This took longer than expected. Regardless, the chapter is finally done, so now I have it here for all of you! Thank you all for your suggestions. I originally had planned something different for this chapter, but your suggestions have helped to completely transform it. I can honestly say this turned out much better than what I originally had planned. I was able to set up everything I originally had planned, while adding a few new set ups. You could say this chapter is a "Chekhov's Blade Works". Okay, terrible jokes aside, let's get the Q&A out of the way.

ahsoei: Glad you think I'm improving. Those are some high expectations. At least I've already surpassed the other story's length.

AriaTheLostMelody: Thanks for the tip.

MrQuestionMark: Glad to know you liked the chapter and the character reactions. As for the journal, don't worry too much. The journal is now an integral part of Touma's life and serves to link the past and provide foresight for Touma in the future. It also insures that certain secrets aren't guaranteed to stay secret, as they are no longer secluded to Touma's brain. Lots of stuff will be thrown on its head in the future because of the journal, you just to wait and see what exactly that stuff is. I wouldn't worry too much about future arcs. With the irregular pace I'm going at, Index III should be out before I finish Index II. I'm barely halfway over with Railgun as it is anyway. If not, I just need to catch up on the other materials, like the Railgun Daihasei.

Agent Nine: You know Touma, always the actor. After all, he's been keeping up an act since the end of the Index Arc in canon.

LZWriter: Thanks for the kind words. Truth is, I've never been that good at creating original content. I always need some sort of base that I reshape. You could say I'm a Faker. Wow, I really need to stop making references like this, they're getting out of hand.

ALostBlueIdiot: I think you missed the part where Mikoto and Kuroko were the ones clearing everyone out. Know those two, I wouldn't be surprised if Tsuchimikado and Aogami got ruffed up a little bit. I trust my readers to put two and two together, so I thought I could just leave that to the imagination. That suggestion certainly is interesting, but I was looking more for a single scenario, not a whole new story arc. Still, I'll keep that in the vault. Who knows, I might make that a filler arc or something.

salishious: Thank you for all the suggestions. You'll be happy to know that a couple of them did in fact make it.

Bluejack222: Thanks for the suggestion. Your theme made it in the final chapter.

Syko-Soldier963: Sorry about that. So many characters have nicknames involving "God" and only two of them have the Japanese word for "god" in their normal names so it gets confusing. Still staying that Aogami gets the snot beat out of him... and blood... and lymph... and digestive liquids... and everything else.

RedSS: The journal will come back in latter points in the story. The unclassified supernatural phenomenon section will be filled in as time goes on, usually when things of unknown origin similar to Imagine Breaker show up, i.e. World Rejector. The journal will play parts in other aspects of the story later on as well, but those will be a while.

mohamadstar94: Thanks for the kind words.

5waydragon: Commentary on Touma's acting had to be done. I mean, in canon, the guy is putting on an act to the rest of the cast the entire time ever since the Index Arc!

Yourfellowwriter: Thanks! I plan to have Touma's discoveries in the journal be a slow and steady process. It's the big, immediate stuff that he needs to properly keep up the act of him being fine that he really knows right now. You can't expect a guy to read through several years worth of journal entries within a couple of weeks. Plus, as you'll see in this chapter, sometimes the journal creates more questions than it answers. A change in character relationships and dynamics was the main goal of this story, so I'm glad you're looking forward to future arcs. Honestly, the Sister's Arc is the one I am most excited to write about.

GhostofTime: Thanks for the kind words. Slice of Life, incoming! Not too many, but there are a few funny and cute moments between the Level 5 and Level 0.

Guest (1): Glad you liked the chapter. I like the suggestions, but they feel a bit too... unrealistic, I guess. Hot springs feels like a big leap and an accidental kiss feels a bit too comedic. I want relationships to feel genuine with proper build up and minimum slapstick. To rush into things like that feels too much like wish fulfillment. Maybe if I do another chapter like this later on, but for now, I'll put those scenarios in the vault.

