This chapter took a little longer then I originally planned to finish because I was busy most of the weekend. New Magic the Gathering series released and plenty of tournaments. Anyway, a lot of people were obviously looking forward to the interview and I definitely had fun writing it. Lot of people I want to reply back to their comments today. A couple people I replied to privately because of possible spoilers to some questions.
Guest (Who asked about the sin marks): Those are all good questions.
Guest (Who mentioned Sphynx): Dang, how did you know? I didn't even mention him yet. Now I have to rewrite everything.
Handsomistic1: Got to hate Japanese games that don't come out in other languages, such misfortune.
general ironox: You know it, but I was pretty obvious about it. I really look forward to writing it.
FireDusk: "Ah, so much love in the air...and hatred" I love this comment for the last chapter.
Anyway, no one likes to hear me talk so onwards to Touma's misfortune, enjoy everyone.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters.
Touma was dragged out of the building by Mikoto. He didn't get a chance to talk because Kuroko was teleporting herself and the unconscious guy right behind them. When they got out of the building, Kuroko pulled out her phone and called Anti-Skill. Mikoto continued to pull Touma until they were out of earshot. They stopped and Touma gulped because Mikoto was staring daggers at him. The silence lengthened and sweat started to form on his brow. He wasn't sure what to say, but decided on his fall back. He clasped his hand together in front of him, bowed, and said, "I'm really sorry Mikoto."
"Huh?" Mikoto said looking surprised.
"I didn't mean to kiss you last night," Touma kept apologizing. "I was just trying to catch you and I fell. I didn't mean to force you,"
That idiot, I'm mad at him for kissing the other girls, Mikoto thought. Of course, she couldn't really tell him that, it was too embarrassing for her. "I… may have overreacted," Mikoto mumbled. I can't stay mad at him when he is apologizing so sincerely." I accept your apology."
"This may be as good as time as ever then," Touma said looking at her. She tilted her head slightly to the side looking confused. "A while back Jason, Accelerator, I, and some of our friends form school were participating in a contest for a new electronic game."
"Kagere-san mentioned that once before," Mikoto said thinking. "He didn't tell us what game it was though. So it was it one of 'those' types of games?" She looked at him smirking slightly.
"Of course not," Touma said quickly. "It was just a normal game. Well, this surprised us all, I won the contest."
"You won a contest?" Mikoto gasped overdramatically. "With your luck? Is the world coming to an end?" She couldn't keep the amused look off her face.
"Very funny," Touma said rolling his eyes, but he couldn't resist smiling either. "Well the prize is a week's vacation for me and friends. I don't know how many people I can bring, but I want to try to bring everyone who helped me against the magic organization, along with a couple of my classmates. It would be during Golden Week."
Mikoto blushed furiously. He's inviting me to a trip with him? Think Mikoto, he just meant as friends with everyone else. But if I go with him, maybe I'll have time to spend alone with him. Maybe even the same room…. Bad, don't think those things. To distract her from her thoughts she asked, "Where were you planning to go?"
"I don't know yet," Touma admitted. "I was planning to decide by tomorrow since I'm being forced to be interviewed about this then." He sighed and looked at the ground. "I don't want to be on television. Jason and my idiotic friends thought it would be funny to register my score under Kami." He looked up when he heard Mikoto snicker.
"So," snicker, "you are going to interview," snicker, "As the level 5 Kami from the tournament?" Mikoto asked between laughs.
"Don't laugh at my misfortune," Touma told her, but that just made her laugh more.
"It's something I'm forced to do a lot," Mikoto shrugged. "You just answer a couple questions and try not to think about the people watching you."
"I rather not be watched by people at all," Touma said depressed. "We can't all be as amazing as you."
"What kind of person do you think I…?" Mikoto started to say slightly annoyed when she was interrupted by Jason rushing out of the building pushing the woman in the wheelchair.
"You guys will want to clear the area," Jason yelled out as he rushed by.
"Why?" Touma and Mikoto asked simultaneously.
"I accidently trigger the self-destruct switch," Jason called back. That got their attention and they all ran away from the building. Kuroko, of course, brought the man to safety. The explosion was big enough to collapse the building, but not large enough to damage the other nearby structures. Lots of dirt and dust covered the street and a pillar of smoke launched into the sky. Shortly afterwards, a couple of Anti-Skill vans showed up. Jason and Kuroko did most of the talking, but Mikoto and Touma had to give their account on what happened. Eventually, they were let go and the man was taken away. They escorted the woman into one of the vans and Touma heard one of the Anti-Skill officers say they will give her a lift back to her home. After they left, Kuroko turned to face Jason.
"Why the hell did you set off a self-destruct switch?" she yelled at him.
"It was an accident," Jason replied. "The system was pretty advanced and was rigged to explode if tampered with. As I told Anti-Skill, there were more peopled involved then just him."
"Well you obviously failed," Kuroko sniffed.
"I'm not perfect," Jason pointed out then smirked. "No matter how good you think I am."
"You..!" Kuroko sputtered before Mikoto grabbed her arm. Touma grabbed Jason's arm.
"I'll pass you the information later," Touma called out to Mikoto as he and Jason left toward his dorm.
"Ok," Mikoto nodded. "Try not to get kidnapped again. I'll tell the others about it." Touma shook his head and laughed. Mikoto and Kuroko then headed back to their dorm.
"I thought you were mad at him," Kuroko asked confused at Mikoto's sudden change in attitude.
"We resolved the… misunderstanding," Mikoto replied.
"Misunderstanding?" Kuroko gasped. "He forced his nasty ape face onto your perfect lips. Only I can do that."
"You will not," Mikoto said sternly. What the heck was she watching? He forced it on me? "Besides, it was an accident."
"Then what information is he going to send you?" Kuroko asked suspiciously.
"Well," Mikoto started to say and quickly thought about how to say it. I need to make sure she understands it is just a 'thank you for helping gift' from him to all of us. "Because we helped Touma save his friends, he wanted to thank us. He actually won a contest to let him and some of his friends take a weeklong trip during Golden Week."
"HOW DARE THE TROGLYDYTE INVITE YOU?" Kuroko roared in anger. "He's trying to take you away from me. He needs to know his place."
"Kuroko," Mikoto said sparking in anger. "Be quiet and listen." Kuroko closed her mouth and looked at Mikoto, but there was still anger at Touma in her eyes. "You are invited too."
"Huh?"
"He was planning to try to bring EVERYONE who helped fight that magic group," Mikoto explained. "Including you."
"Oh," Kuroko said softly. She looked slightly guilty at calling Touma names now. Mikoto was glad Kuroko was beginning to see he was a good person. "That means Uiharu, Saten-san, and Shokuhou-san will be able to come. That does seem like a fun trip. I suppose I can put up with those guys as long as they don't try to defile my onee-sama."
