Painted Prison Chronicles

by Sparity Ikari

When Kamijou Touma and Gokusai sisters reunite after a long while, things certainly go crazy for all of them when they found themselves living together through random twists of fate. In their daily life, Touma, Amazora, Kaibi, and Rikuri will learn about each other, with their light, darkness, and pasts revealed. Among the misfortune, comedy, and romance, their bonds blossom anew!

11. Chapter 11

PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 11

INTERLUDE V: FRIENDS, CHAOS, LOVE, AND OTHER RELATED PHENOMENA

Hello again, after a longer while. Wow, this chapter got BIG. But I thought: some of the popular classics, like Certain Unknown Level 0, or Misfortune No One Sees Until Now, have the chapters of that length. So why not?

Firstly, I greatly appreciate the feedback on previous chapter. Ever since its conception, I was aware and somewhat prepared that particular parts can be questioned or disputed, so it was all the more welcoming and surprising to receive such support from you. There are few important things I want to say here, and I'll try to be quick because of how long this chapter is.

Firstly, general remark regarding more and more secondary characters. While many appreciate the appearances of less explored characters, there were also voices of concern if the secondary characters don't overshadow Gokusai sisters themselves. Those concerns were valid yet there is no need to worry. My intention was never to let the sisters be overshadowed. The last chapter could feel like it, because I shifted focus from Amazora's actions to process revolving around her character. When it comes to Amazora, she is the hardest to write in a way because she is more action-oritented and less reflective than her sisters. And I deal much better with expressions of emotions than action sequences. But, I think that for now I'll stop adding RECURRING secondary characters. There will be more added before story ends (for example, Ayu) but I will tone it down for now. However, secondary characters CONTAINED within specific scenes or sequences will still be present.

Secondly, Maidono. I knew that there may be concerns regarding her ability to fly. I based it partially on Fuwa Fuwa no Mi from One Piece, where its user, Shiki, could float and manipulate inanimate objects, after making contact, and himself, through the air. Most importantly, Maidono's flight will not (besides couple moments) have that much of relevance when it comes to greater narrative. I hesitated quite a bit, but it was honestly my creative dream to have an esper beyond level 5s fly freely. And, as we saw already, this flight is not fully free. I made sure that restrictions I gave on that power are either do or die. There was a criticism on the fact that Maidono might get too powerful and simply control other people by putting pressure on them. The thing is, general rule I established states: Maidono can't manipulate living organisms or energy those organisms emit. Maidono can manipulate inanimate objects, and the reason she can fly comes, in my opinion, from the distinction between altering her own AIM field and reaching for other objects. She can alter her AIM field because she can change calculations in her brain. That however has nothing to do with "grasping" something else, because she can't affect other AIM fields in a way she can control her own power. She is not Takitsubo. Unless person has some inanimate parts, Maidono's power can't form its grasp. She can repel the air in front of the person, but not the person itself. However, she can change the properties of her own power in the same way as putting a program that changes codes on one computer but can't interfere with other devices because of different hardware. I envisioned it as Maidono learning something in the prison that would differentiate her own energy from others. Unfortunately, I know this might not be satisfying (for example, why is she different or why can't she affect other organisms) but to be honest, if we started nitpicking on abilities for their lack of logic, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the power of Kakine, not to mention Gunha's. So I decided to generate a set of axioms and leave it at that.

Thirdly, it was said that Enka's backstory is wrong, as he was said to suddenly get his powers, as if he never trained them. While this is a valid observation on the part of the reader, this is not really an overlooking, but a concept I thought of for the purposes of the story. It was partially explained already in the case of Rikuri, but I thought about the cases where esper power is latent. That means, it is hidden and can grow in power without manifesting. I imagined the esper power usage as 3 component process, 1) INPUT, of energy from Personal Reality to esper's brain 2) PROCESSING, which means conducting calculations for ability to be of use 3) OUTPUT, manifesting the ability through AIM field into outside world. Those 3 processes may go almost in parallel, but they doesn't have to have the same strength, and someone may grow in processing power while still being unable to "trigger" the power on the outside and being stuck looking like a level 0. Thinking about it like this, the assumed level of the esper would come from all those 3 components, as all of them would be needed to be a proper esper. For now, this will suffice, as the process will play a role in later part of the story.

Some also noticed that I might have a soft spot for Kongou-san. The reason for that might be that she was one of the alternatives for writing a romance story with Touma and I didn't want to miss on including her here as well.

Few words about the chapter itself. It is one of the most chaotic, longest, but also charming chapters of this story, in my personal opinion. It took a while to write, but it was well spent, and serves as a prelude of sorts for the next one, where very important plot points where occur in climax.

Now, for some of the Q&A:

Zatiyl Hidayah Spensa: Kakine won't appear yet, but overall, he will have a important moment as well.

Farrelspiral: Thank you for all the praise

Kai: If you think about it, Touma has immensely powerful squad. Most powerful electromaster, most powerful telepath, most powerful telekinetic, most powerful female esper of old gen...

Tastiera: Maidono deserves some love :) She was very nice in GT, I didn't want her to be forgotten.

PlainSalt: As I am studying, it is harder to write now :( I am still managing though.

5had0wHand: This chapter is even longer ;) Thank you for the praise on characterization.

I will answer more questions on later occasion. Onwards!

"My name is Kamijou Touma, 16 years old. Even though some think I am a hero, I always desired a quiet and calm life. I've even rented an apartment to have a serene time while my place is rebuild. So why..."

Touma hit his head on the kitchen table

"...why is there such a crowd here?! It feels like I am back to square one! Does my luck really hate me that much?!"

Initially, there were 4 people in this apartment during meals. Now, the number increased to 8.

Hasako lived here half the time, Maidono became their neighbour, but the fact that Nephthys and Niang-Niang were coming to eat here had no explanation whatsoever.

"STOP WITH THE FREELOADING! No, some of you don't even live here!"

"Oh, don't make a fuss. The more the merrier. Ummm, your cooking is amazing!" Nephthys closed her eyes in delight.

"Another one!" Niang-Niang grinned, extending a hand with a plate.

"Another one my ass! You ate 3 people's worth!"

Touma could only suspect that the Magic Gods did something for other girls to not question their presence. Maybe they didn't even notice them at all.

Touma sighed and bumped into Rikuri, who was heading to the kitchen with plates.

Metal bowl dropped onto the ground. And as they both reached it, their hands grabbed each other by accident.

"Oh, do you seek my comfort already, boy?~" Rikuri teased "It's early in the morning..."

"I might as well have..." Touma mumbled, which got the older girl flustered, as always when teasing turned on her.

Kaibi, watching from afar, sighed, deep in thought.

'Kamijou has it hard. Apparently, he needs to make up for classes he skipped, plus he cooks for us. Usually, I would not care that much, but... it honestly doesn't feel right. I am planning to go out tonight, but maybe we can do something... no no no, I won't change my plans because of him... b-but...'

Maidono was also worried, although she did not try to hide it like a certain tsundere Measure Heart.

"Hmm, the guy looks like he is about to drop dead. I thought I was helping enough, but apparently he has a lot going on even besides cooking us..."

Maidono used her powers to navigate the parade of dishes, which floated through the air towards respective people. Her reach was such that she could bring something from the kitchen without moving from her chair. But this was apparently not enough to ease Kamijou's tiredness.

Hasako was not saying anything, but she casted worried glances towards the kitchen from time to time, and got so distracted that she kept slurping the air form cup where once was her milkshake.

Nephthys and Niang-Niang, who in truth did not experience Touma's kitchen in its full glory, were too busy stuffing themselves full to notice anything odd.

However, the one who finally managed to address the issue, was none other than Amazora.

"Onii-chan... is something wrong? You look so tired!"

Yes, if anyone was not afraid to bluntly confess her worry, it was the little girl staring at Touma with her eyes filled with questions.

Touma smiled and patted her on the head.

"Don't worry about me. I am fine, totally... now, I will be back in just a moment..." and with that, he wobbled his way to the bathroom.

The silence, aside from the sounds of absolutely delighted Niang-Niang stuffing her face with chinese-styled dumplings that Touma made especially for her, was deafeningly awkward.

Finally, Maidono grabbed her head in her hands and muttered.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore! I think we can all agree that Kamijou looks stressed as hell?"

Today, Maidono had her natural dark-brown hair on display. Ever since her reveal of levitation, she alternated between wig and natural look (although she kept the reason a secret, she was testing which of the two styles Touma preferred more).

"He looks so beat! Apparently, he has exams to prepare for, make up classes, his regular shitty luck, and having all of us here is a little bit overwhelming, just saying".

The rest of the girls nodded slowly. However, not all of them agreed upon it with no emotions on their part.

"From what I know, he had freeloaders before he and us came to live here, and they weren't exactly helpful. Repeating that for him is just mean. And I don't usually have problem with mean" Kaibi said, taking a sip of tea from her cup.

Maidono gave her a cross look.

"How do you know of the details of his life, miss dress?"

Kaibi didn't stop elegantly sipping tea, however, her cheeks, visible above the cup, became slightly red. She sighed as she put the drink down.

"That's none of your business."

"I bet sharing a house with someone like this must have been what tired him so much. I mean, you are the type to lash out at imperfections and mistakes, right?" Maidono smirked at Kaibi.

"I have done nothing...much... of this sort! Besides, we were perfectly happy with just my sisters and Kamijou. We are not a damn hotel! We appreciate your help and being a mentor to Amazora, but you can go now. You have your own flat"

"I am sorry, but I didn't see any signs of him disagreeing with my presence here!"

"Maybe because he is a soft hearted idiot who can't dismiss some clingy fool who can't even muster out her true motives"

"You are talking about yourself, I presume?!"

"Excuse me?! Listen, we were here first, so stop tiring Kamijou!"

"Oh, so it's my fault then?!"

"And what if it is?!"

Both girl's raised from their seats, not breaking eye contact.

Maidono grit her teeth. Her irritation was apparent, as all plates and utensils started to shake and slowly move towards her.

"You know, I tried to be reasonable because I consider myself Kamijou's hands to the darkness. But you are really starting to piss me off! Maybe I shall crush you with something so you can cool off! Or maybe you want to be dropped from high altitude?"

"You can try" Kaibi's eyes glowed ominously" But just like you, I trained my power to perfection. Our emotional distance will be decreased before you manage to throw anything at me, or even grab me for that matter. Good luck trying to kill your lover or a partner. Unless you are a sociopath, in which case Kamijou would be better off without you. And you can't just grab me with your power and throw out the window, right?"

"Damn you! I don't need to control your body to-"

"Emm, girls, I don't think we should..." Hasako tried to interject, but was met with fire from both sides.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS! It's always the quiet ones. You try to get him to do what you want as well, thinking we wouldn't notice?!"

"Pardon?!" tears of anger appeared in Hasako's eyes "I am not... I could never!"

Amazora, confused with the now three-way shouting match, exited the room. Meanwhile, Rikuri sighed, inhaled deeply through her nose, and...

"EVERYONE, CALM DOWN. RIGHT. NOW!"

She slammed her fist onto the table.

When Maidono and Kaibi tried to point fingers at each other, the older girl raised her own.

"I don't care. If you don't stop, I swear I will spike your drinks and you won't leave the bathroom for the next week."

That did the trick, combined with the fact that Kaibi was oldest (by appearance) member of the group, not counting over 70 years old Hasako and millenia old Magic Gods.

"I have no doubt that you would be able to kill each other, but that would not improve the situation. Besides, if you two started fighting" She pointed at two quasi-level 5 espers "Part of the town could be destroyed. And that's an optimistic estimation"

Maidono and Hasako lowered their heads, although their still send glares at each other from time to time.

Rikuri put her hands together, and focused on all of the girls. Meanwhile, Nephthys and Niang-Niang finished their meals and were now resting with satisfied looks on their faces.

"I think we can all agree that under that senseless bickering, we are simply worried for Kamijou. He did a lot and let's be honest, saved all of us from certain problems."

Kaibi felt a sharp stab in her heart.

'Not me though...'

She owed him for saving her sisters, but he did not involve himself in Kaibi's own case.

Did it... bother her? She kept her distance because of her own wishes, so why did the thought of Kamijou not having a moment like this with her started to bother her now?! How stupid was that?

"I too noticed that he looks tired. And well... I think we all feel guilty about it. It may or may not be related to us, but we are his environment right now. Guilt that we did not do anything about it is fine, but we can't let it end there. There must be something we can do"

"Hmm..."

As they contemplated the situation, one voice entered the discussion. It was Magic God Nephthys, currently laying on the sofa

"What if we made some sort of gifts for him?" she exclaimed towards the rest of the females.

Rikuri blinked, as if she felt something, but when she looked in direction of the couch, there was nothing there.

"What if we made some sort of gifts for him?" she said, with a bit of unease in her voice, as the thought appeared in her head so suddenly that it almost felt like someone gave her that idea.

The rest of the girls started to whisper in excitement.

"That sounds like a cool idea." Maidono approved "But what should we do? And in which form?"

"G-Gift for Kamijou-san?" Hasako was also taking in the new idea "But what should it be?"

Kaibi was the last to speak, and she did so with certain amount of reserve

"Gift? I... should we do it together? Or..."

She knew what answer the she would give the moment she started asking. But it still felt right to consult the others.

Kaibi wanted to erase that thought from her mind. She knew it was silly and maybe utterly selfish.

But when she imagined Kamijou receiving a gift, she wanted for him to be focused on hers and hers alone.

She shook her head.

'Why is my heart beating fast? Am I... excited about this? Excited? Me?'

Gokusai Kaibi's trademark was coolness and collected allure. Yet Kamijou Touma demonstrated her yet again that he had an unparalleled ability in messing her emotions, even being in the other room.

