Hey! How are you doing? In the end, I decided to post the chapter a week later. I have been writing too much lately, and for this reason this chapter is huge. As always, Genesis Testament Spoiler Alert. And this chapter is kind of a roller coaster, enjoy.

Chapter 37 - What Remains of Us

Shizuri's body remained motionless, frozen. Soon her right hand, the one that was still human, began to shake uncontrollably.

Frenda was dead. That's what her friend, one of the people she trusted most, had told her. It's not like that was a big shock. Considering the profession that everyone in ITEM had, it was expected that someone would die at some point. Even Shizuri, a level 5, had been in tricky situations before, so this wasn't even something unexpected. But still... what was that tightness in her chest that refused to go away?

"Is Frenda dead?" Touma was the one who asked that. He seemed even more affected by the news than Shizuri herself. She watched him as he brought his hand up to his forehead, just as she did. "Yes... Kanou Shinka... that gift..."

"Boss, why are you only remembering this now?" Hamazura had a slightly irritated tone.

"Probably because he's not super from this world," Kinuhata revealed casually. "Those two are from a parallel universe...or phase...I'm not sure."

Hamazura put on a face so strange that it looked as if he was seeing someone about to be run over.

"Huh? Why am I just learning about this now? So that's why you're acting so strange?" He looked away from Touma.

"Yes, we dated in the other world." Shizuri removed her hand from her forehead, that pain slowly fading away. For some reason, she felt relieved when the subject was changed. Something in her wanted to forget what she had just heard. "We've been together for almost a month and he lives in our apartment...we've even agreed to share a room."

"Geez!" Hamazura was surprised at first, but soon the corner of his lip curved up. "The boss really is the boss." He raised a thumb in Touma's direction. "Does that mean that Mugino here... likes the boss too?"

"I wouldn't count on it," Shizuri cut in, looking at a certain person who was sulking in a corner of the restaurant, one that only she could see. "But I think if Touma plays his cards the right way, and I know he has plenty of talent for that, he has a reasonably good chance."

"Just for the record, he has a more than reasonable chance with another super girl too," Kinuhata said, leaning toward the table. "Hey, Kami-chan, what's your opinion on the low-budget film industry?"

"No fucking way!" shouted Shizuri, using her right hand to stop Touma from speaking. "Like I'm going to watch that rerun. Keep your mouth tightly shut, Kamijou Touma. Shake your head if you understand."

It's not like an option was given, so the boy just lazily shook his head.

"Good." She left the poor boy alone, who sucked in some oxygen almost coughing. "I'm sorry about that, darling, but as long as I'm in this body, you're still only mine."

"You know I would never flirt with another girl, right? Especially in front of you."

"I'm not taking any chances." She shrugged. "Now back to the point, we're at a dead end right now. Our only clue doesn't seem to lead anywhere."

"You mean about that weird super diagram?" Kinuhata asked, giving up her advances, much to Shizuri's relief.

"What diagram?" asked Takitsubo.

"This one." Meltdowner took the sheet of paper from her purse and placed it on the table. "This is what Touma and I saw the night before we came here. Do either of you have any idea what it's about?"

"I don't know anything about this so-called super 'magic' so no."

"Magic." Takitsubo became thoughtful. "Something like what Anna Sprengel gave me?"

"So you know of the existence of magic? What about you Hamazura?" Shizuri looked at the delinquent boy, who gave a small jump in his chair since he was taken by surprise. The sigh he let out made Shizuri tilt her head in confusion. "Apparently you know something."

"Nothing that helps," he said, twisting his face as if remembering something bad. "My experiences with magic weren't very good. That slap hurt like hell." He put his hand to his cheek. "And I almost died that time in England, but at least it was worth it."

"You mean Dion Fortune?" interrupted Takitsubo. "I almost killed you that day too. Listening to that Anna Sprengel person was a very bad idea."

"By the way Kinuhata, you fought a magician once," Kamijou revealed, "His name was St. Germain."

"That name is not super strange to me. It was that day we fought together, if I remember correctly. That really seemed like a pretty strange esper skill."

Everyone there seemed to have their own experience with magic, which made Shizuri think that this world was a bit strange. She had never heard of it until then, but now she was sure that it was real. To think that there was a side to the whole world that she had no idea about until then made her wonder how much this city was hiding from her.

"Aleister Crowley," Shizuri began, drawing everyone's attention. "Othinus talked about him during that explanation, I suppose it was the board chairman she was referring to. Touma, this guy knows about the existence of magic, correct?"

"Not only that," said Touma, "Aleister Crowley was once considered the greatest magician in history."

That revelation earned several glances coming Touma's way. Hamazura already seemed to have an idea about it judging by his reaction, and Takitsubo was as inexpressive as ever. Kinuhata was the most surprised. It was expected.

"The leader of science was a super magician?" Her incredulous tone was even comical. "Impossible. How do you know that?"

"One could argue that there is no one alive who knows more about that pervert's life than I do." Touma relaxed his shoulders, totally unconcerned about the expressions of the people at the table. "We had a nasty fight once, but we eventually came to an agreement. In the end, he wasn't such a bad person."

The conversation had gotten to the point that Touma was casually dropping bomb after bomb. Shizuri was processing it so slowly due to the absurdity that she barely noticed when the waitress finally arrived with her orange juice. It was an opportune moment, since a little sugar would help her deal with the whole thing more easily.

"You... had a fight with Aleister Crowley?" Shizuri asked, taking a deep sip from her straw and letting the sweetness circulate in her body. "May I ask who won?"

"Well... I can't say if I was the winner. Although I always consider coming out of a fight alive a victory... and punching him in the face was somewhat satisfying even."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief, their expressions a mixture of shock and curiosity.

"What?" Touma showed his palms in an exaggerated gesture. "We were fighting, I didn't have much choice."

"I think you are failing to understand why we are surprised, Touma." Shizuri shook her head as she sighed. She would need even more sugar to deal with all this. "Hey, don't steal my juice!"

"I'm the one paying for this crap, so at least give me some." He took another deep sip of the orange juice, but Shizuri interrupted him by taking the glass away.

"Don't go stealing an indirect kiss from a girl like that, dumbass," Shizuri said, elbowing him lightly.

"Spoke the person who almost kissed me at least 3 times since we got here." Touma smiled smugly, which made Shizuri start to curl her hair on the tip of her finger.

"You two are super cute," Kinuhata said, nodding. "But I haven't given up the game yet, just to be clear."

"Shut up, little slut." Shizuri tossed her hair to the side in an elegant gesture and then crossed her arms just below her breasts, purposefully accentuating that generous area. "An important piece of information, but you are missing something that makes you unable to get the attention of the person who promised to stand by my side. Can you tell what that is, little slut?" This time she grabbed Touma's arm, who jumped at the feeling of that familiar soft sensation caressing him. "That flat chest of yours prevents you from being a decent candidate. Grow up and try again later."

"I will kill you!" Kinuhata punched the table, breaking it and making food and juice fly. "Take it back or I will super kill you!"

"Bring it on, super flat-chested. Time to undercut the competition the classic way."

ITEM seemed to be having an internal fight that day. Luckily no one was hurt.

x-x

Touma and Shizuri bid farewell to the rest of ITEM before returning to his dormitory. They agreed to meet again at the bowling alley later since Touma still had unfinished business to attend to. However, the boy appeared to be in a dreadful state. He seemed like a hollow shell of his former self.

"My money," he lamented, "my rich little money. Why did I have to pay for the table?"

"Don't worry, I'll send you the money later." She patted his back a few times full of care.

In the end, Touma made Shizuri apologize to Kinuhata, who said she would only accept the apology if the level 5 paid for the table in her place. To the horror of the poor spiky-haired boy, Shizuri didn't even think twice about it. It was as if she wanted to punish him for something.

"Shouldn't you go back to your apartment?" asked Touma, walking to the sink in the dormitory. "You'd better have taken the cab they called, I can't afford one anymore."

"That's kind of sad." Shizuri followed him. Her face had suddenly lost all its brightness.

"What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you barely have money to survive."

A quick answer was expected by that girl. Honestly, she would have preferred him to make a smart remark like "I would have more if you weren't making me spend so much," but Touma surprised her with an uncomfortable silence. Maybe she shouldn't have said that, but they had already had a similar conversation yesterday and he didn't seem so uncomfortable talking about it.

The girl just watched as Touma added detergent to the sponge and began to nonchalantly remove the leftover food from the dirty dishes in the sink. The sound of running, splashing water seemed to be the only sound that kept them from being overwhelmed by the silence.

"I know what you are doing," he said calmly. "Yes, the Kamijou Touma here is not living in the best conditions. He's actually in a worse situation than I was before moving into your apartment." Touma turned to look at her. "But I feel that he is happy like this, so it's not right to talk like that."

