AN: Hello readers! I'm back early (again):D
I've gotten these last few chapters done fairly quickly most likely due to looking forward to writing out the events of this day.
It will hopefully end during the next chapter, but as you all are familiar with, it may go over. If it does go over a bit, it will most likely stop during Chapter 27 for sure.
Well, that's all I got today, so I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!
As always, please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:)
Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:
1. My characters and
2. my ideas
Chapter 25: The Search for Answers Continues
July 20th, 11:00AM
School District 7 Hospital
"Without any real reason as to why, he fell unconscious during an Anti-Skill Interrogation and has no indication of when he'll end up waking up..."
These words were drilled into Asher's mind as she tried to keep her focus on walking with Misaka and Shirai to the hospital where the former Graviton Bomber, Kaitabi Hatsuya, resided within in a comatose state. From what it sounds like, he apparently fell unconscious while Anti-Skill was questioning him and still hasn't made any indication of whether he would awake or not.
This was enough to fill worry back into Asher's chest as she couldn't keep herself from thinking about it as much as she had these last few days, trying her best to come up with a single explanation as to why this happened.
With her mind continuously running back to one person that she had always tried her best to forget, but still after these last few years could never get out of her head...
Silas…This is really starting to look like his name is written all over it in some way, Asher thought as she narrowed her eyes.
First, I notice that people are fluctuating from the norm, enough that I can't ignore them as much as I usually can.
Then, they all seem to come from espers who have had a dramatic increase in power in a short amount of time that even the database hasn't updated quick enough to reflect it.
And now…
Someone who has used this rumored device is comatose…
Even if I kept using that device for as long as I did and most likely fell into a coma due to the strain of what he did to me that day, it's still enough that it's similar to my experience to be an issue with me.
With this recent development, I think that it might be best for me to….see him to get an idea if my hunch is correct. I thought he wasn't the type of person to openly share his research, but…maybe there were some circulation of copies of the research notes done during Project WaveInflux that were made and handed out before the building was destroyed.
It's logical for me to do this to help with this investigation…
And it's not like I'll be alone since I'll get Miss Yomikawa to be there with me…I don't know if I should tell or have Mikoto there, because I know he'll just use her to his advantage to tear me or her down even more than he already has…
But…I'm….
I'm…so…S-So…tch...
The hand that had been resting on the back of her neck began to shake visibly, enough that it caught both Misaka's and Shirai's attention when they turned to look back at her, seeing that she probably didn't notice it herself.
What's wrong with her? Shirai thought as concern came across her face. She had noticed how quiet she had gotten since she had revealed the information about Kaitabi, realizing now that something was wrong as she had not responded to what she had just asked her when they arrived to the hospital doors.
Even though Asher wasn't letting on what she was feeling by the stoic face she was wearing, Misaka knew the trembling was both concerning and alarming at the same time, because she knew that…
She was scared of something…
Enough that she couldn't keep it to herself and might have been trying to convince herself that she wasn't afraid of whatever it was as the shaking was a rare nervous tick of hers.
She knew that Asher didn't fear a lot of things…
But the things that she did were always able to send her anxiety through the roof, which was something Misaka could tell was beginning to happen if she didn't snap her out of whatever she was thinking about.
So, she went over and a laid a comforting hand on Asher's shoulder, seeing the light that had dimmed in her eyes gradually come back. She had a delayed reaction to the contact, looking over at Misaka hesitantly as she shot her back a worried look.
"Hey, Z. We kind of lost you for a second there." She remarked. "Are you alright?"
A small silence fell between all of them before Asher let out a sigh and walked away from Misaka's hold and into the doors of the hospital. She stopped as she came at its doors and stuffed her hands into her pockets.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…thinking about this situation is all, don't worry." Asher said after a while without turning towards them. "I've been having a bad feeling with some of the events and the things we don't know all too well right now that I'm hoping will go away at some point in time when we finally figure it out."
Misaka and Shirai looked over at each other skeptically from that vague response before deciding it was best to not pry into the matter for right now.
With how Asher had been acting as of recent, they were hoping that when she gets out of the weird mood she was currently in, she would come to the both of them or at least Misaka to be more open on what was currently bothering her.
They all went up together to the floor that Kaitabi was on, walking up to a few doctors as they were standing right in front of his room.
"Shirai Kuroko with Judgment." Shirai announced as she showed off her badge, with Misaka and Asher coming to a stop right next to her. "How is he?"
"We're trying everything we can to get him out of the state he's currently in, but as of right now nothing is working." The Doctor explained.
"Are there any sign of a possible injury preventing him from doing so?" Asher spoke up casually as anxiousness seeped into her voice. "Specifically, within the lung region?"
"If there is, there hasn't been anything on the scanners to show it." He responded.
Misaka, Shirai, and even Asher let out internal sighs of relief from hearing that, with the latter knowing now that what she had done to him the other day was not the cause of his current state.
