Here we go, as we always do around this time! Response time is upon us. Let's get right into it, shall we?
Guest: as am I; sticking to the major topics at hand is wise, I agree.
In regards to Kaori experiencing an 'atomic wedgie', Spring-heeled Jack's actions are hardly justifiable, we can agree on that much. Regarding Laura Stuart, just how Jack was able to overpower her will be revealed (at least in part) in an upcoming chapter.
Poor Touma. Maybe he'll figure it out for himself? Alternatively, he could swallow his pride and ask the elderly man who forcibly transformed him; he'd more than likely know the right series of commands that would trigger such a bodily function.
321jaz: guess who's back, back again. Guess who's back, tell a friend. That I do! Let's get into it, shall we?
Favorite is relative at this point. Some love him, others hate him, and others yet likely find themselves divided. Kamijou Touma seems to find himself as part of the second category, if his volatile and barely-restrained reactions to Motoharu's interactions with him were any indication. The answer for their anger towards one another being two-sided is fairly simple; Kamijou Touma learned what the Backstabbing Blade's been up to in his spare time, and Kamijou Touma has proved himself to be a massive inconvenience to the Backstabbing Blade.
It makes perfect sense, friend. It all comes down to a matter of waiting and seeing just how the 'new' Kamijou Touma continues to apply himself in any further tense situations.
If Touma is the 'little fish' and the likes of Aleister Crowley and Laura Stuart are the 'big fish', among other parties who would use Touma to achieve their own ends, then Touma is the sort of 'little fish' with a particularly venomous stinger. The disruption of the cycle Kamijou Touma has long been a part of would indeed yield unforeseen and likely concerning changes for many powerful parties, both of science and magic.
A cryptic message delivered by a masked gentleman through a television station hijacking? Mysteries abound it seems, in the land of rationality and cold, hard logic.
I thank you very much for your kind gift, and I hope to receive more gifts of the same sort in the future, through subsequent chapters! The same goes for you, friend. It's always a pleasure!
whwsms: there's no time limit, friend; I'm grateful to hear from you one way or another, as always! Let's see what events in particular caught your eye, shall we?
Indeed, "Mortal Kombat" seems to be just around the corner, with both parties at one another's throats like a couple of rabid pit-fighting dogs, seemingly ready to tear each other apart at any moment, should either be given the chance (or sufficient reason) to do so. While neither of your guesses are wrong, the damage in question goes considerable deeper than most would think. It's a matter of inconvenience for Tsuchimikado Motoharu, while its matter of trust violations for Kamijou Touma. It would seem that at least a part of the Imagine Breaker's former Bearer still remains within the new nanorobotic form he's been forced to exist in.
I can't say I feel all that bad for Laura Stuart myself, but I certainly do feel quite bad for Kanzaki Kaori; she hardly deserved to be tormented in such ways by the likes of Spring-heeled Jack. Indeed, Laura Stuart's 'stroke of genius' might just blow up in her face should Kamijou Touma learn the identity of who it was that threatened his precious co-habitant.
That he will. Doing so might prove easier said then done should those close to him be placed in jeopardy, however.
About that... I can't say all that much, but I do hope that you find the time that Touma first spends as a "new "man" with his senpai to be to your liking. I do promise something of a reveal that I simply can't spoil here; read on to find out more, friend. Read on.
As always, it's great that I'm able to consistently gain your approval, and not once but twice in the previous chapter! I hope to continually do so through subsequent chapters.
Alph97: It pleases me very much to hear that you're enjoying your reading of A Certain Broken Testament; and it pleases me even more to know that you're enjoying the characters' interactions! I hope to continue providing you with chapters in which entertainment and enjoyment alike can be found.
Kamijou Touma had burned the night away. If the night (and the subsequent early hours of the morning) could've been compared to a candle, it would've been one that melted cautiously, slowly worked and whittled by flame.
In this case, the figurative candle's flame were the various entertainment mediums in the dorm that were available to Touma.
After he'd flipped through the few channels available to him on his basic cable subscription, he'd spent the rest of the early morning on the Internet, trolling through social media posts and marvelling at the idiocy of his fellow netizens, especially in the comments sections of conspiracy-oriented videos floating around on ViewHuntr. It hardly came as a surprise to Touma that the world's largest video sharing website had its fair share of crackpots.
Many of these more outlandish videos had lead Kamijou Touma straight into the manic depths of the looney side of the Internet; those who dwelt there were convinced that, among other absolutely outlandish fringe theories, Hebrew-speaking reptilian bankers ruled over the world with an iron fist. If they were to be believed, lizards were orchestrating world events in order to eventually play the final trump card that would lead them to world domination, which was apparently these nefarious amphibians' endgame goal, for reasons that couldn't or wouldn't be explained.
Before either of his charges had awoken, Touma had pried himself from the insanity of the dark web's borders and prepared breakfast for both. Two dozen eggs for Index, along with many a strip of bacon and almost ten slices of buttered toast. For the former Magic God something much smaller had been thrown together; a chocolate chip muffin with an enormous, puffy top had been warmed in the microwave, topped with warm, creamy butter.
Setting either of their respective meals (though Touma considered Index's to be more of a feast than a simple meal) down upon the table, he moved towards his bed where either young woman rested.
Index's leg dangled over the side of her bed, as did her arm. Othinus had ended up rolling onto her back at some point in the night and held her pillow tightly in her arms. The former Magic God's head rested against the bed itself.
It surprised Touma that the little nun's nose hadn't been stimulated by the intoxicating smells wafting from the collection of food; she must've been deep in slumber, possibly within a food-stuffed dream of her own.
Othinus seemed to stir, on the other hand.
With the food nearby her mortal brain had clicked into working order, pushing her away from sleep's hold over her mind and body.
She rose slowly, groaning to herself as her bones cracked and her muscles flexed. Othinus stretched once she'd sat upright, moaning in satisfaction as she did so.
At some point or another darkened clouds had settled over the skies of Academy City, and judging by the repeated, rhythmic sounds of tapping on the windows and against the outside of the dormitory, rain had come along with the threatening cloud coverage as a wingman and confidant. Though some natural light entered the dorm, it was synthetic light that saved the day.
