italics - thoughts

Bold - Emphasis

Italics Bold - Magic names or titles

"normal" - speech

" underlined bold " - Mental transmissions

Underlined - Flashback

{Bold}- Magic spells or abilities

Disclaimer:I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index nor its characters. All rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi. Except for my own characters that I create

Chapter 27: Clash of the Hands Pt. 1

The next day, Touma was in a bit of a rush…

"Ah! Look at the time! It's I am going to miss out on the weekly supermarket sale!"

"Human, is there really a need for you to be so frantic?" Standing on the countertop, Othinus sighed. Levinia and Index was still asleep...or rather, was asleep, since the noise that Touma was making was waking them up. "Our food situation is not very dire, since you still have the leftovers from last night. And you bought extra, didn't you? "

"There is!" Throwing on the jacket that Mikoto had gifted him a while back, Touma grabbed his shopping bag and wallet from the countertop. "Tomorrow is when they restock the eggs and vegetables they import weekly into Academy City! This means that the prices are at the lowest to clear their stock! Meaning I can buy even more food to feed us with the usual amount I spend! Plus he extra I bought would only last us a few days with three other freeloaders!"

"…okay…" Othinus sighed. She knew just how important it was for them to stock up on food. Especially now that they had two more people to cook for. For the time being anyway. "Then you better buy me back a tub of honey."

"Roger that, Othi-chan! Oh, and make sure they stay inside, okay?" Touma said before he closed the door. "Kamisato is still around somewhere, so I want to make sure they stay here for the time being. The food should also keep them occupied."

*slam*

"…human, you are an idiot, aren't you…" Othinus sighed. "Well, back to the other things…hey, nun. Birdway, you awake?"

"Fwa~ Hmm?" Index rubbed her eyes blearily. "Othinus, what's wrong?"

Meanwhile, Levinia stretched her body, having also just waken up. "What would a Magic god want with me?"

"A change in faction, actually." Othinus smiled. "Would you like to join the Kamijou faction?"

Timeskip

"Whew…" Touma sighed in relief once he had stepped outside his dorm room.

The truth was, he had not only gotten outside of his dorm in a hurry for the reason he had stated earlier.

If I had stayed there any longer, who knows what would have happened to my precious ingredients?

Yes, it was for fear of the ingredients currently sitting in his fridge.

Thanks to the extra money he had received from his girlfriend to buy the ingredients for the hot pot the night before, he had managed to snag a large amount of extra ingredients to last them the next two weeks, even when taking into account Index's gluttonous ways.

But with the introduction of three new individuals, two Magic gods and a growing girl specifically, Touma feared that they would run out of ingredients faster than usual. Especially since the magic gods had helped themselves to third helpings of his food. This meant that the food he had expected to last a fortnight had ended up turning into something that would last a week, tops. And he would not like to mooch off of his rich girlfriend(not that he would ever do it, but Mikoto might do so to prevent him from going under from Index's, and now three new freeloaders, hungry guts)

And although there were leftovers from the night before…Touma had no doubts that they would ask him to cook food for them to make them stuffed. Which would diminish his food stocks even further. To put it in simple terms, he chose to run away from the problem, and let the girls fight it out amongst themselves for the leftovers.

But for now…

Hmm, first I should go and meet Misaka and Shokuhou-san to fill them in on what we found out yesterday. Touma started to plan in his mind. Then, once I fill them in at a cafe, I should for the afternoon sale that would happen near my dorm. That reminds me, do I have my phone with me–

Patting his pocket, Touma realised he did not.

Ah, damn. Touma frowned. If I go back, the girls might try to get me to stay and cook for them. But at the same time, if I don't get back, I would have to try to get into the Garden to meet Misaka and Shokuhou-san to tell them about what we learned instead of scheduling a meeting…

…I'll bite the bullet. Touma decided to get back to his dorm. I would rather not have to get into the School Garden again, like when Motoharu mailed me into the changing room that one time.

"Hey, Inde-…"

As soon as he started turning back for his own room, his feet were forcibly stopped.

Touma glanced down and saw something extending from a cracked door where it wrapped and tangled around his right ankle. When he looked at where it came from, he saw that it was leading from his neighbour's room.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu's room.

"Wha-!? Ah!"

It was already too late.

By the time he reacted and bent down to negate whatever it was that was grabbing onto his ankle, he was tugged backwards and toppled over as he was dragged inside his friend/neighbour's mysterious room. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!?"

He slid into the centre of the room while filled with dull pain as he bumped against this or that, before the vine slackened, allowing him to get back upright into a crouching position, his right hand touching the vine and dispelling it with the usual breaking glass sound. Quickly, he looked around. It was not very bright, as the blinds were drawn and the lights were off. But a crack in the drawn blinds allowed light to flood the room somewhat, giving Touma some vision.

His neighbour was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a figure stood with his back against the wall, next to the door he had been dragged from.

He could not see his outline very clearly, but he could tell by his outfit. It was Kamisato Kakeru.

"Hi, Imagine Breaker. We didn't finish our last chat thanks to that interference, so how about we try again?" Kamisato raised a hand to his neck. "I'm sure you're busy with those red and black things, but you want to rid yourself of some worries before taking action, don't you?"

The fact that the boy was standing there meant several things. With the most important one in mind, Touma reflexively clenched his teeth.

