PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 20

BETWEEN THE LINES: KAMIJOU IN HEARTS OF TOKIWADAI, WITHIN TWO AND A HALF TALES

xxxxxxx

xxxxxxx

ATTENTION! This chapter was released in the quick succession after the previous one. If you didn't read the previous chapter yet/you accidentally missed it ( because it is also newly released), the one titled "Rikuri II", read it first and then come forth to this one. I am saying it because they can overlap with publications so close to each other and I don't want any of them to be missed out on.

xxxxxxx

xxxxxxx

Hello there! This is a special, omake-like, canon chapter, that was made on the request of quite a few readers who desired to see the perspectives and adventures of Tokiwadai students involved in my story and in setting of Painted Prison Chronicles, as they didn't quite get the spotlight when I was making special chapters. It was with great pleasure that I fulfilled that request, especially since if not for Touma x Gokusai sisters, I would probably be writing Touma x Kongou fanficition (I probably will, in some yet unknown future).

You will see who is involved in the stories from this chapter, and why is it two and a half (we had yet another monologue after Fukiyose's that was a real treat to write). It was one of the wackiest, but also sweetest chapters to the date, at least in my opinon. Lots of twists, randomness, lovestruck girls and gutsy bros, that's for sure.

Another important announcement is that after this chapter, it is almost guaranteed that I will have to take a short break. I don't know how long it will last, hopefully something like a month. I have a very tense/stressful schedule and I have to focus on writing some academic papers and conducting experiments. If it was my decision, I would write something for you day by day but this simply cannot be. Luckily, I hope to get things done faster and write something new, especially since next two chapters are already envisioned in my mind and have some important events for the story. If I manage to get time and get things done earlier, than it is possible that something will be published sooner rather than later. I am only saying it so some expectant readers won't worry if there is no update after 3 weeks, a month, or slightly longer. But have no fear! New chapters may take slightly longer to get published, but I assure you, they will arrive.

The events of this chapter (the 'Present' narrative) take place during the storm from previous chapter (when Rikuri talks with Touma) but in Tokiwadai dorms.

Have lots of fun! Without further delay, let's begin!

It was raining.

The water was falling down onto the elegant flower gardens of Tokiwadai Middle School, when Shirai Kuroko once again discussed the plan of the search of Tokiwadai for memories and clues regarding Mitsuari Ayu with her unlikely companion, Kongou Mitsuko.

The animosity Kuroko bore towards the aviation heiress was nowhere nearly as prominent as in times past, but the teleporter would certainly not take Kongou with her out of her own free will. However, Kongou was rather stubborn and persistent since the matter concerned Kamijou.

Kuroko could not fathom what ape was doing with her friends. Over time, she certainly did find some qualities in the boy that she valued and she no longer bore such a grudge for Kamijou alone. His relations with her onee-sama were another story though, as Kuroko felt like throwing her spikes from just the thought alone.

But here they were. And by here, Kuroko meant Kongou's dorm. It was larger and more dignified in the look than the dorm she shared with Misaka Mikoto, although Kuroko could not tell if that was the result of Kongou paying for living quarter enhancement or if it was the feature of Inner Dorm as a whole.

Speaking of that, it was worth mentioning that Tokiwadai possessed two main housing facilities, Inner and Outer Dorm. Their names came from the simple fact that one of them was inside the girl-only area known as School Garden, and the second was outside of it, although still in close proximity. Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto lived in Outer Dorm, but noticeable group of students, including Kongou and her friends, Wannai and Awatsuki, were housed in the Inner Dorm.

While technically there was no difference in those facilities, the girls from one dorm often created superstitions about the girls from the other, and vice versa. Most notably, girls from Outer Dorm thought that the girls living inside of the School Garden were sheltered and clueless (according to Kuroko's experience, that was not the rule, but it turned out to be true quite a few times). Meanwhile, the girls from Inner dorm laughed at the supposed ignorance and brashness of their outer classmates.

Well, dropping that aside, there they were. Kuroko sighed, looking at raven haired girl in front of her

"Do you understand now, Kongou Mitsuko? It is not something I want to do for that ape, contrary to you, but his involvement and the factors he mentioned make this the case I should not ignore, Judgement member or not. Thus, I would like you not to slow me down"

Kongou spread her fan and 'hmphed' under her breath

"But of course. It's the great Kongou Mitsuko you are talking to. With me, your chances of success are crucially heightened."

Kuroko deadpanned at that, but before she could comment on Kongou's confident response, there was a knocking on the door.

Kuroko looked at Kongou, who called out.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Hokaze Junko. I have a topic of great urgency that I need to discuss with you"

After a nod from Kongou, Kuroko teleported across the room and reached to the doorknob, revealing the violet haired girls, bearing a gentle smile and pushing a small tray with a tea set.

"I am sorry for the intrusion..."

"No, not at all senpai, please come in"

Junko stepped inside, gently sitting herself on a chair. She took the teapot with water boiled in advance, and poured the liquid into the cups.

"Do you fancy some tea?"

Kongou accepted the drink, but Kuroko crossed her arms, looking at the 3-rd year student.

"It's good to see you, Hokaze-senpai, but do you mind if I ask why are you here? Me and Kongou-san have a rather urgent case on our agenda?"

Junko's face immediately became more serious.

"Yes, I guess there is no point in evading the subject. Shirai-san, Kongou-san, earlier on, I heard you talk about the search for girl named Mitsuari Ayu. I would like to be a part of it."

The eyes of both Kongou and Kuroko widened, as Junko bowed her head.

"I am sorry for overhearing your conversation, it was wrong, but now that I know about it, I simply cannot back down. From what I heard, your reason, Shirai-san, is mainly based around the mystery of Mitsuari Ayu's history and whereabouts. For you Kongou-san, is your bond with Kamijou-san. For me, I suppose it's both of those reasons...

"Why is that?" asked Kongou.

And so, Hokaze Junko told Kuroko and Kongou how she knew Ayu in the past, omitting a little bit more intimate details from past in the IDEAL but elaborating in great detail upon Ayu's grudge towards Shokuhou Misaki and the girls tragedy that caused her to separate from people she once called friends.

"I knew Mitsuari Ayu and considered her a good friend. Now that she changed so much... I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I let her go like that. Especially if Kamijou-san is trying his very best to help my old friend out."

"That's remarkably tragic. I never known that Mitsuari-san, but I also can't sit idly by when there is such suffering going on" Kongou nodded, before looking at Kuroko "Don't you agree, Shirai-san?"

Kuroko, who was deep in thought for a long while, sighed and spread her arms

"Fine. Who am I to deny this to you? I know that if someone investigated something regarding the safety and wellbeing of onee-sama, Saten-san, or Uiharu-san, I also wouldn't be able to sit idly by. Although I have to ask... does your involvement mean Shokuhou Misaki is already aware of our plans?"

Hokaze looked at the floor, somewhat awkwardly.

"No... I didn't tell the Queen yet, and I am not sure if I should, for the reasons I rather not disclose right now, if that's fine with you, Shirai-san"

"Certainly, I am the last person to pry into the cliques' private affairs"

For a moment, there was no sound other than rain and gentle sips of tea.

"What about darling?"

Junko blinked innocently a few times, before turning questioningly to Kuroko

"For some reason, that's her name for the ape"

Adorable expression of utter confusion adorned Junko's face

"Eto..."

The other two girls pointed at each other and said at the same time

"She means Kamijou"

"Oh!" Junko clapped her hands before, looking at Kongou" What about Kamijou-san? I don't understand."

"Well... I think we ALL have reasons connected with him. Even you, Shirai-san"

"Be quiet..." Kuroko grumbled, looking away.

"So what do you say if we all share some stories that led for us to form such convictions?" sparks of joy lit up in Kongou's eyes as she stretched her hand with a fan "It's the girl story time!"

As expected, the eyes of quintessentially pure maiden Hokaze Junko also lit up, as she put a hand on her cheek with a smile

"Ara mah, a girl talk with friends, about Kamijou-senpai of all things. What a splendid idea! It would surely be an interesting memory ride. Don't you agree, Shirai-san?!"

"Don't you, don't you?!"

With two pairs of hopeful eyes looking at her, Shirai Kuroko could only admit defeat and waved her hand.

"Alright, ape talk. Woohoo... just... I would rather have some tea, after consideration. This will take a while..."

"If you won't mind, I will go first" Kongou proudly puffed her chest" As for introduction, Kamijou-san is someone who saved me from getting caught on in a fight when I was lost. Ever since then, I knew that he noticed my charm, and that he was someone valiant and brave, someone who I can gladly get to know. Even though our social status makes things challenging and we still need to learn a lot about each other, he proved time and time again in a short time in which we know each other, that he is much more caring, valiant, and even romantic, than his commoner nature would seem to suggest. If you seek for a logical explanation, you probably won't be satisfied. My heart was simply stolen and now the very thought of him makes me excited and joyous. This can only be the sing that Kongou Mitsuko, does indeed, choose the very best"

Hokaze Junko clapped politely and Kuroko motioned with her hand

"And... what will your story be about?"

"Patience, Shirai-san." a dreamlike smile came onto Kongou's lips, as she sat more of comfortably, with eyes viewing scenes from her memory" This story actually concerns not only me, but my best and most faithful companions, Wannai-san and Awatsuki-san..."

[KONGOU'S STORY]

"Darling, you are here!" Kongou greeted Touma, when he arrived at the front of the restaurant.

"Hi there... Kongou-san..." said the boy, panting from all the running he made to make it in time.

"I already told you can call me Mitsuko, and..." Kongou scrunched her face while observing the boy" What is that smell?"

"Well, it's just my luck that garbage truck malfunctioned and spilled its contents right when I was passing by..."

Kongou sighed and put the hands on her hips.

"What am I to do with you darling... or rather... what you would do without me!"

"No... don't tell me you predicted something like this?!"

"Ohohohoho! But of course. Well... maybe not for this specifically, but you have a luck of being in good graces with a model possessing some funds to spend. When it comes to clothes, there is no emergency I can't cover. Having a spare is an ABC of any good lady... especially if someone is your fiancée-to-be. We will have good clothes in no time... come with me!"

"Why do I get the feeling that you really wanted to dress me up even without any accident?"

"I didn't... maybe a little~" Kongou giggled and Touma rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't I see that coming?"

After the change of clothes was taken care of, Kongou and Kamijou arrived hand to hand in front of the restaurant. The boy was in a tuxeado and didn't look all that happy about it.

"Wearing such a formal clothes is rather unnerving. Do I really have to?"

"Hush, darling. Trust woman's intuition. Besides, I really want you to look your best for this meeting"

And with that, they entered the restaurant. The place itself was dignified and had the classy look, that made Touma's uneasiness all the more prominent.

'Calm down, deep breaths, deep breaths...you can't be scared of every fancy place...'

The company of Touma and Kongou already sat by the reserved table. It had the form of two pretty middle school girls, who politely bowed ever so slightly upon their arrival.

Acting more of an instinct and knowledge from rom-coms, Kamijou pushed Kongou's chair away so she could sit down. After he was sitting too, Kongou began to speak.

"Everyone-"

"Kongou... no, Mitsuko-san, you called me here on such a short notice that you must be mad about something. So say it already! If this is about that time at the fashion show when I accidentally saw you naked, I already apologiz-"

Kongou quickly put her hand on Touma's mouth, before coughing and reddening a little

"As a matter of fact, it is NOT about that situation. Everyone, the reason for this meeting is simple. Kamijou-san, although I believe you already recognize my best friends, you were never formally introduced. This is Wannai Kinuho. She is level 3 Hydro Hand user and one of the kindest people I know"

The girl with eyes that looked like dark green seawater and short brown hair, that in Kamijou's opinion looked incredibly fluffy, smiled sweetly at him.

