Greetings to all!

I meant to get this update out on Valentine's Day...sadly I missed the mark; so I'm kicking myself for that a bit.

Oh well, enjoy the long chapter you glorious folks!

In life, there are times in which we must ask ourselves a very simple yet equally imperative question.

What was right?

Be it in morality or in the realms of logic, what was the correct path to take?

Sometimes such an inquiry had a clear and defined conclusion. Other times, often in critical moments, it leads to an answer that is far less cut-and-dry than one might have hoped. It could lead down a road to which nothing was concise and obscured by ambiguity. Alternatively, it could lead down a path that ultimately enlightens one's view on the world as a whole. The views of what is 'right' or 'just' are tailored to one's core beliefs and vary by a marginal degree from one person to the next. Hence why it was important that sometimes we take a step back and inquire to ourselves on what we, as people, define as being the 'correct' choice.

"Basically, are you sure we should be doing this?"

She may not have had the deepest reason to question this, but Frenda Seivelun does get credit for asking nonetheless.

"Don't you think it's super late to be asking that?"

Conversely, Frenda was asking Kinuhata rather than her conscious. The difference being one could be heard much easier and clearer for her and others to hear.

"...probably..."

And then there was Takitsubo; listlessly looking onward with casual indifference.

Typically speaking, there was a certain order of events that often played out. Usually it involved Frenda, Kinuhata, and Takitsubo 'happening' upon something which they were not supposed to. More often than not, it was a case of circumstance-being at the right place at the right time- or, in other words, luck. Such is how it has been since the discovery of Mugino Shizuri's appointments with her lover Kamijou Touma. Someone among ITEM happens across Mugino or Kamijou. Said ITEM member gets curious and observes from a distance. That same stalker persists in their observations for a certain degree of time and then bails.

That was the order of events that frequently played out.

Such was how it has been for the better half of two months since they uncovered this secret union. Rarely did they actively seek to shadow the two of them. Maybe after coming across one of them in the open did they decide to do so. But, once again, rarely did they actually 'plan' to trail the pair during their dates. They never really needed to, given the frequency these girls encountered one or both of them in public. Which is why this particular event was off-putting. Because this time was not a simple case of coincidence. Instead it was premeditated, something the girls decided upon the moment they became aware of Mugino's next 'appointment'.

They did not have to wait long for it either.

In fact, today was the third time this week they had met up; excluding Kinuhata's experience six days earlier. That in itself was enough to raise a few suspicions from the girls considering how, prior to this, Mugino had stretched out these meetings by a week or so. That was likely to prevent needless snooping from those who were already snooping. That begged the question: what had changed to have her forego subtlety all together like this? What had happened? Was Kamijou attacked again by this unknown group targeting his life? Was this another case of Mugino acting out of character? Or did she simply have a desire to spend more time with her lover?

There were a lot of assumptions to be made here.

Hence why the Stalking Trio had chosen today to follow her. A trip that took them across District 7 and into the section that was composed of mostly student dorms. It took a few minutes, being that it was broad daylight opposed to nightfall, for them to recall this area. It had been the exact place where they had almost been discovered the first night they had investigated Mugino's private life. What this did was tell them that they were approaching Kamijou's dorm. At first they were concerned about tailing the Level 5 so brazenly; yet those worries were quelled fairly early on. Her attention was focused on the path ahead and occasionally her phone.

If it was not either of those things then she did not give it a second glance.

Which ultimately brought them to their current whereabouts; an ordinary, unimpressive, and bland dormitory complex. They couldn't take the elevator up to the same floor, but they could take it a floor or two below it. From there they would use the stairs while Takitsubo pinpointed which floor Mugino was on.

"I'm just saying, we're almost completely out in the open here." Remarked the fluffy blonde further as she and the others continued trudging up the steps. "It basically wouldn't take much for Mugino or that Kamijou guy to see us. All they'd need to do is peek over the railing and we're busted."

This was a fair point to make; albeit they were not completely exposed. The winding staircase had an overhang and waist-high walls made of solid concrete. But, as she said, it did not take much to notice them if one paid attention and peeked over the edge a bit from the floor above. From where they were, she could see, clear as day, the entire corridor of dorm rooms. Hard for her to imagine that one could see them just as well from that viewpoint.

"That's only going to happen if we give them a super reason to peek over and look at us Frenda." Countered Saia, ascending a few paces ahead of the aforementioned blonde. "In other words, if we don't cause any commotion and keep our phone's on vibrate, we should be fine."

This too was also a fair point to make; as previously stated they were not completely exposed. Unless someone was standing directly or near enough to the staircase, you really could not see much. If no attention was drawn, you could be forgiven for not noticing someone climbing up the stairs. In this case, all they needed to do was exploit their cover and no one would be the wiser. Sometimes it paid to be of the shorter stature; which most of them were.

"Would you just drop it with the cell phone comment!? It only happened once and that was because I had forgotten about it!"

"And between the two of us, who's gotten caught the most?"

"...don't fight..."

Takitsubo, bless her soul, quietly pleaded from the tail end of the group.

"Yeah, keep it down you two, we're almost on the right floor."

Oh, right, Hamazura was also here as well; taking up the front of the group under the demand of Frenda and Saiai trailing behind him.

"...super Hamazura sounds like he has an attitude problem."

Probably because he did and was doing nothing to conceal it from anyone.

"Basically, where does he get off thinking he can talk to us like that?"

"Because I'm in the front and able to hear you all the way back there." Snapped the blonde irritably. He would no doubt regret his behavior later, but he had his reasons for being more than a little miffed right now. Which he was grumbling about under his breath at that very moment. "It's bullshit. Why do I have to be in the front? I don't even want to be here. Hell, I don't even have a clue to why I had to come along in the first place."

Sadly he was not grumbling quietly enough that his gripes went unheard.

"Because I don't want your super dirty Hamazura eyes staring at my butt while we climb the stairs."

Worse yet, his words were tragically able to reach the ears of all who were present.

"Ew, yeah, good call on that one Kinuhata. I was basically going with the idea of using him as our scapegoat if we were found out."

Hamazura almost choked on his own spit after hearing that admission.

"I hadn't thought about that until we were part-way up. Glad to see we were mostly on the same page there Frenda."

"Hehe~! Store hoder tenker likt, Kinuhata."

Poor Hamazura was on the verge of crying by this point. Thankfully he was able to scavenge up enough of his pride to avoid that. He still did not receive an explanation for why he was brought along in the first place though. Chances were high that the latter's excuse was the intent from the start, but he was not sure. He never was when it came to these girls and their ridiculous tasks. All that being said, he did not offer anything further and instead chose to keep his mouth shut. Less it ended with further ridicule or unsavory comments from the peanut gallery behind him.

A good decision, as it turned out, since he could faintly hear commotion as they climbed the last flight of stairs.

"-waiting here for two minutes. What's keeping you!?"

"Waaah! Touma, help! Scary Face is trying to force herself through the door!"

"Stop calling me that you fucking freeloading failure of a nun!"

...the term 'faintly' was probably a poor choice of words to use there. The Stalking Group could have probably heard them from the floor below without having to strain their ears to do it. Gingerly, the group eased themselves up the steps, their bodies crouched down to be concealed by the solid waist-high slab of concrete. Hamazura, being at the front, was the first to reach the peak and was promptly followed by Kinuhata, then Frenda. There was not, however, a lot of space for all three to poke their heads out from behind their collective cover to see. Henceforth the two ladies had to swallow their dignity and put themselves in close proximity to the boy to peer out safely.

If they did not have such rotten personalities, the lad would have described their soft bodies pressing against his side and back as heavenly.

The sight they came upon was nothing short of what was to be expected; based on what they heard. Mugino was garbed in an stylish off-white short laced sundress, simple black ankle-high leggings and queen pink flat bottom shoes. By all accounts she was dressed in what the large majority of the populous would consider 'date clothes'. What tarnished this image was two particular things. One being her hand firmly pressing against a certain individual's door while the other was supporting her purse with a lax grip. The other thing was her agitated expression as the offender, who was still trying to close the door, struggled to accomplish said task.

Said offender was putting up some resistance, but not a lot considering the Level 5 was able to hold it open with a single hand. Hamazura himself found it hard to believe that someone so gorgeous possessed the strength of a gorilla. Such words would likely never see the light of day in her or the other girl's presence. Less one of them decides to hold it over him or flat-out inform said girl of his offensive remark. Unknowingly, his thoughts were mirrored by the others who were also observing. Furthermore, they shared the same mindset in every way; all the way down to keeping said gorilla comment to themselves.

Seemed there was some unity between them after all.

"Hey! Index! Show some hospitality and stop trying to bar Mugino out! She's a guest!"

