Chapter 28 - The Morning of a New Phase

On a sidewalk in the streets of district 7 of Academy City, a blonde foreign girl was sitting with a bemused expression on her young face. She had a can in her hand and an object that looked like a strange tool that was normally used by thugs to break the locks of doors. The can was tossed from one hand to the other as she followed it with her eyes. A sigh escaped her lips as she shifted her gaze to a white bag right beside her on that sidewalk.

"Basically, this is harder than I thought" Frenda Seivelun said, picking up the bag and then putting it back where it was.

This girl had already done this so many times this morning that some might think she was performing some strange ritual to a god of a new religion. It was almost like a person plucking the petals off a flower while alternating between Yes and No, trying to make a decision in the simplest, most meaningless way possible. Her eyes turned to the hospital she had been standing in front of for almost an hour while sighing thoughtfully.

"What's so hard?"

A voice pulled her back to the real world. Frenda turned quickly in the direction of the voice and grimaced. A girl with black hair and a flower ornament was standing right there, although she couldn't tell how long ago. The distraction was so great that if this girl was an assassin from a rival group sent to kill her, this would be the easiest job of her life.

"B-basically... how long have you been there? Are you a spy?" Frenda pointed that strange object in her hand toward the other girl.

"Eh? Spy?" She blinked in confusion as she backed away a bit cautiously.

Obviously Frenda asked the first thing that came to mind. Technically, it was a spy who put her in this situation, so it came out automatically, even if it didn't make any sense.

"Wait a minute... I remember you... but from where?" Frenda said, getting thoughtful but soon wiping that expression away "It doesn't matter. Basically, just get the hell out, I'm making an important decision here."

"Are you trying to decide whether to open that can or not? That's mackerel, isn't it?"

"Stop asking stupid questions."

Angrily, Frenda circled the can with the object, marking it with some kind of white tape. Orange sparks came out of that tape stuck to the can, but it unexpectedly escaped from the girl's hands and its contents were scattered everywhere. It was fortunate that the girl's clothes remained intact.. For a second, the blonde just stood there in shock, but then she put a pout on her face as her eyes moistened slightly.

"Nooooo. That was my last can." Frenda points an inquisitive finger at the black haired girl. "Basically, this is all your fault."

"My fault?" The girl asked that and smiled for unknown reasons "So it's my fault you're so clumsy? By the way, what kind of can opener is this? Academy City has such complex solutions for something so simple."

"It's not a can opener, silly girl, although it can be used as one. Who are you anyway? Why are you still there?"

"My name is Saten Ruiko. Yours is... Frenda if I remember correctly. It's good to see you again."

Frenda's mind processed this information for half a second. So she really had seen this girl somewhere, but she couldn't remember exactly where. Thinking about it some more, she came to the conclusion that there was no point in worrying about something like that. She picked up the white bag from the floor and stood up in a hurry.

"Hey, wait" Saten held her by the shoulder as she turned in the direction of the hospital. "Are you going to visit Kamijou-san?"

"How do you know?" Frenda was in a suspicious tone. She took the girl's hand off her shoulder with a light slap "Basically, where do I really know you from?"

"We saw each other once in that mall, Emerald Dust, remember? You were with Kamijou's girlfriend... Mugino-san, although they weren't a couple at the time. It's been a while, hasn't it?" She put another smile on her face, as if she was getting nostalgic, although the memory was relatively recent.

"Hmm... you were with that little girl with the flower headband. Basically, now I remember." Frenda began walking toward the hospital entrance "Now if you'll excuse me"

"No problem, but if you are going to visit Kamijou-san, he actually left the hospital just now."

"What?" She stopped in her tracks and turned back to Saten "He didn't see me here? Or he saw me and ignored me... damn, this way how am I going to be able to apologize? I shouldn't have spent so many days building up courage."

"Oh... so that's why you were undecided. Are those cookies?"

"Yes. Basically, I missed my chance. I expected him to stay in the hospital a little longer considering who he fought against."

Disappointed, Frenda returned to the same place where she was and opened the white bag. Without ceremony, she opened the package of cookies that looked very expensive and started to chew one. It certainly tasted good, but the girl could only grimace in disgust.

