This chapter took a while to write, for an unexpected reason. I did not have writer's block, but it was hard to sit down and write for a long period of time. Someone mentioned to me it was because I was eagerly waiting for the trip to England, I didn't want to write anything else. However, when I started writing this story, I swore to myself I would not rush just to get to a scene I want to write about. I wanted everything to move together smoothly. Last few chapters I have had so many amazing comments from all of you readers and it really helped me continue to move forward. I wish I could give everyone one of you credit, but that would take a while. So over all, thank you everyone for your kind words and great ideas.
Kog6943: I don't believe I have seen you comment before so I believe you are new, but thank you for the kind words.
Handsomistic1, zakou ahotsu, and Guest piggybacking: All I can tell you three, two chapters after this one. Enjoy the suspense until then.
Anon Guest: You might enjoy the end of this chapter.
Anti-H3r0: wouldn't be a trip to England without those.
Shuko: I did not notice that until you pointed it out because I just write this for fun. Funny enough, MrQuestionMark's story was one of the first fanfics for this series I read on this site. We actually have been in communication for quite a while too, but you are correct. I shall strike them down without mercy when they least expect it.
Anyway, enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.
"Why are we buying a gift for Short Hair?" Index asked again. "After all, you won this trip and invited her. Isn't that enough?"
"It's her birthday next week," Touma explained for the third time. "The trip was a thank you to her for helping save you, remember." Sometimes he believed she had a selective perfect memory because he often repeated himself and it was like Index never heard him. He noticed it happened a lot, especially involving technology.
"Humph," Index said grumpily. She originally wasn't going to come, but Touma had promised her supper after the shopping was done. Touma and Index were walking toward the underground mall in order to shop for a present. The problem was Touma had no idea what to get Mikoto. He knew she had an obsession with Gekota, but he wasn't sure what items she had with the mascot. He brought Index along because he was worried he would be late and knew she was upset at getting left behind all the time. He figured he could use this as an outing to spend time with her. She turned her head to look at him. "We could give her food," she suggested.
"Not everyone is obsessed with food as much as you," Touma replied rolling his eyes. "I think we need something a little more specific to what she likes."
"Then what do you suggest Touma?" she asked a little grumpy her idea was shot down.
"I don't know," Touma said scratching his head. "That's why we are going to the mall to look around. Promise me you won't run off to go to the food courts. I gave you a snack before we left."
"A handful of cold dumplings can hardly be considered a snack."
Touma decided not to argue. He had given her an entire package of microwavable dumplings that were supposed to be enough for four people. She got impatient and took them out of the microwave before they were fully cook and devoured the entire bag in just a few seconds. Instead, he continued walking into the mall while keeping one eye on Index to make sure she didn't wonder off if she saw something that interested her. They had just started looking through windows when Touma heard a friendly voice.
"Hi Touma. Hi Index."
Touma looked and saw Ruiko walking toward them waving and smiling. He smiled and waved back. I'm glad it's a friendly face. "Hey Ruiko," he replied. "How are you?" Index also waved to Ruiko because, unlike with Mikoto, Index didn't have any problems with her. Ruiko had the ability to just get along with everyone.
"Not too bad," Ruiko said. "Little lonely, because Uiharu is off with Kagere shopping for Misaka-san's present. So I figured, why not take the time to shop too?"
"That's actually what we are doing," Touma said. "It has been busy the last few days and we finally have time."
"I bet it has," Ruiko said smirking slightly in amusement.
Touma noticed her grin and sighed. "You saw it too?" She nodded still grinning. "Did Mikoto at least tell you what happened?" She nodded again, but this time her grin wasn't as prominent. Thanks Mikoto.
"Why did everyone choose today to shop for Short Hair?" Index asked Ruiko.
"Well," Ruiko explained. "Shirai-san is keeping Misaka-san away from the malls today so she won't accidently run into any of us. We also had a lot of tests this week, so we had to study. That meant we didn't have time to shop."
"Oh," Index said nodding as she understood. "Well, you are nice. Would you like to shop with us?" Touma still did not understand why Index never got along with Mikoto.
"I would love to Index-san," Ruiko said. "We might be able to think of something nice to get her." Touma shrugged at the unexpected development, but was glad to have a girl's advice on what to buy. All three of them entered the mall and started to walk through countless stores. Touma's head spun around as he thought of all the possibilities he saw as they moved from store to store. His first thought was trying to get a Gekota items, but when he stood in front of a large collection of the series, none of them looked right to him. One other store, they visited, had a lot of what he would consider decorative junk. It had small desk statues, many made of glass, music boxes for girls to store valuables, ornaments, and all sorts of things ojou-samas would like. They also walked through countless clothing stores, but Touma didn't know what girls liked or what size Mikoto wore. Ruiko on the other hand found what she was looking for.
Touma had to admit spending time with Ruiko was fun. He always thought, out of all of his friends, she always seemed to be the most normal. While they shopped, they talked and he found himself smiling and laughing a lot in her company. He constantly asked about gifts and was glad when she gave him her opinion. I would have a made a big mistake if I had decided on some of the stuff. Index was moody most of the trip, mostly because she was bored, but near the end it turned from boredom to hunger. "We are almost done Index," he sighed while Ruiko laughed at his reaction. He had looked at her right when she laughed. His ears turned slightly red when he thought, she looks really pretty when she laughs. He shook his head to clear his mind, but he also remembered they had been on a real date before. While they had agreed to just be friends, he couldn't stop thinking about her. I'm such a horrible person. I keep having those kinds of thoughts over several girls, and worst of all they are my friends. Am I turning into one of those two idiots?
Ruiko on the other hand was quite happy. Not only did she get a present for her friend, she had been about to hang out with Touma. She briefly thought of trying to hold his hand several times during the trip. She actually managed to gather the courage to try once, but Index had caught her and Ruiko felt a dark glare emit from her eyes. I wonder what their relationship is. They don't seem to be a couple, but Index is awfully protective of him. Nevertheless, she was enjoying their time together. Part of her really wanted to admit she was in love with Touma, but the problem was Mikoto was also in love with him. She had decided to wait until there was a perfect opportunity, even though Kazari had told her she needed to go for it the next time they were alone.
They had sat down on a bench and bought some soft pretzels to eat, mainly because Index was complaining about starving to death. Touma had finished his and was still thinking about a gift. Nothing really stood out. He frowned as he remembered Jason's words when he had asked him for advice on what to get.
Get her something special. After all, you are really important to her. Try to be unique.
An idea came to his mind and he grinned. If nothing stands out, I just need to make it stand out." I got an idea for a gift," he told Ruiko and Index. "I'll be right back." He stood up and ran off.
"What did he think of?" Index asked Ruiko curiously.
"No idea," Ruiko replied looking around to see if anything might have invoked an idea into Touma. Nothing was obvious so she shrugged. "He will be back soon though."
"Yea," Index agreed. "He always returns." The way she said that made Ruiko raise an eyebrow as she thought Index meant something more. They started to chat a bit to pass the time, but Ruiko avoided the topic because she could feel it was something sensitive for Index.
