Chapter 20 - Nobody is an Observer
This was a hellish battlefield, where only the best would remain. On one side was Kamijou Touma, with his calm and relaxed posture and a smile on his face. On the other, a Mugino Shizuri was unsure and hesitant. The two exchanged a determined look, neither of them would give in. That was a deadly battle between those two after all.
"Time to use my trump card" Shizuri said, her hands slightly shaking, as if that rectangular object in her hand weighed a lot more than it looked. The girl's hand that was up until now, came down with an excessive amount of anger. "Let's see how you do against that"
"Another attempt at a direct attack? Pathetic" Touma said this in a smug tone, lazily raising his right hand. "I expected that already. You are too predictable Mugino Shizuri, that's why you will never be able to defeat me"
The girl's eyes widened when her opponent's movement was finished. She couldn't believe it for a moment. That direct attack had all the power available in her arsenal, but Kamijou Touma was undeterred. All that damage coming his way was negated in a single move.
"What? That's ridiculous" Meltdowner was annoyed to see her supreme attack fail miserably "The rules don't allow that move, you're cheating"
Angrily, Shizuri reached out her hand and grabbed the thing responsible for nullifying what she thought was a perfect attack. That duel to the death was coming to an end, and the girl never had a chance.
"Are you forgetting that we are using the old rules?" Touma asked, unmoved by the girl's anger. Also extending his hand, the boy took his card back from Shizuri's hand. "This card can be used quickly if it's on the battlefield or in my hand as long as I have a specific type of monster on the field. I don't need to cheat to beat someone with such a mediocre deck."
The duel between the two in that hospital room was indeed to the death, but that didn't mean they were exchanging physical blows. Touma and Shizuri were playing 'Witch & Psychic: Clash Of Two Worlds', the revised version of a card game famous in over 49 countries. However, that battlefield was so one-sided that soon Shizuri would rather they had been punching each other.
"It's my turn now," announced the boy, choosing one of the cards in his left hand and raising it over his head. The board resting between the two of them on the bed trembled as that card entered the field.
"It's not possible!" Level 5 held her head back to try to control herself as she saw what the boy had done "That's... another dragon? How many dragons do you have in this Deck anyway? In the other matches you had only summoned one, but now I find out you have at least 8. You bastard, were you holding back all this time?"
"That's my secret, Shizuri-chan" He crossed his arms and looked her right in those brown eyes "I'm always holding back"
It was a massacre. Meltdowner had taken the trouble to learn the complex rules of that card game and buy a Deck of rare cards to stand a chance against that invincible monster in front of her, but the version they were playing gave an overwhelming advantage to someone with so many powerful monsters at his disposal. But that was only one of the problems.
"Did you really think you could defeat me with a deck built solely on direct damage? My supreme defense is the perfect counter to that. Your arrogance was your ruin, Meltdowner" Touma announced his victory while taking his cards back, making Shizuri even more angry.
"My arrogance is? You fucking hypocrite. Who's the more arrogant between me and you?" An accusing finger from Shizuri was pointed at that instant.
"I'm just demonstrating my superiority. It doesn't count as arrogance if I just destroy you everytime. It's just the truth"
"Superiority? You're talking about your cards, aren't you? Even a child could beat me with such a broken deck." The tea-colored girl hit the nail right where it hurt now.
"Don't complain. You have to take the luck factor into account here too," The boy argued calmly, shuffling his deck of cards "Since my bad luck will always cause me to draw the worst card in every situation, the only way to go against that is to make sure that every single one of my cards is broken as fuck."
"I don't want to hear your excuses. You just admitted that you are nothing without your dragons."
"Ohoo... you think so, are you?" He cracked a giant smile on his face "Well just so you know, this isn't even my most powerful deck. I just think dragons are cool, which is why I chose this as my favorite archetype. Be happy that you don't have to go against the legendary deck made only with very rare cards that I usually call 'Demon Zoo'.
"How the hell do you have so many rare cards? Those things cost a fortune these days"
"The creator of the game is an acquaintance of mine. When the Mystic Monsters expansion was released I got all new cards and some old rare ones as a birthday present." Touma said this casually, putting another smug smile on his face. "Some rules were revised and many cards were banned and stopped being printed, so I try to avoid using them to not make the game so easy."
"So you're still holding back . It doesn't matter. I'm a beginner at this, but I have confidence in my abilities. If I dedicate myself to this game, I'm sure I can beat anyone."
"If that's the case, then how about one more match?"
