Chapter 5 – Downward Spiral
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A few more days after the fateful discovery by Misaki…
Kamijou Touma entered his school campus, his mind wandering about the events over the past few days. That meeting with Shokuhou Misaki was tiring, especially when you take into account immediately afterwards he was chased by a angry Misaka Mikoto for a while, for reasons he cannot fathom.
He is thankful that having given his number to those two girls haven't landed him into more misfortune so far, however. Misaki and Mikoto both called him a few times, and his phone managed to come out intact even after that. As she promised, Misaki told him about why he wasn't more well known, and it turned out to be something like a lockdown on his information after he defeated Accelerator. Touma vaguely remembered being ordered to get outside Academy City to allow Anti-Skill do damage control on the fallout, but after that incident with Misha… no, Archangel Gabriel, while he was outside Academy City that time, he forgot about the details of the order earlier.
Having said that, it doesn't explain why he wasn't well known before ending the 'Level 6 Shift' Experiment. Touma didn't ask for more clarification from Misaki since from what she said she wasn't suppose to know these things, and she might get in trouble for looking them up; she can't really gather information as well as Mikoto, considering the Railgun's access over the internet far surpasses probably any other esper to Touma's knowledge.
Another factor was it felt risky to ask someone else about his situation. If they investigate too much they might find out about his memory loss. For example, if it turned out he's suppose to know exactly why he's lying low but is asking questions about it, it definitely will raise some alarm bells. Better to not risk that.
And if something happens anyway due to him forgetting something he should remember? He'll deal with it if it happens. Right now his priority is making sure that freeloading nun in white clothing don't cry like the time she saw him right after he met her for the 'first time' in the hospital.
Touma thought back to that time as he took off his outdoor shoes and put on the indoor shoes like everyone else before heading towards his classroom. The tearful face of Index when she tried to smile and hide her sadness, when she thought the boy that protected her suffered in her stead. Even without memories of his past, he felt Index wearing a face like that is something that shouldn't happen.
Still deep in thought, Touma reached his classroom and opened the door.
"Good morning everyone-"
"CONGRATULATIONS, Kamijou Touma!"
The roar originating from the classroom almost blew him back, and more than a few heads from the students nearby turned to look at the cause of the commotion. Several pairs of hands reached out towards him and dragged him inside before he can protest. Touma saw the classroom was decorated like a party is happening, with food and drinks over at one side and everyone present is holding a cup of some sort and giving a toast to him. They even managed to get a large banner up above the blackboard saying 'Congratulations on getting a girlfriend, Kamijou Touma'.
"What…?" Before Touma can even finishing asking what the hell is going on, several classmate of his came next to him, put their arms over his shoulder and grinning like he's their new best friend.
"Congratulations, Kamijou. Even someone like you managed to get a girlfriend, eh?" The guy on his left said with a smile
"And a real beauty too. Really now, I'm impressed you can get someone like her to settle for a guy like you!" Another guy laughed.
"Best of all, we won't ever have to worry about girls being hogged by Kamijou anymore! If he's going steady with someone there's no way he'll be allowed to continue his conquests like he was doing!" Both guys said in sync, and a cheer went up from the male half of the class. The female half merely sighed at the reactions, but still conveyed their heartfelt happiness that their classmate finally got some good luck.
Good luck that doesn't involve some of them, they might add.
"Kaaaaaaami-yan!" Aogami wailed from one corner as he sobbed. "You traitor! You're settling down with one girl instead of continuing on with the dream of men all over the world? I've misjudged you!" With that, he downed the contents of his cup in one gulp, trying to drown his sorrows. Touma sincerely hoped that wasn't really alcohol Aogami is drinking.
The other member of the 'Idiot Trio' of the class, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, is conspicuously missing. Most people put it down as the shock getting to him and forcing him to stay home today, then thought nothing more about it.
"Can someone please tell me what the hell you people are on about?" Touma said exasperatedly, his voice almost lost in the uproar while he broke free of the stranglehold of his classmates.
"They're talking about how you're a couple with a Level 5 from Tokiwadai." Himegami said, in a tone that's even gloomier than her usual one.
"Supposedly everyone heard that last night, and after contacting everyone they decided to host a party first thing in the morning at school." Fukiyose Seiri snorted. She thought all this is over-the-top, but then again if Touma is going steady with someone then maybe he'll actually try harder in school if someone is there to push him. Assuming he doesn't drag his girlfriend down, of course.
"Huh? Are you kidding?" Touma thought he must have misheard them. "I don't have that kind of relationship with Misaka."
"We're talking about the other Level 5 in Tokiwadai – Shokuhou Misaki." Fukiyose clarified. Others butted into their conversation, however.
"Wait, he's not with the Railgun? I've heard they're the ones that went on a date."
"No way, of course he's with the one called 'Mental Out'." Another person added. "Kamijou isn't into small girls, that's Aogami's area."
"Rubbish, Misaka Mikoto has been with him longer. No way can a newcomer get between them."
