A Certain Premonition

by WwEpsilonwW

A certain girl was supposed to die on October 9th, at the hands of the 4th ranked Level 5. All part of a Battle Royale... But, what if a boy interfered. Something that couldn't be explained rationally, this boy was made aware of this blonde girl's impending doom. Will this girl die because it is certain? Or will the boy shatter the illusion that is fate?

3. Relationship Goals

SURPRISE! Enjoy! Or don't! I liked making it!

---

Kamijou groggily blinked his eyes open, taking in the rays of light dancing in the periphery of his vision.

Bright. It was far too bright.

Disoriented by this new glaring sensation, he chose to slowly blink his eyes, trying to get past the gleaming sun invading his room.

"Ah... eh?"

Except, this wasn't his room.

His own dorm room wasn't so— well, white. And that was definitely the color this landscape could be marginalized as. Looking just in front of him, he could see the frame of a familiar bed, however it wasn't one that belonged to him.

"Oh..." He mumbled.

If he wasn't awake before, he most certainly was now. Because Kamijou Touma knew exactly where he was.

(Home sweet home…)

He was in the hospital, again.

But the real question was, why was he here exactly? With this thought in mind, he attempted to sit up.

—That was a mistake.

"Gh...!"

As he tensed himself to perform that very action, a dizzying sensation spiraled into his body all at once.

Pain. So much pain.

Sore did not even begin to cover it. His whole body ached with a feeling that felt as if he had been thrashed around like a ragdoll.

(God I hope that's not the case...) He moaned, but honestly with his luck, anything was possible.

Seeing as sitting up was a no go, he settled for fishing his arms out of the strangely secure bundle of sheets he was wrapped in.

(What's with that added blankets?)

Anyway, with a little effort, he managed to free both of his arms from the confines of the bed, noting how they were completely wrapped with a layer of bandages. Luckily— they were both still attached.

"(That's something at least...)" He muttered, his voice feeling a bit hoarse.

Well, all that was left was to call a nurse and—

"Eh...?" A strange noise suddenly came from the boy's mouth.

By now, he knew the call button was located on his right side, as it typically was during each hospital visit—

...And by recognizing it as 'each', Kamijou noted that a small part of him died inside, but those feelings could be processed later.

—But anyway, it wasn't the button on his right side that surprised him, as it was in the exact same spot it always was.

No, it was the person he just now realized was sleeping in a chair pulled up to his bed.

"(Phuuuu….. Phuuuuu…)"

Snoring softly was a girl that looked to be about his age, maybe even younger. She had regal— almost exotic, wavy blonde hair with a cute little beret resting on top. Her body looked slim which seemed to pair nicely with her short stature, but the shapely legs peeking out of from her skirt downplayed that assumption. If someone said she was an American Cultural Exchange student, he would have believed them.

Naturally, upon seeing a beautiful foreigner girl sleeping in his hospital room, Kamijou stared in confusion.

(Who the hell is this?) —Was his first thought.

While contemplating this, Kamijou suddenly winced.

"Ow..." He had just attempted to roll his shoulders, however much to the protest of his aching body. His whole body went rigid, straining under the foreign movement.

(Well I guess that's not that surprising…) Kamijou thought immediately. (I did have to tank a few lasers by that crazy… Level… Five…)

"Huh?"

That was odd.

Kamijou all of a sudden became perplexed by the thoughts that had tumbled out of his subconsciousness. He was confused as to how he knew that…

But then he looked back at the sleeping girl.

He widened his eyes.

(That's right…! This girl… I was protecting her from some crazy esper… someone important… I think.)

Kamijou slowly remembered all of it. How he dashed into that alley, prevented a death from occurring. He even recalled how he used his body as a shield at one point.

"Ugh…"

(No wonder my whole body hurts. …Better yet, how am I still alive?) The boy truly asked himself.

That older girl, that esper had really been trying to kill him for interfering. Not that he expected any less, but she hadn't held back at all. It even looked like she had done so before, especially since — had Kamijou not interfered — she would have actually killed the blonde girl.

"Ah…"

That's right. Kamijou still didn't remember this girl's name.

He looked at the sleeping form of the girl, who was totally oblivious and unaware that Kamijou was staring at her with his head cocked in confusion.

He had asked her at some point, right?

Kamijou spent minutes trying to contemplate the answer to that question, but it was pointless. He simply could not remember.

Ping...!

—A sound suddenly startled him out of his thoughts.

He looked over in surprise to see the sound originated from a device laying on the girl's lap— more specifically her thighs.

It was her phone. And that was likely a notification sound indicating that she had just been messaged by someone.

"..."

Kamijou's brain seemed to ponder something.

(If I wanted to...) He trailed off, staring at the phone.

But he frantically shook his head.

(What am I thinking? I can't go rifling through her phone just to learn her name! This Kamijou-san may be lacking in the coolness department, but that would be the very definition of uncool!) He thought this, but...

(B-But if she wakes up and I can't even remember her name, I'll look like a total ass!)

Kamijou made up his mind.

In order to prevent himself from shattering this girl's feelings, he would snoop through her phone and learn her name. It was with this determination did he pull back the covers and sit up straight— much to the chagrin of his screaming body.

(Ow! Ow! Ow! That's right, lasers! She had shot literally lasers at me! …Flaming swords, electricity, even teeth?! I'm running out of things to be ridiculously harmed by! What's next, some sort of… I don't know, Omnidimensional slicing magic?!)

As he thought this however, he had a feeling that he shouldn't be tempting fate like this, knowing how his misfortune liked to operate and all.

So, now completely serious, Kamijou carefully stretched his hand to the sleeping form of the girl, her lap specifically— looking like a total creep while doing so, especially with his hospital apparel and everything.

(Slowly… slowly…)

By now, he was close enough to clearly hear the very soft breathing of the girl, to which his fingers subtly grazed her phone and—

The girl's shoulders all of a sudden jolted.

"Whaaaaaaaa! I'm sorry I didn't mean it!" Kamijou screamed, instantly backing away in fright, waving his hands frantically in the air, his eyes closed tight.

He was expecting an angry voice to lash out at him, call him a pervert, scum, or whatever else he could think of as emotionally degrading.

...But no such comments came. It was still silent.

Kamijou cracked his eyes open.

His heart sank.

The girl's shoulders hadn't jolted because she was stirring awake, or that she was suddenly caught off guard by some suspicious figure looming over her (Spiky-Head-san). No, the reason she had moved suddenly caught Kamijou completely off-guard, looking at her with wide eyes, mouth agape.

"(S-Sniffle...)"

A melancholy noise that was all too clear made itself known. And in the corner of her lidded eyes, small tears were beginning to form, as her expression simultaneously shifted as well. Before, her face was completely innocent looking; peaceful in her subdued slumber. That's probably why Kamijou stared for so long. This was without a doubt a cute girl.

But now?

The girl was grimacing, her face shifted into a frown as those tiny clear droplets of water threatened to fall down such a perfect face.

She was crying.

A nightmare was causing this girl to show such a frightened visage.

All thoughts of snooping through this girl's phone instantly vanished.

Why did he even want to do it in the first place? Just so he could be liked? That was horrible. It was horrible for him to be so deceptive for such an ignorant reason. So, because of these thoughts, Kamijou's hand reached out again, but he didn't even care for the phone anymore.

It instead landed on her head.

He pat her head, rubbing it in slow circles in the most comforting motion he knew of.

"(It's okay. Please don't cry.)" He softly spoke.

He had no idea what the girl was dreaming about. It might have been the ordeal she just lived through, or it might have been something completely different. But one fact remained, the girl was scared.

If he could… Kamijou wanted to do something about that.

"(You don't need to worry. Not a single thing can hurt you.)"

And as if she could hear him, the girl's discontent dissipated just like that, easing into a relaxed face as if it had ever happened.

Kamijou chuckled.

Then, with his left hand he reached and swept away the tears along the girl's face— which he started doing unconsciously before he even realized. And by doing so, he was staring directly at the girl's eyes.

Her now — very open and awake — eyes.

Frenda Seivelun (though mystery girl to Kamijou) had now woken up.

"!"

Kamijou froze like a statue.

This girl blinked multiple times in confusion, at least until she fully processed what was happening, and who was in her personal space. In other words, the boy who had his right hand on her head, as well as a lingering left hand that looked like it was cradling her cheek.

"Huuuuuyeeh?!" To no one's surprise, she squeaked in a flustered manner.

Kamijou smile looked strained. "H-Hold on, I-I know this looks bad—"

"W-W-W-W-What are you doing!?" Frenda's eyes portrayed mild embarrassment and a little bit of fright.

"Y-You're misunderstanding the situation, Miss. There's a completely reasonable explanation for what I'm doing. And I swear it's not anything inappropriate...!"

Still unable to remember this foreigner's name, he referred to her as politely as he could. He assumed that 'girl' or 'lady' was way too casual, and maybe would even tip his forgetfulness off, but he really wasn't in a situation where he should worry about that anymore.