"Why do you keep thinking they want to defile me?" Mikoto asked exasperated. Then her stomach sunk slightly. Shokuhou-san will definitely want to go, dang. I need to make sure she doesn't take advantage of Touma. He's too nice and idiotic to say no when he needs to.
On the way back to Touma's apartment, Touma and Jason picked up several meals to go, one for each of them, and three for Index. They got back about half pass six and Index tried to attack Touma as soon as he entered the dorm. His safety mechanism kicked in and he held up the food in front of his face. Index appeared to stop in midair, and flout gently down to the ground. She grabbed the food, ran with it to the table, and started to devour it. Touma sighed in relief as he avoided her unusually powerful bite. He turned to Jason, "So are you going to help me with the tests tomorrow?"
"I suppose I could," Jason said pretending to think. "You saved me twice, so it's the least I could do."
"You aren't going to purposely teach me the wrong information right?" Touma asked suspiciously.
Jason opened his mouth then closed it again thinking. "That's actually a pretty good ide…ouch! What was that for?" Touma had just punched him quite hard in the shoulder.
"If you want to come to the trip next week," Touma threatened. "You better pray I pass the test."
"I feel you are getting better at manipulating people," Jason commented.
"Learned from the best," Touma laughed. "I just had to watch you annoy Shirai-san." Touma started seriously studying to pass the tests for the rest of the week. Jason was actually a pretty good teacher, but strict and made sure Touma truly understood the topics. He was really motivated because he had already told Mikoto about the trip. He was determined to make sure he could fulfill his promise of taking her and their friends along. Finally, after about 2 hours, they took a break. Suspiciously, Motoharu chose that very moment to knock on the door and Touma let him in.
"Hey Kami-yan," he waved. "You decided yet where you plan to take us next week."
"Us?" Touma said feigning ignorance. "Who said you were going?"
"Ouch," Motoharu said dramatically holding his hand over his heart. "That hurts. But seriously, where were you planning to go?"
"Are we going on a trip?" Index asked Touma from her spot in front of the TV.
"Next week," Touma told her. "If I pass all these tests. I won a contest to get a free weeklong trip. Just need to decide on a destination."
"Can we go to England?" Index asked her eyes glowing. "I would love to show you my home and we could visit all the historical sights and even my church."
"That is an idea," Touma said thinking. "Anyone else have a suggestion?" He really didn't have any idea where he wanted to visit.
"I like that idea," Jason added. "England is said to be the stronghold of magic so I could learn a lot there. Not only that, we know people there who might be able to give us more information on these sin marks." Jason held out his hands and also pointed to the one on his forehead. "If I focus I can keep them hidden, but it is a pain to keep all of them hidden all the time."
"Not only that," Motoharu interjected. "There are some really nice beaches. Knowing Kami-yan, he will be surrounded by girls when he arrives. What better place than the beach for that to happen."
"I like the way you think," Jason said and high fived him.
"I feel like you two want something bad to happen to me," Touma replied suspiciously.
"Only if we can watch," Jason pointed out and he and Motoharu high fived again.
"Well," Touma said ignoring their stupidity. "It's not a bad idea though. I don't really have any other place I wanted to go. Guess we can work the details out the rest of the week."
"Can I invite my friends?" Index asked immediately.
"Wait until after tomorrow," Touma told her. "I need to know how many people I can bring." Index nodded, but she looked really excited. I'm glad she looks happy. After she was kidnapped, I hope she can have fun like a normal girl. Not only that, I get to hang out with my friends. He suddenly had some very interesting thoughts of Mikoto, Misaki, and Ruiko, but he shook his head quickly. No, they are my friends, don't think of them like that. Even if they like me, I….
"As you know," Motoharu said cutting into his thoughts. "I know a lot of people in England. If you want, I might be able to get a couple as guides to some of the nicer tourist attractions. So you can impress all the girls you know." He winked at the last part.
"Tooouuummmaaa," Index said dangerously revealing her sharp teeth.
"He's just joking Index," Touma said quickly. "But the guide idea sounds good. I don't know what would be good spots to visit, so if they can make the trip fun, go ahead. Although," Touma glared at Motoharu. "Since this is going to involve my friends, don't you dare ruin it just to mess with me."
"Kami-yan," he said shaking his head. "Why would I want to ruin my own vacation? Because we all know, in the end, you will take me and Aogami too. You can try to deny it, but you know you will."
Touma narrowed his eyes at him. "Maybe I won't."
"Oh you will," Motoharu said winking. "We will make sure of it. Anyway, I got studying to do too and have to contact my friends about the guides. I'll see you all around later."
"You know he's right," Jason remarked. "You will take them."
"Probably," Touma said. "If there is room. I still don't know how many people I can bring. Anyway, let's get back to work. You may not have to study, but I need all the help I can get." They went back to studying and Touma tried to memorize a semester's worth of formulas all over again.
"So Kami-yan," Motoharu asked after school the next day. "Did you actually pass or are you going to be stuck in supplementary classes next week?"
Touma leaned back in his seat looking quite pleased with himself. "I actually think I did reasonably well. Most of what Jason helped me with appeared on the test."
"I only charge 50,000 yen an hour," Jason grinned from his desk. "That's why he is so poor."
"I was poor long before I met you," Touma pointed out and everyone laughed.
"You ready for your big interview?" Pierce asked as he smacked Touma on the back.
"No," Touma said banging his head on his desk. "I don't want to do this."
"I think I will definitely watch it now," Accelerator said laughing. "I can't wait to see the hero look like a fool in front of everyone."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Touma sighed.
"Cheer up Kami-yan," Motoharu said. "We took care of everything. No one will recognize you so just pretend you really are the number 8 level 5. Be cool, confident, and not afraid to say anything you want to."
"That's easy for you to say," Touma grumbled. "Next thing you are going to tell me is you prepared note cards for my speec… You guys did, didn't you?" He changed direction when he saw Motoharu and Pierce grin.
"Sure did," Pierce said giving him a thumb up. "It's in the limo taking us to the interview location."
"Speaking of which," Jason said glancing at the clock. "We need to get going. You sure you don't want to come Accel-kun?"
"Nope," he replied. "The brat's been bothering me about something, so I need to find out why. I'll catch it on TV though. Make sure to suffer hero, so I can enjoy the show."
"You really just want me to make a fool of myself," Touma realized. Accelerator just laughed and left. Touma, Pierce, Motoharu, and Jason left the school grounds, through the back entrance, and down a street to where a limo was waiting behind a large building. They got in and Touma saw a box with his outfit in the corner of the seats. He picked it up and found, along with the original uniform, a vial of red hair dye and some styling gel. When they all got in, Jason shut the door and the limo started moving.
