Painted Prison Chronicles

by Sparity Ikari

When Kamijou Touma and Gokusai sisters reunite after a long while, things certainly go crazy for all of them when they found themselves living together through random twists of fate. In their daily life, Touma, Amazora, Kaibi, and Rikuri will learn about each other, with their light, darkness, and pasts revealed. Among the misfortune, comedy, and romance, their bonds blossom anew!

12. Chapter 12

PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 11

KAIBI II

I am back yet again. It took some effort and time. But we are once again beginning yet another chapter, one of my favourites, quite an important one, and also the one that I had concept of since the beginning of this story. It was a great writing experience and I it was a good journey trhoughout majority of the scenes. As some of you pointed out, during this chapter (or rather between the releases) I achieved a couple of milestones. Among them: Over 10 chapters, over 100 follows, and today, over 150K words. I am so happy and grateful for your support. I hope my story will continue to fufill your expectations and bring you smiles as well as good time.

I am glad many of you enjoyed previous chapter, which in all honesty was all sorts of merry chaos. This chapter is in some aspects its opposition, as I tried to make it more concise, but comedic elements can still be found definitely, even if romance may take the spotlight more often that usually. As for issues regarding previous chapter, few of you were asking about Kamisato and/or Fiamma. As for Fiamma, I honestly did not plan him to appear, although when you mentioned him, I got a few ideas about he could be incorporated. As for Kamisato, he was purposely left out because he is going to enjoy is own, momentary sub plot in the future. This story also pays tributes to my other plans for shipping stories, including Touma x Kongou and Touma x Mugino, so their subplotes will be visible. Thank you very much for liking the backstory of Niang-Niang. Even if I am Nephthys enjoyer, Niang-Niang is very quirky and lovable. I wanted her to have a special backstory, something just as prominent as Nephthys or maybe more.

Well, I think this is fine for now. I wrote this a little bit longer than usual so I would not delay you and go straight into the questions.

Tomthecommie: As I clarified before, Kaibi was not a pr0stitute per se, she was only called so out of spite. You mixed up Birdway with Agnese, as Agnese's parents are in fact dead.

Onilink500: Yeah, I like the idea that at some point Touma helped/will help/save all the girls in Tokiwadai ;) IDEAL girls were orphans? That's interesting, I have no way to verify it, and I did not read Astral Buddy yet. Gunha and Thor should not be actually left without supervision. And when it comes to Mugino... you'll see. Although Othinus will not have a spotlight just yet, this chapter has couple of NT9 concepts and references that might be interesting.

BlueJack22: I wanted so much the get him to meet the moms because I thought Misuzu enough was only beginning of something that could be amazing. Kaibi's turmoil will be one of the main focuses of this chapter. Amazora stealing Index's position? Well, she is definitely threatening Birdway (who I honestly love as an author, so she will not take it laying down).

Modelcase IMAGINEBREAKER: Thank you for following through this story since the beginning. The boys had fun didn't they? As for Kamisato, as mentioned above, he will appear in one of the funniest ways possible, so be patient. And I am grateful for words of appreciation when it comes to my work regarding Magic Goddesses. They are amazing characters with tons of potential and I am trying to live up to that.

FinFangFoom100: Well, Kaibi is the most developed out of the sisters, and I can understand if you consider her moments in the story the best. This chapter will only serve to fuel her shipping fire. Although I plan to give Rikuri amazing things as well. Amazora is a little bit tricky because she and Touma have rather different relation but she will get some moments as well. Honestly, I had no time to explore Kuroko, I wonder if I can get her involved... we shall see.

Agent Nine: Although I planned male outing, your suggestion was one of the reasons it made the cut ;)

5had0wHand: Yes, it was Hercules. Point for spotting the reference. Tokiwadai part was amazing, I agree. As for Dorm Manager, I have a story for her interaction with Touma, but it must be put to use in the future, probably not now. I wanted to spend a little bit of time exploring similarities and differences between tsundere approaches of Kaibi and Mikoto. From the moment I started writing Kaibi, I knew it will be an interesting topic.

Mr. X: I will search for this typo. When it comes to Kinuho's mom, she may be curvy, but no, I wanted to say: not fat, but not slim either. I wanted to add a mom who is still very beautiful, but is not as slim as the others, because I felt it would be unrealistic for every woman there to share the same body type. As for the gun, Rikuri made her not take it. She takes a spare in this chapter.

Kaibi did not even know when all of this started. But as she ran through dark streets, she couldn't help but ask herself that question.

At the very beginning, it was probably because she needed to secure the comfort of her sisters. Ever since they left their home and travelled to the City, they were on their own. Knowing that Amazora was way too little, and Rikuri trying to educate herself the best way she could, the middle sister decided to took it upon herself to secure their little portion of life they could call their own.

She took various jobs, but most of the attempts failed because she was too young. However, one of the attempts was stunningly successful: any form of service when Kaibi could use her looks.

She still remembered being approached by cigarette smoking, slightly sweaty man who gave her a greeting card of a club she first encountered forms of service she grew to perform so flawlessly.

"You look so cute, young missy. And I bet you will grow into even more beautiful girl. Would you like to earn some money and get useful skills?"

Was it shady, suspicious, illegal? Of course it was. But Kaibi was desperate to support her sisters and no price seemed too high to pay for happiness of their little broken family. Also, going there was not utterly baseless.

Kaibi had excellent observation skills and even greater finesse in interpersonal subtleties. She picked up what was expected of her very quickly, and was always eager to adapt and improvise to new environments. Not only was she pretty, she was also smart, and those two things rarely formed such a good combination as they did in the case of Gokusai Kaibi.

She started as a simple waitress and errand girl. Then became a cosplaying caffe maid. Finally, she was given a job of a rental girlfriend. Soon, she became immensely popular among the customers. There were few reasons for that.

Firstly, as mentioned already, even in younger years it was clear that Kaibi will be a very beautiful young lady. She was not hiding her apparent confidence in her growing beauty, yet was also not eager to admit that a lot of it was genetic inheritance from her mother's flawless looks. No, Kaibi worked hard to create her own version and style of beauty.

Secondly, aforementioned intelligence, as well as diligence, paid off to an enormous degree. Kaibi could recall food preferences of her clients, the topics of conversations and problems they had, knew what to say and when to say it. When she made mistakes, she used her charm to minimize the damage to her image, and worked hard to never repeat them. She was, in her own way, devoted to her job, and did an excellent work in maneuvering between desires, ambitions, and intrigues of Academy City, with skill that would put many adults to shame.

Thirdly, her esper power seemed tailored to make her successful. Measure Heart regulated emotional distances between Kaibi and her target, or, with greater strain, between two other people. With ability like this, was it really strange that the tips girl received seemed more appropriate to the amounts of money one would give someone especially close? That no one from her clients seemed to particularly dislike her? That she always yielded best results?

Of course not. After all, the people were caught on strings of that glamorous puppetmaster without realizing it, and there was only natural that Kaibi would decrease their distance to get as much money as she could. That being said, she was also cautious.

No more manipulation than it was needed. Covering tracks so her machinations could have some natural explanation. No actual attachment to any client. And most importantly, never crossing the ultimate line and providing physical services using her own body.

Soon, she became a star and unquestionable frontrunner. Everyone in Academy City's hidden enjou kousai business knew her. In truth, she never intended to become so known, but she guessed it was unavoidable. Kaibi initially thrived as a rental girlfriend. She not only brought home great amounts of money (which Amazora and Rikuri were confused by, but, given their runaway situation, never questioned), she also got a great deal of information. She was a temporary girlfriend of some important figures in City's hierarchy, ranging from Anti-Skill workers to even a member of the Board itself. That gave her insight and political knowledge much needed to survive.

That being said, not everyone was so thrilled with Kaibi's success. Namely, her female co-workers, other rental girlfriends. Although they respected young Gokusai, it was mixed with most bitter jealousy. Kaibi stole their clients, and did so with impeccable style. She seemed too perfect. No matter what obstacle jealous girls threw at her, she was unscathed.

Kaibi did not provide any sexual services, which was her own strict up policy. She even put it into her own informal contract between herself and her boss. The girls tried to design a situation that would lead to her failing on that road, but no one succeeded. At the same time, few started to ask themselves why the most successful enjou kousai participant in the entire city would deny the most paid option in the business. The reason was much simpler and down to earth than many imagined. Kaibi was not clueless about intimacy like Amazora, nor hopeless romantic like Rikuri. She was very well aware of the prospects of stepping into the "adult territory". However, a simple miscalculation or twist of fate could lead to unfathomable disaster. Kaibi did not want, neither could she afford the consequences of, a teen pregnancy, with her and her sisters needing to fight for their place in the city with no additional support. It did not have, at the time, anything to do with the ideals of "tainting ones body before true love comes". No, she was a pragmatic girl and as much as she wanted to become successful, she never once lost her rational mind. It was probably because of this that she was so hard to take down.

But Kaibi did not know the power of collective jealousy. Finally, someone put up a hypothesis that there might be some telepathic esper power in use. Using their money, Kaibi's co-workers convinced one of Kaibi's clients to implant himself with a technology similar to that used by infamous Deadlock. This non-invasive implant prevented Kaibi's attempts of using her power on the man and was an evidence of the girl's manipulations. Even with all of precautions, Kaibi was caught red handed.

This event introduced distrust and anger of some parties. But overall, the number of Kaibi's clients did not drop at all. From the perspective of their boss, Kaibi was not exactly doing something unthinkable (and she brought a lot of profit). Now certain that their popular rival could get away with almost everything using her esper ability, they went for more direct approach. Namely, they informed Kaibi's various clients about Measure Heart's advances in each of their cases. Thanks to this, they efficiently spread the jealousy.

Question: What would a man do if he found out that he did not hold unique and special position in regards to girl he fancied, but this position was in fact shared with another man? Take the anger that is the answer, and multiply it many, many times. Then you may get the picture of Kaibi's situation.

The great strength of Measure Heart as ability was probably its greatest undoing in that specific predicament. When Kaibi regulated the emotional distance, it affected the personal wholly, and didn't leave room for half-baked solutions. Although the ability had actual might only with Kaibi's presence, it could have lingering after effects, the length and intensity of which depended on subjects actual situation. If Kaibi manipulated someone in regulating the distance of their hearts into thinking she was his girlfriend, it would fool someone faithful to their actual girlfriend only temporarily (as happened with certain former skill-out member). However, her clients had no problem if Kaibi actually was the girlfriend, even faced with potential consequences from the law. When Measure Heart set their emotional distances, each of her clients believed that they were special in some way, when she sweet-talked them into things. When they were all brought together and confronted with each other, it quickly escalated into chaos.

Each of them, who would normally cope with their feelings normally, was overcame by negative emotions. It wasn't even a fact that Kaibi tricked them, although it could play a part too. It was the fact that they all learned about it, more or less at once. Kaibi always tried to accompany the people who did not know each other, because if something happened in any of her client's cases, she could easily fix that with her ability. But as her power was always more suited to 1 to 1 relationship between people, it encountered problems when there were many parties focused on the same issue. If Kaibi tried to regulate one man's anger by manipulating emotional distance, the other men were still angry, and this anger would still affect parts Kaibi already fixed. Fighting those collective negative emotions felt like battling self-regulating, dividing cells of some disease inducing pathogen. Kaibi could not deal with this alone.

Many of Kaibi's clients started fighting between each other in various ways. Academy City's infrastructure was thrown into chaos, although no one could tell that the reason was a single girl from nowhere. Soon, the hate turned onto Kaibi as well. She was tracked down, bombarded with rotten vegetables, and called a lying bitch. She was relentlessly stalked, threatened, and made fun off. Nonetheless, she probably would follow through her life even in those circumstances, but two things changed it.

The situation was dangerously close to sucking Kaibi's sister into itself, and she wanted to avoid that since the very beginning. Also, someone started a rumour about Kaibi actually sleeping and having intimate intercourses with her clients. It was not easy to ascertain when or by whom were these rumours commenced. However, they made Kaibi more angry than anything else. Her own secretive and proud nature was used against her, as possible explanation of doing something beyond her contract.

Kaibi always went out of her way to keep things professional and never allowed herself to fall for acts of misconduct. However, this attitude, combined with already bad atmosphere caused by her revealed machinations, caused her clients to snap. One day, as she got back home, she was assaulted by 8 adult men.

Even with her ability and fighting skills, she was outnumbered and cornered. Her former clients did not care anymore that they were happy during their dates. They felt that they really loved her thanks to Measure Heart, they realized that they were tricked, they were furious at others, and wanted to ensure that Kaibi stayed with each of them. It does not matter that Kaibi tried to persuade each of them individually to back off. The weight of kilogram of feathers was still a kilogram of weight.

All the negativity was exploding in every direction, and its suppressed nature turned against the very object of affection, Kaibi. Love and hate often were two sides of the same coin. And Kaibi experienced that first hand, surrounded by men, reaching their hands as her back hit the wall.