Rikuri took her younger sibling's reaction as being lost on what to do.

"I think we all have valid questions, and we should discuss them to figure out what to do. This is why I proclaim that we shall do... girls outing!"

Kaibi stared at her excited sister

"Huh?"

Hasako was equally dumbfounded.

"Girls... outing? What is this?"

Maidono turned to her with shock on her face.

"What?! You never went out with your female friends?! That's an awesome thing! We can drink, and go to do something fun, and in the meantime, we'll figure out how to appreciate Kamijou without him eavesdropping."

"I didn't have many friends back in my time" Hasako muttered quietly "And most of the time I was experimented on or had to fend off people who called me an freak..."

"Right... s-sorry... but well, there is a first time for everything..." Maidono uttered awkwardly, rubbing her arms to shake off the awful feeling of discomfort. Touma and Gokusai sisters decided, after consultation with Hasako, to tell her basic background regarding the Beginning Child. Maidono accepted the explanation, but in all honesty, still had a lot of trouble fully comprehending it. It seemed out of this world even for Academy City.

Rikuri clapped her hands

"Well, ladies, no time to waste. Oh, and don't tell our cute Amazora-chan. At least not yet."

"Right, she would out the secret before we managed to do anything" Kaibi looked at Rikuri, and whispered" Also... that day is close, right?"

Rikuri's smile fell a little.

"Yeah, she does not remember, but may still feel off. Some memories are felt even if we can't express them. So maybe it's best if we left her with him... he does seem to have a great effect on her."

Kaibi felt stinging sensation once again. Yet again, she forced herself to ignore it.

(15 MINUTES LATER)

When Touma got out after washing himself, he encountered an empty living room. Well, almost empty. Amazora was curled up on the sofa.

"Onii-chan..." she muttered, and Touma realized she was asleep.

"Amazora... why are you asleep, it's morning..." he tried to speak. Yet...

"She is exhausted. Don't wake her up"

Touma jumped, when she heard the voice of Niang-Niang right beside him. The goddess snickered, climbling her purple and pale fingers up his back, enjoying the establishing trend of scaring Touma.

"Niang-Niang? You are still here?!"

"Oh, don't say that in such tone. I know you love having such a fun girl like myself around"

"Replace fun with problematic and I will agree"

She stuck her tongue at him, but with no apparent malice.

"Agree with liking me or me being problematic?"

"Is something wrong with Amazora?" Touma interrupted the teasy streak.

Niang-Niang looked at the small girl, and sighed.

"She is troubled, that much I know. I observed her for a little bit of time, and she seems to carry something within, that she is not comfortable with.

She stroke Amazora's head and sang softly in a language that Touma could only assume was a chinese dialect:

jiù yì jiù xiàng yi shàn chuāng

tuī kaī le jiù zài nán hé shàng

shuí căi guò kū zhī qīng xiăng

yíng huŏ huì zhe huà píng xiāng

Which he somehow understood, as was the case with Nephthys:

Old memories are like windows

If you push it away, it's hard to close it again

Who has stepped over the dead branches, made a soft sound

And drawn the painted screen of incense with firefly spark.

"Maybe that's something coming from her past." the goddess resumed "Those girls are runaways, right? The little one is carrying on well, but recently, she is not sleeping well."

Indeed, Touma noticed that even now, Amazora's face was twitching and her breathing was more erratic than it should be in calm sleep.

"She is having nightmares? So what can I do?"

Niang-Niang grinned

"Do you even need to ask? Come and comfort her. Just lay down with her."

"Eh?"

"You are dense, so I will spell it to you: you are important for this little girl. I don't know how much, and I will leave the exploration to you, but your presence is soothing for her. She is troubled by something awful from her earliest past, and her sisters can only do so much. She needs you."

"I-If you say so..." Touma said, slowly laying down next to Amazora. Not even a minute passed when Niang-Niang's words turned out to be true. Amazora hugged him tightly, and her face calmed down.

Touma also smiled, slowly stroking Amazora's curls to calm her down. He had to admit, youngest Gokusai was admittedly cute and it warmed his heart to see this quality being on full display when she could sleep soundly. One could almost forget that her hobby was using the gattling gun.

"I never had younger siblings so I didn't know what to do at first... but being able to make her happy makes me really glad" Touma finally said. He then blinked and turned to Niang-Niang.

"Hey, last time you told me Amazora is like you. Can you tell me something about it?"

Niang-Niang shrugged, her long sleeves fluttering a little.

"She is determined, has fire in her heart, sense of humour, desire to overcome obstacles. I was the same when I was her age, thousands of years ago... or maybe more? To be honest, that little troublemaker earned a soft spot in me. If she was not an esper, it would be nice to have someone like this as Magic God. Also... she is in the age of my own little sister..."

She got quiet, and looked at Touma.

"I know that Nephthys told you about her story. I don't like to be behind, so I will say something as well. I was born near island of Hainan, on the territory between today's China and Vietnam. My family was not rich, but we somehow managed on our own. My father was a small town official, and my mom weaved and dyed clothing to earn for a living. I also had a younger sister, that was a pride of our village. You see those Yin-Yang accessories on my braids? One of them used to belong to her. "

"What was her name?"

"Liánhuā. It means "Lotus flower". I tell you, she was adored by everyone, a girl that was a model daughter of the time. She was a bundle of energy and always tried to help everyone, even though she messed up more often than not. Meanwhile, I was... more of a rebel, especially for that time. I always tried to get myself into the armoury, ride on horses, and do things girls should not do. I also learned how to read and had photographic memory, that was also not very useful for a girl.

One day, the local lord from nearby town noticed me, bathing in the river. As he watched me, he came with the idea to make me his bride. He was a tyrant and enjoyed to torment people for his own benefit, and wished for a bride from a common villagers so she could not oppose him. Of course, no one was really thrilled. But my parents could not oppose him. No one could."

Touma eyed her sceptically

"Was he a lolico-"

In that moment he discovered that he was not a foot enjoyer, as the end of purple limb collided with his face.

"I looked different back then" Niang-Niang fumed "I was not yet of marrying age. Yet the lord did not care. He demanded that I will go with him, or the village will suffer the consequences. Going would mean I were to never see my family again, and my sister was heartbroken. We devised the plan to somehow stall time. Only a bit later I learned that she tried to impersonate me. She was only a little bit younger than me and with enough preparation, she could fool someone who did not know us. She was convinced that as the stronger one, I alone had the means to oppose the lord and find some way out that would not get our family torn apart. I fled at night, promising to rescue all of them. I searched shelter in the old Dao shrine. The monks helped me but denied the access to their sacred scrolls, deeming it too dangerous. That didn't stop me though, as I stolen them, and ran away again. After week of running away, travel, and practice, I managed to more or less memorize them. I had no idea that they were magical. Thinking back, it was a stroke of dumb luck"

"Why though? Why were you doing this?"

"Tao was considered powerful magical force in our village. With no way to oppose the military might of the tyrant lord, I thought reaching for the supernatural was my only choice. I only wanted to find some way to make him lose his interest in us, so we could go back to our lives. I found what I was looking for, even in such short amount of time. But I was still too late."

She tightened her fists.

"When I returned, my hometown was burning. The streets were littered with corpses. And in the middle of it all, I could see my sister, crying for help as that monster and his men were taking her away. She stalled for time longer than I could have anticipated. But he probably figured it out when she showered. He saw my body before, maybe he could tell the difference. He was furious for that deception and all town suffered because of that. Just because of that, I was the demise of my people. I ran after my sister who was being taken. He probably did not care anymore and wanted to just destroy me for humiliating his intelligence, by taking Liánhuā away. But then... it happened. As she struggled, she managed to fall down alongside the rider. And the horse, scared by sudden commotion, kicked her in the head. I did not know it yet, but it was a lethal blow. As I ran to her side, I tried to perform a healing ritual described in scrolls to give her my chi, my life energy, in hope that it will save her life. It started to work. But then, it was interrupted. As I channelled the energy into her body, one of the men, maybe in terror from the sight of mystical power, drove a spear through me. Thanks to this, unimaginable occurred."

Touma did not even notice that he was baiting his breath.

"Aleister probably told you that in magic, even slightest things can become symbols of power. As Liánhuā died and I kept giving her my life force, she wore my clothes and styled herself as me, as she kept the charade till the last moment. Our ending lives, me giving her my very soul, and her taking my identity flawed the healing and changed it into something else: the corpse liberation, Shijie. My sister died, but I lived on, as my "life" symbolically ended with her death, causing my chi combined with the ritual for a new form of power to manifest. Magic flowing through changed my body, giving me my current look, and turned me into the imperfect Xian, the undead being."

"I...am so sorry."

"Don't be. The blame is on me, for being a complete fool who did not know anything about the world. After I woke up, I tried to revive everyone, I poured everything into it. But they couldn't wake up. And as for the monsters that caused all of that... they all fell quickly before my new might.

I slaughtered them... I slaughtered them all.

That day, only I walked away, after burying my sister. Hollow and empty, I discarded everything. I stopped to age. Even though I learned that later on, the act of abandoning my humanity, my heart, and people I loved met the conditions necessary to turn me into Magic God. They always have to sacrifice parts of her humanity to achieve the power. I had the power, but was completely alone in the world. For few centuries, I was trying to find a sense of purpose. I trained taoistic magic, sneaked into the military dressed as a man, and thought thousands of battles. I got proficient in using weapons, and created my Pao-Pei. Without realizing it, I achieved divinity, through natural skill and talent. And finally, nearly 4 centuries after I became a Xian, I met Nephthys, when I travelled towards the west in search of something that could quench my boredom. I was battle thirsty, yet she completely destroyed me. She never laughed at me, hah, she cried when I told her my story. She taught me how to become a Magic God and promised to walk on that path with me. But that's the story for another time. "

"That... that's so sad and cruel"

"Yes, indeed. But you know what? I tried so hard to change the world for Liánhuā's soul to have rest. I may not redeem myself, but I thought 'If I live longer, maybe something good will come out of it.'"

Touma smiled, feeling tired all of the sudden.

"Niang-Niang-san... I think you are a really good person"

The purple-skinned girl blinked

"Huh? I told you that I made terrible mistakes and through my dumb trust in some nonexistent humanity in that guy, I killed everyone around me"

"Even if that was so... you tried a lot to help. You escaped, but wanted to aid them. You wanted to sacrifice everything to help others, even discard your humanity. If it wasn't for the fact that she was too far gone, you would give your life in exchange for your sister's, right? You are a good person. And I am sticking to it."

Niang-Niang chuckled and sighed.

"Aren't you a charmer? I am an undead immortal, you know. My heart isn't suppose to beat. I also forgot the boundaries of good and evil... but unlike Nephthys, I didn't pop up through some sort of magic phenomenon. I was just a simple, even if beautiful and talented girl. And talking to you..."

The last thing Touma remembered before falling asleep was the cheeky grin of taoistic deity.

"... makes me remember how it's like to truly feel. Kamijou Touma... I wished you would meet me sooner. Someone like that does not come around every millenium."

Touma fell asleep, hugging Amazora tightly. Maybe it was because of Niang-Niang's story, but from that moment forth, he gained new appreciation for the Gokusai Amazora. Even now, he hugged her protectively, which caused the girl to blush and giggle in her sleep. Her nightmare was now just a memory.

Niang-Niang watched them with a somewhat nostalgic look on her face, before she rose up, and put her fingers together with a mischievous smile.

"Now then, girls can't be the only one having fun. Something must be done about that..."

(1 HOUR LATER)

Touma was woke up by knocking on the door.

Slowly getting up, he proceeded to see who was causing the commotion. And he was in for a major surprise.

"Huh? Hamazura?!"

Indeed, the boy with a messy blond hair and brown hoodie was standing awkwardly in the entrance.

"Boss, I should be used to seeing things like this through my times with ITEM, but wow, this place has style."

"It's not exactly like I paid for this place..." Touma shook his head "No, wait a moment, what are you doing-"

"Hold up" Hamazura raised a hand, and turned around" Are you okay back then?!"

For a couple of seconds, there was no answer. But then a silhouette emerged from the shadows of the staircase.

"Nyah... it's good, all good... I just made a tactical stop..."

She was wearing an outfit that would suit a video game idol. She also had long blond hair and crystal blue eyes. Kamijou recognized her, as he was involved in events of this girl's life not once, but twice.

"Fremea-chan!"

Fremea Seivelun pointed a finger at Hamazura.

"Nyah hah! Did you see that?! I can take stairs and go up 9 floors in a few minutes, no problem!"

"Yeah, and you are on the verge of collapsing. Your legs are trembling and you are panting like crazy. I told you, you don't have to prove your stamina."

Hamazura sighed, picking up smaller girl into his arms.

"Honestly, this kid. Say that she can't do something, and she tries to prove you wrong. She is so cheeky about, it's as if I saw her sister in the flesh... oh, and who is this?"

Amazora, rubbing her eyes sleepily, appeared by Touma's side.

"Gyah?! Intruders! Is onii-chan trying to replace me?! This needs my baby-"

"Stupid! Don't start with that now or the whole flat will look like a swiss cheese."

In the next moment, two boys were sitting at the couch while two small girls faced each other while sitting on the living room's carpet.

"Boss, are you on babysitting duty?"

"Kind of. You?"

"I took pity on Fremea. Mugino is... not in a great mood, since she accidentally ran into you. She roams our apartment like an angry blizzard of electron beams. Kinuhata dragged Takitsubo somewhere, probably to shop, so I took it upon myself to evacuate us from danger zone. Boss, she gets all furious and red when we mention this incident. What... did you do?"

Touma chuckled awkwardly.

"While, I sorta... kinda... kissed her... by accident..."

Hamazura stared at him blankly.