"Index! Misaka yells as Misaka rushes to hug her friend." Suddenly a little brown haired girl came out of nowhere and collided with Index.
"Last Order!" Index yells happy to see her friend. They hugged each other and started talking so fast Ruiko's head started to spin.
"Last Order?" she asked. "How are…?"
"Dang it brat," a gruff voice called out and Ruiko turned to see Accelerator hobbling towards them looking annoyed. He had a bag in one hand. "How many f%^&#$ times do I need to tell you not to run off like that?" He glanced over at Ruiko who waved to him. "Oh it's you. What was your name again? …Saten? Why are you with the nun?"
"Ah Touma should be back any moment," Ruiko explained quickly. "He thought of a gift for Misaka-san's birthday."
"Tsk," Accelerator made a noise at the sound of Touma's name. "I should have known the hero would be on a date with a girl." Ruiko's face turned slightly pink, something Accelerator did not miss, and he grinned.
"They aren't dating," Index protested. "They met here and were both shopping for Short Hair." Ruiko looked surprised at Index's sudden denial, but Accelerator grinned for another reason.
Shot Hair huh, I need to remember that next time I meet the third rate.
"We are shopping for the original too, MISAKA adds as MISAKA points to the bag Accelerator is holding that contains their gift."
"Really?" Ruiko raised an eyebrow at Accelerator. "You actually bought her a gift?"
"The brat kept nagging me until I agreed," grumbled Accelerator. "She called it…"
"A non-optional social obligation MISAKA interrupts as MISAKA recites her skills as manipulating Accelerato…ouch! MISAKA cries as MISAKA clutches her head." Accelerator karate chopped her on the head again looking slightly annoyed.
"Quiet brat," he said.
"Accelerator," Touma asked walking up to them holding two bags. "What are you doing here?"
"He's performing a non-optional social obligation," Ruiko said unable to keep the grin off her face. Touma looked at her confused so she explained. "He and Last Order also are buying a gift for Misaka-san."
"Really?" Touma raised an eyebrow at Accelerator. "You actually bought her a gift?"
"That's what the girl said too," Accelerator said irritated, jabbing his thumb in Ruiko's direction. "I know what a damn birthday is and what to do."
"Then why did Last Order have to drag you here?" Index asked curiously. Touma and Ruiko grinned while Accelerator just looked more annoyed.
"MISAKA thinks Accelerator is not being honest again MISAKA states as MISAKA is suspicious of Accelerator's actions."
Now Accelerator was past the point of just being annoyed, to just being pissed, since everyone was teaming up on him. What was worse is they were still just being friendly and weren't purposely trying to annoy him like his classmates. "Let's go brat," he said stiffly. "We still have stuff to do. If you argue I'm not getting you anything next year." Before he had met Touma, if someone spoke to him like that, they would have left with a broken arm.
"Can Index come hang with us? MISAKA asks as MISAKA hopes she can hang with her friend while running errands."
"I guess," Accelerator said rubbing his head with his hand. "If it's ok with the hero."
"Touma?" Index asked as she stared at him with big round hopeful eyes. Touma knew he wasn't going to be able to say no.
"That's fine," he said smiling at her as she cheered with Last Order. He liked to see Index happy. "Can you drop her off at my dorm?" he asked Accelerator who nodded in response. Accelerator left carrying his bags with Last Order and Index talking happily as they followed him. Touma and Ruiko watched them leave with grins on their faces.
"Think I am going to get something to eat," Touma said stretching. "Want to join me Ruiko?"
"I'm sorry," Ruiko said and the look in her eyes said she really meant it. "I really need to get going." She really wanted to hang out with him longer, but she did have school work to finish and she was far enough behind as it was. She was happy she had been able to hang out with him for a while today at least. They waved goodbye and Ruiko left. Touma sighed and thought about where to eat. He started to walk out of the mall when he heard a voice call out.
"Hey Kamijou!"
Unknown to Touma, two girls had seen him in the mall and were discussing tactics about how one of them could just run accidently into him. The problem was, he was shopping with two other girls and they were waiting for the right opportunity. One of them was nervous, but the other one thought the entire situation was rather amusing. Of course, the nervous one didn't want to admit she liked Touma.
"I don't know who the nun is, but we super saw the other girl the last time we were shopping with him," Saiai said as they looked around a corner watching Touma talk to Ruiko.
"Do you think they are dating?" Frenda asked.
"I don't think so," Saiai said watching Touma and Ruiko's interactions closely. "I super think they are just friends, but she may have feelings for him. But why would you care? I thought you were super not into him?" She smirked at Frenda's flustered reaction.
"I… eh..." Frenda stuttered for a moment thinking fast. "Basically, he is useful to us and if starts dating another girl, it might affect his availability."
"That's almost a good excuse," Saia said thoughtfully. "But we super know that isn't true. Why don't you just go up and say hello? Maybe you could super hang out with him tonight?"
"Why are you trying to push me with him?" Frenda asked staring at her. "Basically, what do you get out of this?"
"Oh no reason," Saiai said grinning at her. "Little amusement, helping out a friend, and possibly hurting the Railgun when she can't date him."
"You just want to mess with my life don't you?" questioned Frenda as she glared at her. Saiai just whistled innocently. "Basically, you are just a jerk. Anyway, we got out shopping done so we should probably... Hey, he disappeared."
"Seriously?" They both looked around and didn't see him anywhere. They had glanced away at the wrong time and Touma had left. "The nun and the other girl are both still sitting down," Saiai pointed out. "I bet he had to super use the bathroom or something."
"I guess we can just wait then," Frenda said as her eyes darted around.
"So when he gets back are you going to go and super flirt with him?" Saiai asked. "Maybe show him your legs you always brag about?"
"W-what are you talking about?" stuttered Frenda as her face turned red. "Who would do that to an acquaintance? If I was going to show them off to a guy, he would have to be really special, not just a plain guy."
"Like saving your life?" Saiai asked slyly. "What could be more special than that?"
"Arg," grumbled Frenda. "Fine you win." Saiai grinned and they both continued to wait for Touma's return. They were surprised when Accelerator met Touma's friends, but the little girl next to him, who looked a lot like a younger Railgun, had ran up and hugged the nun. They all started talking when Touma showed up holding a couple bags. After talking a bit to Touma, Accelerator left with both the nun and the girl that came with him. Touma started talking to the black haired girl and then she left shortly after. Saiai finally had to push Frenda out of their observation spot before Frenda would start walking over to Touma.
I wonder if I should tell Mugino about this. I can't wait to see the ending, it's like I'm super watching a movie. I can't understand why so many people like him so much. Accelerator super looks much cooler. I want to see the finale, when all of them go for him at once. It should be great.
Touma turned around to see a very unlikely person waving to him. "Frenda?" he asked surprised. She was wearing a black sailor top, but this time her skirt was pure white. He shook his head and realized he was being rude. "How are you?"
"Day just got better," she said smiling but her face turned slightly pink. "Are you here shopping?"
"Yea," Touma replied. "My friend's birthday is next week and it took a while to find a gift."
