Hello, everyone! In the previous chapter, Mikoto and Touma reunited just before the Ichihanaran Festival. This chapter shows the lead-up to the climactic battle over Fraulein Kreutune.
Tsukz: It would be interesting to have the Railgang learn about Touma's memory loss, though he probably won't want to share such personal information with them at the moment, though he became more open by GT1, where he revealed it to a stranger. The Misaka Network's reaction to them having sex would definitely be funny, and we already saw Misaka 13577's reaction. The rest of Tokiwadai will find out about Mikoto's boyfriend at some point, and that'll definitely be fun to write about.
Toa Solaric: I'm glad you enjoyed their reunion and the reaction of Touma's class.
LordChorizoCosmico: Touma did graduate like a champion, didn't he? Yeah, it would've been horrible if Touma had kissed Thor.
GG Vegito: Maybe it is a little fast, but their friends directly asked if they had sex, and I don't think they would lie about it. And even if they did, I don't think they'd be able to lie convincingly.
Stryper88: I thought about having Mikoto use that phrasing when propositioning Touma, but I decided to not do that, so I figured Tsuchimikado would be a good candidate for saying that line. I don't think there'll be enough time during the festival, but Tsuchimikado and Aogami could definitely meet Mikoto again later. Yeah, it was a bit tricky to keep the disguised Thor scene similar to canon since Touma didn't just ditch Mikoto in this fic, but since Thor doesn't know what happened in the hotel room, I figured it would be reasonable for him to think they had an argument, since they left separately. Komoe knowing about Touma and Mikoto's sex life is indeed kind of awkward. The light novel mentioned that Mikoto could theoretically use them, so I wanted to write a scene of her trying it out, though she still finds her iron sand more useful and less tiring. I didn't have Touma groping her chest in my version, since it didn't feel appropriate here. Shokuhou won't appear just yet, but she will appear in my version of NT7, the next arc. She will probably be upset when she learns about Mikoto being Touma's girlfriend. Yeah, the internal thoughts do give more characterization than just describing their thoughts, so I'll continue writing those.
comrade-elmo1: I'm glad you enjoyed their interrogation and their theory about the Kami-yan disease becoming concentrated. Kihara Kagun was one of the few non-evil Kiharas. Mikoto calling Touma senpai would definitely be fun.
MilitaryPro1: Yes, they were both happy to reunite with each other after being separated for a couple of days.
xellos540: Yeah, I think the dragons and the Invisible Thing are different entities, but it's not completely clear. Plus, there are the fish eggs from the Coronzon Arc. Yeah, all of those happened at the end of the Baggage City Arc. Fukiyose does get frustrating sometimes. Her actions do make some sense from her perspective, but she's still very critical of Touma about things that don't affect her at all. Touma does have his phone, but he was dropped off in Academy City while unconscious, so he didn't really have time to call them about being back. Yeah, Mikoto's tutoring did help a lot. Komoe does admire Touma, but even without that, I still think she'd be a little jealous in terms of being a teacher. Yeah, this conversation was risky for Touma. I think railing and nailing can both be used in that context, and railing makes more sense here. Touma didn't really have a choice, since they would know if he had lied. Yeah, there was such a scene with Thor disguising himself as Mikoto. Mikoto won't spill the beans about where Touma disappears to. Mikoto and Touma's reunion was nice, and Index's reaction will be interesting when it comes. I guess he would still be her senpai even if he passes to the next grade. Touma told Mikoto about the alchemist in Chapter 19, and he told her about Fiamma in Chapter 24. Birdway is working with Silvia and Brunhild Eiktobel. The scene where Touma holds Birdway at drillpoint is in the Ichihanaran Festival Arc, so it'll happen in this chapter. For Mikoto and Touma, that would actually be a good date activity.
MC91: It would definitely be fun, though it can't happen for at least a year and a half in the timeline, unfortunately. I'm happy you feel the dialogue is getting better, and I'll try keeping it up.
Blankow: Touma definitely couldn't catch a break, but meeting up with his girlfriend certainly put him in a better mood. Thor doesn't know about that due to the lack of cameras in the hotel room, though he may hear rumors about it soon. Yeah, there's definitely the risk of Tsuchimikado revealing it to the public for his own amusement. I'm enjoying writing the fights, especially Mikoto's fight with Brunhild, and I hope I'll be able to show off Mikoto's abilities.