"But to be honest," the doctor continued, bringing their attention back into his explanation. "We actually haven't found anything wrong to even warrant to reduce him into this odd comatose state he's in. We've checked over him as thoroughly as we can, but all our findings are saying that he simply lost consciousness."
"So, you're basically saying that you don't know what caused it or even how long he might stay that way?" Misaka asked as the doctor nodded his head.
"One thing we did indirectly find here is a trend that has happened as of recent. He isn't the only person that this has happened to as multiple patients coming here this week have experienced the same symptoms." He stated as he brought a chart into their view.
All of their eyes widened in surprise from noticing that the espers within the pictures were all connected with their potential ties to the Level Upper, looking back at each other as they all arrived to the same conclusion as the Doctor carried on with his statement.
"I hate to admit it, but this phenomenon is beyond the capabilities of this hospital. So, I've called in an outside specialist in cerebrophysiology."
This was the exact moment that chills went up Asher's spine as the sound of clicking heels came to a stop somewhere close to them.
She didn't know why or what reason this was the case until she turned in the direction that both Misaka and Shirai were turning in to see the new presence within the hallway, seeing an older woman with brown hair wearing a lab coat as she bowed her head to the ground with her hands in her pockets.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I came here at the request of the Mizuho Systems Hospital Director." The woman said monotone enough that Misaka and Asher couldn't mistake it for anyone else no matter how little time they had spent with her.
No, it can't be, they thought simultaneously, sweatdropping at the same time as they saw her raise up, seeing pronounced bags under her eyes as she tiredly stared back at them.
"My name is Kiyama Harumi…"
As the doctor behind them sent the woman a word of thanks, Asher continuously thought the same thing that Misaka blurted aloud.
"Why are you here?" the Electromaster asked in confusion.
As Kiyama went off into another room and Shirai did more investigating for Judgment, Misaka and Asher were sitting in silence within a waiting area down the hallway from where they were previously.
They had been sitting there for a while as Misaka kept glancing over at Asher who still seemed to be preoccupied with her thoughts to some extent, finding herself at one point unable to let this go on for any longer as her patience had just ran out.
"Z," She began sternly, prompting Asher to send her a sideways glance. "I know that something is bothering you. Can you please tell me whatever it is before Kuroko comes back?"
Silence fell between them again before Asher let out a sigh and rested one of her hands behind her neck as she looked down at her feet.
"As perceptive as ever I see, catching me at a time where my energy has been exhausted at this point to say otherwise. But d-does…this situation involving this Level Upper device remind you of anything?" Asher asked hesitantly.
Some confusion fell on Misaka's face as she thought on it for a while, looking up at the ceiling above them as she brought one of her hands to rest on her chin.
"Mmmmmm, at the moment, no. Could you be a little bit more specific?" Misaka asked, seeing Asher growing tense with that response.
"Place me…within this situation and think on it a little more." Asher quietly suggested.
Misaka contemplated that again as she nearly came to the same result before her eyes widened as a memory flashed though her head.
["I am gaining more and more control of my ability each and every day. So much …much more. Able to go higher and higher with controlling the gravity around me and redshifting to points I didn't even know I could do in the first place. But it's not enough…It's still ….not enough…..It may never be enough, but I will still do it anyway…tch." Asher continued as she grasped the side of her head.
"I will still do it until I know I have full and complete control. Enough so, I could control gravity without having to even lift a single finger…."]
Wait, has she really been thinking about that all this time? Misaka thought as she looked over at Asher with worry shining within her gaze.
"You've been thinking about the experiment, haven't you? Probably ever since Kuroko told us about Kaitabi's level not matching what he should be able to do, since that was around the time you started acting like…this at certain points throughout the day." Misaka speculated, seeing her answer as Asher's shoulders deflated even further.
"Yes, to some extent. Whenever I'm not distracted by something else, my mind is constantly pulled back to comparing this situation with my own during that time. Making me think about Silas more than I ever want to any given day and wondering if those espers could be enduring the same pain or lust for power that gradually grew inside of me during that time." Asher remarked.
"But isn't he still locked up and will be until the foreseeable future?" Misaka asked. "He can't be the one behind this considering he shouldn't even be out of there in the first place."
"I kn-know that but," Asher stated as she tightened her hold on the back of neck. "That doesn't lower the probability that this 'Level Upper' originated on the platform of his research somehow. His main concentration within the science field related to the mind and sound, with Project WaveInflux essentially combining the two to connect to the wavelengths I'm always unconsciously connected to…."
