Alright, the new chapter had finally arrived. And this one's hella important to the story as a whole. You'll discover why when you read it.

Also, besides "NirvanaFrk97" who helps with the proofreading (also co-writer of Logic is my Sword), "ArmoredCoreNineBall" has boarded the ANROM ship as a co-writer! People in the TANMI fandom in FF surely will recognize him as he's a TANMI author as myself. Also, "LancerGaShinda" have joined the boat to improve the quality of the chapter, which I really appreciate.

So yeah, with our effort combined, this story will continue to move onward. Not only for the readers, but also for our favorite unfortunate Hero, Kamijou Touma!

In any case, this chapter is special, and while it still covers the plot of the series, there is a certain event that will make many hearts aflutter.

Enjoy.

A New Road of Misfortune

Chapter 11/=11.2: The Path Less Traveled: Desperate_Weakness

Part 1

July 19th. Mizuho Medical Institute.

A certain spiky-haired boy was perched on the bed of his hospital room, staring at nothing in particular. He was currently wearing the supplied patient gown.

"This is boring…" The boy muttered, his gaze directed at the only window. "I don't even have a phone… geez…"

Kamijou Touma yawned, eventually forcing himself to stand up. His attention drifted to the TV installed on top of a cabinet just in front of his bed. His eyebrow twitched as he recalled the nurse informing that he had been very unlucky since he was given the only room in the entire medical institute with a broken TV. He had been looking forward to having something help him kill some time, however, that rotten luck of his got in the way as usual.

Opening the door, he looked at both sides of the corridor, noting some nurses walking past the entrance of his room. He found himself blinking as one of them winked at him, the other giggling, thus making him scratch the back of his head in discomfort.

'What was that?'

Ignoring that for the time being, he returned to his room and picked up the new uniform that Yomikawa Aiho brought him (to his gratitude), since the other one he used in the past days was ragged. That said, some uncomfortable moments arose when the busty woman started acting overly serious, particularly when she began to ask about Shokuhou Misaki's involvement in the matter of the Graviton bombing.

While the woman never revealed how, Kamijou suspected someone must have discovered that Shokuhou got her hands on the footage she used to suspect Kaitabi Hatsuya as the Graviton bomber. Of course, Kamijou chose to pretend that he didn't know anything for the sake of his friend.

Yomikawa wasn't convinced, and even - much to his surprise - asked if he was lying because he liked her. The boy simply responded with a shrug, spicing up the situation, thus the woman sulking as a result. Wasn't his intention, but the less he spoke about the matter, the better, he concluded.

To his relief, he was left off the hook when she received a call about some missing reports, forcing her to leave. Stating that their conversation wasn't finished, Yomikawa finally left him to his own devices. Her making such a big fuss of it was by all means an exaggeration, even more when there were far more troublesome matters to investigate.

Such was Disciplinary Action, an armed group that apparently had the support of influential figures inside the highest echelons of Academy City. They murdered people who had surrendered in cold blood during the PURE invasion, and Kamijou had promised he wouldn't forget such a callous act on their part.

Leaving that matter aside, Kamijou focused on his current circumstances, groaning in boredom.

"The Doc said I wasn't supposed to leave 'till recovering, but… I can't just stay here man… Fukou da." His brow twitched as he facepalmed, concluding that this won't do. "Well, I feel much better! Sorry Doc! This Kamijou-san has stuff to do!"

Determined, the boy threw the hospital gown aside, then retook his uniform and the surprisingly undamaged orange shirt he held as one of his favorites.

Part 2

"I wonder what everybody is up to?"

A certain unfortunate boy commented as he strolled across the streets of District 7. It seemed that somehow, people were returning to their daily routine; a surprise, considering the chaos that befell the whole city some days ago.

The greatest damage was inflicted in school areas, as well as District 18 where the forces of order clashed with PURE. According to Tsukino, the reconstruction would take several weeks, so all schools within that district would be transferred to temporary installations until then.

It was a good sign to see students out in the streets despite the recent events, in any case.

Kamijou smiled to himself as he enjoyed the weather. It was hot, which was to be expected given the time of year; thankfully the wind also blew his way often, so he felt both warm and refreshed. He couldn't recall the last time he had felt this relaxed, taking into account all the crazy things (good and bad) he had witnessed. Ironically, he couldn't recall either when his life had started becoming so troublesome.

The boy suddenly came to a stop when the memory of him breaking into a house in order to find the Graviton bomber flashed in his mind. It was unlike him to break the law in such a manner, and truly he hoped it would be the last time; at least he managed to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

Still - he had broken the law, so he took responsibility and informed Yomikawa (to her surprise), knowing that he would accept any penalty whether it was decided by Judgment or Anti-Skill. As expected, Yomikawa told him that while he had helped stop the bomber, she couldn't ignore the means he used to accomplish it. Not much of a surprise in fact.

Once her report about the incident had been submitted, it would be up to the the higher ups to decide whether or not Kamijou would face punishment, or that much he got from her explanation.

This lead the busty woman to question him about Shokuhou's involvement in the matter, something he had been meaning to avoid. The scolding was understandable, and well-earned considering what he did, but he realized that her foul mood may had been related to something else entirely.

Granted, he suspected the reason behind it, but it was too soon to make any assumptions.

With a shake of his head, his mind back on track, and hands pocketed in his pants, Kamijou decided to just wander around before heading home. Suddenly, fear invaded his senses, worry settling on him as he had just realized that the damage caused by the PURE invasion may have extended to the dormitories, including his, naturally.

Once more he shook his head, deciding to shrug off that matter until he arrived home.

Whilst passing by a park, he noticed three familiar faces that unconsciously brought a smile to his face; namely Saten Ruiko, Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko.

"Hey!" He greeted casually, approaching them, "What's up, guys?"

The trio turned to him, slightly surprised at first, but smiles grew on their faces as well. Saten jumped from the bench and skipped towards him as her companions followed her at a steadier pace. Kamijou noted they were eating shaved ice.

"Kamijou-kun! I thought you were still at the hospital!" Exclaimed Saten cheerfully.

Misaka blinked a few times before greeting Kamijou in her typical manner, "That's right! You were supposed to rest until tomorrow, idiot!"

At that, he rolled his eyes, "I'm not up for a scolding right now. Besides, as you can see, this Kamijou-san is fine." He raised an arm vigorously to prove his point.

Shirai nodded in response, "Just be sure to not exert yourself too much, Kamijou-san."

He grinned at them, his eyes briefly landing on Saten's shaved ice. He actually wouldn't have minded buying one for himself, since he was relaxing for a change. Unfortunately, he had lost his wallet at some point during his quest in finding the frog bomb after interrogating Kaitabi Hatsuya.

However, his glance at the shaved ice didn't go unnoticed. With a grin, Saten extended it to him, much to everybody else's surprise. "Want some? It's lemon!"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "I can see that… Well, sure. Thanks!"

Accepting it, he took a spoonful of it to his mouth without much thought, hearing some weird sounds coming from both Shirai and Misaka, which he chose to ignore. Saten tilted her head, apparently confused as to why they reacted in such a weird way.

'So it's not just me, huh?'

"Something wrong, guys?" The female level 0 asked.

Shirai and Misaka, who stared with widened eyes, only exchanged a look before shaking their heads, replying at the same time.

"N-not really…" / "It's nothing!"

Saten made a humming sound, "Suuuure…?"

Shirai spun around and muttered, "How could I've missed such a trick…? The mistake of a lifetime…"

It didn't take a genius to understand what that implied, Kamijou concluded, having heard her. It made sense as he had used Saten's spoon, which meant that they shared an indirect kiss. He didn't really mind it much since it was an exaggeration on their part; thankfully, Aogami (who no doubt would have taken it seriously) wasn't around.

Glancing at Saten, he smiled. Seeing her confused expression made him realize this matter didn't embarrass her either as she probably hadn't even noticed it. If it didn't bother her, it wouldn't bother him.

"Onee-sama!" Shirai excitedly exclaimed whilst stepping up to Misaka. "Wouldn't you like to have an indirect kis- I mean, taste my strawberry ice?"

'It's too late to correct yourself, Shirai. Didn't you just admit wanting to have an indirect kiss?' Kamijou mused in disbelief.

"Why should I?" The Electromaster narrowed her gaze in suspicion, "We have the same flavor."

Silence followed as both stared at one another before Shirai started slamming her face on the ground. Kamijou sighed and lifted her by her arms as she kept muttering… "Idiot, idiot! I'm such an idiot!"

Misaka decided to ignore her shenanigans and dragged Saten away. Kamijou frowned at that, "Oi, Biri-Biri! Don't leave me with her when she's acting like a maniac!"

His call fell on deaf ears as the two continued to make their retreat.

"How could I miss…?"

"Just relax there, would you?" Kamijou grunted, "I'm sure you will have more chances to get an indirect kiss from Biri-Biri."

She turned to him, her cheeks red and eyes hopeful. He could only sweatdrop at her abrupt change of demeanor. As always, Shirai became the opposite of what she usually was when Misaka came into the picture. From being a respectful and polite girl to a stalkerish pervert. The change was amusing to Kamijou… if only a bit.

"Do you really think so, Kamijou-san?" She asked, grabbing his shirt, her voice weak.

Kamijou nodded his head frantically, "Yeah, yeah! But let me go or people will misunderstand!"

Much to his relief, she did let go and stepped back, bowing to him, "S-sorry for my lack of manners, Kamijou-san. It's just that…" Voice fading, the pig-tailed girl let out a weary sigh.

"You like Biri-Biri that much, huh?" Asked Kamijou with arms folded, surprised to see Shirai looking slightly depressed.

And she nodded without any hesitation, glancing in Misaka's direction. The look in her eyes wasn't like anything he had seen before, Kamijou initially concluded. Yet, it is then that he recalled somebody actually sporting such a affectionate expression… somebody with golden-starry eyes, in fact. On multiple occasions.

'Geez… There's that particular matter I need to solve…'

Shirai's voice stopped his train of thought, regaining his attention.

"Yes… My feelings for her are pure and genuine, but she won't accept them no matter what I do." She responded honestly, much to his surprise, then figured it was only because everyone already knew of her infatuation. She was in fact very vocal about it, so it was no secret.

Kamijou scratched the back of his head, not really knowing what to say as his knowledge of love matters was next to nothing. She was talking to the wrong person here.

"I… wouldn't know about that…" He replied honestly, and Shirai smiled softly in response.

"Sorry, Kamijou-san, for bothering you with such silly problems," She bowed respectfully, reassuming the usual behavior she displayed when dealing with people outside her circle of friends.

'Does that mean I'm not that much of a friend to her?'

Kamijou then remembered her calling him one, so he guessed that maybe she was now acting polite since he was a guy. He wasn't completely sure. Women were indeed a mystery to him.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Kamijou responded with uncertainty. "Just take it easy. Maybe if you go slow, things… will work out."

Shirai blinked, then giggled, "Your advice is appreciated, Kamijou-san. Even if you don't seem too sure about it."

Kamijou couldn't help but chuckle, "Haha, yeah."

Misaka and Saten returned seconds later - the latter looking uncharacteristically shy since she avoided meeting his gaze, while the shocker seemed slightly annoyed. Kamijou frowned at that, but otherwise opted to not make a deal of it.

The four sat on a bench, with Saten to the right of Kamijou (and still looking anywhere but at him) and Misaka to the left. Shirai was - as expected - sitting next to her upperclassman. Saten's unusual behavior was getting to him now that they were all close together, so Kamijou decided to speak, his eyes darting from one side to the other, "So, where's Uiharu? It's odd to not see her hanging out with you guys."

"Oh, yeah," Misaka turned to her. "Where is she anyway?"

Saten blinked and scratched her cheek, "Uiharu took today off due to a summer cold. I told her to rest yesterday, but she wouldn't listen."

Shirai folded her arms and sighed, "Uiharu as always, so stubborn."

Kamijou said nothing and simply continued to listen.

"Yeah, she is." Lifting the bag she had at her side, Saten continued, "I was actually on my way to deliver some medicine before running into you guys."

Misaka frowned, "Is it serious?"

"She said it wasn't bad, but you know how she is," Saten shrugged her shoulders. "I'm kinda worried though."

Kamijou closed his eyes, leaning back as he extended one arm over the back of the bench, "Must be good…" He started, raising his face upward, "To have such caring friends, eh?" And then averted his gaze, grimacing as he muttered, "Nothing like those two idiots from my school…"

"But…" He blinked, eyeing Saten from the corner of his eyes, "But you have m- I-I mean us! Y-yeah! You have us! We're friends, too!"

Misaka and Shirai looked on in suspicion at her slip, whilst Kamijou only smiled and patted her head, grinning, "Well, this Kamijou-san is very lucky then."

Shirai nodded to herself, "Indeed, you're very lucky, Kamijou-san."

Kamijou chuckled and Misaka shrugged her shoulders, "It's too late to back out now it seems."

"Biri-Biri is so mean," Kamijou lamented, although he laughed after that.

"Don't start again with that nickname!" She growled, Saten giggling at her outburst.

Kamijou stood up and waved a hand, "Hai, hai… Biri-Biri is Biri-Biri after all."

Misaka fumed, but Shirai did her best to restrain her as sparks started to shoot from her. Saten backed away as the shouts continued. Seeing a possible problem erupting, Kamijou quickly bid them goodbye and started running away.

"Come back here, idiot!" The Level 5 hollered, sparks sailing towards him, "I'm gonna kick your-!"

Raising the Imagine Breaker, a glass shattering sound followed, the sparks gone, "See you guys later!" He shouted while grinning.

Some minutes later, now out of the park, he came to a stop and looked over his shoulder. There was nobody there, thankfully.

"That Biri-Biri…" Kamijou pocketed his hands, relieved that she didn't give chase for once. "That was close…"

He decided then to head back to his dorm.

Part 3

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 01

"Geez…"

Kamijou Touma stood in front of the door to his dormitory, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he had just realized he had no keys. He must have dropped them together with his wallet; not a surprise, since it was a common aspect of his daily life, but was unnerving all the same.

"Fukou da…" Kamijou murmured, sitting on the ground and supporting his back against the door, "Now I'm gonna have to go through the whole process of getting a new set… shit."

However, his lamentations were interrupted when some steps echoed; not from the passageway, but from inside his own residence. He blinked when the door behind him opened and he fell on his back. He winced slightly before opening his eyes to the sight of something white. As his eyes adjusted, he came to realize what it was.

White panties.

In short order - his eyes widened, his cheeks flushed, and a cold drop of sweat fell down his cheek. His gaze then moved elsewhere, inevitably falling upon a pair of magnificent legs covered in white stockings.

"Touma-chan… Don't stare so much… It's embarrassing~" A voice he recognized immediately came with a nervous giggle.

"M-Misaki!?" He stuttered in disbelief as the girl pulled down her skirt.

Noting his current position, the boy rose to his feet in one fluid, quick motion, before turning to see a beautiful blonde with golden-starry eyes, who sported the Tokiwadai-issued uniform.

The girl whom he shared a past with, the girl who had helped him countless times since they met on that certain eventful day, and the girl he almost died for.

The Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki, a.k.a. Mental Out.

Now, an immediate question arose at her presence inside his dorm, which was…

"Misaki, what the heck are you doing here?"

As usual, the blonde smiled warmly at him, folding her arms under her voluptuous chest. Kamijou couldn't help looking at it, but he was quick to divert his attention as he removed his shoes, placing them by the entrance.

However, Shokuhou's sly smile told him she may have caught his impure peeking. He wasn't really gonna deny it though since this exact situation had happened many times in the past, even when her chest wasn't that prominent. Not that he really cared about that. Much.

"Touma-chan, you perv!" She joked, sporting an embarrassed expression, but he could tell that she was teasing him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm guilty as usual," Kamijou admitted, closing the door and walking past her. Heading inside the kitchen, he asked aloud, "Did you eat already?"

"Oh, my~" Shokuhou chirped, walking to his room and supporting herself on the counter that connected to the kitchen, supporting her elbows on it, her chin resting on her hands, "I'm so lucky! Touma-chan actually wants show off his cooking-ability to me~"

Kamijou chuckled, "You say it like it's the first time," He opened the fridge, a grimace invading his features, "I'm… out of food… Fukou da…"

And indeed he was; after all, the fridge was completely empty. Kamijou could recall he left plenty of food from some sales while on that outing with Yomikawa, before the events of July 16th. He scratched his chin, trying to recall what he did with it.

"I know your fridge is empty, silly," Shokuhou began, attracting his attention. "I threw away what was inside. I don't like you consuming products of questionable quality. Besides, some of them were close to being rotten."

"Guessed as much since I got them in a sale," Kamijou sighed. "Let me go get something from the store. I think I left some money arou-"

The Queen of Tokiwadai raised her finger to cut him off, then winked at him. "You don't have to worry about that. I already took care of it. Food should be arriving soon enough!"

As expected of her.

"Alright… Thanks Misaki, I owe you one," He smiled.

"You know you don't, Touma-chan," Eyes fixated on him, she shook her head, "But if you insist, we could have a date~"

He managed to remain unresponsive, though he recalled the kiss she stole from him not so long ago.

"Stop playing. I mean it," He responded with a feigned, amused expression.

"I'm not playing around, Touma…"

Kamijou blinked in surprise. That wasn't the response he expected from her; the omission of her usual honorific for him wasn't expected either. "I want a date."

He scratched his cheek, "I'm not sure if..."

"…that's a good idea?" She finished his sentence in a tone bearing signs of irritation. "Why wouldn't it be? You never gave me an honest reply since the first time I confessed to you. How much time has passed since then?"

Kamijou frowned, "I just… can't…"

"You can't? Then why didn't you just reject me back then?" Shokuhou retorted, eyes filling with disappointment. "If you just had done so, then I could have moved on… But now…? My recovery-ability can't…"

Silence enveloped the room, her voice fading.

He was at loss for words.

Rejecting Shokuhou would have been in fact the best solution, yet he didn't. For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

'Why didn't I?'

He had asked himself that very question countless times, but if he was completely honest, the answer was obvious - her confession truly made him happy, like never before in his life. But… reality came back like a slap to the face, leading him to conclude that he couldn't accept her feelings. Anyone else in his shoes would have simply embraced her and accepted her confession, but he was not a normal teen, so he knew better.

There was no doubt he felt just the same for her, however, all he could do was look at the bigger picture. Experience had taught him that his life was more than troublesome, hence anyone involved would suffer the same fate, and that wouldn't do.

Even back then, when they had seen each other for the first time, things had been the same. And time hadn't been strong enough to change it.

His life would always go hand in hand with danger.

Kamijou couldn't bring himself do that to her. He cared too much for Shokuhou Misaki, and forcing her to bear a life of constant worry for his well-being was not what he wanted for her.

She deserved better.

Recalling the terrified expression Shokuhou showed some time ago when he was on the verge of death cemented that belief. The fact that she got involved in his affairs led the girl to witness his way of living. She came to know the fact that he would most likely die should destiny will it.

And yet - despite being well aware of his situation - she had never left.

However, Shokuhou wasn't the only person who had revealed such feelings for him. He also had Maki Tomoko to consider.

Eventually, jealousy arose, a friendship was broken, hatred took hold of two certain individuals, and their crash inevitably brought misery.

All these combined led him to almost die on a certain day.

It could be said that only he lost something that eventful day as his brain was compromised, making him forget completely a girl he once cherished in the past, but in reality, many people lost something valuable.

Maki Tomoko had lost him as he no longer remembered her. And she had lost the courage to speak to him again.

Shokuhou Misaki had lost his trust, and had lost the chance to be chosen by the person she loved.

Kamijou Touma had lost an important friend and all the memories they made together, thus leading to him to reject any sort of romance for the guilt he felt.

In the end, all of this happened because of him, and he knew it well.

Thus he couldn't let something like that happen ever again. It was his fault that Shokuhou and Maki had met, it was his fault that they got caught up in his problems, it was his fault that they had come to hate each other, and it was his fault for not having handled the situation properly.

And it all ended really badly for the three of them.

That was a story of the past, though it left a scar on them regardless.

But did that mean he couldn't move forward?

"Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep avoiding this matter?" Her hurt expression aggravated the guilt weighing on his shoulders, and yet, he couldn't come up with anything to say. Shokuhou dropped her gaze, and sat on his bed. "You know how much you mean to me, and yet…"

His silence was all she needed to understand that he had yet to change his mind.

Kamijou's eyes fell to the ground. It seemed she had been meaning to address this matter now that he forgave her, even confessing in the process. He wondered for how long he had been striving to keep her away, and anyone else who attempted to get close to him. He almost succumbed to temptation when Fukiyose showed her acceptance to his way of living, but he was glad nothing ever occurred back then since it would have hurt her in the end.

"I'm sorry, Misaki," He whispered sorrowfully.

He was acting like a coward, striving to keep everything the same, to keep her away from getting involved in the dangerous matters he encountered on a daily basis. The PURE incident was proof of that.

He… he only wanted to protect her.

Then why didn't he just reject her? That would have been the best way of keeping Shokuhou away from him, his misfortune, and all the danger that surrounded his life. He clenched his fist in anger, feeling disgust towards himself, trying to understand his own actions, or the lack of in particular.

"My humor-ability is not fine. I… I think I should leave," He blinked when Shokuhou's depressed voice echoed in his dorm, as she made her way towards the door.

And before he knew it, Kamijou stood in front of her, not letting her take another step. It was like his body acted on his own.

"Let me pass, Touma," Shokuhou muttered with restrained anger, eyes hidden by her bangs. He said nothing. "I…" Finally his eyes met her teary, starry ones. "My endurance-ability can't take this anymore!"

He stepped back in surprise, observing a sorrowful expression he had never seen before on her face. The girl he strived to protect was crying because of him, because of his cowardice, because he was afraid, and so refused to give her a reply to prevent the possibility of losing her.

Kamijou Touma was being selfish.

How despicable of him, keeping her both close and away due to his desire to not lose her.

What was the hell was he doing?

How had he failed to notice all the suffering he was already making her endure?