"Nah... that's enough for today. I'm tired of being fucked by dragons."
With unnecessary violence, Shizuri grabbed the board between them and threw it into the corner of the room. The spiky-haired boy looked at the poor victim of Level 5's anger and sighed. He took the opportunity to put his deck of cards away on the nightstand while making a disapproving gesture to the unsatisfied girl.
"Time to change our game" She said.
Shizuri changed her sulky face instantly into a smirk. The girl brought her right hand to the boy's chest and pushed him away, making him lie down on the bed abruptly. With a move too quick for someone so injured, she lay down beside him, making the boy hold his breath as he felt the softness of that broad chest crashing against his body.
"Shizuri, you shouldn't move so much" Warned the boy with a worried tone, but Shizuri ignored him and smiled mischievously.
"Quiet. I'm full of painkillers, so I don't feel any pain" She began to slide her hand down his chest, trying to get him in the mood.
"That's not the problem and you know it" Touma wanted to speak more, however the girl took her hand off his chest and put two fingers against the boy's lips.
"Touma, what did I say yesterday about relaxing?"
Her voice became soft, very different from the trace of anger she still had. Slowly, she leaned over him as she moistened her lips in an appealing way. The girl's face stopped millimeters from his as her hand came up to stroke that spiky hair.
"You are still very tense. How about letting this Shizuri-chan take care of it?" She asked teasingly and paused, almost brushing her lips against his.
"We've already had this conversation. We're in a hospital room" The boy pulled his face away from hers leaning it toward the door.
"Why are you making it sound like what we are doing is something obscene? I just want a little kiss...no big deal. If someone shows up at the exact right moment because of your luck, so what?"
As she continued stroking the boy's black hair, Shizuri pursued his lips, coming close to brushing hers against his. One thing Touma noticed was that the girl liked to make advances, but she always left room for him to make his own decisions. The last time they had kissed had been in that tunnel two days ago, since then Shizuri was aggressive as always as she teased him but never made the last move . Maybe she was trying to say that the last kiss had been all hers and now she wanted him to kiss her, or she simply respected his opinion and didn't want to force him to do something he supposedly didn't want to do. Or something else entirely
"How about we wait a little longer? You'll soon be able to get out of here" Touma suggested, watching the girl pout, which almost made him move towards her because of that critical hit of cuteness.
"Why are you so mean?" Undoing her pout, Shizuri pushed her face away and then moved forward in another direction. She opened her mouth and aimed at a soft part of the boy's body, wrapping her teeth around that sensitive area.
"Ouch... Shizuri, could you stop biting my ear?" Touma tried to keep his tone low, but the girl with her teeth stuck in his lobe only increased the power of the attack.
"As I said before, this is perfect because it serves as both punishment and reward." She finished speaking and bit the boy even harder this time.
"Is there a button that makes you go back to DereDere mode? Getting bitten doesn't count as a reward. Besides, it's not romantic at all."
"Good, then it will just be punishment for the last two days. As for the romantic side, maybe that will take care of it."
Moving away from his ear, the girl used her hand to make the boy tilt his head a little and then placed her delicate lips against the skin of his neck. Now it was Touma's turn to feel static electricity run through his body as the girl continued to give him little kisses over and over again on his neck. Shizuri was being as gentle as possible, which was in contrast to the violence she was using before. This probably served to increase the sensation he was now feeling.
"I bet you like this, don't you?" She asked between kisses "You're making me lose sleep but I'm still giving you a reward. Dumbass boyfriend"
"Wait, aren't you sleeping well?" He tried to turn away from the girl, but she ignored him and followed, without stopping kissing him in the meantime.
"How do you want me to sleep well? My room is too far away from yours. That frog-faced doctor keeps refusing to let us share a room."
"Maybe because there is only one bed here and bringing another would be a problem because of how the room was built?"
"I'm failing to see the problem here. We just need one bed after all" She smiled at that instant, but the boy had no way of noticing as she kissed his neck non-stop "The beds in this hospital are uncomfortable, but I bet I could sleep just fine if I used you as a body pillow"
Now those were dangerous words to say to a healthy high school boy. Touma liked to think he had self-control, but the truth was that he never trusted it. Most of the time he acted on impulse and emotion, so having a helpless girl sleeping cuddled up to him was something he needed to avoid.
"That's not a bad idea" He said, also smiling.
