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.)

104. S5 Harem Route: Unlocked

Well, this is the moment so many people have been waiting for. All the action, the adventure, the romance, and comedy has come together to give the most important chapter of the series. The title should say it all. I found someone who was willing to do some proofreading for me in this chapter, (hubb2001) so you all can decide if he's any good or not. He will be fired if it's not perfect. Only reason is because I'm really busy and reviewing will take way to long this time. It was actually one of his reddit comments that directed me to a discord server where I met a couple people who have become high skilled unpaid interns. They occasionally act out scenes for my amusement and I run possible ideas by them. I'm sure they will recognize a few things in this chapter they mentioned and I hope they are proud their contributions have been noted. (They still take a lot of tweaking by me to get them to work though.) Blah, you guys don't care about this stuff up here after reading the title. Let's keep going forward.

aGuestfromGreece45: Nah, death is totally a natural things in all this. It's only thanks to having much smarter and skilled friends.

anand891996: I have Kakine's big entrance, but you have to remember, not even a week passed since he blew up.

Bluejack222: Pssh, what could possible go wrong?

Sergio644: Shizuri Mugino does not get written enough, except by Silverfang88. So there's plenty of room to maneuver with her.

Mizericordia: Shizuri and Touma's mom are way too similar. I have never been good at writing Index, so I guess I have been kind of avoiding her. Maybe she, Last Order, and Fremea could have an adventure. All those other girls will eventually take the lead, though the Imouto army is sure to raise some eyebrows. Game of Touma, that would be worth watching. Though, wouldn't the girls keep killing each other?

Guest: The clock is counting down, that is true.

wildarms13: I know, right? The similarities are perfect. Don't worry, Mikoto is one of the lucky ones. She is going to get a chance to be alone with Touma and his mom.

Guest 13: Silly meatbags and their mating rituals.

amirread97: Accelerator should join the others and just make the harem. Purely to rub it into two classmates that annoy him.

Savaris: You seem pretty confident Mikoto will win. The true alpha may not have arrived yet. Many will enter the ring, but few will leave, except in the harem of the one true king. Pssh, Uiharu is obviously going to kill Kuroko. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. They snap out of nowhere. I really wish I had drawing skills to show Shizuri and Touma's mom together.

general ironox: Or maybe everyone will just accept the harem? Nah, that's no fun. Destruction!

Cyber dragonarmy: Huh? You're still alive? Mugino must have been slacking. Now she can't win the hand of Touma, all because you are alive. Passes note to ITEM. Nothing to see here folks. Frenda and Saiai should keep you occupied. Avoid the dungeon though.

Guest: 1) Othinus is more popular for sure because she is canon. Julunggul is just popular now because she does what every fan wants to do. 2) I seriously doubt she's a virgin, but with her magic, she could become one at any time. Think there is another god of sexuality and beauty. 3) None of us know what she is thinking and struggling to work out feelings is always good character development. 4) It was only temporary. 5) Of course. 6) I don't remember, but it works here and I wouldn't doubt if she did. 7) Huh, maybe she did.

Driugenesis: Mugino has declared her property already, it's just Touma is hard to control.

Salishious: I'm not that predictable. It's much more complicated than that. Ricane is familiar with Academy City's security and Jason would approve of that nightgown. Shizuri does not know Seria personally. Huh, I like that idea with Ruiko and Accelerator. Worst takes pictures of it to mock him too. I'm pretty sure it is obvious who Ricane is going after.

Syko-Soldier963: Declare them a harem and then run away screaming "Such Misfortune!" The details are fuzzy for him at the end. Everyone likes Jason, so I'm sure Kakine will too, eventually. Tsuchimikado is getting more than punched and Ricane is a Kihara.

Kami: You just lost the game.

xaxiel1572: Remember, you need to read responsibly. People might think you are going crazy.

Agent Nine: Had to happen eventually.

Generation Zero: This slice of life will probably lead Touma closer to death than any of his earlier adventures. Ricane is experienced with Academy City technology. What we saw was one small snippet of his plan. He is only going to tell Skill-Out what they need to know. Anything else is only known to him. By apprentices, do you mean disposable pawns once they run out of uses, like Kakine? Aleister doesn't like magic gods, but she's been staying with Touma, and that is hard to mess with. As long as she doesn't disturb his plans, he can ignore a weaken one. Otherwise, he can get rid of her whenever. Heh, there will be robots. Thor will show up before Othinus, spoiler there haha.

shiroryuu012: All harem fics will lead to this point eventually.

FrodoFighter: Hello, unpaid intern number one. It's just Sogiita. He ignores common sense. Trying to figure out how to respond to most of your comment, as we discussed most of it in discord. Mikoto's mom is very perceptive. She met him a couple times, the diner with his parents, the time she was drunk, and then the big fight with Skill-Out where Touma mat Hamazura. She was also happy to know Mikoto was friends with him at the end all that. Plus, knowing her daughter loved him made him more memorable. I hyped everything up for you in discord, so let's see if you really like it now.

Destati69: Well, maybe that one person who is writing the adult scenarios of this story could do that. Eh, eh?

Handsomistic1: The moms are tight, it's the harem members you have to watch out for.

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.

---

Touma was mortified by being forced to listen to his mom telling Shizuri stories about her early adventures with his dad. Touma was easily embarrassed, his friends took advantage of that, but this was one of the few times he wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear. What was worse was he was beginning to see more and more resemblance between the two. Touma had no idea his mom had been borderline delinquent during her school days, let alone someone who could keep many others at bay. Shiina also instructed Shizuri on how to recognize threats and people just being friendly.

"…and many of them decided to pursue romantic interests elsewhere after finding a few tacks in their shoes," Shiina finished. "There were a few who didn't learn their lessons and my… pranks… grew more intense."

"Wow," Shizuri said, sounding impressed. "Touma never mentioned his mom was such a rebel. Though, I still have a hard time picturing you out of school. You look so young."

"My, my, you flatter me," Shiina giggled. "But I do look back from time to time and regret what I did to those poor girls. It was rather childish of me. There was probably other ways I could have convinced them to leave my future husband alone."

"Would you do it again if there wasn't?"

"Of course. Love makes a girl do crazy things."

"You mom is amazing," Shizuri told Touma, aware of how uncomfortable this made him. Shiina giggled and Touma moaned.

"Mom," he said. "Is this really appropriate conversation with Mugino?"

"It wouldn't be necessary if you didn't take after your father," Shiina reprimanded him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm also surprised you are addressing her so formally."

"I told him he could use my first name," Shizuri spoke up. "But he's been a little uncomfortable with it, so Mugino is fine."

She told me that once before, Touma thought to himself, but was wise enough to keep his mouth clamped shut. But that was purely to piss off Mikoto and Misaki that one time. "Still," Touma pleaded. "Can we change the topic?"

"I think we are making him uncomfortable," Shiina commented mildly.

"It's adorable," Shizuri laughed and Touma felt his ears burn. "But we should humor him. Is there anything you wish to see that I might be able to help with? I can also leave if you wish to spend time with him. You don't visit Academy City, correct?" Touma could only gape at how accommodating Shizuri was acting. He knew she was a good actor, as seen when he accompanied her to the auction, but that was to gain something. He couldn't see what her long term plan was now. She was acting like his actual girlfriend in front of his mom. There was no way she actually wanted to be, could there?

"We live in Japan," Shiina informed her. "But you know how difficult it can be to visit for recreational purposes." Shizuri nodded. "Plus, his father travels a lot so our free weekends are limited." She held a finger up to her cheek. "I was hoping Touma could spend most of the day tomorrow with me, though I was going to meet a friend for lunch and her daughter. Would you like to come?"

"I would love to," Shizuri responded. "Thank you." Her eyes darted to Touma. "But isn't your class doing that auction for the festival? Will you have time?"

"I only need to be there for setting up and closing," Touma admitted reluctantly. He didn't even care who is mom was meeting, but he could at least get a free lunch out of it. There was a silver lining in everything. "Should only be an hour or so both times."

"Excellent," Shiina said and clapped her hands together. "Oh, I was wondering, it is possible my friend and I might want to go shopping. I really enjoy that dress of yours. Would you be willing to show me what stores you shop at? I'm pretty sure my son wouldn't be aware of the best stores."

"I would be delighted," Shizuri answered. "I know many that carry top of the line fashions and a couple of them are nearby. In fact," she smiled and turned to Touma. Shiina might have missed it, but Touma didn't. It was a sadistic smile, one that would only lead to more humiliation for him. He gulped as she continued. "Touma even accompanied my friends and me to one of those. This was before we started dating and he volunteered to carry our bags." Touma had to think hard about this and finally remembered that embarrassing situation. If it hadn't been for Accelerator saving him, things would have gotten violent between Shizuri, Misaki, and Mikoto. "They have a wide selection and I'm sure you and your friend will find their choices impressive."

"Why don't you lead the way, dear?" Shiina said and Touma had no choice but to follow.