Their intentions were clear. Kaibi didn't even need to follow their gazes to know what they were planning.

For the first time, she felt fear in regards to her line of work.

And as those hands possessed by the demons of twisted desire reached towards her clothes, she thought

'This isn't what I wanted...someone...please...'

The hands grasped her shaking body. And then...

Kaibi did not even know what exactly happened. In the next moment, she saw the light emanating from the entrance to the alley. For some reason, she was certain that she would not be able to fully describe this light. It was something unnatural, beyond the laws of nature, as if it was visible in that form only because that was the best reality could do to express fraction of its true potential.

She did not see in which form the attack came, as the light blinded her and she felt something akin to wind sweep through the air. When she opened her eyes, her attackers all lied on the ground, unconscious. The only one standing in the alley, besides herself, was a very tall teen with a dirty blond hair, wearing burgundy shirt and pants. She guessed he was older by a year or two.

"Honestly..." the boy cringed in dismay, eyeing the men laying sprawled on the ground "I take a walk and come around bunch of horny bastards trying to all have a time of their life with a fricking middle schooler? What a pathetic display, why such trash still walks around this city?"

The still fresh experience left Kaibi shaken and although she did not cry, her body was trembling as she slowly slid down the wall. But even in this state, she was sure of one thing.

This guy did not come here to save her. He was just annoyed that those guys disturbed his walk. Saving her was just a by-product. But even so, she could not help but look at him. He emanated arrogance, confidence... and power.

"You, girl in the dress. Why do you stand there like a damn deer in headlights?"

Kaibi's lips opened and closed a few times. The guy sighed and turned around.

"I am gonna invest just a little bit more of my precious time. I have something to say to you, but I first need to confirm who you are, so you better start running those pretty lips of yours before I lose my patience. What's your name?"

"Kah...aibi..."

"DO YOU NEED FRICKING COUGH DROPS?! Speak clearly!"

Kaibi finally came around after the traumatic experience, at least enough for her to speak properly.

"I am Gokusai Kaibi. Even if it wasn't your intention... thank you for saving me"

The tall teen did not say anything for a moment. Afterwards, he grinned thinly.

"I heard of someone by that name, who possessed pretty interesting power. Hmm, if that's really you... then maybe you would be of some use... Gokusai"

"Huh?"

"Come with me. In near future, I want to form a group of elite and skilled, to change Academy City from foundations. To do this, I need a person to gather information and skilled interrogator. You seem to fit the bill according to what I heard. If you make yourself useful, I will shower you in honours and place you on top, once I get the audience with him and knock that bleached, scrawny shit from his number 1 spot. I place high hopes in you"

"Y-You want to use me?" Kaibi asked in confusion.

"Of course. But you would be my special tool for this cause. Well, I also don't like to be defied, so the choices you have don't seem to have equal value. On the one hand, you can go back to your life of trying to get by, fend of insults and jumping from one lie to the other. But who would trust someone sneaking into beds..."

"I never done that in my life!" Kaibi's eyes flashed with pink light. The boy only laughed.

"Please. Who would believe your word when pitted against so many others. What would your sisters think?"

Kaibi's cheeks suddenly became devoid of colour.

"You know, they honestly don't need to find out. You were doing it for their sake after all. I also don't have any intention to spread such a vile lies against such a noble girl. My words does weigh a lot, given who I am. But... it would certainly convinced me to not let my tongue slip if you-"

"Understood." Measure Heart replied.

Blond teen raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? So you agree to work by my side?"

"Yes. You don't need to threaten me. You saved me, and as lousy on ethics as I am, I pay my debts"

"Excellent. From now on, you are under my protection. None of those guys will do those things to you ever again. Just fulfil your role, and your place in this City will be guaranteed. Oh and one more thing..."

In the next second, his hand was clenched Kaibi's face, as he looked her closely into the eyes.

"Just moments ago, you tried to use your ability. If this deal is going to work, we have to have some trust in each other."

"Trust? You wanted to blackmail me"

"That was before you agreed to join me. You may not know it yet, but I get what I want when I want it. So, just a word of advice. Don't ever try to use this power of yours on me. Even if you manipulated those fools, it won't work on me. I am quite frankly something beyond this world. If you ever do so, it will only be a waste of time and lead you straight to afterlife"

Kaibi believed him. When she tried to link their hearts, she felt as if she looked at some sort of kaleidoscopic abyss. Everything about this guy seemed... alien and profoundly unique in some strange, yet majestic way. It honestly took her breath away, even disregarding his personality.

He let her go and smiled in more relaxed manner, although his eyes remained focused and cold.

"You mentioned #1. Who... Who exactly are you?"

"Let's do this properly."

He grabbed the hand of surprised Kaibi's and started walking towards the end of the alley. As he walked, the strange light shone again and this time Kaibi saw it properly.

It was of peculiar colour, simply saying white seemed too shallow. Neither gas or liquid, it seemed to move freely through the air. It grew and formed something that resembled wings, six of them, that Kaibi once saw in their family house, on the statues of angelic seraphims.

"My name is Kakine Teitoku. I am Dark Matter of Academy City. Welcome, Gokusai Kaibi, to the prelude of our new world"

(PRESENT)

Such were the reminiscences of Gokusai Kaibi as she ran through the night that befallen the city. However, those memories did not bring her the comfort she sought.

Kakine was her longtime ideal. He had power, influence, and the way he climbed forward was something she admired. For the longest time, she worked with him with an inkling of satisfaction, gathering intel and forcing the secrets out of the enemies of SCHOOL.

However... their bond, despite all the flawless actions they had together and relatively high confidence in each other, held tensions. She was kept as a useable resource. And even with degree of satisfaction and admiration she held for Dark Matter, she could not relax around him. She knew that the possibility of backstabbing was real, so she kept her own knife sharp. Kakine did not fully keep his word. Kaibi knew that he did not care enough for her sisters to protect them. In contrast to Kamijou...

Thinking about it, both Kakine and Kamijou shared certain charisma, even if differently flavoured. Both were relentless in pursuit of their goals and wielded peculiar abilities. However, further divergence that followed was enough to cause chaos in Kaibi's already overwhelmed heart.

"Honestly, those two... how can a person find themselves so close to so different people and then..."

She bit her lip, once again not finishing that very important statement.

She ran even faster, as she felt her heart becoming hollow and chilly. She wanted to do anything for it to go away, but it was in vain.

Gokusai Kaibi did not cry of sorrow in years, but if she could remember how to do it, she probably would.

One of the guys she admired was out there, after their ways parted. Will the other leave her after hearing the lies that seemed intent on tormenting her?

She did not even notice when her curls came undone, as her hair flowed behind her, scattering reflexes of golden light through the air.

(MEANWHILE)

"Shit! Kaibi-san, where are you?!"

Touma was starting to get worried. He ran around like a fool, trying to find that girl, but he was unsuccessful.

'Damn, that encounter probably set her off because of something that happened in the past. I was stupid to react like I did? That was stupid of me! I just want to talk to her. Please...'

"Kaibi-san, please, come back! I really have to talk to you, so please, if you hear me, give me a sign."

He checked in alleys, on crossway junctions, in parks. Still nothing.

'She got exposed before her time with a secret that was something private and delicate to her and I reacted so slowly that she surely thought I was disgusted or something. That never mattered. I would still listen to her, help her, save her... I have to tell her that she does not have to fear anything...'

However, he had to find the glamorous assassin first. And no matter how hard he tried, there was no trace of her.

Touma punched a street sign out of frustration, disregarding the pain in his hand.

"That isn't working. Do I have to lure her with sweets or something? Nah, situation is far too dire for that... what to do..."

He stopped his pursuit, deep in thought, before forming an idea in his head.

He took out his phone and called a certain number. No response.

"Come on. I thought she wouldn't be asleep yet... come to think of it, I hope they are all okay too..."

Finally, his call was answered.

"Mhmmm...who is it?" asked the sweet and sleepy voice.

"Rikuri, listen, I-"

"No silly, you can't be Rikuri, I am Rikuri~" slurred the oldest Gokusai, clearly woken up moments before.

Touma sighed and shook his head.

"We have an emergency here, so stop being cute and sober up a little"

He then told her everything about the situation that transpired.

"Oh, so you are chasing Kaibi-chan... that explains why you two are missing. It was quite hard to get everyone to leave. We were lucky that we did not have another earthquake or thunderstorm thanks to Hasako-san. She is quite attached emotionally to you. Same with Maidono-san, we barely managed to stop her from flying to search for you."

"Thanks for covering for us"

"I wouldn't say cover... you'll probably still have to explain yourselves once you get back."

Touma was silent for a few moments, before asking

"Did you also wanted to search for us?"

"No, I just went to sleep. I also made special milk for Amazora-chan, so she would not get curious or worried. Now she is sleeping, although I must say, I never see her rest so peacefully till you came around. She loves to sleep by your side. You are better than any plushie"

"That's...nice to hear" Touma said in slightly dejected voice.

Was he secretly hoping for the older girl to care about his whereabouts? No, this wasn't like him... it mostly wasn't at least. It was more surprising that Rikuri did not worry for Kaibi.

As if reading his thoughts, Rikuri spoke again through the phone

"Kamijou-san, if you think that I have no concern for you two, you are wrong. On the contrary, I thought about it a lot. But you know what? Even omitting the fact that Kaibi is a strong girl on her own accord, there is one more reason for me not to succumb to panic. Can you guess what that is?"

"Emm..."

"It's because I trust you, Kamijou. As simple as that."

Touma was stunned into silence.

"Ever since that moment when we first met, I was intrigued by your personality. At first, I thought you were crazy... but then I also noticed you were brave and kind. You made me realize things that I long since forgotten. I am sure Kaibi started to feel the same well, but because her circumstances and personality are somewhat different from mine, she reacted with confusion that began to eat her alive. To be honest, you surprise me every day. But the very reason I wanted you to stick around is precisely because you made my days so much more interesting. And not only for me, but for my dear sisters as well. You are still very much of a mystery to me, but what I do know is that you have determination to follow through with your will to save everyone, no matter how foolish it may seem. So I know that there was no other way. My sister is a stubborn and responsible type. She will not accept it easily, but please, help her."

"Rikuri-san..." Touma was positively at loss of words.

"At this point, I don't imagine anything else. Amazora would cry and be heartbroken, so you are to return home with a smile on your faces. Both of you. Isn't this your dream?"

"You are the best!"

"Heh heh, I know I am. If you don't return by morning, I will go searching for you as well. You made me worry as well. As punishment, I will have you massage my body. My intuition tells me that there can be other uses for those hands of yours other than fisting your enemies..."

Touma gulped, enticing a melodious laughter from other end of the line.

"Ara ara, is my punishment considered a reward! How naughty of you~"

"D-Don't tease me! Tell me, is there a place your sister could go?"

"Hmm... although this may not be anything direct, but she likes to have space when she is upset. Maybe some empty place? On the other hand, her control tends to weaken in moments like this, so she might as well get in some trouble..."

Touma thought for a moment, before snapping his fingers in realization

"I think I have an idea! Thank you so much, but there is no time to waste"

"Hmm...you are right, of course" Rikuri whispered, before stifling a yawn "I leave Kaibi-chan in your hands. See you"

The call ended and Kamijou resumed his search.

"Kaibi-san! Come on, answer me. If you do, I will make you the most delicious, ultra-sweet dessert you've ever eaten!"

(MEANWHILE)

It wasn't very surprising that Kaibi found herself in district 10. It was a ghost town at night. Old, obscure buildings and dark, murky alleys. It was definitely not a great place to be, but something drew Kaibi into that desolated landscape.

What was more surprising was that she was in a fight, with an entire gang nonetheless. This was absolutely unlike her. Then again, she wasn't feeling quite normal like now.

She wanted to do something, anything, to make this bothersome feeling of hollow void go away from her heart. It didn't, but now she had to pay the price of starting the commotion.

Good news: she managed to pick up one of her spare guns from the secret storage. Bad news: she was heavily outnumbered and the guys she was up against also had firearms.

Initially, everything was going her way.

She dropkicked one of the gang members, and sent him flying, in the meanwhile snatching his rifle. She fired at the other two, aiming at their knees. She rampaged through the alley like a hurricane.

She kicked, shot, and, if she managed to look them in the eyes, used her ability to decrease their emotional distance to her. Soon, few of the gang members turned onto their comrades.

'This is so dumb...'

She did not know when this thought appeared in her mind. As she fought and used her power to turn tables, it crept into her head like a chilly wind.

She was always so cool and collected that something like this was absolutely alien to her. Only two things could put her in such state: the danger to those close to her, and emotions she could not control and identify. As it was obvious, the cause of her erratic state was the latter.

'What am I even doing?'

It was childish and immature, as she tried to bury her own feelings within flow of action. She tried so hard to repel everything by force, by doing something, anything, to get her mind of the truth about the state of her heart.

'I can't overcome this...'

But deep down, the knowledge already took hold. Her power, origins, and dark side life made her mature enough to realize.

