NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64: chapter 64
(DURING THAT DAY, IN ACADEMY CITY)
Misaka Mikoto did not have the best day. And it was only morning.
Not only because apparently Kamijou Touma was away for some reason, but after the failed attempt to visit him, she stumbled onto someone who was the last person she wanted to see in the circumstances like those now.
Shokuhou Misaki appeared to glowing those days. And not only because the morning sun naturally made her hair shine like golden lantern.
She looked so radiant and happy that Mikoto wouldn't be surprised if she started levitating above the ground.
For some reason, she was insistent in following Mikoto. And just when the Railgun was about to snap, something else happened.
Namely, the divine intervention.
"Oh, for the six realms! I can't watch this anymore. Wake up!"
All of the sudden, both herself and Shokuhou's heads collided with one another, causing both of them to cry out and cluth their throbbing skulls.
When the pain subsided, she noticed Niang-Niang standing some distance away from them.
"You! What's the big idea? You want to fight?"
"What a brashness ability, to do this to the delicate maiden" Misaki groaned" What was that for?"
"For your information, I do not want to fight. On the contrary, I got tired of watching those ups and downs of yours, and I want to enlighten you for your benefit. Or rather for the benefit of Kamijou Touma"
"What? What does this idiot have to do with this?"
"You two have a tendency to get involved in things that are over your head because you love that human, correct? Anna Sprengel and Transcendents, for example? From some time, there is a tendency of you trying and failing miserably"
"O-Oi... listen here..."
So, your good older sister Niang-Niang..."
"Older?"
"... is going to educate you on what you need to know. While you two need an entire lecture about the other side of the world, I think learning about this specific fight we are having, the stakes, and possible outcomes will suffice. I am going to be honest with you: you two got too complacent"
"E-Excuse me?!" both girls shouted.
"You, electricity girl, are going too slowly. It's nice that you know you love him, it's nice that you want to do something about it, but, for Heaven and Earth, you can actually do something already! And you, honey star! Just because you overcame biggest hurdle in sight does not mean you should stop. Right now, you just came to a zero after being on the minus side for a very long time, so you have some catching up to do!"
Both girls recoiled from such harsh verdicts.
"But not to worry. I've been thinking about it and since you two are going to get involved at some point anyway, it's good that you learned. I can always erase your memory if something goes awry..."
"Wait, wait, wait? What are you talking about?"
Niang-Niang sighed and pointed forward towards the other girls.
"Right now, Kamijou Touma is fighting incredibly dangerous and crafty enemy, who threatens the existence of the future. Your shared future!"
"What? Touma is danger? Please, tell us everything!" Misaki immediately switched to full attention.
Niang-Niang looked at her and winced.
"Yes... but before that, we have to fix up this mess with you"
"Me? What mess?"
"Mother-daughter business that is completely off-canon now" Niang-Niang looked to the sky, frowning" You sure you want to use me, and do some deus-ex-machina, to fix this mishap? I suppose it's Christmas period out there, so maybe this is a present from me for having some more time in those chapters? But since you write me too, doesn't this basically mean you are giving present to yourself... this is just sad..."
"Who is she... talking to?" Mikoto asked, to which Shokuhou shook her head with a shrug.
"Oh, the pains of fourth-wall awareness..." Niang-Niang sighed, before raising her hand" Alright, I was saving it up, and should be enough... here goes..."
SNAP!
The world exploded in white for a moment, before, fading back to normal.
"And... done, for better or worse" Niang-Niang puffed her flat chest out" No more of the awkward dissonance with Transcendent lore, we are back in the sphere of ambiguity"
"WILL YOU START MAKING SENSE?!"
"What fun is there in making sense? But you are right, it's time we take a look and that you learn"
"Learn about what?"
"About what is really going on around you. Let's visit a vision of my potential future. No, our future"
And with a gesture, three girls vanished.
(SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME)
They appeared in spacious kitchen. Outside of it, there were voices and laughter, but the kitchen itself was almost empty, except for two people.
Mikoto's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Niang-Niang by her side and the girl in front of her, who besides wearing an apron with bright red kanji (from which Mikoto only recognized 'mother' and 'cook') looked identical.
Besides the Niang-Niang twin, there was a baby on the chair. It was a small boy, maybe 1 year old, with black hair and jade green eyes, who curiously looked at everything around him.
