Toaru Majutsu no Index Painted prison chronicles

(MEANWHILE...)

Three people sat by the table inside one of the caffes, with varying degree of seriousness on their faces.

After Touma nervously explained the situation to them, the two women went into state of shock. Almost mechanically, all three walked to the inside of the caffe to sit down and reflect about what just occurred.

Suama took it hard, as she looked at her perfectly polished nails.

'So that message was from the student? From Kamijou-kun, too? I should've figured it out, I should know his writing... although to my defence, I have lots of students, and I mainly see written numbers, not letters, unless it's algebra... Oh gods, what should I do now?... h-he is my student, I can't just go along with it, I think... not to mention since she is here... Kamijou-kun says he has no idea how there were two messages delivered, but to think we both got them, and arrived here... the probability was thrown out of the window'

Dorm Manager attempted to drink tea, but her hand was shaking far too much.

She was also thinking hard, but for different reasons.

'W-What irony! K.T is also the troublemaker I need to punish? And a student too... this is cruel even by my standards! What should I do here? My duties demand for me to crush him, but I can't obliterate him as easily as before. Not after learning that he is the one who sent me so many heartfelt messages that helped me preserve my mental health and willpower needed for me to believe in the purpose of my mission in Tokiwadai. I need to behave like I usually do, so why the hell am I feeling flustered by a goddamn 16 year old? W-Why can't I look at him directly? So humiliating!'

Meanwhile as for completely terrified Touma

'Crap, crap, crap, crap! Suama-sensei looks like one step away from depression and I bet this dorm manager lady is so pissed at me that she can't even glance at me right now. Oi, oi, oi! W-What do I do now? What is going on in here? Why were those messages... why did they get them? They were just my fantasy, never meant to see their recipient! What are the chances for that? And why did they appear to hate each other's guts? Suama-sensei never stroke me as that type of woman. Is there some kind of mysterious past involved? Why was I thrown in the middle of such clash? If there are any gods who love me, I beg you, do a better job, damn it!'

(ELSEWHERE...)

"Wah-choo!"

Niang-Niang sneezed in a loud and absolutely uncouth manner while teleporting, currently in the middle point between everywhere and nowhere.

Sniffing, she rubbed her nose with a cheeky grin.

"Hmm? I guess someone praises my genius, it's only natural. After all..."

(AND IN YET ANOTHER PLACE...)

"Kshi!"

Nephthys stifled a little, elegant sneeze that suddenly overcame her as she was finishing watching an old telenovela that she fancied, getting ready for one of the most important conversations.

"Oh my, seems my body is reminding me of my popularity. After all...

(IN KAMIJOU + GOKUSAI APARTMENT)

"Achoo!"

Othinus covered her small nose as she sneezed. She just got out of the teacup that served as her makeshift bathtub. Well, given her size, calling what she did sneezing would be quite strong. It was a barely audible sound.

"Are you alright?" Index asked, munching on the onigiri, as she watched the episode of Magical Powered Kanamin on apartment's sofa. "You are not catching the cold, are you?"

"Do not be ridiculous. I withstood norse blizzards without getting one. No, what compelled me to sneeze could only be something positive. After all..."

The divine light seemed to descend from heavens, as three goddesses smiled blissfully with eyes closed.

"After all, I am such a benevolent and adored goddess" they all said at once.

(BACK WITH TOUMA)

'AAAAAAH, SCREW THIS! Even if my prayers reached some gods, I bet they thought they are awesome in that twisted pride of theirs.'

Touma then felt that he needed to say something, to at least somewhat disperse the awkwardness in the air.

"I am... sorry for the confusion. Really"

"W-Well, it's not what I was expecting... I guess I was too optimistic..." Suama replied tried to sound sure of her own words, but not doing so convincingly.

Meanwhile, Tokiwadai's main supervisor battled through her soul just what to communicate and finally...

"Huh, you are quite daring, toying with woman's feelings"

'No, no, that's wrong, that's not what I wanted to actually say! He will feel that I hate him. W-Well, I am mad at that boy, but I still... ghh, why I care so much for him not to leave?'

"I can only apologize" Touma bowed his head, before looking up and asking" Yet... I couldn't help but notice... you two know each other?"

Suama and Ryoukan exchanged exasperated glances.

"We were childhood acquaintances and then we frequented to the same teaching course." Suama finally answered" I suppose that she was my senpai"

"So... you were friends?"

"No. We were people who happened to be in the same room for quite some time" Dorm Manager explained coldly" Nothing more than that."

"Huh..."

"It was like that only because that gorilla of a senpai was an unsophisticated brute with no empathy"

"Better than overbearing whiner holding onto mom's skirt, Cryfune."

Touma sighed. Why did universe pit him against quarreling women all the time?

"Well, I suppose there is no use crying over spilled milk" Suama got up, dusting off her skirt" Well... if you excuse me, I will be on my way"

However, she didn't manage to take her leave because Kamijou blocked her way.

"I am sorry, sensei, but I can't let you go like this"

"W-What? Get out of my way this instant or-"

"I can't, Suama-sensei. Because of me, you are about to cry"

Suama blinked, only now registering that her eyes were in fact slightly moist. She quickly wiped them with a napkin.

"I-I am sure something got into my eye-"

"No, it didn't! You were excited, weren't you? For that meeting..."

"I...I... I suppose... but there is no use to think about it now! So why do you-"

"Suama-sensei!" Touma shouted, before taking a deep bow in front of the stunned woman" I can't leave it like this, because I wouldn't be able to go on knowing that I hurt your feelings, even if unwillingly. So please, allow me to make you have a good time through the rest of the day."

Suama reddened and started to shout, while shaking her fists.

"W-W-W-What are you talking about, Kamijou Touma? I... we are... you are a student... that's completely inapropriate..."

"Will you tone it down, Bakafune?" snarled Dorm Manager" We are not alone here?"

"It's Oyafune, you uncouth gorilla! Kamijou-kun, what are you thinking?!"

"S-Sensei, it is not a date! I just want to do something nice to you to make it up for the disappointment you surely felt when I told you the truth. I just want you to have the nicest day you can have, besides it not being what you really hoped it to be. Just that, believe me!"

Suama got quiet and thought about what Touma said.

Willingly or not, she was disappointed that the whole thing was not actually meant to happen. But putting that aside... seeing through her own bitterness, she couldn't really blame Kamijou. He didn't seem to lie about not knowing of whole situation. Besides... if he actually meant the words in his letter, despite not wanting to share them... Suama, despite knowledge that she was a teacher and the reaction could be considered wrong, could not help but be slightly flustered and pleased.

Even if she was to reject those feelings, she was happy that Touma could have them (she had no idea that they were not initially meant for her). And now, Touma bowed his head and said that he wanted to make it up to her by doing something nice to her. Why did she have to link it with intimate undertone? She should just think of it as student giving a gift to the teacher.

"And of course" the boy continued, extending his hand to Dorm Manager" I want to do the same for you, miss..."

The stern woman half-opened her lips, before sighing. Externally, she adjusted her glasses, while finally grasping Touma's hand and allowing

"Tch, fine. I do need to keep my eye on you. And it's better than to leave you with this crybaby"

But internally...

'I am so glad! Even if I know I should not go along with this because of my duty, I am not ready to leave yet. It's a pity he is a student, but I can't help but feel... strange. As if I want to just... talk with him about all those things he wrote to me. I...I must be careful. He might think I am rude to him and while I'll figure out what to do with him later on for now, let's just... relax a bit...'

Meanwhile with Touma...

'She-She is holding my hand! This right hand is usually bringing me trouble, but now I feel so lucky that I have it so it could be held by that person!'

"Boy... I conditionally agreed to your offer, you can let go of my hand now"

"Do I have t... I mean, of course"

(MEANWHILE)

Othinus gasped, looking around frantically.

"W-Where am I?"

It was dark around her. But not before long, she saw the stars and a face over herself.

"Nephthys?"

"Hello there, Othinus."

"What happened? I was just in a living room..."

"Oh, that? I allowed myself to borrow you for a little talk. I chose the quietest place possible. I can see why High Priest went out using the comet"

Othinus looked to the right and her one eye widened.

They were both on the small, car-sized asteroid, that was floating on orbit around the planet. The stars were above, and below, as they were in cosmic vacuum, and right in front of her, colossal because of her small size, was Earth.

"Let's talk about Kamijou Touma... and us"

(BACK ON EARTH, IN SPAN OF FEW HOURS)

Touma went out of his way to show two women some of the places around town. He threw in some propositions, and after a while, both of his companions started to also suggest things to do. They went to karaoke club, had some ramen, played in some arcade machines, visited the library, and strolled around some of the quieter sides of the City that the ladies did not have time to visit.

Touma noticed that despite his initial fears, both women seemed to relax after a moment in relation to his conversations with him.

Suama actually smiled at him with gratitude when they walked out of the park they rested in for a moment.

"I didn't think I will say it but... I am actually having fun. It's not as I hoped, surely... but I am giving you credit for trying, Kamijou-kun. Thank you very much"

"Not bad for such a troublemaking rascal" Dorm Manager glared at Touma.

