Kamijou Touma was expecting a rough day.
It started a couple days ago, on a trip to the convenience store with Index. It was an especially warm day for being late in the fall, the city being in the middle of a late heat wave, and the nun-in-training was fantasizing about shaved ice. Touma had been just about ready to give in and indulge her when a poster had caught her eye.
It was an advertisement for the snack bars at Academy City's local amusement park. Lo and behold, the feature of the week was shaved ice, in 24 unique flavors, no less.
Nothing Touma said after that could shake the nun's resolve.
Going at that exact moment wasn't an option, so Touma promised Index to take her there on the weekend, half expecting that something would come up before then and get in the way of those plans. Alas, the weekend arrived without a hitch, and Touma found himself at the entrance to the amusement park with an excited Index, a pained grimace on his face as he forked over the not-insubstantial entrance fee.
"This city is 80% students. How do they expect us regular kids to afford this?" He grumbled in complaint.
Index dragged him immediately to the food stalls, walking past a dozen rides and attractions without sparing them a glance. He felt a nervous sweat break out. He knew she was here for the food venues, but how would she fare if she decided to hop on a ride afterwards? Touma did not want to deal with that.
"Touma! It's that way!" Index tugged on his sleeve in excitement, singing as she skipped past the other food stalls. "Shaved ice~! Shaved ice~! Shaved ice~!"
He sighed in defeat, handing her a stack of cash he'd withdrawn at the park entrance. "This is all I have." He warned her. "Don't complain if you spend it all now and get hungry later."
"How rude!" She chided, eagerly taking the cash. "I am a sister with the English Puritan Church! I'm well trained in discipline and restraint! I know how to hold…. back…." Her sentence trailed off as her eyes narrowed in on someone else's decorated plate of food, following the sight with stars in her eyes.
"Index-san, I don't believe those are the eyes of abstinence." Touma teased.
She quickly shook herself out of her daze. "Well, I am still in training, so a certain level of leniency is to be expected…"
"Right, right."
She frowned, darting into the crowd ahead of him. "Let's go!"
"Oi, Index! Don't just run off in-!... aaaaaand, she's gone."
He blinked, staring at the wave of people ahead of him.
He sighed. "Just my luck."
He considered going after her, but one look at the crowd and he knew he'd end up on the other side of the park before reaching the food stall. Index had the map. He supposed he could pull up the park layout on his phone…
A distant call reached his ears, and he froze instinctively.
"Onee-sama!"
He spun, searching through the crowd. "Shirai…. Kuroko?" He mumbled, recognizing the voice.
If that girl was calling out onee-sama, then that meant…
Before he could finish that thought, something crashed into his back, knocking the wind out of him. He tumbled forward, glancing back.
He grinned.
"Ah, sorry about-" The girl paused in her apology, recognizing the person she'd just run into. "Touma?"
"Hey, Mikoto." He straightened, brushing off the impact.
Shirai's voice echoed through the crowd again, this time closer. Mikoto's eyes widened in alarm, and before he had a chance to get a word in, she grabbed him by the wrist and said "Come on!", breaking into a sprint.
"Oi!" He tried to protest, stumbling in his attempt to keep up with her. "What-?!"
"Just run!"
Mikoto wove through the crowd like an expert, avoiding people as she navigated the park, turning corners at what felt like random intervals and staying within the more crowded areas. Touma was hopelessly lost within seconds, so he kept close to the girl and prayed that she'd be able to help him find his way back once she'd calmed down.
Once they'd gone a couple minutes without hearing her roommate's voice, she stopped.
Breathing heavily, Touma came to a stop behind her. "What was that about?"
"Sssh!"
Her eyes narrowed as she focused her attention on listening, and Touma shut up, waiting for her to relax.
After about 30 seconds, Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I think we lost her."
"And why were you running from Shirai?" Touma tried again, sitting on the nearest bench, still trying to catch his breath.
She grimaced. "Kuroko followed me here on her own. If she knew why I was here…" She shuddered.
"You meeting someone?" Touma asked reflexively, a sudden unpleasant knot forming in his chest at the idea.
Her eyes narrowed sharply, sparks shooting off around her bangs.
He raised his arms in surrender. "Not meeting anyone!" He quickly amended with a sense of relief. "But if that's not it, then… let me guess: a Gekota thing?"
She turned her eyes away, a dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Mmm, yeah."
"Is it really so bad for Shirai to know about that?" He asked. Shirai must know all about Mikoto's Gekota obsession, and as her roommate, wouldn't she see any collectible she brought home anyways?
Mikoto huffed. "She's always going on about it being immature or whatever. It's distracting. What's the harm? I don't need her on my back judging me while I play."
"So it's a game prize you're after?"
"Yeah. It should be nearby…" She paused, a thought occurring to her. "Wait, what are you doing here?!"
He sighed. "You're asking me that after dragging me halfway around the park?!"
