Day 4 - Thursday – Return to Academy City
This madness. It was the only way Mikoto could think to describe events since Monday. Imouto had, of course, said yes and here she was driving Kamijou Touma, still legless, up to Academy City. Due to the fact this was a research institute this operation would have a certain legality, but as a doctor letting a vet operate on her patient was still, well…just madness.
They were heading out of Oiso, past the resort and waterslides that didn't match the rest of the place. Up the ramp onto the motorway, and Mount Fuji could be seen in the rear-view mirror. They were heading east, and her companion to her left was already asleep. She couldn't even play music and sing along as she had on the way there because she'd wake him up. "Should have remembered he could sleep pretty much anywhere."
This drive to Academy City wasn't the worst in the world. This section was along the coast then she'd cut northward following the Sagami River then she'd head east into Academy City. Motorway most of the way, often river or sea views, and 2 hours to travel a little over 60km if the traffic was bad but this time of the day a little over an hour.
The small 660cc Kei car was now Mikoto's but had been her Dad's. Her Mama said he could buy a kei car, not suspecting he'd come home in a little mid-engine S660 Honda sports car. It was light blue with leather trim, and she loved it as much as he had. When Mikoto was twelve she sat in the passenger seat, whilst her father, Tabigake, depressed the clutch and she changed gears. This wasn't the kind of journey the tiny car was suited to, but she dropped the window between the seats and listened to the insanely attractive roar the engine made every time it accelerated.
Even though this was madness Mikoto's curiosity was also getting the better of her. Imouto was at an institute that did high end veterinary work for rich clients. They proved the techniques on animals first before applying for medical device approval for humans. In Japan JMDN. In the USA FDA approval. They'd started by making artificial hearts for pets. With higher pulse and respiration rates testing had been accelerated compared to humans. The research institute was exploring other opportunities, and that was where Imouto came in.
Imouto was working with the latest in keyhole surgery, and particularly nerve surgery. In fact, to call it keyhole was a misnomer, unless you thought a municipal drain and a garden hose were the same thing. All Kamijou had to do was sign away all his rights of redress and the institute were happy to help. They'd even provided 25,000 yen for travel, meals and towards his rehabilitation. She had a little over a week to spend it.
It took an hour before they reached the walls of Academy City. A flick of their ID cards at the security booth and they were in. 10 years ago she'd stood outside in the pouring rain answering a 10 page questionnaire for fifteen minutes as a level 5 at this same booth. The DNA part of that questionnaire had been intrusive. She'd just wanted to hit the petty bureaucrat as he questioned a fourteen year old her about her sex life, and then warned her about the bad things that could happen if her DNA got into the wrong hands. Her fingers whitened as she clenched the steering wheel. There were two many memories this place brought back.
It took only five minutes, and they were pulling up outside another anonymous concrete Academy City research lab. A car park with some trees, tiny windows, and an unassuming entrance. What marked this one as different were the figures waiting for them.
Each of her sisters was a mirror but with each passing year the mirror was more distorted. A bob haircut, a pale blue not white coat, a very plain dark but well cut royal blue dress, and a black cat with a purplish tinge inside its ears.
"Wake up Touma." She gently pushed her elbow into his rib cage, and with a start he woke up. "We're here."
"I see you've been working on your bedside manner." Her passenger was only half awake, and suddenly waking him up hadn't helped his mood. There was no time to respond to his comment as Imouto opened the passenger door.
"Hi you two. I see you finally found him Big Sister," said a grinning Imouto." On Hold says hello too." The cat yawned at the two of them and licked its lips, and Touma looked up from the cat's face to the clone holding it.
"Hi Imouto, it's been a long time. I'm amazed to see you still have the same cat."
"Kamijou. On Hold is the equivalent of 64 human years." She scratched the cat behind the ear and it began to purr almost instantly. "There's still plenty of life in this kitty."
Imouto placed the cat on Touma's lap. The cat immediately started making its way across Touma, but kept going to Mikoto, who was bribing it with a cat treat. "Imouto' s a level 4 now Touma, and On Hold has grown used to EM barriers. I can suppress my EM field temporarily to play with On Hold." She began stroking the cat behind the ears and the cat was again purring as Imouto began explaining why he was here today.
"Kamijou. That cat was why I now do nerve operations. With age On Hold was having problems and could hardly walk. I was given the opportunity here to operate on him using a new technology. I've been here ever since that operation. This technique is so good your healing time from the operation itself will be nil. The time for the nerves to heal is something else, but at your age that should be relatively quick."