"Basically I hope you put some thought into it," Frenda said almost scolding him. She knew how important a proper birthday gift was for a friend.
"I did," Touma said grinning. "Little more complicated then what I had originally planned, but I'm sure it will go over well."
"So what are you up to now?" Frenda asked curiously. She had wondered why everyone else had left and yet he had stayed. You can do this. If he's going to do anything take the opportunity to go with him.
"Well now that my shopping is done," Touma said. "I was going to stop somewhere to grab a bite to eat." He shrugged. "Want to join me?"
Frenda could not believe her good luck. He asked me on a date? Of course, Frenda had not known Touma long enough to know he was just being polite and did not mean anything romantically about it. "I would love too," she said hastily then composed herself. "Basically, I haven't eaten so I suppose I could grace you with my presence."
"Thanks for accompanying this Kamijou," Touma said almost rolling his eyes. Frenda could hear the tone of his voice and shook her head, but felt a slight grin on her face. "Did you have any place in mind?"
Frenda thought for a second. "Yea I do," she said nodding her head. "It's a little shop, so Mugino won't go with me, but a friend took me there once. Basically, I'm told they have really good food, especially their Donburi, so you should like it."
"Sounds good," Touma agreed. "Lead the way." Wait, if she has been there before, why didn't she say she knew they had good food? Maybe I'm over thinking things. He followed Frenda who boldly led the way out of the mall. They had walked a good ways in silence when they were interrupted.
"Hey looks guys, it's a cute little foreigner." Touma and Frenda both looked to see three guys walk out of an ally at them. All three of them were bigger then Touma and wore leather jackets. They looked just like typical punks. All three of them were pointing and laughing at Touma.
"Shame she is accompanied by such a lame looking guy," the second one said.
"Hey girl," the third guy said walking up. "Why don't you ditch this loser and come hang out with us?" Touma got a little irritated, but he was thinking of how to end this without violence when Frenda responded.
"I thought you said I shouldn't hang with losers," she commented coolly her eyes narrowing slightly. She flipped her hair back. "Basically, I would just be trading down if I left him for you." Touma knew her words hit the mark when the guys face flushed in anger. However, part of him felt some pride that Frenda considered him better than those three punks.
"You little b#%$^," he growled. "I was trying to be nice, but now I think I need to teach you a lesson." He reached out for her, but Frenda just looked bored. When his hand was about to grab her hair, she turned, grabbed the guys arm, moved towards him, then flipped him over her shoulder and slammed him into the ground. The other two guys had stun looks on their face.
"See," she said looking down at the unconscious guy. "Trading down." One of the remaining two guys finally seemed to gather his thoughts together and moved forward pulling his fist back. Before he could throw a punch at Frenda, Touma had already begun to move. The guy was completely focused on Frenda that he didn't see Touma's fist coming at him and it smashed into the side of his face. The blow sent the guy flying along the ground and slamming into the side of a building unconscious.
"Don't you go trying to hit her!" Touma yelled in anger. Frenda's face flushed slightly as she watched him knock out the second guy.
He gets angry when people attack me, she thought as her face burned slightly. He reacted the same way when Mugino accidently fired her ability at me. She was so distracted by Touma, she missed the last guy pulling out a knife. She was only able to react because he decided to yell out.
"I'm going to cut both of you until your faces aren't recognizable anymore!" the last punk roared at them as he swung his knife at Frenda. Frenda's eyes followed the path of the knife. It was only a three inch long blade and she didn't have the slightest trace of fear on her face. After all, she had fought people with guns, high level ability users who could kill with a thought, and fully armored power suits. A single knife was so far beneath her, she didn't even bother to worry about. She simply rotated on her heel and her body gracefully moved out of the way. She swung her leg up, revealing her white thighs, and delivered a powerful blow into the guy's face. His entire body lifted slightly into the air and fell backwards unconscious, just like his companions. She pushed her skirt down to avoid any wrinkles and looked at Touma.
"Easy," she said winking at him while smiling. "I hate these types of losers." Then she noticed his face had turned bright red and his hand was over his eyes. 'What?"
"Blue stripes," Touma muttered and looked away. He was unable to look her in the eye.
"Huh," Frenda asked tilting her head slightly in confusion. Touma nervously pointed his finger down with his other hand. Frenda's eyes widened and her face turned crimson when she realized what happened. During her last kick, she had to lift her leg high into the air to be able to reach the last guy's face. During that time her skirt had flown up. Touma had been turning to try to help her and he saw everything. She shook in embarrassment and the suddenly kicked him in the shins. "HENTAI!"
"OWE!" Touma yelled in pain. "What was that for?"
"For looking up my skirt!"
"It was an accident!"
"Basically, that's no excuse!" Frenda scolded him, her face still red. She turned away from him and her heart was beating really fast. He helped me again and even though he saw my panties he is still acting like a gentleman instead of a pervert. He's the first guy I've met like that. I suppose I should clean up this mess. She reached into her skirt and pulled out a small bomb.
"What are you going to do with that," asked Touma wide eyed.
"Basically," Frenda replied. "I'm going to make sure these losers never bother anyone again."
"You can't kill them," Touma panicked. "They may be punks, but that's not a capital offense."
Frenda looked at him in surprise, and then remembered Touma would try to protect anyone. That nativity is going to get him killed one day. She looked at the guys lying unconscious on the ground. To her they were just human garbage she really should get rid of, but Touma did not like killing. She also did not want him to hate her. She sighed and put the bomb away knowing these guys weren't really a threat, so there really wasn't a reason to cause a scene. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Touma relax and smile at her. Her heart started beating rapidly and she turned away. She started walking but refused to turn around and look at him. She did however call out, "Well come on. Basically, we are almost to the restaurant and you still haven't had anything to eat."
"Yes ma'am," Touma agreed glad a kick to his shins was all the punishment he got for seeing a girls secret garden and Frenda didn't kill anyone. He followed her in silence a little confused at her reaction. Is she mad at me? It was an accident, but I think I should apologize. He didn't immediately apologize because part of him was worried if he brought up the incident, Frenda would get mad again. They continued to walk in silence as Touma gathered his courage. "Hey Frenda," he said.
"Yes?" she replied turning around to look at him. Touma took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for looking at your underwear!" he said bowing, because he was nervous he said it a lot louder then he needed to. Two guys were walking past and started coughing when they heard him. Frenda however turned scarlet.
"Y-you idiot!" she said waving her arms like a little kid. Then she kicked him once more in the shins. "Don't say that out loud. Basically, are you trying to draw attention to us?" She took a couple deep breaths to calm her nerves. "A-anyway, here it is." Touma looked up and saw a very normal looking restaurant. Even if Frenda had said it wasn't an extravagant place, he didn't expect it to be such a hole in the wall. They had walked quite a distance from the mall so all the shops here were smaller, but even so, this one appeared to be one of the smallest.
"Are you sure?" Touma asked hesitantly.
