How's it going guys? This Fanfic has reached 100k words, I hope you are enjoying the journey so far. In this chapter, I did something a little different in my storytelling, you'll notice when you're reading. I wish you all a good read. I was supposed to write something here about some famous light novel not belonging to me, but by now you understand.

Chapter 12 - Mind Over Matter

That was just a normal morning in Academy City. Students were going to their schools, where they were drugged and subjected to questionable methods, volunteer teachers were patrolling the streets armed to the teeth, ambulances were taking the victims of the latest 'terrorist attack' to the hospital. On this particular day, a restlessness was taking over several districts, and it was out-of-control espers that were to blame, a not-so-uncommon occurrence in this city, but in the last few days things seemed to be worse. But other than that, it was just another normal morning.

"Girls, I need your opinion" Mugino Shizuri said, approaching the other 3 ITEM girls.

The truth is, it was no normal morning in the ITEM apartment. Upon hearing their leader making a request that sounded more like a demand, the three girls got up from the couch, or two of them at least, since Takitsubo was not interested in what Shizuri had to say.

Kinuhata and Frenda narrowed their eyes as they saw the scene in front of them, and then looked at each other, somewhat confused. Shizuri at this moment held a dress in each hand, one white with gold details, and the other red with a rather provocative design.

"Basically, why are you asking us something like that? You're the expert on the subject" The blonde didn't seem interested in helping her leader.

"I really don't mind giving my opinion, but I super have to agree with Frenda"

"Just pick a fucking dress" Those words came out with an insane amount of violence.

"Basically, I think I would choose the white one" Replies the blonde, holding her breath unwillingly.

"Red seems like the super best choice" Kinuhata disagreed, trying to calm her nerves.

"OK, then we will need a casting vote" The tea-colored haired girl walked over to the one of the couchs and displayed the two dresses once again "Takitsubo, I need you to turn on your brain for just a few seconds. Just pick the first thing that pops into your head, don't think too much."

The inexpressive girl looked at her as if she had just woken up and then alternated her gaze between the two dresses.

"You were in a dress yesterday. Don't you think you'd better vary your look a little?"

"It makes sense. Why do the best opinions come from the people you least expect?" Meltdowner sighed as she stared into the void, but soon turned her attention back to the black haired girl "What do you suggest? Maybe something simple, like a white blouse and a miniskirt?"

"I agree with the girls, you are the expert. Don't think too much about it, it's not like it's going to make a big difference" The inexpressive girl said this and then looked again at something that was probably not in this world.

"Maybe you are right. Why am I so worried?"

The Level 5 then walked across the living room towards her room. The two standing girls noticed that while she was walking, the girl with the tea-colored hair was humming a happy tune, which made both of them have rather extreme reactions. Actually only the blonde one. Kinuhata was just a little confused.

"Basically, what happened last night?" Frenda looked into Kinuhata's eyes as if seeking shelter from an oncoming earthquake "First, she walks around clinging to him like they are a couple, and now she asks our opinion about clothes. I can't even remember the last time this happened"

"Don't ask me. Maybe that guy must have super manipulated her somehow. That weird power has something to do with it."

"What? Basically, are you even understanding what's going on here?"

"Yes, I am super understanding of everything. Except why you two are so interested in that guy. I mean, you I can understand, your tastes are clearly super crappy."

"Basically, you're dumb" Frenda said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes dismissively "But it's not your fault, they must have messed with your brain too much, so I forgive you"

"What did you super say?" The bob cut girl almost screamed, she was ready to break some bones "You are the only one with the useless brain here. My sweater has at least double your IQ."

"Is that your best attempt at an insult? Basically, you high-level espers are so full of yourselves, but you can't even see something so obvious."

"Now you're super generalizing" Level 4 stated, not seeming that interested in the conversation anymore "Anyway, it's not like I care about all that stuff. It's none of my super business after all"

Ignoring the rest of the blonde's protests, Kinuhata returned to the couch and began to entertain herself with her Smartphone. The blonde was still irritated, so she preferred to go back to her room.

"Seriously, what is the super problem with these two?" Kinuhata wondered, seeing the girl walking away still upset.

Several minutes later, Shizuri returned to the living room. This time she didn't bring any extra clothes with her, so apparently she had made up her mind. Level 5 crossed the living room and stood in front of the sofa, waving to try to get Takitsubo's attention.

"How about this?" Meltdowner straightened her posture so that the girl could get a good inspection at her look.

Shizuri was wearing something simple by her standards: a strapless white blouse with light blue details, a gray cardigan open at the front, and a black miniskirt made of silk. The inexpressive girl came out of her 'personal reality' and examined her team leader's outfit.

"That kind of fits the description" Takitsubo said, but her lethargic expression didn't help form her opinion "I just don't know if I would call that 'simple'"

"I woke up a little inspired" Meltdowner spoke, fixing her hair "So this can be considered simple"

Taking advantage of the fact that her boss seemed in a good mood, Kinuhata turned toward the girl who was still checking that there was nothing wrong with her somewhat daring outfit.

"That's a super flashy outfit" The bob-cut girl said, examining Shizuri from top to bottom "Are you trying to get a super reaction out of someone?"

"You're goddamn right" Without even caring about any extra comments her teammates had to say, the girl walked to the front door "By the way, Takitsubo, I forgot to warn you about something. Kamijou is going to cook for us today, so be prepared mentally"

"Don't worry, he just caught me by surprise. That won't happen again," stated the lethargic girl in a somewhat confident voice.

Meltdowner walked out the front door and called the elevator. She took advantage of the wait to check once more that there was nothing wrong with her look. Down the street a black car was waiting for her. As she entered the vehicle, the girl gestured for the driver to give her some privacy. A sound-proof window separated the two in the next instant.

"He was in a hurry last night" Level 5 began to think aloud, but her voice was almost a whisper "Who called him?"

Looking through the window of the car that was beginning to move, she noticed that there were more ambulances than usual on the streets. Also, the traffic was much slower, even for a weekend.

'Does that have anything to do with what he told me?'

This time the girl decided to think instead of speaking aloud. She sighed, as she rested her cheek on one hand. A few minutes passed, but she was still a little restless.

'I want him to tell me more about himself. Maybe I should share more of my life so that he will trust me more? What if that has the opposite effect? No, he told me he would stand by me, I have to trust him.

Lost in thought, the girl didn't even notice when the car stopped in front of the dormitory building of a certain high school. As soon as her mind was freed from her reveries, the girl pressed a button to let the driver know that she had something to say to him.

"When we're coming back, there's no need to rush. Take a longer route too. Keep the soundproof glass closed at all times, no exceptions."

The girl didn't wait for the driver to answer, she grabbed her leather bag and got out of the vehicle, picking up her phone and texting someone. Using the building's elevator, she took the opportunity to look at her reflection in the mirror. The girl knew that she was beautiful, and she also knew that the boy had the same opinion about her, but for some reason she felt insecure. She had never tried so hard to make a good impression, so she couldn't help but feel nervous.

'What will his reaction be? Relax, don't get your hopes up. You know a little about him, so don't be disappointed if he says something stupid. I need to show that I have a good side too... even if I have to fake it. I know he'll keep his promise, but I need him not only to stand by my side, but to pay attention to me too.

The elevator stopped at the indicated floor. The girl walked to the door of the dormitory of the person she was trying so hard to impress. She took a deep breath before ringing the bell.

Calm down, Shizuri. I need to put a smile on my face now. Not one of those I trained as a child, it has to be like that one...'

The door before her was opened, but not completely. A spiky head stepped through the ajar door, and then dark blue eyes peered into hers. The girl didn't have to strain to make her smile look natural. Standing there for a moment, the boy looked a little nervous, but she didn't mind.

"Hey, Kamijou" Shizuri greeted the boy, who looked at her with a strange expression on his face.

"Shizuri, can you give me a minute? I have to finish packing an important bag. There's a car waiting for us downstairs isn't there?"

"Yes, I..."

"Good, wait here, I won't be long"

Before the girl could say anything, the boy hurriedly closed the door, leaving her with a confused expression. She sighed in frustration after a few seconds.

'No reaction at all. I didn't set any expectations, but I am still disappointed. Even my best can't scratch that mask off him? I know he said I have a great effect on him, but I wish he would show more. Maybe I should be even bolder?'

At that moment, Shizuri noticed that the door to the dormitory room next to Kamijou's opened discreetly. As she looked through the crack, she noticed a person she was almost certain she had seen before. Level 5 wasn't one to remember faces, in fact she didn't give a damn, to her they were almost all the same, but those sunglasses and that Hawaiian shirt stood out enough to make her remember that person.

"What is it?" Shizuri didn't look happy at all with that blonde looking at her "If you have something to tell me say it right away before I..." The girl forced herself to stop. She breathed even more deeply than before.

'It's that guy from that day at school. If he's Kamijou's friend then I have to at least try to be civil. But there's something wrong with this guy, I just can't tell what.'

"Paying another visit to Kami-yan, #4?" The blond boy said that while smiling "It seems that the infection is already in a serious state. Even the levels 5 don't seem to have any resistance."

'What the fuck is this guy talking about? I don't know why, but he makes me sick. I really want to wipe that smile off his face with my Meltdowner'

"You're a classmate of his if I remember correctly, aren't you?" The girl thought of simply ignoring him, but this was an opportunity to get to know the kind of person Kamijou has as a friend.

"Yes, and I am a close friend of his as well. If you need to know something about Kami-yan, feel free to ask" He widened his smile.

The girl narrowed her eyes when he said that. She could tell by the tone of his voice that the boy would not give this information away for free. If she had been suspicious of him before, now she was almost certain that this guy was hiding something.

'Maybe it's just paranoia. It's not like all his friends are involved in the dark side. Anyway, I want it to be Kamijou who tells me his secrets, not some random idiot with a ridiculous fashion sense'

"I'm not interested" Shizuri said this and crossed her arms, a gesture to make it clear that she would not change her mind.

"That's too bad. I'm kind of rooting for you, so I wanted to give you a little help." The blond boy shrugged and then started to close the door.

"Rooting for me?" She said puzzled

"Yes, good luck...and be quick"

Closing the door without saying another word, the boy left behind a completely confused Shizuri. The girl pondered for a few moments what that suspicious guy wanted to say, but she gave up as soon as she heard the door in front of her open.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting" Said the spiky haired boy

Kamijou walked out the door, carrying something that looked like a sports bag, like the ones used to carry golf clubs, on his shoulder, and a cardboard box in a plastic bag in his right hand. Shizuri smiled again when she saw him, completely forgetting what she was thinking about.

"No problem, I'm kind of getting used to it" The girl almost grimaced as she said that.

"I know it's weird that I'm asking this, but can we take these things first and then come back for the rest?"

"That won't be necessary" The girl gestured with her head for the boy to look downstairs.

Approaching the parapet, Kamijou saw a moving truck below. The girl stood next to it and waved her hand in the direction of the people near the truck, which made them start walking towards the building.