"B-Basically, what's there to misunderstand? Y-You were touching my face while I was sleeping...!"

"N-No, I wasn't trying to touch your face, I was initially going for your legs—ah." As those words left his mouth, Kamijou's face went white as a sheet.

(NOT HER LEGS YOU COLLOSAL DUMBASS! HER PHONE! You were going for her phone!)

"W-Wait, let me rephrase that—"

It was too late.

"H-H-How can you say that with a straight face, y-you shameless pervert!" She squawked.

Frenda's face was now morphed into what looked to be a feverish, unhealthy shade of red coating her porcelain skin.

"Ah… my rotten luck. T-This has gotten really out of hand. Look, I assure you, I had no ill intentions whatsoever!" Kamijou tried to defend himself to the best of his capabilities.

"You said you were just about to touch my legs! B-Basically, I know their amazing and all, and I take a lot of pride in them, b-but you can't just go around touching someone without permission!"

It should be noted that Frenda's reaction was marginally different than how she would react if a stranger was in this situation with her. However, Kamijou did not have such knowledge at all, nor did the girl herself recognize the distinction.

Anyway, back to Kamijou. "N-No, like I said, I wasn't going for your amazing legs— ugh, now you've got me saying it! I was going for your phone! Your phone!"

"Wha?! My phone too?!" She suddenly snatched up her phone from her lap and held it close to her chest in a protective manner.

"Don't say it like that! Saying 'too' just invites misunderstanding! Your face wasn't on purpose, it was an accident!"

"Basically, that's not any better! What, you couldn't control your lust so you went for my face all of sudden?! M-My face, my legs, and my phone?! J-Just how much lewd things were you planning on doing?!"

"NONE! ABSOLUTELY NONE!" The boy cried, desperately making dismissive motions with his bandaged arms. "No thoughts like that ever passed through this luck-deprived Kamijou-san!"

"L-Liar!" She said frantically, pointing a finger at him. "Why were you sidled up next to me then, HUH?!"

"Because you were crying!" Kamijou's shout came out reflexively without him meaning to. Had he had a clearer head, he would have not told her that particular tidbit.

Both of them clammed up in silence.

"..."

"..."

Frenda's mouth fell open. "W-What?"

Kamijou sighed and looked away.

Looks like he should just come clean…

"I woke up when you were still sleeping but I couldn't remember what your name was so I…" He bore an incredibly guilty face and spoke in a mutter. "(…was going to rifle through your phone to figure it out…)"

Admitting to it, Kamijou couldn't look her in the eye.

"..O…kay…" The girl nodded so far.

While she was a little put off by the fact that her privacy was about to be invaded, especially considering the nature of her work, she still had questions.

"…So how does that turn into you touching my face and legs…?"

"Your legs were never on the table!" The boy immediately retorted, but then he wilted.

"I reached for your phone but… but you started crying. You uh, looked like you were having a nightmare so I…" He trailed off, cheeks heating up slightly.

He was hoping that would be enough of an explanation.

"O-Oh." The girl suddenly turned a bit meek and avoided his gaze.

She didn't really know how to react to that. But something just occurred to her.

"Wait…..." She began. "...So basically, you're telling me that after being singed and knocked around by a Level 5 who wanted to kill you, you decided it was a good idea to risk being a pervert AND a thief just to learn my name without me telling you..."

Frenda summed up the situation matter of factly.

"Y-Yeah." Kamijou continued to look away awkwardly. "But… when you say it like that I sound like an idiot."

The girl was about to explode right then with something like "There's no 'sounding like one' about it you idiot!", but she held it in.

"...And…" Instead of that, she voiced another question she had. "…did it not occur to you that I would have a password on my phone? Me? A teenage girl?"

"Huh?"

The surroundings went dead quiet as Kamijou looked at her dumbly.

And as if to illustrate the point she just made, Frenda turned on her phone's display to reveal a keypad of numbers indicative of a password.

Kamijou stared at her with positively the most stupidest look on his face for the longest time. Then—

"I-In my defense, I hadn't thought that far ahead..."

"Hadn't thought that far ahea—…" The girl trailed off in dumbfoundment.

That did it.

"Heh." Frenda snorted.

And then she giggled, which then turned into full blown laughter.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Kamijou watched in a dazed fashion as the girl clutched her sides.

"Basically, w-what kind of weirdo are you? Did you not want to disappoint me that badly?" Frenda laughed with tears in her eyes.

"Er..." Kamijou's face heated up splendidly.

There were tons of things Frenda had prepared to say to this boy when he woke up.

A sorry. A thank you. She even thought she would have to prepare for him to get angry at her.

But not this— no.

So being spurred on by Kamijou's uncomfortable face, she laughed. And it took a long time until she had settled down.

---

"Are you done yet?" Kamijou asked with a slightly bitter tone. "Frenda?"

In between getting made fun of, she had told him her name. From this day, he swore to never forget someone's name ever again, especially a girl's.

"Y-Yes— hehe, I mean now I am." Frenda said with just one more giggle.

"Well I'm glad that my ever-present misfortune was amusing to you." Kamijou said, trying to stretch his back, only to stiffen as pain shot through his body.

"Gh…!"

(Why do I keep doing that?!)

"A-Are you okay?" The girl reflexively asked, amusement vanishing from her face.

"Yeah. Just feel lightheaded, sore all over, and will never be able to watch a sci-fi movie ever again..." Kamijou muttered wryly.

"Oh—…" Frenda said. "Wait that sounds bad...!"

He chuckled at her over the top reaction.

They both went quiet, a comfortable silence forming between them. And then—

"Can I see it?" Frenda asked, looking below Kamijou's torso.

The boy's brain halted— the brain that was currently tired and even a bit sleep deprived.

"What?"

"I... I just want to see." Frenda said, looking at him shyly.

(W-What is she saying?!)

"Hold on a minute there Frenda-san! I don't think I'm ready for that!"

"Y-You're right, and I know it might be uncomfortable, but I need to see exactly what we're dealing with. T-They didn't tell me too much when you were brought in!"

"God I hope not! What kinds of conversations were you having with those nurses?! And what you do you mean, 'we need to see what we're dealing with'?! Who's we?! It's certainly not you and me!"

Frenda frowned. "Basically, why are you overreacting, just let me see!"

"I'm just an innocent high school boy, of course I'll overreact! How are you not overreacting?! You're younger than me!"

"What's age got to do with it, just lift it up or I'll do it."

"Wh—" Kamijou looked completely baffled. "WHY DO YOU SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE SO MUCH EXPERIENCE?!"

Kamijou tried to back away, but Frenda was having none of it. She reached for his clothes and—

"W-W-W-WAIT! LETS PLEASE TALK ABOUT THIS! I'M REALLY NOT READY! ITS NEEDS TO BE SPECIAL! I'M SURE YOU'RE A REALLY NICE GIRL AND EVERYTHING BUT—"

Frenda had just lightly lifted up the boy's top gown, exposing his stomach and sides.

"...Eh?"

"...So many bandages. Seriously, just how did you get up after she did that to you?"

Kamijou looked down at his bandaged-up stomach with dried up blood visible.

(S-She meant…)

"..."

"No wonder it hurts." Frenda continued.

"..."

"Hm? What's wrong? Why have you gone silent?"

"..."

"Ehhh? You have tears in your eyes now? What the hell is this?!"

That's right. The situation was too much for Kamijou as he stared at her, red faced with tears leaking out. He legit thought he was about to get assaulted by this viscous younger girl.

And in this weird state Kamijou was in—

Shutter…!

The door opened, and a petite girl with short brown hair wearing a large sweater barely hiding her legs walked in.

"Hey Frenda, was super surprised to find out you checked out at a regular hospital. And why does the room say Kam—…" This new addition suddenly stopped talking as she saw what was in front her.

A submissive and reeling Kamijou Touma with tears in his eyes, and an oblivious yet also aggressive Frenda Seivelun pulling up his shirt.

Silence ensued for a good solid five seconds.

Frenda looked at the girl, and some familiarity shown in her eyes, however she looked at the shocked expression on the newcomer's face and only got confused. Then she looked back at Kamijou, then down at her hands, which were still holding up Kamijou's shirt.

Another beautifully awkward five seconds passed in wait.

Frenda's face exploded in heat.

"Hold on, this isn't—!" Frenda cried out in alarm, but she was cut off by yet another interruption.

This time a boy walked in, one with dirty blonde hair with a sort of thuggish aura to him.

"I don't know of this is good or bad, but I can't get in contact with Mugino, you wouldn't happen to—" Thug-Boy stopped talking as well when he looked at what was happening in front of him.

And then without any warning, a third person crept in. She had short black hair and was wearing a noticeably pink tracksuit. Upon seeing what could only be described as 'an active assault taking place' she merely widened her eyes a fraction, however, did not say anything.

"…"

The silence was so uncomfortable that the newly arrived people didn't know what to do, just stare in disbelief, confusion, and embarrassment— but that embarrassment was only dwarfed by the crimson hue seeping into every pore of Frenda's skin.