Guest (2): Yeah, that was the plan. As many people have figured out at this point, Accelerator is Touma's childhood friend in this story, separated thanks to Kihara. I'm trying to paint Accelerator's general character as something Touma greatly detests as to create some tension when the two meet up again, threatening any chance the two have of reforming their old friendship. I might have those in Touma's journal, but he new Accelerator before he was twisted by the Kihara's so they might not be in there at first. Of course albino's are one of Aogami's fetish's, he has a fetish for everything!

Linkstore (Guest): I'm not going to argue with you about the knight anymore since it just seems pointless now. Glad you liked some of the extra additions. Yeah, my mistake. Tsuchimikado's name was always one I had trouble spelling.

ArmoredCoreNineBall: If your going to be playing that game, then here's a little poem for you! I am the bone of my ship! / Joy is my body and sweetness is by blood! / I have commanded over a thousand ships / Unaware of anchors / Nor aware of sails / Withstood heartbreak to lead ships, waiting for a pairs union! / I have no regrets, this is the only path! / My whole life was Unlimited Ship Works! You see, it's not ships I command. I command a universe that holds ships without number. From the heart of Kamikoto X7F Superior Mode, I command Super Heart Piercing Mikoto Kamijou through battle within this personal universe which records every ship I've ever seen, allowing me to use their abilities as my own. So, ArmoredCoreNineBall the friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things, do you have enough ships in your fleet? Anyway, glad you liked the chapter. Again, I don't feel like too many diviations could have been made while still adhearing to the rules and laws established in the canon universe, but I did what I thought was needed to make it fresh. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

GMMaster: Glad you liked the chapter. I least one of your ideas made it in, so congrats!

Generation Zero: Well, there is still a lot that is undecided for this story. I'm still not entirely sure how the story will progress a after 5 or 6 chapters. It could go anywhere from here.

School (Guest): As awesome as the fight would be, I think that fight in the opening was supposed to be symbolic. If you pay attention, you can see Mikoto push Kuroko away as Mugino fires at them, leaving Mikoto to fight on by herself. When Mikoto is backed into a corner, Touma appears out of nowhere and savers her. See the parallels with what actually happens?

Handsomistic1: At this point in time, they believe that the Dragon King is was just Aureolus' work. Touma, having experianced if first hand, does suspect it is real, but the girls less so.

Kim454: Don't worry. If it's been covered in the anime, I know about how the events play out. It's stuff not covered in the anime that I am fuzzy about. Thanks for the help, though.

RPGPersona: I'm glad you liked the chapter. A lot of what I write is based in the anime, so some details will vary from the novel. Still, I make it a personal goal to explain some of the finer details of the anime adaptation based on my own analysis. Himegami ends up living with Komoe if I remember correctly, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Plus, I think it has more to do with the church providing her with a walking church to suppress her power.

King Tyras: I am honored that you chose to read my story as your first out of thousands. I appreciate the suggestion, but I feel like it would rush the relationship, never a good thing when going for realism in relationships. I hope you stick around.

Well, that took longer than expected. Guess that's what happens when your inactive for over two weeks. Oh, well. Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.

Chapter 18: Day on the Town

The following day, Mikoto got up bright and early with a spring in her step. Practically nothing could ruin her mood, Not even Kuroko's daily, unwanted wake-up call. The most Mikoto was willing to retaliate was with a mild electric shock, as in one that didn't leave the victim smoking and covered in soot. The shock Kuroko received was only enough to leave her paralyzed for a few a few minutes, long enough for Mikoto to properly get dressed without being molested.

Such calm behavior was unexpected from Mikoto, especially when Kuroko's more questionable habits were involved. When asked about it, Mikoto only replied with the simple explanation of having special plans that day before leaving the dorm to grab some breakfast. Once Mikoto had left, Kuroko couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story than what her roommate had claimed. Her curiosity and suspicion getting the best of her, Kuroko grabbed her phone to email Uiharu and Saten to tell them the disturbing news.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Misaka," Maika observed as she poured her 'master' a cup of tea.