"You did what?! This is... like a death warrant! I mean, this is Mugino we are talking about!"

Meanwhile, it seemed that in short amount of time, Fremea and Amazora bonded in the way that is possible only for free-spirited girls of their age. They were now discussing something, and no one would suggest that they were complete strangers just a moment ago. The discussion was very chaotic, but Touma swore that he heard the words "training bra" and "beetle". Soon, the conversation turned into the debate over best big-brother figure

"Hamazura is much better! He can operate all sorts of different types of machines!"

"Onii-chan is 100 times better! He punches people in the face and it's super cool!"

"Hamazura is million times better! He has a girlfriend!"

"Onii-chan is infinity times better! He can have like super lot girlfriends."

"This is getting surreal" Touma commented.

"Yeah, those two are definitely gonna become best friends, no doubts about it" Hamazura also added his confused commentary.

He then looked at Amazora, narrowing his eyes.

"You said that a friend left her with you? Maybe I'm imagining things... but she is so similar to that blond girl in the dress... is she by chance..."

Kamijou and Amazora stiffened. Fremea was turning from one side to the other, not understanding the sudden tension in the air.

'If he knows Kaibi-san, we need to bluff. It would be better to calmly explain the situation, but revealing it like this would be super awkward. Amazora, act naturally!'

Amazora winked to him.

'I have a bad feeling...'

"I am Amazora Goku... Gok... Gokai! I am a completely normal girl, who goes to school, has regular grades, and definitely doesn't shoot people with a wonderful, super cool gattling gun. No, that's not me at all! Ah hah hah hah!"

'Yup, we are dead. She can't bluff at all!'

Hamazura looked at too-widely smiling Amazaora. He opened his mouth...

The bell rang, and Touma thanked every possible scrap of fortune he had. Then something occurred to him.

"Hamazura... why are you here, actually?"

Hamazura shifted his attention to him, making Amazora breath out a sigh of relief.

"Oh? I was invited. By you, boss. I took Fremea along, I hope it's not a problem though."

"I wanted to see you as well, spiky haired hero friend of Hamazura!" Fremea jumped high onto Touma's lap "Actually, I didn't thank you last time you tried to help me with Beetle-san"

"The name is Touma, and it was a pleasure to help you, Fremea-chan. But what was that about invitation-"

The look on Amazora's face upon seeing her new friend's action was so strikingly similar to Kaibi's look of disgust that Touma wouldn't be surprised if it was a copy and paste of genetics. He hoped Hamazura did not pick on yet another similarity. Kaibi was surely a troublesome girl. Why was he even covering for her?

Well, because he cared, probably. And because he wanted to understand her circumstances on his own.

There was a very loud knocking on the door. After getting Fremea down, Touma once again walked to the door.

"What invitation? I didn't send anything..."

"KAMIJOUUUUU! THE PARTY'S GUTS ARE HERE!"

Under a particularly strong knock, the doors flew out of his hinges, straight onto Touma. The new person stepped into the apartment, scratching his head in innocent shock.

"Huh? It seemed my excitement got the better of me!" Sogiita Gunha laughed boisterously, until he noticed Kamijou, twitching under the door. "Oh... why is Kamijou under the door?!"

"Nyah! Spiky hair uncle!"

"Onii-chan!"

"Boss!"

(LATER...)

When Touma came around, he was laying on the floor, and there were two small girls weeping by his side.

"Onii-chan was such a good onii-chan..."

"He did seem cool" Fremea showered him with something that felt like shredded paper.

"Don't worry onii-chan. I will use your belongings to get myself money for weapons and oysters. I'm sure you would be happy..."

"LIKE HELL I WOULD!" Touma shouted, opening his eyes and noticing that girls placed him in a circle made out of few aromatic candles "I am not dead, so stop performing some strange rituals"

As he got up, he realized a two other things. Firstly, the door were fixed and he was laying on the floor in the entrance to living room. Secondly, there were a lot more people in the room. Except for Amazora and Fremea, all of them were guys.

Besides Gunha, in front of him sat two very familiar teens, one with blond hair and Hawaian shirt, the other with blue hair, wearing light shirt under school uniform.

"Tsuchi...mikado? Aogami?!"

"Yo, Kami-yan" his neighbour in their proper dorm greeted him" What's with that face? I know that this is a difference to your normal female to male ratio, but don't act so surprised, nya~"

"KAMIJOU, DAMN YOU!" Aogami was currently engaging in smelling a pillow that he pulled from god knows where" I smell a girl in those sheets. Care to explain why?!"

"Emm... that is... what..."

Touma's mind went into disarray when he noticed another person by Gunha's side.

"Out of all people... Thor? You too?"

"Yo, Kamijou-chan" the long-haired warrior magician winked at him" Long time no see."

Touma slowly looked to his left, where he noticed Hamazura, who seemed relieved that Touma woke up, and Aikawa Enka, who looked extremely out of place given that he never encountered any of the people in the room besides Kamijou and Amazora.

Touma grabbed his head, staring wide eyed at the sight in front of him.

"Oi...oioioioi!"

"Ne, are we waiting for someone else?" Tsuchimikado asked Hamazura.

"Emm, I think there were some other people in the recipient section..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Time out!" Touma finally snapped" It's not like I don't like seeing you, but what is going on here? Why is there a bunch of guys in my apartment?"

Everyone looked at each other, suddenly looking even more confused than Touma was.

"It was in the invitation, Kamijou" Gunha hand through the air.

"Yeah, you sent this to each of us" Hamazura gave his phone to Touma" Are you feeling okay?"

Touma looked at the text displayed on the phone:

KAMIJOU TOUMA INVITES YOU TO ULTRA GUYS PARTY

FUN, CRAZINESS, AND BONDING EXPERIENCE

YOU CAN'T MISS IT, COME IN THE NAME OF OLD TIMES

'I...I did not send this though! And if not me, then who?' Touma thought to himself.

(MEANWHILE...)

Niang-Niang laughed loudly while strolling throughout the festive alley that contained some of Academy City's recreation establishments.

She flashed yet another wicked smile.

"Ho, does this mean Kamijou realized my wonderful gift? Enjoy this, boy. It's on the house"

As Touma found herself in unusual situation, her own destination was just ahead.

Namely, it was a karaoke club. It hustled and bustled with activity even in the nearing noon.

She got into it and passed through reception with no one stopping her. After a bit of thought, she stepped through the door leading to correct karaoke booth.

It was called "booth" but in truth, it was the proper, soundproofed room with couches and mini-bar. Currently, it contained the group of familiar females Niang-Niang was looking for.

Nephthys was sitting in the corner of the room, stretched lazily on her chair. Apparently, she followed the girls while still keeping them from noticing her.

"How is it going?" Niang-Niang asked.

"Well, I think now we are getting to the good part" her friend commented.

Just meters away, Gokusai Kaibi was gritting her teeth.

It was not like she wasn't in places like this before. Some of her clients met her in such clubs.

It was not like she was particularly nervous while being with the girls. While yes, it was a bit out of her natural environment to socialize with so many females, it was nothing she could not solve with her adaptation prowess and natural manipulation skill.

That would be normal. That would be bearable.

What happened in her soul was neither of the two.

'Ghhh... why do I feel bad for leaving Kamijou? Why do I feel like I wanted to stay there? Is it because I wanted to stay with him? Since when the Gokusai Kaibi allows herself to be bounced back and forth between her desires? I am simply... frustrated that he ignored me. W-Why am I feeling like this though? This stupid face of his won't leave my mind. I-It's not like I feel left out and want to spend time with him! I-I am simply worried about Amazora. Who knows what those two will concoct in their heads...'

What Kaibi realized yet found humiliating to phrase out even in her mind was the fact that she was not even jealous of Amazora. She simply wanted to be alone with Touma. Yet even with her emotional maturity, her poor tsundere heart, that she could regulate in regards to everyone but Touma, could only take so much.

Meanwhile, Rikuri once again took the initiative as the four girls plus two unnoticed gods made themselves comfortable.

"Okay, I want all of you to think about nice present for Kamijou-san. Put your heart into it! And in the meantime, just to bring you some inspiration... let's have some good old karaoke! I heard that this place has a lot of not-well known, interesting songs"

"Eh?! We are singing?" the remaining trio shouted. Nephthys and Niang-Niang rose their heads in interest.

"Yes! And I shall now decide in which order it should be done!" Rikuri grabbed poky sticks, and handed them to the girls.

Determined by drawn length of the sticks, the order was Hasako, Maidono, Kaibi, and Rikuri.

"Go on!" Rikuri cheered on the first esper, who slowly stepped forward, towards the screen and selection computer" Let the music bring inspiration for you!"

After certain amount of fighting with technology, and some pre-listening, Hasako's eyes lit up. One particular song seemed made for her! When she selected it and stepped forward, she shyly gulped.

She never sang in front of people. She was not sure if she could do it well. But on the other hand, she had another reason to do it, didn't she?

She thought of Kamijou Touma. How they met, how he saved her, and gave her purpose when she was lost in this alien world. About how much she wanted to thank everyone involved in that indicent... Kamijou, Kumokawa, Mitsuari, even the three blond sisters...

"Kaibi-san, start it please"

Beginning Child took a deep breath and after a few moments of music, began to sing, as her thoughts flowed onwards.

She thought about her desire to explore this new world. To repay Kamijou Touma for gifting her the chance to walk forth into this new realm of possibilities. How safe and grateful she felt when she was with him.

He believed in her when she was at her lowest, when she gave up on the chance that anyone can see her as a woman and not a freak newspapers of her time made her to be. So she wanted to make him cherish the life they were both living. Just like he did for her, she wanted to ensure that he did not feel alone facing the problems of the world. As Hasako sang, her voice got stronger and brighter.

That was right. She wanted to be Kamijou Touma's imagination. If he ever dreamed of a world of peace, she could use her power to stand by his side and make it perfect for everyone. She truly wanted to dedicate her heart to help him achieve this world.

As the song finished, she was greeted with round of applause so fierce that it made her blush.

"Hasako-chan, you have such a beautiful and soothing voice! That was amazing! So, do you have any ideas?" Rikuri inquired.

"Well, I might have a first step in mind..."

As she explained her plan, Maidono punched the air.

"I think that totally suits you! Go for it!"

"I also think that this is a splendid idea to create something wonderful" Rikuri smiled at Hasako in encouragement" Now, we're going to Maidono-chan, but first, let's have a short break..."

Meanwhile, Kaibi did her best to smile along, as she truly enjoyed Hasako's performance but in truth, that weird feeling in her chest returned yet again. It confused her greatly. She shook her head and got up. This happy go lucky play went on long enough, now she got to...

"Oh, are really going now? We were going to have ice cream cake."

Shiver ran through flawless skin of Gokusai Kaibi. She slowly turned around.

"Well, if I am here already... I don't mind, I guess..."

Leave it to older sister to exploit certain sweet tooth of her younger sibling.

(MEANWHILE)

"Damn you! What exactly are you doing when Index is away and waiting?!"

"Stiyl... I would explain if you stopped with trying to shake the soul out of me.."

Just moments ago, the furious fire magician made its way through the door of the apartment and was now grabbing Touma by his clothes.

"Oi, Oi, can't you let this slide and enjoy yourself?" Tsuchimikado patted Stiyl on the back" Index is safe and sound with nee-chin, and Kami-yan's dorm is still undergoing touches of renovation."

Touma nodded at that. He realized that the appointed time of his stay in the apartment was not infinite, but now... he felt a bit bad about it. Of course he wanted to see Index again, but at the same time... at the same time...

Stiyl growled under his breath and let Touma go.

"Fine. But what the hell is this circus of a group?!"

"KAMIJOU! Why didn't you tell me before that you have such amazing friends" Gunha excitedly fist bumped Thor, alongside doing a convoluted dance.

'Oh my god! This is not good. The city... no, the world is not ready for those two together!'

"We have a lot in common" Thor added, licking his lips "If we get a little bit of space, things are going to get glorious. Oh, and Kamijou-chan. We got a little bit excited in testing our strength and-"

"MY WALL! Why is there a hole in the kitchen wall?!" Touma cried out.

"Don't worry onii-chan" Amazora tried to console him "Kai onee-chan said that it would be nice to have more light in the kitchen area..."

Touma looked at only two females in their group, and he got even more terrified by their new companion.

"Oh no..."

Aogami Pierce, one of the most perverted creatures to ever roam the earth, was in excitement.

"Loli and video game idol and imouto but many, many more as well?! You girls have such a fresh, unlimited potential..."

"What is he talking about? What is an "ant eye"?" Fremea, bless her innocent soul, asked out loud.

"Non, non, non, little missy! You see, it is pronounced hen-"

Touma's punch collided with Aogami's head, sending him to the floor.

"You are not scaring them for life, you degenerate!" Touma yelled out.

Hamazura appreciated the sheer scale of chaos that emerged from so many guys in one room. In fact, while he was used to many girls around Touma, he did not suspect that he knew many guys aside from himself, and maybe Accelerator. But those guys seemed like something else...

Finally Tsuchimikado decided to intervene, for what Touma was eternally grateful, as Enka's nervousness and Stiyl's irritation could end in both of them using their abilities, which in turn would result in spectacular explosion that would kill them all.

"Everyone! Let's loosen up a little and have a blast of afternoon, nya~. Let's go for the city and have fun" the blond spy grinned, motioning at the door.

"B-But I have to take care of Amazora" Touma protested. However...

"Onii-chan! I want to have fun with them. Let's go or I will tell Kai onee-chan that you locked me here alone!"

"B-But I am doing this for your own good... fukou da..."

