A Certain Infinite Possibility

by Darkbetrayer

An ancient organization has emerged from hiding in order to bring the world into darkness. Will Touma be able to stop them or will his actions make everything worse. Will Touma finally develop the harem he deserves? Magic and Science will collide in ways no one thought possible. Touma X Harem (Maybe, he is really dense.)

64. S3 Boys and Girls III

Hey everyone, it's your favorite girl Lessar. You know, the best girl in Lover Boy's group. I finally get to do these announcements. Now, I was told I have to keep my responses somewhat… what did the author guy say… family friendly? Sounds boring right, but I promised. That only leaves me with one option, to admit I lied and answer the questions perfectly. I was told everyone else wouldn't be able to see it so I have free reign. Well, let's get to the good part and move to the commenters.

naruhinasakufan1: That has always been a possibility, but I need him to come back with me to England. For that to happen, I need him to fall for me willingly. He has to be conscious to truly enjoy my skills. I suppose bondage wouldn't be out of the question…

salishious: Hmm, depends how you define first. But I'll tell him whatever he wants to hear.

d3mystic: Sigh, I was told I needed to tell this guy something, there's a car here somewhere from the author… Here it is… Oriana will be introduced at some point…. Well my work is done, but I bet she can't be important because I don't know her.

Guest: Lancis was picked up by Floris after our drunken extravaganza. If all of them joined Lover Boy's harem? That would be tough, as Bayloupe has a crush on Accelerator. I suppose I could try to get Lancis and Floris to join me with him for a four way. Do you think that might finally break his Saint level restraint? I didn't know that. I guess it's time for me to get one in.

Guest 10032: That's a great idea. I'll get some exotic underwear, take some pictures, and then steal his phone to set them as his background. I wonder if I can change his password too so he can't change them back. Oh, the author also told me to tell you to watch your back. He's coming for you for revealing his ideas.

RPGPersona: I contribute! I help him with relaxation and stress relief. Whenever he comes back stressed or upset, I'll be right there to do ANYTHING to make him feel better.

Whwsms: Hmm, I don't know her, but she will never defeat me.

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.

---

Touma was eyeing the clock, counting down the minutes until the bell would ring and class would be over. It had been a long day and he didn't get much sleep last night. When he got back to his dorm, Lessar immediately jumped into his chest, and wrapped her arms and legs around his body, keeping him from throwing her off. Index didn't take to kindly to Touma holding another girl and she too pounced on him. After he finally got them off, he made supper for all three of them. With Lessar here, my already tight food budget is going to get even worse. I really need to find a way to make some extra money. When it was time to sleep, Lessar did everything possible to get him to sleep in the bed with her, even offering to allow Index to join them. Touma rushed into the bathroom, unable to stop the image from entering his mind, and locked the door. He found it hard to sleep, not only worrying about Lessar sneaking in while he slept, but the information about an unknown group forcefully raising people's levels. I can't stand people who feed on other people's insecurities. He finally fell asleep, thinking about what Mitsuko was going to make him do tomorrow.

"So Kami-yan," Motoharu spoke up, interrupting Touma's thoughts. "We decided to finally tell you what our master plan is for the crime event Saturday."

"About time," muttered Touma. "I need to know how much damage control I need to be prepared for."

"You make it sound like we are going to do something bad," Pierce laughed. "Everything we have planned is perfectly within the rules. We even made Kagere check for us and set up a couple things, including transportation."

"When did you have time to do this?" Touma asked bewildered. "He hasn't been in school since Monday and he's been barely answering my messages."

"You just got to know when he's free," Motoharu replied, with a devious smirk on his face.

"Even though their idea is completely idiotic," Accelerator said, turning to face them. "They sure put a lot of planning into this."

"And you don't even know the entire plan," laughed Pierce, but then he got quiet. "Let's go out the back, so we don't get overheard by Fukiyose -sama." They all turned and looked at Seiri, who was watching them suspiciously. Aisa was also watching them, but none of the guys noticed, except Touma.

"You better not be planning to do anything to embarrass our class," Seiri warned them, her keen senses detecting their motives.

"Of course not Fukiyose-sama," Motoharu answered. "We plan to give it our all, and maybe steal a few panties while we are at it." A pencil case flew through the air, smacked him in the face, and knocked him out of his chair.

"That's not really the plan right?" Touma whispered to Accelerator.

"No," Accelerator replied simply. "If it was, I would have just knocked them out myself and refused to participate. Their plan is more… interesting." Touma gulped at the slightly evil grin on his face. Before he could ask anything else, the bell rang and everyone stood up. The four guys left the room in silence and exited the school from the back entrance. When they were far enough away, to ensure they would not be overheard, Pierce and Motoharu turned towards Accelerator and Touma.

"I bet you have been wondering what master plan we have been painstakingly working out these last few days," Pierce started to say in a bold manner, but Accelerator cut him off.

"Get on with it," he snapped.

"Well," Motoharu continued. "As you know, the boundaries between schools are being lifted for the event in district 7, so we have a pretty clear field to do whatever we want. Kami-yan needs a lot of extra credit points, so we have to make sure we cause a lot of problems. What are friends for?" He grinned at Touma, who felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Pierce and Accelerator chuckled slightly. "So, Aogami and I thought, what would get us noticed the most and allows us to procure the greatest number of points for all of us, while making use of Accelerator's power and Kagere's resources? It hit us immediately, something we wanted to do for a long time, but never had a good opportunity." He slapped Touma on the shoulder. "Because now we have Kami the Harem King to rally behind."

"What!" Touma yelled and coughed. "You never said I was going to have to put on that ridiculous disguise." Accelerator snickered slightly, but was still listening to the rest of their explanation.

"That's why we are telling you now," Pierce explained. "We need your persona to finalize the major part of the plan. Otherwise, it will end in a revolt."

"What kind of plan would involve me wearing that?" Touma demanded.

"The plan to take over Tokiwadai," Motoharu declared, slamming his hand onto a nearby wall.

His words stopped Touma's argument on the spot, as his brain tried to process what he heard. What the… Did I hear that right? There's no way he could be serious. Even assuming Mikoto and Misaki weren't there, everyone there is at least a level 3. "Are you two stupid?!" Touma half shouted. "You know guys can't go into an all-girl's school."

"But we can," Pierce corrected him. "The rules stated ALL boundaries are being lifted for that day. We are perfectly allowed to trespass on Tokiwadai's campus. We can only pull this off during an event like this"

"…" Touma went silent for a moment. Damn, they actually planned it out to this degree? "But even so, both Mikoto and Misaki will be there. Accelerator may be fine, but the rest of us…."

"No they won't," Motoharu said, cutting him off.

"What?"

"They won't be there."

"Why?"

"They will be at the middle school," Motoharu said, rolling his eyes.

"But you said you wanted to take over Tokiwadai," Touma pointed out, completely confused. "Wouldn't it be likely they would be nearby?"

"But we never said we were after the middle school," Pierce countered. "Have you forgotten?" Touma stared at him for a moment, before his mouth dropped open.

"Are you two insane?!" he asked in complete shock. "You two want to take over the high school?"

"What?" Accelerator asked. He was apparently caught off guard by this too. "I thought we were attacking the middle school. I was looking forward to mocking the third rate some more."

"I figured Kami-yan would only be considering the middle school," Motoharu commented, nodding sagely. "After all, a good number of his harem candidates are there. But I figured you," he pointed to Accelerator, "would have seen through our plan."

"It's because he's a lolicon," Pierce added. "He only wants the younger girls." Accelerator looked at him for a moment, and then flipped his choker on. Pierce was sent flying through the air and landed in some bushes twenty meters away.

"So let me see if I got this straight," Touma said in a voice of determined calm, trying to confirm the plan. "You want us, five guys, to just march into Tokiwadai High School and take it over?" Touma raised his hands in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

"I'm with the hero on this one," Accelerator added. "I would be fine, but the rest of you would just hold me back. Now, it sounds like too much hassle." He frowned for a moment. Isn't that one girl from there? He broke into a grin. She annoyed me, I guess I can kill some time and return the favor. He grabbed his head with his hand. Damn, I've been hanging around with these idiots too much. When did I start finding these stupid shenanigans entertaining?

"Aogami and I planned it all out," Motoharu explained. He was oddly serious, causing Touma and Accelerator to go silent and listen. "We staked out the school grounds to find out everything we could about what their school was going to do during the event. Not every girl there is going to participate, but those who are participating are divided pretty evenly among police and hostages. I guess they didn't want ojou-samas to be criminals. Anyway, most of the hostages are going to be socializing in the gym, since the rest of the school will be locked up. The gym is on the west side and easily accessible. There will be a few cops planning to patrol around it, to make sure guys don't sneak in. No idea what gave them the idea anyone would try that." He broke into a grin.

"Are you suggesting we just run up and try to take all the hostages in the gym?" Touma asked.

"Yep," Motoharu confirmed. "With Accelerator's amazing prowess, we should be able to bypass any police protecting the hostages."

"I could do it," Accelerator yawned. "But it better be worth my time. You are just lucky I had nothing going on."

"How to you expect us to keep all the hostages?" Touma asked, sighing slightly as the plan actually seemed to be coming together. "Wouldn't they just run in all directions if we barged in or, with my luck, attack us?"

"That's your job," Pierce told him, brushing himself off as he walked back up to them. "You need to use the power of Kami to keep them all under watch. I'm sure that won't be any problem for you."

"I have no idea what goes through your head anymore," Touma answered, face palming. How the hell do they expect me to do that? I would be lucky if I don't get attacked from every direction when we walk in. It's not like a prestigious school is going to have a bunch of girls who would want to associate with Kami. To give himself more time to think, he turned back to Motoharu. "Let's say everything magically works out, what's Jason's part in all this?"

"You are actually considering it now?" Motoharu asked, raising an eyebrow. He grinned and continued. "Kagere promised he would get us transportation, so we could get to the school unnoticed until it was too late. He also will provide additional muscle with his power because, if we succeed, it's sure to draw attention."

"A bunch of guys taking over an all-girls school," Accelerator muttered mockingly. "Who wouldn't know about it?"

"Exactly," Motoharu agreed, excitedly. "Think how many points we will get doing this."

"I feel like you aren't giving me a choice," Touma muttered.

"Of course not," Pierce confirmed. "We worked hard in gathering everything needed to make this plan work. If you bail out, I wouldn't be surprised that, in a state of depression, we accidently reveal Kami's true identity."

