"I see, so you really think it might be today or tomorrow?" Tōma questioned the person he was talking to on the other end of his cellphone.

Tsubaki was in the living room watching television as her brother was currently talking to Heaven Canceller.

The elderly physician called to inform them about the unknown girl's current condition. According to him, she was beginning to show signs of waking up despite being asleep for so long. It was welcomed news, but they were worried about what sort of mental state she'll be in when she wakes up.

Will her humanity still remain, or will she lose herself to the bloodlust?

"Okay, talk to you later, doc." Tōma hung up the phone.

"What did he say?" Tsubaki asked.

"He said our patient should be waking up either today or tomorrow." He replied.

"That's good to hear." She said, "I wonder what she'll be like? I'm sure you're just as curious as I am."

He said nothing.

"Whether or not her humanity is still intact, or she fully becomes one of them." The hidden message was clear. If the girl somehow managed to keep her demon instincts in check, then there was nothing to worry about.

But…if not…

No—for as much bad luck he has, this was one of those things that didn't give him a bad feeling.

"Anyway, let's get going." Oh, well. No point in worrying about it now anyway. Once school is finished they can head over to the hospital and see for themselves.

Best to take things like this one step at a time.


Bad luck has always been a frequent misfortune for Tōma since he was young. In fact, it was the very reason he was even here in the first place. It caused so many problems back home that his parents had no choice but to send him here for his own safety.

Being separated from his friends and family back home hurt. Like, it really hurts more than one could ever imagine. Phone calls don't compare to actually speaking to someone face to face, but he learns to live with it.

Just like he learns to live with his constant bad luck.

For example:

He and his sister were walking down the sidewalk on their way to school, talking about something random. They walked past a lady walking a Doberman. As he expected, the dog growled for no reason and managed to get free from his leash. Of course the hostile canine came charging at the unlucky Kamado Tōma with the intent on biting him—

—only that didn't happen.

The moment the older sibling turned to face the canine, looking it right in the eye—it stopped charging at him before bowing its head in submission and whimpering.

Always one to have a soft spot for animals, big or small, Tōma decided to scratch the canine behind the ears, "There, there." He said with a smile.

The Doberman enjoyed what Tōma was doing, letting out happy sounds. Funny how it went from a hostile dog to a soft hearted puppy. After scratching behind the ears one last time, he then rubbed the dog's head and scratched underneath its chin.

What a good dog.

When the owner finally caught up with their runaway dog, they apologized profusely. Tōma accepted before continuing the path to school.

Other "incidents" happened, of course. Like when a sprinkler malfunctioned and got the top half of him wet. No big deal, taking off his jacket and shirt was all he had to do. His sister already handed him a spare shirt and jacket that he started changing into. While he was in the middle of doing that, he didn't notice the way some girls in the area happened to openly stare at him.

His sister did notice, however and wasn't impressed.

And finally—the last incident on the way to school was him accidentally bumping the shoulder of someone from Skill Out. There were four of them, with the one in the middle being the tallest.

Tōma, through no fault of his own—brushed against the man's shoulder. It wasn't on purpose, mind you, but a complete accident. He apologized for the mishap and walked away…or at least he tried to.

Being the delinquents that they are, the taller one wouldn't just accept the apology and instead decided to inflict physical harm on him.

And how did Tōma handle it? Simple.

By beating them down, of course.

With that over and done with, the siblings finally arrived at their destination. So, while misfortune still causes trouble for the young man—he decided to simply work with it rather than against it.

A sort of "go with the flow" kind of mentality he developed after repeated incidents.

"Yo, Kama-yan~! Having a good morning?" Aogami greeted with his usual enthusiasm.

"More like the usual, but with a few twists here and there." Tōma replied with a shrug.

Aogami looked amused, "So what was it this time? Getting chased by a pack of dogs, only for them to fall in love with you?" He died of laughter when his friend told him the story, "Or maybe you were chased by a pack of girls instead—bastard! Is that what happened this time?!"

Tōma proceeded to smack him upside the head, "I don't know why I even bother telling you anything." He sighed, walking away.

Aogami sprang back up and followed behind the siblings, "Don't be like that, Kama-yan. Besides, your life would be boring without me in it anyway."

Tōma snorted, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that." He joked.

"I don't know, nii-sama. Even germs have a purpose they must fulfill in order to be useful." Tsubaki commented, smiling.

"Ah! Tsubaki-chan's sharp tongue pierces through me again! To be so sweet on the outside, yet sour on the inside makes my meter go higher and higher!" Aogami rambled as he went into another one of his perverted delusions.

