Chapter 30 - Queen's Gambit

In District 7 of Academy City, a girl was walking carelessly while whistling a sad tune. Her name was "Aihana Etsu." Or at least that's what she said her name was. That girl was eye-catching in many ways, but the most prominent details were that modern-looking mask with a smiling face and that long, shocking pink hair.

From afar, "Aihana Etsu" was being watched. Sitting on a chair around a wooden table in the middle of a park, Kamijou Touma watched the pink-haired girl approach him with her face hidden behind her mask.

"Hey, Kamijou-chan. It's been a while." Aihana sat down in a chair next to him. She removed her mask and held it in one hand. "I'm kind of busy right now, so if we could be quick."

"Really? Why the rush? I thought you wanted to be my friend." Said Touma, with a dull smile on his face.

"You called me here out of the blue. On another occasion I would jump for joy, believe me. But let's get down to business. Do you need me to decrypt more files for you?"

"No...actually I wanted to ask you something."

Kamijou Touma looked gently in the girl's direction. It was already close to dusk, so that park was totally empty. Still, this was a bit strange. Officially, there was no nightlife in Academy City, but still it was common for students to wander the streets at night, so all the silence around the two of them was unsettling.

"That day at the Mall, were you there to get information...or were you actually planting information?" He looked right into the eyes of the girl, who frowned upon hearing those words.

Aihana didn't answer that question. She preferred to start looking around nervously. Her hands tightened just a little on the mask she was holding as the girl's gaze returned to Touma. She had a stern expression now, one that she had never shown to that boy before.

"I should have known that would happen." Her voice was mournful, almost failing. "I guess I was lucky, considering it took you so long to find out, don't you think?"

"Well, I'm not an exceptionally bright person, so it would be silly to attribute that to luck."

"Harsh on yourself as always." Her hand clenched that mask tightly, making her fingers turn white. "At least there are a few improvements here and there, but there are a couple of worsening ones as well, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. By the way, that speech pattern of yours is a little familiar to me...no, I think it was something a little different."

Tilting her head in confusion, she twisted her lip and stared at the horizon.

"Hmm... I think I know what you're talking about," She said "Yes, it's a bit similar to hers, but don't worry, I'm not going out there on a murder spree but I can call you 'Onii-chan' if you ask me nicely"

That odd comment drew a pained expression on Touma's face. He brought his hand to his forehead, where something seemed to heat up. It was not the first time that this feeling of uneasiness had afflicted him.

"I'm sorry about that." The girl let a sigh escape. "I've caused you quite a bit of pain lately, but I promise everything will be fine. It's my role to make sure of that."

"Who are you anyway? Why do you seem to know so much about me?"

"So you haven't done your homework. I wonder how much you know about this me here."

"Almost nothing, other than the fact that you manipulated me." He crossed his arms, a universal defensive sign "I was hoping you would tell me your side of the story since we are here alone. We can work something out, what do you say?"

"Tempting offer, Touma-chan, but I may have to decline."

As she said this, the girl made a sudden movement away from the boy and almost put the mask over her face. But she didn't complete the movement. In the next instant the ground beside her was incinerated. A bluish-white beam of electrons exploded the artificial grass and made a cloud of dirt appear near the girl, who took a startled step in the opposite direction.

"Of course you brought your girlfriend." She looked in the direction of a nearby tree "That's a bit unfair, don't you think?"

Coming out from behind a tree, an angry Mugino Shizuri, with electron spheres ready to be fired, pointed an index finger in the direction of the pink-haired girl.

"Don't try anything, bitch." Warned Shizuri in a firm, authoritative voice "I know about your power. Try to put on the mask or make any sudden moves again and I won't miss your head. I don't think you're going to heal that."

"Maybe not, but you are acting too confident for someone who has revealed her position."

With a smile, the pink-haired girl took a courageous step forward toward Shizuri. A confident expression appeared on the enigmatic girl's face. But that expression did not last long.

"It's not just her you have to worry about." That male voice came from a blind spot of the girl pretending to be Aihana.

Coming out from behind a distant tree, Kakine Teitoku displayed his dark matter wings in a menacing manner.

"You're dealing with two level 5s here...or three if you count the fake level 0 over there." The #2 pointed his chin in the direction of Touma, who still had his arms crossed. "Besides, I have a sniper positioned in a nearby building along with a level 4 as backup. If I were you, I would surrender."

Aihana just shook her head negatively at that instant. She didn't even seem to ponder. Her gaze shifted in Touma's direction once more, who looked at her with disappointment. The mask in the girl's hands suddenly seemed even heavier. She had made a decision.

"It's a shame. I guess I have no choice but to surrender."

Raising her hands, the girl put an overly serious expression. Without saying a word, Touma finally rose from his chair and walked cautiously toward her.

"We will take you to the ITEM apartment, please don't try anything." He raised his right hand toward the girl's shoulder, but she instinctively pulled away. "Don't resist, I need to cancel your powers just in case."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." She warned, stepping back sharply.