"What can I say? I have a lot to look forward to today," Misaka replied, taking a sip of her tea, "lots of big plans."

"Would those plans happen to involve Kamijou, by any chance?" Maika asked innocently, causing Mikoto to nearly choke on her tea.

"W-why would you think that?!" Mikoto stuttered.

"My brother makes it his personal mission to know everything about his friends," Maika answered, holding her cheek in a dreaming daze, "It's one of the many personal talents that I love about him."

"So, your brother's a siscon and nosy," Mikoto grumbled, "He's a real a stand-up guy."

"Don't be so hard on him," Maika defended, "He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's actually really dependable. I'm sure Kamijou can attest to that."

"I'll be sure to ask him about it," Mikoto said, looking at the nearby clock.

It was 8:00 am and she still had two hours before she and Touma were supposed to meet up. Regardless, Mikoto had finished her breakfast and would need to head out soon anyway. Besides, she wouldn't want to show up late, so earlier was better.

"I need to go," Mikoto said, getting put of her seat, "I don't want to be late. Hopefully, that idiot doesn't show up late himself. Later, Maika."

"So you were planning on meeting Kamijou!" Maika cheered in victory.

"Ignoring that!" Mikoto yelled back, waving goodbye as she walked.

Mikoto arrived at the designated meeting place, her usual broken vending machine, at around 8:30. It was almost nine and Touma had yet to arrive. She looked around the area frantically, tapping her foot in a mixture of anxiety and impatience. On one hand, the whole meeting was her idea and she only had herself to blame for coming so early. On the other hand, she was berating her for setting up the Touma and herself for a situation that was sure to look like a date to an outsider. Mikoto would never admit it, but the idea of being able to spend alone time with Touma was really appealing to her. She wouldn't have minded if these sorts of meetings became a normal thing for them.

Then again, something about the whole situation was also extremely embarrassing. Knowing her friends, she would never hear the end of it if they found out. If Kuroko's claims of wanting a triple relationship between the three of them were to be believed, she would try to worm her way in at every opportunity, effectively ruining the experience. Uiharu and her constant romanticized fantasies would make Mikoto and Touma's interactions with Touma all the more embarrassing, especially if she managed to get Mikoto to put serious thought into them. Then there was Saten's constant teasing, which, while good natured, would never end and be a constant burden to listen to.

The idea of all that embarrassment from her friends made Mikoto grow even more embarrassed than she was before. Her face burned bright red and steams seemed to escape from her ears and the top of her head. She started tapping her foot more aggressively, increasing the rate and strength of her foot tapping. She got so caught up in her embarrassment that she failed to notice a certain spikey haired high school boy approach her.

"Are you okay, Zapper?" Touma asked, bending down to meet her at eye level.

He wore a casual outfit as opposed to his school uniform, a luxury Mikoto did not have. He wore a simple set of blue jeans with a generic, orange t-shirt and sneakers. A modest outfit, but an expected one for the normal high school boy, especially considering his lacking personal funds.

Finally able to comprehend what was going on around her, Mikoto jumped back in surprise when she saw Touma looking her in the eye, only a few centimeters from her face.

"When did you get her?!" Mikoto yelled, "What took you so long?!"

"…Uh, I just got here, on time too," Touma explained awkwardly, "Did you come here early or something and get a heat stroke?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Mikoto stuttered, shaking her head, "I was just lost in thought. I'm glad you came."

"Hey, I promised, didn't I? Touma Kamijou never breaks a promise," Touma replied proudly, "So, did you have any plans in particular for today?"

"Yeah," Mikoto answered, reaching into her skirt pocket, "I figured we could spend check this out."

She pulled out a sheet of paper and presented it to Touma. The paper was a flier for a carnival that apparently was visiting Academy City for the week.

"Phantasm Carnival?" Touma read, "That's certainly a strange name."

"Yeah, the carnival is free to enter and everything there is super cheap, yet high quality," Mikoto explained, "I figured something easy on your wallet would be appreciated. Not only that, but they're famous for their live-action comedy skit show, which shows different skits throughout the day."

