*Disclaimer – I do not own the copyright to the Toaru Majutsu no Index series

*A/N – How's it going? Good? Bad? Either way, thanks for showing up and checking out the story. I also have to apologize for it being some time. That's my bad lol. The last time we left there was quite a bit of interesting things going on. Mugino's sudden request to Touma and how his night has been a rather eventful one. Things are surely going to pick up for our dear resident in the dormitory of misfortune. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for checking out this not-so-stellar story. I blame myself for the lack of care and would like to change that, but you know what they say, actions speak louder than words. Nevertheless, thanks for sticking around and taking care of yourself out there in this crazy world we live in. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter that ventures further into Imagine Breaker and Meltdowner's strange and unusual circumstances that led them to meeting one another.

*P.S. – Also excited to see that ITEM's second light novel is coming out this month. That'll be a fun read. Hope we get to learn more about the tea-color-haired beauty and what other craziness she and the other girls of ITEM got caught up in the past.

Kamijou Touma should have known this by now or rather… it should have been made apparent to him that something unexpected was going to happen. It always happened. Whether it was being caught up in a strange situation involving the science side, or an unfathomable event occurring on the magic side, or even a random event that managed to pull him into a series of unexpected circumstances. He was always bombarded with misfortune in the utmost bizarre ways.

Suffice it to say, now would be one of those bizarre situations.

Staring aghast at the tea-color-haired beauty in front of him, several thoughts were scrambling around in his head due to the girl's sudden and unexpected offer she presented.

Join ITEM.

There wasn't much he had to think about regarding the offer. However, the effort and thought process that got her to come up with the offer is what Touma was really looking at. Why was she offering to do something like that? He already knew that she knew a great deal about him even when it came to the more hidden details about his life. Whether it was dealing with the Magic or Science Sides, Mugino Shizuri had gotten a glimpse into his life and was most likely taking that into account on the offer that laid on the metaphorical table. Hence, he decided to prod as much as he could into her way of thinking and what other thoughts, she had regarding him.

"Well, what's your answer?" Mugino said while crossing her arms and tapping away with her index finger against her arm. "Don't think you can leave here without giving me a damn answer."

Oh, he had his answer. And he immediately knew she wouldn't like it.

"…Err… Thank you for the generous offer, Mugino-san, but… I'm going to have to say no thanks."

He had said this in the most casual, friendly, straight-to-the-point tone of voice that he could muster.

Normally, if he was offered something by someone, Touma would easily turn down the offer within a second due to a variety of reasons. If it involved anything to do with money, then he would be gone in a minute. Off into another district and probably still running away to avoid getting sucked into something that would surely bite him in the ass later. However, Mugino's offer wasn't one that he could directly turn down. There was a bit more to it.

"No… Do you even know what I'm offering you?" the brunette girl shot back at him.

"No. I don't. I mean, I know ITEM has something to do with the dark side but…" Ruffling the back of his head, Touma continued to seek insight from her. "Other than that, I'm clueless."

Letting out a scoff, she decided to spell out what exactly she was offering to the spiky-haired boy.

"*sigh* ITEM is an organization formed to monitor the upper echelons within the city. We get dirty so the bastards up top stay all clean and innocent to the general public. All their problems are solved by us and in return, we get influence and financial benefit. They ask us to blow something up. We blow something up. Kill someone. We kill them. Protect something. We protect it. Get the picture now?"

Hearing how casually Mugino just said that killing was something that she was involved in, Touma couldn't help but taste something sour in his mouth. His imagination must have been working its way into his head because he had nothing to eat for quite a while now and the last thing he did eat was anything but sour. His impression of the girl was changing once again, only this time it was forming into something akin to interest. Why was she involved with the darkness? Why was she involved in killing?

"Huh? What's wrong? You went all quiet."

Kamijou didn't say anything for a moment longer before responding to the brunette girl next to him.

"Sorry. Just thinking about stuff…"

"Your carefree attitude went away once I mentioned killing," she said, trying to get a reaction from him.

The sound of him tightly balling up his hand could be heard.

"Why wouldn't it? You just casually commented on taking a person's life away. Death. Killing."

"Yeah, so?"

A frown was immediately visible on the boy's face.

"That… putting that thought on hold, is there anything else I should know about ITEM as a whole?" Kamijou said while wanting to have a good basis of what he was essentially being offered.

A nerve had been struck.

"Aside from what I've said there are other things we tend to get involved in but they're not worth me wasting my breath on" Mugino replied with an irritated tone of voice.

"I see… "

A feeling of awkwardness settled into Touma's mind as he wondered just what else Mugino and ITEM did that wasn't as important or significant to be discussed. Knowing the brunette beauty standing right next to him, it was probably boring work that might have seemed intense to him but merely nothing to her. This thought caused the teen to let out a sigh.

"But honestly, it's whatever. We do a job. The higher-ups are happy. We get paid. It all works out in the end" the girl casually replied.