And so, in no time, they found themselves in the small 4x4 Land Rover. Touma had no idea how Tsuchimikado got a vehicle like this. To be honest, both he and Hamazura could easily have something like this under their belts thanks to their dealings with the dark side.

They were more or less comfortable in the very big vehicle. But the real question was...

"W-Why are we all wearing sunglasses?"

"Kami-yan, I am gonna ignore this question and your lack of knowledge about the awesomeness and epicness of sunglasses"

"W-Well, I guess I can see.. your point..."

Gunha and Thor smirked, and looked so natural in sunglasses that they seemed born with them on. Amazora and Fremea had a haughty looks their faces, and the shades made them appear like a daughters of some mafia family (which to an extent they were). However, Stiyl and Enka did not seem to be adapting the look with the same eagerness.

The methane esper was starting to get more or less acquainted with the diverse mix, and right now appeared more confused than ever. He answered Touma's summons without knowledge that there would be others alongside them. He stayed however, when Touma explained to him, that this was his first step to gain friends and get closer to having a loving girlfriend (although Touma himself was not fully sure how exactly would it follow through).

Stiyl however...

"I refuse! I have my pride as a human being" the scowling priest slapped the shades away "Besides, I don't want to stick around any longer with them. I am leaving!"

"Sure~" Tsuchimikado said slowly" If that's how mighty Stiyl Magnus handles pressure of simple going out, then everyone are certified to call you a stick in the butt"

Stiyl gritted his teeth

"Don't think your damn smoothtalk will-"

"Oh, and what will Index-chan say? She will be worried sick if you overwork yourself... you don't want her to worry, right? Besides, I bet you would be able to impress her with those shades on..."

The devil's done it. Stiyl put the shades on without further protest.

'Tsuchimikado... you really are as sly as snake...'

"Oh, and while we are at it..." Tsuchimikado pulled out the phone, and tapped something on it.

Few moments later a pale face with red eyes appeared on screen.

"You know, this is supposed to be an emergency number! Damn it..."

"Welcome to our merry group, Accelerator. Aren't you curious? I know you know about our plans, because you totally inherited this old prick's eavesdropping habits"

"Tch..."

"Come on, come on! Don't tell me you have something more interesting to do, in this wonderfully locked up life of yours~"

"Shut it! You have no idea... I'm in caffeteria and all adult prisoners are crawling away like a bunch of maggots! I get that the trash knows its place, but this is humiliating for everyone! I'll watch, fine!"

Hamazura took place beyond the steering wheel.

"So, where are we going?"

Touma gulped at the look of Tsuchimikado gave the road in front of them.

"Onward, to make it all a blast"

(MEANWHILE)

"Maidono! Maidono! Maidono!" Rikuri were warming up the atmosphere, as the telekinesis user took the mic.

Maidono was much more confident in her abilities than Hasako, and decided to choose a song with a more humoristic approach

"I don't know how to put it... but..." Kaibi could not help but smile despite her melancholic mood.

Maidono was like a bona-fide rapper. She was not only singing in a perfect rhythm, but also dancing as well. If she only had a different outfit, she would fit straight into some music video.

"Wow, look at you go" Rikuri grinned at the enthusiasm exuded around the dancing girl" Not to mention that I love your sense of humour with choosing this particular song... it's called 'Levitating'"

True to the songs name, Maidono was indeed was levitating. Only a meter from the ground, but her feet weren't touching the ground, as Maidono was having a time of her life.

She was having fun. Much more fun that she wanted to admit.

When she thought back on her life, it was quite tedious. First, trying everything to achieve her power and having her ability to use chopsticks taken as a result. She plunged herself into dark side to avoid social ostracism, but ended up being addicted to it. But Kamijou Touma did not care about that. Not about her chopstick problem, not about her desire for revenge.

He simply wanted for her to stop with the path of self-destruction. He wanted her to be happy. And he was so right with that! Step by step, she was learning to experience everything again. And she had so much fun!

It would take time, and some of her problems probably won't go away just because of a few smiles, but it was a great first step. Not to mention that her heart raced from the very thought of being able to share this high of happiness with Kamijou himself.

He gave her strength, did not turn her away, but also wasn't too soft with her. He inspired her to take new heights, both metaphorically and literally. Thanks to him, she achieved what felt like a surreal fantasy. For longest time, she thought why was she able to exceed those limits. And now she had the idea. If what made Kamijou happy was seeing others, herself included, in good spirits, she wanted to be happy. But to do so, she wanted to make sure he was happy as well. Win-Win!

Meanwhile, Gokusai Kaibi's frustration reached the point where, if not for her dignity, she wanted to bang her head on the table. She got up and exited the room.

Rikuri furrowed her brow and clapped her hands.

"Okay, let's do a little break. Maidono-san, please think about your ideas for the present!"

Kaibi was about halfway through the corridor when Rikuri put a hand on her shoulder.

"Kaibi... it's clear as day that something is bothering you. Please, tell me."

"It's nothing... let me go!"

"It's clearly not nothing. I know you, I am your older sister. You were always the responsible type who thought she has to do everything alone. But you don't have to! Please share this with me."

"There is no need. I will be back soon, so let go now."

"There is a certain time in your life when you find yourself lost. At your age, it's especially true, and in our situation... we did not have the best experiences with guys, and..."

"If you are alluding to what I am think you are alluding, drop it immediately. It has nothing to do with Kamijou!"

"I did not say anything about Kamijou specifically though... it isn't about just your attraction or repulsion. I think you are worried, worried about the fact that you losing ground on denying yourself, and fear that he will find out about your... less than socially acceptable jobs from the past."

"YOU ARE WRONG! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Why would I care about Kamijou enough to think about him being... by those jobs... e-excuse me, I have to go to the toilet..."

Without any further word, Kaibi ran away, freeing herself forcibly from Rikuri's grasp on her arm.

Rikuri sighed, looking at the back of her younger sibling.

"She is lost." she whispered to herself" The things that happened years ago... she is still hurt by them and can't get attached. She built herself a perfect castle of glamorous looks and beautiful clothes to hide her true heart. Even her power is her own defense mechanism. My dear Kai-chan, so strong but so fragile at the same time. She cannot deny that she's starting to feel things she can't control, and it scares her. But I believe that if anyone can destroy that painted prison, and heal my sister's heart... it's him."

Back with Maidono and Hasako, the girls were having their own small talk.

"I have to tell you, you have amazing voice. So soothing yet so powerful at the same time" Maidono complimented the miko girl.

"N-No, it's nothing compared to your dancing abilities. You were outstanding!" Hasako wasn't far behind in her own praise.

Silence followed. Slightly embarrassed, Hasako took a bite of one of the cakes.

"Ne, senpai... you like Kamijou quite a lot, don't you?"

"Hyaghhhh?!"

Hasako made a strange sound and choked on the cake. Her hands flailed a little through the space, as she tried to get the dessert out and breathe in the fresh air. Finally, Maidono slapped her strongly on the upper back, which caused the portion of the cake to escape from the girl's mouth, suspend itself in telekinetic grasp and flow to the trash.

"W-Why do you..."

"You do, don't you?"

"Yes, I... yes, I do!"

Maidono sighed. She was now lifting various objects and float them around for fun, as if to distract herself.

"You know, I like him quite a lot myself. And I've been thinking... I don't really know much about you. I did hear that you possess an unparalleled power, that would even make level 5s tremble in fear"

Hasako blushed a little, and tried to hide her face.

"M-Maybe it is so..."

"So I thought: why don't the two of us have a match?"

"A match?"

"A clash of power. I want to see your determination and heart. And what better way to do it than in a battle of two powerful maidens in love? We would move to someplace safe of course"

Hasako pressed her index fingers together in display of shyness.

"I can think of few other methods... also, l-love is a bit much..."

"Nah, I saw the way you look at him. So say it strongly. Keep your head high, stand proud. He is super popular, you won't get his attention by hiding. I for one can tell that I've totally fallen, head over heels, for this guy. In the short time we've known each other, he was so damn inspiring! So, you have your reasons, I have mine. But talking it out could get things really awkward... so..."

"I understand" Hasako spoke without missing a beat.

"Huh?"

"I can see your sincerity and I wish to thank you for supporting my feelings as well. So I, Kankyougami Hasako, promise to oppose you in an honourable fight, sometime in the future. Although... I have one condition..."

"Yes? What is it?" Maidono asked Beginning Child.

"Regardless of everything, can we still be friends?"

Maidono grinned and slapped Hasako on the back once again.

"You are so cute when you are being polite. Fine, I have no problem with being both friends and rivals"

Hasako reincorporated the smile, but then frowned slightly.

"Maidono-san... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead"

"You seem so confident about your feelings...then why are you hesitating in confessing them?"

"Eh? Well..." Maidono suddenly lost her smile" That's because... w-we don't know each other that long yet... a-and..."

"That's not really it. You are worried that he will ultimately reject you because your chopstick problem, right?"

"Ghhh..." the short haired girl seemed to take a critical hit. Hasako assumed this was the confirmation.

She did not fully understand the issue, having met Maidono quite recently, but she understood the pain of having something essential in everyday life taken from her. She looked around the room and focused on the food on the table.

"Can't you just... float the food to your mouth using your powers?"

"That's not the same..."

Hasako thought. And thought. And thought even more.

Finally, something occurred to her.

"Maybe I'm speaking only for myself..." she conveyed her idea" But isn't this a perfect opportunity, or an excuse, to ask him to feed you? This is a dream come true for many girls"

Maidono opened her mouth, and then froze. Her expression was of absolute shock as she rose up from the couch.

"Ooooooooooooooooooh..."

She grabbed her head, blush appearing on her cheeks

"...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH?!"

Rikuri, who just re-entered the room, took a step back at the sight of Maidono standing in triumphant position, while blushing and chanting "feeding, feeding, feeding..." like some strange mantra.

"W-Why is Maidono-san looking as if she is evolving into some sort of ultimate life form?"

"I did a right thing" Hasako chuckled nervously" I hope..."

(EARLIER ON IN THE DAY, ELSEWHERE...)

The next hours, at least from Touma's perspective, were a chaotic frenzy of events. However he could not deny that he was having a lot of fun during that time. When they departed, each of them took turns in deciding what they wanted to do next.

Firstly, they all got to eat something. Hamazura knew a lot of good and cheap restaurants, and the entire group was soon eating loudly and cheerfully, even Stiyl, although he was a bit grumpy about japanese food. Meanwhile Enka was not so discretely asking the other guys if any of the girl's around them was free. After getting rather confusing answer from Gunha ("you will feel it in your guts") and Stiyl ("keep your sinful thoughts away from me"), Hamazura saved the day by offering Enka to introduce him to some girls from his Skill-Out days. Methane esper seemed to gain extra lifespan from this very promise and Touma was sure that he will come to like Hamazura and consider him yet another friend. Accelerator did not say much, and if he did, he did so in swift and curt fashion. Touma thought that he saw an octopus tentacle of a familiar demon by his side, but it could've been his imagination. Surprisingly, Accelerator and Stiyl conversed the most between each other, having loosely interacted with each other before. Thor was crazily talkative, and when he did not talk, he seemingly took in all of the sights of Academy City or tried to listen to Gunha's peculiar way of explaining things. They were really like to peas in the pod.

Being the battle crazed maniacs they were, it didn't took Gunha and Thor to figure out the way to engage in physical activity. Gunha found it utterly fascinated by Thor's ability, but even more priceless was Thor's own face when it turned out that Gunha appeared right beside him when he rotated the world in his Almighty form. His explanation of tracing Thor with his guts made magician only more confused, and caused Touma and Hamazura to almost die from laughter. Gunha also took the liking to the "little ladies" as he called them. They were excited to ride upon his back, even when he exceeded speed of the car and almost gave Touma a heart attack.

The new queens of life, Amazora and Fremea, caused the storm of "oohs" and "aaaahs", accompanied by some discounts on the food (which Touma accepted with gratitude). They were the main topic of next stop, the cloth shop. Both Aogami and Tsuchimikado gave the girls a make-over, which was met with enthusiasm (as both of them were blissfully unaware of the duo's perversion). Even though Hamazura and Touma ended up clobbering Aogami and Tsuchimikado, who in turn started to hit them as well, he had to admit that Amazora and Fremea looked rather cute in maid uniforms which, thank heavens, were not very revealing. Or at the very least, not more revealing than Amazora's usual dress.

Other guys also had to endure through make-over. Amazora and Fremea insisted on dressing up Hamazura and Touma. The sight of two girls giggling together in happiness was rewardingly wholesome, but two boys swore they will take the shame of being in pink dresses to their graves. Although judging from grin Accelerator gave them from the surface of the phone, they could be sure he saved the memory in some form to humiliate them later. Later, when Touma chose horridly looking clothes from the biggest discount, Accelerator and Stiyl agreed to exterminate the monstrosity he was wearing, which caused Stiyl to chase Touma (with some visible pleasure) trying to burn the clothes with pinpoint fire, and only accidentally scorching Touma himself.

In the end, Touma got a new hoodie (gift from Enka, as the sign of their new friendship.) Tsuchimikado a baseball cap, Aogami T-shirt with words "I love all the ladies", Gunha punching gloves, Thor a light coat looking more like a superhero cloak. Hamazura made the biggest impression, choosing synthetic leather jacket that looked just like the real deal. Amazora and Fremea got themselves sundresses and earrings. Stiyl vehemently denied the attempts to give him a new clothes, but yielded with Fremea's request to accept her gift, which was a small flame-shaped badge with a smiling face in the middle of it and the phrase "Stay safe from the fire". It looked somewhat hilarious on Stiyl's dark and serious priest robes.

Least to say, when they all walked down the street, Touma could not help but think that they looked somewhat ridiculous. But well, the sunglasses still remained on.