They had reached the familiar mall and Touma once again cringed as he passed displays with prices. His parents were well off, but Touma had to learn to be thrifty because the stipend he received from the city for being a level 0 was minuscule. It was only thanks to his dad sending him money he was able to survive with Index as a roommate, though Itsuwa and Kaori had eased his burden greatly. Still, Shizuri made money working for the city and he bet her stipend was a ridiculous sum too. As she always appeared to be updated on fashion, Touma also figured a sizable portion of that money went to clothes. His mom seemed to be discussing something about a dress in a window, before entering the store itself. As neither of them, thankfully, motioned for him to follow, he took a seat on a bench outside the store and waited, glad he wasn't forced to go in. He wasn't the only one out there and several other guys were waiting for wives or girlfriends.

They shared a look briefly, from one man to another.

Touma had found people who could understand his suffering. He felt kind of lucky but, at the same time, he knew what that meant. The universe didn't let him feel lucky for long and would rearrange itself to make him misfortunate. It wasn't something he could change, so experience told him all he could do was enjoy the moment and take what life threw at him like a man. His mom was enjoying herself and he knew he would have to tell her the truth eventually, or things were going to get out of hand. Lessar may have retreated earlier, but he was sure she would reappear with greater determination. Barely ten minutes at passed, when the universe decided he had enough and Touma felt two hands cover his eyes from behind him.

"Guess who~?" a bubbly girl's voice told him. The tone gave it away, but Touma was intimately familiar with the voice. She was also one of the few people who would do something like that. The gloves covering the girl's skin was also a dead giveaway.

"Misaki?"

"Correct!" Misaki confirmed and removed her hands.

"So he does call you by your first name," another familiar voice commented and Touma's eyes widened. He immediately turned around and confirmed his suspicions.

"Senpai?" he gaped, stunned at her sudden appearance. He rarely saw her outside of school. Misaki was still wearing her Tokiwadai uniform and Seria was wearing her school sailor uniform with its standard skirt changed for a "defensive" long one. Touma's ears began to burn, because it had been earlier today that he vented his feelings to Seria and she kissed him.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" she asked, laughing slightly. "I told you before Shokuhou-san and I are friends. We finally found some time to meet up and go shopping, when look who we see."

"It really was a pleasant surprise," Misaki added and then a girl Touma had missed because of shock coughed. "Oh, yes, this is our friend Ayu Mitsuari."

"We have met before," the girl told him. "My name is Ayu Mitsuari."

"Yeah," Touma replied sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. He could hardly tell her he had lost his memories. Only Mikoto, Misaki, Index, and the Heaven Canceller know about it. If she was sure Touma had met her before, who was he to question it. Ayu was very pretty and he didn't want to upset her. She had long, wavy, chocolate-colored hair, as fluffy as cotton candy. Her breasts were smaller than Misaki's but larger than Mikoto's. He found his eyes traveling down her red shirt and white skirt to stop at her legs. They were more than just long and slender, they seemed to shine. He quickly looked up before someone accused him of being a pervert. The gleam in Misaki's eyes told Touma he had been too late. He also noticed that Ayu seemed to be inspecting him closely, like she was looking for something, a sign of recognition, perhaps.

Little did Touma know, Ayu knew all about his memory issue. Misaki had been talking with her several times over the last few weeks. They may have once been enemies, but Touma had saved her in the end and she did not harbor any ill intentions toward Misaki about the past. It wasn't her fault Ayu got passed up to be a level 5. What she would have been upset about was Misaki moving onto Touma. Ayu had been stuck in the Reformatory due to her previous actions and missed some of the current events. Misaki, with some help from Seria, informed her of everything up to now, like how Touma can remember Misaki now, but had lost his memory due to an accident after saving someone. She believed this because it was exactly like the Touma she remembered.

"Shokuhou has told me all about you," Ayu continued and smiled. "I think she might have a small crush on you." Misaki gave her friend a push and Touma chuckled awkwardly. "I don't blame her, I like you a lot too." Touma's laugh suddenly turned to a cough. The way Ayu said those last few words, it sounded more like a claim. Misaki raised an eyebrow at her and Ayu smirked back.

"Careful," Misaki warned.

"Now, now, you two," Seria reprimanded. "Don't scare the poor boy away. I'm sure he has a lot on his mind." She turned and winked at him, which made Touma's ears burn more. From the sound of it, Seria had not told Misaki about their conversation, and Touma wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He then made the decision this was something he had to tell her in person. "So, Kamijou-san, what brings you here? Didn't I suggest you should catch up on your rest?"

"Things took a strange turn," Touma sighed. "My mom randomly showed up at school and now-…"

"Your mother?" Misaki asked innocently and then she clapped her hands together before smiling. "I would love to meet her. Is she here?"

"Ah, no!" Touma answered instantly. The surprise and hurt in Misaki's expression made him feel like trash. She only wanted to meet his mom and he had snapped at her. It was a completely innocent request. He could feel Seria and Ayu's eyes on him and he gulped. "I mean, I'm not against it, but now is not a good time."

"Why?" Misaki asked and put a lot of worry into her voice. "You aren't in some kind of trouble?" To Touma, he believed she noticed him acting strangely, which Misaki was quite skilled at, and she wanted to help. The real reason was Misaki knew exactly what was going on. She heard Shizuri make the declaration about being his girlfriend to his mother.

This would not stand!

If Touma had chosen Shizuri of his own free will, Misaki would try to accept it. She figured Shizuri would eventually hurt Touma and push him away. At that time, Misaki would be there to comfort him and he would realize she was the one for him. If Touma and Shizuri actually worked out, she would be happy that he was happy. Seria would be in a similar mindset and the two of them would have to keep Ayu in line, until she accepted it too. However, forcing her Prince to pretend to be a boyfriend in front of his mother was completely unacceptable. Once Misaki heard those heretical words, she contacted Seria and Ayu to meet up and devise a plan. That did not take long at all with their intelligence and skill. The plan was simple, but it was going to be incredibly embarrassing for all of them. Misaki was prepared.

She would also apologize earnestly to Touma afterwards and do whatever it took to make it up to him.

Anything.

"Nothing like that," Touma answered. "I promise to explain everything after-…"

"Why don't you explain it now?" a deadly serious voice suggested. Touma and the three girls turned around to see Shiina and Shizuri upon them. "Just like your father, I turn around and he's surrounded by a group of young ladies."

"If it isn't Shokuhou-san," Shizuri added stiffly. "You still trying to bother him?"

"Bother?" Misaki asked irritated. "He was quite happy to see us."

"U-uh," Touma stammered for a moment. "Mom, these are my friends, Misaki Shokuhou, Ayu Mitsuari, and Seria Kumokawa. Kumokawa-san is also my senpai at school. Everyone, this is my mother, Shiina Kamijou."

"It's nice to meet you, Kamijou-san," Misaki, Seria and Ayu said in unison.

"Likewise," Shiina replied mildly. "It's nice to see Touma-san has many friends."

"I don't mean to be rude-…" Shizuri started to say, though it was obvious to Touma her words were a lie.

"Yet rudeness occurs surprisingly often," muttered Misaki, just loud enough for Shizuri to here.

"…But why are you all interrupting us?" Shizuri continued through clenched teeth. It was obvious Shizuri wanted to blast them, but she was forced to behave herself in front of Touma's mother. If her stare could kill, Misaki would have been dead already. The look in her eye said this wasn't going to end well for them.

"I actually heard your mother was visiting," Misaki answered and gestured toward Seria.

"Sorry, Kamijou," Seria apologized. "Some classmates of yours made it a rather big deal. I doubt anyone at school doesn't know."

"And when they mentioned to me about meeting up with you," Ayu continued. "I wanted to come too." Her eyes fell on Shiina. "I had no idea your mother was so young."

"You flatter me," Shiina replied and smiled, though there was still a slightly dark presence around her, but it seemed to be directed to Touma, who was next to her.

"But it's true," Misaki added flatteringly. "Touma never mentioned how pretty you look. I'm sure you have some amazing beauty tips."

"My, my," Shiina complimented. "Such charming girls. I don't think any of you need any tips."

"Now you're flattering us," Seria giggled. "But really it is an honor to meet you. I'm sure you have many stories about my adorable kōhai, but I am worried about him. He has been under the weather the last few days and he really should be resting."

"Touma-san," Shiina reprimanded and turned toward him. "You didn't mention you had been sick." She reached over and held a hand to his head.

"Mom," Touma protested aware everyone was watching him, amusement in their eyes. His ears had been burning so much this evening, he began to wonder if they would ever go back to normal. "I'm fine. It was just a stomach bug and it passed."

"If you are sure," Shiina relented, but still sounded worried. "I won't press the issue, but tell me if you start feeling ill again." Touma nodded.

"Hmm," Shizuri mused and saw a way to get the three of them away from the unpleasant company. Nice, a way out while keeping up my persona. "Maybe some rest would be good for him. I can accompany him back to his dorm." She scooted over and held onto Touma's arm, making sure to keep his arm against the side of her chest to claim her dominance. Misaki noticed this and immediately grabbed his other arm.

"Oh," Misaki interjected. "It's fine. I'll accompany him back. You already spent so much time with him, it's my turn now."

"There's a reason I spend time with him," Shizuri growled and Touma felt like a rabbit between two tigers.

"As do we all," Misaki replied.