"Yep," Frenda said throwing her fist into the air. "Come on and don't be a baby." They entered the restaurant. There were only five tables on one side and a small bar on the other. An elderly man was wiping glasses and there was only a single customer at the table in the far back typing on a computer while eating some type of curry. Frenda took a seat at the one in the middle and Touma sat across from her. A moment later the man from the bar slid two menus in front of them. Touma took a few moments and order just a basic Gyūdon, or beef bowl. The food came out surprisingly fast and Touma dug in, but one thing did bother him as he watched Frenda.
"Why are you eating foods out of cans when you are in a restaurant?" Touma asked. He was watching Frenda use a can opener as she struggled to open a couple cans of mackerel. He thought it was weird she would take him to a restaurant, but then just eat her owned canned food.
"I like the taste," Frenda replied as she opened the first can and started eating. "I grew up on it and I now just like the taste. Two, a high quality can will prevent germs from getting into the food. With all the food left out in the open, you have no idea what's on it. At least the airtight seal offers some protection. They also last a long time and basically can be taken anywhere." Touma shook his head thinking that was not quite how it worked, but the first part interested him and got him thinking of something he had been wondering about for a while, but he wasn't sure how to ask it.
"You sure you don't want to try any?" Touma asked pushing his bowl over to her thinking she might open up a little before he asked his main question.
"I-I'm good," she stuttered slightly as her face got red. Wouldn't that be an indirect kiss if we eat from the same bowl? Touma shrugged and went back to eating then looked up at her.
"How did you get involved in…. the line of work you do?" Touma said trying to phrase his words carefully. He had been warned not to talk about ITEM in public if he could avoid it.
"My sister and I were sent to this city at a young age," Frenda said absentmindedly eating her fish. "Basically, I don't know much about our parents, but while we were here, we could only barely survive off the stipend from the city. I was looking for a job to raise money so we could live a better life. But, as you probably guessed, making money is tough, especially for a very young girl if I didn't want to do… certain… things. One day, I got home late and was ambushed by a lot of losers like we met earlier. Basically, I was saved by Mugino then she sort of trained me after that and we got into the same business together."
"You have a sister?" Touma asked curiously. He was asking questions because he was trying to figure out how someone could get so wrapped up in the dark side of Academy City. After her story, he realized she didn't do it just for herself. She did it for her sister too. Touma felt conflicted again. He didn't believe killing was ever the right answer, but by her story, it seemed she didn't have much choice in order to help herself and her sister. He knew firsthand how the city treated level 0s. Since he never saw her use an ability, he assumed she was also a level 0. Unless they improved, they were treated poorly by both the higher ups and higher level ability users. There were people like Mikoto who didn't care what level people were, but she would be in the minority. Even Accelerator had looked down at everyone because he was the strongest in Academy City, but he changed a lot.
"Yea," Frenda said looking up at him as she noticed him staring at her. "She's a little younger than me, but I doubt you will see her. I make sure she is well away from our line of work." She paused and smirked at him. "I hope you aren't thinking of trying to be the Harem King and add her. She's way too young for you." She was joking, but, seeing the face he made, definitely made her feel better after talking about something so serious. She wasn't sure why he was asking so many questions, but she was even more confused at why she was answering them. Mugino doesn't even know my past that much, so why did I tell him? She felt something she never experienced before with Mugino and the other girls from ITEM. She actually felt safe and secure around Touma. Kinuhata was right, I really do like him. Of course, she was not going to admit it to her. "I have a friend watching her. He's kind of stupid, but he's reliable when you need him to be."
"I-it's nothing like that," denied Touma stuttering in indignation. "I just wanted to know more about your is all." Frenda's face went red and she couldn't think of anything else to say. Touma realized he said something really embarrassing and decided to finish his food to avoid the awkward silence.
"I wanted to ask you something," Frenda said breaking the silence.
"Go ahead," said Touma waving her on. Since she had answered him, he was planning to answer her. He was a little perplexed about why Frenda seemed to go red.
"Are you actually da… da… seeing any…?" Frenda tried to ask but she couldn't get the words out. She could have sworn her face was glowing red and smoke was coming out of her ears.
"Seeing…?" Touma asked confused at what she was asking.
"Ah never mind," muttered Frenda. "It wasn't important."
"If you're sure," Touma said then he phone buzzed. He glanced at it and saw a message from Misaki.
Hey Touma, call me when you are free. I have something important I need to ask you and I don't think you want anyone else to hear this.
He frowned at Misaki's vague message. Knowing her, it could be a lot of embarrassing things, but it could also be something serious so he knew he needed to contact her soon. He looked over at Frenda who appeared to be lost in her thoughts. He sighed, wondering what misfortune was about to unfold, and pulled out his wallet to pay for the food. "Hey Frenda, something just came up and I need to get going. Thanks for showing me this place. Their food really was good."
"It wasn't a problem," Frenda replied grinning. "Basically, I had fun talking to yo… I mean, I was bored so you helped kill some time."
Touma grinned. "Well glad I could help you out then," he laughed and handed the money to the bartender. He waved to Frenda and left.
After he was out of sight, the bartender walked by Frenda who was still sitting at the table. With a slight motion a small crumpled up piece of paper left his hand and landed on the table next to her empty can. Frenda barely moving her hand, the paper disappeared, and her eyes darted downwards. She frowned while her eyebrows narrowed and she slipped her hand into her pocket. Mugino is going to want to know, but it shouldn't interfere with our trip. Basically, when we get back, someone's going to be pissed.
Across the city in the Tokiwadai dorms, two girls were staring at each other suspiciously from across a room. It was unusual for Mikoto and Misaki to be in the same room at the same time, unless Touma was with them. This was not one of those times. They were both in Misaki's room waiting for Touma to call Misaki back. The tension was thick in the air while both girls just glared at each other. Finally, Mikoto broke the silence.
"How long do you think it will be?" she asked.
"I told him it was important," Misaki said thoughtfully. "But I don't know what he is up to."
"Is this really a good idea though?" Mikoto asked for the umpteenth time.
"It was your roommate who kept asking me," Misaki sighed as she explained again. 'She's the one who wanted to meet…" Her she looked down at the table where her phone was ringing. "It's him." She answered her phone. "Hi Touma, I'm putting you on speaker because Misaka-san is here and she will get violent if I don't let her listen."
"Why you…!" Mikoto growled while Misaki laughed.
"Hey Mikoto, Misaki," Touma's voice came through loud and clear. "You said you had something important to ask me?"
"We do," Mikoto sighed. "It's about Kuroko."
"What did Jason do this time?" Touma asked immediately.
"Actually nothing," Mikoto replied but she and Misaki could not stop grins from appearing on their faces. "It's actually about you?"
"What did I do?"
"Well it's what Touya Kamiko did," Mikoto said.
"I'm confused."
"Kuroko really developed an attachment to you when you were disguised as Kamiko-san," Misaki elaborated. "She has been bothering me about it for quite a bit. Even Saten-san and Uiharu-san have been asking about her too. Since you told Shirai-san that Kamiko-san went to your school, she actually started debating if she should go look for you."
"That might cause some problems for you," Mikoto added. "And if she still couldn't find you, I would be the one to have to listen to her complain. So we came up with a plan that does not involve Shokuhou-san messing with her mind. I don't trust her to let her use her ability on my friends."
