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!

24. Chapter 24

PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 24

KAIBI III

Hello everyone. I am glad that I managed to get this chapter done in a relatively decent amount of time. It is quite an important piece on this journey, so it's great to have it here. This chapter took quite a while, because I was tired and busy with my work plus a case of a fever. Neverthless, I can safely say that writing has a therapeutic effect for me. I have a very hard time ahead of me, but I hope my creating spirit will be able to alleviate at least some of the suffocating stress.

Last chapter will probably have a little bit of infamy, mainly because of Shokuhou and Bologna. It receive feedback ranging from "Inspiring and deep" through "Interesting" to "Complete nonsense". Some of you didn't like the idea of Misaki being related to Bologna, In some aspects, I really understand this. After all, this is merely a fan theory. So why did I decide to entertain the notion at all?

Firstly, from the idealistic point of view, I would it could be really cool. The family that transcends science and magic, yet is separated through strained relations. Secondly, it's not like I purposely want for Misaki to have some sort of demonic magic or anything. Even if she had one, she wouldn't be able to properly use it anyway. I think I mainly wanted Misaki to have a cool family. And Bologna seems like a perfect material for a fun mom with problems. Thirdly, most basic physical similarities. Bologna and Misaki are both physically similar and are connected with Touma, this is admitted even by people who don't like the theory.

The cases like the one with Bolgona and Misaki theory are always tricky. On the one hand, is extremely important for a writer to be faithful to the canon of the universe he writes in. It is always my utmost priority for my take on the characters to be close to the canonical portrayal. On the other hand, fan theories exist. And while they don't have a status of the fact, merely a hypothesis, if we are not to explore them in fanfics, then where?

There is always a certain sphere of ambiguity surrounding not explored characters. The more mysterious in canon character is, the more this sphere is complex.

The way you can position yourself to this ambiguity depends greatly.

Would you rather say

a) Things don't exist until they are proven to exist.

Or

b) Things exist until someone disproves them

Although many scientific procedures work on the first paradigm, artists may use the second one. I love to believe that the universe is more vast that we could ever dream. What is means is that until this theory doesn't contain contradiction, I see no reason not to believe it. Of course, it's possibility is not absurdly high. But I am happy that I explored this theory, so we at least have the reference point"

I admit that my inspiration in pursuing the ambiguity came from Certain Strange Addition, a fanfic that also created a background for theory that Mugino and Touma are siblings (which was disproven recently with ITEM spin-off, but hey, it was a fun theory). So if evidence surfaces, I might think what I'll do when we will learn something substantial about Misaki's family.

Most importantly, you don't have to read all that much into it. Misaki and Bolgona will be used together in the future but the grand roles belong already to someone else. So it's not going to change the story.

I thank you for all the words of encouragement. I also received a few critical responses. I just hope that whether you like it all not, you still enjoy the story as a whole.

It's quite nostalgic. I was writing to you from the place where I published chapter 8, Rikuri I. And now, after 7 months, I am publishing chapter 24, Kaibi III, almost 3 times as much as it was back then.

This chapter is quite different from the last and I hope that you will find elements of romance and comedy that will make you truly immersed in the shenanigans of Touma, Kaibi, and the others.

Few other notes:

As some of you correctly noticed, Misaki is an esper, so if she has succubus magic in my story, using it would result in side effects typical when esper uses magic. In that sense, Misaki becomes somewhat similar to Tsuchimikado. Notice that magician/magic being can become an esper later in his life, but it will render them unable to safely use magic afterwards. The difference between Misaki and Tsuchimikado would be that former has innate magical power, that later learned it, but they both are blocked by possible backlash (even if Tsuchimikado can heal a little bit). Making Misaki an esper (and blocking her succubic side from manifesting) was a move Bologna intentionally planned as a part of her strategy to make her daughter seem as human as possible. Misaki still has the magic, but would suffer side effects if she refined power while activating it, UNLESS of course there would be some way to go around it (as we seen in the case of Umidori and Accelerator). Which may be tricky to think about, but I may (if there will be a need in the storyline) think about something like this in the future. For now, paradoxally, Kiseki has stronger succubus powers than her mother because: a) She is (at least for now) not thought to be an esper b) She has both her maternal genetics and maybe even influence from Touma's transfused blood from Bologna c) Sometimes, characteristics that skip a generation manifest stronger

It was pointed out to me that magic can't be inherited. While I agree that this is absolutely the case with learned magic, but I would argue that creatures of myths and legends that are born into magic are different and may be an exception. But, as I said, it's not really all that crucial for Shokuhou to have magic.

Some other answers:

The only reason why Othinus was not showed with a child (yet) is that because in the canon of this story, she is still small. I don't believe there is any way she can biologically reproduce with Touma's 'staff of carnal desire' being probably as big as almost her entire body. But of course, there is always option of adoption, which I am heavily considering. But I have to put a lot of thought into it before introducing Othinus' adopted child, that's why I request patience. To be honest, Othinus' adopted child was hinted on miniscule level in this chapter, as he/she is the one that allows Othinus to have her bakery and flower shop.

Thank you, Sudden Betrayal, for reminding me of necessity of Misaka Sisters. They already made it to the story and will have moments in the future.

Question about Niang-Niang and Bolgona being in Touma's harem... Bolgona is (in my story) in separation albeit on friendly terms with Misaki's dad. So she can very well become a part of the harem. As for Niang-Niang, it is quite possible, although for now she was overshadowed by Nephthys. I will definitely prepare a moment or two for her.

Interesting thing I was wondering about recently. Besides Gokusai sisters, which of the ships from this story would you like to see expanded upon in possible spin offs? I got quite a few comments requesting for Mugino story and quite a few praising the chemistry Touma and Kongou might have if they had more space for each other and more occasions to be together. There is of course Rimea story in preparation, but I am very curious who captured your heart. Oh, Hasako became a really big favourite too, to the point I had couple requests for dedicated fanfic for her. This actually fills me with the sort of pride.

Okay, that's it for now (this section may be updated in day or two). Without further delay, let's begin!

Kamijou Touma awoke as the rays of the morning sun permeated through the clouds.

He was waking up slowly. Not that he slept well after the intense invitation from Kaibi.

Speaking of Kaibi, Touma was facing certain problem. Measure Heart and Meltdowner both desired his presence at the same day and place. Touma did not yet find a solution to this problem. Each of the conversations was pretty emotional in its own right.

It was too difficult to just turn them away, even if Touma knew that it was probably a right call. He really wanted to meet both of them and just couldn't bring himself to do what should be done So for now, he could only pray for the girls not to set the meeting at the same time.

As if Kaibi and Mugino were not enough, a sudden third party posed another dilemma for the freshly awoken boy.

Rikuri was hugging to him tightly, practically enveloping him in the embrace.

"R-Rikuri-san..."

The fact that he got progressively used to girls sneaking into his bed made Touma immensely worried, guilty, but also (secretly) proud, in most primal of senses that usually didn't have an access to conscious mind.

The sleeping girl had no intention of waking up. Instead, she rested peacefully with her head between his neck and shoulder. To be honest, Touma felt like even after a while of leaving together, he still couldn't get over how beautiful she was, especially when she was calmly asleep. Not to mention that her body had just enough temperature to drift into sleep while snuggling-

No, wait, this was no time to be enchanted or spaced out. He needed to got up and start getting ready for the day!

"Rikuri-san! Wake up!"

"Mmmmmmmhm... no."

After that very elaborate comeback, Kamijou sighed and groaned, straining his muscles and managing to raise up. Because of the way in which Rikuri was hugging him, he actually managed to get up with the girl around his body.

Rikuri was a heavy sleeper, contrary to her younger sisters. Once she got comfortable, she would sleep to her heart's content and Touma was very aware of it right now.

Suddenly, he felt a smell from the kitchen's direction. It honestly surprised him. He and Rikuri were the ones that cooked in the household and they both were on their way to the kitchen. Besides, if either of them cooked, the smell would be different.

Nevertheless, the aroma was good and Touma was not the only one that felt it.

"Ummmmm... itdakimashuuuuuuuu..."

NOM!

Touma felt a shiver going through his body as Rikuri bit his ear.

"W-Whoah?!"

Was she thinking he was the food because of the smell in the air?

"Heheheh... so delishioush... tashtyyyyyyy..."

Touma wobbled on his feet, his face going red. There was a limit to what a healthy high-school boy could endure without losing a moral high ground, without being tightly hugged by a model class beauty, who was whispering things into his ear while nibbling on it.

Wait, nibbling? Now it felt more like...

Biting! No, it was actual chewing!

"Mhmmmm ahmmmm..."

"Ow, ow, ow! Rikuri-san! This is too hard! It's gonna be bit off! WAKE UP!"

(10 MINUTES LATER)

"I-It's okay, you don't have to bow..."

"No, no, it's all on me!" the embarrassed Potion Lady bowed her head at the boy" How is your ear?"

"B-Better now that it's cared for..."

"Well, that's no thanks to you, Gokusai..." Youen fumed, taking something from a medical kit and smearing it across the orifice of Touma's ear.

Ever since she and Kaai moved in, she tended to the wounds of any household member, as she was relatively proficient practitioner of natural medicine, in exchange for help in her experiments. Those endeavours were (relatively) safe, although Touma had the bad luck of being covered in maggots, sprayed with a skunk pheromones, and being bit by a very angry hamster. He nevertheless continued to appear by vermin specialist's side

"Ow!"

"If it stings, it means that it's working. So don't whine"

The mystery of nice smell was soon explained. Unexpected guests: Hasako, Maidono, and Hanatsuyu twins decided to drop by for early meal.

Hasako was the one cooking. Seeing her wear the apron, with her long hair tied up in a ponytail behind her back, made Touma's heart warmer and filled with tender feeling. It was not unlike the feeling he always got while watching Itsuwa.

As for Rikuri, she woke up when she bit a little bit too hard and tasted Touma's blood. She then got frightened and the two fell to the ground, and this was the state that the rest of the girls found them in.

"Touma! For all that time you were scolding me about the biting you, but you indulge in it behind my back!"

Naturally, Index and Othinus were there as well. The nun seemed bent on accusing Touma for hypocritical thinking.

"Firstly, Index-san, if anyone were to awaken any type of biting fetish in me, it would clearly be you, so you have no right to say anything here! Secondly, I obviously didn't enjoy having something almost bit off of me!"

Youen finished the bandaging and jumped back down before kicking Touma in the leg.

"Honestly, what are you doing behind my back? Isn't it high time for you and me to go on our planned da... I mean, outing"

"Why are you so mad, sister? Is it because you wanted to bite him too? I mean, I am here for the food and stuff, but you certainly wish for something more-"

"KAI! What the hell are you insinuating?!" poor Youen could only cry out when tables turn on her. "And don't you dare throw your ingredients. I prepared perfect seasoning from fluids left by my last experiment, so if step away, it would be...

Meanwhile, trying to fliter out those rather uneasy pattern of conversation, Touma turned his attention on Hasako.

He took a bite of the food and nodded in approval.

"As I thought, you are a great cook. It is a little bit mild in taste, and would use some seasoning, but other than that it's delicious."

Beginning Child smiled and bowed slightly with a smile, her delicate face lightening up.

"Your words greatly please my heart. Cooking for you is the least I can do to express my happiness for being here by your side. It took me a bit of time to gain necessary proficiency in this era's kitchen setting and I still have lot to learn"

"If you ever need any help or company in the kitchen, be sure to cook something side by side"

Hasako beamed at him with even warmer smile

"I would be delighted"

Touma could not help but cry the internal tears of joy while looking at the admittedly cute girl in an apron. He simply could not believe that it was the very same girl that he supposedly fought all that time ago, before even meeting Index.

'She is not only beautiful, but also hospitable, and even though she is still alien to many things in this modern world, she still tries her best. This! This is the true ojou-sama spirit! Many snobs with inflated egos could learn a lot from her'

"Hasacchi, when will we eat?"

Hasako frowned and walked in front of Maidono, who was sitting on the couch, covered in the blanket. She looked as cozy as she could get, lacking only drink and popcorn. That laziness got to the point that she used her telekinesis to push buttons on TV frame, changing the channels.

"Well, you didn't lift a finger, so I am not very eager to serve you, you know"

"Eeh? I did lift a finger. Quite a few times actually"

"You pulling the dishes with your power doesn't count. They all went to the wrong places because you do not care!"

"Touma, Hasacchi is bullying me!"

"Touma-sama, she is not cooperating with me here! Help me get her out of the sofa!"

"DAGA KOTOWARU! I will eat here, where it's cozy and warm! "

"C-Calm down you two... the food will get cold... woah!"

In the next moment, Touma was dragged under the covers, with Maidono wrapping both herself and Touma with a blanket like a human burrito, and snuggling closer to him.

"Hmm, that's perfect" she said, with cheeks pressed to stupified Touma.

"T-That's not fair. I am coming in too!" Hasako cried out

"Don't... idiot, this will not fit... kya! Cold air, bad cold air!"

"I am coming, Touma-sama!"

"I am getting crushed... here..."

"You will not move me away if I keep the covers from moving with my ability!"

"Then I will force you into submission!"

"Hwah?! No, don't tickle me! Hyahahahaha!"

"Girls... everything... is going... dark..."