"Touma-san," Shiina suddenly said seriously. Her dark aura increased and everyone suddenly felt chills go down their spines. "What have your father and I taught you about treating girls? I trust you haven't been leading any of them on."

"Of course not!" protested Touma. "I would never do that!"

"It's true," Ayu agreed. "We have known him long enough that he would never cheat on someone." Shiina glanced over at her and Seria nodded.

"None of us have been led on," Seria added. "Our relationship is… complicated, to say the least and will take time to explain."

"Complicated?" Shizuri hissed. "There's nothing complicated about this." She didn't even know Seria, but her instincts told her the girl was dangerous. Something in her eyes gave it away that she had interactions with the underbelly of Academy City. The Ayu girl wasn't much better. As friends of Misaki, it was almost to be expected.

"Would you care to explain?" Shiina asked. "I was under the impression Mugino-san here was Touma-san's girlfriend." Shizuri was about to blast all three of them and Touma responded by grabbing her wrist with his right hand to ensure that didn't happen.

"It might be time to tell her the truth," he whispered and Shizuri raised an eyebrow. However, Misaki interrupted before any of them could."

"She is," Misaki agreed suddenly.

Shizuri's and Touma's head swiveled so fast, their necks popped.

"Then what is your relationship with my son?" Shiina asked. "I take it you three are more than just friends, based on your actions."

"It is a little complicated," Misaki giggled. "You see, we are also his girlfriends."

"What?!" Shizuri snapped.

Touma's mouth fell open as he gazed in shock at her.

Shiina Kamijou raised an eyebrow and said a single word.

"Explain."

---

"Should we help?" Ruiko asked uncertainly, as she watched the scene between Touma, Shizuri, Touma's mother, Misaki, Seria, and the brown haired girl.

"Not yet," Jason replied from across the small table. "I'm only planning to interfere if things get out of hand. Right now, it's only a potential explosion level now." They were sitting outside a smoothie joint in the mall, out of the way as to not be noticed.

"You just want your smoothie," Ruiko accused. "And we have to wait for it."

"Judge me after you had one," Jason refuted, as the server arrived and handed him a mango one and Ruiko a strawberry. She sipped it and her eyes went wide. "Told you."

"My point still stands."

"And didn't we have to wait for you to change your clothes?" Jason prodded. Ruiko flushed and looked down through her sunglasses at her brown trench coat and hat.

"Not all of us can change appearances with their ability," Ruiko countered. Jason had used his shadow to turn his hair black so he didn't stand out as much. "So what's happening? I can't read lips, and I can't hear from here." She looked at the small handheld listening device Jason was holding. He had an earbud in one ear connected to the device and it was pointed at Touma and the girls.

"Shokuhou-san just told them they were all Touma's girlfriend," Jason answered and looked confused.

"What?" Ruiko gasped quietly.

"You need to get over there and join them."

"B-but-…"

"Relax, I'm joking." Jason frowned. "What is her plan?" he muttered. "Shokuhou-san always has one."

"What is it going to take to make you jump in?" Ruiko asked.

"When it looks like Mugino-san is going to start blasting or you run over there and admit your love for Touma publically."

Ruiko stuck her red tongue out at him and returned to her smoothie, all while watching Touma try to get out of his predicament.

---

Touma was let go as Misaki walked up to his mom and started talking. Shizuri had actually dropped his arm in shock. This was the last thing either of them expected. Misaki had been shown to be possessive ever since Touma had regained the ability to remember her. She may have joked about her and Mikoto teaming up to make him happy, but she never actually did anything to show she had been serious. Of course, Touma had been completely oblivious to Misaki's harem plan if Touma didn't choose her. Mikoto and Ruiko were the only two others close to him that knew about it, but neither of them had taken the next step in trying to bring it to fruition. Touma didn't even know that they knew.

"… and because Touma is a gentleman," Misaki continued to explain while Shiina listened patiently. "He never dreamed of doing anything remotely similar to cheating. It actually took him awhile to realize we liked him." She held up a finger to her check. "It was cute in a way, but some of us, myself included, desired more than just being friends. However, he was hesitant because of multiple reasons, which we understood, one of which included not wanting to jeopardize our friendship." Shiina nodded in understanding. "As we cared about that too, we started talking among ourselves in order to ensure we weren't going to do something rash…"

Shizuri couldn't do much more than gape as she listened to Misaki explain why they had all decided to become his girlfriend. What the hell is this shit? I thought I finally found a way to corner the idiot and then Mental Out decides she's willing to share? The fuck?! There has to be some long term plan with her. She never does anything on the fly. Think, how could pretending to be part of a group dating Kamijou benefit her? Besides being able to stay near him, she couldn't come up with any other possibilities. That one reason didn't seem to be enough though. Staying friends would have caused the same outcome. The only other option might be it will give her a chance to have sex with him in the long run. That might be why. She was always kind of a slut.

"Do you think this is actually going to work?" Ayu whispered to Seria.

"Give her a moment," Seria whispered back. "We rehearsed this and you know how good she is at persuasion, even without her power." Ayu nodded in agreement. "He may not immediately accept this, but at the very least he will fully consider it, along with preventing Mugino-san from one-upping us." Ayu frowned in thought and nodded again. She didn't want Shizuri to get ahead and Ayu cared deeply for Touma after he saved her and prevented her from killing Misaki. She spent a good amount of time in the Reformatory, but she didn't expect Misaki to forgive her. She knew Touma would, now that she was on the right path. Imagine her surprise when Misaki and Seria approached her and started talking about a possible harem in order to not only pacify the number of girls around him, but also alleviate Touma's fears of ruining friendships by choosing one girl.

Seria was laughing internally as she watched his expression frozen in bewilderment. He is so adorable when he has no idea what to do. It was obvious he was only going along with Mugino-san, but now he doesn't know how to refute Shokuhou without directly calling her a liar. She bit the corner of her lip to avoid smirking. I bet his male hormones are preventing him from denying it now. Boys are such simple creatures.

He always would hurt himself if it meant keeping someone else happy, Ayu thought to herself, as she watched the exchange. Being only a level 3, though her mental ability was similar to Misaki's, she was a little worried about standing near Shizuri, especially after what she knew about her. Among the level 5s, she was almost as destructive as Accelerator was. Fighting a level 5 took a lot of preparation and, even then, it could fail. However, Misaki and Seria seemed confident enough nothing would happen in this public location, so Ayu kept her worries to herself.

"…and with everything going on," Misaki continued. "We haven't had time to work out the minute details and we needed to be sure everything on our end was cleared up before we talked to Touma. It would only cause trouble if a couple girls began to fight, he would hate that. We were planning to talk to him tonight about it as a surprise, but then a classmate of his informed us his mother had arrived. There was some discussion on if we should wait or let his mother in on it, since it would only be polite, rather than having you find out on your own at an inconvenient time." Shiina raised an eyebrow. "Mugino-san jumped the gun and didn't explain everything properly." Misaki sighed and turned to Shizuri. "I know you were eager, but suddenly proclaiming you were his girlfriend ends up with situations like this."

"I just couldn't wait," Shizuri replied through clench teeth. She sent Misaki a glare that would destroy lesser beings. A look that said, I will kill you!

"Did you think about my son's reaction?" Shiina asked Misaki, her voice still somewhat cold. "Knowing him, and by his expression, this entire situation is a shock for him."

"The original plan was to invite him to dinner and discuss everything with him," Misaki explained, unabashed. "But Mugino-san's action caused the plan to change." Misaki bowed her head. "I apologize for the confusion and the sudden confrontation." She glanced back toward Ayu and Seria and they bowed too. Shizuri clicked her tongue impatiently. "I had hoped to present our idea in a more professional manner."

"My, my," Shiina commented, her expression still unreadable. "Not only polite, but intelligent. You really thought this through and seemed to be prepared for everything. Now, I have a few more questions."

"Of course," Misaki replied, her smile never leaving her face. "I know I kind of got appointed to the speaker, but we will answer any questions. We really hoped to win your approval."

"What if my son decides that he is not interested in multiple partners?"

As if that would happen, he's a guy. The thought ran through all of their heads, though in different degrees of politeness.

"Then we would respect his wishes," Seria answered. "It is entirely up to him what will happen from here on out."

"Even if he decides on someone else," Ayu lied. There was no way she was going to accept that. A chance finally opened up for her to be with him that she was not going to let it pass.

"We only wish for his happiness," Misaki continued. "Whether he accepts our proposal or not. We can at least remain as friends."

"It's never that easy," Shiina told her and Misaki nodded, her smile faltering to betray her true desires. "One last thing…"

Touma's brain was finally beginning to process what was happening. He could deal with Shizuri pretending to be his girlfriend, even if it was embarrassing. He could deal with his mom telling Shizuri persona stories about him that she was sure to mention at every opportunity. He could deal with the girls arguing about it because he knew Misaki's feelings. This... proposal… was on an entirely different level. His friends had teased him forever about having a harem and he always shut them down. Even after he found out a couple girls liked him, that didn't mean he had a harem. It wasn't uncommon for some people to have a lot of admirers, Touma was just surprised it was him this time.

This revelation was an entirely different level.

