Chapter 9 - chapter 9

Kamijou Touma was slowly waking up. The ray of sun permeating through skylight finally brought him back to his senses.

'What the... I fell asleep here? Ow, why does my head hurt like this?'

Without his knowledge, this was a small side effect of a drug the esteemed Potion Lady Gokusai Rikuri used on him before he fell asleep.

He was once again surrounded by warmth. He sighed. He knew this feeling already.

Rikuri was in bed with him, right? That had to be the case. He actually felt ashamed that he became so accustomed that the flustered feelings arrived with delay.

His mind came to the halt.

Wait... he was sure that both himself and Rikuri were in a hotel. Didn't that mean that he was all alone with a gorgeous onee-san, with no interruptions, and had all of this for himself?

Touma's mind went into disarray. There was no way... no way in hell that something would not interrupt this. Also, why was Rikuri here? Did she feel bad and just rested alongside him?

Even though his denseness put aside the very real truth that Rikuri had to restrain herself and her lust to adhere to her romantic principles, his somewhat overheating brain made a suggestion:

'If she rested here... she didn't have any objections if something happened?'

He gulped. What if he kissed her right here and there? No witnesses, no problems, and he would even apologize if she awoke. She was a reasonable girl, that had to work!

"Kamishou-shan... ...dond grab meeh here... oneeshan hash bedder spods... I dold uuuuu...I wuv... I wwwwuuuuv..."

Rikuri was mumbling in her sleep, as she stirred in the sheets. It was honestly adorable.

'What is she saying?'

Touma's heart was beating faster and faster, as he moved with eyes still closed, following with bated breath the direction in which, from where the mumbling came from, Rikuri's head was supposed to be. And head meant lips...

However, the stirring in the sheets repeated and even in Touma's state of mind, he registered two things.

Firstly, the warmth did not leave him and gave feeling of resistance, regardless of the direction he moved his head in.

Secondly, the sound of the mumbling did not match with the movement of the sheets. Sound came from the right, while the sensation came from the left.

Something was not right here.

Touma opened his eyes. With his head tilted slightly right, he could see face and fragments of upper body of Gokusai Rikuri.

Her bust clashed with his head from right side. But he could not move it properly, because the same pressure was applied from the left side.

And as he strained to turn left...

... he also saw Rikuri there.

'What the hell?!... Did I die and landed in heaven? There is no way for two Rikuri-san's to be here! My misfortune, and laws of nature, would never allow it. Oh no, maybe City cloned her to... to make use of her beauty in some way! Not again! Those scientists are crazy if they think they will abuse her like that.'

But before conspiracy theorist Kamijou Touma could do anything, there was yet another mumble. But this time, it came from the left Rikuri.

'It's you again, boy... you know it, gets lonely while I am on the road... zzzz... I am hoping you would... zzzz... even after you were naught and punched me like...this kiss offer is still available. And I am very hungry~"

Touma's thoughts went into overdrive, as he thought about this strange phenomenon and what came of left Rikuri's mouth.

He punched her? That seriously did not narrow it down at all. On the road? Something about that was familiar, but he still could not link that with anything. But most importantly...

The offer to kiss? Wait, wait, wait...

"I can't wait any longer~. Come and play, boy~" purred the left Rikuri.

"Till I wake up, I am all yours, so look only at me~" whispered the right Rikuri.

The pressure increased immensely from both sides, as they both leaned forward.

Yes, as you probably guessed by this point, Kamijou was in bed with two women. Both of which were pressing their truly enormous assets directly on the both sides of his head.

'T-That's bad! Because of their sizes, the pressure is so intense that it will really squash my head like a melon!'

In that moment it hit him. Maybe it was because the intense pressure putting more blood into his brain.

The Rikuri on the left was slightly different, despite having almost the same body type, and that unmistakable onee-san aura. Her face had a sharper shape, the lines of nose and lips were also slightly different. Her hair, even in its bed state, was obviously more swirly or drill-like, and her bust was just a little bit bigger. If she were to open her eyes, they would probably be blue instead of pinkish violet.

While Rikuri on the right smelled like lavender and sharp smelling chemicals, the one on the left had a strange yet instinctually wild fragrance of leather mixed with some exotic herbs and floral aromas.

"Ori... Oria... gah!"

He could not really speak anymore, their bosoms squeezing his head even more. Two women leaned forward even more.

"Stop...I'm gonna... die..."

As Gokusai Rikuri and Oriana Thomson puckered their lips, they slowly opened their eyes.

What each of them found was another woman staring straight at them, with lips ready for the kiss.

The double scream echoed loudly in the room.

(2 MINUTES LATER)

Kamijou Touma was released, but his skull still hurt like hell.

Meanwhile, two voluptuous females were calming down from the initial shock.

"Kamijou-san, it's that rip off!" Rikuri pointed at Oriana.

The magical courier raised her eyebrow, visibly annoyed.

"Who are you calling a rip off? I am older than you, you know..." she turned to Touma "Well, hello there boy. Long time no see."

"I-It's good to see you in good shape, Oriana-san" Touma was still trying to figure out the bizarre situation "Emm... not like I don't like to see you but can you please cover yourself in something?"

"Eeeh? Don't tell me you mind the view?"

"No... yes... damn it... what are you even doing in this room?"

"Well, that's a funny story. One that would be nice to tell when we are alone..."

She moved closer to Touma, but was blocked by an outraged Rikuri.

"Get away from him, you rip off!"

"You keep calling me that, despite obviously copying my looks. You know boy, if you are after my body type and worried about long distance relationships, you could just phone me. I use regular phone"

"I could?! OW!"

Touma was elbowed by Rikuri, who haughtily addressed Oriana.

"Who are you and what do you want? Despite being obviously my grandma version"

"Excuse me?! What even is your relationship to this boy?"

"That does not concern you, and I would like to ask you the same"

"What makes you think I will answer? What happens between me and him is a matter of privacy. Besides, he and me have a tumultuous history." Oriana flashed a devilish grin.

"W-Well, me and him also had some adventures. Not a lot, but it's quality, not quantity that counts." Rikuri pointed a finger at her.

"Let me guess, you are the type that is really into it, but delays it to live in her own little romantic fantasy? If you keep this up, you might lose sight of him and then lose your big moment too~"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Oh, it's only a statement. I don't challenge children. You still have ways to go. You think that just having them grow big will make all the charm work?"

"What did you call me?! And look who is talking!"

The aura of venomous rage was practically oozing out of two women, and they looked as if they were ready to pounced at each other, but Touma yelled.

"STOOOOOOP!"

It was not like them. Even Oriana, who generally was stoically manipulative and moderately reasonable, was irked beyond her usual self.

The two blonds blinked, snapping out of her confrontation.

"Can we just talk? Like normal people? You just met, so you have no reason to fight. So sit down and let's all take a step back from this situation"

'There actually is a good reason' both females sighed inwardly at boy's dense behaviour, but finally sat down.

"Well..."

"I guess we could..."

"Great" Touma exhaled, and pointed at oldest Gokusai" Oriana-san, this is Gokusai Rikuri. She and her sisters are my recent... companions, so to speak. Our paths crossed recently, but we see each other a lot more. Rikuri-san is a prodigy chemist and mechanic."

Oriana looked as if she wanted to inquire a little bit more, but Touma already moved to another introduction.

"Rikuri-san, this is Oriana Thomson. She is my..."

He gestured, but could not find the right words. He struggled for some time, which only deepened Rikuri's irritation and sly grin on Oriana's face.

"...w-we had are differences, but now we are friends, at least I hope we are. Because she works as a courier, I don't see her that often, but well, it's always good to know that she is alright. She has quite a hazardous job."

Oriana and Rikuri still stared at each other.

"Now, you can be friends. I heard that people in the west shake hands, right Oriana?"

After a while, both of the women slowly grasped each other's palms, although they still looked a little bit hesitant, especially Rikuri.

"Don't I... know you from somewhere?" she asked the British magician.

Oriana tilted her head.

"No, I am sure that we would remember seeing each other before"

Despite slight tension, this caused both of them to chuckle.

"What about your family? Are you really not from around here?"

"I was an orphan, actually. My family adopted me, and since they were devoted christians, I was raised to be a nun. I was one, for some time"

"Riiight..."

"Don't stare like that, it's the truth. Just because someone has a nice body doesn't mean that she-"

"AAAGH!" Touma screamed, looking at the time" We will miss breakfast if we don't hurry up. Come to think of it, Kaibi-san is going to kill us, isn't she?

(45 MINUTES LATER)

Afterwards, the conversation was put on hold, as the three of them dressed up, departed the room, and ate breakfast. Nothing happened during the meal, except for quite intense footwork from both Rikuri and Oriana, who were touching him constantly with their calves or feet. To Touma, it seemed that the girls acted as if they wanted to prove something, but he could not figure out why.

Apparently, Oriana rented the room in the same hotel after a job, but was so tired that she did not find the way to proper room. When the room did not open, she assumed that the lock was not cooperating, got angry, and blasted it with small amount of magic from the Shorthand, short-circuiting it. Afterwards, she simply got in and crawled into bed, unaware that there was someone already under the covers.

