A Certain Meltdowner's Secret Love Life

by SilverFang88

Frenda and Kinuhata are curious about the strange 'appointments' that have become the norm for ITEM's resident Level 5. Takitsubo, unfortunately, is just being dragged along for the ride.

10. Critical Appointment

Greetings to all!

Soo...I goofed big-time last chapter...

...let's fix that!

---

GTK — Great Teacher Komoe

---

There is a saying somewhere that if you do what you love you will never work a day in your life.

Tsukuyomi Komoe would argue against that quote to some degree.

Do not misunderstand, holding a job was important for any adult. Especially so when one factors in her environment as well as her vices. Having a guaranteed job, decent benefits, and pension plan were all important. However, make no mistake, Komoe did enjoy her work as an educator. She cared for her students and did not enter this profession with halfhearted intentions. She enjoyed her job as well as the students and faculty members in the school. Both groups respected and liked her to varying degrees; although some tended to tease her more often than she liked. All in all, this was the career she chose and had loved since the day she met her first batch of students.

Tragically, in spite of the love she had for her work, it was still work.

Not to mention that there were some students who tended to give her trouble. Not in the sense of being rough around the edges and pointlessly aggressive sort. Heavens no, that sort of behavior typically crumbled thanks to her charming disposition. If anything most of her students got violent because they liked her a bit too much. She liked to refer to it as 'being passionate' about their teacher's wellbeing. They would be properly punished for it, of course. But seeing her students acting in her defense, though unnecessary, always did warm her heart.

No, the issue with some concerned their studies.

Yes, like any professional educator, she was concerned about their grades.

Normally Komoe would simply have them perform remedial classes for more contained instructions. This aided her in identifying where a student was struggling and thus help them to understand the subject. Sometimes it would be settled with one class, other times several. It cut into her free time but she never complained about it. That, again, proved that she did not enter this profession with lackadaisical intentions. She wanted her students to succeed, as should any teacher in this respectable line of work. If that meant that Komoe had to sacrifice her own spare time to do so, then she would without question.

Then there was the case with Kamijou Touma. A case that, ordinarily, was addressed in the typical fashion detailed above.

But not in this case; not under these parameters.

In fact there was nothing 'ordinary' about any of this.

The thing that differentiated this instance from most others was plain to see. Granted one would need to be there, at her residence, to actually 'see' it. But all it would take is a glance and anyone would understand why it warranted concern. Beneath the comforter of the futon in this small living space lay the very same spiky haired boy. Just a glance at his person would tell the story of why he was there. Bandages were wrapped around the few exposed parts of his body. One of which being his right arm and hand, which had the most noticeable amount of coverings around them. One would be inclined to suspect that there were more bandages hidden beneath covers too.

Those same people would be correct.

Bear in mind that this was the sight that Tsukuyomi Komoe had to take in every time she came home. Seeing him there, expressionless, unmoving, and quiet, was not an ideal sight for her. Compared to the boy she knew, this was borderline heartbreaking.

Although, not nearly as crushing as seeing him in the state he was in before this.

Seeing here there laying in the road as a limp, bloody, and broken carcass was a downright terrifying sight. Nobody should ever be forced to come upon such a thing. No person should ever be forced into a predicament such as this from the start. Even so, Komoe still rolled up her sleeves and somehow managed to carry him back to her home. From there, she and Index did their best to dress his injuries and treat what they could. Unlike with a certain nun, cleaning him up was less complex.

Dire as both situations were, Touma's case was not of grave importance.

Not as grave in the sense that his wounds were not fatal in nature. In fact, most of his wounds consisted of gashes and bruises. The most serious injury sustained was the damage done to his right hand and arm. Possible dislocation at the wrist to perhaps a fractured Radius or Ulna. Fingers too, some of those could have possibly been broken as well. Unfortunately Komoe was no doctor and thus was uncertain on how close her assessment was to being correct. What she was certain of was that whoever had done this to him had not caused any life threatening injuries.

An amazing feat considering how torn up the area was where she found him.

However, as much as she wanted to take him to the hospital, the persistent objections from a certain nun were hard to ignore. Suddenly those claims of it being unsafe and an ill-advised action became far more prominent and credible. Considering how battered Kamijou had been it was safe to say that leaving was not a good idea.

That and the young nun named Index was not the only person who was openly against it.

Which brings us to the current state of affairs. In spite of all that had happened, Komoe was still acting as a host. As a host, she had an obligation to feed her guests; regardless of if they were hungry or not. Index in particular had kept her appetite, eating whatever was pushed her way without (too much) complaint. Food portions were fair and as long as something was being digested then the girl was fine with anything. Komoe was no cook but she had the power of adult privilege. So a simple trip to a fast-food chain with cheap menu items could get her through the day.

Not healthy by any stretch of the word, but it fed her and that was good enough.

Wrong as it sounded, the girl's solemn mood kept her from having a large appetite. Such was the veiled silver lining Komoe supposed. As things currently stood, Index was fast asleep a short ways away from the unconscious boy. Although a spare futon was offered to her, she had declined it. She had been determined to stay by Kamijou's side since she had shuffled him back here. And until he woke up, that was where she was going to stay; right there beside him. A heartwarming gesture that this Tsukuyomi could not bring herself to argue against.

Admittedly, she was not particularly fond of this idea. All the same, she would not force the nun to do anything she did not want to. It was bad enough that, for some reason, Index kept insisting that this was all her fault. Grief had a way of making those suffering from it think irrationally. Despite all of her efforts to prove otherwise, Komoe was met with the same resistance. Carelessness was the cause behind Kamijou's current state and nothing was going to change her viewpoint. No amount of encouragement or reassurance was going to bypass that belief.

Index was not the only person suffering from grief.

And it was not Tsukuyomi Komoe who was overcome by guilt either.

To clarify, Komoe was not in grieving for two particular reasons. One was because she knew that there was little she could have done to prevent this outcome from happening. She knew that, and therefore knew that it was best for her to do what she could for him now. A perk from being an adult and accepting the things which she could not change. The second reason was due to the fact that she had taken to enjoying more than a few cans of beer since. Not enough to get sloshed, but enough to dampen the impact of the whole situation.

So no, it was not her who was mournful...not yet anyway. Give or take a few more beers and that might change. She vaguely recalled when she had gone on a full drunken tangent about how reckless Kamijou was. Complete with tears and her pathetically small fists drumming against his chest.

Komoe had since pointedly ignored that first evening.

But again, it was not her who was the other mournful mess. That honor belonged to another to whom Komoe was staying up later than normal to wait up on. Someone who, at that moment, she could hear inserting a key and unlocking the deadbolt. Moments later, the familiar obnoxious squeaking of front door being opened filled the otherwise quiet apartment.

On an unrelated note she really needed to buy some WD-40 the next chance she got.

"Welcome back Mugino-chan~!"

The vibrant greeting that Komoe had provided was met with an inaudible murmur. Not the most pleasant or lively response the small teacher had received. Yet it was something to be expected considering everything that had happened. The small teacher kept her eyes trained on Mugino Shizuri as she closed the door and stepped further into the cramped abode. Honestly, this apartment was not meant to accommodate more than one or two people tops. Despite that, here she was, shacked up in a small living space with three growing teenagers.

Of course these were the minor complaints of a pint-sized semi-drunk adult.

"Have you eaten yet, Mugino-chan? We still have some dinner left over from earlier if you want some."

No response.

Not even a glance was directed at her as the Meltdowner made her way across the room. Her destination was clear and that place was the space at the foot of Kamijou's futon. Mugino's bag slipped off her arm upon arrival and thumped loudly as it hit the floor. She did not sit down though, rather she moved around to his side whilst removing the comforter over top of him. From there she took to inspecting the bandages, seemingly looking for any that were in need of replacing. Following this she checked on his breathing and heart-rate; finding that neither of these things were erratic or failing.

"We already changed his bandages earlier today." She made this statement after casually taking a long drag of the cigarette between her lips. "He was also starting to stink, so we washed him up while we were at it."

Of course this knowledge did not seem to register to the Level 5. Not that much of anything registered to her since the evening she found out what had happened. Oh yes, Komoe was aware of that argument that had occurred between Mugino and Kamijou. Actually, she only knew that it had happened, not so much on the specifics of what it was about. He had been pretty tight-lipped regarding it, to which she had called him an idiot. Thanks to that, it took a bit of effort to get in contact with the #4 after everything had happened. It took a text message, as well as a picture, to finally get the girl's attention.

