Greetings to all!

"...You know, sometimes I wish you were one of those authors that write chapters with like 5k words"

My beta-reader when I sent this too him; I'd say it's pretty telling, isn't it?

When one coins the term 'festival' in Academy City, typically two particular events spring to mind.

Chronologically, these celebrations were Daihaseisai and Ichihanaransai respectfully. Both of which were large in scale due to their importance to the city as a whole. Daihaseisai, being a sports festival, was a more public event than the latter due to it being covered on a global scale. Tourists of all sorts flooded the city around that time, making an already busy environment feel more cramped than it usually was. Ichihanaransai, by contrast, was a private event in that it did not let outsiders into the city during that time. Because it was essentially a large-scale cultural festival of multiple venues, pulling it off was often considered a challenge.

Whether it was Daihaseisai or Ichihanaransai, no one could deny that these events were imperative.

Especially for the student body, which is what made up most of the city anyway, as both events were a great source of enjoyment.

That being said, there did exist smaller, less...extravagant events that littered the calendar. Some were spontaneous in nature and others were planned. Truthfully it all depended on how attentive you were with current events. A good example of the former was the Summer City Flood Prevention Program that happened in the summer of last year. There was a reasoning behind it and it technically was not an 'event' per se, but no one really cared enough about the technicalities. Students were given a chance to swim in flowing pools on a hot day for free and, hell yeah, they took it.

Now, as far as planned events were concerned, one need not look further than today.

Or rather, to be more specific, tonight.

Tonight was an evening for a particular celebration that commonly took place in the middle of the summer. Presumably for those who had chosen to stay within the City's walls during the course of their vacation. It was not a far-fetched assumption to make considering there were many who did stay, voluntarily or otherwise. That said, it also served as a means for legendary firework merchants to get their products showcased to large crowds. In a way, it was a win-win scenario for all parties involved. The students got to indulge themselves in the festival itself and the companies participating got to advertise their merchandise.

Most importantly of all: boys got to see all kinds of girls dolled up in their yukatas. That was a win; without question that was a colossal victory to all men. Unless, of course, you were a certain drop-out named Hamazura Shiage.

"They told me to meet them here, so where are they?"

In which case, it was not much of a victory.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when the group had finally emerged from the backstreet apartment complex. And by the time they had gotten here, the darkness of night had already settled in. Not that the distance from there to the riverside area was extensive. It was easily within walking distance and equally accessible for anyone wishing to join in on the festivities. So texting the others as he tailed Mugino and her entourage was hardly a hassle. Neither was keeping them within his line of sight without being noticed throughout the commute that brought him here.

The clumsy movements of the nun named Index also made that job easy for him as well. Being unaccustomed to traversing in the yukata had caused the group's pace had be a tad sluggish; much to the annoyance of a particular Level 5. That sort of hindrance gave those nosy girls plenty of time to finish things up on their end. Apparently it was more time than necessary since they told him that they were waiting for him at a specific location. Which so happened to be where he was at now. Once the festival lights were in sight Hamazura, in his haste, managed to bypass the group he was originally tailing to join up with the girls.

"Are they all the way on the other end? " Instead he was on the elevated area, scanning for those who he did not truly wish to be looking for. "They better not have gone down there and got food without getting me some..."

The two separate rows of stalls had only taken up to roughly half of the boardwalk. One side was closer to the grassy slope which gave people an elevated area to observe over the chain of venders down below. The other was more towards the waterfront and offered a very generous amount of free space that stretched from the back of the booths to the railings. All while the path at the center of these two rows remained brightly illuminated via the lights coming from each of the stalls. These same lights cast off a rather warm and inviting glow along the promenade. It suited the bright and exciting colors that made up each of the booths on either side.

Sadly, in spite of the warm and jovial atmosphere presented to him, Hamazura was not able to immerse himself in it.

He was taken aback a bit at how less crowded it was here then how he imagined it would be. The event itself was popular, however there were no bustling crowds down below like he expected. In fact it was pretty tame along the illuminated path compared to the average afternoon sidewalks. Not to say that it was devoid of any crowds, there were a few groups of four or five people scattered about. Not to mention the ever growing amount of people who were slowing starting to trickle into the area in question. As far as he could tell, though, the large majority of those moving about or funneling in down below consisted mostly of pairs.

The delinquent dumb-ass had not, however, spotted Mugino and her group anywhere down below just yet. On top of that, there were also no signs of Kinuhata, Frenda, or Takitsubo to be seen either. The latter case was something he honestly he was not sure if he should be elated about that or not.

Well, if nothing else, he got some relative peace and quiet for a few-

"Ah-ha! Basically, there you are!"

Dammit.

He had spoken too soon.

"Geez, it took you long enough to super get here."

Hamazura's face immediately fell the moment he heard these two call out to him.

More irksome than that was how he compulsively turned to face them; making him feel more like a trained dog than a person.

Although once he had set his sights on them, for a brief moment of time, he forgot who those voices belonged to. In spite of all the hassle and degradation these girls often caused him, he could not tear his eyes away. No sane male would, regardless of how much or how little they knew about these particular girls. That was just how...for lack of better term, unique this sight was. By all accounts it should not have been as big of a deal as he was making it out to be. Truly it should not, as it was just clothing meant to be worn for the occasion. Yet, when it came down to it, there was no way he could not help but notice how well their clothes complemented their appearance.

Good or evil, sweet or sour, saint or sinner; regardless of which metaphor one used, the message remained the same.

Attire did not discriminate and a yukata worn by a girl was still a girl wearing a yukata.

And believe it or not it was Kinuhata who stood out the strongest between the two of them. Mainly due to the color of her outfit, which was some of golden yellowish color with a red obi secured around her waist. He did not know the exact name of the color itself, but he could certainly say that the autumn leaf designs speckled about on it were definitely orange. Beside her was Frenda, who was garbed in the colors of navy blue paired with a mustard yellow obi. Unlike Saiai, Frenda's yukata did not have any ornate designs on it. Rather they were simply large dots of varying colors; such as teal, turquoise, and aqua to name a few.

At a later time, the delinquent dumb ass would regret truthfully admitting that the two looked...cute?

Yes...yes, cute was an adequate description for them right now.

"What's with that stupid face you're making Hamazura?" Frenda's inquiry, coupled with her soured expression, was what ultimately ruined the moment for him. "Basically stop drooling over us; it's disgusting. We aren't dressed like this to appeal to whatever wild fantasy your dirty imagination comes up with."

"But that super dumb face is how he's always looked, isn't it?" Kinuhata wondered this train of thought for a few odd seconds before eventually shrugging. "Mmn, to be honest, I can't tell the difference. Then again, I'm not particularly happy about being seen with him so close to me. Especially when I'm dressed like this, since I'm pretty sure someone is going to get the super wrong impression."

Apparently the time to regret his earlier thoughts came sooner rather than later.

"Basically, I don't want that."

"Yup, that would super suck."

Pity their attitudes did not match their appearances.

"Would you two stop talking as if I'm not here." Rebuked the dead-fish eyed delinquent in an equally dead tone of voice. Not even a moment after it registered what he had just said, he began to try and peer passed them. "Speaking of not being here...where's Takitsubo? Wasn't she with you two earlier?"

He got his answer shortly thereafter; albeit it did not come from the girls he was currently in the company of. Instead it was from the tugging of his sleeve, directly behind him, which prompted the boy to turn around. Lo and behold, before him stood the Queen of Don't-give-a-damn herself. Garbed in a black yukata tinged with blue and secured by a light purple obi; lilac was the name of the color if he was not mistaken. Unlike the other two, Takitsubo had no decretory patterns on hers aside from the white trimmings on it. The AIM Stalker appeared to have foregone anything too exotic and stuck with a plain outfit instead.

Which, to be honest, may have explained why he did not immediately notice her. What he did come to notice were two things. One was the skewer of fried squid she was offering him at this very moment. A considerate gesture, but it was outweighed by a far, far, more important detail that demanded his attention. That detail being something which the other two members of this party lacked that Takitsubo did not. Something that the yukata was doing a fantastic job at unintentionally emphasizing right this moment.

Ba-in~!

"...damn, those are basically huge."

State the obvious more please.

"...my figure is still super better..."

On second thought, probably best not to.

"...Hamazura..." In spite of the peanut gallery, Takitsubo's focus was purely on the boy. Said boy was trying very hard to maintain whatever composure he had in his body. "...you said you were hungry..."

"A-ah, r-right, right, thanks for picking up something for me." Quickly, too quick for his own liking, he accepted the kind gesture without any semblance of grace at all. "I'll, uh, be sure to get you something later to pay you back."

"...mhn..."