The spiky-haired boy already knew what his answer was going to be even after listening to what the tea-color-haired girl said about her position in ITEM.

"I'm guessing you guys tend to find yourselves in the nonstop action kind of life. You go looking for trouble rather than trouble looking for you?" he questioned Mugino while doing a little self-reflecting.

In a way, Kamijou Touma had come to accept this as a look into his own life given that all he wanted was a simple and somewhat relaxing way of life. However, that is something that will most likely never gracefully happen to the boy as he seemed to find himself involved in conflicts without even trying due to the lovely lady known as misfortune. Trouble always had a way of looking for him.

"You could say that. Though, I would argue that your life follows that decisive description more. Wouldn't you think?" Mugino stated while carefully watching the boy's reaction.

What seemed like a simple question somehow turned itself into a boomerang that came flying back and slapped him in the face. With the realization that Mugino had known very well about several of his rather adventurous incidents, there was no real way to counter her without taking on the role of a hypocrite and still being in the wrong.

"…*sigh* Yeah, there's no denying that. This helpless Kamijou's life is riddled with nothing but misfortune somehow dragging him into situations that don't make any sense whatsoever" Touma overwhelmingly replied.

"Tch. What is the deal with you talking about yourself in the third person? And why the hell do you keep blaming your shit problems on misfortune!?" Mugino shouted at the teen.

Raising his hand to pat the back of his hair, Touma gave a sensible answer that he was familiar with.

"It's the undoubted truth. I've come to accept that my life is to be met with misfortune. I don't even do anything and yet I seem to find myself in unpredictable situations. Whether it's being chased around an entire district by dogs or losing my wallet before I go up to a register even if I was holding onto it the entire time or breaking my phone after dropping it only a few feet off the ground and watching it shatter into a bunch of pieces or even worse of all… missing out on a discounted happy hour with sales half of what they normally are only for this worthless Kamijou to miss it by a minute due to getting my shirt stuck on a train door closing… "

Kamijou said this while having a defeated tone in his voice followed by his eyes starting to get wet in a comedic manner.

Misfortune truly was attached to this spiky-haired teen in ways nobody would ever think possible.

Unsure what to say, the tea-color-haired girl wanted to call the boy's stupid explanation bullshit but even she was dumbfounded by what she just heard. The only thing she could do was stare wide-eyed and scoff at the boy.

"…You're an idiot."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Ha, so, you find yourself in strange situations… What other reasoning do you have for declining my offer to join ITEM?"

Tilting his head to the side, Touma figured he would just outright say what was on his mind.

"Obviously, I'm not a fan of killing."

"Killing isn't the only thing we do."

The spiky-haired boy then tilted his head up so that it looked like he was now standing up straighter than before and replied to the Level 5.

"But at the same time, I'm not someone who is going to sit idly by while someone is in danger. If someone is calling out for help wherever they might be, I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure they're safe and sound no matter what it takes."

The Level 5 looked at the boy with an unreadable expression. Inside her head, the gears were working at an all-time high to try and understand this shitty hero's morals.

"So, taking your heroic speech to heart, it's clear that you think of yourself as some big hot-shot guy who has a hero fetish. Stepping in whenever there's trouble and doing what you can to save the day. And you don't think you'd be able to do that if you aligned yourself with ITEM?"

"You're off the mark on that."

"Huh? What are you talking about? How am I off the mark when I'm only stating- "

A look of stoicism and calmness was expressed on Kamijou's face that seemed to indicate one sole thing.

Sensibleness.

"I'm not a hero. I don't have a fetish for stepping in to save the day as you claim. I don't even see myself as some high-end figure at all." Grasping his right hand in front of him and bringing it close to his chest, Touma let a small smile appear on his face while his eyes never left the girl's face.

A brief pause settled in before he continued to speak his mind.

"I'm just a regular old high school student that somehow gets caught up in strange and unusual situations. I can't even argue about how strange the situations can get since you've already seen it for yourself, the few encounters that you know about. But at the end of the day, my only goal is to help anyone who is in trouble and or asks for help… no matter where they come from or who they are. It doesn't matter…"

Kamijou Touma said this with a contemplative tone that conveyed not only sincereness behind his every word but a sense of casual, friendliness that anyone after experiencing a rough day and needed that glimmer of hope to brighten one's day. That was an insight into understanding just how simple and easeful the spiky-haired boy's words felt to one's ears.

Mugino on the other hand wasn't sure what to think. Never in her life did she think anyone would claim to be following the picture-perfect mold of those damn cartoon heroes she heard about that most children growing up admired greatly. And yet, here Kamijou was saying such things to her face like it was not the most ridiculous thing ever.

'Helping whoever because they are in trouble… I don't buy it.'

