Chapter 11 – A little competition
Shokuhou Misaki was starting to pull herself together from that sudden attack. She had to take a few laps around the room as the boy watched her expectantly before her mind returned to normal. However, she still felt strange. Was that the word? Maybe not, since whatever was sliding through her body was certainly a good thing.
'The problem is that I'm not able to enjoy being alone with him in such a luxurious place.' As she thought this, she pondered whether calling him to sit at the table again would be a good idea. 'I have to make some progress here. How much time ability do I have left? It'll probably be a while, so I don't need to rush but... my heart won't stop racing.'
"Look at this," said Touma, pulling an expensive-looking white vase off a shelf. "A key under a vase. Classic."
'Has he already found another clue? Calm down Shokuhou Misaki... he thinks you found the first one, so your image as a smart, caring, charitable girl with a sexy body is still intact...' She suddenly blushed again. 'He really said that... Touma always says things without thinking, doesn't he? I guess I like that side of him. Always so spontaneous... damn, I'm losing my concentration ability again. Focus, focus.'
"Okay, let's get this thing open," he said, holding out his hand with the key to her.
The girl took the key from his hand and placed the box on the coffee table, opening it with a satisfying noise like a gear moving. This seemed quite thematic considering the contents of the box.
"Are those... pieces of something?" asked Touma, looking at the contents. He was quite close to her.
'He smells good today,' she thought, suppressing a smile. 'Did he exert extra effort ability to present himself more appealingly to me?'
The girl really couldn't keep her concentration for more than 2 minutes.
"Misaki?" he called out, looking into her eyes that were half unfocused. "I know this Kamijou-san's company isn't the best, but could I have some of your attention?"
"Eek!" she jumped in place and waved her hands rapidly. "No, no, no... it's not about that. I enjoy your company, it's just that I'm easily distracted, you know?"
A tinge of nervousness sketched another smile on her face. This "date" with him hadn't unfolded as she had anticipated, especially with how awkward everything was getting. Life seemed simpler when she could simply switch off her filters, but knowing that whatever she did now in front of him was "permanent" kept her from acting the way she wanted to.
And what she wanted was to be very direct.
'Maybe I should.' She shook her head as she looked into his eyes. 'He's seen me act straightforward before after all, so why am I hesitating?'
"You keep thinking about what I said, don't you?" he asked after a sigh. "I really caused a problem."
"Yes, I keep thinking about it." Misaki licked her lips discreetly. "And yes, you have caused quite a problem."
"I see—"
"And I wanted you to keep causing even more problems like that," she continued, giving him a sly wink. Observing the boy's expression shift to a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, she redirected her attention to the box. "But let's focus on this for now. Once we've sorted this out, your queen may give you a nice reward ability depending on your performance. What do you say?"
"What kind of reward?"
"Ara, ara... is that excitement I sense in your voice? You may choose the type of reward, but only if you impress me with your exceptional work."
"If that's the case, then... let's make it a competition," he proposed, a hint of suggestiveness in his voice. "If this mere peasant Kamijou-san shows suitable work, the queen should submit to do whatever he wants, what do you say?"
"W-what?" she stammered, taken aback by his proposition.
She truly was the type of girl who couldn't handle such an intense advance. Her thoughts whirled for a few moments, and she swallowed hard, taking a step back to regain composure.
"Whatever you want? Anything?" For some reason, she hugged her own body.
"It was a joke. It doesn't have to be anything. I'm a reasonable person." The way he shrugged even had a bit of an arrogant air to it.
'The way you put it just makes me want you to be unreasonable,' she almost blurted out, her thoughts teetering on the brink of spoken words.
"Well, we'll do that competition," she said after clearing her throat loudly. "But... the same goes for you. If your performance leaves anything to be desired, I'll be the one to do whatever I want with you. No complaints."
"Fine by me."
