Chapter 22 - Measure Heart
"I am still full of doubts" Shizuri said, putting the board away on the bedside table "You say that #5 is in love with Touma, which is plausible, but he never mentioned her as one of his friends"
"Maybe Kamijou-sama considers her more than a friend" Hokaze commented, returning to peeling an apple "They have met many times after all"
"Hokaze, I don't think I was clear enough so I'll be more direct" She crossed her arms under her ample chest and crossed her legs as well to complete her arrogant pose "Kamijou Touma is MY boyfriend. Which means he is off the market. He was seduced, reeled in and hooked by this Shizuri-chan. Being even clearer, this game is over and I won, you and your queen are going to have to settle for it while you wallow in tears."
"A perfect queen would never do something like that" She replied simply, still focused on the apple and the knife in her hands "She must already have countermeasures for that situation"
Shizuri furrowed her brow at hearing those words spoken so calmly. Either that girl really didn't know how romance worked, or she knew it very well and didn't give a damn. In both cases, it irritated Meltdowner.
'At this point, I am beginning to suspect that she is doing this on purpose to annoy me.'
"OK, I give up. I don't even know why I'm still trying" Shizuri picked up one of the apples in the basket and bit into it with her typical violence. "Those girls from Tokiwadai"
The bedroom door opened suddenly at that moment, which made the two girls turn synchronously to see who the visitor was.
"You two seem to be getting along very well" The visitor, who was actually the patient in that room, entered and closed the door behind him.
"We are having some miscommunication but overall I liked her" Shizuri spoke, taking another bite of the apple in her hand, however she was much calmer now.
"I say the same...except for the part where you insulted my Gekota" Hokaze said the last part with a shadow on her face.
"Shizuri, you shouldn't do that kind of thing. Remember that your opinions about manga were not good either."
"Why are you lecturing me here? I just said her Deck is horrible, which is objectively true" Shizuri rehearsed her pout once again, which always left the boy with his life in the red.
"I can't argue with that" He looked away briefly when he realized his friend hadn't liked those words "Anyway, Hokaze-chan I'd like to talk to you later about something important"
"When you want, Kamijou-sama"
The level 5 girl undid her pout and narrowed her eyes, peering at her boyfriend who had a very serious expression on his face. As time went on, the tea-colored girl was beginning to notice more things about her boyfriend that she hadn't noticed before.
'I'm sure he's planning to do something stupid. I don't want to pressure him into telling me exactly what he has in mind, but I have to do something to make sure he doesn't leave me out.'
"Hokaze, could you leave us alone for a while?" Shizuri asked this while taking care to keep her tone neutral "I also have important things to talk about with my boyfriend"
"Of course Mugino-san" Hokaze nodded firmly and stood up "I will leave the fruit basket here. I wish you both well on behalf of my queen. See you later"
After the two said goodbye to the lavender-haired girl, they looked at each other for a while, keeping serious expressions on their faces. The first to speak was Shizuri.
"Come here" She said, patting her lap twice and opening a small smile "Time for another premium lap pillow"
He didn't answer that, not verbally. Touma sat up in bed full of tension in his body and then laid his head on the girl's lap, and as usual she began to caress his spiky head. The girl knew how comfortable he felt at these moments, so it was time for her to use this to her advantage.
"Touma, don't leave me in the dark" Shizuri began, gently playing with his hair "I know you are thinking of doing something reckless. Know that I don't intend to criticize you or stop you, but let me know the details, I want to help you with it"
"I already meant to tell you actually" He revealed quickly, closing his eyes.
This surprised the girl a little, but it made her smile too. She was working hard to get her boyfriend's full confidence. Knowing that so much progress was being made was making her happy
"I'm all ears then" Shizuri arched her back and looked him in the eyes "You can count on me for anything"
"For now, I need to go to our apartment. I have something I need to check with Kaibi."
"I understand. But don't push yourself too hard, your leg is not fully healed yet" She replied with an understanding and gentle tone. "I hope it's something very important"
"Well... let's just say that our teammates are not being kind to her"
"They never were, but you seem much more concerned now"
Touma seemed to ponder something, considering he took a deep breath and became restless. The girl noticed this and began to play with his hair more gently.
"Kaibi... talked to Kakine when we were on our mission" He said, squinting to try to see his girlfriend's reaction.
"So she's a traitor? I expected that" The girl looked totally disinterested, which made Touma grimace.
"Wait, why are you all coming to the same conclusion so quickly?" He tried to sound calm, but there was a tone of surprise and frustration there.
"That's how it works on the dark side of this city. You don't know everything about that world, but you should know enough to understand that the groups in this city are not particularly friendly to each other."
"Yes, I have heard something like that. But from the news I heard, they stuck a bomb in her back. Don't you think that's a bit much?
The girl didn't answer immediately. For a moment she stopped stroking his head but soon returned to normal rhythm. That brief silence was not appreciated by that boy.
"She is part of another group, so taking that care is necessary. " Shizuri looked seriously into his eyes "Touma, we have a sort of 'saying' on the dark side, and ITEM takes it very seriously. Incompetents still deserve forgiveness, but traitors only deserve purges."
Those words made Touma shiver slightly. He was a little uncomfortable now, trying uselessly to find a place on that lap that would make him more at ease.
