Bonus: A Certain Maiden’s Struggle of Competitive Principles

The next day, the third day of the Daihaseisai—after all competitions had ended.

The celebration party, which also doubled as a “thank you” gathering for stopping the great incident known as Kihara Gensei’s “Usurpation Plan,” was held by renting out an entire ballroom in a luxury hotel in District 5.

To explain the background: at first, the idea was to do something like during Shiren’s resurrection party—just gather the related members and have fun in a big karaoke box or something similar.

However, the moment Reicia suggested inviting Kamijou Touma, the situation changed completely. Following Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki also declared she would attend, which meant that her “largest faction” underlings also decided to participate.

In response to that, all members of GMDW also announced their participation, which then led to inviting Misaka Mikoto’s friends—Shirai Kuroko, Uiharu Kazari, Saten Ruiko, Kongou Mitsuko, Wannai Kinuho, and Awatsuki Maaya—who were also key contributors in this incident.

And since Kamijou Touma’s housemate Index and her friend Kazakiri Hyouka naturally followed along, plus the strong request of the host, Reicia=Blackguard, Baba Yoshio was also invited.

Baba Yoshio had strongly requested the company of a boy and girl whom he referred to as his colleagues, but unfortunately both refused, so that never materialized.

Thus the party ended up being a huge gathering: fifty members from Shokuhou’s faction, ten from GMDW, Misaka Mikoto with seven classmates, three from the Kamijou household, and Baba Yoshio—seventy-one people in total. A spacious ballroom had to be reserved; otherwise, there was no way everyone could fit.

As for the details of this incident, people’s memories had been altered to the harmless version of “a terrorist plot was prevented.” With topics like MNW and “the Dragon” being impossible to make public, this measure was, in a sense, only natural.

……Though, of course, there were a few exceptions to this rule.

"Wow… this place is ridiculously huge. Guess that’s what you’d expect from an ojou-sama’s party, huh…"

"Fufu, feeling a bit out of place?"

Shiren said with a light laugh to Kamijou, who was gazing curiously around the venue. His eyes happened to drift toward Reicia’s voice, but only for the briefest moment—he quickly looked away.

Frankly put, he didn’t know where to look.

Reicia was not wearing her Tokiwadai Middle School uniform today. Instead, she was dressed in a chic black-and-white gown, luxurious yet elegant.

That much was expected—it was a party, and she was a young lady of status. The problem was the amount of skin exposed. Reicia’s gown was off-shoulder.

It dipped down below her collarbone, making her surprisingly mature cleavage plain to see. Even the faint swell of her breasts showing near her underarms was far too stimulating for a teenage boy like Kamijou.

To make things worse, Kamijou himself had no formal attire suitable for such an occasion and was stuck in his school uniform. He felt absurdly out of place and awkward. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to grab that Baba kid, who was being surrounded by GMDW members across the hall, and just have the relief of being with another guy.

"Y’know… I thought I understood already, but being here really drives it home. You two—Reicia and Shiren—really are proper ojou-samas, huh."

"You don’t need to be so stiff, you know? We may dress up for appearances’ sake, but at the end of the day, we’re just ordinary middle schoolers. We’re not nearly as impressive as we may look."

"(…Yeah, coming from you, Shiren, the whole ‘middle schooler’ part isn’t exactly convincing, though.)"

Shiren pressed a hand gracefully against her chest as she spoke, while Kamijou kept his gaze averted. Somehow… Shiren gave off an overall “mature” aura. Reicia still had that spirited, age-appropriate sharpness about her, which reminded you she was young. But Shiren lacked that edge.

Instead, she radiated a kind of warm openness, almost like the “big sister next door” (sophomore in college, single, all-girls school alum) that one might confuse her for. Kamijou, being the hopeless teenage boy he was, never expected to have his “older dorm manager lady” fetish stirred up by a younger girl.

"By the way, Touma-san, is your hand alright?"

"Yeah, see? Just iced it a bit and the pain and swelling went right down."