The easy way he accepted it made her a little excited. Now they were in sync. But a new doubt was rising in that girl's mind, like the colorful butterflies floating in her stomach. Should she go out of her way not to give him a chance to shine? Or was it better to let him do whatever he wanted with her?
'That's an absolute win-win situation... but I think I want to be in charge.'
"Hehehe... yes... yes..."
"Why are you laughing there?" the boy asked without looking at her.
"Eh? Nothing. Actually, I just realized there's something important in that box."
Now, she was fully focused. Swiftly, she overturned the box, causing its contents to spill out onto the table. They resembled golden gears, each slightly larger than the palm of her hand, but it wasn't the apparent significance of these gears that piqued her interest at that moment.
"A secret compartment?" the boy said, watching her pull the bottom of the box up. "Sure, why didn't I think of that before?"
"You're falling behind, Touma." She giggled. This competition was hers, so she could already imagine what she might do to him.
"What have you got there?"
"Just this piece of paper. Let's see... there's something written here, probably the next clue." Misaki read and mentally memorized the note before speaking aloud. She really was playing a little dirty to try and get an edge. "Here it says: 'Amidst the resplendent gala, the opulent ballroom resonated with the echoes of tittering sycophants, all vying for the favor of the influential aristocrat. Their obsequious adulation was driven by an insatiable desire to uncover the arcane secrets guarded within the cyclopean clock bastion, a looming monolith of gravid grandeur, whose whispers penetrate the depths of your quivering psyche, bearing witness to the unfathomable secrets of epochs past. ' Hmm... interesting clue."
"Um..." the boy now had a face stamped with pure confusion. "Could you translate for me please?"
"Translate?"
"Yes," he said, picking up the sheet of paper to examine its contents. "Wow, that's really what's written here. For a moment I thought you were making fun of me."
"Touma, what are you talking about?"
"I barely understand half of those words." He started scratching his head in an annoyed manner. "What the hell does 'Cyclopean' even mean? Was that written by someone who swallowed a thesaurus?"
"It suits the atmosphere of mystery a bit," she said quietly, taking the paper back from his hands. "And haven't you ever heard of a Cyclops? I think that's an interesting way to organize the clues."
"Hmm... if you say so."
"You're falling behind again, Touma," Misaki couldn't help but smile at the sight of the sulking boy. "By the way, did you already notice that?"
Misaki pointed to one of the corners of the room, where a modern-looking piece of equipment stood in contrast to the rest of the place. It resembled a pendulum clock but had the size of a refrigerator. One part of the clock was transparent, likely reinforced glass to prevent easy breakage.
"See this?" asked Misaki, with one of the 'gears' in her hand. "If I'm right, that's meant to be placed here."
She pushed the gear through a slot that resembled where people would put coins in a vending machine. Nothing happened. Touma's confused gaze focused on her, so she simply began to place several of the gears in a random fashion into the 'coin' slot. A strange noise echoed when 7 gears were placed, which made the compartment suddenly close.
"Is that it?" asked Touma, watching the strange machine start to make noises. "How did you figure it out?"
"Actually, I haven't managed to do so yet."
The machine displayed the gears placed through the glass, but they did not fit into any of the hooks. They then slid down a chute like snooker balls and then were ejected from the machine. It really was like some sort of vending machine delivering juice.
"It was a random attempt ability," Misaki said, going back to examining the paper in her hands. "Those gears must fit into those hooks to make this weird clock work from what I understand. That 'poem' or whatever it is must be the clue we need."
"There must be some sequence then?" asked Touma, taking back the gears and placing them with the others in the box.
"Maybe. Or just picking the right ones should be enough." Misaki held one of the gears in her hands. "This engraving looks like an eye." She ran her finger across the figure on the front of the golden gear. "Maybe this is a reference to 'Cyclops'."
Now she was really putting her mind to work, so much so that she almost forgot everything around her to decipher that riddle. Footsteps echoed around the room as she continued reading that 'poem' aloud and making all sorts of connections. Since she had memorized all the strange engravings on the gears, there was no need to carry that heavy box around.
