Chapter 23: Out on the Town; or, Flushing Out Rival Gangs
June 8th
Hot. Hot, hot, hot.
What? I may have perfect control over my body temperature, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel the heat. I might not sweat but I still wanted to drink a lot of water and have ice cream! Besides, my powers would be given away immediately if Asuna or Sugu took my hand or touched my cheek and I felt like I'd been sitting in the fridge.
'Is he waiting for his girlfriend? How sweet!'
'A lot of boys have been waiting here recently. It must be a popular shop with their girlfriends, maybe I should check it out. I've been looking for some cute summer clothes!'
'He looks tired. Wonder if he's been walking around all morning?'
'Ooh, the food court smells really good, I want to grab some lunch soon.'
'I wonder if this swimsuit looks good on me? I should call Kazuto over to look. Though he might just say anything looks great, since he's so in love with me! Once I've picked one out, we can go shopping for him... Kazuma did say we're supposed to do this together, but I don't want him to see me changing yet! That sort of thing is for couples only!'
...And how did I get here, anyway?!
In case you haven't guessed by the flood of thoughts that I'm really trying hard to ignore, I'm currently on a shopping trip in the mall. I was sitting outside one shop in particular, and if you paid attention you'd know what kind of shop it was.
*Bam!* Cute frills!
*Swoosh!* Refreshing polka dots and shining colors!
*Wow!* Female mannequins posing and showing off the skimpy clothing for sale!
That's right. I, Kazuto Kirigaya, the world's strongest psychic, was sitting right outside of a swimsuit shop in the mall. It wasn't the kind of shop that just sold simple and plain swimsuits, or even the kind that sold swimsuits for both boys and girls! This place was full of frills, ribbons, and clothes that showed off plenty of skin. Anyone wearing one of the swimsuits here would definitely be an eye-catcher on the beach or wherever they went.
One of the posters hanging on the wall actually showed off Yuuna and Nijika posing in a pair of the swimsuits here. That should really tell you everything you need to know about this store.
"Kazuto, get over here."
Eep! That firm voice came from the store, and I sighed. There wasn't any denying the owner of that voice, so I stood up and entered the store. Some of the saleswomen giggled at me as I walked through the rows of frilly swimsuits in bright colors. 'What a dutiful boyfriend!' 'Such a lucky girl...' 'What a pretty face! Maybe he'd be interested in modeling for us?'
Definitely not that last one. The last thing I want is more attention, especially since Hiyori went and made that ridiculous 'Official Unofficial Prince Kazuto Fan Club!' at school. Exclamation marks included.
In the end, the final boss approached - the changing rooms stood right in front of me, practically exuding an ominous rumbling aura. I swallowed and thought about running away -
The curtain slid to the side before the thought of escaping crossed my mind for more than an instant. I bit back a groan and faced the person inside. "Well? How does it look on me?" Kotone asked.
Oh, this is a conveniently helpful flashback to explain things. I was wondering when it would show up.
June 6th
"I need a what?" Kotone asked blankly.
She wasn't sure why the Black Cats flinched at her simple question, but at least Saori didn't back down in the slightest. "You need special protective equipment!" Saori repeated, with a broad grin and a dramatic pose. "The powers of the Bright Sky Demon are strongest during the hours of our expedition to seal the darkness of the sea and land! And naturally, the most effective equipment..." She switched poses. "...Is that which has been specially blessed by the greatest clerics. Bring forth the requiem of Cancer and Scorpio and Pisces, for we need their protection!"
Kotone looked at the other Black Cats for some sort of explanation while Saori threw her hands up in the air and chanted nonsense words. Keita sighed. "Saori wants us to go to the beach next weekend, so make sure you have a swimsuit."
A swimsuit...? Well, she already had that -
"Should the waves of light combine into a vortex of revelation, you must be prepared, Master of Darkness!" Saori pointed at Kotone. "The mass-produced armor will not be sufficient against our powerful foes."
"It's gotta be a cute one, too, so no wearing your school swimsuit," Takuya translated.
Kotone blinked, and then sighed. Great, so she couldn't just wear that one?
...
"Hey, Boss. What's wrong?"
Kotone looked up and saw Goro grinning at her. "Where did you come from?"
"Sewers," the eyepatch-wearing man said with a thumb at the open hole in the ground and the manhole cover sitting next to it. "But I could hear that sighing. Wanna go to karaoke and cheer up? I'll call Kazuma-chan~!"
Kotone looked at him, and then smiled. "Sure. But you have pick something besides that ridiculous song for once!"
Of course he didn't pick something else. He even danced to the ridiculous pop song too. Kotone buried her face in her hands and wished she didn't have to be seen in public with him. Next to her, Kazuma sighed and shook his head.
"Hey~ hey~ hey~!" With the song finally done, Goro sat down across from Kotone and grabbed his drink. He and Kazuma had ordered something alcoholic, though Kotone had been restricted to soda. "Ahh, nothing like a good song to get your blood boiling! So, Boss, feel like chatting yet?"
Kotone groaned. She'd hoped he'd forgotten... "I have to go shopping for a swimsuit tomorrow," she said. "And, I really don't know what looks good... Kazuma, you're a father, right? Can you give me advice?"
