Chapter 29 - Nobody's problem

After a tiring but somehow invigorating day, that couple with a chaotic sense of romance finally returned to the apartment where they had lived together for weeks.

"That was a fun day" Shizuri said, getting out of the car after Touma opened the door for her.

"It sure was. But I think you were a little heavy-handed."

The two walked hand in hand from the street until the elevator of the building. The girl had a strange smile on her lips, which made Touma make a face even stranger than her smile. The boy pressed the elevator button, which caused the door to close and he began to move to the indicated floor while Shizuri fixed her hair using the mirror.

"That food was great by the way. Did you really cook it?"

"A small part yes. I'm still not so good as to cook a full meal, so I bought almost everything ready-made"

"So you've been using that time you're not with me in the hospital to improve your cooking skills in secret?"

"Of course" She stopped fixing her hair and tossed it aside to look at Touma "We should cook together again. I have to improve my housewife skills, you never know when I'll need it, do you?"

"Huh? That's certainly something I didn't expect to hear from you."

"Why not? Are you going to tell me that you have never thought about the two of us as adults? You coming home from work tired and then your caring wife prepares a relaxing bath to relieve your stress before presenting you with a banquet personally prepared by her. Doesn't that sound like a dream to you?"

"Now that you mention it... " Touma put his hand on his chin and let a smile escape "Picturing you as the perfect housewife makes me both happy and confused. I always thought that if we started living together, just the two of us, I would be the housewife."

Shizuri giggled when she heard that curious remark from her boyfriend.

"We can come to a middle ground." She said, her tone serious now. "I intend to work too, in something that doesn't involve hurting people of course. My dream is to one day be completely independent from my family. I'm not just talking about something basic, I want to maintain my lifestyle acquired with the help of my level 5 privileges and I want to achieve that by doing something I enjoy, and without any help from them as well."

"It's good to hear you talk about your future." The boy said in a soft voice, full of tenderness. "I don't know how much more I can still do to help you get there, but you can count on me on that path."

"I know." She stroked the backs of his hands and put a pure maiden smile. "You can also count on me in making your dreams come true."

They crossed the hallway still holding hands. Shizuri used her electronic key to open the door and then threw her briefcase into a corner of the living room without the slightest concern. Before Touma could comment on this, he was silenced he was silenced by a surprise attack. The level 5 girl was not wasting any time today as they barely arrived home and she already kissed him with abnormal intensity.

"I don't think there is anyone home" Shizuri said, looking Touma in the eye as she turned away from him. There was so much in that look of hers.

"Really? Where are the other 3?" He tried to look around but felt his girlfriend's hand touch his chest. "Shizuri... why do I get the slight impression that the others are not here because of you."

"Don't be ridiculous. I would never send someone away for us to be alone for any reason" She put that strange smile on her face again and then pushed him away with the hand that was on his chest, which forced him to walk backwards to the couch.

"Yes, how paranoid of me. You're not the kind of girl who threatens someone or bribes them to get what you want. Sorry for doubting you.

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl gave him one last push, which made him sit down abruptly on the couch. Sitting next to Touma, she placed her hand on his thigh and then leaned over, brushing her lips against his ear.

"I don't like this sarcastic tone of yours," She whispered, giving his ear a nice bite soon after "I want a sincere apology." Shizuri continued smiling as she cast a suggestive glance.

"That look in your eyes... it seems like you want to tell me something"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Touma-chan." She whispered this and nibbled lightly on his earlobe, which chilled him from head to toe.

The girl slowly slipped one of her legs over Touma's, still looking at him as she smiled. She grabbed her boyfriend's neck and then finished sitting on his lap, but Touma looked away at that moment.

"Shizuri, we are in a very strange situation here." Touma looked toward the door with a worried expression "The girls could arrive at any moment, considering my bad luck."

"I doubt it very much. But if you're so worried about something like that, then let's go to our room."

"Our room?"

"Yes, it's about time you moved into the room where I sleep." Shizuri made a gesture with her head that would be equivalent to a shrug "That room you sleep in is a bit far from me, so I decided to decrease that distance to... zero"

One could feel through the whispered words how much the girl had waited for this. During Touma's last stay in the hospital, Shizuri tried as usual to sleep next to him, but after the first night one of the nurses found her hugging him in the morning, and after that it was practically impossible. It seemed as if all the nurses in the hospital had created a secret plan to prevent her from getting what she wanted. But here in their apartment, no one will stop her.

"Shizuri...I know you like to go fast, but you know the implications of two teenagers sharing a room don't you? Permanently I mean."

"Yes, that implies that I can sleep every night clinging to you like a teddy bear." She curved her lips into a mischievous smile, which sent strange signals through Touma's spine "Of course it's what comes before that -"

"Yeah, you certainly understand the implications." Touma interrupted her before she could say more than necessary "Shizuri, I could be wrong but you've really ramped up the aggression since the day I gifted you with that ring...no, it was after that...or maybe it's just me."

"Hmm... it's not like anything has changed in me." The girl put a finger on her own lip and looked at a distant place.

"That's not the impression I get. You are becoming totally unfiltered and even more direct and open to physical contact, even in public."

"You and your detailed analyses of the way I behave. If you notice it so well, that means that the problem I am currently facing will be solved even more aggressively."

"Problem? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather spoil you a little bit."

Shizuri slowly brought her face closer and then gave his lips a brief kiss. It was soft, gentle, like a feather caressing his lips. After she pulled away, she took a few breaths and kept her face close to his. The boy's heart seemed to get louder and louder as he felt that warm breath so close.

"Touma, I didn't make it very clear in that tunnel, but if there's one thing I admire in someone it's courage. That alone would be enough for a guy to get my attention, and you have that to spare.

"Why are you telling me this now? To hear that after reacting like that..."

"You can stop right there. I know I almost lost my mind in that restaurant, but when I thought more carefully I realized my mistake. Your expression at that moment, telling me you were going to fight the second most powerful guy in the world… there was not a single trace of hesitation in your voice, not a drop of doubt in your eyes. And you not only fought him but you defeated him, which is amazing." Again she brushed her lips against his, but took a little longer to pull away "I had already fallen in love with you before this, but... finding out more and more how amazing you are... it's driving me crazy."

