Chapter 23 - Some desires and scars…
On top of a building in Academy City's School District 7, two teenagers were facing each other in battle positions. One of them was a spiky-haired boy with a power that goes beyond science and magic, and the other was a middle school student with curly lavender hair, whose destructive power and violent urges did not match her gentle and pure personality.
"I think I'm getting close" The Level 0 said breathlessly "It's a lot harder than I thought"
"Do you want me to increase the speed?" Asked Hokaze activating her ability, which caused lightning to surround her. "I may not be able to stop in time, so give it your all, Kamijou-sama"
"No, no." Touma made an 'X' with his arms to stop his opponent who was getting ready to come all in. "I still don't have the hang of it, if you hit me full force I'm really going to die."
Tilting her head in a cute way, the level 4 deactivated her ability and examined the sweaty, heavy breathing boy. Yesterday, Touma had asked Hokaze to meet him in this building because she needed to have an important conversation, the girl just didn't imagine that he would ask to fight her. It was not a serious fight, since both were trying hard not to hit each other. The goal of level 0 was quite simple, for the first time he was interested in training his skills.
"You said you need to find a way that allows you to use your precognition more efficiently, so the best way is to condition your brain to accept that if you fail, you die" Hokaze was in a stern tone of voice at that moment.
The truth was that the girl had no intention of hitting him with everything she had, it was too dangerous, even if she knew that the boy could block her attack. Not only was he a good friend, but he was also in the Queen's best interest, however Hokaze had to work hard to make sure that her friend's goal was fulfilled in the most effective way.
"Hokaze-chan, you're starting to sound like Yomikawa-sensei. It's only our second day, so we'd better take it easy" He stopped talking when a sharp tap came from his pocket. A message had just arrived on his cell phone "Damn, it's Shizuri. We have a date today, we'd better stop for now, we'll continue tomorrow morning in this same place."
"As you wish Kamijou-sama. But before you go, may I ask you why you changed your mind?"
What the girl was referring to was Touma's reluctance when it came to getting proper training. Yomikawa had to practically threaten him to get him to agree to learn some Aikido. Hokaze was another one of the people who offered to help him improve, but he refused every time, but now something had changed considering that for the first time it was he who took the initiative.
"Actually I wouldn't say I've changed my mind, it's just the circumstances that have changed" Touma said, approaching the edge of the building he was standing on "I've always been full of conflicting desires after all. Nothing has changed, I still have minimal interest when it comes to learning something that will only serve to hurt people and not save them."
Staring up at the cloudless blue sky above him, the boy clenched both fists and took a deep breath. There were few people who really knew him and knew how he felt. Most people just had an idealized image of him, one that he was not particularly interested in changing. Touma preferred to stare at his friend before continuing to answer the question she had asked him so curiously.
"However, I am not the kind of person who clings to a moral code or principles. Even though I have so many conflicting desires, I can just switch them when it's convenient and even say the exact opposite of what I just said five seconds ago. All this is fine, as long as it means that she will be smiling beside me until the end. If I can come to this conclusion, then throwing away my principles and morals is perfectly fine. I'll be much happier as that kind of clown than as a great hero who adheres to his principles all alone and can't smile with anyone "
With those brave words, the boy gave his friend a small smile and waved his left hand, activating his L.I.B and throwing himself off the edge of the building. He had something important to do from then on: protect the smile of the girl he loves.
xxxx-xxxx
In front of the most famous hospital in the whole city, Mugino Shizuri was waiting for her unlucky boyfriend while looking at the time on her cell phone.
'He's late as usual. I hope his bad luck wasn't so rough'
Sighing, the girl looked up at the sky above her with a straight face. Touma had told her what happened in the ITEM apartment while they were away, which left the girl surprised and a little embarrassed.
'Seriously, what the hell has gotten into Frenda anyway? Eliminating a spy is a basic thing, but making all that mess while fighting an ally... that's weird, even for her. I know she is frustrated but this is going a bit too far. Our relationship has barely started and we are already having problems with jealous girls doing stupid things.'
"You sound extremely thoughtful, Shizuri-chan" That voice that was music to her ears sounded incredibly close.
Shizuri almost took a step backwards because of the fright she was in. Pulling herself together, she put on a straight face and straightened the dress she was wearing.
"Hey Touma. You're late" she said sternly. "And don't give me excuses like bad luck or some girl being harassed in an alley, I spent almost all day yesterday making reservations so that our date will be perfect, so I expect exemplary behavior today as compensation"
Blinking nervously, the boy swallowed hard at the stiff tone the girl was using. He straightened his posture and took a step back, scratching his head nervously.
"I guess it's sadistic mode today then" Touma muttered, disappointed not to get a dose of 'DereDere' first thing in the morning "Anyway, that dress is beautiful. Excellent choice."
Shizuri decided to wear the dress her boyfriend had chosen that day in the clothing store in the Seventh Mist, which matched since Touma was wearing the first outfit she had chosen for him. That "princess" dress was red, tight and incredibly short, besides being transparent on the abdomen, but because of the medical corset the girl was wearing, no skin was showing through that transparency.
"Yeah, whatever" The girl ignored the compliment and picked up her cell phone, which left Touma with a grimace on his face "We better go, before your stupid mistake ruins the rest of our day"
"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry about that" He offered his left arm as usual and put a well drawn smile on his face.