"Sounds interesting," Touma mused, "Okay then, I'll go along with this."

"Trust me," Mikoto said, timidly grabbing Touma's hand, "After everything you've been through recently, you need this."

Without much of another word, Mikoto dragged Touma towards the traveling carnival. When they arrived, the pair of students couldn't help but admire all of the stands and booths that were set up around one of Academy City's many parks. There were stands and booths of various foods and a multitude of carnival games. While Touma had learned a long time ago thanks to his rotten luck that a good number of carnival games were rigged, he noticed that a good number of the games at Phantasm Carnival were of the nonrigid variant. There was no sign of the impossible games like the ladder climb or the get-it-right-or-get-lucky games like throwing pin pong balls into glasses. Really, so long as someone had the proper skill, any of these games were fair.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Mikoto asked.

"How about that booth?" Touma suggested, pointing towards a classic, the water gun race, "That could be fun."

"You do realize you'd be up against me and my impeccable aim, right?" Mikoto pointed out.

"There's a Gekota Plushie on the top shelf and only two seats left at the booth," Touma replied, knowing the perfect bribe to get Mikoto to play her hardest.

"We're winning that Gekoto!" Mikoto yelled, dragging Touma straight to the booth.

The two students went about their day going to as many booths as they could possibly hit, usually the ones with Gekoto merchandise as prizes. There were loads of games in the carnival and each was unique. One game was an endurance challenge akin to a mechanical bull ride. It used the latest in simulation technology to replicate the conditions for surfing, moving the board in response to both the shifting weight of the person on top of it and the synthetic waves presented inside the user's VR headset. Surprisingly, Touma was rather proficient at it, achieving the record time out of anyone that had played in game that day. Another game involved using an infrared sniper rife to blast a target from several meters away. Mikoto proved unrivaled in this game, having blasted things with her railgun from much farther distances.

One particularly interesting game involved using a boxing glove to punch a ball attached to spring-loaded rail to hit a bell at the end of it, essentially a horizontal Ring the Bell game. The two students ended up in a back-and-forth, mostly instigated by Mikoto's pride, trying to outdo each other. Eventually, Touma's iconic right hook won out, allowing him to ring the bell when no one else that day could. Evidently, this won him a giant Gekoto Plushie, something that he was more than happy to give to Mikoto.

However, that was not to say that the day had gone completely smoothly. Unknown to either Touma nor Mikoto, all of their friends had decided to the Phantasm Carnival as well. Multiple times that day, the pair had to turn the other way when they saw Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten wandering the carnival grounds or Tsuchimikado and Aogami attempting to flirt with a couple of random girls. The worst part was that the girls seemed to be looking for something or someone and Aogami was constantly scratching his head and nose as if his Kami Detector was going off. Preferring to not have to explain and embarrass themselves, Touma and Mikoto elected to just avoid their friends as best as they could.

Eventually, the two students decided to stop for lunch. They sat at a table for two at a food court set up in the middle of the carnival, enjoying their individual meals with Mikoto's new collection of Gekoto plushies sitting next to them.

"You enjoying yourself?" Mikoto asked, taking a break from her meal.

"Yeah, I really appreciate you doing this for me," Touma replied, "Most of the time when you do someone a favor, it's for their benefit, not your own."

"After everything you've been through, you deserve it," Mikoto said with a smile.

"Still, you know I hate having people worry about me," Touma argued.

"How can we not worry with all the stuff you put yourself through?" Mikoto asked back, "Speaking of which, have you been managing? With your memory loss, I mean."

Touma stared down at his food, unsure what to say.

"Yeah, I manage," Touma said, avoiding eye contact, "My journal has been a great source of information about my past."

"Maika tells me her brother is rather dependable," Mikoto mentioned, "Care to confirm them?"

"If my own writing is to be trusted, yeah. He and Aogami drag me into a lot of terrible situations, but if there is a way for all or none of us to escape, then we all stick together," Touma replied with a stiff laugh, "Of course, if any of us could escape with the sacrifice of one of our own, we'd take that chance too, but we all agreed that would be the best course of action."

