AN: Hello readers! I'm finally back with another update. I'm about 4-5 weeks into my college semester, so update speed will fluctuate for the next few months. My goal is to update every other week, but (like this chapter) it may end up being every month depending on the amount of work my professors throw at me.
Meaning if I drop out of existence for a while, please don't worry. I'll still be working on this and my other stories (which I'm getting around to hopefully update in the next few weeks if you're waiting on them) behind the scenes.
Well that's all I really have to say right now, so I hope you enjoy 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 47: A Date with a Friend
As Asher was shrouded in darkness, she could only see distorted images that went by in a haze. Sounds and voices echoed all around her as her mind was at a loss to make sense of it all.
"St-Stop….please stop!" She heard a voice plead all around her. "I'm sorry! Please, have mercy on me!"
One of the fragmented images cleared enough for her to make out two people, a boy in his later teens, who she assumed was the voice from before, and someone else whose identity was concealed from the hood over their head.
The hidden figure had their hand out towards the teen that was already suspended in the air with what looked like a raging column of wind. She could only see a frown grow even further on their lips before they raised their head to show eyes that were glinting red.
"You should have figured out by now that your empty apologies and illogical pleas for mercy mean absolutely nothing to me. Especially since you're last the one to be even asking for it." A female voice remarked before she darkly chuckled. "Don't worry though. Unfortunately, you'll be unconscious by the time I'm finished with you. But that just depends on when your body finally gives out which I promise I'll do my best to avoid that threshold for now, so you can feel every single last thing I've got planned for you."
"I may not be able to kill you. But, I sure as hell can get you close and make you wish I did."
It seemed like the guy was going to try to plea for his well-being again before the shrouded girl closed her hand into a fist. She smirked as he was immediately lost in an intense torrent of wind, with screams echoing both in her mind and mostly likely on the walls everywhere within Academy City.
August 3rd, 11:00AM
Tokiwadai Dorm
"AHHHHHHH!"
That earth-shattering scream was the first thing that Asher heard as she jolted awake. She nearly jumped into a seated position, but some logic in her mind prevented her from making the same mistake she had made the other day.
Keeping her injured midsection in mind, she laid there in a puddle of her own sweat as she gulped for air. When everything around her began to come more into focus, a few winces escaped her breath from the immense aching coming from her head. She let out a long groan and rubbed the area in hopes of providing herself some relief.
This is starting to get illogical, she thought as her expression turned into a deadpan.
I can barely take a nap or go to bed nowadays without waking up feeling like I'm about to have some sort of heart attack. And this incessant headache isn't making anything better.
She laid there for a time before her eyes narrowed slightly. When she turned to her window, she noticed that the sun seemed to be higher in the sky than it had been in a while. She automatically grabbed her phone off her desk and saw "11:02AM" on its display.
"D-Did I actually sleep through th-the night for once?" She asked aloud, only to then sigh from the slight struggle she had to stream her words together. From how early she had been waking up lately, she had been taking her brain and anxiety medication earlier than usual. Meaning they probably had worn off a couple hours ago to her misfortune.
She swung her legs around and sat her feet on the floor to stand up. She walked over to where her pills were sitting on her desk, reaching over to grab them. She instantly stopped when some random memory flashed in her vision, briefly seeing her room go dark as something fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you, Asher." She heard a disembodied voice say. "I didn't mean for what I did to scare you so much."
"But I also can't allow what that damn bastard did to you go unpunished..."
Before she even had enough time to digest those words, the memory faded into nothingness as her arm remained suspended in the air. She continued to stand there silent for a few moments with her eyes narrowed in confusion.
Who was that? Did that happen last night or…?
She brought a hand to her temple and closed her eyes to focus. It proved to be futile as her mind just kept drawing a blank every time she tried to remember what happened after she got back to the dorm with Misaka last night.
What had she done before she went to bed? When did she even go to sleep?
These were simple questions that she couldn't answer which oddly put her on edge.
As someone who had experienced severe memory loss from her past amnesia, it didn't really bother her when she forgot things here and there. She knew what it was like to forget nearly everything about her life, so other lapses from time to time weren't illogical or significant in her eyes.
But lately she found herself experiencing random bouts of forgetfulness more and more ever since she had been hit by the disorienting effects of the Capacity Down system. It made her wonder if its effects were more severe than she had originally anticipated. Due to her being more susceptible to the waves that device produced, it could have done more than scramble the arithmetic capacity in her head, probably going as far as to straining areas weakened by the brain damage she already had.
Before her mind started to race, though, she let out a small breath to calm herself. There may be a chance that there's something wrong with her, but that didn't diminish the chances that she was just illogically jumping to conclusions. She did have the tendency to read into situations too much at times, so it wouldn't be surprising if she was doing the same right now.
Even if that's the case, I should probably check more into it just to be safe. These regresses in memory could be a sign that my brain damage has worsened or for something else just as dangerous. She thought as she finally opened the medicine cap and dropped a few pills in her mouth.
I could reschedule my monthly check-up with my doctor for some time this week. Though, considering he didn't seem all that concerned about what he saw the last time I was there, it may just be more of the same.
As she stood there, a low sigh came from under her breath as she braced her neck softly with one of her hands.
In any way I look at this, it's almost unavoidable that Shokuhou becomes involved in it somehow. Maybe it would be better to wait later, so I can mentally prepare myself for her antics.
Before she could think into the matter any further, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock coming from her door.
Assuming it was either Shirai or Misaka coming over to greet her as usual, she walked over and casually opened it. She smiled until her eyes widened in surprise, seeing someone she hadn't expected to be in front of her.
"Saten?" Asher muttered in shock.
"Good morning!" The girl exclaimed.
Asher was too taken aback by her disbelief to respond to Saten's greeting at first as the girl walked inside. "Good morning t-to you, too." Asher said after a few moments as she shut the door behind her. "This is sort of random. I don't remember asking you to come over yesterday."
"No, you didn't. I actually did randomly chose to come here." Saten replied with a small laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. "Uiharu's busy today with Judgment work. She's on stand-by until Anti-Skill finishes their raid on Big Spider's base just in case they need some back-up."
"So, you came over here to see what MK, Kuroko, and I were doing, I presume?" Asher surmised. She let out a sigh when Saten nodded in response. "I guess that makes your appearance a little less illogical. If you want, we can continue our discussion next door with the others. However, there's a chance that they already left to do whatever they were planning last night with Big Spider."
"Yeah, they already have." Saten answered. "I came here a couple hours ago and saw them in the lobby. They actually stopped me from coming in here earlier when they told me that you were still asleep."
"Oh really? That hasn't stopped either of them from coming in here before…" Asher stated with a deadpan.
"Well, they said that you looked too peaceful to mess with when they came in and checked on you." Saten responded before her eyes fell slightly. "You haven't been sleeping well lately, so they wanted to let you rest. They also told me about the Midsummer festival happening here tomorrow to see if I wanted to go. And to remind you about it since they knew you probably forgot about it."