"Took you long enough, me" said Niang-Niang in front of them" So it's that time"
"Wait, hold on" Mikoto paused" How come there are two of you?"
"I am her hypothetical future self" Niang-Niang in front of them answered" the self that will prevail shall you emerge victorious in the conflict of your present"
"So we time-travelled? But this is impossible" Shokuhou stated in shock.
"It's not really a time travel as it is viewing of possible future. We can't physically interact with anything here. We can just talk and such" present Niang-Niang, the one by Mikoto's side, clarified.
Indeed, Shokuhou shrieked in surprise when her hand went straight into the table, before going out once again.
"Even if you could interact with things here, this is a mere side-effect of future viewing." future Niang-Niang stated, taking out some meat and vegetables on the table" You travelled forward, not backward, so even if it was a real time travel, nothing like killing your grandpa could occur. Now, I suppose we owe you some explanation. But before we get into it, can you please watch Shén-Lung?"
She pointed at the baby and then at Shokuhou, who still seemed disoriented by the entire situation.
"Huh? Why me?"
"He likes your adult self. Maybe it will work with this version too"
Shokuhou unsurely approached the small boy, as present Niang-Niang smirked.
"He's ours?" she asked her other self.
"Of course. I think you can tell by his eyes"
The baby laughed as Shokuhou attempted to do a 'peak-a-boo' with him. Apparently, the girl's starry eyes made it very entertaining. The boy's laughter seemed to make the girl more comfortable too.
"And... you called him... Shén-Lung?"
Future Niang-Niang mirrored the grin of her past self.
"You should see this human's face when he first heard what it meant"
"I bet it was hilarious!"
"I don't get it. It's your son, right? What is so funny about his name? And his father..."
" Shén-Lung means 'Dragon God'. And it's ironic since his father..."
Niang-Niang snapped her fingers and the hair of the boy suddenly spiked-up into a very familiar look.
"... has quite a connection with those creatures"
Mikoto paled and pointed at Niang-Niang.
"Y-You... you... this boy's father is..."
Future Niang-Niang spread her arms and suddenly, a vast array of cooking utensils and tools emerged from long-sleeves covering her arms.
With a moment, she diced the meat and threw her onto the extended wok. She also cut the vegetables and started boiling them.
"And let me tell you" she finished her blow, allowing herself a cheeky smile" The greatest weapon present while we did it was not to be found within my arsenal"
"I bet. Now that's something to look forward to" present Niang-Niang wasn't far behind.
"That's just not fair... I lost to someone who is flat too?!"
Mikoto didn't even care that she included herself in the derogation.
"What? Don't be absurd, you did not lose. Nobody lost... okay, listen up you two, before anyone gets even more confused..."
And so, both Niang-Niang's told two level 5s the overview of the current situation.
About the return of Kamijou No Touma, with whom both Misaka and Shokuhou were already familiar. About Future Phase and what it entailed, about those fighting with dark side of Kamijou Touma which wanted to have a monopole for the future, and about many, many more things. Which of course, included the reveal of magic. It would require time and much more explanation, but the basic truth was out.
It seemed like hours passed since they started, but in reality, it was merely twenty minutes or so. Shén-Lung was merrily chewing onto the side of Misaki's uniform as future Niang-Niang crossed her arms, her dish finishing to cook.
"That's about it, for now."
Mikoto giggled nervously.
"Right. Of course. And you honestly think that we will believe you?! Very, very funny! Shokuhou, come on, don't tell me..."
When she looked at the blond, she met unsure but also serious eyes.
"I don't know, Misaka-san. I don't sense falsehood ability from all of this. And this is not a mental illusion, I would be able to tell. I too can't fully grasp the scope ability of it all, but maybe... this would explain all of the crazy things happening around him"
"B-But Shokuhou... magic? This is just..."
"Look, kid..." present Niang-Niang sighed" I am not obliged to save your butt. And I know that for some reason, you have trouble believing in magic even if something is happening right before your eyes. But read my lips. Magic. IS. Real. Whether you call it occult, a powers with different set of rules from science, I don't fricking care, but if you want to be around Kamijou and you value living a long life, you have to accept this, sooner or later. I just thought that he would prefer the 'sooner' version"
Mikoto got silent. Her mind and intuition were fighting with one another. Many revelations were forcing themselves into her awareness, and finally...
"OhmygodIfitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsexifitstruemeandhimhadsex..."
"THAT'S WHAT YOU FOCUSED ON?!"
Shokuhou walked to the kitchen's door and took a peak outside...
A group of women were sitting by the table, playing Scrabble and arguing about something.
"You are cheating!" the woman with swirly white hair and dark skin pointed at the tall woman with white hat" I saw you swap the letter in the sack!"
"Momma did no such thing" the woman in the hat protested" You are the one to lecture someone about the rules, Mut Thebes, when you form such words as 'CROSSBOWGUN'. There is no such thing!"
"I-I name combinations of weapons I absorb. Therefore, it is the proper word."
"I don't think this is how it works, auntie Mut" said a boy with a silver hair, coming to the table" It has to be in the dictionary"
Aradia looked up from her letters.
"Val, do you need something?"
"Mom, big brother Angelo and big sister Kenjou are making a fire outside. Can I go help them?"
"What kind of witch goddess I would be if I didn't allow my son to make bonfire under the starry sky? Go, just remember to dress properly. No coat and no gloves, you still have a witch training from last week to work through"
When the boy run away, Aradia looked at pouting egyptian, putting 'MOONLIGHT' on the board.
"Oh, don't be so sour Mut."
"Easy for you to say. You slept with him multiple times already. He is all 'Oh my beautiful Dia! Oh, my amazing Dia!' You know, the reason why he learned that there can be multiple versions of one Transcendents and realized that you are so unique and wonderful, is thanks to me!"
"Ssssh! Both of you! You will wake up Diana!" woman with sexily, big-breasted curved blond with bat wings, horns and a devil tail.
The small baby in her arms, with locks of golden hair opened her eyes, showcasing dark-grey irises, and cried. Bolgona sighed and tried rocking the baby, while allowing her daughter to play with her tail. After few minutes, the baby calmed down.
"You know that he loves you, Mut. He kissed you many times" Bologna whispered, putting the word 'INNUENDO' on the board.
"Yes, but why he keeps running away from sleeping with me?!" Mut whined, quieter this time.
"Maybe it would help if you did not sprang on him from places like under the bed, or inside the toilet, or on his way to work... you have to give him a bit more space"
"But I can't help it! Following people is in my nature. And I really want to be a mother! I would be responsible, I promise. No more weapons near the children! I would make everyone warm clothes, on this dreadfully chilly nights!"
"We get that. We do"
"How can you get that? You have Valpurgis, Bologna has Meridiana..."
"Oh, what a night, up and down, left and right, all the positions we tri-"
"Alright... I get it, awesome night, no need to get into flashback mode every bloody time. Huh... I guess me and my good, trusted friend Mary have to stick together, right?"
The motherly Transcendent said nothing at first, before she calmly put a word 'CONCEPTION' forth.
"A boy" she simply stated."Such intense night. Momma almost needed to resurrect him afterwards"
Mut's smile faded. She looked at the word, then at Good, Old Mary, then at her belly, then at the table, and back at her face, before screaming and grabbing the tall woman by her clothes.
"Betrayal! Betrayal! Give me back my friendship, my sisterhood, my worry! I will punish you, oh, I will punish you so hard for this!"
"You are going to shake the game out of the table!"
"Go outside if you are going to wake Diana every time you argue!"
Shokuhou's attention shifted to other parts of the room.
A muscular teen with short hair was playing with group of children, many of which had black hair, as he conversed with other teens gathered around the table with snacks.
"Where is dad anyway?" asked Kanari.
'This girl... looks just like Mitsuari-san' Shokuhou's eyes, pressed to the partially opened door, widened in realization.
"With auntie Sprengel. With those two, the dinner is bound to start late" said Kaizumi, flipping through the pages of a book.
"Onii-chan!" Itsuwa's daughter, Kamijou Shiina, known as Shishi, pouted at him, knocking at the book" Instead of reading, help us! We need a dark sorcerer to ally with evil dragon."
"Can I be a good guy for once?"
"Onii-chan looks like he is gloomy, so he must be a dark sorcerer" Serina, Yakumaru Itsuki's daughter, shook her head.
"Come on, onii-chan. We will destroy them and capture the princess."Densetsu, commonly called Setsu, Saten Ruiko's daughter, tugged on Kaizumi's shirt. She growled, trying to appear imposing.