"You are saying this technology, only used so far on animals, is the best there is and that's why you are using it on me?"
"I'm saying I wouldn't do anything on that cat," said Imouto pointing at On Hold, "that I wouldn't be prepared to do on anybody else." The way Imouto said that calmed Touma down. Mikoto had to secretly admit it also calmed her.
With a struggle and a trolley (no wheelchairs here and no room for one in the tiny car) they managed to get Touma into the operating theatre. The Honda was a joy to drive but painful to get Touma in and out of but fortunately the journey from car to theatre was less than 50m across the flat. Between the two Misakas it took five minutes, punctuated by the odd suppressed curse.
The operating theatre itself felt like a smaller version of a human operating theatre. The same lights, but width and length had been shrunk. The patients were smaller, but so was the staff within the theatre. Everybody working in this room often had more than one job, and this reduced the number of staff. Today they'd be only two people doing this operation, herself and Imouto.
"Big Sister, can you put a gown and mask on Kamijou, and move that machinery in the corner next to his feet." This took a few minutes and by the time Imouto came back from scrubbing up the machines were all in place, as directed, and Kamijou was dressed in green except for his exposed leg stumps.
It was now Mikoto's turn to clean herself up, put on a mask and re-join the operation. By the time she was back in there the machinery had come to life and Imouto was using disinfecting wipes on Touma's left leg. They were obviously waiting for her and had been having quite an animated chat as she entered.
Imouto handed Mikoto the packet, "Do the right stump please Big Sister," and Mikoto proceeded to do the same to his other leg to ensure no infection could take hold.
The final part of the preparation involved Imouto strapping Touma's legs in place so they couldn't move. "The fibres from the machine are extremely delicate you can't move during the operation. If you snap them it will take me hours to get them out… Now Kamijou I am going to take a 3D scan of your stumps." She opened up a miniature MRI device. "We usually use this on small cats, guinea pigs, and rabbits but it's around the right size for your stumps."
Mikoto then felt Imouto use her ability to check for anything magnetic before pushing the machine over the stump and starting the scan. The force an MRI placed on metal could be lethal. Imouto was being ultra cautious.
Mikoto observed the results as Imouto cut slices through the stump, and she was happier with the passing of each slice. Then the other stump with the machine, this time Mikoto scanned for anything magnetic, and she saw the same result with each passing slice. She couldn't help smiling. Somebody else noticed her reaction in the room.
"Is it good news Mikoto? If you were a dentist I'd be guessing you didn't have to drill."
"Yes, Touma. Looks as though the damage is better than I thought. We'll be removing scar tissue from some nerves and wrapping one nerve in each leg. It's the best possible outcome. Everything should heal."
"I agree with Big Sister Kamijou. This should be much easier, and nothing is permanently damaged, which was our big worry. You should get full functionality back. This shouldn't take long at all and you'll hardly feel a thing. There's a reason we're both smiling."
The MRI was pulled away, but the data was then inputted into an intelligent 3D ultrasound. It combined both images for Imouto who was wearing 3D goggles. "Big Sister. I want you to operate the ultrasound while I do the operation. Remember you are my eyes but keep at least 2cm from the fibres I control." Then Mikoto watched as fibres, the same diameter as a hypodermic syringe began worming their way into Kamijou's left stump. It looked like some alien parasite, but what it was about to do was the exact opposite of being a parasite.
The next hour was a dance between the two sisters with Mikoto manoeuvring the ultrasound on Imouto' s instructions. The concentration was intense and Mikoto barely spoke. Touma was silent.
On the screen in front of her she had a 2D representation of Imouto' s 3D view, and she watched as Imouto delicately shaved layers of scar tissue off Touma's nerves with the fibre that performed the surgery. This was the neurolysis, which would improve the function of those nerves. The final part was the most difficult. In both stumps Imouto extruded a sleeve around a nerve to protect it so it wasn't so tender. This was the nerve wrapping and it combatted the pain Mikoto had noticed back in Oiso. At the conclusion of the operation half a dozen major nerves in each stump had been repaired in a fraction of the time it would take in a hospital.
"Is it over?" asked Touma in a tone that indicated he really wanted it to be over. Having his legs clamped like that couldn't be pleasant.
"Yes, I've finished Kamijou. I'll only have one cancellation today. You should start seeing the improvement in the next few days."
