Hello everyone! The last chapter showed the end of World War 3. In this chapter, we see the resulting aftermath.
GG Vegito: Yeah, it was a pretty sad ending, mostly the same as in canon, but with the underlying relationship between Mikoto and Touma much closer.
HunterX097: Mikoto is indeed not having a good time, but like you said, she may get to see her boyfriend alive again at some point.
YoLO1992: Yeah, Mikoto and her sisters always have funny banter when they get to interact. That's a big reason I like them so much.
Guest10032: Indeed, it's almost time for NT. There are a lot of great KaMikoto moments in those and other novels that I'm looking forward to amplifying and adding to. Mikoto definitely won't be her usual self until she reunites with Touma, though you're right that she may be reluctant to tell her friends about it. There is indeed a big gap between NT2 and NT3, which I have quite a few scenes planned for. I didn't think about the possibility of inspiring people to read NT, but hopefully you're right. Lately the chapters have been ranging from 5k-8k words, not counting the reviewer responses. I usually start by aiming for a minimum of 4k words, but somehow I always end up surpassing that by a lot. I think my record so far was 2k words in a day, but usually I write 500-1500 words per day, with the aim of writing a whole scene or a major part of a long scene each day. I did think of having Mikoto join Touma on the Star of Bethlehem, but I didn't want to have her abandon her sister, so I kept it similar to canon, though with Touma actually explaining why he's staying and promising to return alive. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and yes, I did hear the news about GT4! Hopefully there are some KaMikoto moments, since both of them will be dealing with the aftermath of Anna's rampage.
The One who saw All: Yeah, I didn't like writing a sad Mikoto either, but it will make their eventual reunion more meaningful. Mikoto will definitely be heavily affected. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Clearwing Yuta: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
fencer29: Yeah, NT is going to be a lot of fun to write about. There are lot's of KaMikoto moments in the novels themselves, and there are plenty of gaps between arcs for even more fluffy scenes! Mikoto's reaction to Touma whenever she ends up seeing him again will definitely be interesting to see.
Tython055: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the ending and are looking forward to seeing the aftermath for Mikoto. I don't think I'm going to have Mikoto's friends discover a diary of hers, but I do plan on having her tell them about what really happened during the Daihasei Festival, and they will probably be pretty upset. I'm definitely going to have Shokuhou find out that Mikoto is dating Touma, though I'm not yet sure when exactly it'll be. Probably by NT16 at the latest, but it could happen in NT11 or perhaps even earlier. I do really appreciate your suggestions, since I want to write original slice-of-life scenes between the intense arcs that are coming in NT. I do also want to make some changes to the canon arcs, but I'm wary of making them too big, since then I might diverge too much from the plot.
xellos540: No, Mikoto saw the archangel, not Accelerator. Mikoto does feel inferior in one way to those girls, but they were mainly talking about strength here. Fiamma can use magic from Index's grimoires since he has control of her. Yeah, I was referencing a certain future arc, and Accelerator did save the day there. I'm glad you enjoyed my addition to the flashback sequence. Touma and Mikoto's reunion will definitely be something to look forward to. Thanks for catching that typo, I fixed it in the chapter.
Stryper88: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the ending! Yeah, I wanted to keep the emotional impact of Mikoto being separated from him before he supposedly dies. You're saying you want Touma to video chat his parents to tell them, right? I could do that, though I'm not sure if Touma talks to his parents that often, due to his memory loss.
Blankow: Yeah, the ending was pretty sad. I'm glad you enjoyed Touma thinking back to the times he spent with Mikoto. It'll definitely be interesting to see everyone's reactions to Touma's supposed death.
Surayo: You'll see what happens to Touma in this chapter.
Streetmud: Yeah, I wanted to change that part a bit so Mikoto knows why he's staying there and that she can't force him to come with her. She's definitely feeling guilty and regretful, though perhaps she will get the chance to see Touma again.
EricGreater76: It's definitely a sad scene, but hopefully it will be temporary. It'll definitely be interesting to see everyone's reactions when they learn of Touma's supposed death.
ToumaxMikoto654: Yeah, it's tough for Mikoto to be dating someone who constantly gets involved in dangerous fights.
Mikoto and Misaka 10777 were at the site on the Arctic Coast where the flying fortress had crashed into the sea. Mikoto had just found the Gekota strap from Touma's phone in the water, and she now couldn't help but fear the worst.
The two of them were now sitting down on the ground, with Mikoto failing to hold back her tears. Her chest felt very painful, and she was completely frozen. She sniffled, "I should've tried to drag him onto the plane with my magnetism. Why did I just let him throw his life away?"
"I don't think that would have worked, given that boy's ability, says Misaka, wrapping her arm around your shoulder to comfort you. She hopes that he is somehow still alive, adds Misaka, feeling distraught at the thought of him being dead."
Mikoto looked down at her lap and sorrowfully replied, "Me too, but how could he have survived crashing into the icy water?"
"Misaka knows his survival is very unlikely, but she and all the other Misakas have no choice but to hope, or else we'll be permanently frozen by despair."
Mikoto already felt that way herself. She buried her face in her arms and lamented, "Why am I so useless? Why can't I ever be strong enough to help him?"