"Hello again, Kamijou-san. Do you remember me?"

It took only a moment for Kamijou to answer.

"You are the girl I fished out from the river. And earlier, we spoke during the heat wave."

"You do remember..." the water user didn't even hide how pleased she was with that confirmation.

"It's good to see you again... you look well"

Wannai blushed a little, before answering shyly

"Calling it a conversation would be a stretch. But thank you... it's good to see you as well"

Kongou moved to the other girl, who had long, black-to-blue dark hair, violet-tinged irises, and attractive face that blended the characteristics of calmness and maturity.

"And this Awatsuki Maaya, level 3 Float Dial user. She might look serious from time to time, but she is one of the most reliable and hardworking friends I have."

The girl once again bowed at him but the stare she was giving remained rather neutral. It was not openly hostile, but cautious would probably be the best word for it.

"Kamijou Touma... I heard a lot about you from Kongou-san. I really wish to see your qualities in action and judge you with my own eyes"

"Thanks... I guess?"

"She was actually really interested in meeting you. It's just that Awatsuki-san is rather protective." Wannai smiled at Touma, as her best friend frantically waved her arms.

"W-Wannai-san! It's just that a lot of guys are scumbags pretending to be all good and clean. I have to make sure Kongou-san doesn't associate herself with someone like that. There were lots of... pardon me for saying that, Kamijou-san... absurd stories regarding you, and it's just simply... hard to believe it, like that. They seemed like exaggerations"

"While your concern is appreciated, I can assure you Kamijou-san is more than meets the eye" Kongou give Awatsuki a reassuring look" Now, each of you is someone important to me, for one reason or another. I would really appreciate it if you could get along with each other, just like I get along with each of you individually."

Touma looked at two girls. His eyes were met with happy look from Wannai and a little bit more unsure from Awatsuki, although there was something akin of hesitant hope in purple eyes of long haired girl.

"Well, I have nothing against it. I am Kamijou Touma. I am a level 0 and just a normal high school student, unlike noble ladies like you, but I hope we can be friends"

The dishes arrived. Apparently, the girls couldn't decide what to take, so they ordered array of dishes for everyone to share from them.

'Well, that's ojou-sama life for you. I can't even imagine the bill though...'

(LATER...)

The food was delicious, and although the atmosphere was initially a bit awkward, Touma's ingenuity and humour, as well as politeness and general curiosity of the girls, quickly made the meal into a very enjoyable one.

However...

THUD!

"A-A-Awatsuki-san! What did you do?!"

"I don't know why Kamijou-san collapsed! I simply said that we could split the bill and showed it to him and-"

"Oh" Kongou nodded in understanding" That actually explains it. You see... for level 0s, one fourth of the price for our lunch course is, believe it or not... a big expense"

"Truly?"

"How peculiar..."

Those innocent words of rich ladies had not a gram of mockery, yet could made the financial self confidence of any less well-situated member of Academy City's society shatter to tiny pieces.

"Not only that, but, according to Misaka-san, due to the various circumstances, Kamijou is the level 0 with the lowest income. So seeing the price normal for us sent him into state of shock"

"Yes" Wannai lowered herself to look at Kamijou's face" I can almost see his soul leaving the body... wait, in fact..."

She straightened herself, looking at Kongou and Awatsuki.

"I think... he is not breathing..."

There was a moment of silence, when the trio stared at the boy, their faces overcast with shadows.

"Kongou-san... isn't this the time for this?" Wannai asked in a serious tone.

"Oh, it most definitely is the time for that" came the reply.

"What are you talking about?" Awatsuki inquired, to which her friends turned their heads towards her.

"The fabled lips-to-lips procedure, to help him start to breathe again."

Awatsuki's mind came to a sudden halt.

"Huh?"

"Now, now, Wannai-san, what are you doing?" Kongou asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, as the hydrokinetic level 3 leaned over Kamijou and brushed the hair out of the way, just as Kongou did the same.

"Why, I am about to perform lips-to-lips to save Kamijou-san"

"Well, if it was water stuck in his lungs, I would leave it to you, but by definition, air is my domain. So you can kindly move aside-"

"No, no, no, I insist. I actually have experience in doing this, as I performed it on girls who had accidents on the pool. That's why if anyone should ki... resuscitate Kamijou-san, it should be me"

"Look at my mouth and then at his. It's like my lips were born for this"

"W-What's says mine weren't?"

"I WILL DO IT!" In their argument, Wannai and Kongou didn't notice that Awatsuki leaned down and closed in on Touma's lips" His life may be in danger, so cut it out!"

"..."

"Stop looking as if you are about to cry. I am simply thinking about rescuing him, so stop making me feel guilty for no reason at all. Well, here I go~"

But just when Awatsuki closed her eyes and was about to touch Touma's lips, the boy gasped suddenly, causing the now flustered girl to frantically jump backwards, as he rose up, grabbing his head.

"Kamijou-san?!

"I had... a terrible nightmare... that I had to pay a price so ridiculously... AAH! That blasted bill is still here! It wasn't a dream!

"Don't worry Kamijou-san, let's make this one fifth..."

"Sigh... I knew this day would come..."

"What are you... Don't take the piece of paper titled 'for dire sale' and start to write the names of your organs! We will split it in a way so you can pay, so don't do something so dark!"

(LATER...)

"There he goes. Despite certain attraction, this lunch was rather fabulous" Kongou said after the girls and Touma parted ways" Darling clearly is one of the kind"

"Nothing truer was said today." Awatsuki sighed, massaging the sides of head" Good grief, I got a headache just from one encounter..."

"I think he is a bit strange, but also very charming" commented Wannai.

Kongou nodded, smiling behind her fan

"I guess knowing Kamijou is like wine. It's an acquired taste."

Awatsuki smiled too

"Well, we just have to wait and see what he surprises us with"

{Wannai Kinuho wants to advance}

"Hello, Kamijou-san!"

Touma, carrying bags with groceries, heard a familiar voice, and when he turned around, he noticed Wannai Kinuho catching up to him

"Oh, Wet... Wannai-san! How are you?"

The fluffy-haired girl pouted at him

"You were about to say it. Don't call me Wet Girl!"

"Sorry, almost slipped out. Well... it was good to see you"

He began to walk away. As he went on, Wannai's cheeks tinged with pink hue, as she inhaled deeply through her nose, closed her eyes, exhaled and nodded to herself.

"Kamijou-san. Please wait!"

Touma slowed down, as the girl went to his side once again.

"In truth... I would like to speak to you, in private."

Touma was a little bit confused, but nevertheless nodded

"Okay then, I will just drop the bags at home and meet you at the park in 10 minutes"

After said time passed, Wannai and Touma found themselves sitting in front of the park's pond.

After steeling her nerves, the girl grasped Touma's hand.

"Kamijou-san, firstly, I would like to apologize for my behaviour during the heat wave. You may not think much of that, but I need to say this. Back then, I couldn't hold a conversation with you and ran away. You could feel that you did something wrong, while in fact, it was all on me. I would like to apologize for that, and hope we can make up for it in the future"

Touma waved his hand

"You don't have to apologize for anything like that. It was a hard time for everybody, and I was more worried that you were sick or something. Basically, what's important is that we talk right here, right now"

Wannai's heart sped up a little. Unintentionally on her part, water near the shore agitated itself in response to girl's intense feelings.

"Even in situation when you could easily take offense, you were still more concerned about my well-being? That's... that's just..."

She then shook her head before she could completely lose control.

"I-I am glad that you think like you do. I also want to say that when I witnessed your attempts in battling the Elements, I thought you looked very cool. I was honestly impressed that someone so weak when it comes to esper power can fight so well and be so brave in heart. So that's why... I have a request"

She then bowed her head, with her right hand still clasped on Kamijou's left.

"Please, help me grow stronger."

Touma was certainly not expecting something like this.

"Huh? What... what do you mean?"

"Kamijou-san, I am a level 3 at Tokiwadai. While this suffices in many areas, confronting certain dangers made me realize that it is not enough. I wish to protect Kongou-san and everyone I care about. So I would like to grow in strength of my ability."

Kamijou was silent for a while, before responding.

"You know, Misaka once showed me the footage of your battle with that guy... Baba, was it? I am no expert, but if anyone here is cool, it's certainly you. You were creative and resourceful, just like a level 0, but utilized your power like a high-level esper. Perfect combination"

Wannai's heart swelled with pride, but she managed to got it under control.

"You watched it?! Thank you, I am very glad I was able to defend Kongou-san and that cat, but this struggle made me realize that I want to... no, I choose to... improve myself in order to stand by Kongou-san's side. If I was stronger, this conflict could be resolved faster"

"As a matter of fact... I am really sorry. You know, for not being there to help you"

Wannai shook her head and smiled

"No, that's alright. You were busy with other matters. Besides, by accounts of my various friends, I know that you would stand to protect Kongou-san without hesitation. Also, I heard that you went to aid Misaka-san when she had that strange diarrhoea problem Shokuhou-san told us about..."

"D-Diarrhoea? Shokuhou?"

"The point is, that when I fought back then, I realized that there could be resourceful enemies out there. Not to mention that when we ventured out to take the tower during the heat wave, we were completely humiliated when confronted with such a raw force. And in front of you, who tried his best even without a proper team or abilities."

"But when it came to fighting the Elements, Tokiwadai was far more organized and successful-"

"Only because we had Misaka-san's machine and good teamwork in everyday routines. But that mission and Tokiwadai being looted... it felt so frustrating. Kamijou-san, I heard that you don't really feel the desire to pursue higher esper power."

"It's not like I won't, I simply can't. My ability doesn't allow that"

"But... I thought you didn't have one..."

"It's a little bit complicated... it's better to see it in action."

Wannai nodded and resumed

"I have my pride as a lady from Tokiwadai, but I have enough humility to admit that me and my friends have no great experience in fighting resourceful foes that use raw, primal force. We are usually able to push through with our esper abilities, but I painfully realized that it is not always the case. Kamijou-san... I would like you to teach me your ways of fighting. There is a system scan coming on. If this is no trouble, please show me a way in which I could increase my power. I would love to join Kongou-san at level 4"

Touma got up and stretched, before offering Wannai his hand.

"Well, I don't really understand the need for all that levelling up. But if this is important for you, of course I will help you. Not to mention you are clearly doing it to protect your friends. And that is truly admirable."

"Thank you" Wannai beamed at him, mirroring the same sweet smile she gave him upon her introduction. "I wish to train for a week in constant routine. Can you recommend me someone who can help me increase the level of my ability?"

Touma looked to the skyline, pondering about that

"I don't really know anyone with a water type of power... but maybe I know someone who can help you bring out your best while working with the natural opposition..."

"I don't fully understand yet, but if it's your friend, they are surely as kind and considerate as you!"

"Ekhm... well..."

(LATER...)

Stiyl Magnus lit up yet another cigarette while looking at Touma through narrowed eyes.

"I refuse"

"Stiyl, when you think about it, this is perfect. She-"

"Let me tell you something, Kamijou Touma." Stiyl said in a lowered voice" I am an inquisitor and church assassin, I am a rune expert and a priest. I am quite a few things, but I am certainly not a babysitter of spoiled brats. The only reason why am I still in the city is that Index will be back soon and I want to check that she is given proper housing and care. Other than that, I am not obliged anything"

"So you want to just sit here and smoke?"

