As stated, I've begun working on Code Decade and Fate/Zero Requiem though it will be some time before new Chapters are released, both because I'm revisiting old chapters to give them a touch-up. As for what other fics i will be updating:
Currently Editing: Fate/Zero Requiem, Code Decade, Saiyan Muyo
Reboot/Re-write: Second chance, Naruto's Bizarre Adventure, Fake x Fate, Hokage no Issan, Reikai Sensei
New Chapters in progress: Eyes of Heaven, After Heaven: Remnants of Destiny, Bloodstained Arc, RWBYLOVANIA, Jump Force
To be Concluded: Dark Defense, Hunter's Moon, Sailor Moon GSL
Dead in the water: Naruto Gaiden, Cry of the Youko, Herwald von Einzbern, Geass Rider, Hina Digger, In the wake of Death, Vandread-O, Konoha Shinken, Oberon, Twin Foxes, Shun Goku WTF, Strange Bedfellows, Spirit Hunter Naruto
Again, this is simply something I've been working on to alleviate my boredom during lock-down and help get over my writer's block.
Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3: July 17th.
"Hey, Touma." I greeted the unfortunate Kamijou as we slowly made our way down the street, neither of us in a particular hurry to return to our respective man caves now that classes had ended for the day, given how hot it was "You're looking a lot better." I noted, an understatement given the state he was in just the other day "I take it you've been steering clear of Little Miss Bug Zapper?"
"On the contrary, I had a run in with her just the other day." Touma countered with a sigh, only to hurriedly wave a hand dismissively at the sight of my frown "It's okay, she didn't try to zap me…though I'll admit I didn't figure that out until after she cornered me."
"Lemme guess, you took off at the sight of her before she could explain herself?" I deduced, shaking my head at the teen's antics even as I mentally applauded the Railgun's patience, chuckling at the image of her [Cicada Blocking] the unfortunate Kamijou. At the very least she seemed to be sticking to her end of the bargain for the moment "So she's decided to lay off on challenging you?"
"Kinda?" Touma confessed, rubbing the back of his spiky head in confused apprehension "She still hasn't given up on challenging me, but she said she's willing to wait until I don't have any other commitments so it doesn't interfere with my schedule."
'I suppose that's better than chasing him at all hours of the day.' I conceded, impressed that the Level-5 would exploit such a loophole in our agreement. After all, I could hardly accuse her of harassing my friend when she was making a conscious effort to avoid interfering with his life as much as possible "So when's your next playdate?"
"It's not a date, and not anytime soon, thank god." Touma sighed, though admittedly he didn't appear as tired as he'd been the day before "I told her I'd be heading to the Sale after school to stock up on supplies so she'll probably give me a pass for today."
"Oh yeah, I think they were having a special on eggs." I recalled, pulling out my phone to verify. As Low-Level students, Touma and I only received a small stipend from Academy City. Even with what little money we received from home, it was important for us to take advantage of what few sales came about in order to make it through the week "Says the deal is one bunch per customer. Wanna go halfsies and stock up on some meat while we're at it?"
"You are a godsend." Touma praised, clapping his hands together in thanks, only to pause, blinking at the sight of something over my shoulder, which upon examination turned out to be a rather tired looking woman in a white blouse, office skirt and tights.
"Don't remember seeing her around here before." I mused, eyes narrowing warily, as you could never be too careful in Academy City. While it was hardly a den of scum and villainy, at least on the surface, there were still places you avoided unless you wanted to wake up minus/plus an organ or with prosthetics you didn't ask for.
"I think she's lost." Touma deduced, the ever helpful Kamijou stepping forward like the good Samaritan he was, prompting me to tag along if only to help bail his ass out when shit went fan-wards "Excuse me, miss?" he called out hesitantly, keeping a respectful distance so that he didn't startle her and get accidentally maced "Are you Lost? Do you need some help?"
"Ah, yeah I do." The woman greeted, her tone matching her tired expression as she turned to face us, the bags under her eyes and the pallor of her skin making her appear older than she probably was "I kinda forgot where I parked my car…I know it's in a parking lot but I can't seem to find it."
"Well these back-alleys do kinda blend together if you aren't familiar with them." Touma conceded, and in truth, the Alleys had apparently been specifically designed that way to avoid spies and other undesirable elements from making use of them "Lets see…can you remember any Landmarks or anything that might have been nearby when you parked?"