The ground near the girl was hit once again, but it was a gray wing that destroyed part of the park instead of an electron beam this time. Kakine was clearly impatient. By reflex, Aihana looked in the direction that the noise of the impact came from. Touma took this opportunity to finally hold the girl with his right hand. His intention was good, since preventing her from using her powers would at least make his allies less restless, but what happened next surprised everyone there.

Touma's hand touched the exposed skin of the girl's shoulder, and for some reason that no one there understood, she screamed at the top of her lungs. This was a high-pitched scream, usually given when intense, unexpected pain went through someone's body. The girl collapsed immediately afterwards, falling into the dirt with her eyes closed.

"Good job, level 0." Kakine said sarcastically. "A bit hypocritical of you, but it was efficient."

A puzzled face appeared as Touma looked at his right hand. Something had been negated, but he didn't know what. The Level 0 had told Kakine not to hurt the girl before they came to the park, telling him that as long as he touched her she wouldn't be able to use her powers. Feeling a little guilty, he bent down next to the girl to check that she was all right.

"You seem concerned." Kakine said this with an interested tone in his voice "I assume that's what you were talking about when you said you only needed one direct attack to defeat me, but I have the impression you made a little mistake in your calculations and ended up using too much force."

"It doesn't matter." Shizuri said. She walked over to Touma and put a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"I don't know what I did." Touma said that in a whisper so that only Shizuri would hear.

"Everything is fine. She doesn't look hurt. Just relax now, okay?"

"Will you two stop whispering to each other?" Complained #2, rolling his eyes "Let's hurry, I don't have all day. And pick up that mask on the floor, it looks important."

"Stop trying to order us around, you piece of shit." Shizuri looked at Kakine with anger in her eyes.

Ignoring that common intrigue among level 5s, Touma just reached out with his right hand to pick up the mask from the floor, but for the second time that day, something unusual happened. A sharp sound of shattering glass was heard, and in the same instant, the modern mask that seemed sturdy broke. The clear material darkened, turning into something reminiscent of the dark ashes of what was left of a cigarette blowing in the wind.

The first person to notice this was Kakine, who cast a dull glance at the spiky-haired boy, who was again looking confused.

"Okay, destroying will work just as well." Kakine shrugged. "Now if I may, I will tie her up with my dark matter, since you two are only good at destroying."

The two there ignored #2's teasing and looked at each other. Shizuri's look was one of concern, which made Touma even more confused. She was probably waiting for him to explain what had happened but, the boy didn't know exactly what was going on either.

xxxx-xxxx

Back in the ITEM apartment, 5 people gathered around a girl tied to a chair with ropes made of a gray material that did not exist in this world. Everyone there seemed impatient.

Letting out a tired sigh, Kamijou Touma turned away from his prisoner and leaned his back on a wall.

Shizuri could tell by her boyfriend's expression that something was bothering him. His distant gaze suddenly focused on his right hand, which was opened and closed several times.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Shizuri put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes...why wouldn't I be?" He shifted his gaze to the bound girl.

"If you want to talk, I'm here. You know you can trust me, right?"

"And I do. It's just...I don't know what's happening to me." His right hand now held his forehead. "And thinking about it only makes me worse, so I'd rather you distract me with something."

"Distract you?" The girl curved the corner of her lip. "Maybe we have a little free time before she wakes up. I can think of a few things."

Touma shook his head negatively, but he also smiled even if only a little.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I really ruined the mood." He said.

"Don't apologize for something like that. I was annoyed, but as they say, it was for the 'greater good'."

"You calmed down pretty quickly." Touma nodded his head in approval. "A great job on anger management."

"Thanks for noticing, but I still have a long way to go." This time it was she who sighed loudly. "The environment I grew up in...I guess I got used to things always being the way I want them to be."

"Hmm... is that why you made that decision earlier? About your parents I mean."

A silence suddenly arose between them. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but Shizuri smoothed her hair nervously at that very moment.

"I'm just taking your advice." She replied, with a tone low enough for only him to hear. "I want to do something for myself, something I enjoy. It will help me get away from my past."

The vague way she spoke made Touma narrow his eyes. There was something else there, and he almost opened his mouth to ask what was bothering the girl, but was interrupted when someone spoke in a very loud tone.

"Okay, will someone super explain what's going on here?" Kinuhata was clearly uneasy asking that.

Offense Armor had taken the day off to shop with Takitsubo, as Shizuri had something else in mind for the day. It had been a pretty normal day, so she hadn't really expected to get home and find a person from a rival group in the living room. Especially 'that person'.

Shizuri moved back close to the prisoner when Kinuhata asked that. She was followed by Touma, who positioned himself between her and Kakine.

"As you can see, we are preparing for an interrogation." Shizuri said.

"Is that the girl from the Mall?" Takitsubo asked, recognizing that pink hair. "That's weird, her AIM field is… all messed up."