But needing and wanting were two different things. This phrase of his made the girl stop her romantic attack on that neck immediately. Shizuri's eyes met Touma's when he turned his face sharply in her direction, which made the girl's heart race and her breathing heavy.
"Maybe if you hid under the covers no one would notice" Touma said this as he took the opportunity to caress the girl's face who began to bite her lip hard "Then you could wake me up in the morning with a few kisses on my neck. I can't wait."
"I don't know if you deserve that" Level 5 again brought her face as close to Level 0's as she could. The warm breathing of the two were almost in sync at that moment "I am canceling all your rewards from now on"
"Wow, that's a little cruel" His hand went down a little to her chin "I wonder if there's anything I can do to change this tyrannical decision of my sadistic girlfriend"
"I can't think of anything that could convince me. Cowards don't deserve to be rewarded"
As if she wanted to make the point as clear as possible, Shizuri put a debauched smile on those lips. But she just didn't expect that smile to be wrenched away so abruptly by the boy who had already held back too long. Her lips finally felt what she wanted, and with a much greater intensity than she had expected. Closing her eyes, she intensified the kiss that had already taken her breath away. At that moment she had the feeling that the boy hadn't kissed her for two days so that the effect would be greater. Whether this was his plan or not she would never know, but if it was, the effectiveness was far above average.
"Is that enough? Or do you still think I'm a coward?" He asked, stroking the stunned girl's cheek.
"It doesn't even come close. You're terrible at it. Now shut up, it's my turn."
Still with her head stunned, the girl prepared her next attack by moistening her lips once more. She didn't give her partner time to catch his breath before she took his lips in her own as she embraced him and threw her body over his. At that instant, Touma felt something trying to invade his mouth. Shizuri was intensifying that long kiss as much as she could, so her tongue was asking him permission to feel his, and when that last barrier was out of the way, the girl felt in heaven. Now she was playing a game that she would win, and it drove her completely crazy. The girl was so ecstatic that she could hardly think of pulling away to get some oxygen. Her arm looped around his neck at that moment to keep him from pulling away, it would only end when she wanted it to, since as she said, it was her turn now. When she finally reluctantly pulled away from him, they were both breathing heavily, and that spiky hair was completely messed up as the girl's hands couldn't stay still.
"Well... I hope that changed your mind" Touma said, hugging the girl who had a satisfied expression on her face.
"Change my mind about what?" Shizuri was speaking in an overly sweet tone now.
"You know... about not wanting to reward this idiot Kamijou-san"
"Huh? I don't remember ever saying anything like that. Why would I refuse to pamper my amazing boyfriend? That would be unromantic."
The happiness in the girl's expression was clear as she nestled her head on her boyfriend's chest and breathed peacefully beside him. Shizuri was loving every second she spent with him, even though sometimes she could barely move because of the pain she felt. To be with someone who did not fear her, but respected her, was everything she needed. Being praised by him seemed different from all the others, because she knew he would criticize her if he had to, and even if she didn't like the criticism, the boy wouldn't back down or walk away from her like the others. He was perfect for her, a monster who hates to have to act like a monster, but she convinced herself that it was the right thing to do. The girl was sure that the universe was doing everything to get in the way of this relationship, but she would face any obstacle if this boy would stay by her side.
'That's not enough' she thought, sighing as she hugged him tightly 'Is there anything else I can do? The world we live in is too dangerous even for someone like us. I can't protect him from everything.'
"Touma, do you enjoy being an agent of the dark side? "The girl felt Touma become restless when she asked that cryptic question.
"No" He replied and then took an audible breath. Shizuri couldn't see the serious expression being formed on his face "Honestly, sometimes I feel like I don't belong to any of this"
"Hmm... not quite the answer I expected to hear" She closed her eyes and settled into his chest, hearing his heart beating hard "But it was your choice wasn't it? You've made it clear that you're not in it for the money or anything superficial like that."
"Yes, it was my choice. Shizuri, you must have realized by now that I'm a bit paranoid aren't you?"
"Not so much. What are you getting at by asking me that?"
"Call me crazy if you want, but I feel like my head makes weird connections sometimes. For example, it's as if the gears of this city are trying to pull me away from this dark world."
"Gears?" Level 5 raised her head to look at his face "As some higher-up in this city who doesn't enjoy your adventures on the dark side?"
"Yes. Let's be honest, I'm no good for that world. But that's not the important part here. There must be several agents on the dark side who think the same thing about themselves, but I'm pretty sure no one is acting exactly like me."
