Greetings to all!
If this chapter does not catch the attention of TV Tropes, I don't know what will.
What?
There's nothing wrong with having a goal to strive for.
In certain walks of life, there exist things that one may come to classify as being constant.
Something that has come to be part of one's daily routine; something that cannot go a day without being experienced at least once. This is not, however, something to be confused with what some people come to consider normal. Although the two may go hand-in-hand, there was one factor that differentiated the two. One may be written off and thus ignored; the other was something that had an actual impact on one's life. It was not something that just 'happens' and is thus classified as normal through the circumstances of consistency.
Rather it is something that 'happens to them', specifically, everyday.
"Such misfortune!"
Case in point: Kamijou Touma's perpetually bad luck.
Every day, without fail, some unfortunate happenstance or event would occur. That was normal, every person was bound to have a bad day so that part was not strange. Of course, for Kamijou, every day was a bad day because something bad or strange would only ever happen to him. At least that was how it seemed to be in his mind. If something could happen, mostly bad, then the chances were high that he would be the person who ultimately suffered. Stepping and tripping up on a discarded can on the ground; he's kissed the dirt from that before. Getting hit in the back of the head with a soccer ball; it's been done.
Coincidently running into a crazy lady with a knife fetish in a back alley; oddly specific but, yeah, that's happened too.
The point here is that, somehow or in some way, misfortune found a way to impose on his life. It never failed to live up to its silent promise of making his day-to-day life just a tiny bit more abysmal. Today was no different and somehow had managed to worm its way enough to bypass Tree Diagram's 'perfect' weather prediction capabilities. A new milestone for his misfortune, Touma would have been impressed if he did not have to run through the rain like he was doing now.
Instead he was beginning to think the mysterious force behind his bad luck was trying a bit too hard to get his attention. Like an annoying kouhai trying to garter the attention of an upperclassman they 'admired' by constantly nagging them day in and day out. What made that analogy so sad was that, once upon a time, Kamijou would have loved to have been playing the part of the senpai in that scenario. That and he has, on more than one occasion, imagined his misfortune manifesting into an image of a first year high school girl. Complete with a with a mischievous smile that showed off the cute little fang poking out when she talked or smiled.
...at least he got creative with it.
Cut the guy some slack.
"You yelling that isn't gonna make you run faster; move your ass!"
No, that was not his misfortune in human form yelling at him.
If it was, he likely would have punched them right then and there.
And it would not have only been one punch either.
It was actually the person who helped break his illusions regarding his date life. A person who just happened to caught up in that (jealous) kouhai's efforts to be acknowledged by him. Said person was none other than the Meltdowner, the #4 among the seven Level 5's that live within Academy City's walls. Those titles, however, were just the cliff notes above the 'Contents' box of a Wikipedia entry to him. What he took to calling her was Shizuri, Mugino Shizuri, and the title he selfishly cared the most about was the title of 'His Girlfriend' that was written in bold.
That may sound superficial, but one could be assured that it was not.
"It can't be helped, besides I need to vent my frustrations somehow!"
Said girlfriend, upon hearing this, shot him a fleeting glance over her shoulder as the two continued to run through the rain. Bad enough as it was for it to rain, what made it that much worse was that it had rapidly picked up its pace shortly after they started running. What made the girl's nose scrunch up a bit was the fact that Kamijou, despite himself, was holding a certain bag tightly against his chest so as to protect it from the downpour.
"You'd run fucking faster if you weren't so concerned about that damn bag you twit!"
"You're damn right I'm gonna make sure it doesn't get messed up in the rain!" Kamijou's retort was supposed to be defensive, but sadly it came off as sounding petty instead. "I paid for this! This Kamijou was forced to go up to the register and pay for it himself! If this gets ruined then that's wasteful spending!"
Not sure if his priorities were in the right or in the wrong place here.
Let us go with the idea that these two's thought processes differed and move on.
"Fine, get drenched, idiots don't catch colds anyway!"
"You laugh but my misfortune knows no bounds! Even if I am an idiot I'll still end up getting sick anywaaaaay!"
What was more depressing: him calling himself an idiot or the unwavering faith in his own misfortune?
Tough call there.
Out of breath, soaking wet, and frustrated.
That was the state in which Mugino and Touma were in when they finally reached their destination. The dorms, the ground floor of Kamijou's dormitory to be exact, which thankfully provided enough shelter to shield them from the rain. Both were panting, Kamijou having leaned his back against the wall to catch his breath with Mugino beside him doing mostly the same. Even as they did this in their own respected ways one would see the wet spots and small puddles produced by the two from the water dripping from their clothes. Not the pretty picture in the world yet, all the same, not something they could be faulted for.
"The placement of your dorm sucks."
Kamijou could not really argue against that. Instead he just laughed, or tried to anyway, before breaking out into a light cough as his breath got caught. His efforts to make light of her statement did earn him a small tired smile from the girl beside him. This did not go unnoticed, nor did he fail to notice a single bead of water is traversed down her face. What made that significant was the fact that it showed how thin her blouse truly was as it clung to her damp frame. It did not help that he could see some of her velvet unmentionables through the fabric of her clothes.
"Up here."
"Huh?" Realizing too late that he had been caught, Touma coughed into his fist while averting his eyes. "L-let's go ahead and get upstairs. Any longer in these wet clothes and we really will get sick."
"Uhuh, sure." Her tired smile before grew a bit more lively from this exchange, having pushed herself off the wall once Touma started to move. "Hope you got something else for me to wear. 'Cause I'm not planning to be dressed in that the entire time I'm here."
"Stop thinking so little of me!"