"Come on, we need one more person to the party" Junya, Yumiya Iruka's son, pointed at the improvised book castle. " Please?"
"Oh, fine."
Soon they were all immersed in the play.
"Brave knight, you came to save me" Shishi, addressing Junya, swayed from side to side behing the 'castle walls'" But watch out, there is a terrible dragon who tries to devour countless knights who tried to valiantly save me!"
"Wraaaugh!" Setsu stepped forward, clashing with her younger brother.
"Wait a second..." a girl with a skin of the colour of coffee, Sena, daughter of Nephthys, muttered" Why do we even have a dragon as a bad guy here? Dad is a friend of dragons and our family has a strong draconic heritage."
"Yeah, what's the deal with that?" Parvati concurred.
"Guys, it's just a story." Tsubasa, son of Maidono Hoshimi, attempted to defuse the growing discussion, but to no avail.
"Then, I propose" Tannia muttered from a nearby chair" The sudden twist in said story!"
"Yes, I am all for knight befriending a dragon and ditching the princess!" roared Elizabeth, one of the twin daughters of Leivinia Birdway.
"What? That's a horrible ending!" Shishi and Mary, Elizabeth's twin, both shouted at once.
"And why was I even involved then?!" Kaizumi groaned
"Maybe we can make dragon turn into a beautiful girl and matchmake a princess with a dark sorcerer?"
"You read too many strange stories, Etain onee-chan"
"T-They are not strange, Sei-chan. They are just complex!"
"Or maybe" Kamijou Miya, daughter of Kongou Mitsuko, puffed out her chest" we can get a second princess involved? That would add the drama!"
"You say that only because you want to be the princess instead of Shishi!" said Tomoya, Miya's fraternal twin.
"Huh?! Miya nee, how can you do such a thing!"
"H-He is lying, you know him!"
"Okay, but am I really the best candidate for the sorcerer here? Hayate would be better!"
The thin boy, son of Awatsuki Maaya, with black-and-purple hair, jumped at mention of his name and slowly turned around.
"What?"
"You are better fit than me. Your ability is a literal illness."
"Onii-chan, it's about an attitude"
"You have one alright!"
Shokuhou Misaki took all of that in and her heart was slowly recognizing that what she was seeing was undisputable possibility. One she never want to consider before, but it was there, right in front of her eyes.
In that moment, the door's on the right burst open and two boys stumbled inside. Both were slightly black from soot.
"Good news" said one of them, wearing an eyepatch and coughing out black smoke" The bonfire is lit. Shimitsu had a wonderful idea of trying gasoline... kah, agh... and we got a bit smoked"
"But at the very least we can have fun by the fire, outside" said the second boy, cleaning his face with a cloth.
And as he did, Shokuhou stifled a scream.
"Misaka-san! Misaka-san! Come here! Look!"
"What? Wow... lots of people are here. What, what are you poking me for?"
"That guy. That with brown hair. Look at him, he's just like you"
"W-What? N-No, he is not. You must be imagining something"
"Takami, are you sure it was just lighting up the fire?" Chousuke, munching at the snacks by the table, asked" You are absolutely sure that you did not want to take a chance to snuggle with your girlfriend?"
"What? You must be imagining something. It's not like I want to kiss her in a secluded place or anything"
Shokuhou looked at Mikoto, rather flatly.
"Well..." the Railgun mumbled" he is a bit similar to how my dad looked in his younger days... I guess..."
But from that moment on, she did not leave Kamijou Takami from her sight.
Misaki scanned the crowd, looking for someone else. Because she hoped, she really hoped that...
The doors behind them, on the other wall of the kitchen, opened. The teenage girl with big chest, long black hair, and golden eyes stepped through them.
"Auntie Niang-Niang, they are almost here, so I can help you carry those on the table. Or I can play with Shén-Lung, I know he likes his onee- oh, and who is this? Did you invite someone else?"
Shokuhou Misaki stared at the girl as if hypnotized. Her lips trembled slightly, as she slowly reached forward. The black haired girl tilted her head
"Are you alright?"
"What is... your name?"
"Kiseki. Kamijou Kiseki."
"'Miracle'. I see..." tears forming in Misaki's eyes didn't stop her lips from forming a small smile.