Needless to say, the door was nearly kicked off its squeaking hinges when Mugino showed up later that same evening. For a girl who often wore heels, she could deliver a fierce kick. On top of that, though she was already partially aware of it, Mugino also had a very vulgar tongue too. A lot of the things she said to Index were far from polite and most definitely added to the nun's grief a fair bit. However, by some miracle of God, things did not escalate into physical violence. That did not mean that the Level 5 took any comfort in being in the same room with the girl. In fact she could hardly look at the white garbed nun without scowling or sucking her teeth in indignation.

Yet another aspect of that evening which the pint-sized educator pointedly ignored.

"Anything weird happen today?"

Beer can at her lips, Komoe's body perked up slightly as Mugino addressed her directly. Her attention, however, did not deviate away from the prone boy.

"Nothing outside of the ordinary." Retorted the small adult, her voice vibrating the empty space within the can. "I am still in charge of giving supplementary lessons to some of my students over summer break. Outside of their antics, nothing too abnormal happened."

Once more, the girl gave little sign of acknowledging what was said. Nevertheless, Komoe kept nonchalantly observing the girl's actions from afar. Hard for the child-sized woman to deny how charming it was seeing Mugino act this way. Looking the boy over, making sure the wraps were not bound to him too tightly and such. Endearing in a way similar to how a mother hen fusses over their sick or injured child. Not quite the same, in fact there was probably a more accurate terminology that could be used here. Sadly the term eluded the high school teacher, although it was reasonable to assume that the Level 5 would probably know if she were to ask.

...

Ah, who was she kidding, of course Mugino would know.

But that was beside the point.

The point to be made here was that Mugino was trying to do her part. And much like Index, there was a great deal of grief behind her efforts. Likely because of her argument with Kamijou the evening of the incident that placed him in this state. It did not take an expert in psychology to determine that. Unlike the case of the nun, Komoe did not know precisely the reason why she was desolate. Although, that was not to say that the child-sized adult was entirely clueless. She was already aware that the two had a disagreement earlier that evening. So it was not hard for her to venture a guess that it was guilt born from something that was said.

Life was a fickle and frail thing after all.

One moment someone could be perfectly fine and the next minute they could die for any number of reasons. Freak accidents, disease, or even being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We never know how long we are set to be in this world. It could end for anyone within the next month or in the next minute. We often forget that and sometimes say things to someone before we are given the chance to take it back. Sometimes it is not even a matter of what was said but rather what was not that eats away at a person. Things which we lacked the courage to say and ultimately never would be given that chance ever again.

Depressing stuff.

Quite as depressing as watching Mugino sit quietly over by her lover's bedside. Watching her sit there, his right hand in her lap, staring down at it as her own hand rested atop of it.

"You really should eat something, Mugino-chan." This alcohol fueled outburst from the child-sized educator cut the air like a knife. Especially since it sounded less vibrate and cheery than it did not long ago. "Kamijou-chan isn't going anywhere. You, on the other hand, can come and go as you please. You left earlier this afternoon and you only just came back. That's plenty of time for you to get some dinner for yourself."

Now Komoe was not the type of gir-woman to pry into other people's affairs. If they did not wish to speak about something, she would not force herself upon them. The best she could do was remind them that she was willing to lend an ear. But in the case of Mugino Shizuri, she truly wanted to make an exception for her. Again, maybe it was the alcohol that was making her more willing to poke and prod at an issue.

Either that or she just did not like seeing the girl tear herself apart like this.

"I'm not the one who you need to be worried about."

If Mugino was trying to sound reassuring then she failed.

Terribly.

"It's sensei's job to worry about all of her students." Shot back the woman while absentmindedly snuffing out the cigarette in the nearest ashtray. "It doesn't matter if I'm on or off the clock, it's still my duty. Both as a teacher and as an adult. If a student is troubled, then I'm obligated to do my part to make sure they are physically, mentally, and emotionally stable."

"I'm not your student, Komoe-sensei."

"Mhm, no you're not. Then again, I never saw you as being any different from those who are."

Mugino, in what was now becoming the norm, sucked her teeth in response. Flattery, however, was not going to alleviate the issues currently plaguing the girl's thoughts.

Truth be told, much like everyone else, Komoe was quite shocked by Kamijou's relationship status.

Sure, it was not her business to know this. By all accounts she should not have been too concerned about it. So long as his grades did not plummet, he was entitled to do what he pleased. Yet she still heard about it, thanks to her rowdy students, and was still surprised by it. Double that astonishment when she actually met Mugino in person. That first encounter gradually became one among many. Her visits to the school being numerous thanks to her lover being forced into supplementary lessons. So it should be expected that many of those visits resulted in the two ladies conversing afterwards.

And more often than not, those conversations came at the expense of Kamijou's dignity.

Those talks did not just kill time for the two ladies. Komoe was able to gather a great deal of information about the girl from them. For instance; Komoe came to realize how intelligent, reliable, organized, and over-all mature the young lady was. What she had also come to notice was her subdued temperament from time to time. As well as her crude vocabulary and tactless behavior on top of that. Such traits became abundantly clear the more they spoke and, to Komoe, that was fine. Nobody was perfect nor was anyone expecting her to be. Even the eventual reveal of her status as a Level 5 did not change Komoe's view of the girl.

If anything it served to explain many of the impressive qualities that she possessed.

With all of this being said, it was safe to say that Komoe had come to like the girl. Her influence on Kamijou showed in the gradual incline of his grades; which was no doubt her doing. Putting the school related aspects aside, she truly did think that Mugino was a good influence. Guiltily, the small teacher often thought that she was perhaps too good for the dimwitted boy. For a period of time she harbored some serious doubts about the Level 5. Komoe had even gone as far as to think that she was simply leading Kamijou by the nose this whole time. Critical as that may sound, their union was off putting enough to warrant that sort of suspicion.

Not her proudest moment and there was also no shame in her admitting that.

Call it a healthy amount of disbelief rather than flat out distrust.

However, those concerns had long since been dismissed. While initially bewildering, time had proven the educator wrong. Their interactions, not hers but them as a couple, proved there existed some chemistry. From her perspective it appeared genuine and honest. Increased exposure of the two while together only served to demonstrate that with greater clarity. There was no ulterior motives or gimmicks to be had. They were simply an odd couple that, somehow, worked. Which was what made seeing Mugino like this all the more impactful. Seeing the image of such a lovely girl slowly wilting away like a flower in the fall season was a dismal sight.

It may not look too bad right away. She may pretend to be okay at this specific moment in time. But how long could she truly last like this? How long would it take before that pristine visage became nothing more than a husk of a human being? Same could be said about Index as well. They had no idea when Kamijou would wake up. Yet they were stubborn and unwilling move him elsewhere for proper help. Both Mugino and Index did not want to risk him being hurt anymore than he already was. In doing so, they were ultimately hurting themselves. Slowly but surely, this endeavor was destroying the two from the inside.

And, truth be told, it was beginning to grow irksome.

That said, the woman of short stature chugged back the remainder of her beverage. Letting out a loud exhale as the empty can was slammed down before standing up. Not even bothering to retrieve the empty can, she shuffled her onesie pajama-clad feet over towards the fridge.

"You still keep calling me sensei, by the way." Remarked Komoe in a manner that was both abrupt and offhanded in nature. "That means you are, in essence, a student...a life student. Yes, that works, you're my life student! That makes me your life teacher and this here is my first one-on-one life lesson."

"Tch, save your breath, I don't need-"

"And tonight that lesson is to not neglect your own needs!"

Komoe might have interrupted the Level 5 a bit louder than intended. She also may have sounded more elated about it than she should have been. The passion of a genuine educator was nothing to scoff at. Especially when said educator was as enthusiastic as she was.

The alcohol only made it more pronounced.

"Sensei understands that you're worried about Kamijou-chan. She gets that there may have been some hard feelings that might be eating away at Mugino-chan. But Kamijou-chan isn't the only person that cares about you a lot. Sensei cares enough that she can tell you don't look like you've slept or eaten anything since the night this happened. If sensei can tell that much, then imagine how many other people have noticed it too. And just like me, none of them wanna see you doing this to yourself. You hurt more people by doing that sorta thing to yourself. On top of that, I don't think Kamijou-chan would like seeing you this way."

Although Komoe was speaking directly to Mugino, she was not facing her. The former was had kept her back to her as she was busy retrieving her beverage of choice. This left the latter to stare, maybe even glare, over at her by the fridge. She knew that because it was something that the teacher instinctively felt at that time. At least...that was what Komoe assumed anyway. Having a buzz made it difficult to determine if she had someone's undivided attention or not. Unless she was looking at them of course, but that could also sometimes be dodgy.