Next, they went to the park, where Enka proposed to do some challenges for even better bonding experience. Match ups included arm wrestling of Gunha and Enka (which ended in Enka being buried vertically in the ground) Stiyl vs Hamazura in the nearby paintball arena (in which shooting skills of both of them, using flames and blanks, were surprise for each party) Thor vs Tsuchimikado in hand to hand combat (which was tied but inconclusive, because Fremea decided to venture onto the nearby building). Upon closer inspection, in turned out to be a bathhouse.

And so, they found themselves within artificial pool after getting Stiyl to gave them the discount by posing as an adult.

"Yes, I am their... g-guardian." Stiyl said in a tone that the very suggestion of such thing was a blow to his dignity.

"Oh, such a lovely group of boys. Any of your relatives?" the lady on the cash asked the fire magician.

"Even if they were, they would be distant or adopted" Stiyl said in tone as black as night, as the rest tried their best not to start laughing.

Stiyl was already on the point of boiling, but he went beyond that when he was swarmed with all the guys in the bathing area.

"Stiyl-san, can you make the water warmer?"

"No!"

"Can you make bubbles?"

"I am not a jacuzzi! Kamijou, get them the hell off me!"

Fremea and Amazora, who still learned how to swim, were using smaller pool by the side of the main area.

Touma was surprised that Accelerator was still watching by this point, but apparently he found it all very amusing.

In next period of time, nothing really happened. Well, except from Gunha accidentally knocking Enka out with a "super amazing beach ball throw" and Hamazura being shocked beyond belief that Thor is, in fact, a full-fledged guy, down to the lower parts.

"To be quite honest, this is very nice. I wouldn't expect anything like that, but it's actually fun with all of you guys... and girls as well. Got to tell you, Fremea-chan is really nice. I met her before but I think it needs to be said" Touma said to Hamazura, who were still shaking his head in disbelief.

The End of The Century Emperor smiled at that.

"Yeah, she truly is one of the kind. Though... I sometimes get sad when looking at her, because she reminds me of her sister. At the same time, I am glad that her legacy lives on."

"By sister you mean... wait, did something..."

"Frenda. Her sister's name was Frenda. Frenda Seivelun. You remember her from Dianoid, right?"

"I...I didn't seriously link it before... I am so sorry..."

"Don't sweat it. And I have to tell you, that girl on your side... Amazora-chan... she is really fun as well. At first, I had this really bad feeling about her... but maybe I imagined it?"

"Huh? Why?"

"You see, in the past I fought with a girl who..."

"OI! Don't speak of such serious matters. It's merely 4 PM on this glorious weekend." Tsuchimikado splashed closer to them, and put his arms around both of them "And I think I can come up with a way that we can make this even better"

"W-What do you mean, Tsuchimikado?" Touma was not fully sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Hamazura gulped, feeling as if something big was approaching.

Aogami grinned widely.

"Do you think about?..."

"Yes. Touching the untouchable. Reaching into unreachable. Attaining the unattainable! Today we will become true men!"

"I don't fully follow, but becoming a man sounds like a lot of fun" Gunha added his bit, which was met with annoyed groan from Accelerator, displayed on the phone situated on the chair's by pool's side.

"I don't know why, but something tells me this is trouble" Touma shivered despite being in warm water" Will we get involved in something yet again? Or with... someone?"

(AT THE SAME TIME)

Misaka Misuzu sneezed suddenly, surprising both herself and her daughter, Mikoto, who looked at her mother with worry.

"You didn't catch a cold, right Mama?"

Misuzu rubbed her nose, shaking her head.

"No, no, I feel fine and dandy. I needed to sneeze out of the blue, but there is no reason for worry. You know how I'm with strong perfumes. I want to add some to complete my look, but then they irritate me all night."

"If you say so" Mikoto sighed and looked at the building she was about to enter.

Some might have been surprised that the pair of mother and daughter were together. Usually, Misuzu was living in Tokyo, beyond Academy City's borders. Only, this time it was the special day for Tokiwadai students. With special not really meaning welcomed.

Mikoto's sigh was followed by a groan.

"I really don't want to go there and sit through the lecture about all that stuff..."

Her mother nodded, pouting her lips

"I accepted the invitation because I thought I would be able to meet your friends... at least I will get to see Tokiwadai from the inside, but it's still not the same..."

To get the context, we need to introduce one of the traditions of prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School. Once a year, all girls from esteemed families that attended the school were having a series of lectures dedicated to "proper behaviour" and etiquette. Additionally, as Tokiwadai believed in wisdom of older generations, the parents were from time to time invited to meet and share experiences as well. This time, the invitation was aimed specifically at the mothers. Usually, both groups were together, but this year, from some sort of logistic accident, the girls were moved to festive hall of the building Mikoto and Misuzu were standing in front of right now. Meanwhile, mothers would be going to Tokiwadai Middle School and have the video transmission from there.

"If I could only find out who made such a stupid mistakes in schedule..." Mikoto growled under her breath" I really wanted to spend time with you, Mama"

"I know, Mikoto. But listen. I am here for few nights. There will be lots of time to go and eat something together. Oh, and while we are at it, please invite Touma-kun. I'm sure he wouldn't mind"

"T-This idiot?! M-Maybe I would mind! T-There is no reason to invite him... e-even if you think that he would agree..."

Misuzu only laughed at her daughter's antics. With her youthful looks, big bosom, and cheerful attitude, she seemed like an undeterred optimist and living antidepressant. Even though their personalities were often at odds, both Mikoto and Misuzu cherished the moments they could spend together. Misuzu was also supportive of rather obvious signs of affection Mikoto had for Kamijou Touma.

"Look, Miko-chan, if you are going to be like this, he will be gone and snatched away. If you are scared, I can lock you two in the-"

"MOM! T-There is nothing between me and him! Argh, you are impossible! I'm coming in!"

"Have... well, fun may be a lot to ask for, but bare with it with your friends. See you on video!" Misuzu waved to her.

Mikoto stepped inside, her cheeks ablaze and crimson. Fanning them, she huffed in anger.

"Hmm, this place a karaoke club at lower level? I envy everyone who can be there right now... why do I have to hear about some stupid manners? I get it, this is high class school, but... eh, I guess there is no helping it. I'm going to go to the toilet first... t-that idiot, why do I have to be so worked up about him? Why can't I stop thinking about him right now?!

(MEANWHILE)

'Why can't I stop thinking about Kamijou?!'

Kaibi sighed, sitting on the closed toilet in karaoke club's bathroom. It was very clean, and it served her as a place to calm her agitated mind.

'Since when Rikuri nee-san says those things like this? When Kamijou came around, she suddenly started to act like a proper big sister'

Girl in the dress hugged her knees. In truth, she was beginning to realize the truth. Rikuri was right, she was terrified. She hid it for a long time, but it was becoming clear.

Initially, she did not think much about Kamijou Touma. First, he was her enemy. Then, a temporary ally. Later, an annoying anomaly. But ever since Touma started to live with them, she started to truly interact with him.

She tried to stop it, delay it, drown it in the ice that encased her heart. But the interest in Kamijou Touma, whatever it actually was, emerged each time she tried to bury it.

She was not stupid or so prideful that she would deny her feelings for the sake of it. No, there was something much deeper within Gokusai Kaibi.

She was scared. Whatever was Kamijou Touma's power, it interfered with her own. And that meant that whatever he saw, was real Gokusai Kaibi. In truth, she was not even sure who it was that Touma was looking at when he saw that real self.

All her life she was wearing masks. Thousands of lies, roles, personas. Crafted not by physical change, but emotional distances. And all of that for the sake of keeping her family safe. She kept going, and going, and going... till she forgot what was beneath the surface.

But she realized that she did some horrible things in the past. She didn't know why it suddenly started to bother her now, but it did. Not to mention, if Kamijou learned of her other jobs... with Kakine, it was so much easier to understand. But now?

She started to shiver. She tried to keep it hidden, to cage it, to tell herself she was stupid.

But right now, it was backfiring spectacularly. She knew that she must do something or it would become her undoing.

'I thought that the cake would cheer me up, but all I could think about was that Kamijou's sweets for me were better... what is wrong with me?'

Suddenly, she realized that someone entered the toilet and walked to the adjacent cabin.

After a moment, both girls, by absolute accident, sighed at the same time.

Gokusai Kaibi and Misaka Mikoto jumped slightly, surprised by the coincidence.

Then Kaibi did something unusual for her, but in truth, she wanted a change of pace. So she spoke to the stranger from the cabin next to her.

"Boy troubles?"

"H-Huh... w-why..."

"So it is about a guy? Well... same here, so no judgement on my part"

"Uhm... I guess it is..."

Both girls leaned on the both sides of the separating wall. Absurdity of the situation almost made Kaibi laugh. Here she was, sharing her boy troubles with a random girl met in the toilet.

Mikoto on the other hand wanted anything to distract her from the need to go back to the celebration so she, albeit hesitantly, engaged in conversation.

After a few moments, both girls found themselves venting their frustration.

"He is an idiot who throws himself in danger and doesn't want anyone to support him. I mean, I know him for a while and I know that I could be... ekhm, hard to deal with at the beginning, but I would like him to stand side by side with me"

"Sounds like piece of work. I have a problem with someone similar. He thinks he can do all on his own and plays hero. My sisters always admired him, but I recently started to see him in a different life as well. He pisses me off so much, but I can't stop thinking about him and it's driving me crazy!"

"Wow, you have it taxing as well. Geez, boys sure are pain in the ass"

"You got that right"

Another double sigh followed from both sides of the wall.

This time, it was Mikoto that broke the silence

"If I can ask, why don't you confess that you lo...lo... like him a lot?"

Kaibi bit her lip.

"It's not that easy. It's all messy and complicated. I... used to greatly admire a certain guy, but he disappeared. I claim to be popular, but in truth, never felt those feelings for real. I am... worried. I don't know where I am going and what I'm feeling, and it scares me.. I realize though I can't hide away from my feelings for this moron, whatever they are. You?"

"Initially, I thought that I simply disliked him. Then I started to admire him, but when I thought he and me are on the same stage, he started to move away. And I realized that I didn't think he wasn't worthy of me. It was me thinking I wasn't worthy of him. I struggled and struggled but I think that I will never reach him. What if he just disappears one day and..."

She fell silent, as both girls digested each other's confessions.

"You know, no one expects to know everything just like that, about feelings and romance. Take your time." Kaibi finally answered.

"Y-Yeah! It's stupid to think that I should know it. People call me tsu... tsun... no, no matter... but I want to be truly brave. I know you have a similar problem, so I wasn't expecting you to give me tips or anything, but... I feel a lot more confident now."

"Surprisingly enough, the feeling is mutual. I wish you best of luck. And just for the record, I also hate the tsun word"

"B-Best of luck with your guy as well.

The both chuckled and third series of sighs, this time of relieved heart, echoed throughout the space.

"You know, it's rare for someone to listen to such problems and not laugh." Kaibi commented" I rarely do that for ones not close to me... but thank you. I had a very hard moment, but you helped me. Knowing someone else has similar issues is... comforting, actually"

"Heh heh, you are welcome. Always happy to help, and I loved the chat as well. I would gladly talk with you again sometime." Mikoto's joy was audible even without the option to look at her face

"Yes... come to think of it" Kaibi pondered out loud" Didn't I hear your voice before? It's very, very familiar... I swear I know it from somewhere..."

Mikoto tensed. The last thing she needed was for that newfound acquaintance to be deterred from her by the fact that she was a level 5.

"I once stared in the popular commercial of the..." Mikoto frantically looked around, and focused on her hands. One lone spark shot out of her thumb" Phone... chargers! New generation phone chargers. It was quite popular! Electrifying, I can even say"

"Ah huh..." Kaibi did not sound convinced, but then, the sound of a gong resounded throughout the building.

"Oh, that's my cue, I need to go upstairs. Thanks for the talk, bye!" Mikoto quickly dashed out of the bathroom. Kaibi followed suit, but did not manage to catch a glimpse of the girl as the doors closed before her.

Well, whoever that was, helped somehow. The uneasiness was still there, but it was back under control. Only this time, Kaibi was determined to face it directly.

Gokusai Kaibi and Misaka Mikoto, for separate reasons, struggled to convey their feelings. They did not even share any real advice or solution. But that bizarre meeting was a blessing in disguise for both of them.

Kaibi confidently walked into the karaoke booth, surprising all of the other girls, who were back, waiting for her return.

Without any further ado, she chose a song. A song that always irritated her by how close to home and her situation it hit. But today, she chose to embrace it. And one more thing: when she wanted, Gokusai Kaibi had a beautiful singing voice. As she sang, she thought, more and more, about her feelings. She was going around, trying to find herself for longer than she should have... longer than she remember... to answer one question... How could you love someone without getting hurt? How could she have such feelings? After everything she was through, everything she's done...

All her life she tried to prove that she was a survivour... that she was not the mistake her mother said her to be...

She was through with waiting. She was through with deceiving in this particular case.

She will find Kamijou Touma and have a talk with him. Not only that, but she will also search for Kakine, and tell him face to face about her sorrow and frustration after his disappearance. And maybe then...

...maybe she could feel again... with this feeling in heart... and be truly happy.

(HALF AN HOUR LATER, ELSEWHERE)

"That is a terrible idea." Touma shook his head

"That's a great idea!" yelled Thor.

"I honestly regret ever meeting any of you" Stiyl sighed.

"But you are still here. You know you love us" Tsuchimikado conquered.

"Accelerator! Do something about this!" Touma tried to grab one last resort.

"I could but... to be honest, this is a great opportunity to test the efficiency of those Anti-Skill bastards in such a situation. Yomikawa will be pissed... but do it!"

"W-Will we be all right? This isn't a movie you know" Hamazura was also getting slightly worried" We don't have any special effects!"

