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.)

102. S5 Talking with Snakes

Snuggle-chan seems to be the primary focus based on comments. Have to admit, Touma needed a goddess to help him out with his situation. Otherwise, he won't get anywhere. Guess this entire chapter should be devoted to those two. This chapter is the first of many that I have been looking forward to for a long time. The raffle is going to cause so many problems and get new people involved, including some old faces who hadn't shown up recently. However, there is one big event that will occur before and during the raffle that some of you may find a little more interesting. It might even start a war. Lots of humor in this chapter, which kind of made up for a pretty crappy week. This chapter would have been out earlier, but a combination of not feeling well the last few days and my fifteen year old dog passing away, I didn't really feel like writing. Anyway, enough about my problems, you guys didn't come here to read about those. Let's move to the comments, after a brief word from our sponsors.

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Acpeters: The main reason I rewound the clock was to show what happened to Kuroko. I figured the Sex Ed scene reached the point where everyone could just use their imagination. Oh, his friends won't let him live that down for sure.

The Wolf Paladin: I'm planning to use our resident snake goddess as a way to make certain people act to avoid some NT events. Jason knows, that was the scariest thought Kuroko had in that chapter. Eh, Bayloupe is pretty hot. Nothing to complain about. Othinus has a lot of uses and will defiantly be different than the LN.

Iceflame55: Technically, isn't bad luck still luck?

Cyber dragonarmy: Well, Misaka-san, you could always tie him up and drop him off in front of ITEM. They probably need a new errand boy. Would be a good punishment for him.

general ironox: I think he will regret it more that they were caught in the same bed. Carissa will have to wait a few chapters. This is a snuggle chapter.

wildarms13: Worst would just say he had one, regardless of truth. Torturing the readers with anticipation is how I have fun.

Whwsms: All ability users in Academy City are just research subjects. People forget that a lot. Accelerator probably tried to use his reflection to stop hearing things, but there's a time limit to that. You don't cure Yanderes, you just learn to live with them. Kakine will make an appearance this weekend for sure, the question is, when? I wonder if Oriana will teach Lessar how to seduce people. Wasn't a shout out, all girls want to end up in the bathtub with Touma.

Salishious: Your comment is causing some brain damage when I pictured what you wrote. Touma's mom is going to cause a new situation to occur.

Jujudude: Kuroko has some soul searching to do, along with some conversations with people. Kamiko could be one of them. MILFs have a purpose and it will cause a lot of problems. Touma wouldn't like to date two people as each persona, mainly because he would feel like he's cheating. Fake dates might be possible though. You obviously have NO idea what Snuggle-chan's goal is. This chapter will be an eye opener. I always thought that would be a fun fanfiction to read. Go ahead and write it.

Anon Guest: Accelerator vomits on the floor. Now, if it was someone else… who knows?

plantkingman1: Huh, maybe? This chapter may or may not be devoted to her.

anand891996: Harems simply allow me to avoid making a decision.

GameCguru: Touma loves to remove death flags from character. Mugino is probably the only one who actually has a clue Jason may not be what he appears to be.

FCJ69: …. I definitely did not forget and had to slip it in this chapter. Nope, was all purposely planned.

Handsomistic1: If story is relevant for the reader, I'm perfectly okay in rewinding the clock to show what happened. Uiharu has some interesting fantasies, so maybe? Sharing is caring, right?

Guest: 1) Some outfits I may prefer to make them simpler, but I would still need to think of a setting for everything to take place. 2) Are they ever not up to something? Motoharu more than Pierce though. Your skit wasn't bad, but I had a slightly different wake up scene in mind.

The Ultimate Impulse: The reason I decided not to actually write the Sex Ed class was because I felt readers could imagine something far funnier than what I could write.

A certain guest: Misfortune? If a hot girl wakes up in your bed, I'm pretty sure that's fortune. Infinite Hells wouldn't work, but a single hell would. Long stories cause individuals to change based on events, otherwise it gets a little boring if characters stay static. Aiwass showed up once and I'm current debating how to have him show up again. Someone should put a metal lock over Touma's lower half to protect the prize so many are gunning for. Science can only go so far, so what they discovered could only be a small part of the IB. Anti-AIM doesn't negate magic, so there has to be something else. If you use science to try to rationalize something outside of science, you only get so far. Jason's research actually was used already by Noukan, so Aleister is fully aware of this.

xaxiel1572: Gunha used his guts to travel and Kanzaki is off resting.

Generation Zero: Wasn't a lie, it was only not saying as much as they could. Noukan was with Gunha, so he could easily say, ignore him. At least all of the Level 5s know not to talk about sensitive things around just anyone now. This next arc is going to focus more on the science side enemies for a bit before moving back to Eve's fun. Aleister is watching, but he only reacts when he is required to. Eh, if I have to do something, I'll send Touma and some random people to America to fight Othinus. I think California would be a fun place. I do like battle royal arcs. There are always more than two sides who are fighting.

Mizericordia: I'm sure they read my fanfic and steal my ideas.

Kuvukiland: I had my Sex Ed class in high school, so wouldn't that be rated T?

FrodoFighter: I think you could make them longer, haha. Kat's ability is personal and requires touch. Unless Touma touched her or someone she was clocking with his right hand, he couldn't detect her. However, touch would cause her to be revealed instantly. I needed a non-combat ability that an intelligence gather could use, but I suppose it could be used for assassination if needed. Yeah, I saw that mistake I made. Sheesh, I don't remember half of what I write. Maybe there are side effects? Estelle? Know better? HA! Accelerator obviously wants to confess to Bayloupe though. I just imagined Kuroko laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling in horror all night. Poor Imouto, one of the other clones will have to replace her. Yep, I decree Uiharu is a patron Saint of the Church of Skirt Flipping. You caught on to a few scenes with the mothers, but not everything. Prepare for some fun.

Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.

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There's something about sleeping in your own bed after a vacation that makes you feel great. The familiarity gives you peace of mind. Even if said bed was only a bathtub. While Touma's sleeping arrangements may not have been ideal, it was what he was used to and he found himself having the most restful night's sleep since he left for Australia. The peace had been interrupted by the annoying blaring of his alarm clock. He groaned and reached over to shut it off automatically, not even bothering to open his eyes. He was comfortable, way more than he should have been, though a little warm. Something twitched under his blanket and his eyes shot open. He had been living with Lessar long enough to know what that meant. He looked down, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and ripped it off. "Lessar, how many…?" His voice trailed off when he saw it wasn't her.

Rainbow snake eyes met his own.

"Hello," Julunggul greeted him. "Did you misss me?" Touma's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. A few seconds passed as he took in the mostly naked form of the young woman in front of him, smooth chocolate skin, raven hair, and the changing scales tastefully covering her modestly. His brain finally clicked and his shock burst out of him.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"That was Kamijou-kun!" Touma heard Itsuwa shout from the other room. His scream had woken up the others.

"We're coming, Lover Boy!" Lessar yelled and there was a thud as someone hit the door.

"It's locked!" Itsuwa told her.

"Out of the way!" The bathroom door was ripped off its hinges, as Lessar grabbed the handle with her new Steel Glove. She had crafted herself a new one out of backup parts yesterday before their plane arrived. The door was thrown unceremoniously across the bedroom. Lessar and Itsuwa stood ready with their weapons, while Index stood behind them. Their faces turned from alarm to shock when they saw Touma. He was still laying in the bathtub with a very attractive, almost naked girl on top of him. Touma suddenly realized those three had never seen Julunggul before.

"Tooouuuummmaaaa," Index growled dangerously and flashed her teeth, a second before her eyes widened. A trace of fear appeared on her face. Before she could say or do anything else, Itsuwa held out a hand.

"Stay back, Index," she warned. "Kamijou-kun, be careful. That girl is dangerous."

"Lover Boy," Lessar ordered. "Hold her down, while I take her out." Touma opened his mouth to warn her, but his words were stopped when Julunggul put a finger on his lips.

"I'll take care of thiss," she whispered and turned to the other three. "Enough." That one word combined with her glare was able to stop everything. Lessar, Itsuwa, and Index grew silent and their weapons were lowered. "Good girlss," Julunggul mused. Touma noticed their eyes seemed to be slightly glazed over.

I remember looking into her eyes, Touma thought. She clouds your mind and makes it hard to think.

"The three of you will turn around and leave," Julunggul continued. "Go about your normal routine, while thiss boy and I talk. You will not interrupt uss. Undersstand?" The girls nodded mechanically. "Put the door back on too, sso we can have ssome alone time." Lessar picked up the door and set it back into place, even though it wasn't being reattached. Julunggul turned back to Touma and smiled. "What do you think of my sskill?"

"What did you do to them?" Touma demanded.

"A little ssuggesstion," Julunggul explained. "It will give uss ssome privacy." She tilted her head. "Unlesss you are into people watching. Iss that what turnss you on?"

"Wha-…!?" spluttered Touma.

"Are you imagining them sstaring at uss and cheering?" Julunggul licked her lips. "Getting freaky in front of your friendss?"