"I thought so," Touma said, completely depressed. He looked over at Accelerator. "You don't really want to do this either, right?"

"Not really," Accelerator acknowledged. "But I just thought of a reason to attend if they are going to go. It's kind of childish but, hey, I have nothing else going on."

"Then it's settled," Motoharu cheered, along with Pierce. "Aogami, can you start gathering the remaining supplies? I'll answer their questions."

"No problem." Pierce turned around and ran off down the street. Touma and Accelerator watched him leave, before turning back to Motoharu.

"I really don't have any other questions," Touma sighed. "Except, what the hell goes through your mind when you think of these things?"

"How long do you expect us to help carry this out?" Accelerator asked, leaning up against a wall.

"The game starts at 8am," Motoharu explained. "Depending on how well it goes, we probably can just quit around noon. If everything goes to plan, we might even be there all day."

"You mean if the hero goes and does what he's best at," Accelerator pointed out, a small smirk on his face.

"Exactly," Motoharu confirmed. "You know what he's like."

"I don't do anything," Touma argued. "Accelerator, don't turn into those two."

"I'm actually more surprised you are still in denial," Accelerator yawned.

"Especially since he's been flirting with the second princess," Motoharu added, causing Accelerator and Touma to both turn and stare at him.

"What?" Accelerator asked, completely surprised this time. "Are you serious?"

"No I'm not," Touma denied immediately. "How did you even hear about that?"

"You know our walls are paper thin," Motoharu told him. "I heard Lessar talk about it and then you explained it to her and Index." He yawned. "You guys were really noisy." He broke out into a grin. "Bold move though, letting Lessar stay with you. I figured she would try everything possible to get what she wants."

"So that's where she went," Accelerator muttered to himself. "She messaged me that Lessar did not coming back yesterday."

"Then you obviously know what happened," Touma told Motoharu, irritated. "All I did was talk with her a bit while she's in confinement."

"I bet," Accelerator laughed. "Treating enemies like friends." Touma gave him a quick look, and Accelerator replied with his own stare that said, I dare you to say something.

"All that matters," Motoharu continued. "Is Kami-yan needs to act natural and it will all work out like it always does."

"I still have no idea what you expect me to do," Touma said again. "But I give up. I suppose you are going to make me wear that costume again."

"Wouldn't be any fun without it," Motoharu laughed. "Oh, that reminds me. Did either of you hear about the level 5 ranks?"

"No," Touma said, shaking his head. "What happened?"

"I don't pay attention to boring stuff like that," Accelerator added.

"It seems like Shokuhou-san has been promoted," Motoharu informed them. "She's now rank 4, and Mugino-san had been demoted."

"HAHAHA." Accelerator burst out laughing. "I wish I could see the fourt… fifth rate's face. I bet she is so pissed off. Best news I have heard in a long time."

"I bet Shokuhou-san is really pleased," Motoharu said, then noticed Touma's expression. "What's up with you?"

Touma had gone deathly pale. He was happy for Misaki and she had messaged him earlier, but he didn't get a chance to read her message. I bet that's the reason. What scared him was the thought of Shizuri's reaction to the news. He might have been okay, if he gave it several days before talking to her, but he was supposed to meet her to pick up the suit Mitsuko told him he needed. She was okay with it last night, but what about now? Is she going to attack me as soon as I enter the apartment? Just my luck. Such misfortune. I do feel bad for her, since her rank is important to her. Would it be possible to cheer her up?

"Kami-yan seems out of it," Motoharu commented.

"I bet he's trying to figure out how to take advantage of the situation," Accelerator replied and both of them smirked.

"Well Shokuhou-san will just jump into his arms if he asked," Motoharu said. "I bet he wants to go over and console Mugino-san and score big points with her."

"Sounds like him. The hero is always trying to cheer up others."

"Why do I hang out with you two," Touma asked rhetorically, realizing they were talking about him. He looked down at his phone and realized he needed to head out or risk being late. "I got something I need to pick up, I got to run." He didn't stop to see if Motoharu or Accelerator said anything to him, as he turned around and bolted down the street. He was anxious to get away and not think of how crazy Saturday was going to be.

"Damn," Accelerator muttered, more to himself than Motoharu. "I need to meet someone too and the damn brat wants to come with me."

"Going to meet your mysterious girlfriend?" Motoharu asked, winking. Accelerator didn't know, but Motoharu had used his skills as a spy to find out all about his magician friend.

"Bite me."

---

"FUCK THIS!" Shizuri yelled, leaning back in her chair and grabbing her head. She had been sitting at a table with a laptop in front of her for most of the day. Since she had been injured on Monday night and discharged from the hospital Tuesday morning, her arm was still in a cast, but she had regained use of her hand now. She had been trying to hack the security codes around the research data Rikou had obtained from the, now destroyed, facility. About two o'clock Thursday morning, she had finally broken through the security. Since she had almost no sleep the last few days, being too focused on the task at hand, and fell asleep shortly afterwards. Laster that morning, she, Frenda, Rikou, and Saiai found out the news. Misaki Shokuhou had been promoted to rank 4 of the level 5s, which meant Shizuri had been demoted.

As Shizuri stared at the announcement on the TV, the other three girls fled the building they were currently in. A minute later, bright green beams of light came from within the building, turning it into rubble. Shizuri walked out of the cloud of dust, slightly cut up, and looking furious, still clutching the laptop with the data. Saiai and Frenda decided it was in their best interest to do other things and dragged Shiage with them. Rikou, however, decided to stay with Shizuri and go to their other apartment. While the others didn't know the exact reason, Rikou felt it was best not to leave her alone. She had been in the room yesterday when Shizuri received a call from Touma. From what she caught of their conversation, Touma was coming over to pick up the suit. Why, she didn't know. Now it was Thursday afternoon and she looked over at Shizuri. "…What's wrong Mugino?"

"I finally got this damn data unlocked," she growled in frustration. "But there's so much information and the organization is sloppy and mismatched. I can't understand most of it without finding what order it's supposed to be in." She looked over at Rikou, her face a combination of anger and tiredness.

".. Maybe some sleep would help," suggested Rikou.

"There's too much damn work to think about sleep!" roared Shizuri, standing up and kicking over her chair. She walked over to the kitchen and poured herself a large cup of coffee. She sipped it and looked up at the clock on the wall. "He should be here soon anyways."

"…Kamijou?"

"Yes," Shizuri confirmed, grabbing the laptop with one hand and sitting down on the couch. "He needs to borrow that suit."

"…Why?" Rikou asked.

"He has to go somewhere which requires formal attire," Shizuri answered, her eyes now glued on the computer screen. "When he arrives, I'm going to find out where. He's not the type of person to willingly go to a place requiring those types of clothes." Rikou nodded and opened a magazine, while Shizuri continued to type. Rikou was smart enough to avoid mentioning anything about the new ranks. As long as Shizuri had something to keep her mind off of that unpleasantness, no one was going to suffer from it.

About fifteen minutes later, they heard a knock at the door. They both looked up, but Rikou was the one who answered it. They both knew who it was and, after verifying it was Touma, she let him in. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, slightly breathlessly, as if he had ran all the way there. "I got held up at school."

"When you tell me you will be somewhere at a specific time," Shizuri told him irritably, looking up. "I expect you to be there at that time."

"Sorry," Touma apologized again. He wasn't sure what to think. Her tone was more neutral then he was used to. Is she upset or just doesn't care? "Thanks again for letting me borrow that suit."

"Before you can take it," Shizuri said, putting the laptop away. "You need to tell me why you want it."

"Huh?" Touma asked.

"I seriously doubt you just want to stroll into a high end area for fun," she told him, crossing her arms and staring directly at him. Touma felt like she was staring through him. "So tell me, what are you doing that requires this suit?"

"Well I promised to help someone," Touma answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. I better not tell her why. "And the place they need to go requires formalwear. The only suit I have is completely ragged." He sighed, slightly embarrassed at his lack of finances.

"If you were anyone else," Shizuri said, rubbing her temples exasperatedly. "I would say you're lying to me, but you just the type of person who would go along with anyone who asks you for help." She stared at him a moment and then her lips formed into a slight frown. "I still feel like you are hiding something from me."

"H-hiding?" Touma stuttered. "W-what could I possibly be hiding from you?" He knew he wasn't fooling anyone, and he even saw Rikou shake her head slightly. Don't let her find out.

"Hmm," Shizuri continued, her eyes narrowing. Touma gulped as she scanned him up and down, taking in his posture, tone, and facial expressions. "There is something more…" She slowly stood up and Touma found himself frozen. Rikou was staring at them, her face unreadable like usual. "Let me know how close I am. You are getting blackmailed by someone and have to do something for them, because they have dirt on you." She paused. "Well?"

"O-of c-course not." He knew denying it was useless, because even he heard his voice crack.

"So I'm right," she commented, more to herself then him. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "How could you let someone boss you around besides m…!?" She stopped herself, and grabbed her head. Fuck, I am so pissed right now I can't think straight. She took a breath and tried to calm herself down. Rikou had instinctively taken a couple steps back and Touma remained frozen. "Today has not been a good day for me," she spat out. "I need a stress reliever. Lead me to the person who's blackmailing you. I'll show them what happens when they try that shit on my subordinate."

"That won't be necessary," Touma replied quickly, holding out a hand. "It was entirely my fault because I did something stupid. I'm just repaying a debt." If she follows me, she might kill Kongou-san. She may be a little conceited, but she's not a bad person. She's just been misguided because of the environment she grew up in. Besides, it was my fault for seeing Kongou-san in that position… He saw the image clearing in his mind and pushed the memory away.

"Fine." Touma breathed a sigh of relief. "I have work to finish anyways. Takitsubo, give him the clothes." Rikou nodded and walked over to the closet. She pulled out a cover over the suit and pants and handed it to Touma, along with the shoes. Touma thanked her and was about to leave when he remembered something he wanted to do. He turned back to Shizuri, who was sitting on the couch and reaching for her laptop.

"Before I leave," Touma said, and she turned to look at him. "Are you okay?" Rikou's eyes widened slightly.

"What shit are you spewing now?" Shizuri snapped.

"Well…" Touma hesitated for a moment, but he really want to check up on her. "After that announcement this morning…"

"You think something stupid like that would bother me," Shizuri huffed. "Like I care what rank those idiots at the top think I am." This time, it was Touma's turn to frown. Even he could tell something was off, because Shizuri always took pride in her level. The tone in her voice was different too. It had a combination of irritation, like usual, but also anger and confusion. Touma was trying to think what to say, knowing if he said the wrong thing, his life would be in danger.