"I know what you mean. You are an anomaly" She stated, resting her head back on his chest "I would also be extremely paranoid if I were you. But leaving that aside, I got the answer I wanted. If you asked the same question to me, I would also answer 'no'"
"I expected that. But the real question is: Would you give me the same answer a few weeks ago?"
That question was not meant to be answered, and Shizuri knew it. What the boy was doing was showing her that he understood what she meant and at the same time telling her that he was happy to see these small changes in her. The Level 5 had a plan in her head forming now, but she couldn't speak it out loud, not while her boyfriend had so much on his mind. For now, she just had to support him and be the version of herself that he liked so much.
"Hey, aren't you putting too much weight on me?" Complained Touma when the girl put her entire torso on top of him, however he was smiling, making it clear that he was just teasing the girl.
"Quiet, body pillows don't talk" She teased him back, hugging him as if he really was a pillow.
"And injured people shouldn't be moving around so much"
"Hmmmm... Gokusai was right about you. I guess I won't have any more trouble sleeping from now on."
"Those were dangerous words. What are you trying to imply here?"
Shizuri just smiled and squeezed him even tighter. Touma thought about making this a little clearer, but was interrupted by an annoying sound from the bedside table. Few people used to call him, partly because he hardly ever answered or returned messages, so he had a vague idea who was calling him.
"Shizuri, could you get my cell phone?" He asked after trying to get up but being stopped by the girl using him as a pillow.
"Just let it go. If it is important, they will call again" For some reason she said it in a sleepy voice.
Shaking his head and clearing his throat loudly, he once again tried to get her off him, but the girl just held him even tighter with her eyes closed. He thought about forcing her off him, but he didn't for two reasons: She was injured and he didn't want to hurt her, and what was holding him back even more: Touma was a high school boy with an attractive older girl almost sleeping on top of him, how the hell would he muster the strength to push her off?
'Screw who's calling me, I guess'
Giving up the phone, he took the opportunity to stroke her head, which made the girl stir and smile in a silly way. Shizuri let out a yawn at that instant, soon she would actually sleep while cuddled with him. The boy was too eager to spend the night sleeping in the same bed as her. It was not the first time he had slept with a girl next to him, but the last experience had been horrible as he had almost frozen to death, so he was thinking of this as a way to get rid of that trauma. Remembering this fact, he started to wonder if this was what the girl had in mind, but she probably didn't think that far ahead. However, his cell phone rang again and disturbed the girl's sleep.
"Really?" Shizuri spoke and opened her eyes, rubbing them lightly. "Your misfortune is acting up again. I wonder what girl is calling you just when I'm trying to use your body."
"That sentence was a little odd. And why are you so sure it's a girl?"
"You're probably the most popular guy among the girls in this city, that's how I know. Thinking about it used to piss me off, but now that I'm your girlfriend, I can't stop thinking that it's kind of sexy." She moved a little away from him and reached out her hand toward the bedside table.
"Eh? That's the weirdest thing I'm going to hear today" Touma didn't know whether to make a surprised or confused face.
"It's not weird. I'm a competitive girl, and I won an almost impossible competition. Now I can show all these bitches who's boss. I can't wait for that crown and sash."
"Crown and sash? What the fuck are you talking about?"He made up his mind and looked confused.
"No big deal...for you of course. But half of Academy City will be crying when they hear the news" Shizuri opened a giant smile and answered his cell phone, making Touma switch to the other option and be surprised "Hello, Kamijou Touma's cell phone. This is his beautiful girlfriend. And yes, you heard right, I am indeed beautiful, certainly more than you are."
"That's quite a surprise, Mugino Shizuri. So you were the chosen one?" The voice on the phone was indeed female, which made the tea-colored haired girl send a debauched smile in the direction of her boyfriend "My congratulations, now could you pass the cell phone to him?"
"Thank you, but could you say your name first? You're not on his contact list and by the looks of it we know each other."
"Ah... so you didn't recognize my voice? Honestly, what was Touma-chan thinking accepting you as a girlfriend?" scoffed the voice on the cell phone, giving a chuckle at the end.
"What did you call him?" Shizuri looked in Touma's direction with narrowed eyes and covered the device so the girl wouldn't hear what she had to say to him "The girl I'm talking to just called you 'Touma-chan'. She called you that before we started dating I assume."
"Y-yes" The boy swallowed dryly as he gave that automatic response. He wasn't sure who the girl on the other end of the line was, but there were a few who called him that.