Kamijou's voice soon echoed out from within the abode. Shortly after this statement was made, the resistance on the door had ceased. Though Mugino's mild fury did not subside as she stared down at someone within the household. Three of the four could already imagine that the person inside was giving the Meltdowner the stink eye too. It was a stare-down that persisted for a good while too. Heck, Hamazura and co were half expecting a fight to break out any minute. That or a glowing green sphere of light to manifest at some point. Fortunately, for all parties involved, no such thing happened.

"Sorry for the holdup Shizuri, I had to take care of a few last min...something wrong ladies?"

Kamijou's voice had quickly gone from apologetic to not-so-apologetic in the span of a few seconds.

It was clue enough for those spectating that this sort of behavior was becoming more common than the boy liked.

"...I can name a few things." Remarked the #4, her features loosening up a slight bit but not much. "It all depends on if the damn nun wants to go first or let me tear her to pieces with brutal honesty."

"Touma, why does she need to come with us?" Ignoring the remark, it seemed Index was indeed voicing her grievances first. "We don't really need Scary Face around, do we?"

"I don't understand why you two can't just get along." Remarked Touma, stepping out from his home; followed swiftly by the habit garbed nun Index. "And no, we don't need Shizuri to be with us, but I still want her to come. She agreed to it, even after I told her you would be going too-"

"I didn't say anything about having to like it."

"-so, with that being said," The boy sent a pointed look at Mugino, to which she huffed, brushed her hair off her shoulder, but said no more; prompting him to look back at the nun. "Try to be nice and hopefully we'll all have some fun while we're out."

Index, whom the group finally noted to be carrying a calico cat in her habit, continued to shoot a scathing look towards the Meltdowner. The girl in question responded in kind with an unwavering dirty look of her own. Kamijou was not blind to any of this, sighing heavily enough for his shoulders to droop. One hand was raised to scratch at his spiky scalp. Poor boy was in a tight dilemma. Appeasing two girls who clearly did not like one another was not the ideal situation to find oneself in. Especially as the solitary male caught in the middle of it all. He might have brought it on himself here and, perhaps he was now starting to truly regret it.

"As long as the nun keeps her smart mouth shut, I'll play nice." Said Mugino finally, breaking the tense silence between the party as her arms crossed beneath her bosom. "If she pisses me off, though, I'll crack her skull like an eggshell and throw her into a dumpster."

"Hmph, Touma doesn't need to worry about my behavior if Scary Face can keep her hands to herself." Rebuked Index, the calico kitten's paw clawing at the air towards the #4 as she turned towards the boy. "And Touma, you haven't yet told me where we're going."

"I was getting to that, but I had to make sure you two wouldn't claw each other's eyes out first." Answered the boy, sounding noticeably more relaxed now that tensions had died down. "Where we're going is exactly the reason why I wanted Shizuri to come with us. Index, I hate to tell you this, but that outfit of yours can't be your only choice of clothing. Since I don't know anything about fashion or women's clothing in general, I figured I'd ask an expert in it."

"Touma! I wash this every single day and-"

"Bzzt: Wrong! The correct answer is I wash it every single day. You were forbidden from using the washer after nearly breaking it the last time you tried." Now Index was leveling Kamijou a dirty glare, albeit with red tainted cheeks, following his interruption; although he was not deterred by it. "Also, you need some real sleepwear at night. I can't let you keep using my shirts as pajamas every night for bed. You need this sort of stuff for yourself and Shizuri's the best person that came to mind."

"Of course I am. A woman should spare no expense when it comes to fashion." Frenda, Kinuhata, and Hamazura's eyes look like a trio of dead fish as Mugino soaked up the compliment like a sponge. "Though don't expect my personal budget to go into your wardrobe, damn nun. Kamijou's fronting your bill, so I have to make do with that. Even with budget constraints, I can at least pick out something that makes you look mildly presentable to the public."

"Touma, I don't like this idea."

"Too damn bad, I'm here now, and it's getting done today; whether you like it or not."

"Mugino, be nice...to both of us."

Touma's warning-as well as his plea-was noted and dismissed with a casual wave of the Meltdowner's hand. All parties observing quickly had to duck back behind cover. Now that everyone was outside, it was not safe to risk peeking out any further. A wise choice, considering they could hear the shuffling movement of feet along the floor. It should be mentioned that the elevator and the staircase were not too far apart from one another. While it is reasonable to assume they would take the former option for their descent, the Stalking Squad were taking precautions by slowly and carefully backing down the steps as the footfalls became louder.

"Touma, where will we go for lunch?"

"We just ate Index."

"But I'm still hungry~!"

"You can either get new clothes or food; pick one you useless freeloader."

"Foo-"

"Oi, Mugino, stop giving Index bias ultimatums! And you, freeloader, stop thinking with your stomach!"

The foot traffic paused momentarily before the 'Ding~!' of the elevator hit the Stalking group's ears. As the chatter between the three commenced while within the enclosed space, the quad of stalkers hastily began moving back down the stairs; hoping to cover a bit of ground before the trio they were tailing gained too much distance. Not like finding them would be difficult, not with Takitsubo able to determine their whereabouts. Even without her, it would not be too hard to find this oddball group of teens out-and-about in the summer streets of Academy City. It might take a bit longer than they would like, but it would certainly be a doable task for three sets of eyes.

"I feel super gross after being that close to Hamazura."

"I know, I'm basically gonna need to burn these clothes and take a shower."

Their haste did not dissuade them from voicing their mutual contempt though. The two girls grimacing as they scrubbed their hands and clothes as if they were covered in something foul. Of course Hamazura, now taking up the rear on the way down, watched as this all happened with sullen eyes. A quick sniff told him that he did not stink; thus drawing him to the conclusion that they were simply overacting for the sake of putting him down. Personally, he wanted to walk away from all this and go home. He had every right to do that, considering how poorly he was being treated as well as still having no clue why he was even here.

"I don't see what you two are complaining about. It's not like I felt anything worth mentioning that whole time."

Perhaps that sown seed of spite was what provoked that particular comment. Maybe it's what made him brave enough to dare speak ill of them so boldly despite how close they were. That or it was carelessness, or foolishness that made him do it. Whatever it was, the ladies in question had clearly heard him as they turned around, facing him with shared looks of disdain.

"Super tell us what you mean, shitty Hamazura." Kinuhata, obviously heated now that his remark had sunken in, had a dark aura about her. "You weren't excited, in the least, with two cute girls in close proximity to your disgusting self? Someone with pink thoughts swimming through a head as empty as yours? Do you seriously expect us to believe that crap?"

"Basically, you're just an idiot in denial."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you two say." The blonde-haired delinquent, who has had quite enough for today, simply waved off their comments. "Hard to get excited when there's nothing there to begin with."

Hamazura must have realized that the last part there slipped out a bit too casually. By the time he realized his folly, a sharp pain shot up from his ankle courtesy of Saiai's foot. This also tipped his balance to a degree that, unfortunately, caused him to stumble forward; ultimately resulting in him tumbling down the remaining steps. Fortunately there were not too many to go down, otherwise this could have been seriously bad. On the plus side, everyone else on the stairs had been able to avoid colliding with him. On the negative side, his whole body hurt and he was stuck prone on the ground while everyone else continued to pass him.

Well...almost everyone.

The Queen of Don't-Give-A-Damn herself had stopped and knelt down beside him. Her usual listless gaze carried with it a glimmer of worry as she looked down at him like a mother of mercy. A mother of mercy in an unflattering tracksuit...which, oddly enough, made him recall a certain Anti-Skill officer with a similar taste in attire.

"...are you alright Hamazura?"

It might have been a concussion, but he could vividly picture the AIM Stalker's face with that woman's body.

"...those hills are only gonna get bigger from here on."

The girl secretly brimming with motherly charm blinked repeatedly.

"...Hamazura's fine...I think."

It took a bit of time to regroup and continue observations of the Meltdowner and her choice of company.

For obvious reasons, which did not require explanation, they had been lagging behind the group by a hefty degree. Thankfully they were not so far behind that they required Takitsubo to locate them herself. All it took was someone scouting ahead and relaying their whereabouts via phone. Kinuhata having opted to perform said task herself, which lead the rest of the Stalking Squad down into the Underground Shopping Center. With so many entrances strewn about the district, it would have been hard to find them by traditional means. It was a stroke of luck that she spotted the white robes of the nun as they were heading down below.

Of course, there was the issue of getting close enough to them without drawing unwanted attention. A task that would not have been too difficult under normal circumstances. However the stores here differed from the ones in the Dianoid. Space was limited and the shops had to accommodate the limited space available. Meaning that most shops did not have multiple racks or long rows to hide behind. Owners could pay more to have larger storefronts, allowing for more space, but those were few and far between down here. All in all, it would be a task in itself for everyone to squeeze into one shop and avoid being immediately noticed by any one of the three.