"We got about half an hour," Jason said looking at his watch. "You should change Touma and I believe those two wrote some answers to common interview questions."
Touma nodded and quickly switched into his uniform. "What about this?" he asked holding up the hair dye.
"It's a new special spray on," Motoharu explained. "It doesn't affect clothes, just spray it in your hair and it will turn red. Then use the gel to make your hair lie flat so no one will recognize you. See, we took precautions to make sure you aren't recognized."
"How kind of you," mumbled Touma. "It's not like you got me in this mess or anything…" He trailed off as he dyed his hair and tried to smooth it flat. He had too much hair and had to slick it backwards. He looked at the mirror and was instantly reminded of Stiyl's hair. He glanced at the others and saw Motoharu and Jason holding back their laughter. They obviously think the same things, b#$%&^#." Pierce wasn't laughing because he didn't know Stiyl. Touma put on the mask to make sure it still fit and, when he looked into the mirror again, he couldn't recognize himself at all. "I guess this will work, but what will people say if my hairstyle is different?"
"That's easy," Motoharu said as he passed over some flashcards. "We wrote down several plausible questions and answers as a level 5 would answer. These should get you through the interview easily enough. The questions they ask may be slightly different, but you should be able to use the information here."
"Hmm," Touma said reading the questions and answers. He didn't want to admit it, but it was well done. The answers were a little more… bold… then he would have given, but they did kind of fit the Kami persona those idiots set up for him. If I give these answers, some people might not like me, but they wouldn't expect me of being Kami. Could I actually say some of these answers out loud though? "These actually aren't as horrible as I thought they would be coming from you guys. They are still pretty bad though." Touma looked at them and noticed Jason was fast asleep at his seat. "What's with him?"
"The secret is confidence," Pierce responded. "If you act like you are all that, no one will question you."
"So just be the opposite of yourself," Motoharu added. "As for Jason," he shrugged. "He said he was up late and didn't sleep much. Just let him sleep, he does all the boring work anyways, so it's best if he can keep doing it so we don't have to." All three of them laughed and Touma resumed reading the cards.
The limo stopped shortly afterwards and the stop jerked Jason awake. "Ah good we are here," he said. He turned to everyone else. "I get off here. The limo will take you three to the back and let you out in about five minutes. Everything should be set up then. Someone else will guide you." He yawned. "I'm going to be somewhere and leave with you guys when it is over." He got out and left before anyone could object.
"Good job Kamijou," Pierce said shaking his head at Touma. "Making our good friend Jason do all the work for you."
"It was your fault," muttered Touma as he flipped to the last card. When he read it, his jaw hit the floor in shock and horror. He turned to yell at Motoharu and Pierce. "Are you two that stupid!? What the hell is this!? If I say this out loud I'll get killed!"
"Kami-yan," Motoharu said putting his arm over his shoulders. "That is the most important answer out of all of them. It's the only way to truly bring the disguise together."
"Go to hell! There is no way I am saying this!"
"Oh I think you will," Pierce added while nodding and Touma noticed he was unusually serious. "You see, if you get asked that question, and you DON"T give that answer, well, we can't guarantee what will happen."
"Are you threatening me?" Touma said, but inside he was nervous. If those two seriously ganged up on him he would lose. Pierce was extremely strong and Motoharu knew martial arts. They aren't the kind of people to physically force people to do what they want though. So what does he mean?"
"Isn't it obvious Kami-yan," Motoharu said finally explaining. "You see, we worked really hard to help you and we would be very disappointed if you don't use our material. So disappointed in fact, we might, accidently of course, let it slip to a reporter who Kami, the eighth level 5, really is." He smirked when Touma's eyes widened in surprise.
"You b#$^*&# can't be serious," Touma gasped. Those two are blackmailing me. Do they really want me to make a fool of myself that badly? He knew the answer was a resounding yes and he would be forced to play along. Knowing those two, they wouldn't care if Touma was hounded around by people wanting to fight or meet a level 5. He already was aware of the attention Mikoto and Accelerator got, and he was not interested in that at all. Two can play this game. He leaned over to Motoharu and whispered, "What if I tell people about your double life?"
"Oh you don't want to play that game with me," Motoharu said raising an eyebrow. "First, no one would believe you. Even if they did, all that would happen is you would be in more danger from people on the other side focusing on you because you associate with me. Then Index would also be in trouble and we both know you won't put her in danger." Pierce was watching them closely. He didn't know about the magic side, but he could tell what Touma had been trying to do and laughed when Touma's face fell because of Motoharu's response.
"Damn it," Touma grumbled falling back into his seat defeated. "I'm going to get killed and it is all your fault. I swear, if I live, I'm getting my revenge on all three of you."
"To be fair," Pierce interjected. "Kagere doesn't know about this, but he will appreciate it all the same."
"I don't know why I'm friends with either of you anymore," Touma groaned and they both laughed.
The five minutes passed and they all left the limo, and then entered the backdoor of a building. Touma was in full disguise as Kami and he was incredibly glad no one was around to recognize him. They were greeted by a man and a woman. Both were dressed in formal suits. The man was in a normal black suit, but the woman was wearing a grey skirt suit, which Pierce immediately noticed and pointed it out to Motoharu. The woman motioned for Touma to follow her and Motoharu and Pierce left with the guy, both of whom looked severely disappointed.
"I'm going to give you a brief rundown of what is going to happen," the women said briskly. She didn't sound impolite or annoyed, just rushed. She had black hair tied up in a bun and glasses. She was looking at a clipboard the entire time she talked to Touma while they walked through the building. "First, Danjuro Fumihiko, he's the CEO of the company, wants to meet you. It should be just a friendly greeting. As for the actual interview, try to keep your answers free from any swear words or grossly inappropriate remarks. We have people to block those, but the less they are used the better. Any questions?" Touma shook his head and she finally looked at him and smiled. "No need to be nervous, Fumihiko-san is actually really nice." She opened a door and he entered what he guessed was the meeting room.
Touma walked in and looked around. It was a large room with several tables and chairs. On the far side were two comfy looking sofa chairs. An elderly looking man with grey hair was sitting on one of them. When Touma entered he stood up and ran up to meet him, well, not so much running, he kind of bounced. The man was about the same height as Touma, but incredibly round. He obviously didn't eat a lot of salads, but he had a really jolly expression on his face as he shook Touma's hand.
"I am so glad to finally meet you Kami," he said shaking his hand. "You have caused a lot of excitement in the recent news. My name is Danjuro Fumihiko, CEO of MultiMaxlon Entertainment."
"Nice to meet you too," Touma said politely. "What do you mean by… er… excitement?"