"I should have known" The boy didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved "We'd better go then" He started walking towards the building's elevator.

"I suppose what you are carrying is very important, considering you prefer to take it personally"

"Yes, very important. Something with great sentimental value."

The two entered the elevator and remained silent for a while. Shizuri should be able to tell that the boy was acting a little strange, if she wasn't thinking of something else.

'He at least seems a little nervous, although that wasn't quite the reaction I wanted. I won't let all my efforts be in vain.

Leaving the elevator, they walked to the parked car, passing the men responsible for the move on the way. Shizuri asked the driver to open the trunk, and then Kamijou put the sports bag with exaggerated care inside, but continued with the box in his hand. As soon as the trunk was closed and the driver returned to the car, Meltdowner grabbed the boy's left arm, preventing him from getting into the vehicle.

"Wait" She asked, backing away from the boy a little "What do you think of my outfit?"

The boy was taken aback by this question that seemed to come out of nowhere. He stopped for a moment and examined the girl next to him. He really looked at her. Kamijou scratched his head at this instant, still looking intensely at the girl.

"Shizuri, you know I don't understand anything about fashion don't you?" He said simply, which made the girl almost sigh with disappointment "But even an idiot can tell how good you look in those clothes"

Shizuri could do nothing but smile at that answer. She even let herself be guided to the car, to which Kamijou opened the door and waited for her to get in before doing the same.

'I wish he would compliment me a little more. Maybe I should push him? It can't hurt to try'.

Waiting for the car to start moving, she closed the distance between the two of them a little before starting to speak.

"Hey, did you know that I really worked hard to pick out these clothes?" Shizuri put a serious expression on her face, trying to force the boy to understand what she wanted him to do.

"Is this another one of your teases? Know that I am becoming more and more resistant to them. Before long, even your full-strength attack won't even scratch my supreme defense."

"Brave of you to assume that I too can't get even stronger. But you're wrong, I really want to hear some sincere praise."

"I don't know if there's anything I can say that anyone hasn't already told you" He paused and crossed his arms, taking another good look at the girl "I mean, I bet you must have received literally all kinds of compliments from all kinds of people"

"You're almost right" She closed the distance between the two even more "But I still want to get compliments from the person I care about"

Shizuri flashed another smile that had become as natural as daylight. She had told herself she was going to keep her expectations low, but after being alone for so long, she just wanted to be pampered a little by the person who decided to stay by her side even after seeing the worst of her.

"Okay, so..." The boy started with a firm voice, but then he noticed the girl's expectant eyes and braked momentarily "Damn. Shizuri, this Kamijou-san can't praise someone in a manual way."

"What?" The girl understood what he was trying to say, but she was still confused.

"I mean, normally I don't think too much about what I'm going to say, so I kind of turn off my filters and everything flows naturally. But this thing you're trying to get me to say... it's too much pressure"

"So let what you're thinking flow. I'm not going to get angry or anything, and even if I do, it's not like it stopped you before."

"Hmm... you seem really interested in what I think" The boy shifted his gaze to the streets outside, but was taken aback when the girl waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"I want you to pay attention to me" she complained, containing the irritation she felt at that moment "It was not only you who made a decision yesterday, I also decided that I need someone by my side, someone who understands how I feel. And you might be the only person in the whole fucking world who can do that" She couldn't help herself, but she took a breath before speaking again "Come to think of it, I shouldn't even be saying this, I'm just being redundant. But I just want you to know that you also have quite an effect on me. Don't compare your compliments to some jerk I meet in a bar. How can you act so confident and at the same time think you're just a regular guy? Do you think I would let just anyone approach me like that?"

"Shizuri, you seem a little angry, that wasn't the deal" Protested the boy, this time looking her in the eye.

"Kamijou, answer me one thing, do you want to see me happy?"

"Sure" The boy didn't think before answering

"Then tell me what you think of me. Don't hold back. I don't need a confidence boost or anything like that, I just want you to pay attention to me, that's all."

Kamijou took his time before he said something, and the girl didn't mind. She just leaned toward him a little, as if to say that she would not let him get away from her.

"Well... you kind of convinced me when you said that I have a great effect on you too" Upon saying that, the boy instinctively tried to pull away due to embarrassment, but the girl pulled him back "I think it's the first time someone has ever said something like that to me in such a direct way, and on top of that a girl who is my type"

And that was all it took for the girl to smile warmly. But she was still not satisfied. She still wanted to hear why she was his type.

"Could you be more specific?"

"Well... I have a preference for girls with a more mature appearance. I mean, I could be more specific, but I don't want to get too much into archetypes and their variations, that's not a kind of subject I would be comfortable talking to a girl about."

"Okay, I can make do with that. But what about my choice of clothes? You didn't seem to have a noticeable reaction, so I assume you like dresses better?"

"Actually I never stopped to think about it. But if I had to choose, I'd prefer what you're wearing now. Even an idiot like me realizes that all the garments have been carefully chosen to complement each other. I think I have a quote for that 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

"Hmm..." She brought her hand to her chin and thought for a few moments "Kamijou, I thought of something interesting now"

"You want to take me on a shopping trip" He shrugged as he said that, putting an expression of annoyance on his face.

The girl blinked twice when the boy saw through her with such ease. It was almost as if he had given his opinion in that particular way already expecting that she would have this idea.

"I promise it won't be bad" Shizuri ignored the fact that the boy had practically denied her suggestion before it was even made "Besides, I want to use my talents on you. I want to help you become fashionable. That's probably my only hobby, if I can call it that"

"You are making a lot of demands today, Shizuri. But how about giving in a little too?" That was his turn to smile, but that was not a happy smile "If you want me to start liking your hobbies so that we can have something in common, then it's only fair that you do the same for me."

That was all that needed to be said for Level 5 to understand what he was getting at. She remembered that unfortunate conversation she had on the way to district 16, and also remembered very well the 'project' that the boy had in mind. It seemed that all the stars were aligning themselves to make this 'project' work.

"All right, looks like I'll have to try reading those silly picture books of yours" The girl couldn't keep a giant sigh from escaping her lips.

'I think it's okay, it should take him a while to find something I might like, so I have time to mentally prepare myself for torture'

"I'm glad to hear that. So let's start with the basics."

After he said these words, the boy widened the smile on his face and then took the cardboard box he had with him, opening it and revealing what was in it.

"No fucking way" Shizuri was stunned to see the sound of her illusions being shattered so quickly. "I don't even know why I'm surprised, I should have known you were up to something"

The girl looked at the box, which had an entire collection of manga from various genres. Kamijou wasted no time in handing her one, and she didn't even bother to argue. She had dug her own grave, she just didn't know she would be using it so soon .

"So, let's find out what kind of story you like best"

If the boy had seemed nervous until now, all that was behind him. He held a few manga in his hands still with a smile on his face. Shizuri had already accepted her fate, so she just started to leaf through what he had handed her.

'I don't know what to say. Did he know from the beginning that I would make some request and set it up beforehand? It seems he doesn't mind playing dirty. Anyway, maybe this will help me understand how he thinks? I have to show interest, that way I can have his full attention on me'

"Do you have something for me with adventure and mystery?" She asked, trying hard to sound interested "I want something intriguing, something that makes me think. It doesn't have to be an investigative thriller like 'Sherlock Holmes' "

"Hmm... you have peculiar tastes... interesting" He said that as he looked in the box for something that fit the description "How about this one?"

"Give me a detailed synopsis, I want to know what to expect" She put aside the other manga and looked at the cover of the new one.

"This one tells the story of a boy who woke up one day to find that many of the people in the world had disappeared. So he goes on an adventure to try to solve the mystery of why this happened"

"Disappeared? Like...kidnapped? Or have they simply ceased to exist?"

"The latter. The interesting thing is that only he seems to realize it. It's like he's in an alternate timeline where these people were never born, but what they did still exists" Kamijou started to get a little excited when he noticed the girl was starting to get interested "For example, one of the missing people was a famous singer, but his songs still existed in this world, only it was someone else who wrote them. Not exactly the same, but close enough."

"So it's like that theory that no idea is totally original? That even if you thought of something that may seem unique, someone else in the world probably had the same idea as you, yet you were just lucky enough to be more popular?"

The girl took another look at the cover of the manga, which had a black-haired boy carrying a girl with a blurred face in his arms.

"Sort of. It's like even in this new 'timeline,' history is correcting itself, but not in a perfect way. I have a question for you, do you believe in fate, Shizuri?"

"No" She replied, without thinking about it.

"I see. So, in your opinion, what would happen if today were restored? Imagine all the people in the world going back in time to the beginning of it, but with no one keeping their memories of what they did on that day that now doesn't exist. Do you think the day would go exactly the same way?"

This time the girl thought carefully before answering.

"Probably yes...which somewhat contradicts what I believe" She was incredibly thoughtful now.

"This manga deals with themes such as free will and how your choices can affect the world as a whole" The boy didn't wait for her to elaborate "The story also has a bit of romance, but it is very slow, and I honestly didn't like the main heroine very much"

"The girl on the cover with the blurry face? Does that mean something?" Without even realizing it, the girl had become completely interested in that story.

"Yes. She is one of the people who disappeared, but the strange thing is that she exists in this world as an 'echo'. I can't go into too much detail, I don't want to spoil the story. Anyway, what did you think?"

"The premise is interesting. I confess I didn't expect something so complex" She opened the manga and saw the girl on the cover once again in one of the pages, but her face was not blurred "By the way, why did you say you didn't really like the main heroine?"

"Her character was very popular at the time it came out, because of the personality archetype that she fits, but the truth is that she is a bit shallow. You don't have to read more than 10 chapters to completely understand the way she thinks and acts. But I still think she's a good character, it's just that there are heroines with much more interesting archetypes"

Leaving the manga on her lap for the time being, the girl turned her attention back to the boy who was a little too excited.

"What are these 'personality archetypes' you talked about?"

As soon as the girl asked that question, she noticed the excitement shining in his eyes, which made her spontaneously lean toward him. One of Kamijou's hands rested on one of his legs, so Shizuri once again felt that static electricity run through her body when the skin of her thigh lightly touched his hand.

'I think I'm getting addicted to this feeling. He's looking at me so intensely. I have to read this stupid manga soon, so he will pay even more attention to me... Maybe I should hold his arm again? No, I have to restrain myself, I can do that when we get out of the car. But I guess it's okay if I come even closer'

"So, there are several personality archetypes, but I'll just talk about the most used ones" He started to speak, while Shizuri nodded her head as if he was telling her the secret of happiness "The first, and probably the best known, is Tsundere. She's the kind of girl who isn't honest with her own feelings, so she acts cold or even violent towards the person she likes, but she's also kind and cute at times"

"It sounds like an extreme version of Tough love. What happens if the guy is too dense to understand that she likes him?"