"Are you the child of some family friend? Strange that I never met you before, I usually know all of people connected to us. What's your name then?"
"Misaki..."
"What a coincidence, my mom is called that too... and... is that a Tokiwadai uniform? Hah, she went there as well when she was our age"
The glove-covered hand was put in front of Misaki's lips, as tears began to fall down on it.
"Wow, seriously, can I help you with something? Because it's kind of unsettling that you started crying after seeing me. If something is wrong, I can-"
"You have his hair... and my eyes..." Mental Out choked out.
"Your eyes? Really? Well, colour matches, but you have stars... in... your..." Kiseki slowed down, before her jaw dropped.
There was a sound of doorbell and lot voices from the outside.
Kiseki backed away, finally noticing Mikoto and not one, but two Niang-Niangs.
"Mom!" she shouted" MOM! Come here, quickly!"
"It's time to go." said present Niang-Niang.
"Good luck!"
And just like that, the kitchen vanished.
Tears in Shokuhou's eyes did not stop, causing Mikoto to walk to her.
"Hey? I know that was a lot, but are you okay?"
"I am... but... Misaka-san, for the longest time... I didn't exist... in his world. I couldn't dream of him remembering even our conversations, not to mention meeting up, dating... and everything that could follow it. So to see a possibility of it existing, the fact that we can have a child... I've never been so happy in my life and she is not even actually born"
Mikoto never saw Shokuhou make such a face, well, not when Touma was away. No trickery, no manipulation, no teasing. It was just a pure smile of happiness and passionate love.
A loud noise disturbed their thoughts and then they realized that the scenery completely changed.
They recognized it was Academy City. But barely.
The sky was grey. The windows in the buildings shattered. The rubble on the streets and sparking remnants of neons. It looked like a post-apocalyptic battlefield.
And it was not only the city itself.
There was something wrong with the weather.
Parts of the cities were burning. Parts were flooded. Parts were frozen. Above them, a storm of lighting split the sky and slowly descending tornado looked like a tendril made out of smoke and shadow.
"What happened here?" Misaki asked wearily, her happiness fading away.
"You did. All of those who loved him"
"What?"
"Or more precisely, our enemy happened. And this is what he enticed in you"
The locations began to shift, one after the other
A scream tore through the air. A skyscraper was launched like giant spear before being blasted by equally enormous lightning.
On the surface, dozens of people marched on, all with all-too familiar stars in their eyes, clashing with the falling objects, propelled by compressed wind of great force.
"Shokuhou..."
"This... this can't be me... or Kongou-san, for that matter... that can't be..."
A familiar green beam tore the sky in the distance, followed by what sounded like a howling, if it could come out of human throat. Mikoto noticed a black-haired girl with a wide forehead leading the army of teenagers against a crowd of similar size, in turn led by a girl with a phone in her hand.
"No... no... what are they doing?"
A blond with eyes glowing with light fought to the death with a girl wielding a sword of light, which sliced through nearby cars and pavement. Elsewhere, two teleporters were trying to finish each other off while screaming, with multiple objects being embedded in and through their bodies.
"Kuro...ko?"
The girl with a purple-tinged bobcut, that Mikoto knew from soccer ball accident, was brandishing her spear against none other than Saten Ruiko, who was clenching the remnants of her baseball bat and barely standing straight, no doubt from the spear girl's attacks.
Mikoto's heart shattered.
From what he heard of the girl named Itsuwa, she was a gentle and kind soul. And a friendly , amicable Saten Ruiko that she knew would never try to hurt someone like this.
Yet here they were.
The ground rumbled and cracked. Itsuwa lost her balance and her opponent pounced with animalistic ferocity, swinging the broken bat at the other girl's head.
Misaki turned away, barely able to fight nausea.
"What... what is this... where did you take us?"
"To another future. The one in which we lose"
Niang-Niang's calm answer was contrasted with the roar of thunder and fire, trembling of the earth and water, and various cries throughout the city. It looked almost as if the world was fighting against itself.
"What... is this madness? Why is everyone fighting?"