"I know you always were proud at how far you have come," Touma said, weighing his words. "Just because someone thought the ranks changed, doesn't mean your hard work went to waste. You're still one of the strongest people I know. Few people could have done what you did in England…"

"…out," Shizuri mumbled too softly for Touma to make out her words.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Shizuri thundered and several green orbs appeared around her. Her eyes were turning red and Touma saw his life flash before his eyes. He turned and ran out the door as fast as he could, holding tightly to the suit. Shizuri and Rikou heard him apologizing profusely, as he ran down the hall.

"…Mugino?" Rikou asked slightly confused, after shutting the door and turning around to look at her.

"It's nothing," Shizuri muttered. "Just a headache. Go and get me some water." Rikou nodded and left the room, giving Shizuri time to collect her thoughts. What the hell did I just do? She wasn't sure why she got so upset at Touma all of a sudden. Yes, she was angry about being demoted, but it wasn't the first time. She had once been rank 1, but Accelerator, Mikoto, and Teitoku had all pushed her down. She had seen Accelerator's power first hand and realized the difference. She had never met Teitoku, but heard he was in the same league. Mikoto was a brat and, having been demoted after her, really stung Shizuri's pride the most. Now, she was behind another brat. Her pride was telling her she needed to eliminate the competition, but something was stopping her. Damn that Kamijou…

After hearing Touma tell her he didn't care about rank and that he still considered her strong, caused a lot of emotions within her, but not what she normally felt. Yes, she had been upset, but not angry like she had been when getting demoted in the past. She was more upset of the fact she had felt…vulnerable. She realized if he had stayed there, she might have done something she would regret. What the hell happened to me? His words were just normal parroting of weaklings saying levels don't matter. Yet, it sounds so real coming from him. He can't lie worth shit. She was feeling a wide range of emotions, most foreign to her. I have to finish and find out what this information is about, and then I'll find him… She wasn't sure what she was going to do after finding him, but she knew killing was not going to be on the table. Rikou returned with water and she gulped it down, before returning to deciphering the data.

The time passed in silence, except for the sound of keys clicking on the laptop. Rikou watched Shizuri for a bit, before falling asleep. A loud bang caused her to wake with a start and nearly fall out of her chair. She looked up in alarm, trying to see where the noise came from. Shizuri was standing up, a look of fury on her face, as she stared at the computer. The noise was caused by Shizuri punching the wall, leaving a fist size indention. "…What happened?" Rikou asked.

"That bitch!" Shizuri yelled, kicking a chair several meters across the floor. "I knew her rank up couldn't have been natural." She flexed her right hand, and the look of insanity on her face grew. Rikou was scared, but still was curious about what was happening. After a moment, Shizuri calmed down and looked at her. "I finally cracked all the security and found out what that lab was researching." Her face contorted in anger again. "They were storing information on all the level 5s in that facility." Rikou's eyes went wide. "Most of the information doesn't make a lot of sense, but they were comparing our progress. Among the information, I found a list of the people who have access to it." She turned the laptop to face Rikou and pushed it over. Rikou looked down at the screen. There were small portraits of unknown individuals, along with their names. She scrolled down the list and let out a soft gasp, when she saw a familiar face.

"…It's Kamijou's friend."

"Yes," Shizuri confirm, her voice etched with cold fury. "Jason Kagere knew about this information. He was also the one who interrupted our mission a couple weeks ago. He is involved in this and I am going to find out how." She paused for a moment and frowned. "I knew Mental Out couldn't have known about Body Crystal without outside help. It was obvious when she lied to us. If he's doing research into us, he must have been the one who told her." Her eyes widened slightly. "Could he actually have played her into taking it as an experiment to increase her power? Damn it, we should have taken care of him earlier, regardless of being Kamijou's friend. We are going to find him and make him tell us everything, even if I have to blow off an appendage or two. Takitsubo," Rikou looked up, "Find him. We are hunting him down right now."

"… Yes Mugino," Rikou replied, gazing into the distance. "Found him. Should we notify Frenda and Kinuhata?"

"No," Shizuri answered, after a moment. "Neither of them are combat ready." She looked at her arm still in a cast. "He has also proven his ability in taking them out. I'm the only one out of us who can deal with his ability, but I need you to lead me to him." She stood up. "Let's go. It's time to get some answers."

"…Understood," Rikou said. She thought it was a mistake for the two of them to go alone, even without Shiage as support, but had to concede Shizuri had a point. Jason was able to take out all three of them easily, before Shizuri had forced him to flee. He also can use magic, though I don't think Mugino forgot about that.

---

"Have they discovered anything new about that organization yet?" Mikoto asked Ruiko, as they walked down the street. "Kuroko said she told me everything, but I have a feeling she was hiding something from me. I couldn't ask her today because she had to rush off to Judgement after school."

"No," Ruiko replied, shaking her head. "Uiharu had to do the same thing. I guess there are a lot of problems with rogue ability users now. Anti-Skill is having trouble keeping up with everything, so they formally requested Judgement's help."

"Looks like it is getting serious," Mikoto said solemnly and grabbed her head in frustration. "They are also spying on us. I can't believe they recorded me secretly."

"It was a pretty short clip," reassured Ruiko. "You shocked a bunch of guys who looked like they might have been part of a gang."

"Oh," Mikoto said sheepishly and blushed slightly. "I might have shocked them, but only because they wouldn't leave me alone and tried to drag me off with them. I went easy on them…" Ruiko shook her head at her, but still grinned.

"I think I understand why Shirai-san complains about you get involved too much now," Ruiko told her.

"I waited as long as I could," Mikoto replied, slightly defensively. "So what do you want to do? I have some free time today." With Kuroko being stuck at Judgement, she had contacted Touma, but he also said he was busy. She debated about studying a little bit, but then she found out about the announcement with the level 5 ranks. She was not going to stay in the same vicinity as Misaki. As Mikoto was leaving the school, she saw Misaki coming down another hallway, a superior look on her face. Mikoto decided not to let Misaki antagonize her and left quickly. She had a lot of things on her mind, including the news about the organization raising student's levels. Lost in thought while walking around, she almost didn't see Ruiko, who jumped out at her when she didn't respond to her name being called.

"Don't care as long as it's fun," Ruiko said in a carefree tone. "Just between us, the lack of sweets is getting to Uiharu and Jason's been too busy with work to keep her company. She's been a little down the last few days."

"I bet his research area was broken into," Mikoto said, and Ruiko nodded in agreement. "So he's stuck dealing with that. " She sighed. "And Touma's busy too…" Her voice died out when she saw Ruiko watching her closely, and she hastily changed the topic. "Want to go to the arcade and…?" She stopped when she heard a familiar voice and turned to the source. Ruiko imitated her actions, as she too heard it.

"I barely have enough money for my dinner. Touma doesn't give me much. If I give you some too, we both will starve."

"I'm sure you're just exaggerating…. Wow you're right. He really doesn't give you much." Lessar and Index were walking toward them, but they didn't seem to realize it. They were mulling over a small number of bill in Index's hand. Mikoto and Ruiko looked at each other and shrugged.

Haven't seen Lessar in a while, Mikoto thought. I wonder why she's with Index. "Hey," she called out. "Lessar, Index!"

"Short Hair?" Index looked up in surprise.

"Hey Sparky!" Lessar called back, cheerfully.

Mikoto felt a vein throb in her head. Why do they insist on calling me those stupid nicknames? "I have a name you know, it's Mikoto Misaka."

"I like Sparky better," Lessar replied.

"Short Hair will be Short Hair," Index shrugged, as if that settled the matter.

"Hey you two," Ruiko butted in between them all. "How are you? We didn't expect to see you here." She immediately noticed the tension in the air and decided to intervene. She didn't want her friends to fight and was genuinely curious about what they were up to. Maybe we can all hang out and resolve any animosities between them.

"Well Touma told us he had to help someone after school today," Index sighed. "He only left us this tiny bit of money to get food. He made me lunch, but it was really just a snack."

"She ate all the lunch," Lessar complained and her stomach rumbled. "I didn't even get a bite and now she doesn't want to share the money for dinner." Ruiko nodded in understanding. Being a level 0 previously, she knew how difficult extra money was too obtained. She had to constantly find sales to keep food available at her dorm. Now that she had been promoted to level 2, she was getting an increase in her stipend, so she wasn't as strapped for cash like before.

"Fine," Mikoto sighed. "Tell you what, It's a little early but," she checked the time and saw it was only 4:30, "I'll treat you both to some dinner."

"Really Shot Hair?" Index asked, her eyes brimming with hope. "Thank you so much. I was afraid we would starve."

"You're the best," Lessar cried, jumping into her chest and embracing her. "I knew you still liked me."

"Get off," Mikoto grumbled, pushing Lessar away. The last thing she needed was another Kuroko. She became irritated, as she felt Lessar's chest pressed up against her. While it wasn't as big as someone like Misaki, it was still bigger then hers and Lessar was probably younger than she was.

"Seems like everyone is back to being friends," Ruiko laughed. Does food solve all problems? I know sweets work on Uiharu in these kinds of situations. She didn't have a lot of money, but she had been about to offer what little she had to help them. She wasn't really hungry, but decided to tag along and grab something sweet. Perfect timing, since Uiharu isn't here. They stopped at a nearby dinner and Mikoto bought Lessar and Index dinner. Ruiko and Mikoto watched in shock at the amount of food Lessar and Index were eating. They knew Index was a big eater, but Lessar ate like she had been starving for days. I knew Touma wasn't rich, but feeding three people on a level 0 stipend must be tough. I don't think I could manage that.

"Thanks a lot Sparky…" Lessar said, before correcting herself and Mikoto figured it was because she fed her. "I mean Misaka."

"How do you have so much more money than Touma," Index questioned Mikoto, while she patted her stomach in a satisfied way.

"The city supplies us with different stipends as payment for us participating in the experiments to develop abilities," Mikoto explained, but then looked at Ruiko, who smiled and nodded for Mikoto to continue. "Your amount is based on your level because the city gets more research data the stronger an ability is."

"And you're a level 5 if I remember correct," Lessar said, her hands behind her head. "So I bet Lover Boy's a level 0 isn't he. His hand wouldn't be a scientific ability right?" Mikoto nodded.