"A progression of romance as fast as a snail climbing a mountain" He shrugged "The second type is the Kuudere. These are people who behave in what is considered a more restrained manner. Generally serious and rational and hardly ever despairing. This changes a little when they are around people they like."

"I liked that one. I assume 'Kuu' is derived from the English word 'cool'?"

"Correct. You're really paying attention."

The boy smiled as he said this, which made the girl gently slide her hand toward his, but even she hadn't noticed this spontaneous approach.

'I feel so strange when he smiles like that. Before, I was only interested in his weird power, but what he said to me yesterday changed something in me. If he's going to stand by me, I want to know everything about him'

"Next is Dandere" Kamijou said, so excited that he didn't even notice the girl holding his hand "These are people with a shy personality, who are often easily embarrassed and are always quiet. These people usually have the desire to express themselves, but are hindered by their own shyness. I like this one a little bit"

"Really? Why?"

"I don't meet many people like that in my life. Most people I meet are either too demanding or too violent. If it continues like this, I'll start wishing I could be teleported to a fantasy world and try to have a quiet life there. Maybe in one of those early RPG villages where most people live their normal lives and are nice to each other."

'And there he goes with his daydreams again. He probably considers me one of those violent people. I really need to try to improve his impression of me. This dandere thing doesn't suit me, I'm a pretty straightforward girl after all. Maybe I will fit in with the next archetype'

"And then we get to Yandere" He said this and immediately put a strange frown on his face "That one...I really can't like. Yandere is the kind of person who is cute on the outside but a psychopath on the inside. They are obsessive, violent, and can even kill over something trivial, like jealousy for example. This is the archetype of the cover girl"

'At least I was right about fitting into that archetype'

Shizuri thought this as she sighed in frustration. The girl almost looked away as she heard the descriptions of this archetype that the boy disliked. It was only now that she realized that her hand was over his. Instead of pulling away, the girl took the opportunity to pull his hand a little toward her.

"Are those all the archetypes?" She asked, trying to keep the boy talking as she subtly entwined his fingers with hers.

'Am I being too assertive? I'm not the type to be embarrassed by physical contact, but I still can't tell how he feels about it. Maybe I should take things a little slower, so that he feels comfortable having me around? But then again, he is the one who said he was getting used to it, so I can't just back out now. Yes, he is the one who asked for it. Time to test this supreme defense of his'

"Actually, there are others but those are the most popular" He spoke again, not noticing the girl starting to gently stroke his hand "There's also the classic DereDere, I really like that one. They are kind people who act cute and are always willing to help someone, like a caring dorm manager"

"That was a little too specific" Shizuri stated, taking care to keep her voice in a sweet tone "I think I'm starting to notice a pattern here. It makes sense considering what you've told me about your past. So you want a caring person by your side, do you? To pamper you after a hard day?"

"Something like that..." The tone of his voice became a little somber. At that instant, his eyes went down to his hand that was being held by the girl "Shizuri, you're doing it again"

"Doing what Kamijou?" A mischievous smile slid across those perfect lips "I'm just making sure you're keeping your promise, no big deal" She said that while continuing to stroke his hand, which made him look away.

'Damn, I've gone too far. I'm not trying to tease him here, I just want him to look at me the way he did before, so I'll back off for now. I have to think of something to get his attention again. What was that DereDere thing again? It's not my style either, but by now, I don't even care. If that's what he likes, then that's what he'll get'

Moving a little away from the boy, in an extremely reluctant way, the girl straightened her clothes a little and began to speak in a lower tone than usual.

"You know I come from a wealthy family, which means I was raised to be a gentle and behaved child"

"I think the word you should use is 'snobby'"

Shizuri stopped talking for a moment and looked at the boy's face. Normally she would be irritated that he was teasing her, but for some reason she managed to partially control herself.

"Anyway, I think I can fit that archetype" The girl said, puffing out her chest like a proud child who has just told an unconvincing lie.

"You mean Yandere?" he mocked, with a giant grin on his face "Considering you tried to kill me at least twice, I can understand where you're coming from"

Trying to hide her expression of indignation, she turned her face away and looked toward the car window. She stood like that for a few seconds, trying to pull herself together.

'I don't think I have the right to be angry, it will only drive him away. Dealing with him is so difficult...and that's why he's so interesting. Something tells me that I won't have a single dull day as long as I'm at his side'

"I don't think I can pretend to be someone I'm not in front of you" The girl said, turning her gaze back to the boy, who had already turned serious again "I know you promised to stand by me no matter what, but if we're going to walk this path together, then I feel like I have to do something to make it up to you"

"Seeing you with a smile on your face is the only reward I need"

This was another one of his quick responses that never missed the target. And that target was hit hard.

'Calm down, Shizuri. I have to go slowly, I don't want to push him away again. But this look isn't helping. I have to get closer to him, hold his hand again. But how do I do this without him thinking that I am teasing him? By the way, we should be getting closer to the apartment by now. There's hardly any progress here, so I need more time. Damn, I should have been clearer when I told the driver to slow down. I will fix this mistake'

With these thoughts flowing so quickly, the girl grabbed her smartphone from her designer leather bag and sent a priority message to the driver, the kind that people on the dark side used to use for urgent moments. She didn't want to draw the boy's attention, so the message was for the driver to use the GPS to look for a busy area, that way the traffic would be slower. If she simply asked him to drive in circles, there was a good chance Kamijou would notice.

"Is there a problem, Shizuri?" The boy asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"No, it's just Frenda sending me useless messages. I'll turn off my cell phone so she won't interrupt us anymore"

'Did he notice? My performance was not the best, so he must be suspicious. Maybe I should just tell him that I want to spend more time with him, with no one else in our way. What if I invited him to a movie or something? I think I'm going fast again. Step on the brakes, Shizuri. You have powerful weapons, but you have to use them accurately on someone like him'

"This trip is taking longer than I remember" The boy looked at the streets outside as he said this "Is this the same driver as always? This route is pretty strange, plus it's too busy here, why didn't he turn right at that intersection?"

Shizuri just watched her plan slowly fall apart as she squeezed the cell phone in her hand so hard that it would break if she applied more pressure. But the boy still hadn't stopped talking.

"You seem a little tense. Did something happen?"

'Okay, I tried. It's not entirely my fault at least. Doesn't this driver know how to be discreet? I am surrounded by incompetents. I will make sure that this bastard never gets a job again'

"Hey, Shizuri, can you hear me? You looks angry, have i done something wrong?"

"No" She put the cell phone away, since if she lost control it would be thrown out the window "But I did. I really need to choose my subordinates better. Bunch of useless people. How hard is it to follow such simple orders? I swear to god, Kamijou, if you weren't on my side by now I would have blown this bastard's brains out." The girl lost control and stood up, punching the soundproof glass "You dumb fuck, don't you know the meaning of the word 'slow'? Can't a girl have a nice long conversation with an interesting guy? Is that too much to ask? What do I have to do to be happy in this shitty life? All the people around me are trying to sabotage me or have the IQ of a planarian. That's why I kill people"

The girl lifted her leg to kick the glass, but Kamijou was faster and held her by the waist, making her freeze the moment he touched her. Carefully, he made her sit up again and held her hand.

"Shizuri, you need to calm down a bit" He said it softly, which made the girl forget for a moment why she was angry, "Just breathe, okay? What's the problem? Whatever it is, I'll help you with it"

She nodded and took a deep breath. Squeezing his hand firmly, she used her free hand to smooth her hair.

"I... I'm fine. It's just... I don't know" She looked away at that moment "I'm hopeless"

"Don't say that again" His tone was still soft, but there was a trace of seriousness in it "We both knew it wouldn't be an easy road. Now talk to me, why are you angry?"

"Because I wanted to spend more time with you"

Instead of elaborating, she gave the boy a few seconds to put the pieces together by himself. Kamijou looked at her with a rather serious expression, but there was still kindness in his eyes.

"So that's why this trip is taking so long" He sighed as he said that "But you shouldn't blame the driver, he was being very careful, it's just that I know the streets of district 7 very well"

"I think you're right. And also I should have just warned you."

'This is a good time to make some progress. I have to be subtle, so I think I'll ask about our shopping trip. Honestly, I don't give a damn what he wears, but I want to do what I like with him'

Level 5 stroked his hand again, but this time he didn't try to stop her, which gave her the courage to ask what she wanted. But level 0 was faster.

"I also want to spend more time with you, that's why I'm moving into the ITEM apartment. I still find it a bit strange living in an apartment with 4 girls, but I should get used to it soon."

"I don't think you understood what I meant" Meltdowner realized that he was already getting comfortable with her being so close, so she once again leaned her body towards him "I said I want to spend more time with you, just the two of us. No boring missions, no girls stalking us, no games between the two of us. I want to tell you some things about myself, and learn about you too"

'I've said too much. I even seem to be making a demand here. I think I am also having trouble understanding the meaning of the word "slow"'

Kamijou heard all that and then nodded. He put another one of his smiles on his face.

"I understand. Things have been a little hectic this week, I think it would be good to slow down a bit. We could go see a movie or just spend some time in a park, feeding the pigeons or something else. What do you say?" He looked at her in such an intense way that the girl felt herself melting at that instant"

'I can't believe it, he took the initiative. I mean, I invited him, he's just giving me options, but it's still a win. And that look... how am I supposed to be able to choose something while he's looking at me like that? He's doing it on purpose, isn't he? I'm reaching my limit here. Easy, Shizuri... just pick something'

"Yes to all three things" replied the girl smiling.

"Okay, but which one do you prefer?"

"All 3, regardless of order"

"You can't decide can you? All right, I hope you have a whole day free then"

"Just to make sure, I will cancel all ITEM jobs for the week"

"Eh? I think that's a bit of an exaggeration" He put his hand to his head and made a confused expression "It was a joke wasn't it?"

As an answer to that question, the girl just shook her head negatively, as her ability to form sentences was deteriorating over time. As she did so, her perfectly combed tea-colored hair was slightly undone, as a strand of hair fell across her face. At that instant, Kamijou used his free hand to move the strand, placing it behind her ear. A simple gesture, done automatically, but the girl felt that static electricity flowing again, much stronger than the other times.

'It's that feeling again. It's official, I'm addicted to it'

Kamijou slowly moved his hand away from her face, but the girl refused to let go of the sensation. She took his hand and made him touch her face, and this time the feeling was so intense that she had to close her eyes to savor it.

'Damn, I'm losing control. Shizuri, you need to let go of his hand now. We still have a long time together, so you don't have to rush. Just let go, before it's too late... shit, I can't, it's already too late. No, take a deep breath. Okay, I'll open my eyes and come out of this trance, he must have looked away in embarrassment by now'

Shizuri opened her eyes, expecting the boy to have turned away from her, only to find that same intense look coming her way. Those dark blue eyes were totally focused on her face, which only served to make that feeling even stronger. The girl had made a gigantic mistake when she opened her eyes, her hopes of slowing down had gone down the drain now. But just when she thought her situation couldn't get any more out of control, the boy decided to speak up.

