italics - thoughts
Bold - Emphasis
Italics Bold - Magic names or titles
"normal" - speech
" underlined bold " - Mental transmissions
Underlined - Flashback
{Bold}- Magic spells or abilities
Disclaimer:I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index nor its characters. All rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi. Except for my own characters that I create
Chapter 18: The root of it all…
It was a beautiful day. The sun was in the air, but the day was slightly cloudy, making the weather a very pleasant one. Not too hot, nor too chilly. Even the hustle and bustle of vehicles driving by were more subdued.
It was a perfect day.
""Haaaahhh""
Twin sighs destroyed the illusion of the beautiful day.
"This is such a pain…" Misaki listlessly stirred the contents of her cup of tea. "Having to search for the person who posted that picture of you kissing my Prince…"
"Don't you have a stake in this too?" Mikoto commented, tapping her finger on the table while she munched on a biscuit.
"This is exactly why I am using my information gathering power to help you, Misaka-san." Misaki took a small sip from the remaining cup of tea, allowing it's sweet aroma and taste to waft through her nose and taste to sweep over her tongue, before she glanced at Mikoto out of the corner of her eye. "If my Prince was not involved, I would not even THINK of helping you."
"…..I guess that is to be expected after all…." Mikoto suppressed a small grin. "Although, I wonder who was the one who felt threatened by my position with Kam-"
"I won't help you anymore."
"Alright, alright." Mikoto just managed to supress the large grin that was going to erupt on her face. It is kinda fun teasing someone who is so similar and close, yet so different and far from you. I can kind of see why she does this to me now. Not that I would agree with her methods and actions of what she thinks is 'teasing.' Her mind flashed back to certain events that had happened. …..yeah, that is toeing the rather fine line.
..
..
After their small teabreak(mainly consisting of them sighing like the have a pile of worries on them he size of a mountain.), they got back on track.
Basically, they were just avoiding the action of interacting with each other too much without a middleman (AKA, one Hokaze Junko).
"So, as I mentioned earlier," Misaki took out a small notepad from inside the handbag she carried with her everywhere. When she opened it, there was a rather complex diagram drawn on it. When Mikoto saw it, she was surprised. Wow, Shokuhou sure does know how to be efficient. "I managed to trace the 5 people who were sharing the photos online. But, they did not have much useful information on him. In fact, the only clue I got was that it was all sent to them randomly. They did not have to guts to blackmail you, seeing as you could have been a high levelled esper for all they knew, so they decided to throw it up online, and see how it all went."
"Mmm mmm….Hmm?" Mikoto nodded as she listened to Misaki, only to stop. "Did you say that the photo was posted online and shared because it all came from five people? All without any connection to each other?"
"Yes….why?"
"Well," Mikoto frowned, taking out a tablet. "From my abilities, it all came from a single area. More specifically, one person. Here."
"Thank you." Misaki nodded as she took the tablet from Mikoto. "….this is…."
"Yeah." Mikoto let out yet another sigh. "The guy in question actually edited the photo. Although, he did not know WHY he did such a thing. From my searches, it seems that he is a member of Judgement."
"Judgement?!" Misaki's face was one of shock. She sat forwards, deep in thought. The remaining dregs of tea reflected her starry eyes, deep in though. "But, that does not make much sense. If he were a member of Judgment, it would be more beneficial for him to report this incident to his higher ups instead of participating in this sort of event. Especially since he is part of Judgement."
"It does not make sense, does it." Mikoto agreed with the blonde girl's assessment. "In fact, I thought it was the work of a high level esper like you, but no one comes to mind…"
A memory flashed through Misaki's mind.
"You stole him from me!"
"I spoke to Kamijou Touma before."
"Thank you. For what you did for him."
"…..I may have can help us." Misaki called up the information in her mind.
Unknown, undisclosed location in Academy City.
"Hm hm hm~" A girl hummed a tune as she cooked up some food. It was not a cheery tune. If one were to hear it and describe it, they would say that the tune was full of pain. But, they would also say that it was one filled with nostalgia.
"Ah!" The girl let out a small scream of shock when the pots on the counter fell to the floor, their long dried contents breaking into fine bits against the hard floor. Cursing softly, she ignored the now messier floor, opting to finish the food that was being cooked ad prevent it from being burnt yet again.
The soft sound of a doorbell ringing interrupted her cooking.
Who is it? The girl titled her head slightly. She was not expecting any visitors. That just leaves…..
Manoeuvring her body with practised ease, the girl activated the cell attached to her shoulder, not allowing any of the contents in the pot she was using to spill. "Clean up the trash, butler."
"Sorry, but your butler is not available at the moment." The female voice that sounded behind he made her freeze.
