Quick thing: thanks, TopPercentage for following! It's great to have you on board! Thanks, TheGamer24 for favoriting! Your support is much-appreciated. Thanks, seasel for following! Welcome aboard! Thanks, Black Falcoln for following this piece, a Certain Strange Scenario, and Times Change! Your show of support is highly appreciated. Thanks, Shador for following and favoriting! I hope you very much enjoy your reading of a Certain Broken Testament! Thanks, Never-enough7407 for following, it's great to have you along for the ride! Thanks, Lord Bamus for following and favoriting! Welcome aboard!
We're back once more! At this point, it probably doesn't come as too much of a surprise, so, perhaps there's not so much of a need to announce it… anyways. Let's jump right into response time, shall we?
Guest: there are certain questions I simply don't have an answer to, or otherwise don't feel comfortable answering. Regardless of this, your input is very much appreciated, as always.
Regarding 'bad guys', arguably, the purpose of a 'bad guy' within the context of a narrative is to get in the way, increase narrative stakes and pose a threat to the protagonists, in one way or another.
I used the terminology "Church of the Cross" mostly due to the fact that this is the only other piece of terminology used by Kamachi himself to identify the Roman Orthodox Church, which is an entirely separate faction from the loose collection of churches and parishes that make up Christianity.
Concerning the pairing of Accelerator and Misaka Worst, that was exactly the sort of feeling I was hoping to invoke in readers, and, if input, both private and public is any indication, I've accomplished my goal with flying colors. I was hoping to create a relationship between the two characters that's an exact, reversed mirroring of what is effectively a father-daughter relationship, both in Kamachi's prime canon and within the narratives of most fanworks.
whwsms: strange, certainly, but, as discussed above, that exact sort of 'unease' was what I hoped to achieve through this portrayal of Accelerator and Misaka Worst. It seems that I've succeeded, which, ultimately, is all I can hope to do. I, admittedly, have to agree with your stance regarding Accelerator's apparent lolicon tendencies, displayed in other fanworks.
All together now, (all, together now), all together now… sorry, I couldn't help but think back to the Beatles song of the same name. It's not even a matter of mere tea and biscuits for him; Magic God Subaru is a Mad Tritonian with a purpose, after all.
I thought the inclusion of a newsflash to deliver some exposition regarding the state of the espers attempting to wield magic in Academy City would be a bit cleverer than a played-straight dumping of information. Unfortunately, there are some situations in which those can be necessary, as dull as they can be. I suppose that's why we, as writers, have to add spiciness.
Really, though, Crowley; what are you possibly going to gain from allowing your students to mow themselves down?
Having turned up the heat, we can all expect the narrative stew to, quite possibly, begin boiling over, especially given the TouMAN's 'new' outlook on certain matters, the number one strongest esper included.
I don't want to say a whole lot about that right now, but, I'd have to say that I agree. The Book of the Law is best left rotting in a vault, deep within the stronghold of one of the world's religious establishments.
As always, it's great to be able to consistently gain your approval, friend! I hope to continuously do so, through subsequent installments.
321jaz: pink is the answer, of course. I'm back in pink.
The machinations of the gods are well beyond the comprehension of us 'mere mortals', but, to them, their antics might just be something of an everyday occurrence. Then again, can being depowered and then having your left eye torn out really count as an 'everyday occurrence'?
I too worry for the fate of our protagonists… but, unfortunately, there's very little that I can say, regarding the eventual, and, as it currently seems, inevitable arrival of Magic God Subaru.
As discussed above, regarding the relationship between Accelerator and Misaka Worst, feelings of discomfort were actually what I sought to invoke. Concerning an explanation, I have one right here, in fact: times change. The passage of events in a Certain Broken Testament's timeline of events have landed the number one strongest esper and a certain clone of the third strongest esper in the situation in which they find themselves. I do, however, plan to touch upon the matter within the narrative, as well, so don't fret, friend.
GROUP… assemble! I wonder if they can combine their powers, and subsequently become some sort of vector manipulating, teleporting, Aztec magic-using, self-regenerating superorganism. Actually, that sounds like an SCP monster.
As always, I think it's awesome that I'm able to continuously gain your stamp of APPROVAL, friend! I hope to consistently do so through subsequent chapters!
"Accelerat…?"
"Shut the fuck up, come with me, goddamn hero. We're going downstairs. Don't wake up the third-rate, I'd rather not have a goddamn earful."
"Misaka will come too… maybe she'll tap Onee-Sama on her shoulder, in order to awaken her from her slumber."
"Don't even try it. Bitch. Either of those things."
Everything was happening so quickly. Kamijou Touma's head would've been spinning, if he'd possessed a human mind, or even a human head for that matter.
Kumokawa Seria, someone who could hardly be considered lacking intellectually was keeping track of the swiftly-exchanged words, while Musujime Awaki continued to speak with Index, whom she appeared to have taken a liking to.
"Touma-kun," Seria remarked. "A word?"
Kamijou Touma didn't respond immediately.
Apparently, he was enraged, or was supposed to feel enraged.
Looking at the face of Accelerator alone should've been enough to make him vomit, yet, no matter the desire, no vomit would come.
It was a face Kamijou Touma wouldn't have minded slicing away with a rusty butter knife.
"Yeah, sure thing Seria. What's on your mind?"
A vocalized response finally came.
Touma turned from Seria, and then back to the expectant and irritated-looking Accelerator. Etzali had raised either of his arms, and had placed them behind his head. Evidently, the number one strongest esper was going to abide the Aztec magician's presence.
"You're going to have to wait a minute. I'll meet you down there."
Accelerator clicked his tongue as he turned away, followed by Etzali, who winked knowingly in Touma's direction. Worst offered the Misaka Network's Savior a half-hearted wave; Touma returned something a bit more enthusiastic.
Touma temporarily took a seat next to Seria. She leaned inwards, quite quickly and placed an affectionate kiss to her kohai's lips, one which hung in limbo for a moment, before she reluctantly parted.
"Perhaps you could keep me up to date with your business involving the Accelerator? I'm quite aware that he's hardly a fan of outsiders, and to him I most certainly must be that."
It was Touma's turn to place a kiss to his senpai's lips, taking control of the situation and subsequently sending a surge of arousal throughout Kumokawa Seria's form. A series of shivers traversed her form, as if she was cold. Almost instinctively, Touma's hands fell to Seria's legs, a development she certainly didn't mind by any stretch of the imagination.