"Then why don't I stomp on that precious manhood of yours in an effort to get it in check, or better yet—melt it off entirely." Tsubaki replied, smiling.

Tōma chuckled when Aogami shielded his manhood. Walking to class, they ran into Tsuchimikado along the way. He started whining about how his sister was giving him the cold shoulder after he came home late last night.

"What was your excuse this time?" Tōma asked out of curiosity, though he probably had his guesses.

Tsuchimikado pouted, "A man does what he has to! And if he doesn't want his sweet little sister involved, then no one has the right to judge!" He declared.

"Is that so? Well, good for you." Tōma had a feeling what his friend was up to, but decided to keep it to himself. His eyes scanned over Tsuchimikado for any lasting injuries and was satisfied to find none. He really hopes his friend isn't pushing himself too hard.


"Got some new information for you. Unlike last night, this one's really nasty." Tsuchimikado said to Tōma.

It was currently lunch break and the two teens decided to hang out on the school rooftop. Whenever there's a new demon sighting anywhere in Academy City, Tsuchimikado is always the one to provide such important information. Unsuspecting citizens here in the city would expect a demon to just appear here out of nowhere. In fact; no one would suspect a demon to exist at all.

Their ancestors had made sure to eradicate the existence of demon's long ago. This was for the sake of a peaceful future where humans would no longer live in fear of the night, where demons lurk. Those days are over now…or at least they were. Now someone's managed to somehow bring back the demon race back, and now it's up to their generation to put them down again.

Since his friend is well suited to gathering information when it's needed, he relies on him in situations like these.

Tōma takes the piece of paper from his friend and goes over the information. While reading over it, he paused for a second then folded the paper, "Blood Demon Arts, huh?" If this one is capable of that, then it's of a higher level.

"That's one of those higher level demons you talked about, right?" Tsuchimikado asked.

The other teen nods, "Everytime a demon devours a human, the demon becomes stronger. They also eventually develop supernatural abilities, too."

"Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth." Tsuchimikado smirked, but he was a little unsettled. So the more humans they eat, the stronger they get. And to top it all off, gain supernatural abilities as an added bonus.

Disturbing.

"So this demon can use the elements by manipulating wind." And the area where it was last spotted is awfully close to Tokiwadai Middle School. Unlike the last one, this demon is more bolder with its actions. Probably waiting for unsuspecting students walking back to the dorms, and ready to strike when their guard is down.

"Two nights ago, a sudden gust of wind was felt near the school district area, and knocked out the main power source." Tsuchimikado started to explain, "While some technicians were checking things out, one of the workers claimed he spotted something with glowing red eyes watching them in the dark."

'That was the demon.' Tōma thought with a grim expression, already seeing where this was going.

Tsuchimikado continued, "At first he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but changed his mind when it started moving towards them." His tone was as grim as Tōma's expression.

"Go on." The spiky haired teen urged.

Tsuchimikado's glasses gleaned when the sun's light reflected on them, "When it got close enough they were finally able to see what it was…" He side eyed his friend, "…it didn't look human."

No surprise there.

"Naturally they took off running like bats out of hell, but the thing closed in on them pretty quickly. As you've already guessed, it ended up catching one of them while the other kept running away." Tsuchimikado started sucking on a juice pack before going on, "Eventually it caught up with him, and managed to corner the survivor."

"Survivor? Then, he's—" Tōma sounded a little hopeful.

"—still alive and kicking. Just traumatized after everything that happened." Tsuchimikado assured his friend, "What saved him was the rising sunlight, according to him."

"Demon's are weak against sunlight. It burns them down to their cells, reducing them to ashes. In the end, the sun ended up saving his life." Small mercies were truly a wonderful thing.

Tsuchimikado smirked, "Talk about having the devil's own luck. He's still recovering in the hospital if you wanna talk to him."

"Thanks. Since he gave his testimony about what happened to Anti-Skill. I'm assuming they had a hard time swallowing it?" Tōma knows about the shared mentality of Academy City when it comes to the supernatural. A place of science doesn't believe anything other than facts, and since the supernatural can't be proven by normal means—then it doesn't exist.

"You gotta admit that from an outsider's point of view, his story's kinda hard to swallow." Tsuchimikado wouldn't have believed it himself if he wasn't already aware of everything.

"That's true."

"No offense, but are you sure the two of you can handle this one?" Upon seeing the questioning expression on his friend's face, Tsuchimikado quickly made himself more clear, "Not trying to diss your demon killing skills or anything!"