"Shokuhou." She spat out.
"That is my name~" The blonde haired girl sang out. "No need to wear it out."
"What are you doing here?"
"My my, Mitsuari-san. " The blonde mental manipulator giggled. "Is there a need for so much hostility?"
"When you are involved in with the dark side, you learn and adapt to become someone else. Someone more dangerous and unfazed about certain things." The girl known as Mitsuari Ayu sighed. "I'm cooking. So make it quick."
"We need your help."
"Hah!" The girl known as Ayu snorted. "And why should a Level 3 such as myself help you?"
"Oh, no, it is not for me. Well, mostly." Ayu could practically hear the coy grin on the blonde's face behind her. "It's for a certain person that we know."
"Don't you DARE bring him up!" Ayu's heart flared with anger. "Not after what happened!"
"Great, the Idiot has another girl that fell for him." The unfamiliar voice caused Ayu to blink her eyes in confusion. "You better not be tricking me, Shokuhou."
Turning off the fire, Ayu spun around. Her eyes met the forms of two girls. One of them, she was very familiar with. After all, she had studied, fought, and nearly killed her once before. But the other was a new one for her. "Ok, who are you?" She placed her hands on her hips. "I know Shokuhou would not bring someone she does not trust here, considering my circumstances. Or rather, why ARE you even here anyway, Queen bee?"
"It involves Kamijou-kun." The name caused her to stiffen. "And since we are all affiliated to him in some way, and since you are someone who has used technology to control people, I wanted to consult you on something."
"Consult me?" Ayu scoffed. "That must be a first." Then, her brain caught onto the first bit. "….wait, affiliated with Kamijou?"
"I'm his g-girlfriend." The brown-haired girl gave a blush, but she still managed to give off an intimidating aura. "Who are you, and how do you know the Idiot?"
"…...eh?" Ayu's mind drew a blank for the first time since she tried to commit suicide.
..
Some time later…..
"Hah…" Ayu gave a large sigh. "So, Kamijou got himself a girlfriend, huh. I want to be surprised by this, but I can't. I only knew it was a matter of time after all. Just…did not expect it to be to another level 5 besides Shokuhou."
"Don't try to be sarcastic." The blonde in question frowned. "You know that Kamjou-kun could not make any new memories of me, right?"
"That was something I did not know until some time after I tried to kill you, admittedly." Ayu confessed. "But still, I am surprised. That you would actually be able to get him to agree to be your girlfriend." Ayu directed that question towards the other level 5 in the room.
"It was more of a forced thing than anything." Mikoto sighed. "But, I doubt I would have been able to do it had it not been for Yurei-san's prodding and constant hints."
"Yurei-san?" Ayu tilted her head.
"Another story for another time." Mikoto tried to wave away the issue. "Can we get back to what we are doing here in the first place?"
"Ah." Ayu sighed. "I forgot that you were here for some reason. Okay," She sat upright. "Can you tell me what you are doing here?"
"Well…" Mikoto dug into her pocket, taking out her phone.
"Pfft." Ayu stifled a laugh when she saw the mascot the phone was designed after.
"Don't laugh." Mikoto glared at Ayu. "Gekota is a perfectly fine mascot."
"For kids below the age of 8." Ayu retorted, taking the phone from Mikoto's hand. "Hmm?" Ayu blinked. "So…..you and Kamijou are a couple, right?"
"Y-yeah." Unease spread through Mikoto's body. "Why?"
"So, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Ayu's voice gave away her irritation. "If this is a prank-"
"Oh, nothing of that sort, Mitsuari-san." Misaki gave a small frown. "You should have caught on already to the problem with your deduction and planning ability."
"I have a small guess." Ayu looked away from the blonde level 5 esper. "You want me to take down the person who is spreading this photo of yours?"
"80 points~." Misaki giggled. "We want to know who photoshopped this photo, AND we want to track down the person who spread this photo in the first place."
"I see….so this photo is photoshopped?" Ayu gave an interested look. "Well, that is surprising. I though this was real."
"Well, considering that there have not been any photos between the Idiot and I, this photo is definitely not real. Even though there are no digital traces on the photo to prove it was photoshopped." Mikoto folded her arms.
"…Academy city is amazing. Even though I hate its guts for that thing, it is amazing…."
"?"
"Never mind." Ayu reeled in her train of thoughts. "So, you need me to help you locate the person who photoshopped this photo, AND you need me to find the person who spread the photo in the first place." Ayu tilted her head, before this shrugged, her chocolate-brown locks bouncing up and down with the motion of her shoulders. "Sure, why not."
"Really?" Mikoto blinked. "I thought you would refuse."