"You know your Big Sister thought you'd take twice as long." Mikoto tried to ignore that exaggeration. He was teasing her, but in a consistently friendlier manner than ten years ago, and if she wanted to, she could give it back these days.
"We should unstrap Touma," said Mikoto, "and get that gown off him. I'll do the gown and you do the straps…Now sit up Touma…that's it, I can pull that gown over your head."
With the mask off Touma was back to normal and Mikoto started stripping off her scrubs to reveal her clothes underneath. "Thanks Imouto. I don't know what I'd have done without you."
"No problems. I did this for both of you Kamijou and Big Sister."
"Thank you Imouto," came from the operating chair.
"I'll ring you tomorrow Big Sister to see how he is doing, but I need to get to another appointment. I've got another operation in 10 minutes. I'd like to stay around and talk but I've already received the text asking me to go to the next job."
"That's fine Imouto," said Mikoto. "We can have dinner again soon."
"I look forward to it big sister. Goodbye, and I'll see you both soon."
Imouto was quickly out the door and gone, and it was time to get Touma back to the car. It was harder work on her own, and the trolley did have a mind of its own sometimes. The wheelchair and the train were starting to look more appealing. Eventually he was back in the car, and it was still only 9am in the morning. "Touma did you have a proper breakfast this morning?"
"Not really, I could do with another, do you have a plan?"
"Of course. There's somewhere I want to go for old times' sake. When I come here, which is at most once a year, my old classmates drag me to a particular café, but it isn't the one I want to visit."
"Have I been there? More importantly, can I afford it?"
"Extremely unlikely you've been there, and that is all I am telling you."
She started up the car and made her way more toward the centre of Academy City, into District 7, winding her way through bumper to bumper traffic. She watched parents take their kids to elementary school. High School and Middle School students not only streamed out of dorms, but they also came off train lines that connected to other parts of Tokyo. Then it was past her old dorm at Tokiwadai, now converted to apartments with the advent of day students, and eventually the entrance to the School Garden came into view. Like much of Academy City it had also changed. You could now drive into the School Garden.
Mikoto pulled up to another electronic pass gate and swiped the same card she used to get into Academy City. The machine responded, "Misaka Mikoto. Tokiwadai old girl access granted."
"I have a guest." Mikoto spoke into a microphone and swiped Touma's card. He was registered as well.
"Kamijou Touma. To remain in the presence of Misaka Mikoto at all times." The machine then took a flash photograph of them in the car and the gates opened onto this sanctuary within Academy City.
"So, being an ex-student of Tokiwadai allows you access these days?"
"Only three times a year. I registered to visit where my parents died but I've never used it for anything purely for enjoyment. Even better for you, men are allowed in as long as they are escorted. Don't be surprised if you are tracked by the eyes of the schoolgirls. You will still be an unusual sight."
The small car was not suited to the cobbles on the streets. It jiggled and thumped its way over the cobbles between the mock French buildings. It did have an advantage. It was so tiny they managed to find a park outside the café Mikoto had made a bee line for, Pasticceria Manicagni. The statue of the man outside with a moustache hadn't changed, neither had the green awnings over the pavement, but the cafe now did breakfast.
Mikoto ran inside and soon she had help from a waitress. They pulled him out of the car and with one either side Kamijou was carried unceremoniously across the footpath to a small circular table with a glass top and two wicker chairs. Mikoto watched as he snatched at the menu and began reading it. He really must be hungry. Mikoto picked up the menu rather more sedately and began reading it. True to form the menu was brief, but also very Italian.
"How does the selection of Cornetto ripieni, with bread, jam and a couple of coffees sound Touma?... and don't worry I have a budget for this."
"I've been to Italy you know," Another tease with a smile, "but I agree with I take the ones filled with honey and custard? That leaves you the chocolate and marmalade ones."
"That's fine Touma. As I said I'll add some jam and bread to fill up on as well. This place is known for cakes but the bread was really good to."
"I'm definitely in a mood for coffee with the early start Mikoto. Café latte or cappuccino?"
"How about two cappuccinos."
"Agreed." The two menus were placed back on the table almost in unison.
The waitress who had helped Touma into the chair was watching as this discussion went on. They were the only new customers this time of the morning, and she already had the order filled out. She checked the order with them and went back into the shop to get it for them.
"Touma, its awkward, and I don't want to pry, but can you tell me how that happened?" She was pointing at his legs.
"Do you remember Anna Sprengel?"
"How could I not remember her. She put me in hospital, and if we're honest that was least of her sins."