"Are you seriously going to eat the cookies you were going to give as a gift?" Saten said, sitting down next to her on the sidewalk.

"Quiet. My canned mackerel is all on the floor, so I'll have to make do with these cookies."

"Why do you still seem so angry with me? Okay, I'm sorry for suddenly appearing and... distracting you? I can't even really tell what happened to your weird can opener."

"It's not a can opener, is an explosive tape binder and… basically, be quiet and don't make things worse." She chewed another cookie with an irrational rage, making a crumbling noise.

"I had an idea. Since it's supposedly my fault you don't have anything to eat, then how about I cook you something? I must have mackerel in my dorm."

"I'm not interested. Basically, I'd rather just buy more"

"Are you sure? I got some recipe tips from Kamijou-san, I think -"

"Okay, I accept, but just this once."

Saten put on a face that ranged from surprise to confusion when Frenda so readily accepted the offer. She apparently didn't know that Touma's food had a great effect on all the girls in the ITEM group.

xxxx-xxxx

Kamijou Touma had been discharged from the hospital for some time, however he remained in observation for a few more days to ensure that all was well with his body. Usually he would leave as soon as the frog-faced doctor said that his wounds were not a problem anymore, but this no longer applied to him. The reason for this was simple: He had a girlfriend now, and a rather demanding one at that. She insisted that he needed rest after nearly bleeding to death, and she was certainly convincing. In this case she just used the argument: I agreed to your crazy plan, so at least don't make me worry anymore for no reason.

Walking across the schoolyard toward his classroom, Touma began to notice strange looks focused on him. He hadn't been to school since the day he faced Kakine, so he didn't know if more rumors about him were spreading. He only knew that Komoe-sensei was probably angry. At least this time he could tell his miniature teacher that it wasn't his fault, although it was still his fault, considering that he went to face the second strongest esper on his own.

The corridors were busy. It was still a few minutes before classes started, but Touma hadn't expected to find so many people still outside the classrooms. He practically had to push a few people out of the way, who for some reason, when they realized it was him, waved an irritated look away.

"There you are!" A busty girl stepped into his path before he could enter his classroom. "I thought you dropped out of school after the way you left last time."

"Fukiyose-san, could you take it easy on this Kamijou-san just this once? I just got out of the hospital."

Touma forced his way through and walked nonchalantly with his hands in the pockets toward his desk. Fukiyose followed him with a slightly annoyed face.

"You probably just got involved in another alley fight again." Said Fukiyose, sitting down at a desk next to him "Don't you have anything else useful to do with your free time?"

"That's Aogami's place" Touma pointed out, without a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Are you ignoring my question on purpose?"

He just sighed. Touma's life was getting more and more complicated these days. The spiky-haired boy had so much on his mind that sometimes he was sure his brain was going to explode. Shizuri was right, he needed to rest, but it was hard for him to forget about the rest of the world and relax when more and more people were getting hurt because of the ability crystals that kept circulating. And then there was the problem with Kaibi. The boy had tried to contact her for days but had been unsuccessful. At this point even he was beginning to think that she had betrayed him. Or maybe she was just being careful.

In the last few days, the ITEM group was busy destroying several laboratories whose location was on that flash drive given to him by Kaguya. Touma did not participate in these operations, as he was in the hospital after picking a fight with that monster. He felt useless for not being able to help the girls, but Shizuri consoled him by saying that even if Kakine had the same goal as them, one time or another their group would have to face each other out of sheer rivalry, so Touma did very well to take him out of the picture for a relatively long period of time. Of course, he was sure that Shizuri had said this simply because she didn't want to see him shaken. In his opinion, he had made a mistake, his girlfriend saying otherwise would not change that.

"Hey, are you still listening to me?" Fukiyose asked, with a very loud tone.

"Unfortunately, yes." And the boy's answer came out emotionless once again.

"Why do you seem to be emanating an aura of negativity lately? The rumors about you dating a level 5 girl have spread further than you planned and now you're ashamed?"

"Why would I be ashamed of my girlfriend?"

"Anyone would be ashamed to have an imaginary girlfriend." Her playful tone made a bit of a contrast to her stern expression.

