NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: chapter 17
(MEANWHILE)
"I want to go to the toooileeeet!" a wail permeated the spacious room.
One of the teenagers forming the organization known as Kyozetsu snarled at Misaka Misuzu.
"Quiet there! You already ran your mouth enough!"
"But I need tooooooooo~. Otherwise, I will just pee in my pants! I was drinking all night, and I really need to go, otherwise it will all go to the floooooor!"
The guards of two mothers shuddered.
"Come on, let her go to the toilet! She has no self control! She will really do it" Minako shouted in terror.
"C-Come on, as if we will fall for that!" one of the guards shouted" Hold it in till your daughters arrive! Then you can do whatever you want!"
"B-But she is sick! If you want let her do it, then..."
"Misuzu-san has a certain condition..." the older Misaka muttered, her head hanging low as she spoke in montone voice" If Misuzu-shan drinksh alcohol before, and won't pee for long enough... she can shtill shtay... druuunk... *hic*... foooor a loooong time...
As she looked up, she had a stupid smile on her face, that was quite red. Her head, adorned with brown hair, wobbled from one side to the other.
"Y-You are bluffing! There is no such disease!" the thug said, but looked at his companions in uncertainty.
"Da doctor shaid soooo. Shoooo I mussht gooooo peeeee..." Misaka Misuzu slurred on, wobbling even more" Or elshe... Misuzu-shan will get... anger...*hic*...yyyy. And when angry..."
"She will seduce and kiss everything that moves" Minako screamed dramatically, as Misuzu fell sideways on her while still bound up " I beg you, she will do unspeakable things to me. I am too beautiful to ignore!"
"You shaiiid yourshelf... that you want to be friendsh... then give me kiiiiish" Misuzu made a kissy face.
"That's all the more reason that crazy woman must stay here!
"But I must be unharmed when our daughters arrived. AAAAAHHH!"
"Oh my god, shut the hell up! I will fetch the girl that will lead you to the toilet, just stay quiet!"
Minako's lips twitched. Their plan was really simple: make Misuzu leave the cell, and retrieve the card to unlock their bounds. It was easier said than done... but Minako could only gulp in awe at Misuzu's acting skills.
"Heh, I was drunk for a quarter of my life, as embarrassing as it is" Mikoto's mom whispered next to her" and putting a lot of air in one's mouth will cause the blood vessels to expand and we get the red hue"
Yes, this woman was definitely smarter than she usually showed. As expected for someone who gave birth to the Railgun.
"But wow, that was great. I almost fell for the "I will kiss everyone, boy or girl alike""
Misuzu coughed awkwardly and turned away, to hide further blush of embarrassment.
When she finally left, Minako could only wait with bated breath.
1 minute passed... then 5...
And then she saw the brown haired woman return in the company of a female Kyozetsu member...
"Oh, that's so much better. I can feel my mind clearing alrea...oooohh?!"
Misuzu tumbled down to the floor, sending the contents of a table next to the wall straight on the floor.
"Ow, how clumsy of me!"
"Oi, what is the meaning of this?!"
"My legs stopped working for a moment. You forced us to seat in one place for so long..."
"They were working fine a minute ago... so if I were to check you right now, I wouldn't find anything suspicious, right?"
Minako bit her lip. Even if Misuzu managed to grab the card, this could all be for naught.
The guard girl was reaching down
"Don't try anything. I know you did some-"
An alarm sounded throughout the room. The guard looked away
"What is this?!" she screamed into a walkie-talkie.
"As impossible as it sounds... we have an intruder!" came a shout from the other side.
"Intruder... who is it?!"
"Y-You won't believe it... it's a... little girl... but she has a gun! And she-"
There was a scream and the communication was cut short.
"What the hell is going on there?!"
Luckily for Misuzu, the room descended into chaos. She was quickly put back next to Minako without the inspection. She managed to hide the card in the sleeve.
Now she only needed to somehow reach the locks in the middle of her chest and between her hands. Same went for Minako. Even if it was tedious or maybe even impossible, they had to try.
Although, they were curious as well. Intruder? And also, a little girl?
(MEANWHILE)
Gokusai Amazora was really pissed. Not only did her beloved onii-chan was missing the whole time, she was also getting hungry.
"I am sorry onii-chan. I am trying to not make them dead, but it is not easy if I am this mad!"
Amazora ventured into district 10 and started to ask people around about two missing woman. As she got laughed at, she decided to change the flow of conversation by introducing the gattling gun to a company. This persuasive argument which left holes in quite a few walls, lead her to hide in one of the trucks that delivered her here.
"Apparently, the bad guys are here. So give me my onii-chan back! I am bad, but I am good if I am fighting with enemies of onii-chan!"
The guards were apparently completely unprepared for 11 year old girl jumping out of the cargo cart and blasting everyone with gattling gun fire. The thugs tried to retaliate, but Amazora was relentless.
It would seem that outnumbering the girl would make it an easy target. But that was not the case. Because if Amazora shared something with her older sister Kaibi, it was proficiency in direct attacks. She was also old enough to use certain psychological factors against her opponents.