"Landmarks, huh…" the woman mused, placing both hands on her hips as she gazed at the sky in thought "Well I'm pretty certain there was a crosswalk in front of it…I think?"
'So she basically could have parked it at any main street?' I deadpanned, a sentiment clearly shared by Touma as the unfortunate teen rubbed the back of his neck in exasperation, clearly regretting his decision for the umpteenth time 'Good grief, it'll probably be a small miracle if she even remembers the registration or make of the car.'
"Hey!" a familiar voice called out, the three of us looking up to espy Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun gaping down at us from atop the hill in surprised disbelief "What're you guys doing here?"
"[Livin' La Vida Loca.]" I quipped, only to sigh at the looks of confusion from the trio, understandable seeing as how the song came out over fifty years prior…and now I feel old. Fuck. "Never mind, what brings you to our neck of the woods, Lil' Miss Bug Zapper?"
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Misaka snapped, stomping her foot petulantly as electricity sparked in her hair, only to grimace as this earned a subconscious flinch from Touma, the Level-5 taking a breath to calm herself before scowling at the teen "And I should be asking you that! I thought you said you were too busy for us to meet up today!"
"Believe me, I was actually on my way to the sale when I ran into this lady here." Touma confessed, gesturing to the woman in question, who was fanning herself due to the heat "Seems she forgot where she parked her car so Itsuki and I offered to help her out."
"You offered to help," I corrected, rolling my eyes as I put the ever-protesting Kamijou in a one-armed headlock, smirking at the Level-5 for emphasis "I'm just here to make sure he doesn't get in over his head."
"How much trouble can I get into helping someone find their car?" Touma demanded petulantly as he shrugged himself out of the headlock "Anyway, if you have some time to kill, you mind giving us a hand? I'd do it myself but the sale ends in a few hours and I really can't afford to miss it."
"Ah man, it's really hot today…" the woman sighed, cutting off Misaka's response, the three of us turning our attention back to her just as she slipped off her blouse to reveal her pert breasts and a lacey pink bra for the world to see.
Touma, being the typical teenage, non-eroge protagonist that he is, automatically made a show of covering his eyes while choking on his own spit whilst sneaking glances between his fingers. Even Misaka, despite her tomboy nature, couldn't help but flush in disbelief at the sheer daring of this woman, though part of the reason might have been jealousy, as she kept glancing from the woman's chest to Touma before glancing down at her own (lack of) breasts in mounting frustration.
As for me?
'Not bad.' I mentally applauded, taking in the free show unashamedly even as a mortified Misaka, having clearly reached her boiling point, demanded to know just what in the hell woman thought she was doing 'C cups for definite. Shame she's so skinny…probably hasn't been eating right.'
Now don't get me wrong, as someone who grew up in a house full of women who could, and would routinely, unite to kick my ass for some perceived slight, no matter how pissed they were at one another at the time, I'd never dream of objectifying women. That being said, I was a 30-something red blooded male in the body of a hormonal teenager with a fully functional sex-drive.
Maybe it was the hours of unrestricted internet access or the fact I was used to decidedly racier anime in my past life, but it'd take more than a pair of [Stonking Great Tits], which the lady admittedly lacked to be brutally honest, to make me lose control of my mental and/or motor faculties. That, and I've always had a bit of a preference for redheads.
"Wh-What is with this woman?!" Misaka demanded, stomping forward to interpose herself between the flustered Touma and the object of our discussion, who seemed entirely unconcerned with the situation she was causing in favor of shaking the sweat off her blouse.
"Your guess is as good as ours." I confessed, a sentiment that Touma was quick to support, albeit decidedly more embarrassed "We literally ran into her seconds before you showed up."
"Is that so?" Misaka demanded, glaring suspiciously at Touma, who despite his best intentions was completely failing to hide the fact he was sneaking glimpses at the woman through his fingers.
"He's telling the truth, we literally just met her a few minutes ago!" Touma insisted, the spiky-haired jinx clearly not used to being in such situations, otherwise he would've known better than to shove past the suspicious Railgun and grab the woman's blouse in a bid to cover her up "Anyway Lady, would you please put your shirt back on before-!"