Poor sap looked about ready to weep tears of joy. Hard not to when a big-breasted yukata-clad girl performs an act of genuine kindness to an overtly underappreciated lackey. It was a victory, a small one to some, but one that still counted. And the Ikayaki he just chomped into right at that moment tasted all the better because of it.

"Okay, enough of Hamazura's gross lusting of our looks!" Although it was Frenda who made the announcement, it was Kinuhata who hit him squire in the shoulder-blade for some reason. "We've basically got a job to do. Hamazura, where are they?"

Seemed as though Frenda had appointed herself as the leader this time around.

Nobody seemed to be against it, so he could assume this had been established after they left him earlier.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder, he scanned the area down below on the promenade for a few moments. He knew where they were likely to be coming through; all of them did for that matter. It was why this spot in particular was picked after all. Nevertheless, the ITEM lackey maintained his reluctant diligence in searching out the #4's group. Luckily he found the target of their interest before too long; the likes of whom he could vaguely make out thanks purely to having the higher vantage point. This did not stop the less than patient members of his company from growing agitated with how long it took to spot them.

"Over there, coming in on the boardwalk now." To give emphasis to his claim the blonde pointing off into the distance a ways. "If you look for the little girl in the yellow yukata then you can't miss her."

"Ah, he's right, I can see her." Affirmed Kinuhata as she, like everyone else, peered out to the area specified. "Good to see you're not completely useless super Hamazura."

Tempting as the urge was to refute against that comment, the Skill Out did not do so. Instead he took another large bite of the fried squid to keep any snarky remarks from slipping out. In moments like these, it was better to just silently take the compliment. Arguing about the issue was bound to end badly for him given how he was basically outnumbered. She still could have at least looked at him directly while complimenting him though.

"Alright, time to move." With casual confidence, and maybe a tinge of excitement, Frenda started to move. When she was about to pass her fellow blonde, the sort realization one has when they have forgotten something dawned on her. This flash of insight stopped her dead in her tracks as she carelessly addressed the boy over her shoulder. "By the way, you can leave now Hamazura. I basically don't want to be caught dead with you near me while I'm dressed like this."

Frenda's offhanded dismissal came right as he was about to take another bite from his snack. Thus succeeding in taking the delinquent dunce by complete surprise. Indicated by the rather dumbfounded look he shot her direction as she continued moving passed him.

"Super second that, good call Frenda." Chimed in the Dark May Survivor, her nose wrinkling up as she fell in line behind the foreign blond. Maintaining the features of someone who caught the whiff of a fart while inside a cramped elevator. "It's bad enough I need to rely on him to help get me into certain movies. The last thing I want is for people to think this is a date. I mean, it's not like he'd have a chance with anyone to begin with. But I don't want to feed into any super delusions he might have."

In Hamazura's defense, these two were giving this him very little credit.

"I don't think Hamazura has those super delusions," Takitsubo's soft-spoken rebuttal exhibited signs of her believing otherwise. Granted it barely reaching his ears as she too followed the pair of the stalkers. "...probably."

At least Takitsubo tried to come to his defense. A gesture which indisputably touched his heart more than she would ever know. But the truth was that his lewd fantasies involving these girls had been mostly purged by this point in time. About the only desire he harbored at the core of his being revolved around dishing out some well-deserved payback. For all the bullshit they put him through, he could be forgiving for possessing such desires.

Albeit he also acknowledged that the likelihood of said daydreams becoming a reality were, in fact, slim to nonexistent. Not that any of those particular fantasies were cropping up inside his head right now. Maybe later something would come to mind. For the time being, though, his mind was void of such thoughts. He was too busy trying to process what had happened and how he was supposed feel about it.

Hamazura gave up on the latter once they were out of earshot.

None of the girls present so much as spared a fleeting look back at the boy as they left. He had done his part, he was not needed anymore, and he clearly did not want to participate in their escapades. In their own twisted and hurtful way, they were giving him exactly what he had wanted. Saiai and Frenda did not want him around and he did not want to be around them. All things considered, it was a win-win situation and so the group went back down to being a Trio once again.

With Mugino's location in mind, the ladies re-activated their earpieces and promptly scattered.

Hamazura had been half-right about where they originally were prior to the meet-up. As they were waiting for him, they had taken that time to scout out the path below. Searching primarily for means to inconspicuously spy on the Meltdowner without being discovered. There were a few ideas, a few knick-knacks, and other things that they, mostly Frenda and Saiai, could use to help in that endeavor. Takitsubo, for her part, did not care either way and instead took to inspecting the stalls. As for what she was doing now they had split again, well, there was hardly a difference.

All that had changed was that she was now playing a more active role as the Trio's tracker.

Given her usual disposition, both Seivelun and Kinuhata had assumed that it would be them who would take on the task of eavesdropping. Neither had asked her whether or not she wanted to do so to begin with. Justified by how reluctant she was to spend money on the proper attire to seamlessly blend in with the crowd. So it went without saying that, when the inevitable debate on who between was about to begin, Takitsubo spoke up. She could still recall their puzzled and gaping faces when she volunteered to take on the role herself.

What's more, she did this without being coaxed into doing it; in fact she suspected they were trying coax her out of doing it.

Eventually, they just let her do as she pleased. Granted, this Takitsubo did have an ulterior motive that served to influence this decision. No, it was not because she wanted to avoid making a scene as the two argued. Neither was it because she was curious about the odd circumstances behind the nun and her leader. Inquisitive as she was about the second one, it was not substantial enough to serve as a determining factor in her choice. The sole purpose behind this decision was so that she could pick up a few snacks along the way.

...it was a festival...

Why would she not seize the moment to indulge herself a little bit?

And so here she was, The Queen of Don't-Give-A-Damn, playing her role as a uninteresting damsel like the professional she was.

"Basically Mugino and the rest are coming up now Takitsubo."

Takitsubo, in all truthfulness, did not need Frenda's instruction to take note of the group as they were coming up. AIM Stalker or not, the girl had no issue finding that little girl with the short pink hair Hamazura had pointed out before. What also helped was that it belonged to a familiar face; one which all parties involved here could recall seeing about two months ago, back in June. Thanks to her, the rest of the Meltdowner's group became easy to spot as they drew closer to the first batch of stalls lining the boardwalk.

She herself was less than a stall away from where they were coming in at, making them that much easier to notice. Not that the task of spotting them was a difficult feat to accomplish to begin with. Hard pressed would anyone be to not catch sight of that batch of folk as they drew closer. No matter how many-or how few-other individuals were funneling into this space along with them.

Between the group of four, three of them had formed a haphazard line as the fourth member of the group lead the way. At present, that little girl took up center area while the other two teens took up either side of her person. Admittedly, it was a bit jarring to see the contrast between the casual attire worn by one and more festive one worn by the other. Personally, Takitsubo was not too bothered by it at all. As it so happened, she was actually pretty miffed about being unable to wear something more comfortable. She herself would be wearing her tracksuit right now had the setting not called for a change.

Plus Frenda and Saiai had been pretty adamant about it; so arguing would not have amounted to anything.

"Wow, she basically didn't hold back on those rentals."

While the AIM Stalker was glowing with envy over the freedom of casual attire, the others had their focus set elsewhere.

"It looks that way. I don't get why you're super surprised by that. This is Mugino we're talking about here."

Particularly, they had honed in on the person walking on the little girl's right side and the object of their stalk-investiga-

Oh screw it, there was no point to denying what they were doing anymore.

The point is that they found Mugino.

"-Crepe, and Kachiwari, and Donguri Ame, and Taiyaki-"

To Takitsubo's confusion, and by extension most of the Trio's, the closer the group got to her the more she heard from the person leading the pack. That person being the nun, known as Index, who looked...well saying there was a bit of a difference was putting it mildly. She was in red, of all things, with blue linings and a few colorful decretory images of flowers in full bloom scattered throughout in various colors; namely white, pink and green. Honestly, it was difficult to believe that girl was the same nun they saw earlier. Especially with her own silver-ish hair being pulled up into a nice bun.

And, although her stiff movements were undoubtedly causing irritation, she maintained a chipper attitude about being here.

"...how long has she been like this again?"

Miraculously, despite the growing clarity of the rambling nun along with other distractive noises, she could still make out Kamijou's voice. The only casually garbed member of the group sounded disinclined to receive an answer to the question which he had proposed.

"-and Ringo Ame, and Wata-ame, and Anzuame, and Agemochi-"

"Since about ten minutes ago." Responded the little girl garbed in the colors of strawberry pink and cream yellow; sounding both sheepish and apologetic. "Sensei might have made the mistake of showing Index-san a pamphlet from last year's festival. I-it was supposed to be an example of what she could expect to find this year...but um..."

The little girl trailed off, seemingly looking off to the side as if to say 'this is what she found most interesting' and leaving it at that. On an unrelated note, her disdain for formalwear aside, Rikou privately noted that the girl looked and sounded pretty adorable. But, again, that was more or less an afterthought that remained unvoiced.