"Yet he always keeps me fed and sheltered," Index boasted. "Well, until you came." She pointed a finger at Lessar.

"He's the one who let me stay with him because I didn't like my living conditions," Lessar pointed out.

"That's only because you were being mean to him," Index countered, but Mikoto and Ruiko had grown silent at the news. Neither of them knew Lessar had started living at Touma's dorm. A couple of Lessar's earlier comments sounded like she was, but they could have meant Lessar snuck into his dorm during the day.

"You're living in Touma's dorm?" Ruiko asked, a frown appearing on her face and her eyes filled of concern. How could she be so bold? Index is one thing, but don't think Uiharu has even gone over to Kagere's apartment, let alone trying to move in. "I thought you were staying with Accelerator's friend."

"I wasn't happy there," Lessar replied truthfully. "So I went over to him and he agreed to let me stay."

"What?" Mikoto asked, finally finding words. "There's no way he would let you live with him like that. Especially since you had accommodations and you keep assaulting him." That idiot! Why would he just let her stay with him? He knows what Lessar is like. I'm going to shock the truth out of… No Mikoto, you promised to yourself to try to avoid shocking him outright. Talk to him first, and then shock him.

"I don't assault him," Lessar denied, appearing hurt by Mikoto's accusations. "I just express my desires and try to get him to give in to his. He really is a tough nut to crack. Maybe if you two join me in, we can finally get him to do it." She grinned at them and Mikoto, Index and Ruiko's mouth fell open in shock.

"W-what…?" Mikoto spluttered, sparking slightly, completely astonished Lessar would even suggest something like that. Ruiko and Index looked like they were at a loss for words. Before she could say anything else, they were interrupted by a little girl who jumped into their group and tackled Index.

"Hi Index MISAKA calls out excitedly as MISAKA is excited to see her friend."

"Last Order?" Index asked surprised, turning to her friend. "It's great to see you, but can you give us a moment."

"Hello Last Order," Ruiko spoke up politely, trying to direct the conversation out of these dangerous waters. "Are you out here alone or is Accelerator with you."

"MISAKA is with Accelerator." Then something strange happened. Last Order was usually pretty cheerful but, on few occasions, she tended to be serious. This time, she looked really upset. "Accelerator is splitting his time up with another girl MISAKA says with desperation as MISAKA flinches at the truth." Mikoto, Lessar, and Ruiko turned around in shock to locate Accelerator, who was walking toward them, with an annoyed look on his face. Accelerator chasing after Last Order wasn't an unusual site, the girl rushing after him was.

She was rather well-endowed and had blonde hair and green eyes, with a mole under her left eye. She wore a black cloak over a sleeveless white blouse, which was open on the back, and a red skirt under a large belt. She had two black ribbons on the side of her head. She also wore black thigh-high socks, her legs had leather straps, and her ankles were bound with metal rings. She had a slightly confused look on her face, as she continued to run after Accelerator.

"Brat," Accelerator growled, when he caught up to Last Order. "How many times have I fucking told you not to run off on your own?" He realized the other girls were staring at him. "Oh it's you brats. What the hell is with those looks?"

"Er…" Mikoto replied. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Why did everyone suddenly run?" the girl asked, catching up to Accelerator. She saw the other girls looking at her and she bow slightly. "Hello." She told them politely. "Are you friends of Master?" Ruiko and Mikoto's mouths fell open.

"See MISAKA wails as MISAKA points out her words. He has been cheating on MISAKA."

"Accelerator…" Mikoto said slowly, taking a step back and trying to keep her face calm. "Are these the kind of things you are interested in?"

"It is a sin to be cheating on someone," Index reprimanded him sternly. "You need to ask God for forgiveness to save your soul."

"Bayloupe isn't going to be happy to hear this," Lessar commented. "Is this why you don't talk to her much anymore?" I wonder how I could get Kamijou to participate in roleplaying like this.

"I told you a thousand times not to call me that," Accelerator snapped at the new girl. After noticing she was constantly looking from him to the rest of the girls, he sighed. "Fine, those three are the third rate, Index, and Saten."

"It's Mikoto Misaka," Mikoto snapped back at him. "Not third rate."

"It's nice to meet you all," the girl said, bowing again. "My name is Estelle Rosenthal. He helped me a lot a while ago and I persuaded him to take me on as his apprentice."

"Persuaded," Accelerator gave a short laugh. "She pestered me until I finally said yes."

"You can't have him MISAKA says, as MISAKA steps between her and Accelerator. He belongs to MISAKA so stop flirting with him MISAKA adds."

"I told you before we aren't like that," Estelle protested. "You have known me for months."

"Then why do you keep taking off…." Last Order tried to say, but Accelerator sensed the danger first. He reached down and covered her mouth with his hand, looking annoyed. He gave Mikoto a look saying he was contemplating murder, if she said anything. Mikoto raised an eyebrow, and was trying to avoid smirking.

"Have you been taking lessons from Kamij…?" Lessar started to ask, but Mikoto imitated Accelerator's actions.

"Not the time for jokes," Mikoto hissed. She let go of Lessar and Accelerator let go of Last Order. Index patted Last Order on the shoulder and they started talking in hushed voices. The tension was becoming thick in the air and Ruiko knew she had to change the topic quickly.

"So what do you to think about that news this morning?" Ruiko asked. "About Shokuhou-san getting promoted?"

"I know she's going to let it go to her head," Mikoto sighed, but secretly glad to be talking about a different subject, instead of the weird things Accelerator was into. "And I'm in the same dorm as her, so I'm going to suffer the price. Mugino is not going to be happy, I bet"

"It's hilarious," Accelerator laughed. "The fourt… fifth rate, that's going to take some getting used to now, must be furious. I wish I could have seen her reaction."

"Mugino seems like she's not the type of person to take something like that lying down," Lessar pointed out. "What are the odds of her trying to get revenge?"

"Really high," Mikoto said, and there was a small hint of nervousness in her voice. "But I'm sure Shokuhou-san knows that and has taken precautions until this blows over."

"It shouldn't even matter," Accelerator added. "It's all the same if you aren't first."

"Charming as ever," Mikoto said dryly and Accelerator sneered at her. He only said that to annoyed me, don't give him the satisfaction.

"Do you really care about that?" Ruiko asked. She had a feeling Accelerator only said those things to get a rise out of the other level 5s. "You always seem like you wouldn't."

"I actually don't," Accelerator admitted. "I only heard about it because those idiots at school talked about it."

"Was Touma and Tsuchimikado-san part of it?" Ruiko asked. "What did they say?"

"Eh there were bets on which girl the hero was going to meet first," Accelerator grinned. "Will he congratulate the one with the promotion, or console the one who got demoted?" As if on cue, an Anti-Skill van blew past them with its siren and lights blaring. Ruiko and Mikoto both felt a sense of dread, but then they realized that couldn't be the case.

"Looks like they were in a hurry?" Mikoto commented, watching the van disappear down the street. "Think it has something to do with that organization?"

"What organization," Accelerator snapped. "Are the Fallen here?"

"No," Ruiko informed him quickly. "Uiharu and I discovered a group promising a bunch of low levels they could increase their level if they joined them. We believe they were the ones who broke into all the research facilities last week."

"Oh," Accelerator said, sounding slightly disappointed. He didn't really care about lower levels trying to upgrade their abilities. That was a constant occurrence in the city and didn't affect him directly. About the only time it did was when the low levels wanted to test their abilities against the strongest, him, and he had to teach them a lesson. He made a mental note of the information, but that was all.

"There are some cabals on our side that do those kinds of things too," Lessar told them. "It's really not an unusual occurrence."

"Well I suppose there could be countless reasons an Anti-Skill van is rushing off," Mikoto said fairly. Part of her wanted to rush off after it, but it reminded her of something Touma would do. He's really rubbing off on me. Kuroko always gets mad when I jump into their business.

"They could be after the zombies," Ruiko said mysteriously.

"Huh?" Mikoto, Lessar, and Accelerator asked, turning to her. Index and Last Order even stopped to listen. Estelle tilted her head in curiosity.

"There was a rumor online over the last few days," Ruiko explained excitedly. "Late at night, there were sightings of weird people stumbling around. They were covered in a red liquid that looked like blood."

"You really need to take what you read online with a grain of salt," Mikoto said, rolling her eyes. "Zombies aren't real."

"We found plenty of rumors that were based on facts," Ruiko pointed out. "I was watching for anything that dealt with abilities being level up quickly."

"Zombies are real," Index interrupted. "They are a product of Necromancy, but the idea they can spread a disease through a bite is preposterous. A magician would normally create a false soul to carry out a process of putting back wandering residual memories of a corpse and closing their spiritual circuit, in order to put them to rest and allowing the original soul to go to heaven. While the false soul inhabits the body, it can be controlled."

"So magicians can raise the dead? MISAKA asks."

"It's not so much raising the dead," Lessar clarified. "It's more along the lines of controlling the body, like a puppet."

"Necromancy is a lot more than that!" Estelle interrupted loudly.

"What do you know about it?" Ruiko asked, turning to her. Estelle opened her mouth, but turned to look at Accelerator, who was staring at her intently.

"What did you do?" he asked, his voice barely suppressing his rage.

"I didn't do anything," Estelle replied defensively. "I have no information about what she said." None of them knew, except Accelerator, that Estelle was a Necromancer. She wasn't the type of person to lie and if she did know something, Accelerator would have known in an instant.

---

Seriously? Kuroko thought to herself, as she teleported to the source of the disturbance. She had been on patrol when Kazari called her and said Anti-Skill was dealing with a hostage situation. Apparently an ability user and some underlings took over a small office complex and had hostages. Normally, Judgement would not be allowed to participate once Anti-Skill got involved, but they requested any nearby Judgement members with abilities that might allow them to attempt a rescue. Kuroko was only a couple blocks away and was able to arrive at the scene quickly. She saw the number of Anti-Skill vans from the roof of a nearby building and teleported her way down. "I'm part of Judgement," she said, identifying herself. "Who should I talk to about the situation?"

"Ah good," a male officer said, stepping up. "You must be the teleporter I was told about." He looked up the building, which was five stories tall and the first floor windows were blown out. "Here's the situation. A group of individuals took over the building. Only the leader has an ability, but the rest obtained small firearms. His ability is some kind of noise based power, as he blew out those windows on the first floor and knocked out several officers. There are currently fourteen hostages still in the building."