"Adoptive," he said. "That sort of thing..." Kotone frowned. Right, he thought that suit looked cool. So his fashion sense was less that great despite how stylish his daughter dressed. And she lived in a different city for work, so she couldn't ask for help.
She turned to ask Goro, then saw his snakeskin jacket and closed her mouth without a word.
"Why not ask that boy that likes you?" Kazuma asked, and Kotone blinked.
"That's... actually a great idea." She smiled and stood up. "Thanks for the advice. I'll tell him tomorrow."
...
June 7th
The bell rang to end the school day and all the others started to pack their books up to leave. Kazuto stood up to leave, and Kotone took the chance to let him know they were going to be busy tomorrow by reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. She wasn't sure why some of their classmates gasped loudly, but that didn't matter. After he asked if he could help her, Kotone told him exactly where and when to meet her tomorrow.
He blinked at her in surprise, but before he could say anything Strea squealed. "Oooh! Congratulations, Kazuto! Brave of you to do that right in front of your wife, but I'll support you anyway~." His wife? Kotone frowned. Kazuto was into her, not Strea, no matter how much the bubbly lavender-haired insisted.
"Darling~!" The cheerful voice came from the hallway. One of the Princesses of the school, Yuuna Shigemura, waved from the doorway. "Get over here! We have to taa~alk!"
Kotone let go of his arm and he walked over to his friend. As they walked out, Strea and that little fairy right behind them, she could hear Yuuna's voice floating back in through the door. "...have to wear something nice! I know that it's not..." Whatever Kazuto said she couldn't hear, but Yuuna was still loud enough for her to hear the reply to his comment. "Eh? No, Yui didn't tell me, and I didn't have a vision~. You can call it... An idol's intuition for a fashion emergency!"
That girl is weird. A heavy sigh from behind her made Kotone look, to see the other 'weird' girl in her class. Nijika had rested her head on the desk, without jostling the maid headdress she always wore. "No fair," she grumbled.
"Got a problem?" Kotone asked her. If there was something wrong, she'd love to help!
"Eep! N-N-Nothing!" Nijika bolted upright and waved her hands, then paused. "I, um... I guess, h-have fun, Takemiya?"
"...Got it." That was different, Kotone mused as she headed home with her bag slung over her shoulder. "Wonder why she's started talking to me all of a sudden."
...
June 8th
Kotone glanced at her watch. She'd made sure to tell him they were meeting at eleven in the morning, right? She had eaten breakfast with some of the guys at some nice diner, but then she'd needed to run home and get changed into a nicer outfit. Kotone had thought she would have plenty of time, but for some reason all of her nice clothes were buried behind the other things she wore more often. In the end, she'd picked out a nice green blouse that went well with one of her cuter skirts and headed out. It did mean she was running a little late for their meetup, though.
She did feel bad about it! Kazuto was just so interested in her and she couldn't even have the decency to be on time. How could she make it up to him?
"Sorry, did I make you wait long?"
Kazuto had been standing by the edge of the fountain, but as soon as Kotone called out he looked her way. His eyes widened and he looked around, but it was fine! Most of the people waiting nearby were friends of Kazuma and Goro, so even though they were watching the two it was okay.
Once he'd said hello, the two students made our way to the store Kazuma had told Kotone about. It was a little embarrassing to take a boy there, so she told Kazuto to wait outside until she called for him, and then went in to try finding some swimsuits. This was the first time she'd ever bought anything like that, so she just picked a few different things and brought them into the store. After she'd put on the first one, she called out, "Kazuto, get over here."
...Gah, switching out of that is always so disorienting!
'He hasn't said anything... He must be stunned by how it looks. But, maybe it doesn't fit me. This kind of cute thing isn't something I really wear. Maybe I shouldn't buy it?'
N-No, sorry! You look... really good, Kotone...
I scratched my cheek and deliberately fought down the blush that threatened my cheeks. Kotone had chosen to model a really cute two-piece swimsuit for me; it was dark blue with white polka dots, and a black bow right in the center of the top piece.
"O-Oh... Well, that's good," she said. "You should have just said something right away." Eek! Was she mad at me?! I know she's a nice person underneath all the rumors, but she's still a scary gang leader! "...Are you going to keep staring, or let me get changed into the next one?"
Sorry!
I whirled around and heard the changing room curtain slide closed again. Seriously, why was this happening to me...
'I bet he was trying to stare at my chest. He's a guy, but I wonder if I should let him, as a way to make up for being late this morning...'
No! Definitely not! My little sister will kill me if something like that happens!
A simple white top, with wave-patterned bottom. Totally blue all over, with ribbons of fabric wrapping around her chest and hips to highlight her abs. And finally, a white and blue ocean-like top, with a sarong tied off to the side that hid her thighs but revealed a tantalizing glimpse of one leg. Once she'd finally modeled every single one of them for me (and made me give an opinion on each), Kotone bought one and paid with cash. Cash... from her gang business?!
"Okay, now that I've got a swimsuit, let's walk around a bit," Kotone said. "There's a really nice outside mall I want to visit."
Another one? Make it stop! I've been dragged to a bunch of clothing stores by Yuuna before, and I don't want to lose the rest of the day to shopping! Okay... If it starts raining, we'll have to leave since the shops are all outside, right? Finally! A use for one of my most useless psychic powers, controlling the weather! It takes so long to properly control the rain that if I learn in the morning there's something I don't want to deal with in gym class, it was pointless to try to cancel class unless gym was at least after lunch! So, I'd still have to go to a few shops with Kotone... But if I started now and focused as much as I could, I'd probably be able to make it home to have dinner with Sugu!