"That just shows how completely lacking in feminine charm she is if a new person can intrude and steal him like that. How long someone knows Kamijou is irrelevant."
"You know what, I've got photos to prove my points. Let's see you top that."
"I have some photos as proof as well. After I prove you wrong I won't forgive you even if you buy me lunch today."
"Heh, I'll make you eat your words instead while you beg for forgiveness later."
The twenty-odd people in class pulled out their cellphones, synchronized their networks and began to send each other whatever information they had on this topic. Fukiyose and Touma was ignored, but both pulled out their phone and tried to get their hands on whatever 'proof' these guys are talking about.
Five minutes later, Touma sunk down onto his desk and stared in shock at what he found.
Apparently his love life is the talk of the entire city, and for some reason everyone has linked him to BOTH Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki. Photos, witness accounts, there have been plenty of 'evidence' and not all of them are wrong. Touma wondered how in the world people managed to get all of that.
The only silver lining out of all this is that even if his ability is sort of exposed, nobody has made the link he was the guy that took down Accelerator. He didn't want to have to leave Academy City in the middle of the term, not if it meant he will have to catch up on schoolwork – again.
Then again, that didn't mean Touma was safe. There's been plenty of hate going on in the discussions online, ranging from people that thought he was a good-for-nothing two-timer to those that was jealous of the quality of his 'girlfriends'. If anyone was to say his name is 'Kamijou Touma' in certain parts of town he might not live to see the sun go down.
"Such Misfortune…" Touma grumbled. Hearing that, the ire of the male half of the class hit the maximum threshold immediately.
"What! This lucky bastard has TWO girls going after him and he's complaining about it? How in the world can this be called 'misfortune'!" One of the guys roared, with many others nodding.
"You've never met Misaka Mikoto before, have you?" Touma asked rhetorically. "She's the kind of person that would fry you with a thunderbolt if you managed to annoy her. I can't even imagine the kind of disaster I'll end up in within the next few days. And this is not going into detail on how totally screwed I am if what these people say is true that they want to beat me to a pulp." His classmates glanced at each other, weighing up Touma's words before deciding if his situation was really heaven or just hell with another name.
"Come on now Kami-yan, it's not that bad." Aogami interrupted, his previous sorrow forgotten. His friend not being totally beyond hope (read as: still have some 2D otaku left in him) and could still salvage this into a harem ending dragged his smile back onto his face. "Such trifles are nothing compared to what you can gain from this! You always wanted a relationship, and now you have it. Pain and danger is fair price for the opportunity present here!"
"Shut up, Aogami." Touma groaned. What he's asking isn't much, just a romance with a fairly good looking girl that won't get him into physical danger. Even if he did think he would settle for a relationship that defies the definition of normal, something like this was just ridiculous.
The atmosphere of a party vanished by this point, and everyone tidied up before Komoe-sensei got to class. Apparently celebration at this point is too early for their resident misfortune magnet.
Even knowing he's just tempting fate, Touma fervently hoped things won't get any worse.
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Class have just ended for the day for Misaka Mikoto. Normally she would be accompanied by Shirai Kuroko, however the teleporter was still in hospital from her fight against Musujime Awaki.
In a twisted sense, it was better that Kuroko wasn't around for the last few days. If she had got wind of the conflict between Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki then things would have gotten ugly, being a Judgment member or not.
"Hey, have you heard…?"
"Yeah, I really can't believe it!"
Mikoto glanced at a group of whispering girls on her way home and their conversation suddenly stopped, before shuffling away to a more private location for their discussion. Things like this happening for the past few days now, occasionally Mikoto would see other students whispering about something excitedly, before suddenly breaking off when they saw her.
It didn't need a genius to figure out they are talking about her in some way.
Mikoto merely put those events from her mind and went on to do her own thing. Being called the 'Ace of Tokiwadai' and being a Level 5, being talked about was something that Mikoto was already used to. There wasn't anything she can do about the gossiping, so she decided to just ignore them and let whatever the topic is fade away by itself.
"Misaka-san!"
When a familiar voice had called out her name, Mikoto looked back to see who it was:
Kongou Mitsuko, along with her two friends that follow her around. Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya, if she's not mistaken.
"Kongou-san? Is something wrong?" Mikoto looked questioningly at the now-panting girl that looked like she ran across the entire campus trying to find her. Kinuho and Maaya looked similarly out of breath from their exertion.
In response, Mitsuko placed both hands on Mikoto's shoulders and looked the Railgun in the eye and said seriously:
"I've heard about what happened between you and Shokuhou-san. You can rest assured that I, Kongou Mitsuko, will be supporting you all the way against all odds in your love! Even against the most powerful faction in Tokiwadai I would not just stand by and let someone try to steal away your boyfriend!"
"… What?" Mikoto felt sure she had heard Mitsuko wrong.
"Eh, Kongou-san? Didn't you say you've heard about what has been going on?" Maaya asked.