"I'm tired of your excuses"
That left arm remained raised after a while when the girl ignored it and walked to the black car stopped in front of the hospital. Touma felt a pang in his chest at that instant. Shizuri always accepted to walk beside him, even when he offered his arm only as a joke, so seeing her not wanting to hold his arm after they started dating was something that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Are you coming or not?" She shouted, already in the back seat of the car "Stop wasting my time, dumbass"
Hearing that, Touma took a deep breath and put a serious expression on his face as well. The boy finally seemed to have gotten on the girl's nerves again. Walking quickly to the car, he wondered if it was worth it to keep apologizing or just focus on having fun with his girlfriend who had gotten in a bad mood because of him.
"What do we have scheduled for today?" He asked, sitting down next to her.
"You'll know when we get there" Was the dry reply from Meltdowner, who rolled her eyes in an irritated manner.
Touma lost the will to ask any more questions. He closed the car door, put a frown on his face, and began to feel very annoyed at the way he was being treated. But this annoyance changed into something else when the car started to move. Touma was distracted looking anywhere but at his girlfriend to notice the beginning of the event that made him momentarily confused.
"Shizuri?" Touma turned his face quickly as his heart raced.
His confusion had a reason, a very soft one. At that moment, Shizuri had changed her approach, she was now in maximum aggression mode. The girl didn't waste a single second before sitting on her boyfriend's lap. Actually she wasn't just sitting on his lap, she was practically mounted on him, with both knees on the seat, one on either side of his legs, and her body pressing against Touma's.
"You should have seen your face just now" The girl said, with that cartoonish villain smile she had displayed yesterday "My boyfriend is so cute when he's sulky. I can't believe you actually thought I would get angry over something so silly."
"Eh..." Touma looked at the girl's body pressing him and gave up formulating a sentence.
"That's it. I knew that if I feigned coldness the effect would be much greater. Our date hasn't even started yet and I'm already having fun."
"Shizuri, aren't you going a little too far?" He quickly looked away to try to pull himself together from that devastating attack.
"What are you talking about? That's just a lap pillow" Shizuri couldn't stop smiling as she slowly leaned toward him.
"Hey, take that back. I won't let you sully the name of something so wholesome, that barely made sense even. Besides, there is no romance in going this fast. The progression of this is all wrong, we have to start with something simple like holding hands and..."
"We were doing this even before we were dating. So let's skip the tutorial and get right to the interesting part." She interrupted him and pressed her body further into him. Her ample chest was basically giving him a massage at this point. "Let's make the opening show of this date with a long, intense kiss."
Her head was tilted toward Touma, while her arms wrapped around his neck. The boy knew exactly what she would do, so he didn't even close his eyes. Shizuri was an intense girl, but she loved to play, especially with that spiky-haired boy. Now that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, her games only got spicier.
"Hey Touma, we've taken a lot of road trips together haven't we?" She asked rhetorically, whispering with her lips almost touching his, "I've made a lot of advances on these trips of ours, but this is our first one after we started dating. Do you have any idea how excited I am?"
"Apparently not much, since you haven't kissed me yet" Touma put a smug smile on his face. It was the girl's fault for making him so confident.
"Smartass. You know what I want here...and I will get it. I'll use every trick in the book if I have to."
"It won't be enough. My defense is supreme" He teased, widening his smile.
"Okay, you asked for it. Let's start with the basics to get you in the mood."
Letting go of him for the moment, the girl used her right hand to make him tilt his head. Shizuri aimed to make him kiss her three times in total, that was the goal for her to win the game. The first one in the tunnel didn't count, so in the hospital she had already gotten it once, and now she would play it safe to get the second. And 'playing it safe' obviously meant that she wouldn't stop until he lost control completely.
"You seemed to like being kissed on the neck before" She said, brushing her lips gently against his skin, which made him shiver instantly.
"That trick is old, it doesn't work on me anymore"
"That's a lot of confidence for someone who shivers all over at the first kiss. 'Supreme defense' my ass. It won't be long before I get what I need."
"What you need is a glass of water"
Shizuri smiled slightly when she heard the boy's joke. This teasing only served to get the girl in the mood even more. She stepped away from him, and with one sudden movement, she pushed the boy aside forcefully. Without giving him time to recover, she mounted the boy again, who was now lying with his back to the seat.
"I hope you like being in the bottom" Shizuri said, already preparing to continue kissing him on the neck.
Now the girl started kissing him for real. Each little kiss had the softness of a feather, but she began to increase the intensity little by little. It didn't take long before she started kissing more and more wetly until she was practically licking his neck. Touma at that moment had to take a deep breath to try to contain himself. Those kisses were sending delicate pleasurable sensations to his brain, and the fact that the girl was moving as much as possible wasn't helping.
"Trying to play tough guy, aren't you?" The girl asked between kisses, making her warm voice touch the sensitive area of his neck that she was sucking on now "I'm thinking of leaving my mark here, what do you say?"
"Shizuri, you really... really wouldn't mind if I lost control would you?" Touma asked, biting his lip to try to hold himself together.
"What do you think? Dumbass boyfriend." She retorted smiling, moving her lips away from his neck and back to let them close to her partner's, moistening them suggestively.