It took a good minute or two of intense concentration, but eventually the weather patterns were moving in the right way. It would rain in about four hours, and the downpour would be heavy enough that we'd definitely have to go home. There'd be no way for Kotone to make me stay out on our date. N-Not that this was a date! Definitely not a date! No sir! Not me, on a date, not at all.
Definitely not a date, even if the next place Kotone led me to was a small cafe. "I really like this place," she said with a smile as the woman (who, thanks to my telepathy, I knew owned the shop) set out our drinks. "It's kinda out of the way, so when I found it... it was like finding a hidden treasure."
I can see that... It's pretty peaceful to eat here. The little cafe had a nice air to it, with sunlight pouring in through the windows and illuminating the little booths. It was pretty empty though, with only the owner running the place and no other customers. Maybe we just came at a bad time? Honestly, I like it better this way! Fewer people means that there's less pressure on my telepathy!
'Ahh, I suppose there are customers. I shall allow them to gaze upon my magnificent self.' "Mya!"
"Oh, look, Kirigaya," Kotone said as she stared at the counter. "It's a cat."
A cat? Sure enough, when I looked over, a cat had jumped up onto the counter and curled up in full view. It was a pretty plump tabby cat, and it looked a little bit familiar. Then again, it was a tabby cat, and they were pretty common. In fact, tabby cats were the most common type of cat in the world! (I had used my telepathy to listen into a biology lecture in college once while I was bored in high school, and they were discussing genetics or something like that.)
A few minutes went by, and Kotone sipped at her tea and I tried some of my fragrant coffee. It was a little bitter, but that had been solved easily by adjusting my taste buds a little bit with my psychic powers. After that, the bitterness was replaced by a sweet, chocolate flavor. The owner of the shop came back with a smile. "Sorry 'bout the wait," she said. "My daughter isn't here today, so I'm bouncin' back and forth. Yer usual, Kotone?"
"It's fine," Kotone said. "And that sounds great."
"Gotcha, gotcha. An' yer date?" I coughed awkwardly and looked away, and the owner smirked. "Sorry, my bad. An' yer guy friend?" 'Aww, they're adorable.'
Some of the pasta... f-fresh...cah?
"Pasta fresca fer ya, comin' right up." She snapped her notebook closed after scribbling a few things down and gave us a professional smile. "It'll be out soon as I can make it."
She glided away and Kotone peeked at me. 'He didn't mind being called my date... I knew it, he thinks this is a date! That means I'm doing a good job.' "I guess I come here a little too often, maybe... Well, the pasta is delicious."
Sounds great...
Kotone wasn't wrong, though. The pasta dish that the owner set out in front of me really was delicious. Our light conversation died away as the two of us got to work on our meals. Kotone's thoughts were appreciative of the dish she was eating, and it was wonderful to be able to eat a meal without having to pay attention to the weird mental images that come into people's minds when they eat my cooking. I could probably make this dish for Sugu, though. I wonder if she'd like it?
After we finished and paid (Kotone insisted on paying, and the owner grinned at me when the gang leader overrode my protests that I could pay) we stepped out back onto the street. "That was great," Kotone said as she stretched in very interesting ways. Her light shirt was sleeveless and showed off some of the impressive muscles she had. "Now, back to shopping. There's a nice clothes shop a few blocks away, so let's get going."
Sigh... My rain hasn't showed up yet, huh? Darn it! Get here, already!
'Those punks! Causing trouble on our turf!'
'When the boss hears about this, they're gonna be in a world of hurt!'
'I can't believe they trashed the convenience store. Now where are we gonna hang out?'
I knew the commotion was coming before we got there, but there was nothing I could do about it. What would I say? 'I don't want to go this way' to Kotone? That would be crazy! So, regretting everything about my powers like usual, I followed the girl down the street towards the cluster of loud, complaining thoughts. Eventually we came across an open parking lot with a group of tough-looking guys standing outside the ubiquitous sliding doors of any convenience store. Kotone frowned, and marched over to them.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Boss!" The men turned around. They were older than us, and wore ill-fitting suits with wrinkled shirts, but all of them still immediately straightened their backs when Kotone spoke to them sharply. "You're here!"
Kotone folded your arms. "I hope you're not disturbing any of the customers?"
"No way, not us, boss!"
"We'd never do that!"
"That was some other guys!"
Great. I can tell this is already going to be trouble. "Other guys?" Kotone repeated, and frowned. "What's going on?"
The group of thugs looked at each other for a bit, until one of them (a shorter, heavy-set guy with a bald head) answered her. "It was a group of some weirdos that busted in and started causing trouble," he said. "I was here to grab a snack, and then they ran in and started shouting about how they were powerful psychics and that the cashier had better empty the register."
"Psychics?" Kotone raised an eyebrow. "What, did they make a pen fly around or something?" Hey! That's a very respectable demonstration of psychic powers!
Baldy rubbed his head and adjusted his sunglasses. "Nah, boss. One of them held up his hand and made a flame appear. You know, like the kind you'd see from a lighter, except he didn't have anything!" Really? Just a lighter flame? I couldn't even try to make one that small, no matter how much I concentrated!