"Where's…Tsuchimikado!? Don't tell me used your right hand to-…!?"

"Is this really any time to be worried about others? Honestly, now." Kamisato snapped his fingers.

A new vine appeared behind him, moving to drag him again, but Touma acted quickly, jumping backwards and using his right hand to swat against the vine, dispelling it once more.

"I'll ask again." Touma growled, his hand aimed at Kamisato like it was a weapon. "Where. Is. Tsuchimikado!?"

"…" Kamisato raised an eyebrow at that, before he shrugged and flipped the light switch.

Light flooded the dark room, causing some stars to appear in Touma's vision, but he forced himself to keep watch of his surroundings.

Hs eyes quickly spotted his friend. He had been hogtied and was gagged, but he looked none the worse for wear. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief at that. Then, he took stock of the current situation.

He could see that there was a girl next to Kamisato, who was sporting a thin smile. Her appearance reminded Touma of one of those old school delinquents he had seen on those anime he had seen Index watch before, but what stood out was the fox-like ears on her head and the bottle of water in her hand filled with old coins and water.

"As you can see, your friend is no worse for wear." Kamisato waved his left hand dismissively.

Touma wanted to to be relieved that his friend(as much as he wanted to deny this) was fine: Bruised, but not dead, he did not have time to. The moment his eyes left Kamisato's form, the vines reappeared, this time in a larger number then before. Latching onto his limbs, he was dragged out of the open doorway, and then off the balcony. And compared to before, even more violent power filled it.

"Ah, ahh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh, waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" He was mercilessly tossed outside. Shit, shit, shit, shit shiiitt! If I use Imagine Breaker now, I'll die! It'll be like destroying an invisible roller coaster's rails to toss himself out into the air. Only, it will be a dive from seven stories up in the sky… …?

Just below him, about two floors off the ground, was a giant net made of more vines. Touma sunk straight into the plant-made web of vines, which absorbed a certain amount of his momentum. Unfortunately, his flailing limbs must have touched the vines as Imagine Breaker activated, causing a portion of the net to disperse, dropping him to the asphalt below.

"Gyah!" As Touma writhed around on the road, Kamisato Kakeru did not hesitate to leap into the open air, before e was followed by the girl next to him. A new net was formed and it neatly caught both him and the girl.

"As you saw, your friend did not get erased or anything. Only bruised up."

Touma reflexively tried to drag his aching body away, but he quickly realized another presence approaching him. Including Kamisato, he was surrounded from three different directions.

"Allow me introduce you. This is Elza." Kamisato jabbed his head towards the girl next to him.

"Is this seriously your opposite, boss?" Elza tilted her head slightly.

Now that Touma could see clearly, he noticed that Elza had large breasts and wore a long red skirt and white sweater which looked somewhat like a shrine maiden outfit when combined. Her long brown hair was cut roughly away, leaving tufts that resembled fox ears on either side of her head. She seemed to be holding something in both hands, but it appeared to be a two litre plastic bottle. Hmm…the way she rocks that bottle like a baby is kinda disturbin…. He noticed the odd glinting of the water. The water looks copper coloured, so is it full of ten yen coins?

"She's from the magic side and she uses 'something like a' Kokkuri to possess anything she wants. It can apparently be a coin, a person, or even herself. She absorbs the enemy's fighting force like in a game of shogi, so she's quite useful."

"And this is Claire."

Kamisato pointed towards the new girl who had approached them. She was wearing a dress that exposed her back. Her black hair was tied back in twintails and she wore large unfashionable glasses. White stockings with a garter belt covered her legs. She looked fairly obedient, but something else overturned that impression entirely. Tropical flowers grew from either side of her head like giant hibiscuses. A closer look showed colourful flowers covering her back as well.

"Hello there." The girl waved her hand in greeting.

"Claire is a type of Gemstone and her body's cells are apparently more like plant cells than animal cells." Kamisato explained. "I suppose she technically belongs to the science side. She can violently amplify the bonds of algae and fungi and she can absorb metal or plastic to use their traits. Simply put, she can devour a modern weapon and construct a missile or chainsaw out of nothing but plants and flowers. It increases the risk of something going wrong, but she can also combine or rearrange them to create something brand new. Like a remotely guided chainsaw. Her power is more about regeneration than being a solid barrier, but she's still perfect to act as a shield."

This is bad… Touma thought. Kamisato-san was dangerous enough on his own. But with those two girls with him, this has just become even harder. And also, how did he find out where I was? If I don't find out the technique he was using, I would not be able to run at all!

"Let's talk." Kamisato almost seemed like he was joking. "If you do that, I'll call them all off. Or would you prefer to get this started without speaking?"

"…"

Touma thought about his room.

Othinus was only fifteen centimetres tall. Nephthys, while she could fight, was no match for him. Eve if she bought time for them to escape, she would lose a large portion of her power. Levinia was hardly in top form due to that fruit in her chest. Index was the only one who could move freely, but having to cover for the other three meant she was essentially restrained. His room was on the seventh floor, so there was nothing they could do if the stairs and elevator were blocked off. He did not know what kind of nasty fighting force Kamisato had waiting nearby and he had a definite means of tracking them even if they did escape.

Essentially, they had been cut off at every turn.

