Hey there!
New chapter! I was able to publish it pretty fast this time because I already had it half-written.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index nor any of its characters.
Chapter 1 - Beginnings
Morning arrived early in a student dorm where a certain unfortunate boy resided. The alarm of his phone rang, a hand rose and, after searching for a bit, turned it off. With a grunt, a spiky-haired teenager rose from his tub.
Yes, tub.
Due to certain circumstances, Kamijou Touma was sharing his dorm with a number of freeloaders, one of which had taken over the bed ever since she arrived. Incidentally, that same freeloader was the reason why he had to get up so early. That girl, known as Index Librorum Prohibitorium (which, truth be told, was a rather odd name) had a never-ending appetite and a black hole for a stomach. Furthermore, she also had an extremely short temper in regards to food, a very sharp collection of teeth, and a surprising and deadly amount of jaw strength.
Now, how was this related to the reason Kamijou had to sacrifice hours of sleep that he could never hope to regain? The answer was very simple. It was because the combination of those traits possessed by Index headed to a certain scenario which he wished to avoid as much as possible. In order to do that, he needed to have food prepared by the time she woke up and asked- no, demanded breakfast. To cook everything necessary, time was required, and so he had to wake up early every morning to make sure Index did not woke while he was still in the middle of preparing the food.
Kamijou washed his face, changed into his school uniform, exited the bathroom and headed for the kitchen while being careful not to make too much noise. However, it seemed it was loud enough for another of the local residents to awaken.
"What are you doing, human?"
"Oh, Othinus. Good morning."
This was the second of the freeloaders who were currently living in Kamijou's dorm. She was someone who had mastered magic and stepped past the realm of humans and into the territory of gods, but she had lost her powers and ended up becoming 15cm tall.
"I don't think it will be any good for you. Why are you up so late?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You forgot?"
An unpleasant premonition started to assault Kamijou, but he did his best to push it to the back of his mind and maintain a nonchalant expression.
"Forget what?"
"Well, it isn't like it concerns me. Do your best to survive."
After leaving behind such an ominous sentence, she headed back to sleep. Othinus' words probably intended to make a strong impact, but Kamijou found himself having problems to be conveniently scared due to the words coming out of a pink-colored doll house.
He tried recalling for a few seconds whatever Othinus said he had forgotten, but he wasn't able to, so he shrugged and headed for the kitchen once more. He then opened the refrigerator, and his breathing caught in his throat. He abruptly remembered what the miniature magic god had been talking about.
Yesterday, he had been chased around all afternoon by a short-tempered lightning-throwing esper, arrived home exhausted and had forgotten to buy groceries. Since he was tired, he decided to make dinner with what he had in hand and wake up earlier than usual the next day and go to a convenience store.
That series of events led to a single, unavoidable fact.
The fridge was empty.
In the middle of that life-threatening crisis, Kamijou's experiences surfaced and his mind started to frantically think about the best course of action which would let him escape his fate.
Let us go over a fact. Kamijou Touma was someone who had overcome the battlefields of Russia, the various combats in Hawaii, the hell of Baggage City, and the frozen plans of Denmark. He was an individual who possessed a vast amount of experience about surviving desperate situations. Making use of it, he was able to come up with a plan that proportioned the best possible odds.
"Index isn't awake yet. In that case, I should retreat here. She won't be able to do anything if I am not in her range. But, leaving her to starve is not good, the retribution will increase exponentially to how much hunger she feels at the moment, so I wouldn't be able to come back. There's also the possibility that she would leave the dorm on her own if she cannot endure... In that case, once I'm out I'll immediately go buy food and come back, an offer it to her before she has the opportunity to attack. Since she will be at her limits she will concentrate on it instead of me, and once she is full, I'll be able to pacify her. That's it! Hahaha! The plan is perfect! Don't underestimate this Kamijou-san who has already been living with Index for months!"
Now, let us go over another fact. Kamijou Touma was a misfortunate person. His homework would be blown by the wind the moment it was finished, only to fall in a fountain to become unreadable, it would rain whenever he did not bring an umbrella, his toast would inevitably fall to the floor with the jam side face-down, and he would get caught in random incidents ranging from back alley thefts to world-threatening crises. He was the most faithful follower of Murphy's Law. In fact, Murphy himself would have been scared silly had he known to which extents that boy had taken it. So, what happened next didn't surprise him much.
"Touma?"
