any crowd.
However, it appeared that after ingesting that certain "not-so-alcoholic-yet-very-similar-to-it" liquid, her talents went haywire in the most warped of directions.
She just drank and drank. And then drank some more.
To make matters even worse, she kept urging everyone to follow suit.
Under this perverse leadership, countless bottles of that certain particular orange-liquid fell prey to her every swelling army of drunkards.
"Elaine~" (Anna)
"Yeah~ What is it~?" (Elaine)
And Elaine Le Fay was no better.
Her usual energy seemed to have been multiplied thrice.
She already appeared unnaturally fearless in her usual state, but with that certain liquid in her system, she turned downright terrifying.
We had a princess of destruction on our hands.
"How much was 1 +1?" (Anna)
"1 +1 is not 2 when we're at the helm! If we try hard enough, we can make it 200! We're ten times more awesome than the others!" (Elaine)
…Yeah, and you should work a little on your math, Elaine.
"Nothing less from our Elaine! You go past the level of "worthy of respect" up to "fascinating," and even further: to "creepy"!" (Anna)
"Don't call me creepy~ jajaja!" (Elaine)
"Cheeeeers~!" (the Two)
I had no idea what was going on anymore…
Kanzaki took out some sort of pill from her pocket and promptly chased it down with a big gulp of water.
Was that a migraine pill?!
It seemed the chaos was taking a toll on the Necessarius Leader's mental health.
"…I feel so much better now." (Nika)
Nika came to us with a glittering smile.
I could easily tell what had improved her constitution. I had glimpsed her discharging the poisonous liquid from her system over there in the corner.
"Alrighty. One more sip. Hey… QR-face, fetch me some more of the liquid of pure awesomeness~."
"It's a barcode! And who are you callin' a QR code, you dimwit?!"
The feisty, red-haired person roared in indignation. I believe I had yet to make an acquaintance with this person.
All I knew was that he was Albert's son, and he had just returned from a long-term reconnaissance mission in Academy City.
He somehow reminded me of Yanai Kaito— the Japanese (ex)-Saint of Fire.
"Haven't you had enough? Don't you understand our position here, Kurylen—" (Kanzaki)
"My…" (Nika)
"…!" (Stiyl)
"…?" (Kanzaki)
"Walpurgis Night has beset on my stomach… again…" (Nika)
"Move your *ss to the corner then, dumbo!" (Stiyl)
"Help her, someone! And please don't let her drink anymore!" (Kanzaki)
I could help but sigh. \
My gaze swept to the other side of the room—
"Mr. Albert!" (Elaine)
"What's up, Le Fay?" (Albert)
"I didn't know magicians too faced balding problems." (Elaine)
"…What? We don't…" (Albert)
Albert answered Elaine, his hand nonchalantly brushing through his hair.
"Really?! I see! I see! …But then what's up with his hair." (Elaine)
"Huh? What? Did you say something? I swear I could hear you murmur something in the end! Wh-Why are you staring at my head like that?" (Albert)
"…" (Elaine)
"…" (Albert)
"Haha, what are you talking about? Must have been your imagination. Don't. Mind. Me~" (Elaine)
Elaine gave him a coquettish wink. I have never seen a less trust-invoking gesture in my entire life.
"I see. I guess you're right! Le Fay, you flirt~" (Albert)
As if too desperate to believe her, Albert bobbed his head vigorously.
Oh, this must be what they mean by "A drowning man grasps even at straws." My horizons had broadened quite considerably today.
"Of course, I am!" (Elaine)
"Ahahaha!" (The Two)
Anna patted Elaine on the shoulder and made a grim face.
"It is not good to keep him in the dark forever…" (Anna)
"B-But Anna, ignorance is bliss. We should let him live in his fantasy while it lasts." (Elaine)
"Yeah. But he'll still have to face reality one day." (Anna)
"That is true… but…" (Elaine)
"Hey! Could you two speak up so I can hear, too? You were discussing something very relevant to my life now, weren't you? I'd feel a lot better if you said it all straight to my face!" (Albert)
"Mr. Albert." (Elaine)
"Y-Yeah!" (Albert)
"Please don't worry. You should call 1-415-922-LOSS, you know." (Elaine)
"What's up with this suggestive number?! Y-You should know that my hair is in perfect condition, alright?! I still have a few decades of playboy life ahead of me, you know!" (Albert)
I could spot tears welling up in his eyes.