…he really is thorough. Setting everything up so that there is only checkmate. Touma calmed himself down, though he was still wary as he slowly got up. "What could we possibly talk about?"

"I understand you're worried, but there's no need to rush this. Those red and black things have become a lot of trouble, but there's no helping that. People like us are always calling in that kind of trouble." Kamisato winked as if he were enjoying himself. "But personally, I really want to deal with my own objective. And that has to do with World Rejecter and Imagine Breaker. I think it's time we exchanged opinions on some things."

After a glance from Kamisato, the girls named Claire and Elza vanished into the darkness. However, that was not enough for Touma to relax. Having an unknown number of them hidden in the darkness was far more worrying. Does he think I am that shallow to believe that with them out of sight, I would forget that they are there?

Touma felt a little insulted as Kamisato led them away from the student dorms and into a nearby alley.

Kamijou and Kamisato walked away from the student dorms. World Rejecter spoke as they walked down the road. "Doesn't it seem sudden?"

"…" Touma chose not to respond, unsure as to what Kamisato was trying to say.

"Oh, and just to clarify, I'm not taking about those red and black things we encountered last night. Nor am I talking about our encounters the past few days. No. I'm talking about a more fundamental issue. World Rejecter? What is that? If something that convenient was out there, wouldn't the history of this world have turned out quite differently?"

"…" Touma chose to keep silent, but he did think about what Kamisato said. About the history changing part only, that is. He already knew how World Rejector came about thanks to Percival, Nephthys and Othinus. Even if they were all guesses. Plus, he did not want to say anything, lest he accidently placed the boy next to him in a bad mood. Otherwise, there would be no telling what he would do.

"That's hardly surprising." Kamisato laughed as he spoke. He had taken Touma's silence to be him mulling over his question. "I only received World Rejecter a few months back."

"…what?"

"I'm not exaggerating. I noticed something off around the beginning of November, but I didn't realize it was a power residing in my body until a few months back. Hunting down the Magic Gods was something like my very first fight to the death with my right hand."

In his first fight against Magic gods, while only utilising his right hand, he had practically annihilated all of the world's Magic Gods. Touma shivered as he thought about it. Even if it was his first battle, and he had experimented with his power beforehand, he still has a large lack of experience in using his power to fight. It is really frightening that World Rejector made up for his inexperience with pure, brute power.

… …What kind of monster would he become once he gained even more experience and knowledge about his power?

This led to Touma thinking about why World Rejector had formed.

Thanks to the discussion Nephthys and Co. had, they could hazard a guess as to why World Rejector had formed. And what had led to it residing in Kamisato Kakeru.

Yes.

It was because Touma had focused on Othinus individually rather than the Magic Gods as a whole. The more definitive that change had grown, the more their hearts had shifted away from Touma. Eventually, they had started to desire a replacement. They had started to wish for a different solution to their dreams. A backup plan.

And as a result of their thoughts and desires, they consolidated into a power that had similar conditions to Imagine Breaker. A power that belonged to neither the Science side or the Magic side. A special power that had the ability to choose it's wielder.

World Rejector was that power.

And that special power had forced itself onto someone that had been completely ordinary and forced them off the path they had previously walked on.

That person, was Kamisato Kakeru.

"Do you see my situation now?" Kamisato laughed as he walked alongside Touma. "I don't care if you find it disturbing or look down on me as some strange guy, but there is one thing I want you to know. Until very recently, Kamisato Kakeru was the kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere. If I was involved in an incident concerning some weird red and black things, I would have been the poor first victim who was killed in one blow and left to rot in a garbage dump. I didn't turn into this because I wanted to."

"That you can find…anywhere?"

"Yeah." Kamisato confirmed immediately. Clenching and unclenching his right hand, Kamisato stared at it as he spoke. "You might find it surprising, but I'm not from Academy City. Nor am I part of some group from England or Rome. I truly was born 'outside', in a normal town, a boring regional city, the kind of hometown anyone can picture in their head. That's where I lived as a high school boy who was average in both academics and sports."

"Then…what were those girls!? One was a Gemstone and the other used possession magic!"

"As I was saying…" In that moment, a sticky darkness filled the boy's eyes. Those hopeless, dark eyes seemed to absorb all light without reflecting any of it back out. "Including them, we were all supposed to be normal students."

"…"

"Claire was the class's obedient gardening club member who barely stood out. She would only give me a quiet greeting when entering the classroom and we weren't even close enough to eat lunch together. But I loved watching her pour as much love into the plants as she did other people. It calmed my heart." Kamisato started to speak. "Elza was a bit of a delinquent, but she was a childhood friend who lived next door to me. We had stopped speaking, but we thought that was perfectly normal. I honestly respected her desire to stand out and not blend in even if it meant fighting against society. But this right hand..."

"…hold on…" Touma started to feel an 'off' sensation around their conversation.

