Chapter 14 - A couple of incomplete bits

It was still breakfast time, but the Kamijou residence was already being graced by the presence of none other than the Queen of Tokiwadai.

"Say aaaahh!"

"Aaah!"

Kamijou Touma found it delicious, but two people there were not at all happy about it.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing, human." Othinus narrowed her single eye in the direction of those two.

"Toooouumaa!"

The fundamental problem there was that Shokuhou Misaki, now Touma's girlfriend, had decided to engage in some 'marking the territory' behavior or something of the sort. And the method she chose for this was to once again show up in the bathtub where her boyfriend was sleeping, stay by his side until he woke up, and then commence a marathon of pampering him in front of those two. The boy had already evaded around three assassination attempts involving bites directed at him

"Here, try this octopus," she said, leaning toward him in that Kotatsu to inflict maximum damage on the two girls.

"Hmmm!" Touma shook his head a few times as he chewed. "Wow, that's excellent."

"The chef who prepared it has a Michelin-starred restaurant, so obviously his cooking ability is nothing to laugh at." Misaki giggled as she wiped his mouth with a napkin, glancing towards the girls with a smile on her face. "By the way, I've heard you're a good cook. Maybe I should bring some quality ingredients to try your food."

"My cooking is nowhere near this level," he said, enjoying some more of that octopus. "And I really wouldn't know what to do with these 'quality ingredients'. But I can make a good Yakisoba with the leftovers I saved from last week."

"Like I'm going to let you eat that kind of thing from now on."

She said it so politely that you could hardly tell that her words were full of venom. And it was being hurled at one person in particular.

"Why am I feeling this strange pressure?" asked Index, still unhappy with what was happening in front of her.

"Have you finished your food, Index-san?" Misaki continued smiling as she said that. The pressure was still the same by the way. "I have more where that came from. I have enough to make you hibernate for a whole winter... hehe... let's see how you do."

"Touma, I'm confused about what I should feel." Index looked away suddenly. "I should be happy to have so much food, but why do I feel something wrong here?"

"Misaki-chan, there's nothing wrong with her food, is there?"

"Nothing with lethal ability." The queen kept smiling. She was quite happy about all this.

"Shokuhou." He looked at her very seriously.

"D-don't give me that scary look while calling me by my last name!" Misaki didn't know what to do with her hands now. "It was a joke, there's nothing there, I swear, it's just quality food. Here, I'll prove it."

Index pulled the food towards her before the girl could touch anything. Food was food after all, and that nun was in the growing phase.

"Anyway," Misaki continued, serving her boyfriend once more. "Let's finish this soon, I need to update my summer wardrobe."

"Are you seriously thinking about taking me on a shopping trip already?"

"Yes, and I intend you to buy something too. Let's go into the summer with all the style ability worthy of a royal couple."

"This one is already trying to tell you what to do, human. Typical," Othinus said, smirking as she helped herself to a salad from a plastic bottle cap. "See, that's why I said she was the most dangerous."

"I'll take that as a compliment, 'goddess'," Misaki said with a dismissive tone. "But for what it's worth, anyone can be a threat when you're 15cm tall."

"Do you want to die, human girl?"

"Othinus."

"Don't try to scold me, human. It's her that needs a good correction, I suggest a few spankings."

The two girls continued to exchange arguments for a few seconds, which left the poor boy not knowing exactly what he should do.

And then a question made him stiffen.

"What's the story with you two anyway?" asked Misaki casually as she went back to feeding the boy carefully. "A quick search is enough to find out that you're an international terrorist, why aren't you arrested yet? Are you protecting her or something, Touma-chan?"

"Well..." Touma hesitated momentarily, Othinus looking at him with a serious expression on her face. "The idea was to hand her over to the authorities after she was back to being human, but she's 15cm, so they kind of said that arresting her wasn't a possibility."

"Touma," Misaki said, stopping feeding him suddenly, "that's not what I asked."

"Huh?" Confusion flashed across his face.

"Ignore her, human," Othinus advised him.