Misaki, Seria, and Ayu, a girl Touma didn't remember and he hated the fact she had memories with him he couldn't recall, said they were willing to enter a harem with him. It made no sense. Why would they be willing to share him among several people? It's like I'm cheating on one of them for others, even if they agree. Misaki may have made some teasing comments, but would she really do this? He tried to think about this rationally, but having several highly attractive girls in front of him talking about a harem made it hard to not imagine a couple of interesting scenarios. One of which involved a large bed at night. He shook his head and focused. Maybe it was to get me off from pretending to be Mugino's boyfriend. That seems plausible. As if those three, especially senpai, would do something like that.

It was a little awkward about how seriously his mother was asking Misaki about it.

Her answers didn't do anything to back up his belief they were joking though.

It's not like this situation could be anymore awkward, Touma sighed. Even if Mikoto showed up. His brain was still slightly overheated from everything that had happened today or he would have remembered. The universe will always make it worse.

And it was all too happy to oblige.

"I'm back!" a young, familiar, female voice declared an instant before Touma felt someone jump on his back. Touma twisted his neck around, aware every pair of eyes were now focused on him.

"L-Lessar!" Touma stammered. "You're back?!"

"I'm never far away, Lover boy," Lessar informed him, ignoring all the pairs of angry eyes watching her. "I had decided that even if the scary girl was your girlfriend, I would be fine as a mistress." Touma coughed and Shiina's glare hardened on him. "But then I hear you are going with a harem? I'm definitely joining. You can make me your top girl and I'll keep the others in line."

"W-what?!" Touma saw his life flash before his eyes. Such misfortune!

---

"What's she saying?" Ruiko whispered for the umpteenth time. Jason was the only one with a listening device.

"Shokuhou-san is explaining the harem plan to Touma's mom," Jason reported. "She's making some sound arguments."

"So she was actually serious?" Ruiko gasped. "I mean, Misaka-san told me they had talked about it once and we joked about it a bit, but she was serious?"

"Maybe," Jason replied. "I'm surprised. She seems like the possessive type and wouldn't want to share." He grinned. "It's good news for you and Misaka-san though. You won't have to fight over him." Ruiko flushed.

"Sometimes I wish Uiharu didn't tell you I liked him."

"Please," Jason scoffed. 'It was as obvious as Misaka-san liking him. You two are open books."

"True," Ruiko admitted. "It's why we get along so well."

"Yep," Jason laughed. "You sure you don't want to go over there and join the harem shenanigans? This time, it's not just us making fun of him."

"I… think I'll pass for now," Ruiko mumbled. "I never actually confessed to him and I want to tell him that privately first. I tried a couple times, but it never really worked out."

"I understand," Jason said and held up a hand. "If you need help getting rid of the people around him, Kazari and I can probably take care of that."

"What are you after?" Ruiko asked suspiciously.

"I want to see how big of a harem Touma can actually manage," Jason replied with a wink. "My class had a pool going which girl would win Touma's heart and, in case of a harem ending, the girl that becomes the alpha will be considered the winner."

"Alpha?"

"Never mind," Jason said quickly and his eyes widened. "Ah, crap! I'm going to have to get involved."

"Huh, why?" Ruiko asked alarmed and she turned to stare at the group. They were all still talking.

"Lessar." Ruiko looked past the group and saw Lessar sneaking behind a group of shoppers, before breaking off and jumping on Touma's back. "Well, this is sure to get rowdy now." Jason stood up and Ruiko imitated his action.

"What are you going to do?"

"We can sneak around the fountain there to get closer, then I'll jump in if things get bad."

---

"I think I have an understanding now," Shiina told Misaki. "Thank you." There was a rather tense moment where every girl there had been about to attack Lesser for daring to jump on Touma. The term she used was only an initial shock. Moving quickly, Seria hit a point in Lessar's back temporarily paralyzing her, while Ayu pulled her off and kept her mouth covered. Touma thought he saw a tiny green flash of light from Shizuri and Misaki reaching into her bag.

"It was my pleasure," Misaki replied sweetly. "Though, I wish the circumstances were slightly better."

"Things rarely go as planned," Shiina remarked mildly and then turned to Touma. "I know we were planning to spend some time with Mugino-san, but I think after this display, you and I need to have a serious talk, mother to son. Don't you agree?" The darkness around her intensified and everyone except Shizuri broke out in a cold sweat. She was too used to the dark side to react, but she felt the intensity too.

"Y-yes," Touma replied shakily and gulped. Well, I'm dead. He turned to the others. "We should… umm… talk about this some other time? Mom and I really need to talk privately."

"Of course," Misaki replied sweetly.

"Go ahead," Shizuri added and gestured with her hand.

"We will talk to you soon," Seria told Touma. "We really have to explain ourselves."

"Be safe." Ayu finished, struggling slightly as Lessar's appendages began to recover.

"I'll catch you all later." Touma replied over his shoulder, as his mother led him away. I hope. He walked away with an expression of one being led to a firing squad. His mother's face was mostly unreadable, and she was even smiling slightly, but the impressive dark aura still lingered. The girls watch in silence until he and Shiina were out of sight. Shizuri was the first one to speak and she rounded on the others.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!" She demanded.

"Trying to establish my position." Lessar gasped, breaking free of Ayu.

"Just saying hi-…," Misaki started to say.

"Bullshit! Drop the act, you bitch." Shizuri glared at her with fire in her eyes, her fingers flexing like she wanted to strange Misaki. The smile faded from Misaki's face and her eyes grew cold. Seria and Ayu watched with interest. It was rare for Misaki to show her true emotions.

"Very well," Misaki relented, cross her arms, and tapped her foot. "I overhead you lying to Touma's mother and I had to put my foot down. I could possibly overlook you forcing him on a fake date to fool someone, several of us have done that, but to actively try to insert yourself forcefully in his life through his mom, unacceptable."

"I have a feeling you don't like my methods?" Shizuri remarked, smirking.

"I don't like you," Misaki corrected her. "You're rude, selfish, violent and I have no doubt you are just using Touma for your own end. I thought for a while you might actually have developed feelings like a normal human being, but you only show fake affection when someone else is near. It's purely a display to embarrass him and anger others. I can at least tolerate others around him, if they actually have genuine feelings." Shizuri snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised at how bad your information is," Shizuri laughed. "That's unusual for you." Misaki raised an eyebrow.

"Explain." Shizuri leaned forward and looked Misaki directly in the eyes. Her own eyes flashed with superiority.

"I do like him," Shizuri hissed. "And anything I want, I will get. Regardless of who stands in my way." Misaki's eyes flashed dangerously and she reached into her purse. Ayu's face contorted with rage and she held up her phone. Her ability, Mental Stinger, was almost exactly Like Mental Out, though it was only level 3. Ayu preferred using a phone as a focusing device over remotes. Lessar also immediately felt the tension in the air change and assembled her Steel Glove in an instant. Seria was able to remain the calmest, but put a hand on Ayu's shoulder, while stealthily reaching into a hidden compartment of her uniform. "Put that away," Shizuri snapped at Ayu and Lessar. "You should know you don't stand a chance and Mental Out here can't affect me with her powers."

"So you can blast me with those lasers?' Lessar asked. "No way. I'll leave when I'm guaranteed a spot."

"Apologize for what you said," Ayu ordered furiously. "He's not something for you to just own."

"Seems like another girl he saved," Shizuri sneered. "You should stay away from him if you know what's good for you."

"Bite me," Ayu hissed.

"So what now?" Shizuri asked sarcastically and held out her hand. A green orb appeared. "Are we doing to decide here and now, or are you losers going to leave?"

"Don't make me kick your ass," Lessar answered.

"You really are crude," Misaki sighed and her eyes flashed. "You really-…"

"Naturally," Seria interrupted. "A fight between two level 5s in a mall is sure to draw attention. Someone is going to stop you two before it gets out of hand. Right?" She turned to look at someone and everyone else briefly gazed in that direction.

"Pretty sure you shouldn't trust me to be an impartial ref in these situations," Jason answered, as he walked up to them. Ruiko was a good five steps behind him. "But she's right. You both know not to do this, especially now. Don't tell me you forgot already."

"Shut up!" Shizuri snapped. "Stay out of this."

"Hmm," Misaki said thoughtfully, her eyes focused on Shizuri. "Perhaps Kagere-san is right. We hardly have the luxury to play around like this." Her mild tone replaced her early serious one.

"There's no need to fight," Ruiko piped up. "I'm sure this can be settled peacefully."

"Who are those two?" Ayu whispered to Seria.

"Ruiko Saten is a friend of Kamijou and Shokuhou," Seria whispered back. "Just recently reached level 2. Jason Kagere is the one to watch out for. He's a close friend of Kamijou and works part time for Anti-Skill and some of the higher ups. He can be pretty underhanded when he wants to be."

"Does she…?"

"Yes."

"Great, another one." Seria chuckled at that.

"You know what," Shizuri snapped and the green orb in her hand vanished. Misaki and Ayu lowered their own devices. "This is a waste of my valuable time and the hassle after our fight will be even worse. We will deal with this later." She turned and left without another word. The girls frowned after her, but Jason seemed pleased with the outcome.