"Hilarious." He rolled his eyes and turned to look in her direction "I don't understand why you're so skeptical about it. Shizuri-chan is just another girl like any other... apart from her supermodel body, her movie actress face, the fact that she comes from a wealthy family, is extremely intelligent, incredibly strong, elegant, and... come to think of it, I would be skeptical too."

"I'm glad we agree on something. Now you can stop lying. The longer rumors circulate, the worse your reputation will get."

"They have been circulating for too long, so if any damage has been done, it is irreparable. Besides, you talk as if I had a good reputation to begin with."

"Nothing can get so bad that it can't get worse." She joked once again, which made Touma shake his head. "But don't worry so much, I've done my best to help you. Thanks to me, most people don't believe all that crap."

"Fukiyose, of all people, you should be the first to believe my supposed lie, considering that you were there when Shizuri literally invited me to her apartment. Apartment I live in now, by the way."

"You just now admitted yourself that she is way out of your league. Just stop, your situation only gets worse by the minute."

Not wanting to talk anymore, the boy hid his own face by leaning his head against the desk and wrapping his arms around it. He could probably get some sleep if Fukiyose would leave his classmate's seat or simply choose to ignore Touma. The second option he did not find plausible.

A few minutes later, Komoe-sensei entered the room, which made Touma lift his head just a little to pay minimal attention. She was holding her teaching material with a beaming smile on her face. The little teacher said good morning to everyone present, sat down in her seat, and remained quiet for a while, leaving the boy somewhat confused. He had expected his teacher to ask him about his incomplete homework, which he would answer with some lame excuse he would make up on the spot. Instead, she looked out of the room and made a "stop" gesture in that direction.

Komoe stood and gave another gentle smile. The little woman clapped her hands twice to draw the attention of the whole class to herself. Even the students at the back who were chatting casually stopped when they heard their teacher begin to speak in a very energetic manner.

"Students, I have some great news to deliver to you today" She began, for some as yet unknown reason she looked in the direction of Touma, who blinked in confusion "Starting today, our school's name will probably be more recognizable in Academy City. This is all thanks to an unexpected transfer we had." She paused to make a silent gesture as she heard several whispers, but soon continued "Before you ask, it's a girl, and she's out there ready to give you a greeting."

"Girl?!" Several of the male students in the class said this at the same time.

"Unfortunately for you boys, she is not a student in this class"

Gestures and whispers of disappointment were made upon hearing that. But there was something wrong there, and the one who decided to ask to clarify was Fukiyose Seiri. The girl raised her hand, but Komoe-sensei only gestured for the class to calm down.

"Sensei, but if she is of another class, then why did she come here to greet us?" Fukiyose asked, confused from why all this.

"You will understand soon enough, Fukiyose-chan." The little teacher looked out once more and made a positive gesture with her head.

The transfer student came in without delay. She was wearing a sailor's uniform and a dark skirt, a little shorter than normal, this was the only thing that differed from the standard uniform of that school. The girl who walked slowly to the front of the room, as if in a parade, caused a somewhat exaggerated reaction from the boys in the class. Some opened their mouths in surprise, probably because of the beauty they had just seen, while others quickly turned their eyes to a certain individual who put a confused look on his face the moment he saw this girl standing there with a smile on her face.

"This... can't be true" Touma said softly, rubbing his eyes to make sure that the scene in front of him was real.

"You look nervous, Kamijou-san" Fukiyose sneered at him, curling her lip subtly.

Before Touma could respond to the provocation, the transfer student cleared her throat. Everyone's attention was on her now. The boys were almost drooling as they waited to hear her voice, which didn't take long, as the girl seemed eager to do something.

"Good morning everyone" She greeted them with another cute smile, making some there almost melt with that potent attack first thing in the morning "My name is Mugino Shizuri and I will be a student at this school starting today. I hope we can get along well."

More whispering conversations were heard and once again several powerful glances were cast in the direction of the spiky-haired boy, who was almost sweating by now due to pressure.

"Most of you may have recognized my name, but I am also known by the epithet 'Meltdowner'. I am a level 5, the #4 of Academy City."