However...

'STOP IT, WHAT THE HELL! For the first time in forever, you can relax, so just do so! Talk with him. Why do you act like a firstgrader? You were never with that with anyone, so stand up to this and talk' screamed the lightheaded voice inside her mind.

"Kamijou Touma, was it? Regardless of me having to discipline you... I think you might be... the author of certain appreciation letters that concern my person"

Touma thought he was going to faint, but he bravely nodded, answering in a higher tone than usual.

"Y-Yeah, that would be me..."

"In them, you describe my line of work and challenges I face quite vividly. You express heartfelt encouragement and praise for things I was never, ever praised for. No one dared to do this before. You are still very much on my radar, but... I can't deny I am greatful to you. Do you have any experiences... did you witness the dorm managing yourself?"

"N-No... I only imagined and what about what I've heard."

'T-Thank god, I thought I totally creeped her out!'

"That's quite the imagination then. You also have guts to look me in the eye..."

"You are not looking him in the eye though" came a comment from Suama.

Dorm Manager coughed and looked back at Touma

"In a way, I am quite grateful to you. This is why I came along. Although... it really would be nicer if we dropped the unecessary weight."

"Huh?!" Suma crossed her arms, her gaze cross and angry" You were the one who dragged us through all the baseless stops! We lost time, that just me and Kamijou-kun could spend much better. If we are doing this whole pay off thing, we should do it right."

"Right?! You went into an absolute hysteria when you got one drop of soy sauce on your skirt, Crazyfune."

"It's a white skirt! I did not panic, panic does not suit beauty! I was merely attentive and alarmed. At least Kamijou-kun tried to help me, instead of some brute who thinks the only solution to things is brute force out of the army, gorilla senpai"

"Watch what you are saying!"

Yes, the afternoon was going great... except for two things that Touma realized.

Firstly, there was an abundance of accidents on their pay off trip. It ranged from minor ones, like slipping on the banana peel or spilling the sauce to almost being robbed and crushed by a falling flowerpot. There were lots of others too, and what surprised Touma was not the fact that they happened (this could be easily explained by merely adding his presence to the equation) but the fact they were resolved easily. Too easily. He managed to catch the falling Sauma, pushed the Dorm Manager out of the way, while sauce and robbery incidents were resolved by respective ladies by finding spare skirt on sale and punching the way through the problem.

Those resolutions bothered him for some reason. But the more tangible issue was...

"You two... don't like each other" Touma stated the obvious. They arrived at one of the artificial canals connecting to the major river through the sewers and entered a small steel bridge. It was then 10 meters long or so. "May I ask why?"

Two women looked at him.

"Well, for starters..." Dorm Manager looked at Suama" She always needed to be in the center of attention. That irritated me to no end. She kept whining about not being attractive enough and always settled for scraps, if only that meant that she was noticed. She couldn't resist not being adored after being spoiled rotten by her mother. As if being the daughter of Board member wasn't enough. Even if you were considered prettier by everyone, you still didn't see it and you acted like a gutless, spoiled brat! A manipulative fiend!"

"You... you got this all wrong!" Suama answered in a tone of offended bitterness" It was you who took my friends away. You got all of them terrorized and following you like a gang. They even laughed at me and you just watched it. You were the reason I was given up on. You resented me because I got better grades than you! You were always so monstrously strong that you probably never even registered others needs. No empathy whatsoever!"

"I would never resent such a coward. Not worth my time"

"Better than being a tyrant who bullied others."

"I didn't bully anyone. They were just too weak."

"Result was the same. Kamijou-kun... I see that you admire senpai. But do you know what was called by her peers when we were younger? Twister of Steel. And do you know why?"

"She was good at that game where you put your arms and legs on various colours?"

Dorm Manager's lips twitched slightly in amusement, as Suama shook her head.

"She was the most militaristically inclined in the whole course when we were together. Alongside of the teaching curse, she also undertook an extensive Anti-Skill training. Her favourite immobilization technique was partial dislocation of the neck, which temporarily paralyzes the victim."

Touma slowly looked at brown haired woman, who scratched her cheek but didn't look all that ashamed.

"It's is effective, and helped a lot many times."

"She can subdue any girl, no matter how bad or destructive she is. There are even gossiping voices that she clashed with #4 of Academy City despite how dangerous she is rumored to be."

Ryoukan shrugged.

"It is the truth. Two of Tokiwadai students accidentally destroyed the salmon that was meant for her and Meltdowner beat them up badly despite their apology. So I ventured outside of school to teach that girl some discipline for messing with students in my care. And then we fought. I admit, it was a little draining, she was very strong. We both got trashed, I also got one mark..."

Very strong was an understatement. In Touma's eyes, Mugino was one of the stronger, if not the strongest, girls he ever met and fought with. She had absolutely amazing physical prowess and was crazily powerful even without her ability. If this dormitory overseer could even think of challenging her...

The brown haired woman lifted her white shirt up to reveal a thin scar, from burned tissue, running from the height of the liver to below the base of an armpit.

"But all in all..." she smiled, sunglasses gleaming ominously" she learned her lesson. And was given something to be afraid of"

(ELSEWHERE)

Mugino Shizuri, who dozed off while reading a fashion magazine, jumped on the sofa, waking up with a grunt.

"Mugino? Are you super okay?"

"Tch... a nightmare. A fucking fever dream." the girl muttered, checking her neck as if feeling phantom pain" I didn't think about this crazy bitch for some time now..."

"Mugino... are you sweating?"

"W-What? Hell no, of course not! What a stupid... horrible dream..."

(AND BACK...)

There was a loud, screeching noise.

"I-Is this bridge sturdy?"

"Well..." Suama looked at the screeching metal" It is not new, that's for sure..."

"But it should be alright" assured Ryoukan" For something like this to just break, we would have to have the worst luck in the universe"

Touma closed his eyes, smirked in resignation and sighed, uttering a single phrase

"Fukou da..."

SCREECH! WOOSH!

Suddenly, the metal dropped into the river, causing Suama to squeal and bump into Touma. Meanwhile, the shocked but collected Dorm Manager did not fall, as they rose on the surface again and went along with the flow of rapid canal, soon entering the tunnel in the wall. The moist, circular passageway was illuminated by dull, green lamps.

"W-We are floating on water! W-Why are we not sinking?"

"It's a special alloy, extra light" came the scream of Suama" possibly hollow too... ah, my hair! Such a waste of effort..."

"Listen, you two!" came the voice of Dorm Manager, who threw them a pieces of the railing" Try your best to steer this close to the wall of the canal?"

They were gaining speed, as the tunnel turned in one direction and then the other.

"Did you just ripped that off? H-How strong are you, actually?"

"That's not important right now, just synchronise with me!"

"That's impossible!"

And it turned out that Suama was right. It was clear that they were unevenly matched, and their metallic raft began to spin around, so they were forced to stop and just follow the flow.

Until...

The obstruction came into distant view.

"A WATERFALL!" all three of them, even the less emotional Dorm Manager, screamed at the sight.

In truth, the waterfall was merely a side effect of a small filtering device across the now large tunnel. The water came through and then fell down to the large, deep pool.

The brown haired supervisor cursed and wrapped the hand around Touma.

"It's risky, but we may have to jump for it. I may be able to absorb the impact and then will try to punch through it"

"Miss Ryokuan... y-you didn't just seriously mentioned denting steel with your fists, did you?"

The woman's glasses glowed slightly in the dull light.

"No" came the suddenly stronger voice of Suama."There is a better solution. We will jump over it! If you do exactly as I say, we will get through this together! Even the brutes who wanted to run away with Kamijou-kun in tow"

"That's crazy! What makes you think that you are capable of being in charge?!"

Suama tossed her wet hair, as the distant obstruction became more and more visible.

"In this instance... I am a math teacher of the city of science, a rather good one at that!"

Suama acted quickly.

She took a fragment of the railing and submerged it in water almost entirely. Then she took it out and handed it to Dorm Manager.

"Senpai, throw this beyond that purification device"

"Tch, you better have something good in mind"

"Just do it!"

The strong woman threw with mighty swing and the fragment of metallic bridge soared far away and they heard, barely but still, a splash louder than the sounds of the canal itself.

Suama's eyes quickly darted to left and right, her smooth lips muttering something under her breath.

"Sensei... what do we do?" Touma asked, as the wall was now fully visible.

"There is a difference in the water levels, the one beyond the obstructing wall being deeper, it should be deep enough to fall into." Suama was talking very quickly, motioning to various things around them" Based on the estimated depth of this part of the canal, the intervals between which those equadistantly placed lamps pass us by, as well as the rough incline of the passageway, we are gaining great velocity. If we jump in the right moment, we will go rather high into the air."

"Meaning?"

