NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33: chapter 33
Kamijou Touma was currently in major conundrum. He was stuck between two very angry girls, neither of which had the apparent intention of letting him go.
"So, Birdway..." he tried to causally start the conversation, despite the sweat flowing down his brow" That is quite... unexpected, for you to visit like this"
"Really, you fool?" the blond magician gave him a flat look" I've been here quite a few times. While tutoring you on magic, during Anti-Gremlin preparations, when World Rejecter was messing around here..."
"Oh, really? Now that you mentioned it, there really were quite a few... itatatata!"
His other arm got painfully twisted as Amazora's eyes narrowed.
"You got awfully close with her before, huh onii-chan..."
Birdway grasped Kamijou's arm, making sure each finger slowly and demonstratively closed around it.
"Jealous much?"
"Not really" Amazora humped, while smirking at her rival" My sisters always say that quality should beat quantity"
"Ho? Then I have bad news for you, because all of the quality is overflowing in me! In fact, there are only merits. I am intelligent, a genius prodigy since childhood"
"Well, I am strong for both of us! Onii-chan needs a strong woman in his life so he can focus on his own things!"
"I rarely play that card, but I am an aristocrat with a lot of money. I am sure that fool will appreciate whatever I can do to aid him."
"You didn't seem like you would help at all! You are just a dishonest meanie! Onii-chan needs someone funny and sincere. Besides, my family is rich too, even if we are in a bit of a... mess"
"Hmm... well, my mother is blessed with genes of beauty tracing back to the elizabethian royal courts. When I fully grow up, he would beg to have someone like this by his side"
"M-My mom is one of the top japanese models and cloth designers! And my sisters are amongst the most popular girls in Academy City. When I grow up, I... whoever I will be it will be better than you!"
"Even if that was true, which it isn't, what do you even know of him? Because Kamijou and myself got quite a way back actually... when we first met, the first thing he did was sweeping me off my feet and running away with me in his arms... I don't suppose that you, with that brutish weapon of yours, can present any charming story for your introduction?"
"Birdway, I did that because I thought you were in danger and don't forget that you were the one who kidnapped me in the first place" Touma sighed. Amazora's eyes widened as she looked accusingly at the british magician.
"You did what?!"
Birdway waved her hand dismissively.
"That's a matter of perspective. What matters is that he went for the very best, even then. I deemed him useful and entertaining, so he earned a place in my life. We worked together, battled together, bickered with each other... stuff siblings are supposed to do"
Amazora reddened and puffed her cheeks, before spitting out
"At least onii-chan prioritized my life over his own. He told me I am special multiple times."
"He says that, but he would save anyone in need. That's just the kind of fool he is."
"Amazora, to be totally fair, you did try to kill me first..." Touma felt obliged to add this, but the girls were far too invested in their fast-paced, heated discussion, to truly notice.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I saved his life too. From freezing to death and drowning in Arctic Ocean. Do you have anything to counter that, hmm?"
"Ghhh... we slept in one bed!"
"I... I did that too. In a bathtub but it still counts!"
"He saw me naked!"
"Been there, done that!"
"We bathed together and he took care of me when I was sick!"
"Tch...I... didn't experience that yet... but there is more..."
Touma finally managed to slip away from the escalating verbal battle and fetched Othinus from the bathroom. She was only midly amused when she noticed two girls arguing.
"What is Dawn Coloured-Sunlight boss doing here?"
"I... am not sure if I know anymore, Othinus. As much as I appreciate the effort Birdway made to travel here and see me, she just sort of popped out of nowhere and now they are arguing about being... sisters, or something?"
Othinus looked at two younger girls, and then smiled.
"Oh, so that's is what this is all about"
"What's 'that'? Othinus, don't leave me in the dark with them!"
"Just because I am your Understander doesn't mean I will sort out every girl problem in your life, and there are quite plenty of them as of now! Use your brain too or it will become even more dense in cases like this one!"
"T-There was an insult woven in there!"
But before Touma could try to persuade her, the eyes of two younger girls turned to him.
"Onii-chan... we need you for something!" Amazora exclaimed in the tone suggesting the highest level of urgency.
"Yes, you fool. The case is simple: we are discussing which one of us is better and more powerful. Now I know that you probably won't make this any easier if we made you choose. While there is always option of simply annihilating this hindrance..."
She gave Amazora annoyed look. The small assassin puffed her cheeks once again while putting her hands on her hips, as if trying to look bigger and more intimidating.
"My bullets will blast you into smithereens before you move. There is no one better with gattling gun than me!"
Birdway snorted at that, but didn't bother in reacting any further, instead continuing:
"But it seems here slutty dress doesn't want to give up no matter what arguments I throw at the table. It may be just stupidity, but if it's not the case, then I can respect someone with that sort of courage. That's why we will participate in number of challenges. And you will be our judge."
"What?! That spells nothing but trouble!"
"Oh, don't be like that! You have a perfect excuse to spend the day with a lovely young lady. Oh well, nothing can be help that a classless kindergartner is coming along too"
"Onii-chan, is Birdie-san a masochist? There is no need for her to call herself a kindergartner and classless, even if she dresses like someone born 100 years ago. Maybe we should help her believe in herself?"
Birdway smiled in a very cold and forced way.
"Oh, I am going to enjoy slowly squashing you into the ground" she hissed, before grabbing Touma by the arm.
"W-Wait, you two! At least let me phone to delivery service so Index won't be huungrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
In next minute, Touma was basically yanked out of the apartment by two completive girls, alongside rather unwilling Othinus who accidentally tagged along on the boy's arm.
Several minutes later, the yawning Index emerged from the bedroom.
"Hello every... oh? Touma? Kaibi? Amazora? Rikuri? Everyone?"
She sighed and came to the table.
"Not even one day I am here and Touma is already having trouble?! He might be in school, but something smells fishy here... well, I will search as fast as I can. Now, my one true companion... the fridge!"
(MEANWHILE)
Amazora was the one to lead the way as she knew the City much better than Birdway and clearly had something in mind.
Touma was happy that he managed to order some food for Index, but he still mourned the fact that his attendance, which was never in a good shape, was burning alongside his hopes and dreams of sustaining bare minimum he needed to stay in teachers' good graces.
Yet here they were. Amazora took them to District 15. Touma was there doing the Dianoid incident but in truth had no real knowledge of it beside this main focus point, so even he (a person knowing the city very well in his own right) was surprised when Amazora, Birdway, and himself marched into the largest indoor entertainment lounge. From what Touma could see, it had sport, gaming, and recreational venues. It was probably best suited for whatever the girls had in mind.
And speaking of the girls, they were currently engaged in writing something on two pieces of paper, before handing them to Touma.
