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How did he end up in this situation? How was this going to play out? Would he make it out alive?
Those were the questions currently bouncing around Kamijou Touma's head at this very moment. The tension in the air was getting to the point that he felt it was hard to breathe. He felt that his every movement was being judged, analyzed, and dissected. Better yet, he could sense that his entire character was becoming broken down on a molecular level.
And it was all thanks to the pair of ochre eyes staring right at him with an unreadable expression.
A girl… a beautiful… scratch that. A drop-dead gorgeous girl around his age was staring right at him while sipping on her drink. At a glance, it looked like she was wearing an exhausted expression, but on the other hand, it looked like she was beyond fed up or annoyed and just outright canceling his existence.
There was no way to tell, and based on how this meeting ended up happening in the first place, Imagine Breaker simply had to ponder one incredible question.
How did he end up on a date with the fourth-ranked Level 5?
The Day Before
"You want me to what?"
Touma had to make sure what he heard on the other side of his phone was coming in loud and clear for him to comprehend.
"You're hearing right, boss. I want you to go on a date… with my… err… real boss."
Processing what his friend, Hamazua Shiage, was saying, the spiky-haired teen almost wanted to call him out on his bluff and hang up the phone. However, the sincerity in his voice spoke otherwise.
Besides, Hamazura didn't seem like the kind of guy to outright lie about something like this. There were a dozen other people that came to mind who would absolutely lie regarding a matter this… odd.
"I… explain to me again what is going on. I don't get it. If this is a prank, then it's a pretty crappy one."
An audible groan could be heard through the phone call.
"*sigh* Fine, fine. I'll give you the rundown version of what's going on. Takitsubo and I thought it would be best if you and Mugino went on a date. A blind date."
"Okay…"
A stunned silence played throughout the call, resulting in Hamazura being tempted to believe the Level 0 had accepted this weird proposal.
Unfortunately, he was met with another guarded response.
"Does your boss know about this?"
"Dude. Do you not know what the point of a blind date is?"
"…I've never been on one."
"That's obvious."
"Hey! This poor Kamijou has the misfortune of dealing with unpredictable situations. Besides, it's not like any girl would readily accept a point-blank confession to go on a date with me."
Across Academy City and beyond, countless girls all sneezed at once, resulting in a cosmic occurrence that no one would believe in at all.
"…There's a lot I could say to you at this very moment… but I won't. The reason Takitsubo and I came up with this idea was to lighten up Mugino's mood. Or at the very least give her something… new in her conflicted life," Hamazura reasoned through the phone call. "Besides, this could also be good for you, too."
"What makes you say that?" Kamijou asked, curious about what he was getting at.
"Well… you've been through hell and back these past couple of weeks."
'You have no idea, Hamazura…' muttered Touma in his head.
"And it wouldn't hurt to get to experience something new, you know?"
"Is this coming from a concerned friend, or someone that's already in a relationship and trying to play matchmaker?" Touma replied in monotone.
"What does that have to do with anything?!" the blonde-haired boy replied in a defensive tone.
"Look, all I'm saying is that you have a girlfriend. Maybe you're letting that fact get to your head, and you think you know more than the common single guy," Kamijou reasoned.
"I'm holding my tongue. I'm holding my tongue. *sigh* Boss, I'm doing this because I care about you… and I think that the only person who can help Mugino right now… is you."
Listening to how earnest Hamazura sounded, Touma couldn't help but sense that there was more to this blind date that was being thrown at him. Moreover, the fact that he was being mentioned in helping someone caused him great interest.
"…Mind explaining?"
Hearing the boy let out a sigh, Touma waited for him to give his reasoning.
"Alright… you do know who Mugino Shizuri is, right?"
"I know of her. She's a Level 5, one down from Misaka. That's about all I know."
"She came to your place once."
A puzzled expression appeared on Kamijou's face as he processed this surprising fact.
"She did? When?"
"Back when you got back to Academy City after World War- "
Suddenly, a flashback began to play out in Kamijou's head when he recalled a beautiful girl appearing at his dorm while Accelerator, Hamazura, and a few others were present in the small living quarters. Although she had been there, they did not interact in the slightest. Touma was also pretty sure she never even spared him a glance.