Now she kissed him for real. It was an intense and eager kiss, but she enjoyed it for a few seconds, like savoring a glass of ice water after a run. When she pulled away breathlessly, Shizuri noticed that Touma's hands were still at the sides of his body throughout the kiss, which disappointed her to the point of almost sighing. She clearly wanted to increase the physical contact between them, but she also wanted him to take great initiatives, not just her.

"I really think we should get out of this awkward position." Touma said, looking again in the direction of the door.

"That's annoying." She couldn't resist and sighed this time. "Can't you ever relax?"

"I'm going to be very relaxed in your room. That bed of yours is really soft."

Shizuri was starting to get irritated but what the boy said made her forget why. She saw him put a cryptic smile on the corner of his lips which made the girl bite her own lip and then lick them slowly.

"So you accept my offer?" Shizuri asked "After you accept there is no turning back. You will be my teddy bear permanently."

"Oh...so that's what you were referring to when you said you wanted to use me as a toy. Now it all makes sense."

"Smartass. That's different since I'm not throwing you away ever." She crossed her arms and stewed her cheeks like a tantrum child.

"So cute," He used his hand to caress that angelic face "You do that on purpose don't you? Balancing your aggressive side with your cute side because you know I like that.

"Another impressive analysis. May I conclude this is working?"

"I will answer that with an unexpected action."

The idea of what this might be did not form in time in the girl's head. Touma was quick to get up from the sofa, holding the girl in his arms like a groom carrying his bride.

"Interesting, but what do you want with all this?" She said, tucking a lock of hair out of place behind her ear.

"I thought I made it clear," He replied quickly, starting to walk towards the hallway "The girls could be here any moment, so we better get to our room so we don't get interrupted."

She couldn't help but smile stupidly upon hearing that. The girl doubted that her teammates would arrive so soon, since she took care of that personally, but she wouldn't say that out loud, not when her boyfriend was carrying her around like a princess to a more private place.

"I'm liking this aggressiveness." She said, laying her head on his shoulder "I didn't want to say this out loud, but..."

"You want me to take more initiatives." He interrupted, making Shizuri feel her heart speed up "There, now you don't have to say it out loud" He waited for a while and then turned his face toward the girl who remained silent "Shizuri-chan, isn't this the time you call me 'smartass'?"

"Touma-chan, could you increase the speed please? I really feel like lying on my bed." Her voice was sweet, but it had a slight sensual undertone.

"Sure. It was a tiring day after all."

She also did not want to say out loud that was not the reason. And she was sure that the boy knew the real reason. Shizuri leaned on his shoulder and began to breathe deeply. Smelling him so close, she noticed a warm sensation flowing through her body. With each step he took, this feeling was amplified. She felt as if she had been trying so hard until now to keep herself contained, but had given up. It was like water in a kettle, waiting for the right time for the sweet release in the form of steam. When he finally put her down, her whole body was warm.

The door handle was turned by the boy, who barely pushed the door open and saw Shizuri enter the room and pull him in by his hand. She locked the door while trying to keep control of her own breathing.

"What a rush. Are you that tired?" He asked.

"I'm not tired enough yet. But I'll fix that soon." Shizuri turned away from him and walked quickly to the bed. She sat up and then patted her side.

As Touma slowly walked over to Shizuri, she struggled unsuccessfully to calm her heart a little. She couldn't resist the temptation to lean toward him either, but she stopped suddenly. The girl held back quite a bit at that moment, for the sole reason that she wanted him to be the one to make a move. Her boyfriend was on a winning streak, she wouldn't take that away from him.

"You know, I haven't commented but you really look good in that uniform." He said, looking at her intensely. He took his time, which left the girl overflowing with anticipation.

"We both know that I look good in anything." Shizuri said this in a different tone than her usual arrogant one. It was as if she was trying to pass a subtle message there.

"Anything, huh?" And the tone in which he asked that question hinted that he got the message "Stopping to think about it, I've seen you wearing many different kinds of clothes."

"Do you have any favorites?"

"Hmm... I liked that miniskirt you wore that day I moved in here."

In mid-sentence, Shizuri felt the warm touch of his hand on her inner thigh. That was enough to raise her body temperature even more. However, this was only a small advance in her book, and she needed more.

"So you like miniskirts. I expected that." She said, feeling an immense urge to kiss him before he could continue speaking.

"I like it even more now." Touma began to explore with that hand, moving up the girl's thigh. "One question, that day in the kitchen, you intended something when you sat on the countertop didn't you? I wonder what it was. Did you want me to touch your face or... something more, like a kiss for example?"

"I could say that I wouldn't mind if you just kissed me at that moment. In fact, I think it crossed my mind to kiss you myself. But maybe what I'm feeling now is clouding my memories."

"Wow. Have your feelings for me evolved that fast?" That phrase was suggestive, as he moved his hand on her thigh at that moment. And Shizuri surely wanted him to explore her skin even more willingly. "To think that you tried to kill me more than once."

"Yeah. I'm glad my boyfriend is so strong. But you are doing it again, reminding me of those dark days of mine. I want you to make me forget about it."

"But those are good memories, so it's not good to forget them."

"The ones I have of you, yeah. But you don't understand, I want to forget everything...even momentarily."

"I can do that."

The hand on Shizuri's thigh was suddenly pulled away but she received something better in return. The boy grabbed her once more by the waist to make her sit more toward the center of the bed. She let herself be pushed down, laying her back on the bed and placing her hands above her head. Her heart was beating uncontrollably. That warm sensation in her body was like embers circulating through her bloodstream, a flame that would only go out after she finally got what she wanted.

"I'm curious, how do you intend to make me forget everything?" She teased, smiling slightly.

"Let's start with the basics." He used his right hand to expose the skin of her neck.

"You cheater, using my techniques against me. What else? Are you going to make me mount you like that time on that date?" The mischievous smile made it clear that was not a question, it was a suggestion.

"That's not a bad idea."

Moving away with a smile, he sat back against the headboard of the bed. Shizuri looked up at him just in time to see him steal another one of her gestures. From his leaning position, the boy patted his own legs.

"Come here, I'll give you your weird version of 'lap pillow'."

Shizuri didn't think once. Her body moved automatically the moment she saw that gesture and heard that confident voice and face. She mounted him just like before that time in the car, throwing that broad chest into the body of the boy, who held her waist with one hand and used the other to push her hair away from the left side of her neck.