He opened and closed his right fist to demonstrate. He’d already had the frog-faced doctor check it, too, and got the all-clear. Of course, the doctor’s exact words were: “Man, your body really is borderline fantasy, huh?”

Which, naturally, was his way of pointing out how absurd it was that a hand that should’ve been fractured was completely unscathed.

"I’m glad to hear that. After all, you ended up even more beaten up afterward."

"Yeah, exactly! That’s what I’m talking about!"

Finally managing to switch gears, Kamijou raised his voice.

Afterward, he had gone alone to save the voice’s owner. The journey had been so harsh that his consciousness kept flickering in and out, which might explain why his memory of the person he saved was fuzzy. Still, he clearly remembered rescuing them and handing them safely over to Mikoto and Reicia.

……That said, if Reicia and Mikoto had come along from the start, he never would have needed to push himself to such extremes. Instead, Reicia had not only stayed behind herself, but also held Mikoto back. From Kamijou’s perspective, it felt like she’d saddled him with unnecessary trouble.

"I mean, sure, I managed to save the person in the end, so I’m fine with that. But seriously—why didn’t you guys come along?! I went through hell thanks to that!"

"Because, you see, if a princess is rescued by her prince, but another girl happens to be standing right beside him, wouldn’t that ruin the mood?"

"Huh…? That doesn’t really make sense…"

"It makes perfect sense. That’s how it should be."

"Ehh…? Doesn’t feel like it makes sense…???"

Kamijou couldn’t quite shake off his doubts, but since it was unusual for Shiren to act with such forcefulness, he ended up being swept along.

In fact, he almost felt like she was angry. His poor interpersonal instincts screamed that digging further here would be hazardous to his lifespan.

"Well, looks like you two are having fun."

With a drink in hand, Misaka Mikoto walked up to them.

Mikoto too, like Reicia, was dressed differently than usual. She wore a blue gown, giving her a far more mature impression than normal. …However.

"…Whoa, what the hell is that. Doesn’t suit you at all."

Kamijou’s blunt comment had not the slightest trace of tact. Compared to how he treated Shiren, the difference was night and day.

"W-what did you just say!? I’ll have you know this look was actually pretty well received by the other Tokiwadai girls! Maybe it’s your eyes that are broken!"

"That’s just because they don’t know what you’re normally like. Biribiri middle-schooler in a dress, huh… I’m more worried static’ll make your skirt fly up."

"Wh-what was that?!"

"Easy, easy, Mikoto-san. You really do look cute, so calm down. And Touma-san, please don’t tease her so much."

Not wanting a lightning discharge in the middle of a party, Shiren gently soothed the riled-up Mikoto, and Kamijou backed off as well.

Mikoto too pulled back her anger… but really, it wasn’t so much that her anger subsided, as that her attention was drawn to something else entirely.

Namely—

"…What did you just call him?"

"Huh?"

"You know, just now, the way you addressed him."

"Eh… Touma-sa—ah! Uh… well…"

Kamijou’s name.

Shiren too only realized midway, but up until recently, she’d called him “Kamijou-san.” For her to now call him “Touma-san” was a considerable shift. Naturally, Mikoto’s maidenly heart leapt to the obvious worry: did something big happen between them to warrant that change?

"It… it just happened that way, really."

Shiren’s reply was nothing but evasive.

"Hm? Oh yeah, the other day my family and Reicia’s family happened to run into each other. We ended up having dinner together."

"D-dinner?!"

"Your reaction’s kinda extreme… Anyway, at that time, since everyone was a Kamijou, calling me by surname got confusing, so…"

"I-I see… huh… hmmm… hmmm…"

Mikoto understood that at least it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. But that didn’t change the fact that the situation was dangerous. Also, Kamijou being completely oblivious to the fact that he was getting closer to Shiren irritated her all the more.

No sparks of electricity flew. No sparks—but instead, a different sort of dark emotion coiled within her.

It was Shiren who caught on first.