But the answer came exactly as she expected. It was still hard for her to predict how Touma would act in certain situations, but she was at least able to make good estimates after being around him for so long.

Because of this, she remained confident.

"This is not the way I want our life to be." She walked over leisurely, picking up a dishcloth from a countertop and standing beside him. "Having you with me this past month has been the best thing that has happened in my life, but I don't intend to give up what I have. In fact, I feel like I need even more."

"It's okay. I told you once before, Shizuri, don't force yourself to do anything for me."

"Touma..." She sighed. A pause was taken as she just felt the warmth of the freshly washed dish in her hands. "I always feel bad when you act like this. Have a little more self-worth"

"It's not about that. I've just gotten used to being cursed, so expecting good things to happen is impossible for me."

Her heart was getting heavier and heavier hearing him talk like that. Shizuri was not a sentimental girl, not most of the time, but she had formed such a strong connection with this boy that sometimes it was as if she was sharing what he felt in a physical way. She felt as if her body was exhausted, as if moving it needed extra effort, like someone trying to walk while submerged.

"Whether you expect it or not is irrelevant to me," she said, taking the plate he finished washing, causing their fingertips to touch. A smile was drawn at the corner of her lip. "I will make sure that your life is only good things happening one after another. Maybe I can't stop bad things from happening, but nothing that an avalanche of good things won't solve, right?" She felt satisfied when the boy looked at her and almost smiled. "You and I are going to have a luxurious life together. In a few years, you will be a famous chef and I will be recognized all over the world for my brand of clothing. I will spare no effort to make this dream of mine come true."

"Hmm..." Touma even stopped what he was doing suddenly. "So that's what you want. It doesn't sound so bad... although you seem to have planned it all for me."

"Well, you were the one who said I could say what I wanted, no matter what, and that's what I want. You let yourself sink into my world to try to save me, didn't you? So I'm going to pull you into another part of it for good."

The girl's excitement seemed to have had the desired effect if the gentle smile on the boy's face served as confirmation. This was how she wanted to see him, not complaining about the misfortune and not taking it for granted, but smiling and trying to fight it, even if the task seemed impossible.

"I made a promise," Touma sighed, turning the faucet back on and making the hot water splash onto Shizuri's skin, who didn't even mind due to the intense attention in those blue eyes. "If that's what awaits me by staying by your side, then I have nothing to complain about."

When the boy leaned towards her, the instinct in her body was to move closer too, but she resisted because of the feeling that was surely being sent by 'that person'. Even so, she could only smile when she felt the boy's lips touch her skin. But it was only a kiss on the forehead.

"Ohooo... getting bold, huh?" she joked, pushing his shoulder lightly. "You're putting me on the ropes here. We better figure out a way to get the hell out of this world, your Shizuri-chan doesn't have much confidence in her self-control."

"I have enough for both of us."

"Brave words. Perhaps I should test that statement?" Playfully, she laid her head on his shoulder, making him feel her warm breath.

"Feel free to try. Supreme defense, forgot?" He handed another plate to her, who began to wipe it carefully.

In Shizuri's opinion, even a simple life like this would still be interesting if it were this way. But she wanted more, and that boy would share it with her.

x-x

After the two of them finished doing the dishes together, Touma told Shizuri that he needed to finish his overdue homework. Obviously, she offered to help, but instead of giving the answers, she practically forced Touma to listen as she explained the advanced concepts of personal reality and how to reinforce it.

In the end, Touma didn't understand much, or rather, he could explain and repeat everything out loud, but he sounded like an audio recorder just playing back what she had said instead of actually absorbing the information. She watched him carefully through the whole thing, realizing that he didn't seem interested in it at all.

"I don't understand," she said, shaking her head. "You're not trying hard on purpose? This is your last chance not to repeat the year."

"I'm putting everything of myself in here." He continued writing on the sheet, but with a face of boredom. "But all this will never make sense to me...seeing the world my way...I don't like that kind of 'illusion'."

"Touma, that's a pretty unkind thing to say to a Level 5," Shizuri said as she collapsed onto the bed. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him while lying on her stomach, swinging her long legs back and forth in a seductive manner. "And you're the last person who could get away with saying something like that. You don't make the slightest sense."

"That was a little rude." Touma shrugged, trying to ignore the girl who seemed to tease him in many different ways. "Leave me alone now, I'm trying to concentrate."

"Huuuh!? What's taking your concentration away, Touumaaaa." She struck an eye-catching pose, resting her chin on the open palm of her hand, which afforded a view of a nice cleavage to that boy who occasionally cast a furtive glance in her direction. "Wasn't your defense supreme?"

"I swear that when we get back to our world..." he began to mumble incomprehensible things. That smile on his face was evil even by Shizuri's standards.

"Heehee. What's going on in that head of yours?" She synchronized her smile with his. "Can I expect an increase in aggression when we get back? Hmm... thinking about it is making me hot."

The whispering continued for a few seconds, while the boy pretended to ignore her provocations. Shizuri couldn't use this body to do what she wanted with him, but nothing stopped her from teasing him. Too bad another 'her' didn't seem too happy about it.

For the past hour, that imaginary girl was always in Shizuri's vision. She was increasing the frequency with which she appeared, and the vast majority of the time, she always seemed to be paying attention to Touma.

'Do you see something you like?'

The girl only she could see was sitting right next to the boy on the floor. She even looked like a private tutor, making sure that the boy was solving the questions as effectively as possible, but of course that was impossible. If she had to take a guess, Shizuri would say that she was already totally convinced that Touma was someone that a person like her would fall in love with. Of course, that was the biased opinion of a girl in love, since deep down she knew that the girl remained skeptical. She was in her head after all.

"He really doesn't understand the concept," 'Mugino' said, without looking in Shizuri's direction. "If this guy doesn't have a personal reality, then how did he do that?"

'That?'

"I've seen him break dozens or even hundreds of carbon structures with his bare hands. All that magic stuff still sounds like bullshit, but this guy defies logic enough to make me inclined to believe it."

'You haven't seen anything yet.'

'Mugino's' attention was all on her now, her brown eyes full of curiosity and a hint of skepticism.

"What else can he do?"

Shizuri put a sly smirk on her pretty face, relishing the moment as the other girl had taken the bait with fishing rod and all.

'When I met Touma, the first thing I did was throw a Meltdowner beam at him. He simply destroyed it with his right hand like it was nothing.'

"What?!"

The surprised expression of the girl sitting there was a delight to Shizuri's eyes, the urge to lick her lips was uncontrollable.

"Were you holding back?"

'It wouldn't make a difference.' Shizuri couldn't keep the smile off her face. 'I tried to hit him afterwards with as much as I can produce normally, but the result was the same.'

"A pretty powerful defensive skill by the looks of it."

'That's not all. I saw something even more surprising in his fight against #2.'

"He fought number 2 too?!" Her tone of voice rose just a little. She was clearly trying to hide her surprise. "Who was the winner?"

'Who do you think?'

"Impossible." She quickly turned her face in the direction of that boy who looked completely normal. He was still standing there quietly, doing his homework, not even realizing what was happening. "This guy won against #2?"

'I was there in the final moments. I saw with my own eyes when he used his power to overwhelm the dark matter power. To see that annoying guy's cocky smile disappear and to see him almost dead bleeding on the ground... it was a delight. Especially after what he did to me in that tunnel.'

"Hmm..." The girl's watchful gaze continued on him. For a moment, Shizuri seemed to see a smile at the corner of her lip for half a second, but maybe it was just her imagination. Ironic. "That's interesting. And after that you guys started dating, I suppose."

'Actually, we were already dating. When he said he was going to fight against #2, I freaked out. From my perspective, it was practically impossible to beat that monster. It wasn't an easy fight by the looks of it, since he was pretty injured at the end as well, but #2's condition was much worse.'

"So even he shouldn't be sure he could beat him, huh?" Again, she saw that smile. "This guy must have a shit-ton of guts."

'Only now have you realized that?'

"Wipe that smile off your face, it's getting old." Her gaze was not averted, she just knew that Shizuri was smiling. "I guess I focused on the wrong part of the problem then?"

'There is not a problem to focus on here.'

'Mugino's' attention finally shifted focus, her expression becoming terribly serious. As they were sharing a body, Shizuri could sense that the girl was about to criticize her again.

"What was that conversation from earlier?" 'Mugino' began, getting up from the floor. She stood, looking down at Shizuri lying on the bed. "Getting used to bad things happening. What kind of childhood did this guy have to talk that kind of shit?"

Shizuri for some reason couldn't keep her gaze on the girl. Sitting on the bed, she took a deep breath, pondering whether she would tell her anything about Touma's past. She wouldn't be betraying his trust if she told that girl, at least she wanted to think so.

'All I can say is that his life was not easy at all.'

The choice to be vague was ideal, so she would feel better when she thought about this conversation in the future.

