Greetings to all!
You thought you'd finally get some closure to chapter 10's conclusion with this update?
Nope, too bad, here's another past appointment!
Frantic, desperate, and shallow breaths were emitting from someone.
Someone whose was running, who's face could not be seen; only their retreating back. The figure would on occasion stumble, topple over, and in a haste scramble to their feet to continue running. They would knock over objects, climb over fences, hell they would jump out of a window if need be. Believing as long as they ran fast enough, if they could gain enough distance, then they could escape with their life.
Mugino Shizuri loved it when they ran.
Watching the little shits futilely trying to delay the inevitable always had a way of making her laugh. It always happened after they realized who they were up against. It was always the moment after their efforts to fight back were pointless. The fear, the desperation, the hopelessness, all of these came to the forefront. She had seen it happen so many times that she made a game out of it. Mentally deducing who would be the first to run. If she was wrong, then she would wipe all of them out at once. But if she was right, that person would be the last person she would kill. She would take her time too, picking off every person who ran until the one remained.
From there she would just toy with him, trail after him, intentionally missing outright or only grazing them.
Little by little she would direct them where she wanted.
Lead them to a place where they could not escape.
Such was what she was doing now as her Meltdowner streaked through the air towards her target. The green light penetrated the blackness of the night as the individual altered from the path he had intended to go. Through this action, Mugino felt her lips form a smile. She had fun and very soon there would be nowhere left for them to run. It was actually a real shame that it had to end so quickly. The others had been sluggish, easy pickings, easy enough that she could have shot them all while blindfolded. Probably would given her a decent challenge, unlike this clean-up job she was stuck doing.
Sure, money was money, but jobs like these got monotonous pretty damn quickly.
Which was why she almost felt dejected at the idea of her little game coming to an end. Her footfalls were like the tick-tocks of a grandfather clock. The clacking of her heeled boots flooding the vast empty space with noise as she drew closer. No doubt this lone survivor could hear them as clearly as she could. Much like she expected, it only made them more frantic in their efforts to get away. Honestly she was expecting more from this one; albeit not much more than the others before them. That thought came and left her mind as another streak of green light was fired. This one had clipped her target in the shoulder and once again forcing them to alter their course.
Ultimately leading right where she wanted them.
As she rounded the corner, Mugino could see her target trying to pry the door open with one arm.
It did not budge and that meant only one thing.
Game over.
As the green glow of her Meltdowner filled the confined space with light, she saw the person begin to shiver. They knew she was there, knew what was about to unfold, yet they did not want to face it. Their body sunk to the ground, clutching the missing piece of their shoulder in the process. Waiting for the enviable oblivion that awaited them in the moments to come. Seeing this pathetic display nearly killed her entire mood. This one really had turned out to be a disappointment. The least they could do is fucking face her and die with a little bit of dignity.
Oh well, she had gotten bored of this anyway.
With but a thought, the confined space was filled with a bright green glow. One mental command and her game would be concluded in the same way it did in most situations. There was nothing new about this, nothing too thrilling to be worth committing to memory.
"Do you think he'd forgive you for this?"
In spite of hearing those words, Mugino did not turn around.
The voice came from behind her, yet she did not pay any mind to what it had said.
Within the next moment, the green glow faded and the world had returned to its previous state. Yet the smile on her face was no longer present. In fact she was neither smiling or frowning. Had she been able to see her own reflection she probably would have noted how vacant her expression was. This was not the result of her usual boredom or dissatisfaction from how her little game had ended. No, she felt neither of those things; in fact she did not feel anything. Not surprising, she had been doing this longer than any of the current members of ITEM have been.
So what the fuck was the deal this time?
Because this time her detachment felt more...noticeable.
"You kill people for fun and even make games out of it." Once more she could hear that voice's reprimanding tone from within the dark void behind her. "How do you sleep at night knowing how many lives you have taken?"
The air was cold, so much so that a chill had ran down her spine, yet there was no wind blowing. All that surrounded her were the silhouettes of objects coated in the black veil of the night. Yet, in some twisted way, the horrors the shade looming around her acted as a blessing in disguise. The ugliness of this world she thrived in would otherwise be clear for all to see. That same world had long since infected her and made her just as ugly as the darkness she lived in.
"A monster like you doesn't deserve to be happy."
She knew that better than anyone in Academy City and she did not need a fucking reminder.
So it could either say something relevant or make itself scarce.
"And you're too selfish to tell him the truth about what you do."
The voice, that fucking voice, had better shut the hell up soon.
"How do you think he would react to it? Do you think he'd hate you? Are you afraid he will leave you while looking at you in disgust? Call you sick, vile, and hideous for your actions before he turns his back on you? Do you think all of that will happen? Is that why you don't say anything? Is that why you don't tell him the truth?"
A single step was taken and immediately she felt something beneath her feet. As her eyes glanced down, she could make out the outline of a person despite the darkness. With a raise of her hand, Meltdowner came to life and revealed what she already knew. A corpse was by her feet; no, not a corpse. Rather a plethora of corpses laid scattered across the ground of this confined space and beyond. There was no point in increasing the output of her ability to see more. Even if she had it would only be more of the same.
More bodies, more dead; all strewn about at the feet of the individual who murdered them.
Yet she still felt nothing.
She did not feel a damn thing for these people.
"Do you think it will play out like that or do you know that is exactly how it will go?"
Because she was too focused on that cunt's voice that still rung in her ears.
"Come on, don't be shy, you can tell me~" It fucking giggled like a child at her before settling down with a pretentious sigh. "Or maybe it's not about you being shy. Maybe deep down you're just a coward."
Had this world contained any color, she was sure they would have been blurred. Blurred by how quickly her body had turned to lunge at the annoying voice behind her. Her Meltdowner was not wanted or needed at this time. This piece of shit did not deserve a quick and painless death. She wanted to watch them as she squeezed the life right out of their body. To watch them squirm, claw, and thrash about while her hands tightened around their windpipe. Only that outcome would suffice for the son of a bitch who had the balls to call her a coward.
Mugino Shizuri, her, a coward?
In this sonnova bitch's dreams!
Sadly the black veil was obscuring the view of this shit-bag's face. That was a no-go, she wanted to watch this fucker die. So, in an instant, a small green orb came into existence. And in that moment, something clicked in her head. The person was not struggling or putting up any form of resistance. An obvious explanation for why that was may have had to do with what she was throttling. As the light showed her it was not a person, rather it was a pillow; a body pillow she was now currently straddling.
The formerly corpse-covered asphalt was now gone.
A soft mattress, thin sheets, and soft pillows were now below her. It took her a couple seconds for her hazy mind to fully register what she currently doing. Then it took a few more seconds to realize that none of it had been real. What was real was the time displayed on the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand; which read 3:08 am. From there fatigue came rushing back to her, enticing a soft tired groan as she gently rubbed eyes. If she was not so damn tired, the rude awakening probably would have annoyed her much more than it did. Instead of dwelling on it, however, she crawled off the body-pillow and got back under the sheets.
She now had less than three hours left to sleep before she would have to be up again for class.
Irksome as it may be, all she could do was try to get comfortable again and hope that slumber would not be too elusive.
"Damn dream."
Yup, today was going to be one of those days.
You would think that a prestigious school would have more quiet moments in it.
Contrary to popular belief, her classroom was just as chatty as any other school was. It was not a place where students acted more like machines rather than sentient creatures with quirks and individuality. No doubt that was the impression most people got whenever they saw a really well funded school like hers. In all likelihood the average student probably viewed this place similarly to those elite schools held in the School Garden. However, beyond the 'elite' status tacked on to their name, the differences were clear to see. Primarily in the fact that it was not restricted to one sex nor was it quarantined off to its own private section in District 7.
