And here we are once again!

In terms of overall planning, this arc is slowly coming to an end as you can tell by the chapter name. But with everything that happened last chapter, I hope you can stay around as we move into another arc! While in this arc a lot has happened, a lot is going to be moving into the final arcs here so for those who think I have no direction, you're wrong! …At least, I hope you're wrong!

Not only that but we have Railgun T and the new start of Index with Genesis Testament?! A few of my thoughts are below, but seriously, even Christmas Eve is chaotic for Touma, isn't it?! Not to mention the fast progress we're making with Railgun…if only Index 3 had had the same quality and attention to detail, but the past can only be left where it has happened. The future is where we look forward to…and that means more GT given how we started off so strongly?!

But whatever the case, here is the Q & A:

JCarrasco: Thank you so much for your words! And for giving them, here is another chapter.

Baycon: To be honest, last chapter was as dark as it is going to get for a massive while. Touma will definitely manage to make things a lot lighter in future chapters so they'll definitely be something to balance the heaviness of last chapter. The Dragon will be sure to return…but not right now. Hahaha, glad you liked the Phantom Thief Railgun as well, that was definitely a strange story, even for me.

ReyKingKaiser: I'm glad you liked the line about hurting people for no reason; I've been waiting to use it for some time and I'm surprised that no one else has managed to use it before (at least, not from memory)! I hope you can look forward to the future of this story with the way you like things. Hint, hint, there might be a character that you will come to enjoy going forward…

Kokuyo112: Thanks so much!

Animan10: To be honest, I really liked the line "Do I need a reason to hurt somebody?" as well. Seeing the backwards way of thinking presenting itself in a horrible way felt both chilling and awesome to have in the story so hopefully I can keep up the standards! Thank you for your words as well.

LukeSky001: I think this is the point; whatever Kamui does to Touma will pale in the face of what Othinus did to him. However, if Kamui takes something from Touma there is no getting it back… I hope you can look forward to what the demise of Kamui is going to be!

Aminadab Brulle: I get where you're coming from with the way Kongou treated Touma and the like, however, given everything that has happened and her own growth, hopefully you can come to like her even a tiny bit. As for Kanzaki, I hope that her next appearance won't detract you from the story too much! Hahahaha, the world nearly ended when Index died, right?! As for the grimoire being a nice guy though, it was more because John's Pen overwhelmed it rather than because it 'gave Index up' – so it's not really a nice guy after all! I'm glad that you saw reason behind what Kongou was doing though. To be honest, while I WANTED to have a torture scene in there, the chapter was long enough as it was so I decided to go for just describing the end result. I'm also glad that you noted that what Faith said rang true; if they armed Kamui, then it wouldn't be about revenge for Touma but making themselves feel better about how they failed to protect him. I'm glad that you also noticed that Index and Mikoto acting out of character is a way for them to give Touma the peace he so wants; but at the same time, destroying the peace that he has built up this far. There is a lot to unpack after this arc in various ways so whatever direction I end up going in, I hope that you can really enjoy it no matter what. As for Shokuhou though, this chapter won't have her, mainly because of the need to 'unpack' everything in this arc. To your PS though, I think everyone's mad because there's not enough harem antics in this story…which is something I'm also mad at myself for. No problem gotta celebrate the holidays somehow!

Anime-ted Life116: Yeah, this one was really brutal and I think it won't ever get this bad for a LONG time. This arc really was a game changer because of the focus on Kamui and the levels of evil that he represents and also how naïve the other characters have been in thinking that 'everything will be fine'. In a way, this arc is a bit of a wake up call for everyone who knows about the underground war and also gives a bit more seriousness to future arcs too. However, as you asked for, future arcs WILL be more light hearted. As I said, this arc was a entry into the themes in the future but I hope to capture the 'Index' feel of arcs in the future with a mix of the usual comedy and the seriousness on the side…hopefully I do well in that! Oh, Touma won't be blamed for this; even I'm not that unfair. As for the number of arcs, the current 'path' of the arcs in the future is going to lead to the way to the final three arcs (each of those is going to be long) so everything that happens now has an endgame in that. As for the number of arcs though, I'm not too sure; it depends on how many characters I can fit in while not losing the plot. As for the next arc…let's just say that it's someone who hasn't made a strong appearance in many fics up until now. But ONLY 22 arcs?! I need to step up…!

DNWorks: Yeah, Touma needs a break. And the fact it's me saying this suggests that it's true (but then again, I always say that). But Touma breaking would need to take a lot given everything that happened with him and Othinus. As for Faith, I've already figured out a method of TRULY killing her so I hope you can enjoy her while she lasts. As for Orion, I hope you can enjoy the dynamic between him and Faith given how they are complete opposites. I hope this chapter gives you the breather you need!

ChancePluto: This time it's the left so no growing back…

Guest: Did it feel like the Jason Todd treatment? Touma didn't die…but then again, it depends on the 'Jason Todd' treatment that you mean then.

whwsms: Mongo! Well, the 'magical smackdown' you refer to meant that basically 100+ people died… I hope that you can look forward to whatever happens with Kongou and her friends given the wake up call this arc was in terms of how serious things can get. As for Yume (almost got it, but then again, it's been ages since she appeared) she will have her workload cut out for her. I'm glad that Faith's true identity surprised you; there's so much to offer in the Index world so I felt "Why not use one!?". Unfortunately though, the Kamui that Faith killed was merely a copy… But let's just see what Kamui has in store for everyone…!

Guest (another one): I'm pretty sure we had a couple of date chapters in this arc… But fanfic by nature does divert from the novels; the only way to not make it is to have copy and paste but I get what you mean.

jonathanblade00: I think last chapter will be the darkest in the series for a long time to come. I hope you can look forward to what Faith and Orion have to offer, especially now that they are a Gemstone/human-who-can't-be-killed-through-the-heart pair. Hopefully the future of this story will never be so dark…

BlueJack22: Why is it that it's normal for Touma to get hurt but for Index, it's not good?!

Bestest: I've got a wage slave job myself, hence the slow updates. I'm glad for your mixed emotions; it shows how fast things escalated in the space of two chapters. But thanks for your kind words when it comes to what I can offer; hopefully I can keep you on the edge of your seat for the future! Mugino needs more appearances…

Guest (another, another one): Even if Otohime did that though, it would the same as saying that she can never reach that level and potentially lead to a lot of despair…

Faker83: Things got really bad last chapter…

Megalomaniac: I'm pretty sure that Touma suffered more than expected last chapter! But one of these days this story is going to get a happy ending…

ArmoredCoreNineBall: We will; Faith is going to be an OC who is going to be very prominent so I hope she can grow on you in various ways. Last chapter went various places that I'm not too sure I want to visit again, but we'll have to see. I hope that whatever happens, you can continue to read and enjoy!

RandomReview: I think just last chapter pushed things past the 'T' rating, even though if just for a chapter.

Suspicious User: I guess the shock of seeing Touma's body being completely ripped to shreds would make anyone pause for a moment but I get the sentiment; everyone will have a greater role going forward and in future arcs so look forward to it. I have to agree with the amount of blood Touma has lost; he should donate. Faith being an isekai protagonist is the best idea ever because I know for certain she would suggest that to mess with people!

Guest (another, another, another one): Thanks for your words! As for Touma turning into the dragon, given the conditions for it to happen last time, we'll have to see how (if) I can get it to appear in this story. The retconning would be hard to pull out of my ass if I'm being honest.

WwEpsilonwW: I think the queasiness was the point, if only to show how off the rails Kamui is. Kamui's introduction would have been a little bit too much, especially given what happens in the next arc. I'm glad that you're happy Faith is alive…but yeah, I can't see her being an adult either.

A certain guest: Welcome back! As for your question, the only reason this fic isn't rated M is because there is like one or two chapters out of 150 or so that can be termed such, so it's basically just me choosing to favour the majority than the minority. I-I don't think I could have done the arm torture; if only because even that would have made me squirm in unpleasantness. Touma has basically become this series punching bag. Thor coming back is an idea I haven't had for a long time… I knew that Suffering-chan was the best girl! I guess to your point about inverses that Touma and Kamui both represent the extreme of the nature of 'good' and 'bad' when it comes to their spontaneous actions, especially given how neither of them would probably associate themselves with 'good' or 'bad' either. I guess in this way, both of them pursue that 1% you speak of given that they do what no one else does for their own selfish reasons. I loved seeing your Servant class for Aihana, especially given their Noble Phantasm! Part of me just broke out laughing when I saw that their Parameters varied! I hope that you can look forward to the chapter involving Yume in the future after everything that Touma just went through.

Ryder: Are you telling me that the date chapter was the scariest chapter for you?! The next arc has been confirmed (and is also done) but there do need to be more guys in this story…not counting OCs. Although to be honest, Accelerator and Hamazura had been lacking in this story for too long. Thanks for the request but if you could it under BTL, it would help me remember it a bit better… And of course I've been watching Railgun T! With guts and Misaki, I'm really looking forward to what comes next; the finale of the Daihaseisai is going to be a blast and I'm really loving how much effort has been put into this season!

Agent Nine: It will come in due time. Just between you and me though, I think the only reason I chose to not kill off Faith was because of that ahoge. As for that therapy session with a busty onee-san have you forgotten about Yume, the counsellor who saw Touma have his PTSD attack!? It has been a while so I guess it's understandable.

seiker: I hope that your life isn't too hectic and that you can still afford to keep things under control. I want to keep arcs fresh, but I understand that having it this dark was a strange type of fresh. However, this definitely was necessary given the themes of the future arcs. If I didn't have this arc, I don't think there would be a sense of urgency in everyone when the word 'war' gets thrown around. Now that this arc has happened, there's going to be a lot more proactive attempts to stop Kamui and that in itself mean that everyone is going to be more active in trying to prevent things from being lost again like in this arc. I do understand why you felt that things went out of hand though, but that was the point; in a way, this was a 'growing up' arc for many characters. In terms of the future though, at present, there is only one arc that might reach this levels of dark, but it won't be as much 'in your face' as this one was so it'll be a lot more subtle as a result. Things WILL lighten up though…and don't think I've forgotten about Shokuhou! She will have her time to shine, but given the events of last chapter, that was pretty difficult to do, right?! I understand that you are a little dazed after the chaos of this arc, but like I said, if anything, it's more for the characters here to 'mature' and do something more than just wait for something to happen and then solve it. I guess your reaction of 'nice chapter' but unable to say it was "good" per se sums up my feeling of this entire arc so thank you for your honest words and your reassurance – I'll make sure that the next arc is much like the previous ones (as best I can)! Have I turned you into a horrible person…I'm sorry if it's the case. Goddamn it, I'm going to post something fluffy next year!

ThE AnCiEnT DeRuViSh: Thanks for your kind words although don't hope this type of feel will stick around; it's going to return to being light hearted but will still have that 'dark' tone beneath it. I think you're going to get your wish pretty soon in the arc I've drafting at the moment… Faith just ruins everything, doesn't she?!