She simply walked forward, unleashing relentless fire. She was focused, and her purplish-violet irises reflected the gunfire. All she did was merely sway from side to side. And somehow, as if in some movie, bullets failed to reach her.
Did Amazora used her power to defend herself? No. However, she utilized her looks and age to get that effect.
Most people would still hesitate for a moment to shoot a small child, even if it was clearly a dark sider. And that moment was just what Amazora needed. The fact that she was relentlessly pushing forward with hollow glare could scare even the most experienced fighters.
And if someone was brave enough... she still had her own fighting skills.
"Just go down already, you little-"
Using her small body to slip past extended hand, she ducked and placed small explosive on the man. It was powerful enough to stun, but not kill.
The guy's eyes opened widely when she uttered two words.
"Move it"
In a flash of light, the man was thrown against the wall, as Amazora bent slightly, away from the explosion, without changing her expression, when she continued her march of death.
The others fell back, calling for reinforcements. Such was the wrath of Gokusai Amazora.
Some could think that the wrath of Gokusai Kaibi, who could manipulate the distances between hearts, or Gokusai Rikuri, who was a masterful prodigy of chemistry and drone technology, were the most terrifying. They were certainly warranted to think as such. But for Amazora, the girl who was still growing and only started to realize her feelings for Kamijou Touma, wielded a completely different form of anger.
If comparing Gokusai sisters to good old terminology of freudian psyche: id, ego, and superego, one could argue that dutiful Kaibi were superego of the group, free and versatile Rikuri an ego, but there was no doubt that Amazora was an id. And by that parallel, that, in a way, made her most terrifying of all.
Id was an embodiment of wild instincts, cravings, basic needs, living only guided by pleasure or displeasure. Amazora was cheerful and playful, but if she got angered, there was no room for true negotiation. She would crush her opponents to truly protect her family.
Because above all else, Amazora was tired of losing, anything, in any shape or form.
She used that greed to fuel her fighting spirit. And now she combined it with her feelings for Kamijou. When she hated, she hated fully. When she loved, she loved with all of her heart. In time, those extremities would probably disappear but for now, they were clear as day.
She would crush anyone who could potentially separate her from Kamijou Touma. Even if it was out of selfish wishes, Amazora's feelings still longed to be with the boy.
"If onii-chan dies, I won't be able to grow up and seduce him like Kai and Riku onee-chan do" she muttered in frustration" but this floor doesn't have any stairs. Where is he?"
(MEANWHILE)
"What are you doing here?" Kamijou uttered rather awkwardly, after what he just witnessed.
Besides Hokaze, there were other two familiar females. One of them was Kongou Mitsuko, the other was Gokusai Kaibi. The only thing was...
"Are... are you okay?"
"I am Kongou... Misssuko... I do not get... dizzy... but... I will just..." Kongou, who had hair in such state that her already large forehead looked twice as big, took a few steps, and collapsed into Touma's arms.
Kaibi wobbled around, disappearing behind the corner, and then... a sound of vomiting reached Kamijou's ears.
"No, seriously, what the hell did you three do?!"
"Eto, eto..." Hokaze waved her hands around" W-Well, there is this incident, with Miss Misaka and Miss Kongou being captured..."
"WHAT?!"
(ONE EXPOSTION LATER)
"I knew something was going on! Thank you for telling me this, Junko-san, we must help them at once! So, how did you even found us?"
"Well, Hamazura-san phoned his girlfriend... Takitsubo-san, was it... to pinpoint your location."
Touma blinked. He did not have an AIM field, so how on earth did Takitsubo...
Oh...
"She noticed a place where AIM field of the city felt less dense" he muttered, more to himself, than anyone else, but violet haired girl nodded vigorously.
"Exactly. But she only gave us a rough estimation of the direction so we had to search through district 10 and its underground"
"What?! But you had so little time!"
Junko made a rather cute pose, touching a finger to her cheek.
"If I am not mistaken, Gunha-san used to call it... that thing in those... video games" she said it in a tone that suggested that it was some exotic term to her. And it probably was, as Hokaze Junko was in Touma's eyes a virtuous and polite ojou-sama" When you already know what to do, so you complete the game really fast..."
"Speedrunning?!"
"That's it!"
"Wait... you speedran the entire district... literally running... how?!"
"Allow to elaborate. My ability, Rampage Dress, allows me to control my bioelectricity to strengthen my muscles or enhance my senses, among others. I can channel the energy into my legs and it makes me able to achieve over 90% of speed of sound! I can also amplify the acuteness and reach of my sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing, boost my cognitive skills, and I used all those abilities to search for you while on the run. I took in everything. Although...I collided with you. Please forgive me my incompetence"
Touma stepped forward, grasping the girl's hand, who yelped slightly in surprise.
"What are you talking about? You brought me the most important news. Thanks to you, I can take action now. You are my hero right now, Hokaze Junko"
Hokaze blushed slightly, lowering her eyes in modesty.
