Hey there, good readers! I am finally back from my hiatus, was it long? Anyway, this is the first chapter I am writing after reading the entire of the new ITEM spin-off novel, I hope we will have more of it because I liked it a lot. There will be a small spoiler from that novel in this chapter, but it doesn't ruin the experience in any way for those who haven't read it yet.
I will also talk a bit about it in my end-of-chapter notes, trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible.
Have a good read!
Chapter 34 – Through the Looking Glass
It was a weird day in #4's life. Her roommates were acting strange, a guy she had never seen before was dating her best friend, and the person she was in love with was basically a complete stranger according to everyone. However, all this was outweighed by what she had just heard.
"Okay... that's ridiculous." Shizuri's head kept swaying from side to side.
The reason for her disbelief was simple. After she returned to the table, being treated to a delicious plate of grilled salmon, the taste of the food was spoiled by the sheer amount of bullshit she was hearing.
"A magic god?" Asking that was practically causing her pain. "Transformed into a fairy by a spell? What else? Touma is actually a frog who was kissed by a magical girl and turned into this amazing thing he is now?"
"Thanks for the compliment," Touma said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"You're welcome, darling."
"You two are disgusting." The fairy, whose name was apparently Othinus, was very uneasy on Touma's shoulder. "Or rather, you are, Meltdowner. Stop treating my understander like that."
"Oooh... that's scary," sneered Shizuri. "What do you intend to do, Tinker Bell? Throw your little magic dust at me?"
"Shizuri, what did I say about provoking her?"
"She started it." Shizuri shrugged, casting an odd smile in Touma's direction. "By the way, it looks like your 'disease' keeps making a lot of rounds out there. You even have a goddess/faerie now. What's next, a cat girl? A female demon? A female version of yourself from another parallel reality?"
"Seriously, what a disappointment, human." Othinus sighed in exasperation. "Is that the best you could come up with as a girlfriend?"
"I don't want to hear that from an exhibitionist." Shizuri continued smiling as she said that. "Is that the kind of outfit you wanted me to wear as a cosplay Touma? That would explain a lot."
"You two are totally diverting the subject here, will you please stop?" Touma had just finished eating and was now clutching his head with both hands. "There's so much going on and you're focusing on something so ridiculous."
The 3 left the restaurant while the two girls ignored the poor unfortunate boy's requests and continued arguing on an intellectual level worthy of a level 5 and a "goddess"... if they were in kindergarten.
"Human, I suggest we leave that inelegant girl behind. We can settle everything with the help of myself and the grimoire library."
"Othinus, I suggest you stop insulting the girl I love, or I will put you in my pocket again."
"Hah... take that 'goddess'." Shizuri almost did a little dance. "I think it's obvious which company he prefers."
"Let's take the conscience of this false Kamijou Touma out of him and then we'll ask again. Let's see who he prefers." Othinus, meanwhile, struck a pose of superiority, crossing her arms and legs.
"I'm not false," Touma protested, "I'm just from a parallel universe. It's different."
"There are no parallel universes, human. I thought I made that clear."
"I still don't get it right," Shizuri said. "You commented something about 'phases', what's the difference? This Kamijou Touma is certainly not my Kamijou Touma, and I am certainly not myself."
"It is best that the grimoire library participates in this conversation, so I will give a better explanation when we get home."
xx-xx
"This is kind of nostalgic, isn't it?" asked Shizuri, walking down the hallway of the student dormitory that Touma lived in, or used to live in from her point of view. "When I first came here, I could barely stand you."
"Yes...and I still didn't see you as a potential girlfriend."
Without thinking clearly, Touma reached out and grabbed Shizuri's hand, feeling the warmth of her skin and the slight trembling of her fingers as she approached him. Their faces drew closer little by little, their eyes locked in a moment of mutual attraction, when suddenly a harsh voice interrupted them.
"What do you think you are doing?" Othinus practically pushed Shizuri's head away, "Remember, you are not you now."
"Damn, it's true." Touma let go of the girl's hand. "I have to control myself."
"I, on the other hand, don't give a damn." Shizuri licked her lips seductively. "I bet Shizuri-chan here isn't the type to be embarrassed by a little kiss."
"You don't even know each other here, you bitch in heat," cursed Othinus, ready to kick the Level 5 in the face if she came any closer. "Stay away from my human, that's my last warning."
"What did you call me? You slutty fairy!"
Another round of insults followed as Touma gave up and just sighed wearily. Dealing with so many girls was a curse attached to his misfortune.
Entering the "Kamijou Residence", Shizuri stopped for a moment to think about the situation she was in. In the end, her friend's theory about the mental esper was incorrect. That kind of made her happy. Her feelings for Touma were real and not something fabricated by someone's powers, but being trapped in someone else's body, even if that person was herself, was a terrible nuisance.
Suddenly, her mind became foggy once again. She saw something through the dense fog: it was a blond boy with a cocky smile, the one she hated. Were they fighting?
"One more memory..." Shizuri muttered. "So, this Shizuri fought Kakine too. Some things never change."