Vetin221: That would be a fun running gag, and I guess their parents may have to find out eventually. Yeah, the Ohtinus arcs will definitely be very impactful for Touma's relationship with Mikoto.
Later that night, Touma was now by himself. He and Thor had succeeded in making a hole in the Windowless Building, with a lot of help from Fraulein Kreutune on the inside, and the girl had then escaped after incapacitating the two of them with a powerful attack. Thor had managed to revive them both using a high voltage current to destroy the foreign substances she had infected their bodies with, but Fraulein was now at large.
That girl was in danger from both GREMLIN and Ollerus's group, so Touma and Thor had come up with a plan to deceive them both. They had printed out and put up fake wanted posters of Marian Slingeneyer, which had put her on the defensive. But since Ollerus's group would definitely take advantage of this, Touma was about to enact the second part of the plan. Having separated from Thor, Touma was currently following Marian to spot whoever Ollerus's group sent to follow her.
He hoped that the person sent after Marian wouldn't use magic to conceal themselves, since Marian might be able to detect it. Marian was taking a very roundabout route, likely worried about being pursued by Anti-Skill. After following her for a few unnecessary turns, Touma's shoulders tensed up as he sensed something a bit off. He soon realized that there was a nearby vending machine whose plastic cover was reflecting the image of a certain person.
Touma's eyes widened at this sight, and he quickly slipped through the back door of a nearby building. He saw that there was a power drill on a table inside, probably for festival preparations. He nervously picked it up, knowing that he'd soon have to confront the person he'd just seen. However, before stepping back outside, he pulled out his phone and called his girlfriend.
Mikoto was still walking around in the city when she received his call. She tensed up as she accepted the call, knowing that Touma was either in or about to get into a serious situation. She greeted him, "Hey, Touma! Did you and Thor break Fraulein out?"
Touma quickly answered, "Yes, but she almost knocked us both out and ended up escaping."
The girl exclaimed in a surprised tone, "What? That easily?" Touma was very strong himself, and Thor was supposed to be a strong magician, so this was worrying for her to hear.
The boy chuckled, "Don't worry, Biri-Biri, she apparently infected us with some sort of body tissue, but Thor was able to destroy it by shocking us both."
Mikoto wasn't sure what to think of someone else shocking her boyfriend, but she asked, "So you're fine now, right?"
Touma nervously scratched his head and answered, "Yeah, I am. So anyway, since Fraulein is walking around the city, both GREMLIN and Ollerus's group are going after her. Thor and I made a plan to distract them from reaching her. I can't explain the details now, but I'm near the plaza by the District 7 station, and I'm about to confront Leivinia Birdway." That was the person he'd seen the reflection of.
Mikoto frowned upon hearing this, and replied, "Are you sure? It could be dangerous. Plus, are you ready to face her again after what she did?" She wasn't quite sure if Touma would actually fight against Birdway or just try to have a conversation with her, but Mikoto knew that he was putting himself at risk by coming between Birdway and her goal.
The boy nervously gulped, saying, "I don't know if I am, but maybe it's good that I have to do it now instead of leaving it for later. I'm not so sure what I'll say to her, though."
Mikoto replied, "It'll be tough, that's for sure. She'll probably say something about it being for the greater good, or that she can see all the possible consequences better than you." That had been Shokuhou's argument against her during the Daihasei Festival.
Touma chuckled and said, "That's what I figured. Anyway, I know that this might be dangerous, but I have to do this. Do you mind staying on the phone and listening in? That way, if something happens to me, you'll know." In fact, there was a key part of his plan that ensured something would likely happen to him, but he didn't want his girlfriend to freak out about that at the moment.
The girl was surprised by his request. It was quite like him to charge into danger, but it did make her happy to know that he wanted her to be kept in the loop. However, she questioned, "I can do that, but wouldn't it be better for me to just come there and join you?"
Touma explained, "No, she's walking past right now, so I don't have much time." Indeed, he could hear her footsteps just outside the building. He continued, "I'll keep the phone in my pocket so she doesn't know. Just don't say anything over the phone once I go out and confront her, okay?"
Mikoto sighed, "All right, I'll just listen then." She then said in an anxious tone, "Don't do anything too stupid, okay Touma?"