Misaka 10777 tightened her hug. "Misaka is at fault too, since she didn't have the courage to risk landing the aircraft on that fortress or to stay nearby, admits Misaka. If she had done so, perhaps the three of us could have figured out a way to land the fortress safely, explains Misaka, feeling more and more regretful."
Mikoto brought her face up and looked again at the torn Gekota strap that was still in her hand. With her other hand, she gently touched the lightning bolt-shaped hair clip that Touma had given to her. With a sardonic smirk, she softly said, "That idiot didn't even keep his promise in the end." She quickly switched back into a frown and continued silently crying.
They remained in that position for a while longer, but they knew they couldn't just stay there forever. "Misaka apologizes for bringing this up now, but it seems we won't be able to do much more here, and she does need to return soon to her cooperative institution, says Misaka. Do you want to come back with her, Big Sister, questions Misaka."
Mikoto wiped her tears with her sleeve and let out a small sigh, "Yeah, all right." Her sister then stood up, and Mikoto slowly pushed herself off the ground. Mikoto walked at a very slow place, with her head hanging, and her sister matched that pace. Both of them felt really depressed, but they had no choice but to try continuing on with their lives.
An icebreaker ship approached the location where the Star of Bethlehem had crashed into the Arctic Ocean. In the icy water, there was an unconscious boy clinging to a piece of floating wreckage. The girl on the boat, Leivinia Birdway, grinned as she saw him twitch and groan and observed, "Hmm, for someone who always complains about his misfortune, you actually have pretty good luck, don't you, Kamijou Touma?"
She was the leader of the Dawn-colored Sunlight, the largest magic cabal in London. She and her assistant, Mark Space, fished Touma out of the water and let him rest and recover on a bed inside the ship.
A while later, the boy finally came to, coughing up a bit. As he sat up on the bed, he was surprised to find himself alive and inside a ship. He looked around his surroundings and saw a young girl sitting on a chair nearby. He asked "Where am I? And who are you?"
Birdway smirked at him, "Hello, Kamijou Touma! We've met briefly before, but I'm Leivinia Birdway, the boss of the magic cabal known as the Dawn-colored Sunlight. This is an icebreaker ship, and we just saved you from dying of hypothermia. You pulled some really impressive feats, defeating Fiamma, ending World War 3, crashing the Star of Bethlehem safely, defeating that archangel, and still managing to survive after all that."
Touma now remembered having met her briefly in Academy City about a month earlier. He nervously chucked and replied, "Oh, well thank you for rescuing me! As for Fiamma, well, it wasn't just me. Lots of people around the world worked together to weaken Fiamma's power and end the war." After all, it was by reducing their malice and showing their good will that Fiamma's power was reduced enough for Touma to finally defeat it.
Birdway let out a sigh, "Still modest as ever, I see. But I wonder, what are you going to do about the girls you've made cry because they think you're dead?"
Touma's eyes widened as he realized just how much trouble he was in. He had told Mikoto, Misaka 10777, and Index that he was going to try to land the Star of Bethlehem safely. But instead, he had crash landed it in the Arctic in order to defeat the archangel. Since his body hadn't been found until now, that meant that Mikoto, Index, and all the Misaka sisters probably thought he was dead.
The boy quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket. He noticed that the Gekota strap had been torn off, but thanks to Academy City's advanced waterproofing technology, the phone itself remained in working condition. He turned it on, hoping to text or call his girlfriend. However, since the ship was in the desolate Arctic, there was no signal. Touma clenched his fist in frustration, "Damn, just my luck, the strap got torn off and I can't even call Mikoto!"
Birdway rolled her eyes and pointed out, "It's a miracle that you're even alive, let alone that your phone is still working after being completely submerged in seawater! Don't worry, we'll reach the port of Arkhangelsk tomorrow, and you can call your girlfriend then." That was the closest city on Russia's Arctic coast, but it was still hundreds of kilometers away, which is why it would take so long to reach it.
Touma frowned, realizing that he would have to wait quite a while to inform his girlfriend, or anyone else, that he was actually still alive. He felt anxious and impatient, but there was nothing he could do but wait. He sighed and then mused, "Arkhangelsk, huh? That's ironic coming right after I punched an archangel."
Birdway replied, "It's even more ironic than you think. The city was named for Archangel Michael, which isn't the one you defeated, but it is the one aligned with Fiamma of the Right."
Touma chuckled in response, but then looked down sadly at his phone, which still had Mikoto's contact information pulled up. He wondered where she was right now. He had last seen her and her sister in that aircraft when they'd tried to rescue him from the Star of Bethlehem. Perhaps they were still in Russia somewhere, or maybe Mikoto was already on her way back to Academy City. He imagined how horrible she must be feeling, and hated that he had to wait so long to remedy that. His shoulders drooped and he let out an anxious sigh, "Man, she's going to be so mad at me! And what am I even going to say to her?"
Birdway stood up and was about to leave the room. Before she did so, she advised, "You have to talk to her at some point, so you might as well get it over with as soon as you can." She then left him alone in the room.