"Are you telling me they might be seriously considering killing her?" He asked, after swallowing dryly.
"Probably. Considering that none of us know exactly how her esper power works, if I were in their shoes I would..." She hesitated for a moment, leaving an awkward pause in the sentence "I would be extremely cautious."
"I see" Touma raised his hand and stroked her head a little "If that is the case I need to hurry then"
Touma tried to get up as he said this, but Shizuri gently put her free hand on his chest to let him stay a little longer.
"Wait. I know you haven't told me everything yet" The girl brought her face a little closer to his, speaking in a sweet voice "I'm your girlfriend, don't you think I deserve to know what crazy plan you have in mind? I'm willing to help you no matter what" She smiled just a little, still stroking his hair as gently as possible.
"I like that smile" He replied, starting to smile as well "Could you wait just a little longer? Like I said, I have to hurry"
"Touma, don't do this. I thought you trusted me" Obviously her tone changed to disappointment. Shizuri stopped stroking his head at that moment.
"I trust you, I just want to tell you this more calmly and in a more appropriate place. What do you say if we went on a date?"
"A date?" And of course she smiled radiantly upon hearing that. She almost forgot the main subject of the conversation "Yes, that would be great"
Before the mission of questionable success, Touma had already asked her out, but the circumstances they were in prevented it. Shizuri hadn't forgotten about it, but she was already satisfied that he had said he liked her, so she let it go, but she really wanted to spend more time having fun with him, especially now that they were dating, so it was hard for her to contain her excitement. He was making her completely lose focus, and Shizuri knew it was purposeful, but she was already in the state of not caring.
"How about tomorrow?" She asked with all the excitement in the world "Do you already have a place in mind or do you want me to choose?"
"Wait a minute Shizuri, tomorrow?" Touma was a little worried "You're still injured remember?"
"No problem. I can wear one of those medical corsets to keep my ribs immobilized. It's only for a few hours, so that frog-faced doctor must agree."
"Are you sure? This can wait a little longer. Your recovery is more important."
"I've already waited too long...my whole life in fact. Our pace has gotten slow because of where we are, so a date is great for increasing the speed a bit" She widened her smile and stroked him again, thinking of some possibilities.
"You call this slow? Shizuri, we slept together tonight, with you cuddled up to me."
"Child's play" She shrugged.
"I could barely control myself when I woke up this morning and saw you clinging to me"
"Now I'm hearing something interesting" Shizuri changed her smile to a mischievous one "You should have taken advantage of that and woken me up with a very intense and lingering kiss. Dumbass boyfriend"
"What? I really feel out of sync here. What you expect from me is something completely different than I thought" Touma shook his head in her lap while putting on a perplexed face.
"Don't give me that, you know very well what I expect from you" The girl continued to smile and took the opportunity to bring her face a little closer to his "I did not fall in love with a gentleman who is all reserved and respectful, so if you think of taking a bold step in my direction, take the opportunity and take two or three."
"You're probably the most direct girl I've ever met" Touma settled himself once again on her lap and sighed "If you keep talking like that, it's going to get hard to control my teenage impulses"
"Really? It's great to hear such good news in the morning" She teased, bringing her face even closer to his. "You know what would be even better?"
This time the girl almost closed the distance between them and took the opportunity to slide her hand across his chest. The girl's warm breath made Touma's heart race at that instant, which made him close his eyes to try to stabilize it. The girl was playing her game again.
"Shizuri, I have to go now. I'm a little worried about Kaibi." He said, opening his eyes and calming down a bit.
"All right" She pulled her face away from his so that he could sit up
Touma sat up in bed and looked at his girlfriend, who still had a smile that looked evil on her face. It was obvious that she was planning something, considering how quickly she gave in.
"I need to talk to Hokaze too, so we will probably only see each other again tomorrow." He announced, getting up from the bed and being surprised that the girl didn't try to stop him.
"I see" She kept smiling for some reason. "You seem busy, so I'll pick the places for our date. Any preferences?"
"None... Shizuri, is something wrong?" Touma really was suspicious now.
"You know the answer to that question. Don't complain later" Meltdowner now had the cartoonish grin of a villain, which made Touma shiver a little in place.
"Ok... see you later then"
Realizing the girl was not interested in talking at the moment, Touma gave up and focused on what mattered at the moment. But that smile would be in his dreams tonight.
xxxx-xxxx
It started with a bang. But it had not been one of Frenda's bombs. Kinuhata moved and controlled the nitrogen around her to punch one of the couches in the room, causing it to fly and hit a wall. This had no intention of hurting her opponent, nor did it serve as a distraction or any other kind of tactical advantage.
"That's my last super warning Frenda" The bob cut girl fixed her sling. If this continued, she would have to fight in this deplorable state "We both know that even with me injured you don't stand a chance in close range combat against me"
As an answer, the blonde smiled debauchedly and threw the grenade she had towards the ground. White smoke covered the room, which made Kinuhata take a step back.
"Is this some kind of super poison? Are you an idiot?" The Level 4 wasted no time. She used her ability to control an air current to disperse that gas.
"It's actually not poison." Frenda put her hand down the back of her skirt again "Basically, I'm not stupid. Why would I try something that could be used against me?"