That was what Touma get when they both got up and Oriana quietly whispered to him her explanation.

"Is something the matter? Because you are in Academy City and all?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I got some amount of deals here, nothing new. Oh, you have best wishes from Sherry. She says hi."

"Good to know the dorms are alive and kicking. But, is it safe in here for you? I hope you don't get into trouble"

"I am a professionalist. I won't get caught that easily. You of all people should know how much endurance I have in running away"

"Don't remind me. It took so much effort to take you down that I feel tired even remembering it"

"Those were the days~. Considering amount of enemies you faced, I am honoured to hear such words. It's also cute that you worry about me" she blew him a kiss "Isn't this a bit hypocritical? You say to avoid trouble, but keep talking like this and only trouble will await me... with you..."

"EKHM!" Rikuri faked cough was audible even from far back.

(AFTERWARDS...)

After saying her goodbyes, Oriana departed with a wave of her hand. Although she was going back to work, she promised to still be around the City.

"You have... interesting friends..." Rikuri grumbled. For whatever reason, she held onto Touma's arm whole time when they were walking back home and apparently had no intention of releasing it.

"Yeah, that's for sure..." Touma agreed with her." You stared at her a lot though."

"She gave me... this feeling that I can't quite place. Like there was something that I should know but can't realize what it is" Rikuri said this, more to herself than to Touma.

"What's gone into you two? Are girls really like this just because they look similar?"

"I was not upset!"

"OW! Don't pinch my arm!"

They finally arrived at their apartment complex, to find Kaibi standing in main doors, with her arms crossed.

According to Rikuri, night prior she sent a message to Kaibi and Amazora, informing them that they both slept in the hotel as it got late, but it seemed middle sister had her own suspicions on the matter.

"What got you so worked up that you ended sleeping in a hotel?" she narrowed her eyes at Touma, who sweated nervously.

"I don't know what can you possibly accuse us of..." he commented. Kaibi did not buy it, but after staring at them intently, she gave a sigh, and clicked her tongue.

"Whatever, it's too early for me to get worked up about details. But you better behave yourself or else-"

"Oniiiiiiii chaaaaan!"

Amazora's voice almost entered with a Doppler effect when she slid through the corridor... past them, and collided with a wall. She stumbled around, dizzy after the impact, but quickly shook it off, and proceed to bounce in front of Touma.

"Onii-chan, Riku nee-chan, it's so good that you are here, because you won't believe me which cool thing I wanted us to explore today."

"Should I be afraid to ask?" Kaibi let out a vexed sigh. Apparently, Amazora also kept her in the dark regarding her plans.

The small sister spun around and pointed beside herself.

"When Kai nee-chan wasn't looking, I want to check behind behind the 5th door. It will be super awesome!"

Kaibi, Rikuri, and Touma looked up in confusion. It took them a moment, but they understood what Amazora meant.

There was a corridor leading from living room to their bedrooms and bathroom. However, there was still a door they did not explore since they started to live here.

There were 5 of them. First led to storage and wardrobe, which Rikuri also used as her mini-lab. Second led to Touma's bedroom. Third to small bathhouse-like bathroom, linked to both bedrooms. Fourth was the sister's bedroom and resting spaces. But the fifth door, the one at the very end of the corridor, remained mysterious.

Until today, that is.

They actually did not have the need to check it before. But if Amazora had a talent besides shooting, it was to spread her enthusiasm to those around her. Soon, Touma found himself intrigued alongside Rikuri. Even Kaibi, usually moderate in her reactions, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

The mysterious door were grey in colour. Apparently they opened normally from the inside, but required the card to go back. It signified that they were actually leaving their proper home.

The door led to a large staircase. Going up, they soon arrived at the glass corridor, through which they walked to the neighbouring building. And within it...

"There is a pool complex in here?" Touma was not the only one astonished by this, as they all stood before the entrance to the pools.

"Not only that, it's more like an indoor aquapark. One of the finest in the city. I heard about it, but I did not imagine that it is nearby, or that we can simply walk to it by that matter" Kaibi commented on their discovery.

Needless to say, Amazora was excited beyond belief and had stars in her eyes.

"That sounds like so much fun! Can we go to the pool? Can we, can we, can we?!"

"Well, I am not all for swimming, but I would like to lay down and read in some nice place... they may also have artificial sunbathing..." Rikuri mused with a smile on her face.

Touma looked unsure, and was about to speak to Kaibi, but Amazora pointed out to something on the door's of the center.

"Onii-chan~ I totally by accident noticed this amazing sign that says people living in our building have free passes."

Touma looked as if some supreme power granted him the strength of the thousand men.

"Well, in that case, it would be a terrible waste if such great, free luxury missed us"

Kaibi stared at Amazora and Touma sharing a single brain cell and doing some kind of hand-claping dance while chanting "pool, pool, let's go for the pool" and finally relented

"Oh what the hell, I don't have anything planned anyway. Let's get ready then!"

(HALF AN HOUR LATER)

They all went back to the apartment and dressed up for the pool.

Amazora wore one piece swimsuit and a small mattress to keep her on the surface, since she was still learning to swim properly. Her eyes were visible more than usual once her golden hair was hidden beneath the swimming cap.

Kaibi opted for a strange mixture of swimming trunks and a bra. It got her a bit of a weird glance from Touma, after which she muttered something about liking to swim with trunks, as they were more adapted to fluid motion, or at least that's what Touma understood. Nevertheless, her body was majorly visible and girl wore her modified swimsuit proudly.

Finally, Rikuri was wearing a traditional, if risky bikini, that was glittering in the lamps of their room. She was obviously proud of how she looked and when the rest wasn't looking, she posed slightly in front of the mirror. She also worse a large beach hat, possibly a little bit redundant since the pool was inside, but nevertheless looking good on her.

Touma dressed into rather plain swimming trunks. He thought for a moment that Kaibi was staring at him silently. But it could have been his imagination. Or maybe she was just thinking how lame his discounted trunks looked?

Kaibi was in fact staring at Touma. His visible upper body was well built and had showing musculature, likely stemming for the many fights he was in, but not in the overly excessive way like some Skill-Out thugs had. It was just enough to pronounce them which actually had quite a good look...

Measure Heart shook her head. Why was she even focusing on such details? What intrigued her in the first place was a long scar that ran from the the middle of his upper back through his ... Kaibi was a dark sider long enough to identify the tool that made it. A knife. And rather big one at that.

"What happened with your back? That scar, I mean." she asked Touma, before she bit her tongue and realized it looked that she had to pay close attention to his body" Look, it's not like I am checking you-"

"Oh, that?" Touma twisted his neck slightly "I got it when I was close to 6. My parents may know more about it"

"Oh, so you had an accident or some-"

"Apparently, some angry guy stabbed me with a knife. But it's not a good story for an outing"

"You got sta-" Kaibi found her mouth losing all saliva.

She was a killer. The stabbing itself did not bother her that much. But the fact that Touma said it in the same tone as "I met a friend yesterday"... like it was a daily occurrence... how unnerving was that?

A body cream fell from Rikuri's hands. Amazora froze like a deer in the headlights.

They did not even know the real cause of this wound. If they knew, the shock would be much greater.

In the meantime, Touma gathered all the necessary things and opened the door for the girls.

"You are coming?"

The stunned sisters followed, slowly shaking off their shock. Once again, Kaibi thought that all they were getting were questions when it came to Kamijou Touma.

(10 MINUTES LATER)

Touma was staring at the sight in front of him in disbelief. He was unsure of the sight before his eyes.

Few minutes earlier, he and the sisters split up. They went straight for the pools, while he was delegated to find locker to store some extra things they brought. Touma was not totally against it, since he too wanted to have a change of clothes stored away, but he was super nervous that he will break or tear something from the sister's absurdly rich collection.

After a search, he localized and entered the male changing room. And this was where he saw... the girl.

She stared at him, with a lot of her body already freed from clothing, as she was just in the process of pulling her school uniform up through her arms and neck.

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

"Don't scream!" Touma put his arm forward towards the girl.

The frightened shriek that was about to emerge from girls throat died down, as she looked at Touma with uncertainty.

"M-May I help you with something, dear gentleman?" she spoke in soft voice, still tinged with curious uneasiness.

"Emm... no, I think I will manage. You see... this is a male changing room, so..." Touma moved his arms awkwardly.

The girl blinked rapidly.

"W-What?! This cannot be... I am sure that this is a girl-"

Touma wordlessly motioned towards the deeper part of the changing room, with a door to the toilet and urinal attached to the wall.

Girl stared at the device obviously designed for the male usage.

"What is this... I never saw it before..."

What? What the hell? How does she not know what this is? You don't need to go to the men toilet to know...

"No, wait... I heard about this from some stories... but if it's here, then it really is..."

The hot blush spread on the girl's cheeks, as realization stroke her

"I AM SOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOORYYYYYYYYY!"

She yelled running out with incredible speed

(FEW MINUTES LATER)

"Phew..." the girl closed the door behind another changing room. This time, it really was a correct one for her. But on the contrary...

"Why did you grab my hand and dragged me here?!" Touma yelled in frenzy" Now I am in the girls changing room! The problem simply switched from person to person! I am totally screwed with my bad luck when it comes to such situations, so why did you raise such a flag?!