Running away would not solve anything. Pushing your feelings away would only bring you pain and twist them into uglier forms.

She knew that. And yet...

She stopped over the fallen bodies, and put hand to her own forehead.

'I am lost. I don't know what to do. And the reason for that is...'

Suddenly, a karate chop to the neck caused her thoughts to cease for approximately 10 seconds.

But even that temporary loss of consciousness was enough for the strongest looking thug to lift her up and pin her to the wall.

"What gives missy?" he roared, his breath stinking of garlic and meat "You have a death wish?! I will teach you what happens to little girls that come onto our turf so late at night"

Kaibi tried to break free, but the hold was strong, and her legs merely dangled in the air, as she tried to get a breath of air.

"When my bros wake up, we will each have fun. Isn't that nice?"

Kaibi's furious eyes glowed and although the hold on her neck loosened just for her to breath, the thug just smirked.

"I don't know how your power works, but messing with my mind would do no good. No matter how dear you are to me, my bros are my family. I will never betray them, for anyone"

'Tch, talking about judging by the cover. He is resistant to a degree. Measure Heart always has a problem with ideals taken to the extreme. Well, let's see if he attacks me when I appear as the member of...'

However, she could not formulate her own thoughts as she began to suffocate again. The choke hold was merciless and soon it became clear that she would not be able to breathe at all, let alone calculate.

Gokusai Kaibi was an efficient assassin. She wielded sophisticated thelepatic power, had skills with guns and heavy machinery, and was self-taught expert in many forms of hand-to-hand combat. Her precision and abilities could make her a formidable opponent. Just now, she almost managed to overpower an entire gang by herself.

But she wasn't devoid of flaws. Her power had limits, and certain cracks in her flawless attitude could lead to her making mistakes. The gun was of no use if it was dropped, and it slipped from her hand once she was temporarily knocked out. Kaibi knew that there were few scenarios where she could let her guard down in emotions. That's why she used to work in teams. Not because she was too frail and weak by herself, but because others served as countermeasures for her weakness.

Not that it would matter. She stepped deep into this district and there was no help coming.

She knew she couldn't count on it. She started this mess because of her childish frenzy and hope to get rid of her feelings. But... if she could be a little selfish... one more time...

'Help...me...'

This was foolishness. No knight in the shining armour will come to-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

In the next moment, a trashcan lid collided with thug's head, sending him to the ground. Kaibi also tumbled down, breaking into violent coughing fit.

The disoriented guy tried to stand up, but in the next moment, right fist punched him into the face with such force that it sent him straight into the concrete. He lost consciousness on the spot.

Blinking away the tears from her eyes, Kaibi finally managed to focus her sight.

There was a person standing nearby, illuminated in the streetlamp.

"Kak..ine...no..."

She said it mostly out of remembrance of how Dark Matter arrived and rescued her in the past. But she knew this was not him. Although the street lamp light seem to give him aura of majesty, she knew that it couldn't be Kakine.

"Kamijou..." she whispered, as the boy came closer.

"What the hell happened here? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Yes. Kakine would never come just to rescue her. He would never concern himself primarily with her well-being. And he would definitely think that it was beneath him to use trash can lid for an attack.

At the very thought her lips unwillingly curled up.

"So you came..."

The light behind the boy didn't feel alien and aloof. Rather, it was warm and welcoming.

"I am going to ask again. Are you fine?"

"I'm...good. Although I was holding on rather well"

"Yeah, I saw... in that case, there is only one thing I can do"

He approached Kaibi, who suddenly felt strange. Why was he getting closer? Why did he look so focused on her?

Any possible delusion Gokusai Kaibi could secretly have was crushed by fist that hit her on the cheek. It caused her to spin around and fall onto her butt, crying in shock.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" yelled the spiky-haired boy" Provoking people to fights, running away without explanation?! Everyone was worried, I was worried! What is going on here, Kaibi-san?!"

Kaibi's eyes flashed angrily, as she got up and attempted to kick Touma between the legs. The boy anticipated the attack but it still hit him in the inner thigh which caused him to stumble away in pain.

"I am perfectly fine! I didn't ask for anyone to follow me, so you can go the hell away!"

"You are obviously not fine! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DAMN STUBBORN?!"

"WHAT I FEEL IS MY BUSINESS!"

They both screamed and then fell into silence, looking at each other for a few seconds before turning away.

Couple of long moments passed, before...

"Okay, that came out wrong" Kaibi sighed, before awkwardly turning around to look at Touma "Look, I am actually happy to see you and... thanks for the save. I was just... I don't know..."

"No, I should normally explain myself instead of giving into my worry" Touma countered.

"Yeah, seriously, what was with that punch? I know you don't care about punching girls and stuff, but... that was a bit anticlimatic."

"Oi, I didn't put my strength into it. This was my warning punch! I just wanted you to... you know... snap out of it and talk with me like a normal person" Touma defended himself while raising his fist up.

"You..." a small snort escaped Kaibi as she tried to stifle a giggle" you have a gradation of your punches?"

"Well, you gun people have warning shots, I have my warning punch. When you fight people as long as me, you tend to measure your strength for various occasions"

Kaibi sighed and shook her head

"Good grief, you really are one of the kind. Fair enough. You didn't get to punch me when we first met and I gave you a fight, so let's say we are even. No offense, you are great guy, but I think you need to have your head wacked from time to time, for good measure"

"P-Please don't say that, this Kamijou-san don't won't to be any less intelligent or have more mind problems..."

'Mind problems?'

Touma looked at her with serious "I know you are hiding something" kind of look.

"Kaibi-san, please, I won't do anything... and you can do anything afterwards... just... can we talk? No double meanings, no tricks. Just you and me, and simple talk."

Kaibi looked into his eyes and knew her answer already. Honestly, since when did he have such an effect on her? She started to act differently, fight less lethaly, and conform to his stupid ideas. It pissed her off, but...

"Fine... let's talk"

(15 MINUTES LATER)

"Well, I don't know if this a cozy place for this kind of talk, but..." Touma looked around.

He and Kaibi were on the bench near a run-down building. Like many places in district 10, it was in horrible condition, with broken windows, graffiti all over the walls, and the general neighbourhood was such that it would give you nightmares during daytime if you were to live here during regular life. However, Kaibi seemed unbothered. Touma thought about how much of the sights within the darkness of the city she saw. Maybe this place had the semblance of regularity for her. This was actually kind of sad to comprehend.

They were both in rather awkward positions.

Kamijou knew he wanted to talk, but didn't know what really needed to be said.

Meanwhile, Kaibi didn't really wanted this conversation. but knew she needed it and so she searched her head for a way to start.

Kaibi played with her long, undone hair, trying to get her thoughts together, when something came to her mind.

"How did you find me? Even if you had vague idea where I was, you pinpointed my location rather well."

Touma looked embarrassed at this question

"W-Well, it wasn't exactly me all by myself. I had help. Rikuri-san gave me hints. I also asked my senpai for a favour, and she sent me some fancy GPS app with live camera feed. Apparently, she has a way of getting that intel... somehow... well, at least it worked. She was also a little pissed, since she has a special sleeping schedule..."

Ignoring the boy's foolish ignorance of a girl being pissed because she was asked to search for another girl...

"O-Oh...I see. But.. when I lost you, I changed clothes during picking up a spare gun."

"Oh yeah, you didn't have a gun before, right?"

"Rikuri said: are you crazy to take a gun on girls outing? Tch, stupid nee-san."

"It's a nice style you have on you right now."

Kaibi was wearing dark blue blouse that was contrasting nicely with her blond hair and changed her usual heels to pair of running boots.

Right then, she crossed her arms while pouting at him.

"I-I am not falling for compliments right now. What interests me was... well... did you recognize me? I changed my clothes and my hair came undone..."

Touma looked at her as if she said something utterly dumb

"Of course I recognized you. Such small things don't matter"

But they did. In the past, Kakine failed to recognize her after change of hairstyle, despite Kaibi being able to do so regardless of what he wore. This was what stunned her into shocked awe. She knew Kamijou noticed fine details, but...

"Also, your eyes and face are quite unique. I could recognize you just through them alone... although you and your sisters would be super similar if it wasn't for age difference... K-Kaibi-san? Is everything alright?"

Kaibi blinked, not realizing she kept staring at Touma with half-parted lips and slightly red cheeks.

"Y-Yeah, I am good..." she said, turning away ever so slightly.

They both listened to the distant sounds of city at night.

The girl took a deep breath and spoke

"Kamijou... did you ever feel like you lost ground under your feet? That you have no clue where to go? You see, this what I feel like right now. For the longest time, I felt like what I did had some control over everything around me. But when you came around... I started to question things."

Touma did not know how to react to this statement.

"As Rikuri nee-san told you, we come from rich family. Due to the various circumstances... our relations with our mother became unhealthy and just straight up bad. So I had the idea to escape to Academy City. I watched a documentary about it in television when I was little, and it seemed like a perfect place to start a new life. I don't want to dwell on that part of my past but... it was awful. My mother seemed like someone alien. She put too much pressure on Rikuri, tried to keep Amazora away from us, and... completely disregarded me."

"Why?" Touma simply asked. It looked like Kaibi still left fragments of the story hidden, but it felt like she was not in the mood to talk about it and he had no intention to pressure her too much.

"Simply put, our mother is not actually a bad person. In fact, she did love us before very much. And it was why sudden change was so devastating. As for her relationship with me... I was a middle child. Not precious heir like Rikuri, no limitless potential of not yet defined Amazora. I was always in between, in everything. All my life I was balancing between extremis. Going to Academy City was my idea. Rikuri was ready to endure the pressure for all of our sakes, and Amazora was too little to have a saying, but... what cause our runaway life was basically my selfishness. When we got there, it turned out that... let's just say that we found out that City life was not as dreamy as in commercials. We were guarded heavily, but we sneaked out of our mansion, with Amazora in Rikuri nee-san's arms. Rikuri was 13, I was 9, and Amazora just had her 5th birthday. We were travelling by night, to avoid capture, and doing all sorts of tricks to get to Academy City. Luckily, we had a bit of money on ourselves. Using our surname also gave us a pass to the city, in exchange for becoming the espers of course. I still don't know if I gained the ability to escape from my family home... or in some twisted hope of being able to fit in some way. If could regulate the distance between her heart and mine, then..."

Kaibi shook her head. Her fingers were trembling slightly.

Kamijou had many questions. There were many parts that still did not give a clear view, too many "WHYs". But...

"Please, ask Rikuri-san if you want the full story. She would probably be a better source than me..."

Even in that moment, this proud and strong girl refused to admit how much hurt reminiscing brought her.

"Kaibi-san... what are you so scared of?"

The girl looked forward, to the gap between dark buildings.

"Since we got to the city, we had to do what we could to live in good conditions. We used the... ekhm, borrowed money... to rent a small flat and to get Rikuri to middle school. She was a little older than usual procedure of esper development dictates, and maybe this was why she had trouble with her ability. But we still did not get enough money for all of us. I was merely in elementary school, but I tried my best to help Rikuri keep our little broken family together. I studied my hardest to get powerful ability to ease her burden. Amazora was still little and we had to take shifts in looking after her. She cried at night and I can't count how many times I had to change bedsheets..."

The look in Touma's eyes softened

"By the way" Kaibi continued, taking a strand of her hair, which was falling onto her back, into fingers" you might have noticed, but our hair, each one of the three, is dyed."

"Wow... it looks so natural..."

"We all liked it. When Amazora was old enough, we all bleached them as a symbol of our bond. Isn't this sweet?"

"Yeah... you really love them, don't you?"

"Hmm..." Kaibi tilted her head, with a melancholic smile dancing on her lips "Amazora is a spoiled princess and a demanding child. Rikuri nee-san is always playing a chirpy, free-spirited airhead, when she could be more reasonable, as the oldest of us. But... I would not be able to live my life if they weren't in it. Those days when we tried to find our place in this City... they were tiresome and hectic... but it was the closest we ever were. Me and Rikuri tried our best to raise Amazora and care for her as she grew up. We cared for each other when one of us got sick. We tried to support each other and learn everything by observing, studying, and adapting."

"That sounds taxing... by the way, are you thirsty? I have something just for the occasion."

Touma took a can out of his hoodie and handed it to Kaibi. She took it with surprised look on her face.

"Thanks... quite thoughtful of you..."

She took a sip and tasted it in her mouth, gaining a quizzical expression.

"It's not bad, but strange..." she mumbled, with half-full mouth "What is this?"

"Believe it or not, but it's a coffee with chilli, honey, and vanilla" Touma announced proudly" Gives you energy, wakes you up, and polishes your vocal cords. I wasn't sure myself, so gave it a try before handing it to you"

BWAH-PFFTT?!

In an instant, the liquid gushed out of Kaibi, who, discarding all elegance, choked out:

"T-Tried... but you don't have another can... that means..."

"W-Well, as embarrassing as this sounds, this is supposedly a new delicacy, and I didn't have money for more..."

"But... that means... how did you bring it here in your pocket?..."