The boy nervously laughed and replied, "No promises." He knew that Mikoto would find what he was about to do very stupid, but he thought there was a good chance of it working out. He then announced, "Okay, I'm going now, Mikoto." Touma placed his phone back in his pocket, leaving the call with Mikoto open.
Touma took a deep breath and opened the back door again, emerging onto the narrow pathway outside. He approached the girl he had seen earlier and pressed the power drill against the back of her head, exclaiming, "Birdway!"
Birdway nonchalantly held her hands up in response to his weapon and said, "Yes, here I am. You've changed since the last time I saw you. Are you no longer using the power of your right hand? I admit a power drill can be more useful in certain situations, but can you please stop pressing the drill tip to the back of my head?"
Mikoto tensed up as she heard Birdway's words over the phone. She mentally cursed, "You damn idiot, what the hell are you doing?" If Touma wanted to have a conversation with Birdway, threatening her right out of the gate was a very risky way to do it. She didn't know what kinds of powerful spells Birdway could use, but Mikoto doubted that a simple power drill would be enough to deter her.
Touma was very aware of the trigger-like button his finger was touching. He said in a quiet voice, "Don't move! I know you have a ridiculous amount of power, enough to control an entire magic cabal. I might have no chance in a straight fight against you, but I have the advantage here. I'll activate the drill before you can do anything."
Despite being in such a perilous situation, Birdway's muscles didn't even tense up. She coolly replied, "Really? Please don't tell me that you actually think you could kill me with something like that."
By contrast, Mikoto's body was very tense. She could tell that Birdway was not worried in the slightest, either because she had a way to protect herself with her magic, or because she knew that Touma would never go through with actually killing her. Mikoto had a rough idea of where her boyfriend was, and she could pinpoint his exact location by using her ability to remotely hack into his phone, but there was no way she'd be able to reach him in time. All she could do was wait and listen.
Meanwhile, Touma looked past Birdway and confirmed that Marian had disappeared from view. That meant that he'd kept her and Birdway apart, so one part of his plan had already succeeded. He thought to himself, "The next part's a lot trickier."
Birdway let out a sigh on seeing her target disappear. She then said, "I never expected you to work on GREMLIN's behalf after everything that's happened. Do you really understand what you're doing?"
Touma replied in a snarky tone, "I have no idea if what I'm doing is right or not, but at least I'm thinking for myself this time!"
Birdway simply asked, "You do realize that you might have just been manipulated into thinking that you're thinking for yourself, right?"
The boy scoffed, "You're an expert in that, aren't you?" Birdway's breath stopped for a moment, but he continued, "I saw hell in Baggage City. After that, I can't just innocently trust someone like you who used me despite knowing what would happen!"
Birdway calmly asked, "Do you mind if I give you my thoughts on that?"
Touma trembled as he continued holding the drill against her head, replying, "You'll say that it was meant to minimize the damage, right? Maybe you're right. Someone like you can make complex calculations that a simple high-school boy like me can't. Maybe the alternative would have been chaos spreading more thinly throughout the world, right?"
Birdway tried to get a word in, but the boy just continued, "But after seeing what happened in Baggage City, I can't say that was the best choice. Kihara Kagun died, and a girl cried because of that. I don't know what you gained from causing all that, but you still caused it all for your own ends!" Touma felt his anger rising as he let out what he'd been feeling since the end of the incident in Hawaii. He was shaking, not just because of her betrayal, but also because a part of him was still hoping that she would deny it and say it was a mistake. He finished by asking, "How am I supposed to unconditionally trust someone who did that?"
Mikoto felt her heart drop as she felt the emotion behind her boyfriend's words over the phone. She knew that it had been a heartbreaking experience for him, since he always wanted to resolve each incident with everyone smiling in the end. Mikoto also sensed that, now that Touma had aired his grievances, Birdway's reaction would not be conciliatory.
Birdway first sighed and muttered, "Well, I knew this was a possibility." Upon hearing a questioning noise from Touma, she continued, "Just double checking my priorities." Her voice then turned into a deathly cold tone as she demanded, "Now, put that pathetic toy away! If this isn't a friendly conversation, I'm not benevolent enough to do nothing when I'm being threatened."