"Well you see," Danjuro explained. "When we created Ultimate Paradise World G, our developers swore no one would be able to beat it for a couple months at least. Then, just a couple days afterwards, someone using a nickname beat it. We looked up your public information from Academy City. We found out you had just won a tournament and were considered one of the strongest ability users in the city. Of course, when I saw your nickname, I could see how you would be able to destroy our predictions." He grinned.
"Well," Touma said rubbing the back of his neck. "It really was a fun game."
"Glad to hear it," Danjuro said sincerely. "When we put you as the winner on our website, suddenly everyone wanted to defeat your time. There is some rumor going on the internet now that if someone can defeat your score time, they will be the new Harem King."
"Really?" Touma asked in a disbelieving tone. He had to admit though, he was slightly amused.
"No idea who started it," Danjuro admitted. "It has, however, caused a huge demand for our game. We really need to thank you for that. Anyway, I bet you are wondering what we are going to do here." Touma nodded. "It is pretty simple really. You and I will be sitting on those chairs up on the stage. A microphone will be clipped on your shirt so everyone can hear you. I'm just going to ask you a couple questions about you, what you thought of the game, and what you plans are for the prize next week. Oh that reminds," his eyes suddenly lit up. "If you want to answer in a humorous way, I encourage it. My secretary wants us to be serious, but that would be so boring. She has no idea what you are like so she can't plan ahead of time." He gave Touma a big wink.
Touma raised an eyebrow, which Danjuro didn't see because of the mask. He wants me to be funny and a little crazy? I suppose I can use those idiots' responses then, but please don't ask the one question that will ruin my life. "I think I can do that," he said. "I have some stup… unorthodox friends."
"Excellent." Danjuro said then held a hand up to his ear and smirked. "I take it those friends came with you."
Touma nodded, "Why?"
"They just got slapped by a couple of our interns. It seems like they started fighting about something with panties and asked the girls what they thought." Danjuro had a huge grin and obviously thought it was hilarious.
"Sounds like them," Touma said laughing. For some reason he really liked this guy. He expected a CEO to be really strict and intimidating, but Danjuro was really laid back and seemed to enjoy being eccentric. They took their seats on the chairs and talked a little bit before the secretary came in and warned them the interview would start in a few minutes. They didn't say much as several reporters entered the room and took their places at tables or around the stage with their cameras. Touma noticed Jason enter too but stayed in the back. He was wearing a suit and actually looked professional. However, the grin and thumbs up told Touma he was still the same guy. Touma noticed he still looked tired when Jason sat down and leaned up against a wall. I hope he didn't go through too much trouble for me. No wait, this was partially his fault too. Serves him right.
Eventually, everyone was seated and Danjuro stood up. "Good afternoon everyone, my name is Danjuro Fumihiko, CEO of MultiMaxlon Entertainment. Today we are interviewing an exciting guest, all the way from within Academy City. Please help me welcome Kami, the Harem King." Touma raised his hand and waved to the crowd who clapped enthusiastically. He was, once again, glad he was wearing a mask because that introduction turned his face red in embarrassment.
How the hell am I going to last through this entire interview?
"Recently," Danjuro continued. "MultiMaxlon Entertainment released Ultimate Paradise World G, a technological masterpiece dating simulator. Every decision you make will affect the game and there were 250 possible females you could interact with. We wanted to challenge our customers with the game, so we added a little contest. The first person, who could date all 250 females in one play through, would get a free week long vacation for themselves and their friends. We didn't expect anyone to win for months. Then Kami the Harem King comes along and, in a just a few short days, beats it. He really is the master of dating games." Touma could feel is red face growing even hotter. "Anyway, let's ask our guest a couple questions." Danjuro sat down in his chair. "So Kami, what did you think of the game itself?"
"It was pretty challenging," Touma replied. "But my friends and I have lots of experience with those kinds of games, so it wasn't impossible. Besides, my life is a lot more complicated."
"Oh?" Danjuro asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"When your nickname is the 'Harem King'," Touma said reciting the lines Motoharu gave him. "You attract a lot of attention. Guys are jealous of you and just want to fight, and girls either are disgusted at me or want to see if I really am all that. Which of course, I am." He added the last part because Motoharu really wanted it and it wasn't that bad, just a little conceited. Of course, he didn't believe it.
"So I take it the fights developed you martial skills?" Danjuro asked. "You were just recently in a tournament in Academy City to demonstrate the abilities the city has developed. I believe you were partnered with the person considered to be the most powerful ability user, Accelerator. Are you friends with him?"
"Yes," Touma said. He actually considered Accelerator to be a friend. "We hang out every now and then. The tournament was pretty fun too. Lots of powerful opponents made the fights challenging."
"Now you are considered a level 5," Danjuro continued. "Academy City ranks abilities from level 0 to 5, so you are one of the strongest. Since you were just recently named the eighth, out of the remaining seven, how many do you know?"
"I've met five of them," Touma said. "I am actually friends with them too."
"Really?" Danjuro asked surprised. "No rivalry or anything as you all try to be the best?"
Touma frowned. "There actually is a lot of rivalry going on between them. I tend to avoid that, because I don't care about being the strongest."
"Well," Danjuro continued, and then he surprised Touma by smiling. "I know we are supposed to talk about the game and the prize you just won, but can you humor me while we move on to a different topic?"
"Sure," Touma said but felt slightly confused. I wonder what he wants to ask.
"During the tournament," Danjuro said. "In the final match, you fought against another level 5, the Railgun. She is the most commonly known level 5. She's quite popular because she has demonstrated her ability around the world before."
"Yes," Touma nodded, but then he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Please don't ask what I think he is going to ask.
"Well," Danjuro said and an evil grin appeared on his face. "There were a lot of interesting rumors arising over the internet from that fight."
"Ok… I don't really pay attention to those types of rumors," Touma said slowly, but every danger sense in his body just went off.
"Are you dating the Railgun?"
DAMN IT.
There it was the question that was going to get him killed. Motoharu must have known this or met the CEO before. I'm so dead. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and he swore he felt Motoharu and Pierce watching him through a camera from another room. A simply yes or no wasn't good enough for those two. Instead, they thought of the worst possible answer for Touma to give. He could either give their answer, or everyone would find out his identity. He couldn't help people as easily if he was always being watched and followed. He sighed to himself. If I am going to die, then I am going to go out with a bang.
"It's a lot more complicated than that," Touma stated, but sighed under his breath again. He thought he sounded more confident then he normally was because he had just prepared himself for death.
"Oh, how so?"
"How much do you know of the level 5s?" Touma asked.
"Well there are seven, besides you, and I believe three are female and the other four are males. I heard their abilities are all different, but extremely powerful."
"You are well informed," Touma said glad he wasn't going to have to explain that.