《…Reicia-chan. Even I get it this time. Mikoto-san wants to call Kamijou-san by his first name, doesn’t she?》

That was the same kind of thing Shiren had overlooked once before with Kongou Mitsuko’s appeal. Determined not to repeat the same mistake, she tried to throw Mikoto a lifeline—

《Shiren! Stop right there!》

Only to be halted by Reicia.

《What is it now, Reicia-chan? Another lecture about maintaining your lead in the heroine race, or something like that?》

《No. I understand your feelings, Shiren. If that’s what satisfies you, then fine. I don’t mind lending aid to a rival if need be. However! Letting Mikoto call Touma by his first name right now is far too soon!》

《I… sort of get what you’re saying, and sort of don’t…》

《Mikoto, you see, is a tsundere.》

Reicia said this, then slipped into lecture mode.

《When I say “tsundere,” I don’t mean the original sense where she acts cold in public but melts into affection when the two of you are alone. I mean the other kind—the one where she starts out cold and gradually softens over time.》

《Yeah. I’m glad to see you steadily picking up more and more otaku knowledge, Reicia-chan.》

《I will ignore that. …Anyway, those types have a very strict upper limit on how much “dere” they can handle at once. Mikoto is one of them, and surprisingly, so is Index. If Mikoto were to suddenly start calling him by his first name now… If it only ended in overheating, that’d be lucky. At worst, she might get so embarrassed she pushes Kamijou away entirely, and they grow distant.》

《That serious, huh…》

Reicia’s voice carried a hint of exaggerated fear, but sadly, it wasn’t entirely overblown. Truth be told, she had a point—when it came to Mikoto, forcing the pace too much might not be wise.

《That’s why, for now, we let it slide. Offering too many lifelines wouldn’t help anyway. Honestly, if anything, we should be focusing on restoring Kamijou’s memories about Shokuhou first.》

《Ah… yeah, you’re right…》

And so, regarding Mikoto, the two of them agreed to a “wait and see” approach.

As Mikoto muttered “hmm, hmm” to herself, Shirai approached her. Meanwhile, Shiren lightly tugged on Kamijou’s sleeve and pointed toward Index.

Clad in a white dress selected for her by the GMDW members, Index was ignoring the party entirely, savoring the luxurious food with gusto. She wasn’t alone, though—Kiryu Chito and Amiya Konagi were with her.

"…Leaving Index like that isn’t great from the host’s standpoint. Could you come with me for a bit?"

"Sorry to trouble you."

Shiren chuckled wryly, and Kamijou, also smiling awkwardly, bowed his head in thanks.

More than a housemate, she thought with idle amusement—he really was like her guardian.

Chapter 2 – I Won’t Choose Between Two Options – PHASE-NEXT.
Extra: A Certain Maiden’s Competitive Struggle

"Index, are you enjoying yourself?"

At Reicia’s voice, Index stopped eating and looked up. In her pure white, delicate dress she looked almost like a princess from some fairy tale kingdom… but holding fried chicken in her right hand and a fork tangled with spaghetti in her left, she resembled nothing more than a growing child with a hearty appetite.

After swallowing what was in her mouth, Index smiled brightly and nodded.

"Yeah! It’s really fun! I got to talk with Hyouka too, and all of Reicia’s friends are such nice people!"

"T-t-th-that’s kind of embarrassing to hear… It’s you, Index-sama, who makes things feel so warm and pleasant just by being here."

"That talk about a nun’s spirit of service outside the occult, it was really fascinating, de gozaru!"

It seemed Index had managed to fit in just fine.

Or rather, that was her way—Index was the kind of girl who, in places like this, naturally won people’s hearts. Before you knew it, she’d grown close to everyone, easing their burdens, saving them in little ways. That was precisely why her own heart was left unsaved… or so Shiren thought, glancing at Kamijou’s profile.

The spiky-haired boy, of course, seemed exasperated as ever by Index’s single-minded obsession with food. Shiren gave a faint, wistful smile.

"As long as you’re having fun, that’s what matters. This is a little ‘thank you’ party, after all."

"…A thank you party?"

Index’s expression clouded at those words. The dissatisfaction showing there was clearly directed toward Kamijou.