'He's in the mood. That was easier than I thought. Now he's going to give me one more of his half-assed kisses and then I'll take back the initiative and...'
Shizuri's thoughts were not completed. Her expectations weren't very high, since she could always continue to being aggressive to keep things fun, but the boy decided he had enough. The girl's lips were attacked by his with a somewhat unnecessary violence that caused her to lose her breath in half a second. That already intense kiss was deepened even more when Shizuri felt something invade her mouth rapidly. And obviously the Meltdowner was in ecstasy.
'Now that's a kiss. But I can still do better... wait, where is that hand going?'
Touma was feeling daring at this instant, his left hand that had been holding the girl's arm, went down to the car seat and then up her leg. Shizuri almost stopped kissing him when she felt that firm touch on her left thigh.
'Holy shit, he wasn't kidding.'
Normally, this was the moment that the kiss would be interrupted and the boy's hand would be pulled away. Touma even pulled back a little when she felt Shizuri hold his hand, but instead of her pulling that hand away from her skin, the girl moved it even higher. The aggressiveness of that level 5 was getting stronger every day.
'Not bad for a first date Touma, but you don't know who you're messing with'
Shizuri smiled in the middle of that long, wet kiss as she guided her partner's hand slowly up her soft thigh. Now it was her turn to try to pull away just to take a short breath, only to find that her boyfriend had other plans, as he stopped her from pulling away by placing his right hand on the back of her head and pulling her back.
'That's it...don't let me pull away...keep it up until the trip is over if you have to. My god, this is so good... my head is floating... I want more... '
Almost drowning in an endless sea of excitement, the stunned girl didn't like it one bit when her boyfriend pulled away and abruptly ended the kiss, leaving a line of saliva between them. She almost started a second kiss right away, ready to unload all the violence she was known for, but the index and middle finger of the boy's right hand pressed against her lips, which made her stop halfway through.
"Easy there Shizuri. I need to look at that dazed face of yours before we continue" He joked, removing his fingers from Shizuri's lips and stroking her face with his right hand. "My sadistic girlfriend looks so cute like that. I think I overdid it a bit, your face looks like that of someone who has just been shocked."
"Overdid? With a gentle kiss like that? That doesn't even count as first base" Her voice was no more than a sweet whisper with a hint of teasing.
"Don't use metaphors I don't understand, you're ruining the mood here"
"Then shut up and let me kiss you" She leaned in to quench her thirst, but once again the boy stopped her with the same technique.
"Actually, I was thinking...these small games are such a pain...I think I'll just end it all"
And when he announced this, Shizuri felt two hands on her waist. Quickly but carefully, the boy pulled his girlfriend off him, which disappointed her deeply. She didn't try to resist for the simple fact that she still felt a little pain when she moved abruptly, and that's what happened when Touma grabbed her by the wrists and with one too many gentle movements made her lie down with her back on the seat. Not satisfied, the boy mounted her still holding her by the wrists, which earned him a perplexed expression from the level 5.
'What's going on here with this sudden 180? Has he gone crazy for good? That's what he was talking about then. He doesn't intend to kiss me like that, does he? It must be all a bluff.'
It wasn't a bluff, he really and truly didn't wait a single second before kissing her again. It was faster than last time, but the intensity was the same, which made the girl even more thirsty.
'Damn it Touma, stop teasing me. That was your third kiss, I expected a little more... what a disappointment'
Even though she thought that, the girl put a huge smile on her face as he moved away. Touma didn't see the girl smiling, as he immediately put his mouth to her ear and began to whisper.
"I didn't quite understand the rules, but since I kissed you twice in a row I must have lost... such misfortune" He smiled as he said that "Congratulations Shizuri-chan, you win. Now what do you want for your prize? You can ask me for anything."
"Ohoo... anything is it?" Shizuri had liked that idea, since her tone was now mischievous.
"I am a man of my word, so be careful what you ask for, since I can't say no"
'He is finally getting to my level. But it's still not enough. My wish is that our flirtation will be a violent and intense fight... and his will probably be something softer and calmer. I am his girlfriend, so I need him to be completely addicted to me, only then will we reach a middle ground, since I have already been addicted to him for a long time. I have to make it clear that I want him to be as bold as I am, so it's obvious what I need to ask for as a reward.'
"As a reward, I want you to surprise me on this date" She asked with a mysterious tone.
In response the girl received a narrowing of the eyes for less than a second. The intensity of that look almost made her blink nervously.
"I see, this will be easy then" He twisted his lip in a strange way at that moment. His gaze drifted to the street outside "Looks like we've arrived. Before we go, in my opinion you have been a bad girl, so prepare yourself for punishment" He let go of Shizuri's wrists and advanced towards her.
"Wh -" Before Shizuri could finish her first word, a sharp pain made her stop speaking "Touma... you didn't do that"
The girl massaged the sore spot that he had bitten harder than necessary: her left earlobe. Touma's revenge was complete now, he could sleep in peace knowing that he had the courage to bite the ear of a sadistic girl. To put some salt in the wound, the boy gave a smug smile before turning away from Shizuri and allowing her to move freely.