She knew deep down that she should have just cast the bastard standing before her off and told him to fuck off without paying him any more attention. But… she would be damned if wasn't at least slightly curious about his reasoning. There had to be a reason. Nobody just helps others out of kindness. Even a brat helping an old hag crossing the street is in it for at least a thank you. Kamijou was probably of a similar mindset, and she would get him to spill his side of this absurd reasoning to his persona.

"…I call bullshit."

"Huh?"

"You're telling me, that you go around helping people just because you feel like it? Nobody does anything like that. You probably get a kick out of knowing that whoever you helped is going to repay you in some way. Whether it's through praise or the idea that they'll owe you in the future for your help. That's what probably gets you off. Knowing that you- "

"Really? That's the best excuse you have."

"What?"

Shaking his head, Touma wore a frown on his lips while casting a sort of deadpan stare at the brunette girl.

"To put it bluntly, you're wrong with your reasoning, Mugino-san. I don't need a reason to help someone. If someone is standing in front of me asking for help… it doesn't matter what it is. I'll do everything I can in my power to make sure they get to go home with a smile on their face and not have to worry about their problem because I helped solve it."

A look of irritation was starting to make itself apparent on the girl's face and it looked like she wanted to say something but was suddenly stopped as Touma continued speaking.

"I'm not in it for the satisfaction of having someone owe me a favor or even praising me. I do it because I think it's the right thing to do. Even if I'm no one special, I still want to help in any way that I can" Kamijou said with nothing more than his truth spilling into his words.

He was not some magical or extraordinary person at all. Just someone who encountered heaps of misfortune in his daily life and did what he thinks is right no matter what the person's history was. Good or bad. It didn't matter. He would still help them reach a happy outcome. No matter what.

Mugino Shizuri wasn't sure what to think right now. The answer that had been given to her seemed like nothing more than just a sweet tooth answer. And yet, she couldn't help but ball up her fist and glare back at the boy. His answer was not reaching her in the slightest. Never in her life had she encountered someone who did things to help others without any reward. It made no sense at all.

"Stupid…" Mugino muttered under her breath.

Growing up in a lifestyle that delved deep into the darkness, she had grown up to see the depths of internal struggle being displayed so simply to anyone paying attention. The sight of seeing someone do something nice only to care about what kind of reward will be sent their way was something she learned from an early age. Observing how people lied to each other as easily as breathing was something taught to her right after learning how to walk. Getting what you wanted whenever you wanted… her upbringing in the Mugino household taught her the indulgent rule that only she knew and could use whenever she wanted. If there was anything that caught her interest, anything that she wanted, anything she desired… she got it no questions asked. And this did not even cover all the other sights she saw growing up with how people truly acted when given the chance to receive something amazing only to have to do something problematic in return. People were selfish. That all made sense to her.

But what Kamijou Touma was saying to her right now did not make any sense at all.

The idea that someone as idiotic as him could stand there in front of her and calmly state what his reasoning was to help someone and not seek any kind of reward. It made no sense at all. He claimed that he did it because he thought it was the right thing to do but there had to be more to it than just that. There had to be something that he was seeking. Nobody just helps anyone because they think it's right. And certainly, nobody goes out of their way to get involved in a situation as Kamijou did with Accelerator. That was a highlighting moment in her view of the boy. But it still left her confused.

"…You're a fucking liar, Kamijou."

"Say what you will but it's the truth" Touma replied while meeting Mugino's eyes and keeping a collected expression showcased on his face.

A scorned expression was now showcased on her the girl's face.

"Tsk. It seems like that is an area where we don't see eye-to-eye" she stated to him.

"Maybe… Who knows? Maybe one day you'll see my point of view on that" Touma said with a bit of hopefulness in this voice.

"I sincerely doubt that" Mugino declared while brushing her hair to the side and letting out a very loud and obvious sigh. "

Feeling like the conversation had derailed a bit, the high school boy decided to reel it in and get back to the main topic.

"So… ITEM, how long has it been around?"

A confused look appeared on the tea-color-haired girl's face.

"What? What kind of stupid question is that?"

Raising his hands, the black spiky-haired boy gave an honest response about what he was curious about.

"It might be stupid but it's still a question. I might have said no to your offer, but I'd like to at least learn more about the group. So far, you've only told me the business side of it and a little about… what you do. But you haven't said one thing about the group's connection or its well-being. Those are very vital pieces of information to know" Touma matter-of-factly responded.

Gritting her teeth, Mugino glared at the boy for a solid moment before contemplating summoning a Meltdowner beam. However, she knew how that would turn out with the single attack not doing anything to the asshat and simply disregarded that idea. Hence, she mumbled a plethora of swears under her breath and caved in.

"What the hell is there to know? ITEM currently has four members. We work as a team. We get things done and get paid. What more is there to say?" Mugino questioned the boy.

"That's a start but it's nice to know that the group is more than one or two people. I'm guessing you all get along?" Touma asked, trying to see if he could learn anything else vital about the group.

"…I'd be willing to tell you… if you accepted my offer" the brunette girl retorted.