"Who needs special effects when we have guts!"

"K-Kamijou-san, do you know what is going on?" Enka asked.

"I am afraid that even they don't know full well."

"Onwards!" screamed Aogami "To our glorious paradise!

(AT THE SAME TIME)

Misaka Misuzu sighed. She just arrived at the school, and while she was enchanted with its beauty, she was also a little bit hesitant to approach all the other ladies inside. Even if Tabigake's work made their family rich, Misuzu did not fully know if the other ladies were not some pompous ojou-samas. Did she know how to interact with them?

"Yoshi! My little friend will solve this! Cha-Cha!" busty woman took out a skilfully hidden bottle of sake" you can't do this things while sober... heh heh heh, now, to get the cups..."

"Misaka-san? Don't you want to go inside?"

Misuzu spun around to see another woman going outside. With her face still covered in the shadow, Mikoto's mother could not fully recognize her. Not that she really knew anyone here.

"Oh I just wanted to get some fresh air... you know my surname?"

"But of course. It would be strange to not know the mother of famous Railgun."

"R-Right..." Misuzu coughed awkwardly, and focused her attention on the sight of front gate.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" her companion added. She then added "Railgun-san is greatly admired. My own daughter considers her a friend. If you wouldn't mind, it would be nice to have it likewise in our generation"

"Oh? And who is..."

"Look!" the woman interrupted, pointing at the sky below the gate "What a beautiful shooting star."

Indeed, there was a point of light moving through the sky.

"Shooting star during daylight? No, wait... is that..."

When both women recognized what the object was, they paled.

"A car?!"

And indeed, a car soared high above the gates, with a boy in a modified uniform and a bandana on its top. He was grinning, as if high on adrenaline.

The shock of two mothers was not over yet, as the boy seemingly punched the air itself, which caused the car to lose part of its momentum. And when it finally hit the ground, rolling forward and towards the building, its roof opened and something... no, someone... shot through the air... straight onto Misuzu!

"Watch out!"

"AAAH!"

(SOME TIME LATER...)

When Touma woke up, he could not believe his eyes. He was surrounded by adult women.

'I knew that letting Gunha make us soar over the gates would be a crazy idea, but did I actually die? Damn it, why the hell both seatbelt and roof malfunctioned? So... if this is afterlife then maybe...'

"Are you... dorm managers?"

"No, I am in fact just a housewife that knows a thing or two about number theory."

Touma looked behind him, and was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Misuzu-san?! It's good to see you. Are you alright?"

"Hi Touma-kun. It's great to see you as well... I am fine, I was just a bit stunned. You shot straight into my chest, and it stop your flight. Don't worry, those girls fulfilled their duty once Mikoto was born, and it was my pleasure to use them for saving you"

"R-Right... oh no! Amazora! My friends!"

"Your friends are safe and sound" spoke the woman next to Misuzu. If Touma was not mistaken, she was the one standing outside when collision occurred "Although I think we are all curious what happened"

After a moment, Touma indeed noticed his friends. Amazora and Fremea were now in company of few other women and seemed to be in good hands. Tsuchimikado was leaning against the window with nonchalant grin on his face. Aogami looked like he was in some kind of trance and muttered something that sounded like "Za Milfu Heaven". Enka was also fine, but still appeared severely motion sick. Stiyl and Hamazura were having a quiet conversation, but also appeared to eye the room curiously. Thor and Gunha disappeared somewhere, but Touma was almost 100% sure they were okay.

"Okay, you see..."

When he offered his explanation, and Misuzu enlightened him on what happened for all the women to be here, Aogami sighed.

"We came here for gold, but found platinum well polished with age..."

"Who would have thought..." Tsuchimikado said this but did not appear really shocked.

"So...all of those ladies..." Touma began, looking around.

"Yes, we are mothers of Tokiwadai students. You might know some of our daughters" the mature woman with a gentle face and hair in the colour of coffee smiled to him.

"What are we doing with them?" the thin and strict looking woman wearing glasses, with tawny hair falling onto her back, scanned him with pinkish-brown eyes "Shouldn't we report it to authorities?"

"I am sure they will find out eventually" Touma sighed in resignation.

"Come on now, those boys were daring enough to break in here. I think that it can be viewed as quite romantic" the black haired woman standing next to Misuzu countered with a small smile "What if they wanted to see our daughters?"

"Good grief" the glasses woman sighed with irritation" Rules are rules though..."

"Oh, I have an idea!" Misuzu butted in "We will let you off the hook if you manage to guess who are we parents of. Guess... 4 of us correctly! Play the game with us!"

"Huh? But I don't... I..."

However, it was too late, as the idea already enticed excitement along the beautiful women.

"In the meantime, stop with the boring quiet party crap! DJ Tsuchimikado is on the house"

Soon, everyone mixed together. Misuzu's bottle of alcohol got released from its prison. Even if a little, mothers relaxed in this strange situation.

Thor, who just returned from who knows where, was going around and asking the mothers if there was any fighter for them. He had to ask something improper because he received a slap on the face. That did not deter him in the slightest, and instead he got starry-eyed, commenting on unbelievable slapping power of the woman.

Gunha, who was also back, and was recognized from Daihaiseisai opening pledge, was currently undertaking various dares from curious mothers and Touma strongly prayed for the school to still stand with amount of guts going around.

Stiyl looked as if he wanted to excuse himself, but he was also overwhelmed with curious women. Enka, who just got better, got extremely nervous and Touma hoped he won't release any toxic, highly flammable gases from this stress.

Aogami tried to explore all corners of the school, leaning, sniffing, and doing a lot of questionable things that people did not really wanted to question. However, he did get into a discussion with one of the mothers, and Touma could swear that they were both using gal game slang.

Hamazura danced among the women, and was apparently a popular partner. He seemed to relax among the company of females that did not want to cause him harm, and Touma could only sympathize with that. However, he kept glancing towards Misuzu with a mixture of hesitation and guilt. Ever since he attacked her and ended up fighting Touma, he didn't really have a chance to apologize. It was obvious he wanted to do this in a good fashion.

As for Touma, he found himself on the couch. Some of the mothers observed him with smiles, whispering among themselves.

"Now, Touma-kun" Misuzu suddenly whispered right next to his ear, startling him" We are not your enemies. You might believe it or not, but many of these women want to speak to you. So just relax and think of this as an opportunity. Oh, and since you know my relation to Mikoto, you won't be guessing me. I still want to talk to you later on though"

(TRY 1)

Touma sweated nervously in front of the gaze of a tawny-haired thin woman with glasses. She had the looks of really professional teacher, the kind that would give tons of hard questions on the test.

"Kamijou Touma, I heard you are quite a troublemaker. For now, my judgement will remain neutral but I shall observe you closely. Good grief, we can't just let boys crash land into here like bunch of barbarians"

Touma thought for a moment. The way she said barbarians, her tawny hair, even if styled differently... and most importantly, that stare which seemed to permeate him and mixed cautious evaluation with aura of superior attitude... the conclusion came, but he was still shocked.

"Shirai?!"

The woman sighed and adjusted her glasses.

"Shirai-san, if you please. For someone so troublesome, my daughter speaks a lot of you. That in itself is something worth noting. Even if she complains, I wish to make my own observation. And for the record, I want to say one thing"

"Y-Yes?"

"Don't be too quick to judge Kuroko. When I fell in love, I had to go through tedious procedures and sacrifice a lot to marry my husband, the owner of White Spring Holdings. So I wished to spare it for my own daughter and let her choose her own path of love and its expression. She is simply exploring the ways she wants to express her feelings and emotions. I'm sure you noticed."

"Y-Yeah... I know what you mean..." Touma's head still felt all the times Kuroko kicked him. He also remembered times she tried to harass Misaka

"Kuroko can come off as very intense. But would you still help her if she was in need?"

"With all the respect m'am, I already saved her three times. It was nothing special"

"Huh? It seemed my proud daughter did not confess everything to me" for the first time, Shirai Kuroko's mother smiled thinly" Believe me or not, but Kuroko never talks about anyone with such intensity if she doesn't care in some form. I shall observe you with great interest. Do not disappoint me."

(TRY 2)

Now, Touma was faced with woman that accompanied Misuzu outside when the crash occurred.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad..."

"M-Miss, what are you doing?"

She was obviously staring at him, quite intensely, as if examining him from head to toe.

She noticed his worry and waved her hand.

"I am sorry, working habit. I own a modelling agency, so I always see new possibilities in people I meet... so, Kamijou-san, any picks?"

She looked like a statuesque beauty. The woman had a very graceful legs, stylishly chosen clothes that pronounced the perfectly curved body accompanied by moderate bosom and slim arms sporting silver bracelets. Another prominent characteristics were a curtain of luscious raven hair, reaching almost to her abdomen, and eyes so dimly blue that they looked almost black, much like Kamijou's own irises.

Touma could not fully assess this woman's personality. On the one hand, this woman seemed playful and cheerful, but on the other, he sensed some hidden power, the sort of pressure of living in completely different world from what he knew. That women was rich, as well as influential, and knew how to utilize that.

"Oh, come on. If I give you a hint, it will be all over. I thought I am recognizable, if you don't try, I might just cry~"

Not sure if she was joking or not, Touma focused her mind. It was not an easy task, but he finally figured it out. The woman's brow was not so wide. Her eyebrows were thinner and didn't resemble smudges of calligraphy brush. But the way she looked at him with a twinkle of haughty playfulness, her smile, and the way she moved reminded him all too well... they only recently had a proper conversation, but that short meeting did make enough of an impression on Touma.

"Kongou-san?"

"I prefer Minako. Mi-na-ko. Kongou is too known for my husband's area of influence in aviation. So, Kamijou-san, I wish to thank you for saving my daughter. In truth, she sounded so gleeful that it was a pure pleasure to listen to her. I naturally have to reward the gentleman who makes her so happy. What would you say about becoming her boyfriend?"

Touma's mind came to halt.

"Huh?"

"Well, it's too early for proposal or marriage. But we can talk about details later. It was very nice chatting with you"

As Kongou Minako got up and started to walk away, Touma clenched his fist.

"I must say no to that"

Minako stopped, and when she turned around, her eyes were as cold as ice and her face had a look of revulsion.

"You deny the offer from Kongou family? Do you know how much of an insult this is? You say my daughter is not enough?!"

Touma actually got shivers from the sudden change of mood. However, he stood his ground.

"That's not it. I made a promise to Mitsuko-san to get to know her better. Accepting your offer would completely ignore her opinion on me. I also want to spend time with her before making my own mind. In all honesty, Kongou-san looks like a very charming girl, but I will never allow a deal that ignores what she has to say."

"My Mitsuko is a very obedient girl. I am sure she wouldn't have any objections."

"I still want to meet her properly and spend time with her. It's nice that she had positive feelings in regards to me, but I want her to form her view over some time"

The tension in the air was almost suffocating, to the point that Touma actually felt his mouth going dry... until the woman broke into a wide grin.

"You passed!"

"P-Passed? What?!"

"I am terribly sorry, but I acted a little bit like an overprotective parent here. I wished to see what kind of man you are by the simplest test family of our stature can conduct. Do you know just how much my daughter will inherit from both sides of her family?"

She whispered a number to Kamijou's ear. The boy got pale as a sheet. His poor level 0 brain couldn't begin to comprehend a fortune that big.

"You had to have an inkling of how rich she might be, yet you ignored the easy way and instead opted for a path to ensure her comfort. Fine then, you have my blessing in fulfilling your promise to my Mitsuko. Such an intriguing guy you are... oh, and one last thing. Years ago, I couldn't get pregnant for a very long time. When Mitsuko was born, we were so overjoyed that she was given everything and grew up to be a little bit spoiled. But she has the pure heart and that's why I worry that one day she might crash into something she can't overcome on her own. Will you try to help her then?"

There was no hesitation in Kamijou's answer, as was the case with Kuroko's mother.

"Leave it to me"

(TRY 3&4)

"Ara? That was quick! What gave it away?" asked the well-endowed woman with a kind housewife aura and coffee coloured hair.

"You have the same gentle smile as your daughter. And your hair is similar, even if it's a different colour"

"That's right, my Junko's hair is so peculiar isn't it?"

"I think it looks nice on her"

"You think so as well? Ara maa, how kind of you! We think that it was a mutation of sorts but she is so beautiful thanks to that violet hue! I'm glad that my Junko has a friend like you"

"You better thank Sogiita rather than me though..."

"Kamijou-san, what about me?" asked the other woman, sitting by the side of Junko's mom. She was a bit on chubby side, but not enough to distract from her overall attractiveness and style. She had a brown haired, styled into small curls, that looked incredibly fluffy.

"Brown hair... hmm... hmm... oooh! The wet girl!"

A few mothers nearby blushed, and Misuzu started to laugh.

Brown haired woman raised an eyebrow.

"Kamijou-san, while we hold you in high regard, we are talking about my daughter. Whatever she could feel when meeting you, restrain your language"

"No, that's not what I meant! She was soaking wet... she..."

"Calm down. I already know about that accident. And Kinuho never told you her name, right? My name is Wannai, pleasure to meet you."

"LEEEZ GO PEOPLE! PARTY IS ON! BEST NIGHT EVER!" Misuzu hollered.

Simultaneously, Tsuchimikado smiled while doing something with the camera standing nearby.

"Oh, yeah. The will sure get a surprise of a lifetime..."

(MEANWHILE)

"This is the worst" Mikoto sighed. She was in the big room filled with other Tokiwadai students. Dorm Manager was saying something about the traditions of the school and importance of the knowledge of older generation.

Next to her were Kuroko, Kongou and her friends, as well as Shokuhou Misaki. But even the usual feisty rivalry was gone.