"Falling into the water from great enough height can be as deadly as falling into concrete. This water is falling turbulently, which is good because water with oxygen is always softer. But we need more data. We need to know exactly how far are we going to have to jump and how fast we will fall. That's why I needed to throw something on the other side. It's not ideal, because the flight was parabolic... but based on the rough mass and density of this kind of alloy, resistance, and fall time to impact into the water... I have more or less the idea of the distance from here to wall and over to the middle of the deeper pond. Can you give me your weight?"

Her two companions shouted respective numbers.

"Again, not ideal, because I don't know how much force can your muscles generate... but taking into the fact the estimated wind resistance of the human body of our sizes, atmospheric density, strength of gravity, and our rough acceleration... I think I've got it!"

They were getting closer and closer... and closer... and closer...

"Sensei..." Touma muttered, as the fast current began to roar around them.

"Not yet..."

1 second passed... then 2... 5... 10...

And...

"NOW!"

They jumped just as the raft/former bridge went upwards and smashed into the wall.

They soared high, Suama screaming despite her earlier coolness, Touma staring widely as they went over the wall, while Dorm Manager grit her teeth, bracing herself as they ascended to the peak of the parabolic flight...

Suama-sensei was apparently more capable and prodigious than she demonstrated. If they jumped in the moment Touma assumed was the right one, they would still smashed into the wall. She calculated all of that in such a short period of time. It was incredible...

However, Touma didn't get all that much time as they dropped down.

"Be careful to position yourself upwards. Otherwise, chances of reminaing conscious are-"

"What?!"

However, he could not ask anything else as they all plummeted into water and all of his senses went away.

(MEANWHILE...)

Othinus and Nephthys were sitting on the edge of asteroid orbiting Earth and observing the entire planet. They were breathing because the power of Magic Goddess was protecting them.

Nephthys extended her brown hand towards Earth, tears falling down her cheeks.

"So beautiful... and yet so fragile. And this is nothing..."

She snapped her fingers and they suddenly all space zoomed out, and two divine females looked at the darkness of the cosmic void.

"Where are we?" Othinus asked.

"20 943 701 940 kilometers away from Earth. If I am not mistaken, this equates 140 Astronomical Units."

"Why here, specifically?"

Nephthys waved her arm and the beam of light spread through the darkness.

"This is the place in which furthest photo of Earth was taken. You see this tiny dot over there, suspended in a beam of light?"

Othinus narrowed her eye. And then she saw it. It was tiny, similar to a speck of dust.

"That's Earth. Every single human being who ever lived existed there, whether good or evil... it all went down on that single drop of dust in the void."

Othinus stared at the Earth, who from that perspective appeared smaller than she was, and asked.

"I doubt that we came here to talk about the cosmos, however beautiful it is."

"I suppose not..." the egyptian goddess blinked and in one moment, they travelled over 20 billion kilometers in an instant, once again stationing themselves on Earth's orbit." I also suspect that you know what I want to say"

Othinus and Nephthys started at each other in the deafening silence of the vacuum around them. When taken into the account that Nephthys was (and Othinus used to be) beings so powerful that mere motion of their body could destroy the universe, that tension gained new gravity. It was as if the continents, no, entire planets collided into each other. Either stripped of her divine glory, Othinus retained the hardness and pride of god that she used to be.

"It's fairly simple. For various reasons I won't bore you with... and some of which you may already figured out..." Nephthys traced a finger across her lips in contemplation" I seem to become attracted to Kamijou Touma. It would be futile to discuss over that fact itself, that's just how it is now. I am so touched by it I might cry anew..."

"It seems that he really is unlucky..." Othinus said, not really hiding the contempt in her voice" aside from his usual misadventures, he caught the egyptian plague."

Nephthys caught one of her tears on her fingers and flicked it into space, where it froze into a solid marble-like drop after exiting a certain radius.

"Othinus... I don't exactly hide the fact that I don't like you. Our divine domains and attributes are too different, so are our personalities... you thought you could be better than us, you shook us off and discarded other Magic Gods, always tried to do things in the way of individual brutality. Just looking onto that overconfident face of yours made my cry in anger"

"At least I chose an option instead of staying in that blackness like all of you. Why would I want to be someone even remotely like you, a divine primadonna who cries on the first occasion when something is not going according to her plan?"

Nephthys narrowed her eyes, as the space around them seemed to creak, as if it was suddenly stretched out.

"Othinus, I am not here to act on provocations. I can assure you that being here alone with you is not the greatest form of spending time I can imagine and I am certain it's like this for you too. This is why, I will get straight to the point. Two points, actually, interconnected with common core. Firstly..."

She smiled, her hair blew backwards by movement of the medium that should not exist within a cosmic void.

"I thought about all my interactions with Kamijou Touma, and decided to pursue him. In all of the senses. Initially, I was only interested him as our scorer. But after interacting with him long enough, and taking into account certain comparisons between me and you...myself and Niang-Niang... who I am sure is pursuing him already, she does not like to wait... decided that we want the stability this human as his own person, on top of being Imagine Breaker's incarnate, can bring into our existence... we decided that we want to become the Understood"

Othinus stared at Nephthys for a moment, before standing up with clenched fists.

"Out of the question!"

"Whyever not?!"

"B-Because that's already my position! If you want it, go find somewhere else"

"Now, now..." Nephthys drew two, partially overlapping circles in the air" You and I both know that for our kind, majority of creation are ones that can't even dream of comprend us. Imagine Breaker is one of the only forces capable of completely withstanding the altering of phases, that is, something genuine. So to properly qualify, we have to have both Imagine Breaker and host with optimal personality overlapping. Kamijou Touma fits both perfectly."

"But still... you just can't waltz in like that on me-"

"Othinus... I think you don't realize the position you are in from my point of view! Ugh, that's why I hate war gods. Egoists, thinking purely in the terms of victory and loss."

"Position?"

"The one who chose to accept you and understood you was him. Of course, he was also understood by you, but this was a byproduct. Without his motivation and attitude, you wouldn't be saved. Even if, in my personal opinion, he should never associated himself with someone who took his life so many times, of all people or gods. Do you honestly think that you, his murderer who he graciously accepted despite all the cruelties you did, have any saying about whether or not he can associate himself with someone? Surely, he can consult it with you, but it's his decision. Not yours! Even I, a goddess who still has enormous power, had enough respect for his judgement. Don't you, miss Understander?"

Othinus stiffened and shook her head.

"No... I didn't assume..."

"I think you did. Is it because deep down, you are worried that he will discard you when he will get a taste of someone else. I get that. However, the image of someone who horribly violates the person by infinite deaths being forgiven, no, rewarded even, while someone like me, who never even dreamed of taking his life and offered him to be a scorer in much more agreeable terms, someone like that being in a lost position..."

The eyes of the goddess of mourning shone brightly in two different hues, as if two new stars appeared in the void.

"... doesn't seem very fair, does it?"

Othinus got deadly pale, while Nephthys panted slightly. Both goddess took few deep breaths to steady their emotions.

"However, I am not here to trample over your insecurities. Myself and Niang-Niang will become the Understood and I care very little about your opinion on that. I say 'very little', instead of 'not at all' because Kamijou cares for you, and this is why we are even having this conversation. We don't want you to step down from that position, just share it with us. And there is another thing. I heard that Kamijou's human friends are making an effort to gift him for saving them. Myself and Niang-Niang decided to incorporate this idea. While Niang-Niang has her own plan, my idea is to use my abilities to do the opposite to what you did. For each death, I want to bring pleasure. For each world of suffering, I want to bring out a world of wonder. In other words, I wish to embark on a journey with him, in pursuit of shared understanding, and to make him see that Magic Gods can not only bring death and chaos, but also joy and love."

Othinus was silent for a moment.

What Nephthys was suggesting was indeed the exact opposite of what Othinus did with her power upon encountering Touma for the first time, bringing him endless death. And now, right before Othinus's sight, another suggested to bring about happiness and adventure.

Nephthys thrown a silent challenge into the face of Othinus.

And yet...

"If I could..." the small girl spoke quietly" If I could take it all back, I would. I had to give up my power, and if not for that, I would have what done what you're describing ages ago. It's not the most thrilling option, but if you really mean to do it, if you really have those intentions... then let's do it. He deserves to be happy, he deserves... everything. And maybe... not being able to bring it about myself is part of my punishment. One which I accept, as long as the human I love is happy."

Nephthys smiled slightly.

"Huh..."

Instead of throwing a tantrum, Othinus, somewhat begrudgingly, accepted and moved forward with the idea that Nephthys was ready to make Kamijou happy in the way that she couldn't. As long as she was still important, and she decided to trust that it will always be the case, she opted to choose the option that would potentially increase Touma's happiness, even at the cost of her pride. Such was the love that the former Magic God Othinus had for a human, Kamijou Touma.

"Made no mistake though. I am coming with you. And if I sense even for a moment that your intentions are not what you stated... if you want to toy with his emotions... I don't care about this form of mine, the wounds I may sustain... I will destroy you." Othinus snarled her side warning.

Nephthys sighed and waved her hand.

"This will not come to pass. I swear on my souls that I would never do something to him once I decided otherwise. But don't worry. When I meet up with him again, I will give him insurance that may be more tangible sign."