"You talk about that shit like I give a damn." Mugino, though possessing mildly irate undertones, remained at a mostly subdued speaking level. "Fact of the matter is that I don't. I couldn't care less about what you or anyone else thinks. And this isn't some bullshit drama flick you can find in TV shows and movies. Like I'm gonna sit at home, starve myself and spend sleepless nights staring at my damn ceiling. I sleep when I'm tired and eat when I'm hungry just fucking fine."

"That could be right and that would mean sensei is worrying about nothing. But I think you do give a damn about what people think."

Glancing over her shoulder, she was unsurprised to see the girl no longer (or never was) looking at her. A low sigh escaped from the adult as she retrieved what she wanted. Komoe then turned around to face the girl, shutting the refrigerator with her foot as she did so. Her onesie clad feet shuffled quietly along the tatami mats as she closed the gap between them.

"Kamijou-chan doesn't talk about you a lot at school. N-not because he doesn't think about you, I'm sure he does since I sometimes catch him spacing out in class. Sensei thinks it's because his friends keep teasing him about it. Anyways, even if he doesn't say it, sensei knows that you mean a whole lot to him."

"What are you getting at?"

Mugino's snappy comment was rewarded with a cold beer can being pressed against her neck. Startled, the Meltdowner's head whipped around to glare at the child-sized adult. Komoe met that heated gaze with one of her own. On a subconscious level, the pink haired woman puffed her cheeks and thus unknowingly ruined the whole image of a stern adult.

"Stop pretending that you don't care. We both know for a fact Kamijou-chan means a lot to you. He probably means more than you've ever dared to care about anyone. If you're worried about him, then say you're worried. We both know he would be if the roles were reversed. Sensei isn't saying that having control over your feelings is a bad thing. But bottling all that up inside you is no better than starving yourself of food and sleep."

Somewhere during this time something had begun to trickle down her face. As much as she wanted to feign ignorance, she knew better. Those tears, fueled by frustration and anxiety, were most definitely coaxed out of her via alcohol. No, she was not an emotionally frail individual who disliked raising her voice. She was a reasonable adult who's emotions accidently spilled out too much. Disregarding the cause of those tears, Komoe did not make a move to wipe them away. She kept her tear-stained gaze locked onto the #4's own as she pressed on further; even as her bottom lip began to tremble.

"M-Mugino-chan is a good girl. I really believe that and want to keep on believing it. It's just that everyone came to sensei for help and-and it's not fair. It's not fair because, as much as I want to, sensei can't do anything if none of you will let me!"

She knew of Mugino's power and was well aware of her many outstanding qualities. In spite of those traits, no because of those traits, Komoe knew she could not let this go on. As an adult, a teacher, and as an overall decent human being, she could not allow this to stand. And the longer they held their individual gazes, the brighter this tiny teacher's resolve shined. To falter here would be an act of surrender and Komoe had no intention of yielding. Tsukuyomi Komoe was determined to help see this girl through her silent suffering.

"Mugino-chan...if you need someone to talk to then I'm right here. Sensei will wait up for you and will always be here ready to listen."

Some say size was not important when it came to a person's strength of character. Now that was a philosophy Komoe could gladly get behind. For in this moment, in this room, Komoe felt as though she was the tallest person here.

"So please, please, let sensei help you."

Somehow that feeling became mutual as there was a flicker in Mugino's eyes. A glint of something came and went so quickly that she almost passed it off as her imagination. Whatever it was caused the Level 5 to scowl as she returned her attention back towards the sleeping boy. Good thing too, it let the little adult wipe her eyes without breaking contact. Still, that provided no comfort to her as a wave of defeat swiftly washed over her.

"...I'm assuming Kamijou told you about our little disagreement." Just like that, with that dry but glum tone, the feelings of defeat began to change. "Listen, I'm not about to sit here and apologize to anyone; not him, you, or the nun. I just..."

In the place of defeat came relief and alongside relief came hope. It was the hope that she could finally provide aid in some way to these kids. Mugino just happened to be the biggest hurdle for her to overcome. That was okay though as every step forward, large or small, was being made in the right direction. Having said that, after some undignified nasal wiping courtesy of her sleeve, Komoe moved to Mugino's side and sat down.

"There's no rush, so take your time. Sensei isn't going anywhere."

A loud crack of a can being opened served as further proof of that statement.

"Tch, I'm tempted to ask for one of those."

"Don't push your luck, Mugino-chan. Come back and ask me again in four or five more years."

Easy to forget that she was a teacher first and foremost. Sue her for not condoning the illicit idea of minors drinking alcohol. Mugino apparently found her deadpan expression and tone amusing by some margin. Humorous enough to entice no less than a few light chuckles out of her. Which, in turn, only made the pink haired woman huff before taking a swig from her drink out of indignation.

Still, it had been awhile since Komoe had heard the girl laugh.

Short lived as it may have been, it was nice for the woman to hear it again.

---

Plea of the Lost Lamb

---

Kamijou Touma was a curious case to the individual known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

He was unremarkable, stubborn, dense, and occasionally very rude. Yet he was kind, honest, innocent, and protective. Good traits that went hand-in-hand with the less than pleasant ones. So why did she try so hard to keep him safe? When did she acquire this compulsion to protect him? Surely things would be easier for her if she had disregarded him and put focus solely on escaping her pursuers. Lord knows many mishaps could have been avoided had she done so from the beginning. The destruction of her Walking Church, the subsequent case of indecent exposure, and the wound she had received just to name a few.

Most prominently of all these mishaps was the one which was currently in play.

"Heh. It looks like we won't have to worry about you escaping with those injuries."

Two magicians, her pursuers, that were currently standing within this very room. A room that she had not left in days and the place where Kamijou Touma also resided. The same boy who had awoken that compulsive protective desire within her. She had never thought much about it or, at least, not initially anyway. Three days being cooped up in this small home did give her plenty of time to think on it.

Was it because he was first person she had met when she snuck into this city?

No, that was not the reason.

Was it due to him being the first person she established a bond with since she woke up in Japan almost a year ago?

No, that too was incorrect.

Her reasons were simply because it was the right thing to do. Because this was not his fight to begin with, even if he treated it as if it was his own. This was her battle, her struggle, and she did not want him to be involved in it. She had told him that at the very beginning not to concern himself with her affairs. She had explicitly stated that he did not need to get himself involved and yet he did it anyway. He did it to protect her, when it was her who was supposed to be protecting him. Their roles had reversed somewhere along the path that brought them to this point. What Index was doing was setting the course back on the proper course that it should have been.

"Leave, magicians."

Which is why her voice held such a firm resolve as she stood before these two magicians. Such was the purpose behind her green eyes glaring up at them in open defiance. It was the reason she stood between them and the boy whom they had harmed. It was Index's own negligence that was to blame for the state in which Kamijou was in. The other magician may have performed the deed, but her own carelessness had been what allowed it to happen. Kamijou Touma should not have to be asked to pay the price of her failures.

"...Stop, Index. They aren't our-"

"Leave!"

She could hear him, she most definitely heard him speak, but she was not having any of it. She was the one to blame for all of this. It was her who inadvertently dragged Touma into this mess. True, it was his decision to become more involved in it. Nonetheless, she was the one who literally brought it to his doorstep. No, wait, that was not correct. This outcome had been preordained since the moment he found her on his balcony. From the very moment he offered her food that stuffy summer morning.

She should not have overstayed her welcome at his residence, but she did.

"Please..."

She should not have gone back to his home later on, but she did.

"I'll go wherever you want and I'll do whatever you want. Just please, I beg of you..."

She should not have grown so familiar with him, but she did.

"Just don't hurt Touma anymore."

This was her plea, her request, her last gambit to hopefully make things right. Touma did not need to suffer on her behalf anymore. She would not let him suffer anymore than he already has. This was the best way to repay his kindness. To give thanks to the first person she had established a bond with. No more would he be burdened with the hardships that came from her existence in his life. He could go back to peaceful days without forcing himself to be concerned with her wellbeing.

Frankly, she would not be surprised if this turn of events upset him deeply. Such a bitter outcome was sure to leave a fowl taste in his mouth. He may never come to forgive her for compromising to the magicians in this way. Overall, whether he accepted it or not mattered little in the grand scheme of things. Touma had done enough for her sake and this was the best way, perhaps the only way, for this to end. She was not about to run and leave him at the mercy of these people. A factor that was, no doubt, accounted for by the two individuals in front of her. It would explain why they so brazenly approached this place in broad daylight.

They had nothing to fear because they had the advantage and they knew it.

"The time limit comes in another twelve hours and thirty-eight minutes." She could only assume that was the amount of time they would give her before taking her away. Oh how generous of them. "We simply wanted to see if her shackles would function or not. Seems like we do not need to worry about her running off when the time comes. They turned out to be more effective than even we expected. If you do not want to have that toy taken from you, give up any hope of escape. Understand?"