Trickery of the words. Like how those get-rich-quick schemes work. They pull your interest in and spout nothing but sweet nothings into your head. And right before they tell you the secret to finding everlasting happiness or getting that extra bit of money you've been craving… the person telling you this offer presents you with a price to pay before learning of such goodness. A scheme that doesn't typically work against younger people but for old housewives or grandparents that know nothing of these evil plots, they are usually the victims. Such a dangerous scheme.

"Ha… Figured you would use that card on me." Having a deadpan look on his face, Touma figured that he would address her offer in full now. "Mugino-san…"

The Level 5 simply stared at the boy with an expression that could be interpreted as becoming fed up.

"About your offer, I'm going to still have to decline respectfully."

"Not even if I bribe you?"

"My mind is still…"

Kamijou was now showing signs of having second thoughts upon hearing about money being involved. However, as quickly as his stunned reaction appeared, it now disappeared with him shaking his head and ridiculing himself.

"*sigh* Bad thoughts Kamijou… bad thoughts. *ahem* Sorry Mugino-san. My mind is still made up. I am not interested in joining ITEM."

An unimpressed look appeared on the girl's face while she looked ready to move away. But just before she could move or say anything, Touma was up on his feet and off the swing.

"However, that doesn't mean I won't help you and essentially ITEM with this… problem of yours. And any other problem you might be facing."

Confusion was pointed out on the girl's face.

"Then why the hell don't you just accept the offer?! You're basically working with ITEM at this point by saying that!" Mugino shouted at him.

"Not exactly. I guess you could say that I'm a freelancer. I help when needed and leave whenever. Sounds pretty nice when you say it out loud" Touma said while feeling pretty good about that statement.

The longer Mugino continued talking with Kamijou, the more she could feel her head throbbing with a headache at hearing the idiot's stupid comments. She was also starting to worry if this moron was causing her to lose brain cells. Perhaps that was an unknown side effect due to coming into contact with his ability…

"…You're insufferable."

"Say what you will. I'm just trying to help to solve this unusual problem of yours. You're not exactly helping in the situation" Touma casually replied but as soon as he finished speaking his eyes went wide.

'Shit, shit, shit. Why did I have to say that!?' he thought to himself, realizing just who he was talking to.

"Oh? I'm not helping. Tell me, Kamijou Touma…" Mugino's voice had gone darker and left a sense of danger looming. "How the fuck am I not helping!?"

Throwing his right hand up in case a bright beam of light came his way, the spiky-haired boy was now on the defensive using his words to fight this battle. "Uh, I didn't mean it like that! Can I retract my last statement?" Touma worriedly asked.

"Not a chance!"

Feeling a sense of dread about to head his way in the form of a hot and bright beam of light, Touma started to try and talk himself out of this particular situation.

"Ok, ok. Look, to avoid fighting I'm going to explain myself better- "

"You could have started with that" Mugino muttered.

"…And see what we can do to find a way to solve this problem… somehow involving me."

Letting a moment pass while she considered his idea, Mugino relented by forcing a heavy sigh to escape her lips. She then gestured to the boy to start speaking while bringing a hand up to massage her temple. The more that she continued talking with Kamijou, the more she was wishing that she didn't have to hear him or at the very least brought headphones to block out most of the crap he had to say that was stupid.

"And yet, why do I get the feeling that you're still sticking with that bullshit idea of yours involving magic or some kind of make-believe nonsense you've forced yourself to believe."

"It's not a bad angle to try and solve the problem. Think about it, you are seeing me… well, everywhere based on what you've said and don't know how or why. We've already repeated our argument about this earlier but that got us nowhere."

Nodding her head, Mugino had to agree. Their last argument was essentially nothing but them wasting time and bickering with no real progress leaning toward solving the overall predicament. Moreover, how would one even go about trying to solve a problem that involved dreaming about someone? This was an unpredictable situation that left them both in the dark.

"*sigh* And with how things are going now, we're getting nowhere."

"Exactly. Which is why…"

Touma started saying before shooting a glance off to the side. His mind wandered to think about his blonde-haired spy friend who he had no idea where he was now. Alas, Tsuchimikado was his best bet on finding more about what kind of magic might be responsible for causing Mugino to repeatedly keep seeing him based on her description of the problem. Hence, he needed to find a way to explain to her while not necessarily outright mentioning magic based on her stance on magic as a whole… she would not believe anything he had to about the supernatural.

"…I think I might have a clue about why you keep seeing me."

Surprise was evident on the girl's face and then… it went straight to being replaced by an angered expression.

"You're still going with a bullshit magic excuse?"

"Yes, I think it's something that- "

"You're just wasting your time on it."

"That's your take on the top- "

"And it's a damn better one than yours. "

"Now you're just saying crap to- "

"Crap? Facts are what I'm saying. Not some stupid excuse that a child would come up with!"

"Look."

Touma then raised his right hand forward getting the girl to stop her onslaught of ridicule and disregard for what he was trying to say.