(ELSEWHERE)

Touma awoke with the feeling of warm lips filling his mouth with air.

He coughed and turned to the side, big stream of water leaving his mouth.

He noticed Suama and Dorm Manager both looking at him.

"What happened?"

"You blacked out because you fell in head first . But senpai immediately went down to grab you before you sunk to the bottom. Then we dragged you out and I..." the math teacher unwillingly reddened in shyness" I helped you cough up the water"

"There was absolutely no need to for you to do this. Or were you that desperate for mouth-to-mouth, Erofune?"

"H-How dare you! Besides, I was already on it and if you were to perform CPR, you would probably break his ribs."

"What I am getting from this is that you both helped me out. I am really grateful, thanks a lot" Touma cut another quarrel before it could begin.

Two women looked at one another.

"Well, you are a student. It's only natural for us to take care of you like this" Suama smiled reassuringly at Touma.

Despite all of them being in wet clothes, Tokiwadai's Dorm Manager decided to discard the shirt, staying in strange combination of skirt and bra (which caused Touma to almost black out again for a wide variety of reasons) before instructing the other two to stay put as she ventured into the tunnel to do familiarize the terrain.

It didn't take long for Touma to realize that Suama was shivering. The math teacher looked at him as he watched her in concern.

"I am sorry, would you-" the both spoke, pausing after a moment.

"After you" Touma motioned at Suama.

"W-Well... I was just wondering, if you aren't cold..."

"I was... actually thinking the same thing..."

"We... we can't set up the fire without knowing if there is a concentration of methane here. And there isn't anything flammeable around anyway..." Suama muttered, her teeth chattering slightly" I... I take full responsibility for allowing this. So to boost our body heat..."

"Let's hug..."

"I-If that's okay with you... let's be in each other's care"

They hugged each other. Touma consquently massaged math teacher's shoulder's, until she slowly stopped shivering and sighed in relief. Their clothes and hair were still wet, but their own body heats combined, making it much more bearable.

"Thank you, that was wonderful" Suama said, having her head over Touma's shoulder. When he tried to look at her, he was forcefully stopped.

"Don't! I am probably dirty and look absolutely awful! I wouldn't be presentable to anyone"

They sat still for a moment, silence only disturbed by the sound of the waterfall.

"Suama-sensei... is what I've heard true? Did you really want attention that badly?"

"Huh? No, I was... I shouldn't burden a student like you..."

"Sensei, we still have to warm up and wait. I am all ears"

Suama sighed and touched her red glasses, beginning to speak

"My mother, Oyafune Monaka... she was and still is a responsible but busy woman. She divorced my father when I was little and we moved here when I was a teen... she quickly advanced, and even if she never neglected me, she was also never overly close. So it is no stretch to say that I did seek her company whenever I could. But I certainly did not use her name to my advantage. On the contrary... Puberty was not very kind for me and I didn't look like I do today. Because of this I felt that the only attention I got was either out of pity or because of my mother's surname. I hated that! I hated the fact that I was surrounded by false friends. Meanwhile, some of the girls had everything they wanted because of beauty and prestige. I didn't want to be associated with ugliness and weakness, I did NOT want to rely on my mother... I was well aware that as a Board member she dealt with dangerous situations and that my existence did not help her safety. So I wanted to gain the influence of my own, to be able to gain the advantage so my mom wouldn't be in danger. So, to work out with my own strength, I used all I learned to improve my image and beauty. I refined my body through bathing, regularly put lotion, scheduled healthy sleep, ate breakfast every day, kept my weight down so it didn't affect my skin, invested in clothing and cosmetics... and look! Now everyone is respecting me. Kamijou-san... do you think I am beautiful?"

Touma, still not facing her and instead embracing her in a warming hug, nodded. He decided to be honest.

"Yes sensei, you are"

"You see? The power of beauty can't be stopped. Now I finally-"

"But..." Touma interjected, recalling something" I have a question for you: are you happy?"

"Huh? I just told you, I am very-"

"Not with your beauty. Are you happy and satisfied overall? Because this sounds very demanding lifestyle."

"W-Well, I admit, it is a challenge and it takes some time, but it's worth-"

"I don't deny that the change was needed. There is nothing wrong in wanting to improve oneself. I just wonder if this whole beauty thing is working for you, not the other way around. You get very distressed whenever you get dirty, and then you forcibly stop your emotions. You keep straight face and a smile, because this is what beautiful people are supposed to do. You act to uphold one ideal and get stressed whenever something threatens it. That means your happiness is really dependent on outside world. Don't you feel tired sometimes? Of the amount of effort you put that can be ruined so quickly."

Suama's eyes widened. Her sensual lips trembled slightly.

"Maybe..." she whispered quietly" But even if that was the case, what can I even do? I love being beautiful, it makes me feel good. I won't give that away"

"And you don't have to. I have a friend. Her name is Lessar, and she had a very similar worldview"

"Similar?"

"Well... a bit more drastic..."

(FLASHBACK)

Touma's decision to spend one night in his old dorm with members of New Light to oversee the reconstruction of his dorm appeared to be a mistake.

"Ooooooh... aoooooh... woaaaaaah...hyaaah..."

He was trying to sleep for 3 hours now, but neither he nor other girls of New Light got any luck in falling asleep. All except Lessar that is.

With her hair loose, the horny teen was grinning in her sleep, with right hand practically over the face of poor Lancis, and the other...well, somewhere, going under the covers and to the level of her pelvis. Aside of making a very questionable noises, she talked in her sleep. A lot. And in a very descriptive fashion.

"That's good... oh, I like that... haaaah... and now, let's get to next position... we all come from four directions, but I take the main dish, the front... Floris, don't be so forward... Lancis, you have only a moment of kissing before I get to it... Bayloupe, don't bite him that hard..."

Floris had completely red face and was on the verge of passing out, Bayloupe had her head under the pillow, meanwhile Touma and Lancis had completely wide open, bloodshot eyes.

"Oaaah... Lover Boy, do you know what is the difference between me and mosquito? Because if you slap me, I-"

Bayloupe sighed, covering Lessar's mouth and Touma thought it was impossible, but he was almost certain he heard her say.

"Let's do the deed some day, so we can finally sleep in peace..."

(END FLASHBACK)

"A-Anyway, sensei, I can tell you very similar thing to what I told her. Because of her upbringing, she learned to value her body too much. But being beautiful has many sides to it. Sure, you can be physically attractive and serious... but there is no point if you become obsessed with it to the point of having your life controlled by your rituals. You don't have to be serious or restrictive all the time. Beauty that is cutely adorable is also great"

"A-A-A-A-Adorable?!" Suama cried out.

"And also, you can be beautiful in your personality. Your body will age and wither away, but that kind of beauty can be retained to your death. The beauty of spirit is by acting kindly towards the others, or at least that's how I see it. I witnessed it quite a few times today. It was simple gestures, but adding it to what I already seen at school, you are a generous and kind person. And when you act on that kindness, you are more beautiful than ever"

Suama was absolutely speechless, opening and closing her lips with a blush on her face as she separated from the hug and quickly turned around.

As mentioned before, she considered Touma a troublemaker, alongside his friends. When Yomikawa Aiho once described half-jokingly that Touma would hit absolutely anything in a fight should the situation call for it, actually invoking some cases of females being the target of the punches, Suama was terrified. That was as far from her ideals as it could get.

But now? His way with words, despite everything she previously believed was...

Well, beautiful. It stirred something deep within her heart and despite being almost 9 years older than the boy, she blushed even deeper.

"I... I will think about it. Thank you for such kind words, Kamijou Touma. They mean a lot. I am also grateful for listening to me. Should I know you earlier, I probably would see my problems with Haganemiya-senpai"

"Hagane...miya?"

Was that... the surname of Tokiwadai's Ryoukan?

"Oh, right, senpai didn't actually introduce herself, did she? She is called..."

Suama paused and then a devious grin, quite uncharacteristic, stretched across her face.

"You know... neither in childhood or adulthood have I ever heard Haganemiya senpai's first name. She is apparently super secretive about it... and she probably has her ID in the clothes"

They slowly turned their heads to the neatly folded clothes of Dorm Manager, now identified as Haganemiya-san.

"Sensei... we shouldn't..."

"I know I'm giving a bad example... but I must know... I must know because the curiosity will be killing me for all eternity..."

The brunette took the wallet out of the clothes and after a moment found the official Tokiwadai ID.

Both Touma and Suama gulped and looked at the ID.

They looked... and looked... and...

Touma never before and after heard Oyafune Suama laugh like she did back then. The laughter practically burst out of her like a water from besides the broken dam, as she fell to the ground, not even minding the potential dirt on it, as she rolled around still giggling and cackling in cheerful howl of joy.

"Hey? What the hell do you think you are doing? Who allowed you to peak-"

Dorm Manager/Haganemiya-san, who just returned, got to them as quick as lightning, snapping the ID from Suama's hand.

"I can't...I can't... I will pee myself..." Suama wheezed, managing to stop herself just to look at Haganemiya. Tears welled up in her eyes and the laughter began again" I...you can't be... this can't be your name..."