Sure enough, Touma found himself cut off by a gasp of feminine outrage, the unfortunate Kamijou turning to find himself on the receiving end of a pair of outraged schoolgirls, one of whom was already whipping out her cellphone to contact Judgement, or possibly even Anti-Skill considering how pissed she looked.
"No…Wait…you've got it all wrong!" he stammered, making the mistake of trying to hold up his hands, only to pale as he realized he was essentially showing off his 'trophy' for all to see, the spiky-haired teen promptly shoving the blouse into a stunned Misaka's hand before perfectly executing the [Joestar Family's Secret Technique] "SUCH MISFORTUNE!"
"Hey wait-!" Misaka yelled, moving to chase after the teen, only to blink as I clapped a hand over her shoulder to hold her in place "What is it? Don't tell me you're not worried about him?"
"Touma will be fine." I assured her, knowing full well he'd survived far worse than this "Besides, you and I can both testify to prove he wasn't assaulting the lady…assuming you don't get arrested for running off with her blouse."
"Yes, I'd rather you didn't do that." The stripper lady deadpanned, looking entirely unconcerned despite the attention she was garnering "I'd be rather inconvenienced if you ran off with my shirt."
'You certainly don't sound like it, not that I'm complaining.' I wisely thought to myself, looking on in amusement as a flustered Misaka struggled to dress the woman while the crowd of onlookers gaped in disbelief.
One hasty explanation later...
"This place is so much cooler…" the woman sighed, once again fully dressed as she stood before the local vending machines, basking in the cool shade as a breeze passed through the nearby buildings "I feel much better now."
"Glad to hear it." I noted as I leant against another machine with a can of cola, Misaka having gone to secure us some seats, the three of us having relocated to a park just outside Seventh Mist where the woman could cool down "Gotta admit, was not expecting a striptease on my way home from school, hope I'm not expected to pay for that."
"Why would I charge you when I'm the one who took of my shirt?" the woman asked, the sincere confusion in her tone causing me to once again question her mental state "Besides, if anything I'd probably be the one who had to pay to get someone to look at my scrawny body."
"Wouldn't go that far." I countered with a shrug, earning a quirked brow from the woman "Sure you're a bit on the thin side, but you've got a decent enough figure from what I can see. Get a decent night's sleep and a good meal in you and you'll be beating them off with a stick the next time you decide to strip in public."
"I somehow doubt that." The woman mused, a self-mocking smile adorning her tired features as she grabbed two cans of what I dimly recognized as an experimental curry-drink before making her way over to Misaka, who seemed to be in the middle of a phone call.
"Get a grip you guys." The Railgun sighed, clearly unamused with whoever was on the other end of the line "Don't go turning her into one of your weird urban legends. She might be a little 'odd', but I'm certain she's just an ordinary-"
"Would this 'weird person' you're talking about happen to be me by any chance?" the woman enquired, startling the Railgun, who proceeded to hurriedly cut off the call and switch off her phone, lest her friends land her in more hot water, only to blink as the woman placed one of the cans before her "A little thank you for your help."
"Ah, oh it was no trouble, thank you!" Misaka returned with a smile, reaching out to grasp the can, only to blink as she realized the contents "Wait, why a hot drink? Especially Curry Soup?"
"Most people don't realize this, but warm drinks are actually better for you when it's hot out." The woman explained, affecting a lecturing tone that was equal parts informative yet patient, so it was clear she was used to addressing children "Also, Curry contains special spices that can be used to relieve fatigue and rejuvenate the body."
'Note to self, have Touma stock up on Curry for the summer.' I mused, knowing full well the unlucky teen could only benefit from this information even as I passed the Railgun an extra cola from the machine "Makes sense, I mean they practically eat this stuff every day in India, right?."
"I don't think that's entirely correct," Misaka countered with a sweat drop "Though I think I understand the theory of what you're saying." She admitted to the woman even as she cracked the seal on her soda "but emotionally I find that a cold drink on a hot day is more satisfying."
"Why not do both?" I suggested, earning a look of confusion from the pair "Whenever Touma and I eat out I like to finish off the meal with an [Affogato]. Helps settle the stomach and warms you up, no matter the season."
"An interesting suggestion, perhaps I'll try it sometime." The woman mused before turning to regard her can of curry "But for you to decide your drink based on your emotions…I suppose younger people tend to base their decisions off emotions as opposed to practicality."