Rajarshi Sarkar: Hopefully this chapter meets your expectations!

Chris: There was a reason he didn't go for the right arm… As for your point of the harem being protective, I hope you hold onto that point right there as I might use it later on!

Tertium457: You will see in this chapter and the ones in the future what happens!

ShadowBloodedge9396: Okaeri! And don't worry; you're not late again. I hope that everything has been OK with you; it sounds like you're up to everything and then some…although beware of the dangers of gatcha… Hahahaha, glad to see that someone likes Faith and Orion, although I think you might be confused with some of their powers: only Faith is the immortal Gemstone. However, for Orion, I think that mystery of how he survived is part of his character (which will be explored later)..but also adds to his edgelord-ness. But if that's the case, that raises the question: even if Faith has survived this long in the business because of her Gemstone powers, what about Orion? I hope you can look forward to that. I hope you can also look forward to what happens with both Otohime and Index, although now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I took it back a notch when compared to something like Elfen Lied…although I have to note that they don't make anime that gory anymore. I was thinking that you noticed Aaron was Kamui but where things go from here with respect to Kamui is something that I hope you can enjoy and look forward all the same! As for Touma's arm, again, you shall see! You ask all the questions that I want to answer right now but can't, especially with respect to Faith! As for myself, thanks for asking: I managed to avoid anything burning down but it's not pretty what I have to deal with now in the aftermath – I appreciate the concern a lot. And yep, NT 22R came out last year with past vs. current Touma (in a way). I'm not too sure about this prequel series you're talking about but there is a sequel one!

Lawoi: I gave him a few date chapters this arc but it really wasn't worth it given what he ended up going through.

Formboy1: I'm glad you did that 'realisation' with Otohime's Magic Name. While from one perspective I felt it was something really cool (and wanted you to feel), I then wanted you to take a step back and think to yourself "Hang on…isn't this really bad?" which I'm glad you ended up doing! I hope that you can look forward to how Touma recovers! Yeah, this arc really went all the way in terms of how dark it ended up being. Still, there were some light parts that shone through like the small bits with Index; every now and then I want to show that she really is a kind girl at heart who wants to save people…even if she is a glutton so I'm happy that I got to show that. As for the massacre, I didn't watch any horror films but if I had to save, Raiders of the Lost Arc would have had to have been a big influence, although I'm not too sure why it was the case, although you can see that with the electricity through the eyes thing. Aaron, in the end, became the ultimate victim so even if he was killed in the end, I'm glad someone felt sorry for him even though he was 'killed' early on. I hope you can look forward to what Faith can offer; unlike most of the OCs, she fits into a strange character that some OCs fit into – one that isn't either enemy or ally but can be both. More importantly, for Faith, especially with the 'war' background setting, she is going to shine a lot of light onto otherwise dark moments so I'm glad that I wrote her! As for the point about Orion's last name fitting Faith more, that will be made relevant soon…although not in the way you think. As for the issue of Orion's 'heart', I hope you can hold onto that point as well; it's also super important but I'll make sure he doesn't overshadow anyone. The things and God will do for her Understander! I think everyone in the series and beyond will pray for Touma and his wellbeing. Hahahaha, if you've read the source material, then you know what's coming, but Railgun T has seriously been on point and I look forward to more Misaki scenes any day. Like you, I need to get her voice memorised! And my thoughts on GT are below!

And the thanks. Firstly, to my beta reader PokeRescue18. Thanks. Although that one word holds so little, I hope it portrays to you the endless thanks I have for you and what you have done for me over the years, especially with how busy you are at times. We're basically tied at the hip and it'll feel really weird when everything is said and done, but truly, thank you.

And to you as well, the reader. I try and make these thanks more personal instead of just copying and pasting the same message but I have no idea if that gets across how thankful I am to you. Seriously, if I was to write a proper thank you, it would rival a number of chapters in terms of length… But whatever the case, I really want to thank you endlessly for what you have done for me by reading my work.

And I'll let you do it as we deal with the aftermath of what was a particularly heavy chapter last time around. The only thing I hope you do is what you always do:

Enjoy.

Mr Question Mark.


Something had changed.

A line had been crossed.

There was no going back.

"Things…will never be the same."

The heaviness of that voice filled the air, Kamijou Touma having his head down as he spoke. His body trembled and the girls around him; Misaka Mikoto, Index, Tatsugami Otohime, Othinus and Kongou Mitsuko all felt the weight of those words. They too hung their heads as they refused to look at the boy in the hospital bed in District 7.

Those few words were all that was needed to sum up the chaos that had happened in District 10's Unergy Nuclear Research Centre.

People had died and no one had been saved. Kamijou himself had been subject to torture that would have broken the mind of any man but the fact he let those words told of the impact this incident had had on him. The survivors of that incident as well as a few other people who were not here were standing in front of and around Kamijou as he sat in his hospital bed.

Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya.

From what Kamijou had heard, Shokuhou Misaki, the #5 Level 5 of Academy City and the girl he could now remember, had erased their memories of what had happened at the request of Kongou. The trauma the girls had experienced upon seeing the death in the District 10 facility had almost been too much for them to bear and out of a mercy to them, that Level 5 had erased their memories.

Shokuhou herself was not in the group that surrounded Kamijou now, but he did not bother noting that out loud. The things she was doing now were unknown to him but to Shokuhou, he still was someone who would forget her when she left his field of vision and left to his own devices. She did not know that the side effects of the drug Regon had allowed Kamijou to recover his memories of her and the knowledge he had failed to do anything about that was another heavy weight added to the words he spoke.

Was Shokuhou not here because she felt he would forget her? Or because she was someone who had suffered the most from seeing the state he had been in? Kamijou did not know but he said nothing on the matter.

Kazakiri Hyouka had disappeared as was her natural state, but even then, Kamijou felt as though her presence lingered. The concern she had for her friends was a human characteristic rooted inside Kazakiri and hence, he knew her disappearance was not by her own choice. If she could choose to be here, then she surely would so Kamijou did not blame her whatsoever.

Itsuwa was also absent in the group around Kamijou, perhaps because of her duties to the Magic side or something similar. Her eyes when Kamijou had regained consciousness a day after he had been ruthlessly tortured had suggested she wanted to talk to Kamijou about something but the privacy she seemed to want with that conversation was something Kamijou had yet to give her just yet.

And that privacy was something Kamijou wanted himself too.

People had died.

Kisaragi Maeda and Faith Townsend had been murdered in front of his eyes.

Even the news reports that came in and the talk of the nurses every now and then told Kamijou it had not just been them but also Aaron Gracestone, Damian F. Slivka and more than one hundred bodies had been discovered within the same facility he had been thrown in when he had been kidnapped.

All those people he had failed to save.

Aaron Gracestone and the entire Circuits and Chips security team had been captured and tortured themselves at the hands of Kihara Kamui, the man implanting his personality into them and resulting in them becoming so twisted they had caused endless chaos and death. For the purposes of trying to break Kamijou, Aaron Gracestone, with the personality of Kamui, had killed for no reason except in Kamijou's name.

While originally it had been to stop the people who had been interfering with his work in the deal he had with Kongou Airlines which was allowing for the creation of the ultimate weapon, the FIVE_Object, and some kind of cyborg body, Kamui had turned his gaze towards Kamijou when he had arrived. That had started the twisted chain of events that had resulted in so many deaths and so many smiles being lost.

Even though he had survived, Kamijou had not gotten out unscathed.

The trauma to his left arm was such there was no point reattaching it and trying to connect the nerves and muscles. It was simply that far gone. The fingernails had been removed, the bones had been broken, it had been dissected and amputated; the wounds Kamui had given Kamijou's left arm along with the trauma it incurred during the chaos with MINUS and the incident with Mugino Shizuri meant his left arm merely sat in some unknown location, slowly rotting away.

The only thing left was a stump where his left arm had been.

The memory of the torture sent a chill up Kamijou's spine, a memory he did not really want to relive. The only good thing about it was that it paled in comparison to the deaths he had relived because of Regon giving him Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after his deaths at the hands of Othinus but even then, that was hardly something to feel good about.

And that sentiment was shared by the girls who stood around Kamijou's hospital bed, staring silently in shame. The wound Kamijou now possessed in his left arm having been removed created a sick sort of image: an 'incomplete' Kamijou Touma. The sight itself was perhaps more horrifying than anyone else would have seen before and for the emotions running through the boy, he gave voice to them.

"We can't turn back the clock and recover what was lost. Things will never be the same."

Kamijou, holding his blanket in his right hand clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes, not wanting to let out the words and show weakness. But this was no time for cheap pride and this was no time to lose themselves in their desire to hide weakness from each other.

People had died.

They had lost their lives without the chance to show any weakness at all and it was the fragility of life being presented that made Kamijou tighten his fist, the cloth in his hand being drawn tight as he spoke choked words.

"How…"

Kamijou trembled as he spoke, the words he wanted to say coming out slowly.

"How am I…"

"Touma…"

Index, by Kamijou's side, spoke the boy's name with shame on her expression. The loss and the defeat in the fact Kamijou had come home 'incomplete' was something she would never forget, never allow herself to forget, much like the other girls standing around Kamijou and those who had seen him in the state he was in. The memory of his bloodied state yesterday, barely conscious and a remnant of his former self after being tortured, had pierced into her mind, leaving such an ingrained image she would never forget it.

She was sure it was the same for everyone else as well.

Underneath the blanket, Othinus saw the tightening of the blanket and looked up at the mere high school boy with pity in her eye, reaching out and touching Kamijou in comfort. It served to do nothing as Kamijou spoke once more, letting out the words hidden within the depths of his heart in the atmosphere that seemed to constrain him from all directions.

"How am I supposed to play video games anymore!?"

Yes.

Even though people had died, even though there was the fragility of life, this was a very important issue to consider!

"…What?"

"A-Are there controllers that have a setting for people with one hand!?"

"Wait, hang on, what in the world are you talking about?"

"The normality of a high school boy, Misaka! Ah! What about typing? Can I even do that with one hand!? I-I'm already behind on assignments because of all this and now I have to type them all with one hand. The touch typing skills I learnt mean nothing!"

"A-Are you serious!? What about that heavy atmosphere?! Are you not going to address that? At the end of last chapter, there was this really foreboding feeling and the author even opened with those heavy words, so are you really going to throw that all away with your idiocy!? It's more than out of place!"

"Idiocy?! This is important!"

"Do I need to remind you you were tortured and your arm was amputated?!"

"…No, it isn't."

"Wh-What do you mean, 'No, it isn't'?! Look at it!"

"…'Tis but a scratch."

"A scratch!? Your arm was cut off!"

"I've had worse."