"That's much better than talking to you, so unless you have some way to actually convince me..."

Touma sighed and raised his hands up in the air.

"Fine. When we will be on a mission next time, I will owe you a favour"

Stiyl's eyes lit up.

"While your determination to help someone you barely met is hilarious, try better than that"

"I can give a word or two to Index to convince her to spend some time with you"

Stiyl stopped and then slowly put the cigarette down

"She still doesn't trust you, right? Well, I can try to convince her to give you a chance, if you help me"

Stiyl clicked his tongue and took a second cigarette, lighting it up with a snap of his fingers.

"This will cost you, Kamijou Touma, I can assure you. However... well, at least I will have some entertainment..."

He then rose up and walked to Wannai, before bending down a little, so he could be face to face with a girl, who looked a bit intimidated by his black robe and sheer height.

"Kamijou-san... there was no need to get adults involved in this..."

"Stiyl is actually the same age as you"

This stunned the girl even more, until the redheaded priest spoke, rather rudely blowing smoke into Wannai's face.

"So, who we have here?"

"I am Wannai... kah... Kinuho" the girl spoke, tried her best to appear dignified and not break into a coughing fit" I am level 3 Hydro Hand of Tokiwadai. Kamijou said you are extremely proficient in pyrokinesis. We thought that through the pressure of environment caused by your element, I could hone my own to greater heighs"

"Hmm, for once, Kamijou got something right. Show me what you got"

"Yes!"

After a moment, Wannai motioned towards the nearby canal and a big sphere of water rose up, before splitting into few streams and encircling her.

"My ability allows me to control maximum of 400 liters of water in the radius of 18 meters. I can separate it into maximum of 4 separate clumps or streams. I can still control water being out of my sight, but I can't do it if it's too scattered or I have no body of water to utilize"

Styil was simple observing for some time, before motioning for them to go with him.

When they arrived under bridge on the river, Stiyl scattered his runic cards in one swift motion. On Wannai's questioning gaze, Touma whispered:

"Those help him to control his power"

"Oh, so it's like Shokuhou-san's remotes or Yumiya-san's flashlight? Quite peculiar choice, but I understand."

"What we shall do is simple. My... pyrokinesis..." Stiyl sounded truly amused as he said the term" Can generate heat so great that it will vaporize all the moisture. It is a very unfavourable for someone like you. But you still have some options. You can break your limits and summon greater amounts of water or from a greater distance. You can master your hold to degree of controling single droplets of water. You can control your own fluids to make a weapon of it, or maybe even use fluids in another being"

"But... that's impossible! Something like this would surely be level 4, no maybe even a level 5..."

"Do you want to get stronger or not? I can leave at any time I want"

"You know a lot about water for someone using fire" Touma remarked.

"When you master fire, you need to learn a thing or two about element that can extinguish it. Besides, one of my disciples, Marie, utilizes water just Wanny..."

"It's Wannai..."

"Whatever, just like her. Although her methods are different, Marie's training would be good for this situation too. Kamijou Touma, step outside of the range of my cards."

When Touma did so, the entire area exploded in scorching heat. On Stiyl's command, fire condensed into two humanoid creatures. They were not nearly as powerful as Innocentius, but the flames were still tangibly hot.

"Find the way to summon water and try to extinguish them. Do so while avoiding being burned."

"H-Huh?"

"What, are you scared?! For goodness sake, I can heal burns, so don't you dare whine. My training will be intense. And I warn you, I have no patience for complains or whining of spoiled rich brat. The only thing we can welcome here are blood, sweat, tears, and your determination. Do you have it? Because we will do this in the oldest and most effective way. Either overcome the limits of your power and the obstacles intruding in your way to survive... or die trying"

"Stiyl... that may be a bit much..."

"You shut up! So what will it be, girl?"

Wannai rose her eyes. Which, although slightly scared, were quickly turning into determined ones.

"If this is the way through which I can protect my friends... then so be it. Stiyl-sensei, I am all yours"

"Then try not to perish"

Wannai rose her hand and the stream of water emerged from the river. Yet it quickly began to boil and evaporate, and ultimately, the girl was left defenceless, when fire humanoid attacked, causing Wannai to jump back.

"Again!"

What followed, was the series of attempts in which Wannai tried various means and experimented with water to get a clear hit on the fire. Although for over an hour nothing happened, in the 12th attempt Wannai finally managed to shot a stream with volume big enough to consume half of the fiery humanoid.

Stiyl nodded and extinguished the field.

"If you think I will tell you that you did a good job, you are mistaken. You are still rather sloppy. However, you can come again tomorrow evening."

And with that, he left.

Wannai exhaled and then began to collapse, but Touma caught her just in time.

"Thank you, Kamijou-san"

"Was this overdone? Stiyl is not exactly the gentlest type..."

"His methods are strange, but I can feel that I grew from that training, even if only a little bit. It's good that I changed into a swimsuit too"

"For that matter... I really tried not to look..."

"I appreciate that, but I don't really mind... although I am all sweaty and..." Wannai sniffed herself before cringing a little" I smell as if I've been smoked. I hope you don't find me repulsive"

"Not at all. For that matter, why did you have a swimsuit?"

"I've been returning from my practice session, when I saw you... oh, before I forget, there is one more thing I need to ask of you"

(NEXT DAY)

Early in the morning, Wannai Kinuho battled Kamijou Touma. It was not unlike his clashes with Misaka Mikoto in times past, only this time, it was on the agreement of both parties.

In contrast to the training with Stiyl, those battles were supposed to hone the girl's instincts to a more of streetfight style of combat. Wannai found it rather challenging.

"I never saw anyone evade my streams like you do"

"That's something everyone can master, if they train long enough."

Kamijou used all the tricks in the book, while Wannai also did her best to be creative, curving and splitting the streams in attempt to reach Touma.

"When my stream crashed into your right hand, I lost control over the entire clump."

"This is my ability. Think of it as additional difficulty"

And so they trained, with Kamijou at dawn and Stiyl at dusk. It was bitter work, and often resultet in total exhaustion. But after only 7 days of consequent training, Wannai withstood heat more easily. Her limit rose up to almost twice as much as before, 750 l. The number of streams she could control rose up to 6 and effective reach to 35 meters. But her greatest achievement was the ability to use small droplets of water in the slicing, bullet-like fashion. That included her own sweat, something she considered impossible before.

And most importantly, Kamijou Touma helped her out in more ways than one. Each day before school, he drank with her while they rested and simply spent quality time with her.

Finally, the system scan arrived. Although Touma passed his very quickly, with no progress whatsoever, for the first time in a long while he was genuinely interested in the scores of someone else.

And finally...

"Kamijou-san!" Touma, waiting in the usual spot, noticed the smiling Wannai running towards him.

Unexpectedly, the girl leaped into the air and hugged him tightly.

"W-Wannai-san?!"

"I did it! My rank rose up significantly and I am at the threshold of becoming a level 4. Just a little bit more work and I will be there. I was low in level 3 rankings, but now, I am most promising level 4 candidate in Tokiwadai. They told me that I will be there in my next scan. Oh, Kamijou-san, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You... you are welcome... you should probably thank Stiyl more than me... also..."

"Hmm?" the euphoric girl stopped rubbing her cheek next to his as she slowly came back into reality.

"Your breasts... are pressing against me... rather hard..."

Wannai blinked and then squealed, frantically trying to get away.

"I-I am so sorry, I..."

But then, she slipped. Quite ironic for hydrokinetist.

And as she flew forwards, her lips landed on Touma's brow

Chu!~

With kiss ending, Wannai's face exploded in crimson hue as she slowly dropped to Touma's lap.

"W-Wannai-san?! Mosh moshi-Aghuagh?!"

Suddenly Touma, was hit straight on the cheek which caused him to bounce back a few meters. He looked up towards the attacker.

"Awatsuki-san... what was that for?"

The buoyancy controller leaned down over him with a thin smile.

"Oh, let me think. What would you do if you followed your friend and found her with a face on a guy's crotch?"

And with that, she showed him a photo on her phone. Touma paled immidietaly.

"This... this only looks bad... I swear..."

"I know. Which is why I won't do anything with this photo, as long as you fulfil my request."

{Awatsuki Maaya wants to reconcile}

What Awatsuki wanted from Touma was fairly simple, yet also quite taxing at the same time.

The girl spent one part of the day following him around while he did his regular day, and the other on dragging him around through the various places to help her in her own errands. For someone that Touma found a bit more distant than Kongou or Wannai, she surely dedicated a whole lot of time to be around him.

Although he would usually snap at the girl when he was forced to go through yet another clothing store, something in Awatsuki's behaviour stopped him from really getting mad.

It was as if the girl was playing a part in some invisible play. She acted impatiently and arrogantly but at the same time, looked at him when she thought he was not paying attention. As if she was expecting something. Not being able to take it anymore, Touma finally stopped, while carrying the mountain of boxes as they passed near the artificial pool for fierfighters on the between-district intersection.

"Awatsuki-san... I really don't want to sound rude, but I have to say it. What is your problem with me?"

The violet-eyed girl looked at him, yet again trying to look angry

"What do you imply? I-"

"You chose to spend the day with me, you are obviously interested in this time for some reason, but you keep acting strangely. You are pretending to be someone you are not and you really weren't going to do anything with this photo. I may be mistaken, since I basically don't know you, but if you want to say something to me, just say it."

Awatsuki clenched her fists, before exhaling and smiling tiredly.

"I can't do it..."

She jumped into the air and landed on the surface of the pool. The water gave in slightly, but withstood the girl's mass, as if she was nothing more than a leaf.

She crouched down, and the look she was now giving Touma was that of an apology.

"Kamijou Touma, when I first started hearing from Kongou-san and Wannai-san about you, I got mad at you. It wasn't your fault, but I was very angry. Suddenly, my two best friends had some adventures without me and became interested in a guy. I felt... completely left out. I feared being alone and them leaving me behind. That's why I hated you."

Touma listened without interrupting as Awatsuki put her feelings into words.

"When Kongou-san convinced me to properly meet you, I was bent on disliking you. But after some time, there was no quality in you that would justify such hate. Maybe annoyance, but not straight up malice. Yet my pride and bitterness didn't allow me to properly speak with you until now. I was still mad at you for stealing Kongou-san and Wannai-san's attention, so I tried to create opportunities to show that you have ulterior motives. But there weren't any and instead I found myself liking you more and more. I tried to convince myself that I was angry, but the longer I did, the more awful I felt. So, I took it on you and forced you through this day. I am... truly sorry. Back then, I wasn't honestly trying to become your friend. And I doubt that you want to be friends with me after a deception like that..."

Touma looked at her with serious face

"You are right, I don't want to..."

"I see. Then I will just take my leave..."

"Because I am not interested in that fake one I spent the day with. But if real Awatsuki Maaya wants to do something with me, I can consider it"

The girl turned around, looking both surprised and hopeful.

"You would do something like that? But I have to repay you for what I've been doing!"

"Like I say, the biggest reward for me, would be if you dropped the mask and showed me your true self. Is there something that you genuinely want to do?"

Awatsuki tilted her head, before nodding with a small smile.

"Actually, there is something like that..."

(LATER)

After they exited the arcade, Awatsuki Maaya found herself laughing. She and Touma were going back in the direction of School Garden, and the girl could not contain her merriment.