And as for the spiky haired lad?

…Poor little Kamijou-san was still mentally recovering from his life flashing before his eyes, so much so that he barely reacted to the arrivals of —Skimpy-Sweater-Girl, Thug-Boy, and Tracksuit-Girl—

However, in this moment of uncertainty in which three people were witnessing what might be an illegal action, Kamijou blinked, took a deep breath, and snapped out of it. He then looked at the people who had arrived.

He then somehow coherently formed a sentence.

"F-Frenda… are these people your—…" He stopped upon looking at one of them.

And it wasn't the cute girl with a sweater showing her legs. Neither was it the apathetic girl wearing the tracksuit which accentuated her figure.

Nope, it was the thuggish boy.

Hamazura looked away instantly, avoiding Kamijou's eyes awkwardly.

"W-Wait! Why are you looking away like it has nothing to do with you?! I thought we were friends! What about the bro code!?"

"What kind of person expects help from someone they coincidentally met for the second time in their life!? And who are you calling friends?! You don't get to invoke the bro code to someone you punched in the face!" He yelled back, forgetting his awkwardness instantly.

"S-So you'd just leave me to get assaulted because it's only our second meeting?!"

"Yes! In an instant! And why the hell are you complaining!? That bomb toting girl mocks everyone she lays her eyes on! Stop complaining like this situation is unlucky!"

"Don't you dare pull the unlucky card with me Thug-Boy! This isn't the first girl to attack me today! Some pyscho shooting lasers calling herself a Level 5 put the fear of god into me! And I'm an atheist! How is that possible?!"

"—!"

Hamazura, Kinuhata, and Takitsubo shows befuddled expressions all of a sudden.

"Wait hold on, what did you just super say?" Kinuhata broke into the ridiculous back and forth that was ensuing between Hamazura and some guy he apparently knows.

"That I was attacked by another girl?" Kamijou asked.

"Yes, yes. After that. Did you say Level 5?!" She tried to clarify.

"Yes Skimpy-Sweater-Girl, so don't tell me that this situation is me getting lucky! I want my first time to be special! A Dorm-Manager-Onee-san or bust! I'll even accept a vanilla older sister character! The Pushy Blonde Foreigner is WAY at the bottom of the list!"

Skimpy-Sweater-Girl and Pushy-Blonde-Foreigner's brows both twitched in annoyance at that comment.

"Putting aside… everything you just said…" Kinuhata said with gritted teeth as she tried to un-distract herself. "Are you saying you super met and fought with Mugino?"

"Uh, Mugino? Oh, she did say that was her name, didn't she?" Kamijou said thoughtfully, causing his head to look up at the ceiling.

"Eh!" Frenda took this time to hurriedly get out of the compromising situation she was in (holding a boy's shirt), taking a few steps back with a flushed face. "Y-Yes, that's right." She then said, imagining the whole of what had happened in her mind. "That Number #2 from SCHOOL found me and…"

Frenda looked down in shame.

"…got information on ITEM. Mugino found out, and… well you can imagine what she tried to do…" She finished with a grimace.

"…"

Those members of ITEM frowned in silence at this.

They knew the Level 5's temper was incredibly short, and she frequently got into violent scuffles with the blonde-haired girl, but they never expected Mugino to ever cross that line. To actually try to…

"She… tried to kill you, for real this time? Then how did you…" Hamazura stopped talking.

He was looking at Kamijou, but the boy didn't notice that gaze as he was busy looking at his wounds properly, lifting his shirt up to reveal his stomach (consensually this time).

Everyone was staring now, following Hamazura's gaze.

"Burn marks…? No way… you got attacked by her and survived?! You fought her?!" Hamazura asked incredulously.

Takitsubo and Kinuhata had their suspicions but hearing it out loud utterly shocked them.

"Huh?" Kamijou looked up. "Oh. Well, fought is a strong word. I kinda… defended then attacked?"

"That's what fighting is you super dumbass!" Kinuhata yelled, starting to get annoyed by this boy's way of speaking.

"R-Right, no need to be rude about it…" He muttered.

"No." Frenda shook her head. "He didn't just fight with her, he beat her. I saw it." She said, as if she still couldn't believe it herself.

Takitsubo then spoke up for the very first time. "You mean… Mugino's dead…?"

Everyone's breaths stilled at that.

But Kamijou was the first to react. "What? No! She was just unconscious! I think? She certainly fell before I did."

To anyone else, it might have seemed like he was bragging, but that was the truth. He had noticed her unable to get up right before he tried to check on Frenda.

"Holy shit…" Kinuhata muttered, looking at Kamijou with a strange look. "How did you super even do it, what Level are you?"

Kamijou was about to answer but—

"H-How…?"

Hamazura took a step back in surprise, drawing everyone's attention. The boy's eyes widened as he just realized something. "Zero…" He croaked out. "That day we met, you said you were a zero, just like me. You didn't use an ability…"

"Huh?! Stop messing around!" Kinuhata reflexively retorted. "That can't be true. A Level zero super can't fight against a Level 5 and win, let alone Mugino...! Takitsubo, what's his ability?"

She asked the one person who was specialized in gathering information like this. But—

"…Nothing." Takitsubo said with noticeable disbelief in her apathetic tone. She was staring at Kamijou intently but— "This person doesn't have an AIM field. …It looks like he didn't even take the power curriculum..."

She perceived this to be the only possible explanation.

Takitsubo saw her ability in the form of auras. They were colorful. Large and small. Constantly fluctuating, minimizing, and expanding in their existence. Every ability user had these auras attached to them.

Even the weakest of espers were not an exception to this rule.

So that is why Kamijou's claim of being a Level 0 perplexed her.

"Even Level 0's have a trace of an AIM. But this person….." She trailed off and looked at Kamijou inquisitively. "…This person is completely blank."

"Ehh? That's super creepy. What the heck are you?" Kinuhata looked absolutely mollified, giving Kamijou a weird look.

To which the boy's face cramped. (I just got called creepy by this girl that's younger than me…)

Nonetheless, Kamijou cleared his throat. "I did go through the power curriculum…"

(According to Komoe-sensei anyway…)

He obviously wasn't going to be so candid and say that he had no memories whatsoever of receiving the Esperin drug that all Academy City students had received.

"… T-The thing is, the power development didn't exactly work because of my already existing ability."

As he was prompted with dumbfounded looks — not counting the dawning realization from Frenda — he felt the need to explain what he meant.

"So there's my right hand..." He raised it rather awkwardly. "As long as it makes contact with anything superna— er…"

Kamjiou froze, then coughed slightly. "An esper ability I mean. As long as an ability makes contact with my right hand, it will be completely negated. Mugino was her name, right? Hers was no exception."

Kinuhata, Hamazura, and Takitsubo's mouths fell open.

Kinuhata even sputtered in surprise. "Wha…? Negate?! As in dissipate? Vanish from existence?! No way…!"

She tried to imagine something as destructive as Mugino's Meltdowner just disappearing without a trace, but she found that she couldn't.

"A-Alternatively," Kamijou quickly said. "I can also temporarily shut down someone's ability by touching them."

This only served to steadily grow the already increasing disbelief.

"A-Anyone uh…" The spikey haired boy waved his hand. "Anyone wanna step up?"

Kamijou meant this as more of a joke than anything, so he wasn't actually expecting someone to be willing to feel their power completely eradicated from them. However, the way Kamijou phrased it made it sound like a challenge.

Naturally, Kinuhata couldn't take this lying down. "Hmph. I'm still a little skeptical myself, but if you think you can negate my Offensive Armor then—"

The cocky girl didn't even get to finish her boast. Because the pink tracksuit wearer, Takitsubo, silently appeared before Kamijou, grabbing his right hand in hers, startling him greatly.

"Like this?" She asked Kamijou softly, ignoring everyone's stares. But there was no confirmation, retort or even a surprised outcry. Because in the very next moment—

SHATTER…!

A loud reverb of glass shattering echoed through the room as the theoretically ranked 8th AIM Stalker made contact with Imagine Breaker. Takitsubo all of a sudden stiffened and backpedaled once, but still managed to retain her bearing on the boy' hand. Her expression looked shocked, almost pale even.

"T…Takitsubo….?" Hamazura asked worriedly.

"Whoa—" Kamijou finally reacted properly. "H-Hey I'm sorry. I probably should have warned you that it might be a little disorienting…" He finished with a concerned look.

"It's… fine…" Takitsubo said as she began to look around.

"W-What do you feel…?" Frenda asked.

Takitsubo was silent for a while, then— "...It's pleasant..." She said simply.

The girl looked at Hamazura, Kinuhata, and Frenda each in turn with a look of wonder about her—all while holding the right hand of Kamijou who currently was sweating bullets. The reason for such was because his hand was being held by a stranger, a cute one at that. Additionally — and this was the main reason — he was being glared at intensely as it was happening.

"(Pleasant, huh?)" The other male in the room mouthed.