"I see," 'Mugino' said, putting her hands on her waist. "He told you about his sad past and then you developed a savior complex out of nowhere."

'What?'

Even though she hadn't said it out loud, you could feel her indignation in the air.

'It has nothing to do with that.'

"Really? Because it looks that way." She removed her hands from her waist, pointing at Shizuri and Touma with her palms. "Two broken people trying to fix each other. What a train wreck. You know you can't heal something like that with just love and care, right?"

'Yes, I know very well.' Shizuri looked in Touma's direction, but she couldn't keep her gaze on him for long. Her expression became grim, 'But there's nothing wrong to start from there. He makes me happy, and I make him happy too. We just have to work from that.'

The imaginary girl appeared to have something on her mind, but eventually gave up with a sigh. While she remained in Shizuri's view, she turned away from Touma. Her pensive demeanor intrigued Shizuri, who couldn't help but wish she could take a peek into the girl's thoughts. However, she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing it was a bad one. But that feeling kept coming back. It was akin to picking at a scab, hoping to remove the darkness underneath, despite the risk of making things worse.

As minutes passed, the feeling and urge to give in refused to dissipate. Reluctantly, Shizuri got up and started walking around the place, humming as she rummaged through some cupboards, hoping to find something to eat hidden somewhere. Being broke really sucked.

"What are you doing?" asked Touma. Shizuri had not noticed him getting up.

"Nothing. Just seeing if there's any food here, since the fridge is empty." She took a good look at Touma's somewhat suspicious expression and then at his homework dropped carelessly. "Touma, there's something here you don't want me to see?"

"Eh... no. Of course not." He couldn't maintain eye contact. "Why the question?"

"Uh-huuuuh... not at all suspicious behavior."

The girl smiled mischievously as she noticed that Touma was almost blushing, clearly embarrassed about something. Two girls lived here, but this was still a boy's apartment, so Shizuri had some idea what was causing him to have this reaction.

"It's around here, isn't it?" She widened her smile, gesturing with her hands to the lower countertops filled with cleaning products.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your 'stash'." Shizuri just whispered the last word, as if savoring it. The boy blushed even more. She was right on the money. "Come on, let me have a look."

"Not a chance in hell." He shook his head vigorously.

Unluckily for him, something common, Shizuri was a girl who grew up in the dark, so she knew how to convince people.

"Touma, you have to let me take a look," she said, Touching his chest with the palm of her right hand and then bringing her lips close to his ear. "Depending on what I see, I might steal some ideas, if you know what I mean."

The boy swallowed a fair amount of saliva upon hearing those whispered words. Shizuri could practically feel his blood circulation suddenly increase in pace, his breathing becoming heavy.

"What do you say?" she didn't want to let him think straight. That's how she learned on the dark side of this city, although using those talents for something like this was not something she imagined she would ever do. "Come on darling, I'm not going to judge you."

"Okay, okay."

Touma clenched his jaw and looked away, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. After a moment of silence, he reluctantly bent down and opened one of the lower cabinet doors. He put his hand on the wood behind all the utensils and cleaning products and then turned it as if he were unlocking a safe. A secret compartment opened, like one of those in spy or mystery movies. He had a box in his hands now. It was made of wood but the lid was made of black painted metal, a bit dusty, probably long since it had been there.

"You're playing dirty again," Touma said, his face red with embarrassment. "Why do I get carried away by your sweet words every time?"

"As if anyone could resist my charm. Now give it to me."

With the box in hand, she quickly removed the lid and took a good look at the contents. Her expression made it clear that it was very much what she had expected. There were a few magazines in there, but much of the contents were plastic containers usually used to hold movies, but that wasn't what it was about. Shizuri preferred to focus on the magazines for now.

She felt Touma take a deep breath as she began to flip through those pages.

"Well," she said, with a strange smile on her face. She was about to say something definitive. "You weren't kidding. That's a lot of Onee-sans. And you seem to like maids...and doctors. What's with all those cat ears?"

"Could you please not make comments about my personal tastes? Just you seeing this is embarrassing enough."

"I don't know why you're embarrassed," she moved on to another magazine. The content didn't change much. "I've seen more skin exposed in regular fashion magazines. Do you like old school content?"

"All those magazines were gifts from friends. I just kept them out of consideration."

"A very convincing tone that one of yours," Shizuri joked, still analyzing the kind of thing her boyfriend liked. Her gaze drifted to the box and the rest of the contents. "It looks like the vast majority are games." Shizuri picked up one of the small plastic boxes. Some looked like they had never been opened.

"Careful, there's exclusive collector's material in there." He suddenly started waving his hands, the blush on his face only increasing.

"Touma, don't tell me you're the kind of person who has an unhealthy obsession with 2d characters?"

There were also some posters there. She held one of them up, unfolding it and realizing that they were actually the size of a person. It looked like one of those that someone would cut out and use on a body pillow.

Her judgmental look made Touma look away.

"I'm not obsessed with anything, okay." Touma took the poster from her hand.

"I honestly didn't expect you to be addicted to this kind of game." She turned to the box again. "Most of these aren't even for adults. Why did you bother to hide it?"

"Because of that reaction of yours." He quickly picked up the box, a useless thing to do considering Shizuri already knew the general gist of the contents. "If I brought a girl to my apartment and she saw that I play so many dating simulators, what would she think?"

Considering that Shizuri did not understand much about the culture of games of this style, she could only imagine that the reaction would not be very good. She shrugged as a neutral response, since she didn't want to hurt the poor boy's feelings.

Her eyes stared at the poster that the boy carefully refolded. The anime girl pictured there was exactly the type he imagined would be his ideal girl: cute face, elegant pose, breasts almost jutting out of her clothes. She even looked somewhat familiar.

"Is that a modified school uniform?" she asked, stopping the boy from continuing to fold the poster. "Those clothes are too vulgar to be realistic."

"Hey, don't talk about Tsuki-chan like that, she has a good sense of style." He tried to push Shizuri away, but she kept coming back.

"Tsuki-chan? Now that I realize, most of this games are from the same series. Interesting. So she's the 'best girl'?"

"Of course." The boy's tone suddenly became very serious. He even puffed his chest for no reason. "She is one of the four main girls, representing the spring, Tsukihajime Shi, or Tsuki-chan for intimate."

"Why did you suddenly start talking so proudly?"

"She is far superior to the other 3 girls. As the president of the student council, she is a trifecta of beautiful, a genius, and rich! And I don't mean a girly kind of beautiful! I mean the consummate upperclassman type who's a mature kind of sexy! You know, the kind of girl who would fit in perfectly as a dorm manager when she comes of age, the kind who would give advice to a younger boy while ignoring the fact that he is more interested in drooling over her dynamite body. Confident, competent, a little stiff, but still maintains a very pronounced feminine side and has no problem making that clear."

You can imagine that her boyfriend speaking with his chest puffed out had a rather strong effect on Shizuri. She even licked her lips seductively.

"Hmm... you clearly have a type." The girl moved a little closer to him, so she could speak more quietly. "Tell me more about this girl of your dreams. She seems to have experience with fashion. I like her style."

"Didn't you call her clothes vulgar just now?" Touma narrowed his eyes.

"And those pink painted nails?" Shizuri waved the fingers of her right hand in front of Touma's face. "Is that the 'very pronounced feminine side'? She has good taste. So do I."

"Of course she has...hey, you're a little too close." He took a few steps back, placing the poster on one of the benches.

Shizuri continued to approach him, mischievous smile on her face, uneven breathing, her eyes locked on his.

"I think I got interested in that game," she said, watching Touma lean his back against a wall. She took the opportunity to place a hand on either side of his body, leaving him with no way out. "Can I borrow it?"

The boy swallowed hard. She had said she would steal some ideas, so this was a request that surely made him slightly excited.

"I don't think... you'll like it," he stated in a timid tone. It wasn't the reaction the girl had expected, "He's not really recommended for someone outside the target audience. It's kind of hardcore, you know?"

The smile on Shizuri's face widened when she heard this.

"Not that kind of hardcore," he fixed, shaking his head and blushing even more. "It's just that perfect routes are hard to get. I had to turn a filthy save scummer to get Tsuki-chan's happy ending route."

"You can play with me then...or I can watch you play." Her face was now millimeters away from him.

"That would be... very embarrassing." His eyes looked one way and another, searching for space.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed." And now she had already started stroking the spines on his head. "My self-control is in the red here. If you keep blushing like that I...I won't be able to resist. This heat..."

"D-don't put pressure on me! Why did looking at the cover of some lewd games lead us here?! Okay, Kamijou-san... breathe... calm down... ignore that sweet smell coming from her." He actually inhaled even more instead of trying to resist. "Is that lavender? Did you change your perfume?"

"Huh? Yeah... why, didn't you like it?" seeing him calm down made the girl flinch a little. Teasing him was no fun if she couldn't get rid of all the 'tension' in her body. "Mugino didn't have the same scent I have in our world. It's really a shame. Did you know that I usually walk around with a bottle of that jasmine and rose fragrance?"