"Yeah, all I've heard is Misaka-sama is in a love triangle with Shokuhou-sama and they're going after the same person. Nothing about Misaka-sama and that person already being a couple." Kinuho added, though her tone is respectful towards the Level 5 in front of her.
"I've heard from Shirai once when she was moaning about how Misaka-san once arranged a date with her lover in front of their dormitory, and then dragged him off before she could follow them." Mitsuko stated confidently. "I don't think Shirai would lie about something like that. So that means the Misaka-san must have a boyfriend and Shokuhou-san is trying to steal him from Misaka-san."
Kuroko…! Mikoto cursed internally. Just what have you been saying to other people?
Ironically, Mikoto herself probably had done more damage when she talked non-stop about 'That Idiot' who just stops all her attacks and run off without fighting back in the early days when they have just met. Being blind to her own actions, Mikoto never considered who might be around to overhear her complaints back then when she talked in public about those incidents at times.
And as much as she wants to deny her actions, Mikoto did drag Touma away in front of their dorm in plain sight of everyone that lived in there. Mikoto is having second thoughts about the success of her earlier plan of 'let that guy pretend to be my boyfriend' now that she knew it backfired to the point that the (fake) Unabara didn't quite believe the lie but just about everyone else thought they are a couple.
"Wait, what's this about Shokuhou going after him?" Mikoto tried to make everything clear, as while it is good that things almost degenerated to the point where the two of them fighting each other was not known to others, something about that part of Mitsuko's words made her feel threatened.
"Apparently Shokuhou-sama rescheduled a meeting with her clique once to meet up with a guy. Someone said they saw her dressed up specifically for that kind of meeting, but I don't think anyone actually knows for sure." Kinuho explained.
"But anyway, just as important is that there's also a rumour going on that this person is just as powerful as a Level 5. Didn't Misaka-sama have said a few times she saw him as a equal?" Maaya tried to clarify this with Mikoto. None of the other girls here missed the way Mikoto bit her lip as she remembered her loose tongue, but they didn't know that was the reason. "I'm thinking it wouldn't be a stretch then, if Shokuhou-sama would want to recruit him into working with her. Higher level espers are very influential after all, and a partnership between two Level 5s would easily be worth it."
"That doesn't mean she should try and break up another person's romance like that." Mitsuko scowled. "If Shokuhou-san really is doing all that for influence then I'm appalled at how far people would go for power."
Mikoto mulled over their words, and decided she wouldn't put it past Misaki to do something like this. This was the girl that warned Mikoto to stay out of her territory and influence over the school after all. For all she knows this is just another one of Misaki's tricks to make sure she can never oppose her, trying to take that idiot hostage or just turn him against her.
Mikoto recalled that time when she saw Kamijou Touma holding Misaki in his arms as he negated her lightning. Now she's seeing a mental image of him standing in front of Misaki as her protector, one among many that would support the Queen if it comes down to a head-on fight while her lone figure is beset on all sides.
And with him on Misaki's side, any chance of her victory would no longer exist. His existence is a insurmountable wall that she had tested herself against multiple times but in the end was pushed back.
Yes, Misaki manipulating Touma for just such a situation as her trump card is very likely. All the more reason why she must settle this now.
Before these lies drag him into a rivalry that doesn't concern him.
He has helped her already on many occasions, and without her even asking or wanting it at times. He doesn't deserve to be used in another power struggle, especially when he wouldn't gain anything out of this.
"I need to go." Mikoto muttered. Mitsuko's worried gaze followed Mikoto as she walked away, before calling out:
"Misaka-san!" Mitsuko shouted. "You do know that if you require our help, all you need to do is ask right? We'll be there for you if you need us." Maaya and Kinuho nodded in agreement.
Mikoto's pace paused slightly, before resuming like nothing has happened. The other three girls can only watch as her back disappeared around the corner, a look of determination on the Ace of Tokiwadai's face as she set out for a confrontation that could not possibly end well.
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As Shokuhou Misaki and her followers exited from their meeting room they have reserved from the school, they saw Mikoto standing off to one side of the pavement waiting for their meeting to end. For the Railgun to be waiting out here raised a few eyebrows, but most of them continued to disperse like they were going to.
That was until Mikoto walked up to Misaki as she came out and bluntly stated "We need to talk, Shokuhou-san."
As much as Mikoto wants to just rush in and confront Misaki, she would prefer to do it in a location that would minimise the possibility of other people getting involved. Knowing Misaki however, not involving others would be nigh impossible.
The way everyone else froze as Mikoto said her words and turned their heads towards the two Level 5s confirmed Mikoto's bad feeling that it would not be that simple. Misaki's face is enigmatic as she considered her options, but lacking the tenseness of everyone around her. From the look on everyone's face Mikoto can tell they're not being overtly controlled, but many of them are showing signs of attacking if Mikoto made a threatening move.