From the odd expression on Misaki's face and the way she nervously fidgeted in her seat, Touma realized that the girl still had something more to say. However, surprisingly, she just sighed and laid the chopsticks she was holding on the Kotatsu. She appeared somewhat fatigued now.

"We'd better get going," Misaki said, suddenly standing up. "We still have a full day ahead of us."

"You've barely touched your food." Touma's voice held concern.

"I've lost my appetite." Her gaze briefly fixed on Othinus for a moment.

x-2-x

It took a while for the boy to realize that he had entered a world distinct from his own. It was a very close world, but still different. He contemplated this distinction as he settled into the luxurious car seat, clutching a cup of iced tea taken straight from the freezer within.

Today he had eaten so well he almost felt guilty, and with a sexy girl feeding him on top of that, and now he was embarking on a shopping trip with this same girl, his actual girlfriend, in a car that likely cost more than his entire dorm room. Was this some kind of surreal fantasy he was experiencing, and would he eventually awaken from it?

"You're too pensive, Touma-chan," Misaki said. She was right next to him, so every time she spoke he could feel the warm air coming out of her mouth right onto his skin. "And you seem very tense to me too. I wonder if there's anything I can do to change that?"

He looked at her just in time to see her moistening her lips. That was enough to make him a bit nervous, which meant he didn't quite know what to do.

How should he act in these situations? She probably wouldn't want to hear that her sweet smell was driving him crazy, or that a mere fleeting glimpse in her direction sent his blood pressure soaring to unusual heights. Why did she have to possess that captivating smile? Did she remain oblivious to the erosion of his defenses, or did she secretly hope for him to be more assertive?

He had to shake his head to dispel the deluge of thoughts. Sometimes he wished he could read her mind, just to ensure he wasn't making any missteps.

"We're really dating," he said awkwardly, taking a sip of his tea to cover his nervousness.

"Umm... is that supposed to mean something?" The girl twisted her face into an indecipherable grimace.

The subtle sound of the car engine and the city outside seemed to get louder in the face of that awkward silence that hung for a few seconds.

"I mean," he added, looking away, "you're my first girlfriend, so... I kind of don't know what I should do." He glanced at her, watching her tilt her head in that cute way he liked.

"Ara, ara... Touma-chan," Misaki purred, running her hand through her hair in a flirtatious manner and closing the distance between the two. Now, he could feel her soft skin brushing against his arm. "An older boy shouldn't act like that in front of a younger girl. You should show more confidence ability, to set an example."

"Well... I would usually try to act confident but... I wouldn't be sincere."

"Cute."

"Don't act like that, you're making me even more embarrassed."

"You haven't seen anything yet."

Before he could think about what Misaki meant, she acted. That softness on his arm was as if clouds were beginning to envelop him. He had to turn his face away from the girl who suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him a little towards her.

"Touma-chan, I need you to look at me right now," she asked in a sly voice.

"Y-yes?" Technically he was looking at her, with his peripheral vision at least.

But that didn't seem to be enough, so she stroked his cheek with that gloved hand and then spoke again in a soft voice.

"I said... look at me," she whispered right into his ear.

His initial reaction was to freeze at the sound of her voice being so close. Was it wrong to crave more of that? He stopped caring and then turned completely towards her, as if his brain had activated some strange mechanism.

"Good," Misaki said, her smile now brimming with mischief. How he adored that smile. "Now, let me be honest as well. It was you who asked me out. I confessed first, but you insisted on making it official on the same day, so... I want you to act like a boyfriend. Do you get what I mean?"

Perhaps it was due to the girls he had known not usually behaving like this that he found himself unsure of how to respond appropriately at this moment, so he preferred to just nod his head in silence.

And a disappointed sigh was the response he got.

"You'll understand eventually," she said pulling away. "Looks like we've arrived."

It was a shame, he was beginning to enjoy being there in a private place with her. If only he said it out loud, the girl would probably flash that smile he loved so much once again.

x-3-x

'We really are dating,' Misaki thought, walking side by side with the boy through the streets of District 15. 'I told them to stop before we reached our destination but it's all for nothing if I can't make any headway.' Her eyes were on his hand, right there within her reach. 'Come on Shokuhou Misaki, take his hand... very lightly... with confidence.'