"So what does that have to do with you dating the Railgun?"
"You see…" Touma began and he took a deep breath. Just do it, you have to do it anyways, so be a man. Don't let them think they won.
"I'm actually dating all three of the level 5 girls!"
When Touma stated this, his voice came out a little louder and more forcefully then he had planned because he was so embarrassed. At the time he didn't know, but to everyone else in the room, it sounded like he was bragging. There was silence as everyone in the audience just stared at him for a moment. Touma gave a quick glance and even Jason was staring at him with wide eyes and the corner of his mouth twitching.
"What?" Danjuro asked with a look of pure shock on his face.
"I told you," Touma said again and leaned back in his chair. "I'm dating all three of them at once." He didn't like repeating it, but he just resigned himself to his fate. The room exploded as all the reporters started barraging them with questions.
"How long has this been going on!?"
"How far have you gotten with them!?"
"Do they know!?"
Touma knew he was doomed so he might as well go out in style. This was against everything he believed in, but his embarrassment, along with his friend's enjoyment of his suffering, brought the new strength forward and he continued the lines that would bring upon his doom. "They do know," Touma stated. "After all, why do you think I am called the Harem King? As for how far I've gotten, well, some things are best left as secrets." He suddenly felt a shiver down his back and looked around. He didn't see anyone but he knew something bad was about to happen. The audience however exploded and several members of the security detail were trying to restore order. Touma took another deep breath and hated himself for what he was about to say. "I plan to use this vacation to spread my influence all over the world. My goal is to have every girl as part of my harem."
Please don't let them see this, he prayed silently to himself as the room exploded into even more noise. Because none of his other friends, who were not already at the interview besides Accelerator, played these games, there was a good change none of his other friends would see this interview.
Of course, with his luck, that was not going to happen.
"Move it brats," Accelerator growled sitting on the couch watching Last Order and Worst play video games. "I told you, there is something I need to watch."
"We are almost done MISAKA replies while MISAKA doesn't take her eyes off the game."
"Misaka will win in a minute," Worst adds. "But that is so unlike you tou-san. When did you care about watching TV? I bet it's some romance drama isn't it. You like to put up a tough front, but Misaka knows you are just a big softie."
"Hurry the hell up," Accelerator spat at her. "Or I'll blow up that game myself."
"Hmm," Worst thought out loud. "Should Misaka destroy the moderator quickly or bother tou-san by making the game take longer. Both are such great possibilities."
"I hear the hero is going to make a fool of himself," Accelerator said grinning.
"Well that settles it," Worst laughs and quickly gets serious. The game ended twenty seconds later with Last Order's complete defeat.
"NO! MISAKA cries as MISAKA stomps her feet angrily on the ground. You cheated MISAKA accuses as MISAKA points her finger at Worst."
"Misaka is just better then you," Worst stated still laughing while tossing the TV remote to Accelerator. He flipped through the channels till he found what he was looking for.
"It's just starting," he said grinning and leaned back on the couch. "I can't believe he's wearing that getup. His red hair looks stupid."
"Coming from Whitey," Worst pointed out and Accelerator threw a pillow at her.
"Is that really the savior MISAKA asks as MISAKA tilts her head at his new look." However, she believed Accelerator and started to broadcast the show over the Misaka Network. She knew the other clones liked the savior so she wanted them to enjoy the show too.
"He was complaining about not wanting to be recognized," Accelerator explained. "So we gave him the new look. Let's see what happens." Accelerator smirked at Touma's introduction then waited for him to say something stupid. Accelerator got bored quickly at the lackluster responses Touma was giving. Though, when Touma mentioned they were friends, he raised an eyebrow. Eh, I guess we are, probably. Then the CEO asked the question.
"Are you dating the Railgun?"
"Hahaha," Worst was enjoying the show now. There was a long silence before Touma began to answer.
"Oh I can't wait to see what he says about the third rate," Accelerator said grinning. We should record this. I could give it to her next time I see her. That would be fun. After a couple back and forth between the CEO and Touma, Touma finally said the words that even Accelerator didn't expect.
"I'm actually dating all three of the level 5 girls!"
There was a stun silence in that apartment, then Worst and Accelerator couldn't contain it anymore. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Both of them were clutching their sides and laughing harder than they ever had before. "I can't believe the f$^*&$ hero actually said that." He kept laughing then noticed Worst had stopped and clutching her head. "What's wrong with you?"
"Misaka suddenly got overwhelmed by the other's Misaka's emotions. They are all jealous. Shit, so much negativity even for this Misaka." Worst was grabbing her head and looking really pissed off.
"Ahhhh," Last Order suddenly cried and looked around in panic.
"What now?" Accelerator asked annoyed.
"All the other Misakas want to come back to the city. If they all try to come back to the city at the same time, they will draw a lot of attention MISAKA cries as MISAKA explains the gravity of the situation."
"Well tell them to stop," Accelerator said rolling his eyes.
"MISAKA is!" Last Order wailed and went back to concentrating.
Stupid hero just makes my life more difficult. I hope the other level 5s see this and give him a good beating for me.
Mikoto, Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari were all gathered in Mikoto's and Kuroko's dorm. Mikoto had invited them all over to tell them about the contest Touma had won and his plans with the prize. Of course, Kuroko had been really suspicious, but Ruiko and Kazari were interested. "He's supposed to tell me more information when he gets it. I don't know where he plans the trip to be yet." She was actually looking forward to it because it would let her spend time with him, even if Misaki was going to be there. Maybe we can finally do something that doesn't end in some crazy fight.
"Wow," Ruiko said. "A trip to anywhere in the world? That sounds like a dream come true."
"Who's going to chaperone?" Kazari asked. "They wouldn't let a bunch of students travel the world alone, especially from Academy City."
"Hmm," Mikoto said crossing her arms and thinking. "I don't know. He didn't have a lot of information. He probably is going to get it during the interview today."
"Ooooo," Ruiko interjected. "Can we watch it?"
"I don't see why we should," Kuroko said bitterly. "It's not like he's going to say anything important."
"Oh hush," Mikoto said to Kuroko shaking her head. "He was nice enough to want to invite all of us, even you who constantly insults him."
"His friends insult me," Kuroko protected.
"Jason just likes to mess with you," Kazari pointed out. "He doesn't mean it and only does it in good fun. Owwww." Kuroko had grabbed her cheeks and pulled them in frustration. "That hwwwerts Shira-san!" she cried. Ruiko took the opportunity, when Kuroko was distracted, and turned the TV on and started flipping through channels.
"And Accelerator is just being Accelerator," Mikoto explained.
"I think this is the channel," Ruiko said backing away from the TV. "Looks like it hasn't started yet."