The flickers of electricity fizzling around Mikoto involuntarily at times from to the difficulty of keeping her emotion in check aren't helping the situation. Even if Mikoto thinks her odds of beating about 50 followers present with Misaki is pretty good, she would prefer not to harm other students if she can do so. Much to Mikoto's surprise, Misaki finally agreed to go with Mikoto and the two of them moved to somewhere more private. Mikoto had thought Misaki would have preferred to talk in a location where she would have many human shields to protect her and buy her time to escape if it comes down to a fight.
With a command from Misaki not to follow them or eavesdrop, many looked anxiously at the direction where the Ace and the Queen of Tokiwadai left, serious expressions on their faces like a matter of life and death is at hand.
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The two of them retreated into a deserted computer room, with Mikoto checking many times for anyone following them. Misaki said nothing as the Railgun did so, her ability already pinpointed about a dozen of her followers starting to hide outside the room they entered. Not close enough to overhear what Mikoto and Misaki will say, but if worst comes to worst they will be here should a fight erupt.
"I take it you know the reason why I asked to talk with you privately?" Mikoto said, taking care to not damage the computers around her with her electricity.
"Well it definitely won't be something like a confession from you, declaring a sudden and undying devotion for me and want to find a new lover after your boyfriend left you, right?" Misaki smiled weakly, before any mirth she had left her face as some lights on the ceiling exploded with a stray bolt from Mikoto blowing them up.
"Enough with the jokes." Mikoto almost snarled. "I've heard about you trying to get your hands on that idiot. Leave him out of whatever you have planned against me, that guy doesn't have anything to do with the politicking within Tokiwadai."
"You wouldn't believe me if I said this has nothing to do with me and I didn't plan anything like that, would you?" Misaki sighed. Damn you, Kumokawa Seria, Misaki thought sourly.
"Obviously."
"Then maybe this will change your mind." Misaki went to a computer and started typing. There was a reason she suggested to come to a computer room, aside from the fact it was deserted. Within half a minute a webpage was open and Misaki gestured for Mikoto to take a look, while herself backed away to give the short-haired girl some space.
Mikoto started reading the page, her anger forgotten as soon as she saw the headline. Misaki watched with interest that Mikoto's face paled the further she read, before blushing bright crimson as she came across some of the allegations of how intimate she was with 'the young man that can negate abilities'.
"What the hell is this cr-!"
"Watch your language, Misaka-san." Misaki said mildly. Mikoto glared at Misaki with a outraged expression.
"You would go this far to force him allying with you?" Mikoto said in a strangled voice. Her logic being if everyone thinks of Kamijou Touma as Shokuhou's boyfriend then no matter how he denies it eventually he would have to accept the rumours as truth. The electricity around her started to increase, and occasionally the screen burst into static as if in protest to Mikoto's actions near the machine.
"Really now, why in the world would I make it a love triangle if that was my goal? That would give me a bad impression along with you." Misaki resisted the urge to palm her face at how single-minded Mikoto can be. "I'm just as much a victim as you are here. Someone is trying to force an impression upon Academy City with the three of us being connected in some way or another."
That 'someone' being Kumokawa Seria, although Misaki can't provide any definite proof. A phone call earlier with no records can't do anything.
"Why would anyone even do that?" Mikoto seethed.
"Possibly as a safeguard to prevent me from doing anything with the information I have obtained from Kamijou-san." Misaki said clinically. "If I reveal any secrets that would endanger the two of you, with this 'love triangle' farce I would be dragged down along with you, being seen as someone that would do something to backstab a rival in love. Congratulation, Misaka-san, you now have something definite that would stop even me from revealing anything. Be happy that whatever the 'Experiment' was, it would not come to light due to me."
"What…?" Mikoto stared at Misaki, who calmly returned the look.
"Someone out there is trying to hide all signs of that 'Experiment', and they chose to do it in such a way that while it looked to be merciful and let me kept my life, in reality this is a cunning plan that would prevent the possibility of something like a dying message stored somewhere that could be released even after my death. By keeping me alive and under surveillance they ensure I would actively help trying to hide the existence of the 'Experiment' if further breaches occur, and make sure nothing happens to the two of you, unless I want to get dragged down with you two." Misaki's smiled grimly. "Impressive manipulation, I must admit."
"You…"
"I'll let you contact Kamijou-san about the developments. I'm hoping the rumours will die down after a few months with no contact between me and him or anything out of the ordinary. I've been doing damage control for the past few days, but not like it did anything." Misaki said in a tired voice, with no hint of her usual cheerfulness. "Do as you see fit. I no longer wish to be involved in this incident. Have a good day."
Before Misaki can even attempt to leave Mikoto clamped one hand onto Mental Out's arm. The strongest electromaster's eyes narrowed and declared:
"I'm not convinced. From what you're saying this solves my problem too easily. There has to be something else behind all this."
"Your scepticism is well-founded, and I can only say I'm not the one planning anything for once." Misaki thought back to the phrase 'the boy who cried wolf'. Guess her constant scheming in the end did bring something bad back to her. "Like I said, I'm as much of a victim here as you are. I have nothing to gain from all these misinformation."