Asher hummed in response as she leaned her back on the wall behind her. She sighed aloud at the thought of what was in store for her tomorrow before her thoughts went elsewhere. "Um…" She trailed off as she brought a hand up to the back of her neck, again. "Are you still wanting to do something, even if it's just the two of us? You know I'm not the most outgoing or impressionable person around, so it might be more logical to just wait for the others. Or…"
"Asher, of course I still want to do something with you, silly. Why do you think I came back here even after I knew the others were busy?" Saten said before Asher could ramble any further. "You being shy and quiet doesn't make you any less fun to be around. It just means that you just need a bigger push to be more open to show everyone how awesome you are."
Asher's cheeks instantly flushed before she turned away to hide it. She knew it was illogical, since Saten probably already saw it. Her thoughts were proven right when she heard her giggle from behind her, where Asher used all her energy to not turn back as she quickly walked over to her dresser to gather some clothes.
"I-I'm going to go ahead and take a quick shower." She stuttered before she sighed that her embarrassment was so high that it made it into her voice. "We'll figure out what we should do after I'm done."
"Okay!" Saten replied as she saw Asher shut the door behind her.
As Saten sat there silently, she decided to pass the time by looking around. She hadn't been able to take much note of her surroundings during her last visit since her purpose then was to make sure her friend was okay. And now that she was, the slight impulse to look around to see what she could find was pressing her more and more until she finally gave in and rose up to her feet.
For a girl who was known as fairly lazy and unmotivated at times, it was surprising for her to see how clean Asher usually kept her room. There was hardly any dust or trash anywhere around her, which was something she had taken note of a couple days ago. She had believed it was because Asher was just keeping herself in her bed for her recovery and to sulk alone.
She moved on to look over at one of the few things she had that she considered to be decorations for her room: books. She didn't even have to look at the titles to know what they were most likely about, knowing Asher pretty well as a science nerd through and through. She found countless volumes that discussed a wide range of topics, from chemistry to physics and thermodynamics to general relativity just to name a few.
As she skimmed over the many bindings, her eyes stopped at a section in particular that caught her attention. She saw "H. Asher" written along each of the bindings. She pulled one of them off the shelf, and her eyes automatically went down to the bottom of the cover.
"Himari Asher," She read aloud to herself. "Where have I heard that name before…?"
It took her only moments to realize that name belonged to Asher's late mother. She had nearly forgot it due to how much information they had learned before when they went through the records relating to WaveInflux some weeks back. Even if it was recent, it almost felt like that day had happened a long time ago from how much had changed since then.
Asher was so much more open now than she had been since the beginning of their friendship. She could tell that the girl was a lot happier and relaxed, most likely due to the massive burden that was lifted off her shoulders.
She also knew, however, that there was still something that was weighing her down. And now that she thought about it, she wondered if it was because of her late mother. She hardly if ever talked about her, where the only reason she (Saten) even knew of her was because of those documents, not because the gravity esper openly talked about her.
If I remember correctly, it has nearly been two years since her mother died, right? Saten thought as she put the book back on the shelf.
I don't think I could imagine a day without mom or dad being around or available to talk to. Even with me, Uiharu, Shirai, and Misaka with her, I bet that's something that will take a long time to heal before she's ready to talk about it.
She walked over to Asher's desk and looked down at the 2 picture frames that were there. One held younger versions of both her and Misaka, noticing that it was identical to the one that Misaka had in her digital photo album in her room.
The other seemed to be taken fairly recently as it had Shirai in the frame. Misaka was in the middle smiling as Shirai stood to the right of her holding up a peace sign. Asher was to the left of the Electromaster with her arms crossed as she looked off to the side, almost as if she was trying her best to act like she hadn't wanted to be there. Though, the small smile on her face said otherwise as Misaka's arm hooked around her neck to keep her in the frame.
With her small tour of the room basically over, she was about to turn around, sit back on Asher's bed, and wait for the girl to get out of the shower. That was before her eyes were brought down to see one of her desk drawers slightly ajar, where one lone object sat at its bottom.
Before she knew it, her curiosity got the best of her again and her hand was already on the knob to pull the drawer back. Among a few loose papers sat a black electronic photo album. It seemed similar to the one that Misaka has in her own room, though she could tell it was an older model by its design alone. It had to be at least over 8-10 years old since this model in particular had been discontinued a few years back to her knowledge. And surprisingly, it seemed to be in good shape.
She hesitated for a few moments before she powered on its display. When she clicked through the menu, all she could see was "1 of 1" highlighted. She clicked it and the only picture logged on the album appeared.
It looked like a typical family portrait. She saw a very young version of Asher sitting in between who she knew to be her mother, and another man she assumed was her biological father. She thought it was cute to see how much she resembled her mother even at a young age, though also seeing similarities in her father when it came to their eyes.
She looked down at the date, where her eyes fell around the same time.
This must have been taken a couple months before… she thought, as she stood there silently.
Saten had always believed that someone's room was an easy way to read someone's personality, realizing then that even Asher couldn't avoid such a thing.
Her room almost reflects how she tries to hide who she is from how barren and empty the room initially seemed. Only those close to her would notice that its minimalistic approach was just a façade to hide the sentimental value all of these items had to her.
She wondered if there was anything she could possibly do to at least give the fairly empty album something more than just one of the last pictures she probably had of her family.
She sat there thinking on it for some time before she sighed and carefully lowered the album back into its spot.
It might be better to work with the others on making this more of a complete album than what it is now. Misaka would also be better suited in finding photos from when they were younger.
Whoever gave it to her must have wanted her to put it to good use. And since Asher has had it for all this time, that person must be important to her.
Even though I don't have a clear plan now, I can at least try and start getting some pictures in here that she could look at more fondly than the sadness and loneliness that family portrait probably brings her.
About 10 minutes later…
Saten's attention was pulled over to the bathroom when the door swung open, seeing Asher causally walk out. It didn't take her long to notice that the esper wasn't wearing her usual Tokiwadai uniform. Instead, she saw the older girl in a dark blue hoodie with "Academy City" on its front and black basketball shorts.
She let out a small sigh, which pulled Asher's attention over to her as she used a towel to dry out some of the water still dripping from her damp blonde hair.
"Something wrong?" Asher asked, almost as if she was trying to act oblivious. "I don't think I took that long to get ready."
"You know it isn't that." Saten remarked lightly with a small laugh. "Forgive me if I'm wrong but aren't all Tokiwadai girls required to wear their uniforms at all times, even when they leave their dorms?"
"Yeah, that's correct." Asher simply but also bluntly stated.
"Ummm well…" Saten sweatdropped. "Aren't you going to get in trouble for not wearing yours?"