"Did you say something?" asked Touma, his voice full of concern.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"Shizuri." He cast her an intense and thoughtful look.
She looked away, knowing that she couldn't hide anything from him when he looked at her like that.
"Don't look at me that way, it's my weak spot. It's nothing, really, just some stupid memories."
"Oh, you too?"
Shizuri was about to ask Touma to elaborate, as it seemed he was going through the same thing she was, however, the conversation was interrupted by a third girl.
"Tooooouuumaaaa!"
She had white skin, a short build and green eyes. She also wore a showy white nun's habit with gold embroidery that was reminiscent of a nouveau riche teacup. Her hair was silver, reaching down to her waist, and her face was cute, yet showing a pouting expression.
"And that's Index, I suppose," Shizuri pointed out, examining the girl from top to bottom. "Honestly, I expected more."
The level 5's comment didn't seem to have been appreciated. Index looked furious now, but instead of her fury being directed at the girl with her arms crossed and her face disinterested, the victim was none other than the poor unfortunate boy.
"Touma, you made me skip a meal to go out with another girl?" The silver-haired girl gritted her teeth, like a beast sharpening its claws before attacking.
In the next instant, Index was released from the bonds of gravity, launching herself like a guided rocket with her mouth open in Touma's direction. But her plans were thwarted.
Shizuri reacted as soon as she realized the other girl's intention. Her mechanical arm moved with extraordinary speed, grabbing the angry girl by the clothes and lifting her up.
"Whoa, easy there, fake name girl." Number 4 waved her index finger in denial. "What did you intend to do anyway?"
"Let go of me, creepy eyes." She struggled uselessly, still suspended.
"What the hell kind of nickname is that?"
"She's not wrong," Touma commented, receiving a look worthy of a demon lord from his girlfriend. "You are proving her point."
"Et tu, Brute?" Shizuri started to deny with her head, still with that intense look.
"Eh? Could you repeat that? In Japanese this time?"
"You are a fucking traitor!" said Shizuri in Japanese. "And you didn't answer me, little girl."
"I was going to punish him, obviously." Index crossed her arms.
"Shizuri, can you put her down please? We're wasting time here."
An exasperated sigh later, Meltdowner calmed down and let go of the nun as gently as she could. In this specific case, it wasn't much.
"Tooouma, I'm hungry." The girl seemed to forget what had happened when her stomach rumbled. "It's already time for pre-lunch."
"What the hell is a 'pre-lunch'?" Shizuri made a confused face.
"Are you dumb, creepy eyes? It is obviously a meal that comes before lunch."
"No shit." She rolled her eyes and then leaned over to stand almost at the nun's height. "I've known you for two minutes and I can't stand you anymore."
"I say the same, humph." The green-eyed girl crossed her arms defensively. "As expected from someone who has forgotten that we've seen each other before."
"Okay, we get it, you don't like her, Index," Touma said, standing between the two, ensuring that they did not lunge at each other's throats.
"Touma." Index began tugging at the sleeve of the boy's clothing. "Why do you seem to be on her side?"
"Will you stop saying his name?" The level 5 raised her voice. "Fucking annoying."
Following several minutes of Touma mediating, during which he sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples, the two girls finally agreed to quiet down.
After the small fight, Shizuri decided to take a look around Touma's dorm room. Unlike her apartment, nothing here seemed too out of place. Even the Kotatsu was still the same as in the other world. Same model at least.
The fridge was the real problem. All that was in there was an expired carton of orange juice, water, some wilted vegetables, and... was that cheese or mold? Regardless of the answer, Shizuri preferred to cover her nose in disgust.
"Your situation seems even worse than before," said Shizuri, shaking the air in front of her to clear away the horrible smell.
"I didn't have time to go shopping." Touma was rummaging through the pantry to find anything edible. "There's rice here and... not much else. How about some fried rice for lunch? Those wilted vegetables will come in handy."
"Do you want me to starve to death, Touma?" joked Shizuri, picking up the vegetables and placing them on the countertop.
"Sorry, Princess, but you'll have to make do with a simple meal at the moment." He picked up a pot and filled it with water. "It would be far better to have cold rice. Come to think of it practically anything would be better, but beggars can't choose, can they?"
"Your instant acceptance worries me, but it's not like I have a lot of money at the moment either, so...hands down."
The vegetables were washed carefully by the girl. She took a knife from the knife block and started cutting them while humming a cheerful tune, making the cutting noise of the blade against the vegetables resound through the small kitchen in a fast rhythm, adding an improvised soundtrack to the lunch preparation.
"Having fun?" Meanwhile, Touma had already put the rice in to cook and began preparing the pan to make the fried rice. He added oil and waited until it was hot enough before adding the rice. "You are a much better assistant than I remember."
The girl smiled subtly, smelling the slightly almond-like aroma of rice being prepared.
"When I said I wanted us to cook together, I didn't expect it to be here." Shizuri passed the vegetables into a pan, which Touma readily accepted.
"It's a small kitchen, but it has everything we need."