"You are so paranoid," Misaki interrupted and pretended to pout. She had in fact offered that solution to make Mikoto's friends forget about Touma's female form, but Mikoto adamantly refused.
"I'm going to regret this," they heard him sigh. "What's the plan?"
"Well," Misaki said. "We figured Kamiko-san can make an appearance tomorrow since schools are off at noon before Golden Week. You hang out with us and Shirai-san, and then we can try to invent an excuse why you can't see each other after this."
"So in other words…" they both realized he sounded hesitant. "You want me to get turned into a girl AGAIN. Then hang out with Shirai-san. I can't see anything going wrong with that idea." He said the last part quite sarcastically.
"Please," Mikoto begged. "It's the last time."
"Fine," Touma sighed. "I suppose if you two will be there nothing TO bad could happen. But with my misfortune…" He trailed off for a moment. "Wait, did you contact Jason? He's the one who needs to do it."
"I did," Shokuhou said proudly. "I got everything set up before you called." She was quite experienced at setting up complicated plans involving a lot of people. Something on this scale was quite easy for her. "After he laughed for about five minutes, he agreed to turn you into Kamiko-san after school tomorrow."
"Of course he would agree," Touma muttered. "Ok, I guess I can't really argue since I don't have anything going on tomorrow, except to finish packing."
"I'm looking forward to the trip," Misaki said excitedly.
"Me too," Mikoto added and they both glared at each other for a moment.
"We will meet you at Kagere-san's apartment tomorrow," Misaki told Touma. "We will then accompany you and meet Shirai-san, Uiharu-san, and Saten-san."
"I'll see you there," Touma said resigning himself to the fact he was going to be turned into a girl again. He hung up and both girls looked at each other.
"You better not let Shirai-san do anything to him," Misaki said seriously.
"She woul…" Mikoto started to reply irritated then stopped. "I'll talk to her tonight." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm still not going to let you have him."
"Oh my," Misaki said holding her hand up to her mouth. "You seem to have grown bolder the last few days." Mikoto's glared intensified as she stood up and left Misaki's apartment. Misaki watched Mikoto leave and continued to sit in her chair thinking. If she becomes more aggressive in her attempt to attract Touma, then I should too. Though I think her quick to anger attitude will turn him off, I still need to watch her closely. I can't wait till we go on this trip. There will be plenty of opportunities to sneak off and be alone with him. Her face turned red as her daydreams began to run wild.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Touma muttered as he sat on the couch in Jason's apartment the following day. "Why did you agree to it?"
"Eh I didn't have a reason to refuse," Jason replied sitting at his computer and printing off a large piece of paper with a magic circle on it. Because he could not use his shadow reliably right now, he had to manually make a magic circle to activate the Aztec urn. His trash can was full of discarded paper where he had tried to hand draw the circles. He eventually gave up and just made it on the computer. "I was pretty surprised when Shokuhou-san called me, but I wasn't going to turn down another favor she would owe me."
"I think you just like messing with me," Touma said suspiciously turning his head to look at Jason.
"Well," Jason said winking. "There is that. There is also the fact you didn't tell me you found another tutor before I spend my valuable time to come over to help you study. Though, the test this morning was kind of pointless. I'm just glad I can still cast spells. I practiced to make sure I could do this before I agreed. My mana seems only to be problematic when it involves my shadow, not when I cast normal spells. I can't figure out why. "
"Tell me about it," Touma muttered referring to the test. He couldn't give Jason any advice on magic. The surprise test turned out to be a physical test. It turns out all the tough PE lessons over the last week had been carefully monitored to determine each student's physical abilities. Their grade on the test would be how well they could do compared to their assessed ability. That way, students with physical enhancing abilities did not have an advantage over people who didn't. Each student's grade was based purely on their performance against their past performances. Touma remembered running till he almost passed out in order to pass the exam. "You almost done?" he asked impatiently. He just wanted to get this over with.
"You want to be a girl that badly huh?" Jason asked grinning as he started setting up the circle, figurines, and the urn on the ground. "I never asked, but did you constantly look at your body back then?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Touma snapped irritated. "There's no way I would do something like that?"
Jason frowned. "Are you gay?" he asked uncertainly. "I mean it's cool if you are, but as your friend…"
"Of course I'm not!" Touma yelled. "I like girls."
"I don't care either way," Jason said shrugging. "So do you find Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san attractive? Is that why you are doing this?"
"I'm doing this because Shirai-san keeps asking for Kamiko," Touma said getting slightly annoyed. "And, you know what, yes. Both Mikoto and Misaki are quite attractive. You happy?" He said the last part loudly right when the door to Jason's apartment opened and Misaki and Mikoto had walked in. Jason and Touma both turned and looked at the girls whose faces had turned red with a mix of both happiness and embarrassment. Touma could feel his ears burned as he saw them. They obviously heard that.
"Oh my Touma," Misaki said holding her hand up to her cheek. "Why thank you."
"Y-you i-idiot," Mikoto stuttered. "Thank you though."
"Actually," Jason said turning to look at Touma. "That did make me happy." Touma punched him hard in the arm. "Can you two wait over there?" Jason asked the girls as he rubbed his sore arm. "I'm about to cast the spell." They nodded and moved off to the side watching what he was doing with interest. Neither of them had seen a magician cast a spell before so this was a new experience for both of them. Jason kneeled before the urn and clasped his hands together. He started chanting and several minutes passed. Mikoto was getting skeptical anything was going to happen until the lid started to shutter. It slowly started to rise a couple inches from the top of the urn. Touma started to glow slightly, except for his hand, and a green mist started to drift off his head into the urn. When the spell was complete the lid settled back on the urn. Everyone looked at Touma, now Touya. He had completed turned back to his female form and his clothes hung loosely on his body. His female form was a little smaller then his male form and his hair was no longer spikey, but wavy and shoulder length.
"Wow," Mikoto said looking him up and down. 'That's pretty cool."
"I brought some new clothes for you Touma," Misaki said cheerfully. She passed over a bag with several outfits. "Choose one you like." Touma took the bag by reflex and looked inside. He pulled out a shirt and pants and passed the other two outfits back.
"There's no way I am going to wear those two," Touma said and his ears burned just at the thought. Mikoto was curious and looked into the bag. She burst out laughing.
"What?" she asked through the tears. "You didn't want to wear the revealing dress?"
"NO!" Touma said indignantly. He walked away embarrassed and changed in the bathroom, making sure to lock the door. When he finished and rejoined the others, he looked over at Jason. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
"Can't," Jason said shaking his head. Touma could tell he really wanted to come by the look in his eyes, probably to laugh at him though. "I have something I need to do tonight since I am going to be gone for a week. There are some people who really make my life a pain just because they think I slack off. They must have been talking to Kuro-chan." Touma, Mikoto, and Misaki all snickered at him. They waved goodbye and left. Jason grinned when Misaki grabbed one of Touma's arms and Mikoto immediately grabbed the other one. The door closed behind him and Jason staggered slightly. His vision blurred and he had to grab a nearby chair to steady himself. "Shit" he muttered. "It's hard to keep up appearance."