"And he didn't have some weird trick?"
"I didn't see anything," one of the taller men said. "And you know I'm a stage magician, boss. I would have seen through it if they were using a trick or sleight of hand or something like that."
Kotone shook her head. "It sounds unbelievable, but..." Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out. "What now?" 'Another of the guys is texting me? Wonder what's up... 'Boss, some group of whackjobs claiming to be psychic just trashed the bowling alley we go to!' ...Wait, they threatened Nugget?' The mental image that popped into Kotone's mind at that moment was incredible. It was a regular-looking bowling alley, except... there was just a chicken that sat on the entrance desk. Its name was Nugget, according to the nametag on its collar. There wasn't anything special about Nugget. It was just a totally, perfectly normal chicken.
*Crack.*
"Unforgivable..." Kotone growled. I jumped when I realized that the cracking sound I'd just heard was the girl's phone case. She cracked it with her anger! "Unforgivable! To target poor Nugget like that! He could have gotten hurt!" 'And I wanted to take Kazuto there later to teach him to bowl. It'd would have been so much fun to make sure his form was correct, and when he got it wrong I could have stood behind him and guided his hands. That would have been amazing... heheheh...' Get your mind out of the gutter, Kotone! And why are you so interested in that, anyway?! I can hear your thoughts!
She whirled to look at me. "Sorry, Kazuto. I wanted to go to that shop, but there's something I have to do." ...I already know I'm going to regret this, but...
Do you mind if I come with you?
If there really are psychics causing trouble, I should probably help take care of things. I don't want my city to turn into a PvP zone, even if I'm indisputably the top of the rankings. 'He wants to stay with me? I guess I can't say no and break his heart,' Kotone thought. "Fine, but stay close. I'll take care of you."
Sure. Thanks...
I don't need your protection! But it's not like I could explain that to her. So, the two of us headed off in a different direction after Kotone gave the guys outside the convenience store strict orders to keep an eye on the place and text her if the thieves returned. Though, the direction wasn't towards the bowling alley like I thought. "There's somebody I need to talk to first," Kotone said. "Since those jerks didn't stick around the bowling alley, I have no idea where they went. I've gotta find them first." Oh, she's going to her info broker. I swear, if we somehow run into Kana because of this... She's never going to let me hear the end of it.
Kotone found one of the nearby apartment buildings and double-checked the address before climbing the stairs to the second of three floors. She walked three doors down, then knocked on the door briskly. Thanks to my enhanced physical abilities, I heard a few heavy footsteps from inside the apartment right before the door cracked open. "Yeah? Whaddaya want?" A massive mountain of a man stood in the doorframe. I'd only ever been threatened by a mountain in SAO before (some of the Floor bosses were weird) but it felt a lot like standing here and staring up at this man with huge muscles, myriad white scars on his fingers, and tattoos covering his shoulders.
"Yo," Kotone said. Wait, was this her contact?! He's terrifying!
"Souta? Don't block the door, young man! You let the boss in right now, you hear me?"
"S-Sorry, grandma!" Eh? What? "Come on in, please." And why is he being so polite now?
Kotone didn't even seem surprised as she stepped inside. I followed her lead and did the same thing, just as an older woman walked around the corner. "Hello, dear," the woman said. "Would you prefer peanut butter cookies, or chocolate chip?"
"Sorry, auntie," Kotone said. "I'm here on business."
"Oh, I know that, boss," the old lady said with a click of her tongue. "But you and your date can certainly take some cookies with you to share on the way. Now, chocolate chip, or peanut butter?"
Kotone smiled. "Chocolate chip, please."
Wait, THIS was her contact? The info broker that was going to tell us where to find those psychics was... this old lady? Even with my psychic powers, I didn't see this coming! "Just a moment then, and I'll have them bagged up for you two. Now, you're here about those hooligans causing trouble in town today, yes?"
"That's right," Kotone said. How does this old lady know - you know what, I'm just going to accept that this is some sort of ridiculous plot twist and go with it. It's to be expected, from this garbage author. "You know where they are, then? I knew you'd have heard about it."
The old lady chuckled quietly. "Oh, I just hear things from my friends," she said. "You be careful with them, little boss. They've been sitting in a food court and bragging all about the places they hit this morning."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. They're the ones that'll be in trouble."
"Confident, are we? Well, you take care of yourself. I don't want to hear any stories about a silly girl who got herself banged up in tomorrow's newspaper. Now, take your snacks and be on your way, dears."
It's still kinda surreal how the little old lady is apparently one of Kotone's gang members. ...But the cookies were freshly baked and super delicious. I'll try to make sure I save some for Sugu when I get back home.
We walked out of the apartment building, and Kotone stalked down the sidewalk. A few unfortunate pedestrians found themselves in her path, and... 'Whoa! That girl is scary!' 'G-Gotta get out of her way...' 'This kid's just a high school girl, why am I s-scared of her?'
Yeah. Sorry, random pedestrians. You have to suffer to reinforce just how scary Kotone is, and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Kotone reached into her pocket (after eating the cookies that nice old lady gave us and throwing the bag out in a nearby trashcan, of course) and pulled out a pair of leather gloves. 'If I'm going to be doing some dirty work, then I've gotta wear these gloves Saori made me...' W-Wait, you don't need to go that far, do you?! Those gloves won't keep your fingerprints off of the crime scene!