"Even if you don't believe in magic…"

"Which I don't."

"…This entire situation is a supernatural phenomenon. And you're also not being clear about the entire thing" the spiky-haired boy directed.

Another glare was sent his way by the Level 5.

"What exactly are you trying to get at, Kamijou?"

Taking a moment to think his answer through, Touma wanted to get some insight into this whole fiasco regarding Mugino seeing him but what he was hearing wasn't doing anything to help in the slightest. Hence, he decided to poke the agitated bear for anything that would help him get a better idea of this mysterious problem.

"So far, the only thing you have said was that you kept seeing me everywhere but…" The spiky-haired boy then quickly looked over at her face to try and get a read of expression and body language for a reaction. And what would you know? There was one.

"You haven't said how exactly you saw me. And this might be a one-in-a-million guess but, I'm willing to bet that it's not just in any kind of situation" he added.

Right now, the boy who usually found himself caught up in rather unpredictable situations was playing quite the gamble with the speculation he was doing on his part. However, he figured that playing the role of a detective would help speed up this ever-slow conversation. That and he recalled seeing a detective anime the other day at his dorm which gave him a bit of inspiration.

"And that's something I sure as hell don't need to explain to you, Kamijou" Mugino defensively retorted.

Hearing this, Touma quietly muttered under his breath.

"And… we are back where we started."

Clearing his throat, he continued to venture for more information by asking her if it was somehow related to this question of his.

"Okay. Then this is me throwing a dart at the wall and seeing if I get a good outcome. You've been seeing me through visions or something of that supernatural nature. Is that a solid take?"

Forcibly making her facial expression and body language not break, Mugino had not expected him to come somewhat close to the actual problem she was facing. Granted, the guess taken around a vision is on a wide spectrum that could relate to a bunch of other explanations. But still… she was on edge now.

"…Tsk."

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve? Heh, this Kamijou hit gold."

The teenager let a smug grin quickly appear on his face while fighting the urge to fist pump in excitement at his guess coming somewhere in the realm of truth. Leading him to start thinking about the developing situation.

'So, she's seeing visions of me? That's… new? I have no idea what to do or say to that. Maybe Index might know more if I can't find Tsuchimikado? Either way, this is a big step forward and I'll take it.'

"Right, so, you're seeing what could be described as visions of me wherever you go? Or are you just seeing me at certain times? No, when we first met you questioned me and then went away. But then you came back to question me again… does that mean you did something to cause a vision of me to appear?"

At this point, Kamijou was simply throwing ideas out there in the open for Mugino to listen to. Moreover, he was also trying to see if there would be any reaction from her if she didn't want to confess what exactly was going on with her unusual problem.

"Are you seriously throwing guesses out there?" the tea-color-haired girl questioned the boy.

"Hey, it's the only way I'm getting anywhere with you. *sigh* I don't have much to go off."

Folding her arms across her chest, the brunette girl let closed her eyes before getting ready to open them. This would be classified as a mockery of her character but seeing that she was at a standstill with no real idea of how to go about this situation… She decided to barely open up about her predicament.

"…Fucking hell. Yes, Kamijou."

"Hm? Yes, what?" The boy tilted his head while unsure of what she was getting at.

"Your guess is good."

Rather than celebrating and putting on a 'told you so' expression, he simply nodded his head and took on a thinking pose.

"Mm. So, it is a sort of vision… this does help us a bit but still we don't have anything else to help."

"Back to square one. Goddammit," the teen girl said angrily while shaking her head.

A moment of silence resonated between the two as they were now left to their own thoughts on the whole situation. In the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard indicating that Anti-Skill had probably arrived back at the building. Touma's thoughts drifted over to the rogue magicians and silently hoped that this little encounter would at the very least push them to a better path. A change in their way of thinking is all that he could ask for.

Alas, before Kamijou could ponder any longer about the rogue magicians, Mugino had unfolded her arms and pulled out her phone and started tapping away at the screen. Her attention had been taken as she had an annoyed look on her face.

"Of all the fucking times…"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Touma then looked over and saw the girl's attention directed to her phone. "Oh. Something's come up?"

"You could say that. Either way, it looks like we can wrap up whatever this chat was. Thankfully, I'm glad it's over. I don't think I could stand listening to you and your magic crap for another minute" Mugino tiredly said.

A deadpan expression could be seen on Kamijou's face as he simply let out a staggered sigh.

"Right… Well then, I'll keep you updated if I make any headway into your problem. I might need to do some out-of-the-box thinking on this one" Touma said while thinking about who he would need to talk to.

"Hmph. Don't expect me to keep you updated if I find the solution faster than your lame-ass magical explanation" Mugino stated, countering his friendly exchange.

A simple gesture of lowering and shaking of the head was all that Kamijou did.

"*sigh* So much for making this a team effort."