"You really know how to be DereDere when you try" And obviously he had to smile as he said that.

'Why does he keep doing this to me? Forget the damn feeling, he's the one I'm addicted to. You know what? I don't even care anymore. I'll take this as a sign that my advances are paying off and move on to the next step. I will slow down after that... just pamper me a little more and I will step on the brake. Just a little bit more... I can stop whenever I want'

"I think we've arrived" Kamijou said, looking through the window of the car that had been stationary for some time.

"I don't care" Shizuri was in autopilot mode "Let's forget our original destination, we can go see that movie now, or feed pigeons or buy one of those tickets to Mars, I really don't care".

"Tickets to Mars? Are you talking about that experiment? Isn't this a one-way trip?" The boy started to move away from her, but every inch he moved away, she moved two.

"Yes" She didn't even bother to elaborate.

"Wait, when I said I wanted to go to another world, that's not exactly what I had in mind"

"You said you wanted a quiet life, you can't get any more quiet than space travel"

"Shizuri, I could retort by saying why this doesn't fit my description, but first could you step back a bit?"

"No"

He looked at the girl who had completely invaded his personal space and this time the reaction she was expecting happened. The boy looked away in embarrassment as he looked at so much exposed skin at once. Kamijou had used up all the self-control he had during the entire trip, but this girl had the greatest offensive potential in all of Academy City. His defenses were crumbling, but he still had one last card to play. This was his ace up his sleeve, something he had prepared for when the girl was going all out.

"Shizuri" He began, taking a deep breath and becoming calmer

"Yes?"

"We have to go"

"Not yet. I still want to talk some more."

"We can talk while we are cooking. How about being my beautiful assistant today?"

"Flattering me like that out of the blue is foul play" She bit her lip at that instant "You're only making it worse"

"Okay, you asked for it. I have a way to convince you, and I only need two words."

Level 5 was now curious. She tilted her head toward him and let her ear be as close as possible to his lips. The boy almost held his breath at that instant. Apparently he would have to whisper. And that's what he did.

"Salmon ice cream"

Her mind went blank for at least 10 seconds when he whispered those three words. Yes, it was three, but technically it was two. And she was in no condition to think about it, so he could have done a monologue after that and it would still count as two words.

'What? I must have heard wrong. That doesn't even exist. No, it's Kamijou I'm talking about here. Nonsense stuff is basically his specialty. But how the hell do you make ice cream out of that? Now, besides everything I am feeling, I am curious and hungry as well. Is this all part of a larger plan that I am too stunned to understand? Is he trying to push all my buttons in one day?'

xxxx-xxxx

Meanwhile, in the ITEM apartment, the girls were getting a little worried about the delay. Actually, Kinuhata and Takitsubo were just starting to get hungry, it was Frenda who was worried. The blonde left her room and walked back to the living room, finding Kinuhata still in the same place, entertaining himself with her cell phone.

"Why aren't they here yet?" The blonde asked. She knew the girls didn't have a precise answer to that question, but she asked anyway "Basically, I think I'll send him a few more messages"

The blonde picked up her cell phone, which made Offense Armor put hers aside and roll her eyes at the scene. Level 4 put all her ability to care about the whole thing together to formulate a sentence that at least wasn't so disrespectful.

"Are you texting him while he is with Mugino? What is your super problem? Have you lost what little sanity you still had?" The girl's tone was completely neutral, as if she barely cared what was going on. "I have no idea why she likes being around that guy so much, but if you interrupt their conversation without a good reason she'll kill you. I'm not kidding, she's killed people for a lot less"

Before the blonde could retort, the front door was opened. The two girls looked toward the door, seeing Shizuri and Kamijou side by side. The boy had a sports bag that looked like the kind golfers used to carry their clubs, but a little bigger, while the level 5 was clutching his left arm, carrying a cardboard box with her.

"Hi Kamijou. Basically, what took you guys so long?" Asked the blonde, approaching the boy and displaying a smile on her face.

The two teenagers so close together looked at each other, communicating silently to try to figure out who would explain the situation.

"We were having a nice conversation, so we took our time" Kamijou said, shrugging. He didn't notice the girl next to him hugging his arm more tightly "Anyway, I have something important to show you guys. Try to stay calm, Ok?"

When he said this, all the girls narrowed their eyes, except Takitsubo who was barely connected to the world of the living. He turned away from the tea-colored girl, who reluctantly let go of his arm, and then walked to the center of the room, placing the sports bag on the floor. The girls gathered around him, still confused by what he was doing. What was so important there? The answer to this question came with the sound of a zipper, revealing the contents of the bag that he had insisted on bringing personally.

As soon as the girls saw what Kamijou was carrying around, they could not hide their perplexed expression. There were no objects there, but a person. And this person was blonde and wearing a fancy dress.

"Finally" The girl in the dress said this in an irritated tone, as she stood up and straightened her dress "You really don't know how to treat a lady, Kamijou"

xxxx-xxxx

*The night before

Kamijou had received a call from his senpai informing him that he had already completed the necessary 'arrangements' to finish the matter at hand. The boy hurriedly said goodbye to the three girls, who were confused by his sudden haste. He walked to a luxury apartment complex where Kumokawa Seria lived.

"You took your time, boy" Said the older girl, answering the door and motioning for him to come in.

"I'm sorry, it took me a little longer than I expected to convince Shizuri not to come with me"

"Shizuri?" She spoke that almost inaudibly, making room for him "He did his thing again" Kumokawa sighed at that instant

The boy entered the apartment, automatically turning his eyes to the blonde girl sitting on the sofa. At this moment a sort of walking mini-fridge passed by him, and he grabbed a bottle of water.

"I'm glad you decided to cooperate with me, Kaibi-chan" Instead of sitting down, he preferred to lean his back against a wall near the window.

"You make it sound like I had some choice in the first place" The girl in the dress didn't look at him

"Don't start that again, Gokusai" Kumokawa said, taking a seat next to the blonde "Don't give the impression to my Kohai that I threatened you. You know very well that we have much more to offer you than SCHOOL" There was a slight trace of irritation in her voice.

"Kumokawa-senpai"

As he said this, Kamijou put a serious expression on his face. The older girl looked in his direction, and he threw her a sharp look. That was all it took, and the girl almost clucked her tongue.

" I get it. Don't give me that look, boy" She couldn't keep looking him in the eyes "I just did what you asked me to do, and I expect a proper thank you "

"Let's put that aside for now, senpai" He moved from the wall to an armchair, standing facing the two "Kaibi-chan, you must already know why you're here. It's been three months since that fiasco, so I hope this time will be different"

"I'm doing my best, Kamijou" The blonde girl was uncomfortable, and she knew that was the goal of those two "You know you can trust me, but what I'm doing here is a delicate job. If I make a single mistake, I'll be a stain on the sidewalk the next day."

"All right, I understand" He leaned back in the armchair, taking a sip from his water bottle "So let's just work with what you've accomplished so far, what do you say?"

Trying to find a comfortable seat on that expensive couch, but which looked like a bed of thorns now, Kaibi alternated her gaze between those two enigmatic teenagers. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips.

"I need to know something first" The blonde tried to keep her gaze steady, but found that she couldn't even look him in the eye "That day in district 16, was it just a coincidence? Or did you distract me so that I missed my target on purpose?"

"Huh? What are you talking about Kaibi-chan? Of course it was a coincidence" This time he leaned forward, forcing her to look into his eyes, but she still refused "There's no way I could have known you were on a mission. I just saw a friend and wanted to say hello"

At that moment, the girl in the dress used all the knowledge she had learned on the dark side to try to read something in that neutral expression. She soon gave up, like all the other times.

"It's always been like this since we met" Gokusai sighed again "Since the day I met you two, the only options I have to deal with you are 'cooperate' or 'run away'. And I think I'm done running away." She alternated her gaze again between those two "Really, why do I even try to fight? What horrible choices have I made in my life to deserve this? It's all my fault in the end, no one forced me to make an alliance with the most manipulative girl in the whole city..." She paused, this time looking the boy right in the eye "And her apprentice.

xxxx-xxxx

The three girls alternated their gazes between Gokusai and Kamijou as they tried to process everything that was happening.

"You're being unfair, Kaibi-chan" The dark blue-eyed boy crossed his arms defensively "Don't forget that being put in a bag was your idea. I told you I would handle the cameras"

"And I said it's the eyewitnesses I'm worried about" Answered the girl in the dress, also crossing her arms.

"That's just paranoia, and you know it" He raised his tone a bit

While they were arguing, Frenda looked at the other blonde with an annoyed face, Kinuhata only looked confused, and Takitsubo only looked about to sleep. But in Shizuri's case, she didn't even know what to say or what expression she should make in front of that.

'She was in the trunk the whole time. Did she hear us? No, that car must have something to prevent that, since it would be inconvenient for prisoners to eavesdrop on their captors' conversations. Is that why he seemed so nervous? So I really wasn't having any effect on him? I guess I'm thinking too much about this. If I go on like this I won't be able to keep up the slow pace. But why did he bring her here? Control your anger, Shizuri. Whatever it is, I have to support him'

"Call me paranoid all you want Kamijou, but don't forget that I'm the one taking the biggest risk here" Now the girl in the dress looked really pissed off "I'm in the middle of the crossfire between two dark side groups led by two level 5s. If Kakine realizes what I'm doing, it's over, and you know it, so what did you do? You were driving around the damn city at 20 miles an hour instead of coming straight here. Is that your definition of not attracting attention? Or did you want to suffocate me to death in that trunk?"

"Kaibi, I need you to calm down, okay?" Asked the boy, gently placing a hand on the girl's shoulder "You're safe here"

"You know it's not just me I'm worried about" She was a little calmer, but there was still irritation in her voice "Your promise was that you would protect me and my sisters, I can be safe as long as I'm on your side, but what about them?"

"We've already had that conversation, my senpai is taking care of it"

"I don't trust that girl, so I don't give a damn what she's doing. If you want me to calm down, I need you to look me in the eye and say you're going to do something about it"

With a tired sigh, the boy put his other hand on the girl's other shoulder. He then did as she asked, looking intensely into her eyes with that bluish darkness.

"Kaibi, have I ever failed you? Just trust me, everything will be fine, as always."

He didn't look away once. It was the girl's idea for him to look her in the eye, but it was she who was having trouble facing him. With a subtle gesture, she nodded. She seemed to have calmed down completely now. The boy then took the opportunity to subtly move her body toward the other girls, who watched in absolute silence.

"Now let's get to introductions" Kamijou said, trying to sound natural "Kaibi-chan, this is Frenda, Kinuhata, Takitsubo and Shizuri. Girls, this is Gokusai Kaibi. She's our spy from SCHOOL , so please treat her well."

"Spy?" The first reaction came from Frenda, who looked at the girl with a dumbfounded expression "Basically, what are you up to Kamijou?"