Then you should do what I recommended instead of heading to England. It will not be good for us if you go now.
"Shut up," Jason growled. "It's your fault I'm like this. Maybe they can finally make you shut up. You have gotten really loud since we got back."
You are the one who begged me for help.
"Go to hell!"
I already have.
Touma on the other hand was glad when they got near the Tokiwadai dorms. Misaki and Mikoto had to let go of him to avoid suspicion of why both level 5s were fawning over another girl. Touma began to get nervous after that when Tokiwadai came into view. When they were a couple blocks away, Misaki stopped them and turned to Touma. "I almost forgot," she said. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pink cellphone. "Use this as your phone when you are Kamiko-san. My number is programmed into it. This way, you can give it to Shirai-san who I am sure is going to want your number. Feel free to mess with her whenever you feel like it."
"Hey," Mikoto snapped. "Don't go telling him to mess with my friends." She grabbed the phone out of his hand and put her number in it. She tossed it back. "I trust you Touma, but let's just try to appease her today then make an excuse why you probably won't be able to meet anymore."
"If she finds out it is me," Touma said depressed. "You know I'm going to get killed right?"
"She didn't find out it was you all weekend," Misaki pointed out helpfully.
"Let's just get this over with," Touma sighed.
Because Misaki and Mikoto were focused on Touma, they did not see the guy walking on the other side of the street when they got near Tokiwadai. Accelerator had noticed them, but he wasn't the kind of guy to call out to people he knew unless he had a reason, or was just bored and wanted to bother them. He recognized Mikoto and Misaki, but he had to do a second glance at the third girl with them. She looks familiar, he thought to himself. He normally didn't forget faces, but this time, he could not remember where he saw that girl. This annoyed him because he didn't like leaving mysteries unsolved. He made a mental note to find out who that girl was later, but for now, he had somewhere to be.
Misaki smiled broadly and grabbed his hand while pulling him into Tokiwadai. Mikoto followed with her hands behind her head grinning. They walked in through the main entrance this time. A few girls glanced at him when he passed, but they seemed to be looking at Misaki and Mikoto more. He figured they only looked at him because he didn't have the Tokiwadai uniform. When they got to Mikoto's room, Touma knocked.
"Come in," Shirai's voice came through the door. "It's unlocked." Touma took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Hey Shirai-san," he said nervously giving her a small wave. He watched her face change from a look of simply politeness for an unknown guest, to shock at his sudden appearance, then her face burst into a wide smile.
"Kamiko-san!" she yelled and jumped off her bed and plowed into him. Touma was almost knocked backwards from her momentum, but he managed to stay standing because she wasn't that big. Kuroko wrapped her arms around him as she gave him a big hug and buried her face into his chest. "I haven't seen you forever. How did you get here?"
"Your friends Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san invited me," Touma told her smiling, but trying to gently get her to let him go from her vice like grip. One of the reasons he actually agreed to do it was because Mikoto really wanted Kuroko to cheer up so he decided to help her help her friend. He was also conflicted for keeping up this lie though. At his word, Misaki and Mikoto stepped out from behind the door and waved to her.
"Surprise," they said grinning at the sight of Kuroko forcing herself on Touma. "I know you missed her," Mikoto continued. "But we need to meet Uiharu-san and Saten-san soon. Remember, we are meeting them for a late lunch."
"Ok," Kuroko said, but still refused to let go of Touma. "Come on Kamiko-san," she said pulling on his arm. "You remember Uiharu-san and Saten-san from the trip right." Touma nodded. "Great, let's go and spend the afternoon together." She dragged Touma who just decided to go with the flow while Misaki and Mikoto followed still grinning. To them, this was still hilarious. Kuroko hated Touma, but as soon as he was Touya, they were suddenly compatible.
On the way to Joseph's Diner, Kuroko did nothing except talk to Touma. Naturally the first question she asked was why it was so hard to contact her. Touma had rehearsed some excuses since he knew that was going to be the first question she asked. He simply told her high school keeps him really busy along with his friends and everything else going on outside of school. He rounded it off by sharing his new phone number with her so she could contact him. She quickly changed from being slightly upset to extremely happy. When all four of them got to the diner, they found Kazari and Ruiko waiting for them. Touma's group took their seats and they waved to him. It turns out Mikoto had told them Touma was coming and it was going to be a surprise for Kuroko.
"Hi Kamiko-san," Ruiko said grinning. "I haven't seen you since the beach trip."
"It's good to see you again," Kazari said politely.
"It's nice to see you two again too," Touma said pretending this was the first time he saw them since their first encounter with Touya. He sat down with Kuroko on one side and Misaki on the other. Mikoto was obviously annoyed she couldn't sit next to him, but she put up with it because everyone else believed Touma was Misaki's friend. "What have you been up to?"
"We have been pretty busy with school work," Kazari replied. "Though, we did have a little too much excitement last weekend." If Touma did not know what she was talking about, he would have been confused, but because he did, he was able to notice the slight glance between Ruiko, Kuroko and Kazari. He figured they didn't want to tell him about the magic organization and with good reason.
"Though Uiharu has been getting along pretty well with Kagere," Ruiko grinned. "You know the guy she called during the trip. I know they have had a lot of alone time together."
"SATEN-SAN!" Kazari said turning bright red. "Don't say it like that!" Even Touma had to laugh along with everyone at her embarrassed reaction.
"I still don't know what she sees in him," Kuroko sighed leaning against Touma. "He's almost as bad as the ape."
"Really?" Misaki said thoughtfully. "But you two get along so well. I thought you liked him." Before Kuroko could respond, Mikoto also joined in.
"I thought the same thing," Mikoto said grinning unable to contain herself. "I asked her that once before and I don't think she ever gave me a direct answer."
Kuroko turned green at the thought of her and Jason and then her face paled in horror. "Don't even say something horrible like that," Kuroko told them. "Even if it is just a joke. That is too horrible to imagine. Let's say in some alternative universe I did, I couldn't move after someone my friend is with." Everyone was grinning at her powerful denial, but then Touma realized something and couldn't help himself.
"She never actually denied it," he pointed out and everyone except Kuroko laughed. Touma usually was on the receiving end of people's jokes, so he was proud he was finally on the other end. He regretted it almost immediately as Kuroko turned her frustration onto him. She teleported not his lap, and started to grope him.
"Ah Kamiko-san!" she cried. "How could you be so mean?" Kuroko put her head into his chest and held tightly to him. Touma tried to push her off, but she refused to budge.
How is she so strong? Normally Mikoto would just shock Kuroko to get her to let go, but now Mikoto was watching with an amused look on her face as Kuroko felt someone else up for a change. Misaki had a similar look of amusement on her face and neither of them looked like they were going to help him anytime soon. Eventually, Kuroko stopped feeling him up and he pushed her off him.
"Hey Uiharu," Ruiko said turning to her after she was done watching Kuroko's and Touma's spectacle. "You should invite Kagere over so Kamiko-san can meet him."