He almost sacrificed himself because he believed that it was the only thing he could do, because he lost faith in his own goals, lost the determination to fight for his ideals, ignoring what it could have done to those who cared for him. He had been selfish back then, and once again, he was behaving the same way.

For how much longer could he keep pretending to be a dense fool?

Honestly, he was tired of it. Acting like nothing happened, pretending to be dense when he never was, playing dumb in front of the others. Deliberately ignoring their feelings and his own.

That would no longer do.

It was time to make things right.

She deserved more than this… She deserved more than him… than his current self, at least.

"Misaki," He called her name firmly, "Can… can you hear me out?"

Shokuhou didn't seem willing to, the signs of doubt on her face were that clear. Their gazes met once more, silence reigning, his resolution slowly winning over her doubt.

"I hate that you have seen me like this…" She whispered and wiped her tears, "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Touma-chan…"

Kamijou pursed his lips, "You can yell at me all you want, Misaki. I deserve it."

She nodded slowly, "So… what do you want to say? Will you give me a proper reply?"

He had to man up, for her sake.

"…Yeah…" He said in affirmative.

And to his surprise, she grabbed his left hand and dragged him all the way to his room. Letting go of it, she sat on his bed and palmed its surface for him to sit at her side. He gulped, his cheeks getting warm.

"Y-you're not making this easy, you know?" He commented, scratching his cheek nervously.

She flushed somewhat, "I don't see why this should be a problem, Touma-chan. Only when you have perverted thoughts, that is…" Turning away from him, she whispered, "Touma-chan's pervert-ability is out of control…"

Kamijou breathed deeply, trying to relax. Having gained some courage, he eventually managed to sit on the bed, although still feeling slightly embarrassed at these turn of events.

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 02

"So… well…" He began, uncertain on how to proceed.

"Yes?"

"You see… What I told you over the phone…"

Her hands clasped together as she nodded slowly, "When you called me out of nowhere to say you forgave me, right?"

"Y-yeah… I also told you… well," His voice faded as his embarrassment returned, yet he forced himself to continue. "I… I-I also told you that I liked you…"

"Yes… you did…"

He found himself staring down, his cheeks burning hot by this point, and upòn taking a quick peek at her, he came to notice she was doing just the same. She looked so cute that he had to make a tremendous effort not to stare.

With eyes finally averted, he continued.

"To tell you the truth, I was scared of what awaited me when I decided to help destroy that FIVE_OVER." He elaborated, "And then I concluded that I was ready to give my life if needed to stop it."

She blinked in surprise, "Then you forgave me and even confessed because your thought-ability determined you could die?" She sighed at the revelation, disappointed, "So that was it? You were just scar-"

"I was scared," Kamijou interrupted her, "But not of dying… I was scared of not seeing the people I cared for, of not seeing you again. However, at that point, all I could do was forget the past and…" He rested a hand over hers, "Be honest with you."

They stared at one another for several seconds, "I honestly can't say that makes me pleased…" She seemed uncertain, "So by being honest with me you meant…?"

Embarrassment settled in, yet he forced himself to focus and replied slowly, "That… that I like you."

It was amusing, her trying to pretend to be uninterested despite that she had countlless reasons to be mad. Her cheeks showed proof that his words actually got a reaction out of her.

It was certainly cute.

He allowed a tiny smile to appear on his face, "You know, when you confessed to me for the first time, I was so shocked, but… I was happy too," His warm expression was soon replaced by a worried one, "But I couldn't do anything because I was afraid that revealing it would have lead us to a future where you would be in danger for being with me. I wanted to keep you away from all of that."

"You wanted to protect me then…" Shokuhou pressed his hand with both her gloved ones, "Silly Touma-chan. You think I care about my safety alone? How do you think I feel when you get involved in dangerous matters?"

"I can imagine…" He conceded.

Shokuhou let her head rest on his shoulder, Kamijou tensing at her proximity, "I don't care if it's dangerous. I just want to be with you and help you in any way I can. I know you will continue getting into trouble for someone else's sake, but I'm here too, Touma-chan. We can do this together."

"Misaki…"

"You have suffered a lot, Touma-chan…" Gripping his shirt, she added, "That unknown ability of yours has caused you so much suffering, and yet, you still strive to protect the very world that has been so cruel to you. At the very least, you deserve to be happy…"

Kamijou said nothing, his mind recalling what the otherworldly versions of himself told him on that roof. He had the right to be part of that world he was trying to protect, so did that mean he could also be happy?

Kamijou Touma knew there was only one person that could bring out such a feeling from him, and that undoubtedly was…

Shokuhou Misaki.

"You think so?" He asked, looking at nothing in particular.

As she lifted her head to meet his gaze head on, a beautiful smile adorning it, he couldn't stop himself from getting mesmerized. It was similar to that of a young child having their wish granted, so warm it made his heart skip a bit.

"I do. After all… a damsel in distress needs her knight in shining armor, and vice-versa…" She giggled cutely, "One can't exist without the other, don't you think?"

Kamijou smirked at that, "Yeah…"

"So… what do we do now?" She asked softly.

Kamijou tensed again, his mind wandering to forbidden territory, "W-what do we do? Well… Err…"

"Thinking about perverted stuff again, Touma-chan?" She leaned away, puffing her cheeks, "Touma-chan's pervertedness-ability is too high! I was referring to your reply to my confession, you dummy!"

He laughed awkwardly, "Haha… s-sorry. This Kamijou-san can't help it."

She winked, "Apology accepted. You're only forgiven because your cuteness-ability is so endearing when you become embarrassed~" And her smile widened when he chuckled, "Then…"

Kamijou scratched his cheek, hesitant to continue, "Then…"

Shokuhou pouted, "Don't start again…"

Goals, fears, and problems aside, Kamijou Touma had decided to embrace the happiness he had denied himself all this time. There was no going back - he would give his all for her.

It was time for him to take a step forward.

A grin invaded his face before he finally faced her directly, "Misaki… are you really willing to accept this Kamijou-san? Accept all his childish ideals? And his misfortune?" He tilted his head, "I… don't think I may be able to let you go if you do."

She enveloped his neck with her arms, her golden eyes trailing all across his face, "Silly Touma-chan, asking me all that as if we're going to marry. We still have much time before that, you dummy."

"You know how complicated my life is, Misaki," He sighed. "If something ever happened to you…"

Resting her forehead on his, she said with a tiny smile, "My life is complicated too…" And then, leaning back a bit, their eyes met once more. "You, more than anyone, should know that."

"Yeah…"

Silence spread across the Kamijou Residence as both simply looked at one another, her face so close that he could feel her breathing. He wondered right then if he should attempt to do what was obvious right now, or let her make the first move. He was, after all, treading in unknown territory, as his knowledge about these kind of things was pretty much limited.

"Mou… Touma-chan… I'm not going to kiss you if you don't say what you're supposed to," Shokuhou bit her lip, something that came out too moe for him.

"Ehem…" He cleared his throat, "This is happening too fast and out of nowhere, no?"

"Touma-chan…" Her tone acquired a gelid ring to it, "It's too late to back out…"

"Just joking…" He chuckled nervously, "Might as well add some humor, right?"

Shokuhou smiled slyly, "Your sense of humor-ability is really out of place, Touma-chan."

"Yeah… so… well…" The boy gathered his courage, and finally spoke. "Misaki… What I felt back then… it hasn't changed. I like you," Her eyes narrowed as if that wasn't enough, so he was quick to add, "I like you a lot. So… would… would you be the girlfriend of this unfortunate Kamijou-san?"

And to his surprise, her reply came - not in the form of words, but as a kiss. A kiss so passionate that he felt all his senses going into overdrive. Embracing her by her waist, he willingly gave himself to the storm of emotions he had been been holding back for so long.

He couldn't explain this sensation, yet he found himself welcoming it with all his being.

And after some seconds that seemed endless, their lips parted, both breathing agitatedly, their cheeks burning so hot he felt he was going to explode.

"Was… that enough of an answer, Touma-chan?" She smiled cutely.

He nodded his head, "Yeah… it was…"

"Unless you want a confirmation…?" She spoke quietly.

"This… Kamijou-san wouldn't mind it…" He responded, and it was this time that he took the initiative, leaning and kissing her fervidly.

Nothing else mattered to him now. Only her.

Part 4

Two flushed and out-of-breath teens were still sat on a bed, now locked in a tight hug.

"I… think we should stop the kissing… at least for now…" Kamijou commented slowly, trying to catch his breath.

She giggled at that, "You think?" She backed away a bit. "Remember the first time we kissed, Touma-chan?"

Kamijou blinked at the sudden question, so he raised his gaze, forcing his mind to concentrate, "That time when you tripped over me and we accidentally kissed?"

Her expression softened, "I'm actually surprised about your memory-ability… But the fact that you do remember means so much to me~" She giggled to herself like a child would, "It was our first time after all."

"You enjoy embarrassing me, don't you?" He responded with a deadpan expression.

"Maybe~" She admitted shamelessly, winking at him, "Then you remember the other times we kissed?"

"The other three times?" Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "The second and third times were accidental like the first, right?" Shokuhou smiled smugly, and realization dawned on him, "Hold on a minute… you feigned those two times? Unbelievable… And here I was thinking that you were the clumsy, yet cute type."

"For real?" She asked, amused.

"Not really… Miss Manipulative Queen," He joked.

"Don't start with that name again…" Puffing her cheeks, she whined, "I don't like it!"

He smirked, before noticing her hug tightening as she pouted, "And the last one, you stole a kiss from me… before confessing…" He whispered that with a bit of guilt.

She let go of him suddenly, the boy doing the same. Putting a finger delicately over her lips, she stared at him intently, unblinking.

"…What?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It hasn't changed…" She commented quietly, and Kamijou looked on in confusion. "How you kiss…"

"What?" His embarrassment made a triumphant return, and he wasn't happy about that.

"While in the first two kisses, you did nothing to respond, the other two I actually realized that you did…" She explained, her tone still low and somewhat seductive. "You're a natural-born kisser, Touma-chan."

Kamijou averted his gaze, scratching his cheek at the sudden compliment, "I-is that so?"

Without warning, Shokuhou's gaze turned inquisitive. "You haven't kissed another girl, have you?"

And he decided to be honest with her, "I didn't… but I won't deny that I almost did on a couple of occasions."

With a blank expression, she asked, "Is that so? And who is this person you almost kissed?"

Kamijou folded his arms in defiance. "Why do you want to know? You're not going to use your powers on them, right?"

Her face bore an icy expression once more, "Them? So there were two?" Kamijou blinked at her scary voice. "My, my, Touma-chan. Such a dirty player. I'm so disappointed."

"In my defense, we weren't a couple when that happened… and nothing even happened!" He defended himself, giving the first excuse that came to his mind - a very stupid one, he realized. "B-besides… I was feeling down those two times, you know?"

"So you simply ignored your feelings towards me, and let your primal instincts take charge?" Shokuhou sported an insincere smile, and her voice held a sharp and intimidating tone. She was clearly unhappy.

"Well…" He had no response to that.

"Could it be that you even used that girl, Maki-san, and pretended to be mad at me, so you could be free to satiate your lowly needs, Touma-chan?"

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Picture 01

With arms folded, Shokuhou gazed at him with suspicion.

"Eh?"

"…"

There was no way he could let the silence continue.

"Th-that's not it!" He denied, but she didn't seem to believe him. However, he found himself scowling all of a sudden, "And don't joke about that, Misaki. While we're all at fault for what happened back then, your jealousy drove us into that situation." Shokuhou frowned, "Between the three of us, she's the one that suffered the most."

She started sulking at that statement, "If I recall correctly, the only one affected was you since some of your memory-ability was compromised."

"My memories of her, right?" He pointed out and Shokuhou bit her lip, averting her gaze with a hurt expression. "I'm not really blaming you, Misaki. We know full well that machine was the true cause of what happened back then." He knelt before her, patting her head as she remained sat on the bed, "But you have to understand that she was once a close friend of mine. We owe her some consideration…"

Shokuhou looked away, "You still want me to apologize to her?"

He shook his head, "I won't force you anymore, Misaki. You'll have to decide by yourself what you want to do, and I'll support you whatever you do."

"Don't treat me like a little girl, dummy…" She whined, pushing his forehead away with a finger.

"Well, you tend to act like one," After a chuckle, he responded.

Shokuhou giggled, her cheeks reddening, "Wasn't this our first fight as a couple?"

The pointy-haired blinked and scratched his chin in discomfort, "Now that you say it, yeah… First day, first fight, huh?" And looked towards the window, thoughtful, "It's strange, referring to us as a couple, don't you think?"

"Very," She agreed, before shooting him a dry look. "It's someone's fault that it took this long to happen… Isn't that correct, Touma-chan?"

"Y-yeah… I'm an idiot… Sorry."

"But…" Resting a hand on her ample chest, she added while smiling to herself, "It's… so dreamy that I can actually say it…" Her eyes once more focused on him. "We're now a couple. Touma-chan… I don't think you understand how happy I am now…"

Her eyes didn't waver as her gaze remained locked on his face, making him feel self-conscious, "You know that I get nervous when you look at me like that, Misaki?"

"Can't I admire you?" She tilted her head, her voice reeking sweetness.

"I guess…?"

Shokuhou Misaki tilted her head cutely even more, and smiled warmly, "I love you so much, Touma-chan~"

His body froze at that, before his embarrassment returned with a vengeance. She started to giggle upon seeing him freak out. That truly came out of nowhere, and he wasn't prepared.

Kamijou breathed deeply, in order to calm his shocked mind, "I… I also l-lo…"

"Touma-chan?" The blonde interrupted him.

"Y-yeah?"

"Don't force yourself just because I said it, silly," She gave him a short kiss before continuing. "I will wait until you're ready to say it too. Aren't I so thoughtful of you, Touma-chan?" She winked, sticking out her tongue, "My love-ability is vast, so I hope Touma-chan can receive it all~"

He took some seconds to reflect before nodding, "Thank you, Misaki. You're the best."

"Of course I am~" She winked playfully.

They shared a laugh, one that was so heartfelt it made him wish it would last forever.

Part 5

Kamijou folded his arms, sporting a troubled expression, "Things will get crazy when everyone finds out… fukou da…"

The Level 5 - who still remained on his bed - crossed her legs in an intimate manner, once again causing Kamijou's cheeks to burn at such a display of moeness. He forced himself to relax as she folded her arms, looking slightly irritated.

"While I should say that you shouldn't care, I know you will regardless," Shokuhou stated nonchalantly, her playful posture gone. "So I have a solution to prevent any trouble from arising. At least for the time being, Touma-chan."

He was caught by surprise at that, his stance suddenly gaining strength in the hope of not having to deal with the countless problems his sudden relationship would certainly cause.

As his partner opened her mouth to reveal it, a sound echoed all across his dorm.

*Riiiiiing*

Both turned towards the sound. It was the ringbell.

"Oh," Shokuhou's eyes lit up in realization. "It must be Hokaze bringing the food. Her buying speed-ability is impressive as always."

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow as the blonde made her way towards the door, "Is that something to be impressed about?"

And before opening it, Shokuhou turned to him and whispered, "Don't mention us as a couple, Touma-chan." She winked.

"…Sure?" He was confused by that request, but decided not to question it for the time being. He concluded she wanted to keep this hidden from her clique for now.

Kamijou Touma sighed wearily.

With the door opened, three girls came into view. Hokaze Junko, whom he'd known for a long time, stood in the middle, carrying two large bags. She had platinum-colored hair, made into ringlet curls, and eyes of the same color. She sported, like the other two behind her, the Tokiwadai summer uniform.

Kamijou promptly moved to receive the bags from Hokaze (to her surprise), before he did just the same with the bags the other two carried. He was shocked to see the volume of high-quality groceries and dairy products once he put all the bags on the table and turned towards the blonde.

"Isn't this too much?" He asked in disbelief.

The blonde tilted her head, "Not at all."

His expression turned flat. "So… I thought you were bringing prepared food."

She winked, "I wouldn't lose the chance to witness your cooking-ability~"

Suddenly, two inquisitive gazes were directed at him, coming from the two girls unfamiliar to him. Kamijou ignored them as he knew how overprotective Shokuhou's clique was. He had lost count of how many times its members intervened in various situations.

"Touma-sama, it's been some time," Hokaze bowed to him, much to the surprise of her two companions. "I'm glad to see you're recovering."

'She still addresses me that way, huh?'

"Yeah, I feel much better, thanks…" Resting his hands on his waist, he bore a dumb expression, "How did you know I was…?" His eyes fell on Shokuhou's knowing smile, "Oh, right."

"Who is… this gentleman?" Asked one of them, and Shokuhou narrowed her gaze at her tone. Kamijou just shrugged his shoulders as the girl with ringlet curls spoke.

Turning to them, Hokaze spoke, "This is Kamijou Touma-sama, a longtime acquaintance of both the Queen and myself." Then turning to him, she continued with the presentations, "These are Kobayashi Satori and Makigami Kobaki."

The duo exchanged a glance, and bowed to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet an acquaintance of the Queen, Kamijou-sama," The girl with short hair and straight bangs presented as Kobayashi Satori greeted him, showing a bit of confusion.

Makigami Komaki, who sported two short pigtails, added, "Indeed. Nice to meet you, Kamijou-sama." Suddenly, her eyes lit up in recognition, "A-ano… isn't Kamijou-sama the boy who helped recover School Garden?"

Kobayashi blinked in surprise, "H-he is?"

Hokaze raised a finger, "Indeed. Touma-sama is also a member of Judgment, just like Makigami-san. Thanks to his help, the terrorists were captured."

It seemed that everyone was well aware of his participation in the recent events, much to his discomfort. That explained the numerous glances and greetings he received on his way back to the dorm.

"Listen now, I have an order to give, and I trust it will be followed without any questioning," Shokuhou suddenly declared, her posture commanding, as expected of the leader of one of the largest cliques.

Kamijou was slightly impressed, recalling it had been some time since he last saw her acting as a leader. She had just the qualities if he was honest. At her tone, the three nodded their heads.

"Of course, my Queen!" / "Yes, Shokuhou-sama!" The three responded.

"Good. I assume your memory-ability recalls the person I talked about some time ago," She began, eyes closed, tone solemn. "This gentleman is the very person who saved my life more than once… and my trust-ability in him is definitive."

The newcomers gaped at him in sheer disbelief, but Kamijou shrugged his shoulders.

Hokaze nodded in agreement, "Indeed, I have witnessed it myself. Touma-sama has been of great assistance to the clique in past situations, so this doesn't come as a surprise."

"Y-you keep c-calling this gentleman by his name?" Makigami questioned, slightly embarrassed.

"T-then…?" Kobayashi shot him an expectant gaze..

Kamijou scratched his head, sighing as their reactions were pretty much expected. He knew fully well that Hokaze Junko was second in command in Shokuhou's clique, so having her refer to him in such a familiar way unusual. This only happened though because Shokuhou herself told her to do it during a kidnap attempt that Kamijou prevented some time ago.

It seemed that since then, Hokaze had stuck with referring to him in that way.

"I have decided to grant him privilege-ability inside the clique," Shokuhou stated, her voice firm as everyone, Kamijou included, looked on attentively. "One, he now holds the authority to request assistance from any of you should he need it."

"As you wish, my Queen," Hokaze nodded, the other two doing just the same.

"Good," Shokuhou smiled, looking pleased. "Two, the clique will make sure this dorm has everything it needs. By that I mean medical supplies, food, etcetera."

"Aren't you exaggerating, now?" Kamijou asked, twitching a brow.

"Of course not~" The Level 5 winked playfully, "I always take care of everything that belongs to me…" Such bold statement earned Kamijou inquisitive gazes. "And of my allies obviously~"

Kamijou sighed in relief, as he was now in the clear with that final statement.

"I can get my own stuff, so don't worry about it," Kamijou waved a hand while forcing a chuckle.

And that was an undeniable truth. Since moving to Academy City, Kamijou had lived by his own, just like all students within the city did. He had learnt to survive with his allowance despite his rotten luck, and had learnt get supplies with what he had.

Hokaze simply flashed him a smile, "We don't mind that either. We'll be happy to oblige, Touma-sama. This is the least we can do to thank you for protecting our Queen."

"Even if you say that…" He couldn't just agree to this.

"C-can I ask something?" Makigami called everyone's attention, looking seriously at the only boy present, which earned her a reassuring smirk from him. "Then… what is your relationship with the Queen… if you don't mind me asking, Kamijou-sama?"

The pointy-haired boy tensed slightly despite that he had been expecting that inquiry, glancing at Shokuhou who seemed amused at that question. He could guess this was nothing to worry about.

"Misaki's a friend," He replied. "We've know each other for a long time, and we trust each other."

"But… for the Queen to be in the dorm of a boy by herself…" The girl with pigtails made a troubled expression, "The reputation of our Shokuhou-sama could be damaged should anyone see her here."

The blond giggled with a hand over her lips, a haughty expression covering her face, "Your doubt-ability is much too obvious, Kobayashi. Would you mind telling us why?"

"Ah… n-no… it's j-just…" Kobayashi stuttered, clearly unable to give a proper response.

The newcomers became red at the implications, while Kamijou only scratched the back of his head, eyes averted in discomfort. Hokaze, in contrast, only blinked in confusion, failing to read the situation, thus leading Kamijou to wonder if this girl was still as naive as in the time they just met.

As an ojou-sama, she probably was.

...But that meant that she could prove useful for a little payback for the teasing he's been getting recently.

"It's no big deal, really," Kamijou began. "She used to do this kind of thing all the time, right, Hokaze-chan?"

Misaki froze in place the moment those words left Touma's mouth.

"Yeah, I remember. She liked to spend plenty of time at your dorm. I recall having to pick her up on many occasions." Hokaze answered, none-the-wiser to the plot.

The girl's faces lit up a brighter shade as the blonde girl visibly tensed, much to his satisfaction. Nothing better than running the show for once, he admitted.