"If Kuroko had run into you, she would've assumed we're on a d–!"
She froze, her face going beat red.
"On a…?" Touma pressed.
"S-shut up! It doesn't matter!" She turned away from him, a few sparks shooting off of her.
He shrugged, deciding to drop it before she sparked any more. "Index dragged me here. She found some advertisements for the food stalls and decided she had to try it." He grimaced. "Completely ignoring me when I told her how high the prices were… aaah, we're gonna be living off of cup noodles for weeks–!"
"You're here with that silver sister?" Mikoto said. "I didn't notice her back at the food venue…"
"She ran off." Touma explained.
She raised her eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be looking for her?"
"Index will be fine." In a rare instance of foresight, Touma had told Index before arriving that if they got separated, she should stay in the food area and enjoy herself, and he'd come find her when he could. "She'll keep herself busy for at least a couple hours."
Mikoto went quiet for a moment. "... so you're free right now?"
"I guess so…" He raised his eyebrows at her.
Mikoto fiddled with her fingers a little, suddenly looking meek. In a quiet voice, she asked "Wanna come with me, then?"
He froze.
The two of them hung out all the time. But there was always an excuse. She was tutoring him. There was an incident going on. She couldn't get back to her dorm. Whatever the reason, there always was one.
It was their excuse. Because neither have worked up the nerve to call it something else. Not yet.
"You want me to?" He asked with an anxious flutter of excitement.
"Why would I ask if I didn't?!" She growled, red in the face and partially looking away.
He grinned. "All right." He answered her. "I'll stick with you."
That meek energy of hers vanished in an instant, and she shot to her feet. "Okay!" She declared. "Let's go win that Gekota!"
Her enthusiasm renewed, Mikoto grabbed his hand, pulled him to his feet, and started marching into the crowd.
She kept hold of his hand as they walked. Or was he keeping a hold of hers? Either way, he did his best not to draw attention to it and simply enjoyed the feeling.
They were, in fact, quite close to where the Gekota game stall was located. The prize looked like a typical Gekota plushie to Touma, and he very nearly told her as much, but one look at the stars in her eyes and the words died in his throat. Clearly she did not have this one.
The game itself was the type where you threw darts at a board and tried to pop the balloons. The attendant recoiled a little when she saw the intensity on Mikoto's face. She handed over the darts and quickly retreated as far as the booth would allow, smiling nervously.
"You gonna give this a try?" Mikoto asked, lining up her first shot.
"Worried you're gonna miss, Mikoto? Looking for some insurance?" He teased. "Well, I guess it's pretty typical for a guy to win a prize for the girl in this scenario."
She flushed. "What scenario?!" She demanded, feigning ignorance. "And in what world would you be able to hit a target that I can't?!"
"One where you're distracted by outside interference." He grinned, putting a hand on her head and negating the sparks that had started to form.
She flushed. "I could beat any attempt you make even with a distraction." She shot back in challenge.
"Oh? Challenge accepted. I'll bet you can't hit that target all 3 times with my hand on your head."
"And what are we betting?"
"Hmmm…." He thought about it for a moment. "Winner gets to pick a ride for us to go on."
She smirked. "Deal."
Touma had spouted off confidently, certain that the effect of having his hand on her head would throw her off her game, but he'd forgotten what was at stake. With the Gekota prize in sight, Mikoto's eyes gleamed, and she shot the three darts at the target in rapid succession before he could do anything more to distract her.
Pop. Pop. Pop. In an instant, all 3 balloons on the target bit the dust.
"Got it!" She jumped.
Touma removed his hand, putting it behind his head sheepishly. "Should've expected that with Gekota on the line." He admitted begrudgingly.
The attendant came out of her safe spot, looking relieved as she handed the Gekota plushie to a beaming Mikoto. Touma couldn't help but smile as he watched her spin with her prize in hand.
After a moment, Mikoto caught him watching her. Mildly embarrassed, she said "You're looking pretty cheerful for someone who just lost a bet."
He looked away nervously, trying to shake the especially cute image out of his head so he could jump-start his brain again. "So where are we headed, Mikoto-san?" He diverted.
She thought about it for a moment. "How do you feel about spinning rides?"
"Wouldn't know, can't remember ever trying one." He admitted.
"Ah right, the amnesia. Guess you haven't been to a park like this since it happened, huh?"
He shrugged. "There hasn't been a lot of free time." And he was poor. But he figured that would fly over this rich girl's head.
"Well then," She turned, pointing toward a circular ride in the distance. "Let's go find out how you handle centrifugal force!"
He followed after her cautiously, the shape of the ride looking somehow ominous to him. He mumbled "What's with this sudden foreboding?"
If she heard his trepidation, she chose to ignore it. Mikoto led them toward the ride, jumping into the line with a smile.