Saori may be good at sewing, but everything she made reflected the girl's... 'skewed' sense of fashion. I definitely recognized the style of gloves Kotone was pulling on, and while they were made with nice leather they were fingerless gloves! When you commit a crime, you can't leave any evidence. Though, I guess I can always destroy the place and then rewind time to erase any hint we were there...
It'll really be a pain though, so please try to use the Sneak skill while we're there!
...
The food court in the mall was fairly empty, thanks to a conspicuous group of loudly laughing jerks that had taken over the center of the court. They'd dragged over a few other tables and chairs so they could all sit together, and nobody else nearby was saying anything. Most of the other patrons had left, and I knew the few that were left wouldn't last long thanks to their thoughts.
'I want to finish eating as soon as possible to get out of here...'
'What kind of people do they think they are?! I have half a mind to go over there and say something! But then I'd be late for my meeting, so someone else will have to do it.'
'Okay, I'm done eating, so I'm leaving right now!'
Kotone looked like she wanted to run right up and start yelling at the thugs that were causing trouble, but I reached out and caught her sleeve before she could start punching people.
Let's listen to them first. They might not be the right group, right?
"I guess we can sit down for a bit..." 'He must be nervous. I wouldn't do anything to worry him, so it's not that big a deal.'
Just as we were about to walk into the main area of the food court, the guys' voices drifted out to us. It was really a lucky break that they did, too, since it allowed us to hear something very interesting.
"Hey, uh, I'm glad we're having fun, but aren't we supposed to be looking for someone?"
"Relax. That guy told us we'll run into him sooner or later by causing trouble. We know what he looks like, after all."
"Mm... We sure do~."
"Here we go..."
"What? I'm just saying, black hair, high school, cute face? This Kirigaya kid sure sounds fun to play around with."
I didn't blush thanks to my powers, but I was sure glad I heard the conversation between two guys and a girl chatting loudly (while the others around them were busy stuffing their faces). After all, if I hadn't, we would have walked right in there and been seen by them all. Kotone grabbed my arm instead and tugged me back so that we were out of sight.
'That girl had better keep her hands off of him!' "Sounds like they're looking for you," Kotone said. "Do I have to take care of anything? Do you know what's going on?" 'If he's in trouble at all, I'll do anything to keep him safe, because that's what I should do!'
No, I have no idea.
That was a bold lie, naturally. Whoever these psychics were, they were looking for me and knew who they were looking for. And naturally, this would be because of my troublesome status as a main character in this story. I don't know the exact specifics of who they were talking about that had described me, or why I'd be interesting to anyone in particular, but those details didn't matter very much. What really mattered was that there was nothing Kotone could do to really help, and if she tried, she might be putting herself in danger.
Besides, nobody should know about my psychic powers, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were after me because of my abilities.
"Well, whatever. We can't go in there if they're looking for you. Unless..."
Kotone, what is that look in your eyes? I don't like that look, I saw that look in Yuuna's eyes right after she told me I had to transform into my girl form. That look never means good things.
Kotone hummed in thought as she stared at my face. I shifted awkwardly and looked to the side, so that my X-ray vision wouldn't activate. She was a cute girl, but I didn't want to stare at her brain. I'm sure it was a nice brain, though. "They only mentioned a few things. We can't do anything about your cute face, but maybe -" Wait hang on, what was that about my face? "We might be able to change your hair, and... age."
No, no, go back, what did she say about my face?
"Hmm... I know." Kotone smiled at me. "How do you feel about being my little brother for a few hours?"
...What does that have to do with changing my look?
"Easy. I know a guy that has some blond hair dye, so we can color your hair to match mine. And if you dress in the right clothes, I bet you can pass a year younger. So, my little brother."
That's... actually not a bad idea, Kotone.
If I were by myself, I'd just transform, but that won't work with Kotone around. I hate to say it, but her idea's probably the best one if we're gonna do something about these guys. I could always go find something to throw around, or maybe just walk up to them and use my full strength to take them all out. Then I could use my memory erasing to clean up any witnesses, and reverse time for the mall itself to get rid of the rubble?
No, that won't work. They still know what I look like. Plus, they're all right here. I could use my telepathy to track them down one at a time when there are no witnesses and scare them off, but that sounds like a lot of pain.
...Oh, whatever. Screw it. If I'm just going to sit here and fuss over which psychic powers I should use, then I'll just take the most direct path. If Sugu can do it, so can I.
"H-Hey, wait!" Kotone reached for me when I walked past her. "Kazuto!" 'Oh no, is he trying to show off? Don't do that! I already like you more than enough already!'
"Um, excuse me, you're disturbing everyone. Could you keep it down, maybe?"
...Oh no.
"Hah! Look at this! Some maid chick's trying to talk big to us!"
I groaned and smacked my forehead, then dragged my hand down slowly. Seriously? Now, of all times? Why do things have to suddenly escalate! Naturally, I could see what was happening even though I was behind the wall thanks to my X-ray vision.
The maid girl was a cute high school girl with long silver hair. Or, in other words, Nijika. She was dressed in a longer maid outfit, not the skirt that her idol shows usually put on; but it was still impossible to mistake her for anyone else. She must have been working at one of the food stands next by - I think I remember her thinking (or maybe talking) about how she had decided to get back to singing in the streets. This must have been the place she was singing at today!