"NO!" He began to panic.

"I'm joking," Julunggul explained finally.

"Holy shit, I thought you were serious."

"I could be, if you want."

"No!"

"Your little man ssayss differently." She shifted on his lap.

"It's a natural reaction I can't control!"

"Aww." Julunggul stared at him in thought.

"I don't like the fact you controlled my friends," Touma replied honestly. "But thank you for not hurting them." She gave a curt nod as acknowledgement.

"I'm a very nonviolent goddesss," Julunggul laughed. "Unlesss you anger me or I'm hungry."

"Do magic gods eat?"

"We don't need to eat food. I prefer ssomething elsse." Her eyes flickered downwards.

"Why are you here?" Touma asked nervously, trying to ignore the hungry remark and changing topics.

"You." A single word escaped her lips, but it was full of passion.

"Me?" Touma asked confused. "Why? I thought we had a deal. I destroyed the shard Adam held, so you could be free. Didn't I accomplish that?"

"Oh, you did," Julunggul confirmed. "My power wass weakened becausse of that, but it will return. No, I'm here for a more… perssonal reasson." Touma gulped and she moved her face closer to his. "I came here to learn about you."

"Huh?" Touma was completely confused. Julunggul's eyes were sparkling and shifting between colors. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away. They were so hypnotizing.

"You marched into my lair," Julunggul explained, her eyes never wavering or even blinking. "With the intoxicating sscent of love and lusst permeating the air around you. A boy on the border of becoming a man, with all your raging hormoness, and yet you ressissted me. If that wass not bad enough, you ssomehow managed to forge connecting mate threadss between yoursself and many otherss. Ssomething people are lucky to create only one of, and you were able to acquire a ridiculouss amount. You have your pick of perfect ssoulmatess. I want to know, how are you sstill a virgin!? Ssome wait until marriage in thiss age, but they never have more than one or two of thesse sstrings."

"I'm not sure how to tell you this," Touma answered hesitantly. "I used to believe no girl would fall for someone like me because of all of my misfortune. It was only recently I learned a couple girls actually like me that way and I haven't been able to sort out my feelings for them. Haven't been able to answer them at all, actually." He muttered the last part dejectedly.

"Why not jusst have ssex with ssomeone then for pleassure?" Julunggul asked curiously.

"Because that would be disrespecting the girl," Touma replied instantly. "I can't just do it without love being involved. It's not right. People deserve to be treated with respect. The feelings should be mutual." Julunggul tilted her head and the smiled warmly at him. "Besides, it's my friends who like me. If I go out with one of them, it would strain our relationship with the others. I treasure all my friends too much for that to happen. That was why I was even in Australia in the first place, because Adam's plans would lead to them getting hurt."

"I ssee," she mused. "Want to know a ssecret?"

"I figure you are going to tell me anyways," Touma sighed.

"Ssoulmate threadss are only created when two people have true feelingss for each other and they are compatible," Julunggul explained seriously. "Even if thosse feelingss are not consscioussly recognized. You care about them and they care about you. A thread then getss formed. The more you two care for each other, the sstronger the thread becomess. You may have many threadss, but only a handful are sstrong enough to be conssidered true connectionss. Though, handful in thiss casse iss sstill way more than a normal persson sshould ever have. You are rather unique in another asspect though. You sseem to posssesss the ability to be perfectly compatible with almosst anyone."

"So I'm making these threads unconsciously?" Touma asked bewildered. "How?"

"You like them back," Julunggul stated simply. "Were you not lisstening? You care for them and they care for you. Not all relationsshipss have to end in ssex. Friendss, enemiess, teacherss, parentss, are all typess of relationsshipss you have. They are all different color threadss, but I'm only interessted in the bright red oness."

"Those are the…" Touma trailed off.

"Ssexual conquestss."

"I don't have those!"

"I meant love threadss that can end in that."

"You did that on purpose!"

"Maaaybe," Julunggul giggled. "But I want to ssee the girlss on the other end of the red oness."

"And how are you going to do that?" Touma asked, knowing he would not like the answer.

"The eassiesst way would be to follow them," Julunggul pointed out. "It would only take me a moment." She sighed and began to whine. "But that would be ssoooo boring!" She looked back into Touma's eyes. "Insstead, I'm going to follow you around. Meet them in persson and examine your interactionss."

"Err, what do you mean by follow?"

"Don't worry," Julunggul reassured him and patted his cheek with her hand. "I need to observe you in a normal environment. I can transsform into a ssmall ssnake and hang out in your pocket. Jusst act naturally and I'll occassionally whissper sstuff about the girlss ass we meet."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Deeply perssonal and intimate sstuff." Julunggul smiled. "Their three ssizess, underwear color, chance they would jump you the ssecond you assked if they wanted to."

"That sounds wrong on so many levels!" Touma shouted.

"Huh, I thought a boy around your age would like that."

"I would… I mean I think about it… but to actually do it is wrong!"

"Knew you weren't gay."

"I never pretended to be."

"I don't know. You fight awfully hard againsst me trying to get you laid with a female."

"And I told you why!" Touma retorted strongly. He leaned back in the tub and sighed. "Why are you even doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Julunggul asked curiously.

"Why are you trying to get me laid so badly?"

"I told you before," Julunggul said sternly. "You are an anomaly. Ass a fertility goddesss, it iss my ssworn duty to guide boyss into manhood. Normally, moving around requiress a lot of work to avoid accidently messsing with the world due to my power, but with my sshard desstroyed, I can take a… vacation? Yeah, a vacation, and take a more active role. I only want to help you."

"Can I politely refuse your help?" Touma asked hopefully.

"Yess."

"Dang… wait, I can?!"

"I'm not going to force you."

"Really?" Touma couldn't believe it when she nodded. "You… are a lot more reasonable than I was afraid you would be. Okay, I appreciate the offer, but I really-…"

"However," Julunggul interrupted and she held a finger up to Touma's lips. "If I am unable to examine ssuch an interessting ssubject, I might find mysself getting bored and irritated. After traveling sso far from my homeland, I will have to find ssomething to entertain mysself. It iss a large city, sso that sshouldn't be too hard, but I might want to get revenge on you. Probably won't attack your friendss, they didn't do anything wrong, but embarrasssing you? Perfectly acceptable. I think I would sshow up in your classs and tell everyone I'm pregnant with your child. That would causse ssome interessting missundersstandingss, wouldn't it?" Touma's eyes widened in fear, something she did not miss. "The choice iss yourss though. When I remove my finger, let me know if you will accept my help or if you will pussh me away." She removed her finger from his lips.

"…wish I could do something to repay you for your generosity in helping me with my problematic love life."

"That'ss what I thought."

"Were you serious about not actually meddling with my friends?" Touma asked. "You just want to observe?" He may not be able to do anything to forcefully stop Julunggul from doing what she wanted, but he could try to perform as much damage control as possible.

"I wass," Julunggul confirmed. "I want to ssee what your life iss like normally."

"If that's all," Touma conceded. "I don't see why you can't." My friends can never find out about this and I hope she doesn't try to make this too perverted. He imagined what Lessar would do with that kind of power.

"Sso what'ss with the letter in your pantss pocket?" Julunggul asked.

"Letter?" Touma repeated and then his eyes widened. He had forgotten. He wasn't able to get some private time with Agnese for her to tell him what she had wanted to before he had to leave. Instead, she passed him a letter telling him to read it when he was safely back in Academy City and away from prying eyes. With Lessar traveling back with him and then collapsing in the bathtub in exhaustion, he didn't have time to read it yet. "Oh, right. A friend gave me it to read, privately." He emphasized the word.

"I can't read it then?" Julunggul asked with a pout. "But there'ss sso much feelingss imbued in it."

"If you drop it," Touma said. "I'll read it after school today." Julunggul smirked and then nodded. Hah, whatever Agnese wanted to tell me should be between us.

"One more thing," Julunggul added. "With ssuch closse proximity, I can read your thoughtss."

Fuck!

"If you insist," Julunggul told him and licked his cheek. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Such misfortune…"

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Touma regretted his deal with Julunggul before he even reached his school.

That girl likes you, that one too. She's interested, but it's only on a curiosity level right now. Touma tried hard to ignore Julunggul's voice as he walked to class. She had some weird ideas about how many girls like him. Once his school came into view, she pointed out nearly three out of every four girls he encountered. At least she was polite with her commentary. If he talked with someone, she remained silent most of the time so he could concentrate. One thing he noticed, since they started communicating telepathically, was Julunggul's words no longer contained the hissing sound he associated with her. He attributed it to her no longer needing her very snakelike tongue.

I think you are misreading things, Touma thought, knowing she could hear him. As long as he didn't touch his head with his right hand, this would continue. I think I helped her out once, but I never even spoke to those two. He felt Julunggul squirm in his jacket pocket. She had transformed into a tiny snake to travel with him.

I'm a goddess, she retorted. I don't 'misread' things. You did something to attract their interest. Sometimes, small things can add up, opening doors, helping people with a problem, just being nice.