'Wow, those three are quite something' Othinus thought, observing Maidono screaming while Hasako's legs were wiggling around from one side of the blanket burrito. It seemed like two girls were competing who can overheat their crush the fastest. Settling down with her small portion of food, Othinus contemplated further' Each of the parts of this triangle acts like an old marriage, in every possible combination. It's chaotic that it is honestly quite amusing'

Soon enough, everyone in the extensive group was by the table.

Yet, something was missing from the usual gathering.

"Amazora" Touma looked at the small girl happily munching on her portion of the food, sharing the blissful face that Index also demonstrated" Where is Kaibi?"

"Onee-chan? She left early, but that's her secret"

"Kaibi-chan was in a real rush to get ready for something?" Rikuri smiled, while stirring up her breakfast to get the ingredients to even proportions" I wonder why~"

Touma gulped. For some reason, he felt real pressure in regards to what was about to happen.

(MEANWHILE)

Gokusai Kaibi was standing in front of the mirror.

She was very skilled in looking fashionable. But there were levels to that beauty.

Today, she was going to present herself in the best possible light. She applied light lipstick, washed and brushed her hair, polished her nails, took extra care to have just right shine of the skin and to pick perfectly complementing accessories. With her elegant hair, captivating face and eyes, completed with elegant crimson dress, she could not be met with other description than simply beautiful.

Or at least she hoped so. Quite surprisingly, never in her life was she so expecting of something and never did she care so much about appearance as she did for today.

It seemed like all of those fake dates, for the years she served as rental girlfriend, were to culminate into the one today. The real deal.

The genuine date... for the genuine love she felt in her heart.

Kaibi could still not believe she was even capable of such a feeling. She examined it from every angle, but even as denial-prone as she was, she knew that she was really experiencing those feelings.

It made her excited and invigorated, something she rarely experienced. She hoped that the fact that lost some sleep last night because of that internal excitement wasn't showing too much.

Quite the irony. The quality that she initially considered the biggest eyesore in her relationship with Kamijou, namely his peculiar immunity to Measure Heart, now seemed like a blessing in disguise. If she could not affect him, then all that they could have was genuine and natural.

For Kaibi, someone who manipulated people her entire life, that was a terrifying, but also intriguing in a way. Or at least that's how she justified her heart beating faster and her cheeks warming up whenever she thought of the perspective of spending time with Touma.

Today, she would make sure that the eyes of a boy she loved would stay on her and her alone... or at least, that was what she would hope to happen.

On her own, she had very good confidence. As much as she was cautious with associating herself with the older generations of Gokusai family, her mother was a model, and her ancestors also had their fair share of good looks. She looked beautiful and that was the truth.

But given who was her date partner, she could expect all kinds of strange coincidences along the way. That was just the way of Kamijou Touma for you.

Her acknowledgement of that showed how much she grew since she challenged Touma's faith in bad luck. She still had her reservations, but she was now completely convinced that those random incidents plagued Kamijou Touma more often than most other people.

She was still mad at those interruptions, but... she understood that all she could do was enjoy the time she was offered and make even more of it. In that strange way, Kamijou's misfortune taught Kaibi a valuable lesson about not being able to control everything around oneself.

Snapping herself out of her musings, Kaibi turned around and walked across one of her favourite shops, that she persuaded to be opened despite rather early hour.

"I will take this, please"

"What a beautiful outfit. Some special occasion, Gokusai-sama?"

"Oh, definitely."

(MEANWHILE)

Hamazura Shiage looked through Mugino's slightly opened door.

'Wow... that's kind of freaky...'

Never in his life did he experience Mugino acting like this. In front of the rest of the ITEM, she would still act professional and manifest her explosive demeanor. But...

'She woke up early, she threw all of her wardrobe out, she washed herself with her most expensive soap and shampoo, and now she is... humming?'

Yes, Mugino Shizuri was in fact humming to herself. It wasn't that uncommon for her to do that, but as far as Hamazura remembered, it was always eerily creepy humming, the one heard in horror movies when the murderer wanted to taunt his prey. And this was exactly the purpose of it in ITEM's darker days. It was the same as Mugino's characteristic way of calling Hamazura out.

But now it was different. The tune wasn't all over the place, but it was definitely calm, with not a hint of malice. One could even say that it sounded... playful.

Mugino hummed, as she brushed and combed her tea-coloured hair. After a while, she nodded, apparently satisfied with the result. Thanks to the brushing and earlier shampoo, her hair became voluminous and filled with luster.

She sniffed a few samples of perfumes, before choosing one and spraying it on her neck. After finishing her eyelashes and starting to work on her nails, she spoke:

"What do you want Hamazura?"

"E-Ehm... how did you know I was here?"

"I am sitting in front of the mirror, dumbass"

"Yeah... I just thought that I could support you before your date"

Mugino straightened up and Hamazura immediately realized that she picked her words wrong

"You think I need support?!"

"W-What I meant is... you are probably nervous, so I hope to reduce the damage to my stuff to the minimum... and so you made you your favourite tea"

"Just leave it and stop making a deal out of this."

"I know, I know, but... isn't this kind of the big deal though? Two of my friends are going on a date! And it's you and the Boss at that!"

"Hamazura, you are hitting a new low. You're sounding like a gossiping mother."

"Well, excuse me that I care!"

"You are excused... for now"

Silence lasted for few moments before...

"If you are worried on how to act, you don't really have to do much. Just... don't kill him, please. You are totally his type, so..."

"Hamazura, do me a favour and check the state of our supplies in the fridge"

"Huh? But I checked it yester-"

"CHECK AGAIN. VERY CAREFULLY"

This was a final warning and Hamazura walked away. Mugino huffed in irritation, before walking to the display of clothes.

'Kinuhata and Takitsubo also wanted to support me. What a joke! I am not nervous and I don't need any help'

Sure, her stomach felt a little tight, but maybe it was something about the food. She was also hotter than usual, but it was surely because Hamazura needed to fix the AC. Discarding those thoughts, Mugino went back to choosing the attire to wear.

Being a fashion connoisseur/ clothing shopaholic, Mugino had an amazing array of clothes to choose from.

She dug through many different outfits and accessories, but she wasn't quite satisfied yet.

She looked at her yellow and beige outfit from the times of Battle Royale.

'Definitely not. This brings bad memories. Normally I wouldn't mind all that much and I am not all that superstitious but it is not good wear to wear it for such an occasion'

Digging on, she unraveled her violet dress, which she usually wore in summer and spring. It was warm enough for her to wear now too.

'He said that he liked that on me... good, good, I am going in a better direction. But that's still not it. It's good, but not... special enough. I need something fresh and inspiring... not as imposing as outfits from last year... huh?'

Something caught her attention, as she put few clothing hangers aside and looked at yet another outfit, that was also very familiar.

'This... I didn't wear it for so long now.' she took the clothes in her hand 'This... this may be what I need. But after everything that happened... can I still wear it just like this?'

She looked at herself and for some reason a voice of encouragement came from within her mind. Voice that sounded just like Kamijou.

"Oh, shut up"

But she smirked slightly, as she selected her final choice.

(SOME TIME LATER)

Touma arrived in front of Dianoid. It was quite a bit of time since he actually was here.

He was wearing his best clothes and most elegant clothes, that he knew would still look pale in contrast to his companions.

Yes, he said companions.

In the end, he was unable to move any of the meetings he had. However, if there was any fortune in this misfortune, it was that Mugino was to arrive few hours after Kaibi so although he and Kaibi planned to spend almost entire day together, he had a little bit of time to think about something.

He turned his attention to the carbon-based building.

'It was kind of crazy what happened here with St. Germain and Kanou Shinka. Not to jinx anything, but I really hope today will be better'

Thinking about St. Germain actually made him a little sad, and because of that, he didn't notice Kaibi approaching until she was practically standing right in front of him.

"Hey there"

"WAH?!"

Touma jumped in surprise... before taking a look at Measure Heart.

"Oh... wow..."

"So... what do you think?"

Kaibi's hair was masterfully tied styled into slightly higher tied style than she usually wore. She wore crimson red dress that was not unlike exotic dresses Rikuri liked to wear. With all that glamour and style, it was easy to see that Kaibi would one day rival her older sibling in beauty... and maybe she did so already in her own way

"I think... that I am seriously underdressed. You look amazing"

"You are just enough for this. I proposed this, so you don't have to feel obliged or anything. I see that you made an effort and that's what actually counts. Now, shall we?"

She took Touma by the arm and led him to the entrance of the building.

One would think that doing something like this would be effortless for someone like Kaibi. After all, she accompanied numerous people in the past. However...

'Come on, play it cool... don't blush, don't blush, don't you dare... I can't look like a fool in front of him. '

No matter how cool Kaibi tried to look, she could not help the fact that they were now both slightly red. But contrary to what the girl imagined in her head, Touma did not think lesser of her because of it.

'Kaibi-san always been professional, stoic, and cool... seeing her slightly nervous actually makes her more... approachable, I would say'

Apparently, creating genuine bond meant both sides relinquishing a little bit of control. That too was new to Kaibi. Luckily, she didn't have to go through it all alone.

(LATER)

Gokusai Kaibi sat on the bench with her heart in state of flustered disarray.

Earlier, she took Touma to a cafe that she liked to frequent too. She also showed him many places that he didn't know about inside Dianoid, including a bookstore, a small cinema, and a big fountain, made out of synthetic carbon. The fountain was rather deep and was guarded solely by the metal railing. According to Kaibi, in sunny days, the rays of sunlight from the glass dome above the fountain made a beautiful visual effect while clashing with dark inner walls.

The pair relished the atmosphere of the mall, talked about various things, or just enjoyed each other's presence in silent, yet comfortable contemplation.

Touma was starting to feel slightly bad since the girl was clearly taking initiative on their outing, but Kaibi assured him to think nothing of it. First and foremost, it was her idea to begin with. Also...

It was not like Kaibi had all the pure intentions. Well, what she tried to do was arguably pure and romantic, but she did it for herself as well.

No matter how much she tried, the right moment for the confession just couldn't arrive. So in the meantime, while engaging in relaxing activities of mundane normalcy, she planned to make couple of hints for her date. The hints of her unspoken attraction that would hopefully cushion the path for her own courage to her genuine confession.

Except... just like the early days of their life toghether, Kamijou Touma's peculiar proneness to unfortunate coincidences made fun of Kaibi.

Kaibi was once a renowned girlfriend for rent. As such, she was a professional in subtle flirting acts (even though with Touma, for the first time in her life, it wasn't an act anymore). So it wasn't exactly the problem with her approaches not working. No, it was the fact that somehow, Kamijou used them to flip things on the head and gain the flirting advantage on her instead.

For example, while in the cafe, Kaibi tried to give Touma subtle foot signals. However, just as she was stretching her leg and foot to reach Touma's, he noticed that a carpet got caught underneath one of his chair and lifted it, still looking at the obstruction, before dropping it again after evening the carpet, trapping Kaibi's misfortunate foot under the chair in the process. The girl cringed and if not for her long practice in the dark side, she would scream in pain.

However, Touma still noticed the discomfort and discovered what he unintentionally caused. He apologized and Kaibi ended up being carried away bridal style, as she couldn't walk for the next 10 minutes or so. To her further embarrassment, still worried Touma offered to massage her foot and leg to ease the pain. He didn't really wait for her to answer though and started to work with his hands. Kaibi's newly awakened, genuine feelings practically roared in approval with how good the massage was despite the pain in her foot. She allowed for the massage go on even when it slightly subsided

She was so distracted (Rikuri really wasn't kidding when she praised Touma's massaging skills) that she didn't even notice when people started to watch with odd fascination the scene of spiky haired teen massaging the bare foot of the fashionably clothed blond girl. When reality did caught up to Kaibi, she and Touma quickly evacuated from the place.

There was also a moment when they sat in the bookstore and Kaibi decided to try placing her hand on Touma's, supposedly by accident, to get his attention and proceed with further, controlled flirting. It was something that worked wonders for her in the past, when she worked on gathering info and using Measure Heart was difficult due to specific circumstances stemming from the mind and ideology of the client.

There was a number of books between them, as they sat on a small bench inside the store, while reading or searching through the books. Kaibi gently, while still looking at her book, sent her hand to the place when Touma's own palm was resting.

I think most of you can guess that Touma got the same idea. Only his didn't have the secret agenda regarding grasping Kaibi's hand.

Their hands didn't only touched. They, rather miraculously, intertwined. And, on rather instinctive reaction, they grasped them together. Only then the pair realized what they actually grabbed.

Their heads turned to each other. They looked into each other's eyes, then onto their locked hands, back into the eyes, back onto hands...

Touma's mind went completely blank with this unexpected handholding. Although rational thoughts in his mind screamed to back away before Kaibi gets mad, some part of his brain also conducted an analysis

'Wow, her skin is super smooth. And slightly cold too... but it's more like a pleasant cold with a tinge of warmth... not overly strong, but tangible grip... it suits her a lot... w-wait, why am I thinking this?!...'

Gokusai Kaibi got to know Touma's skills a bit during their time together. While he still surprised her with his ingenuity, battle skills and emotional intelligence, she was fairly certain that she was better in academics.

But in that moment, they both spaced out, with the sensation of each other's touch flooding their haptic memory and going on repeat like a broken record.

'His grip is nice... and I thought his hands would be more rough, but they are really nice to hold... he is so warm that I wish to hold it and be like this forever... wait, this isn't how it was supposed to go?!'