"-and Gyu-kushi, and Karaage, and Nikumaki Onigiri, and Yakitori-"

"This damn brat memorizes the most useless crap." Ah, there it was, that weary agitated tone from the designated 'onee-san' of the group. Clad in dark violet and lilac was the Meltdowner in the flesh; her soft-tea hair pulled up into a stylized bundle opposed to being left down like usual. "Why is she listing off things as if she has the money to pay for them? Last I checked, she was broke and had already stuffed her face with more than her fair share of food in the past hour."

"I did tell her that I'd get her a few things from the festival." Remarked Touma carelessly, only to flinch away slightly to the side when Mugino's head snapped over towards him. "Oi, Shizuri, stop looking at me like that. I said a few things, not everything under the sun."

Mugino's response was not immediate, instead she raised a single hand, without turning away, and pointed straight ahead.

"-and Takoyaki, and Ikayaki, and Yaki Tomorokoshi, and Okonomiyaki-"

Riiiight at the back of a certain nun's head, who had not yet stopped rambling.

"Tell it to the brat, you jackass."

"Now, now, remember Mugino-chan, this is supposed to be a celebration for Index-san." Lightly scolded the little girl, wagging her finger at the #4 as she did so. "This is her first fireworks show she's experienced. Sensei believes that she's allowed to indulge herself with the festivities to her heart's content. If it starts to become an issue, then sensei will pitch in some money too."

Bit by bit, two sets of eyes drifted upwards off the small girl and focused themselves on the nun ahead of them.

"-and Omusoba, and Ebitama, and Dondonyaki, and Mitarashi Dango-"

Yes, Index's ramblings had not diminished in the slightest degree. Here was when signs of dread started to nestle itself onto the casually clad boy's face. Whereas Mugino's reaction was to suck on her teeth in indignation. Her folded arms becoming hidden beneath the sleeves of her yukata; all while not taking her eyes off the young maiden.

"If you end up broke, Kamijou, don't expect me to bail you out."

At least Mugino was being transparent.

"I-it...it shouldn't have to come to that...hopefully."

Oh, optimism, how you were like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Said light which could either be sunlight from the outside world or the headlights of a bullet train. Too crude of a metaphor? Perhaps so, but the meaning was fairly straightforward. Either you were right or you were wrong; plain and simple. Only, in the case with the latter, the sense of betrayal tends to lead others down a more jaded and cynical outlook on life. To that end, Takitsubo halfheartedly gave her condolences to the boy in advance; just in case.

"Touma, Touma, look at all these shops! Which one can we stop at first?" Index, completely ignoring the #4, quickly went from leading them to securing herself by the boy's side. Her hands shaking his arm like a child as she looked up at him with eyes that were practically shining with exuberance. "I read that there were games with prizes at these festivals. Can we play them? What about the fireworks? Will we have to wait long to see them? And food! Can we get some wata-ame first? Oh! Or maybe-"

Mugino's eyes had never been more focused on the nun than they were right now. The second the nun closed the gap between them to the moment she started tugging on his hand. Amber brown pools never turned away from her; not once. Those same pools became increasingly more spiteful the longer she watched the nun tug at her lover's arm. All of these were telltale signs that the #4 was not thrilled about this display of familiarity and closeness. Either that or she was growing particularly aggravated by the yukata garbed nun's childish behavior. Takitsubo, in her personal opinion, was unsure if it was one, the other, or a combination of both.

Not that it would matter all too much at the rate things were going. From the earpiece, the AIM Stalker could already hear Saiai and Frenda mutter how dead that girl was going to be. They were at a safe distance, less noticeable, and therefore their perspective suffered from limitations. Takitsubo, in contrast to them, had a front-row seat and thereby a much clearer picture to look at.

...a second wave of condolences was sent Kamijou's way.

Less half-hearted this time...but only by a little bit.

It seemed as though someone up there was listening.

Much to the surprise of those observing them from afar, no anger-induced meltdown had come. They had imagined that something of the sort would have unfolded, yet it did not. Opposed to lashing out, and perhaps ruining the entire festival, Mugino did nothing. Instead she merely watched as the boy was tugged away from the rest to view the first among many attractions the festival provided. Which became the trend as the young girl proceeded to all but drag the boy behind her from one venue to the next. This left the little girl and the Meltdowner to take up the rear as they followed behind them.

The former of the two was in an awkward state of being. She was smiling, she looked like she was enjoying the festivities, but her joie de vivre was a bit tarnished. This was because of the girl taking up the spot to her left, whom she was occasionally sneaking glances at. These stolen glances were done with good reason. Especially since Mugino's vexation was gradually reaching the point of critical mass.

Clearly she was not happy with the current state of things.

In spite of how cross her mood appeared, she did not make a single crude remark. Takitsubo suspected that she most certainly was thinking a plethora of derogatory annotations at the boyfriend stealing nun. All pretenses regarding subtly had long since been dismissed. Leaving every sign of displeasure to be seen clear as day to those observant enough to notice them. Beyond these signs of aggravation, such as her clenched jaw and the narrowed eyelids to name a few, no actions were made against the nun. She did not move to break the two apart and there were no verbal quips that came out from her lips.

Temporarily, that is, as this Takitsubo firmly believed that her restraint was short-term at best.

...probably.

"...I don't know how you manage to get super close to them without being noticed." Kinuhata bewildered voice abruptly filling her ear almost caused her to involuntarily jump out of sheer surprise. Which, thankfully, did not happen as that would have been pretty embarrassing. "At some point, you really need to give us a rundown on how you do it. It would make quite a few jobs a lot easier for us if you did."

"It probably helps that her natural hair color isn't blonde like mine and Hamazura's is." Piped in Frenda, closely followed by a noise that made Rikou's listless eyes show signs of concern. From her side of the earpiece, it sounded like the poor girl had choked on a fish-bone or something. "...herlig. I just basically compared myself to Hamazura. I'm now tempted to go out and dye my hair pink to avoid doing that again."

"You know, I can super picture you with pink hair. I think it might even suit you better than blonde does."

Kinuhata's attempt to portray herself as being supportive was a guaranteed failure. A snort of laughter had come before the remark itself and the mirth in her tone had not been repressed enough. And, as expressed in the past, these ear-pieces were damn good at what they did. Frenda was not dumb, deaf, or ignorant; she would see the patronizing remark for what it was.

"Don't make fun of me, Kinuhata! I'm seriously having a crisis right now!"

Thus prompting Frenda's urgent, almost desperate, retort. Within reason, of course, since she did not want to give herself away.

Meanwhile, from afar, Takitsubo merely rolled her eyes as she listen to things play out.

Frenda's internal and external crisis aside, the AIM Stalker had to acknowledge that there was some truth to that. Not the pink hair bit, though she did agree that the color would not look bad on the blonde. It would also make her stand out, which was the whole point of the topic she had brought up. Rikou knew she looked plain, unimportant, and easily dismissible; such were factors that made her useful. Nobody pays much mind to a girl who did not actively try to draw attention to herself. Which is how she was often able to get around so easily. The more casual the attire, the easier it became to go about unnoticed; opposed to if she were wearing more fashionable clothing like her peers.

Granted she still brought some attention to herself by always wearing her tracksuit.

Even so, that was a conscious decision on her part.

In her own defense, it was a quick outfit to don and damn comfortable to wear. Also it made hiding a few extra pounds without raising suspicions easier to do. The latter of the two factoids was a more personal admission which she did not have plans to divulge aloud. Putting all that aside, even while garbed in a yukata, Takitsubo was naturally good at blending in. Much more than the other two due to her natural inconspicuous nature. She was of decent height for her age, she was dressed accordingly, and her appearance was pretty lackluster. Simple minute details, like hair color and style, had a much greater impact than people realized.

Which aptly explained why she could be so close to Mugino's group and maintain her anonymity.

She had gone so far as to stand directly behind them at the booth parallel to the one they stopped at.

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself, Mugino-chan; do you not like festivals?"

The chatter between Frenda and Kinuhata came to a halt once their leader's name was heard being spoken. Courtesy of the little girl, whose concern had finally driven her to speak up.

"It's not a particularly thrilling experience for me, to be honest." Her barely subdued contempt further showcased her honesty in how 'thrilled' she was at this moment in time. "Most of the games are rigged, the prizes are inexpensive or just shit, the food is overpriced, and fireworks are barely a highlight. If you've seen one fireworks show, you've seen them all. Which is why I don't get why we need to cater to the fucking brat with all this."