'His hand is warm and has a nice grip... it's very comforting...'
She suddenly came to a halt.
'Wait... is this the legendary... handholding I heard so much about?! B-But... if I am doing it with Kamijou-san, does it mean... no, I already did it with Gunha-san once, when he wanted to show me a nice place for a fighting session... and I held my Queen's hand when we performed combination attacks... I also handheld Misaka-san in excitement when we went to Gekota festival and we were chanting countdown to the reveal of new Gekota pyjama reveal!'
Hokaze Junko's pure and innocent ramblings went on and on...
'But I thought you can only hold the hand of true love. But I heard that Gunha-san carried Kamijou-san... I knew I saw my Queen and Misaka-san displaying fondness in Kamijou-san... Kamijou-san clearly knows Misaka-san and there is some strange reason why he and the Queen are not talking all that much... but that means..."
Of course, such purity led her to some abstract conclusion.
'It's the romance of five parties and I am the only one unaware! Awawawawa! B-But what if everyone... asks me..'
Now red Hokaze imagined being face to face with her friends.
"Hold my hand Hokaze-san. I am excited to get to know you better" said Imaginary Touma.
"Grab my hand Hokaze. It will surely be a blast" added Imaginary Gunha.
"You are my most loyal right hand. You should hold my hand" Imaginary Shokuhou interjected.
"You are my most trusted Gekoer companion. Hold my hand in the name of Gekota alliance" insisted Imaginary Mikoto.
"Aaaah?!" Hokaze Junko waved her free hand in the air" I want to hold hands with all of you, but I only have two!"
"Hokaze-san?! Are you alright?" Touma looked at her with worry, as she quickly let go of his hand.
"Y-Yes, I am fine..."
Little did Touma know, a certain misunderstanding was created.
'Misaka-san and the Queen warring over a guy... did it happen because I was indecisive or not supportive as a friend? Then... I just have take their love and protect Kamijou-san as well. If I am the only part of this... what was it called... har-am?... that is not reincorporating those feelings. Oh, no! Maybe Kamijou-san... actually got a crush on me, and this is causing all those problems? Or maybe... Gunha-san actually...'
She shook her head and looked at Touma. The blush intensified. Hokaze's pure mind was now overdrive beyond any rationality.
'Kamijou-san... you being source of happiness of everyone around me makes me so happy... and this makes me even more convinced... I wish to protect you even without my Queen's orders. He is a remarkable gentleman. And as such... why wouldn't I have feelings of warmth towards him? I wish to get to know him and thank him for all of the good things he did for those close to me. It makes my heart so happy and content'
And as such, Hokaze Junko's harem, which never actually existed, only strengthened her resolve.
She felt it before, when Touma defended her, but she was now certain. She wanted Kamijou Touma to be a part of her life. He was important to her most precious friends, and brought them happiness, which made Hokaze's own heart soar. And as she looked at the boy, she only felt pure gratitude and fondness.
'I don't know if I can get in the way... I don't wish to hurt my friends... but if I could be a little selfish... I want to have time with Kamijou-san... because from the bottom of my heart I want him to be a part of my life. In fact, I feel like I missed out a little.'
Hokaze Junko, from just a little handholding, reached a certain realization in her happiness.
Her feelings for Kamijou Touma were complicated by more than one bond. But won't it be beautiful to see them shine?
Meanwhile, unaware of Hokaze's delusions and struggles, Kamijou finally addressed an elephant in the room.
"So... what happened with you two?"
"Oh..." Junko snapped back to reality" W-Well... we volunteered to search for you. There were others, yet we draw straws, and we won. I asked for them to hold my hands"
"So let me get this straight. You were dragging them along for all that time..." Youen finally spoke, first time till the trio of the girls arrived"... while running and taking turns at nigh-supersonic speed?!"
"W-When you put it like that... miss..."
"Hanatsuyu. Hanatsuyu Youen. That girl looking identical to me is my twin sister Kaai. Before you ask, we are eleven."
Junko's violet eyes widened, as she realized that the girl was only 4 years younger than herself yet their breasts were almost the same size.
"That was... horrible..." Kaibi stood up, wiping her lips clean" Never... again..."
"Truly awful... my life flashed before my eyes..." whispered Kongou.
She was still leaning on Kamijou, and it made the blond let out an irritated sigh.
"You were in better shape than I was. You are just taking advantage of the situation, so stop being all over him right now"
"I have no idea what you are talking about" Kongou slowly opened her eyes and slowly stood next to Touma.
"Well, there is no time to waste. Hokaze-san... did you know where are the others?"
"They follow Misaka-san to the location described by the kidnappers. We should go there as well"
"Wait, wouldn't Kongou-san being with us be a problem for the other side? If they don't see with Biri-Biri..."
"This is not a problem" Kongou offered an explanation" We intent to fight either way, so they trade off is annulled"
"But won't they hurt the hostages?"
"Well, according to Misaka-san, they had a certain distracting to shake off their fighting spirits."