"That's super suspicious" Kinuhata was more serious than usual "Mugino, what's going on? Is that why you guys took so long? Was someone following you?"

'Damn it, Kamijou. If you're going to stand by my side, then trust me at least' The tea-colored haired girl thought that while looking at the person who was still a mystery to her.

"Yes" Shizuri said, straightening her posture and trying to sound convincing "We were driving around to make sure we weren't being followed. I'll let Kamijou explain everything"

'It should be enough. I'm as lost as they are, but I have to trust him. Honestly, no matter what he's planning, I know things will be interesting if he's involved, so the best plan of action is to support him so I can gain his trust'

"Thank you Shizuri" Kamijou said, smiling at the tea-colored haired girl, who displayed a small smile at the corner of her lips "As I was saying, Kaibi gave me important information that she got from the other SCHOOL members. What I have is only a brief summary, so I decided to bring her here so she could tell all of us the details."

"I don't understand what this super has to do with us" Kinuhata still hadn't let go of her distrust "We haven't received any missions to investigate other dark side groups or anything like that. Which means this seems like something super personal. I assume it has something to do with what you asked us to do yesterday?"

"Yes. I intend to tell you all today what I am planning. It will be a long talk, so it would be best if we do it while we have lunch."

"Are you going to cook?" Kaibi asked, a little too excited "I guess it's the least you could do after what you put me through"

At that moment, Shizuri began to notice some strange things. She narrowed her eyes towards the blonde girl in the fancy dress, and then her gaze went to the other blonde in the beret next to her. Her thoughts began to interconnect as she connected some important dots, not about whatever it was that Kamijou was planning, but something that hadn't bothered her until now.

'That time at the mall, and then at school, and yesterday too. And now this... how many girls does Kamijou know? I ignored it because I really didn't give a shit, but Frenda clearly seems to like him. Wait, there's that thing Frenda told me about that girl too... Shinseijou Kaguya, something about telling him hers past… but… why… '

These thoughts began to flow without stopping, the girl was so absorbed that the world around her seemed to stand still. This was like that moment when the detective in an investigative thriller has an epiphany and all the clues finally begin to fall into place.

'That ridiculous guy with the glasses said something to me like "I'm rooting for you." Is that what he was talking about? All this time I thought I was in the lead, but in fact I might be in last place and I don't even have a way of knowing. Did that Tokiwadai bitch really confess to him yesterday? No, I don't want to believe that. I'm just thinking too much. I have to get it out of my head, Kamijou already has too big an effect on me, if I continue down this path I'll end up going too fast, which will only drive him away.'

Shizuri shook her head, trying to make those thoughts go away. She looked at the scene in front of her, which was a blur a second ago. The girl in the dress, who before seemed angry with Kamijou, with a certain reason, seemed quite calm now, in fact she had a simple smile at the corner of her lips. Had he told one of his stupid jokes while she was lost in thought?

'Shizuri, don't overthink it. He's clearly popular, of course he is, but that doesn't mean anything. I mean, I don't remember him making any advances on me, and even when he told me he would stand by me, that's not the kind of thing he was talking about. Doesn't he see me that way? No... no... he said that I am his type, so maybe he is just waiting for me to make the advances? He's certainly not shy, so he just doesn't want to go too fast, that's all. That's fine with me, I'll go at his pace. Wait, there is also the chance that he has a girlfriend. Considering how popular he is, I wouldn't be surprised. Damn, the thought of him with another girl is making me angry. How can I have his attention with another girl who is certainly inferior to me getting in my way? I need to calm down a bit, otherwise I'll end up becoming that archetype of personality that he doesn't like. Life is hard when you can't kill everyone on the way to victory'

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the world outside her head, but what she saw did not help her calm down. When had Frenda stood next to him? And why was she so close to his left arm? That was her place, which she intended to stay until the end of time if at all possible. And then there was the fact that the girl in the dress was too close to him as well. This annoyed her, especially when she remembered that he also called her by her given name. Were they that close? Was she missing out? How many steps was that girl in front of her? Other thoughts began to pop into her head, but one of them stood out above all the others. It was those words she had ignored until now.

'Good luck and be quick. That's what that idiot in the sunglasses said, isn't it? I made a mistake. I thought my approach was the best way to get his attention. A light teasing here and there, some subtle physical contact, slowly and progressively increasing the pace. But now I realize the truth, it won't do, if I continue like this a lot of girls will take him away from me. I can't believe that asshole in a Hawaiian shirt helped me to open my eyes. Okay, Shizuri, no more holding back. I have weapons and I'm going to use them. My plan of action will change from now on, I'm stepping on the gas and nothing will stop me until I have his full attention. But that alone is not enough, he has that mask of his, so I need something to break it. Maybe if I tried the whole caring and attentive thing? Yes, that will do it. That's perfect. You better get ready Kamijou, I'm going into full DereDere mode now'

And as she chose her plan of action that she was sure would leave all the competition eating dust, she put a giant smile on her face, so energetic that the temperature in the room must have risen at least 10 degrees. She walked towards Kamijou and extended her hand towards him, her goal obviously being his left arm, so she grabbed it and approached him, which made Frenda be forced to step back as she saw her creepy boss claim her place beside him.

"Kamijou, it's getting late" Shizuri said as soon as the boy noticed her approach. She was careful to keep her tone of voice as soft as possible "How about we go into the kitchen? Your beatiful assistant is eager to help you"

All the girls in the room understood the message Meltdowner was trying to get across there. Even though she was acting so cute, with the exception of Kamijou, everyone in the room froze in place. This was due to the fact that the girl was still emitting a murderous aura, but the friendly fire was off, and all the other girls were enemies, so they all cringed. Shizuri was not yet experienced in the art of 'DereDere', so this was as far as she would get for now.

"Yeah, you're right" He said it casually, not caring about the girl's sudden approach "You seem excited, Shizuri. I'm starting to feel inspired. Get ready to be spoiled today."

'It's working. I'm terrible in the kitchen, but I can use that to my advantage. Yes... yes... I can think of a lot of interesting things. The others won't stand a chance if I hit him hard'

He nodded to the other members who were under the intimidating effect and then started walking towards the kitchen. Shizuri took advantage of the fact that Kamijou didn't mind her approach and decided to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Shizuri, is something wrong? You look a little strange" He was clearly nervous at the sudden approach, but he recovered quickly as always.

"Nothing wrong," she said, almost whispering in his ear, "I just thought we should get a little closer. And before you ask, no, I'm not teasing you, or trying to get a cheap reaction out of you or anything"

"Really?" He looked at her confused, still suspicious "This Kamijou-san is not used to being treated like this. But I won't complain."

'Great, that's what I wanted to hear. I'm no longer interested in cheap reactions. I want him to get used to having me around. But just physical contact is not enough, I need to learn more about him, that way I can understand him better, know what he likes'

Arriving in the kitchen, Kamijou opened the refrigerator and began pulling out the necessary ingredients. If one were to judge by his expression, he did not seem pleased with the selection of things in the refrigerator. Shizuri began to worry. She had woken up early and ordered a huge variety of ingredients using an app that Frenda recommended, but it still didn't seem to be enough.

"Don't you guys have avocado?" He asked, placing some ingredients on the countertop.

'Shit, why didn't I buy this? No problem, the Academy City's delivery system is excellent'

"I guess not" She replied, reaching for her cell phone in her pocket "But I can have it delivered, the new drone deliveries are incredibly fast. Do you need anything else for this ice cream?"

"Actually, the Avocado is not for the ice cream, but for the Tartare" He picked up a knife and began to sharpen it.

"So we'll have Tartare today?" she looked at a piece of tuna on one of the countertops "Your specialty is fish I suppose"

"Would you believe me if I said no?" As she said that, the girl noticed a smile at the corner of his lip "By the way, could you order some sesame? I couldn't find any."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"Yes, some mushrooms. Shitake or champignon. Which do you prefer?" He picked up the piece of tuna and began testing the edge of the knife.

"I don't have a preference, so I'll order both. Do you need anything else?"

"Hmm… I don't think I'm forgetting anything"

"Great" She fiddled with her cell phone for a few more seconds before putting it away "The order should arrive soon. What can I do to help now?"

"You're very attentive today, woke up in a good mood?" He turned the knife handle to her, who took it automatically.

"Yes, for the first time in years. Now, what can your beautiful assistant do for you?"

"I need you to dice some fruit for me. I put them in that bowl"

The girl looked at the transparent bowl, which had a variety of fruits like strawberries, mangoes and oranges. Grabbing it with one hand, she had an idea at that instant.

'I think it's time for a classic. And the best thing is that I am so bad in the kitchen that I don't even have to pretend, so it will be a perfect performance'

"Kamijou, can you show me how I should do it? My cooking skills are not the best"

"Sure" He walked over to her and held out his hand for her to hand him the knife.

'No... that's not what I had in mind. Damn, I'll be more direct'.

"It would be better if you taught me while guiding me, that way I learn faster" She picked up a mango and placed it on the cutting board, using the knife to make a wide cut.

"You are doing well, it seems that all of ITEM are good with blades"

'What do you mean I'm doing well? I literally did nothing. Is he teasing me again? Just hold my fucking hand like in a romantic comedy and...'.

Taking a deep breath, the girl changed her approach again. Being subtle wasn't going to work, so like a girl who knows what she wants, she would make him understand what she wanted him to do, even if she had to draw him a picture to make him understand.

"Kamijou, I prefer that you guide me directly. Do you understand what I mean?" She looked down at her hand, to make the point clear.

"But..."

"Okay, fuck it..." She used her free hand to grab his right hand and placed it over her right hand that held the knife "Great, now let's tear this mango into pieces"

"You really are excited"

As he said this, he positioned himself, standing behind the girl and looking over her shoulder as he 'guided' her.

'I can feel his breath on my neck, I can't concentrate like this. Not that I care. But what I need to do is easy enough, so I shouldn't have any problems. I wouldn't mind learning to cook if he offered to teach me. Come to think of it, I should ask him myself. I help him dress better and he teaches me how to cook, so we can have two things in common. There is that manga too, I think I can finish it in one night... no, I almost forgot, he will sleep here from now on, I can't stay up all night and get dark circles under my eyes'

While the girl let her mind flow, he helped her cut up all the different kinds of fruit in the bowl, so that she would understand what she had to do. The problem was that the girl was not exactly interested in any of it.

'I need to make more advances... I said I'd go all in, but at the same time I wanted to give him some opportunities to take the initiative. It would be nice if he looked at me like that more often as he holds my hand and... wait, he's moving away'

"I guess you must have gotten the hang of it by now," Kamijou said, turning his back to her, "I need to marinate the tuna. Keep at it. If you need help, just ask"

A little disappointed, the girl sighed and went back to work. It was something simple, but she was trying her best to impress. The girl wanted to make the perfect cubes, but she lacked the necessary skill. So she opted for speed over quality.