The ride itself wasn't especially imposing. Shaped like a wheel, the riders stood in caged cubicles around the edge, and the ride spun them around while moving from a horizontal orientation to a vertical one, then back down. It was a much humbler ride than what he was expecting from this Railgun-shooting girl.
"Surprised you didn't pick one of the big coasters." He told her while they waited.
She leaned against the railing, the line at a temporary standstill. "Honestly, I don't find those things all that exciting. You've seen me use my magnetism to jump between buildings, right? Riding one of those coasters is like a tamer version of that."
"So you desensitized yourself." He smirked. "Just how often do you go flying between buildings like that?"
"Mmm…" She thought for a minute. "At least a few times a week. It's way more convenient when I'm in a rush."
"Guess it would be." Touma sighed, thinking of the many times he'd been late showing up somewhere. "Your power's pretty convenient, you know."
"You think?" Mikoto tilted her head at him.
"If I could switch my power with someone else's for a day, I'd probably pick yours." He told her.
"You have the entire roster of Academy City to pick from, and you'd go with something as common as electromaster?" She raised her eyebrows. "If getting somewhere quickly is your goal, you should go with something like teleportation instead."
"But then I wouldn't be able to do things like finding my house key with magnetism, or fixing the tv when it shorts out, or hacking into my bank account when my money card gets crushed."
She gave him an odd look. "Does that sort of thing happen a lot?"
He grimaced. "At least a few times a week."
She brought a hand to her mouth, obviously trying to suppress a laugh, but she didn't quite manage to hold it back.
Touma frowned. "Sure, it's funny when it's someone else, but you should try living with the kind of luck I have!"
"Sorry, sorry." She waved her hand, a few giggles still seeping through. "Guess that explains why you're always rewriting your notes."
"The last ones met their end at Sphinx's paws. It was a massacre."
She didn't even try to suppress her laugh at that one.
The line started moving again, and Mikoto pushed herself off the railing to follow the people ahead into the platform area of the ride. Touma waited for her to set her bag and her Gekota down near the edge, then followed her into the caged cubicle she picked.
He stood in the space nervously, holding onto the bars in front of him and glancing sideways at Mikoto. "So…" He started. "Where are the straps?"
"There are none."
"Eh?"
"Oh and make sure the door to your left there is closed. It's the only thing caging us in."
"Eh?!"
The ride operators called the all-clear, and before Touma could even begin to process the information he'd just been given, the ride started moving.
The force of the spin pressed him against the back of the cage- a bit of a relief, because he was worried it would send him flying sideways into Mikoto without any straps. But any relief he felt from that melted away when he realized the lock on the door to his left was not, in fact, working.
His hold on the bars in front of him tightened to a death grip. "Mikoto, the lock…" He tried warning her.
"Aaahh…" She smiled nervously at the swinging gate. "I'd hold the door with magnetism, but your hand…"
He glanced down. His hand was directly in the way of Mikoto and the door. If she tried to establish a magnetic connection from where she was standing, he would cancel it out.
And he couldn't move his hand– because that would involve letting go of the bars.
"Just my luuuuuuuuuuck!"
Thankfully, the unhinged door did not end up being a problem, but those two intense minutes of fear had Touma reeling, and when he finally got off the ride (the operators apologized profusely for the malfunction), he had to sit down.
Mikoto joined him a minute later after retrieving her things. She approached him slowly, her Gekota plushie in her arms.
"Are you… pffffffft- are you okay?"
He narrowed his eyes at the girl "Mikoto, did I just hear a 'pfffft'?"
His disgruntled pout was enough to send her over the edge, and Mikoto burst out laughing. "It's just…. The look on your face…!"
Touma watched her laugh for a minute, trying to maintain his righteous indignation, but it was infectious and pretty quickly he was laughing along with her.
It took them several minutes to calm down. At some point, Mikoto had taken the seat next to him on the bench, trying desperately to breathe through the laughter.
Once she'd recovered enough to talk, she wiped a couple tears and said "I've gone on that ride… over a hundred times… and nothing like that has ever happened–!"
"That door was doomed the moment I opened it." He told her, feeling a little bad for the ride operators, who'd shut down the ride for the moment and were inspecting the door that didn't lock, looking perplexed.
"It's never dull around you, huh?" She said with a smile.
Something warm fluttered in his chest, and a heat that was becoming familiar began creeping up his neck. "Is that good or bad?"
"Depends on the day."
"And today it's…?" He pressed, not entirely sure why he wanted to know.
She stood up, turning to stand in front of him and offering her hand. "Too early to say. How about trying a few more rides to find out? I'll even let you pick the next one."
He took her hand. "You're on."
Thankfully, there were no more mishaps with the rides after that. Touma picked a coaster to go on, one that was built low to the ground and weaved in and out of tunnels that shot riders forward at intense speeds. Despite Mikoto's insistence of being desensitized, it had gotten a squeak out of her on that initial takeoff, which he'd happily teased her about. In retaliation, she picked another spinning coaster for them to go on. Touma had been brimming with anxiety while they waited in the line for that one, but once they got on the ride, he realized this one did strap the passengers in. The teasing smirk Mikoto shot his way was enough to let him know that she'd kept that information to herself on purpose.