Pompous little twats.
Just thinking about those brats pissed her off.
"Are you okay, Mugino-san?"
Ah, right, she needed to watch her temper.
"I'm fine."
"I-if you say so."
She did not so much as look up from the tablet she was holding as the girl walked away to join her friends. Friends who were all hovering near the window while she, near the middle of the classroom, was left alone. Such was part of the norm. Minus the brief interaction with her peers, this Mugino was always left to her own devices. Which, in all honesty, was one hell of a benefit considering how little she wanted or cared to interact with the people who shared her classroom.
Was she supposed to remember that girl's name?
Probably.
Did she have any desire to?
Hell no.
Fact of the matter was she hardly knew anyone's name. None of her classmates really had any noteworthy traits to differentiate them from one another. Every last one of them was as either uptight or as boring as the next person. Such was the environment she was stuck living in day-after-day. The boring, uninteresting, normal school life that dragged on for hours on end. A life filled with false smiles, fake personas, short-lived romances, and rampant drama all packed inside one smooth polished ball of shit. Three months ago she probably would have remarked on the stupidity of it all.
Which, she supposed, goes to show how things have changed since then.
But it was not just the students that annoyed her; the teachers were not much better.
Half the time they made her want to go to sleep with how their voices sounded bland and lifeless; as if they had not gotten laid in decades. Then there were the overtly energetic types who were way too chipper for any groggy student's liking. The worst of the bunch were the ones that used subject related jokes or educational puns; those teachers pissed everyone off. On one hand she had to commend them for showing off some bits of personality. But, on the other hand, it only served to drive her closer and closer to blasting them in the head with a well-placed shot to the skull.
Among the three, she counted her blessings that she only had to deal with the first two. The tradeoff was that she had to deal with one of them first thing in the morning. Worse yet, it so happened that the worst of the two was her homeroom teacher.
And this Mugino in particular was really not happy to have to deal with that attitude first thing in the morning.
She felt a grimace start to take shape on her lips just thinking about it. Which is why there was a sense of relief when she felt something vibrate within her skirt pocket. Having put aside the tablet, she retrieved the device to find a message waiting for her in her inbox. Seeing who it was from was enough to improve her mood by leaps and bounds. More so when she actually read the message inside it. So much so that she actually had to stifle a barking laugh that would have caught a few people's attention.
"Jackass," It did not stop her from expressing her thoughts aloud; even if it was under her breath. "And here you were telling me to not forget what today was."
The hopeless idiot never disappointed her with texts like these.
Having replied to his message, Mugino snapped the phone shut once she was sure it went through. During this process, she took note of how some of those girls by the window were sneaking glances in her direction. An action that she casually dismissed as she turned back to her tablet. At least those nosy pests knew better than to try and pry into her business. They had long since stopped trying to talk to her, much like everyone else did save for a few exceptions.
Another perk that came with the status of being a Level 5 was the trepidation of those lesser than herself. It did the job in keeping most people away even if it came at the cost of a lacking social life. Not that she gave much of a damn about it in the first place. As far as she was concerned, what she did whenever she was not here wasting daylight was exclusively for her to know. Everyone else could politely go fuck right off.
..shit, she needed to calm down.
That rude awakening earlier this morning was starting to show, even to her. Getting agitated for no good reason was not going to make this day go by any faster. If anything that would only make the day drag on longer. Faced with that awareness, Mugino let out a tired sigh as she stared at the tablet she had yet to switch back on. Classes had not even started yet and she already wanted to get out of here.
Seriously, what the fuck did that Kamijou like so much about this lifestyle?
"He doesn't live in the same world you do."
...huh?
"He's not a monster like a certain someone I know. That same someone who profits from the tragedies she is directly responsible for."
Her Meltdowner nearly came into existence when she heard that voice speaking directly into her ears. Her head shifted to every possible angle, searching for the speaker of those words. All she was met with were confused looks of those who witnessed her unusual behavior. Some averted their gaze, others just looked at her in mild surprise. She could even hear a few people whispering among themselves in hushed voices. Beyond that, nothing seemed out of place; which did not provide her any form of comfort. If anything it served to make her more suspicious of the people she was surrounded by.
"You're a murderer and a liar, plain and simple."
Where was that coming from?
Who was fucking with her mind?
Those two questions were the most prominent ones to surface. There was no point in asking 'why' in this situation. As far as she was concerned, she did not care what their reasons were. All she cared about was finding the little twat and cutting a stop to it. The dream was enough of a annoyance, she did not want it cropping up while she was awake as well. However, much to her growing annoyance, she could not truly determine anything at this moment. Reason being was due to the sound of the bell chiming, signaling the start of classes. Although she did regain her composure, she did not stop eyeing every person within her peripheral vision.
"Good morning class~!" Aaand there she was; that overzealous voice hyped up on three or five cups of coffee. "Hurry along and take your seats please~"
...joy...
If it would not have caused a scene, she would be banging her forehead against her desk right about now.
Instead she just sunk a bit further into her seat as everyone else shuffled back to their desks.
This was going to be a long day.
For the most part, the day progressed exactly as she expected it to.
Menial, monotonous, and time consuming.
In other words: drudgingly was the term of the day.
Literally every second of the day played out in the most mind-numbingly simple way imaginable. From the lectures down to the assignments; every bit of it felt like a colossal waste of her time. About the only portion of the day she actually didn't mind was the physical education part of it. Physical exercise did wonders for her temperament and made for some welcome stress relief. Many still found it hard to believe that she liked to work up a sweat. Given how she looked, most would assume she was not into that sort of thing. Those people were dead wrong and she made sure to let everyone know it.
It sure as shit beat being stuck in the classrooms doing things like Linear Algebra all day.
Now if only she could do something about those pencil-dick boys in her class staring at her the entire time.
"I need a shower."
These four words were expressed aloud as she continued along the bustling path she was currently on. Her school bag was slung over her shoulder as her free hand fiddled with the keys on her phone. She found a few new messages in her inbox, some she replied to while most others were flat out ignored. Only one person really mattered though and that person had not sent her anything as of yet. Weird since their release times were virtually the same; so he should have texted her by now. There was a possibility that he could have simply forgotten to do so. Then again he was just as likely to be stuck in another remedial class.
She did not like either or those options.
"It's your turn to pick a place tonight you forgetful bastard." These words came through gritted teeth and her thumb began to aggressively tap on the keypad. "You'd better not have forgotten to tell me if you were busy with something else Kamijou!"
In spite of the forceful tapping of her thumb, the text she sent turned out completely different from what she was saying aloud. To be honest, while it did irritate her, this was not upsetting enough to linger around like a foul aftertaste. With a resigning sigh, she continued on her way towards the direction of that jackass' school. Although Kamijou had not picked a destination for their date, she already knew in advance that he was not going to stand her up. He knew better than to do something like that without at least giving her a head's up. That further fueled her belief that he was in remedial lessons.
If that was indeed the case, then it only meant she had to wait up for him as she often did. Not because she was excited about the date or anything; rather it happened to be the easiest way to find him. Surely someone there would know where he was in the event that her assumption was wrong.
...alright, fuck it, maybe she was a tiny bit eager to see what he had in mind.
"You aren't good enough."