'That should be the best option. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can move on to the next task. Time to murder some fruit. Wait, what kind of tartare is he making anyway?'

"Hey, Kamijou, you're preparing a tuna tartare right?" Shizuri asked, still concentrating on cutting the fruits.

"Yes, and I'm also making a Fresh Fruit Tartare with Red Fruit Syrup" He stood next to her and started to cut up some raspberries, however he was chopping them instead of dicing them "We're going to prepare a full meal. Seared tuna tartare will be the main course. I was thinking of preparing a Tiramisu for dessert. Do you have any cognac here?"

"Ohoo... are you trying to get me drunk? Bold... I like it" She flashed a smile in his direction.

"Eh? That's not my intention, but now you've got me curious. What kind of drunk are you?"

"I am literally the same person, but with a bad aim. What about you?"

Kamijou grimaced at that instant, as he concentrated on cutting his fruit. He thought for five seconds before answering, which only served to increase the girl's curiosity.

"Kaibi has some strange stories about the last time I got drunk. According to her I am a complete 'disaster', a threat to humanity as a whole. She refuses to elaborate any further than that, so I decided I wasn't going to drink until I was old enough. In fact, I will extend that decision to 'never again'"

"She must be exaggerating, it can't be that bad. You should see Frenda drunk" Shizuri almost laughed.

"Frenda? She must be like what, 12?"

"I know what you're trying to say, but we're in a city where something like adults, basically forcing kids to use drugs to mess with their brains, is something considered completely normal. Alcohol is practically water around here" She shrugged, finishing the last of her fruit. She put the knife aside and turned her attention back to Kamijou "By the way, I noticed you call Gokusai by her given name, are you guys that close?"

'I need to be sure if that girl is the biggest threat or not. She said some pretty intriguing things, she really seems to have complete trust in Kamijou considering she is willing to betray #2'

"Actually not so much" The boy looked in Meltdowner's direction as he said this "We became friends because the universe keeps randomly making us meet. We did some work together, one of which involved exotic drinks, don't ask me questions, but that's about it. The only reason I don't call her Gokusai is because I know the three Gokusai sisters, so I just decided to call them by their given name. I use 'chan' just because she seems to get annoyed by it"

"Classic Kamijou" She joked "So if you had to say which of us two is closest to you, which would it be?"

"You, obviously"

'That... a perfect answer. He didn't even hesitate. So I really am making progress'

But the boy wasn't finished yet. He stopped cutting his fruit and looked at her more intensely, one of the looks she likes so much.

"I mean, I've known her the longest, but I can't say that I've had many pleasant moments around her" He shook his head negatively as he said this, leaning slightly in the girl's direction before continuing "Don't get me wrong, fighting alongside someone strengthens bonds, but you seem interested in my normal life too, not only my adventures on the dark side. Heck, I even got you into reading manga, I can't wait to go to these manga events together. and.. wait, I think I'm getting a little too excited" He stopped looking at her and focused again on his work "What I mean is, you're a much nicer person than I expected"

'Wow... that was amazing. My addiction is increasing more and more. He's got me on edge now. If he had kept looking at me like that until the end, I probably would have lost control. Something tells me this is a good time to make a breakthrough...'

To Shizuri's misfortune, her advance was interrupted by an intruder who burst into the kitchen at that instant, carrying some bags with her.

"A super drone left this outside" The bob cut girl put the bags on a countertop and then looked at Kamijou "Will it be much longer before you guys finish? Everyone is super hungry"

'Shit, I had already forgotten about the order. What does Kamijou usually say? Such Misfortune'

"We are preparing Tartare, so it won't take long" Kamijou said, still concentrating.

"It will take a lot less time if you go back to the room and let us work" The tea-colored girl added.

"Someone seems to be super having fun" Kinuhata teased

"Yes, and I will have even more fun when I blow your…" The Level 5 took a deep breath and looked in Kamijou's direction.

'I need to calm down a bit. No violence Shizuri... at least not in his presence. I need to make sure no one interrupts us anymore. I already know what to do'

"Kamijou, do you mind if I have a quick chat with Kinuhata?" She asked in a sweet tone, which only served to make the level 4 step back in fear.

"No. Take your time" Answered the boy, finishing cutting his fruit and putting it back in the bowl.

Level 5 didn't even have to say anything, she just walked out of the kitchen and was followed by the startled Level 4. When they were far enough away, Shizuri started handing out her typical 'kindness'.

"So, Kinuhata..." Meltdowner clenched her fists at that instant, trying to control her emotions "In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to have a fun time with Kamijou, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your ass on the couch in the living room and not in our kitchen. If anyone needs to fucking warn us about anything, or deliver any shit, text us first or something. Can I count on you to let the others know about this?" The level 5 girl's tone of voice was so scary that she shook her head in pure reflex "Now get out of my face" She made an exaggerated hand gesture, which made the girl practically run back to the room.

'Ok, problem solved. Now back to DereDere mode'.

She clapped her hands twice and took a breath. Meltdowner still had a long way to go by the looks of it. Level 5 decided to take advantage of being away from Kamijou to better plan what she needed to do, since when she was in his presence, she was pretty sure her cognitive ability diminished.

Returning to the kitchen, she found Kamijou preparing something in a small pot.

'It smells sweet. It must be the syrup he had talked about. I just had an interesting idea'

"Can I help you with that?" She asked.

"Sure. I'm cooking on low heat, so I need you to keep stirring for about 15 to 20 minutes until it reduces."

He dropped the wooden spoon and walked over to the groceries that had just arrived. Shizuri began to stir the mixture of berries, water, and sugar, while watching the boy take an avocado and cut it in half.

"Your kitchen is amazing" Kamijou said, removing the seed from the avocado "There's pretty much everything I need here"

Still watching Kamijou, the girl noticed him grab something from the fridge. A few minutes passed, while Shizuri continued to do her task in the background, as her attention kept returning to the spiky-haired boy several times. She still had no idea what exactly he was doing, but he seemed very excited about it all.

"You can turn off the fire now" He warned, taking a look at the contents of the pot and then going back to what he was doing.

"Can I taste it?"

"Of course"

Waiting for him to become distracted, she cracked a smile on her face. Shizuri had a simple plan in mind: she would use the strategy of the clumsy girl. The girl tasted some of the syrup and then deliberately let the spoon touch her cheek.

'If all goes well, it will be just like that moment in the car. When he touches my face I'm going to feel that feeling again and this time I'm going to... damn why am I so excited about something so silly? It's not enough. I've got a lot of exposed skin here, maybe I should get his attention using this. I have a idea, I'll sit on one of these countertops and cross my legs. I should be about his height so that's fine'

"Kamijou, is there anything else you want me to do?" She said that as she sat on the countertop and leaned her body forward a little.

The moment the boy looked in her direction, a confused expression formed on his face. Taking advantage of his attention, she slowly crossed her exposed legs, careful not to show more than was necessary for the moment. She almost licked her lips as the boy's gaze slowly lowered. Shizuri was careful to keep her expression friendly and her posture relaxed and approachable.

'Come on, time to pick up the pace a little. I just need to tilt my head now and he'll notice the syrup on my cheek'

"Shizuri" He approached her, looking her in the face now

"Yes?"

'He understands. If he touches my face looking at me like that, there's no turning back. I'm going at supersonic speeds now'

"You have some syrup on your cheek" the boy pointed with his finger to her face.

"Really?" She smiled mischievously. Predicting that he would say something like that, the girl followed through with her plan "Can you clean up for me?"

"Yes, of course"

'An automatic response, it's going better than I thought. I'm thinking of going even faster. When he touches my face I'll take his other hand and without him noticing I'll... wait why is he moving away?'

A sigh of disappointment was heard as the girl watched Kamijou moisten a napkin using the tap water. He walked back to her and began to carefully wipe the syrup from the girl's face. Technically he was touching her face, but that wasn't really the idea, so her plan was a failure.

'At least he's paying attention to me. He's pretty close too, so I consider that a victory. Maybe the hint wasn't so clear? No, he is very perceptive so it must be something else. Is he doing it on purpose to tease me or... is it what I thought before?'

"That thing is sticky then..." The boy started to speak but was soon interrupted.

"Kamijou, do you have a girlfriend?"

The girl didn't even bother to prepare the ground before asking that aggressive question. Kamijou dropped his napkin, which fell onto Meltdowner's thighs. He opened his mouth at least three times, but his vocal cords refused to produce any sound. Moving away from the girl and turning his back, he stood there as if he had just witnessed a horrible accident.

Okay, I'm a pretty straightforward girl, but I should have been a little more tactful. What should I do if the answer is yes? The first step should be to know who this girl is and... damn I can't just eliminate her, if I do that he will hate me. He would forgive me eventually, but I don't want him to hate me, not even for a second. Besides, this is not the path I choose to follow beside him from now on'

"That... kind of came out of nowhere" Kamijou finally recovered from the shock of the question. He moved closer to the girl again before continuing "No, I don't have a girlfriend" He sounded tired at that instant.

'Nice. He's single, I don't have to worry about some random girl sharing his attention. Why was I so worried? He must have very high standards. All the girls I've seen so far next to him aren't that great. That Gokusai girl is 'okay' at best, but compared to me, it's not even competition. Only I'm good enough to be on his side'

"This Kamijou-san's luck is not good with women either" He shrugged and sighed.

"It's not the fault of your supposed bad luck, it just must be hard to find someone who fits your very high standards" She for some reason smiled beamingly as she said that.

"My standards are not high. I have an ideal type, but at this point I would settle for just about any girl. But so far none have shown any feelings for me" He sighed again, much louder this time "Such Misfortune"

"Eh?"

Meltdowner forgot for a moment to breathe when she heard that. She put her hand on her chin as she grimaced.

'Was that one of his attempts to be funny? He is probably, the person with the greatest ability to read someone without needing a power that I have ever met. Hell, I've told him practically nothing about my life, and yet he was able to understand me perfectly. I refuse to believe that someone like that could be so dense. But... on second thought... this is perfect...'

It was the spiky-haired boy's turn to grimace when he saw an evil grin forming on the Level 5's face.

"Shizuri, why are you looking at me and smiling like that?" He scratched his head and looked away.

"Yes... that's perfect. I don't care if he's faking it or really is as dense as a black hole, if he's not responding to the advances of the swarm of girls after him, then they literally don't stand a chance. I don't even need to go as fast as I planned. I'm getting back into a normal rhythm from now on. All my worry has been washed away because of a single fact that I missed'

"You have a smile as scary as my mother's" Kamijou said, moving toward the refrigerator.

And that frightening smile fell apart as soon as Meltdowner heard that. The expression on her face was totally neutral now.

"Huh?"