"Quivering Psyche," she said. "That part could represent what? Maybe that brain? That arrow could be pointed down, so that could refer to 'penetrate the depths'. But that's not all."
With a sudden epiphany, she realized that the answer lay within the very room she occupied. Her eyes shifted from the enigmatic 'poem' to the ornate surroundings, taking in the candelabrum casting flickering shadows on the walls and the elegant portraits adorning the chamber. Those paintings showed some people dressed formally, enjoying themselves at a ball. It looked promising, but something was still missing.
"Opulent ballroom," she murmured, her voice echoing in the confined space. The paintings on the walls seemed to stare back at her with enigmatic gazes. "I must be missing something."
She kept thinking and thinking, but the clues weren't adding up very well.
And then that strange noise of machinery brought her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Misaki tilted her head to look at that clock-shaped 'vending machine', seeing some gears positioning themselves inside it. "Wait... what?"
And to her surprise, all the gears fit perfectly into their respective hooks. Unlike the other time, they began to turn while together, making the strange clock work again. A loud, high-pitched sound rang out, and a secret door opened.
"I think that's it," Touma said nonchalantly.
"..."
There wasn't much the girl could say in the face of that. The boy turned to her as if he expected her to comment on something, but now she looked like an NPC that the main character talked to long enough until she ran out of dialog.
x-2-x
"Huh? What happened?" asked Hokaze Junko, her eyes glued to the tablet screen.
"This guy is a genius, that's what happened," the clairvoyant replied, shrugging.
"That was... interesting..." Mitori put a hand to her chin and looked thoughtful. "So not only is he a monster in combat, but he's smart too. Although that's to be expected from a level 5."
"Wow!" Dolly was excited. "I didn't understand anything, but Misaki-chan lost the 'competition' so now she has to do whatever he wants. I want to see that!"
"Dolly-chan, that's one thing I really didn't want to hear from you."
"Huh?"
In the midst of this mess, where several girls whispered among themselves while smiling, Kobayashi remained serious. The reason for this is that she remembered something important that the others there did not know.
"It makes sense that the queen did that," Kobayashi said, scanning the now empty room.
"That?" asked Hokaze curiously.
"This is the guy she brought to Tokiwadai to be tested. And I think I saw him on another occasion in Tokiwadai, but I'm not sure."
"Have you looked at the System Scan results, Kobayashi-san?"
"Unfortunately I don't have details, but from the rumors, it sounds like they were excellent."
"Excellent..." Hokaze Junko thought for a moment. That girl had a familiar dream, one she would do anything to fulfill. "Kobayashi-san, what is your opinion of Kamijou-san?"
It was the short-haired girl's turn to be thoughtful, analyzing what the queen's right hand really meant by that. There was a strange glint in her eyes.
"He is a powerful esper," Kobayashi began after a few thoughtful seconds. "But that alone would not be enough for someone to be worthy of our queen. However... he seems to be a true gentleman. Kind, caring, clever, and confident. He has traits worthy of a King."
Hokaze Junko listened to it all in silence, just nodding her head while keeping a serious expression. After the speech was over, she put a tiny smile on the corner of her lip and then put her hands together as if she was praying.
"That's it," Hokaze said, her voice determined. "He's the one."
"I'm afraid to ask you to elaborate." Kobayashi took a step back due to the pressure the other girl was emitting. "But since you seem so—"
The sudden stop in her words was due to a voice in her head. Kobayashi was in a telepathic link with several girls who were outside that room. The fact that they had called out so suddenly could only mean one thing.
"We have problems," Kobayashi announced, putting away the tablet, which disappointed the girls there.
"That kind of problem?" asked the girls almost in unison.
"Yes." She nodded and sighed. "Misaka Mikoto has been spotted on the outskirts of the Mall."
x-3-x
Misaki and Touma walked out of the closed room and back into the flow of people outside in the bustling Mall. The girl was still puzzled.