She couldn't. Her face suddenly flushed just a little and a nervous cough escaped her lips. Things were not as easy as she had been led to think.

'Damn, how am I supposed to make a headway ability with him all stiff like that? Why is he so nervous?'

Kamijou Touma walked alongside her with languid steps and a stiff posture. Every now and then, he glanced around and sighed, muttering something incomprehensible. He was undoubtedly uncomfortable.

"Touma, do you have a problem? Was it something I said?"

"Oh?" The way he turned to her was as if he had caught sight of a ghost in his peripheral vision. "No, it's just... this damn place!"

"Um... what do you mean?"

"This District." Touma's arms gestured widely, and then he held his head with both hands. "What's up with this area's effect? It's like I've been continuously taking poison damage here. I thought I was over it after my trip to Shibuya, but I still can't stand all of this."

The girl could only sigh at her boyfriend's eccentricity.

"Older boys are really indecipherable."

'But at least now I know I'm not the problem.'

The chosen location was a large shopping center situated in the heart of District 15, which essentially represented the pinnacle of fashion and opulence in Academy City. Reflecting on it, she began to comprehend why the boy seemed out of his element in such an environment.

"I suppose I'll have to adjust eventually," Touma remarked, gazing out at the array of upscale stores and the ceaseless stream of people. "After all, I'm now dating a wealthy girl."

"I'll award you 70 points for your effort ability in trying to suit me, but I'd appreciate it if you could be a tad more considerate. I'm not solely defined by my wealth."

"Yeah... yeah, I know, but that's the crux of it."

Once again, she let out a sigh.

"At times, I'm uncertain if your casual, awkward manner is endearing or not."

"Well..." He slipped both hands into his pockets and offered her a smile. At that gesture, the girl felt her heart nearly melt. "I'm more than just awkward, you know."

With a nonchalant shrug, he strode into the clothing store, his head held high, and even a hint of arrogance apparent in his posture.

It's a shame that lasted about three seconds at most.

"The effect is much greater here," he muttered, reverting to his stiff stance. "What's with those price tags? I could buy enough eggs for my entire school life with all those zeroes!"

"Have you forgotten that you're a level 5 once again?" she asked, her tone exasperated. "With the earnings from your power-related research, this can hardly be deemed 'expensive'."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm being honest. You have nothing to fret about. You'll be very well compensated."

"Yes, I know that. What concerns me is your implication that I'm going to make a purchase here!"

After a few minutes of attempting to persuade her budget-conscious boyfriend to make a purchase, she finally began selecting some clothing items. Some of the employees were exceptionally friendly toward her, a usual occurrence when she frequented the store, but a simple nod from her was enough to make them step back. After all, Misaki desired some alone time with her boyfriend.

'So far no progress,' she thought, casting a sidelong glance in his direction. 'Seems like I chose the most unexciting activity to do with my boyfriend. But I can spice things up.'

Now, a mischievous smile graced her face.

Given that the store was among her favorites, she could simply indicate the clothing items she desired, and the employees would handle the rest. Once they were finished, the bags containing their purchases would be ready, but that wasn't anywhere close to interesting.

Hence, the girl decided to take a bold step.

"We've arrived at my favorite session," she said, catching the distracted boy's eye.

His attention suddenly focused, realizing where they were. It was cute to see him freeze and widen his eyes like that.

"I'll wait here," he said, crossing his arms awkwardly.

"No, no. You come with me"

The boy's plan failed. Misaki pulled him by the arm straight to the underwear section of the store. More precisely, this was a basically "lingerie-only" place.

"There are only girls here!" It came out of the boy's mouth like a plea. "And they're looking at me. Please release me from this nightmare, Misaki-chaaaaan."

"Don't drag your voice like that, are you trying to imitate me now?"

'And he looks so cute acting like that! Did I accidentally unlock a secret path in his personality? I want more of that... I'm going to embarrass him enough to make him explode with cuteness ability.'