Asher stopped in her tracks and let out a small sigh of her own. She raised a hand up to the back of her neck before she looked over at Saten. "Maybe, but I honestly don't have enough energy to care today." She answered. "It would be different if MK and Kuroko were around, since I tend to be able to blend in better or not get bothered as much by others. Though, when I'm on my own, it always seems like the likelihood of attracting unwanted attention increases whether it be from other Tokiwadai girls or annoyances who want to pick a fight with me. And I don't really want that to happen while I'm with you today."
Saten was about suggest that she was overexaggerating before she stopped herself. After what happened the other day with Skill Out, her worries were completely justified. She knew that she could protect her from anyone if she needed to, but she didn't want to put Saten in any unnecessary danger just because of something like her reputation within this city.
Saten didn't allow her face to fall at that thought, though, instead allowing a genuine smile to come across her face. "Alright, do whatever makes you comfortable." She replied, as she saw surprise flash in Asher's eyes. "Hopefully I'll keep you distracted enough that you don't have to worry about that."
After getting over her initial shock, Asher returned a small smile of her own. "Whatever happens, I can still make it seem like I'm wearing the uniform just in case one of the teachers or administrators from the school spots me. However, I doubt they'll be out around this time of day."
Saten sent a reassuring nod as she rose to her feet. "Well with that out of the way, are you ready to go?" She asked as she watched Asher lace up her tennis shoes.
Asher nodded as they walked out of her room. She made sure that the Head Resident was nowhere near them before she casually walked to the elevator with Saten at her side.
When they got inside, Asher pressed the button for the lobby and let out a small sigh as she leaned her back on the wall behind her.
Saten grew concerned when she saw her friend's face pale slightly. "Are you okay, Asher?"
"Yeah," she responded after releasing a deep breath. "Motion sickness is just annoying to have since even something as subtle as an elevator ride bothers it from time to time. There's nothing to worry about. I should get better when we get outside." She opened her eyes and sent Saten a stoic look. "Have any ideas on where we're going to go?"
"A few, however," She began with a smile on her face. "I think you should take the lead on this one for now."
"Me?" Asher asked, puzzled. "What made you come to that illogical conclusion? You're the one who invited me to hang out with you if I remember correctly."
"True, but you rarely if ever make any suggestions on where we go about 90% of the time. Almost like you don't trust yourself to make that decision." Saten explained as some surprise flashed on her face.
"It's not that. I just..." Asher nervously stumbled on her words. "I just think that you and the others have better ideas when it comes to things like this. I'm usually indifferent with anywhere we go, so choosing a specific place is somewhat hard for me."
"Ah come on," Saten whined playfully, grabbing Asher's hand as soon as the doors of the elevator opened. "Find your sense of adventure! I want you to have fun, not feel like I'm dragging you along everywhere. This is going to be a TEAM effort, so I'm going to be helping you out but you're deciding where we go first. "
"Okay okay okay," Asher sighed before she narrowed her eyes for a few seconds. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and looked down at the time before she raised her gaze back to Saten's back as they went outside.
"With it being the afternoon and all, finding somewhere to eat lunch may be the most logical thing to do first…"
A little while later…
Asher and Saten walked side by side on the sidewalk, with the latter following slightly behind to allow the Level 5 esper to lead. It had been quiet for some time from how focused Asher seemed to be at her task, leaving Saten amused on how serious she was taking it.
First, she decided to go to a fast-food place commonly known as Macronall Hamburger to get food that wasn't too pricey. But there, they found that service was at a standstill due to the stock of their main product, hamburgers, being reduced to 0 for some unknown reason.
Lunch had only started about an hour ago, so it seemed illogical that their stock was taken out in a such a short amount of time even if there was a lunch rush.
Asher had stood there to go through all of the options that she could think of before she let out sigh and took them to Joseph's. They had been there enough times at that point for it to just be a given that was the best place to go for something like this.
After a server came over to get their drink orders when they arrived to one of the many open booths, Asher got Saten's attention with long, sad sigh.
"Sorry for how long it took me to get us here." She apologized as she laid her head on the table in front of her in defeat. "I should have just come here from the start."
Saten let out a laugh as a raincloud threatened to form over Asher's head. "There's no reason for you to apologize, Asher. You didn't know Jona's was going to be packed too. Or that Macronall would already be out of food. We may come here a lot, but that doesn't make the food any less good."
To her surprise, Asher seemed to slump even further into the table.
"You're just saying that…" She mumbled.
After sitting there for a few seconds, Saten rose up from her seat and walked over to Asher's end of the table and casually sat down. It wasn't too long before Asher acknowledged how close she was to her. She peered over at Saten with a confused look as she heard the girl hum a tune.
"What are you doing?" Asher asked.
"Sitting," Saten simply said.
Asher sent her a deadpan as she raised her head even more. "That's fairly apparent. Why are you sitting next to me?"
"Just waiting for a certain someone to quit pouting before I try to take a picture with her."
"I'm not…" Asher trailed off before realizing what Saten had said. "Picture?"
"Mmmhhmmm," Saten hummed as she took out her phone. "I realized earlier that I hardly have any pictures with just us or in general. Since we're hanging out, I would say this is a perfect time as any to do it."
"Really, that's all you want?" Asher asked as she sat up straighter, getting her answer when she saw Saten's phone flip towards them.
"Yep, now smile for the camera!"
There was a long pause before Asher let out a combination of a sigh and laugh as she allowed a small smile of her own to come over her lips. She may have not gotten why she was doing this so randomly, but she knew she didn't have enough energy to combat it at the same time.
"Now was that so hard?" Saten asked lightly as she went to stand up.
Asher leaned her head into one of her hands. "I never said that it wasn't."
Before either of them went on, they both heard some commotion behind them as a couple of familiar faces entered the restaurant.
"I can't believe the nerve of that place!" A girl exasperated. "My taste buds were ready to try the marvelous burgers I've been hearing about lately, only for them to be out of them for like the 2nd day in a row."
Neither Asher or Saten had to look behind them to know who was here, looking back and seeing the usual fan covering the face of the person known as Kongou Mitsuko. Wannai and Awatsuki were right behind her wearing solemn smiles on their lips.
"I'm sorry for getting your hopes up, Kongou…" Wannai said with a small sigh. "Macronall may get busy at this time of day, but I didn't expect that they would already be out of everything."
"Maybe we can try again tomorrow." Awatsuki suggested.
Kongou only hummed with a slight frown on her face as she turned and walked down the aisle near where Saten and Asher were sitting. When her brown eyes met with Asher's blue orbs, she paused in her steps.
"Oh, Asher? Is that you?" She called out. It took her brain a minute to connect that it was the Level 5 esper, since she currently wasn't wearing her Tokiwadai uniform.
Asher sent her a silent wave as Awatsuki and Wannai noticed her along with the girl that was sitting across from her at the table.
"Asher and Saten? I didn't expect to see you two here." Wannai commented.