"Anyway, let's forget the future cue-ball for now." (Anna)
"I'm not a cue-ball! I'm not balding! You want a taste of my magic, wench~!" (Albert)
"Huh? Is your magic… a wig?" (Anna)
"IT'S NOOOOOOOOT!" (Albert)
"Oh! Found a Touma~!" (Elaine)
Elaine strutted over to my side and dived straight into me.
"Kewl~!" (Elaine)
Letting out the most peculiar of sounds, she proceeded to squeeze me tight. I staggered from having to support the full weight of another person suddenly, but managed to avoid collapsing to the ground.
"Puhi~ Puhi~" (Elaine)
"Elaine. Could we please stick to human languages? Also, now I can't see in front of me." (Touma)
Her impressive hop reached up to my torso, which she then proceeded to wrap her legs around. Her stomach was currently pressed flat against my face, thus blocking my sight completely.
I could feel something soft press against the top of my head. Guess it was her breasts.
"Touma~! Tou~! Tou~! Touma~!" (Elaine)
Her face looking like a :3 she then proceeded to sing a bizarre song.
"Kanzaki. I think I'll have her take a rest." (Touma)
I turned to the direction where I presumed Kanzaki to be.
"It is quite impressive you can stay calm and collected in a situation like this. Tell me, Kamijou Touma: did you acquire some kind of zen or enlightenment?!" (Kanzaki)
I could sense a hint of exasperation in her voice. I guessed her face had a hint of it too, but I couldn't exactly see to confirm it.
"Anyway, I shall leave the rest to you." (Touma)
"A-All right." (Kanzaki)
And so I left the impromptu banquet hall behind.
"…" (Kanzaki)
"…" (Everyone)
"…" (Kanzaki)
"Wait! How am I supposed to control all of them aloneeeee?!" (Kanzaki)
Anna, sitting on Albert's shoulders, was playing with his hair.
"Go bald~! Go bald~! Go-Go-Go bald~! Go bald~! Go bald~! Go-Go-Go Bald~!" (Anna)
"P-Please stop hexing it. Please!" (Albert)
No matter how hard he tried to throw Anna away, she clung to the top of his head from behind like a leech.
"One more sip." (Female Librarian)
"Me, I have come to a peculiar revelation." (Male Librarian)
"What a coincidence. I just came to one myself." (Female Librarian)
"It seems we as a legion share not only personality…" (Male Librarian)
"…but our alcohol tolerance as well *hic*" (Female Librarian)
"Yes. In other words, we get drunk multiple times faster than others… *hic*" (Male Librarian)
"We should be alright. I'm sure the person who said "alcohol is the best medicine there is" knew his stuff… *hic*" (Female Librarian)
"Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, Me. *hic*" (Male Librarian)
"Don't tell this to anyone, but…" (Female Librarian)
"Mhm?" (Male Librarian)
"The airhead got me interested in some of her BL readings, and I ended up finding them quite riveting. I am sorry, Me… *hic*" (Female Librarian)
"…" (Male Librarian)
"…" (Female Librarian)
"Hey, you. Yes, you, the moron vomiting into the bucket. Come over here; we need to talk about your life-choices." (Male Librarian)
"Gimme double~ On the rocks~ brother~" (Nika)
"Haven't you vomited enough?!" (Male Librarian)
"You know?" (Nika)
"…!" (Female Librarian)
"…?" (Male Librarian)
"I think I might have discovered the secret pleasure of regurgitation." (Nika)
"Stiyl, hold her down. We cannot let Mankind's only Oracle die to a stupidity like this." (Kanzaki)
"O-On it, Boss!" (Stiyl)
"Stiyl~!" (Nika)
"…Huh? Why are you staggering towards me? And what's with those extended arms?" (Stiyl)
"Let's become one!" (Nika)
"In w-what sense?!" (Stiyl)
"Let's puke together~" (Nika)
"A pink background and glittering eyes won't make this travesty sound romantic, you sh*tty Oracle!" (Stiyl)
"…Yare yare~ what a disaster!" (Kanzaki)
Kanzaki sighed alone as she massaged her temples.
Maybe it was time for her to pop another of her migraine pills.
"Yuihihi~ Touma~" (Elaine)
She called out to me with a saccharine voice.
I couldn't walk properly with her body blocking my view, so I made her change position to my back for now.
She spent the past few moments poking my cheeks and playing with my hair like a restless child.