"Tapping into that pushed my ability enough for my power to grow and grow over those last two years, reflecting the power increases that these espers are experiencing with however way it's being done to make it happen. But in turn, it led to constantly messing with my brainwaves and electrical signals, which in itself can prove detrimental to the health and stability of anyone who undergoes that. I may…have not fallen into a coma as quickly as these espers have, but it could potentially be because I could handle the strain as long as I did due to that device being created just for my ability as well from the fact that I'm strong mentally from what Shokuhou says…With all th-this and other things I just think-"
Before she could ramble any further, she stiffened when she felt Misaka unclench the one that had a death hold on the back of her neck, feeling her own hands trembling within Misaka's that remained relatively still as she cupped hers within both of her own hands and rubbed slow, comforting circles on top of the hand she softly held in her grasp.
"I feel like there's something more you're not telling me or trying to avoid completely. Enough, that it's causing you to panic from fearing whatever it is. And it's really starting to get you." Misaka stated as Asher's face remained hidden under the shadows of her hair. "I've noticed it for a while now, and I want you to talk about this and not try to deflect and say that you're okay when we both know that you're not okay right now. If you don't do it now, I would like if you did it soon. You're not going to burden me with whatever it is if that's what you've been thinking."
"I'm not trying to hide it from you. Well at least for the reason that you just said." Asher replied as she used her other hand to grasp the front of her face, taking in a breath to settle her nerves.
"I've been thinking…about asking Miss Yomikawa to arrange a meeting with Silas to ask him about this among other things relating to it." She said after a while, flinching when she heard Misaka take in a sharp breath.
"What do you mean…No….No, Now I know what this is about! You don't need to do this for the benefit of this investigation, Zierdan! We'll find our answers without his help!" Misaka said urgently as Asher remained silent.
"You've already had such a bad week, no for your entire life just because of what he has done to you in the past that you're just now gaining back. But now you want to go see him physically which would give him a chance to tear you down even further because of this investigation!? Your well-being is more important than whatever he could give us."
"I know it is. I get that. Even though it doesn't look like I listen at times, I know my life is important to you…To all of you now. The investigation may be some of the reason why I've been thinking of doing this, but it isn't the whole reason, Mikoto. Because I'm also doing this for myself as well." Asher explained as she brought her eyes to look over at her.
Misaka was going to let out a retort or say something to shoot Asher's idea down again, but the dejected look in her eyes stopped her in her tracks as she continued on.
"I'm tired of this…. I'm so tired of just the thought of him putting myself closer and closer to illogically freaking out to the point of an anxiety attack, thinking he's here when I know each and every time that he's not. Constantly wondering why he did what he did to me and always thinking he's going to come back and strip me of nearly everything as he did for such a long time again." Asher said as her stoicness faded from her voice entirely. "I didn't notice how much I do it, but after what happened the other day when my thoughts were completely unfiltered…I realized that he's always there. Always inside of my head constantly spouting the things he said to me so long ago as I keep catching myself trying to analyze why he put me through a relentless hell that basically broke me and left me without either of my parents for almost no reason at all…"
"I say that all to say that this isn't just for the investigation into the Level Upper. It's also for me to find some understanding and closure relating to events I'm still trying to figure out. And he's the only one I know who can help me with that no matter how hard it's for me to admit it." She finished before she looked away. "Is that a bad thing for me to do, Mikoto? Because...I just don't know what else to do at this point in my life other than just trying to deal with it by constantly ignoring it like I always have. Which seems like it's starting to not work anymore if you can't already tell."
Misaka's eyes widened at that before her expression fell as she bit down on the side of her cheek.
She had asked for her to do this as well as being more open when it comes to how she's feeling…
But right now, she wanted to say something so badly that Asher shouldn't do this, because they both know that Silas would use anything and everything to manipulate the situation for the benefit of just himself.
Knowing him and hating him for putting her best friend through all the things that he did in which screwed with her mind in so many ways that will probably never allow it to get back to how it was originally before he came into her life.
Misaka knew him now to be a psychopath who killed Asher's mother and father without holding any remorse as he forced Asher instead to deal with the act that he himself should regret as Asher probably did and still does to this day.
She was afraid that he would try to manipulate her back into how she used to think about the world and herself from just being reminded of his constant abuse from seeing him. Asher hadn't seen him at all during these past two years, shutting him out of her life entirely. Meaning, there were no ways to tell how this would affect her emotionally.
Even though she hides it well on the outside most of the time, Asher takes about as much medication for her anxiety as she does with her brain damage from how severe it can get due to her PTSD that she had been diagnosed with around the time after her first headscan with Shokuhou.
With all of these things in mind, she didn't want Asher to be hurt by Silas anymore as she never liked seeing how much stress just his existence did to her.
But at the same time, it would be selfish of her to vocalize that since Asher was right.
She needed to somehow find closure from this which is something she herself had always known and told her but knew that the esper in question wanted to just block out what had happened in her mind entirely by not speaking a single word about it as much as she could.
So after pausing for a while, Misaka let out a sigh as she laid a comforting hand on Asher's shoulder, sending her a smile when her blue eyes met with her chestnut ones.