That's right. During her panic attack, the girl grabbed her clothes AND picked Touma by the arm before running away. She was surprisingly strong for a such a good looking and feminine young lady.

The girl looked down, and it seemed that only now did she realize that she dragged Touma here.

"Awawawawawawawa! I am so deeply sorry for the inconvenience I am causing. I panicked, and did not want to be alone with this... you see, I got separated from my friends, then I searched for the changing room and-"

She mumbled on, clenching her fists.

How airheaded is this girl?

He gave him the memories of how Orsola Aquinas acted on occasions. Maybe those two would find common language.

"Well, I will figure something out and simply go back. No need to worry, miss..."

The girl gasped and straightened herself.

"Ara, where are my manners. I did not introduce myself, right?"

Now Touma could get a good luck at her. She was well built, but still had the charm of innocence and lady-like aura, was well endowed and had a gentle face. However, the most striking and characteristic feature of her looks were drill-like locks of exotically coloured, purple hair reaching down her back.

"My name is Hokaze Junko. It's nice to meet you. Please forgive my mistake earlier"

"I am Kamijou Touma. Now, that uniform I saw on you, isn't that the one from Tokiwadai?"

"Yes, it is. I am very close to graduating actua...wait, did you say Kamijou Touma? I know that name... my Queen mentioned it before, I am sure of it..."

But before the intrigued Touma could ask more about this Queen person, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"M-My friends! They can't find you here! What should we do?!" Junko panicked.

However, Touma felt dead inside because he knew exactly what followed.

A few moments later, a group of girls entered the changing room. Though he did not instantly recognize them, they seemed vaguely familiar.

Touma had pretty good look at them. He was currently within one of the lockers. That was still explainable. But why the hell was Hokaze Junko in the exact same spot?

Touma was under impression that he and this girl could share a lot of similar reflexes despite her naivette. But jumping to the very same locker?

They had enough space to move relatively freely, but they were still stuck close to each other. If they moved too much or made sounds, they would be heard for sure.

It took just few moments of listening to the girls to notice that they were addressing the blond girl with a peculiar star shaped irises with great respect.

"Queen, why isn't Hokaze-senpai here?" one of the girls addressed the blond girl.

That was the Queen Hokaze was talking about?

Touma tried to recall someone like that and came to conclusion that he never saw her in his life.

But for some reason he could not explain, the honey fragrance that surrounded the girl came to the locker and it brought some feeling of nostalgia regarding something he could not even properly name. Even masked by Hokaze's smell, which was bound to be stronger given that they were pressed against each other, that honey aroma was like a feeling of gentle, warm, summer sunlight.

"I am sure she is somewhere around. Maybe she went to reserve us spots near the pool. Her precaution ability is impressive as usual~" the star girl spoke, while starting to undress.

The other girls followed, and Touma felt himself heating up. As said before, he saw this scenario far too many times.

'Oh... I am sooo screwed right now'

He noticed the purple eye in the darkness. Hokaze Junko nodded to him and put a finger on her lips.

Touma felt somewhat better. Hokaze could just go out and accuse him of something. All the other girls would surely believed her. Whether he liked it or not, that was the way it went. But instead, she decided to stay with him and allow him to go unsatched.

What an amazing and kind-hearted girl. He suddenly wanted to hug her.

But then, he did not have time. Kamijou Touma needed to put his thoughts together and get them out of this mess.

'How to avoid that... what can be done here...'

He moved closer to the, accidentally shifting his position and causing Hokaze Junko to stuff her face directly into clothes left in the locker.

Junko's nose twitched as she took in the smell of the hanging suit. She sensed a rich floral aroma, rosy and fruity, likely from a perfume, mixed with a less pleasant odour of sweat.

'There is too many of them... there is no way to just sneak out, no way in hell...' Touma thought in the meantime.

Even as the girl pulled back, the chaotic combination of scents didn't leave her, remaining as the unpleasant tingling in Junko's nose. Her eyes watered as she tried to breathe through her mouth. But the irritating itch didn't pass. In fact, it got worse, to the point that she knew it had to be dealt with sooner rather than later...

'I don't really know what Hokaze-san can do. She is in Tokiwadai, so she must be strong. Maybe her talent can aid me somehow in getting back to Kaibi and the others...'

Touma felt the girl patting him on the back. He interpreted it as impatience and reached back, grasping and squeezing her hand. He wanted to reassure the girl and tell her to endure.

But it wasn't the gesture of impatience or fear that Hokaze made. It was an attempt of warning.

There was an inhale, that Touma once more misinterpreted as gasp of panic.

"Hokaze-san... please, endure a moment longer... I think we just need to wait it up-"

However, it was not given to misfortunate Kamijou Touma.

Because just as everyone started to leave the changing room.

'I thought I was foolish to hope, but maybe for once we can get out without any'

A quiet sound came from behind him and from Hokaze Junko.

It was dainty and muffled, but the girls still turned around.

"What was that?"

"I think it came from there..."

Poor Junko blushed as she hid her nose in her arm, likely anticipating the reflexive reaction earlier and trying to silence it.

"P-Pardon me..." she whispered.

Touma just sighed.

'Forget it, here we go...'

Then the door burst opened and both of them were yanked out

(LATER...)

Touma found himself pinned to the floor, while the other girls swarmed Junko.

"Did that guy hurt you?"

"What happened, Hokaze-senpai?"

"He will pay for trying to do something for you"

Junko tried to say something, but her friends never actually allowed her to freely reply.

Touma thought about trying to get up. However, even he could have problem when he was pinned by 4 girls at once.

The starry eyed girl watched him. He could have sworn that he saw flashes of surprise, happiness, and confusion in her eyes, but it had to be his imagination. After all, he never met her before.

"All of you, quiet down" she finally said "First of all, release him"

The girls looked at each other.

"B-But Queen, he is clearly some molester..." they tried to speak, but the blond raised her hand.

"Now. I am not intending to just set him free. However, I desire to hear him out..."

However, in that moment, both Hokaze and Touma's voices got through.

"It's my fault, I got to the wrong changing room."

"No, I am the guilty one, I actually wanted to see Hokaze-san naked!"

"N-No, that's not true, you didn't! I was the one who..."

"I just could not wait to see her and touch her in that locker, my plan was perfect, but you busted it... so take what you want with me, but don't blame this on her..."

"No, he is innocent! I was a clumsy idiot, so if you could forgive him..."

"Enough!" the leader of the group shouted, and then sighed "What do I have with you... girls, leave us."

"Queen, you can't be serious. We can't possibly..."

"I will be fine, and I promise to call you if I truly need you. Stay close and be dismissed."

Although with visible hesitation, the girls slowly vacated the changing room.

Only when they left, did the girl lighten up a little. But the slight twinge of irritation was present in her eyes as well.

"What did you get yourself into, my prince?"

"Huh? Do I know you?"

Hokaze gasped.

"How can you not know the Queen? She is the most respected, most noble, most-"

However, starry eyed girl shook her head and stopped agitated Hokaze by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Junko-san... the reasons Kamijou-san is not familiar with me are not pleasant for me. However, they are also not his fault and he means no disrespect. So please, drop this subject and don't bring it forth. That's an order".

Hokaze was silent for a few seconds, before bowing slightly.

"As you wish, my Queen"

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes. My name is Shokuhou Misaki and I am #5 level 5... nice to meet you" she posed in front of him.

Touma once again thought he saw a glimpse of sadness pass through her eyes... but he had to be mistaken. There is no way he could forget someone like this, right?

"Please, tell me everything." Shokuhou faced both Touma and Hokaze. In contrast to earlier orders, this plea was warmer in tone and had less authority in it. Like she was addressing close friends.

Few minutes later, she put a hand to his brow.

"I don't even have to read your minds to know that you are telling the truth. You were obviously pretending there, Kamijou-san. And it seems just like Junko-san to get distracted like this. You made quite a commotion, you know. It seems like you were dragged into it like always, my prince. Also, you did try to defend Junko's honour by pretending you were a pervert, right?"

Hokaze's eyes widened as she too realized Touma's earlier intention. She put a hand to her mouth. Touma scratched his head.

"Well, if you are their senpai, I did not want you to have your reputation destroyed. It's quite an important thing for some ojou-sama's. Not that I fully get it..."

"Kamijou-senpai..." the ringlet curl girl was visibly touched, she even got small tears in her eyes.

"That's just how he is. No matter how many times we meet" Shokuhou added with a small smile. Her comment made Touma even more confused than before.

What was his history with this gorgeous knockout of a girl (who apparently was only middle-schooler!) in a spider-web bikini with golden accents? He suspected memory loss had something to do with it, but something also told him that it was more complicated than this.

Shokuhou walked with them to the door and exited to face the crowd of middle school girls. From what Junko told him, that was a so called "clique".

"Everyone, I verified confessions of both sides and came into conclusion that it was just an unlucky accident"

The whispers intensified. And it was possible that it all would simply end up here and there.

But Kamijou's bad luck was not over yet.

SLIP!