"Normally, I would." Ayu agreed. Standing up, she took off the apron hanging from her waist, before shrugging on a coat that was hanging from the chair. "But, I would rather prevent Kmaijou from being the centre of unsavoury rumours. I at least owe him that much for saving me again. "
"So, what are your real thoughts?" Hearing Misaki's voice wiped the smile off of Ayu's face. "We both know why you are here. You would not choose to leave after what had happened. "
"And we also both know that the dark side is in quite a bit of disarray right now, what with the Magic god and Gremlin having occurred a few months back. With those incidents, security had tightened up, so their activities are forced to be much more secretive and fewer in number." Ayu countered, slipping a custom bodysuit onto her slimmer frame.
"I would care less about your confidence ability, Mitsuari-san." Misaki's tone made Ayu pause her actions, ever so slightly. "But, if my Prince learns that you died trying to help him sort out an issue that would not bother him, his mind would crack even further than it has."
"….I would have thought that your concern was false, but what you said hints at me not knowing some things." Ayu did not turn to face the blonde mental esper. She did not trust herself to do so, lest the dark feelings festering in her heart be called out once again.
"Hm~ That would not be a wrong assumption, Mitsuari-san." Misaki gave a light giggle that irked her slightly. "After all, I was like you until a certain person helped bring things into motion."
"…A person not you?" Ayu's interest was piqued. "I thought you were the type who would not allow someone to manipulate you."
"His…convincing power was very high…."
"So he blackmailed you."
"…" Misaki kept silent.
"Ha ha ha!" Ayu laughed out loud, not caring that her laughs could be heard by anyone right then. "You? The highest level mental esper? Got blackmailed? Ha ha ha!" Her laughter was so hard, she had to hold her sides, stiches already forming at the areas she gripped. "He is a human, right? Not a robot or cyborg?"
"That is up for a debate." Misaki frowned at the form of the chocolate-brown haired girl that was laughing. "Nevertheless, his proposal gave me some interest in him. Although, his planning ability could use some work."
"The only thing that I can think of is either Kamijou getting the ability to remember you, or some sort of protection." Ayu's laughter died down, although a snigger or giggle would escape every so often. "So? What was his proposal?"
"For fixing his memory, everyone involved with him would become happy."
"…"
"…"
"…you aren't kidding." Ayu realised.
"Why would this Queen joke about something as tasteless as messing with one's crush." Misaki pouted, but Ayu could tell she was provoking her. Just a little bit. "But, his proposal was very interesting, to say the least."
"Really? Do tell." Ayu opened a cabinet, rummaging through it for some items.
"…For fixing his memory, he, or rather, we, would work together to make a harem for my Prince"
*Clank*
"Oww….." Ayu rose from under the cabinet, rubbing the back of her head gently. She had knocked her head against the top of the inside of the cabinet when she heard Misaki's words. "I am sorry, but could you repeat that? I think I misheard you."
"You did not. Your healing ability is perfectly fine." Misaki tilted her head. "Or perhaps….you are unable to process what I said?"
"You better not be joking." Ayu grumbled. "If you are, I swear-!"
"It is no lie." Misaki's strong gaze met Ayu's eyes.
"….Fine, if you give me that sort of look, I would not take your words lightly, at the very least." Ayu relented. "After all, despite what I did to you, you helped to save me, and hide me from the darkness of the City."
"It was the effort of me and that hag." Misaki spat out, venom laced within her tone.
"…" Ayu was slightly taken aback by Misaki's tone and speech, having not expected such venom or language to come from the student of the prestigious al-girls school known as Tokiwadai.
Meanwhile, a certain black haired beauty sneezed, momentarily disrupting her work.
"Are you okay, Kumokawa Seria?" An old man who was not too far from the girl asked, concern clearly laced in his tone.
"I'm fine." Seria muttered, sniffling. Did someone talk about me? Most likely that cow.
"Achoo!"
"Bless you." Ayu did not even spare Misaki a glance when she sneezed, opting to arm herself with some guns, grenades, and a few phones. Patting herself down, she nodded, satisfied with her equipment. "Ok, let's go."
"Are you sure you do not need anything else?" Misaki gave a once-over for the bare-looking girl.
"It's enough." Ayu let out a smile. A rare action for her. "My level rose slightly, and I know some hand-to-hand combat. So I'll be fine."
..
..
"You ready?" Mikoto was found to be leaning outside the door to Ayu's apartment.
"As ready as I'll be for now." Ayu sighed, before she locked her apartment. Turning on her heel, she walked quickly, her footsteps echoing in the long hallway.
"You know where we should go?" Mikoto hurried after the mental esper.
"I have a few hunches." Ayu fiddled with the phone she had taken out. "….you aren't going to ask me what my esper ability is? Or what it does?"