"Even though anything involving that heartless man is something I usually disagree with, I can say that I 100% agree with you that finding closure for what he did may help you in some way. And keep you in the good and fairly relaxed mood you've been in recently. I don't want him or the questions surrounding all of this keep running you into the dirt as much as it has. So I'm with you with whatever decision you make as I'll be right beside you wherever you go."
Asher's face relaxed a bit from hearing that as she let out a sigh of her own.
"Thank you. That's one crisis averted I guess, though I'm sure I may come across another with this suggestion of mine as I honestly think you shouldn't go there with me. But even if I say that Miss Yomikawa will be there so I won't be alone in the room with him, it would still logically be pointless in trying to get you to do otherwise right?" Asher remarked as Misaka let out a laugh under her breath.
"Well that's pretty obvious. Of course, I would go no matter what you say." Misaka said with a closed eyed smile.
"Even if I adamantly say no and convince Miss Yomikawa or even the Head Mistress to prevent you from going?"
"I mean, unless you want me to add 'Break into an Anti-Skill facility or High security prison' to the list of things I've done before, then yes." Misaka said with a shrug of her shoulders as a small chuckle escaped Asher's lips.
"That's a little much. I don't think Kuroko would like to find the renowned Railgun imprisoned due to her own stubbornness on my part. That would lead to her and I disagreeing in some form with no chance of stopping it without you there to be the mediator between us." Asher stated with small smile on her face.
Misaka smiled even more from seeing that as it seemed like Asher rose out of the anxious and depressed mood she had been in just a couple moments ago, checking a win in the column of helping out her close friend out of the slump she was in.
They sat there for a while conversing with each other, before they both grew quiet around the same time as Shirai came back. She paused in surprise for a while before smiling at the scene in front of her. Misaka had her arms crossed on her chest as face was tipped over as she napped peaceably, while Asher was about as peaceful as she was and had her head rested on Misaka's shoulder, keeping her back off the back of the chair to prevent hurting her sore backside.
If I didn't know any better from how close those two are, I think I would get jealous from Sissy allowing that type of affection so casually from someone else, Shirai thought as she sat down next to Misaka.
Though from knowing Zierdan as much as I do, I honestly don't think she means anything by it. She isn't the type of person to try purposefully for that kind of affection as she's probably too shy to do or even admit to something like that…
Meaning, I don't think there's anything for me to really take from this as of right now for that very fact alone…
A few hours later…
It was a long while before Shirai saw Kiyama walking back towards to where they were, prompting her to spark right into action as the two Level 5's were still quietly napping beside her.
It had been pretty boring just sitting there without anyone to really talk to, fanning herself from how hot it seemed due the power being out within this building from the "incident" that had occurred last night to cause it.
So, without any hesitation, she began shaking Misaka vigorously in an effort to rouse her out of her sleep.
"Come on Sissy! Wake up!" She said with some urgency in her voice, seeing it did her no good as Misaka remained asleep.
Surprisingly, Asher was the one to rouse first due to being indirectly shaken by Shirai's attempts at waking Misaka since she her head had been resting on the Electromaster's shoulder, accidentally leading her to scrape her back on the chair she was sitting on as she let a wince slip from her lips.
"Tch, J-Jeez Kuroko. That shaking you're currently doing was not only nauseating but hurt to some degree. You shouldn't shake MK that hard for that reason entirely." Asher said under her breath as she brought a hand up to adjust the sound within her ears and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
She looked over to see what the teleporter was doing, finding herself deadpanning from automatically knowing what was going through her perverted mind from seeing the suspicious look on her face.
She would have done something to stop it as she leaned closer and closer into Misaka's face, before the Electromaster beat her to it by pounding her on the top of her head.
"This isn't a fairy tale you know!" Misaka said in annoyance as she rose to her feet.
"Hehe, well it did work didn't it? I got the both of you to wake up. So I'd say that's a win in my book." Shirai said with a closed eyed smile, hearing Asher let out a sigh beside her as she rose up and turned to look over at Kiyama standing off to the side from them.
"Well this is unexpected…" Kiyama stated as confusion leaked into her tired voice. "What are you three still doing here?"
"We actually have some questions that we still need to ask you for an investigation we're trying to do involving the espers you were just looking over." Shirai explained as Kiyama sent her back a nod before she released a sigh under her breath.
"I find it unbelievably hot in here…which doesn't make logical sense with it being summer and all. They should at least turn on the air conditioning to get this somewhat manageable." Kiyama commented as a nurse rolled a cart right by her and stopped.
"I'm sorry but there was a random power outage last night, so things haven't been restored to normal yet." She said in passing as Shirai and Asher collectively sweatdropped at that fact.
Gee I wonder who's fault that is…
Before anyone could say anything, Misaka looked over at Kiyama as her eyes widened in shock from what she was witnessing for about the 3rd or 4th time of meeting her.