With a few more light tugs, the girl guided him through the sample clothes there. The funniest thing was watching him while he didn't know what to focus on. There were a few girls there throwing him glances, which he deflected in microseconds, but his gaze rested on the sample clothes when he did, which made him look at her, who smiled mischievously, he blushed slightly, and then everything repeated itself.

The queen had found a new method of torture.

'So cute! I'm feeling something strange flowing through me. Could it be that my inner sadist is suddenly blossoming?'

"You really seem to be enjoying all this," said the boy, but he suddenly became serious.

"It's your own fault for having such good entertainment ability." She smiled as she touched her own lip in a cute pose. "And just so you know, there's no reason for you to be so nervous, dating couples come in here together sometimes."

"That doesn't seem to be the case."

"I said 'sometimes'." She moved closer to him to tease him some more. "Usually, couples who do this together have been dating for a while. Know what I mean?"

"I have no idea."

"Your tone of voice and posture says otherwise."

"And now you're an expert on body language?"

"Something like that."

The embarrassment from before seemed to be being replaced by a feeling that Misaki was not able to judge perfectly, but it was something like irritation and skepticism.

"I think you like to tease me," he said, crossing his arms and frowning. "Maybe too much."

"Only now have you figured it out?" Feeling bold, the girl put both hands above her head and made a gesture as if she were stretching. She wanted to accentuate a certain very mature area of her body. "Consider it revenge ability, Touma-chan. How does it feel? Describe it in as much detail as you can."

"I think I'll pick out some clothes for you, shall I?"

The girl expected him to be a little more annoyed or embarrassed, but he hit her with this suggestion that came out of nowhere. Misaki even stepped back on instinct to organize her thoughts.

"I don't see any problem," she said, recovering quite quickly from the shock.

"Good. Since you brought me here, I suppose you already expected something like this, so consider this me acting like a boyfriend." He pointed to a set of lingerie on display on a mannequin right next to them, one that Misaki hadn't noticed yet. "What do you think?"

Turning in the indicated direction, the girl tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. The boy's choice of attire was definitely not what she had anticipated. To begin with, that pure white lace bra was already something that would make some girls in her clique blush with the boldness, but the big problem was the second piece of the set.

Misaki closely examined those panties. The front seemed fine, if you ignored the strategic transparency. However, when she looked at the back, all she could think was that her boyfriend had a very modern taste. The most fitting description of the shape would be a 'T,' or perhaps a 'Y'.

"Look who's getting all flustered now," the boy teased in a playful tone. "What's the matter, Misaki-chan? Is my 'boyfriend ability' a bit too much for you?"

"Why are you acting all confident all of a sudden?" She struggled to keep her voice steady, her gaze flickering away from his as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"My fertile imagination is working in full swing now." Touma nodded his head several times and made a camera sign using his thumbs and index fingers. "Yes... Yes! That's exactly it! Burn my adolescence!"

"Don't say those strange things out loud!"

Suddenly it seemed as if the roles had been reversed. But the perfect Queen raised her head with all the prideful ability she could muster and then pointed to the lingerie set.

"I'll take it!" She practically shouted at the top of her lungs to an employee across the room. "No, bring it to me first, I want to test it. I want to make sure my boyfriend made the right choice."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't underestimate me," she said, trying hard not to blush. "Do you think this is the first time someone's chosen something like this for me? I've dealt with a fair share of perverted people!"

"What do you mean someone chose something like that for you to wear? And could you not call me a pervert?"

"Remember that victory party in England? Well, Mr. Fertile Imagination, now imagine me wearing something like that under that golden dress."

"No, no... no Kamijou Touma, it's a bluff... damn, the image is already in my head!" He desperately grabbed his head and made it crash into a poor mannequin that went flying with the blow.

x-4-x

'You could say that's a victory,' Misaki thought, glancing at the fitting room mirror. She had already finished trying on her chosen outfit and went back to her own. 'But it's still not enough.' She sighed as she stared at her own face. 'I want a little more boldness ability from him, that would make me happy.'