In an instant, Mugino could feel her own legs lock up at the sound of that vindictive voice. A reaction of that nature was not meant to last though. Within the second that her legs gave pause, they were back to working order once again. However, despite what her outward appearance may have shown, her mind and body were on high alert. Her eyes bounced from one face to the next, looking for anything or anyone who may have seemed out of place in the crowd.
It was the same voice from her dream.
The same spiteful voice from her classroom.
That sickly sweet fucking voice with bitter undertones was back once again, overwhelming all of the noise around her. Like a gnat buzzing around in her ear, almost as if it were echoing throughout her entire skull with each syllable. If that was not irksome enough, she knew that clogging her ears would do nothing to stop it. It was all in her mind, as in someone was openly trying to mess with her head.
"He deserves better, much better than anything you could ever hope to be."
There was no point to refuting against anything that was being said to her. Not vocally anyway as it would only inflate the person's ego and likely make her seem like a loon out in public. Such was how Espers with telepathic abilities tended to act. They were cowards, more often than not they were off somewhere a safe distance away as they played little mind games on their targets. Shit they had every opportunity in the world to make her go on a killing spree if that had been their intent. So far though, this person was not making her hallucinate; which meant this bitch just wanted to hear herself talk.
Ordinarily that was something that could simply be ignored.
But the bitch was touching a nerve.
"Go fuck yourself."
"My, my, ladies shouldn't use that sort of language." Chided the voice, much like a nanny scolding a child for acting out. "Then again, I suppose such a brutish vocabulary is fitting for your unpleasant personality. It is reminiscent of someone else I don't particularly like."
"You'll hear it a lot more if you don't get out of my fucking head."
"Hee hee, I'm sorry, but I can't do that~" This jovial tone ringing in her head was pissing her off more than the remarks were. "Then again, I suppose it is more appropriate to say 'won't' rather than 'can't'. I can leave any time I want. But I have no incentive power to do that, so I won't. Also, on an unrelated note, I think it's worth mentioning that it is pretty cozy in here; although the abundance of free space is a bit unnerving."
"So you're doing this just for kicks, huh? Is that what this is all about?" She was honestly glad that nobody in the crowd was paying her much mind. Otherwise someone would have found it weird that she was essentially talking to herself in a low voice this entire time. "How you answer that will decide if I waste my fucking day looking for you. And believe me, I will find and turn you into a smear on the floor with my bare hands."
There was a silence in her mind, which she personally could not be happier for. Mugino could only surmise that the bitch was taking this moment to let what she was being told sink in. As she should, considering not a single word spoken was to be taken as an empty threat. This girl was snooping around in her head, so she must know how dangerous the Meltdowner was.
"Wow, in less than half a day you have already proven to possess superior brute power compared to her." Dammit, her assumption was wrong again. Though, there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm compared to before. Furthermore she was starting to sound annoyed; which was good because fuck her. "It's almost frustrating how similar you two happen to be. I can only hope, for her sake, that she does not take after your un-lady-like conduct as she develops."
One phone call.
That was all it would take to get a lock on where this shit-stain was.
"Putting that aside, the reasoning is pretty straightforward. I simply don't like the idea of someone with a foul reputation ability like yourself moving around so freely. Unfortunately, I do not have a conventional means to dispose of you without creating a ruckus. Doing so would likely create more complications, far too many for my liking anyway. So I have resigned myself to, more or less, taking up the role of spectator."
"So you're just being an eavesdropper."
Out-fucking-standing.
"If it makes you feel better, you can think of me as the voice of your more appealing consciousness~"
Mugino could feel her hand resting on the plastic case of her phone within the confines of her skirt-pocket.
You get one more, after that the gloves come off.
"In all seriousness, your reputation precedes you #4. I'm amazed by your notoriety ability; the number of enemies you have seeking revenge is very impressive."
"Tch, please, they can try all they want and it'll always end the same way."
She unintentionally let out a brief but cruel sounding snicker at the notion presented to her. Momentarily, she forgot that she was conversing with a completely unknown individual via telepathy. However, this Mugino could not stop herself from finding that last remark to be a bit humorous.
"Someone clearly has a high opinion of herself."
"It wouldn't be the first time and it sure as shit won't be last." Her shoulders shrugged, dismissing the remark about her arrogance as she casually retorted to the voice in her mind. "I've had to deal with plenty of dumb shits looking to get some payback. You wanna take a guess at how it ended? Here's a hint: I'm still here and they aren't."
"And everyone is oh so thankful for that."
The sarcasm there was transparent, which Mugino could count as a minor victory.
"Shizuri?"
Any further discussion she was having with the voice came to a screeching halt. There was one person who held the privilege to refer to her on a first-name basis. And that person was standing just off to the side of the walkway in front of her, schoolbag in hand and looking at her in puzzlement. She probably would been surprised herself if she didn't immediately school her features the instant she heard him. Either she had covered more ground than she thought or that mental back-and-forth had messed with her perception of time. Whatever the case was, she was glad he called out to her; otherwise she might have walked right past him.
Excluding that spiky head of hair he sported, he blended in a bit too well with the crowd.
"...fancy that, I was just on my way to your school." The corners of her lips started to descend shortly after those words came out. "I didn't get a text from you saying what we were doing. I assumed you had remedial lessons, but that apparently isn't the case."
"Why did you...oh, right." Kamijou, catching onto where she was getting at, fished out his own mobile phone to show off its state of lifelessness. "My phone died around lunch and I left my charger at home; nobody else had one I could use."
Ah, right, he did say he was running behind earlier this morning.
Jackass forgot that today was when everyone was supposed to switch to their summer uniforms.
"Actually, it's a good thing we ran into each other."
"Why, so you get to see me in my sailor uniform?"
"No, but it is a nice bonus."
He did not even try to be discrete about it. She saw how his head and eyes took her in from top to bottom before settling back on her face. Not that she was much better, although in her case there really was not much to look at given how plain the uniform looked. Putting that aside she saw what the cheeky bastard was doing. Trying to make her blush with his offhanded form of flattery. It did not work, but she nevertheless cracked a smile at how quickly that response came. Kamijou was getting bolder with his flirtatious remarks and actions.
It was a welcome improvement and a far cry from the initial awkwardness they both had to suffer through.
"Okay smartass," Her free hand may have settled on her hip, but the smile was not going anywhere. "Why is it good that we bumped into each other here of all places? You got some big surprise set up for me or something?"
"...that depends on how much you like my cooking." Sheepishly, his hand rose to scratch at his scalp as his eyes trailed over towards the bustling crowd of students. "See, I was thinking about maybe having our date at my dorm tonight. A home cooked dinner and a movie or something since I needed to stock up on groceries. I'll be getting some funds next week, so I thought that this would be a better option until I have more money available."
Respectable, disappointing to some degree but nonetheless a respectable decision. Oh yes, she was aware of the complicated relationship Kamijou had when it came to money. Being a Level 0 was hard and so was living off the miniscule funds the city itself provided with its payment program. Meanwhile, as a Level 5, she could spend 10,000 yen on a whim and still have plenty of money left over. So yeah, she was conscious of this aspect of Kamijou's life. Did that imply that she had to like it? No, often times she expressed her disliking of it when he refused to let her deal with matters relating to money.
Something about male pride being on the line.
But that was all beside the point.
"Home cooked dinner...hm. It's been awhile since I last had one of those." She paused for a moment, crossing her arms beneath her chest to help sell the impression that she was mulling it over. "Any ideas on what exactly you'll be cooking?"
The clarification was not really necessary. Fact of the matter was she already knew what her answer was going to be. She just wanted to mess with him a bit and maybe see what he had in mind.
