Chapter 6 – Truth is a funny thing.
It had been a rather strange day in the life of a certain spiky-haired idiot.
This morning his bank card was rejected at least 5 times at the ATM for some reason unknown to him, his old people's smartphone apparently was not as waterproof as he thought it was, as a simple puddle sent it to the afterlife, and his apartment almost caught fire after Index tried to cook a mold she found on the window.
In other words, a completely normal Tuesday in his life.
"It's okay Kamijou-chan, you can turn in your homework next week," said a little pink-haired girl.
That was the great oddity. The 135cm "little girl" was actually his teacher. Why she was so small and looked so young was one of the great mysteries of this city, but this is not the point.
Komoe-sensei really enjoyed teaching, especially the spiky-haired idiot who, at this moment, was not paying attention in class. What made this even more peculiar was that she didn't seem to care.
That was strange.
If Kamijou had been chased by a dinosaur this morning, he would still consider it a normal morning. But Komoe-sensei saying it was 'okay' for him not to do his homework after a lame excuse and not even caring that he wasn't listening to a word she was saying right now, that was strange.
Hours passed while the level 0 struggled to remember something. It was yet another oddity. Lately, his mind seemed to be playing tricks on him more often, leaving gaps in his memory. He recalled being in a park with someone, maybe a girl, but he wasn't sure.
"Who was she?" murmured Kamijou softly. "Shokuhou Misaki? I don't remember that name."
"What are you muttering there Kami-yan?" his friend, Aogami stretched toward him.
"Nothing. Just talking to myself." Kamijou hid his face using his arms, not at all in the mood for conversation.
"Then could you stop doing something so useless and tell me the secret?"
"Secret?" He just raised his head slightly, looking at Aogami with one eye.
"Aogami-chan, please don't disturb the class," the mini teacher requested, clearing her throat.
"Yes, Komoe-sensei."
Kamijou rolled his eyes at the sight of the boy's happy expression after being scolded by the teacher. Aogami could be so odd at times that Kamijou even missed Tsuchimikado's presence, if only to break the monotony. Not that the blond spy wasn't strange himself. Come to think of it, where was that lolicon anyway?
As the day's classes finally came to an end, the students began to gather their belongings and make their way towards the door. However, just as they were about to leave, Komoe-sensei's voice cut through the noise and caught everyone's attention like a beacon in the dark.
"Class, remember to review all the subject matter covered, it will help you in the next System Scan." Komoe-sensei looked in Kamijou's direction as all the students focused on her. "If any of you have questions regarding personal reality, it is wise to ask higher level espers."
Some students, the vast majority male, started giggling when they realized what Komoe-sensei was trying to say. It was no secret that Kamijou was the worst performing student in esper development in the entire school.
A tired sigh was heard. The spiky-haired idiot raised his hand.
"Komoe-sensei, no need to be so 'indirect' with this Kamijou-san." He scratched his head to disguise his nervousness. "I mean, we both know what the outcome of my next System Scan is going to be."
A few more giggles were heard, the sound of their laughter filling the room like a chorus of tiny bells. But the class was quickly silenced when Komoe-sensei tilted her head in a cute way.
"Hmm... do you want me to be direct?" the mini-teacher asked with an somewhat awkward smile. "Since you don't mind."
Everyone in the room looked at her with a confused expression. Initially, they thought Komoe-sensei was gearing up to give that spiky-haired idiot a thrashing, but as she smiled at him, the class saw that it was a genuine expression of affection.
"Listen, my dear students," the teacher began in a cheerful voice, "I am very pleased to announce that our school has made great progress in the esper development of students this year. For this reason, the principals are considering an increase in funding." She had to stop talking and wait for the room to quiet down after the large number of whispers.
A girl with an unusually large forehead and even larger breasts looked somewhat uneasy in that moment. She stepped forward, distancing herself from the crowd of students who were looking at her curiously.
"Wait a minute, sensei," said Fukiyose Seiri. "Our results in the last System Scan were not very... favorable. Did something happen that we don't know about?"
The smile on Komoe-sensei's face widened.
"Yes, Kamijou-chan happened," the teacher said. Her tone was one of pride, like the mother of a student who got an A grade.