"Humph," Kuroko said sitting on her bed after she finished punishing Kazari. "I can't believe you want to watch him make a fool of himself. The ape doesn't understand how hard it is to be a level 5 in the public eye. Onee-sama is smart, noble, pure, and amazing in everything he does. He is just some normal guy."
"A normal guy doesn't rush halfway around the world to save friends," Ruiko pointed out. Kuroko crossed her arms but couldn't think of a reply to that.
"Let's not fight," Kazari told them as she tried to stop the fight before it started. "Let's just watch and see if he says where he plans the trip to be."
"I hope he doesn't say anything to stupid," Mikoto mumbled. "He sometimes says things without thinking them through." Kuroko huffed in response to Mikoto's words but didn't say anything else. The girls sat on the beds as the watched the TV in anticipation. When the interview finally started, Mikoto saw the outfit he was wearing and suddenly laughed and, at the same time, tried to prevent herself form laughing. It sounded like a cough. "What is with that outfit?" she questioned and couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.
"The ape is still wearing that stupid disguise," Kuroko sniffed. "He just dyed and slicked his hair back."
"Are you sure that is even him?" Kazari asked.
Ruiko looked closely. "I think so," she said. "But it is hard to tell. Do you think someone else is doing the interview for him?" The person, who introduced himself as the CEO, just started talking about the contest and game. However, Kuroko suddenly fumed when they found out what kind of game Touma had played and won.
"That ape!" Kuroko snarled. "He's playing dating games? He must be using those techniques on onee-sam…" He suddenly got quiet as Mikoto hit her on the head.
"Who cares what game it is?" she snapped, but her face was slightly red. "Shush, I can't hear." She was interested in the questions being asked and Touma's answers. At first, she was a little puzzled as he talked about being the Harem King, but she eventually realized what he was doing. It sounds like he is just reading from a script. I bet someone told him ahead of time what to say to keep the Harem King persona. It sounds like something Kagere would do. Wow, he said on TV Accelerator was his friend. I wonder what he would think of Touma saying that. She watched the conversation turn to the level 5s. When he mentioned the rivalry, she frowned. Does he mean me and Shokuhou? That idiot doesn't even realize we are fighting over hi… our differences. She knew what she wanted to think, but even thinking about it too deeply was embarrassing for her. The CEO started turning the conversation toward the tournament Mikoto, Touma, and Accelerator had all participated in a little while ago. After a couple questions about Touma's match against Mikoto, the CEO asked a question that silenced everyone in the room.
"Are you dating the Railgun?"
Mikoto froze wide-eyed as her brain stopped working temporarily. She had no idea what he was going to say and she suddenly became afraid. We went on a date once, but we never said we were going steady. Ah, I'm so nervous? What if he says yes? What if he says no? Her face flushed bright red as all her thoughts raced through her mind. She then realized everyone else was looking at her with stunned looks on her face. She knew she had to say something. "How could that guy ask something like that?" she demanded as if she was madder at the CEO asking about something personal then the actual question itself.
"Onee-sama," Kuroko said holding up her bed sheet and biting down on it. "You can't be dating him. Please tell me there is no way that could happen." Ruiko and Kazari looked at each other in shock. Both had completely different reasons though. Ruiko was surprised because she didn't think Mikoto's and Touma's relationship had progressed that far. She knew if Touma said yes, she wouldn't be able to be his girlfriend. Kazari on the other hand was more appalled about the actual question. However, she was also interested in the answer because she wanted Ruiko to be happy and be able to date Touma. Then Touma gave the most unlikely reply.
"I'm actually dating all three of the level 5 girls!"
There was silence as all four girls stared at the image on the TV screen. No one said anything as Touma and the CEO continued to talk. Then they heard a sound.
Crackle.
Kuroko, Kazari and Ruiko all stared at Mikoto as several blue-white sparks started to surround her. Mikoto had clenched her fists and her face was red, but no longer because of embarrassment. She stood up slowly. "Onee-sama," Kuroko said angrily while looking at Mikoto seriously. "We can't let him get away with insulting your good name…" She stopped when she saw the dark look in Mikoto's eyes. Mikoto's head turned slightly to look at her.
"I'll be right back Kuroko," she said through clenched teeth. "I need to have a talk with that idiot." She cracked her knuckles and walked out the door of the room. They heard the sound of running footsteps right when the door closed.
"Ah onee-sama," Kuroko called out as her senses kicked in. She got up and ran to the door after Mikoto. "I want to help you teach that ape a lesson!" She ran off too leaving Kazari and Ruiko in the dorm. They both looked at each other in confusion.
"I've never seen Misaka-san act like that," Ruiko said nervously.
"Love makes a girl act strange," Kazari pointed out. She looked back at the TV. "Do you think he is really Kamijou0-san? I never heard him talk like that."
"I don't know," Ruiko admitted honestly. "We can't see his face, hair is different, and voice is disguised. It could be anyone. But if he told Misaka-san it would be him, we probably should assume it is. Let's keep watching, we might learn more." Kazari nodded and they both continued to watch the remainder of the interview, which after the initial uproar, calmed down and became a lot more normal.
In another dormitory within Tokiwadai, a group of very attractive girls were sitting around a table and drinking tea. Among them was Misaka Shokuhou and all the other girls kept looking at her admiringly. Her clique met periodically to talk about anything interesting some of them heard and just catch up with each other. Misaki was only partially listening as her mind kept flicking toward thoughts of Touma and Mikoto. I can't believe she actually manage to ask him on a date. She's more of a wolf then I gave her credit for. How should I progress my relationship with him. He didn't contact me back with my offer of helping him study. Another girl at the table started to say something that caught her attention.
"There seems to be a lot of commotion today. There are quite a few people from outside the city coming to visit one of the other level 5s."
"Oh?" Misaki asked interestedly. "Do you know which one?"
"I believe it was the new rank eight, Queen," she replied.
"How interesting," Misaki commented sipping her tea while her mind started working in overdrive. Why would they want to see Touma now? There could be a lot of reasons so I really just need an excuse to go and see why. She found her reason when another girl spoke up.
"There is some kind of interview going on," she added. "I don't know why though. He seems to be able to slip out from everyone's eyes. We have almost no information on him at all."
"Then wouldn't this interview be a perfect chance to gather some information on him?" Misaki asked in a tone that it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What better chance would we have?" Of course, she had a completely different reason in wanting to watch. I wonder what my price is doing on there. It should be entertaining watching him interview as a level 5. I really want to see it. The other girls took her words to heart.
"Excellent idea Queen," several of them chirped. Two of the girls left in a rush to bring the TV in and set it up. Their group didn't watch it much because they preferred to talk over their tea. After the TV was set up, one of the girls started surfing through the channels. "I think this is it," she said backing away.