"Were there any demands?" Kuroko asked.

"Yes," the man said, and then he frowned slightly. "We have heard it before, but it's not the most common. Normally they want money or something, but now they are demanding the city start treating all ability users the same and not based on their levels."

Sounds like that groups work, Kuroko thought. The leader might be someone whose ability got boosted and he's just leading his friends. "Has any rescue attempt been implemented yet," she asked.

"A few minutes ago we sent in one member as a stealth operation," the man informed her. "His priority is to neutralize the criminals and rescue the hostages. He hasn't contacted us yet, but he's quite capable."

"Who…?" Kuroko started to ask, when a loud screech interrupted her. The windows on the fourth floor exploded and shards of glass rained down into the streets. The nearest Anti-Skill members clutched their ears at the sound. "It sounds like his cover was blown. What now?"

The man grabbed his communicator and started yelling orders into it. "…For now, we can't risk the safety of the hostages. Keep a safe distance back and be prepared. Let me know if you see any updates on the hostage's status." About thirty seconds passed, the ear splitting screech kept turning on and off, and Kuroko was shifting her weight between her feet in anticipation. She wanted to go and help, but she had to obey Anti-Skill orders. A voice then came through the officer's communicator next to her.

"We got movement on the ground floor," another male voice said. "It looks like they are heading toward the front door. It's hard to see, but at least a dozen."

"Is it the hostages?" he asked, but the question was answered for him. The front doors opened and a group of people rushed out. A couple women led the pack, with men following them and they made a beeline straight toward the Anti-Skill blockade. The Anti-Skill officer walked up to meet them and Kuroko followed, since she wasn't told she couldn't. "Is everyone okay?"

"We are all," the woman said, gasping slightly. "But the boy you sent in was caught by their leader. He's getting tortured on the top floor. The gang leader is using some sort of metal weapon and using sound."

"Sound manipulation?" the male asked, then grimaced. "That explains what that sound is." The screeching sound started up again and then stopped. "Damn, I bet he knows he has lost and is just enjoying himself." He turned and looked at Kuroko. "I hate to ask, but you're the only one who can get up their without being seen. Can you teleport up the side entrance and through one of the windows? Otherwise, with the hostages cleared, we can march in, but I can't guarantee our operative. Are you willing?" He suddenly looked displeased. "I hate sending children into these situations," he muttered.

"I can," Kuroko nodded, pretending not to have heard the past sentence. "I can teleport up there and, if I can, knock him out." The Anti-Skill officer nodded and she took off. After teleporting to the side of the building, she looked up, measured the distance, and teleported up next to the window. She moved through the open window and stopped, just as another burst of sound hurt her ears. I can't concentrate with that noise. She looked around and realized she was in a corner office. She walked toward the door and stuck her head out. She heard someone talking, before getting hit by another blast of high pitched sound. She shook her head and moved silently toward the source. Kuroko saw a guy with a shaved head and cheap leather clothing standing over another guy, who was sitting down and his back up against a pillar. Kuroko's mouth dropped.

It was Jason.

"… people like you always look down on us." Kuroko could finally make out what the guy was saying. "But as soon as we start getting even a whiff of power, you want to stop us."

"You're a fool," Jason muttered. "Your boss is using you for his own gain. Your life means nothing to him."

"Shut up," the guy said, holding out his hand. Kuroko recognized a small tuning fork. "Soundwave manipulation is a rather fine art you know. If my focus is off even a little bit, your body will explode. I really want to torture you a bit before Anti-Skill comes barging in." He tapped the tuning fork and the screeching sound washed over Kuroko. She realized she was just getting excess noise from the guy's attack, Jason was actually taking the full force of it. His body jerked and it looked like he was yelling, but his voice was drowned out. A couple seconds passed and the noise stopped. "I could use my voice, but this tuning fork gives me more even wavelengths for easier manipulation. Covering your ears won't work you know. The human body is composed of 70% water and sound travels…" He stopped as Kuroko teleported into the air behind him and delivered a kick into the back of his head. He flew forward, the tuning fork flying out of his hand, and his head hit a door. He fell back onto the ground, unconscious.

"Why do guys like to talk so much," she sighed, and then looked down at Jason. "Are you okay?" She didn't think he heard her, because he didn't move, and she prodded him with her foot. He stirred and looked up, his eyes widening in surprise when he recognized her.

"Why are you here?" he asked, then rubbed his ears for a moment. "Think I can hear now. You didn't have to come, I had everything under control."

"Sure you did," Kuroko replied sarcastically. She reached down, grabbed his hand, and helped him to his feet. "He obviously had the upper hand."

"I prioritized the hostage's safety over my own," Jason said, shrugging. "I took out his underlings on the floor below, but I had to face him head on or the hostages would have been caught by his sound attacks. I assume they got out?"

"They did," Kuroko confirmed. "It's how we found out you were on the top floor. I suppose his sound was effecting you're ability calculations? Just being near him made my head hurt."

"That was the most annoying part of his ability," Jason agreed. "It worked a lot like Capacity Down Anti-Skill uses." Capacity Down used sound to interrupt the brain operation of the ability users. It made it impossible for them to process the advanced calculations. The difference between Capacity Down and this guy's ability was how it would affect level 0s. Capacity Down only sounds like a high pitch noise, but this guy's ability actually resonated with people's physical bodies to cause damage. "So," Jason continued, and a grin appeared on his face. "You heard I was in trouble and wanted to save me?"

"Don't get a big head," scoffed Kuroko. "I didn't know it was you until I found you two." She wasn't going to admit she panicked for a moment when she saw him being tortured. "But now that I saved you, you can stop quoting that stupid life debt thing."

"Are you crazy?" Jason asked. "I saved you three times, even if we say you saved me today, you still owe me two more saves."

"Now who's acting crazy?" Kuroko retorted. "If I count the healing and the time with those marks, the fight with knight leader was a team effort. I saved you during the fight and you saved me at the end."

"You admit I saved you then?" Jason asked with a wink and Kuroko stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, but I'm still ahead."

"Shouldn't you report in already?" Kuroko pointed out impatiently.

"Good idea," Jason agreed and pulled out his communicator. "Situation secured, the leader has been neutralized. Third and fourth floor have neutralized hostiles. I would still recommend doing a complete sweep in case they left any other unpleasant surprises."

"You two can come back down. I need a full report from both of you, so don't you dare try to leave Kagere."

"He knows me to well," muttered Jason. "Understood captain." He turned it off and looked at Kuroko. "Looks like we are stuck together."

"It may be punishment for me," Kuroko told him. "But you should be honored." Jason laughed as they headed down the stairs. Being stuck together doesn't sound too bad, but I'm not going to tell him that. He has Uiharu and I don't want any misunderstandings to take place. I still only love onee-sama…. She kept telling herself that, but a weird feeling kept nagging her in the back of her mind.

---

Touma didn't feel comfortable in the suit, and he was drawing a lot of looks from people passing him, as he sat at the entrance of a high class hotel. He felt out of place and stranger's looks didn't help. I wish she would hurry up. She wanted to pick me up away from Tokiwadai to prevent any misunderstandings, which is actually pretty smart, but why here? This hotel was almost as nice as the Yanadem Tower and he was glad he didn't have to actually go in. What he didn't know was most of the looks he received were jealous because the individuals, who actually stayed at this hotel, knew how expensive that suit was. In fact, a couple wealthy girls were just debating about going up and talking with him, when a limo rolled up in front of Touma. The driver got out and opened the door, revealing a familiar figure.

"Come on," Mitsuko said impatiently, waiving him in. "Traffic was bad and we are running late." Touma didn't hesitate and got into the limo. The driver shut the door behind him and Touma didn't hear the disappointed sigh from the wealthy girls, as they believed he was taken. Touma sat across Mitsuko and realized she was looking him up and down. She was wearing a dark blue dress, rather conservative in how much skin it revealed, but still highlighted her curves. "You are dressed rather nicely. I have to admit, I am impressed. I was expecting a rather ratty suit from you."

"I borrowed this from a friend," Touma told her, and then decided a compliment wouldn't hurt. "You look nice."

"Why thank you," Mitsuko replied, holding her fan up to her face. "I am glad to see you have some manners."

"So where is your pet?" Touma asked. He didn't see her holding a dog or cat. Mitsuko raised an eyebrow at him.

"You didn't notice her?" she asked surprised. "She's sleeping right next to you." Touma turned, jumped slightly in his seat, and nearly had a heart attack.

A large python was coiled up in the seat next to him.

Touma did not expect Mitsuko to have a pet like that and, by the time his heart stopped pounding in his chest, he realized he shouldn't have been surprised. The rich ojou-sama types tended to like exotic animals, so a snake wouldn't be that strange. His slight jump, however, woke up the python. It slowly uncoiled and moved its head closer to him, flicking its tongue. It's tamed right? Touma tried not to make any sudden moves, as it moved over his shoulders and wrapped around him. Touma reached out and gently petted it, surprised it was dry rather than slimy. The python continued to move around him into a comfortable position, before going back to sleep. Touma noticed it had a pink ribbon tied behind its head.

"She likes you," Mitsuko commented slightly surprised. "That's my darling pet, Ekaterina. She had been in a rather unpleasant mood, since she couldn't eat before this visit. It's her annual checkup and she knows something is going on."

"Did you have to rent an entire limo for just for a vet visit?" Touma asked. "It seems like a waste."

"I would never dream of taking one of those smelly taxis," Mitsuko huffed. "And I could hardly let Ekaterina on a crowded bus. This was the best option. Besides, it's not like it's much to rent a limo for just a day." Touma had to suppress his desire to face palm.

There really is a difference between the worlds we live in. Touma would never dream of spending money like she did. "Once we get to the Dianoid, what then? Don't most vet offices require a carrying case for pets?"

"It's in the trunk," Mitsuko told him. "I only take it as a formality. Ekaterina is too well behaved to actually require it. Naturally, you will be carrying it for me."

"Naturally," Touma repeated. He looked out the window for a bit, before realizing Mitsuko's eyes were watching him. "Did you need something?"

Mitsuko didn't say anything at first. She was surprised and curious for a couple reasons. One, the guy was alone with her and wasn't trying to flirt with her. She was use to guys always trying to get her attention, but he looked like he was just accompanying her, like a friend helping with an errand. Second, was the fact Ekaterina had fallen asleep while wrapped around him. While Ekaterina would investigate new people, she never became relaxed enough to sleep with them, unless they were around her a lot. I think he was telling the truth about being at our dorm. "'I've been thinking," she finally said. "You must have had a reason to enter our dorm. Why did you?"