"Not all of it. It's not even close."
The boy seemed to be focused on two pans at the same time, moving quickly as he adjusted the flame under them, Shizuri watching him intently. The girl loved watching Touma cook. She always felt something good to see him so comfortable, as if he were in his natural element. Seeing his dedication was one of the reasons she wanted to provide better conditions for him, and this was not only about the kitchen.
"A simple life is not a bad thing, you know," he said, glancing at Index who was watching TV with Othinus on her shoulder. The fairy looked bored.
"That's not what I meant. I just think you deserve better than that."
"The 'me' of this world doesn't seem to agree." He shrugged.
"And your other self, the one who is talking to me at this moment?"
"For this Kamijou-san, having you is more than enough, and you know it."
Although his words made her heart race, it was not exactly what she was expecting.
Not only that.
That slight tightness in her chest was what made her realize she was a little disappointed, but she tried to hide the expression on her face. Still, the connection between them was strong and she knew it. But at the same time, she felt the need to bring him a little more into her world. She wanted him to fully understand her passions, her fears, her ambitions. Shizuri wanted him to enter her personal universe.
"Touma...I love you. Having you on my side is enough too, but there is nothing wrong with wanting more."
"What are you getting at?"
"Is that really the kind of life you want?" Her voice was hesitant. "I mean, before you met me your life was simple, but I bet you like the luxury we have in our apartment."
"You're not wrong. But that doesn't mean I'm attached to something like that. I know it's hard to understand, but I've gotten used to not having an easy life. A few weeks living with you won't change that."
"How long before it changes then?"
The girl's insistence made Touma stop what he was doing to look intently at her, showing doubt and surprise in those blue eyes, but also a hint of admiration for Shizuri's courage.
"I don't know...there's a very good chance that having me by your side will lead you to a much harder life than the one you had." He soon turned back to the pans, an attempt to get away from her, to hide what he was feeling.
"I think I can handle a little difficulty," Shizuri declared, her steps light as she approached the pans. The aroma of the perfectly seasoned vegetables made her mouth salivate. "I'll have the perfect 'househusband,' so I have nothing to complain about."
A smile slid across the corner of the spiky-haired boy's lip, just the way she liked it, just what she wanted to see.
"And here I thought I would have the perfect housewife. Have you changed your mind?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, picking up a fried vegetable and blowing on it so she could taste it, "but I made it clear that we would have to find a middle ground. After all, you are very talented at this. Unlike me, who is terrible at it."
"I still want that dinner and that bath." Jokingly, he snatched the vegetable from her slender fingers.
"You have my word." But Shizuri was quick and took a bite of the vegetable still in Touma's fingers. "And count me in on that bath." She winked at him, who almost blushed.
"Don't you guys ever get tired of being annoying?" shouted Othinus. "If you continue with this love-sick couple crap, I swear I will destroy this world."
The response of the two was to laugh between them.
Once the meal was cooked, Touma and Shizuri both started setting the table. Touma didn't pay much attention to the presentation and began placing the food on the plates without thinking. However, Shizuri quickly intervened.
"Wait a minute, Touma. Let me show you how it's done," she said, taking over the arrangement of the vegetables. "You can't just put the food on the plate randomly. Be more creative."
"What matters is whether it is tasty or not."
"Presentation is also important. You need to improve on that if you want to have your own restaurant."
"Touma with his own restaurant?" Index entered the conversation almost drooling. "That way I can eat as much as I want."
"Shut up and go do something useful, you freeloader," complained Shizuri, pointing a spatula like a sword in Index's direction.
"But my job is to eat, sleep and eat."
Shizuri could only sigh at the audacity of the girl who said that in such an innocent voice.
"We are going to live in a mansion," Shizuri said to Touma. The boy's face twisted when he heard that statement, which seemed to come out of nowhere. "Just you and me, and no one else to get in the way. And preferably someplace secluded. Thick walls, just to be sure."
"Do I have any say in this?" asked Touma, confused by the girl's sudden serious tone.
"Make a list of things you like and hand it to me when we get back to the other universe."
"Human girl, I said there is no other uni -"
"Shut the fuck up, god!" Shizuri's blood was boiling.
x-x
The couple took their time to finish cooking, as the girl insisted that Touma practice his creative side. Meanwhile, she took a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up a dessert to complement their meal. She would really need that sugar.
"Okay, I guess we better get back to talking about that magic nonsense," Shizuri said, tasting some of the rice.
"Can I have your share of the pudding, creepy eyes?"
"Don't you ever stop eating?" Shizuri shoved a whole spoonful of her pudding into Index's mouth. To think that this served as a punishment was kind of cute. "Where does it all go anyway? Since when did my life become an anime? You, worthless goddess, give me a decent explanation."
"Shizuri, manners," complained Touma.
"I'm being civil. I just want to get it over with right away and figure out a way to get home."
"I'll leave most of the explaining to the library of grimoires." Othinus sighed, still finishing her meal in a plastic lid. She seemed a little annoyed as she looked at the calico cat near the Kotatsu.