The room suddenly became restless. And Kamijou Touma even more so. Everyone was looking at him as if he had just declared war on the world or some event of that level.
"Eh?" Fukiyose put on a grimace. "Kamijou Touma? He's moved up a level? Out of all the level 0s here, he who finally managed to reach level 1? No... no... impossible. There must be some mistake."
"There is no mistake Fukiyose-chan. I received the news this morning that Kamijou-chan's level has increased. He must have received it too."
"Huh? This morning?" Kamijou took his hand to his pocket, where his dead phone was. "Wait, that explains some things. Yeah... that girl took me to Tokiwadai."
"Tokiwadai?!" The entire class repeated in unison.
"Don't shout, my students," Komoe ordered. "Keep calm please. It turns out that Kamijou-chan has contacts in Tokiwadai. Apparently, our school's equipment wasn't advanced enough to measure his level accurately, which suggests that he has had this level for quite some time."
"What level are we talking about?" Fukiyose asked. She really seemed the most interested in all this. "If they want to increase the school's funding, that means Kamijou has the potential for high level esper. If I had to guess, maybe a level 3."
Another smile slid across Komoe-sensei's mouth as the entire room inhaled a large amount of air in surprise. A level 3 in an ordinary school was something rare. An esper with power like that could already be considered "high level", so the reaction was expected.
"Is it okay for me to reveal your level, Kamijou-chan?" the teacher asked.
"I don't see why not." The boy shrugged, unconcerned.
"Great," Komoe seemed to be loving the whole thing, as she even paused dramatically. "My students, it gives me great pleasure to announce that our school has succeeded in developing the eighth level 5."
Silence. Everyone seemed to have died the instant those words left the teacher's mouth. A few seconds passed, as if everyone was waiting for Komoe-sensei to announce that everything was a prank.
But then came the realization.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" All the students, including Kamijou screamed.
Yes, he vaguely remembered someone telling him that he had potential for a high level. Wait, that was a memory? Regardless of the confusion in Kamijou's head, the whole room was awestruck.
"Level... 5?" Fukiyose was pale. Her skin even looked a bit dehydrated. "Kamijou Touma... a level 5?"
"Yes, Fukiyose-chan." Komoe-sensei clapped her hands twice energetically. "And there's more. Kamijou-chan is actually a holistic esper, which means he is an even rarer case. Some scientists claim that such an esper can only reach level 3, so our Kamijou-chan is truly a genius among geniuses."
"EEEEHHHHHHHHH?!" A meteor falling would get a less overreaction from the students.
"And he achieved that with sheer effort and hard work," Komoe-sensei continued. Her eyes suddenly moistened. "Nooo, I promised myself I wasn't going to cry."
Normally Kamijou would be attacked immediately for making their beloved teacher shed even a single tear, but the students practically ignored Komoe and started talking among themselves, their voices buzzing like a swarm of bees.
"What do you mean a level 5?" A random male student asked. "What was that ridiculous thing? What's the next one? Are you going to tell me that Aogami is a secret level 5 too?"
As the class turned to look at Aogami, he simply raised an eyebrow and continued to lean against a wall with one hand on his chin, seemingly unfazed by the attention.
"Wait, there's something wrong here," Aogami finally said, pointing at Kamijou. "If Kami-yan had that level for a while now, then all those times he was easily defeated by Fukiyose-san... does that mean Fukiyose is a level 5 too?"
"I don't doubt it," another boy replied, nodding his head.
"Me neither," agreed another boy. "Actually, I think Fukiyose is a level 6, she's just holding back."
The Iron Wall girl emerged from her dehydrated state with a fiery determination in her eyes, causing the whole room to part and make way for her as she approached the newly announced level 5.
"Kamijou Touma!" Fukiyose straightened her posture and put on a serious face. "Please accept my sincere apologies."
The girl's solemnly bowed head commanded the attention of the entire room, and once again, a hush fell over the voices. Kamijou couldn't help but let out another exasperated sigh.
"Fukiyose-san, you are embarrassing me." He looked away. "Lift your head please, I accept your apology."
"My god!" exclaimed Aogami, with anger in his eyes. "Kami-yan's disease has finally reached level 5? Now that's a global threat level."
"What will we do?!" wondered several male students, as if the human race as a whole was in danger.