"I am curious, but seeing as you are someone that knows Shokuhou…." Mikoto spared a glance at said blonde, who's breathing was starting to get laboured by the fast pace. "I guess you could say that I won't trust you to a certain extent."
"…..I can understand that." Ayu turned her attention back to her phone. "She is someone who manipulates people after all. That said, I am similar to her."
"Hm?"
"It's called Mental Stinger." Ayu explained as they walked. "It is pretty similar to Shokuhou's Mental Out, but my ability is considered to be weaker then hers. At first."
"At first?"
"My level was said to have stagnated at level 3, should I follow the current curriculum that everyone is following." They descended a flight of stairs as they walked, Misaki's panting now slightly audible. "In fact, the said could have been said for Shokuhou, until they decided that one of us should be a Level 5. The end result is as you can see." Ayu smiled bitterly. "You are the same, I'm guessing?"
"…..the same?" Mikoto felt like her head was spinning. "What…..are you talking about?"
"You don't know?" The surprised look, as well as her tone, made Mikoto's mouth feel very dry. "I guess you don't. You are just like everyone else, I suppose."
"Tell me!" Mikoto's mouth felt dry, but she did not let that change her mind. "What did you mean when you said that I was the same? That I was chosen?"
"…..Are you sure you want to know?" When Mikoto realised it, they had stopped descending the stairs. They had stopped at one of the numerous landings, allowing Mikoto to see the chocolate-haired girl's eyes.
And they unnerved her.
It was full of darkness, unlike the usual bright, light filled eyes she was used to seeing in her friends and classmates. Full of pain, suffering, guilt, and a myriad of other emotions.
It reminded her to much of Touma's eyes when she faced him in Denmark, before she shocked him back to his sense.
"Are you sure? " The girl before her asked once more. "If you know, once you know, things would never be the same."
"…I do." Mikoto swallowed her saliva in attempt to quell the dryness of her mouth.
"…"
"…" Both girls stared at each other, neither saying a word to each other.
"I like your resolve." Ayu finally stated, breaking the silence. "So, I'll give in to your request. But, I'll only tell you after we are done, and I am back at my home. If I tell you now, your mind will wander about, and you would lose focus."
"….I'll take it." Mikoto nodded her head firmly. No matter what Mitsuari-san tells me, I won't lose myself.
I won't.
Timeskip
"This is the last place I can think of." There girls stood outside a somewhat fancy apartment complex.
"….Are you sure this is the place?" Mikoto frowned. "We have been all over the city, and its nearing curfew."
"Well, it should be." Ayu wiped her brow. "The information network I run traced the last mot likely suspicious individual here. Plus, I'd rather not stay out too late."
"Why not?" As Mikoto tilted her head curiously, she hacked into the security pad. "Judging from where you stayed, I thought you don't have to worry about school."
"I'd rather not get found out by the city that I am still alive." Rolling her eyes, Ayu tapped her foot against the floor. "The dark side thinks I'm either under lock and key, or six feet under. This life may not be ideal, but it is much better than being kept locked up or dead." The device in Mikoto's hand beeped once, signalling the end of the hacking process. The electronic door swung open. "Oh, look at that. Well, let's get going." Ayu proceeded to enter the building, while Mikoto tried to ignore what she had just heard, failing spectacularly in the process. In fact, Mikoto NOT stopping the chocolate-haired girl from entering the building and questioning her right there and then showed how much she had grown. From interrogating people when she heard something that did not sit right with her immediately of course.
"Hey!" A security guard which had been stationed at the front stood up. "What are you kids-"
"Category 4-2 for 10 minutes." With a simple press on her remote, Misaki managed to take control of the guard. "Category 2-2 for past 3 minutes."
"….You know, I still don't like how easily you can control others." Mikoto commented as she looked at Misaki work.
"But, you know it is necessary, Misaka-san~" Miskai coyly said, a smile on her face.
"….that's why I hate it even more." Mikoto grumbled. She could make any person do her bidding, or make them do something that they would not normally do, and Misaki would not get into any sort of trouble, as long as the target is human in nature.
"Do you hate mental-type espers. Misaka-san?" Ayu asked as she started the climb up the stairs. The reason they took the stairs and not the elevator was that it was easier for them to remain off the system records, and they would be able to hide from their target until the last minute.
"To a certain extent." Mikoto nodded.
"Why? If you don't mind me asking."
"Well," Mikoto began. "Mental espers have the ability to invade a person's mind right? So, they could do all sorts of things to that person. They could look through their memories, destroy relationships with their friends and family of anyone they hate, even make them do illegal things for their own benefit. It's no different from forcing a person under another's rule, or an invasion of privacy."
"…I can see your point." Ayu uncomfortably rubbed her arms. "But, not all espers are like that."