"Really?"

She nodded, now giving the boy a little space to get away from the wall.

"You seem to quite like that expensive perfume," she said, "so it's nice to be able to reapply it whenever I want."

A smile as soft as a feather brushed across his lips, a warmth spreading through his cheeks as his eyes lit up with joy.

"Have I told you I love you today?" asked Touma, holding her well-sculpted chin with one hand.

"No, but that sugar-filled smile is enough." In one quick, fluid motion, she kissed him. She aimed for his cheek of course, but she almost hit the corner of his lips. "We have to leave soon. I'm really at my limit."

"Being honest, so am I."

Their eyes remained locked for too long, so much so that Touma abruptly had to turn away from her, as if he were a paperclip being pulled toward a powerful magnet and he knew he had to break the attraction before it was too late.

"I... have to take a shower," he announced, already walking toward the bathroom. "Preferably a nice cold one."

Shizuri smiled as she denied it with her head, looking at the boy desperately trying to contain himself. It was another girl who didn't seem very excited about the whole scene that was going on between the two of them so far.

"You were aiming for the lips at that time, weren't you?" asked 'Mugino', her tone serious, expression blank.

'Sort of. I felt something at the last moment, did you intervene or something?'

"Something like that." The imaginary girl leaned toward a wall. It was the same wall that Touma had been cornered just now. "I feel that we are becoming more and more interconnected. The fog in your memories is fading little by little." Her gaze drifted to the poster that Touma had left on a countertop, forgetting to put it away due to haste. "By the way, you don't intend to dress like that just to please him, do you? Isn't the vulgarity of those clothes you've chosen already enough?"

Shizuri's choice for the day was not something so vulgar. She was wearing a miniskirt, but it was not as short as the poster girl's, plus the white blouse only showed a good amount of cleavage from a very select angle. That was the reason she was prone on the bed, providing a good view for that boy.

'Do you really have the right to complain? That was in your closet.'

"Well, I usually buy all kinds of clothes, even if I'm not going to wear them. And those aren't really my style."

Upon seeing the girl's attempts to make lame excuses, she smiled slightly and began pacing around the room with her hand on her chin.

'I see. You are not the type to wear the most provocative clothes. Funny to hear that after I had a good look at your panty collection. The vast majority of them are see-through, do you have anything to say about that?'

Even though she was a mental projection, the girl was hit by that charge pretty hard as she looked away quickly and stared at the ground. But she was still Mugino Shizuri, so her recovery was quick.

"Someone has to lead the sexy side of things, right?" said 'Mugino', shrugging as she tried to remain serious.

Shizuri found that comment rather amusing, it wasn't bad to talk to yourself sometimes. Come to think of it, aside from the aggressive comments here and there, those two were starting to get along. 'Mugino' even seemed to be starting to not judge Shizuri for liking Touma so much, which warmed her heart. The otherworldly version of her wasn't as bad as she had imagined when they first met.

'You can take a look at my memories if you like. I would recommend the night there at the amusement park, you will be impressed.'

The imaginary girl took a few slow, deliberate steps towards Shizuri, each step echoing in the quiet room. As she approached, her eyes narrowed into slits of suspicion, and her arms crossed defensively over her chest like a shield.

"Are you giving me permission now? You know there's no turning back, right? If you let me do this, my memories will also leak out to you even faster."

'That's fine with me. It would be nice to see what my other self has been up to. Do you have something you want to show me?'

Shizuri couldn't quite fathom why the girl twisted her lip and fell silent. It seemed unlikely that she would suddenly become hesitant about sharing memories, especially considering how she had previously been all but shoving them into Shizuri's mind.

"You're weird," she said, pressing her lips into a straight line right away. "It's in those moments that I realize we're not the same person."

Despite the blank expression on 'Mugino's' face, Shizuri sensed something emanating from her that pierced straight into her brain. It was a searing pain, not the kind that could be physically felt, but one that crept into her mind like a dense fog, permeating every inch of her being.

"But yes...there is a memory I want you to witness. I hope you are ready to see how far our darkness goes."

In an instant, everything changed. Unlike the previous time in the bath, where only fleeting flashes and shadows could be glimpsed through the fog, this memory was vivid and palpable, causing Shizuri to almost collapse to her knees. This was the very thing that her mind had been resisting with all its might, but now it was impossible to ignore since the girl herself had willingly embraced it.

She realized that she should have never reopened that unhealed wound.

"No..." Shizuri couldn't just think that. She had to speak it out loud. "No... no, no, no, no, no... no."

She tried to refuse the memory, but it was too late. Her legs threatened to give out beneath her as she struggled to bear the weight of everything. The smell of blood from that scene seemed to be entering her nostrils at that moment, and the blank expression of the dead girl being carried by her almost made her collapse. That blond girl from before, the one she had seen in that bath, was now a haunting presence in her mind. That person she thought was just one more in the long list of lives taken.

"Frenda... you... I..."

It was actually someone she might one day have called a "friend".

The world seemed to be fading around her like a photograph left out in the sun for too long. Then... darkness closing in and consuming everything, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, pulling at her neatly combed hair. Her breathing was so loud that it would worry anyone who could hear. It was hard to believe, but there was no doubt.

"What have you done?" Shizuri's face drifted to that left hand, the one that was not human. "What did I do?"

The other girl sighed loudly, seeming unaffected by Shizuri's reaction.

"Why?" asked Shizuri. Her voice weak, almost fading. "I don't understand."

"That's me," 'Mugino' said. She seemed unable to keep her gaze locked on that of the other girl just like her. "The path guided by my obsession led me here."

After she had done this, she walked toward Shizuri. The girl's body seemed to pass through her, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She was no longer there. Not in her vision at least, since she could still feel her.

The sharp pain in her head came back with everything. Memories and more memories of her self from this world ran through her brain without stopping for a second. Her fight against the person she hated, Railgun, the fight against SCHOOL where she personally eliminated one of the members, her attempt to defeat Kakine only to be humiliated, more than once.

"My own ability," she said, still looking at that fake arm. "I did it to myself." She staggered to the balcony, trying to get some fresh air. "Is that what I've become?"

Something was happening at that moment inside her. Her heavy chest was unbearable, the lump in her throat getting worse and worse.

Minutes passed, and her body now seemed to be rejecting her, her stomach churning as if something wanted to get out. For a moment it seemed as if she wasn't even there anymore. She felt so empty now, disconnected from this world, like a cursed ghost haunting a beautiful mansion, but unable to touch or feel anything.

"There you are."

Until that voice sounded, bringing her consciousness back to this world.

"Are you ready to go meet the others?"

It took her a moment to notice Touma standing there, smiling slightly at her. He had just stepped out of the shower, but was already fully dressed.

Shizuri couldn't answer. And she couldn't resist either. Her body moved on its own, rushing towards him and wrapping her arms around him, burying her head in his chest.

It was as if she was trying to escape from something, seeking refuge in his embrace. If only everything were so simple to solve, if only his warmth could simply push away everything she felt.

"Shizuri, is everything okay?" On instinct, he passed his arms around her as well, taking care to speak as softly as possible.

She longed to utter a simple "yes" to appease him, but her voice remained suppressed. Her eyes grew warm, tears attempting to form, yet inexplicably, she was unable to weep.

"Hey, talk to me." He stroked her head carefully. "Just tell me. I'm here to listen."

Shizuri struggled to find her voice, but to no avail. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to confess what she had done and reveal the monster inside her. In that moment, all she wanted was to cling to Touma, to have him by her side until the ordeal was over. But the thought of how he would react when he discovered the truth loomed over her like a dark cloud.

"I'm fine," she lied, pulling her head away from his chest and putting on a strained smile that made her cheeks tingle. "It's just... it's so cold."

"Hmm... that's it?" His head tilted. He didn't sound convinced. That was both a good and bad thing for her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yes, I know." Nervously, she tried to pull away, but her body still demanded that she stay close to him. "It's just that it's better to focus on other things now. There's so much going on. Besides, they're probably waiting for us at the bowling alley by now, so we'd better go."

It took a gigantic effort for her to get away from him. It was like someone in the middle of a blizzard, reluctantly moving away from the only source of warmth. And now she didn't know what to do. Why was she so incapable of telling him the truth? In the past it was even easier to reveal her darkness than now, but it wasn't the world they were in that was to blame.

Her mind traveled back to that night at the amusement park, seeking refuge from the not-so-pleasant memories in her head now. That night she had told him that she didn't have a motive for killing people, and that taking someone's life was so casual to her that at some point she stopped feeling anything. And yet that boy didn't cower, he stayed on her side. The problem was, that was no longer the worst she had to offer. And the boy was someone important to her, maybe the most important person to her. What would his reaction be when he found out how far she could go?