It was incredibly fun. They bantered naturally between the rides, joking and laughing and talking about anything that came to mind. That something between them that had yet to be named hummed like an electric current, pulling him in and keeping him captivated. It wasn't so crowded that they were forced to stand close to each other, but Touma found he was keeping her within arm's reach- close enough to reach out and hold her hand, at least. And by the way she returned his grip the many times he gave into the impulse, he was pretty sure she didn't mind.
They wandered around aimlessly for a little while, but at some point they walked near a food vendor and when the smell reached them, they both paused.
"Break for food?" Mikoto suggested.
"Please." He answered.
The vendor they stopped at was a small place with little more than hotdogs, fries, and drinks, but being an amusement park vendor, the prices were at least three times higher than outside the park. He grimaced as he forked over the cash, grateful that he'd kept just enough to get himself some food… but it wasn't enough to get a drink with it.
Mikoto watched his expression sour at the price tags, and again saw the way his face dropped as he declined the drink option. Was he really so poor that he couldn't afford something as small as this? There were support systems for financially struggling students–
Ah. Index, she realized. That silver sister was hiding out in the city. She wasn't a student, and Touma wouldn't be able to claim her as a dependent. If he had financial support from the city, then it was probably designed for one person, not for two.
She considered buying a drink for him, but she wasn't sure he would accept it. Besides, if she took the plunge and paid for him, then she would lose the very thin thread of denial that was helping her maintain her composure.
It's just hanging out. It's a casual hangout with a good friend. A good friend I happen to have feelings for… who happens to like holding hands–
She shook her head, forcefully shoving the thought down. There were too many sensitive electronics around for her to risk following that line of thought to the end.
She paid for her own food, then joined Touma at a nearby table he'd picked, pulling out her phone as she sat down.
"Ahhh." She groaned, seeing the number of unread messages. "Looks like Kuroko hasn't given up yet."
"Shirai is still here?" Touma raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I figured she would've found us by now if she was."
Mikoto scrolled through the messages. "She must've gone back to finish her judgment work… She brought Uiharu with her this time too. Geez, that girl…"
"Shirai is a pretty clingy roommate, huh?" Touma sighed. "Index is like that sometimes too. She always gets mad when she doesn't know what I'm up to."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow at him. "That's probably because she's assuming you're getting into trouble."
"Well… I guess."
"And she's usually right."
"It doesn't warrant getting bitten!" He complained. "She's like a puppy. Or a bird. Half the time I don't even know why she's biting me."
Mikoto had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, being able to pretty clearly imagine what all these 'mystery' punishments had been for. "At least yours isn't a pervert." She grumbled. "Kuroko is a pretty reliable friend and all, but her deviant side is something else. I can't even predict it. Most days she's fine, but every now and then she tries to sneak into my bed, or teleports into the bathroom while I'm taking a shower, or goes through my underwear while I'm not looking…" She grimaced.
Touma blanched. This was his first time hearing the details of Kuroko's perverted behavior. "You haven't told her to stop?" He said. "That girl worships you. I can't imagine her ignoring you if you seriously sat her down and told her to cut it out."
Mikoto shrugged. "I give her heck when she goes overboard, but it's mostly harmless, even if it's annoying. It'll run its course and die down eventually. And if it doesn't, then I guess I'll have to talk to her… but for now I figure it's better for her in the long run if she gets it out of her system early."
"I suppose…" Touma conceded. He figured it wasn't really his place to butt in. If Mikoto felt tolerating it was for the best, then he would trust her on that. But… well… something about the idea of another person having perverted thoughts about this girl really didn't sit right with him.
No, he thought. It didn't just not sit right with him.
It bothered him a lot.
Forcing down the odd little knot of anger, a thought came to him, and he said "I wonder how Shirai would react if she met your sisters."
Mikoto scowled. "I don't even want to imagine it. My sisters don't have a high enough level to shock her off of them if they need to."
"Well if she ever does meet them, hopefully you'll be there to look out for them." Touma said.
She huffed. "The concern is if I'm not there. Obviously I'll look out for them if I am."
"If you're not, then I'll look out for them for you." He said.
She twitched, caught between being touched by the promise and being annoyed at the idea of him and her sisters together. "Of course you will." She mumbled.
Touma raised his eyebrows, but he couldn't answer, because he'd just tried to swallow his food a bit too fast and was now stuck in a coughing fit, lamenting his lack of a drink.
Mikoto watched him choke for a second. "Geez." She grumbled. "You know, I would've gotten you a drink if you'd asked." She offered him her half-finished pop, blushing and a little bit glad that an excuse to give him something had popped up. "Here, you can have the rest of this. I'm done with it."