"Hey guys! It has been awhile, hasn't it?" Saten said aloud. "If you're up for it, how about we catch up?"
It didn't take long for each of the girls to get settled in. To allow Kongou, Awatsuki, and Wannai to sit together, Asher didn't hesitate to move to the other side of the table to sit next to Saten. They ordered their drinks when the server came back around, where she also took up the food orders as they were all beginning to get hungry.
When she was gone, Kongou closed her fan and sent an inquisitive look over at Asher.
"Now it's great to see you two an all but," Kongou began as she jabbed her fan into Asher's chest. "Where is your uniform, Asher? Being a 2nd year as you are, don't you know the rules regarding our uniform?"
"Yeah, very well matter of fact since I've been technically going there for 2 years now." Asher sighed casually.
"Then why are you wearing such a thing!?" Kongou gasped in confusion. "Hoodie? Shorts? That is unbefitting of someone of your talents! And if any of the teachers saw you, you would be in some big trouble!"
"It's actually not completely surprising." Wannai said with a small laugh, as Kongou turned to look at her.
"Even with us first years, it's fairly well-known around school that Asher tends to not wear her uniform from time to time." Awatsuki finished.
"Wow, Asher. I didn't think your reputation proceeded you that much." Saten laughed.
"Me either." Asher stated as she leaned onto her hand. "It's not like I do it all the time, especially with Kuroko and Mikoto breathing down my neck to make sure I don't. It's just exhausting wearing that thing and annoying that it's one of the many things that makes me recognizable to other people just as tiresome.
Before she continued, she let out a wince when one of her fingers scrapped one of the many bruises on her head.
It was subtle enough that most of the girls hadn't noticed other than Saten and Kongou, where the latter's eyes widened when she saw a brief glimpse into the illusion that was hiding her injuries.
Her eyes narrowed as some sort of concern lit her gaze before she sat her fan on the table. "I may have not known you all that long, Asher." Kongou said aloud as everyone around her fell silent. "But I can tell that you aren't the kind of person to deceive your friends, without a good reason of course. Whatever it is, I kindly ask that you show us what you're currently trying your best to hide right now with your ability."
Asher's eyes widened before they fell slightly with Saten looking at her with a gaze just as solemn. Awatsuki and Wannai sat there confused on what their friend was even talking about.
A silence fell over them before Asher let out a small breath that slowly turned into a short laugh. "I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from a Level 4 like yourself, Kongou." Asher stated as she allowed her injuries to be seen. "It seems I underestimated how perceptive you are and let my guard down a bit."
Surprised gasps sounded around the table when their eyes saw that the side of Asher's face was coated in a mix of bandages and faded bruises. It looked like the esper had gotten into some kind of fight, which only shocked them further that someone had been able to get a hit in on the 5th Ranked Level 5 herself.
"Oh my Asher, what happened to you!?" Wannai and Awatsuki shouted in surprise as Kongou remained silent.
"You became a victim of one of those esper hunts, weren't you?" Kongou surmised.
"Yeah, more or less." Asher remarked as she hid her injuries again.
"Esper hunts?" Wannai asked more to herself before realization came over her gaze. "Are you talking about that Big Spider group that tried to target Kongou the other day?"
When Asher nodded, Awatsuki chimed in. "How did they end up targeting you? Does that mean it's true that they have some sort of device that messes with our esper abilities?"
"It's a long story." Asher said as her expression fell slightly. "You three probably wouldn't want…"
She trailed off when she looked up and saw how the three girls in front of her were patiently waiting for her to say what had happened. She was honestly surprised that none of them agreed with her words or forced a look of interest or concern from what she could tell from the seriousness in each of their expressions.
She sat there in her shock before she was pulled back from her thoughts when she felt something clench her hand gently from under the table. She didn't have to look down and see what it was, just having to turn her head slightly to see Saten sitting there staring right back at her.
No words were needed for Asher to somehow know what Saten was trying to say silently with her eyes, showing her support by gently squeezing her hand.
Asher took a moment to ponder before she mutely squeezed back and turned back to the 3 Tokiwadai girls, releasing one of her patented sighs to calm some of her nerves as she raised her free hand to grab the back of her neck.
"Alright fine." She conceded. "Where to even start with these last couple of days…"
As Asher had believed before, it did take her some time to recount the events that had happened these last few days. She did her best to only focus on the bits relating to Big Spider, though, not personal matters such as her and Misaka's argument.
When she finished, it took some time for everything to sink into their minds as Asher just looked off to the side to avoid seeing the pity or concern likely on their faces.
"That's horrible…" Wannai mumbled. "They did that to you in front of both Misaka and Shirai?"
"I can't believe they have a device that rendered you three that powerless." Awatsuki stated. "Are you and the others alright?"
"Yeah. Out of the three of us, I was left the worse off, thankfully. They probably saw me as the biggest threat since I did reveal who I was to them. If I hadn't and they had targeted either MK or Kuroko more than they had…then…." Asher paused, trying to the find the best way to finish before she let out a low breath. "Let's just say things would have probably ended differently."
Kongou remained uncharacteristically silent before she let out a shaky breath and bowed her head in Asher's direction. "I'm sorry…Asher." She mumbled, prompting Asher to look over at her in shock. "If I hadn't been targeted that day, maybe you three wouldn't have felt inclined to put yourselves in that much danger."
Asher took a moment before she turned gaze away again. "No don't be. It's illogical that way since none of what happened was even your fault." She stated with an emotion filling her voice that none of them could fully narrow down. "We may have felt the need to investigate them more because of you, sure, but the events thereafter are not on you. We made a critical error in judgement that led to the unfortunate events at their hideout. If we hadn't underestimated them or that device, then we would have left unharmed…"
"And my injuries are no one's fault but my own." She continued, with her her stoic voice hardening slightly. "I was somewhat careless and willingly made myself a bigger target. I had an idea of what I was getting into and thought I would've been able to correct it later. But that device complicated things. I wasn't surprised that they took the opportunity to do what they did when I was at my most vulnerable. From the things that happened in the past, I don't blame them. Since I probably deserved – "
Before Asher could continue, she felt something hit the top of her head lightly. When she looked up, she was shocked to see a dark look fall into Kongou's eyes.
"Don't you even dare finish that sentence. You hear me?" Kongou said lowly, seeing Asher's skin pale immediately. "No one deserves to be ruthlessly beaten into the ground by a couple of cowards who were hiding behind such a device to not give you a proper fight. Especially a quiet, kindhearted person like you who just wanted to make sure her friends were safe. So, I'm not going to sit here and hear you say such things about yourself, Asher Zierdan. Do I make myself clear?"
Asher quickly nodded as Saten sat next to her and let out a nervous laugh.