"When you finally decide to drop this magic idea, then the possibility of teamwork will be back on the table. But for now, don't bother expecting me to tell you if I've made a breakthrough" the tea-color-haired girl confirmed.

"I see… then this is where we part ways."

"Speak the obvious." Beginning to take a few steps away from Kamijou and the park, Mugino tilted her head to the side, so she was nudging the side of her head toward him but not directly looking in his direction. "See you around, Kamijou. For my sanity, I hope this problem gets resolved soon."

"As strange as this all is, I hope that's the case as well. Though… I'm not sure what to really think. Someone keeps seeing visions of me… that's got to be a new conjecture of misfortune. *sigh* Such misfortune indeed."

Before she could leave the area for good, Touma took this chance to say something that was crossing his mind. Something that he felt that he needed to ask the girl not only to get a broader idea of her character which might help him with the vision predicament, but also help him get to know her better.

"Mugino."

"Huh? What now, Kamijou? I think I've had enough of your crap for one day."

It was now or never to ask what was on his mind.

"Why… Why is it that you are involved in the Dark Side?" Kamijou asked, keeping his eyes trailing onto her.

Displaying an expression that could be described as a mix of anger and confusion, the brunette girl turned to look at him and ridiculed him.

"What kind of random question is that? Why the hell would I need to tell you something like that? Let me make this apparent if it didn't register in your head, Kamijou. We are not close friends who gossip to each other about what our lives are like."

"I beg to differ."

"How? In what realm of possibility are you referring to that we are sharing personal parts of our lives with each other?" Mugino countered.

"What do you think is happening to you now? You're seeing parts of my life" he fired back.

A scowl was present on the girl's face.

"Oh, that's rich. You think because I'm seeing your life achievements you get to know more about me?"

"No. I know there are things that you keep private to yourself just as I have things I don't like to share with others. But at the very least, I want to get to know you better. We have no idea how this vision problem is going to play out or how long it's going to last. Which is why I want to at least know something about you. Something that you tell me yourself and not something that I can guess based on making assumptions or speculation" Touma explained, hoping that his words reached the girl.

Closing her eyes so that she could give herself a moment to think, Mugino wasn't sure why, but she felt slightly inclined to agree with his request. Even she couldn't believe that she was doing such a thing. However, Kamijou did have a point that raised a lot of concern within her. They had no idea how long this dream vision thing was going to continue. Granted, she wouldn't be caught saying this out loud for anyone to hear but… she had found an increased interest in the boy and the events he found himself in. Moreover, there was also the high chance that she would see dream about him again tonight leading her to speculate on what she might see.

Hence, letting out a reluctant sigh, Mugino opened her eyes but not before giving in and replying to him.

"…I grew up in a wealthy household where I got anything I wanted with a snap of my fingers. I expect nothing more than things to go my way and if things aren't, then I step in to get shit done. There, are you happy?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. Thank you for telling me about yourself" Touma said while offering a sincere yet small smile.

Left stunned about the boy's response, Mugino briskly walked away from the park with her head focused on coming up with ideas on where she could look for answers to her unusual problem. Still keeping in mind his random quest before pushing it off to the side. She had a lot to consider and a lot to do if she was going to fix this damn problem.

Having watched the brunette Level 5 walk away from the park until she was no longer in sight, Touma let out a groan that conveyed exactly what he was feeling now.

"Well, at least she didn't end up firing her Meltdowner ability this time. Can't say that won't happen next time… if there even is a next time."

Based on Mugino's position on his idea, it didn't take a genius to realize that she was indifferent to the idea of magic existing let alone being the reason for her continuing to see visions of him. Except, that's exactly what he was thinking was the sole explanation for something like this to happen in the first place. But before he could continue to speculate about it any further, he needed to find Tsuchimikado.

Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he started dialing the number for his blonde-haired friend and waited patiently for the call to go through.

*Ring*

*Ring*

*Ring*

After waiting a good moment, the call did not go through meaning that he was not next to his phone or…

Shaking his head, the spiky-haired boy started to walk in the direction that would take him around the long way back to the train station in this district and make his way back home. Additionally, he continued to dial up Tsuchimikado's phone again hoping that he would be able to hear what else the spy had to say about his question regarding the possibility of casting a spell to force someone to see visions of them everywhere.

This entire situation was something he was not expecting to get pulled into. Let alone the fact that he was currently in the fourth-ranked Level 5's eyes at the moment.

Mugino Shizuri.

Touma's thoughts on the girl were…. complicated to say the least. At first, she seemed like the typical ojou-sama kind of girl what with her aura of superiority in how she walked or stood or even presented herself. Along with the sense that her fashion style spoke out about what kind of lifestyle she had. The kind that made him a struggling high school student weep in quiet jealousy. He also found her character to be that of a fair sailing and swearing sailor mixed with a drop-dead gorgeous girl that could give models a run for their money. Not to mention, she was also a bit trigger-happy with her ability to shoot beams of light out of nowhere. And how could he forget her upfront personality where she got right into your face and demanded answers to whatever was bothering her or did research into things that bothered her greatly.