She had no intention of escaping in the first place, so she undoubtedly understood. Purely out of spite, however, Index did not provide any form of response. Not that they needed to see or hear a visual or verbal affirmation from her. As it has been established already, they were in control and were well aware of it. She did not want to give them the twisted satisfaction of knowing they had won.

"Well, well, well, would you look at this? A big house party and I wasn't invited?"

Index, in spite of herself, felt her eyes shift towards the front door. Much like the other two magicians and Komoe had done upon hearing that voice ring out.

...God bless it...

Why did she have to show up now of all times?

"Hmm." As Scary Face stepped further into the room, her eyes examined the two unfamiliar faces. Index had the unfortunate pleasure of watching her expression contort into something more...unpleasant. "Oi, red head, you match the description of someone I've been looking for. Is that a coincidence or are you the flaming fuck I heard about?"

Please, Scary Face, do not engage these two.

Not here.

Not now.

"What if it is not a coincidence?" Challenged the man as traces of amusement played into his tone. There was also trace amounts of puzzlement in it as well, though it was not as pronounced as the former. "What does it matter to you if I am?"

Despite the obvious height difference, Mugino stepped forward and into his physical bubble without care or concern. Even then, the flame magician did not budge an inch. Not when she stood in his way or when her eyes narrowed further as she peered up at him.

"You don't, you aren't the person I'm interested in...not right now anyway." Mugino's gaze lingered for a few seconds before shifting over towards the female next to him. "This bitch, on the other hand, is the one I'm interested in. Guessing she's your partner, meaning she's the one who beat my boyfriend into a pulpy mess."

Much like the flame magician, the woman did not so much as flinch under Scary Face's harsh gaze. Nor did she move an inch when she moved into her personal space. Between the two magicians, the height difference was not as extreme. Still it was enough to force the Esper to incline her head slightly to look her in the eyes. Unlike with the male, Index could not see the expression Mugino was wearing since the red-head was blocking her view. If she were to guess though, Index would be right to assume it was far beyond unpleasant looking.

"I'm gonna enjoy killing you, bitch."

That voice...well...it sounded like the devil had possessed her.

And it was honestly terrifying.

"You are more than welcome to try, little girl."

Count that as the second time that challenging tone was used. This time, however, there was no mirthful undertones or confusion laced within it. It was callous, it was resolute, and it was patiently waiting for whatever move the other girl made. Much to Index's growing dread, small spheres of light began to brighten the room as they floated in the air. Thus far, Index had no idea what those spheres were, where they came from, or what they could do. On a hunch though, she could surmise that it was Scary Face who was doing it. Which, by default, was not a good sign since Komoe seemed to become increasingly more panicked by it.

And yet the woman did not even bat an eye at the intense green glow.

Her expression remained impassive even then.

"S-Shizuri!"

Like the flipping of a light-switch, the green glowing spheres abruptly vanished.

"...Touma?" Strange was it to hear her voice sound so soft and uncertain. Especially after being on the receiving end of her aggression for the past three days. "I'm not hearing shit, am I?"

Index watched as Mugino stepped passed the two magicians and glance at the person laying behind her. What she saw first in those usually hateful eyes was bewilderment. Bewilderment turned into relief, which then turned into joy. Joy that succeeded in reaching her entire face as a small smile began to form on her lips. She had taken a single step, just one, before her shoulder bumped into the flame magician's side. That action must have served as a reminder to her. Because those positive emotions faded away as she cast a glance to her side. Morphing and twisting back into a face that Index had the misfortune of being familiar with.

Actually, if possible, it looked much worse than usual.

A gaze that hateful and pitiless belonged on a beast more so than on a young woman.

"Get. Out."

It was not a request; it was a demand.

A demand that the two were keen on following.

Although Index doubted it because Scary Face had told them to.

"But don't think for a second that we're done here." Added the young woman through gritted teeth. Her head adjusting enough to cast one last glare at the female magician. "I'm fucking you up, bitch. Do you hear me? The next time I see you, I'm ripping out your uterus and forcing it down your fucking throat."

No response was given in return.

Her threats meant nothing to these people.

They simply left without offering another word.

"Are you okay?"

A question proposed by Touma as Scary Face and Komoe watched the pair leave. In her own efforts to calm her nerves, Index released an almost inaudible sigh. Her raised arms lowering as she moved to face the boy she was trying to shield. She was not crying, yet all the same she felt like doing so as she looked back at him. Sadness and relief were on the verge of overwhelming her entire being. In spite of that, she was somehow able to muster up a smile. She could see that Touma's eyes were shut and that his jaw was clenched. Those simple observations served to show just how painful it was for him to be so powerless to help her.

Perhaps that was the reason why she was so attached to him. Even at his lowest point he had not stopped wishing to protect her. Such knowledge should have made her happy and to some degree she was. Truly, she was grateful for him being so determined to help her. All the same, this was all for the betterment of everyone. She was the dedicated lamb who protects the knowledge of the strong. That was her purpose and she had long since accepted that. Magicians would never stop pursuing her for the 103,000 magical grimoires stored inside her. So the longer she stayed, the more pain she would inadvertently cause him in the long run.

For with much wisdom came much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

"If I make a deal with them I can keep your life from being destroyed anymore, Touma." The knot in her throat made these words difficult to get out. Yet she had managed to relay them without choking up partway through. "I won't let them intrude on your life anymore, so don't worry."

Index could see his head lulling, meaning that unconsciousness had overtaken him again. Understandable, the rate in which these events were playing out must have been too much. Regardless, she meant every word and it was not solely spoken to him either.

"That goes for you as well." Braving the flames, she turned to face the woman who was now scowling at her. "When the time comes, I will do what they ask of me. In return for my cooperation, I will request that they do no future harm to any of you. Once they have me they will have no reason to concern themselves with any of you, of that I am certain. So, once again, don't worry; it will all be over soon."

While she was speaking to both of them, Index did not avert her gaze away from Mugino's. Implying that, between Scary Face and Komoe, the former was the one to whom she was truly addressing this to. Personally, Index did not like this girl one bit. As far as she was aware, Scary Face never seemed happy about anything. Her quick temper and cynical nature only further added to the list of qualities that made her difficult to be around. Those were petty reasons and were not the entire truth behind her dislike of the girl.

One such reason being the way she looked at everyone as though they were nothing.

Not just in the sense that everyone around her was inferior. It went beyond being prideful, rather it was as though every other person's life did not matter to her. Scary Face did not care about the woes of those around her. All she was concerned with where matters that effected her and no one else. On top of that, those pools of amber brown always seemed vacant, dull, and lifeless when she peered into them. It never ceased to fill Index with intense, yet justified, feelings of trepidation whenever Scary Face gazed back at her. Spurring on the nun in training's belief that she had no empathy for anyone at all.

...well, almost no one.

Which played into the second, more selfish, reason for her dislike of the girl.

"The fuck it will."

Mugino spat out those words out of her mouth as if they were spoiled fruit. A short gait was all it took for the taller woman to be upon her. Try as she might, Index could help but twitch as the sound of Mugino's loud footfalls made one last loud thud on the tatami mats. Having stopped less than two feet from her, the nun could easily make out the ferocity of her features. Uneasy as Index was, she did her best to maintain a passive expression as she stood face-to-face with this beast.

If an analogy was needed, it was like a wolf eyeing a lamb who had gone astray.

"You can't promise anything so don't bother trying spoon-feeding me that bullshit. " Said beast in question leaned over a bit to get further into her face, much to the growing nun's displeasure. "As far as I'm concerned, I can't trust you to be certain of a damn thing. I don't need or want your optimistic crap so save your breath. Now go squat in corner or something and pray to your fucking God. It's about the most useful thing you can do for us now."

"That...is a wonderful suggestion." If nothing else, Index could take pride in herself for gathering the courage to utter these words with a smile. "I'll happily pray for everyone's future wellbeing; including yours. I sincerely hope that God grants you a long life."

A long, miserable, lonely, and empty life.

Heathen wretch.

"M-Mugino-chan, we already talked about this, so please don't fight."

Komoe's weak plea did nothing to quell the agitation shown on the older girl's face. What it did do was make her straighten herself so that she was no longer leaning into her face anymore. Anger was still the predominant emotion and her flattened lips displayed her wish to voice more of her thoughts. Yet that soon dissipated once her gaze turned elsewhere, specifically the futon behind her and the boy who was in it. From there, Mugino's expression grew more neutral the longer she looked. Index was not surprised by this gradual change in expression. She had seen it happen too many times in the past three days to be surprised by it anymore.