Wow, and I thought Misaka or their Head Resident were the only two people that could scare her that bad…
Awatsuki and Wannai equally sweatdropped. They had never seen such a terrified look on Asher's face. Or such an intense look in Kongou's eyes that seemed to be growing by the second.
That was until Kongou calmly took Asher's answer and fell back into her usual friendly persona. "Alright with that out of the way, how about we go ahead and eat? Our food is getting cold."
Their hunger came and went in a matter of 10 minutes when they each started and finished eating their food. They left the waitress a decent tip as they left the restaurant, standing across from each other in their respective groups.
"It was nice having lunch with the both of you." Wannai stated.
"Likewise." Asher stated with a small smile.
"We should do it again some time when the others are free." Saten agreed.
"You have our numbers. So, whenever you want to hang out or need anything, just call one of us." Awatsuki said.
"Take care girls!" Kongou said with a wave of her fan as Saten and Asher waved before they turned around to leave. "Have fun and continue on with your little date!"
Both Saten and Asher froze when those last words came out of Kongou's mouth, though for different reasons. Asher was more so confused in comparison to Saten whose face completely flushed red as she turned around to ask what Kongou had even meant by that.
Though the girl had already walked off too far away to hear them.
Date? What did Kongou mean by that? If I remember correctly, it's August 2nd but what does that have to do with what me and Saten were doing before? Asher thought before she turned her attention over to Saten. She was surprised to see how red her cheeks were, rarely if ever seeing such an occurrence from the girl who hardly ever got embarrassed by anything.
"Something wrong, Saten?" Asher asked, breaking Saten out of her daze as she quickly tuned towards her.
"N-No no! Everything's fine!" Saten rushed out, quickly turning around to walk down the sidewalk with Asher right behind her.
"You sure?" Asher asked. Her question led to more confusion when she saw the blush reach Saten's ears. "I don't think I've ever seen your face get this red before. Are you sure you aren't getting sick?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. There's totally no need for you to worry about anything, Asher." Saten said with a smile.
Asher could immediately tell that it was fake, though in a way that she hadn't ever seen before.
What is she trying to hide from me? She thought, finding some part of her intrigued to some extent from seeing something fairly new from the younger girl.
I think she's flustered by something if that's the right word for it.
But why?
"Did you really have to tease them like that, Kongou?" Wannai asked with a laugh as she looked to the older girl.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Kongou asked in confusion.
"No, you were just a little more direct than I think Saten was prepared for." Awatsuki comforted.
As they walked in silence for some time, Wannai let out a soft breath as she looked up to the sky.
"It's strange. I don't think I would have noticed before we met her, but those rumors that circulate the school about Asher really are just rumors, aren't they?" She said aloud. "It's somewhat surreal to think about the times I thought about how unapproachable she was just because of them."
"Yeah…" Awatsuki said with her eyes falling to the ground. "Just the idea of having her in the school used to scare me from all the things I heard about her. Some of the upperclassmen made her seem like such a horrible person with a delinquent outlook on life. There had even been a group of girls a year or two ago that tried to petition her out of the school before the board shut it down."
"I don't think Asher would want you two to beat yourselves up about that. You've both already apologized. And I can tell she likes to be in your company." Kongou stated as she brought her fan to cover the bottom half of her face. "It's human to listen and believe in rumors. It's harder, though, to get rid of your preconceived judgements of them even after you've discovered the truth."
I wonder though, Kongou thought internally as a small frown came over her lips, thinking back to some of the words Asher had said earlier.
["I wasn't surprised that they took the opportunity to do what they did when I was at my most vulnerable. From the things that happened in the past, I don't blame them. Since I probably deserved…."]
What did you do in your past that led to you falling out of favor with so many in this city?
Somewhere in the 7th District…
20 minutes later
Saten let out a sigh as she sat down on a bench, feeling it move when Asher did the same and sat down next to her. It was her turn to choose where they were going to go next, so she decided to go out to a park to rest and take in the nice scenery.
Ever since they had split up with Kongou, Wannai, and Awatsuki, Asher had noticed how honestly weird Saten was acting. After seeming completely and utterly embarrassed by something she couldn't understand, she was also remaining uncharacteristically silent.
It was bothering her so much that her patience was starting to wane thin, something that Asher rarely experienced so quickly. She was already tapping on her arm that was crossed over the other on her chest and let out a small breath when she couldn't take the uncomfortable silence anymore.
She took out her left hand and reached out for Saten's shoulder. She recoiled and nearly put it down when she felt she had gotten too close before she went for it and gently grasped it.
She felt her jump but not reject her advance. "Hey, um….are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?" Asher asked hesitantly. "You're acting more illogical than you usually do."
"Yeah, I am." Saten began to say before she froze when she met with Asher's unconvinced gaze. She turned away with a hollow laugh as she looked down into her lap. "But, I guess I'm not being too convincing."
"You've just been sort of quiet since we left Joseph's. Quieter than me, even." Asher remarked as she pulled her hand back down to remain on her neck. "I'm not too sure if it was something I did or from something else. But I can help maybe if you need me to."
Saten's eyes widened before she looked over and saw some nervousness flushing Asher's face as she kept absentmindedly rubbing the back of her neck.
She thought it was cute that the older girl was trying to actively help her even when it made her completely nervous. But she didn't know if she could help with something that even she didn't fully understand was going on.
Certain words that Kongou had said before had been constantly running through her head over and over again. Words that had lit this weird feeling in her chest that she couldn't tell whether she liked or disliked when a part of her knew the answer.
["Take care girls!" Kongou said with a wave of her fan as Saten and Asher waved before they turned around to leave. "Have fun and continue on with your little date!"]
I don't understand why those words are bothering me so much. She thought as she pressed a hand over her chest.
Even just thinking about it now is making my heart flutter and race. I don't think there's anything wrong with me and I know she was just teasing us.
And…
Asher and I are just friends, but why did some part of me want what she said to describe what we were doing.
When Saten looked like she was about to start shutting down again, Asher decided that enough was enough. She heard Saten let out a surprised gasp when she gently grabbed her wrist and lead them somewhere else in the park.
"Hey! Where are we going?" Saten asked in surprise.
"Even though it's technically your turn, there's something I want to show you that happens to be here." Asher said causally. "It's not too far away, so it shouldn't take us long to get there."
She took her down a path that led them deep into the nature side of the park, stopping at a place that was blocked off by foliage. Asher used her ability to create a small opening as she walked through and extended her hand to help Saten inside. Saten hesitated for a few seconds before she accepted her hand, closing her eyes to keep any loose leaves or sticks from pricking her eyes.
When she made it to the other side, she opened them, and her eyes immediately widened in awe. There she could see an entire field of flowers of various tints and shades of red, going out as far as the hidden clearing had stretched out.
"Wow…" Were the only words she could say as she bent down to see flowers that looked to have just blossomed. She could immediately tell that they were hollyhocks from how they were growing up on spikes from the ground, but she found it sort of weird that they were growing so late in the summer season. "These are so beautiful. I didn't think Hollyhocks were even able to start blooming so late."