"I get it. But you shouldn't underestimate my sister. She's vicious and shows no mercy." Tōma warned him.

'That's obvious!' Tsuchimikado did not want to get on her bad side, and almost felt sorry for the demon.

"Thanks for the info. Leave the rest to us." Tōma thanks his friend, "Also, remember what I said before?" He questioned, eyes narrowed at the blonde.

"Don't ever go near a demon when gathering info, that includes for personal interest." The blonde mimicked his friend's words when he first asked Tsuchimikado to look up some information for him. Of course, he had some questions, and boy did he get his answers! Demon's that were finally exterminated long ago were making their reappearance? How could he not be interested to know more?

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Tōma leaves the school roof.

Date: June 18,

Current Location: Kendo Club

Here's a funny story about the Kendo Club. There never was one.

Correction—

—It came into existence with the help of the Kamado siblings.

The current who took over after the previous captain graduated was desperate. To keep the club from getting shut down, they needed two more members.

Here's where the siblings come in.

Both siblings joined the club and made instant waves. Their sword skills were impressive and far above the others in the club. The older Kamado sibling said it was because they come from a long-line of swordsmen.

No one doubted their words.

Tsubaki shows no interest in competing in tournaments, but her brother was a different story. Kamado Tōma helped them win every tournament they entered; beating out rival, yet prestigious schools. Their recent victory over one prestigious schools was none other than Tokiwadai Middle School.

They somehow pulled off a miracle by managing to defeat a supposed genius sword weirder. The middle schooler was a well known prodigy, gifted in every way. She was a Level 4 esper and lost to a Level 0; this stunned many. No one was expecting a Level 4 prodigy to be defeated by a mere Level 0 from an unknown school.

But that's exactly what happened.

The members of the Kendo club remember it fondly. How the moment the referee gave the signal to begin, how before the girl could even make a move to end the match quickly…it was already over. For her, that is. It all happened in an instant; before the opponent could even move first—Kamado beat her to it.

What followed after was a dead silence that no one could have predicted. A talented Tokiwadai middle schooler lost against someone who was far more skilled. When the silence was over, cheers took over on their side. The same, however could not be said for the opposite side. No surprise they were upset with the loss, especially since it was one of their own.

Later, they learned from Tsubaki that some Tokiwadai students tried ambushing the older sibling.

Keyword: Tried.

Tsubaki scared them off, yes, but she was furious. Her anger was burning like a thousand suns. To make matters more terrifying was the fact she was smiling. The whole time she was angry, her smile did not change. Some were too afraid to ask if she was really angry, so they went to brother.

"My sister expresses anger differently than the rest of us. Her sharp smile is a sign that she's beyond angry, and more intent on causing bodily harm."

His response was telling.

Tsubaki is someone to be feared, and greatly so.

They know it. Tokiwadai know it, too.

"Keiko-taichō!"

Their captain turned to the one who called out to her. This year's captain was female, with long black hair, and purple eyes. She was wearing the standard kendo Captain uniform.

"What is it?" She replied to her kohai.

"I was just wondering if we have another tournament coming up." The kohai asked.

"Not for a long while, why do you ask?" Keiko questioned.

She stared as the kohai fidgeted, her fingers poking the other. There was a slight blush on her cheeks, too—

Ah…

"Curious to know if Kamado-kun will be participating?" Keiko teased, smirking.

"Eh?! No, that's not what I—um, I mean—!" Poor girl became a stuttering mess.

Keiko couldn't help but be amused though, Kamado-kun had become quite popular in this club. Both male and female members have a high respect for him, especially since his overwhelming victory during the competitions. What really solidified it was his victory over the Tokiwadai prodigy. After that swift victory, his reputation skyrocketed.

She was a little angry that some less than honorable Tokiwadai students tried to ambush him. But his sister took care of them herself, so she decided to let it go for now. They still tried to ambush one of their own, therefore; she no longer has any respect for them.

"It hasn't been decided where the next tournament will be held next." Keiko answered.

"Oh, I see."

"But, no matter what school we're up against, so long as we have him—

Her eyes the trail over in Kamado's direction. She witnessed him winning another practice match. His stance, strong aura, and will signify him as a true swordsman.

—we can't possibly lose."

"Yes!"

Tōma sees them staring and approached them, "Senpai, could I ask to leave early today?" He asked.