His feet left the ground as he slipped on the trace of water and he collapsed sideways, with his face falling straight into Shokuhou Misaki's ample chest.

Morbid silence of over a dozen girls reigned for a few heartbeats.

Touma darted upwards with frantic shaking through his body.

"I am so sorry! I didn't meant to-"

"HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT THE QUEEN LIKE THAT!" the clique was in uproar.

One of the girls, with very long black twintails, stepped forward.

"Even if you are not guilty in regard Hokaze-san, I won't forgive anyone who harms Shokuhou-sama. She is so shocked and appalled that she can't even face us!".

Indeed, Shokuhou was facing away as she got up and leaned against the wall. But the reason why she did that...

Well... Mental Out was red and her breathing was suspiciously shallow as her eyes gleamed from unexpected stimulus. The only one who noticed it was Hokaze who reacted with innocent confusion.

"You will pay for this!" the twintail girl said and then, few things happened in extremaly fast succession.

Namely, Kamijou Touma's right arm moved, and in the next instant, the girl collapsed onto the floor right next to him.

It all happened so quickly that the minds of the girls registered it few seconds afterwards, after which their jaws dropped in a rather unladylike display. Even Junko and Shokuhou, who managed to more or less recover from her fantasy, were shocked beyond anything.

Touma thought back of what he remembered.

Firstly, he noticed the change in the muscle tension and eye focus of the twintail girl. Then, throughout his subconscious precognition, his arm and right hand moved. In the very next moment, the poor girl found herself with Imagine Breaker on her throat.

For one moment, the girl simply stood few meters away and then she was right next to him. Touma thought that she was a teleporter, before he felt delayed gust of gentle wind. That meant speedster girl likely had acceleration ability, one that allowed the user to reach max speed without all the acceleration in between. The girl was just misfortunate enough to ran straight into Imagine Breaker. If the opponent was anyone else, it probably would not make any difference, but this right hand could omit and negate speed of object or a person hitting it, given that the speed was the result of supernatural power. In this case, esper ability. So the result was similar to smashing your throat into the wall, and Touma flinched as he imagined that.

"Did he just counter Wild Speed?!"

"Even though Mei-san is the fastest out of us all..."

"Incredible... absolutely amazing..."

Shokuhou chose this moment to address everyone around

"Girls, we wasted enough of a time here. I will say this once: Kamijou-san is an honourable and heroic gentleman. He is someone that gave me a lot. It is not an exaggeration to say he gifted me courage and prowess that allowed me to rule this clique. That's why I would like you to respect him and try to get along with him. If you have respect for me, you should respect him many times more. Now, let's apologize to him and go to the pool. You too, Mei-san. You don't wish for everyone to assume that we in Tokiwadai assume guilt before just trial, right?"

Upon hearing Touma's surname, the girls whispered some more, but finally bowed their heads in front of somewhat awkwardly standing Touma. Even twintail girl Mei did the same. Her voice sounded a little bit raspy from collision with Touma's arm.

Touma extended his hand to the girl.

"You know, even though it would be nice to not be attacked out of the blue, I am impressed by your loyalty. Not everyone would be that ferocious in defending someone"

"Your...compliments... have no... meaning for me" Mei grumbled. Nevertheless, she blushed and accepted his hand, as she got up.

The girls started to go past him, and finally only Hokaze and Shokuhou were left with him.

"I am sorry. It was through me you had to go through this, Kamijou-senpai" Hokaze muttered begrudgingly" I was the one who messed up with the changing rooms. And later on, I gave you away. Because of my ability, my cranial nerves, especially those of sight and smell, are more conductive than those of regular human. I have enhanced senses but it's also easier to overstimulate them. I feel ashamed for not being able to hold in that sneeze..."

"What are you talking about?" Touma grinned to her" If anything, you are the hero for not treating me like a pervert or something, in the first place. You could have out me more directly at any time, but you didn't."

"I suppose so. But... you have really caring eyes. I didn't want to believe you can be a bad person"

"That's really nice of you"

"Thank you so much for standing up for me... I really appreciate that. And so, if it's alright... can I request... a hug? I never had one from a gentleman before and I sense that I can trust you"

Touma was taken aback, before scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly.

"Well, I will be lying if I said that it wouldn't be a pleasure... come here. No hard feelings"

He embraced Hokaze who smiled and hugged back, before seeparating from him and smiling

"No hard feelings. I hope this is a beginning of wonderful bond. Maybe we can race at the pool?"

"Maybe, but... pool...pool... oh crap, Kaibi-san will be mad agaaaaain! Bye for nooooow!"

And with those words, Touma dashed away, leaving the clique on their own.

As they marched to the proper pool area, Hokaze and Shokuhou stayed back a little bit.

"So..." Mental Out looked sideways, pouting slightly "Are you and Kamijou-san... you know..."

Hokaze blushed and shook her head vigorously.

"N-No, of course not! I mean, I only met him, and it's of course nothing like that. Even though he saw me almost without clothes, and was locked with me in a small space-"

"I don't need details. So, what do you think of him?"

"He is...a lot like Gunha-san actually"

"That uncouth loudmouth? How?"

It was not like Misaki disliked #7 level 5. It was just both of them could barely, if at all, get on the same wavelength.

"Well, he seems brave, courageous, and kind, I can tell for just a moment with him. Although he may seem a little bit plain, all that you told me may be true. He is clearly someone special and heroic. I am so happy you want to court someone like this."

"C-Court? Hokaze..."

"My Queen, from time to time I got a good insight. You clearly fancy him... it's even more than that, isn't it? I will try to not get in your way. Although..."

"Although?"

"If it would not be much of a hassle..." the purple-haired girl smiled shyly" I would really, really, really like... to become his friend. If he wishes the same, I would like to get to know him more. His presence... intrigued me in a really good way."

Shokuhou smiled at Junko and waved her hand.

"Even with all this hierarchy, you are still independent human. You don't need my permission when it comes to likes and dislikes. Go ahead. Also, Junko-san... thank you. For listening to me, that is"

Hokaze Junko was Shokuhou Misaki's right hand. As such, she was confided many important stories and details Shokuhou did not tell others. Of course, there were some secrets Junko knew Misaki kept for herself, but she did not pry into them. It was an honour and privilege of fate that the two of them were friends.

After few moments of silence...

"Hmm, but you did enjoy when she said your body is worth to be peeked on"

"H-H-Huh?! I d-did not!"

(ELSEWHERE)

"Where have you been?" Kaibi looked at Touma, as they all finally settled on their spot near the pool.

"Oh, you know, around... ow! I did not explain anything, so why are you kicking me already?"

Upon close inspection, the indoor pool was rather impressive. It had amazing amount of water slides, stretching on one side of the enormous bathing space and on the ceiling. Besides them, one corner had saunas and jacuzzi, while the other had the recreational and sport pool.

"Alright, pretty dress-san. Stop hitting me, I will explain myself now!"

Kaibi huffed and shook her head.

"No need. Instead, you will take Amazora duty."

Amazora duty turn out to be watching over the youngest sister, whose energy seemed to reach amazing heights. She was running around everywhere, so watching her to make sure that she didn't kill herself was something very needed.

Finally, Touma grabbed the girl and decided to go on a slide himself.

With the variety of light effects, the slides were indeed very interesting and Touma find himself grinning alongside Amazora as they slid down various watery passageways.

Touma already learned that as unsettling as Amazora could be in her dark side persona, she turned into a sight that could put a smile on any face when she was given attention and made her endless energy go into something fun. Seeing her beaming smile as they explored the pool complex gave Touma more motivation to spend time with her.

Which of course did not mean that it went on painlessly.

"Onii-chan... are you alright?!"

"Y-Yeah... my stomach just... ugh..."

The trouble was stirred up when they got to a really high-tech stuff. Some of the slides offered some simulations of falling, flight, reduced gravity, whirlpools, and such, all thanks to Academy City's technology. Amazora wanted to try them out, so Touma followed, half curious, half hesitant. However, he did not account that Amazora would activate all simulations at once.

Now, he suffered because of the result.

The young girl sighed... and to Touma's utter horror, reached to the hook of her training bra.

"A-Amazora-san, what are you doing?!"

"Hmm?! I will massage you with my body to make the pain go away"

"I am pretty sure that you don't need your whole body to do that. And even if you did, it does not have to be without clothes"

Amazora looked at him and clicked her tongue

"Tch. So you seen through my intricate plan."

What part of this was intricate?

"No matter. I will still prevail and demonstrate the secret technique I learned from watching these romance movies from Riku nee-san. I will simply kiss the spot to take the pain away with my ultra cute charm"

"This sounds good but I bet there is something else behind it."

Indeed, while Amazora leaned forward, Touma became pale. Amazora puckered her lips to kiss his belly, but Touma imagined that looking to him at front with Amazora leaning like that seemed just like...

He got deathly pale.

"A-Amazora-san, stop before..."

A shadowed loom behind him. And the fists of justice of overprotective sister swiftly fell onto their heads.