"I guess it must be some kind of universal law that every generation of my family has to go through this kind of thing" He spoke, taking something out of the fridge "That time would come sooner or later. I can't complain, after all… all the men in the 'Kamijou' family must learn how to deal with a scary girl"

As he said this, he took a metal spoon and put something into a small glass cup. It was a strange color, like a pinkish orange. He walked over to the girl and took some of the red fruit syrup they had prepared.

"This is for you" He held out his hand, offering whatever that was to her.

She examined that delicacy with a strange frown. The smell was incredibly familiar, which instantly reminded her of something.

'Wait, is that... salmon ice cream? I was so focused on everything else that I had forgotten this was a thing. So that's what he was working on when I wasn't looking. Well, time to try this thing'

Level 5 was still doubtful, so she carefully took a spoonful. She knew that the boy had excellent culinary skills, but it was obvious that this was an improvised, rushed meal, there was no way it could be good.

"Oh my god..."

And obviously she was wrong. The girl felt so light at that moment that she was sure her soul had left her body. That exotic flavor that combined the salty and the sweet had no right to blend so well. For several seconds she stood frozen, her eyes closed as the ice cream slowly melted, activating all her taste buds. Her eyes were beginning to water.

'He doesn't follow the rules of this world. I underestimated him'.

"So, what did you think?" Kamijou said, crossing his arms smugly.

The girl, who at this moment was using the rest of her willpower not to shed tears, lifted the clear glass cup, looking at the boy's face through it. With a happy smile on her face she spoke a single word in a sweet voice.

"Perfect"

'You are perfect for me'

xxxx-xxxx

In the living room of the ITEM apartment, a sepulchral silence dominated the environment. All four girls gathered there had been this way for over an hour. Every now and then one of them would glance in the direction of the 'intruder', who would look back with a bored expression on her face.

"How long do you girls plan on staring at me like that?" The girl in the dress asked angrily "My esper power has no offensive capabilities, and I don't even have a weapon with me, there's no reason to be so alert"

"That's what you super say" Kinuhata got up from her lying position of one of the couches in the room and now looked the supposed ally right in the eyes "I think we have to do a super detailed inspection, what do you say Frenda?"

"Basically, you're right" The explosive girl put a strange smile on her face as she said that

"That won't be necessary" She also smiled and looked in the direction of the other blonde. "Kamijou already took care of that last night in his dorm" Gokusai's smile widened even more when she saw Frenda undo hers "It was a veeeeery detailed inspection. He's a thorough person, you know? Pretty skilled with his hands too. He didn't miss a single detail"

Frenda was angry now, so angry that at any moment she would start fuming. She got up from the couch and by reflex brought her hand to the back of her skirt.

"She's just super teasing you" Kinuhata said, which made Frenda stop what she was doing "But that made me super curious. How did you and Kamijou meet?"

Wiping the smile off her face, the girl in the dress settled down on the sofa and propped her elbow on the leg, resting her cheek on one hand.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I wonder how that girl is doing" She stared into the void for a while before focusing her eyes on Kinuhata "I met him when my sisters and I were on a mission. It seemed like a pretty simple mission, all we had to do was eliminate a girl from Tokiwadai with almost zero offensive potential. We cornered her in a burning building and everything seemed to be going well"

"Let me guess" Frenda interrupted, sitting down on the couch "Basically, Kamijou came out of nowhere and kicked the ass of you three"

"Almost that. Actually, when my two sisters were defeated, I ran away" She shrugged. The two girls made a confused expression but did not interrupt her "I know what you are thinking. I thought that was the best plan of action. Come to think of it, I kind of panicked at that moment. I tried to make a surprise attack using the smoke as cover, shot him three times from a short distance while he was hiding because of my little sister, who was shooting at him with a gatling gun. Yet he managed to react in time to defend himself. No shots hit him. My powers didn't seem to work properly on him either, which left me confused. My two sisters were defeated and I didn't have the firepower to finish the job alone. So I ran away so that I could try to rescue them later. I ruined a very good shoe that day, by the way"

"Talking like that, you make it sound like he's a hero from a super action movie" Kinuhata commented, slightly interested in the story.

"Basically, I saw something like that in that underground office" Frenda closed her eyes and put a hand on her undeveloped chest "Maybe, he really is a hero"

"I wouldn't bet all my chips on this" Retorted Kaibi, with a dull tone in her voice "I have seen first hand that Kamijou Touma is not such a simple thing. I have seen him state once that he is such a broken guy that he would immediately punch someone in the face if the situation demands it. Rikuri Nee-san has formulated a theory that tries to explain the way he acts. He may be on the 'side of good', but his claims of justice change from one moment to the next. When he fights, Kamijou takes a stance of 'all's well that ends well', so everything leading up to that ending can become twisted. No one with normal sensibilities would act that way. That boy told me once that it's not quite like that, there is a line he will never cross..." Kaibi seemed a little nervous at that instant. Her throat suddenly became dry, as if a memory she had suppressed was coming back "But the line between light and darkness is so very thin... it's only a matter of time before he stops noticing the difference. That's why I made this difficult choice. If that day comes, I don't want to be on a battlefield with him as my enemy."

Silence once again settled for a few seconds. The two ITEM girls realized that the girl in the dress was trying her best to hide her emotions. There was another story there that she didn't seem willing to tell, that was obvious. The mood in the room only got worse as time went on, until a cheerful voice cut through the thick silence.

"I hope you are hungry, Girls" Said the dark blue eyed boy, with his beautiful assistant holding his left arm, a scene that was becoming common "Follow us, we have a lot to talk about" The two started walking towards the dining room.

"It's about super time" Kinuhata said this and almost ran into the dining room.

"Finally" Kaibi spoke, getting up hastily "I wonder if someday, Kamijou Touma will learn not to keep a girl waiting"

"For some reason, I didn't like what she said" Meltdowner commented
"Basically, I'm sure it was worth the wait" Frenda was excited, if you were to judge by her hurried steps.

"I'm still rooting for you, Kamijou" Takitsubo added, walking lazily.

xxxx-xxxx

In another part of Academy City, a girl with long black hair, who looked like she was still in middle school, was receiving a delivery from a drone. She looked puzzled at this package that she never asked for. Opening it, she found some transparent plastic bags that looked like a Ketchup sachet. Examining carefully, she noticed that there was a translucent substance inside those small plastic bags, something like a white 'dust'. There was also a sheet of paper inside the box. The curious girl took the sheet of paper and began to read the writing.

"This is your chance to stop being powerless"

xxxx-xxxx

"Is that Tartare?" Gokusai asked, sitting down at the table "Holding back as usual. I was hoping you would make one of your specialties today."

"Perhaps another time" Kamijou said, pulling out a chair for Shizuri to sit down. The other girls looked at this simple gesture with mixed expressions on their faces "You can start explaining the situation at your leisure"

"Ok, but first" The girl in the dress took a forkful of her Fruit Tartare and brought it to her mouth, making a satisfied expression "Hmmmm... you have improved. I can say, with certainty, that you are on the same level as 'her'."

"Really? I think I'm still missing something."

He also tasted some of his dish, being imitated by the other 4 girls, who had far less subtle reactions than the girl in the dress. Shizuri had already tasted some while helping Kamijou, so she was already mentally prepared, but Frenda and Kinuhata had to muster all their willpower not to devour everything in a frenzy. The strange thing is that Takitsubo seemed perfectly calm. It seems that she had already acquired a certain resistance after such a shock.

"Leaving your typical self-deprecating comments aside, let's start by letting everyone here know a few concepts" Gokusai didn't wait for the girls to recover before beginning her explanation "I assume everyone here has heard the concept of SYSTEM, am I correct?"

"SYSTEM?" Shizuri took another bite before speaking "That is the main goal of the research done in Academy City. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire city was built with that in mind."

"Those who are not deities that reach the sense of the heavens" The girl in the dress continued "In other words, a level 6. Something that doesn't exist yet, a human being capable of surpassing humanity. Several experiments were and are still being done just for this purpose, but among them, the most important for this conversation was the one performed by a scientist named 'Kihara Gensei', the creator of the 'Ability Body Crystal'"

Hearing this, Shizuri stopped eating for a moment and narrowed her eyes. She glanced subtly at Kamijou, who was still focused on his meal. Confirming that he wasn't paying attention, she directed her gaze to one of the girls on her team, the one with the ability to track AIM fields. For a moment, level 5 found her seat a bit uncomfortable. You never could tell how much that boy knew.

"It was a horrible experiment, by the way" Gokusai returned to her explanation "I heard that one of the scientists responsible felt so guilty that she took her own life shortly afterwards"

The girl in the dress paused for a long time, giving everyone a little time to process the information. It was Kamijou who decided to speak first, he seemed a bit shaken by the whole thing.

"I already mentioned that some scientists are trying to create a more stable version of these crystals" He said, without looking in the direction of anyone in particular "And I'm sure you all know what the original product is for, so let's skip to the important part"

"As you wish" Gokusai shrugged and wiped her mouth with a napkin "Now, I will briefly explain the concept of 'AIM Diffusion Field Resonance'. This is the phenomenon that occurs when two or more espers with abilities of the same type are close to each other. When this happens, the AIM fields 'Resonate', becoming larger and more powerful."

"Basically, even someone like me understands that concept" Frenda commented, already almost finished with her dish.

"Do you understand? This is a super surprise!" teased Kinuhata, putting her plate aside.

"If you two don't have something relevant to say, be quiet" Shizuri said, almost in a growl

"Anyway" Gokusai continued, ignoring the interruptions "You should be getting my point by now" Everyone at the table, except Kamijou, turned their attention to the blonde in the flashy dress "The leader of my group, SCHOOL, is #2 in Academy City, and one of his goals is to become #1, so that way he can have an audience with the board chairman"

"Wait" Shizuri interrupted her, with a suspicious face "Are you trying to say that Kakine Teitoku is trying to become a level 6?"

A brief silence struck that dining room, but it was soon broken again by Kamijou.

"According to the information we have gathered... yes, you are right" He finally decided to look in Shizuri's direction.

"I heard him comment something like that a few months ago" Gokusai revealed, bringing the table's attention back to her "But it seemed like just one of his typical daydreams, however I've started to notice some strange behaviors in him lately. For example, he's asking a lot of favors and accepting missions that aren't exactly our style, and on top of that, he seemed to be working on something on his own a few weeks ago. This has become more frequent in the last few days. He even hired the help of an esper group that specializes in stealing information. Information that he kept secret from the entire SCHOOL. All this leaves us with only a few pieces of the puzzle, but almost no hope of how to put it together. However, I was able to get in touch with one of the girls from the group he hired, which helped me understand what he was up to."

"And how exactly does he intend to become a super level 6?" Kinuhata asked, serving himself with the second kind of Tartare on the table.

"I know what you're wondering" Kaibi replied, serving herself too"#2's AIM field is something as unique as his ability, which means it's virtually impossible for anyone to 'Resonate' with him. However, in the last few days I've noticed him a bit restless, now and then complaining that the information he had received was out of date, and that he needed to act soon, before it was too late."