No longer able to stand Hamazura's wordless onslaught stabbing into to him, Kamijou made a suggestion for his own safety.

"Um, Takitsubo-san, would you like to clarify what you mean for those of us who frequently do not share in fortune?" He whispered quickly, speeding her along.

"Mm. I don't know how to explain it. …My ability, it gives me so much noise, so much data all around me. And now that's gone… everything's gone quiet. Its' peaceful…" She said with a gentler look on her face than normal— surprising the hell out of her compatriots with the glaring difference. "I… I forgot what this feeling felt like…"

"Well uh... I regret to inform you that you can't take my hand with you." Kamijou said awkwardly. "...I'd kinda like to have it where it is... for as long as humanely possible." He then felt the need to add.

"Ah... sorry." With the slightest reluctance, Takitsubo let go of Kamijou's hand.

For her, it was a complicated feeling to say the least. While she was glad to feel 'whole' again, as her ability was like an added sense, she would definitely be lying if she said she wouldn't miss such a tranquil feeling.

But Takitsubo shook those thoughts away, looking Kamijou properly in the eye.

"Thank you for indulging my selfishness, um..." She trailed off helplessly, just now realizing that she didn't even know the boy's name, even though he knew hers and has been addressing her by it.

"Kamijou. It's Kamijou Touma. And don't worry about it. If my power can be useful in that regard, then I couldn't be happier." Kamijou stared down at his hand as he said this, looking a bit glum for some reason.

Kamijou wasn't lying when he said he was glad that his power made Takitsubo happy. This was precisely because there were certain people that weren't able to share in that luxury. One of his friends — Index's friend to be more accurate — feared and was deathly afraid of his hand. And rightfully so.

After all, all it would take was one touch and the girl known as Kazakiri Hyouka would be completely eradicated from existence.

So of course, he was glad that his power was appreciated by Takitsubo.

Unaware just how sincere the boy was on the matter, Takitsubo simply nodded and bowed in thanks.

Frenda however, seemed to sense the boy's melancholy atmosphere and suddenly jumped in.

"See! Basically, his power is the real deal! He totally smacked Mugino's Meltdowner around with it."

Kinuhata looked more convinced than she did a couple minutes ago, however she raised her voice.

"Well, I might believe you now…" Her tone crept into that of pride. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd still like to—"

But again, just like last time, she was cut off.

"…What an amazing ability, to be able to stop an Esper with just a flick of your wrist. I bet you feel pretty damn powerful with something like that you hypocrite."

It was Hamazura's cold and steely voice that broke through the pleasant atmosphere that had been formed.

"...What?" Kamijou said in bewilderment.

Hamazura's expression was a frown, staring at Kamijou with blatant scorn.

He knew it probably wasn't the time for it, and it might have even been unwarranted, yet even so, there was something that Hamazura simply couldn't let go.

Frenda and Kinuhata gaped slightly at the boy's sudden outburst; Kinuhata not even slighted that she was interrupted for a second time. Though, Takitsubo stared at the ensuing conflict with unease.

Hamazura stared Kamijou down.

"Did it feel good to say we were both Level Zeroes? That you were living your life better than I was? On the proper path, going to school and all that shit?!" His voice rose in anger.

"…"

Kamijou opened his mouth to respond, but settled on his mouth forming a thin line instead.

"Hamazura..." Takitsubo said with a worried glance, but the boy was undeterred.

"I am nothing like you— you said…"

He clenched his fists in dissatisfaction.

"I guess you were right about that, huh? So, what— were you secretly mocking me that time? Hiding behind that arrogance? You were trying to be the hero and save that woman so some no name Level 0 can kindly fuck off right?!" Reaching the peak of his festering irritation, Hamazura was left breathless, staring at Kamijou with — not quite hatred — but with displeasure.

After all, from Hamazura's perspective, Kamijou's words from when they met were a slight to his very identity, even as far as to say his existence. So to find out that Kamijou hadn't given him the whole truth? To find out that the boy actually had an ability as a Level 0?

Yeah, Hamazura was pretty pissed.

"…"

The involuntary spectators began to grow uncomfortable as a silence ensued, with Hamazura not pressing his anger further, nor Kamijou making any rise to defend or justify himself.

"H-Hey…um…" Frenda looked awkward at the tension between the two boys in the room, and she honestly didn't know what to do. However—

"Are you done?" Kamijou broke the silence with a soft voice.

Hamazura and the rest widened their eyes at the boy's noncommittal reaction to all that was just said. But Hamazura then narrowed his eyes in displeasure at such arrogance.

"Is that all you have to say you bastard—" Hamazura had moved towards Kamijou, hostility clear on his expression. But—!

The impassive look on Kamijou's face instantly soured.

"'Is that all I have to say…!?' I'm the one who should be saying that!" Kamijou suddenly closed the distance between them and grabbed the boy by his collar, pushing him into the wall behind them.

SLAM…!

Everyone had wide eyes as the sudden act of violence occurred, wondering where the boy's temper had suddenly come from.

"Gh…!" Hamazura slightly winced at the impact but was too startled to move or make a retaliation.

Takitsubo looked bothered by what was happening, Kinuhata amused, and Frenda seemed mollified at the degree in which things had suddenly turned south. Even in that alley, with someone trying to kill Kamijou, he hadn't been this mad. So what could have been the trigger?

Takitsubo was about to make a move to get in between the two of them, both for the safety of someone she cared for, and also for the sake of the person who had saved Frenda's life. But before she could even move a muscle, Kamijou released the words he had been holding back since Hamazura's tirade.

"You called me a hypocrite? Yeah, that's right. I had no right to act like we were at the same starting points. You were mad that I have an ability and you don't? Sure, that feeling is justified, I get it."

But then Kamijou glared at Hamazura with all his might, shutting up any indignant retort the boy could think of.

"But who the HELL do you think you are?! Everything you said about ME was valid but that's not what this is about…!"

"Wha… What the hell are you—"

"Not once…!"

Hamazura's confused reply was cut off by pure rage.

"NOT ONCE IN THAT ENTIRE TIME DID YOU APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT YOU DID YOU BASTARD! You can petty all you want, but not before acknowledging what you tried to do!"

"…"

Hamazura's mouth hung open in speechlessness. He was first confused, but then he paled as he remembered what he said earlier.

…

"You were trying to be the hero and save that woman so some no name Level 0 can kindly fuck off right?!"

…

Kamijou wasn't specific. In fact, he kept it vague on purpose. He wouldn't feel good about blurting this boy's behavior out to those who knew him, not when he didn't now if the boy actually felt guilty about it.

But Hamazura's mouth clammed up.

The boy had forgotten.

No, not forgotten. He had just pushed that thought away from his mind. Because that was easier than coming to grips with what could have been. No, what he was going to do had Kamijou not stopped him.

.

..

…

Yeah.

Hamazura would have killed her.

"!?"

The boy's breath hitched in surprise at his own admittance and his face went aghast. He froze in fright while looking into the clear gray-azure orbs stifling him in place.

"I— I didn't—…..."

Even though his subconscious said it was true, Hamazura's mouth was already forming denials. But nothing else came out.

"…"

After seeing the pure look of regret and fear in the boy's eyes, Kamijou eased up on his grip, backing away from him slightly.

With the tension lessened to a degree, those watching — Takitsubo, Kinuhata, and Frenda — all breathed out a breath they had unconsciously been holding in. They didn't understand a lot of what was happening, but they had managed to gather that Hamazura and Kamijou had met at some point, and it wasn't under normal circumstances at all.

They had been on opposite sides of hostilities.

Kamjiou grimaced upon reflecting on what he had just done, how he had just handled that.

"…Sorry, Hamazura. I shouldn't have been so quick to lash out at you…" Kamijou lowered his head in shame.

"Wha…" Hamazura gaped at him with indescribable expression.

And for some reason, seeing the boy bowing to him pissed Hamazura off way more than he was before.

"W-What are you talking about? Are you kidding me? Don't you dare bow to me! You were right! God, what the hell was I thinking?! Getting mad for some petty reason like keeping information close to your chest, when you were actually trying to protect someone? How much of a heartless bastard can I be?! In that situation you were just a flesh and blood kid with nothing but your fists, but you still showed up for that woman. You could have died; you should have died. What were you thinking, are you an idiot?"

"Oi, why did this suddenly turn into insulting me?"

Ignoring this, Hamazura continued. "Weren't you scared? Going into that situation with nothing to fall back on? No power? Didn't that terrify you?"

Kamijou nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was terrified. …We're all just children. No way I wasn't scared putting my life on the line like that. …But that woman called me." Kamijou said, his eyes shifting to the window beside them.

That's right.

Kamijou reflected on that conversation.

Misaka Misuzu had called him because she didn't have anyone else. She relied on him when she had no one. She didn't want to instantly save herself by leeching onto her daughter's power. No, she had called him. And even then, she just wanted him to call the authorities.

"She was no doubt scared out of her mind, but she was more worried about making sure I didn't ask her daughter for help." Kamijou chuckled slightly as he mused. "Can you imagine that? With the power her daughter had, she could have saved herself in an instant had she asked, but she didn't. How could I ignore those feelings? How could I deny that resolve?"