"Don't laugh," Touma said, knowing that question was going to come up at some point. "A friend of mine was helping me with school work I was having trouble with."

"Aren't you in high school?" she asked. "Yet you were in the middle school? That sounds highly suspicious."

"I'm in a normal high school," Touma replied, slightly defensively. "Tokiwadai's curriculum is far more advanced. Besides, I didn't ask, she invited me."

"Who was she?" Mitsuko prodded, hoping to get some more information he didn't give her before.

"I told you I can't say," Touma told her. "I don't want her to get in trouble."

"How noble," Mitsuko commented, her fan covering her face except her eyes. She glanced out the window. "We shouldn't be too far away now, so I I'll take Ekaterina back." She leaned over and coaxed her pet python around her. Touma shivered slightly, as Ekaterina slid over his neck, but was glad she was off him. "I hope the excitement of the mall doesn't bother her too much."

"You really like her," Touma pointed out.

"I've had her for years," Mitsuko boasted. "She's been my close friend and companion through everything life has thrown at me. I always make sure she gets the best care, which is why we are going to the Dianoid. Why?" She looked at him suspiciously. "Do you have a problem with her?"

"No," Touma replied, shaking his head. "I think it's admirable to be able to take care of pet for so long. She looks to be really happy and healthy, so you must be doing a good job."

"Oh," Mitsuko replied, glad her fan was covering her face, as a faint blush appeared. "Why thank you Kamijou-san." They sat in silence for a bit, until the limo rolled in front of the Dianoid. "We arrived at last," Mitsuko said, as the door was opened for them. "Follow me and don't forget Ekaterina carrier." Touma took a step out of the limo and looked up at the seventy story high building. It looked like it was made completely out of diamond, but was actually made out of carbon, the element that diamonds are made of. It was just designed to look like diamond and was virtually indestructible. This place was supposed to be for the rich and famous, so Touma felt completely out of place.

"Yes Kongou-sama," Touma sighed and picked up the carrier, when the driver unloaded the trunk. She looked back at him, because of his tone, but didn't say anything. They walked in through the main entrance and stopped at the large map, so Mitsuko could find where they had to go. Touma waited patiently, trying not to be aware of the stares they were getting. I guess even here a python is unusual. He looked upwards and saw floor after floor of stores. The first twenty floors were devoted to the shopping area. He could see the floors above him because the center areas were open to create an atrium. After a couple minutes, he was getting a little antsy. She's taking a long time. Does she not know where the vet's office is? He turned to her and said in a low voice, "Do you know where you are going?"

"O-of course," Mitsuko stammered unconvincingly. "We just need to head to number 2214." She tried to hide the fact she couldn't read the map and wasn't sure where to go, even though she knew the number of the vet's location.

"That's floor twenty two, store fourteen then," Touma muttered, glancing quickly at the map. "Elevator is over there." The middle levels were primarily focused on entertainment and recreation oriented goods, like pools, gyms, theaters, salons, café, and restaurants. It made sense for a vet's office to be located there, away from the noise and activity in the shopping district on the lower levels.

"I-I k-knew t-that," stammered Mitsuko, walking toward the elevator. "You don't need to point out the obvious. " Touma smirked slightly, and made his way after her, lugging the carrier. They got off on the twenty second floor and looked around. The signs pointed them in the direction they needed to go and they found their destination. Mitsuko walked up and talked with the lady at the front desk, while Touma set down the carrier and took a seat. Mitsuko took a seat next to him and stroked Ekaterina's head. "It should only be a few minutes." She was right and, after a couple minutes, an elderly man and a slightly younger woman in white clothes came out of a door and walked toward them.

"Hello, are you Mitsuko Kongou?" he asked and she nodded. "My name is Dr. Yoshida and I'll be in charge of the checkup for Ekaterina." They shook hands and the nurse took Ekaterina from Mitsuko. "She is rather impressive," Yoshida complimented and Mitsuko beamed. "Since you requested a full checkup, the wait shouldn't be more than an hour. If you leave your phone number with the front desk, we will call you when we finish."

"Thank you doctor," Mitsuko replied.

"Oh," he added, before disappearing through the door. "The Dianoid is full of interesting stores and things to see. If this is your first time here, remember it is easy to lose track of time. You don't want to accidently forget about her while you spend time with your boyfriend." He entered the back hallway, before Mitsuko or Touma registered what he said.

"What?!" they both replied, embarrassed. "It's not like that." It was too late for their denial, as he was already gone. Mitsuko glared at Touma for a moment, as if daring him to say anything about what the doctor just said. Touma had enough experience with these types of situation and learned the best course of action was to pretend it didn't happen. Anything he said usually made the situation worse, for him. Mitsuko walked over and started talking to the lady at the front desk, while Touma stood up and stretched, glad he wouldn't need to hold the carrier for a while.

Touma stood nearby Mitsuko, when a lady in fancy purple clothes with fur entered the vet's office. An elderly man in a suit was following, struggling as he held the leash of a large Pit bull. The dog looked like it was extremely excitable and kept trying to run off in every direction. Touma never found out why, maybe it was the python's scent on Mitsuko or a perfume she wore, but the Pit bull turned toward her and suddenly broke out into a full out charge, while the lease slipped out of the man's hand. The man tried to call out in warning, causing everyone to turn around, but the dog had almost reached Mitsuko. Touma acted on instinct, and jumped between them, taking the force of the dog's charge into his gut. He was knocked down from the blow, as the dog grabbed his sleeve and pulled. There was a ripping sound before the man grabbed the dog's lease and pulled it off of Touma. Touma got to his feet and the lady apologized to both of them, offering to pay for the damages. Touma refused to accept anything from her, while Mitsuko watched.

"I'm sorry your suit got ruined because you were protecting me," Mitsuko told him as they left the vet's office. "But why didn't you accept her offer to pay for the damages?"

"I don't like taking money from people," Touma replied. "Besides, it wasn't technically her fault. Her dog just got overexcited." Touma had always understood the value of a dollar and, even if the other person was wealthy, he didn't want to get in the habit of taking money from someone because of an accident.

"Still," muttered Mitsuko, eyeing the rip in his sleeve. It wasn't a big rip and the dog slobber was easily removed. She knew his suit was high quality, because a cheaper suit would have most likely lost the entire sleeve. "I'll tell you what," she said brightly. "It would not do for me to leave an unpaid debt. You did willingly jump between me and the dog in order to keep me safe, so I'm going to treat you while we wait for Ekaterina's check up to finish." She didn't tell him how her heart started beating wildly when he protected her.

"You don't have to…," Touma started to say, but she cut him off.

"I won't take no for an answer," Mitsuko told him, pointing her fan at him. "You will come with me."

"Fine." Touma resigned himself to his fate and followed her. This feels familiar. Is there something about me that makes girls want to boss me around like this?

---

"Hurry up," Saiai called over her shoulder. "You are super taking too long."

"Hamazura," Frenda added. "You really are useless. Basically, how hard can it be to keep up with two injured girls?"

Injured my ass, Shiage thought to himself, as he hurried to keep up with them. While Frenda and Saiai had been injured after their mission Monday, both of them were now almost in peak condition. Saiai only had a couple bruises, but they faded away relatively quickly or were hidden by her clothes. Frenda was a little more seriously injured and had to wear an ankle brace for two days, but she was moving around as easily as she used to. After they all had been paid, Saiai and Frenda dragged him along with them to go shopping at the Dianoid. Even though he knew Shizuri and her friends were getting paid more than he was, it cut his pride deeply when he realized how much difference there really was. He wasn't as poor as he was when he was just a level 0, but he couldn't call himself wealthy. He would never have been able to afford shopping here. "Do you really need all this stuff?" he asked, looking at the bags. Most of it was clothes, but Frenda was buying an assortment of goods, most being gift wrapped.

"I super need to keep up on latest trends," Saiai huffed. "We can't all be unfashionable about our clothes like you."

"You sure like to complain a lot," Frenda pointed out. "Basically, Kamijou carried our bags and he didn't complain."

"Yea yea," Shiage muttered. "Perfect Kamijou. When do I get to meet him?"

"That's up to Mugino," Frenda told him.

"Shame she didn't want to come with us," Saiai said nonchalantly. "But I guess she super wanted to crack that data we took."

"I was surprised Takitsubo wanted to stay too," Shiage added. "Mugino's not in the best mood right now because of that announcement. Isn't that why you two were quick to leave?"

"W-we decided to give Mugino some peace and quiet so she could concentrate," Frenda replied, unconvincingly. "Basically, we weren't scared."

"Hate to see what's super going to happen to Mental Out once Mugino finishes her work," Saiai laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mugino goes after her personally."

"How did she suddenly rank up anyways?" Shiage asked them. "She was with you last week right?"

"None of your business," Frenda snapped. Shizuri had told them all not to tell Shiage about magic and they didn't tell him anything about the princess's coup. While Shiage had been with them awhile, Shizuri never really saw him as a team member. He was always more of an underling and she wouldn't tell him anything he didn't have to know. "Dang, I'm still sore all over," Frenda complained, changing the subject. "Let's get a message upstairs Kinuhata."

"Sounds good," Saiai agreed, before turning to Shiage. "You can super wait outside and watch our stuff. Don't you dare try to watch us, go through our stuff, or anything else super Hamazuray."

"He probably won't try anything with just our stuff," Frenda pointed out, as tall three of them took the elevator up to the middle section of the Dianoid. "Takitsubo's not with us, so he doesn't have her stuff to go through." Saiai and Frenda both laughed, while a vein throbbed in Shiage head.

I like her because she treats me like a real person unlike you two, Shiage thought savagely, before sighing. He had to admit to himself that without Shizuri protecting him in ITEM, his life would have been pretty much forfeited. The memories of his last mission for Skill-Out flashed through his mind. He was supposed to kill a woman and his group would receive protection as payment. Two people interrupted and ruined everything. Most of his men had been destroyed by Accelerator, but a second unknown boy had also interrupted. They might have still succeeded, as Shiage had found the target, but the unknown boy had stopped him. It had turned into a brawl and Shiage lost, not only physically, but in ideals. He had believed level 0s had to prove themselves to survive, but the other boy didn't believe that. He believed level 0s were just like everyone else, just trying to live their lives. His words left a mark with Shiage to this day. He didn't hate the unknown boy or Accelerator for defeating his gang, as it gave him a second chance. He snapped back to the present, as Saiai and Frenda got off on a floor and he followed. He had only taken a couple steps forward, before he almost ran into Saiai, who had stopped suddenly. "Why did you stop?"