The three closest to the girl turned around upon hearing Takitsubo say something so strange. Shizuri remembered that failed mission at the mall. Her friend had not said something like this that day, which meant that something had changed.

"What do you mean by 'all messed up'?" Shizuri just muttered that. A slight surprise adorned her face.

"I can't tell." Takitsubo replied as quietly as possible. "Her AIM field was already a little weird... but now it's like... I don't know how to put it into words in an easy to understand way."

"You all like to whisper among yourselves?" Kakine said, taking one of his hands out of his pockets and pointing at the bound girl "You asked me to help you deal with her, so the least you could do is not hide important information from me."

"I don't remember us asking for your help." Retorted Shizuri, clenching a fist in response to that interruption "You stopped being helpful the moment you gave us the information we needed. So if you don't mind, piss off! That's ITEM's business now."

Tension hung in the air. Shizuri had already made it clear that she hated that guy, so no one there tried to reason with the angry girl. Touma could probably calm her down, but he didn't want to. The boy knew that he was mainly responsible for her being a nervous wreck today, so he had no right to demand anything more from her.

"Look at this interesting scene." That female voice sounded just as Kakine took a step toward Shizuri.

Everyone's attention suddenly shifted focus to a single point. Finally Aihana Etsu had woken up after almost an hour. The three who started all this moved closer to the chair in the center of the room, leaving Kinuhata and Takitsubo watching from afar.

"It's kind of scary being surrounded by the three of you." Aihana's voice was no longer that usual soft melody. It was rougher now, almost painful to the ears "A monster who doesn't want to be a monster. A monster who thinks he's a hero, and a hero who thinks he's a monster. So alike...but so different."

"Enough of this nonsense, 'Aihana Etsu'." The first to speak to the girl was Shizuri. She crossed her arms and looked down at the girl. "Ever since that day at the Mall I figured you were up to something bigger. To think you almost convinced me you were a good person in that conversation at the restaurant."

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. But I gave you good advice, don't you think?" She had a disdainful tone in her voice. "I know you're the kind of person who isn't satisfied unless you get a perfect score in a game, so you should thank me for helping you with your obsession. Trying to be the perfect girlfriend isn't easy after all."

"You two are hijacking the subject here." Complained Kakine, clearing his throat. "Let's get to the important questions. What do you intend with all this? You wanted us to fight for a reason. Is it a personal reason or did a superior of yours give you this job?"

"I don't have a 'superior'. I am following a plan of my own. By the way," She looked at Touma, "What gave me away?"

"That's a pretty obvious question." Said Touma, looking her right in those blue eyes. "Kaibi had already told me once that she was receiving a lot of information from one person. You had already confirmed yourself that this person was you in the amusement park when you handed me that 'gift'. I have complete trust in Kaibi, which means that the person behind this could only be the one who helped her."

Hearing all this, both Kakine and Shizuri sharpened their eyes in the boy's direction. They obviously had different motives. The girl's annoyance was due to the fact that Touma seemed to be following a different line of thought than earlier.

As for Kakine.

"So you and Gokusai have a story." #2 put his hand on his chin and nodded "Now I understand why she seemed nervous when I asked her about you."

"That's irrelevant now." Touma shrugged and turned back to the girl in the chair "You manipulated both of us, but why?"

"To buy time, of course." She answered quickly, as casual as a person talking about their day at work. She took the opportunity to look at the clock on the wall before continuing. "I had no such intention at first, but I had to take some detours in my plan. Two powerful and determined people against me, of course the best option was to get you two to fight. It wasn't even that difficult. I just had to pretend I was helping you while I filled Kakine with doubts with my outdated information."

"That was a super dangerous game you played." Kinuhata stepped forward to enter the conversation as well. "If those two had talked for more than a few minutes, your whole plan would fail."

"Yes... however you are forgetting how proud the two of them are... and how ridiculously unlucky one of them is, don't you think?" 'Aihana' curved her lip as she said that "I didn't even need to buy that much time. If you two fought in that tunnel it would be enough, but luckily... or in Touma-chan's case, bad luck, the universe was on my side."

"Bad luck? How ridiculous." Spat #2.

"Easy for you to say." Said Shizuri, moving a little closer to Touma who seemed shaken by that conversation.

"It's a shame when your misfortune really works to screw you sometimes, don't you think?" Continued the pink-haired girl "When it's silly things like slipping on a soda can or getting hurt because of a misunderstanding, usually involving girls, you can just say 'Such Misfortune' while everyone around gets mad at you, laughs, or in odd cases, envies you. But it's different when some crazy guy runs at you with a knife with intent to kill you for no good reason, or when you crash into someone and lose your cell phone at the exact moment it would make a difference in a matter of life and death. Or even when you give your all to save a girl, only to have your memory erased as a 'reward', or when..."

"That's enough!" Touma clenched both fists as he shouted that. This time, it was Shizuri who held his hand, which made him breathe deeply and calm down as he felt her gentle warmth flowing toward him. "You are not being clear, Aihana Etsu. Stop trying to wind us up and tell us what you intend with all this. That day at the mansion, you were there weren't you? You had already gotten the information you needed, including the encryption key."