Touma flopped back down on the bed. He closed his phone and stared for a few seconds at the broken strap. He felt disappointed at losing such a precious gift from Mikoto, but Birdway was right that he was lucky to be alive. After finally putting his phone away, the boy decided to try to get some sleep. It would help relieve the fatigue he was feeling after all he'd been through that day, and it would make the moment he could talk to his girlfriend again arrive faster.
The following afternoon, the ship finally arrived in Arkhangelsk. Touma said farewell to Birdway and her assistant and headed into the city. Because of the previous evacuation, there weren't that many people around. The boy received some curious looks, since he was clearly Japanese, but since the war was already over, they weren't too hostile.
Touma then pulled out his phone and saw that he finally had a signal. He took a deep breath to prepare himself and called his girlfriend, hoping that she would answer.
Meanwhile, Mikoto and Misaka 10777 were on a train heading west. Other than the Gekota strap, they hadn't found any other signs of Touma, so now they were heading towards St. Petersburg so that Misaka 10777 could return to her cooperative institution there, before Mikoto flew back to Academy City.
Once she'd boarded the train, the despair of losing her boyfriend had fully hit her, and Mikoto had barely been able to function. She hadn't eaten much, and she'd only responded in short sentences whenever her sister had tried talking to her. She kept thinking back to her final encounter with Touma and kept wondering if there was anything she could've done to save him.
Suddenly, her phone began vibrating in her pocket. When Mikoto opened it, she was absolutely stunned to see her boyfriend's name on the screen. Was it really him, or just someone else who had found his phone? The girl was surprised that his phone had even survived, but she knew that Academy City's waterproofing technology made it possible.
Knowing that there was no other way to find out, she shakily answered the phone, "Hello?"
Touma was glad that she wasn't sleeping or otherwise unable to answer the phone. He smiled and softly said, "Hey, Biri-Biri, it's me."
Mikoto gasped and put her hand over the mouth. "T-Touma? You're alive?" As she said this, her sister suddenly perked up and turned towards her. Mikoto's eyes immediately began watering.
The boy nervously laughed and answered, "Yeah, I am. A magician named Birdway rescued me from the water. Anyway, um, how are you doing?"
Tears began falling out of Mikoto's eyes, and she angrily replied, "You idiot! How do you think I'm doing? I thought you died!"
Touma felt absolutely horrible as he heard her sobs. He wished he could try to comfort her in person, but for now he said, "I'm really sorry, Mikoto. I knew what I was doing was risky, but I couldn't think of any other way."
Mikoto continued crying for a bit, unable to speak. It took some time for the good news to fully sink in, but she eventually replied, "Well, I guess it turned out fine, but you better explain it all to me later, understand? And where are you now, anyway?" She began wiping away her tears, feeling absolutely relieved.
The boy was relieved that she didn't seem too mad at him, and said, "I will, I promise. They dropped me off at Arkhangelsk, so that's where I am now. What about you?"
Mikoto's eyes widened as she realized he wasn't actually that far away. "You're in Arkhangelsk, huh? I'm with 10777-chan on a train heading west to St. Petersburg, since that's where she lives. Maybe we can meet up on the way?"
"This train and the train coming south from Arkhangelsk will both pass through Vologda, so perhaps we can meet the boy there, suggests Misaka."
Mikoto excitedly said to her boyfriend, "Touma, can you meet us in Vologda? Our train is making a stop there, and you should be able to take a train south from there!"
The boy was ecstatic that his girlfriend wasn't that far away. "Yes, I can do that! I'll see you and 10777-chan there, and I promise I'll make it up to you!"
Mikoto chuckled and said, "I'm looking forward to it! We'll see you there tomorrow, so bye, Touma!"
Touma replied, "Bye, Mikoto!" He hung up the phone and looked at it for a moment with a big grin on his face. It sucked that he'd have to wait yet another day to see her, but this time, the wait didn't seem so bad.
Mikoto put away her phone and wiped the remaining tears from her face. She suddenly pulled her sister into a hug and said, "I can't believe it, he's actually alive! We'll get to see him again!"
Misaka 10777 hugged Mikoto back. "Misaka is happy that the boy is alive, and she's looking forward to seeing him again, begins Misaka, her mood suddenly improving. But she's also glad that you're feeling better, Big Sister, says Misaka while rubbing your back."
After they separated, Mikoto relaxed back in her seat and looked forward to seeing her boyfriend again. She knew that she would have to wait until the following day, but it was much better than never getting to see him again.
The following day, Mikoto and Misaka 10777 were sitting on a bench outside the main train station in Vologda. Touma had texted Mikoto the time he was scheduled to arrive, so the two girls were anxiously waiting for him to arrive from the north.
Meanwhile, Touma's train had just arrived. He knew that his girlfriend and her sister were waiting outside, so he quickly exited the station. Scanning his surroundings, he soon spotted the two familiar girls. He ran towards them and waved, "Hey, Mikoto!"
Mikoto looked up and saw the spiky-haired boy. She noticed that he was still wearing the same outfit, with his right sleeve torn off, but that wasn't important at the moment. With tears forming in her eyes, she stood up so that she was in front of him. The girl then suddenly punched him in the shoulder.
Touma winced and rubbed his shoulder, "Ow! I'm happy to see you too!"