"You know that's going to come back, aren't you?" Shizuri tried as hard as she could to sound annoyed. "And that doesn't count as a surprise, it has to be a 'big' surprise"
"So now you are changing your order. A bad girl once, always a bad girl" He scoffed, opening the car door.
"Smartass. Don't complain when I rip a chunk out of that ear of yours when I go into my full sadistic mode."
"Yeah, yeah... whatever you say princess"
Still massaging her attacked ear, the level 5 opened the car door with her other hand but didn't get out yet. A discreet smile appeared only at the corner of her lips.
'That was much better than I thought it would be'
Shizuri pulled herself together and got out of the vehicle, taking the opportunity to straighten her slightly crooked dress. Her boyfriend was standing looking at the entrance of the place she had chosen as the first stop of the meeting. He seemed somewhat surprised that his girlfriend had chosen such a place. There was a long line in front of a 30+ story building decorated with various billboards and illustrations of characters that Level 0 knew very well.
"What's the matter Touma, did you like what I chose that much?" She asked, grabbing the boy's left arm.
"Honestly, I thought you were going to take us on one of those fancy outings or maybe an expensive restaurant" Touma sounded confused at that instant.
"Well... I actually made a reservation for us to have dinner at a restaurant, but it's still too early for that."
"With the size of this line I'm worried we won't make it. I didn't even know there was a manga and gaming event going on today... not that I usually go to that kind of thing anyway."
'Did he like it or not? That day in the kitchen he seemed excited for something like this. After all the trouble I went through to get VIP tickets on short notice.'
"No need to worry about the line" Shizuri opened her leather bag and pulled out two small cards. "She is only for people who didn't get advance tickets. Here, this is yours."
The boy took the small rectangular object that had a horizontal gold stripe on it and examined it closely.
"That's a VIP ticket. I'm impressed that you got two. These things sell out fast because of all those scalpers."
"I got lucky" She replied smiling.
The luck she was referring to was being born into a wealthy family, being a level 5, and working for the dark side to which she had called in some favors. This girl couldn't buy everything on the way to her happiness, but she now felt happy to have so many resources available to her.
"Life would be easy if I could buy a little luck too" He sighed, starting to walk toward the entrance of the place.
"I'd say you're lucky enough to have a girl like me by your side" She teased, widening her smile.
"You call that being lucky? I'm dating a sadistic girl instead of a caring dorm manager," Touma joked, noticing a few boys' glances coming his way. He should keep his voice down a bit.
"Technically, I am a dorm manager, if you consider our apartment a dorm and taking into consideration that I am the leader" She argued, showing her ticket to the man at the entrance, who took it and ran it through a machine like a credit card.
"Wait... that's a great technicality, but... no… Kamijou Touma, don't get carried away by the charms of this nightmare dressed as a daydream" The boy also handed over his ticket, shaking his head firmly as if trying to ward off the siren song that would lead him to perdition.
"I must also remind you that my DereDere side ticks the last box. So admit it, I am perfect."
"Distorting the facts when it suits her too. One more thing to add to the list alongside sadistic, arrogant, and creepy. A truly unattainable girl."
With an arrogant hair toss, Shizuri continued to smile as she guided the boy to the second floor of the building. The place was crowded, full of strangely dressed people with other people taking pictures of them and several booths set up with independent artists trying to sell their art. Level 5 was lost in the chaos. Until recently, she could only imagine coming to a place like this if it was to murder someone instead of coming willingly and trying to have fun.
"Man, this is amazing" Unlike her, Touma got excited the moment he looked at all that around him. "Look at all these people doing cosplay... this is giving me some interesting ideas"
For some reason that Shizuri didn't immediately understand, her boyfriend pulled away from her a little and began to look at her while almost drooling.
'Looks like I've been worrying too much. He's even overexcited...but what's that lewd look? It's making me a little excited.'
"A magical girl maybe? No... a goddess... yes... that will work" Touma babbled, still looking at the girl, now with a hand on his chin and an appraising pose.
"Eh... Touma, as much as I love being the center of your attention, this is not a good time to be a pervert" Shizuri tried to smile to disguise her 'nervousness'.
"Important question, have you ever modeled before?" He was now circling around her for some reason.
"Yes, a few times" Level 5 tried to follow the line of reasoning of Level 0 who was now making a camera with his fingers "But nothing too professional"
"I see. You're not of age yet after all" The boy nodded and started looking around, leaving Shizuri even more confused "How would you feel about having to wear a really fancy outfit?"
"I 'am' wearing a fancy outfit. Pretty soon they'll mistake me for a cosplayer and start taking pictures of me...if a guy tries something like that I'll send him straight to the afterlife with a good dose of pain and a new hole in his body" She got serious and also looked around to make sure no cameras were being pointed in her direction, but only found Touma looking at her strangely "Can I at least send him to the hospital with a well aimed beam?"
"If anyone takes a picture of you without permission, I'll send the bastard to the hospital myself" He replied seriously, receiving a mischievous smile as approval "But let's leave that subject aside. What do you want to do first?"
'For a moment I thought he was going to say he wanted to see me in a cosplay. Maybe I should order one next time...but what character? I'll have to ask him later'.
"Actually, what I was planning is on the floors above" She began, moving back to stand next to his left side "I have no interest in almost anything here since I have manga to read for at least a year, but I was thinking we could play some game demos. What do you say?"