"Guess your journal is pretty on point," Mikoto mused.

"I guess," Touma agreed, "but I can't help but feel disjointed from it at times."

"What do you mean?"

"I found out a lot about some of the people I knew back then, like my parents and my cousin. I had to remind myself to get back to writing letters to my dad like I apparently did before, just to make sure he doesn't worry too much," Touma explained, "But at the same time, I also learned about a whole ton of people that I've drifted apart from and now I'm not sure how I should approach them if I ever see them again."

"People you've drifted apart from?" Mikoto asked, growing more intrigued, "Like who?"

"Well, for one, there is my best friend from when I was a kid, Yuri," Touma answered, "When I first came to Academy City, he was the only kid I could really get close to since the two of use were outcasts. Just like how my bad luck drove people away from me, his unstable control over his extremely powerful Esper power drove away from him, literally. Thanks to Imagine Breaker, I was able to get close to him and I help him to get away from some kids trying to pick a fight with him. We became nearly inseparable after that, but only nearly."

"What happened?" Mikoto asked, "How did you get separated."

"Some scientist came one day and took him in to study and develop his power," Touma explained, "They took him so some facility and that was the last time I saw him. They never let him out of the facility and I was never able to get in contact with him again. At least, that's what my journal says. And then, there's my older sister."

"Wait, you have an older sister?" Mikoto interrupted, rather shocked, "You never mentioned that before."

"I guess I never thought it was important," Touma answered, "She was only a year older than me, but was constantly looking out for me, what with all the negative reputation my rotten luck got me. When I came to Academy City, she transferred with me to keep an eye on me. For some reason, after we learned she had a lot of potential as an Esper and became a Level 3 at the time, she disappeared. Everything about her seemed to be removed from the data bank and she started living separately from me. I never saw her again after that, and I was only five or six when she disappeared."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mikoto apologized.

"My parents tried to move past her disappearance and not discuss her too much, hoping I would forget," Touma said with a stiff laugh, "I guess it worked. I don't even have a proper photo of her now, so I wouldn't recognize her if I saw her, and that's assuming she didn't disappear on purpose and change her appearance to boot. At least with Yuri, I might be able to recognize him with the photo I have in my journal."

Mikoto had a hard time taking it all in. She new that Touma's memory loss had impacted him greatly, but she never realized it was this bad. He had people he cared about, his family and closest friends, that he might have lost any meaningful connection with after his lost his memories. If he met Yuri again, he might not be able to pick up where their friendship was broken. If he met his sister ever again, he wouldn't even know it. Even the feelings that connected him to others might not be able to fix these broken and stagnant relationships.

His journal helped, but there were still gaps in the information it provided. Sometimes, the only copy of that information existed in his old memories, which no longer exist. To live like that, to be missing parts of his past like, was no way for someone as kind and special as Touma Kamijou to live.

Yet, Mikoto could just leave it at that. This boy in front of her deserved much better than what the world had burdened him with. She would make sure that he got what he deserved, and he deserved better than his rotten luck.

"Don't worry. It's a small world. You'll meet Yuri and your sister again," Mikoto said reassuringly, "When that happens, I'll do what ever I can to help you reconnect with them. I promise. You of all people deserve to be reunited with the people in your past."

For the first time during that entire conversation, Touma looked up at the girl he was talking to. She had a fire in her eyes that was determined, but at the same time warm and reassuring. It was like watching a festival bon fire, strong and wild yet warm and comforting.

"Thanks, Misaka," Touma smiled, "I appreciated it."

"Your welcome," Mikoto replied, returning the smile.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, the pair of students began to once again wander the park.

"So, where to now?" Mikoto asked.

"Didn't you mention something about Phantasm Carnival having a live-action comedy skit show? Why not that?" Touma suggested, "I think we collected enough Gekota merchandise for a while."

