Greetings to all!

If your readings this, chances are, you were expecting something funny.

Sorry to disappoint.

Within Academy City, there stood to be a great many things that one can come to expect to find. Technology thirty years ahead of the rest of the world, Espers who could use supernatural abilities through the Power Development Curriculum. Those things alone stood to be the major reason that most would bother coming to such a place. Education, although high in standards, was an added bonus when compared to all of the other potential gains such a city offered. Standing as the capital of science was one thing, but technology was far from the only thing such a city had to offer.

If one sought an example then one need not look any further than School District 15.

Predominantly focused on entertainment and leisure, it was home to a great number of facilities geared for that expressed purpose. Shopping malls, karaoke boxes, parks, and outdoor pools were just the tip of the iceberg. If one sought out the means to be entertained then one did not need to look far in this district. Few, however, actually lived in that district due to it being the highest priced piece of land in the whole city. Only the truly wealthy could afford to pay the staggering rates for housing. A wasteful way to spend money if one was to be brutally honest. Then again the people who could afford to pay that much tended to not be hurting in terms of funding.

"I don't get why it's called a super School District." Oh, yeah, that was a weird fun-fact about this district as well. It was one of the few districts that had few to no educational facilities in it. "It always makes me think that the board of directors were initially short-sighted people. That or this used to have a bunch of schools in it once upon a time."

"Basically, it probably did, Academy City has been around for a long time." Kinuhata's off-the-wall remark was promptly responded to by her fellow stalking partner via the earpiece. "It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. Space is limited and students did need some form of reprieve from time to time. I mean, would you have thought a city like this would become such a big deal if you were alive thirty years or so ago?"

"I probably wouldn't, good point."

The Dark May Survivor didn't miss the 'Nishishi' coming from other end of the line. To which Saiai could not help but roll her eyes at Frenda's smug behavior.

"Ah, right, can you still see them?"

Did it really need to be said at this point who they referring to?

Rhetorical question aside, the short haired girl eased herself slightly to peer over to her left. A difficult task to accomplish given how crowded the tram car was. Same could be said about identifying specific individuals within a compacted space like this. That, however, was what also played into her advantage as well given how well it concealed her from her target's view. Unless they were actively looking for her they would not see her among the vast majority of folk. She, on the other hand, was free to look as she pleased and thus found her targets within a couple of minutes.

Mugino had been fortunate enough to find a seat despite how cramped it was. Kamijou, on the other hand, was not and was forced to use the overhead railing to keep secure himself. There was a likelihood that he had given up the sating arrangement for the sake of his date, despite the lack of evidence to support that idea. What was noteworthy about this situation was the fact that the spiky haired youth looked like he was losing his balance as he stood there. What made this something worth noting was the fact that these public trams ran pretty smoothly.

So there really was not any reason for him to be so wobbly on his feet.

"Yup, they're maybe a five to six meters away, but I can still see them." Only the deaf would misplace the listlessness in Kinuhata voice as she made her report. "You think that Kamijou guy suffers from motion sickness? He's been shaky since we got on and he hasn't super stopped since."

"Nah, I don't think that's it." Okay, now Saiai was starting to get annoyed at the blonde's sassy behavior since the switch. It was pissing her off. "Basically, you just need to remember where those two are going."

That made two, count two, times that Frenda had made a valid point.

Further observations following this bit of insight served to paint a very different picture. In retrospect it still seemed like he was suffering from a mild case of motion sickness. But that was without taking into account where the couple, and by some extension most of the people on this train, were going. In fact his hairstyle was only part of the reason why Kamijou stuck out this time around. It was his general appearance, how he looked, and how he clearly did not fit in with his surroundings as well as some of the other passengers. Once those factors were put into place the girl came to an understanding regarding the boy's strange behavior.

Taken as a whole and it became increasingly obvious that the true cause of his shaky demeanor was due to a severe case of the jitters.

His staggering motions being a result of the oppressive weight of debt soon to be settling on his shoulders.

"Do you get it now?"

"Mhm, I'd probably be acting the same way if I were in his shoes right about now. That place can be super intimidating for someone who lives off an average salary."

It was no secret that Mugino was the type of person to indulge in the latest trends in terms of fashion. Her closet at home was essentially filled with some of the biggest named brands out there and could fill more than a few whole racks in a clothing shop. That was not an exaggeration either; she had that much at her disposal. And the place she frequently visited to acquire all of that fashionable attire was all in one place. An expensive place that, under normal circumstances, no normal high school student would venture into unprepared. Given his state of distress it was easy to determine that Kamijou was clearly not prepared for this.

He looked like someone who was about to take on a very difficult boss in a video game.

And only now came to realize that he had forgotten to save the last thirteen hours of grinding.

Pop! Pop! Popopo—

"Basically, can you at least wait until after we get off the train before you start that up again Takitsubo?"

Yes, Rikou, can you please stop?

That joke is old now, knock it off!