Neither of them could let go out of shock, with both of their faces, especially Kaibi's, going progressively red, until someone behind them knocked book of the shelves. That third party interruption finally caused them to snap back to reality, with Touma waving his hands and trying to explain that he was only reaching for the book, and Kaibi sitting with the hand across her face, as she breathed out an exasperated sigh.

After 2 or 3 tries, Kaibi decided to abide the old warning 'the more you take, the less you have' and just forget about all the rental girlfriend tactics. In fact, she never needed them to begin with. It was a real date, not a fake one, so she could be herself and don't rely on the tactics from the old days.

Yes... be herself. Whatever that meant. That was one of the reason for her falling in true love. She and Kamijou were travelling together on the road to discover her unmasked self, whatever it could be.

Right now, she was a mess. It was a common thing when it came to her and Kamijou Touma. Firstly, she felt messed with and angry. Then, messed with and confused. And when she realized that she fell in love, that mess in her heart only got greater.

She couldn't focus, she kept thinking about him, planning to get his attention, and was getting strong... desires. Cravings, that were rather normal to a healthy girl, but for someone like Kaibi, raised on deception, quite foreign and enchanting in a way that only something exotic can invoke.

Well for now, she was the one that was getting even more charmed and not Touma. In both mental and physical sense, she was falling deeper and deeper. Touma was probably all the more confused, and that made her both frustrated on herself and anxious about what he thought.

She truly changed when it came to emotions and love. Of course, she was still trying to be in control and assumed professional attitude. But her dark side associates probably couldn't believe their eyes. Gokusai Kaibi of the dark side would definitely not blush from a handholding. She would not go all that way for one man if she couldn't use him in some way. She would not space out, nor have peculiar dreams, or act like a girl from shojou manga, even if it was denied and buried deep within her heart.

Then again, Gokusai Kaibi of the dark side was never in love. Things changed.

And to the testimony of such change, Kaibi saw Touma heading towards her with two portions of sundae. With sheepish smile, he exclaimed

"You looked upset, so I thought... I can do something about it with a dessert you like. I didn't do much, and if I did, I was all those accidents, so... do you prefer the chocolate or vanilla one?"

The eyes of the girl in the dress lit up as she accepted the dessert. And it wasn't only because she enjoyed sweets more than she liked to admit out loud.

'If I was upset, it was only at myself. But you still thought you were in the wrong. I need to do something about that attitude... and how do you do it? You are so brilliantly observant and always willing to make someone smile...'

It was one of the qualities Kaibi came to appreciate about Kamijou Touma and she knew that her sisters appreciated it as well. For various reasons, three sisters never got that kind of attention since the death of their father. Amazora was treated like a spare and Kaibi sometimes ignored altogether. Although Rikuri had opposite problem, as she was overwhelmed with expectations, none of those held any concern for her. When they came to Academy City, things didn't really change for them. Any looks they recieved was the ones of judgement or expecation. Outside their small world of three, none of the other inhabitants of the city truly reached out their hand...

Until Kamijou Touma appeared in their lives. He and Kaibi didn't get along at the beginning, and she saw that he too was uncomfortable. But he always made an effort to take care of them, didn't really expecting much in return. Like right now, buying the desserts from his own money, despite being so... financially challenged.

She dug into the sundae and placed the spoon in her mouth, smiling blissfully.

'I love him'

So simple to say in mind, so hard to express in words.

"You know..." she heard Touma speaking, as they both looked at the hustle and bustle of the mall" I've been thinking about how much happened ever since we began living together"

"Hmm? I would lie if I said that I don't think about that too... to be honest, it's not like we've been actually living together for that long"

"Well, yeah, but so much happened since then! We've done so much together, so many people came into my life, that I feel I was always like this"

"Do you... feel happy?" Kaibi asked, licking her spoon clean of the whipped cream, before digging to another layer of the dessert.

Touma thought for a moment.

"Well, to be honest, I never thought that I will truly belong anywhere for that long with my luck. I have Index and Othinus, but they came into my life in the most unusual circumstances. Meanwhile, we just met up through administrational mistake. I really wasn't sure what are we going to do. But I am very glad it worked. Or I hope it did"

"Yup, pretty much. At the beginning, I couldn't think of any way this could work. But... even as hard to predict and insufferable your actions may sometimes be, I am honest enough to admit that you did change my life. I changed, quite a bit at that"

"For the better?"

"Depends on the day and on how much a certain moron manages to piss me off" she smirked while glancing at him" But it's true that I can see and feel more things that I ever felt before. For that alone, I am glad. So, a lot of things happened... it's kind of true when I think about it now..."

And so, they talked and reminisced about the memories of their life together so far. About Touma caring about them in sickness, visit to the pool, Amazora's race, Kyozetsu incident, boys and girls nights out, but also about various other things, memories between major events.

How Rikuri accidentally dissolved Touma's laundry. How Amazora brought home crayon made picture of both sisters and Touma, that now accompanied their photo in the living room. How they went to the bathhouses together. How they went to art exhibitions, how they played board games. They talked about Rikuri's cooking attempts, discussed Amazora's newfound friendships, and gossiped about various quirks of their neighbours and friends.

Kaibi didn't know how would she react earlier, but right now, discussing her life, her day to day existence, with Kamijou Touma seemed perfectly normal. Satisfying even.

By this point, the sisters had both serious and funny moments with Touma. The 4 of them, later joined by others, had their rituals proper only to them, and dynamics within the pseudo-family system that were unique to each party. Even Kaibi, usually serious and pragmatic, found warmth in her heart while reminding herself of those various moments. Rikuri's airheaded nature combined with her teasing allure, Amazora's energy and mischief, not to mention Kaibi's own bond with Touma. She did not forget what they shared in that moment in which he promised to discover her true self alongside her.

They all came a long way from the burning garage, where they confronted each other in regards to Mitsuari Ayu's fate.

"Do you remember when Hasako had nightmares and you comforted her?"

"It was actually rather embarrassing, but I am glad I managed to calm her down."

"You used your ability to be emotionally perceived as her mom! In all seriousness, it was kind of funny"

"Well, her mother is dead, and as a member of the club of mommy issues, I could lend a helping hand. I know you were listening to us, and I can't begin to imagine what a pervert like you imagined"

"H-Hey, it wasn't like that at all, even if her calling you mommy was a bit... peculiar. But you have to admit, your Measure Heart can get pretty funny some times. I mean, with the parts to play for you"

"Hmph, my power is a distinguished and sophisticated mental ability" Kaibi fumed, yet still chuckled as she added" But yes, I guess occasionally it gets pretty amusing."

"Maybe you should become an actor in adulthood? You would be wonderful, as you already have a lot of practice. Plus I am sure that audience will love you for your style"

Kaibi pondered on that suggestion. Could that expertise in fakeness be put to use in that way?

"Thank you" she finally said

"For what?"

"For compliment, but mostly... you believe in me, when I thought I will be stuck in the darkness. But you force me, through our random life together, to consider so many things... about the future, about my life, my emotions... about me and about us. I don't judge them if they are good or bad, but the mere thinking about it fills me with... hope, I think"

"Well, I am glad you feel that way"

The conversation lazily flowed forward, as the anecdotes continued.

"Do you remember how Amazora freaked out when she learned that Kai and Youen added this bug powder protein to the muesli?"

Kaibi laughed at that, slightly covering her mouth with her hand.

"She never screamed so loudly! And Maidono bolted out so quickly that she almost left an afterimage."

"Speaking of Maidono, remember when we bought her 100 pair of chopsticks for her to destroy on her birthday? I remember how happy she was, when she was snapping and crushing them with maniacal laughter. Is it weird that it was strangely attractive sight?"

Kaibi's lips curled up even more.

"Did you dance with danger so many times that things like that are attractive to you? Well, she can be endearing in that silly hatred for chopsticks. That was such a stupid and nonsensical day. We all went to the restaurant but Hasako was late because of the traffic. Maidono absolutely didn't want to start without her, so she lost patience, went to the place in which she was stuck and lifted the bus with her ability."

"She had to hide for a few days because of that! And Hasako was mad at first, but she still keeps laughing when we mention it"

"Honestly, I can't get over the fact that those two are the same extremely powerful espers that wanted to take your life. Mine too, when we are talking about Beginning Child."

"Come on, they are great. Even if they can be a little..."

"Overprotective when it comes to you? I noticed. Hasako trapped some Kirigaoka girls in the swamp after they were making fun of you."

'Yes... I am really grateful that they are on our side. While monsters in their own rights, they are honestly kind of adorable dorks when I spend time with them. How can someone be deadly and cute at the same time, that's the true question' Touma thought.

(MEANWHILE)

The horror movie was reaching its climax. Maidono intently stared at the screen, while chewing popcorn. The monstrous alien made out of ooze and mud formed over the pair of terrified protagonists. It opened its mouth, ready to unleash blood curdling roar...

"Kchi!"

The cutesy sound that completely didn't go along with the movie resounded from Maidono's left side. It resembled a mouse squeaking.

Beginning Child shook her head in a cat-like fashion after her sneeze.

"Bless me... Maidono, why are you laughing?"

The telekinesis user was folding over, dangerously close to unleash the wave of roaring laughter.

"Hasacchi... you can't do this... you're killing me... you are this almighty and dangerous goddess of nature in one moment, and then you pull out something cute and I just... I can't, I need to start filming you..."

"D-Don't make fun of me, you are 6 decades younger and should fear me! I-I am an ancient and powerful esper with nature as my plaything-"

"You realize that holding your hands up like that and those pillowy punches of yours only make you look cuter? Those are Kamijou's words, not mine"

"Oh..."

*doki, doki, doki*

"He said that?" the girl flashed pure, almost blinding smile

"Ah! Call an ambulance, my friend is killing me through diabetes!"

"M-MAIDONO-SAN, STOP!"

(AND BACK...)

"Also, remember when Rikuri was so sleepy that she tried to put on your uniform? I found it hilarious"

"What?! My shirt stretched out so much in the chest area that I looked as if he had a bag tied to my ribcage! Heh, what about the time when Amazora tried to apply your makeup?"

"I seriously thought someone beat her up... with her attitude, anything is possible"

They talked on many different memories, and Kaibi found herself laughing quite a few times.

On one such occasion, as her laughter subsided, Kaibi noticed Touma staring at her.

"You've been looking at me a lot... while that's the point of making myself look good, I would be interested to know why"

"O-Oh?! Well..." Touma scratched his head" I was just thinking that this is one of the things that I like the most when we speak now... comparing to before"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"You laugh a lot more now. And it sounds sincere. You never laughed before, sometimes seeing you smile was a rare thing. So I am... happy, that you feel relaxed and comfortable. B-Besides... you have a rather cute laugh, it's nice to listen to. A lot warmer than I expected."

Kaibi felt something akin to pulse of heat spreading through her body. She could almost feel the endorphine surge in the bloodstream.

"What do you mean 'warmer than you expected'" she playfully punched him on the arm. Still smiling, she reached out to scrub the rest of the sundae. "It's sincere, so of course it is like that"

"Speaking of sincerity, did you find that genuine connection you looked for? Someone caught your eye?"

PHHFFT!

Kaibi almost choked on the remnants of her dessert.

Was he, in a way, asking if she was in love with anyone?

That was served on a silver platter. All she needed to do was answer truthfully.

She felt her heart speed up as she opened mouth...

The loud notification sound rang out. And it was just any notification.

Judging by the tone, it was a message from Shokuhou Misaki.

The charm vanished. Cursing every god of fate, Kaibi pulled her phone out.

"Excuse me"

But when she saw the notification her eyes widened.

'Is that a joke... truly, right here and right now?...'

Kakine Teitoku was in the Dianoid. Kaibi was kind of mad that the information network of Mental Out could not tell her that earlier but it didn't matter. It pained her to leave Touma now, but this was the chance she could not miss.

Meanwhile, Touma looked at his phone and frowned

'Wait... that hour can't be right, I am sure a lot more time has passed by now...'

He then looked at the big clock with display on the wall and paled.

'Did my phone froze again? I have far less time than I thought. Mugino is going to arrive somewhere around here very soon. I can't let Kaibi see her. Shit, I don't want to leave her, but I have to do this. Let's say... let's go with...'

"I am sorry, I have to go to the toilet!" both teens exclaimed at the same time.

Yup, that definitely wasn't going to make it awkward.

"My stomach suddenly started to hurt" Touma smiled awkwardly.

"R-Really? Well, what a coincidence, me too... guess they didn't try their best with the food this time..." Kaibi chuckled, before getting up" The time we are spending here is great, and I will come back as soon as I can..."

"Is everything good enough for you to be on your own? Maybe I will walk with you to-"

"I am sorry Touma" Kaibi stood up and began to walk away" Where I am going, I have to go alone"

Touma tilted his head, surprised by the sudden appearance of the line that sounded straight out of the action manga.

'We... We're still talking about a female toilet, right?'

And so, they separated.

Touma stood in place, watching Kaibi disappear beyond the corner.

That was convenient. Perfect even, considering Mugino was about to arrive at any moment.

But as he walked away, he still worried.

'Did she lie about enjoying time with me? She seemed to be in a hurry though. Either it really is the bad stomach ache or she also had some reason to go away. For some reason, it did not make him all that happy at all.'

Unknowingly for Touma, Kaibi felt exactly the same way.

'This is not how this was supposed to be. I feel kind of awful now and it doesn't go away. But... I really need to speak with Kakine'

She sped up, intent to find the Dark Matter as quickly as she could.