The girl angrily replied, "Shut up, you idiot! Do you have any idea how I felt when I thought you had died?" Unable to stop herself from crying any longer, she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest.
Touma smiled down at her, wrapped one arm around her back, and began caressing the back of her head with his other hand. He felt her shirt get wet from her tears, and said, "I'm really sorry, Biri-Biri."
They stayed like that for a few more seconds, before Mikoto lifted her head to look up at him. Touma removed his hand from her hair and wiped away her tears. Mikoto looked up at him and sighed, "You know, we followed that fortress all the way to the coast, and I hoped we could rescue you, but we were too late. And for the rest of that day, until you called me, I didn't know what to do with myself, and I could barely register anything that was happening."
The boy frowned deeply as he began to realize just how much despair his girlfriend had felt. He gently stroked her cheek with the thumb and replied, "I know, it must've been really hard. I would probably feel the same way if I thought you were dead. I was planning to land it slowly and safely in the ocean, but then that archangel appeared again, so I had to crash the fortress into it and then punch it underwater."
Mikoto suddenly laughed, "Of course, of course it was a crazy reason like that." She figured he was referring to that giant flying humanoid-looking entity that had appeared when that fortress had started rising into the sky. She then brought up one of her hands, combing her fingers through his hair. "Please don't ever make me worry like that again."
Touma sighed, "I'll try my best." He wasn't sure he could guarantee that, but he resolved to be more careful in the future.
After the two of them pulled apart, Mikoto pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it to him, saying, "Here, you lost this!"
The boy caught the object in his hand, and his eyes widened as he saw that it was the Gekota strap that had been torn away from his phone. "You found it?"
Mikoto nodded, "Yeah, when we arrived at the coast, and I fished it out of the water. That was the only sign we found of you. You better not lose it again!"
Touma was surprised that it hadn't gotten lost in the Arctic, but he was really glad to have that strap back, since it was a gift from her. He quickly reattached it to his phone and said, "Thanks, Mikoto! I won't."
Misaka 10777 then stood up and approached Touma. "Misaka is also glad to see you alive again, says Misaka after patiently waiting for her turn. She and the other Misakas were all distraught thinking you were dead."
Touma noted again that Mikoto wasn't the only girl he had to apologize to. He pulled Misaka 10777 into a hug and said, "I'm really sorry for worrying you, all of you. 10777-chan, 10032-chan, 10039-chan, 13577-chan, 19090-chan, and the rest of you." He knew that his words would be transmitted over the Misaka Network, so he would at least be able to apologize to all of them at once, even if he couldn't see them in person.
Misaka 10777 wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Misaka forgives you. We all forgive you, says Misaka in a reassuring tone while hugging you tightly."
Touma sighed in relief. He had been anxious about apologizing to them, but it had actually gone pretty smoothly.
Mikoto was also glad that her sisters wouldn't be distraught anymore. But there was something else she wanted to tell her boyfriend, which she had realized as a result of this whole ordeal. Once Touma and Misaka 10777 separated, Mikoto turned to the boy and said, "Hey, Touma?"
Touma replied, "Yeah, what is it?"
Mikoto answered, "I felt really horrible when I thought you were dead. But it helped me realize something, especially when you called me and told me you were alive." She blushed and continued, "I-I love you, Touma!"
The boy's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected her to say that, but those words made him feel really happy, and his cheeks started to redden as well. He smiled at his girlfriend, "I love you too, Mikoto! Ever since I was rescued from the Arctic, all I could think about was seeing you again."
The girl's blush intensified as he said those special words back to her. She had been slightly worried that he wouldn't reciprocate, but fortunately, those doubts had been unfounded. Mikoto then grabbed onto Touma's shoulders and pressed her lips against his. She poured all of her emotions into this kiss, wanting her boyfriend to understand her feelings. He soon placed his hands on her waist and kissed her back, trying to reassure her.
They kissed for a lot longer than usual, and as they finally pulled apart, Mikoto said, "N-now there's something else I want to make clear. Remember when you promised to protect me and my world?"
Touma tilted his head in confusion, "Yeah? What about it?"
Mikoto smirked and pointed at his face, "Well, you're a part of my world too! In fact, you're one of the most important parts of my world! So you better make sure to protect yourself too!"
The boy was glad to hear that he was so important to her. A part of him wanted to argue against her conclusion, since he would always choose to risk his life to save Mikoto from danger, but he also knew how much it would hurt her if he died. So he smiled at her and agreed, "You're right, Biri-Biri, I will."
Mikoto nodded in approval, "Good! I'm not saying you have to stop fighting to help people, just that you make sure to come back alive."
"Misaka's heart is warmed by this touching display, but the train to St. Petersburg departs soon, so we should go in and catch it, gently suggests Misaka."
The other two realized that she was right, so they all headed into the station. After buying their tickets, they entered the train. Fortunately, there were three seats in each block, so they could all sit next to each other.
They ended up sitting with Touma in the middle, Mikoto to his right, and Misaka 10777 to his left. As the train began moving, Mikoto wrapped her arm around Touma's bare right arm and grabbed onto his hand. She then rested her head on his shoulder and let out a relaxed sigh.