Othinus made careful steps over the form of the slumbering nun.
"Morning, Imagine Breaker."
She approached and soon took her Understander into her arms. She stood on her toes and kissed his lips, arms finding their way to Touma's shoulders. The coppery taste of his lips (and of his entire body, his clothing included) was becoming familiar to her. It was a taste she found herself enjoying.
His hands fell upon her posterior, squeezing tightly.
"Morning right back at you. How'd you sleep? Have any pleasant dreams you'd like to tell me about?"
A grin tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Sugarplums and fairies. That was a jest; I dreamed of having this body violated by you of course."
That perked up Touma's interest. He pulled her close, grinding Othinus' crotch against his own, which she seemed to enjoy. It was a blessing that she was just as interested in sexually explicit conduct as he was.
Of course, it made enough sense to him that being celibate for countless aeons would have that affect on a person.
Just as Touma was about to ask the being he Understood about what sort of explicit dreams she'd experienced, Index stirred. Both the former Magic God and the scientific experiment gone just a bit too correctly parted from one another. Othinus politely and innocently set herself down at the table, crossing her legs and looking from one side of the room to the other to further prove her innocence to the nun if she awakened.
Awakened she did; Index's mind must've finally convinced her body that rousing itself from the depths of a comfortable sleep was worth it if delicious food was involved. Whatever dream the little nun had been absorbed in was no match for the scent of real and truly consumable food.
"Tou-ma! You made breakfast! I'm going to stuff myself until I can't eat anymore! So HUNGRY! THANK YOU!"
Like a bat who'd rushed out from the depths of Hell the nun bolted to the table, barely able to stop herself from crashing directly into it. She skidded to a halt, threw herself down onto her posterior and immediately dug in, completely unconcerned by the fact that she was consuming her feast like a barbarian might've in the days of old. How she didn't suffer from indigestion was beyond the realms of both Touma's and Othinus' respective knowledges.
An unimpressed Othinus breathed a sigh of frustration, nonchalantly biting into her muffin.
"Quite. Many thanks, Imagine Breaker… but, nun, you really ought to consume your meals more politely. Your lack of manners is unladylike and your insistence on consuming gargantuan amounts of nutrients could come to have potentially devastating side effects on your relatively small body."
Index didn't even bother to take the time to reply. She simply continued to shovel her morsels into her gaping maw, consuming all edible things around her like a vacuum forcibly ingesting so many dust bunnies.
Othinus didn't choose to pursue the issue any further. Thus, Kamijou Touma simply made his way to the kitchen area where he flipped open and then powered on his laptop. The computer came to life, exiting sleep mode as its internal 'organs' whirred. Touma navigated to and then refreshed the EpiCenter feed.
Plenty of not only text-based posts but photos as well from Aogami Pierce, about Aogami Pierce's failed attempts at entering a female-only bathhouse with that blundering fool Osamu Yuki could be seen, complete with a rant from Fukiyose Seiri in the comments section of one of the offending photos, but not much else was present. Fukiyose Seiri herself had uploaded a picture depicting the fruits of Himegami Aisa's labors, a large block of lasagna which apparently looked quite tasty from where Touma was standing. Boxed or not, it was certainly an appealing dish.
Touma scrolled for some few more minutes before he ceased to engage in the paltry distraction. Navigating to EpiCenter's chat bar, Touma started a new chat with Kumokawa Seria, adding the subject line "play date", a grin tugging at the corner of his lips before he began to type his message.
"Morning Seria, hope you slept well! Let me know what's up at your earliest convenience? I'm really looking forward to seeing you again (even if that means being a delinquent and making Komoe-sensei cry)!"
The proclamation of "courtship" (or pseudo-courtship at the very least) was delivered to Kumokawa Seria's inbox. Touma left the computer behind, minimizing out of the EpiCenter window and leaving the computer to idle as it displayed its desktop.
Index had completely consumed her feast in the span of time it would've taken the average human being to consume a singular piece of toast, which was an unsurprisingly feat to Kamijou Touma and the once-Magic God Othinus.
The little nun leaned back, rubbing her belly with either of her hands as she smiled contentedly. The feast fit for a queen had temporarily done the trick, but she'd eventually seek more.
On the other hand, Othinus was only just finishing her enormous muffin. The former Magic God repeatedly dabbed at her chin with a nearby napkin, catching dripping streams of butter that managed to flee her lips.
Kamijou Touma was reminded of a very different type of thick and milky substance. His mind, no matter how heightened or enlightened, was deep in the gutter. Touma accepted his fate and dealt as best as he could.
"Nun, I have a theory about the current events transpiring in Magical Powered Kanamin."
Both Index and Touma found themselves in a state of shock. It was always Index who was pestering Othinus about her wild fascination with Kanamin, and yet before them the tables had been turned.
Othinus had broken her own set conventions for whatever reason she saw it fit to do so.
The former Magic God seemed to pick up on this, shrugging either of her shoulders as both Touma and Index looked on at her, both finding themselves awkwardly chuckling, more to themselves than to each other.
An excited Index crawled forward as best as she possibly could, struggling to pull her body (which felt quite bloated) along.
The former Magic God had the nun's attention. She looked curiously into her co-habitant's eyes, her head tilting to one side as if she was urging the blonde to speak.
Kamijou Touma watched on curiously, glad to see the two interacting of their own accord. Othinus' communication skills were already greatly improving. In the end, the frog-faced doctor had been correct, seemingly as he always had been and likely as he always would be.
There was a small 'bleep' from the kitchen area, projected from the laptop's external speakers. While Othinus began to regale Index with her conspiracy theory regarding the Pope of Magical Powered Kanamin's universe actually being an aspect of the One True God on Earth, Touma returned to his laptop and maximized the Qoozle Navigator window.
For a moment Touma considered the possibility that it was Tsuchimikado Motoharu informing him that he and his co-habitants were about to be dragged off on the ill-fated 'adventure' looming over them like the darkened clouds in the sky, but the message turned out to be not from the snake, but from Touma's beloved senpai. Relief washed over him like a wave.