"Lessar," he said. "Good to see you."

"Hey!" Lessar replied, as she disassembled her Steel Glove. "Been awhile. Did you hear? Accelerator and Bayloupe are finally together!"

"What?!" Ruiko and Misaki asked in surprise. Seria could not resist smiling this time and Ayu just looked confused.

"I heard," Jason confirmed. "Tsuchimikado found out and made sure everyone knew."

"That he did," Seria agreed. "So, since you were listening to everything that happened-…"

"He was?" Ayu asked. She had been too preoccupied trying to catch up with everything happening. Seria and Misaki knew more and were able to spend more attention to their surroundings.

"We noticed him and Saten-san at the smoothie place watching us," Misaki answered helpfully.

"We were that obvious?" Ruiko asked embarrassed.

"You were," Seria explained. "That trench coat and hat stood out. Rule one for trailing someone, blend in with the crowd."

"Told you," Jason said triumphantly.

"Okay, okay, you were right," Ruiko relented.

"I usually am."

"Since you two heard everything," Misaki continued. "I take it you are up to speed on what is happening, so I would like your opinion. What do you think?"

"About time," Jason said immediately. "I had next month for the harem route, but I'm okay with Aogami winning."

"I mean about the odds of success," Misaki elaborated with a roll of her eyes. She couldn't help smirking though.

"That could be tough to say," Jason admitted. "Touma is rather adamant about not having a harem, but I don't think he can deny it." He rubbed his chin. "Address his concerns about feeling it's not fair to you girls and he might agree. Though, you're going to have to include Misaka-san in this. She's probably not going to be willing to stand on the sidelines."

"I figured," Misaki sighed. "And we already knew about his concerns. He explained them already to Kumokawa."

"Then I don't see a problem," Jason laughed. "It's entirely up to him though."

"Like any guy would say no to this." Ayu scoffed and Misaki laughed.

"What about you Saten-san?" Seria asked Ruiko.

"W-what about me?" she stammered. Seria smiled at her.

"It's obvious you like Kamijou," Seria pointed out. "And you know about our plans. So I wanted to know, what are you going to do? Have you confessed to him yet?"

"No," Ruiko admitted and pressed her index fingers together. "I tried a couple times, but things happened that caused it to slip from my mind."

"Heh," Seria giggled. "Yeah, those kinds of things do seem to happen around him."

"I kind of knew about Shokuhou-san's plan," Ruiko continued. "She had mentioned it to Misaka-san and Misaka-san mentioned it to me. We didn't think she was that serious and joked about it for a bit. I really didn't think she was serious."

"Well," Seria mused. "I know you spend a lot of time with Kamijou and the others, so would you like me to explain the details of our plan?"

"I…er… wha-…?" Ruiko mumbled, unable to string together an answer.

"She will," Jason volunteered for her. "Help her get the courage to take the next step." He waved goodbye and started walking away. Misaki and Seria waved back.

"Will do," Lessar said and saluted, before turning to the other girls. "Naturally, you are going to let me in, right?"

"I have a feeling you will find a way to get in, regardless of what we say," Misaki answered.

"Yep."

"Hi," Ayu introduced herself. "Name's Ayu Mitsuari. How do you know Kamijou?"

"Ruiko Saten," Ruiko introduced herself and briefly shook hands. "We met a couple times, but I didn't get to know him until after we brought our friends together. Kagere-san is dating my best friend, Uiharu."

"He didn't do anything to help you in some way?" Ayu pressed, trying to uncover more information.

"Well, some stuff did happen…," Ruiko mumbled.

"Now, ladies," Misaki interrupted and patted their shoulders. "There will be plenty of time to discuss everything over some tea. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of standing out in the open." She turned to Ruiko. "If you are curious, I could use my ability to show you our plan instantly and then we can answer your questions."

"That might save some time," Ruiko admitted. "But I think we should find some place to sit. I feel like I could faint from some of the information you are going to provide."

"She's pretty clever." laughed Seria.

"Well then," Misaki said and put her arms around Ayu and Ruiko. "Let's have a nice long girl talk tonight." The girls turned and left, and Ruiko was dragged along kind of reluctantly. Exiting another entrance to the mall, Jason was proud of his good deed for the day and was planning to go home and try to get to sleep. Assuming the voices in his head would stop arguing about completely useless things.

---

Across Academy City, Kuroko and Kazari were slowly taking the scenic route back through the park. Kazari was waiting for Kuroko to initiate the conversation, but she noticed Kuroko seemed to be struggling with herself. This was an unusual occurrence, as Kuroko had always been very vocal about her concerns, and it worried Kazari. Whatever was bothering her friend had to be important. It was either very personal or she was in some kind of trouble. Kazari reasoned it was most like personal, as she figured Kuroko would go to Mikoto first if she was in trouble. With the lack of indication they were going to start anytime soon, Kazari bit the bullet and spoke first.

"So, Shirai-san," Kazari remarked, in what she hope was a conversational tone. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's…" Kuroko took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "It's about your boyfriend." Kazari made note that Kuroko said your boyfriend, instead of Jason by name.

"Jason?" Kazari asked and then sighed. "What has he done now?" She looked over at Kuroko. "Shirai-san, whatever you might think of him, I want you to know that even if he may embarrass someone, he never does anything with a lasting effect. I know that you and him don't exactly see eye to eye, but I want you to know that he always has our best interests at heart, whatever he ends up doing, and he only teases in good fun."

"I know that," Kuroko reassured her. "Even that stupid thing with that cat costume never got traced back to me. And you can relax, Uiharu. I'm not planning to say anything bad about your boyfriend." I'm more worried it's going to upset 'you'.

"Shirai-san?" Kazari bit the corner of her lip. "You're acting a bit strange. You're calling Jason my boyfriend…like you're trying to underline an important fact in your mind. You and he have been on a first name basis for ages. It's like you're trying to separate and categorize him into something to emphasize what he is. That he's MY boyfriend. It's a little disconcerting."

"Hahaha" Kuroko laughed, trying to play it off. "Is that what I sound like? …Damnit. I told myself I would go down this path and by golly I am going to do it! I'm Kuroko Shirai and I never back down on anything! How can I approach this when I am still acting uncertain about myself in the first place?! Wait a minute, that's it. "Uiharu," she said suddenly. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be as honest as you can."

"What are you-…?"

"Please, promise me you will be honest."

"O…K…? I promise."

"What do you like about your boyfriend?"

"Huh?" Whatever Kazari was expecting, it wasn't that.

"Uiharu, please. I need you to answer the question. Don't ask why." Kazari saw the determination in Kuroko's eyes and nodded.

"Th-that's kind of a hard question Shirai-san. I like Tokiwadai and high class ladies, but there is no one 'thing' about them that I like. I like the air, the culture, the high class posh nature of how everyone holds themselves; likes and dislikes aren't something that can necessarily be broken down into individual little factors. The same is said for Jason."

"And here I thought you were going to say everything," Kuroko snickered.

"Oh, no. I do like everything about him."

"…then why not just say that?" Kuroko asked.

"Because then you wouldn't understand," Kazari elaborated. "I do like everything about Jason. But…just saying that would not give justice to the feelings that I have for him. He's annoying at times-…"

"Hah! That he is."

"He's sarcastic-…"

"Constantly! "

"Sometimes he can be a bit rude and doesn't recognize boundaries-…"

"Are we making a list? Because you forget arrogant and full of himself." Kazari couldn't help giggling at how sure Kuroko sounded.

"At times, yes. Though, the way you describe him is a bit harsh. Of course, I didn't know all this about him. When I first met him at Joseph's, I barely knew him and yet he seemed to be able to tell I wasn't the most outgoing individual. Yet, he was friendly and talked to me, without being overbearing. There was a time when you were arguing with him I may have begun to feel he was the same as you described, but, as I spent time with him and got to know him better, I realized that there was a charm in those things. Jason is sarcastic, annoying, arrogant and full of himself, yes… but, when I look at the things that we learned about him and his past…the fact that he can be all of those things is amazing."

"…"

"I mean, look at what happened to him!" Kazari continued, noticing Kuroko's blank look. "After all that, he did not break. He stood up and he's sarcastic, annoying, arrogant and full of himself but he is also kind. He is caring and he has the capability to hold onto the things that he loves. He joined everyone in traveling to England to rescue his friends. He is determined, unbroken and would do anything for those that he wants to protect. He is a bit like Kamijou-san in this sense, but he's not. He is his own person. To be honest…to me, that is amazing."

"Amazing?"

"What do I know of pain and suffering?" Kazari asked. "Sure, ever since Jason and Kamijou-san have entered into our lives, the things we have seen aren't exactly what we probably expected, but the things that we are a part of have been amazing! And experiencing those things, I can only look at Jason and think that the things that he has faced have been worse. So much worse. And while every one of us struggled, Jason was always there…laughing, smiling and fighting alongside us. He never abandoned us and he stood by our side through thick and thin. Even though this is a drop in the ocean for him, he's by my side now and despite the pain that he's been through, he stuck onto it and found hope in love. He found hope in loving me. Even after losing everything."

"It's kind of foolish," Kuroko said and looked up at the sky. "He knows what kind of pain it can be to lose everything and yet he still wants to keep trying."