"Okay onii-chan, listen up! This is war between women. We are going to do tons of different things to prove who is the best. And you will be the judge"
"Huh?!"
"Like she said" Birdway smashed her fist against an open palm of her other hand" This is war, so don't try to stop us. Each one of us provided a list of challenges we will undertake. And we both promise not to hurt the judge... much...in case of unfavourable decision. So now, cooperate with us on this!"
Touma sighed miserably yet another time this morning.
"I am skipping school for this? Why do you even-"
"We are not asking you to understand this. Just do it."
"Human, whether you like it or not, they are too focused on this to consider any rationality. They will probably keep going on about or turn their frustration on you if you don't play along"
Touma nodded and addressed two smaller girls
"Well then, I guess I am in. What are you going to do?"
(AS TIME PASSED...)
There were many challenges that Amazora and Birdway thought of.
They spanned from fairly trivial to much more elaborate. For example, Leivinia challenged Amazora to trivia quiz (from general knowledge) in which little Gokusai was absolutely destroyed. In turn, Amazora demonstrated absolutely incredible lifting prowess, with Birdway not being able to keep up even with strengthening magic cast in secrecy. Amazora proved superior in stamina contests and quick reactions, while Birdway excelled in strategic and complex challenges.
Some of the battles yielded some surprises for both rivals.
"Birdway, are you okay?" Touma asked when they exited the shooting range.
"I am. I consider myself quite good with my flintlocks and I am much more precise... but the reloading speed this girl has with any weapon and sheer quantity of bullets she can quickly shoot is honestly inhuman... and who knew she is such a good dancer... she didn't look like it at all!"
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" Amazora... how are you holding on?"
"Hmph... I admit, Birdie-san is cuter than I thought. She looks good in almost all costumes I thought of."
"I-I am sorry Amazora, I mean... she really did look cute..."
"Plus she beats me in all of board games, mathematics, and she can sing like a young idol! Hmph... but I am not giving up. For onii-chan, this is far too little to be discouraged."
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Some of the competitions resulted in forced breaks.
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"Amazora, I told you challenging Birdway of all people to "think of the most awful insult you can imagine" is a really, really bad idea!"
"I...I will be fine, onii-chan..." while she said that, the battle of quips with Birdway clearly caused Amazora to take quite an emotional damage.
"Come on, you are on the verge of crying"
"I-I AM NOT CRYING! And if I am, it's out of pity for her. S-She is going down!"
"It really would be more convincing if your lips didn't tremble, you know..."
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Touma looked at Birdway, who was currently engaging in frantically drinking bottle after bottle of water
"Yeah, Patricia and Mark-san once said that you don't handle spicy food well. You idiotic girl, why did you took the challenge you knew you will lose?"
"*gulp, gulp* This... is... called... *pant, pant*... battle honour. Leivinia Birdway... doesn't run away..."
"I can barely hear through all that panting. And you bend honour all the time!"
Birdway grit her teeth. Her lips gone from regular rosy pink to crimson red and there was sweat on her face. Aside from consuming bottle after bottle of liquid, she turned into panting mess, plagued by coughing and sneezing fits. All of this was a product of jalapeño eating challenge that Amazora issued. And ever stubborn Birdway refused to back down.
"Why *gulp, gulp, gulp*... are... you... staring at me like this, fool? I'm fi...*achoo!*...fine... Let's go on with those games..."
"First, let's get you some milk"
"I am not losing yet, so don't call me a little girl. And they are still growing!"
"What are you... no, I am not talking about them! Milk cancels out spiciness, so if you drink it, it will make you feel better. I meant only that, so stop hitting me!"
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There were many challenges. Some of them included: singing competition (which was won by Birdway), dance competition (won by Amazora), whack-a-mole (Amazora), Trivia Quiz (Birdway), distance running (Amazora), sprint for time (Birdway), chess (Birdway), strength contest (Amazora), cooking (both attempts ended in failure, but Birdway was still far superior), holding your breath for as long as you can (Amazora), speaking phrases in multiple languages (Birdway), Monopoly (Birdway), climbing (Amazora), amateur fencing (Birdway), acrobatics (a draw), costumes and catwalk (Birdway), oyster eating competition (Amazora) jalapeno competition (Amazora), equation solving (Birdway), high jumps (Amazora), power of a single attack at the target outside of the building (Birdway) tick-tack-toe (Birdway), how long can you be on a carousel (Amazora), drawing challenge (Birdway), funniest joke challenge (Amazora), air hockey (Amazora), card game of War (Birdway) shooting at the range (another draw, as while Birdway shot more precisely, Amazora had unparalleled ability to quickly reload artificial weapons and compensated quality with quantity), paintball (won by a small margin by Birdway, as she was better able to last without backup, despite being worse in quick-paced shooting) and many more.
Finally, it was noon when two very tired girls stood in front of Touma.
"Tell us, onii-chan. Tell us!
"Who won? Who is superior?!"
"That will hurt you, human..."
"Well, from 60 competitions you did for past couple hours..." Touma closely examined the list "Birdway claims 30 points, and Amazora 30 points. So it's a..."
Birdway's eye twitched when she snatched the list of his hands, unfolding it in each possible direction. But Touma was right.
"IT'S A DRAW?! No way in hell can there be a god damn draw!"
"T-This is your fault! Why did you put an even number of challenges?!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know that you will put an even number too?! I don't read minds!"
But before two girls could request a rematch, Touma put hands on their shoulders.
"You know, you are both quite tired. Can I propose something to do right now? I think you won't regret it"
(LATER...)
After both girls freshened themselves up, Touma took them to the park. It was a small, but serene patch of green among skyscrapers. Big enough to provide relatively nice and wide space, but not in excessive measure.
Touma, Birdway, and Amazora, with Othinus in Touma's hood, stopped by the tree growing on a small hill, overlooking green meadows with small stream of water and various paths among the trees in the distance. It was a sunny day and the wind blew just enough to make the heat feel nice and not overwhelming.
Touma sat down. The girls, although slightly confused, followed his example.
"I thought that we can relax here, just us. You battled valiantly, for whatever reason, so I think small amount of calm won't kill anybody."
"Really?!" Birdway looked at him as if he suddenly started speaking some extinct language "Lay around and relax? That sounds childish"
"Trust me, it doesn't get old when one has so much chaos in their life. But first, I must get something crucial for this. Sorry..."
Touma got his phone and called a certain person.
"Hi, Otohime"
"Gwah?! Onii-"
Touma pretended to cough over the certain phrase but eyes of both girls narrowed at him, combined with malice that threatened to emerge if one more mistake appeared.