"I'll have to see what they have at the store. If I'm lucky-"
"Which you aren't."
"-then I should be able to catch some stuff on sale."
Rather than pout at how her jab had been pointedly ignored, she once again falsified her expression to appear pensive. She wanted to see him squirm a bit after all, so she kept this act up for a good couple seconds. Her patience was rewarded when she noted, from her fleeting glances, that he was getting increasingly anxious. More so when she started to really get into playing the role of the disinterested girlfriend. Her contemplative gaze combined with her guise of being mildly dissatisfied was beginning to make him sweat. By that point, she had her fun and felt it was time to let him get his sigh of relief.
Any longer and his face would turn blue and his head would burst.
"I guess that's fine with me."
Almost on cue, she heard him quietly sigh and she had to fight the urge to laugh.
"My, oh my, oh my; your acting power is amazing~! I wondered how you managed to keep all your dirty little secrets hidden from him this whole time."
Again with the voice and again with the sarcasm.
She was truly getting sick of hearing both.
"Do you wanna tag along or would you rather get changed and meet me at my dorm?"
"I'll tag along," She quickly responded to that question with a shrug, tempted as might have been to take the latter option. "Knowing you, you'll get half-way home and trip up on a soda can or something."
"That was one time, Shizuri; one time!"
"Sure, sure, whatever you say."
"Don't patronize me!"
"Are we going or what?"
Their little banter concluded about the way she expected it to. Kamijou letting out a groan as his body visibly deflated. This time there was no way she could keep the grin from forming as she lightly patted his shoulder. Even though he remained dejected, he nonetheless followed her lead once she started moving. School may have been boring beyond comprehension but mocking her boyfriend's lack of luck was not.
"...he's too good to belong to you..."
Right, the bitch in her head was still there.
"So rude."
Dammit all!
More than a few hours had passed since they set their plans into motion.
Groceries had been gotten and the two had wasted little time in heading to his dorm. Only, it was not nearly close enough to being time to start preparing for dinner. There was plenty of daylight out and time was in abundance. Having said that, Kamijou had convinced her to give him some much needed help with his homework assignments. If honesty was a must, then she suspected that this was an ulterior motive behind his 'lazy date' suggestion. In the same vein, she too had some assignments that needed to be completed.
Consequently, that was what they had ended up doing after they had arrived at Kamijou's dorm and put away their grocery haul.
Even now she felt as though she had somehow been conned.
Either she was over-thinking it or her boyfriend was getting clever. Regardless, it did not take too long to finish their individual assignments. Furthermore it killed a bit of time before Touma would go ahead and start working on dinner. Adversely, it did not eat up enough to warrant them sitting around doing nothing but watching TV for the next couple hours. Kamijou, without much thought, suggested to play some games to pass the time. Being utter shit at most games in general as she was, this Mugino had declined. So while he booted up some fighting game, she had opted to fish out her tablet and get back to doing some reading.
That had been her initial plan.
"Low kicks! Use low kicks dammit!"
"He'll just counter it, pin me to the wall, and lock me in an endless combo! Besides, I'm not a spammer!"
Somewhere along the line she found herself sitting cross-legged on his bed. The pillow currently in her lap served as her personal punching bag as her cutthroat nature kicked in. It was also an environmental censor-bar to keep from unintentionally flashing the unmentionables beneath her skirt. Not its intended function, this was a private place so it was fine, but she did acknowledge it for its secondary purpose.
"He can't counter for shit so abuse the hell out of those low kicks jackass!"
"Why are you such a competitive spectator all of a sudden Shizuri!?"
One reason was because she got tired of seeing him lose. Considering how he often teased her about her own lacking skills, it was hypocritical and frustrating to see him lose so easily. At first she had dished out some well-deserved payback for all the times he taunted her about it. But after that string of back-to-back losses, this was the closest he has gotten to winning. And this time she was actively trying to be supportive.
"Oh shit, back up-back up-back up!"
"Shut up-shut up! You're not heeeeeelping!"
For the moment, she complied and continued to watch with a startling amount of focus. Personally she did not think she would be this into it. Yet here she was, strangling a pillow as she watched her boyfriend continue to make exaggerated movements with his arms and the controller. Eventually, the match had reached its conclusion as the 'Winner' sign flashed onto the screen. And in that instant, Kamijou's back flopped against the side of his mattress seemingly exhausted as he groaned. Somehow that degree of exhaustion had spread to her as she also flopped over onto her side; her right arm dangling off the side of his bed.
"Holy hell that was painful to watch."
"Please don't start."
In light of his victory, she decided to cut him a break this one time. With a soft chuckle, she extended her dangling arm out with her palm and fingers flat. A soft 'clap' followed shortly after, making both herself and Kamijou chuckle in mild satisfaction. With the hype dying down and light from the outdoors growing dimmer, she fished out her phone to check the time. 4:54 pm, a good time to go ahead and get started on making dinner or close enough to that time. Before she would though, there was one last thing she needed to go ahead and get out of the way first.
"Hey Kamijou, mind if I use your bath?"
"Sure, it's all yours." Responded the boy casually as his spiky head lulled forward, seemingly recovered from his exhaustion. "You left a few things over here from last week. I went ahead and washed them so you should have some clean clothes to wear when you get out. I left them in the laundry room on top of the dryer."
"Thanks, I'll be sure leave my underwear here for you as a souvenir."
Her jest was met with silence as she sat up and pulled herself down the length of the bed. It was as she was getting off of it that she took a moment to peek at his face. He had not looked her way, but she could plainly see how red Kamijou's face had become. Such a sight was enough to cause the edges of her lips to rise into a cocky smile.
"...you're not funny."
The grin on her face was almost painful.
His prudish nature never failed to amuse her. Opposed to verbally teasing him, she carried on her way towards the laundry room. But not in a casual way, for she was intentionally swaying her hips as she walked. One last fleeting glance as she was entering told her that he had been watching. Her laughter rebounded off the walls as she closed to the door, unable contain her mirth any longer. Being promiscuous was always a fun way to get rise out of Kamijou. Especially when it was here, in his dorm, where it was only the two of them.
"Ahem~" ...dammit, she's still here. "I also agree with the gentleman, your humor ability is very poor."
Nobody asked you bitch!
Clicking her tongue, she stepped inside the bathroom to get the bath running before heading back to the previous room. Before proceeding further, she checked to make sure that her clothes were where Kamijou said they were. Once his claim was confirmed, she promptly stripped herself down, grabbed her necessities, and went back inside the bathing area.
"You know, if you acted in that manner all the time, you probably would not have such an awful reputation."
Mugino could feel her brow twitching whilst she turned off the bath water. Besides that and the scowl, no other form of displeasure surfaced on her features. Humoring that voice any further was not going to make her go away any faster.
"Ignoring me is not going to help you much either."
Okay, now she was getting progressively more and more pissed with each little quip the voice offered. It was getting to such a degree that her hand started to shake as it formed into a tight fist. She could feel her nails pinching against the flesh of her palm; threatening to break the dampened skin they were pressing into. Yet as the warm spray from the shower head consistently fell upon her, she felt her hand relax. After taking a couple deep breaths to let her flaring temper gradually dissipate, she returned to the task at hand. Nothing could be done about this minor and unwanted annoyance that was consistently pestering her.
For better or worse, she would just have to tolerate it the best she could and that meant not losing herself to anger.
Tempting as the idea was, succumbing to that urge was not going to amount to anything right this minute.