"Yes. I needed that to hack into the servers quickly and change important information. I was careful enough to make a deal with the person you interrogated in that hospital. I was the one who gave the idea of him being 'executed' and interned in a neutral zone. I had a lot of compromising information, so convincing him was easy."

When the girl stopped talking, Touma was lost in thought. If she was there in that mansion, there was a good chance that she had done something to corrupt the files he had sent to Uiharu that night. That data was enough to pique Touma's curiosity, but he lacked the details. And then there was that day at the mall. Was it all a coincidence? Or did she deliberately choose that moment because she knew he would be there?

"Kaguya handed me that flash drive by choice. Are you behind it too?"

"Not quite. Shinseijou was an important ally since the 'Dust' empire belongs to her family. I used her to speed things up. My intention was for her to be defeated and searched. Handing that flash drive to you willingly was not in the plans. In the end, your Lady Killer skills worked in my favor, saving me from some future headaches."

Once again, the girl pretending to be 'Aihana' looked nonchalantly at the clock on the wall. She looked comfortable answering those questions, which was making Touma suspicious. It was obvious that she was not revealing anything very important.

Everything she said was of no help to everyone there. Kakine especially was almost falling asleep listening to so much information that was leading nowhere. He needed to do something to make this interrogation productive.

"Who are you anyway?" #2's question made everyone there get thoughtful "Why are you using the name 'Aihana Etsu'? Did you kill the real one and assume their identity?"

"What a horrible theory, besides not making any sense." Said the girl, shaking her head "I am not the only person who borrowed their name. There are even some who use this name without permission, but that's not my case. As for my name..." She hesitated for a moment, staring into the void like someone trying to recall a past memory. "You can call me April."

"April?" Shizuri grimaced "It's not a common name in Japan, so I guess it's another alias. Is that supposed to mean something?"

"That name reminds me of some unfortunate events I got myself into when I first got here. Haven't you guys ever heard of April' Fools project?" The newly self-named April asked. She looked in Kinuhata's direction for some reason, which made everyone there look in the same direction "You look like me in a way, Dark May survivor."

Dark May. A project that aimed to improve the calculation powers of subjects by implanting the thought patterns of the strongest esper, Accelerator. The project came to an end when one of the survivors went mad and killed all the researchers, leading the project to bankruptcy. Touma had heard about this project more than once because of the time he spent with ITEM, which meant that everyone there knew very well what it was about.

"When I first got here, scientists found my powers interesting to say the least." April said, looking away so that no one would look her in the eye "Actually they just didn't understand their true nature. Those were hard times for me, but I at least managed to hone my skills during that short period of time."

"She's super evading the subject again." Commented Kinuhata. "Who cares what obscure project you participated in? This is Academy City, so I don't see anything special."

"That's kind of cold coming from you, Kinuhata-chan. But you're right, participating in this project didn't make me special. This was a special project because of me."

"Yeah... yeah, who gives a shit." Shizuri shrugged, not interested in what that girl was trying to say "Just tell us straight up what you want with all this ability crystal stuff. You changed the delivery dates to speed up the distribution by months. That wasn't in the scientists' plans, especially to use on the general public like that, as if they were testing a new kind of aspirin."

"What I want is very simple. Sending and receiving data."

"Hmm... do you intend to use the AIM fields for that?" Kakine asked, being sure he was right. "Some kind of Shading computer I presume."

"I feel kind of lost here." Touma said as he frowned.

"Eh? You've never heard of shading computation?" Kakine looked genuinely surprised, but Touma just shrugged.

"It's a theoretical model of next generation processors." Explained Shizuri, making Touma look at her intently. "In theory, you can use fluid mechanics to do any kind of calculations."

"Ok... But I don't understand what this has to do with AIM fields, so I remain lost"

"The same logic applies here." Continued Kakine "Think of the AIM fields in the city as a big sea. Each specific AIM causes ripples in that sea. It would be possible to use the principle of fluid mechanics in that situation."

"There are a lot of smart people in this room." Touma sighed "Being a level 0 is hard sometimes."

"Level 0 my ass." Murmured Kakine, gritting his teeth "Anyway, what kind of information do you intend to send and get using the AIM fields?"

"Human brains." Answered the girl, leaving everyone there with expressions that ranged from confusion to surprise. "It's a metaphor... sort of. I intend to use the ability crystals to force those who ingest it to manipulate their own bodies in a very specific way. The nanotechnology of the Shinseijou family will be useful here, don't you think?"

"Manipulate their bodies?" Kakine brought his hand to his chin "I see, you want to move the 'liquid', in this case the AIM fields in a specific way, just like a saline solution in a tank."

"Interesting theory, but what I am saying cannot be explained with your limited science-based knowledge. Touma-chan understands what I mean."

That last sentence was enough to make the whole group look at Touma with anticipation. Unfortunately, the boy didn't seem to have any idea what she was talking about.