"On the morning the insurrection started I was her target numero uno. The first thing Anna did was crush my legs so I couldn't run. That was stage one of her plan. She had this object shaped like an arrow with five twisted prongs. What I understand now from Index is this object was the form Imagine Breaker originally took. She somehow managed to transfer Imagine Breaker back to the artefact."
"At that point I would have been pretty scared if I was you."
"I was. She then chopped off my hand with a small sword. The next thing she did was use another spell to take back what she said was hers. The pain was intense, and I passed out. I've been told she went down the street incinerating anybody who dared take her on with dragons coming out of her arm."
"She did it to take control of the dragons?"
"…and she created havoc with them for the rest of the day. My legs were amputated later that day in a hospital near where my parents lived. There were no spare operating theatres in Academy City so I was rushed outside city limits. It was a year before I came back here to visit."
She somehow felt it was now her turn, "My parents were killed 200 metres over in that direction Touma." Mikoto pointed in the direction of the Tokiwadai dorm still operating within the School Garden. "A magician threw an Anti-Skill van at my parents and three friends, Kongou, Wannai and Awatsuki, who were protecting them. They went one way, and my Dad grabbed my mother to hide behind a thick cast iron lamppost. What he didn't realise was that it was made of fibreglass and offered no protection. They're fake old, and that's what killed them. You can see one of them by the green door over there."
"Maybe we should find something happier to talk about Mikoto?"
"Maybe we should Touma…So I've been told you are a manga artist."
"You are sitting with the up and coming manga artist Amano Doi?" He did a small bow, but the way he did it slightly made fun of himself. It was a nice change and Mikoto liked it.
"So, if we take the simple meanings, you've gone from the summit of the person superior to god to heaven's mountain."
"It's hard to find two names that translate perfectly to Kamijou and Touma which aren't Kamijou and Touma"
"Scusi." The waitress had returned with their breakfast and she quickly placed the items between them on the table. Hopefully, they tasted as good as they looked.
The coffee smelt good, and a quick bite confirmed the chocolate cornetto was delicious. The less well known Italian equivalent to a croissant was similarly evil, and in a good way. A sip of the coffee and Mikoto had another question.
"What's your manga about?"
"Its stories based on what happened to me during those nine months before the Insurrection. All identities and some plot details have been changed so nobody will take offence."
"From what I've been told I am in it." She was scanning his face intently as she said it.
"The main heroine looks like you, but she is a magician. The other character you may recognise is like Tsuchimikado Motoharu."
"Why us two and nobody else? You said you were trying to conceal identities, but you've included the two of us."
"Weird as it may seem you were my two friends I thought were dead. It was a way of bringing you back to life. It helped me come to terms with it. With you alive in front of me I am not so sure it was a good idea now."
"Did you ship me with Tsuchimikado?" said Mikoto with one eyebrow raised.
"No. Never." The denial came out at light speed.
"Then I'm fine with it." She smiled gently at him to make that clear, She'd been able to tell he was a bit worried about it.
"… but you don't know Tsuchimikado."
"…but I did know Maika, so I know enough." Mikoto also had a confession. "I also tried to do something similar."
"What could you do that was similar Mikoto?"
He was interested, and Mikoto thought it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "A tune I wrote about you when I was fifteen. It was terrible so I shredded the sheet music."
"You won't play it to me?"
"Never. I deliberately forgot it." She was tapping her fingers on the table. Hopefully, he'd take the hint.
"It couldn't be that bad. You're pretty talented at everything you do."
Mikoto deliberately lowered her voice for her response. "I thought now you were older and wiser you'd no longer flirt with death Kamijou Touma."
He stopped, and it was almost as if the gears were whirring in his head as he thought. He was eating his last cornetto and sipping on his coffee between bites. He wisely changed the subject.
"Could you tell me about Kuroko's new life? It just amazes me how she went from pursuing you to married to someone else. Even if it is your clone."
"I'd love to. Her and Ena are the most devoted couple I know. Their boy is so adorable. I wished I saw them more often. I really need to go visit them in Nagoya before spring disappears."
"Can you tell me how they actually came to be together? Did they meet at the old District 7 hospital, or something?"
"Do you want me to include all the cute romantic bits for you Touma? It may take quite a while if I do that." She could see him cringe as she said it.
"You sound like you'll be telling me about it all the way back to Oiso."
"That would be cruel Kamijou Touma," and she teased him back with a smile that mirrored his own.