"I always wanted to see how commoners spend time in arcades, but I couldn't muster the courage to ask any of my friends to come here. Well, most of them wouldn't like it anyway. It's truly a paradise lost! Not to mention those carbonated drinks, first time I tasted one... ugh... buuuurp! Oh... I-I am terribly sorry..."

Touma practically folded himself with laughter, and Awatsuki, although embarrassed, found herself joining soon enough.

When they calmed themselves, Touma pointed at yet another artificial firefighting pool.

"Can you explain to me how your power works? I've been wondering for quite a while"

"Sure" the girl said, leaping into the air and onto the surface of water" my ability allows me to manipulate the buoyancy of things I am in contact with. I can walk on water without breaking surface tension, although I have to move from place to place. And I can also influence buoyancy through the air, making me capable of lifting heavy objects. So, what do you think. Water-walking is quite marvellous, isn't it?"

"Hmm... you are like... those Amazonian lizards that can ran on water in a funny way..."

Awatsuki didn't think she could laugh any harder than she already did, but she was proven wrong.

"Where do you take those comparisons from?"

"Well, my roommate watches TV and there is a documentary from time to time..."

"That was hilarious... do you want to try it? How it is, standing on water? I can show you."

"I don't think that's a good-"

"Come on, just let me take you there" Awatsuki said, coming to the edge of the basin and reaching for Touma's hand.

"Hey, stop, if you touch that, you will-"

With a sound of shattering glass, the water surface tension broke under confused Awatsuki, with her foot suddenly falling straight onto the steep, holed wall of the emergency pool, and bending under abnormal angle.

(5 MINUTES LATER)

"I am sorry..."

"What are you apologizing for? I must have lost focus, my power just stopped working... I really think I should walk on my own."

"Are you kidding? Your foot is badly sprained, you need to have that treated. I am taking you to Tokiwadai right now..." Touma said, as he marched forward with Awatsuki on his back. "Besides, this will keep you warm, as you are half-wet"

"Thank you... though if you make one perverted comment, I will strangle you on the spot"

"I wouldn't dare to"

As they walked, Touma had one more question to ask

"Awatsuki-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Why were you so cautious with me? You don't like men?"

The ojou-sama on his back sighed and put her head near the nape of his neck.

"I do like them, it's just... I am the only daughter of the owner of high-tech heavy machinery industries. The rest of my siblings are all older brothers. In a men-dominated household, and in our area of expertise, I was seen as more of a liability than anything. Also, my classmates at the time made fun of me that I was not girly enough or that I smell like produce. It stung a lot, as I wasn't actually allowed to help, even if I wanted to. So I asked father to send me to Academy City. He had no problem with that, in fact, he was probably relieved. He tried his best, but he never really knew how to interact with me. When I got here, it turned out that I am in fact one of the strongest in my age group... and sometimes... I just don't know what to do. I am very strong, but I am also a lady. Which one should I be?"

They walked, closing in to Tokiwadai, when Touma replied.

"Why not both? The strength you have is a wonderful gift. You can do so many amazing things with it. I know that it may be hard, and some people may look at you strangely, but being yourself is the best option I know to be happy in a long run. And as a guy, I can confirm that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your feminine side. It's all there, pretty as- ghhh?! Awash...ki... saah... can't... breaathe..."

"What did I say about perverted comments?!"

"That's totally... different..."

Awatsuki finally released Touma's throat, and was extremely glad that her face was out of his sight, because she was sure she was never flustered like this in her entire life.

{Kongou Mitsuko wants to convey her feelings}

The beach was pearly white, the waves crashed into the shore. The setting sun, the dinner, the music playing in the background. Kamijou Touma, muscular and handsome, kept Kongou Mitsuko close to him as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

"Mitsuko, out of the entire world, there is no one and nothing as beautiful as you" said Touma, sparkling in the last rays of daylight.

"While I adore the sweet talk, I think it's time to commence the true show..." Kongou purred back and came closer to her lover "Let us do it, darling"

She closed her eyes, as Touma lifted her chin up

"Mitsuko..."

"Yes, yes, take me whole! Let's kiss as if there was nothing but us!" she exclaimed happily.

And in the next moment, finally, she was kissing him. It felt like nothing she expected before, unlike anything she ever tasted...

Actually, it was almost too strange. It was more cold than she expected... and somewhat... scaly?

Kongou Mitsuko opened her eyes, and noticed that what she was kissing with amorous expression was her boa constrictor, Ekaterina. Last night, Kongou allowed her pet to roam free in the room and the boa decided to coil herself on the bed.

If reptiles could look surprised at all, Ekaterina surely was.

"Hiiiiiiisssss?"

Oh, I am terribly sorry, Ekaterina-chan. It's just... what's even happening to me..." the lovestruck maiden covered her red face with a pillow" It's 3rd time in a row I had this dream... maybe it is trying to tell me something..."

After a moment, her face lit up.

"That's it!"

(LATER)

"Wannai-san, Awatsuki-san, I gathered you here to request your help. I had a dream that convinced me that I have to show Kamijou-san some appreciation" Kongou declared, as the three were sitting by one of the tables in Tokiwadai.

"What kind of dream was that?" Awatsuki asked.

"The exact details are not crucial here" Kongou coughed into her hand, trying to hide the embarrassment" The point is, I feel like I've been using darling's good nature for far too long. It is truly unladylike to leave it unrewarded. And as I am Kongou Mitsuko, it should be obvious that my gift should be special"

"If you want to give him a gift, maybe it's best not to overdo it" Awatsuki suggested "Guy like Kamijou-san won't like anything too fancy."

After a moment of contemplation...

"What about chocolate?" Wannai gave out her idea" I heard once that guys love handmade chocolate. And although it's not White Day or anything, it is a nice and simple gift, that allows to show a lot of originality"

"That's a great idea. We can also bake some small cakes. Then it's decided, we should make Kamijou-san chocolate desserts!"

"Wait... we?"

"While the main part will be mine, you two can contribute. I can see that you want to"

"Thank you, Kongou-sama!"

(LATER)

The three girls, in aprons and hair tied up, gathered in one of the kitchen rooms.

"Okay girls, I got a permit for us to use one of the spare kitchen rooms. Now, all we got to do is follow the recipe. We already did that with curry, how hard can it be?!

(TAKE 1)

"Awatsuki-san, not that hard! The eggshells got in!"

"Sorry..."

(TAKE 2)

"Wannai-san, you added salt instead of sugar. Ow, my tongue... water! Water!"

"Ooops..."

(TAKE 3)

"Ow... It's 4th time my finger got cut... this knife is harder to wield than it looks"

"I will get you another band aid Kongou-san..."

(TAKE 4)

"Why is there a fish inside the chocolate, Awatsuki-san?!"

"I thought it was butter"

"How could you mistake fish for a butter?"

"It was long, round... and I wasn't looking, can we forget about that?!"

(TAKE 5)

"Now, open the flour, Kongou-san..."

POOF! Aero Hand received a handful of powder straight into the face.

Wannai and Awatsuki froze, as Kongou blinked a few times, her face turning into something resembling snow ghost.

She was covered in flour from her arms up and the white powder caused a stinging sensation.

"That was a close call" Wannai exhaled in relief.

Kongou nodded her head, before freezing on the spot. The irritating sensation in her nose didn't suggest anything good.

"Hwah..." she gasped slightly.

"Now, pour it carefully to the bowl..." Awatsuki instructed. As she was turned around, she didn't notice change on her friends face, with Kongou's elegant eyebrows knitting together and her eyes closing.

But Wannai did and ducked for cover. She saw that expression a few times before, when Kongou got swallowed in the dust billowing up from the usage of her own Aero Hand attack.

"Just be careful not..."

To Kongou's defense, she tried to stop herself. She really did try. But she was fighting a losing battle, as it was already too late.

"Achoo!"

Kongou Mitsuko sneezed, lady-likely yet strongly, straight into the flour bag. This caused the kitchen, from walls to the ceiling, with all equipment and people inside, to become purely white. Except precautious Wannai, quick to react to the incoming sneeze of airline heiress, and escaping the white doom under the table.

"... blow it everywhere. Bless you." Awatsuki finished her sentence, trying to get the flour out of the eyes.

The only thing that wasn't white were Kongou's red cheeks.

"Come on, let's get to cleaning"

(AFTER THE CLEANUP, TAKE 6)

"It's on fire! A-Awatsuki-san, the chocolate in the bowl is on fire!"

"What do you mean on fire?!"

"I mean that it is burning and is on fire! Maybe we added some alcohol by accident?! What do I do?!"

"Stop running around with it! You have the ability to control water, just put it down!"

(TAKE 7)

"Kongou-san, it's not so bad..."

"Yes it is! This frosting is so hard to put on the chocolate? Now it looks like something pooped on that cake!"

"For me, it looks more like a deflated balloon"

"Awatsuki-san, you are not helping!"

(TAKE 8)

" It's on fire again!"

"Awatsuki-san, how could you not know that you frost the cookies after baking them?!"

"Now we have to do it again!"

(TAKE 9)

"Wannai-san, I am sorry that I shattered the flask with sweet syrup."

"It's all well and good Kongou-san, we just have to watch so we don't..."

"Kongou-san, I brought the wrapping papeeaaaaaah?!"

SLIP! SLIP! SLIP!

"... huh... slip and fall..."

(AFTER MANY, MANY ATTEMPTS)

The three girls were sitting in the small restaurant, looking at the small box in front of them.

"Finally..."

"After so much suffering..."

"We did it..." Kongou dried her wide brow from sweat, and grinned to herself "Now, I will notify Kamijou that I have something to give to him~"

After she excused herself, Kongou accidentally bumped into another girl, who was just exiting the restaurant with two other people.

"I am sorry... oh, that's you!"

"HUH?! Watch were you... hmm? You are that rich brat from that lost her way into my battle with him... I wondered if I get to see you again..."

Mugino Shizuri glared at Kongou Mitsuko in a way that could make even the bravest cower in fear.

Two companions of Mugino, Hamazura and Kinuhata, looked at Kongou, wondering how she will react.

When Meltdowner showed the slightest sing of being pissed, there were two main options: oppose her or flee. First was usually suicidal, second not always successful.

But Kongou Mitsuko reacted differently. She smiled, snatched Mugino's hand and shook it rapidly

"Come to think of it, you are indirectly responsible for me meeting my soulmate. I am deeply thankful, senpai"

Mugino was so shocked that she couldn't even force out a proper response.

"What-"

"Oh, I know, I am speechless too. Would you consider to be a godmother of my future child? You played a role in me and Kamijou finding each other so that should make it even. Well, you would have to be 3rd godmother because Wannai and Awatsuki naturally come first"

"What the fuck are you talking ab-"

"I know it's a little early to think about children" Kongou smiled obliviously, still shaking Mugino's hand" But that marvellous GAGARS system allowed me to glimpse possibility of my child with Kamijou-san. And it's simply lovely. Here, I will show you"

The screen of Kongou's phone presented the girl with Kamijou's eyes and face shape, but Kongou's hair and brow. Next to her, was a boy with Kongou's eyes and hair, but more spiky than that of a girl. His face looked like a mixture of both Kamijou's and Kongou's influence.

"I would love to have twins. The chance is not that high, but I am allowed to dream. I wonder who would they take after, ohohoho!"

She finally let go of Mugino's hand and bowed slightly.

"Well, I must be off. See you later!"