He took the drink gratefully, taking a few sips to help recover and trying not to think too hard about the fact that Mikoto had been using the same straw seconds ago. "I wouldn't ask you to spend money on me." He told her.
"You complain about how poor you are all the time, but you won't ask your rich friend to help out a bit by buying you a drink?" She clarified.
He shrugged, admitting "It just feels wrong."
She sighed. "You have a real problem when it comes to asking people for things, don't you?"
"Umm…" He wanted to deny it, but no good comeback came to mind.
"I'll have to remember that. Next time, I'm buying you a drink. No complaints."
His heart thumped oddly in his chest. "Next time, huh…?" He smiled slightly.
She said nothing, keeping her eyes trained on something off to the side, but he could still see the smile tugging at her lips.
Next time.
Just as they finished up their meal, a voice echoed through a loudspeaker from a nearby field.
"Come one, come all! The weekly folk dance challenge is about to begin! Grab a partner and join the group! Everyone is welcome!"
He turned to Mikoto. "Folk dance challenge?" He asked.
"Yeah, they do it every week. It's kind of like a competition. You compete with a partner and try to survive the whole thing."
"What do you mean 'survive'?" He pressed.
She smirked. "Wanna give it a try and find out?"
His face started to heat up. "You mean… compete together?"
"Obviously." She said, standing up and taking hold of his hand, looking away from him. "Come on, it'll be fun!"
Touma was skeptical, but he offered no resistance as she started pulling him in the direction of the gathering group. "If you say so."
As far as he could remember, he'd never taken part in a dance competition like this before, but the rules were easy enough to follow: You start the circuit with your partner, then you switch partners every second count of eight for the first ten counts. Then you spend the next four counts of eight trying to get back to your partner. This all has to be done while following the moves of the dance. Anyone who doesn't make it back to their partner by the beginning of the next circuit is disqualified.
The first five minutes were instructions on the dance itself, then they ran two practice runs. Confident that the players who'd stayed on we're ready, everyone got into their starting positions.
"The first few circuits are always the worst." Mikoto was telling him. "There's so many people that it's easy to get lost, so make sure you don't get too far."
"Just how many people are in this?" He glanced around anxiously. They were surrounded by a sea of competitors.
"Over a hundred?" She guessed. "That'll go down by at least half by the third circuit."
He began to sweat nervously. "You sure we'll do okay?"
"You're not?" She shot back, taking his hands as the warning signal for the music sounded. "If there's one thing we're good at, it's bumping into each other."
He laughed. Couldn't argue with that one.
The music started, and the game began.
Step in, step out, switch spots, spin. The steps were simple, but the beat of the song was fast, so Touma had to focus to make sure he didn't mess up.
"I'm going left." Mikoto warned just before the partner switch.
"Got it."
He let go of her, and swapped to the next nearest person.
Touma had been worried that he would lose her right away, and many of the other competitors were looking around frantically, clearly having lost sight of their partners. But though she weaved in and out of his line of sight, he realized that he was pretty accurately guessing where she was going to end up.
Two more partners, and people started trying to move their way back to where they were. Touma could admit it was a good strategy: if you can't find your partner at a glance, then go back and meet up where you started. But though he couldn't see her, he was sure she was-
"There you are."
He picked her right out of the crowd, pulling her toward him just as the circuit ended.
She grinned. "See? We got this."
He grinned back at her. Reservations aside, he was starting to get pretty into this.
The second circuit went very similarly. He kept track of her just enough to predict where she would be by the end of the circuit and was able to find her. In the third circuit, he nearly lost her, but she managed to catch him before he went off in the wrong direction.
"We're down more than half." Mikoto said as the fourth circuit began. "This is where things get tricky."
"Because people are gonna start trying to lead the competition away from their partners?" He guessed.
"Exactly. Don't let them trip you up."
"Right, right."
No sooner had he said that, the partner switch happened, and Touma was immediately distracted when he recognized the person in front of him.
"Index?!"
"Touma!" She cried, taking his hands automatically and continuing the steps of the dance. "Why didn't you come back to the food stalls?! And what's short-hair doing here?!"
Crap. He'd lost track of time and forgotten to meet up with her. "Sorry, I just–" With the second eight count coming to a close, he cut himself off and said "Look, I'll explain later!"
"Touma!" She protested, but the count ended and they were forced to switch partners, moving in opposite directions.
He realized immediately that he'd lost track of Mikoto. He started to panic, but he forced himself to calm down. If he couldn't find her, he would have to trust that she would find him.
Sure enough, she appeared out of the crowd to rejoin him at the end of the circuit. "How'd you end up over here?!" She demanded.
"Sorry, Index is in the crowd. She surprised me." He explained.
"She's competing?" She exclaimed. "With who?"
That was a good question. "No idea."
"Well, worry about it later. Going right."
And she was gone again.