"I don't know what I would have done if I was I that situation," Kazari admitted. "But I thought about it a lot after Kamijou-san told us his past and after we met Juliet. I… probably would have shut down, but he did not. For the things and the pain that he has been through, he picked up the pieces of his broken heart, a heart that has all the right in the world to feel pain and withdraw, and put it back together again. He's willing to try knowing he could be hurt. Maybe that does make him a fool."

Uiharu stopped walking and turned to Kuroko.

"He is a fool for choosing the path that can get him hurt again. But so is everyone who gets hurt in life and keeps on trying. Humans are fools, but there's really something special about that. Jason has gone through a lot and there are some parts of him others may find annoying, but I wouldn't change a single thing about the person he become. It is because of those parts, those small parts that make up 'everything' that I chose him. I said to you, Shirai-san, that I like everything about him. But at the same time, I don't want to limit the things that I like about him to just that word. Doing so would be lazy…and for the things that I…that Jason have been through, I can't just say one or two word to sum up my feelings for him."

"Heh," Kuroko said and turned away. "You sound a lot like Shokuhou-san."

"How so?"

"I asked her once when I was trying to find out what she and onee-sama saw in the ape," Kuroko explained. "I only saw him as plain, stubborn, stupid, vulgar, and someone who sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. Not anywhere near good enough for onee-sama. Shokuhou-san admitted he had his faults, but she still loved him. Why? It was because when you love someone, you love them. Their good points, their bad points, everything that made up their very being is what you fall for. If they were missing one trait, they wouldn't be the same person."

"Pretty much," Kazari confirmed. "She's a lot more experienced than we are. This is my first real relationship and it was really hard to explain. I think Misaka-san had trouble explaining why she liked Kamijou-san. People tend to talk about certain traits they find attractive in people, but you have to dig for them to explain the real reason. Even if you don't understand that completely -…"

"I do."

"…I'm sorry, what?"

"I do understand." Ah…so this is it. I can't put it off forever.

"Understand…what?" Kazari looked confused.

"Those feelings." That was what was confusing me and making this so difficult. I knew that I liked him… I accepted that I liked him. ..but it was the why. I never understood why I liked him, but I understand now. "I understand those feelings of yours, Uiharu."

"R-really?" Kazari asked surprised. "T-that's great. I was afraid I wasn't really explaining myself properly. If that's the case, then can I selfishly ask, hehehe, that you perhaps, maybe, be a bit more lenient around him? I know that he can sometimes be sarcastic and a little annoying, but there are qualities about him, like I said that-…"

"I understand those feelings of yours because I have them."

"…What?!"

"Uiharu…I have feelings for Jason." I finally told her. She felt similar to when she first admitted her feelings toward Mikoto. A huge weight had been lifted off her chest, but now a stone fell into her stomach when she saw Kazari's expression. Kazari only stared at her, her eyes out of focus, and pure shock etched in every feature. A few moments passed and Kuroko tentatively reached forward to tap her friend. "Uiharu?"

"Whaaa?!" Kazari exclaimed, snapping back to reality and causing Kuroko to yank back her hand. "How? When? W-what about the ones that you have for Misaka-san? W-why are you suddenly saying about Jason?"

She's denying it. Then again, I was no different. "Onee-sama… is after that ape. That race is lost and I found out the one I am running in, is the one that I never once thought myself to have entered in the first place. The one…with your boyfriend." She gulped, but held her gave firm.

"…You're categorizing him… as mine. You…you don't want to ruin our friendship…" Kuroko nodded.

"It's why this was so hard," Kuroko explained. "Uiharu, I can't let my feelings slide. I can't ignore them. Everything you have said about him is right. Your boyfriend is sarcastic, annoying, arrogant and full of himself but he's kind. He's been to hell and back and yet, when I find myself down, he pulls me up. He uses his attitude to make me laugh when I'm sad and will make time to let me vent." She sighed and looked at the ground. "How he manages to still be able to feel after everything he has been through, it baffles me. He is cocky, but amazing at the same time, and the confidence that he has in the things he does and the things that he has seen… I cannot even remotely hope to match." Kuroko looked up and stared at Uiharu.

"I couldn't bring myself to like him at first, but we began to spend more and more time together because our friends are so intertwined. I saw him do so much for you, for others, for me… and my feelings changed. I didn't recognize it at first, it was so gradual. They turned and went in a direction that I never thought they would. It was so minor at first, I found myself beginning to enjoy his company, talking to him more, and then eventually actively wanting to spend time with him. By the time I realized what happened, it was too late. I fell for your boyfriend, Uiharu. I fell for everything about him, as cheap as using that word is. And…and I want you to forgive me."

"Forgive?" Uiharu asked.

"I betrayed our friendship," Kuroko answered. "I fell for your boyfriend and a friend shouldn't do that. I should have just been happy for you."

"Sh-Shirai-san…"

"Please forgive me. I don't care if you want to yell at me, berate me, curse at me, or even hit me. I don't care, as long as I can make this right. I don't want to lose you as one of my closest friends."

"Raise your head… please."

"Uiharu?" Shirai looked up and into Kazari's eyes. She expected to see shock, disgust, or even hatred, but she saw none of that. There was only understanding and sympathy.

"Shirai-san, there is nothing to forgive."

"What?" What is she talking about?

"You fell for Jason. …A-and as arrogant as this might sound, I don't blame you. I have a wonderful eye for men." The corner of her mouth twitched and Kuroko blinked.

"I take it back. If he's rubbed off on you this much, then there's no hope for this conversation."

"I wouldn't be talking as someone who fell for him!" Kazari protested. "But in all seriousness, please keep your head raised."

"W-why?"

"Shirai-san, I want you to realize that I love Jason. With all my heart. Do you understand that?"

"Y-Yes, of course," Kuroko acknowledged. "That's why I had to-…"

"Let me finish. The things you mentioned about Jason, I can also tell that your feelings are no lie. You…honestly love him don't you?

"Love might be going a little far…" Kuroko mumbled.

"Shirai-san."

"…..I do."

"….Then that is all there is to it."

"What?!"

"Jason chose me, Shirai-san," Kazari told her. "Which means that, for him, I make him happy. But if it comes down to it, what I really want is for Jason to be happy as well. I can't say that I'm the perfect one for him, even if I feel that it is the case for me. I'm not Shokuhou-san and I can't read his mind. But what I do know is that Jason definitely knows that you love him."

"I know, onee-sama mentioned it recently," Kuroko answered with a nod.

"I think he might have known a lot longer than that," admitted Kazari.

"W-why would you say that?"

"He's not … oblivious, like Kamijou-san," Kazari explained slowly, as she tried to explain herself carefully. "And I don't think you would be able to ignore the feelings you have for him. Even if you don't mean too, you would probably express yourself in a way that others would begin to notice. It would not be healthy to keep those feelings hidden. If Jason has not confronted you about it, he either things the feelings would pass or is waiting for you to tell him. I think you should do the latter."

"B-but if I tell him, then he'll reject you and go for me!"

"…Okay, now I can't tell which one he has rubbed off more on: you or me." Kuroko flushed in embarrassment. "Whatever the case is, you need to tell him your feelings, Shirai-san. Because then, and only then, will both of you be able to be happy. I don't want you years later to look back and think what might have happened."

"What do you mean by both of us?" Kuroko asked and raised an eyebrow. "I can understand me, but him?'

"I've notice how close both of you have become lately," Kazari admitted. "Part of me was happy you two were beginning to get along, but I was also a little nervous. I admit, I was a little envious seeing how happy he got when the two of you were teasing each other."

"I think that was just amusement."

"That may be," Kazari agreed. "But I also noticed your expression under the embarrassment. You enjoyed his company."

"I'm sure you were just reading a little too much into it."

"I want Jason to be happy," Kazari continued, as if she had not been interrupted. "That alone…is the only thing I truly desire. If he chooses me in the process, then that will make me over the moon, but if you confess to him and he chooses you…then that will be what makes him the happiest." She looked away and there was a hint of sadness and Kuroko felt a twinge of guilt. "I would be sad, yes, but his happiness is more important than my selfishness."

It shouldn't be, Kuroko thought.

"Alternatively," Kazari continued and her face began to turn crimson "…if he wanted to choose the both of us…" Her words were almost a whisper.

"Doesn't this-…," Kuroko started to say and then her brain clicked after hearing Kazari's words. What did she say?! She can't be serious… "No."

"No?"

"Isn't this the same as a situation as with that ape?"

"But isn't that in the best interests of Kamijou-san?" Kazari questioned. "To make him happy? What I'm suggesting, Shirai-san, is that we let Jason choose. And for whatever he chooses, the other holds no hard feelings."

"Are… you OK with this?"

"Jason is happy. And that, Shirai-san, is the only thing that I need."

"That's not what I asked."

"I… would be hurt," Kazari finally admitted. "After all the time together, I would like to think it was special. However, as I said, I want him to be happy from the depths of my heart. If he would be happier with you, then he should be with you." She took a deep breath. "I was actually interested in Kamijou-san's situation because I wanted to see if having multiple partners was actually achievable in the real world. Plenty of books play around with the subject, but they require all the pieces to fit perfectly together."