Now it was her turn to laugh, one of good-natured mirth rather than the condescending cackles most would expect. Kamijou, lightly peeved by her jokes, simply sighed in resignation as the two trudged over towards the elevator that would take them up to his floor. Understandably he had taken the lead here for the sake of avoiding the tantalizing visage that was Mugino's body through her soaked clothes. He was gentleman at heart after all, plus he would argue that he was acting as a body shield for her in the event that another student was outside their room. Seemed she was thinking the same way since she was sticking herself particularly close to his back right now.
The pitter pattering of the rain beyond filled the comfortable period of silence between the two. Even in its absence after entering the elevator, both were too occupied dealing the discomforts of damp clothes clinging to their respected bodies. Neither made any attempts to dry themselves off, little good would come from it anyway. Although Touma did purposely keep his back to the girl with him, less he get caught unintentionally staring at her again. When the telltale 'ding' came and the doors opened, both parties were once again exposed to the pitter pattering of the rain, along with an unwelcome rush of wind slapping the two's drenched bodies the second they stepped off the elevator.
While it was not necessarily cold out, wind plus wet clothes did not equal a pleasant sensation.
"Hello~ Kamijou Touma!"
Someone was oddly chirpy despite the dismal weather.
That form of greeting belonged to a certain young maid who lived with her brother in the dorm next to his own. His wet shoes squeaked loudly against the floor as he came to a sudden stop, which in turn caused the girl behind him to bump into his back. Just as that occurred, the sight of that familiar maid approached in her traditional place atop a cleaning bot. Whether or not she saw the boy flinch just then was debatable.
"M-Maika, what are you doing out here?"
"Waiting, my brother hasn't come home yet." Was the concise response offered by the sweet young maid while the bot she was riding rotated in a clockwise fashion. "I'm starting to think that maybe he got caught in the rain like you did. I tried to contact him via text but I haven't got a response from him yet. You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?"
"Sorry, I haven't seen him, so I'm not sure what he's up to today."
"I see, well I'm sure he'll send me a message soon." Kamijou had lost count of how many times she spun by this point, but eventually it came to a stop as she suddenly perked up. "Oh, that reminds me, I put your school bag in our room for the time being. I'll be sure to drop by to give it to you after you're finished settling in."
At least he could take solace in the fact that his school stuff would not be ruined by the rain as well. He had called the maid in training before he and Mugino had gone to the Dianoid as a favor. She did not seem to mind picking up his things as, in her own words, it was part of a maids duties. It helped to know that she was currently staying next door soi it was not a great incontinence to her. Now all Touma had to worry about was whether or not Motoharu would be upset to know he had his little sister's contact information.
"Thanks Maika, I'll send your brother a message too when I get a chance."
"Thanks Kamijou, now if you would excuse me, we have some wet floors to clean up."
Without further ado, the girl slipped passed the two with her cleaning bot into the elevator, hit descend, and disappeared behind the two closing doors. Kamijou was also glad that the girl did not pry into what was in the bag he was currently holding. Furthermore she seemed to only have business with Touma in that instance. Because she hardly paid any attention to Mugino throughout their short conversation. Probably for the best considering her current state of dress at the moment.
Speaking of that.
"...Shizuri, what's poking my back..."
He couldn't see her, but if Touma was to guess, she was probably rolling her eyes right about now.
"My nipples...it's getting chilly...why, don't like it?"
Show some tact and find a different way to say it!
We cannot be flip-flopping between T and M ratings here Mugino!
"...nope...just curious..."
You are not shaping up to be much better, Kamijou!
Disregarding the (ahem) pleasant exchange, Touma promptly carried on over to his designated door; fishing out the keys as he did so. Only as he went to unlock it did he dare to spare the woman beside him a glance. Unsurprisingly enough, despite her posture, he could see her lightly shivering even if her expression did not show it. He himself was not doing much better, his arms were getting pretty cold too. A turn of the key, a shift in the deadbolt and the door was unlocked, exposing him to the warmth his little home provided. Mugino did not loiter around either once the door was open, having nearly shoved Kamijou aside to get out of the wind.
"Aaaah, much better."
Kamijou did not bother to make a comment in favor of discarding his drenched shoes and socks.
"Feel free to use the bath first if you want. I'll put our wet clothes in the wash and see if I can find you something to wear 'til they dry."
Mugino, for her part, did not miss a beat and promptly followed in the boy's example. Following that she sauntered on towards the laundry room whilst Kamijou went further into the abode. As his mind went about searching for suitable change of clothes, he noted the lacking sound of the door closing, despite having seen the girl step through it. For that reason was why he turned, finding Shizuri's head poking out from between the gap in the door and the doorframe. She was looking dead at him with an expression which he could not read due to only being able to see her face from the nose up.
"Tch, I was hoping for a show."
Show?
He did not get it.
"What?"
"Nothing, forget it. "Apparently he missed something, but that was not all she wanted to say since she did not immediately disappear. "Figured I'd go ahead and tell you that my clothes need to be put through the delicate cycle, not regular. So do a separate load for your stuff while I put mine in."
Made sense, she did wear mostly fashionable clothes all the time, so that part did not surprise him. So he did not question it and simply nodded in understanding as she disappeared out of sight. She still did not close the door, which was bothersome on a different level of reasons. Nevertheless, he reasoned that he would just wait until he heard the water running before closing it properly. Without further thought he went back to his previous task of replacing his wet clothes. He had just managed to shed off the uniform shirt and the undershirt when a low whistle was heard behind him.
"That's more like it."
"Would you go already!"