Touma blushed a little as his girlfriend cuddled up to him. He started stroking her hand with his thumb. He was then startled to feel a weight on his other shoulder. When the boy turned in that direction, he saw that Misaka 10777 was now lying on his other shoulder. He questioned, "Hey, what are you doing, 10777-chan?"
"Misaka is feeling a little tired, replies Misaka, hoping you'll indulge her this one time."
The boy nervously glanced at Mikoto, but she just hugged his arm a bit tighter and lazily replied, "It's fine, both of us are still a bit exhausted from yesterday. Just this once, you can enjoy this."
The boy's blush intensified, and he nervously replied, "Oh, okay." He felt Misaka 10777 lean on him even more, and he leaned his own head against Mikoto's. He felt a bit unusual being squished between the two girls, but it definitely wasn't an unpleasant sensation.
Now that they finally had the time to relax, Mikoto asked, "So Touma, how did you even get into Russia from London? It couldn't have been easy to get into an active war zone." It certainly hadn't been a trivial task for her.
The boy answered, "Well, I somehow got to Russia by hitchhiking with a bunch of people."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow, "Really, you managed to cross the continent of Europe by hitchhiking while only knowing Japanese?"
Touma chuckled, "Yeah, I can barely believe it myself. I actually only reached Russia two days ago, but a lot of things happened in that one day. Lessar and I entered the Elizalina Alliance to find someone that Fiamma was looking for, but he attacked us there and captured that person. Later, I ran into Accelerator and fought him again, and after that, we were about to try sneaking into Fiamma's base when you two arrived."
Mikoto's eyes widened and she turned towards the boy, "Wait, why did you fight against Accelerator again? And what was he even doing in Russia?"
"Accelerator was looking for a way to cure Last Order, who was suffering from a strange illness, reports Misaka."
Touma frowned as he remembered that encounter, "Yeah, it seemed like he was really struggling. When I showed up, Last Order was lying unconscious in the snow and Accelerator was angry that she was suffering so much. I guess he was mad at himself, and he took it out on me."
Mikoto didn't like where this was going, "You mean he started the fight with you? And what was wrong with Last Order?" She frowned as she realized that the little girl had probably been targeted again.
The boy slightly nodded against her head, "Yeah, he said that even though I saved all the Sisters, Last Order was still suffering, and that a villain like him couldn't save anyone."
He didn't say it directly, but Mikoto knew what Accelerator had meant, "So he blamed you for him not being able to save her." She was annoyed that Accelerator had attacked her boyfriend because of that.
Touma squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her, "It's okay, I was able to beat him, and I told him that he can save her no matter what he calls himself. I was able to negate whatever was affecting Last Order, at least for a bit, but I don't know what happened after that."
"Unfortunately, that was only a temporary measure, and her condition worsened later on, reports Misaka. She was only fully cured later, after Accelerator sang some sort of song, adds Misaka, reassuring you that she's now okay."
The boy replied, "I left him a note mentioning Index, so maybe he cured her with Index's song, just like the last time."
Mikoto sighed in relief, "That's good to hear. So in the end, he managed to save her after all." It was nice to know that Accelerator would indeed go all out to protect Last Order. She then continued, "So, how did your fight against Fiamma go?"
Touma began explaining, "It was very difficult at first. His ability gave him the exact amount of power to defeat whatever enemy he was facing. He caused World War 3 and defined his enemy as all of humanity's evil. That gave him a lot of power, plus he also had access to Index's grimoires."
"By grimoires, do you mean books of magic spells, asks Misaka with curiosity. She recalls you two and that other girl mentioning magic and magicians. Are there real powers outside of Academy City based on the occult, questions Misaka."
Mikoto was surprised at her sister reacting so nonchalantly, but answered, "Yeah, magic is actually real. I only learned that recently. And since this idiot's ability works on magic too, he's been getting dragged into a lot of Magic Side fights too."
The boy then continued, "Yeah, so anyway, that giant fortress was called the Star of Bethlehem and had parts from churches all over the world on it."
Mikoto brought her hand up to her chin and mused, "The Star of Bethlehem? Isn't that part of some story in the Bible?"
"Yes, it was a star that led the three Magi to the Son of God's birthplace, at least according to the Bible, notes Misaka. So can magicians use religious stories like that to create spells, asks Misaka, filled with curiosity."
Touma nodded and replied, "Yeah, pretty much. In fact, Fiamma used it to create that archangel."
Mikoto asked for confirmation, "The archangel was that weird robot-looking thing in the sky right?"
Touma nodded, "Yeah, it appeared soon after the fortress rose into the sky. And I actually saw Kazakiri too. It looked like she was fighting against the archangel, and she somehow defeated it."
Mikoto took a bit of time to remember that name, but then asked, "Kazakiri? That was the friend you were trying to save on September 30, right? Wasn't she forcibly summoned by the Misaka Network?"
"Yes, and we agreed to summon her again by expanding our AIM fields into Russia, replies Misaka, pleased that we were able to do so without being paralyzed by a virus."
Mikoto and Touma quickly glanced at each other, recalling how they'd guessed that the higher-ups of Academy City could use the Misaka Network to summon Kazakiri anywhere in the world. Mikoto was relieved that at least her sisters weren't harmed this time.