"Oh... that's right, what a stupid girl I am." April joked, flashing a small smile. "Sometimes I forget that you're not my Touma. But he's still there, isn't he? Don't worry, I'll catch up with him soon."

The moment Level 0 heard this, he felt a sharp pain right in the front region of his brain. It was almost as if someone was putting out a cigarette on his forehead. An uncomfortable feeling slid through Touma's body, the same feeling as that time in the amusement park before the mission. The world seemed to spin around him as his throat went dry, which made the words get stuck in the way.

"Touma?" Shizuri realized something was wrong with her boyfriend "Hey... Touma, are you okay?"

Her voice was distant. It was like listening to someone talking while submerged in a pool. That feeling got worse, making the boy's legs tremble. He almost collapsed to the ground, but his girlfriend was quicker and held him, taking his arm and putting it over her shoulders.

"It seems like it's getting worse." Said April "I'm sorry about that."

"What are you doing with him?" Shizuri looked at the bound girl with a flame in her eyes. "Make it stop, NOW."

"Yelling at me is not going to solve anything. He's doing it to himself."

Shizuri felt the weight on her shoulder lessen a little. She turned just in time to look at Touma trying to steady himself on his two feet with some difficulty.

"Hey, don't force yourself like that." She asked in a gentle whisper "That bitch is doing something to you, so keep leaning on me."

"Shizuri...I wish I had met you earlier too." What Touma said sounded a bit strange to the girl supporting him. His voice came out weak, however his body seemed to attend to him again as he stood unsupported.

"That would be great, but focus on the present now. Do you feel better?"

A nod of the head was all she got in response. Touma took a deep breath to clear away all the confusing thoughts and looked in the direction of the girl calling herself April.

"I'm beginning to lose patience. You're still hiding something, just tell me what it is before I -"

"Sorry to interrupt you, Touma-chan, but it's time for my great escape." April said, smiling slightly.

That bold statement made everyone there raise their guard. With the exception of Kakine of course. He was the one who tied up the girl using his dark matter, so he was sure she would not escape.

"Sure, and what is your grand plan to escape my dark matter?" Kakine asked, with an arrogant smile. "The material I used to make those strings -"

"For God's sake, don't start. We're out of time here." April asked, tilting her head and putting on a dull expression "First of all, I wouldn't surrender so easily if I didn't have an ace up my sleeve, don't you think?" The direction of the girl's gaze changed from Kakine to a person who had been quiet during the entire interrogation "Nothing personal, Takitsubo-chan."

As she said this, a shrill scream was heard. Everyone there watched as Takitsubo suddenly collapsed on the cold floor of the apartment. Without stopping to think how strange it was, Touma rushed towards her. She was unconscious, a cold sweat running down the skin of her neck and a trickle of blood escaping from her mouth. Shizuri and Kinuhata also crouched down next to their friend, who began to convulse violently.

"Her pulse is weak." Touma said, trying unsuccessfully to remain calm. A look of hatred was cast in the direction of the person who was clearly responsible for this "Shizuri, can you take care of her for me?"

The spiky-haired boy left Takitsubo in the care of his girlfriend, who could only hold her bleeding friend in her arms. The horror and anxiety in Shizuri's expression grew with every second. Each time the girl in her arms convulsed, more blood flowed from her mouth, as if her body was being destroyed from the inside by an invisible force.

Touma looked at April, who surely felt the pressure of that look that was only cast at someone that this boy considered an enemy.

"I don't know what you did but make it stop." He opened his right hand and slowly brought it to the girl, leaving it just inches from her skin. The other time he touched her, April seemed to feel immense pain, so he would use that fear to his advantage.

"Scaring me won't help you. I can't make it stop, not while I'm here." She was clearly trying to move away from that right hand, as if afraid to touch it directly, but she forced herself to keep talking "I'm not stupid enough not to prepare a guarantee in case I'm captured."

Once again the girl looked at the clock on the wall. During the conversation, she looked in that direction more than once, but everyone there ignored this for the simple fact that everything seemed under control.

"She was already expecting to be captured, huh." Kakine said that categorically, not at all concerned about everything that was happening. "We live in a technological society. Machines can be programmed to do things on a certain schedule."

"I said before, don't you remember? I intend to use the new ability crystals to force the users' bodies to do something very specific." She said, pointing in Takitsubo's direction with her chin. "Now if I remember correctly... you are responsible for what is happening here, don't you think?"

"What the hell is that bitch talking about, Touma?" Shizuri asked in an irritated tone, looking at the girl with hate-filled eyes "What do you mean he is responsible for this?"

"That won't stop until I get back to my base." April said, ignoring Shizuri.

"Touma, what is she talking about? What's going on with my friend?"