Kamijou looked back at Hamazura.

"So yeah. Of course I was scared. But that shouldn't matter. If someone who you love is crying and you wish they weren't, then what's stopping you from stepping in to be a shield for them? Being scared isn't so convenient as an excuse to abandon those who matter."

Hamazura was struck by such words— forming the image of a certain girl in his mind, one he didn't dare look at in this moment. Not when he still didn't have the right to.

"Yeah…" The blonde boy breathed out. "You're right."

And then Hamazura suddenly clenched his fists for a different reason, closing his eyes tight. "I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry!"

"No." Kamijou shook his head. "I won't accept your apology."

Hamazura flinched but nodded nonetheless.

But the spiky haired boy then smiled, opening up his mouth to speak again—

"There's—"

"What?! All that super manly buildup and you're leaving it at that?! Are you serious?!" Kinuhata exclaimed, seemingly offended.

Kamijou spun around insanely fast, looking taken aback at the girl's outburst. "What is wrong with you?! You just ruined my moment!"

"E-Eh?" Kinuhata faltered.

"I was going to pause dramatically, then say 'There's someone else you need to apologize to, right?' all serious like! But you ruined it! You ruined this Kamijou-san's cool moment!"

Upon the boy's indignant reply, they could only stare in dumbfounded silence— Hamazura suddenly blinking his eyes in a mechanical manner.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kamijou said, completely oblivious.

Hamazura started trembling. "We were having a serious moment… and you just wanted to quote some line…?" He breathed out as he clenched his fist.

"W-Wait a sec, that last bit was a joke. I thought I'd lighten the mood." Kamijou stuttered out in nervousness, seemingly grasping the situation.

"If you think that you can step on someone else's insecurities, just to satisfy your own convoluted sense of hedonistic entertainment, I'll prove that wrong right here…! I'll destroy that illusion!"

"What does that even mean— AND DON'T JUST STEAL SOMEONE ELSE'S CATCHPHRASE AFTER ONLY HEARING IT ONCE!"

Subsequently, Kamijou was then punched out by Hamazura.

In other words: (Vigilante Justice).

---

"Can I remind everyone that we are in the hospital! People in the hospital shouldn't have to worry about gaining more injuries! Where the hell did that even come from?! I thought we were having a moment! The bro code!"

Kamijou was back sitting on his bed, complaining while clutching his sore cheek.

"Yes, we were having a moment, until you ruined it. And stop bringing up the bro code after every little thing, it's disgusting." Hamazura retorted back.

"A guy called me disgusting. W-Why does that hurt more...?" Kamijou wondered.

Basically, Kamijou and Hamazura just reset their relationship to friends.

—At least, that's the impression that Takitsubo, Kinuhata, and Frenda got as they just silently stood there in shock while listening to them bickering like they've known each other for years. Kinuhata's unfortunate interruption aside, the girls had remained relatively frozen and unsure of what to do throughout the boy's argument.

But Takitsubo suddenly cocked her head in confusion.

"Frenda, why is your face red?"

"Wha—!? It is?! I mean no it's not! It's not!" Frenda stuttered out, hastily trying to deny such an observation.

But the truth was, she had been thinking about one thing with a feverish blush that entire time.

...

"So yeah. Of course I was scared. But that shouldn't matter. If someone is crying and you wish they weren't, then what's stopping you from stepping in to be a shield for them? Being scared isn't so convenient of an excuse to abandon those who matter."

...

Frenda was rendered meek as she stared hard at the floor.

(S-Saying it like that, there's only one way to interpret it you dummy…)

Some stranger had come out of nowhere and almost died for her. And then, even when he was so horribly injured, covered with wounds that no one should be able to get up from, he still rose to continue fighting— for her.

So… how else could she take such a statement.

That she mattered…

That she mattered to him—?

Poof!

A dizzying wave of heat encompassed her face.

Frenda suddenly took a seat in the chair that she had awoken from without so much as a peep, holding her hands in her lap. This caused everyone to stare at her, confused by her erratic behavior.

However, with the lull of conversation, someone finally took their chance.

Kinuhata walked right up to Kamijou (to be a head taller than him because he was sitting down), and said—

"Kamijou Touma…!"

"Y-Yes?" Kamijou replied nervously.

The misfortunate boy had a really bad feeling all of a sudden. And that premonition of ill fortune was soon proven correct.

"I, Kinuhata Saiai, challenge you. Fight me."

Those words echoed.

Everyone stood shock still at such a declaration, or a command as Kinuhata probably saw it.

But to Kamijou, he dismissed it entirely. After all, he had to be hallucinating. There was no way that this girl had said what he thought she said. And thinking so, he chuckled.

"I-I'm sorry. For a moment there, it kinda sounded like you asked me to fight you all of a sudden— ha ha."

"It's because I super did you retard." She replied with an indignant deadpan.

Kamijou blinked. Once, twice, three times.

"Oh…" He said finally, but the lack of emotion on his face was apparent.

All he did was stand up from his bed.

Kinuhata looked unamused. "'Oh'? That's all? I super told you I want—"

Kamijou cut her off. "Kinuhata-san."

"W-…What?"

The boy had suddenly weaved into her personal space, so she couldn't help but take on a nervous tone. However, she did not back down and continued to stare at the boy.

"Absolutely not."

"H-Huh? Excuse me?"

—However her tough attitude died instantly.

"I'm deeply flattered that you think I can satisfy you, but I'm not interested. I'm really not."

Hamazura, Takitsubo, and Frenda blinked, not knowing how to react to such an answer. Kinuhata's lips parted slightly, and her face cramped, especially at the boy's wording. She was too shocked to come up with a reply to that.

But Kamijou continued regardless.

"If you were my first, maybe I would have said yes. But sadly, that position has already been filled." His expression then turned pitiful. "A-And this Kamijou-san cannot take on anymore trigger-happy duelists in his life. One is enough."

Kamijou reflexively shuddered at the thought.

If he had even ONE more girl chasing him all throughout the city demanding duels, he wouldn't know what to do. He might even become a shut-in. It was that serious.

Hamazura, somehow able to overcome his confusion, spoke… "Wait, you mean someone asked you the same question and you said yes?"

Kamijou all of a sudden looked at Hamazura like he was otherworldly. The blonde boy had no idea how much of a landmine he just stepped on.

"I said yes…..? I SAID YES?!" He yelled in mock sarcasm. "AS IF! That BiriBiri girl didn't even give me choice! Like any reasonable person, I denied her. Instantly! VEHEMENTLY! But it was no use..."

The boy then looked out the window with a jaded stare; one reminiscent of veterans who had seen combat and came back with crippling PTSD.

"After grocery shopping, there she was. After school, there she was! After finally getting unstuck from that college girl that one time, THERE SHE WAS!" He yelled, finishing his anxiety filled rant.

But the conversation seemed to have left those listening in.

"Wait, wait, wait. Go back." Frenda suddenly, bothered by a particular mentioning. "Basically, how did you get stuck to a—"

"Super-glue." Kamijou immediately answered.

"E-Eh?" Everyone looked at him dumbly.

"S-Super-glue and very evil friends." Kamijou said with a stutter.

"I see…" Hamazura muttered, at a loss at what to say.

The girl's nodded mutely as well, slowly processing that tidbit of information about the boy's life. They actually wanted more information about that but—

Among those females— Kinuhata was not out of the woods just yet.

Kamijou suddenly spun back around to face Kinuhata and glared at her with a fierce expression— as if remembering the original cause of recalling bad memories.

"SO NO!" He made clear. "I don't want another stalker in my life who was so unsatisfied with my decision that she decided to challenge me EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! Are you that type of girl Kinuhata-SAN? Can you take no for answer, or are we going to have to settle this outside!? I'll throw down with someone younger than me if I have to! This Kamijou-san has been pushed to the brink before!"

Kamijou, in his crazed rant, failed to realize that things were heading exactly in the direction he wanted to avoid. He also failed to realize that — in his fervor — he had grabbed Kinuhata by the shoulders, causing her to yelp.

She felt a sudden weakness afflict her body and it made her uncomfortable. Being on the other side of such a serious glare did not help things either.

Kinuhata hurriedly answered. "O-Okay, okay. I take it back. Geez— my bad… I didn't know you had trauma about it…" She looked away from him awkwardly.

Upon the seeing this sort of Kinuhata, Kamijou had to force himself to relax.

"No wait— I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that. But I swear I just felt my life flash before my eyes and didn't know what to do." Kamijou said with hollowed out look.

"Y-Yeah, I noticed..." She really didn't know how to respond to that. "But hey…"

"What?"

"H-How long are you going to hold onto to me like this? Y-You're cutting off my power I think…"

It took three seconds before Kamijou realized he was pressed in Kinuhata's space and grabbing her shoulders tightly.

"Ah…!" He hastily backed away. "S-Sorry about that!"

