"I honestly don't understand why you need outside help for this, human. You could've asked me."
"And I honestly believe asking a god of war for advice on the White Day gift would be a disaster. Isn't your idea of a present basically a human sacrifice?"
"I'll have you know that my tributes mostly included weapons and beverage… with an occasional sheep."
"… Thanks, I'd rather go with the girl that hates my guts."
"Hmph, suite yourself."
The ex-god puffed up, arms and legs both crossed in what only could be described as sulk.
Touma sighed. He already had Index frowning beside him and now Othinus too… Considering who she was meeting, this wouldn't be a fun time for sure. But as long as he got a good, proper present, he would manage.
Kuroko was waiting right outside the Seventh Mist mall.
"Did you really need to bring an entourage?" she asked without any greeting.
"Obviously, mortals need divine guidance," Othinus proclaimed from his shoulder.
Kuroko glanced at her but said nothing, clearly unsure how to react. Knowing about magic certainly makes it difficult to dismiss tiny people as robots.
"I'd need a very detailed lecture… later…" Kuroko muttered and then turned to Index. "And you?"
"She is here for the food," Touma said.
The nun had some sort of a mysterious smile. "Not only."
He frowned for a moment but then shrugged. "Lead the way, Shirai."
"Naturally."
Did he imagine it, or Kuroko actually smirked as she was turning away?
First they had gone through clothes stores. Yes, plural. Apparently, there were a lot of variations and combinations. Mellow and strident colors, short and long skirts, frills, prints, patterns. The possibilities were making him dizzy.
And then there were the prices… He purposefully avoided looking at them but at one point his eyes glanced over a tag – and almost popped out.
"Shirai-san, aren't there… more affordable places?" the poor high school boy asked, suddenly too scared to even touch anything.
Kuroko clicked her tongue. "Cheapskate… so, you are saying Onee-sama doesn't deserve any of these?"
"I am saying I can't afford them! And honestly, I doubt Misaka would be happy if I starve to death just to buy her a present."
She stared at him for a good few moments, then sighed and led them to a surprisingly bigger store, but with much lower prices.
Touma wandered between the racks. Everything seemed cute and lovely and still a bit pricey, but at least a single item wouldn't make him bankrupt. However, nothing caught his eye. Nothing felt right.
As he got back to Kuroko, he found her looking at some scarves deep in thought. Simple design, tame colors, looked warm too. He reached out to one and the twin-tailed girl jolted away.
"Erm… these… I was just… checking them out… need one for myself!" she stuttered for some reason.
"Yeah, I figured. A scarf is more of a winter present, it's way too warm for it now," he said and sighed. "You know, I think clothes wouldn't be a good pick. How about we switch to something else?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course. Come!"
Grabbing his hand, she practically dragged him out of the store.
Next option was jewelry – or rather, its poor, less flashy cousin. Pendants, beads, bracelets, earrings. Glass instead of actual gems. Kuroko was clicking her tongue at every little piece, fuming that any of these could even be considered worthy of Mikoto. But she still begrudgingly advised Touma on colors and designs.
At one point he got to rings. A memory popped up in his head.
A girl would be very happy if you bought her a ring, Misaka says quoting what she read in a magazine once.
He didn't understand why. But maybe he should buy one… He was about to give them a closer look when something pulled his ear.
"Do not, human," Othinus said.
"Ugh… why not?"
Instead, she whistled, and everyone looked his way. Immediately, Kuroko teleported to him.
"Rings are forbidden!" she said and dragged him away, with even more strength than the last time.
"But why?!"
"You will understand when you are older," Index said pulling his other hand.
"Alright, alright! Didn't feel right anyway…"
In the end, they moved on.
"Doesn't Tokiwadai have rules against this stuff?" Touma asked as they approached a perfume store.
Kuroko gave him a side glance. "Tokiwadai has a lot of rules and not all of them should be followed."
They had spent over half an hour in there, yet Touma walked out only with an annoying tickling feeling in his nose – and with an even stronger irritation in his heart. Yes, there had been a lot of delightful fragrances in the store. Strong and light, sweet and alluring. Some would probably suit Mikoto.
But none of them were it.
Nothing he had seen so far was.
"You are impossible to please," Kuroko grumbled. "You do know you are picking a present for Onee-sama, not for yourself."