Dianoid, the massive hexagonal prism of seventy stories high and rumored to be made out of diamonds. The building renown as being a place where some of the most elite of Academy City's residents gather to shop and entertain themselves. Over twenty floors made up its shopping area, all of its stores offering a verity of high class brand name items. If one sought to remain fashionable and up-to-date with the latest high quality items then you would surely find those item here. Furthermore those stores only occupied the lower levels of this massive commercial building. There was still the Middle, Upper, and the Roof of the building that could be explored.

It was the sort of place that one could spend an entire day inside of and still not see everything it had to offer.

Such a place was what served to be the stage for this boss battle.

"T-t-t-this is w-w-way beyond—"

"Oi, Kamijou, stop goofing around and come on."

Kinuhata's head shook as was forced to witness the pitiable sight that was Kamijou Touma. From the moment he stepped foot inside this massive architectural masterpiece his jitteriness increased tenfold. His shaky hands clutched at his wallet and yet he did not even open or view the contents held within it. Reason being that, regardless of how much was in there, it would not even come close to matching the prices of the items on display. Saiai would have said that he was paralyzed by the staggering prices, but that technically was not true. The trembling legs and quivering hands showed that he was not completely immobile.

True misery was what Kamijou looked like right now.

His life (wallet) was now forfeit and he knew it.

"This is super depressing to look at."

And yet the boy somehow found it in himself to trudge on forward with Mugino waiting for him a few paces ahead of him. Once he close enough she moved and maintained a set pace with him right beside her. Despite this she did not seem to be paying him much mind; her focus primarily being on the stores around them. From Saiai's perspective It almost looked like she was window shopping, sparing each display a few moment's worth of time before moving on to the next. Sometimes she would stop, sometimes she did not, which was a very un-Mugino-ish behavior. Usually she would just waltz on in to whatever store she fancied; giving few fucks to what was on display.

Kinuhata, in all her wisdom, came to conclude the obvious based on past experiences. Meltdowner was deliberately being done because she knew how bad this place was affecting her companion. The daunting prices, the quality of the merchandise, and the whole atmosphere in general. It was purposely being done for the sake of watching the boy squirm under the pressure this place gave off. Seemed she wanted to relish in the feeling of watching Kamijou struggle first. Only after she was satisfied would she then snuff out the entirety of his (wallet's) existence from the face of the planet.

As concluded before some parts of Mugino's personality remained. So it stood to reason that her sadistic side was still present somewhere even now. She could hide it all she wanted behind her charming facade as much as she pleased whenever she pleased. But deep down there was no denying that she got off on doing this sort of thing. It was, after all, one of the more defining and unsightly aspects of her personality.

"Huh, it doesn't look like all too much has changed since last time I was here. " Idly commented Mugino as a more pensive posture overtook her former casual demeanor. "Strange, usually the stock would've been updated by now."

"Aw-too-bad-guess-we-better-leave-now!"

"Oh no you don't, we still have nineteen floors left to sift through."

The boy's desperate escape attempt was foiled right from the start. Mugino's hand shot out to take a fist full of the boy's collar just as he took the first step back towards the entrance. What was more impressive is that she did that without having to look at him. Even more impressive was that hand speed. Kinuhata had watched it happen and still missed the exact moment her arm moved. As for Kamijou, well, he was smart enough to know that such a simple escape plan would have been too easy. Either that or he did not want to risk tearing his school uniform and pay to have it replaced.

Not that he would have any money to do that after today.

"Is this what my personal hell is supposed to look like? Nineteen floors of high value merchandise on an average Level 0's income? It hurts, my heart hurts, I think I'm going into shock; blood pressure's dropping, I'm feeling sleepy."

"What, you suffering from Bradycardia? That's no good, I can't have you passing out on me." Mugino, was missing the point...on purpose and Kamijou was not looking amused or relieved by her concern." We just need to find something to help you stay awake. And I know juuust the place to go that'll help you do that."

Kinuhata watched from her safe distance away as the Meltdowner practically dragged the unfortunate boy along behind her. At least for a few centimeters before he accepted his fate and followed her like a normal person. For awhile anyway, as his attitude changed drastically once they came within range of a certain shop. Saiai, while still lingering further back, had to take a few more seconds to see where they were going. When she did, she noted with some amusement, that Mugino had a cheshire smile on her lips. Kamijou, on the other hand, looked to have been doing an impression of a stone statue.

Unsurprisingly enough it did not take much coaxing on Mugino's part to get Kamijou to hurry along.

"Basically, Kinuhata, where're they going? We can't see from where we are over here."

On another note, the Single Player Stalker felt strangely hollow at this particular moment.

"...do I really need to answer that? "

"Huh?"

Had Frenda been there, she likely would have understood.

Even if she wasn't there, she quickly grew to understand the Single Player Stalker's preliminary reluctance.

"G-cup, Double D's, C plus, this place is super not flat person friendly." Kinuhata, despite how 'safe' she was here, was not handling this place too well. "W-wait, I'm not flat, my overall body composition is at an equal balance to complement my figure. Yeah, that's right, I'm perfect as I am based on my age, weight, and height."

Really not handling it well.

"Basically, Kinuhata, don't forget that this thing is still on."

Frenda was not helping matters either.