Mikoto wasn't having any issues keeping track of Touma. The idiot moved so predictably that she could find him in her sleep. Not especially worried about losing him, she instead focused on driving her competitors away from their partners.
Until she reached the third partner, and recognized the person in front of her.
"Kuroko?!"
A wide smile split across the girl's face as the dance permitted her to take her onee-sama's hands. "Onee-sama! Aah, to think we would be reunited in the middle of this folk dance–" Her expression froze. "Wait a second, if you're competing, who are you partnered–?"
"Ah, it's the end of the count! Don't lose your partner, Kuroko!" Mikoto let go of her roommate's hands in a rush, sidestepping around a different pair of dancers to head back to Touma.
"Onee-sama!"
When she found Touma again, she was grimacing.
He raised his eyebrows at her. "What is it?"
"Kuroko's out here."
He tensed. The last time that girl had seen him dancing with Mikoto, he'd gotten dropkicked. He silently prayed that he wouldn't run into her.
So naturally, that's exactly what happened in the next circuit.
"Gegh!" He grimaced, almost pausing as he saw who his partner was.
Her eyes widened. "You–!" She glared. "Don't tell me you're the one onee-sama is partnered with!"
"It's a competition, Shirai, not a ballroom dance!" He tried placating her. Never mind the fact that he was greatly enjoying the excuse to dance with Mikoto– enough so that if this girl caught wind of his thoughts, she would knock him out in a heartbeat.
"It's a partnered folk-dance!" She retorted.
"And who's your partner?"
"That's–!"
"-The end of the count." He breathed a sigh of relief, immediately putting as much distance between himself and Shirai as he could.
In a different part of the field, Mikoto met with the person she could only assume Kuroko was partnered with. "Ah, Uiharu."
"Misaka-san?!" She squeaked in alarm.
"Did Kuroko drag you into this?" Mikoto asked her.
"Mmm." She admitted nervously. "She said it would be a good workout, and it sets a good example… Misaka-san, who…?"
"Time to switch. I'll catch you later, okay?"
Uiharu vanished into the crowd, and Mikoto switched her attention to meeting back up with her partner.
She found Touma pretty quickly, grabbing onto him before he could start moving away.
"I found Kuroko's partner." She told him.
"And I found Shirai." He answered.
"She didn't drop-kick you? That's an improvement."
"Not drop-kicking me should be a given!" He complained.
"Don't worry, you're probably safe." She reassured him half-heartedly. "There's only three circuits left anyways."
He did not find that reassuring.
The circuit started again, and the two headed in different directions. Catching sight of a flash of silver, Mikoto reached out and nabbed the sister as a partner.
"Eh?" Index's eyes widened. "Short-hair?! You're partnered with Touma, aren't you?!"
"That's right."
"How?! Why?!"
"It's just for fun." Mikoto answered her, trying to keep her expression neutral. "Who the heck are you partnered with?"
Index answered "A friend. But–"
The count ended, and Mikoto let go. "Catch you later, Silver sister!"
Mikoto turned to her next partner, and grimaced. It was Kuroko again. And this time, her roommate had a sly grin on her face.
"Not a word, Kuroko." Mikoto warned her.
"Onee-sama, this is no time to get distracted, wouldn't you agree?"
Mikoto's eyes narrowed, then she realized that her roommate was leading her away from Touma. "Kuroko…!" She growled.
She smiled innocently. "I hope you find your partner again, onee-sama!"
For a moment, she was worried. There were still enough people in the crowd of competitors to block her sight, and she wasn't sure where Touma was anymore. But she didn't have to worry for long. Before she could move too far, he found her.
"Close call." He panted.
She explained. "Kuroko was trying to lead me away."
"Well, it is a competition." He said, his competitive spirit sparking. "And if Shirai wants to play it like that, we can take her on."
A devious grin split across her face. She glanced to the side, spotting Kuroko and Uiharu not too far away. "I'll focus on keeping track of you. You just focus on leading Uiharu away. Looks like Kuroko is gonna split off in my direction again."
"Got it."
Touma followed her directions, locking onto the girl with flowers in her hair and moving toward her, noting wryly that Shirai did indeed start moving toward Mikoto the moment the opportunity arose.
On the second partner switch, he reached her.
"Huh?" The girl blinked up at him. "You're Kamijou-san, right? Misaka-san's friend?"
"Yep." He confirmed, glad that the girl had gotten distracted enough to let him move them in the direction he was aiming for. "Uiharu-san, right? I'm guessing you're with Shirai."
"Yeah, that's… uhm, Kamijou-san, are you Misaka-san's partner?" She asked shyly.
"I am." He admitted. "Sorry about this."
"Huh?"
The count ended, and Touma darted back, grabbing a partner that took him in the opposite direction and leaving Uiharu to a partner that kept her moving in the direction she was going. He shot her an apologetic grin as understanding flashed across her face.