"You wouldn't believe it, but this can has a sealing mechanism, even after opening, just like a bottle. You can open and close it, and yet it will not spill out! That's Academy City's technology for you."

"Yeah..." Kaibi choked out. Her throat and nose were burning. She woke up alright.

"Did something happened? It wasn't too spicy?"

"No... I will be fine... wait a second, I will tidy myself up..." she quickly spun around, dabbing her face into the tissue, and doing few gentle coughs into it.

Well, Kaibi did felt like she could cough up her lungs because of burning in her throat and had to fight back the sneeze thanks to the spices in her nose, but the reason she couldn't face Touma was much different. Her cheeks were even redder than before, and it wasn't from effect of the drink.

'This guy. Whenever I feel like I have some degree of control over the conversation, he does something stupid, and then I look like a complete fool. More importantly, what is happening with me?! I am Gokusai Kaibi. Thanks to my power, I seduced the most influential people around and played them like fiddles. I did all that so why the hell am I freaking out over indirect kiss?! I am not in middle school anymore. But...but...'

"Kaibi-san, are you really fine?" ever helpful Kamijou-san came to the rescue, turning her around and putting a hand on her forehead." You got quite red... and you are super hot!"

'Too close! Too close!'

With her cheeks and tips of her ears bright crimson, the poor tsundere heart of Gokusai Kaibi forced her to took action by twisting the boys right arm.

"I SAID I'M FINE! DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

"GAAAH! FUKOU-DA!"

(ONE ARM-TWISTING BREAK LATER)

"Okay, where was I?" Kaibi mused, ignoring Touma massaging his poor limb."Well, cutting to the chase... Kamijou, when we were younger, Amazora got seriously sick. This was when I started to do all kinds of jobs, including maid caffes, and eventually... enjou kousai. The drugs for the treatment were expensive and no hospital had them. Eventually, a certain doctor with a frog face managed to heal Amazora and he didn't even needed that much money. He simply said that he wanted to save a patient in need. "

"Oh, so you did it for your sis-"

"No. Initially, it was for their sakes, and to an extent, I wanted to gain money so all three of us could live together. We did not want to be separated, so we had to cover all of our expenses without using our respective dorms from schools."

"Can I try something out?" Touma interjected. "I will try to see where this leads. Can I?

Kaibi thought for a moment, and then waved her hand.

"You can try. Amuse me."

"You tried to work more and more to escape from your own insecurities. When you risked and learned through experience, you thought you were moving forward. By doing all those jobs, you wanted to prove your worth and support your family. But soon you felt that you grew attached to the feeling of action. You loved the feeling of control you have over your situation and the capability to yield results that you owed to nothing else but your hard work. Am I right?"

The girl lightly clapped her hands with a small smirk.

"Such a clever deduction, Sherlock Holmes-san"

But Touma wasn't done yet.

"After a while, you became so good that you gained popularity. You feared that you will bring too much unwanted attention to your sisters. You didn't start working to endanger them but some people could probably abuse your popularity. That's why you made contact with dark side. You wanted to ensure their safety by having protectors watching your back. But you contracted many people and created a web of relations with your ability, while you held the strings."

"Hmm?" Kaibi crossed her legs in the tone of mild interest.

"At some point, Amazora-san and Rikuri-san found out, didn't they? And since they wanted their sister safe as well, they stepped forward into the darkness with you. You were inseparable, since you had only yourselves, and it was natural that they followed you"

"I am impressed. You really are perceptive when you want to be. I did get involved with dark side to protect my sisters. They later insisted on joining me... Rikuri nee-san had no part in actual battles, but her knowledge proved crucial on many assignments. We were against letting Amazora go with us, but that tricky squirt always managed to follow us in some way. In the end, we guessed that letting her stay in our sight was better than having her killed because of negligence. We didn't want to work on the dark side for the sake of it. But... it paid a lot and gave us so much freedom. We felt so in synch that it got some sense of thrill and adrenaline. You can call it a rebellious phase, for all of us. Maybe I was trying to express my earlier frustration in battles... since I didn't even cry..."

"You did not cry for all that time?"

"No, I did not shed a tear. Ever since my father..."

Kaibi cut her sentence short and apparently wasn't keen on elaborating.

The sister's dad did not really appear in earlier conversations, but Touma was once again certain that the answer. Instead, he once again changed the topic of the conversation.

"Kaibi-san... about enjou kousai... was what that guy said-"

"NO! It was not true!" the girl suddenly slammed her fist against the bench "Even if I did endorse in actions as rental girlfriend, I never slept with anyone. I got close on occasions, but never overstepped the boundaries I set out for myself. That was...a pride of mine. And some jealous bitches were spreading lies to discredit me!"

"Did being a rental girlfriend made you happy?"

Kaibi lowered her gaze and in a quiet tone told her story of enjou kousai. Afterwards, she shook head.

"I was very popular at the time. I felt euphoria, dominance, control... this job was perfect way to gather information and the feeling of being able to make them do anything for me was intoxicating. But happiness? No... in fact, I... forgot about it back then... I joined dark side to separate this part of my life from myself. It was getting tedious, even for me. One time, I got assaulted. If I wasn't saved back then, they would got me... and did... well, things of more mature nature..."

She spoke confidently, but a single droplet of sweat travelled across her brow.

Suddenly, Touma's hand found itself on hers. The girl stiffened for a moment, but did not break the contact.

"The person that saved you... was Kakine Teitoku, wasn't it?" Touma asked without really thinking about it, but then was almost crushed by the wave of wary anger that flashed out of the orbs of pinkish violet before him.

"How do you know that?"

"W-Well... Amazora-chan could have mentioned that you two had a connection..."

"That blabbermouth... honestly, she is going to get herself in so much trouble one day... no, scratch that, I will be the one to give her that trouble for spilling an information like that... Tch, yes, Kakine Teitoku came in search of my power. He persuaded me to join his dark side group in exchange for freedom of pursuing my goals and protection for my sisters."

Touma nodded slowly.

"What was your relationship? Yours and Kakine's?"

"W-What kind of question is this? Well... it is a hard thing to say in short. Me and him worked with each other for a little bit, quite long honestly if taking into consideration the fact that me and my sisters changed loyalties easily and worked for many people. On one hand, he had wonderful charisma, he was intelligent, and wielded power out of this world. I felt like I must perform my best with him, and this challenged me to reach new heights. He was a certain inspiration for me. But on the other hand... he was tyrannical, self-absorbed, and did not truly care about the others the way... y-you do. In the end, he did not to a thing to protect my sisters and our contact got severed abruptly. He and myself were members of a group called SCHOOL, but after World War III, it got disbanded. Kakine disappeared somewhere, and my other two colleagues died in action beforehand. I was alone again, and so I switched loyalties, just like I did many times before."

"What about your enjou kousai? Did you stop with it? I think you told this guy you quitted?"

"After Kakine recruited me, I still accompanied people, to create web of manipulations, just like you said, and search for valuable intel. Due to the incident with other rental girlfriends finding about my power, I knew that they only waited to stab me in the back, but I carried on nonetheless. I distanced myself from it once SCHOOL was no more... come to think about it, we actually got less and less involved in dark side itself ever since Handcuffs. The underworld was so unstable that the world of light seemed like a more rational choice for once"

"I see..." Touma frowned, processing what he heard" I wasn't really participating in it, but I heard a lot about Handcuffs and how awful it was. I hope neither you nor your sisters were hurt"

Kaibi looked at him with a sly smirk.

"Ooooh? Are you worried? Well, during the time I hid my sisters quite well and allowed myself to be locked up. Some cells are actually quite comfortable and I managed to wait through the worst before seizing my chance of escaping."

"You did what?! Give me back my worry!"

That glamorous agent of darkness could only laugh at the boy's disbelief.

"With my ability, we could always escape prison or convince others we were innocent. I got used to it."

She then got up, and faced away.

"That mostly sums it up. Now then, how about I go get something to-"

Touma's hand grabbed her wrist.

They both froze, with Kaibi asking coldly

"What are you doing?"

"Preventing what you wanted to avoid. Your own escape."

"What escape? I told you every-"

"That's a lie"

"I get that you are a god damn hero, but there is nothing wrong with-"

"Another lie"

Kaibi tried to force herself out, but Touma's strong grasp was unwavering.

"You are getting on my nerves right now! Well then, if you are so smart and think you know me so well, why don't you tell me what you think is wrong? Huh?!" Kaibi yelled in annoyed tone.

And this action was like shooting yourself in the foot.

"I don't assume I know everything about you...no, I know that I still have a lot to learn... but from what I can tell... Kaibi-san... you have a problem with genuine human connection..."

Kaibi tried to remain unbothered, but shiver travelled across her body.

"That's..."

"But it goes deeper. You are lost and confused because you found yourself in situation that is strange to you, something that made you reflect on your values. Maybe you got scared of what you saw. Are you afraid to care? Afraid to love? The only piece is telling me why this is happening. What exactly gets you to this state and why?"

Those beautiful, gem-like eyes flashed with many different emotional states. Hesitation, frustration, tiredness, anger, and... fear. Kaibi looked at Touma, but before she could speak...

"Boss?!"

Touma's eyes widened as he noticed a figure stepping out of the shadows. Kaibi also recognized that person, once she turned around.

Hamazura Shiage looked at the pair with strange light in his eyes.

"Boss... step away from that girl! She is dangerous!"

In an instant, both Hamazura and Kaibi had each other on the line of fire.

"Oh, it's you. We meet once again, ITEM boy." Kaibi said in a tone that would be more suited to ordering in a restaurant" It seems you escaped Handcuffs. You really are more capable."

"Hell right I am."Hamazura gritted her teeth" More importantly, what are you doing with boss? Do you intend on using him with that strange power?"

"If you didn't notice, you interrupted our conversation. Don't piss me off" Kaibi spat out.

"Piss you off?! I thought I had it all behind me... but seeing your face once again, and here of all places, so close to her grave... it makes my blood boil" Hamazura muttered, correcting his aim.

"What the hell are you-"

"STOP!" roared Touma, getting between the two "Why the hell is it always like this with dark side? Do you really have to greet each other with guns?!"

"I guess we have a history..." Kaibi explained lazily" To be honest, I let him live once, but if he continues to be rude like this, I might want to reconsider-"

Touma grabbed the girl's blouse and shook her.

"I don't care! Why the hell don't you just talk it out?! When you fire at each other, you have no idea who you will actually hurt. What forms of happy future you can destroy because you failed to approach the other person. And you, Hamazura... what are you even doing here?"

"I could not sleep." the former gangster muttered" Meeting with Misuzu-san yesterday made me so anxious that I kept thinking about what to say to her. To calm myself down, I went here. This place brings me memories of earlier days and... I wanted to visit Frenda"

A bad feeling crept under Kamijou's skin.

Wasn't that girl, Frenda Seivelun, dead for a long time?

Kaibi appeared equally confused.

"Wasn't that... that explosion girl of yours?! How is she? She was interesting person, even if a little strange-"

In the next moment, a bullet was fired. Kaibi could not react in time, and if it wasn't for Touma pulling her out of the way, she would recieve a projectile in her arm.

"HAMAZURA?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"What am I doing?! Unforgivable... playing dumb about what happened... when you were the ones that led her to death! When I last saw you during Handcuffs, I didn't have time to think. But now it's another story."

"Okay, what the fuck is your problem?! You attack out of nowhere, claim that I did something... and you wounded this fool" Kaibi narrowed her eyes" Now you pissed me off as well.

Indeed, although it was shallow graze, Kamijou's arm was bleeding. However, the next words he uttered had nothing to with the wound or pain.

"If anyone attacks, I will step in. And I will defend the attacked even if it costs me my life"

Both Hamazura and Kaibi had their guns. Kamijou was unarmed. But both parties stopped as if paralyzed. Touma's eyes emanated with such intense pressure and will that it took their breath away. It lasted only a moment, but they knew. They knew that this level 0 with strange power meant it. That it would not make a difference for him. They both fought him before as enemies, after all.

"I don't know what kind of history you two had before, but right now, you have your own form of untainted happiness. Hamazura, you worked so hard to have happy life with Takitsubo and your friends. Kaibi-san, you worked so hard to ensure you and your sisters will be together. In my eyes, choosing blood and tears will end this happiness for one or both of you. And this I cannot allow."

"Boss... do you actually know her? What the hell-"

"Hamazura, did you bother to get to know her outside of your conflict? Do you know her circumstances, what drives her, and such? Maybe there is some misunderstanding going on and she is really in the dark here. Same for you, Kaibi-san. Don't act indifferent to his anger. Maybe something did happen and you will have to accept the consequences"

"Why are you doing this?" this time, the question came from Kaibi" If you say this is our business, why do you care so much?"

"She might be one of the reasons why one of my friends is gone. With all respect boss, but how can you understand this? You arrive just in time to same everybody!"

"I don't understand?" Touma said quietly, not loud enough for the other two to hear "Sometimes I am too late... no... I was too late too many times... and lost far too much...