The blonde picked up another one of her explosives. This one was hexagonal in shape and was barely larger than a fist. The bomb was thrown without warning, causing a sea of flames to engulf the level 4. The little brown-haired girl didn't seem to mind any of this. She simply ignored the destruction that Frenda had caused and advanced towards the blonde. Kinuhata's intention was not to kill her teammate, so she had to be careful when she was going to hit her. Using the fist of her unplastered arm, the girl concentrated a small amount of nitrogen enough to knock the blonde out, but something made her stop before her move was completed.
"Huh?" Kinuhata pulled her fist back as she realized what frenda had done "Are you super crazy?"
Offense Armor's opponent had not used one of her bombs or equipment, in fact she had simply thrown herself into the blow of the girl who was trying hard not to hit her with a blow that could kill her. What seemed like an oversight could be fatal, considering that Kinuhata was not taking this suicidal strike into account. Using the knife in her hand, Frenda tried to hit the level 4 with the blade, but obviously that was not effective. Not understanding what the blonde intended, Kinuhata retreated as far as he could into the burning living room.
"What's the problem melted brain?" Scoffed Frenda, with a shit-eating grin on her face "Basically, I knew you would be careful not to kill me, so obviously you would back off if I advanced in a suicidal manner"
"And what does it matter? You risked your life to create an opening and hit me with such a super weak attack."
"You said it yourself, I don't stand a chance if I'm too close" Frenda had placed Kinuhata right where she wanted her. She pulled out two hidden portable missiles and aimed them in her opponent's direction "And there's also the fact that your power is annoying. Basically, what I need to do is to fix that."
The missiles flew and then exploded near the little girl who staggered and almost fell when she was hit from such a short distance, but she remained unharmed. Not even her sweater dress had been burned by the heat of the flames.
"Your ability works by using the nitrogen in the air as armor" Frenda began, already with two more missiles prepared "Basically, this is convenient for you since nitrogen makes up over 70 percent of the air. However, what happens when you heat nitrogen and hidrogen to high temperatures?"
That question made Kinuhata's eyes narrow. That girl's ability created a 360 degree shield around her body that activated without her even wanting it to, but it depended on atmospheric nitrogen to function, so if someone found a way to cut off that supply, she would just be an ordinary flesh and blood girl.
"You are trying to turn the super nitrogen around me into ammonia" Kinuhata stated that and then began to smell her surroundings. A strong smell invaded her nostrils. "That won't work"
"You think so?" Frenda still kept that murderous smile on her face "Basically, you are underestimating me. Typical behavior for high-level espers."
"That's just a super bluff. Even if you can turn some of the nitrogen into ammonia, it won't even come close to being enough. You would need abnormal super heat and great pressure to be effective."
"Unless I have a good catalyst"
There was no time for level 4 to raise an eyebrow at this revelation. More bombs were thrown in Kinuhata's direction, and this time she was careful not to get hit so close. Offense Armor was not convinced that the blonde's strategy was effective, but this was Academy City, so having such an effective catalyst was not implausible.
"That gas you threw first was a super catalyst then. I need to finish it soon."
Using her ability, Kinuhata lifted a wooden table from one corner of the room and threw it in Frenda's direction. The blonde had to stop her attack to throw herself to the side, dodging the table, but an opening was created. Kinuhata took the opportunity to move forward and try to hit Frenda with one more of her punches, but Frenda dodged it with a mere head movement. The blonde deduced that Offense Armor would take her suicidal strikes into account this time, so she wouldn't repeat that strategy.
The offensive had now changed completely. Kinuhata began trying to hit Frenda with one blow after another, but there was a problem there, and it was in the form of a broken arm. It was difficult to move with that immobilized arm and a sling sealing off much of her movement due to the center of gravity being slightly shifted. That fight was coming to a standstill. If Offense Armor kept the offensive, the blonde would focus on defense and use her uninjured advantage to easily dodge the level 4's attacks. But Kinuhata didn't care, all she had to do was land a clean blow and the fight would be over, unlike Frenda, who didn't have a clear win condition.
"You're a little slow, I think it's time for me to start pushing myself a little" Frenda said, trying to get away from the relentless onslaught of the girl in the sweater dress.
"Just super give up, you won't be able to keep me away" She said this taking a firm step forward, but she stopped suddenly.
"Basically, I wouldn't count on it"
The object in Frenda's hands made Kinuhata stop suddenly. The thing looked more like a mine than a bomb, but what was most striking were the metal darts on only one side of the metal object. The bob-cut girl heard a controlled bang and soon after an excruciating pain hit her nerves as those darts were hurled towards her and made contact with the Offense Armor.
"I call this a portable Shotgun Mine" Frenda spoke, watching Kinuhata step back on instinct "This is meant to be used as a landmine, but I modified it so that I could use it like this. Basically, these darts are made of tungsten and are capable of breaking through the armor of an armored vehicle. But still this annoying ability of yours protected you"
Yes, the skill of that level 4 was not broken by that brutal attack, however the overwhelming impact was enough to hurt even a little bit the girl. The Offense Armor was not an absolute shield after all, even if it was able to stop a shot from a precision rifle, that shot would make her stagger due to the impact. So something capable of breaking through an armorer vehicle was pretty bad for her.
"Come on Kinuhata, come closer. Basically, I'll end it with a nice close-range shot."
That battle was no longer one-sided, as the two girls now had a win condition. Frenda's counterattack was coming hard.