"I know." Mikoto sighed. "It's just…something that I thought about when I realised that there were mental-type espers in Academy city. It was actually one of the reasons I became an electromaster."
"Really?" Misaki's voice echoed off the walls before it reached their ears, showing how far she was from them. Even though they were just climbing stairs. "I though you became an electromaster because of your high tsundere ability, Misaka-san."
"Ha ha." Mikoto deadpanned. "That's REALLY funny, Shokuhou."
"So, you became an electromaster because you wanted to be one?" Ayu tilited her head.
"I think so anyway." Mikoto nodded. "Most people think it's random, but personally, I think it is due to what our personality is, as well as what our desires are."
"Personality, and your desires?" Ayu tilted her head a little.
"Yeah." Mikoto confirmed. "Generally pyrokentics have a high temper, or a warm personality. Aerohands have a lofty type of personality, or have some sort of presence to them. Electromasters are those who are quick to change."
"Now that you mention it….I guess there IS that sort of trend." Ayu consented. "But, I don't think that I had any desires or the personality to want to look into the minds of others and control them."
"Like I said, it is a theory of mine." Mikoto shrugged. "Anyway, we are quite close to the room, right?"
"Erm…" Ayu flipped open her phone. "…yeah, rather close."
"Anoh~" A panting voice made both of the girls at the top of the stairs groan lightly. "Could you…..wait for…..me?"
"We would have to do that, even if you had not asked us to do so." Mikoto felt a vein throb on her forehead. "In terms of memory manipulation, you have the upper hand compared to Mitsuari-san here. Speaking of," she turned to look at the girl in question. "How did you manage to locate the people that were most suspicious? Especially since the both of us could not?"
"I…have my ways." Ayu averted her eyes.
"…what was with that slight pause there?"
"I'm not hiding anything!" Ayu pouted. "I'm not! Honest!"
*Jiiiiii*
Both girls stared at the chocolate-haired girl, doubt deep in their eyes. Small beads of sweat started to drip down her face, making the stares even more pronounced as they stabbed into Ayu's skin.
"A-hahaha~ We have to get the guy now. We might not know when they might get away!" Desperately, the newly-minted pseudo level 4(or rather, the month old, self proclaimed level 4) opened the door, momentarily surprising the two.
Ah, she escaped… Not too surprisingly, the two level 5 espers had the same expression, reaction, and thought running through their heads and on their faces. After all, they were both very familiar with a certain spiky-haired boy's actions. One because she had spent quite a bit of time with said boy, while the other had spent quite a bit of time chasing after and fighting said boy.
They spent a few precious moments stuck in this position before they remembered why they had climbed the large hotel-like building. Especially Misaki.
..
..
"Okay!" Ayu enthusiastically kicked down the door, the stares from earlier still prickling her skin. Acting quickly, she pointed her device a choice, a phone, at the sole inhabitant of the room. "I ask you to stay still and answer any question we ask of you truthful-Kya!" She was interrupted by a flying spoon aimed at her face.
"Ha ha!" The person grabbed the half-finished plate of food, using the fork he still had in his hands to shovel it into his mouth. "You won't get me alive!"
"Hold it!" Mikoto scrambled into the room, electricity already sparking off of her body. "I don't know who you are, or why you are doing this, but you better stop it right now!" With every word, the sparks that flew off of her grew, a clear indication of her current mental state. "In fact, you better…eh?" Mikoto blinked at the sight before her.
Brown eyes took in a rather feminine face. Long, golden hair framed that face, over the person's shoulder's reaching up to the person's waist. A rather tight-fighting yellow shirt and black pants were fitted over the body, with a dark stole wrapped around his shoulders. Blue eyes shone as they too took in the appearance of the girl before him.
"Hey Miko-chan!" Thor waved his hand, plate and fork on his other. "What are you doing here?"
"…..that's what I should be asking you!" Mikoto's face turned a burning red when she heard the nickname that Thor had given her. And not in a good way. "Why are you here Thor? You should not even have a need to even BE in Academy City!"
"Ah, about that…" Thor placed down the plate on a table. "Well, I got invited here."
"Invited?"
"Yeah!" Thor's face split into a grin. "Some guy said that there was a high chance of a fight against strong guys coming to Academy City, so I decided to invite myself to the party!"
"What happened to the poor guy?" Mikoto felt a small inkling of pity for the guy whom had told Thor about this fight. Most likely, he had been blown away or sliced into tiny pieces. "I'm guessing you fought him?"
"Yep!" Thor beamed. "In fact, he was very strong too! Had to use my other mode to win, although that's no fun. His shield somehow managed to block my fusion blades, like Kamijou, so that was something!"