"Why do you call her that? Doesn't she have a name?"
"Is that relevant at the moment?" The 15cm goddess complained, but Shizuri shrugged nonchalantly. "Just know that Index has vast magical knowledge thanks to her perfect memory. This human girl has performed the feat of memorizing over 103,000 grimoires, which makes her a candidate for a magic god."
"Hmm... so she's a book eater... heheh."
"Always so funny, Shizuri-chan." Touma rolled his eyes and then stole his girlfriend's pudding as punishment.
"Hey, I was going to eat that." the level 5 pouted, but her boyfriend didn't budge. "Okay, okay. Bookworm nun, explain to me what that famous magic is."
Surprisingly, the silver-haired girl proved to be skilled at providing detailed explanations in a concise and clear manner. It was remarkable to see how she transformed when she was in teaching mode, almost like a completely different person.
Shizuri had to listen in silence, just shaking her head every now and then as things like mana, Idol Theory, magical cabals, ley lines, and many other complicated terms were thrown at her. Obviously she couldn't completely absorb that much knowledge, but she at least managed to grasp the basics.
With one elbow on top of Kotatsu and her chin resting in the palm of her hand, the tea-colored girl waited for the so-called "magician librarian" to finish her summary explanation.
"Okay..." A loud sigh escaped Shizuri's mouth. "That still sounds like a bunch of crap."
"Predictable," said Othinus. "Espers...always so skeptical."
"Look, 'goddess', don't give me that shit." Shizuri crossed her arms, not even bothering to look in Othinus' direction. "From what I understand, magic can basically be used by anyone, including someone with no talent at all. If something so convenient exists and even older than our power system, then why the hell do espers exist?"
"That's a good question to ask the person who founded this city, not me."
"Besides, that whole system makes no sense. Replicas gaining some of the power of the original object, soul purification... what's with all this nonsense?"
"Spoken by the person who belongs to the power system that turns brain damage into a weapon. You espers are nothing but barely functional schizophrenics."
"It's still better than all this silly stuff. I bet you magicians don't even come close to our level of power."
"That's funny to hear considering that a few months ago, a level 5 with a higher rating than yours, almost died in a fight against someone who learned magic over the internet. What a sick joke." Othinus' mocking smile made Shizuri snort in anger.
When the 3 girls began discussing the differences between their worlds, Touma felt he needed to intervene, but surprisingly, it was Shizuri who seemed to give in sooner than he imagined.
"That's not getting us anywhere," said the level 5. "You, walking library."
"My name is Index." The girl gritted her teeth, beginning to get irritated by nicknames.
"Yes, but it's a stupid fake name so I decided to ignore it. But leaving that aside, you said you know a vast number of spells thanks to all those books you read, right?"
The silver girl just shook her head in response. Shizuri still didn't believe any of it, so the next step was obvious.
"Good, then show me some," Shizuri asked, casting a skeptical glance.
"I can't use magic."
"What?"
Incredulity cloaked Meltdowner's face. Perhaps she had heard wrong.
"What do you mean?" She looked at the serious faces of everyone there. "Isn't that a joke? No, no..." Her head kept bobbing from side to side. "You make me listen to this drivel and now you tell me that you can't use spells. What kind of a magician are you anyway? How do you expect me to believe all that after this."
"Shizuri, you are starting to scream. Calm down, please." Touma held her hand as a countermeasure. There was a good chance she would shoot a Meltdowner beam without even realizing it.
"I'm trying to stay calm," she said, taking a deep breath. "Do you really believe that?"
"Come on, it's not that absurd."
"Maybe not for you, but it's hard to believe in magic when the two 'magicians' I know are a lewd doll and a discount Hermione." She pointed at Index using her palms, as if disappointed. "Why the hell can't you use magic? Magic god candidate my ass. I want my money back!"
That dysfunctional quartet kept arguing about the fundamentals of magic and why Index couldn't use it. And neither could Othinus.
In a way, Shizuri was right to doubt those two. The only reason she was still listening was Touma. The boy didn't seem shaken at all by all that magical drivel. Maybe he had already heard a brief explanation after he arrived here, but still, his acceptance was at an abnormal level, to say the least.
"How about we focus on something that will help us?" suggested Meltdowner. her tone was getting more and more disinterested. "You said that parallel universes don't exist, so how do you explain our situation?"
"Honestly," Othinus began. "I don't have an adequate explanation for it. Perhaps a consciousness coming from another phase?"
"Define 'phase'."
The 15cm goddess released a long sigh, signaling her weariness. She wasn't the only one among them who had grown tired of all the conversation.
"Think of the universe as a canvas and phases are like layers of paint added to that canvas. The various religions have placed layer after layer of various phases over the universe, like thin veils or filters. There is heaven, hell, the underworld, the Pure Land, Yomi, the abyss, Mount Olympus, Fairy Island, Nirai Kanai, Asgard, and many others. Although there are several layers, the only one that can be observed normally is the one on the surface, that is, the one we are in."
"So, the other layers are like other universes," stated Shizuri.