Disregarding her own inhibitions, Kinuhata still had a job to do. Stalk—observing the two in the stores was not particularly hard thanks to things like shelves and large racks (dammit) of clothing all serving as points of cover. Having said that cover was not as much an issue opposed to the more open areas outside. What stood as the trifling dilemma here was how little space there was for her to move without being seen. One misstep, one motion made too soon or too late, and Mugino would see her.

There was not a huge consequence for Kamijou seeing her, provided it is only in this store. Anywhere else and even he might start to suspect something. All in all she just had to tread with just a bit more caution than before. Not a huge gambit but well within the boundaries of getting a game over screen if she did not remain vigilant.

"Transparent, spider-web patterns, l-leather? What hell is—h-hey that one just looks like a bunch of belts thrown together, not underwear!" Kamijou, however, was taking it all surprisingly well all things considered. It must have helped that he had a fashionable girlfriend like Mugino around all the time. "O-oh, t-th-these are just strings...nothing but strings and tassels. Who comes up with this stuff!?"

"Seems like someone's gotten a bit more lively."

A little too lively if one were to ask her. Mugino was not helping either since she hardly seemed fazed by anything that the boy was pointing out. A reason behind that may have been because she actually liked this sort of thing. She was the same girl who would wear black underwear underneath a skirt and not give a damn if someone saw them. She horded stuff like this at home too, long before Kamijou entered the picture, so her being here was not too out of the ordinary. The fact that she actually had a boyfriend gave her a legitimate excuse to purchase them now. Still did not explain why she looked so amused with said boyfriend's behavior.

"I'm a normal high school student with a healthy interest in the opposite sex; leave-me-alone."

"You do realize, Kamijou, that what you said sounds like something a pervert would say."

"I have to cope somehow since there's no safe place for me to look!" Touma wasn't wrong, there really was no safe place for his eyes to land within this store. "A-anyway, are people really willing to pay this much for stuff like this? Not only that but did they have to put a place like this on this floor where everyone can see it? Is walking in here the same thing as a guy going into the +18 section of a movie rental story?"

Good analogy there Kamijou, that was precisely what that felt like to some people. Namely those sort of girls who wanted to be more 'adult' than they actually were. That fell more into the category of middle school girls who were looking for some sort of cheap thrill. Other times a place like this was a rite of passage to those ignorant girls who did not understand the real purpose these clothes were meant for. That was perhaps one reason why it was on this floor and in such an easy to find place. Then again you had people like the Meltdowner who fit in the 'big sis' criteria and could casually buy these things without even a hint of embarrassment.

It was not the #4's fault that School Garden girls were easily impressionable.

"Meh, as far as prices go, this place isn't as steep as your making it out to be. Placement of these shops is based on how much you're willing to pay to occupy the space. Believe it or not this is one of the most ideal places to be if you're a shop owner. Most people hardly go beyond the seventh floor unless they want something specific. That being the case, whoever purchased this area forked over a lot of money and must be making a decent profit from being here. As far your last question goes, well, that simply sounds like your own personal interpretation. In my eyes, the only time walking in here would be viewed in that light is if it's someone who's self-conscious of their own body."

Not too terribly far off from the girl stood a extremely displeased Kinuhata Saiai. The dark shadow overtaking her brow as well as the menacing frown told anyone and everyone to get away from her for the time being. If that did not then the bad atmosphere promising pain surely would do the trick. On that note: we are all very sorry for your unexciting chest Kinuhata.

B-but do not worry, it's okay, you're still growing.

They'll get bigger eventually, so hang in there!

"To be honest I wouldn't make it to the fifth floor if I was on my own." Touma's response was followed with an inaudible sigh, a vain attempt to ignore the eyes that were staring at him from seemingly every direction. Hard not to be the subject of people's attention when you're one of the few males in the store. "I guess all of that makes sense...well except for the last one. I mean even you must have felt at least slightly intimidated by this stuff the first time you came into a place like this. Any person would feel at least some anxiety from seeing...whatever the hell some of this even is."

And just like that Kinuhata felt as though she had just gotten a +1 Life Point!

"Mmmh, I can't remember my first time coming into a store like this. I suppose, I can give you the benefit of the doubt there."

Ding!

+2 Life Points!

Single Player Stalker's spirits were on the rise!

"So, Kamijou, any preferences?"

Unfortunately Shizuri decided to cast confuse on everyone who was close enough to be listening.

"Huh?"

It was effective.

That was Touma, who found himself lacking any sort of intelligent response.

"Huh?"

It was super effective in fact.

That was Saiai, who was completely taken off guard by the question as well.

"You heard me, what's your preference?" Shizuri's repeated question came out so casually that it was almost shameful. She even had the audacity to smirk at him over her shoulder as she continued to examine a new selection on a different rack. "You're still paying, that part hasn't changed, but at the least I can make this a bit more interesting. Besides I'm actually kinda curious about what your tastes are with this sorta thing. With a selection like this I'm sure that there's at least something here that's within your strike zone."