"This right had ruined it all! Ruined them…" As if it pained him to say it, Kamisato's face scrunched up in anger. "Salvation is a frightening thing. People grow dependent on it and it ruins them. And thanks to that, they're all lazily clinging to it. Hey, Kamijou-kun. Think about this from a normal point of view. If you go to a bathhouse, is it normal for girls to rush into the men's bath saying they want to wash your back? What about having girls unconditionally wish to cook for you and having that somehow end up as a mysterious mass that deserves a mosaic over it? What about placing five futons in a 4.5 tatami room and sleeping with no division between a boy's and girl's space? …Logically, that would never happen. If their hearts were working properly and they were acting on their own intentions, they would never be standing in a position that allows for these accidents in the first place. Yes, and Patricia's case was frightening too. She must have important memories and someone she cares for even more, but the next thing I knew, it was all about to be overwritten. To be honest, she's started to shift a little. I'm not sure how to put it, but happening across me was a mistake in and of itself. There must have been someone better than me to deal with that troublesome incident, but it's like she started losing sight of that fact. No, it would be more accurate to say I was making her lose sight of it."

"That's not…" Touma tried to interject, but Kamisato continued

"If I save someone even once, they begin to grow dependent. A mind of steel and century- old bonds become brittle. 'I should rely on him next time too…no, I should stay with him at all times so that 'next time' will never happen in the first place. As long as I'm with him, I won't have any problems at all.' That thinking has gathered so many girls around me as if they're serving me. 'He's so amazing, so maybe I should go on a bit of an adventure myself. If it would help him and give me the right to be by his side, maybe I should leave the category of normal.' That thinking had transformed so many normal humans."

"That's not true!"

"Hey, Kamijou-kun." Kamisato ignored Touma, an exhausted smile on his face. "How is it around you? Are you surrounded by that dreamlike world where girls gather unconditionally around you after undergoing a sudden transformation?"

"…" Touma kept quiet. After all, such a thing...in his heart, he felt that it had occurred already.

"And despite my complaints, those transformations bring some useful skills, so I end up using them when I'm in a pinch." Kamisato admitted. "They become a card in my deck. …Yes, in that way, Patricia was truly in a precarious position. If she had been poisoned any further, she might have started looking for a way to control that black thing that looks like a collection of fat or a deep-sea octopus. Maybe she could have learned to have it latch onto a target and become an expert at destroying people from within."

Calm down. Touma told himself. You knew this would happen eventually. You have already been presented with this question by Othinus many, many times. Especially during her Infinite Hells. That if I had not saved the girls, and someone else did, they would have followed them instead. That the good will directed towards me would have been only that. No sense of admiration or love or anything else liked that. But I already overcame that. Kamijou Touma is NOT Kamisato Kakaeru.

"If I say that the girls started to like me after I save them, that makes you want to argue back, doesn't it? Makes you want to say that I had control over their hearts, right?" Kamisato stopped suddenly. "But what if this was looked at in another way?"

"Hey, Kamijou-kun. What if you had never saved anyone in your entire life? Do you think anyone would have turned your way? Are you conceited enough to think you're such a perfect model, inside and out, that so many people would have accepted you if you were just standing there?"

"…"

"You aren't, are you?" Kamisato sounded disinterested in the conversation they were having. Like he was just stating a fact. "Everyone's focus on the individual named Kamijou Touma truly comes from the fact that you saved someone. They're judging your personality, physical strength, reflexes, intelligence, philanthropy, or courage based on that action. In other words, you cannot escape saving people. As a person, you are inextricably attached to the act of saving. That is what I'm talking about. After all…"

Kamisato paused for a moment. Then he confidently spoke to the person he was comparing himself to.

"Kamijou Touma is nothing more than the kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere."

…I can't even deny that… Touma grit his teeth in frustration.

What Kamisato was doing was not looking at things as they were. Instead, he was looking at them in reverse of what they were.

He did not question what the boy Kamijou Touma had done. Instead, he was subtly questioning him WHY he had done what he was doing for so long.

To put it simply, because he had something special in his right hand, Kamijou Touma was still alive. And without that special thing, he would… no, should have died somewhere along the line.

And the important thing was that Kamisato was trying to say was not anything bad. Rather, it was a fact that held true for the both of them.

Yes.

"We did not gain these powers because we chose them."

"…"

"They came from the dreams of all magicians. Or to be more specific, the Magic Gods who individually make up a large percentage of that power. Their selfish desires created these strange powers and placed them in our right hands. And that power twists the actions of the girls around us, creating this ridiculous harem army. Like with Patricia, even those who have some other important person are forcibly dragged into it until they unwaveringly obey that single path. …Goddammit!"

Kamisato kicked over a nearby trashcan. "Can you allow that? Can you allow the world to revolve around a single person, where everything is overwritten for that one person's convenience without a thought given to anyone else's situation? Can you, Kamijou Touma!? I didn't want to be the centre of all these girls' attention. I was fine not speaking with my childhood friend and not having any real connection to that shy gardening club member in my class. The normal scenery surrounded me where normal people freely used their normal hearts. I was satisfied living as a mere part of that! But! Those Magic Gods interfered! They were probably grinning as they discussed it. They were probably saying they'd make me popular to make up for the complicated role they were forcing onto me. They probably thought it was a small thank you, a bit of an extra reward. That's all. That's all? That's all it took to twist people's thoughts and emotions to your will!? Those gods would be forgotten to history if no one worshiped them and they have the nerve to invade the human heart!?"

Kamisato seethed, before he slowly calmed down. A small, mocking smile plastered itself onto his face. "In a way, congratulations are in order, Kamijou-kun." Kamisato made a show of clapping his hands. "With this, you have learned something as silly sounding as a truth of the world."

..