Touma was frozen by her words, spoken in a tone he'd never heard from her before. Birdway continued by asking, "You're aware that you now have no right to complain if I kill you? You chose to throw away the right to plead for your life." This caused his right hand, which was holding the power drill, to stiffen, and Touma felt fearful that he didn't actually have the upper hand in this situation.
Mikoto gritted her teeth, wishing that there was something, anything, she could do to help him. She then heard a third voice over the phone, shouting, "Hey! What are you doing there?"
Touma and Birdway were illuminated by a powerful light, and he saw multiple Anti-Skill officers running towards him. Obviously, they saw that he was holding a dangerous weapon to Birdway's head, and were about to take forceful action.
Birdway was the first to react, exclaiming, "Not good. Move your hand out of-" Before she could finish, multiple gunshots rang out. Touma was shot, and he dropped the power drill and collapsed onto the ground.
As Touma lay on the ground, he felt blood leaving his wounds and covering his upper body. He heard another Anti-Skill officer yelling at the one who'd shot him about why they'd loaded live ammunition, and he also heard Birdway telling them to call an ambulance and administer first aid. He was rolled onto his back, and he felt someone doing something to his torso, but he couldn't determine what it was. He also heard the odd sound of paper rustling against paper.
Meanwhile, Mikoto had frozen in shock when she'd heard the gunshots. As she heard more and more about what was going on, she became angry that Anti-Skill had just shot her boyfriend without even trying to ask him to drop the power drill.
Once the ambulance reached the area, Mikoto heard Birdway shout at them, "The bullet hit his right flank, but it came out the other side! There's no sign it hit an artery or any major organs, but some bullet fragments might still be inside! Make sure to do a proper examination!" Mikoto was frustrated that Birdway was being more helpful to Touma than she was right now.
Anti-Skill wanted to question Birdway about the situation, but she merely glared at them, and they were immediately deterred. She then began walking away, and as she did so, she pulled out something from her skirt pocket, something she'd taken from Touma's shirt pocket while pressing some handkerchiefs to his wounds. She immediately called someone on her phone and announced, "Yes, that's right. I met some interference from an unexpected source. Kamijou Touma is now working with GREMLIN. He's written Marian Slingeneyer's contact information in his handbook. I can't read the numbers, though, because something has made the ink run. In any case, it seems GREMLIN has their base in District 12, so we can crush them there with a surprise attack." She'd planned to get some information from Marian, but Birdway had taken the opportunity to get information from Touma instead.
Meanwhile, as Touma was being placed on a stretcher, he dimly heard Birdway calling someone, and realized his plan had succeeded. By intentionally losing to Birdway, he'd been able to pass on false information to her. He thought to himself, "Birdway thinks I'm connected to Marian now, and it's more believable since we met in Baggage City. Now she and the rest of Ollerus's group will head to District 12 and find nothing." This would keep them separated from GREMLIN, and prevent a battle for Fraulein Kreutune, at least for a while. But it was at this point that he finally lost consciousness.
Mikoto finally hung up the phone. She was relieved that Touma was being taken to his usual hospital, since that meant his survival would be assured. She immediately began making her way to that hospital, resolving not to just remain on the sidelines any longer.
Several hours later, Mikoto woke up in the hospital waiting room after getting too little sleep. It was now early morning, and the Ichihanaran Festival was about to officially start. Her boyfriend had been rushed into the ICU, and the frog-faced doctor had performed an emergency surgery on him. He had told Mikoto that Touma's condition would stabilize as long as he kept resting, and that the boy would be transferred to Anti-Skill after he recovered. The doctor hadn't been sure whether Touma would be treated as a suspect or a victim. Mikoto had tried arguing that Birdway wasn't just an innocent and powerless victim, but the doctor had noted that his opinion on that didn't really matter.
Meanwhile, once Touma was sure that no one was watching him from the hallway next to the ICU, he opened his eyes and took stock of his situation. He felt like any false movement would cause his body to burst and blood to come spilling out again. However, the situation regarding Fraulein Kreutune still remained dangerous. Touma knew that he might just collapse somewhere in the city just from walking around, and that actually getting into battle with one or multiple magicians posed an even greater disk of death. Nevertheless, despite his fear, the boy steeled his resolve and began to make his escape. He removed the electrodes and IV tube from his body, got down from the bed, and soon escaped the hospital through the emergency door. By the time the doctor was alerted by the abnormal vital signs and the alarm from the emergency door, Touma was already gone, though he'd left some of his blood on the door knob of the emergency exit.