"That time in the car, you looked disappointed when I suddenly pulled back while kissing your neck," He stated, placing a soft kiss on her neck. She could feel that he displayed a smirk now. "Did you like it that much when I kissed you?"

"Will you shut up and keep kissing me?" Her impatient tone made it clear that she had been in the mood for a long time.

"I love this about you."

Touma had once again said something she wanted to hear. That whisper, followed by a hard bite on the ear, sent pleasurable sensations straight to her brain.

'He seems to be getting more and more at ease. Come on Touma, show me some of your aggression too'.

As if he had read her mind, Touma again attacked that soft skin of her neck. He was more aggressive than ever, making a wet mess of that milky skin in no time. It didn't take long for the girl to close her eyes and forget the world around her.

'That's good... holy shit... a little more... show you love me a little more... kiss me a little harder...'

In the midst of almost formless thoughts, the girl began to gasp as, without realizing it, she started to clutch the boy tightly, digging her nails in so hard that they would have left marks if the clothing material wasn't so thick. In response, the boy slid his hand down her left thigh, bringing it down from her waist and then up, which lifted her already short skirt a little. The girl felt the warm touch of his fingers touching her skin one by one as if mimicking someone playing a harp, and then a firm grip of his hand on her thigh, which made her bite her lip just as firmly. In pure ecstasy, she couldn't hold back a muffled, almost inaudible moan from escaping at that instant.

"Hmm... what was that Shizuri-chan?" He teased, causing the girl to tilt her head so that he kissed the other side.

"A moan, Smartass." She said, digging her nails into him harder. "Now keep kissing me. If you stop again to ask a stupid question, I'll kill you."

"Always so demanding. I must be even more aggressive than that, perhaps?" He asked in a playful tone, returning to kissing her neck.

'Yes... show me more of that side... I want more... touch my skin more... don't hold back...'

"It was a sincere question," He continued, becoming more polite again, "I can't read thoughts, so speak out loud so this Kamijou-san will understand."

'I've already said out loud what I expect from you, smartass. Stop teasing me and kiss me harder. Come on, move that hand up a little more.'

"Shizuri-chan, you are very quiet." He said, pulling away and then lightly kissing her lips as he moved that hand even higher.

'Yes... yes... you are on the right track. But kiss me with more intensity now... a little more...'

In tune with her thoughts, the boy kissed her on the lips once more. He gradually increased the intensity, letting Shizuri enjoy the kiss. That made her want to smile as she kissed him. That heat didn't seem to want to stop growing. She embraced that feeling as she thoughtlessly put her hand on top of his, which made the boy move his hand back on her thigh just a little.

'Damn, I accidentally sent the wrong signal. Should I guide his hand to fix it or not? This would be the perfect moment...'

"Maybe I'm going too far?"

When the boy innocently asked this and removed his hand from her thigh, she opened her eyes and barely held back a disappointed sigh. Shizuri was an intense and direct girl, but she liked to be subtle at certain moments, since subtlety was also part of romance.

"Dumbass boyfriend." But she had enough. She would hit him with a little less tact now.

Pulling away from him sharply, she grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him aside so hard that he bounced on the bed mattress. Without letting him recover, she had him lie on his back and mounted him once more, holding him firmly by the wrists as he had done to her that time on their date.

"We've been dating for almost a month now. Haven't you been listening to me all this time?" She almost yelled at him, "Did you think I was joking around and was just testing you or something? Then let me be clear, you smartass tease."

The girl threw herself on top of him and kissed his lips shamelessly. She took advantage of this and grabbed his hand, forcing him to hold tightly onto her thigh. This was a violent version of a French kiss that lasted a good 45 seconds. When she pulled away satisfied and slightly stunned, she spoke again in the same loud tone as before.

"This is what a reasonably acceptable kiss looks like. If you're going to keep giving me half-assed kisses then don't even kiss me to begin with. When we're in public I understand, a quick kiss to show the other bitches who's boss is enough, but we're alone here, for fuck's sake. I'm giving it my all here. I agree with all your crazy plans, I spend hours planning dates, spending a small fortune on top of that, and I even did a little research on games so that we could have fun and have more in common. I gave you a big surprise today, even trying to act as cute and affectionate as possible to cause envy in all those idiots and leave your self-esteem at maximum, but all I get in return are light caresses and quick or lackluster kisses. So NO, you are not going too far, you have not even come close to going too far. I would need to write a 50-page dissertation describing in detail what I have in my head that you haven't done with me yet, so that only then, with a lot of effort and using fucking binoculars, can we maybe see the line miles away that says 'This is too far'."

Faced with this outburst, the spiky-haired boy even lost the willpower to try to argue or make another smart remark. His mouth hung open for five seconds, but his mind couldn't formulate something decent to say, but he was willing to try anyway.

"You... really like me." He said, unable to look her in the eye.

"Yeah... what a surprise, the girl who asked you to date really loves you" She rolled her eyes and then smiled. "Now let's move on."

Shizuri threw her whole body on top of him and started kissing him wildly. She didn't want to leave any room for him to breathe, so she held both of his wrists tightly and continued to put pressure using her body. Her tongue danced in Touma's mouth, who began to kiss her back and struggle to get free of her grip. The girl realized this, but she didn't want to give in. However, something unexpected happened. As she pulled away for just a moment to take a breath, she felt a sharp pain on her lips, which made her let out a muffled but cute little scream.

"Hmm... so you built up courage and bit me again. That's what I'm talking about." She ran her tongue over her lip to check for blood, but the bite wasn't strong enough "Is that revenge for that time in the balloon?"

"Yeah, and also I don't think I punished you enough for being such a bad girl sometimes." He joked, looking at that strange smile on her face, which for some reason was making him feel good.

"I understand. I have treated you pretty badly in the past." Shizuri nodded and then let her lips get as close as possible to his "I accept my punishment. But I also want a reward for being a good girl too."

The pressure on his wrists and body was lessened. But the girl was still far from satisfied. She took hold of his hands and then guided them to her waist. The movement she made next reminded him of that moment in the alley before they started dating. Slowly she moved his hands down her body to her hips, but she didn't stop there. Those hands went down her long slender legs until they almost reached her knee, only to have them go up again, positioning them on her smooth thighs. It was as if the girl was massaging herself using his hands.