Touma sort of understood what Kamisato was talking about.

If the Magic gods had wished it, they could alter a person's perception in such a way that a simple act of kindness would make it such that they would fall in love with anyone, including a scumbag.

They did to have to spend much time together. It could have been a chance meeting, and they would have still fallen in love with them...with him.

That was what Kamisato saying. That the Magic gods were so powerful and selfish and cruel, they decided to not only give World Rejector, a special power to an ordinary boy outside of Academy City, with no ties to either the Magic Side or the Science side, but they also decided to make it such that whenever he helped someone out, and if they were female, they would fall in love with him unconditionally, and would do anything for him.

Kamisato was saying that the Magic gods were trampling all over hearts and the genuine feelings of someone.

And, in a way, Othinus had done the same thing.

She had altered the perception of everyone to make it such that he was someone who had indiscriminately attack anyone who he felt was not in the right. She had made him watch as someone else fulfilled his role, as someone else played out his identity with his friends.

In essence, that was where Kamisato's core for his hatred lay.

He did not care about the fate of the world. Nor did he have any interest in taking part in a legendary battle to raise his fame, even if he had a mysterious power in his right hand called World Rejector. One that was able to reap Magic gods, apparently by the dozens, and was also called a 'Tool of God' by Percival.

He was doing this because someone close to him had been toyed with. That was why he hated the Magic gods. Because, in his eyes, they had not only meddled with his life to give him a special power, but also, they had meddled with the lives of others.

Family, friends, teachers, classmates, people he did not know well, people who hated him, respectable people, crooks. Anyone and everyone from all walks of life, with either no connection, or having met Kamisato before. They had all been turned into actors...into puppets made to win his favour to make him more popular.

But…

..

"Is that all?"

"Huh?!"

"Hey Kamisato." Touma looked into Kamisato's angry gaze. "I can't see into alternate realities, so I don't really understand all this talk about things being twisted from 'how they should be'. Sometimes, I feel like expectations far too heavy for an ordinary high school student were placed on my shoulders. But none of them prove that this was all due to the machinations of some Magic God giving us this power in our right hand. There is no debug mode in life. You can't just add or remove components from a person like it is an individual factor that can be played around with to make a whole."

"That's called being conceited, Kamijou Touma." Kamisato glared at Touma as he spoke. "You…no, we have nothing outside of our right hands. That is a fact. We are ordinary high school students after all."

"Then answer me this." Touma stopped faltering at what he was being told. "What exactly do you want to tell everyone?"

"…Eh?"

"You said lots of complicated stuff, but to sum it all up: You don't like how things have turned out. So, you are blaming the Magic Gods, who say they are all powerful, for twisting things into a direction you were not expecting. "

"What…are you…?"

"How are we supposed to know what's going on deep in people's hearts?" Touma asked. "We can't use Psychometry or some kind of magic to read residual thoughts, nor do we have any prior training for mental evaluation or anything like that. All of those initial conditions you mentioned are just predictions only, no? You stopped speaking with your childhood friend? Maybe she had wanted to speak with you like this the entire time. You were happy just watching the gardening club member? Maybe she actually wanted to grow flowers with you. Hey Kamisato, why can't you look at things from the positive side? The Magic Gods may have done something, or they may not have done anything at all. Maybe they gave the girls the last push they needed, or maybe they just looked as the changes happened to them on their own."

"What are you talking about, you moron!?"

Kamisato shouted at Touma, like he could not believe what he was hearing. He placed a hand on the side of his neck.

"How conceited are you? We're nothing but the kind of normal high school boys you can find anywhere. We're average or below in everything. And you think someone would fall in love with a person like that? You think this ridiculous harem is a natural thing and the Magic Gods only gave the girls the last little push? What kind of convenient fantasy world do you live in? Or have they already poisoned you and tamed you this much?"

"Like I'm saying." Touma cut in. "Why can't the girls around you look up to the kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere?"

"…" Kamisato kept quiet.

"There's no rule saying they can't." Touma continued. "You made up that limitation yourself. You're the one that assumed you have nothing, you're the one that assumed no one around you would feel thankful, and you're the one that assumed nothing like this could happen to you! You don't have to be an idol or a sports star. Everyone in the world thinks they're amazing in some way or form. Now, I can't say anything about the people around me because the two of us are different. But at the very least, don't you think the people around you who could say, or wanted to say, that they loved you would see that as enough of a reason to gather around you!?"

The conversation, if it could even be called one anymore, was hopeless. Most of the content between them had no evidence or proof to back them up. But that in itself was fine. After all, they were talking about the human heart. Something that could not be fully understood.

"Hey, did you ever actually check with this Claire, Elza and whoever else there is?" Touma questioned the boy. "Did you go around asking them if their feelings changed suddenly overnight? That they are only sticking with you because of that right hand that those Magic Gods gave you was influencing their decision? Ha!" Touma snorted. "I bet my life that you'd be lucky to only get a slap in return. Something similar happened to me, after all. Though of course, t still looks to me like you need a serious punch from someone at some point."

*cra~ck*

A dry sound echoed throughout the alley they were in. It originated from Kamisato's neck. And it came about because of a forceful swing of his neck, instead of his hand doing it for him like usual.

That sound Kamisato forcefully emitted seemed to say 'Shut up. This is over.'

