Alright... so I had actually intended to wait another day, but due to a personal thing... hey; it's up a day early!
Like before, i'd like you all to stay until the end; We got something to talk about.
That said... enjoy!
"Do you…still remember me?"
The question was asked.
The question that would decide fate.
The question where the answer was feared.
Today was the day that Kamijou Touma would lose all memory of Shokuhou Misaki. She asked the question, fearful of his response.
But it did not come. Touma kept his head down, staring at the grass where he sat. It gave the impression that he was intentionally avoiding eye contact, and that caused the pit in Misaki's stomach to grow.
Did he… did he forget? Can he not remember…? If so… does feel guilty because of that…?
Misaki leaned over, placing one hand on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder.
"My… prince?" She called out. Though she spoke softly; the words sounded pleading. Touma appeared to snap out of his daze and glance over at the girl next to him. He smiled softly before speaking.
"…That's right. You said three days, didn't you?" He asked.
"That's correct. If… things were going to return to normal, then…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement.
"Ah… I must have been really out of it. Sorry; what we were talking about brought up something I have been mulling over in my head for a while. You must have been worried sick." Touma rubbed his neck nervously.
He had been acting a tad strange all day. They were minor instances of apparent memory loss, such as him not remembering the swimsuit shop, but at least with how he spoke now, he seemed to be able still remember.
But the feeling inside the Mental Out's heart refused to fade.
Kamijou Touma remembered, although it was unknown if he still would remember for the days to come. Despite that however… he appeared more than a little distressed.
Something was very clearly wrong, and whatever it was flew around in his head freely enough to distract him from the scene around him.
"…It's fine." She spoke calmly, keeping her hand on the spiky haired teen's shoulder. "You're right; I was more than a little frightened… but if you remember, then its ok."
"I'm glad; I'd hate for the time we had today to be ruined just because I'm spacing out." Touma replied.
"…Kamijou-san?" Misaki called out, tightening her grip ever so slightly. "Is… everything alright? If being here is inconvenient, I understand… but…"
"I…" Touma trailed off. "…It's not you specifically… it's just… something I thought was over and done with in the past as shown its face again... and it's affecting me more than it should."
There was a short silence between the two. The summer cicadas and the noises from the festival below the hill softly filled the air during this time. Touma appeared conflicted; he had the distinct look of wanting to say something, but shook his head a few times when he tried to open his mouth.
He glanced over to the girl next to him. She sat quietly, waiting for the unlucky Kamijou to speak. A tinge of guilt washed over his face as he looked away again.
"…Shokuhou… how… different am I from when we first met?" Touma asked. Misaki blinked, not sure of how to respond at first.
"What do you mean?"
"I just… am I living up to your expectations?" Touma turned to face the honey blond girl again. Misaki was rendered silent for a short time, which made the unlucky Kamijou feel uneasy.
"…If that's what's worrying you, then you have nothing to fear. I am having the most fun that I have had in the longest time here with you… I mean that; the fact I am able to spend this special time with you alone is enough to satisfy me…" She spoke truthfully. Touma kept his eyes on her as she spoke, eventually looking forward again a short time after she finished.
"…I see, that's good-"
"But my intuition ability informs me that such a simple question is just touching upon the surface of what is troubling you." Misaki interrupted. Touma turned once more to face the girl, visibly caught off guard. "Please… you do not need to hide your troubles from me… you have helped me more than you know, so I would be more than happy to return the favor."
Touma's mouth parted slightly like he was about to speak, but it quickly closed as he looked toward the ground again. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"…July 28th, last year." He spoke simply. Misaki perked up a little upon hearing those words.
"Hmm?"
"That morning… I woke up in a hospital bed." Touma continued. "I was more than a little confused… I couldn't remember what I did the previous night that landed me in the hospital… I couldn't remember a lot of things actually… and as it turned out; there was a pretty good reason."
He paused for a moment. When it became clear that Misaki wasn't going to comment, he continued.
"…I was official diagnosed with memory destruction. They didn't know how, but for all intents and purposes, my long-term memory was completely annihilated; the brain cells devoted to it were completely destroyed. So everyone I knew… everything that I went through… everything that made up who I was… it's all gone… and because the brain cells related to those memories were destroyed rather than just damaged, my chances of regaining them are zero."