"D-don't you think that's a little…"

"Well, I figured that if they thought this was normal, it'd be ok. Besides, aren't we going to be seeing them more often?" Kamijou smiled knowingly.

"A-ah, yes…" Kobayashi nodded in agreement, "It actually makes sense."

"Is there something wrong with what they're doing?" Asked Hokaze innocently.

"W-well… it's just a little…" Makigami trailed off, trying to figure out a proper way to explain it.

Kamijou casually shrugged his shoulders, "It's fine for friends to hang out once in a while… Plus she could really only come here since a guy like me wouldn't be allowed in the School Garden, you know… It's not like she stayed over or anything."

"…But I remember-" Hokaze was abruptly cut off as Misaki covered her mouth.

"Haha! D-don't go revealing all our secrets, please!" The Mental Out ordered, a slight tinge of nervousness resonating in her otherwise lovely voice. "N-now, could you show us your high cooking-ability? Please?"

Hokaze shot him an expectant gaze as well while the other two exchanged glances before finally nodding their heads, apparently accepting the unexpected situation. Kamijou raised an eyebrow in amusement as Shokuhou stuck out her tongue at him.

"…I guess if you don't mind waiting a bit, this Kamijou-san can cook for you all," He stated with a smirk. "In the meantime, those two can fill you in on who I am. Hokaze-chan knows just about everything, right?"

"Of course! Feel free to ask me anything!" She flashed them a sweet smile. Misaki did her best to keep a stable expression, but when the two girls looked away, she shot the Imagine Breaker a knowing glare, which only made his smirk larger.

However, Shokuhou Misaki was much more knowledgeable about manipulating a situation to her favor as he had witnessed many times in the past.

"Actually, I would like you to assist him in cooking if you wouldn't mind." She asked sweetly. "He's so used to just cooking for himself, he might need a helping hand."

"Of course, my Queen." Hokaze nodded and moved towards the kitchen to join him.

"As for you two," She began, lightly rolling her shoulders. "I'm feeling a little stiff…"

"Right away!" The two girls spoke in unison, all three moving to the more open living space as Kamijou and Hokaze got to work. At first, it seemed like Mental Out was going to sit down next to the table, but she paused for just a moment to take a look around… and promptly moved to lay down on the Imagine Breaker's bed instead.

It seemed rather casual, as if she had done it a thousand times, which startled both Kobayashi and Makigami. After a short stretch, she rolled onto her front to let the girls get to work.

"…Geez, she's doing it while people are around too…? It's bad enough that she did when we were alone!" The unnerved boy spoke under his breath as he tried to focus on his food prep.

"Is something wrong, Touma-sama?" Hokaze asked.

"N-nothing, let's focus on this," He shook his head and turned toward his stove. "Thanks for the help anyway."

She nodded, handing him a bowl with some eggs, "It's my pleasure, Touma-sama."

"Guess I should ask… what exactly do we have for food to cook?" Kamijou never really got a good look at the materials he was going to be working with, after all. They were all high quality, and most likely expensive and unknown to him.

"I would say anything, but we try to keep our intake of food to the minimum," Hokaze explained. "We do try to conserve our figures, Touma-sama. And I do hope you hold this in consideration for the future in case you cook for the Queen again."

"…It's not like eating more than usual will suddenly turn you fat, you know…" The pointy-haired boy replied. "You do know that it isn't bad to treat yourself once in a while, right? If you don't like your diet, you'll never end up sticking to it… it's why strict diet plans usually fail."

Shokuhou rolled her eyes at his comment, "Be that as it may, we'd rather avoid it. My resistance-ability to eating is actually high."

Kamijou's attention shifted towards his bed where a pleased Shokuhou lay prone as she continued to receive her massage, all while observing him. "Enjoying yourself?" He asked flatly.

She grinned in response, "Very much so~"

"I expected as much…" He scratched his cheek, "Want an omelet?"

"Sure!" She winked.

Kamijou then turned to Kobayashi and Makigami, "Is that fine with you two as well?"

"Whatever the Queen eats will do, thank you."

"Alright… hope you don't mind, but I'm going to make a fair bit." He nodded to himself. "I know you said not to make a lot, Hokaze-chan, but I'm going to be eating too, and I wouldn't mind leftovers. Besides… surely self-control is the most important skill for a proper lady, right?"

Hokaze raised an eyebrow, "Touma-sama is a bit mean…"

Kamijou laughed at that, recalling that she had quite the weakness when it came to delicious food. Turning back to the Level 5, he cocked an eyebrow as she was staring at him, her brows furrowed.

"What is it?" He asked while cracking the organic eggs and putting them in a bowl, before turning to Hokaze, "Can you get me the salt and pepper?"

"…Your casual-ability with Hokaze is rather high, you know…" Misaki spoke, pouting lightly.

At that point, he noticed the slightly surprised expressions on Shokuhou's current massage therapists. Kamijou guessed she wasn't really going to hide their friendship from them… only what happened before they arrived, that is.

He just hoped this didn't make trouble for her.

"Well… I kind of have to be… it wouldn't do any good to be shy the whole time… unless you'd rather be in here helping me cook instead?" Kamijou responded with a raised eyebrow, whisking the egg yolks. "Pampered or helpful; pick your poison."

She made a thoughtful expression before resting her head once more on the bed, "Pampered all the way~"

"Then I won't settle for any complaining. You get all nice and touched up while we work to serve you, alright?" He was being sarcastic, but it appeared the girls took his statement rather literally.

"Then I expect the best omelet in the world~" Shokuhou giggled, before seeing Hokaze peeking at him. She nodded, and leant while whispering, "Thank you."

Kamijou was startled, and before he could even ascertain the reason behind that sudden gratitude, Shokuhou's voice was heard; not directed at him, to his relief. "Kobayashi? I'm thirsty. Can you prepare my favorite drink? We wouldn't want to interrupt them."

Kamijou made a wry smile, as the short-haired girl nodded her head, "As you wish," She walked to the kitchen, "Kamijou-sama, do you mind if I use the kitchen, too?"

"Sure, don't mind us," He motioned his head to his right, "You will be making Jin Xuan Tea, right? The glasses are right there, and there's a bag of ice in the fridge."

"It seems Kamijou-sama is also well aware of the Queen's tastes," She bowed to him respectfully, "In any case, thank you."

"I'm surprised you recall that, Touma-sama," Hokaze seemed pleased.

"What can I say? My memory isn't that bad… I think…" The Imagine Breaker paused to rub his head for just a moment. He felt as though he had forgotten something important… but the feeling passed just as soon as it came, so he went back to work.

"I see…" Hokaze's gaze became distant before she shook her head, "Should I grate the cheese? We bought cheddar, gruyere and swiss."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "Seriously, you brought too much…" Shrugging his shoulders, "Well, grate a bit of the three." He took a small grater from one of the cabinets, and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Touma-sama."

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 03

Having seasoned the whisked eggs with some salt and pepper, he proceeded to start one of his burners, tuning it to a medium heat. As he mixed the eggs, Hokaze located a skillet and sprayed it down and set it on the burner, ready for Kamijou to use.

"Well, I guess I'll put the olive oil you guys brought to good use, too," Kamijou commented, pouring a little bit of the aforementioned oil on the skillet, then added a piece of butter. Giving it some seconds until the butter melted, he finally poured in the mixture.

He then took a pepper from the fridge, which was now completely full of products he wouldn't be able to pay for in a lifetime; he also took a whole ham. He stared at it, an eyebrow twitching before he turned to the girl with curls.

"How much does this cost anyway?" He inquired, dreading the answer as he showed her the ham, "Wait, actually… don't tell me. It's from another country, right?" He could tell that much by looking at its cover, displaying a name apparently written in French.

"Of course, it's from a very reputable brand; Tokiwadai chefs order it specifically. Is it not to your liking?" Hokaze asked.

"No, it's fine… ham is ham… no matter the absurd difference in cost. I'm going to dice the peppers while keeping an eye on the eggs; can I leave cutting the ham to you?"

"Be careful not to cut yourself, Touma-sama. The taste of blood wouldn't be welcomed in a dish." Hokaze warned.

Kamijou sighed. "I know, I know… I'll say the same for you."

After quickly dicing the pepper, he glanced at Kobayashi as she had apparently finished preparing Shokuhou's drink. He picked up the bottle she used for it in curiosity. 'Mineral water, huh…?' Then he gazed at the other two packages she used. 'Non-artificial sweeteners and… those tea leaves are from… Taiwan!?' Geez… the life of ojous…

"Ah~ Its sweetness-ability is perfect~" A voice claimed his attention, and upon lifting his gaze, he witnessed Kobayashi placing the drink in position for Shokuhou to reach the sorbet.

'She could at least hold her own drink.'

Makigami, who looked a bit nervous, asked as she continued to massage her legs, "Shokuhou-sama, how does this feel?"

"It feels wonderful~" She replied with a relaxed tone.

Kamijou observed the activities with a deadpan expression. It had been some time since he last saw Shokuhou being pampered by her clique members to such a degree, although it never happened in his dorm. Even back then, he had decided to let it slide as both Shokuhou and her followers seemed pleased with it.

He blinked, realizing he forgot the omelet, but to his relief, Hokaze, having already cut the ham, watched over the eggs so they wouldn't burn.

"Touma-sama, should I move it a bit?"

In response, he shook his head before reducing the heat, "Nah, we just have to let it sit until the sides are cooked." She nodded her head. And after a minute, "Look, it's solidifying." Hokaze leaned over to glance at it. "Now we add the filling through the middle…" He added some of the cheese, diced pepper and ham. "And then we flip it from the side by thirds." Using a spatula, he did just that, the omelet finally ready.

"It looks… amazing…" Hokaze commented, her cheeks a bit red.

"It's just an omelet," Kamijou chuckled, "Well, this is just the first one, and I'm planning to make plenty more. Care to prepare the table in the meanwhile?"

The Level 4 smiled, "Yes!"

Part 6

Kamijou and company sat by the short table, one at each side. Before them, one omelet served for each of the girls, while he got two portions. There were 4 more omelets in case anyone else wanted another share. Since they were supposedly watching their figures, he was probably going to store them as leftovers for later.

"It looks good…!" Makigami commented, her eyes practically glowing.

"I-Is this what a homemade omelet looks like?" Kobayashi asked, making a similar expression.

"Be sure to thank Hokaze-chan too, she helped," He stated. "I hope you don't mind this Kamijou-chan's bachelor cooking too much."

"I'm still a little concerned about the portion size…" Hokaze was examining her plate rather carefully. "…And the contents; I think there's a little too much ham…"

"It'll be fine. Eat what you want; I intend to save what's left for another day." The boy snickered. "Besides, it's as light as you could make it without not eating anything at all. Starvation to look thinner is a problem, you know."

"Don't complain too much; he did cook it specially for us, so we have no room to complain unless the food is bad." Shokuhou scolded her closest follower. "With that out of the way, let's dig in!"

All four girls took a bite delicately, chewing carefully. Kamijou glanced between them, expecting their reactions when it suddenly happened.

Shokuhou supported herself on the table, her face red as she tried to contain her own voice, yet a soft, yet terribly alluring moan escaped her lips once she had swallowed the food. He couldn't help becoming tense at that, but that spectacle was far from over. More moans came from the two newbies, both doing their best to cover their mouths as they pressed themselves against the table.

'This again!?'

It was then that he turned to Hokaze - her eyes were shut, her face as red as the others' as she had just apparently swallowed the first bite of the omelet. Her breathing was erratic, a hand resting on her chest as she gasped for breath.

This scene was too damn difficult to look at without becoming embarrassed.

And then another bite came, one becoming two… then three… then four… and on… and on… and on…

"I-I can't stop… w-why can't I stop!?" Kobayashi called out in-between bites.

"I want to put my fork down, but it keeps moving on its own!" Clearly, Makigami had the same sentiment.

"It's been… a long time… so…!" Even Shokuhou Misaki was swept away.

"Y-you… w-what did you put in this!?" Hokaze demanded an answer… in the small moment between shoveling food into her mouth, of course.

The Imagine Breaker shrugged. "You saw everything I put in there; nothing more, nothing less."

"D-does… s-simply the person who makes the meal… m-matter this much!?" Hokaze managed to state before being completely done in by the flavors invading her senses.

It didn't take long before they had finished the omelets they were presented with… and despite their best efforts, all four went for the second helpings that were provided.

"…I didn't make it that well, did I?" He mused, taking a bite himself. "Eh… it's a bit light for me… needs more filling to be spectacular… oh well, food is food; not like it tastes bad or anything." He joined the girls in devouring the omelets, though at a much more relaxed pace.

A few minutes passed rather quickly, and it appeared as though the only thing that could stop the suddenly voracious women would be - ironically - the lack of food, which occurred sooner than expected.

"W-wow… that was… wow…" Makigami breathed out, relaxing over the meal.

"It's… nothing like… the food back in Tokiwadai…!" Kobayashi sighed merrily.

"I know I should have stopped… but…" Even the mentally strong Hokaze was left in a daze.

"Y-you brute… how unfair…" Shokuhou stated grimly. "You unleashed… your full cooking-ability on me on purpose, didn't you… ugh… and I was trying to trim up my figure…"

"…I'd say your figure is probably going to be fine because I know a particular place where all that food will go… but I'll refrain from continuing on this line of thought for self preservation." Kamijou responded blankly, taking a drink of water. It was obvious what he was referring to; the feature that the other three girls lacked in comparison.

Her hefty chest.

The Mental Out, still conscious enough to acknowledge what the Imagine Breaker was thinking of, pouted a little… but this was followed by a sinister smirk.

"…Is that to say… you want them… even bigger…?"

Kamijou began to choke on his water almost immediately.

"J-just how did you reach that conclusion!?" Retorted Kamijou instantly, flushing red.

And then silence came, both Kamijou and Shokuhou blinking as the other three gazed down at their own chests, an aura of depression soon enveloping them. However, the trio turned to face him, and leant to him all of a sudden, the boy sweat dropping.

"H-hai?"

"Touma-sama! / Kamijou-sama!" He leaned back in discomfort as they leaned even further towards him, his personal space close to being invaded, "Give us more food! We want to grow, too!"

"T-the route you're choosing is going to cause other places to grow too! T-there are better options than just eating everything in sight!" Kamijou replied nervously.

A giggle was heard, soon becoming a laugh as the trio and Kamijou turned to the Queen of Tokiwadai. The blonde was grabbing her stomach as she had started to laugh heartily, tiny tears in the corners of her eyes as they looked on, confused as to why she would start laughing out of nowhere.

However, the significant change in expression on Hokaze's face made him realize she understood the reason behind her reaction. They waited for her to relax as her laughter ended.

"It's the first time I have seen the Queen laughing like that…" Kobayashi commented softly, "I'm quite surprised."

"Y-yeah… it really suits you, Shokuhou-sama," Added Makigami.

Hokaze, with hands resting on her lap, closed eyes and a warm expression, giggled, before directing her gaze at the girl she deeply admired, "It has been a while."

"…Yeah, I suppose it has…" Kamijou said, becoming slightly nostalgic.

After all, it had been a long time since he had seen that smile on her, one that he honestly missed, and as far as he could see, Hokaze apparently felt the same. Shokuhou had just showed it to him when they were alone before their arrival, which made him realize that she was truly happy.

Kamijou's eyes dropped to his right hand as he wondered if it was only because of him. She had made clear how important he was to her, she had even said that she loved him, much to his shock, yet… despite it all, he felt he didn't deserve such feelings, he didn't know if he deserved someone like her, who by all means was above him in all standards.

He may not be the man she deserved right now, but he had promised he would become someone that can stand by her side as an equal. Now more than ever as she had unexpectedly become his girlfriend. He had to admit that him saying he actually had one was weird though.

A question arose in his head, one that had to do with his otherworldly selves. He wondered if any of them had a girlfriend like he now did.

Knowing himself, not many. Well, he had to be realistic.

"Hokaze?" Shokuhou called out, taking him out of his musings, "Did you also bring the other things I requested? I hope your memory-ability was good enough for you to have remembered them, yes?"

Hokaze nodded, "I have, but I would appreciate it if you trusted me a bit more with that kind of request, Shokuhou-sama."

Kobayashi closed her eyes and stated, "Hokaze-san? Didn't you forget to pick up the Queen's belongings when she asked you on three occasions?"

Hokaze became flustered, raising her hands and waving them nervously, "Y-yeah, but that's…"

"And those two times when you forgot to bring Shokuhou-sama her dessert?" Makigami interjected, sporting a wry look.

"Oh, but t-that…"

Shokuhou seemed amused, and decided to add a bit of fire, "My embarrassment-ability is still off the charts for what happened in that boutique."

The boy felt bad for the girl as she had no response to give. Kamijou could recall himself that she sometimes got a bit distracted, but it happened rarely, so he guessed they were just teasing her. He was of course not planning to keep watching it.

"Now, now. This kind of thing happens to everyone," Hokaze gazed at him, relieved and hopeful, earning a frown from Shokuhou, "Don't bully her."

"We're not," Shokuhou puffed her cheeks cutely.

Makigami instead observed him inquisitively while Kobayashi stared blankly.

"I-In any case…" Hokaze stood on her feet, and headed to the entrance, from where she picked up a large bag. Sitting on the same spot, she handed the bag to the blonde, who winked at her.

"Good job, Hokaze~" She praised cheerfully. "Now then…" She turned to the table, and Kamijou blinked.

"Oh, let me take the dishes away," Kamijou said, standing up.

Hokaze blinked twice, glancing at the table. "Let me help you, Touma-sama."

"Hokaze, stay here," The Level 5's voice held a commanding tone, which completely immobilized her. "I'm sure that Makigami can help him."

"M-me?" She stammered, glancing at him briefly before quickly averting her gaze.

Shokuhou tilted her head, "You can't?"

The girl with pigtails stood with one swift movement, "O-of course I can!" She turned to the boy with a serious expression and bowed to him, "Kamijou-sama, let me help you!"

Kamijou scratched his cheek awkwardly, "Right…"

And when the table was finally cleaned, the blonde put the large bag over it, the four gathered once more around the furniture.

"So what's that?" Kamijou asked curiously.

At his inquiry, Mental Out removed a small box from it and extended it to him, winking, "This is a gift for you~"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, receiving it before noting it was actually a cellphone - a new and rather expensive one, at that. He sighed, closing his eyes before putting it on the table.

"I can't accept this."

Kobayashi shot him a questioning look, "Kamijou-sama? It's disrespectful to turn down a gift."

"Don't get me wrong… I'm not usually one to say no… but something like this at the drop of a hat… it's a little too expensive for me to just… take, right?" He responded. "It's nice… but something like this…? For nothing at all…?"

Shokuhou pouted, "You don't have a phone right now, do you?"

"It's not that… I guess I just have trouble accepting something expensive like this as a gift… I feel like I should at least do something to earn it." Kamijou sighed. "Just taking it makes me feel like I'm stealing it… I don't even want to know how much you spent on it."

Kobayashi looked at him, slightly startled, "Kamijou-sama…"

Hokaze smiled, eyes closed, "That is expected honestly, but you have done so much for the Queen already, Touma-sama."

"I mean…" The teen trailed off, eyeing the phone for a bit. "Even if you say that… I don't feel right just taking it… I thank you for the gift, but…"

Shokuhou stood up and sat just in front of him with both knees before her and stared at him with that disarming pout of hers. Kamijou averted his gaze, trying to not fall prey to her cuteness.

"Will you reject my gift then?"

Kamijou's cheeks flushed a little. He knew what she was doing; this wasn't her first attempt to shift his opinion. It was honestly playing dirty if he were to put a name on it.

"…This… this is actually from you… right?" The boy inquired. "Like… you got it yourself, and everything?"

She winked at him again, "Of course, silly. I only told them to pick it up. I personally chose it for you~"

"I can attest to that as I was with the Queen when she selected it," Kobayashi explained.

He eyed the phone again for a moment, his lips curling into a frown… but despite that, he did eventually take it out of its case, holding it closer.

"…Just don't make a habit out of it, alright? This still… feels weird… like I should be earning it or something…" The Imagine Breaker rubbed his head.

Shokuhou stared at him for some seconds, making him a bit nervous as the others looked between them with varied degrees of confusion and surprise. However, his attention was drawn by the Level 5 as she finally spoke.

"Haven't you earned it already?" She simply stated, tilting her head and giggling.

Kamijou's eyes locked onto hers, the two remaining silent for a short amount of time before he gradually looked down, unable to keep resisting.

"Erm… S-still… sorry again about… before…" He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "And… thanks… I really do appreciate it…"

She seemed pleased, and Kamijou could tell she was doing her best to not simply throw herself at him. Her starry eyes shone with inner fire, quite intimidating in fact.

"It's my pleasure~" Replied the girl cheerfully before dragging the bag across the table to their side, "Then I hope you don't mind this either~"

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow, turning to see a longer box inside the bag. Rolling his eyes, he scratched the back of his head, "Did… you get me something else? You didn't spend more, did you?"

She stuck out her tongue playfully, "Maybe I did~"

Hokaze leaned to the bag, "Why don't you open it, Touma-sama?"

"Yes!" Makigami nodded in agreement, "I actually am interested in seeing it personally!"

Kamijou was reluctant again as he had just received an expensive mobile phone. He wondered what else she could have bought now, and he suspected she wasn't gonna take no for an answer, just like before.

"Alright… if you insist I guess…" And as he was about to check the back, Shokuhou spoke.

"Why don't you turn on your phone?" She suggested, raising a finger, "I mean, we have to see if its working-ability is fine."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "I would assume you already did so, no?"

"It's better to make sure, don't you think?"

Kamijou sighed and pressed a button on the left side of the tactile phone. He waited as it began to load. Seconds later, a certain picture came into view, working as the current wallpaper for his phone.

…And immediately, he went red and turned it off. Despite this, he had a clear frown, and turned to face the Mental Out.

"Oi…" He sounded less than amused.

"What? I won't always be around… so I figured I'd give you a little present in case you got… lonely." Shokuhou giggled lightly, knowing fully well what she did.