"Oh... that was her?"
"Yep. You remember her?"
"Kinda hard to forget."
That fact was absolutely true. It had been said countless times that Mugino's looks really did outshine most models found in the city. For being a high school student, she was putting veteran models to shame. Her beauty was one to hold lasting impressions.
At least based on Hamazura's comments.
"See. That's good news! You're already taking a liking to her!" Hamazura excitedly replied.
"Anyone would remember her for her looks. That's a given."
"Well, you're not wrong."
"But… go on. I'm guessing you wanted to say something else," Touma said, making sure to pay close attention to what may be said.
"Okay… whew. Where do I even start? Mugino's not an easy person to understand… hell, I doubt anyone could."
"Not helping."
"Right, right. My bad. I'll get to the point. We… I mean, Item, we lost someone not that long ago."
Touma's heart began to thump rhythmically as he could hear the distinct change in Hamazura's voice.
"The situation is… messy. Very messy, but it's something that we've all come to accept and move forward from. When I say we, I mean Takitsubo, Kinuhata, and me. But for Mugino… It's a bit difficult to say."
No response came from the wielder of Imagine Breaker as he listened carefully to how tender and unsure Hamazura's voice had become. The shift between his earlier antics of setting him up with a super gorgeous girl and now being soft and calculated was noticeable.
"Did something happen to her?"
A brief bout of silence appeared from one end of the call before Hamazura cleared his throat.
"It's not really my place to say anything. But I do know that Mugino feels some sort of way toward our teammate- our friend's passing. I honestly feel that going on this blind date might just be the thing she needs to clear her headspace. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a killer hot girlfriend?"
If there was one thing that Touma could say about his friend was this… he made things sound a lot simpler than they really were.
"Your optimistic attitude about this blind date is really starting to scare me. This Kamijou tends to carry misfortune with him wherever he goes. There is a chance that this date ends up in an extremely bad way."
"Well, while it is true that bad luck tends to happen around you all the time… so you claim… There is something else that tends to happen around you."
Puzzled by what he was getting at, Touma couldn't help but become intrigued.
"And what is that?"
"You tend to make the impossible become reality."
Processing this brazen statement, Touma couldn't help but look down at his right hand and began clenching it before allowing a small smile to appear on his face. Even with all the things that have happened to him recently, a small part of him found happiness in what was said.
"…"
"…Boss? You still there? Did something happen?"
"I'm still here, Hamazura. Just… thinking…"
"Oh. Do you need a minute? If you're not feeling up for this blind date thing, then no worries. I won't force- "
"When and where?"
"Huh? What are you- Oh… oh! Tomorrow. 3 O'clock over at Joseph's. You familiar with that place?"
"I've been there once or twice."
"Great! I'll be sure to mention nothing but good things about you to her!"
"*groan* You don't have to do that. Just… make it so she knows what she's getting into."
"You got it, boss! You won't be disappointed! I'll talk you up a big game!"
"Wait! Hamazura. Don't- "
*Click*
The call ended, leaving Kamijou feeling a knot growing in his stomach. He couldn't help but get the sense that he might have made either a bad decision or one that'll undoubtedly bite him in the ass later.
'…What did I just get myself into…'
Casting a glance back into his dorm, he could hear his other roommates talking about something being shown on the tv. The faint sound of a meow could also be heard. He knew that if he mentioned this blind date to them that it would stir up more trouble than he'd like to deal with right now.
Hence, he decided to keep it to himself and just hope that things went well enough. If the date was supposed to take place at three tomorrow, then he'd have to leave class just a bit early to make it on time. First impressions mattered a lot, so he'd try to make a good one. Besides, depending on what Hamazura was going to say to Mugino… he might not have to worry all that much.
'Why do I have a bad feeling about this…'
The Next Day
Before he could even realize it, he was sprinting along the streets of Academy City and doing his best not to bump into anyone again.
'Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm late! How am I late!? I left ten minutes early. I'll have to deal with everyone questioning me tomorrow, but how the hell am I late?!'