Beside her, Index frowned.
"What is it?" Kuroko asked almost growling, but the nun simply shook her head.
"Perhaps, this ordeal is not what you think it is," Othinus supplied from Touma's shoulder.
After a futile staring contest, Kuroko sighed. "The magic side really loves to be cryptic, doesn't it?"
"Centuries of hiding have left their mark," the ex-god said.
Touma let out a long sigh. "Are there any options left, Shirai?"
Kuroko thought about it, then said, "There is always the classic one."
The automatic doors parted, letting out a sweet aroma. Even from the outside, the wild array of colors made you dizzy.
Touma stopped. "Maybe we shouldn't…"
"Candy!" Index cheered storming inside.
"No, wait! Ah, damn it…"
"And the fox is in the henhouse," Othinus said.
"More like a kid in a candy store, literally… Shirai, grab her!"
"Why should I?!"
He cursed and ran into the store.
Thankfully, Index froze just before the racks awestruck by the bright packages, each containing some delicious treat. Before she could run amok, Touma grabbed her hand, like she was a child.
"Touma, Touma," she called, eyes glued to the shelves, "let's…"
"Not," he cut her off mercilessly. "We are not buying anything."
"Please, just one…" she pleaded moving to put her hands together. " Hey, why are you holding me?"
"Do you even need to ask? How many times have you taken things off the shelves you weren't supposed to?"
She glared at him. "I've never stolen anything!"
"No, you just sneak stuff into the cart when I'm not looking. Now I have to double check the groceries at the counter, and the cashiers even ask if I'm really buying this or that! While the people in the line glare at me… so embarrassing…"
Index pouted and turned away as her cheeks got slightly red.
Kuroko chuckled, to her own surprise, then quickly schooled her face back to a neutral expression with a hint of annoyance.
"Shall we?" she asked nodding at the racks.
Both grumbled something affirmative, and they walked on.
"Naturally, the most common return gift for White Day is white chocolate," Kuroko said leading the way. "But there are far more options than a pack of chocolate sticks!"
Even though the store wasn't that big, you couldn't complain about the lack of choice. Bars, tablets, candies - all dressed in colorful wrappers. Cakes, both whole and sliced, stood mightily inside cases. Wherever you looked you were bound to find something sweet and tasty.
Index was practically drooling and would have surely grabbed something off the shelves, if Touma wasn't watching her like a hawk. He felt a bit embarrassed from the confused looks people were shooting their way, but he could handle those. The damage an unchained Index could do at a candy store, on the other hand, would certainly kill him – or rather, his budget.
"This is a good exercise for self-discipline," Othinus told Index. "Which you are severely lacking."
"I'm only a nun in training. I'm allowed to give in to temptation, once or twice," Index said as her eyes kept jumping from one thing to another.
In contrast, Touma looked at everything without interest. Mikoto would probably enjoy any of these sweets over some tea. Would they make her smile? Perhaps. But would it be a wide, beaming smile?
He sighed.
"Hey!" Kuroko called, and he turned to her. "You aren't listening, are you?"
Touma forced out a smile. "Sorry, I kinda tuned out…"
"Don't tell me you aren't feeling this one either…"
"That obvious, huh?"
She threw her hands up. "After all the options I've given you… you still can't decide?!"
"Do not take it personally. He is dense when it comes to particular things," Othinus said. "Especially this one. He just doesn't know what he wants."
Touma stared at her confused. Wasn't it about what Mikoto would want?
"What…?" he started but then Index tugged his hand.
"Look, look!" she said grinning and pointed somewhere.
By the till there was a stand shaped like a candy cane pole, with two plastic bowls attached to it. Next to it was a sign saying "free samples".
"If we aren't buying anything, let's take some!" Index said and tugged his arm some more.
The pleading look in her eyes shot right through his heart.
"As long as it's free…" Touma grumbled.
"Yay!"
Overjoyed, she ran straight for the stand pulling him along.
"A kid in a candy store, indeed," Othinus growled as she held onto her hat trying to keep her balance on Touma's shoulder.
As they got to the samples, Index's smile grew wider. She moved to dig her hands into the mounds of candy, then glared at her restraint in annoyance.
"Maybe you should let her go already?" Kuroko suggested.
Touma and Index stared at each other for a few seconds, until she puffed her cheeks.