Nijika's polite smile twitched when the delinquent called her a 'maid chick', but she didn't react other than that. Her restraint is admirable!
"I'm really sorry to disturb you, but please, it's difficult to -"
"Ya hear that?" Now that I was getting a closer look, there were five or six of them. One guy was pretty heavy, and another was way handsomer than he had any right to be, but other than those two and the girl sitting next to them, they all looked like pretty stereotypical delinquents. The kind of person who was a background character in the mob scene, or the type that would only jump into beating up someone after the boss had taken them down already. That kind of person. "Miss Maid wants us to do something!"
"I thought it was maids that're supposed to serve us, ain't that right?"
Nijika's eye twitched. "Don't disrespect maids, please. They work far harder than you or your friends know."
One of the thugs wearing sunglasses (c'mon, how cliché can you get? We're indoors!) frowned and leaned forward. "What was that, girl?" he growled. "Big words coming from some chick wearing a crappy maid cosplay. The heck did you get those clothes, anyway? The dumpster? Maybe I should rip 'em up, give you something to sew when you get home!"
*Crunch.*
Uh oh. I don't know exactly what he said that set her off, but now Nijika was pissed. She had been holding onto the edge of a table. The use of past tense there, by the way? Totally on purpose, and a hundred percent accurate. Currently, the table was missing a chunk of its wooden edge; the part that was missing had been pulverized by Nijika's clenched fist. Dust trickled out from between her fingers.
"What. Did you just say. About my clothes?" Nijika asked very, very slowly.
If any of the psychics could read minds, they would have run away immediately. It was a non-stop flood of 'DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE' pouring out of Nijika. Honestly, the killing intent she was giving off should have been a giveaway even if they couldn't read minds.
"Let me say this right now. I really hate fighting," Nijika said, and I blinked. I thought she would have... "My little sister made these clothes for me. It's not a stretch of the imagination to say that she's the most precious thing in the world to me, even above my own life. And by threatening my clothes, you're threatening my sister, right? And in situations like this, that means as the big sister, I have to protect her, right? Which means that whatever happens next, is your fault, right?!"
"Kazuto, hold on-" Kotone grabbed my shoulder, then peeked around the corner. Her eyes widened and she ducked back behind the wall just as a table flew by and smashed into the wall. Fortunately, there wasn't a shop back there, or something bad might have happened. "Holy shit, was that Karatachi? How did she do that?"
"Rraaaagh!"
"Fuck, that girl's crazy!"
"Shit shit shit get outta here!"
"I won't let you get awaaaaay!"
I winced. She'd just picked up the fat guy and chucked him at the psychic thugs who were running. At least she bowled a strike?
"Nobody threatens my sister and gets away with it!"
'Fuck, my pyrokinesis won't help here! It won't - aaaaagh!'
Kotone peeked around the corner again when the sounds of smashing died down, and let out a quiet whistle. "Didn't know she had it in her. Not gonna lie, that was cool."
"Eh? Who's there?" Nijika straightened up, and then looked around. "Oh no, I did it again..."
H-Hey, Nijika. Calmer, now?
The maid girl blinked, and then smiled. 'Hooray! It's Kazuto! ...Oh no! He saw me destroy everything, this is awful!' "Hi, Kazuto... Ah! Takemiya! I didn't know you were here too."
"Yeah, I'm going around with Kazuto today," Kotone said, and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "You really did a number on this place, huh?"
That was an understatement. The floor tiles were cracked and dented, with a few craters littering the food court. Tables were smashed to bits and a few metal chairs had been transformed into modern art exhibits. Surprisingly enough, vending machines were lying around, folded in half. Had... Had she thrown them around or punched them at people?!
"I, um..." 'Oh no, oh no no no, this is bad! Takemiya really is taking him out on a date! I'd hoped I was misunderstanding, but here they are walking around in the mall together. And I revealed my strength in front of someone like her... Is she going to blackmail me? I can't join a gang, I have a job as an idol! M-Maybe she'll be satisfied if I buy her snacks and drinks? Ohhh, I hope she's fine with that.'
Nijika, breathe! ...I mean, stop thinking so quickly for a second. Kotone really isn't that kind of girl, you know? I guess nobody knows, and that's the problem.
After looking around, Kotone grinned. "Thanks for taking care of them," she said. "They've been causing trouble in town for some people I know, so you just saved me the trouble of dealing with them myself. And hey! That was really cool, how you took them out."
Nijika blinked slowly. "Um... Aren't you... scared?"
"Scared? Of what?"
"Of my strength...?" She poked her fingers together.
Kotone shrugged one shoulder. "Eh. One of my guys has lifted a whole cannon before. While it was loaded. So really, you're pretty normal to me, right, Karatachi."
"O-Oh..." Nijika ducked her head. 'What am I doing? She's really cool...!' Why are there sparkles surrounding Kotone in your mental picture of her suddenly? Nijika?! "Um... Call me Nijika!"
Kotone stared at her. "Huh?"
"Well, y-you know my secret, and you seem like you're a nice person, so... let's be friends!"
"...Guess there's a reason Kazuto likes you, huh? Gotcha. Let's be friends, Nijika. So, you can call me Kotone."
"Sure thing, Kotone!"