She felt her face heat up immediately at the sight itself, watching on in disbelief as she casually loosened the neck tie she was wearing as if nothing was wrong and began to peel off the outer layers of her clothes one by one.
And it was too late to warn the esper standing next to her, looking at Asher out of the corner of her eye to see her face already burning in the last few seconds of witnessing the sight as well.
Why why why is this lady doing this right in front of us again!? Asher thought repeatedly as her eye twitched, feeling herself progressively getting closer and closer to short circuiting as Kiyama began to speak again.
"Alright then…They must be using emergency power for basic operations and critical patients…" She continued on casually as the minds of the Level 5's in front of her just couldn't fathom how in what way this was even okay to do so openly in front of them.
Shirai looked over at the girl's next to her and looked over at what had made them so quiet, gasping aloud to see as Kiyama's upper half was stripped down to her bra.
"A-Again, seriously!?" Misaka squeaked as smoke began to rise from Asher's head.
"How is this woman even a cerebrophysiologist when she can't even take one second to keep her clothes on? My mom never did this, so why is it that she does whenever I see her? It doesn't make sense….I really need to know the logical sense in this…" Asher said in a daze as swirls came close to appearing in her eyes.
"What the-Your solution to this is to take off ALL YOUR CLOTHING!?" Shirai asked in astonishment as a blush came on her own face.
"Well…I mean it's really hot in here, so it's only logical for me to do this right?" Kiyama asked, sending Asher's mind even further into disarray.
She's thinks this…i-is LOGICAL for her to do when i-it's probably the most ILLOGICAL thing I've seen 2 times too many!? That's the reason she's going to just go with!? That's why she is just stripping for no reason at all!? Asher thought as she sat there frozen and unable to speak as the walls began to shift in front of her.
That's so...TH-THAT'S SO...
She hit her breaking point when she saw the bra strap fall down Kiyama's shoulder as her eyes caught a sight she hadn't wanted to see to even the slightest extent, finding herself teetering off to the side as everything became too much for her logic driven mind to handle.
Misaka noticed this too late as she saw Asher basically faceplant on the ground as blood collected around her face, falling semi-conscious as she continuously mumbled ineligibly under her breath.
"Illogical….th-this lady is illogical and h-has… no logic to her actions…I c-can't understand her….I honestly think it's impossible…but my mind won't let me st-stop trying…Please someone make either her or the swirls go away…My brain can't handle them anymore..." Asher groaned.
Misaka laughed nervously under her breath as this was something she hadn't seen in a while, with the last probably being when Asher had accidentally walked in on Shirai when she was trying on her laced underwear in the center of their room.
Great, she basically broke Zierdan again...to the point that I don't know if I even can shock her out of her daze, she thought with a sweatdrop as she heard Shirai shouting from next to her.
"We're not alone because there are other people in here you know!?" Shirai stated as she pointed down at Asher. "Zierdan's a proper example as you just incapacitated her at the sight of what you just did! Something I find quite impossible for regular people to do no matter how nonsensical she can be at times!"
"Hmmmm, I guess you have a point. It seems she takes after her mother more than I gave her credit for as I can see now that Himari's reactions were mild in comparison." Kiyama said as she looked down at her chest, fixing to undue the belt loop on her pants. "What if I just leave my underwear on?"
As Shirai grumbled in frustration, Misaka wasn't too flustered to notice what the woman had just said aloud as confusion appeared on her face, looking down at Asher laying facedown on the floor beside them.
Wait…She knew Miss Himari? And that Z is related to her? she thought in realization as she thought on it for a while.
I guess it makes sense, since she does take a lot after her in terms of looks…
And that Miss Himari was one of the top neuroscientists within Academy City, which her line of study may have led to those two crossing paths at some point and time
After a few moments of contemplating that, she shook her head as she brought herself back into the conversation going on in front of her.
"Dr. Kiyama, due to your specialty being in cerebrophysiology, we're really interested on your thoughts involving the abnormal states of these patients." She stated as Shirai continued to button up the older woman's' shirt.
"Well I'm happy to help, but I think we should go elsewhere." Kiyama suggested. "It's way too hot in here and I think your friend needs some air to cool off, because I'm pretty sure she has signs of heat stroke from how red she is, her unintelligible words, and the amount of sweating she's doing."
"First point, I agree with. Though I think you're a little off when it comes to the second one, because I know for a fact that Z doesn't have that no matter how much she may wish she did. " Misaka said with a crooked smile.
Confusion fell a little bit on Kiyama's face as Shirai let out a sigh, looking down at the esper next to them who had no signs of when she was going to be able to get out of the current state she was in by herself.
Somewhere Within Academy City…
Uiharu was standing off to the side as she stared at the time on her phone, seeing that it read 3 o'clock on the dot.