"Touma, do you intend to tell me how you solved everything so quickly?"
It wasn't as if Misaki doubted the boy's potential. She knew very well that behind the easy-going and approachable personality, that boy hid a clever side that rivaled even her. But the problem was that she had expected their "date" to last about three hours, which was the average time people solved puzzles, but they were barely half an hour alone.
"I kind of cheated," he said, putting a hand in his pocket and slowing his walking pace. "That clue was too complex, so I just ignored it. "
"Then how—"
"The gears," Touma interrupted her, a tiny smile sliding across his face. He squinted at her before continuing. "We just had to pick the right ones, an order wasn't necessary."
"Yes, but even so, I could barely understand the logic."
"The only gears that fit were the right ones," he continued, in a tone that sounded like the most obvious thing in the world. "And I doubt they change the gears every time someone goes in there. All I had to do was examine one at a time and see which ones were the most 'worn'."
The revelation genuinely impressed the girl. She halted amidst the bustling crowd, fixated on a nearby cafe. Her face held a pensive expression, and her hand rested against her chin in contemplation.
"Of course," she said, snapping her fingers. "If only the correct gears fitted and made the watch work, the incorrect ones shouldn't have wear marks. How could I not have thought of that? You're impressive sometimes, you know that?"
"Don't flatter me like that, it's making me embarrassed." He even looked away and scratched his head. "And I imagine that the people who organize the game must already know that. They probably preferred it that way."
"Hmm... what makes you think that?"
"That was a complicated puzzle. Some people would be stuck there for hours without help, so maybe they thought of this method so that average people like me could solve it."
Hearing that, the girl shook her head and sighed, but soon she put a mischievous smile on her face.
"Your modesty ability is amazing as always, Touma." Misaki stood beside the boy and grabbed his right arm. "To be honest, I doubt there are many people who would think of an alternative solution so quickly."
"Too close..." The boy said that very quietly.
"You passed your Queen's test with flying colors," she continued, ignoring what the boy said, and what he felt as well. "You know what that means? You can ask me to do anything you want, and I can't refuse."
"Anything I want?" He swallowed hard, his gaze lowering about 20 to 30 centimeters. "You won't refuse?"
"That was our little competition, and I'm a girl of my word." Misaki smiled again and gently tugged him toward the cafe. "So get your head on straight and ask me something interesting."
x-4-x
Meanwhile, a girl with short brown hair held a cell phone in her hands, checking some images that seemed to be from security cameras.
"I'm sure I've seen them around here," Misaka Mikoto said, looking around the busy mall. "There they are. Wait, are they going into a cafe? What the hell is Shokuhou up to?"
The electric girl clenched her teeth, anger etching across her face. Her intention was to rush there without a second thought, but at that moment, a voice sounded right beside her.
"Misaka-san, it's a surprise to see you here."
The level 5 nearly jumped in fright. It felt odd because she hadn't sensed the drill-haired girl's approach, even with her radar. Electric espers could sneak up on her by using the right wave frequency, but she doubted that was the case. Perhaps she was simply distracted by the crowd, or rather, that "event" happening in the cafe.
"Hokaze-san?" Mikoto put on a crooked smile and frantically hid her cell phone. "Where did you come from?"
"Misaka-san, are you here to disrupt the Queen's plans?" The girl who was normally gentle and innocent used a dry tone of voice.
"Eh?" And the level 5 froze in place because of the pressure.
"I strongly urge you not to try anything like this. About half of the Queen's clique is here in this Mall and they are all excited and cheering for our leader to get what she wants with her King."
"King?"
"As a fellow Gekoer, I have decided to give you advance warning rather than eliminate you immediately," Hokaze said, her face contorting into a sinister glower. "Consider this the first and last warning. Take care, Misaka-san."