Nijika giggled and smiled at Kotone. The girls had bonded pretty quick, huh? Well, I'm glad that they're friends for real now.
After a second, Kotone glanced at her phone. "Okay. We gotta get going if we want to get out of here before people come to ask awkward questions."
"Right," Nijika said. "Darn, I was really hoping to sing today... Maybe there's another street out there." 'I don't want to leave them alone, but... I told Nanairo I was going to sing today, and I can't break my promise to my little sister. I guess I'll have to get all the details from Kazuto on Monday... Prepare yourself, Kazuto! I'm going to grill you until even Kana couldn't get anything more!'
This might be a disaster.
Nijika waved goodbye and went her separate way. "Hmm, it's starting to get a little late," Kotone murmured as she stared at the sky. "I really wanted to get a lot more done, but we got what we needed. You wanna stop somewhere and get dinner?"
Hmm... It was after seven at night, now, and Sugu would probably have already eaten since I told her I'd probably be gone all day. Getting dinner did kinda sound good, since I didn't really feel like making some pasta when I got home.
So, I nodded, and Kotone grinned. "Great! I know this good chicken place nearby. I go there all the time, since it's close to where I live."
...
Mmm... Full...
I ate a lot of chicken there, and we split the bill. Kotone knew the cook, though, so I think we got a few extra pieces of chicken. Either that, or the meal there was really cheap for how much food was on the plates. Either way, I'm full and probably will be for a bit.
Kotone raised her arms and stretched, then lowered them behind her and arched her back. I looked away from her, since those poses were doing, uh, interesting things. "Mmm... Been a while since I've had some good chicken. Thanks for giving me an excuse to go there again, Kazuto."
No problem.
*Kra-koom!*
"Huh!?" Kotone jumped at the loud rumble of thunder that followed a bright blinding flash of lightning. "Whoa, that's weird. There wasn't supposed to be any rain today, was there?"
Wait... No! This was the rain that I'd called earlier. Naturally, it arrived too late to be useful, and -
The rain started pouring down without any further warning, and both Kotone and I were drenched in seconds. The girl let out a squawk of unhappy surprise and lifted her arms over her head. "I don't have an umbrella," she shouted over the roar of the rain. "My house is close by, though! Let's run!"
I can just go to the station, it's -
"C'mon, let's go!" Kotone's arm closed around my wrist and she started running. Ughhh! There's no way I can teleport away now, and she's going to tug me along until I go along with her, so... Damn it!
The house Kotone led me to wasn't too far away, like she'd promised, but with how heavily it was raining we were both soaked to the bone. Water pooled at our feet when we took our shoes off, and Kotone glared at me when I started to walk onto the wooden floor. "Wait there," she said, and ran into the house herself.
It was a pretty small apartment. Kotone's shoes were sitting by the entrance, and from where I was standing under her orders I could see a few rooms. There weren't that many paintings or decorations hanging around, but the few that were there were pretty nice. I bet her gang members collected some of them for tribute. What was really weird was I didn't see any pictures of family or anything like that. Did she live...
"Here," Kotone said. She came back with a few towels in her hands. "Let me towel you off, then you can go take a quick bath to warm up."
A bath? I don't need to take one, really...
"Sit still." She grabbed one of the towels and started rubbing my hair dry. "If you don't warm up, you'll definitely catch a cold." I grumbled under my breath, but I had no choice but to let her take care of me. "I'll take a bath after you're done, so I can toss your clothes into the dryer for you."
I... Oh, fine.
Once she was satisfied I wouldn't drip on the floor, Kotone showed me where the bath was and left me alone so I could get changed in privacy. I heard a thump from the other side of the door, which must have been from her leaning against the wall. "Leave your clothes in the laundry basket and put it by the door," she said through the door. "Once you're in the bath, I'll grab them and run the dryer for you."
Yeah, sure, thanks. What about while they're drying? It won't take me that long to take a bath.
"Hmm... It's really raining hard and doesn't seem like it's gonna stop soon. You'll have to stay the night."
What?!
"Something wrong? ...Anyway, I'm not gonna let you go out and get yourself sick after taking the trouble to get you here." 'W-wait, what if he's expecting me to come in and offer to wash his back? Or, or share the bed together? We've only been on one date, but... maybe if he asked, I wouldn't mind sleeping next to him... And he's a guest, so if he asks, I guess I wouldn't mind washing his back for him...' What are you thinking about, Kotone?! Like I'd ask you to do something like that!
"I'll grab some of my pajamas for you," Kotone said. "Sorry, but you'll have to make do. Enjoy the bath, okay?"
Grr... Fine, I'll enjoy it...
Once I was out of the bath, I saw the pile of white clothes Kotone had placed inside the room for me, and I quickly dressed in them. I fussed at my temporary clothes. Why couldn't I wear something manlier? It's not like I minded being a girl from time to time, but there was something weird about wearing girl's pajamas while still being a boy! Plus, they were a little tight in some places, and really loose in others... And they had pink hearts on them. At least she hadn't added underwear to the pile. Instead, she must have dried my underwear separately so it was ready.