Backpedaling and falling onto the hospital bed, Kamijou did not see Kinuhata's face properly. More notably, how she didn't look dissatisfied or disgusted at all with the boy's proximity, rather sporting an embarrassed look instead.

Hamazura, Frenda, and Takitsubo noticed this, but they didn't even get a single chance to question it. Because all of a sudden—

—A phone's distinct chime rang. It was a ringtone.

It played for ten seconds before Frenda jumped up.

"Oh!"

The girl reached into her skirt pocket and grabbed a phone, an additional one separate from the one she had near her person already. In fact, one could see a major difference between the two.

This one was heavily damaged.

"Ah, That's right. I managed to grab your phone K-Kamijou." She held the phone out to him, however, was unable to look him in the eyes, suddenly remembering the embarrassing words he had indirectly told her earlier.

Kamijou's face lit up. "Really!? It's still alive!? Thank you! Repairing it is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a new one! You're the best Frenda-san!"

"O-Oh. It's not a big deal."

However, despite saying this, Frenda couldn't help the smile and red flush that appeared on her face due to the boy's praise. A delighted feeling thrummed her heart.

With that, the nervousness she felt wafted away.

Kamijou, with a childlike eagerness, grabbed the ringing phone from her hands. He quickly noticed the screen was all busted up.

"Ah… who is it? I can't tell..." Kamijou muttered, making a confused face, tapping numerous buttons in a panic.

But, Kamjou didn't realize he had accepted the call as well as put it on speaker phone.

"Come on, come on, why isn't it—"

"(Kami-yan...! Come on Kami-yan, pick up...!)"

A boy's voice came through, making Kamijou widen his eyes.

"Tsuchimikado? What's wrong?" He asked.

The male's voice on the other side was frantic and urgent, even whispering.

"(L-Look man. You need to come back to school, like NOW. Right now.)"

Frenda was about to have everyone leave the room for the sake of Kamijou's privacy, but those thoughts vanished as curiosity plagued her.

(He was in school? Classes are still out for today, so why would he leave all of a sudden?) Frenda wondered.

"Why? Tell me what's wrong." Kamijou started to grow worried at the urgency in his friend's voice.

He thought that another incident was taking place and Tsuchimikado and his school was in danger.

"(Listen, I can't talk for long, otherwise she'll find me. Just come back. Just—) O-Oh. H-Hey Fukiyose, how's it going?" Tsuchimikado's voice suddenly changed into that of a casual tone.

(Wha? Fukiyose?!)

Kamijou felt a feeling of dread run through him. Out of all the people he didn't want to let in on his skipping, she was on the top of the list.

Kinuhata raised an eyebrow at the sweating spiky haired boy.

(Who the hell is this Fukiyose to garner a reaction like that, someone who faced off against Mugino…?) She wondered.

Several muffled sounds followed, giving those listening the impression that the phone had just been stashed somewhere— with the call still being on of course.

"Who were you talking to Tsuchimikado?"

A very commanding voice entered the fray.

"H-Huh? O-Oh! You mean on the phone… j-just Maika. You know, I call her from school every day... to uh... um… make sure she has all her clothes on…"

The boy's awkward reply came through the phone.

"Um… what?" Frenda murmured in confusion, giving Kamijou a tilted look.

Kamijou's face instantly cramped.

(You idiot! What kind of lie was that?! Multi-spy my ass! You're making me guilty by association!) The boy yelled internally.

"...Right…."

Everyone could tell that even this 'Fukiyose' didn't know how to respond to that.

"Your relationship with your sister is your business, however there are still lines that you can't cross, you know that right…?"

"O-Of course!" 'Tsuchimikado replied with an obvious stutter.

Eyes bore on Kamijou from all directions.

Kamijou quickly put his hand over the speaker. "(I get it okay, he's a little weird! Stop judging me for it!)" He whispered shouted.

The conversation continued.

"So... have you seen Kamijou around anywhere?"

"What? Kami-yan. N-No, can't say that I have."

"Oh, but you brought him to the nurses office earlier in the day, didn't you?"

Kamijou froze in place.

"T-That's right. I did do that. M-Maybe he's there."

"Huh. That's funny. Because I went by there was no one to be found. The nurse even said that Kamijou never even arrived. Care to explain?"

(SHE KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWSSSSSS!)

Kamijou's heart-rate quite noticeably accelerated.

"I-Is that so?"

Everyone could feel this 'Tsuchimikado' sweating.

"Yeah. It's almost as if, he completely left the school when you were escorting him a couple of hours ago."

Everyone saw the look of horror fixed to Kamijou's face as he listened.

"W-Well, I don't know anything about that, sorry."

"I see. But you know..." The girl paused. "I think you hid your phone in your shirt the minute I walked over."

A beat passed in the room— Kamijou felt his heart stop.

And then it started beating again as his preservation instincts kicked in.

"ABBBBBOOOOOORRRRTTTTTTTT!" Kamijou yelled out loud, jabbing his finger quite brutally onto his phone's buttons with a frenzy.

Takitsubo, Frenda, Hamazura, and Kinuhata jumped in surprise at the boy's over the top reaction.

(What is going on? Basically, Kamijou wasn't this panicky when he was facing Mugino!) Frenda thought with confusion.

"What was that? Was that Kamijou's voice just now?" Fukiyose's suspicions all but sealed his fate.

Yes. It was too late. If Kamijou hung up the phone now, his already marked beating would be three times as painful, he just knew.

"Give me the phone." Fukiyose ordered.

"No." Tsuchimikado rejected.

"Tsuchimikado. ...Give. Me. The phone."

"N-No."

Alright, Kamijou had to applaud Tsuchimikado's loyalty at this point— even Takitsubo, Hamazura, Kinuhata, and Frenda thought so.

Maybe he wouldn't punch him for getting him caught when he got back.

But on another note, everyone had become enraptured in the ridiculous situation occurring before them.

But right after the boy's second refusal, a scuffle was heard.

"H-Hey, where are you grabbing? This is harassment…! I'm saying no...!" Tsuchimikado's disturbingly falsetto'ed cries were painting quite the picture in everyone's minds.

"Wait— I...!"

But then, in a brilliant show of stupidity, Tsuchimikado tried one more thing as a last-ditch effort.

"I have a lewd bunny girl as my screensaver! You're not going to like it!"

It was impressive how quickly disgust ran rampant on all the girl's faces— Frenda, Kinuhata, and even Takitsubo.

So that just left Hamazura who's expression perked up all of a sudden.

"R-Really?" He involuntarily asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. But Takitsubo snaked her hand over to him and pinched his side. "Ow! Okay, sorry."

"Ugh… I'll take my chances…" Fukiyose seemed exasperated with her disgruntled voice.

And then they heard a fine struggle over the phone before her voice could be heard again.

"See? Was that so hard?"

"Y-You touched me all over. I can't get married anymore."

"Oh shut up!"

And then the girl cleared her throat.

Ba-dump!

In that moment, Kamijou just KNEW, her attention had been completely placed on him. He and everyone else waited in baited silence— which could also be described as fear.

"Kamijou."

That fear doubled.

(It's okay Kamijou! You can do this! Just act natural. Act natural.)

With this pep talk in mind, Kamijou swallowed his fears and—

"O-Oh, is that you Fukiyose? Funny running into you here. So... how's your day?"

"I'm very angry that a certain someone tried to skip school today. I kind of feel like hitting them."

—that attempt immediately crashed and burned.

"Yikes." Hamazura said, crossing his arms, to which Kamijou glared at him for a brief moment.

"Is there any chance..." Kamijou then bore a sheepish expression. "...t-that such a person could be let off the hook for... I don't know... something important coming up…?" He finished with a tinge of hope.

"…And what would that be?"

"Helping out a very dear friend? Uh… it was an emergency."

Frenda felt butterflies in her stomach upon hearing that, despite the boy just adlibbing.

"…What was the emergency?" Fukiyose asked pointedly.

(So many questions!) The boy thought with a panic, his throat going dry.

"Geez, are you sure that this girl super isn't your girlfriend?" Kinuhata muttered snidely, which caused Frenda to snap her head in Kinuhata's direction in surprise for some reason.

"Who is that? Are you with someone?" Fukiyose immediately question.

"A-Ah, no one but that friend."

"Right." Fukiyose didn't sound very convinced. "So, what was the emergency your friend was in?"

(That's right!) Kamijou yelled in his brain.

Kamijou could say it was none of her business, but he felt like that would cause more problems for him down the road.

"Oh... she uh..." Kamijou frantically searched his brain for a believable answer. "…was… being tailed by some creep and I was the first person she called…" He lied through his teeth, looking over at Frenda who gave him a 'Really?' look.

But Kamijou just shrugged exasperatingly.

"She, huh...?" Fukiyose said softly.

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow at the mention, not seeing the importance.

"Yeah? Fukiyose? What's wrong?"

"I-Its nothing. ...And you... you really dropped everything you were doing when she called you?"