I wish getting a girlfriend was that easy, Touma laughed silently. When a girl finally does confess, she turns out to be a friend and then a couple of my other friends confess right afterwards. Why is love so complicated?

Keeps me employed, Julunggul laughed. You know, I've never been to a school before, except what I have seen on TV.

Wait, gods watch TV? Touma was shocked.

All the time. We have sleepovers and watch funny movies before we mess with the lives of mortals.

…

Just kidding.

Wow, Touma sighed. You almost had me going there for-…

Gods don't need to sleep.

…You know what. Just tell me, how much TV have you seen? No wait, before that, how did you even watch TV when you were out in a desert?

I don't live there you know, Julunggul reprimanded him. Touma quickly apologized. I just happened to be there when you showed up. I can travel anywhere I wish, but I usually send out familiars so I can keep track of humanity's progresses. Some of them found interesting shows and I watch them. My favorite genre is anime, so you can't believe how excited I was when you were from Japan.

That… explains way more than it should. Please don't try to use anime logic in real life.

You will be surprised what works from those shows… attention, someone approaches. Touma was surprised when she suddenly went quiet. He had just entered his school and began to walk down the hall, when a girl called out to him.

"Kamijou-san!"

"Senpai?" Touma turned around to see Seria approaching. He smiled and waved to her when she reached him. "Hello."

"I heard you missed school the last couple of days," Seria stated, a look of concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "I was just feeling under the weather." She leaned forward and looked at him closely, which caused his ears to burn.

"You have some bags under your eyes. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Last night was pretty restful," Touma admitted. At least, until I woke up. He heard Julunggul snicker in the back of his mind. "But I've missed too much school this year already. I'll sleep more this weekend."

"Take it easy," Seria advised him. "I would hate for you to collapse from stress." She smiled at him and he felt his heart beat faster. She was really quite attractive. "Oh, would you care to join me for lunch on the roof?" The question jolted Touma out of his stupor.

"You want me, to join you?" he asked, slightly dazed.

"Of course, I enjoy your company and accidently made a little too much food today. A growing young man like yourself could probably use the extra nutrients." Boys always have a hard time resisting the call of food. She knew this.

"Sure," Touma agreed. "I'll meet you up there."

"Excellent," Seria beamed and waved goodbye to him. "I have to get to class. It was nice talking to you."

"Likewise." He watched her leave and then headed to his own classroom. Yes, alone time with senpai! She's so kind, smart, and attractive.

And the girl is one step away from grabbing you in the hallway and ravaging you while everyone watches, Julunggul interrupted his thoughts.

AHHH! Stop popping in out of nowhere! And senpai isn't like that. She's just a really caring person.

Sure, Julunggul replied disbelievingly. Does she act that way around everyone else?

She was really nice to my friends during an interschool game not too long ago, Touma explained. She also gives me great advice.

Keep telling yourself that, Julunggul sniffed. You never appreciate my advice.

Your…advice… was to grab every girl with a thread and make them my mate.

Which is something any male who wasn't gay would love.

I'm not gay!

Then go mate with some girls!

I'm ignoring you. Touma blocked out her complaining and nonspecific threats as he entered his classroom. A good portion of his classmates had arrived already, including Accelerator, Pierce, and Motoharu. Accelerator's head was on his desk and he was surrounded by a dark aura. The intensity was even enough to keep Motoharu and Pierce from bothering him. Touma frowned and approached his two friends. "What's up with him?"

"No idea," Pierce replied. "He was like this when we arrived."

"Maybe his girlfriend dumped him?" Motoharu suggested. Accelerator's head turned slightly and he glared at them out of the corner of his eye. "Huh, we might be on the right track." He blinked and turned back to Touma. "Woah, man, you're back!" He acted as if Touma had returned after a month.

"Did you enjoy the last two days hanging out with all your lady friends?" Pierce asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up!" Touma snapped. "I was not feeling well. Still not actually, but I can't afford to miss any more school."

"You're such a good student, Kami-yan," Motoharu laughed. "Maybe Komoe-sensei will go easy on you." He knew what Touma had gone through and wanted to congratulate him, but this was not the time or place for it.

"I hope so," Touma agreed and sat down at his desk. "I don't fancy spending my entire weekend doing homework."

"Maybe you could get Misaka-san to tutor you," Motoharu snickered.

"I might have to," Touma muttered and quickly took the fun out of the teasing. He didn't do it on purpose, he was just tired.

"Besides," Pierce interrupted with an evil grin. They were going to get him, one way or another. What were friends for? "You won't have time to be stuck doing homework all weekend."

"Why?" Touma asked suspiciously.

"The festival," Pierce pointed out. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh." It all came back to Touma. "Our class is doing that raffle, right?"

"Yep. Should be easy to set up, but we have to plan shifts."

"We put posters up all around the city and we know there is a lot of interest in the prize," Motoharu added. "We're going to make a killing!"

"What's the prize?" Touma could not contain his curiosity. "Thought we didn't want to spend much."

"Aogami and I took care of everything," Motoharu bragged.

"It's not going to cost us a penny," Pierce explained.

"What's the prize?" Touma asked again, but the two only shared a look and began to laugh. Fearing the worst, he turned to Accelerator. "Hey, do you know?"

"Go to hell," Accelerator growled, as he looked up. "You have no idea the shit I had to go through because of you." He reached up to grab Touma's throat, but Touma backed away quickly. Motoharu and Pierce watched interestedly. "Just remembered, you have some fucking explaining to do!"

"About what?" Touma asked. "I haven't been around!"

"Not here," Accelerator hissed and his eyes darted toward Aisa. Touma was still confused. "During break." He set his head back down and the dark aura returned. Something was bothering him, but Touma was afraid to find out what. "Your anguish is going to make me feel better." He was worried about the brat for a couple reasons. One, she was still a vampire, even though Bayloupe was trying everything, and, two, she had been avoiding making eye contact with him since yesterday.

"What anguish!?" Touma demanded and Accelerator pointed a single finger toward their two friends. Touma rounded on them. "What did you two do?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Oh," Motoharu replied dismissively. "Nothing important, but you will find out soon enough." Before Touma could punch them, Jason entered the classroom and temporarily distracted him. Touma stared at Jason because he didn't look like himself. He had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes, and wasn't smiling. It was like he was just going through the motions, even his walking seemed to be lacking motivation. Without acknowledging the four of them, he sat down and went to sleep.

"Jason," Touma said and poked his shoulder. "You look like crap."

"Fuck you," Jason mumbled.

"Shut up, hero," Accelerator snapped. "I'm trying to sleep."

"They must have been up late with their girlfriends," Motoharu pointed out.

"Damn them and their luck," Pierce muttered darkly. "They have the nerve to keep rubbing it in our faces."

"At least they aren't rubbing their harems in our faces like Kami-yan," Motoharu replied with a nod of his head.

"I have not rubbed my harem in anyone's faces!" Touma yelled.

"So you admit you have one!" shouted Pierce, as he pointed at Touma.

"No!" he denied quickly. "That was-…"

"You can't deny it," Motoharu interrupted. "Remember, our wager is still in effect."

"I hate both of you so much," Touma growled.

"Yet your life would be so boring without us," Pierce replied and Motoharu laughed. Touma glared at them as they took their seats, before he put his own head down.

Your friends seem like interesting people, Julunggul commented. The two sleeping have several strong threads to rival yours, while the blue hair one is an anomaly like yourself.

What do you mean like me? Touma asked confused. Does he have all these relationship threads to every girl too? How is that even possible? It's… Aogami!

No, Julunggul corrected him. He has zero threads indicating any relationships that could result in a soulmate. It's only ones like friends, family, enemies, and coworker.

I… believe that completely. He has the tendency to disgust girls with his weird fetishes.

Maybe I should discuss those with him at some point. I might be able to help.

Please, don't. Touma could not beg hard enough. He was spared further conversation when Komoe walked in with Seiri right behind her, carrying a box.

"Good morning, class!" Komoe exclaimed brightly. "I hope you are all doing well… Kamijou-chan?! You're back!"

"Hello, sensei," Touma replied. "Wasn't feeling very well the last few days and didn't want to infect the class. But I couldn't afford to miss anymore."

"I appreciate your dedication to your education," Komoe told him. "You can pick up the work you missed after class."

"Thanks." She missed the sighing from the poor boy due to several people snickering. "Class," Komoe continued and clapped her hands. "Tomorrow, as you well know, is the festival and we have to get ready. Interestingly, our class has become quite well-known and we are right by the entrance to the school, so our booth has to look nice. The school is hoping we will attract new students. Since we decided on a raffle, the set up shouldn't be that difficult. The grounds are open to visitors at nine, so we should probably be here around eight."

"Least we don't have to start tonight," someone laughed and several people agreed.

"We need a few things," Seiri told the class. "Tables we can borrow from the school, that won't be an issue, but we need to print out tickets and find a container we can randomly draw from. I was going to use an old bingo one, but someone," her eyes fell on Motoharu, "assured me it would not be big enough. So Tsuchimikado and Aogami can be in charge of that."