"Frenda," Saiai said, completely ignoring Shiage. "Does that person look familiar to you?" Frenda and Shiage turned in the direction she was pointing. Shiage didn't know who she was pointing at, but realized she was pointing to a café. As it was around six, there were a lot of people in fancy clothes eating. Frenda's eyes scanned the crowd and fell on two individuals sitting together near the window.

"The spikey hair does," Frenda confirmed. "But it can't be. I can't see his face from this angle and I don't know who the girl in the blue dress is." Those descriptions were enough for Shiage to locate the two individuals. He still didn't know who it was or who Saiai and Frenda believed him to be.

"Let's move and check it out," Saiai said. "He may be super cheating on you."

"He wouldn't do that," Frenda replied defensively, before turning red. "Basically, we aren't even together anyways."

"Is this guy Frenda's boyfrien…?" Shiage started to ask, but was interrupted as Frenda turned around and kicked him in the side of the leg. He grimaced in pain and hopped on his other foot.

"None of your business," she snapped and turned back to Saiai. "Let's check it out."

"Awesome," Saiai replied, grinning. She and Frenda moved quickly, but tried not to draw attention to themselves. Shiage followed them after sighing loudly. It was actually his position that made them blend into the background. He was simply a guy who was carrying bags for two girls. They moved to an open area near a decorative fountain with benches around it. The location gave them a perfect view of the guy and girl. "Wow, it is him. He's super on a date with a girl. She looks pretty wealthy too."

"There's no way Kamijou would be doing that," Frenda said forcefully. Saiai raised an eyebrow and Frenda realized she said it more for herself then the others. "Basically, you know what he's like. I bet she blackmailed him into it."

"That suit," Saiai muttered. "It super looks like the one he used last time. Do you think Mugino knows about this?"

"If he has the suit she has to," Frenda gasped and pulled out her phone. She dialed, but was unable to reach Mugino. "Her phone's off. Basically, we have to assume she knows because Kamijou wouldn't break in and steal it."

"So that's the famous Kamijou," Shiage muttered, setting down all the bags and turning to look at the guy. He frowned, because the guy looked oddly familiar, but he didn't recognize the girl. Where have I seen that hair before…? His mind finally made the connection. "That bastard is Kamijou?!" he said loudly in shocked.

"Huh?" Saiai asked. "You actually know him?"

"Explain," Frenda added. Shiage opened his mouth and then closed in a second later. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of those two. Frenda noticed this and continued. "Basically, if you don't tell us everything, I'm going to shove one of my bombs straight up your a…"

"Okay I get it," Shiage interrupted her. "I met him shortly before Mugino forced…. I mean brought me… into ITEM. You know how I was part of Skill-Out," they both nodded, and waved him on, "well our mission was to kill a target, but we failed. We had located the target and was about to finish the job when he and Accelerator found us."

"I bet Accelerator just tore you all apart," Saiai interrupted.

"He wasn't using his ability actually," Shiage said frowning. "He used a gun and took down several of my men. We fell into disarray and the target escaped during the confusion. I found her, but he stopped me. The target got away from us and our organization was disbanded."

"You left out a lot of details," Frenda said seriously, reaching under her skirt for a bomb.

"I told you everything important," Shiage replied, holding his hands out front in a defensive position.

"I think I know what happened," Saiai spoke up, and then burst out laughing. "I bet he super beat you up, while giving you a sermon about not killing people." Shiage grimaced, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want Saiai to know she hit the nail on the head. Frenda caught his nonverbal signs and also burst out laughing.

"That sounds like him," Frenda said between laughs. "Basically, he kicked your ass and destroyed your organization. Mugino then picked you up to be our underling." A vein throbbed in Shiage's head, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't mad at Touma, but Saiai and Frenda were just rubbing his nose in his defeat. "What do you think we should do?"

"We could either go over and interrupt him," Saiai suggested. "Or we super could spy on him to see what happens." Frenda had to think about this for a moment. Saiai saw her hesitate and added more fuel to the fire. "He seems to be uncomfortable there. Maybe there's a reason…"

---

"Where is he now?" Shizuri asked Rikou, as both of them stood outside a large research building. It was late and the sun had just set, but Shizuri had planned it this way. She was going to have all her questions answered by Jason. To achieve this, she had to make sure she got him alone, or with limited witnesses. If too many people were nearby, the risk of being interrupted by Anti-Skill and Judgement increased exponentially. One or two witnesses could be disposed of easily. Once Rikou had located Jason's AIM field, they followed it to the research building. When they arrived, the sun was still up in the sky, so they remained hidden across the street, waiting for the chance to corner him.

"…He just moved down to the first floor," Rikou informed her. "But he doesn't seem to be heading for any exit. He's just staying in one spot."

"That's suspicious," Shizuri mumbled. They had watched many researchers leave, but there was no sign Jason was planning to leave any time soon. As Rikou could only detect AIM fields, normal adult scientists without abilities didn't have one and could not be detected. Rikou also told her there had been no other AIM fields in the building since they arrived. Is he staying late to work or waiting for someone? No one else has left in a while, so I think it's time. "Let's go. We waited long enough." She marched toward the lab, with Rikou right behind her. Shizuri had been prepared to blast down the door but, to her surprise, she found it unlocked, even without a keycard. "Be on your guard," she muttered. "This door shouldn't be unlocked."

"…He still hasn't moved," Rikou informed her. "Straight ahead." Shizuri nodded and continued to march down the hallway. She came up to a pair of double doors, and delivered a kick to the right side. The force of the blow knocked it off its hinges and it clattered against the tile floor. She didn't stop and entered the large room and looked around. There was a lot of expensive looking equipment and, on the far side of the room, Jason was sitting in a chair, his feet up on a desk, looking directly at her.

"Well this is a surprise," Jason commented, his tone saying otherwise. "You know, the door was open. You didn't have to break it down."

"I wanted to make sure I had you attention," Shizuri sneered. She was now certain Jason was part of, or at least knew, the reason Misaki's rank had increased. He purposely waited for me here alone. She looked around but couldn't detect the presence of anyone else nearby. There was also something different about him, compared to the person she knew during the England vacation. Jason back then had always been joking around, and, even when fighting in a serious situation, used jokes to distract his opponents and make them lower their guard. Now, his gaze was cold and businesslike. "I assume you know why I'm here?"

"I have several reasons why you could be," Jason agreed, sitting up. "But I think the most likely one will be the announcement that came out this morning."

"Then that will save us some time," Shizuri said coldly, and several green orbs appeared around her. "You are going to tell me everything you know about why she ranked up. It has something to do with that transformation in England." She paused for a moment. "I heard from those brats you did research for the city, but I didn't know the details, and then I found out you have access to all the level 5 information. This isn't a coincidence."

"I was given access," Jason confirmed. "But my focus was mainly raising lower level abilities. Most of the level 5 data I used was for this purpose. Some people up top wanted me to work on raising level 5s, but I didn't see the point."

"Bullshit," Shizuri snapped, and it took all her self-control not to fire her Meltdowner at him. I need him alive until he answers my questions.

"Just tell me what you want to know then," Jason sighed. "It's going to be faster that way. I rather answer you, instead of being hit by your attack."

"Fine," Shizuri said, not letting her guard down for a moment. She could feel Rikou watching Jason closely from behind her. "First, how did Mental Out find out about Body Crystal?"

"From what she told me," Jason explained. "She read it in her mind," he gestured to Rikou, "after picking it up at the mall. She knew I did research for Academy City and called me to ask what Body Crystal was. I gave her a brief explanation about what I knew about it. I was surprised she didn't mention it on the ride back, maybe she was protecting me." He shrugged. "I warned her not to use it, but she ended up taking it. I would never have dreamt that outcome would have happened. But I already told you what I believed happened with her transformation. That hasn't changed."

"Second," Shizuri continued impatiently. "Why did she suddenly get a rank up after all this time? Did she somehow become stronger after that transformation?"

"The ranks for level 5s are not based purely on combat prowess," Jason said. "It's based on the potential of the individual."

"Potential?" Shizuri asked. Things are finally getting interesting. Jason raised an eyebrow at her.

"The potential for how far you can grow," he explained, and his voice grew more excited as his words flowed out. "Your powers may not be fully developed, but we can read how far along your progress is in your AIM field. Accelerator's ability is devastating, but he has only reached a small fraction of his potential. You are closer to your cap then he is. Shokuhou was closer to reaching her full potential then you were but, after the system scan Monday, it changed. Not how far she was, but how far she could go. Her max potential actually changed. It's the first time anyone has seen that. It's why they decided to move her above you, not because she got stronger. I bet you can still take her easily in a one on one fight."

"So why did this happen," Shizuri asked, trying to get as much information as she could. She was processing everything he was telling her, and the green orbs disappeared around her. She still didn't trust him, but his explanation was fascinating from a scientific standpoint. I didn't know they ranked us on potential. With Accelerator being the number one, it always felt like it was directly related to how strong our abilities were. I have to verify it later. I still don't trust his motives and he's hiding something.

"Lots of theories about that," Jason continued. "But most can't be involved with magic, for obvious reasons." Shizuri gave a curt nod and motioned for him to continue. "I feel the most likely reason is the Body Crystal caused her to temporality use her ability to her maximum potential. After she made connection with the knights, mana flew into her body, further increasing her power. The combination of the drug and magic allowed her to break the ceiling on her potential. She can now reach a higher plane then she could ever have before."

"Could this work on other level 5s?" Shizuri questioned. Plane?

"Most likely not," Jason replied, shaking his head. "The mana was only able to enter her body through the link from her ability. You wouldn't be able to use your ability to do that."

"Who said I wanted to use it," snapped Shizuri, but she knew it was on her mind. Damn, if this keeps up, I'll keep falling further behind the rest of them. Will the sixth and seventh pass me too? "What is this potential marker you keep mentioning?" For the first time, since the beginning of their conversation, she saw Jason grin, revealing a piece of his old self she knew.