The count ended again, and everyone made the mad dash to find their partners. Within seconds, Mikoto was back in front of him, but on the other side of the field he could hear a voice call out:
"Uiharu! Where are you?!"
"Shirai-san! Over he–!"
The circuit ended, and one of the refs could be seen shooing a dumbfounded judgment officer off the field.
They grinned at each other triumphantly.
"One left." Mikoto said. "Last chance to knock someone out. Wanna go for it or play it safe?"
He thought about it for a second. "Do what you want." He decided. "I'll find you."
"Don't get distracted on the last round." She warned him.
"Trust me." He promised her. "I'm not gonna lose you."
She blushed, caught off guard by the sudden sincerity, but the swiftly approaching end of the count didn't give her a moment to think about it.
Mikoto split off. Her first thought was to find Index again and lead her away, but she knew that girl was exceptionally smart and doubted she would fall for it.
"Huh? Railgun?"
Mikoto stared at her new partner. She recognized this girl, although she'd never been formally introduced. "Ah, you're one of Touma's… friends, right?" She grimaced.
This was the girl whose chest Touma had gotten a face-full of when a group of guys had launched a soccer ball at his head out of nowhere. She remembered it vividly, because it was one of the most absurd things she'd ever casually walked in on.
"Uh, Yes! Itsuwa of the Amakusa Church!" She introduced herself.
"I'm guessing you're with the silver sister?" Mikoto said.
"That's right… wait, where are we–?!"
Mikoto grinned cheekily as she moved away from the girl to her next partner. "Good luck, Itsuwa-san!" She waved.
"Eeeehh?!"
She couldn't see Touma, and for a minute anxiety gripped her. Had he gotten lost after all? There was only a few seconds left to find him–
Two warm hands settled on her waist with only a few breaths to spare.
"Gotcha." He said.
The song ended, and the whistle blew, announcing the game's conclusion.
"YES!"
Mikoto practically jumped, and Touma let go of her, smiling as he watched her let out her excitement. She turned to him with a raised hand, and he met it in a high-five.
"Geez." An exasperated voice reached their ears, and the two turned to see Shirai Kuroko approaching with a blunt, defeated look, Uiharu following nervously behind. "How were you able to sabotage us and keep track of each other at the same time?"
Touma took a seat on the ground, panting a little as the intensity of the workout caught up to him. Thoughtlessly, he said "At this point, it would be ridiculous if I didn't know how Mikoto moves."
Mikoto blushed a little as she sat on the grass next to him.
"Wh–!" Shirai clenched her teeth, looking appalled. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?!"
Touma sweat-dropped, inching away from the girl that was looking like she might dropkick him again.
Before the teleporting esper could make her move, Touma was tackled from behind by a different type of threat.
"Touma!" An angry Index wrapped her arms around his neck, choking him a little. "Short-hair sabotaged us!"
"Index–! Can't… breathe–!"
She loosened her hold on him, and he gasped a couple times. Once he could speak properly again, he told her "Sabotage was part of the game, Mikoto was playing by the rules."
"It was?!"
"Of course it was!" Mikoto interjected. "Don't tell me you got to the final round without sabotaging anyone."
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips and standing up straight. "I was playing fair!"
Touma rolled his eyes, but dropped the annoyance when he saw who she was partnered with, the girl standing a few feet behind Index. "Yo, Itsuwa. What are you doing here?"
"Mm, it's a bit of a long story, actually…" She trailed off, glancing nervously at the espers.
Touma sighed, slumping onto the ground. "Guess the relaxation couldn't last forever, huh?" He grumbled.
He felt something poking at his side, and he looked over dejectedly, seeing Mikoto nudging at him with her foot. "You'll have time to worry about it later." She told him. "Come with me, I want my prize."
"Right." He remembered, pushing himself to his feet. Turning to Index and Itsuwa, he said "Can you two wait here? I'll be back in a minute."
Index agreed, still looking a little disgruntled.
Mikoto turned to her two friends. "Do you guys mind waiting for me at the entrance?" She asked them.
Kuroko narrowed her eyes suspiciously, looking like she was about to insist on following them, but Uiharu grabbed her by the collar and said with a smile. "Of course! We'll see you in a few minutes, Misaka-san."
Mikoto smiled. "Thanks, Uiharu."
Touma followed Mikoto up to the event organizers. The two of them were one of eight pairs that had survived the challenge to the end, so there was a bit of a line to collect the prize.
As one would expect of a challenge with 16 winners, the prize wasn't anything especially exciting: just a handful of meal vouchers for some of the nicer restaurants in the district. A total of 10 per contestant.
Touma took the vouchers with a wry smile, wondering if he'd get the chance to use any of them for himself.
"Here."
He turned to Mikoto, blinking in confusion at the slips of paper she was offering him. "... eh? You're giving them to me?"
She kept her eyes to the side, her cheeks flushed a little. "It's not like I need them. And you're just gonna use yours for the silver sister, right?"