"S-seriously!?" The nervous boy cried out.

Hokaze blinked, "What is it, Touma-sama? Why do you look so red?" Her gaze fell upon the tiny device, "Is the phone malfunctioning?"

"N-No… it's fine… it's just… um… a-amazing how good a phone it is!" Kamijou rubbed the back of head nervously. "M-mine was just an old flip-phone before, so…"

Kobayashi shot him a knowing look in that moment, as if having realized what truly happened. Kamijou paled at the implications; however, the girl said nothing, much to his relief.

Honestly, it wasn't that difficult to realize what was happening between Shokuhou and himself, given that she made no effort in hiding her affection. As he had suspected, she had no intention of truly hiding their romance.

At least, Hokaze and Makigami seemed to still ignore it.

So in order to prevent them from noticing it, Kamijou grabbed the bag, "Well, let's see what's in here." He pulled a case out of the bag, glancing at the Level 5 before opening it. "Holy…" He blinked in surprise as his eyes studied the object before him. It was a laptop, and he could tell from its brand name that it was one of the expensive ones.

He rolled his eyes, and drily asked, "Now, what is this?"

"It's a laptop," Shokuhou replied casually, her tone coated with amusement.

Kamijou twitched a brow, "I can see that, you know?" She giggled, making him sigh, "Are you planning to give me this too?" He asked despite that he suspected the answer.

"Yes," She replied easily.

"Accepting the phone is debatable, but there's no way I'm accepting this, too," Kamijou retorted, closing the case of the laptop.

Resting a hand on her chest, she assumed a haughty posture, "Of course it's not debatable, because you're going to accept it."

"I'm not." He shook his head.

"You won't then?" She asked weakly, sporting puppy eyes.

Kamijou grit his teeth, refusing to let a blush appear. He knew what she was trying to do, and despite that, it was working. It was too hard for him to say no to her.

"I've told you, Misaki. It doesn't feel right accepting this kind of gift."

"The laptop isn't just a gift," She pointed out, making him blink.

"What do you mean?"

Taking the case from him, she opened it and placed the laptop on the table, before turning to the girl with pigtails, "Makigami? Do you mind?"

The girl nodded her head and sat closer to Kamijou in order to operate it, making him uncomfortable in the process. The girl, however, only seemed focused on the device as she started using the keyboard.

Kamijou looked at her briefly, studying her before forcing himself to relax. A glare and a pout came his way in that moment. As expected, Shokuhou had managed to see though his act and noticed his reaction to the Makigami's proximity. He could only shrug his shoulders, raising his hand in a gesture that wordlessly said: "What did I do now?"

She sighed, "In any case, look at the screen." Kamijou turned to it, noticing the opened window, titled MY NETWORK. "The gift admittedly is not so much the laptop itself… but rather what it can get you access to."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, leaning to see a list of several names displayed; among those, he noticed names he was familiar with, such as Hokaze Junko, Makigami Komaki and Kobayashi Shimanaka. He concluded this was a list of all Tokiwadai students that belonged to Mental Out's clique. He turned to the blonde with a puzzled expression.

"What is this exactly?" He inquired.

Tilting her head cutely while making a pose, she responded, "It's my personal program to manage my clique~" He blinked at the revelation, and turned to the screen once more, "As your sight-ability allows you to notice, each one of my followers' names are featured in it."

"Alright? I can see that… but I still don't get why this is a gift," Folding his arms as Makigami connected a mouse to the laptop, he blinked upon seeing his name located at the upper left of the screen.

'User Name: Kamijou Touma…'

"…I'm sorry, what?" The Imagine Breaker blinked several times, slightly confused.

It didn't take a genius to understand the implications behind this occurrence. Shokuhou had just said that she managed her clique by using this program, so that could only mean…

"Well, if you want it spelled out for you… I have a rather extensive information network." Shokuhou elaborated. "My gift here is a complete access-ability to it and those who are part of it. I have my clique's record information here, and thus, everything that they or I find out will be available to you." She winked at him, "Aren't I so sweet and thoughtful?"

"More like… scary…" Kamijou pointed out with a dry voice, "Why are you giving me access to this out of nowhere?"

"If you'd look at a report just submitted last night by one of my girls, it might make more sense…" Shokuhou motioned to a recent addition to a file list. It wasn't at the top, but it was fairly close; obviously a recent addition.

It read Level Upper Report.

"…This again?" Kamijou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's something I've been keeping track of… After the unfortunate incident yesterday with the Graviton bomber being taken into custody…" She shot him a knowing look, and he decided to ignore it. "I moved it to my girls' top priority." The Mental Out's expression turned a tad more serious in that moment.

Kamijou put a hand under his chin, "I see… so what do you have so far? Last thing I heard is that they were going to interrogate Kaitabi Hatsuya this morning."

Kobayashi sat at Shokuhou's side, gazing at the screen, "The report about the interrogation should be arriving soon enough, Kamijou-sama."

"Okay…" Scratching his head, he added, "He was a Level 2, yet he managed to pull off bombings as if he was a Level 4, so he must know about the Level Upper."

Makigami pursed her lips, "We know that much, but a confirmation would be of great help."

Kamijou gazed at her, recalling that she also belonged to Judgment. "Is Judgment following the leads of the Level Upper?"

"I'm afraid not," Answered Makigami solemnly, "But the clique is. We can't ignore something like the Level Upper actually existing, and what is worse, for it to be at arm's reach. The Graviton Bomber is proof enough to know what it can cause."

"I guess… if people are using it irresponsibly, then it's definitely bad…" He mused briefly. "Misaki, you said it was some sort of audio file, right?"

"Indeed. It's available for purchase via some shady internet sites," She informed, using the mouse and clicking on the report. "Look."

Kamijou narrowed his eyes.

There was an audio file. It was even attached to the report, with a few links to outgoing sites still up and hosting it. Knowing that anyone could get their hands on this file was troublesome.

"…So they listen to it… and they magically go up in levels?" Kamijou reclined in his seat. "Something like that is too good to be true… right? I mean, if Academy City's higher ups knew about it, they'd be adding it to the curriculum, not making it hard to find…"

"I don't know for sure… but I would consider it unlikely that nobody on the Board of Directors is aware of it." Shokuhou nodded, agreeing with the Imagine Breaker's cause for confusion. "I think… it might have some kind of side effect-ability not previously stated. Something like this definitely should have been discovered before… so I think it's doing the rounds on the illegal boards for a particular reason."

"So… It'll boost their levels, but possibly have a nasty drawback, huh…" Kamijou crossed his arms.

"Most likely," Shokuhou nodded in agreement.

Hokaze sighed, "I just can't understand why people would use it… I mean, hard work allows us to improve and increase our own level, but this is simply taking the easy road."

"It may seem so, but I'm sure that those that lack the potential to develop esper abilities would see this as an opportunity." Kobayashi stated.

"Level 0s, huh…?" Kamijou commented blandly, a brow twitching.

Hokaze giggled, "Touma-sama is actually a Level 0."

The newcomers blinked, as they were startled by the revelation, "So why is Kamijou-sama trying to delve into this matter? Are you interested in gaining abilities with it, Kamijou-sa-?"

"Abilities don't matter… only what you do at the end of the day, whether you have them or not," Never caring for such, he stated seriously, interrupting the twin-tailed girl.

Shokuhou smiled, Hokaze and Kobayashi nodded in agreement. Makigami stared at him and bowed slightly, "You're correct, Kamijou-sama. My comment was out of place. Let me apologize."

Kamijou waved a hand, "It's fine."

"Oh?" Shokuhou's attention was drawn by the screen of the laptop. Some messages popped up on the screen, one of them saying:

-Level Upper Report: Update-

"A new one? Already?" Touma wasted no time and opened the new file. It came with a big disclaimer near the top: Do not listen to the audio file. It contained a lot of the same information, but did have additional details… including a report about the interrogation. He wanted to question how Shokuhou's clique got their hands on the interrogation files, but something about what was contained within jumped out at him as harrowing.

Kaitabi Hatsuya, while angry, was cooperative at the start of the interview… but about halfway through, he suddenly became unresponsive, passing out on the spot. They hadn't been able to rouse him, either with outside stimuli, drugs, or even intervention by espers with telepathic abilities. Though Kaitabi's vitals were normal and his systems were functioning normally… it was as if he suddenly became braindead.

"What the hell?" Kamijou muttered.

"Oh my…" Hokaze gasped.

Shokuhou sighed, "My intuition-ability knew it. Of late, there have been many cases where espers turn comatose for unknown reasons. We can assume the Level Upper is at fault."

"So there are indeed side effects…" Kamijou frowned, feeling he had failed to help that boy. "We need to find the creator of this audio file and confirm it." And as he reviewed the many reports supplied by different members of the clique, one caught his interest.

This one stated that Level Upper users communicated through an online message board. As expected of a member of Shokuhou's clique, there was a link to it. The others observed attentively as he read over the multiple messages on it until…

"These guys actually meet up in some place regularly," Kamijou said out loud, pointing at a certain word on the screen. "Jona-G… I think I heard that name before…"

Makigami leant and pushed his arms away, then entered said name on a search bar. It didn't take much for a minor report about the place to pop up. Apparently, it was a family restaurant located near an electric distribution technology center. The report advised to not attend it as it was a notable location where delinquents tended to gather and meet.

Kamijou stared blankly at nothing in particular, "This is certainly a good place to start investigating, but… I have bad memories of that place…" He shook his head and stood to his tallest, "Well, we may find a good lead there, so I might as well check it out."

Shokuhou sighed, "Somehow my intuition-ability knew this would happen…" Pouting, she folded her arms childishly, "You don't need to go. My clique will take care of it."

"Probably…" Kamijou snickered, aware of her intent, "…but I'm going either way."

The Judgment girl shot him a gaze of disapproval, his eyebrow raised at the unexpected response from a girl he just met.

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Picture 02

"Kamijou-sama, I don't advise you to go on your own," Makigami spoke scoldingly, raising a finger. "As part of Judgment, you should know that. It could be dangerous."

He stared for a few seconds, yet his gaze found something more interesting in the ceiling.

"It's not the first time I've dealt with delinquents," Kamijou scratched the back of his head. "Besides, I'm just going to check the place. I won't pick a fight… probably…"

"If you want to go, then at least you need backup," Shokuhou said sternly. "That's why you joined Judgment, isn't it?"

Kobayashi smiled, "It's always good to have support, Kamijou-sama."

A soft giggle escaped Hokaze's lips, "It's amusing to see Touma-sama being scolded. Hee Hee!"

Kamijou sighed wearily, recalling every event that lead him to join the disciplinary committee. He didn't join of his own volition; rather, he was forced to do so by his P.E. teacher, Yomikawa Aiho. He couldn't understand her intentions back then, but he had come to realize that having people to back you up was an important thing. Being part of Judgment taught him that much.

However, there was a problem, one that got bigger as time passed on - namely, Yomikawa herself. Ever since the day she invited him to hang out (as he had no training, which wasn't a regular occurrence), he had come to notice she had been acting awkwardly bold with him. It was unbefitting of what one would consider a teacher-student relationship should be like.

Now that he had someone to respond to, Kamijou had an obligation to solve that matter before someone got hurt. He knew Shokuhou wouldn't be happy to learn that Yomikawa had slept in his dorm a couple of times, but he had to be completely honest. He wasn't about to start hiding things from her now that she was his girlfriend.

'My girlfriend, huh… I have a girlfriend for real, and it's Misaki… I can't believe it myself…'

With a nod, he said, "Sure, but who will be coming with me?" He asked, eyes darting between girls in the room.

Hokaze stood up, looking determined, "I volunteer, Touma-sama."

Kamijou blinked, noticing someone was looking a bit jealous. It was Shokuhou's fault that Hokaze started acting friendly with him some time ago as she had told her that as a part of her clique, Hokaze had to develop the social skills for her to be able to socialize with gentlemen. Kamijou being the only 'gentleman' she knew, she had started to practice with him.

"Wouldn't it be better for a fellow Judgment member to assist you?" She pointed out, "Like Makigami?"

"It doesn't really matter who comes since we're just checking the place out," Averting his gaze, Kamijou added, "…Probably…"

Shokuhou raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Is that so…?" Leaning towards him with a suspecting gaze, she muttered, "My deduction-ability tells me that you just want Hokaze to go with you."

Said girl with curls only tilted her head in confusion while Kamijou facepalmed. It was the first hours of their relationship, and Shokuhou was already becoming jealous - of Hokaze, of all people. She was her second in command, so he took this unreasonable reaction as senseless.

However, this was an opportunity for teasing he wasn't going to miss, given that those were pretty much scarce when it came to Shokuhou Misaki.

"…Does someone feel a little left out? Hmm?" Kamijou tilted his head innocently.

He chuckled at Shokuhou's sulking face, "You heartless man…"

"It's…" Everyone turned around at Kobayashi's voice, "…different…" Blinking eyes observed her as she seemed lost in thought, "Oh, I mean… this is the first time I've seen the Queen sporting such a face… It's different…" Shokuhou raised an eyebrow, then exchanged a glance with Kamijou, "But…" She smiled warmly at her, "It's refreshing to see the Queen acting so freely."

Kamijou grinned, hands on his pockets, "Isn't it?"

Hokaze raised a finger, smiling kindly, "I totally agree."

A blush was quick to appear on the blonde's face, but she did her best to keep herself calm and composed. Averting her gaze, she responded, "My understanding-ability fails to see what you mean."

Kamijou snickered, "Right, right Ojou-chan." Heading to the entrance and having put on his shoes, he looked over his shoulder, "Let's go Hokaze-chan."

"Of course, Touma-sama!" She followed, also putting on her shoes as he opened the door for her. With a nod of appreciation she went out, and as he was about to leave, Shokuhou took hold of his arm, pulling him towards her.

"…You never answered~" Kamijou blinked, his eyes trailing towards her imposing chest for just a second, "I mean… the question about my chest, you know~" She whispered into his ear with a giggle and a sly smirk. "I know they say bigger is better… but does it apply for you, too…? If you answer honestly, we might be able to do something about making your dreams come true~"

Kamijou's eyes moved to see a pair of startled faces, belonging to those two of her clique. Fighting the rising blush, Kamijou scratched his cheek, "Oi, Misaki," He nervously whispered, "Aren't you being a little straightforward? Weren't we supposed to hide this from them?"

"Eh… hiding it was fun for a while… buuuut that got a bit boring~ Making them question just how close we are is a lot more fun, don't you think?" She rustled back into his ear, each word spoken in a tone that made his muscles tense. "So… what do you say? I have my ways to do things… but if I get too big… I might need you to hold them for me~"

Kamijou's flush grew with a vengeance, "W-well… T-they are good enough for me…" Shaking his head to regain his composure, he added with a deadpan, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, very much so. Your embarrassed-ability is rather fun to stroke." Shokuhou smiled lightly. "…Besides, your reaction gave me just the answer I was looking for. Go work out your hero-ability before I change my mind about letting you go, ok?"

"Now I need permission?" Kamijou rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you're into dominance play, the-"

"I-I get it! I'm going!" Kamijou interrupted her final attempt at teasing him with a shout. "I'll be back later… don't hang out until after curfew just to say goodbye, alright? That's what phones are for." She pouted at that, "Well, now I have a phone, right?" He patted his pocket with a smirk, "Thanks to you."

"So cruel…" Shokuhou faked a sad expression, which he easily noticed.

"Right, right," Kamijou waved at her as Hokaze re-emerged at the door.

"Touma-sama?"

"Sorry, Hokaze-chan. Got a little…" A certain Level 5 winked at him in that moment, "…distracted…"

"Be sure to take good care of him, Hokaze. I'm rooting for you!" Misaki waved goodbye with a smile, one so innocent that the tantalizing words from her mouth earlier seemed like they would have never come forth from it.

Hokaze nodded her head, raising both hands in a cute manner, "Your order is my command, my Queen. I'll watch over him."

Kamijou just scratched his head, "I'm not a kid, you know?" Yet a smile found its way to his face, "But now I have one important reason to take care of myself, right?"

A genuine smile came to her face, one so beautiful that he was stunned momentarily.

"Right!" Shokuhou beamed.

With that, Kamijou finally left his dorm with Hokaze close behind. Misaki let out a disappointed sigh, her male companion no longer close by, but she quickly recovered and relaxed on the Imagine Breaker's bed once more.

"It's nice to be here again… but after all that, I'll have to keep up my end on that little question… You girls remembered to buy that brand of milk, right?" Shokuhou winked.

The duo exchanged a glance, blinking and surprised at her request.

"Q-Queen?" / "Shokuhou-sama?"

"Don't worry, I'm just kidding~" The blond said with a wink, confusing the two even further.

Shokuhou Misaki giggled to herself, taking from her skirt a silver whistle, a warm expression invading her features. She had big plans now that her wish had finally come true, and she had already started counting the seconds to see the boy she cherished again.

Part 7

District 15. Outside of JonaGarden Restaurant. Current time: 6:57pm.

"So this is the place, right?"

Hokaze revised her phone, "It seems."

Before them was an unexpectedly large building that only could be accessed by a set of stairs as it was located on a second floor. The name JonaGarden was displayed proudly close to the top. The stairs lead to the front door, but also allowed access to a catwalk that circled the building with several flags hung along the way. The interior was well lit and the establishment appeared to have plenty of business for the night, at least judging from outside anyway.

Kamijou shot her a glance, "Well, let's go."

"Does Touma-sama has a plan?" Tilting her head, she asked.

"Not really. Let's just go and check for suspicious people," And as they started moving forward, he added. "We'll see what happens then."

"I understand."

The automatic doors opened, and the two were greeted with a surprisingly inviting interior. There were many tables lined up with comfy-looking seats. Both had to wonder how this family restaurant became the location for delinquents to rendezvous.

In any case, that was the least of their concerns as two familiar figures came into view. One was Shirai Kuroko, who sat by herself by a table in the deeper area. The other was none other than Misaka Mikoto, who was apparently talking to a group of males by another table.

"Oh, look!" Hokaze was about to wave at them but Kamijou dragged her to a table before they could notice them. "Touma-sama?"

Kamijou raised a finger to his mouth and whispered, "Misaka and Shirai are here for some reason. Let's see what they are up to. This may be related to that Level Upper."

"I see."

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 04

The duo peered at Misaka, blinking as her demeanor seemed pretty different than was usual. They did their best to sneak closer to listen in on the conversation, taking extra care to avoid being heard. Her voice soon came into earshot.

"I gotta know, please!" Clapping her hands together, Misaka pleaded, "Can't you tell me?"

Kamijou stared blankly, while Hokaze seemed confused. The tone of the electro master seemed childish and a bit too innocent. He could easily tell it was an act on her part, but still, it was too weird and somewhat cringe-worthy to see.

"We don't know anything about that," Kamijou blinked, hearing one of the punks respond. "Hurry up and get lost."

"C'mon, don't say that!"

As far as he could see, there were three of them by the table, and as expected, their shady looks confirmed them as delinquents. Kamijou could only hope they would refrain from pulling up a stupid act, as the Railgun wasn't averse to electrocuting anybody she found irritating.

'Wow… Déjà vu?'

He had experienced that at face value after all.

"Touma-sama?" He turned to Hokaze as she whispered at him, "I think Shirai-san has noticed us…"

The pointy-haired boy blinked when the pig-tailed girl suddenly appeared in front of them, looking at them inquisitively. Kamijou couldn't help facepalming.

"…So much for the stealth route, huh…"

"Kamijou-san…" The Level 4 teleporter raised an eyebrow, "Hokaze-san? What's going on?"

"Shirai-san, it's good to see you well," Hokaze bowed slightly. "Actually, we were meaning to ask that ourselves."

"Yeah… what are you two doing here?" Arms folded, he tilted his head slightly. "Is this official business, or…?" He played dumb, not wanting to tip the twin-tailed teleporter off that he was looking into Level Upper just yet.

"We're currently investigating a lead," Shirai responded, glancing behind her to see Misaka making some girly pose. Her face contorted into one of pain at that. "Ugh…"

"What is Misaka-san doing?" Asked Hokaze in confusion.

"Onee-sama is… well…" Her voice faded, her eyes dropping to the table.

"…Her acting sucks, you know? Being all cutesy doesn't really fit her at all… it's kind of obvious… probably why it's not working…" Kamijou shook his head. "So what's the lead? I doubt BiriBiri would go this far for just some lead…"

"I wonder why Kamijou-san is asking the questions…" Shirai's face sported suspicion as she glanced between Hokaze and him. "Why are you two here together anyway? I didn't know Hokaze-san was an acquaintance of yours."

"Trying to change the subject huh…?" He muttered, gaze sharp, "Well, we used to be friends, had a falling out, but we decided to bury the hatchet and celebrate with something to eat… That's not a problem, is it?" Kamijou leant back on his sit casually.

Confusion filled Hokaze's face, shooting him a startled glance, which was responded with wink on his part. She immediately understood his intent, and so, smiling as if she agreed with him, she added, "Of course. They say the food in this establishment is pretty tasty, so we decided to celebrate here."

Shirai's eyes narrowed, "This is so suspicious…"

"…As suspicious as what you two are doing?" Kamijou responded flatly, gesturing towards Misaka, who was still trying to negotiate with the punks hanging out in the restaurant.

The pig-tailed girl sighed wearily, resting an elbow on the table, "Well, I suppose after all you have done for the Graviton bomber case, and as a fellow member of the branch, I could inform you."

Kamijou and Hokaze exchanged glances.

"…So it is business… What's going on? Another case assigned right after the bomber situation?" The Imagine Breaker questioned, still doing his best to play the fool.

She nodded, "Yes, and no." He blinked, "It's actually about the existence of the Level Upper. You said that Kaitabi Hatsuya used it, but we have yet to receive the report of his questioning. Saten-san informed us about a certain rumor about this so-called Level Upper, capable of raising the level of espers," Shirai elaborated, the two focusing on her explanation. "Which would explain how the bomber, who was labeled as a Level 2 in the data banks, managed to create explosions attributed to a Level 4."