"Just to be clear, this is not my reward," She said, making his hands go up some more, very slowly. "After all, you still haven't given me what I really want." Shizuri let go of Touma's hands and placed an index finger on his chest. She began to play a little, making circular motions with that finger.

"I am beginning to think that you are increasing your aggressiveness by the minute now."

"That's because my love for you is growing by the minute too," she stated nonchalantly, as if what she was saying was an obvious and indisputable fact. "Maybe your friends are right...I am totally infected. It's hard to resist you, so I'm stopping trying."

"You are saying dangerous words again"

"I know you like this, so it's a good way to get you in the mood." Again she made her body crash into his, making her soft breasts meet his chest.

"And I know what you like too." Touma pushed Shizuri's body once again without warning, reversing the position they were in, getting on top of the girl.

"Look at that...is this where you punish me even more for being such a bad girl?"

"Maybe. Although I don't know what kind of punishment would be enough. You have committed many crimes against me, so I hope you are prepared." He pulled away a little, still on top of her. "Let's go from the beginning. Your first crime against me was trying to hit me by surprise with your Meltdowner. I almost didn't raise my right hand in time, you know. Biting you just once is not enough to make me satisfied after that, and this is only the beginning."

"In my defense, you posed a great threat considering all those guards you single-handedly took down. But I am guilty... totally guilty." Shizuri smiled mischievously and then showed her palms as a joke.

"So you won't resist? Although your memories of that night don't even seem that good, or you're just exaggerating." Said Touma, but at this point the girl just wanted him to stop talking and kiss her... that would be a good start. "In your head I look like an action hero. I don't remember taking down that many guards. It was three or four at most. Are you lying to improve your situation? That won't make your punishment any less lenient."

"I'm sure it was more than that, but enough of this...I want to have a different kind of conversation now."

Shizuri used her index finger to make a 'come here' gesture while putting on the most mischievous smile of her life. Although she was enjoying listening to Touma distracting her with moderately suggestive conversation while making slight advances, that burning sensation in her body would only stop when a major advance was made, and she had already waited too long.

"That's strange..." That sentence from Touma said in a serious tone made Shizuri tilt her head "That's not the first time I've heard that."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but does it really matter now? You're keeping me waiting here." Her tone was both playful and impatient.

"I ignored it that time in the car when we were going to interrogate that guy."

"Hmm... I liked that. It was pretty sexy. But you don't need to rack up any more points here, I'm already in the mood."

"I had a lot on my mind and thought I had heard wrong, but that doesn't seem to be the case." He put his hand on his chin and turned away from her, suddenly becoming thoughtful.

"Hey... heeey, Touma-chan"

Shizuri sat up in bed when she realized that Touma was losing focus on her. The mood would be spoiled if this continued, and she couldn't let that happen, so she put her hand on his face so that he would look in her direction.

"I feel like we're losing our tune here." She said "So, how about we get back to the suggestive and provocative conversations for the purpose of drawing compliments from each other and that consequently leads us to -"

"Shizuri, that day at the mansion, how many guards do you think I knocked out? "

She thought for a moment. Her reason for not responding immediately with something vague was that it might make things worse. If the subject extended too far, it would take her even further away from what she wanted.

"About 18. Maybe more than that." She replied, trying to keep her tone steady as she slid a hand gently down his body. "You're very good at that. There, I complimented you again. Now we can continue with -"

"That doesn't make sense," He shook his head and turned thoughtful again, "I'm sure I didn't knock out that many guards. Shizuri can you safely say that this was not the work of one of the other girls?"

Again she forced herself to think and respond carefully. She really didn't know what he was getting at, but she wanted him to get there soon.

"Being honest, I don't think so." Shizuri said. She was also thoughtful. Her effort was obvious "Maybe Kinuhata knocked out some instead of killing? I don't know why she would do that in that situation but it would be the only plausible answer."

"Damn." He held his head with both hands. Shizuri was quite worried seeing him do that "Why did I ignore something like that?"

"Touma, I know you seem to be onto something pretty important right now, but my head is full of... interesting thoughts. So could you give me a summary of what's bothering you so much so I can do something about it?"

"There was someone there that night," He revealed, which seemed obvious by now. "And I feel that that person is critical for us to understand what's going on."

"Is that all? It doesn't matter anymore. We are destroying those labs at an astonishing rate. There must not be many left."

"But something is still missing. The cases of out-of-control espers are not decreasing. There's something wrong with all this, and this detail could be a clue."

Practically ignoring what the boy had to say, Shizuri continued to slide one hand down his body and used the other to stroke his spiky hair. She took the opportunity to start nibbling his ear, but the boy pulled away without warning, which left her with a surprised expression.

"What? I thought you liked that." Shizuri said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"That's not the problem and you know it."

"There is no problem here...I mean, there is one but it will be easily solved if you go back to bed."

"Shizuri, I am in need of your support here."

The girl watched with a frown as the boy took his cell phone from his pocket and started typing something. She knew she was being unreasonable, considering that her boyfriend was clearly focused on something important. But Shizuri still preferred that she was his focus. So she chose to try to remove this obstacle as quickly as possible.

"Ok, you have my full attention" Shizuri said, getting up from the bed and standing next to him.

"Great. Take a look at this."

Touma handed his cell phone to Shizuri, who examined the screen, which contained documents with information she already knew. She had studied them because they might be important if something came up during the missions. Basically it was information about the laboratories responsible for the production of the ability crystals.

"Yes, I've looked at it several times. I could repeat it word for word if I wanted to." The girl said.

"I don't doubt that. That's why I want you to keep reading...this part." He swiped his finger on the cell phone screen to highlight the indicated part.

"Hmm... that's strange. Those dates sure are different. In the files I had read there seemed to be more urgency with these deliveries."

"That's what I thought. Your memory is very good, thank you for confirming it."

Smiling at that simple compliment, she put both hands on her waist and tilted her body so that she had his attention once again.

"Is that all? If you have anything else just ask. This Shizuri-chan is ready to help you with whatever you need... but honestly, I'd rather we go back to enjoying this moment alone. What do you say?"

Her sweet voice seemed to be enough to bring Touma out of his thoughts. He put his cell phone away and looked at her with a neutral expression.

"Really Shizuri? I've completely ruined the mood here." He said, giving a tired sigh soon after.

"I wouldn't say 'completely.' It was just a little bit. Give me a few more of those kisses on the neck as an apology and I promise to pretend none of this ever happened."