(FEW MINUTES LATER)

Afterwards, Kaibi decided that Touma will swim alongside her in the pool. While they stayed on one side of the bathing space, he could still see the girls from Tokiwadai staring at them. Most of them were chatting, reading, sunbathing in artificial cave-like structures, or swimming on the far side of the pool. Nevertheless, Touma was being observed and he realized it. Especially the golden haired girl, who he had never seen before, was glaring quite strongly and he was almost sure he saw her bite her gloves for some reason.

He was a little bit out of practice with swimming that was coordinated and had nothing to do with saving himself or someone else, but he managed to synchronize and catch up with Kaibi after some time. She was an amazing swimmer, stroking the water with finesse and style. While not excessive, she obviously had an excellent condition and stamina. From what Touma observed, Amazora had great energy, but could not swim properly yet. Meanwhile, inversely, Rikuri could swim well, but got tired relatively fast. It seemed Kaibi was a perfect blend of her siblings in the regard of sports.

After some time, they both stop at the end of the pool. Even when she was irritated before, Kaibi was now smiling at him slightly. Apparently, shared activity elevated her mood. Touma looked at her as well. Even if she wore the swimming cap in the pool, few strands of her golden hair fell from under it. The cap also allowed to show Kaibi's face and pronounced her eyes, which were both quite mesmerizing to look at with reflexes of light dancing on them, reflected from the water's surface.

"You are not bad. Did you train before?"

"Oh, you know, swimming away for my life probably happened at some point"

"You really are utterly hopeless"

Even though the coldness of water was slowly getting to them, they simply remained afloat in one place.

Even if it was only moving around together, Touma felt the need to tell Kaibi that he had a good time and propose some other activity.

But before he could...

"Hey, there is something I need to ask you and right here, no one will hear us. Our first meeting... you don't remember it, right?"

The question felt like a physical blow, so much so that Touma actually slipped from shelf made on the pool's wall. He fell down and hit the bottom, only for Kaibi to swiftly dive and drag him back out.

"Judging on this rather dramatic reaction, I was on the case." she remarked after a while.

"What gave me away?"

"Oh, so you won't pretend or hide? Good boy. You would honestly piss me off if you did. Let's just say... you are not the only one with keen eye and observation skills. But to be fair, you did hell of a good job. It's just that your reaction to our stories from the past year were... lacking. As if you were just assimilating the information, and did not recognizing yourself as the part of the events."

"Look...I was just..."

She put a finger on his lips.

"We all have our secrets. Sooner or later, they might get revealed, but I will not force you to tell me. For some reason, I think I would dislike it. Heh, kind of ironic, considering that one of my main dark side tasks was forcing others to reveal their hidden thoughts and feelings..."

Only distant chatting of Tokiwadai ojou-samas and sound of splashing water was heard around them.

"You are probably curious of why I keep it hidden?" Touma threw the question in that void.

Kaibi's eyes moved to Amazora and Rikuri, some distance away.

"I would be curious if I said I wasn't. But it's not like I am angry or anything. It's just..."

They got out of water and Touma handed Kaibi towel.

"It's just?"

"To be honest, ever since you came along, I don't know what to think. About... many things. You always make a mess and I am an expert in keeping a clear mind. So... I often don't know what to think of our relationship. But one thing I want to assure you is that we are not enemies, unless you do something stupid of course. So I don't really see a reason why you didn't tell me"

Touma shifted his weight as he looked at the girl.

"It's not that simple and it's not all about trust or relationship. It's just... specific. I also wonder..."

He did not finish, but Kaibi knew what he had in mind.

What truly was Touma's relationship to her and her sisters? They were once enemies, then one-time allies, and recently flatmates, but was that it?

Deep down, both of them knew what was truly needed.

Full honesty. Or at least exposing some of the vulnerabilities that plagued them. It applied to Kaibi, Touma, but also Amazora and Rikuri.

It would take time. It would also be difficult. But maybe this was what they needed.

They kept secrets for various reasons, but one part that truly kept their relationship ambiguous was the hidden parts of themselves. Everyone had those hidden parts, but deep inside, they had important reasons to reach across each other's souls to unravel them.

Touma wanted to save the sisters from any potential danger or threat from present or past.

Sisters wanted to really know Touma and in the deepest part of themselves hoped for a small miracle that emanated from his core.

"J-Just don't imagine too much. Thinking about "us"... t-that's a little of an exaggeration..." Kaibi, with skin glistening with remaining water, turned her face away in rare bashfulness.

"Well, there is definitely some "us". And even if it wasn't, I would do everything for this bond to form"

Kaibi opened her mouth, but ultimately remained silent. She then turned around and walked away, leaving Touma alone with his thoughts.

(LATER)

Still on the contemplative streak, Touma complied with Rikuri's plea to get her some drinks. Meanwhile, Kaibi took Amazora to the toilets so the boy was on his own.

Or so he thought.

As he waited to get the drinks from the vending machine, he bumped into now familiar purple haired girl.

"Ara, Kamijou-san!"

"Hokaze-san! What brings you here? Oh, did they also delegate you to buy drinks"

"Yes, that's correct. And please, call me Junko, that's how my friends call me. Now, I don't really have an experience in those machines, there are no such things in School Garden. But I recall that you are well acquainted with Misaka-san, is that right? If I am not mistaken, she deals with those things like this..."

Touma paled, as the girl bent her leg, while in the same time raising it up.

"Hok... Junko-san, don't! I will help you get-"

WHAM!

The mighty kick from the side collided with the machine. Seconds later, the machine not only spit out at least 6 different cans, but also got a prominent dent in metal casing.

The look of intense focus left Junko's features as the girl was reduced once again to the mumbling mess.

"Awawawawa! I thought I held back, but I didn't think it will still be so powerful. W-Where should I put the money now?"

It seemed that in contrast to delinquent-like Biri Biri, this young ojou-sama was actually concerned about being polite and honest with the rules.

A droplet of sweat dripped down Kamijou's face.

'How can this girl act so adorably and be so insanely strong fighter-type at the same time. Holy crap!'

(MEANWHILE)

Shokuhou Misaki watched Touma interact with mysterious blond girls. Other girls noticed that their blond leader was agitated to say the least, but dared not to disturb her in that state.

Angering Mental Out could result in truly terrifying results. She could lock you in the endless nightmare, erase your mind, or make you romantically interested in a mailbox.

Shokuhou stopped biting her gloves only when she was a step from tearing through them.

"Who are those girls? I will get to the bottom of this, I swear" she muttered under her breath.

She tried to read the mind of the middle one, but her power rebounded. That meant that the girl was a high level telepathic type esper. It did not matter in the long run, as Shokuhou could still force her way through, given enough time, but it made things slightly more annoying. It would be probably easier to browse through minds of other two.

Just when she was about to make her way to Rikuri, two other sisters approached her from the other side.

"Can I help you in something?" Kaibi asked politely, however there was no warmth in her voice.

Shokuhou looked at Amazora, who looked at her with her mouth opened wide

"Your eyes look like that collectible marbles with stars in them. They are really pretty"

That took Shokuhou aback.

"That's a strange way to put it... thank you?"

"Kai onee-chan, can I have those eyes too?"

The middle sister looked as if she actually assessed if gouging Shokuhou's eyes out would be worth the trouble but shook her head.

Amazora pouted in displeasure and stomped her feet.

"This sucks, you are the worst! Riku nee-chan, they won't give me starry eye marbles!"

"Amazora, don't run at the pool!"

Two blonds looked at small girl running away. Shokuhou sighed, as all the mood departed. Besides, she could not bring himself to investigate this small girl just now.

But her sister on the other hand...

Shokuhou felt something stir in her gut. This girl was her age, and even though Shokuhou never seen her before, she just came and took place by her prince's side.

Besides obvious jealousy, Shokuhou was worried about the misfortunate young man she came to love beyond anyone in the world. Was she overprotective? Yes, but being forgotten and left out of romantic game would probably do such thing to almost anyone.

At the same time, Kaibi also had many thoughts going through her head.

'What is her deal? I heard that this moron attracted level 5s... that's bad...'

Their abilities were in the relation of superiority. In the long run, Mental Out would always come victorious.

They both opened their mouths but...

BOOM!

An echoing sound permeated the air of the complex.

The duo of blond telepaths turned to see its source. They noticed that the new person appeared in their area of sight.

Shokuhou's facepalmed.

"Oh joy~... it's him."

(AT THE SAME TIME)

"Well well well, if those aren't most favourite people in town"

Touma did not know why and how, but he found himself squeezed cheek-to-cheek with Hokaze Junko, as the newcomer pulled them into a bear hug and grinned widely.

"Even by looking at you, I can tell that you are still as gutsy as ever"

Touma recognized this way of talking, as well as the most bizarre charisma and fortitude that emanated from this guy.

"Sogiita!"

"Gunha-san!" nearby, Junko was also positively surprised.

Sogiita Gunha was #7 level 5 and the strongest gemstone, or natural born esper. He wielded strange and peculiar power that couldn't be classified or explained. His bluntness, energy, fortitude and fitness were known very well around Academy City. Some found him heroic while some considered him a major pain in the ass. Both of those characteristics were possibly true to a degree.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was around and thought it would be nice to test my guts against some water. However, now I have got a better idea" Gunha patted Touma on the arm "Let's have a sparing session, since some of the gutsy warriors of justice that I respect are here right now!"

