Part 6
Such a pitiful day.
Kamijou Touma exhaled heavily. After suddenly being hit in the head by a soccer ball, he had been chased around by Mikoto's lightning attacks. In order to fulfill her job, Itsuwa had started to assemble her spear, and in order to stop her, Kamijou hugged her. But for some reason, Mikoto got angry again, so in an attempt to avoid her electric attacks, he ran around Academy City. As for the running distance, with that level of activity, nobody would worry about him having too much fat or get sick.
And right now, there was a new problem in front of him.
Yes, this was the most problematic situation,
"…Ah, Touma. Why is someone from the Amakusa here?"
The most dangerous checkpoint of today.
The door to the dormitory was opened, and this sentence from Index was enough to make Kamijou sweat heavily. Index looked like she was ready to bite as she continued to grind her teeth. Kamijou was already terrified upon seeing just the fangs alone.
On a side note, the calico cat with Index continued to circle around Itsuwa, and it seemed to be smelling her as if asking the question 'Who is she? Who?'
Kamijou wiped away the sweat on his body as he said,
"No, it's not that. This, that, err, how am I supposed to explain this…?"
He stared at Itsuwa's face while she was still blankly standing there.
"In other words, the God's Right Seat—"
"KYAAH!!"
Kamijou suddenly let out a ridiculous scream, scaring Itsuwa such that she couldn't make a sound. From behind, Kamijou held Itsuwa's neck with his wrist and quickly pulled her away from Index, silently going through a battle plan.
"(…Miss Itsuwa!! Regarding that, can you please keep it a secret from Index!?)"
"Wa, wa…"
"(…Acqua's target is only me; it's alright as long as he doesn't target Index! So it'll be bad if you say some unnecessary words and get Index involved in some dangerous situation, don't you think?)"
"WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA!?"
"(…Itsuwa, do you hear me?)"
"I, I hear it!! I, I, I, I hear it clearly!!"
For some reason, Itsuwa's face was all red as she nodded her head up and down.
Was it making her feel discomfort? Kamijou took his wrist off her neck. But after that, Itsuwa's disappointed expression made him all the more puzzled.
At this moment,
"…"
From who knew when, Index started to conceal all emotion, even temper, just muttering a '…never mind' before turning around to watch the television again. This act made people feel a lot less secure. This was to be expected, since it was no longer on the level of 'this idiot, idiot! Touma, you idiot!' It was the same as in the past when he had saved his classmate, Himegami; he constantly felt that there was an unknown aura surfacing. Why was it like this? Why was Index angry? After Kamijou trembled for a while, he made a decision and got both knees on the ground, poking his head out and sitting behind Index.
"…That, I don't know what's going on, but can you please bite me before you explode? If you can use up a bit of that anger power, it at least feels that Kamijou-san can settle this before his skull gets bitten to bits."
Not knowing what to do, Itsuwa continued to stare at the two that weren't doing anything, and because of her sense of duty, she hadn't resigned from her job yet. After purposely looking away for a while, she looked at the calico cat that had confirmed her smell and was together with her.
"Oh, oh yes! Little kitten, do you want this present?"
Seemingly trying to break the deadlock, Itsuwa started to look for something in her huge bag (Oh? She couldn't possibly know that Kamijou's house has a cat for a pet, right…?). She pulled out a high-class golden can that had the words 'Cat's food association: a 3-star platinum rank'. On seeing the can, the calico kitty immediately trembled before remaining at the same position. Its eyes widened, its back straightened, and even when Itsuwa opened the can and reached over, the kitten gave the feeling of 'About that, I'm just an ordinary cat — can I really eat this level of food nya!?'
Sitting there upright, Kamijou noticed that there was something in Itsuwa's bag.
"…Why does Itsuwa's bag have meat and vegetables? Is this some secret spell required of the Amakusa?"
"No, no, there's no need to fast,"
Itsuwa replied as she waved her hands in front of her.
"I passed by a supermarket before I came here. About that, if it's just some simple dishes, I can still do them. No matter what, as a bodyguard, I can't just eat and drink here for free. Please entrust the housework and like to me; just order anything of me, if I can do it."
At this moment, Kamijou didn't understand what she said.
After a few blank seconds, his mind finally processed what Itsuwa said. This time, he wordlessly turned towards Index.
"Wha, what, Touma? Why did the atmosphere in the house change?"
"Just ask yourself that. Handing everything over to Kamijou-san, who exactly is the one who hasn't helped out one bit?"
"Uu, mm, I'm sorry, but…? Ah! Are you intending to change the atmosphere forcefully with this…!?"
Although Index saw through Kamijou's intentions, once the flow of events had changed, it was hard to revert it back. Kamijou naturally turned around and headed into the kitchen space.
"Then, it's better for me to tell you where the wok is."
"Ah yes, thank you."
Both of them exchanged this conversation, and the white nun had been completely ignored, having thrown all sorts of questions like 'why did it become like this', and 'always like this, just what is he trying to do?' into the dustbin.