It wasn't her. It was what she started repeating to herself, a ritual to try to calm herself down. It had been Mugino Shizuri who had killed Frenda Seivelun, nothing would change that. It hadn't been her... it hadn't been this Shizuri. But could it have been her? If she had never met him, would the path she had taken be the same?

x-x

It was impossible to have fun at this moment. The sound of bowling balls sliding across the floor and pins being knocked over were just distant roars, as if she were listening to a static-filled broadcast. The same was true for the voices of people talking so close to her.

The whole ITEM was there, the "New ITEM" at least. Hamazura was quite happy, smiling as he chatted with Takitsubo standing there while waiting her turn to play. Kinuhata was sitting next to Shizuri, munching on French fries while watching some kind of video on her phone.

The two "magicians" were also there, the 15cm fairy sitting on the girl's shoulder called Index, or so she called herself. Touma was finishing his turn. He was a reasonable player, but apparently he had no experience.

Besides, their group was facing a problem.

"Damn, we're way behind," he lamented, sitting down next to Shizuri. "If we don't try harder, she'll get better and better, and it will be impossible to win just once."

"Why did she suddenly start playing so superbly?" asked Kinuhata, as usual trying to talk to Touma whenever she could.

"It's her perfect memory. She can observe the movements of people who are good at it and copy them accurately. That's only going to get worse with time. Such Misfortune." He held his head in despair. "And the idiot here forgot that detail and ended up making a bet."

"Relax, Kami-chan. We still have a chance. Leave it to super Kinuhata here, I'll get you out of this one. I expect a reward later."

Shizuri was a little better than before, but she still didn't have much energy to stop that girl from making advances on her boyfriend. She was sure that Kinuhata was only doing it to annoy her, and it was certainly working, but all she could do was sigh wearily as she took a sip of her soda. She wished she had something stronger to drink now. Numbing her senses was something she didn't often do, but at this moment, one of those bottles of cognac from that night would come in handy.

The match ended predictably. Index had destroyed everyone there, which Shizuri thought would leave Touma devastated, but he just sat down next to her and began to give her a thoughtful look. Usually she would start flirting with him when such a look was aimed at her, but she just tried to smile, once again not being convincing.

"Want me to get you some more drinks?" he asked, pointing to the girl's nearly empty glass.

"Bring it for me too, Kami-chan." Kinuhata cut in before Shizuri answered, taking the two glasses and handing them to Touma.

One last look was cast in Meltdowner's direction, and she nodded shyly at him. She watched the boy walk to the machine, paying attention to his carefree movements, analyzing his posture, the state he was in. Shizuri had to tell him, but she wanted to make sure it was at an appropriate moment, one when he was completely comfortable. Who was she kidding? She had the perfect moment, that was never the problem.

"Hey, Mugino," Kinuhata nudged Shizuri's side. "You look super weird."

"Maybe because I'm not the person you know?" She didn't even bother to look in the direction of the bob-cut girl.

"I'm taking that super into account," Kinuhata continued, following Shizuri's gaze. "Did you guys fight or something?"

"Not yet."

"What do you mean? Did you guys almost fight for some super reason?"

Kinuhata's curiosity was beginning to annoy Shizuri. Not wanting to answer, she just crossed her arms and cast an intense look in the girl's direction.

"Okay, I get it. You don't want to super talk about your relationship with me," Kinuhata said this with an overly cheerful tone. "In that case, someone else should help. Takitsubo, come here quickly."

Shizuri put on an even more annoyed expression, burning Kinuhata with her angry look.

"Yes, any problems?" Takitsubo asked, sitting down in a chair next to Shizuri, who was surrounded by her and Kinuhata.

"Mugino here seems to have had a nasty fight with Kami-chan. What are the super chances of them breaking up later today?"

"Takitsubo," said Mugino, holding back from jumping on Kinuhata's neck, "could you do me a favor and bring me one of those pins over there. I'm going to shove that thick thing right up her ass, who knows, maybe she'll be satisfied and stop bugging me."

"It won't do," Kinuhata said, giving a mischievous grin, "I'm not the kind of person who gets super pleased with something like that. I'm more the romantic type."

"You called me just for that?" Takitsubo inexpressibly facepalmed.

"Hamazura went to get drinks too, so that's a super good time for us to talk among girls."

"Talk amongst yourselves then," Shizuri said, preparing to get up from her chair, but Kinuhata put a hand in front of her.

"Wait a minute, Mugino," Kinuhata ordered, "I want to negotiate with you."

Her serious tone was enough to make Meltdowner interested in what she had to say. Once again she sat back in her chair, straightening her clothes and putting on a confused expression.

"What do you mean by negotiate?"

"Tell me something he likes, so I can have a super advantage after you're gone."

"You mean when I get back to my world?"

Honestly, Shizuri didn't think Kinuhata was that interested in Touma. Of course, she knew his effect very well, but here he barely knew her and there was still the chance that she just enjoyed teasing Shizuri, which was working considering that she always freaked out at her flirtations. Better safe than sorry.

"What's making you act like this?" asked Meltdowner puzzled. "Do you have more history with him here than I've heard?"

"Not really." Kinuhata shook her head in denial. "But I heard of him before I met him. Kamijou Touma, the one at the center of Aleister Crowley's plan."

With narrowed eyes, Shizuri almost jumped out of her chair upon hearing this. The casual manner in which the girl revealed this only served to make her more intrigued. Of course, she knew that her boyfriend was someone much more important than he let on, but she couldn't imagine hearing something like that so suddenly. But what she had seen that day, that fight.

"Tell me more," Shizuri said, completely interested. She even almost managed to smile.

"Tell me super something about him first."

That girl, she had courage. Handing weapons to her opponents was a stupid thing to do, so Shizuri had to think twice. Of course, after she left, it wouldn't matter much, since she already had the Touma of her world all to herself. But even so, she still didn't want to give up something like that so easily. Even in another world, her love for Touma would not diminish, which clouded her judgment.

"He likes to read manga," Shizuri revealed. "And he prefers mature girls, of the 'Onee-san' archetype."

Now the level 5 had a smile on her face. If she was going to give up something about Touma, she would do it with fun. The poor younger girl felt betrayed upon hearing this as she pouted, but she soon pulled herself together and puffed out her chest.

"I'm a super mature girl," she said, pointing at Shizuri with an inquisitive finger. "Don't think you have the advantage just because of that detail."

"Yeah, yeah... whatever. Now give me something too. Tell me where you got that information."

"It was that blonde girl, the one in the super dress." Kinuhata became disinterested, picking up her phone again. "She told me that Kamijou's role is at least as important as #1's role in the former board chairman's plans. I can't tell you how she found that out."

This was certainly news that made Shizuri happy. It was always great to find out this kind of thing about her boyfriend, but how reliable was this information? The girl in the dress Kinuhata was referring to was surely that annoying blonde who had almost got two of her friends killed.

In that instant, her vision became clouded with red, as if thinking about the person who was supposed to be there was enough to make her feel bad. It took a lot of effort to push that feeling away.

"Did you say 'former' board chairman?" asked Shizuri, bringing her hand to her aching forehead. "#1? He's the new president right?"

"Yes," who replied was Takitsubo, looking at her friend as if she knew something was wrong. "Can you look at Mugino's memories from here?"

Denial would be useless, her friend's intuition was always excellent in the end.

"Not exactly...it's more like some of it just flows into my head… that makes sense?"

That silenced Takitsubo, which was unexpected for Shizuri. The level 5 expected her to comment further, or at least ask for more details of the situation she was in, but she just kept quiet. Once again her intuition seemed to have worked, since Meltdowner knew where this matter could lead.

x-x

"So, boss," Hamazura said, holding up two glasses of cold drink.

His gaze was on the three girls sitting distractedly across the room. The sound of bowling balls scraping the lane and pins being violently knocked over was drowning out his voice, but he still spoke very quietly, almost in a whisper.

"I want details." The smile on the blond's face was that of a complete idiot. "How did you accomplish this feat?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Touma. He was also holding two drinking glasses, one in each hand.

"You know." Hamazura smiled even more idiotically. If he was in a suspicious place, he would be arrested.

The sigh that Touma let out was heard even with that cacophony.

"I didn't do anything special. I just... accepted her."

"And what does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." He shrugged. His nonchalant face showing that he didn't want to give details. "She's a person first. Before she's a level 5, before she's a dark side assassin, before she's a rich girl who has everything. In the end, she's just a person. No title or wealth can save you from feeling alone."

"I don't know if she's a girl who feels 'alone'." Hamazura cast a glance at Shizuri and then at Takitsubo. "Or maybe something has blinded me to that?"

"If you don't have one person you can trust and lean on completely, then yes, you feel alone," Touma said this as if saying the most obvious thing in the world. But his face was too serious in Hamazura's opinion. "Maybe there's something else about me that made her feel attracted, that made her decide that I was that person...I'm not a normal boy after all. But I can't say exactly what."