Mikoto heard the alarm and the commotion, and rushed to the ICU room where her boyfriend had previously been. When she saw that the bed was now empty, she could only let out an annoyed sigh, thinking to herself, "Great, now that idiot is back out there looking for a fight." No longer needing to be there, Mikoto wasted no time in exiting the hospital, and she then texted her boyfriend, asking him where he was and what he was going to do.
Touma had left the hospital wearing a hospital gown, but he wanted to change into regular clothes. He decided to check the dumpsters near various schools, since due to the festival, there would be many discarded clothes from failed costume attempts. After just a few tries, he was able to change into a simple shirt and pants, and soon he even found a sports jacket to protect himself from the chilly November weather. He then replied to his girlfriend's text, asking her to meet him somewhere nearby.
Since he wasn't far from the hospital, it didn't take too long for Mikoto to reach him. Once she did, she glared at him with her arms crossed and asked, "So getting shot by Anti-Skill wasn't enough for you, and now you're going back into battle?"
Touma looked back at her with a determined expression on his face and replied, "Yes, Fraulein is still roaming about somewhere, and both GREMLIN and Ollerus's group are still after her. I can still walk, and I'm not even bleeding anymore."
Mikoto sighed but then smiled at him and gently ruffled his head, saying, "That's the frustrating attitude of yours I fell in love with, all right! Well, I know you want to go all out to save her, but I'll stick by your side this time, so you won't just collapse in the middle of the road somewhere due to your injuries."
Touma gave his girlfriend a loving smile and replied, "Thanks, Biri-Biri. You really do understand me, huh?" He then grinned and added, "By the way, I didn't just get shot for nothing. I deliberately planned to lose to Birdway, though I didn't expect Anti-Skill to deliver the blow."
The girl raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Oh, so you didn't just go charging in? What was your plan?"
The boy chuckled and replied, "Yeah, it probably seemed that way over the phone, and I'm sorry I couldn't explain it beforehand. Basically, I wrote false information in my student handbook about me working with Marian Slingeneyer, a GREMLIN magician. After I got shot, Birdway took the handbook out of my pocket, and I heard her calling someone on her phone. That should've led Ollerus's group to a fake GREMLIN hideout, so they wouldn't be having a large-scale battle over Fraulein."
Mikoto had a surprised look on her face as she took in his explanation. She then replied, "Wow, I'm impressed, Touma! That was actually quite a smart plan! Though I'm not thrilled that you risked getting yourself killed to achieve it."
Touma nervously rubbed his neck and nodded, "I figured that Birdway wouldn't actually kill me, and I think I was right about that, since she did help me while taking my handbook."
The girl nodded, "I agree, though it sounded like she wasn't very regretful about what she did."
Touma sighed and replied, "I know, but I didn't actually get to hear her side of the story. Well, I'll probably run into her again, but for now, we should try to find Fraulein."
Both of them leaned against the wall of a nearby building, and Touma pulled out his phone. With Mikoto looking over his shoulder, he checked a bunch of regional message boards, searching for any posts about Fraulein. She looked very strange, so even among all the people in costumes, she should still stand out. However, Touma muttered, "No good, there are no posts or comments about her."
He then looked at various headlines on a news site. All the major headlines were about the festival, but when he scrolled down far enough, there were minor headlines about normal events like a convenience store robbery. He scratched his head and mused, "There's no news about her either? That doesn't make any sense, she blew a hole in the Windowless Building and shot down a bunch of unmanned helicopters, plus, there were all those trucks that Thor blew up. But none of that is mentioned."
Mikoto shrugged, "Well, Academy City is probably censoring the news. When I went out destroying all those facilities involved in killing my sisters, they didn't really release any news about it to the public." She then brought her hand up to her chin and mused further, "But this case is a little different, since they'd also have to censor posts from regular people who see her."
Touma then noted, "It seems pretty hard to censor everyone's posts based on whether they mention Fraulein or not, plus, they'd also have to censor posts about events related to her that don't directly mention her. I'm sure it's possible, but on such short notice?"
Mikoto then suggested, "Maybe instead of doing it by content, they're blocking all posts from wherever her location is? That would be much easier to do."