"Hmm... so you really interested in games. Okay, lead the way"
The two took the elevator to the ninth floor, where the atmosphere changed to people testing state-of-the-art games that used augmented reality technology. Everything there seemed incredibly expensive, which made Touma brake for a moment. The reason for this was that with his luck, if he was careless he would end up incurring a huge debt after tripping over something and causing a chain reaction of destruction.
"This place is a minefield" He said loudly and looking carefully where he stepped "One miscalculated move and I'm back to bargaining for weeks at the supermarket"
"Really? You're worried about something so silly like that?" Shizuri giggled at the antics of her boyfriend who still maintained his plebeian soul "Relax, if your misfortune plays tricks on you today, I'll pay the bill."
"I will have to refuse that offer. I can't become someone relaxed who is not able to solve his own problems."
"Your problems are my problems now and vice versa"
The girl took the opportunity to look around as she said this, since her unlucky boyfriend was not in the mood for distraction. Amidst so many options, the girl opted to play a game that seemed to be target shooting, judging by the trailer displayed on a monitor next to the booth. The line to test the game was long, but the two had priority because they were VIPs.
"That's not a very good deal to make" Touma argued, showing his card to the clerk, who handed him some sort of modern glasses.
"What makes you think that?" She asked, picking up a pair of gloves that another employee handed her.
The two put on the goggles and gloves they were given and looked in the direction of what would be the shooting stand. Realistic targets appeared in front of them, which made Touma take off his glasses to make sure there was nothing there.
"Well...I feel like I can't do as much for you as you do for me" Touma said that and soon felt a pain between his ribs where his girlfriend poked him hard.
"Speak that shit again and I'll kill you"
Touma turned toward the girl, startled to realize that she had a gun in her hand and was pointing it at his head.
"Huh? Shizuri where you... ah... of course" It took Level 0 only two seconds to understand that weapon was not real, just like the targets in front of him.
"I scared you, didn't I?" The girl almost laughed seeing her boyfriend's startled face, but when he turned around out of embarrassment she wiped the smile.
'Why does he have to be like this sometimes? Is there nothing I can do to make him stop torturing himself?' She thought this as she bit her lip in frustration 'I shouldn't think about it, but it hurts to see him think he's worthless. And just when I thought I'd finally managed to get his self-esteem high enough'
"Even though it's virtual it's still a little weird to hold a gun" Touma spoke, which brought her out of her thoughts. "How the hell does it work anyway? I even have tactile feedback"
"Those are the gloves you are wearing" Answered a girl who was one of the developers of that technology according to the badge on her chest. She approached the boy, standing between the couple "Along with the glasses, they work using the principle of synesthesia, causing one sense to stimulate the other."
"Interesting" Meltdowner said, taking the opportunity to fire the gun at one of the targets "Even the recoil of the gun seems realistic, but without headphones to hear the shot it loses a bit of impact"
"The idea is that this won't be necessary. In the final version of the game, you'll even be able to smell gunpowder" Boasted the girl with tangled black hair. "And you, boy, what do you think?"
"I can't tell" He also tested the virtual gun on one of the targets, not being able to aim very well "I think I prefer something more fun oriented than realism"
"I see, if that is the case then we will switch to arcade mode"
Shizuri turned to see the girl smiling at Touma, which made her slightly irritated. She still had conflicting thoughts when it came to the fact that her boyfriend was incredibly popular. She trusted him enough to let him talk alone with an unknown girl, but she couldn't help but be annoyed to see another girl so close to him.
'Easy Shizuri, it's just an employee showing how the technology works. Don't act like he's spreading pheromones through the air and attracting every girl in the vicinity.'
"Much better now" Touma said, somewhat excited as he was able to aim better "Hey Shizuri, how about a little competition?"
"Now you are speaking my language" replied the level 5, already preparing her weapon.
"You're a little too excited. You better not start cursing when I kick your ass in this game, Mugino Shizuri."
"Don't tease me, Kamijou Touma"
"Nothing like a good virtual couple fight to make things interesting" Spoke the employee more excited than the two "I mean, you are a couple. aren't you?"
"Of fucking course" Shizuri wanted to make that as clear as possible. "This should have a duel mode right? Start the simulation, time to show how a level 5 does things"
"As you wish, Meltdowner" Answered the girl, adjusting something with a control. Shizuri ignored the fact that she knew who she was since the girl seemed to be a scientist "You have one minute. Whoever hits the most people wins."
"Wait, people?" Touma asked worriedly.
"It's all virtual Touma, relax"
Level 5 and Level 0 looked at each other and got into battle position. They had one minute to take down as many virtual people as possible, something Shizuri was very good at doing in real life. So it was more than obvious who would laugh at the end of it all. During the whole duel, the girl hit all her targets in the head, without missing a single shot. It could hardly be considered a fight, it was a one-sided massacre.
"I am a failure" Touma said, slapping his forehead repeatedly on the booth counter almost in tears.
"Kicking my ass, huh? Forget what I said about you not being funny, Touma" Shizuri started laughing non-stop while patting her boyfriend on the back "You're fucking hilarious. Did you really think you could beat someone who has practiced targeting her whole life?" She didn't stop laughing for at least ten seconds.