"I see. You promised me that you were only going to allow me, your girlfriend, to call you by your first name, so you better fix that" She handed him the phone and looked at him expectantly.
"H-hello. This Kamijou-san feels like he's in hot water, so could you identify yourself, mystery girl?" He asked, trying not to stutter at the intensity Shizuri was sending him with those brown eyes.
"Of course Touma-chan. My name is Aihana Etsu, your number one fan. Tell your crazy girlfriend that if she treats you badly or hurts you...I will kill her with my bare hands" The darkness in those last words could be felt even through the phone.
"Don't worry about it, I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend. By the way, could you please not call me by my given name? I told Shizuri that I would only allow her to call me that" He ignored the aggressiveness in the girl's words and smiled at his girlfriend, who seemed quite pleased with him keeping his promise.
"If that's what you want, that's fine with me. Now let's get to why I called you."
"Wait, first of all, how do you know my number?"
"That's kind of irrelevant, don't you think? But anyway, you exchanged numbers with someone I know, those are pretty easy points to connect" 'Aihana' stated categorically. Her explanation made sense to him "Moving on to the important subject, could you meet me in front of the hospital you are in? I have something for you."
"OK, wait a minute I'll be there soon"
"Thank you Tou-chan, you are always so thoughtful"
"Wait, this thing you are doing is cheating"
Before the boy could complain more about that new nickname he had, the girl ended the call. Shizuri was not at all pleased with what the boy had just said.
"What do you mean you're going somewhere?" The Level 5 suddenly became sulky "I must remind you that you have not yet fully recovered"
"Don't worry, I'll meet her in front of the hospital. I'll be back soon, I promise." He held her by the back of her neck and kissed her forehead.
"Leaving me once again to be in the company of another girl" She put her hand to her forehead and sighed in exasperation "This better be important"
"You took it really well. You didn't even bother to ask me who the girl was."
"I'm not taking anything well here, but I'm pretty sure she's just another maiden with a platonic love." Shizuri shrugged and crossed her arms, puffing out her chest and putting a smug expression on her face "But I want to make it very clear that you are mine. If some bitch tries her luck I'll ki -"
A disapproving look was sent in Shizuri's direction, which made her think for half a second and rephrase her sentence.
"I mean, if some random girl tries any brave moves I'll send her to the hospital with a body full of ho -" The girl once again stopped to think as the judgmental gaze hit her again "Can I at least be quite rude?"
"I guess we can call that progress. It's good enough for now" Touma smiled and held her hand firmly, causing her to uncross her arms and smile back. "I need to go now. Stay hidden in the covers, we don't want any nurses sedating and taking you back to your room."
"Like I'm going to let that happen...not today" She said, already curling up under the covers "Come back soon, I'll warm your place in bed"
xxxx-xxxx
It was a starless night. Not even the moon allowed itself to show in that pitch-black night sky. But that didn't mean that the night was surrounded by nothing but darkness, this was Academy City after all.
"Here he comes"
A girl with pink hair with silver tips looked up at the entrance doors of that hospital. This was the person who liked to call herself 'Aihana Etsu', but her name was still a mystery.
"Hello Aihana-san. How are you?"
The spiky-haired boy greeted the girl, still dressed in his hospital pajamas. He had no intention of wasting any time there, since his mind was focused on someone else now.
"I am very well Tou-chan, thank you for asking" Replied 'Aihana', in her usual soft voice.
"Could you please not call me that? Shizuri wouldn't like it."
"That's a little mean of you, but okay. Kamijou-chan then?" She got a nod in response "Now let's get down to business, I got more of that for you"
By the time Touma had arrived on that sidewalk, the girl had her hands behind her back, but he wasn't sure if she had that transparent plastic bag in her hands by then. In any case, he accepted that 'gift'.
"Another one? That's one of the 'good ones' too, isn't it?" He asked, looking intently at those transparent sachets.
"Yes, the best. I figured you would need more, so there you go. By the way, good job on that facility. The shipments are still being delivered, but I noticed a drastic decrease, which means that what you did hit them hard."
"That's good to know. Your group works with information, correct? Can I count on you to get some for me?" Touma discreetly tucked the 'gift' into his pajama shirt as he asked that question.
"I don't have a group anymore. The other two are in prison now, and I haven't found someone reliable to bring into the field yet. But if you need me to get information for you, you can count on me."
The pink haired girl was very excited about it, she even clapped her hands once when the boy asked for her help. Touma still found it a little odd the way she treated him. It was almost as if they were long-time friends who had not seen each other for some time. The thought of this made his head throb a little.