"Kamijou, just to be clear..." Youen butted in, looking at spiky haired boy "We are not obliged to actually save anyone. But... I guess we will stick along too. Fighting some idiots can be amusing. And also... I am curious about... you know..."
"Yeah. It's a promise, Youen."
Kongou twitched slightly in a twinge of jealousy, looking at the small girl in labcoat.
"Darling already has promise to keep. Wait in line" she said, getting close to Touma once again and embracing his arm.
"Ho?! And who is supposed to be there? I bet I knew him before he met you" for some reason, Youen was acting antagonistically and Kamijou could not understand the cold gazes between the two.
"If you think getting bigger breasts makes you look cute, you may be just compensating for something because it's absolutely creepy"
Youen chuckled coldly, while examining Kongou's face
"Isn't Kongou family in aviation business? Your brow is so wide that they could build a runway on it and save lots of money"
Kongou reddened, straightening her back and glaring viciously on Youen.
"Do you want to be blasted to space?!"
"Do you want to be eaten by ants?!"
Touma groaned and Junko was only watching with confused expression.
"WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?!" Kamijou yelled, grabbing both girls by the shoulders. Because of the height difference, he had to do it almost diagonally. Kongou shivered when she touched her, feeling something similar to electricity. "Right now, we need to save two people, including your mother, Kongou-san. And for that, I need your strength, all of you. Can I count on you?"
Girls looked at each other.
"There is no way I am letting you go alone" Kaibi walked by Touma's side."We still have some unifinished business to attend to"
"Who do you think you are talking to? This is my mother we are talking about, and with my darling here, I am completely fearless. Also..." Kongou stuttered a little at that part" I wish for you to return with me... so I will be watching your back, commoner, to make sure you stay safe"
"It's same for me" Hokaze motioned towards her big chest" Both for myself, and in the name of my Queen, it's an honour and joy to fight alongside you"
Youen and Kaai looked at each other, with Youen sighing and Kaai shrugging.
"As I said, we don't really have some grand motivation, but we don't want you to have all the action"
"We should probably get going, just like Kamijou said" Kaibi motioned towards the depths of the tunnel.
"Ehm, everyone..." Hokaze Junko shyly pressed her fingers together, looking extremely embarrassed" There is just a little bit of a problem..."
"That being?"
"I ran so fast... and we did so many turns that I... don't...exactly remember... where we started..." Hokaze had a face of someone who simply wanted to disappear. "B-But don't worry, I can fix this!"
(ELSEWHERE)
Rikuri was on a relentless chase. As a responsible older sister, she would reprimand Amazora for sneaking away. She would show Kaibi that she could put her foot down, and as the middle sister chased after Touma, Rikuri decided to search for Amazora.
She was great in gathering intel and soon enough, one of her drones confirmed that Amazora entered a certain building.
"That is near the spot mentioned in that letter. How that little... how she managed to get there? Then again, her ability to enter problems and fights is almost as misfortunate as Kamijou's"
The young woman straightened, starting to valiantly run forward.
"Young lady, your big sister is coming! I will not rest, I will not sleep until I get you to safety."
10 meters... 20 meters... 50 meters...
"Okay... maybe... one more... stop..."
The girl panted, leaning over the sign.
'This is... so embarrassing. Kaibi nagged me to exercise more, but I couldn't find time during my research. Aw, please Kamijou-san, never witness this! And to think I was able to cheerlead in the past... I am a failure!'
As she wailed in self-despair, she noticed that one of the manholes nearby moved, ever so slightly.
"Huh? Now, what is that?"
(ELSEWHERE, 15 MINUTES EARLIER)
Shokuhou Misaki hated the situation she was in.
She should be with her Prince, and not with...
"Why am I even on watch duty?" she grumbled "Not to mention with you of all people"
"Don't you worry, star-chan, everything will be alright. It's a gutsy team of guts and glamour" Sogiita Gunha laughed boisterously and gave a pat on the back.
That "pat" almost broke her back in half though, and made her bust rebound, so Misaki felt as if the kinetic energy travelled back and forth, making her wobble.
"Great..." she hissed" at least you are aware that I am the glamour part."
'Seriously, what does Hokaze see in this crazed fitness maniac? Although I must applaud his bravery in certain situations, his mannerisms are abhorrent. Oh, my wonderful prince, I don't care that you don't remember me, I want to snuggle you so hard right now... I hope Hokaze finds him... to be honest, while I am relieved that she went to check on him, Junko-chan and Kamijou-san can get along pretty well... wait, am I jealous? There is no way, Hokaze-san, while clearly independent, is devoted to me and has this musclehead over here. Mooou... but they can clearly find their common ground really well. And they are both rather pure...'
"Are you thinking about Hokaze?" Gunha spoke next to her.
Shokuhou turned her head in surprise. As far as she was aware, he didn't possess a thelepatic application of his power... although, with Sogiita Gunha, one could never be sure about anything. And it was not like she could easily check it out.