"... so nice to hear from you. How is the life in Academy City? Can I come over? What things do you learn about? What-"
"Otohime, I will be happy to talk with you longer on another occasion but for now, I need to ask you something. Can you send me the text of that song mom used to sing us?"
'Well, what she supposedly sang. I don't remember and I can only imagine it based on what Otohime and dad told me'
"What auntie Shiina sang... yeah, I think I can! I am sending it to you alongside with the melody"
"Thanks Otohime. I will call you later"
"Okie-dokie"
"Who was that?" Birdway inquired, staring at Touma with intense look.
"Yeah, onii-chan... she sounded like she was in similar age to us" Amazora emanated the same iciness and Touma, to preserve the perspective of a longer life, quickly scanned the text with his eyes. He then smiled and looked at the girls.
"My memory is a bit rusty with it, but mom sang this to me and my cousin Otohime to sleep, when we were little. Supposedly, she also sang this to me the night before I was sent here, to Academy City. So... I thought you might want to hear it..."
"Woah, onii-chan will sing us a lullaby? I want it, I want to hear onii-chan sing!" Amazora said, snuggling closer to Touma.
Whatever possible objections Birdway could have, it quickly disappeared as she also snuggled by Touma's other side to not be left out. And, although she would never admit it, snuggling to Kamijou Touma was rather high on the list of pleasurable things in her life.
Touma smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed by the sudden surge of attentive affection.
"Well, I think it's probably better sung by a female, but I will do my best. My mom did sing it once after we reunited and listened to melody couple of times, so I should be relatively fine with singing"
They simply sat there, with the girls by Touma's side, enjoying warm touch of sun mixed with coolness of shadow, rustling of the leaves and blades of grass, accompanied with view of futuristic buildings of the city of science.
Initially, the minds of the two girls were far too agitated to truly benefit from the experience but as minutes passed, Amazora slowly laid her head on Touma's arm, her eyelids lowering ever so slightly. As Birdway wanted to make a sarcastic remark, she suddenly yawned. It was a small, adorable yawn, certainly not something she would ever show in her public persona. As much as cabal boss wanted to throw a tantrum, she did feel tired. She reddened a little when she noticed Touma staring at her.
"W-What is it?"
"Sorry, I just thought that you two are actually very cute when you act your age"
"W-What the helllare you saying? C-Cute?! And what do you mean actually..." Birdway tried to argue, but looking at Amazora, she sighed and mirrored her action, putting her head on Touma's arm, and looking at him from down there. Touma thought that those sapphire irises contained some plea.
"Do you need something else, Birdway-san?"
"Oh, for the love of..." the girl groaned, and pointed at his hand "If you want to do this, do it properly!"
"What... what do you mean?"
"I mean... that... for today, you have a special permission to... stroke my hair. It's essential with lullabies"
Touma hesitantly put his hand forward and when the girl didn't push him away, he slowly began to stroke Birdway's blond locks, smoothly going through them in calming motion. And from the slight smile on the girl's face, he was doing decent job.
"O-Onii-chan, I want headpats!"
And so, Amazora grinned on the other side as she received a head massage. Touma sighed as he tried to indulge both girls at the same time and help them relax
During all of this, Othinus snuggled near Touma's neck, enjoying the warmth of boy's skin accompanied by rays of sunlight and gentle wind.
Soon, all four started to fade into the calmness of the park.
Then, Touma slowly began to sing.
Birdway exhaled softly as she pressed her body onto Touma's left side, as he continued the song while caressing the hair of two girls, and one goddess snuggled onto his neck.
Touma's voice cracked slightly at one particular verse. Luckily, the girls didn't seem to mind.
''May you need never to banish misfortune', huh?'
When his parents spent him here, they believed that by doing so, they will help him and give him torment-free life, contrary to the one he supposedly experienced as a small child.
Misfortune didn't leave him though. It always walked behind him like a second shadow. After getting into the city, he still got in trouble and had to face great deal of hardships.
But all in all, when he looked at his own footsteps from the distance... he wouldn't change that decision of his parents if he could. And he was very glad for that.
Touma got slightly misty eyed. The song tugged into something in his core he liked to refer to as memories of the heart. Even if his actual memories were destroyed, echoes that he could not actually recall but only feel remained.
After all, nearly 10 years before, small boy was laying in his bed while the young-looking, brown haired woman was caressing him to sleep.
"Mom, why are you crying? Is it because of me?" the boy asked. He still had bandages after a terrible attack with a knife he was a part of.
The woman wiped her eyes and smiled gently.
"No, my dear. Not because of you, it's for you" she responded, kissing him on the brow" Don't worry. But Touma-san... we will be apart for some time now. It's sad yet it's for the best. I...I need you to be strong, and know that wherever you will be or whatever will happen, your mother will always love you. Have beautiful life, my child"
Unaware of the memory that no longer existed, Touma focused on Amazora, as he continued the song:
As both girls and small ex-magic god fell to sleep by his sides, Touma felt a surge of calm and tranquility. He felt happy that he could be right here in that very moment, singing for the girls he knew and experienced adventures with. Even if some of those adventures were perilous and sad, sharing moments like this one made it worth it.
The fact that someone trusted him enough to be in his care was amazing to boy called Kamijou Touma, who once discarded very possibility of the chance for love, friendship, or... having a little sister, too.
As he finished the song, he leaned over both girls and planted small kisses on their brows.
Only after a moment he realized what he did.
'Oh crap! I got carried away and did what I thought my mother would do. But that case is totally different! I am so screwed!'
But the girls didn't wake up. If anything they were even more relaxed. Birdway's smile got much warmer, which was honestly incredible sight, considering sarcastic smirk she usually had on her face.
Touma exhaled as his body slowly lost tension.
The duo by sides were pleasurably warm. Combined with nice and relaxing atmosphere, it made for almost an intoxicating feeling.
Thus, Kamijou Touma had no idea when he drifted into blissful sleep.
(SOME TIME LATER)
However, as usual with peaceful times and Kamijou Touma, fate didn't allow him to rest for a long time.
When Touma started to wake up, he realized that something was amiss.
His spatial orientation changed and he could feel that he was dragged somewhere. Luckily for still sleeping Othinus, she fell under Touma's hoodie and stayed on his body. When the boy opened his eyes blearily...
"What?..."
The person dragging him groaned as she (he could tell that was a woman because her chest cast shadow on his face) put him in the cart linked onto the motorcycle.
"Don't panic if you notice that you can't move. I injected the temporary paralysis drug meant for restriction"
"What?!..." Touma's confusion skyrocketed, when the girl (whose face he couldn't see because of the blinding sunlight) put on a motorcycle helmet.
"Kamijou Touma, in the name of Judgement and law it protects, I am taking you into custody. You have the right to remain silent!"