Unsurprisingly, Kamijou Touma was now ten minutes late for his blind date at Joseph's restaurant, leaving him with the obvious fear of giving a bad first impression. It was bad enough that he was running behind on time, but on his way to the restaurant, he managed to run into someone carrying leftovers. Now, the front of his shirt was stained and smelled of fish.
He could only wonder how his date would react to his messy appearance.
Coming up to the restaurant, he didn't see any girl standing outside the restaurant aside from a group of guys walking past the place. That must have meant that she was already inside.
'Hah… let's get this over with.'
Opening the doors to Josephs and stepping into the restaurant, Touma began scanning the place to try and find where his date was seated at. Within seconds he noticed an attractive girl with tea-colored hair sitting in the corner with her eyes cast down onto her phone. Just based on a first glance, he could not deny that Mugino Shizuri was beautiful. The only problem was that she looked pissed while typing on her phone.
Deciding that it was now time to face the fire, Kamijou stepped up to the girl.
"E-Excuse me. Are you- "
"You're late."
Hearing the blunt response, Touma could feel his entire body shiver.
"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
"Tch. Hamazura was right on the money for once."
"Huh? Did he give you a heads-up? "
"No shit, he gave me a heads up. The first thing he told me was that you'd be late by over ten minutes. If you were late by fifteen minutes, then you'd be covered in trash or covered in blood, but you're not, so he was right on the ten-minute mark."
A sense of odd appreciation hit Touma at that moment. He had a friend who understood him well enough to warn others about his… well… character. Normally, people were dumbfounded by his tardiness or excessive excuses, but Mugino seemed aware in a way.
"Right… and you listened to what he said?" he asked.
"Obviously, I tuned him out after he wouldn't stop nagging me to go on this stupid blind date. But once he said that you'd be late and to expect a late arrival, I grew a bit curious. Turns out I was right."
Nodding his head, he wasn't sure what to say next, other than introduce himself.
"Well, I'm Kamijou- "
"Kamijou Touma. I know."
"…You do?"
"Hamazura may have thought that I'd be going into this blind date without any further notice, but that's not my style. I sure as hell was not going to be going anywhere without knowing a bit about the person I was meeting. I looked you up. You've got caught the list surrounding your name" Mugino said while scanning the boy from head to toe.
"I… also know of you."
"Oh? And what do you know of me?"
"Err… you're a Level 5."
"Wow. I'm speechless. You know a lot about me. Color me surprised."
A strained expression could be seen on Touma's face as he tried to come up with a reasonable response, but anything he did think of was mentally shot down by the girl's ochre eyes.
"I… that's all I know. Hamazura didn't really say much about you. At least nothing to give me a heads up about your- "
"Tch. As if that bumbling idiot knows anything about me."
With a sigh of annoyance, Mugino looked ready to say something crude, but was stopped when the waitress suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Hello! Welcome to Joseph's. May I take your orders?"
"Err… I'll have just a wat- "
"I'll take your salmon special. Make sure the chef doesn't go crazy on the lemon. I'll do it myself. He'll have the same thing."
"You got it. And to drink?"
"Wat- "
"Two sodas."
"Alright, your order will be out in a few. Have fun on your date!"
Before either of the two could get another word in, the waitress disappeared just as fast as she had appeared.
"Hmph. I'd talk shit, but she's good at her job."
"You didn't have to- "
"Hamazura also gave me a heads up. You're a bona fide cheapskate."
"I am not. I just like to… manage my minimal finances carefully."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. This is practically nothing for me."
"Don't Level 5s also get an allowance or something?"
"All Esper students get a stipend."
"Yeah, but it depends on the level of Esper. Obviously, Level 5s get a lot, then 4s and 3s, but the lower levels don't get much. And then you have Level 0s who barely get anything."
Flipping her hair and staring out the window at the city, Mugino let out a soft chuckle.
"Even without the Level 5 benefits, money isn't really a concern for me."
"Wow. Way to rub it in."
Kamijou's flat tone managed to irritate the Level 5 even more than expected.
"You're the one who prompted this conversation, dumbass."