"…I don't believe this," Kuroko muttered. "He was right. You really do have an… interesting imagination. You actually pictured yourself as part of a harem."

"He promised he wouldn't tell!" Kazari protested and Kuroko smirked.

"He didn't, you did." Kazari's mouth fell open and then she diverted eye contact.

"He really has been rubbing off on us," Kazari pouted.

"He has…" They stood in an awkward silence for a little bit.

"So, Shirai-san. Do we have a deal? Whatever he chooses, we won't hate each other."

"Heh," Kuroko snickered.

"…?"

"You really are…a great girlfriend. "

"The best," Kazari said proudly and puffed out her chest.

"No hard feelings? "

"No hard feelings."

"…Uiharu?"

"Yes?"

"…Thank you."

"What are friends for?" They ended their conversation with a hug and Kuroko vowed she would tell Jason how she felt by the time the weekend ended.

---

Touma was sitting at a table with his mother and the sun was just beginning to set. Curfew wasn't for another two hours, so they had time. Touma could feel his mother's eyes on him and he couldn't look at her. How could he? His mother had caught him lying to her about having a girlfriend. If that hadn't been bad enough, his mother found out a group of his friends, and some he wasn't very familiar with, had been setting up a plan to get him together with all of them. At least Misaki had convinced his mother it was their idea and not his. Still, there was one main thought crossing his mind.

Misaki and senpai are willing to be part of a harem? My harem? This doesn't make sense.

"So," Shiina spoke up and snapped Touma back to earth. "It has been an interesting day, has it not?"

"Mom, are you mad at me?"

"Mad? No, just disappointed." Shiina looked at him and Touma felt horrible. "Why did you lie to me? I would not have had an issue with you not have a girlfriend yet. You only just started high school."

"It was kind of complicated," Touma admitted. "Mugino and I… are friends." I think. "But I think she might have been doing it to embarrass me. I had no idea she was trying to take Misaki's plan into her own hands. Shoot, I didn't even know that plan existed." Also, Mugino might kill me if I don't let her do what she wants.

"Then why didn't you correct her?" Shiina asked, staring intently at him.

"Umm… I guess… I'm not sure?" Touma struggled to find an answer. "I think because I thought I knew why she was doing it and I didn't want you to hate her. Even if she embarrasses me, she is a friend."

"I see," mused Shiina. "Could it perhaps be more than that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are a teenage boy, Touma-san," Shiina told him. "It's only natural for you to be interested in the opposite sex."

"I know, but what's that have to do with this?"

"Perhaps," continued Shiina. "You subconsciously wanted a girlfriend and when she volunteered for the position, you ran with it."

"That's definitely not what happened!" Touma protested. "I mean…," he amended as Shiina raised an eyebrow delicately. "I wouldn't say no to a girlfriend, but… as you saw, there are a lot of complicated issues."

"Shokuhou-san was rather details about it," Shiina agreed. "Why don't you tell me what happened in your own words?"

"It's kind of embarrassing," Touma mumbled.

"I insist." Shiina was smiling, but her dark aura reignited and Touma knew he had no choice. He gulped and started to explain.

"Well…" Touma wasn't sure where to start and finally decided on his classmates. "I guess it started when my classmates kept making fun of me about having a harem. They thought just because I helped out a couple girls they all suddenly fell in love with me. I always dismissed them and figured it was just their way of making fun of me, since we make fun of each other all the time. Recently, we sort of… ran into some trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Nothing big," Touma said quickly and waved his hands out in front of him. She can't learn about the magic side. "Well, a friend and I worked together to solve the issue and we grew closer. You remember Mikoto Misaka, right?" Shiina nodded. "It was her. About a week or so later, I met up with Misaki, who I had not seen in a long time." Maybe, I can't really remember. "Everything kind of changed after that. Misaki and Mikoto…"

Huh, so he's close to Misuzu's daughter," Shiina thought. That should make tomorrow a surprise. For everyone.

"…are kind of rivals, being level 5s and top of their year. I sort of accidently found out they both had feelings for me, along with Ruiko, who I can introduce you to. Then a lot of crazy stuff happened and I found out other girls actually like me too. It's all so much to take in."

"I would have thought you would be happy to have so many attractive girls interested in you."

"I am! Don't get me wrong. It's just…" He struggled to find the right word. "I don't know what to say. They are my friends and I value my relationship with them, but I never expected them for fall for me. My guy friends could hardly be trustworthy. When they confessed to me, I didn't know how to react, yet they didn't push the issue. They gave me space and let me figure it out myself, while still expressing their feelings to me without being overbearing. I hate how indecisive I am being about it. There were so many problems plaguing me whenever I thought about it and had no idea what to do. Then I talked to Kumokawa-senpai about it and she gave me some good advice. She really helped me narrow down an insecurity of mine and told me what I had to hear."

"What was it?"

"I needed to be honest with myself about what I want. I can lie to other people, but I can't lie to myself if I want to solve this dilemma. I can't deny my own happiness. One of the main reasons I'm having so much trouble with the confessions is a lot of the girls are friends with each other. Not only would my relationship change if I go out with them, but their friendship might change. I don't want that to happen."

"Hmm," Shiina mused. "Your senpai is a wise beyond her years. I know you always want to help other people, I love that part of you, but she's right. Your father and I have always been worried you neglect yourself for others. We hate to see you hurt and hoped Academy City would help reduce the number of situations you find yourself in."

"Heh," Touma chuckled. "My luck wouldn't be deterred by something as simple as a location change."

"There you go again about your luck," Shiina sighed. "I would have hoped being in a city devoted purely to science you would stop believing in things like that." Her eyes twinkled. "Are you actually saying having so many young ladies interested in you is a bad thing?"

"Yes…no…maybe? I don't know!" Touma threw his hands up into the air. "I'm flattered to be liked by a bunch of girls who really are superior to me in every way, intelligence, look, personality, you name it. But anything I do is just going to lead to others being hurt and I don't know what to do. Mom, help me!" Shiina actually looked surprised and then smiled warmly at him.

"You know you can call me whenever you need advice," Shiina told him. "Not just when I visit. I'll help you in any way I can but, ultimately, the final decision will always be yours." Touma nodded. "Now I want to see if I understand the situation. First, you have several young ladies interested in you, but they are your friends and you are having a hard time getting past that. Second, you believe they deserve someone better than you and don't want to drag them down. Third, you found out Shokuhou-san and several others have gone behind your back in order to discuss the possibility of sharing you. Did I miss anything?"

"There is my misfortune I'm afraid of spreading to them," Touma muttered.

"We can ignore the second concern," Shiina continued, as if Touma had not said anything. "You should never feel inadequate about yourself next to someone else. Don't worry about how special they are, but focus on being the best person you can be." Touma nodded. "You mentioned you discussed your first concern with Kumokawa-san, correct?"

"Yes."

"And she stated you needed to decide for yourself what would make you happy."

"Pretty much."

"Interesting," Shiina mused. That vague advice could possibly backfire if Touma-san decided to pursue someone else. She must have confidence in their plan or she said something he didn't consider important, but she hopes it will subconsciously stick with him. "Did you think about her advice?"

"It was kind of hard not to," Touma admitted. "I definitely want a girlfriend at some point. A couple of my friends have them and they seem happy. It may be selfish, but I do want what they have."

"My, my. You know Touma-san, it's okay to be selfish from time to time."

"I guess, but I don't want others to be hurt by my selfishness." Shiina tilted her head slightly and shook her head.

"I… like and dislike that attitude of yours. I love the fact you care so deeply about others, it shows your kind and caring side but, as a mother, I hate to see you torture yourself and hold yourself back from finding happiness."

"Sorry," Touma apologized. "This is why this whole mess is so complicated. Because of me."

"Let's talk about the third point for a moment," Shiina recommended. "What do you think of Shokuhou-san's plan?"

"It's… it's crazy!" Touma exclaimed. "How would that even work? Manga always shows it a huge hassle and people fight all the time. With everything that happens to me, I don't think I could deal with that, but it's all second to the main reason. It's not fair to them! It's going to feel like I'm cheating on them. I know they care about me and I care about them, but this… this is just impossible."

"She seemed pretty sure of herself," Shiina mused. "And the detailed discussion was impressive. I believe this is more than wishful thinking on their end. They are actually willing to go through with it."

"….What do you think about it, mom?" Touma asked hesitantly. "It's weird right."

"…"

"See, even you don't like it."

"It's not what I saw when I pictured you beginning to date," Shiina explained. "I have always believed in monogamous relationships. When your father and I had started to date, there were a few girls with similar mindsets as Shokuhou-san, but I fought back against them to ensure he was mine and mine alone. Time's change I suppose."

"Are…are you actually considering Misaki's proposal?"

"I'm trying to keep an open mind," Shiina corrected him. "And that is only because of what I learned today. The first is you are not trying to pressure those young ladies into this. If you had, I would be putting a stop to it, not that a son of mine would ever do something like that."

"O-of course not!"