Haganemiya looked at Touma, flashing her glasses, and cracking her fists.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

"W-Well..."

"I asked you a question!"

"Y-Yes, I did. It's clearly unusual, but-"

"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Shut up! There is nothing remotely funny about this!"

On the ID, plain as day, was written:

鋼宮 可愛い

Haganemiya Kawaii

"Ryokuan-sama..." Touma asked cautiously" Your name is... Kawaii? As if the adjective 'cute'? "

Dorm Manager roared in anger, for the first time appearing actually flustered.

"That was not my idea! My parents thought that it would adorable for the newborn baby. I like my surname, it means Palace of Steel. But why the hell is my name 'Cute'?. Do I look cute to you?!" she snarled at Touma, who backed away slightly.

"I-Interesting question. Bit sinister. What is the answer that doesn't get me pulverized to death?"

"An honest one!"

"O-Okay then..." Touma said, praying to whatever scrap of fortune had for his answer to work" Right now, I don't see it, but I can really see it when you engage in your duties, Haganemiya-san. I thought that when you follow your desires and heart... in certain way, it can be cute."

Dorm Manager Haganemiya Kawaii listened before slowly approaching him...

And huffing under breath, before turning around.

"Hmph... I guess you will live to see the other day..."

Meanwhile, in her mind...

' M-My heart! Except my parents, no one ever dared to call me cute in any form or way. I-It's so nice to have an admirer, if I am to be a bit selfish. It feels like all the strife was worth it'

And as for Touma...

'Oh my god! I actually managed to say that to my dream type. To the bona fide dorm manager onee-san! W-Wait, since I know her name now, can I ask for her autograph?!'

Touma noticed that Haganemiya's skin was still wet.

"Would you like to come and warm yourself up?"

"I am completely..."

The sentence was cut in half by a loud sneeze. Haganemiya rubber her nose and turned back to them.

"... warm and fine"

"You still wanted to finish that sentence despite it being an obvious lie? Just how though do you want to appear?"

"Come on, Haganemiya-san. It will make you feel better."

"I-If you insist..."

"Come on..." Suama winked to Haganemiya" Kawaii-senpai!"

"You really want to have your neck snapped!"

"You did not change it, does it mean that you actually want someone to tell you that you are cu-"

"One more word and you are landing in the water again!"

And so, Touma found himself in the middle of two women (who absolutely refused to hug one another) and was trying really, really hard not to focus on the fact that he was basically sandwiched by their chests. If it bothered them, they didn't give any sign of that.

"Haganemiya-san, I think Oyafune-sensei wants to tell you something"

"W-What?"

"Come on, sensei, tell her what you told me. I think your entire conflict may come from misunderstanding your intentions."

"O-Oh..."

"For crying out loud, if you want something to say to me, Scaredyfune, just spill it and be done with it

(AND SO, ONE STORY LATER...)

Haganemiya didn't say anything at first, only sighing loudly after Suama finished speaking

"So it's like that... well, even if it's the truth, you were one irritating woman, you know that?"

"W-What about you? You were so scary... and why were you even so mad at me?"

"Haganemiya-san..." Touma asked the Tokiwadai's supervisor" Do you have a story from your perspective to share as well?"

Another moment of silence.

"Even if I have, it's probably not as grand as Cra... I mean, Oyafune's. I come from small city on Shikoku, which could have contributed to some of the more traditional views of its residents. For some reason, ever since childhood I was always very strong, fast, and agile. However, this was not something that neither my parents or my peers appreciated. I don't know if it was out of stereotypes or not, but ever since it became evident that I could best most of my colleagues, people started to avoid me. They said it was unnatural and that being so strong will make others think I have a bad character. But... I was proud of my strength! It was something I was better with, and I hated that those losers told me to stop being something. So... let's just say... I had quite a few anger issues when I was younger. By the time I changed schools, I gained notoriety as a troublemaker and bad girl. I suppose that from the gossip I hear of you, Kamijou Touma, I wasn't unlike behaving unlike you... and by the time I got tired of roaming the alleys and picking up opponents, my name of a scary bad girl seemed to be sealed... and I was completely alone"

"What?!" Suama protested" But by the time I met you, you were always surrounded by people!"

Haganemiya clicked her tongue and waved her hand.

"Them? Those were not friends, not at all. You said that some people wanted to socialize with you because who your mother was? Well, it was the same yet different for me. People around me wanted to please me and followed me because they feared me. No one, not even the teachers, wanted to oppose me. You were mad at me for that? But can you imagine how dull and empty that was? People change, you know. I was proud of my strength but I didn't want everyone to frantically agree at everything out of fear. Luckily, after I graduated, I accidentally went to practices in the municipality police. There I discovered that what I lacked was the set of precise rules. By knowing what to do and what not to do, I felt less lost and I could channel my physical attributes into something that I was praised for, even if some apprehension remained. Because of that revelation, I went to train for special forces, where I mastered many skills and braved through many dangers. I was there for almost 2 years, but even though I felt much better, I realized that I still lacked greater purpose, something that could make me feel fulfilled and needed. I quit the commando squad and went into restless period of travelling and finding myself. And finally, few months later, I heard about the announcement that some special girl school in the secluded city searches for supervisor for their dormitory. Said supervisor had to be disciplined, had certain aura of dignity and elegance, but above all, be exceptionally powerful in her own right, because the students were not ordinary girls, but high-level espers, wielding mighty supernatural abilities. Apparently, since the school's foundation, no other dorm supervisor lasted more than month. Yet, when I saw that notice, I knew that this was the challenge I needed. They demanded to go through a teaching course... during which I met you again, Oyafune"

"Alright..." Suama appeared much more mollified than in her earlier interactions with Haganemiya" Why did you hate me back then?"

"Why, you ask... well, I don't know if hate is the right word. I just couldn't stand the fact that you were making a big deal out of few pimples and-"

"Gyaaah! Don't say this in front of him!"

"Anyway, you made a big deal out of the beauty, even if you already had the potential to be attractive. Intelligence goes well with beauty. It's not like I was jealous of you. But for someone like me, strength always overshadowed both my intelligence... and femininity. Even if I am strong, I still have feelings. I still have a heart."

"Of course you do! Work of the Dorm Manager is not only brute force. It requires maturity, emotional intelligence, and motherly instincts-"

Touma spoke enthusiastically before managing to stop himself. He looked unsurely at the woman in question.

Haganemiya looked back at him and gratitude flashed in her eyes for a moment.

"Yes... thank you for bringing that up. Punishment is not the only thing about my job. Keeping people in line is important, but so is overseeing the maintenance of the dorm, the relations with various couriers and repairmen, speaking with the teachers... and most importantly, caring for those girls. I am responsible for their safety, not only from external forces, but also from their own foolishness. You could say that while they are away from home, in the time they are in my housing, I am a single mother of 180. Some group of those girls doesn't live under my strict jurisdiction, because we have two dorms, but I am still obliged to see if they are not sick or unable to perform student duties."

She then looked into the edge of the tunnel, before standing up.

"We wasted enough time. Let's get moving!"

"H-Haganemiya-san... c-can you dress yourself first? It gets a little hard to keep looking elsewhere..."

"Hmm... right, you may be speaking the truth..."

After few minutes, they moved forward to the tunnel. However...

The ground suddenly started to shake... and the ceiling split apart.

"An earthquake?!" Suama screamed, grabbing her head" What is going on here?!"

"This is bad! We will be buried here!"

One big fragment of rocks and cement was heading in their direction.

Touma clenched his fist. Suama was right, what the hell was going on with those random disasters?

'I don't know what to do. Imagine Breaker alone will not stop it... should I use my other abilities for this? I don't want to, but it seems like I will be able to-'

And in that moment, something... or rather someone zoomed at great speed throughout the tunnel. The cheeky smile was almost as bright as multiple weapons extending from the sleeves of white-and-gold dress. The girl got low onto her legs and then jumped, spinning through the air, as she brought her arm back...

"Lake into Wind, zhongfu, 61st form..."

Suddenly, over the clamour, beautifully clear sound of metal cutting through the air, as the swing was performed in the direction of oncoming fragment of the ceiling.

"...Inner Truth!"

In that moment, the world... no, reality itself... seemed to be slashed through. The world around the collapsing tunnel shattered, broke, and then reformed within the vortex of light and sound that reminded Touma of tolling of the bell.

In one moment, there was a collapsing tunnel over their heads. In the next, they were standing under the sky, with the water flowing without any shading.

Niang-Niang, because she was the one who came to their aid, sighed with satisfaction, until she looked at the horizon and bit her lip.

"Oopsie... I overdid it."

Touma looked too and his mouth got dry.

It seemed as if the entire city, or at least upper portion of it, was sliding down. This attack, whatever it was, left a shining mark that stretched throughout city wide radius... no, maybe even wider.

Niang-Niang snapped her fingers and everything returned to normal.

"Oh well, no damage truly done."