Touma then said, "So after the archangel was defeated, I still had to fight against Fiamma. Like I said before, he was really strong because his enemy was the malice in people's hearts, and he used a lot of powerful spells from Index. But I guess at some point, people around the world all started working together, even if they were on opposite sides of the war. That made his power weaken enough so I could finally defeat him. I let him use the last escape pod to get back down to the ground, and that's when you two showed up. After that, I freed Index, crashed the fortress into the archangel, and punched it. After that, I fell unconscious, and when I awoke, I was in a ship after being rescued." He then gently nudged Mikoto in the shoulder and asked, "So what were you two up to at that time? And how did you find that airplane?"
Mikoto was really impressed, especially since she knew he was understating the severity of the fight. As for her own fight, she chuckled and replied, "Well, we got distracted by a sort of sidequest. 10777-chan intercepted a Russian transmission saying that a rogue Russian army unit was going to fire a nuclear missile at that fortress. Even if the fortress had some sort of protection, it would still put out a lot of ash into the atmosphere, so we had to go find and disable the nuke. After we did that, we found that VTOL fighter and flew up to the fortress."
"Big Sister is omitting some details, such as how she single-handedly defended us from surface-to-surface missiles and defeated an enemy tank unit, reveals Misaka."
Touma looked at his girlfriend with an amazed expression, "Wow, you just keep getting more and more amazing!" He turned to Misaka 10777 with a smile and continued, "You too! You guys actually saved the world!" He recalled with amusement his debate with Fiamma over whether someone could disable a nuclear warhead without the key.
"Misaka didn't do that much, it was Big Sister who did most of the work, says Misaka, still feeling a little inferior."
Mikoto leaned over a bit to look at her sister, retorting, "Come on, I already told you, you were the one who got all the information we needed in the first place. I couldn't have done anything if I didn't know about the threat in the first place."
"That's true, but Misaka still wishes she had some unique individual strength, not just something that any Misaka, including Big Sister, can achieve, laments Misaka."
Touma, trying to reassure Misaka 10777, patted her hand and said, "Well, even if other people could have done what you did, you were still the one that actually did those things, and you should be proud of that, 10777-chan!"
Mikoto nodded and continued, "That's right, and even if you are using the Misaka Network, there's nothing wrong with getting help from others to boost your strength. You guys are the only ones in the world who can do something like that. I'd say that's pretty unique."
"Maybe you two are right, considers Misaka. We form a neural network of almost ten thousand human brains, but we can each take individual actions. Thank you both, says Misaka, feeling better about herself."
Mikoto was glad that they were able to reassure her sister. Now that she was caught up on the gist of what happened to her boyfriend in Russia, she wanted to hear more about his previous adventure, so she asked, "So, Touma, what happened while you were in London? How did that coup start in the first place, and how did you guys put an end to it?"
Misaka 10777 turned to face Touma as she heard the news. "You were in London during the coup, asks Misaka in shock."
Touma nodded and began, "Yeah, so Princess Carissa launched the coup because she thought that Britain was losing ground to France. I think the Eurotunnel damage was Fiamma's fault, but she blamed it on France."
Mikoto nodded and recalled, "Yeah, and there was also that treaty forcing them to give their nuclear weapons to France."
The boy continued, "Yeah, so Queen Elizard had a powerful magical sword called Curtana Second. But it was just a replacement for the original Curtana, which was assumed to be lost. Carissa somehow found the original one, which took away most of the power from the replacement. That gave her enough power to launch the coup by bringing the knights, military, and police to her side, since it supposedly made her the rightful monarch."
Mikoto frowned, "So whoever holds a special magic sword becomes the rightful monarch? That seems a bit silly, though I guess it makes sense if the sword is really powerful and all those authorities went along with her."
Touma chuckled and replied, "Yeah, so the reason I had to sneak into the subway was to destroy a magic circle that stabilized Curtana Original. Once I did that, we were eventually able to take her down with the help of a bunch of magicians, including Elizard, Kanzaki and even Acqua of the Back."
Mikoto tensed up at the mention of that previous enemy. "He was on your side this time?"
The boy squeezed her hand and replied, "Yeah, he ended up helping a lot in the final battle." Indeed, it had been him who had launched Touma, allowing him to smash both Curtana Original and Carissa's face with his right fist.
"The Misakas in London noticed a lot of people doing unusual things like flying or shooting energy beams. Were they performing magic, asks Misaka, curious about those strange observations."
Touma turned to her and answered, "Sort of. The queen used a spell involving the Union Jack to distribute the power from the Curtanas to all the British people. Everyone got to be a hero, and they all participated in the final battle at Buckingham Palace."
Mikoto was amazed at the idea of the queen just letting regular people perform magic, but she realized, "Huh, that's actually really symbolic. The queen giving up her power to the people. It kind of mirrors how the UK became more and more of a democracy over time."
Touma smiled at his girlfriend, "Wow, that's actually a really nice way of putting it. She was basically giving everyone a vote on what to do with that power."
Mikoto sighed, "If only we had the right to vote in Academy City, maybe it wouldn't be so messed up. I know that most people in the city are children, but not even the adults can vote, we're just ruled by the Chairman and the Board of Directors."
