IV: Better Luck Charm

"You know, you're just gonna lose, right?"

"We've been preparing for a whole month for this, Biribiri. And with my right hand, we'll beat even that Nagatenjouki that keeps trampling over Tokiwadai!"

"Ha! In your dreams! This year, Tokiwadai is getting first place. We got second last year only because I couldn't compete on the second half of the games. But this year, I'm going to lead Tokiwadai to victory!"

"Hoho! Those are big words, Ace-sama. Why don't we have a penalty game if you're so confident?"

"You're on! If we win this year, you're making me breakfast, lunch and dinner for a whole week!"

"And if you don't get first place, you'll help with my homework and tests for the rest of the year!"

"It's a dea—wait… hey! You cheat. Why is your bet on Tokiwadai losing? I thought you said your school is going to beat us!"

"Well, that's completely impossible so I'm choosing my battles. I've learned my lesson last year, so I know that there's no way our school can beat Tokiwadai!"

"That's such a terrible display of school pride!"

"Pff, I've got a lot at stake here, and there's no way I'm risking that for such a petty thing like pride!"

"H-hey! But that's not fair! You can't just…"

Shiina turned away from her son and his girlfriend to smile at the couple's friends they had recently introduced. "They're such a lively pair, aren't they?"

They sat together in a diner, taking their lunch break on the day of the Daihaseisai. Shiina, Misuzu and the three girls that were the couple's friends were on one table, while the pair themselves was on another one just beside theirs. The two mothers sat beside each other while the two black haired girls were on the opposite side. The pig-tailed girl was the side adjacent to both of them, all the while glaring at the couple's table. Shiina had to hold in a giggle as she watched their responses.

Shirai Kuroko was fuming, mumbling, "That ape… I can't believe he is…"

Uiharu Kazari sweat-dropped, a strained smile on her face, "I guess so…?"

Saten Ruiko, on the other hand, looked incredibly entertained, "Well, that's just how they get along on a daily basis. Misaka-san's competitiveness reaches its peak during festivals like these so it's actually pretty sweet of Kamijou-san that he's going along with it. And it's always fun to watch them bicker so I don't really mind."

Shiina could already tell that she'll like this Saten girl.

Misuzu, who was sitting beside her, suddenly piped up, "I know what you mean! But actually, I think all those arguments are just their vents for all the sexual tension. I mean really, they're so reserved, I bet a normal person wouldn't even realize they're dating!"

"I know!" Saten agreed enthusiastically, "The best I saw them do is hug. Hug! I haven't even seen them kiss each other on the cheek, and they've been dating for months!"

Shirai harrumphed in response, "Let us just count our blessings, Saten-san. At least that barbarian has yet to defile Onee-sama's lips," she then added, looking at Shiina, "No offense, Kamijou-san."

She replied in kind, "Don't worry about it, Shirai-san. I know Touma-san can be very annoying at times. And didn't I tell you to call me, Shiina? There is more than one Kamijou here right now."

"Uhm… alright, Shiina-san,"

"Kaa-san," Touma suddenly called from the other table, making them turn towards the couple, "Mikoto and I would be participating in separate events in about an hour. The stadium where the middle school division would be competing is closer from here than the high school division. Do you want to watch it instead? I don't mind."

Mikoto frowned in response to this, "And who's gonna cheer you on if they're all watching my match, idiot?"

"Well, we both know you'd be thinking about me during your match either way, so that's all I really need."

Saten and Misuzu ooh'd as Mikoto blushed.

"That one's pretty smooth," Saten commented.

"And look, Mikoto-chan's blushing!" Misuzu gleefully pointed out.

The girl in question ignored both of them. "I-idiot! There's no way I'd be t-t-thinking of you!"

He feigned a hurt look, putting a hand on his chest, "Ouch… and here I thought you of all people will be there to support this misfortunate idiot."

She blushed harder, "T-that's—!"

"STOP THIS!" Shirai suddenly appeared beside Mikoto, tackling the older girl into a hug, "I cannot just sit idly by while my beloved Onee-sama is being hit on!" she then glared right at Touma, making the boy flinch, "And you! Stop flirting with Onee-sama, you barbarian!"

Touma's expression was a mixture of annoyed and deadpan look, "Pardon me, Shirai-san, but I think I'm allowed to flirt with my girlfriend."

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK OF THAT WORD EVER AGAIN!"

Mikoto sighed loudly, rubbing her temples as best as she could with her roommate clinging tightly to her, "Kuroko, I thought we've talked about this…" she began in a reprimanding tone.

"We have, Onee-sama, but I still do not approve of your choice of a romantic partner."

"You know, you don't really have a say in this," Touma unhelpfully replied.

"WHY YOU-!"

"Now, now, you two," Shiina interrupted them, smiling all the while. She had been too amused by the flow of conversation to actually speak up before, but it seemed like the argument was about to become more physical so she opted to stop them before they do any damage to the place. "Why don't we all settle down? I'm sure our orders would be arriving soon." She added that slightly menacing underlying tone in her voice to help prevent any unwanted bickering.

Besides, no matter how nice and well-mannered Shirai seemed to be, Shiina wasn't quite fond of the girl's incessant interruptions on her son and future daughter-in-law's moments.

Their meal went peacefully after that, but twenty minutes before the next event, the couple excused themselves so they could head to their respective teams.

"You can stay here a little longer. Only a few people would be there this early," Mikoto had said, already standing and ready to leave, "I won't be able to meet you guys but you can just message me where we'll meet after the event. So don't wander around, alright Mama?"

Misuzu had gleefully waved her daughter's warnings off. At this, Mikoto sighed, raising a hand as a gesture of goodbye as she left the diner with Touma.