"Before I ask you something, I need to know, you must have computing power available don't you?" Touma asked, moving closer to her so that he could speak as quietly as possible.
"Yes, of course. Whatever you need. I'm not so good with computers, in fact I'm terrible, but I have reliable contacts."
"I see. It would be better if only you were involved, since you are aware of everything I am doing, but I guess I will have to trust your judgment. I have your number, so expect to receive some confidential files with instructions of what I need from you."
"I suppose you need me to decrypt something? That will be a piece of cake. I have all the processing power you could ever need. Maybe my powers can be used to help in the process too." The girl brought a finger to her chin.
"Since you brought it up, what is your esper power anyway?"
Touma was suddenly curious. He knew that the girl in front of him was not really 'Aihana Etsu', but she certainly had powers. Eventually he would confront her and ask why she was hiding her identity, but the boy preferred to try to gain her trust first. The problem in his plan is that the girl was incredibly sweet and gentle with him, which clouded his judgment. Was this just her personality, or did she only act this way with him? How would she react when she learned that Touma knew about her secret?
'What she said before was just a joke wasn't it? Why would she care so much about someone she barely knows?'
"Finally, I thought you would never ask" The girl smiled and took a mask from her back(?), placing it on her face "I don't usually tell anyone how my ability works, since that would create a disadvantage, but if it's you I don't mind"
"Don't you think you are putting too much trust in someone who is not even your friend?"
"That hurt" The girl's voice was suddenly sad, but her mask hid her expression "So what I am doing is still not enough? You have some strange criteria for accepting people as friends."
Touma stiffened his posture as he heard the girl's weak voice. He was feeling horrible right now, and it was his own fault. She was right, that boy had called people who did much less for him 'friends' before, it was unfair to treat 'Aihana' like that when she was trying so hard to help him in his mission.
"But I'll forget about it, all I have to do is keep striving, just like you. Now about my ability, I call it the 'Nobody's Avatar'" The girl began, resuming her cheerful, soft tone that was like gentle music to the ears "It uses the principle of quantum superposition, which you probably know at least the basics of, don't you?"
"Even an idiot like me has heard of Schrödinger's Cat experiment. But honestly, I'm not the brightest student you'll meet today."
"Harsh on yourself as always" 'Aihana' shook her head. Her mask changed expression to a disappointed one "Quantum superposition says that a physical system exists in all states until it can be observed. Just like in the experiment, the cat is both alive and dead until someone observes it. My power is to create an avatar that will serve as an observer for this 'cat'. For example, you may have noticed that sometimes when I walk, I don't make any sound."
To illustrate, the girl walked a little in his direction and passed him, which made him turn around so that he could continue watching her. Just as she said, her steps produced no sound, which was intriguing. At first he thought she was just camouflaging them by controlling sound waves, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"The reason I can do this trick is very simple" She pointed her finger behind him "Look behind you"
"Um, Okay" The boy turned around, almost taking a fright "What?!"
The pink-haired girl was now in the direction he was looking, as if she had teleported away. Touma looked again in the direction she had been standing a moment ago, but there was no one else there.
"No, that wasn't teleportation. The truth is that technically I never walked there, which is why I didn't produce any sound when I walked" 'Aihana' tilted her head in a cute way when Touma made a confused expression "What I did was simulate Schrödinger's experiment on a larger scale, however I was both the cat and the observer, or rather my avatar was. Temporarily there were two versions of me, or possibilities if you will, one that walked to the other side of the sidewalk, and one that stood right here where I am. You were also an observer, since in your vision, you decided to see only the version of me that walked there. But my power usually takes into account only what I decide to observe. I am also not limited to just one avatar. For example."
Aihana brought her hand to her back again, bringing out another object that Touma didn't even care where it was kept at this point. In her right hand now was a small pocket knife, somewhat common among delinquents in that city. Without hesitation, the girl prepared the blade and made a deep cut in the palm of her left hand, which made Touma become apprehensive and walk towards her.
"Don't worry" She waved her hand nonchalantly, and that's when Touma realized that the wound she had made was no longer there "The person you saw giving herself a slice does not exist, so there is no need to worry about her. However, she is still a part of me."
Even more confused, the spiky-haired boy scratched his head with a grimace on his face. 'Aihana' shook her hand once more at that instant, causing the wound on her hand to open again, but it was not as deep as the original. That wound closed slowly now, like someone rewinding a movie in slow motion.