"That's interesting, I had heard that you were very susceptible to provocation. I was not aware that you were putting an effort into properly managing your anger power."
Mugino actually paused part-way through the process of washing her hair at this. Honestly that was something she herself had not really noticed. Not the provocation part; she knew that better than anyone. Neither was the part about her aggression being common knowledge. The part about her trying to manage it was a relatively new thing to have someone else take notice of. It was something that she never put any thought into up until now. Come to think of it, the others had mentioned in passing that she seemed...different as of late. At the time she thought they were talking about her dates which she aptly called 'appointments'.
Now...now she wasn't so sure if that was the only thing they were referring to.
"You did not notice it yourself?" Mugino's verbal retort was a growl and nothing more as her hands went back to work. "Well then, this is a delightful surprise~ In fact this whole affair has proven to be an enlightening experience. Hee hee, I never would have suspected that I would be learning this much about the #4's secret little life."
For fuck's sake, shut up!
Damn this bitch should thank whatever God exists that this Mugino did not have her phone.
"I disagree, I think it's you who should be counting her blessings. I had hoped that I would be able to take complete control over you. Unfortunately, as much as I hate to admit it, those ability dampeners don't perform as well as I'd like them to on a Level 5."
...wait, what?
"Oh my, did it not cross your mind?" Smug, her voice sounded way too smug and Shizuri did not like that one bit. "Don't worry, the effect power of those drugs aren't permanent. The suppressant should wear off eventually...not sure when exactly. Oh, but don't worry, it isn't an experimental drug with any dangerous side-effects. Doctors primarily use them in hospitals for Espers who have passive abilities. It is meant to be administered with typical anesthetics so they can operate without the patient subconsciously using their powers."
Well...that was quite a bombshell to drop on such short notice. She sure as shit had not expected to be flat out told that she had been drugged. When did this happen and why hadn't she noticed it? How long had this girl been keeping tabs on her? A week, a month, or had it been longer than that? If that was the case, why had she chosen now of all times to act?
Questions for later.
"Questions that I will not be answering~"
Annoying bitch.
An audible squeak filled the bathroom as she cut off the water to the showerhead. With her body now properly cleaned and rinsed off, she bound her hair into a messy high knot before moving on to the tub. She did not even bother to suppress the soft but satisfactory sigh as her body eased itself into the hot water. It was not until her head eventually rested on the edge of the tub that her descent ceased. All throughout her eyes remained focused on the ceiling above as she watched the steam continuously rise off the water's surface. A few moments of gazing off into space led to her eyelids closing; savoring the feeling for all that it was worth.
Damn did she need this.
A nice quiet moment to just lie there and relax.
Granted the tub wasn't as spacious as the one in her apartment, it was still sufficient for her current needs. No ITEM, no jobs, no phone, no issues that required her immediate attention. Well, okay, there was one issue still in play, but it seems like it had gone quiet all of a sudden. Hard to say if the owner of the voice was being courteous or simply had nothing to say at the moment. Either of these two choices suited this Mugino just fine. Having to listen to all those mental jabs in her head for half a day had been a real test on her patience. On that note, she probably should send Takitsubo a text after this to get a read on where this telepath was at.
For now, however, she would focus on relaxation and let the hot bath alleviate some stress.
"Do your breasts float in water as well?" A single eye opened part-way to glare heatedly at the ceiling; accompanied by a low growl rumbling at the center of her throat. "I always found it irritating, especially when I wear swimsuits. With your breast power, I'm curious to know if you have also experienced a similar discomfort."
The growling ceased a few moments after this question was asked.
"...sometimes."
"Hee hee, I knew it~ It seems like I finally found someone who understands the burdens that come with a mother's maturity!"
"I swear..."
Her words sounded pretty languid, sluggish even, as if she were dozing off to sleep. Which was a big contrast to her earlier hostility. All that implied was that, excluding the unwanted disturbance, she was beginning to feel at a bit lightheaded. This effect came as no surprise to her due to the tranquil atmosphere this entire setting was providing. Shizuri had already shamelessly made herself as comfortable as possible inside the tub. At any rate, it was unlikely that she would be leaving this space any time soon. All she needed now was an inflatable pillow and she would be in business. Comfortable as she was, the hard edge of the tub was making her neck feel stiff.
Mental note: buy one and stash it somewhere here in Touma's dorm for future use.
"buy -butsubutsu- hide in gentleman's -butsubutsu- future use aaand note added!"
This time both of Mugino's eyelids partially opened to stare vacantly up at the ceiling.
...this was almost certainly the weirdest mind-link she had ever unwillingly been a part of...
A little over half an hour had passed since Shizuri had entered the bath.
So it was of no surprise to her that, when she came out, her boyfriend was not in front of the TV. Instead he was in the kitchen, currently in front of the stove, and in the process of making dinner. Much like herself, he had also changed into more comfortable clothing before getting to work. And already it appeared as though he had made a great deal of progress. A variety of appealing aromas had assaulted her nostrils before she even opened the laundry room door. Most prominently among the various smells she detected being cooked beef and pork. The latter of which Kamijou was currently working on at the stove as his eyes flickered over at her.
"You were in there awhile, how was the bath?"
It would've been better without a certain nuisance jabbering in her head for half of it.
"Great for the most part," Responded the girl with a shrug as she peered into the kitchen area. "So we're having Katsu Curry tonight?"
"Yup, I figured we might as well since a lot of the stuff we brought back makes for a good curry dish." Whereas his attention did not leave the stove it did not diminish the exuberance present in his voice as he worked. "Not only that, with the amount I made, there should be some leftovers for me to heat up for tomorrow. Hope you've got a big appetite, 'cause I'm going all out with this one."
Posting herself by the doorway, Mugino felt her lips rise into a small smile while watching him work. Simple pride over a simple meal, nothing less could be expected from Kamijou. Then again most boys around their age were not all too impressive with their culinary skills. He himself admitted that he was no gourmet chef, but the things he could make were good. A fact that she herself could attest to since, so far, he had not made a single dish that she did not like. All the same, nothing that he made was worth truly boasting about. Which was okay, she supposed, considering how much he seemed to enjoy the task in question.
This was not something he did as a means to show off; at least not entirely. She was not so ignorant to suspect that he enjoyed having some company to share a meal with. It sure as hell beat spending an evening alone in front of the TV and eating some noodles from a cup. Lethargic as he oftentimes appeared, this was one of the few activities he openly displayed some zeal about doing. Having her here with him as a dinner guest probably severed as his motivation. Whether or not he was as enthusiastic about it when he was cooking alone was up in the air. Clearly though, in all of the times he was catering for the two of them, he rarely looked happier.
So it was reasonable enough to assume that Kamijou was aiming to impress her.
Not surprisingly, that awareness caused a sense of smug satisfaction to swell up inside of her.
"He'll make a good wife someday with that cooking power."
Despite the source of this comment, Mugino could not stop herself.
Her laughter actually succeeded in breaking Touma's focus as he looked over his shoulder in her direction. The confusion on his face, the apron, the current position of his person in front of the stove. All these things piled up together and only made her laughing fit worse. She tried to wave it off, disregard her abrupt mirth, but she honestly could not control herself.
"What?"
She could not stay here anymore without that mental image burning itself into her brain. For that reason Mugino stepped out of the kitchen area and towards the living room; shaking her head all throughout. Once there she made herself comfortable at his table before turning the television on in search of something to watch. Movies, TV shows, anything would do so long as it was something they could mutually agree on. Despite her intent though, she could not for the life of her get that image out of her head. It kept popping up and it kept the smile on her face from receding.