So, much like what happened at the Dianoid, only one or two people could safely follow them inside unnoticed.

"I fell down a thing of stairs, nearly had my shin broken, pretty sure I have a concussion, and you still throw me in here." Murmured Hamazura with notably subdued disdain. "Is this my life now? Get hurt, get no apology, get told to suck it up, and get told what to do? At least pay me more than...wait a mi- am I even getting paid for this? Hey, someone answer me! Medical bills are expensive!"

"Oh quit whining, you aren't that hurt. Besides, nobody's getting paid to do this." Remarked Frenda through the earpiece wedged into his ear. "Basically, with that detail out of the way, shut up and keep tabs on them."

"But why!? Why do I have to be the one doing this!? I don't even care about what they're doing so why me!?"

"One: because we said so. Two: you're bland enough to not stick out; making you the best choice to send in."

"Three: you're super expendable."

"Basically, Kinuhata, he should've already known that by now."

"It's worth repeating."

"That's true."

In his heart, Hamazura was screaming that unfairness was the result of the two of them being so spiteful. All the same the other remarks were likely to be truthful as well. That did not mean he had to like it or that it made him happy to hear it. Nevertheless, with sunken shoulders and nursing the knot on his head, he said nothing more as he complied to their whims. Maneuvering through the store until he was close enough to the party of three. His immediate view was of Mugino rummaging through racks of clothes, raising something up on occasion towards the stationary nun beside her, making a face, then putting it back.

It was a process that had repeated itself several times before practically dragging her along towards another rack. From the looks of it, however, Mugino's efforts had not been for naught. Draped over her arm were several outfits that that the #4 found suitable for the girl. The question of how many of them remained a mystery to someone ignorant of fashion like himself. Though he did have to wonder why there needed to be so many in the first place. Especially after recalling how reluctant she had sounded to do this back at the dorms. If Hamazura had to guess, he would say that Mugino's shopping habits had overwhelmed her contempt with the nun.

He himself had been the unwilling mule for several of her shopping escapades in the past. She would likely deny it but, in those instances, Mugino had a bad habit of zoning out. Sometimes she would get so absorbed in it that she would forget that he was even there as her glorified bag-holder. In the beginning he remembered believing that she had tunnel vision or perhaps some obsessive compulsive disorder. Having been forced to accompany her several times since then, he has come to believe that one or both could be considered correct. At least when it came down to shopping that seemed to be the case.

Then again it had been quite some time since he had to play the role of a mule. Glad as he was, he could only assume that said role was taken up by her not-so-secret lover.

On that note, Hamazura's eyes traveled over to find Kamijou inspecting the clearance shelves not too far off from where the two ladies were. Hamazura, who was also not fortunate with a surplus of expendable funds, felt a warm kindred feeling swell up inside him. As a fellow Level 0, he could relate to The Struggle of being broke as fuck. Budgets were important to a Level 0, no matter how scummy or how proper you were. Food, clothes, what-have-you; if you could catch a deal for it then it was worth looking into. If the deal is good, then take the opportunity while it's there or run the risk of missing out.

That was the name of a poor-man's game; eat for cheap or you don't get to eat at all.

"Alright, I've found everything that's worth picking up." Announced Mugino, snapping his attention back towards the Level 5 just in time to see Index's face brighten up at the prospect of finally leaving. "Let's get this done wi-hey, jackass, get over here! We're here for the shitty nun not you!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Like a child caught trying to sneak candy into a grocery cart, Kamijou hastily shoved the attire back onto the shelf before briskly hurrying over towards the girls. "Geez, I was just browsing for a seco-wait. Why are you carrying so much?"

"Don't get your panties in a twist Kamijou. Half this crap isn't going to be bought anyway, so relax."

The blonde haired delinquent sent an apologetic look at the clerk who undoubtedly heard this remark yet continued to be polite and smile.

"Then why is Scary-Face grabbing so many things?" Asked the nun, sounding genuine curious as she looked between the #4 and Kamijou. "Also, Touma, I don't understand that idiom she just used. What do twisted panties have to do with anything?"

While Kamijou's form deflated a bit from the question, Mugino was double-checking the selection she had gathered.

"Some stuff might be alright and others might be much better. If I get a large assortment to choose from, we can narrow the selection down significantly. In other words, through the process of elimination, we can come to a decision on what outfits are worth buying and what outfits aren't." There was a pause here as she looked up after she finished sifting through the clothes and meeting the gawking face of Index. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? We'd be here all day if I sent you to the changing room every time I pulled something off the racks. It's a shopping approach so basic it's almost elementary. Are you telling me you didn't come to that simple conclusion until I said it?"

"And that, Index, is why I called her to help with this." Kamijou, with complete earnestness, took that moment to pat the nun's shoulder. His expression showed that he was far less impressed as he pointed to his girlfriend with his free hand. "You learn a few things from her the more you go shopping with her. I wasn't lying when I said she's a pro at this sorta thing."

Index simply nodded, still somewhat dumbfounded as Mugino's chest puffed up a bit. Thanks to his position, Hamazura alongside everyone near her could see traces of satisfaction starting to creep into her face due to the praise. This was but a fleeting observation and not something dedicated much of his focus on.

"You know, when she points it out like that, it makes a whole lot of sense." Muttered Hamazura, mirroring Index's reaction from his distant location unbeknownst to the party. "I always wondered why it took you girls so long when you went out shopping together. Never understood why you hardly bought half the stuff you picked up until now...huh; the things you learn."

"That or you're just super stupid for not picking up on it sooner."

Shit, he forgot he still had the earpiece wedged in.

"Still, even if this is all part of your process, do you have to sift through stuff that's so...expensive?" Not surprising to anyone, Kamijou had his eyes migrating towards the price-tags on some of the racks near him. "My budget for this is okay, but these prices are a bit much. Can't we look at things a bit more on the cost efficient side?"

"Are you saying that you'd prefer the shitty nun being dressed in that glorified bathrobe?"

"What's wrong with my Walking Church Scary Face!?" Hotly piped up Index, clutching her clothes while the kitten nestled inside them poked its head out to hiss at the Esper. "I'll have you know these robes were specifically made for me! They were once able to protect me from nearly all-"

"That's nice and all but that whole thing is being held together by safety pins, shitty nun." Interrupted Mugino; which for some reason prompted Index to flush a deep red and glare at a certain spiky haired boy. The same boy who looked oddly guilty as he nonchalantly avoided her angry gaze. "Be grateful I'm even here helping you with all of this to begin with. Now shut up and follow me. Like I said already, I've found enough and we're probably not gonna get anything better than what I picked out."

If the girl had any complaints, she was not given the time to be vocal about them. Mugino had already grabbed her wrist and was all but dragging her to the changing booths. Kamijou, it seemed, was content with taking up the rear if it meant the continued avoidance of the white garbed girl's glare. Dejectedly, Hamazura was also forced to adjust his position as well. By this point he understood his place now and was half heartedly committed to it. Unfortunately, he encountered an issue that only made itself apparent as he approached the changing rooms.

That issue being that there were no safe spaces for him to go to without being completely out in the open.

"Oh no, I can't get closer." Deadpanned the boy, his voice brimming with mock dejection. "Whatever will I do now, Kinuhata-sama."

"...your attitude today is super pissing me off." Much as Hamazura wanted to say the feeling was mutual, he did not. "But don't worry you're stupid little head about it. We've already planned ahead for this."

"You did?"

"-uch a cheap ass." Hamazura didn't need to be shushed by Kinuhata once he heard Mugino's voice through the earpiece. "Honestly, how the hell can you expect a girl to settle for anything less than the best?"

"Easy: when I don't have the money to afford it; unlike some people I know."

"True, but when it comes to style and substance, the cost is always worth it."

"I don't agree with that. I mean, Shizuri, I've seen the type of stuff you buy. It's expensive and, for some reason, I hardly ever see you wear half the stuff you get. Meanwhile, I can pick up a pack of white T-shirts for less than one thousand yen and be perfectly fine."

"First off: you paying attention to what I wear is rich coming from the boy who can't keep his eyes up." Countered the girl, to which Kamijou had the decency to sheepishly look away. "Second off: have you ever thought that, if you splurged a bit, you might look more presentable than some broke-looking schmuck?"

"Don't know if you noticed, but guys don't typically worry about top-end clothes like women do. This Kamijou can get by with the bare minimum and still look presentable in public spaces." It was here that Kamijou's expression went from lethargic and deadpan to brash and pompous. "Besides, would you really want me to look that presentable? Knowing how jealous you get, I can't imagine you taking it very we-gwah!"