(But why would Itsuwa, a shrinking violet, have such enthusiasm!? How am I going to explain things that I don't understand? But at least I can thank Itsuwa first! Haha!! It's good to escape from Index's demonic clutches without getting bitten. How great is this GGYYYAAAHHH!!!)
Just as Kamijou was delighting in the victory, he was forcefully bitten on the back of the head by Index, and was now rolling on the floor in pain. In the meantime, he knocked into the deluxe cat canned food and flipped the contents out. 'What a waste!! I'm tucking in! Eating it all now!!' the calico kitten started to indulge in the food.
Itsuwa could only force a smile as she walked into the kitchen.
To her, the scene now was a happy and jolly one, but for the main party involved, it was as if he had just come back from the gates of Hell.
(Come to think of it…)
To be able to mix into the surroundings perfectly was one of the Amakusa's ability. Kamijou looked at Itsuwa, who had been accepted so naturally.
As he had just been bitten on the back of the head, the human teeth marks were still there. Kamijou lay on the floor like a corpse, and he could hear the sound of food being stir-fried.
(…The, the scene of a girl cooking.)
Though it was stupid, he still teared up.
"Eh? Why is Touma revealing a look of a sheep, as if he just saw a miracle?"
As Index said this, Kamijou seemed like he had just gotten baptized by the light of grace emitted by a nun.
But, he would feel mindful about seeing Itsuwa cook and yet not do anything himself. Might as well clean the room up. Kamijou pondered seriously.
On the other hand, Index, who was biting on Kamijou's head to relieve her stress, was attracted by the smell of the food like small fish being attracted by bait as she slowly crept into the room.
"AH! Don't eat the food anytime you want to!!"
"Even though you say it now, I can't take it anymore."
Index immediately lost to her hungry stomach and started to bother Itsuwa, who was cooking. Seeing Index like this, Kamijou Touma got up, and then got into a dashing position before getting over to Index, grabbing her waist with both hands before pulling her out of the kitchen. Using the momentum of his starting run, he threw her onto the bed with a strange professional wrestling throw while yelling "soryaaaa!!"
"STOP DESTROYING A MAN'S DREAAAAAMMMMMM!!!!"
"WAAH! Tou, Touma, what's going on!?"
Due to shock, Index's eyes continued to twirl in confusion. Hearing her shout, the calico cat put in some distance in irritation.
Kamijou didn't make a reply, and wordlessly grabbed Index's head with one hand, turning it towards the kitchen.
"LOOK, INDEX!! THIS SHOULD BE HOW YOU BEHAVE WHEN YOU LIVE IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE!!"
"OWOWOWOWOW!? Why is Touma acting so weird today!?"
"If I'm to calm down and think, why is it always you who's over there eating and sleeping, and then watching the television!? FROM TODAY ONWARDS, YOU'RE GOING TO WORK! HURRY UP, GET A SPONGE AND CLEANING DETERGENT, AND CLEAN UP THE BATHROOM!!!"
"Eh, but it's about time for Magical-Powered Kanamin Integral to start, right?"
"Good, HURRY UP AND GET TO WOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK!!!"
Why? While Index was still puzzled, she was thrown into the bathroom by Kamijou. Seeing someone serious like Itsuwa, it should allow her to change. Oh yeah, the ones who were with her in the past included a pyromaniac-like priest with a cigarette stench and a multi-sided spy who continued to laugh slyly all year long, so compared to them, she could be considered normal, but upon thinking about it carefully, Itsuwa was still the most suited to be called an ordinary human.
(Then, I should start cleaning up the room like a serious person.)
Though Kamijou considered this…but compared to Itsuwa, who was cooking for others, Kamijou was just cleaning his own room, and these things couldn't be compared. But no matter what, it was better than not doing anything at all. After making this conclusion, Kamijou started to tidy up the messed up living room by picking up all the magazines.
At this moment. '''(?)'''
"Wha, what's with this traditional Japanese cuisine smell!?"
Suddenly, he could hear a girl's shout, and after that, he heard the sound of plastic breaking. Kamijou panicked and turned his head toward the veranda, and Itsuwa, who was in shock, stopped moving her hands that had been working on the meal. Appearing there was Tsuchimikado Maika in a maid outfit.
It seemed like she had broken the 'except in case of a fire, please do not break this board which is meant to separate the rooms and the balcony' board without any hesitation, and invaded here.
"DAMN IT!! I FINALLY MANAGED TO MAKE A SERIOUS TURNOVER, AND NOW I HAVE ANOTHER WEIRDO HERE!!"
Ignoring a really irritated Kamijou, Maika, who normally lacked changes of expression, looked extremely serious as she smelled her way to the kitchen.
"…I smell it, I smell it… This miso soup… you used dried scallop to hide the smell, and you added it after grounding it into powder, right…?"