Turning to absolutely terrified Suama and Haganemiya, she waved her hand with a smile.

"To avoid any tiring questions, you will forget this and take a nice nap."

The women collapsed to the ground, falling asleep. Touma shook his head.

"What?"

"Impressive, wasn't it? Although I overdid it with that collapse, so I had to intervene."

"What?! Niang-Niang... I have a terrible premonition... were you behind all of those strange happenings today?!"

"Well, not all of them! Your misfortune can take some credit, but the bridge, the falling objects, putting that obstacle in front of you, and making some idiots go after you? All me! But I also made those two ladies more convinced to get comfortable with you. You're welc- OW! How could you chop the head of a god?!"

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Touma roared in anger, pointing at two sleeping women." What if something happened to them?!"

"There is no way anything would actually happen to you, you an extremely pretty divine safety net!"

"But why did you even do all of this in the first place, you maniacal blueberry?!" Touma yelled, stretching Niang-Niang's cheeks.

"Who are you calling a blueberry?!" Shijie Xian yelled back, also stretching the cheeks of the boy.

"What would you prefer, Tinkie Winkie?!"

"You did not just go there! For your information, I did that to become closer to you!"

"What?!"

(ONE EXPLANATION LATER)

Niang-Niang sent both Suama and Haganemiya home. She explained that they won't remember her or the collapse when they wake up, but instead will feel as if they went home after exiting the tunnel.

Now, boy and the goddess both sat on the bench with aching cheeks.

"So... all of this... was your idea of bonding with me? Niang-Niang, just because I am constantly in misfortunate situations doesn't mean that I want this to be defining part of my life! Why do you Magic Gods have to complicate things so much?"

"I didn't want to take you by force and I wanted to make it the way you humans do it..." Niang-Niang said while pouting.

Touma sighed once again throughout that day.

"If you wanted to spend time with me, all you needed was ask. If you promise that you will not complicate or endanger others like you did, then I am all yours. What do you want to do? Go to the cinema? Or to arcade?"

Niang-Niang looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"Really?"

"Sure. But first... I want to ask you something..."

(LATER, IN THE DESOLATED SQUARE WITHIN DISTRICT 10)

They arrived in the place with no people or buildings of use. And then, Touma asked.

"What was that attack? The one you did before?"

Niang-Niang snickered into her sleeve, visibly happy at the question.

"Oh, interested? Well then, you are in luck, because I want to teach you those movements anyway. The attack I conducted is one of the forms from my own fighting style: I-Ching martial arts. It takes inspiration from I-Ching, taoistic holy book of prophecies, and the glyphs known as hexagrams. There are 8 possible stances, or starting positions, taking the names of 8 directions expressed through 8 trigrams: Heaven, Flame, Lake, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth. Those can be followed by 8 continuations, or derivative styles, of the same names, which gives you 8 times 8... that is, 64... combinations of offensive, defensive, and neutral forms. The one you saw was Lake Stance, Wind Style, 61st form, Inner Truth. What I did back then was cutting through the event of you being crushed by those rocks. Or in other words, I slashed through single cause-effect relation and destroyed it."

"And you want to teach me that as well?" Touma said in amazement.

"Your enemy will use all of Imagine Breaker's hidden resources. When you face him, your fighting skills have to be on another level. I-Ching martial arts is tailored for my usage in conjunction with Pao-Pei... and you will use only a fraction of its power, since you can't refine mana... but if you imbue those movements with your dragon abilities, your power of hand-to-hand combat will skyrocket. So now, observe and try to counter. There is one specific power that I want you to master that would be perfect for this exercise. I will help you bring it forth"

She closed her eyes and after a moment, Touma felt something pulsing within his arm. A voice spoke. It was one of the dragons that he already became familiar with within his head.

'Human, I am ready to assist you. I shall be your shield'

"Now... hiyaaa!"

The attack was quick as lightning.

But before Touma could register it, Niang-Niang suddenly froze over. Her Pao-Pei was in mid-swing to reach to Touma's neck, but she suddenly turned into shining, whitish-blue statue.

The ice-like surface spread instantly, freezing the ground, and crawling all over the high buildings, with big crystals sprouting from the earth like spears.

Touma looked at his body, only now registering that his right arm became living ice, covered in layer of white, shining crystals. Half of his body was covered in frost, and when he exhaled, mist left his lips.

In spite of this, he didn't feel cold.

The statue in front of him shook and Niang-Niang burst out with a smile.

"Heh, pretty cool, right? Ice crystal dragon has the greatest defensive power. His breath is fast, covers large areas, it has same physical characteristics as ice, except...

She flicked a nearby crystal with her finger. It made a low resonating sound.

"... It's many times harder than a diamond. One of the hardest substances in the universe... unless you are facing me and my Pao-Pei. It's still a challenge to cut through it though."

"So, what do you want me to do with this?"

"I need you to master it while protecting yourself from my attacks. And in the meantime, observe them to adapt them into your own arsenal."

"W-Wait... wait a second..."

"There is no waiting on the battlefield!"

Tensing her muscles, Niang-Niang struck quickly with her hands, her Pao-Pei extending into something resembling a miniature jaws of some digging equipment

"Thunder into Flame, shihe, 21st form, Gnawing Bite!"

"Khh!"

The jaws grabbed Touma's arm and tossed him aside, blood bursting from the wound.

"Too slow! Pure Heaven, quian, 1st form, Divine Force"

Touma was suddenly repelled backwards as if he collided with a heavy vehicle, smashing into the wall with a pained grunt.

But this time, he managed to recover and swung his arm. A huge glacier-like structure appeared next to him and he managed to begin running to the top.

"I think I am getting the basics of this crystal arm now!"

When he got to the high enough, spot he jumped. Multiple, sharp pieces of ice-like crystals shot at Niang-Niang from above.

"Ho? Better... but still..."

She spread her arms wide, before striking them forward.

"Heaven Into Flame, dayou, 14th form, Great Possessing..."

She then flickered like wildfire, jumping over the falling crystals, before placing herself upside down, in the middle of the sharpened rain.

"... followed by Flame Into Lake, ge, 49th form, Skinning!"

Suddenly, multiple crescent slashes were unleashed in all directions, Touma barely managed to erect bigger wall of crystals to shield himself.

All of the smaller pieces of ice crystal were shattered and deep scars appeared throughout the entire square.

"Let's give us more space. Pure Lake, dui, 58th form, Open Water!"

Niang-Niang performed circular slash on low legs... and suddenly, all of the buildings collapsed. The goddess snapped her fingers, sending them all into one pile, and making the square twice as big.

For the next 10 minutes, Touma tried to shoot crystals at Niang-Niang, shield himself, dodge, roll over, and do whole array of crazy manouvers with his body.

But the power of Niang-Niang was still unmatched.

"Pure Flame, li, 30th form, Blinding Raidance"

There was a sudden flash of blinding light, reflecting from the multiple crystals, and Touma was forced to close his arms. But when the light subsided, the goddess was already in front of him.

Touma jumped back, sending wave of ice at the goddess. However...

"Lake into Heaven, lu, 10th form, Treading Path!"

The path was forcibly created by a focused thrust of the weapons, as ice parted in two.

Niang-Niang stopped as the crystals managed to encase her leg.

"Good, very good. Again!"

Niang-Niang and Touma battled for over an hour more. The range of martial arts Niang-Niang demonstrated. Describing all of the forms she used would take time, but examples included Heaven into Lake, guai, 43rd form, Absolute Displacement, high stance horizontal attack capable of displacing and cutting through any material object; Wind into Lake, daguo, 28th form, Great Exceeding, that boosted the attack speed to absurd, above-observable level; Water into Wind, huan, 59th form, Dispersing, that allowed to split intangible forces such as wind or lightning; Pure Thunder, zhen, 51st form, Thundering Shake; An attack to the ground that unleashed a powerful quake capable of, according to Niang-Niang, levelling entire mountains; Thunder into Mountain, meng, 27th form, Swallowing, in which Niang-Niang unleashed streams of fire that, combined with Water into Mountain, yi, 4th form, Enveloping, could lock enemy into cocoon of fire; There was also Heaven into Earth, pi, 12th form, Obstruction, capable of digging out and erecting enormous walls of earth and creating a maze; Pure Water, kan, 29th form, Absymal Gorge, where Niang-Niang redirected the attack of the enemy into the ground, creating the cracks and gorges in the battlefield, reshaping it to her advantage. Pure Mountain, gen, 52nd form, Bound, in which Niang-Niang used lassos and rotated various objects around herself to attack the enemy. Thunder into Wind, yin, 42nd form, Augmenting, which could apparently harden the weapons through the energy of the body. As well as many, many others.

Touma blocked, attacked, and observed as best as he could. Although he could never manage to truly incapacitate the goddess, he manage to land couple of small hits on her.

It was incredible how graceful Niang-Niang was on the battlefield. No movement wasted, no thrust or evasion out of place. She was dancing, flying through air, smoke, and flame with various weapons moving through the air, and the lines of destructions that followed her blades seemed to form the ribbons of red and white, of blood and ice, encircling her silhouette.