"Madness? Yes, that's a good word." Niang-Niang carried on" You see, over time, many people started to be attracted to human known as Kamijou Touma and began to experience love. Dozens, hundreds, and thousands of them. Even if Kamijou Touma dies, those bonds should carry on. Except... if the one known as Kamijou No Touma disposes of Kamijou Touma, he will shape the future for his own benefit. For his own amusement. Additionally, he has enough power to tip all of you over the brink. Guilt, shame, sadness, grief, blaming each other or yourselves. If Kamijou Touma perishes on your eyes, you would feel all of those emotions. Those feelings are just what he needs to throw Kamijou Touma's Faction into complete chaos. With a push from his side, we will have a war. An all out war born out of grief and unleashed sorrow, the War Of Mourning. The saint will turn to sinner, the friend into enemy, kindness into cruelty, sister into a betrayer. It is not limited to the female gender, of course. In this world, in this possibility of the future, there is chaos, in which those who loved Kamijou Touma are puppets on the strings of negative emotions boosted to maximum, with God's Purifier as the puppetmaster. Because nothing will give him greater pleasure than to watch the ones devoted to his enemy kill each other, abandoning the principles told them by their love in imposed madness. Except one, that he came to love for himself"
Above them, another building was lifted into the air and soared through the city like a small asteroid, and exploded into bright light.
Mikoto felt Shokuhou grabbing her uniform tightly with her hand. Normally, she would push her away, but she understood the other girl's reaction. They both felt that they need to hold on to one another, otherwise they feared that this whirlpool of blood and insanity will suck them in.
"So... this is... the worst possible future..." Shokuhou whispered.
"Worst? No, heaven's no. Where did you get that idea?"
When shaken Shokuhou looked at Niang-Niang, the goddess made a wide gesture to the warzone and chaos around them.
"In case we do no not stop him, if we don't make our own future a reality, this... is the best possible future for us"
They returned back to reality. Not even a blade of grass moved since then.
Mikoto swallowed, her body coated in cold sweat.
Legs gave out under Shokuhou, who fell on her knees, not minding the dirt or the pain from hitting the ground.
"But... there is a bright side. Now you know what you want to fight for and what happens if we fail. So all you need to do is to be decisive" Niang-Niang said in a lighter tone
She pointed at Shokuhou.
"If you managed to grab a part of your happiness, do not settle for that. Even if it seemed unbelievable to achieve that much, go on. He needs you, and this is your chance to prove that all that strife wasn't for nothing"
Then she looked at Mikoto.
"You have everything you need, and there is literally no reason not to go forward. Do you wish to leave it to others when he needs help? You love him, so why can't you act on it? You have one life, or at least one life you can remember as yourself. Stop trying to find excuses and give him support you wanted to give to him. And you will be rewarded by happiness greater than ever"
She smashed her fists together with determined glow in her jade green eyes.
"It's time of the decisions. Crossroads on which the fate of our future will be fought for."
(AFTER TOUMA'S AWAKENING ON ORSOLA'S LAP, AND SUBSEQUENT NAP)
When Touma awoke, it was already afternoon. Thanking Orsola for caring for him, and trying not to be as red as a tomato while doing it, he walked into the chapel, restored by abilities of Nephthys.
Index slowly came to him and hugged him without saying a word. At first, that is.
"We will make it through" he heard her say in the unusually serious tone" We will make sure that you will be alright, Touma. If you come to me next time, I promise I will keep you safe"
"That's what I should be saying, Index. I promise that I will never put you through something similar again"
Rikuri, in the showcase of speed that was unprecedented for her, embraced him tightly in a hug. And almost immediately burst into tears.
"Never do this... to me... again..." the mature girl shook slightly, wet droplets falling down her cheeks" I thought we lost you..."
Touma smiled and brushed his fingers through Rikuri's long hair, trying to calm her down. When she looked at him, he gently brushed the tears from her cheeks.
"I am sorry... please, don't cry..."
"You better be sorry. I think that by this point I will not let you go"
But Rikuri had to eventually let him go and Amazora came to him instead.
The first thing he did was to firmly step on his foot.
"Stupid onii-chan! Why onee-chans and onii-chan didn't wake me up! Why, why, why? I want to fight for onii-chan, I want to be useful to onii-chan. Onii-chan is stupid for fighting without Amazora. If onii-chan dies, I will... I will... kill him too! I really will! I was... so scared when onee-chans told me..."
Even if Amazora tried her best to be as angry as possible, trademark eyes of the Gokusai sisters, that he saw in the little girl, looked like glossy marbles, that's how much they were filled with tears.