Index, wearing her night clothes, lazily raised her head from the bed. Her eyes darted around the room until they suddenly froze in place. She kept staring at the same spot, processing the information her ocular nerves were sending her. Kamijou, somewhat cautiously, followed her line of sight. He despaired.
She was looking at the fridge, which was still open.
The empty fridge.
Since the situation had developed to the point of no return, any idea of escape was now useless, and the dreaded scenario that Kamijou had wanted to avoid no matter what, known as Touma! There's no food! Chomp, chomp, crunch was inevitable, Kamijou could only sigh, hung his head in defeat and mutter:
"Such misfor- GAAAAAH! SUCH MISFORTUNE!"
Some time later, after escaping the clutches of a hungry nun (he ended up having to go buy breakfast and promise extra-large special dinner), and rescuing a Magic God who, perhaps out of sympathy, decided to share his fate and also ended in the fauces of a hungry beast, by feeding said beast (who was actually a calico cat, and the third and last freeloader of the residence); Kamijou was walking to school with his blond classmate and neighbour Tsuchimikado Motoharu.
"So, I have been watching this series recently. It was so good that I bought all the seasons up to now after waching the first few episodes and marathoned them the same day they arrived."
"That good? What is it about?"
"An epic tale of magic, fate and love! The hero sets on a journey to eradicate the forces of evil who threaten the world! With nothing but his resolve and his passion, he fights demons, dragons and evil sorcerers, all the while trying to escape the tragic destiny that the Goddess herself prophesied! And, of course, captures the heart of all the ladies he comes across! Oh, the ladies, Kami-yan! I think I have not seen such variety ever since Aogami's room! Tsunderes, kuuderes, derederes, yanderes, childhood friends, maids, teachers, imoutos, onee-sans, nuns, priestesses, warrior girls, ojou-samas, village girls, mikos, sempais, kouhais, dragon girls, samurai girls, meganekkos, librarians, princesses, devils, angels, goddesses!"
"Wait a second. How in the world are there senpais and kouhais in a world of sword and magic?"
"That'd be a spoiler, so I'm not telling."
"Haaaaaaaaaah?!"
"Hey, guys!"
Aogami Pierce, the third and last member of the idiot trio, had catched up to them from behind.
"What's up?"
"I was telling Kami-yan about Epic Tale of the Dark Hero."
"Oh! That is one awesome story! You gotta watch it too when you can, Kami-yan. It has got almost as many types as your harem. Have you seen the latest episode?"
"Of course nya~ The imouto was adorable as always!"
"You're right, but I think the yandere priestess stole the show this time."
"Can't argue with that."
"So what happened?"
""Not telling, that'd be spoiler (nya~)""
"WHY YOUUUUU!"
"Hey, check this!"
Once they reached their classroom, Aogami aproached his two friends' desks with his phone in hand.
"What's that?"
"Arisa-chan's new comercial. Her popularity skyrocketed since she was chosen as one of the public faces of the new game. Not that she wasn't popular before, what with her singing in the space and everything. That's why I told you before, right? You have to support an idol since the beginnig, before she becomes famous! Then you can brag to others that you knew it all along!"
"Arisa... she's doing quite well, huh."
Kamijou thought aloud while watching the screen, where a pink-haired girl could be seen holding some kind of metallic bracelet and smiling, while a song sounded in the background.
At this moment, a face with closed eyes and piercings in the ears appeared dangerously close to his own.
"You know, Kami-yan..."
"Y-Yes?"
Noticing the edge of danger in his friend's voice, Touma stiffened a little before answering with an awkward smile.
"Just know, you sounded like you knew Arisa-chan personally. Have you met her before?"
"Wh-Whaat? Haha, of course not, it'd be impossible right, I mean, she's an idol and all..."
While Kamijou shifted around uncomfortably and avoided eye contact, he caught a glimpse of Tsuchimikado. He was grinnig.
"But I saw you together nya."
"Shut up you nyanya bastard!"
"I knew it! Kami-yaaaaan! Why won't you ever leave any girls to us!" Aogami pounced on Kamijou and attempted an uppercut.
"I said that I don't know her! He's lying!" Kamijou sidesteped and tackled Tsuchimikado.
"She was~ in your appartment nya~ and she sang~" Tsuchimikado jumped to avoid Touma, but met with Aogami's second charge and tumbled to the ground.