"*sigh*"
Placing his head into his hands, Touma let out a groan before looking back at the girl with tea-colored hair. He was starting to realize just from this brief interaction that this blind date was like walking onto a mine field.
One wrong step and he'd be sent flying through the air in parts.
"Well, moving onto a less hostile and encumbered topic, what's your favorite color?"
A look of disbelief appeared on Mugino's face.
"Are you shitting me? That's the best question you could come up with?"
"It's still a question. What else am I supposed to lead with? Hey, Mugino, what's your favorite kind of food? Is that a better question?"
Folding her arms across her ample chest, Mugino let out a snort.
"Salmon."
"Huh?"
"Are you daft? I said it's salmon. That's my favorite."
Somewhat startled by her answer, Touma let a small smile grace his lips.
"Hmm. That's a vastly different answer than what I was expecting. I'm guessing it's for its nutrients and taste?"
Widening her eyes slightly, she let out a surprised scoff.
"I wouldn't completely say it's for taste. I've had some salmon that tasted like- "
"Shit?" Touma asked with a grin.
"Worse. But salmon tends to cross off many qualities that benefit me. Plus, I'm a fan of how it tastes and the combinations of meals that go around it. Besides, based on how you've been staring at me, I don't need to mention my body."
An immediate nod of acknowledgment crossed Kamijou's head, all while he could feel his face warm up. It would seem that his eyes were being tracked closely.
"I… don't think I can save myself from that revelation… sorry."
Feeling a sense of triumph, Mugino brushed some hair while wearing a shit-eating grin.
"If you're gonna keep ogling, then own it. I've dealt with enough pricks casting their gaze at me. Especially the ones who try to hide it but do a terrible job at it. And don't get me started on the sacks of shit who- "
"Well… if that's the case, then yeah, you're beautiful."
A sly smile appeared on the Level 5's lips.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"However, I also get the feeling that nobody has really looked at you," Touma said while staring right into her ochre eyes. "Almost like… they only see the outside of you."
Hearing his words hit a string of truth, Shizuri couldn't help but want to ignore his comment or even click her tongue. However, instead, she simply scoffed at him with a sharp pitch.
"Tch. What are you, some counselor hat tries to make people feel better by spouting out some heartfelt bullshit?"
"I'm just stating what I think. You don't have to believe it."
"Good. I won't."
"But I've met my fair share of people. I think I've learned a thing or two when it comes to recognizing one's feelings."
As Kamijou said this, flashes of the many faces of people he's met and the troubles they've dealt with all began to play out in his head. Even though many of their stories were not happy ones, he could say that some semblance of happiness was found in the end.
"I don't need to hear a long ass story about- "
"All I'm saying is that I can tell when someone's dealing with crap. That's all."
Balling up her fist and staring directly at the boy, Mugino wasn't sure whether to curse him out for even trying to speak to her on this emotional level or just insult him in a crude manner. Alas, she would not get to make a decision as their waitress was making her way right to them.
"Hello! Here are your drinks. Your food will be out shortly."
"Thank- "
"You're welcome!"
Disappearing as fast as she appeared, the two were left slightly perplexed.
"Damn. She's fast."
"No kidding."
"But she took her sweet time getting those drinks."
"Cut her some slack. This place is getting to be busy."
Paying the boy's words some mind, Mugino began looking around and could see the restaurant beginning to fill up with people. This forced her to frown in an ever-noticeable way.
Kamijou easily noticed her mood shift and questioned it immediately.
"Is something wrong? You look… annoyed. Well, more annoyed than usual."
"Har. Har. You're a real jokester, Kamijou. You should do comedy shows."
"You think? I wonder how much comedians get paid?" Touma replied, giving the idea some thought.
"Don't be an idiot."
"Unfortunately, this Kamijou already knows that he's an idiot. I've been told so many times that I'm starting to believe it."
Shaking her head at the boy's smartass reply, Mugino couldn't help but tap her manicured fingers atop the table. While this blind date wasn't going terribly, she knew there was more to it.
"Hmph. Tell me something, Kamijou."