"Maybe later, right now I need to focus on this problem." He turned thoughtful again, which filled Shizuri with frustration.

"Touma... I know I have no right to be angry but..."

"Kaibi has been out of contact since that day, but Kakine must have left the hospital by this point."

"Huh? Wait, what do you intend?" Now instead irritated at being interrupted, she put a tone that was a mixture of confusion and concern in her voice.

"Paying a little visit to our former level 5 enemy. I hope he has no hard feelings."

Such a casual tone made Shizuri pause for a minute to think. At first she thought she had heard it wrong, but she soon dismissed that. She was probably getting used to her boyfriend's crazy ideas, but that didn't mean she wasn't impressed by them anymore.

"You..." She gave a long, well audible sigh "I really don't know what line of thought led you here. It's unbelievable... Touma, you were on a winning streak here. What did I do to deserve this kind of bad turn of events? Such misfortune." Incredibly, she let out an even bigger sigh. Shaking her head, she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "I imagine you know the address of the SCHOOL base since you had a spy there. I'm getting us a car."

"How efficient. You didn't even bother to ask for an explanation."

"I'm not in the mood to give a shit, honestly. Maybe later." She put her cell phone away and continued shaking her head "You know, I must be the best fucking girlfriend in the history of girlfriends in this cold, cruel fucking world."

"You exaggerated the swearing, but I can't argue against something that is objectively true." He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"You do realize you're going to need more than a shitty compliment and an even worse kiss to make me happy after all this, aren't you? Fucking smartass." Even though she tried to sound annoyed, the smile at the corner of her lip betrayed her.

xxxx-xxxx

After a few minutes of driving, the black car driven by a subordinate of the ITEM group parked across the street from a luxury apartment. According to the information Touma had received, this was the base of SCHOOL, a rival group to the dark side.

During the entire trip, Touma was extremely quiet. He examined his cell phone with a neutral expression that never changed, and the only thing that escaped his mouth here and there was a sigh of frustration. But he wasn't the only frustrated person there. Shizuri was still unhappy after her boyfriend had an epiphany at the worst possible moment.

"How much longer are you going to look at this cell phone?" Shizuri asked, leaning her head to examine the screen of the device, however the boy turned off the screen just in time.

That made the girl a bit suspicious. Touma had been acting a little strange ever since they left the apartment. He had discovered something that he had overlooked before, so he was probably embarrassed or just blaming himself for every little thing as usual. Maybe that's why he was so thoughtful. Sometimes she wished she could read his thoughts, but now she could only take a deep breath and trust him.

Shizuri hadn't thought much before coming here, but she was ready for anything. To try to please her boyfriend, she had changed from her school uniform into a white miniskirt and a gray button-down blouse, remembering to wear shorts for practicality, since there was a chance she might have to go into combat. But all the advances she tried to make during the car ride were ignored, which made her a little irritated.

"We'd better go. Let's get this over with." The boy went to open the car door, but the girl put her hand on his, which made him momentarily give up "Is there a problem?"

"Yes, and you know very well what it is." She was trying not to sound annoyed as much as possible, however she was not being as successful. "We are about to negotiate with a rival group, are you sure you don't want to talk a little first?"

"I don't know if that would be productive."

"Touma, listen to me. I want to finish this as quickly as you do... no, I actually don't even want to be here to begin with, which means I would get the hell out of here right now if it were anyone else in this car. "

"Thank you, Shizuri-chan, that means a lot to me." He held her hand firmly as he said that in a gentle tone. "What do you want to talk about?"

Shizuri also squeezed that hand firmly and then took a deep breath before thinking about what she should say next. As she said, she didn't want to be here, but she needed to, so she would try to get things flowing as quickly as possible.

"First, at least let me know what exactly you intend"

"It's simple, I need Kakine to show me the data and information he has gathered about these labs or at least look at the ones I showed you." He said, looking through the window but soon looking back into the girl's eyes "There's something pretty strange about the data I have."

"Yes, I have seen it. However, I am confused, is the information you showed me new?"

"More or less. I got it on a previous occasion to the day that Kaguya handed me that flash drive with the information about the labs."

"In that mansion, I presume." Shizuri stated that and soon received a nod in response "I see, there must be more to it that you haven't told me, but I don't need to hear any more details. Better to focus on getting what we want effectively."

"Preferably without anyone being sent to the hospital or worse."

"If it's him, that's fine with me. I would consider it a perfect victory, and I love that kind of victory." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You really seem to hate that guy"

"Let's just say that I hate him almost as much as I love you. But let's not lose focus here. If you want to get something, have something to give in return or else scare the person who has what you want. Which option will it be today? Please choose the second."

"Shizuri, you know you're technically asking me to pick a fight with the second strongest guy in the world...again, right? Didn't you see the state he left me in?"

"I also saw the state you left him in. I felt quite satisfied, by the way. I almost licked my lips. It would really be a shame if his ambulance had taken a little longer." She scoffed, smiling mischievously.

"We'd better go, this conversation is getting weirder and weirder."

Opening the car door, the boy offered his left arm as usual to his beloved and then looked at the building in front of him.

"I think I can come to a middle ground between the two options," He said, once the girl stood next to him in her favorite spot. "But honestly, I'm more inclined to choose the second one, just to please you."

Touma took the opportunity to turn to her with a smile that did not suit him on his face. The girl had to bite her lip to contain the urge to kiss him intensely right there on the sidewalk when she heard it in such a casual tone. She really loved it when her boyfriend catered to her whims.

"Good. I'll watch your back in case the worst happens. It's just the two of us, so you better go all out from the start. Make your girlfriend proud by showing those SCHOOL assholes who's boss." She put on that mischievous grin again.

"We won't get to that, so don't worry"

"Who says I'm worried? As if there's anything in this world that could stop us."

"Where do you get so much confidence from?"

The girl simply kept smiling in response. Touma certainly found this attitude very strange, but this was not the time to think about it.

xxxx-xxxx

At the base of the group known as SCHOOL, three of the four members were gathered together trying to decide what missions they would accept today. A heavy atmosphere hung over that apartment, and the reason for this was simple.

"These research jobs have accumulated quite a bit." Youbou Banka said casually.