"Except the part of getting him onto your side." Mikoto stated through clenched teeth. "This method would make sure he has no choice but to accept you as nobody, with you as the possible exception, would try and steal another person's lover."
"If that was my intention I would have left you out of the misinformation and put myself as the only person in these rumours." Misaki said flatly, ignoring the insult to her character. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out having a second option would distract him from me. Besides, these rumours could hurt my reputation to such a extent my social network can be harmed solely by being associated with me. Being associated to other people for mutual benefits is probably more important to a leader of a clique than it is to other members; I don't have to tell you how rumours, if serious enough, can ruin me. The gains of having Kamijou Touma with me would not be enough to offset the cost of possibly losing my entire network from these rumours."
"So I'm supposed to believe you're not the one responsible because you cannot benefit from this mess?" Mikoto wanted to yell at Misaki for being self-centred. "Sorry if I feel otherwise. You've seen what he can do; it's not impossible that by playing the right cards you can give him fame and fortune far beyond what he has right now, and you can then benefit by taking a share of his gains. It's not impossible what you will gain will be more than what you will lose now."
"… That does seem like something I would do, doesn't it?" Misaki conceded. Honestly, that option didn't really occur to her since she was warned researching more on Kamijou Touma would be a bad thing, and also she was too worried about the possible damage to her clique and reputation to even think about risking them. Belatedly, Misaki realised her words just then could have been taken as admitting she was the one behind the current fiasco - in the most cliché way possible like a villainess taunting the heroine that there's nothing she could do to stop the plans from coming into fruition.
"So you are the one behind all this!" Mikoto accused, pointing one finger at Misaki. Lightning started to surround Mikoto as fury started to build inside the smaller girl. "That's it; I'm going to make you regret ever trying to mess with him like this!"
Misaki gritted her teeth in frustration. All she did was one tiny slip-up, and now Mikoto was incensed enough to come for a head on confrontation?
How just like her.
And even worse, in the process this will only fuel the rumours of a fight between them, with the likely cause being the mysterious boy they are fighting over. Since the two of them haven't fought over anything else recently in the eyes of their peers, Mikoto mostly always was willing to step away from a conflict if the two were to go head to head in public.
To put it mildly, Misaki was annoyed. Every move Mikoto makes is direct and without finesse. Every action on her part makes the current situation worse as she rushes in without thinking, preferring to overpower obstacles in her way. Misaki can't really be blamed is she replied with a less-than-warm attitude towards Mikoto right now what with all the damage control she had to do recently, and knowing even if she was the epitome of politeness right now she still might not escape being attacked.
After all, Misaki's no saint – when faced with someone that refuses to listen to reason, even knowing it might not be a wise thing to do to provoke that person in any way Misaki would still get mad. It's part of being human, and being flawed.
Seeing Mikoto with her temper and incoming attack, Misaki took a gamble that would either solve the current situation or have it blow up in her face. With a serious expression, Misaki looked directly into the Railgun's eyes and said:
"What would he think if he saw you like this?" At Misaki's words, Mikoto flinched once.
"You know him better than I do; did you really believe he would be happy if you go this far for him? That it would solve anything using force? That it would do anything even if you take me down, when it would alienate you from him forever by doing so?"
With each sentence, Mikoto shrunk back and her miniature storm around her subsided slightly. Misaki smiled grimly, knowing it's only her words that are stopping her from becoming a human barbecue.
"Even so…" Mikoto muttered. "Even so, I can't just do nothing. He doesn't deserve to be toyed around by you like this. Not after everything that he has gone through already-"
"And what do you know about the things he has gone through?" Misaki cut across Mikoto. "The 'Experiment'? Him saving your kouhai from a esper attack that almost killed her? Or how about the time when you almost killed him on that bridge?"
"Shut up…" Mikoto tried to say, but Misaki merely raised her voice above Mikoto's.
"You weren't there when he had to fight one of his closest friend to the death. You weren't there when one of his allies was torn apart in front of his eyes, somehow kept alive even after that through means unknown. You weren't there when his right arm was severed and blood sprayed out just like one of those fountains…"
"Shut up…!" Mikoto said, with more emphasis this time. But even then Misaki kept talking.
"In short… You. Know. Nothing." Misaki placed the same emphasis on the word 'nothing' like Mikoto. However, when Misaki said it it gave Mikoto a feeling of dread her earlier words didn't manage to convey.
"All you've seen so far about him is only him cleaning up your mess for you. You know nothing about the Darkness he had to face, with allies you've probably never met. You're a hundred years too early to try and influence his life like you are trying to do right now, being the insignificant bystander in his life you always have been-"
"I told you to shut up!" Mikoto let loose a torrent of energy as she howled. Surprisingly, her attack didn't hit Misaki but flew past her, shattering the windows behind her in addition to short-circuiting all the computers nearby.
Seconds later, the door was blasted open by a tall girl with curly, reddish hair, and several more girls rushed to follow her inside. Flames writhed in her hands and a furious look that matched the intensity of her fire was directed at Mikoto.