"Shizuri-chan, could you stop trampling on this Kamijou-san's pride?" Asked the boy with a voice so lifeless that, considering where they were, someone would probably mistake him for a realistic robot with limited artificial intelligence.
"If it's any consolation, that was kind of impressive" Spoke the employee, looking at a monitor above the booth displaying some words.
Stopping smiling, the tea-colored girl looked at the monitor that displayed the words 'Achievement unlocked: Pacifism'. That made her think more carefully.
'I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, but does that mean what I think it means?'
"What is this achievement?" Shizuri asked the employee with a puzzled tone of voice.
"That's what it looks like. Your defeated boyfriend over there managed to incapacitate all his targets without killing any of them. It is possible to get a high score without killing anyone, however it is much more difficult than simply shooting at random." Explained the employee, grabbing something from the countertop "Your time is up, but I want you to have this."
"Okay, and what would that be?" Shizuri asked as she picked up two paper cards that looked like a Gift Card.
"This will give you early access to the full game. We are giving this to anyone who can make an achievement in the game, and both of you got one. My congratulations."
"Both of us?" Level 5 turned to another monitor that displayed another message 'Achievement unlocked: Carnage', which made her twist her lip. But it wasn't a smile that formed.
"You are very good at this, no one has managed to kill so many in such a short time. Levels 5 are really amazing" The employee flashed a kind smile at Meltdowner, however she turned her face away and ignored her.
"Hey Touma, come on. We still have a lot to see here."
Shizuri didn't wait for her boyfriend, still recovering from his beating, to pull himself together. She grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him away from the booth. The girl looked at the two cards in her hand and then used her powers to incinerate them with a small greenish electron sphere.
"Shizuri, did you just burn our early accesses to the game?" Touma asked, seeing the ashes of what was left of those cards in the girl's hand.
"Yes, I did, any problem?" She replied a bit too stiffly, which made the boy look away.
'Shit, what am I doing? I'm so stupid... stupid... why can't I change? Why do I always...'
Once again the girl's thoughts were interrupted when Touma gently stroked her hair and pulled her head towards him, which made her rest her head on his shoulder. In that instant she could do nothing but smile at something so simple bringing her out of her self-deprecation.
"Where do you want to go now, one more game?" He asked with a gentle tone, as if he knew how she was feeling. "Or do you want to go back to the second floor and..."
"Touma, I'm sorry" She interrupted, closing her eyes and letting the boy guide her wherever he wanted.
"Don't worry about it" He rubbed her back gently "Now let's try again, where do you want to go now?"
'I just want you to kiss me and make me forget how stupid I am.'
"Something quiet, maybe an immersive experience. Pick anything like that, it doesn't matter to me." Shizuri said, still with her eyes closed, as if to forget that the world exists.
'Why do I let myself get carried away with such small things? I'll never change if I go on like this...I'll never be able to be the girl he likes. But still... I want him to love me.'
An almost imperceptible smile broke out on her face. Lifting her head slightly, she watched him as the two of them walked through the mass of people crowding the stands and having a good time.
'I want to wake up next to him every morning...I want to be the only person to comfort him after a hard day...I want to share my secrets with him and no one else...I want...I want him...I just wanted him to say he loves me'
"How about that?" Touma asked pointing to a monitor that showed a couple on a hot air balloon ride. "Looks like something pretty peaceful."
"If what you want" She said with little interest.
Unlike the outdoor booth they were at, this one had several indoor booths set up that looked like little white houses inside a larger house with a much smaller line than the others.
"Welcome, young couple" A middle aged man greeted them at the entrance to the cabins "Before you proceed, I need to warn you that this experience may not be recommended for those who are afraid of heights or suffer from vertigo"
"I've parachuted 3 times, and twice the parachute didn't open" Touma revealed casually, making Shizuri grimace "So I think I'll be fine. What about you Shizuri?"
"I have no problem with heights"
"Good. You two can enter the cabin on the right. Enjoy the ride" The man said raising his arm toward the door.
That room was quite small, only twice or three times the size of a Ferris wheel cabin. In the center of the small sealed, all-white room, which resembled a certain hospital room, was what was to be the balloon cabin, where Touma and Shizuri entered after the door opened automatically when they approached.
"We should sit down or..." The room went completely dark as the boy began to speak. It shocked him a little because of the big change from so light to so dark.
"It looks like this whole room is a panel of a Led monitor… or something similar" Shizuri pondered, approaching the edge of the 'balloon' cabin.
The completely dark room slowly began to light up. A sound of wind was heard, and soon a small breeze blew through the girl's soft hair. As if they had been teleported, an entire horizon appeared for them to gaze upon. Touma opened her mouth in surprise as she looked around.
"Wow, that's impressive" He looked down at the city below them, if he strained a little he could even see the people below. None of it looked like a displayed image or a hologram, it was as if they were really riding in a balloon "Is that the Eiffel Tower? We are in France then. Here is where dirigible balloons were invented, isn't it?" Touma was fascinated by the whole thing "Where is that breeze coming from?"
"Some kind of draft control, it's not that hard to do in an enclosed place like this" Shizuri was still a bit sulky as she said that monotonously.
"This is pretty romantic" Touma approached the girl and put his left arm around her waist, pulling her closer "We should take a real balloon ride...if my misfortune cooperates and doesn't cause the balloon to crash or worse."