The problem with level 5s was that she was unable to peak into their heads for various reasons. Accelerator and Kakine could easily deflect her attempts. Misaka-san had electromagnetic barrier that could be breached only with great strain, and although Shokuhou never got a chance (nor did she have a true interest) in reading the thoughts of Meltdowner, she suspected #3 and #4 had similar defenses. She was not sure about Aihana Etsu. But, surprisingly, she could enter Gunha's mind. The only problem was that his mental processes were so erratic and fast-paced that she felt as if was on 3 different concerts of 3 different music genres playing all at once. Gunha's thoughts were vivid, evolving and one thing shifted into the other so fast that it made it hard to read and comprehend them at all. Sogiita didn't seem to mind, but for Shokuhou, it was such a pain that she dropped the possibility of reading #7's brain.
"Yes... she had... quite high eagerness ability to save him. I hope both of them will be okay"
"She is strong. One of the most gutsy girls I ever saw. There is no mistaking what I felt through my fists. If she is with Kamijou, I can rest assured that they will be okay" Gunha commented with a grin on his face" Got to tell you, star-chan... you have a good taste in people. Hokaze is your right hand girl, right? And you have interest in Kamijou"
Shokuhou blushed and whispered rapidly
"How did you kno... oh, right... your guts, or whatever"
"Oh, I am interested in him as well"
Shokuhou's eyes could very well be replaced with starry dinner plates
"He is filled with amazing kind of guts. I can't help, but admire him. We are like brothers from different mothers and... star-chan, are you okay?"
Shokuhou was clutching her chest and looking quite hysterical
"Oh, so that was what you meant... hah hah hah..."
The vision of certain type of love manga with Touma and Gunha in main roles, featuring Hokaze Junko, was fading from her consciousness like a terrible feverish dream.
"Well, if you are okay, then we are just waiting for the signal. I hope Kamijou joins the fight in time. Hamazura and Railgun-san are coordinating it... oh, and one more thing..." Gunha looked above the wall they were hiding behind" You don't have physical guts... but guts of your heart are bright as day. Thanks for being such good friend to my own friends"
Shokuhou did not expect this, let alone from Gunha. She would feel bad if she didn't reincorporate it in some form.
"You are not so awful after all. In your... strange... way, you are caring for Junko, who is one of my oldest friends. And you aided Kamijou during that battle with Misaka-san... even if we don't see eye to eye and it may sound strange... thank you. A lot"
Gunha uncrossed his arms and gave a thumbs up, before giving her a "pat on the back" once again.
"No problem! One level 5 to the other!"
This time, the pat almost threw her to the ground and Shokuhou was certain that she had a red handprint at the middle of her upper back.
"By the way, I cut off our main escape route. This way, we can take longer route if we are ambushed and improve our stamina if we are found and have to escape."
"YOU WHAT?!"
Shokuhou could really cry in that instant.
'He is insane! Junko-san! Where are you when I need you to comfort meeeeee?!'
(MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE)
Only a moment after activating her ability, Hokaze Junko sneezed.
"Are you alright?" Touma looked at her with worry.
"I'm fine, but..." the girl stumbled back, clutching her face with slightly watery eyes as sparks faded around her" I used Rampage Dress to boost my olfactory cells and track traces of my smell to get us back to the surface. But I never done this in the sewers and I am afraid that amplifying my sense of smell in a place like this is just irritating my nose...
The explanation was forcibly interrupted as violet haired girl sneezed twice more.
"Bless you" Touma handed Junko a tissue, which she accepted with gratitude.
"Pardon me" she elegantly tidied herself up, and smiled apologetically" And thank you. But as you all can see, we won't get anywhere like this. Excuse me, for being useless"
"Don't apologize. You did more than enough already, so don't force yourself" Touma looked at the violet haired girl with a smile, which caused her to smile warmly in return, with a slight touch of crimson on her cheeks.
'The Queen was right, she is extremely kind and considerate. She was so anxious for me to be his protection, but it is clearly my desire to protect such kind person, who is important to my friends... and to me as well'
"Well, if we are talking about the surefire fast track to the surface..." Youen thought for a moment, before snapping her fingers" Wait for me, I will be right back!"
And so, she dashed back. Kaai raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So she wants to use him... well, this will be awkward for her. I can't wait"
"Him? We are adding another person? It's becoming super crowded in here!"
Silence lasted for a minute or two, before Hokaze clapped her hands with a smile
"You know, this smell oversensitivity of mine I experienced a moment ago reminds me of a certain legend of Tokiwadai..."
Kongou visibly shuddered and shook her head.
"If you are talking about that horrid place... that was humiliating..."
"But when Ryoukan fell prey... it was a bit funny even if unfortunate..."
"I guess it was" Kongou couldn't help but smile." She was like everyone-achoo!-to the-achoo!-rooms!"
"Ehm, we are little bit out of the loop with the inside joke. Since we are waiting, care to enlighten us?" Kaibi motioned towards herself and Kamijou.
"Ara maa, of course, you wouldn't know. Are you familiar with 7 Mysteries of Tokiwadai?"
"Not at all" Kaibi and Touma answered in unison.
"What? You don't?"