At least she did not say the food was bad. Overpriced, yes, but she did not flat-out say that it was bad. Takitsubo would have otherwise been a little upset at hearing this. Not that anyone of ITEM was blaming the Meltdowner for this jaded viewpoint. They lived and thrived in a very cynical side of Academy City. All the simple pleasantries life could offer them were provided at the cost of their own individual innocence. That was the price they paid for stepping into the dark. As such, events on such a small scale like this were hardly a footnote in their lives. It was not to say that they could not enjoy it; rather it was harder for them than it was for most.

"I don't recall needing to bring her here and you were not necessarily forced to come either." That same little girl, without missing a beat, responded to that remark with an oddly frivolous voice. "Besides, even if she has been in Japan for awhile, Index-san is still a foreigner. To the best of our knowledge, she hasn't been given an opportunity to experience our celebratory customs this freely before. So I don't look at it as us going out of our way to service her with entertainment. Instead, I'd like to think of her as an exchange student that's finally being given a proper chance to delve into Japanese culture."

It is worth noting that both of these ladies had their sights set on the backs of two particular people a short ways ahead of them. A quick peek over her shoulder allowed Takitsubo to see this. Kamijou and Index were patiently waiting–well, Kamijou was, Index was bouncing on her heels in anticipation–for the fried squid that was ordered. This left the two ladies in the median of the path, caught between the two separate rows of stalls. If a guess was needed to be ventured here, then the stalker had could assume these two had some relative privacy to speak without fear of being heard.

Unless someone was actively trying to listen in, of course.

"What sensei thinks is that Mugino-chan might be a little bit jealous."

The moxie on that little girl was almost jaw-dropping.

Then again, Takitsubo had already suspected something of that nature to be the case. Ordinarily, Mugino was not so easy to gauge unless she was provoked. From there it would become quite telling what her current state of emotions were. As of the past couple months, however, that became increasingly difficult due to it taking more to severely agitate her. Having said that, the notion of jealousy came to mind the instant she saw her reaction to Index earlier. For that matter, it had been present since the very moment she laid eyes on the two together in the presence of Kamijou. About the only people who did not see it were those not paying it much mind.

So the revelation of that being the cause of the Meltdowner's ire was not surprising in the slightest. What was off-putting to those listening was how the delivery of this information came so bluntly. That little girl had gone as far as make it sound as though she were teasing her about it. Hell that took Mugino herself by surprise; as proven by how her head whirled to the side to peer down at her. Whether or not that girl returned the stare was something Takitsubo could not personally confirm. She had turned away not long after her reaction came. Jerking away right as she turned would have been noticeable, hence why she had done so calmly so as to avoid that.

Although she doubted Mugino would have been paying attention to anyone else right now.

"Hot! It's too hot!"

Thankfully the situation was salvaged by Index's outcry and subsequent re-emergence into the group alongside Kamijou.

"Then don't eat it yet! It's not going anywhere, let it cool down first before you try and inhale it like a starving child." Chided the teen as the two approached. Another quick peek revealed that they were holding a total of four or five skewers in their hands. Kamijou, for his part, was holding three, one of which he had brought up to his nose. "I have to admit, they do smell good. It's been awhile since I've had one of these at a festival."

Index, on the other hand, was puffing her cheeks as she stared at the two she was holding. As if her pouting face and pensive stare would deter the heat and cool the skewered squid faster. Cute, but Takitsubo would not be surprised if the nun were to risk a another attempt. After all, she did look extremely tempted to burn her tongue a second time just to consume the tasty soy-sauce coated morsel.

"That was fast," Speaking of fast, the rate in which the little girl's tone went from teasing to mild surprise was top notch. "Weren't they still being cooked as we were coming up?"

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are with how lucky we were." Began Kamijou, as he moved to hand one over for her to take, which she did. "That vender was about to pull these off the grill right when we got there. Not only did that save us some time, but they're also freshly cooked. I'd say it played out really well. Nothing's worse than cooked Ikayaki that's been sitting out for who knows how long."

There was a pause once he had finished explaining as he held out the other one for Shizuri.

"...thanks..."

That did not sound disingenuous at all.

"...aaare you not a fan of Ikayaki, Shizuri?"

"I don't mind, not a huge fan, but I won't say no if it's being offered to me." Mugino's neutral response was provided after she had plucked the skewer offered to her and had taken to inspecting it. "What I do mind is that it's doused in fucking soy-sauce. All it takes is one bite and your face ends up looking a mess. Especially when you don't have any napkins; which, by the way Kamijou, really? Do I need to remind you that these yukata are rentals?"

"Ah, crap...I knew I forgot to grab something."

"Right, good, go grab some extras, especially with that–hey! Don't fucking eat it like that you failure of a nun! Are you trying to make a god-damn mess!?"

"Uwaaah! Touma, help, she's making that face at me! That Scary Faced floozy is going to do that claw thing to me again!"

Fortunately, no repeated sounds of violence occurred. Although events did still ensue, such as some startled outcries as well as more coarse language. Sadly Takitsubo did not turn back to watch it all as it unfolded and instead took this opportunity to slip away. Casually mirroring a trio of other yukata-clad youths as they excused themselves from the scene with great haste. She did make out a distinctly loud 'GAH!' coming from a male source; which she presumed to be Kamijou. Curiosity over this uproar, however, had no sway on the AIM Stalker's mind by this point.

She was far too busy pondering over one of the trio's headband and the flowers that were on it.

Were those real?

Hard to tell.

It took about five or so minutes for Takitsubo to see the group once again.

Nobody was sporting any bruises or burns; which was a good thing to take note of. In fact, had she not seen it, Takitsubo would not have known anything had happened. Assuming she feigned ignorance about the cause behind the large stain on the front of Kamijou's shirt. Regardless, with their dispute out of the way, it appeared as though the group had finally starting to settle into the festive mood. Chatting between themselves, stopping at stalls, and participating in the various games that were scattered about. Even the Meltdowner herself had succumb to the festivities; try as she might to exclude herself from them on several occasions.

Kamijou coaxed her a few times, while the little girl had to, once quite literally, push her with some of the others.

Surprisingly enough, it was Index who had succeeded the most in goading her into playing most of them. Playing off of Mugino's pride was the key to getting her to act on her own volition. That sort of awareness gave rise to the idea that the nun was not all as she appeared. The fact that she understood the Level 5's flaw and exploited it to gain results was quite informative to those observing. What it told them was that Index, despite how she seemed, was far more observant than the stalkers had given her credit for. Not to say that the others had failed outright, rather it showed that the girl was a bit less naive than she let on.

Quite the surprise if this Takitsubo were to be honest with herself.

Then again, it was possible that she was looking much deeper into it than she should.

Although this method did eventually backfire on the nun. Specifically when they came up to a booth that was selling some masks. Index, unable to restrain herself, made a comment about how the Meltdowner should get one. While Kamijou and the little girl started coaxing her into it, Index had gone ahead and made a suggestion for her. Her choice consisted of a cartoonish-looking Hannya mask which, she claimed, would be an improvement for her actual face. Needless to say, prying the #4's hand off a then screaming nun's scalp quickly became the top priority for them. Somehow they managed to break it up before Judgment was called over to resolve it.

Index had since made sure to keep herself well out of Mugino's reach; glaring at her with watery eyes as they went.

That did not stop them from steadily moving further and further down the boardwalk though. The fireworks were likely to start popping off in roughly half an hour or so. They had time left to indulge themselves before the main event of the evening arrived. Currently, three-fourths of the party were occupying themselves at another gaming venue; a Ningyo Sukui one this time. Two of them were not really playing, more like giving support to the third who was. The fourth member opted to not get involved; using the guise of getting a refreshment as her excuse. Takitsubo was thankful that she did not have to move far to keep tabs on her.

However...there was a slight issue that came about from this decision.

That issue being, as she was heading back, she encountered someone.

"Geh."

A short haired someone, dolled up in an orange yukata, who undoubtedly recognized her and was not pleased by it.

"...oh, wonderful, it's you again."

Someone who Mugino also seemed to have recognized and expressed her mutual felt displeasure of stumbling across them.

"J-j-jeg må gjemme meg."

Frenda, speaking dread-filled murmurings in her native tongue over the com-link, did not alleviate any concerns. If anything they reinforced the notion that things were about to turn sour. It should be noted that the two ladies were less than fifteen feet from where Takitsubo was currently observing. Not quite in the middle of the path yet also not entirely close to the booths on the corresponding side they were on. To elaborate further, they were each facing down the path, one facing the path she and Mugino's group had come from and the other facing where they intended to go.

All that being said, traffic was not being hindered at all, people were passing them by without a hint of concern.

Frenda's foreign remark made this Takitsubo suspect that, maybe, these people should start showing come concern.

"What's wrong with you Frenda?" Kinuhata unknowingly voiced Takitsubo's unease as well as her own. "Is that girl someone we need to be worrying about?"

"T-th-that's Tokiwadai's Ace, the #3 Level 5, the Railgun Misaka Mikoto."