"You liar! Wait, you probably have had worse so I'm actually quite worried for you and that normal high school life you're always talking about. And did we really just do a really quality movie reference in a hospital!?" [1]

"No, no, wait, Misaka! I've got another one!"

"Another what?"

"I'm all right. A-Although it only works in English, do you get it? Because my left arm was cut off, I'm only left with my right, so I'm all right!"

"…"

"Eh? I-I was thinking about it all of this morning so I don't even get a smile? Wh-What about you, Index?! Otohime!? N-Not even Kongou-san!?"

"…What are you doing?"

"?"

"This is like saying to a blind person 'I'll see you later'! Are you an idiot!? You can't make jokes like this. This is a serious scene. A serious scene!"

"Yeah, but Misaka, you've got to learn to shoulder on. Do you need a hand with that? Ah, but I seem to be missing one."

"ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?"

Misaka Mikoto roared, an anger tick mark on her temple as she grabbed Kamijou by the collar. Her eyes were bloodshot as she pressed her face closer to Kamijou's, her anger preventing her from realising how close they suddenly were to each other.

"Do you intend to ruin everything whenever there is tension in the air?"

"Eh? But laughter is the best medicine!" Kamijou, realising the killer intent in the room, had suddenly overpowered the otherwise awkward atmosphere. He had been going for light but the inability to read the feelings inside the girls' hearts when the situation called for a more melancholic mood meant Kamijou had brought this upon himself.

"Touma…"

"H-Hang on a minute there, Index-san. This Kamijou-san is in a bit of a pickle so if you could please wait just a tiny minute for things to calm down on this side of the bed!"

"…We were worried."

The silence that came over the room from those mere words was enough to make Kamijou fall silent. Mikoto, realising the idiot had suddenly lost the energy he had been bounding with slowly let go and pushed back in annoyance. Kamijou fell back onto the bed. He said nothing, the words of Index proving to be more powerful than anything else as she held her head down and spoke them.

"After everything you went through, after everything that happened to you…we were worried. We were told you were fine and that there was nothing to worry about but this time, you didn't come out alright. You didn't come out the same as always. This time… This time, what happened to you was…"

Index choked, closing her eyes and clearing trying to hold back the words she needed to say and the reality obvious to everyone there. Kamijou stared at her, moving his body before realising belatedly there was no left hand to reach out and touch Index's head with. Kamijou sat on the bed in silence before casting his gaze down and staring at his right hand.

"You didn't come out alright this time. There's no going back from this. What Aaron did crossed a line, but more than that, the fact you incurred it… You can't ignore what happened to you this time and brush it off anymore. You can't just laugh it off with a joke, you idiot. This…This is serious. This isn't something where you can merely say that 'everything is alright' and leave it at that."

Mikoto spoke heavy words. Kamijou smiled, shaking his head and leaning back onto the bed with a dissatisfied expression on his face, that same smile on his face all the same.

"…And here I was trying to dispel that sort of atmosphere. You guys really don't know how to read a guy's heart, do you?"

"Says the guy who tried to brush off everything with really bad jokes, Onii-chan. You could learn a lot into reading a girl's heart as well." Otohime said with a light smile as she sat on the opposite side of the bed as Index. Kamijou said nothing to that, shifting his arm in place and reaching for the stump where his left arm had once been.

He rubbed it, feeling the bone underneath the skin and the emptiness that had once been where his arm was. The memory of being tortured was one he did not want to relive but what it had resulted in was not something he could escape so easily. He had tried to pass off everything as a joke, tried to make everything fine with humour but the way he had done it was intrusive and awkward.

Kamijou had realised that more than anyone else and he knew why it was the case.

He had said it himself.

Things would never be the same after this. Not only on an emotional level but on the physical for him as well, with his missing left arm. There was nothing more obvious than that when it came to pointing out exactly what had changed and the impact it was going to have in the future for him.

Had he tried to make jokes to escape from that reality? Kamijou did not know but he had made them with the intention to grasp any semblance of 'normalcy' left in the world so cruel to him.

Simply because he knew that what had happened to him was going to completely destroy that semblance of normalcy he felt he had once held. The weight of the wounds he had sustained was something he knew he had to accept but, in his mind,, he wanted to ignore that reality.

Him making jokes was the same as running away.

Running away from the reality he had to accept.

They had been cringey, inappropriate and stepped all over the hearts of the girls who were worried for his state of being. But even as Kamijou had wanted with all his heart to deny what had happened to him, he knew there was no way he was going to escape with light-heartedness and jokes.

Was there something to laugh at when the atmosphere was so heavy? Was there something to laugh at when the situation was what it was? Kamijou did not know but with the attempt to treat everything as if nothing had gone wrong out the window, the only thing left was the harsh reality of what he had to face.

No matter how much he did not want to face it.

Running away, being a coward, Kamijou Touma was simple human for being those things. For making jokes when it was not appropriate was perhaps not a new thing for him, but they made him realise one thing.

(Was…Was I that desperate to not face the truth?)

There were things the girls in front of him did not know as Kamijou merely lay in his bed. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest from the fear he was feeling from having to accept something he wanted to avoid so much but with the inescapable reality in front of him, he could not run away.

Something had changed and he could not get away with this with mere jokes. That was a cruel reality to that spiky haired boy as he sighed and leaned forward once again, rubbing the stump of his left arm. The smile on his face stayed there all the same, but the heaviness of the atmosphere pressed down on him.

"…There's no coming back from this." Kamijou spoke, Kongou having been entirely silent this entire time. She stared at the ground, not saying a word and Mikoto next to her spoke up staring at the girl who was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, trembling the entire time. Mikoto wanted to reach out and hold her friend but the only thing that came out were words, Mikoto realising that, just like Kamijou and everyone else there…

She too wanted to run away from the reality in front of their eyes.

She wanted to be able to make jokes with Kamijou on the matter. She wanted to be able to say things and be awkward about it but the way the jokes were made was so absolutely inappropriate and cringey. But the fact she realised that made her realise the same thing as Kamijou.

That she too had wanted to escape from this shitty ending they had been given.

But they could not.

And for that alone, it was a cruel world.

"You're not going to make another joke again, are you?" Even so, Mikoto felt as though the atmosphere was going to cause her to suffocate, saying words she knew would attempt to lighten it. It was a success, Kamijou grinning before it fell and shook his head.

"As a Level 0, my funds are basically empty."

"? What does this have to do with anything, Touma? Aren't you always complaining about that?"

"No, this is entirely different. A-Although if maybe you pulled back a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit with your eating, it would help me out a lot." Kamijou said with another grin before it fell and he returned to staring at Othinus in his blanket.

"Medical technology is not free. I'm a student of Academy City but the only thing that extends to is getting free education and funds from the higher ups for the sake of living expenses and the like. Although I might make light of it every now and then when it comes to you Index, I'm basically a freeloader on the system. I do what I do and let everything else fall into place but even then, it doesn't cover everything. Even medical expenses such as the ones I have now I have to pay out of my own pocket. So, while the only thing I can manage is being admitted, it doesn't apply to everything."

"What…are you saying, Onii-chan?"

"I don't have enough money for a prosthetic."

The words hovered in the air, eyes going wide as they fully realised the implications of what he said. Sure, on some level, there was the possibility everything was going to be fine but with the words Kamijou said now, that had been entirely thrown everything into the wind.

"Which means I can't get what was missing back, even through medical technology. Time can't be rewound. So I have to accept my mistakes in being so reckless. I have to face them head on and – "

"How much?"

Everyone turned and stared at the girl who had spoken.

Kongou Mitsuko had her head down, trembling as she spoke but she spoke again.

"How much do you need?"

"K-Kongou-san?"

Kongou said nothing, holding her head down as she trembled all the same, finding the gazes on her were piercing in an odd way but even so, she continued speaking.

"What has happened to you, Kamijou-san, is my fault. This is my responsibility and it is something I need to take charge of the consequences for. I need to take responsibility for my actions and make things right. I need to correct the mistakes I made and make things right."

The words felt more like something she had said to herself over and over again, Kamijou staring at her in surprise. There was nothing for only a moment, Kamijou choosing to finally speak up.

"Kongou-san, me borrowing your money for the sake of a prosthetic isn't something I can pay you back for. The costs for the surgery and for making sure it's done by a professional are – "

"I don't care."

The words were spat out and Kongou felt them come from her mouth in a way that felt desperate. She felt sick saying them but even so, she continued, forcing words out of her mouth despite feeling as though she was throwing them up than actually saying them.

"This is my fault. What was…done to you was unspeakable. The state you were found in and the things you went through… None of it would have happened if it were not for me. So, it is only right I be the one to fix that mistake. No, more than that. Merely doing that is not enough to atone for what I ended up doing to you, Kamijou-san. Not nearly enough."

Kongou's trembling had increased now, the girl wavering and shaking in the wind such it seemed more like she was going to collapse than actually stay on her own two feet. Even so though, she kept herself upright and manage to let out more shaky words.

"You were tortured. You lost an arm because of me and you were forced to be the one at fault for the deaths that occurred. You…For the things I put you through, the only thing I can do is endlessly make things right. Any amount I can give you for what you have done for me does not even come closer to being enough to properly compensate you. Especially after the things I said to you."

It was now that Kongou bit down on her lip, drawing blood as she trembled. She spoke all the same, forcing through the words through tight lips holding back whatever emotions she was being made to withhold for the sake of her own strength.

"I said I hated you. I spat out words and I honestly meant them. With every single fibre of my being, with my selfishness, my pride and my disgusting nature as a human being, I honestly said I hated you. I said you were going to die alone and said things no reasonable person would have ever said to another human being. I treated and thought of you as less than such. Wh-When we deduced you were kidnapped, the first thing I felt was not horror. It was not shock. No, the first thing I felt in that disgusting mindset of a human being was it served you right. Even after you took my place in my room, the first thing I felt was it was your just desserts and you deserved anything that was going to happen to you. I did not think to save you, did not think to go after you and just felt it entirely normal to leave you be even after what you did for me."

"Kongou…san?"

Mikoto spoke next to her friend, noting in the trembling of the girl there was the sound of something else. The sound of something hitting the floor resounded in the air and the sight of Kongou's tears falling from her face and hitting the floor filled the vision of everyone else.

But even then, she refused to look up. Kongou, not willing to let anyone else see the pitiful state she was in withheld her tears as much as she could despite failing so much. No, that failure went way beyond just withholding her emotions but rather to her failure as a person for not even bothering to think Kamijou's smile had worth. Her tears were ones of sorrow for the person she had once been but it was with the shame that filled her that she kept her head down and refused to look at Kamijou, not giving him the chance to look at the disgusting person she was, even if she had changed and come to accept her faults.