"They don't." She heard Asher simply sigh as she bent down and sat in the same patch of grass below her. "They usually start blooming closer to June or July. It's rare to see them now, so close to fall. At least in most cases other than here."
"Really? What makes this place so special?" Saten asked as she turned to look over at Asher with a smile. It faded slightly when she saw the solemn look located in Asher's expression as she looked up into the sky.
Silence fell between them as a wind ruffled through the flowers before them. When it ended Asher let out another sigh as she grasped the back of her neck tightly.
"This place is different since these flowers were planted by my father about 9-12 years ago." Asher stated as she narrowed her eyes. "I was here when he had from what I've been told. But due to an accident when I was 4 or 5, I hardly have any memories from that time, including any relating to him."
"Seriously?" Saten asked in shock, seeing Asher nod.
"He had been working on an experiment with my stepfather, Silas, involving my ability that was only Level 4 at the time. Whether it was out of jealously that he had a daughter whose ability would reach Level 5 in due time or seen inferior from his lower ranking in comparison to him, Silas decided to end his life. I guess I came back earlier than he thought I was going to and witnessed the aftermath. I've never been the best at managing myself when I'm overwhelmed with my emotions, so….he used his ability to stop me before I either killed him or ended up toppling the building down on top of us…"
"Whatever he did messed with my head enough to block off those memories with some sort of memory block that I've yet fully to break through. I have some memories come to me here and there relating to him, but nothing more than his voice and what he looked like. The only reason I know about this place is because my mother showed it to me a few years back."
"If that's the case, then how are they still here looking like they've just bloomed?" Saten asked. "Even if she came back every so often to nurture them, there should have been at least some signs of the flowers dying out years ago."
"It's mostly because of her esper ability, Revitalization. Before she…" Asher trailed off.
"Passed?" Saten finished for her, where Asher sent her a small nod.
"Yeah." Asher mumbled before she cleared her throat. "Some time before, she could only affect the shelf lives of perishable foods, like bread or strawberries. She developed her ability to a point where could use it on flowers after she constantly practiced on these Hollyhocks in some attempt to keep them alive. For these past few years, I've been trying my best to do the same by simply tampering with their gravity every so often to keep them from wilting. It's not a permanent fix, but…hopefully it'll keep them alive for a while."
"I see." Saten said. "Is there anyone else who knows about this place?"
"With the exception of people who probably stumbled on it, only MK, Miss Yomikawa and a few others know its significance." Asher confirmed. "Kuroko would've been on that list, but I haven't had a chance to show her just yet. You probably know that we weren't on the best terms when we met each other. And she tends to be busy with Judgment most of the time, so I haven't really found the best time to ask."
"Or more accurately, you've probably been holding yourself back from asking?" Saten stated, finding her answer when Asher nervously looked off to the side and squeezed her neck even tighter.
"That too." She sighed. "We may now respect and see each other as friends, but our personalities are still like oil and water. We tend to not mix well at times if there's not an active buffer between us, so I've also been trying to find times where MK is also free. Usually neither times line up or I just end up forgetting to ask."
"Well, I think you should just go for it." Saten insisted. "I think she would love to see this place. Ooh! You could get Uiharu to come along too or just make it an adventure with the entire group one of these days when we hang out."
"True I could." Asher said with a small laugh. "Mom did say to share it with someone close to you so…it's probably alright to bring more than one person here. It would make her happy to know I've gained more people in my life that I can trust. Even after everything that happened during WaveInflux."
Saten hummed in response before she looked over in some concern from hearing an edge of sadness in the older girl's voice, seeing the same emotion layered in her expression no matter how much she tried to hide it.
She was surprised that the very thing she wanted to happen before the day's events happened just now. Though, she couldn't help but feel somewhat sad herself from thinking about how alone Asher must feel from time to time knowing both her parents are gone.
The more she heard about it, the more tragic her past seemed to be. She liked that Asher was starting to feel more comfortable in sharing more of it with her like this, but she just wished she was able to somehow take the pain away that she hides inside until she's ready to let more of it out.
Before they left, Saten grabbed Asher for another photo. Asher didn't fight it this time and only sighed as a small smile came over her face as Saten took the picture.
She still hadn't found the logic in her actions just yet as to why she kept doing this randomly.
But, again, she didn't have enough time to try this time as they were already on the move to leave the hidden garden for the next destination on their little adventure.
A couple hours later…
The blues of the sky slowly began to fade into the oranges and reds of a typical sunset. The other half of the Railgang, Misaka, Shirai, and Uiharu all let out simultaneous sighs as they walked down one of the many sidewalks within the 7th District.
After some clean-up and tying other loose ends, Big Spider had finally been put down for the time being. Shirai and Misaka had been on the front lines with Konori while Uiharu worked from the background to provide some level of support before Anti-Skill had made it there.
With them out of the way and the Capacity Down weapon out of commission due to a precise railgun shot, everything would hopefully go back to some level of normal.
"Job well done you two." Uiharu said as she heard Misaka release a small yawn under her breath. "Hopefully with that big faction suppressed, the other members won't be too likely to conduct any more esper hunts. Especially now that Anti-Skill is keeping such a close eye on them."
"They'll probably think twice before crossing us again." Misaka stated as she triumphantly lifted a fist into the air. "They may have gotten the jump on us before, but we took the victory in the end!"
"I would usually scold you in adding yourself in Judgment matters as a civilian, Sissy. But I believe I can look over it this one time." Shirai said with a smile.
They walked in silence for a few moments before Uiharu was the first to speak up again. "Hmmmm, I wonder what Asher and Saten are currently doing." She wondered aloud.
"Last I heard, Saten was thinking about taking Z out somewhere." Misaka stated. "As long as she didn't sleep the entire day, there's a chance that she may have convinced her to leave."
"Yeah, she's about as persistent as you are, Sissy. I don't know if Zierdan would have been able to reject Saten's offer even if she tried to." Shirai added.
As they walked on to take Uiharu back to her dorm, they actually saw the two in question from afar on the same sidewalk they were on. They quickly managed to catch up with them, where Shirai took little time in calling out what Asher was currently wearing out in the open.
"I know I know. Don't' even start, Kuroko." Asher said before the teleporter could open her mouth, looking down at her with a stoic gaze. "I don't really have a lot of energy to argue with you right now. No, I'm not in my uniform and yes I get it's against the rules. But like I said to Saten and a few others earlier, I could care less today."
"And that makes it right, how!?" Shirai asked angrily, feeling her nerves tearing apart from the sheer bluntness in Asher's tone.