"About time! Hmph!
"I kid I kid! It's so very good to hear from you again as well. I love your previous little messages so much! I can't get enough of them! When you're so kind to me in that way that you are, my heart simply melts inside of my chest. You're almost too sweet to me. Don't tell anyone… this will be our little secret, and I certainly have no reason not to trust you, but I can have some strings pulled if you'd like to play hooky with me and get away with it."
Hooky? That sounded interesting.
Kamijou Touma leaned forward, balancing his form's limited weight against the kitchen area's counter as he silently contemplated what exactly Kumokawa Seria was talking about. Did she have some sort of high-ranking position within the City's infrastructure which she kept quiet? Such secrecy would be understandable. His senpai was certainly intelligent enough to be of help to some sort of less than intelligent individual or individuals who needed a powerful thinking mind. Perhaps she even ran her own show behind closed doors?
His curiousness would have to stay buried. Such a topic was obviously none of his business. Touma quickly took to typing up a fitting and appropriate reply.
"Playing hooky huh? I think I could get in on that if you'd like to be my partner in crime. I'm pretty much ready to go anytime, so it's all on you. No pressure though! I can entertain myself (not like that, not at this hour anyway) until you're ready to bring it together. It's going to be so nice to do something fun with a normal person, especially someone as beautiful, smart and charismatic as you."
A response came almost instantly.
"Now you're just making me blush. You're working towards a well-deserved reward aren't you my sweet little kohai? I've prepared myself ahead of time as I woke quite early this morning, though I suppose it makes enough sense, I slumbered quite early as well. Beauty sleep, see. You need not worry about any sort of hustles and/or bustles related to pubic transportation, I've a personal vehicle I can chauffeur you in. It would be my high honor to do so."
That just sounded like it was the closes thing to a Heaven on Earth that Kamijou Touma was going to find. Being in a car with an attractive older girl, a young woman who obviously had intense feelings for him? That was a win, in his books. Even if he and Othinus frequently engaged in sessions of "sexual frustration relief therapy", neither was bound to the other. They were merely two Understanders who sought to deal with a biological bother.
"Ready whenever you are. I've got extra pocket money, so consider any gas expenses paid. Only seems right, even if we meet halfway or something of the sort."
"Gas? Oh, you silly boy. My vehicle is fully electric, enviro-friendly."
"Are you an ojou-sama or something?! Why didn't I know about this?! How loaded ARE you?! Haha."
"Loaded" enough to spoil you rotten. If you'd be so kind as to supply me with directions to a location near your place of residence, I'd be more than honored to pick you up and whisk you off with me. I can't fully guarantee that I'll bring you back, however. I might just want to keep you all to myself. I jest of course… unless that's what you'd like."
"Tease" wouldn't have been the right word to describe Kumokawa Seria.
If Touma sought to immediately engage in sexually explicit conduct with her, he was almost certain that Seria would tend to his physical desires without complaint. That was part of his desire, though not all of it.
Some old-fashioned good (and normal) times stuffed to the brim with positive vibes were the goal to be achieved, at least in Kamijou Touma's mind.
Opening another tab, Touma navigated to Qoozle Locations, obtained a map pointing out the location of the park near his residence in school district seven and delivered it to Seria via a copied and pasted link, transferred from the Qoozle Locations tab and into the EpiCenter tab. Seria soon sent a message acknowledging that she received the details and left the two-way chat after offering Touma her love in text form.
There was one final matter to attend to before he'd clear his browsing data for the ensured safe use of the computer by an exceedingly innocent Index, after which he'd power the faithful piece of technology down.
Opening a new tab and closing the others, Touma navigated to his bank's website, entered the required information into the required fields and requested a digital copy of his balance and recent activities.
There were numerous new deposits that'd been made, though this didn't come as a surprise to Kamijou Touma. Many of the 'companies' responsible for these large deposits were in fact nothing more than fronts to pull the wool over the collective eyes of potential interlopers. "AllNature Foods & Good Incorporated" and "the Hardware Store" were among the many fronts responsible for the very recent deposits, some up to ¥218,731 each.
Kihara Gensei was apparently satisfied enough to give Kamijou Touma his rightful payout, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that he'd destroyed parts of he old man's derelict structure turned undocumented, off the radar laboratory and assisted a 'test' subject' in escaping from the facility.
In total, ¥4,871,144 had been deposited into Kamijou Touma's account. Even if it was blood money, he was oddly proud of his accomplishments. It wasn't like he was staining his hands with the lifeblood of innocents after all.
Surely, he wasn't some sort of monstrous hired goon who killed for coin.
Banishing that train of thought from his mind, he cleared the browser's history and then shut the laptop after he'd commanded it to turn itself off. The last thing Kamijou Touma needed was for Index to stumble upon something he or the perpetually-aroused former Magic God had searched, likely resulting in the innocent little nun fainting or otherwise being scarred for life.
He soon left the kitchen area and passed by the laundry room, the door leading into it was opened; the bathroom's door was closed however, and Index had sprawled herself out on the bed, her attention turned to the television. Othinus was evidently preparing herself for her own day.
The fact that a once all-powerful Magic God needed to obtain an education, allowing her to find proper work that would financially provide for her was almost humorous to Touma. She truly had well and truly become mortal in more ways than one. This series of thoughts weren't foreign to Touma; many a time he'd found himself questioning all the strangeness that once had and continued to unfold around him.
"You're spending too much time on that computer Touma," Index chastised. She rolled onto her back and held her arms up in the air, wiggling her fingers. The little nun looked up to the ceiling as she performed this strange ritual.
"Am I? I don't think so. I barely touch it."
"Are you going to school today?"
In response Touma shook his head, no. Index huffed in irritation.
"Not today, Index. I've plans with a… a friend. So until Othi-chan gets home you'll need to take care of yourself. There's food in the fridge and yen in the kitchen if you need anything food-related or otherwise."
"I'll invite Maika-chan over. We'll dirty the dorm up and leave the mess for you to clean as punishment for your sins, Touma. Through hard work you'll redeem yourself!"