"Even after the things I said to you, you still chose to take my place. As a result, of that, this happened. Even after the unneeded hate I gave you, thinking you were the source of my misfortune, you said nothing. You did not reveal the truth that I was the villain of this story, the one at fault for everything. You did not reveal the one to blame for everything was me and, in your kindness,, you decided the only thing to do was to give me the calm I always had, my normal life. As the world tore at you from all directions, you did not blame me. Even after the things I said to you, you still chose to save me. You chose to save someone as disgusting and poisonous as Kongou Mitsuko and because of it…because of it…!"

Kongou's words were lost as she choked on them, unable to withstand the emotions coursing through her and being unable to voice what had happened to Kamijou. She collapsed to her knees, the tears from her eyes turning into proper sobs she did not even bother to hide. The cries that echoed throughout the room were ones that stabbed into the hearts of everyone there as Kongou Mitsuko did something she never thought she would do in front of someone she had met only a few days ago.

She bowed her head.

Weeping and crying, she placed her forehead on the floor in a pose of pure Japanese forgiveness, letting out the words from the bottom of her heart.

"I'm so, so sorry!"

The word hardly even made up for what Kamijou had faced, but even so, they were the only words Kongou could find within her that made up for her mistakes, ones she had not born the consequences of.

It was disgusting and Kongou knew that saying this was shameful when they would change nothing.

But what else could she do!?

"For what I said to you, I'm sorry! For the things I did to you, I'm sorry! For the things you went through because of me, I'm sorry! It doesn't mean anything in hindsight. It doesn't fix my mistakes and it doesn't reverse what was done to you. But it's all I can give you. And I'm sorry it's the only thing I can do. I'm sorry that being sorry is the only thing I can manage when the consequences of such were the ones that you bore. I'm sorry I didn't think about you. I'm sorry I did what I did. I'm sorry for the poisonous actions of the girl known as Kongou Mitsuko and I am sorry that despite everything, these are the only words I can find myself saying!"

The tears and the screams of the girl shot through the air, nothing but apology after apology ripping from her mouth as she lowered her head. The fact it was the only thing Kongou could find herself saying even after everything that had happened made her sick.

She was apologising.

She knew she had done something wrong and she was saying something to indicate she recognised it, and, through implication, she would not do it again.

But it meant nothing when the words she was saying were only said as a result of someone else having stood in front of her when she had been shot at. It meant nothing when someone else had borne the consequences of her arrogance, pride and actions and the tears cried at her inability to do anything about it and for being the one to cause that pain in the first place.

"I'm sorry for who I was. I'm sorry for the weakness and the darkness within my heart, directed at the one person who did not deserve it at all! It means nothing when everything has already happened. And I'm not asking for forgiveness. I don't deserve that. But the only thing I can, no matter how disgusting, how simple and how average it is, is say I'm sorry. I am so, so, so sorry!"

It felt cheap.

And it was.

Kongou knew her words were from her heart, from the very bottom of her soul, yet they felt entirely cheap because of how it was the only thing she could give despite everything that had happened. The things she could do to remedy the situation were minute and the only thing she could do to satisfy any lingering hurt, any lingering pain or suffering was to provide these extremely simple words.

But they were not enough.

Kongou knew that from the bottom of her soul they were never going to be enough. They were never going to satisfy anything and they were never ever going to ever measure up to what Kamijou had done for her. By all rights, there should have been an equal exchange, something Kongou could give Kamijou for the suffering he had incurred to make it up to him.

But she could not.

Kamijou had lost an arm because of her and yet the only thing she could give him in response were words that did not match up to what Kamijou had done for her. For that alone, they felt cheap, hollow and as Kongou lay on her hands and knees, cried and screamed her heart out, not asking for forgiveness but saying the words she meant, she knew had no meaning.

They would never have meaning.

For all that had been done and all that had been suffered, they would never have any meaning. And Kongou, knowing it was the case, had to accept that no matter how bitter it was and no matter how much she wanted everything to sort itself out…

This was the mark of her failure.

This was the mark of her villainy and a constant reminder of the twisted person who she had once been. It stabbed into her and the fact it had been this punishment borne by another person to show her the twisted person she had been by thinking everything went her way stabbed into her heart more than she ever thought anything could.

"Kongou-san."

And the person she had wronged, the person she could never do anything for spoke up. Kongou flinched, not raising her head. Her pride could go to hell and the desire to raise her head to exit this position of shame she forced down.

For the things Kamijou Touma had withstood for her sake, this was nothing. This was nothing and the desire to exit this position was a desire she spat on inside her heart and hated for how she wanted to escape from it and hold herself up once more.

But not knowing the things inside her heart, Kamijou Touma said words that stepped all over her heart and her desire to show she did not care about pride and about the shame that filled her.

"Raise your head."

"I can't."

"Kongou-san, please. Raise your head. Bowing down to someone like me is more tr – "

"Bowing down is the only thing I can do, Kamijou-san!"

The shout leaped from Kongou's mouth and was so sudden that Kamijou, in his bed, jumped along with everyone else who was watching the shameful state Kongou was in.

"I can't turn back time. No one can. But if I could, the one sitting in that bed should be me. It should have been me! But you decided to take the place of someone like me who did not understand the pain she was giving you or the world she was living in. You decided to protect someone as ungrateful and as unthankful as Kongou Mitsuko and yet the only way in which you were rewarded was by being put through a pain you did not deserve! I can't raise my head in the face of that. I can't ask for forgiveness and I can't expect to be treated the same. I…I can't face you for what I did to you!"

There was silence as the words of Kongou hung in the air. The prideful Kongou Mitsuko letting out those words alone held more of an impact than anything but the truth in them was more painful than anything else.

Kongou had done wrong. And for the fact she could not do anything to make up for what she did meant the only thing she could do to make up for it was to bow her head in an aspect of both shame and apology despite realising how cheap both those emotions were. Kongou's heart burned with the simple realisation of that.

She could not face him.

Kongou Mitsuko, for what she had done to Kamijou Touma, simply could not face him.

"Kongou-san, the one who did everything was not – "

"It doesn't matter."

Kongou spat those words out, gritting her teeth as she continued to speak with her forehead placed on the ground.

"It doesn't matter if it was not me who did everything. It may as well have been. Kamijou-san, the reason you were hurt was because you got involved in my family's affairs. You put yourself in harm's way for someone like me and there is nothing I can do to repay that, especially after what happened to you. I was not the one who harmed you, but I was the one who put you in that bed. This is my mistake and this is my responsibility to deal with!"

There was silence. Mikoto, Index, Otohime and Othinus all stared at the girl on the ground but silently turned their heads away, realising the importance of what she was saying and how the words she was speaking were so undeniably true.

They could feel sorry for Kamijou. They could feel pity, sorrow and hatred at themselves and others for what was done to him, but in the end, did that change anything? The mistake had been made and while Kamijou was lucky to be sitting there on that bed, the missing left arm was a reminder of the mistake and the weight of the choices made.

Who was going to be the one to take the blame for that? Whose fault was it that things had escalated in this direction?

There was only one person truly to blame.

And the fact Kongou Mitsuko realised it was herself showed the mark of strength, yet also weakness. The strength of character to take on that blame but the weakness of the mistakes she had made were contradictory but co-existed at the same, causing conflict but also pain for Kongou as she took everything she had to accept and thrust it upon herself.

She was the one that was going to suffer.

For the wounds Kamijou Touma had incurred, she was the one who was going to have to live with that mistake and for the choices which had led to him being placed there.

It was not a decision that could be termed as good or bad. Neither was it justice or heroics.

It was merely consequence, a natural thing that arose from the disgusting human being Kongou had once been.

So, it had to be accepted. Kongou Mitsuko, being the one who was rightfully to blame, had to take the blame for what she had caused and what she had contributed to.

It was only right.

It was only just.

It was only fair.

"No."

Yet that one word shot through the air and pierced the hearts of everyone. The finality, the authority and the impact of it was enough to make Kongou's eyes go wide. She rose her head, realising that one single word was enough to cut through her shame and pain. She stared at the person who had said it.

Kamijou Touma did not waver as he stared at the face of the teary-eyed girl. The way he held his body as he sat on that bed was straight, as if he did not care about his injury.

"It's not."

"Wh - ?"

"You think the blame lies with you, Kongou-san? I have no idea who the hell you think you are, but there's no way I'm going to accept that."

Kamijou spoke strong, staring right at the girl who was on her hands and knees, her eyes blinking without comprehension to the words.

"My actions were my own. No matter what was happening with you and no matter what you think of your part in this, Kongou-san, the one who chose to act, the one who threw himself recklessly into the flames was me. I chose to do something. I did not do it because I was asked to, I did not do it because there was a strong reason to nor did I do it because I had to. I wanted to act Kongou-san, so I did. And for better or for worse…this is the result of that."

Kamijou rose his left stump of an arm, showing it and waving it in front of him, as if the memory of his left arm were still there even now.

"But the consequences of what happened lie with me, Kongou-san. And no one else. I was tortured? I had my arm removed? The person to blame for that may be Kiha – I mean, Aaron Gracestone, the one who did everything. The person to blame for that may be me, the person who threw himself into those things without realising the risk. But there is no part of me, not a single part of me, that believes you are to blame for any of this Kongou-san. You are the most innocent out of everyone else within this incident."

"H-How can you say that?! If it wasn't because of me then – "

"If it wasn't because of you!?" Kamijou yelled that louder than Kongou could have and she jumped slightly at the volume. "You're thinking of this wrong, Kongou. Entirely wrong. What happened was not because of a grudge against Kongou Mitsuko. Nor was it because of a systematic revenge plot against Kongou Airlines. What happened was because people decided to act and do something they wanted to, no matter how twisted it was or how twisted it turned out to be. None of this would have happened, Kongou, if it wasn't because of the other people who felt justified in their actions of what they did. But even then, that type of thinking is backwards."

"Back…wards?"

"Damn right. You're thinking entirely wrong when it comes to this incident. You've got your thinking backwards and you've entirely lost sight of what is truly important this time around, you bloody idiot."

Kamijou said forceful words as he stared at the girl but even then, the massive grin on his face represented the emotions he was feeling right now.

"You've alive. You've got the life you wanted so dearly back. No matter the consequences, no matter who is to blame, no matter who the finger of blame can be pointed towards, isn't that the most important thing?"

Kongou Mitsuko went wide eyed at those mere words.

Not because they were foolish.

Not because they were naïve.

Not because they were full of optimism.

But because they were true.

Kongou Mitsuko was alive.

After all the death she had seen, after the chaos centred around her and the things she had been through and had to withstand, right now, she was sitting on the floor dogeza style and undeniably alive. She had the chance for tears, for grief, for horror and for every single emotion under the sun merely because, right now, she was alive.

"There are people this time around that never got the chance to experience what you are, Kongou. They…didn't make it back. But placing blame on yourself isn't going to change that. Blaming yourself for what happened to me isn't going to change anything either. And for the life of me, I'm not going to accept that an innocent girl is taking the blame for wounds because I acted. I was the one who did everything. I was optimistic, underestimated the nature of who I was facing and felt everything would be alright. But I was the one who acted, Kongou. You can balance the scales all you like, say what you want and point the finger of blame at anyone you like but as the one who suffered and experienced those wounds, I can say something with certainty."