"WHAT?!"
Right of silence was not something Touma wanted to exercise as he managed to scream once again in total confusion.
(MEANWHILE)
"Mhm... onii-chan, that tickles..."
"Hmm... you can grasp me tighter, you fool..."
"Is it Amazora's time to give you a kissy?..."
"Oh believe me, you will love this..."
As Birdway and Amazora slowly opened their eyes, they realized that in their dream-induced passion, they grabbed not the boy they dreamed of, but... each other. With their arms entangled and faces close, they looked into one another's eyes.
And screamed loudly, frantically jumping backwards, while holding their chests and beating hearts.
Leivinia Birdway was fairly intimidating herself and there were few things which could really scare her. But now...
"This was one of the scariest things in my life. I want to purge this from my memory!" she shivered.
Amazora looked almost like a cat with hair standing straight, as she was shaking her head rapidly.
"Yuck, yuck, yuck! Onii-chan, comfort me! She-"
Then two girls realized one crucial fact.
"Where... is..."
"Onii-chan! Where are you?!"
(MEANWHILE)
The ride didn't take all that long actually. Touma would actually be able to appreciate the girl's driving skills if not for the fact that without muscle tension he rolled around the cart with no way to shield himself, which finally woke Othinus up. Only when they arrived did Touma felt his body again.
However, that didn't matter as he still found himself in the cell.
Not only that, but in the company of...
"Stiyl! What are you doing here?!" Touma yelled, looking at the flame magician sitting down on the chair. "I thought you already left!"
"It's the same problem as ever! The same bloody one!" Stiyl roared, throwing his hands into the air" On the airport, I was assaulted by this pink creature who calls herself your teacher, people called this city's police and they arrested the wrong person! Again! Apparently, the other cells were occupied so they sent me here, half the way across the city"
"Magnus-san, please save this for the questioning" came the answer from the girl who brought Touma in, who was just taking of her helmet.
"For that matter..." Touma turned around" What gives? You can't just arrest people for nothing. Who even are-"
From under the helmet fell short, greyish-black hair. The girl had symmetrical, slightly oval face, greyish-blue eyes and very prominent chest. She wore glasses and red motorcycle jacket combined with Judgement armband, under which black blazer and yellow tie.
After a moment, Touma recognized her.
"Sexy Glasses?!"
The girl coughed loudly into her hand before straightening up and walking to the bars.
"I told you not to call me that. I am on duty, you know. I told you my name before, it's Konori Mii. Now, do you really not know why you were apprehended?"
"No, not a clue. Also, does this mean I can call you Sexy Glasses when you are not on duty?"
"Don't pick on words! I got few calls on the guy engaging in immorality with younger girls so I came to park to check. Want to see what I saw back then?"
She showed him a photo on the phone. Touma looked... and immediately paled.
"W-When did they slid like this... and why... are their faces on my... b-but that's just..."
Touma understood why this could look bad from the outside perspective.
"F-Fukou da... okay, this isn't what it looks like. We just relaxed like this and... I don't know how they slid down like that!"
"Pretty depraved relaxation if you ask me."
"Like I said, nothing happened! I am honest here, we just went to sleep. All three of us!"
"Many molesters lure their victims into false sense of security and pretend to sleep like that!"
"But why am I considered guilty until proven innocent?! Shouldn't it be other way around? Also, what about Amazora and Birdway?"
"I-I... wanted to bring you in. In a spur of a moment, I couldn't take all of you... but I will find them, I am sure of it."
"Great. Maybe they can testify against this ridiculous-"
"Kamijou" Stiyl butted in, trying his best to stay patient during their quarrel" Is that a friend of yours?"
Touma and Konori looked at each other.
"I don't think so... we just... ran into each other a few times during incidents around her branch..."
"Yeah, me and him... have some differences we have to work through..."
"I don't care honestly, if she is your enemy, childhood friend, or if you sleep with her, tell her to release me. This shitty police is holding innocent man. AGAIN!"
"Magnus-san, I was just about to question you so please hold on... we will continue this talk, Kamijou..."
She then unlocked the door, took Stiyl out, and asked him to sit on the chair near the small metal table. She then took place on the other side. After few questions, Touma soon understood why Stiyl had a problem with questionings of peacemaking forces of the city
"Magnus-san, what is your real age?"
"Fourteen, vierzehn, quatorze, четырнадцать, juuyon, أربعة عشرة, quattordici, δεκατέσσερα, and more! I will be fifteen soon, but the answer is still the same. Check the bloody files, I've been here before! Kamijou, they think that teacher of yours is actually brainwashed and blackmailed elementary student and they don't believe her words. Tch, she is actually just as mad at this as I am. Why am I, the minor, getting behind the bars every damn time?!"
'Hmm, come to think about it, Komoe-sensei was on some short delegation abroad. Is this the way they bumped at each other on the airport?'
"Well, regardless of your slightly... questionable answers, the real truth will be unraveled in no time"
"God give me strength to deal with those idiots... can I at least call to the person that can testify my age alongside with the additional documents to those you mistakenly deemed fake?!"
"O-Of course, the phone is over here..."
After the call was made, Konori put her hands on the hips and approached Kamijou again.
"Now, what am I to do with you... you are clearly not a bad guy, I've witnessed it, but at the other time you pull the stunts like this... I just can't make me mind when it comes to you..."
"Like I said, those were accidents. Mere manifestations of my misfortune. I am not intending any of the crap that is happening all around me to happen."
"Well, I am inclined to believe that. But this looks pretty hopeless. We need to question those girls. But it could all be dealt with quickly if you could be given a word from someone within Judgement. Like a fellow member"
"SG, I told you before, I am not joining Judgement!"
"Abbreviating Sexy Glasses to SG doesn't make it better. Don't try to flatter me here and answer why can't you just accept my offer?!"
"I will do it only when you accept mine!"
"What the hell is this on about?" Stiyl asked, apparently wanting anything to distract him from how pissed off he felt" You two sure are agitated for mere acqaintances"
Konori and Touma pointed at each other.
"Well, this guy has all it takes and more to be an amazing Judgement member. Yet he is refusing to join and keeps avoiding me about it!"
"Only because those rules would restrict me!"
"Idiot, I only saw you from afar and heard from my kouhais, but as a team, we could-"
"I never said I wanted the team! What if you got hurt?! No, I don't like to drag anyone into that mess. Anyway, Stiyl, this girl keeps refusing to consider becoming a dorm manager!"
"Because my conviction is to fight crime on the streets. I wouldn't even be good in that role anyway!"