Mugino stared into space, her eye twitching as Kongou went outside to notify Touma.

"That was weird" noted Kinuhata.

"How dare she..."

"Now now, Mugino, that's no place to be jealous" Hamazura tried to reason with his comrade, but she snapped at him

"WHO THE HELL IS JEALOUS?! It's simply in Kamijou's interest not to waste time with some spoiled, bratty princess"

"Yeah, and that's not a charging meltdowner sphere ready to shoot at Kongou-san's direction"

Mugino exhaled and the sphere disappeared.

"I am not jealous! Over Kamijou?!"

"Well, you are always first to meet him when he has time... or when he doesn't have it, for that matter"

"He is irritating, annoying, and somehow always makes me wet whenever I meet him..."

"Hehe, makes you wet you say..."

"Kinuhata, better think twice, thrice, or even four times if needed, if you want to finish the joke you are about to make. Otherwise, you might end up missing a limb or two"

Kinuhata shut up.

(LATER)

So, in the end, the Anti-Newtonian trio delivered the gift and everyone lived happily ever after?

Well... not exactly.

Soon after Kongou notified Kamijou, the girls exited the restaurant. The sky was dark and heavy from clouds. It was about to start raining in any moment.

But then...

"Please, stop him! Stop the thief!"

A man run passed them, carrying a purse in his hand.

An elder woman desperately pleaded for them to help retrieve the stolen goods. Among them was a precious watch that belonged to her husband.

Not wanting to wait for Anti-Skill, and knowing that Touma would never condemn them for being late because of helping someone in need, they launched into the chase.

They took the chocolates with them. In retrospect, they should leave them in some safe place, but they simply couldn't think of one in the heat of the moment. Besides, they thought the chase would be over in a moment.

But the thief knew the layout of the alleys much better than they did. So they chased and fought for over an hour, chocolates turning into a hot potato. Meanwhile, it started to rain. It was a wall of cold, blinding water that froze to the bone and met everything a wet, slippery mess.

This water finally gave Wannai the advantage in her ability and allowed Awatsuki and Kongou to incapacitate the thief. They took him to the authorities, and the old lady rejoiced, giving each of the girls a peck on the cheek. But after the emotions died down, the trio looked at the chocolate box. And gasped in horror.

Once beautiful, it was now soggy and bent. Fearfully peaking inside, they saw smeary, brown mess. It could have been when someone accidentally hit it with shoulder, or maybe even fell on it. But the result was devastating.

There was no way they could give that to Kamijou Touma. They had failed, didn't think it through. They deluded themselves and didn't want to leave the product of their hard work in someone else's hands. But how could taking it to a chase could be any better?

Kongou Mitsuko felt tears welling in her eyes. She felt hollow and frustrated. She wanted to sit there and curse her own stupidity. But the fact she was most angry about was that once again, she didn't manage to reward Kamijou Touma's actions.

She sat there with empty gaze for who knows how long. What snapped her back to reality was a small sneeze from Wannai. She was shivering and Awatsuki wasn't doing any better.

Kongou got up and spread her fan, which instantly got wet. She did it without any of the usual flare.

"Come on... let's go home"

(NEXT DAY)

Her throat burned and her body ached, as Kongou Mitsuko coughed in the infirmary bed.

"Who would have... thought..." Awatsuki whispered weakly, struggling to speak "that we'll all get sick... at the same time..."

"I guess we are friends through and through..." Wannai also coughed loudly, before taking a tissue from her nightstand and blowing her nose.

The three of them requested to be moved together to the infirmary, but even in each other's company, the feeling of defeat and misery still hung over them.

Kongou touched her cheeks. They were very hot and, from what she could tell from looking in the hand mirror, flushed red.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She didn't even get the chance to explain herself to Touma yet, and in truth, she was afraid.

But before she could fall even deeper in self-loathing, there was a knocking at the door.

"Kongou, Wannai, Awatsuki!" It was the voice of their dorm supervisor" You got a gift."

"A gift?"

"From the outside. It was checked and it seems that everything is fine with it. You are lucky, I am not sick and I feel better from just smelling it."

The doors opened and the supervisor rolled in a tray. On it, there was a very big temperature-conserving pot, almost looking like a small cauldron, and a smaller paper bag.

"The boy that left this also gave you this letter, Kongou-san. Now, focus on recovery"

As the doors closed, Kongou looked at the letter, and read it out loud, so Wannai and Awatsuki could hear it too

Kongou-san,

When you didn't show up yesterday, I became worried and went to look around the district. As I found nothing, I tried to reach to Tokiwadai, but only in the morning did I found out, through Misaka, that you are sick. So I went back and prepared the thing you see before you (hopefully they allowed you to have it). It's a soup I once made for my roommate when she got a cold. As it was rather effective, I memorized the recipe. It has tons of ingredients that help the immune system and, at least in my opinion, tastes decently. It has no name, but if I had to give it one, it would be 'Universal Get Well Soup a la Kamijou'. Please share it with Wannai-san and Awatsuki-san, if they are near you. I made enough for few servings for each of you.

I also went with my new roommate, that is crazily good at shooting games, to win some things for you in the arcade. It may not be some fancy things you ojous are accustomed to, but please, accept them as gifts from this poor Kamijou.

Kongou-san, you like snakes, so I got you this soft plushie. I hope Ekaterina-san won't get jealous.

For Wannai-san, I got this small necklace with water drop ornament. Hope she'll like it.

For Awatsuki-san, I thought the hairclip would be a nice addition. I just had a feeling.

I hope you all recover soon and we can then talk about what you wanted with me.

Kamijou Touma

The girls looked at each other

"He really... cares..." Awatsuki whispered.

"Yes, he immediately acted on his compassion... truly wonderful..." Wannai concurred.

"That's darling for you..." Kongou said, her heart feeling as if it could soar into the sky "Now, let's try that soup..."

Not without difficulty, but the three girls finally managed to get their portions of the soup.

It was an aromatic (though their sick noses probably couldn't do it justice), yellow liquid. It didn't look like anything special.

But when they took a sip, all three girls sighed almost instantly.

"So warm..."

"It feels so good..."

"I want to eat more..."

Soon enough, the portions were finished and the trio of sick girls was drowning in warm blissfulness.

"My throat feels much better only after that one portion..." Awatsuki remarked "Maybe this stuff really is good..."

"My sinuses cleared up, even if for a moment" Wannai took a gentle sniff of the brew and sighed yet again" What a good smell..."

"I am sure it will take longer to fully cure us... but it is an excellent start" Kongou smiled in content" darling really outdid himself"

After a moment of silence...

"Oh, let's see the things he got us"

The paper bag was soon taken and the items distributed amongst designated owners.

"That's... so... adorable!" Kongou squealed, hugging the long, plush boa "I will never part with it. How should I name it? Ekaterina II? No, I need something original..."

"Such a lovely necklace..." Wannai examined the silvery chain with a small water drop in the center" M-Maybe I should consider asking him to put it on..."

"Which profile looks better?" Awatsuki smiled, posing with a hairclip in the hair. The small accessory resembled a flower with white center, blue petals, and two golden leaves at the base." Oh, it is so good, that it doesn't really matter"

In their happiness, the misery was completely forgotten.

Two days later, all three made the full recovery. More so, they felt even better than in many times they were healthy before.

"That soup really worked wonders... but now, I truly want to reward Kamijou-san too" Wannai looked at Awatsuki, who nodded vigorously.

"Indeed. I have to show my gratitude, no matter what"

"But... what can we do?"

"Oh ho ho ho~" Kongou laughed, coming from behind them" It just so happens that I thought of a perfect gift. Something practical, personal, and truly establishing us high in the food chain"

"What are you talking about, Kongou-san"

"Let's do..." Kongou whispered something into the ears of two girls. In the next second, Wannai blushed hard and jumped back, while Awatsuki coughed awkwardly, as she glanced at Kongou.

"H-H-Hyeeeh?!"

"K-Kongou-san, are you sure about this?"

"Oh, I surely am!" Kongou smiled deviously, looking her best friends with challenging gaze" I put a lot of thought into it and decided that darling deserves the best. My mind is set. The only question is... are you joining me or not?"

Wannai and Awatsuki looked at each other, before nodding, and turning back to Kongou.

"We were a bit surprised, but if it's for Kamijou... we shall do it"

[BACK IN THE PRESENT]

"Eeeh? What was the present?" Hokaze inquired, but Kongou shook her head.

"It's a secret. However, I think that I talked long enough. What about you, Hokaze-senpai? Do you have any pleasant memory?"

Junko smiled, gathering her thoughts.

"Well, it is probably not as elaborate and complex as yours, but it's still something I treasure... my first outing with best gentlemen friends I had..."

Kuroko smirked, before pouring herself second cup of tea

"This calls for another drink"

[JUNKO'S STORY]

The amusement park in District 6 was filled with colours and attractions. Among them, a trio of people, two boys and one girl, walked around the entertainment zone.

Hokaze Junko hummed merrily as she walked in front of the Sogiita Gunha, who looked around with enthusiastic curiosity, and Kamijou Touma, who was more cautious than anything.

"I am so glad that I get to spend this evening with two of you" Junko spun around, leaning in front of them with a smile on her face. "The Queen gave me free day and I have no responsibilities for today, so I am free as a bird"

"Yeah! It's not every day you get to hang with my best girl and best bro in the whole wide world" Gunha patted Touma on the shoulder, before frowning" But it seems your guts are kind of quenched. Something's bugging you, Kamijou?!"

"It's nothing. I am glad that I am with you two, it's just... I don't have the best memories from amusement parks"

"Oh? How so?" Junko asked with concern.

"You see, when you are as unlucky as I am, there is always chance of something malfunctioning. And in the place like this..."

"Kamijou-san..." Junko said in serious tone of voice, gently but unhesitatingly grabbing Touma's face and forcing him to look at her own "Look into my eyes. What do you see?"

"Ehm... your eyes?"

"Oh well, I guess I walked into that one... yes, eyes of a person who considers you a precious friend. It is certain that for one reason or another, you are valuable for my Queen, so if anything happens, I will protect you just like I would protect her. Besides, I admire you even without Queen's feelings involved, and I truly wish to spend some quality time with you and Gunha-san"

"Junko-san is right. We got your back, so just relax and let your guts shine" Gunha grinned and took a piece of folded piece of paper from his pants" And speaking of guts, I made a list of cool things we three can do around the place. Starting with..."

1. Roller coaster

"Guys, I don't know..."

"I always wanted to try this!" Hokaze pointed at the specialized railroad system with steep drops and curves. As an ojou-sama, she rarely got a chance to truly experience common folk attractions like this one.

"We would like to have 3 tickets" Gunha asked the cashier, smiling nonchalantly" for the one with the gutsiest, highest drop you have!"

Soon after, the three were sitting in the same car, with Touma on the left, Gunha on the right, and Hokaze in the middle.

"Okay, thinking positively, this sounds interesting." Touma commented, looking at the ride ahead of them " It even has a vertical loop. Wow... just wow..."

"Hold your enthusiasm until you go through with it" Gunha whispered to him, when the cars started moving.

"This is so interesting. I feel such excitement while facing such a thrill" Junko smiled at both of them, when they gained altitude. 50 meters... 60 meters... 70 meters...

Touma felt as if he worried for nothing. He was here with friends, which was in itself a great thing. He wanted to spend time with them just as much as they wanted with him, so he should just accept it and embrace that attraction, despite the fact that his stomach was protesting from tension.