"I'm not sure you want me to- "
"What are you trying to get out of this date?" Mugino's eyes lingered on the boy. "I have an idea of what you're hoping to get from this."
"And you'd be wrong in your assumption," Touma directly responded.
"Really? I call bullshit."
"That's the truth."
Keeping her ochre eyes trailing on the boy, Mugino would not buy his gentlemanly attitude. She knew he was just giving basic answers to hide the truth.
"You want to get into my pants, don't you?"
With an annoyed glare, Kamijou gave a curt reply.
"You're really painting me like that kind of guy?"
"Why not? You're a teenage boy."
"So are you."
"I'm a woman."
"You know what I mean! And we're basically the same age! You're a high school student."
"And? You still didn't deny it."
"Deny what?!"
"Wanting to get with me."
"You're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm not. I'm used to people like you trying to act all nice and friendly, only to flip into their true selves and ask for greedy rewards. This date might have been Hamazura's dumb idea, but you surely went along to try and- "
"I'm not doing that. I didn't take Hamazura's request for a blind date in the hopes that I could get with you or that there would be any sort of reward for me."
With Touma's immediate response, he also made sure to get his point straight across by staring directly into Mugino's eyes to show his sincerity. Moreover, his tone of voice had lowered gradually to a serious pitch.
"Oh, I'm just supposed to believe everything that you say and expect nothing of that sort?" she countered. "Like hell I'm going to do that."
"Believe what you want, but that's the honest truth. My truth. I don't really know you, and I knew that there would be some problems with this date. However, I'm here not because I have to be, but because I want to be."
Before Meltdowner could say anything else, the Level 0 beat her to it.
"Hamazura's reason was important enough that he sought me out for help. I'm here for him and… for you."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What did Hamazura- "
"Pardon the interruption, but here's your food!"
Appearing once again out of nowhere, the waitress was now standing next to the table with their food and was beginning to place their plates down.
A clicking of the tongue came from Mugino as she was half tempted to curse the waitress for showing up at the wrong time. Alas, she didn't and simply stared at her with an irritated face.
"Is there anything else you two need?'
"I… I think we're good. Thank you."
"Very well. Enjoy. And I hope your date goes well!"
As quick as she appeared, the waitress was gone in seconds, leaving the two to silently applaud her skills.
"…She's… good at her job."
"She has shit timing, but even I can't lie. She's good. Now if only she were the one in the kitchen, then we wouldn't have had to wait so long."
Agreeing with her, Touma decided to start eating and couldn't help but feel a wave of pleasant calmness surrounding his body. He couldn't recall the last time he was able to enjoy a simple meal. Normally, he'd have a freeloading nun acting like a vacuum for any food that was in the area. But she wasn't here today, meaning that he could enjoy himself. Not to mention, he didn't have a calico cat chasing after a miniature god and turning her into meow mix.
*WHOOSH*
Unfortunately, this calmness would be interrupted by the stark reminder that misfortune always rears its head in the most unlikely times.
As Kamijou was reaching for his food, his elbow seemed to put just enough pressure to make the plate tip forward and send some of his lunch right at him. This turned his shirt into a messy platter, all while Mugino simply watched with a blank stare.
"*sigh* I should have expected that. Such misfortune."
Keeping to herself, Mugino still did not say anything and observed the boy as he began to try and clean himself up. After watching him for a moment longer, she decided to strike while the iron was hot.
"Well, I'd like to brag about how you have shit luck and all, but I'm more interested to know what exactly Hamazura said that made you want to come to this date."
Wiping the food from his clothes, the spiky-haired boy knew that he had landed himself on an explosive mine, and if he didn't answer her question right, then he was screwed.
"I don't think it's my place to speak for- "
"Cut the crap and tell me what he said to you. I can already imagine half a dozen stupid reasons that bastard asked you to go on this blind date."
"I…"
Rattling his brain to come up with a solid answer, Touma figured that going with an answer based on everything he knew and felt about the situation would be sufficient. Hence, he decided to give an answer that held a mark of truth within it.
"He said that… you were feeling down. Or at the very least, you had something that was bothering you and figured that going on a blind date might mix things up. Maybe even give you a pep in your step?"