Index giggled, indicating that she was only playfully taunting her guardian; but Touma wasn't quite that pleased with the little nun's situation.
She was safer in his dorm than she would even be in England, and yet with safety came semi-frequent isolation. An innocuous nobody of a fifteen-year-old girl couldn't safely roam the City streets alone and the girl who'd been forced to memorize over one hundred thousand Grimoires, effectively a living artifact of legend would find even less safety in wandering Academy City in solitude.
Touma felt terrible about the little nun's situation.
Closing the distance between them, Touma knelt before the little nun. Rolling over onto her stomach, Index kicked her legs up and crossed one bare foot over the other, supporting her head with either of her hands, her arms acting as leverage.
"Is there anything that's caught your attention lately? Anything at all? I got, erm, paid today, so I can buy you a little something. Just tell me if there's anything you want and I'll pick it up for you."
Index's eyes lit up like those of a small child presented with a toy they'd long been lusting after. Touma couldn't help but chuckle, lowering himself further so that his line of vision could be on an equal level with the little nun's own.
"Oh, how much? How much money did you manage to scrounge up this time, huh? Don't lie to me Touma, I won't make you spend it all on food... probably..."
"Just over six hundred thousand yen."
Even if that wasn't even a fraction of the sum he'd been paid for his recent 'efforts', such an amount of money was still more than enough to cause the little nun's eyes to nearly bulge right out of their sockets. She laid slack-jawed for a moment before she shook her head, regaining control over her own mind.
"W-W-WHAT?! Tou-ma! You're rich! Well… there was…"
Index trailed off, her right hand stroking her neck awkwardly as she giggled. Either of her cheeks glowed a feverish red, and her face almost sunk into the bedding itself.
"I was looking on your computer the other day, on Goodtech's website… and they have an incredible tablet-computer on sale, for… erm, well, for "only" just over fifty thousand!
"It's "octo "core!" I think that's good! Himegami said it is. There's another one that's got ten "cores" and Himegami said that's better. It's ten thousand yen more though. The octo core one has five hundred "gigabytes of storage" and the ten "cores" one has one hundred "terabytes of storage". That's a lot."
Though there was no itch present, Kamijou Touma thoughtfully scratched his chin for a short while, with Index looking on. Tilting her head to the left, Index let either of her legs fall to the bed, causing the frame to shudder.
"Any particular color, or does the tablet with ten cores come in only one?"
"Just white!"
He rose, and Index's big, curious eyes followed his form like those of a cat following its chosen prey.
"I'll think about it."
Index was more than just a little bit aware of the fact that these words effectively translated to a simple "yes" in the Kamijou residence.
The nun's lips curled, her facial expression becoming one of surprise before it became one of overt and overwhelming happiness. Index nearly squealed with joy, leaping up from he bed and leaping onto her guardian, wrapping her arms and legs around his form.
Without hesitation Touma returned the embrace. Effortlessly he supported the little nun's form as the two shared a moment of deep-rooted friendship and mutual fondness for one another.
"Thank you Touma! You'll help me learn to use it right? Maika's is easy to use but that one's simpler."
"Of course I will. Did you think I was just going to leave you high and dry like that?"
He realized the nature of his own admittedly rhetorical question, and emulated the sound of a human being's sigh. Evidently, his impression of such a vocalization was getting better; Index seemed to pick up on the fact that something was 'off' almost immediately.
"That's kind of what I've been doing lately, I know, and I know this is such a cliché but I had your best interests in mind, not only yours but Othi-chan's too, at least I thought I did. This is all still confusing and it sucks that you're strung up in it all."
"Touma... it's okay."
"I can't bring you guys in on any of that but we can help each other out in other ways, right?"
"Nobody can force you to do anything you don't want to do. It's okay."
Index's words were exactly what Kamijou Touma needed to hear. She obviously wasn't going to coddle him when it came to the matters he fully admitted were to be kept secret, but she wasn't going to turn against him for it.
In the end, it was all he could ask for from her, that was fair in and of itself.
Both still found themselves in each other's arms, and neither seemed to be all that concerned about this fact. Index had rested her chin against her guardian's icy shoulder, grasping onto his shirt with her small hands and holding on as tightly as she could.
"I'm going to have to say my sorrowful farewells to Othi-chan," Touma began, "but don't cry too much, I'll be back here to annoy you guys before long. If that idiot-snake comes knocking just tell him we're not ready. He'll… he'll know better than to try anything. He'd better know better."
Touma set Index down on her feet, and then lowered himself before her. Parting her bangs and her hair's fringe, he leaned in and placed a soft, cool kiss to the nun's forehead, causing her perpetually-present blush's crimson coloration to further deepen.
"I'm sure Maika will be around if you need anything. By the way, I'm… it's good to see you and Othi-chan spending time together. Feels nice to know that you guys are getting along alright. Love you; and I might just be bearing gifts when I get home. It'll have to stay a secret for now."
Predictably, she pouted; just as predictable was Touma's subsequent laughter, which continued even as he made his way into the laundry room, and then into the bathroom.
Left on her own, Index returned to the bed, falling back upon it with a lively giggle as her pet cat surfaced from within the sheets. Sensing that the anomalous Kamijou Touma was no longer present in the room, the small feline looked from one side and then to the other as its master gently patted its head.
"Othi-chan? Might I be granted entry?"
"If you must be."
With caution, he opened the bathroom door enough to squeeze himself through the opening provided and then closed the blockade behind him. Once inside, Touma the shower curtain folded closed, preventing him from viewing the former Magic God's naked form.
This didn't last, however.
The shower curtain was soon opened with carefulness by Othinus, who pushed the rather thick and quite heavy sheet of plastic to her left.
Othinus looked like she was some sort of high ranking individual in Academy City's nonexistent hierarchy. Like a princess having a royal bath the former Magic God was sprawled out in the tub, her toes peaking out from the massive amount of bubbles that covered the water she laid in. While her nose was above water, her mouth was submerged, continuously producing tiny ripples in the water. The former Magic God's hair looked more like golden fleece, evidence that it'd been recently scrubbed clean.
"Looks like you're having a good time in there."