Thinking calmly about her next move, Kinuhata decided that she would keep some distance from Frenda. She didn't fully believe that those bombs were capable of turning such a large amount of nitrogen into ammonia, but those tungsten darts had already proven their effectiveness. Those darts would not be as effective at a greater distance, but Frenda had other plans.
"Basically, I don't have many of these Shotguns, so I'd better get it over with" The little girl grabbed several marble shaped bombs from her pocket "The truth is, I don't even need to turn all the nitrogen into ammonia, that's impossible without some kind of preparation. But I can drive all the nitrogen away from its surroundings if I can create a small temporary vacuum."
"You will need more than these firecrackers to super do that" Kinuhata replied, not impressed.
"I know. But ammonia is used as fuel too isn't it?" Frenda was displaying a smug expression now "Besides, I don't need to push everything away, I just need your Offense Armor to get thinner for a single instant. Basically, my tungsten darts will pierce your weakened barrier like paper"
Kinuhata was no longer calm. She grimaced when Frenda hurled the multiple bombs in her direction. The consecutive explosions resounded like fireworks at a celebration. A large amount of smoke and flames enveloped Kinuhata and a small 'vacuum' was created in that instant, which meant that the 'landmine' would be effective.
"Basically, that's a Goodbye, you super moron"
That dart mine flew above that smoke screen. She couldn't see it properly, but it didn't matter. Dozens of darts rained down in the direction of the level 4 girl amidst the fire. Frenda was right, the nitrogen in the air around Kinuhata had spread at that moment, which made her armor useless against that armor-piercing weaponry. A satisfied smile appeared on Frenda's face at that moment.
"That was super close" Kinuhata said coming out of the flames, which made the blonde's smile disappear.
In Kinuhata Saiai's hand was a small cylinder the size of hair spray. That was her item. It was obvious that the person who knew most about the weakness of her powers was herself, and it was also obvious that she would have a countermeasure for it.
"Liquid nitrogen" Kinuhata began, slowly approaching Frenda "I think what I have here is more than enough to supply me until you super run out of bombs"
"As a matter of fact, this is my last 'portable Shotgun'" Frenda retorted, with the last remaining bomb in her hand "Basically, I have to make it count"
"That's super useless." Kinuhata gasped at that instant, perhaps because of the smoke and the small vacuum generated "You would need to punch that thing into me to super pierce my Offense Armor. It was a good try, now surrender and let me tie you up until Kamijou arrives."
"Can I ask you something first?" Frenda was serious now, her hands slightly shaking. "Basically, do you think any of us have salvation?"
"I really don't super care" The bob-cut girl shrugged and coughed in that instant.
"Do you realize how stupid all this is? Basically, this is what happens when people like us try to play the hero" Frenda shouted this and threw the bomb, however not in Kinuhata's direction. That dart mine fell next to her harmlessly "It's all his fault. Saying stupid things like 'it'll be okay' or 'you can tell me about anything'... idiot. " The girl sighed and stared at the ceiling "I don't understand why he chose her over me. Maybe because she's a level 5, although I'd rather think he doesn't care about that. Was I not kind enough? Did I not help him enough?" She shook her head and gave a sigh louder than the previous one "I called him out, you know? But it was too late."
"It's too late to think about that too" Kinuhata also sighed and stopped in the middle of that destroyed room. At that moment it was as if something was itching on her skin, she also wanted to say some things out loud "You know... from the beginning, seeing them together made me super jealous"
Frenda stopped staring at the ceiling and looked in Kinuhata's direction at that moment. The bob-cut girl had a serious expression too, but not the one she usually wore in combat.
"I didn't follow you to that park because I was worried that Mugino super would kill you. I probably wouldn't have cared if that happened. I followed you because it was him I wanted to see." She revealed, looking Frenda in the eye "Remember when we split up at that mall? When I was with his friends I ended up hearing something interesting. And then when I brought you to the stretcher, I got to hear some of his conversation with that Shinseijou girl."
"Wait... are you trying to tell me that you were already interested in him even before me?" Frenda wasn't angry, just surprised
"Not exactly. I was just super... curious"
"Basically... that's why you were being more annoying to me than usual? Telling me to stop texting and criticizing the way I treated him, you were jealous?"
Suddenly the pieces began to fit together in Frenda's head. She hadn't realized it, but now it was obvious. Kinuhata seemed to act differently when in Kamijou's presence or when the subject was him.
"I was using a different super strategy than you guys" Kinuhata continued, still feeling that discomfort "If I could convince you that Kamijou was no big deal, I could slowly work my way up to him. But that failed, so I just put it aside and pretended I was interested in him because of what he said about that movie. I realized that I was already way behind compared to you two, so I tried to play along... but just like in your case, it was too late."
"Basically, that was stupid" Frenda said simply, shaking her head "But I'm curious, what did you hear that made you feel that way?"
"Something I wish someone would super say to me. Kamijou is the kind of person who would be able to save even someone like me… he would be able to see that there is no difference between me and her...because in the end...it's just pain I feel."