"Just so you know, I am in possession of almost all of this information he mentioned" Kamijou revealed, receiving doubtful looks "Before you ask me, I got it from another source, but that's not important right now"

Obviously, Kamijou did not want to reveal the people who helped him put this puzzle together, since them was one of his closest friends who almost always supported him in his missions, and the other was a confused girl whom he had broken her illusions and who probably should be in jail now.

"Obviously, you're going to be super vague again" Kinuhata complained, turning her attention back to her lunch.

"And obviously, you're going to keep making irrelevant comments" Shizuri said, annoyance clear in her voice "If you have something against..."

"Shizuri" Kamijou spoke that softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, who in turn relaxed her posture and went back to eating "As I was saying, I have information revealing how the new type of Ability Body Crystal works. It is using nanorobots in its composition."

"Nanotechnology?" Meltdowner became even more interested upon hearing that "Academy City is making progress in that area. I hear that some Anti-Skill equipment already uses that technology."

"Yes, but these nanorobots are not Academy City technology" Gokusai said, picking up the explanation where the boy had left off "It was developed by a business conglomerate called 'Dust', to which the 'Shinseijou' family belongs"

"Shinseijou?" Level 5 spoke this in an inaudible whisper "Academy City doesn't usually cooperate with the outside world like this, especially on an experiment that seems so important"

"I don't have enough information, but it seems that this cooperation started years ago, nothing confirmed of course" Kaibi shrugged off this fact and then continued talking "But back to the main subject. These nanorobots will be used to make the brain and body of those who ingest the drug, change in a forced way. There is a theory that if you alter someone's body, it is possible to make them 'connect' to someone else's personal reality, but this would be a painful process, and would only be fully viable in a cyborg, but the concept here is similar. Not only will their abilities go out of control, but the AIM fields can be partially altered thanks to these nanorobots. Now imagine a massive amount of espers 'resonating' throughout the city, all serving as an output point for a specific AIM field, but at the same time having their brains act as an amplifier of one's personal reality. Theoretically, it is possible to achieve level 6 with this."

"So this is that guy's super plan?" Kinuhata looked at Kamijou instead of the blonde who had finished explaining and was now taking a drink of water "Interesting, but why should I care about all this?"

"Because people are hurting themselves because of this experiment" Kamijou put a deadly serious expression on his face "You may have already witnessed this, but that's still not all" He looked in Kaibi's direction, a silent plea for her to continue.

"There is also the fact that there is no guarantee that Kakine will reach level 6" The girl in the dress promptly complied with the request "And even if he does make it, there is no way of knowing if he will remain stable. It is almost certain that the answer is no. We're talking about a catastrophe here, maybe the entire Academy City is in danger"

"That's a super exaggeration" Offense Armor remained skeptical "What do you intend to do to stop this? Beat the crap out of #2? I doubt that would be super easy"

"I don't think it needs to come to that" Said the spiky haired boy "All we need to do is destroy the labs and stop the distribution of this drug, it shouldn't be that hard"

"And what super do we get out of it?" Again the bob-cut girl made a pertinent comment "ITEM is a group from the dark side. We save people sometimes, but because we get paid for it. We're not super heroes"

"You don't have to be a hero to help someone" Kamijou fired off another one of his quick responses "I'm not forcing anyone here to help me. The main reason I brought Kaibi here instead of explaining everything myself is to show that even someone from the dark side can do something to help someone without getting paid for it"

"Helping people without getting anything in return" It was Mugino Shizuri who said that. She had a thoughtful expression on her face "That's something that would never cross the mind of someone like me" The tea-colored haired girl was now the center of attention. She pondered silently for a few seconds. This was the turning point of her life "If this is the path that will allow me to stand by your side, then count me in"

It was a definite decision. All the girls there put an unmistakable expression of surprise on their faces, even Takitsubo had something that looked like an expression, even if it was just a raise of the eyebrows. In Kamijou's case, he just smiled satisfied and held Shizuri's hand. The path of the two were intertwined now.

"Basically, that was a little weird" Frenda was both surprised and annoyed when she saw the boy holding her boss's hand once again "I kind of expected something like that, but it's still a surprise. Anyway, I'll help you too"

"I'll support you too, Kamijou" Takitsubo spoke, with her typical lack of expression.

"Is this super serious?" Kinuhata sighed at that instant "I don't really know what's going on between you two and I really don't care" She looked at those two who looked so comfortable next to each other "But I'm part of ITEM and I won't abandon my teammates, so you can count on me for this crazy plan of yours"

And with the entire group gathered together, each with their own motives, but all sharing a common goal, the start was set for what would be the smallest war in the entire world.

xxxx-xxxx

'Sometimes I wonder if he thinks of me as much as I think of him'

Shizuri was once again trapped with her own thoughts. After the meal, the level 5 girl went to the balcony and leaned on the ledge, where she sighed every now and then, lost in her own world that had been distorted.

"May I join you?" That voice that came from behind her instantly brought her back to planet earth "Or do you need some time alone?"

"That's not a question I want to hear from you, so could you rephrase it?" Said the girl smiling.

Instead of saying something, he just smiled too and stood beside her, also leaning on the ledge and looking at the city lit up by the sunrays.

"Thanks for the support there" He said it softly, so that only she could hear

"You're welcome, but I bet you could do it without me"

"I'm not sure, you are their leader after all. Now we have to decide when we will start, I don't want to waste time, but it would be better to wait until Frenda's leg is in good condition."

"I'll let you decide that. We don't need to be in a hurry."

"And there is also the fact that I would like to do this without killing anyone. Do you think Frenda has non-lethal bombs?"

"She'll figure it out something. Thinking about it, I need to be careful from now on" She put her hand on her chin.

'If I'm going to stay by his side, then I have to do things his way. But I don't know exactly how he acts. Is not killing enough?'

"Your powers are pretty destructive, but I'm sure you can use them without hurting anyone more than necessary" He wasn't looking at her when he said this

"It depends on what you consider 'more than necessary'. But I know enough about the human body to think of something. For example, hitting someone in the right place can make them pass out from the shock of intense pain. It won't be any different from those times when I was bored and I started to ..." She left her sentence unfinished and looked at the city as she sighed "Even with good intentions, I'm still the same. It seems there is a constant in this world ... once a monster, always a monster"

Just as she finished those words, she felt something wrap around her waist. Kamijou had reduced the distance between them and was now holding her tightly, as if he sensed that she was pulling away and that he needed to hold her before it was too late.

"Don't overthink it" Kamijou said, his calm, gentle voice contrasting with his sharp gaze "You may not have lived your life the right way up until then, but there isn't a single person in the world who is completely good. And besides... whether you're a monster or not is irrelevant to me, I'm still here aren't I? I'm in no position to forgive what you've done, if I were, I would, but as the person who will stand by you, I know it's not forgiveness you need, but acceptance."

Those words dug so deep into her soul that she felt her body twitch. This had been an unusual day for Mugino Shizuri. The truth was that since she woke up today, she had no idea what she was doing. Everything was so confused and foggy that she just let herself get carried away, to try to understand what she had been feeling since yesterday. The Meltdowner had lived her whole life trying to get as far away as possible from all those who were trying to reach her. She knew how superior she was, she wanted to be the center of attention, so she thought she didn't need anyone to be by her side sharing a spotlight. But now everything had changed, and she didn't know how to act or feel about it. This whole day, it was an experiment rushed through by a teenage girl who has no idea what she is doing. When a logical girl like Shizuri comes across someone who defies logic itself like Kamijou, you can't expect things not to get messy. And she accepted that mess.

'I think I understand now'

The girl remained silent and let her arm wrap around his waist as well. She didn't say anything at that moment, just smiled and nodded slightly.

'I feel as if my whole life up to this point, was just a prologue that went on too long. I closed my eyes so tightly, for so long, that I ended up convincing myself that there was only darkness in this world. So that's why I felt so unhappy?'

"Thank you for opening my eyes, Kamijou" As she said that, she felt her eyes moisten. A tear had rolled down that perfect face.

"You're welcome. But I'm not the one who opened them" He used his thumb to gently wipe the tear from her cheek "I just gave you a reason to open them yourself"

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Hey, welcome to the end of chapter notes. As I said, this chapter is a little different from the others so far, since it is told almost exclusively from Shizuri's perspective. Maybe some of you have noticed, but I tend to change the way I write at certain times, depending on the occasion. A subtle example is in the hospital scene where I try to use as many punctuation marks as possible to give a sense of urgency and also in that same chapter I call Kamijou by 'Touma' (Invisible Demon) more often. It is something subtle, but it is still there for the more attentive ones or for those who will reread it.

In the case of this chapter, Shizuri's thoughts make up a large part of the narrative. I usually narrate what the characters are thinking on some occasions but this does not happen often, so maybe some of you found this chapter weird. I don't intend to write another chapter in this style any time soon, unless you found it interesting. Let me know what you think.

I would also like to talk about the storyline of this fanfic. The primary genre of this story is 'romance' so it's to be expected that we won't get much action scenes, but there will be 'plenty' soon now that almost all the 'mysteries' have been revealed. Checking my notes of the next chapters, I would say that we are approaching the halfway point of this arc, as there are still many loose ends that have not been tied up.

Let's take a look at the reviews:

DarkMatter69: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this strange chapter.

Zatil Hidayah Spensa: You are right. Touma is 'speed running' xD

elementalgaming30: I appreciate that. I am slowing down a bit, but I don't intend to stop anytime soon.

5queso: This chapter and the next one are full of such scenes, and it will get even more frequent.

Zatchbell511: Thank you very much. That talk took a long time to write, so it is very nice to receive such a great compliment. I feel that my hard work is paying off.

Guest: Shizuri x Touma is an interesting ship because they don't have a single interaction(NT12 doesn't count), that's why I chose to write about them. I am particularly happy if Kamijou starts dating literally any girl at the end of the series. Kamachi-sensei, give this poor boy a happy ending, please.

Xellos540: He is not sure that she is violent, but the 'Misfortune Sense' (This is really a thing in the novels LMAO) was tingling. Yes, Interstellar reference. Touma's precognition has almost always existed, it just got better with time. In the Railgun manga for example, he stops Mikoto's railgun without even looking, and that's before all the crazy stuff he's been through. Mugino at that point in the story sees Kamijou as a toy, and she thinks she has him under control. That "run ahead" is my interpretation of Mugino's arc, since we know almost nothing about her. Now that you said it… yeah, it was very dumb, but think of it as automatic correction, since she said "Girls" instead of "Guys" before. Kaguya killed a lot of people, in chapter 3, all those guards in the corridors was her doing. These two are destined to meet each other xD

Touma has strange effects on bad girls, doesn't he? (I'm looking at you two, Salome and Youen). I wonder if Kamijou Shiina would approve of Shizuri as a woman worthy of her precious son, what do you think? And here I say goodbye. Nio Leaving.