"You're jumping to conclusions, but that's not a wrong way to imagine it. The point is that the phase closest to the surface is what defines how the universe looks and operates. A magic God in full power, as I once was, could change the 'world viewpoint' by adding a new layer of paint, thus changing that phase and essentially creating another 'world', although that is a very simplistic way of thinking."
"Is that what happened then, Othinus?" asked Touma. "Someone added a new phase?"
"That doesn't seem to be the case." The little goddess looked away, growing thoughtful. That made narrowed eyes peek at her. "I don't have my goddess powers anymore, but if someone added a new phase, I'd probably know."
"Probably?" Shizuri was still skeptical.
"Take the dismissive tone out of your voice, human girl. Even a goddess like me can have gaps in her knowledge."
"That brings us to square one," muttered Touma, collapsing on the Kotatsu. "Index, you're very quiet, what did you...hey, when you took the pudding pot from my hands?"
The spiky-haired idiot was left without dessert that day.
xx-xx
It was getting late. Shizuri and Touma were supposed to meet the rest of ITEM at the bowling alley, but by now they should have gone back to the apartment.
A cab had been called using an app on Touma's cell phone since the girl could not remember the password for hers.
"This sucks," she said, leaning toward the balcony and looking at the movement below. Her gaze returned to the cell phone screen. "Maybe I should reset this thing."
"Forgot your password? Maybe Index can fix that." Touma turned to go inside the apartment. "Hey Index, can you come here for a minute?"
The silver girl turned away from the TV and came out onto the balcony. Shizuri had no idea what Touma was planning, but he pointed to the cell phone in the level 5's hand and then the girl supposedly called Index gazed at the horizon for about 5 seconds before speaking aloud.
"I think it's 010720XX."
Without waiting or elaborating, she walked back to the TV, as if nothing had happened. Shizuri tilted her head in confusion before typing what the girl had said on her cell phone.
"What the hell?" The surprise in Shizuri's voice made it clear that the password was accepted. "What witchcraft is this?"
"For some reason, she's good with codes. It must have something to do with magic or perfect memory, who knows." Touma shrugged. "By the way, doesn't look at what's in there count as a breach of privacy?"
"You should have thought of that before you sent your 'roommate' to do that trick."
In other words, she didn't care. That cell phone technically wasn't hers of course, but it wasn't like it was going to change anything for Shizuri from here having her privacy violated by herself.
There was nothing important on that cell phone. With the exception of Hamazura, there were no other people on the list that she didn't know. This made her lip curl. Was it frustration she was feeling? Although Shizuri wasn't completely antisocial, she hoped to have made progress in her social skills after nearly a year. Of course, she didn't imagine that she would become a person like Frenda. She always thought that someone like her couldn't just do all kinds of dirty work and then wash her hands and go live a totally normal life as if nothing had happened.
So why did her chest feel so heavy now?
"Hey, Touma," she called, leaning once more toward the balcony. "We hardly know each other here, right? That's so weird."
"Well... I didn't get so involved with the dark side in this 'phase,' so it kind of makes sense."
"Your self here seems to have been through so many adventures..." Her vision drifted to her left arm, the one that wasn't real...that wasn't human. "Do you remember any of them?"
"Yes. You must remember some of yours here too, right?"
"Not really." Shizuri noticed Touma growing somewhat uneasy next to her. "I mean...I saw some memory flashes. I was fighting with someone...was that Railgun? And Kakine too. But I don't know the details."
"That's it?" For some reason, the boy turned his face away.
"Maybe we are being affected in different ways." She put a crooked smile on her lips. "I've always been a battle-hungry, so it's common that the memories of this other Shizuri that decided to pop into my head is that kind of thing."
"You talk as if that is the only thing that defines you."
"Well... there's a reason I attacked you in that alley without a second thought, I was a little excited to be able to fight a decent opponent. Violence is something that runs in my veins."
"Hmm... you mean this is something that runs in the 'Mugino' family?"
Shizuri hid her face at that moment, as her throat tightened and a knot hard to swallow formed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, which seemed to be on edge. She lacked courage at that moment, and despite her efforts, she couldn't solve that. However, Touma put an arm around her shoulder and spoke softly.
"I'm sorry. I know you don't like to talk about your family."
"It's not that I don't like it...it's just…" she trailed off, her gaze distant, but she didn't try to turn away from the warmth of his embrace.
"You don't have to talk if you don't want to," he reassured her. "I remember you told me before that you wanted to move on from your past, to be independent from your family. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what."
Silence hung in the air as Shizuri reflected on the past he had not yet told Touma. There was so much darkness in that past that at this point it was impossible for him not to have at least an estimate of how big it was.
The Mugino family was one of the five richest in the world, with a grain empire that fed more than a billion people. But that was not what Shizuri was trying to hide from her boyfriend. Now that she stopped to think calmly, why didn't she want to talk about it? It was silly of her not to be able to imagine revealing everything, even if there was darkness in his past too, Touma was a kind person and had an almost otherworldly ability for understanding.