"It's a hormone thing." I concurred, earning a quirked brow from the woman and a confused frown from Misaka "Most tend to think they know what's best just because they suddenly grew hair in awkward places or had some limited success where others failed. Only those who learn how to get up after screwing up can ever truly appreciate there's always being something new to learn."
"Not…quite how I'd put it, but accurate enough." The woman applauded with a wry smile "As a researcher, I tend to look at things from a logical perspective, so I have to admit it's quite refreshing to find kids with similar mindsets."
"I'm not that special," I countered with a smirk "just a cynical Level-0 that's good at running his mouth." I nodded towards Misaka "If anything, she'd be right up your alley, considering she's the Ace of Tokiwadai."
"I thought I recognized the uniform." The woman noted, though whether she was impressed by the revelation or not was beyond me "To think I'd bump into a Level 5 of all things, and so young at that."
Misaka pov
"I get that a lot." Misaka confessed with an awkward chuckle. Truth be told, as proud as she was of her abilities, it was kind of annoying to be constantly stopped by people she didn't know or care less about just so she could repeat the same thing over and over again.
Seriously, how hard was it for them to accept that the secret to raising your level was nothing more than good honest hard work? Sure she might have possessed a natural talent for her abilities, but the fact she was only the 3rd Ranked of Seven Level-5s should've made it clear there was always someone better.
"You mentioned you were a researcher, right?" she recalled, turning to face the woman after clearing her throat, desperate to change the subject matter "What kind of research are you working on?"
"I'm a [Cerebral Physiologist]." The lady revealed, smiling confidently at the pair while resting her head on her palm "My primary area of study is [AIM Diffusion Fields]."
"Aren't those the weak spheres of power Espers constantly emit on a subconscious level?" Misaka pondered after taking a sip of her drink "We covered them in first year, apparently they're so weak they can't be detected by human senses, so they have to be measured using specialized machinery."
"That's correct." The woman applauded, crossing her legs as she turned to regard us with a smile "I'm especially interested in uncovering new ways of harnessing and utilizing that power."
"So does that mean you're pretty knowledgeable about Esper abilities in General?" Misaka pressed, earning a nod from the woman "Then…do you think it's possible for an Ability to exist that can negate other Esper Powers?"
"Seriously?" Itsuki groaned, the deceptively young Senior levelling a deadpan glare at Misaka, who had the decency to avert her gaze before doubling down with a stubborn glare "You just can't let it go can you?"
"D-Don't get the wrong idea!" she countered hotly "If she can help me figure out how he's able to negate my lightning, then maybe I won't need to keep challenging him to see what works!"
"So the Ability in question can negate lightning, is that what you're saying?" the woman deduced, her expression outwardly unchanged, though there was a flash of interest in her formerly tired eyes "Would you care to elaborate? I assume it's nothing so simple as a lightning rod?"
"Remember the guy who ran off earlier?" Itsuki sighed, clearly not liking being put on the spot "He has an Ability that, from what little we've been able to see, allows his right hand to [Negate] any Esper Ability on contact."
"I've hit him with my lightning full force several times before and he hasn't gotten so much as a scratch." Misaka added for emphasis "At first I thought his power acted as a lightning rod like you said, but it's more like my power just vanishes the moment it comes in contact with his right hand."
"Fascinating…" the woman mused, her mind clearly whirling with the possibilities of such an ability, though her expression remained as tired as ever "And you're saying this has remained constant for every ability he's encountered?"
"So far." Itsuki confessed with a shrug "We've actually gotten in trouble with it before; a Judgement Officer was broadcasting a curfew warning using [Telepathy] but neither of us could hear it despite her blasting the instructions wide-range for everyone to hear."
"So it can interfere with abilities that don't directly target him as well." The woman mused, a hint of excitement forming in her tone at the prospect "I must confess this is most interesting, what did you say the young man's name was again-?"
"Ah!" Misaka exclaimed, looking on in concern as a young kid that had been racing past our table suddenly tripped over his own two feet, sending his ice-cream cone flying into the startled woman's lap "Are you both okay?"