"Hmm?" Mikoto blinked. "…..could you say that again?"
"He used a shield to block my Arc Fusion blades!" Thor's face did not change. In fact, his smile grew wider. "Man, he sure was something, he managed to block my attacks pretty easily, and he managed to land quite a few counters against me! " Thor rotated his hand, showing a purple bruise, with a scab on top of it. "Got me good too when he used the edge of it to smash into my hand. Had to use 'Almighty Thor' to escape that and fight him. Even then, he managed to surprise me. I won after some hits though. Magic can't seem to heal it, but your science medicine works pretty well too!"
"…did he have grey-platinum hair? And when his shield was gone, did it turn into a liquid-like metal that stuck to his arm? More specifically, his left arm?" Mikoto felt like face-palming.
"…yeah, he did." Thor grinned. "Why? You know him?"
"….sometimes, I wish I did not. Or rather, I wish I did not meet him at all." Mikoto groaned, slumping against the wall of the room. "…I'm guessing this is the place you are holing up in?"
"Yeah, its that guy's place." Thor stretched. "He said I could use it for now. Said something about having some important business to take care of before he executed plan 'Camelot'. Whatever that is. Oh, and if you meet him, could you get him to fight against me again? That fight is like a boss that is just a few levels lower than you, so the xp he gives is pretty good! Not as much as Kamijou, but pretty good!"
..
As the two talked, Ayu just stayed where she was, sitting on the floor against the wall, just taking in their conversation without understanding much of what was going on.
…what is even going on? Ayu's eyes were swirling slightly. Almighty Thor? Arc Fusion blades? Magic? I just wanted to live in peace, but this is a little much for me to take in after living in peace for a few months.
….I wanna go home and sleep….
..
"This place is pretty nice." Now that they were talking, Mikoto could properly look at Percival's home.(Though right now it was being inhabited by a battle junkie who is also a former member of Gremlin). The bad was pushed up against a corner, with multiple bookshelves inside the room, filled with various books and storage devices. In one corner of the room was what she assumed to be a workout station, for there were dumbbells and a treadmill tucked into one corner. "So, what are you doing?" Mikoto folded her arms.
"I was having some dinner before your friend barged in, but I'm not too troubled by that." Thor shrugged. "I like to fight after all, and surprise attacks are a nice change of pace from my usual up-front confrontations. Although, hers was little too weak."
"Not that!" Mikoto sighed. "I'm talking about the picture."
"Picture?" Thor tilted his head.
"Someone was spreading a picture of me and Kamijou together." Mikoto explained. "I guess you don't know, since you are a magi-"
"Oh, that?" Thor grinned. "That was me."
"…huh?" Mikoto froze up.
"Yeah, that guy you mentioned? He has a pretty awesome set-up going on here." Thor took a moment to open up a safe. Nestled insides was a small drive. "Man, he sure has some nifty things. A virtual reality headgear with preloaded fighting games, some intense exercise equipment, and some awesome cookbooks. Hough, this drive of his is the one thing which I like the most. " Placing down his now empty plate, he reached into the safe, pulling out the drive. "This drive has quite a bit of tools and applications in it, as well some information that is really advanced! I'm not a scientist, so I'm not sure how advanced it is, but it looks like it is top secret!"
"….you made that picture?" Mikoto's ager was getting higher.
"Eh? Yeah." Thor nodded. "It was a great way to pass the time. Plus, I thought it would be a great way to get you and Kamijou together. So, did it work, Miko-ch-"
"DON'T CALL ME MIKO-CHAN!" Roaring, Mikoto let loose a few dozen bolts of electricity, all aimed at the blonde male before her.
"HII!" Beside her, Ayu screamed in fear at the sheer intensity and number of lightning bolts aimed at the male in the room. The thick smell of ozone was in the air-
"Hoi!"
-and it got even thicker when the battle junkie known as Thor intercepted those bolts with long blades composed of lighting. His Arc Fusion Blades.
"Ah, I knew that you would get a react with a fiery attack!" Thor nonchalantly waved his fingers, the Arc Fusion blades somehow not managing to damage anything in the room. "So, how is that tsun-tsun act helping in your progress rate with Kamijou-chan~"
"Oh shut it you battle junkie!" Mikoto fired a few more bolts, this times with less intensity. "I had to walk around Academy City all day for the culprit who made this photo! Then, I had to deal with the hordes of girls going after me to confirm rumours, with said rumours somehow managing to escalate from a photoshopped picture into Touma being someone I eloped with over the holidays, and that I am somehow married to him!" Small char marks began to appear around Mikoto, creating a perfect circle. "Not to mention I had to spend so much time combing through the ENTIRE Internet for the people who had distributed those photos, and then waste time trying to hide from my Dorm Manager, who is able to keep even us Level 5s in line!"