Setting her own hands atop her kohai's, Seria tilted her head to one side.
"No worries, I can do that," Touma finally answered. "To be honest, I'm not even sure what he's…"
Kamijou Touma's words were cut off.
Over many sets of loudspeakers, which were apparently placed strategically throughout the jet, the smug, almost childishly giddy voice of Tsuchimikado Motoharu was broadcast, buzzing and crackling with many 'layers' of static 'atop' the vocalizations.
Index and Awaki had ceased their conversations, and both looked from one side, and then to the other.
"Hello, passengers of Flight Fourteen Eighty-Eight… if you get the reference, great. If not, don't search that up on the Internet, you'll find yourself on more than one watch list. This is your Captain speaking. We'll be achieving liftoff in…"
"CAPTAIN?!"
Musujime Awaki and Kamijou Touma had both exclaimed their respective rhetorical inquiries at once. In response to the undesirable development, Kumokawa Seria merely crossed her arms beneath her bosom and clicked her tongue.
"twenty-five seconds! Strap the fuck in, because once this baby goes, she GOES! Pure Dark Matter acceleration!"
"So… Dark Matter has thrown his lot in with Gladio and the Oculus, then… an interesting development. I'll have to keep an eye on that. If that sentient dung beetle is crafting weaponry and other machinations for Academy City's faculties… it appears you'll have your work cut out for you, my little kohai."
Seria softly cleared her throat.
"Where were we, my kohai?"
"Seria, I suddenly feel a lot less contented, knowing that the fucking snake is flying this thing. Since when did he know how to fly!?"
"I've no clue, it's not a development I was ever made aware of prior," Seria admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.
Touma leaned forward in his seat, allowing his wrists, and his hands below to dangle limply. Ribbons of machine-phase matter danced across his form like twirling fairies, so many ballerinas dancing across a ballroom floor.
Musujime Awaki took notice. She raised an eyebrow; didn't Kamijou say that he had never been put through the Power Curriculum?
"I didn't even know he was coming. This… changes some things. I guess that's what we've been waiting so long for… I'll find out what's going on, and I'll keep you guys in the loop."
Seria nodded in affirmation. Though cryptic, she wasn't about to hold her kohai back with incessant questioning.
Her eyelids shut, as she leaned back in her seat. Touma's senpai brushed herself against the back of her seat, producing a soft coo.
"I'm going to do my best to catch some shuteye; I'll be lucky if I get any, given who our "Captain" is… I love you, my little kohai. Perhaps… I could make a request, one you could fulfil when and if you return?"
"Just say the word."
"I'd like it very much if you'd snuggle with me while I sleep. As childish as it might sound, such has long been a fantasy of mine. Even if the scenario isn't… ideal… I'll take what I can get."
Touma smiled. He truly and genuinely smiled as he reached out with his right hand, and ran his soft, icy digits over his senpai's corresponding cheek.
"I think I can manage that. Want me to wake you up when I get back here?"
"Here? Oh, no, my little kohai. You see, I was examining the floorplans, earlier, and the jet has bedroom suites on its highest level."
"Ooohh. I get it."
Kamijou Touma's smile turned to a smirk, and then to a vaguely sinister grin, one which Seria returned, with a wink to accent it.
"I'll meet you up there, then."
He prepared to take his leave after kissing his senpai on the lips one last time, and then placing his lips to the forehead of Index, who blushed, cheeks glowing a bright shade of pink. She pouted slightly, and Touma wanted nothing more than to hold her close to him; the little silver-haired nun was almost too adorable.
Then, a vocalization stopped his progress in its proverbial tracks; Touma could only assume that, below, Accelerator was fuming, likely ranting about "that goddamn hero and his goddamn girls".
Perfect. Let him get angry, let him fume. The greater that animal's suffering, the better.
"Hey, he~ro. Where's mine? Sheesh, were you just going to waltz off and not show me some love?"
"Look, if you're comfortable, then I'm comfortable."
"Now that's what I like to hear. I'd imagine other boys would step away, stuttering and red-faced… but not you Kamijou. That confidence turns me right on."
Musujime Awaki rose from her seat, and stood before Kamijou Touma, her nose mere inches from his own.
He didn't flinch. His face didn't suddenly become red, nor did he find that his rate of breathing had suddenly increased, though that was likely due to the fact that he didn't breathe, or need to breathe at all.
"Toss all that standing under an umbrella in the rain and holding hands nonsense, Kamijou. The body is attracted to someone quicker than the brain is, so, let's make like a couple of animals and do the deed. Give me a kiss, you ridiculously handsome little gentleman. I like tonguing, by the way. Deep tonguing."
While Index had closed her eyes and was ranting about how Touma's polygamous conquests were 'immoral' and 'taboo', despite (or perhaps because of) her own acceptance of said conquests, Kumokawa Seria watched on, as something strange, a feeling, began to fill her form.
It was almost as if she was a jug, being filled with some sort of foreign and unknown liquid substance poured into her from a force beyond her control.
Seria's heartrate increased, causing her pulse to thud like a shack in the midst of a wracking tremor.
She licked her lips, both top and bottom, as her kohai's lips connected with Musujime Awaki's. A shockwave was sent throughout her when the Move Point user produced a soft moan, as Touma grabbed onto her posterior, and squeezed tightly. Index's rant only continued as she stuck her finger in the air and chastised the behavior of the non-human nanorobotic structure and the potential level five candidate.
This pseudo-rant, apparently, turned out to be some kind of covert parody, as the little nun soon began to shake her head, producing a short, and soft, if genuine giggle.
"Okay," Awaki murmured, between the smacking of her lips against Kamijou Touma's own. "You're good. You're really good. Best kisser I've had… so… far. You know your… way around a girl's… mouth."
Musujime Awaki's words drifted in and out as Kamijou Touma had kissed her lips, ravaging her, grabbing at her hips and her posterior.
To say that the Move Point user enjoyed herself would be an understatement.
He seemed to know just how to grab her, just where to hold her, just the right level of pressure to apply to her body.
It was as if he was some sort of perfect, inhuman existence.