"WHAAT! She sang for you! That's a major flag for every idol rute! Good job, man! But now I wanna beat you up even more!" Aogami threw off Tsuchimikado and pulled Touma's leg, making him fall to the ground like the other two.
"She sang? Damn, I missed that! Such misfortu- NO!, I mean, Tsuchimikado, stop bullshiting me!" The idiot trio grapled trying to get the upper hand against the other.
"An idol..."
In a corner of the room, a girl whose presence was rather thin with long black hair, and who probably would have looked good in a shrine maiden's outfit, muttered to herself before giving a small nod.
"Makes sense. Idol's are one of the most popular routes, it would be strange if he didn't unlock it."
"Himegami, stop it with the galge comparisions! And you three, WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"
The idot trio's sheningans were immediately smashed apart with the arrival of the Iron Wall girl, who ruthlessly headbutted each of them, before pounding them to the ground. Luckily for them, they were saved from further physical punishment with the arrival of a petite figure with pink hair who made her way to the teacher's desk.
"Alright class, everybody get ready, we're about to begin!"
Tsuyukomi Komoe, the class tutor, waited for all students to be seated and silent before continuing.
"Sensei has bad news for you. It has been decided that today we will take a break from our regular curriculum, so to those of you who anticipated it, bad luck!"
Immediately, the roumbling sound of chairs and even a couple shouts of joy were heard.
"Of course, that doesn't mean that we will do nothing today, and you're in no way exempt from class."
The roumbling of chairs returning to their original positions was heard again, this time accompanied with mutters of annoyance.
"By the way, everybody who just tried to leave will have to win a game of Blind Poker before being allowed to go home."
""""Whaaaaat!?""""
"Kamijou-chan, you too."
"Geh?! B-But I did nothing this time!"
"We will use this opportnity to catch up with all the sessions that you missed on because you didn't come to class."
"SUCH MISFORTUNE!"
"Sensei!"
"Yes, Fukiyose-chan?"
"What are we going to do today? No, before that, what was the reason today's lectures were suspended?"
"Today sensei will be giving you all an introduction of the new classes for your curriculum. Sensei will also answer the doubts that you may have when we're done explaining. But before we start, Fukiyose-chan, could you help sensei give one of these to everyone?"
Komoe took out a plastig bag filled with bracelets, which Fukiyose took and started to distribute to the students of the class.
"Everyone listen, I'll give a fast introduction before we start. Has everybody heard about Conqueror's World SP?"
Conqueror's World SP was the name of the new game Academy City had recently developed in conjunction with other foreign superpowers. It caused worldwide excitement to professionals and common people alike, for very good reasons. For scientists, it was one of the few pieces of complete technology that were yielded by Academy City. For people from the game industry, it meant a whole new world of possibilities for the future.
Also, Academy City did not limit itself to just the annonucement of the game release date, it created a publicitary campaign of enormous magnitude to popularize it. For example, it asked idols such as Meigo Arisa or Hitotsui Hajime, and other renowned personalities like Lindy Blueshake and Beverly Seethrough to become beta-testers, and released videos and interviews of their experiences. This, coupled with more traditional methods like adds and TV comercials, made the public go haywire with excitement. The last straw was the announcment that it would be proportioned for free to everyone who wanted to play. It was definetly the most anticipated game in history.
"Even if this time Academy City let other countries participate, we still were the major contributors to the development of the game. And, like every other project, there is a reason so many funds have been invested in it. Besides being a tool for entertainment, it also doubles as a massive experiment to gather data on brainwaves and thought patterns. Has everyone recieved their device?"
"""""Yeeeees~""""
"Don't take them out of their wrappers yet. As sensei was saying, Conqueror's World SP is also an experiment to gather data from around the world. But, for you students who are undergoing the Power Curriculum Program, it has one more function. That is why the devices you have just recieved are somewhat different from those that the people outside Academy City will recieve."
Touma looked curiously at the shiny metallic bracelet wrapped in plastic. A couple desks away, Aogami raised his hand.
"Sensei."
"Yes?"
"The game was scheduled to be released tomorrow, was it not? Why are we getting it now?"
"As sensei said, for you who are students of Academy City, the conditions are slightly different. Sensei is sure that you will like them."
Komoe smiled when all people in the class looked at her in anticipation.
Just when she intended to resume talking, deafening cheers came from the classroom next to them. The students were confused, but Komoe merely smiled.