"You could only imagine. This is figuratively heavenly. I'd request a footrub but I think you'd enjoy that far too much. Disgusting, lewd little human."
"Guilty as charged. Just fuck my shit up and call me Davey."
"Hm?"
"Never mind. It's not important. Just... this old guy I know. Long story."
Falling into a crouch, Touma neared the tub. Othinus raised her head as droplets of water, suds and bubbles fell from her face. Taking the former Magic God's chin into the fingers of his right hand, Touma leaned in and placed an affectionate kiss to Othinus' lips, causing her form to shudder.
A single kiss wasn't quite enough however; Touma soon began to lose himself in the body of the being he Understood so well, and she too lost herself in his icy, but remarkably soft physical form.
There was that coppery taste again, the taste that was slowly beginning to drive Othinus' mortal mind wild.
With their eyes closed, Othinus' arms found themselves around Kamijou Touma's shoulders, water and suds dripping down onto the bathroom's floor, creating a considerable mess that would inevitably have to be tended to. Neither were particularly perturbed by this.
"Is there any reasoning in particular behind this visitation, Imagine Breaker? Or were you simply seeking a kiss?" Othinus inquired, her voice soft, gentle, charming and seductive all at once.
Touma parted from a reluctant Othinus.
"I'm heading out pretty soon, going to bring it together with Kumokawa-san. You know, Beauty-Senpai? You guys have spoken before."
Othinus licked her lips and winked in her Understander's direction.
"I'm quite jealous, Imagine Breaker. Her body is truly sumptuous, as is her bosom. You ought to inquire as to whether this… "Beauty-Senpai" would be interested in a group liaison, merely out of curiosity of course. I'm merely assuming the nature of your meeting is one of sexually explicit conduct."
Even if that wasn't quite it, he wasn't about to deny that the interest was certainly there.
"It happens if it happens, nobody's forcing anything. That's not the way to do these sorts of things. Not fair to anyone involved on either side."
Othinus sank back into her bathwater. With twenty minutes to spare before she had to get herself out the door and headed for that place of education she had plenty of time to reward herself for a few moments. Either of her eyes closed, and she produced a soft sigh.
"So very relaxing… be a dear and pamper me for a moment, Imagine Breaker?"
The former Magic God shifted herself in the tub, leaning her back against the adjacent porcelain and folding her legs beneath her.
As if he knew just what to do, Kamijou Touma placed either of his hands upon Othinus' shoulders and gently massaged them, pressing his thumbs into her soft, silky skin and against her shoulder blades. Unintentionally she produced a low, soft moan, tossing her head back and causing stray clumps of suds and a collection of water to spray her Understander's face.
"Othi-chan, how would you feel if something "sexually explicit" happened, something that was just spur of the moment?"
"I'd say that your business is your own just as my business is my own. As well, monogamy is for the dull and for those who are untruthful with each other."
"Y'think? I don't know about that. Most people are in monogamous relationships," Touma remarked, shrugging either of his shoulders.
Othinus rolled her single functioning eye.
"What do you expect me to say? To demand that you sexually devote yourself entirely to me? I see no rings on these fingers. You and I are both free, Imagine Breaker."
"That's true. Honestly? It seems kind of boring to me now, too. Just... always fucking the same person, every night? It must get to the point that your mind starts drifting, y'know?"
"Quite. Do not burden your thoughts not with the inherently flawed mortal concept of "one love". Love itself is volatile and uncontrollable. It cannot be categorized or limited in such ways without truly catastrophic results coming about. Memorize worldwide divorce statistics if you wish to find proof."
She did have a point. Even Komoe-sensei had tearfully taught that, with a seventy-five percent divorce rate marriage was a construct doomed to crumble and fall.
Touma shrugged as he continued to massage the former Magic God's shoulders, causing her to quietly moan in pleasure.
Though he eventually ended up working his way down to her bosom, she didn't seem to mind. If anything she seemed to enjoy the attention. Either of her hands had found their way to her Understander's, her palms rested atop his icy extremities.
"Were you serious? About a three-way."
"Quite serious. I've found the idea quite appealing since I first viewed a pornographic film containing scenes of multiple female actors tending to the physical needs of a lone male actor, in case you were curious as to the inspiration behind such 'depravity'. The nun would scold me greatly for these thoughts."
Touma found himself chuckling; soon, Othinus joined him, quietly giggling under her breath.
"Index would be pretty peeved, but that's probably because she's... y'know. Burying a lot of thoughts. It must be difficult, abstaining from so many things the way that nuns do. No way I could do it, she's got bigger balls than I do, and Index doesn't even have balls. Well, she didn't the last time I checked."
"Oh? You've been having sexual intercourse with the nun? Bravo. If you have somewhere to be, you ought to get there sooner than later. Or perhaps you'd like for me to engage in delinquency with you?"
Such behavior couldn't be encouraged. One instance of "delinquency" could easily become another, and then another, so on and so forth.
But she was a smart one. Othinus wouldn't engage in behavior that would threaten her future as 'just another mortal'. Even if Komoe-sensei's tears would be shed upon realizing that two of her pupils had skipped not one but all of her classes, there had to be play to balance work.
Or did there have to be?
Touma still had an inquiry to pose.
"Othi-chan, you're supposed to be my "relative". If you did skip out and come along, how would we explain what you are to me? I don't think Beauty-Senpai knows about magic, and…"
There he almost went again; he nearly went and talked about Kumokawa Seria as if she was a weak, pathetic little princess in a tower that needed to be guarded. This couldn't have been any farther from the truth and Kamijou Touma knew it. He really did have progress to make before he'd stop being such a miserable, borderline misogynistic piece of shit.
Othinus stated the obvious. "You look worried; I was merely jesting. We don't even know if your exceedingly attractive acquaintance would be willing to engage in such a… taboo practice. You also highlight a valid point, there is and likely always be a delicate balance between two sides of the world-coin.
"Go on and have your fun Imagine Breaker, I'll be right here waiting to ravaged, torn open and raped by you… I mean, to make sweet, sweet love to you of course. In no way shape or form would I enjoy it if you forcibly pushed yourself inside of me and made me your personal whore."