It was a strange place to realize this, but maybe through this clarity of her movements and beautiful dance of destruction that yet held some form of harmony, Touma realized that Niang-Niang was, in her own way, really beautiful.

It was easy to miss it and only label her as mischievous and cute, especially since she looked smaller and less mature compared to her companion, Nephthys, but Niang-Niang had her own way of beauty. Flickering and quick as wildfire, you could blink and miss it, but if you glanced upon it, it would enchant you to no end.

"STOP!" Niang-Niang shouted suddenly, motioning on Touma" That's enough. If we went any further, your heart would freeze over! You would literally become one with the crystals and it would kill you"

Touma looked at his body, which was covered in hoarfrost and ice-like crystals. He exhaled and the icy armour broke apart, revelling his regular body.

Niang-Niang waved her hand and everything over them reverted to the state before their battle.

"That was... amazing..." Touma managed to breathe out" And I really can learn those moves?"

"Well, it would be a normal martial art for you, but still far more effective than anything humans could invent. Come on, if you are happy to such a great teacher... come give me a huuuuuwaaah?!"

Touma promptly collapsed on Niang-Niang, pushing her onto the ground.

The short girl actually blushed at that, faintly but still visibly.

"H-Hwah?! What are you doing on me?! Is this story changing genre all of the sudden?!"

"Sorry... I can't move, I really can't. You really put me through a lot"

"Hmm... I did, didn't I?"

"So, if you allow me to rest and teleport from under me, that would be-"

"Oh, no, I am afraid I can't"

"Huh? Why?"

"It appears that cutting through draconic crystals also tired me to the point of not being able to move... so I can only be here with you for a while"

That was an obvious lie.

Demonstrating great flexibility, Niang-Niang crossed her legs behind Touma, touching him with a sole of her foot.

"Kh! That's cold!"

"I am a liberated soul in a body that was feigned to die. I cannot generate my own body heat, I only heat up after some time with another body of warmth. Which is why snuggling with you is so rewarding!"

"So you admit that you're snuggling! And why do you keep using your feet!"

"I am quite proud of them. It's one of my biggest attributes!"

"F-For someone who has no strength left, you are surprisingly mobile, you know?"

(NEXT DAY)

Life carried on.

Within Certain High School's faculty room, one of the teachers, Saigo, looked at the quarrel in the corner of the room.

"Yomikawa-san, what's going on with Oyafune-san and Tsukuyomi-san?" he asked, motioning at the two teachers in frantic discussion.

"I believe Kamijou Touma should have supplementary lessons with me. His problems are clearly mathematical." said Suama

"No, his problems are with general ESP development, so it's within my expertise" insisted Komoe.

"His imagination works just fine, but his calculations need work. Again, back to mathematic"

"I am his teacher, so he is my responsibility."

"This is exactly why you are biased. He should work with me"

"Hmm..."Yomikawa smiled" seems like Kamijou grew in Oyafune-chan's eyes and heart. Sneaky guy, I tell you. I wonder what he's up to now"

(MEANWHILE, IN TOKIWADAI)

Touma was basically smuggled inside. Grabbed from the street, packed into the cart, and delivered into the Dorm Manager's office.

"Sorry for this. I could not allow anyone to see you with me." Haganemiya Kawaii, Tokiwadai's resident dorm supervisor, crossed her legs, speaking those words with twinge of sadness" Professional ethics, I think you can understand"

"Yeah... but coming into Tokiwadai within crate is absolutely the worst"

"You say it as if you were delivered here before" the woman behind the desk said coldly.

"A-Anyway, what can I do for you, Haganemiya-san?"

"As you are aware, I was thinking about punishment for you..."

"O-Oh?"

"And decided to spare you. However, this is under two conditions. Firstly, you have to work here with me for an hour once a week. You will help me organize and redact various documents regarding students and school"

"A-Aren't those private data?"

"Most of those is already known. But... it can be helpful to you in your second task. The main reason I wanted to deal with you was because I thought you caused the danger for school because many of our students got interested in you. So I will not get you punished, if you manage to make them satisfied and spend time with them. Spend time with them, in the limits of the rules! If that's what it takes to make them stop daydreaming, then fine. Instead of fighting the disaster, maybe it's best to tame it. Learning about the school, it's history, traditions, and inhabitants will be beneficial for you"

"This disaster is supposed to be me?"

"You are my responsibility when you will be having this punishment. If we get time, we can also..." the woman coughed into her hand" the content of your letters"

They went to work.

Despite the fact that he was giving her a major headache at times, Dorm Manager of Tokiwadai could not help but somewhat admire this boy's straightforward honesty, equal way in which he treated people and his rather pure admiration for her and her work.

She didn't mind his company, not in the slightest.

Bonding with him on deeper or more intimate level was, given their situation, out of the question.

But maybe, just maybe... if he waited a couple years and was willing to face the ostracism caused by dating an older woman...

'No, no, no, no, what am I thinking, even if it could happen, there is no way he would really go through with that. Besides, he is a student... although in the future... no, shut up!'

And so, the two were close yet far to the truth, both still convinced that the other would never be convinced.

(LATER)

"Touma!"

Konori Mii panted, as she managed to catch up with Touma in front of the park's vending machine.

"Where did you go yesterday? I was looking through half of the city!"

"It's a long stor-... wait, you did? So what you wanted to say to me was important after all?"

"Maybe..." Konori mumbled, before taking a deep breath and speaking" I wanted to go to the movie with you. Just with you. And maybe grab something to eat on the way back"

"Oh..." Touma nodded" Oh... yes... yes! I will gladly go with you!"

"That's great" Konori beamed at him." Well, I will not keep you occupied since you are clearly waiting for someone, but... I can't wait for that time! I shall send you time and place later!"

As the girl walked away, Touma became aware that both Nephthys and Niang-Niang stood nearby, observing him. To his surprise,

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Your lovely friend, Mitsuari Ayu-san, is undertaking a certain task while we are speaking. We want to take a page from her book." spoke Nephthys.

"What? Ayu-san?"

"Nephthys, ssssh!" Niang-Niang shushed her friend, who continued speaking to Touma.

"Oh, you will understand soon enough. Anyway, we had a discussion with Othinus and came to a conclusion that we want to achieve understanding in relationship with you"

"H-Huh? T-This is what you meant by asking if I wanted to know you better?"

"What else do you think we meant?" Nephthys smiled at him" and as the part of reaching said understanding, myself and Niang-Niang want to offer you a few things."

With a snap of her fingers, an anesthetic appeared in her hands, one than she then injected in Touma's arm.

"Niang-Niang, do you have it?"

Pao-Pei clanged as a certain sword emerged from it.

It looked as if it was made out of see through crystal, with black veins of dark stone running through its core encased in whiteness, spreading like shadow-looking lighting. It was long and had a rather thin blade.

Touma's arm was disconnected in no time. He didn't even feel the pain, as he looked around in confusion, not minding the gushing blood.

"W-What is happening?"

"My gift for you..." Niang-Niang smirked, preparing the sword in her hand" Is to grant you every possible future in which you have a happy ending."

"What? But this means..."

"They are going to create foundation for the Future Phase. They are going to spilt you and create multiple counterparts throughout layered structure of nigh-infinite hidden phases"

"That's right. This sword will split you... or, maybe multiplying you will be the right word... and relocate each counterpart into the phase-embedded timeline shaped for one specific ending to your story. We took the liberty to shape the phases in which you gain love in the end. Future Phase is... or will be, from this perspective... a unified result of those enormous layered phases being brought together. But for now, we shall diverge you. Each one of your counterparts will live to certain point, and later we will reintegrate the reality, enriching it with those hidden phases." explained Niang-Niang

"This phase will be the reference point. The histories of your counterparts may differ or be contradictory in regard to each other. Those contradictions will be eliminated, as much as it's possible, by comparing it to that world in which we are now. Thanks to it, we will gain one world... but you will have all of your lives at once. And all of your children too."

"Even if I have my personal objections regarding my relationship with those two, this opportunity is one of a kind" Othinus added" Thanks to this you... no, we... will gain the most wondrous family in history. Even I am looking forward to that."

"And all of that will happen without warring over you" Nephthys added" Because once we re-align the phases, no one except us and beings of our standing will remember it... unless we allow it, that is. Kamijou Touma, are you ready?"

Touma looked at the sword and breathed in before spreading his arms.

"If Othinus says that's okay... then let's do it"

Niang-Niang grinned even wider... before charging forward... and impaling armless Touma with the sword through his chest.

Through 10 seconds or so, nothing was happening. But just when Touma was about to comment on that...

There was a pulse of power within his chest. The sword got brighter and the veins of darkness became golden in hue.

And then, the world shattered, starting within Touma's heart. A lightning of golden cracks spread from his hearts. The pulsing sensation grew stronger and became burning.