"Hey now, give her break Kuroko." Misaka said gently with a nervous laugh. "Think about how well she has been doing these last few weeks. "
Usually, Misaka would be right behind the Judgment officer in lecturing the gravity esper due to how many times she had gotten in trouble because of it. But she could tell from just looking at the girl how truly tired she was. They would just be arguing with a stone wall with her in this state, with her knowing that their words would go in one ear and out the other if she didn't end up muting them with her Amps secretly.
When Shirai calmed down, Asher moved over to be in between her and Misaka while Uiharu took her place at Saten's side to go to their respective dorms.
"Bye guys!" Uiharu called out with a wave as Saten did the same next to her.
"Bye! See you two tomorrow at the festival!" Shirai said.
"Remember it starts in the afternoon, so you guys can come over whenever you can!" Misaka added.
After both the Sakugawa girls nodded, Saten turned her attention over to Asher. "I had a lot of fun with you today, Asher." Saten stated with a smile. "I hope you didn't regret coming along with me."
"I don't have any I can currently think of." Asher remarked. "I actually had a lot of fun, too."
"That's good to hear." Saten said as she turned around to walk away. "We should do it again some time."
Some silence followed as Asher thought back to something that had been said earlier, where her curiosity spiked for her to test it out for a situation she felt had never been resolved.
"Okay," Asher said, standing there as she saw Misaka and Shirai turn around out of the corner of her eye. "I guess, it's a date then."
As she predicted, she saw Saten pause for a second or two in her steps immediately as a blush grew so fast and strong that it was all the way down her neck.
She found some amusement in the sight even though she didn't understand why such a reaction happened, only knowing that whatever it did allowed her to deliver some pay back on the many times she had teased her.
She turned around, just as Saten had turned back to look at her, missing the confused glances even from both Misaka and Shirai who had stopped as well.
Saten stood there the most shocked out of the three until Uiharu's voice was able break it.
"Something wrong, Saten?" Uiharu asked. She had been too far away to hear what Asher had said, only taking notice in her best friend's silence.
Saten didn't say a thing for some time before a small smile came across her face as she laughed a little to herself.
"No, it's nothing." She said with her own amused voice. "It just seems a certain girl is taking advantage of something that she doesn't fully understand."
"Hey, um Z?" Misaka called out from behind as Asher more or less lead the way towards the Tokiwadai dorms. She had been hanging in the back with Shirai to send her silent questions on what they had just witnessed just a few moments ago. "I or more likely we have a question for you."
"Uh yeah, go on, Mikoto. What is it?" Asher asked, sending a glance over her shoulder.
"Well..." Misaka began before she looked over at Shirai.
"We were wondering what you meant by what you said earlier." Shirai said.
"And that was?"
"Well, after Saten said she would do whatever you guys did today again, you went on to say along the lines of it being a date?" Misaka summed up with some confusion in her voice. "So by date, what did you mean with that specifically?"
"Oh well, it was just something I heard when we saw Kongou earlier. For some reason that was able to get Saten to act weirdly embarrassed for an extended amount of time. So, I wanted to see if it would work again." Asher said causally. "Though, I still don't' really understand why something as simple as that deserves such a reaction. What so embarrassing or appalling that relates to August 2nd?"
Misaka and Shirai paused in their steps when they heard that, prompting Asher to do the same as she looked at the two in confusion.
"What?" she asked.
"When you said date before…" Misaka said with a face palm.
You were talking about the day of the week?" Shirai finished.
"Yeah. And? What else would I be talking about."
Both Misaka and Shirai let out groans, which only caused Asher to grow even more confused by her friends' reaction.
"What we going to do with you?" Shirai mumbled.
"It's not really her fault, Kuroko, for the misunderstanding." Misaka stated before she let out a small laugh. "She's not being literal. More so oblivious or downright inexperienced in things like this…"
"Should we tell her?"
"I think that would be the best thing to do so she can know now and not later."
"Guys, it's sort of illogical and rude to have a conversation about me right in front of me." Asher sighed. "Come on. Just say whatever it is, so I can go lay down in my bed."
Misaka didn't waste any time and gave Asher a simple explanation…
"When Kongou was talking about a date, she definitely wasn't' talking about the day of the week." Misaka explained. "With that in mind, think a little harder."
Asher did for a fairly long time as they continued to walk back to the dorm. It was only then that her brain mustered up enough motivation to provide her with an answer.
Misaka an Shirai knew when it happened when they saw Asher slow to a halt with her face about as bright as a stoplight.
"Zierdan?" Shirai said with an amused look on her face.
"Oh…" Asher sighed as she bent down in defeat. "Th-That makes more sense."
Word Count of Chapter: 10367 |Page Count: 19 pages |Reviews: 231 | Followers: 144 |Favorites: 125
Hope you enjoyed! I'll leave you guys with the typical poll update and a question that one of the reviewers below inspired me to ask.
I'll start off with the question which is: Who do you think would win in a fight, Misaka or Asher?
SaSaltyDog gave me this question in their review and it kind of stumped me. I provided my reasons and chose Asher, though, considering I created her, I'd say my opinion may be unsurprisingly biased. So I'm interested to hear how you guys think something like that would go after getting to know Asher and her power these past 40+ chapters.
Now with the poll update: Nothing has really changed in terms of who's leading in votes currently, which is "Sora." "Ame" seems to have started to gain a little more popularity, but it's still sitting in last place.
As always, if you're interested in voting or waiting for the results, the poll should end some time during the Poltergeist Arc.
Thanks for reading!
LostNeko120: Aw, thanks and you're welcome! I'm glad you were so excited to read the last chapter. Misaka and Asher were finally able to move forward through their problems. But, Sky may end up complicating things in the future.
I'm mostly alright. College has just made it a bit more difficult for me to find free time to write for my stories:)
Mytrenast3r:
Chapter 46
There's finally some peace within the Railgang again (for now sadly with Sisters' around the corner T.T). Sky is definitely a looming issue that needs to be taken care of at some point. She may not be as hostile as she used to be, but she does still carry an intense anger towards Misaka that has hardly faded in the past 1-2 years.
Saten being a moderator between Misaka and Sky could possibly work. Saten's Level 6 Friendship ability has faced even greater threats.
Hmmm, seems like Mikoto x Asher x Saten is a fair middle-ground for the Mikoto x Asher and Saten x Asher shippers. I'm still going back and forth between them, especially with these last few chapters. But I do agree that Misaka and Saten should've had more scenes together in the anime.
Chapter 44 (For Chp 46)
It's completely fine that you posted a 2nd time. I usually split review answers like this when that happens so it's easier for you guys to see what I'm replying to chapter wise/question wise.
1. I'm glad to see that you're interested in reading a side series. I've been thinking about making one just to give me an outlet for non-canon one-shots or smaller canon storylines that I may not be able to get to in either this or Asher's side story (which I'll hopefully be getting to update in a couple weeks).