Touma was the only person who she seemed to care about. Majority of her reason for being here was solely for his sake and nothing else. Oddly enough, she would try to hide that fact from the rest of them. Like she was afraid to make herself vulnerable or expose a weakness in front of them. Scary Face's list of emotions ranged from angry, annoyed, or neutral; with the most outstanding one of the emotional spectrum being anger. Anger at her most of the time despite Komoe's efforts to keep the peace.

"Tch, whatever, I'm getting some air."

Rather than the front door, Mugino's choice of destination was the balcony. Her shoulder roughly checked against her own, but Index simply let it be. There was no point in getting angry and she did not have the energy to be mad about it in the first place. It was not as though Index did not understand the reason behind all this animosity being hurled at her. Nor did she blame the older girl for regarding her with such blatant disdain. Just as Scary Face had said when they first met, all of this was her fault.

Index could not deny it then and would not deny it now.

What was the point when she already knew that it was true?

Not that her admittance of guilt was going to matter for much longer. She had made her decision, now all that was left for her to do was wait until the allotted time came. In a way, she was mildly grateful that she was given such a broad window of time before being taken away. Putting aside Scary Face's bitterness, that experience a couple minutes ago had left her exhausted. As a matter of fact, she could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to surface. Yet that dull throb was of little importance to the nun in training at this moment. With so little that could be done, it the most productive thing she could do was to pray; just as Scary Face had suggested.

To pray for good fortune to smile on those who tried to help her. To pray for the Lord to shower these people with His blessings. To pray that, no matter what happened to her, Touma would be safe and happy. To pray that, at her behest, he awaken one last time before she was to be taken from him. At the very least give her the chance to say goodbye. Above all else, let this lamb's one selfish request be heard. Inevitable as her fate was, she did not wish to part without that simple luxury.

Let their last moments together be something she could always remember and hold dear in her heart.

---

The Apple of Her Eye

---

Why did things have to be such a mess?

Summer vacation was supposed to be the highlight of her year. Mugino Shizuri should have been enjoying this generous amount of free time to the fullest. It was supposed to have been just her and Touma with minimal distractions. Spending time at restaurants, theaters, malls, his dorm room, a beach or pool. This was meant to be her time to cut loose, to have some much needed fun without the troubles of life. Such was how she planned it in her head as the days ticked by. It was part of the reason she helped him get his grades up, to avoid doing those supplementary classes over the break.

And yet nothing had played out in the way she had anticipated.

"-eed to destroy her memories."

Who was talking and who else was in here besides her?

What was this talk about destroying memories?

Anyways, it was irritating how quickly things had spiraled downhill since summer break started. All because some little fucking nun decided to fall from the sky. And who's balcony did she just so happened to land on? Of course it had to be his. Out of all the verandas she could have potentially ended up on, it had to be her white-knight boyfriend's. What were the fucking odds of that? Of all people, of all places, why did she have to meet Kamijou Touma? A city of 2.3 million people and she landed on his god-damn doorstep!?

It should have been downright impossible!

So why, why did it still play out this way!?

"-ure to find an ending where everyone is smiling and happy!"

Everyone was happy except for her!

Okay, that part probably was not true. The last time she had spoken to Kamijou, he seemed far from happy about his current situation. He was not pleased with what was taking place, not even a little bit. Yet he resolved to see it through to the end without her being involved. In her mind, fuck it, let him deal with it by his damn self and see how far he gets without her help. She did not think much of it, she did not think he needed her help to begin with. That was the sort of person he was, someone too stubborn to admit when he was in over his head until he was waist deep in a shit-water. It would not have been the first time he had to learn his lesson the hard way.

Then he goes and gets himself beaten to a pulp a couple hours later.

Beaten so badly that he was put into a comatose state for the past three days. Once more because of that fucking nun and the people who were apparently chasing her holy little ass. Index, the little shit, was the reason all of this had happened in the first place. Had the twat not shown up, her and Kamijou could have been going about their business like usual. Things could have stayed as they had been leading up to summer break. But no, she had to come in and throw plastic explosives into the clockwork called their lives. No amount of apologizing or praying was going to take back the damage she had caused.

Komoe-sensei and Touma may forgive her for it, but Mugino Shizuri would not.

"-much pain to even open her eyes!? Can you tell her to wait bec-"

God dammit!

What was with all this racket anyway!?

There was a reason behind that question and that reason was the fog clouding her brain at the moment. Darkness coated her vision until a few moments ago. The lids covering her eyes gradually cracking open, taking in the soft indoor lights in the main room of Komoe-sensei's apartment. When one of her eyes had finally opened, she expected to see sun the shining in through the glass door or window. Instead, the dark of night was what greeted her; much to the growing confusion of the Meltdowner.

Awareness of her surroundings grew the more questions she asked. Like, for example, how her head was resting on a fluffy pillow and why she had covers over her person. Another example was when did she fall asleep while sitting at the small table next to the window. The more data she acquired, the faster the fog in her mind began to dissipate. Processing it all still took time and her vision was still all but a blur to her. She could make out shapes and colors, but they were distorted and conflicting to the point that it was disorientating. So much so that she was forced to close her eye again and let the world around her stop spinning.

It did not help; if anything it got worse.

"-ill human or are you a monster who ha- "

Dammit all.

This was not the best way for her to wake up.

To be fair, this outcome was to be expected due to the excess hours she had spent awake over the past few days. Sleep had not been her priority, finding the piece of shit who put her boyfriend in a coma was. An exhausting effort that, ultimately, led her from one dead-end to another. There just was no information about the person Touma described in any databases within the city. This person was not a student or part of the underbelly either; meaning the shit-bag was not an inhabitant of Academy City. Furthermore, he apparently was not an esper either since Takitsubo's AIM Stalker was unable to find anything.

Not the sort of news Mugino wanted to hear at the time. Henceforth, as a means to blow off some steam, she took on some jobs. Quite a few of them actually; with some of them going on well into the early morning. Alas, there was a limit to how long she could keep herself busy without the risk of falling asleep on a public tram. Eventually there would be no work for her and she would need the time to rest. Mugino was well aware of this, yet she did not mean to stay asleep for such a prolonged period of time. She just wanted a little nap; a short reprieve to let her heavy eyes rest a bit.

Full-blown slumber that went well into the evening was not part of the plan. Her entire body ached to the point that she felt as though she had passed through a meat-grinder. Most of that ache was centered around her back; likely due to the way she had been sleeping. Meanwhile, dizziness and exhaustion continued to play their parts in making her feel miserable. Her eyelids felt heavy and forcing them open felt like it was a bigger hassle than it otherwise should have been. All-in-all, she felt like a corporate salary-man after working four days of back-to-back overtime.

"-then negate it, you mutant who thinks he's a hero!"

Might explain why she kept fading in and out of slumber throughout this whole conversation.

Putting aside her current state of being, she was not being entirely truthful. Not all of this was the nun's fault...even though a large majority of it was. Privately, meaning exclusively to herself, Mugino had also come to admit that she shared some of the blame. She should not have left him to sort through this mess on his own. It was not what he wanted, but he stuck his nose into everyone else's business all the time. Just a little push from her and she could have used that platform as a means to stay. But she did not do that, she let him do as he pleased, and as a consequence he had to suffer for it.

In a way, she felt just as responsible for his current state as the nun did. She was as stubborn as he was and yet, at the time, she backed down from it. Was it the argument that caused it or something else that extended beyond that? Truth be told, she already knew the correct answer to that question. Without exception she knew, but she would never admit it; neither aloud nor in her own thoughts.

"-why can't I save just one suffering girl?"

...that was Touma's voice.

Was he awake?

Hearing his voice again, no matter how utterly tired she felt, gave her incentive not to doze off again. Her toes curled as she worked to stretch her legs from beneath the table. Both of which were numb and her feet felt as though they were being prodded by a thousand tiny pins and needles. A tired groan emerged from her throat from both that feeling and as she commenced to force her eyes to open. Everything was still too distorted, forcing her to squint so that her eyes could slowly adjust. None of these actions, it seemed, played a part in halting the progress of the conversation at hand.

"We still have ten minutes left until we perform the ceremony." Another girl was in here...and she sounded familiar. Given her groggy state, however, she could not immediately place why. "On the night we swore to erase her memories, we spent the whole night crying by her side. Isn't that right, Stiyl?"

What the fuck was a Stiyl?

"B-but we have no idea what he'll do. What if he attempts a double suicide while we aren't looking?"

Ah, it's a person.

...wait...hold on, what was that about double suicide?