"Lies! Stiyl, look at that stern yet also concerned look. The onee-san proportions in every aspect! The fashionable look with sense of strong-handed individuality! Those glasses, emanating both sensuality and intelligence! As a dorm manager lover, I know the true potential when I see it! It's like a rough diamond, unpolished, but with boundless potential. So why is she wasting it on a brutish work instead?!"
"You are the one wasting your potential here!"
Sparks flew between the two as Stiyl sighed, shaking his head.
"You two are both fucking idiots..."
(MEANWHILE)
Tsuchimikado Maika spun on her cleaning robot, while on the mission to deliver some maid-made lunches, when she heard arguing voices. Then she noticed two blond girls near the park's entrance.
"So what do we do now? We have to find onii-chan!"
"Hmph, if he left, I don't really care"
"But you were in panic just minutes ago!"
"Shut it! He obviously abandoned us, so he can go to hell"
"That doesn't seem like something onii-chan would do..."
"Tch... you are right, I am just really pissed now..."
"You don't think he left... because of us?"
"I don't know... but knowing that fool, he probably got into some trouble behind our backs."
"Excuse me..." Maika zoomed to them from behind, making the arguing duo flinch" Did you lost your big brother?"
"Ehm... yes, actually..." Birdway said, somewhat awkwardly. Calling Touma her brother was one thing in her head, but talking about with strangers was another.
"We were having a really great day. But then onii-chan disappeared" Amazora cried out.
"Oh no, that's horrible. So you wanted to spend time with your big brother... you and you alone?"
She then jumped from the robot and tackled both Birdway and Amazora to the ground, with her eyes sparkling with joy.
"Oi, what are you-" Birdway began angrily, but young maid in training could not be deterred.
"I knew in my gut that you would understand. The desire to cherish those sibling moments. Feeding one another, walking hand to hand, sniffing the bed sheets and clothes, sleeping together under starry sky, and reading manga when passionate love occurs..."
The eyes of Birdway and Amazora widened. In that instant, an invisible thread of understanding formed between the girls. It didn't take even two full minutes, and there was already something linking them, far more profound than mere friendship, social differences, or nationalities.
That was the power of adoration for the older brother figure.
"You said you spent time with him. Tell me everything, and I mean everything, no juicy detail left behind!" commanded Maika.
Amazora looked at Birdway and their both shrugged.
They still needed to find the way to locate Touma, so they indulged the maid as they had no better idea.
(COUPLE MINUTES LATER)
Maika said nothing throughout their story of the morning and events of early afternoon.
'Is she so impressed that she doesn't know what to say?'
Finally, the little maid inhaled deeply and screamed
"YOU IDIOTS!"
The scream, uncharacteristically loud for Maika, was strong enough to scare away the birds from the nearby trees.
"Oi, who are you calling-" Birdway began but Maika put a finger on her lips, silencing her.
"As the most lovable and caring little sister in the city, I cannot let that stand! You are lacking in the ways of sisterhood and you need to be enlightened"
"H-Hey, stop acting so high and mighty!" Amazora pointed a finger at Maika "Who gave you permission to act like this? You think you are better than us?"
Maika smiled deviously before putting the heads of both Amazora and Birdway close together and whispering
"Me and my brother... did this... and this... and also this... with that..."
Amazora promptly fell to the ground. Although Birdway fared better, she still dropped to one knee.
"Kh... she is good... who would have thought that the final boss is someone like her..."
Maika stood in front of them and cleared her throat, before speaking.
"Listen up! As a fellow comrade in the ways of little sister, I shall bestow upon you an advice. Do you know what your experience with your brother lacked?"
After a moment, the other two shook their heads.
"You were so focused on fighting with each other that you forgot who you fight for! And that's a cardinal sin for every good little sister. Your brother should be the first thing on your mind, day and night."
"W-Why do you say we forgot?"
"Tell me, was any of your competitions truly about him? Did you spend time together with him, or merely with him by your side? You ignored him, instead of cherishing and focusing on him. No wonder he could have left."
Amazora's lip began to tremble. Birdway lowered her head so her eyes wouldn't be visible.
"That being said" Maika raised her finger with a serious face" as someone with a conviction of a true maid, I think that service and reincorporation of effort is the key. You need to step up and spoil your brother some more"
"Spoil him?!" Birdway, clearly not accustomed to the idea of doing something for someone, instead of other way around, lashed out" Why would I do-"
"Because this is the best way! If the result is him leaving you, discard everything that is blocking your path to be the best little sister you can be! When you do something affectionate, it bounces back to you in the most surprising moment and way. Which makes your heart flutter and you give even more affection. And it all goes back and forth until it all culminates in passionate, forbidden romance!" the black haired girl squealed with joy at her own fantasy.
"F-Forbidden..." Amazora was clearly entranced with her new friend's enthusiasm as well.
Birdway became slightly red, and twirled fragment of her blond her with her finger.
'W-Well, I am not the one to be all nice and stuff... but I certainly want to keep him close... and if I think about it as investing into the future... hmm, this might just work...'
"Fine then" she said, raising up" I will accept your advice"
"Me too! I want to make onii-chan want to stay!"
"Then gather around me. Here is what you will do..."
(5 MINUTES LATER)
"Okay, I think I get it"
"Me too"
"Good. Now, your brother may be in trouble, so your first obligation is to aid him. Go and don't forget to phone me later to tell about the result. I must finish my delivery!"
Amazora and Birdway took off running
"Birdie-san, what are we even running towards?"
"We must look around for clues. This fool must left something behi-"
BAM!
Girls collided with someone also running at high speed and were painfully sent to the ground.
"Oi, watch where you run, you... oh?!"
"It's samurai onee-chan!"
And it was indeed Kanzaki Kaori, on the run and visibly preoccupied.
Birdway cursed under her breath, getting up and dusting herself off
"Well, when you think this situation couldn't get any more annoying... yet here you are"
"Leivinia Birdway of Dawn-Coloured Sunlight" Kanzaki muttered in equal annoyance" It hasn't been long enough. Now, if you excuse me, I have far more important matters to attend to than engaging in your childishness".
"You are the one who collided with us. Hey, Gokusai or whatever. This is Titsaki, Saint of Far Tits."
"Ugh, I forgot how unbearable you were..."
"But I know samurai onee-chan. Listen, onii-chan is missing! Did you see him?"
Kanzaki stopped momentarily.
"Kamijou is gone? I am heading to the station to testify for Stiyl... but now that you mention it, I think I heard voice that sounded like Kamijou in the background of the call"
"That sounds like a clue to me!"
"Well, we don't have anything better, so I guess it will do. I am coming to save the ass of that fool of a big brother."
"That's my line. Don't make me leave you behind"
"Hold on you two" Kanzaki intejected" if this concerns Kamijou, this is all the more reason for me to get involved. I am coming too!"