Meanwhile, Touma walked through the center for couple of minutes, before suddenly being stopped by someone familiar.

"It's peculiar seeing you here, says Misaka pondering on why saviour is in a rich environment he usually so detests"

It was a Misaka clone. Touma didn't interact with the sisters for quite a while and was surprised yet happy to see one here. It was still rather weird to see the sisters out in the open after their existence was revealed.

Speaking of being in the open...

"It's nice to see you, but don't you have a job or something along those lines, Misaka..."

"Misaka sighs in hopelessness, noticing that you can't distinguish her without aid of an accessory on her person. Misaka's serial number is 10039, says Misaka as she identifies herself"

Touma knew that she was one of the clones that were usually stationed in the city.

"Nice to see you. How is the Network doing?"

"The Control Towers sends our... 'kisses and hugs', to quote her. Meanwhile, this Misaka boasts with the ability to meet the savour... number 19090 is crying, while number 10777 is sending the curses she learned in russian base. Many units consider deploying to this location right now, particularly 10032..."

Touma shivered. No, anything but that. He already had a problem with two girls, he could not risk involving a literal army of clones.

"Please tell everyone to calm down. I promise I spend some time with you, just... let it go for today. It's logistically hard day for me."

Another sigh.

"Agreed. I will talk to others, says Misaka as she once again feels at awe at saviour's popularity, enjoyed despite his obliviousness."

"Emm... so, is there any reason why you are here?"

"This Misaka undertakes a job in lost and found center. It may not be the most grandiose endeavour. Currently, engagement in freedom of break is in progress, Misaka says as she provides an explanation for her current activity."

"Oh... well, that's actually quite an important job"

"Yes" responded the sister in serious voice" Thanks to her military training, no lost cat will ever escape Misaka."

"Aren't... animals scared of your power? This seems a little bit counterproductive"

"Various units were asking number 10032 for tips regarding approach to felines and canines of various kinds. It is not always effective, but it's the risk Misakas are willing to make."

'Oh so they actually came out with a plan to counter...'

"Like walking around, wrapped in electricity insulating tape!"

'I knew it was something like that!'

"On that note, Misaka's frequent client came alongside her. There she is now, says Misaka indicates the girl in the same uniform"

And indeed, in front of Touma's eyes, in the distance but closing in, appeared the girl wearing Tokiwadai uniform, with red-to-burgundy hair adorned with traditional ornament, kanzashi, and with locks of hair covering right side of her face. She also sported black, pantyhose-like stockings and short skirt, with something that looked like a military flashlight attached to one side. There was also small pouch hanging near her other hip.

"It appears that when we noticed you, she got the interest to speak with you. She is Misaka's client, so Misaka will provide an opportunity for your conversation."

However, as she said that, she narrowed her eyes and Touma was almost sure that she clicked her tongue.

The Tokiwadai student arrived and stood in front of Touma. Her one visible eye was of the colour of yellow amber.

"H-Hello? My name is..."

"Kamijou Touma. By this point, almost entire Tokiwadai knows you, so there is really no need for introduction from your side. As for me, I am Yumiya Iruka. Terribly sorry for bothering you, but I would like to ask you a few questions"

Yumiya... Iruka. Touma thought that he heard the surname Yumiya before, but he could not put a finger on when that was.

Also...

'Yumiya Iruka means... Dolphin of bow and arrow... that's quite the idea from parents side'

Dispersing the comical vision of army of aquatic mammals swimming on their tails in archer uniforms, Touma answered the redheaded girl.

"It's no problem, Yumiya-san. How can I help you?"

"Have you seen this girl? I heard that you get involved in many things around the city, so perhaps you spotted her somewhere?..."

She showed him a photo on her cellphone, displaying a teenage girl with dark hair in a mixture of loose hair with side tails. She wore different uniform, but the eyes and chest size was similar to the girl standing in front of him right now.

Touma examined the photo closely and shook his head.

"No, I can't say I did. Who is she?"

"Her name is Yumiya Rakko and she is my older sister. You see, she disappeared a long time ago and didn't come back ever since. It wasn't uncommon for her to disappear like that before, but after 2 months and no information from her, I became worried. I tried reaching out for the authorities, but after some time, they declared her a lost cause. But I can't give up on her! A body was never found. She may be stuck somewhere... even though she is older, she was always quite fearful, and I needed to take care of various things... so I can't drop this case. From time to time, I search for her and I thought that you could have spotted her. A shame, truly..."

Now Touma remembered that Saten mentioned to him that she and her friend went against a really scary sniper. He could swear that the surname Yumiya was mentioned. But could it really be this shy looking girl from the photo?

It wasn't like he had any other clue, so he decided to tell it to Iruka

"My friend my know more about it. It's possible that she and your sister crossed paths in the past."

"Oh? That would be quite helpful! How can I contact her?"

Touma told Iruka Saten's LINE account identifier.

"Every step like this helps. Oh, and since we are already talking..."

Suddenly, the redhead grabbed him by the front of his shirt and closed his face to his

"Wha-Wha-What is happening?!"

"Our relationship in the future, being friend or foe, depends on a simple thing"

She was polite before, but now she seemed straight up scary. Her only visible eye was opened wide and unblinkingly staring at Kamijou, as Iruka closed in on him.

"What is your relationship with Hokaze Junko?"

"Huh?"

"WELL? What do you think of her, who do you see her as?"

Touma thought for a moment.

"H-Hokaze-san... I think it's safe to assume that we are friends, hopefully a good ones... even though she may be quite intense, her gentleness makes her a really relaxing and chill person to be around. She is reliable and honestly very amazing with her physical skills too"

Iruka frowned. She was so close that he could her breath on his cheeks,

"Friends, huh? Then I guess..."

Her face turned into a beaming smile.

"You pass!"

"What?!"

"You see, Hokaze-sama is one of the most wonderful people in my life. Her beauty, her power, her kindness, her overwhelming superiority that is tampered only by her modesty. She is a like role model to me ever since early days. You see, in recent times, she is holding you in a very high esteem, basically on par with her precious Queen and that musclehead #7. She is only speaking about you in superlatives and smiles while mentioning your name"

"Oh, really? Then I guess I am truly flate-"

"It was only natural that I'll verify it myself. Whatever Hokaze-sama likes, I also like..." she gently stroke her pouch, which, upon Touma's closer inspection, turned out to be Gekota themed." So from my own personal point of view, and as her fan, I am taking a liking to you as well. However, if you happen to overstep and pursue something more, I might just happen to fry you"

Her hand drifted to the flashlight. That indicated something Touma had yet no knowledge of.

'What? Scary! You can't go from nice to scary, back and forth, just like that. On that note, for someone so modest, Junko-san is quite popular. Good for her, I guess...'

"It's bad enough that she only hangs around Mental Out. But my watchfulness only had to increase when you and Sogiita Gunha came into the picture. I don't mind being on good terms with you, but I will protect Hokaze-sama's purity and show the world how amazing she is when she advances even more!"

'This seems vaguely familiar... oh, right...'

The face of a twintail teleporter appeared in his mind.

'Yumiya-san is a bit more... sophisticated? Something like that'

The important question was why the girl was practically all over him. Two big masses on her chest pressed on his ribcage and her face was practically centimeters away.

Touma was not the only one who noticed it, as Iruka's hand was grasped by Misaka 10039.

"Misaka's patience threshold is being severely breached, says Misaka as she prepares to take disciplinary action..."

"P-Please don't... Yumiya-san, could you..."

"Oh? I am sorry, I am sorry. Don't get all sparkly, clone-chan. I just have this tendency to get close to people I like. Rakko always sniffed others, she had a really great sense of smell... in Tokiwadai, we usually don't interact with males. I heard stories about your gender liking the skinship. Was I wrong?"

It wasn't like Touma didn't enjoy the feeling Iruka's breasts (even if he was bothered by violation of personal space) but what really scared him was the look in the 10039's eyes.

In the same time, wave of pure wrath spread through the network, as almost 10 000 girls growled like an enormous pack of wolves.

(MEANWHILE)

Yoshikawa Kikyou looked at the older looking clone of Misaka Mikoto, lazing around on the couch. A second ago, Misaka Worst was just perching there, but now she was holding her stomach as if in pain.

"Emm... what is going on?..."

"Oh, this hate is so intense, getting through Misaka... it's too much, Misaka will pee herseeeeeelf!"

Sometimes. Yoshikawa didn't want to know what the clone with malicious appearance was experiencing in the moments like this one.

(AND BACK...)

"If this is all, Misaka will now escort you to the designated spot where you can put up fliers" 10039 rather forcibly grabbed Iruka by the arm, pulling her away from Touma.

"Oh? Alright, alright... see you later, Kamijou-san!"

As the clone and the redhead disappeared into the distance, Touma let out a sigh.

"That was something else."

"Oh, was it now?"

The venomous voice from behind made him shiver as the iron-clad hand grabbed by the head

"You have some nerve, I have to admit. That or you are just incredibly stupid to flirt with a girl just before meeting me..." Mugino grinned viciously, while pain split Touma's skull. That mechanic arm was seriously strong.

"Mugino-san, this is a misunderstanding. Iruka-san wanted to talk with me and I didn't really want..."

"I know that. I know that, but it doesn't make me less pissed" Mugino finally let go of his hand. Touma cringed, as the spots where her fingers were pulsed with pain."Listen, I am giving away my precious time to be here with you. So I expect your attention to be on me now. Is that clear?"

Touma nodded vigorously, and the girl nodded back.

"That's what I thought. So..."

She walked away and stood in better light. Touma stared at her, before the girl frowned at him

"Oh, for fuck sake! It's obvious that I want you to say something about my outfit"

"You want... my opinion?"

"As much as I am surprised too, since I am here with you, I might as well ask you this"

"I mean... for as far as I know you, you looked good in absolutely everything. Even when you were in my clothes with wet hair"

Mugino Shizuri, someone gifted with extraordinary beauty and power, did not blush like a shy girl at such compliment. However, she felt her inner self blaze and tremble with approval, like a tiger pleased with a really big hunt.

"That's a given, you know. But what about this specific outfit. It's a bit of a nostalgic one for me."

Mugino wore a dark skirt with vertical line of golden buttons on her slim waist, white sleeveless blouse that was pushed forward by her big chest, emerald chocker, half zipped violet hoodie, and white high heeled boots

"What do I think... well, it's good thing that legs are visible, and this blouse goes well with the boots. I think that exposed armpits are interesting direction to go to, and the overall colour pattern goes-"

"I didn't sign up for the god damn essay reading" Mugino stopped him, although she seemed amused by his eagerness to describe her" five words or less, go for it!"

Touma's nodded in seriousness before straightening himself and bowing slightly

"Mugino-san, you are seriously hot"

Mugino tossed her hair with a haughty look

"Such a simple way to put it, but nevertheless correct. If you understand your luck now, let's go through with this time"

'I did spend quite a lot of time with that suit and I even tailored it so it would show off my legs'

And she seized his hand, to Touma's immense surprise.

"Mu-Mugino-san?"

"What? Just because I never went through all the boys and girls shit, doesn't mean I am not going to take any initiative. You invited me here, but thinking about it from another side... for the time being, you are mine. That being said, go on for picking some activities, I don't really care all that much about the details"

(ELSEWHERE, AN HOUR LATER)

Kakine Teitoku was standing on the roof when he heard the doors closing behind him.

"So you are finally here. I take that you gained access to the surveillance cameras and tracked me here. "

"Yes, I did. Also, finally? You wanted me to get here?"

"I noticed you earlier on and I knew that you will find me"

"..."

Kakine turned around, his white body shimmering, to find downcast Gokusai Kaibi staring at him.

"It's been quite a long time, Gokusai." he said, to which the girl nodded.

"Yes, it was" the girl's voice was quiet, yet upon closer examination, one would hear the emotions welling up within the sound.

"I have no idea why were you so bent on pursuing me..." Kakine sighed, glancing through the glass dome" but things are different now. I am a changed man now, so I cannot really continue our shared job together. I am sorry for leaving you on ice like that, but SCHOOL is no more. Right now, you are free to do whatever you want."

Kaibi nodded before muttering

"After all that time... that's all?"

"What else can there be?" came the reply.

The girl's lip twitched.

In the next instant, a small, hairdreyer-looking grenade launcher discharged...

... and half of Kakine Teitoku's body was blown away.

(MEANWHILE)

Spending time with Mugino Shizuri was an interesting experience, for the lack of better words. There were quite a few things going on, so if Touma were to recap the events of the last hour it would be something like this

Mugino would get very emotional while playing video games. Apparently, this was something she didn't normally do and Touma soon understood why.

"Die! Die! DIE! Fucking weakling! Have a shot, and another! I will roast you alive!"

Soon, Touma had to evacuate high-class darksider from the arcade from the pure terror on normal customers once she started to throw curses left and right.

So, after some time, Touma got an idea.

"Dianoid has the space in which we can cook something for ourselves."

"Ah, those private kitchen. It's a lunch hour... will salmon be involved?"

"I mean, you don't really present much of a variance when you talk about your favourite food..."

"Oh, shut it!"

(SOME TIME LATER)

And so, salmon it was. Lots of it.

It was salmon rolls, salmon chips, salmon paste, salmon tortilla, and more.

When he and Mugino bought the ingredients, they went to the enclosed private kitchen to prepare the meals.