"Wow, what happened to Shokuhou?" Misaka asked Kuroko.

"Apparently, her mother did not come. She was too busy" Kuroko explained, giving the blond a look of pity. Mikoto never thought that Shokuhou can have her own family problems, but she could almost see venom around the usually upbeat telepath. Did something happen in the past? Was Shokuhou's mother the type who would neglect her family for business?

"I'm fine and dandy, Misaka-san" Shokuhou said, sensing her gaze" More importantly, can we get on with this droll meeting? The boredom ability could not be any higher"

"They are connecting the feed now" Misaka said in resignation" Well, at least I will see Mama again...Kuroko, give me this herbal tea that's on reception. Bring one to Shokuhou as well. I can't even make joke regarding her if we are all that miserable."

After a moment, Kuroko was back with hot drink.

Just as they took a sip... the transmission started.

"HI LADIES, I AM SOGIITA GUNHA AND I WILL BE YOUR FREESTYLE DANCE TEACHER!"

PFFFFFFFFFT! Tea left both Shokuhou's and Misaka's mouths. Fortunately, they were in the front row so no one was burnt from it.

"What... what..." Dorm Manager looked as if she was about to faint "What is this?"

"Appears to be a recording from the other side. We can't stop it for some reason" answered the member of the staff.

The display showed the various events: Gunha training with the group of mothers, the vaguely familiar giant redhead furiously chasing the screaming dirty blond boy whose pants appeared to be burning, the young man with a long blond hair fighting a well-built woman in something that resembled a taekwondo, the other young man tossed without a shirt over the crowd of blushing, chuckling and singing females, and blue haired teen swirling around on the chandelier with just his boxers and chanting something that seemed like gibberish mixed together with various combinations of 6 digit codes. The other scenes depicted two little girls in sunglasses eating candy from what appeared to be golden thrones. The chaos of that party was beyond words.

No one know who or when, but one of the students started giggling. Soon she was joined by others and then, almost all girls were laughing in some form or way.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Dorm Manager was too late to control the commotion.

However, all girls quickly calmed down when on the screen appeared...

"Idiot!"

"My prince!

"Darling!"

Shokuhou's and Misaka's necks almost snapped through sudden twist of their heads in the direction of Kongou, who uttered those words with a shocked and slightly red face.

'Darling?! Excuse me, what reality is this?!'

The next segment presented the talks of Kamijou Touma with various mothers. Reactions varied: Kuroko's lips opened and closed on loop, Junko's mouth formed an innocent "o" with eyes sparkling with joy. Kongou actually got up, with her train of thought faster than shinkansen.

'He put dating me on hold? Me, Kongou Mitsuko?! No, no, wait, he did it because he respected me. No...no guy ever respected me like this. Such a defiant attitude, even in the face of my mother... I wouldn't expect anything less from my darling! Although this commoner still needs to learn a lot how to treat a lady such as myself, but other than that... he is quite... dreamy~'

"Kongou-san looks so happy and... pure" commented Awatsuki Maaya, looking at her blushing friend. "More importantly... Wannai-san..."

Her other friend was also blushing, and only tips of her red ears were visible as she hid her face in her hands.

"He called me a w-wet... wet girl... what if this spreads around?! Please don't call me a wet girl, Awatsuki-san!"

"I won't call you that but... how do you even know him?" she asked, as the other girls also listened in."

"W-Well, one night, I slipped on the riverbank while returning to school and started to drown after falling into the water... d-don't look at me like that, I know that Hydro Hand drowning is the most stupid thing ever, but I hit my head and couldn't move or calculate properly! Apparently, he happened to be passing by and jumped in to save me. He later took me to the hospital and stayed there until I got better. He was gone when I woke up, and I only learned his name and looks from the doctor... I really wanted to thank him for longest time... a-as he is the one who saved us during the heat wave from that giant Element too..."

Awatuski stared intensely, and replied.

"I also met the guy. He kept beating me in arcade games, so I got angry and tried to punch him but he just blocked my fist with his bare right hand. How did he stop my Float Dial like that?"

"Actually..." brown-haired girl wearing a cat-like head accessory added" He once helped me get the cat down the tree and care for the poor thing! He was so gentle, as if he could understand what it was saying just as well as I could."

"He helped me when I lost important documents and spend an entire day trying to get them back" interjected Yumiya Iruka.

"He gave me his umbrella so I would not get a cold... even though I insulted him earlier..." mused Megumi Kirifu.

"He helped me cook a meal for a sick friend..."

"He called an ambulance for me..."

"He was so sweet..."

"So handsome..."

"So kind..."

Misaka and Shokuhou looked at the crowd in front of them with soulless eyes. How boys called it? Raising a flag? This wasn't a flag, damn it. It was an entire army! Reality hit both of them hard, as Kamijou's ability to help others yielded another surprising result on enormous scale.

"Shokuhou" Railgun's voice sounded strangely coarse" we are covering this up"

"Oh definitely. You take the electronics and cameras, I take the memories."

Later on, incident in Tokiwadai was labelled a mystery. None of the recordings survived and although people could vaguely remember that someone broke in, no one actually recalled faces of the criminals.

Meanwhile, Dorm Manager reached the point of fury.

"Those intruders must still be there! Activate the defence systems!"

(FEW MINUTES EARLIER, TOKIWADAI)

Touma finally found his way out of the crowd, to find Misaka Misuzu near the balcony.

"Oi, Misuzu-san... you're with us?"

"How rude... I sobered up some time ag... *hic*... excuse me, heh heh..."

The brown haired woman wearing teen brands of clothing stretched, and looked at the people inside. Touma followed her gaze.

"Are you...scared of Hamazura, by chance?"

"I would say... cautious. I know that situation was explained and dealt with, but it still fills me with uneasiness."

"I think he felt awful about that night. He's probably gathering courage to speak to you"

"Hmm... I actually am ready to forgive him, since he is your friend. Just... it will take a bit of time"

She sighed, and looked back at Touma.

"I don't know about your lives here, but I just confirmed the feeling I had while first meeting you. You have the amazing ability to bring people together, you know that. Well, I dunno about my dear Tabigake, but I want to say this once again: I am happy and proud that you and Mikoto are friends. It makes my heart warmer. If I were 20 years younger, and not married of course, I would not mind being where Mikoto is now and I would not hesitate. Take it as the oka-san's compliment"

"Well, I am glad that Biri Biri is safe and sound. Over time, I got to know her better and I don't regret it." Touma smiled, turning away. "It started a little... hard, but right now, we are on a good way, I least I hope so."

"I am sorry if my daughter is a handful. I know she can act before she thinks"

"Well, it's still better than it used to be. But what worries me is that she always wants to be the first and alone to face the danger. What if she gets hurt?"

"..."

The tension began to rise on the balcony

"I actually admire her for that tenacity and determination. But this world is huge. What if something happens and I won't be there to help her?"

"..."

Silence. Maybe Misuzu was also worrying about this prospect?

"Hanging around me can be a bad idea. I wouldn't like to put her in danger... and we already faced quite a few together..."

"Phew~..."

"Phew?"

Touma turned around to find Misuzu smiling apologetically.

"Sorry for being quiet, but I felt that I want to puke for quite a while, and it finally went away. Yay for me!"

"That tension... WAS BECAUSE OF THAT?!"

"I drank a little bit and-"

"You people are going to kill me one day with those changes of mood!"

Misuzu laughed heartily at boy's reaction. She then smiled, and it was the same smile Touma sometimes saw on her daughter's face.

"Listen, Kamijou-san. I trusted you when I left my daughter here. You two have similar worries. Now, I want you to trust her in turn. I may not realize what are those dangers you spoken of, but Mikoto is strong. What she needs is someone that sees her not as a level 5 Railgun, but as a normal girl, Misaka Mikoto, who has her worries, insecurities, but also regular happiness of her mundane life. If you give her that and be yourself, I am sure she will be happy. After all, her heart is already set."

"Her heart? What's this about?"

"I'll leave figuring this out to you... oh? Isn't that Hamazura-kun?"

"B-BOSS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

(MOMENTS LATER)

The paintings, statues, and various other things opened fire. They weren't shooting bullets, most likely the projectiles were some sedatives, but nevertheless, everyone was forced to run.

"Why are you running with us though?!" Touma screamed over the fire "This is probably a face identification honing system, so it won't target you."

"You must be joking. We haven't had fun this good in a long time. Of course we will follow" Kongou Minako grinned in display of athletic skill.

"I have other question... why are they firing from... well, you know..."

"Accelerator!" Touma screamed to the phone. After few moments, the screen lit up.

"What?"

"Why are the guns sticking out of the bras and butts of those statues?"

"Are you really that stupid? Those systems were put in place to protect precious #3 and #5... and a few spares, probably. And who would decide on the placement of this?"

"Aleis..." Touma and Hamazura said at once, before facepalming "Alright, point taken."

(ELSEWHERE, HALF AN HOUR LATER)

They were returning home.

"So how was my song?" Rikuri inquired.

"Well, it was..." Maidono looked away.

"The thing is..." Hasako mumbled.

"Off-key. Zero rhythm. It sucked" Kaibi delivered honest and crushing verdict.

"Eeeh?! I-It wasn't that bad! I just need to practice a bit more" Rikuri could not face reality.

"Nee-san, you are a genius and prodigy in many things, but singing was NEVER one of them."

"Mumumumu... you are awful... oh, isn't this Kamijou-san?"

(AFTER EXPLANATION)

"You had one hell of a crazy day, didn't you? So those mothers went to a hotel together?"

"Yeah, and guys ran to their dorms. Well, Stiyl and Thor disappeared earlier on, but they are... well, from faraway place"

"I honestly can't believe you took Amazora on this craziness. I thought you were responsible enough" Kaibi muttered, before looking around" Where is Amazora? Kamijou?

"Oh, she was right behind me. Minako-san wanted to talk to her about something..."

"Oiii! Everyone!" indeed, Amazora appeared running, waving with a huge grin on her face."The older lady said I looked cute and she wants to prome me!"

"I think you mean promote. So you caught the eye of a modelling icon?" Touma patted the girl's head "That's great for you!"

"I will be on the T-shirts. Fremea as well" Amazora was clearly to excited to calm down anytime soon.

"Yeah, I think Minako-san made projects and send them to the designing companies few hours earlier. It's crazy how fast companies work in those days to be honest.

(MEANWHILE, IN THE UK)

"Mother, can I please leave now?" Leivinia Birdway gave her 'perfect daughter' smile at the lunch table. In front of her were her parents and her twin sister, Patricia.

Her mother was a beautiful woman with a gentle face, grey irises, and long blond hair, styled to match the gown-like dress she was wearing. She also had rather big chest area, to Leivinia's perpetual disdain. Meanwhile, her father was slightly older, with brown-to-grey, perfectionist haircut and sharp-looking azure blue eyes, that both of his daughters inherited.

Leivinia's mother, Elizabeth, was an art patron and socialite. She had kind heart and gentle spirit. Meanwhile her father, John Birdway, was a businessman and political critic, hailing from aristocratic family. He was known for his insight, sense of justice, and cynical humour.

It came to no surprise that Leivinia inherited more of her father's personality, while her sister took more after her mother. However, both of them were said to inherit Elizabeth's looks and John's resourceful personality.

"Alright honey. Just don't be late for dinner" Elizabeth took another small bite of high-quality meal.

"This club of hers is really demanding, isn't it?" John grumbled under his breath "I want to spend time with my dear daughter and this is what I get?"

"What are you learning right now?" Elizabeth questioned, to which Leivinia gave her prepared answer.

"How to be a lady in external politics and foreign party customs. That's all boring stuff. If you want to hear something really interesting, you should ask Pat about that new research she is conducting"

"Oh my! You started another one? Do tell us more!"

With the look on Patricia's face that said 'sis, how could you?', Leivinia left the dining hall. She had to force herself not to laugh. After all, they all thought she was attending Young Ladies Academy to learn how to be gentle, princess-like ojou-sama, when in reality, she was leading Gold Coloured Sunlight to world domination. It humoured her immensely.

She looked at herself, with hair combed and wearing a dress, with a sarcastic smile. What would this idiot think if he saw her like this? She smiled a little at the thought.

Soon she was out of her formal dress and back in her regular clothes. Her driver already knew the address, and in no time, good old cabal leader Leivina Birdway was back in action.

"Good afternoon boss" all of her cabal members greeted her when she marched forth with clicking of high heels

She marched through the enormous HQ to reach her office.

"Listen up! I will now conduct a serious, strategic planning regarding our future actions. It is crucial that no one interrupts me! Go inside and well... you know what happens when I get mad"

Everyone gulped. They couldn't fathom what their genius leader could be preparing behind this door and none was stupid enough to ask.

Soon, Leivinia was alone in her spacious chamber. She waited a few moments, before moving forward. After a few steps, she reached her desk, opened the cupboard, took on a bunch of paper sheets and sat down with a quill in her hand.

"Now then... where was I the last time?" Birdway whispered to herself, in a tone she would never let anyone outside hear. It was the tone of excitement and giddiness "Ah yes..."

She trembled as she was pinned against the wall. The strength of his stare matched his well-toned muscles. It was unyielding and overwhelming

"I thought I want fame and power. But in truth, what I needed was in front of me the entire time."

"W-What could it be?" she asked, her cheeks burning in the light of setting sun.

He got closer. Her heart was beating faster and faster, as the words she dreamt of for so long were to be announced. And when he opened his mouth...

BAM!BAM!BAM!

Birdway's gritted her teeth.

"Whoever is making that sound, better quiet down!" she roared.

After she took a few deep breaths, the quill started to move again

"You. I always wanted you. You're so beautiful I can barely see straight when I'm with you."