Quite the character if you were to ask him.

However, that also led him to start thinking about her and the stance she had around her life. Being involved with the Dark Side of Academy City. Even though he still did not know her all that well since had not been that long since they'd first met each other, Touma had a feeling that there was more to her and what she was saying. Another thing he realized about the girl was that she tended to only say what was necessary and nothing more.

Most people, when caught up in an exchange of words tended to do a bit of talking about themselves or the situation that they found themselves in, leading to doing a bit more talking than expected. Mugino on the other hand seemed to put up a defensive wall whenever he talked to her and only discussed what was relevant about her current situation. A questioning tactic if he had anything to say about it.

Alas, there seemed to be a complex side to Mugino that he was only briefly seeing in the time that he managed to cross paths with her. Something more that people either noticed and paid no attention to or straight up weren't aware of due to her intimidating presence that she put out. A sense of loneliness surrounded her like a cover that seemed to only sink deeper into her, especially with her living life on the Dark Side.

However, the spiky-haired boy knew that with how bizarre this situation he and the tea-color-haired girl found themselves in, it was likely that their paths would continue to cross even if Mugino did not think so.

Hence, letting his mind and heart lean into what he thought would be the best course of action in this predicament, Touma nodded confidently to himself.

"I'll help you find a solution to your problem, Mugino. And… I'll help you cast aside the cover of darkness that has been placed over you. Keeping you away from the light."

The walk back to the train station and eventually back to his dorm would be an interesting one.

Later that night

Stepping out of the bathroom dressed in a nightgown after having come back to her apartment, Mugino was feeling a contrasting sense of relaxation and unexpected eagerness. After she had called ITEM's support division to pick her up, she headed to meet up with the support division at their usual headquarters. The reason for this sudden meeting was to discuss financial factors with how the group conducted their Dark Side missions and how the support team got paid in cash or equipment needed to help the girls. It proved to be nothing more than a waste of her time which resulted in her sulking the entire meeting and even during the drive back to her apartment. Being the leader of the group, she sometimes had to deal with this boring kind of stuff.

She then recalled being alone in the back of the support vehicle after the meeting and heading back to her apartment for the night. The brunette girl had her mind scattered across a variety of topics on her mind now. The obvious topic was her dreaming problem and what steps would be needed to stop them from happening. And the other… revolved around a certain spiky-haired boy who had caused her much strife today.

Kamijou Touma.

His request to learn more about her had left her a bit puzzled but the more she started to think about it the more she was growing curious about him and his entire character. Someone willing to help others without asking for anything in return. It still sounded too good to be true. But that just led her to think about him some more. In addition, him declining her offer to join ITEM was something she came up with on the spot but recalling that he said he would still help was something to consider…

Putting that thought aside, Mugino entered her room soon realizing that her roommates had not bothered to come out of their rooms and question her about her evening. On one side, she didn't mind that in the slightest. But that just meant they would bombard her with questions in the morning.

She was going to need a coffee in the morning.

In the meantime, she sat down on her bed and got comfy before snapping and killing the lights leaving her to bask in nothing but darkness around her while she open-handedly welcomed sleep to take her away. It was inevitable that she would dream about Kamijou so, she figured why not get it over with. Besides, today's events had left her rather tired from it all.

Alas, one minute she was staring up at her ceiling seeing the blank surface presented to her and in the next, she could feel her eyelids starting to become heavy to the point that she easily allowed them to close. Her body soon felt what could be described as complete and blissful comfort as if she was sinking into what could be described as the softest pillow she had ever encountered. Her mind was echoing a nonstop repeated tune of checking the pillow out while her body was telling her to leave it alone and keep on sleeping.

Curiosity about this unusual pillow managed to win, leaving Mugino to open her eyes and turn to the side expecting to see the pillows that are normally located on her bed. As she flipped herself around, the tea-color-haired girl wearing only her lewd nightgown shot her eyes up immediately and had the look of a deer in headlights at what she saw. Her mind was flying at Mach 5 right now.

Sitting there right next to her on the bed was someone who she could never imagine being anywhere this close to her at all. And yet, there he was now wearing the same outfit she last recalled him in with a smile on his face.

"Kamijou!? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

Without wasting a single second, Mugino hurled her right hand back while sitting up right now and balled it up into a fist. In what could be described as a solid and perfected movement, she lunged her fist right at the spiky-haired boy's face ready to knock him out of her bed and out of consciousness before blasting him to oblivion when something unexpected happened.

Right as her fist made contact with the boy's face, everything around her suddenly warped within a second of time leaving her to now be standing outside and not in her bedroom. Standing in what could be described as a battlefield, the Level 5 looked around and saw debris all over the place with buildings heavily damaged as well dark clouds up above looming in the sky. She then noticed that nobody else seemed to be around causing her to immediately realize that something was up. Throwing her head to the side, Mugino was about to deliver a truckload of swearing at what was happening when she looked behind and saw-

"Super… Amazing… Punch!"