The salmon display was actually cooked by Touma, but as he saw the intent looks Mugino was giving it, he handed it over.

Watching Mugino eat was weirdly relaxing for Touma. And he didn't mean it in any perverted way. It was just that Mugino eating her favourite dish was... almost blissful looking.

"You're... so god damn good, you know " she muttered after swallowing" So, why won't you eat mine?"

Touma realized that she probably interpreting him not eating as an affront to her dish, so he took a bite.

'Ghhh... it's edible... but seasoning... this is too much'

"It's very nice, thank y-"

"Cut the crap"

"What?"

Mugino was looking at him with a salmon chip in her hand.

"Listen Kamijou. I am a straightforward girl. When I want something, I take it. When I decide on some action, it's precisely what I intend. Do not do lies with me, you hear? It will work better for both of us that way"

"But... I thought, well..."

"That I will get mad at you? Do I really look like someone that has that much of a short fuse?"

Touma put his hands forward palms up. Mugino growled under her breath.

"Oh, fine, point taken. You know... I don't know what Hamazura or Railgun told you, but I had a really messed up period in my life during previous year. Really messed up, even by my standards. But I... I regret the way I acted back then. It's not something I say often, but it's important for my point here. Which is... it's not like I can't any criticism right now. I am working on it. Of course, if I disagree with something, then it might end a little bit painful... but you still need to tell me things honestly. Otherwise, this will not work"

The girl already felt good with the fact that Touma was looking her straight into the eyes, which was...

'...surprisingly hot...'

... something she was not accustomed to, and made her feel weird in her stomach.

"Okay. Then I guess, you overdid it with a seasoning"

"Really? Let me see that..." Mugino took a bite of her own creation and chew on it for a moment.

"What are you... talking about... you're clearly... exaggerating?"

"Yeah, you are cringing like hell, so I am not convinced."

Later on, they took smoothies from the booth and sat on the bench near the artificial square with diamond-looking trees.

The longer Touma thought about it, the more he began to understand some things.

Spending time with Mugino Shizuri was like playing the fast paced girl on the console. In the right time, and in the precise moment, you had to input the correct combination to avoid the danger and advance. If you lost, there was no telling if there was a save or not.

Mugino was currently experiencing many different emotions and was in the rare state of not being able to fully control herself because of those alien feelings. Unfamiliarity brought fear and discomfort, and in case of Mugino Shizuri, her natural reaction was to lash out and obliterate her enemy.

Except... she didn't seem all that driven when she got mad in recent times. She was still impulsive and choleric, but many of her outbursts was more of reflexive reaction than anything.

Touma saw Mugino's unexpressed struggle and it was for this reason that he watched her closely.

The way she looked when she was proud of something. The way she wrinkled her nose when she was disgusted. The way she smirked when she was secretly feeling happy. He took notice of that.

But it wasn't enough. And that was why...

"I think..." Touma broke the silence" I think we should talk"

"Talk?" Mugino looked at him" We did already, didn't we?"

"No, I mean... talk talk. In the sewers... I think we were really heading in the good direction"

"Huh? What do you mean? I would rather do something more exciting than this"

"I know that you can. You are a woman of action. But... what you want may not be exactly what you need. And also... I am here because of this"

Mugino's expression became ever so slightly surprised.

"Wait, hold on. You're telling me that you didn't come here because you felt guilty?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"But then... you wanted to spend time with me..."

"Mugino-san, I didn't want to spend time with you because of my motives. I wanted to spend time with you to get to know more about you"

There was silence.

"Why?" the girl finally asked.

"I can't really put it into words..." Touma took a sip of his drink "You are like a peacock. Those look beautiful even without doing anything, but when they spread their tails, they are even more... Mugino-san?"

The girl was laughing, but it wasn't deranged cackle from the arcade. It was a normal, muffled chuckling.

"The colorful peacocks are males, dumbass. You just compared me to a guy"

Kamijou blinked and coughed loudly to hide his embarrassment.

"W-Well, the point is, that you seem to hide many beautiful things on the inside. Even if you don't realize them yourself"

"That can't be. Me and beautiful things inside?"

"I believe that. And I promised to help you, so-"

"Kamijou... do you even realize how ridiculous you are sounding right now?"

"I know, and I don't mind. I care and that's all that counts"

"But WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU FRICKING CARE?! Do you... do you not realize how I actually am? I am Meltdowner!"

"Status doesn't matter to me"

"Do you even know who my family is?!"

"Someone rich...maybe?"

"Are you serious? Not just rich... the Mugino family is one of the richest in the world. We are major player in international grain market... and before you make a fucking joke, yes, it's Mugino like mugi, the straw... but that's only the façade, We operate casinos, black markets, and so much of a shadow deals in the world... I am basically a heiress of the mafia! One that you really don't want to mess with!"

"Besides slight twinge of envy for better financial situation, it doesn't really change much."

"Grrr... so what about the cherry on top? I am a murderer, a cold blooded psychopathic bitch. Can you honestly look me straight into the eyes and say that there is a chance for me?"

"Yes, without a doubt. No matter how many external factors you present, I will still be convinced to help you."

"That doesn't make sense. After everything I said, why would you still care for someone as vile as me?!"

"Why wouldn't I care about someone as important as you?"

Mugino went silent after that, listening in a disbelief to her companion.

"It's undeniable that the things you did were monstrous and awful. But you are trying to change and as long as you are atoning for your mistakes, then I will be there to back you up"

"You don't understand... I wasn't just pulled into the darkness, I was born in it. Told from the very beginning that this was my great destiny. There is no way... light was never even an option for me!"

"That's all the more reason. In the world when you could walk only as they told you, smile only when needed, and witnessing crime and death over and over again, there is no wonder that you got imprinted with violence. But you are only responsible for certain things, so there is no reason for you to be abandoned in entirety. When you decided to kill, that was your call and your blame. But it was the flawed system that gave you the personality of a killer. I don't know if it was your family or Academy City's dark side, and it doesn't really matter all that much. As long as you regret and work through things you were responsible for, I will be there to help you battling the part of yourself that was shaped into darkness by others."

Mugino stared into space before whispering.

"What makes you so sure that I am willing to discard this part of myself?"

"What about your dreams?"

"I don't need dreams! Who needs them when you can take everything! It's all I ever known... all I ever lived by... even my ability, beside few technical applications, can only destroy. This is me, destroying and taking for myself"

"That maybe so... but what there would be nothing else to destroy?"

"There is always something-"

"But in the end you just get tired, don't you? Tired of being alone. Even if you kill everyone and take everything from the world, this will not quench this loneliness. Are you... afraid of having true desires, Mugino-san?"

"I... don't know what you are talking about. And even if I did... I am strong enough to endure this. I will just get stronger than I am now"

"But the raw strength can only get you so far. You were happy to belong somewhere, right? Hamazura told me about how he and you reconciled. You were happy to be brought back into your group again, right?"

Mugino bit her lip, before shaking her head.

"Even if in some hypothetical scenario there was a part of me not rotten to the core... I can't obtain light like you do."

Touma looked at her and, in gesture of reassurance and after steeling herself, put his hand of top of Mugino's. The girl stiffened, but did not shook it off, only relaxing after few seconds.

"I think one of the most common mistakes is that you don't need to embrace all the light, you don't have to need to have all the answers and regain all the purity. Just a little light to call your own is more than enough. The choice to follow this light is yours to make, and if you can find it yourself, I can try to be that small spark for you. I saw my fair share of darkness too, so I don't know if-"

"You are insane."

"Well, guess we have something in common. Sometimes I think everybody is insane a little bit, it depends what kind of insanity is accepted. Insanity is often just uniqueness that becomes dangerous"

"There is no guarantee that I will not go straight to hell on my way forward. Would you be ready to share this insanity with me?"

"Emm... as tempting as this amazing offer is... no. I would rather stop you before you get to far."

Mugino looked him into the eyes. He didn't turn away.

Then, she rotated her hand and suddenly grasp Touma's. Yet this time it wasn't like before. It was more gentle, as if the girl relished the warm presence not disappearing from her hold.

"It better be the truth then... so, what do you want to hear?"

"Everything you want or need to tell me?"

Mugino Shizuri didn't think she would talk at all.

But she was mistaken, as the conversation unfolded, ranging from trivialities to serious matters, between the unlikely pair.

(BACK ON THE ROOF)

Gokusai Kaibi couldn't kill Kakine Teitoku. The difference in the power was enormously vast.

Then again, when she fired her weapon, it wasn't like she actually wished to kill him. She just lost control of her anger and directed it in that way.

In the same way that Misaka Mikoto occasionally shocked Kamijou Touma, with knowledge that he will negate the electricity, Gokusai Kaibi inflicted harm on Kakine, knowing full well that there was actually no harm at all.

The legs without a body started to walk. The dark matter was replenishing itself and soon enough, #2's body fully regenerated, as he stood before Kaibi.

"Quite a cold shoulder. May I ask-"

"What... else?! WHAT ELSE?! Are you being serious right now?! Did you honestly think that the reason I wanted to see you was related to the fact that I lost my dark side job?! Where the hell have you been?!"

"I lost my body after the battle with Accelerator" the level 5 explained" Then I got back, fought him again, had to retreat, then some blond witch turned me into... never mind that, I managed to get back again, and then, after facing Accelerator and few others, I got reborn through myself. I've become a new man."

"I already know that! I heard rumors, at the very least" Kaibi shouted into his face, which took Kakine by surprise.

"What? Then why-"

"Those aren't the things I care about! I don't care if you won or lost, I was just worried that through all of this mess, you didn't give a sign of life through all this bloody time!"

"Don't you see that I was a little busy back then?! Those are not mere things I could be distracted from. I even got back from the dead!" Kakine tried to counter, but Kaibi was relentless.

"For someone claiming to be a new man, you didn't change all that much. As always, you are making this about yourself!"

"I am not... you are saying yourself, that you wanted to find me!"

"Kakine, did you consider, for at least a moment, how did I feel after Battle Royale? You disappeared, Yumiya and Yobou were dead. I had to rebuild my life anew and find a new alliance. Everyone left without saying as much as single goodbye!"

Kakine clenched his fist, dark matter glowing slightly brighter.

"Oh really? Don't act all innocent now. You switched alliances before and after SCHOOL, so don't pretend to tell me that you cared-"

"I did care! I don't know why, but in some way... I did" Kaibi interrupted him, "And I am not talking about SCHOOL as a dark side group, I am talking about all of us as... well, teenagers, companions, or something like that. But you wouldn't know what I mean. In your obsession with Accelerator, Aleister, and ultimate power, you forgot your promise"

"Do you imply that it didn't matter to me how the SCHOOL were to proceed? Didn't I make you my right hand? I trusted you!"

"Yes, you did. As much as someone would trust that a hammer or a screwdriver can do their jobs. You were using me, Kakine, all of us! Even if I did my fair share of manipulating... I didn't want to be a tool to you. I wanted... I truly believed in what you promised me. About Academy City being a better place when you take over. About my sisters being safe. But as I watched you, I realized that you wanted Measure Heart, not Gokusai Kaibi."

"You watched Yumiya die too without lifting a finger! As for Yobou, this was simply an unfortunate causality, it's not like I intended for it to happen. And you... what is this all about? Gokusai I knew was a perfect companion, never complaining... and all of the sudden, there is this talk about caring and being genuine? Are you saying you fell in love with me or something?"

"SO WHAT IF I DID?!"

Kakine made a rare face of complete shock.

"Huh?"

"Or at least, that's what I would say before certain someone came into my life and taught me a lot about love. I am not surprised that a narcissist like you wouldn't notice... but I admired you, I respected you, and I truly wanted to be loyal for the SCHOOL. But... you never truly got that attention back. I deluded myself into thinking that maybe when you acquire your goal, things will change. But when you disappeared, I finally understood. You only cared about your own goal. Even though I couldn't regulate the distance between us, our bond... what we had back then, wasn't healthy. Not only were you not protecting my sisters, you were using them to ensure my obedience. So I can say with certainty that as I see it now, I lusted for you. For your power, for your vision, for all the things you promised. But I didn't love you. Not in the sense that I learned in recent times."

She got up and turned back on Kakine.

"Gokusai..."

"I am done here, Dark Matter" she spat out, purposely using epithet instead of a surname.

Suddenly, a wall of luminous substance spreading from Kakine's body blocked the exit.

"Look, I am not telling you to do anything with it... but at least here me out" #2 spoke out" I am... sorry. And when I say that I became a new person, or at least I am trying to be one, I am telling the truth. I can't deny anything you say. But I truly didn't know how much it meant for you"

That was surprising.

The Kakine Kaibi knew would never say 'sorry' and certainly didn't admit any mistake on his part. That was why the girl focused her attention back on level 5.

"You surely heard that esper powers may be influenced by users. When I was a kid, I wasn't really all that extraordinary. Just a normal child, maybe besides my height. So all my early life I dreamed of becoming someone that world has never seen, so special and extraordinary, that it would make everyone stare in awe. Then my wish was granted, as my dark matter is literally something from beyond the known universe. But I soon learned that people fear the unknown more than they might love it. No matter how original one might be, people will sooner or later turn away and be afraid or weirded out. In time, I worked to get more and more fame, power, and prestige. To get back that initial attention. But the more I tried, the more people feared me. So in the end, I became obsessed over ascending higher and higher. If they don't love me, they might as well fear me. Overthrowing Accelerator would be the highest step I could attempt to make in this city, final achievement in my pursuit of recognition and power. But..."