The embarrassing scene, in Kamijou's view at least, was interrupted by the arrival of another person in the class.
The students' gazes shifted to this newly arrived girl. She wore what appeared to be a white gym outfit and her honey blonde hair was tied up in a neat ponytail that swayed gently as she walked towards them. The more attentive had already realized that this was the uniform worn by the Tokiwadai girls during Daihaiseisai.
"Kamijou-chaaan, " called the 'mysterious' blonde.
To say that this girl attracted attention was an understatement. She moved with a certain elegance, like a ballerina on stage, and her presence commanded attention. The boys couldn't help but stir with excitement at the sight of her.
"That's -" One of the boys began to say before being interrupted
"Shokuhou Misaki," Touma said, his expression reflecting his confusion.
The blonde girl suddenly froze. The expression on her face was inscrutable, leaving everyone in the room wondering what she was thinking. But in a swift motion, she regained her composure and without warning, grabbed Kamijou's right arm with a firm grip, her smile as bright as the sun.
"You don't mind if I take Kamijou-chan now do you, Komoe-sensei?" asked Shokuhou, knowing full well that the boy next to her had a rise in blood pressure.
"No problem, Shokuhou-chan. Take good care of Kamijou-chan, he's our star now." The teacher bowed slightly in respect.
"Hey, how do you know Komoe-sensei?" Touma asked confused, trying to keep himself in check as he smelled that sweet smell so close.
"Huuuuuh? Why wouldn't I know my future teacher, Kamijou-saaan?"She smiled lightly and touched her own lip, her voice dripping with amusement.
"Future teacher?" Several voices asked at the same time.
"Another level 5 intends to study here?" Fukiyose had her eyes shining as she said that. "That would put our school on an even higher status."
"Wait, wait," Aogami called out, pointing a somewhat inquisitive finger in Kamijou's direction. "Don't let Fukiyose-san push away the important issue here. Kami-yan is spreading his disease again, and this time ir clearly seems to have moved up a level along with him."
"Yeah, he's right!" A boy clenched his fist. "That lucky bastard. Not only did he turn a level 5 but now he's infected a level 5 too."
"And that's not all," Aogami continued. "I also saw him talking to Railgun during Daihaiseisai. Which means Kami-yan has successfully added two Level 5s to his harem."
"It's not possible!" A group of boys began to surround Kamijou as they said this in unison.
"Number 4 is a girl too, isn't she?" Aogami wasn't finished yet. "I'm sure he intends to infect her as well. Not only that but, as far as I know, there is a good chance that a parallel universe version of her has already been infected. Maybe they are even dating already."
"Huh?" Kamijou shook his head. "What the hell are you talking about, idiot? That didn't even make sense."
Aogami seemed to have a much greater than average knowledge by the looks of it.
Regardless of Kamijou's protests, the group of students surrounding him seemed incredibly angry now.
"That was your last victim, Kami-yan," The blue-haired boy stepped boldly forward. "Let's surround him. Even a level 5 can't defeat all of us."
A fight seemed about to form there, but Kamijou noticed the girl next to him taking something from her purse. An instant later, everyone there suddenly froze. The boys who a short while ago had looked angry now had blank expressions.
"I guess that settles it," Shokuhou said, putting away a remote control. "Your confusion-inducing ability is amazing Kamijou-san." She began to pull him by the arm.
"Is that... Mental Out?" The boy looked around, noticing that the students were moving out of their way. "They'll be fine, won't they?"
"Yes, they'll be fine, don't worry about it. It's a better solution than you having to wear that weird dragon armor. It avoids unnecessary bruising." She paused, seeming to evaluate something. "By the way, do you remember why I came to get you?"
The honey girl had expectation in her starry eyes, but the boy tilted his head in confusion.
"You're in gym clothes so..."
"Hey, that's no good. Try to remember, not guess," Shokuhou waved her forefinger in denial.
"I'm sorry." Kamijou looked away, trying to hide his embarrassed face.
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." She sighed. The pain in that sigh was easy to understand. "Anyway, it looks like we've had progress ability. But we'd better talk about it later."
'That was not a good idea.'