"I have a friend, who could have mentioned it once. Saten Ruiko, that's her name" Touma added after consideration.
"You know Saten-san?! She is a charming girl! She and my Queen met her before. I am so happy that we have even more shared friends" excited Hokaze grabbed the hand of surprised Touma and leaning close with a smile
"Hokaze-san, would you get back to your story and don't bother him" Kongou muttered, grabbing Touma's another hand.
Junko blinked and jumped back, embarrassed from her instinctive reaction. Kamijou was also slightly red from having a girl jump so close to him so suddenly.
'I thought Tokiwadai are a bunch of self-obssessed sheltered brats, so it would make sense for them to be interested in each other, since they have no experience with man... but damn... if Tokiwadai is a yuri paradise, then Kamijou Touma is a straight-demolition wrecking ball. Although I don't sense straightforward feelings from Hokaze-san, she definitely has some form of affection. She is the type of girl who wants to befriend others... but I swear there is something there, besides that...' thought perplexed Kaibi.
"As I was saying, over history of Tokiwadai, there were certain theories about our school. Usually, there are 7 at the time. Even if one emerges, the other takes its place. We don't know if number 7 holds any significance, but... I can tell you certain examples. First..."
Junko took a few steps trying to appear more menacing.
"A staircase that can never be ascended. There is a mysterious staircase that can be reached all the way to the top. Because when you reach the penultimate step... you realize you stand at the very bottom!"
Kamijou bated his breath. Kaai raised an eyebrow, Kongou gulped, Kaibi remained unphased.
"Maybe some telepath is playing pranks on you" Measure Heart offered sarcastic retort.
"But Queen said that she tried to sense anything like this and failed! One of my friends from the clique was terrified the whole day. Secondly... in outside dormitory, there sounds of moaning and screams during the night. The light gets dim and the girls can't sleep!"
Touma moved closer to Kongou and said quietly
"Call me crazy, but isn't this just Shirai and Misaka?"
Kongou stifled the burst of laughter into her hand through the very last moment, and cast a glance at Touma, her twinkling eyes suggesting that she will start laughing if she loses even a bit of control.
"Thirdly... the haunted toilet, which bites your... ekhm, posterior, when you follow the call of nature"
Kongou momentarily lost all colour.
"Everything okay?" Touma asked her.
"W-Well... there was this one time my python got lost and she got into canalization..."
"You have a snake?!"
"It's not just a snake. Her name is Ekaterina-chan. I will introduce surely introduce you to her. I am sure she will love you"
Kamijou did not have her certainty.
"Fourth mystery... the eyes of portraits and monuments are moving. The girls could have sworn that they felt a gaze watching them, especially in dressing rooms."
Kaibi nodded, totally unconvinced, but Kamijou was a different story.
'Damn that old perverted magician! Aleister, seriously?!'
"Speaking of dressing rooms... some girls could have sworn that one of them is haunted. A guy emerged from there out of nowhere and caused an uproar, with the majority of the school chasing him. Some girls even locked themselves in that lockers hoping they will have an... ekhm, secret meeting with a boy"
Touma laughed weakly.
'That was so damn embarrassing! That time when I got smuggled in because of that fake altar. To think that it would become an urban legend...I had good reason, but Tsuchimikado, you will pay for that one day'
"Six... there is a courtyard that makes one sneeze to the point of being hospitalized..."
"That sounds ridiculous" commented Kaai.
"But it is true. There were many brave attempts to laugh it off. Queen and Misaka-san could not control themselves when they entered there, neither did my friends from the clique . I tried entering it myself and something in the air tickled my nose so badly that I started sneezing senselessly before I knew it. A truly dangerous place."
"That was the most stupid and humiliating thing for all of you" Kongou stated haughtily.
"Oh? If I am not mistaken, you tried to enter there as one of the first people, saying it is ridiculous to fear an empty space. Even when Wannai-san and Awatsuki-san started to sneeze long since, you managed to endure quite long. Yet... pardon me for saying this... but you looked absolutely ridiculous."
Junko searched for something on a small Gekota phone and what she demonstrated was a photo of Kongou doing one of the silliest faces they ever saw on her, likely fighting the effect of the mysterious courtyard, with her face cringed, lips puckered out, eyes closed, and eyebrows knitted together.
The raven haired girl's face exploded in red hue. She snatched the phone away and instantly deleted the photo before Touma could see it. However, Kaibi started to snicker with no restraint, looking at furious girl.
"In the end, Dorm Supervisor tried to enter it herself and also suffered the same effect. The case was described as the allergy outbreak, even though there was nothing that could produce such effect on courtyard. It was closed off as a restricted area. And speaking of Dorm Manager... there is a rumour that she has a secret admirer!"
(MEANWHILE)
"Where are those girls?!" the brown haired woman sighed, slamming her fist into the table "I swear, I don't care how high of a level they are, they will suffer the consequences."
She adjusted her glasses. She truly needed to calm down in order to find the missing students. And there was one, secret method to do it. One that could never be found out.