Whirling around had, sadly (not really), been a poor (good) decision for him to make. Shizuri, once again by the doorway, had exposed more of her person and thus showcased the her current state of dress. Which mostly consisted a familiar piece of violet purple he saw earlier downstairs and not much else. At least as far as upper body was concerned as that was all he could see from this angle. Facing burning from his ears to his neckline, Kamijou's head hastily whirled back around. A reaction that, unsurprisingly, resulted in Shizuri's laughter from her place by the door.
"Puritan wuss."
What she said.
Kamijou wizened up here and chose to respond with a dismissive gesture rather than a verbal retort. He was satisfied when he heard the sound of the door closing, but not before feeling something soft hitting his exposed back. Having said that, once he was sure Shizuri was actually gone, he looked to the ground. At his feet was something thin, small, and looked like a velvet cloth. Picking it up, however, revealed two key things to him. One, they were undergarments and two, they were transparent once it was spread out. Upon this realization Touma suddenly felt something trickling down onto his upper lip. A quick flick of the tongue told him it was blood, his blood, dribbling down from his nostrils.
At least his body was responding appropriately; that was a good thing, right?
Honestly, what more was there to say here?
"...these are really soft..."
Besides that!
The transition period between the two was much less of a hassle. Nothing like when Mugino had gone in transpired and it felt more like a tag-in from a wrestling match. A likely display of courtesy on the Level 5's part to just let the boy take his turn in the bath. A factor which Touma was grateful for all things considered. That said, when he finally returned from the bath, he was pleased to note that the girl had made herself comfortable. Sitting at the coffee table with her un-enthused eyes glued to the television.
She looked bored, a fact that was probably true, but that was to be expected given the circumstances.
Shizuri still had a towel bundled up over her hair but outside of that most of her clothes were his. Strangely enough she was not garbed in what he had left out for her. Instead of the typical T-shirt and sweatpants he left out Shizuri had chosen to wear his spare uniform shirt. Her bare legs hiding what was likely just a pair of boxers underneath. He could not confirm this, he did not want to as of yet, and as such his posture became noticeably stiff. A factor that Mugino did not fail to notice it seemed if the faint beginnings of a smirk were of any indication.
Although, to be perfectly honest, Kamijou would not deny that she looked good even in unflattering clothes like his. That, however, did not mean Touma was going to leave the Level 5 in the room unaddressed.
"I didn't leave those out." His voice was flat just like his stare. "Why did you use my uniform."
"That shirt was too constricting, this fits me better."
A casual answer to an equally casual question.
"And the sweatpants?"
"Clashed with the shirt so I didn't wear 'em."
Glorious.
Truly glorious.
No sarcasm there.
This was the same woman who once proclaimed herself to be in charge of the sexy side of things. Given what she flung at him he could believe it. Tempting a male in his own home, however, was not an ideal thing to do. Unless, of course, that was the intent from the start; which Kamijou doubted. Said boy just sighed, moving himself into the kitchen while ignoring the burning sensation on his cheeks. Now that he was refreshed and (mostly) comfortable, he decided now would be the best time to start working on making some dinner. A quick survey of his refrigerator told he all he needed to know, and thus began his preparations.
It would take awhile to make, not terribly long, but it would be time consuming nonetheless.
The added bonus here was that, unlike most times he made dinner, he would not be alone. Most of the time he only had the TV on as background noise. Having company was a big personal morale booster, double effective when said company was that of his girlfriend.
That was a matter that, even after almost four months, he still found difficult to fathom. Taking into account his rotten luck he figured he would spend most of his high-school years going without having any relationships of the romantic sorts. Much less in the form of a Level 5 beauty that was Mugino Shizuri. Sometimes he had to pinch himself to make sure this all was not some painstakingly long dream. Unlikely as that would be, Touma harbored those sorts of doubts on occasion with good reason.
Good fortune never came to him for free, he was not meant to have it; if he did then misfortune was not too far behind it.
Yet there was none, or at least nothing catastrophic like he had expected. By all accounts he did it, somehow, he managed to gain something he thought he would not until later on in life. Let it be known that he had been subjected to his own illusions being killed by Mugino early on in the beginning. What he had originally believed a relationship to be like turned out to be nothing like what he anticipated. Literature, movies, things of that nature did not even come close to capturing what a relationship was actually like.
That was not to say nothing was accurate, there were parts that fit the mold, but most other aspects were glossed over. Moments like now, for example, where the two of them were together in his dorm room. In manga both parties would be a panicking mess right about now. Or, alternatively, some other inconceivable occurrence would take place that would leave them both feeling awkward.
Yeah, none of that was here.
In fact both he and Shizuri had treated the matter quite casually. Her first visit was not all too different either, granted there was some apprehension in Touma at that time. Such nervousness disappeared after awhile though and eventually turned into what it was today. No different from how it would be if Tsuchimikado or Aogami were here in her place. While not quite the same it was close enough in regards to how much he and Shizuri had grown accustomed to one another. Neither of them knew what they were doing initially and it took awhile for them to adjust to each other's differences.
To this day they still had more than a few things to which the other disagreed with. Again, though, that was much like how interactions with his friends went. So, in hindsight, Kamijou had come to view Shizuri as not just a romantic interest but as a friend. That's ultimately what it came down to in his mind. A close friend of the opposite sex to whom they openly displayed affection towards. Overly simplified maybe, but if the description fit then that was how he would come to view it as.
"What're you thinkin' for dinner?"
Kamijou just about jumped out of his skin by said girlfriend's voice suddenly braking the silence. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had not registered her entering the kitchen area. Her sneaking up behind him did not do him any favors either. Even so, he did not look up and instead kept his attention on the task at hand. Yes it was to avoid the very stimulating visage that was Shizuri dressed in the manner that she was. No he was not a puritan wuss, he was hungry dammit and sustenance came first.