Kumokawa Seria could almost see herself standing next to her kohai, pleasuring him with her right hand, while she groped the Move Point user with her left. It was similar to the feeling, the same feeling she'd experienced when her kohai had kissed the former "Magic God", Othinus, just after the quartet had finished consuming their respective dinners in his dorm, an event which had played out earlier in the evening.
What sort of deviant was she becoming?
Regardless, Seria enjoyed the sensations. She embraced them, and allowed her reeling, yet deeply aroused higher mind to retreat into a lustful, multigender and polygamous fantasy.
Seria was completely aware that something within, something previously unknown had been awakened, brought to light like treasure hauled up from a proverbial mound of soil.
Kamijou Touma had since taken his leave, having parted from Musujime Awaki, who'd returned to her seat, her face red as the outer shell of a cherry. Her right leg was crossed over her left, and she bounced her foot, clad in one of two buckled loafers up and down. Both of the Move Point user's hands were clasped in her lap.
There was a period of extended silence, which was only broken when Musujime Awaki turned to Kumokawa Seria and spoke, her cheeks growing redder with each second that passed.
"Yo, Kumokawa."
"… hm…? Musujime-san?"
Index had fallen silent, and continued to analyze Musujime Awaki's found pamphlet, a curious expression etched upon her facial features.
"I… uh. I didn't steal your man, did I?"
"Hardly~. We… understand each other's needs, Musujime-san. My Touma-kun has his own unique tastes, and I've come to abide him as he abides me in certain situations~, a Mutual Understanding if you will."
Awaki blinked as Kumokawa Seria licked her lips, like some great and fanciful feast had been placed before her.
The sorts of thoughts often held in check by rigorous mental exercise were circulating freely within Kumokawa Seria's higher mind.
As it turned out, watching Kamijou Touma interact with many girls had given birth to more than one 'taboo' fantasy.
There was a difference, however; Seria didn't attempt to restrain the thoughts as she often had in the past. Acknowledging them for what they were, Seria allowed them to flow, even as she asked a question of Index.
"Ah, Index-san! Could I ask you for a favor~?"
"… This is strange. Awaki, nowhere in the doctrine of the English Puritan Church does…"
Looking up from her 'pilfered' pamphlet, Index craned her neck, and faced Kumokawa Seria; offering her a smile, the little nun nodded her head, repeatedly, in apparent affirmation.
"Hi Seria, as a sister, one of my duties is to help those who're in need."
Seria giggled, cupping her chin in her right hand's fingers as she folded her left leg over her right. Leaning forward in her seat, she eyed Musujime Awaki almost lustfully.
If the Move Point user had been a character in a manga, she surely would've sweatdropped.
"Could you be a darling and fetch my mug? I forgot it with my other luggage, upstairs. How about this: do that for me, and I'll buy something sweet for you from the miniature café below."
"MMMMM! Okay, Seria! You'd better keep your word!"
"I will, Index-san~. Thank you very much~."
As the silver-haired nun scurried off, Kumokawa Seria took Kamijou Touma's place next to the Move Point user.
Seria leaned in, pressing her soft, sensual and full lips against Musujime Awaki's ear. Into it, she softly and sensually whispered.
"Musujime-san, how do you feel about the concept of a "group effort", hm? You can tell your senpai. Let's talk about taboos, shall we~? I'm thinking… four people. Three of us, women that is, on our mutual benefactor, Touma-kun."
Her heart was beating quickly, and blood rushed into Kumokawa Seria's face. She felt her legs nervously pushing and pulling against one another, either of her knees producing soft, barely-noticeable 'clacking' sounds.
"Kumo… kawa… san? Sheesh, are you drunk or something? Or do you suddenly and rapidly suffer from bursts of sexual arousal? That's quite the question to spring on someone."
"I know…. It's simply that, there's a first time for everything, Musujime-san. We're young, we should let ourselves experiment with our sexualities~."
Musujime Awaki shrugged, somewhat reluctantly. She offered Kumokawa Seria a crooked, half-smile.
"I mean, given… I have been bitching how boring life is lately, and some sort of lust-a-thon would definitely make for one Hell of a lasting memory… shake things up a little."
The Move Point user looked over either of her shoulders.
"Sheesh, this is awkward to admit, I barely know you…"
"And I barely know you, Musujime-san but that can easily change. We're in the same nonliteral boat. I ought to mention, you smell wonderful; what sort of perfume have you applied today? If you don't mind my asking of course... I could eat you up."
"I'm… a virgin. I mean, I've kissed boys, I've been touched and all that, but I've never fucked a boy before. Or a girl for that matter. Do I want to? Hell yeah, I want to, but the boys I've involved myself with, it's all been flings, not confident enough. Too beta-y. I want an alpha to take charge."
"Likewise, though I can't say I've involved myself with others prior to my coming together with my little kohai. I've come to desire to lose my virginity in an interesting manner, with my little kohai involved of course… and is there really a set time to engage in some behavior differing from the norm? Here we are, amid a strange scenario indeed, each of us seeking to achieve a common goal. There's no time better to begin to close distance, metaphorically of course. We've a job to do after all."
Musujime Awaki was quite pleased to hear that Kumokawa Seria was taking herself, and 'the job' seriously, whatever the job was. Awaki only had a loose grasp on the concept of some threat that sought to blur the lines between science and magic, something everyone seemed to seek to keep apart.
"I ought to additionally state, being virginal is nothing to be ashamed of. Self-respect is seldom found in our rather decadent culture."
That was certainly true. Neither party knew one another very well, but, at the same time, such a thing could easily change over the course of whatever insane, sudden journey she'd gotten herself involved with.
Musujime Awaki also found herself blushing, lifeblood rushing into her fact due to the compliment offered to her by the exceedingly attractive and exceedingly charismatic Kumokawa Seria.
Was she turning into a deviant?! Engagements with other girls had never been particularly "off the table", yet, it was a part of her psyche she'd never properly explored.
Perhaps the time had come to do just that.
Musujime Awaki was forced to admit to herself that, more than once, she'd checked out the cute little ass on that half-assed teleporter, arguably the little Tokiwadai brat's best feature.
She was also forced to admit that Kumokawa Seria smelled heavenly. She still hadn't parted, she still hadn't moved. Seria's lips remained pressed against Awaki's ear. She softly breathed into the Move Point user's ear cannel, causing her to shudder, tingles rushing upwards and downwards along her spine.