"That sounds like a good idea," Kazari said pulling out her cellphone. Misaki and Mikoto both looked at each other in surprise. Neither of them had a good reason why she shouldn't call Jason, but neither of them knew how Jason would react. Instead the grabbed their drinks to have something to do with their hands while the listened to Kazari's conversation. Touma was nervous and knew Jason was probably going to make his situation worse.
"Hey Jason," Kazari said. "Are you free to meet a friend of mine?" There was silence. "Oh, what are you doing?" More silence and Kazari's eyes widened. "I don't think you should do that." Everyone at the table leaned forward at this. "Ok, if you say so." She hung up and looked at them all. "He's busy tonight and can't come."
"Ah to bad," Kuroko said, sarcasm oozing in every word.
"What's he doing?" Ruiko asked.
"Ah well," Kazari said looking at them. "He said he and Kamijou-san were following Accelerator."
Touma frowned at this. So I think he is covering for me, but why would he use Accelerator as an excuse. Mikoto and Misaki were thinking similar things and their curiosity was evident on their faces.
"Why?" Mikoto and Misaki asked simultaneously.
"Well," Kazari answered hesitantly. She didn't look all that comfortable with discussing it, but she continued. "He said Accelerator was with a blonde they didn't know and wanted to see if he was on an actual date." There was a stunned silence and everyone at the table, except Touma and it took a lot of his willpower not to, said the exact same thing.
"WHAT!?"
Their stunned expression was pretty funny to Touma. Touma didn't believe Jason was telling the truth, he was to use to him joking around even during serious situations, but he did have the perfect response to their reactions. Technically, as Touya Kamiko, he never met Accelerator so he figured this was a good time to get back at Mikoto and Misaki for watching him get felt up by Kuroko. "This Accelerator guy," Touma asked and everyone turned to look at him. "Was this the guy you were talking about during the trip?" The reactions were about what he expected.
"No," Ruiko said her facing turning red. "He's someone completely different."
"That dang ape," Kuroko fumed as her malice started seeping out of her. "He dares to approach onee-sama."
Kazari looked at them with a quizzical look on her face. She had not been in the room when the discussion on Touma took place and turned into a fight. Misaki and Mikoto both looked at Touma with a shocked look that he would bring that up. Misaki poked him, hard, in the side and he knew she was angry at him. When he turned to apologize, he saw she was trying to conceal a grin and he realized she wasn't angry, just annoyed to be on the receiving end of a joke. He glanced at Mikoto who had the look that said simply.
You are going to regret that later.
After they had eaten, Kuroko dragged Touma around while everyone else followed. Their first stop was karaoke. Touma wasn't sure how often everyone else did karaoke, but they were all pretty good. Karzai's only problem was she got embarrassed and sung really softly. Naturally, Mikoto and Misaki were stars on the stage. Kuroko and Ruiko were pretty good themselves. When it was finally Touma's turn, he had to give a quick glare at Misaki because she had selected a love song for him to sing while grinning. He normally might have been able to sing, but with his different voice, it sounded pretty awkward. No one seemed to mind because karaoke isn't about sounding good, just having fun with friends.
The next activity, Kuroko dragged them to, was probably the most embarrassing for Touma. Kuroko of course wanted to go shopping, but Touma noticed very amused looks on Mikoto and Misaki's faces. Kazari and Ruiko also seemed to be slightly nervous, but he didn't know why, until Kuroko tried to lead them into a very revealing underwear shop. Touma adamantly refused, and he was backed up by everyone else. Eventually, they settled on a more normal clothing store. Kuroko wanted Touma to try a lot of different dresses on and it took all of his creativity to make excuses. Finally, Kuroko started looking for herself and Touma decided to just pretend to browse.
"Having fun?" Misaki asked him. He didn't hear her sneaking up on him.
"I should not be here," he hissed back. "I have nowhere to look and with my luck I will see something I shouldn't."
"Well," Misaki replied putting a finger on her cheek. "If you see something you would like to see me wear, feel free to suggest it. I could try it on for you, privately in the changing room of course." Touma's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head as his ears burned. Misaki giggled because she couldn't resist teasing him like that, knowing full well he would never agree to that because of how kind he is.
"Shokuhou-san," Mikoto said angrily walking up to them. "Quit teasing him."
"Misaka-san, are you sure you are just not jealous you don't have the courage to try something on for him?" Misaki asked smirking. "Maybe you don't really like him."
"Y-you," Mikoto said angrily sparking slightly. "Just because I'm not a slut doesn't mean I don't l-like…" Touma immediately left before he could hear anything else between them fighting. Though, he did hear Misaki respond back angrily, but he didn't' hear the exact words. He wished the day would hurry, he felt like such a horrible person pretending to be a girl in a clothing store for women.
Eventually they left when Kuroko wasn't able to find anything she wanted. They walked around the mall and a few stores for a bit before heading back to Tokiwadai. Kazari and Ruiko waved good bye as they needed to head back to their dorms to finish packing for the trip tomorrow. When the rest of them entered the Tokiwadai dorms, they were greeted by the dorm supervisor and all of them froze. "Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san," she said. She didn't sound angry, but still strict. They all relaxed slightly. "I'm glad you both filled out all the paperwork for leaving the city next week, but I still need to discuss a few things with you. This should not take long, but please come with me." Mikoto and Misaki nodded and Mikoto told Touma she would meet them back at her room. When they left with the dorm supervisor, Touma could not help thinking.
Their dorm supervisor is really attractive. He was glad none of the girls were reading his mind at that time. He always slightly worried Misaki might read his mind, but he doubted it. He always saw Misaki use her powers pretty responsibly, unlike a lot of other ability users in the city. Of course, he could not know all the times she used her powers when he wasn't around, which is one of the reasons Mikoto was always suspicious of her.
Kuroko and Touma headed back to Mikoto's and Kuroko's dorm room. Kuroko, of course, always sat on Mikoto's bed, so Touma sat on Kuroko's bed. He only knew this because of his past visits to this dorm, even though he was not allowed to be there. He realized Kuroko was staring at him. "Did you need something Shirai-san?" he asked nervously. He wasn't sure what all to say because he was not use to talking to Kuroko alone.
"I need to ask you something," Kuroko said and Touma was surprised she sounded hesitant.
"Sure," Touma said looking at her. I wonder what this is about.
"I need some advice," she continued. "You know how I like onee-sama?" Touma nodded and wasn't surprised about the topic of the conversation. Everyone who met her once knew how much she obsessed over Mikoto. "Well I found out recently she actually likes someone else." Touma raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "I first thought she would just get over it and eventually accept my feelings. But it seems like she is just falling for him more." She pointed to something on the far side of the room and Touma turned and was greeted with a surprise.
On the nightstand next to Mikoto's bed, he saw two pictures. One was of Mikoto, Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari. The other was a picture of him and Mikoto. He recognized it as the picture they took at the carnival before the sins interrupted them. She got a copy? I'm surprised she puts it out in the open, with Kuroko living in the same room. I expected her to destroy it. "I take it this is the guy," said Touma and Kuroko nodded.