Birdway was about to object, but paused just before speaking. Then, a devious grin stretched across her face.
"Actually, there is something to do that is perfectly suited just for you..."
(SOME TIME LATER, ELSEWHERE)
As she looked at Kamijou Touma, Konori Mii reminisced.
There was a valid reason for her behaviour and for being slightly more distracted than usual.
It all started with mothers of all chaos: boredom and emptiness that she recently felt in life.
It wasn't like Konori was angry that her jurisdiction was relatively calm these days. She honestly felt happy that the city was at least a little bit safer. However, this did nothing to diminish the fact that her days became... well, slightly dull.
Her power level was stable, her relationships worked well, her studies were also going fine.
But Konori, even though she didn't admit that in front of her friends or subordinates, she started to crave something new in her routine.
This feeling was complicated. On one hand, she had amazing kouhais, accomplishments, friends, and even person she cared about. But on the other...
Both Shirai and Uiharu were specific, in work and daily life. Kuroko skipped on paperwork and most of the non-work related conversations revolved around Misaka Mikoto. While Konori greatly admired Railgun too, there was a limit of just how much of highly questionable fantasies of the teleporter she could take. Meanwhile, Uiharu was incredibly sweet and a model co-worker but Konori did not fully understand her informatic explanations. They also idolized different things and had completely opposite tastes.
Konori would not trade them for any other Judgement member, but there were the days in which she felt fresh blood was needed in their branch.
She felt that would be the answer. A new member, preferably a guy. Why a male, you would ask? Well, Konori was once part of a gang and got accustomed herself with working around the opposite sex. And even if she was right at home with her female friends, she thought that working with a guy once again would not be so bad at all.
Yes, that was the reason. And definitely not the fact that on top of all of that, she had to endure the remarks of her roommate (in happy relationship) about Konori being single.
As a matter of fact, Konori did have a guy that held a special place in her heart. His name was Kurozuma Wataru. Konori liked him for a long time and planned on confessing to him if ever encountering him again. But after Big Spider incident, Kurozuma got arrested (by her) and was in jail ever since. And although Konori still had hope, she found out that: one, it was very hard to keep a relationship, not to mention active dating, when one of the parties is incarcerated, and two, it was rather awkward when you moved on from your gang life, became a Judgement member and kept sending your supposed boyfriend into jail. Yeah, it wasn't really activity that improved their relationship. So the romantic feelings withered away, as much as she hated it.
It was a typical: boy or a job, type of choice. And honestly, it gave Konori a headache.
So there she was, with life passing by. And it seemed that it was there to stay.
But then, a certain boy threw a rock into the pond of boredom, making waves that captured her interest.
She initially heard about Kamijou Touma from the lips of Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto, with the former being rather grumpy about him and the other being affectionate yet in deep denial. However, while interested, Konori obviously didn't pay all that much attention to someone she actually didn't know.
However, one evening, she encountered a boy matching the description while chasing after the group of thugs. The spiky haired boy was fleeing, carrying a girl in his arms. As it later turned out, he saved her from their unwanted advances. Konori was tailing them and arrived just in time to witness Kamijou Touma engaging in a fight. Albeit visibly overpowered and far from unscathed, he managed to defeat the enemies and protect the crying girl.
Konori was flabbergasted. The boy was plain looking and was someone that she would normally deem relatively forgettable yet in that moment, he demonstrated tenacity, determination, and bravery greater than many Judgement members. From strategic point of view, he used his surroundings to maximum. His movements were precise and lacked excessive motions of the beginning fighters. Yet his fighting style was unorthodox enough that Konori realized that he had to develop it on his own and be self taught.
Not that it mattered, because Konori was now overjoyed. She knew from that moment that the boy was a great material for Judgement member.
She found his school in database and ventured there. He was her age too, and when she got to speak to him, he seemed like a very nice guy, very straightforward as he also complimented her looks, flustering her (although she would lie if she didn't feel any sort of feminine pride).
However, her offer was flatly rejected.
According to Kamijou Touma, he found Judgement to be rather limiting and something that would only be a hindrance. As Konori tried to defend her line of duty, he jokingly offered to enlist in Judgement if she become his dorm's manager in the future. This proposition actually caused her to flee from sight
And so became a period of time that made Konori's ears burn from realizing how childish she acted, but she simply couldn't stop herself. Not after witnessing the possibility and quite a few actions she saw that night.
She was convinced that Touma was stuck in the stereotype about Judgement, so she was trying to figure out the way to convince him. After guzzling down many Musashi Milk packs, she unintentionally went down the route of almost all her friends around the branch.
Like Shirai Kuroko, she began to investigate and realized that Touma was involved in many incidents. The sheer scale of that involvement made her speechless.
Like Misaka Mikoto, she tried to encounter or even chase him after and around certain incidents. It was then that she discovered certain peculiarity.
Her ability, Clairvoyance, allowed her to see through objects and omit any margin of error caused by light dispersion through air itself. Although she usually used it to look for things like hidden weapons, it also allowed her to intercept the escapees by seeing the path of their escape through obstructions at medium length distance. But when she tried to used it on Kamijou Touma when he disappeared behind the wall...
She couldn't see him. It was as if she developed blindness in one particular spot. When she blinked and refocused her eyesight, she saw normally, but when she moved her eyes to where the boy supposed to be by her estimation, the strange phenomenon assaulted her again.
She wasn't mad at that, but now it was not only the question about physical prowess. If Kamijou Touma had some sort of interference ability, it would greatly aid catching the criminals.
She, like Saten Ruiko, turned to urban legends and myths after the experience with her ability not functioning properly. Although she didn't find anything conclusive, it only served to fuel her interest.
The irony was that Kamijou Touma expressed genuine desire to get to know her better. Likewise, Konori was more than happy to aid him if he needed it. But that one issue made a barrier that made it harder for them to genuinely connect with one another, despite that best interest.
Not to mention...
"Why do you trying to see what's inside my pants?!" Touma said accusingly.
Konori blushed, not even aware that she once again activated her ability. She did it from time to time around Kamijou Touma to see why he interfered with her power. So far, there were no results. Kamijou however developed a certain suspicion.
"I-I am not! I told you that I am trying to figure out how you interfere with my-"
"SG-senpai, please, we both know that if someone has x-ray vision, there is only one thing to do with that"
"I-I don't want to be called a pervert by someone who gets his taste get so obvious that he nicknamed me Sexy Glasses! Secondly, I am not really your senpai since we are both 16. Thirdly, this is a stereotype about Clairvoyance. My gaze was just lowered there as I was reflecting, that's all."