Kamijou was now even more confused at the tone of voice the girl was using. It was... gentler. And she was asking not because she didn't believe him, however a bit baffled instead.

Either way, he replied with the truth.

"Of course. She needed help." He said simply.

"..."

It got quiet over the line.

"Fukiyose?"

"Well maybe... I won't feel the need to punish you when you come back to school, Kamijou."

Kamijou had a surprised look, but then smiled gently. "I can only hope. See you, Fukiyose." Kamijou then made a move to end the call (with his still broken phone).

"Ah— wait!" Fukiyose suddenly yelled out.

Kamijou halted. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nevermind, it's nothing."

And then the line went dead.

"What was that about?" Kamijou asked himself, and then looked at the people with him. They were all staring at him with varying expressions on their face.

Hamazura looked amazed. Kinuhata narrowed her eyes, staring at him seriously, as if trying to make sense of something. Takitsubo looked at him blankly with absolutely no change in expression.

And Frenda openly glared at him with a pout.

"W-What?"

"Dude." Hamazura was the first to answer. "She sounded like she was going to rip your head off there in the beginning. Please teach me how you just did that."

"What are you talking about?" Kamijou was very perplexed.

"Are you serious? That was super obvious even to me. Don't tell me you didn't realize…" Kinuhata trailed off.

"And I'm asking you what you're talking about?! Frenda, a little help?" Kamijou looked at Frenda with hope in his eyes.

"Hmph." She looked away with an apparent pout on that blonde headed face.

Naturally, Kamijou turned his gaze to Takitsubo, who simply gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it Kamijou-san."

(Seriously! What did I do!?)

He truly had no idea.

---

"Wait, can we get back to the reason we came here in the first place?" Hamazura suddenly asked. "What happened to Mugino?"

"Ah crap. That's right." Kinuhata muttered.

"...She walked away." A soft voice tore everyone's attention.

It was Frenda.

Kamijou looked at her in confusion. "That's right. What happened when I was out?"

Frenda looked a bit conflicted as she prepared to answer. "It was just after I called an ambulance for you..."

...

Frenda sat in that quiet alley with Kamijou's head resting on her lap. She was staring at his slumbering face for who knows how long.

(He's... plain.) She noticed.

It wasn't an insult; it was just something she couldn't help but realize.

This boy looked completely average in every possible way. His hair wasn't slick back like how some dashing prince would look like, it was spiky. His outfit wasn't very heroic, just normal clothes for school no doubt.

But it was this normal, average boy that had come to her rescue. He arrived in the nick of time from god knows where, and despite his unassuming looks, he possessed an ability that was able to completely nullify that of a Level 5's. And not just any Level 5, but the scary destructive power of the Meltdowner, capable of making multitudes of iridescent ion beams that can burn a hole through metal without so much as an effort.

(My hero—) She thought. That was undoubtedly the truth.

He had shielded her from harm, told her that everything was going to be okay. There was never a moment where he put his own safety above hers. Almost as if running away if things got too dangerous didn't even crossed his mind.

And she had his name too. Kamijou Touma.

"(Kamijou...)" She whispered, sounding it out.

It was a boy's name. And upon connecting such obvious information, she came to realize that she didn't know many boys.

There was Shinka, but to be honest, Frenda never really saw him as a proper boy. How could she? With such an androgynous face, he could pass off as whatever he wanted. Then there was Hamazura, who she really didn't care too much for. He was their glorified transporter, but she hadn't even attempted to get to know him, and the feeling was shared in turn by the boy.

If Frenda was being honest with herself, most boys — and people in general — were turned off by her haughty attitude.

So as she stared at Kamijou, she wondered.

(Would he still have saved me if he knew what kind of person I was? The things I've done?)

For some reason, the answer to that question terrified her more than being pressed up against that alleyway with a Meltdowner beam right next to her.

"Nghhhh..."

And as if to punish her for those thoughts, someone groaned.

—and it was not the boy in her lap.

The girl a few feet away from them, who had been sprawled out on the ground without a sound, shifted about as she tried to sit up, hand on her head, as if she was nursing a headache.

It was Mugino,

"Son of a... my head." She moaned.

Still disoriented, she made an attempt at standing, grabbing the wall for support. She successfully braced herself for an intense feeling of vertigo and she groaned again.

"Ugh..."

It was only after a few more seconds of stabilizing herself did she finally lift her head up to observe her surroundings.

It didn't take long for her to lock gazes with the frightened wide eyes of Frenda.

"...!"

"...!"

They both stared at each other in surprise.

Mugino, looking from Frenda, to the boy unconscious in her arms with a scowl.

And Frenda, who was stuck rigidly in place, just waiting for the moment when a beam of green light was going to conjure into existence.

But...

"?"

No longer how long Frenda waited, such an eventuality never happened.

Mugino just stared at her for the longest time, her scowl turning into a simple frown.

Frenda had no idea what she was thinking about, but she didn't even try to decipher anything as she herself was scared out of her mind. Her human instinct was to plead for her life, just like she had done before, but this time no words came out.

All she did was hug Kamijou's head closer to her chest with chattering teeth. It wasn't her being protective. In fact, she probably wanted the comfort more than the other way around. However, she hugged him there for an indefinite amount of time, not knowing what to do.

If she was attacked right now, they would both die. There was no getting around that. Kamijou's hand working even amidst his unconsciousness didn't even cross her mind, let alone was it an efficient strategy in the long run anyway.

So yes.

Frenda just sat there and stared at Mugino.

And Mugino stared back.

And then—

"Tch."

Mugino clicked her tongue and looked away... and simply walked off, out of the alley.

Frenda stared at the retreating form in disbelief, counting the seconds until she was no longer visible. And then after that, she counted even more. A full minute probably went by and she was still holding the boy for dear life.

And then all of sudden, Frenda finally let go and actually breathed. She and been holding her breath that entire time.

(W-...Wha... What...?)

She had no idea how she was still alive.

The ambulance arrived not two minutes later.

---

They were trying to wrap their heads around what they just heard.

"Ehhhh? ...That sounds scary as hell." Hamazura commented after the ensuing silence.

"Mn. I think... silent Mugino is pretty worrisome..." Takitsubo said softly, staring off into space.

Kinuhata tapped her foot against the floor in an anxious manner. "And she super left just like that? She didn't say a word to you?" She asked, looking at Frenda.

"No." Frenda shook her head. "She just frowned and walked off..."

It was a but unnerving, to say the least— Mugino's reaction that is. That was ITEM's thoughts on the matter though.

"..."

Kamijou still didn't have a full picture on Mugino quite yet, so he didn't really know how to react.

In his head, he couldn't help but compare her to Accelerator, but no matter how he looked at it, they were just too different. Now, he couldn't really say he knew either of the two well, but he at least realized that as opposed to Accelerator, Mugino actually WANTED to kill the two of them, or more like she craved their suffering. With Accelerator it was different. Sure, the boy wanted him dead when they fought, but Accelerator was fighting to gain more power. He wanted the experience, not the thrill.

(Thrill...?) Kamijou suddenly thought.

Was there something there?

Did Mugino leave because there was no longer any thrill to the fight? He was unconscious, and Frenda didn't say a word. Would it have been a different story if Frenda cried out, or even tried to run away? Or what if he woke up and reacted? Would she had reacted in turn?

These possibilities floated in his head endlessly, but he was getting no closer to finding out the answer just by thinking of hypotheticals, so he shook his head free of such thoughts.

"Oh that's right— Frenda." He addressed the foreigner who was donning a contemplative face, no doubt thinking of Mugino's behavior as well.

"Hm?" She looked at him. "What is it?"

"Do you have someplace safe to stay, just in case something happens?" He asked, a sincere look of worry adorning his face.

"Wuh?" Frenda made an incoherent sound, surprise etched on her features.

Similarly, Hamazura, Takitsubo, and Kinuhata were flummoxed by the sudden proposition as well.

Either way, Kamijou continued, unabashed.

"If it comes down to it, you can come back to my place for the next few nights if you want. Ah, but it might be a little cramped. And there's also the issue of my roommate, but she's harmless as long as she's fed." He said while waving his hand dismissively, with an easy-going smile.

"It is just my dorm room though; I don't know what you're used to."

Frenda could only continue to stare at the boy, eyes unable to leave his face. She even thought her face was a little warm.

Meanwhile, quiet whisperings ensued.

"(You see, this is what I'm talking about...!)"

"(Quiet Hamazura.)"

"(Yeah shut up, I super wanna see where this goes. Frenda doesn't get like this for anyone, let alone some random civilian.)"

"What are you guys talking about?" Kamijou asked wryly.

But Frenda paid them no mind. It wasn't even sure she had heard them.

(What is he doing…?)

Yes, she had other things to think about.

Frenda was no poverty-stricken citizen of Academy City. In fact, her escapades as a part of ITEM have left her pretty loaded, so much so that she has numerous safe houses to hold up in for the foreseeable future if needed, ones that not even Mugino was aware of.

(B-But Kamijou doesn't know any of that…) Frenda thought.