Touma was not sure if he heard it right.

"W-What?"

Gunha eyed both Touma and Junko with critical eyes, and then commanded.

"Your strange right hand does something to our powers, right? If so, touch Hokaze with it!"

"Hyah?!" the girl was flustered all of the sudden.

"Why would I do that?"

"So we can fight with just our base strength. Then, we will all be able to do it for hours without damage"

"Does everyone want to touch me so badly?!" now, Junko was on the verge of fainting.

"Why is everyone saying things that can be taken extremely out of context! Junko-san now thinks we will have some kind of weird pervert gathering!"

Gunha promptly ignored Touma's irritation and hit his open palm with the fist.

"Come, Kamijou... you are going first. Everyone is always saying that my power causes a lot of collateral damage but with that hand, I should not fear any excess strength!

(20 MINUTES LATER)

Touma sighed, putting compress onto his brow.

Gunha chuckled, stretching next to him

"Just like I remember. Apparently with you, or against you, it's a great fight anyway"

"You know, you almost torn away my arm. And we don't want that here"

"That's not good, those dragons were so gutsy it would be epic to see them again"

Gunha challenged Touma to the arm wrestling with both arms involved. With Imagine Breaker making direct contact, Gunha's esper power would be sealed away and he was to use only his physical strength. Touma finally relented, knowing that bored Gunha would probably cause some trouble to other people in the pool area.

Hokaze apparently had some sort of fighting history with Gunha. Unsure if she should support her old or new friend, she decided to be a neutral cheerleader, shouting things like "Yay! You can do it!" or "You are almost there" to both of them.

Their match drew attention, including the girls, mysterious starry eyed blond, and Gokusai sisters. Kaibi looked like she was beyond anticipating what Touma can get himself into, while Amazora got a spot next to cheerleading Hokaze, trying to mimic her. Rikuri dragged her seat on the spot of the wrestling. Apparently she preferred to remain comfortable regardless of circumstances.

The battle was to conclude when one of the opponents went down.

Gunha decided to start off with a strong accent, because he threw a fist into Touma's opened right palm. Everything around Touma cracked and burst into dust. However, he remained motionless and if not for the fact that he was already engaged in a fight, he would burst out laughing by how the clique girls clapped their hands with their mouths opened in confusion.

With Gunha's powers negated, the true battle now commenced. Two boys tried to get a grip and overpower the opponent. Touma had fair share of fights in his life that toughened him up, but Gunha's physical fitness was enormous even without his power. Touma found himself struggling to not give into intense pressure Gunha's arms were creating. In some moments, he found his knees bending. However, Gunha could not find a true opening and Touma will always regained what he lost. Although Gunha wanted to go fully offensive, Touma's stamina and overall endurance built up throughout many fights were causing a stalemate.

The girls were entranced. They would expect level 0 to lose to level 5, even if Gunha restrained his ability (well, others did not know that he couldn't really use it in that situation) so to see Kamijou standing after so many minutes was certainly impressive. Touma thought for a moment that he saw the girl with a Wild Speed ability, Mei, clenching fists in front of her lips, looking at him with a blush on her face, while her friend, Kii, moved her lips in a pattern that strangely resembled the spelling of his name. But he could not see very clearly so maybe it was just an illusion.

What he was certain of is that among the struggle, he found himself smiling at Gunha, who also smiled back. Despite the amount of fighting going on in his life, Touma was never the type who got really excited about fights themselves, like Gunha or Thor. But the adrenaline surging through his body was liberating. In that moment, he was glad he had pals like Tsuchimikado, Aogami, Hamazura, or Gunha, ones that would laugh with him and do all the stupidities, despite some of them being involved in their own circumstances.

Maybe it was those positive thoughts, but he managed to get to the offensive. The crowd got louder, as Gunha smirked, for the first time struggling to stay on his feet. And just when Touma was about to end the fight, something totally shocked him.

In the crowd, he saw black hair, green eyes, a thin ponytail, and ghostly purple colour. He knew this sight and even if it was for just a moment, in his shock he let go with his right hand.

And although Gunha probably had no intention of doing so, the sudden surge of his ability coming back caused him to flick Touma and almost burry him in the tiles.

When Touma came to, he noticed worried gazes of Hokaze and some unknown blond girl, who were apparently tending to him, and sending Gunha displeased gazes.

Gunha himself did not seem to be pleased with the outcome. Nevertheless, he praised Touma's fighting spirit and said that next time, they will do it right from the beginning to the end.

"Sorry for my guts slipping out. Hey, do you want to watch over the race of me and Hokaze?"

And so, resting Touma was delegated to be a judge of race in the pool, as he assured still worried Junko that he will manage. The blond girl and Kaibi did not leave his side anyway.

And such, the purple haired girl and #7 took off, and started swimming with such ferocity and speed that Touma could not believe his eyes. He noticed a glow around Junko's body as she tried to get onto the winning position.

"If you are interested, Junko-san's ability is called Rampage Dress. It allows her to control her own bioelectricity to boost her strength, speed, senses, and healing factor to enormous degree. You can say it is a variation of Electromaster ability."

"Oh, that's cool. I will ask Misaka for details when I see her"

Shokuhou pouted, but did not comment on that.

They watched the pair swim from one side to the other in matter of seconds. Even during the swim they were shouting with vigour and were like a pair manifestation of youthfulness.

"I am not an expert on this... but they would make a really good couple. Sogiita and Junko-san, that is" spiky haired boy said after a while.

Mental Out was temporarily stunned and unsure what to say to that. While her heart belonged to one guy only, the one sitting next to her with no actual recollection of who she was, she was quite possessive regarding her right hand girl. But even the fact that Sogiita Gunha was not her cup of tea aside...

She imagined it. Junko and Gunha in infinite swirl of positive energy, with their vitality permeating through their future adult life. They could run a dojo together, or something along those lines. Among those imaginations, Junko presented her with two babies. A girl with a somewhat spiky black locks and boy with a dark burgundy hair.

'My Queen, we decided to name them Misaki and Touma, after you and Kamijou-san, since you both inspired us so much...'

"Kyaaah! So cute!"

"Oi? Why are you screaming at thin air? Do you want to pee or something?"

"W-Why... of course I don't!"

And then... a girl's scream echoed out.

They saw Amazora slipping and tumbling towards the water.

Touma jumped forward. But in an astounding feat of stamina, completely alien to her, Shokuhou, who was closer, managed to push Amazora away. Then, the blond lost her balance and fell into the water instead.

Why she did that, even though no one obliged her to save the little girl and she was underqualified in fitness area? Well, there was no clear reason, but the spirit of certain boy was always fresh in her mind and maybe, just maybe, she wanted him to be proud of her.

She immediately lost her coordination and began to sink like a brick. She could not even imagine how pathetic she must have looked. Air escaped from her mouth and...

(LATER...)

Shokuhou slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes were still closed and mind remained in disarray.

'I fell and then... oh, if I am alive then... Kamijou-san saved me! Maybe... maybe he will even do lips to lips...'

Sensing the presence near her, she slowly puckered her lips.

It was a moment that happened in fairy tales. She will be woke up gently by a loving touch of...

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

"Oi! Oi! Starry eyes! Wake up, wake up. I know you are alive!"

She felt someone repeatedly slapping her on the cheek. Her eyes rapidly opened.

"Number 7?!" she uttered in horror.

Gunha smiled and gave her thumbs up.

"Yup. I knew your guts were strong enough."

"But... where is my Prince..." the girl sounded like a broken record.

"Who? Anyway, Kamijou did not make it in time, he was busy checking on the little miss who hit her head when you rescued her. Before he noticed you fell in, I swam to your rescue... oi, what got you so gloomy?

'I lost in attention... to an 11 year old?!'

"Okay" the athletic gemstone was undeterred "you seem fine, but just to be sure, I will perform Heimlich procedure on you"

"N-N-No, I am fine and dandy uuuuugh?! S-Stop, I am blaaaaagh?!"

Needless to say, Shokuhou's rescue was not really like a fairy tale.

(SOME TIME LATER)

After a while, everyone started to wrap up. Tokiwadai girls went to the changing room, and although Kaibi was extremely hesitant in letting Touma stay behind again, he convinced to let her and Rikuri take care of Amazora. The girl's head injury wasn't serious, only a small bump, but they wanted to still bandage it.

In time, he remained alone. Or at least... he seemed to be.

"Come out already! I know you've been watching."

The water in the pool bubbled and from behind the water's surface burst a small girl in an swimsuit with oriental accents, wearing red and white one-piece and swimming cap. She had dark hair with a chinese-styled ponytails, vibrant green eyes, and skin so pale that it looked purple.

"Dun dun dun dun! Did you wait for everyone to leave to have a private session with lovely Magic Goddess in a limited edition of a swimsuit?!" the girl grinned, showing pearly white teeth.

Touma sighed and slowly got up.

"You are saying it as if you did not cause others to leave. It's been a while, Niang-Niang"

The Shijie-Xian swirled around on the surface of water.

"What is that face? You don't have to be so stiff" the Magic Goddess said teasingly. "We won't do anything drastic."