"…Heh." Kamisato's lips twisted up into a smile. His tone, which had been overly familiar, was gone now. Instead, it was now filled with raw hatred. "I had thought I could lighten this burden a little if I spoke with someone in similar circumstances."

"Sorry, but we're completely different." Touma shook his head. "No two people are the same. The fact that you judge people using something so shallow as our the power in our right hand is proof that you weren't actually looking at me as a person. You were only looking at my right hand. You only view the world through your selfish ideas of being different or being the same and you force the image and role you want for yourself onto your surroundings."

"…It seems that we are very different." At first, Kamisato seemed to agree with Touma's words. But his next words showed exactly how different they were. "We are fundamentally different. You have been poisoned by your gift from the Magic Gods. You see nothing wrong with receiving it and you don't question it. It's made you so conceited that you're satisfied being surrounded by convenient girls. You're nothing but scum."

"Oi." Touma's tone gained a hint of anger for the first time they spoke. "First of, let me sum up what you've got wrong. What do you understand about others? No one understands that. Not even the Magic Gods do. Don't get so conceited, Kamisato Kakeru. Hell, if that were the case, the Magic gods would not have done what they did with me."

"Don't you look down on me while trying to defend your own world desires." Kamisato glared at Touma. "Can't you tell which one of us is deciding how others feel for their own convenience?"

The two boys' gazes clashed.

"Have you forgotten?" Kamisato asked, as if spitting out some cumbersome curse. "It was the Magic Gods who gave me this power. A portion of your power leaked over to me because they lost hope in you. If not for that beginning, I never would have had this power, my surroundings would not have been distorted, people like Patricia, who must have already had someone they truly cared about, would not have had their hearts overwritten. In other words, you too stand at the scene of the outbreak."

"So you're going to kill me too?" Touma questioned. "It's true I might be part of the cause. Maybe my own cowardice caused World Rejecter to be made. But I refuse to apologize to you. Kamisato Kakeru, you were meant to wield that power. You should thank the Magic Gods for giving you the chance to realize something you wouldn't have realized on your own and for giving the one last push those girls needed to gather their courage and take that first step."

"…shut up, you bastard." Kamisato glared at Touma, annoyance and disgust lacing every word he spoke. "All of this is the fault of those Magic Gods! How the hell did girls fall for ordinary guys like us, huh? That makes no sense unless those bastards did something to them!"

"So you're trying to act tough instead?" Touma asked, but he knew the answer in his heart already.

Kamisato was acting pessimistic for a reason. In fact, he had already clued Touma in as to why he was acting like that.

Like he had already said many, many times already, Kamisato was unable to believe that the girls gathered around him actually liked him, loved him, not because of his right hand, but because of he was who he was. Sure, there may have been some hero worship when they were first saved by him, but Touma was sure that the girls around him reaffirmed that they loved Kamisato after some time passed. Why they loved him would only be known to the boy and girl involved in the incident, but that di not change the fact that they loved Kamisato.

So, why would Kamisato not wish to believe that a girl would actually want to fall for him?

Touma glared at Kamisato.

The fault laid with the boy, and his weakness. The weakness of his own heart.

Kamisato Kakeru… Touma had a good grasp of the boy's personality by now. At least, when it came to his surroundings. You are actually like a child throwing a tantrum, aren't you? You are the one who just does not want to believe in the possibility of the girls actually falling in love with you, because you are afraid that one day, the girls would suddenly say that they did not love you. You want this possibility more than anything, don't you? To actually have someone that loved you? But to protect your own weak heart, you decided to act passively and refuse to believe that the girls love you for who you are.

Touma summed up his thoughts with a few words. "You idiot."

A moment later, the world erupted around them.

A large roar blasted through the morning sky of Academy City. The sound did not come from Kamisato's right hand, which had not even been swung, but instead from a large carnivorous plant that burst from the ground, jaws and vines whipping about to clamp down on the misfortunate boy. It was so large, it could have easily swallowed an elephant, and still have room to spare.

Yet, Touma calmly swung his right hand, negating that giant maw nearly instantaneously with the usual sound of shattering glass.

Does it feel pain? Touma observed the giant plant out of the corner of his sight, his eyes still looking at Kamisato. …well, not that it matters. Not too far from them, he could see that plant girl from earlier looking at them, her glasses giving off an inorganic sparkle as her white dress blew in the morning breeze.

"I had intended to offer to spare you if you handed over the Magic Gods you're sheltering, but I doubt you would agree to that." Kamisato removed his hand from the side of his neck, only to replace it with his other hand.

"Like hell I would." Touma stated. If I do so, then that is no better than allowing someone to indiscriminately murder another person just because they belonged to a specific group that caused you harm. Even if the person in question had nothing to do with the event that harmed you. And Othi-chan… …she definitely does not deserved to be killed for something she did not do.

"Then this means war." Kamisato gave off a cold attitude towards Touma, uncaring about his circumstances. "I don't care if this is your home. I need to settle things with the Magic Gods who did this to those girls."

Touma could tell that nothing he said would deter Kamisato from executing his wishes, so he decided to shift his focus on something else that had come up. in their conversation. "You mentioned a Patricia. So does that mean you are familiar with the family name Birdway?"

"Of course. I know it very well."