Touma crouched down, affectionately kissed her on the forehead, and allowed her to sniffle and cry on his arm for a few minutes, before speaking lightly
"You know, you are right. For multitude of reasons, your onii-chan is a real idiot. That's why, to make it even, you can hit me. In a real sibling reconciliation."
"Really?"
"Really. Come at-aaaagh?!"
Kamijou Touma's body left the ground before returning on it few seconds later after the small girl delivered an exceptionally powerful uppercut and huffed in approval.
"Now we are cool again"
"Yeah. You didn't have to use your ability though..." Touma groaned, massaging his jaw and checking if he still had all of his teeth in place.
Then he was in front of Kaibi, who was simply looking at him, before quickly, like Rikuri before, embracing him, digging her flawlessly done fingernails into his shirt.
"They are right" she said loud enough for only him to hear. Her voice trembled and it was clear that as though as she was, she too was on the verge of crying" What kind of guy pulls out something like this after a girl proposes to him what I proposed to you? You really are so tactless."
He felt her rest her face on his shirt, as she spoke in more saddened tone.
"That being said... I am sorry. I allowed this to happen. I was overconfident and allowed you to give into him because I thought I could stop him with such a simple bluff... I couldn't do anything..."
That caused the tears to finally fall, as Measure Heart embraced Touma even tighter, as if trying to make sure that he was not about to disappear.
"I would never forgive myself, till the end of my life, if you died because of my mistake. And that's why I promise you I will never underestimate this guy again. I will never fail you again"
"Kaibi... you never failed me. You are an amazing person, that I keep learning more and more about. And I never cease to wonder what great thing I will see the next day"
"But... I messed up. Right then and there"
"That was bound to happen. I was trying to forcibly suppress him and it led to that result. That's on me"
"You are really damn stubborn, you know that?"
"Funny, I know something like that too. Here is a hint: she hugs me right now"
They both chuckled and separated from each other's embrace.
"We will win this and then, one day... we will resume our conversation from that night" Kaibi said, with a tinge of lustfulness.
Touma coughed awkwardly and focused on Ladylee and...
"Shutaura?" he asked unsurely.
"Right on the money" the commando girl winced, looking at the bandaged leg" Something tells me I have a lot of catching up to do since she was the one fighting"
"It's good that you are alive. And you, Ladylee?"
"I was so worried about you to I just fell to pieces!"
No one laughed. The small immortal sighed and waved her hand.
"As always: been there, done that. Cutting me into small cubes is not enough to make me die. Although... let's not do this again, that fricking hurt, it's been a while since I passed out from pain"
Then came the turn for Mugino Shizuri. Even though Nephthys healed her, the pale traces of scars on majority of her visible skin were still there.
Meltdowner noticed Touma's gaze and waved her hand.
"If you are worried about that, don't be. It's nothing Academy City's cosmetics can't fix, not to mention our doctor. I've been through worse, I once had over two thirds of my skin surface burned and carbonized"
"If you say so... Shizuri, I heard about what you did for Orsola... I have no words, I... thank you, thank you so much"
Mugino sighed, looking at the blond nun
"It wasn't anything out of noble virtue of a hero, like with you. I had a nice talk with a girl and it would leave a shitty taste in my mouth, leaving her to die. Besides, Frenda and I used to have such talks... in much simpler times. I just had a feeling that I... didn't want... I couldn't... "
Mugino blinked rapidly, shook her head, and then screamed.
"Anyway, I HATE THAT GUY! Manipulative, selfish asshole! Also, I would like you to know that I proved my loyalty, so you best up your game splendidly!"
"U-Up my game?"
"I have couple ideas how..."
The next hour was spent on the talks with Orsola, Nephthys (who then departed to somewhere else, promising to keep popping by), Lucia, and others.
As the group was going to eat something, Touma looked through the window, to the ocean.
Of course, there was one person evidently missing.
Sukemi Rin was still to be found. He had no idea what self was currently in control or where she currently was. But he knew he will hear from her again. He considered contacting Uiharu Kazari and talking to her about the situation involving her cousin. That option was worthy of considering.
Still...