Now that was knowledge that put even Takitsubo on edge. It was a reasonable question to ask and one that Takitsubo wished to know as well. Two Level 5's clashing against one another was a scenario that not many people wanted to witness firsthand. Sure, some may believe that it would be a spectacle to watch. To some degree, yes, it would be a sight to behold. Yet that would only last up until the spectators became collateral damage. From there, it devolved from being a show and more like a struggle to survive and escape the immediate area. Like sitting in a car during a hurricane; exhilarating at first but gradually becomes more terrifying the longer you're in it.

"B-basically, this isn't going to end well." Sputtered out Frenda, her voice becoming lower and lower in volume as she talked. "I can't let her see me, otherwise she'll make me spill every bit the information I have."

"What in the super hell did you do!?"

Sadly, Kinuhata was not able to grill the blonde for information before the fellow Level 5 spoke up again.

"What are you doing here, hag?"

Mikoto both looked and sounded repulsed at the very notion of speaking to the #4, much less be in close proximity to her.

"What the hell do you think, piss-ant?" Though her face did not show it, the feeling was reciprocated to some degree or another. "I'm enjoying a summer evening, that's what."

"Then shouldn't you be out doing something more your speed?" Repulsion contorted into contempt as she took to scanning the area around them. Though, what the girl was looking for was a mystery that this Takitsubo could not deduce. "I pictured you being the type to avoid going to events that were so far beneath you. You certainly don't look the type person to be merrily playing Wanage."

Actually, as it so happens, yes she had indeed been playing ring-toss a short time ago.

Not necessarily in a gaily manner–in actuality it was more or less in a competitive fashion–but it counted all the same.

"Oh? Are you trying to say I'm not allowed to be here, brat?" Mikoto's remark was met with an equal amount of disdain from Mugino. Unlike with the other Level 5, her voice had a more amused tinge laced within it. "Of course, I'm not surprised to find you here of all places; it's definitely up your alley. I'm more surprised that your ivory garden doesn't have something going on in there tonight. Guess even sheltered little cunts like you need to get out every so often."

"And I figured you'd be out with that idiot instead of being here by yourself." Countered back Mikoto, now visibly flustered at the Meltdowner, yet somehow barely maintaining the appearance of being unperturbed. "Where is he anyway? Did he get sick of you or something? Are you here to fill up on comfort food after a fight or something?"

"I told you last time that I don't like people, or brats, prying into my fucking business." In an instant, all amusement left her visage as it grew threatening while her tone became more clipped. "That marks the second time that you've tried. Do it a third time and, I shit you not, there'll only be six Level 5's in this city instead of seven."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Consider it a promise."

Alright, now things were starting to get worrisome.

"Then bring it on, old hag."

"Gladly, nosey little brat."

Confident and ecstatic, two traits that summed up the Railgun's emotions best; the small toothy grin serving as proof of this. Further emphasized by her fist slamming into her open palm as she gazed across at the taller female. Mugino, more or less, shared the same degree of self-assurance and fervor as Mikoto. Her arms crossing beneath her bust as a small ,pleased yet sinister, smile surfaced on her own lips. Nobody paying them mind could miss the sparks of aggression that clashed between these two as they each held their respected gazes. Metaphorically speaking, of course, since neither of these girls were actively using their abilities.

Otherwise there was a high likelihood that something would have short-circuited by now. Such an outcome was to be expected when the #3 and #4 Level 5 Espers were occupying the same space at the same time. Fortunately, before any large-scale damage could be dealt, a third party had stepped into the picture. As in, quite literally, casually strolled up to the ladies about ready to fight at a moments notice.

"...oi, Shizuri, Biri-Biri, what you two doing..."

Kamijou's incurious tone of voice belied the question he had posed. Judging by how quickly both girls showed signs of being startled was clue enough that they did not take note of his approach either. As such, Takitsubo could guess that he likely was not looking to receive an immediate or adequate answer. The whole point of this question was purely for the sake of shock-value; to break the two out of their intense staring contest. Given what this Takitsubo had seen a second ago, it appeared to have been effective.

"W-wha-when did you get here!?" Having whirled around, the Tokiwadai student voice shifted from confident and calm to alarmed in an instant. Red-faced and annoyed, she soon thereafter pointed accusingly at the spiky-haired face; who did not so much as blink. "A-and didn't anyone ever teach you not to sneak up on people, you idiot!"

"I didn't sneak, I walked up to you both and asked a question." The lethargic drawl in his voice further influenced how utterly unfazed by the Railgun's accusation. "If you were paying attention, at least one of you would have noticed me coming."

"We were just chatting, Kamijou, calm down." Mugino's impartial response was met with a cynical look from Kamijou; which the #4 did not take well. "Oi, don't give me that look. I don't pick fights in public places...well, not too often anyway. Besides, it wasn't even me who tried to instigate a brawl out of the blue."

"This time."

"You say something, shitty brat?"

"Yeah, go get your hearing checked, damn ha–"

"Okay! That's enough of that!" Like a referee in a boxing match, the spiky haired lad stepped in-between the two ladies. Less more insults get thrown out and disaster ends up ruining everyone's evening. "Let's cool our heads and calm down; we don't need to be starting any trouble. We're all here to have fun and enjoy ourselves, right? That extends to everyone else as well. Let's not ruin it for everyone else just because you two can't get along."

Usually dull eyes watched light-heartedly as both ladies shifted from Kamijou to their aggressor. A cycle that repeated itself a few times before eventually ending with both backing off. Mikoto huffing with her arms crossed whereas Mugino sucked her teeth as a finger toyed with a loose strand of hair. For his part, Kamijou looked exasperated, but at the same time mildly satisfied with the situation resolved. Takitsubo actually had to commend him for stepping up to them the way he did. Mugino may be...different than she was in the past, but there were still periods where she became fairly unpredictable.

"So...with that out of the way, are you by yourself Biri-Biri?"

"...huh?"

"What?" His inquiry was genuine, that much was fairly obvious by this point. "You didn't come all this way to watch fireworks on your own, did you?

"N-no, I'm–"

"Onee-sama~!"

Three sets of eyes–six counting the stalkers–looked over to see another girl with twin-tails roughly nine yards away. She was shorter in stature compared to Mikoto and wore a yukata that was a lighter shade of purple than Shizuri's own. Given the direction, Mikoto was the one who had to turn her full profile around to see. Thus making her expression go unseen by those who were nearest her. All those near except for Takitsubo, who could easily make out the face she currently wore. It was not dread per se, frustration was positively the apt term to use here. Apparently 'onee-sama' was referring to her and the honorific had evoked some degree of irritation.

"She needs to stop calling me that in public."

"Eh?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all! I gotta go!"

Just like that, as abruptly as she came, the Railgun had shuffled off as quickly as she could towards the girl calling out for her. Leaving Kamijou and Mugino behind to watch as she departed. Between the two of them, the latter appeared to be content with parting ways. As for the former, he was busy scratching at the back of his scalp, watching in bewilderment as Mikoto caught up with her friend. A few quick seconds passed and Kamijou, in his confusion, glanced over at Shizuri who still showed signs of satisfaction.

"What was that all about?"

Shizuri, of all the things she could have said, chose silence...for moment or two.

"Don't know, don't care," This straightforward reply was accompanied by a shrug of her shoulders. "I say good riddance. Dealing with one brat is enough of a hassle. Anymore than that and I'll end up getting a damn migraine."

"Be nice, Shizuri."

Mugino merely waved her hand dismissively, hooking her arm around his as they turned back towards the direction of the others. Takitsubo, having remained unnoticed by all parties, made the conscious choice to stay back for a moment. Developments like these tended to take time to absorb. At least it seemed that way; the communication link was dead quiet minus the background chatter that was somewhat bleeding into her ear-piece.

"Frenda," Ultimately it was broken by Kinuhata's jarringly calm voice coming through the ear-piece. "About that super 'she'll make me spill all of the info I have' bit you mentioned earlier..."

Again, there was silence; a tense silence that lasted a fair bit longer than the first.

"Teehee~"

One could almost feel the animosity emanating through the ear-piece thereafter.

For the time being, observation of the Meltdowner was being put on hold.

Ten minutes.

For ten whole minutes, Frenda was grilled by Saiai for every single detail that she was withholding from them.

Takitsubo would readily admit that was not as concerned about it as Kinuhata was. The Dark May Survivor made her displeasure at the blonde's carelessness quite clear. Of course the AIM Stalker was inclined to point out that she did not have much room to talk; for she too had been equally careless. What separated the two ladies was that had one left the encounter more fortunate than the other. However, one should remember that she was the Queen of Don't-Give-A-Damn for a reason. Thus explaining why she did not point this out. Besides, often times it was better to wait and play a good card at a point where it would be the most effective.