The question lingering within the Move Point user's mind, however, was a simple one.
Was she ready for something of that sort? Taking risks, actually abandoning the everyday grind of a schedule, living and stepping 'outside the box' were different from frivolously engaging in 'loose' behavior.
Suddenly, Musujime Awaki found the index and middle fingers of Kumokawa Seria's right hand placed against the soft, silky skin of her right cheek. Seria tilted her head to one side and grinned a wide, crooked grin.
"You seem nervous, which contradicts what I've heard about you through undisclosable channels. It's all fine, I'm not all used to encounters of this sort myself. How about we get a taste of the possible future festivities right here? The only other individuals present are sleeping. It's just us… Index-san will return soon, but, I suppose the risk of being caught in the act will only increase the amount of arousal we both receive. I think this scenario is full of exciting things."
Musujime Awaki gulped, but she didn't experience fear or anxiousness. Instead, the pit welling up in her stomach was formed of a collection of excitement and newfound desire. It was different, it was something new, something unexpected. Finally, she was going to experience something that wasn't a dreadfully boring, day-to-day grind!
Kumokawa Seria was hot. Kamijou had the right of things; Seria's legs were utterly perfect, as was her exceedingly ample bosom. Her long, dark hair fell past her shoulders like a glorious, beautiful mane, a full head of almost royal-seeming hair, resembling rising (or falling) smoke in the night.
Moreover, Kumokawa Seria's intoxicating scent was drifting into the nostrils of the Move Point user, reaching her brain and seemingly tingling each of her senses, even those that weren't even remotely associated with her sense of smell. Awaki found that even more blood was rushing into her face, causing her to appear as if she was fevered.
Then, with a swift breath, a quick, hasty inhalation of oxygenized air, it was Musujime Awaki who made the first move. She could hold back no longer, nor did she wish to. She allowed a taboo to take control and grip the proverbial steering wheel of her higher mind.
She moved in, either of her hands flying upwards, apparently of their own accord. Both found their way to either of Seria's breasts, as the Move Point user's lips found themselves connecting with those of Kumokawa Seria.
Seria liked it.
Somehow, Seria enjoyed being groped by another girl; granted, Musujime Awaki was almost exceedingly attractive, with the body of a supermodel and the personality of someone who could enjoy a fresh glass of wine, but the point was made.
Seria was, somehow, enjoying sexually-charged activities with a girl. What was happening inside of her mind? Had some puzzle piece previously unknown been snapped into place?
The tongue went in, and Musujime Awaki found herself softly moaning. How did this girl know how to tongue so good?!
Musujime Awaki's mouth tasted like something out of a dream. So sweet, so sticky. The Move Point user's feminine features called out to Seria's hands, and they obeyed her higher mind's calls. Seria found herself stroking Awaki's thighs, attention the Move Point user seemed to enjoy greatly.
If anyone happened upon they'd have much to explain; and this only charged Seria's arousal further.
Seria's tongue lashed around the Move Point user's mouth, as either of Seria's hands found their way to Awaki's shoulders.
The respective tongues of Musujime Awaki and Kumokawa Seria touched, slapping over one another as saliva mixed and brewed, like butter being churned within a great barrel.
Seria suddenly broke away, panting slightly. She ran the sleeve of her flannel top over her mouth, and settled herself back into her seat, crossing her right leg over her left, elegantly. Musujime Awaki softly cleared her throat, as if some awkward moment had passed her by.
It'd been anything but awkward. It'd felt like the most natural thing in the world; she's regressed from the image that the society around her expected her to uphold. Musujime Awaki had tapped into something primal and repressed.
Unleashed, it was a glorious force indeed.
"W-well… y-you taste very good, Musujime-san. I… I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself quite a lot. I assure you that I've never done anything like this b-before…"
"I have, but… w-where did you learn to tongue so good?!"
"I suppose it c-comes naturally." Seria stuck her nose up, as if she had accomplished some great goal in a grand Olympic challenge. Evidently, not even the same sex could resist her charms.
In response, the Move Point user chuckled.
Awaki shook her head, causing her twintails to flutter about for a moment, before she crossed her own left leg over her right. Taking a deep breath, Awaki clasped her hands and set them in her lap; both girls looked as if nothing at all had happened.
But something had certainly happened, and it was perfect. Awaki's lips ached for more, as did Seria's. Both sets, in fact. Seria suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to touch herself; but that could wait.
"So. Can I count on your support, Musujime-san? You're free to decline, of course. I don't mean to pressure you into engaging in activities you're not comfortable with. I'm merely enthusiastic about trying something… different."
The moment that'd passed was certainly something that Musujime Awaki hadn't expected. It was certainly different and it was certainly 'out of the ordinary'. It was great, amazing even.
Seria had tasted so very good. Her tongue was like a rich piece of candy; when it had slid into Awaki's mouth, lashing about and crashing against her own tongue, she thought that she might've fainted.
But, intercourse? That was something else entirely. It would hurt, undoubtedly. It would likely hurt very much, and pain wasn't something that the Move Point user was after.
"Y-yeah… sheesh, I'm so bored of everything, Kumokawa-san I might as well give this a shot. It wasn't always like this. Things were anything but boring before, and, this is going to sound kinda messed up, but, I don't mind craziness when I'm the one in control of it."
Awaki looked to Seria for a moment.
"I thought a 'normal life' would be different a while back, before when…"
Kumokawa Seria rested an arm comfortingly around the Move Point user's shoulders; pulling her inward, the former simply looked ahead, as if she was focused on something beyond Musujime Awaki's field of vision.
"Musujime-san, let me tell you something before you continue, forgive me for interrupting."
"No biggie, I'm listening… s-sheesh, my heart's beating… way too fast. I think I might pass out. Catch me if I fall over, huh?"
"I'm… I am someone of importance to Academy City, so I happen be privy to the more controversial goings on. Your story isn't an unfamiliar one to me."
"People do stupid, selfish and arrogant things when we're desperate, huh, Kumokawa-san?"
"Quite… oh the things we do when we're mislead. Your work leading up to your duties with the City-funded mercenary assembly, "GROUP" was tiresome, and once you were free of the City's yoke, following the international conflict, you sought something more peaceful, a life of normality in a place that's anything but normal. Whether GROUP's original disbanding was the result of this international conflict has yet to be explained to me, but I have my own hunches."