That was enough for Touma to grasp the basic situation. So, he met Levina-san's sister. "Then, why did you choose to help her? I thought you disliked the saving power the Magic Gods gave you."

"It's true I didn't gain this power because I wanted it. If I could rid myself of it now, I would. And I do need to pay a visit to the Magic Gods who forced it onto me." Kamisato spat out his response. "But that doesn't mean I can abandon someone who needs help."

"…" Touma could agree with that sentiment of Kamisato. Yet another thing that showed how similar, and et how different, the two high school boys with special right hands were.

"That too will act as revenge against the Magic Gods who abandoned everything with a smile on their faces," he muttered. "And if you happen to know a Leivinia Birdway, then ask her for some more details about the situation. Given your personality, I doubt you would be innocently agreeing to help her if you knew the whole story. You need to ask for all the information."

With that, the two boys parted ways. Kamisato Kakeru walked off, with the plant girl named Claire walking alongside him. From somewhere, the other girl, Elza, hopped down and walked next to Kamisato. And, as Touma watched, more and more girls started to gather around the boy, creating a single large group. There was a girl with a large pirate hat, an eyepatch over her right eye, and a miniskirt. There was a girl in pyjamas with a ton of antennae sticking out of her backpack and unnatural surgical scars on her neck. There was a ghost girl in white floating inside an artificial mist machine. There was a girl dressed exactly like Magical Powered Kanamin. There was a cheerleader girl with plastic pompoms. There was a girl in red Japanese armour with swords attached all over her body. There was a phantom thief girl dressed in full-body tights.

In all honesty, this was not too different a world from Kamijou Touma. In fact, it could be said that Kamisato's group, the Kamisato Faction, was a world that existed outside of Academy City and may have covered as much ground as his own world.

"…oh." It was then that Touma recalled something that Nephthys had once said. Didn't she say that Imagine Breaker did not reside in my right hand by chance? That it was drawn to me for a reason, and Kamisato Kakeru had something similar inside him?

He really is someone that is loved by many. Touma thought to himself as he dashed back to his apartment.

And, funnily enough, if Touma had not managed to get a girlfriend, he might have not realised that he was the same as Kamisato. That he was loved by many.

"Does everyone know what they have to do?" Kamisato looked at the girls that made up his Faction. "Upon seeing them nod their heads, he himself nodded. "Good. Then, let's do this. Let's put an end to this once and for all."

Just a bit longer… Kamisato thought to himself. Just a bit more, and all of this would be over.

Kamisato had no illusions that everything he was doing was a little hypocritical of him. He hated the Magic Gods, yet he was making use of what they had given him to fight against them. He said that he was doing everything for the girls, but in reality, it was all for his selfish reason of not wanting he Magic Gods to manipulate the people to suit their needs. He said that he viewed Kamijou Touma as someone that was similar to him, but that was false, like Touma had stated earlier. He was only looking at his hand, and not the individual holding the power.

And, at the end of the day, he knew that after everything was done, the girls would blame him for taking them away from their days of normalcy.

He was fine with that. After all, it was partially his fault for them becoming the 'heroines' to him, the 'special individual' the Magic Gods selected.

After I got Niang-Niang earlier, that should only leave Nephthys and Othinus. Kamisato went through the list of Magic Gods that he knew were still alive. The girls managed to find out that all the other Magic Gods have been either banished by me, or in high Priest's case, killed off by some sort of flying weapon. So after I get Nephthys and Othinus, everyone should be able to go back home…

Kamisato did not know how to exactly feel about that last bit. On one hand, he was overjoyed that with all the Magic Gods gone, there would no longer be any reason for random people to be affected because of him and his right hand. No more subtle manipulations of the mind that would cause them to love him unconditionally, no more people getting their lives turned upside down because there was a need to create a 'scenario' for him. On the other hand...he had gotten used to the company of nearly one hundred girls surrounding him. It would be strange for him to wake up in his own bed, without a girl or several trying to make their way into his bed. Nor would there be breakfast for everyone to eat when they washed up. Well, after all this time, Kamisato felt like some of the girls he had picked up would stay with him, like the ghost and his sister, but he was not going to cling onto that hope that much. If it had been only for about a month, then he would not have this problem. But because he had spent quite a bit of time with every single one of his girls for the past few months…

Shit… Kamisato felt his heart throb painful. Stop that, me. You know that them falling in love with you is too far a stretch to ever happen.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A person with dirty-blonde hair spoke to the frowning Kamisato, prompting him to frown even more. "You seem to be trouble deeply by something, good sir."

"Go away." Not paying the boy he took to be a delinquent any mind, he tried to walk past him. "I have places to be, delinquent."

"Sure you do." The boy said, his tone stirring an unpleasant feeling in his gut. "After all, it is not only me who wants to 'wish for a new world'."

Normally, Kamisato would have brushed something like that off as coincidence, but the way he said it… …Kamisato stopped in his tracks.

"Right, Kamisato-san?" The boy behind him made a cracking sound. "After all, that is what your hand does, isn't it? Banish anything to another dimension. Or imprison them. Depends on how you look at it, I guess."

"…who the hell are you?" Kamisato turned around to face the boy he previously thought to be an annoying delinquent. If he knows my name, then he knows about my ability.

"Me? Well, you can call me Informant." The dirty-blonde haired teen rolled his shoulders, causing the same cracking sound to be heard. "But who knows what my full name is? Then again, that is not what I am here for."