Funny, that sounded a lot like an excuse coming from someone suffering denial.
"Oyakodon."
"Need a hand?"
This time, stopping mid-process, Touma did look at her. Looked her dead in the eyes with the same flat look that was used earlier. Mugino was not overtly skilled in regards to cooking, having witnessed her try a hand at it once before. Not to say it was terrible, he could eat it, but she could use some refinement. To clarify, she could make certain things, it happened to be that the list of things she could make was limited. Much like Kamijou himself who was no red haired protagonist in a certain culinary arts anime.
The best advice could he offer was to practice a bit more in her free time. As that had been how he got better since coming to live in Academy City as a boy. It must have amounted to something since Shizuri apparently liked his cooking enough not to openly complain about it.
So, if he was to guess, that was a plus.
Weighing the pros and cons, however, became secondary objective the longer he looked at her. Understandable given her state of dress and this time clearly seeing just how bare her legs were. His shirt did do a decent enough job at covering her from the waist down, so that was a plus (minus). But the image before him left much, too much, for the imagination to work with. It did not help that she had buttoned all except the top three buttons; exposing the mature valley for all the world to see. He did note that the towel over her hair had been removed despite it still appearing damp from the bath.
Shizuri, however, did not like being exposed to his scrutinizing gaze for long periods of time. Instead of crossing her arms definitely under her chest like he expected, she went with an alternative. She grabbed the hem of his shirt close to her exposed thighs with her fingers and gradually started to raise it. That made him turn away and resulted in familiar clicking of the girl's tongue.
You puritan wuss.
"S-sure, um, grab the chicken thighs and four eggs from the fridge please."
"Then what?"
"Leave the eggs by this bowl and start up the rice cooker. While I'm chopping the onions, you work on cooking the rice and cutting the chicken."
"Got it."
Oddly enough, from an outside perspective at least, the two seemed to work fine together. Clearly implying that this was not the first time they had done this. Mugino helping him cook in seemingly only his uniform shirt perhaps was a first, yes. Her sexy state of dress aside the scenario looked strangely organic. Like it was normal, routine, and ordinary by the standards of both parties involved. In a way it sorta was because, again, this was not the first time they had done this song and dance.
Thus Making it another obscure aspect of their relationship that most were not privy to knowing.
Information that some people, namely a certain trio of stalkers, would have otherwise found odd.
Dinner had been a mostly uneventful period for Touma and Shizuri. They had a few light conversations here and there between their mean. Beyond that, however, the two simply enjoyed it in comfortable silence; omitting the pitter-pattering of rain outside of course. Following that came the official, mandatory, after-dinner clean up back in the kitchen. Shizuri, being the guest here, was banned from doing so under those very grounds. To which she shrugged and went to turning the television back on. From there she proceeded to flip through channels, looking for something to watch.
Touma, for his part, was not paying it much mind.
"This rain isn't supposedly slowing down."
At least until he heard her speak up.
"Huh?"
Opposed to repeating herself, the Level 5 casually pointed to the TV once Kamijou's spiky head peered into the living room. What she was pointing at was the weather channel and the news anchor who was doing the report. Based on what was being shown Touma confirmed that, indeed, the storm was going to last for awhile. And 'awhile' did not mean a few hours; 'awhile' in this instance meant until early tomorrow morning. Casting a sidelong glance towards the screen door to his balcony he found that it was now raining sideways.
"No it isn't." Idly commented the spiky haired youth, his hand combing through his hair. "What do you wanna do?"
Walking back to her place was definitive 'hell no' so the only other choice she make was to call a taxi.
Shizuri, for her part, looked as though she could hardly give a damn.
"I'll take to spending the night here if it's all the same with you."
Ah...yeah, that was an option wasn't it?
As well as a good way to delve into another aspect of their relationship. See, it was already expressed that this was not Mugino's first time visiting his dorm. What was neglected to be mentioned before was that this was also not the first time she had stayed there. As in overnight, in other words slept here, and in other words shared his bed. They have done that before, once accidentally and once intentionally. Regarding the former, she just happened to fall asleep lounging on the bed with him one evening. Touma, being the decent fellow he was, did not wake her and instead opted for sleeping on the floor.
She ended up stepping on him the next morning.
Definitely a rude awakening if he had to say so himself.
By the by, he learned then that he was not into sadomasochism.
As for the latter of the two instances...let us say it was an endearing experience. Nothing sexual happened, (un)fortunately, yet one must remember that Touma's bed was fit for one person. Which meant that there was little room for the two of them. Unless they made like two spoons pressed together; then it worked. And after the previous stay she had insisted that he 'grow a pair' and join her. To be fair this incident happened not too long ago, perhaps a month back if he recalled correctly. He almost did not get any sleep that night because of how nervous he was.
That and Shizuri's mounds were pressing into him the entire night causing for some...discomfort.
What did not help in that instance was that Mugino was very clingy while slumbering. A fact that he quickly discovered after the Meltdowner had fallen asleep. Kamijou had yet to tell her that little detail and probably never would to tell the truth. He be couldn't be blamed for it, as a girl's breasts were still a girl's breasts after all. Plus it was a much better sleeping habit than her, say, snoring.
But that was all beside the point.
Mugino's suggestion was a key matter that he had to think on. Thankfully enough he had finished cleaning up the dishes a few minutes ago. Meaning he could apply the absolute maximum amount of brain power into his decision.
"...yeah, I suppose it should be fine." That was a quick deliberation there Kamijou, bravo. "As long as the dorm manager doesn't show up out of the blue, I don't see it being a problem."