"That's not a healing factor, if you're wondering. As I said, I am not limited to one avatar." She continued, putting away her pocket knife "Everyone can observe the event in different ways. That's a lot of possibilities, don't you think? Of course, it goes far beyond what can be explained with that experiment alone."
"I think your power is a bit too complicated for a mere level 0 like me to understand"
"Technically speaking, all espers abilities are as complicated to understand as mine. In the end, an ability is nothing more than something that distorts quantum physics. The difference is that it's simpler to watch a fireball being formed and thrown while it burns everything in the process than it is to explain what phenomenon generated that."
"Come to think of it you are right. But this is simpler to understand when explained to someone who understands the concept of personal reality" Touma crossed his arms defensively, as if he were in his class getting a scolding from his mini teacher "Your ability is unlike anything I've come across so far"
"It's strange to hear you say that. I mean, our abilities are somewhat similar" She said, taking the mask off her face. That caught the boy's attention "Not in practical terms, of course. If I am only an observer, who can tell if a gear in the world has moved or not, you can adjust those very gears as you see fit."
"I don't know what you are talking about" Touma was getting more and more confused.
"If my powers can be vaguely explained using the 'Schrödinger's cat' experiment, then I think I could explain some of yours using 'Laplace's Demon'. I wonder if that's where your precognition comes from." She continued, but stopped suddenly when she realized that the boy was lost in all this. "Sorry about that, I like to ramble sometimes. I have to go now, I wish you and your girlfriend well…"
"Wait" The boy reached out his right hand to hold her, but the girl suddenly disappeared.
"Oops. Be careful where you touch" She said, emerging behind him "Stop observing is a dangerous thing for me"
"Sorry about that. I have something to ask you" He turned toward the girl's new position "It's about number 2, Kakine Teitoku. That bastard came out of nowhere and almost made my mission a failure. Can you tell how involved he is with the production of Ability Body Crystal? I thought he knew of its existence and was just observing for the time being, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
"Honestly, I don't know for sure. I mean, I gave him some information about it, so if I had to guess, I would say that he wasn't hired or something, but is acting on his own. I'm sorry that I gave him this information, I never imagined that the situation would come to this point."
"It's okay, you were just doing your job, there's no way to predict the future after all. But it leaves me with questions... why did he show up at such a critical time? Maybe he also has contacts inside those labs?"
"That's a good theory. If you want I can try to probe it" Suggested the girl with a thoughtful expression. "Consider it an apology for indirectly hindering your mission"
"It's not necessary. Like I said, it's not your fault that everything got to this point, you were just doing your job."
"Don't you think things would be a lot easier if you let me help?"
"You're already helping, I can't ask for much more than that" He denied with his head and then waved at her "I think I'd better get back to the hospital, it's getting late and my girlfriend needs... company"
"Good save there...whatever you were going to say" The girl smiled mischievously and then quickly advanced to him without making a sound "By the way, a hypothetical experiment, if we both know the girl in front of you doesn't exist, if you kissed me now, would you be cheating on your girlfriend?"
These dangerous words were spoken, and then the girl let her lips inches from his. Touma sighed and then took a small step back, which made the girl flinch in disappointment.
"That question is irrelevant" He replied, turning his back to her " Regardless of what quantum theory has to say about it, I would feel like crap either way "
The boy waved goodbye and walked nonchalantly down the sidewalk, leaving the pink-haired girl alone... again. She waited until he was far enough away before speaking into the wind.
"You always find a way to impress me" 'Aihana' smiled before turning away and sighing.
Still smiling, she began to walk at a steady pace through the night-time and almost deserted city streets. Her position as just an observer was being compromised every time she interacted with that spiky-haired boy. The detours she was taking just to have a chance of being saved were piling up and would soon reach a point of no return.
"Everything will be fine, I'm sure" She spoke back into the wind "I just need to keep helping him, even if he doesn't want to...just like he taught me. There is still much I can do until he reaches ultimate purity...isn't that your plan, Aleister Crowley?"
A breath of wind arose around her as soon as she uttered that name. She didn't mind at all. Her smile still remained on her face, but darker than before, and not even her walking pace changed as she continued speaking.
"You are taking even more detours than I am. Letting him live in darkness for so long was a risky move. That proves that you don't care what he is becoming doesn't it? Or is this actually in the margin of error of your plan? His personality is changing, you may have noticed that too. Of course none of this matters to me, Kamijou Touma is not a person defined by something so silly. You will realize how futile your efforts are the moment he climbs this windowless tower of yours and saves you. No possibilities, yours or mine, will change this immutable fact. For someone so old and intelligent, you act like a spoiled child at times. Honestly... failure suits you well."