Hamazura winced as the Meltdowner's fist connected to the other boy's ribs.

"I don't get that jealous and don't flatter yourself, smartass."

That had not been a light jab.

That was a legitimate punch to his ribs and it looked like it hurt like hell. Even with high quality equipment, no one could make out what he said following the punch. Not that it mattered since the door to Index's changing room opened shortly thereafter. Whatever conversation was underway died right then and there. Sporting her petite frame was a soft-blue open-shoulder styled shirt and a white multi-layered skirt. Long strands of silver hair cascaded down her back freely and un-obscured by the nun's cap. Green eyes shifting from looking down at the calico kitten held in her hands to the onlookers in front of her; shifting from one foot to the other in awkward silence.

Hamazura would confess to taking a double take after she had stepped out. It was not just him either but quite a few people in the store were compelled to do the same. For once not a soul could blame him considering how unflattering the nun's habit made her originally seem. No longer adorning it allowed for that unique silver-ish hair and that petite body made to see the light of day. It made her look...normal and, well, charming. Even a breast man like himself had to take a second to admire how cute the foreign girl looked at this given moment. Further amplified by her puzzled demeanor; unsure how to present herself to the others in this new attire.

Hard to blame her considering how astonished most of the onlookers currently were.

"Touma, I don't like this one."

Her announcement was emphasized by the calico kitten meowing in her hands.

"...huh? Oh, uh, wha-uh-why not? What's wrong with it?"

"A maiden like myself should not be wearing skirts." Replied the girl plainly, her unease made evident by one of her hands lightly tugging at the hem of it the cloth. "And this shirt feels too loose. I like my robes better. Can I put it back on and then go get food?"

"No, close the door and try on a different set." Quick with the response, Mugino stepped forward and promptly pushed the girl back into the room before she could make a move to try and leave. "And don't complain about it until we go through everything or you won't eat at all."

"That's mean! I'm hungry! Touma, tell Scary Face to-"

"Get in the fucking room brat or I'll squish your skull like a grape."

With a fearful cry, that changing room door slammed shut in the span of a heartbeat. Having the #4 looming over you, flexing her fingers in threatening manner like that, made for good incentive to shut up and do what you're told. Mugino did not appear to be upset at having the door slammed in her face either. If anything she looked fairly pleased with herself. Her chest puffing outward as her arms crossed beneath her chest.

"I really wish you would stop tormenting the poor girl with threats like that."

That aura of triumph diminished a bit once she heard Touma's lethargic and disapproving voice reach her ears.

"Can't argue with the results, can you?" Swiftly responded the girl, her former triumph replaced with indignation as she flicked her hair off her shoulder. "Besides, if it gets results then who cares? She should count herself lucky for getting a warning in the first place."

"...and you wonder why she keeps calling you Scary Face."

"Hmm? Did I hear you say something; Ka-mi-jou?"

Immediate warning bells started blaring in the blonde breast-man's brain.

"Oh nothing," For some reason, Hamazura did not feel relieved by that. "...just that it's no wonder Index-"

Once more the door to the changing room creaked open once again. Index must have been moving with a lot of haste to follow through with Mugino's whims. Thanks to her last outfit reveal, everyone's attention was drawn straight back onto the girl. This time the girl was sporting a-

"Mmn, no, get back in there; next outfit!"

"Huuuuh!?"

What the hell!?

If nothing else let the narration finish the description first!

Hamazura must have spent an hour and a half observing the odd trio visiting various stores.

A large portion of that time was spent on gathering and trying on clothes. The real tragedy was that, out of all the selections, only two outfits had been purchased. There must have been at least twelve different outfits to mix-and-match with in each store. Yet, out of all these places, only two were deemed suitable by the Meltdowner. Not five, not eight, but two and only two. He understood that this was all part of the elimination process, but it was nevertheless a painfully dull experience. Not to mention how frustrating it must have been for that Index girl. She would barely come out for a few seconds before being told to change again.

Maybe it was boredom.

Maybe it was the fact that he was a guy.

Whatever it was, Hamazura had to give props to Kamijou for being as patient and tolerant as he was all the way through. Plus, although exhaustingly lackluster, this whole endeavor was not in vain. They did walk out with something in their hands eventually. According to Kinuhata, Mugino usually had to go through, at most, two more before buying something for herself. On top of that it usually took a lot longer for her to find something worthwhile. Meaning either the Meltdowner was toning down her preferences or she simply did not care enough about Index to go too in-depth with her selection. He did not know which and was perfectly fine not knowing.

Saiai claimed that they should feel lucky and dammit he was inclined to agree with her.

As for where they went next, well...

"Na-uh, no, I'm not going in there and you can't make me!"

Let's just say the store they went into had caused a conundrum.

"I'm pretty sure I can super make you if I wanted."

"Don't care, do your worst, but I ain't going in there!"

The fact that he was willing to take a beating over this set a fairly bold precedent. One that rewarded him with a period of silence on the other side of the earpiece. He could imagine Kinuhata already briskly heading towards him to drag him off to a secluded place. A dark and quiet place where no one would find them and to pummel him until he was barely breathing. Yet, even as his imagination ran wild, he adamantly refused to budge a single inch towards the establishment in which the trio he was following ventured into. The mixtures of both bright and dark cloth barely covering the naughty bits on the mannequins in the front display.

"...you know, I really don't wanna say this, but you might actually have the super right idea."

"...what...?"

"It feels disgusting to admit that you're right, but you are."

In an instant Kinuhata, after several long minutes of silence, succeeded in making Hamazura blink dumbly into space. Her admittance was completely unexpected from him. Her words were currently replaying themselves over and over in his head at that given moment. Thereby it was reasonable to assume that any sort of intelligent response that could be given was tossed out the window for the time being.

"Sending gross Hamazura inside there is bound to draw some unwanted attention. We don't need that. We need you to be the dumb, run-of-the-mill nobody that blends in and goes unnoticed. If you go browsing around in a place with girl's underwear all by yourself, you're gonna be looked at as a pervert. Perverts don't fly under the radar and you'll end up failing at your one job."

"...can we go back to direct insults? I liked them more than these backhanded compliments."

"Oh shut up, you're still useful, we just have to change the strategy."

"Basically, how're we gonna do that." Oh, right, Frenda was still listening in; he almost forgot about her for a second there. "...oh wait...oh no, not that!"

There was a muffled sigh here, the origins of which he did not know, and for some reason a dreadful chill went down his spine.

"Yup, we're gonna have to do that."

That?

What is that!?

"Kinuhata...do I really have to?"

"You came up short in raffle earlier, sorry."

Stop being vague!

This Hamazura is starting to sweat!

"Dette er tull!" Stick to Japanese and explain what the hell is going on! "Hamazura, stay where you are, I'll be there in a sec."

Much as he wanted to ask questions, he felt that opening his mouth would result in a thorough verbal lashing. One way or another he would find out what this was all about. Did that imply that he liked being kept in the dark the whole time? No, not by a long shot. Clearly whatever was going on was another fallback plan in case something went awry. The fact that they had a Plan B and neglected to tell him about it actually pissed him off. Now he was stuck here, waiting outside a store no man should have any business walking into by himself. To be honest, Hamazura felt kinda dirty simply by standing in front of the place out in the open.

"Hey, Hamazura, let's get this over with."

Today, it seemed, was a day filled with surprises. That was no doubt Frenda's voice he heard. By the sound of her voice, she clearly did not want to be in this situation. To which he could relate and thereby give few fucks. If he was forced into this crap then it was good to see someone suffer with him. Though it did take him a few seconds to notice a few things that stood out as she approached him. For one thing, she had changed clothes since he saw her earlier this afternoon. Now adorning her frame was a denim skirt, wedge heeled sandals, and a white short-sleeve shirt with some cheesy looking embroidery of a store's logo on the front of it.

If he was to be honest, the real thing that caught his notice the hardest was the lack of her hat. Alongside that was her most of usually down-kept fluffy hair was pulled and raised back into a ponytail; held up by a pale-pink scrunchie and hairclips.

"What?"

This Hamazura, taken aback by the very casually dressed Frenda, spewed the first thoughts that came to mind out from his mouth

"You definitely look more approachable now."

"You-!...wait, what?"

She must have thought he had blatantly insulted her for a second there or something.

"W-what? All I said was that you look more approachable."

"...an insult and a compliment..."

For the first time since they got here, he could faintly hear Takitsubo chime in a remark through the earpiece. Beside him, Frenda was mumbling something under her breath that he could not hear. If he strained his ears, he might have been able to make out what she was saying. He chose not to find out if she was debating whether to accept a compliment from his slimy self-her assumed words not his-or to basically kick him in the nuts for imagining anything. Those were what he assumed she was muttering darkly to herself throughout this brief period. No concrete proof to determine if either was true or not but he had no real desire to find out.