Plus, it would mean the Seivelun would owe a small debt of gratitude later down the line.

...probably...

By the nine minute mark, Saiai and Frenda's robust discussion had begun to wrap up.

By the eleventh minute, both girls were ready to get back into doing what they had originally come here for. Although, personally, Takitsubo did not know what they were even doing or hoping to gain at this point. Not much had changed, no new developments had arisen. So what was the point? What was there to gain from watching them play games, eat food, and generally have a good time? As far as she was concerned all of them should be right there with them, in the open, enjoying themselves. Once again, Takitsubo could not help but ask what was the point of all this?

Was there ever a point to doing any of this in the first place?

She would like to think that these were reasonable questions.

If nothing else she did get to enjoy the main event the same way everyone else had. Much like those around them, the group she was shadowing had taken in the spectacle for what it was. The loud boom of the rockets bursting into vibrant colors left onlookers in various states of awe. Some cases of wonder being less genuine than others. Especially in the case of Mugino, who looked downright bored with the entire show. Although ITEM's resident tracker did note her trying to use this moment to get closer to him. She would have succeeded too had the nun, in a state of childlike glee, not started tugging at his arm and forced him closer towards her instead.

Try as she might to subdue her agitation, it was plain to see that Mugino looked...well, to put it bluntly, flat-out pissed.

As far as the Stalking Trio could tell, this was not a brief spell of contempt either. Much like the first time they had noticed this behavior when they had arrived at the festival. This time, however, it festered for a much longer period of time. It festered both during and after the fireworks. Festered as the festivities began to die down and festered more once the group had decided it was time to leave. Even when they were treading down a faintly illuminated cobblestone road, Mugino's irritation did not quell. Bear in mind that this was after roughly ten or so minutes of walking at leisurely set pace.

No one was in a particular rush and yet Mugino was still pissed. There was no clearer sign of jealousy than that. Then again, if a reason needed to be given, it was likely because of what the nun was doing. What was she doing? To put it frankly, yet again, she was occupying what Frenda astutely dubbed 'Mugino's spot'. In other words, putting herself as close to his side as possible while tugging at his hand.

All the while delightedly expressing every single thought that entered her to mind.

"Touma, Touma, you felt it too didn't you? That feeling in your stomach whenever those fireworks popped with that loud bang! You felt that too same feeling too, right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess that's one way of putting it."

Kamijou was the unfortunate soul stuck between these two ladies. On one side was Mugino while on the other was Index. Unlike the latter, the Meltdowner was not able to hold the boy's attention long enough compared to the nun. As a result she opted to keep her arms crossed and feign indifference. A performance that failed due to the sour expression that simply would not leave her face. That was not a guess by the Stalkers either, they actually saw a glimpses of it at various points and noted no change whatsoever.

"Sensei needs to remind you that this was a small-scale event." Commented Komoe from the nun's left, using a tone that best suited her merriment and earning the attention of the girl as a result. "If Index-san thinks that tonight's display was impressive, just wait. The Daihaseisai event is around the end of next month. At six-thirty pm the whole city lights up so brightly that it overpowers the lights from the stars in the night sky."

It was hard to wrap their heads around the fact that someone who looked and sounded so young was a teacher. A fact that came with the discovery of her name; both of which were uncovered during the latter half of the evening. Putting that detail aside, Index for her part was practically glowing with anticipation. So it seemed anyway, because she suddenly became increasingly bouncy from her place beside the spiky-haired Kamijou.

"Touma, we can go to that as well, can't we?"

Her voice was filled with hope, her excitement overshadowing the dreadful undertones of concern at being told otherwise.

"Daihaseisai is a city-wide event, damn brat." Scathing as her tone came off as, Mugino's words could actually be interpreted in a positive fashion if one were to squint. "Unless your ass gets deported out of the city, then you'll get to go. Just don't expect the same sorta things you saw tonight. At best, you'll probably be sitting in bleachers while Kamijou here does all the participating."

She did actually turn to address them and had emphasized the last part by driving her finger into the side of the said boy's skull. Said boy's shoulders had apparently sunk at the mention of this. His head had given no resistance as it tilted over to the side from her actions. As for the nun, judging from what they could interpret at this distance, she looked perplexed by this news. Having gone from looking at Touma, to Mugino, to Komoe, and repeating the cycle a good couple times.

"Prepare to witness my misfortune at its greatest." Thank whatever divine being exists that the area was barely occupied. Otherwise the stalkers would have missed these grumbled remarks from Kamijou. "Worse yet it'll happen on live TV for the whole world to see. My parents, my relatives, everyone will see me at my worst...oh damn I'm already dreading it."

"...huh?"

"Um, s-sensei will explain more about it later Index-san."

Would she be explaining Daihaseisai or the infamous misfortune that Kamijou kept going on about? This had not been the first time they had heard him mention it after all. So if it was the second option then they would be more than happy to listen in for some much needed context. Having some understanding would certainly help explain why he was so concerned about it. As far as they knew, at this moment, it was a just running gag between him and the Meltdowner. Such was the assumption anyway and until it is confirmed otherwise such was how it would remain to be viewed.

Speaking of views, with their departure came the Stalking Trio reassembling to continue tailing the group as one unit. Meaning there was no need for Takitsubo to appease the girls by taking part in it any further. She had done more this evening than the established amount of damns usually allowed her to. No surprise that, when they began tailing them, she had put her focus on her phone. For the sake of the other's paranoia, she had the presence of mind to keep it on vibrate only. But this action from her cemented the fact to the others that she was officially done for tonight.

Her solitary reason for not skipping out entirely was based purely for Frenda's sake.

Otherwise she was positive Kinuhata would strangle her on the way home.

...almost positive...

...probably...

"Since it's so late and all, Mugino-chan, should sensei give you a ride home?"

"Thanks, but I'll be fine; I just gotta get out of these damn clothes."

"Ah, that reminds me, you picked some really good ones Shizuri." The compliment, courtesy of her lover, was met with a light scoff. "I mean it, you all look great. I damn well couldn't have afforded any of it. Plus this is the first time I've seen you go all out in making yourself look...well, this amazing for such a small event."

"It's not even a drop in the bucket for me, Kamijou; you should know that by now."

"I think what Kamijou-chan finds more important is that you helped in getting us into the festive mood." Whether or not this was true was irrelevant; she was satisfied and showed it by shooting the girl a glance and a smile over her shoulder. "Sensei hasn't been in a yukata like this in a long time. It might not matter much to you, but we are grateful for your generosity. Just like how sensei's grateful for being invited to join you three tonight."

"I already told you: it's the least we could do after everything that had happened." Retorted the boy, whose statement was accompanied by the eager nodding of a certain nun by his side. "You came through for us when you really didn't have to. I couldn't and still can't thank you enough for taking care of me when I was unconscious those three days."

"What sort of sensei would I be if I didn't help a student who needed help?" It was a rhetorical question, but she nevertheless looked and sounded giddy about receiving the praise. "Still, you're most certainly welcome Kamijou-chan. Just promise me that, next time, it doesn't end with my roof being blown off."

Count two girls flinching by a slight margin at the mere mention of this. On top of that, both of these girls shared a similar discomfort over this topic. This had either gone unnoticed by Kamijou or he had seen it and elected to ignore it. Whichever the case may be, the Stalking Trio noticed it and like that a puzzle piece fell right into their lap. Now they understood why Mugino had been absent for so long. Now it made sense why she had been going on jobs by herself. Their patience had finally given them palpable proof that Kamijou was the underlying reason behind it. They had their assumptions yet they lacked the hows and whys; now they had both.

Someone had painted a target on Kamijou's back.

Mugino, in retaliation, had been out hunting those responsible.

It further expanded Frenda and Kinuhata's viewpoint in regards to her relationship. The lengths to which she was willing to go solely for his sake. Being obsessive was not a trait any of them were ignorant about. They knew what it meant when someone truly, indisputably, and severely pissed off the Meltdowner. It meant that said person was either dead or on the fast track to becoming that way. Someone using her lover as leverage or as a method to show control over her would not end well for said someone. ITEM had heavy backers and, if she wanted to, she could get all the information she would ever need to find and kill that person.

In the wake of this explanation came the rise of a new query.

Who had found out about her relationship and yet was stupid enough to try and exploit it?

Such was the million yen question in play. A question which the two ladies were silently mulling over in their minds as the group ahead of them continued their journey home. Takitsubo was remaining impartial to it all because, frankly, she was called in to help the #4 around that time. A minor detail which she had never confessed to. In her own defense, neither Frenda nor Kinuhata had actually asked her for those details. This was what differentiated her case from the Seivelun; who deliberately chose to reveal only half of the facts. She would not deny her involvement if pressed but she was not going out of her way to bring the subject up.