It felt like a breakthrough in his life. So high, everything became meaningless. What mattered was just here and now, a moment shared with two awesome friends.

They reached the altitude of 100 meters, the peak of the gigacoaster drop.

And immediately, Kamijou's enlightenment ended.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH?!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kamijou's scream, Hokaze's squeal, and Gunha's laughter all blended together with the sounds of other passengers. The wind was such that Touma felt as if his eyes were about to be pressed into his skull, as the car fell down, raised up, upside down and almost horizontally.

"Boys, it says here it's photo time. Smile!" came Hokaze's scream from his left side. He felt the younger girl embracing him with an arm.

"What phot-"

FLASH!

After the blinding light, the car traversed a few more curves and slopes before finally stopping.

"My, my! That was great!" Junko leaped out of the car and stretched her body" Mhmm... what a unique experience! Don't you agree, Gunha-san?!"

"People who have true guts have their real test with this one." Gunha laughed once again, joining Junko and looking at Kamijou.

"Are you coming?"

Kamijou nodded weakly and rose up slowly, trying to pull up the safety restraint.

Although, there was none.

Come to think of it, how could Gunha and Junko just get up without undoing the restraints?

Touma looked down and noticed that restraints rested under his feet.

"Guys... at which point... those fell off?" he shakingly pointed at the safety precautions.

"They did? Oh, those things!" Hokaze wondered for a moment, before shrugging" I thought it was an automatic feature to heighten the excitement"

"I actually broke mine. It restrained my guts. Maybe I should apologize"

"You two..."

"Come on, Kamijou-san. This park has one of the greatest safety systems in the world." Hokaze offered him her hand.

"While I would like to believe it, I think my misfortune doesn't really care about certificates"

"Well then..." Gunha clapped his hands to attract attention" After that part, we shall proceed to..."

2. Matching T-Shirts

"It was not without a reason that we did the roller coaster first. Watch!"

With a boom, Sogiita dashed away, zooming around the gathered people with a blur.

It only took 2 or 3 minutes from minutes for him to get back with 3 T-shirts

"The roller coaster had photo taken during the ride and I asked for the custom made shirt for all of us."

"How did you know our sizes?"

"Guts and intuition. Besides, it is mainly unisex"

The shirts were dark blue, almost black, and had two components at the front.

One was red kanji at the front, forming a sentence:

根性

"Gutsy... Kamikaze" baffled Touma read out, looking at Gunha, who gave him thumbs up.

"Each of us contributes a kanji" Junko explained, pointing at each of the trio" Gutsy-Kami-Kaze"

Touma shook his head, whispering to Tokiwadai student

"I will never be able to look at our surnames in the same way as before"

The second, lower part of the T-Shirt's front, was the photo from the roller coaster. It depicted smiling and blushing Junko hugging both Gunha and Touma into opposite sides of her chest. The former looked as if he was in the state of highest euphoria, the latter as if life was flashing before his eyes.

They each got dressed. Hokaze's big chest made the kanji almost disappear, but Touma was too flustered to point that out straight up, especially since Junko looked very pleased with the photo.

"Now that we all match, we can go onto..."

3. Ferris Wheel

"Whoa! Look Kamijou! You can see outer walls from up here!" the excited Gunha pointed out to the horizon.

"You can also see the School Garden from too. I think many people of our clique would love to see this" Junko also commented, on the other side of the capsule.

Touma sighed, finally getting some rest after roller coaster ride, and looked around. The ferris wheel they were on was one of the biggest in the world. The view was truly amazing. He could see place where once stood Aleister's stronghold, Windowless Building, Steel Bridge, Tokiwadai, even the approximate locations of his dorm and school. After some searching, he also found the apartment he now shared with the Gokusai sisters. It wasn't that difficult, as it was one of the higher living complexes in the city. Thinking about it and seeing it from such perspective, Touma could only be in awe of how crazy, chaotic, but also fun his life was as of late. He met so many people and experienced so many things in such an amount of time that although he was also anxious that some misfortunate accident could end it all for good, on the other hand, he couldn't help but feel wave of gratitude.

"Othinus" he spoke to himself quietly, looking at the city and recalling the scene from another world, another phase, where he gazed upon the buildings tinged in golden light "This. This what I wanted to return to. This is what I strive to protect. And in moments like this one, I so glad to be back and proud to be here"

Othinus, back in the apartment half of the city away, could not hear him. But he still felt the need to say it anyway.

"Hey, do you want to take a photo?" he asked his companions.

Gunha slammed his fist into his chest.

"With the view like this? You bet!"

"Come here, you two" Junko motioned towards

The photo was taken. And this time, all of the three friends have genuine smiles on their faces.

And in that moment, the ferris wheel stopped.

"I hope that we are not stuck here for good"

"Better to be stuck in gutsy company than in gutless solitude" Gunha commented sagely" Let's play 'I spy with my little eye...'!"

Fortunately, return to the earth didn't last as long as Touma feared, although they spent 15 more minutes in the capsule than they intended.

Now came the time for...

4. Prizes to win

Although Touma and Gunha didn't really have the prize in mind, it became obviously clear that Hokaze Junko was hooked.

The girl's eyes sparkled as she looked at the big Gekota plushie from the prize gallery. The violet orbs seemed to get bigger and bigger, until Junko noticed Touma staring at her, and averted her eyes with a small blush of embarrassment.

"W-What is it, Kamijou-san?"

"You really are like Biri Biri. Do you want this frog?"

"Gekota is more than just a mere frog. B-But when it comes for a mascot..." Junko twirled her ringlet curls in her fingers, before answering" I-I would love to take it home..."

Touma looked at Gunha and both boys clenched their fists

"Kamijou, are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"Absolutely. Let's beat the hell out of those challenges and make Hokaze-san happy"

Junko was almost blinded by the fiery aura her two male companions were emanating.

"But... you don't have to do this..."

"Junko-san... this is the calling of our guts... it's the only possible choice..."

"Yeah... when we saw you want it so badly, we understood. Didn't you say it yourself? We are friends. And friends desire the happiness of one another"

"You guys..." tears welled in Junko's eyes, and she dried them up with a handkerchief "You guys are so wonderfuuuuuuuul! May Gekota bless you with his amphibian glory for all eternity!"

And so, operation 'Get Hokaze a Gekota' was on the way.

Firstly, they tried tossing contest, but got disqualified after Gunha tossed the hammer so far that it disappeared over the city and crashed into a building. Oops.

Then Touma tried batting cages. Yet his bat somehow broke. Double oops...

Gunha volunteered for arm wrestling, but the competition actually ran away after he burried one of the contestants upside down. Triple oops. So he conversely tried to win at test his strength, but the indicator crashed through the gong, soared through the air and ended up landing on Kamijou's head.

(10 MINUTES LATER)

"My goodness..." Junko fumed, while Touma and Gunha rested a little bit" You don't have to go that far for me!"

"This is the pride of guts. We need to overcome this obstacle or die trying"

"I wouldn't go that far, Sogiita. But speaking of going too far... are you sure you should be doing that, Hokaze-san?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked the ringlet curl girl.

"Well..." Kamijou spoke, as the soft yet firm skin under his cheek shifted slightly." This position could be interpreted..."

Yes. As many could deduce by this point, Kamijou Touma's head was resting on Hokaze Junko's left thigh. Although he tried to act like a gentleman, the younger girl firmly placed it back, saying that she had to rest.

"What do you mean? I am only helping my friend to rest and recover. You got hit in the head rather hard"

Her innocence was as endearing as it was overwhelming.

"Well... I mean... in this position, others can assume..."

"Don't worry about that. If anything, I am helpful my thighs can be of help. Just don't move too much, I am a bit ticklish."

Temporarily giving up, Kamijou glanced upwards.

"That being said... Sogiita, why are you resting too?"

#7 had his head on the right thigh and was looking upward, towards the darkening sky.

"Seems like an interesting thing to do. Also, it makes me think faster for some reason. Feeling like I could solve the greatest mysteries in the universe"

"While I assure you such thighs can make many people think of mysteries of life, I doubt that they are meant in the same way as you mean them"

Suddenly, something clicked into Touma's head. Maybe it was him being hit on the head. Maybe Hokaze Junko's thighs were secret to the mysteries of the universe. But the sudden idea most possibly came from the sudden announcement.

"THE FIGHTING COMPETITION! SIGN NOW, DEFEAT THE OPPONENTS, AND PICK THE PRICE OF YOUR CHOOSING!"

Touma and Gunha instantly got up, leaving confused Hokaze on the ground

"That's it!" they shouted and dashed forward to the site of the competition.

(HALF AN HOUR LATER)

Finally, the Gekota plushie got into Hokaze Junko's hands. The girl squealed with joy as she hugged the frog. Her beaming face turned towards the boys... only to be replaced with one of terror.

"We won..."

"Yes, I see that! But you are beaten black and blue!"

"That was an epic fight!"

"Right?! It was great!"

"W-Why are you laughing?! Even when you both got to the finals, did you really have to clobber yourself until simultaneous KO?!"

"I respect Kamijou's guts too much to go easy on him."

"Same here. Even though I dislike fighting for fighting's sake, this time I did it with Fistbump!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Mou! Men are so hard to understand sometimes... go into the mobile infirmary, now!

Not wanting to irritate Hokaze, Gunha and Touma went to the infirmary. But upon their return, they were introduced to a new problem. One rather frequent on occasions such as this one.

A large, burly man with bald head and wearing dark leather jacket was towering over Hokaze Junko, who was engaged in diligently ignoring him. The men was not pleased with that and Touma intervened before he could become forceful.

"Hey, she is with us." the spiky haired teen stated firmly.

The men turned to Touma and Gunha.

"You are the guys from the tournament, right? You should tell that you came with such a cutie. I was just explaining to her why she shouldn't waste time on likes of you"

"Leave Junko-san alone"

"Or what? You got lucky back then. It was a power-free tournament. If I could use my ability, I would wipe the floor with you"

"Don't talk to me about luck and leave her alone. Or else I will shatter your illusion that you can harass her so hard that there won't be any teeth left for you"

"The gutless people, harassing girls..." Gunha assumed battle stance, with energy charging around his fist "make my blood boil without fail"

It was possible that the men did not know that he was a level 5. Or maybe he did and didn't care. In reality, Gunha pissed off lots of thugs and Skill-Outs because he didn't have clear motif other than helping out and fighting. And it probably stung to be defeated by someone who didn't even provide explanation for his own power.

"I am rather pissed, so you can go for a rematch." The bigger man chuckled ordinarily" You fight so valiantly, yet go for the childish, kiddie toy as a price? Are you kidding me? You are pathetic. If I won, I would show this chick a hell of a better time and hell of a better price!"

Touma clenched his fist and took a swing.

"Don't insult Hokaze-san. Super Amazing..."

Yet the boys never got to execute their attacks. Because they looked beyond the thug... and instinctively fell back a little.

The bald man laughed, assuming that he intimidated them...

"I don't like violence when I can avoid it. I am a lady after all...

But the crackling of electricity soon proven how wrong he was.

"But you, sir..." Hokaze Junko spoke as her curls came undone, straightening under impulses emanating from her body." ...made two crucial mistakes. Firstly..."

In the blink of an eye, Rampage Dress jumped and delivered karate chop to the man's head, causing him to be buried to the chest level. The thug struggled in vain, as Hokaze approached him and clenched her fists.