"So glad you're enjoying yourself." (Touma)
"You're not?" (Elaine)
"Not parti—" (Touma)
"But I'll be sad if it isn't fun for you~" (Elaine)
Hmm.
Her wriggling ceased suddenly. Seriousness descending on her features, she silently wrapped her arms around my neck.
"So warm~" (Elaine)
"Do you think I have a fever?" (Touma)
"I didn't mean it like that!" (Elaine)
She let out a muffled snicker.
"Where're we going?" (Elaine)
"The roof." (Touma)
The most fitting place to take a break.
A night sky littered with stars in utter chaos was waiting for us there.
"Kamijou boy, let me wary bones on the ground, will ye?" (Elaine)
"All right." (Touma)
As I let her go, she proceeded to stagger a few steps in front of me
"Sit down here." (Elaine)
As ordered, I took a seat on the cold concrete corner she indicated.
"Spread your legs." (Elaine)
"…" (Touma)
Slightly confused, I followed her order again.
"Alrighty~" (Elaine)
Elaine sunk down in the space between my legs and rested her back against my chest.
I could feel her warmth through the thin fabric of our clothes.
"You're warm like a cat." (Touma)
"Is that a compliment?" (Elaine)
"I didn't mean it in a bad way at least." (Touma)
Seemingly finding my words funny, she let out a mirthful chuckle.
"The sky's beautiful, isn't it?" (Elaine)
She reached her hand out to the stars.
"Do you think we can pluck one of them if we tried hard enough?" (Elaine)
Her arm quivered from the muscle tension. It seemed she was serious about this.
"I'm not sure we can…" (Touma)
Anna and Nika might make it look so easy, but normal people cannot even begin to fathom the idea of "plucking" stars out of the sky.
"That is alright! If we did… we wouldn't be able to see them anymore, right?" (Elaine)
Hmm.
I let the thought simmer for a few moments.
"That's very philosophical." (Touma)
"Whaaat? Ah, right! Mehr Licht." (Elaine)
Reacting to her words, the small star that rested safely in the confines of my pocket dimension, suddenly lit up.
"Right. We already have one, don't we?" (Touma)
I pulled out the "fake" star— Canopus— from my pocket dimension. Elaine struck her hand out, so I handed it over.
"Yeah. Big or small, you can't complain about how beautiful it looks." (Elaine)
"Yeah…" (Touma)
In my absentmindedness, all I could muster was a nonchalant response.
"Have you heard of the Butterfly's Dream?" (Elaine)
Something in the scenery must have made that thought suddenly pop into her mind.
Are you talking about the story where you cannot tell if you're dreaming you're a butterfly, or the butterfly is dreaming that it's you?" (Touma)
It was a famous thought experiment proposed by a renowned Chinese philosopher named Zhuang Zhou.
"Yes. In the end, it's all the same, isn't it? You are yourself, regardless of who or what you are." (Elaine)
It seemed like Elaine shared the worldview of Rene Descartes.
"Yes. But I'm quite certain it's you who are dreaming you're a butterfly in that story." (Touma)
"Why?" (Elaine)
"Insects don't dream." (Touma)
Dreams are a near-exclusive quality of REM-sleep, something that is observed only in mammalian (and to some extent avian and reptilian) brains.
"…But that idea is so unromantic." (Elaine)
"I thought you would say that." (Touma)
I couldn't help but sigh warily.
"Well, that story aside… Do you fancy we'll think that everything that happened here was just a dream when— if— we ever return to our old worlds?" (Elaine)
"…" (Touma)
"Or do you think it will be the other way around? That we'll feel our own world is all but a figment of our imagination?" (Elaine)
The idea that nothing apart from your own consciousness exists. That Reality is nothing more than a vivid delusion dreamed up by your mind.
I am quite sure that that philosophical thought train is called "solipsism."
"There's also the possibility that we'd lose our memories during the transfer…" (Touma)
Elaine let out a muffled whimper. It seemed she didn't consider that possibility.
"Then… we'll lose our memories?" (Elaine)
"The experiences we're exposed to in this world are very intense. Our bodies might decide that losing our memories would be the best." (Touma)
Even here, the idea of losing memories of a previous life is a staple for mythologies revolving around the idea of souls and reincarnation.
Some might even consider the fact to be a form of compassion and mercy.
"B-But… I don't want that to happen. It would break my heart to forget Anna, Nika, you, and all others." (Elaine)
Elaine knit her brows, her form radiating a resolute denial.