The blonde pondered for several seconds as she listened to what the ally who was now her enemy meant by those words. She never imagined that girl felt that way. Kinuhata was not there when Kamijou was fighting Kaguya, but she was the first to hear Frenda's story when she was still in the hospital. This served to confirm what she thought about him. However, Offense Armor had not told Frenda everything. Kinuhata left out the fact that she was trying to prove to herself that Kamijou was not the person he appeared to be. That was the reason she attacked him when they were properly introduced and acted cold during that dinner where Gokusai gave that long explanation. His reaction and how he continued to treat her even after that went against everything she believes in. No person in her life had ever acted that way, so in her view, such a person could not exist.
"Maybe if I hadn't taken so long to understand... no, I don't think that would change anything" Kinuhata said, looking at Frenda with a small smile.
"So you heard, huh?" Frenda also smiled "Basically, it seems that in the end both you and I were just two secondary characters in this story. Mugino won that battle the moment she met him on that mission. She got what she wanted ... leaving both of us behind ... in the dark. I wonder if it would be different if one of us two had met him that night instead of her."
"We'll never know. But everything is super fine that way. Unlike you, I don't think a battle is defined that quickly. Even if you make a mistake at the beginning, you can fix it with intelligence and hard work."
"Basically... you're wrong. You made too many mistakes in this battle" Frenda's expression stiffened at that moment, and then that shit-eating grin came back to adorn her face "Of course, I'm talking about 'our' battle. You must have figured it out by now, didn't you? I didn't start chatting for nothing."
Suddenly Kinuhata began to feel that itch on her skin returning, but now much stronger. This was not just something mental, there really was something irritating her skin. A violent dry cough started, which made the girl almost lose her balance due to dizziness.
"Nitrogen is important for many living things, but there are few that can utilize it in its natural form. Basically, bacteria usually have that property" Frenda bent down and picked up the dart mine she had thrown on the ground "You were almost right at first, you really were poisoned"
"Impossible... that super smoke should hit you too. Or did you take the antibodies before the fight?"
"As if I could predict something like that, and even if I could, i have no antibodies for it." The blonde approached Kinuhata, who staggered as she tried to move away from her "Basically, these mycobacterium also stick to my skin, however, they need nitrogen to grow and spread for their paralysis effect to work. I knew you were walking around with a cylinder of liquid nitrogen."
"So those bombs that would generate a vacuum was a super bluff? You wanted me to increase the amount of nitrogen around me"
"Correct. Do you understand now? Basically, this battle was decided from the beginning."
Kinuhata collapsed on the cold floor that instant. She had come out of the zone blown up by Frenda, who had made a big mess in that luxurious room. The blonde started hissing at that moment, it was time to end it.
"I had no intention of killing you when I got that grenade, which means that those bacteria only have the paralyzing effect you're feeling" Frenda held that mine firmly with both hands, ready to hurl it at her teammate "But that mine will do some nice damage at close range, and since you're standing still, I'll be able to aim it perfectly at that flat chest of yours. Basically, it'll be a quick kill... sort of."
"I see... at least it's good to know that you initially didn't intend to super kill me" As if remembering something that made her happy, Kinuhata put a smile on her face.
"Why are you smiling?" Frenda was a little worried at that instant "Basically, don't tell me you still have a trump card you haven't used?"
"I don't need a super trump card" She let out a chuckle, which left Frenda a little puzzled "Go ahead, finish it. I'm not going to super beg for my life if that's what you think."
"Great" She replied, still holding that mine with both hands. She just needed to throw that explosive and the fight would be over "Basically..."
But for some reason Frenda Seivelun hesitated at that moment. She looked toward the face of the girl lying motionless on the cold ground, but still with that smile on her face. There was no debauchery there, that smile looked genuine, as if she hadn't realized that she was about to die.
"What is it Frenda? Any super trouble?"
"Basically, this ends here, so wipe that stupid smile off your face" The girl almost screamed as she said that, but that weapon capable of piercing armor remained in her hands. "At least show me a little fear when I pluck out your pathetic life."
"You're not going to kill me. That's super obvious," replied the girl in a weak voice.
"How can you be sure of that?" Frenda waved the mine in her hand, but she could not throw it.
"Because with me it was the same thing. At the beginning of the fight, when you super threw yourself into my attack, I really could have killed you. However, in that instant I hesitated. You know why don't you?" Level 4 took a deep breath before continuing "I didn't want to let him down."
When the girl said this, Frenda's two hands, which were firmly holding the object with the power capable of ending the fight, shook violently. The blonde looked away from the girl lying on the floor and began to pant, as if hyperventilating.
"I will super repeat it. You are not going to kill me. With that spy it would be different. You could make up an excuse to yourself that you were right and get caught up in the moment, but what excuse can you make now? What are you going to tell him when you have to explain that you killed a teammate who was trying to protect someone?"
"Quiet... Basically, I can think of an excuse later"
"So what are you waiting for?" The brown haired girl forced herself to raise her head a little so she could look into the face of Frenda, who refused to look her in the eye "We are both super idiots...you want to know why I am smiling even now?"
That seemed to get the blonde's attention, as she finely looked Offense Armor in the eye. Her trembling hands steadied in that instant.
"I'm laughing at myself... I'm smiling because I was so wrong... I'm smiling because I realized that Kamijou Touma is not even here, but he still managed to save us both."