"Why? You here to take revenge on me or something?" Kamisato pressed the silent alarm he had on him, alerting one Arimura Ellen that he had encountered some trouble, and that some backup would be appreciated.

"Mm, less of that, and more of a talking to, man to man." Informant raised both arms up to show he meant no harm. "Once I said my piece, I would leave. Though, whether you would allow me to leave, and if I do so alive, that is something that remains to be seen. You have a short fuse after all."

"What do you know about me?" Kamisato asked, ignoring the small jab about his short temper from the boy. "You have five minutes before I decide you should talk to my hand."

"Oho? A catchphrase?" Informant spoke, raising an eyebrow as he did so. "Well, not that it matters right now. So, I want to ask you: What do you intend to do after everything has settled down?"

"… by the way you are speaking, I am assuming you know what it is I want to do…"

"Just answer the question, will you?" Informant asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"….well, once this is all over…I guess I would just go on with my life, I guess." Kamisato shrugged. He had not really put much thought into after he killed all the Magic Gods. "Everything won't be the same, but at the very least, no one else would have their hearts and minds played with when I am near them. I'll take things one step at a time."

"So, a passive approach then?" Informant raised an eyebrow. "How confident you are. So that means you have no doubts about anything, that nothing will go wrong?"

"…what the hell are you talking about?" Kamisato asked with a snarl on his face. The way Informant was speaking…it rubbed Kamisato the wrong way. "You saying that I will fail?"

"I'm saying that you are too naive." Informant levelled a calm gaze at the enraged boy. "There is nothing wrong with why you are doing things you are doing right now. But let me ask you: What contingency plans do you have? How sure and confident are you in you power? And what would you do if something unexpected happened?"

"That's easy." Kamisato scoffed. "I already have back up plans in place should my first plan fail. There is also nothing that would surprise me-"

"Even if it is from your own heart?" Informant cut him off. "Even if…say, you get a rude awakening?"

"…nothing will shake my resolve or my belief." Kamisato could tell what the boy before him was hinting at. "…were you sent by Imagine Breaker?"

"…not at all." Informant kept quiet for a second before he responded. "And here I thought that…never mind. It seems that you are not the only one who is naive. Well, before those girls of yours start to commit murder on my sorry ass, I have to say. You are a newbie compared to Kamijou Touma. Your mindset, goals and even thoughts changed rather drastically when you received your right hand's power, that Tool of God. But let me ask you this: To what extent are you a newbie, and to what extent are you just acting like a naïve, idealistic person?"

"Wha-" Before Kamisato could get any words out, Informant swung his hand down. It seemed that he had been hiding some pellets in-between his fingers, because when it swung down, smoke instantly enveloped the area. Not expecting this, Kamisato started to cough as he accidently took in some of the smoke, before he leapt backwards, swinging his right hand out as he did so. Most of the smoke was erased–

–showing an empty street.

"Kamisato-kun!" Erza jumped down, landing next to the boy. "We heard your silent alarm go off! Did something happen?"

"…just an encounter with a crazy kid." Kamisato breathed out as he looked at the remains of the smoke dissipate in the wind, like it had never been there. "And before you ask, no, he didn't hurt me. Just talked to me before he ran."

" 'Course he wouldn't." A new, familiar voice interjected. Stepping out from the shadows, a sliver-grey haired boy slowly started to make his way to the duo. "He is not much of a fight. Prefers to be the one who talks and plans. Though, its unbefitting of him as someone who is mainly a non-combatant to wish to look at things from close up and out himself in danger needlessly."

"…you." Kamisato recognised the boy instantly.

"Me." The boy nodded his head. "Name's Percival. Sorry, but I need you to not go after Kamijou-san and his friends for the moment."

"What makes you think we will listen to you?" Beside him, Erza took out the PET bottle filled with water and copper coins, preparing to attack Percival. At the same time, Claire, who had just arrived, summoned numerous plants to surround the new arrival.

Percival smirked, before flinging his arm out. Some shiny liquid was flung out from that motion, but it quickly stopped midair, before solidifying into a large scythe that was long as he was tall. "You don't have much of a choice in this matter." Percival stated as he smashed the butt of his weapon into the ground.

Kamisato grit his teeth. One after another…these troublesome things keep popping up! Suddenly, Informant's words made much more sense.

"So you are friends with Imagine Breaker?" Kamisato placed his left hand next to his neck. Surprisingly, it cracked in his hands satisfyingly without much effort. Kamisato sneered. "Well, it doesn't matter. After this, we will kill the other two Magic Gods, and rid this world of them once and for all."

At that, both sides clashed.

AN

Well then, I have finally updated this series after a month long wait.

Sorry for the delayed updates for the past few months. I had been pouring more effort into my other fic for a while, since I had to create a nearly 50, 000 word interlude. But now that that is done, I will be focusing more on this fic for the next few chapters, before I try to go back to my usual update schedule of once every three weeks. Which would be somewhat easier once I have fleshed out this series's main villain and storyline. Like I said in my last AN, I would be rushing this fic. That means I would summarise some parts up from the LNs, throw some bits away, and also explain some of the more dubious elements of this fic as much as possible before it ends.

Well, as always, Anime is Life, and please Review!