"How, how did you know that!? Not even mum saw through that!!"
Itsuwa was shocked that the food expert saw through it.
So the basics of cooking come from the mother! Besides Kamijou, there was a small plate that Itsuwa used to hold a bit of the miso soup. After considering for a while, Itsuwa passed the plate over the girl in maid clothes.
Maika received the plate in a tea dance-like movement, and without any sound, places her lips near it. After drinking it, she paused for a while—GUAAAHH!! Suddenly, her eyes widened as she shouted.
Maika's shoulders continued to tremble as she said,
"This, this woman, she's good…"
"What?"
"GUAAAHH!! HOW, HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE!!"
For some reason, Maika immediately went 180 degrees and through the veranda, moving back into the neighboring room.
Through the open window, a conversation between siblings could be heard.
"Ah, oi!? Why are you throwing away today's cream stew nyaa!? What's going to happen to my dinner!?"
"SHUT UP, YOU AMATEUR!! SEEING SUCH AN OUTSTANDING DISH, THIS LEVEL OF THING ISN'T GOING TO MATCH UP AGAINST THAT! YOU, YOU JUST WATCH, FROM NOW ON, I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A MISO SOUP IS REALLY LIKE!!"
"EH!? I FEEL THAT CREAM STEW IS GOOD TOO, YOU KNOW!?". Hearing the blond, sunglasses-wearing agent's moan about stew, Itsuwa's shoulders trembled in fear.
"That, that, that guy's voice just now, I seem to have heard it in Avignon before…? Speaking of which, who's that kid?"
I'm not so sure myself, but it seems like you've hurt the pride of that prospective maid, so she views you as a rival…Kamijou paused. Itsuwa was a normal human; he felt that he shouldn't let her get used to those weirdoes' antics.
To Kamijou, he was just thinking about all of these.
If he had a wish that God could grant, it would be that this girl wouldn't become like those weirdoes.
Part 7
At one moment Index and Itsuwa were engaged in a pretty dangerous situation, but once Index ate the food Itsuwa made, the dangerous atmosphere had disappeared without a trace; and now she was rolling on the floor asking Itsuwa for an 8th bowl of rice. Itsuwa was bothered by this, and as for the calico cat, it was biting on the ball of wet napkins that Itsuwa had made, playing around with it.
(Hah… Well, if it doesn't cause any huge problems, it's all good.)
If 'Index's mood can improve because from this', would I have to prepare some meat, fish or sausages to placate Index? Though Kamijou thought this way… No, wait, if Index knows that I've been hiding food, won't I get bitten the moment I reveal it? Kamijou readjusted his thoughts. Though it was a good idea, it seemed that carrying it out was still a lot more difficult.
But since they had already eaten lunch, there was nothing else for them to do.
He didn't have any school assignments today, and Kamijou wasn't one who'd take the initiative to go and study, so what was left to do was to bathe and sleep.
However, here was the problem.
"—HOW IS IT THAT YOU CAN BREAK THE BATHTUB WITH JUST A SPONGE AND DETERGENT, INDEX!?!"
"Ev, even if you say that, I only followed Touma's instructions and just went 'creak creak' a few times!!"
Kamijou and Index's shouts echoed through the night street, and Itsuwa made a forced smile.
The reason why the trio were on the streets was simple: Kamijou's bathtub (or more accurately, the water heater) was damaged and couldn't be used, so the trio were forced to move to a public bath.
"I WOULD BET THAT INDEX DIDN'T FOLLOW WHAT KAMIJOU-SAN SAID TO SCRUB IT THOROUGHLY! COME TO THINK OF IT, WHY DOES THE SINK IN THE BATHTUB SMELL OF MELTED PLASTIC!? LET ME GUESS, INDEX, DID YOU POUR A LARGE AMOUNT OF DETERGENT INSIDE!!?"
"Eh? Didn't you say that you can make things clean by just pouring detergent in?"
"VERY GOOD! AN INCREDIBLE NATURAL AIRHEAD HAS APPEARED!! THANKS TO YOU, THE WATER HEATER'S ALL BURNED UP, AND WE ALMOST HAD A FIRE ON OUR HANDS!!!"
"Ah, ah haha. W, well, isn't it good to go out to a bathhouse and change a bit of the atmosphere? This isn't bad."
Itsuwa used her god-like interrupting skills to appease the atmosphere between Kamijou and Index.
These creatures called humans could slowly calm down as long as someone did a little adjustment to a huge commotion.
"Unexpectedly, Academy City has quite a lot of bathhouses. From those kinds of old public bathhouses to some natural hot springs… Oh yeah, what's here? It seems like a large spa with entertainment facilities."
"…Speaking of which, why does Itsuwa have such detailed information about Academy City?"
Kamijou didn't even know that Academy City had natural hot springs. And the guidebook-like thing that Itsuwa was holding didn't even look like the typical one Academy City released, but a torn and tattered old notebook.