Keep in mind that, prior to this, Kamijou was mostly fine. He may have been a bit embarrassed but his face was not scarlet red from his ears to his neck line. Now it was, anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could clearly see that. Hell even some of the other customers were blushing a bit, which meant Saiai was not the only person eavesdropping on their little conversation. Those same people were also watching, waiting with baited breath and burning curiosity as to what the boy would eventually select. Discreetly, mind you, although not discreetly enough to avoid being noticed. Poor guy looked like he wanted to find a hole to hide in and stay there.

"Weeell~?" This cutesy act of Mugino's, though disturbing, was none the less amusing. "I obviously don't mind, you're bound to have a fetish of some sort, and there's a plentiful selection to choose from. Go ahead, pick something, I won't judge you too harshly depending on what it is."

The Single Player Stalker could almost swear she heard him gulp from where she was. Eyes were watching, ears were tuned in, and it was focused on him who stood at the center of the stage. Off to the side some university girls were giggling at the whole ordeal, likely finding Kamijou's hesitance to be pathetic. He must have noted that because he suddenly got really tense when he heard it.

Both were wrong in that assumption, but that was beside the point.

Yet the moment of truth still came as Kamijou Touma's shaky hand rose upwards.

And he pointed to one thing that made the spectator's and Mugino's head tilt.

"...you fucking serious?"

It had practically been an hour since the couple, as well as the Stalking Trio, had entered the commercial building called Dianoid. A total of forty-five minutes had passed since they had exited their first store. Throughout the entirety of that time many other establishments had been visited. In spite of that there was not much that was being carried around by those two; indicating that not much had been purchased. That by itself would have raised some eyebrows given the fact that this place was geared towards those with an abundance of both fame and wealth.

Kamijou had neither of those things, never would most likely, and so there was a limit to what he could actually buy here.

Suffice to say there was not much that fit within his budget.

That was supposed to be the point of all this.

"Did she come here to super break his spirits or what? She's hardly making him buy anything, even the stuff she wants."

"Basically, not everything she wants she gets...like that thing he's holding on to."

"Your still going on about that?"

Thanks to the distance that the others were forced to maintain, Saiai was responsible to explain what had happened. That included what Kamijou had chosen to buy and whom Mugino forced to take it to the counter to pay for. Humiliation, pure and simple was what that was, and Mugino added further insult to it by making him carry it. Shizuri herself had flat out refused to do so, claiming that he paid for it so that was his duty and not hers. There was the sneaking suspicion that the #4 did not want to be caught dead with that in her possession. Upon completing her 'report' on everything, she was met with Frenda's noisy laughter; having found it hilarious.

In hindsight it kind of was from someone on the outside looking in.

Not so much for the unfortunate boy though.

Speaking of the spiky haired teen, he looked to have calmed down considerably since their initial arrival. Not quite as jittery of a person like before, although the nervousness remained to some degree. A feasible reason behind that drop in anxiety was that nothing was being bought, no other purchases had been made. Henceforth, with the declining concern, Kamijou was able to actually take in the Japanese-style architecture that made up the lower levels. He himself had actually started to do some snooping around when it came to the displays and shops alongside Mugino.

"Well, all jokes aside, you think she's trying to lull him into a false sense of security? That basically sounds like something Mugino would do under normal circumstances."

Any other time and on any other day Kinuhata might have agreed with the blonde. Because that was surely how the Meltdowner would have acted 'under normal circumstances' as Frenda put it. Which was precisely the reason why she was wrong. That 'normal circumstance' was dictated by ITEM's standards regarding the Level 5's behavior within their group.

"Remember what you said earlier: there's too much about the two of them that we don't know. What we consider to be 'normal' could be super different from what's 'normal' to those two and vise versa."

At this moment in time the #4 was not the leader of the underground group ITEM.

She was just Mugino Shizuri, a girl out with her secret boyfriend and a girl who just so happened to be a Level 5.

"...I did say that, didn't I?" A rhetorical question no doubt, but Saiai maintained a respected silence. Although she would not have been surprised if Frenda had indeed forgotten her own words for a moment there. "Then your question can't be answered. If she's not leading him into a false sense of security then what is she doing? Expecting him to buy her something on his own accord or something?"

"Maybe, maybe not, I dunno; my ability is Offense Armor, not telepathy."

"Basically we're stuck then."

"For now, yeah, it looks like it." Retorted the Single Player Stalker with a casual shrug. "In the meantime, here's a thought: do you think they've had super sex yet?"

"Bgfhhh!?"

Gross.

Don't do a spit take on the receiver Frenda.

"Don't get all bashful on me, I'm asking a legitimate question here." She truly was, proof being the lack of any form of embarrassment on her visage as she asked it. "Think about it, they've been seeing each other for almost four months now. They only got to meet at night, they did that in secret, and we've seen them playing tonsil hockey out in the open. Furthermore he didn't seem all that embarrassed about being in that shop. Might not have liked the attention he got but he wasn't super uncomfortable by what was around him."

Clearly this had been a subject in the back of her mind for a while now. Something that she had been musing over for the better part of half an hour since the couple moved on. Saiai may not have the full details on every aspect of this secret relationship but the subject of intimacy was something worth bringing up. They saw how aggressive those two had been before. Who knew how far they would have taken it in that alley if they had continued to go uninterrupted? Sure there were some contradictions to this train of thought it was also something that they could entirely ignore either. If it was never asked then they could never speculate on the question itself.