As they say, ignorance is bliss.

"Alright, hurry up and get in there. You've super wasted enough time as it is..." Kinuhata's urging trailed off for some reason, which made him raise an eyebrow. "Hey, Takitsubo, are you okay?"

"...I'm fine...Kinuhata..."

That...that did not sound 100% truthful.

In the end, the two blondes begrudgingly trudged themselves inside the store. Though he nearly had a heart palpitation when he felt her hug at his arm. Of course, when he spared a look at her, he immediately regretted it. Her face down to her neckline was red and it was not due to embarassment. He knew that because the grip she had on his arm was painful and extremely so. Any casual observer would think that she was some maiden mortified coming into a store like this with her boyfriend. Not him, dim as he was, he knew that her face was flushed out of extreme anger. He could see that through the thin smile of hers as they stepped inside the place.

"I'll play my role, but don't get any funny ideas. And if you breathe a word of this to anyone, basically, I'll carve a hole through your disgusting face with a blowtorch." Her quiet warning was not a warning; it was a promise. A second later, she leaned further up against him til she was close enough to his ear. "Did you catch that Kinuhata? That goes for you too. After today, this does not ever get brought up again."

She sure as shit did not need to tell him twice. A frigid chill ran up and down his spine after that. Though he could not be certain, he was sure that the same went for Kinuhata as well. He believed that because she was unusually silent. No jeers, no jests, no snide or witty comebacks came through; only silence.

Needless to say Hamazura's nervousness about being in the shop dimmed considerably.

Compared to being next to the fellow blonde, he would gladly take being looked at as a pervert.

Thankfully the two didn't need to look too hard to find Mugino, Kamijou, and Index. Well, the first two were easy to find since they were sitting in a set of chairs in front of a curtained off area. No doubt the nun was inside trying on something or another. He didn't get why a place like this needed changing rooms. It wasn't like the selection here was of the alluring type he had seen Mugino stuffing away sometimes. There were some, sure, but nothing outrageous enough to make him blush.

"-can't be the real reason you called me to help you today."

"Do I look like the type of guy that knows crap about women's underwear? If I tried to bring her here on my own she'd bite my head off; literally."

With Frenda beside him 'browsing' the wears near the duo, Hamazura did his best to look disinterested while straining his ears to pick up what he could.

"You've coerced me into coming along and tolerate that failed nun. All because you're too embarrassed to buy her some underwear?" It may have sounded angry, but there were also some mirthful undertones present in there as well. "Heh, strange, I should be pissed but the more I think about it the funnier it gets. Now I'm stuck wondering if that's sad or hilarious."

"Sue me for finding the notion of buying someone else's underwear a bit difficult." Grumbled out Kamijou, arms crossed while his body slumped a bit in his chair. "At least this place is tamer than that shop we went to at the Dianoid. The stuff there was almost too much for this Kamijou's blood pressure to handle."

"Is that right?"

"Compared to that place, this is nothing." The relaxed nature of this boy was inspiring; literally showing not a single care at what was being discussed. "This Kamijou will keep counting the few blessings he has that Index has not found that bag yet."

"And here I was thinking it was my imagination." They could almost feel the corners of her lips creeping upward, even when she was forced to elaborate; courtesy of Kamijou's baffled face looking over at her. "I had been wondering why you looked so disappointed this whole time. I guess the selection here doesn't let your imagination run as wild compared to La salle de velours."

Kamijou merely shrugged his shoulders; curiosity faded into a state of indolence.

"I can't say you're wrong."

This response was swiftly followed by the sound of light chuckling and a half-hearted shove from the Meltdowner. Kamijou's honesty was nothing to scoff at it seemed. Given the nature of their relationship, it made sense that this sorta place would not do much for him. Especially when one factored in the sort of underwear Mugino was known to pick out for herself. Hamazura may not have personally seen her in any of them, but he had seen them a few times. Primarily when he stopped by ITEM's apartment and caught sight of the laundry basket half-way filled with lacy undergarments.

What left him in a state of wonder was how often she wore them.

There was, however, a burning question in the back of his mind that needed to be addressed.

"What's that La sallo-whatever place she's talking about?"

Hamazura's murmured inquiry to the fluffy blonde was met with a silent shake of her head. Through the earpiece he could he swear he could hear the faint sound of grinding teeth too. This led him to conclude that it was probably for the best that nobody answered him.

"Touma, why is Scary Face laughing? It's scary, tell her to stop." Remarked the nun, poking her head out from behind the curtain to address the two standing there. "Also, what is La salle de velours? Is it a restaurant? It sounds like a restaurant. Can we go there after-"

"There is no way in hell I'm taking you there Index!"

Touma's interruption gave cause for a bit of a scare to those in the store. Index herself was also included in that list of folk startled by this outburst. So much that she nearly tore off the curtain that protected her modesty. She still did, but to a very minimal degree. Only one of the rings holding the cloth up had snapped off. From that, however, one was able to gleam a brief glimpse of what was currently being worn by the girl. Sadly Hamazura was not quick enough to catch a detailed depiction of it before she was able to conceal herself again. All he had been able to spot was the color red. Nothing more and nothing less was all he was able to gather in that split second.

"Hey, what're you putting on in there?"

A split second, it seemed, was more than enough for Mugino; who was already stepping up towards the changing area.

"Huh? It was part of the things you gave me. It looked a little too big for me though, but I thought-"

"Oh shi-um, take that off, it's not for you. It got mixed-up with your crap 'cause that's something I picked up for me. P-put that over there and finish trying on the other stuff in this pile."

Mugino stayed there for a few solid minutes sorting things out. Making extra sure that the girl stayed out of sight from the other customers in the store. Wisely, both him and Frenda used this opportunity to reposition themselves now that the Meltdowner was distracted. Not too far from where they were, but close enough to get a better view of their faces. As this played out, Hamazura took note of the calico kitten being scooped up by Kamijou before it ventured too far into the store. How he, or the rest of them, got away with letting a cat in here was beyond Hamazura's knowledge.

Once everything had seemed to have settled, Mugino ventured back to her seat next to Touma as the kitten rested in his lap. He had yet to look anywhere else but the space ahead of him. Idly petting the kitten and maintaining his silence up until the #4 sat down.

"You know, I remember a certain girlfriend of mine telling me we were shopping for Index." Kamijou's deadpan face, and dull tone paired well with his dead fish eyes that remained unmoving. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, this Kamijou is a bit slow, but isn't your name Shizuri? As in 'Mugino' Shizuri and not 'Index' Shizuri?"

"...shut up..."

"You smell that?" Continued the boy, ignoring her as he raised his nose and sniffing the air. "It smells like perfume. Perfume, spandex, and hypocrisy. The first two I'm okay with, but the last one I'm not a big fan of."

For the first time since as far back as he could recall, Hamazura saw a red tint spreading along the Meltdowner's cheeks. She had already turned away from him, coiling and pulling at the locks of her hair as she avoided making direct and peripheral eye-contact. Seeing the #4 looking flustered in this particular fashion was a treat in itself to experience firsthand. Not that he could-or would-ever be able to use this sorta thing against her in the future. It was simply a prized sight to finally witness someone calling out Mugino's bad shopping habits. More impressive was that the one teasing her about it wasn't turned to charcoal as a result yet.

Hamazura was already stifling laughter by the time Kamijou's head slowly turned towards his girlfriend. His lethargic gaze boring holes into the side of the Meltdowner's skull. He could hear a faint snicker coming from his side shortly after. A quick glance told him that Frenda was also struggling to suppress the fairly contagious case of the giggles.

For once the two of them were on a mutual footing.

Go figure.

"Kamijou?" All snickering elapsed entirely once they heard the boy's name being called out from the front of the store. "I swear I heard-ah! So you are in here! Why are you making a racket here of all places?"

This time it did not come from behind the veil as four heads adjusted themselves to seek the source of the voice. What he found went beyond what he expected. It was not the fact that it was a girl who had called out to the boy. It was not the tall, slim, and solid physique that he gravitated towards either. Not the emphasized forehead that stuck out quite glaringly when he looked her way. Not even the yellow sleeveless summer blouse, the dark blue calf-high jeans, or the plain strap sandals on her feet. None of these things were what had immediately captured his attention like a magnet.

That honor went to-

Ba-in~!

"Geez those are huge!"

...yeah...

"Oh, it's Fukiyose." Although there were some traces of surprise in his voice, the boy did not immediately get up from his chair; though he did sit up a bit straighter. "Strange, I didn't expect you to still be in Academy City during the summer break."