"Level Upper, huh…?" He muttered to himself. "So that old rumor got Judgment's attention… Guess if you're here, it must hold some weight. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical… but it's hard to deny after what that bomber was able to pull off."

Shirai leaned over the table, gazing at him with a sharp expression, "Kamijou-san? Perhaps you're here for the same reason as us? I don't believe in coincidences, and I really doubt Hokaze-san would accept coming to this shady looking restaurant to… 'celebrate'."

"…Doesn't look that shady to me," Kamijou feigned ignorance, but his monotone voice gave him away.

"You two are investigating the Level Upper then…" Shirai concluded, folding her arms, "I could understand why Kamijou-san would get involved, but what does Hokaze-san has to do with it?"

"I'm here to provide support to Touma-sama," She carelessly replied. Kamijou resisted the urge to groan as he was already on the receiving end of a glare.

"Hokaze-san… you're addressing him by… his given name…"

With a hand covering her mouth as she realized her blunder, she responded, "Oh, well I do so since we're on good terms. Touma-sama has been of great help to u- I-I mean me."

"Is that right?" Shirai wasn't convinced, given the inquisitive expression she sported. "So, you were lying?"

Kamijou leant back on his seat, "Let's just say my explanation was the truth, but it's attributed to a different person," Shirai blinked, failing to get what he said. "Let's leave it at that for now; it's a long story best saved for another day," Kamijou shrugged. "So… you two think those guys are…?"

"They may know about the Level Upper," She confirmed. "Onee-sama is trying to get information by pulling that act with them."

"That so, huh… makes sense I guess, but… well… I've commented on her acting already…" Kamijou sighed. "At least with someone like Misaka, if things go south, she'll be fine…" Averting his gaze he added, "I'm actually more concerned about those guys pissing her off."

"Oh, look! Misaka-san is leaving with them," Hokaze commented, earning their attention.

As both Judgment members turn around, the Level 5 was already heading outside the restaurant. They stood up immediately as the short girl declared, "We can't lose them."

Kamijou made a fist, "I agree; there's no way they actually fell for that."

The trio headed out, though not before Shirai left some cash on a table for the dessert she consumed. Kamijou couldn't help but feel there was something amiss.

Part 8

"…Man, they never stood a chance, huh…" Kamijou blinked, observing the scene before him.

The three had only been a few seconds behind the group of thugs, yet by the time they were outside, they saw Misaka following them into some alleyway. Shirai had already teleported to that location as Kamijou and Hokaze made their way to them.

Once they got there, the duo was greeted by the sight of many charred delinquents. Shirai sweatdropped as Misaka showed typical signs of electrical stress; it wasn't a mystery as to how she dispatched the delinquents.

Sometimes, it was hard to remember that Misaka Mikoto was the third highest-ranked esper in Academy City.

Misaka blinked in surprise as she spotted Kamijou and Hokaze approaching, "What are you two doing here? Wait, if Hokaze-san is here, that old hag must…!"

"…I can go and get her if you want." Kamijou deadpanned, then quickly countered the bolt thrown at him. He dropped the sarcastic tone in short order. "I-I'm kidding, I'm kidding! It's just Hokaze-chan, I swear!"

"Hokaze-chan?" Misaka's expression changed from a glare to an inquisitive stare in light of that unexpectedly familiar reference. "Why are you…?"

"A-ah… w-well… erm…" Kamijou rubbed his neck. "…It's a long story…"

Misaka sighed, "I assume it involves… that… girl, right?" Arms folded and not looking happy, the shocker leant to him suspiciously, "If Hokaze-san is involved…"

"…I'll tell you later, Biri-Biri." Kamijou sighed, sporting a troubled expression. "Right now, I'm just making sure you didn't kill anyone…"

She huffed, looking uninterested, "Well, it's a bit difficult to hold back when they are this many, you know?"

"…Being proud of your abilities is great and all, but bullying under-leveled espers is wrong." Kamijou admonished, sporting a frown.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with him, Onee-sama," Shirai leant to inspect the charred men. "Sometimes, you should just try to not act this uncivilized. You're the Ace of Tokiwadai, and as such, you should keep your behavior as non-violent as possible. Many people look up to you, Onee-sama. You ought want to set a good example."

Hokaze looked between them, confused about the reprimand the Level 5 Electromaster was receiving. Stepping up to Shirai, she asked, "Is this a frequent occurrence?"

The teleported sighed, "Sadly, it is."

"Hold on a minute!" Misaka growled, her cheeks gaining color, "It's not like I go out to search for creeps to electrocute! I went through all the trouble of acting submissive, but they still tried to rob me. They had it coming."

Hokaze raised her clenched fists, nodding enthusiastically, "Misaka-san is always impressive!"

"…Well, no one needs a trip to the emergency room… and you do have a point, I guess…" The Imagine Breaker conceded. "It's one thing if you're picking fights, but if they decide to rob you… it's a different set of rules…"

"I don't think acting violent is the response a lady like Onee-sama should choose under those sort of circumstances. If only you gave them a warning before frying them…" Shirai muttered, looking resigned.

"Thugs like these would probably call it a bluff… Ah well, what's done is done. Did you manage to learn anything?" Kamijou asked, slipping one hand into his pocket.

And just when she opened her mouth to respond, a new voice resounded in the alleyway.

"Aren't you pretty flashy?"

They turned to see a tall woman with brown hair, tied in a small ponytail, who sported a blue jacket over a red t-shirt, and matching jeans. The woman casually walked past Kamijou, kneeling to check on the charred people. Shirai narrowed her gaze, resting a hand on her hip as she apparently recognized the new presence.

"So, these… gentlemen… are part of your group?" She asked drily, yet her inquiry fell on apparently deaf ears as the woman started to shake one of them awake, not caring to even look at her.

"A-Anego…?" The young man blinked as he opened his eyes, holding a hand towards her.

"Care to tell me why were you fighting a girl?" She asked, her voice holding an icy undertone.

The young man averted his gaze looking ashamed, "S-sorry!"

Her eyes narrowed, "Going after a woman's purse…"

"B-but!"

Kamijou blinked, Hokaze letting out a soft, "Oh my…" When the woman slapped the guy, hard enough to make those that witnessed it cringe.

"Are you talking back to me!? I'll bury you!"

"S-sorry!" The poor guy whimpered, yet another powerful slap came. Meanwhile Kamijou found himself closing his eyes as the scene was too painful to observe. He had received his fair share of slaps (due to his misfortune most of the time), so he could sympathize with the guy.

The woman growled, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, idiot!" She shot a glare at the others, who had awakened due to her shouts, "The rest of you too!"

Kamijou shivered just a little; this girl was something else, managing to keep these six thugs in line. One of them stuttered, nervous at how angry their apparent leader was.

"We're sorry…"

"Try again!" Shouted the woman, dissatisfied and possibly ready to slap him again. Kamijou felt pity for the guy.

Another of them finally bowed, "We're very sorry!"

The others soon followed, doing just the same, "S-sorry!"

Kamijou and company stared at them with varied degrees of surprise, although Shirai was sweatdropping at the unexpected event. The woman then stood on her feet, letting a weak smile creep into her harsh expression, "That should be enough, right? Can you forgive them?"

Misaka was still stunned, so she failed to reply, but Hokaze walked past her, with hands intertwined, and said with a kind voice, "Of course we can. As long as they understand what they did wrong, it's all fine."

With a satisfied smirk, she looked at the six men behind her, "Go home, you idiots!"

"Yes!" They replied loudly.

"We're off!"

Kamijou looked on blankly as they ran away, not fully knowing how to take these turn of events. His attention was, however, drawn to the woman they referred to as Anego, as she stood there, not moving in the slightest.

Misaka smirked, "I assume you're their boss?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Someone has to take care of those idiots." She tilted her head, her expression becoming harsh, "So Pigtails is here, huh…?"

Shirai didn't look amused as she responded, "It has been a while since I last heard about you. We are investigating the rumors of the Level Upper, so I trust we will have your cooperation?"

Chuckling slightly, the woman closed her eyes, "Before that…" Her stance suddenly became aggressive, "That girl over there beat up my underlings, and I can't overlook that. Prepare yourself."

Misaka blinked, "Didn't they just apologize?"

"That was that, and this is this," Looking at her hand, sharp eyes then were directed at the Railgun. "I'll repay you on their behalf."

Misaka raised an eyebrow before a smirking in a challenging manner, "Is that so?"

A sense of foreboding hit Kamijou as he realized that a fight was about to erupt.

"Erm… Shirai-san… I don't think these guys actually know anything about it… and she might try to pick a fight with us on top of that… so…" Kamijou turned toward the twin-tailed teleporter. "We don't want this escalating, do we?"

With a thoughtful expression invading her features for a few seconds, Shirai nodded at him and quickly grabbed both Misaka and Hokaze by their arms before stating, "I trust that you will be able to handle this on your own then?"

Kamijou smirked, his wordless response was enough for the teleporter to proceed.

Misaka grit her teeth, "What do you think you a-?"

In an instant, the trio of Tokiwadai students were gone, leaving only Kamijou and the woman in the alleyway.

"Sorry Anego-chan, but those two really need to get to bed. It is really late you know." Kamijou spoke rather innocently. "Maybe we can do this later? I need to get going too, and-"

"What the heck just happened!?" She spat, her eyes wandering all around the area, confusion clear on her face. Gazing at him warily, she inquired, "Where are they?"

"Not here is the important thing… I think we've seen enough violence tonight… Sorry, but if you're still mad, you'll have to amuse yourself with this unlucky Kamijou-san." The Imagine Breaker raised up his hands in defense, trying to defuse the situation.

Her canines became visible as a predatory smile spread from cheek to cheek, "Whatever. You'll take responsibility then? I can't simply leave after your friend made short work of my guys." Taking a few menacing steps forward, which made Kamijou tense in anticipation, she said, "Are you ready?"

"Not… really…" Kamijou slowly began to step backwards, inching away from the monster of a girl in front of him. "I-I don't even know your name, you know? T-this is all going so fast!"

"Hehhh…" The woman laughed in amusement, "Hirata Masumi. I guess I should ask for yours before we begin."

Kamijou averted his gaze, a feeling of dread building up, "Mine is Kamijou Touma…" He spoke nervously, still looking for a way out of the situation.

But Hirata Masumi decided she was going to make the first move.

"Then let's go!" She roared, leaning forward, her hand grazing the solid ground. Kamijou blinked when he suddenly felt the ground move, his eyes widening as the asphalt surface he was standing on suddenly melted.

"I'm going to guess that this is your esper ability, right?" Kamijou stated as he tried to keep his balance on the now fluid-like ground.

"Aren't you clever?" She teased mockingly, "My power is Flaxcoat, and it allows me to control the viscosity of asphalt." Kamijou found himself being suddenly trapped and unable to move as the asphalt began to cover his feet. "I hope you're as powerful as your friend, because I'm not holding back."

"In that case…!" He clenched his fist, reeling his arm back to throw a punch. Hirata prepared to endure whatever ability the boy could throw at her. But… instead, he simply knelt down and lightly tapped the ground with his right hand. The result was immediate as the asphalt below his feet immediately returned to its normal state, as if her own ability had never been activated to begin with.

Kamijou scratched his cheek, sporting a bland expression, "Alright… with that taken care of…!"

The Imagine Breaker suddenly smirked darkly as he looked ready to bolt right towards her. Hirata's confused expression was clear as she most likely questioned how he managed stop her ability completely. Her fear became true when Kamijou came running straight towards her, ready to strike. Seeing her ability nullified so easily, she could only put up her guard, prepared for the worst…

…Which… never came.

"…Huh…?" Hirata blinked and turned to her side.

Kamijou Touma ran right past her.

"Sorry, but this unlucky Kamijou has things to do and someone waiting for him at home! Maybe next time! Bye bye!" The fleeing boy turned and waved cheekily.

It took a moment or two for Hirata to process what just happened.

"…Y-you bastard! Get back here!" And she took off running right after him.

The spiky-haired boy glanced over his shoulder as the woman chased him, which he expected. Seeing that strange ability she held, there was no way he would fight her near that electricity distribution building. On a side note, the woman's vocabulary had become a bit crude as he led her, which reminded him of similar circumstances with a mad bomber.

Kamijou came to a stop when the shouts suddenly faded, noticing the woman was no longer chasing after him.

"…Huh? Where did she…" He slowed to a stop, looking around for her. He actually was just trying to lure her out to the river-front so her asphalt-manipulating abilities would be useless… but now she had mysteriously vanished. "Where did she go? Ugh… don't tell me she actually did end up ditching me…!"

Running back to where he came from, his eyes soon caught sight of the woman's form on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise before he found himself already running to her in concern, wondering if she had lost consciousness from exerting herself in the chase.

Kneeling beside her, Kamijou held Hirata by her shoulders, shaking her slightly, yet he got no reaction. She was completely out cold and didn't respond to anything stimuli.

"Oi! Oi!" Kamijou's attempt to wake her up failed, leading him to recall the conversation he had with Shokuhou. "Could this be the repercussion of using the Level Upper?" He muttered to himself.

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 05

The holder of the Imagine Breaker picked her up, bridal style, having decided to take the woman to a hospital. Whatever was happening to her was something worthy of consideration.

…But where was he actually? By this time, the buses would either be on their last run or stopped completely.

"Crap… which way…!?" He looked around quickly, trying to catch his bearings, but darkness was setting in and the dimmer street lights, indicative of the area he was in, weren't helping.

Kamijou blinked when Shirai appeared out of the blue before him, only for her to blink in surprise as her gaze fell upon the unconscious woman.

"I knew you would be able to deal with this matter, but I didn't expect you'd actually neutralize her…" She commented, inspecting Hirata's unconscious form.

"…Well, the problem is… I actually didn't lay a finger on her… She just passed out while chasing me…"

The Level 4 teleporter blinked, startled by the revelation, "Really? Was it exhaustion?"

"Considering how many times she almost caught me… I doubt it," Kamijou replied, glancing at her with a worried expression, "She seemed pretty fit… so… it'd have to be Level Upper… But for it to knock her out just like that…"

Shirai frowned, "Level Upper?"

"I mean… if she used it… well, turns out it has a pretty nasty side effect after a while." Kamijou stated. "I can talk about it more later, but right now, she really needs to get to a hospital… Do you think you can take her, Shirai?"

"Sure, but how did you learn that it has side effects?"

"It's… something I just heard about; rumors." Kamijou tried his best to hide Shokuhou's involvement. "This is the first time I've actually seen it happen… I thought it was just a joke… but I honestly have no idea why else she would have collapsed…"

"Well, before we investigate, I'll have her examined properly. It could be something else for all we know," Shirai let out a sigh, hands on her hips. "This matter is getting out of hand, it seems…"

"In any case, I'll leave her in your hands, Shirai," Kamijou nodded and passed the unconscious girl over to the twin-tailed teleporter as he carefully placed the woman on her back. Shirai pursed her lips as she tried to keep herself standing. Kamijou concluded the extra weight might be too much for her to endure. "Can you carry her?"

"She's a bit heavy, but I'll manage," Shirai nodded. "I'll take her to the Mizuho Medical Institute."

"Then I'll see you there," Kamijou stated.

"Yes," She confirmed before adding, "Oh, I left Onee-sama and Hokaze-san in the Tokiwadai dormitory, so don't worry about them."

Kamijou laughed snarkily, "I suppose Biri-Biri isn't happy about that."

"Her safety comes first, so I don't see that as a problem," Shirai adjusted Hirata's body on her back, "See you later then, Kamijou-san."

With that, both disappeared from the area.

Scratching the back of his head, Kamijou decided to head back, and as he was about to take his first step, his new phone suddenly rang repeatedly. Taking it out from his pocket, Kamijou swiped the touchscreen to the left to accept the call.

"Hi hi~ How are you this evening?" A familiar voice resonated from his new phone's speakers. "How does your first time feel? Is it special?"

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow, recognizing the voice instantly, "Just what the heck are you talking about, Misaki?"

"I mean about your first phone call with your new phone, silly!" Shokuhou giggled. "Or… were you looking forward to something else?"

Kamijou sighed wearily, "Now's not the time, you know? Something happened."

"Hmm? What kind of something?" The Mental Out asked cutely. "If something is stressing you out, I'd be more than happy to relieve some of it for you… I know the perfect way~"

Sudden images popped in his mind as to how she would be able to do so, but he was quick to shake them out of his mind, regaining his composure. This woman knew just how to get in his head, his heart… and on his nerves… and basically anything she would desire to.

'Geez… This is embarrassing…'

"Oh? You suddenly got all quiet… just what are you thinking about? Hmm?" Teased the blondie. He didn't know for sure, but he couldn't help but imagine her smiling knowingly on the other end of the line.

"S-so, did you just call to tease me or what?" Kamijou growled slowly, his cheeks slightly red.

"Well, I actually called expecting you to be home by now… but you're late! I even drew a bath for you too!" Shokuhou sounded annoyed, but it was clearly fake. "Got candles all lit and everything… but if you're this late… I assume your nightly adventure took a southern turn?"

Her tone gradually turned more serious as she finished her sentence.

"Wait, why are you still in my dorm?" Kamijou asked before suppressing a groan, "Don't answer. Thing is, there were people that knew about it. This woman that had some strange ability had apparently used it, but she fainted out of nowhere." He elaborated, walking back to the station as he did. "This is probably what happened to that guy, Kaitabi Hatsuya."

"…Is that so…?" She sounded disappointed. "So Level Upper and losing consciousness do go hand on hand…" Kamijou could sense her thoughtful tone, "My assumption-ability tells me this was before you could find out anything, am I correct?"

"Yeah… I ran into Shirai and Misaka as they also seemed to be investigating the Level Upper."

"She even found her way there?" She sounded less than amused. "…Who am I kidding; out in the dangerous part of town… that's where someone like her thrives… of course she'd be there, Level Upper or not. But if she and Shirai-san are there together… has this become an official Judgment case yet? I haven't received a report of such just yet."

It was too easy to sense Shokuhou's annoyed tone, and Kamijou knew why. After all, her rival was mentioned, who's name never brought a good reaction for reasons he had yet to understand completely. Deciding to put this matter aside for the time being, he replied.

"Considering what has been happening lately with all those students, we might wanna investigate it.

"Yes… I'm inclined to agree. At this rate, someone with a high enough clever-ability could discover its secondary effect and could hijack a loud speaker and blast the Level Upper for all to hear, just to cause a mass coma situation…" Misaki agreed rather easily, even mentioning a use for the Level Upper Kamijou didn't consider before.

"That's… actually scary… " Kamijou muttered.

"Be that as it may… it would be best for you to return home; I doubt they'd allow anyone but the doctors access to that woman right now… or the bomber for that matter. Try to put it out of your mind for a time and investigate it in the morning with a freshly recharged mindset… it is officially Academy City's Summer Vacation, you know!" Shokuhou spoke rather cheerfully towards the end. "Don't you want to spend your first night free from classes with your super-special girlfriend? Hm? Hmm?"

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow, "H-hold on minute! You said, spend the night?"

"That's right~ I thought it'd be a good way to celebrate!" Shokuhou answered cheerfully. "You don't think so? We used to do it, remember…?"

"Right…" He scratched his cheek nervously. "But the thing about that is that it only happened once. We did not use to do it, Misaki. I would remember something like that."

"Are you that opposed to it…?" Now Shokuhou sounded sad. The worst part of talking to her over the phone was that it was difficult to tell if she was faking it or not, but letting her stay in his dorm was out of the question.

"It's not that… but… you know… we… well… we would be alone in my dorm all night…" Kamijou was glad she couldn't see his blush, or else, she would have enough material to use to tease him. "That's a bit… you know…"

"…I suppose so," Kamijou heard a sigh. "Too bad the buses have stopped for the night… If only someone could at least walk me home…?"

She just kept trying, even after the Imagine Breaker denied her.

Kamijou gave a wry glance at his phone, trying to relax. Everything had happened so fast that it was hard to keep up, he admitted. Being in a relationship, and with Shokuhou Misaki no less, he actually felt lucky. The irony didn't elude him.

But she was too bold, and while he didn't dislike that, it was still pretty embarrassing.

"Yeah, but it would be safer for you to call your clique and arrange a transport, right?" He advised cunningly, also considering the most suitable way to keep her safe, "I would feel relieved if you did so."

"Well… you're not wrong…" She eventually admitted. "I was just hoping to spend a little more time with you… as it sounds like you'll be making ample use of your busy-ability tomorrow."

Kamijou chuckled, "I… also want to spend some time with you, you know? But… aren't we going a bit too fast?" He said tentatively, choosing his next words, "I mean, it's not like s-something's gonna happen if you stay, but… well… ehh… you know?"

"…Oh, I see." Shokuhou paused for a moment. "…So with me staying the night, you thought I meant like that, did you? Naughty boy…" He could hear giggling on the other end of the line as his face flushed red once more. "…But I suppose you do have a point. My eagerness-ability might be getting a little carried away… but I can't help it; you're so cute when you get flustered~"

Kamijou shrugged his shoulders, "Right, right…"

"I suppose I'll be a good girl and head home then… just need to drain the bath." Shokuhou spoke. "If it wasn't obvious, I was serious about drawing you a bath, by the way. I was even ready to wash your back."

"…Maybe… another time…" He responded while scratching his cheek.

"Is that a promise~?" The Mental Out asked with a hopeful voice. He could hear the opening of a door on the other side, so Shokuhou was likely doing what she said… but her teasing never failed to come, not even for a moment.

"Yeah… promise," Kamijou responded, knowing that such an event would probably be highly embarrassing, but he realized that he wouldn't mind it much if Shokuhou was the one to do it.

"You better not regret it later, Touma-chan~" She stated with a sweet tone, yet he could detect hints of slyness to it. "In any case, I'll arrange for a pick up then; I'll only be here until my clique arrives, so no rush. By the way, how was Hokaze? Did she live up to your expectations?"