"How dare you try to hurt Shokuhou-sama…!" Any further actions, such as throwing a fireball at Mikoto or condemning Mikoto's behaviour was stopped by Misaki holding a hand up.
"Enough. Stand down, all of you."
"But-"
"Now." Misaki ordered in a tone that allowed no disagreement. Even without using the Mental Out ability, the fire-wielder complied to Misaki's order. Though the rebellious look she gave Misaki stated if Mikoto tried to attack Misaki again they will intervene, orders or not. Looks repeated by many of her comrades.
Misaki on the other hand is confident Mikoto would not do anything to her at this point; her last attack proved it. Even when enraged, she isn't someone that would seriously hurt another person like that. It was risky, but bringing up Kamijou Touma would either made Mikoto lose it completely or restrain her enough to not do anything rash. The fact Misaki wasn't barbecued right now strongly suggested the latter was the case.
Time to finish this. If Misaki was going to be seen as a villainess by Mikoto no matter what, then she might as well play the part. If the Ace refuses to listen to reason, then the Queen will just have to break her to the point it won't matter anymore if she listens to reason or not.
"That was a close call there, Misaka-san." Misaki said conversationally, as if she wasn't a target of a lethal attack moments earlier. "Still, guess I have to be thankful that you have enough sense left in you to not descend to the point where you would eliminate me if I got in your way. Otherwise it would have been painful, to say the least."
"Leave him alone." Mikoto panted. Her words were empty, as right now brute force wasn't a option. Even if Mikoto hospitalise Misaki and her followers it won't have solved anything to do with Touma.
"That's what I should be saying to you." Misaki said, all jovial tones from earlier vanishing. "You are just a burden to him, someone that he helps but who can never repay him in any way when he is in trouble. It's like he takes on your debts time and again, without asking for any reparation in return.
"Almost every time you two meet you bring nothing but trouble into his life, even if he accepts it. Fights, duels, or whatever you want to call it… against yourself, or against others. Only pain exists in the future with the two of you together. You can't give him happiness that way.
"Long story short, you don't deserve him."
Having said that, Misaki walked past Mikoto to meet up with her followers. Mikoto sorely wanted to shock Misaki with a attack, but held back since she might end up hitting other people. Even if she's now provoked to the point she would attack Misaki, Mikoto doesn't want to bring others into something she saw as just between the two of them.
Misaki knows this too, from the way electricity crackled and threatened to envelope the entire room with its power. The redhead now tried to strike first to prevent Misaki from getting hurt, while others prepared to defend themselves from Mikoto's attack. All of them stopped and lost focus in their eyes as Misaki took control over their minds, preventing them doing anything rash.
"What…?" Mikoto stopped as well, but it is more to do with her confusion on Misaki stopping her only defence against electric attacks than any mental influence. Mikoto highly doubted Misaki was doing something like giving up and let herself be attacked, or having some kind of trump card that can let herself escape unharmed.
Misaki decided to deliver the final blow while Mikoto is hesitating: one that would end her troubles from Mikoto once and for all.
"Consider this my declaration of war, Misaki Mikoto. I announce that you, the Ace of Tokiwadai and the 3rd Level 5 of Academy City, is unsuitable for the young man named Kamijou Touma. I, Shokuhou Misaki, will take your place in his heart, and give him what you cannot.
"Love.
"Happiness.
"Understanding.
"Simply put, the things you failed to give him in all your time together. I will free him from a possessive shrew like you, and become an ally that can at least offer him my acceptance, if not my power. Knowing what he knows, carrying the same burdens as he does. What he needs isn't firepower, or force to back him up. What he needs is someone that can embrace him and accept who he is, and what he does.
"And that is something you can never comprehend, let alone put it into action."
As Misaki talked, her followers blankly walked outside the doors, dispersing and telling other curious students who came to investigate the earlier explosion there's nothing going on here. Even as Misaki talked she made sure to keep some attention on what's going on outside, erasing memories and make sure their conversation won't be interrupted by other people. When you can control a few dozen minds at once, multi-tasking like speaking with someone and controlling others at the same time is something relatively simple.
When the last person left and once again only Mikoto and Misaki is left in the room, Mikoto gathered lightning in her hand and tried to attack.
"You can't do it, Misaka-san." Misaki only gave a slight smile in response. "You know taking me down won't stop the rumours, or make what I've said so far become a lie. If anything, strike me down here will only give me Kamijou Touma's sympathy, and alienate you from him. I'll ask once again, can you defeat me if it means losing everything you had with him?"
"What about you?" Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "Are you really willing to risk death, and just trust that I have enough decency left in me to not attack you? You're not the kind of person that's willing to gamble your own wellbeing like this."
"In a word: Yes. I'm willing to put my life up on the line, if it means getting you away from him." Misaki said seriously. "I'm not joking when I said you don't deserve him. As he is now, I'm sure there are other girls also after him; girls saved by him, and then fallen for their saviour's charm. Once you are out of the picture eventually someone will be with him. Anyone would be better for him, when compared to a attention seeking brat like yourself."