"Probably." He admitted. Reaching for the papers she was offering. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
She went quiet for a minute as he tucked the vouchers away as safely as he could manage. The crowd began to thin around them, and soon the two were basically alone next to the music speakers.
"So," She started, her voice low. "You about to get wrapped up in something again?"
Touma hesitated.
Itsuwa had looked on edge, despite the dance, and the very fact that she was here indicated something big. The Amakusa were stationed in Britain, after all, so if they were here, then something was going down soon. He knew he was about to get wrapped up in a crisis.
But did he want to tell Mikoto that? He was torn. Mikoto was a powerful ally, and she knew the basics of the magic side… but he still hated the idea of putting her in danger.
Mikoto watched his expression freeze, and gave a long sigh. "I'll take that as a yes." She said.
"Mikoto–"
"I don't have to worry about it? I don't need to get involved?" She guessed what he was about to say, her tone sharp. She put a hand on her waist, and faced him head-on. "Let me put this another way then: Do you need help?"
He'd been putting together something to say to her, but that very simple question and the earnest look she delivered it with sent those words flying out the window.
Touma sighed. "I don't know. If Itsuwa's here, then it's most likely serious, but the church she's with- the Amakusa- they're pretty strong, so… I'll probably be okay."
He knew it wasn't very convincing. He wasn't even convincing himself. He was already sweating from the look that frog doctor was going to give him when he got checked into his hospital room again.
"Probably?" She raised her eyebrows.
He grimaced.
"... Fine. You're getting some support, at least." She lifted a finger, poking him lightly in the chest. "But if you think, even for a second, at any point, anything like 'we could really use some backup', then call me. Okay?"
"Promise."
"And if I don't hear from you," She continued, her voice suddenly threatening. "And then I find you beat up in a hospital bed, you'll have hell to pay, you hear?"
He gulped. "I got it! I'll call you if I need help!"
"Good."
He smiled as he watched her adjust her bag, pulling the strap over her shoulder and getting ready to head out.
"Thanks." He told her. "For… hanging out today. That was the most fun I've had in a while."
Hanging out. He hesitated in saying it, and they could both sense the other word hanging in the air, even as it remained unsaid.
She looked away, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Mm. Good. I…" Her voice got quieter. "I… had fun too."
Touma considered her for a moment.
"Are you busy next weekend?"
Her eyes shot up, cheeks darkening by about 5 shades. "I-I don't think so…"
He looked away for a second. "Want to hang out again?"
The words came out casually enough, but his heart was pounding and anxiety fluttered in his stomach. He was barely toeing the line, and he knew it. But if she could work up the nerve to ask him to spend the afternoon with her, then he could do this, right?
"Doing what, exactly?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. Anything. Nothing."
She laughed a little. With a hand on her hip, Mikoto said sarcastically "You're really selling it, huh?"
He put his hands behind his head. "Don't tell me you come to places like this every weekend."
"Of course I don't!"
He glanced at her, feeling a spark of trepidation at how rushed that answer was. "... is that so?"
She huffed. "What exactly do you think I do on my time off?"
He tilted his head at her. "You really wanna know?"
"No I don't." She answered him quickly with her palm raised in a clear 'stop' gesture.
He grinned at her, and she sighed.
"All right." Mikoto said. "Let's hang out next weekend."
"Great." He couldn't explain the intensity of the sudden wave of relief and excitement that came over him. When had it gotten so warm out here? "I'll text you later, okay?"
"Okay." She turned away, lifting a hand in parting as she took off in the direction of the park entrance. "Don't do anything crazy!"
"I'll try!"
He was still smiling long after losing sight of her.
Touma shook his head roughly, and took a deep, calming breath. It was time to switch gears.
"All right." He said as he met back up with Index and the nervous sorceress. "What's going on?"
Itsuwa met his gaze with a grim look. The words that followed were about what he'd been expecting:
"The Amakusa Church would like to officially request your help in apprehending an escaped criminal."
[Author Notes]
Fun fact: I finished this chapter first. Even before completing the first chapter. It was the laid-back concept I was the most excited about so I went ahead and wrote it out. I did have to make some adjustments so it better followed the flow of the narrative, but it was nice to have so much ready ahead of time.
Why yes. I did start writing all these chapters at the same time. I have parts written for every chapter except two.
On that note, I don't think I've mentioned- this fanfic has a planned 10 chapters. Which means that once I reach the end of 5, we're officially halfway there.
If anyone is interested, I wrote that entire folk dance scene while listening to 'Hostess of Fertility' from Danmachi's OST on loop. The beat doesn't match it perfectly but it's the sort of music I imagined would be playing during that scene. I've always loved the idea of turning a dance scene into a dance contest, so this was a blast to write.
Next time will be a direct continuation. Get ready for the second conflict chapter in 'Manhunt'! Maybe don't expect it too quickly though, I'm predicting it'll take at least another week. Potentially. Probably.