The boy liked her idea, so he quickly skimmed through all the posts made by regular students in Academy City. He soon found a location from which nothing was being posted. He then snapped his phone shut and exclaimed, "Found her! Let's go, Mikoto!"
The girl nodded and replied, "All right!" They both pushed themselves off the wall and started running through the streets. There was a good reason for them to rush. If they could figure this information with such a simple analysis, GREMLIN and Ollerus's group could do so as well. They would have to hurry to make it in time.
A while later, Touma and Mikoto finally ran into Fraulein. It seemed like she had been hit by a shell or something, because her upper body had been twisted multiple times and was now bent over at a right angle. Seeing this girl for the first time, Mikoto was amazed as she observed Fraulein's body slowly return itself to normal, like a rubber doll that had been squished in someone's hand and then let go. She thought to herself, "Geez, how did her bones not break? Is she really immortal?"
Touma immediately shouted, "Found you!" Fraulein slowly turned her body to face him and Mikoto, and that was all it took. All oxygen was emptied from their lungs, all strength left their bodies, and both of them collapsed onto the ground, sliding towards Fraulein due to their previous momentum from running.
Mikoto sensed that there was some foreign matter invading her body, and realized that her body was suffering something similar to a transplant rejection. It seemed somewhat similar to what the Doppelganger had used to control matter, except this time it was being used against living humans.
Meanwhile, she heard Touma gasp out, "Stop...this is...no time...to be...doing this!" As Fraulein looked at him with a puzzled expression, he continued, "Run away...the ones...after you...will be here soon!"
Mikoto recalled her boyfriend telling her how Thor had neutralized this attack. She quickly shocked her own entire body, destroying all of the foreign tissue immediately. Fortunately, she was immune to damage from electricity, so this didn't hurt her at all. She was now able to push herself off the ground, and she heard her boyfriend call out to her, "Mikoto!"
The girl kneeled down by his side and grabbed onto his left hand. She knew that he wouldn't be spared from the pain and damage, but there wasn't really any choice, so she told him, "Brace yourself." Once he did so, she sent a high-voltage current throughout his body. He convulsed for a few seconds, with his back arching, but the foreign matter within his body was destroyed, and he was once again able to breathe normally.
Touma was still unable to stand up, in part due to his previous injuries, so Mikoto wrapped her arm around him and helped him sit up, softly saying, "Sorry, Touma."
He softly smiled at her and replied, "It's okay, Biri-Biri, your shocks on that bridge were much worse!" Mikoto frowned at the mention of that traumatic moment, but she was glad that her boyfriend was relatively okay now.
The boy looked up, noticing that whatever had caused the previous commotion had gone already. He then turned to Fraulein and said, "Let's get out of here. GREMLIN, Ollerus's group, and I guess Academy City too, they're all looking for you. If you stay here, where there was already a big commotion, they'll find you in no time."
Fraulein stared into the sky for a few moments before saying, "I cannot go."
Leaning against his girlfriend's shoulder, Touma replied, "Why not? Even if you have your own goal, you should at least hide for now. Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to stay here?"
Fraulein seemed stiff as she stood up, as if resisting an urge that would make her charge off somewhere else. She said, "My thoughts, my decisions, are not on that level."
Mikoto asked, "What do you mean?" Was Fraulein not able to think about the risks to herself of staying in that spot?
Fraulein started trembling as she answered, "I have gained a...function. It's the same...as how you breathe...or blink. I will eat...that girl's brain. I have gained that function...so I must eat it."
Mikoto asked with a confused expression, "A function? Are you saying you have an involuntary urge to eat someone's brain?" She couldn't believe that something like that could be in the same category as breathing or blinking.
Fraulein whispered in response, "I don't know when this function came to me. But for whatever reason, I've obtained it. I've obtained the function to gather information by eating a human brain. And now, the point of reference for my actions has been overwritten to focus on that action."
Touma frowned as he listened to this. Apparently she couldn't easily avoid taking the "natural action" to eat someone's brain, and it didn't matter whether she wanted to or not. He looked down at his right hand, wondering if it could destroy that function, but since he didn't really know how she worked, he feared that he could destroy Fraulein entirely.
Fraulein then continued, "The function is already taking effect. They said I was their friend, but I cannot stop it. Why did I have to gain the function to eat that girl's brain?"