That was what Kinuhata was doing here. Bringing to light a topic that, while mildly embarrassing in public, needed to be asked at some point or another.

"I-I ba-basically I don't think so. I mean, I don't even know what 'super sex' supposed to be like." Frenda, if you're making fun of Kinuhata's verbal tick, then you are basically being a bitch. "Is that like those adult manga where the couple go at it from noon to midnight without any breaks?"

Restraint was the Dark May Survivor's greatest quality beyond her defensive capabilities. Such a reasons were what made her such a valuable asset to ITEM as a whole. That said, even she had her limits in terms of fortitude and self-control. Reaching that point took time but she too had her buttons that could easily push her over the limit. So it was no surprise that Kinuhata, pulsating vein and all, almost removed the earpiece to crush it. The only reason, the only thing keeping her from doing so, was the price the equipment cost. Again it was not cheap and it had proven to be handy during this whole escapade.

"...hey, Kinuhata, you there? You're breathing very hard ove—"

Click.

Single Player Stalker had just went into Offline Mode!

"God dammit."

Said Stalker was red in the face for a very different reason.

She looked cute with that blush though.

Call it a gut feeling, a woman's intuition, or whatever other natural feeling one gets. Whatever one chooses to call it did not matter; what did matter was that Kinuhata had that feeling for a while now. It was inexplicably stubborn too and it began less than ten minutes after she had decided to go off the grid. It had been this way for almost half an hour and it was only now starting to truly concern her. Something was telling her that it was unwise, foolish even, to cut herself off from the rest of the Stalking Trio. Whether or not this was true had yet to be determined since the couple in question did not appear to have noticed her.

Based on that, the Offline Player merely perceived it as just paranoia invoked by the long standing radio silence.

Assuring herself, however, did not make the feeling go away; in fact it grew stronger.

The reason behind that could lie in the fact that Kamijou had excused himself for the time being. Leaving Mugino waiting by the railing that overlooked the previous floors below. Long had the couple bypassed the second floor as the two had managed to proceeded all the way up to the fifth and were still looking to proceed further up. Despite that not much had changed since before they reached this point. Kamijou had not been forced to purchase anything, Mugino was not insisting on it, and the two continued to traverse further up. This pattern made it strange, so much so that it was starting to bother the Offline Stalker.

Why did Mugino force him to come here?

What was the reason for this trip in the first place?

If it was not to break his wallet then what ulterior motive was there for this little trip?

Touching on the subject before had gotten her no conclusive answers. Questioning it now was not amounting to anything either. Yet Saiai was still in wonder, still concerned, still curious about what the point of all of this was. It could not have been a simple change of heart midway through, could it? Unlikely, Mugino was a resolute person at heart and in some cases she could be even obsessive. If she claims she is going to do something, chances were she would do it. It would not make sense for her to sway from that so haphazardly all of a sudden. Especially given the circumstances that lead up to the couple coming here in the first place.

Hell Kamijou himself believed her when she said he would go broke by the end of the day. If even he assumed Shizuri intended to make good on her word then that only furthered their belief that she would. Yet she was not doing that and if Saiai knew this then it should come to reason that Kamijou did as well. Only, between the two of them, one of these columns of people knew for certain what the Meltdowner's intentions were. Was it just a lie used to get a cheap scare out of him or did she truly intend to milk him for all he was worth?

That...last bit there was poorly worded.

"Tch, are you gonna come out now or do I have to make you?"

Remember that gut feeling Saiai had?

Yeah, that was swiftly overshadowed by a sense of dread.

Dread and realization.

Realization that, from the very beginning, this had all been a ruse. A means to isolate and draw a conclusion on something that may have been bother the Meltdowner for a while now. Was it possible that she had grown away of someone shadowing them? Certainly, it most certainly was possible for her to have noticed. Shizuri may not be acting in her usual ways but she was, nevertheless, an inhabitant of the dark side. No amount of deredere-ness could impair on one's instincts gained and honed from excessive exposure to that side of the world.

Again, Dianoid was geared towards the elite, so most who were here had a very different vibe.

That vibe of those spoiled rotten by wealth and fame differed very much from those who came to care less about those things. Everyone in the darkness stepped into that void for different reasons. While money may be plentiful, there was no fame to be gained; infamy, on the other hand, was abundant. Which is why those who dwelled in the dark did not go to places like these. To someone who has been around the block a few times, it only takes a few seconds of careful observation and you can tell who's hands were clean and who's were dirty.

Case in point, Mugino had guided the Stalking Trio here to weed them out of the crowd.

...so why did she not call her out directly?

How come she did not call her out by name?

"That took you a bit longer than I predicted. I'd say you scored somewhere around a 86; a passing grade but a little refinement wouldn't hurt."

The speaker in question was a girl garbed in a school issued sailor uniform and a long defensive-style skirt. Shoulder length black hair, her fringe tied back, and a body most young ladies her age would be envious of. In the best of terms, she was someone who had an abundance of mature charm in a specific area. Putting those aside, because reasons, something else about this girl stood out the most. This girl, somehow, seamlessly fit into this environment and did not look remotely out of place. It was not her appearance in either attire or figure that allowed her to blend in so well.