"I'd love to see the fuck try and make me leave." Mugino, for her part, scuffed with a small measure of amusement at the notion of being expelled from the premises. "Being a Level 5 has more than a few benefits beyond just money and power."
"Yes yes, Shizuri, I already know the kind of benefits you're talking about." Was Touma's dry response as he removed himself from the kitchen with two cups of tea in each hand. "But remember that I'm the one that has to live here. You will need to go home eventually and, when you do, that's when he'll come for me. It'll be disastrous too; like a crowd of students after payday going for the half-off everything sale at the supermarket."
His manner of writing off the girl's statement earned him a yet another click of her tongue as he approached. Of course he was probably one of the few people in the whole city that could casually dismiss the likes of other Level 5 espers. Imagine Breaker was not a foreign concept to Mugino by this point, she knew how special his right hand was. Which was precisely the reason why she did not retort against what he was saying. Ironic that one of the most powerful counters to an esper was utterly powerless in day-to-day life. Which was why Kamijou's fears and concerns centered in every other criteria that was not supernatural related.
"Should I make these overnight stays more commonplace then?"
The spiky haired boy had to refrain from staring too long. Shizuri, even now, looked like she was modeling for some magazine cover. Her bare legs stretched all the way out while her arms held up the rest of her upper body. She was looking up at him with that self-assured smile and roguish gleam in her eyes. Every part of this girl screamed of mature charm that could not be replicated. Shizuri's state of dress, plain as it was, had been turned into something that exuded sexiness that he would not have known if worn on anyone else. Honestly, this much sex appeal was doing major damage to his heart right now.
Made him wonder exactly how he managed to become her boyfriend.
"I wouldn't be against that." No, he would not, and he apparently was not above admitting it. "Just don't make a habit of walking around my home with only my shirt and some panties."
His girlfriend's response to that was to immediately frown, which almost made him laugh. Almost because, following that statement, the girl sat up properly and hiked the hems of her (his) shirt up. What Touma saw, however, was not what he expected to find underneath. Instead of lacy garments like he originally believed it was a pair of black shorts. Modesty shorts, unflattering and unfitting for the whole image she had been giving off prior to that. Admittedly, if Kamijou had chosen to pay close enough attention, he reasoned that he probably would have noticed them much sooner.
"Happy now?"
Kamijou, in his moment of weakness, answered her honestly.
"...would you be mad if I said I wasn't?"
He got his answer in the form of the girl's impish smile.
The time was now 8:04 pm and the rain, as stated in the news forecast, was not letting up. If anything it was getting progressively worse as the night went on. Fortunately most people were hulled in their homes by this point in the evening anyway. Probably doing some last minute homework or watching something on the TV. The latter was what Touma and Shizuri were doing, albeit with a few glaring differences. While not the most visual difference was the overall lack of interest in the program which the couple were watching. Some action flick with a great deal of overacting for the most part.
Despite it clearly being bad, neither party was all too invested to care about it anyway.
The second, and by far the greater visual distinction, was their placement. Both were on his bed, Kamijou with his back slumped against the wall as his girlfriend sat comfortably between his spread legs. By comfortable he meant her leaning her back against chest while her head rested against his collarbone. Having nowhere else to put his arms, he opted to wrap them around her waist. His hands, having settled on her navel, were promptly joined by her own as they rested atop of them. Overall the two were comfortable, content, and indulging in the simple pleasantries such closeness provided.
The latter of these two factors played into the disinterest of the former.
While the movie may have sucked by most standards it was not all that important to begin with. The comfort value alone was what made this lethargic experience acceptable. Such was how Touma had come to view it, having lost interest some time ago as his mind wondered elsewhere. Specifically speaking, his mind was still trying to wrap itself around the entire scenario itself. Him, of all people, being in a position like this with someone so gorgeous as Mugino was quite surreal. Looks were not everything, outside appearances could be deceiving, and he was no stranger to that knowledge.
Let it never be said that Kamijou Touma looked solely for external beauty in the fairer sex. Mugino was no exception and, when they had first met, she truly was not someone he would have expected to have ended up with. Reflecting back on their first meeting, and subsequently the others that followed, he could admit to having found no likable qualities about her. Beautiful as she was in appearance it only stood to him, at the time, as a big contrast to her personality. She was crass, temperamental, condescending, and overtly prideful with her status as a Level 5.
Shizuri, back then, was someone who looked down on everyone so much that she would face upwards.
Disregarding the unoriginal reference, what stood at the core of the matter was that she was not appealing to him.
Those traits were only the tip of the iceberg too; as the more they crossed paths, the worse she became. Eventually it escalated to the point that he had come to see her at her worst, seen her for who she truly was. Yet, in spite of the wickedness, that horribly ugly aspect of her, he did not turn away or back down from it. He did not abandon her, he did not run away from her; in fact he did the opposite. Touma braved that side of her, confronted it, challenged it, and eventually overcame it. His sole motivation back then, his reasoning for doing so, was ultimately the same as it ever was.
Kamijou Touma saw someone who needed to be saved.
And like the many others before her he extended his hand with the intent to do just that.
What set her apart from the rest was that he was given the proper reward for his efforts. Her reward to him was her trust, her companionship, and eventually the key to her guarded heart. Cheesy as that may sound, Mugino was indeed a deeply guarded person in general. Shizuri had always lacked the luxuries of having someone close in a social sense to confide in. She had people she, in some ways, came to care about but even they were kept at an arm's length. That close connection with someone to convey her true thoughts and honest emotions had always been absent.
Such was the life she chose, having deemed such bonds to being more of a liability than an asset. Because, at the end of the day, the only one looking out for you was yourself.