Shokuhou Misaki had been defeated. The queen and her 'prince' were now in a park, which was completely empty by sheer coincidence. Or at least that was how it looked to Kamijou. In fact, it was obvious that the golden girl had used her powers to avoid being even more embarrassed.
Sit-ups sure were hard. But at least the honey girl was trying hard. The challenge, however, was that it was tough to concentrate while Kamijou was giving her a critical and sympathetic glance simultaneously.
"Okay... that's not working." The boy stooped down next to Shokuhou, who was lying on the grass sweating profusely after a measly abdominal. "Do you still want to continue?"
"Y-yes."
'He's so close. Time to make a little headway.'
"Kamijou-san, my friend told me that this is easier if we put some weight on my legs."
"Eh? What do you mean? There's nothing we can use here... hmm... actually, I can sit on your legs if -"
"Yeeesss! Sit on me, Kamijou-san!"
"Don't shout those things, you idiot! We're in public!"
Despite feeling embarrassed, Kamijou looked at the girl as if he was seeking her approval before deciding where to sit. He briefly considered sitting on her shins but realized it would be uncomfortable for both of them. Therefore, he chose to sit on her thighs instead.
"I honestly don't know if this helps much," he said, hearing an awkward sigh as soon as he sat on the girl's robust thighs.
"Hehehehe... I'm breathing hard here... hehehe..."
"I'm too heavy then, maybe I should..."
Before he could get up, the girl used all the strength her tired muscles could produce. As if removing the limiters that bound her to the human territory, she had transcended.
"I did it," whispered Shokuhou, breathing wearily into the boy's ear. "See, I'm not anti-athletic, I just needed a spur-of-the-moment ability."
'Look at him getting all excited with my voice so close. Like I'm interested in something like sit-ups, this is the moment I've been waiting for.'
"You guys seem to be having fun there," said a female voice that Shokuhou knew very well.
Distracted trying to flirt, Mental out didn't even realize that a girl, and also a rival, had arrived in that park.
The girl standing there with her arms folded under her broad chest was wearing a modified uniform from the same school as Kamijou Touma. Her black hair fell in sleek, straight strands down her back, and her demeanor exuded a confidence that could rival that of a queen.
"Kumokawa-senpai?" Kamijou stood up in a leap. That disappointed the honey blonde girl, but he obviously ignored it.
"Hello there, boy. I see you've been choosing your company poorly," Kumokawa said, looking in the direction of the blonde sitting on the floor.
"What do you want, old hag?" Shokuhou was not the least bit happy. She stood up from the grass, standing between Kamijou and the newcomer. "Are you spying on us?"
"It was just a mere coincidence." 'Senpai' smiled mischievously. "But since we have met, may I speak with you privately?"
The serious tone in the girl's voice made Shokuhou Misaki pensive.
While Shokuhou could easily use her Mental Out ability to extract any information she needed, she hesitated to use her Level 5 powers in this situation. There was something about this brilliant girl that made her feel cautious. One could never be too sure what she might be plotting.
"Kamijou-san, can you wait for me for a few minutes?" The honey blonde asked, without looking back.
"Of course Misaki-chan. But don't take too long... Index must be starving by now."
The two walked in silence to a nearby tree, the rustling of fallen leaves beneath their feet filling the quiet air. As they made their way, Shokuhou kept one hand on the bag she was carrying, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of suspicious individuals. Although she typically used her Mental Out ability to scan her surroundings passively, she occasionally switched it off when in Kamijou's company.
"What do you want?" Shokuhou had a harsh tone.
"You are a maiden. Decrease the aggressiveness please," she taunted, smiling. But the level 5 didn't react to the provocation. "Being direct, what do you want here anyway? I thought you had already given up on this. He's not getting his memories back. From any of us."
"That never stopped you from making moves, did it?"
"My case is different and you know it." Kumokawa stopped smiling. Her tone was very serious now.
"Is that all you called me for? To announce that I lost? Know that I am making progress at last."
"What are you planning anyway? This whole thing about him becoming a level 5 was your idea, wasn't it? You know that's only going to draw even more attention."
"He doesn't seem to care."
"Did you at least tell him that now that you have pulled strings to get him to become a level 5, scientists and other malicious people -"
"I'll use my protection ability to help him with that, there's nothing to worry about."