"(…Eh, about that. Getting a good grasp of the surrounding geography is what a bodyguard should do.)"
Itsuwa said in a volume that Index couldn't hear.
"(…Besides, Acqua's from the magic side, so I'm checking the pulse flow throughout this street, and if possible, checking his movements would be a lot easier.)"
…It was good to be so enthusiastic about work, but before Acqua arrived, Anti-Skill wouldn't come over under the charge of tight security. Regarding this, Kamijou was a bit uncomfortable.
"Then, where's that recreational bath?"
"Mm… it seems to be in District 22. This is District 7, so in other words, it's at the edge of Academy City."
"If you're talking about District 22… an underground street, huh."
The place took up only 2 square kilometers, and among all the school districts, it was the smallest in area. However, it was developed underground about several hundred meters in depth, so it could be considered the one district that had the most scientific style.
"Hm, but the last bus just left."
Itsuwa continued to flip through the old notebook,
"It's not that far. If we borrow a 3-seater motorbike, we can get there right away. Luckily, there's a bike rental shop here."
"Eh? Itsuwa knows how to ride a bike?"
"Ma, well, basically, I still can. Cars, motorcycles, mini-boats… ah, even though I can't pilot a plane, if it's a helicopter, I still can…"
From Itsuwa's tone, it seemed that she still felt incapable.
Was not being able to pilot a plane really something worth being mindful about?
"Since we're in Japan, the transport network is really good, so it's not really necessary, but…for work, there's a need to go to the vast desert or grasslands or places like that."
Seemed like Itsuwa wasn't boasting; on the contrary, it seemed that she was being lectured as her voice got softer and softer until it was as loud as a mosquito buzz. However, it meant that she didn't just have any ordinary license in Japan, but rather, an international license. To Kamijou, who just found that being able to ride a unicycle was impressive enough, Itsuwa was someone really worth respecting.
Today, this ordinary girl called Itsuwa really had quite a few surprising sides, and Kamijou was slightly touched as they walked towards the motorbike rental shop near a student dormitory. In this Academy City that was full of students, the need to rent bikes was a lot higher than cars.
Seeing the rent prices on the pricing board, Kamijou revealed a thunderstruck-like expression.
"Oh, oh yeah. Itsuwa's not a student from District 7, so she can't enjoy any district premiums!!"
"Eh, there's no need to worry; I have enough military funding."
Although Itsuwa said that, to Kamijou, who had a housewife-like accounting ability, he would still choose a cheaper one if possible. This was the most basic way to go.
In the end, they made use of a premium rate for those that missed the last ride and were unable to go home, and rented a 2-seater medium sized bike. They also paid extra to rent a side seat.
The one driving the motorbike was Itsuwa, the one sitting behind was Kamijou, and Index was sitting in the side car.
"Touma, I can sense some intention from this, you know?"
"No, there's no such thing. How about you call this ladies first? The side car's the most comfortable, so Kamijou-san has no choice but to give you that seat."
Kamijou tried to force an explanation, but Itsuwa, who was being hugged on the abdomen, felt her heart beating like crazy.
Itsuwa tried to help Index put the helmet on her nun's cap, and suddenly remembered something. She said,
"Come to think of which, is it really alright to leave the cat at home?"
"No matter what, we can't bring animals to a bathhouse. Well, that cat would continue to move around in a circle, so there shouldn't be any problems."
On a side note, that calico kitten was standing in front of the high-class scratchboard that Itsuwa brought back. 'Wh, what!? This thing has an attractive smell, but can I really scratch this thing without making anyone angry!?', considering all of this as it trembles. Of course, nobody noticed it.
Just like that, when Index finally understood the correct way to put on the helmet, Itsuwa started the engine of the motorbike.
"Wow, the night Academy City sure is nice. No matter whether it's the control or the engine sound, it makes me so relaxed. The road surface is in rather good condition as well; I feel like I can speed up whenever… ahh, if I had known, I might as well have challenged that famous thing from Academy City, that super electromagnetic motorcycle. It's said that the wheels and axles are held together by magnets, letting the donut-shaped wheel pass through the motor gas and run."
"Well, I don't really understand bikes, but outside technology can't even be compared to this. Also, I hope that you would drive safely—STUPID ITSUWA, YOU'RE REALLY, REALLY SPEEDING UP!!?"
Kamijou reflexively increased the strength of his grip on Itsuwa's waist, but Itsuwa, really happy about this reaction, didn't notice that she was speeding up.
Kamijou's dormitory was located in a corner of District 7, and the distance to District 22 could be covered by walking. The reason why Itsuwa would rent a motorbike was most likely because they could go home immediately, and if it took a long time, their thoroughly-bathed bodies would be dry.
Coming out of District 7 and entering District 22, Index, who was seated in the side car, widened her eyes.
"WAAHH! Touma, look, there's a jungle gym! A huge jungle gym!!"