"…Um, thank you!" (Touma)
I could feel my face growing warm.
We both directed our gazes to the skies above us.
Ever since Anna made a complete mess out of it, there was no semblance of order in the stars that adorned the night sky.
The display gave me the impression of joviality and boundless energy with nary a thought of repercussions and consequences.
Just like this world.
"Touma." (Elaine)
"Yeah?" (Touma)
"What do you want to be in the future? To me you seem capable of accomplishing anything." (Elaine)
For a brief moment, I was at a complete loss for words. I had never considered this question before.
Future… Future, huh?
"I've never even thought about it." (Touma)
Elaine widened her eyes in response to my honest answer.
"I thought you'd have a perfect life plan for, um, like maybe fifty years into the future or so…" (Elaine)
"There's no use in trying to simulate your life up until retirement. Every step forward leads to the unknown. It is impossible to tell what's waiting for you around the corner." (Touma)
"Is that so?" (Elaine)
"Yeah." (Touma)
Nodding, Elaine fell silent for a few moments.
After a brief pause, almost as if a light-bulb went off in her head, she turned towards me.
"H-Hey, Touma, wanna try thinking about it now? You can choose whatever you want: you could be a pro-athlete, a politician, a doctor, or even a fanfiction writer!" (Elaine)
"Hmm…" (Touma)
But all of those professions seemed far removed from what I truly was. Oh, and by the way, was the last one even a profession?
…I was a grunt.
My role was to be an expendable pawn for Anna— the person who saved me.
But still…
…Did I want for more?
"Hmm…" (Touma)
"Can't decide?!" (Elaine)
"It seems my imagination is indeed quite lacking." (Touma)
"Um. Then let's try this together. I guess you'd be a high schooler first before getting a job, right?" (Elaine)
"…Yeah, I suppose so." (Touma)
Is this what they call roleplaying I wonder?
"And then you'd have a childhood friend who'd come wake you up every morning." (Elaine)
"Wait a second. Who's this childhood friend?" (Touma)
"Me." (Elaine)
She gave me a boastful grin.
Unable to find a suitable retort, I simply decided to go with her setting.
"And so we go to school, right?" (Touma)
"Yes. And then we graduate." (Elaine)
"The story's moving a bit too fast!" (Touma)
My school life had ended before it could even start properly.
"Ahaha. Don't mind the little details. Anyway, after a while, you'd find a job somehow, and work in an office. And after a long day at work, you'd come back home all tired." (Elaine)
Wow. I became a total corporate drone.
"I would like to know the "how" part of that "somehow."" (Touma)
"And I'd be home to welcome you." (Elaine)
"Wait. You're in my house?" (Touma)
"Yes. Where else would I be?" (Elaine)
"…But why?" (Touma)
"…We're married. Ehehe~" (Elaine)
"Um. This is just a thought. Just a thought, all right? But could you please not abbreviate the most important events of our life?" (Touma)
"Geez, whatever~ Anyways. Days like that will follow… A l-lot of s-stuff will happen and um, w-we'd have a child." (Elaine)
Elaine broke our gaze.
Her neck had turned the color of crimson. Did she seriously expect to mask this by merely looking away?
As I tried to give voice to that fact, Elaine pinched my inner thigh. It hurt very much.
"Then our child would grow up, find love, get married, and have its own family. We'd be old. One day, we'd find ourselves sitting on a bench in the park, watching our grandchildren play, our hands tight in each other's palms—" (Elaine)
"And?" (Touma)
"We'd die together." (Elaine)
"That's a very uneventful life if I say so myself." (Touma)
It could hardly fill a paragraph of a manuscript.
"But isn't that all there is when you get down to it? I might have abbreviated some stuff, but I bet such a life would be a happy one, don't you think?" (Elaine)
"…" (Touma)
It probably would.
Ordinary and unexceptional— weren't those the two core essences of an everyday, normal life.
Yet still…
…the possibility of me reaching such an end might as well have been zero.
"I—" (Elaine)
Elaine looked away again.
But from the complexion of the skin of her neck, I could tell that she was trying to hide her flushed face again.
"I kind of, you know, think that it would be nice if we could spend our lives like that, for real." (Elaine)
Normal days.
Normal life.
She was telling she wanted to share them with me.
And I, without a moment's hesitation, proceeded to embellish this pure conversation with a lie— a hope I knew I would never be to accomplish.
"I would like that, too." (Touma)
A tremble ran along Elaine's shoulders.