Awaki shrugged either of her shoulders, and then leaned back, rubbing her back against her seat.
"Yeah, that's about it. The incident started and ended with this little half-assed teleporter, and the third back there. We've since put our differences aside but the… it's still there. It's hard to forgive myself even if they've both forgiven me."
"We all have our grievances, Musujime-san. We've all done wrong. Clinging to the past, to old hatreds and old ways is merely detrimental, it does nothing for one's present life. If I had clung to beliefs outdated, you and I wouldn't have shared that truly pleasurable moment. Your lips are beyond lovely."
With an affirmative nod of her head, Kumokawa Seria leaned back in her own seat, as she began to bounce her sock-clad foot up and down. Seria closed her eyes, and then produced a soft, drawn-out coo.
"Tell me something, Musujime-san. Has there ever been something, or a series of things that you regret?"
"Who doesn't have those?"
"A good point…"
Awaki shrugged her shoulders, and sighed.
"For me, even if that brat of a half-assed teleporter pisses me off… I regret hurting her. I regret it a lot. You know what I did to her?"
"The exact details? No, Musujime-san. Perhaps it would be good for you if you were to talk about it."
"I could've killed her. I piled… all this junk on top of her. I looked down on her like she was a lesser person than me."
Musujime Awaki didn't seem content to speak of the issue any further. She ceased her explanation and tilted her head, looking to Kumokawa Seria, who peered back at her with a soft, sympathetic expression.
"My own wrongdoings aren't physical in nature. Rather, they're more psychological."
"Like how Kumokawa-san?"
"Much scheming, plotting, manipulating and conniving, using those around me as if they were little more than pawns at my disposal, all in the name of some bigger picture I myself barely understood. I still don't rightly understand it.
"In a time before our present, I would've attempted to hoard Touma-kun for myself, simply because that would've been what I wished for, even if he wished to lead a polygamous lifestyle. I would have hurt and stabbed at those around him, alienating and playing his friends and colleagues against one another."
"It's okay."
Musujime Awaki's awkward, scratchy vocalizations caught Kumokawa Seria off guard, though she didn't lower her poker face, even a bit. Maintaining a sense of civility and stability was hardly something to be regretful of.
"Like you said and like I said, people do stupid things when they're desperate… heh. Kinda just realized I never answered your question-thingy. Regarding your proposal, why not? This is just what I'm looking for, something different, something I don't know about. It's something to distance me from the boredom. That's partly why I decided to tag along when Kamijou offered me the chance… but I'm not game for fucking anyone, that's where I draw the line."
Awaki leaned in a tad closer, lips curling upwards into a crooked half-grin.
"All this sappy talk makes me want to have a good, wholesome makeout session. You wouldn't mind if I borrowed Kamijou before we got started? Sheesh, it's probably not a good thing that something taboo like this is exciting me. We crossed paths the other day, and, to be honest, I've been wanting to mess his hair for a while. That confidence though, it gets me going."
Kumokawa Seria nodded.
"Understandable, Musujime-san… his confidence does the same for me. This isn't a scenario in which I seek to monogamously exist with him. It would hardly be fair to keep him all to myself for two days in a row, though… I do look forward to our next monogamous date. Just make sure to return my little kohai to me once you're finished, and… if I might make a suggestion?"
"Shoot."
"My little kohai Touma-kun has some fetishes for the… lower portion of the female anatomy. Tease him with your legs, he'll enjoy that very much. Only if you're comfortable of course, it's little more than a suggestion after all."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind… bedrooms are upstairs, right? Sheesh, this jet is like some sort of luxury cruise liner."
"Right. I was thinking of heading that way myself… might I accompany you, Musujime-san?"
Musujime Awaki extended her hand outwards, offering the extremity to Kumokawa Seria. The Move Point user placed her available hand on her hip, tilting her head to one side.
Just as Kumokawa Seria reached out to Musujime Awaki, the latter reeled her own arm back.
"Nope! Eheheh. Gotcha. Heh… if I'm going to be doing things differently than usual, I might as well go all the way... but not right now."
Kumokawa Seria found herself giggling aloud, as she began walking side by side with the girl she hardly knew, the Move Point user, a potential level five candidate.
She, Awaki, was so much more than a mere statistic.
Musujime Awaki's comparing of the private jet to a luxury cruise liner hadn't been entirely inaccurate. In fact, they'd hardly been inaccurate at all, at least in terms of the jet's interior spaces.
Of the jet's three levels, the third and lowest was like something from the bowels of the Titanic herself. It resembled a lavish restaurant more than it did something that should've been found aboard a private jet.
Then again, the private jet in question had been produced within the walls of Academy City, and by the hands of an esper no less.
Wandering about the lower level's winding halls, walking as a group of three were Accelerator, the silent but observant Etzali, and Kamijou Touma, who was denying anger, frustration and resentment left and right as they attempted to enter his converted higher mind. Misaka Worst was no longer present amongst them, much to Accelerator's outward relief, and to his inward disappointment. She had left her boyfriend's side to seek out a place in which slumber could comfortably be reached, which was on the first and highest level of the jet's interior.
Their conversation began anew.
"I still don't fucking get why you're playing right into their hands, hero… sorry for getting pissed at you earlier. Didn't mean to yell. Been holding in a lot of shit that I should be hurling at that bitch Worst."
Kamijou Touma shrugged nonchalantly, both in response to the semi rhetorical inquiry and to Accelerator's apology.
"Uh huh, whatever."
"It wasn't right."
Etzali found himself incapable of holding back; he threw his head back and laughed, his jaw nearly coming unhinged, so far had it drooped downwards.
"Keep laughing, you mask-wearing fuck. I'll tear it off and beat you to fucking death with it."
"Murderer."
Etzali placed himself between the number one strongest esper and the Imagine Breaker's former Bearer. Setting either of his arms around their shoulders, Etzali tilted his head from one side and then to the other.
"You sound grumpy Accelerator-chan. Time to go crawl into bed with your loving partner. I think you need your cuddle time to improve your mood, and you, Kamijou, you're grumpier than usual, too."
"Do you want to fucking die?"
Touma came to a halt, causing both Accelerator and Etzali to forcibly stop themselves mid-stride. From within the interior of the jet, Kamijou Touma peered through a circular window, a tiny portal which offered a glimpse into the outside world.