A cold look coming from the blond boy sitting in an armchair near the window made the boy with goggles shiver. After Kakine's defeat, the group did not want to wait for his recovery. They took some simple jobs on their own, trying to get the message across to their superiors that everything was fine with SCHOOL. But rumors spread quickly in Academy City. Even using all possible resources to hide or at least soften the news about the defeat of the level 5, the superiors would find out sooner or later. And this was causing problems for that group.

"I thought I was clear. We won't take any of those small jobs." Kakine made a deterrent gesture with his right hand. "Those bastards are mocking me. Let's focus our efforts on locating Gokusai for now."

"Kakine-san, if you don't need me I need to go. I'm going to meet my new friends" Yumiya Rakko said in a nervous tone of voice.

"You're not going anywhere. That goes for you too Youbou. Cancel any appointments and be ready for any important work."

The other two SCHOOL members were not at all happy about this attitude coming from Kakine, but they just swallowed and shook their heads. Youbou had challenged that level 5 in the past, and the result of that had left him traumatized, so he was the person most concerned about everything that was happening there.

A loud electronic noise sounded in the apartment. The three of them looked at each other with strangeness.

"What the hell does the front desk want? Did someone order something?" Kakine asked, receiving gestures of denial. He sighed in irritation and gestured to Yumiya. "Find out what they want."

The girl didn't waste any time and picked up the landline attached to the wall. She talked for a few seconds to the receptionist with a confused expression on her face. Kakine and Youbou were too lost in their own thoughts to worry about something so unimportant, but the girl turned towards them with the phone still in her hand.

"We have guests." Yumiya Rakko said quickly.

"Yes, I get it. Tell them to send them away." Answered Kakine, without even looking in her direction.

"They said they have important matters to take up with you and will not take no for an answer."

With an annoyed face, the SCHOOL leader thought several times about personally going to the front desk and teaching a lesson to whoever these people were who came at such a bad time. But he decided it wasn't worth his time and just sighed tiredly.

"Did they at least say who they were? It must be someone important. One of the higher-ups maybe?" Asked the blond boy, not very interested.

"Apparently not. The receptionist said it's a level 0 boy and his girlfriend."

"Level 0?" Hearing that Kakine put on a worried face. The two other SCHOOL members looked confused at each other "What's the name of this level 0? Say his damn name, now!"

"Huh? Ok." Yumiya put the phone to her ear "Could you repeat the boy's name? I see, have them wait a little longer please." She looked again in Kakine's direction before speaking again "His name is Kamijou Touma. It sounds familiar."

Kakine's expression went blank for a moment. It seemed that hearing that name was sending warning signals to his brain. Instinctively he stood up and snatched the phone from the girl's hands, who was pushed aside as she staggered around without understanding the reason for his haste.

"Distract them for a while. Just a minute or two, but be discreet. Let them come up after that." Kakine said all that quickly, almost tripping over his own words. He slammed the phone hard against the wall and clenched his fists.

The other members of the group didn't know what was going on. They tried to communicate with each other using gestures while Kakine seemed to be thinking carefully about something. It was strange to see him like this, considering the overconfidence he always displayed. After a few seconds, he looked at Youbou with a worried expression.

"Youbou, keep your guard up at all times once they get in here." Ordered Kakine full of urgency in his voice. "However, be discreet. Try not to show any hostile intent. Yumiya!"

"Y-yes?" The girl stammered when Kakine almost shouted her name.

"Stand in a blind spot in the room, one that gives you some advantage. Pretend you are reading a magazine or something."

"Kakine-san, may I ask why you seem so worried?" Youbou said with a confused tone.

"Isn't it obvious?" The level 5 tried to keep his voice calm, but it was proving difficult "The ITEM group is coming to us. Or at least their two strongest members."

"ITEM?!" The two asked in unison.

"They have a level 5 don't they?" Yumiya asked, straightening the weapons hidden in her clothes. She was prepared to fight.

"Yes. Mugino Shizuri." Answered Kakine, approaching the door "I fought her once. It wouldn't be a problem if I had to fight her alone. The problem is the other member... that damn monster."

When the two heard Kakine speak like that, they synchronized a perplexed expression. Youbou knew how strong #2 was, so seeing him in such an uneasy manner was strange. Besides, this Kamijou Touma guy was a level 0, so that was equivalent to seeing a lion cringe at the sight of a house cat. Except that something had changed.

"This guy... Kamijou, is he the one who defeated you and left you in that state?" Youbou asked, being careful with both his tone and his words.

"Yeah... that bastard goes around saying he's a level 0, but it's all bullshit." Revealed Kakine, leaning against the wall near the door. "I checked the database, which means he has someone important helping him spread this lie."

"So he's an unofficial level 5? I heard there are a few of those around, but I didn't imagine that one of them would be that strong to the point of being able to defeat you. What's the plan then? You must have thought of a way to get revenge haven't you?"

"The plan is for us to find out what he wants and buy ourselves some time." Kakine said, staring at the ceiling.

"Buy time? For what?"

"I need to try to analyze his powers a little more. If I just attack him out of nowhere the result will be the same. Or even worse considering he's with #4."

"So you have no chance of defeating him?" Yumiya asked innocently. She trembled and took a step back when Kakine looked at her with an intensity capable of draining one's resolve.

"Don't be an idiot. I just need more information about what the hell his power is. I used my recovery period to perfect my Dark Matter, which will help me get it. After that he'll be an easy target."

Although Kakine tried to sound confident, Youbou narrowed his eyes as he realized that this was just an act. The Level 5 was clearly acting defensively. You could tell how nervous he was, but his pride wouldn't let him admit it. This was bad. If their strongest member was defeated and didn't believe he could win in a rematch, then they would have problems if they had to fight, especially considering that another level 5 was coming as well. Worst of all, there was a great chance that Kakine would get angry at seeing the person who defeated him and start a losing battle driven by pride.

"Let's try a diplomatic solution then." Youbou suggested. He was smart enough not to want to be on a battlefield with 3 monsters on it.

"Diplomatic solution?" Kakine was not irritated by that. His tone was completely neutral. "Do you really think that's possible between us rival groups?"

"You're not sure if you can beat this Kamijou guy, and Yumiya and I will have to deal with a level 5 to give you a chance to face him. Isn't it better if -"

"I don't like what you are implying. Do you think I'm afraid Youbou? I said I can beat him if I play my cards right."

"Kakine-san, if we are going to do this, could you at least tell us what his power is?"