And with those petulant words, the great war had been declared.
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Hey! Welcome to the end of chapter notes. This was another chapter of Touma and Shizuri recovering...while doing 'couple things'. For now things are quiet, but their life is troubled by nature, so it won't last forever.
One thing I want to comment on is the fact that Shizuri in this fic is so competitive and is always playing 'games'. This is not something completely made up for my fic (wait I already said this in a note once... I think). In fact, she even makes a reference to rpg games in the railgun manga, so she probably enjoyed it when she was younger. Since Touma references games all the time, I imagine that this is something nice for the two of them to have fun together.
But of course Shizuri's aggressiveness is something our 'Hero' has to learn to deal with... or simply accept. I wonder if you like/agree with the way I show Shizuri's personality here, especially with her in a relationship. She is a pretty straightforward person most of the time in the original material, and she often makes 'dirty jokes' from time to time, so I guess she would be like that dating someone, always teasing him and making advances.
Now about 'Aihana Etsu'. We had a little revelation about her here. In a way there were two. A question from me, what did you guys think her power was until then? I didn't show much, so I imagine it was almost impossible to guess. If you didn't quite understand how the power works, that's kind of the idea. The main theme of my fic is how people deal with things that are 'strange' to them after all. In the Novels, Shizuri and Kakine's powers are said by Kamachi to be weird, since they form phenomena that make no sense. Touma's power is compared to theirs as well (not the Imagine Breaker), so I chose a weird power for the girl that doesn't exist. By the way, the explanation of Touma's powers given by 'Aihana' here is slightly based on what we saw in the novels, since it is said loud and clear that his power is 'something that distorts quantum physics'.
These notes were getting too long, let's get to the reviews:
DemYoRight11: Tsuchimikado made good money from the choice Kami-yan made, so he's OK with that. As for Aogami... you'll have to wait for the 'two-step reaction' that I have planned.
Toumafukoda: Thanks. I will continue until the end.
5queso: It will take a while for the Delta Force to be reunited now that Touma has a girlfriend, but when it happens... hehe. Until then other characters will react in their own way. For now he needs to recover, because believe me, his next fight REALLY will make him bleed. Thanks for the compliments.
Xellos540: Hello. Carrying someone for an hour is just another quiet Tuesday for Touma. Touma doesn't usually use profanity, but this has changed a bit in this fic because of Shizuri's influence. This about other girls pretending to be his girlfriend is another one of my exaggerations because of how "Kanou" describes Touma, basically saying that he must have at least half the town in his harem, some of these girls must be crazy to that extent. Heaven Canceller is giving out Spoilers at this point. You seem to enjoy these silly jokes that I sometimes make. My references are the only reason I write xD. In my opinion, Seiri already likes Touma, she just a huge Tsundere (even more than Accel), considering that she told a big secret to him and no one eles, if she sees something like that she will confess on the spot lol.
DJAA: Thank you very much. Shizuri is indeed a beauty. Delta Force will interact with Shizuri eventually, and there will be chaos. The next chapters will have many Shizuri X Touma moments, so I hope you enjoy them. It is good to know that there are people who like this kind of story so much, since sometimes I feel pressured to put more action scenes. I really appreciate it.
Emiyasatou: This is one of Touma's nicest features. Touma is doing his best to try to keep his girlfriend from becoming a Yandere. Frenda was already accepting her defeat, but she had to fight. I really enjoy writing, so one chapter a week is okay. Thanks a lot for the support.
KHVSFF: In this chapter Shizuri showed once again that Touma is hers, and she will do it again in the future. In the next chapter more people will find out that our 'Hero' is dating now. Since we don't know Shizuri's exact age in canon, I won't reveal it here, but what I can say is that in this 'universe' she is in high school but not attending classes, comparable situation to Kakine. Thank you very much for the compliments, it's really nice to see someone excited about a story about such a rare ship that I like so much.
Another Friday, another chapter. By the way, I think you noticed in the other chapter and now in this one that I am calling our 'Hero' Touma. Before, I almost always called him Kamijou, but this has changed because Shizuri calls him by his first name now, just as I started using Shizuri's first name when Touma started calling her that way. Now with this irrelevant information, I will say goodbye. Nio Leaving.