Her casual confidence, or perhaps indifference, that she exuded was what aided her in that regard.

A big contrast when compared to Touma, who did not fit in at all due to a shortage of calm mind.

And this yet to be named girl casually strolled on up in the direction opposite to Kinuhata's own location. With that same level of composure, she strolled up just as the #4 turned around to fully take in the image of the person she would be speaking to. Shizuri, however, did let her stern demeanor slip a bit once she had a grasp on who she would be talking too.

"Don't look so surprised, if anyone should be startled here it's me." Apparently this new girl noticed it too; which caused Mugino's visage to take on a more disgruntled nature. "I knew you shopped here frequently, but I never would have thought you would have brought him of all people here. That boy can be pretty frugal with his money so seeing him of all people here was almost jaw-dropping."

"...huge tits, dark hair, huge forehead..."

"Hm? Are you referring to me or that Fukiyose girl who's imitating me? Let's go ahead and clear up one thing, my forehead is not huge but my chest is bigger."

Boing~

Saiai, for the second time that day, felt hollow and envious all in one setting.

Poor girl.

"I don't care, you're not the same person and that's good enough for me." From here Mugino stood up straight and leveled the girl with a cold look that commanded one's attention. "Now who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want? You've been snooping around for a while now and it's really starting to piss me off. Answer me in any way that I don't like and I'll throw you off this floor."

"Hoho, bold statement, not afraid of witnesses?"

"Avoid my question again and you'll see how much I give a damn."

"Fair enough." Undeterred to the point that it was unsettling, the girl took a spot next to the #4. Folding her arms on the guardrail while leaning most of her upper body forward; almost like she was inviting the girl to do it. "I was curious, I'll admit that, but you can rest assured that I have no intentions of causing any sort of harm. I just wanted to see what he was doing with such a dangerous individual like yourself in a place as gaudy as this."

"That explains one of my two questions."

"Partially, I partially answered your first question." At the sight of Mugino's twitching brow, a small bitter smile formed on the girl's face. "The second part of it is that I came to threaten you. I had at least several things I wanted to say, half of them I could tell you right here and now if I really wanted to. But I don't want to this to escalate into something reminiscent to a scene from a soap-opera, so I won't. I have a limited window of opportunity, so I'll settle with what I said before; I came to threaten you and only you. I'm sure you can guess why, I'm equally sure you can think of how, and I'm certain that you'll heed it."

"Sorry to tell you, but you're doing a shit job at intimidating me."

From her hiding spot, a certain Offline Stalker was nodding her head in dull agreement.

"I'm not here to intimidate you, I'm threatening you." Corrected the girl as a dangerous edge gleamed beneath the veil of two very calculating eyes. "If you think I'm no threat to you, then that's because I want you to think that way. If you aren't intimidated, it's because I haven't bared my fangs at you yet. Truth be told, I don't need to say anything threatening or intimidating. Because the moment I stood here, inviting you to throw me off from this floor, I've already proven my point."

Same girl then turned around, propping her elbows on the railing while leaning her back against it. Again, it was an invitation, although many could mistake her as being a delusional girl who was teetering back and forth on the tightrope. Her smile was cruel though it was not of the malevolent sort like Mugino. Paired with that calculating gaze, both completed a picture of someone who was aware of some tragic irony. Vexing was what it was, however alluring in the same way a moth is attracted to a flame.

She had, unknowingly or not, captivated both listeners with just her words and actions alone.

"I'm not afraid of you Meltdowner, just like he wasn't afraid either,and that is enough to unsettle you; isn't it?"

There was a visible change in Mugino's demeanor upon hearing this. From the second her shoulders had tensed, Saiai knew that this girl had struck a nerve. A tender one at that considering how her hands balled up into tight fists and her jaw stiffened. Yet this bizarre unknown woman maintained that same cruel smile and cold calculating eyes. From an outside perspective it almost appeared as though she was challenging her, daring her, to do something.

"It's threatening enough, intimidating enough, if anyone else showcases this behavior besides him. He is at the center in your little world, but the world you live in is very different and treacherous compared to his. That's why I'm here, that's why I'm threatening you, because it's very easy to exploit you once someone knows how. Just to be clear this is not a matter of me trying to force your hand into doing more dirty work. I'm here to threaten you, only you, and I'm only telling you this because I want you to hear it."

By this point Mugino looked to be teetering on the tightrope herself. Only her line was waning, surrounded in fire, and ready to break on a moment's notice. Shizuri's hands twitched, her lips forming into a scowl, and her teeth grinding together as she glared at this conceited young woman.

"You so much as go near him—"

"Can't avoid that, we are part of the same school after all." And just like that, the cruelness of the girl's visage vanished and was replaced with a new, chirpier, demeanor. "As I said, I mean no harm to him or you for that matter. Maybe I neglected to mention that part at the outset. Either way, I've made my point clear based on your reaction just now. On that note, aren't you glad that I was only snooping around because I was curious? Isn't it a relief to know that I have no intentions of doing either of you any harm?"