Touma's upper body shifted so that it was facing Misaki fully.
"…I'm sorry, but the Kamijou Touma you knew is dead. He died a year ago… I might share his name but… we're not the same person. I didn't want to say anything before because of… well; how happy you were… but it just felt appropriate to say it now… so…"
It was silent again. Touma sat, anticipating a reply.
Oddly, Misaki appeared to be taking the news rather well. She looked down for a moment before turning toward the festival down below.
"…I see." She spoke simply. Her tone seemed oddly indifferent to what she had herd. Despite that though, Touma felt sick; he knew he would have to tell her at some point if it became clear he was going to remember, but right now it was still up in the air.
In a strange way, he would have preferred to forget her. She would still be heart broken, but at least she'd be able to go on thinking she had a brief summer miracle with someone she cared about very deeply.
That notion however was destroyed entirely, and they still had no idea if Kamijou Touma would be able to remember Shokuhou Misaki the following morning.
The hope of her remembering the time they had fondly was destroyed. He destroyed it. He crushed it.
So he felt sick. Sick for doing such a horrible thing to a kind girl who simply wanted to enjoy the company of Kamijou Touma.
A Kamijou Touma that didn't exist anymore.
Touma turned back toward the festival at the bottom of the hill, his eyes filled with guilt as he stared at the ground.
"…That's ok, Kamijou-san."
Misaki's words caught Touma off guard and his head shot up.
"What…? How… is it ok!? I mean… I lead you on like this and-"
"Kamijou-san… you're going to think ill of me for this." Misaki interrupted. "I've… known about that… for a while now."
Touma's eye's widened in shock.
"You… knew?"
"Mhm." Misaki nodded. "I didn't find out right away mind you… but one of the times I caught wind of you being in the hospital… I got a little curious and used my ability to gain access to the patient records… yours, if it wasn't already obvious."
"…Ah, I see… I guess something like that would be fairly easy to find in my medical history…" Touma replied. He shifted a little where he sat. "…Despite knowing that… despite the Kamijou Touma you knew being gone… you still wanted to spend time with me…?"
"You give yourself far too little credit, Kamijou-san." Misaki smiled. "You're not all that different from how you were before. I mean, some changes were going to happen; that was unavoidable… but at your core… your still Kamijou Touma. Even if you are a little less perverted than before."
"…Wait, back up; what's this about me being perverted?" Touma asked dryly.
"Oh my… would you be willing to believe that you refused to acknowledge me as a proper lady, saying that I was too flat?" Misaki giggled lightly.
"…W-what kind of revelation is this!?" Touma shouted. "The old me thought YOU were flat!? What; did I refused to acknowledge breasts unless they took up an entire girl's torso or something!? No wonder Fukiyose has it out for me; I probably said something stupid and sealed my fate! Such misfortune!" Touma fell to his back and covered his eyes as Misaki giggled continuously, laughing at the unlucky Kamijou's reaction.
"Too be fair, I did look just a little bit different back then." Misaki smiled.
"Even so… that's just…" He trailed off, not sure of how to describe it. "…I'm tempted to ask more about myself, but now I'm scared of what kind of person I was…" Touma laid his arms to his sides. Not long after, Misaki rested on her back next to him.
"…But what you say isn't entirely wrong, Kamijou-san." Misaki spoke. "The old Kamijou Touma I spent that summer with… he is gone… and he won't be coming back."
Touma frowned as he looked up at the sky, guilt once more washing over him. Before it could last however, he felt a familiar warmth take ahold of his left hand.
"But… that's fine… the memories I have are still there, so he lives on. I carry on his memory… and you carry on his legacy." Misaki stated. "If it's like this, I think it's ok, don't you?"
"I… is that… really ok?" Touma asked. "Is it ok… for you?"
"It is… like this, I can feel satisfied…" Misaki replied. "…After all~"
Touma gasped when he suddenly felt a weight on top of him. He also felt two rather large and soft things now pressing into his chest.
"S-Shokuhou! B-be careful! Y-your chest really pushes against me when you do that! What are you-"
Touma was silenced when he felt a soft pair of lips press against his own. It was short, but the message was clear.