She walked across the room, looked outside, and after confirming that no one was there, she got back inside, lock the door... and sprinted towards her bed.
In her nightstand, there was a collection of letters. One day, she started to receive them, from mysterious source. At first, she thought it was a joke. No one ever wrote her letters, except for complains about how strict she was. But those letters... they were different.
A person who wrote it described himself as simple admirer and fan of her skills. That person applauded her skills in managing the dorm of one of the most prestigious schools in the world, encouraged and praised her to do her job to the best of her abilities, but also described what kind of problems she might face and tried to console her.
She should be crept out... but instead...
Her eyes were slightly moist, an incredible rarity for that steel-strong woman.
"He understands... everyone thinks that I am some heartless monster, but he really understands and appreciates my work... he thinks that I am a perfect blend of beauty and strength... he is daring, very daring... but I can't help but..."
She did something she didn't do since her teenage years. She squealed, while hugging the letters into her chest.
'I love love love love love love love love love love love this!"
He looked at the signature
Sincerely, KT
Whoever you are, you are my inspiration. You are the only one who truly understands the value of my work. Oh, why do you have to remain hidden from me?!
She hummed to herself, feeling that her mind returns to the state of clarity.
What a wonderful day to be alive. She thought so, bringing her lips closed to the letter...
"Ryoukan-sama!" a staff member knocked to the door. "You are needed downstairs."
"Understood. I will be there soon" answered the woman in a cold tone.
She gently put the letters into their place.
KT... whoever you are, you are the most wonderful person in the world, even if we both keep our feelings hidden
(MEANWHILE)
'Nah, there is no way' Kamijou Touma dismissed a sudden thought' There is no way that my letters actually reached any Dorm Manager. Hello, this is Kamijou Touma's life. Some lucky guy probably did it before me!'
The curse of being a misfortunate idiot did not end with simple bad events. The problem was also in the fact that when good things, as rare as they were, actually happened to Touma, he simply could not believe that something could go his way. Kumokawa Seria could attest to that.
"Kamijou-san... there was one more legend... do you... believe in ghosts?" Junko asked quietly.
Kaibi looked as if she was about to laugh. But Kamijou remained serious.
"I have no reason not to believe in them. I would need to see them first, but I am just a normal high school boy. This world is too big and there are too many things in it for me to just laugh it off"
Talking about it made Kamijou nostalgic. He recalled how sceptical he was when Index first told him about magic. It felt as if it was eons ago...
Hokaze Junko, who encountered a special form of ghost, and Kamijou Touma, who faced wonders of magic, looked at each other. And even without knowledge of their respective lives, Hokaze felt her eyes being filled with wonder as her heatbeat quickened.
'He... is not joking.'
"Sorry for the wait" Youen finally returned, carrying something in her hand. "Kamijou, meet... Kamijou"
The thing in Youen's hand was a rat. A rat that was apparently called Kamijou.
"He is highly intelligent and I trained him for various tasks. He will help us find a way to the surface.
"You named a rat... after this moron?" Kaibi could not decide to be amused or weirded out.
The human Kamijou looked at rat Kamijou. It was strange, but it only showed that Youen somehow missing, so it wasn't a bad thing entirely.
Youen put a few drops of orange mixture before the rat.
"Once he inhales the scent, he knows that he needs to locate exit route to the surface"
And indeed, the rat started to run.
"We really are following him?"
"If it's insects and vermin, Youen is the boss"
And so, after 10 minutes of twists and turns, they arrived under a manhole.
For some reason, the metal steps were not done all the way through, which meant that they had to ascend by climbing on each other.
Attempt 1) Kongou on Kamijou's arms:
She could not quite reach the steps.
Attempt 2) Kamijou on Kongou's arms:
The perspective of having her head essentially next to Touma's crotch caused the lovestruck maiden to overheat and pass out, with Touma tumbling down.
Attempt 3) Hokaze on Kamijou's arms.
Apparrently, Hokaze Junko was ticklish, which was closely experienced by Touma. When his spiky hair brushed against skin of her thighs, she exploded into a fit of giggles and instinctively pressed her legs together , which caused Touma's (un)fortunate head to be squished from both sides by her thighs with strength equivalent to a hydraulic press, which in turn made him actually pass out for a moment. The end result was extremely embarrassed Junko bowing repeatedly while Touma was coming around.
After that, Youen and Kaai lost their patience and commanded hundreds of butterflies to lift them all up.
And so, 5 girls, 1 boy, and 1 rat emerged from the sewers in the stream of insects... almost giving a heart attack to Gokusai Rikuri.
(Moments later...)
"Well, looks like we finally made it" Touma sighed, looking at everyone around him.
Kongou were speaking with each other about something, Kaibi looked at something on her phone, possibly a map. But the strangest thing was...
"Oh. My. Goooosh!" Rikuri was fidgeting and grinning in excitement" I can't believe it... Kamijou-san, how did you know t-t-the Carrier and Decomposer?! *Squeee!*"
Youen and Kaai were as equally confused as Kamijou.