That was what Shizuri had told him once upon a time.
And he had called 'bullshit' the second he heard it.
No person was born cynical, something usually transpired in their lives to make them become that way. Though his girlfriend may have yet to share those details with him, he was in no rush. Touma liked to believe that there would come a day where she would divulge those truths to him. When such a day finally did come, well, he would do what he had always done. For better or worse, Kamijou would still stand by her side regardless of what those truths may entail.
Perhaps then she could finally come let those sleeping dogs lie.
But those thoughts were abruptly turned to dust and tossed into the sideways rain outside. Reason being was that, in his musings, Shizuri had managed to forcibly disjoint his hands. That part was not what broke him from his thoughts however. The culpret behind that was the soft sensations that had assaulted the palms of his hands after the fact. Soft, heavy, squishy, and with a bit of hardness brushing against the webbings of his hands. It did not need to be spelled out to him to know precisely where his hands were. Touma's hands tried pull themselves away out of reflex, yet the effort was for naught.
Shizuri's warm hands were firmly pressed against the back of his own; leaving the appendages forced to remain where they were.
Let's be real though, Kamijou did not put much effort in resisting.
"...huh...no bra."
A short laugh emerged from Mugino's lips once she heard that. Following that her neck craned to look up at the spiky haired boy's face. He was not disappointed to find her smiling fondly up at him from her cozy position and leaning further into him as she guided his hands with her own. Their last date had been what opened the door for this sort of thing. Having been given the a full day to truly enjoy themselves, she chosen then to give him a taste of what was to come in the future. In a way, this was how she opted to teach him what she liked and what she did not.
The 'hands on' approach as she decided to put it.
Pun intended.
Of course this was all new to her as it was to him, so both had no real clue what they were doing. Which was why he let her take over for him and let her move his hands in the ways that she liked. Things like how much to press down on them or when to lighten up. Or like how she wanted them to be moved in a clockwise rotation yet still keeping the nub at the center pressed in the spot between his fingers. If that got boring then a simple inline and decline with his palms slowly dragging along the gradually hardening mammilla of each breast.
True that the fabric of the shirt did impede on the skin-to-skin contact, the material did add slight degree of added stimulation. Throughout it all, however, Mugino continued to peer up at him with as that familiar impish smile made its return on her lips. Her cheeks may have been growing darker and her breath may have picked up in pace, but she was still smiling nonetheless.
Probably because she could feel...ahem, something, poking her.
Kamijou, despite his status as a novice, was not taking that smug look of her sitting down.
Leaning down, his lips lightly brushed against the edge of her own, an action that was returned in kind. Yet, instead of moving to make a direct kiss on them, he edged his lips away from hers, only to move back in and do the same in a different spot. A process that, after several failed efforts, earned him a dissatisfied look from the girl in his lap. Shizuri lips even went into a pout at his actions, which almost made the boy laugh. One must know that Touma did not get many opportunities to tease his girlfriend like this. But seeing her pout was a rare phenomenon so he felt some measure of pity and thus obliged her unvoiced command.
As their lips finally made direct contact with one another, one of the Level 5's hands removed itself from his own. From there it slowly moved up along the side of his legs and lower thighs.
Her target destination was pretty clear to him and he did not pretend to care. Too busy enjoying the sensation of the girl's soft lips against his own and the soft globes around his hands. Their individual breathing became more haggard and distinct as they inhaled and exhaled through their nostrils. In the moments where their lips parted they took quick gasps before resuming where they left off. The hand that Shizuri released soon found itself leaving the soft round flesh as it made its decent downwards; dragging along the underside of her breast and gradually making its way along her stomach.
By this point it was like playing a game of chicken.
Both him and his partner were encroaching on forbidden territory and yet neither of them were in any hurry to get there. Perhaps he had subconsciously been moving his hand to match the pace of her own. Because with every inch of progress he made she made the same degree of progress. If he slowed, she slowed; if he moved up she would move down. The anticipation swelling up inside him was building, bubbling, coiling tightly at this pit of his stomach like a spring. Yet, instead of closing the remainder of that gap, the gorgeous woman in his arms pulled her hand back.
Confusion intensified further when her lips broke off from his.
For a moment he thought that something was wrong.
Those concerns turned out to be unfounded as the loss of physical contact was only temporary. After she had broken contact she shuffled a bit in place until her front profile was completely facing him. This change in position put less strain on her neck and also allowed her to move the position of her legs. Formerly spread out in front of her, they were now moved in such a way that she could wrap themselves around his waist.
Kamijou himself was not idle here either, having moved a bit away from the back wall while closing his own legs in around her frame. Had he looked down he probably would have noticed that their pelvises' were barely a few inches apart from one another.
"Sorry, my neck was startin' to hurt."
Now it was Touma's turn to laugh as her warm hands found themselves joint together behind his neck. His own were at a familiar spots on her waist, although this was quick to change as the two picked up where they left off. As lips and tongues resumed without further delay, Touma's limbs slowly fell and rose up along her sides, bunching up the shirt until eventually he felt the traces of soft skin underneath.
A light shudder briefly overcame the girl once his hands had managed to get under the material to the exposed flesh beneath it. She always said his hands were cool on her skin and he could already feel the goose bumps rising off her from his touch.
All that served to do was make her squeeze her legs and thighs tighter around him and thus closing the distance between their bodies. This did not stop his hands from roaming uninhibited beneath the pesky garment. The warmth and softness of her skin was unlike anything he had every felt in his life. He could not get enough of the feeling of his hands glided along her smooth and soft flesh.