"W-What were you reflecting about that it makes you set your eyes there? Oh god, it's one of those video games that Aogami has where the policewoman ties you up and says 'it's violation for violation!'"
"W-What kind of game is that?!"
"HEEEEEEELP! SEXINESS IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR THIS TREATMENT! I AM ABOUT TO BE VIOLATED BY FORCE!"
"Be quiet, I have no such intent! I AM NOT A PERVERT HERE! W-W-What about you staring at me like that?!"
"Like what?!"
"I know you looked at my chest couple of times..."
"When I focus on you, your chest just happens to be in field of view. It's rather hard to miss..."
"A-Are you saying I am fat?!"
"No, I would never say that... although, boobs are fat, so... n-no, the answer is still no!"
Stiyl sighed and slumped on the chair.
"Kill me now..."
But then...
Clang!
There was a sound from the outside. And after 10 seconds or so, another one...
"What's that?" Touma and Konori asked at the same time
(MEANWHILE, INSIDE THE BUILDING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD)
"Adjust the aim few degrees to the left..." Birdway said to Amazora.
"I don't take orders from you. But I got the same idea, so I will do it"
They were slightly above the place where the small window of the room, in which Touma, Stiyl, and Konori currently were, was located.
They were there to recapture Kamijou Touma. However, they wanted to do it in a cool way.
They had a modified sniper rifle, few of sleeping darts made by Gokusai Rikuri. Amazora took the things from one of Gokusai family storages.
She wasn't a sniper so this was a new experience to her. The sniper rifle was originally to be used by Rikuri in combination with a drug bullets, but this never came to be. But with Birdway's precision and Amazora's hand-eye skills, as well as loading speed, they were monstrous shooters.
Was it an overkill? Yes. Did they have fun will doing it? Oh, definitely yes!
After all, the projectiles were not lethal. They were small effect sleeping drugs, designed for a short time knock out.
How did they know where to aim? Because of presence of Imagine Breaker, Birdway and Kanzaki were able to more or less ascertain via mana detection in which room Kamijou was (or in other words, to which window to aim).
Speaking of Kanzaki...
"I-Is this really necessary?" came the voice of the Saint.
Amazora and Birdway was laying on the elevated surface in one of the empty rooms of the abandoned building. What was more surprising was that Kanzaki was laying on her back, perpendicular to other girls, with the rifle laying on her chest and with breasts pressing on it from the left. That made Amazora's left arm go around Kanzaki's chest and bending to support the rifle, making it stable, as she had her right hand's finger on the trigger.
"Sorry, but this is the perfect use to use those enormous airbags of yours. And we just happened to lack a bipod. Thanks to you, we can aim more precisely and don't have to worry about shaking"
Kanzaki bit her lip, staring furiously at Birdway.
"Each time this wretched thing fires, I feel the recoil through my chest!"
"I am not interested in what if you enjoy vibrating those sacks of fat or not, just be a good bipod and stay still"
"I swear, I will cut you down one day!"
"Can you be quiet for a moment." Amazora licked her lips, taking aim "And... go!"
The rifled discharged and at the same time...
(MEANWHILE)
... Konori Mii felt a sharp prickling sensation on her neck.
It was a small dart, designed to penetrate the skin but without actually dealing major damage.
"Sniper attack? I need... to..."
And in the next moment, she fell to the ground.
"Huh?! What's going on?!" Touma shouted, as Stiyl also got up and checked on Konori's pulse.
"Whatever that was, it didn't kill her, merely put her to sleep."
Touma wanted to ask more, but then the door began to open...
Few minutes later, the outer wall burst in flames and rubble, as Leivinia Birdway stepped inside, surrounded by whirlwind of air and fire, with wand in hand.
"Surprise, surprise! Leivinia Birdway comes in style and with awesome presentation, so bow down to my greatness!"
"Onii-chan! We came to save-"
But Amazora, who came running with still slightly red Kanzaki, stopped in mid sentence as they took in that Touma was not only free, but with the cup of tea in hand.
"Onee-chan?!"
Gokusai Kaibi smiled innocently.
"Hello everybody. As you see, I saved Touma-san. I even had time to make some delicious tea"
Touma nodded, as Birdway reddened while gritting her teeth.
"You made me look like a fool with that wasted entrance!"
"Oh? I am so sorry..."
"You don't sound sorry at all!"
"Hey, Touma, who is the little runt?!"
"I give you a little runt!"
"Onee-chan. Why are you here? We were so close..." Amazora said, stomping her feet while looking at Kaibi.
"Hmm? Well, I got information that this moron left house suddenly and it made me suspicious. So I took a leave from the school, persuaded some kind fellow to let me in to the monitoring station, and well... arrived here after some more persuading."
"Measure Heart sure is amazing. I actually kind of wanted to see how this rescuing from the prison business works" Touma grinned at Kaibi who gave him her most charming smile.
"Oi, Birdie-san, I think we have to do what we discussed earlier with Maika" Amazora muttered as she and Birdway watched the scene unfold with dead eyes.
"Yeah. As frustrating as it may be, we will not be outstaged even more today"
"Oh, come to think of it. You said that someone informed you about me leaving abruptly. Who-"
"TOOOOOOOOOUMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Index emerged from around the corner. She had her hands filled with various treats. After putting them into her mouth and swallowing, she resumed her charge.
"Touma, there is not a moment I can leave you alone. And it's lunch time already. The lunch I tried to make exploded in this horrid machine of the devil you call microwave, so now I am so hungry!"
She bared her teeth, but after noticing Othinus giving her a look, she changed the direction of the bite.
CHOMP!
"Now it hurths lessh, right Fouma?!"
Apparently, the nun still needed baby steps on her road to controlling her wrath.
"My hand! My hand is about to be bit off! This is an improvement, but why this?!"
In the midst of chaos, Konori Mii slowly woke up.
"Ugh... what happened..." she mumbled
"Index, I am sorry... you can... let go...now!"
But when Touma's hand was finally released, it was so sudden that he tumbled down and the impetus caused him to slid between the legs of fallen Judgement member until he hit something lightly and soft.
'Is that... fabric?'
"Gyah?!"
Konori's eyes widened and she instinctively tighten her legs together, which caused Touma to try and raise up. After few attempts he managed to do so, with the girl still on top of him.
'Why do I get the strangest case of déjà vu here?'
Othinus recognized this human helmet as well and sighed.
"Okay, ladies and gentleman, we all know that at this point no one will listen to my explanations. So farewell, Kamijou Touma has lot to live for!"
Touma spoke, before he (and Konori) turned around... and ran straight into the wall, while poor girl with glasses tumbled down yet again.
"Sorry for that. I will treat onto something... affordable... as an apology..."