The surface of District 22 was a lot different from the other districts. On the surface, there weren't any buildings here, just a whole stretch of windmills. Furthermore, the windmills here were a whole lot different from the rest, as they weren't just a replacement of electric cables. Like the metal frames in a building, there were parallel pillars linking both of them, and the 30-stories tall pile of the large number of windmills were placed there, arranged as a structure. This view resembled just what Index mentioned, a giant jungle gym.
Itsuwa handled the handlebar, turning the bike towards the underground street entrance, saying,
"District 22 is extended downwards, so it can't rely on wind-generated electricity or solar-generated electricity. Also, the underground streets seem like they need a lot of electrical energy, so I heard that they have all sorts of energy generators all over Academy City."
Having an unexpectedly large amount of knowledge, Itsuwa steered the motorbike through the rectangular door and down into the underground.
The space in the underground District 22 was a giant cylindrical area, and the entrance looked like it was outside this 2 kilometer diameter area , continuing to spiral down to the bottom. Including the passage that was heading the other way, it looked like the signs used at a barber shop.
In this gradually spiraling downwards tunnel, the orange light shone onto the ground. Seeing the infrastructure that was completely different from ordinary streets, Index raised her hands and cheered.
Kamijou smelled the exhaust gases released by the vehicles as he said to Itsuwa,
"These underground streets, they aren't suited for Japan. It's scary when there's an earthquake, you know. Actually, no matter how strong the walls are, once there's an earthquake that can level the ground, the entire thing will be destroyed."
"The place here is really safe against earthquakes. Oh yeah, this huge spiral path is like a huge spring: it can absorb the impact when there's an earthquake. Haven't you heard of this before?"
"…That is just some baseless rumor. Speaking of which, Itsuwa, why would you check up on things that don't appear on the blueprints, layouts, and aren't real?"
"Ah, ah haha," Itsuwa just let out a forced laugh.
"However, where's that entertainment bathhouse?"
"Well, it seems to be on the 3rd level."
"Touma, what's this 'seaweed'? Some sort of vegetable?[1]"
"Not seaweed, level. District 22 is split into 10 underground levels, and we're going to the third one right now."
While saying this, they could see the third level—a gate that was 90m underground. Itsuwa turned on the indicator, slowing down as she headed toward the door.
Passing through the rectangular door, their vision suddenly widened.
"WAHH…!!"
Index couldn't help but let out a shout.
In contrast to the orange lights in the tunnel, the place here was a slightly blue space. In this place that was 2km in diameter, the ceiling had become a planetarium projection panel, passing through a camera to form a huge night sky. The other streets all used the same color so it gave one the impression of moving into a starry sea.
From the floor to the ceiling, passing through the planetarium screen and acting as the support to the underground street was the lobby. Speaking of which, the roof of the underground street was like the ceiling of a sports hall, supported by a large amount of metal frames, scattering the weight. However, this architecture alone didn't seem able to support its own weight, so a lot more ways were used to support it.
Index continued to sit in the side car as she looked around.
"Is this really the underground!? There's even a flowing river and forest!!"
"For the forest, they used an agriculture tower to grow them. Besides purifying the air, they also have an important role in providing a sense of serenity to humans. And the water is one of the most important sources of electricity. It passes through the entire level, and each level uses this falling water power to generate electricity from water power."
It sure felt like today's Itsuwa was playing the role of a guide girl on a tour bus in Academy City.
Index tilted her head and asked,
"Itsuwa, why is there a need for so much electrical energy?"
"Uh hmm… most of the energy is used to pump air in. Absorbing oxygen in from the surface, removing the carbon dioxide accumulated below. This is a must. Also there's a need to pump rainwater and wastewater up. So considering all of that, there's a need to pump them all out. 40% of the electricity consumed in Academy City is put into these large air pumps. Regarding that, it seems that they're using a real life bottlecap-like effect."
"As more than half of Academy City's electricity is generated by wind, no matter how much energy they use, there's no need to worry about fuel consumption and environmental destruction. But in contrast to other countries, while people are voicing out about oil prices rising, creating a street that relies primarily on fossil fuels isn't realistic… Additionally, while Academy City is limited in land space, those countries with wide acres of land don't even need to build any underground streets."
(Well, if the research is successful, then other problems would crop up if we were to really market this.)
The motorbike with a side wheel continued to move forward on this starry night.
Kamijou, who was sitting in the back seat, pointed at the electrical decorations on the tower far away.
"Hm? Oi, Itsuwa, that entertainment bathhouse you talked about, is it over there?"
"Ah, it looks that way."
"But that place sure seems busy recently."
"Eh, you're right. It seems to be ranked 3 among all bathhouses."
…Is this kind of information really needed in an escort battle against Acqua? Though Kamijou was puzzled, Itsuwa didn't mind.
"Is there a problem?"
"No… actually, in this famous place, I feel that I might meet someone familiar there."
Part 8
Misaka Mikoto stopped, roughly seeing the huge building in front of her.