It was a good joke by the voice in her mind, that much Mugino could honestly acknowledge.
She still fully intended to gut her later though.
She had not forgotten about all those little snide comments she was making earlier.
"...about that."
Which part, you being eviscerated or the snide remarks?
"I don't think this is the best time to mention this. However, I believe it is only fair to inform you that those were not my personal thoughts or opinions. Quite the opposite actually; they belonged to you."
Horseshit.
That's got to be the worst lie she had ever heard.
"Believe what you want, but I believe my frankness ability has been in effect since the very beginning." Gone were the frivolous overtones Mugino had become accustomed to hearing from the voice. It sounded genuinely serious this time in spite of the few spikes of playful undertones that still lingered. "I have been completely transparent with you since the moment I entered your mind. Why fabricate something like this rather than, say, the AIM Dampening drugs? The answer is pretty self-explanatory; I am either not lying to you at all or I have been lying to you over these past couple hours. Between these two options, which sounds more likely?"
Mugino had long since stopped channel surfing.
She had also since stopped laughing and smiling.
All her focus was directed towards the voice in her head.
"Go on, formulate an educated guess based on what information you have available. You have a high intelligence power and are an equally experienced individual; neither of which are being denied by me. Having said that, you should already be aware that I have peeked into your mind and I have seen the things that you have done. However, I do not only 'see' the events taking place within a specific memory. I can also 'hear' things within them as well. The things I heard you say, both aloud and within your own mind, were atrocious. And amidst those thoughts, I happened to come across a few phrases that caught my notice."
Mugino's jaw began to clench along with her fist.
Even a casual observer would see the murderous intent in her hateful eyes at this point.
"Those phrases, the 'snide comments' you accused me of sharing never belonged to me. These doubts you have are not fabrications made by me, it is you #4 who has these thoughts. These were personal attacks and criticisms you had directed at yourself at one point or another. All I was doing was reading them off to you like a script. To add further legitimacy power to it, I made sure to recite the most recent ones I found in your memories. Frankly I'm surprised with how self-aware and honest you are about yourself. It truly shows how far your ethical abilities have changed since the beginning of your union with the gentleman."
In the place of the remote was her phone.
Said device was open, her thumb punching in the numbers.
All she had to do was hit send and this fucking twat was hers; no matter where she chose to hide.
"One thing keeps bothering me," Make this last question count; it'll be the last chance you'll ever get at asking it. "No matter how deep I searched, I never found one thing. I see it in your thoughts but I never heard you say them aloud. Peculiar, given how much you seem to cherish that gentleman I was expecting to hear it at least once. Perhaps under your breath, in your private moments, but I found it nowhere; not once."
She was making a show of this for the sake of stalling, the filthy bitch. Her thumb was still hovering over the 'Send' button on her phone. Unfortunately the voice had peaked her interest just enough to keep her from pushing it. Only because she was curious as to what this set of words were that she had not expressed.
"The only assumption I can conclude is that, deep down, you do not think you deserve to say those words." Quit stalling and get to the point; her teeth were starting to hurt. "Fine, fine, I'm of course referring to-"
Whatever the voice had planned to say through the mental connection was silenced. In the same instant that her words ended, Mugino a certain someone's finger pressing against her forehead. Amber brown eyes shot up to meet with dark blue one's staring down at her; looking perplexed. A quick glance showed that Kamijou was holding a plate in his other hand another while her own was sitting on the table in front of her. Her focus must have surpassed a certain threshold because she had no awareness of anything prior to this moment. Having said that, the tension in her jaw lessened alongside her fist once it fully registered to her.
"You looked pretty out of it there for a second." Remarked the boy, eyes shifting between her face and the phone as his hand pulled away. "Did you get a bad call or text from someone again? You don't usually look this mad unless it's them and they always pop up at the worst time."
"...oh, well it's...sorta." Exasperated, the girl snapped the device shut as she sighed. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."
Kamijou's brow furrowed out of skepticism, but nevertheless he respected her request and left it alone. And as he made his way around the table to take his place at her side, she had plucked the plate off the table. By smell alone, the curry was great and by the default it should have tasted better. However her soured mood had dampened the impact that the meal otherwise would have had. It was good, really good, but she could not enjoy it. Her mind was in disarray, swelling with thoughts as well as questions she was not sure she wanted answers for. Primarily the question of what set of words the voice wanted to mention before being abruptly cut off.
On one hand, she was glad that the connection had been severed.
On the other hand, she could only speculate on what the voice had intended to say.
A few bites into her meal and she could hear Touma's body settling beside her. A few fleeting looks showed that he still looked concerned, still apprehensive, yet he retained his silence. Touma never pried into her personal business, not unless she let him. The withstanding issue at hand was that she was not sure how long his patience would last. How long would he continue to keep out of it? At what point would he finally start asking for answers to questions she was not ready to respond to? She knew they were there, she most certainly knew that he had more than a few concerns worth addressing.
Which was precisely the reason why that voice succeeded so much in riling her up.
Shizuri was aware of the truths that the voice had brought to light. Denying it was pointless, there would come a day where her dirty laundry would be exposed. It was unavoidable, it would happen, and there was no stopping it. The only control Shizuri had at her disposal was when it happened and even that was not too great of an advantage. The reason why was pretty self-explanatory despite her own unwillingness to admit it vocally.
Sure it was unexciting and yes it was monotonous but those things did not serve as a hindrance to her enjoyment. Being around Touma was just...interesting and, plainly speaking, fun to her. He kept her grounded, helped put her mind at ease, and genuinely cared about her in spite of all her faults. Through him she experienced the good life, the one she would have had if circumstances had been different. Cliché as it may sound, the experiences she shared with him were reminiscent to that of a drug. And like any person exposed to a hard drug, she developed an addiction to it.
Once she got a taste of this 'good life' Mugino found that she could not simply put it down.
Actually that is inaccurate; it was not that she could not but rather she did not want to put it down. It satiated her, gave her something she did not know she wanted until after she had gotten it. Similar to the saying of not knowing what you have until it's gone. Conversely, in her case, she knew exactly what she had and because of that, in a display of pure selfishness, she lied. From the moment of its conception, however, she knew it would not remain buried forever.
Someday, somehow, it would come to see the light of day.
And that awareness was constantly weighing down on her heart.
"..."
Again, amber brown orbs shifted towards the boy beside her. His face had gone back to being unenthused as his eyes remained glued to the television. Seems as though Kamijou certainly did allow the subject to drop entirely. Problem was that she was now putting more and more thought into it the longer the silence remained.
"...hey, Kamijou,"
"Hn?"
Mugino had the detonator in her hand and thereby the means to potentially end everything in an instant. With four words, she could either strengthen or outright destroy this grand illusion. Literally four powerful words were all that were necessary to begin the most important discussion of their relationship. Her chance to confess all truths regarding her and the second life she lived was right here. The ball was in her court now, all she needed to do was say the words.
With her boyfriend looking ingenuously back at her, the girl with soft tea hair had made her choice.
"...you'll make a great wife someday."
She was afraid and thus she upheld the lie.
"So that's what you were laughing about earlier!"
It was a choice that never got easier, no matter how many times she consciously made it. More damning than that, she still had the audacity to laugh heartily at his distress. To continue smiling, continue lying and selfishly choosing to prolong the fantasy. Just a little bit more, let her enjoy this for just a little bit longer.
Eventually she will come clean.
Just was not today.
As long as Mugino continued to tell herself that, she would remain to be a gutless coward.