"Is that so? Every time you show up something misfortunate is going on."

"Oh, that's just a paranoia. We just crave some entertainment" Niang-Niang walked on water, before reaching where he stood "You should know this by now, but for omnipotent beings, boredom and loss of purpose are greatest enemies."

"You said "we"? Can I assume that Nephthys is here too?"

"Bingo, 100 points. She wants to talk with you, actually. I just wanted to tag along. It's always fun to mess with all of you humans. And you are the most amazing, Kamijou Touma"

"Is it because I am so misfortunate? Or because you wanted to use my right hand?"

Niang-Niang swayed from side to side, smile still not leaving her face.

"Who knows, really. Fun is fun, no words needed."

The doors slammed open and Kaibi walked to the pool yet again.

"You know what, I thought about this and I decided that I will help you pa..." she froze, noticing strange girl with purple skin speaking with Kamijou.

Naturally, Measure Heart was outraged.

"Huh?! Who the hell is this?! Really, I left you for one second and you already talk to someone strange?!"

Niang-Niang glanced sideways at Kaibi with the look one would give at an ant trying to get on one's shoe.

"So chirpy and annoying. Adults are talking here. You annoy me, shoo!" she waved her hand.

"Who do you think you-" Kaibi exclaimed before she disappeared into the flash of light.

Touma turned to taoistic goddess.

"Hey, she only wanted to help me get the things back to the apartment. What did you do?"

"Nothing much." Niang-Niang shrugged" I sent her to your living place, altered her memory a little and taught her about messing with wonderful Niang-Niang. Don't sweat it. Now, go already. We shall see each other again sooner than you think"

She turned around, but Touma grabbed her arm.

"Hey... last time I heard of you, you two were quite badly beaten. Are you... all right? You and Nephthys?

The small reality manipulator was silent for a few seconds, then she started snickering with her eyes closed and grin as wide as ever.

"Pfft! You know that at out peak we are almost omnipotent, have endangered you many times, and one of us even killed you endlessly, yet you go around with such genuine kindness and concern. This is a riot! Though... I think I can guess why Othinus likes you so much. Well, it might be better if Nephthys tells you about the finer details of our situation. See ya!"

She turned into a hologram, then into the gust of wind, and disappeared.

When Touma was exiting the pool, he heard the sound of sobbing. He looked around for its source. Sure enough, he found a blond girl who was wearing a Tokiwadai uniform. He never met her before, but he was sure that she looked older than middle school. But most importantly...

She was surely crying just before. She was trying to get rid of the tears just now.

"Miss?"

She turned around, and he noticed that she looked panicked to see him. She started to wipe her face yet again.

"Oh, did I trouble you?" she tried to fake a laugh" I will go away now..."

Touma bit his lip, as she passed him by.

"Please wait. Can you please tell me what happened?"

The girl stopped and turned around.

"I know I am a stranger, but if something is troubling you so badly, I wish I could help..."

The starry eyed girl sighed.

"I appreciate the offer, but my problem is not that easy. Today, I was reminded of someone who left me some time again. I am usually strong, but..."

"Someone did that to you? That bastard!" Touma became genuinely angry. He was not a guy who was do girl's every bidding in old-school style, but making a girl cry was something he did not want to ignore.

The girl mustered a smile.

"N-No, that guy is not at fault. He did not really leave me, we had... an accident that separated us. He just had a tendency to got into trouble."

"I can sympathize with that" Touma shifted his weight from one feet to the other.

"I don't doubt that"

"What?"

"Nothing. My name is Shokuhou Misaki... and if it is not a bother..."

She suddenly hugged him. Touma stiffened for a moment, but then reincorporated the hug.

"I was going to suggest talking it out, but this works too... I don't know why, but your smell... I don't mean it in any weird way... reminds me of something good and happy... so I want to help you, if you let me... do you want to talk about it?" Touma rambled, still surprised by the beautiful blond middle schooler suddenly hugging her face into his chest.

Shokuhou should decline.

But his gentleness and concern, even if he didn't remember her, or maybe even more so because of the lack of memories, broke something inside of her.

Maybe she broke her rule because he will forget it anyway. Or maybe because she simply needed to vent.

But she told Touma everything. Everything but that he himself was involved in the story. She had no heart to outright tell him, even if only for a moment.

Silence reigned.

"That guy... was brave" Touma finally commented "I would like to meet him"

"Is that so..."

"Look, I wish you all the luck with him. Please, let me know if it works out"

"I... will..."

She said with tears flowing down her face.

"I-I didn't make you even more upset, did I?!"

"N-No, you actually helped me a lot!"

Finally, she let go of him.

"I am really sorry for this... thank you for everything."

"You are welcome. Please take care. If you are ever in trouble, I will definitely remember and come help"

Her lip trembled but she smiled warmly, as if something was lifted from her chest.

"I will keep you to it then."

With that, she left. When Touma followed and started making his way to the staircase, which would lead him to exit, he felt deep sorrow. That story tapped into such deep feelings that he felt sadness just from listening.

He wanted to save Shoku... wait...

That blond girl... what was her name?...

But he spoken with her only minutes ago... her name was...

Who was he thinking about? He talked with someone?

He was sad about story about... about...

And as tears spilled to his cheeks, the memories became fuzzy and tangled up into the void of nothingness.

(LATER...)

Touma got out of the building. It was a nice afternoon, something like 4 PM.

"You are as popular as ever, I see"

A slender, well-endowed woman with dark skin stepped into the light. She had silvery-white hair that created pleasant visual effect contrasted with her carnation. Her face was mature and nicely shaped, chest ample, skin flawless, hips and legs graceful, as well as perfectly outlined. This woman emanated aura of divine power and even more otherworldly beauty.

The Magic Goddess Nephthys smiled at Kamijou Touma. She was wearing her usual set of bandages that barely covered her body. Her heterochromic eyes, one blue and one golden, shifted in hues like a kaleidoscope.

"I was expecting you, Kamijou Touma. Also, that was... so sad... you really don't remember her..."

Tears spilled from her eyes, as she let out a few sobs and conjured up a handkerchief. As a goddess of mourning, Nephthys was easily brought into tears. Touma found that similar to how Rikuri acted while watching romances.

"Hi Nephthys. What exactly are you talking about?"

The look in egyptian deity carried out genuine sadness.

"You don't know the reasons of those tears on your cheeks, do you?"

Touma touched his cheeks and indeed, they were still wet. He cried? When? Why?

Nephthys blew her nose and sighed

"I will not interfere in that girl's destiny, no matter how sad it may get. Come, boy. I want to talk to you".

(LATER...)

Walking around with a regular girl could be risky if you came to the wrong spot in the city. Walking with the goddess was another thing altogether. Nephthys was wearing next to nothing, and even if people around them saw something different than Touma, it still made them stop in awe.

Nephthys was either unaware of it or uncaring altogether. That was not the case with Touma. Firstly, he knew what she really was and what she was capable of. If anyone angered her, Touma would have to protect the thugs instead of Nephthys.

Secondly, he was still unsure how to act around the goddess... or any Magic God, for that matter. He did suffered a lot from their hands in the past, but now they had peaceful relations. And he also could not deny that he was curious of why they decided to come into the City.

Thirdly, passing time with a girl, alone on the walk through the city, could make a guy flustered, regardless if she was 4000 years old ancient reality manipulator born from collection of slaves buried in a pyramid. Nephthys was a league of her own.

They moved at rather fast pace. They went to caffe, bookstore, and park. Nephthys acted just like Touma remembered. She had a gentle and polite mannerism mixed with occasional, unintentionally arrogant attitude towards humans. Touma could not read her as well as Othinus, but he often found himself smiling and bewildered at Nephthys fascination in human customs.

Finally, they arrived at the riverbank.

"Ah, I always love good old water. It makes me feel alive" Nephthys inhaled deeply as they sat on the park bench.

"Regarding being alive, it's good to see you and Niang-Niang in good shape. I mean it, even if it may spell trouble for me later on"

Although Magic Gods rarely made genuine expressions like this, Nephthys smile lightened.

"Likewise. Even if our paths and interests did not coincide in every aspect, you being alive makes me glad. You are far too important, Imagine Breaker. Plus, I really enjoyed your cooking during my short stay with you. Also, you probably really wanted to see me in swimsuit, huh?"

Her silhouette sparkled and for a moment she was wearing exotic bikini, which quickly reverted into her bandage suite, which ironically covered less that bikini itself.

"Y-Yes... no... I just... last time you fought with Accelerator, right? Did it hurt?"

Nephthys winced, as she touched her body, like she was remembering some phantom sensation.

"Oh yes. It was a fierce battle, and he finally got me tangled onto this stupid wires. Awful, truly awful. One of them even got stuck in my bu... ekhm... yes, it hurt. It took months, but as you could see, our powers are growing back. Slowly but steadily, we will break through this accursed spell left by Crowley. Shifting entire phases is far beyond us, but we can affect reality on small scale right now just fine"

"That's... good?"

"Oh, don't make that face. I won't hurt you" Nephthys looked offended at Touma's apprehension" Still, it is understandable that you have objections. Well, cutting to the chase. I have two things on my agenda. First: a warning."