"There are no balloon rides here in Academy City unfortunately, but I should be able to arrange something like that, give me a little time"
"My girlfriend as always has the solution to all our problems" He said with a playful tone, tilting his head so that it leaned against hers.
"On second thought, it would be even more romantic if we went to paris. Do you have a passport?"
"Yes. I even went to England once" He revealed, as the balloon descended and got closer to the virtual ground.
"Hmm... Interesting. Was it a vacation trip or something to do with your work?"
That feeling that had been bothering her since their duel was getting weaker now. Even if that boy didn't know, the mere fact that he shared his experiences with Shizuri was enough to make her feel better.
"That's a complicated story" He began with a sigh "On one of my adventures on the dark side I ended up involved in a giant international mess. I even had to face an incredibly powerful esper to save Kaibi's life"
"Really? What was their level?" Her attention as always was all on him instead of the amazing landscape outside that balloon.
"I can't tell. The strange thing is that I'm sure he had more than one power. I mean, it's kind of impossible to throw lightning, fireballs, and spears made of water with just one power isn't it?"
"Well... that depends. Some espers are creative with their powers, but I see what you mean" She stopped talking momentarily and put a finger on her chin "That was in England? What are the chances of you meeting a powerful esper outside Academy City? Your luck is really horrible."
"How nice that you seem to have accepted this completely already" Touma used one of his hands to stroke her head, which made her put a cute smile on her face.
The balloon was now doing several laps around the Eiffel tower, starting from the bottom and slowly climbing to the top.
"You really have a lot of interesting stories" Shizuri stated, looking up "How long have you been involved with the dark side?"
"About nine months. My first contact was when I started wandering the alleys at night." A pause was taken, the boy's tone suddenly turned somber. "I started doing this kind of thing because I was tired of all the normal, boring routine of a middle school student. I wanted a little excitement, something to make me forget my uselessness that frustrated me to no end."
"You are not useless" Shizuri said that as if someone had offended her. She grabbed him tightly and put her head on his shoulder once again.
"I wish everyone thought like you do. But Maybe it takes a little darkness inside someone for them to be able to understand the pain of others."
'I know what he means. It's so nice to know we are more alike than I initially thought. But I need to do more for him.'
"Shizuri, I've noticed that you are a little too thoughtful. Does it have something to do with that game? You seemed shaken, do you have something you want to tell me?"
Shizuri almost clicked her tongue. Killing those virtual people was not what had shaken her, but the fact that she had been praised and then rewarded for something like that. She had practically forgotten how she was feeling after getting angry over something that some people would think was silly. She was feeling like a child with an alcoholic father who cried the moment he smelled alcohol, regardless of the source.
"How about we forget about those subjects for now?" She suggested, forcing a smile and interlacing her fingers in his "I want to share this kind of thing with you, but we're on a date, don't you think we'd better enjoy the romantic atmosphere instead of talking about this nonsense?"
"I don't think that is nonsense" He said this in a serious tone.
'Shit. That was a dumb thing to say. I have to try a little harder. I wonder if he likes my aggressiveness? I can try to be more cuddly too...talk in a sweeter tone or something. I wonder if that's what he prefers.'
"Touma, do you like the way I treat you?" She asked, pulling her head away from him to look him in the eye.
"Huh? What a strange question" Confusion was evident on his face and in his voice "It's obvious that I like the way you treat me"
"Are you talking about my 'DereDere' side or... the other stuff too?"
'Why am I so reluctant to ask this? If he says he only likes one side of me, I'll be sad but I just have to pretend I don't care. If the middle ground between my perfect relationship and his cannot be achieved, then I will let the scales tip to his side.'
"Shizuri, what's the problem?" Touma didn't seem to hesitate, he just asked what was bothering him.
'Damn, what have I done? I keep getting it wrong time after time since the day we met. This wasn't supposed to be so hard. I need to make up for my mistakes, that should be my focus.'
"I... I'm sorry" She said, taking a deep breath and looking away. Shizuri would rather stare at that blue horizon than the dark blue eyes of the person she loved so much.
"I don't understand why you're apologizing so much today" Touma didn't like that she looked away, so he let go of her waist and held the girl's face with both hands, forcing her to look at him "Today's been amazing, so save your apologies for when you do something bad, otherwise they won't have any impact"
Even though he was trying to make her look at him, the girl could only stare into the void as his words caused damage to her soul.
'What is he talking about? Just today I toyed with his feelings to get a cheap reaction, deliberately chose a game I knew he had no chance of winning and burned a prize he won with his unnecessary effort, and now I'm ...'
"Okay, I've had enough of that distant look" Touma rolled his eyes as he said that in a stiff tone.
Shizuri looked at him immediately, just in time to see him lean over to her and kiss her on the lips, which stopped her from continuing to wonder where else she had gone wrong.
"You once said you wanted me to pay attention to you" He spoke pulling away, but soon kissing her again. "Then pay attention to me too.
His kisses didn't have the same intensity as before in the car, they were just quick and simple kisses, but the girl was savoring each one.