"Don't casually dismiss me! Just because we're in public doesn't mean you get to act out the same way you do in class!" Huffed the girl, hands resting on her hips once she was standing less than three feet from the seated boy. "Also, what are you even doing in here anyway? And where're the other two idiots?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but this Kamijou is the only idiot present." Answered the boy with a sigh, propping his head up on the arm of the chair as he looked up at the girl. "You really shouldn't assume that the three of us are always causing trouble."

"Then what was with that yelling I heard?"

"It's about something this Kamijou would rather not talk about. Nothing to be worried about though. Anyways, how's your summer going? You aren't stuck doing remedial classes or summer courses over the break are you?"

Tap...tap...

"No, unlike some of us who barely scraped by, my grades were fine. I'm only here for the summer because my parents are on a cruise. Now quit trying to change the subject Kamijou. What're you up to? What're you doing here?"

Tap...tap...tap...

A quick nudge from Frenda gave Hamazura a clue of the ticking time-bomb that was the #4.

"Huh? I'm not changing the subject, I'm being polite. It's important to make sure you're also making summer memories and enjoying your youth. Is that a bad thing to ask a classmate? And what's with this animosity from the get-go? You make it sound like I'm always doing something indecent."

Tap, tap, tap, tap-

Oh crap, that's bad, it's getting faster.

"You say that while you're casually sitting in a store selling women's underwear. When I come across a sight like this, it gets harder to enjoy my summer. Honestly, at least in class I can keep you and those other idiots behavior in check."

Taptaptaptaptaptaptap!

Kamijou, please, hurry up and notice before she has a meltdown!

"But I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm just here with...oh."

As if a lightbulb clicked on in his head, realization struck him. His frame twisting in his seat as his hands gestured towards the girl beside him. The instant he started moving, the finger that was tapping against her arm stopped and the soft-tea brunette's gaze shifted to meet the gaze of both parties. Amazingly, the dark aura around her vanished in an instant and her expression went from deep annoyance into modest interest. Both blonde's watching the spectacle as it transpired could finally rest easy again; simultaneously releasing the breath they did not realize they had been holding.

"Right, you've probably heard about her already from school, but this is Mugino." As his attention flipped from the standing bombshell to the seated one, his hands moved to gesture towards the girl he had been speaking to. "Shizuri, this is Fukiyose Seiri, one of my classmates. I think I've told you about her before, right?"

"You did," Affirmed the Meltdowner, moving out of her chair to a standing position. "I've also heard you tell me that she's the one that keeps you and your idiot friends in check. Nice to see someone's doing part of my job when I'm not around."

"Hey."

"Mugino-san...ah, you're that girlfriend I've been hearing about!" The dark haired girl trailed off as she took a moment to eye the Level 5 up and down a few times. "...and that Kamijou really was telling the truth...you are very pretty."

"I'm glad to hear my boyfriend says good things about me."

"He does, when he's not acting up and going full 'idiot mode' with his friends."

"Yes, yes, I sing your praises a lot at school. BUT we need to back up for a sec. Fukiyose! Did you really think that this Kamijou was lying about his relationship status this entire time!?"

"Can you blame her? If I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn't believe it either."

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side here!? Where's my moral support!?"

"To Kamijou's credit, Mugino-san, he typically doesn't lie. He might make excuses, blame it on his misfortune, or some other thing; but he isn't a liar." Fukiyose, it seemed, felt the need to clarify things on the boy's behalf before addressing him directly. "And Kamijou, I never said you were lying. I just wasn't willing to blindly believe you until I saw it for myself."

"You already said I'm not a liar! So where's this distrust coming from!? I've done nothing to deserve it!"

"Maybe not, but she did hit the nail on the head when it comes to excuses." Mugino's quick side-glance made the boy zip his mouth and awkwardly turn away. "Everything else is pretty old news to me though. I've gotten used to his shitty antics."

"I swear he's a handful."

"Sometimes, but most of the time he's not."

"That's a relief, I can rest a bit easier knowing someone else is finally keeping him in check." Retorted Fukiyose with a sigh and the slight sightings of a friendly smile. "Well, now that I know he's in good hands, I won't take up anymore of your time. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mugino-san."

"Likewise."

Sharing the same friendly vibes as the raven haired young woman, the #4 extended a hand; which Seiri shook. When the latter let go and her attention landed on Kamijou, her face grew stern. The message 'stay out of trouble' clearly being conveyed before she turned around and started leaving. Once she was out of sight and earshot, Kamijou cast a fairly dirty look up at Shizuri; to which she, while standing, feigned her ignorance as she sat back down. Not once during this did Kamijou stop leveling her with this foul glare and frown. Even when the kitten in his lap meowed due to the lack of petting; Kamijou kept at it while his hand moved on autopilot.

"Something wrong, Ka-mi-jou-kun~?"

Nobody listening liked the way she asked that question.

"I can't help but feel like I've been betrayed here Shizuri."

"Oh, don't pout about it so much." Her dismissal initially made Kamijou's face darken a tad bit. At least that was until she actually turned and looked him in the eye. "I can sing praises about you all day if I wanted. But I'm selfish, I don't want other girls seeing your good points. If they did, I'd have too many loose bitches all pining for your attention."

"Nope, not falling for it, your sugary words won't work on this Kamijou."

"Yeah Scary-Face! I know about Touma's good points too!" Oh, right, Hamazura almost forgot about the nun until her huffy face poked out from behind the curtain. "Touma makes me food, he's nice, he's diligent, and he's always showing me new things in this city! He's a good caretaker and deserves more praise than he gets."

"Index-chwaaaaan~!"

"Waaah!"

"Don't swoon at her you jackass!"

Kamijou clearly wanted to smother the young holy woman with affection for her kind words. Sadly his wants were foiled by the gorilla strength of an annoyed Mugino catching him in a full-nelson and pinching both his tear-stained cheeks. Meanwhile, Index had scooped up the startled kitten that ran to her as she clutched the curtain like a protective blanket. Both the pet and owner watched as the boy tried and failed to close the gap between them. Had the Meltdowner not intervened, he probably would have rushed right to her; regardless of her current state of undress. Barely a few minutes and already Kamijou's idiocy had overwhelmed common sense and made trouble for the Level 5.

Given how the ladies were harping on him not long ago though, Hamazura could sympathize.

The drop-out probably would have acted the same way.

...except he'd be beaten to a pulp instead of being restrained.

"Is it just me or does that Kamijou basically associate himself with nothing but pretty girls?" Asked Frenda out of the blue, catching tiny portion of the male blonde's interest. "Does he not have any guy friends or anything? It comes off as being really abnormal to me. Most of the people he runs into are either cute or very attractive girls. Like that last one with the huge-"

"Pair of tits? Yup, totally agree, it's kinda weird but you won't catch me complaining."

Retrospectively, he probably should have been paying more attention. Of course, by the time he realized his folly, it was far too late. The words had already slipped out of his mouth and all parties involved had heard him clear as day.

"...Frenda, can you smack Hamazura for me please..."

"Wha-gweph!"

Without missing a beat, Hamazura's unoccupied ear was assaulted by a hot stinging sensation and dull ring; courtesy of the fluffy blonde's slap.

"...thank you..."

"Vær så god."

Given the nature of their cover, this sort of punishment was quite fitting to be perfectly honest. Although, in his own defense, those knockers were pretty damn impressive. All the same, he accepted the notion that he did, in fact, deserve that.

Unlike before, the trio did not prolong their stay too long after Kamijou's bout of idiocy had ended. They stayed long enough for Mugino to try on the few pieces she had picked up during the course of their shopping. Not too long and it did not seem as though she bought anything that she herself had picked out. Not the same case for the nun, who had been sporting a few additional bags to go along with the clothes she previously got. Once they left that shop, due to the constant nagging of Index, their next stop had been the food court. By this point nobody protested the idea of lunch given the amount of time they had spent here.

Mugino certainly did not complain and neither did Kamijou.

Neither did Frenda and Hamazura for that matter; as both of them were quite famished by this point. Sadly getting close to them while they ate was not likely to happen at this point in time. The earpieces were a great piece of hardware that could pick up a lot of chatter very clearly. That became a detriment in a place that was as crowded as this with an abundance of ambient chatter filling the entire space. Kinuhata tried to push the two to find a seat close by to listen in on their discussion. Said push was met with fierce resistance and this time it wasn't just this Hamazura. Frenda was actually backing him up for once, telling the Dark May Survivor to do it herself if she wanted it done.

Needless to say, the entire lunch period of the trio's discussion went unheard by the Stalking Squad.

Moreover, it seemed as though the three had decided that what they had gotten had been enough. This became clear when, opposed to delving deeper into the underground mall, the three had backtracked to where they came in from. Neither he or Frenda were in a position to complain about it either. He wanted to do other things today and the latter finally did not have to stick as close to him anymore. He was glad about the second part there, as Hamazura had lost circulation in his arm a few times from her squeezing it too damn hard. That and he was getting some really bad vibes coming from some undisclosed location every time she did that.