Shizuri had to stop for a moment because of the immense noise the class made as they confirmed what they were thinking. Komoe-sensei had to intervene to get everyone to calm down and be quiet.

"Well... that's all I had to say" Shizuri seemed to turn to leave, however as she looked at Touma and smiled, she noticed a familiar girl sitting next to him "Come to think of it, there is one more thing I want to say. I just want to make it clear that I have heard the rumors that are spreading around this school. I think it's best if I put a stop to them once and for all."

With hurried steps, she went to the back of the class in the row near the window. Touma didn't understand what the girl intended when she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. In fact, he kind of already knew very well what was coming next.

"Shizuri, whatever it is you intend -"

He couldn't finish. Not when he felt that soft, familiar sensation touching his lips. It happened so fast that everyone in the class could barely react in time. There was an awkward silence. After all, no one expected that girl with an aura of a Goddess would simply kiss their classmate in front of everyone.

"Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh?!" That's what the entire class shouted together in a surprised tone.

"So they weren't just rumors" A boy in the class said in a weak voice.

"I lost..." Wailed several of the girls, sighing as they looked in the direction of the level 5 who displayed a satisfied smile.

"Now it makes sense why he never gave me a damn." Another girl said, with a tear in her eye "How supposedly could anyone compete against all that?"

Once again the class was in an uproar, and once again Komoe-sensei intervened to try to maintain order. But it was difficult after the courageous action of the girl known to be aggressive in many ways. Some girls had to leave the class crying, others were blowing their noses while trying to regain their composure, and others the will to continue living. The boys didn't even know what to do except grit their teeth and cast looks of pure envy. But there was one person who had been affected more than anyone else. And that person was frozen at this moment.

"Impossible." Fukiyose said, trying uselessly to move her body but lacking strength after being hit so hard, considering she saw everything in the first row "That doesn't make the slightest sense... I don't understand how someone who contributes nothing to -"

"You better watch your mouth, girl whose name I forgot." Shizuri warned, with a tone too firm for someone smiling.

"Her name is Fukiyose." Touma whispered quickly, receiving a nod in response.

"Thank you, Touma. Always so thoughtful." She soon turned back to the girl "So, Fukiyose-san. Like I said, I hope we can all get along, but that will be impossible if you start badmouthing my boyfriend for no reason... or for any reason really, even if it's a good one. It would make me very... very angry. And I'm a different person when I'm angry. I hope I've made myself clear."

Satisfied to see the frozen expression of that girl who had not made the best of first impressions, Shizuri looked around just in time to see the students perplexed to hear that scolding. Taking that cue, she grabbed Touma's left arm and looked at everyone.

"By the way, that goes for everyone." With those words, now the rest of the class froze as well "See you at break time, Touma-chan. Good studies."

The girl left the class while whistling a happy tune, but it wasn't happiness that everyone there was feeling. Well, one of the students was reasonably happy, but this only served to make the atmosphere there even worse. The tension in the air was palpable. At this moment Touma finally decided to sit down and ignore the whole class looking at him with mixed expressions.

Touma could not relax in his chair. The pressure he was feeling became even greater when a group of students, all boys, whispered to each other and then moved at once toward his desk, like marching soldiers. The serious expressions on their faces made the boy swallow hard. If Aogami had been there, Kamijou thought that he was probably the one leading that group.

"Kamijou Touma, I was quickly chosen as the representative of this group" One of the boys spoke in a serious voice. Touma couldn't remember his name "We have made an important decision, so listen to us carefully"

The commotion made the whole class gather to understand what was going on. Even Kome-sensei let all this happen, looking curious to know what her students were thinking. The boy who introduced himself as the representative made a sign to the whole group of more than 10 boys who followed him, and then spoke loud and clear.

"Kamijou-sama, please teach us how to seduce goddesses"

The group of boys all bowed their heads in respect at the same time, as if they had rehearsed for weeks waiting for that moment. The rest of the students looked at this scene as if a distortion of space-time was happening before their eyes. Facing something so unusual, Touma put a crooked frown on his face and then spoke without thinking.

"I would teach it if I knew how" He shrugged nonchalantly, not even bothering to elaborate.

"EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH?!"

The day was not being normal at all in that normal high school.

xxxx-xxxx

"Sorry for the delay." Saten said, placing the two dishes on the small table.

Frenda was distracted by her cell phone when the other girl said this in an energetic tone. She had agreed to come to this dormitory on pure impulse, so she soon became bored while sitting on the floor with nothing to do.

"At last." Frenda didn't even wait for the girl to sit at the table with her and already prepared her chopsticks "A Japanese style? Kami-kun never made this recipe for me."

"Really? He has a preference for national cuisine from what I understand. That's weird."

While Saten also prepared her chopsticks, Frenda tasted her grilled mackerel. The black-haired girl smiled as she saw her guest's satisfied face.

"Basically, that's delicious. I give it 9/10 on the common scale" Frenda said, putting a thumb up and going back to devouring her mackerel.

"Thank you. You really seem to like mackerel, just like he said."

"Him?" Frenda suddenly stopped eating. Her eyes sparkled as if she was starting to cry "You mean Kami-kun don't you? What did he say about me?"

"Eh? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but he didn't say much. Just that you like mackerel and that you have an explosive temper...he's the one who said that not me." She wanted to make this clear considering the careful tone of her voice.

"Yeah... I can imagine him saying that" The blonde sighed and began to play with her food "Basically, I guess he must not have a lot of good things to say about me."

"Well... in my opinion, just the fact that he talks about you in a neutral way proves that you made an impression on him." Saten argued, cooling her food and then tasting it.

"That doesn't even make sense. But no matter, what he thinks of me must have gotten worse now that I didn't even go to visit him while he was seriously injured."

"Don't overthink it. I bet Kamijou doesn't mind something like that. Just apologize to him later and everything will be fine."

Clearly not satisfied with that advice, the girl put a neutral expression on her annoyed face and stopped playing with her food. She looked around the dormitory as she sighed thoughtfully. Maybe this girl she barely knew was right about that, but she still lacked the courage to apologize after all she had said to him.

"You seem to care quite a bit about what he thinks about you. Don't tell me you're into him?" Said Saten smiling cheekily, trying to get Frenda out of her thoughts.

"Basically, yes, I am, but that doesn't matter anymore" She answered that in an emotionless tone, which caused Saten to remove the smile on her face and change it for a grimace.

"Wow, you admitted it pretty quickly. Does he mean that much to you?"

"He saved my life once. He seemed so nice in that office, telling me that everything would be okay and then taking care of everything."

"Did it save your life? Was it that day with the terrorists? Kamijou ran off worried."

"Basically, I don't know how much you know, so I don't want to give details."

"Come on, Frenda-san." Saten gave a pout and then pushed her food in Frenda's direction "Here, you can eat the rest of my mackerel."

"Are you trying to buy me off with leftovers?"

"That's what I have at the moment, but I can prepare more tomorrow if you want. I've been kind of lonely since Uiharu started working so much overtime at Judgment, so you're more than welcome. We can talk about that kind of thing here without any problems."

"That kind of thing?"

"Yeah...you know...boys." She sent another one of her mischievous smiles.

This made Frenda think. Maybe it would be good to have someone else she could talk to about this kind of thing. She certainly wouldn't talk about something like that with someone like Kihuhata or Kanou Shinka for example, and then there was the fact that this girl knew Touma too, and cooked well. It wasn't a bad idea to have someone like that as a friend. But she was still not comfortable talking about it at the moment.

"Sorry, but I will not discuss the disaster of my love life with a random middle school girl, thank you very much."

"That was kind of rude. Plus you talk as if you are much older than me."

"I'm a high school student, although I am practically a dropout."

"Really? I thought you were about my age. No matter, I'm great with advice, I can help you if you tell me something interesting."

"Basically, I don't need any advice. Besides, it seems to me that you are more interested in what I have to say about these terrorists."

"I have a great interest in urban legends, and I heard some that day" Saten revealed, putting both hands together as if in prayer "Please tell me something, anything. Is it true that two level 5s fought on that Mall?"

"Hmm... Mugino told us that she ran into Aihana Etsu that day, but she didn't tell us anything about fighting."