In one of the infinite phases of reality, a cruel goddess whispered into his ear:

"In this world, everyone shall die from your hands. And if you refuse... everyone who you love will take their own life. Kill or watch them die. The choice is yours. Unless, of course... you give up your right hand..."

He saw countless die, entire nations killing because of his indecisiveness. He was attacked, and each time he hesitated to fight back, he was forced to see the ones he considered friends and family pass away.

Index, Misaka Mikoto, his parents, his classmates...

He stood at the graveyard that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon. Although it seemed impossible, he knew every grave. Because he was the one who dug all of them.

Fukiyose Seiri, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Aogami Pierce...

He watched them die and could not do anything. The cruel reality put him just moments away from disaster. He was a mere human and those lives he failed to reach.

Tsukuyomi Komoe's hand slipped through his. Oriana Thomson kissed him on the cheek and he felt through his skin as death took her alongside with poison she was forced to ingest. His hands bled as he dug through the dirt, trying to save Sherry Cromwell, buried alive by her own power.

The shovel continued to dig the hole. The boy seemed to be ITS accessory, rather than other way around.

Accelerator, Hamazura Shiage, Accelerator, Sogiita Gunha, Thor...

No matter how strong one was in original world, life after life was taken through will of a Magic God.

He not only died in countless ways. He was forced to be the only survivour more times than he was able to count.

Kumokawa Seria, Misaka sisters, Himegami Aisa, Kazakiri Hyouka...

How many times he saw it? How many graves he dug, how many precious bonds he buried?

He cried over Leivinia Birdway's cold body. He begged Lessar to speak once more and do some perverted joke on him. He wailed over Itsuwa's lips frozen into a gentle smile, trembled over Kanzaki Kaori's remains after he did everything to start her heart. He got hurt trying to save Agnese Sanctis from wounding herself with her own weapon and could only cry out when Orsola Aquinas was destroyed by a flash of light...

Death did not stop in this world for anyone but him. He lived there until he got old.

The shovel in his hand worked on and on in that cold world, infinite phases away from home.

Some were just acquaintances, like Shirai Kuroko. Some he could not clearly remember, like girl with stars in her eyes that seemed to reach to him in the moment of her death.

He tried even for people who he did not know at all. Like girl with tea coloured hair or a girl in the dress, who would he later came to know as Kaibi and Mugino.

Everyone died. No one survived but him. And it was all on him.

Among infinite graves, only his hollow existence remained.

He shook his head, now covered in cold sweat, as he faced Hamazura and Kaibi.

"My only reason is..." he spoke slowly" is that I don't want to see two people important to me killing each other. Not on my watch."

Hamazura looked at him and something akin to understanding flashed in his eyes. Kaibi looked shaken as her lips soundlessly formed:

important

"You're asking for damn much, but..." Hamazura sighed, and put his weapon down" only because I respect you so much, boss."

Simultaneously, Kaibi also lowered her gun.

"Thank you" Touma said with genuine gratitude." Now, let's take a deep breath and explain the situation."

With the guns placed in the middle, Hamazura Shiage spoke of the conflict known as Battle Royale. He told Touma about conflict of ITEM, SCHOOL and various other events that occurred during that time. Kaibi nodded, as if she experienced many of said events, and from time to time expanded Hamazura's story with her own details.

"Our leader, Mugino Shizuri, was not in best shape back then" Hamazura said, as if recalling something unpleasant" At some point, Frenda Seivelun disappeared and Mugino got truly pissed. We later learned that Frenda was tortured and spilled out the location of our hideout. Thanks to this, she is now dead"

That information made Kaibi recoil slightly. She looked both confused and uneasy.

"What did you say?! It's true that I took it upon myself to extract the information about ITEM's hideout, but Kakine said that he will not kill her if he leaves her to me and get what he wants. Did he break this promise behind my back?"

This time, it was Hamazura's turn to look embarrassed and uneasy.

"Well, no... it was Mugino that took her life."

Touma's eyes widened and Kaibi put a hand to her brow.

"So it was like this... I knew Meltdowner was crazy, but to kill her own comrade...I... truly had no idea. Back then, it was conflict after conflict and I didn't really care about things I left behind. I didn't bother to check. I had no idea that this happened to her..."

"Well, but you sure helped in it. It was not direct, but..."Hamazura's eyes darkened in grief" Besides, I don't know if I can trust you on this"

"I can guarantee it" Touma said quietly" At the very least, she is not using her ability, as I have my hand upon hers. And I was around her long enough to tell that she is sincere."

Kaibi looked at Touma with a strange and vibrant expression. Then she faced Hamazura.

"Look, I... didn't really know her... Frenda, was it? But... if this is the truth... then I am sorry... I really did not intend for her to die."

And as she said that, she bowed down on her knees in the gesture of apology.

"I know it's not enough... I know it will not bring her to life... and you can do what you want with me... I pay my debts you see... just, know that I am truly sorry for what happened."

Few long moments passed, with Kaibi still bent down. Then Hamazura spoke.

"You changed a lot since we thought. I expected you to retaliate or something. To deny it. You surprised me a lot, admitting it"

"I am not guilty of everything that happened to Frenda-san. But... I have a part in it too, so I am in fact involved and somewhat responsible. I reacted defiantly earlier on because I truly had no idea about her death" came the girl's response.

"Well" Hamazura scratched his head awkwardly" ITEM is not sinless too. Mugino and Frenda killed and wounded two of your friends as well."

"Yumiya and Yobou" Kaibi confirmed grimly" I am not the expressive, revenge-seeking type, but believe me, seeing you brought some unpleasant memories as well"

"I can't deny that while you had a hand in it, SCHOOL did not directly kill any ITEM member" Hamazura carried on" While I still don't trust you, I did accept Mugino, who was the main cause of all this mess. I did that with her, and I am not sure if I could with you, the fact that the boss is putting his faith in you... that's enough for me. He has the talent to work wonders on idiots who lost their way"

He smiled to Touma and touched his nose, where he once had a piercing, before a certain fist punched it away.

"Let's call that a ceasefire. However, I agree to do so under one condition"

Kaibi got up and asked:

"What condition?"

"You are not supposed to apologize to me. Come with me, you two. It's not far and it won't take long."

(15 MINUTES LATER)

The only cemetery in Academy City looked like a lone tower. Inside, a small, dark room contained a panel one used to put in grave identification number to leave items in deceased memory.

It wasn't like western cemeteries where one could see the gravestone. Here, everyone was cremated and stored away.

Hamazura put a few numbers and small tray appeared on the wall. It contained a serial number, a small photo, and name in katakana

Frenda Seivelun

Hamazura looked at the tray for a few moments, before taking out an empty can of mackerel and putting it on a try.

"What was she like? Frenda-san, I mean." asked Touma

"Energetic. A bit crazy. Funny. Loud. She cared about her sister, her bombs, and was the most well connected out of all of us" Hamazura said in calm tone "She was a chirpy and cheeky girl. Her energy in everyday life, that chaos and absurdity, was not unlike you, boss"

"Huh... is that so..."

"She loved cans of mackerel. In fact, she barely ate anything else. That's why I always bring her one, even out here."

After a moment of silence, Kaibi went to the tray and stared at it for a moment.

It was a wordless apology. The one that came from the depth and was not suitable for translating into outward language.

Or so they thought.

Oh joy

I can see your little star

Shining down on me

All of your beauty, all your light

Deep in my memory

In some moment, Kaibi closed her eyes and began to sing. Both boys looked in wonder as the girl touched the tray, as if she wanted to convey her emotions through the border of life and death.

Oh joy

I can see your little star

Shining down on me

You were their leading light

Now you're somewhere free

Kaibi's voice was enchanting. Maybe it was Touma's imagination, but it seemed that the pale and fading moonlight coming through the only window casted a glow on Kaibi's silhouette. She looked both sad and monumental in that moment

Oh joy

I can see your little star

Shining bright for me

All I can think of on this night

Is your memory

Kaibi's voice broke and the boys snapped out of the trance they were in. Hamazura dried his eyes.

"Damn, she might be a manipulative snake, but she has the pipes... what was this?"

"A song..." Kaibi said, her voice trembling slightly" My mom sang it when I was little and I remembered it. It means goodbye and hope for better future. So... I am sorry for everything, Frenda-san. Please rest in peace. I will be sure to visit again".

Finally, Touma stepped up and touched the tray.

"How...did she die?" he finally asked.

Hamazura's eyes got watery once again and he cringed as if he got sick.

"She was... cut in half."

"I see..." Touma said in sad tone, and closed his eyes.

Although no one on earth known, Kamijou Touma experienced endless amount of deaths. Suffocation, poisoning, hanging, melting, burning, being crushed, chopped, strangled, decomposed, eaten alive. Whatever death human mind could think of, or even those that it could not comprehend, he knew.

Although the amount of those memories spanned through eons, and as such they were majorly repressed due to the sheer trauma and pain, they were still there. All of the memories slept in his head, only emerging in moments of particular stress.

He did not invoke them on purpose. Except... for moments like this.

His body was cut in half. It happened so quickly that he could not fully register it.

As he lied down in the pool of blood, he felt his body grow colder. He looked at his lower half, discarded away. The edges of the wound burnt and he felt himself slipping away.

He knew that pain. He knew how awful it felt.

Those deaths were terrible burden for him. But, thinking about it in reverse, it meant he could sympathize with those struck with the deaths. He knew all of them. And it only motivated him to prevent deaths from taking those still alive even more. So no one had to suffer like this, never again.

But... he did not make it in time. He did not protect this life.

The knowledge of every feeling regarding this death swelled in him before bursting outwards.

A few tears fell down on Frenda's picture.

"I am... so sorry... I know how you felt...what it's like to die like this..." Touma whispered, tears flowing down his face. "I am so... so sorry..."

Hamazura and Kaibi exchanged glances at the sight of boys tears. They did not hear what he said, but were confused and slightly worried that Kamijou was so emotional over someone he did not even meet face to face.

But they had no way of knowing.

Kamijou wept for his inability to save the happiness of the girl who had her life, however tainted it could be, ahead of her, yet it was cut short.

He wept for inability to meet her, as he felt sad that he could not interact with her in any way.

He wept for the feeling of death he experienced yet survived, which befallen the girl that remains were contained in small urn of this cemetery.

He wept for his choice to cast aside the world of smiles in which she was alive. Even if he came to terms with it, it still hurt when someone died.

For all those things, even if surrounded by others in this dark room, Kamijou Touma cried alone over the grave of Frenda Seivelun.

(10 MINUTES LATER)

Hamazura left them afterwards, telling Touma to take care. Although he still eyed Kaibi from time to time, it seemed that he held no further hostility,

"Huh... who would have thought that you two knew each other as well" Kaibi commented as they were both walking away from the cemetery tower.

"Kaibi-san... can we please finish our conversation?" Touma said to the girl.

However, it seemed that she had her own question.

"Why? Did you defend me? I did a lot of horrible things and I don't hide that. But that doesn't mean that I am proud of everything that happened. Would you really... fight for me like that?"

Kamijou only nodded, which caused Kaibi to clench her fists.

"Like you said, I am scared, alright. Besides my sisters, no one ever stood close to me. Everyone passed me by. I suck at forming genuine connections... and I'm terrible at keeping them. I don't even know what it means anymore!"

"Kaibi-san... what..." Touma tried to say something, but the avalanche already started and the flow of words that came out of Kaibi's mouth showed just as much she was bothered within her mind and soul.

"My power, Measure Heart, regulates the emotional distance between hearts. They say power reflects the personality of the user. I was tired of being alone, separated from my sisters, told I have no potential. I wanted to have something that would bring people closer and at the same time kept them from hurting me. Yes, I feared being hurt! At some point, I couldn't know if any bond I held was genuine. Sometimes, I stopped myself while I was unintentionally using my power. I manipulated everyone to believe in some version of Gokusai Kaibi that was respected, feared, and adored. I even fooled myself into so many roles that I lost track of where I started and who I really was."

"Kaibi-san..."

"I mean, who the hell even is Gokusai Kaibi? I pretended so many times and took so many roles that I don't even know who was the person that originally started to put on those masks. With all of those roles, I don't know who I am in the first place. But I knew I love my sisters and didn't want to go back to those lonely times, so I was losing myself in work, trying to forget all about that... but since you came along, I can no longer do that. You have the ability to see the real me, don't you? You can strip all of those masks away and look at me, really seeing me"

"Is that a problem?"

"I don't even know what you see. I don't know if I want to show it... what if I am some sort of monster? I already killed, so it's not that farfetched. I don't know myself and I don't feel strong enough to confront it. It was so long since I felt that I knew who I am... and even if I did... I would... surely hate it..."

Yes. That pinnacle of beauty and confidence, Gokusai Kaibi, was inwardly lost. Thanks to her experiences, she was scared of connecting her heart with another human being. She feared the unpredictability and chaos that came without her ability. She felt guilty for her weakness that caused all of the sisters to run away. For someone able to make any connection with almost anyone, her faith in her own power was feeble.