Hokaze bowed her head formally and then vanished into the crowd, leaving a startled Mikoto with a chilling sensation running down her spine.
x-5-x
"Boy, she was scary there," Mitori commented, giving a hiss of surprise.
"Hokaze takes her job as the Queen's right hand very seriously," Kobayashi replied, watching her fellow clique member turn away from Mikoto. "In the past, she has gone out of her way to make sure Misaka-san and the Queen get along."
"I assume she failed. Those two are like oil and water."
"That's right." Kobayashi sighed. "Hokaze is a bit naïve, but she really cares about the queen's well-being, probably more than all of us."
"Hmm... was her intention to unite them so that Railgun would protect Misaki-chan if necessary or something?"
"Something like that." She raised her head to see Hokaze approaching the two. "And now she must have convinced herself that 'the eighth' is the ideal person to fulfill that role. It's a noble thing, but a bit silly too."
Kobayashi looked up, in that way perhaps trying to disguise the satisfied smile that appeared on her face.
x-6-x
Inside the cafe, the two settled at a table by the glass window. Misaki was in charge of choosing what they would drink, and she obviously chose something fancy.
That was a good tea, though the boy found it a tad too elaborate for his taste. He sipped from the cup cautiously, stealing furtive glances at the girl across from him whenever he believed she wasn't paying attention.
"This is kind of nostalgic," she said, resting the cup on the saucer.
"You too?" the boy asked, observing her smile while she carefully scrutinized him. He gestured toward her cup. "That smell... reminds me of milk, or maybe vanilla. It's the same tea you ordered that time... that summer."
"But I ordered a different one for you, this one is not so bitter."
"Thank god." Touma took another sip from his cup. "I'd still prefer coffee, but this isn't bad at all."
"Would you like a taste of mine?" The way she looked at him was a bit strange.
With a tilt of his head, the boy took the cup carefully and sipped the tea, feeling that light, creamy taste. It evoked some memories that brought a faint smile to his lips. The girl seemed to notice that, she even blushed slightly for some reason.
"I think you told me something about the sense of smell being linked directly to the hippocampus," he began, handing back the cup.
"Were you paying attention? What a surprise."
"Are you going to start teasing me again, golden girl? Know that this Kamijou-san has been improving his grades, I am almost an acceptable student now."
"That's not what I heard." Misaki smiled mischievously, holding up the cup and bringing it to her lips, but she braked suddenly for some reason.
"Is there a problem?"
"Eh?" she waved a hand nervously. "N-no... it's okay... hehehe..." The girl took a giant sip of her tea, downing it in one gulp. "Delicious... hehehe... wonder what the real thing is like."
"Could you not whisper while you're giggling? I'm getting a bit scared."
"By the way," Misaki became serious again and looked him in the eye, her hands now resting on the delicate white tablecloth. "That day when we were operating a miracle, I really thought I had failed."
"I'm sorry about that."
"Don't apologize, it was my fault and my distraction ability." A tired sigh escaped her lips. "Time passed quickly in that star-filled void, or so it seemed at the time, but now that I stop to think, I was too focused on my scent."
"Your scent?" Confused, he twisted his face into a grimace.
"You always seemed to remember my scent when we met. In the end, it seems that was the loophole that allowed this miracle to happen."
In a not-so-elegant way, she put her elbow on the table and rested her head in the palm of her hand. Touma found that gesture rather cute.
"It's called the 'Proust effect'," Misaki said. "I commented on it that day. It's memories resurrected through smell." She reached out to take the cup of tea from him. "This will cool down, Touma."
"Hey, don't go taking it all," he complained, looking at her blankly.
"Sorry, but I'm really thirsty, Touma-chan. This is all your fault."
"Yeah, yeah. Blame this poor Kamijou-san. By the way, you're acting way too willful for someone who lost such an important bet. Remember that you have to do everything I tell you to, so behave yourself."
"Ooh... speaking like a real older boy. So I ended up becoming a servant. That could be interesting. What are your orders ability, my King?"