Saten should've been here by now, especially from the amount of enthusiasm she had read within the message that she had sent her. It made her wonder what the girl was wanting to speak to her so urgently about, and if it was so urgent, why hadn't she arrived at the time they had settled on.
"Saten's running really late…" She said under her breath before she felt a distinguishable breeze come out of nowhere that ran across her now bare legs.
"Awwww, got on the blue stripes today, eh Kazari?" Saten said in amusement, laughing a little under her breath when Uiharu wailed from being utterly flustered and embarrassed at the act itself no matter how many times she did it to her.
After she was able to settle down, Uiharu got to the matter at hand as she brought Saten's message up on her phone.
"In the message that you sent me, you said that you wanted to show something to me right?" She asked, seeing Saten nod her head happily as she whipped out her music player.
"That's right and I can't wait anymore as it's the very object that we've spent so much precious time searching for!" Saten said excitedly as confusion fell on Uiharu's face.
"But it's just a music player, isn't it?"
"Well yes," Saten began as an unreadable glint fell in her eyes. "But even with that, it's what's on it that counts. But just wait, I promise to show it off to you later alright?"
After pausing for a while, Uiharu sent her a hesitant nod, following her energetic friend off to wherever she was taking her.
A little while later…
Joseph's Coffee & Restaurant
Asher, Misaka, and Shirai were each staring at Kiyama as she sat by herself on the other side of the table, watching on as she sat her head into her hands.
"So how about we continue from where we left off from before, if it's okay…" She began as her eyes narrowed. "Why are swimsuit's acceptable while underwear is not, and both expose the same amount of skin?"
"No, that isn't the point…" Misaka and Shirai said simultaneously as Asher deadpanned at the woman across from them.
I may not do it in the illogical ways that she does, but I wonder if this is how Kuroko and Mikoto feel whenever I do this to them, she thought to herself as she let out a sigh.
"Now with that out of the way, I think it's best to go on and say why we brought you here in the first place." Asher remarked, pushing the conversation forward as they all pitched in to relay information that the older woman needed to know.
After quietly nodding every so often as they spoke, Kiyama leaned back in her chair as surprise seemed to light up her face for a few seconds.
"Level Upper huh? Can you tell me what kind of thing it actually is?" Kiyama asked. "What does it do and how is it used?"
"Unfortunately, out of the few things we know of this situation, they're too many variables that we still don't know, with that device being essentially at the center of it all." Asher replied stoically as Shirai nodded.
"Like Zierdan said, we don't really know all too much about the Level Upper itself. So all we honestly have is speculation." Shirai added.
"All in all, no details so far…But from the looks of it you three think it might relate to the students who have fallen into comas as of recently." Kiyama concluded, seeing each of them nod their head as a reply. "So my question to you is: Why bring this to me and not anyone else?"
"Because even with your illogical behavior, we can't ignore that you logically have the skill set to maybe narrow this down for us in some form or fashion." Asher explained. "We've come up with the fact that with whatever is boosting their abilities to these heights in both a short amount of time and in an unnatural way, would have a direct effect to the brain in some way. Enough, that it could disrupt multiple functions concerning it which may have led to the unconscious, comatose states of the espers that have been rumored to have used it thus far."
"And with that being the case, we think it would also probably be for the best to get help when we find this thing." Shirai remarked as Kiyama tiredly stared over at her. "Again, as Zierdan just elaborated on just now, I feel that your professional experience could be invaluable to us."
As Kiyama took a few moments to contemplate that, Asher happened to find herself about to stare up at the clouds in the window next to her…
Only to be mildly offput by Saten essentially squeezing herself up against the window as Uiharu smiled amusedly from behind her. She let out a sigh at that as she craned the back of her neck, bringing attention to the others of their arrival.
I seem to always be surrounded by illogical things wherever I go…
When they came in, Asher decided to go over and sit on the other side of the table next to Saten and right in front of Shirai as Uiharu essentially took her spot on that side of the table.
She hadn't been forced into going over there, considering the woman off to the side of her was enough to send chills down her spine for her illogical nature. She rationalized that she just wanted to sit at a better angle to look out at the sky in the window next to her, not the fact that Saten had indirectly talked her into doing so.
"Oh so you're a brain doctor?" She heard Uiharu asked from in front of her, turning to look at the older woman before her attention was brought over to Saten.
"Ooohhh, are you here to check Shirai's brain?" Saten asked as Asher let out a sigh from next to her.
"Is that even a possible thing to do? Where would it even be within that illogical and perverted mind of hers?" Asher wondered aloud (purposely) as Shirai had to bite back her retort in an effort to remain professional.
"We are conferring with her over the Level Upper matter." Shirai stated with notable amounts of annoyance in her voice.
Saten paused in her eating form hearing that, reaching down into her pocket as a smile came over her face.