"...those two are far from pathetic and you are only saying this to save your sorry self-esteem. Those boys are two wonderful gentlemen that accompany me this fine evening. But they are more than that. They are the dearest, most amazing friends I made outside of Tokiwadai. So here is Hokaze Junko 101. NEVER. EVER. INSULT. MY. PRECIOUS. FRIENDS. UNDERSTOOD?!"

With each word, lightning fast punch was delivered, until Hokaze finished, by initiating roundhouse kick.

"Secondly, Gekota is not childish..."

The roundhouse kick connected, sending the man out of the earth and into the air.

"IT'S A REFINED TASTE!"

Hokaze tossed her hair aside as the man dropped down.

"Well then, I got rather hungry. Who fancies some food?!"

On that evening, appreciation of both Kamijou Touma and Sogiita Gunha towards the category of 'cute girl who can kick your ass' increased tenfold.

Before they went to eat, Hokaze had to take care of her now loose hair.

"Usually, those curls are the present from my Queen and represent my place in the clique, so I don't change that hairstyle. However, today I am open to suggestions."

4. Makeovers

To help Hokaze tidy up, they went to the costume hall to have some fun.

They witnessed twintail Hokaze, straight hair Hokaze, side ponytail Hokaze, even Hokaze with a hair tied up into a big topknot.

Because the boys couldn't form an opinion, Junko finally decided to wear her hair in a regular, low-tied ponytail, just to keep the hair from spreading out too much.

But Touma and Gunha weren't spent from the clothing hell.

On this day, history witnessed policeman, pirate, pilot, devil, angel, doctor, samurai, and many other outfits on both boys.

Hokaze also changed. She took a role of priestess, a nurse, a teacher, a chinese warrior, a ninja, a queen, and many others.

Once they had fun with the outfits, the expected meal time arrived.

They ate some festival food, which consisted of karaage, teriyaki, and hamburgers. They all ate a lot, as the various activities made all of them rather hungry.

After this short break, it was time to get back to the list of activities.

5. Cotton Candy

The trio got themselves some cotton candy. Touma didn't eat such a delicacy for quite a while, but with Gunha offering to pay, both he and Junko, who explicitly enjoyed the candy very slowly, ate with visible pleasure.

Oh, and they were also able to witness one of the most epic battles in the history of Academy City.

No, it wasn't against Accelerator. Nor Kakine Teitoku, Misaka Mikoto, or any other level 5. It was someone much more daring and challenging.

The battle that occurred was...

Sogiita Gunha vs Mosquito

At the beginning, the persistent insect was pestering them without anyone reacting. But after 10 minutes or so, Sogiita Gunha was through with it.

"Super Amazing... Slap!"

His hand came down with such a force that the bench they were sitting on cracked. But the mosquito still buzzed free.

"Super Amazing... Pinch!"

Yet mosquito still evaded the supersonic fingers.

Soon, Gunha was zooming around, trying every possible fighting technique to get rid of the insect that didn't intend on leaving them alone.

"That's it! Super Amazing Hyper Kinetic Blood Sucker Killing Punch!"

There was an explosion of colour and pressure that created a big crater in the ground. As one could expect, mosquito didn't care and was still alive.

Fortunately, Touma and Junko dragged Gunha away before he entered a real frenzy. Who knew, even the most laid back level 5 had something that pissed him off.

6. Water attractions

The amusement park had an indoor section dedicated to water leisure. Touma, Gunha, and Junko knew about this beforehand, so each of them went to change into the swimsuit they left beforehand in the facility.

Firstly, they all went to the river rapid simulation, which consisted of a steep artificial river traversed by rafts. Gunha got the idea of kicking pushing their raft with his power, for a good measure. This worked a little bit too well, as the raft swirled so quickly and bumped amongst the shores of artificial river so viciously that Junko actually hugged the boys in fright, covering their vision as they finally got catapulted into the water.

Later, the group split, with Junko opting for artificial sunbath, and boys going for the variety of slides. The two of them entered competitive mode once again, trying to see who is going to slide the fastest. They also had a discussion regarding which slide was the best. Gunha enjoyed looped slides, while Touma liked traditional speed slide more. They both found themselves laughing by the pair of maniacs on the bowl-type of a slide. But the real treat was yet to arrive. And it was the so called high-tech drop-launch capsule.

It was a type of slide where you were dropped from nigh-vertical position down through the tunnel and into the water. It was experience that required lots of guts, and Touma actually felt his stomach ride up to his throat when he was plunged down. It ended with a rather comical accent, because Touma entered the plunging pool so hard that the emerging wave of mist sprayed all over freshly heated Hokaze Junko, who just exited the sunbath.

Of course, the girl didn't take the sin of having her freshly warmed body subjected to chilly water without any payback. Touma learned that water droplets combined with Rampage Dress could very well be used as rubber bullets. Made him wonder how how Amazora would react if she could power her bullets with energy of her body.

The splashing battle that ensued lasted until Gunha accidentally punched the water outside of the pool and they were forced to evacuate out of there.

7. Freefall

Touma knew that recent attractions were going too safely.

The sun was setting when the dried themselves off and set out to make out their time to the last minute. This was when their noticed the drop tower.

"No way in hell am I going to go to something like that's called a 'Freefall', wearing a T-shirt that says 'Gutsy Kamikaze'!"

The accident paranoia of Kamijou Touma told him to bolt away, but upon Junko's insistence that going high in the air during the sunset would an unforgettable experience, he reluctantly decided to go.

It was type of installation that sped up quickly through vertical rail, before leaving you for a moment in a momentum high above the ground before gravity took you down and you returned to earth.

Touma asked to see safety certifications. Gunha and Junko, to reassure him, went on the ride individually. It went on without any problem, and they both couldn't stop talking about it, so Touma finally tried the ride himself.

To his surprise, the first of three drops per entry went well. Sure, it raised the adrenaline, but not in more terrifying manner than on the roller coaster. During second drop, he actually felt confident on the attraction.

Nothing could be any more deceiving.

Because during final ascension...

CLANG! SCREEEEECH!

Touma's face dropped as, somehow, his individual seat shot up high in the air, reaping away from the freefall drop tower, way above the ride and other attractions, almost at the height of the ferris wheel.

He was still sitting straight as he flew higher, as if he was in the invisible elevator. The only problem was that he was actually just on the seat slowly losing the speed of ascent.

'Did all the security systems malfunction? And for me specifically?! Misfortune-chan, we know each other for so long, but this is certainly an overkill!'

There was a distant booming noise from the ground and Sogiita Gunha, casually jumping into the air found himself next to Kamijou, just as the separated seat reached its peak in ascent.

"Wow, Kamijou! You totally shocked me with this real freefall! What a twist!"

"You... don't say..." Touma muttered through clenched teeth as they started to fall.

"I was thinking" Gunha casually inverted himself in the air as they fell and Touma's eyes became wider and wider "How can I make this situation better?"

"By returning me to the ground? Preferably, in the very short period of time! My right hand will not prevent me from turning into a human equivalent of tomato paste!"

"But that's so casual, Kamijou! This kind of accident is a unique experience. So to make it something that will be truly memorable..."

Sogiita fell down a bit faster and simply stopped himself, standing on air before he caught the seat with Touma. But Touma's relief was premature, as he felt Gunha initiate the swing.

"Let's do it together! One of the gutsiest things ever! Freefall skydiving simulation!"

"You are supposed to have a parachute for those! Sogiita, no! Stop! Don't you daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare!"

Touma screamed as he was yeeted into the air again, with such force that the seat completely fell apart. Now, he was at least 3 or 4 times higher than when it was just an accident. Kicking the air as if he was climbing, Gunha caught up to him in no time.

"Look, we are so high that you can see almost entire Academy City!"

"Please, don't remind me. Do you mind if I just yell at fate for a second?!"

"Whatever makes this more exciting for you!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

(SOON AFTER, BACK ON THE GROUND)

"Junko-san..." Touma wobbled towards Junko, who was observing the aerial acrobations from the ground "I think I am going to be sick..."

"There, there..." the kind girl patted his head with a smile" You were very brave, you actually impressed me..."

"Glad to... hear that... my another near death experience... was so entertaining...

After this, the group did a few individual attractions. Gunha entered a breakdance contest and made it to the top. Touma ventured to look for souvenirs for his current and earlier roommates, that is, for Gokusai sisters, Index, and Othinus. Meanwhile, Junko zoomed around the entire park and bought probably every possible Gekota merchandise she could get her hands on.

And finally, the three of them exited the park. Gunha waved to them after hugging Junko and giving Touma a very convoluted fist bump.

"See ya! I will do a small patrol to check the guts of my neighbourhood, before going to bed!"

And with those words, he dashed away.

"Does he ever run out of energy?!"

"Gunha-san is certainly lively even after all that fun we had"

After walking close to Tokiwadai, Junko turned to Touma and did an elegant bow

"I had lot of fun today. Thank you for that"

"I had a good time too. Even if I could do without certain... excitement. Well, it's time for me to go. My roommates are probably very hungry right now. Hungry roommate is a grumpy roommate, and a grumpy roommate poses a danger for this Kamijou-san's physical well-being"

As Touma walked away, Junko called out.

"Kamijou-san! Will all of us do this again?!"

Touma smiled and showed thumbs up

"Sure, it's a deal. Although freefall is a pass for me"

When Hokaze sneaked into her dorm through the window in ninja-like style, she was surprised when she was greeted by not only Shokuhou Misaki, but almost entire clique, cramped in her room.

"Queen?!"

"Hokaze, why didn't you tell me that you went to spend time with those two?"

"I didn't know... I thought that in free time... I beg for forgiveness, my Queen!"

Misaki sighed and waved her hand

"Junko-san, I am not angry at you. Free time from clique duties is by definition a time you can spend however you want. H-However... do mind to take me along next time, right?"

"B-But of course my Queen! I am sure they will be delighted."

"You were filmed you know, that's how we knew. Oh, and there is also one other hindrance coming you have to take care off..."

There was something moving in the darkness. It seemed like a spark jumping from building to building, but in ridiculously fast time, it flew inside of the building through open window, as Misaka Mikoto practically tackled Junko to the floor.

"My, Misaka-san, what a surprise!"

"Hokaze-senpai, is what I saw on those videos true?! Is that... limited edition mega huggable Gekota from season 3?!"

"Why yes, it is..."

"And those are rare golden Gekota socks?!"

"Correct..."

"And even Pyonko Fedora?!"

"Again true..."

Misaka looked as if she had a few years of lifespan taken from her.

"So that's true... and I was busy today...that idiot... it should have been me! It should have been meeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Oh, and Junko-san. The girls are rather eager to speak with you, for... girls talk about boys, if you know what I mean"

"What do you mean, Queen?" innocence of the violet haired girl made her unable to grasp the true intentions of her classmates" Ah?! Everyone wants to talk?! This... might take a while..."

[BACK TO THE PRESENT]

"That sounded like a lot of fun... and danger hazards" Kuroko remarked as Junko finished her story.

"As I said earlier, it is not as long as you might have expected" Junko smiled, taking a sip of tea" But it's just a token of how much I care for time with Kamijou-san and Sogiita-san. They are certainly the closest people outside of Tokiwadai that I know... well, Ayu-san is not in Tokiwadai anymore so I guess I can count her into that category... and one of the most fascinating and amusing gentleman around"

"Amusing? Hah, that's a word" Kuroko snorted.

"What about you, Shirai-san? Do tell us something!"

"No. I am not doing ape stories! I don't care about him so much that I would produce such a lengthy testimony."