"Touma..." said Shizuri hesitantly. "Do you think there are people who are evil by nature?"
"Of course not." He shook his head. "The environment someone grows up in can change someone, which causes people to follow unpleasant paths, but that person himself was not born destined to be 'bad'." Touma stopped talking for just a moment as if recalling something. "I prefer to believe that as long as there is someone who won't give up on a person, that person can become good, no matter how much darkness they have in their past."
A simple smile appeared on Shizuri's face. She was happy to have found someone who didn't give up on her.
"You know, I really want to get back to our world," she said, hugging her boyfriend and resting her head on his shoulder. "There's so much we can't do here...it sucks."
"We'll work something out. We just have to think about who is responsible for it."
"I thought that was obvious."
Touma was struck by the faint disinterest in Shizuri's tone, causing him to pay closer attention to her. For a moment, they seemed to be on different pages.
"What?" Shizuri pulled her head away to look into his eyes. "You're going to tell me it hasn't crossed your mind that this is all the fault of that girl? April, or whatever new name she's using now."
He looked away. His thoughtful face made it clear that he was connecting dots in his head.
"Sending and receiving information... human brains..." Touma put his hand on his chin. "Shizuri, I think I have an idea of what might be going on."
"I'm all ears."
"At that moment... Takitsubo, I think that girl forced her to use magic."
"Huh? Why? Is that what happens when someone uses magic? What kind of dangerous crap is that?"
"Index forgot to mention during the explanation, but espers like us are not compatible with magic, if we try to cast a spell, our arteries and nerves are destroyed from the inside out."
"Hmm... so that 'disease' being spread... she said she's using the nanotechnology of the ability crystals to force someone's body into a specific state... that makes sense." Shizuri's face contracted in anger. "Damn. If what you say is true... Takitsubo..."
Seeing her friend safe and sound this morning had calmed her, so much so that she had almost forgotten that her friend from another world was in a deplorable state the last time she saw her. Although being in that hospital gave her some security, what were the chances of her staying alive if someone kept forcing her to self-destruct?
"I think she'll be fine," Touma said in a quiet voice. "April told me she wouldn't use the resonance in District 7."
"Believing that girl is not a wise thing. She is our enemy."
The problem was actually even bigger. Even if the pink-haired girl kept her word, they had no idea what kind of conditions awaited them in the other world. If time was passing in real-time, it meant that the two of them were unconscious until now. Takitsubo didn't know that she would be safe in District 7, so those two had to get back as soon as possible to prevent their friend from self-destructing if she left that safe zone.
xx-xx
Back at the ITEM apartment, Shizuri was alone. She had made a call to Takitsubo, who advised her that they were finishing their last match and would be home soon.
Her room now looked even more different, as if something was out of place. It was strange how she hadn't noticed it before, and thinking about it made her head hurt to the point where she almost staggered.
Rubbing her temple, the girl entered her private bathroom, feeling the cold tiles under her bare feet, making contrast with that unbearable hot feeling that seemed to pierce her skull and refused to go away.
Shizuri was not interested in a quick shower. All she wanted was to relax and unwind, hoping for nothing more than to slip into a hot bath to soak away her worries. Learning that magic exists was not easy to digest, much less when she did not even have concrete proof. She needed to dig a little deeper into this later, maybe then the ideas in her head would flow in a better way.
Turning on the faucets, she let the water run, adjusting the temperature until it was exceptionally warm, just the way she liked it. She then added a few drops of jasmine essential oil to the water, the aroma instantly calming her senses.
Eager to feel the water, the girl removed her clothes and tossed them carelessly, tying her hair into a messy bun shortly thereafter. A sigh echoed as she stepped into the tub. Shizuri let that warm feeling envelop her body like a soft blanket, calming her body and mind, almost making that nagging headache go away. She leaned back and closed her eyes, another sigh of relaxation escaping as the water lapped against her skin like gentle waves on a beach.
Lying back, she let her mind drift, her thoughts becoming weightless, ethereal. The smoke from the warm water suddenly seemed to dance in front of her, like a shadow theater. For an instant, everything was like a dream. As if figures were lurking in that smoke. A hallucination. A blonde girl. Blood. Shizuri knew that these were memories of her self from this world, the person who was just like her. The person she didn't want to be. This blonde girl was just another of her victims, it seemed, as it was impossible to see her face in the mist.
A comfortable outfit was all she needed right now. She slipped into a thin robe while trying to concentrate, but it was almost impossible with that headache that, although it was getting weaker, wouldn't go away. In the end, she went back to the bathroom to check if her otherworldly self had any aspirin or anything that would help with this damn headache.
The reflection in her mirror seemed distant. It was like gazing at white light meeting a prism, distorting, transforming. It was her there. She was sure it was.
"Huh?" Shizuri's voice echoed in the bathroom as she noticed movement before her. That mirror looked blurry now. "Just my imagination."
Sleep would be ideal. But that bed, soft as it was, provided the comfort of an iron maiden in Shizuri's opinion. Of course, this was all the fault of the thoughts flowing through her head.