"…The old you might be gone, but I've fallen for the new you all the same~" Misaki spoke when she pulled back.
Touma flushed red; to say he was surprised was an understatement.
"I… I… I…!"
"Yes? Speak up; Shokuhou-chan can't hear you~" Misaki giggled.
"I… y-you…! I…!"
"Hmm? Did I break you? Not used to having cute girls kiss you, I see." She spoke again.
"W-why… d-did you do that…?" Touma spoke as if he was at a loss for words. The honey blonde girl pouted briefly, but that was quickly replaced by a smile.
"Do I really need to spell it out for you after that?" Misaki spoke. Touma was too shocked to notice, but a rather noticeable blush had spread across Misaki's face as well. "Kamijou-san… to me; whether you are the old or new you does not matter. As long as you act the way you do, talk the way you do… care for others like you do, then it's all the same for me."
Misaki pushed herself up just enough so she could clearly look into Touma's eyes.
"Kamijou Touma… my prince… I love you."
If there was a way for his eyes to widen further, Kamijou Touma discovered it when he heard those last three words.
"Y-you…!?"
"That's right… want me to say it again?" Misaki asked with a smile. "I love you. I was concerned at first… I knew you were just a tad different from before, so I did my best to keep myself in check… but I couldn't help myself… these past few days have been the happiest in my life… with so much joy filling my heart, I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you all over again… so please, consider that just a little bit of a repayment for the kindness you have shown me… and don't hesitate to ask for another; I'll give you as many as you want~"
Touma was rendered silence once more, one of many times this night he realized.
A girl had just confessed to him, and more so had kissed him directly.
His heart pounded loudly in his chest as his face remained its deep shade of red.
He truly didn't know how to respond. Part of him didn't believe it was real. What should he say? What could he say?
It was sudden; he didn't know how he felt. He liked being around her, sure, but… to go that far? He was confused; emotions he didn't understand were running wild in his heart.
Did he feel the same way? Or was his reaction just natural due to the circumstances?
He was scared to respond. Scared to say something he shouldn't.
Scared to say something to upset her, because he didn't know how he truly felt.
But, it was the honey blonde girl who spoke up again to interrupt his racing thoughts.
"…You don't have to make a decision right now, you know."
"Eh?" Touma blinked. Misaki simply smiled back at him softly.
"This must be sudden… you probably avoided thinking about me in this way to try and avoid causing something, didn't you?"
Ah… ahaha… y-yeah… y-you got me…" Touma laughed nervously. Misaki leaned back down, resting her head against his chest.
"I'm not asking for a magical three-day romance… I won't demand that you must return my feelings either; just having you in my life again is more than enough for me…"
She spoke softly, resting against him. He could feel her as she took a breath before speaking again.
"All I want is a chance… a chance to win you over… that's all I ask."
It took a bit for Touma to process everything that had happened. The summer cicadas continued their song of nature as the festival continued. People appeared to be moving back to the hill the two occupied, though they stayed a fair distance away, letting them keep their privacy.
After a few moments passed, the spiky haired teen finally responded.
"…There are still a lot we don't know… I mean; if I am going to lose my memories, we don't know how or when it will happen…"
"If I was concerned with that, I wouldn't have bothered trying to reconnect with you in the first place." Misaki replied.
"I get into a lot of trouble because of my misfortune… hospital stays and fatal injuries are probably guaranteed." Touma spoke.
"That's fine; if you get hurt or sick, I'll nurse you back to health personally."
"There are better guys out there than me, you know."
"You could tell me that a thousand times and I still wouldn't believe you." The honey blond girl turned her head so she was looking up at the unlucky Kamijou. "You're really trying to exercise your persuasion ability, aren't you?"
"I just… I just want you to be sure about this. As my roommate would agree, life with Kamijou Touma is not an easy one…" Touma asked. "So… is this what you really want…?"
"More than anything." Misaki answered, not waiting even a second to reply. Touma thought for a few moments before replying.