May explain why he was purposely moving them so slowly, feeling up every curve as if feeling a sculpture by a master craftsman. From her bellybutton on her flat stomach to the small bumps of her spine. Every part of her felt warm, smooth, and flawless; such was the sort of experience that Kamijou could not help but indulge himself in.
However, both their respected breaths' hitched after a particular action was performed. The culprit had been Mugino, whose face was now completely flushed red, who had moved her hips just a bit more towards him. This caused her to unintentionally grind her sex right into Touma's own aroused sexual organ. Remember, this was all still unexplored territory for the couple; at least this part was.
Their initial responses had been the result of surprise rather than discomfort. Both parties had noted the pleasure of the action and as such Shizuri repeated the motion again. Two times turned to three, then four, five, and so on. The more she continued to do this, the more both parties seemed to relax and enjoy it.
Yet the respective clothing each was wearing made direct contact impossible. On the other hand it did not make the sensation feel any less pleasant. So pleasant was it that Touma's hands shifted gears and traversed downwards to settle on another spot. Shizuri, upon feeling his hands on her derriere, seemed to have taken some small delight in his choice of action. Case in point being the moan she released as her lips broke contact with his own.
Hearing such a sound only made him want to hear it more, enticing him to forego obstructing them from getting out and instead move towards the side of her neck. As more and more soft moans left her lips, Kamijou made use of his grip on her rear to lift her up enough to make her practically flush with his body. By extension, the spiky haired boy was able to feel the muscles of girl's rear each time she would grind herself onto him.
Her motions were not simple either, he could feel them altering as time went on. One minute it would be a rise and fall while the next she would move from side to side. The only real control Kamijou had over her movements was to pull her closer by pressing down on her the cheeks of her tight round buttocks. In doing so he gained a vague outline of precisely what was pressing and pinning down the appendage at his crotch.
By now she was completely hugging his neck with her forearms. He could feel her breath hitting the side of his neck just below his ear left ear. A ticklish sensation struck him directly as he felt her tongue trail up along that same path before reaching his earlobe; gently nipping at it with her front teeth upon arrival. All of this, combined with both her breasts and stiff teats pressing into his chest, made for a delightful experience that could not be described.
At this point it went without saying that these two were extremely aroused.
Blissful did not even compare to what the two were feeling right now.
With Touma assaulting the side of her neck and Shizuri grinding her sex against him, anyone could tell that their combined libido was in full swing. Both knew what the other wanted and neither party was about to deny the other of that carnal desire. Such a notion did not even appear in their minds as a fleeting thought. Instincts were what guided their motions and actions in this time and place. No thinking was involved, no words were spoken, for such things were not necessary. All the two needed to do was act in accordance with whatever impulse came their way.
In the simplest of terms: these two were gearing up to have long session of sweaty, raunchy—
"Kami-yan!"
...or not.
At least they were until everything got ruined.
Ruined by the sound of yelling and banging coming from the front door of his dorm. Both parties nearly jumped out of their skin at this abrupt disturbance. Snapped from their moment of intimate passion, Kamijou heatedly turned towards the door where the disturbance was coming from. He was not the only person glaring in that particular area either. Shizuri, however, could blast the damn thing off its hinges with her ability if she so pleased. Thank god his right hand was still touching her; otherwise she might have done just that.
"The fuck does your neighbor want?"
Touma listlessly noted his girlfriend's ragged breathing as she asked this.
She still did not turn her eyes away from where the door was.
"Don't know, I'm tempted to just ignore it and deal with him later."
Good answer, but sadly not the correct one considering the unwelcome visitor seemed to have no intention to leave.
"Kami-yan, open this door and explain why your school bag is in my room!"
Oh...right, now he remembered.
Tsuchimikado Maika had said she was going to drop that off later when they first got here.
Seemed he wasn't the only person who had forgotten all about it.
"I'm killing him."
"Don't do anything reckless Shizuri! I'm pissed off too but that's no reason to start causing trouble!"
Credit needed to be given for Kamijou's response time in terms of damage control. When Shizuri moved to get up he secured his arms around her waist to keep her from going up any further. Despite how her palm now found itself pressed and pushing against his face to force him off, he remained vigilant. That did not stop his neighbor from banging on the door with a distinctive increase in severity.
"I can hear you in there Kami-yan; get your ass out here!" Tsuchimikado Motoharu was sure as shit not going anywhere any time soon. "What were you doing with my sweet Maika-chan while I was away!? You already have a girlfriend now but I always knew that one girl wouldn't satisfy you nya! And I won't forgive you taking advantage of my dear sister's kindness! You're not getting away with having your way with her nya! Now come out! Show your face, you bastard, so I can add a few new bruises to it nya!"
...on second thought, maybe it would be better to let Shizuri go.
Was what he would have thought normally if the situation were different.
"Shizuri, let me settle this misunderstanding real quick, please! Less than a minute is all it's gonna take and he'll go away; I promise!"
In spite of her anger, his girlfriend tried to compose herself by taking a few deep breaths. Eventually her temper started to settle, although she still glared at the vacinity of the door with enough ferocity to melt steel. She did not give any verbal response, instead she gave a dismissive gesture; essentially telling him to hurry up. Shifting himself out from his position by the wall, and after a bit of adjusting, he moved with haste towards the door. To be perfectly honest, though, he wanted to cheap-shot the blonde in the face the second he opened the door just to get it over and done with.
Kamijou Touma could get pissed too, you know.
"Tsuchimikado, I'm opening the door; you punch me without letting me explain and I'll kick your ass!"