"Why, the chance of surpassing level 5," Jason explained, his smile widening as Shizuri's eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell…" she gasped, before finding her voice. "Are you trying to make fun of me?!" Several green orbs appeared around her again. "I swear if you are…"

"Hang on," Jason said, raising his hands. "Just because someone has the potential to reach level 6, doesn't mean they will. If the technology is beyond what we have, it can't be done. If we needed energy roughly equivalent to turning the earth into pure energy, then the odds of that happening are virtually zero."

"Then what's my chance," Shizuri asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Hard to be sure," Jason said frowning. "The numbers fluctuate a lot, but it has increased slightly over the last couple weeks. Some signs have already begun to manifest themselves. You use to be only able to produce a handful of beams, but now you can produce quite a bit more right?" Shizuri nodded slightly. After the events in England, she had been able to produce over a dozen Meltdowner beams. "Even if you had max potential, until we find out exactly what it takes for you to break the boundary between level 5 and 6, it won't be possible."

"Damn," Shizuri muttered. Level 6 had always been a pipe dream for ability users. Accelerator was in a league all of his own, yet he was still considered a level 5. Researchers had always been interested in trying to create a level 6, but never had any luck. The experiments always failed in the end. "Then this means I'm going to be stuck behind these brats forever." I really want to punch someone until I feel better. Hamazura better be available.

"That's not entirely true," Jason mumbled, and Shizuri narrowed her eyes at him.

"What do you mean?"

"While we can't use a connection with mana to help you surpass your current limits," Jason continued, hesitating slightly. "We might be able to overloud your system to force those boundaries to break."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Shizuri asked sarcastically. "Pump me with drugs and music until my body can't take it anymore and explodes?"

"That's only a part of it," Jason laughed. "You have the other key right next to you."

"What?" Shizuri asked, turning to Rikou, who looked at her in confusion. "Explain yourself."

"Her ability is AIM Stalker," Jason explained. "She can use it to identify and locate any AIM field she has memorized. But that's not all, is it?" He directed the question at Shizuri, who frowned, more in thought then irritation.

He's done his homework, Shizuri thought. She always knew Rikou's ability had a lot more potential than it was currently being used for, but prolonged exposure to Body Crystal weakened her body, so they couldn't practice. Shizuri had always speculated Rikou's ability could take control of someone's ability by reversing the flow of their AIM diffusion fields. This could lead to strengthen or overloading an individual's power. During one fight, she saw Rikou neutralize a fire ability user. When Shizuri asked what she did, Rikou responded she pushed his AIM field back at him. "If it isn't?"

"If during the moment your ability is overloaded," Jason asked. "What would happen if she controlled it and redirected your AIM field? What do you think could be done during this situation?"

"She could redirect it to break my limit…," Shizuri answered slowly, her eyes widening in realization. "Would that even be possible?"

"Would be risky at best," Jason said. "I would place the odds at dying or being crippled for life."

"I can tell you want to do it," Shizuri pointed out. "Is that the researcher in you?"

"I'm actually interested in seeing if it could work," Jason confirmed.

"But I bet it won't be free," Shizuri said, suspiciously.

"Nothing in life is free," Jason agreed. "You know that."

"You obviously don't want money," Shizuri said. "How about I promise not to blast your limbs off and you do what I want?"

"Useless threat," Jason replied dismissively. "You and I both know you need me, so you won't hurt me too much. How about this instead? ITEM will do one mission for me for free sometime in the future."

"What kind of mission?"

"Not sure," Jason told her. "But I like to be prepared and having an experienced group, who will do whatever it takes to complete a mission, will undoubtedly be useful."

Shizuri thought about this for a moment. She didn't trust him at all, but his explanations made sense, even if she needed to verify a few facts. She was tired of falling behind the other level 5s and knew if she didn't take this opportunity, she would never get a chance again. She trusted Rikou to do whatever job was required for her, so the only other part was Jason. If he tries anything funny, the others could take down his friends, but I don't think he will do anything right now. He obviously has something planned to use ITEM for, but I have no idea what. She glanced at Rikou, who looked back at her with a passive look on her face. It was obvious to Shizuri that Rikou would follow whatever decision she made. "Fine, she grudgingly agreed. "But double-cross me and you and anyone close to you will regret it."

"Excellent," Jason answered, his face relaxing and a true grin appearing on it. It was an expression Shizuri was more use to seeing on him. He wrote something down on a card and threw it through the air toward Shizuri, who caught it. "There's the address you need to go to tomorrow night, let's say 9pm. I should be able to set up what I need then."

"What are you planning?" Shizuri asked him, looking at the card's address.

"I just want to see if something is possible," Jason replied unhelpfully.

"What would your friends think about this if I told them," Shizuri replied, half threateningly, but to her surprise Jason just laughed.

"Would they believe you?" he asked, crossing his hands under his chin. "Compared to you, I have done a lot less things to be suspicious of." Shizuri frowned, but didn't have a comeback.

"Let's go," Shizuri said to Rikou, pocking the card. "We also have preparations to make." She turned and started to leave the way they had come in.

"Yes Mugino," Rikou said, as she followed Shizuri. Jason watched them lead, and made a fist with his right hand, as his smile grew.

Everything is going according to plan.

---

Juliet was lying down on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV in front of her. She was currently watching their apartment as Eve and Cain were busy with other responsibilities. She was bored out of her mind, but she had to wait for Eve to tell her the next stage of their plan. She briefly stopped on a show about teenagers with superpowers, when the wall next to her broke apart into a black void and Eve jumped through it. The void closed instantly behind her. "About time," Juliet said, turning the TV off. "What did you learn?"

"It seems like I misunderstood something," Eve sighed, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out a can of iced tea. She sipped it and looked over at Juliet. "I believed that Hyouka Kazakiri was the key to the Imagine District. It turns out, she is, but there is a lot more to it. The reason she could escape form us is she is just the conscious form of the Imaginary District. If we try to catch her normally, she can just break apart into the AIM fields created by the ability users and reappear somewhere else entirely."

"So how do we capture her?" Juliet asked.

"We have three options available," Eve explained. "We can try to persuade her to help us, which is probably off the table at this point. Two, we can obtain a special type of metal that won't allow AIM fields to pass through it. It seems to be resistant to abilities, but is rare enough we might not be able to procure enough of it. I don't know if I can make it with my powers though. I would need a sample at least. Three, we need to find some kind of network to force her to fully manifest in our world. As long as we keep the network active, she would not be able to disappear."

"Which do you think would actually succeed?" Juliet asked.

"I think the metal might be the best place to start," Eve said cheerfully. "I can break in and find what I need easily enough. If we can't get enough, I'll have Cain start investigating this network. I on the other hand will talk to the Imagine Breaker to see if he will cooperate with us to convince Hyouka Kazakiri to help us. I can be quite persuasive and I know he would love to see me again."

"As much as a cavity," muttered Juliet.

"When did you become such a pessimist," Eve asked, turning to look her in the eyes. "You use to be so friendly, optimistic, and outgoing. What happened to that girl?"

"She died," Juliet replied bitterly. "Quite literally."

"Only in the flesh," Eve replied kindly, patting her shoulder. "You're memory lives on."

"Some benefit that is," Juliet said. She turned into a black shadow and slid like liquid out of Eve's reach, before remanifesting herself. "The only thing I have to look forward to is being with him again."

"And you will be," Eve reassured her. "But the wing comes first and now we have to deal with an unwanted intruder." She turned to the door leading out of their apartment. "I know you are there, don't bother hiding behind that door." Juliet heard the sounds of steps retreating from their apartment. "Oh, looks like he's about to meet Cain, let's set up some sound proofing." She raised her hand and papers flew out right before the sound of gun shots echoed down the hall.

"That won't work on Cain," Juliet sighed. "He's immortal."

"They don't know that," Eve giggled.

"Monster!" a male's voice yelled. "Get away from… ARGGGggg….." The hallway went silent. A moment later, the door opened and the man in a sweatshirt with the hood covering his head walked in. His entire front side was covered in blood and there were a few small holes in the chest. The blood did not appear to be his. Following him was a man in full Anti-Skill armor, who was staging slightly. Blood covered his left shoulder.

"I took care of the intruder," the man said in a cool and calm voice. "I will need a new shirt to replace this one."

"Perfect," Eve said, walking up to the Anti-Skill officer. She reached up and pulled off his helmet, revealing an ashen white face and short black hair. On the side of his neck were two small holes. "So, you were unfortunate enough to meet Cain. What were you doing here?"

"I'll never… tell you…" the man replied weakly. "What did you do to me?"

"Make him talk please," Eve said to Cain, who nodded. Nothing noticeable happened, except his eyes under his hooded sweatshirt began to glow dark red. "You don't need to worry about what is happening to you. Just think of it as being new and improved." She giggled. "Now tell me, why were you here?"

"We were told to watch out for suspicious individuals," the man said in a monotone. "I noticed a young girl and a full grown male not in our database and decided to investigate. My supervisors have not been notified yet."

"Hmm," Eve said thinking. "You two need to stop being seen together then. We can have this guy report back and disappear in another location before returning to us. Please try to control your appetite Cain. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Russia do we?"

"That was centuries ago," Cain pointed out.

"Either way," Eve continued. "Don't do it anymore unless I tell you to. Juliet, I need you to do something important for me while Cain and I continue gathering information."

"Yes?"

"I want you to monitor the friends of the Imagine Breaker. Do not let them find out about us until I get a chance to talk to him. As long as you don't reveal yourself, you have free reign to do whatever you need to do."

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Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.

Not a lot of action, but everyone seems to be doing well. All the scenes are beginning to merge. Oh, and I got to give a glimpse of one character who will be important later on. Next chapter I plan to introduce two new characters and they are sure to shake things up.

Motoharu: I bet they are girls to grow Kami-yan's harem.

Pierce: I'm just reading about all his adventures above and thinking, I have to beat him up.

Jason: What's funny is everyone besides Touma is finding out all this important information, while Touma just hangs out with girls.

Accelerator: Yet, the hero will find himself right in the middle of everything.

Touma: Hey, it's not my fault. I just want to experience a normal high school life.

Misaki: Besides, he has me.

Lessar: But I'm living with him.

Mikoto: Not if I can help it.

Ruiko: Who is doing the opening intro for the next chapter?

Me: Well, I offered it to Uiharu, but she passed out right afterwards, so I take that as a no.

Ruiko: I can do it.

Me: No, you will do it after a specific chapter. It will work better in your favor.

Motoharu: No problem, I'll do it then. I'm sure people will have some questions.

Touma: Wait, don't let him!

Shizuri: Better than the other brats.