Putting that aside, the journey to their destination had run its course. Eventually the trail would end with the group standing at the front of a bland-looking apartment complex. Something to note about this area was that it was considerably dark. The elevation from the light should have illuminated more than it actually did. That said, getting to the stone wall near the edge of the complex was not hard to do. At least it would not be difficult under normal circumstances. Sneaking around out the open wearing a yukata was no easy feat. Especially when it involved a limited window of opportunity where timing is most important.

Only by grace and good fortune did the stalkers manage to make it there unnoticed. A contributing factor to that success had unknowingly come from Kamijou himself. For he had abruptly ceased his movements on the last step on the cement stairs. A peculiar action that did not fail in gartering the attention of those around him.

"Hey, Index, can you go on ahead with sensei to get changed?" He sounded unsure, guilty almost, with his sudden request; scratching at the nape of his neck as he spoke. "I have some things I'd like to talk about with Mugino for a bit. It shouldn't take too long; five-to-ten minutes at the most."

Inquisition shifted to trepidation within a few people's expressions; most dominantly in that of Index herself. Based on what little they could see, she did not seem necessarily thrilled with the notion at all. In fact, based on her shuffling movements and what little of her face they could make out, she was all but vocally against it. A fact that was almost rectified as her mouth opened to argue against it. Before that could happen, however, Kamijou's hand lightly came to rest itself on the top of her head. She flinched at first, but relaxed once she realized that there was no pressure being applied this time.

"Please?"

A plea that genuine, combined with that innocent form of action, might as well be counted as foul play.

With cheeks puffing and her brow furrowed, Index cast her glaring eyes at Mugino. At any other opportunity, the Level 5 probably would have sneered at her or otherwise offer a rude hand-gesture out of spite. She did none of these things though, too busy looking at her lover with equal amounts of confusion as the rest had. No doubt seeing this, without words and her head still under the boy's palm, the nun begrudgingly gave her response with a nod. A lighthearted laugh and a light pat was what prompted the nun to go. She did shoot the girl one last glare before following Komoe up the steps and to the far end of the complex.

Leaving Kamijou and Mugino alone to be cast in the glow of a dull light bulb of the lamppost nearby.

"Is there a reason for this?"

It was the Meltdowner who broke the ice upon hearing the resounding click of a formerly-squeaky door being closed.

"Does there need to be?" Counted Kamijou with a grunt as sat down on the top of the solid stone steps. "Don't worry, it's not something important...actually it is; but not in the way you're probably thinking. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy a bit of time with you. To me it feels like we haven't really been able to do much of that lately."

The brief pause and rapidly blinking eyes told the stalkers that Mugino had been slightly taken aback by this.

"Well that's...forward of you." Even so, she rebounded quickly enough to sit down next to him on the top step soon after. "Usually I'm the one who's being blunt. Can't say I'm not happy about that though. I guess being cooped up with that nun fulltime is starting to get to you."

"She's not that bad." His denial lasted less than a quarter of a second before he was subjected to the #4's deadpan stare. "What? Index really isn't that bad. My only real complaint is that she eats practically everything. Most of the time, though, she's absorbed in some mahō shōjo show."

"So, what, she's basically a freeloader?"

"...that's accurate but you make it sound so pessimistic." An elbow jab to the ribs would have been his reward for that remark had he not blocked it. "Seriously, isn't there a better or nicer way of saying that? I imagine calling her a freeloader would be too degrading. Plus I don't want to make her feel like she's a bother."

"Does she cook, clean, or do anything remotely productive?" All watched as Kamijou opened his mouth to refute, close it after as his brow furrowed in thought, and eventually become downcast. "Then there go, it's settled, she's a freeloader. If she doesn't like being called that, she'll have to contribute around your place."

From their place behind the average-height stone wall, a fluffy blonde girl nodded her head in agreement. Mugino had said worse things to people for less than reasonable things in the past. By this Seivelun's standards, which was unknowingly mirrored by Kinuhata, Mugino's logic was defensible.

"I'm not gonna call her that."

"Fine, that won't stop me from doing it."

"You can be a real bully sometimes, you know that right?"

"Can you blame me?" Asked the Level 5, shifting her body slightly in some way to better draw his attention. "I won't sit here, lie and say that I like the brat. Truth is I don't, I don't like that she's basically been dropped into our lives. You wanted to help her and that's exactly what you did. Wasn't that enough? Now, all of a sudden, you're her new acting caretaker. Did they even ask if that would be inconvenient for you? No, they didn't, they left her here and passed her off to you like some fucking stray animal. Couldn't those bible-thumping magicians have taken her to fuck-off nowhere along with them or something?"

"Shizuri, we've had a good night, can we avoid having an argument about this?"

"I'm not-!" She cut herself off once she realized her voice had gone up a few decimals higher than intended. Schooling features and with a calming breath, she tried again. "I'm not arguing about it, Touma; I'm venting. You got your ass kicked into a coma because of someone you barely even know. And right when you wake up you do some other reckless shit that ends with you being put into the hospital. In return, the red-headed fucker and his bitch gave you nothing back. I don't like it, I don't like seeing you coming out that badly with nothing to show for it."

Her temper had started to flare up again near the end. Clearly having more to say, she took a moment to cool her temper down while Kamijou patiently waited. They could see that he wanted to interject at certain points, yet was refraining for the sake of letting her get what she had to say off her chest. Finally, after one particularly drawn-out exhale, she leveled the boy beside her with a...somewhat weary gaze.

"But, I get it, saving that brat was something you chose to do. You made that choice and stuck with it knowing you'd probably get nothing out of it aside from satisfaction of doing the right thing. I don't have to like or agree with it, but I get it; because that's who you are. That White Knight Syndrome you've got isn't an act, it's an integral part of what makes you, you. I can say shit about it all day and all night, but no amount of bitching from me is going to make you change."

The more Mugino had spoken her thoughts aloud, the lower her voice began to be. It was somber, not laced with sadness, just...quiet and more wry. As if she were acknowledging something that she did not want to concede to. No doubt Kamijou had noticed this as well. He should have considering he was literally sitting right next to her. A quick peek told them that, yes, he did. It showed in his now disheartened face as well as he looked on at the girl beside him. Bringing his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to his side. Mugino had, at some point, looked away from him and continued to do so after being pulled closer to him. She did, however, cup her hand over the one resting on her left shoulder.

"And that bothers you, I know, I can see that now." His deflated admittance was met with silence, a silence that did not hinder him in speaking further. "When you reacted the way you did when I first woke up made that pretty clear to me. And you can go ahead and say 'I told you so', because you really did. I couldn't have saved Index on my own. I was scolded twice for thinking that I could. I should've listened and, in the end, I did save her; while I ended up being saved by you. If you hadn't been there then who knows what would've happened to me. For all we know, I could've ended up dead or worse."

If any of the girls had a notepad, they would have been furiously scribbling this stuff down.

Sadly they did not, so the best they could do was log them inside their memory-banks for future reference.

"I'm grateful for that, Shizuri; I mean it." Mugino was still not looking at him; not directly anyway. Her head had partially turned back in his direction, implying that she was indeed listening to him. "I know you were only doing it for my sake. I know you didn't really want any part of it to begin with. But at the end of the day, you gave me a push when I needed it most. You still supported me despite knowing how I am and the baggage that comes with me. I can't promise that I won't get into fights or end up getting hurt to help others. I can promise that, as long as you're willing to put up with me, I'll do my best to not keep you waiting for too long...which reminds me."

Without further warning, Kamijou removed his arm around his girlfriend and proceeded off the stone steps. Shizuri, along with the Stalking Trio, watched him as he took a few paces ahead with raised brows and puzzled frowns. Once there, he turned around to face the young woman before calmly settling down to knees on the road. To everyone's growing shock, Kamijou bent his until his forehead, his spiky hair, and his palms were all flush with the dirty road. No one among those watching could mistake what was taking place here. Kamijou was committing to a full-on dogeza out in the open street.

"I, Kamijou Touma, apologize for all the stress and worry I have put you through, Shizuri."

...shocking...

No, really, this new development was shocking.

"Kamijou," Called Mugino, her voice flat and steady as if in disbelief at what was happening literally right in front of her. "...what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I said I would," He answered her without once looking up. "Prostrating myself for the sake of earning your forgiveness."

"I can see that...but, why?"

"Komoe-sensei told me a lot of things; not everything, but enough. She told me that you came back after our fight that night. She told me how hard those three days were on both you and Index." Once more, he said this without raising his head a fraction off the ground. "Awhile ago I said that I'd gladly prostrate myself if I ever made you feel like I had abandoned you. While I might not have done that specifically, I might as well have with the way I had pushed you away. I wanted to show you that I wasn't joking, that those weren't empty words, and I that I meant them. There just hasn't been a good time or opportunity to talk to you about it since then."