"U-Um, I'm kind of drunk right now." (Elaine)
"Yeah, I know." (Touma)
"So whatever happens now it's the booze doing it, alright?" (Elaine)
"…?" (Touma)
She was up to something.
She faced me. Her flushed face drew closer.
I could neither resist, nor run away.
I couldn't even flinch; it was as if I was bound by some imaginary shackles.
She was talking about being drunk and all that, but her eyes seemed dead serious.
"Hmph."
Her lips touched mine.
I wondered if the smell of citrus caressing my nostrils was the smell of love.
"…" (Touma)
I felt bad about staring at her face from so up-close, so I, too, closed my eyes.
We were drunk. Both her and I.
Maybe it was the atmosphere that made me drunk.
"Fwah…" (Elaine)
Elaine drew away, and I opened my eyes. She gazed at me with drowsy eyes.
"I don't think being drunk is a good enough excuse for this…" (Touma)
A shadow of panic flashed across Elaine's face, and as she was about to start apologizing—
"I-I'm sorry, but— Nmph?!" (Elaine)
…I covered her lips with mine again. Her startled expression was quite a sight.
"N-Nmph?! N-Nnnnnnmh!" (Elaine)
"Fweh… ah… hm…?" (Elaine)
Elaine spent quite some time gazing at my face absentmindedly.
Suddenly, as the realization of what just transpired dawned upon her, her eyes flared up, and she began to vigorously shake her head from side to side. She then glared at me with teary eyes.
"Did you just…" (Elaine)
"I felt it would be an incredible pity if I passed upon this chance for revenge…" (Touma)
"Wh-What do you mean by that?! A-And you suddenly slid something into my mouth, too! It didn't feel pure at all, it was like totally indecent!" (Elaine)
Her complaints fell on deaf ears.
"Calm down, Elaine." (Touma)
"How the hell can I calm down in a situation like this, you twit!" (Elaine)
"I am drunk, too…" (Touma)
"Huh?" (Elaine)
She cocked her head to the side, confused.
"I was drunk— it couldn't have been helped." (Touma)
I smiled at her.
She widened her eyes as if suddenly met by some odd phenomenon.
Under a starry sky of chaos. With thousands of excuses on our lips. We exchanged two kisses.
And so, the day following the banquet of madness arrived.
"…I was really drunk." (Elaine)
Elaine was sitting in a seiza posture.
It didn't feel right to stand in front of a person doing a seiza, so I was sitting in a seiza as well.
She seemed to have mistaken seiza for dogeza, it seemed.
I could swear that her knowledge of Japanese culture flared at the oddest times.
But that was not the point…
"Well, um… I knew you were…" (Touma)
"Um, I'm sorry for everything. I mean, it was surely that certain liquid that made me do it, but it's not like I would most definitely never would have thought of it in a normal state either, and—"
Elaine was facing much trouble fitting all of her thoughts into a single sentence.
"Wh-What I mean is that what I told you yesterday wasn't a lie. Rather, I couldn't lie because of that certain liquid, and um… what was I talking about again…?" (Elaine)
"We were both drunk. Wanna leave it at that?" (Touma)
My memories of yesterday were blurry and vague as if they were remnants of a dream.
And I am sure I wasn't drinking yesterday. Just what was that certain liquid that made me get drunk from afar.
Maybe some magic was really involved.
Anyway, I could remember we exchanged kisses, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what lead us to it.
All I knew was that I enjoyed the experience from the bottom of my heart.
There was no denying that fact.
"Disappointed?" (Elaine)
"No. Are you?" (Touma)
"N-No way! I-If anything, I'm thankful! It made me really happy, and it was fun, and um… it made my heart race." (Elaine)
"I see…" (Touma)
Well, I supposed that settled that. For some reason, her words caused a funny feeling in my chest.
Now all I wished was for her to raise her head and get up from her seiza. This was not a posture Westerners feel comfortable sitting around for long.
"Wh-What about you? Are you r-regretting it?" (Elaine)
"I'm glad it was you." (Touma)
I gave her an honest answer.
"G-Glad?!" (Elaine)
She suddenly raised her head and lurched towards me.
"A-Are you sure that you're glad?! You're talking about me, you know? W-Wouldn't you have preferred someone like Nika, or maybe Anna?!" (Elaine)
I was unsure why she even brought those two up, but—
"You're the only one I ever thought of doing that to." (Touma)
Elaine, flushing bright red, returned to her normal seiza posture.