He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Love you, Othi-chan."
"I enjoy your company as well… heheheh. I love you as well. You aren't lying to me, are you?"
"About?"
"About spending time with your exceedingly attractive friend. If I learn that you're going off on your own, Imagine Breaker, I'll be redacting your access to my womb. In seriousness, times of distress are not times you should face alone."
"I'm not lying Othi-chan. No more lies, I promise."
"That's all I can ask for. Off with you then. Have your fun and try not to get home too late."
Kamijou Touma found his way out of the dorm's bathroom, out of its laundry room and then beyond the dorm completely, after he waved one final wave to Index, which the little nun returned as she half-paid attention to her guardian and half-paid attention to the television set in front of her.
Through the stairwell he passed and then through the lobby, Kamijou Touma moved like greased lightning. Though he neglected to tear up the roadways and the cobbled walkways beyond his dormitory during his short and equally swift trip towards the park, Touma certainly caught the attention of individuals with wandering eyes; he was fast even by esper standards, more of a blurred and an opaque mass of grey than a human being.
The sky above was beginning to clear. The clouds were pushed away by sections of cloudless blue sky, chaos and order seemingly going to war above.
Though he'd evidently arrived before Kumokawa Seria (who must've been running late, as he by his own admission had taken a fair amount of time to get himself to their rendezvous location), Kamijou Touma didn't find himself alone in the park.
The expansive field was clear even of students by the nearby educational facility, but an issue remained: the park was being temporarily inhabited by a group of three young male individuals. They'd overtaken the jungle gym, while the park's other recreational facilities remained free to use.
They were like roaches; but they weren't just any roaches. Kamijou Touma had encountered these roaches before on a night whose events felt like they'd played out before him so very long ago, the night in which he'd crossed paths with Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun, not for the first time.
Something happened to Kamijou Touma. He didn't quite understand what the anomalous happenings were, but they were happening. Whether it was one or many he wasn't sure.
Before him, his vision shifted, almost becoming pixelated, riddled-with static as machine-phase matter danced before him. For a moment, Kamijou Touma lost control of his form; and then he saw himself.
The apparent ringleader of the bumbling, idiot delinquents still wore his dark, brown-colored hair long, though he'd apparently obtained a superior fashion sense since he and Kamijou Touma had first met on that night. A simple short-sleeved shirt and equally simple, innocuous-looking jeans adorned his form, with a pair of trainers that looked like they'd cost quite the pretty penny.
He seemed curious at first; he'd raised his outstretched hand to his forehead as he left his post upon the park's jungle gym. Leaping down to the cedar below he approached, his steps careful and deliberate. Two of the apparent ringleader's goons stepped in. One resembled a lanky, far less attractive version of Hamazura Shiage while another had brown skin, obviously a foreigner. Like their apparent leader their respective getups were casual enough.
The apparent ringleader made a bold proclamation, folding his arms across his chest as he came to a halt.
"Well, shit! Never thought we'd see you again! It's the fuckin' hero! Was it worth it? Did you end up sticking it in the Tokiwadai girl's pooper?"
Kamijou Touma had appeared in front of the delinquent children somehow; it obviously hadn't been the work of a teleportation ability of some sort, as something had certainly been seen between the space his form had covered; regardless, the mechanics of the swift means of travel remained anomalous nonetheless.
Ugly Hamazura Shiage shot Kamijou Touma a glare, taking a step forward and spitting into the grass. He grunted aloud like some sort of rabid animal.
"He was talkin' to you motherfucker. Your ears alright?"
There was a shriek of pain and cries of surprise. The sounds reverberated throughout the unpopulated field, reaching the skies and spooking the birds who'd taken to resting in the scattered trees.
The apparent ringleader's hand, taken into Kamijou Touma's own was instantaneously crunched like a vehicle in a scrapyard reduced to a compact cube. The density of Touma's extremity had increased exponentially.
If the apparent ringleader's hand had been run over by the wheels of a freight train, the pressure applied likely would've been less than what was being applied by "the hero". Bones were irreparably shattered and flesh was torn as the apparent ringleader was left with little more than a bloodied stump where a hand had been.
Within the terrified, sobbing once-ringleader – his cronies had turned tail and fled, leaving their 'superior' for dead – Kamijou Touma saw a hated enemy, a foe who would've shown him no mercy if the Railgun hadn't dealt with him and his goons, a piece of trash that should've been disposed of.
But was that his right?
Touma considered the possibility that nature and Darwin's theory of evolution would sort his old enemy out. Reduced to a whimpering, pleading and truly pathetic lump he was hardly worth killing at all.
Even if his old enemy wouldn't meet death, Kamijou Touma would leave his mark.
With a shove, the once confident and proud human being stumbled back and unceremoniously fell with a wracking sob, lifeblood spilling out onto the field's grass from his hideous, mangled wound.
"I'm not a hero. I'm not a villain either. I'm… something else, I'm your worst nightmare… I don't really have a reason for doing this to you, honestly. I just want to… tell your buddies I said "hey". Here, a forget-me-not."
Zeeee, nunununuuu.
Kamijou Touma's index finger shifted, decomposing into a mass of swarming machine-phase matter. Once it reassembled, a small, vaguely knife-like blade was present where a finger had been.
With it, Touma sliced off his foe's right ear. Like the ear was made of butter it parted easily. The pathetic, weeping husk of a man screamed aloud; the severing itself was over in a fraction of a second, yet the pain was greater than anything he'd ever experienced before.
"Suffer."
"MMMMYYYYYYYYYY EEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
Touma rose and moved away, watching on amused as his old enemy weakly staggered upwards, barely able to support his body's weight with his own legs. With his surviving hand, he gripped the wound where an ear had once been and like his cronies before him he turned, fleeing as best he could. Occasionally he would stumble and fall and he'd inevitably rise again, his rather embarrassing weeping fading into the distance with his damaged body.
Then, the static cleared.
No one was harmed, there was no blood in the grass and Kamijou Touma found himself sitting upon the nearby bench, with the trio of troublesome youths at either of his sides.