"Accelerator and Kagere are the only help we need," Motoharu added, which earned glares from the two people trying to sleep.

"That leaves tickets and a schedule for people to sell them," Seiri continued. She pulled out a piece of paper. "We need to have four to five people per shift. With thirty people, we should be able to easily man two hour shifts, plus setup and closing."

"We will need everyone at closing to prevent the riot!" a guy called out.

"A friend of mine told me her entire school is talking about this," a girl added and Seiri nodded.

"Everyone needs to sign up for one shift or set up, plus closing," Seiri ordered. "You are free to enjoy the festivities, however you do it outside of your designated times." She looked around. "Any problems?" There was some chatter, but everyone agreed. While Seiri always sort of dictated, they admitted her schedule was fair to everyone involved.

"Umm." A lone voice echoed from the back of the classroom and everyone turned to see Touma raising his hand. "What exactly is the prize to warrant a large turnout? Those two won't tell me." He pointed to Motoharu and Pierce, who were holding back their laughter with their hands over their mouths. Seiri looked at him, to the others, and then backed at him. She sighed and resigned herself.

"Those idiots managed to get the city to agree to allow the level 5 Kami to visit the winner's school on Monday," Seiri explained. Touma's mouth fell open, while the class burst out in laughter and cheers. Accelerator and Jason actually raised their heads to join in.

"We will need you to dress up as him and do the final drawing," Komoe continued, once the class quieted down. "Kami won't be available." Touma finally snapped back to reality and shook his head. If he had not remembered the rest of the class believed he just acted as a double for Kami, he would have mentioned something to blow his cover.

"I can't do that!" he cried out. "What if someone recognizes me!?"

"You managed to avoid it before," Jason pointed out.

"So shut up and do it," Accelerator finished.

"What if we offer Accelerator as a second place prize if we sell over a set number of tickets!?" someone yelled out. Accelerator sat up straight at that.

"Who wants to die?" he snapped. "Show yourself!" No one volunteered.

"Too late," Pierce said. "We couldn't get the required permission slips signed in time."

"How many people are we expecting?" Touma asked Jason.

"Everyone." Touma stared at him, as he smirked and then yawned.

"Lack of sleep?" Touma asked.

"Was talking to an old friend and lost track of time," Jason replied with a shrug, before dropping his head back down on the table.

"So not fair," Touma muttered. If he fell asleep, Komoe would have woken him up immediately. While it was true Jason and Accelerator were far beyond the rest of the class in academics, they should still have been required to pay attention. This is going to suck. How many people will I know who would be there? What if their classmate wins and I have to go to their school? An all-girls' school will be insane. Maybe I'll get lucky and attend a normal school like mine.

You're optimistic, Julunggul mused.

I thought you were just going to observe, Touma thought back at her.

I'm taking notes and will present them to you at the end of the day.

Are you just doing that because I took you to my school?

And I thought of something fun to do with it.

It better not be you dressed up as a teacher.

No, better. A sexy teacher.

You need to stop watching anime. Touma groaned out loud when he heard her laugh. A couple people near him glanced over, but they figured it was only because of his job in tomorrow's raffle. The signup sheet was getting passed around and, by the time it reached Touma, the only shifts open were setup and, of course, closing. Since the school festival was supposed to close at five, the ticket sales would end at four forty-five and the drawing would be held exactly at five.

He prayed his friends did not know about this.

How we fool ourselves.

---

"Hello, senpai!" Touma called out, after he opened the door to the roof.

"Welcome, Kamijou-san," Seria replied cheerfully. She had a blanket set out for them to sit on. Touma sat down beside her and she passed him a small box. "Here you go. I hope you enjoy it."

"I'm sure I will, thank you." Touma opened it up and immediately dug into the dish of rice, vegetables, and chicken. His own lunch box only consisted of a couple sandwiches and some fruit, courtesy of Itsuwa trying to make him something with the skim remains in his dorm. "It has been awhile since we talked like this, hasn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Seria agreed. "I believe it was during the crime event. Did you and your friends receive enough extra credit?"

"More than enough," he replied, after swallowing. The food was great. "Those points have gone a long way to stop me from having to repeat due to missing so many classes."

"Speaking of missing classes," Seria said and a slight frown appeared on her face. "You missed the last… two days? If I am correct?"

"Just a stomach bug," Touma said dismissively. "I was stuck in the restroom most of the time, so I couldn't make it to class."

"I wish I knew," Seria said and lowered her eyes. "I would have made you something a little lighter than this."

"Oh, no," Touma reassured her quickly and waved his hand out in front of him. "I'm fine now and actually really hungry. Didn't eat much while I was sick, so this is great."

"I'm glad to hear that," Seria giggled. He's so cute, even when he lies to avoid bringing anyone else into his problems. Getting involved in other people's problems must work up an appetite. She had a rough idea of what he had been up to the last few days, but she had to act like a caring and concerned senpai for him. She watched him in silence for a minute while he ate lunch, thinking. The FIVE_Overs had been her doing and she saw a lot of things that were hard to explain. She needed more information about who that one guy was that Touma fought when the ground rose into the air. There must have been some hidden rockets set up on the underside of the island. It explained why the one man emerged from the ground. The giant swords appearing out of nowhere were another matter, including the arm that was torn apart by shimmering air. She knew Touma wouldn't be able to explain and she couldn't even question him without blowing her own secrets. For now, she would have some fun teasing him and possible discover his feelings on some more personal topics. "Did you at least try to study to keep up with your school work?"

"Er, of course." Touma lied and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Tsk, tsk," Seria reprimanded him gently and wagged a finger at him. "School is important, you know? But, I'll look the other way this time if you promise to work hard."

"I will," Touma promised. They continued to chat a little more about school. When they reached the topic of friends, a change came over him. He looked off into the distance and his eyes seemed to glaze over. She frowned, not sure what he was thinking about, but she could tell one thing. It was something serious. She waited for a moment to see if he would come back, but he didn't. For fun, she waved her hand in front of him, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Something troubling you?" Seria finally asked. Her voice started him back to the present.

"Nothing important," Touma answered, but it wasn't convincing.

"You're not fooling anyone," Seria said sternly. "Something is on your mind." Touma bit the corner of his lip and looked like he was having an internal argument with himself. She didn't know about Julunggul, even if she wasn't the cause of Touma's condition.

"It's something I have to deal with myself," Touma finally answered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"… I don't know if I can."

"It couldn't hurt to tell me," Seria prodded. I want to know what's troubling him. "Worst case would be I can't do anything, but I bet I can at least help you with some advice. Talking about it might even make you feel better. I'm all ears and I promise to keep anything you say a secret."

"I… thank you, senpai," Touma mumbled and diverted his eyes. "I realized something when… I was home sick." He grabbed his head in frustration. "This is so embarrassing." Seria tilted her head slightly, but remained silent. "Well, this is the situation. A couple weeks ago, a girl confessed to me." Seria blinked.

"And?" she asked, trying very hard to sound confused. Seria knew all this from her conversations with Misaki. "What did you tell her?"

"That's just it!" Touma cried out. "I never gave her a real answer! I was so shocked, my mind kind of shut down and I muttered something like, okay. She even said she would wait for me to come up with a response and hasn't pressured me since then, even if she has told me on several occasions that she's in love with me." Seria raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like something is preventing you from giving her an answer," Seria remarked.

"Where do I start?" Touma sighed and fell backwards. "First, she's a close friend. There were… reasons we haven't seen each other in a while." Seria knew all about that. "But as soon as we met up again, we got wrapped up in some crazy adventure and she fell for me all over again."

"She sounds like quite a catch." Touma had no idea how tough that was for her to say with a straight face.

"Before I could wrap my head around her confession," Touma continued, after a quick nod. "I accidently found out two of my other close friends like me. It's like my entire world has suddenly flipped upside down."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because… it's me!" Touma acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't have that kind of luck. Only misfortune befalls me. Something like having attractive, talented, intelligent, caring, funny, and all around amazing girls attracted to me shouldn't exist. I'm nothing special. Average looking, barely passing class, no real talents, poor, nothing remarkable about me, and I get tricked all the time by everyone. There's no real reason for girls to like me."

"Stop it!" Seria commanded angrily.

"Sorry," Touma apologized meekly. "I didn't mean to vent." He usually kept everything bottled inside.

"That's not it," she corrected him. "I want you to stop putting yourself down like that."

"Huh?" Touma looked at her confused.

"Why is it so hard to believe a girl could like you?" Seria asked. "You are one of the kindest people I know. You go out of your way to help anyone, no matter how big or small their problem is. I've personally seen it, though I have heard some pretty interesting rumors about your deeds. You don't think your friends hang out with you because you are a boring person, do you? They see something about you that they enjoy being around. As for your looks, people notice different things. I, for one, find your spiky hair quite cute."