Shizuri was not about to stand for this any longer. That much became clear when her hand rose in a dangerous way. Murderous intent was evident in every fiber of her being as she glared over at this woman. This bitch who had the audacity to talk to her like she were her plaything. Saiai herself could only speculate that such thoughts were racing through the Level 5's mind. How easily she could kill her and the many alternative ways that the action could be carried out in just that moment alone. Mugino was willing, able, and was only a couple feet away from doing so at that moment in time.

A little bit more and she could do it.

Despite herself Kinuhata was on the verge of intervening; her little stalking adventure be damned. Not out of want to save this 'innocent' woman from certain death but for purely professional reasons. ITEM's leader could not afford to draw in unwanted public attention. Murder in broad daylight in such a public place would end with that unavoidable outcome. Something that she could not have, would not have, given how much value the Meltdowner brought to the table. There was, however, the unprofessional reason of simply not wanting to have her friend going to jail.

Yet, in the decisive moment where an action needed to be made, Mugino stopped. She stopped, took a few deep breaths, while retracting her arm to have it join the other across her chest. Her jaw, previously clenched, steadily relaxed along with her hands which were no longer twitching from anger. Her scowl remained, same with her glare, but it was not nearly as ferocious opposed to what it once moments ago. All of these changes had underwent in less than two minutes, which was something that was admittedly surprising to the Dark May Stalker.

"You've made your point." One could visibly see the level of restraint Mugino was demonstrating at this moment. Restraint did not directly translate into being polite. "Now get lost; I don't wanna ever see your face again."

This, in turn, caused the girl's expression to soften a bit as the frigidness in her calculating eyes became absent.

There was no mistaking, however, the bitterness that settled in its place.

"Don't worry, you won't see me again unless I want you to." Pushing herself away from the railing, she moved to depart from the scene as casually as she entered it. "You've won a fantastic prize, Mugino Shizuri, so you'll have to forgive me for acting like a sore loser. And while I can't say I approve of his choice in women, I respect him enough to bite my tongue."

Without so much as a proper farewell the girl proceeded to further distance herself from the Level 5. Taking the route in which lead her to pass the spot in which the Single Player Stalker was currently hiding. In that brief of her passing by, this strange girl looked dead in the eyes of the Offline Stalker. This was no fleeting observation, the girl had known she had been there the entire time. Further proven by her shooting an almost lazy wink in her direction as she passed. Such an action was unsettling because, for all she knew, Mugino had indeed spotted her and that girl had acted as a scapegoat.

Or perhaps she truly was caught and was only making a show of how easy she was to spot.

Both options did not leave a satisfying taste in the Dark May Survivor's mouth.

"What the hell took you so long!?"

Thankfully, as the Offline Stalker peered back out from her hiding spot, Mugino's gaze was no longer focused on the direction the girl had left from. Instead her attention was focused on the rapidly approaching form of Kamijou as he broke out into a light jog to close the distance between them. He himself would never know how appreciative his arrival was on all parties. At the very least he dispelled the unsettling feeling sitting at the pit of her stomach for the time being.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just—"

"Forget it, I'm done here for today, so let's go."

"Home?"

It's a trap you dingus.

Please stop looking and sounding so hopeful.

"Yes, Kamijou, we're going home."

...wait, wha, seriously?

Shizuri was seriously indeed.

From the moment she announced her want to depart, they did. Much to the surprise of all parties involved, seen and unseen alike. From there it was a simple decent back down to the main floor, a tram ride, and they had returned back to District 7. Delighted as he originally was, it appeared as though Kamijou too found this shift in attitude to be strange. More so by the fact that she did not seem all too pleased throughout their commute back. He could not be blamed for it as this change was a direct result of that strange girl's 'threat'.

Not only that but the #4 was noticeably more attentive with her surroundings than she previously had been.

"Basically, you think that girl was on our side?"

"Can't say that she's on anyone's 'side' but she super knew I was there."

After that face-to-face encounter, Saiai had reactivated the earpiece posthaste. She did not receive a warm reception when she did but the information brought to light quelled most of the heated remarks. Having been brought up to speed with the current situation, it did not take them long to temporarily reconcile their previous issues in lieu of the more pressing matters at hand. Namely in the heightened state of awareness Mugino had been in since that girl exposed herself.

"Should we lay low for awhile since, basically, Mugino's in high alert?"

"Maybe...that might been something we'll need to do for a while." While the current subject of their discussion was important, it was clear on her face that something more was on her mind. "If that's what we're deciding to do, then I think I know how we can super get those details we've been wondering about."

"Please tell me it's not the super sex ones. I'm not sure if that's something I want to know about."

"Would you knock it off about that already!?" Hissing into the reciever, this moment marked the second time Saiai almost broke the earpiece. It also marked the second time she would turn it off too, but she did not. "I'm talking about their history, how they met, the important stuff we're super in the dark about."

"Oh...basically, how do you figure we're gonna do that?"

"That girl, weirdly enough, seems to know more about them than we do. I'm not sure how true this is, but she might have been super spying on them longer than we have. If that's true then we have a means to find out the circumstances that caused these two to meet up in the first place. We find her, we can get that information ourselves, and get some much needed context."