'When he kisses me I really feel like I've been saved...I want him to understand that I don't mind trying to be a better person if it means he'll be smiling beside me until the end'
"I like this side of you" He said, now just stroking her cheek with his right hand "The one that looks at me like I'm the most important person in the world" Touma kissed her once more and then pulled away, making Shizuri look at him with anxiety and anticipation "I don't care if you're being cute or aggressive, if you're making fun of me, teasing me, none of that is relevant if in the end it's all you"
'Kiss me again...just kiss me again...I already understand...you don't need to say anything else...I already love you more than anything...kiss me...make me forget everything else...I just want to be truly loved'
"Hey Shizuri, why are you crying?" He asked, however instead of concern, he displayed a smile on his face and pushed the tear away with his thumb. "I know you must be happy, but I prefer it when you smile."
'As you wish' At the thought of this she wasted no time and put a huge smile on that dazed face 'A perfect smile for the perfect boyfriend. I'm the girl of your dreams, see? Now just one more kiss before this boring ride is over. Love me with all your might and don't let me think about anything else... don't let me look back... don't let me get hurt... I just want to smile on this path I have chosen.
"That's much better" Touma said, using his thumb to trace that well drawn smile, which made the girl shudder with anticipation "But I woke up a little bold today, so I hope you don't mind if I mess up that smile"
The girl's desire was finally granted when he took her lips to himself again. He wasn't being gentle at all, so the girl took the opportunity to hug him and kiss him back hard, letting herself be moved by the unending thirst she was feeling.
'This...this is what I want...I want to focus all my violence on you and no one else, so don't be nice, fight with me, don't hold back...I don't need anything else'
Sensing that the boy was pulling away from her, Shizuri wanted to give him a 'parting gift'. As soon as his lips left hers, the girl leaned in a little so as not to let him get away yet, and then bit his lower lip hard.
"Ouch... Shizuri..." The boy licked his lip to find out if there was blood, but felt nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief before continuing "Looks like the sadistic side has returned in full force now. I'm curious, does this count more as a reward or a punishment?"
Her smile returned upon hearing that stupid question. Shizuri smoothed her boyfriend's messy hair a bit and then put her index finger on the lip she had just bitten.
"Obviously it's just punishment" She replied, stroking his lip with the soft skin of her finger "You lied to me after all, saying you were going to be bold but giving me another half-assed kiss. Next time, at least let me enjoy the kiss before you move away, you dumbass boyfriend."
"Mark my words Mugino Shizuri, one day you will regret teasing me so much like this"
"I hope this day comes soon, at least things will get minimally interesting, since so far I've only had disappointment" She said, looking around and noticing the white walls again, which meant the tour was over "Our time here is over, let's try to have some fun before we have dinner"
Shizuri walked out the open door of the cabin while trying to tidying up her messy hair. With her back to the boy, she put on the same villain smile that she had been loving to adorn her face with lately.
' That wasn't bad at all...it was a great appetizer actually. I have to keep teasing him to increase this offense of his even more '
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sup guys! That was the first part of the date of our two lovebirds. I had to reduce the length of some scenes because they were dragging on too long (The car scene was originally longer but I'm not sure how much you guys like that kind of scene so I shortened it) or I overdid the drama like the balloon ride. I want to show more how Shizuri and Touma feel about themselves, but at the same time I want to show they are trying their best to make one another happy.
I know that a lot of people don't like it when there is too much drama on a date that is supposed to have more 'wholesome' or 'fun' moments, so I would like to know if this bothers you. In the second part of this date there will be some of that, but I hope the conclusion will make you guys happy.
Now I'm going to see your reviews:
5queso: I'm glad you liked the fight scene. Frenda has no chance of becoming Fre/nda here, Shizuri is no longer interested in that, and Kinuhata is a chill person (Kinda). I don't want the tone of the story to get too dark, however there is more than one event in the future that Touma will get hurt more than physically. By the way, this arc only has 4 or 5 more chapters if I don't decide to split one again, and in the second to last chapter there will be blood hehehehehehe.
Xellos540: Hokaze being Hokaze. Kaibi was taken away by Takitsubo in the previous chapter. Yes, Kinuhata uses a nitrogen canister in her fight against Gorgeouspalace (nice name Kamachi). She listened to Saten and Uiharu's conversation in chapter 2. Basically, everything you said about how Frenda is acting is explained by the title of the chapter, Kaibi can't control her power properly if she is using it on two people who are not her, so this has made Frenda's mental state (even more) unstable, she explains this better in the novels so I won't dwell too much on the explanation here. By the way, I'm almost sure Shizuri does not know of Fremea's existence at this point in time. And one thing I think I was too subtle in getting across in this chapter, is that Frenda was technically ""right"" in this situation considering the 'etiquette' of the dark side, these people start killing each other with any kind of intrigue and Kaibi had been acting suspiciously and teasing her for hours. This final sentence by Kinuhata is to be interpreted ambiguously and is a reference to the title of chapter 5. Which fic are you talking about? It's the text messages Frenda often sends to Touma. Not blowing her up from the start, she made it clear that she was only trying to scare her into getting information but… well… Kaibi happened. Touma being a hypocrite? Now tell me the news LOL. I figured it would be too long for almost anyone so I split it, I think I made the right decision.
I thought about posting 2 chapters this week as I said, but decided to stick to the "schedule". Did anyone notice any references in this chapter? That's it for now. Nio leaving.