Touma's eyes widened, and he asked, "Wait, it has to be one specific girl, not just any brain will do?" He wondered who Fraulein's unintended target was, but it didn't make much difference to the fact that Fraulein would be forced to eat her brain if she couldn't be stopped somehow.
Unfortunately, Fraulein then started walking away from them. Touma frantically exclaimed, "Wait, where are you going? And who is that girl?" However, she continued walking away, and Touma suddenly felt scorching pain in his right side. His wound was now reopening, and his body started to collapse.
Since he was still using Mikoto for support, she was able to hold him up and prevent him from completely slumping into her lap. She frantically exclaimed, "Your wound!" Mikoto quickly sprung into action, pulling out a couple of handkerchiefs and using them to apply pressure to his wounds. She then picked up a roll of duct tape lying nearby on the ground and used it to hold the pieces of cloth in place.
Touma smiled at his girlfriend, glad that she was there to help him out. But after thinking about the situation, he frowned and wondered, "Did she gain that function because I tried to save her?" Fraulein had implied that she'd gained that function recently, so it was possible that her escape from the Windowless Building was the trigger.
Mikoto could tell that he was feeling a little doubtful of himself. She combed her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him, and said, "Even if she did get that function after escaping from her prison, that doesn't mean it was wrong to try to free her! Do you think she should have remained imprisoned?"
The boy considered his girlfriend's words. Fraulein had been persecuted for centuries, and she'd been trapped inside that building for decades, unable to see the light of day. He had a hard time moving, but he soon declared, "No...I refuse...to accept that." No matter what kind of human Fraulein was and how she'd been treated throughout history, he could tell that she didn't want to eat her friend's brain. He refused to accept that there was no choice but to keep her trapped. He then added, "We'll find...a way to save her!"
The girl grinned at him and nodded, "There's the Touma I know and love!"
Touma smiled back at her and said, "I love you too, Mikoto."
The two of them sat together on the ground for a few moments, allowing Touma to get a little bit of a reprieve. They were then about to stand up, when another girl suddenly approached them, saying, "I finally found you."
She spoke in French, so Touma was unable to understand her. He looked over at his girlfriend and asked, "Could you translate for me, Biri-Biri?"
Mikoto nodded and started doing so. She took a good look at the other girl, who seemed very familiar, and asked her in French, "Who are you, anyway?"
Cendrillon replied, while still looking at the boy, "I am Cendrillon. I was tricked by GREMLIN and turned into a table, but you'll be the key to my revenge. So don't die just yet."
Mikoto's eyes widened as she translated the other girl's words. She remembered Cendrillon from Hawaii, and though she knew about Cendrillon and Saronia being tricked by GREMLIN, Mikoto was surprised to see her here in Academy City. She also noted that Cendrillon seemed shorter than she was before.
Cendrillon then examined Touma's wound, which Mikoto was still pushing the handkerchiefs against, and muttered, "A gunshot wound?" She then said something under her breath, and the wound glowed with a pale blue light. But when the light expanded to his entire body, it suddenly scattered and disappeared.
Mikoto sighed and said, "Unfortunately, that's not going to work because of his right hand."
Cendrillon deduced, "So you negate even the simplest healing magic." She then disappeared somewhere for a few minutes, before returning with a pot filled with water, a thick plastic bag, a tube, and some other items.
When Touma saw what she was doing, he paled and exclaimed, "Hey, please don't tell me that's supposed to be a makeshift IV! Is that even safe?"
Once Mikoto translated, Cendrillon quickly replied, "Don't worry, I treated it with boiling water and alcohol." She then pierced a vein on his arm, and Touma cried out as the liquid suddenly started flowing into his arm. But then he realized that he was feeling revitalized enough to shout that loudly.
Cendrillon explained, "This is 0.9% saline water. It's only to increase your blood pressure, but it'll keep you from going into shock from blood loss."
Mikoto felt a little conflicted about seeing another girl nurse her boyfriend back to health, but she was glad that Touma was feeling better. Cendrillon continued speaking, which Mikoto translated in a confused tone, "Since I was reconstructed to my normal body after being turned into a table, I can now freely disassemble and reconstruct my body."
Touma replied in a surprised tone, "I get the general idea, but even to slip past Academy City's security, breaking your body down like that is crazy! But how did you get that small?" He had also noticed that Cendrillon was shorter than before. Mikoto mentally agreed that that kind of magic was crazy.