Almost.
Mostly, Kamijou Touma could only see cloud coverage, great, fluffy and mixed with hues of grey and dull white, with speckles of cotton-like white that could be seen dotting the coverage. Additionally, the clouds of the coverage were of many shapes and sizes, some seemingly of different 'styles' than others. Some were elongated, others were amorphous blobs.
"Accelerator, there was a reason why I did it. Maybe you'd understand it."
"Yeah, no shit."
"Why did I do it? It's pretty simple. I couldn't lie to Musujime."
"Typical hero…"
"Twelve thousand lives lost. He didn't care, he could've stopped it."
Kamijou Touma shook his head. Accelerator took a step forward. Resting his back against a nearby section of railing, he tilted his head, peering in Touma's direction.
"What the fuck do you mean, "no"? You know better than anyone else that this shit is supposed to stay separate."
"He's not incorrect, Kamijou-san," Etzali chimed in, taking to Touma's other side. He stood more casually, his hands placed into the pocket of his suit pants.
"It's more complicated than that. I can't. I didn't want to and I still don't want to. I'm sick and tired of lying to people and treating everyone like they're helpless little… dolls who can't stand up for themselves. It's not about being some self-righteous paragon of justice, or whatever it was I was always trying to act like, that's completely FUCKED!"
Accelerator moved to place his hand on Kamijou Touma's shoulder, with the intention of patting it, a gesture of friendly solidarity.
Kamijou Touma moved out of the way of the extremity.
"Hero…? You alright?"
Zeeee, nunununuuu.
Ribbons of machine-phase matter danced along the surfaces of Kamijou Touma's nanorobotic body. Accelerator eyed each suspiciously. What sort of power did that hero have? It was obviously related to his right hand, but how?
The number one strongest esper in Academy City had to admit that he hadn't seen anything quite like it.
"Back down! Musujime has the RIGHT to know, Misaka has the RIGHT to know, my senpai, Seria, she has the RIGHT to know. I want everyone who loves and cares for me at my side, as my equals, even if that means crossing a few lines."
"Kill the Accelerator.
"Fuck off, would you? I'm trying to… but… you know… that's not entirely inaccurate. He is a murderer. A killer. A psychopath.
"HIGHMIND TERMINAL:/ SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS UNDERWAY… SUCCESS. ACCELERATOR, NUMBER ONE STRONGEST. CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, MASS SLAUGHTERING OF "SISTERS" CLONES."
The longer that Kamijou Touma looked at the strongest esper in Academy City, the more his hatred welled and boiled; at least, that's what an influx of informational data told him.
If it was to be believed, he was enraged. Disgusted. The longer he looked into the Accelerator's eyes, the more he wanted to strangle the skinny, white-haired joke of an existence, until not even a single breath emerged from his lips.
For a moment, Accelerator simply looked at Kamijou Touma, the Misaka Network's Savior, the boy who'd saved the number one ranked esper from himself. Accelerator looked deeply into Touma's eyes, past the irises and past the pupils.
A chill went down his spine. For a moment, and for only a moment, the number one ranked esper felt truly off-put.
"It's not like I went out of my way to tell Musujime, she stumbled upon it herself. I wasn't going to conveniently lie to her face and have her unprepared. What if a magician went after her? She wouldn't have known a damn thing!"
"I get that, hero. Don't be so fucking defensive. Third fucking time you're repeated that shit."
Zeeee, nunununuuu.
More ribbons danced across Touma's body, and Etzali took notice. His eyelids narrowed as he observed the strange, anomalous-seeming movements.
"I do agree that this… what these "Taured" people are doing is… questionable… I'm not sympathizing."
Accelerator merely clicked his tongue, and spat a wad of saliva down upon the carpeted, Dark Matter flooring.
"It's fine. I don't give a shit, I'm going to fucking bulldoze these imbeciles one way or another. We kill the motherfuckers spreading the pamphlets, and that's it, we go the fuck home. I figured I was going to get involved one way or another, there was a reason that corpse, Horton, was constantly babbling to us, GROUP, about it. I guess you just skipped the middleman, hero. I would've preferred to keep the investigation within Academy City, but… what the fuck ever."
"Don't blame me, there," Touma remarked. "Put that one on Tsuchimikado. One of his… employers… is the one organizing this mission, that's how I got dragged in."
"Fucking figures."
Etzali yawned loudly, breaking the rather somber mood. Touma found himself chuckling, while Accelerator clicked his tongue in aggravation, closing either of his eyes as he tapped the railing behind him.
"The night calls, ladies. Well, you two continue bonding, while I… tend to other matters. Someone's got to deliver Misaka to a more suitable sleeping space, after all."
"I don't think she'd appreciate being touched while she's asleep. Try it, and I'll break your wrists."
"The hero burnt you."
"Stop trying to act friendly with me, you albino freak. I should slit your goddamn throat right here."
Etzali shrugged either of his shoulders as he began to take his leave, one dress shoe clacking against the carpeted flooring after another. His strides were confident and long, like those of some aristocrat striding throughout the halls of their personal estate.
"I see you're still keeping your promise… that was a test, Kamijou-san. You passed, congratulations."
Touma shook his head, as he immediately began to calm down, his lips curling upwards, into a grin. Though he had no heart, and, therefore, no pulse, Kamijou Touma imagined that if he had possessed a heart, it would've been racing.
"Look, I'm glad you're watching out for her too, but she doesn't need to be watched over like a child. Misaka's a tough one, she can take care of herself."
"Hmm."
As Etzali made his way down one of many twisting halls, then turning a corner and departing from sight, Accelerator began to walk in the opposite direction, his hands stuffed into either of his pants pockets.
"I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? We're all here, it doesn't fucking matter. This shit was inevitable. I'm grabbing some shuteye. You should do the same, unless you're suddenly a fan of crippling fatigue."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Even if the situation's… less than great."
"Right. If I'm going to be pissed at anyone, it's that fucking pervert and his agent buddies. Authorized this shit. They're not doing their part to keep magic and science separate either. Bastards."
Like Etzali before him, Accelerator turned a corner and departed from sight, leaving Kamijou Touma alone in the lowest level of the Gladio-ordered private jet.
There it was, again. The feeling of being observed.