Kotone's room was way, uh, way more feminine that I anticipated at first. I was thinking she'd have a sword mounted on the wall, maybe some dumbbells and a punching bag? Nope. Instead, it was a regular high-school girl's room. There was a cute rug by the small table, and a stuffed bunny rabbit sitting next to a picture of flowers on her dresser. Her school bag sat under a corkboard with reminders pinned up on it - I saw a calendar with a few reminders in different colors, and today's date was circled a few times.
There was also a little treasure chest sitting on the nightstand next to her bed. The top was propped open to show a digital clock, which was a nice little touch.
"You can take the bed. I'll sleep out -" I shook my head to cut her off.
No way, I'm the guest. I can take the couch or sleep on the floor or something.
(Besides, my little sister will probably find a way to actually kill me if she realizes I slept in another girl's bed.)
Ack! Speaking of my little sister... She's probably freaking out right now! I grabbed my phone and winced at the number of missed texts from her. I shot off a quick text to Sugu to apologize and explain that I was doing something with Yuuna, then we'd gotten caught in the rain and she insisted that I stay the night at her place.
Then I hurriedly texted Yuuna explaining what I'd said to Sugu. Sorry, Yuuna, please forgive me for using you like this. And please play along!
When I got Yuuna's text in reply saying she didn't mind at all (and that I was welcome to actually stay the night whenever I wanted, with a winking emoji) I heaved a sigh of relief. That bomb was defused...
"Kazuto?" Kotone asked. "You don't mind sleeping in the guest room, right?"
Th-That's fine! Really, I'd feel bad about putting you out after you've gone to all this trouble...
'I guess that's good. If he had a problem, then we'd have no choice but to sleep in the same bed.'
And why is that your go-to decision!?
The chirping birds woke me up, which was a nice surprise. Usually, Sugu's kendo practice disturbed most of the birds nesting nearby, so I never got to wake up to birdsong. It was really kinda nice, but it meant that... Huh?
I sat up and looked around the room. It was really confusing for a second, but I shook the sleep away and realized why the room seemed so unfamiliar. This was Kotone's guest room, and I'd stayed the night thanks to her firm insistence I don't go out in the sudden rainstorm.
Stupid psychic powers. See, I told you that they were useless! They didn't keep me out of trouble, and if anything, they got me in more trouble! Now I owe Yuuna a favor!
...Stupid powers.
I wandered out of the bedroom and stretched in the hallway. Kotone's room was right across from me, right? ...It's amazing how well I can sleep when I don't have to worry about my little sister pouncing on me in the middle of the night! I feel totally refreshed. I'll go make some coffee to show my host my appreciation.
After the coffee brewed, I sat at the kitchen table and sipped at the steaming cup in front of me. Judging by her thoughts, Kotone had woken up as the smell filled the small apartment, and would be walking out very soon.
...
Kotone Takemiya has a very simple morning routine. When she wakes up, the very first thing she does is come into the kitchen and get a glass of water. Then, she'll go to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and brush her hair, which had gotten a little messy after a night of sleeping. After that is a very simple breakfast - a slice of buttered toast and some fish and rice - before she goes to brush her teeth properly. Only then will she get changed out of her pajamas and into whatever clothes she'd chosen for the day.
How do I know all of this, you ask? Well, it's a very simple answer. I sat at the kitchen table and watched her stumble around like a zombie for the better part of nearly an hour. I said 'good morning', but I'm pretty sure she didn't even realize I was there until a good ten minutes had passed into her breakfast.
At least her cheeks turned a cute shade of pink when she blushed and apologized for not making me something to eat.
"Thanks for... going out with me, yesterday," Kotone said as we sat in her room. "And sorry if I was pushy or anything like that."
No way, you were great. And thanks for letting me stay the night, I hope I wasn't a bother.
Kotone hugged her knees to her chest and smiled. "Don't worry about staying in the guest room. Mom and Dad are on travel this week, so it's just me in the house. It was getting a little lonely, so thanks for staying." I scratched my cheek.
I'm glad you didn't mind?
'He didn't even try to sneak into my room at all. I prepared my heart for nothing...' Aaaaand on that note I'm going to say my farewells and leave.
See you at school tomorrow, Kotone.
"Alright, bye Kazuto."
Kotone Takemiya really was a nice girl, even if she was a little scary sometimes.
...
My little sister, on the other hand, wasn't.
"You really worried me, Kazuto," Sugu said, her hands on her hips as she glared at me from the entrance to our house. "You didn't think to text me until after eight at night!"
Sorry, sorry.
"So you're going to make it up to me today. We're gonna go practice in the dojo for a few hours, and then we're gonna watch some movies together." 'And I picked out some really scary ones, so I can go bug him to sleep in my room with me tonight. It'll be amazing~! I'll get to snuggle up with my beloved Kazuto!' Sigh. The things I put up with...
Right, let me go get changed really quick and we'll get started, Sugu.
I like Kotone, she's nice. Plus it's fun to have the story pay attention to a secondary character instead of one of the main girls, right?
Also, problems? Antagonists? In my harem comedy? It's more likely than you think! But it's okay, because they made a mistake and irritated Nijika. She handled things quite well by herself.
Anyway, Kazuto tends to cause his own problems and it's fun. In this case, it's the weather control power that's definitely useful and not an excuse for me to get him alone with Kotone for the evening. Not that anything happened, except for Kazuto having to wear slightly embarrassing pajamas (not that anyone saw, except maybe Kana) and also his little sister getting mad at him. So in other news, business as usual.
Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.