"Apparently, I kissed her" he mused to himself" What is that bastard thinking? My type is a gentle, caring older-sister. This Kamijou would never make his type 'a woman who can kill you in a blink of an eye'! Why do I keep dragging such dangerous women to myself? If I know my luck, someone like that will probably set her sights on me right about now!"
(MEANWHILE, THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS AWAY)
Amongst the beautifully ornamented houses and domes of Moscow, there was a hidden palace underneath the Cathedral of the Vasily the Blessed and outer walls of Kremlin.
Within the rooms of this enclosed space, there was large variety of offices, chapels, storages of magical artifact, and even cages for study or confinement of magical creature. In one of the most festive rooms, that seemed like a small ballroom with marble columns, golden ornaments, and various holy icons of saints on the walls and ceilings. The window's behind the large wooden desk magically displayed the same view as the one that would be visible from the surface, including the amount of daylight pouring inside.
That was the office of the Patriarch of Krans R. Tsarskiy, the Patriarch of Christian Orthodox Chruch, and Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Secret Branch, Annihilatus. Even though he held one of the most powerful positions as leader of one three great christian denominations and was quite capable in leading others, he had a stature of a small boy, needing a special chair to work on the documents on his desk.
And right now...
"Eishooo!"
A rather overdramatic, feminine sneeze resounded through spacious room.
Not looking up from his work, Krans spoke to the person in front of his desk
"Будьте здорова. Are you alright? That was quite the sneeze"
The source of the sneeze was a mature woman with big chest, blue eyes and blond hair, dressed in red nun robes with white lining, alongside crimson headpiece, black belt with a white rose on it, and surprisingly modern shoes.
"Спасибо, буду " the woman answered, rubbing her nose and smiling deviously" Правда! I bet someone just said something about me. Or I am just too sensitive because of the smell of the church incense... nope, I think I will stay with the former, tee hee~."
"Well, if you are finished with wondering about that, I would like to hear the report on werewolf hunt near the-"
"Your honest opinion, would this make our dear Sasha too thin?"
The woman didn't seem to pay any attention to the patriarch, her superior, and instead pulled out a very skimpy outfit, that looked like it should belong to some kind of RPG character.
"I got it on special sale for otaku enthusiasts. It is supposed to go with yet another outfit-"
"About that" Krans was fighting with his entire being and reciting all the prayers to not just lash out on the woman in crimson" Can you, for the love of al things holy, not spam your deliveries onto this address? This the official post channel of Annihilatus, mail them to the dormitory or-"
"So it arrived?"
The woman, quick as lightning, snatched the box out of Krans's hands. The boy groaned, as she tore it open.
"About the report-"
"Noooooooooooo!"
A dramatic scream shook the entire underground palace.
The boy facepalmed.
"Now what?"
"The headpiece! It's pattern is not the same as in the advertisement" the trembling blond woman almost stuffed the costume onto his face" This can't be!"
"Is that... really that much of a big deal?"
"Big deal? Big deal?! Of course it is a big deal! Thanks to that mishap, I won't be able to achieve perfection in dressing my perfect little Sasha. But no, I will not let this stand. I am departing! Саша, дорогая, we are leaving to avenge this fallen masterpiece!"
"DEPARTING?! WHERE?! GET BACK HERE, this raport is cruci-"
But the woman already stormed off of his office. Krans allowed his head to hit the desk.
"Honestly, it's always like this... doing what she wants and being only barely contained..."
He sighed. He questioned many times why Annihilatus, and himself, kept such a bothersome woman around.
But he knew the answer. It was because all in all, she proved useful when the push came to shove. Not to mention, it was much better to keep her close than far.
She was legendary Vasilisa the Beautiful. And he didn't want to guess just in what will she become involved this time.
(MEANWHILE)
"So... I take it that we both did what we needed to do" Nephthys said to Niang-Niang" I certainly did. And you?"
"Academy City's version of Christmas Carol is really cool" Niang-Niang admitted" The best and worse possible outcomes... and I also fixed that mishap with Bologna and Shokuhou Misaki"
"How... did you go about it?"
"First of all, I reverted Bologna to be a normal human, who is just a pretender. But listen to this... they are still related. Shokuhou Misaki is still a daughter of the human pretender for the title of Bologna Succubus. They just don't know. Hospital swap occurred and she has no idea."
"Niang-Niang... in what way is that simpler?"
"We got back to ambiguity. And what fun is there without a little bit of impossibility?"