She raised a brow at his request, "I don't mind, but I'm curious to know the reason." It was rare for him to ask for an early leave. Could something have happened?

"I got a call from the hospital. One of the doctors wants to look something over, and wants me there." He hated lying to her, but they couldn't afford to leave the demon alone for much longer.

"I see, taking care of one's health is important. Very well, you may leave early for today, but make sure to tell me the details tomorrow." Keiko replied, her tone indicated she expected him not to forget.

He bowed, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." She nodded.

Thankfully his senpai is an understanding, level-headed person. Everyone in the Kendo Club respects her because of this, too. She doesn't judge someone if they need to take an early leave of absence, or can't come to the club at all. Her popularity isn't just limited to boy's, but the girl's, too. Tōma wonders if she's ever been confessed to, or asked out on a date? Probably not, but its something to think about.

He also prays the person who eventually confesses to her won't be Tsuchimikado, of god forbid, Aogami.


Misaka Mikoto was confused.

Scratch that, more like she was still confused. Yesterday night, she had an annoying run in with some guys trying to intimidate her. Sure it was annoying, but nothing she couldn't handle on her own. Her plan was to let them talk all they want, and then fry them to a crisp, but not kill them.

Well…like she said that was the plan.

Before she could even go through with it, some guy came out of nowhere and tried warning them not to mess with her. Once he told them she was a Level 5, it was already too late. The idiots were fried, just like she was planning on doing before some random bystander interfered.

That's not what really bothered her though. Not that the bystander interfered, trying to warn them to leave before they got a just punishment. It wasn't that. But that they were actually able to protect themselves from her attack, and with just their right hand! Impossible! Just what kind of ability is able to cancel another ability?

No matter how hard she thinks about it, there really isn't any other explanation. And this left her confused and irritated. What were the chances of her having a strange encounter, and then ending up confused and a little curious?

As she drifted more into her own thoughts, she almost missed someone walking in the opposite direction as her. They were wearing the strangest clothing, but what really got her attention was the unsheathed blade strapped to their side. Her eyes got an even better look and was able to see their face. It was a full moon out tonight, and the light from the moon revealed the person's face; it was the same face from yesterday!

'No way, that's him! The very same guy from yesterday night!' She thinks, running to catch up with them. It was by good fortune she was able to catch up with him. He doesn't seem to have noticed her, despite her running after him.

"Can I help you with something?"

Him suddenly speaking caught her off guard, which was evident as she flinched. She wasn't expecting him to say something to her, but then again she did follow him while trying to remain unheard.

He was looking at her now, like the night before, his stance and gaze was calm. Thanks to the light of the full moon, she can actually see his features…they were unique. In all her time here in Academy City, she has never seen anyone with physical features as his before.

She doesn't know how long she stood there staring at him, but eventually regained her nerve, "Hey, I didn't need you to step in that night." Okay, that may have come off as rude, but she felt the need to say it.

"I wasn't helping you, but I did feel obligated to warn them before anything happened." He replied.

Huh?

"Why did you even bother to do that?" She was confused as to why he would waste his time warning some sleazy delinquents.

"Since they were the ones who started it, warning them of who they were actually dealing with seemed appropriate." Was his response.

Okay, she can kind of understand that.

Also, she had to admit their looks of realization when they finally realized who she was made her satisfied. This guy knew who she was, too, and the power wielded by her. That's why he tried warning those idiots in the first place, but in the end she gave them a painful shock.

"So you were just trying to be a good samaritan." Misaka said, crossing her arms.

"Something like that, I'm sorry but there's some place I need to be right now." He apologized, turning to walk away from the area.

"Hold on! What was with that weird thing you did? How come my electric attack didn't hit you like it did them?" She quickly asked him.

Tōma suppressed the urge to sigh, he really didn't have time for this. But just brushing her off seemed just as rude than ignoring her, "I'm sorry, but that isn't for you to know." He replied, still walking away.

Her eyebrow twitched at his reply.

Why did it feel like he was dismissing her?

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Stopping, he took a deep breath before replying, "Again, I'm sorry, but there really isn't a need for you to know about my ability. I really need to be going now, so if you'll excuse me." He bowed his head before resuming his walk.

Behind him, he heard a small spark and let his instincts take over. Quickly blocking her attack with his right hand, he wasted no time getting away from the area. Even as he was getting away though, he heard her cry out, "Hey! Stop right there!" Which confused him to no end.

'Why did she suddenly attack me out of the blue like that? Did she feel like I was being rude in not telling her about my ability?' But why would that make her angry enough to attack him out of nowhere? Well, if he sees her next time he'll just clear up the misunderstanding.