He grinned, "She's very supportive, and cares about you a lot, so yeah, I approve. Hokaze hasn't changed that much."

"Yes… she's very reliable. If you need her again, all you need to do is ask." Shokuhou seemed pleased with the Imagine Breaker's response. "Now, I think I'll let you go for the night… if we talk any longer, I might end up changing my mind about heading back to Tokiwadai~"

Kamijou couldn't stifle a chuckle coming out, "Hai, hai… Ojou-sama."

"If you have free time tomorrow, feel free to call and text, ok? I'll be sure to make some time for you… my prince~" She then hung up the phone, seemingly pleased with her exit.

The boy stared at the phone for several seconds before a sudden laugh came out, "This is amazing! I still can't believe this is happening. This Kamijou-san having an actual girlfriend? And on top of that, one so cute and at the same time, sexy as Shokuhou Misaki?"

Maybe he was fortunate after all!

…However, in that moment, he came to realize that due to him only having one bed, if she had stayed over, they'd have to share it. In his desire to be logical, he in essence rejected blatant skinship with that cute and sexy Shokuhou Misaki.

He mentally cursed himself for sending her away.

"I didn't think this through… huh… Fukou da…"

Pocketing his new phone, the spiky-haired boy continued the trek to his dorm, humming happily without having realized he was doing so.

Part 9

July 19th.

Kamijou opened his eyes slowly, the usual white ceiling greeting him. Getting up from the bed, he let out a long yawn, taking some steps forward before his eyes fell on the short table before his TV.

"I'm not planning to accept this, Misaki… but this Kamijou-san might use it while it's here," He commented, observing the laptop over the piece of furniture.

Sat by the table, cross-legged, he turned on the device, and waited shortly for the system to boot, until the desktop came into view. Taking notice of an icon that displayed the name: "MY NETWORK", he clicked on it, grateful that the laptop came with a mouse. He hated using the default touchpad; it was either too sensitive or not sensitive enough, depending on what he was doing.

Just like the first time, the window displayed his name as a user of the program. Below, on the right side, was a list of all the clique's members, along with three small icons for each name. The first one was an "I" letter, which, to his surprise, showed their individual profile - in it featuring a picture, their age, contacts, their family's business information, level as an esper, detailed intel on their esper capabilities, a list of other talents and finally, their rank inside the clique.

It was impressive.

The second icon looked like a miniature notepad. Clicking on it by a random name, a short window popped up, showing several notes separated by dates, which he assumed were the dates when these notes were added. These in particular were apparently related to suspicious activity regarding some enterprises affiliated with Academy City.

Clicking on the notepad icon next to another name, the notes displayed a list of locations - bakeries, to be exact - all around Academy City. Kamijou guessed that Shokuhou would investigate this since she was very fond of sweets.

In any case, Kamijou clicked on the last icon, which had the form of a phone. As soon as he clicked on it, a new screen popped up, showing the picture of the corresponding girl in question as a ringtone emanated from the laptop. The boy blinked, realizing he was actually making a call, and before he could attempt to stop it, someone answered.

"Greetings, my King," Came a feminine voice, "Is there something you need?"

"K-King!?" Kamijou choked a little. "S-since when was that my title!?"

"We have been informed yesterday that a boy would be using the network," The girl answered curiously before adding, "An acquaintance of the Queen who would be using the code 'King'."

He raised an eyebrow, "Right…"

Shokuhou must have told everyone in the clique for them to address him that way. Although, even with that, he doubted she had revealed anything about their relationship. It made sense that he would be addressed in such a manner taking into account that Shokuhou herself was considered their Queen. Since he had access to Mental Out's Network now, he suspected as much.

It didn't make it any less embarrassing though.

"Anyway… I don't really need anything at the moment… just playing with the system, I guess," Kamijou replied. "Sorry to bug you; just clicked a button and didn't know what it did."

"I understand," The respectful voice responded. "Should you need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out."

"I will, thanks."

The line went off after that.

'This is really something else, huh?'

Reviewing the left side, he came to see a list with several reports about certain themes and events. Such was the Level Upper, as well as many others. Seriously, it was unbelievable how much information was gathered as there were constant updates on the reports.

It was interesting as some addressed many rumors circulating the city, which Saten Ruiko followed. There were even reports related to the Board of Directors, but it was then that he found several files of unnamed reports that he couldn't access. He would ask Shokuhou about them later on.

In any case, it seemed that this program not only gave him access to the intel the clique gathered, but also allowed him to request help from any member of the clique. The thought of Shokuhou herself possibly being inside the network's communications ran through his head for a brief moment, but he didn't need that thanks to the new phone she procured for him.

Still; options were nice. Losing his cellphone was common, so having a backup seemed like a good idea.

Right now though, he had a job to do. He needed to track down that girl from the night before, and the Graviton bomber on top of that.

"Mizuho Medical Institute… I hope they're still there…" He briefly looked into the topics on hand in the network, and upon not seeing anything related to it, he powered down the laptop and stood up.

Kamijou decided to take a shower before setting off.

Part 10

"Well… there was a girl admitted to this hospital last night; I was wondering if I could see her," Kamijou asked.

The man who was addressed by the boy was a bespectacled doctor, who was apparently in charge of the general medicine department within the Mizuho Medical Institute.

The man garbed in white fixed his glasses, looking sharp, "Are you related to her?"

"No… it's related to an investigation." Kamijou replied. "I'm with Judgment; any information you could give would be helpful."

"Where's the armband then?" He asked with suspicion.

Kamijou shrugged his shoulders, "I left it in my branch I think, but if you don't believe me, you're free to contact the Judgment Quarters to confirm it."

His serious, yet easy reply made the doctor realize he wasn't lying.

"…In that case, it'd be best to tell you she hasn't awoken." The doctor answered. "Vitals are normal… everything seems to be fine, but we can't awaken her… and cases like this are on the rise…"

Kamijou frowned, "Just like the others, huh? Have you been able to find anything out?"

The doctor shook his head, "I'm afraid we have yet to find the cause, which is the reason we called a brain specialist. Although, we're still waiting for the results."

"Specialist…?" Kamijou mused. "I shouldn't be surprised… but I didn't expect them to find one so fast… you wouldn't happen to know where they might be, would you?"

The man garbed in white fixed his glasses, "I believe she left the premises."

"Any idea when she'll be back? The sooner I see her, the better." The Imagine Breaker slipped his hands into his pockets, trying to give off a relaxed vibe.

"I can't tell. She left accompanied by two girls, one of them also from Judgment," He revealed.

"Judgment, huh…?" Kamijou sported a thoughtful expression, "You wouldn't happen to remember what they look like, would you?"

The doctor put a hand under his chin as he mused his reply, "Mmm… I believe they were from Tokiwadai. One of them had pigtails… yeah… that's all I recall."

"…So it is those two." Kamijou sighed in realization. "Alright, thanks for your help."

Bidding farewell to the doctor, he walked back out to the lobby and then, out of the building as he took his phone out. He wondered what to do next, but ultimately decided to find both Shirai and Misaka since they were apparently with that specialist.

All his previous contact numbers were lost with the old phone, but he at least managed to write down the one from his branch office just in case, which he added to his new phone earlier.

As the boy stood just outside the Mizuho Medical Institute, he made the respective call, "Hello? Is this the 177th Branch of Judgment?"

"Mmm, is that you Kamijou?" Came a familiar voice over the phone.

The pointy-haired boy blinked, eyes lighting in recognition, "Konori-senpai?"

"So it is you… Is there something you need? If I recall correctly, you're scheduled to be off for recovery still, right?" Konori stated rather matter-of-factly.

Kamijou scratched his head, "I… actually was discharged…" Scoffing, then was quick to change the subject, getting to the point of the call. "I'm trying to track down Shirai, but my old phone was destroyed and I lost her number; would you happen to have it on hand?"

"Shirai?" Her tone became inquisitive, "Why? Did something happen?"

"Sort of… She and I are kind of working on the same case; let's put it that way." Kamijou answered, praying that she'd buy his explanation.

Some seconds passed before she responded, "About?"

Kamijou paused for a moment, weighing his options. He wasn't sure if being forefront with her about working on the Level Upper case was a good idea or not; like she said, he was supposed to be recovering from the incident with AUTO, not moving around trying to solve Judgment cases.

"About? Well, we're just investigating some odd… rumors?" He explained slowly, "There are some blogs that actually say these could be true."

"Rumors?" She pressed on.

"Yeah, they might be related to the bomber," He responded. "I just thought we should give it a look."

The woman made a humming sound, "That actually might be a good idea since he had apparently lost consciousness for no apparent reason. The report we received just some moments ago said that it's still unknown why he fell comatose, but many people are suffering the same affliction…"

"Yeah; I think I have something, but I wanted to discuss it with her first; make sure I'm not following up a bad lead she's already gone through and everything."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow as he could hear a sigh coming from the phone, "You know I should be telling you to get some rest and leave the rest to us, but I suppose if you're just confirming these rumors, then you can go. I'll send you her contact information, and mine too so you can talk to me should something happen."

"Thanks. You're a lifesaver, you know?" The Imagine Breaker replied with a grin.

"Don't get used to it, Kamijou. As part of my branch, I must look after you, and not letting you overdo it is my obligation as your superior. I'll let it slide just this once, alright?"

"Got it… and thanks chief," Kamijou nodded his head, "Talk to you later."

"Just keep me informed," She said sharply before hanging up.

Only a few seconds elapsed before a message alert popped up on the screen. Kamijou wasted no time and opened it, revealing as Konori had promised, both her and Shirai's contact information. He guessed the branch's ground line saved his number so she could add it to her own cell phone.

With Shirai's number on the screen, he finally made the call.

"Shirai here. Who is it?"

"Hey, it's Kamijou-chan, wondering what you're doing!" He answered in a coy tone.

A dry voice came in response, "Kamijou-san? I'm in the middle of an investigation, so please, call me later." Kamijou scratched his cheek, rolling his eyes. "Unless you have anything important to tell me."

"Well… I was actually calling in relation to the Level Upper case…" He said casually, walking down some stairs and reaching the main street, "I'm looking for the specialist in charge of it and I got a good tip that you and Misaka are with her."

"Oh, but shouldn't you be resting?"

"And shouldn't you be keeping civilians like Misaka out of official Judgment business?" Kamijou retorted with a knowing tone.

A tiny gasp came from the phone, "T-that's only because-"

"You know I have a point," Kamijou made a curt expression as he looked into his phone. "Anyway, where are you guys now?"

Shirai took some seconds to respond, some hissing coming from the phone, with some shouts in the background. Kamijou suspected she was probably talking to the Railgun and deciding if they would tell him.

"Hey, we're handling this!" Kamijou cocked an eyebrow, looking at the phone in mild surprise as he recognized Misaka's voice, "You just go back to the hospital, idiot."

"…So I can't hang around with you guys anymore, huh…" Kamijou released a fake sigh. "That's too bad… in that case, maybe I'll go see what Shokuhou-chan is up to…"

"Bgh!"

He blinked at the weird sound that came from the phone. He smirked, fully knowing that when it came down to these two Level 5s in particular, he knew just what buttons to push, and with the Railgun, only the mere mention of Mental Out's name was enough to get a good reaction out of her.

"What was that?" He asked with a dumb tone. "Did you just say something Biri-Biri?"

"W-why y-you… That old hag has nothing to do with this!" She barked angrily.

"Well, if I can't hang out with you, I might as well go hang out with her. What do you want me to do? Strap myself to a bed so I can't move? You want to imprison this unlucky Kamijou-san? I knew you were bad, but not this bad, Biri-Biri," The Imagine Breaker stated, faking being hurt.

More strange noises came from his phone, but he chose to ignore them when suddenly, Shirai's voice was heard in the background, "D-Don't you start stripping again!"

'That sounds awfully familiar…'

He blinked at that, "Who's stripping?"

"That doesn't matter!" Came a shout from the electricity user. "We're at Joseph's, alright?"

"Cool, thanks for understanding. See you soon!" Kamijou smiled with a light hum to his voice.

He then chose to ignore the next shouts and ended the call, staring at his phone with an expression of disbelief, laced with amusement.

"Now I just need to find my way over to Joseph's… hopefully the buses are cooperative today…" Kamijou mused as walked down the street, stopping by a corner as a traffic light turned red.

With a new destination in mind, the pointy-haired boy took his first step forward once the lights became green.

Part 11

The bell at the door to Joseph's rang, signaling that someone new had walked in. Kamijou, holding a tired expression, stepped through the door with a heavy sigh. Surely, something happened to him during his trip, but he didn't appear as though he wanted to talk about it.

His gaze scanned the surroundings as he tried to find Misaka and Shirai… and with the current chaos at work, it wasn't that hard to do.

To his bewilderment, and embarrassment, before him stood Misaka Mikoto, sporting a flushed face as she gazed in disbelief at a familiar woman, who for some reason was half-dressed as she looked impassively at yet another flushed face, which belonged to his Judgment companion, Shirai Kuroko.

The name of the strange woman eluded him, but he could swear he had met her before, although he couldn't recall where.

"…So is this why you didn't want me to drop by? Or…?" Kamijou blinked several times, trying to process the scene before him.

Misaka quickly ran to him, covering his sight with her hands, "D-don't look at this shameful woman!"

Kamijou stood there, already wanting to leave, but refraining from doing so as there were important matters to deal with. He had to wait for about three minutes for Shirai to finally convince the woman to get dressed again, after which Misaka finally removed her hands from his eyes.

"What the heck is going on?" Asked the boy with a bit of irritation.

"She just… does this. All the time. Ugh…" Misaka answered with a grumble.

As the woman dressed as a scientist turned to him, her eyes widened ever so slightly, "Oh… you're that boy I took to the hospital… is your friend alright?"

It was then that it hit him. This woman was the one who took him to the hospital after his particular encounter with a certain blonde mad bomber that hated to lose. Kamijou could recall clearly how this woman started removing her clothes while driving him to the hospital.

"…Who would have thought that you of all people would be the specialist… small world, huh?" Kamijou mused with a shrug. "And, yeah, I left her in good hands… although I wouldn't call that girl my friend…"

Misaka looked between them in shock, "Wait… do you actually know this woman?"

"Well… it's been a while… but I guess?" Kamijou scratched his head. "We're just acquaintances though."

The woman stared at him, "I assume that you're here for the same reason as them?"

"Probably. Had someone randomly pass out while they were chasing me, so I'm at least a little curious as to what's going on… if you have anything figured out, of course." Kamijou replied.

"Maybe we should sit first, everyone is staring at us," Misaka pointed out.

"…Yeah; might be a good idea…" Kamijou glanced around, meeting the other patrons' confused looks with a nervous smile.

The four took a seat by the table they were apparently using prior to his arrival. Luckily, everyone else began to mind their own business once they sat down: the less of a scene they made of themselves, the better.

With the woman to his right and Shirai and Misaka in front, Kamijou finally inquired, "Miss, I don't think I heard your name."

She shot him that apparently ever tired gaze of hers, "Mmm, it's Kiyama Harumi."

"Mine's Kamijou Touma. We finally meet properly, I guess," He nodded at her, resting his folded arms over the table, "I heard you're a specialist in brain physiology. Is that right?"

"Yeah… I suppose you're here about the Level Upper too?" Kiyama asked with a dull expression.

"That obvious, huh?" Kamijou rubbed his head nervously.

The woman with wavy-brown hair rested her back on the seat, looking thoughtful, "As I stated before, I'm not familiar with it."

Shirai leaned towards her, supporting her hands on the table, "But this may be related to the people that have fallen unconscious. Don't you think so?" She sighed wearily, "I mean, we believe there is a high possibility that augmenting esper powers involves some sort of brain interference system."

"Which is your specialized field of study," Added Misaka. "We were kinda hoping you would help us analyze it should we find it."

While Kiyama made no apparent reaction, the slight movement of her eyes told Kamijou it was something that interested her, "I see… I won't deny this matter intrigues me… but…" Turning to the window, she said drily, "By any chance, are those persons outside your friends?"

Kamijou and company turned to see Saten waving at them from outside the building, accompanied by Uiharu and Index.

"…Those three? Everyone is up and about today it seems like…" Kamijou shrugged.

Shirai and Misaka exchanged a short glance before sighing.

o-0-O-0-o

With Kamijou sat between Kiyama and Saten, while Index and Uiharu took a seat by Shirai and Misaka's side, the conversation continued.

Suddenly, Uiharu raised her hands in concern, "A brain physiologist!?" She exclaimed, alarmed. "I-is there something wrong with Shirai's brain!?"

The pig-tailed teleport glared at her, a brow twitching, "We're talking about the Level Upper, Uiharu…"

"Oh!?" Saten's eyes lit up, Kamijou seeing her handling an item in her pocket. "In that case-"

"Is Level Upper food?" The silver-haired nun asked innocently, interrupting her. "Doesn't sound tasty."

"It's not food… in fact it might actually be related to some kind of crime… at least if what it does was intentional anyway," Kamijou answered.

The nun blinked, "A crime?" She turned to the flower-headed girl, "Kazari, is this about the case you're investigating?"

The Level 1 nodded her head, "Yeah, about that thing that allows people to raise their level as an esper."

"Is it a crime to raise one's level?" The nun inquired, "Must be something like the prohibition of grimoires due to their-"

In a single move, a nervous-looking Misaka grabbed a spoon and pushed it into Index's mouth, shutting her up. Scanning around, the spiky-haired boy noticed that the rest seemed a bit wary, with the exception of the older woman.

"…Is something going on here? She sounded like she was talking about something pretty specific…" Kamijou raised an eyebrow.

"I-it's just the usual crazy stuff from her favorite Mahou Shoujo show, you know?" Saten responded quickly.

Uiharu and Misaka nodded their heads frantically, the latter adding, "She's into that kind of thing, haha… you know, like chuunibyou… she sometimes thinks that magic stuff is real."

"How old is she again?" Kamijou inquired suspiciously.

Raising a finger, Uiharu replied stoically, "While that syndrome is called that, it's not necessarily restricted to those in the second year of middle school, Kamijou-san. It can happen even in high school, you see."

Index furrowed her brows, looking ready to give her opinion; however, Shirai shot them a glare. "Can we return to the matter at hand?"

"Yeah… as I was saying, it's not necessarily that raising one's level is bad or anything, but the means to accomplish so are related to the crimes of late." Kamijou stated. "Plus… it seems like there might be a rather nasty side effect that might be associated with it, but we don't know for sure just yet."

Saten looked away. "But it's not like everyone has the potential to raise their level on their own…" She muttered bitterly, making Kamijou, who was the only one that caught her words, frown.

"…So yeah… anything to help our investigation would be nice," Kamijou decided to continue the conversation rather than call out the black-haired middle schooler.

Shirai scoffed, "In any case, it's clear that Level Upper users tend to commit crimes."

The flower-headed girl noticed her friend looking anxious, "Saten-san?" Uiharu blinked, "Is something wrong?"

Saten was startled by her friend suddenly speaking up, but appeared to calm down rather quickly. "I-I'm fine, Uiharu! Sorry; just spacing out."

And as Uiharu waved her hands, "N-no no! It's ok! It just seemed like you were looking depressed… so…"

"Everyone has moments like that… maybe all this talk about Level Upper reminded her of something she'd rather not think of," Kamijou shrugged.

"T-that's…" And as her face became paler, by accident her hand hit the table, causing her to wince and the glasses on their table to stumble. One fell to the side, spilling the orange juice Kamijou ordered for himself.

"G-gah!?" Kamijou cried out, suddenly being drenched in orange juice. "O-oh come on, I washed these last night! Ugh… fukou da…!" His head hit the table in disappointment and depression almost instantly, knocking over everyone else's drinks this time… and once more, mostly onto him.

"A-are… you ok? Kamijou-san?" Saten blinked, trying to hide a nervous smile.

"Just… peachy… geh…" Kamijou grunted as he accepted his fate, fearing that another outburst might cause more trouble. As he looked up, there appeared to be a second victim…

Kiyama herself.

"Oh?" The woman simply looked at her wet stockings.

"S-sorry!" Kamijou was quick to say, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it," Kiyama stood up from her seat and began to remove her stockings, much to the boy's discomfort (and everyone else's embarrassment). "It only got my stockings, so I'll take them off."

Kamijou's eyes gazed at the alluring sight for just a second before turning to the other side, coming face to face and in proximity with Saten. He blinked twice as the other Level 0 started to blush.

"Don't strip in front of people!" Shirai barked.

"C-can w-we move on already!?" Saten sputtered, reclining in her seat to distance herself from the Imagine Breaker.

"Well, eh… yeah…" He averted his gaze in mild embarrassment. "We are here for a reason," The spiky-haired boy sighed, recomposing himself.

"Just stop doing that in public!" The Level 4 continued to bark in disbelief.

Kiyama, having put her stockings back on, looked at Shirai with that ever expressionless face, "But I don't think there are any guys who'd get turned on by a curveless body like mine…" She turned to the unsuspecting boy before asking, "Since a boy is here, let's ask him."

"W-wha?" Kamijou blinked.

Shirai, with hands on her hips shot him an inquisitive gaze, "Hoh… that is a good point… Surely a healthy teenage boy would be more than capable of giving us some insight into the mind of gentlemen."

"Well," Kamijou folded his arms, ignoring every set of eyes locked on him. "It's all about tastes in the end, right? And I honestly think that you should give yourself some credit, Kiyama-san! If I were older, I would be all over you!" He chuckled. "So yeah, that's that… plus, for some guys, the idea of "stripping" alone is enough to flip their switch, regardless of how the girl doing it looks. I know a guy who can find something attractive about any girl, regardless of body type. He's a talented pervert, you know."

Shirai dropped her shoulders, deadpanning, "With what kind of persons are you acquaintanced, Kamijou-san?"

Misaka sighed, "Idiot… your response was fine until that last part…"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Pray you never meet him; I'm stuck with him for life, but you two can still be saved." He met the twin-tailed teleporter's expression with a similar one.

Kiyama stared at him, "I quite don't understand your reply. Did you get turned on by looking at me?"