Touma's voice sounded so strange, as if it wasn't even him there. Maybe the fact that that person standing there next to him was not the "boss" he knew had something to do with it.

Those two had fought in the past, and it was that boy's words that put him on the path he is on now. If it were not for him, it was hard to imagine that he would even be alive now. As he himself had said in the past, Hamazura Shiage's life was supposed to end that night, it was expected, but that was not what happened.

"It's strange to think that you are actually from another universe. You mean you don't remember anything? Our adventures together?"

"Hmm... not exactly." Touma brought his hand to his chin. He took his time to continue. "I still remember very well when you tried to kill Misuzu-san."

"You had to start from there." Hamazura suddenly became sulky.

"That time with the 'freshmen' too. And the radiosonde castle, Hawaii, that time in Dianoid, England... and the biggest taboo of Academy City too. Did I forget something?"

Hamazura's eyes were narrowed now, analyzing the boy standing there cautiously.

"You were a great help all those other times," Touma continued, putting on a much friendlier expression now, "thank you so much for everything, Hamazura."

"It was nothing boss." He even shrugged. "Thanking me is going too far. I was just doing what someone like me does."

"Someone like you?"

"Yeah." Hamazura looked in the direction where the three girls were sitting once again. "Sometimes I feel like I'm always living in the shadow of something, you know? I thought I was over it, but in the end I just accepted it."

"You did the wrong thing then," Touma said, without any hesitation.

A frown appeared on Hamazura's face, more of surprise than indignation. He even bowed his head somewhat embarrassed afterwards.

"I think it's the best thing to do, I'm not someone like you, boss." The boy tried to smile, but gave up realizing that it was not appropriate. "Being honest, I'm like that employee who has nothing but a logo printed on his company shirt. It's a big company, but in the end, I'm just expendable. I've already accepted that I can't be more than that."

"Strange of you to say that after everything." Once again Touma was unconcerned. "When I first met you, you were just a lost person, unable to take the pressure of the world around you. But you kept going anyway, didn't you? When we met again, I had no idea that you were a part of something bigger, you were just Hamazura Shiage, and you fought as Hamazura Shiage, not as a member of ITEM." He paused and then started walking towards the girls sitting there. "It's a noble thing you're doing, dedicating yourself to those people so close and at the same time so far away from you that they even seem from another world, but don't think like that, don't sell yourself for so little. A person can lose everything and keep moving forward, but he will be at a dead end the moment he loses his sense of self. You don't want to go down that path, Hamazura, I speak from experience."

Touma's steps got faster, so much so that Hamazura had to struggle to keep up with him. The drinks in his hand were already almost lukewarm, maybe he should refill them if he didn't want to be judged by the people who would receive this, but he decided to keep following that boy who was now so far away. He called him "boss" for several reasons after all.

x-x

"Touma, you took your time," Index said, grabbing one of the soda glasses like it was water in the desert.

The whole group was gathered around, sitting in their chairs unwilling to continue playing. That gluttonous nun had become invincible in the last game, so everyone there gave her an aggressive look as she finished that drink in an instant.

"That was too warm," she complained, reaching out to grab the other drink.

"Not so fast." But Touma shied away, offering the drink to someone else. "Sorry for the delay, Shizuri-chan."

"Don't apologize, darling, I've gotten used to your delays," said the level 5, taking a sip of the drink. "Touma, this is not a suitable temperature. Stick to putting more ice in it next time."

"Same goes for you, super Hamazura," added Kinuhata, also not satisfied with drinking lukewarm soda. "Although that was to be expected. Hamazura is super Hamazura after all."

The poor blond boy just sighed faintly at this gratuitous attack. But Touma didn't seem shaken at all by his girlfriend's comment, perhaps because she didn't sound serious.

"You want me to redo this, milady?" said Touma, extending his hand to Shizuri in an exaggerated gesture. "How about I take a fan made of feathers to make the temperature on your skin suitable as well?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Shizuri stated, taking another sip of her drink. "Bring some grapes too."

"Yeah... yeah." Touma began to smile, taking a seat next to the tea-colored haired girl. "Spoiled girl once, spoiled girl forever. Hey, Index 'creepy eyes' here didn't like the soda."

Half a second later, the silver girl sprinted towards Shizuri like a bullet, but she was intercepted by a little tap, courtesy of Meltdowner's prosthetic arm. Index held her forehead and pouted, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"We'd better go," Shizuri announced, finishing her drink in an instant. She really wanted to make a point.

"You're right, it's getting late," Touma said, looking at the time on his phone. "Shizuri, can you come with us? There are still things I want to discuss with you."

"Sure...as long as you pay for the cab back to my apartment."

"Don't you have a heart?"

It had been the poor, spiky-haired boy's turn to get tears in the corners of his eyes.

The truth was that Shizuri had already planned to go back to the apartment with Touma, she had even warned the girls that she might not go back to the apartment today. She would rather eat her boyfriend's food, even if it was simple, than anything they bought. The company made the food taste better.

x-x

Walking was something that was beginning to enter the list of most hated things by Shizuri, the specialist in being lazy. Since she arrived here she had already walked the equivalent of what she would normally walk in a month.

"I hate this cold," Shizuri said, rubbing her pantyhose-covered legs. "Coming out of the warm of our world and stopping in this winter sucks. I hate this damn 'phases'."

"Apparently you've come to hate a lot of things recently," Touma commented, pausing to wait for Shizuri.

They were already very close to Touma's dormitory. Index was leading the way, with Othinus on her shoulder, while Shizuri and the boy were a few meters behind. Unbeknownst to the others, the level 5 girl was purposely stalling. The reason for this? She was waiting for the other girl walking there to hurry too much and then she would pull Touma into the middle of the crowd, running away from her and thus having some more alone time with him.

"Touma, why are you guys walking so slowly?" Index asked that and crossed her arms in the middle of the sidewalk, disrupting the flow of people.

'Shit. Does this girl have a sixth sense?'

"Jealous girls in love are like that." The person who said that could only be heard by Shizuri. "Takitsubo must be worse considering she usually has a sixth sense. Poor Hamazura. Dealing with Yanderes can't be easy."She couldn't be more ironic.

The two identical girls walked side by side for a while, with Shizuri waiting for the right moment to look away in the direction of the other her, since Touma was also right there.

'I thought you were gone for good'

"Unfortunately I can't. I've always been here, I just decided to give you a little more space." She noticed that Shizuri alternated her gaze between the boy and her from time to time. "I don't understand why so careful. By now he must know that you have a voice in your head."

'Don't try to change the subject. Give me some space, my ass, you just did that because you knew I'd feel worse if you disappeared.'

"I can't understand your logic. Me being here makes you feel better?"

'Yes. At least I can see the person who did this. When you are gone...'

"It's as if our consciences have become one. Yeah, I get it."

With something in mind, Shizuri slowed down, blending in with the crowd to hide her face from Touma. Her expression twisted and her lips began to tremble, but she didn't want him to see.

'Do you regret it?'

"I'd like to say no." She stared at the ground suddenly, her fists clenched to the limit. "I used to visit her grave sometimes. For some reason, I've never been able to cry. No matter how much I talk, even if I pour my heart into the words... nothing."

Shizuri stood there, uncertain of how to break the silence that suddenly had descended upon them. The cacophony of the city still buzzed around them, but it felt muted, as if they were in a bubble of their own making. She glanced at the passing crowd, relieved that the flow of people on the sidewalks was not as great. They could stand there, contemplating the world around them, without disturbing anyone. But the silence between them was heavy. Shizuri wanted to say something, anything to fill the void, but her mind was blank.

"Hey, why are you standing there?" asked Touma, looking at her with worried eyes.

"Nothing... it's just..." The girl tried not to look in 'Mugino' direction, but her eyes moved in that instant, even if only a little.

"Shizuri, is there something you want to tell me?"

"There are many things I want to tell you." Another of her forced smiles appeared on her face. "But not now."

Even though he narrowed his eyes, the boy decided to let it go, but in that instant, she was sure she saw him look away in the direction the "other her" was. Maybe it was just her impression, there was no way for him to know.

The walk to the apartment continued, with Shizuri now right next to Touma, which prevented her from having a proper conversation with the girl in her head, as she was afraid she would react strangely.

"At this point, isn't it better to just tell him?" said 'Mugino', appearing in front of the girl. "There's no reason to hide it, being honest."

'He already knows that I have memories of you. That's enough.'

"You're afraid." Her tone went stiff, which almost made Shizuri grimace. "It was obvious to me from the beginning."

'What the hell are you talking about?'

"You are afraid that he actually doesn't like you as much as you like him."

Shizuri bit her lip in frustration, she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"

'He loves me, I'm sure.'