Kumokawa's face curved into a grimace. With her arms crossed, she looked away and let a sigh escape.
"You're just making things harder for yourself," the older girl said. "Look, I know this just sounds like one of my jealous rages or one of my attempts at sabotage but...it's been how long? He won't remember you. This 'progress' of yours is probably just something in your head."
"Quiet!" Shokuhou clenched a fist and took a deep breath. "I know very well that I'm only hurting myself but..." She hesitated.
"Just accept it. Stay away from it. A miracle is not going to happen here."
"You don't understand," she just muttered. "Just...just leave me alone."
Not wanting to listen any further, the golden girl returned to where Kamijou was sitting nonchalantly with his legs stretched out on the grass, gazing up at the clouds like a child staring at a magic show. Shokuhou watched the scene, a slight twist to the corner of her lips as she took in the relaxed sight before her.
As she sat down next to him, the boy stopped looking up and smiled innocently at her.
"Is everything all right?" he asked, tilting his head. "You seem to have received some horrible news."
She hadn't even realized that she was letting on what she was thinking.
'I wonder if she's right. But we are making progress aren't we? He remembered my name today, it wasn't something in my head. He really remembered me.'
"I'm fine." Shokuhou tried to smile, but the most he could manage was an awkward half-smile.
'Who am I trying to fool? It's been almost two years... there's no hope here... maybe I should...'
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what, Kamijou-san?"
"Trying to hide things from me. Like that time in the alley."
"Hmm... so you remember?" Now she was able to complete the smile. There was still hope. Her gaze drifted to the new bandage on his right arm, wrapped higher up than she remembered.
"I guess I have no right to complain." The boy looked her right in the eye. "After all, I've been hiding something from you too. I'm sorry."
The blonde's pretty face was now twisted. If she was going to be honest, she had noticed some strange behaviors and inconsistencies. Of course, she ignored it all, since she was more interested in having happy times with the boy she liked. But now everything had suddenly come back.
"I met you almost two years ago, when I bumped into you by accident and ended up dropping my phone," Kamijou began, causing the girl to wipe the frown off her face. "But that was just a fake first meeting. The real one was in the 'Ground Geo' in district 21. You tried to erase my memory several times, but my Imagine Breaker thwarted every attempt."
"Wait... wait..." Shokuhou waved her hands for him to stop. She felt a knot forming in her throat.
"From then on we met several times that summer." But Kamijou decided to ignore her. "We never bothered to exchange phone numbers. It was as if fate itself was bringing us together. Yet fate was cruel, wasn't it?"
"Kamijou-san... you..."
Shokuhou's eyes began to moisten, like a fine rain about to fall. She thought about Kumokawa Seria's words and realized that, deep down, she agreed with her. Staying close to this boy would only hurt her in the long run. But now, the tears that wanted to form on her face were not of sadness.
"I lost my ability to remember you in that Queen divers incident," Kamijou continued, his face still serious. "But our history didn't end there. We went through a lot of things together. School Garden, that mess with Mitsuari Ayu,Tokiwadai, England. So many memories..."
"You... you..."
The tears were forced back. She didn't want to cry, not yet. There was something strange there, she had noticed because of the tone of the boy's voice. Why was he repeating all that so robotically?
After taking a deep breath, the boy spoke again.
"But unfortunately, I don't remember any of that."
She felt a squeeze in her heart hearing those words. It didn't make sense. If he could tell their whole story like that, how was it possible that he couldn't remember?
"There's something wrong with me," he said, looking down at his bandaged right hand. "It started when thishappened."
Yes, something had changed in him. It was as if this change was the key to recovering his lost memories, like a door finally opening. Shokuhou already knew this, but now the boy seemed even more determined to understand the problem at hand.
Kamijou Touma seemed to be about to reveal something important, and Shokuhou Misaki smiled as she realized that she was getting closer and closer to accomplishing her quest.
A/N: It's... been a while. How are you guys doing? I took a while to write this because I was taking a hiatus, which I forgot to mention in this fic, sorry.
But what did you think of this chapter? We had our new level 5, a brief appearance of a rival, and a mysterious ending. What do you guys think is going on?
Thank you very much for all the comments, it really motivates me. I have nothing else for you today. Niomoon leaving, I'll be back at the new moon.