Under this beautifully painted prison of appearances, and made-up identities, her heart was alone and rotting.

"Some days I wake up and feel totally indifferent to things that would matter before. What if I truly forget what I wish for about... what if I lose myself... what if-"

"KAIBI-SAN!" Touma screamed getting in front of her, and cupping her face between his hands. The girl did not even try to resist him.

"I know what you mean about losing footing and your place in the world. I had an accident some time ago that caused me to lose memories"

Kaibi gasped slightly, but he ignored her.

"I also know of someone that got so carried away in pursuing her goal that she forgot what was the place she started from... and was so lonely that she felt that the only option was destruction. Kaibi-san... it's true that my right hand can prevent your ability to manipulate this emotional distance thing. But is it really so bad?"

"I can't be sure..."

"But I am sure. Imagine Breaker will not erase you as you. And this can never be a bad thing. Because you are simply Gokusai Kaibi. No more, no less. And it is beautiful thing because there will never be anyone such as you, ever again"

"But... I can be a horrible person. You can't know-"

"I will take this risk if it means keeping the good parts of you. Besides, no one is inherently bad from the start. All those things you did and roles you played... they are part of you, Kaibi-san. They are your history and they took you to this moment. But they are not you. What happens next is your own call. And if you are uncertain, I can help you walk further on this road."

"Will you help me, even though I was tainted in darkness? Even if I have no idea what kind of person I truly am? Even though I lied so much?"

"Always"

Kaibi lowered her head and smiled weakly.

"It's true... Rikuri nee-san was right... you really are similar to him..."

"To whom?"

Kaibi looked at the stars, paling on the sky. It was soon to dawn upon the city.

"My father." she said in a neutral tone. "Same idealistic mentality, same foolish bravery, same kind heart. This was probably the reason I could not approach you at the start"

"Your father? So you hated him?"

"No, I loved him with all my heart."

"So then why-"

"He's dead. He died upholding the same ideals you hold so close" Kaibi announced in a bitter tone" That's why you idealists annoy me so damn much..."

As she trembled, Touma remained in silence.

"I know you are not the type to lie about things like this... but I can't just believe that you will accept me and don't be afraid..."

"I have no reason to fear you. I know you quite good already" Touma answered" But if it makes you feel better... if you want to test me... go on."

"Why?"

"Because you are the girl of action. And you need substantial proofs. I know you that much. I have something in mind. That power of yours... let it be the symbol of new hope instead of despair..."

He spread his arms and announced

"Use your Measure Heart at its fullest potential. Use it to convince me to abandon you. If you manage it, I promise to leave your life for good. Then you will probably go back to the state you were in before we met, since I am the cause of your unrest. But if I win, I will help you, I will take all of the good and bad Gokusai Kaibi has to offer and will support you with all my strength."

Kaibi straightened up and looked at his right hand. Touma smiled.

"I will not use my power, you have my word. I allow myself to be affected by your ability, and that's a promise. You probably noticed by now, but to counter your power, I have to touch my head. If you see me doing this, you have every right to call me a cheater and claim the victory. But I assure you, no matter the emotional distance, I will prevail. So... fight me!"

"But... I don't really..." usually eager for a competition, Kaibi seemed hesitant.

Touma had a feeling of déjà vu, as he was part of similar scene, on another night and in another location. But now the roles were reversed. Kaibi was not Misaka Mikoto. The struggle that lied before her was much different, even if the two shared similar parts of personality.

Touma took couple of steps back.

"Is this still within the range of your ability?"

Kaibi, still quite bewildered, nodded silently.

"Then how about this? Stop me from approaching you. I am 10 steps away from you, and 9 steps before I can reach you. For one step of mine, attack me with Measure Heart as you see fit. If you manage to make me to come into full stop or make me run away, then you win. If I manage to touch you, then victory is mine. Do you understand?"

He smiled at her.

"The choice is yours. But the Kaibi I came to know would never allow the fear to dictate her life. I know you are unsure about founding who is down there, before those masks and lies. But wouldn't it be interesting for us to find out, together?"

Kaibi's lips formed a thin line. Slowly, as the fire igniting the fuel in space rocket, the energy and haughty vigour returned to her eyes.

"I am still not certain... but one thing I do know is that I won't run away again! Bring it on! I'll test this stupid conviction of yours!"

In that moment, their wills clashed. Touma was convinced that she could save Gokusai Kaibi from the prison of her own fears, that he could help her with uncertainty regarding her identity and worth. Kaibi could not believe something like this was possible

The girl's eyes glowed as she looked at Touma.

"If you want it, you will get it. I will not hold back!"

"I wouldn't want anything else"

"You shall perceive me as enemy. Someone you would never do anything for"

She felt the bond forming. Her ability worked. But Touma only smiled, taking a first step.

"Did you think that I wouldn't help you even if we are enemies? We met on the battlefield yet I still saved your sisters"

Kaibi expected as much, and instead changed her approach.

"You shall perceive me as failure. Someone you would never amount to anything in life"

A second step was taken.

"I have no belief that you are a failure. Even if I am forced to believe that, I know it is not true. I refuse to believe that." said the spiky haired-boy.

Kaibi bit her lip, staring at him with glowing eyes.

"You shall perceive me as traitor. Someone who stabbed you in your back"

The ability took effect and Touma's body shivered, yet third step was taken with no delay.

"Do you honestly think that I care so little that you betraying me would make a difference?"

Droplets of sweat rolled down Kaibi's brow.

"You shall perceive me as a murderer. Someone who violated life itself in unspeakable fashion"

Sweat covered Touma's brow as well, as fourth step was taken.

"I saw people like this come back to light. I made that happened for them so I am not stopping for you.'

Why? Why? Why was he so stubborn and so relentlessly set on this ideal?

No matter how much Kaibi threw at him, whatever she tried, he managed to overcome it for the next few steps. She began to shake slightly.

This guy...

Now, it was time for eighth step to be taken. And so she straightened her head and tried something utterly out of place in this city of science. This was her ultimate attack.

"You shall perceive me as a being of limitless power, knowledge, and presence. I am superior to you in every possible aspect. You shall not approach me!"

Kamijou's eyes changed. They looked as if he saw something else, beyond this battle. Yet he lifted his foot. Kaibi's eyes glowed brighter, but then she stumbled back. The taste of blood in her mouth told her that this attack was her absolute limit.

As if it was a hammer and not human foot, Kamijou Touma's eighth step landed loudly on the ground.

"That wasn't a bad move. I am even sure it would end most of the strongest people I know. But it's bad match for me specifically. Because I already..."

When Kaibi looked at Touma, she could have sworn that she saw a pressure of power that she never saw before. It could be just his eyes, but she saw the weight of something that she would not be able to lift. It was something beyond her vision. As if a shadow stretched beyond Touma's body, forming a manifestation of his presence she saw through her power. When she blinked, it was already gone.

"...overcame a god before" the boy finished in a quiet tone.

It was not said jokingly nor out of pride. Somehow, that was just a normal sentence. And even if it was metaphorical... it was Kaibi who wanted to run away, faced with such overwhelming resolve.

'I... can't possibly... win'

In her last act of desperation, she caused her power to do 180 degrees.

'You shall perceive me as the most repulsive, pitiful, and disgusting creature. Soulless husk, heartless bitch, a walking corpse. You shall push me away!'

"If you do this, this is all the more reason to help you."

Touma shook his head and as he took the ninth step, something happened to her vision. It was distorting. At first she thought that her power caused her eyesight to go worse somehow. However...

"You said you never cried for many years, maybe even before you three run away from home." Touma said, standing before her. He was now in arms reach.

"How... why..." Kaibi's eyes were filled with tears, as the droplets of water rolled down her cheeks." Make it stop..."

"No" he replied in a warm tone" I guess that you link the tears with loneliness, grief, maybe weakness. And it can be that all those meanings are true. But you know what..."

He raised his arm and the girl flinched, closing her eyes.

However, she only felt hand on her head as Kamijou rested her forehead against his own. He looked kindly into her eyes completely filled with tears.

"Where there are tears, there is hope. So do it. Let it into your heart and feel again."

And as she was enveloped in a hug, Gokusai Kaibi cried and cried, loudly and tearfully, in display of her soul and all the hurt it went through. And Touma never once broke the contact.

It took about 10 minutes for Kaibi to finally calm down, and as Touma held her in his arms, the shaking of her body finally stopped and they separated from each other.

Her body felt lighter. And although it would take time for her to fully purify her mind and soul, the first step was taken.

And within her heart, warmth appeared. It rose with each breath and soon filled her entire body. Her heartbeat was fast and this feeling she felt before returned.

"Man, who would've thought that high and mighty Kaibi-sama needed a hug. Well, you tried to give me one before, but it apparently was a necessity. So, was the test a success?"

Kaibi felt giddy, as if the warmth caused her face to smile.

She knew what she felt. And she knew Touma's resolve. The test was only a cherry on top. Now she was certain.

"You are, without a doubt, the most stupid and bravest idiot I know"

"Emm... is that a compliment or..."

"Both" she whispered. She felt as if she was drunk, but she did not care. The feeling grew and grew and grew...

"Well" Touma pointed to his chest "As you see, no matter what happens, I will come to save you if you need me. No matter your past or circumstances, you can count on me"

That feeling almost caused her skin to catch fire and coloured her face with adorable tinge or rosy red.

"If you talk like this any longer... I really won't be able to stop..."

"Stop what? Because the only thing you need to stop is worrying. You think too much-"

In one swift motion, Gokusai Kaibi kissed Kamijou Touma on the lips. The feeling within her exploded into a bonfire, reflecting on the far reaches of her heart like the most beautiful of fireworks. The world could end and she would not care.

'This... this is love...I love him! I truly love Kamijou Touma!'

She pressed her lips onto his even further. Touma, as shocked as he was, incorporated the kiss when Kaibi pushed him against the wall.

Her love was putting a full show and it honestly felt amazing. The kiss itself was salty from her tears (which was unironically fitting for marine connotations of Kaibi's name) but soon melted into sweetness. Every movement was pure pleasure for the girl, and Touma wasn't far behind.

And as it continued, the first rays of raising sun illuminated the alley, making Kaibi's long, undone hair glow like golden strands of fire. In the birth of a new day, a new feeling was born. A hard fought love of a single girl.

Finally, as the need for oxygen became urgent, Kaibi parted with Touma. She put a finger on his lips and smiled

"And you talk too much" she said in a most alluring voice she could speak.

Touma was just staring at her in wonder, his own cheeks crimson red and eyes glossy from the experience.

Kaibi could not blame him, as what she did surprised even her. But she never felt so good and looking at Touma made her urge to kiss him once again become clear to her.

"Kaibi-san... did you just..."

She smiled at him, but just as she did, the wall nearby them exploded.

(SOME TIME LATER)

Touma awoke, lying on someone's thighs.

Kaibi gave him a tired smile.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. I was worried about you"

"Ow!"

"You got hit on the head with a brick, but the wound should be okay now"

"Oh come on! Do they want to make me even dumber? Also... my memory is kind of fuzzy... I remember till you stopped crying and then... emm... nothing. Did something important happened?"

The girl in slightly torn blue blouse gave a long sigh that turned into a groan.

"I should have expected that you will somehow forget it. Oh well, let's hope you will remember it eventually. I didn't said those words to you yet, so you will definitely get more on that occasion"

Touma blinked. Was Kaibi always that nice to him? Did she always smiled that way?

"I feel like the only one left out in the inside joke! Come on, what happened?"

The girl only winked to him, and then turned her attention skyward.

"Hmm, what was that explosion? And those alarms blaring... given that we are district 10... could it be..."

"Oi, you don't think..." Touma began.

"Yeah. We are near the prison."

And as they said that , another explosion tore through the air, spewing the black smoke and this time separating the pair.

"Kaibi-san! Shit, I don't see anything. Did she blacked out? She is not responding!"

Meanwhile, Kaibi in fact blacked out and was stunned, but only for a moment. As she regained her bearings, Touma already ran away through the smoke in wrong direction.

"Hmph, what a bad luck. And I don't even believe in that stuff. I must find him... although this might be a challenge. What is happening with this prison?"

(MOMENTS LATER)

Kamijou firmly believed that Murphy's Law could be renamed Kamijou's Law and changed to: If you think something will go wrong, it will definitely be worse.

That was karma for panicking and running around. As he finally emerged from the smoke, he bumped into the person he did not intend to meet in the near, or maybe even far, future.

Mugino Shizuri, who looked surprisingly nice in jogging outfit and a ponytail, was initially just as shocked. But it soon turned into predatory grin.

"You! I got out for a morning run, but I found something much better!"

"OH FUUUUUUUUU..."

And... now he was running for his life. Again.

"Do you remember what you did last time we met? Oh do tell, what did it feel like?" asked the furious girl.