"He loves the person you pretend you are, nothing more than that." She shrugged. For some reason, she began to stare at her left hand. "What do you call it again? 'DereDere' mode?"

'You're wrong. I'm not faking anything. That's just a side of me that I don't usually show.'

"Is that so?" 'Mugino' crossed her arms, walking backwards to get a good look at the girl's face, the same as hers. "My acting is perfect. That's what you told yourself if I remember correctly. Even you don't believe you're being sincere."

'Quiet!'

The look she threw at the other girl was full of violence. She had to take a deep breath, checking to see if Touma had noticed her internal conflict. Luckily, the boy seemed distracted.

'What are you trying to do anyway? I thought that by now you had convinced yourself that my feelings for him are genuine.'

"Yes, I'm sure some feelings are, I took a look at your memories after all. Your romance is a little strange, if I may say so. You are even more obsessed than I am, but in the end, no matter how much you try to deny it, the truth is that you are not the girl he likes. And that's why you can't be honest. You're afraid he'll find that out, and then it'll all be over."

The girl simply disappeared once again, leaving Shizuri with an even greater tightness in her chest than before. The sound around her began to fade, as if the world itself was trying to give her some space to process what had just happened. The girl's words had hit the nail on the head, and Shizuri was shaken to her core.

Which girl did Touma like anyway? Mugino Shizuri asked herself that question every day since she started dating him. It was a question that had no ideal answer for her, so it remained there, like a splinter that was difficult to remove, or perhaps one that Shizuri refused to remove, which made the situation worse every day.

Still, she had to stand firm. Approaching the boy she liked, she leaned just a little toward him, as if to rest her head on his shoulder. Touma always used to reciprocate this kind of approach, even before they started dating. That day in the mall was the perfect example of this. Wasn't it there that he admitted that he liked to be next to her? That having a girl like her by his side filled him with confidence?

All that had to be enough, at least for now.

xx-xx

The balcony of that dormitory was beginning to become her favorite place in the world. It was a shame that being here wasn't enough to send away what she felt.

"So you really intend to stay?" asked Touma, standing next to her on that balcony.

"Sure. Someone has to warm up that cold tub you sleep in," Shizuri joked, lightly patting his shoulder.

"You...are you thinking of sleeping with me over there?"

"Why not? It must be uncomfortable, so I'll let you use me as a body pillow, but just this once." She smiled at him, biting her lip lightly afterwards. "Just so you know, I really am all soft and warm...just like mashed potatoes."

"My god, don't remind me of that!" Touma covered his face with his hand, looking away as he blushed lightly. "I'll never drink again."

"And here I was hoping I would see all that aggression one more time. Such misfortune." Her smile widened. She had almost forgotten about that bad feeling, but the traces were still present. And to make matters worse, the boy suddenly put on a serious expression.

"Shizuri, we'd better talk about something important."

And the tone he used was even more serious than the expression.

"I guess this must have crossed your mind by now," Touma said, looking her in the eye, "but there's a chance that the situation we're in could be permanent."

"Huh? Yeah, but we're making progress here." She tried to keep smiling, to lighten the mood a bit. "Don't worry, your Shizuri-chan will take care of everything, as she always does."

"You don't have any more leads to follow, do you?" The boy remained serious, unaffected by the girl's smile. "That's why you've been acting like that all day. You don't have to keep struggling like this."

"Touma, what do you mean?"

"What I mean is...that it's okay." Touma held her shoulders gently. "You can relax if you want. Even if we can't get back to our world, everything will be fine."

Her face became inexpressive, the smile faded in an instant. His hands on her bare shoulders no longer had the comforting warmth they had before. She couldn't understand what he meant, or maybe she didn't want to.

"Is everything going to be fine?" she asked in a whisper. "Touma, are you giving up?"

"What?" he couldn't keep his gaze on hers. "No... that's not what -"

"No? Because that's exactly what it sounds like. What do you mean it's fine, what do you mean we have no clues to follow?"

"I'm just saying that..." The boy took a deep breath, letting go of her shoulders and stepping away. "Even if we're stuck here, it's not so bad, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think so. In case you haven't noticed, we're not a couple here, so if this is permanent, what about us?"

The weight of his silence hit her hard. She tried to keep her tone as neutral as possible, holding back from exploding at hearing such nonsense.

"We can still be friends...I mean -"

"Friends?! Friends?" Her voice rose just a little. "What do you mean we're friends? I never wanted to be your friend, even when I said I wanted to I was lying, damn it."

The words were now beginning to flow from her mouth without filters, her self-control forced to the limit.

"Even if I just accept that, how the hell is this going to work anyway?" Shizuri had to squeeze the balcony railing hard to try to calm herself. "I love you, you love me, and the only thing keeping me from kissing you now is that I was sent to this hell of a world without any warning. Do you want me to just accept that?"

"Shizuri, please calm down." He reached out his hand to hold hers, but the girl pulled away from him.

"What is your plan anyway? Just explain it to me. Are we going to live our lives pretending that nothing ever happened between us? Hell, if that's what you plan then it would be better if you just broke up with me, at least it would be less painful in the long run."

"If that's what you want -"

"That's not what I want, you fucking idiot!" she shouted, her eyes suddenly getting wet. She realized too late that she had raised her voice and took a deep breath."Look at me, do you think I'm happy like this?"

"Maybe not now, but -"

"I don't want to hear it."

Shizuri shook her head, her hands hiding her face. She took another deep breath, trying uselessly to contain her feelings.

"Maybe it's for the best," Touma said. His voice was full of kindness, but Shizuri did not want to hear what he had to say.

"It's all your fault," Shizuri muttered, turning her face in another direction. "If you hadn't given those things to Takitsubo, if you hadn't just done what that girl wanted, if you hadn't left me to go fight alone drunk out there like an idiot, none of this would have happened. We would have solved everything if you had listened to me, if you had asked me for help to make a decent plan. We could have easily defeated that pink-haired bitch who for some reason has your thought patterns." She paused to see his reaction, but he didn't even blink. "Because of you, my friend is dying in a hospital bed in another world while we are here playing at being someone else."

Even with those words being thrown around like a curse, the boy didn't seem to mind. Shizuri turned to see his reaction, hoping that at least he had been affected by her words and become angry, but his lips just pressed together in a straight line. His rigid posture gave nothing away, his dark blue eyes still looked at her the same way. Sometimes she wished that boy wasn't so hard to read.

"You're right, I screwed up," he said, with the same calm tone of voice as before. "From the day I appeared in your life, it was as if a curse had been cast on it. I forced myself into your world, and look at the result."

"Curse?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, look where I dragged you. You almost died that day in that tunnel, all because I put a stupid idea in your head. You had to spend days in the hospital, and while you were recovering, because of me two of your teammates almost killed themselves. Even Takitsubo almost died because of me, as you said yourself." He stepped forward, while the girl just looked in his direction with a face full of pain. "Shizuri, don't you understand? Your life here seems much better than the one I gave you in that world."

"Hah... hah..."

The girl couldn't do anything else but giggle mirthlessly at everything she was hearing. How she wanted to scream now, to get it all out. But instead, she shook her head, like a teacher who was giving up explaining the same subject to an idiotic student.

"So this is how it looks to you..." She paused for a long moment, raising her left hand until it was close to her face. "At least your reason for turning into a fucking coward out of nowhere isn't all bad. A curse you say? See that arm? I forgot to tell you, but it's a fake."

A sound of bending metal reverberated on that balcony. Shizuri punched as hard as she could against the railing beside her, as a way to demonstrate and at the same time put out the conflicting emotions she felt. The boy's surprised reaction served to at least calm her breathing.

"I lost it... or rather, I blew it up with my ability." Shizuri touched the right side of her face. "You can't tell, but I have a nasty scar right here, hidden using special makeup. I can hardly feel anything on the right side of my face. My eye is fake too, lost due to my sick obsession."

Touma seemed at least a little shaken by the whole thing, but Shizuri wasn't done yet. After inhaling a large amount of air, she touched her own face once more, a gesture of shame, guilt, and regret. It was what she felt, even if it wasn't her.

"I killed Frenda." Her eyes darted away as soon as she saw Touma narrow his.

"You..." He shook his head in disbelief, soon after holding it with one hand as if he felt something hurt.

She expected his reaction to be greater, but his lips opened and closed several times, as if the words were getting stuck every time and he kept pushing.

"Why?" The boy finally managed to say something.

"Does it matter?" Her voice turned cold. "Isn't her just another person on my list? Or have you forgotten that you are talking to a monster?"

His lack of appropriate reaction made her angry, it was as if he had known before, yet he still couldn't believe it now that she had confirmed it. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered to her anymore. She was stuck here now, in a world where she followed a path that took her even further into darkness, and the one person she wanted to help her out of this hell had given up.