Leaving the fitting room, she met her boyfriend right at the exit. She almost jumped in place when she suddenly saw him so close. He was expected to be sitting on one of the stools in front of the fitting rooms, but the way he looked at her made her think he was spying on her or something. She didn't know how to feel about that.

'Not that kind of boldness. I prefer something more direct.'

"Misaki-"

"How did I look?" She interrupted him with a smile that would seem wicked in certain situations.

"Huh?"

"Don't get all flustered." Misaki put a hand on his chest and moved closer. "I won't get angry if you're honest."

"Um... I wasn't spying if that's what you're trying to say." Touma looked around rather suspiciously.

"Uh-huh... I'm sorry to warn you about that, Touma-chan, but girls like me have a sixth sense for such things then-"

She was not allowed to finish. In the next instant, the boy grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her forcefully, straight into the fitting room once again. It was such a sudden gesture that her mind was stunned for a good five seconds.

And it all got worse when the boy closed the curtain behind them and cast an incomprehensible glance in her direction.

'Okay, now he's being very direct!'

Once again the girl didn't quite know what to feel. It seemed wrong for her to feel excited now, so she pushed that feeling away and tried to understand the boy's intentions.

"Tou-"

Not even his name was she able to finish before she was interrupted once more, now with an obstruction on her lips. The boy had used his palm to silence her. To make sure she stayed silent, he made a sign by putting his index finger in front of his lips. All Misaki could do was nod.

"I have to check carefully," he said, removing his hand from her mouth and using it to open the thick curtains of the fitting room just a little. "Damn, it really is her."

"Her?!"

"Shhh." He once again made a silent gesture and then turned to continue looking through the ajar curtain.

"Who are you referring to? It can't be the person I'm thinking of, can it?"

Moving closer to him as she whispered that, she followed his gaze to a secluded spot in the fitting rooms. It was a good thing she couldn't see the strange grimace on her face now, her queenly image would crumble. But that was an expected reaction to seeing that person there.

"Really?" Misaki held herself back from shouting that. "Such misfortune."

"That line sounds familiar. Are you imitating me now?"

"You started it." She sighed, exhausted and resigned, then turned her gaze once more to the girl she knew so well. "Misaka-san. How on earth did she manage to find us here?"

"I think that when we are together, our bad luck accumulates or multiplies, whichever is worse for the situation."

Without uttering a word in response, she tugged him toward the rear of the fitting room and drew the curtain shut completely. The reason for this was that the boy was acting rather strangely, hiding like that. That's certainly not what he would do in a normal situation.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, his tone somewhat nervous.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you had talked to her, distracted her or something while I was changing? Maybe you could even convince her to leave us alone."

"Misaki, be honest, do you think that would work?"

"Probably not. Misaka-san is a bit stubborn at times, but this behavior is rather out of character for you."

"Not entirely." He shrugged and slipped a hand into his pocket. "In the past, there were occasions when I deliberately evaded her. I'd opt for different routes, sometimes avert my gaze and walk away, or even break into a run to dodge crossing paths."

"In the past? Your past self?"

Touma nodded in affirmation, but then he awkwardly twisted his lip.

"She caused me some trouble, so my default choice was always to try to avoid her." He stopped talking suddenly and then looked in the direction of the curtains.

"But we can't keep acting like this," she said, trying to aim right into his eyes. "I chose not to bring any girls from my clique today, even though I knew it might-"

The interruption came the moment the curtains were opened. They should have kept quiet instead of chatting casually in this situation.

"Shokuhooou!"

But now it was too late. There she was, her chestnut hair crackling with the electricity coming off her bangs. She looked more surprised than anything else, but her jaw was stiff as she bared her canines and gritted her teeth.

Misaki took a deep breath so as not to lose control.

"Well, I told you it was pointless," she said to Touma, taking the opportunity to grab his arm and pull him out of the fitting room, passing Misaka without so much as a glance at her.

"Hey, what kind of reaction is that? Don't go away without giving me any explanation."