That being the case, the next question came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "B-But why though...?"

"Why…?" Kamijou repeated for a time.

But the answer came just as fast.

"Why not? It's not any trouble. If it helps you then why wouldn't I? You wouldn't be the first houseguest I had to look after for a time." Kamijou responded, a lopsided smile on his face.

"B-But basically, you just met me today. J-Just a couple hours ago in fact! You would let a stranger like that into your home?" The blonde girl said, pressing him.

"Hm… whether we're strangers or not really doesn't matter at this point, right? I mean, just look at you."

"W-What about me?" Frenda was confused by the turnaround.

"You called an ambulance for a stranger and stayed with him until he woke up. See? So just think of this as me paying you back." Kamijou replied to her, that irritatingly kind smile accentuating his features.

"That's—!" Frenda's face went red, her retort dying in her throat. "…n-not fair dummy…" Her eyes found the floor, stewing in silence with a meek expression.

"(…w-what else was I supposed to do when you got that hurt for my sake…)" She said under her breath.

"Frenda? Did you—"

"Nothing it's fine…" She averted her red tinged face, her arms crossed over her chest.

But in Frenda's head, everything was definitely NOT FINE.

(Why is he going this far…? Wouldn't it have been enough just saving me the first time? And for that matter, why hasn't he asked for something in return yet?)

In the brief time she had known the boy, she understood that Kamijou was a member of the light with no ties to the dark side, and a good person at that. A better person than her, that was for sure.

He had saved her despite her being a total stranger, and he hadn't even asked for anything in return, even going as far as to ask what else he could do to keep her safe. What was wrong with him? SHE wouldn't even go that far for her! If she saw some girl getting attacked by a Level 5, she would frankly count her lucky stars that it wasn't her and run in the complete opposite direction.

Yes. If she saw someone in her position, she would have abandoned them.

Why would she save someone who she didn't even know, against someone who she would surely die against? If it was her sister, that would be different story. It wouldn't be a matter of not being able to do anything, she would just act. If it was for her sister, no amount of logic or survivability would get in the way of her getting involved.

And Frenda assumed such a thought process was normal, and that she was just one of many who thought that way.

But…

Kamijou proved that wrong. He proved that he wasn't just out for himself like so many others like him. Him being in the light? That didn't matter. Anyone could become cruel after being pushed enough. That was human nature.

Kamijou didn't do that though.

He could have run away after realizing it was a stranger. He could have run away when he realized his opponent was an esper— let alone one of the most powerful.

But he didn't. Even so, he still didn't. He got in between life and death and punched it with just his right fist. And as a result, she was still breathing. Yes. How crazy was that? Despite being marked for death by an absolutely livid and crazed Mugino Shizuri, she was still alive. She was still breathing despite being wounded, scared, and altogether helpless.

So why wasn't he asking for anything yet? Why was he waiting so long? If he was after something, what did he have to gain from doing so many nice things for her, just to ask her at a later time? He had no proof that she would abide by that. He had no certainties that Frenda wouldn't run away and never see him again at the first possible chance.

In fact, the way that he was acting suggested that he trusted—…

"…!"

Frenda's thoughts came to a complete halt.

(Trust…? Kamijou… trusts me…?)

Such a seemingly foreign element entered her brain.

Trust.

She wasn't even sure if she knew what that was.

She trusted her sister Fremea. And on a certain level, she trusted her fellow colleagues, though Mugino was getting etched off that list for obvious reasons. But the latter fact was still true. Kinuhata and Takitsubou had come to check on her after finding out she was in the hospital. Even Hamazura.

But would she dare trust someone she had never met before? Would she place her faith in someone that has unclear motives and could stab her in the back at any time?

That's what Kamijou was doing. In saving her, and in offering to safeguard her, he was trusting that she wouldn't harm him in return.

She briefly thought of something funny after realizing that.

It was a show of good faith. That's what Kamijou was doing. To the stranger known as Frenda Seivelun, Kamijou Touma was being kind to her because he wanted trust to form. But this wasn't because he wanted benefits for his actions. This also wasn't because he wanted to win the affections of a girl that he had saved.

Yes, Frenda also backpedaled on that.

Why would he go against someone so dangerous, someone powerful enough that could destroy entire armies, just for the chance of a long-term booty call? That was ridiculous, so far off the table of rationality. Several other people had tried to impress her in much smaller ways.

So…

Frenda blushed as she felt a painful throb strum at her heart.

That just left one explanation.

Kamijou is acting for one reason only. And it was a reason he already gave her.

…

"Why not? It's not any trouble. If it helps you then why wouldn't I?"

…

(Oh...)

Frenda looked at Kamijou now, but the boy looked different to her all of a sudden. That confused face looked sincere. His mannerisms looked innocent. And his words that he had spoken until now were because he wanted what was good for her well-being.

The boy didn't want anything of her, did he? He was just a nice person.

Frenda came to that realization.

"(Just a nice person…)" She mouthed.

And then, she smiled. It was an exasperated smile. Like she had just given up on looking for faults and imperfections when that simply wasn't necessary.

Kamijou's words then caught her attention once again.

"Um… I just realized that my stuff is still at school, and if I don't come back to get it Fukiyose might rescind her offer of non-violence so I should probably—"

He was cut off as Frenda laughed, as she found the genuine look of restlessness on Kamijou's face to be amusing. She followed up and said, "Basically, you don't need to worry about that Kamijou."

She then grabbed a piece of stationary from a nearby desk.

"Hm? Does that mean you have somewhere? That's good." The boy smiled in relief.

"Yes, which is why you can have this instead." She handed him that piece of paper after hastily writing something down.

Kamijou picked it up, and after reading what was written, put on a strained smile. "Uh… Frenda, what is this…?"

He knew what it was, but his brain demanded he asked because the obvious answer wasn't making him understand why it was what it was.

"It's my personal phone number." She said in an obvious manner.

"Y-Yeah, I kinda figured. But why is it in my hand?"

"Basically, how else am I going to thank you for saving me at a later date?"

Kamijou blinked once. Twice. Three times. "Wait a minute, you don't have to—"

Frenda suddenly got in his personal space, placing her mouth right next to his ear.

"I know."

She really did. Now especially.

"…But I want to, Kamijou-kun."

And then she quickly backed away from the speechless Kamijou, hiding her face from him. "S-See ya."

And then she left, opening the door and vanishing into the halls of the hospital.

It was a while before those still in the room managed to speak again.

"Holy shit…! I had no idea Frenda knew how to be cute…" Hamazura said.

Takitsubo immediately hit him.

"Huh, she actually super gave you her number. That's a first." Kinuhata muttered impassively, looking at the door. "But anyway!" She suddenly looked at the spiky haired boy still frozen in place.

"I'm gonna head out Kamijou, see ya when I see ya..." Lackadaisically, she went to head out the door as well.

Kamijou snapped out of it watching the girl depart. "Huh? Oh, yeah… you too, Kinuhata."

However? Just as she was about to leave, Kinuhata stopped at the door frame.

"You're… okay, for a Level 0 anyway."

Kamijou was a bit speechless after that.

"O-Oh?" The boy looked sheepish." Thanks. You're not so bad yourself… Skimpy-Sweater-Girl."

"So you were aware you were calling me that!" Kinuhata whipped around with an annoyed expression, and Kamijou just laughed.

"Hmph…" Kinuhata properly stalked off into the hallway this time.

As this happened, Kamijou suddenly had a thought.

(Wait a sec… s-since when are girls I meet this nice to me…?)

He started to feel a certain amount of wrongness about how fortunate today's events turned out to be. But he still had to walk back to school…

Kamijou hung his head.

"(So plenty of things can still go wrong. Great.)" He sighed.

"Boss, we're gonna leave too." A voice snatched him from his musings.

Hamazura was hanging by the door with Takitsubo.

"Alright, Takitsubo, Hamazura, have a safe trip— wait… what did you just call me?" Kamijou cocked his head at the boy's way of addressing him.

"What?" The boy asked, unconcerned.

"Just now, you called me Boss. What does that mean?"

"What does it matter? I'm calling the boss, Boss."

"Y-Yeah, but what does it—"

"Well Takitsubo, let's go."

"No…! Why are you trying to avoid the subject?! Now I really wanna know what it means!" Kamijou yelled out at the retreating forms of the two (Hamazura pushing Takitsubo by the shoulders). "Bye… Kamijou…" The girl softly muttered.

…And then they were gone.

All by himself, Kamijou could only look at what he was holding, that being the numbers listed off in cutesy handwriting.

(Was she really serious about thanking me?)

Only time would tell, but it was fine if she didn't. Instead, he let a stupid smile form on his face and thought…

(I actually got a girl's number. Tsuchimikado and Aogami would freak if they found out.)

And with that, Kamijou basked in the normalcy he had achieved.

For now.

---

A year later, a chapter three was made.

I might put out another one before Misfortune No One Sees. Mugino hasn't had her ending yet, after all.

Please review if you enjoyed!

Have a good day!

-EPSILON