Kinuhata's words did not come out in a scream. It were almost emotionless, almost the whisper of someone on the verge of death who needed to get something off her chest. Frenda couldn't take it anymore. The blonde had made up her mind, her hands were firm, her breathing was steady. That mine was thrown with full force, that weapon would seal the girl's fate on the ground. An explosion echoed, and the tungsten darts that would be deadly were fired.
"You were right in the end" Frenda spoke weakly "Basically, we are two idiots"
"Yes... we super are"
Frenda was unable to take that life. The mine was thrown away from them, further destroying that room already devastated by that little internal fight. Neither of them needed to die today, they didn't have the strength to make that choice. But that battle had begun for a purpose.
"I hope he doesn't hate me" Frenda walked over to where Kinuhata was lying and ducked down next to her "Basically, where did you hide the detonator?"
Yes, that girl couldn't kill Kinuhata, but as the bob cut girl had said, she had already convinced herself that killing the spy, who in her view had betrayed them, was the right thing to do. Frenda wanted to do it cleanly, so she used a specific bomb that wouldn't make such a mess, but honestly after the destruction caused, she would blow it up with anything she had. Unfortunately for her, that dart mine was the last she had at the moment.
"You were super right about one thing too" Kinuhata slowly turned her head toward the blonde next to her "I still had one last trump card"
Frenda's guard was down, so she was unable to react when Kinuhata raised her palm and threw it in the blonde's direction. The level 4 had used her powers to concentrate nitrogen in her palm and used that to hit Frenda, who flew with the impact and hit her head on the floor, losing consciousness.
"That was super easy," Kinuhata said, standing up, "I guess I'm a better actress than I thought.
Kinuhata set the perfect trap to land a clean blow on that blonde. She had realized well before that something was wrong with her, and that was the moment she started coughing and itching her skin. When Frenda revealed that the effect of that toxin was paralysis, all she had to do was pretend that she was already totally paralyzed. It was a risky move, since if Frenda hadn't hesitated and thrown that Shotgun mine at her, it could have been the end of Offense Armor. But she pinned her hopes on the boy she wanted to hear something that would make her feel better. That which he had told Kaguya.
"To tell you the truth, I don't think I super feel the same way about him as you two." Kinuhata smiled for some reason as she threw those words to the wind "It's fine for me to just be a friend. It doesn't make any difference if the result is the same."
xxxx-xxxx
Frenda's vision was blurred at that moment. She didn't know how long she had been knocked out. Blinking a few times, she managed to focus her vision on the things around her. The girl was still in that destroyed room, but she was sitting on a chair that belonged in another room, since there wasn't much left unharmed after so many explosions.
"Finally" That male voice was like music to her ears "I was just about to call another ambulance"
"Kamijou?" With her head still throbbing, Frenda forced her eyes to focus on the person coming toward her.
"You've made quite a mess here. Consider yourself lucky that Shizuri is in the hospital" He picked up one of the scorched chairs and placed it in front of her "Why the hell did you do that anyway?"
"Kinuhata didn't tell you?" Her voice came out softly, almost inaudible, but enough for the boy to hear "Basically, we had a nasty fight"
"Yeah, I got it" He looked around as he sighed and shook his head "Kinuhata gave me a summary before she was taken to the hospital. It looks like they won't have any problems neutralizing that toxin you used on her. What about you?"
"Don't worry, it takes a large amount of bacteria to activate the effect and they die on their own after a few minutes. Basically, I'm fine... physically at least" She also let out a long, tired sigh.
"I wouldn't be so sure. It looks like Kinuhata hit you right on the head...in more ways than one."
Touma couldn't hide his disappointment, both in his tone of voice and on his face, and that alone was enough to make Frenda feel terrible. The boy finally sat down facing the blonde, who was avoiding his eyes.
"Frenda, I won't lie to you, what you did here...was not what I expected from you"
"Basically, it's fine by me, it doesn't make a difference at this point" She tried to make her tone of voice firm, but failed in the end. "I was doing the right thing so I don't regret anything. That Gokusai is a traitor, she sold us out to #2."
"I'm sure that's not true" The boy really had no doubt in his voice
"I confiscated her cell phone. Are you going to tell me that her talking to Kakine right then and there was pure coincidence?"
"When you take my bad luck into consideration, nothing is a coincidence"
"Really?" Frenda crossed the arms and rolled her eyes "Basically, stop repeating that crap. For starters, this is all your fault. And I'm not talking about your supposed bad luck. We were doing just fine until you came along with your heroic delusions. Why the hell did Mugino agree to all this?"
"Don't pretend that you didn't accept all of this willingly" Touma was not shaken by the blonde's words, he even raised his tone.
"It was the worst choice I ever made in my life. I let myself get carried away with what I was feeling like a soft-hearted idiot." She finally plucked up the courage to face him, but the boy couldn't keep his disappointed expression off his face. "Basically, I hate you. My life was much simpler when I didn't have to follow the orders of an idiot just because the leader of my group fell in love with him. Was that your intention all along?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You seduced her because you needed us. That's why you went straight to the leader. When you saved me in that office, it was all to impress her wasn't it?" Frenda almost screamed now, she uncrossed her small arms and pointed an accusing finger at him "Kinuhata told me she overheard you talking to that Shinseijou. You said something to that icy bitch that was exactly what Kinuhata wanted to hear, whatever it was. Basically, are you going to tell me that's a coincidence too?"
"Frenda, where are you going with all this anyway?"