She could not sit still. After a few minutes, she decided to get some blank sheets of paper and a laptop hidden in her bedside table. The password was the same one that that annoying magical girl had given her. In the end, it seemed that magic was real. Shizuri couldn't be sure, but if she didn't try to see the world that way too, it would get in the way of her happiness, which in this case was the other world. That was where she belonged.
It had been over an hour since the girl had shut herself away to work on her solitary project. Looking at the meticulous composition she had made from articles found on the Internet, her eyes turned to the sheets of paper she had scribbled on in hurried but still beautiful handwriting.
"RC Occultics. What a joke." Shizuri's voice echoed through the room.
Yes, it was Mugino Shizuri's voice. There was no doubt about it. It was full of arrogance, and also mockery. A tone that went very well with someone who liked to look down on people.
The problem there, is that it was not "Shizuri" who had said that.
For a moment she thought she was hallucinating once again. But this hallucination was much more vivid than the other one. As she turned around, a person was standing right there in front of her. Arms crossed over her broad chest, a pretty face marked with a frown of disgust. She had soft tea-colored hair and was wearing a yellow winter coat, a scarf and stockings.
There was no doubt. That person was indeed "Mugino Shizuri".
"Hey, you look surprised." That other 'Mugino' looked at the surprised girl still with disdain in her voice. "I see you're enjoying yourself, inferior version of myself."
An evil grin spread across 'Mugino's' face. It was like looking in the mirror, or at least like she seemed to look in the mirror in the past. That was herself, or another person who possessed her name. The person to whom those memories from earlier belonged.
Author's notes:
Hi! It's really good to be back. Now that the massive amount of bullshit in my life has been dealt with, I can go back to my one-chapter-a-week schedule. I hope this new chapter was a good return, although almost nothing happened here.
Time for me to tell you a little about what I thought of "A Certain Dark Side's ITEM". For people who really don't want to know anything about it, I will separate this section so you can skip to the notes for this chapter. This is going to be long.
First of all, as I said, I liked it a lot. The story is self-contained, and the stakes are not high in the grand scheme of things, but the interactions between the girls, new information about the past, the fights, and of course new things about the personality of the protagonist, Mugino Shizuri, left me quite satisfied. I strongly recommend it to those who have Shizuri as one of their favorite characters, as I do, and anyone who is interested in the dark side of the city.
One thing I was a little worried about is that I might have to change a lot of things in this fic to fit the "new canon", but now I'm relieved that I don't need to change almost anything. Some of my interpretations have actually been strengthened with this new novel, which makes me happy. Of course, it has details that can be considered contradictory, such as, for example, the villain in this story is a girl who is pretending to be #6, just like in the new ITEM Spin-Off. Yes, a great coincidence I know. But I can solve it simply with a future quote, so I guess it's okay.
Things about Shizuri's personality that was deepened a bit. I was happy when I was reading a certain scene where Shizuri was more concerned about her appearance than the craziness that was going on. This is something I tend to do in this fic, with Shizuri always worrying about her own appearance and looking at herself on any mirrored surface.
One other thing is that those who, like me, strongly believed that Shizuri has a kind and caring side were right. In chapter 17 of this fic, there is a whole scene of Touma realizing that Shizuri actually cares excessively about her teammates, and this is one of the things that made Touma feel so attracted to her that he confesses in the next chapter. Kamachi makes this very clear in the new novel, with Takitsubo telling Kinuhata, who is a newcomer to ITEM, that Shizuri is not what she seems and that she is actually a kind person who doesn't like to show it. Kamachi reinforces this again in the narration, and again in the Afterword, so it's not just a mere interpretation as it was before, it's totally canonical.
One other thing you may remember that I made a point of commenting on in a subtle way in this fic, is how much Shizuri values loyalty by having her say this in chapter 22: "Touma, we have a sort of 'saying' on the dark side, and ITEM takes it very seriously. Incompetents still deserve forgiveness, but traitors only deserve purges."
Kamachi was not interested in being subtle, here a control c and control v of the ITEM spin-off:
"So anyway, this is our revenge. …Prepare yourself, string puller. I will never forgive a traitor. Did you get that? I will never, ever forgive a traitor. Yes, I know a real idiot like you needs to hear something several times before it sinks in, so let's try it again. I will never forgive a traitor. Did it get through your thick skull yet?"
The reason for this is that Shizuri is the kind of person who is willing to die if it means honoring a companion, seriously, she literally throws herself to almost certain death in a scene without hesitation, and almost died for it. And she went a whole week without eating or sleeping properly because she was focused on saving a teammate. I like this because the promise that Touma makes to her in this fic has an even greater significance: "I will stay by your side, even if you ask me to leave. Even if you have to continue on this path until the end of time, I will not abandon you."