"...There was a moment when you recalled why you were actually doing all of that" Kaibi completed the sentence" What really triggered this downward spiral, what really sent you into this self-obsessed madness... was the time when we lost Ringo. You never really recovered after that, didn't you? And some of part actually wanted to save her, while other told you that you couldn't. Unfortunately, we both know which part won"

"I had to go long way around to find myself in the end. My real dreams and ambitions finally cleared and I was just...so lost in that new self of mine. The things he... me... the other me did... it's still doing of a person known as Kakine Teitoku. So... it's all on me. But I didn't want to be like that anymore. Not after Fremea and those girls showed me a better way. It's only a hypothesis, but I don't think I knew how to approach you on this, I even tried to act like my old self few minutes ago. I didn't assume you would even want to speak with me in a first place."

"I wanted a closure, Kakine. I needed to say all those things I felt towards you..."

"So that's it then?"

"Well, I thought so. But it seems you really did change. We will not be able to go to the things as they were, but... maybe it's not the real time for you to be scrapped off my life. I don't know how will we proceed from now on and what will become of it... but I can tolerate you in my life, as an associate from older times"

Kakine raised an eyebrow.

"You really changed. In older times, you wouldn't have spirit to talk back to me at all"

Kaibi tensed up. If Kakine fought her, he could obliterate her on the spot, especially since her power couldn't really affect him.

But the boy shrugged and smiled.

"That's fine by me. It may sound fake, but... I hope you find happiness, Gokusai. It's the least I can wish you"

Kaibi didn't say anything at that, only nodding slightly.

"That being said... who is the guy? You know, your actual love."

Although Kaibi initially didn't want to tell it, some strange sensation, akin to pride, compelled her to finally say it.

"Kamijou. His name is Kamijou Touma"

'Back when we worked together, before I fell in love, I hid Touma's connection to Aleister... to protect him. It's so strange, how quickly times change...'

Kakine's eyes narrowed.

'Kamijou, Kamijou... where did I hear this before... oh, that's right. The guy that fought with me against Rensa.'

"You know him?"

"That might be a little bit of strong word, but we crossed paths. I remember that he had quite peculiar power. Hmm, there is an urban legend of sorts about Accelerator being defeated by a level 0. If he was the one to somehow slug this arrogant bastard to the face, it is definitely a plus from my side. Also... I think it's him, down there" Kakine said, pointing through the glass dome.

"Oh, he might be there. I was spending time with him and I should go back to-"

"No, I mean... he has company. A company we are both familiar with"

"WHAT?!"

Kaibi basically plastered her face against the glass.

"Why is he with... her, of all people?! Can you get me down there?"

"I usually don't do taxi, but..."

Six seraphim wings sprouted from the form of pure white.

"... I guess I can make an exception"

(FEW MINUTES LATER)

"There is no way that I am allowing you to meet up with him! What were you thinking, you moron? She is incredibly dangerous and unstable!"

"Who the fuck are you, his mom? At least I didn't ditch him in the middle of the date!"

"I... I only did so because it was very important."

"Sure, say your excuses. We all know how good you are in lying"

"How dare you!"

Everything got complicated for Touma.

In one moment, he was learning quite a lot about Mugino. In the next, Kaibi literally descended from above carried by Kakine Teitoku.

Of course, Kaibi wanted to know what was going on. Following that, Mugino also demanded to be brought up to speed.

And now, the girls didn't know if they wanted to be more angry at him or at each other. Ultimately, instinctively understanding that Touma was simply an idiot in this situation and that it wasn't really his desire to explicitly fool around, they focused their wrath on each other, especially since they seemed to share some animosity from the past. Meanwhile, Kakine Teitoku just watched the scene unfold with mild interest on his face.

As Touma explained the situation to them, the shouting match seemed to only escalate. If he tried to stop the two girls, the anger turned on him would be tenfold of what he was dealing with now.

But as he was at loss on what to do, an unexpected factor from earlier entered the scene, changing the situation completely.

"Gokusai Kaibi?"

Everyone turned to see a girl that Touma already spoke with before. The redhead Tokiwadai student calling herself Yumiya Iruka. Touma was quite concerned when he saw Kaibi's face, which got deathly pale as soon as she saw Iruka.

"Yes..." Kaibi answered with a tone that suggested that if she could, she would deny the question" that's me, what I might do for you?"

"Are you serious? I tried to find or contact you for months. I know for a fact that my sister spent time with you, so you would be a perfect lead in finding her. Don't you wish to find her too?"

"Well... I..."

Gokusai Kaibi, usually so smooth and glamorous in her presentation, was sweating and trying to speak. But it was Mugino who spoke first, addressing Measure Heart

"You mean you didn't tell her? You were in one group, didn't you?"

"You made the last step! So why I should tell her this?!"

"Wait... what are you talking about?" Iruka asked, voicing a question that was also present in Touma's mind.

"Yumiya Rakko was a sniper affiliated with my group. She worked with me and Gokusai here" Kakine explained

Iruka frowned.

"But... that's impossible. My sister was a scaredy cat, all she wanted was to overcome anxiety and social inhibition. She can't possibly be any sort of a killer."

"It's true though" said Mugino" member of my organization clashed with her and she was quite driven in hunting her down"

Iruka was speechless, so Touma took the occasion to ask.

"So... can you help Iruka-san, regardless of who Rakko-san was?"

"That... is not possible, Kamijou" answered Kakine.

"Why though? What aren't you telling us?"

"Since she doesn't have strength to spell it out, I will" Mugino said, ignoring look of terror on Kaibi's face "Simply put, we can't do shit now, because Yumiya Rakko is dead. It was all covered up"

Iruka froze in place.

"What... what did you say?"

"Rakko clashed with ITEM operative Frenda Seivelun" Kakine added" after that rather disastrous fight, she lost her tracking by smell. It was also a matter of time when she'll meet her demise and in due time, ITEM killed her."

Iruka blankly looked at Mugino, who shrugged.

"Back then, as shitty as it is to look back, everyone was killing everyone. She would kill us if we didn't kill her. So we set up an ambush to corner her. And when the deed was done... my Meltdowner vaporizes matter down to molecular level. There was no corpse left to speak of. On that note, she did seem to be calling for help. Too bad it never came."

She looked at Kaibi, who tried to face Iruka, but was still failing to do so.

"It was an order... to leave her be."

"You abandoned her? Weren't you her friend?" Iruka cried out" Rakko and me were very close when we were children. I knew she was drifting away, that she had secrets... but if she didn't trust me, you could at least save her... in my place!"

She zoomed forward and grabbed Kaibi by her dress. Both Touma and Kakine moved, but the blond raised her hand.

"Yumiya-san... it's true. I stood aside and let Rakko die. She was to be disposed, and while I didn't kill her directly, I allowed her to die."

Iruka was now trembling.

"You knew, all of this time... do you realize how much I searched, how much I missed her?! She was abandoned by the ones she called a team and died somewhere, all alone, without as much as proper burial!"

"Her loyalty wasn't as flawless as you make it to be. Don't speak of things you have no knowledge of" Kakine commented

Touma watched with morbid terror as the darksiders spoke of death and its implications so casually. It was as if this topic was so common for them that the weight behind it became a common thing in life.

"I don't... want to believe this... but it does make sense." strange light entered Iruka's eyes, as she slowly reached for her flashlight while still holding Kaibi" The only thing I can to do make her soul at peace is-"

Before she could light the flashlight up, her raising hand was caught by Touma's.

Iruka didn't change her expression, as her one visible eye was focused on Kaibi.

"Let go, senpai"

"Yumiya-san, if you are trying to get revenge, there is no turning back from that. I cannot allow you to hurt anyone here"

"Then I guess I was mistaken about you. Why are you protecting murderers?!"

"Because people change. It will not bring your sister back, but Kaibi-san and Mugino-san are both trying to change for the better and leave their past behind. But I am not doing this for them only. I don't want for you to walk down this path. You are blinded by rage, and loss, and sorrow... I know what you feel right now. I know that you feel like this is the only way. But this will only make it worse. For you and for everyone"

"Not to mention she picked up the wrong target" said Kakine" Meltdowner here was the real reason for Yumiya's death"

"Oh, so the fact that you turned your back on her doesn't matter at all? We only did because you were messing with us and only waiting for the occasion to strike"

"You know very well that SCHOOL had more causalities than ITEM"

"Yeah, but it was you who started-"

"STOP!"

Everybody froze, looking at the spiky haired boy still holding Yumiya Iruka. He was looking at them with intense gaze.

Kamijou Touma rarely raised his voice like that. This was one of the reasons why all of those powerful espers suddenly got quiet. The dissonance was just too great.

"Didn't you get something backwards? Didn't you mess with priorities a little bit? A girl lost her life. A valued existence, with great potential and possibilities that now will never come to be"

"Didn't you hear what we said? She was a heartless bitch of an assassin, a sniper who-" Mugino tried to say, but the boy was having none of it.

"I DON'T CARE! I am not saying she was sinless. Hell, I am convinced by now that she was tainted by darkness. But I saw so many opportunities for people like that to be saved. There was so much that could be done, that I could have done... and yet, the choice that was made was to kill the problem alongside her. Not everyone can be understood, maybe not everyone can be saved. But I always believed and will continue to do so, that we have to make our best in trying to achieve this best possible result. And what killing does..."

Touma was trying to calm his breathing, but the emotions were flowing through him like a roaring wave, when he faced three former darksiders.

"... is making every effort not worth at all. Not only does it make any attempt of reaching out impossible. " Touma recalled something that Bologna told him not so long ago" A person that dies is unique in the face of history, and was someone that had something to return to. Their dreams that just happened to contradict your own."

"Why" Kakine spoke quietly" Why do you, not involved in this, had such sentiment towards it?"

"Because it sickens me. The fact that dark side dies so slowly"

Kaibi's own heart was the only sound she heard through interval of silence before Touma resumed:

"And I know it sickened you too. That endless cycle of violence, the carnage that made you lose sight of why you started it at the first place. And why? For what price? You relished in that violence. You could think that by doing so you were some kind of gods... you could think that it was your birthright and something you needed to establish your position... something that made you control your own broken heart..." as Touma spoke those assumptions, he looked at Kakine, Mugino, and Kaibi, respectively" But none of you reached your dreams because of that. It only demanded more and more blood, more and more. Because it never stemmed from any kind of virtuous goal. You said you were doing it for right reasons, but darkness like this always feeds of your insecurities, of envy, of longing. It's not like you wanted to eradicate the imperfections on your path. You wanted to cleanse your imperfections by lowering the bar and killing anyone that could invoke any negative feeling. It's obvious that you are going to be the best like this. Instead of building the tallest tower, you knock down everyone else's"

"Why would you think we would throw ourselves to the dark side because of envy?" Kaibi asked, even though deep down she already knew the answer.

"Because you were strong. Because you were feared and no one ever asked you how you were doing. You were alone with that power and you assumed that it was all that mattered, all that made you truly worthy. Each of you had different circumstances, that I don't know, but... you didn't get help. Or got it too late, and it yielded results of your past. Deaths and endless cycle of darkness."

"Cycle?" came the voice of Yumiya Iruka, who until now was listening to Touma's monologue in silence.

"Yes, cycle. Violence only breeds more violence. I am a hypocrite, as I too resolve things with my fist. But I would never give up on someone enough to kill him, not for the sake of death itself. You may call me a fool, you may call me an idiot, or sentimental child not knowing everything about the world. I want to be called that any day instead of being someone who would take a life. I. NEVER. WOULD! Because this is always the same. No matter your motivations, no matter your own hurt, when you pull that trigger or fire deadly esper power, you have no idea what your consequences will truly create! Even if you bring death to that one person, how far will that hatred spread? How many bonds will be tarnished? How many people will long for justice and only spread the violence further? How much blood will spill, and how many lives will be lost before people understand that they can save themselves instead of dragging themselves into the darkness, that they can connect with people or at least establish some understanding, instead of taking their lives."

He spoke to Mugino and Kakine, while pointing at Iruka

"You don't know who will lose the one he cherished. A death with no true witness and with no purpose. What follows is a revenge. A revenge that brings more death, and more violence, and finally there is no telling who started it, who is to blame, who is the victim and who is the aggressor. Instead... you can try changing your mind. Speaking out. You can try to reach out, to help, to save, to heal. It is so easy to cause death. I am only a level 0, but people with power like you have so much more opportunities for helping others!"

"Don't compare your problems to the dark side! You can't truly understand! And on what basis would we even being helping one another?!"

Mugino screamed this in form of defiance, but what happened next shocked both her and Kaibi. Kakine remained composed, although he batted his breath and clenched his fists.

Touma simply glanced at them. It was most likely without his intention, but something flashed in his eyes. Something that chilled everyone to the core, that made their mouths go dry. In one, split second, they gazed into the eyes so sorrowful and regretful that their gaze almost carried tangible weight.

Kamijou Touma said nothing and after his speech, this made even greater effect.

'I don't know? Of course I understand. I saw horrors I am not able share with you, I did things that you can't even imagine, and behind my smile...'

He experienced universe being erased. His family, his friends. He lost so many people along his journey through infinite deaths among shifting words that he honestly could not count just how many times he mourned. It was such a long time that his own corpses could cover entire countries. He walked in phases where he had to bury his loved ones, where he violated all things sacred to himself, where he was rejected. There was no dictionary for the pain he felt. It was not because it was so great. It was because it lasted so long. Kamijou Touma returned back home, yet he paid a price. A price of life came from endless death, that came in so many forms and circumstances that his heart, his very soul barely kept shape.

