Preface: with everything that's happening in the world, I've decided to take a happier, more relaxed route with what I've been writing. To that end, what's happier and more relaxed than checking in with our favorite lovebirds? Consider this, from now on, a series of somewhat, only distantly-connected one-shot stories, still set in the unofficial canon of Times Change.
As always, I own nothing.
The tall, chain-link fence surrounding the outer perimeter of her closest friend's high school seemed like a convenient place to stand and wait about. Tokiwadai Middle School's classes ended approximately a half hour before this high school's did, which, by middle school standards, was still extraordinarily long.
Still, as a student of Tokiwadai Middle School, Shokuhou Misaki couldn't help but feel just a bit singled out. She stood out like a sore thumb, and she constantly received gazes. Some seemingly envious in nature, originating from other girls, perhaps those from less prestigious schools, some seemingly lustful, obviously originating from the many, many boys who walked the streets of Academy City's seventh school district at this hour.
Quite frankly, beyond the School Garden, Misaki was out of her element.
Still, spending as much time as she could with him topped any of her other, less important feelings. Even fifteen minutes out of an entire day would keep leave her filled, overflowing in fact, with positivity for weeks on end. There was something about that boy, something about him that made her very soul soar when she so much as glanced at him.
It was then, torn from her thoughts and returning to reality, that Shokuhou Misaki found herself beneath the combined shadow of two much larger, much stronger individuals…
"Kami-yaaaaaaan! Gonna meet up with your cute girlfriend again and ditch us?!"
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"
What rotten luck. It seemed everyone arrived at the same conclusion; he and Shokuhou Misaki, "Tokiwadai's Queen", the fifth-ranked level five esper, were not only cohorts, but an item. Even Beauty-Senpai had fallen for such trickery, approaching him on several occasions and grilling him quite intensely on the matter.
What were they thinking? Were these people, all of them, out of their minds?
How could someone like him, a lowly, perpetually-broke level zero with very few redeeming qualities and a completely, utterly, stunningly ordinary outward appearance possibly, possibly ever even dream to associate with a girl like Shokuhou romantically?
That's how Kamijou Touma assessed the situation.
"But, Kami-yan! It's obvious! You can't keep hiding your dirty little secret forever! Are you afraid of angering the rest of your harem?"
That remark, spouted off by the blue-haired boy, "BLAU", or "Aogami Pierce" as Touma better knew him – for better or for worse – by, was enough to cause the spiky-haired high school boy to clench his right hand into a tightened fist.
"You're asking for it, AOGAAMMIIIII!"
Pierce quickly placed an arm around Kamijou's shoulders, and pulled him into a friendly embrace; one so friendly, in fact, that Kamijou himself struggled to squirm his way out of it.
"You're like one of those protagonists from a love sim VN, Kami-yan! You can't hit me! It's not in your nature!"
"I already did, and I'll do it again! Damn it, AOGAMI! Let me go!"
Briefly, "BLAU" was reminded of the pummeling he'd received after Kamijou had learned of the 'incident' surrounding his controversial handing out of certain, interesting, dream-inducing cards. Some of which had featured lewd imaginings of the female level fives, Shokuhou Misaki included.
Aogami's entire face throbbed for a few moments, as if to further remind him of exactly what Kamijou Touma was truly capable of, when he genuinely, unironically, became enraged.
After finally freeing himself from Aogami's grip, Kamijou grumbled something about "misfortune" under his breath before stomping off, across the hall and towards the front entrance of the high school. Both Aogami Pierce and his co-conspirator, the blonde-haired boy in the tinted sunglasses, always with that shit-eating grin smeared across his face, Tsuchimikado Motoharu waved him off.
"If the harem finds out, you can always come stay with me in the bakery, Kami-yan! I'll make room!"
"SHUT! UP!"
After Kamijou had turned a corner, Tsuchimikado narrowed the distance between himself and his blue haired comrade.