True to his words, the pair was practically swamped with Gekota merchandise. Mikoto's pockets were filled to the brim with finger puppets, cell phone straps, figures, and pins, and her arms were preoccupied with several Gekota and Pyonko plushies. Similarly, Touma was carrying the giant Gekota plushie he won from the horizontal Ring the Bell game on his back, strapped onto him with several promotional Gekota patterned belts.

"I can't argue with that," Mikoto replied with a stiff laugh.

Sometimes, she really hated being such a devoted Gekoer.

Without any argument from either student, the pair made their way to the stage where the skits were performed. After an awkward tread through the carnival grounds avoiding their most likely still present friends and the skeptical looks of other carnival goers, Touma and Mikoto were able to finds a few seats that had a good view of the show, as well as plenty of space to put their large collection of Gekota merchandise. Shortly after they had arrived, one of the actors took centerstage to provide a quick disclaimer, making it clear that any similarities between the performances and actual people and events were mere coincidence. With that claim made clear, the skits came in full force.

Each skit depicted some normal scenery and took them to their absolute extreme in absurdity. On skit involved a pretend game show that quickly spiraled out of control after someone joined uninvited and accidentally killed someone. Another skit involved a trip to the store, which caused collateral damaged throughout a city, critically injured seven people, and kill one. Surprisingly, the one person killed was played by the same actor that played the character in the last skit that died. Another skit involved a city sanctioned street race with several different types of vehicles and several deaths and crashes, the first of which being the played by the same actor that played the characters that died in the previous skits. Some people were starting to think it was supposed to be the same character every time. Other skits included an extremely charismatic maid-waitress, a technologically inept person trying to operate a Blu-ray Recorder, and a guy trying to go on dates with several girls in different locations at the same time.

The crowd was laughing the entire time during each of the skits, and Touma and Mikoto were no exception. Touma couldn't help but laugh at the idea of someone having even worse luck than he did. Sure, he luck was bad, but it wasn't so bad that he died every single day, only to be brought back to life the next day to face some other death. Similarly, Mikoto practically lost it when she saw the wannabe Harem Master fail to keep all his simultaneous dates secret from one another and get divine punishment after being discovered. At the very least, it reassured her that Touma wouldn't attempt something so stupid.

The skit show was just what they needed to move past the depressing talk they had during lunch. By the time the skits had finished, the pair of students were still laughing their heads off at the show they just saw. It had to be the most fun either of them had had in a while. They were having such a good time that they failed to notice a group of five familiar faces gather in front of them as they left the theater.

"So, you were here together!" all five voices said simultaneously.

As soon as they heard these voices, Touma and Mikoto's laughter came to a screeching halt. Slowly looking in front of them, their eyes were met with those of Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, Tsuchimikado, and Aogami. In all their laughter, they completely forgot to keep an eye out for their friends, who would now surely bombard them with the accusations they all feared.

"How could you do this to me?" Kuroko cried, "You two go on a date to the carnival, and you even bring me along? Unthinkable!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Uiharu asked, "A spirited princess and a heroic pauper out on the town, such a romantic story must be shared! We would have given our full support!"

"You two enjoying your little date?" Saten teased.

"Could this be?" Tsuchimikado pondered, "Has Kami actually selected a girl?"

"I knew my Kami Detector was going off!" Aogami declared.

As the jokes, accusations, and teasing piled on, Mikoto grew more and more irritated. She began to shake and become a progressively darker shade of red. As she did, Touma began to take a few steps back out of a need to preserve his own life. He had seen all of these signs from Mikoto before. He was the cause of these signs from Mikoto 30% of the time, and that was a generous estimate. Thus, he did the only course of action that seemed logical: he ran.

Despite having the ability to negate other abilities, Touma was not confident in his own ability to stop Mikoto at this point. When she got really mad, she released surges of electricity that could engulf bridges. Plus, with the number of people she was potentially targeting, it would be impossible for him to help them all, as touching her would only make this worse in the long run. Thus, he ran as fast as he could to avoid impending doom.