Touma gulped.

"Warning..."

Nephthys nodded.

"You might not think much of it, but the greatest foe is not the one on the outside. Your right hand... do you truly have what it takes to control it?"

"What do you mean? Is something going on with Imagine Breaker? Is-"

"Imagine Breaker is only part of the problem. Myself and Niang-Niang, maybe someone else as well, felt a surge of ancient power coming from location that seemed to be nearby, so we travelled to check it, but then it vanished. I think it is time for someone to monitor you and your ability for a time being.

Touma was confused by this cryptic answer.

"But why? I already faced a psycho emanation of my power. No... wait... Oriana and other magicians... is something happening behind the scenes?"

"I don't know much myself" the bewitching immortal looked at the waves smashing onto the river shore "But I will take it upon myself to educate you about the origins of Divine Powers... or what you humans call the right hands. Do you know philosophy of Immanuel Kant? You can say Imagine Breaker is a true ding an sich of reality itself."

"Ding a what?"

"Oh, I will explain later then... well, in Egypt, we called it ren, a true name. Imagine Breaker may be a true name of the reality itself, or so I think..."

Touma looked down at Imagine Breaker.

"Nephthys-san... why do you want to do this?"

"If something is happening, and I am not certain what, even while having few hypothesis..." bandages strained when Nephthys put hand to her lips, deep in thought " then it is best for Magic Gods to be involved. It is in our interest to ensure that our own creation won't reincarnate into something that can throw the world into chaos."

"Is that all?"

"No. There is much more to it. But as for now, this will suffice."

Touma sighed, and looked up to the sky.

"Then it's just some usual trouble brimming somewhere. Just great. By the way, why not leave it to Othinus? She can teach me a lot as well"

Nephthys snorted. She and Nordic God of War were not in perfect terms.

"While I don't doubt that ex-god's abilities, Othinus was isolated from the rest of us for far too long. She is a little bit of a... renegade. Besides, I personally have something that can help grasp Imagine Breaker better."

Touma waited for the goddess to elaborate, but she apparently revealed intel at her own pace. Instead, she looked up to the sky and scrunched her face in displeasure.

"While I enjoy many aspects of your modern civilization, your pollution of night sky is simply despicable. You wouldn't believe what skies on deserts looked like thousands of years ago. Now that was something."

It was few hours away from dusk, but Nephthys was apparently reminiscing of something far, far away.

Touma looked at her face, and asked

"Can you... tell me something? About your homeland?"

Nephthys blinked. The golden accessories in her "clothing" made a metallic sound.

"You are curious? Why?"

Touma thought about it, and answered honestly

"Well, I figured that it would be a nice change from being thrown into the battle and being in all of that chaos. We met a few times, during Arrowhead Comet incident, later when Kamisato came along, and during fight with Coronzon... but instead a few things, I don't know much about you. And I thought... why not learn something new? It may be from my experience with Othinus but... don't you Magic Gods get lonely with your power?"

Shine in Nephthys' eyes got brighter.

"I think you just compared me to some old lady who has a lot of stories to share. I should flood you for this. But well, I like respect. And you are so hopelessly and naively cute that I will honour your request"

And so, the goddess talked and Kamijou listened. She was telling him about exotic places and lands, with dry desert winds, clear skies, monumental towns, and deep, black waters of muddy river, that gave life to civilization ancient and powerful. She was revered as a goddess in that civilization. She saw countless lifetimes of love, loss, joy, and suffering.

Time passed, and when they stopped talking.

"Wow... that was actually really fascinating" Touma admitted. He did not exactly understood all the things, but was nevertheless impressed by the mere scale of experiences Magic Gods had in their long lives.

They started to walk around yet again. By this time, Touma started to worry about Gokusai sisters, but he figured that either Nephthys or Niang-Niang did something for them to not be suspicious of his absence.

The wind started to blow through the hills, spinning the turbines. Touma offered the goddess his jacket since, well, she had nothing to shield her from the wind, but she apparently did not truly need protection from the cold.

"You said that you had two things." he suddenly remembered.

Nephthys nodded, as she faced him.

"Well, second is more pleasant. It's apology."

"Apology?" Touma was sure that there was no such word in Magic God vocabulary. Well, there were some notable exceptions but still.

"Well, maybe it's better to call it paying off the debt. When we first came into this City with Niang-Niang, we had no idea things will go so south with High-Priest. We failed to convince you and endangered you. Even if I wanted to use your hand for my own goals, I did not feel right about that time. So, I thought that I will do something I did not do for a mortal in a long time. Something for repayment, that I was famous for through eons."

She waved her hand and scenery changed. They were in a secluded spot, surrounded by small lanterns. An instrument resembling a harp floated in the air. Nephthys walked into the circle of the ring of sand. Touma found himself sitting on a comfortable bench.

The beautiful woman looked at him and spoke in a rich tone

"Feel honoured, for I shall dance for you"

Touma's mind short-circuited. His face got redder than any red he saw in his life.

"W-W-What, there is no way that it's true! You are messing with me, or with Othinus!"

Nephthys' lips twitched

"Who knows... maybe it's for you, maybe it's for my own fun... by the way, the song I am about to sing is slightly younger than me. It's a love song from New Kingdom, and it is supposed to be sung by man, but I will bend this tradition a little. And this thing is called djedjet in your modern languages. Not many know how to play it, but I was around when it was created, so I had easy way to learn. Now, let's relax and feel this song."

Touma wanted to say something, but Nephthys moved. The harp... no, djedjet thing, played on its own. And he was almost immediately sucked in.

She moved in some kind of hypnotizing way. Her body, the fire, the sound that seemed to come from another world, it all made the world change. Nephthys was like a wave, like a sandstorm, and many different things all at once. She also sang. In a deep, melancholic voice, which echoed through the area. She closed her eyes, as she expressed things in a language long gone from this word. Touma realized that this was probably the language of her childhood.

Senet, senet

nun senawis

Nefer har nub

Pitris mi sepodat hai

Em hat, ranapet nefert

Shespat ikhat wabhet inau

Anat irati gabmah

Benari sapats madawat

Binus anhab em haw

Ahat neheb waghat bih

hesebed maah senes

Gabs hor it newab

Debaw mis senew...

As the lyrics flew by with the goddess's dance, Touma found his body lose all tension. For some reason, maybe because of Nephthys messing with his mind in some way, somehow bypassing his hand, he understood the meaning of the song:

Sister without rival,

most beautiful of all,

she looks like the star-goddess, rising

at the start of the good New Year.

Perfect and bright, shining skin,

seductive in her eyes when she glances,

sweet in her lips when she speaks,

and never a word too many.

Slender neck, shining body,

her hair is true lapis,

her arm gathers gold,

her fingers are like lotus flowers,

ample behind, tight waist,

her thighs extend her beauty,

shapely in stride when she steps on the earth.

She has stolen my heart with her embrace,

She has made the neck of every man

turn round at the sight of her.

Whoever embraces her is happy,

he is like the head of lovers,

and she is seen going outside

like That Goddess, the One Goddess.

Touma realized that it was a love but also a hymn to a goddess. Maybe even Nephthys herself.

As he thought, his consciousness got dim and he fell into the soothing voice of Nephthys.

Moments later, the scenery vanished, as Nephthys looked at sleeping Touma.

"Now, to get back at that ex-god Thumbelina..."

(MOMENTS LATER, IN THE UNITED KINGDOM)

Othinus was getting ready for the new day, when it happened.

She could only stare at magical photo that materialized in front of her moments ago.

She wordlessly looked at the boy together with a very familiar woman.

Who was obviously trying to piss her off. And, what infuriated her even more, it was working.

"That shameless.. unforgivable!" she cried in outrage, as she looked at Kamijou Touma being given a lap pillow, and Nephthys blowing a kiss into her direction.

"What are you got yourself into, human?!"

The mini fairy got so red that she actually changed colour and started to tear the photo apart.

"You will pay for this, you seductive toilet paper dispenser of a god!

(IN JAPAN)

"Kshi!"

Nephthys closed her eyes as she sneezed quietly, which made her bosom bounce a little. It was gentle, girly sneeze, befitting the mature woman. After the sudden reflex passed, she grinned a little.

"Huh? Did I struck someone's nerve? I am sooo scared~ Or maybe I should take this boy's advice and dress up in something warmer? Even though I dislike modern clothing..."

She looked at the sleeping boy, and got up.

"Now then..."

She snapped her fingers. The world around them blurred and became the location of Touma and Gokusai's sisters apartment.

While it was impossible to affect Imagine Breaker's user with magic, which included teleportation, the easy way to bypass that was to rotate the world itself. Nephthys simply took a page out of a book of a certain magician formerly serving under Othinus.

The three sisters were all sleeping in the living room, in magically induced sleep. Kaibi was having moustache and wide grin drawn with a marker, no doubt Niang-Niang's doing. Nephthys sighed as she placed Touma near middle sister.

"Well, that was nice and different. I shall see you around" she cast a goodbye glance on the boy" It's been a while since someone listened to me... can't say I disliked that"

Her body slowly turned into sand and flew out through ventilation, away from sleeping teenagers.

For now, all returned to peace.