"You're just saying that," muttered Touma, turning around so she didn't see his embarrassment.

"I mean it," Seria emphasized. "You have good points, so many I can't count them all, but don't try comparing yourself to other people."

"This feels weird," Touma said and sat up again.

"Why?"

"I remember telling people they should enjoy what they have and not get jealous over others." Sure, many of those were low levels who believed the only way to garner respect was to act out with violence. Skill-Out was the main perpetrator of that, but Touma would stand up to anyone who tried to hurt other people. He did not discriminate against people based on levels or position.

"Maybe you should take your own advice then," Seria suggested with a small smile.

"I should," Touma agreed. They sat in silence. "Thanks for setting me straight."

"I only did what you did for so many others," Seria replied mildly. "Now, since you stopped beating yourself up, let's go back to your original problem. You have three girls who like you and you aren't sure how to respond. What do you want to do about that?"

"I don't know," Touma admitted. "I'm… I'm afraid if I choose one, it will ruin my friendship with the others. There have been some… rivalries between two of them. Then there is the fact all three of them are also friends, so it might drive a wedge in theirs."

"I see," Seria muttered. She knew Misaki and Mikoto would definitely fight over Touma. If he dated one, it would definitely cause some issues to arise between them. She also knew about Ruiko and her feelings. I think I see the underlying issue now. The problem is, if I tell him outright, it might ruin my chance with him. This has to be handled delicately. "Go on. I can tell there's more."

"I'm also worried," Touma continued. "Because my friends kept telling me I have a harem and countless girls are chasing after me. After finding out several girls actually like me, I'm beginning to question if I was wrong and they were actually right. What if I have been missing signs other girls like me because of my cluelessness? I have no idea what I'm looking for in a girlfriend. I could have missed the perfect girl because I refused to see the obvious."

Interesting. Seria sipped her drink before answering. He is a high school boy, no matter how noble he is. It would be unusual not to think about the perfect girlfriend. If only he noticed the one right in front of him. "I suppose that is a possibility," Seria admitted and Touma slumped dejectedly. "But it's also possible, now that you realized it, you could start fresh and try to find a girl you truly wish to be with." Touma looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like your problem is not that a couple girls like you," Seria pointed out. "It's that those girls are your friends and each other's. You are so worried about how everyone else will react to your decision, that you are ignoring the most important person involved in that decision."

"Who?"

"You!" she pointed to him.

"Huh?" Touma was lost. "I thought this was my decision. So aren't I already part of the equation?"

"You are," Seria agreed. "From what you told me, you are worried about them. You need to pay more attention to what you want. If you want a girlfriend, you need to find someone who makes you happy, someone you want to be with, not what other people want. I know your nature makes you want to worry about others and I love that about you, but you are hurting yourself with that mindset. You are suppressing your own feelings just to spare someone else's. It's not good for you and I don't like seeing you suffer like that."

"Then what should I do?" Touma asked. "I can't change who I am."

"There is no easy answer," Seria told him truthfully. "You have to decide what to do. Will you choose the girl you love and risk alienating others, or will you try to avoid the issue and risk yourself, along with their friendships."

"I keep hoping it might just be a crush and they would move on to someone better," Touma mumbled.

"Don't start that again," Seria reprimanded. "I told you not to put yourself down." He nodded quickly. "It's possible they might have a crush, but crushes don't last long. You said it has been several weeks, so there is a chance their feelings might be genuine, especially if they have known you far longer than that."

"Seems like I'm right back where I started," Touma pointed out.

"Not quite," Seria corrected him with a small smile. "You have more information than you did. Sadly, it's only going to get tougher from here. You need to be honest with yourself about what you really want. You can lie to me, you can lie to others, but you can't lie to yourself if you want this problem solved. Someone might get hurt by your decision, but you shouldn't deny your own happiness so others can have some false hope. They won't find true happiness that way." That was the key line there. Touma fought for others to be happy. If he had to make a decision to help them, he would make it, no matter how impossible.

"I will take your advice into consideration," Touma thanked her. "I really appreciate all your help."

"I'm always willing to help you anyway I can," Seria replied and, this time, her smile was sincere.

"And I can't thank you enough," Touma continued. "For lunch, for listening to my problems, for everything." He set down the empty box and Seria packed it away with hers. "Aogami and Tsuchimikado kept saying you fell in love with me since the crime events. Isn't that crazy?" Touma laughed, but Seria didn't. He thought that piece of information would lighten the mood. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Now's the time. "It's not," she said quietly. Touma stopped laughing and stared at her.

"Huh?"

"I do like you, a lot." Touma blinked and his mouth fell open. Seria could only giggle at how cute he looked. "You didn't think I would invite you up to the roof multiple times if I didn't, did you?"

"But… you can't… joke… what?!" Touma couldn't form sentences and continued to splutter out random words.

"I have liked you for a while," Seria continued. "Shokuhou and I are longtime friends and I know about how you couldn't remember her. As a testament of our friendship, I promised not to chase you until you were cured. That way, you could choose fairly if you wanted to date one of us over the other. I had to hide my feelings for you. That's why I didn't want you to go through the same pain I did. I really should have confessed to you." She was laying it on thick and, from the shocked look still etched on Touma's face, it was working.

"I want to say this is just a joke and you are messing with me," Touma mumbled. "But it feels like you are telling the truth."

"You have become observant," Seria pointed out and stood up. "I don't expect an answer, not after dropping this bomb on you and our conversation. I only hope you can discover what you really desire and follow through. Just remember, if you don't decide on one girl, there are always options available to you."

"Senpai…," Touma trailed off. "I don't know what to say."

"When a girl truly loves a boy," Seria whispered and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "She accepts him, faults and all, while only wishing for them to be happy together." She kissed him on the cheek and then proceeded to leave the frozen Touma alone on the roof. When the door shut behind her, she pulled out her phone and sent a short message to Misaki.

He's back and will either confess to someone or will be open to Plan B. A reply came back almost instantly.

Understood.

Seria smiled and put her phone away. Her words and actions were specifically ordered in a way to strike at Touma's core. She left him after confessing, but made sure she would be constantly on his mind with that kiss. The selfless actions she weaved into her words would only grow the longer Touma thought about it. As a safeguard, she left a small clue about what Plan B truly entailed. It might not be the best solution, but it would make her happy. If for some reason, Touma decided to choose someone unrelated to her or Misaki, well, that was what soap opera mode was for. Accidents happen all the time.

Back on the roof, Touma had fallen backwards again and stared up at the sky in quiet contemplation.

When have I lost control of my life? He stared at the passing clouds. Have I really been as dense as my friends said?

I did tell you about your threads, Julunggul answered. But you never lost control.

Think so?

Can't lose what you never had.

Now I feel worse.

I suppose I can explain so you don't start moping around, Julunggul continued. I can't get an accurate reading of your life if you do. While sexual activity can be controlled, love and desires can't. You like what you like and hate what you don't. If you desire someone, you can't really change those feelings consciously. They will change on their own. When a girl likes you, it's only because you did something they approve of. I suppose you could change who you are, but that is harder than you would think, and all that would do is create the opportunity for someone else to fall for you.

What do you think I should do then? Touma asked. Besides mating. He added that last part quickly.

Why won't you just do what every other guy in your position would do?!

I doubt they all would.

Well, the vast majority would. Julunggul sighed. I could lay everything out for you step by step, but that girl was right. It would be better for you to find out yourself. It means more if you do so.

So you can be reasonable.

Don't sound so shocked. I have lived a long time. Turning boys into men is just one of my specialties. I am now really curious about who will finally claim you as theirs. Think I'm going to stick around till then.

You won't leave until… I have sex?!

Isn't that just what I said? There was a pause and she moved around in his pocket. Why are you in the fetal position?

"This is a dream," Touma mumbled. "This is only a dream. I'll wake up any moment."

Great, Julunggul sighed. He relapsed and there was so much progress. Something caught her attention and she smiled. Another one approaches with his friend. She didn't pass that information along to Touma though. She wanted to see what would happen. The door to the roof burst open and an unlikely pair burst in. Accelerator stomped out first, while pulling Aisa with him. This was quite a feat, as one arm still held his crutch. It didn't look like Aisa was struggling to break free, but her expression wasn't happy about the situation.

"Finally found you!" Accelerator snapped.

"Accelerator?" Touma asked in surprise and scrambled to his feet. "Himegami-san?"

"Hello," Aisa told him.

"Answer this question, you fucking hero," Accelerator demanded. "What is her power?" He pointed directly to Aisa after letting her go.

"Why?" Touma asked nervously and gave her a quick glance. She lowered her eyes and mouthed two words.

'He knows.'

"Don't ask questions and just fucking tell me!" Accelerator grabbed Touma by the collar. "I know you know. Everything related to this magic side shit always comes back to you in this city." Touma's eyes widened and Adam's words come back to haunt him.

Your desire to fight us is what caused your friends to get involved.

"Answer me!" Touma had been silent for a minute as the entire conversation flashed through his mind. He finally stared back at Accelerator.