When Mikoto finally released her frustrations in the form of electricity, Touma was already a couple dozen meters away. Reacting quickly, Kuroko grabbed Uiharu and Saten and teleported to a safe distance. However, Tsuchimikado and Aogami were not so lucky. The two boys were each hit with a comparably weaker surge of electricity, but it was strong enough to give them a good shock and send them flying. The fly at a low altitude across the carnival before landing in a bouncy castle ball pit. When then landed, they could only focus on a single thought.

'Maybe we took that too far.'

It was late in the afternoon and the sun was setting. After her little outburst, Mikoto had left the carnival and sat herself down on a nearby park bench. She hutched over the bench, staring at the ground. She was just so frustrated. It had been a great day for her up until everyone else showed up. Why did they have to embarrass her like that? Couldn't they just leave her and Touma be and enjoy themselves? It was hard enough working up the courage to take him to the carnival in the first place. She didn't need her friend's constantly watching her to add to the stress. Sometimes, it really felt like Touma's rotten luck was rubbing off on her.

"Hey, you okay?" a familiar voice asked.

Looking up in response, Mikoto saw that Touma had caught up to her, the giant Gekota plushie still strapped on his back.

"Oh, hey," Mikoto replied, "I'm fine now. Sorry for leaving you behind like that."

"Don't worry about it," Touma said reassuringly.

He sat down beside her and undid the belts on his shoulders, releasing the Gekota.

"Here, you forgot this," Touma said, offering her the giant frog.

"T-thanks," Mikoto replied as she gently embraced the toy, "Sorry about today. I wanted to show you a good time and then I had to go and ruin it with my outburst."

"Really, don't worry about it," Touma insisted, "At this point, I'm used to misfortune like that. Besides, I still had fun today."

"But that's the problem!" Mikoto argued, "The point of going to the carnival was to get you away from your misfortune, and I messed it up in the end!"

At this point, Mikoto was so upset with herself that she buried her face into the Gekota plushie, just to avoid eye contact. Never one to still by and watch someone be sad, Touma looked around the park before he noticed an ice cream vender not too far away. The sight gave him an idea, and a reminder of something he read in his journal regarding his lost friend Yuri, prompting him to stand up and speak to the vender.

When he got back, Touma tapped Mikoto's shoulder, urging her to look up. When she did, she saw Touma holding a shareable popsicle, offering her the second stick.

"Don't worry so much. You can't let one bad egg ruin the whole carton," Touma smiled, "Today's misfortune means nothing when I spent the rest of it with you. You should be happy. I really did have a good time."

Mikoto stared at Touma and the popsicle for a moment before grabbing the other stick.

"Thanks," Mikoto replied, returning the smile.

She pulled at her stick to break apart the two halves. However, the popsicle did not break as intended, giving Mikoto the top half of Touma's popsicle in addition to her own. The two students looked at the popsicles for a second before exchanging a look of disbelief. After a moment of silence, they both let out a small, good natured laugh. Touma then took his seat next to Mikoto as they enjoyed each other's company and their unevenly divided treat. Today was not so bad.

Glad to finally get this chapter finished. Lots of set up and references in this one.

If you couldn't tell, I made loads of references to Carnival Phantasm. If you couldn't, how? They were so blatant! That thing with the disclaimer was put in since I'm still on the bench as to whether or not I should make a crossover between this continuity I've created and the Nasuverse since the laws are inherently different and I'm not sure how to got about it. As for other things I've referenced, the popsicle scene was inspired by an animated short titled "Jinxy Jenkins, Lucky Lou," a story about the meeting of an unlucky boy and a lucky girl. Give it a watch, it's a really touching story for a four minute short.

I also referenced a couple of my other fanfics and some that I've read on this site. If you've read my story, "A Certain Level 5's Best Friend," then the reference to that is obvious. Giving Touma an older sister is a reference to a fanfic I've read, one posted only a month or two ago. If you can find it, you'll know who I've decided to make Touma's older sister. Tell me your guesses in the reviews.

Well, that's it for this chapter. See you all next time! Leave a review if you like!

Freedom!