This building that shot through the floor of District 22 to the ceiling was the Spa Resort Serene Springs. Basically speaking, this entire building was the hot spring. Every level had all sorts of different herbs, electrical power, sonic waves; all kinds of pools were available there. Even so, it still had space for a shopping district, like a karaoke center, a bowling alley, etc.
In contrast to the old context of bathhouses, calling this a bathhouse-styled relaxation zone would be more appropriate. The place was targeted (opening this in Academy City, where the majority were students, was also one of the reasons) at the 10+ year-old boys and girls, and so the design matched the age group.
As this was an entertainment-based facility, there was of course a VIP pool. However, Mikoto wasn't aiming for that.
"…An out-of-bath Gekota strap…"
If one was able to accumulate 10 collection cards with stamps on them, they could receive this gift. For this, Mikoto had come all the way over to this Spa Resort Serene Springs. If it hadn't been for this strap, she wouldn't have purposely broken the dormitory curfew and ran out, shaking off Shirai Kuroko, who had tailed her, before coming all the way here.
(Well, it's alright to bring Kuroko along…but if I were to tell her that I was coming here to bathe, she'd cling onto me like a snake…)
This image appeared in Mikoto's mind, making her feel a chill up her spine. She shook her head around to get rid of this terrifying idea and entered the building. Upon entering, what appeared in front of her was the lobby — there didn't seem to be a reception point, as the payment areas were all at the entrance to each bath area.
There was a group of people fanning themselves and there were also children, who had gotten sick of the bath area, playing around at the game corner. After passing through these crowds of people, Mikoto reached the elevator.
"Now, where shall I collect these stamps…"
She had passed through the ultrasonic bath area; as an Electromaster, she had no need to especially use those electrical bath pools. Through this elimination, all that was left was just some basic baths with a higher composition of herbs. Medicinal effects, though the way it was phrased made one suspicious, it was just a scientific method of analyzing the composition of the water, and then adjusting the composition of the artificial pool to have the same effects.
"Can't you just say that you just added a bit of some bathing agents?"
Mikoto said such explicit words as she took the elevator to the 8th level. At the entrance to the bathhouse, she paid some money, borrowed a towel, quickly took her clothes off in the changing area, wrapped her body in the light-colored bath towel, locked her items up, and finished her preparation for this operation.
(…It's unexpectedly short.)
The bottom of the bath towel just reached near her thighs. Though Mikoto was mindful about that, she still opened the door to the huge bathroom.
One couldn't even sense the height of this tower. There were no windows, not a single one. In District 22, even if there were windows, it'd just be a wide space. If this place had been in the mountains, it would have been okay; but in the middle of a city, setting up windows in a woman's bathroom just to allow them to see the scenery was like committing suicide.
The bathroom's setup was very similar to traditional ones. There were three bath pools, set according to the water temperature. The wall had an oil-painted Mount Fuji on it… well, no such thing. Replacing it was a large magnetic particle color screen. It was said that the selling point of this screen was that it allowed the particles to change colors immediately and to, without the need for external light, be able to display all sorts of colors, but the price was exorbitantly high. Besides, an ordinary television screen that people used now wasn't much of a problem, so besides a handful of artists and cinemas, there hadn't been many buyers; it was somewhat of a very tragic item.
The screen looked like it also had a touchscreen function, as 2 to 3 children were chattering 'There really is, I'm saying that a white angel really appeared.' 'No way that's possible.' 'Really! They probably hid all the bad things!' as they continued to draw on the screen. The females watching the night serial drama through a small window on the screen were also doing the same.
Mikoto arrived at a row of shower taps and sat down in front of one of them, gently held onto the tap with a sensor on it, and after a few seconds, the number '38°C' appeared on the screen. Over here, the machine would use one's palm to detect body temperature before setting it at the most suitable temperature for the customer to shower.
(If I want to get all the stamps, I might as well go into every bath for a few seconds and then go into the next one, and then repeat — how about it? Hmm… that doesn't really seem like the best way… I should have risked it and asked Kuroko over to get 2 persons' worth of stamps. No, that's not right…!?)
Mikoto considered all these as she bathed herself, and then used hot water to wash away the soap bubbles.
(Speaking of which, I've only collected about half of the number required; still a long way to go for the bath Gekota.)
In truth, Mikoto didn't really like baths that were too hot, thus among the three bath compartments, she headed to the most kiddy-looking one.
At this moment, Mikoto froze.
In front of her was the silver-haired, green-eyed nun who she had seen so many times before.
"AH, EHHH!? WHY ARE YOU HERE!?"
Mikoto couldn't help but shriek, but Index, who was soaking in the clear pool, placed her index finger near her lips.
"…Be quiet while you're in the bath!"
Now that she mentioned it, this sure was the case. Mikoto shut up and carefully stepped into the bath pool.
This time, Index said again,
"…Don't put your towel inside the water!"