"It's her ability," Touma finally said. "She should be the one to tell you."

"I figured you would say that crap," Accelerator growled and then smirked. "She already told me. I just want to verify her bullshit."

"Really?" Touma asked. He didn't expect Aisa to tell anyone.

"I didn't really intend to tell him," Aisa corrected Accelerator's words. "We sort of ran into a situation where I had no choice, but to kill one." Her expression grew dark and she stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Touma mumbled.

"Feel sorry later," Accelerator interrupted. "She managed to kill Cain. You know, Eve's fucking vampire!"

"I heard Eve's forces attacked the city," Touma informed him. "But after we defeated Adam, the church told me we pushed them out. Our friends survived, so I didn't put much thought into who she attacked with."

"Let me tell you then," Accelerator said. "His claim of immortality wasn't too far off, but it was still just a stupid claim. I was about to kill him," Touma flinched. "Stop being a baby, you knew this was going to happen. He's fucking insane. He was planning to devour the blood of innocent people in the city to regain his strength to fight me." Accelerator suddenly decided to spare Touma the knowledge that a couple people had been drained. It wasn't a sign of friendship, of course, but that Accelerator didn't want to mention he let Cain escape for a short time. "I was going to stop him from killing her," he pointed to Aisa, "when she told me not to. A single bite into her neck and he exploded. He… fucking… exploded!"

"Deep Blood?" Touma asked Aisa, who nodded. Touma had never seen her ability in action, but he knew about it. He helped her escape a crazy alchemist before she joined his class. "Himegami-san's blood has the power to kill vampires. They can't resist it, even if they know what it does."

"And you didn't think to tell us about it?" Accelerator asked incredulously. "Let's say, WHEN HE FIRST FUCKING SHOWED UP?!" He was cussing a lot more then he had recently, which could easily be attributed to how pissed off he was today.

"Because that power had already caused her so much grief!" Touma answered aggressively. "She told me about it. How she didn't want to kill anymore. Vampires are people too. They have hopes and feelings and yet they are attracted to her, only to meet their demised. When I first met her, she was being used by a magician. The church made her a necklace that keeps her power at bay, and you have the nerve to ask me to get her involved?! Where do you get off?!" Accelerator's eyes opened in surprise.

Aggressive, Julunggul commented. The stress of the last few days must have really been piling up.

Shut up!

That was a mistake.

What did you say!? Touma felt his blood freeze, the air stopped flowing into his lungs, and a burning fire in his pocket began to burn him through his clothes. I am a goddess and will be treated with the respect I am due! Now, I will give you one chance to beg for forgiveness before I wipe your pathetic city off this map!

I'm sorry, almighty Julunggul, Touma quickly apologized, fully aware of what he did in a moment of anger. My brain was being overloaded by everything that happened today and I took out my frustration on you. Someone as beautiful, kind, intelligent, and powerful like you doesn't deserve that kind of disrespect. Please don't kill me.

That's better, Julunggul said smugly. I would pay attention to your friend. His momentary disbelief at your outburst is subsiding into anger. Touma focused on Accelerator and saw his eyes flash dangerously.

"Where do I get off?!" Accelerator roared. "Because you held back some important information, Last Order was bitten!"

"She… was bitten?" The color drained from Touma's face.

"And now she has fangs!" Accelerator continued. "Bayloupe is watching over her, but if she can't fix it, your damn nun better be able to!" He pushed against Touma and let go of his collar. "Keeping information from us is going to get someone killed!"

"I'm right here," Aisa said. "Can I say something?" Neither of the guys glanced at her.

"I… you're right," Touma admitted. "I have been keeping secrets, but I can't keep getting more people involved in this. You have the power to defend yourself, but not everyone does. Remember, the two sides are supposed to stay separate."

"I couldn't care less about the idiots on both side!" Accelerator snapped. "I don't know them! What I do care about is if those brats are attacked!"

"Excuse me," Aisa tried to say again, to no avail.

"Damn it," Touma muttered angrily. He clenched his hand into a fist. "I can stop by after school to see if my hand will negate it."

"Not can, will." Accelerator frowned and glared at him for a moment. "Bring the nun too. It will save some time if your hand doesn't work. Come after eight, Yomikawa and Yoshikawa should be out by then."

"We will be there," Touma promised.

"If you're not," Accelerator warned. "I'm coming from you. No amount of girlfriends will protect you."

"His life is a Galge, but I want to say something." No one even acknowledged Aisa.

"Don't start with that," Touma replied irritated. "I get enough of it from the others." Accelerator smirked.

"I'm not going to say that you need to tell me everything," Accelerator added. "I don't care about your personal life. But, if there is something that will involve those brats under my supervision, you will warn me. Or else, I will make you regret it. Understand?"

"Yes," Touma answered. "Since Eve targeted you guys, I can't keep stuff quiet anymore."

"Good." Accelerator crossed his arms. "At least you took care of Adam, right? He's not coming back."

"I wasn't the one to finish him," Touma admitted. "But he's gone."

"As long as I can focus…"

"Excuse me!" Aisa finally raised her voice. Touma and Accelerator turned toward her in surprise.

"You're still here?" Accelerator asked.

"What is it?" Touma asked.

"I know I don't have a strong presence, but I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me when I'm right next to you." Aisa took a deep breath. Remember what Seiri said, project and make your feelings known. You have an opportunity now. "Kamijou kept my ability a secret because of my insistence. I had some… traumatic experiences when I was younger with it. It is no wonder he didn't come to me when a vampire arrived."

"That's no excuse," Accelerator snapped.

"He kept a promise to me," Aisa continued. "However, you're right too, Accelerator-san. If I knew people's lives were at stake, I would have helped."

"Sorry," Touma apologized. "I made the decision I thought you would want, not the one you should have been able to decide for yourself."

"I appreciate your desire to keep me safe," Aisa reassured him. "But you can ask me anytime if you need help with them. Thank you, that's all I wanted to say." She turned and left the roof. When the door shut behind her, Accelerator glanced over at Touma.

"Huh, I think that's the most I ever heard her say."

"Some people find she blends into the background," Touma admitted. "I think Fukiyose is rubbing off on her. Maybe she can finally come out of her shell."

"Whatever." Accelerator rolled his eyes and made his way to the rooftop door. "What she does doesn't concern me, though I have to make sure the brat stays away from her. Your stupidity, however, does, as it tends to affect me in some way. I think some revenge is in order, like maybe tell your friends about you being up here alone with a girl." Touma's face paled.

"How… how do you know that?" Touma asked, trying to keep calm. Play it cool. "You and Himegami were the ones who came up together."

Smooth, Julunggul laughed.

"Look down, idiot." Touma obliged.

He was still standing on Seria's blanket.

"Crap."

"Sucks to be you, hero."

---

"You won't believe this!" Motoharu shouted, as he burst into the classroom.

"What is it now?" Touma moaned. The class was about half full, being that the afternoon break had just started. Most of the afternoon had already been filled with Motoharu and Pierce needling him about being alone on the roof with a girl. He managed to keep who a secret for now, but he had a feeling those two would find out, or get Jason to do it. Though, Jason had been out of it most of the day. Mostly playing on his phone and not talking nearly as much as he used to. Accelerator watched Touma's suffering with some amusement, but mostly kept to himself. Touma had been trying to get a head start on his homework, but because breaks were so short, he was not getting very far and figured he should just give up.

"I found out something juicy about our grumpy resident level 5," Motoharu declared and sat down with the rest of them. Accelerator turned slowly and his eyes flashed red.

"You finally found out what type of girl he prefers?" Pierce asked. "And there are none of them in the city?"

"Better," Motoharu answered with a grin.

"He has a fetish that puts Aogami's to shame?" Jason asked curiously. He actually looked up from his phone.

"Slightly lower than that."

"I have a feeling whatever you tell us is going to lead to you getting killed," Touma muttered. "Might as well get it over with." He put his papers away to avoid them getting ruined in the crossfire.

"I ran into Yomikawa-sensei," Motoharu explained. "Turns out two nights ago, Accelerator brought his girlfriend home." The entire class was paying attention now and Accelerator's face grew paler, if that was even possible.

"So?" Jason asked. "We suspected he had one for a while. Nothing new." There was a murmur of agreement from the class.

"Did you find out who?" Pierce asked excitedly.

"I did," Motoharu confirmed. "Bayloupe, you know, Lessar's friend from our trip to England. She's here visiting."

"Not bad," Jason said. "She's pretty hot and has the attitude to put up with Accelerator."

"Bite me!" Accelerator snapped.

"I didn't know you two got together," Touma said surprised.

"Shut up, hero." If that was the extent of Motoharu's announcement, things would have been fine. Accelerator and Bayloupe were pretending to be together while she was here to make it easier for her to stick around Last Order. Since Eve was targeting her, they needed a magician and Jason couldn't hang around all the time. However, Motoharu must have decided he was tired of the world of the living and wanted to pass on, because he continued to dig his own grave.