Shrugging the sensation off, Kamijou Touma soon too took his leave, seeking out the nearest staircase leading out from the bowels of the expansive Dark Matter construct. Unlike both the number one strongest esper and the Aztec magician, however, Touma was not opposed by physical obstructions such as walls, which he simply phased through, like some sort of ethereal spirit made manifest in the physical plane, shifting the density of his form as he pleased.
The jet's lower level didn't hold him for long. Kamijou Touma ended up choosing to simply phase into the upper level, passing through the section of flooring which separated the lower and center levels of the jet. Halfway through the flooring, Touma looked from left to right, to ensure that he wouldn't be 'caught' in the act by those who weren't privy to the truth.
Seeing only the slumbering, hunched over forms of Misaka Mikoto and the former Magic God Othinus, Touma pushed himself through, like a bodybuilder performing some sort of intense regimen of physical exercise.
Once he'd pulled himself through the flooring separating the lower and central levels of the jet's interior, Touma brushed himself off, like he'd dirtied himself in some way.
Taking one final look around, to make positively sure that his anomalous mode of travel hadn't been observed, Kamijou Touma sought out the staircase leading upwards; soon, the central floor of the jet was left behind, as the Imagine Breaker's former Bearer ascended. The staircase produced no sound at all in reaction to Touma's footfalls. Such, Touma could only assume, was the strangeness of surfaces born of Dark Matter.
On the third and highest level of the almost absurdly thick, rectangular and multi-winged private jet Kamijou Touma soon found himself.
Surprisingly, even a section of the jet which was supposedly designed to hold mere sleeping quarters had attention paid to its details. Touma had stepped from the staircase and into something that vaguely resembled a hotel lobby. While it was simplistic, it had plenty of attention paid to its finer details, as if paradoxically.
There were numerous, ornate tables, which looked to be carved from wood, though Touma could only assume that these, too, were produced from Dark Matter. Surrounding each was a small, ornate stool, with a simple backrest made up of many intercrossed beams, like a web weaved by a spider. The ceilings and walls were decorated with reproductions of famous artworks – the Mona Lisa, the Annunciation, and the Benois Madonna were among them.
Additionally, the lower sections of the walls were lined with bookshelves, most of which had at least a dozen books lining their individual shelves.
This was where Index was found.
Kneeling before a nearby bookshelf, Index has spread out several the texts around her, their pages flipped open, seemingly at random.
Seated in a chair nearby, facing Kamijou Touma was Kumokawa Seria, who apparently had been caught up in a book of her own. It was placed upon her right knee, her right leg crossed elegantly over her left. Seria held one of the pages upwards, just about to flip the page over so that she could begin reading the text that was presumably printed upon the next. On the table adjacent to the chair in which Seria was seated, there was a small, metallic mug.
"Index? Seria?"
The little silver-haired nun turned her gaze to Touma. She offered him a wave, either of her eyes blinking in unison.
"Hi, Touma! You're up late!"
She looked like she needed to drop into a bed and catch more than a few zees. Large, darkened bags were below either of the nun's eyes, covering her lower eyelids, like globs of paint laid down upon her by a deranged artist.
Seria didn't look to be in much better shape. She blinked rapidly, offering her kohai a wide and genuine smile. She folded the top of the page she'd been reading from, and then closed the book gently. Rising from her seat, Seria stretched and produced a series of soft groans.
"What're the chances of seeing you here, my little kohai? I'd intended to get myself to bed, however… it seems that Index-san has stumbled upon a treasure trove."
Like she'd stumbled upon some lost artifact hidden within a long-forgotten temple, Index held up one of many books spread around her form. Closing the text, the little silver-haired nun wagged the book from one side to the other.
"Touma, Touma!" Index excitedly called out, even though she looked completely and utterly exhausted. "This one is called "On the Origin of Species"! This Charles Darwin person must be really smart, there's a lot of complicated stuff in here!"
"Darwin, huh?" Touma inquired, rhetorically, as he approached the kneeling form of Index.
Kumokawa Seria couldn't help but experience some sort of strange feeling in her stomach as her little kohai took to the nun's side. His arms went around her, and upon her forehead Touma placed a gentle, affectionate kiss.
Seria's lips curled upwards, into a smile, without her body's explicit commands.
Perhaps it was only because her body required rest, but the beginnings of tears formed in the corners of her eyes; not because she was sad, and not because she was angry.
They formed because the sight was simply beautiful.
This adorable little nun, Kamijou Touma loved her so very much. It was clear as day to see that.
"Did the Church ever tell you anything about evolution? We learn about evolution all the time in Komoe-sensei's class," Touma remarked, as his embrace around Index's shoulders tightened.
"No, Touma!" Index exclaimed, excitedly. "The Church's doctrine teaches that God created Adam and then Eve, and that they were the first human beings to ever exist, which took place hundreds of thousands of years ago, but there are people who believe that the Earth is only a few thousand years old, even though there's an overwhelming amount of data to suggest that this isn't the case."
Touma shook his head. Who was he to challenge Index's worldview? Perhaps she'd come to accept evolution, or perhaps she'd stick with what she'd grown up with knowing.
Then, Index spoke as she set the book down.
"Tou-ma."
"Index?"
The little silver-haired nun nuzzled him. She moved herself as close to him as she possibly could.
"No matter what happens Touma, I want to be right here with you! We'll do this together. We'll keep these people from crossing the lines like how they are, and then we'll put everything back to normal. Together! I want to do everything with you, I want to be with you forever and ever Touma."
Kamijou Touma's embrace tightened, and he turned Index's face towards his own, holding her chin up with tip of his thumb for a moment before his arm fell back at his side. Index tilted her head to one side, and then nearly attempted to scurry away as Touma leaned in.
He didn't kiss her on the lips, however. Touma kissed Index on the cheek, icy, coppery lips lingering there for a while before they parted. Index shivered, her entire face having turned to a bright shade of pink. Traces of machine-phase matter, which had dripped from the corners of Touma's eyes soon found their way back to their main mass, from where they'd come.
"Together, Index. I'm not leavin' you, ever. I'm always coming back, forget it, there's no way I could ever leave you. It's great to have you here. It's great to not be trying to do this crazy thing on my own. You, Othi-chan…"
Touma looked back to the smiling form of Seria, who dabbed at the corners of her own eyes with the sleeve of her flannel top.