"Excellent," Misaki said kindly. "Good job." The girl blushed at her praise. Misaki was eagerly waiting for the interview to start, but she purposely kept her face impassive to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. She wanted the other girls to believe she was doing this for information only. It was difficult, but she avoided grinning at Touma's new look. She did, however, raise an eyebrow unconsciously when the CEO, who was interviewing Touma, mentioned he won a contest for a weeklong trip for beating a dating game. That looks promising. Can I convince him to take me so we can have some alone time together? She forced herself not to chuckle at some of his comments. The other girls were staying quiet as they watched the interview. They were more focused on trying to find out who Kami was, then his actual answers. Misaki did notice a flicker of disgust on some of their faces over a couple of his answers. Rivalry huh. I guess Misaka and I do have one, but not for the reason he thinks. He is so innocent. The CEO then asked something which caused her to freeze.
"Are you dating the Railgun?"
All the other girls leaned forward slightly in anticipation. They were still young girls and loved gossip. Misaki on the other hand frowned slightly in annoyance. What should I do if he says he is? I suppose I will have to show I am just a better choice than Misaka. Touma was silent for a second then seemed to try to dodge the question. What came next, even Misaki could not have predicted.
"I'm actually dating all three of the level 5 girls!"
There was a stunned silence from all the girls, even Misaki was speechless. However, she couldn't stop the small grin appearing on her face. He's too noble to say something like that. It sounds like he was forced to say it as a joke or to remain in the Kami persona. It seems like something Kagere would do. However, even though Touma didn't say her specifically, she was still happy. She was included in his response so it meant she still had a chance. The other girls were not as pleased and they were not afraid to express their disproval.
"How dare he say something like that about the Queen!?"
"Queen would never go out with someone like him!"
"Besides, she already has a boyfriend."
"He needs to be taught a lesson."
"I'm sure the other two will be more than happy to teach him a lesson," Misaki commented causing all their heads to look at her. "There is no need for us to resort to something so uncivilized. Instead, let's keep watching in case he gives us any other information. Afterwards, I think I'm going to go meet my friend." She just said friend, but the other girls knew who she meant. "I'm sure if Kami continues the charade, we can help him understand what lying means." The other girls nodded. They knew what would happen if someone challenged the Queen of Tokiwadai.
"There's nothing good on," Saiai said as she flipped through channels. "For some reason they are only playing super popular movies. They only play the good B rank movies during super odd times."
"Just choose something," Shizuri said exasperatedly as she flipped through a magazine. "Your constant channel surfing is annoying."
"…It's hard to sleep with the noise," Rikou added as she laid back in a recliner.
Frenda just entered the main room from the bathroom wearing just a robe with a towel on her head. "Is Kinuhata hogging the TV again?" She had just stepped out of the shower. "Basically, I've told you before, just choose something if you have the remote."
"I super can't watch just anything," she said scowling. "I can only watch something with a super good story and not just special effects or what is considered popular." She suddenly stopped and stared at the TV. "I think I super found something you might be interested in Frenda," she said smirking.
"Huh?" Frenda asked as she started to put on her clothes.
"Looks like Kamijou is doing an interview as Kami," Saiai answered pointing to the TV. Frenda nearly tripped on her half put on clothes as she rushed toward the couch. Even Shizuri looked up in interest. When she saw the disguise Touma was wearing, she grinned in amusement.
"I see he took my advice about not getting recognized," Shizuri commented. "But he is still wearing that stupid disguise."
"The hair looks good," Frenda commented as she finished putting on her clothes
When the interview started and the CEO gave the introduction, Saiai burst out laughing again. "He won a trip because he super beat a dating game. Not only that, his nickname is the Harem King. Well, that explains how Frenda super got mesmerized by him."
"B-basically," Frenda stuttered. "Quit saying that. I'm not into him." However, her face turned bright red to reveal her true feelings. It did not go unnoticed by Saiai and Shizuri who smirked at her embarrassment.
"This should be good though," Shizuri said leaning back and watching the interview. "Any bets on how long it takes before he makes a fool of himself."
"Two minutes in," Saiai said instantly.
"I'll take that bet," Shizuri replied. "But I say one minute." Both of them laughed and turned their eyes to the screen. Because ITEM just recently had two big missions, they were told they would not be receiving any new ones for a while to avoid detection on their movements. While this may sound like a good break, it was quite boring for them. They just went back to school and pretended to be normal high school girls, except Saiai who was in middle school. Because of this, they jumped on the chance to watch Touma make a fool of himself. They were disappointed at first because all they found out was Touma was friends with Accelerator, something they already knew. When he started talking about rivalry between the level 5s, the corners of Shizuri's mouth twitched upwards. He's not wrong.
"Are you dating the Railgun?" the CEO asked.
Saiai burst out laughing while Frenda and Shizuri grew quiet. Frenda was worried what would happen if Touma said yes. Even though she never admitted it to anyone, she actually liked him. Shizuri on the other hand was irritated at the question. She didn't know why she was pissed at the question. But once again, she felt that weird feeling in her stomach. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was unknown to her. However, she knew if Touma said yes, she might have to kill him. Why did I think that? Who cares what that loser thinks? After Touma tried to dodge the question, his unexpected answer blew them all away.
"I'm actually dating all three of the level 5 girls!"
There was a stunned silence at this bold statement. Saiai was about to burst out laughing again when the small table next to the couch flew past her head toward the TV.
Boom.
The TV was destroyed and Frenda and Saiai jumped back to avoid the remains. Shizuri was standing up and had thrown the table. She was breathing heavily and her face was red in anger. Her hair was standing on end and she was being enveloped by a dark murderous aura. "KAAAAMMMMIIIIIJJJJOOOUUUU! That piece of shit!" she roared. She normally would have been pissed if someone made that declaration public, but for some reason, she was beyond angry. How dare he…? "I'm going to kill that f&*$^% and spread his remains over the city for the rats!" She stormed out of the apartment.
Frenda was silent and hesitated for a moment. She didn't think for a moment Touma could have said something like that, but she knew Shizuri was in no mood to hear it. Maybe if I warn him, I'll increase my reputation with him. Of course, Mugino can't know about it. "I'm going to help her kill him," she lied to Saiai and Rikou. "Basically, we will be right back." She dashed out of the apartment.
Saiai turned and looked at Rikou. "I super want to see how this plays out. It's like a real life movie." Rikou nodded in agreement and they both left after Frenda.
The rest of the interview ended without incident and Touma left right afterwards with Jason. They quickly moved out of the building and into the limo. Touma had mentioned he was planning to go to England as his prize and Danjuro agreed that was an excellent choice. He also told Touma, because of the amount of publicity he manage to get for the company, he could bring quite a few friends. A private plane will leave Saturday evening to take them to England. Touma was glad to finally leave. Even though Danjuro was a good guy, he inadvertently caused a lot of trouble for Touma. I hope no one I know saw that. I will never live it down. He sat in his seat, with his head in his hands, completely mortified with what he said.