I asked her to look up, but she covered her face and shook her head instead.
"NOOOO! I don't want you to see me now! I'm so embarrassed I feel like I'm gonna die! I'll bounce back right away, so just give me some time alone, alright?!" (Elaine)
"…" (Touma)
In the end, I couldn't get her to stand up at all.
Meanwhile, countless witches, saints, librarians, alchemists, and magicians lay dead on the cold floor of the banquet hall— our gym.
A squad of librarians seemed to have toppled over in the middle of a snake dance.
Things didn't look good.
Albert was lying unconscious on the floor, seemingly terrified of what he'd seen in a hand mirror he still clutched tightly.
I spotted a bald patch in the middle of his head. I could swear it wasn't there before. It seemed like Anna's hex had worked like a charm.
Things didn't look good there, either.
Nika Kurylenko seemed to be frozen in time in a sitting position, her eyes expressionless as those of a dead fish.
Kanzaki, who was supposed to keep things in check, lay slumped on an impromptu desk.
She was wearing a bandana, and the table had a marker with the word "Veteran" written atop it. It seemed like they had used her pride as a leader to challenge her to a drinking match.
The red-haired guy was snoring nearby. There were three bottles near him. I could spy drops of that certain orange liquid slowly drip on the floor from one of them.
This was a catastrophe of epic proportions.
"Tou~m~a~" (Anna)
Anna, who lied closest to my feet, waved me to come closer.
"Yeah. It's time for us to be on our way." (Touma)
Third temple awaits.
"…" (Anna)
She had small tears in her eyes.
"Anna?" (Touma)
"Let's… put off… our crusade… for one day." (Anna)
"…" (Touma)
"Touma… my body won't move! I…m totally …paralyzed today… ghwoh… ghwooh… ghwoh." (Anna)
A tirade of convulsive seizures seemed to have assaulted her.
But I am sure she was going to be alright.
After all, she was our Anna.
*sigh* (Touma)
It seemed like we wouldn't be venturing to the third temple today.
Oh well…
Author Notes and Guest Reviews:
Mr. X: Thanks amigo for dropping a review as usual. It helps me keep myself motivated :))
That being said: let's answer the questions you've asked this time around.
1) The overall length of my barebone draft of Book 2 is the same as Book 1. So maybe around 15 or so chapters more... probably. I intend on writing two specific major endings and one maybe small extra ending... so Book 2 might end up being even longer than Book 1.
2)Anna is kind of an oddball. She is a gadfly, therefore one must take her romantic leadings with a grain of salt. She isn't interested in Touma romantically... at least not yet. The same goes for Nika too, in this route. But I guess that she is indeed the type to lead him on in circles just for fun jaja (maybe like Shinobu from Monogatari)
3)You mean crusade-wise? Logically, the next one should be Yanai Kaito's Gamma Temple. However, what will actually come to pass might be a lot different. All-in-all, crusading will take on a much more passive role. As such it becomes difficult to say what next opponent Touma would face without some heavy spoilers. Seth on the other hand will get some action with some fodders ^^
That should be it. Once again, thanks a lot for your review and time. I truly appreciate it.
Moving on...
Relationship's moving real fast, right. Elaine is getting much more action than Nika ever did lol.
Academy City is kinda up to something weird.
In canon, the city was intended as a medium for Aleister's ambition of reaching the SYSTEM (not just Level 6) to destroy phases (and destiny) altogether. It also served as a conduit for Imaginary District and how Aleister planned to have it spread across the globe. Not to mention that it served as a beacon for Aiwass through the Misaka Network.
But here we have got a catatonic Level 6 esper, and a bunch of "not-so-really-unconscious" unconscious Level 5s. Just what the hell took place in the city during the time we left it alone :(
Anyway, Academy City is slowly rolling into the mix. Well, the canon did say that it was a "pseudo-temple" based on Sicily's Abbey of Thelema. So it must have been lonely when we were busy conquering its "sister" temples. Don't they say that hell hath no fury like Academy City's jealousy...?
Just kidding... Just kidding... Maybe I mistook the quote for something else jaja.
Anyway, creation of a Level 6 esper was never too high on Aleister's agenda, mind you. It was always a means to the end for him. What part it plays in "this" story, however, I'll make sure to make the future chapters explain it in detail jaja...
Toodles~ I'll see you next time...
Take care...
~VG outto~