"Well, if that's the case-"
"This is a pretty serious matter." Misaka interjected, cutting Saten off from speaking any further. "Anyone who is found in possession of this will be immediately taken into custody."
As the others seemed to be preoccupied on the matter of "seriousness" involving the Level Upper, Asher remained quiet before her attention was brought over to someone who had been abnormally silent since she last spoke.
She saw Saten wearing something akin to maybe shock on her face, holding up some type of music player in her hand. Some confusion flashed on Asher's face as she split her mind between that and the conversation going on in front of them.
"This is still an on-going investigation, so I sadly can't tell you everything. But it seems from what we've gathered, the people that use it suffer from some side-effects." Shirai relayed as her eyes narrowed. "Anyway, I find the users that turn to any drug turn to crime."
Silence fell in the air for a few moments as Asher kept most of her attention on Saten, watching intently as she abruptly put the music player behind her back after Uiharu tried to ask if anything was bothering her.
Asher tried her best not to overthink what she had seen in that split moment, considering she wasn't well-equipped at knowing how others were feeling at times…
But the smile currently sported on Saten's face was something she could automatically tell was fake in some way. She didn't know why she thought that or why she felt confident in knowing that was what she could conclude from her brief analysis.
She also didn't have that much time to read into it as well as she could have, looking over as Saten accidentally knocked over and spilled all of her tea on Kiyama from the effort she had used to hide the "music player" behind her back.
"AH! I'm so so SO SORRY!" Saten said in alarm as Kiyama rose up to her feet.
The cup didn't even have time to fall to the ground before everyone (even Asher) let out shrieks as they watched Kiyama begin to pull down her stockings in the middle of the restaurant they were conversing within.
"Don't worry about it as it just got on my stockings." Kiyama simply said, continuing on as she pulled down her stockings farther and farther down her legs.
Asher found herself unable to look away at first as Saten, Uiharu, and Misaka seemed to bend over onto the table as their blushes grew deeper and deeper as time progressed.
What was she thinking about or what was constantly running through her head?
Unlike the last times or usual times during her shorting out, it was at this rare point in time that her mind had gone completely blank and empty as it essentially turned off from her severe reaction, gradually joining the others in slumping her head onto the table in front of her as she heard Shirai lecturing the older woman in the background due to her own embarrassment.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO WE NEED TO TELL YOU TO STOP DOING THAT IN PUBLIC!?" Shirai screamed as a massive blush fell on her face, feeling her annoyance grow as the woman remained relatively unfazed from it all.
"Look at me for a moment. I'm not all that special, which means no man in here would care that much about seeing my body." Kiyama explained, staring down at Shirai as a vein appeared on her head.
What…th-the heck is up with this woman? Asher, Misaka, Uiharu and Saten thought collectively, trying their best to keep themselves conscious due to all the heat that was rising on their faces.
Word Count of Chapter: 7216 |Page Count: 13 pages |Reviews: 89 | Followers: 64 |Favorites: 53
Review Replies
Blankow: Yes, I have returned briefly to my former uploading speed from what it looks like probably until July 20th ends most likely in the next chapter. It's cool that you haven't gotten to the spin-off yet. It's only 2 chapters in as of right now so you're not all that behind:)
Asher is finally allowing herself to trust others a little more and be more open when it comes to stuff that is bothering her at least with Misaka. Will that expand to the entire cast/group one day? You will soon see.
I didn't want to leave Asher out of the little card game Tokiwadai seems to have with the other two Level 5's. The Jack of all trades seemed to be the best pick out of the bunch as Accelerator as the king and Touma as the joker are most likely more fitting for them in comparison to her as you say lol.
Asher's birthday is within but at the same time far within the timeline. Small Fun fact: this day was picked as her birthday due to her particular liking to chocolate as this is National Chocolate Day. Halloween (October 31st) was close behind but that day seems to be more fitting for the chocolate lover.
Saten's and Asher's friendship seems to be developing steadily over these last few chapters. Asher has early suspicions regarding what Saten was going to show all of them a little earlier in comparison to the others.
The Science side may be seen the most out of the two, but the magic side will not be ignored especially went it comes to the events within the city. What will happen on the night of the 20th will hopefully be seen within the next chapter. So, with Railgun vs. Index when it comes to July 19th have to where Misaka causes the blackout both times in two different ways and has it to where Kamijou meets her in Index. I'm going to say that they didn't meet, though, as they have already met during the Graviton incident. And that she was assisting Shirai in helping Asher back to the dorm. Basically, meaning I'm going to just take Railgun's version of the black out and what happened on that day.
Yep, Touma hiding his memory loss will be hard this time around with Asher in the mix as she and Misaka have already dealt with it due to what happed during Project WaveInflux. Whether that will make its reveal faster remains to be seen.