"That's not the important news though," Motoharu continued. "It seems like sensei found the two of them in a… compromising… situation." The class fell silent. Touma's and Jason's mouth fell open.

"Accelerator!" Pierce cried out. "You sly dog! All this time you let us make fun of Kami-yan, and you were off with your own special girl! I thought you were just playing the field there for a while. Kami-yan disease is one thing, but then Kagere and now you have a girlfriend!" Tears flowed from his face. "What about us normal people?! Why can't we have a girlfriend!?"

"I have a girlfriend," a guy called out.

"No one asked you!" Pierce shouted.

"Nothing happened, idiots," Accelerator said and pretended to yawn. A vein throbbed in his head though and he was about to snap. "She helped me out with the brat and I let her crash at my place."

"That's not what I heard," Motoharu continued and his grin widened. "I mean, you had a limited number of beds…"

"One more word and I will throw you out the window," Accelerator threatened. Motoharu took that one last chance and threw it out the window instead.

"Yomikawa-sensei was forced to give them the sex talk yesterday!" Motoharu declared loudly to the class.

The room was dead silent.

The sound of raucous laughter followed a second later when the classroom exploded. Boys and girls were unable to hold back their amusement at the thought of the strongest level 5 being forced to have the sex talk with his girlfriend. Jason had fallen out of his chair laughing and Touma would have been glad to see him returning to his old self, if he hadn't been trying his hardest to avoid his own laughter. Pierce had stood up and high fived Motoharu, while they both continued to laugh at Accelerator's misfortune. Accelerator slowly stood up and his hand gripped his desk hard enough it threatened to break. Before he could say anything, Seiri rushed in.

"Why are you idiots so loud!? It's disturbing the other classes!"

"Just talking about how Yomikawa-sensei mentioned Accelerator had to have the talk because he was found in bed with his girlfriend," Motoharu answered. He raised his hand and made a circle with his thumb and index finger while sticking the index finger of his other hand inside of it.

"That's it!" Accelerator roared and stood up. "You're dead!" He flipped the switch on his choker and the desk he was in broke in half. Motoharu had already disappeared out the door at Accelerator's first word. He had no choice but to pursue him. The door bang loudly against the wall and he was gone, but everyone else heard shouting in the distance.

"And I just told him he was supposed to keep destruction to a minimum," complained Jason, as he put his head back on the table and started mumbling to himself.

"Why do you idiots have to antagonize him to participate in your stupid shenanigans?" Seiri asked annoyed.

"Technically," Pierce corrected her. "It was just Tsuchimikado who told us."

"We had no proof it was true without talking to sensei," Touma added.

"But we knew he had one," Pierce finished. "We have a name and witnesses now."

"Huh," Seiri conceded. "He didn't seem like the type to have one. He's a little rough around the edges."

"But that's why you are the Iron Wall Girl," Pierce pointed out. "One of the only females to be able to resist Kami-yan disease…"

"Which doesn't exist!" Touma interjected.

"… and also was able to actually talk with the strongest level 5," Pierce continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted. "You're one of the only people he talks to outside of us." He indicated himself, Touma, and Jason.

"I felt he needed someone sane to talk to," Seiri replied with a shrug.

"Or…" Pierce winked at her. "Maybe someone liked him and went out of her way to establish herself?" The rest of the class started whispering.

"What are you implying?" Seiri asked coldly, her eyes narrowing. Aisa, who no one had noticed entered with Seiri, backed away.

"I think our Iron Wall Girl finally cracked and fell for our resident albi-…" Pierce was interrupted as a book flew through the air and hit him square in the face. The force of the projectile knocked him out of the chair and he crashed into the ground.

"Anyone else want to say something stupid?" she asked the rest of the class. No one said anything and they diverted their gaze. She sighed. "Now I have to go and inform a teacher Accelerator is trying to kill Tsuchimikado. Hopefully, we can stop them before the damage grows too much. He will need a new desk at least." She indicated the pile of rubble that used to be a desk. She turned and left the room, but not before giving Pierce one last death glare. Touma waited until he was sure she was gone and turned to Pierce.

"Why do you antagonize her like that?" he asked.

"For fun," Pierce answered immediately. "Plus, I don't think she knows yet, so I need to make sure she at least will think about it for a little bit."

"That's pretty wise," Aisa muttered. "She never mentioned anyone she likes and avoids the topic." Even though she encourages me to be more forward. Only Touma really noticed her, but he missed her words due to everyone else whispering. He did turn to her and tilted his head in confusion.

Does she like him? Touma mouthed silently.

Aisa only shrugged.

---

Ten more minutes.

Touma's eyes were glued onto the clock at the front of the room. The second hand seemed to be moving slower and slower. The day had dragged on for far too long. Missing a couple days of school did not help his academics. He was barely keeping up with everything else that continued to happen to him and now he was a couple days behind. That meant he didn't know what was being taught until he completed the large pile of homework he was assigned. With the raffle taking up most of Saturday, his weekend was shot. He also realized in the middle of class he hadn't talked to Mikoto or Misaki, even though he knew they had been attacked by Eve's group. He sent a group message to both of them, but it had to be vague, since he didn't want to mention any sensitive information over unsecure messages if he could help it. Shizuri and Frenda had warned him multiple times phones could be easily monitored. Instead, his message was deliberately vague with some truth mixed in.

Mikoto, Misaki, I'm finally free, but my homework situation is at disaster level. Help! If you two are free after the festival tomorrow, please help me and we could hang out when done.

Mugino would be proud, Touma thought, after he had sent the message. The girls were smarter than he was, so they should understand he wanted to talk. Both of them replied they would be free then in less than thirty seconds. The fact they knew about the festival did not surprise him, since he was sure his friends would make sure every girl in the city knew. Touma's plan now was to go home, get started on some homework, visit Accelerator, and hopefully get to bed before Julunggul did anything to him. Most of the afternoon, she had been relatively quiet. This was a welcome relief, but he dreaded what would happen when he went home. He didn't want her to meet Mikoto and Misaki, though he realized it was going to be inevitable. It took a great deal of effort to tear his eyes away from the clock and then he looked out the window. Class was about done, so Komoe was erasing the board. His eyes fell to the school gate and he noticed there was a single woman getting let in.

His mouth fell open.

Why is she here!? Touma thought in a combination of shock and confusion. Either because of his luck, or the fact he was obviously staring out the window, Pierce noticed him. He leaned over and quickly found what Touma was staring at. A smile crossed his face.

"Wow, Kami-yan!" Pierce said a lot louder than he needed to. It was purely to grab the class's attention. "One of your harem members have come to pick you up? And older to boot? Nice job, you bastard!" Touma felt sick, as a large number of the boys, and a few girls, in the class crowded around the windows to see who arrived. They had already witness Tokiwadai girls arrive to see him, so everyone believed there was a high probability this new woman would be for Touma too.

"1000 yen she's here for Kamijou," someone said.

"No one is stupid enough to take that bet," another person scoffed.

"Is she in college?" a girl asked.

"Does he have no shame?" muttered Aisa.

"Damn," Jason complimented. "She's hot."

"Don't let your girl hear that," Motoharu laughed.

"Just because I have a girlfriend, doesn't mean I can't appreciate art."

"Guys…," Touma growled, but everyone ignored him.

"Why does he get all the babes?" a guy moaned.

"I hope I can look that good when I'm in college," a girl mumbled.

"Everyone needs to stop ogling a guest!" Seiri ordered. "Return to your seats." No one paid her much attention because of the scene in front of them.

"You all really should," Komoe added weakly, her voice not able to rise above the noise. "Class will be out in only a few more minutes."

"How often does an older woman come to pick up Kami-yan?" Pierce asked Seiri. "It's usually younger girls."

"It's still none of your business," Seiri replied curtly.

"Class is almost over," Motoharu said dismissively. "Let us have fun seeing Kami-yan's newest conquest." Touma couldn't take it anymore.

"THAT'S MY MOM, YOU IDIOTS!" Touma roared. The class fell silent. Jason was the first one to find his voice.

"She's still hot." Touma punched him and knocked him to the floor.

"So he obviously didn't get his looks from her," Accelerator yawned. He was one of the few who didn't get up. Pierce and Motoharu gave him a thumbs up.

"Damn, Kamijou," someone asked. "Was she a teenage mother?"

"NO!"

"His whole family is full of surprises," laughed Motoharu.

"Sensei!" Touma called out. "My mother is here for some reason. May I leave now to find out why?"

"Go ahead," Komoe agreed. "Have a good weekend and try to get all your work done."

"Will do." Touma grabbed his stuff and bolted out of the room. He could still here his classmates laughing and his ears burned. Bunch of assholes, all of them.

Male bonding has always been interesting.

Now you talk? What have you been doing this afternoon?

Sleeping.

Sleeping…? Didn't you say gods didn't need to sleep?

Did I?