"Well," Jason said trying to sound indifferent, but the corners of his mouth were still twitching upwards. "Do you want to wait for those two or make them walk?"
"They can go to hell," Touma said with his head still in his hands. "I'm never going to live this down."
"I'm sure no one we know saw it except Accelerator," Jason replied trying to cheer him up as the limo began to move.
'With my luck I'm sure someone saw it and will spread it around," Touma muttered.
'Cheer up," Jason said. "I'll help you study again tonight for tomorrow's tests."
"Thanks a lot," Touma said relieved. "At least one good thing happened today."
"So I plan to drop you off a couple blocks from your house," Jason started to explain. "I'll then take the limo back and meet you at your house. Sound good?"
"Yea," Touma replied nodding. "That way no one will see a limo pull right up to a student dorm and attract attention."
"That was the idea," Jason said leaning back and closing his eyes. "Wake me up when we get there."
They rode in silence with Touma smirking slightly to himself about leaving Motoharu and Pierce behind. Serves those guys right. When they were three blocks away from his dorm, the limo stopped and he got out. Jason waved to him and the limo left. Touma sighed and started to walk to his dorm with his bag over his shoulder. When he was a little over a block away, he suddenly felt cold sweat run down his neck and he immediately hid behind a building. He slowly looked out and saw a familiar head of short brown hair standing near his dorm. Mikoto was leaning up against a building watching his dorm. She has to know, he thought as his stomach started turning. I'm so dead. She won't let me explain everything, and I don't blame her. I hate myself for saying it too. Something warned him and he suddenly ducked as a foot came flying right where his head was a moment ago. He rolled to the side and stood up again and looked in horror as he saw who it was.
Kuroko Shirai.
"Uh hi Shirai-san," he said while slowly backing away. 'What are you doing here?" Judging by the dark murderous aura seeping from her, he had a pretty good idea why.
"So ape," she answered him and her voice was ice cold. "Or should I call you Kami the Harem King. You trampled on onee-sama's feelings and dare say you are dating her just because she is one of the level 5s. The penalty for that is death." She pulled out her spikes and Touma realized she meant business this time. "You can make this quick and painless or slow and painful. Your choice." She grinned evilly. "I prefer option two though."
"I can explain," Touma said backing away. "You see…"
"No excuses," Kuroko snapped. "If you are a man, take your punishment." Touma ducked right when she delivered a kick to his head again. He glanced behind him and bolted as fast as he could. "Running from a teleporter isn't going to do you any good." Touma had to admit she was right. Kuroko was faster than him and only thing he could rely on was he knew the area and the short cuts while Kuroko did not. The only positive thing he could say was Kuroko did not call out to Mikoto so he wasn't getting electrocuted too.
No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to lose Kuroko. Even when he lost her for a few minutes, she always found him. Her teleportation allowed her to travel on roof tops which meant she could travel in straight lines while he had to twist and turn down alleys. This isn't good. He made an immediate right turn to dodge a couple needles he felt were coming. As he was running down an alleyway, after temporarily losing Kuroko, he saw a door open and a white gloved hand wave to him. I probably shouldn't but finally someone appears to be on my side. He dashed in through the door and it shut behind him. He looked around and saw a familiar girl with blonde hair.
"I'm glad you all right," she said. "I saw you were being chased around by Shirai-san. I'm impressed you could run like that, even with your school bag."
"What are you doing here Misaki?" Touma asked. "Did you happen to see…?" He sighed and lowered his head. She giggled.
"I did," Misaki said. "So it really was you? I thought it might have been someone else. Were you forced to say it?"
"Kind of," Touma said rubbing his head. "You see…" The door burst open and there stood Kuroko.
"Found you ape," she called out triumphantly. "Ah Shokuhou-san, what are you doing here?"
"Sorry about this Shirai-san," Misaki said with a smile saying she really wasn't. She held up a remote and Kuroko went limp. Then she turned around mechanically and walked out. Misaki turned to Touma. "She won't remember she found you here," Misaki told him smiling. "She will just think she lost you awhile back. You were saying about being forced?"
Touma frowned slightly, because he was feeling conflicted. He didn't like the fact Misaki kept using mind control on people, but he was also glad he wasn't about to be killed. He decided to let it pass because he only saw Misaki use her powers to help out and didn't do anything bad with it. "Some friends in my class thought it would be funny and threatened to tell others who Kami really was if I didn't say it. I was hoping no one I knew would see it."
"Oh Touma," Misaki said laughing. "You have a lot to learn about being a level 5. If you do anything public, everyone knows about it. That is the reason I like to remain hidden. So what are you going to do now?"
"Well," Touma said thinking. "Mikoto is watching my dorm and I don't think she will be in the mood for me to explain until she cools off."
"That's perfect then," Misaki said cheerfully clapping her hands together. "Why don't you come with me back to my dorm? I could help you study while you wait for the heat to blow over."
"But guys can't go into Tokiwadai dorms," Touma protested even though he had been there a couple times.
"Oh it will be easy to sneak you in," she replied smiling broadly. "Besides, didn't you say you needed help or you will have to go to supplementary classes?" She looked at him with teary eyes. "Unless you don't think I can be a good teacher. I'm just as smart as Misaka-san."
Touma looked at her and suddenly felt guilty. All she wanted to do was help him and he was just making excuses. "Ok Misaki," he said smiling. "Just studying though." He wanted to make it perfectly clear about his intensions because Misaki was quite obvious about her intentions.
"That's fine," Misaki said happily. She grabbed onto his arm and pressed herself up against him. "I'll help you study so we can have fun later." She started to drag him along with her to the dorms. Touma wasn't sure what all was going to happen or how it was going to end, but he felt one thing for certain.
Something misfortunate is going to happen.
I realized I could have made the interview much worse, but I wanted it to be professional with one major question Motoharu would have set up. I figured that would be the best question and answer that was both hilarious and would benefit the plot. If this was a crack fic, I could have made that much crazier.
Motoharu: Wow, I thought for sure Misaka would be in the lead to make Kami-yan a man.
Accelerator: Eh, the fourth rate was closer than her. She can't be honest with herself.
Mikoto: Hey!
Touma: You two like causing me problems.
Jason: Touma, if you play this right, you could end up with all three of the level 5s in one bed with you.
Mikoto: No way that could happen idiots!
Shizuri: F#^$ you!
Misaki: I suppose I could do that.
Touma: …
Motoharu: Eh, one out of three. Work on the other two in the next chapter.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or idea. I love reading them.