Kamijou Touma, the boy who had been wounded and who had suffered, looked at the girl on the ground and blaming herself, the one who should have been blamed and grinned all the same.

"And that is I do not blame Kongou Mitsuko for anything."

And he spoke from the heart.

"Nor do I need to. And that is simply because Kongou Mitsuko is alive. Say what you like about what happened. It might not have been the best ending. It might not have been the one everyone wanted. But, as I sit here, and look at you, being given the chance to live out your life as you see fit, I can truly say there is nothing I would take back from that. Placing the blame and responsibility onto yourself is not what you need to do now, Kongou. It's to do what you've always been doing all this time."

The answer was obvious but even so, Kongou felt herself stop breathing as she listened to each and every word Kamijou was saying.

"Live."

That simple word was all that was needed. Kongou felt her lip tremble but even that was a powerful action: one not allowed to anyone else who had not made it this far. Choosing to reject that and choosing to forget what she had the ability to do when others didn't was spitting on their names. Even so, Kongou felt the doubt within her heart sprout back up and reveal its ugly self.

"There has to be more than that…"

"Why?"

"P-People died! You were hurt! Someone has to take responsibility for those things! And the best person to do that is – "

"Not you," Kamijou interrupted, shaking his head. "I can say that at the very bottom of my heart, Kongou. The person who is to blame for this, if blame needs to be given, is not you. And it will never be you. As someone who is lying here in this hospital bed, I can say that for certain. No matter what happens, no matter what I face and what happens to me, I will never blame Kongou Mitsuko."

The words proved sharper than any blade as they sank into the skin of the girl. She opened her mouth to speak however, the words she wanted to say caught in her mouth. She turned her head back down as she lay in her dogeza style, wanting to say something but never finding the proper words to voice.

What she wanted to say did not come out.

Instead, something else did.

"How…?"

"?"

"How can you not hate me!? How can anyone here not hate me for what happened!? Index-san, Misaka-san, Tatsugami-san; why is it the only one who was not harmed in this incident was me!? And yet, you don't blame me for anything. I…I don't understand you. I don't understand the mentality behind it, Kamijou-san! How can you not hate me?!"

Kongou, still prostrated, let out that scream. There was a small silence, as if the people who she had referred to were looking back and forth between each other but they still fell silent, only letting the person who had been referred to do the talking.

And Kamijou Touma answered, from the bottom of his heart, the truth Kongou, in her self-hate, in her disgust at who she was.

"Because Kongou Mitsuko did nothing wrong. She was merely the girl who was unfairly caught up in everything, unable to handle and deal with the unfair world pressed down at her from all sides. How…How can you ask me to hate someone like that?"

It made no sense.

It contradicted everything Kongou had thought about herself, the person who she had once been and had hated because of how she had treated Kamijou. She had felt this was her fault and was her responsibility to bear.

But, just as Kamijou had said, she had had it backwards.

Why did she have to suffer in the first place? Why did she have to be the one to bear responsibility when all this had first started as a fight between adults? What part of the innocent girl deserved to be thrust into this chaos when she neither deserved it or had wanted it in the first place?

In truth, it was that which made no sense.

It was the fact Kongou Mitsuko had been put into this in the first place which made no sense.

And it was because of that that Kamijou Touma saw no reason to hate her.

There was nothing she could say to that.

She had apologised.

But there had been nothing to forgive. Kamijou had never once thought of her as being in the wrong, had never once blamed her and had never once thought she was the one to take responsibility for anything. He had been realistic about it, not optimistic and only true to himself and the kindness he had never once withheld even as he was pressed from all sides.

Kongou Mitsuko had not been forgiven because she had done nothing wrong. There was nothing she had deserved in the first place and the fact she had been thrown into things in the first place was the wrong thing from the beginning.

Just when she was about to be thrown into an abyss of her own making, of her own self-hatred at herself and for the consequences of her actions which were not her own, someone had reached down a hand and pulled her from that darkness. It had pulled her from her own abyss of emotions by telling her a simple truth: she had done nothing wrong and she was truly the innocent one in all of this.

And because of that one simple thing…

Kongou Mitsuko was once again saved.

There was nothing else left.

Only the sounds of tears as Kongou Mitsuko, freed from the shackles of her own desire to take responsibility for something that had not been her fault, cried the innocent tears she had the right to cry after so long.


"Is that truly it? Is everything…over?"

"Kongou-san, why are you doubting it so much?"

"I can hardly believe it. No, it's more than that. It doesn't feel real."

"What doesn't?"

"Kamijou-san…saved me."

"(Welcome to the club…)"

"(Welcome to the club…)"

"(Welcome to the club…)"

"(Welcome to the club…)"

Four voices murmured the same thing but since they said the same thing, it came out pretty clearly to Kongou Mitsuko. However, given she was lost in her own thoughts, she never got the chance to think anything of it.

She felt…free. She felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders she did not know she had been carrying. The desire to take the blame and responsibility for her actions when she had been entirely innocent had clearly been eating away at Kongou but now it had been released, she felt free.

Kamijou Touma had saved her.

Not only from the chaos around the mysterious deal Kongou Airlines had but also from her own personal abyss of self-loathing given her desire to blame the blame upon herself.

Kongou Mitsuko was innocent and, because she had survived this incident, deserved to live out her life and continue it as the innocent girl she was.

Yes, there were some things that were her fault.

Her unjustified hatred at Kamijou and the thoughts she had had when she had hated him for instance. Even saying it was not 'her' standing here who had had those thoughts was not an excuse so Kongou had to be the one to apologise for them. She had, in her tears, but given it had been mixed in with the empty apology of how she thought she was to blame for everything, it didn't entirely feel as honest as it could have been.

But apart from that, there was nothing to blame Kongou Mitsuko for.

She had not killed people indirectly. She had not been the villain. She had not been the one to blame for everything.

She, just like everyone else, was just as much a victim.

Of course, Kongou still had to be the one to blame for some things such as her hatred for Kamijou, but for the things that had weighed her down, she was entirely innocent.

And because of that, she had been saved.

Kongou walked through the hospital hallway with Misaka Mikoto, Index and Tatsugami Otohime, carrying the calico cat Sphynx and that doll. Their footsteps felt distant. It was only her words that gave the sensation she was even here.

"Kamijou-san…lost an arm because of me. And no matter how much I offered, he refused the money I was going to lend him. There's no going back from that."

Kongou spoke dark words, the recollection of the few moments before Kamijou had kicked them all out because he had wanted some time to collect himself and get used to having one arm. While it had seemed forced, as if he had been trying to chase them out of the room, the offers Kongou had made him had fallen on deaf ears and been entirely refused. It created an odd sense of discomfort for the girl who had truly been willing to give her money to him.

"You're right. I have no idea why that idiot thinks everything is going to be alright. Not just you Kongou-san, but I can name a bunch of different people who would be willing to pay if it meant he could get a prosthetic. …It might not mean much coming from me, but pride can be a worthless thing sometimes." Mikoto spat out those words, shaking her head. It seemed she was just as frustrated as Kongou that Kamijou had refused the funds.

"I think there might be more to it than just that…" Index spoke, her voice quiet as she hung her head down while walking with the others. They all stared at her with a frown on their face.

"You think so?" asked Otohime.

"Well, you know him well, don't you, Index-san?" asked Kongou, something that made Mikoto flinch. "Do you have an idea why he might have refused the money, apart from pride?"

"Touma isn't that prideful. He can be stubborn sometimes, but it's not so much pride. But for what you said, Mitsuko…sometimes even I can't tell what Touma is thinking. Although I think an Understander might know that type of thinking better than anyone else."

Index said something which made no sense to the Tokiwadai girls, seeing she looked at the doll in Otohime's arm which shook its head. Was that because of Otohime moving it or because of something else? Kongou was not sure but kept silent on the matter.

"I guess that's just Kamijou-san in his own way."

"Touma is Touma after all."

"…There's something to be said about how familiar you sound when you say that, but the fact I can't deny it pisses me off somewhat." Mikoto said with a tired face and expression but Kongou stared at her friend with a smile. Given the girls here had retained their memories of the incident, as Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya had had their memories erased, Kongou felt a strong comradery with the Level 5 standing next to her, even if it was in a way she did not exactly want.

She had been saved.

That fact lingered in the air above her for a single moment, something egging at her from the back of her mind. Kongou frowned at that, unsure where this nagging sensation was coming from or what was causing it. The slow footsteps in the hallway were a testament to the confused thoughts running through her at the time but as she made each step, the thinking she put into those thoughts grew and grew. She placed the fan she always carried in front of her mouth while thinking.

(What is it?)

Kongou frowned her magnificent forehead and asked that question internally.

(There's something missing. What is it? I get the feeling I am missing something. But the only thing I did when it came to today was talk to and apologise to Kamijou-san…!)

"Oh my God."

Kongou said those words behind her fan, her eyes wide as the girls who were walking and talking next to her stopped and looked at her with surprise.

"Kongou-san?"

"…I forgot to say it."

"Say what?"

Kongou never even got another word out as she turned back and raced back the way she came, guilt coursing through her entire body as she took off like a rocket. The girls behind her cried out in surprise at that but stood there in shocked silence as they watched the girl run off down where they had once come. The questions they asked themselves internally as they stared each other were never answered as they watched Kongou run as fast as her legs would take her down the hallway.

But for Kongou, she never even noticed the absence of the girls chasing her. No, the only thing that filled her mind was a single thought, one within her now she had cast aside her disgustingly prideful self.

(I never said it…! I said I was sorry and I apologised from the bottom of my heart but those were not the words I needed to say. No, the words I needed to say were…!)

Kongou didn't stop as she rounded the corner, spotting the room she had to go to, her heart filled with guilt but also the words, the simple and important words she had to speak.

(I never thanked him! For everything Kamijou-san did for me and everything he had been put through, even after saving me twice, once from myself and once from being kidnapped, never once did I thank him!)

And he had never once complained about it.

He had stayed silent even as he had gone unthanked.

Just how kind-hearted was he?

Not only had he saved her but he had also never once asked for anything in return. Sure, he was getting credits for his attendance in return for what he had done, but after everything that had happened, the fact Kongou had never once thought to thank him pressed down at her heart more than she could say.

Who was Kamijou Touma in the first place?

Despite spending time and pretending to be his fiancée, Kongou found herself knowing extremely little. But that question in her mind was never answered as she made her way in front of the door she had to open. She reached for the door -

"Kongou-san."

And froze, her entire body stiffening. She felt a cold sweat come over her as she suddenly found herself unable to say anything, feeling the name that had come from inside the room stab into her. The way it had been said was so accusatory that the guilt at not having thanked Kamijou beforehand felt heavier than before.