"W-Well, the taste was nice, and they were soft enough to yield and create pleasurable effect yet firm enough to embrace the other lips. They were warm and moist, and I don't have experience, but-"

"WHAT THE-... that was a rhetorical question, stop reviewing my damn lips!"

"Why are you asking if you don't want the answer?!"

As he turned around the corner, he found that he was trapped. A dead end!

"I have a nice idea. Since you are so good in messing with my power" Mugino clearly had no intention on slowing down and chatting about the weather "Why don't we test things the old school way?"

Touma assumed a battle stance.

'Kaibi-san, where are you now? I hope you are safe'

(ELSEWHERE)

A kilometre or two away, Kaibi was also on the move, trying to locate Touma.

"Where could that fool go? Honestly, how could he get lost like this..."

But as she continued running around, she found someone else entirely.

"It's you again..."

Running from the opposite side was Hamazura Shiage. His panting suggested that he rather hastily covered quite a big distance.

"Where is the boss?! I have an urgent news for him! I must see him now!"

"Boss... oh, you mean Kamijou..."

He looked at her with suspicion and she waved her hand in anger.

"Oh come on, I didn't do anything to him. Something is happening in the prison and we got separated by an explosion."

"Yeah, I think there was a prison break or something" Hamazura nodded before massaging his temples" Shit, I need to tell him... we need to act now!"

"Tell what? What happened?"

Hamazura took a deep breath and spoke

"Misaka Misuzu and that other woman... Kongou-san, was it... they are gone! Apparently, they were abducted!"

"What?!"

(BACK TO TOUMA)

Touma had to give it to Mugino Shizuri. She was good as hell in hand to hand combat. She attacked with a ferocity of an animal. Then again, he was far from defenseless.

"Do we really... have to... do this? I was kind of in the middle of something..."

"Shut up! Feel grateful that I came a long way, in older times I would just blast you to pieces!"

Their movements matched, as Touma was able to block most of the kicks and punches. Many times, their forearms collided and they were in such clutch that Touma could see the wild fire of adrenaline in older girl's eyes.

"Great... like I thought, you are good at this. How long have you been fighting? Those are not moves someone can gain in a year or two."

A few further exchanges followed. Although Touma was able to counter and land few hits, sheer speed and ferocity of Meltdowner's attacks he was mainly on the defensive.

"Let's just say that I had good experience" he said as he changed his footing and sent a punch, which caused the girl to slid backwards. Yet even then, she still grinned.

"Good experience is not just it. I observed closely. One of my eyes is artificial, but it has good attention to detail. You are initiating your attacks before I begin mine. You are predicting my next moves, right? What a splendid view... it's almost a pity that I have to destroy you..."

Her long leg moved like a snake and collided with Touma's side.

"Almost!"

However, the boy did not simply fell. Instead he spun around, following the blow and slamming the girl's cheek with back of his fist.

Their respective attacks send them flying them in opposite directions.

Mugino coughed and slowly got up. Touma mirrored her, as they faced each other.

"I can do this all day" the girl grinned" I will show you my superiority and... why the fuck are you crying?!"

Indeed Touma drying his eyes and Shizuri had a hunch that it was not connected with pain

"God, Fate, or whatever. If you are listening, are you happy? I prayed for pretty onee-san so many times. And what do I get now? She is beautiful, sexy, confident, and capable. So why, why does she have to be a psycho and violent tooooooo?! Are my expectations that unrealistic?! Why did this happen to me?!"

Mugino's mind actually came to a halt to process what she just heard.

"Honestly, I lost any idea if you try to compliment me or insult me. That lack of knowledge pisses me of in both instances. You are a complicated guy, Kamijou"

"Says who?! Get off my case, you toxic woman"

"Who the hell are you calling toxic, huh?!"

"Hamazura told me you emit radiation as the side effect of your power"

"T-That's... it's harmless and in scarce quanti... this is not the problem here! In what aspect am I complicated?! I am straightforward. Something pisses me off, I make sure that it doesn't anymore"

"Figuring out what pisses you off and why is the unpredictable issue here!"

They were panting from that heated shouting match.

Mugino shook her head with an irritated expression.

"You give me a serious migraine. Why did the guy like this become interested in me? Seriously..."

"Wait, stop, stop, stop!" Touma raised his hand" We just met for the second time. On what basis do you think I am interested?"

The girl made a confused face.

"Do you really...it was an accident?! You mean that kiss was... not planned? Really? Damn it... so humiliating!"

"Why are you making such a fuss about this kiss? I apologized al..." suddenly, he stopped and grabbed his head into his hands "oh my god... now it makes sense! It was your first kiss, wasn't it?!"

Mugino almost hyperventilated on that part.

"Wha... What kind of bullshit..."

"I mean, correct me if I am wrong, but you seem like a super attractive type that can have anyone but thinks that she is so above the humanity that she scares everyone away and does not have an actual experience. You look like an incarnated archetype. Usually, girls like that also have a hidden side that is deeply repressed. Maybe... singing under the shower, cooking in secret... oh, do you wish to delay wearing a wedding dress to marry earlier?"

Mugino's face was now becoming fully red. It was definitely from raw fury and not from undisclosed, secret part of her life that she never showed to anyone.

"Do you enjoy tempting death, you fool? Where is that stupidity even coming from?"

The girl apparently lost patience and threw a punch, to which Touma quickly responded by sending his own fist flying. And in a one occasion in many, they fists collided knuckles to knuckles in mid-air.

Then...

"HOLY SSHIIIIII-"

"MOTHERFUUUUU-"

They both jumped back, trying to clutch their hands and stop the waves of pain spreading through their bodies.

"What the hell?! It's as if am punching a wall!" Touma cried out.

"That's my question!" Mugino cringed, flexing her hand "my arm is metal, but why the hell I feel pain through my sensors? How hard and long did you have to punch things to gain the strength to give pain through a metal hand?!"

Touma thought about it. He heard of martial artists that gained resistance and endurance in certain body parts by repeatedly hitting trees or other hard objects. When he looked at his hand, it was pained and stiff after punching metal, but was not out of commission.

'Did I really punched people and esper abilities so many times that my hand gained some form of weird endurance... that just shows how much my life sucks! It's quite sad to be honest'

He sighed and muttered

"Well, you are an interesting opponent, Mugino-san. But well, I guess all of you level 5s are quite intense. I can't even begin with how many times Misaka did something like-"

"Wait a moment" Meltdowner's voice was cold as ice" Now when I think about it, Hamazura mentioned that Railgun is your friend."

"Well, yeah, we had ups and downs but..."

"And you met her regularly"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, she just challenged me... M-Mugino-san?"

Mugino's nostrils flared and her lips twisted in a very vile smile.

"So you are telling me that you were more interested in that flat, childish phone charger than me?!" the young woman spat out.

"Time out" Touma backed away, raising his arms in front of himself "Y-You are supposed to be #4 esper in Academy City, which means that you are very smart, so why was the logic completely thrown out of the window? Why is this about Misaka all of the sudden?"

"I hate that brat." Mugino offered her reply.

"But why do you... do you want for me to be interested in you?"

"In your dreams" she again answered rather hastily.

"So are you mad at me for not being interested or for potentially being interested? Also, it would be a nice dream, but it could very well turn into a living nightmare."

"Can you choose praises or insults, and not both at once?!"

"My body and preferences go for the former, but my sanity and survival instincts go for the latter".

Their further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of an Anti-Skill officer. Judging my by his rather jumpy attitude and movements, it was still a rookie. He pointed something that looked like a small rifle in their direction.

"Freeze! You are near the spot of a prison break, so I am forced to apprehend you for questioning."

Touma sighed. It would be a pain in the ass, but this guy was just doing his job, so he could answer a few questions.

However, the same could not be said about his companion.

"HUH?! Do I look like a prisoner to you?!" Mugino spat out in annoyance.

"I-I don't know miss, but I am warning you-"

"You are warning me? I'll show you the warning-"

And then, few orbs of energy appeared over her arms.

"Mugino-san, no!" Touma protested, reaching forward and grabbing the girl's hand.

A shot was fired. Maybe it was because of Touma's sudden movement, Mugino's orbs, or something else entirely, but scared officer pulled the trigger.

Touma felt something cold hit his right hand, and in the next moment he heard a sound that resembled cracking of broken ice.

"What... the hell...let go!" Mugino was apparently just as shock as he was.

His right hand and Mugino's left hand disappeared under some pale pink substance that was elastic enough to stretch for a couple centimetres or so, but already hardened far too much to be just scraped off.

"Oh crap! I didn't mean to fire it..." screamed the rookie officer.

"Is this some sort of chemical used for immobilization?" Touma asked, as both he and Mugino tried to separate from each other. Their efforts were in vain, as they just painfully collided with each other's cheeks, as potential energy made the substance return to original shape.

"Nothing to lose your head over. I will just melt it down with my..." Mugino blinked, and comically tilted her head. "My ability... I can't activate it. What have you done, Kamijou?!

"W-Well... this thing hit us when I was grabbing your hand... so we are still technically touching... which means you can't use your power."

"Fun-fricking-tastic! Shut it down or I will give you a face surgery with my other fist!"

"It doesn't work that way!"

And in that moment, with an impeccable timing, the destructive consequences of the prison break decided to mess with Kamijou's life once more.

With rumbling, the ground suddenly caved in, taking Kamijou and Mugino into the depths of the earth.

The poor officer looked at the gaping hole with worry

"I think I need reinforcements for this"

(ELSEWHERE)

"What's with those tremors?" Kaibi asked, running alongside Hamazura.

"My best bet is that they used some kind of seismic technology to bust out. I don't know how precisely, but those kind of things are not exactly in your day to day equipment, I think that they had inside help"

"I should go... I should really go find him" Kaibi's eyes kept casting worried glances backwards.

"Why it would be awesome to have the boss here, we can't waste time searching for him now. We should go to hotel and regroup-"

"TIME SPENT ON HIM IS NOT WASTED!" Kaibi came to a halt, screaming angrily.

Hamazura also stopped, surprised with the sudden outburst. He then coughed awkwardly and waved his hand.

"I didn't mean in that way. I just don't think that he would like for us to prioritize him over rescuing someone else who may be in grave danger. I also don't like it, but boss has the uncanny ability to survive through his shitty luck. We can also divide some of our resources to search for him, but for now... we have to trust him."

Kaibi clicked her tongue in dismay

"I know that... but... I hope this fool is alright..."

Hamazura looked at her and sighed

"Boss is really working his magic, huh?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. By the way... even if the things between us went sour in the pass... I met your sister yesterday. I thought I was just seeing things, but now I know that you two must be related. She is very sweet and cute as hell."

Next thing he knew, he received the Premium Gokusai Kaibi Disgust Glare®.

"D-Don't look at me like this! I-It wasn't meant to come out like this... I am into bunny girls... no, what I mean is I have a girlfriend! I am not into younger sisters when I have Takitsubo!"

But Kaibi only smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Relax, I am messing with you. It is a good answer, I would kick ass of everyone who met Amazora and said she wasn't cute. By the way... is your girlfriend alright? Last time I saw her, she looked like she was on a verge of death"

Hamazura calmed down and nodded

"Yeah, she was in bad shape back then. But a lot changed, and she is alright now."

"Is that so... send her my regards. And one more thing. As you say, things weren't best between us in the past, but I want you to know something. When I manipulated you and regulated your emotional distance to that of a boyfriend and girlfriend, your hesitation indicated just how much you loved your true soulmate."

"But... you were just pretending..."

"It is complicated, but some emotional distances simply don't work if the real deal wouldn't work either. I was touched by your bond and it was in my personal policy to spare people who managed to impress me in battle by either skills or convictions. I think that needed to be said. Now, come on. The more time we waste here, the more we distance ourselves from both saving those women and finding Kamijou"

"O-Oh..."

(MEANWHILE)

First thing Mugino Shizuri felt was a pain in her leg. Next thing was the touch of Kamijou Touma all over her body.

"Oi, what the fu-" she started to yell in anger, but that yell stopped in her throat.

Kamijou Touma's back was filled with fragments of debris. No one was deep enough to caused serious injury, but it was obvious that the boy took most of the impact when they fell down. He shielded her by covering as much of her body as possible, and putting his hand around her to absorb the impact.

"Why the hell-"

That guy was mental! And it was Mugino Shizuri who was saying that.

The boy woke up with a groan.

"Ow, that was rough..."

"I would appreciate not saying out of context bullshit when you are literally all over me" muttered Mugino.

"Where the hell are we?"

Mugino's nose wrinkled as the indication of the answer.

"Sewers, genius. Unless your level 0 budget can't even afford soap."

"T-That was unnecessary! I visit public baths regularly. Bathing at home used to be problematic because it's hard to dry the tub before going to sleep in it."

Mugino's eye twitched. She must have misheard that.

"I feel like talking to you gives me a brain damage"

"As far as I know, among level 5s, brain damage was Accelerator's thing"

A hastily muffled sound came from the girl. Touma smirked.

"Did you just laugh?"

"Not in a million years. I was just coughing."

"Sure..."