As a Japanese person, for Mikoto to unexpectedly be lectured by a foreigner regarding bathhouse etiquette, this really deflated her. Mikoto took off her towel and let the bath water rise to her shoulders. At this moment, she noticed the double-eyelid girl beside Index, remembering clearly her special characteristic.
No, she couldn't say that she knew that girl.
"Oh yeah, you're that girl who got hugged by that idiot because of some strange soccer ball, right!!?"
Now that Mikoto suddenly mentioned this, the girl with her eyes shut let out a 'GUAAH!!' shout and blushed, her hands waving about as she said 'No, it's not that, nonono, I, I, I, I-I-I…!!', trying to make a decent excuse but unable to say anything of the sort. On the other side, the foreign nun slightly opened her mouth, revealing her shiny fangs inside.
But Mikoto didn't hear anything of what the ordinary girl said.
She stared at the girl who was waving her arms about, leaving her defenseless, making a hypothesis as she looked through the clear water.
(Seems to be unexpectedly big…)
Considering that her only choice was to admit defeat willingly, Mikoto's jaw dropped. Although still hidden in the slightly-colored water, if this ordinary girl stood up from the water, it would instantly bring Mikoto despair.
The ordinary girl continued to chatter, softly yet quickly. Seeing her, Mikoto remembered,
(Speaking of which, do these children know about that idiot's 'issue'?)
Memory loss.
Mikoto herself had only just found out about it recently. Since when had he lost his memory? How had it happened? She didn't know any of these specific details. Piecing two and two together, it seemed that the idiot himself wanted to hide the fact about his memory loss… Mikoto could only make this hypothesis.
(These guys…they…don't know about his memory loss.)
Mikoto sneakily looked at their expression. Of course, not being a mind reader meant that even if she did this, she couldn't understand what they were thinking.
Mikoto let her body soak in the water as she pondered.
"(Speaking of which, this is all because of that idiot, and I'm just a complete stranger. No matter how much I think about it, there won't be any developments… even though I understand, but… Speak-speaking of which, why must I be so troubled by that idiot; if I feel that it's troublesome, shouldn't I stop caring about it glup glup glup glup glup glup glup glup…)"
"AH, EHHH? SHORT-HAIR'S SINKING INTO THE HOT WATER!!!?"
"SHE'LL DROWN!!! WE NEED TO SAVE HER!!!"
"?"
Kamijou, coming out of the bath first, was standing in front of the vending machine. He was wondering whether he should go for ice milk coffee or ice cream. At this moment, 'patapatapatapatapatapatapata,' he heard footsteps and turned his head back.
All he saw was a female doctor running out from the resuscitation room to the female pool. Of course, he didn't know what was going on inside.
Part 9
After passing through a time of relaxation, the happy time of bathing was now over.
Kamijou walked out of the relaxation bathing tower and was now standing at the main entrance of the building. He wasn't there to smoke, but to get some night wind.
"…I completely forgot that this is an underground street."
After standing there for quite a while, there still hadn't been any wind. Realizing this, Kamijou couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Even so, he was considering something.
A man from the deepest organization within the Roman Catholic Church's God's Right Seat, Acqua of the Back, had sent a letter of challenge over… There wasn't anything critical yet, but even if he opened the box and peeked inside, there wasn't anything special going on.
(Is he just bluffing…? No, it's too early to conclude that.)
At this moment, Itsuwa, who was fragrant after bathing, slowly approached a frustrated Kamijou.
"You'll get cold if you stay in such a place."
"No, I need to get some blood to my head, so this should be good."
"Well, we're using the motorbike to get back anyway. If we consider the time now, we'll definitely get colds."
After being lectured by Itsuwa in such a conservative manner, Kamijou looked dejected.
Seeing him like this, Itsuwa couldn't help but chuckle.
"How about a walk together?"
"You're the one who said that we'll get cold, Itsuwa!!"
"We'll get cold anyway, so I feel that it's alright. Also, if you really want, why don't you go back into the baths again later? There are many baths for you to play around in, like a swimming pool."
This really is a rather good wonderland, Kamijou thought.
To be honest, it was lonely for a man to bathe by himself.
"Oh yeah, where's Index?"
"It seems like she said that she wanted to look around the food tasting area in the food space."
If Kamijou asked Index whether she wanted to go for a walk when Index was like this, he would likely be bitten by her iron fangs the moment he said it. Since she won't leave the food tasting area, there's no need to worry about her getting lost, Kamijou made an apt conclusion.
(…Besides, it's better to ask Itsuwa all sorts of things regarding Acqua.)
Acqua of the Back may arrive in Academy City, and besides, Kamijou had kept this a secret from Index. This time, Acqua's target was Kamijou alone, so Kamijou wanted to try his best to avoid getting Index involved a dangerous situation.
Therefore Kamijou and Itsuwa started to talk as they began this night stroll.