Processing this newfound information, Mugino's eyes seemed to darken while her fist was beginning to close into a ball. The atmosphere in the restaurant took a drastic turn to being cold.
"…"
Noticing the girl's quiet reaction, Kamijou sensed that if he didn't act fast, then she'd literally obliterate the place, and innocent people would be caught in the crossfire.
"Mugino, wait- "
"Tch."
Releasing her balled up fist, the Level 5's body language seemed to go through several phases all at once.
On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to lash out and leave the place a wreck while trying to sort whatever resonant emotions were pushing her to act. On the other hand, part of her just wanted to leave. Go out the door and forget this whole thing ever happened. And yet, she did neither option.
Instead, she simply sat there and continued to glare at her half-eaten meal while contemplating what she should do next.
Sensing that something was up, Touma tried to find the best way to smooth things out without raising any dangerous flags with the Level 5 girl.
"I will say… this date hasn't been bad…" he said while scratching the side of his cheek. "I mean, it could be worse. A lot worse."
"…"
Mugino's silent response sent Kamijou into an anxious state. Opening his big mouth was probably going to have this date end immediately.
"…You're not wrong."
"To be honest, even though Hamazura asked me to be here and it was all on a whim, I'm glad I did."
The brunette girl shifted her head so that she was now looking out at the nearest window to help hide her face and the hint of emotion that appeared.
"Your hand."
"Huh? My hand?"
"Hamazura's mentioned that you've got some kind of ability. What is it?"
A bit startled by the sudden flip in conversation, Touma figured that it was better than nothing.
"My right hand. That's what Hamazura is talking about." As he said this, he held up his right hand for Mugino to examine. "I have an ability called Imagine Breaker. Anything supernatural I touch becomes negated the second my hand touches it. Esper's abilities are instantly- "
"I doubt it works like that."
"That's where you're wrong. On this, I'm willing to bet my entire wallet… there's nothing in there, but you get the point. I've had my fair share of ridiculous abilities looking to skewer me, and every time my hand negated the attack."
Narrowing her gaze onto the boy in an obvious sort of way, Mugino clicked her tongue.
"Bullshit. How does that even seem possible?"
With a shrug of his shoulders, Kamijou gave as honest an answer as he could.
"It just does. I've had this power for as long as I can… I think I've had this ability since I was born, and nobody has been able to give me a straight answer. I've gone to see so many different scientists in the city and still no one has told me outright what it is."
"Then you're obviously a Gemstone."
"Nope. Even that classification wasn't given to me. I'm labeled as a Level 0."
"…I smell bullshit."
"Huh? I don't smell- "
"You dumbass. Not like that! I mean, with your hand or whatever Esper ability you have. The power to negate anything. Tch. I don't buy it."
At this point, a dangerous grin appeared on her face.
"Why don't I test it out? See if you're just full of shit and messing with me- "
"Don't!"
*CLATTER*
As quickly as her brain functioned, Mugino felt her hand being grabbed onto sternly while Kamijou's entire body was pressed against the table. Plates had been cluttered, and food was once again present on his clothes. She didn't really care about that part.
However, the thing that made her feel stunned was the odd sensation that she could not feel her Meltdowner ability at all. It wasn't as if she were purposely disregarding her ability. No, the feeling was prevalent and forced her to react.
"What the hell did you just do!?"
"I told you. My right hand negates supernatural abilities. Touching you with my hand is preventing your power from activating."
"Get off me!"
"Not until you calm down."
"I am fucking calm, Kamijou!"
The aggressive tone did not help in the slightest as Touma tried adjusting himself on the table, getting some more food on himself. It was also at this point that other guests were beginning to watch the interaction and make comments.
"What do you think happened?"
"Maybe the guy said the wrong thing, and now his girlfriend's going to leave him?"
"My money's on the guy begging her not to leave him. She's out of his league."
"She's out of everyone's league."
"Dang. We're gonna see a guy get dumped."
"It was only a matter of time. Poor guy."
"Wonder how long they were together?"
"Based on that dude's plain-looking face, I'd say only for a little while."