"D-don't go asking questions like that in public!" Kamijou shouted. "B-besides! We keep getting sidetracked! Can we stay on topic for two minutes!? Why are my interests in women suddenly the topic of conversation!?"

Uiharu giggled, "I'm actually interested in hearing that!" Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "I-I mean, I'm curious!"

Misaka scoffed, "I-I don't really care, b-but if he wants to say it…"

"I don't! Why do you care!? It's not like you're interested in me or something, right?" Kamijou closed his eyes and leaned back whilst pouting. "Besides…" He then mumbled something to himself, trailing off in the process as no one could hear him anymore.

"Was that a yes or a no?" The woman pressed, much to his dismay.

"Stop with that already! Fukou da!"

Part 12

Kiyama Harumi gave Kamijou and company one last nod before walking away.

Kamijou stared at her leaving form before smiling, "She does seem to be the type of person that could be a teacher… a weird one, at least."

Shirai rolled her eyes, "Indeed."

Uiharu stepped up to her, "Should we head back to the branch then? While it's not much, we should compile the data we got from her."

Shirai nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's a good idea. Kamijou-san should go rest now too. We'll take it from here."

"Right…" His eyes moved from side to side.

"And Onee-sama should return to the dorm too!" The pig-tailed girl added with a scolding tone.

Her upperclassman blinked, "Ehh? What?"

"Umm…" They turned to the black-head with a flower accessory, who looked slightly nervous, "I'll be going then. I can't really do anything, even if I wanted to…"

Uiharu frowned, "Saten-san?"

And with a quick wave of her arm, the female Level 0 among them turned around and said, "I'll see you guys later then. Good luck in that investigation!"

With her feet on the move, Saten was quick to walk away, but Kamijou called out to her. "Hey, you're awfully quick footed today… you sure everything is ok?"

She bit her lip for mere seconds before forcing a smile, "I just gotta do something, so yeah, don't worry about it, Kamijou-kun. See ya!"

And with that, the girl departed, the others exchanging glances, "Is it just me or was something bothering her?" Shirai wondered with a finger under her chin.

"She must be worried about the case," Misaka commented thoughtfully, hands on her hip. "So probably…"

Unlike the rest, Kamijou knew what was bothering her, given that her previous comments pretty much revealed her dismay at being a Level 0. He ascertained the girl felt impotent due to the fact she didn't have an ability.

"I hope she's okay…" Uiharu dropped her shoulders.

"Saten-san is a strong person, so I'm sure she'll be fine," Said Misaka with a warm expression, "In any case, I guess I should head back then."

"A-ano!" Uiharu raised her hands as if to reach her, "Since I'm heading to the branch, could you take Index back to my dorm?"

The nun in question started waving her arms childishly, "Mikoto is mean! I don't want her to take me home!" She whined.

"I'm not mean!" Misaka shot back, "And I'm certainly not happy with Uiharu-san's request either!"

Index stuck out her tongue, "See!? You're being mean to me!"

"That's only because you complain so much!"

Kamijou facepalmed, "Oi guys! If you're going to fight, at least don't do it in public where people can see! If it comes to blows, we'll have to arrest you for assault, you know!"

"Onee-sama, please just take Index to the dorm," Shirai pleaded. "We'll investigate the leads that Kiyama-san gave us."

Frowning, the Railgun released a sigh, hands on her hips, "Fine, fine…" She turned to the nun, her brow twitching, "C'mon, let's go. I'll buy you something on the way."

And with those magical words, stars appeared in Index's eyes, her cheeks turning red as a happy smile spread on her face from side to side. Kamijou couldn't help being amused by how easily Misaka managed to calm the nun down.

"…Part of me feels like you two are meant for each other… in some strange way." Kamijou noted out loud.

"Shut up, you!" Hissed Misaka, bailing a fist.

Uiharu giggled to herself, while Shirai seemed slightly irritated by his comment, but chose to not voice her opinion. She started walking away in one direction as Uiharu hurried to catch up with her, whilst Misaka and Index walked in the opposite direction.

After waving them goodbye - not before getting told to go home and rest - the Imagine Breaker carrier was left alone. Normally, he'd head home by now, but Saten's reaction to the Level Upper case was bothering him. She spoke a few words that she probably tried to keep to herself, but Kamijou overheard them.

So rather than be on his merry way, he decided to quietly follow the black-haired middle schooler, or at least attempted to; she was fairly quick to move away, but he did know the general direction she was heading in.

Minutes later, Kamijou frowned, glancing around the new area he found himself in. It seemed pretty much deserted and devoid of security. He wondered why Saten would go to such a place, but it didn't take a genius to realize that this place screamed danger, and there was no way he would leave without her. The rookie of Judgment readied himself and sprinted forward, trying to locate his younger friend.

The boy eventually passed under a bridge, finally spotting Saten as she seemed to peer at something by a corner. He let out a sigh of relief and approached her, but on his way, the girl ran past the corner, towards the left and out of sight again.

Kamijou blinked and decided to give chase, stopping right by the same corner the girl had been seen at earlier, as some voices came within earshot. Resting a hand by the wall, he blinked as he heard Saten's voice.

"-guy's injured. A-and Anti-Skill wi-will be here soon," She spoke, clearly frightened.

Kamijou was surprised to see her standing up to a group of thugs that were bullying a guy, but at the same time he tensed up, as did the girl when the tallest of the three thugs approached her with menacing steps.

Said thug - a lean man with light brown hair - suddenly slammed his feet on the wall just at her side, the force behind it making a hole in the cement. Saten flinched in fear when he smirked in amusement before finally speaking.

"The fuck did you just say?" As he grabbed her head forcefully, "For someone so useless and powerless, you really have a big mouth. Who the fuck do you think you are to give me orders?"

In that exact moment, Kamijou's eyes shot open and his legs moved on their own, so fast that he stood before them, putting a hand on the thug's arm and twisting it up, allowing Saten to break free from his grasp.

"Get your hands off of her you son of a bitch!" Kamijou growled darkly as he slammed the man's own arm into his eye, forcing him to back off.

"K-Kamijou-kun?" Saten whispered in shock, resting a hand on her chest as she stared at the pointy-haired boy, whose stance displayed utter belligerence.

"Where the fuck did this guy come from?" One of the thugs wondered aloud, "He just hit Trick, unbelievable."

The tall man addressed as Trick started to laugh hysterically, putting a hand on his face, "That was so fast, this kid's something, heh."

"Well, I was getting bored anyway," Another thug said, cracking his neck while approaching Kamijou with confident steps.

But the Imagine Breaker had something else on his mind.

"Hey, Saten… you alright?" He asked. "Have your phone with you?"

She blinked, "Eh, ah… yeah, but the battery is dead so…"

"…Figures, huh?" Kamijou mumbled. "Take mine instead; call Anti-Skill and maybe the hospital for some ambulances, alright?" He slipped his own phone out and handed it back to the black-haired middle schooler discreetly while the thugs were more focused on his face. "It's gonna get a bit violent here…"

Without further warning, a fist sailed towards Kamijou's face, but he stepped back, grabbing the thug's arm in the process, and pulled him towards the wall. The thug's face was smashed through the hole.

Saten stepped back upon seeing the thug hanging from the spot where his head was forcefully inserted, but quickly shook her head and regained her breath as she started running away whilst calling Anti-Skill. One of the two remaining thugs tried to intercept her, but Kamijou got to him first, kicking the thug's leg joint and forcing him to fall on his knees.

"The fu-?" His voice was cut off when a hand gripped his hair, then violently smashed his face into the ground twice. With that done, Kamijou stood up slowly, gazing at the only remaining man standing, his eyes sharp.

"Heh. Those were some really flashy moves, I have to admit," Trick pocketed his hands, moving a few steps. "So, are you some kind of stupid vigilante that saves weaklings or what?"

"Not really… just a below average member of Judgment finding some delinquents hurting a young girl; that's all," Kamijou remarked.

Trick laughed, "Look who has a sense of humor, the guy whose ass is about to get kicked."

"Come here and try it then. Your guys were just big-mouthed, and I think the same goes for you." Kamijou provoked. "Or is the big bad thug scared of a high-schooler, huh?"

"You know that us guys, before getting a hold of Level Upper, were afraid of you Judgment dogs," he smiled confidently. "But if I were to get huge powers, then I'd return the favor, whether you have powers or not."

Trick started to move towards his position, Kamijou suspecting his opponent was physically stronger since Kamijou was still recovering. And so he decided avoid his tackle. He rolled to the side and as he was about to deliver a swift uppercut, he blinked, realizing the thug was not where he had expected him to be.

Some fast steps came from his right, and Kamijou had to duck and sidestep to avoid being hit by the thug. He could not even waste a single moment as he felt an incoming attack from behind, so he quickly spun around to see nothing.

"What is- Whoa!" Kamijou barely could move his head back in time to avoid a knife from cleaving his face. "What the heck is going on?"

"What is it, huh?" Trick said smugly, "Where are those flashy and fast moves of yours, huh?"

The Imagine Breaker narrowed his gaze, smirking, "Saving the best for last, you know?"

Trick's smug expression turned aggressive, "Then you better start now because I'm not done playing with you, shitbag!" Raising his arm, Trick threw his knife at the boy.

Kamijou moved to the side, however, sharp pain suddenly came from his shoulder as the knife had somehow cleaved it. He grunted in pain as he pulled it out of his body, tossing it to the ground.

'He's using some kind of ability, and I can't negate it since I have no idea of what he's doing, dammit. I don't think he's a teleporter, but he's somehow attacking me from other directions… Could it be that he's just fast? But the knife just now… Wait a minute…

Kamijou picked up a rock, "So you used Level Upper, huh?"

"What if I did? Oh, don't tell me - you also want it?" The thug laughed. "Like hell I'll be giving it to you Judgment lackeys."

The pointy-haired boy planted his foot forward and threw the rock at him, and as he had suspected, the rock bent, totally missing his target.

"Wow, is my aim that bad?" Commented Kamijou, scratching his head.

"Haha! What are you doing?" Trick asked, amused, "You think that throwing rocks at me is gonna work? I thought you were going to be more of a challenge."

Kamijou picked up another rock and threw it at the thug, the same result occurring. He made a thoughtful expression, having realized what had happened. Considering that he had been attacked from unlikely angles, and how the objects were bended when he threw the rocks at him, he determined what was really happening.

"Man, you're such a cheater," Kamijou sighed, "I gotta admit though, this is the first time I've seen an ability that can actually distort light. No wonder I failed to see where you're attacking from."

Trick became slightly startled, "So you managed to figure it out? Aren't you one clever bastard?"

"Not really, but my private lessons did teach me some stuff, and well, since you apparently distort light around you, I suppose that allows you to create some sort of illusory effect to deceive people, right?"

Laughter erupted from the thug, maniacal in every sense of the word. Kamijou narrowed his gaze, his stance sharpening as he could see that this thug didn't care that the nature of his ability had been uncovered. Trick's confidence told him he should tread lightly.

"So, you think that discovering my ability will change anything?" He snapped smugly, starting to move towards the Judgment rookie. "Let me make it easy for you, kid. You're dead."

"Well, I'm guessing that your ability must still be pretty limited… otherwise you would have just rendered yourself invisible entirely, or at least appear to be further away than you are…" Kamijou argued. "Taking into account your behavior, you'd definitely do it if you could… so I can at least ballpark what your effective range is…"

"Is that so?"

He suspected the range of that ability was around the thug since the trajectory of the rocks he threw at him was bent only when close, making him conclude that Trick most likely created an illusion next to his real body to throw him off. Not to mention that his previous attacks, while coming from an unexpected direction, still came regardless - meaning that light was distorted when Trick approached him.

However, knowing this didn't really help him craft a way to counter that ability of his.

The thug lunged at him, Kamijou readying himself.

Kamijou moved forward as well in an attempt intercept Trick before he could pull off his illusions again; but he was punched in the face, the hit apparently coming from his left this time.

Rolling to the side, Kamijou stood up slowly, wiping the blood coming from his nose.

Leaning forward menacingly, Trick asked, "What do you think of my Trick Art ability?"

"…It's annoying and makes your nose look crooked," Kamijou retorted.

The thug let out another laugh, "Trying to be funny, huh? Oh I'll enjoy breaking you, kid. I will do it slowly, so you'll really feel it." He licked his lips in anticipation, cracking his knuckles.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I must decline," Kamijou responded. "I'm not into that kind of play, you know?"

"Like hell you can, you little fuck! You can't do shit!" Trick shouted in amusement, "Fuckers relying on their sight are my fucking prey."

Kamijou blinked, making a mental note. "You always tell people the weakness of your ability up front? Or do you just like me that much?" He shot him a wry smirk, "I bet it's the latter since I'm a very likeable guy!"

The thug shrugged his shoulders, "Trying to mock me? I'm gonna rip you apart!"

Kamijou narrowed his gaze, knowing now that a direct confrontation wasn't the best approach. He couldn't rely on his sight; that much was clear after his observations and what the thug said, so he needed to make use of his other senses instead.

If sight would fail, he would use sound in its place.

Trick smiled wickedly and lunged at him once more; however, the unfortunate boy spun around and dashed inside the abandoned building.

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 06

"Running away!?" The blonde thug ran right after him. "Too bad; you're not going to be able to hide in here, you bastard! These are my stomping grounds… there's no way you'll be able to outmaneuver me in here!"

"Is that so?" Kamijou called out, "So it's empty or what?"

Trick smiled wickedly, as he chased the boy inside. As he ran, the smell of gasoline began to fill his nostrils.

"T-that bastard… is he trying to burn the place down and pin it on me!?"

Trick grit his teeth and ran, eventually stepping into a room to his right. It wasn't finished, but this area was walled in. After taking a few steps inside, he heard a splash, indicating he stepped into a liquid.

There was no fire, just some gasoline spilled on the ground. There was no way he could ignite it either; no matches or a lighter. The implied threat of a fire seemed like a bluff.

But the sound he made didn't go unnoticed. He could hear clearly each step he made, echoing across the empty rooms in the building. Kamijou's gaze then widened when he realized that there was actually a way to counter Trick's ability.

Kamijou stopped moving as he felt a presence coming close, and ducked just in time a avoid a hit. However, it was swiftly followed by another to his ribs, blowing him away and making his body roll upon landing harshly.

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Picture 03

"Ouhh! That one was good, wasn't it?" The thug crowed. "Did I break a rib?"

Kamijou regained his focus and stood straight, smirking cockily, "Not quite. I know a girl that hits thrice as hard as you."

Trick's expression twisted into a scowl, "Still trying to act tough, are we!?"

Kamijou took two steps forward, echoing across the large room they found themselves in. "Nah, my trainer is a monster. For example, she taught me stuff like this!" He raced toward Trick with a readied fist, appearing as though he was going to slug him. The blonde thug reached out to strike him first with his longer limbs, but at the last minute, Kamijou ducked down and leapt forward, slamming his head right into Trick's ribs.

Trick crashed into a wall and was briefly winded, but managed to slip away, grabbing his now sore ribs, looking surprised that Kamijou managed to land a hit on him in spite of his light manipulation. Kamijou knew that avoiding a punch or a kick was easier, since the impact area was small, but pulling out a tackle increased the area of impact, even if he was tricked again.

He could have crashed entirely into a wall should he have failed, but he still managed to return the favor due to the wider target area of a tackle, and the fact that he heard the thug's steps in that direction.

"Huh, that was actually good," Trick muttered, smirking. "I won't let my guard down again, asshole."

Kamijou raised his fists in anticipation, "I beg to differ. I already set you up to lose, after all."

His opponent raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

A chuckle echoed inside the abandoned building, coming from the spiky-haired boy, "Are you really asking me to tell you? Wouldn't that be stupid on my part?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, but even If I did tell you, I would win anyway."

"We'll see about that, shithead!" Trick sprinted towards the teen at full speed this time, ready to slam his whole body on him.

Kamijou closed his eyes and focused on every step given by the thug, and as soon a step echoed in the empty room, it gave him a rough idea where Trick was. The gasoline was just a ploy to make his footsteps more noticeable, as each time Trick moved, a definite 'plop' caused by his soaked footwear rang out.

When the blonde thug was close enough, Kamijou ducked down and swept Trick's feet, causing him to slam right into the pavement. In that moment, his eyes shot wide open, seeing the thug on the ground. Not wasting this chance, Kamijou quickly held his arm and twisted it behind him, a grunt of pain escaping the thug's mouth.

"Your ability doesn't matter too much when I've got you like this, now does it?" Kamijou twisted Trick's arm a little more to emphasize his point.

"Argh! You little fuck!" Angry screams escaped the blonde thug's lips. "I'll show you… my name is Trick remember!? I have a few things I can… huh?" His face twisted in confusion. "Why won't… my ability activate!?"

Kamijou grinned, and shrugged his shoulder, "Who knows? Maybe I also have a trick under my sleeve."

"Let go, you fuck!"

Despite Trick's attempts to overpower him by strength alone, Kamijou managed to keep the thug restrained. He had to admit it was a difficult feat to accomplish since his body was not in the best condition.

"Come on, don't struggle so much. You're just going to make things worse for yourself, you know!" Kamijou stated, putting more pressure on the restrained limb.

"Gaggghh!" Trick screamed in pain, "Stop! You're gonna break my fucking… agh!"

"…For a guy who talks tough, you're a bit of a wimp, aren't you?" Kamijou laughed a little.

"I give up! I give up! Just let my arm…"

Kamijou snickered, obtaining some Judgment-issued handcuffs with his free hand, "Sure pal, but I'm not planning to give you a chance to attack me again. Hope you don't mind…!" He spoke coyly as he snapped the handcuffs in place around the blond thug's wrists. "There you go. Thanks for being so obliging."

Finally standing straight, Kamijou released a sigh of relief, before observing Trick trying to get on his feet, but failing miserably. With the thug captured, Kamijou approached one of the windows to check outside.

"…Took them long enough," He sighed as the familiar sight of Anti-Skill vehicles began to pour into the area from the surrounding streets.

A familiar busty woman in the form of Yomikawa Aiho soon emerged, taking notice of him by the window. She rolled her eyes, with hands on her hips as if wordlessly saying, 'Why am I not surprised?' That's was her expression told him, at any rate.

He only waved his hand in response, not sure if that'd make her even more irritated, but it felt appropriate somehow.

"Well big guy… bad news is that you lost to a Level 0…" Kamijou walked back over to Trick. "Good news is that you're not going to be far away from your friends downstairs for very long!"

The blonde thug could only groan angrily in response.

Part 12

"Why am I not surprised to see you involved in this, Touma?"

Kamijou Touma gave the woman before him a wry look, finding this situation a bit amusing.

"You know, that's exactly what I thought you would say," Pocketing his hands, he motioned his head at the thugs being taken into custody, "It was an accident… well… sort of…"

With arms folded, gaze becoming sharp and the repeated tapping of her foot on the ground, the woman stepped closer to him, all while saying, "Sort of?" Yomikawa tilted her head, voice inquisitive.

"W-well… I was just walking down the road when I heard someone scream…" Kamijou argued. "It's not like I jump from rooftop to rooftop looking for people in trouble. It was an honest coincidence!"

"With you, coincidences don't exist." Yomikawa groaned.

The sound of a vehicle's door being closed caught their attention, Kamijou catching sight of a certain blackhead talking with a familiar pig-tailed girl.

"Hey, you alright?" Kamijou blinked upon hearing Yomikawa's concerned voice, "Just when are you going to rest? Your body needs to recover, Touma."

"I'm fine, I guess… just thought I saw someone is all." Kamijou answered. "Sorry… but I need to talk to someone really quick. I won't leave without saying something to you, promise!"

Before Yomikawa could even deny him, the Imagine Breaker ran off.

The boy made his way across the street, the agents of order leaving the area since the thugs were already arrested. Finally reaching the duo, Kamijou casually waved a hand in greeting, both girls becoming startled, and for different reasons he suspected.

"Hey guys," He greeted.

The teleporter, whom he knew as Shirai Kuroko, rested her hands on her hips in disbelief. "Really? This too? Are you sure you're human?"

"I mean… last I checked? Hehehehe…" Kamijou nervously laughed, but Shirai didn't look impressed by the slightest.

"Thank you, Kamijou-kun," Saten bowed her head lightly. "I… guess I got a little in over my head there… heehee…" She rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed fashion.

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, casting a gaze of suspicion upon Saten. "What were you doing here anyway?"

"Oh… just… you know…" She locked her arms behind her back, looking off and trying to not seem suspicious… though ironically it was doing the opposite.

The teleporter glanced between the two, apparently noticing Saten's unusually reserved behavior, and Kamijou's inquisitive one. The Imagine Breaker himself wondered if he should cool it down, and wait for them to be alone to address the matter.

Shirai folded her arms, "Did something happen?"

After a moment of thought, Kamijou shrugged his shoulders. "I just noticed that she seemed a little upset by something and went after her when we split up… I found her getting mugged by those assholes. I don't know anything else; they could have jumped her for all I know. Lone girl after dusk and all that…"

Saten blinked at that, slightly surprised. The boy was quick to give her a glance and a nod of his head for her to realize that he was giving her a hand. Quickly nodding after she apparently realized it, the blackhead smiled, although her nervousness remained visible.

"Y-yeah, right! Kamijou-kun appeared just in time and kicked their butts!" Exclaimed Saten with a smirk. "Serves them right for praying on young girls, right? He sent them straight to the hospital!"

"Stop exaggerating, Saten. Weren't they just taken by Anti-Skill?"

"I-I know, but…" Her gaze dropped, red painting her cheeks, her hands still locked behind her, "Thanks… You did really save me, Kamijou-kun."

"…Just try and be more careful next time, alright?" Kamijou rubbed his neck. He noticed the red blush on the girl's face and looked away, feeling a little uncomfortable with her reaction.

The look in her eyes was rather similar to one of certain blonde, after all.

Deciding to ignore this for the time being, he focused on the task at hand, which was to uncover Saten's strange behavior during the day. For that, he needed to talk to her alone.