That mischievous smile hit him with maximum effectiveness, which made him gather all the courage he had to keep looking at her with a straight face. But what should he ask her? Honestly, he didn't think he would win the bet so easily and so quickly, so he didn't even think about the reward. Obviously, he wouldn't ask for anything humiliating or daring, but he certainly wanted to take this opportunity to make some headway in a direction he had only begun to see as of today.
"Be my luxury escort," he said, nodding slightly in satisfaction.
"What?!"
"Don't interpret things strangely. These younger girls these days." Touma raised his index finger in a gesture of denial. "There's a festival in three days. I hope you don't have any prior commitments for that night because you're going with me."
Touma studied the girl's face, and suddenly, a good feeling enveloped him as her expression lit up. It was as if a surge of warmth flowed through his body in an instant. The boy longed to experience this feeling more often, and the only way to achieve that was to spend more time with that girl he hated himself for having forgotten for so long.
It was time to make up for lost time, and he would do it as soon as possible.
"And come dressed appropriately," he said, his tone of voice authoritative yet playful at the same time. A perfect performance. "I want to see you in a yukata, and with a hairstyle that makes you look more... mature."
"As you wish, my King." She smiled and leaned towards the table, a daring move considering her tight blouse, which gave the boy a nice view. "But is that all you want from me? I was easily defeated, so your request should be a little more... daring."
"Hmm... if that's so." Touma hesitated for a moment, but then plucked up courage. "Then you will fulfill all my requests that night, without complaint."
"Interesting." She licked her lips. "It seems my King feels no shame in taking advantage of a younger girl. I wonder if he's focusing too much on my more mature parts."
"Eek!" Now he had to look away at lightning speed, preventing his eyes from focusing on the mature parts.
x-7-x
After finishing their tea and talking for a few more minutes, they decided it was time to part. Touma was seriously thinking of saying that he wanted to extend that... 'date'(?) a little longer. That was a date, wasn't it? It was weird to think about something like that, especially when he was squinting at that girl next to him. Misaki was basically in a league of her own, so much so that he even forgot that he was an unlucky person while next to her.
"See you later," Touma said nervously. He had been feeling like this almost all day. Why couldn't he relax anymore? And that noisy chest wasn't helping.
"Wait, Touma-chan." Misaki approached him once more, making him smell that sweet honey scent. The boy would explode if he didn't relax. "Let's take a picture together!"
"A picture?"
"Yeah, look."
There, right beside them, stood a modern-looking photo booth surrounded by LED lights. The girl didn't have to persuade him. Since there was no line, they both stepped into the dimly lit and somewhat cramped space.
Misaki hurriedly started tinkering with the touchscreen from inside the booth.
"I found a perfect filter ability," she said, stepping away from the device. "Now come here."
"Hey, wait a minute." Instinctively he took a step away from her as the girl approached.
"I've already started the timer, come here!"
She reached up and ran a hand over his shoulder, that was enough to get his blood circulating faster, but the girl also forced his arm around her slim waist. Now Kamijou Touma's willpower was finding a challenge.
"Now, say 'Queen'!" she said, having far too much fun at his expense.
"That's the wrong word!"
His complaint earned him an interesting sensation, courtesy of the girl. The instant the flash was to appear, the girl leaned towards him and brushed her soft lips against his cheek. In some moments, a person wishes they could see their own expression, but this wasn't quite the case.
"Look at that cute face," Misaki said, holding the picture in front of him and giggling. "You're too easy to tease, Touma-chan." She continued to smile as the boy sighed. "Here, this one's yours. Promise me you'll stick it on the fridge door, so those two can die of envy every day."
"You're surprisingly cruel for someone with such a cute face."
"Eh?" The girl suddenly froze.
"Makes me want to be really bold in my festival requests." Now he was the one with a mischievous, and somewhat evil, smile on his lips. "Yes, yes. This Kamijou-san has the queen at his mercy, and he now intends to use one hundred percent of her services."