"That's interesting. Two level 5s in the same place, rather unusual. What about Kamijou-san? What did he do there that saved your life?"

"Basically, if I'm going to tell you this, you'll have to promise to pretend you didn't hear it from me." Frenda put her hands on the table and leaned toward the other girl, perhaps trying to look intimidating, but her size only made her look cute, like a child about to throw a tantrum.

"I promise"

Saten reached out and retracted her fingers, leaving only her pinky. Frenda looked at that strange gesture and then did the same thing, sealing that 'pinky promise' between the two.

xxxx-xxxx

Break time at a certain high school was being rather peculiar. Touma had decided to stay in his classroom instead of going to the schoolyard. His two friends, Aogami and Tsuchimikado were gathered together, forming the famous trio of idiots. Those two, ironically enough, had arrived late and had lost all the excitement of earlier, which meant that they were now somewhat restless.

"Damn you Kami-yan" Aogami said, so angry that he almost opened his eyes. "Why didn't you let everyone know in advance that your goddess girlfriend was going to study here?"

"Because it was a surprise for him as well."

Who answered was not a member of the Delta force, or at least an official member. As it happens, Shizuri-chan, Goddess of Highschool, kept her promise and came to Touma's class at the exact second the break started. This obviously caused even more commotion, as some boys decided to stay right there around that trio+one. And all the girls. Shizuri was sitting right next to Touma, her body practically pressing against his as she held a bento.

"Touma-chan, say aaaaaahhh."

And of course Touma-chan, Seducer of Goddesses and Slayer of dreams, was getting special treatment at this moment. The large group gathered there clenched their fists until their fingers turned white every time this "Goddess" carefully fed her "Human" without caring about all the envious glances cast at them.

"Gaaaaaaahhhh... I can't take this anymore" Aogami once again protested, pulling out some blue hair after holding his head so tightly with both hands "You're just showing off now. Just die Kami-yan."

"That wasn't my idea, asshole" Touma spat, chewing on the delicious food his girlfriend supposedly prepared for him. That's what she told everyone at least.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Touma-chan, it's inelegant." She took a napkin and started wiping his mouth while smiling "Ignore the others, they are not important."

"That total disregard for other mortals" Said one of the girls in the class with a tearful voice "That gentle and delicate smile, the stiff, yet dedicated and sweet tone... so that's the perfect girl he's waited for so long?" A tear fell down her cheek "I think I'm in love"

"Wait a minute." Another girl spoke up confused. "In love with him or her?"

"Yes" She replied sighing.

"Would you all stop it?" That stern voice belonged to none other than Fukiyose Seiri, who was not at all happy about the whole thing "Give them some space and go do something productive."

"Thanks for the support, Fukiyose-san." Shizuri said, earning a subtle gesture of approval coming from the iron wall girl.

"Eh? What is this character development?" Aogami asked, seeing that weird exchange between the two girls "It even looks like I skipped a whole season of an anime or something."

"Must be that 'acute version' theory of the Kami-yan disease of mine we were developing, nya" Tsuchimikado said, fixing his glasses to finally enter that conversation in style.

"That again?" Touma complained, swallowing his food quickly so as not to talk with his mouth full again.

"What theory is that?" However Shizuri seemed interested in all that.

As she carefully continued to feed her boyfriend, the other two perverts settled down on their chairs around them with indecipherable grins on their faces. They emanated an aura so strange that if they were in a secluded area or a park, Anti-Skill would arrest them just in case.

"I think you are already familiar with Kami-yan disease," Tsuchimikado began "However, we have evidence that an acute version of this disease certainly exists, and you are a victim of it, Shizu-nee"

A loud thud was heard. Just as the blond boy finished saying this, Shizuri slammed her hand down hard on one of the desks, startling everyone there who had moved away a little after Fukiyose's warning. The girl looked firmly in Tsuchimikado's direction and then spoke in an irritated tone.

"I'll let it go this time just because technically you helped me that day, but don't push your luck." Shizuri sent a look of pure hatred at the blond, who instinctively slumped back in his chair "Call me that or anything else that resembles my first name again just one more time..." She hesitated suddenly when she felt a gentle touch on her hand. Her boyfriend soothed her just enough "You may continue with the theory."