Shiina and Misuzu waited several seconds before they met each other's gaze and nodded. Then all of the sudden, they were walking out of the diner as well, the camera that they had considered their greatest weapon in their hands.

The three girls had asked questions about their sudden departure but the mothers merely reassured them with smiles before following the couple's path. They snuck behind the two teens, inconspicuously hiding behind random things to make sure they weren't spotted. They stopped though when they saw their children turn towards an alleyway.

Misuzu gasped silently, putting a hand to her mouth, "Why are they going in an alley?"

Shiina narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "You don't think…" she trailed off, and there was only one thing on both mothers' minds.

"We have to take a picture!" Misuzu announced before taking off towards the same alley with Shiina following behind her.

When Shiina reached the corner Misuzu was hiding at, she could hear Mikoto saying, "—go straight from there and you'll find yourself on the main road again. Got it?"

"Yeah, thanks," her son replied, "But how did you know about this shortcut?"

"Kuroko has every alleyway memorized due to Judgment work. She often shows me the shortcuts when we go out together."

Shiina peeked around the corner to see her son smile at her future daughter-in-law, "I guess that's one convenient thing with having Shira-san around," Touma was instantly hit on the head and both mothers deflated a little when they realized there wasn't really anything romantic happening, "Ow! What was that for?!"

Mikoto let out a tired sigh, "Look, I know Kuroko is being hard on you, but you're not making your situation any easier by butting heads with her."

"I know, I know," he said tiredly, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles. Shiina smiled at this. "I'll try not to get possessive next time."

"Promise?"

"Hmm… I promise to try."

Mikoto rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as she playfully slapped his cheek, "Alright, alright," she then moved to stand on her tiptoes, kissing the same cheek, "Good luck with your game."

He smirked lightly, gripping her hand more firmly and not letting go, "You know, with my misfortune, that good luck kiss would probably just cancel out my bad luck and give me normal luck."

She laughed at this before turning to him again, "Fine," fisting the collar of his t-shirt, she pulled him down to meet her lips with his.

Misuzu squealed silently and Shiina took the opportunity to take the picture.

When the two teens parted, they were both smiling. Then Mikoto mumbled, "There, that's better luck charm. Satisfied?"

Touma's grin widened, "Yes, ma'am."

"So this is what you were doing!"

The two mothers snapped their head towards that new hushed voice in their midst, finding the long haired girl, Saten Ruiko, peeking around the same corner they were hiding at.

"Ruiko-chan!" Misuzu exclaimed, frantically turning back towards her daughter to check on her. Shiina turn to look as well, only to find that Touma was already walking away and Mikoto was waving him goodbye. In a moment of panic, Shiina started pushing the girl to escape detection, but then, Misuzu practically dragged both of them away.

They waited a few tense moments behind a conveniently placed vending machine until Mikoto exited the alley and headed the opposite direction from where they were. The two mothers let out a relieved sigh when she was out of sight.

"So…" Saten mischievously drawled, catching the two mothers' attention, "Misuzu-san and Shiina-san has been spying on our lovely couple."

Shiina and Misuzu shared a look before going back to the younger girl, "Ruiko-chan," Misuzu started, putting a hand on the girl's shoulders, "There's something we're going to show you, but you can't tell anyone about it."

"Especially not Shirai-san," Shiina added sternly, "Or else our whole plan would be ruined."

Saten blinked at the sudden serious tones of the mothers but nodded, "Okay…"

Fiddling with the digital camera on her hand, Shiina opened the gallery and showed Saten the pictures, "So far, these are what we've got."

Saten's eyes sparkled in joy with every photo they showed. She seemed disappointed though when there seemed to be very few. "That's all?"

Misuzu crossed her arms and pouted, "Mikoto-chan wouldn't let me take a picture of them. She said I might do something crazy with it. So we've been trying to take a picture of them without them knowing."

"Like a paparazzi." Saten commented, "But isn't this violating their privacy?"

Misuzu waved her hand in dismissal, "No way! Besides, we'll compile this in a few years and show it to them as a wedding present!" she gleefully revealed, "It'll be a cute album that tells about their love story!"

"Can we trust you with this secret then, Saten-san?" Shiina finished, looking at the younger girl expectantly.

Saten cupped her chin in thought, and after a moment, she smiled brightly, "On one condition."

The mothers shared a cautious glance before looking back at her.

With a wink, Saten said, "I'd like to help with that album."

Author's Notes:

Okay, I lied. Updates on all of my stories depend on my almighty muse. Sorry XDD But I'm having problems with What Causes a Sparkand Forfeit and I just can't finish it! uuuurrrrgghhh!

But anyway, I really had to put in Kuroko's adorable jealousy here XDD sorry but she's still, in my opinion, the best lesbian anime character ever. And to be clear, this is the Daihaseisai the year after the one in canon. So yeah, Mikoto's still in Tokiwadai if I'm right.

Not much to see in this chapter though it ended up twice as long haha! but I suddenly got the idea that Saten can help the conspiring mothers out because if not, they'd be missing a lot of moments between our lovebirds. So we'll have a kind of part Saga titled Saten's Album.Starting next chapter probably

Have you noticed that I can't, for the life of me, write a proper kissing scene? XDD man, this chapter is probably one of my worst as of yet... Sorry! But hell, I loved making Touma and Kuroko fight for Mikoto XD

Thank you all for reading this! I know it's not a very interesting story that has this incredibly plot with an amazing plot twist but hey, I appreciate that you still find the time to read and even review :))) again thank you

I'll see you whenever, peeps!

~~61wisampa