I'm trying to get the Sisters' Arc here as fast as I can without crippling any of the story/character development because of it. These next few chapters should hopefully go a little faster in terms of timing as they hop around dates pretty quickly at this point of the Level upper arc.
Wow, haha, you do have a point in that Asher could potentially split the Sisters with Kamijou.
Thanks!
velvetsthetic: Glad that you like her new title of "The Jack of Tokiwadai." As I said in the reply before this, I didn't want to leave her out of the little card game Tokiwadai has with Misaka and Shokuhou. It seems fitting for the adaptable nature of her ability.
The magic side will be seen at times as it does affect the science side at times, so it's only right to keep some of the references or events especially when it comes to those within the city. The events that happen outside are up in the air right now as Asher will mostly stay in Academy City for the Science side events and with that motion sickness of hers will never catch herself 50 feet within range of a plane unless convinced to do so.
Due to how close they are and the similar/contrasting nature of their abilities, I thought it would be a nice addition that they have the chance to cancel or maybe be able to amplify the other during certain circumstances. Though, due to Asher's weakness with electricity, she has to bring more to the table at times to be able to cancel out Misaka's as she can engage high amounts of power faster in comparison to Asher at times. Asher makes up for that with her quickness in her calculations though.
Accelerator x Asher shippers do still have a leg in this little race with their connection with Yomikawa and Yoshikawa. If it will be able to get through the depression known as the Sisters' arc will be incoming soon…hopefully depending on the pacing of this story:)
Thanks!
LostNeko120: Glad that you liked the flashback which basically ties up some of the loose ends involving that day as Asher didn't have that much recollection of the events that occurred after Misaka had destroyed the device in her head with her electricity.
The story is finally progressing a little faster with Saten finally discovering the level upper. I'm happy that you liked the way I wrote it as it kind of gives some idea of why she doesn't come out and tell the others of her troubles.
Kuroko and Asher will probably always butt heads as they honestly probably enjoy bugging each other at times and just don't want to admit it. I also thought it would be best for Kuroko to grant Asher's new nickname.
Hmmmm, I'd say that Misaka is definitely the Ace of Spades, while Misaki takes the Queen of hearts. That leaves the Jack of clubs and Jack of diamonds for Asher if the trend continues. I think I would most likely lean towards giving her the Jack of Clubs.
You're welcome and Thanks!
gaidzani:
Chapter 23
Welcome back!
Glad to hear that you liked the background to Kuroko's and Asher's relationship and that I got Kuroko's approach down. Asher didn't talk to really anyone after the experiment all that much other than to the few people that she trusts. The only way Shirai found to be able to get anything from her was to essentially provoke her into arguments.
(I was not confused by you're rambles. I almost feel like my rambles are sometimes confusing to some degree so you're fine:)
Chapter 24
I though it was hilarious when Misaka got her shoes stuck in the asphalt when I saw it in the anime as I didn't notice it until you just see her walking off without them. Glad to hear from you and as well as others that the "Jack of Tokiwadai" was a good title to give to Asher. Blankow (another reviewer) suggested that Accelerator should take the King position due to Tokiwadai being an all girls school in which prevents one of its members from gaining it.
So, I was going to end the last chapter when Kiyama gets there, but I decided to leave most of her bits in this chapter as she is hilarious especially with Asher in the mix as she doesn't take her stripping all that well at any time lol.
Hmmmmm, if you're talking about when Misaka helped Kiyama find her car due to Kamijou essentially ditching Misaka to go to the store, then I'm pretty sure Saten didn't find the Level Upper until July 20th. If you're talking about July 20th where they meet Kiyama at the hospital then you could be right. From my interpretation of the anime when Saten finds out about the Level Upper, I'm pretty sure it's the morning or afternoon of the 20th around the same time Kuroko notified Misaka about Kaitabi being comatose. Its placement could be debatable due to that from Saten's scene being an end credit to that episode.
All in all, she could have found it around that or the other time (if you're talking ab the manga as I only know the events that transpire during the anime). But according to the anime and the timeline on the wiki, Saten found it around the time I placed it within the last chapter.
So in terms with Index mixing into Railgun, yes it will mix here and there but to what extent is still a little bit in the air. Asher will be mostly involved with the Science side, though since she does have a friendship with Touma, it's almost inevitable for her to be mixed up with it to some extent like Misaka is. So the events that happen in the city that will directly affect Asher and the gang will most likely be included within this. The events on the outside, however, are most likely not going to if Asher isn't involved in some way as she is not a plane/car person due to her motion sickness, so she'll need a very very good reason to leave the city.
With this chapter now comes with the inevitable reappearance of Silas sometime in the next few chapters, where some questions will hopefully be answered regarding Asher's theory of the level upper as well as some of the pieces of her past that she needs to clear up.
Thanks and you're welcome! I didn't mind all of the questions as I like answering each one of them in the hopes to clear any confusion when it comes to my story:)
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover99