"If he was willing to do that, don't you think he would have touched the cross right away? You only used the real cross rather than the fake because you were already sure he was human, right?"

"But-"

"Whatever we do, we cannot perform the ceremony until the time is right. If he has any regrets left, he might try to stop us mid-ceremony Stiyl."

At this point, Mugino was no longer forced to squint. Bit-by-bit her vision began to clear up and the fog clouding her mind had just about dissipated completely. Several seconds of scrunching and wiggling her toes had finally managed to wake her feet up from their own slumber. Once she gained some clarity and the discomforting sensation in her feet and legs faded, her mind fully registered what was taking place. Specifically the big question of 'who else was here' finally came to her.

The same people who were here earlier had returned.

"You have ten minutes. Got it!?

Now they were leaving again...as in right now.

...convenient...

Mugino did not even bother to suppress the yawn as the two exited the room and out the front door. Funny, she was just about to get up and carry out the promise she made with that one bitch. Oh well, that was fine, ten minutes was more than enough time for her to fully wake up. She felt the thin covers over her shoulders slide off as she sat up to a proper seating position. After removing the crust from her eyes, her attention was drawn to the only other person sitting in the room with her. She would have smiled upon seeing Touma sitting there wide awake. Just looking at him now did momentarily cause the corners of her lips to rise.

Although, annoyingly enough, they dropped back down when he did not turn to face her. After all the noise she had made, he did not turn his gaze anywhere else. Kamijou's attention was focused solely on the weak panting nun laying on the futon. While the #4 would never admit it, that sort of dismissal hurt more than a gunshot wound.

It was as if she was not even there.

"Touma?"

That girl's voice was so weak that the Meltdowner almost did not hear it.

"...I'm sorry."

Same could almost be said about Kamijou here as well. Between the two, however, his came with a greater degree of lucidity than the latter. Making it that much easier for Mugino to understand how painful this all was to him. He had a habit of apologizing to her a lot, that much was true. But, oftentimes, those were for petty things; matters that were of no real consequence.

This though...this was an apology reserved for when someone had truly failed.

"Touma, there's some kind of magic circle in this room."

"...It's for recovery magic. We can't have your headaches being this bad, now can we?"

By this point, Mugino was just rolling with what she was hearing. This was the city of science, a place where God was all but dead. Dabbling into the occult was not a healthy thing for any person to do. Be that as it may, once again, she was rolling with it. That did not stop one of her thin eyebrows from raising at the mention of recovery magic. In all likelihood, he probably did not have even the faintest idea of what he was talking about.

"Magic...who's casting it?"

With the cat out of the bag, the little nun suddenly perked up and went into a state of panic. At which point Kamijou commenced to try and keep her calm. Fruitless effort in her eyes, though she was not idle during this period. Now that she was mostly awake, she began to stretch herself in a manner reminiscent to a cat. A few of her joints popped loudly in her ears, yet nothing she did seemed to catch the eye of either of the other two occupants. Nor did they seem to acknowledge the fact that she had risen from the table. Tempted as she was to interject, she chose to let everything play out as if she were still asleep.

Eventually the nun calmed down, albeit it was not by choice or via the coaxing of Kamijou. She simply lacked the energy needed to argue any further on the matter.

"...I'm sorry, I'll get stronger so that I'll never lose again. I'll get strong enough to kick the ass of every last person who would treat you like this..."

Folding her arms beneath her chest, Mugino leaned her shoulder against the window as her vision shifted to the outdoors. She took note of the fact that a few of the lights were on in some of the neighboring apartments. Beyond those few areas, most of the adjacent buildings were dark and lifeless.

"Just wait, next time I'll make sure to truly save you."

Mugino's eyes dimmed a bit upon hearing his solemn promise. She knew what it meant when he made a pledge to save someone. Idiot would go above and beyond for that person, regardless of if they believed they deserved it or not. How could she not know? Once upon a time, she had also been one of those people he had sworn to save. And, surprisingly enough, he succeeded in accomplishing that task. Alas, the #4 continued to do terrible, horrible, atrocious things. There was no denying that she remained to be the cause of many tragedies within the Darkness of this city.

Yet there was also no denying that something positive came from his efforts.

Killing was not as enjoyable to her as it used to be. The pride she had in her status of being a Level 5 had been significantly diluted to the point that she did not care as much about it anymore. Her interests and priorities had since shifted in different directions compared to what they used to be. Her jobs for ITEM bored her much easier these days and the mood between herself and the other girls had changed. Within five months, ITEM had quickly gone from being her means of enjoyment to...just being a chore.

"I understand, I'll wait."

Hearing that nun's voice again succeeded in breaking her from her internal musings. Furthermore, it also succeeded in causing the girl to roll her eyes. As 'touching' as this moment was, the melodramatic bullshit here was worse than the fake crap she sometimes caught on television.

"Once your headaches get better, let's take out these magicians and win your freedom. I'd like to go to the beach after that, but I'll have to save up some money for the trip."

"Tch."

Either they were so caught up in their conversation or they were pointedly ignoring her presence altogether. Broken vow of silence aside, that sounded like a copped-out line from a shounen manga. A beach trip did sound nice though, which is why it pissed her off hearing him suggest it. Stupid-ass nun, that was supposed to be their date spot during the course of this summer!

"Would you like to transfer to my school once summer vacation is over?"

...strange, he never pitched that idea to her.

Slowly, very slowly, Mugino's head had turned to stare at the back of her boyfriend's spiky head.

Now she was getting livid.

"I'd like to make all sorts of memories."

It would not come as a surprise to the Meltdowner if she found a vein protruding from her brow.

"Don't worry, you will."

By the time those words had come, the nun had grown silent. Aside from her breathing, no more sappy weak words came spewing out of her mouth. Nor were any further words spoken by Kamijou, casting the room in a grave silence.

"Bout fucking time that nonsense stopped." Up until she decided to break it, causing Kamijou's body to twitch. "What sorta shitty reality TV show was I watching there, Kamijou?"

Turning on a dime, she was greeted by Touma's startled and widened blue eyes. She was unsure if that was out of horror for her insensitive commentary or from just now realizing she was awake. Not that it mattered, his composure had shifted by the time she had pushed herself away from the window. His eyes now staring at the tatami mats as his bandaged right hand clenched tightly into a fist. Whether that reaction was born from anger or sadness; Mugino had no idea.

"...heh...yeah, this is a horrible ending. " Hearing his defeated tone of voice served to make her stop half a mat away from his knelt body. "Spending a whole week's worth of time only for things to end up like this. Me, sitting here, counting down the minutes 'til her memories are erased. In the end, I couldn't do anything to stop this from happening. What sort of finale is this supposed to be-eeeeeeeooow!"

A shitty one, that's what.

One that she was not about to stand there and listen to for a second longer. Throughout the course of his pitiful ramblings, she closed the distance between them. Not once did Kamijou look up at her, which suited her just fine. It presented her with the opportunity to take a fist-full of his spiky hair and start pulling. So much so that he was forced to look up at her, to really look at her for the first time in three days. Albeit it was not in the way she wanted, but beggars could not be choosers.

"When the fuck did you start talking like that, huh?" In direct contrast to her usual mannerisms, Mugino was not angry. Disappointed and maybe a bit disgusted, yet anger was not present in her voice. "Did you change personalities or something while you conked out these past three days? Has being around this nun turned you into a pussy or something? Since when did you accept bullshit outcomes like these? When the hell did you stop looking for alternatives?"

"S-Shizu- ow! Stop it! Stop jerking my head around! It-ouch! It hurts!"

"Why? Seems like rattling this empty head of yours is the only way to get you back to your senses. Now quit the bitching, cut the melodrama, and get this spiky head of yours in gear. You've already wasted three whole minutes moping, you jackass. That means you've got five left to think of something and two left to act on it."

"Act on what!? I can't do anything about the- ouch!- the 103,000 grimorires taking up eighty-five percent of her brain! I can't do anything to -ow!- protect the memories filling up the fifteen percent...left...over...wait a minute."

"No, fucking explain to me what the hell you're talking about first." Sure, she was stopping him in the middle of his epiphany, but she wanted answers. "You had me lost at 'grimorires', now carry on from there and make it short."

"Fine, just stop tugging on my hair!"

Seeing that he was willing to oblige, Mugino complied with his request and ceased with the rough treatment of his cranium. From there, he gave her what she had asked for: details; although it was a bit over simplified for her tastes. Half of what he told her she did not understand...well, okay, most of it she did not understand. There was no feasible way to give a proper explanation for the complexities of their current problem. So she could forgive him for not providing the clearest of details regarding it since they were on a time crunch. Plus it sounded a lot like half of what he was saying was based on a secondhand source. Meaning he was just as ignorant on the inner workings of the occult as she was.