"Also, can we please address the fact that your back looks like a damn porcupine and your left arm is purple and almost out of skin?"

Touma looked down at his left arm, also twisting himself to look at his shoulder blade.

"AHHHH, what the hell?!"

"You didn't even notice?! You are either an absolute dumbass or crazily high on adrenalne. Tch, what am I saying, it's probably both. What the hell is your body made of? The fall from this altitude should result in more serious damage"

"Hmm, there was this one time I got thrown out a tornado into a wind turbine...I also almost got almost crushed with a skyscraper... and one time, the moon-"

Mugino Shizuri's mind stopped comprehending the seemingly senseless words Touma was saying. But as she wanted to raise her hand... Touma's arm also got up.

"Oh yeah... this damn thing is still there" Meltdowner snarled at the problem enveloping their hands.

Elastic yet sturdy substance linked Mugino's left hand with Touma's right, making two teens stick together in more ways than one.

"Okay, we can't let this stay like this" Touma agreed" do you have any ideas?"

He soon regretted asking.

"I will simply find the way to slice your right arm off. Then I will figure something out by myself~"

"I wouldn't recommend that" Touma commented with a serious face" Even I don't know what can come out this time"

Leaving Mugino somewhat dumbfounded by this cryptic statement, Touma carried on.

"Why do I have to be the one to lose arm? Your left arm is artificial, right? Can you just detach it?"

"I am not some lizard to just discard my limbs. Yes, my arm can be disconnected, but it is a delicate procedure. It has artificial nerves and other intricate mechanisms. Besides, I need a special key for it to be disconnected, and I... well, left it in my house"

"Great... just great..."

"Listen smartass, I was just going for a morning jog, I had no other plans. Is there someone that thinks "Oh, this is just an awesome day for losing my arm"?"

"I know what you mean... there is never a good day for that and it sucks if it happens..."

"Huh?"

"Okay" Touma shakily stood up" We took the wrong approach. Let's try again..."

What followed was various attempts of separation, from trying to stretch the substance (which ended for both parties to be catapulted at each other), cutting it, or shower it in the stinking water.

As Touma and Shizuri were panting, with their hands still touching and sticking together, the girl roared out of anger.

"What the hell? This is getting as nowhere!"

"Now, Mugino-san, calm down..."

"There must be some way to separate us..." the girl was a moment from blowing up in frustration" If only someone did not do some fuckery with my power..."

"Mugino-san..."

"Oh, now you want to apologize?! It's too late-"

"MUGINO-SAN! Listen..."

As the girl shut up at the boy's outburst, her ears picked up what Touma heard before her.

The sound was growing, coming from the section of the sewer far behind them. And as Meltdowner and Imagine Breaker slowly turned their heads in that direction...

The colossal stream of water emerged from behind the corner, dozens of meters behind them. But it was moving fast and approached in terrifying pace.

"SHIT!" they both screamed in unison.

Mugino tried to stand up but cringed with pain.

"My leg..."

"There is always a princess car-"

"Do that and I will obliterate you. I did not fall that low!"

"There is no time, put your arm on my shoulder. Now!"

Mugino did so, with Touma bending his arm slightly.

"Let's run for it!"

And so they did, chased by waves of water.

"What's happening?!"

"Maybe one of those explosions caused damage to a underground water reservoir or something, and now it's flooding the sewer?!"

They frantically run forward, not really knowing where they were heading.

"Synchronize with me! This is like a three legged race!"

"I never had time for this Daihaseisai crap. God damn it, this can't be happening. I, Mugino Shizuri, can't die handholding such an idiot. I cannot allow it!"

"C-Come on, there are worse ways to die-"

"SHUT UP!"

Then the girl's eyes widened, as she suddenly threw herself to the right. Of course, not having much of a choice, Touma followed suit.

"Oi, what gives-"

CRASH! Touma realized that the fragment of the ceiling landed in the spot where he was about to run. If Mugino did not push him, he would be crushed.

The water was now really close, as the clumsily tried to gain enough speed once again.

Touma realized that it was futile. They would not outrun the water.

And then Touma saw it.

"Mugino-san, there is a emergency ladder on our left. Let's jump on it and climb!"

The plan succeeded partially. They made it to the ladder and started to ascend it. Touma was first and Mugino second. Usually easy climb was now hard thanks to the fact that both teens had to use one hand except the two.

But Touma miscalculated. When the water hit, he was high enough to avoid it. Mugino was not so fortunate and took the full force of the element. Touma's hand paled on the metal step as she was now supporting himself and Mugino who was dragged through the water current. With all of his strength, he lifted the girl for her to gasp for air, as she fought the cold water.

He could not let go. For both of their sakes.

And finally, the speed and water level decreased. With the pressure gone, Touma pulled Mugino Shizuri closer to him. The girl coughed and, not minding her earlier disdain, latched onto him.

They made it out of the liquid peril.

(15 MINUTES LATER)

"I am so glad that it worked and I managed to support both of us. I mean, you know you said it does not disconnect easily, but it would be so awkward if you were flushed away and I was left with your metal arm"

Mugino gave him a glare that was supposed to be deadly, but with all of her clothes and hair damp and wet, it didn't achieve that effect.

"Hmm, we need to think about what to do next. But first, we need to warm you up"

He didn't have to be stuck with the girl (the substance still refused to dissolve) to know that she was shivering.

"I don't need your pity. I am perfectly fine and don't need any warming up!" said the proud beauty.

"Mmm hmmm..."

They walked further until Mugino suddenly came to a halt. She looked as if she was concentrating hard on something. Touma watched her skeptically.

"..."

"..."

"Hah..."

"?"

"ACHOO! FUCK!"

As Mugino Shizuri sneezed from the cold, failing to maintain her pride and cursing her own traitorous body, Touma started to do some acrobatics with his hoodie. The actions of the boy soon attracted the attention of the girl.

"What are you doing?"

"If we bend in a right way, I think you can wear my hoodie on the other side. It is not actually wet so-"

"Kamijou, I think you are forgetting something. For all of this to have any effect, I have to take off my clothes and IT IS NOT HAPPENING"

"But you will get sick if you stay in them"

"I am gonna risk it."

"But I won't be able to fight well if you get a fever"

Mugino bit her lip. Her humiliation counter kept increasing instead of decreasing. The last thing she wanted was being called a liability by a level 0 of all people.

"If you look, I will hunt you to the edges of the earth, I will-"

"I get it, you will get pissed, what a surprise, now let's do this"

It looked like a really weird game of untangling oneself, extra hard because Mugino could barely stand on one leg and Kamijou's left arm was in a rather bad shape, but through the swaps of clothes, it was finally done.

And well, Touma wouldn't be Touma if he did not reflexively turn around upon Mugino's attempt to muffle the sound of pain.

"YOU SAW IT, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"You have a body of a goddess, why the hell are you so angry about showing it?"

"That's not the point and don't try to compliment my wrath away!"

"In my defense..."

"DIEEEEE!"

"FUKOU-"

(ONE PAIN FILLED INTERMISSION LATER)

"You... bit me in retaliation?"

"Make one stupid or dirty joke about it and-"

"No, no, one of my friends actually bites me a lot. I am used to it"

"You are... reaaaaaaly weird, you know that?"

"Again, says who?!"

Touma looked at both of them. Both he and Mugino were blushing. Even indifferent girl was embarrassed because of the situation.

She was wearing Touma's hoodie with nothing underneath besides her bra. Similarly, Touma offered his pants which she put on her panties. Touma stayed in T-shirt and boxers, because he wasn't actually cold at all.

Needless to say, it was rather...

"Well, this is rather awkward. If someone sees it, I mean" Touma commented

"You think?!" Mugino put the hood, trying her best to dry her wet hair. She would not admit it outloud, but the clothes felt pleasantly warm and comforting.

A couple of silent moments passed before the girl exhaled and said.

"Look... when I took that fall, I know you shielded me and took the blow. You also did one for the team and handled that water. You might be a pain in the butt and annoying idiot... but thanks. Honestly. Why... Why did you do this?"

"I can ask you the same" answered Touma" You saved me from that collapsing fragment of ceiling. Why did you do that?"

"It is not polite to keep a girl waiting. You already acted like idiotic gentleman with offering me your clothes, so answer the question."

"It wasn't an act... and as for the answer... I don't really need a reason. I just felt that something might happen to you and I thought "I want her to be safe". That's that. You like simplicity and straightforward answers, don't you?"

"T-There must be something more to it! There must be..."

"You can believe it or not, but that's what I can tell you. Can you answer me as well?"

Mugino did not look fully satisfied, but finally grumbled back.

"I thought "I don't want him to die yet". That's it. It was decision on a whim"

"Thank you, Mugino-san. I appreciate it"

That boy smile was so bright, that Mugino lowered her eyes after a moment.

"D-Don't thank me, you idiot. It would be inconvenient for me to drag a corpse around..."

They sat in silence, each in their own thoughts. Until...

"There is another urgent question, Mugino-san"

"And what would that be?"

"Do you want to go to the bathroom?"

Mugino's lips opened in pure shock.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"I think you agree that thanks to our... sticky situation, it is not the question with no value"

Mugino looked at their hands. The pink substance was still there. More so, she could have sworn that it covered more of their arms. What kind of chemical technology was in use in Anti-Skill right now?

If they were connected it meant that sooner or later, if one of them had to follow the call of nature, the other would have to-

The girl got deathly pale.

"I am good for now... but... we have to find the way to separate ourselves!"

"It's good for me as well, but I agree" Touma said, supporting Mugino while they began to walk further" We would need someone who knows about chemistry. Maybe if I could get Rikuri-"

Then, someone collided with him from, running from around the corner.

This send all three tumbling down.

"Ow... who is it... wait... those voice was..."

Touma opened her eyes and was greeted by an unexpected surprise.

"It's you..."

The person that collided with them was a small girl, wearing a stripped T-shirt. Over it, she also sported a labcoat and a small gasmask. Her long black hair was tied into a branched ponytail, pronouncing her forehead and vibrant, purple coloured irises.

Mugino was also shocked, but for a different reason. She was staring at the bosom of the girl. Her bust was enormous for such a little body, creating a surrealistic effect. Mugino was not fully sure if her own impressive assets were bigger.

Upon recognizing each other, Touma and the girl grinned as if they won the lottery

"Kamijou!"

"Youen!"

"This is definitely too convenient and I am gonna pay for that later with my luck, but you are the best possible person to see right now!"

The girl in labcoat blushed slightly

"Well, I was also curious what you were up to. Last time we saw each other, you were wandering to the Taboo and... well, you never gave a sign of being alive. You could have at least phone me" she jabbed her finger into him.

"Can someone explain what the hell is going on here?" Mugino's patience ran out "Who is this... creepily developed baby?"

Youen flashed Mugino an angry look, but Touma put a hand on her shoulder.

"Mugino, this is our ticket to getting rid of that thing on our hands. This is Hanatsuyu Youen, a dark sider, and specialist in using vermin in biochemical warfare. She and her sister Kaai are known as Carrier and Decomposer."

"Carrier and Decomposer? Those twins?" Mugino raised an eyebrow" I would never imagine that they are so... tiny"

"Sometimes it's better to be tiny and discreet. You can kill in more ways than you would ever imagine" Youen said slowly.

"Can we trust her? Is she the escapee from the prison or something?" Mugino bluntly disrespected the small girl.

"We can ask for details later, but I worked with Youen-san once and also owe her quite a bit. I do trust her enough"

"How did you two even met?"

"That's... complicated" Touma said awkwardly, but Mugino's keen eye did not ignore the fact that he ever so slightly touched his own lips.

Not waiting for further escalation, Touma cut to the chase.

"Youen-san, I am honestly happy to see you, and I would love to talk to you, but we need help. We are stuck in some substance that makes as unable to separate. Can you help us?"

The girl looked at him and sighed.

"Well, since you are asking, I think I have no reason to refuse"

"Thank you Youen-sama! Come to think of it, is Kaai around?"

"She should be, yeah. Well, even I can't control her, and she likes her freedom. So... Kamijou, if I help you... can we catch up and talk... the two of us?"

"Of course"

"Then it's settled" the small girl stood up, dusting herself.

With her words, the walls crawled with spiders, roaches, and worms. A few rats stopped by Youen's feet, as the girl sent a wink in Kamijou Touma's direction

"Welcome, dwellers of the surface, to my beautiful Abyss"

And there you have it, for now. Kaibi's song is called "Little Star" by Thomas Bergersen.

I have to admit, Kaibi using Measure Heart on Touma really got my imagination going. Also, I think Mugino and Touma's encounter is another spice to add the flavour. I always imagined them as slowly warming to each other in bickering and/or expressive, maybe even violent fashion. That's why their flow of conversation is fast paced. This chapter also had one of my visions about certain phase in infinite hells. The world in which Touma had to watch everyone die if he did not want to kill, and then bury them is certainly plausible form of torture. As announced, Youen makes her appearance. I was really invested in her, especially during her GT5 encounters with Touma. What awaits next?