"He calls it 'Imagine Breaker.' Probably a level 5 psychokinesis. He must have enough calculating power to interact with fundamental particles freely. Maybe more than that."

"What?!" Youbou almost stuttered upon hearing that. His throat went dry as his eyes widened "That's ridiculous. How do you fight something like that? My psychokinesis would be useless against this nonsense. Aren't you exaggerating?"

"Do you think I would lose to someone with lower parameters than that? You don't believe me? Call him to a duel then, I want to see how well you do." Kakine's voice was pure disdain.

The Level 4 didn't have a chance to argue back as the doorbell rang at that instant. Kakine signaled with his hands for the two to follow the orders he had given and then turned the doorknob.

Once again these two boys with meaningless powers would meet.

If the atmosphere in the room was so dense before, it was now about to become tangible. Mugino Shizuri and Kamijou Touma entered that luxurious apartment as if they owned the place. There was not a trace of concern in their gestures.

"You seem to have recovered well, #2" The first to speak was Mugino Shizuri, who was standing next to her boyfriend, clutching his arm. "The technology of this city is formidable."

"What do you want?" He asked, watching them walk nonchalantly across the room to their seats.

"Why the rush, Kakine-san?" Touma looked around the place and then focused on the people there "We haven't even introduced ourselves yet. You must be Yumiya Rakko, and you Youbou Banka, right? Gokusai hasn't come back yet by the looks of it."

Those who were called by names could not react appropriately. His casual tone as he said this left a clear message: He was the one in control there. The two raised their guard out of instinct, but after hearing what their leader said, the morale of the group was down. That high guard was the instinct of someone ready to flee at any moment rather than try to fight a losing battle to the death.

"My name is Kamijou Touma and this is my girlfriend, Mugino Shizuri. She's a level 5, so don't annoy her." He continued walking in a casual manner until he came to an armchair near the window. Without ceremony, he sat down in it and stretched, "It's been a tiring day, so we'd better get started soon."

Kakine was not at all happy that this boy sat in that armchair. The other SCHOOL members noticed this and looked in his direction, but the blond just shrugged and sat down on one of the couches in the huge living room. Realizing that their leader was really trying the diplomatic approach, the two imitated him and sat down on a couch. As far away from that boy as possible. Yumiya even forgot about Kakine's orders, since she clearly wasn't looking for a blind spot.

"Sitting there is a little unfair, Touma-chan. I can't sit next to you" Shizuri complained, as if only the boy sitting in the armchair was there. She ignored everyone's gaze on her and casually pulled one of the couches close to the armchair, not caring about the noise of the floor being scratched.

"Shizuri, we are trying to have a serious conversation here. How do you want me to convince them to cooperate like this."

"I'm sorry, Touma-chan, but it's your fault. It was either that or sit on your lap." She sat on the edge of the couch and tilted her head in a rather cute way "Besides, this is all so boring. Isn't it better to just kill everyone? That would be more interesting."

An icy feeling slid down the spines of the SCHOOL members as they heard that declaration of war in such a sweet tone. This included their leader. But the blond boy soon pulled himself together and forced a cocky smile to be drawn on his face.

"You guys have the nerve to come over here and threaten us like that so casually."

"She's just kidding. None of you need to die, we're on the same side after all." Touma said. He took his cell phone from his pocket and threw it in Kakine's direction.

"What are you planning?"

Holding the cell phone, #2 looked at the screen and recognized parts of that document being displayed. The other two SCHOOL members had no idea what this conversation was about, so they preferred to keep quiet and alert.

"I see, you really were two steps ahead of me in this whole situation." Kakine spoke that as he examined the documents carefully.

"But that wasn't enough by the looks of it, since I missed something simple." The level 0 boy leaned forward in that armchair and put his hands together "Kakine, didn't you notice anything strange in those files? Like the delivery dates for example?"

"It doesn't matter." He threw the cell phone back, disinterested "I don't know what you want, but I won't help you."

"It's a shame."

A loud sigh was heard and soon after a right hand was raised and then closed into a fist. That simple gesture automatically activated the subconscious defenses of #2, who lay uncomfortably on the couch. If the supposed level 0 made a sudden move, the level 5 would be ready.

"Don't try anything, wannabe hero." Kakine warned, looking Touma in the eye "You are at a disadvantage here."

"Really?" Touma smirked as he asked that with a mocking tone "I'm sure my beautiful Shizuri-chan here is more than enough to finish off your two companions. It could barely be called a fight."

Touma's bold comment made the two people mentioned look in the direction of the level 5 girl, who was displaying a shit-eating grin. There was something distorted in that smile. That girl was letting out an aura of someone who saw no problem in getting into a fight to the death, since she was sure she could win easily. That oppressive aura was enough to make those two start breathing hard. And according to Kakine herself, she wasn't even the most dangerous person in the room. So one could say that neither of these two were remotely at ease.

"Then... if I were you I would give in." Touma continued, slowly opening that right hand. "But it's fine with me if you want to choose the other option. I'll let you know right away that this time I might take that advice of yours. Remember? It was something about only stopping when you weren't breathing anymore, wasn't it?"

"You think you scare me, fake level 0?" Kakine really didn't seem scared, or at least he didn't let it show.

"Whether you are scared or not the result is the same." The boy shrugged "I just have a very simple question. You can choose to answer it truthfully and no one in this room gets hurt, or... you can refuse and so my Shizuri here becomes #3 in Academy City."

"Ohoo... I like that." The tea-colored haired girl widened her smile "Can I dispatch the other two useless ones now, Touma-chan?"

A sequence of several things happened at that moment. First, Shizuri raised one of her arms threateningly toward the two who wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Next, Kakine got up from the couch with teeth grinding in anger, which consequently made the other SCHOOL members get up too, but they didn't seem ready to fight. In Youbou's case, he really wanted to try the diplomatic approach.

"Wait... wait." Shouted the level 4, trying to stop the bloodbath about to happen. "Kakine-san, at least hear the question first."

"Smart boy. Why isn't he the leader?" Touma asked with a sarcastic tone, which made Kakine step forward.

"He looks pretty pissed off, Touma. So Scary." Mocked Shizuri, still with her arm raised, as if aiming at her targets.

"So, Kakine-san, what will you choose?" Touma said, moving the fingers of his right hand slowly in front of his face. "Will you take his advice, or would you rather I take yours?"