Night was in full swing by the time Mugino had parted ways with Kamijou. The lampposts were on, the sidewalks were mostly vacant, and overall the atmosphere was fairly calm and quiet. Curfew would be in effect within half an hour, which gave explanation for the lack of students occupying the streets. Although there were a few (ahem) unpleasant folks lurking and loitering about, they posed no threat to her. Maybe to her boyfriend, though; he had stubbornly chosen escorted her part of the way home. Knowing him and his luck, he most likely ran into a batch of those people and was running for dear life by now.
Poor jackass.
Having said that, he had originally offered to let her stay the night again. Tempting as it was, Shizuri already had a surplus of thoughts swimming through her head to sort through. There was only so much self-indulgence she could stomach before it got too uncomfortable to bear. Of course the reason she provided was that she had things she needed to get done tomorrow, thus giving cause to depart. But not before assuring him that she would come by again tomorrow to pick up the things she left there.
Another lie, another tally to be marked onto the board.
"Oh Mugino-saaan~"
Someone was calling out to her.
Pausing in her steps, who she found when she looked back admittedly brought about some surprise. Out of everyone, Frenda was not who she was expecting to find closing in on her when she turned around. Much less at this time of night when ITEM was considered 'off duty'. Wiry eyes watched as the blonde girl gradually closed the gap; having taken to moving at a leisure pace. The closer she got to the Level 5, the more her sweet gleeful grin became distinctive in the dark. At a distance of two meters from her, Mugino had enough and let out a long drawn-out sigh.
"First me, now Frenda," Stated the Meltdowner, arms crossed and an incredulous frown adorning her face. "Who else do you have pegged for possession, Hamazura?"
'Frenda' abruptly froze at the three feet mark, however the honey sweet smile did not vanish. If anything 'Frenda' started beaming brighter after hearing the #4's statement. A factor that reached the girl's blue eyes and somehow made the star within them become more pronounced.
"Hee hee. It doesn't surprise me how well acquainted you are with your friends, Mugino-san." Admitted the blonde in the same cheeky way as before adopting a more thoughtful expression. "Hmm, wonder what gave me away? I would have thought that it would have taken you a little bit longer to realize it."
"You mean besides the obvious star-lookin' thing in your eyes?" Remarked Mugino sarcastically before shaking her head dismissively. "Your connection to my mind was cut off mid-sentence and you're a twat who likes to hear herself talk. I had a good hunch that you wouldn't wanna leave it at that. Can't say who I was expecting you to take over but I was damn certain you'd come back to annoy me. On top of that, the honorific you used when you called out to me was a dead giveaway."
As the #4 was making this explanation, 'Frenda' had cycled through a variety of emotions. The one that she ultimately settled on was one of someone pouting, her cheeks inflated as she indignantly looked away with her arms crossed. Mugino could faintly make out a series of hushed words coming from the blonde's lips. Sadly, in spite of their close proximity, it was not coherent enough to be anything but gibberish to her. Which was fine by her, she had more to say to the voice that now controlled the shorter lass.
"I've had plenty of time to think about what you were going to say." Shizuri's amber brown orbs remained impassive as the girl's attention was drawn back to her. "It didn't take long to figure out; hell I wasn't even half-way done with my dinner before it came to me. So, unless you've got something important to say, get lost. I've had to deal with enough of your shit for one day, Mental Out."
Now Mugino did not know what she was expecting in terms of reactions. Surprise, bewilderment, alarm, or maybe a mixture of every one of those things. Whatever she expected was not what she ended up receiving. Opposed to any of the aforementioned emotional responses, the #4 was given something completely different. The blonde haired girl spread her arms wide and ultimately brought one hand up to her eye in a horizontal peace sign. As she gave the Meltdowner a casual wink, Mugino could not help but feel as though this was oddly appropriate.
Sure as hell looked like something the Seivelun would do.
"Bingo~ Shokuhou Misaki, Academy City's #5 Level 5, at your service~" Without a care in the world, Misaki exposed every relevant detail regarding her identity with unabashed glee. "Hee hee. It looks like I underestimated your deduction abilities. They turned out to be more impressive than I initially believed."
"It wasn't hard," Dismissed the #4 while her visage and tone grew increasingly more languid. "There aren't many espers in the city who can do what you can. Even if they could, most are not at a high enough level to affect me or stupid enough to try doing it. What tipped me off the most was when you were yapping about 'seeing' and 'hearing' my past memories. From there, all I had to do was use the process of logical reasoning."
For example: How many Espers could both see and hear a past memory?
Another example: How many Espers were at a high enough Level to get inside a Level 5's mind?
Yet another example: How many Espers, that she knew of, were capable of those feats on top of the ability to take over a person's mind?
Basically, it just came down to putting these sorts of traits into one pot and determining who fit the criteria. Which, as she had already said, was not difficult since there were so few who matched the categories specified. Based on what she knew, it supplied Mugino with enough knowledge to draw upon that conclusion. Personal experience with the fellow Level 5 notwithstanding since she only had second-hand sources to draw upon.
"Hmm, now that I think about it," Began Frenda, or should we say Misaki, foregoing the pose and adopting a thoughtful expression; complete with the repeated tapping of her chin. "How do we proceed from here, Meltdowner? Are you still intending to find me? Do you still want to come try and kill me?"
Scoffing, Mugino turned away from the individual currently using Frenda as a platform and began to walk.
"Had you been anyone else, I would be on my way there right this minute."
Unfortunately, the clacking of Frenda's pumps against the concrete told her that Misaki was not letting the matter drop.
"Buuut?"
Such an inquisitive little bee.
"I don't like wasting time and effort on someone I'm not getting paid to kill." Continued the girl, carrying on in her advancement home with her eyes remaining locked on the path ahead. "Piss off the wrong people and I might come after you. If the price is worth the effort, then I'll definitely be paying you a visit in person."
The odds of that happening were slim; very slim in fact.
Slimmer than the likelihood of that statement being the end of their discussion.
"But Mugino-saaan, there is still one unresolved issuuue~" Misaki's, well Frenda's actually, sing-song voice rung out along the mostly vacant stretch of concrete. "You knew what I was referring to before my connection was abruptly cut off. But you did not explain why I never heard them spoken out loud."
Interestingly enough, this was the statement that brought Mugino to a halt. This prompted 'Frenda' to stop as well in preparation for whatever was to come next. Maybe she expected the infamous Meltdowner to demonstrate one of her spontaneous, anger induced, outbursts. It could be that the #5 believed Mugino would not inflict harm on her friend. Dead wrong as she was, physical harm was not the motive or intent behind her abrupt stop.
"...so that's it?" It was less of a question and more like self-assertion; although for some reason she sounded amused. "Wow, you came back here just to ask me something like that. It's almost sad how desperate you are to hear something that's obvious."
"...pardon me?"
Mugino's body partially turned far enough to see 'Frenda's' perplexed facial expression.
Adding fuel to the fire of confusion, Mugino had suddenly let out a few tired chuckles as her head shook from side-to-side..
"For someone who's been in my head for almost an entire day," Tauntingly, Mugino emphasized this by tapping the side of her head with her finger; sneering at the blonde as she did so. "You're pretty fuckin' dim #5. I'd tell you to figure it out your-fucking-self like I had to. But I'm in a better mood now than I was when you were sifting through my memories. I'll even say it nice and slow so you can understand it."