"Oi. Aogami. Are we too rough with Kami-yan?"
"Nah. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Just thinking."
Already frustrated – not only with the antics of his Delta Force 'frenemies' – for certain lack of a better term for the two dunderheads – but with his overall poor educational experiences, limited not only to the current day, but to the very aspect of it in general, not to mention the prospect of returning home to a demanding, hungry, nagging Index, and trying to hide all of his woes from the person he was genuinely fond of, it would've come as a surprise to no one who was aware of the boy's mental state that, upon seeing two broad-shouldered, tall, and muscled thuggish types standing before his friend, his first reaction was to break into a sudden run, fists clenched.
"You'd better not have touched a hair on her head! Bastards… ARGH! Jeez! Such rotten luuucckkkk!"
Yet, as he closed the distance between himself and his blonde-haired companion, he caught wind of his companion's interactions with those tall, towering thugs.
Clad in sagging denim pants and tight-fitting leather jackets, both equipped with shoulder pads studded with jutting, seemingly genuine metallic spikes, their strong-sculped, heavily-lined faces looked like nothing but trouble.
"Erm… Tasu… Kete… Kuda… Sai."
"Yeah. Uhh… So, uh… ari…gato? Kawaii?"
The two appeared to be staring down at a small booklet one held in his hands.
Giggling, Misaki folded her arms politely behind her back.
"I can speak English. My school teaches us. You're lost? Where were you headed?"
"Hallelujah!" One of the two proclaimed excitedly. "I'm Nick. This is my brother, Mick."
Without interruption, Mick offered a silent wave.
"We're lost. Academy City is hosting the annual "Thug Cosplay Convention" this year, but we can't find it. It's in some place outside the… erm… Dia-noid."
"Ah! The Dianoid!" Misaki exclaimed in recollection. "It's a mall, in the fifteenth school district. Quite possibly the largest structure in the district. You can't miss it."
Nick scribbled some notes in the booklet shared by he and his brother, while Mick took in the scenery. Once they were finished, they each bowed deeply, to which Misaki responded politely in kind.
"Thank you, miss! We'll be on our way!"
"Yeah! Thanks, lady! Can't be late! After the convention, we have to make a charitable donation to the Academy City Cancer Society."
As the two tall, brutish-looking men departed, Misaki heard a whisper in her ear.
"Can't judge books by their covers, huh?"
Starting, Tokiwadai's Queen soon calmed, as she realized just who had taken to standing behind her.
"Kamijou-san! You startled me," the Queen confessed with a sigh. "It's so wonderful to see you."
Taking the boy's arm into her own, wrapping both around the muscled limb, her glowing, starry eyes stared up at those of her Prince.
He really wouldn't ever truly know just how much she adored him.
"How was your day, today?"
Though, despite her desire to cling to the boy forever and ever, Misaki knew well enough how to take a hint. She could visibly detect his discomfort, and so she relented, instead walking at his side as the two made their way in departure from the high school.
He shrugged, seemingly indifferent. With his handbag tossed over his shoulder, Misaki took in for a moment just how utterly exhausted the boy looked. She could see it in the darkening bags beneath his eyes, and the paleness in his face.
"The usual. This Kamijou-san just can't seem to ever catch a break. I bet yours was a lot better, rich girl. How much tea did you sip?"
She giggled aloud.
It was so, so refreshing to be treated like a normal person. Not like some living god walking on the Earth. She had a soft spot in her heart, for all of her friends, yet, their devotion to her was unwavering. To a fault.
Maybe that was just one among billions of different, unique reasons why Shokuhou Misaki loved this boy so very much. She couldn't have known it, not visibly, but her cheeks had become bright, scarlet red.
"I love you, Kamijou-san. I wish to spend the rest of eternity with you."
She bit her lip, struggling to keep those words from spilling out of her mouth.
Some day. But today was not that day.
For the moment, Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma would continue to be "close friends".