"Why, you…!" Mikoto made a gesture that sought to direct a thunderbolt at her hated rival.
"I don't have to win, Misaka Mikoto." Misaki said, staring right at possible death in the eyes. "I just have to make sure you lose. Whether I'm still around to see you fall won't matter."
With a yell, Mikoto attacked.
Once again, the room was showered with energy, and multiple explosions occurred as the computers here blew up one by one.
When the thunderstorm subsided, Mikoto stood dishevelled in the middle of the wreckage of blackened machinery. Misaki stood by the door, unharmed by the last attack.
"Even after everything that I've said and done, you still cannot bring yourself to hurt me… is this due to your heart cannot bear to perform a action that would end in being separated from him, or because of some inner kindness?" Misaki mused aloud. "It doesn't matter. I will be taking him away from you now, and if you want to stop me then you'll just have to steal his heart before I do. If you want to go down with me, then so be it. As long as the end result is him abandoning you, I would have achieved what I wanted."
"… Do you really hate me that much?" Mikoto said in a voice filled with loathing. That was the only explanation she could think of that explains why Misaki would go this far for someone else.
"Maybe." Misaki shrugged. "You can also see it as I just want what's best for him. When you know what I know, see what I have seen… he deserves some happiness, amidst his misfortune and following his own ideals."
Without giving time for Mikoto to reply, Misaki left. Changing memories as she walked, she altered enough that nobody will be blamed for the havoc wrought in the computer room. As easy as it is to frame Mikoto as the culprit of vandalism, it just won't do if it was leaked out it was due to provocation. It's not like Mikoto would be willing to get herself in trouble by admitting the attack to drag Misaki down with her, anyway.
Other things like security cameras and teachers who came to investigate will also have to be settled, not to mention someone will have to handle the cost of those computers. More things for Misaki to cover up later.
A wail came from the room Misaki left, one that's filled with either despair or frustration. That was a cry from someone that cursed how useless she is, and nothing she could do to solve the situation. That was a cry that spoke volumes on the sadness within the speaker as she sank to her knees, and of tears that flowed despite efforts to do the exact opposite.
For once in her life, Shokuhou Misaki did not smile satisfied at the completion of her plan. To almost completely break someone like what she did to Mikoto was something that left a bad taste in Misaki's mouth – even she had standards when it comes to manipulation. Why couldn't have the Railgun just listened to logic and not rushed for a confrontation?
For her own safety, she crushed the heart of another person. Misaki told herself it was unavoidable, that it was all the Railgun's fault for being stubborn, that it really is was for Mikoto's sake if she stopped pursuing a impossible goal for romance and for Touma's sake as he won't have to deal with someone like Mikoto anymore…
But in the end, guess her own conscience isn't as buried as deeply as she had thought. With regret Misaki casted one last glance at the direction of the wrecked computer room, then steeled her heart and walked on.
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In a windowless building, a human floated upside-down in a large cylinder filled with unknown clear, red liquid.
The room the cylinder is in is dim, with no lighting available. From the darkness dozens of lights flickered, from the various machinery and buttons that cannot be seen clearly in the twilight.
The human, on the other hand, is more interesting to describe. With long silvery hair, this 'human' looks both like a man yet a woman; an adult yet a child; a Saint yet a convict. One has to wonder if this person is crazy, to have chosen a existence that effectively imprisoned himself for the rest of his life. Spending the coming 1700 years hanging upside down in a cylinder like that would probably be enough to drive anyone mad, if they weren't already like that to begin with.
With a sound that resembled a phone's ring tone, a call is connected between this person and someone from outside the building.
"Hello, General Superintendant Aleister." A female voice said from her end.
"Kumokawa Seria, I presume?" A voice that shows no identification of gender or age responded.
"Indeed. I'm surprised that you would give me the honour of speaking to the top-ranked VIP of Academy City. It might not be something like allowed entrance into the Windowless Building, but a honour nonetheless."
"I'll skip the pleasantries and get to the point." Aleister's voice said in a bored tone. "Why have you set up this plot centred around Kamijou Touma?"
"If I answer that, can you tell me why you allowed this plan to continue despite it being easily possible to stop? It's not like you cannot erase a few rumours, when it was already done once that time a certain Level 0 defeated the Number One of Academy City."
"Ultimately, this does nothing to what I have planned for the boy." Aleister replied. Minor changes in circumstances are to be expected. Every time something unexpected happened, Aleister had changed the plans and while doing so sped up the 'process'. There was no reason to think this could not happen again, when a change occurs it can be used to further his own plans instead of becoming a unexpected obstacle. "Thus, it was permissible to allow this game of yours to play out to its conclusion. Either way, the Number Five was prevented from becoming a liability because of your plans so I suppose I can overlook your interference."
"Your leniency is appreciated." Seria said seriously. It was possible when she started her plan she might have been eliminated if she actively trying to interfere with Kamijou Touma's life, so she's thankful no retaliation had resulted.