Oh, another thing I have to comment on: Takitsubo talks a lot in the new novel. Seriously, forget about that author's note I made saying it was a bit out of character for her to talk as much as she does here. The girl doesn't stop in the ITEM spin-off, always commenting on something, giving advice to Shizuri, and even practically forcing her to exercise a little. Yes, Shizuri doesn't like to exercise. I chuckled a bit when Kamachi described her as a 'specialist in being lazy'. Her supermodel body must be thanks to genetics. Now I want her mother to appear in the novels LMAO.
Speaking of family, it's already a recurring theme in this fic that Shizuri doesn't like to talk about them with Touma and says she prefers to keep her distance. This was a decision I made based on practically nothing. We already knew that Shizuri came from a wealthy family - I've commented on that several times here - but now we know a bit more about it. In the new spin-off, Shizuri doesn't seem to be very proud of her family; there's even a scene where she doesn't want to eat wheat-based products apparently because of that, but it could be just something thrown in for laughs, so I could be wrong. But here in this fic, she wants to distance herself as much as possible from her family and not depend on them for anything. I think that's the next obvious step considering her development here.
Overall, I don't think I'll need to change anything here to fit the new canon. I can always use the excuse that it's an AU if any inconsistencies arise.
Now, I'll leave here some moments that made me smile while reading:
"After taking a shower, Mugino changed into a tank top and long bike shorts to exercise in. Her sneakers were an expensive shock-absorbing model. Then she grabbed her music player…no, today she went for her folding handheld 3D game console."
Yeeees! Shizuri has a handheld game console. I have to make that thing appear in this fic at some point LMAO.
Another one:
A convenience store had a simple table set up outside to sell bentos to the people here for the Tanabata event. Food that had been sitting outside in this heat seemed questionable, though. And Mugino Shizuri was entranced by something there. Her shoulders were even trembling.
"W-wait, that generous serving of salmon only has 400 Calories!? You have to be kidding me! This is a revolution! I knew rice was the way to goooooooo!"
This scene is the peak of Shizuri being a "goofball" LOL. Oh, and if anyone thought that Shizuri liking to eat 'salmon bento' here was my invention, it's actually supposed to be a well-known detail, but considering that there are people who were surprised when I mentioned that Frenda is a high school girl, I assume that there are a lot of people who haven't read BR Arc yet. I blame the 'not so good' anime adaptation. It must have completely killed any interest that some people could have for ITEM and the dark side in general. Also, not everything I put in this fic is entirely canon; for example, the fact that Shizuri likes to read classic books was totally invented by me, or maybe I read it in another fanfic? Now even I am lost xD.
I could comment more, but this is getting too long, and I don't want to give away plot details, so let's wrap it up here.
This chapter ended on a strange cliffhanger. Just to let you know, this story was supposed to be a bit shorter, but after not writing for so long and reading the new spin-off, I got inspired and made more notes with some extra scenes for the future. I really don't want this story to be really huge, and I hope it hasn't become 'tedious' at this point. We have many fanfics that never finished, so I don't want this to be another one abandoned halfway. I trust you to be by my side until the end.
Oh, and yes, Index can do this kind of thing, the girl won a 'hacking competition' against freaking Mikoto! Don't ask questions LOL.
I will be quick with the comments' replies this time, I spent too much time on these notes:
xellos540:
;Me and my silly jokes, I always smile when I see that they are appreciated.
;Shizuri at this point in the timeline would barely care about something like this.
;Azumi is a character from the novels, a schoolmate/friend of Fremea.
;The meeting of Touma and ITEM was a bit strange. They fought side by side but we didn't get any direct interaction apart from Hamazura. We even had a moment of Kinuhata and Touma doing a 'punch combo', almost that, my memory is hazy LOL.
;Takitsubo talks a lot more than people think. I have a theory that in OT15 she was suffering because of ABC, that's why she was so quiet.
;Hamazura is just enjoying the "class" lol.
;Yeah, the Touma in this fic has certainly seen more shit than the canonical one.
;Takitsubo used her special ability: A big fucking gun. That is actually a good summary.
;I think this is just a POV problem, since Shizuri thinks this is not her Touma. Actually, Touma is kind of (In)famous for forgetting people, he was even mocked by Kamisato because of this.
;Soon he won't have any money if he keeps spending like this.
;It's a GT thing
;These are questions that will be more or less answered soon.
;Thank you very much for waiting.
5queso: I really appreciate the words and compliments. I'm back, did it take me long?
Zatil Hidayah Spensa: All I can say is that it was not one of the infinite hells. Thank you very much, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
KHVSFF: I always get a smile on my face when I read that someone was waiting so eagerly for the next chapter, I truly appreciate it. The explanation of all this will take a while, but as Shizuri guesses here, April is involved. Thank you very much. Me inspiring someone with my stories? Now that's something that makes me happy, I hope the wait was worth it, I'm back to my usual routine for now.
aiman031122: Me and my twists and turns confusing people. Thank you very much, we will still have a lot of romantic scenes between these two.
Did Frenda come close to meeting Touma in the new Spin-off, or was it another simulation? By the way, the image in this fic is the first illustration we have had of the Spin-off ITEM. Anyway, I don't have anything else for now. Thanks for waiting. Nio leaving.