With every bolt she fired and every bolt that Thor deflected, more and more of the room got burnt or damaged. The bookshelves, as well as the books that were on it, began to smoke. The electronic device on said bookshelves sparked, before it burst. The gym equipment received little damage, except for the treadmill, which was smoking. And as for the bed, feathers were flying all over the room. "Do you even know how much grief, pain and sweat you put me through!? When I am done with you, I'm gonna- yeouch!" Mikoto stopped her barrage of attacks, pressing a hand to her temple. "Shokuhou!"
"Hai~ Hai~" Misaki twirled her remote in her hand, acting unconcerned. "Did you call me, Misaka-san?"
"Why did you try to enter my mind?" Mikoto slowly asked the blonde esper, sparks crackling to life on her forehead again.
"Well, it was to calm you down of course." Mikoto froze. "I mean, your anger ability is really powerful, but this is not outside you know~" Misaki drawled out. "We are currently in the residence of a certain someone we owe a debt to, especially you, Mi-sa-ka-san~"
"…" Mikoto took a look around her. Now that she had stopped her, the small bloodlust was tinting her vision was also gone. Which also enabled her to see the damage that had occurred.
The first thing that drew her attention was the treadmill. It was emitting sparks every so often, indicating that it was damaged. Thankfully, that was all the damage it seemed to have.
Next would be the bed, seeing as it was the origin of the feathers that were slowly falling all over the room. Almost immediately after glancing at it, she looked away, her mind wishing her eyes were playing tricks on her. There is….no way that is the bed, right? It has to be a trick on my mind, right? Right? I mean, magic could do this to me, right?
Unfortunately for the third-ranked level 5 of Academy City, this a situation she could not run away from. The bed, which had been a pristine white, was now a charcoal black. In every sense of the word 'charcoal'. The mattress was full of holes, all from Mikoto's lightning strikes that got deflected. Around said holes were burn marks, so this made the entire mattress more or less black. The pillows, which once sat on top of velvety-looking bedcovers, were nowhere to been at that glance. A closer look revealed some pieces of partially-blackened fabric. Most likely, the pillow had been sent to oblivion when no less than a dozen bolts hit the bed. And then finally, was the frame. What was once a simple, but classic, wooden frame, was now a black skeleton, a mere shadow of its former glory a few minutes ago.
In fact, when Mikoto turned to look at the thing that was once a bed, the legs crumbled, causing the entire thing to collapse in a cloud of black dust, leaving behind bits and pieces of charcoal-black wooden pieces, a roasted bed, and the charred remains of pillows.
And then, there was the bookshelves. The numerous books that had once lain on the shelves were now less than half. Some had fallen over, black burn marks all over their covers. They had fallen off when they were struck by the lightning bolts. Then there was the storage banks. Most, if not, all of them, were melted plastic.
"…ah" Strangely enough, Mikoto felt a little guilty and remorseful at what she had done, considering she disliked the person who owned that apartment quite a bit. If she were to put it in a ranking…two ranks below Misaki now, but half a rank lower than Misaki when Mikoto had not interacted with her much.
"So, why were you spreading those photos?"
After trying to clean up the mess that was Percival's home(less of clean up, and more of garbage disposal, since over half the items that were there were trash), Mikoto asked Thor the most pressng question.
"Hmm?"
"What's with that confused look?" Mikoto grumbled. "You were the one who distributed those photos, right?"
"No, not really."
"…what do you mean, 'Not really' ?"
"I mean, that photo? It was made for fun, you know?" Thor shrugged carelessly. "I never had the intention to spread it at first. I only made it cause it was soooo boring just reading books day in and day out. That guy made me stay inside this room, unless it was to buy ingredients to cook food, or to buy food, or t buy some more entertainment materials I could use. Although honestly, the best sort of entertainment for me would be fighting people face-to-face. They bring in so much more Xp than reading books!"
…what? Mikoto felt like her head was pounding and spinning at the same time. So, Thor did not do this? I thought he did, since he might have planned for me to come here by spreading that photo. But now that I think about it, he could have just kidnapped me to a remote location, or just sent out a message to me via the Idiot's whereabouts
"…so, you made that photo of Misaka-san because you were bored?" Misaki clarified, having noticed that Mikoto was in shock.
"Yeah! The program was pretty difficult to use so I tired it out. The photoshopping was also pretty difficult, so it was a good amount of Xp for me before I managed to get a satisfactory one." Thor sighed. "But, that Xp is allocated to lifestyle skills, and not my fighting skills, so it's a waste."