Her voice was gradually weakening, as if the pain her friend was feeling was affecting her physically as well. Hearing Shizuri's worried voice, Touma's hands began to tremble as if his temperature had dropped sharply. His heavy breathing couldn't keep away that dark feeling sliding through his body. He had made a bad decision in the past, and that decision was now coming back to haunt him. But this was no time to try to explain any of it away. He needed to pull himself together, to make a decision. His friend's life was the priority. He tilted his head in the direction of the bound girl so that he would say something that only she would hear.

"Hold on to me."

The next instant was crucial. Before anyone could prepare, Touma held those dark matter ropes in his right hand. They fell apart faster than they were formed. Everyone there looked at him in surprise, but it wasn't over yet. The boy pointed his left hand at a wall, activating his L.I.B.

The first to react to all that was Kakine. His ability was activated, but Touma was faster. His L.I.B hook had already connected, which caused him and the girl clinging to him to be thrown into the air just in time for Kakine's wings to fly in the direction of those two. Using the momentum generated, he reached out with his right hand and pushed #2 out of the way, who went off balance and almost fell to the ground. By the time he regained his balance, the two had already been hurled across the open balcony, escaping from that apartment.

xxxx-xxxx

It was a smooth landing. Once the two had crossed the balcony while temporarily free of the restraints of gravity, Touma used hisitemto throw them near an alley. The two ran quickly, crossing the city streets to make sure no one was following them. Stopping suddenly, Touma looked in the direction of the girl who had chosen April as her name.

"Where is your base?" He asked in a neutral tone.

"I'm sorry, Touma-chan, but I can't answer that question."

"Don't call me that." He clenched both fists. "Only one girl can call me that, and I've already let her down too much today."

"I'm sorry."

The girl put on a sad expression and tried to approach and put a hand on his shoulder. Touma moved away quickly and stood back when he realized what the girl was trying to do.

"Go." He said "Do what you have to do at your base. I'll stay here in case Kakine tries to come after you."

"Tou...Kamijou...No...it's better that way." Hesitating, the girl lowered her hand and shook her head. "Keep your friend in District 7. Tonight's resonance will not affect her that way."

The boy stood with his back to her, in silence, listening to the sounds of footsteps moving away from him in that alley. He still didn't know what his connection to this girl was, but that didn't matter now. Normally he would be willing to listen to her, try to understand her motivations, but right now he just wanted to make sure his friend would be okay. He owed it to her.

Thoughtfully, he began to walk out of that alley. He walked while staring at the ground, unconcerned about anything around him. Their fists were clenched, and that sharp pain in his head seemed to return for just an instant, but he ignored it and kept walking. He walked and walked, for longer than expected. Touma was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the passage of time. Probably minutes had passed, then he finally lifted his head, only to find that he was in the same alley, as if he had never walked in the first place.

"You don't look well at all." A high-pitched voice like one of a child sounded in that alley.

Touma made no sudden movement to look in the direction of the voice. Not because he was not interested in who it belonged to, but because the voice sounded right in front of him.

"Your situation now is interesting to say the least." That impossible-to-distinguish female or male voice continued.

There was a person there. The silhouette of a person at least. This person wrapped in calm colors seemed at the same time to belong to this world and yet be rejected by it. Touma was sure that this person had not been there for an instant. But he didn't see when they appeared. By instinct the boy touched his own head with his right hand.

"That's not happening in your head, if that's what you're wondering."

The mysterious person turned away from the boy and leaned toward the wall. He (?) seemed to gaze up at the orange sky above him. The world around that being seemed still, and even the sound was distorted and muffled.

"Who are you?" Touma removed his hand from his head and clenched it into a fist. "Why are you hiding your face?"

"My appearance would not help you at all." Something very much like a smile appeared on that person's face "But I'm sure you've heard my name... several times. I am number 6 in Academy City. Aihana Etsu... the real one this time."

Touma frowned. He had no way of knowing if this really was Aihana Etsu, but somehow... that boy knew it was true. Level 5s, like his girlfriend Mugino Shizuri, Kakine Teitoku, and even the Railgun girl, Misaka Mikoto, seemed to live in a world of their own, exuding an easily recognizable 'pressure'. This person before him was the same. But that was not what made Level 0 so sure that the person hidden in those colors was indeed number 6.

"Have we met before?" That question escaped Touma's lips. It was automatic, inevitable.

"Hmm... if what that girl told me is really true... I think so. But we don't have time to talk about it. Do you know why I am here?"

"Yes. You came to make me a offer.."

That strange figure's face was covered up, but Touma was able to notice the frustration in the body expression. Aihana Etsu's slumped shoulders were straightened as he (?) stepped away from the wall and extended a hand toward the spiky-haired boy.

"I assume someone warned you about me. The #5 maybe." A distorted sigh was heard "I can't say this was an unexpected move coming from the queen. In any case, we will make an alliance between us. I will give you what you are lacking. I will lend you Aihana Etsu."

"I'm not interested." It was an instant response. There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Are you sure?" But Aihana was not shaken. "I can help you become what you've always wanted. The ideal version of Kamijou Touma."

"I don't want that."

"Why not?"

"It's none of your business."