Even as he grew increasingly irritated, Kakine forced himself to think carefully. He discreetly spread out his dark matter to try to get a good scan of his surroundings while keeping his eyes focused on the threat in front of him. His allies seemed to be in Meltdowner's line of fire. She could probably shoot Youbou before he could react to protect himself. If Kakine tried to protect his team, an opening would be created for the real opponent that he couldn't take his eyes off even for an instant. The guard of that supposed level 0 was high, so taking him by surprise was impossible. They had the numerical advantage, but no matter how Kakine looked at it, it was the ITEM that had the advantage against the SCHOOL.

"Why do you look so worried, Kakine-san?" Touma asked. "If you are not going to attack me, sit down. We both know how it ends if you attack me."

"What the hell do you want anyway?! Ask the damn question. I'll answer it before I slaughter you both!" Spat Kakine, not sounding convincing with that bold statement.

"Good." Touma lowered his right hand, not caring about the threat. That made Shizuri lower her arm as well "The files you received, I have a copy of them as well. However, as you noticed, I have two versions of them. Which means that someone changed something at a certain time."

"What are you getting at?"

"The files you received, all I need to know is if they all came from one single person."

"They came from one group of people..." He hesitated momentarily "No, the leader of the group is the only one that matters. It's from her that all the data came."

"I see. That kind of confirms what I was thinking. She was there that night."

Kakine didn't understand what the boy was trying to say, but what confused him the most was that the level 5 girl next to him also narrowed her eyes upon hearing this statement. Still confused, #2 insisted on clearing up his doubts.

"Be more clear. What did you find out?" Kakine seemed interested now.

Taking a deep breath and relaxing in that armchair, Touma looked into the eyes of the blond in front of him and asked one last question before revealing what he thought was obvious at this point.

"The girl who gave you the information...is that the one pretending to be Aihana Etsu?"

"Pretending?" He tilted his head in confusion "So… she really isn't the real Aihana. But what about her?"

"This girl we don't know the name of yet is responsible for all this conflict of ours. She manipulated both of us."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello, dear readers. The end of chapter notes will be a bit long today.

First of all, I need to talk about the big announcement we had. For those who don't know yet, we will have a Toaru spin-off focused on Shizuri/ITEM. I can't describe how excited I was when I got the news, like... seriously, I really didn't expect it. And it looks like it will be a series of light novels and not just a side story volume!

When the novel is released, I will probably need to make some revisions to my story. I'm really excited to learn about Shizuri's past and how ITEM was formed, and of course she'll talk to Touma about it in this fic. I'm on cloud nine LOL.

Now leaving that aside for the moment. This chapter had an important scene at the end. Yes, "Aihana Etsu" is responsible for Kakine and Touma almost killing each other. In the next chapter we will learn more about what she is planning.

The last two scenes show that Shizuri is having a great influence on Touma, since he really wants to see her happy by fulfilling her whims, even if it puts them in danger. BTW, the apartment that SCHOOL uses as a base was shown in more detail in the Dark Matter manga, but I made slight adjustments for dramatic effect.

And that brings us to the first scene of the chapter (yes, I went backwards xD). Shizuri is thinking more about the future with Touma now, and at the same time thinking about goals for her personal life from now on. One important comment is that she makes it clear how much she wants to get out of the darkness, which kind of contrasts with the canon version of her.

Shizuri so far in canon is trying to improve as a person, such as her trying hard not to kill anyone in the fight in NT12 even though it makes everything more difficult, but she still considers herself a person who belongs to the darkness of the city. Here this changes because Touma really wants to see her totally changed, and she loves him enough to try to be a version of herself that he loves.

By the way, while editing I realized that the "romantic scene" was a bit too long. When I was writing I took a break for a few hours and then came back, which made me write too much. I shortened the scene by almost 1k words in editing, hoping the final version didn't drag on too long. How much do you like this kind of scene? I know some people don't appreciate it much, but I like to show the evolution of their relationship, especially now that they have been dating for almost a month (yes, sometimes I don't comment on the time that passes in the story, only when the characters decide to talk).

I need to write another scene similar to this one soon as a "big event" is going to happen in the story, so I was wondering if I need to make these scenes even smaller. I don't want to make the pace even slower than it already is. What do you think?

Now... reviews:

KHVSFF: Shizuri loves to show who's boss, doesn't she? I'm glad you like this change, the two of them will have more scenes, however I don't intend to focus on that too much. It will take a while for them to return to school, as this arc is about to begin in earnest, but I already have some scenes in my head of more school chaos. About the question, we won't have so many incidents in this story because it won't be very long, but this arc is practically all focused on Shizuri. And we will have a "magic incident" in it. Thank you as always.

Zatchbell511: I am really glad you liked it. It's nice to know that those quiet moments in the story are so appreciated.

Xellos540: Touma interacted with Saten at the beginning of the fic, their entire conversation was not shown, but it is hinted that the conversation was longer. In this chapter Saten knows that Touma has already left the hospital, which leaves it implied that she went to visit him. Actually I'm not "trying" to do this, it's just Touma's point of view that gives this impression because he is very tired and trying to concentrate on his problems. Fukiyose here is actually much "softer" in personality than she is in canon, a good example of this is during Ichihanaransai, if you haven't read it yet I won't give spoilers. I could be wrong, but these are the only two named girls in his class, so your shipper heart is really big xD I think you got the timeline wrong, Himegami Aisa studies in Kirigaoka. Even Frenda is not exactly excited to talk about this with Saten, she is just very insistent. Sometimes it is hard to know how old the people in this series are. Of course he has a name, it's Aihana Et... no, wait… nevermind. What do you mean? Is that how you expected her to act from the beginning? Considering how much Touma has been skipping classes, it's a miracle she hasn't tied him to a chair yet LOL. Sometimes it is hard to know how old the people in this series are [2]. My titles never say anything about anything, trust me ;)

aiman031122: This school will be even more chaotic from now on. Shizuri and Shiina are high-class Yanderes. Thank you very much.

5queso: I'm glad you liked it. Shizuri was not about to let rumors tarnish the image of her lover. She is a classy girl, so she likes to show who is in control LOL. Thank you very much for the praise.

This chapter was supposed to be posted on the first day of the year, but I was too drunk to revise anything LMAO. Anyway, Happy Nio Y-… I mean, Happy New Year! This is all. I'm leaving now.