"I met them once, and I had no idea" Touma began, but Rikuri skidded past him and grabbed hands of the twins. She began to shake them to the point of getting the Hanatsuyu sisters themselves off the ground. Touma found it somewhat surreal for over 19 year old to act like a small child in front of an actual children (with big busts) who were somehow assuming the role of the senpai here.
"Oh my god, control your breathing Rikuri... m-my name is Gokusai Rikuri, and I am your biggest fan! I read about your ingenious research on plant enzymes and venoms, I just can't get enough, you inspired me to become a chemist of the dark side!"
"Would you look at that" Kaai mumbled" we have a fan. I knew those streams would pay off"
"Streams?"
"Don't listen to her" Youen said to Rikuri" Well, thank you for such an enthusiastic approach to our research. People tend to underestimate pathogens spread by animals as a mean of biological warfare"
"No, I think this is the crucial point to be made. I cited you in one of my research papers and when I defended my thesis"
"What was your work about?"
"Isolation and chemical properties of amphibian venoms in military technology"
"Hmm... oh yeah, there was something like that. I had a few remarks, but a rather good job. Few things actually surprised me"
"THE Hanatsuyu Youen was glad with my work! Ohmygodohmyohmygod!" Rikuri hugged Touma and started bouncing in the air with him" I am so happy!"
When Touma was released, he managed to ask the question
"Rikuri-san... why are you here?"
That managed to snap the grown up girl back to reality
"Oh, yes, I am tracking down Amazora... she went after you on her own and there is a huge chance she actually ended up in the hideout of Kyozetsu"
At that time, Touma's form rang. It was Hamazura Shiage.
"Boss?! Oh thank god, we couldn't contact you. Takitsubo helped us vaguely locate you, but we couldn't contact you so..."
"It's okay now. I was underground, but Hokaze-san and the rest managed to inform me about everything."
"Great. That will save me a lot of time. However, I have to tell you some strategy and plan of action. It goes like this..."
(10 MINUTES LATER)
After he finished the conversation, Touma hang up, and shouted
"Everyone!"
All the girls looked in his direction, ceasing to talk.
"Now is the time. I will tell you what we will do now and how we will go about the plan to save everyone. Hamazura said that Misaka and the others will provide help, but I am going to the first line. So I ask this: can I count for you to lend me your power?"
Not even after 2 seconds, all hands were raised in the air.
"Thank you. I just had a brief strategy meeting. So, it will go like this..."
(SOME TIME LATER...)
"Is everyone on the positions?" Hamazura asked quietly, observing Misaka Mikoto approaching the building on the other side of the street. After round of confirmations, he observed what was about to happen, as did quite a few Tokiwadai girls, Sogiita Gunha, Shokuhou Misaki, and Kankyougami Hasako.
Mikoto wasn't alone. Next to her was a girl with a short, brown-to black hair who was crouching down with her eyes closed. That girl was Maidono Hoshimi.
"Misaka Mikoto, so you've come as agreed. But who is this girl next to you? And where is Kongou Mitsuko?" the voice echoed from non visible speakers.
"As much as it pisses me off, this is our trump card in luring you out" said Mikoto.
"What the hell are you talking about? I told you not to try to attack us or try anything for the sake of your mothers?" the voice was interrupted by the laugh of Maidono.
"Really? Because I think that there is someone there, who is already laying ruin to your plan. And if it's for this guy, then for someone like you..."
She slowly lifted herself to straight posture, her index finger getting higher and higher.
"...I only need to lift this one finger!"
There was rumbling from under the ground. It felt as if the earth itself was roaring.
Cracks spread encircling the building, as Maidono stood confidently with her right index finger smiled and uttered a single word
"Levitate"
The pipes, electricity cables, and everything connecting the building to the ground snapped. And then, the figure of the building itself rose into the air. But it didn't end on the level of the ground.
Just as Hamazura Shiage suspected, the base was underground hideout. If they didn't know it, they would fall for the trick of the gang.
But this did not matter for Maidono Hoshimi. She just stood there in concentration, as her unparalleled telekinesis did her work, floating thousands of tons of materials into the air.
10 floors were already in the air... 20... 30...
Hamazura's lips opened
"Holy... shit..."
Shirai Kuroko dropped her walkie talkie.
"What... what...is..."
Sogiita Gunha breathed in deeply. Shokuhou tried to say something but failed. Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya fainted on the spot.
The 50 floor inversed skyscraper was lifted high into the air, thanks to the raised finger of a single girl.
'Mental Out promised me to alter everyone's memories, so I agreed to do it... tch, it's quite heavy. I would say 80 000 tons. Well, it's still fine as long as I concentrate. Now, let's move it! This is the start of the true battle!'
And as Maidono Hoshimi thought, this action was the start of true battle for the safety of Misaka Misuzu, Kongou Minako, and retriving Gokusai Amazora.
Yet there was another story, going on inside of the building, some time before that climax. The details of which involve valiant hero and his friends, fighting for the salvation of innocent women.
The details of which... will be continued next time.