Aihana Etsu seemed to smile at that moment. There was no way to be sure...but Touma knew.

"What makes you think you have a choice?" Asking that without changing her (?) tone, Aihana took a step toward Touma with her hand still extended.

"If I was in doubt...now I'm sure you're a level 5." But the boy just shrugged "You guys are always so arrogant. Do you really think you can make me do anything?"

"I don't need to force you. You can choose whatever you want now, but will you keep your choice after you fail miserably?"

"I'm not liking how you're making it sound like you know I'm going to fail from the start."

"I'm just stating the obvious." Aihana finally decided to lower his arm. He took another step forward and looked Touma in the eye. "You are not a good person, Kamijou Touma. You are just a lost child who goes around with your clenched fist spreading violence while lying to yourself and everyone else around you. You will fail...just like you failed her."

Touma's blood boiled on hearing this. He clenched his fist, making his nails dig into his palm.

"Maybe you're right...you stalker" The boy moved away, turning his back on that sea of calm colors. He pushed that momentary anger away, swallowing it like a bitter medicine. "But like I said...it's none of your business."

xxxx-xxxx

Mugino Shizuri didn't expect her day to end this way. It seemed like a flawless plan. She had set the whole stage to have quality time with that boy she loved so much. From the instant she woke up in the morning, a smile adorned her face. Seeing Touma's reaction when she surprised him at that school, feeding him, discussing stupid things with his friends, the talk of her plans for the future, that moment with the two of them alone in her room, everything was heading to be a perfect day. But it seemed that the universe had other plans.

Running through the city streets, Meltdowner desperately dialed her boyfriend's number over and over again. Her body was tired, her mind confused, but she remained focused. Once again she looked at the cell phone screen. She would not give up.

"Shizuri!" That voice made her head raise.

There he was, the person who was responsible for everything she was feeling right now. Kamijou Touma had a sad expression. He walked in a stiff manner, very different from his usual relaxed pose. Shizuri had many questions. She had to know why the girl had said that Takitsubo's condition was his fault. But seeing him so shaken, it seemed that everything no longer mattered.

"Touma!" She shouted, running toward him.

Stopping to catch her breath, she watched as the boy awkwardly turned in the direction of the alley he had just left.

"How is Takitsubo?" That was his first question. His voice was so weak, as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"We called an ambulance. Kinuhata went with her to the Heaven Canceller hospital." Shizuri also started looking in the direction of the alley. There was nothing unusual there "She went in that direction?"

"Shizuri, we have to let her go for now."

The desperate tone of Touma's voice made her shake her head. She didn't quite know what to say. Her violent nature might be buried, but if she didn't take a deep breath and concentrate something would escape. It was like someone trying to count while another person shouted random numbers. But she had to make that effort for him.

"I know. I'm more worried about Kakine going after her. He's probably flying around right now. I'm sorry, I couldn't buy you much time."

Shizuri struggled not to let out a tone of voice that wasn't as calm and sweet as possible. Her boyfriend sounded so sad right now. He was like a lost child, overwhelmed by the pressure of having to do something to get out of the situation he was in. But Shizuri was there, she would not let anything shake him. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping that the human warmth she offered would help him.

"It's going to be okay." She assured, nodding her head "You did the right thing."

"No...this is all my fault." Touma couldn't look her in the eye "The ability crystals that Takitsubo has been using for almost a month... I'm the one who gave them to her."

"What?"

It was impossible to stop that word from escaping her mouth. Shizuri knew that Takitsubo was using the new ability crystals, however she only guessed that she had picked up one of the delivery drones that night of the mission, she couldn't imagine that it was Touma himself who had given it to her. So she couldn't hold back the surprised tone in her voice. It was a normal reaction, but she realized that she had made a mistake the moment she saw Touma trembling slightly as she looked down at the ground.

"She told me she intended to use them." Continued Touma "I should have stopped her...convinced her how dangerous that was..."

"It doesn't matter now." She didn't let him continue.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? I made a big mistake here. You can't just say that -"

"It doesn't matter."

Shizuri's firm voice finally made the boy look into her eyes. He clearly expected her to keep talking, but she just shook her head and hugged him. With her head resting against his chest, she waited until his arms wrapped around her before continuing.

"Remember what I said a while ago? Your problems are my problems too." She just whispered, "So you don't have to act like that. You made a mistake, so what? We'll work it out, I promise. Just calm down now, okay?

She felt his hand touch the top of her head. A light caress, but enough to make her smile.

"Feeling better?" She asked with a sweet tone of voice.

"A little..." His voice was still weak.

"Great. Let's go back to the apartment. You need to cool your head a bit. We'll think about what to do after that"

"Wait, but you said Kakine -"

"Touma, just listen to me. I'm trying to be a good girlfriend here, so don't make my job harder." She moved her head away from the boy's chest and grabbed his hand "Now let's go."

xxxx-xxxx

In the center of District 7, the leader of Academy City was examining the monitors around his life support tank. Something very close to a grimace appeared on the face of that "Human".