In this uniformly blue-ridden night scene, the street felt like the scales of a butterfly from a southern country, and yet it also looked like underwater coral reefs. Maybe because their bodies were still hot from the baths, the scene in front didn't look all that icy cold.
"Speaking of which, the Amakusa have moved from Japan to England, right?"
"Mm, yes."
"So how's life in England?"
"Mm…"
Itsuwa pondered while she faced Kamijou.
"Even though we moved to London, we've been entrusted with the Japanese street area, so basically there isn't too much of a change. Our daily meals there are the same as in Japan."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Mm…"
Itsuwa again revealed an ambiguous smile, and after pausing for a while,
"Actually, the Amakusa is a group that learns about all the surroundings and thinks of the most suitable ways to blend into the surroundings, so our reaction to arriving in a foreign land so suddenly isn't much different from ordinary people."
In other words, Itsuwa and company had chosen to go to the Japanese street not because they were bogged down by Japanese habits, but because they could only choose to go somewhere where, even if there was a group of Japanese, they wouldn't feel oppressed. The feeling one got was like a mix of Eastern and Western cultures.
"The Anglican Church treats us rather well. Of course, it's just an Amakusa feeling, but living in London is really interesting,"
Itsuwa said this with a smile, but things shouldn't be that simple.
Because the Anglican Church couldn't head out to settle all problems due to political reasons, before they could finally mobilize, the Amakusa would act on their own, and once something went wrong, they would be abandoned like a lizard's tail. Kamijou had seen things like this happen numerous times. Being under the umbrella of a large organization, sometimes they would be assigned work due to convenience.
"Is that so?"
But Kamijou swallowed these thoughts and only gave a simple reply.
Itsuwa wasn't giving just a simple smile, but one could still tell that she was happy with how she was treated.
"Say, the Amakusa is originally like those ordinary sects that blend into the street culture anyway."
"Mm, besides, that's our goal."
"You're right."
Kamijou Touma reconfirmed Itsuwa's attire.
Right now, she had a pink tanktop over her brightly-colored sheep-like sweatshirt. Her dark pants were like cloth wrapped on legs, and there were large gaps in between. A transparent vinyl was used to hold it together.
"So are the people in London dressed like that?"
"Ah, um, right now, this get-up is chosen under the condition of 'settling the problem in Academy City'."
"Does it really look indecent…?" Seeing Itsuwa sink into discomfort, Kamijou could only casually shake his head.
This seemed to calm her down quite a bit.
"Though it's a bit harder to explain it in words, but, well, I'll choose a more mature look when I'm in London."
"Well basically, I don't know the clothing brands in Academy City, but the designs over there do feel a bit stiff, right?"
"Well, that's not really the case. The people over there don't just like domestic products; on the contrary, it's dangerous to choose that… Besides, even if there are people wearing the same things, the different characteristics and actions can thoroughly change a person's overall image, you know?"
Though Itsuwa was trying her best to explain this, since her entire attire was based on feeling, it was very hard to explain it in theory. It was like someone saying that he was teaching how to ride a bike, but not teaching anything besides how to get on the bike, no further explanation.
Thus, Kamijou was a bit mindful of Itsuwa's image in London.
At this moment, Kamijou remembered that beside Itsuwa, there was another familiar person among the Amakusa.
Kanzaki Kaori.
"—But isn't Kanzaki's attire weird as well?"
"EH!? WHAT—ARE—YOU SAYING — STRANGE AS IN…?"
"Though her get-up does look adult-like, that should be classified as sexy, right?"
"YOU, YOU SUDDENLY GAVE A SHOCKING COMMENT ABOUT THE PRIESTESS!? THAT ISN'T BECAUSE IT'S OBSCENE, BUT RATHER THE SPELL COMPOSITION THAT REQUIRES ASYMMETRY!! IT WAS DELIBERATELY MADE LIKE THAT TO ALLOW THE BALANCE ON BOTH SIDES BE USED EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND NOT MEANT TO DELIBERATELY SHOW OFF THE CURVES ON HER BODY OR WHATSOEVER—!!"
HA!? At this moment, Itsuwa finally reverted back to normal.
Seeing the change in this late-blooming girl that had her two hands clenched and placed in front of her chest, Kamijou tried to pull her back, saying,
"Then, well, so to Itsuwa and the rest, it seems like 'coming to London was the best choice', right?"
"??? Well, we're really happy to be living on the same land as the Priestess."
The way Kamijou suddenly changed the topic caused Itsuwa to remain dazed for a while.
"…Well, as the distance is too far, it's a pity that I can't immediately see the person I want to see when the person's in Japan…"
She continued to walk beside Kamijou, her vision slowly turning downwards, her mouth muttering.
"…But, recently, things are alright. That, it's like Vega and Altair…"[2]
"? What now, Itsuwa?"
"NO, NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!!!"
Kamijou stared at Itsuwa as he questioned a blank Itsuwa, and Itsuwa blushed as she started to wave her hands.