"Are you alright? Sir? Please answer me, give me something, anything! Stay with us, sir! Pray, my friends!"
And that they did. The apparent ringleader's cronies began to repeatedly utter the 'Hail Mary' prayer, apparently hoping for the Divine Mother's protection to be laid upon their once-victim.
Kamijou Touma didn't know what was going on. The delinquent ringleader he remembered from so long ago seemed to be dead and gone.
Before him was not a person who'd attempt to solicit physical favors from a middle schooler; he didn't come across as someone of the sort through his refined speech and his soft tone of voice.
"Hold up."
Touma leaned forward as the delinquent ringleader produced a sigh of relief. The long-haired boy's fingers were wrapped around Touma's wrist, the boy's thumb rested where a pulse should've been.
"Sir, I don't mean to alarm you, but you don't have a pulse… somehow."
Ugly Hamazura Shiage offered Touma a bottle of 'organic spring water'.
"Are you like, cool, dude? You should totally be in Heaven and shit, knowmsayin'?"
Touma couldn't have been any more confused.
"Heaven…?"
The rather chubby brown boy rose from his seat on the bench. With his cap turned to the back, its northernmost logo facing to the south, he wore a baggy pullover sweatshirt and a pair of simple sweatpants. Rather than proper trainers or even boots he wore flip flops over his sock-clad feet.
"I think I understand your confusion, bro. We last met each other before my friends and I found Jesus. Before Jesus came into our lives, we committed truly atrocious crimes against our fellow kin. We chased you, if you don't remember, with the ill intent of harming you in some way. 'Were smart to run."
The ringleader nodded. He smiled genuinely at Touma, and his fingers remained over Touma's wrist; Touma was still far too confused to even act. He was waiting for something more, another part of the brown boy's explanation.
How could people living in the City of Science 'find Jesus'? Even if it was quite a surprising development, Touma had to admit that it wasn't a bad one by any means.
"DeWitt-san is correct. It would seem that we were fated to cross paths once more, so that you could learn more about Jesus, God's only begotten son, who he sent to Earth to save us from our own natural tendency to sin. That's how much God loves us!"
"Yeah, dude," Ugly Hamazura Shiage interjected. "God like totally loves everyone, man, even the atheists who live here in Academy City. He loves you too, man, knowmsayin'?"
Kamijou Touma could've asked the boys a thousand questions: how they'd managed to not only learn about but become devoted to God and his 'only begotten son' in a place like Academy City, why they'd decided to toss logic and atheism to the side to embrace theism, and if they were part of an organized religion were among these inquiries.
But Touma didn't want to know. The last thing the former Bearer of the Imagine Breaker wanted was to get himself involved in more sorcerous drama.
"We were in the middle of a rehearsal when you arrived before us, so we ought to return to our business; should you wish to observe us, feel free to do so. Also…"
The long-haired boy's smiled curled into a frown, just as the sounds of a rumbling vehicle could be heard nearby.
"Do you associate with the young lady from Tokiwadai? If so you could offer her our sincerest apologies for our past behavior, perhaps? Our coveting of her body was immoral and disrespectful."
"Yeah, dude. It was, like, not cool to hit on a girl in the middle of a restaurant like that. She could've, like, been one of our sisters or something, dude."
"For real, bro. Huge sorries all around. In fact, even Ralph was…"
Feeling like he was in some sort of surreal dream, Kamijou Touma rose from the bench and looked towards the field – more, he looked towards the section of roadway that was adjacent to the field. An expensive-looking sports car with paint and tinted windows as dark as night had pulled up next to the walkway. It quietly idled, the repeated, rhythmic thumps of a song's bass reverberating throughout the unoccupied field.
"You cool, man? You're, like, totally looking like you're hardcore wigging out, knowmsayin'?"
Touma produced an exasperated sigh; did everything and anything that happened to or otherwise around him have to be completely unordinary? His savior was in sight, so that was a plus; at least Kamijou Touma assumed the completely darkened vehicle belonged to Kumokawa Seria.
"Look, I don't give a shit about Ralph. It's fine, I'm sure. We all do things we regret. I guess it's good that you… y'know. That you, erm, found Jesus, or God, or both. Good… uh, good luck with your rehearsal and all that."
Having taken his wrist back from the long-haired boy, Kamijou Touma parted ways with them. He looked back once before he turned his attention to the darkened vehicle and saw the once-delinquent ringleader atop the jungle gym, making gestures with his hands and occasionally exclaiming "AMEN!" as his once-cohorts looked on in awe, repeating "AMEN!" whenever the once-delinquent speaker would do so.
In a place like Academy City, such a sight was almost surreal. Touma still felt as if he was in a twisted dream, a shattered version of the reality he knew Academy City to exist in. Science and faith didn't cross paths, not in everyday life.
The passenger side window of the midnight black vehicle rolled down, revealing the form of Kumokawa Seria. She waved in Touma's direction, smiling warmly as she silently welcomed him; the recipient of the kindness couldn't help but smile back.
Kumokawa Seria's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.
The way he grinned made her stomach perform incredible acrobatic feats, twisting and turning within her. Kamijou Touma made Kumokawa Seria incredibly weak in the knees.
Prideful or not, there was no resisting him. There was magnetic pull about him that Kumokawa Seria couldn't and didn't want to shy away from. He was handsome, brave and more confident than ever before. What wasn't perfect about him?
All Seria wanted to do was take care of him. With each step he took, growing closer and closer to her vehicle, Seria's womanhood craved more and more to be filled by his manhood.
Then again, was that even possible given the state of Kamijou Touma's existence? Seria wasn't sure.
The fact that the parties responsible for harming her kohai would pay was practically the only matter Seria was entirely certain of. It was one matter that was complete fact.
She wasn't sure how she was going to exact her vengeance and she wasn't sure when said vengeance would be brought down upon the guilty, but Seria would see them suffer. She would see them suffer greatly.
Her thoughts drifted away from vengeance; she wasn't going to let her day with precious kohai be darkened by such thoughts, there was a time and place for everything.