Urgh, I'm done. He heard her giggle and then grow silent again. Touma rushed toward the office before the bell could ring. Traveling through the halls when everyone else was trying to leave was always slow and difficult. He managed to reach the main office a second before the bell rang. He took a few steps in and saw his mom sitting in a chair. Her full name was Shiina Kamijou and she looked a lot younger than she really was. Shiina was an elegant woman with shoulder length brown hair. She was wearing an ankle length white dress, a cardigan, and had a white brimmed hat in her lap, which was covering a lilac handbag. One side of the bag seemed to have started to rip. Shiina's most obvious trait was her calm ladylike aura she exuded, but Touma knew better. He had seen what happens when she thought his dad started to flirt with other women.

"I was just about to contact your classroom," the secretary told Touma, as she set down the phone.

"I saw her enter the school grounds," Touma replied and turned to his mother. "Hey, mom. I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here? Is everything okay at home?"

"Everything is fine, Touma-san," Shiina reassured him. "I had been looking for a chance to visit you and a friend of mine also happened to be visiting her family in Academy City this weekend. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to come. Your father had to work overseas unfortunately."

"I see," Touma muttered. He didn't really question who his mom's friend was. She tended to be well connected. However, he was worried about if she needed a place to stay. He couldn't offer his own dorm room with all his current guests. In fact, his mother didn't even know he was housing several girls. She hadn't asked about Index, but he was sure the topic would come up eventually. There was also the issue with his homework and the raffle. The entire weekend was going to be a hectic mess.

"My, my," Shiina commented mildly. "Is my presence a bother for you?"

"Of course not," Touma answered quickly. "I just wished you had told me ahead of time. I have a lot going on this weekend."

"The school festival?" Touma nodded. "I saw several signs about that. I assume your class has a stall?"

"We are doing a raffle. I only have to help set up and close, so I should be free during the day."

"That works out perfectly," Shiina said with a smile. "My friend and I were going to meet for lunch and I was hoping you would come."

"I don't have any problem with that," Touma said. He loved his parents and it wasn't like he got to spend much time with them, since he lived in the dorms in a different city. "What happened to your bag?"

"The strangest thing," Shiina answered and placed a hand on her cheek. "I had just arrived and was trying to hail a cab, when I felt a gust of wind and my bag tore. I thought someone must have used their ability, but no one was around. It was old, so it was only a matter of time. I was hoping this evening you could show me around the city and possibly to a store where I might purchase a new one. It seems like ages since the sport's festival and the city is quite confusing."

"I know a mall that's pretty close," Touma said thoughtfully. He rubbed his chin. "Yeah, a couple of my friends shop there and they are normally up to date with fashion. I think they have bags."

"My, my," Shiina remarked and the air around her grew cold. "Are those friends of yours female? If so, I trust you are treating them with respect and not playing around with their young maiden hearts."

"There's no way I would do that," Touma protested quickly. Though a small voice in the back of his mind pointed out not answering confessions was pretty close to that. "They are friends, so we hang out and we sometimes do what they want to do." His mom gave an approving nod.

"I am glad to see you acting so mature," she praised. "Part of me was worried you would take after your father in that regard."

"Should we get going?" Touma asked, keen on changing the topic. "I can hold your bag to make sure nothing falls out. Academy City is a big place and students do have a curfew."

"Of course, I wouldn't want my son to get into trouble." Touma led his mother out of the school, thankfully most of the students had left already. Being a Friday, people were eager to start having fun and some still had to prepare for the festival. Little did Touma know, a dark cloud was watching him. Light glinted off the sunglasses of Motoharu, who was leaning up against the school building, out of sight. He watched Touma and Shiina leave, before pulling out his phone. Motoharu briefly thought of letting people know Touma's mom was visiting, but he figured that information would spread soon enough. Besides, the delay might make the entire situation more entertaining due to timing. Instead, he sent a different message to as many girls as he could.

Touma's greatest hit. A short file was attached to the message that contained a certain individual's Australian proclamation. Motoharu then left to go and visit Kanzaki.

---

Your mother seems nice, Julunggul remarked.

She is normally, Touma admitted. But she can turn pretty scary. Touma was sitting on a familiar bench in the mall while his mother shopped for a new handbag. He hated going into women's clothing stores and Shiina didn't force him to. She promised to be quick, so Touma was planning to appreciate the time off his feet, before he finished giving her a tour of the city. Why do you even care? I thought you were on some mission for me to have sex with… oh, hell noooo! That is not happening!

Get your mind out of the gutter, Julunggul reprimanded. While a mother might be an option, it should never be your own. It should be a different… what's the current term again… MILF?

Now I'm picturing what my friends would do if they ever discover this conversation, Touma thought distressed. I might have to take up drinking.

Unless you tell them, Julunggul pointed out. They won't find out.

I'm more worried someone will read my mind, he muttered. Thanks for being silent this afternoon, so I could concentrate in class.

I'm supposed to only be observing, but I can't resist commenting. I think I see what has to be done now, but I'm hoping we will meet some of your closer mates.

Will you quit calling them mates? They are people too, along with being some of my closest friends.

You humans need to stop being so prude. Men used to love the idea of having multiple partners. What happened?

Sex became more about a committed relationship rather than producing heirs because medical technology and knowledge of healthy diets allow us to live longer. Touma couldn't see Julunggul, but he felt her blink in surprise at his explanation.

That was pretty wise, coming from you.

It was something in one of my history classes.

I should pay more attention to human's technological advancements. I'm a little behind. I'll send out more familiars and pay attention while I follow you around.

Speaking of paying attention. Something just occurred to Touma. Jason and Tsuchimikado didn't seem to notice you at all. Why is that?

There is a simple explanation for that, Julunggul answered. I'm a goddess, they are mortal. My power is far beyond there's. It is child's play to hide myself. The only reason your roommates knew I was a magician was because I wasn't bothering to hide myself then.

Good news, I guess. They won't get involved.

People are easy to fool, but pure memories are tough. The whole alive dead thing can get tricky.

What are you talking about?

Nothing, just rambling to myself. Well, I'm tired, going to take a nap. Have fun with what happens next.

Why did you sound so ominous? Besides, you said you don't have to sleep! He heard the sound of gentle snoring. I know you're faking. Tell me what is about to happen!

"Kamijou?" a familiar voice asked. "What are you doing here?" Touma spun around on the bench and saw Shizuri holding a shopping bag.

"Sitting down," Touma replied, before he could stop himself.

"You know damn well what I meant," snapped Shizuri. "I heard what you have been up to the last few days, Frenda told me. Figured you would be trying to rest up after that excitement." It took a lot of self-control not to blast Touma in the middle of a crowded mall.

"I was planning to," Touma admitted. "Especially with our class participating in the festival tomorrow."

"Heard about that too." The corner of Shizuri's lip twitched upwards. "Going to embarrass yourself again?"

"Probably."

"Did you hear about what happened here while you were gone?"

"I got the gist of it from Accelerator and the church," Touma confirmed. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Shizuri asked. Her voice was slightly angry, but it was more that he thought she wouldn't be compared to just asking the question. "I'm a level 5."

"I'm glad then," Touma sighed. "When I heard everyone was attack, I was afraid one of my friends got hurt." Shizuri raised an eyebrow.

He considers us friends, she thought in amusement. She had to consider that somehow they had become friends. They didn't really have the coworker atmosphere, like she did with the rest of her team, but they were closer than strangers or master and subordinate. I guess I can live with that, if he doesn't annoy me too much, like inviting me to hang out with the Railgun and Mental Out.

"Touma-san!" Shiina called out to him. "I'm all finished… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation with your friend." Shizuri's eyes traveled over the young woman for a moment and then moved back to Touma.

"Who's that?" Shizuri muttered.

"My mom," Touma whispered back. "She surprised me after school today."

His mom? Damn, she must have had him during high school. A devious thought passed through her mind that even surprised her. Shizuri wasn't entirely sure what she would gain from this, but the idea made her feel weird, in a good way. She was going to use the piece of information she received from the idiot with the sunglasses.

"My, my, why don't you introduce us," Shiina suggested to Touma. Something about the way her eyes bore into him, made him think he did something wrong.

"Of course," Touma answered quickly. "Mugino, this is my mother, Shiina Kamijou. Mom, this is Shizuri Mugino-…"

"His girlfriend," Shizuri interrupted and clutched his arm tightly against her.

Time seemed to stand still as Touma's brain crashed.

Throughout the world, a ripple passed through the minds of countless young women, as they all simultaneously felt the urge to maim someone.

---

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.

Mikoto: ….

Misaki: …

Ruiko: …

Accelerator: HAHAHAHA.

Motoharu: When she said she had big plans for this season, even I didn't expect this.

Pierce: A clash between Mugino and Kami-yan's mom. The new epic showdown.

Frenda: Mugino… basically, I'm not sure what to say.

Carissa: How about, I shall remove you from the picture?

Misaki/ Mikoto/ Frenda: What are you doing here?!

Carissa: My mother has also dropped some surprises on me.

Kazari: Should… we do something? There is electricity shooting out of all their eyes.

Jason: No, I think we should back away slowly and escape through that door.