What Mugino could wrap her head around was the aspects regarding her memories. Specifically the percentage values about memory storage and brain activity. That was a foundation she could work with in regards to forming her own theories. Basically, the girl was like a computer in that she stored...something in there. Like a lot of files or programs being saved onto a hard drive. Eighty-five percent of that storage space was being used for essential parts to allow the system to run properly. Leaving the last fifteen percent dedicated to miscellaneous things; like documents, pictures, and other personal things.

Depending on how much space those miscellaneous files took up, eventually it would reach maximum capacity. One thing she took issue with was that, typically speaking, those sorts of files did not exceed past the kilobyte threshold. True that the same could not always be said about pictures and videos; some files were bigger than others. However, none of those things stood remotely close to the amount memory needed for a program. True that the human brain and a computer were not exactly the same. But it was the closest analogy she could think up on the fly.

Based on that, and what little she knew, she came to her own conclusion after a few moments of mulling it over in her head.

"Well, I'm no neurologist, but memories shouldn't take up but so much room in a person's brain. Ordinarily fifteen percent should be more than enough for a person to live a relatively normal life."

"Exactly...problem is, she has a perfect memory." Retorted Kamijou, throwing in a factor that he had neglected to mention, much to Mugino's mild annoyance. "They said that she could only hold a year's worth of memories. If they didn't erase them, then her brain would burst. But...if that's true, and Index has a perfect memory-"

"Then she would've died at around...six or seven years old." Answered Shizuri, calculating the equation before the boy could even finish his line of thought. All that did was make her think, prompting her to glance back down at the boy still sitting by her feet. "Where'd you get those figures from anyway?"

Kamijou did not answer her, at least not immediately. It took him a few seconds before something clicked in his brain.

"...they were tricked."

"Huh?"

Whatever it was caused him to scurry his ass over to the black telephone sitting in the corner. This abrupt change in behavior admittedly surprised her, though luckily nobody else was there to see her jump.

"Who was tricked, the flamer and tits on legs?" It did not stop her cheeks from burning or stop her from questioning Kamijou while he rapidly started dialing. "And who exactly are you calling right now? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, doing something about this little problem here?"

"I am, but I need to run this memory thing by Komoe-sensei first to make sure." Touma's response sounded rushed, anxious even, as the minutes ticked by. "If we're right about this, then the church really did lie to Kanzaki about Index's condition. Ah! Sensei I...you sound happy. "

Well, that answered the unasked question of where Komoe had gone off to. She was half tempted to go over and listen in on what the small teacher had to say. Rather than intrude, however, she instead chose to take out her phone to check the time.

The digital clock told her 1:07 am.

Damn, she had slept way too long.

Through the repeated snapping of her fingers, she managed to garner Touma's attention. From that she was able to relay to him, non-verbally, what time it was. All he responded with was a nod before putting his full attention to the phone. With nothing else to do but wait, Mugino opted to step out of the room and head towards the front door. Not to leave, she had already decided that she was not going anywhere earlier this afternoon. No, she wanted to know where the magicians were located outside. They were not near the window when she was looking through it earlier, so they must have been out front.

The faint smell of cigarette smoke wafting in through the door cracks was clue enough that her assumption was spot on. Quietly pressing her ear to the door, Mugino was able to make out the muffled sounds of conversation taking place as well. Much of what they were saying she could not make heads or tails of. Probably because they were not directly in front of or beside the door. Not that she intended to eavesdrop, she just wanted to know where they were. Phone still in her hand, she glanced down again at the digital display; 1:08 am.

If they barged in at exactly 1:10, then they only had two minutes left to act. Judging by how they were talking before they left, they still had to make preparations. How long that process would take them determined how much time they ultimately had left. They had given Touma ten minutes, but who was to say they would not bust this door down before his time was up?

"Son of a bitch!"

She had no reason or interest in helping the nun from the get-go. Hell, she resented the little shit since the day Touma was brought here. So then why was she suddenly getting so invested in this whole affair? Luckily for her, inquiries like those tended to answer themselves.

In her case, it came to her after had turned and headed back into the main room. Touma was no longer on the phone, apparently he had been given the answer he was looking for. His gaze locked on the feverish girl laying in silence, seemingly unaware that she had returned and was standing at the doorway. But this was not the same downcast look she had been an unwilling witness to. Before her 'reasons you currently suck' speech, he looked like part of him had died. Like he had finally crumbled beneath the weight of a tyrannical world where the rules were rigged against him.

Now...now he was smiling and looked more like his usual stubborn, idiotic, confident, and daring self. The same Kamijou Touma who could smile at an unfair world just because he could. He could smile at that world because he knew he could change it, in his own way, bit-by-bit. Fame, fortune, he did not care about those little things. Gains and losses were not important to him, they never were important in his eyes. So long as everyone was safe, as long he could help, then he was content. For as long as Mugino had known him, that was just how he had always been.

If someone needed help then he would help them. If he could save someone, he would do all that he could to save them. Even for someone like her who, to this day, still secretly believed she did not deserve it. To Touma, none of those things mattered or were of any real significance. He did not need to weigh a person's virtues against their sins to decide if they're worth being saved.

He just...did it.

Because that was who he was, through and through.

Shamefully, she had forgotten what had placed him at the center of her world. Somewhere, at some point, Mugino had misplaced that critically important detail. It was the characteristic that infuriated her the most yet was also his most defining and endearing trait. He did not put more or less effort into saving Index than he had with her. He gave everyone his best and he would try a thousand times if it meant he could succeed once. Because that one success, that 0.1% chance, was enough to make it worth striving for. Nothing she said or did would change that and that degree of integrity was a rare thing to come across.

"I don't just think I'm a hero."

Mugino watched on in silence as he began to unravel the bandages around his right hand. Unscrambling the layers of thoroughly wrapped cloth as if it was a seal to some great power. In a way it was, for beneath those wrappings lay the hand that could break the crooked rules set by God. Throughout this, Mugino's warm eyes watched on as her arms folded and her left side leaned against the doorframe.

This was the Touma she had missed so dearly.

"I will be the hero."

An ungraceful snort accidently escaped from her at those words. Nonetheless a small smile, mixed with amusement and fondness, continued to adorn her lips. Idiot was too much of a jackass to realize what she had known all along.

Kamijou Touma did not need to become a hero.

As he had never stopped being a hero in the eyes of Mugino Shizuri.

---

A Hero's Reward

---

In hindsight, Touma should have known better.

This Kamijou should have known that this would not be a painless endeavor.

Knowledge of that sort should not have come as a surprise to him. Fortune and misfortune had a habit of traversing hand-in-hand. For every good thing to come his way, something of the negative variety also came in its wake. Like a law of the universe, a deeply embedded code in a program that was linked to every critical function. There was no deleting it, no method of bypassing it, you simply had to tolerate and eventually overcome it. Such was his belief anyway, albeit that did not stop him from complaining about it every chance he could.

Often at times wishing that, for just one time, things would go smoothly.

But, as the saying goes, hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

Even so, would that awareness have changed anything? Would things have happened differently? The answer to that question was a resounding 'no', it would not have made any difference. It would not have changed where the church had placed the 'collar' to keep Index in check. Nor would it have altered the fact that he had to essentially shove his hand into her mouth to reach that mark. Although, he could have very well done without hearing the rather inappropriate side-line remark from Shizuri. The point was, no amount of awareness or foresight would have made him act any differently.

Not the magical defenses used to protect the integrity of the being containing 103,000 Grimorires.

Not the abrupt display of force that hurled himself and Shizuri away from said being.

Not even the blinding radiance of this pillar of light he was currently struggling against.

Had he known of any of these things, he would have gladly proceeded anyway. Despite the dangers, in spite of what common sense would dictate, Touma would carry on with it anyhow. There was no misplaced thought, there would be no alternative solution beyond this choice. Erasing Index's memories was not a solution, it was a sham that he was able to expose. What he had, and only he had, was the true solution that could create an ending where everyone was smiling and happy. That which was commonly considered a bane on his life had become the deliverer of a single girl's salvation.

For him, that was reason enough to stand against any adversity he had to face.

Delivering on that salvation, however, was proving to be difficult.

Imagine Breaker, in all the good it could do, was struggling to keep that blinding light at bay. No matter how special his right hand was, what laid beyond his right wrist was an average, simple, plain, and pitifully normal boy. Against something of this magnitude, a power as great as this, he was painfully aware of his shortcomings. There was no getting around that, he knew his limits, or had a vague idea of where those boundaries were. Some measure of fortune was granted to him when Stiyl and Kanzaki had finally returned. He did not look back at them out of fear of losing focus on the task at hand.