Maybe there was some way that such a thing could become possible? Was her little kohai interested in lewd or otherwise 'risky' things? In the moment, would he shy away from a sexual liaison? Seria was interested enough to try and find out the truth. Even if she got the chance to simply and innocently snuggle up with her precious little kohai for a few hours, that would be more than enough to satisfy her, for a time.
The vehicle's passenger side door rose, commanded by the push of a button and Kamijou Touma clambered in soon enough, his own worries pushed to the side.
The vehicle's owner wanted to kiss him until he could take no more. He was so very close to her, and she was so very close to finding Heaven on Earth.
Seria's vehicle smelled wonderful, like a light layer of rose-scented perfume had been sprayed about the vehicle's interior.
To say that the vehicle was 'fancy' would be an understatement; Touma was completely shocked by what he saw.
The seats were lined with dark leather, its dashboard metallic and crafted of stainless steel. The steering wheel was bound with thick, shining dark leather like the seats. The radio's user interface was illuminated, colored a shade of green.
As the passenger side door was lowered the driver's side window fell, creating an additional entranceway for fresh air to move about the vehicle's interior.
"You're a sight for sore eyes, my little kohai. You're quite the delinquent, aren't you? Skipping your classes… for shame, for shame. Truly you're a little rebel."
"I'm just a victim of peer pressure, senpai," Touma remarked.
Seria had dressed to impress, and impressed her kohai she did. Adorned in a long-sleeved denim jacket with a white, tight-fitting top beneath it which accented her ample boson, her upper thighs were adorned in denim shorts which exposed most of her long, slender and unarguably flawless legs. Touma's eyes fell lower, and though Seria noticed she hardly minded.
In fact, her hand fell to her kohai's shoulder and massaged it as she leaned in, pressing her lips to Touma's ear.
"You can do so much more than look, my precious little kohai. It's so wonderful to be at your side again."
Clad in dark leather gladiator sandals, Seria's feet, parts of her body just as valuable to Kamijou Touma as her exceedingly ample bosom were just as perfect as her legs.
Seria placed an affectionate kiss to her kohai's cheek, snapping him out of his ogling.
"Just on the cheek? That's all I get? Hmm. I don't know if that's going to be acceptable."
She giggled as she nibbled on her kohai's earlobe, gently rubbing it between her teeth.
"Ask and you shall receive."
Two sets of lips connected. Kamijou Touma's hands fell to his senpai's legs, gently and affectionately stroking them. Seria didn't attempt to stop him.
"My kohai," Seria mumbled between the exchange of kisses, "this is all I ever wanted from you. Do you recall the time before your apparent loss of memory, which you claim you have since regained, when we previously came so close to this moment?"
Even if her words were only semi-coherent, Kamijou Touma understood the inquiry well enough. Of course he remembered.
"Loss of memory?" Yeah, that's one way of puttin' it. I wish I'd gone through with it and I wish I didn't keep you waiting on the edge like I did."
Seria smacked her lips against his own, suddenly and feverishly grabbing onto her kohai's crotch.
"Of course I forgive you, even if there's hardly any wronging to be forgiven."
"I think there is. I'm sorry for pretending to be a dense idiot when I should've just been truthful with you. It doesn't make it right but I did have my reasons."
Seria took the liberty of reluctantly pulling away. Kamijou Touma leaned back casually in the passenger seat as his driver shifted the vehicle into drive and then pressed her perfect foot down upon the vehicle's gas pedal.
Zeeee, nunununuuu.
The hair atop his head fixed itself, becoming tidy and flattened again, like a comb had been run through and over it. Seria witnessed its movements, and was just as impressed as she was intrigued. Just what was her 'new old' kohai capable of?
"You had your reasons for doing so I'm sure and whatever they might be they're completely valid. I wouldn't hold such a trivial matter against you. Now, what shall we get to doing together, my little delinquent? There's no need to rush to answer of course. Think on it if you must, I'll be enjoying the time I have to spend with you whether we spend it in silence or not."
Seria rewarded her kohai with a smile; even if it wasn't aimed in his direction, Touma appreciated it nonetheless.
"There's no wrong answer. Just speak your mind and I'm sure we'll find something we can agree on."
Kamijou Touma did indeed have a few ideas; but as Seria had suggested, he'd prefer to think on them and contemplate what would suit both of them best.
"Oi, Seria."
"Hm?"
"Erm… you want to hit up Cinema One? Video store? Just for old time's sake."
"You still remember that evening? Oh you're simply precious. Of course, I'd love to. Should the "Cosmos Invaders" statue still stand we ought to take a picture together with it."
"Though, if such a photograph was to be posted to EpiCenter, some individuals might become quite vexed… some individuals such as you, Shokuhou. A snobbish middle schooler brat like you wouldn't know how to take care of my little kohai, not like how I do."
Touma looked like he'd suddenly recalled something quite important.
"It'd better still be there! The next generation of brats deserve to be spooked just like we were!"
Seria made a right turn after she'd stopped before a set of lights. Apparently, Academy City's fifteenth school district was the destination; it was almost too perfect. Being able to show her little kohai off at a high-class temple to consumerism such as the Dianoid was a desirable path to walk indeed.
Seria grinned a vaguely impish grin, and it only widened, becoming more genuine as Kamijou Touma laughed aloud, more at himself than at the situation.
"If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that you'd soiled yourself when its arms suddenly lunged at you."
"How was I supposed to have known it was an animatronic?! I only soiled myself a bit."
"I'm sure, my brave, valiant knight in shining armor, with one large unsightly brown spot."
Only one of the two young people in the vehicle knew a meeting between operatives of Necessarius was playing out.
One learned of "Kami-yan's" whereabouts through the silver-haired nun who lived with him – passive-aggressive threats worked wonders, especially when uttered before a timid individual. The monster with the fake eye tried to intervene, but quickly thought twice when faced with the barrel of a formerly concealed firearm.
This same operative would have to figure out just where Kumokawa Seria was headed off to with Kamijou Touma in tow.
The other operative would have to work on tracking the two down once a location was established.
Whether he liked it or not, Kamijou Touma was 'officially' involved with the Magic Side once more.