"No, don't worry about it." The woman assured the Railgun, offering the scared boy a kind smile as she rose from her seat, only to begin undoing her skirt, much to the embarrassment of the boy, Misaka, and the little girl the boy had been running after "It should wash off easily enough if we get it now…"
"Can't you keep your clothes on?!" Misaka exclaimed, slapping the table in embarrassment as she leapt to her feet, glaring at Itsuki all the while as he sat back and watched the fiasco with a devil-may-care smirk "Well? Aren't you going to do something?"
"And risk being accused of assaulting a half-naked woman? No thanks." The blonde scoffed, before proceeding to shotgun his can of soda, tossing the crumpled can over his shoulder into a nearby waste-bin "If anything, I'd better be heading off. I promised Touma I'd help him stock up on groceries and the store has a one-per customer policy, so I'll leave the rest to you."
"Wait a minute!" Misaka exclaimed, gaping at the blonde like a deer in the headlights as he rose from his seat and turned on his heel to walk off "You can't just leave-!"
…thuuUUUUUM!
tock tick tock TICK TOCK TICKTOCKTICKTOCK!
"-me with…her?" the Level 5 trailed off, blinking in confusion at the recently vacated spot Itsuki had previously occupied before sparking in anger once her brain processed what she was seeing "Dammit! He did it again!"
"Teleportation…?" the woman mused, her expression one of confusion as she stared at the spot where the blonde had been standing not moments before "But I thought he said he was a Level 0?"
Several Hours later...
"Thanks again for doing this." Touma offered, the unfortunate Kamijou sighing in relief as he made his way home, arms burdened down with bags filled to bursting with cheap, long-lasting groceries "Are you sure you don't mind splitting these with me?"
"For the last time, it's fine." I assured him, rolling my eyes at his inability to accept charity from others despite his penchant of dropping everything to do the same "If it bothers you that much then you can cook dinner from now on and I'll just focus on buying the ingredients."
"That seems fair." Touma conceded, though in all honesty I was easily coming out ahead, since for all his faults, the unlucky teen was one hell of a cook "How about curry for tonight? I figured you wanted some considering how you prioritized it at the store."
"Let's just say I learnt something useful from our [Friendly Neighbourhood Stripper]." I mused, chuckling at the dumbstruck expression on his face "I mean the lady we bumped into earlier today. Turns out she's a researcher and curry's supposed to be good at helping you deal with fatigue."
"Well I could certainly do with a bit more of that." Touma confessed, smiling to himself as he basked in the cool evening air "Seriously, after a scare like that I'm just about ready to hit the sack."
"You know you probably only made the situation worse by running off, right?" I pointed out, causing him to slump in embarrassment "I mean, both lil' Miss Bug-Zapper and I could've testified that you were trying to get the lady to cover up, by running off you pretty much confirmed what those girls were thinking."
"I panicked, alright?" Touma exclaimed, raising his hands in the air "I mean, it was bad enough that Biri-Biri Middle-Schooler looked like she was two seconds away from roasting my ass, but can you imagine what would happen if either of those girls took a picture? If it went viral then forget Tsuchimikado and Aogami, Fukiyose would probably bury me alive!"
"Give her some credit, she knows you're not the sort to assault a random woman in the street." I reminded the spiky-haired jinx "If anything she's more likely to slap you upside the head for allowing things to degenerate to that point, you could've just as easily avoided the situation by turning around so Lil' Miss Bug-Zapper could fix her blouse."
"I told you to stop calling me that!" a familiar voice snapped from behind, the pair of us turning to see a red-face Misaka Mikoto advancing on us with murder in her eyes and literal thunderbolts over her head "You guys have some nerve running off on me earlier!"
"Yo." I casually greeted the irate Level 5 with a wave, entirely unconcerned with her ire, unlike Touma, who I had to grab by the scruff of his shirt to keep from running off, or worse, dropping the groceries "I take it you managed to help her find her car in the end?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, we found it." Misaka stammered, her anger temporarily forgotten, only to make a sudden resurgence as she pointed at the pair of us "Don't try to change the subject! Are you telling me I wasted a whole day saddled with some crazy exhibitionist just so you could go shopping?!"
"Hey! I'll have you know that getting groceries while the Special Sales are on can be a matter of life and death for poor students like us!" Touma proclaimed, holding up one of his plastic bags for emphasis.
"He's not kidding." I concurred, shivering at the memory of the sheer carnage that could only be compared to a Black Friday Clearance Sale "I swear I saw some old hag stab one of the store-workers with her knitting needle..."