"Touma, you were doing dangerous stuff again, weren’t you?"

"N-no, this time it wasn’t just me! I only helped out a little near the end. Misaka and Reicia were the real stars. Plus there were a bunch of other crazy espers and adults involved. Heck, even Kazakiri was there!"

"…That just makes it worse, since I was left out. Actually, I feel like I’ve said this before—but whenever Shireicia’s around, I’m always the one left out!"

"T-that’s not true at all…"

The truth was, if Index had witnessed the “Dragon” herself, there was no telling what would have happened. Perhaps she wouldn’t have understood its composition at all. Or maybe she would have been able to interpret it using her 103,000 grimoires. Or perhaps her mere act of observing it might have given birth to entirely new magical knowledge.

For reasons like that, she hadn’t been called in. But still.

"Anyway, I didn’t get hurt badly this time. Two battles in a row without serious injuries—that’s progress for me, right?"

"…I think it was just dumb luck," Index muttered, eyes narrowed in reproach.

Kamijou froze, unable to deny it.

After all, it had been a fight where one wrong step could mean death. Most of the attacks couldn’t be erased even by Imagine Breaker, and if they hadn’t had so many allies, Kamijou’s right arm could easily have been blown clean off. In that sense, Index’s jab about dumb luck wasn’t far off the mark at all.

"Come now, Index-san. Whenever your eyes can’t be on him, I’ll make sure to keep watch."

"Well, if Shiren’s watching him, then I guess I can relax. Please do, okay? Touma always does reckless things if you look away for even a second."

"…Why do I feel like I’m being treated like some troublesome little kid here?" Kamijou muttered, scratching his cheek.

But off to the side, Amiya and Kiryu exchanged a very different kind of look.

"S-s-so, Konagi-san… is that what I think it is?"

"Yes. That must be it—Shiren-san’s… with that spiky-haired boy… We need to report this to Yumetsuki-san immediately."

—The battle of love was only just beginning.

"Araaa☆"

Shiren, having picked up on Kamijou’s desperate eye signal that screamed he wanted to escape Index’s nagging, subtly led him away—only to run straight into Shokuhou, who had just stepped out of the circle of guests.

—Or at least, that was what it looked like. In truth, it wasn’t coincidence at all. Shokuhou had spotted Kamijou, deliberately pulled herself away from the circle, and approached him exactly as planned. Position-wise, Kamijou stood behind while Reicia stood in front, but Shokuhou’s gaze was refreshingly fixed only on Kamijou.

Like Reicia, Shokuhou wasn’t wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she had donned a dress with an orange base. Unlike Reicia’s, hers was a high-neck design—but with a boldly open back, it showcased a different kind of mature femininity that blossomed just as vividly.

Flustered by the unexpected encounter, Kamijou glanced at Reicia and asked:

"This young lady is…?"

"She’s my classmate. Her name is—"

Before Shiren could finish, Shokuhou slipped around behind Kamijou, seized the initiative by looping her arm through Reicia’s, and looked up at Kamijou with wide, glittering eyes.

"I’m a friend of Blackguard-san’s, my name’s Shokuhou Misaki! Nice to meet you☆"

"Ch-… gross! Don’t just suddenly wrap yourself around my arm like that! And what’s with the cutesy voice… ugh, it’s disgusting!"

"Yaan, you’re so mean☆"

Feigning offense at Reicia’s instinctive outburst from the sudden touch, Shokuhou withdrew her arm with a practiced flourish. Spinning lightly on her toes as if she were gliding across a ballroom floor, she turned toward Kamijou with a radiant smile.

"That’s too harsh, Reicia-chan. It’s not fair to call her gross. Shokuhou-san went out of her way to dress up so beautifully tonight. Look at that dress—doesn’t it look wonderful on her? It suits her perfectly."

"……Could you, maybe, try to unify your personalities before you speak? It’s really hard for the person on the receiving end to know how to react, y’know?"

A small cough—cohon—and Shokuhou closed the distance to Kamijou by another step. Tilting her face up to his from below, she flashed a dazzling smile.