"Oh, Shirai-san."Kongou raised one of her eyebrows" With how much Misaka-san is connected to Kamijou-san, there is some emotions behind your relationship with Kamijou-san"

"W-What kind of logic is this? If I cared, which I don't, I could probably tell you about how I met this ape of gentlemen. How confused I was that onee-sama met someone like this without my knowledge?! Our beautiful love was tainted! So I decided to show onee-sama how vile and primitive this mongrel truly is! I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, he always had the last laugh! He didn't even care about onee-sama's gloriousness. All that hard work I put in seduction efforts, for showing my absolute physical devotion, he achieved flawlessly without any effort. I didn't know what to do. Was my fate to be left out for some ape? But it wasn't all! When I was tasked by Judgement the container switchyard after some explosions occurred during the night, I found his DNA in the form of hair! After getting help from my friend Uiharu, I discovered that he was all over the place, involved in many affairs, from simple fights to city-wide calamities. I couldn't sleep thinking about it. What if he was some sort of criminal that wanted to seduce onee-sama so he could take not only her purity, but also her life, money, or something even more valuable! No, onee-sama, you shouldn't fall for that, I thought! So I decided to incriminate him, for the greater good. But then he saved my life. When I was fighting Musujime Awaki, he took me into his arms and casually diverted the attack weighing over thousand tons. His arms... his stupid, primate arms! I have the highest level of rational mind in this school when it comes to dealing with this commoner, so why on earth am I landing in his arms. During Musujime Awaki incident, apparently during the heat wave, during Handcuffs, and more! The fact that I can tell that those are his arms simply by being in them, with my eyes clothes, makes me tremble in humiliation to my very core. I don't even know what to do anymore. He is so stupid, yet so clever. Is this some convoluted plan to seize control over Tokiwadai? Nononono, maybe I was thinking about this backwards? Maybe he wants to seize control over White Springs and get to me through onee-sama?! HE IS POOR AFTER ALL! But Shirai Kuroko will never yield! No matter how well-toned and muscular his arms felt, there is absolutely nothing that can deter me... I just can't understand that guy! And he should be a piece of cake to understand. How can he move me to action so easily. I always loved heroes and everyone is talking about him as one...Why after so much punishment I put him through he is not only determined, but even eager to help me out? Is he a masochist? Hmm... then I would be able to punish him and keep him from onee-sama without actual displeasure for any party. Banzai! But wait... if he was a masochist, he would be more glad than sad about his so called misfortune. Grrr, back to square one. And he even spoke with my mom! Onee-sama probably hate me that I was in his arms more than she was. I certainly didn't enjoy... being safe... and secure... but that's not my point! He suddenly appeared in my life, and threw everything upside down. And I don't even spent all that much time with him. It's just that whenever I try to assume something about him, he pulls out a new card in his stupidly, ape-like way. I think he is a player? He saves me and onee-sama, and has the audacity to look cool while doing that. He also didn't do anything to my body when he held my unconscious form on two separate occasions, even though I put effort into being irresistible. I think he is helpful? He completely disregards any sort of protocol. I think he is normal? He not only goes around the time, plunging himself in all sorts of fights and catastrophes, but is miraculously unscathed when he fights any esper. He also gets involved in all the incidents that concerned terrorist invasions in the city by outside forces. Details are classified but Uiharu's footage doesn't lie. I think he is hiding some ability? None of the scans he took ever showed everything. Plus he is poor and lacks even the basic understanding of esper power mechanics. Someone like this should be just a common, boring man, so at which point he got so intriguing?! Why does he know not only onee-sama, but Mental Out, no, why are level 5s so invested in him in general? At which point he stopped being just an obstacle and at which point I found it hard to genuinely hate him?! This man is a walking contradiction and ever since I met him, he never fails to drive me nuts! Everything he gets involved with turns on its head! Look at this school! Before it was an oasis of feminine purity, where we contemplated the beauty of just blooming flowers, like my glorious onee-sama. Then he came in like a big, ape wrecking ball and everyone turned into a bunch of giggling teenagers. Sometimes I even resort to meditation and clear my mind, so why is there an inkling of the thought, that if onee-sama allowed it, we three could... together... no! CLEAR YOUR MIND, CLEAR YOUR MIND! He is only an ally! An unlikely ally of justice, that cares about onee-sama, just like me, is a hero, just the way I admire, and protects the city I love, even though he is reckless, stupid, and may die each bloody time! F-For that matter, I didn't get happy when he confided in me first on the Mitsuari Ayu quest. I didn't! And it's not like any of this actually matters, so there is no story for you!"

Kongou Mitsuko and Hokaze Junko both stared blankly at panting Kuroko.

"Shirai-san... for someone who doesn't care at all..."

"... you are surprisingly vocal about him..."

"T-That's because I... because... there is need to know your enemies even better than your friends! All that ape talk made me nauseous, you can't make me tell me anything!"

"Let's catch her, Hokaze-senpai!"

"On it!"

"Haha! Fools! Catching a teleporter will prove harder than you anticipate! I can hide in places you can't even begin to anticipate!"

After over 15 minutes of chase, Kongou and Hokaze admitted defeat.

"Well, there is always another time to get that story. Also, in case of Shirai-san, it is good to watch her in action in addition to her words"

"Agree. But I think we can agree..." said Junko, as the sky cleared away and both maidens looked outside through the window" That Kamijou-san entered the hearts of Tokiwadai and made it so much better"

"He truly did. Although, for some hearts, it is much harder to admit the truth"

"Indeed!"

And as they both laughed...

"Achoo!" Kuroko sneezed, while holding onto spire of one of the small towers adorning the inner dorm. She sniffled, while also looking up towards the sky "Did I overestimate how cold it will be after rain or are those two making fun of me?!"

(MEANWHILE AT KAMIJOU + GOKUSAI RESIDENCE)

"Delivery for Mr. Kamijou Touma"

After taking the package, Touma looked at it with confusion

"I didn't expect anything... oh, this is from Kongou-san? But why?"

After opening the package, he noticed that it contained rather big red book and note attached to it

"KWA Calendar... what does it mean?!"

He took a look at the note

Dear Kamijou,

Darling, you may be confused by this package, but this is the reason why I contacted you back then, when we were supposed to meet. I yearned to show you some gratitude for your actions, as my honour of a lady dictates. Even though not much time passed since we stumbled upon each other, your presence, despite differences between us, made it truly special. Not only for me, but for my dearest, closest friends as well.

We want to inform you that we are all well and healthy, thanks to that delicious brew you made for us. We are all hopeful that you will see us on the fastest available date, as we are all thankful and want to see you again.

The book you received is our present for you. Although it was my idea, Wannai-san and Awatsuki-san made the crucial contributions for it to be truly complete. This Kongou-Wannai-Awatsuki calendar can serve you as a reminder and token of our thankfulness and gratitude toward you, as well as our shared feelings. Feel free to gaze upon whenever you desire. It was made for your eyes specifically and it wouldn't give us greater joy than see you appreciate it. It took a little bit of time and lots of photoshooting and searching the archives to get it done, but in my opinion, results were worth it.

Let me see you again the fastest that I can.

Sincerely,

Your Mitsuko

Touma looked at the book before slowly opening it. His eyes widened.

He flipped a few pages, with his eyes getting bigger and bigger.

He then promptly closed the book, dashed into his room, locked the door, before finally sitting on the bed and opening the book again.

The gift was a photobook. More specifically, it was photobook with 365 photos, one for each day of the year.

That in itself wasn't surprising. What was more shocking was what photos depicted.

Those were the photos of Kongou, Wannai, and Awatsuki in various costumes and many scenarios, both posed and from real life. Besides the opening photo, which featured three friends in their regular school uniforms in front of Tokiwadai front gate, and the last one, which featured all of them in the swimsuits, each photo was individual for one girl. That meant that Kongou, Wannai, and Awatsuki each had 121 photos in the album.

The photos ranged from innocent, like Wannai standing in the field of sunflowers with bouquet in the her hands, through comical, like Awatsuki getting wall-eyed while trying to get whipped cream from tip of her nose, to slightly provocative, like Kongou eating an ice-cream in strangely seductive fashion.

The girls wore many costumes, and Touma saw nurse, stewardess, teacher, amazoness, priestess, military outfit, bunny girl outfit, gym clothes, pyjamas, witch clothes, samurai, knight, princess, nun outfit, artificial gyaru tan, and many others. On some, girls posed with animals or made cute faces to the camera. Meanwhile, other photos were clearly not posed, as they depicted the girls school life, or their slightly younger versions.

In other words, it was a huge variety of photos depicting the three ladies in pretty much every way it could be done without stepping into forbidden territory (all the photos were 'appropriate' in this sense). On the first page, there were three signatures: the energetic cursive of Kongou; the elegant, petite signs of Wannai, and solidly drawn kanji from Awatsuki, all encircled by a single heart and with words in latin alphabet:

With love and gratitude to Kamijou Touma

Needless to say, Touma's face was fully red when he closed the book one more time. It would take time to truly look through the book, but he wasn't mentally prepared. But he did appreciate the gesture. Let's be honest, who wouldn't?

The knocking on the door made him jump as he quickly hid the photobook.

"Onii-chan? Are you coming? We were supposed to go to buy my stuff for the outing..."

"Yes, of course..."

"Onii-chan, you are weirdly red..."

"T-That's because... that blasted AC is not working properly, it's so hot in there, hahaha! Let's see if I can fix that..."

But no explanation needed, the photobook gained a place in Kamijou Touma's most precious possessions, together with various photos on his desk. Although, in contrary to the other photos, he kept it well concealed. He dared not imagine Kaibi's reaction if she accidentally found it.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ATTENTION! This chapter was released in the quick succession after the previous one. If you didn't read the previous chapter yet/you accidentally missed it ( because it is also newly released), the one titled "Rikuri II", read it first and then come forth to this one. I am saying it because they can overlap with publications so close to each other and I don't want any of them to be missed out on.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ending notes: So, that was my take on Touma's romantic adventures with Anti-Newtonian Trio (Kongou, Wannai, Awatsuki) and his friendship outing with Gunko squad. Did you enjoy it?

I think Touma and Kongou, even if it's a crackship, should be invested in much more. There is certain wholesomeness given how Touma and Kongou are with their friends, and yet, how different they are. I recently saw the image of Touma and Kongou kiss, and was glad that someone actually got interested in the shipping possibility enough to make an art.

And also, I noticed that there was no (oh the horror!) fanfic that would get Touma involved with entire Kongou squad ( Wannai + Awatsuki) so I got absolutely convinced that this needed to be fixed. I hope that this will serve as a base for something greater. Because of all the trio, Wannai had possibly the longest moment with Kamijou, before getting flustered, in Element Arc. So there is something there that can be explored.

And about Touma + Gunha + Junko. Ever since I realized Gunha and Junko fought with each other, and that Gunha fought alongside Touma, it was my ambition to make the three of them friends and have them hang out with each other. Just a group of friends with a wacky, nonsensical, over the top comedy, and lots of fluff transcending their social standing, abilities, or histories. It just... felt good. I have no other explanation for it. I just felt like three of them would click, with Kamijou's denseness, Gunha's chunni energy, and Junko's naive kindness, while retaining the fact that all of the three are badass physical fighters.

And of course, Kuroko's monologue is the tribute to of how, especially comparing to the beginning of the series, Touma influences her mind, ship or no ship, even if she doesn't like to deny it.