"Not that some rich girl from Tokiwadai could ever understand." Touma scoffed, earning a glare from the already irate Level 5 "You probably spend more on useless junk that we spend on food in an entire month."
"For your information I'm very careful with my spending!" Misaka snapped back, clearly not liking the implication that she threw her money around "And I'll have you know that my day was no walk in the park either! After your buddy ran off I had to drag her into a restroom so I could wash her skirt and after all that she insisted I was a tsun-!"
"Tsun…what?" Touma demanded, the ever ignorant Kamijou blinking at the suddenly flushing middle-schooler in confusion as she averted her eyes from his "Hey, are you alright, you're looking a little flushed there…"
'Oh My God, he really is that dense…' I marvelled, having easily deduced what the flushing Level-5 was talking about, mentally vowing to buy Stripper-Lady a drink if I could ever find a bar that didn't ask for Identification "So what brings you out here?" I asked, deciding to give the girl an olive branch "Don't tell me you're come to challenge Touma to another fight?"
"Wha-that's not it at all!" she stammered, her flush dying down even as she averted her eyes from my quirked brow "I haven't forgotten alright? I can't just challenge him out of thin air. I just wanted to let him know that I'll be taking today's frustration out on him when we do go at it!"
"How is that fair?!" Touma exclaimed, looking terrified at the prospect "I mean, sure I bailed on you, but can you really blame me after what happened? I'm already pretty much guaranteed to have remedial classes this summer, the last thing I need is for rumours to spread that I'm go around assaulting women in broad daylight!"
"As opposed to assaulting them under cover of darkness?" I mocked, raising my hands to ward off his annoyed glare "I kid, I kid." I assured him even as I reached out to grab the groceries from his non-resistant hands "Tell you what, since the two of you have so much steam to burn off, why don't you have a little spar? I'll even act as referee to make sure there's no shenanigans."
"I'm fine with that." Misaka confirmed, unsurprisingly, the Level-5 turning to regard Touma with a challenging glare "What about you? Going to make some excuse to run away as usual, or are you going to face me like a man?"
"Do I even have a choice?" Touma sighed, scratching the back of his head in annoyance "Seriously, just what is your beef with me? I get that you've lost every time we've done this, but are you really that much of a sore loser?"
"Those don't count." Misaka countered with a huff "Sure, I never managed to land a blow on you, but you've never landed one on me either, you just run off the moment I take my eyes off you."
"In that case, how about we set the terms for victory right now?" I proposed, tapping a knuckle against Touma's chest as I spoke "First to land a good, solid blow to their opponent is the victor." I glared pointedly at the preteen "And just so we're clear, if Touma does land a blow, you can't go running off to claim he assaulted you."
"Why the heck would I do something like that?" Misaka demanded, the Level-5 apparently confused, perhaps even insulted, at the concept of using her gender to her advantage to get Touma in trouble "If he's strong enough to land a blow, I just need to get stronger so he can't do it again."
"Alright, I get it." Touma sighed, setting the rest of the groceries aside as he turned to face the Railgun, his 'Go Time' face in full display "If that's the only thing that will satisfy you, I'm willing to take you on."
"Just let us drop our groceries off first." I intervened before Misaka could reply, holding up the bags of perishables for emphasis "We stood in line for two hours to grab this stuff, I'm not letting them go to waste just so you two can beat the shit out of each other."
"Fine by me. I'm just glad you finally came around." Misaka smirked, though admittedly it looked like she needed a moment to compose herself "I even know a good spot where we can cut loose without drawing too much attention."
"You've been planning this for some time huh?" I marvelled, honestly impressed with her foresight even as Touma chuckled nervously "Better bring your A-Game Touma, she means business this time."
"Such Misfortune…" the Unlucky Kamijou sighed, though despite his words a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as the three of us made our way back to the dorms.
So yeah, bit of a slow build, but it introduces a key character later on so it's all good.
For those wondering, Itsuki was only a Level-1 or 2 prior to being Isekai'd by Truck-Kun, so his previous school, while better than Touma's, was nowhere near as affluent as Tokiwadai. However, his stipend was enough for him to afford the retro games he liked to enjoy prior to being sent to Melromarc.
And yes, he still receives money from home atop his Stipend.
Again, mostly wrote this is a test to break through my writer's block. don't expect regular updates.