Slowly the mocking quality in her voice gradually began to fade. Alongside it was the amusement as her general attitude turned stern, composed, and solemn. Within the blink of an eye, Mugino looked like the part of a murderer. Dead eyes peering back at a relatively innocent girl who was never placed in a circumstance in which she was forced to kill. Throughout this, she applied every bit of her focus onto the eyes of whom she was speaking to. Not the puppet, not Frenda; she was peering through her to gaze at the girl who was pulling the strings.
No malice, no hostility, no strong negative emotions at all.
Just a void of amber brown piercing back at her through the darkness of the night.
"You already know, you've seen the things that I've done. There are things I can't tell him and many more that I don't want to share. I made the choice to keep those things a secret so I could comfortably be a part of the same world he lives in. It didn't sit well with me, I couldn't stomach it, so I compromised. I will never say those words to him until I'm able to wipe the slate clean of those lies. It's like you said, I don't deserve to say those words to him; not with the way things are right now. When I don't have to hide my lies to keep what I have is when I'll earn the right to say them. Until then, I won't, and that's how it'll stay."
Misaki, despite everything, was at a loss for words.
Frankly speaking, she had been under the assumption that her distasteful lifestyle was the root cause. Reading her mind was not necessarily required to gather that much. Mugino's answer, however, was far more informative than what she was initially expecting. In a way, it reminded Misaki of Jenga. By her own account, Meltdowner had come this far through secrecy and lies. If she was to say those words to him, would they be interpreted as being genuine or another lie? No matter how authentic those words were, they would ultimately come crumbling down in much the same way as everything else.
It took one wrong block for the entire tower to collapse.
Henceforth, Mugino had forgone the notion of voicing her innermost feelings. She could express them in other ways, however she could never voice them. He was unmistakably someone she valued as dear and precious. Yet, no matter how genuine those feelings were, they would come off as empty and hollow in end. To truly be at ease, to be able to fully embrace that which she wanted most, she had to clean the slate. To be truthful about her past deeds, be forthright about her sins, and finally be absolved of these things. When these criteria are met, then she could she finally bring herself to be happy and honest to both herself and him.
Misaki could only imagine how terrifying that last step must be.
"I've answered your question," Spoke the girl suddenly, drawing the #5 out from her own musings. "But before I go I wanna make one thing clear. You stay away from him, understand? If I catch you so much as breathing in his general direction, your dead. School Garden won't be a big enough place to hide you. No amount of piss-ant Espers will be able to protect you either. Go near him and your signing your own death warrant; got it bitch?"
Facing such open hostility was nothing new to Misaki. With how much it had been directed at her mentally, this was not nearly as intimidating. Even the murderous intent was not so excessive that it would break her down into a nervous wreck. It did, however, make her sweat a bit; not a lot but enough to make her swipe at her brow. Nevertheless, 'Frenda' simply smiled in a jovial fashion before standing straight and saluting. An action that would have been much more serious if her tongue was not poking out from between her lips.
"Aye aye~!"
Whether or not her warning was heeded, Mugino turned back around to continue home. No other words were spoken, no further warnings were given. A key difference from before, however, was that 'Frenda' did not immediately move to catch up. After the #4 had turned away, Frenda's cheery disposition leveled out to be far less expressive. Eventually, once a good amount of distance stood between them, 'Frenda' heaved a sigh heavy enough to make her shoulders drop.
If only that AIM Dampener had been stronger.
Sadly she had already commanded the crooked fellow to turn himself in to Anti-Skill. By now he was probably in a jail cell, or being interrogated about how he got his hands on it. Said follow had caught her notice purely by chance. Even if she did not like the #4, a stranger slipping drugs into a person's system was a big no-no. It was not until she found out what he had been trying to drug her with that Misaki grew curious. From that curiosity came the realization that she could slip herself into the Level 5's mind. Temptation was her crime, she saw an opportunity and took it without hesitation.
"Hee hee! It's been such a long time since I last heard him! It's so good to see that he hasn't changed much since then!"
'Frenda' sported the brightest smile ever produced while suffering from a fit of giggling laughter. Nobody could blame her since she had been maintaining her composure this whole time. Her excitement was bound to burst out eventually. And after almost a year without contact, she had managed to finally get close to him without arising any suspicions. Right there, she had been there next to him the whole time! He was so close to her, so close that she could vividly recall his voice in her ear even now! Elated did not properly measure to how much this event meant to her on a personal level.
Had that drug been just a smidgeon stronger she might have had a chance. A chance to take over the #4 and touch him, speak to him, laugh with him, and so much more. So much time lost to be regained, so many things she wished to say to him. Unfortunately, this was the moment where the grim reality of life reared its disillusioned head. With it came to subsequent dimming of that girl's radiant smile and laughter. Misaki's puppet mirrored her own emotions, her face becoming increasingly more and more cheerless.
"I suppose it was good enough to see that you haven't changed much since then." Bitterly spouted the girl to no one in particular. "I don't know what you see in her, but I am glad she somehow makes you happy."
From there, she cast a glare down the path where the #4 had gone. 'Frenda' then proceeded to pull down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out in that direction. Very unladylike, equally childish, and lastly a very telling display of her own pettiness. That Meltdowner had no idea how fortunate she was. To someone like Shokuhou, being in a position the #4 was in was only attainable in her dreams. She could hold on to hope that someday that may change; to hold on to the belief that miracles can indeed happen.
Hopefully that day comes, no matter how futile or unrealistic that may seem to others.
Until then...
Beep!
"H-huh?" Frenda, now free of the Mental Out's control, was left in a state of visible confusion. "Basically, what was I doing again?"
Welcome to the bottom!
First and foremost: Fuck you FanFiction for not letting me use ALT code symbols!
Ahem.
Whew! I'm gonna be honest, I loved this chapter. Misaki in general is probably my second favorite; she's too sweet to hate but that's my opinion. That and she is a big contrast to Mugino in regards to personality. And that clash of contrasting personalities felt really fun to explore here. I've always wanted to do this, have those two interact in some fashion. Granted I know you lot were expecting more fluffy moments between Touma and Mugino this chapter. Sadly, it did not come to that and thus it's focus was primarily on Misaki and Mugino. I thought it was necessary since it did expand on a few plot points, terms I use loosely, that deserved some attention.
Don't worry, I swear you'll get your nice fluffy moments with those two, but this chapter, I felt, needed to happen.
I mean, you can't just explore one person's perspective in chapter's like these. Misaki was just the most convenient means to explore the Meltdowner's mindset. Plus, I did say in the past that there were gonna be other 'Sore Loser' interactions in future chapters. A bit unfair as far that is concerned since Kumokawa Seria didn't get (basically) a full chapter dedicated to her. I'll have to make it up to her in the future, I don't know, we'll see. But, more importantly, don't think this is the last time you'll see Misaki or Seria. As far as when you see them again, that's for me to know and you guys to keep guessing.
Also, before I get called out on it, be aware that I already know how much of a stretch this chapter may be to some of you. The AIM Dampener, I can admit to being something that was made up. At the very least I tried to rationalize its existence and purpose beyond just being a plot device. I'm still probably gonna get shit for it, to which I say 'bring it'. I was dead-set on having a reason behind how Misaki got into Mugino's head and that was what I came up with. If that is a major criticism you've got, I'll kindly and happily accept it.
Can't argue with the results though. My editor thought that it was pretty funny seeing Misaki constantly annoying Mugino the entire time. He even suggested that she was enjoying a big bowl of popcorn as she constantly pestered the #4. On that note, let's not forget to give a shout out to FrodoFighterfor taking the time to edit this chapter for me. What a swell guy, someday I hope I learn how to be as awesome as he is.
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.