The boy cast a glance in her direction that was somewhat "appraising", for lack of a better word.
"O-one h-hundred percent?" The girl blushed as she stammered. Some words seemed to catch in her throat.
"See you later, Misaki-chan," he said quickly, waving at her and walking away. "Remember, anything I want."
Those words ended up rendering the 'stammering mess in the shape of a girl' completely motionless.
x-8-x
Later that night, Kamijou Touma lay in his makeshift "bed," trying to fall asleep. The day had been eventful, yet truthfully, he had never felt so content in his entire life. That meant that it was not discomfort that prevented him from sleeping at this moment.
"Are you still there?" he merely whispered, though even that was an unnecessary effort.
"For now, yes." The voice in his head had a quiet tone."What? Want to keep trying to shape what you've chosen?"
"Later," he replied, putting an arm behind his head as he stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"Why not? I mean, you might have noticed by the way she acts."
"I'm not such a perceptive person."
"Give me a damn break." If the voice had a physical form, she'd be rolling his eyes right now. "Well, my job here isn't to give you advice, so whatever, but while we're at it... what do you think of her?"
Touma pondered for a few seconds. A soft sigh echoed through the room, and his body relaxed as a subtle smile graced his lips. The image of the golden girl appeared in his mind, a frequent occurrence lately. That was more than enough to make him happy, and at the same time, sad for not having her around.
"I suppose that's rather obvious," he replied, his heart fluttering as he took a calming breath. "But what does she really think of me?"
Hey! One more chapter, and this one marks the end of the "first date" of our protagonists. Some of you thought a certain rival would get in the way, didn't you? But Junko had other plans, lol. Not that it can be delayed forever anyway.
On to the reviews:
Markoz89: Thank you! These two really have quite a chemistry, don't they? More people will react to the two of them in the future. Yeah, I wish that would happen too.
Thetimvh2: This is actually a very common misconception. It is true that it is way more common to use -kun for boys and -chan for girls, but the two can be used for both genders. It's a context thing. For example, Komoe, Thor, and Will refer to Touma with "Kamijou-chan" all the time. Touma previously referred to Misaki as Shokuhou-kun in NT11, and Noukan prefers to call Yuiitsu (a woman) as Yuiitsu-kun(In this context, because of the "hierarchy"). "-chan" is a more "cute" honorific so it's more common to call kids and girls that, but even younger boys refer to other boys with "-chan" if they're close friends. In that context, it's just Misaki acting cute and endearing. Glad you enjoyed the story.
Dimz: I'm trying to keep a decent frequency of updates, so I'm glad you noticed. Misaki will learn a bit about all this in the future. Thank you very much!
Mrui2002: Thank you. I always try to balance Misaki's bolder side with her cute side, but I'm focusing more on the cute side in the last few chapters. Eventually our "hero" would realize that. Touma is being a bit more "brave" now, we'll see what awaits him at the festival.
Kai: I'm a big fan of the golden girl too. Glad you enjoyed the chapters.
Majin Othinus: Touma there was making a reference to GT2. Misaki gives him the whistle he's showing her in that chapter as a Christmas gift. There is an illustration of this moment in GT2.
5queso: Thanks! I hope you found the conclusion of the date satisfying as well. You're killing me with that suspense, LMAO.
FinFangFoom100: I'm trying to update this fic once a week, hope it's not too much. Thank you very much, I'm focusing a lot on more "fluffy" moments here. This thing about the Queen's clique reacting to them is something I want to keep for a while, but I also want other people to react to all this. Originally, I thought of an amusement park, but I would be stealing my own idea LOL, so I ended up choosing that.
Starmegalo: Believe me, he will make it very clear that he was not joking soon. Thank you very much for your support. See you next time.
This date turned out to be quite "competitive". Touma will get his reward, but what more can he ask of our Queen? There is nothing else here. NioMoon leaving.