"Basically, you've been manipulating us from the beginning" She lifted her chin and crossed her legs, trying to look down on him "All this nice guy stuff is just a facade. You must have gotten data from all of us using those miraculous algorithms you carry around. A group of four girls mired in darkness and full of problems they would never admit they have out loud, an easy target for someone like you."
Touma waited calmly for the girl to finish what she had to say. His breathing was contained and steady, unlike Frenda who was trying to hide her nervousness with an exaggerated pose.
"So this is how you see me now. May I ask if this change has to do with the fact that Shizuri and I are dating?" He asked looking her in the eye, but she turned away at the same instant.
Clearly the boy didn't like those insinuations at all, but even so he didn't bother to defend himself against the accusations. He had a feeling that even that girl didn't believe what she was saying. She was like a child who got caught in the act and now had to invent an excuse on the spot, but her story was full of holes due to the hurry and pressure to get rid of the guilt.
"I feel like you asked that question just to make me feel bad" Frenda almost pouted at that instant "Basically, as you said yourself in that elevator, I'm being pretty obvious with all those messages. I got frustrated when I realized that now that you two are officially together, my time with you will get shorter and shorter. That's unfair...I was the first one you saved so you should pay more attention to me, not her."
"But that's no excuse for you to kill someone."
"The fact that she is a spy for another group is reason enough for me. I've killed for a lot less. Basically, considering the way our liaison talks about SCHOOL, she would probably give me a reward for eliminating one of them."
"I already said that Kaibi is on our side. Couldn't you at least have warned me before you started sticking bombs on her?"
"And you think I didn't try?!" Her tone came out louder than necessary. "Do you have any idea how many messages I've sent? You idiot"
No, he had no idea. Touma looked away for the first time in the conversation, but he quickly shook his head and looked again at the angry girl in front of him. She had a point at that moment. The boy didn't need to check to make sure that she was telling the truth, considering that he often ignored messages, and even more so now.
"Basically, even Mugino turned off her cell phone for some reason. Maybe she thinks that ignoring a problem magically makes it go away" She continued, shrugging, as if she knew exactly why her boss did that.
"I'll ignore what you're trying to imply here, but don't do it again" Touma warned, now quite angry "That's still no reason to try to kill her"
"To my defense, I just wanted to scare her at first. Basically, I confiscated her cell phone and found out that she talked to #2. I was just trying to get information out of her. But that annoying girl..." She began to grit her teeth "I held back as long as I could, but she kept teasing me for hours while acting suspicious. If she's innocent, why does she refuse to say anything?"
"That's complicated. I understand what you mean" Touma sighed weakly as he said that with a tired tone "In your situation I would be cautious too, but killing her is going a bit too far."
"Kamijou, do you have any idea how many people I've killed?" Frenda now faced the floor below her, making sure the boy couldn't see her angry face "It doesn't matter if she's your friend or not, she'd just be another face I'd forget in a few days, like all the others. Basically, that's what the dark side is like. Trying to change someone like us is impossible. All you can achieve is a mediocre performance like mine."
"If that's the way you think, then there's nothing I can do" Touma stood up from his chair and walked away from her. The boy turned his back and stared into the void "But I want you to ask yourself, do your teammates think the same as you?"
He didn't wait for an answer. Touma walked across the hall to his room and left the girl alone and frustrated amidst the destruction she had caused herself. Frenda knew what he meant, and it made her feel bad. Kinuhata had risked her life even though she was wounded to save a girl that she was almost sure was not innocent, but the blonde girl realized now that maybe... she was not the only girl her teammate was trying to save there.
xxxx-xxxx
"Can you explain to me now what the hell you are doing Kaibi?" Touma asked, entering his room.
The girl in the dress was waiting for the boy in his room, as he had requested after arriving and finding her wandering around the apartment. Touma took the opportunity to cast an intimidating glance in her direction.
"Hold the emotion there 'Hero'" The blonde girl stirred from her position lying on her back on the bed and sat up to look at him "You said I could use my powers in an emergency. Isn't being with a bomb in your mouth an emergency?"
"But was it necessary to make them fight?"
The boy calmed down a bit after taking a deep breath and sat down next to the girl in the dress, who looked pretty good for someone who had been threatened and almost blown up all morning. When he arrived at the apartment, he found Kinuhata barely able to move and a bound and unconscious Frenda, whom he untied before she woke up. Kaibi had told him that Takitsubo had called in a bomb squad to remove the explosives safely after tying up Frenda, and had also offered to accompany Kinuhata to the hospital, but she only did so when the spiky-haired boy arrived. Touma this time had been too late to do anything.
"It was the most discreet way I came up with" Kaibi argued "At first I just changed my emotional distance with the blonde so that she would hesitate to push the detonator, but that girl is crazy so there was no way for me to know if she wasn't going to just push the button anyway"
Gokusai Kaibi's esper power was called 'Measure Heart'. With it, the girl in a dress could adjust the 'distance between the hearts' of two people. For example, she could prevent someone from shooting her if she changed the distance between her and the shooter to someone he loved. However, her powers could fail depending on a person's emotional stability. Once she tried to use her powers on Kamijou Touma, but they didn't work properly, not because of the boy's Imagine Breaker, since her power had been activated for sure, but because, according to her, the boy's thought patterns didn't seem to work like those of a normal person.