The girl's mouth opened, as she lifted her hand to the lips.

"But... you are my brother"

"Only through paper, not through blood. We can't let such triviality stop our love"

And he pressed harder. She trembled in anticipation looking at his confident face

"I will release you if you call me like this once again..."

The girl's lips slowly uttered words...

"I love you... onii-chan..." Leivinia said as if in trance, writing but in the same time reaching from a photo from the cupboard.

"Now, let us celebrate our beautiful love with a kiss..." he said, moving her blond hair away

She closed her eyes and puckered her lips, while whispering

"Say it as well... and I'll be all yours"

He understood. As their lips got closer and closer, she heard him say

"Boss!"

"Heh heh, you can call me boss, but it wouldn't hurt being more forceful..."

"Boss!"

"Like I said, you-"

"Miss Birdway!"

Leivinia blinked, realizing that doors to her office opened. Mark Space was standing there, looking at his superior, who in one hand held a writing quill, while in the other a photo of a familiar spiky-haired teen they both worked with multiple times. That wouldn't be so strange if not the fact that the girl was almost smooching the photograph, with her cheeks red and lips puckered for the kiss.

The quill broke in Leivinia's grasp. The lights in the office went out, and 10 seconds later, after some background noises in the darkness, young sorceress appeared sitting straight with cold, icy glare, and fingers intertwined. It looked as if nothing happened, if not for the slowly fading redness on the girl's face.

"You saw nothing."

"Of course"

"You heard nothing"

"As you say, miss"

"Didn't you hear my announcement to NOT interrupt me?!"

"Pardon me, but I was out during that time. I have a report from our intelligence service in Academy City. It may just interest you "

Birdway grumbled, but examined the video Mark was showing her.

"Hmm, it seems that this idiot got himself into some craziness once again." she muttered in amusement, before stopping dead in her tracks" Who... who is this?!"

The video froze, showing the image of Amazora and Touma having fun on the Tokiwadai "party".

"We don't know, miss. We still have limited access to all happenings in Academy City, but we are trying to monitor the situation... b-boss?! Are you alright?!"

Birdway looked as if she was about to commit homicide with her bare hands. She chuckled, stroking her wand, which started to smoke lightly.

"Oh yes...heh heh... I'm fine... and I will be even more fine when I go to Academy City on nearest occasion and choke the explanation out of this guy's throat..."

Mark nodded and tried to slowly exit the room, but something dropped to the floor. Leivinia noticed it and looked at her right hand man.

"What..." she seethed out "is this?..."

Mark started to sweat and answered rather hesitantly.

"Apparently, the young mysterious miss accompanying Mr. Kamijou will be featured on clothes, with new series in production right now. Mr. Kamijou send this to us with question if we want some of the products and we were... considering it..."

The piece of paper displayed a project of a shirt with Amazora striking a pose and winking, with a huge pink words "LOVE TO YOU"

Birdway's grin got wider and definitely more deadly. She got up and started to slowly approach her aide.

"Let me get this straight. We don't know who she is... and this... midget... may just steal my... o-our critical asset by some cheap tricks... and you guys dare to think about..."

The fire appeared, as fury of Leivinia Birdway ignited together with it.

"...wearing HER MERCHANDISE?!"

The sound of explosion got a few people running into the office, only to find Mark Space, scorched and smoking, sliding down the wall.

Birdway turned around, marching back to her desk

"Oh, I am not leaving this be, Kamijou... definitely not..."

(BACK IN JAPAN)

Touma shivered and looked to the sky. What was this feeling just now?

"That's right! Now you can tell me all about it, Amazora-chan. Maidono-san, Hasako-san, can you please help me with the dinner?" Rikuri said, pushing the girls forward. Touma could have sworn that she winked to Kaibi.

Soon, Kaibi and Touma remained alone on the street.

"That was a long day, huh?" Touma said rhetorically.

"Y-Yeah..." Kaibi replied, looking at the ground.

After a moment of silence...

"You know... it's been almost all of our obligatory time in the apartament. It's strange that it passed so quickly..."

"You are probably happy. I mean, you hated it more than anything, me sharing the apartment with you"

"The thing is... I am not. I don't want this to end, at least not yet"

Touma was actually quite surprised at that.

"R-Really?"

Kaibi put her hands together, as she slowly approached him

"Initially, I felt like that. But I couldn't be dishonest and I would lie if I said that I didn't find some moments with you entertaining. Before I knew it, I didn't want to leave you... and I wanted you to be with us even a moment longer..."

She placed her hands on Touma's shoulders, who watched her with shocked expression.

"Kaibi-san..."

"Kamijou, what I am about to say..." the girl articulated in a direct, but gentle tone, staring at him with her blond curls and pinkish-violet eyes shining in the streetlamp's glow" may be one of the hardest things to say in my life. One of the most irritating, bothersome, but also amazing things. So be a dear and shut up."

Kamijou could not say a word anyway. The intensity of the girl's action took his breath away.

"Kamijou...I-"

"Ooooi, if it isn't miss dresss~"

Kaibi turned around, absolutely livid. She was just about to do it, and whoever dared to interrupt her...

Yet she stopped. The person who made the comment was not a powerful esper nor supernatural being. It was 30-ish year old guy who looked like an office worker, and reeked of alcohol. However, the sight of him got Kaibi slightly pale, as the man wobbled at the side of the road.

"I wash wonderinghh why d'you avoiding our bar now?" the man slurred, obviously drunk, while staring at Gokusai Kaibi" And what I zee heeeere? U found yourzelf a new toy"

Kaibi tried to walk away with Touma, but the drunk guy grabbed her arm.

"Oii, are u doo good for az right now?! And whad aboud u, boy? U think dad u are shpecial? We all thoud dad... but she jusht dishcarded us... like trash..."

A very bad feeling spread throughout Touma's body.

"Kaibi-san... what is he talking about?"

"This is not important, it's just some nonsense. Let's go!" Kaibi's voice contained a hint of panic, alien to her usual self, indicating that the topic was far from unimportant.

In the eyes of the drunk man burned something akin to a dark fire.

"Oh, great Ghokushai-shama didn't tell you? Well, I'll give you a favour... she izzzz..."

Panic turned into fear, as Kaibi reached forward as if trying to silence the man.

But it was too late.

"A shlut! A husshy... a girlfriend for rent! She profited on enjou kousai and wash dem good at it! Now she thinksh she iz better..."

Touma's mind went blank.

What followed was a roar of anguish as Kaibi pounced at the man. Her fists began to hit the drunk one after the other, to the point that he finally passed out.

"SHUT THE HELL UP! How much longer?! How much longer will I tell you that I quitted?! I always kept my attitude professional and never crossed the line, damn it, so why?! I don't need this anymore... I don't want to feel like this... and what the hell have you done?! I... I am not..."

She looked at Touma, who noticed that her lower lip was visibly trembling.

"Kamijou... that is not like... I had to... I didn't mean to... I never did any of the intimate activities... I just..."

"Kaibi-san... is this true?" Touma whispered again to blond girl "I..."

"You... were different... you... because... I... I lo..ov..."

Her voice broke.

She look at him, before shaking her head and getting up.

"It...It wasn't meant to be like this..."

Not being able to meet his gaze, she then took off running.

When Touma finally snapped out of it, it was too late. She managed to run away for good. Even with his knowledge of back alleys, she gained too much distance. Or maybe he was just tired after hectic chain of events earlier on.

Something in Touma's heart trembled. Kaibi just revealed a source of her past anguish and he just stood there! Even if she wanted to tell him, it was forced out in a bad manner.

"Kaibi-san! Kaibi-san!" he screamed, leaving the unconscious guy on the ground after calling an ambulance.

He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to find her. He wanted to truly embrace Gokusai Kaibi and all her being entailed.

Filled with regret and worry, he knew that explanation of enjou kousai could wait. It shocked him, but it didn't truly change a thing when it came to his determination.

His mission was to set Gokusai Kaibi free from the formless demon of her long hidden fear.

(MEANWHILE)

Misaka Misuzu sighed, while poking the skin of Kongou Minako.

"Misaka-san... what in the world are you doing?" the other woman, who was starting to undress, gave her companion a puzzled look.

After the funny moment of chase, the mothers decided to share the room in the hotel and get to know each other some more. Currently, they were both preparing for the night in their room.

"Booo... that's so unfair! First Shiina-chan, now you... you are magnificent and you don't need any excessive makeup and cosmetics"

"Fine genes, I guess... I hope my Mitsuko inherited her finest too" Minako's hair fell down like a jet-black veil, when the attractive mother stepped through the room, completely naked. "And Kamijou Touma should better notice it as well"

"Ho? Are you hearing wedding bells already?"

"My Mitsuko is absolutely smitten by him. Romantic love at first sight! If this isn't the most precious thing ever, I don't know what is. I didn't feel excitement like this in a while"

"Lucky you. I don't know what my Mikoto is doing. I wish for cute grandkids!"

"You don't need to worry. Mitsuko will snatch him first" Minako winked deviously to Misuzu

"I wouldn't be so sure. Mikoto is known for overturn the expectations" Misuzu smirked back at her new friend.

"Well, our guess our daughters are both rivals and friends now."

"Yes, we can only hope for the best. Although we both know who has the obvious superiority"

"Really now?"

The woman giggled with their spirits rekindled.

Afterwards, Minako went to take the shower, while Misuzu, already after one, took care of her preparations to go to bed. She brushed her hair, reminiscing on the times of her youth when she wore them longer, almost to middle of her back. Then, she went to remove her makeup and lip-gloss. Even though she fumed about having to use them, Tabigake was vehement that she looked amazing even without them.

Speaking of Tabigake, she really missed him... she wondered where he was now. While Misuzu wouldn't mind having her husband at home more often, she also understood the sense of mission Tabigake felt in regards to his job, that is, solving dyplomatic and economic problems of other businesses and trades.

Misuzu wondered if Mikoto felt the same way when Kamijou Touma went on to fulfil his own goal of saving others.

After she finished removing make up, next came the overnight products for beauty enhancement. She sprayed rejuvenation mist on her chestnut hair. Then, she smeared the cheeks with lotion. Finally, she stroke her own eyelashes with a short brush covered with volume maintenance solution. This, for some strange reason, brought the tingling sensation inside her nose, that always made her want to sneeze. Something about eyelid nerves redirecting their signals to olfactory nerve. Sure enough, after only a couple seconds after making finishing touch to her eyebrows, Misuzu pinched her nose with her fingers, to minimize the damage of the involuntary bodily reflex could have on her beautifying effort, and stifled a couple sneezes in a row.

That part was important because during it she had her eyes closed during the entire time. And because of that, she got subjected to one of the most misfortunate happenings in her life. Had she have them open, she would have noticed someone sneaking into her room at that very moment.

"Ahh... bless me! I heard 3 sneezes signify love, but what 4 mean? Hmm, hmm, it can only be something even better... maybe a passionate romance with a youngster?"

Sniffing and dabbing her nose into handkerchief, Misuzu took a hairdryer to dry the hair spray. Being so absorbed in her routine, she didn't heard a louder sound from the entrance of the door. Nor did she notice that the water stopped running after a suspiciously sudden halt.

A figure loomed behind Misuzu, as she turned around.

"You are back already? That was fa-"

She had no chance to say anything else as some hands grabbed her, pulled her up, and put some cloth to her mouth and nose.

She tired to struggle, she was even sure that she managed to get one kick, but soon, her vision wobbled... and then faded to black...

(MEANWHILE)

Two Magic Goddesses sang together as the returned under Kamijou + Gokusai apartment, before bursting in laughter.

Niang-Niang sighed in content

"For mortals, this was... very nicely done"

"I agree..." Nephthys looked towards the end of the street "Hmm, she should be here any moment now..."

And indeed, after a while, a small cargo truck drove by, leaving a small package.

"Let's not keep her waiting any longer"

With the motion of the finger, the package was opened.

And then, as if in some zombie movie, a small arm burst out of it.

"Air!"

...followed by the series of coughs and finally...

Ex-Magic God, Othinus, was free. She stumbled on the asphalt, breathing heavily.

"Yahoo, goddess of toothpicks" Nephthys smiled at her" Did you have a pleasant flight? I thought you brought some souvenirs"

Othinus's green eye widened

"You... for some reason, I travelled through 5 different airports. I spent so much time flying through different time zones that my internal clock is going crazy. It felt so cold in the storage area that I thought I will sneeze and cough my head off. I was in Puerto Rico, Cairo, Moscow, and Sydney, before travelling here! And this... THIS WAS YOUR DOING, WASN'T IT?!"

"Well, Niang-Niang had some ideas, but yeah, my genius shines through"

"That's it, you toilet paper dispenser! Feel the wrath of god of war!"

"Ah, don't hit me like that, I'm ticklish! But on the other hand, I needed a massage... that's the spot~"

"Don't mock me. Where is my Understander? I... longed to see him. When he hears of this!-"

But Touma did not return home that night. And neither did Gokusai Kaibi. Even after everyone got back to the apartment, including Othinus who sneaked between legs in opened door, there was no sight of them.

Even though everyone knew that the pair was capable, worry could not be quelled.

The climax of a boy focused of saving a single girl from her nightmare was soon to arrive

Quick clarification: I am aware that Kaibi's enjou kousai did not contain actual intimacy, the guy was just insulting her because he: a) felt disdain for rental girlfriends as a whole b) was a sore loser and insulted Kaibi simply because she "dumped him", even if she only accompanied him before. The enjou kousai deal will be one of the topics of next chapter, but for now I can tell that even if nothing happened to Kaibi in the intimate way, it does not mean that someone did not TRY to make that happen... Kaibi has a lot in her heart, that's for sure.

That's it for now! See you next time.