"You are actually the one who is most hesitant about it," Shiina continued. "This means you are willing to think about it seriously. The second reason is Shokuhou-san promised that they would respect your decision as final. She and the others wish to discuss it with you and then let you decide. If you do not wish to participate in it, they will accept that and no longer push the issue. If you do… well, I expect you to treat all of them with the utmost respect." Her dark aura flared up for a moment and Touma sweat dropped.

"How are you so calm about this?" Touma asked. What is going on? Is there something in the water?

"It… may be unusual for most people," Shiina replied. "And it may not be what I imagined for you, but I am your mother. What I care about is your happiness and wellbeing. If this is what you want, I will support you. If you do not want this, I will make sure the girls drop it." Her aura flared and Touma flinched. "While I may not be fully comfortable with the first option, this is your life, not mine. But if you ever need advice or help, your father and I are only a phone call away."

"Thanks, mom," Touma said gratefully. "I will."

"It's a shame though," Shiina commented mildly.

"What is?"

"I really liked Mugino-san. She reminded me so much of me when I was her age."

"…Gah!"

"Bold, intelligent, and she's very attractive," Shiina continued. "What did you do to have her fall for you? She told me something about it, but I want you to tell me."

Crap, I don't remember what Mugino told her, Touma thought in panic. He figured a very broad overview would be fine. "I ran into her randomly one day when she was having a very bad day. I guess I must have helped her out, because we met again and sort of begun hanging out more."

"I'm glad you were able to help her out with whatever was troubling her. In my experience, if you let problems stew, they only get worse."

That would explain a lot about her personality.

"So what are you going to tell Shokuhou-san?" Shiina asked seriously. "She was planning to talk to you about her plan in depths this weekend."

"I think… I will hear her out," Touma conceded. "If she was able to gather the courage to even offer such an insane proposal, I should have the decency to hear her out. I have no idea how she plans for this to work and I'm going to decline."

"I wonder if it will be that straightforward."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She seems to know you well," Shiina pointed out. "I'm sure she realizes you will be hesitant and has prepared to address those insecurities."

"That won't…" He realized who he was talking about. "Oh. My. God! She would! She's really smart and good at reading people, even without her ability." He grabbed his head. "Any argument I could think of, she would have a dozen reasons why it doesn't matter."

"You really have an interesting collection of friends," Shiina laughed lightly. "Don't let her force you into anything you do not wish to do. If she tries, she will have me to answer to."

Across the city, Misaki felt a shiver down her spine.

"She wouldn't," Touma defended her instantly. "Misaki has always been really considerate of my feelings. She never pushed me into anything." Only a surprise kiss once in a while.

"Whatever you choose, I only wish you find the happiness you deserve." Shiina looked at him and smiled. Touma nodded his head and looked down, unable to respond to that. "Well, now that we settled that issue, I do have somewhere I want you to accompany me tomorrow."

"Sure, but I have to help my class set up and tear down our festival booth."

"There shouldn't be any conflict," Shiina reassured him. "I was meeting a friend for lunch and I wanted you to come."

"Okay. I can be there."

"Excellent. Oh, the restaurant we were planning to go to is a little upscale. Do you still have nice clothes?"

"Umm," Touma said thinking. He had an old suit still, but the really nice one Shizuri had gotten him had been torn when he was with Mitsuko Kongou. "My suit is rather old, but I think it's still wearable."

"Make sure you choose a tie that matches," Shiina told him. "Other than that, an old suit shouldn't be an issue."

"Okay, mom."

"Very good." She beamed at him. "I'll pick you up at your dorm, but I feel like I occupied enough of your evening. Why don't you go back to your dorm and get some rest? Your friends did say you were not feeling well the last few days."

"Mom, I told you I was fine."

"It doesn't hurt to be on the safe side," Shiina reprimanded sternly. "Besides, I only have to head back to my hotel room and unpack. You really don't need to be there."

"If you're sure," Touma muttered and then yawned. "Maybe I should get some rest."

"Go home, dear. I'll see you tomorrow." Touma bid farewell and left, leaving his mother to call a taxi to take her to the hotel. In the back seat, she began rummaging through her bag to find the hotel key, when she remembered the letter. Oh, my. I forgot to give him this and tell him about the phone call his father and I received from the Queen.

---

"Didn't you promisse your friend you were going to help him?"

Touma was about halfway to his house when the female voice whispered into his ears.

"Ahh!" Touma yelled out in surprise and fell over. He looked up and saw a familiar set of rainbow colored snake eyes on the girl's face. The girl may have looked to be in her early twenties, with smooth chocolate colored skin, black hair, and a curvy body, but Touma knew who she truly was. Julunggul winked at him and help him up. "Did you have to sneak up on me?"

"Aww, did you forget I had been here the entire time?"

"Yes," Touma admitted and then he took in the rest of Julunggul's appearance. "Thank you for not showing up in your usual outfit."

"Heh," Julunggul smirked. "Your mother and that girl were looking through clothing sstoress, sso I figured I might ass well update my fasshion." She was wearing a white V-neck lace-up shirt with skin tight blue jeans. Her jeans had several tears periodically through them, which told Touma they were on purpose. The girl could have been a fashion model, if Touma didn't understand the power she wielded with a mere thought. She smiled and Touma's warning bells in his head went off. "Sso, do you believe me now?"

"About…?"

"The threadss that ssurround you, of coursse. You ssaw what thosse girlss did. Are you sstill going to deny it?"

"… Things are complicated, I'll give you that."

"I have to ssay," Julunggul continued. "Today wass very interessting." A notepad appeared in her hand and she opened it. "I have a lot of information to sshare with you about what I obsserved, but then you went and talked about all your problemss with otherss, sso a lot of thiss iss going to be repetitiouss." The notepad disappeared. "But now I'm interessted in what'ss going to happen with your harem. It'ss ssure to be entertaining."

"I'm glad my love life is weird enough to amuse you," Touma said sarcastically.

"The livess of mortalss are alwayss amussing," Julunggul laughed and then turned to look at him. "But enough about that. Insstead of heading home and ssleeping, don't you have a promissess to keep?"

"Promise….crap! I need to bring Index over to Accelerator."

"You did forget," Julunggul snickered.

"I-I would have remembered," Touma protested. Or Accelerator would tear apart my dorm room. "But thanks for reminding me."

"I'm ssure there will be plenty of opportunitiess for you to pay me back," Julunggul purred into his ear. Touma felt his ears burn and looked away. He was not ready for today. He was saved from further embarrassment when Julunggul looked down the street. "Have to go, have fun." She disappeared and Touma frowned.

Why did she…? Touma's confusion was quickly answered when a black convertible pulled up next to him. Inside was an incredible attractive blonde haired woman in limited clothing. She lowered her sunglasses and winked at him.

"Hah, I thought that was you."

"Oriana-san?!" Touma exclaimed.

"Onee-san," Oriana corrected sternly.

"Right, sorry," Touma apologized. "You're still here?"

"I go where ever I'm being paid to go," she laughed. "What about you? Heading somewhere?"

"Need to head back to my dorm and pick up Index," Touma answered.

"Want a lift?" Oriana asked.

"I don't really want to impose."

"It's no trouble," Oriana laughed again. "Not working right now and I'm more than happy to help you out."

"Thank you." Touma moved around the car and sat in the passenger seat. The second he was buckled up, Oriana took off. Touma sat in silence and Oriana took note. "Something up? I figured you would be happy to be back in Academy City."

"Don't get me wrong, I am," Touma told her. "It's just today has been a lot longer than I thought it would be. I… learned a few things and then found out one of my friends got hurt by Eve's minion. We need Index to take a look at her. You know she was active in the city while we were facing Adam."

"I heard," Oriana confirmed. "So what happened?"

"Cain bit Last Order," Touma muttered. "Misaka's sister." He used Misaka because Oriana never met Mikoto, only Misaka 10032. Oriana almost swerved off the road.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "I heard Eve had someone called Cain, but someone was bitten?!"

"Cain was defeated," Touma exclaimed quickly. "And we thought it was over. But Last Order has been showing signs of Vampirism and Lessar's friends weren't able to cure her. We need Index to check her out."

"Got it," Oriana said and floored the pedal. She took corners so fast, Touma began to fear for his life. He was so glad his seatbelt was tightly fashioned. "When I picked you up, I thought I was only going to do you a favor, but this is so much more."

"Everything crazy in the world happens to me," Touma sighed.

Offer her a kiss as payment for the ride, Julunggul suggested in his mind.

You're still here? Touma thought.

You know it.

"That would explain that woman who disappeared next to you as I approached," Oriana commented mildly, but Touma felt her eyes fall on him. "So, who was that?"

"Such misfortune," Touma muttered.

---

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.

To understand the difficulty of unlocking harems, here is rough outline with examples of who can make a harem at that level.

Difficulty: Child (Kakeru Kamisato)

Difficulty: Easy (Touma Kamijou)

Difficulty: Medium (Jason Kagere)

Difficulty: Hard (Mikoto Misaka)

Difficulty: Brutal (Accelerator)

Difficulty: Impossible (Pierce Aogami) (Seriously, this is impossible.)

Finally, special thanks to MrQuestionMark for his input with the Kuroko and Kazari scene. I had problems limiting which direction I wanted to take it and he gave me a good compromise.