All of the indications that could be classified as evidence lie in that girl's threat. She knew who Mugino was, who she really was, and did not seem to hold a care in the world. She covertly addressed the different 'worlds' in which the Meltdowner and her lover lived in. Her threat was not half-hearted, yet all the same it was not something to be considered an actual threat. If anything it sounded more like a veiled warning for the Level 5 to be more careful. Interpretation, however, was not always mutual and Shizuri very well could have taken it differently from how Kinuhata had come to perceive it.

"Basically, if all that is true, then yeah we should definitely jump on that."

"I'm super waiting for a 'but' any second now."

"...but, how do you plan to get into contact with her? She didn't give her name and all we have to go on is her looks. It's not like we can just waltz in and go looking for her since that Kamijou guy attends the same school; he'd recognize us, "

That was a big issue, a glaring one actually, but ultimately it was something that could be overcome. Time was not of the essence here, they had all the time in the world to figure something out. What they could not do was continue on the same path they had been on since discovering their leader's secret lover. With her becoming increasingly more aware of those around her, taking some time off from this method was the only option they had. Better to take a step back for now than risk being discovered later on down the line.

"We'll super figure something out." A weak response accompanied by an exasperated sigh as she was said it. "For now, let's call it a day and—"

Whatever Kinuhata was about to say came to a halt when she felt something wet abruptly landed on her forehead. A glance up was all it took to confirm that, indeed, the overcast from earlier had developed into rainclouds. Strange, Tree Diagram had predicted that it would rain tomorrow, not today. What started from one drop turned into two, then four; the intervals between each drop decreasing as time went on.

"Shit is it really gonna rain!?"

"...such misfortune."

As far as locations went, they were by all accounts back in District 7's usual surroundings. The parks, the chain of restaurants, convenient stores, and other familiar landmarks that were familiar to those native to this district. In terms of specifics, however, they were in a place that was close to the dorms yet still within the distance of a few hole-in-the-wall stores. Sorta like a boundary line that separated the two places apart without completely isolating one from the other; a hodgepodge of dorms and stores. Space was limited in Academy City and people who got these dorms were pretty lucky all things considered.

"If we run we could probably make it to my dorm before it gets too bad."

Much like how these two were lucky to be within close enough distance to where Kamijou's dorm seemed to be. Whether or not that had been their intended destination or not was a different subject for a future debate.

"Hoho, what's this, are you suddenly taking the imitative Kamijou?" Even in the face of the encroaching rain, Mugino somehow found it in herself to tease the boy. "I didn't think you were that impatient to see me in that getup you have there."

"You're judging me. You're judging me right now aren't you!? You need to stop, stop it right now, Shizuri!"

She did not respond immediately, instead using this moment lean on him as she brought her leg partially up. A loud crack soon followed this action as she broke off the heel to her pumps, an action Kinuhata had witnessed several times before in the past. With a stable ground to stand on, she repeated the process; pointedly ignoring the look Touma was currently giving her.

"...I'm not ever buying you shoes if that's what you do to them."

"You've obviously never had to run in heels before."

"Uhuh, your right, don't ever plan to either. I'm still never buying shoes for you though."

"Oh shut up and run before we end up getting soaked."

And with that final comment, the two took off in a haste as more dark splotches started to litter the pavement. Having no idea that, in their wake, they had a left very concerned Stalker behind them.

What was she concerned about?

"Basica—"

"No, you be super quiet, I'm getting out of this rain and going home."

Saiai, apparently, already knew what Frenda was about to say. And she was not going to be hearing any more of that today. Nor was she going to such an extreme to find out the answer to her question earlier today. A stalker she may be, but a voyeur she personally was not. So as far as she was concerned, what they did in privacy of the dorms was their business.

Who was she to spy on them during their dokidoki deredere punipuni moments anyway?

...that was...a stupidly roundabout way of wording it.

Welcome to the bottom!

Here's hoping you guys were pleasantly surprised by Kumokawa's appearance here in this chapter. Told you that I'd be bringing in someone else. Plus, lets be real, if Touma got with anyone then she would be among the first to know about it. Close second being Misaki, but we'll get to her later...maybe. I picked Kumokawa because, well, I wanted to see if I could nail her personality as well as I do the others. Here's hoping you all approve of my rendition of Sore Loser Seria.

Now then, I figured I'd go ahead and inform you all that I have a poll on my profile currently regarding something important. I'd advice you guys to give it a glance and vote. I won't say what the poll is about here, mainly so I don't have to read it in the reviews. Selfish thing, yes I know, but its something that does not need to be discussed. I'm here to please you fellow Kamigino fans and if the demand is high then I will provide; simple as that.

One last thing. What do you guys think Kamijou's choice was in regards to Mugino's sexy underwear? Don't get weird (or do it anyway) but I'm curious to know what you all think. Creative answers will promptly get a chuckle out of me, might even be used.

As usual, if there are any inquiries, thoughts, or concerns that arise in your mind, feel free to address them to me and I'll do what I can to answer them. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my little piece of work.

Goodbye for now.