*KA-BOOM*

A massive burst of light caused her to cover her eyes and wait until the blinding flash dimmed down. She also forced herself to take a step back due to how the explosion shot debris and wind all over the place. Once it all died down, she was left gawking at two individuals. One was someone that she distinctively didn't know all that much about and the other… someone who had caused her life to become a mess as of late.

With their backs to her, Mugino could now easily see what they were wearing along with their appearance. The person she faintly recognized was the seventh-ranked Level 5, Sogiita Gunha, who had a white headband wrapped around his head followed by a white shirt and red jacket that was somehow still hanging around his shoulders. He also had black shorts and athletic shoes on.

The other person… he was currently the bane of her existence as she had barely talked to the idiot and was now dreaming about him again. Kamijou Touma. His appearance was that of a white shirt followed by a white jacket with red stripes on his arms and blue shorts. A different outfit compared to the others that she'd seen him in.

The two were now staring at what could be described as a person with their entire body glowing white minus their hair which looked to be brown. Around said person was debris floating in the air followed by blue lightning dancing around them at a sporadic speed. In addition, black swirls of something were being scattered around while also disappearing into the wind. Mugino had no idea what was going on here but suffice it to say this was another dream involving the spiky-haired boy who was becoming a real pain in her life.

Before she could contemplate the situation any further, she heard Kamijou speak while witnessing the effects of the seventh's attack.

"Awesome—"

Suddenly, Kamijou was grabbed by the back of his jacket's collar and lifted into the air.

"Huh?"

Watching as the seventh picked up the boy with such ease, Mugino couldn't help but be even more confused about what was going on. Especially now with Kamijou being lifted higher and-

"Now's your chance!" the headband-wearing boy exclaimed.

Hurling his arm back with Kamijou's jacket and Kamijou himself still in his hand, the seventh-ranked was about ready to throw him when the misfortunate boy started screaming out.

"No, no, no, no! Just a second, just a second, just a—"

The expression on his face caused Mugino to break out into an all-time smug grin as she knew what was about to happen.

"Off you go!" Sogitta shouted before throwing one Kamijou Touma through the air.

What followed was an absolute scream that one would hear while riding on an intimidating roller coaster when the ride got to the highest peak before falling straight to the ground with time to process what exactly was going on.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Kamijou's scream could be heard quite loudly even though he was flying away from the fourth and seventh-ranked Level 5's.

At this point, Mugino looked toward the direction that he was going and could see the black swirls lingering in the air around the glowing individual suddenly light up with a spark of electricity coursing through the area. This instantly caused a massive black wall to form right in the direction that Kamijou was heading.

Flipping himself through the air, the spiky-haired boy did his best to balance himself out and throw his right hand forward leading to quite the sight to play out.

*Break*

A glass breaking sound could be heard followed by Kamijou causing a hole to appear in the black wall which ultimately caused the entire thing to come crumbling down. All while he was still flying toward the glowing person. With his body coming closer and closer to the ground, Mugino watched with rising anticipation as she saw the boy reach his right hand onto the shoulder of the unusual individual before another glass-breaking sound could be heard echoing around the area.

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the tea-color-haired beauty instantly opened her eyes causing her to be staring right at the same ceiling she was staring at last night. Many various emotions were present in her head right now, but they all circled around involving one person. That person did not need to be named as he was at the forefront of everything in her life right now.

Pushing herself up and glancing to her side, Mugino realized that the spot next to her was vacant and showed no sign of anyone ever being there leaving her to believe that when she saw Kamijou sitting on her bed, he was only part of her dream. Her dream… if she could believe that.

Reaching for her phone on the stand next to her bed, she opened the device and saw the time and date being displayed on her phone.

"7:13 A.M."

"September 23, 20XX"

Seeing that she had woken up quite early compared to her old tendencies to not be a morning person, Mugino got out of bed and began walking to her bathroom while needing to take a shower and gather her thoughts on what exactly her plans were for the day. Her goal of searching for a cure or answer as to why she was dreaming of the spiky-haired boy was at the top of her to-do list. However, she couldn't help but mutter one last thing before closing the bathroom door.

"…Just who the hell are you, Kamijou?"

*A/N* - Hey there, sorry for the delay. That was all my fault. One thing caught my attention and then another thing and so on. However, that time away did give me some new ideas about the story and how it'll ultimately connect in the long run. Seeing that Kamijou and Mugino have now discussed more about the dream vision situation, it'll be quite interesting to see the two try to solve it in their own areas of somewhat expertise. With Mugino going at the problem from the science side of things while Touma refers to his friends who are on the magic side. Things are sure to get stupid and ridiculous, but I do hope you'll continue to stick around in this crack shot take of a story lol. Until next time, take care out there.