Shame filled her, such that she considered prostrating herself again, but she forced herself to shake her head. Was she so lacking in resolve that this was enough to stop her? Although it was different in context, this was another type of consequence she had to face after the mistake of not thanking Kamijou after everything he had done for her. It was only right that Kamijou speak her name in that accusatory tone.

Kongou Mitsuko gritted her teeth, steeled her heart and strengthened her resolve, reaching once more for the door –

"It's time you and I speak about your daughter."


There was one final loose end when it came to this incident.

And was with his phone in his only hand, Kamijou Touma sought to bring that to an end.

He stood by the window, staring at Academy City from the District 7 hospital, suddenly feeling the urge to open the window. He reached for it, however, realised belatedly what had reached for the window was nothing but a stump, wincing slightly as the lack of a left arm did not even remotely feel real to him yet.

Although he had passed it off as a joke, how was this going to affect his normal life? Not even he knew but perhaps when it came to cooking or playing video games, he would notice a change. Hell, maybe when he received a visit from someone he knew who had not been involved in this incident that it would finally feel real but right now, Kamijou Touma forced those thoughts into the back of his mind and focused on the phone he was holding.

"Yes. As the head of Kongou Airlines…no, as Mitsuko's father, I am in your eternal debt, Kamijou Touma-kun. …Your father spoke highly of you."

"…There's something I feel as though I have to say to you, Kongou-san."

Kamijou spoke those words carefully. Even he knew the position he was in as someone speaking to the head of Kongou Airlines as a normal high school boy. His father held a pretty high position in his own company, Kamijou was led to believe but the fact that his father had ties with Kongou's told of the type of people he did business with. It was thanks to that connection though that Kamijou had even managed to get Kongou's father's personal number.

"I imagine so," The Japanese being used felt high class compared to Kamijou's and the boy felt as though if you were to write out what was being said, the man would be speaking entirely in kanji whereas Kamijou's speech would be in simpler characters. "…I don't know what happened, but it has been all over the news. Circuits and Chips, Kisaragi Motors and Unergy… I-I have no words. For protecting Mitsuko from that, you have my eternal thanks. If there is anything I can do for you – "

"Kongou-san, I said this when my father contacted me about this and everything but I don't need anything. The mere fact I can protect your daughter's normal life was enough for me. The mere fact she was crying without anyone else to hear her cries was enough for me to reach out my hand. I asked you this before, but how do you expect me to just ignore someone like that? I had no reason to abandon her after hearing what was happening to her and that was the only thing I needed."

"Mitsuko would not have been able to understand that line of thinking. As a girl and only in a girl's school, I imagine that type of thinking went right over her head. In the world of business, reasons are everything and she has picked up on the subtleties of that. Hahaha, she takes after her mother that way."

Kamijou felt a smile come onto his face despite it all.

"Yeah, it did. I told her my reasoning wouldn't be all that convincing to someone like her so I made something up about it being about school credits."

"Credits? I-If there is something I can help with regarding that then I would be more than happy to."

"Don't bother."

Kamijou Touma spat out those words, something that, on a normal occasion he never would have. Everyone's Big Brother Kamijou usually had a cool head even in the most desperate of times but it was now, when he was speaking to the adult on the other end of the phone, that his voice held an iciness to it that even made him feel a chill.

"Not after what you did. Any other adult, maybe I would accept that offer, but from you, I don't think I'd be able to stand it."

"What…are you talking about?"

"I heard about it. The deal that was the cause behind everything. The deal that was the cause behind Circuits and Chips, Kisaragi Motors and Unergy harassing Kongou. I heard about it from the horse's mouth."

Yes.

Everything that had started in this incident was not related to either Kamijou Touma or Kongou Mitsuko.

Instead, it had been centred around the trading and the deal Kongou Airlines had with Academy City. Over the past few weeks, Kongou Airlines had been sending and trading materials and parts into Academy City to the tune of 15 billion dollars, the parts of which had been redirected, along with numerous other weapons in Academy City, to two main projects, both of which had been created by Kihara Kamui.

One was a cyborg project of which Kamijou knew nothing about.

The other was the FIVE_Object. Based upon the naming scheme alone, it was going to be a 50 metre high monstrous weapon armed to the teeth with next-gen weapons as well as the powers of the Level 5s, much like the FIVE_Overs.

Kamijou, before they had met their untimely end, had heard about the project from Aaron Gracestone who, at the time, had had his personality overwritten by that of Kihara Kamui. Originally however, this incident had been caused by the companies of Circuits and Chips, Kisaragi Motors and Unergy realising Kongou Airlines was sending in the resources allowing Academy City to build both this cyborg and the FIVE_Object and had attempted to stop the deal for the sake of global security.

They had tried everything but had failed to do anything significant to the deal Kongou Airlines had been engaged in with Academy City.

So, as a last resort, they had moved towards attempting to target Kongou's father indirectly by harassing Kongou herself. For the sake of ensuring the ultimate weapon of the FIVE_Object was not created, they had used their final trump card and harassed Kongou for the sake of pressuring her father to stop the deal.

If Kamijou had not interfered, it would have worked and Kongou would have been broken.

This incident had started with a single deal. A single deal where Kongou Airlines was knowingly selling Academy City enough parts to build a massive monstrosity of a weapon that had enough power to make Academy City perhaps the most dangerous city in the world (more than it already was at least). Given the ties Kongou Airlines had to Academy City, it was unlikely they did not know what the parts were being used for but perhaps the secrecy of the project meant they did not know.

But to Kamijou, it didn't matter either way.

There was silence on the other end as Kongou's father seemed to have taken the words Kamijou had said and let them sink in slowly. But eventually, words came from the phone.

"…What do you know?"

"What do you know? Do you know what the parts being sent into Academy City were being used for? Do you know what your deal was doing behind the scenes, Kongou-san?"

"No. No, I did not." Perhaps it was because of his dealings with tough looking business individuals that Kongou's father's voice was incredibly level but then again, thinking you could not be intimidated by a mere high school boy was something people with too high of a self-importance complex held. "But then again, you probably don't believe me if you heard from those others."

"No, I do believe you. You have no reason to lie to me. And it's not like I can do anything whether I know the truth or not. But that's not why I brought up this topic."

"Oh?" The voice on the other end turned into a sneer, as if the man on the other end was clearly looking down on Kamijou. "Don't tell me you are going to try and convince me to drop the deal like those others were. The methods used were beyond unprofessional and reminiscent of their childishness. The deals other companies have in this corporate world are ones others without backbone should keep out of. They kept on speaking some rubbish in one way or another but in this business field, anything goes. And I have to say, they were desperate to ensure I dropped out of that deal. The lengths they went to… I was strong enough to endure it, but the moment they started aiming at Mitsuko, they crossed a line."

"I completely agree on that. For whatever reason, the moment they targeted Kongou was the moment they truly crossed a line. Bringing in someone entirely unrelated, without anything to do with the business being conducted is a crime they cannot escape."

"…"

"Kongou-san?"

"I-I thought you were going to give me a speech on how what I was doing was wrong. How the deal was a threat to global security or some rubbish such as that. A-After all, after World War 3, the international oversight given to Academy City has increased tenfold so the possibility of such a weapon being produced is rubbish. I-I thought you were going to give me a speech like some kind of hero of justice."

"I'm no hero," Kamijou's reply was immediate. "And I don't know anything about justice either. No, the matter in which I was calling you is something else entirely. B-By the way, what exactly is the process of that deal anyway?" Kamijou asked, his voice nervous and feeling a drop of sweat roll down his face.

"I-It's completed. The last part was sent in a few hours ago. Why?"

Kamijou froze, feeling as though the sweat rolling down his body was going to cause him to freeze.

All the parts needed for the FIVE_Object and the cyborg Kihara Kamui was creating had been successfully sent in. Construction on both, if it had not already started was going to begin, for the purposes of dealing with the silent war on both the Magic and the Science sides.

The remnants of MINUS against Harmonia's Cradle.

Both sides had enough firepower on their side to rip the other to shreds and a fine equilibrium had been formed somewhat but now that enough parts for the FIVE_Object had been sent in as well as for that cyborg, how would things change? Kamijou did not know and could not say but the chill that ran down his spine made his throat dry.

It was possible his normal days were on the brink of collapse.

Something was starting in the darkness.

That fact sat in his head like a lead weight but Kamijou shook his head free of it. He had to focus on something else now and focusing on the future when he was lost in the present was not going to help. To rid his mind of his thoughts, he answered the question, finding his right hand was shaking nonetheless.

"…Nothing. Like I said, I'm calling you for a different reason. It's related to that deal, though."

"Oh? What about it?"

"Just who the hell do you think you are, you son of a bitch?"

The question hung in the air, Kamijou staring at himself in the window and finding the expression he was making even made him tremble. The silence on the other end of the phone reflected a reasonable shock but the response was one that felt heavy.

"Wh…at?"

"You called me in. You and my dad called me in for one reason. Because Kongou's normal life was falling apart around her. You recognised those three fake fiancés were tearing at her and it was eating her apart. But when she called you about it, when she turned to the one person who she should have been able to trust more than anything, her family, the thing you told her to do was endure? You were her father and you told her to sit there and bear with it!?"

Kamijou felt his right hand gripping his phone tighten around it. He grit his teeth so hard he felt as though he was going to rip into his jaw. He loosened it with the words he spoke next, the anger within him coursing throughout his entire body.

"I might not know about anything in this incident. But if you think I can just sit there and accept you did nothing but tell her to bear with the pain, the suffering and the torture those three were giving her, you have got to be kidding me. Did you hear it, you bastard? When Kongou called you over the phone and told you what was happening, did you hear her silent cries for help? Did you hear her tears? It shouldn't have been me standing by her side when all was said and done. It should have been you, the one who she called from the very beginning. Even if I know nothing about business, I at least know what the hell a good father does!"

Kamijou did not even need to think back in his mind into what constituted a good father: one who cared for their children, agonised when they were suffering and did whatever they could for the sake of making sure those children could smile, even if it was awkward and even if it was stupid sounding.

Kamijou had called his own father, Kamijou Touya, when this had all started to find out why he had given Kamijou a fiancée and caused so much trouble. Of course, this was before he knew about the chaos with Kongou. The response given was simply one that came from the kind heart of a parent.

"W-Well, there's another reason behind it all, Touma, but if there was one that popped into my head when I proposed this…it was that you needed to have, even if it was for the smallest moment, the chance to know what love might feel like. …Because you deserve it, Touma. Your mother and I both know, from the bottom of our hearts, that you deserve to be loved. And to love in turn."

It was awkward as hell.

It stepped all over the intentions and the life of Kamijou.

But it was a parent.

It was the honest wish to ensure their child had the chance to be happy.

Kamijou thought back to his awkward parents, the ones who had set all this up in the hopes he would know what love was like and know he deserved it as he spoke, unleashing words to the demon on the other end of the phone.