"I can't understand how she likes him," she fumed grabbing her head in frustration. "He's just an ape, uncivilized, stupid, plain, and unlucky." Touma felt a vein throb in his head in irritation, but didn't say anything. "His only possible redeeming quality is he is willing to help anyone who needs it. But then he goes and hangs out with other terrible people." Touma immediately thought of Accelerator and Jason, both of whom have made fun of Kuroko. "I need your advice on how I can get onee-sama to fall for me. You are in high school so you probably have more experience with love then me, especially since we both like girls."
Touma now was really conflicted. It felt weird to give someone advice on love matters. He knew Mikoto thought of Kuroko as her best friend, but Mikoto never had romantic feelings for her. He found out she liked him instead right after Misaki had confessed her love for him too. He was worried if he started dating one of them, it would ruin his friendship with the other. Also if they broke up, they might not remain friends. There was also the possibility of this just being a crush and they would grow out of it. He sighed and figured some generic advice would probably be the best course of action. He still believed Kuroko just liked Mikoto out of admiration instead of real love, but he couldn't be sure. "The only thing I can really say," Touma answered hesitantly. "Is if you really like her, all you can do is tell her then show her. You also need to respect her feelings if she doesn't feel the same way. People change, so even if someone doesn't feel the same way as you, they could. Also," he decided to add the next part to try to help Mikoto. "I don't think she appreciates it when you teleport and start groping her. If you avoid doing that, she might open up more instead of remaining guarded against your advances."
Kuroko thought about that for a moment. She really did enjoy the feel of Mikoto's chest, but conceded Touya had a point. She grinned at the thought of eventually having Mikoto all to herself. If she had to avoid going all out in order to make sure they final goal was in sight, she could do that. "Thank you Kamiko-san," she said happier then she had been for a while. She teleported into Touma's lap and gave him a hug. Touma didn't know what to do so he settled with patting her on the back with his left hand. He remembered a warning from Mikoto about allowing Kuroko to touch his right hand. If she couldn't teleport, she might realize who he was. Then to his surprise, Kuroko leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Of course, his misfortune would kick in at the exact moment. The door opened and Mikoto and Misaki walked in during that exact moment. There was a stunned silence as everyone looked at each other. Mikoto broke the silence first. "KUROKO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"ONEE-SAMA!" Kuroko called back in shock as she teleported off Touma. "It's not what it looks like."
"Kuroko, why are you trying to flirt with my friends?" asked Misaki irritated.
"We were just talking," Touma said raising his hands. "Nothing happened."
"You are the only one for me onee-sama," Kuroko said teleporting and hugging her. This time, she didn't try to grope Mikoto's chest and that might have been the reason Mikoto didn't shock her. Instead, Mikoto just tried to push her off.
"Get off Kuroko," she said irritated as she tried to pry Kuroko off her. Mikoto also turned to Misaki "It's late and Kamiko-san needs to get going anyways. Can you escort her out the dorms while I handle things here?"
"Of course Misaka-san," Misaki said happily while nodding. "I'll leave you two love birds alone." She grabbed Touma's hand and pulled him out of the dorm, shutting the door behind her, and avoided hearing Mikoto's retort. As they exited the dorms, Misaki turned to Touma. "So," she asked him slowly. "You are flirting with other girls?"
"No," replied Touma shaking his head quickly. "I gave her some advice and she kissed me in thanks. I didn't do anything to…"
"I know," laughed Misaki. "I just wanted to tease you. I know what Shirai-san is like. Anyway, here we are." They reached the gate. "I'll see you at the airport tomorrow. I'm looking forward to our trip."
"I am too," Touma agreed. "It has been awhile since I have left the city for an actual vacation rather than going somewhere and trying to save someone." He sighed. "Seriously, my life is just a roller coaster." Misaki laughed again and she waved good night and headed back into the dorms. Touma left thinking about the vacation tomorrow and how Kuroko reacts around him when he looks like a girl. He started heading back to Jason's apartment to get himself changed back out of this ridiculous disguise, glad nothing absolutely horrible happened.
He did not realize he forgot to tell them Shizuri and her friends were going to join them on the trip.
Across Academy City, Motoharu, Pierce, Jason, and Accelerator all looked up into the sky. It was impossible to tell how they all knew, but all four of them felt it. Kami Disease had just reached a new level.
In the famous windowless building, a conversation was taking place that will never reach the outside world. Aleister Crowley was communicating secretly with Academy City's ally in the Anglican Church. While their tones were light, they tension in the air was palpable. The female, on the other end of the call, was just as devious as Aleister though she tended to have more emotion in her voice them him.
"I understand you have agreed to guide the Imagine Breaker during his trip to England," remarked Aleister. "Though, you did not confirm with me to see if he had my permission to leave."
"I was sure everything was cleared before I was contacted," Laura Stuart replied mildly.
"Were you also aware a rather large contingent of ladies from Academy City will be in his company?" asked Aleister. "Along with a few gentleman, many of which are quite powerful."
"I was aware he would be accompanied by a large number of people," Laura confirmed. "Oh my, now that I recall, I've not yet mentioned it to the ladies of Necessarius that Kamijou-kun is coming to England. I also am looking forward to meeting him."
"You would not be thinking of trying to get the Imagine Breaker to stay in England," Aleister remarked. "Hoping he might find an attraction with one of your subordinates?"
"How could you suggest such a thing?" Laura gasped, but there was a trace of amusement in her voice. "Necessarius deeply values their friendship with Academy City. Though I am curious, are you sure you are not setting up one of your students with the boy?"
"Someone else is pulling those strings," Aleister said. "It is not interfering with my plans and, if it causes the Imagine Breaker to return, then I have no problems with an individual's experiment."
"It sounds like someone is trying to join the game," remarked Laura mildly. "I hope you are not too hard on them. After all, trying to outplay you would be suicidal on their part."
"Indeed."
"On a related note," Laura said. "I am interested in the individual who bares the sin marks. I am pleased you are letting him travel here for us to examine."
"Those marks are a slight inconvenience," Aleister said. "If you can remove them, it will benefit both of our sides."
"I will see what we can do." The call disconnected between them.
I wonder if he knows about the storms brewing in England, Aleister thought to himself as he turned to watch several screens of Academy City. I should contact him to show he is much further behind then he wants to admit.
Yes Anon Guest, I used your idea, modified slightly to keep them more in character. You helped add to a scene I needed to do. To everyone else, next chapter is officially the England arc.
Jason: Touma help!
Touma: What's wrong?
Jason: Accelerator's trying to kill me.
Touma: What?
Accelerator: JAAAASSSSSOOONNNN!
Jason: Shit, got to run, hold him off for me.
Touma: Accelerator, what are you doing?
Accelerator: Move hero.
Touma: What are….?
Accelerator: MOVE SO I CAN KILL HIM.
Touma: Ok.
Motoharu: I'm really interested if there was any truth in Jason's words.
Touma: I kind of want to see it to. We probably won't know till after we get back from England.
Motoharu: Yea, that sucks.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or idea. I love reading them.