"What kind of explanation?" Misaki asked, but her tone was one of disinterest. "Let me test my divination ability, you'll say something about me using my powers, even though you know it doesn't work on him."

"That's the best explanation considering you and that idiot were sharing a fitting room. What the hell was going on in there anyway?"

Usually, Misaki would seize this chance to playfully tease her rival. She might flash a smile, strike a cute pose, or something of the sort, and then wait for the attack that would follow. However, truth be told, after hearing what the boy next to her had to say and seeing the annoyance etched on his face, her inclination to engage in such antics waned.

Right now, all she really wanted was to figure out how to get out of there and get back to enjoying the time with the important person next to her.

"Not so fast," Misaka said, stepping into the path of the two. "I let it go that time because your clique would stop me, but today I'm not just going to watch."

"Misaka-san, could you leave us alone?" Surprisingly, it wasn't Misaki who said that. Touma even made a serious expression as he looked at the girl who was bothering him. "I'm having a lot of fun today, so don't be a spoiler."

"Having fun? " Misaka suddenly looked indignant. "You know there's a good chance that-"

"Okay, I tried to be subtle," Touma interrupted her and glared at Misaki. "You said you wanted me to act differently, didn't you? I think this is the perfect time for that."

'Act differently? What is he talking about? Wait... he means...'

He didn't even give her thoughts time to fully form. In the following moment, Touma drew his girlfriend closer and angled his head toward her, planting a kiss on her lips.

Misaki's eyes instinctively closed, causing her to momentarily forget the circumstances she was in. But that state of bliss was short-lived, as she could easily envision the expression the other girl must have been wearing upon witnessing her sudden kiss with the boy she had feelings for.

And Shokuhou Misaki was grinning once it was all said and done.

'Yes... that's exactly the kind of boldness ability I wanted!'


Welcome to the end-of-chapter notes. Now that these two are dating, I'm trying to create a couple dynamic that is compatible with both of their personalities. Misaki really likes to tease Touma, and here she found a way to have fun while basically torturing him, but our protagonist knows how to handle this kind of situation.

And it seems that Touma is listening to what Misaki has to say about their relationship, and he is much more confident too.

I'll look at the reviews now:

Mrui2002: That's a lot of praise, thank you very much. Things are definitely going to get a bit spicy in the future, Misaki will make sure of that. And Touma is gaining more confidence, so things can move a little faster. That meeting is something that will definitely happen. No problem.

Onilink500: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Definitely. He kind of makes that clear in NT13, although a certain god ruined it for him LOL.

5queso: He was confused but he got the spirit xD I always worry if I'm making things too dramatic, so thanks for the positive feedback. I hope you enjoyed this 'fluffier' chapter.

KHVSFF: Hey, there! Misaki is a girl who likes to tread a thin line sometimes, don't you think? Yeah, I really wanted everything to be clear that no matter what version of him is in front of her, it's still him, and she loves him anyway. Thank you very much.

Cainabel201X: That's definitely a good reaction, so "Yaaaaaay!"

FinFangFoom100: It's been an interesting journey writing this, so I'm happy to know that that is the best chapter I've written. Now it's about trying to maintain that quality until the end. Thank you very much for all your support!

Blackshock: Thanks. We'll have reactions from her clique in the near future, and Misaka... well, she's not taking it very well LOL.

SuddenBetrayal: Hello. Thank you. I planned a scene in the future with the two of them interacting with her. Originally I was only going to mention it briefly, but I've changed my mind a bit, I just need to try and fit it better into my notes.

Markoz89: Thanks as always. Touma is a complicated person, he has to deal with too many things so this is the result. He's really come a long way with the whole imposter syndrome thing, and in this fic he's kind of gotten over it. We had a little reference to those events here, Misaki will help him with that for sure. KnT has sort of gone. Don't miss him, he might come back.


A shopping trip is far more common than an escape room. Now we seem to be returning to normality. Except that's not quite true... you know. Saying "We're dating" was enough, Kamijou. Anyway. There's nothing else here. Until next time!