"Oh. I wonder if it's one of those shoujo manga things where the girl gets dared to ask the guy out?"
"That makes a lot of sense. No way a girl as hot as her would be with someone like him."
As the comments started growing and becoming more opinionated, Touma couldn't help but become annoyed while also focusing his entire body to be ready for Mugino to strike back. Level 5s tended to be a bit explosive when it came to their Esper abilities being tampered with. The reactions of Accelerator and Misaka came to mind immediately.
"Let. Go. Now. Kamijou" Mugino demanded in a deadly voice.
"Not until you promise not to use your ability here."
"I promise."
"That was a shitty promise. Say it with a bit more truth behind- "
"I said… I promise."
"…I still don't really believe- "
"Let go of my hand you son of a- *sigh* Plea- *groan* Let go of my hand and I promise I won't blow anything up…"
Locked in a tense stare down, Touma continued to keep his eyes focused on Mugino and scolded himself for enjoying this in the slightest. Even with this stressful situation, he could not deny that she was pretty.
After what felt like the longest minute ever, he could feel the intensity starting to dwindle as she closed her eyes and let out a strained sigh.
"…Alright, you can let go. I won't blast you."
Nodding his head, he slowly let go of her and shifted back to his seat while noticing the mess that appeared on his clothes now.
'That's just great…such misfortune.'
"Hmph. That's a feeling I never want to feel again," Mugino remarked while sipping on her drink.
"Most people tend to say or think that after being stopped by Imagine Breaker."
"Is that what you call it?"
"Yeah, why?"
"…"
Confused by her silence, Touma was expecting an insult or remark about how stupid the name was. With this girl, there was no telling what her next reaction would be, and that was new to him.
"…It's not terrible. There's a shit ton of names that could have been used and are ten times worse."
"Heh. I'll take that compliment."
Left in what could only be described as a weird silence, Touma asked the question that was eating away at him.
"So… I'm guessing this date is over?"
Folding her arms across her ample chest, Mugino held a flat expression.
"Why do you say that?"
"Huh? I just thought… you know… causing a scene and then…"
"Well, you thought wrong," Mugino said, surprising even herself with where she was going with this. "It's not every day that someone has the balls to stop me as you did. Besides, you think I'd let you go after finding out you have such a power to stop even me, a Level 5, from using my ability?"
A wave of hidden relief seemed to hit him as he had gotten his answer in an interesting way.
"So, you're still good to keep this date going then?" Kamijou asked, making sure he was reading things right.
"I literally just told you- "
"I know. I know. I just gotta make sure. Well, do we want to stay here or…"
"Leave. We've drawn enough attention from unwanted peers."
As Mugino said this, she gestured over to the side of the restaurant that had many people either staring at the two or leaning their heads to try and hear their conversation.
"O-oh…"
"Hey! Jackasses!" Mugino yelled out to the restaurant. "Mind your own goddamn business!"
Not about to face the wrath of a pissed off girl, everyone began to disperse and try to go back to normal. People scattered so fast around the restaurant that Touma was amazed at how much attention they had been getting. Or rather, he was not expecting their altercation to get this much attention.
"To hell with them."
Standing up from her seat, Mugino made it clear that she was ready to leave.
Reaching into her pocket, she threw some money on the table that was clearly more than enough to pay for their food. Based on a first glance at the large sum of cash, Touma figured that she was also tipping the waitress.
It would seem that there was more to Mugino Shizuri than he thought.
Or maybe… this was just a peek at her real personality.
"Well? Are we doing this or not?"
Without wasting another second, Touma leapt to his feet and began heading to the exit with her right next to him. He moved ahead to open the door for her and watched as she walked ahead of him, but also slowed her steps to allow him to catch up. Showing more unexpected signs from the Level 5.
In the back of his mind, he could only wonder just what else would be awaiting him on this unique date.
All expectations he had going into this were now crushed. The road ahead was one that he didn't know where it would take him, but he had an inkling of a feeling that it would be a good one.
That is, if he didn't end up as a target by stepping onto a land mine set by the tea-color-haired girl.
But as he and everyone who really knew him would say… luck was not on his side in the slightest.