The boy thought about all the horrible activities that were supported by Academy City, and couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, and I don't know if there's any way to change it, and Academy City would probably put down a coup very harshly."
"That is probably correct, agrees Misaka. So anyway, you met the royal family, right, asks Misaka, trying to switch to a less depressing topic."
Touma replied, "Yeah, oh, I even have a photo!" It was a bit tricky with Misaka 10777 leaning against his left side, but he took out his phone from his left pocket and brought up the photo, which showed him and Index with the queen and the three princesses.
Mikoto noticed how close the three princesses were to her boyfriend in the photo. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and said, "Wow, you seem pretty cozy with these three beautiful princesses."
The boy knew that she was mostly joking, but he could tell that she was still a little jealous. Placing the phone on his leg, he brought up his left hand to ruffle Mikoto's hair and said, "Don't worry, Biri-Biri, I already have a beautiful electric princess right here!"
Mikoto blushed furiously and stammered, "Y-you really think I'm b-beautiful?" Despite what Kuroko often used to say about her, Mikoto usually saw a plain-looking girl whenever she looked in the mirror.
Touma kissed the top of her head and softly replied, "Of course I do!"
The girl shyly looked down and replied, "Th-thanks." He had called her beautiful once before, during the Ferris Wheel ride on their first date, but she was really happy to hear it again.
"For some reason, Misaka is suddenly feeling happier, says Misaka with a blush on her face."
That didn't surprise Mikoto too much. Since her sister looked almost exactly the same as her, Touma had also indirectly called Misaka 10777 beautiful as well.
Touma was glad that both girls were happy and smiling. He looked forward to returning to a peaceful life back in Academy City, but he was also content to enjoy his present company.
Several hours later, the train finally reached St. Petersburg. The three of them exited the train and entered the station, which happened to have some shops. When she saw them, Misaka 10777 had a request for Touma and Mikoto. "Can you buy Misaka a necklace like you did for the Misakas in Academy City, pleads Misaka, wishing for a memento of the time we spent together."
Mikoto smiled at her little sister and patted the top of her hat, "Sure, 10777-chan!" Mikoto knew that the other girl felt envious of the Sisters in Academy City, who could see her and Touma regularly, so she hoped that this would help her sister feel better.
They headed into a store that was selling necklaces, and Touma asked, "So, what kind of necklace would you like, 10777-chan?"
Misaka 10777 looked carefully at all the different types of necklaces. She knew that the four Misakas in Academy City had necklaces with common designs, and she wanted something more unique. Soon, she found one she liked and pointed at it. "Misaka likes this bear necklace, it's unique and it matches the country she lives in, explains Misaka."
Touma grabbed it off the rack and replied, "All right, I'll go pay for this then." He headed for the checkout counter and paid for the necklace. After he did so, the three of them walked out of the store. Touma then approached Misaka 10777 and gently placed the new necklace around her neck, saying, "There you go."
"Thank you, says Misaka as she gently holds the bear with both hands and gazes at it." After a moment, she looked back up and suddenly wrapped her arms around Touma. "Misaka is grateful that she got to spend time with you in Russia, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances, says Misaka, very sad that she has to say goodbye now."
The boy returned her embrace and rubbed her back, replying, "Yeah, I'm glad I got to see you too, 10777-chan! Thanks for helping Mikoto find me and for stopping that nuke."
"You're welcome, replies Misaka, feeling a little embarrassed by your praise" She then separated from Touma and approached Mikoto, this time pulling her into a hug. "Thank you for everything, Big Sister. Misaka enjoyed meeting you again, says Misaka, feeling melancholic."
Mikoto gently rubbed the back of her sister's hair and replied, "You're welcome, and thank you for all your help, 10777-chan! If you ever visit Academy City, let us know, and we can hang out again."
"Misaka is looking forward to that." She pulled away from Mikoto and faced both her and Touma. "Farewell for now, says Misaka while waving goodbye."
Touma waved back at her and replied, "Bye, 10777-chan!" Mikoto 10777 walked away from them, leaving the station so she could return to her cooperative institution.
Mikoto and Touma were finally alone together, and they planned to take a train to the airport, where they would finally catch a flight back to Academy City.
One relatively short train ride later, Mikoto and Touma were now at the airport. Having just passed through security, they now sat down next to each other in the seating area by their gate.
Touma wrapped his right arm around his girlfriend's waist, and Mikoto laid down her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. She glanced at his bare arm, which reminded her of something she wanted to ask him, especially now that they were alone. She looked up at him and asked, "So, did you get your arm cut off again in your fight against Fiamma?"
The boy tensed up a bit. He hadn't mentioned that part of the fight earlier, partly because Misaka 10777 had been with them. He was a bit unsure about telling Mikoto, but she already knew about his dragons, so he decided to answer, "Yeah, I did."
Mikoto then continued, "Okay, so did you actually beat him with your dragons? You said earlier that you were able to defeat him because of everyone's good will, which sounded like you beat him with your regular ability."