The stalkers could be forgiven for forgetting a statement that was made two months ago.

They could not be forgiven for intruding on this private and deeply personal affair.

Without question, this was a truly real and sincere apology. The sort of apology that draws one's humility to the forefront. It was not something someone would do for a minor offense. By his own admission, he strongly felt as though he had wronged her. Whether or not Mugino shared in that sentiment was not important. It was unimportant because it was him who felt it necessary to take it to such an extreme. To bring himself this low, sacrificing all pretenses of dignity and pride, for the sake of receiving a pardon. Any other person would be remiss to try such a thing to someone of Mugino's caliber. Putting oneself at her mercy was generally ill-advised.

Kamijou, however, was not any other person. He was her lover and his presence alone had subverted several of their presumptions in the past. Even so, this felt far too personal to be intruding on and it was taking them way out of their respective comfort zones. Stalkers they may be, the Dark-side they may reside in, they had enough humanity in them to feel things like pity, shame, or disappointment. And though some of those feelings were present, the most dominant emotion in play remained to be concern. Reason being the rise of Mugino's body as she stood up and stepped off the stone steps.

Subsequently, only a few paces were needed to approach boy who was still kneeling on the road.

Her expression could best be described as unreadable.

"...get the hell off the ground, you jackass!"

In a display of unprecedented strength, Mugino had taken a fist-full of Kamijou's shirt collar. With a forceful tug she succeeded in pulling said boy out of his dogeza pose. With his head now at waist height, his face exposed the nervous sweat that her choice of action had influenced. All parties, both involved and uninvolved, who were expecting a punch or a slap were not entirely mistaken. Yes, she did indeed strike at the top of his head with a downward fist; eliciting a yelp of pain afterwards. Promptly following this, however, was the sight of the #4 kneeling down until she was at eye-level with the boy on his knees on the road.

"I don't want ever see you degrade yourself like that again, asshole." Although there were aggressive undertones in her voice, it was not substantial enough to spill over into her overall calm demeanor. "Don't apologize for being who you are; not to me, not to that shitty nun, not to anyone. You want to be a White Knight, then go be one. If you want to save someone, save them. Stick to the damn script you wrote yourself and don't let anyone try to take that from you. Do you understand me, Kamijou? That's who you are, it's what you do, and, in case you forgot, it's what made us be what we are today."

In the heat of this moment, Mugino had reached down and took a firm grasp of his right hand.

Not to hold it, to instead raise it between the two of them, like a microphone, for both to see.

"You had the balls to call bullshit on my beliefs and ended up proving me wrong. When I was at my worst it was you who got through to me. So I won't sit here and tolerate you apologizing to me about being who you are. If you wanna play the role of hero, then do it. Just expect me to be right there with you every step of the way. Because I'm not the type of woman to see you off with a reassuring push on the back. I'm the woman who's clutching that shitty hand of yours as we go to kick whoever's ass we need to. If you can accept that, if you let me help you, then I'll put up with you. I'll help you be the hero that you, me, and that damn nun all know you to be."

In those crappy TV dramas, this would be the part where Mugino uses this opportunity to embrace or kiss him. Instead, her head gently came forward until her brow was nearly resting on his own. Her hand had let go of his and had joined the other that came to rest on either side of his cranium. Good thing her hair was not down, otherwise they would have believed they were sharing a kiss right about now. This outcome had lead to both Frenda and Saiai feeling immensely satisfied with themselves for guessing this outcome.

They had gathered enough knowledge to know that the #4 would not follow the formula of some cheesy shōjo manga.

Who said they had learned nothing from their previous observations?

"You aren't alone anymore, I won't let you be alone anymore." Her reassurance was evenly matched with the ferocity in which she was delivering it. "Keep that in mind next time you decide to do some stupid shit. 'Cause I won't be taking 'no' for an answer a second time; got it."

It took a few minutes, longer than it should have, for Kamijou to regain his wits. The whole scenario must have had him stupefied because he sat there blankly for that brief period. However, once that passed, the girls could faintly make out the beginnings of an uneasy smile starting to form.

"I thought you said you weren't the forgiving type Shizuri."

"I'm not, a compromise doesn't technically count as forgiveness, and don't change the subject you smartass."

"Alright, alright, fair enough." Although his hands were raised in the universal sign of surrender, that previously awkward smile grew more relaxed. "I understand...and thanks Shizuri."

Mugino had not released him at this point in time yet, so she was still well within his physical bubble. With the matter being concluded, her arms seemingly became limp as she finally let go of his head while sighing in exasperation. With the gaze of a dead fish, she eyed him for a few moments longer as he shuffled on the ground to get out of his kneeling position. An act which was not easy when someone stationary is literally right up in your business.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that Kami–"

The Meltdowner's comment was abruptly cut off as she had moved to stand. In the span of a few seconds several things happened at once. Kamijou had tried to stand up much like Mugino was around the same time. What made this an issue was that the boy's foot had been on the sleeve of the #4's yukata. This caused her arm to be snagged, leading to her squatting posture to lose its balance, and thus fall forward. Factor in the amount of space separating the two, or lack thereof, and it is reasonable to imagine that collision was inevitable. End result was Kamijou falling back onto his butt and Mugino hugging at his waist.

Sure, by all accounts this it did not sound so bad; finer details were what made it bad though. For one thing, she did not 'bump' into him gently when she fell. There was a reason the term 'collision' was used. Momentum along with the element of surprise was a bastard. Their combined forces made for a brutal head-butt to the boy's abdomen; knocking the air right out of him. Secondly, too much movement in a yukata may cause the obi to loosen. With that much movement alongside the snagged sleeve had fulfilled the requirements needed for the unraveling to commence.

So, no shit, there they were lying in a street coated in the dull limelight of the lamppost.

Mugino, without missing a beat, had a sensible reaction to this.

"Dammit!"

Kamijou, who was trying to fill his lungs with oxygen, did not.

"S-such misfortu–oh!" At least they thought so until his eyes nearly popped out of skull. "S-Shizuri, it's open, it's open! Why am I seeing more skin than I should be right now!? Are you one of those hardcore traditionalist!?"

"Jackass, quit fucking yelling and help me!"

It only got worse from there.

"Touma!? Are you done talk..." The pitter-patter of shoes on metal came to a stop as Index neared the side-rails above everyone. "...Touma...what is the meaning of this?"

Frozen and now sweating, Kamijou's mouth opened to say something. It did not matter what he said as long as it diffused the situation. Mugino, who had to turn to look up at the girl, and thus expose her bare shoulder, no longer appeared mortified. The listless expression she currently wore lasted for a fraction of a second. Hidden within the shade of the lamp-light, the edge of her lips twitched upwards.

"I-Index, um, this–"

No warnings, no cues, just impulse; that was the basis of her pushing her body back closer towards Kamijou.

Not once did she break contact with the nun who had returned to being her robe-garbed self.

"This is exactly what it looks like, so do you fucking mind?"

Kamijou's horrified expression thereafter was marked as the highlight of the evening. With a clear distraction and the veil of darkness as their aid, the Stalking Trio took advantage of this moment. Slipping away from the scene was probably the most difficult thing for them to do. Not because it was hard, as stated, they had plenty of advantageous aspects that supplied them aid in that regard. What made it difficult for them was the fact that they could not see how all of this played out all the way through. Shame as that was, it was a price to be paid for the sake of their own relative safety.

At the very least they had something to listen to as they were making their escape.

The string of insult that came out of that nun's mouth were...appropriate for her status as a nun.

Welcome to the bottom!

So...been awhile, huh? No shit, I've seen better days and 2019 started off on a fantastic note. Got the flu, stuck at home sick for a week, and everything fell apart around that time. More personal stuff happened, I started writing at the start of Febuary, but I ended up scrapping the chapter and re-writing it. Then there's the fact that Takitsubo is the stalker of the night; which is new and something I needed to experiment with. Not fun, not as easy as it is with Frenda or Kinuhata. The last couple segments were the most time consuming of all though. There were several things I wanted to do but couldn't.

Thanks a lot pre-established anime settings; ruining my fun and junk.

Now that all my explainations are done, I'd like to say that the final scene is two-fold. First, a call-back to chapter 3 and further showcasing that, yes, Touma still has his memories. And second, I guess it's my own sorta apology to all you guys. I kept you waiting for a painstakingly long time. I shouldn't have taken me three months to produce this. It'll still probably take awhile to do another chapter, I can't really say for certain. I'll do the best I can to not take this long again, but I promise nothing.

Lastly, once more, shout out to FrodoFighter for tackling this chapter for me. Keep him in your thoughts, he really isn't a fan of my 15k word-count. Not that I blame him; I dread it just like he does when I have to do it.

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.