Her energyless footsteps echoed through the silent balcony. She passed him, who still maintained a serious expression, but she could see his slightly trembling lips, his hands hanging at the side of his body, his posture rigid. Shizuri would leave all that behind, there was no reason for her to say anything, not when he had already convinced himself.

"Shizuri, wait..." But that boy reached out his right hand to hold hers once again.

The warmth so close to her was enough to stop her in her tracks, even if she denied it to herself, she needed it. But another person there, the one only she could see, looked at her with disgust stamped on her face. Her head made a sign of denial, as if guiding her, trying to get her out of the trance that this boy had put her in with the mere gesture of reaching out his hand to her.

"Don't touch me," she said, taking another step away, dodging that heat. "You've already made it clear what you want, Kamijou, just let me go."

How long had it been since she had called him by his last name? It even sounded wrong, like a person testing a difficult word to pronounce in another language for the first time.

"What about what you want?" he asked. Instead of trying to hold her hand, he offered it for her to take herself.

"That doesn't matter anymore."

"I made you a promise, didn't I? Then it matters to me."

"It wasn't what it looked like a minute ago."

Another step was taken, away from him, away from that outstretched hand. She wished she could tell herself that she wasn't hesitating, that her heart wasn't heavy in her chest, but that would be a lie, but she swallowed hard and walked away.

However, Touma had other plans.

"That's not you," he said before the girl took another step away.

"I decide what I am, not you, Kamijou." She continued with her back to him. "It's easy for you, isn't it? You got everything you wanted after all. You're some kind of hero here, someone important, but you still managed to maintain a simple... normal life. Your future couldn't be any better, so don't act like you understand me."

"You didn't kill her."

"You're right. But what difference does it make if I'm sure that in her place I would do the same?"

"No -"

"Quiet!" she shouted. Her clenched fists and heavy breathing made Touma take a step back. Finally, she turned toward him. "Do you have any idea how hard I've worked to try to be someone I'm not? And all for what? Only to find out that I'm even worse than I thought I was. It's like walking a long road expecting a reward at the end only to discover that there is only a great chasm and nothing else."

"The path you have chosen to take is not that one." His eyes locked on hers. The girl had to make an effort not to look away. "There's no meaning in comparing yourself to someone else, even if that person thinks the same as you. Everyone makes bad choices, but our life experiences can shape us more than something as simple as 'thought patterns'. You have changed, I want to believe that."

"What difference does it make, Kamijou?" she was no longer shouting, her voice was soft, almost inaudible. "It's already happened...this is the person I am now...the person you want me to be from now on since you've already accepted this world. I wish it would have been different here too, that I would have found you sooner, but there's no changing that... there's no going back... we were sent to this hell on a one-way road. If even you have given up, then just let me go. Live your simple, modest life...and forget I exist."

The weight on her chest had lessened, she was accepting the position she found herself in. Maybe it was the influence of the person in her head, the person she was becoming little by little, but everything didn't seem to matter to her anymore. Here in this world, these two were not even known, so why should she listen to him yet? It wouldn't change anything.

"You are so stupid," Touma said, before the girl could turn and walk away. The way he said it so dryly made her bite her lip. "Sometimes it seems like you just ignore what I say and move on as if you're always right."

"And what gives you the right to accuse someone of something like that?"

"Like I give a shit about all that." He shrugged. There was no strong emotion in his gestures and voice. There was no anger, no fear, no doubt, no surprise. Touma was calm, as if what he was saying was the most correct information in the world. "It took me this far for you to tell me what was bothering you, and yet you keep hiding things from me. My God, what a pain. Dealing with you is like walking through a minefield or trying to disarm a bomb without any instructions. How can anyone be so stupid?"

"Okay, that's enough." She was getting irritated, her eyes sharp in his direction. "If all you're going to do now is insult me, then I'd better leave before -"

"Be quiet," he cut in with the same calm tone as always. Shizuri tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the calm aggression she was receiving. "You can leave if you want, it's your choice, but don't think I'm a coward who gives up so easily. If you prefer the other world over this one, then so be it, I'll sort this shit out and drag you there, and then I swear I'll make you give me the most comfortable and peaceful life anyone has ever had in the history of the universe. I hope you have enough money for that."

"What?" she asked incredulously. Why did the boy decide to speak like that so suddenly? "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Irrelevant. We'd better talk about how you feel later since you're going to keep lying and hiding things like the coward you are."

"Kamijou... I swear to god... if you were anyone else I would..." Shizuri began to stumble over the words. In another situation, she would have thrown a Meltdowner beam.

"I told you, didn't I? Anything you want. If this isn't where you want to stay, then we're going back to where we belong."

"We don't have any clues, dumbass. Take that arrogant tone out of your voice and -"

"One-way road." Was that a roll of the eyes? "It's so easy that I even thought for a moment that it shouldn't be that. But that time at the Queen Britannia..." He put his hand on his chin, looking at the horizon. "We have to talk to that person. Visiting hours must have passed by now, so it can't be today... it's a shame."

"Do you... have a clue?"

"I have the solution," he stated in a confident tone. He walked over to her and put his hand on the girl's chin, forcing her to look up, right into his eyes. "What? Did you think I was just going to abandon you just now? You did well, Shizuri-chan, let the professionals handle this now."

Her body was petrified in place, as if the warmth she felt now prevented her from reasoning. Here she was, letting herself be carried away by that boy's kind words once again. It was always like this. She felt that she could always lean on him, that if he was by her side, nothing else mattered, not in this world, not in the next.

The problem in all of this is that it was no longer just her who was there, in that body, in that mind. The other person was right there, watching her, judging her, and she didn't look happy at all. That other 'Mugino Shizuri' was reminding her that it was not over, that nothing had been solved. Words were still just words, and the tightness in her chest would not go away with just that temporary warmth.

"Nothing has changed, Mugino Shizuri," the girl said in her mind, almost in a whisper. "Not you... not him. We both know how this ends."

Faced with that provocation, Shizuri could only close her eyes and enjoy that good and so-passing feeling. But the other her was now smiling. She was absolutely right in the end.


A/N: Hello again! I think this is the second-longest chapter in this fic. I thought that splitting it up was not a good option, so I hope you enjoyed everything that happened here.

This is another one of those chapters where I overdo the drama, but this arc is approaching its climax, so I guess it's okay.

As you have noticed, we haven't had scenes from Touma's point of view since they both came into this world. Even that quick conversation between him and Hamazura was from the latter's point of view. This way we only know what Shizuri knows, and so his thoughts and intentions remain a mystery, which can have more impact in scenes like the last one in this chapter.

'Mugino' seems to have almost gotten what she wanted here. She is kind of the 'villain' when it comes to the relationship of these two idiots in love. These moments of conflict are the hardest for me to write, but at the same time once I start, I can't stop, because I just want it all to go away.

Better look at the reviews:

DoubleA: Thanks! That's great to hear, for now I'll keep a chapter a week until this arc is over. Thanks again, it's always nice to hear that there are people appreciating this fic so much. When I finish this fic, there is a chance that I will make a sequel, but I haven't thought of anything for that yet.

Xellos540: ;GT2 in a nutshell LOL.

;Shizuri had already commented that this is almost a year in the future. Here, Mikoto and Touma have known each other for about 10 months or so. I think I am using "almost" quite broadly here, I admit.

;Shizuri POV.

;"Kuroko is never going to make a move against Mikoto." Me: Hmm… maybe… nah, not giving spoilers for a certain railgun story.

;What? Shokuhou is not her given name.

;Windsor Castle.

;Both.

;About Shokuhou being a pervert, she is a "bit".

;It is a good relationship, apart from the part that it technically doesn't exist since Touma doesn't remember.

;To be honest, she was more angry than disgusted. But I thought this particular word fit better here. It is hard to describe how she felt at the moment, but a certain character even said that she didn't expect something like this from her.

;Yes.

;It's better if I just copy and paste. Here goes: "Have you forgotten?" asked Kamisato as if spitting out some cumbersome curse. "It was the Magic Gods who gave me this power. A portion of your power leaked over to me because they lost hope in you. If not for that beginning, I never would have had this power, my surroundings would not have been distorted, people like Patricia, who must have already had someone they truly cared about, would not have had their hearts overwritten. In other words, you too stand at the scene of the outbreak." NT14, Chapter 3. Kamisato is talking to Touma here, saying that World Rejecter is a power that leaked from IB.

;It's going back to "Nio" in this chapter. xD

blackshock: This is great to hear. I really should have left the extra scenes.

5queso: Shizuri didn't take the news very well. Touma played the "it wasn't you" card, I hope it wasn't frustrating or anything like that, I think it suits him. Thanks, we had more of that here. And we also had scenes that were not at all "light-hearted." I appreciate the enthusiasm, see you next time.

Kamenriderzio218: If you get here one day, it means you liked the others too, so thank you very much.

We will have a short appearance of "that person" in the next chapter. That's it, and that's all. Nio leaving.