"…N-i-i-ce to meet you, Kamijou-san."

"O-oh, uh… nice to meet you…? Wait, hold on, just now—"

"H-hey, you! What… what do you think you’re doing!?"

Just as Kamijou began to sense that something was off, a sharp voice cut in. Misaka Mikoto’s reprimand echoed through the party hall as she moved to stop Shokuhou’s overly intimate advance. The one who panicked most was Reicia—or rather, Shiren. She could understand exactly where Shokuhou’s feelings were coming from, and in her mind, little “bonus times” like these should be allowed to run their course.

Of course, one day she wanted it to be more than just fleeting “bonus times.” She wanted Shokuhou not to have to keep saying “nice to meet you” over and over again.

With that in mind, Reicia tried to step in and mediate between Shokuhou and Mikoto, explaining the situation.

"No, Mikoto-san, this wasn’t anything special, I was just introducing Shokuhou-san to Touma-san, that’s all—"

"…Touma-san?"

—Let’s cut straight to the conclusion.

That choice of words was the worst possible move in this situation.

"Blackguard-saaan? You’re awfully close with the gentlemen, aren’t you?"

"And you—aren’t you being way too familiar for a first meeting? What, are you trying to pick a fight with me or something?"

"Toumaaa! Hey, hey, this shrimp tempura is huuuge! Like, super-sized! I wanna eat this every day! We should totally ask the chef where they got it! Then you can buy it for me!"

Later, everyone who had attended the party would recall the same thing:

────In that corner of the party, hell itself had manifested.

A short distance away from that hellish scene.

Several men and women were watching the unfolding battlefield from afar.

Baba Yoshio.
Shika Yumetsuki.
Saten Ruiko.
Kazakiri Hyouka.

Each of them knew at least one corner of that chaotic battlefield quite well. Incidentally, nearby, Hokaze Junko was also anxiously watching the situation unfold. However, being far too oblivious, she didn’t grasp the subtleties of the “battlefield of love” and simply thought something like 『Wow, the atmosphere looks kinda hostile』.

"...Seriously, what did that woman call me here for…? To watch this disaster unfold…?"

"Misaka-san is just too cute~..."

Saten, carefree as ever, muttered from beside Baba. Incidentally, her memories of Baba had been erased during the course of memory alteration. Baba himself knew that, and was deliberately pretending this was their first meeting.

"...So, Shiren-san… does she really… have feelings for that man…?"

"W-well, I think only Shiren-san herself would know for sure… B-but wow, there are so many girls around Kamijou-kun…"

"...Now that I think about it, that spiky-haired guy… he’s actually liked by three of Tokiwadai’s Level 5 espers? Unreal… Well, I always figured he wasn’t just some ordinary Level 0, but still…"

"Ughh… Misaka-san! This isn’t the time to blush! Your opponent is the overwhelming motherly-type Reicia-san! Push forward! Push forward!"

"And why the hell is she heckling like this in the first place…?"

The way they watched varied widely. Of the group, the most “cooperative” one was Saten. Given any chance, she would try to nudge Mikoto toward getting closer to Kamijou.

On the other hand, Shika and the rest of the GMDW members didn’t hold a very favorable view of Reicia and Shiren’s romantic involvement. No—most of them were more in the realm of "confused" or "just observing." But some, like Shika, were outright casting cold glares much like Shirai did, and even seemed ready to voice complaints if given the chance.

And then.
In such a situation where countless eyes were drawn in—paired with Kamijou Touma.

There could hardly be a worse combination in this world.

Because—

"That’s it! Get off already! What’s with pressing your boobs against his arm like that!? Are you doing this to spite me, since I don’t have any to press!?"

"Ehh~? Misaka-san, you’re so scary☆ Kamijou-saaan, I’m still recovering and feeling a bit weak, so I just needed your arm for support, you seeee~"

"Y-y-you fake-cutesy little……!!!"

And so—
Shokuhou clung tightly to Kamijou’s left arm, pressing her chest against him, while Mikoto, having lost patience with words alone, tried to forcibly peel her off.