"Fine, fine," he grumbled and let go of her hand. "But if you get a tummy ache, that's all on you."
Finally free, she smiled victorious.
"Just leave something for other poor cheapskates," Touma said.
He looked at the bowls. Wasn't there a bit too much candy to give away for free? What kind was it anyway? Knowing Academy City, it was probably an experiment, some new wild flavor. Like those weird juices.
Index unwrapped one, and the moment it landed in her mouth her face lighted up with pure bliss.
"Mmm, marmalade, chocolate, caramel, éclair… I can taste everything in one candy!"
Touma shuddered. The mere idea was giving him a toothache.
"Try one, Touma!"
"Err… no, thank you. I'd rather keep my teeth."
Kuroko stirred the pile of candies with her finger, then picked one.
"Ugh… it's like a whole cheesecake," she mumbled slowly tasting it.
"Oh! Which one? Which one?"
Index was totally immersed now, determined to try at least one of every kind. Touma relaxed a little. As long as she didn't make a mess of the not free stuff everything was good. Kuroko seemed to be interested in the candy too, so he left them to it and wandered around the store a bit more.
There was a whole section dedicated to the White Day. Shelves full of boxes with white chocolate. Different shapes, ornaments, inscriptions. Depending on what kind of chocolate you had gotten on Valentine's. Simpler design for courtesy, bigger, more colorful boxes for friendship.
And a lot of heart-shaped ones with red ribbons for that third type.
Touma took a plain tablet in one hand and then a moderately fancy box in the other. Courtesy or friendship? His eyes scanned them for any sign, any clue that could help him choose. But in the end he put both back on the shelf with a frustrated sigh.
Seriously, how even was he supposed to decide if he didn't know what kind of chocolate he had gotten in the first place?
For a moment, he glanced at the heart-shaped boxes but then immediately turned around and walked away. No, no, no. That wouldn't be matching Mikoto's chocolate at all… To even imagine that it could was just absurd!
Before Touma knew it he found himself walking out of the store. He stopped, then let out a long tired sigh and went on to the railing.
"Sounds like you are having a tough time, human," Othinus mused.
"Picking a gift shouldn't be this difficult…" he muttered leaning on.
"And who is to blame for that?"
"Well, Misaka, obviously! If she didn't make up that stupid bet and just said what kind of chocolate it was…"
She cut him off, voice surprisingly stern, even harsh, "I am surprised my understander is the type to put blame on others."
"What…? How is any of this my fault? Misaka…"
"Misaka Mikoto knew what she wanted when she made that chocolate for you. She might've not put it in words but she acknowledged it in her heart. It's you who seems to be unable to reply in kind."
"But how can I reply in kind if I don't even know what that chocolate meant?!" Touma growled. He raised his voice without realizing it. All these riddles were starting to get on his nerves.
To his surprise, Othinus smiled with sympathy of an adult before a confused child. "You don't need to know, human. Not that, not now."
He took the notebook out of the inner pocket in his jacket and waved it. "I do! I gotta solve this stupid problem somehow or…"
"And then what? Would you just mimic her sentiment?"
At that, Touma fell silent.
"Let's suppose it was a courtesy chocolate. Would you just get that small plain tablet?"
He gripped the notebook tighter.
"Would you be satisfied with this? No, but you would still do it." Othinus's words kept jabbing into him. "Because you don't know what you want."
"But this is not about me…" Touma mumbled.
"Human, a gift is more than a pretty trinket. It is a proof of a relationship between people. It is a declaration of your feelings. And you don't know what you want to say with your gift."
Once more, he was speechless.
What I want to say with my gift… Do I even want it to say something?
He flipped through the notebook – looking not at the words but rather into the flickering pages. Memories started flashing before his eyes. A lot of fighting, tears and blood. Yet within those heart-wreaking moments there was also a strange sense of reassurance. A strong, warm presence that kept his heart from breaking, kept him going in the worst situations.
"At the very least, I want it to say thank you…"
Othinus narrowed her eye – and said nothing.
He looked at the stores in the mall, read the signs. Was there anything here that could convey his gratitude? Something that Mikoto would absolutely love?
One store caught his attention – the entrance was fashioned after a certain mascot. He took out his phone and compared the mascot to the strap that brash girl had given him.
"Could this be it..?"