Cendrillon answered, "I broke my body down to the level of some food ingredients to smuggle into the city, but the person who prepared me didn't follow the recipe, so a few ingredients were left over."
Touma repeated, "Left over?" He then suddenly sprang up in Mikoto's arms and exclaimed, "You said that some were left over? So there are some ingredients that can be freely made to any part of the human body, and there's someone who knows how to prepare them. Wait, in that case…"
Mikoto's eyes widened as she realized what her boyfriend had deduced. She was thus unsurprised as she translated his next words, "I want your help, Cendrillon! With your ingredients and skills, we might be able to save Fraulein Kreutune from having to eat someone's brain!" Indeed, if they could make a replica brain, Fraulein could eat that instead and satisfy her function without having to kill whoever her target was.
Cendrillon frowned and replied, "I doubt that detour will help my goal. I must get revenge on Marian Slingeneyer for deceiving me. Plus, those ingredients are a part of me, so if they're used for something else, I won't be able to regain my normal form."
Touma replied without much thought, "Huh? Marian Slingeneyer? I defeated her back in Baggage City."
Cendrillon suddenly grabbed onto Touma's shirt and exclaimed, "What have you done? That's clearly beyond the level of what you should be doing!"
The boy frantically replied, "It just kind of happened, I couldn't help it!"
Cendrillon continued shaking his collar for a while, but soon realized it wouldn't change the situation. She finally released him with a heavy sigh and said something very dangerous, "I see, so the target of my revenge is already dead. In that case, I have no reason to remain fixated on that."
Mikoto translated this with confusion, knowing that Touma definitely didn't kill Marian, and that in fact Marian was in Academy City. Touma also replied in a confused tone, "Wait, what?" He definitely didn't say he killed Marian, but he saw no good reason to correct Cendrillon's misconception.
Cendrillon then said, "Not only did you save my life in Baggage City, but now you freed me from having to sully my hands with revenge. Ugh, you were supposed to be my enemy, so why am I becoming more and more indebted to you?"
Mikoto felt very awkward about translating this, but she did so anyway, while thinking to herself, "Come on, another one? How does he get girls to fall for him without even trying?"
Cendrillon then nodded and concluded, "Anyway, I guess I'll repay my debts with this. What do I need to do?" No longer needing to get revenge, she agreed to use her remaining ingredients to help Touma out. She soon separated from him and Mikoto and tried making her way back to the apartment she'd been remade in.
During the couple's conversation with Cendrillon, Thor had been watching them from atop a water tower on the roof of a nearby building. From his vantage point, he'd been able to see both them and Fraulein's path as she continued heading in a certain direction. He'd realized that by this point, a large fight was likely to break out between GREMLIN and Ollerus's group over that girl. He'd figured it was a good idea to get Touma and Mikoto involved in the fight, but he'd wanted to wait for Cendrillon to leave, since she likely would've reacted badly to seeing him, a member of GREMLIN.
Now that Cendrillon had left, Thor jumped down and soon appeared in front of Touma and Mikoto. Touma's eyes widened, and he said, "Thor?"
Thor grinned and greeted them, "Hey there, Kamijou-chan, Miko-chan!"
Mikoto glared at him and exclaimed, "Don't call me that! You're the creep who disguised yourself as me to trick my boyfriend?" She knew that Touma had formed an alliance with him for the moment, but she didn't like the prospect of having to deal with Thor.
Thor ignored her comments and explained, "I've taken care of Marian and Mjolnir, so we don't have to worry about GREMLIN going after Fraulein anymore. That leaves Ollerus's group, which includes a magic cabal boss and two Saints. How about the three of us go and stop them from harming that girl?" Having made a deal with Ollerus, Thor knew that Ollerus was infiltrating into GREMLIN while disguised as Thor, so they would only have to deal with Silvia, Brunhild Eiktobel, and Birdway.
Mikoto and Touma gave each other a look and simultaneously nodded, and Touma said, "Let's go!" They both stood up and began following Thor to where Fraulein was, and where the upcoming battle would be. Mikoto didn't like the fact that Touma was about to risk his life again with his wound having reopened, but she knew that getting him to rest in the hospital while Fraulein remained in danger was a futile endeavor. She could only hope that her boyfriend would once again be able to win the upcoming fight.