"I didn't intend to make them fight to the death" she continued, casually checking her fingernails "A heated discussion was all I needed to buy time until you arrived. The problem is that those two seemed to have unresolved issues. It's not all my fault. Just... a lot of it."
At that moment, Touma had to hold back from giving a two-hour lecture to that girl acting so casual after almost making two people kill themselves. He massaged his forehead to dispel his conflicting thoughts before he began to speak.
"You know Kaibi, sometimes I wonder if it was worth it to have gone so far to save you that day in England" Said the dark blue eyed boy, without looking at her, for that reason he missed the girl freezing in place upon hearing his words "But I will try to forget what happened here today. Now let's get down to business, did Kakine tell you something important?"
"Nothing that matters" She replied still pulling herself together "He called me as usual. My powers are excellent for interrogation, so he usually calls me when he needs to know if someone is lying or something, but this time he asked me specifically where I was instead of calling me to our base"
"Is that very unusual?"
"Not really. I don't think he suspects anything, but with your luck I wouldn't take any chances."
"If that's the case then you know what to do" He stood up from the bed and put his hand on top of her head "Good job Kaibi. After everything that happened today I can't let you stay here for a while, but you're not done yet"
"I suppose that girl is going to send me instructions for what you guys want me to do next" The girl in the dress didn't look happy at all "When I get back to SCHOOL I will be totally exposed. Fingers crossed that Kakine really didn't suspect anything. Can I at least ask for a slightly more comfortable bag this time? Maybe an oxygen tank to make sure I don't die."
"You'll be fine, I'm sure of it" Touma smiled and held up a thumb, which made the girl roll her eyes and let out a tired sigh.
The time had come for the girl in the dress return to where she belonged. The original idea was that she would stay with ITEM until everything was settled, but circumstances changed after what happened in the mission and even more so after today. The main plan had failed, so it was time for Gokusai Kaibi and Kumokawa Seria to start the spare plan.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello! The title of the chapter is somewhat of a spoiler, oops. In this chapter we had an internal conflict caused by an external factor. Because of this, Kaibi is returning to the SCHOOL base and Touma has to prepare for the next step in his plan.
But leaving intrigues aside, our two lovebirds will have a date in the next chapter. I already wrote their entire date, but the chapter got ridiculously long (almost 25K words!). For this reason I had to split the chapter in two and maybe I will remove some things as well. I was thinking of posting two chapters instead of one next week, but that will depend on how motivated I am to proofread that monstrosity. Wish me luck.
I'm trying to keep my end-of-chapter notes short, so we'd better get right to the reviews:
KHVSFF: Thank you for all the support. Shizuri can only show this cute side when she is alone or with Touma. I plan to explore more how she feels about the bad things she has done, just like in the novels. Shizuri will meet Touma's parents, but it will take time. This chapter was more focused on action, but the next chapter will have an overdose of Touma X Shizuri.
Emiyasatou: Don't worry about it. Thank you very much for still being here. Shizuri doesn't know what she is getting into LOL
Toumafukoda: This is a somewhat unbalanced battle, don't you think? LMAO
xellos540: Uiharu is just telling the truth LOL. It's the same list HC was looking at, Shizuri got from him off screen. A tilt of the head and a surprised face is the most I can think of Junko reacting in this situation. Misaki called him 'prince', so this already served as a kind of confirmation. Touma met Junko when she was together with Misaki in the novels, but they were not introduced, so he refers to her as a curly-haired girl or something. I kind of expected this feedback, so it's fine by me. Uiharu ran away just because of embarrassment, and she ran a lot considering they arrived at the reception desk. By the way, Uiharu had already accepted her "defeat" (assuming she was playing the game) in chapter 13, it would be strange for her to react in a more exaggerated manner than that. Kuroko is just as much in love with Mikoto here as she is in canon, and I have no plans for her to come around here much more, maybe once or twice at most. One interesting thing about Witch & Psychic: The girl who created the game(Yuri) is an esper who found a way to use high level spells without taking damage, which makes her the only perfect esper/magician hybrid so far(IIRC), so I guess this is an easter egg from Kamachi (Kuroyoru does not count).
DJAA: Shizuri will start to open up a little more with time. What we know from her speech to Kakine and Accel in NT6 is that she regrets at least some of what she did, as she says that the path of those who have killed like her is a long one. Touma will help her with that for sure. I wanted more drawings of Shizuri, maybe when she appears in GT in that stylish winter outfit LOL. Shizuri being a light version of Yandere here xD. Thank you so much for continuing to read and letting me know that you are enjoying this story.
5queso: Almost everyone on the dark side has a screw loose. She is not a villain here, she is just frustrated. Good to know there are people enjoying these quieter chapters. Frenda is fine, Kinuhata has taken it easy on her. Thank you as always.
Aiman031122: This story focuses on Touma X Shizuri. Several girls love him just like in the novels, but Touma does not reciprocate these feelings.
Majin Othinus: Touma can probably fix it, but where would be the fun in that? JK LMAO. When I have some time to spare, we can talk about it. Thanks.
I hope no one was bothered by the large amount of 'Pseudo-Science' in this chapter. The next chapter is another one that is almost entirely told from Shizuri's perspective, so for those who like internal monologues: You are in luck. That's it. Nio leaving.