"As you wish, Mugi-yan." Tsuchimikado said, with the same tone as before, as if nothing had happened "As I was saying, Kami-yan's disease concentrates on individuals over time. It seems to be most effective in girls with personalities like yours, considering how affected you are. It can be said that you will soon be on the same level as Kamijou Shiina."

"Why am I hearing my mother's name in this conversation? Do you have a death wish?" Protested Touma, this time not bothering to swallow before speaking, which only made his threat comical rather than frightening.

"Touma-chan, I already told you not to talk with your mouth full, you will end up choking"

"The point here is that we have more empirical evidence for our theory." Tsuchimikado said, raising his index finger for attention "People where the acute version takes hold cause varying effects on the women around them. This is because of the intimidating aura that person has. The proven effects can be: Submission due to fear, wanting to be friends with the infected person, or even in extreme cases, love."

"That's bullshit. I'm sure this is just Shizuri being herself, stop pretending to be intellectual using such a stupid topic."

"He's right." Aogami stated "Although my theory about the expansion of the universe makes a lot more sense than that."

"Seriously, don't you two get tired of embarrassing me in front of my girlfriend?"

"I'm curious, Touma-chan. What theory is he talking about?"

"Something about the only reason the universe expands infinitely is just a defense mechanism to try to slow down the effects of Kami-yan disease." Touma replied, rolling his eyes.

"I am writing a thesis on this, by the way." Added the blue-haired boy. "But we are running out of time here. We still have to settle some unfinished business before the end of the break since our debates are getting less and less frequent."

"Ohooo... that's interesting." Shizuri said smiling.

The level 5 girl finished pampering her boyfriend and put the bento aside. She snapped her fingers for dramatic effect and then looked into the eyes of those two weird boys (which is a real feat worthy of a level 5, considering that one wear sunglasses and the other had his eyes closed).

"So, what were you debating about last time?" She asked, in a tone too curious for Touma's liking.

"We're not doing that." Touma said, trying futilely to stop the inevitable.

"Hmm... officially this is the first time a girl has participated." Said Aogami "We have to take this chance. Mugino-san, in your opinion, what kind of caress is superior? Head pats or lap pillows?"

"Lap pillows obviously. Was that supposed to be a debate?" She answered promptly.

"Forget what I said, we'll do this." Touma shouted, feeling vindicated. "See? You tasteless idiot. I was right all along."

"Quiet. That doesn't prove anything. Last week I patted a girl on the head and it was excellent...although it almost cost me my life."

"Eh?" Shizuri was now confused.

"Don't ask him any questions, that well is deeper than you think." Warned Touma, shaking his head vigorously.

"Ok, I will listen to your advice. Now allow me to destroy this idiot of mediocre taste." She cleared her throat loudly after those brave words "Listen well, blue hair."

"Hey, I have a name" Protested the offended boy.

"Yes, but you haven't told me yet."

"Fair enough."

"Now listen carefully. You believe that head pats are superior, yet that opinion is invalid for a very simple reason." She pointed an inquisitive finger toward him. The boy even swallowed hard at that sudden pressure "First, a good lap pillow involves pats on the head too, so it is already automatically superior since it is a complete meal rather than a mere appetizer. And second... how would you know which of the two is better if you've clearly never experienced a lap pillow?"

"I... I..." Aogami was frozen for a moment at that irrefutable argument "Kami-yan, bringing a girl into the debate is cheating."

"Don't worry Aogami, I'll give you my vote today." Tsuchimikado said, raising a thumb to the poor defeated member "I mean, I got a lap pillow this week and it wasn't as good as I thought it would be."

"Your argument is invalid, you Siscon!" Touma was not going to budge. He would protect his lap pillows with his life if he had to "I clearly said 'lap pillows offered by a Onee-san'. Receiving one from your little sister doesn't count."

"Little sister?" Shizuri grimaced and looked at the blond boy with disgust.

"You just added your personal taste to the lap pillow. I did the same, so my vote is valid."

"Your personal taste is little sisters? What the fuck?" Shizuri still maintained her disgusted face. "How did this discussion evolve from something so silly to... this. At least tell me we are talking about the archetype here."