'People always get it wrong with dying. Sometimes, death takes forever to come. I've felt it so many times that I became dangerously close to not caring about it at all... but because I walked through death far longer than I walked through life...because I got more used saying goodbye than hello... and because I saw almost everything in the world ending, with no time and space remaining... I will never lose it again. I saw that void of nothingness and I will not allow anyone to let go of life on such trivial reasons. In face of what Othinus did, it all seemed... meaningless.'

Yet he said none of that. And miniscule piece of that infinite experience of loss, and longing, and sorrow, and strife, of broken love, and never found kindness, slipped through the fraction of the glance that Kaibi and two level 5s saw.

Mugino Shizuri was definitely not someone who could be easily threatened. But in that one moment, even if it was only a short while, she felt her hair stand on end and her skin crawled. Next to her, Kaibi shivered profusely. She looked at Touma worryingly.

It was not the hearts of the girls skipped a beat. It was almost as if their hearts somehow forgot how to beat for that one split second.

'Holy... fuck!' Mugino thought, calming herself down after... whatever was the thing that she just witnessed. Her mind was filled with various emotions, ranging from worry, through confusion, to unexpected feeling of kinship. 'He... definitely knows. I don't know why or how, but he does. Oh shit...'

The feeling passed, and Touma decided to answer the last part of Mugino's retort.

"Because we are broken. All of us are, the only difference is how much. And this is nothing bad because only through being broken, can we reshape ourselves and create something new and great. We are fragile and when we fight for prevailing of our dreams, when we walk through this life being fundamentally alone. We are all alone simply because we are all different people. But we have been given the gift, through meeting one another. If we are going to die anyway and if we are going to be alone in our deaths, when can at least try to see if we can connect with others. Isn't this brokenness enough? The fact that each of us is trying to write his own story, and stumbles along the way. I am not saying that one should drop everyone and focus on another without any limits. But... the effort is real in one way or another. None of us actually has any idea what we are doing here. But sometimes, if you listen hard enough and stop for a second to consider it, you may see that other people are beautiful in themselves. Even if you have to endure their differences, and bare the risk of hate from the possibility of love... as for me, they always made me smile. They made me think that this peaceful life is worthy in itself. I am only a normal human. But others... others were always the best of me. I came so close, so many times, to losing all that matters. No one should ever have to experience this. We can die each and every day, so why the hell do you help death out? What I do may not be the most logical, smart, or even efficient way, but I do what I can. And I will keep trying, because it's something that brings choice, that brings change to this cycle of hatred. When you stand on the opposite sides of the battlefield in depths of that darkness, you may one day die too. I am at peace with what I am standing for in the face of death. What would it be for you?"

"But... what should be done instead?"

"You live on, breaking this cycle. It is one of the hardest and most ungrateful things. It may almost destroy you at the beggining. The pain may make you believe that you are simply a walking corpse. But in the end, this light you saved in your soul will make life cling to your bones, and you will raise again. If you believe and stay strong, I can promise you this. Things do get better"

There was a moment of heavy silence, after which Iruka spoke

"Even with you saying all of this, senpai... I can't just turn away from the fact that my sister died"

"No one is telling you to turn away. You can seek justice, and I will help you with that. Just don't hurt each other more than you already did. Please!"

The amber eye met the dark grey eye, and finally, Iruka sighed

"I am still not convinced. As her sister, I should be the one to bring justice upon those who caused Rakko-chan's death. But, because you apparently care a lot about this case, I will give you one, single chance. If you win, I will accept your way of justice. If I win, I will do it as I wish."

"Wait... win?"

"Of course. Face me in honourable battle to submission."

"What? May I ask... what does this have to with anything?"

"Facing me in battle will be the best way to prove your conviction. If you defeat me, I will believe that leaving Rakko-chan's justice in your hands is the safe choice. Besides, I heard that your fighting is a stuff of legend. That you can slay hearts and change minds with one punch of your fists. It's only natural that I am intrigued"

'Who the hell is making stories like that?!'

"So then, do you accept?"

"I suppose we are past simply talking it out... if there is no other way, I accept this fight"

"Wonderful" Iruka finally let go of Kaibi, who wobbled backwards like a broken toy" Meet me behind the mall. You have half an hour to prepare."

And then, she left. Touma sighed and put a hand on Kaibi's shoulder

"You're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But... why are you doing this? To be honest, I was ready to accept this punishment."

"Do you regret what happened with Rakko-san?"

"I... didn't back then, but... for some time, the guilt appeared. I... wasn't brave enough to reach to her sister and explain, I kept making excuses..."

"You agreeing to fight her is honestly baffling" Kakine commented, as they walked through the mall.

"I know that some of you, not throwing names..." Touma cast a glance at Mugino, who crossed her arms in that moment" might think that this means I think of you as weak. But it's not like that. I just don't want to lose anyone important to me, that's all"

Mugino and Kaibi looked at each other and sighed.

No matter how reckless and illogical things could get, this was Kamijou Touma's way of doing things.

"I wonder though, what's with Tokiwadai girls and fights? Do they actually not want to be ojou-samas and seek stimulation like this?"

"Those brats are simply immature, you should just ignore them" Mugino added her bit, which made Touma look at her flatly

"I don't know if you are in position to really criticise them, Mugino-san, considering you went for my flesh and blood two times already..."

(10 MINUTES BEFORE THE FIGHT)

"*Kero, Kero, Kero*"

Touma's phone made the sounds of a frog.

"Nice, she is responding to the message I sent... but that ringtone is still ridiculous"

Hokaze Junko downloaded and set this ringtone herself when she added her contact info to his phone. For a guy like Kamijou it was actually rather embarrassing, but the good thing from this was that he at least knew who was calling, right away.

"Kamijou-san? How lovely to hear from you. So, you wanted to know about Yumiya-san's ability? Why? Did you happen to meet?"

"Well, yes, and we are also about to have a duel."

"Oh, how splendid"

'In which world is this sort of thing called splendid?'

"Oh, if she is making problems for you because of me, I will talk with her-"

"No, no, there is no need, it's... a bit more complex than this."

"Oh, I see. Well, if it is a fair battle, I think you understand that I can't give you full information on her. She doesn't know much about you too"

Touma tried to hide that he was slightly dejected at that, but Junko still gave him some basics

"Yumiya-san is capitan of archery club and her ability is called Wave Conductor. I fought her before and I can say that she is a formidable opponent, so do be careful"

"Thanks, Hokaze-san"

"Be sure to tell me how it went"

(AT THE TIME OF THE BATTLE)

Kaibi, Mugino, and Kakine stayed to watch the clash from the sidelines.

Iruka faced Touma as they stood against one another on a concrete parking space that was their battleground. The girl had military flashlight, rows of small laser pointers strapped to her thighs, as well as small whistle hanging from her neck..

"It's still not too late to back down and let me take care of everything"

"That's not an option, Yumiya-san"

"Then do be serious about this. Even as remarkable as you might be..." the girl pulled out her flashlight. With a hiss, the light formed a concentrated beam, similar to a blade."... things can get really messy"

She then lifted the newly formed lightsaber, with Touma's eyes widening in awe

"This is so cool..."

"That's not the time to be enchanted, senpai!"

Touma jumped back, as Iruka swung her blade of light at him. He evaded a few swings before thinking about what to do, as Iruka cut through the metal railing while pursuing him

'This thing is dangerous. If it cut through me, it would sever me clean with no problem. But, if this light is kept concentrated and solidified through esper ability, then it means..."

He stopped and when he raised his right hand to stop the attack, the blade of light shattered into luminous shards.

This left Iruka in shock.

"My Kogara Sumaru! What-"

Yet Touma swung his fist, forcing the girl to quickly back away.

"I don't know what you did, but I will make sure you won't be able to get close"

In the next moment, she took out what looked like a laser pointer.

That underwhelming tool surprised Touma.

But then, his instinct told him to threw himself to the side. In the last moment at that.

BOOM!

The laser beam zoomed through the air and caused an enormous explosion behind his back.

Iruka grinned at him.

"They are small, but pack quite the punch once they are amplified. Let's see if you dodge that!

The bursts of fire caused Touma to run around, as environment around him exploded over and over.

'Can I negate this? No, not entirely, it seems like a continuous stream, so it's probably like Innocentius'

Yet he needed to try.

He stopped and intercepted the beam.

"Khhh..."

He could feel his right hand straining. This laser was quite powerful, but he managed to hold on until it subsided.

Iruka already used 2 laser pointers, and she had to discard yet another one.

"You can withstand laser pointer fire blasts? Very impressive..."

As soon as the assault ended, Touma charged forward, to which Iruka smiled.

"But, as I said, I am not going to let you get close"

She then blew into a whistle.

In the next moment, Kamijou was blasted with a loud wave of sound.

"Gaaaaaaah?!"

He flew backwards, rolling on the ground, with loud ringing in his ears.

'Wave Conductor... of course. She can manipulate and amplify waves. Which means not only light, but also sound are at her command. Aside from that cool sword, she has lot of long distance techniques. I can stop her if I can get close to her, but this soundwave is a problem...'

Touma stopped mid-thought as he was getting up on his feet.

Was it really that much of a problem?

It went without saying that Imagine Breaker could negate supernatural with direct contact. If someone conjured a ball of fire and threw it at Touma, he could negate it without a problem.

However, it said fireball hit the ground and created an shockwave through explosion, it couldn't be negated anymore, as the shockwave was natural occurrence.

But what if the shockwave itself was influenced by supernatural power?

"Well, I guess I have to find out"

Touma took off running. Iruka once again raised the whistle up to her lips.

"This again?"

She blew it and the amplified soundwave once again permeated the air.

The only difference was that Touma raised Imagine Breaker to intercept it.

He didn't know what to expect.

When the upcoming air filled with change of pressure from Iruka's amplified soundwave clashed with Imagine Breaker, the sound around the right hand reverted back to its original frequency. That meant the narrow tunnel of normal sound was created around Touma, with amplified soundwave still around him.

The difference in pressures not only made a horrible dissonance (which caused Iruka and the spectators, despite not being in the range of the sound, to wince in pain) but ended up creating a small explosion that knocked both opponents onto their knees.

Despite pain in his ears, Touma dashed forward, towards the recovering girl.

"Yumiya-saaaaaan!"

HUM!

Iruka forced herself to focus and once again activated her lightsaber, swinging it horizontally. Not having time to intercept it, Touma was forced to jump back, as Iruka switched weapons once again.

She took out what look like a small tube. But when she pressed it, it started to change shape like a mechanical clockwork toy. And finally...

'Is this... a collapsible bow?'

The bow was medium sized, with a reinforced bowstring. Touma watched as the girl put small object between two of her fingers. Another laser pointer? No, it was a smaller flashlight.

Upon activation, it expanded into a solidified beam, albeit smaller than the one of the lightsaber. It was an arrow made out of light, emitted through the flashlight.

"Effects of my ability can last up to 10 seconds, even after the amplified light waves leave my vicinity. This is more than enough for my flashlight arrows to reach you."

TWANG! SWISH!

The projectile passed by Touma's cheek, slightly scorching it and exploded after hitting the ground behind him.

TWANG! SWISH! TWANG! SWISH! TWANG! SWISH!

Iruka shot arrow after arrow into the now zig-zagging boy.

"I can still shoot moving target, you know. Don't worry, I will not permanently hurt you, only immobilize you. You might as well give up. Even if you can interfere with my lightwaves, it doesn't matter if you can't intercept them in time, so victory is-"

Then, Touma did something that once again threw Tokiwadai girl, and the former dark siders in the audience, into deep shock.

He twisted his body and extended his right hand. The arrow of light shattered, leaving only a not functioning flashlight falling to the ground.

Iruka's triumphant expression froze solid, after noticing light-fast arrow destroyed.

"H...Huh? HUH?!"

"I am sorry, it took me a while to remember how I moved back then..." Touma muttered, more to himself than to Iruka, as he broke into sprint" You are a formidable archer, perhaps one of the best I saw. But compared to the arrows from that time, yours are merely needles."

'A giant crossbow made out of the entire world...

Ten pieces of destruction...

First shot falling from the heavens, with power to destroy one or two planets in one blow...

Second coming diagonally behind him, creating a valley through entire world...

Third and fourth coming from the ground

Fifth coming in front of him, the one he directed straight to heavens.

Sixth and seventh from beyond the shoulders of his attacker...

Eight, ignoring the concept of third dimension. He sensed it and evaded it on instinct.

Ninth, ignoring the concept of numbers. Even with infinite quantity, he still found the way through.

Tenth, one that ended it all'

"I faced arrows that exceeded reality itself. This will not work on me"

He was now very close to Iruka, who grit her teeth.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

Suddenly, bright light flashed in front of Touma's eyes. He suddenly became blind and his opponent immediately utilized it.

He was kicked and pushed to the ground. Soon afterwards, an explosion scorched his hair and clothes.

His vision was blurry and he saw several flickering afterimages of laughing Iruka in front of him.

"Kamijou!" Mugino and Kaibi got up from their seats.

"Even without equipment, I can still create flashes of light that will cause your brain to go haywire. You won't be able to see me, or even think straight, enough for me to do this"

She kicked Touma who swung his fist at her. But he missed.