Touma held up his right hand and gazed at it, replying, "No, I didn't use the dragons. When my arm got cut off, there was some other powerful invisible thing that gathered around my shoulder and protected me from Fiamma's attacks. But I overpowered it somehow so that I could get my right arm and Imagine Breaker back."
The girl's eyes widened and she looked up at him, "You gave up on something that powerful to get back your Imagine Breaker?"
The boy nodded, "Yeah, I didn't know what kind of power it was, so I didn't know if I could control the damage it caused. I'm much more comfortable with my Imagine Breaker, and it ended up being enough in the end."
Mikoto was amazed at his decision, but she realized, "I guess that makes sense, you're more familiar with your Imagine Breaker. But it seems like you have a lot of different things hidden beneath that strange right arm of yours."
Touma chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so. I sometimes wonder if the previous me knew more about it, but I guess I can only go off what I know now." He recalled how Terra was about to reveal something about his Imagine Breaker, but had been silenced before he could do so.
The girl rubbed his knee, trying to comfort him. Touma gave her a smile, so she gently patted his knee and put her hand back in her lap. She then fiddled with her fingers before saying, "Hey, there's something related to this that I wanted to tell you."
The boy squeezed her against him and asked, "What is it, Biri-Biri?"
Mikoto replied, "So, while you were in London, there was a jailbreak trial in Academy City. People were challenged to break into a new juvenile hall, which had AIM jammers to stop esper abilities. We all gave it a try, but Uiharu-san managed to win the prize by hacking into the facility."
Touma recalled, "Oh yeah, Uiharu-san is a very good hacker, isn't she?"
The girl nodded, "Yeah, so that night, she was kidnapped by a group of people, and the rest of us chased after them. They didn't want the money, which she'd already donated, but they wanted her to do a hacking job for them. When we caught up to them, I fought against their leader, it turned out that she had a dragon in her right arm."
The boy was absolutely shocked. He suddenly turned towards her and asked, "She had a dragon too?"
Mikoto continued, "And not just that, it was one of the eight dragons you used back then during the Daihasei Festival."
Touma replied, "Wait, she got a hold of one of my dragons? Did is somehow escape or something."
The girl explained, "Apparently her esper power created a black hole far away in the universe, so Uiharu-san thought that maybe the dragon was attracted to it as an energy source."
The boy was a bit confused, "Huh, I never heard about an esper power that can do something like that."
Mikoto nodded and continued, "Yeah, apparently she could be a holistic esper, someone who causes major changes in the universe to create their powers. It's not confirmed, though, and she was listed as a Level 0."
Touma then replied, "Wow, that's crazy! But I guess I still have the other seven dragons, which should be enough in case of another emergency. So anyway, were you guys able to defeat it?"
The girl sighed, "That dragon was way too strong for me. I even railgunned it with multiple large metal objects, but it easily withstood that barrage. I guess I can't be surprised, since eight of them easily defeated me when I was part of the way to Level 6. I was only able to defeat her when Uiharu hacked into the AIM Jammers and used them to weaken the dragon."
The boy smiled at her, "Well, it's good that you guys were able to work together to stop her. Do they know that that dragon was originally mine?"
Mikoto shook her head, "Not quite, I did tell them that I've seen it before in an incident you were involved with, though. Actually, is it okay if I told my friends about your dragons?"
Touma was a bit hesitant about that, but he replied, "Well, I guess I'm kind of responsible for what happened to you guys, so sure. Have you told them about what happened to you during the Daihasei Festival?"
Mikoto looked down with a frown, "No, I haven't. At first, it was partially because I didn't want to tell them about my sisters. My friends did help out a lot, but to keep them from learning the truth, that Mental Out girl changed their memories so that they all thought it had been a terrorist attack. But even now that they know about my sisters, I'm worried about telling them. They'll probably get mad at me for keeping them in the dark like this."
The boy hadn't known that her friends' memories had been altered, but he could see the reason why. He chuckled and replied, "Maybe, but I'm sure they'll understand what you had been going through and forgive you. You know, before I freed Index from that spiritual remote control that Fiamma had been using, I finally told her about my memory loss. I couldn't believe it, but she forgave me and said it was okay as long as I came back home. I know it'll be hard, but your friends will come around, I'm sure of it!"
Mikoto smiled, suddenly feeling less anxious. "It's great that you finally told Index. And you're right, I'll tell my friends after we get back home. When I do that, could you come with me to restore their memories?" Using his ability to do so would be much easier than explaining the entire story.
Touma nodded, "Of course! And by the way, thank you again for coming all the way to Russia to help me out!"
The girl chuckled and countered, "Come on, I really didn't do much to help. You were the one who fought against Fiamma."
The boy retorted, "Hey, you saved me from that retrieval squad and from that nuke! Both of us fought in ways that suited our abilities, so you shouldn't feel bad about that."
Mikoto sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. There are different things each of us excels in, and we work the best when we focus on those things. But I do also want to fight by your side!"
Touma chuckled, "Well, I hope we don't have to fight again any time soon, but with my luck, you'll probably have plenty of chances."
The girl replied, "Yeah, but hopefully we'll get a bit of a break once we return home."
At this point, it was time for them to board the plane. The two of them got up and began heading for the gate, looking forward to returning to a peaceful life in Academy City.