"The moment Kongou called you, the very moment you put together the dots inside your head that this was related to this deal, that should have been enough. That should have been enough for you to drop that deal on the spot without any other reason. Kongou believes your defiance of those three was to prove Kongou Airlines has a high standing in the corporate world."

"I-It was! Of course! This was all for Mitsuko. Don't you even dare think you can toy with me, you brat. 15 billion dollars; do you know how much that is in Yen? And do you know how much Mitsuko is going to be getting a cut out of that? How much she will earn in her inheritance? How much that will contribute to her livelihood and her future? I'm thinking beyond just deals here, with that profits from that deal, we can make sure that Mitsuko is set for life and beyond. J-Just where the hell do you think you can get off speaking to me like that?!"

"The grounds in which I speak are because you thought of nothing but profit. Maybe Kongou 20 years from now will thank you for that money that is now within her pocket. But can you say the tears of the Kongou a few days ago were worth it? Can you!? Because I saw them and you most definitely heard them. Can you tell me right now you were thinking of Kongou when you kept on doing that deal despite her calling you and telling you what was happening to her?!"

"I…I…"

"I should have never have been brought into this, Kongou-san. It should have been you there. It should have been you there by her side and not some stranger like me. But you felt that the long term profits in the future were worth it. That the money coming in was justified despite the tears of Kongou because of something that it might have given her? How does that money feel now, Kongou-san? Now you realise it has been earned by swimming through the tears of Kongou, how precious is that money now? Does it feel worth it?"

"Who the hell do you think you are? I am the head of Kongou Airlines. I can destroy you in so many ways you'll wish that you'll never have been born."

"I'm a nobody. I'm a speck in the dust. When I die, nobody is going to notice. So yes, compared to you, I'm nothing but an insignificant piece. People such as you and those in those other companies seem so far off, it's even ridiculous for me to be having this phone call in the first place."

Kamijou spoke those honest words but even then, took a pause to breathe and form more words.

"Your world is beyond me, Kongou-san. But even then, there are elements of humanity within it I can identify. You and I both agree that those three fake fiancés, the moment they targeted Kongou, crossed a line. But what about the line you crossed? The line where a father, despite hearing the tears of his daughter and knowing the cause of those tears, felt as though immediate profit and the long term benefits justified her crying without even telling her why she was crying? I can't accept that. The villain this time was not those three fake fiancés. The villain this time was the one sitting in his high chair, laughing at all of us while he won through the completion of his deal. The villain this time and in this incident…was you, Kongou-san."

Kamijou spat out those bitter words, letting them sink into his soul.

The villain this time had gotten away with everything.

They had escaped and had even made off with the best possible benefit because of the survival of Kongou Mitsuko. Kamijou did not blame her for anything, it was not right to do so. But even then, he could not say the villain and the person who had to be blamed was someone entirely unrelated to her.

Kongou Mitsuko's father.

A silent figure, barely even noted.

Yet, the same silent figure had approved of his daughter crying and continued with a deal even though he knew it was eating at her alive. Yes, he had done something about it, but that was not a sure-fire method. He had failed to do the only thing that would have ensured the safety and the continuation of his daughter's smile. He had thought only about the profits and only felt the safety of money, expecting his daughter to do the same.

The true villain had won.

He had completed his deal, had his daughter's smile protected and was in a position where he was basically protected and untouchable.

And there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Indirectly, Kamijou Touma had contributed to this villain winning. He was not bitter about that; after all, it meant Kongou Mitsuko's smile had been protected and there was nothing he would ever take back from that.

But even so, if he let the villain of this story get away with everything without even once saying one thing himself, then he was never going to live it down.

Kamijou Touma was nothing more than a normal high school boy.

The thought he could reach and do anything to someone as high up in the business world as the head of Kongou Airlines was laughable.

But even then, he still spoke the words he had to.

"So, you listen here, you piece of shit adult. I don't care about our positions. I don't care that you can rip me to pieces with nothing but a single word and without even being on the other side of whatever spectrum you are on. I don't care you are the father of a girl I protected. You were not there for her when you needed to be. Without explanation, without even proper justification, you let your own daughter cry when you were the first one she turned to for help. You let her normal life tear itself apart and did nothing when there was something you could have done easily. Yet, you did not drop that deal because of how it profited you in the end. You relied on others when you could have done something yourself."

Kamijou tried to calm himself but found himself being unable to control his emotions.

"You were family. And you tore that bond to shreds. You spat on it and made a profit from the tears of your own daughter. So, I don't care about who you are or what your position is. No matter what happens to me, you hear my words. I will not let Kongou Mitsuko cry anymore. I will not let her normal life be torn to shreds because of business and because of anything you think to be 'good' for her. Kongou said this over and over again but now I'm using it and throwing it back at you. It's the sharpest blade I have, so be jealous the position and words you should have been in and used were stolen by me."

Kamijou breathed in once and steeled himself before saying the words he needed to.

"Kongou Mitsuko is my responsibility. Her normal life and everything she owns will be protected and I will do whatever it takes to ensure her smile is protected and that she has the chance to go home smiling and happy, no matter what happens to me. So, try and redeem yourself in the best possible way, you piece of shit father. But know this. If you think, for a single moment, that you can attempt to do this again…"

There was power in those words, words that only Kamijou Touma had the right to say.

"If you think I'm going to let you get away with making Kongou cry again either through business or whatever methods without standing up to be the best father you can be, even if you are her father, even if you are all powerful and even if there is nothing I can even do to touch you…"

And because it was his right to say them, there was nothing else he needed to send that silent challenge to the villain who had won.

"I'll destroy that illusion of yours."


Kongou Mitsuko covered her mouth with both hands, trembling as she leaned against the door to Kamijou Touma's room. She dared to not make a sound, but she found the pounding of her heart to be louder than anything else and the heat of her body seemed to have increased, centred around her face and burning through her entire core.

She had heard everything.

And the fact was enough to send that burning sensation racing through her entire body and causing her heart to beat so out of control it was hard to even concentrate on anything else.

She did not understand.

She had been lied to.

Kongou Mitsuko had felt there was proper reasoning to what Kamijou Touma had been doing. She had rationalised it, no, it had been rationalised but as Kongou looked back on the reasoning Kamijou had provided, there had been extra words he had given which now made complete sense to her when they had not previously.

Well, I have my own reasons for this, but I'm not too sure if they are going to be that convincing to a high-class Tokiwadai lady that knows not of the struggles of the lower-class.

He had later said he had accepted Kongou being his fiancée because of the gain he got out as the credits for school, but that had been a lie. Because, in the end, Kamijou Touma, for what he had done and what he had suffered, was going to gain nothing out of what he had done for Kongou and her life.

The only thing he was going to gain was her smile.

The only reason he had needed was because he had no reason to abandon her.

And that was it.

Kongou, being who she was in a high class girls' school, felt there were constant occasions where something was to be gained. No, even at a basic level, humans were like that: they did something because there was some benefit and reasoning to it. It was the proper line of thinking and the only thing that made sense.

Kamijou had seemed to have that thought process in what he was doing. He seemed to have some kind of gain in what he was doing and it was the reason why he was doing it in the first place.

But that reason and that rationalisation for what he was doing?

It didn't exist in the first place.

The only thing that had existed was Kamijou seeing a girl crying and wanting to make sure she had the chance to gain her normal life back and had the chance to smile like normal with her friends. It was nothing more or less than that.

Yet, for the simple and idiotic reasoning, he had lost an arm. But he did not lament on that fact, losing himself in the fact Kongou was not the one to blame and that she was both alive and had the chance to smile when so many other people did not.

Kongou Mitsuko was alive.

It did not seem like much, but for that boy who had suffered and fought so much, how much did those words have weight? How much did the fact she was alive matter to him?

For nothing more than a simple smile and for the chance the regain the normal life of a complete stranger, Kamijou had done what he had promised, no matter the cost to himself. From the bottom of his heart, he had fought for her sake and got wounded for her sake, all so he could put a smile back onto her face when it had been roughly ripped away.

It was for nothing more than that.

And he was willing to challenge her father for it.

Kamijou got angry for her.

Kongou would never have the bravery or even think her father was at the centre of anything but Kamijou had seen through the veil he had created and pierced straight through to send a single message. He had pierced right through the veil of family and pierced the heart of the father, telling him something obvious that any idiot would have been able to tell you but was lost nonetheless.

He had vowed to protect her, said she was his responsibility and that he would defend her and her smile no mattered what happened to him. And they were not just words: he had put them into practice through his own actions and they themselves held a proper credibility in just that fact.

For the sake of a stranger, for the sake of the simple smile and the preservation of the normal life of a simple girl, Kamijou Touma had lost his arm. He had given his everything, gaining nothing from it and had even challenged her father over the chance to make her happy.

Kamijou Touma just wanted Kongou Mitsuko the chance to be happy and the chance to smile.

It was nothing more than that.

Kongou did not understand.

She could not even remotely comprehend the racing of her heart as she slid down while leaning against the door until her butt hit the floor. She was shaking but as she held her hands to her mouth, she found the racing of her heart was beyond anything she had ever felt before.

Kamijou Touma, a few days ago, had been nothing but a stranger.

But in those few days, he had risked his life to save hers. He had forgiven her and even when she had despised him and had every reason to abandon her, refused to do it. He had suffered for her sake. He had challenged her father over the chance to make her happy and got angry for her sake, for the simple fact she had been harmed and was on the verge of tears. He had lost an arm protecting the normal life and the smile of Kongou Mitsuko even though he had never once met her and had a conversation with her. He had done all that no matter the risk to himself.

And for what?

All so she could be happy and go home smiling.

All so she could have her peaceful life back.

Kongou Mitsuko did not understand whatsoever. She could not understand how a simple stranger could care so much for someone else for nothing more than their smile being lost. She could not understand why someone would go so far for someone else when they barely knew each other.

Kamijou had said it was because he had no reason to abandon her.

In truth, there were many.

He did not know her, it was not his problem, he wanted no trouble, it was none of his business; then list was endless.

But he had still found it in his heart to care and want her to be happy even as he was tortured and had his arm cut off. He refused to hate her, holding onto that simple line of thinking he had the entire time which had pushed him forward.

'I want Kongou Mitsuko to be happy'.

That was it.

That was the only thing he had needed and the only thing that had pushed him forward with his actions. He had pushed himself no matter the cost for that one simple goal.

Kongou Mitsuko did not know who Kamijou Touma was.

She did not understand him whatsoever.

But neither did she understand the blush that covered her face, her racing heart which threatened to leap from her chest when she thought of him and the tears that ran down her face as she felt herself more secure than she had ever felt in her life.


And with that, the final loose end of the incident surrounding Kongou Mitsuko was brought to an end.

This was the ending of that incident.

But even then, the aftermath of the events that had taken place had not yet even started.