2. Asher believes that Misaka has some form of PTSD like she does. She isn't really sure if it's as severe as hers, but she knows that the events of WaveInflux hurt her more than she's letting on. Asher knows from experience that hiding stuff like that is mentally damaging/exhausting. So, she's afraid that if it ends up getting worse in the future, it may end in another situation of a Level 5 esper losing control of their ability.
Blankow: The defect with her Amps was that they weren't able to stop the frequency that the Capacity Down system was at. They're supposed to adapt to the frequencies of the sounds Asher picks up in her ears, so she should have been able to cancel them out when Big Spider had used it against her, Misaka, and Shirai.
I honestly can't wait to write Asher's interactions with Accelerator. It's pretty unavoidable due to how they are both connected to Yomikawa and Yoshikawa. Their relationship may be rocky at first, but Last Order may be able to help with her cuteness/positivity.
I know Kiyama was a surprise since she isn't really seen until the start of the Poltergeist arc in the anime. Her appearance was sort of teased a few chapters ago when Heaven Canceller wanted a second opinion on Asher's brain scans.
Sky is acting fairly irrationally/impulsively when it comes to how she sees Misaka's failure to help Asher during WaveInflux. But she thinks how she feels is completely justified through her logic of the situation. She blames herself for the aftermath of Waveinflux, but she believes that Misaka had an even worse role of being the reason WaveInflux happened in the first place. She puts her up there with Silas and hates/disrespects her so much to not even call her by her name.
So you have every right to be afraid of her future talk with Misaka. As seen during the Graviton bomber chapters, Asher is already good at tearing down Misaka's pride in anger. Imagine her doing the same, but she takes enjoyment in it.
I understand how long it takes write/publish either a new story or new chapter. So whenever you post your story, I'm sure it'll be great:)
Bornkiller9: I'm happy that you like how things are going at the moment. I don't want Misaka to die either, so she's safe.
Ooh, another has joined the Mikoto x Asher shippers. I'm honestly still torn between them and Saten x Asher.
I'm also looking forward to writing her interactions with more people in the Toaru universe (especially the Sisters). I think the two adults you're thinking about is probably Yomikawa and Yoshikawa.
SaSaltyDog: Aw, nice! I'm thrilled that you like this story so far. I started it on a whim wondering if it would be well received and I'm still surprised how many people have liked it. So welcome, and I hope you stay for future chapters to come (and I did read your entire review btw. Long review = Long response :)
So, upload schedule….
It honestly fluctuates. I had record breaking speeds during early chapters with 3-4 updates a week to now where a combination of writers' block and college have made it reduced to once a month. My ideal update speed around this time with college in mind is every other week. But if I drop out of existence, it's mostly because I'm being overwhelmed with other things too much to find time to write. I'm not dropping this series any time soon, so you don't have to worry about that.
Asher's and Misaka's dynamic is one of the cores that I wanted to focus on in this story, so it's nice to see that I've done well in keeping true to how she is in the anime/manga.
Before I get to your thoughts, I completely understand and okay with hearing any kind of feedback you have for this story. I'd still say that I'm a fairly new writer, so hearing your ideas/perspective is helpful. Any kind of praise, ideas, and criticism is welcome here.
Now…
Sky (Asher's other personality) development is something that's going to be focused on during these next few arcs, including Sisters'. And with how everyone has been looking forward to the Sisters' Arc, I'm going to do my best to hopefully not ruin it. But, I don't know if it would be interesting to read Asher being in the position that Shirai, Saten, and Uiharu were in during this arc. You're right that Misaka would hide it from even Asher. But unlike the others, I feel that Asher would be more assertive in trying to find out what was wrong even if she doesn't know of the project.
My idea for this arc is to have sort of a role reversal when it comes to it and WaveInflux. I want to put Asher in the position to how Misaka was during WaveInflux while Misaka tries to endure the project just as she had (Asher). But don't worry, (it's going to be weird to say this but) Misaka is still going to go through the traumatic experience of Sisters' just as she had in canon, and Asher being there is going to 1) sadly not change that and 2) will be about as traumatized as she is.
So long story short, I have it in mind (at least right now since it can change) that Asher is going to be involved with the project. But her presence is hopefully going to organically fit with the canon of the anime/manga.
*These are also just my thoughts on the matter too, so please don't feel like I'm bashing your ideas or anything T.T*
I'm still figuring out how involved I want the Magic side to cross over into this story. Only some arcs that makes sense to be in CSG, such as the ones that affect Academy City and the Science side in some way, will be in it.
Hmmmm, who would win in a fight Misaka or Asher?
That is a really good question. I'd say it would probably depend on the circumstances. Asher's patience and stoic nature would probably beat out Misaka's stubbornness and hotheadedness. The Graviton bomber arc is a good example of how well Asher knows Misaka to be able to press her buttons enough to rile her up within just a few words.
But on the other hand Asher not only has somewhat of an disadvantage when it comes to Misaka's electricity giving her an edge over her gravity, but Misaka also has some personality traits of her own that could make the difference in a battle, like her confidence. Asher isn't the most confident person around when it comes to both herself and her control over her esper ability, leading her to holding herself back probably even more so than Misaka does.
In the end though, I would probably pick Asher. I'm probably biased but she was originally the 3rd Ranked Level 5 esper before Misaka even became one. And since the ranks are determined by the quality of research, one big question is whether Asher was demoted to where she is either due to Misaka and Mugino having better research potential or did the project make her potential just too unpredictable to be helpful or even safe to use.
Well… This is a pretty long response (a couple hundred under 1000 words). I will hand you or make copies of my Nobel Peace prize to who reads the entire thing, lol. Since you're new, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.
And thanks for your support! Reviews like this are very helpful to read, as it helps me learn what I'm doing right, what I need to work on, and see new ideas you guys have that I would have never thought of on my own:)
JintoLin: Another reviewer, Mytrenast3r, actually suggested a similar ship of Asher x Saten x Misaka. Sky would technically be in the that list too with Asher in mind, and it would be another fair truce between the Misaka x Asher/Sky and Saten x Asher/Sky shippers.
Yeah, it's hard for Asher to make jokes when she tries to since they tend to come out either too blunt or some kind of jab. Her lighter jokes usually happen more so when she doesn't mean to make them.
Sky is a lot tamer in comparison to how she was in the past, but her complete dislike for Misaka hasn't changed one bit, sadly. Asher will do her best to keep her from hurting her if she can help it, but like you said, words can be just as painful.
There will hopefully be a time where Shokuhou appearing isn't due to Asher's brain/mental troubles. But for now, she is there to hopefully keep Asher sane for longer than a year.
As seen in this chapter, Asher's/Sky's disappearance went unnoticed. Though the question of the consequences/aftermath of her actions will be seen later.
I can't remember if I said this before or not, but Railgun was also my first introduction into the Toaru universe. I didn't watch Index really until halfway through Railgun S. My idea of a cute action-packed slice of life series I thought it was did a complete nose dive during the Sisters' arc T.T
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover99