He did not give the blonde the courtesy to respond before doing just as he said. Lo and behold there stood his blonde, sunglasses wearing, friend and neighbor. He stood there with his school bag in hand as if waiting to present it as evidence in a courtroom. That and he looked about ready to deck the spiky haired boy right then and there; which was a mutual feeling to be honest.
"Nya, you have three seconds to explain."
"Fine, I asked Maika to pick up my bag for me since I got caught up in something important. Didn't want to take it with me, she said it was fine, picked it up and dropped it off in your room. That's the story, we're done now, goodnight!"
"Not so fast nya!" The blonde's foot kept him from closing the door; which made Kamijou reeeally want to punch him. "You contacted her even though you weren't here, where she was? If that's the case then that means you have her phone number...why do you have my sister's number in your list of contacts Kami-yan!?"
"Oh for the love of—" That was all Kamijou heard behind him before someone fully opened the door completely. "Take a fucking hint and beat it you piece of shit sis-con!"
This was being yelled as Shizuri threw a perfect right hook to the blonde boy's temple. A sucker-punch from hell, or a person who thrived there, was perhaps the most powerful thing in the world. Second only to that of man who was getting cock-blocked by another man trying to start something. Or maybe it's an over exaggeration of the frustration both he and Shizuri were forced to deal with. Regardless, the swing connected and the results of that left the blonde flopping over to the side in a state of temporary unconsciousness.
Kamijou, for his part, simply stood there while owlishly staring at the downed blonde. Mildly stunned was one way of putting his reaction to the manner in which she dealt with the situation. Scarier than that was how her actions mimicked his usual method of solving problems.
"...not the best way to resolve the situation, but who am I to judge."
"Grab your shit and get back in here." Either she did not hear him or she pointedly ignored his commentary. Although traces of anger still remained, it was not (thank god) focused on him specifically. "We'll continue where we left off before this fucker interrupted."
Being real, they were just getting to the good part of that scene. Stained, yes, but within the realms of being salvageable provided there were no more distractions. With the threat neutralized, items secured, all that remained now was to resume the operation that had been temporarily paused. Shizuri, despite her outburst, looked quite fidgety on his bed as she waited for him to rejoin her. Touma did not think much of it though, chalking it up to being impatience rather than nervousness. Different as she could seem to some, he knew her well enough to tell the difference. Her anxiousness, however, was starting to make him nervous.
Originally he had been going with the flow of things.
Having to consciously reestablish the mood was going to be much harder than it was before.
It seemed, however, that someone up there was not having it. Because, as he was about to join his lover on his bed, yet another phenomenon occurred. A flash was seen from outside his screen door, followed by a roar of thunder loud enough to wake the dead. In that instant, the room of his dorm went black as if someone had blown out a candle. His TV, his lights, his alarm clock; every electronic device in his home shut down all at once. Leaving Kamijou, in all his misfortune-cursed glory, to stub his little toe against the leg of the coffee table.
You want to know what pain is?
"Gaaaaahahah!"
That is the sort of agony that brings men to tears.
Kamijou was no different.
Shizuri, thankfully, had the convenient countermeasure against the darkness. As the room was lit up by a small sphere of green energy, she gazed un-amusedly at the spiky haired youth currently clutching his foot on the floor. Strangely enough, if one strained their ears, one could hear the sound of Kamijou's will starting to crack and crumble away.
Actually it was the sound of him inhaling and exhaling loudly through his nose.
Easily mistakable, both sounded close enough to be the same.
Yet, after the pain in his toe faded, Touma did not move to the bed right away; instead he went to the screen door. A forceful push later and he exposed to the harsh sideways rain of the outside.
He gave so few fucks at this point.
"Can you just once leave me alone!?" Shouted the boy, seemingly at god himself rather than the storm. Further emphasizing his anger was the continuous use of the 'knife-hand' gesture towards the sky. "This can't even be considered misfortune anymore, you know! This is just plain To-Love-Ru levels of misfortune and you have shit for taste! "
Feet wet, frustrated, and un-aroused, Kamijou Touma finally lost it and released those pent up frustrations all at once. Afterwards another flash of white lightning lit up the sky, followed closely by another boom of thunder. It seemed as though God had heard him and was apparently laughing his almighty ass off at the boy's plight.
Shizuri, in a rare display of kindness, did not comment on this bizarre behavior. In its place she just sighed, got up from the bed, grabbed Touma's hand, and pulled the boy back inside.
"Come on Touma, we'll try again some other time."
The spiky haired boy wanted to cry.
Even he needed to vent from time to time.
Seriously, cut the guy some slack.
Welcome to the bottom!
I already know that someone, at some point, will tell me they hate me for doing this. I can feel in my bones that someone is gonna be pissed at me. And you know what I have to say to that? Good, gooood~, now you understand how Touma feels~! But there is the nagging concern that was not addressed the first time I did something close to this. I. Need. Critique on this matter. I am not good at scenarios like these. Romance has never been my strongest area so I need some input.
If any of you guys know a thing or two that I missed, tell me. Give me some pointers or something. Because if you want me to write any lemons I want to be feel confident that I can actually do that. I have never written one before so I need this sort of information. I've gotten this far from listening to the advice given to me by reviewers and I always have room to improve further. As long as its constructional I won't mind it. Even if it isn't I won't mind it, but give me something here.
Sorry for rambling but this is important to me as I want to improve most aspects of my writing. That goes especially in criteria that I admittedly see myself as being poor at. That said, if was indeed good and you got successfully punked, please leave this [ 凸(¬‿¬) ] in your review. I'm serious, I wanna know if I genuinely got anyone with this. I know you can't copy/paste it from here, but there's a japanese emoji text site that has it; shouldn't be too hard to find.
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.