"So she's starting the little experiment." Aleister had a slightly worried voice. "Tracing the Thelema...creating a temporary temple...looks like she just needs to make the connection now."

His gaze shifted to another monitor. It showed a boy with spiky hair walking next to a girl with tea-colored hair. A simple smile broke out on Aleister Crowley's face.

"It might still take a few hours. That's the perfect time to interfere." That smile widened, almost imperceptible. "I need to change the parameters a little so that she gets what she wants, but his integrity must be maintained in the process. I should also prepare something to ensure their return. It won't be a very subtle signal, but it will certainly be effective."

Now he had a full smile. That human's plan was getting closer and closer to being realized.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey Guys! This chapter took longer than usual. I got a little tired of the amount of chaos at the beginning of the year, but at least one fic that I read and like a lot has been updated recently, which gave me the strength to finish editing.

Anyway, in this chapter some of the intentions of the girl who calls herself "April" are revealed. I wonder if some people understood the strange reference she made in the opening scene with Touma.

As I want to keep my chapter notes shorter, (after the last one which was gigantic) I'll go straight to the reviews:

KHVSFF: I am also quite excited about it. The synopsis that came out says that we will find out how the ITEM was formed, which is something I have always wanted to know. I think the novel will show a lot of Shizuri's past, or at least I hope so LOL. A funny thing I noticed is that after the announcement, some people in the community started to recommend KamiZuri fics quite often, maybe it was just my impression since I am biased when it comes to this subject xD. I'm glad you liked it. I usually get positive feedback when I show more of Shizuri's inner thoughts, so I have been showing this more often, hopefully I am not doing this too much, I already "repeat" some scenes. These kinds of more "intimate" scenes will decrease in frequency and size, since the arc is going at a faster pace than the previous one, I think this is for the best. Kamachi will probably show us more of that side of her in the Spin-off, just as he showed us the silly and caring side of Kakine interacting with Ringo. Shizuri gives the impression of having a soft side when it comes to children, considering her interaction with Last order, smiling and all, I want to see more of this. Honestly, I don't have many plans for Mikoto here, she will appear in the next chapter (this may be delayed) and also help our protagonists at the end of the arc but that's it, but my plans could change. That about Touma was just a big bluff on his part, since Shizuri said she wanted to see him scare Kakine. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Zatchbell511: LOL. Touman being Touman. I appreciate it.

xellos540: Mugino training to be a housewife is actually a 'meme' in the community. It came about because of a scene where a character teases her by saying that "cooking and sewing is great for learning to be a wife" and then Kinuhata noticing that Mugino's emotions got more out of control than usual after that. There is even a scene in "Idol" where Shizuri implies that she wants to get married young. I just like making references to those memes, like drunk Touma a while back and stuff.

I think I made it very clear that this is entirely deliberate with various characters noticing the differences, I even comment on this in my notes.

I can't tell if she has an amazing memory, but it is implied levels 5 usually does.

The definition of "friendship" changes from time to time in Rakko's perception LOL.

Kakine asked Kaibi about Touma in front of her, which is why the name is familiar.

Beginning child is an "unofficial" level 5. We have other espers that have power output equal or even higher than some level 5s but are not classified that way for other reasons, the most famous case is Hoshimi, who is said some times in narration to be stronger than the Railgun in pure power. We also have the cubes from MO manga, but that's another story.

Off the top of my head I remember 5 moments that Touma threatened to kill someone (either explicitly or implicitly): Biohacker, VO, NT5, NT14, NT22R. 3 times it was a bluff, one of them he used a euphemism, and one of them was far more than a threat.

There is no way of knowing how many volumes there will be, we only know that it will be a "spin-off series". By the way, Railgun's storyline is much longer than you think. We have 6 arcs in the manga (the first year's arc is the current one) and in addition we have the novel stories: Cold game, Liberal arts city, Shopping mall demonstration, SS3, 15th anniversary...

This is exactly what you heard.

That is subjective, so I won't comment on it.

The former, Fukiyose is somewhat "excited" about the festival (obviously, she is Fukiyose after all), she gets annoyed with Touma, so she decides to basically kidnap him, tie him up with duct tape and drag him through the city streets. As I said, her personality was softened here, not just hers actually.

Yeah, Aisa is kicked out of Kirigaoka because of the cross sealing Deep Blood. Thanks as usual.

Aiman031122: Thank you! Shizuri is being a strange influence on Touma, isn't she? Kakine is a reluctant ally, we will see if this changes.

5queso: Oh, this kind of "action" cannot happen for the time yet. Sorry if it was a little frustrating. I hope this chapter has improved in terms of consistency, my style of storytelling tends to have sudden changes in tone at times. I'm glad the twist made up for it, thanks and see you next time.

The spin-off "A certain Dark Side's Item" will be published in March, which means that I will have to revise chapters to fit the "new canon".I hope it will be a long novel. Can't wait. That's all. Nio leaving.