Touma wanted to scream but found no voice in his throat, as he suddenly felt as if the entire world vanished and he began to fall quickly, his body feeling as if torn apart to pieces. He felt as if he was stretching, his body and mind reaching far beyond what they were supposed to, covering cities, continents... even planets and vast reaches of the universe. But at the same time, in some psychedelic sense, it was eaten away bit by bit and when Touma felt like he was about to die...

He awoke on the ground. He was fine, not only because he was alive... but there was no wound on him and his arm was back in place.

"And... all done. You've been a good boy" Niang-Niang commented, swinging the sword a few times before retracting it back to her Pao-Pei" Right now, we have enormous quantities of your possible selves working towards your alternative routes, which Imagine Breaker's host normally doesn't possess. You are not diminished in any way, so just live your life without thinking about it too much. And when the proper moment comes, we will put you back together."

"How? How are you going to put it back?"

"Hmm... let's just say we will use that mental link you and Mitsuari Ayu have. She will become the anchor we need."

"Ayu-san?"

"You don't need to know the details now. Just trust us on that like you trusted us now"

"But... why her?"

"Because, as I once said, gods like us should cause miracles out, not wait for them to happen" Nephthys stated" Mitsuari Ayu always felt inferior and even now, she is unsure how much happiness she can grant you when others girls come into play. But she will be a foundation for the entire world. For that single moment, she will become the most important woman in existence when it comes to you"

"I didn't think you would be as benevolent"

"Why wouldn't I? After all her story made me... made me... waaaaaaaaaah!"

An actual stream of tears flowed down Nephthys' face, as she wailed loudly. Touma turned to Niang-Niang, with another urging question.

"Niang-Niang... how many counterparts of me are there?"

"Heh... lots of them"

"But... how many?"

"Spoilers~"

Touma thought about all the girls that he saw in those visions of the future.

Index, Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki, Othinus, Kanzaki, Itsuwa, Kumokawa Seria, Mitsuari Ayu, Leivinia Birdway, Lessar, Bayloupe, Lancis, Floris, Kongou Mitsuko, Wannai Kinuho, Awatsuki Maaya Hanatsuyu Youen, Konori Mii, Kankyougami Hasako, Maidono Hoshimi, Fukiyose Seiri, Himegami Aisa, Agnese Sanctis, Carissa, Rimea, Gokusai sisters, Nephthys, Niang-Niang, Shirai Kuroko, Saten Ruiko, the Scavenger girls, Yumiya Iruka, Sozty Exica, Shutaura + Arisa, quite presumably there was some connection with Orsola Aquinas that he did not manage yet to see.

Majority of those ladies seemed to bare sons and daughters, namely:

Takami, Kiseki, Tenma, Kenjou, Shishi, Kaizumi, Kanari, Elizabeth and Mary, Tannia, Aoife, Etain, Rhain, Miya and Tomoya, Mizumi, Hayate, Chousuke, Wataru, Val, Shizuka, Tsubasa, Ryodou, Sei, Angelo, Kira, Leo, Haruto, Chinatsu, Shmitsu, Sena, Misama, Setsu, Serina, Junya, Parvati, and Seika. As for what he knew, 37 children in total, in which there was 21 daughters and 16 sons.

Yet he had a feeling... no, he was almost certain... that this was not exactly the end of it all. That Niang-Niang's mischievous smile indicated that he was yet to learn certain things about the future.

"Well, one thing's for sure" he muttered" Boredom will clearly stay far away from us."

He wondered how will those other counterparts of him fare. For that matter, did they even possess Imagine Breaker? Those details seemed very complicated and he felt his head hurt just through thinking about them. Maybe it was better to just have trust in the divine meddling.

Nephthys blew her nose and wiped her tears away, before addressing him again.

"If that's taken care of, I think it's my turn"

She slowly walked to Touma before putting her hand below his chin, making him look straight into her heterochromic eyes. Othinus scoffed at the gesture, but didn't do anything to actively oppose it.

"There is something in you, Kamijou Touma, that I not yet encountered in any mortal, even more so in Imagine Breaker's vessel" Nephthys spoke quietly" I can't deny any longer that there is certain gravity when it comes to my attention to you. Because I can't deny it... and because I want to make something Othinus did right... I am proposing you a trip"

"A... trip?"

"Yes. A journey achieved through phase manipulation, in which we will search for wonder, pleasure, and understanding. If you agree, we will go together, you, me, Niang-Niang... and Othinus, I suppose."

"Go where?"

"Wherever you like. When we are not with you, me and Niang-Niang, we are travelling throughout the universe. You would be surprised how many places this world has to offer."

"We can go surfing in Nazare, go fishing over lake Saimaa, sail down the Amazon, go to the beach on Bahamas, walk in Kashubian forests, visit ancient sights in Rome, temples of Beijing..." Niang-Niang started to count down.

"Don't forget the pyramids. Or Uluru, Antarctica, California, Greece, Yellowstone, Galapagos, Hanoi, Venice, Machu Picchu, Kilimanjaro, Arashiyama, Fairy Pools... the world is vast!"

"And let's not limit ourselves to one planet. I want to go swimming on GJ1214b again. Kamijou, that planet has ocean hundreds of kilometres deep and no land! It's like one giant pool! Or HD189773-b. You never saw such a cool place. It has 2 km/s winds, 7 times faster than speed of sound, and it rains glass sideways"

"Pretty sure you are the only one who finds such places cool, Niang-Niang. Don't scare him away. Although, quick trip to Titan would be nice too... but anyway, we can take you wherever you want. And this time, your experience with Magic Godhood will be that of wonder. For every death, we will give you something to remember fondly"

"You would really do this for me? But I have no money, or clothes, or-"

"Such things are irrelevant when you are with us. The time is also relative. We can leave for 1 year or for billion years, and still make it back here before tea gets cold. You can think of it as extended honeymoon before the wedding."

Trying not to be overly flustered by this last remark, Touma picked Othinus up and sat her on his arm.

"Othinus... are you on board with this?"

"As I said, I am coming to have an eye on two of them. But... I think if there is a possibility like this, we should take it. If your dark self will show up in that time, there should be enough power to subdue him. Also... they said something about insurance"

"Yeah, I would almost forget" Nephthys said, extending her hand" We know that you don't exactly trust us. So we want to offer you some things as insurance"

Sand swirled in her hand, and after couple of seconds, a jar appeared in her hand.

It was cylindrical container with a lid resembling a face of a woman, similar to Nephthys herself, and covered with what Touma recognized to be the hieroglyphs.

"Take it"

"Nephthys... what is it?"

There was a rhytmic vibration from the container. Nephthys smiled and answered.

"That would be my heart"

"Y-Your what?!" Touma almost dropped the jar.

"In ancient Egypt, there were 4 canopic jars, containers in which organs considered important for afterlife was stored after being taken away during mummification process. Each jar had a god and companion goddess asigned to them. Hapi and myself, goddess Nephthys, guarded lungs. Daumutef and Neith did the same for stomach, Imseti and Isis for liver, while Qebenhseneuf and Serqet protected intestines. However, there was no jar for heart. That was because heart is the seat of the soul and was therefore left in the body. Kamijou Touma, what I am doing now would be considered a blasphemy, but it's the highest act of trust I can do. I can live without my heart in the body. I won't die if it gets destroyed, but my power would be greatly diminished and my souls will be tarnished. So I am quite literally giving my heart away to you and leave my souls with you to govern... for as long as we will be travelling, that is."

"... I gave you my heart in a jar, but the very next-"

"Shut up, Niang-Niang"

"Heh, I had to"

"I-I can't take your heart... your actual heart..."

"You don't have to do it now, I am just showing how far I am willing to earn your trust and make myself vulnerable for you"

The canopy jar vanished as the goddess winked at him.

"My heart, quite literally, is yours to command"

"As for me..."

Niang-Niang took both of her thin braids in her hand, and took out two ornaments, shaped like teardrops, that together formed yin-yang symbol. Her braids fell apart, and only now Touma noticed that without the braids, Niang-Niang had longer hair than she appeared to have.

She snapped her fingers and thin ropes appeared alongside each of the teardrops. The black, yin one floated towards Touma, while white, yang one stayed with Niang-Niang.

"I am giving you this necklace as a sign of friendship. It belonged to my late sister, almost 4 thousand years ago. Now, I am giving it to you"

The neckle found its way to Touma's neck, while its twin counterpart rested on Niang-Niang's body.

"Now, we match. I trust you to keep good care of it"

"Oh... thanks"

"And there is one last thing to seal the deal."

Both goddesses approached Touma, Nephthys from the right, Niang-Niang from the left, and whispered something into his ears.

The boy's eyes widened.

"Was that..."

"We just told you our magic names. Do you have any doubt of our intentions now?"

Touma shook his head. After such display of faith put in him, his worry and doubt greatly diminished.

"I don't know how much your human brain can handle eons of time" Nephthys mused, preparing to begin their journey as they gathered close" But let's have a test drive for my gift. Infinity and eternity, here we go!"

Not even one blade of grass moved when they departed and then returned.

Yet their adventures would take another book to truly describe. And this would still be only the surface of that timeless wonder in which Touma and three goddesses found the entire world and each other, too.