Right now, he needed to focus on the demon.


"What took you so long?" Tsubaki asked him.

"Sorry, I had the strangest encounter with Misaka Mikoto." He replied, rubbing the back of his head. His mind was trying to ponder why it was the girl got so mad at him like that.

"The third ranked? What happened?" Tsubaki asked, curious.

Crossing his arms, he answered, "She stopped me as I was making my way over here. Then asked why I tried warning some delinquents not to mess with her. I explained to her that it seemed only fair for me to warn them before she dealt with them herself."

"Sounds reasonable enough to me." Tsubaki said, seeing the reason behind his actions, "Well? What happened next?"

He sighed, "This is the weird part. When she asked me about my ability and I told her it was information she didn't need to know, she attacked me."

A dark aura surrounded Tsubaki, "Attack? Do you mean to say she used her ability and attacked her unprovoked?" She questioned.

"Pretty much, but I'm confused as to why that would make her upset enough to attack me in the first place?" No mater how hard he thought about it, it still didn't make any sense to him.

Unknown to him, his sister was thinking up many different ways to poison the third ranked Level 5. The girl has committed a grave sin, and for that she must be punished.

"Anyway, now isn't really the time to be talking about this…" His eyes watch a shadow move within the dark street and see it shift and move. Unsheathing his sword, he sees the demon appear with hungry eyes and a smirk, "…time to get to work."

Date: June 18,

School District 7, Heaven Canceller's Hospital

Heaven Canceller was going over his hospital records of some of his patients like usual. He was particularly interested in the still sleeping girl that has yet to wake up. The girl's identity is truly a mystery; and her condition is also quite strange. Her blood cells are different from that of a human, another thing that caught his attention. Perhaps this girl was part of an experiment of some kind, or something else is possibly going on.

A shift of the bed sheets from behind got his attention. Turning to look behind him, he saw the girl had finally woken up. He observed her as she looked around the room.

"You've woken up," He spoke to her, "Right now it's currently nighttime, so I'm afraid you didn't have your usual visitors here to greet you."

"…"

Her silence didn't seem to bother him, "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Again she didn't answer him. Instead, the girl turned her attention to the window and stared at nothing for some time. The good doctor was going to ask her another question, but before he could; she got up from the bed.

"What is it?" He asked.

Ignoring him again, she opened the window and jumped out. Bewildered by the sudden action, he went over by the window and looked down. It would appear the girl managed to make a safe landing, but he has to wonder where she was heading off to?


This demon was slightly more stronger than the one they dealt with the night before. It was using its wind abilities to move faster and attack them with quick precision strikes, but the siblings weren't going to back down. Tsubaki bent backwards and kicked the demon underneath the chin when it attempted to cut her face with its claws. With it disoriented for a moment, Tōma used that opportunity to cut off its arm.

Angered, the demon jumped away from the siblings as it thought up of another strategy. The Wind Demon had the idea to create a large gust of wind so it would obscure their vision and it could attack them while they were unable to see.

That was the plan…

Just as it got behind the older sibling, about to Karan him from behind—its head was suddenly smashed to the ground. Surprised, Tōma jumped back to see what happened. He wasn't expecting to see the girl from the hospital suddenly here, with her foot on the demon's head.

She moved off the demon and stood in front of him, acting as some sort of barrier between them.

The sudden attack took the demon by surprise as it wasn't expecting it. Slowly, the wind demon rose up on its arm, only to be violently smashed back down to the ground. This action was repeated by the girl a couple more times as she prevented the demon from trying to get back up.

Tōma stood there dumbfounded. Not only did the girl wake up, but she was helping them deal with the demon. There wasn't an attempt at attacking the siblings or anything, her only focus was on the demon.

While he was still confused about the current situation, he opted to focus more on the demon. Gripping his katana, he moved in for the kill, "Mizu no Kokyū: Hachi no kata: Takitsubo (Water Breathing: Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin)!" Jumping high in the air, a torrent of water covers the sword. The girl moved out of the way as he swung downward, cutting down the Wind Demon, aiming for the head as water covered its body.

Landing softly on the ground, the demon's body disintegrates before vanishing completely.

"Another one down." Tōma said, sheathing his sword.

Tsubaki walked up to him, "Now we only have one more thing to deal with." She was talking about the girl, who hadn't moved.

He understood what she meant, but all he can right now is this…

"This is going to be a long night.


Teki ️