"As sensei was saying, the reason it is different for you is because from today on, playing the game, will in some part replace the curriculum."
""""Huh?""""
"That device connects to the game. It allows people to play by constantly reading brainwaves, processing them and executing the intended actions. At the same time, it also sends information countinuously about the world's state directly to the mind of the user. These devices are special because they can adjust the waves to some extent so that, while you play, you also advance in your power development. Of course, it doesn't cover all of it, so you will need to keep going to your scheduled sessions, but they will not be as extense."
Everybody was silent, processing the somewhat hard to believe words they had just heard. And then...
""""UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!""""
Cheers that didn't lose in intensity to the other class erupted spountaneously. After a couple minutes, another class joined in, and another, and another... soon, the whole school was cheering as loud as they could.
"YAHOOO!"
"IF THIS IS A DREAM, DON'T EVER WAKE ME UP!"
"VIDEOGAMES BANZAAI!"
"PLAYING GAMES IS NOW HOMEWORK! THE NEXT ERA IS HERE!"
"IS THIS THE SO-CALLED LIBERAL EDUCATION?!"
As the students celebrated, Komoe also raised her voice.
"Everyone! Sensei knows you're excited, but you must remember something. It's okay to play outside of the assigned session time or during your free time, but don't forget to do your regular homework properly. If you do not, you will fall behind, and sensei will cry. Please calm down!"
After some time, the class started to calm down under the repeated urges of their teacher and a bit of "help" from the Iron Wall girl, until they finally fell silent again.
"There are more good news for you. Sensei knows that you are all impatient to begin playing," all the students nodded eagerly with shining eyes "then you will not have to wait! The reason Sensei said earlier that there wouldn't be classes today is also because of this. Since playing is considered a school activity, we teachers will give you instructions and introduce you to the game."
"Huh? Sensei, could it be you have already played? Are you one of those beta-testers?" asked someone.
"That's not right. Yesterday they reunited all the theachers after school and showed us how to play, so we could in turn could teach the students. It happened in all schools in the city. Anyway, are you ready to begin?"
""""Yeees!""""
"To start, put on the bracelet you have recieved."
Touma tore the wrapper and observed the device. He noted that it had the same shape as the one Arisa had been holding in the video, but the color varied. Hers was pink with a pattern of musical notes, while his, and for what he could see everyone else's, was a plain metallic silver.
Shrugging, he adjusted it on his wrist. It surprised him how light and comfortable it was.
"Okay, now you don't need to do anything, just stay put for a minute while it syncronizes itself with you. By the way, once a device has been linked nobody else will be able to use it. To make it easier to recognize, you can customize it later, but don't lose it, okay? They are difficult to make, so if you don't take good care of yours and ask for another one it will take some time to get it."
A minute soon passed while everybody was busy examining their new accessory.
"Okay, everyone! Enough time has passed. We will begin now. To access the game, just concentrate a bit and think "Access". It will be a bit difficult at first, but you will get it fast. Also, before you start, adopt a comfortable posture. Think about it as if you were going to sleep. Once you have "crossed", don't worry about anything. There will be someone waiting for you. Sensei will wait for you here."
Some of the students raised their heads at that.
"Huh? Sensei, you're not coming?"
"Sensei will look out for you here. When you are playing, it's like you are sleeping, so you won't be able to react if something were to happen. That's why," her voice adopted a strict tone "you always have to play in a safe enviroment. If you don't, something bad may happen to you.
Okay, you can begin now. Sensei hopes you enjoy it and learn a lot of things."
Kamijou put his arms on top of his desk and placed his head on them. Then, he concentrated on the word "Access". Nothing happened. He raised his head in confusion, and saw that he was not the only one having problems. Other students, including Tsuchimikado and Aogami, were also furrowing their brows and looking around. However, some people had their eyes closed and appeared to have fallen asleep. At that moment Komoe's voice was heard.
"Don't worry if you don't succeed on your first try. Close your eyes, relax and concentrate. Sensei will cheer fo you."
Touma once more adopted the same posture as before, closed his eyes and tried to relax, all the while thinking about the keyword. After a couple minutes, his mind had completely calmed. He gradually began to fall uncoscious. He panicked a bit, but couldn't do anything to stop it and his mind sunk into darkness.
Aaaand there. Next time, they will finally enter the game for the first time. I will also introduce some of the basic mechanisms and rules.
See ya!