He tried again, and again, and again. And still failed to hit the target.

"It's futile. That being said, your endurance is truly monstrous. Usually, that flash is an automatic K.O. Allow me to end this with GBWAAAH?!"

All of the sudden, fist collided with her cheek.

Iruka spun around and fell onto the ground, crying out in surprise and pain.

Touma stood above her, wobbling slightly on his feet, but nevertheless conscious and in the game.

"I-Impossible! You should not be able to see. No, wait... you still can't, can you?"

Kamijou's eyes were squinted and out of focus.

"Then how... don't tell me you adapted to the delirium? You... you can't be serious. Are you using your other senses?"

"Yeah. You talk a lot when you feel confident. Also..."

Touma initiated the punch once again and now it was Iruka who became to back away.

"... you wear some sort of perfume. I am only a simple guy, but I noticed that it has a nice and characteristic smell. Enough for me to sense when you move. It spreads, a lot, there is a subtle difference."

"S-Seriously?" Iruka muttered, not being sure if she should be impressed or terrified. What kind of battles and how often did Kamijou have to fight to just swap into other senses like that? It usually took much longer to achieve such proficiency.

And then, her back hit the wall.

She knew that Touma's sight was returning.

"Give up, Yumiya-san. You have nowhere to go."

"My my, it appears so. You really make me use everything I've got. And so, I will humour you till the end..." the girl suddenly pulled away the hair covering right side of her face.

There was crystal-like structure in her right eye. A prism.

With a flash of light, the beam was fired from the prism in a point blank range.

As the beam clashed with Imaigne Breaker, it pushed Touma back.

Yet, slowly but steadily, the boy advanced. Even when his bones cracked and the hand popped out of the socket, he got closer and closer, until he finally touched the girl's brow with tips of his fingers.

The beam vanished with Wave Conductor negated.

What Touma did next surprised Iruka even more.

He hugged her, causing the tired girl to gasp.

"Oi... I lost, I admit it. What are you doing?"

"You know, the reason why I wanted you to not lose yourself to vengeance was more than one. I think there is something else..."

Iruka's lips started to tremble.

"Stop... let me go..."

"Deep down, you knew that your sister was already gone, didn't you? Maybe you ignored the evidence or maybe it was too scarce, but you still instinctively knew..."

"Stop... just don't say anything..."

"... yet you kept going, forcing yourself to be strong through that self-invented hope, for such a long time. Today, this illusion was shattered. Your sister is gone, and she is not coming back"

"Why...why are you saying this?"

"Because this is the first step you need to take to move forward. Your sister will always be in your heart. Maybe, in a way, she kept you away from her secrets to protect you? Even if she didn't sound like that kind of person, this is always the possibility. But I believe that you never truly went through grief after your loss. So-"

He heard a sob and the redhead's body shivered slightly.

A single trail of tears flown down.

"Don't you dare look at me now" she whispered between the sobbing.

"Why do you think I hugged you? It's one of the best ways to hide a face"

It didn't last all that long. But tears shed in that moment were the first step for Yumiya Iruka to break from her pain.

(AFTERWARDS)

Mugino, Kaibi, and Kakine were each obliged to provide a compensation for Rakko's demise to Iruka. What exactly was the compensation was to the girl's choosing and was to be decided in the future. Touma was to ensure that that the charged trio went through with their promise (each of them had no objections, which only showed the change in their hearts over the course of time).

Soon after, Kakine departed, while Kaibi returned to the mall, while Mugino watched Touma and Iruka with arms crossed.

"You know... I must thank you. In retrospect, I was not acting rationally." Iruka smiled to Touma, as they rested against the wall.

Both were rather battered. Touma had a few scorch marks, his eyes stung, and ears still experienced a slight echo. Iruka's hair was covered in dust and debris, powdering down with her every move. Her unifrom was torn in one place and she also had a pale red mark of Touma's fist on the cheek.

"Not a problem. Anyone would be devastated after such a loss" said the boy, finishing the readjustment of his right wrist.

"I really understand now. Even though you occasionally helped out me and others from Tokiwadai, only today I truly understood your bravery and tenacity. I hope we will meet again. Here, it's my number. You can call me if you need me, and I will be there"

"Thanks. So... we're good?"

Iruka grinned to him, looking at him with a slightly mischievous face.

"Yes, we are more than good. Hokaze-san will always be my number 1, but the way you fought was honestly so inspiring and cool that... maybe my heart is big enough to be a fan of both of you. It seems some of the legends about you are true..."

"Legends? Which ones?"

"Take a guess. But don't jump to the conclu... cluh... hah-choo!"

Breaking that curiously sensual moment, Yumiya Iruka sneezed.

That in itself wasn't strange, but what followed was more peculiar.

There was a 'PLOP' sound and something fell to the ground. As Iruka's eye was still closed, Touma was the one that managed to catch falling object before it hit the ground.

Iruka recovered after her sneeze and looked at Touma.

"Excuse me. It seems my nose is not agreeing with all the dust on my hair and clothes. I better take my leave and wash my...self..."

She then touched right side of her face a few times.

"Wait a second..."

"Yumiya-san, is that..."

Both Touma and Iruka slowly looked at the object in Touma's hand.

It was a prism. A prism that Touma earlier saw in place of Iruka's right eye.

Girl's face exploded in crimson hue, as Touma open his mouth awkwardly.

"Awawawawa! S-So embarrassing! Good thing you got it in time..."

"I... I am sorry, but I have to ask... your eye shoots out every time you sneeze? Because that seems a little-"

"A-Are you stupid? Of course not! It happened because I overheated it while we were fighting and it loosened a bit! Can you help me now?"

"Yumiya-san... I think it's honestly safe to say that I caught your eye..."

"For crying out loud, don't make fun of this, and put it back into the socket!"

After Iruka finally left, Mugino spoke

"That was quite a show. But it doesn't change one thing..."

She suddenly shot forward, and Touma barely had time to grab her hands into his own, as the girl pushed onto him.

"I am still pissed at you! For this whole double date fuckery! Now that that telepath went away, you are back in first row of my wrath!"

"Mugino-san, I am going to make it up to you, I promise!" Touma said, as they engaged in that peculiar wrestling session

"That would have to be a pretty epic makeup!" the girl countered.

In that moment, Touma slipped slightly on fragment of debris. Because of that, he pushed forward.

He forced both his and Mugino's arms to spread, which in turn made their bodies close in on each other and their faces to almost collide with one another. That included their lips.

"Mmmghmmm?!" came the surprised sound from Mugino Shizuri's mouth.

Because of height difference (caused mainly by Mugino's boots) he ended up nibbling her lower lip more than properly kissing her. It was clumsy at best. But the girl didn't seem to mind at all.

They separated after a moment, Mugino letting go of Touma was slightly flushed cheeks.

'Crap, it was an accident, and she will surely be even madder now.'

But Mugino didn't seem pissed now.

"Ho... that was..." she muttered" a pretty good first step in an apology"

"Really. Then-"

WHAM!

"Ow! You just said that it wasn't bad, why did you hit me?"

"Because when you grow balls to do something like this, you need to see this through the end. Remember it for the next time"

"What... next..."

"When you kiss someone, do it as if you are going to own the other person. To become one. Let me show you how it's done"

She dominantly lifted Kamijou's chin and smiled.

In the next moment, their lips crashed and Touma felt that after moments of wrestling for control, Mugino's tongue made its way to his mouth.

Even though Mugino played experienced, she trembled with emotions, as Touma grabbed her by the arms. She almost jumped on him, as he somehow managed to balance them as they were still kissing.

The most surprising part to Mugino was...

'Why the hell... am I crying?'

There was a single stream of tears on her face, as she kissed Touma deeper and deeper.

For people who repressed emotions, who lived in violence and through trauma, such emotional experience as genuine kiss could often trigger tears or emotional reactions beyond those normally experienced. Such was the case with Mugino Shizuri, as she cried those purifying tears, and felt content with the way life was, if only for a moment.

(LATER)

As Touma, with mouth still slightly numb, wandered through the mall, he once again stumbled across Misaka 10039.

"Welcome again, says Misaka offering a greeting"

"Hey, how was your day?"

"It was acceptable. Apparently, Misaka lost a client. She may now focus on another searches."

"You probably mean Iruka... hmm, do you see a girl in the crimson dress and with blond hair around here?"

"Misaka noticed a girl matching that description by the side of the fountain, says Misaka, providing an explanation "

"Thank you, I must talk to her as quickly as I can" Touma was about to walk away, but stopped in the last moment "Hmm... how confident are you in your searching ability?"

"Misaka can communicate with other members of the Misaka Network. Thanks to this, we have wide range of search and can also track people without being noticed"

"Then, would you help me pinpointing this girl?" Touma said, showing the picture of Mitsuari Ayu" I would just like to know where she might end up on a specific day. This will save me and Kumokawa-senpai a lot of trouble"

Misaka 10039 simply nodded.

"It should be done, says Misaka as she is ready for the action"

(LATER)

Just like 10039 said, Touma found Kaibi near the carbon fountain.

Now, he was slightly unsure how to approach her, especially after what happened with Mugino.

One aiding factor was that Touma already had at least a basic idea that he had children in the future. Including the one with Kaibi-san. It was not set in stone, but it was something he got already used to, even if Niang-Niang and Nephthys still didn't fully explain to him how exactly will he be able to live with multiple girls in singular lives.

But still, he needed to speak with Kaibi. So sat down near the blond.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Kaibi-san... are you mad at me?"

The girl sighed.

"Well, I was really mad at you. In a way, I still am. But, besides the case of Rakko pushing it away, Meltdowner messing up the day made me realize a certain thing. And it's more important thing than being angry"

"Which is?"

"I can't wait anymore. Rikuri nee-san was right."

"What do you mean by this?"

"Kamijou... no, Touma... please listen to what I am about to say to you. It might change our life together, the one we share with Amazora and Rikuri too. If you will not like what you hear, I will back down and wait. But I have to say this now. When you first came back into our life, I only sought a way to kick you out and get rid of you. I treated you as an anomaly, as someone I could not control and comprehend. I was bent on closing my heart on you. But through your actions and thanks to my sisters, I was able to slowly notice. Little by little, but I saw it. The things that made you amazing person. That I still admire you for.

You did so much for our family, even though we certainly didn't ask you for it. You took care of us, you listened to us, you valued us, you experienced life with us. And all of those things you did for me too. You gave me a chance, when I was still closing my heart. You accepted me even without clear knowledge who I was and promised to help me find my core, my real self beyond any masks. You made my life so much more beautiful and showed me so many possibilities in such a short time simply by being here and spending time with me. For all those things and many others, I have nothing but gratitude.

I am scared. Scared of losing you, scared of watching you suffer, scared of seeing you in pain. When it all began, I couldn't imagine living with you, but now, I honestly can't imagine living without you being part of my life. I don't wish to stand idly by when you face dangers. Even if I don't understand them, I wish to be able to protect you.

I have dreams now. I wish to always be with all of you. To spend days with you, Amazora, and Rikuri, doing all that silly stuff, cooking, playing, laughing together, and just enjoying normal life. I wish to wake up to that reality every day, by your side. I wish to cherish my life with those I care about, I wish to discover where my new heights lay, I wish to see all that I have yet to witness in the years to come.

I know I am stubborn. I have still a lot to learn and I have blood on my hands. But if there is a chance that despite my faults, you can find a place in your heart for me... I will be the happiest I could ever be. Even though I cannot regulate distance between our hearts, it is my wish for them to be so close as they can be while still apart. This is the work I will dedicate myself to, for as long as my conviction of this feeling holds true. And if you still need an explanation..."

Kaibi leaned forward and, closing her eyes, gently kissed Touma on the lips. She did so with tenderness of someone who wanted to savour the moment before it disappeared.

Touma's eyes widened, as sudden vision filled his mind. Almost mechanically, he placed his left hand on Kaibi's right cheek, as he was suddenly flooded with memories and emotions.

When the kiss ended, Kaibi smiled at him brightly.

"I missed this feeling"

"This... this isn't... we did this before..." Touma stuttered.

"Yes we did. That's funny. So the kiss was actually a trigger for you to remember. Quite ironic..."

She mirrored Touma's gesture, placing her right hand on Touma's left cheek.

"Basically, all that I said can be summed up in one phrase. Touma..."

The sun permeated through the clouds. Just like during their first kiss, Kaibi's hair seemed as if it was made out of pure, golden sunlight.

She touched her heart with remaining hand and spoke, with a small blush on her face and smile on her lips

"... I love you"

(TO BE CONTINUED)

So here we go, after dates, battles, and confessions. Quite the chapter after all.

I really think that Junko is that one good female friend for Touma. One that may be naive but also listen you with honesty and putting judgment away. Iruka and Kuroko are similar in more ways than one: in this continuum, they discover the attachment to Touma aside from their usual devotion to the respective girls (Hokaze and Misaka). The thought of Iruka being interested in both genders suddenly seems possible through interaction with Touma ;)

I don't know about you, but I was feeling rather touched while writing Kaibi's confession. I always thought about her as an 'evolved tsundere'. There was always 'you can do it' at the back of the mind while I was writing her struggles with love.

The afterword will be upgraded in a day or two, so stay tuned.

I sincerely hope to have one more, very special chapter, published in May. Wish me luck. I thank all of you once again and best wishes to everyone.