Thankfully main streets were not nearly as crowded at this point in the day. The positive points to that were hearing what the trio was saying was much easier than down below. The negative points to this were that he, and by extension the rest of the girls, had their asses sticking out in the open. That would not have been too terrible if it was just one or two people tailing them. However this was not a one-or-two person group. It was a whole squad of stalkers. Albeit the girls had the common sense to spread themselves out some once they had all regrouped. It did not take away from the fact that, from his point of view, they continued to stand out.

Being a Skill-Out taught him a few things; being inconspicuous as a group was one such thing.

Hamazura was busy getting mean-mugged by someone too much to comment on it.

"-and just think, summer's going to be over soon."

Fortunately, at least for the Stalking Squad, the trio was pretty engrossed in conversation.

"Only eighteen days left to be exact...and here I am. Spending that time helping a shitty nun buy underwear and clothes."

"It beats having to spend that time doing summer homework." Rebuked the boy, stretching his arms overhead until his body stiffened up. "...crap."

Mugino's head shifted ever-so slightly to acknowledge this reaction. To Hamazura's best guess, he would say that Mugino either looked bored or unsurprised.

"Let me guess, you still haven't done that yet; have you?"

"...this Kamijou will neither confirm or deny that his summer homework has not been finished..."

As if on cue, Mugino's hand raised to massage the bridge of her nose as her nostrils flared loudly. Despite how distinguishing her disappointment was clear as it came, Index still appeared genuinely confused. Her head shooting back and forth between the disappointed Esper and the sheepish Level 0.

"Touma, is this homework something important?"

"Sorta, yeah." He started to answer, though a quick look from the Meltdowner made him change his wording a bit. "Ah, actually, yeah; it's pretty important that it gets done. With everything that's happened recently, I've just been too busy to sit down and get it done."

"Can I help?"

"Keh, yeah, sure; like you can understand the sorta subjects our curriculum teaches. What the hell can you do to..." Mugino trailed off part-way through; her tone less sarcastic and more thoughtful the more she went. "...actually, I take that back, you could be useful. You might not understand a damn thing your reading, but you can still recite all the text verbatim."

"That's true, if she could keep her focus on it, Index could probably memorize the entire curriculum in a day." Added Kamijou, shifting his attention on the nun and gently patting her on the head. "I don't think she'll be able to help with the homework though. As far as a study-partner goes, she's probably the best person I could ask. No more flash-cards, no more long hours thumbing through a text book. I can literally consult the mighty Index-san."

The Mighty Index, in response to both verbal and physical displays of praise, puffed her chest proudly. A soft and smug-sounding chuckle coming from her throat as she stared ahead. Hamazura, once again, had to admit that the little nun looked pretty cute. Especially when she kept that pose as she walked, hands on her hips, and colorful shopping bags dangling down from her wrists. However, no matter how cute the exchange was, Hamazura remained thoroughly puzzled. Where was this confidence about the nun's memory coming from? It would be one thing if Kamijou had been the only person to be convinced; yet it had been the Meltdowner who brought it up.

That had to carry some merit considering the two clearly did not see eye-to-eye.

"Ka-Mi-Jou-kuuuun~" No, the sweetness in her voice was not of the good sort. "I hope you aren't implying that you'd rather have this ignorant and shitty nun as your study partner. You can't possibly be thinking she's better than your sexy honor student girlfriend, right? You don't have that sort of thought in your head, do you…?"

Pity was the first thing Hamazura felt in his heart when he heard the Meltdowner's voice trail off.

The second was relief that, for once, it wasn't him on the receiving end of this kind of treatment.

"Well Scary Face," Incidentally, the praise had gotten to Index's head. Her tone of voice brimming with smug satisfaction as she peered at the Level 5. "It's clear to see Touma and I can handle the studying ourselves from now on. You don't need to come over so often to help him anymore. Now go on, shoo~"

Having the nun shooing her off was the last straw it seemed.

"Hwwaaah! Touma, help! It's cracking! My head is crackiiiing!"

Mugino's wordless Tiger Claw took a solid minute for Kamijou to remove. After a lot of flailing, pleading, and a fair bit of elbow grease, the Meltdowner let the nun go.

"You know, if you would stop provoking her, you wouldn't be subjected to that."

Kamijou's scolding was fairly lighthearted as the white-garbed girl took refuge behind him. Her green eyes glaring at the #4 with teary-eyes and clutching her now aching skull as they continued to walk.

"Tell her that all you want, I personally don't care if she listens to you or not." Meanwhile Mugino was more interested in her nails than the petite girl and cat glaring at her from behind cover. "It's almost starting to feel cathartic for me at this point. She gets to learn her place and I get to relieve some stress. I think we come out of it better off compared to how we started out."

"How do I come out from this better, Scary Face!? I always come out of it worse!"

"Isn't there a line or something in your religion that talks about humility? If there is, then there you have it; you're getting a lesson in humility."

"I don't like you!"

"Good, we agree on something, 'cause I don't like you either."

Snappy remarks of this nature persisted for the remainder of the trip back towards the dorms. Throughout the course of the short journey, the insults the two girls shot at one another remained semi-constant. Index never once moving away from Touma and Mugino barely acknowledging her presence. In the few instances that the former received the ire of the Level 5, she would duck back behind the boy. Said boy was acting as her protective wall, who looked on nonplussed while the kitten glared, hissed, and scratched at the air. Kamijou was begrudgingly allowing this to be the case, even though it was clear that he wanted nothing to do with this little squabble.

Hamazura suspected it was not because of Index herself; albeit she did partially contribute to it.

It was more like the situation as a whole that he disapproved of, rather than the person responsible for it.

This sort of thing carried all the way back to the dorms. Although, throughout the course of this, Hamazura noted something...odd. Whenever Mugino and Kamijou actually made eye-contact, or whenever he believed they did, he could swear he saw a flicker of something flash on her features. Not just that either, he would also notice that a few of the fingers closest to him would twitch, or her hand raise just a bit towards him. Then, as if she were trying to cover it up, would take some sort of action. Toying with her hair, checking her phone, inspecting her nails; something to that effect. It was such a minute detail that the delinquent was surprised he had noticed it at all.

He wasn't sure if the other girls noticed it or not and he did not think much of it to ask them.

It was one of those strange things that only he seemed to see.

Index and Mugino's squabble ended around the time the trio were on the ground floor of the dorm. That did not stop the nun from continuously shooting dirty looks at the other female though. Putting that aside, the approach to the elevator had been a relatively quiet affair; one with a minimal amount of simple remarks and questions. These were likely to be present for the sake of filling the silence between them as they waited for the elevator to descend. Most of them were also made by Touma, who had spent the better half of the walk quietly listening to the two bicker. After a few moments of waiting, the telltale 'ding!' reached their ears and the doors came open.

Index was the first to step inside with Mugino on deck to follow suit. Only issue being, not even one step in, Kamijou's hand grabbed her wrist and he did not budge an inch. By the time the girl had turned to address him, his hand had slackened and slipped down to clasp her hand with his own; gently pulling her back.

"Hey, Index," Upon being addressed, the nun looked nonplussed back at the boy while still inside the cabin. "You head on up ahead of us; we'll take the stairs."

Her curiosity faded away the longer her eyes lingered on the two teens. She must have put two-and-two together because her visage changed to disapproval. She looked ready to say something, no doubt to voice said disapproval, but stopped herself short. This time it wasn't due to fear, despite having the undivided attention of the #4. No, it instead turned pensive, before her posture deflated and her expression turned to indignation. Obvious as her complaints were, she held her tongue and simply nodded in understanding. None of the Stalking Squad could see it, but when her eyes fell on Touma again, her sullen spirits perked up just a tad more.

He was probably smiling at her out of gratitude for accommodating him.

So she pushed the button inside the cabin and the doors slowly closed. Before the visage of the holy woman was obscured completely, she blew a raspberry Mugino's way and held it until the very end. Once they were alone, the couple stood there in silence for a few moments. That silence was eventually broken by the boy's loud sigh, breaking the calm between them as he scratched at his spiky scalp.

"That turned out better than I thought it would." Admitted Kamijou, his tone relaxed and chipper compared to its usual weariness. "I was expecting her to complain or argue against it. Guess she's starting to understand that we need our space."

"Better that she learn sooner than later." Stiffly remarked the girl with soft-tea hair; eyeing the blinking lights of the elevator is it climbed higher. "You have a reason for holding me up? You better have been lying about taking the stairs up; 'cause I'm not looking to take them just to turn around and go home."

Well that answers the unasked question of what she planned to do after this.