"As for the purpose of my machinations, I'm trying to set Kamijou Touma up with a girlfriend." Seria said, as if that explained everything.
"Be more specific." Aleister commanded.
"That boy had amazing bad luck from what I have seen. It's like a law of the world Kamijou Touma's life will be plagued by misfortune, unable to be bent or broken even by esper abilities." Seria expanded her logic. "No apparent reason can explain why this happens; only that it is obvious it does happen. I've decided then to give him something he has always wanted: a girlfriend. It doesn't matter if it's the Railgun, Mental Out, or some other girl – as long as someone ends up with him my goal would be complete. Let him have some semblance of happiness before his misfortune devours him someday."
"There is so many things wrong with your logic I can't even begin to describe my scepticism at your reasoning." Aleister said in a emotionless voice. "Giving him female companionship will make him happy? Illogical. Time and again women are the cause of his troubles. And if that was your goal, why didn't you become his girlfriend instead?"
"If someone of my position was to try and approach him like that I would immediately be eliminated." Seria replied. "Either by you for trying to influence a person you've declared taboo to the Dark Side of Academy City, or by any of the other factions in the power play. I would like to keep my life, compared to a charitable goal like matchmaking. Many of the 12 Directors are interested in Kamijou Touma, and it is only your protection that he can live a relatively normal life."
"And giving him a girlfriend will take away his 'normal life'." Aleister noted clinically. "I'll repeat my earlier point of his troubles caused by women. And even if that was not the case, your rumours have made him more well-known; his normal, more peaceful life is effectively gone, and what awaits him is more turmoil and conflict; now he cannot even rest when he's not involved in one of those 'incidents'. He would not thank you for this."
"On the contrary, I believe if he ever found out I was the one responsible he would weep in joy and kneel in front of me as thanks for my kindness." Seria laughed. "He's desperate for that kind of relationship – what normal teenage boy doesn't? And if he did end up regretting it, he should learn to be careful what he wish for."
"Hmm." Aleister gave a noncommittal response. "Either way, as long as this does not impede what I have planned then I can allow this to go on. However, due to your interference I would have to make some changes to his current status of 'Level 0'. The situation is still salvageable, but it was something I had preferred to not have changed. Do not leak any more information about his ability from now on."
"As you wish." Seria agreed. Aleister cut off the call without any more response, now that he has finished saying everything he wanted to say.
"Does that satisfy you, Tsuchimikado Motoharu?" Aleister's voice echoed in his room.
From the darkness, the blonde wearing a Hawaiian shirt and many gold jewellery stepped into his sight. On his face is an annoyed expression at Aleister's earlier conversation.
"You're leaving Kami-yan to his current situation then?" Motoharu said in a disgusted voice. "You do realise if you gave him some sort of renown in the Science side, it is unlikely you will be able to use him in the conflicts involving members of the Magic side from now on. Just what are you thinking?"
"I've already said that is not a problem. Only that more politicking under the table would be necessary at this point if I want to use Imagine Breaker." Aleister said, and if Motoharu didn't know better he would have swore the man in the cylinder was smirking with his reply. "I'll leave it to you to keep a close eye on the situation. Make sure things don't go past the point where everything will crumble."
Motoharu scowled. In the end, these kind of thankless jobs are always pushed on to him.
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"You took a big gamble there, Kumokawa-kun." Director Tsugutoshi sighed.
After the call with Aleister, Kumokawa Seria is having some tea with her employer.
"There's always a risk in life. A mistake when driving can get you into a accident, or you might get dragged into a armed robbery simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Seria shrugged. "I feel this is acceptable risk."
"All that, just to figure out the secret to Kamijou Touma's ability? Is it really something you would be willing to face off against the General Superintendant for?" Tsugutoshi brought a cup of tea to his lips and sipped its contents.
"It is just curiosity, I suppose." Seria admitted. "Or you can just put it down to some sort of romantic tendencies a girl like me has left in her. I want to know if Kamijou Touma can escape being used again and again like he is now, if all he has is the power of love backing him and nothing else works."
Tsugutoshi said nothing in response. Having lived to a old age like he is now, his experience tells him ideals like 'love conquers all' is something that only exists in stories and not in reality. Doubtlessly Kamijou Touma will be used for something in the future, if all the effort from Aleister into keeping him safe is any indication. Rather than gambling on a chance to save the boy from the various plans of the Dark Side of Academy City, it might be more accurate to say what they are doing now is to make his final weeks happy ones.
Failing that, it will at least serve as a good distraction that will keep the boy ignorant of things to come. No need for him to worry about things beyond his control.
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*End Chapter 5*
Author's Note: The 'process' refers to Vol6 prologue, what Aleister has planned to do with Kamijou Touma.
And Uiharu's part will come up next chapter. I haven't forgotten about her, just that this chapter is already long enough without that. As one reviewer had said, yes there will be trouble, but to what extent I'll leave it to your imagination at this point.