"Wait... you are still in custody. You can't just-"
"Onii-chan! Let's get out of here!"
And so, Amazora zoomed away, dragging Touma around, while Kaibi and Birdway left still discussing various things.
"Would you like tea?"
"Japanese tea tastes awful!"
"Actually, this one is imported from UK"
"Geh... then surely you can't make it right!"
Index bowed to still stunned Konori.
"Even though I am still hungry, thanks for the food from your fridge. It was delicious!"
Kanzaki also bowed before her
"Sorry for the intrusion. I need to go back to the airport with my work partner so this situation won't repeat"
Stiyl just stared at her before muttering
"Wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it really wasn't. Farewell."
And so, Konori was left in the room that looked as if a typhoon went through it. She peaked through the hole to notice the group escaping in a distance.
She blushed crimson red as the humiliating memory of Touma's head hitting her panties played in her mind on loop.
"Kamijou! This isn't over yet!"
(SOME TIME LATER)
"Onii-chan, me and Birdie-san decided to change our approach"
"God damn it, say my surname right for once. "
"But it's funnier that way! Birdway sounds like an Animal Planet documentary..."
"I will remember that! And yes, we want to test something out... but we honestly definitely need some private space..."
"S-Should I be afraid?"
The group split up. Stiyl and Kanzaki went to the airport, Index and Kaibi decided to go on a grocery shopping together. With Othinus switching places from Touma to Index (she wanted to personally pick the delicacies appropriate to her size) the boy continued his day with little sister squad upon strong insistence.
"If you want somewhere quiet, we can try my old place... that reminds me, how did you even know where I live now, Birdway?"
"I... I have my ways and let that suffice"
But when they arrived...
"Wow, it's impeccably clean" Touma admitted, looking around his old dorm" Lessar and company really did a great job?"
Birdway gagged.
"She is here too?! My god, it's like a fever dream..."
"Onii-chan, I am a bit hungry now. Do you happen to have oysters in here?"
"Firstly, I wouldn't be able to afford jars of oysters at my old place unlike you, my fancy princess. Secondly, no one is here, so there definitely shouldn't be anything in the-"
But Touma's words were cut short when he opened the fridge and slim female arm handed him a small box
"There are no oysters here, but I can recommend a crab paste"
"What the-... LESSAR, WHY ARE YOU IN MY FRIDGE?!"
With the shelves taken out, Lessar was sitting in the empty space, chewing something that presumably came from a few things on fridge's doors. Her mechanical tail was bending along the lines of the cooling machine's walls.
"It's horny onee-chan! Wow, aren't you bothered by the cold?!"
"What can I say?" the imp girl stretched out, coming out of the fridge" I ran hot, it's a natural talent. Lover Boy, feel free to eat the food from places were my thighs were. I guess my skin will only improve the taste"
"I think I will pass on that... I always wondered how you withstood the Syberia with lacrosse uniform..." Touma mused out loud.
"For me, it seems like she wanted to catch a cold to take advantage of you" Birdway poked her fellow englishwoman, who grinned slyly.
"Me?! Noooo... of course not. Whoever would want to get sick together so he or she would spend couple of consecutive days in one bed, with a lot of time to spare and even more positions to test out? Certainly not someone like you, with a sexual energy of frozen dead fish"
"You have no idea what I can or can't do in that area, so I would use your words carefully." Birdway whispered to Lessar's ear" I have tons of ideas what to do, all written down for the reference. And more than enough will to put it in motion"
"Oh, is that a challenge?! Well, I know for a fact that me and him will finally do it, it will be the best time in my life and whatever I will do, I will leave him breathless. The only thing you can do to make him breathless is choke him in one of your childish attempts to play the mob boss"
"Is that so? Well, maybe I see no reason to leave him breathless. I would be so good that he would be begging to repeat it over and over again, and I need him to breath for that..."
"Wow... horny onee-chan and Birdie-san fire verbal shots like my gattling gun..." Amazora observed the small argument in such intensity that she only lacked the popcorn to go with it.
Birdway than spoke on normal volume, addressing Amazora
"Gokusai, don't associate yourself with her. She is a total S-L-U-T."
"Hey! It starts with 'miss' for you!"
"Oh, so you can spell? I never saw you read anything, so I wasn't sure!"
Suddenly, both girls were grabbed by their shoulders and forcibly turned around to face the stern looking Touma.
"Listen, I know you two, and because I know you, if I leave your discussion going for another minute, you will likely blow up my dorm. Which, need I to remind, was renovated 2nd time in a very short period of time and even if I decide to live elsewhere for now, I would rather have it intact. So don't go overboard, is that clear?"
Both girls, stunned and shocked at the authority in Touma's voice, nodded quickly.
'Wow...' Birdway thought, trying to hide rising excitement' It's one thing when he is caring, but when he is so direct and commanding... I feel...'
At the same time, smug face of Lessar closed in on her.
"Such a turn on, huh?"
"S-Stop it! Why did I ever start to discuss it with you of all people?! I am not lowering myself to your level and speaking about all those perverted matters anymore"
"Sure... oh, as for your question, Kamijou! To tell you the truth, I was hiding, because I accidentally spilled "liquid pink nail polish + hair dye in one" on Bayloupe's hair" Lessar tried her best no to laugh" She looks absolutely ridiculous and even though it will wash away in 2 or 3 days, she is really, REALLY pissed. Thus I am hiding and she didn't assume to check in here"
"So I can assume that if Bayloupe is still here, that means-"
As if on cue, the doors to the bathroom opened.
Apparently, Lancis and Floris decided to take a bath together. It wasn't anything particularly weird, since they were basically non-blood related sisters. But after they exited the bathroom, steaming and still slightly wet, they froze in place at the sight of unexpected company.
"Ka... Kaka...Kakakami...Kamij..."
As if in some shojo manga, Lancis' face turned slowly red, from the chin to the roots of her hair. With a somewhat squeaky sound, she quickly turned around and fled to the bathroom.
'Hmm? Was Lancis-san always so bashful?'
Floris fared better, although her cheeks were also noticeably red.
"W-What are you doing here? You should say that you are coming over, damn it!"
"Emm... Floris-san, this is my home and while I am more than happy for you to still be here, I don't really need an announcement-"
"I know that, but it would still be nice!" the blond pointed the finger at him. "I would dress up into something nice and-"
Her towel, not supported anymore, promptly fell off.
Everyone stared in silence for a few seconds.
"Don't worry onee-chan" the surprising straight woman of comedy, Gokusai Amazora, offered a comment" You are not bad like this either"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Floris screamed, also locking herself in the bathroom.
"So that happened" Birdway sighed and motioned to Touma" Come, it's far too lively here. We need to move"