"Nah, I'm just gonna wait until the elevator comes back down. Besides, do I need a reason to want to hold you up? I feel like I don't, considering this Kamijou-san wants to spend a little bit of quality time with his girlfriend. Especially when she's getting all jealous when she doesn't need to be."

"I fucking told you that I don't get..." Half way through her denial, Kamijou shot her a knowing look. It made her go silent for a period before scoffing. "...fine, whatever, so what? I can't help but get pissed off at the nun for being a cock-blocking third-wheel."

"Now, now, she's getting better about it. Not much better, but every step of progress is a good thing in my book."

"How does what I just said not piss you off!?" Inquired Mugino, hands resting on her hips and her full profile facing him directly. "I thought you wanted to get laid, jackass? Or has that become a foregone conclusion now that you have that pest freeloading in your dorm?"

"Being pissed off and being frustrated are two different things Shizuri." Responded Kamijou coolly with some dry overtones thrown in. "Trust me, I know the difference, and I'm more than a little bit frustrated; I'm just really good at restraining myself."

"Oh? Is that right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Mugino suddenly sounded mildly amused, teasing even; turning herself around 'til her back was to him while she coiled some locks of hair with her fingers. "I assumed you were being too much of a pussy to make a move 'cause you're scared it'll upset the nun."

There was a period of quiet between the two as Kamijou turned to address the girl who turned her back to him. His face shifted from puzzlement, to annoyance, then to pondering, then finally to mischievous. The last one was something that made Hamazura raise a brow at. The question of what he planned to do barely entered his mind for a second before Kamijou acted. Without any sort of warning, he stepped up behind her, hooked his arm around her waist, and swiveled her around. Not just her, he had turned as well and pushed forward until her back was pressed against the nearest wall.

Although he did not slam her into it, the spontaneous nature of the act caught the ire of the Meltdowner.

"What the hell are you doi-!"

Whatever profanity was about to spill from her mouth was quelled by Kamijou pulling her face close; very close. Like, mouth huggingly close and silencing those vulgar remarks she planned to make. One hand gripped her own and pinned it to the wall beside them both. Meanwhile the other took to combing and ruffling through the soft-tea locks of hair that was not being pinned against the wall. At first Hamazura saw that Mugino's posture had remained rigid. Her entire being tense, from her legs all the way up to her hands and shoulders; clearly taken aback by this sudden 'bout of affection. Her free arm instinctively pressed against his shoulder as a direct result of her shock.

Stifled moans resounded into the air just audible enough for the observers to hear. Their lips clicking as Touma broke off from her momentarily only to push forward and resume again shortly thereafter. The fingers of the girl's free hand raking across the fabric of his shirt in the heat of the moment. Any attempt to pry her hand free was met with resistance in the shape of Kamijou pressing himself further against her. For all that fuck-off level of strength she seemed to have, none of it seemed to matter in this instance.

At this moment, for some inexplicable and unscientific reason, the 4th ranked Level 5 was nothing but putty in this boy's hands.

To someone like this Hamazura, such a sight was flat-out bizarre.

Now, it should be said that Hamazura was no prude. Any of the girls he worked for would regularly call him a pervert or worse; especially if it involved bunny-girls. However, no matter how much of a degenerate someone was, there always had to be a line drawn in the sand at some point. In this case, his metaphorical line had to be watching other people suck face in a public space. This was not an established thing, it was discovered at this very moment in time. He felt...dirty watching this as it was happening. He might not have the clearest picture of the act itself, but dammit he knew that was what they were doing.

So the part of him that had morals was telling him that he should probably stop watching this.

...like right now...

Yet, no matter how gross he felt, he could not peel his eyes off them. In spite of knowing better, understanding that it was wrong to intrude on this private moment, he could not look away. Hell he half expected one of the girls to tell him to stop drooling or something at this point. But after checking to make sure there was no drool, he looked over at the faces of those with him. It did not surprise him to see that everyone, including Takitsubo, was bright red in the face. All that did was give him the impression that this was not the first time they witnessed this sorta thing. Not that it surprised him anymore; this was something these girls did on a semi-regular basis.

Which idly made him wonder how they could continue to call him the pervert with a straight face.

Hypocrisy is a bitch.

Discomfort aside, Hamazura shifted his attention back onto the couple. He was fortunate enough to have done so right as Kamijou pulled his lips away from the Meltdowner. His face was flushed red alongside hers, whether from low-oxygen intake or embarrassment was unclear. A faint line of spittle trailed from his now grinning lips all the way to the mildly flabbergasted Mugino. From what little he could tell, she seemed more relaxed, yet also appeared to be in a weird state. Like she was caught in a daze; trapped on the middle ground between elated and disappointment. Weird in its own right considering how he hardly ever caught her like this. From how he saw it, Mugino looked as though she had just been given a very powerful anesthetic.

"Still think I'm a pussy, Shizuri?"

Was it odd to hear Kamijou sound so confident and self-assured?

Admittedly, yes, it was a little bit odd.

"...what was that...?"

Was it equally odd that, even from this distance, Mugino looked and sounded breathless and confused?

Yes, very much so!

"That was my way of saying thanks for today." Remarked the boy, releasing her hand, wiping the line of spit from his lip, yet never once removing the grin. "It's also a preview for a real date on Sunday, if you aren't busy. No Index, no errands, no school work and no white-knight stuff. It'll be a regular date with me and you that's long overdue, I promise."

"...okay..."

He did not need to look at the girls to know that all of them were as agasp at this as he was.

"Will that make up for a lot of the hassle I've caused you recently?"

"...uh-huh..."

What in the name of all that is science was going on with the Meltdowner right now!?

Ding~!

"Ah, that's my cue," And when in the hell did he call the elevator back down!? "I'll text you a place where we can meet up sometime tomorrow Shizuri."

"...uh-huh..."

As the doors to the elevator retracted, the boy gave one last gift as goodbye. Cupping her chin, he kissed her cheek, and promptly backed away and into the cabin. A click of a button and a loud 'Ding~' later, the doors closed shut. Now alone on the ground floor stood the #4, her posture straight yet her expression still stuck in a daze. A few seconds pass and her body finally slumps backwards until her back is once again resting against the wall. Shortly after, a sigh escaped as her fingers ran over her lips; removing the trail of saliva that was still there. The astonished visage dissipated while displeasure soon after found itself replacing it; her eyes remaining glued to the elevator.

"...jackass, that's cheating!"

...was it his imagination, or did Mugino sound like she was pouting?

Whether or not this was true, the Meltdowner still firmly planted a kick on the door of the elevator. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Frenda and Kinuhata's heads peak back behind cover. At that point, he also realized that there really was not much else for them to gather at this point. Made sense, he supposed, now that Mugino was alone. Hence why he followed their example; realizing then that the other two were already a fair distance away from him.

Of course he was being left eating their dust.

Such was the fate of a poor lackey.

"...Hamazura..."

Ah...seems he was wrong; someone was still there, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt.

...and looking very red in the face as she looked up at him.

...looking expectantly up at him...

"Uh...you okay Takitsub-"

The cogs in his brain began to clack and click into place as he came to understand the quiet girl's wordless message. The gears may be ridden with dust and cobwebs, but they still turned and worked sufficiently enough.

"-oh...oh."

It just took a couple seconds.

Welcome to the bottom!

Okay, so, this did not turn out to be the chapter I had been hoping to write to be perfectly honest. I actually had something else in mind before I started writing this one. That being said, I did have fun doing this one. I think it's because we're getting a full chapter's worth of Hamazura's POV here opposed to the other stalkers. Not sure, could be the case, but I have no real certainty. I also did not intend for this chapter to be as long as it was. In fact, I was kinda upset that I had a high word-count for this one. Especially since, for some inexplicable reason, people are bashing on my boy Hamazura.

Come on guys!

Where's this Hama-hate coming from?

Putting that aside, I will say that the next chapter is gonna be what has been asked for. And as the month of August persists (in this story I mean) you know what's about to go down here soon. That's right folks, we're getting closer to Sister's Arc. Actually, canonically, we're already in the Sister's arc. We just haven't seen any imouto's show up (yet). Point I'm getting as is we're almost there and it's there that the game is gonna change. I look forward to what happens, so here's hoping you lot are looking forward to it as well.

Lastly, shout-out to my friend UrsaMJR for betaing this chapter for me. He's had a heavy workload lately and I only added more onto it. Glad he was able to spare enough time to look this chapter over for me. He's a swell guy, I gotta say, and I have to appreciate his efforts in helping me get this out to all of you.

As usual, if there are any inquiries, thoughts, or concerns that arise in your mind, feel free to address them to me and I'll do what I can to answer them. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my little piece of work.

Goodbye for now