Shiren was desperately trying to calm them down, looking rather troubled, but neither of them listened. Index, whose mood had soured after a failed negotiation over fried shrimp, was biting Kamijou’s head. Overall, it was pure misfortune.

And in the midst of that—

"That’s enough! I said, let go of him already!!"

With a yank! Mikoto tried to wedge herself between Kamijou and Shokuhou. Already clinging tightly, Shokuhou lost her balance from the sudden movement.

The first to react swiftly was Shiren. She attempted to support Shokuhou from falling by expanding a crack of wind—

"Ah,"

But the crack touched Kamijou’s staggering right hand.

The next moment—

Pakiiin! With a shattering sound, the crack broke apart—and a burst of half-formed wind erupted.

The gust blew Kamijou forward—knocking him into Shiren’s chest.

Index, who had been biting Kamijou’s head, toppled with him and ended up straddling his neck with her thighs.

Shokuhou and Mikoto also fell over, pressing their chests against Kamijou’s cheeks from both sides.

"T-this is paradise. …Ah, wait, no, it’s a living hell."

Baba groaned the words, but was immediately met with sharp glares from all directions and hastily corrected himself. And indeed, the corrected expression fit the situation far better.

"Wa-wait, Touma-san!? Th-that tickles…! P-please don’t mumble against me like that! And Index-san, would you please get off!? At this rate Touma-san will suffocate!?"

"Touma? Toumaaa!? Where’d you go! We’re not done talking yet!"

"..................kyuu"

"Wh- Shokuhou!? Shokuhou just fainted! What are we supposed to do now!? This is completely out of control—!?"

"Kamijou Touma…! You’ve finally shown your true colors! As I thought, you cannot be entrusted with Shiren-san!!"

"Misaka-san! Just a little more effort! This is your big chance—!"

In the midst of utter chaos, with her face burning bright red from embarrassment, Shiren spoke in Kamijou’s place—since his mouth was occupied—murmuring a single heartfelt line.

"............This is misfortune…"

And afterward.

Although Shokuhou imposed a gag order on the incident, there was no stopping gossip from spreading.

A rumor quickly circulated, whispered in hushed tones: 『There’s a dangerously outrageous Level 0 who has all three of Tokiwadai’s Level 5 espers fawning over him』.

Whether or not the three maidens struggled with the fallout… well, that’s another story.

"Haah? What the hell is this request. Something like this, they should just dump on the second-string trash."

――Private pool.

From a beach chair set up beside it, a displeased girl’s voice rang out. Dressed in a purple bikini with a pareo, the young woman tossed the provided tablet onto the side table.

The tablet was picked up by a girl in a white swimsuit, who scanned through the files further as she spoke.

"Capturing a runaway cyborg. …That said, judging by the contents here, the actual capture work doesn’t seem to be our responsibility. Looks like that part goes to the second-stringers… a squad called the Scavengers, or something like that."

"I couldn’t care less. What? The higher-ups want us to babysit some nobodies?"

"No. Looking at this more closely… it seems they’re expecting certain obstacles. Specifically, an esper Level 5—『Jagged Edge』, wielder of the black-and-white saw blade. And also, interference from a dark-side organization with the same clearance level as us is strongly predicted."

"Ohhh?"

At that point, the girl in the purple bikini finally shifted her tone upward.
But it wasn’t because she felt any good will.

"...? But this is strange. The phrasing here is oddly absolute, almost as if it’s describing something that’s already happened. Yet the cyborg’s rampage itself hasn’t even started. …The only order for us is to remain on standby, it seems."

"Doesn’t matter."

Cutting off the concern voiced by the girl in the white swimsuit, the purple-bikini girl quietly let a smile curl onto her lips.

It was a torn, feral grin—one that gave the impression of some reptilian predator.

"Now this is interesting. Let’s see how you measure up—the Hidden・Fourth・Rank."

The time of her encounter with the Fourth Ranked—Mugino Shizuri—was quietly drawing near.