Kamijou Touma stared down at the phone in his hand, looking at the contact list. His missing left arm still did not feel real to him yet, even though he recognised it was gone. But even then, it had been who had taken it that lingered in his mind.

Kihara Kamui.

Or more accurately, his personality.

The Personality Swipe project which affected only males because Kamui was one himself had infected Aaron Gracestone and the entire Circuits and Chips security team. They had turned from reasonable men and rational individuals into maniacs, parties participating in the underground war between Magic and Science happening now.

On the Science side there was the remnants of MINUS.

They were made up of (at least from what Kamijou knew) Kihara Kamui and how many people he had already tortured and replaced with his own personality; Hayashida Mari, the only remaining Lieutenant General from MINUS and the General of MINUS himself.

On the Magic side, there was Harmonia's Cradle.

They were made up of (at least from what Kamijou knew) Batya Sitara, the girl who did not know she was a Saint, and a bland man Kamijou did not know but had met during the incident with Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Ninth Sephirah.

But it was more than that now.

The Science side had the added weapons of the FIVE_Object and a strange cyborg; both of which had to be built. It was clear the Science side was moving and the Magic side was likely going to respond in kind at some point down the line.

And what would be caught in the middle?

Academy City.

Everybody Kamijou knew or loved would be caught in the crossfire and the danger of such moved beyond the point of no return. Kamijou himself had no idea where to start but as he looked at the phone in his hand and the addresses contained within, he realised something.

(I don't know if this will do anything. But I can't just sit back and let things happen as they did. I don't care I lost my left arm. If this happens to someone else when I could have prevented it, I don't think I would be able to bear it. So, even if it is small, I have to do something. I…can't let the flames of war spread out of control. Not when people have died.)

Kamijou Touma did not waste any time.

He dialled a number on his phone and brought it to his ear, silently staring out the window as he looked at Academy City, a grim look on his face.

He had some calls to make.

And with that the aftermath to the end of an incident began.


[1] Naturally, I don't own Monty Python or anything that is related to it. Although I do love the Holy Grail, very good movie for anyone who hasn't seen it.

And there we have it.

So, what did you think?

The next bit is still a part of the Kongou 'arc' given what happened although she won't make an appearance next chapter. But after all the reveals made this chapter, I had to do an extra one for the aftermath which is going to deal with a whole lot more than just Kongou. A different type of resolution will be reached next time and if you have been paying attention thus far, you will realise there are some things that have been missed up until this point, all of which will be covered next chapter or so.

But this was the ending for Kongou as a character and also came to the entire point of the story; ultimately her own discovery of Touma and what drives him. At the beginning of her story, I made her out to be someone incredibly fragile despite her pride: in fact, it was her prideful self that made herself all the more fragile, in her attempts to hide everything behind a strong mask, she was the one who was most likely to break when it came to the pressure of the world being thrown at her. This is not just experienced in the opening chapter where we get insight into what Kongou is going through but also the lashing out she does against Touma: it is her self defence mechanism that she wants to hide because of her fragile she is.

But, as time goes on, she eventually falls apart. If there was a scene that I really loved, it would have to be the scene where Misaki confronts her and makes her realise she was one who was pushing all the pain and suffering she was supposed to receive onto someone else. And yet, the person who was supposed to receive it was the person who had stood in the way of her misfortune the entire time. Kongou, in her self centred nature that only looked at herself, her friends and those she wanted to look at broke apart as she came to realise it was her behaviour which was entirely contrasted to Touma who looked out for everyone else that was poisonous.

Her growth here stems from that realisation. Her desire to take responsibility for her actions, her choice to move through death, her choice to prostrate herself in front of Touma and even the choice to take the blame onto herself shows how she has changed. The Kongou at the beginning of this arc, when considering a stranger, would have done none of those things. And yet, when faced with what Touma has done for her, she finds that she cannot do anything else but apologise in an empty fashion because of what has been lost and what has been discarded for the sake of everyone else. She moved from being the villain of her own story into the one who had to be redeemed for everything she felt she had done however, was once more moved into the role of the innocent girl, where she truly lies.

I think Touma's speech to her is the one that really gives Kongou the role she filled in this entire arc. She was many things in this arc: fragile in the opening chapter, kind of mean in the next few chapters, very dere for the date chapter, hated for the hate chapter and ultimately pushed through death and somewhat understood by you guys as she faced things and was forced to see what her actions had created. But in the end, we circled back to her fate in the second chapter here: one that makes you realise that Kongou is INNOCENT. She has done nothing wrong to deserve anything and the fact that she was made to do it anyway is a complete unfairness to her. There is no blame for her to take when she has been just another victim in the scope of things and Touma's willingness to forgive and want to protect her smile is just another part of his motivation to treat her without blame. After all, if he blamed her, he couldn't really protect her smile could he?

Kongou grew in her own path here. She transformed into someone that has the capability to care for a stranger now and the kindness she was showing here is one I hope you can really enjoy in future chapters as she appears. The growth she experienced because of Touma is somewhat of a common theme here and also comes down to an aspect of discovery here too.

And in turn, when she discovers who Touma is, she cannot entirely understand. Her growth has not reached the stage where she can completely understand Touma and his actions but for the things she has learned and had revealed around him, I hope her 'reaction' was one that you truly felt was appropriate given what Touma has suffered for the sake of a single smile.

But yet, the villain of this arc, the true villain was one who had only been mentioned in words and never physically appeared. From the moment this arc began, it should have been clear that there was no role for the children here. This was the stage of adults and yet, Kongou's father asking her to ENDURE in a place where she does not belong and continuing the deal with Academy City was what made everything happen. If there was anyone that had to be blamed, it was that one man, staring down at the others in his place of safety where everyone else was harmed or killed. The fact Aaron, Kisaragi and Damian took to the stage to deal with things in person really shows the difference in those business characters: it's a shame they are dead as I could have shown there were other ways in that they could be good people as well.

Kongou's father though, in his position of safety whereas his own daughter is cast on the front line is what made him the worst type of person this entire time. From one perspective, I hope you can somewhat understand why he did what he did: the inheritance that Kongou gains for the future now increases and effectively, Kongou is set for life (something any good parent would aim for). But when it has been formed as a result of her tears? That in itself was unacceptable and truly made him the shitty adult and villain he became. There was a victory in this arc, but not through the destruction of illusions but only the survival of the characters that appeared. I hope you can come to realise the importance of that distinction.

Even so, I hope you found Touma's "I'll destroy your illusion" line when it comes to Kongou's father possibly making her lose her smile again very badass. It was this one final confrontation that Touma made that was the key point of this arc: the only seen interaction between the hero and the villain. I hope you enjoyed it.

There was a tiny bit of humour this time as well, although I hope that as you looked at the first bit, you sort of cringed at how desperate the humour seemed. Of course, that was later explained but if you suddenly felt as though it was entirely out of place, then you got the gist of how cringey it truly was.

But this chapter truly brought an end to the 'Kongou' part of the arc. And as usual, the Kami-yan Disease strikes again! Even when his arm is amputated, can nothing stop this madness?!

And here we go with the aftermath…!

Also, with the release of the newly translated novel, here are my brief thoughts:

GT 1

It feels so weird now that I'm starting Index from a 'Volume 1'and while I have to say that the novel was enjoyable, it felt too short given that we're right into the new series as a whole!

Seriously though, what a novel. Just when you thought the scale couldn't get any higher, you introduce factors such as Maidono and R&C Occultics into the mix. I have to say, seeing a character like Maidono exist within the Index verse was definitely a surprise given her power and what she could do with it. When you think of something like Index an esper powers, 'telekinesis' usually comes to mind as being the standard psychic power. In this sense, while Maidono felt like your standard esper power user not only in the sense of being both from an Eastern and Western perspective, the pure scale of her power was absolutely nuts. Crushing and moving buildings of all things!? Personally, that has to be one of the most terrifying esper powers I've seen, even though it's such a standard.

Not only that but the magic side elements as well were pretty interesting, especially with the focus on what R&C Occultics is doing within Academy City. It's sort of ironic how far we've come with the series; you wouldn't see such power from either the science or the magic side so early on and yet here we've got an almost Level 5 and a magic 'cabal' that has infected Academy City without even having to cross its walls, something that no magic cabal has done to date (unless you count Lola taking over Academy City). In this sense, I think it was because of this that 'resetting' the series felt a bit pointless especially with all the context. But in this sense, I guess that just shows the scale of the series and how it has built up.

Still, seeing Accelerator as Board Chairman and Operation Handcuffs?! Destroying the dark side has made itself known throughout the overall series so many times but within the space of the novel, it's already on the verge of being completely demolished (unless Anna has anything to say about it). It just goes to show the amount of power that Accelerator has managed to amass already, even if the 'ending' he has chosen himself is pretty tragic in itself. He's come such a long way that part of me wants to see him with his happy ending, so I'm just glad that Last Order was still there for him no matter what happens!

But seriously, what a Christmas Eve! All of the main heroines made an appearance (Index, Mikoto, Othinus and Shokuhou) but even though that was the case, the sense of scale Touma had to go through in this novel was just intense. Stabbed in the side and then having to fight back to back against a pseudo Level 5 and a Director with magic – he truly doesn't get a break, does he!? Not only that but facing buildings, freight trains and light bullets on the level of ballistic cannons; misfortune just prevents him from facing happiness…and then there's his school work as well.

With respect to Touma this novel, I also felt that this novel showed how much he has grown over the series as well. Looking at the things he did, not only did he actively try to save Accelerator and his enemies (I think this is the first time where the active link between Touma saving Accelerator has been made), but Touma accepted help when it was given to him, recognised he was not the hero with respect to Last Order and accepted that he lost his own memories and faced that head on. Those were all things he couldn't have done at the beginning of OT or NT so in a way, the 'new' Touma here really is a 'genesis' of sorts.

But seriously Anna, what are you planning? I don't want to think that that pill is some kind of mind control device like St. Germain or something… It's not even Christmas and we're already doing this type of stuff?!

I also get the feeling that the '12' Directors are also another type of category that haven't been fully unveiled like the '7' Level 5s and the 'less than 20' Saints. I wonder if they will all be covered given that we're around halfway? But then again, Kamachi has another series with '12' being the main number so maybe it might be the case?

Whatever the case though, a really strong novel to start the series with. In various ways, it sort of took the structure from Index as a world and shattered it, so I'm keen to see where things head from here with magic now being readily available to the world and Touma losing his first kiss to the main enemy!?

If this is Christmas Eve though, what will Christmas be like…? I just know Touma isn't going to like it…

And that'd be it...until the next one!

And as always,
Review if you please.

And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.

So basically, you can think of Touma's scene with Kongou's father as being one where he says "I'll kick your ass if you make her cry because I will do anything to make sure she is happy." …In a way, that's sort of a proposal, isn't it? Poor, poor Touma. Will the misunderstandings never end?