He nodded in her direction, and then tilted his head forwards.
It was a silent invitation. Seria pointed at herself, shrugging either of her shoulders, her warm smile never fading. In response, Touma nodded once more, smiling back at her.
Seria made her way to the kneeling for of Index, and the form of Kamijou Touma who embraced her. Slowly, the almost overtired Kumokawa Seria knelt behind the both, and put her arms around her kohai's shoulders, embracing him tightly. Seria placed the side of her face to the back of Kamijou Touma's head, and produced a soft, contented sigh.
To her surprise, there was a tap on her arm.
"No hug?" Index softly inquired, sounding disappointed.
Seria found herself suddenly giggling, even as tears finally unleashed began to drip down from eyes, and along her cheeks. They dropped downwards, passing her lips by on their journey down and eventually completely away from her face.
"A-ah, Index-san."
"Are you okay Seria?! Why are you crying! You can tell me! As a sister, it's my duty to look out for those who are downtrodden, just as much as those who've strayed from God's Light!"
"There's nothing wrong, not here, Index-san," Seria remarked. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"I'm… simply feeling quite emotionally-charged this evening. I can only assume this is due to the fact that my body is quite tired."
Seria then took both Index and Kamijou Touma into her arms, wrapping them around both parties, taking them into a hug of equality.
"I like you," Index stated flatly. "You're really nice, Seria."
Seria found herself unable to reply. Her throat was perpetually tightening; if she attempted to produce a vocalization, she likely would've squawked out something weak, which more than likely would've ended in a pathetic-sounding sob. Seria felt no resentment, no anger, no disappointment.
Seria felt more at home, more welcome, more appreciated and loved than she'd ever felt before. For too long she'd stood in the shadows, alone, with only cold calculations to accompany her. This world of acceptance, appreciation, laughter and friendship had opened itself up to her, and she'd walked into it. The gates had closed behind her.
Truthfully, Seria realized that she was in the midst of experiencing an epiphany.
Then, with the arm of Kumokawa Seria around her, and with Kamijou Touma embracing her so tightly, the little nun's eyelids fluttered. Her own arms began to fall away from Touma's upper torso, which they had been wrapped around.
Still held safely in Touma's arms, Index lost consciousness as sleep finally claimed her. Her lips puckered, and her heartrate slowed to a crawl.
Looking down at her face, Touma truly observed her. He observed her soft skin, smooth like silk. Her facial features, like the texture of her skin were soft.
"Seria? It's okay to let it out. I'm not here to judge, better out than in."
And so, she did. Seria allowed herself to spill out some, but not quite all the emotional force that'd built up inside of her. It was discharged like acid leaking out from within the dying cell of a battery.
Seria rested her face against her kohai's shoulder as she allowed herself to experience the epiphany that'd come over her, washing over her like a tidal wave.
Finally, after a while, Seria managed to produce and vocalize actual words.
"T-thank you, Touma-kun."
"For?"
"For helping me to open my own eyes to the truth, about what living truly is."
"Is that really how you feel?"
"Yes, my little kohai. It may seem overdramatic, given that I've only just met your housemates, and yet… Index-san, and the "Magic God", she who you call "Othi-chan", they've treated me as an equal and as a friend. They have showed me the kind of friendship I'd long sought to experience, but never could, due to the position in which I'd placed myself, one of… callousness."
Seria rose, wiping at either of her eyes with her flannel top's sleeves. Gently, she pressed her lips to the back of Touma's head, either of her cheeks glowing a bright shade of pink.
"My conversations with "Othi-chan" this evening were some of the most enlightening and enjoyable conversations I've truly ever had, we… we discussed things I'd never even considered. I feel like my mind itself has been opened."
"Heh… Othi-chan has that effect on people."
"Spending the late morning and afternoon hours with you, even as they were interrupted by something sinister, something which has seen us here, on this… very queer-looking plane, were some of the best of my entire life, Touma-kun. I'm glad to be here, with you. I'm glad that I no longer must watch from afar as you throw your life in harm's way, my precious little kohai. Like Index-san remarked, we work together now. Thank you for letting me in, Touma-kun… thank you so much."
Touma rose, with Index held in his arms, like a bride on her wedding day. Balancing Index's neck against his arm for the maximum possible comfort, Seria rose with her kohai, shrugging either of her shoulders as she softly cleared her throat.
"I'm just happy that I can, Seria. I'm just happy that I realized I don't have to do everything on my own, that all the people who love and care for me are down to help me out."
Touma took a step forward, and then another.
As he walked, Kumokawa Seria remained at his side, striding next to him as an equal. He welcomed her, kissing her lips before both began to travel down the hall which lead out from the lobby-like room, and into something of a crossroads; there were two halls, one on either side of the duo, with a slumbering Index in tow.
Within these halls, many doorways, with closed, ornate doors were present. Appearing to have been carved from wood, these doors were decorated with many odd-looking symbols, and trimmed with what appeared to be a dull shade of gold.
The closest to Kumokawa Seria and Kamijou Touma was easily opened, its knob turned, which allowed what laid beyond to be accessed.
What laid beyond was a simplistic, cabin-like room, with only the most basic of necessities, such as a bed, a nightstand, a small, single seat and carpeted flooring; both Kamijou Touma and Kumokawa Seria accurately assumed that all the items within were constructed of Dark Matter.
Sooner than later, Index was tucked into the sheets of the bed, her head propped up beneath two thick pillows.
To Touma's surprise, there was a lightswitch mounted upon the wall nearest the doorway, which functioned normally.
Just what was the second strongest esper's Dark Matter capable of? Perhaps it wasn't powered by Dark Matter at all, but, rather, powered by traditional electrical wiring.
Curious, Touma sent forth a microscopic, nanorobotic scout, which after decreasing its density, phased through a nearby section of walling in search of something that wasn't constructed of the unknown Dark Matter.
Seria flicked the lightswitch off, and pulled the covers up further, ensuring that even Index's neck was covered.
Then, taking Kamijou Touma's hand into her own, Seria tilted her head to one side and offered her kohai a warm, genuine smile before she began gently leading him out of the room, closing the door to Index's cabin-like room behind her.
"Would you still oblige me, my little kohai? Would you still snuggle with me this night? Humor me."
"How am I going to say no? I'm not about to turn an offer like that down, Seria."