"Saten-san," Shirai looked at her inquisitively, "This is no place for students. You were lucky that Kamijou-san followed you or who knows what might have happened. Please have in mind your own security, and where not to go. "

"S-sorry… I'll be more careful…" Saten replied as she began to frown. "I didn't mean to be a bother…"

Kamijou shook his head, resting a hand on her head, "Don't say that, Saten. Just be careful next time." The girl became more nervous upon his touch, so he removed his hand and scratched the back of his head, "In any case, I'll escort Saten back to the train station."

"I will need your report, though," Said the pigtailed girl, "This time for sure, Kamijou-san."

He rolled his eyes, "Can't I submit it tomorrow? It's a bit late, you know?"

Shirai let out a sigh, "Fine… but make sure Saten-san gets to the station safely. You never know, any friend of the thug you captured could still be around."

"No worries, I'll take care of it," He motioned his head to the female Level 0. "Let's go Saten. I need to make one little stop before we head over, just so you know."

"Be careful then, you two," With a short nod, the girl teleported away.

"…She can be pretty strict, huh?" Kamijou sighed.

Saten scratched her cheek nervously, "Yeah…"

"C'mon, let's go."

The duo soon passed by Yomikawa as a couple of Anti-Skill vans left the area, though neither one seemed to notice her.

"So… who do you need to find?" Saten asked.

Kamijou shrugged. "Just an amazon woman I know."

"Amazon woman, huh?"

Kamijou froze in place immediately. His neck practically creaked as he turned to face the humble Anti-Skill woman in question… who looked none too pleased with the comment.

"…H-hi… Y-Yomikawa-chan! H-how are you!?" Kamijou sputtered.

"Nice try," Yomikawa frowned. "So… that's how you think of me, huh?"

"N-no wait… H-hey! Why are you turning away dismissively!?" Kamijou called out as Yomikawa turned as though she were to leave.

Saten couldn't help but laugh a little bit as she saw the Imagine Breaker try to appease the scorned Anti-Skill officer.

Yomikawa really wasn't offended by the comment, but she felt like having Kamijou squirm a little was a good way to pay him back for blowing her off earlier.

"So… this girl was the victim, right?" She asked once she decided that Kamijou had asked enough for forgiveness.

"Yeah… I was going to escort her to the train station so she could get home… it's been a long day for her, and I don't think she'd like to get jumped again."

"Sorry for being an inconvenience…" Saten bowed apologetically.

Yomikawa eyed the girl for a moment or two, eyes narrowing, "So you're gonna escort her home?"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, catching the subtle edge in her tone, "Well… at least to the station. I don't know where she lives… so…"

"Y-yeah… that would be a bit…" The girl averted her gaze in embarrassment, "Although I wouldn't mind it…" She muttered to herself, but Kamijou managed to catch that.

Yomikawa leaned to her, "Excuse me?"

Saten shook her head, "N-nothing!"

Kamijou was relieved that the woman didn't hear that last part, considering how overprotective she had been lately.

"Well, we should probably get going," Commented a restless Kamijou. "I suppose you'll head back to the main quarters, right?"

She nodded her head curtly, "And when exactly are you going to rest?"

The boy started walking, "I will, after I get her to the station. Later then, Yomikawa."

"Touma, wait!"

He came to a stop upon her call, "I really should get going, we'll talk later!" And with one wave of his hand at the woman, he turned to the girl with long hair and gave her a nod of his head, who timidly responded with one of her own.

And just after that, Saten bowed to Yomikawa before hurriedly following the pointy-haired boy. The duo spent minutes walking on the streets of the district before Saten's voice caught Kamijou's attention.

"Hey… erm… before I forget… I'd just like to say thanks again for… well, saving me from that," Saten spoke softly. "I never really got to show my gratitude so… yeah… sorry to put you through that trouble…"

"I should ask how you wound up in that mess to begin with… but honestly," Kamijou smiled brightly, "I'm just glad you are ok."

She stopped in her tracks, causing him to do the same. Both stood in the middle of the walkway, and stared at each other in silence, the falling sun in the distance close to setting. He furrowed his brows, noting the fact that Saten looked as if something bothered her, a unusual expression he had seen on her when a certain subject came into their conversations.

He chose to be patient and waited to let her speak her mind. And in the whole minute that elapsed as she took courage to speak, he noticed how difficult this was for the young girl, given her variety of expressions, going from doubt to realization, from shyness to helplessness, from disappointment to anger.

And above it all, expectation and a minor amount of hope.

"Kamijou-kun…" She began, her eyes trailing from him to the side in a repeated process, "What do you think of Level 0s?"

He was expecting some kind of question related to espers, but not necessarily that one. "I think they're alright… well, this is me talking as one who somehow got an ability… an ability that can't be controlled, but an ability all the same… I don't think there's anything wrong with being a Level 0."

"You think?"

"I do." Kamijou nodded. "What about you? What do you think about them?"

Saten bit her lip, averting her face, eyes narrowing, "I don't know… it's just… "

"…Is someone bullying you over being a Level 0?" Kamijou asked. "'Cause if so, I have a shovel with their name on it. Just say the word."

A short giggle escaped her lips, "There's no need for that, but…" Fixing a lock of hair behind her ear, she said, "I appreciate it, Kamijou-kun. Knowing that I can count on you really means a lot."

"It's no problem… just don't ask why I own a shovel when I live in a dorm room; it's not a fun story," Kamijou replied with a blank stare. "But… if it's not that… then what's wrong?"

Her gaze darkened, "Actually… I've also been wondering that myself…"

"What do you mean?"

Saten hesitated but eventually spoke, "Have you ever felt like you are left behind by everybody?" A sad chuckle followed as she continued, "You know, like you can't keep up with everybody else and all you can do is watch from afar?"

Considering some of her previous comments, he sort of expected this.

"A… little bit," He admitted. "Though for probably different reasons than what you're bringing up… it's a little less like I can't keep up and more like I was left behind, honestly. But I think I understand the sentiment…"

Her eyes widened at that, "Then you-"

"But I move forward," He added, cutting her off. "The only way is forward, I know that much, so even if I feel that way sometimes, it's pretty clear to me where I should go, you know?"

"How are you supposed to move forward when you're not even given a chance to do so?" She questioned, her tone leaking irritation.

"Depends on where you feel like you're stuck, honestly," Kamijou answered, keeping calm. "Sometimes, all you can do is make your own opportunities with what you've been given… there's no magical fix to everything, and not always an answer. That's when you need to step up and make your own. I'm not saying it's not frustrating or anything like that… but sometimes when life tells you 'no', you need to do whatever you can to deny it. Like if you're suddenly dumped off into a city you know nothing about and are expected to live there for the rest of your life; it's scary not knowing anyone… but all you can do is try your best to put yourself out there and make a life for yourself…" He sighed wearily, "it's not easy, but it's what you need to do… am I making sense?"

He rubbed the back of his neck lightly, unsure if the emotion he was trying to put out conveyed itself well enough to form words. He raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, mouth agape when she suddenly shook her head.

"It's not that easy…" She muttered, and then, her eyes became sharp, "Can I ask you something, Kamijou-kun?"

"Sure; I don't mind." He shrugged.

Silence engulfed the area, with only the sound of vehicles in the distance, until she spoke, "What would you do if you had the means to raise your level?"

Kamijou knew where this was heading, but he still sought confirmation, "Are you asking about Level Upper, Saten?"

She averted her gaze, "If you happened to have it, would you use it?"

Kamijou narrowed his eyes, "Do you have it?"

Saten still refused to look at him, but responded anyway, "I'm just speaking hypothetically, Kamijou-kun…"

He kept his expression the same, but answered honestly. "Well… my conditions are unique… considering…" He pointed to his right arm. "…But I can at least see why someone would be interested, I guess. The level-based social hierarchy this city uses is a bunch of bull if you ask me."

"So you understand, right?" She finally faced him directly, "What Level 0s go through. It makes sense that they would want to get their hands on something like the Level Upper, right?"

"You're talking to the guy who has an ability and still ended up labeled a Level 0; of course I understand. How do you think it feels for someone to say 'you have a power, but it's not good enough so you're worthless,' right to your face?" Kamijou argued. "I'm stuck in a spot where both sides of the spectrum reject me… where not even this magical Level Upper can help."

"But your ability can negate the power of a Level 5," She growled. "Misaka-san's powers are nullified by your hand, right? So you can at least do something, while I…" Her voice faded, her shoulders dropping, "I don't think you can understand what a Level 0 feels. In the end, it is because we have no power that we try to get it, and we get chastised for trying."

"What are you getting at?" He questioned sternly.

The female Level 0 stepped forward, looking less than happy, "Those people you fought, they must have felt weak and useless. That's why they used Level Upper."

"Whatever Level Upper is, it's dangerous," Kamijou stated firmly. "There are other means to raise one's level, Saten."

"Sometimes there aren't," She argued, biting her lip. "Sometimes, no matter how much you try, you can't do it. Life is unfair; you, more than anyone must know that, Kamijou-kun."

"…Of course I do," Replied the boy with a frown. "But if something happens to you. You know, there are worse fates than just being stuck, Saten."

She sighed, "Maybe you can't see it after all. You do have an ability. Even if you're labeled as a zero, you can stop those that have power."

"What I'm worried about is what can happen to you!" Kamijou fired back. "Right now, there are no less than three people hospitalized in comatose state, and not even Academy City's own high degree of medical knowledge can wake them up… and the one thing they have in common? They all used Level Upper. Every single one of them. And I don't want you to join them!"

He then held out his right hand to her.

"…Right now, it'd be safer if you just took this instead."

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 11.2 Section: Song 07

Saten blinked, looking at it for several seconds. "I… I can't…" She stepped back.

"You said it yourself; it's a power that cancels out other powers. With how you said it, it might as well be the best one there is, right?" Kamijou stated. "It's right here, and only here. If you took it, it'd be all yours. No one would be able to argue with it, Saten."

"Stop… you don't understand…"

"Saten," He spoke firmly. "…I'd rather give this to you than have you risk your life over Level Upper."

She took another step back, "No… you don't understand what Level 0s feel, what I feel… You're from Judgment, you capture people that try to use Level Upper. You captured those that used it just some moments ago. Maybe you just don't want people to use it because it scares you."

"You're saying that like I'm trying to persecute Level 0's or something… when you know I am one too." He sighed. "Look, we need to look into it to make sure everything is on the level. If all it does is raise levels, then it's fine… but if it does something else malicious in nature on top of it, it's a no go. Raising your level won't matter much if not long after you're stuck in the hospital or mind controlled or something… there's a lot of unknowns right now…"

"That's right. There's a lot if unknowns, and you're already taking the only way of leveling up as something malicious. You're being… selfish."

A car passed by the street as Kamijou looked at her in surprise. He had underestimated how hurt she was, how delicate this situation was, and while he wasn't certain if she had Level Upper with her, he knew that she would use it should she get her hands on it.

Did the lack of power really mortify Level 0s that much?

He could see now it was more complicated than he had anticipated.

Saten walked past him, her steps heavy and slow, as if she dragged her feet, "I'd better get home. I'll be fine from here. You don't need to walk me to the station."

Kamijou called out to her, "…I'm sorry, Saten… but I truly hope you're right… because if you're mistaken… then I don't think I'll be able to save you."

She stopped briefly, and then continued to walk away.

Kamijou Touma was left alone, the sun completely gone, the sky dark and the city lights already turned on. He had tried to convince her, to explain that a power that was easy to obtain could be dangerous, but her desire for it and the fact she felt useless without it had made her blind to reality. It had made her deaf to his words.

He could only hope that Saten would reflect on the matter later on.

The boy with a power that eluded his understanding finally walked forward, with the unusual sense of defeat.

Part 13

Slowly, Kamijou's residence door opened up as he pushed it. Weirdly, it seemed to be unlocked, despite being sure he had locked it before heading out for the day.

"…Maybe one of her girls was close by? Still… they could have locked it back up. This unlucky Kamijou-chan has had issues with thieves before," The Imagine Breaker sighed. "I'll have to find out who it was and give them a good scolding later."

Right now, he didn't have the energy to care, so he decided to put off being angry. He really couldn't be bothered.

The conversation with Saten was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel like he could have done something more. If he had realized it sooner…

But that's all he could do… at least for now; only leaving him to vent internally. He sighed heavily and set his phone out on his table. After that, he promptly fell face-first onto his bed.

"…It's not too early to sleep, is it?" Kamijou groaned. "I don't think I can do anything else."

He wasn't really that tired, but wasn't that hungry either. Television didn't sound like a good way to pass the time on top of that. Kamijou groaned into his pillow before pulling his head up to look at the wall.

The teen really was out of it. He cursed internally; that argument was going to stick with him for a while.

Her words rang in his head for a while, about him not being able to understand.

"…I do understand, damn it."

He then felt a soft set of hands press onto his back.

"Hmm… what do we have here?"

The sweet voice of a certain someone rang in his ear. Suddenly, it made sense why his front door was unlocked.

"…Shoku- …Misaki?" He was quick to correct himself.

"Getting used to my first name again? Your practice ability is going up; at least you can catch yourself now."

He let her soft, delicate hands rub his back for a time. It felt soothing; he could only think that she had let herself in again, but right now he didn't care.

At least until he decided to sit up and look at her. At this point he flushed bright red.

She was not in her Tokiwadai uniform, oh no. She was just in a humble bath towel that barely kept her generous proportions in check, looking like it could slip off at any moment. Not to mention that the towel itself only barely went down below her hips. Her skin was glistening and her hair was wet; she had likely helped herself to his bathroom shower.

Shokuhou saw this reaction very clearly and smirked.

"…Like what you see? Mmm?" She then dropped the top of her towel a little bit to show off more of her cleavage. She could have sworn steam left his ears at the sight.

"Hold on! Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Kamijou shouted, waving his arms. "A-at least give me a chance to prepare myself!" She could only giggle at the Imagine Breaker's reserved attitude.

"What's wrong with me trying to comfort my boyfriend?" Shokuhou teased with a wink.

However, despite her joking statement, Kamijou managed to calm down, his mind shifting back to his previous thoughts.

"…Ah, was I that obvious?"

"You were drowning yourself in a pillow. Your hiding ability is sub-par at best." Shokuhou fake-pouted. "…Making me wait an hour for you to come home. How rude."

"S-sorry…" Kamijou rubbed his neck. He honestly couldn't remember if he had made plans with Shokuhou or not, but decided that taking the fall would be easier. "A lot of… stuff happened…"

The Mental Out tilted her head slightly. She studied him for some time; he appeared more than a little depressed.

She hadn't seen him like that in a very long time.

Kamijou sighed again before feeling a sudden shift in weight. Shokuhou had moved to sit next to him on the bed.

"Want to talk about it?"

"…I would," He stated. "…But having you half-naked in my room is a little distracting."

"Well, if the thought of me having clothes on is that big of a distraction…" She smirked and let go of her towel, letting it become undone. However, Kamijou raced over to close it back up before he could see anything. It was an act he both thanked and cursed himself for; he was a man, after all.

"…It never ends with you, does it?" Kamijou grunted.

"You signed up for this; remember that." Shokuhou giggled. That managed to get the Imagine Breaker to crack a smile at least. "If it bothers you that much, I could be convinced, you know?"

Kamijou laughed a little, but he had a different idea. Due to him falling onto his bed, the blanket was thrown about. He reached around and grabbed the thick cloth and dropped it on Shokuhou.

"H-hey!"

"You said convinced, and you're now wearing something, so I'd call that a victory!"

The blonde puffed her cheeks, "T-that's not what convinced means!"

"Yeah, but this is more fun!"

She frowned at that before a dangerous look appeared in her eyes. "…Fine, have it your way."

Shokuhou then stood up and tackled the unlucky Kamijou, resulting in a short struggle that ended in both of them being wrapped up in the blanket.

"Allow me to teach you a new term then: compromise." The Mental Out giggled. "As you can tell, my compromise-ability is rather high. Do you like it?"

"…I don't think there is a man alive who would complain." Kamijou remarked. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he saw the towel now on the floor at some point, but it was out of sight now.

'…Best not to think about it, or else something bad will happen…' Or so he thought.

"So… want to talk to me about it? Even if all I can do is listen… I'd be more than happy to." Shokuhou stated. Their faces were remarkably close. Slowly, Kamijou began to frown.

"…Right, yeah…" He nodded. "Well… might be best to start from stage one of today the-"

His words faded instantly when the sound of a ringtone echoed in the room, coming from his phone lying on the short table in front of the bed. His eyes and golden starry ones were directed at it as the tiny device vibrated over the wooden surface continuously.

Kamijou was about to rise from the bed when Shokuhou quickly put a hand over his chest, preventing any movement. He looked at her questioningly as she pouted at him cutely in response.

"Don't answer… at least not yet. You know that a call is important when someone calls twice, right?"

Kamijou's eyes moved to his phone until it stopped vibrating. He waited some seconds, and nothing occurred. Shokuhou shot him a knowing glance when his phone started to ring once more, much to the blonde's irritation.

"You said so, Misaki. I have to get it since it might be important."

"…You get a pass for remembering to use my first name on the first try," Shokuhou nodded. Even if she didn't like it, she relented in the end. "But I get to listen in… fair?"

"Fair enough."

Kamijou was quick to remove the blanket around him, careful to not take it from Shokuhou as he knew that the towel wasn't covering her body anymore. He nervously managed to accomplish that, trying to ignore the knowing smile of the Level 5, and then picked up his phone.

And just before he could answer, the call ended.

Kamijou sighed, just noticing that part of his shirt was wet due to Shoukhou's still damp hair lying against his shoulder. Choosing to ignore it, he then manipulated the device to discover that Uiharu had been the one calling him.

"Who was it?" She asked curiously.

Kamijou frowned, "It was from one of my branch partners. I wonder if something happen-"

And right on his hand, the phone went off again, still reading that Uiharu was calling.

"…So if they call twice it means it's important. What does it mean if they call three times?" Kamijou asked.

"That… it's likely an emergency…" Shokuhou replied. Their eyes drifted back down to the ringing phone. "Don't make her wait, Touma-chan. Use your reply-ability."

Kamijou nodded his head, pressing the green icon of his touchscreen phone.

"Uiharu? What is i-?"

"K-Kamijou-san! Thank goodness you answered!" Uiharu's breathing seemed labored, like she had been running.

"Uiharu?" Kamijou exchanged a worried glance with Shokuhou, "What's wrong?"

"Please, come to my dorm! Some scary people are trying to take Index away!" Elaborated Uiharu desperately. "Misaka-san is trying to fend them off but I'm not sure for how much longer!"

Kamijou blinked, "Calm down, Uiharu. Who are these people? Have you called the police?"

"I can't… Index would get in trouble if I did…"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, wondering why would that create problems for the nun; but in the end, he knew next-to-nothing about her, so there was probably something going on about her situation.

"Well, is there anything you can tell me then?"

"P-please… just come," Begged Uiharu. "I think there's something… following us…"

"Are you with Index?" A humming sound came from the Level 1 as confirmation, "Alright, I'm on my way. Just hang in there and hide until I get there."

"Y-yeah… just hurry Kamijou-san…"

"I'll be there as soon as I can," And with those words, he ended the call and turned to the girl he cherished, "Misaki, I have to go. They need me."

"I know… this is exactly the kind of person you are," Shokuhou smiled. "Go use your hero-ability… but you're going to have to make it up to me later, understand?"

"Yes, my Queen!" He bowed to her in a teasing manner, however she pouted and pointed at her lips. "Eh? I don't have time for that now!"

"I want a goodbye kiss!"

He rolled his eyes, and leant towards her. She pulled him by his shirt and kissed him; two seconds later, Kamijou found himself being pushed away.

"Now get to work. We'll finish this talk later… my prince~" She smiled.

Kamijou blinked a couple of times, but a determined expression found its way back to his face.

"Yeah…"

Kamijou spun around, heading to the entrance. He quickly put on his shoes and left the dorm, closing the door behind him. A certain Mental Out girl stood up, still gripping the blanket between her arms as she looked with worry at the door.

"…Touma-chan…"

Hello everyone! Welcome to the bottom of the story!

Sorry to say, but Mr. Itherael and Mr. NirvanaFrk97 have been kidnapped. And are no longer here.

Not to worry! Their substitute, ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things, has taken oveduties! This is totally not a hostile takeover!

*confused muffled screaming in the background*

Please ignore all sounds not related to my voice!

Still… we had a bit of a ride, hmm? It's my second time helping out with another story… and it was a new experience. Before when I collaborated with someone, we just basically took turns writing chapters, but this is my first time live-cooperating with folks, and its plenty of fun.

The bits with Misaki are probably my personal favorites. Something just felt natural about writing them. Though i'm still getting used to things, but I hope you all had fun! Probably the newest thing for me was the length; I recall about four or five times I asked if "That was it," only to be told, "No, we've only just begun!"

Still, I'm glad I could join the party. Even if now I'm the only one left!

*ripping of rope can be heard off in the distance*

(Itherael): Where is my CEREAL!? I mean… Misaki is love! Misaki is life!

(NirvFrk97): Hoh… The new guy sure did grow a big head just because he's in charge of the A/N, didn't he?

*the duo find their kidnapper*

ohnotheyescapedIneedtogetoutofherenowbyyyyeeee!

...Oh! And if you'd like something else to read, I got three Solo-stories with Raildex, and if you're more… adventurous, I got some crossover stories of varying quality, also with Raildex. Just search up ArmoredCoreNineBall and give them a whirl if you're brave! Take it easy, my friends!

(NirvFrk97): If you do decide to read the new guy's stories make sure you go ahead and drink blea- *interrupted*

(Itherael): IN ANY CASE, and jokes aside, I do appreciate the help he provided. I was surprised upon witnessing his mastery when it came to writing the TAMNI characters and Misaki herself, so do show him some love.

As always, let me hear your thoughts via the review box.

With nothing else to say, I bid you farewell and see ya soon in the next update.

- Frank