"In my defense, my little sister is a cute maid." He argued, proud of something that only he understood and that made sense in his head, probably.

"That... doesn't make it any better."

"Here he comes with that crap again." Touma said angrily "Maid clothes are cute, but like Shizuri-chan said, that doesn't improve anything here, asshole."

"How dare you say that Kami-yan? Even Aogami agrees with me on that."

"Of course a lolicon would agree with all that shit!" He almost shouted, forgetting the rest of the world for just an instant "Besides, a Onee-san dressed as a maid is infinitely superior to any other archetype. A classic maid outfit but shorter than normal, just black and white, thigh highs, a stylish high heel, maybe a pair of glasses for the clumsy girl cliché... Shizuri what are you doing there?"

"Huh?" The girl, who in that instant was holding a notepad and pen in her hand, was taken aback. "Nothing, just keep going. What type of high heel are we talking about here? Be more specific."

"Where did you get that notepad?"

"Don't get attached to useless details. Just go ahead, we're in the middle of something important."

"See that, Aogami? Acute version." Tsuchimikado said, poking his friend in the ribs "You saw his father and mother last year, it's almost the same dynamic."

"Yes, those Kamijou family bastards are all the same." Aogami replied, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to make progress here." Shizuri asked angrily.

"I can shut them up for you, Mugino-san, it's my job" Said Fukiyose who was a bit distant from there, sending a glance at the two Delta Force members making them cringe in fear.

"That would be great, Fukiyose-san. Don't hold back, please."

And with the order of that "Benevolent Goddess", the iron wall girl snapped her fingers and rained divine justice on those two, who received a beating that was meant to be for three that day.

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Hey guys! As said in the notes to the previous chapter, this chapter is just a short respite before we start this new arc for real.

The age of all the girls in ITEM is uncertain in the light novels. We only have "vague" information. It is said in OT15 that Frenda is at high school (even though she looks so young), and that Kinuhata is about 12. I don't recall any revelation about Takitsubo's age either. Since Shizuri's age has not been officially revealed, I decided that here she would be a high school girl. She is older than Touma, but her age remains ambiguous.

This chapter was short and full of silly moments that don't advance the plot, but I hope it was entertaining.

Let's see the reviews:

KHVSFF: Thank you very much. From what we noticed in the novels, Touma was an unhappy and lonely person before his memory loss, so having someone who cares about him waiting for him to recover sure makes him happy, especially an older girl. Touma is sure to wake up one day with Shizuri on top of him and clutching his neck LOL. This arc will focus a little more on Shizuri's point of view. Some chapters will be narrated in "Deep POV", as some future events will be very "challenging" for her in many ways, and I want to show her full perspective.

Xellos540: Hello. I am imitating Kamachi with his technique of skipping the scene at the best moment xD. I wonder how far I can go and keep the "T" rating. This Takitsubo "coming" joke is canonical… I guess (Although that talk of Hamazura and Coronzon kind of says otherwise.) That is the best reaction for a flashback in a story xD. Touma before he lost his memory really seemed to fail at everything he tried, or atleast unable to achieve a "complete victory" (especially if he had a plan, as is quoted in NT8 IIRC).

Ermano: Thank you. I am really glad that you enjoyed this story. I focus a lot on the romance, so it's good that you appreciate it. Glad my end of chapter notes are helpful, I try not to give too many spoilers, but I often get carried away. I hope you enjoyed this chapter focused on Slice of life.

Tommthecommie: Shizuri and Takitsubo are thinking they are pretty smart LOL.

5queso: I tried to tie up a lot of loose ends, but at the same time leave something open for the next arc, so I am pleased that you think I achieved the desired effect. Thanks a lot as always.

Aiman031122: Thank you. As Kamachi once said, a villain pouting is very cute, so showing the "sweet" side of a former villain is even cuter. Index will appear soon, that's all I can say xD Shizuri and Shiina will meet eventually.

This is the last chapter of this year, so… Happy holidays! (I know, it was a little bit late.) It has been quite a journey so far, hasn't it? See you again soon. Nio leaving...until 2023.