"…I can't say how things will turn out… but if a chance is what you want, then it's a chance you'll get. If it's really what you want… then I have no reason to refuse you." He nodded. Misaki pushed herself up yet again with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Now, it's the time I ask if you're the sure one… you understand what this means, don't you?" Misaki spoke. "I'll be trying awfully hard to win you over… I might even go above and beyond and make use of my own lewd ability, Kamijou-kuuuuuun~"
"…And I wouldn't expect anything less!" Touma replied. The terms caught the girl off guard, but she gradually began to smile as her face turned red.
There was a loud bang, and the whole area lit up in a mish-mash of colors.
It didn't take long to figure out what had happened… after all; what's a festival without fireworks?
"The show's started." Touma stated. Misaki's response was to turn herself over, laying on the unlucky Kamijou.
"Best seat in the house; so soft and warm." The honey blonde spoke.
"Hey, we had a talk earlier about who the soft one here is."
"In that case; how about I take out my remote from my yukata and let you rest on me instead? That way you can see how truly soft this cute girl is." Misaki replied. As if on command, Touma flushed red.
"T-that's… a l-little soon, don't you think!?" He shouted.
"I told you I might make use of my own lewd ability, Kamijou-kun~" The short suffix this time didn't detract from the flirty tone Misaki used. The fireworks display began to speed up as more explosive lights filled the air. The two laid silently as the show continued.
After a short time, the fireworks began to slow down. There would likely be one final big display, but after that the festivities would be done.
"So… it looks like our night is about over, huh." Touma spoke.
"…Only if you want it to be. There's actually something I'd like to do tonight if you'd allow me." Misaki replied.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"…I'd like to meet this roommate of yours if you don't mind." Misaki replied. Touma's body locked up upon hearing those words.
"Y-you… want to meet Index!?" Touma stuttered out. "I… I don't think that's a very good idea… she can be a bit… temperamental when I bring girl's home…!"
"…So you've done this before?"
"N-not like that!" Touma shouted defensively. "You're the first girl to… confess to me…" He trailed off. Misaki giggled.
"Kamijou-san… If things go well, I'll be meeting her anyway. All I'd like to do is meet her sooner than later… understand?" The honey blonde girl spoke.
"I… suppose you do have a point… I can't say how she will react… but if it's what you really want, I suppose we can…" Touma replied, easing up a little. "…Though mentioning that, I'll probably have to meet your clique at some point, won't I?"
It was Misaki's turn to freeze in place.
"O-oh… oh my…"
"…Didn't think about it this far, did you?" Touma asked.
"It's just… w-well! I don't know how they'd react if I walked up to them with… w-well… with a lack of a better way to put it… a boyfriend…" Misaki replied with a noticeable blush. She wasn't alone, as a mention of the term.
"I… see that we both have some challenges in the future to overcome…" Touma stated.
"That we do…" Misaki replied. She shifted onto her side so she could see Touma's face. "But… that just will make everything sweeter in the end, won't it…?"
"I… suppose you do have a point." The spiky haired teen nodded. They laid silently for a little while longer as the sounds of fireworks overhead filled the area.
"…Kamijou-san?"
"Yeah, Shokuhou?" Touma sat up a little, only to be caught off guard when Misaki pressed her lips against his again, stealing another kiss from him.
"Thank you…for these three days… for granting my wish… and for the possible future… thank you… a thousand times, thank you…"
The two then laid together silently as the last grand show of the fireworks began, letting themselves simply enjoy each other's company on the warm summer night.
And there is your nice fluffy ending! How was it?
Some people have asked about a reviewer response... and I have an answer; there will be one!
Me and MrQuestionMark have a planned Afterword where we discuss things that happened and our general development of this little story. It should be out in about a week or so, but in the meantime; leave questions for us! Give us your thoughts! Got a general question? Got one (or multiple) for either/Both of us? Or do you just want to give us your thoughts about this story? Go on ahead! They will all be answered in a Reviewer Response segment in the afterword.
Also; because some people have probably been wondering: Bust Upper Incident is not dead. I was simply taking a break from it for a month while this story was going on, and should be back some time in March. Can't say when because... well; life is life, but the moment it is set to be unleashed, I shall update it.
I think that's about everything... remember to leave thoughts and questions for us!
We hope you all enjoyed. Please review at your leisure; we still enjoy feedback.
Have a good day!
Sincerely,
ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.