"…then, who spread the photo?" Mikoto's voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke. After all, she had also just noticed the time on the clock that was hanging from the wall(the only thing not damaged by the fight. Beside the computer) Shit! I know we should be going back now, but…I want to know! Id don't want this trip to be all for nothing!
"Mm….by Lessar-chan?" Thor folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the charcoal remains of the bed. "She stopped by here when she noticed my magic to see who it was. I would have fought her, but then she saw the photo that I managed to photoshop, and decided to fight me another day."
Lessar…lessar…. Mikoto faintly recalled someone with that name, but she could not place her finger on it. Ah! The image of a girl wearing a blue, white and red jacket, with a small, devil-like tail appeared in her mind. "That little girl came by?!"
"Oh~ You know Lessar-chan?" Thor looked interested as he leaned forwards. "Then, did the two of you have a grand fight?"
"…I guess?" Mikoto shrugged a little. "Wait! This is not the time for this!" Mikoto hurriedly grabbed Thor's shoulders. "So, you made the photo, and Lessar spread it around?"
"Mmm…" Thor hummed. "I'll give you the answer if you promise that we would fight."
"…as long as you tell me about it in advance, and we fight in a place where there are no people about…" Mikoto grudgingly assented. Honestly, she would rather not fight Thor. He was a battle junkie for one, and it would be a waste of time for her. But, she was pressed for time.
"Okay!" Thor grinned. "I guess what you just said summed it up nicely. I made the photo out of boredom, while Lessar distributed the photo to smoke out Kamijou!"
"…eh? Smoke him out?" Ayu blinked. "I don't see how that would smoke out Kamijou-san? Also, why are you not calling him with honorifics?"
"…I see." Misaki sighed. She had figured out Lessar's plan. "It would seem that this 'Lessar' would smoke out my Prince by distributing these photos. When they populace finds these photos, they would natural want to confirm if this photo is true. So, they would do one of three things." Misaki raised three fingers.
"First, they could look for the location the photo was taken, and gather evidence from the surroundings, like camera footage, or witnesses who were there that day. This method would be the most popular, but least effective way of gathering evidence and having their questions answered. So, that leaves two other options. " One finger went down, leaving two.
"The second way would be to look for the individual who took the photo." Misaki explained. "This photo looks like it was taken by a third party after all."
That is kinda true. Mikoto thought. "At first glance, t looks like a person held the camera that took this photo, and then, when it was sent to them, they could have posted it onto the internet for all to see. But, this way is flawed from the beginning."
"For one, Misaka-san is a Level 5 esper. She could make use of her ability to place the camera onto a stand, and set it on a timer while not moving from her position. Or, she could use her ability to manipulate the camera to take a photo. So, this second method would be for those who are over-thinking this." The finger went down, leaving one last remaining finger.
"And finally, the last method. That is, searching for the individuals in the photo themselves. This method would be the most effective method."
"After all, there a hundreds of people who would be looking for them. With a little bit coordination power, they could effectively cover the entirety of Academy City to look for these people. And, when they do, they would start to tell others where they are in order to corner the individual to beat them up, or ask them about their relationship with the City's third-ranked level 5. So, if they find my Prince, they would also alert others. Should this 'Lessar' be in these groups, she would be able to locate my Prince easily." Misaki tilted her head. "By the way, who is this 'Lessar' you were talking about?"
"A 12 to 13 year old girl who is trying to seduce Kamijou into sleeping with her, so as to coerce him to work for her out of his guilt of sleeping with a young girl." Mikoto deadpanned.
"…what a barbaric method."
"You do NOT get to say that!" Mikoto shouted. "It is not that convincing, coming from someone with a chest as large as yours!"
"…really?" Misaki pouted. "But, I AM a maiden at heart after all."
"Aha ha ha" Broken laughter caused the two level 5 espers to turn towards the other remaining girl in the room with them. "I thought that there being a few of us going after Kamijou-san to be his girlfriend would be hard enough, but what is with this!" She kicked the wall. "My opponents are two level 5 espers, a nun, the sisters of the third-ranked level 5, and now, a young girl who is not afraid to lose her virginity to a guy who is still in high school to get him to be indebted to her." The kicking grew in intensity. "Ah ha ha ha….the world has gone crazy…"
Trust me, that is the least of your worries…. Both level 5 espers in the room had the same train of thought flash through their minds as they thought back to what they had learned in the past few months.
AN
Here is another chapter for you guys! How was it? How was it? Was it very delicious? Or too much bitterness?
This chapter is the first on Word, so there might be some kinks for me to work out before it goes A-Okay. Not the things I wanted got transferred over. Sigh. And also, sorry for the later update than usual. I like to keep a few chapters in advance so I can look through them later on to make some minor edits here and there to the overall plot.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review, and stay safe!
Anime is Life!