What he did do was give them the distasteful truth about the church. All they had to do was accept that glaring fact that was literally right in front of them. Index could not use the magic, yet here she was obviously using it. There was no stronger evidence that Touma could provide them to prove that.

"...Fortis931."

Which is why he silently grateful when he heard Stiyl's voice utter his Magic name.

Which is why he was far from unhappy in seeing those familiar cards filling up every space of the room.

Which is why he was glad to feel a person's hand resting against his back.

"I don't need any vague possibilities. As long as I can erase her memories, I can save her life for now. I will kill anyone and destroy anything to accomplish that. That is what I decided long ago."

Grave as the situation was, Touma knew that the red-haired magician was not doing this for him. Stiyl's contribution was not for his sake, but for the sake of that girl. He understood that, he could only imagine how much and how long he and Kanzaki had to endure. A fruitless effort honestly, he could never hope to understand the full depth of misery these two had to suffer through. Had he been forced to be completely honest, he did not want to. All the same, he was grateful for the support; large or small. Gratitude notwithstanding, Kamijou did not remain there listening idly to that sort of nonsense.

"Fuck that, this isn't going to be a temporary fix! We're derailing off this bad route we're on permanently! And I don't care about your reasons! I don't need to hear your dumb logic! All I need to hear is an answer: Do you want to save Index or not!?"

Shizuri's colorful vocabulary and mannerisms really were starting to rub off on him.

"This is what you wanted all along, isn't it!? Isn't this what you've been waiting for since the start!? An outcome where no one needed to suffer anymore!? A solution where you didn't need to erase her memories or be her enemy!?"

The duel between an unstoppable force and an unyielding obstacle continued as these words erupted from his mouth.

"Well then here's your chance! Don't despair and wait for the hero to show up, be the heroes of your own damn story! Be the heroes who come in and save the girl you swore to save with your own hands! Nobody is gonna do it for you because there isn't anyone else who can! If you want to reach that ending where everyone is smiling and happy, then reach for it yourselves!"

A nail on his finger cracked and blood began to drain down his rapidly waning wrist.

"Just stretch your hand out and grab it already, you damn magicians!"

Eventually, the clash between the unstoppable and the unyielding reached its conclusion. Touma did not even have time to cry out in pain as his right pinky bent at an unnatural angle. Imagine Breaker may not yield, but the human body would upon reaching a certain threshold. As if it had a mind of its own, that destructive light capitalized on that and repelled his hand, leaving him exposed.

"Salvare000!"

By the time he had blinked, that same light had moved skyward; tearing apart the walls and ceiling like wet paper. No, wet paper still left something behind when it was torn apart. Here, there was nothing; no debris, no ashes, nothing remained and that was downright terrifying. Something did come falling though, feathers of equal radiance had began to gently float down from Komoe-sensei's newly installed skylight. A critical detail that Touma did not ignore but, all the same, did not place too much of his concern into.

"Do not let those touch you! I do not know what sort of power they have, but I'm certain your body will not be able to withstand it!"

Scratch that, now he was concerned!

With his vision no longer obscured by light, he could see what Kanzaki had done. Seeing the sliced tatami mats beneath Index's prone body told him all that he needed to know. One step was all it took before the collapsed girl's head turned, causing the column of light to slice through the night sky like a sword. This time there would be no stopping it with Imagine Breaker. His hand was a throbbing and bleeding mass of flesh at this point. Regardless of the pain, Kamijou clenched his jaw and prepared to raise that hand once more.

"Innocentius!"

For the second time that day, a person was putting themselves between him and that which could do him harm. One had been the girl that he wanted to protect who ended up protecting him instead. This one was a person composed of flame who's outstretched arms were shielding the individual it had once tried to incinerate. Lights of two different sources collided as Touma was left standing there in awe. Watching as the being born from flames stood its ground; creating a cycle of destruction and restoration.

The irony of it all was not lost on him.

"Don't waste a second!" Stiyl's urgent shout somehow bypassed the roaring apparition of flame. "The deadline has passed! If you want to do this, then go now!"

There was no hesitation in his heart.

No fear in his mind as he pushed himself forward.

Only the desire to reach her resounded within his heart and mind.

Thus, he heeded the man's words and ran.

"Warning: Chapter 6, Verse 13. New enemy confirmed. Changing combat considerations. Beginning scan of the battlefield...done. Focusing on the destruction of the most difficult enemy, Kamijou Touma."

That drone-like voice was as piercing to his ears as her gaze had been to his body. As he tried to circle around fire incarnate Index's eyes followed along with that overbearing light. However, in this moment, Touma bore witness to another case of irony as it unfolded before his very eyes. Wherever the light went, so did that monstrous construct of flame; shielding him from the attack and perpetuating that pre-established cycle. It was funny that the man who had treated him the harshest had turned out to be his most gallant protector. It was through that magician's efforts that he was able to bridge the gap between him and his objective.

Index, who was still prone, was only a short ways away from him. Less than eight meters and he would no longer need to see those piercing eyes of her anymore. Seven meters more and he would hopefully never have to hear that robotic drawl come out of her mouth ever again.

Kamijou truly hated everything he was seeing and hearing right now.

No, that was not entirely true; at least not on the physical level. It was not the person to whom they belonged to that he had come to hate. Rather it was what those things represented that he had come to detest. Control, all of this came down to controlling someone with access to outstanding power. It was not just Index either, Stiyl and Kanzaki as well were caught in that web spun by the church. Deliberately lying to their subordinates for who knows how long as a means to garner their unwavering loyalty. These magicians were both were powerful people; of that there was no denying. They cared deeply for Index, a factor that the church had also known and exploited.

They turned her into their shackle, much like how they had used him to be hers. They used her to bind them to their organization so they could make use of their talents..

After all, what better way was there to ensure their loyalty?

In five more meters, the exploitation of these people would stop.

Adding further to the cruelty of it all, the church made those two responsible for the removal of her memories. On one hand they may have chosen to carry out that role for themselves. Not necessarily by force, as they did chose it for themselves willingly. On the other hand 'want' and 'choose' remained to be two poles apart. Obviously they did not want to do it, being her enemy was the last thing they wanted, yet they decided to do it anyway. At least being Index's 'enemy' ensured that she would remain mostly out of harm's way. Hardly an ideal situation for them, but what choice did they have in the matter?

Just recalling that sort of knowledge caused anger to rise in his heart.

Three more meters left and this would all come to an end.

Touma would not have to stand there and watch Index's silent suffering anymore. Stiyl and Kanzaki would not have to suffer along with her from guilt of having failed her. Everyone involved in this was a victim of a cruel and heartless system conceived by the church. Any system that made a solution out of other people's misery was not holy or just. If those in authority truly believed otherwise, well they surely would have to answer to someone someday. Regardless of how long that took, Kamijou truly wanted to believe that those responsible would be judged accordingly. Because there was no spin on this that justified all the pain and despair that it caused.

Touma did not know how Index's organization functioned by any means. What he did know was that the authority figures at the very top needed a good kick in the ass. That or have the righteous fear of God get re-embedded into their fat heads and sinful hearts.

One more meter...just one more!

"Above you!"

Kanzaki's warnings gave rise to caution as his eyes took in the sight above. Feathers, dozens of them, all made of that brilliant light and birthed from the same attack that obliterated the ceiling. Were there that many when he originally took note of them? Hard to say, he was not necessarily keeping count at the time. Since then they had descended upon the room like falling snow and were within reach of his head. His concern with them was still there, Kanzaki's earlier warning had not been forgotten. Hell, he could just start flailing his busted and bleeding hand to eliminate the threat that those feathers of light posed to him.

"Warning: Chapter 22, Verse 1. Analysis of the flame magic spell has succeeded. It is confirmed to be a distorted Christian motif described with runes. Adding in anti-Christian spells...Spell 1, Spell 2, Spell 3. Twelve seconds until the complete activation of the spell named Eli Eli Lema Sabachthani."

Time, however, was not in his favor and doing so would be counterproductive. Stiyl's spell would not be able to protect him forever, as shown when the white light of Dragon's Breath turned crimson. He would not be given a second chance to get this close to her again. There would be no do-overs if he missed this prime opportunity to act. Touma knew that, Stiyl undoubtedly knew that, and Kanzaki knew that too. All of their hopes towards reaching that good ending were riding on his willingness to extend his hand towards this girl.

"Dammit, if all you're gonna do is stand there, then leave bitch!" Which is what made that outcry stand out as another light flooded the room with color. "I'm still kicking your ass later! For now though, just shut up and get hell out of my way!"

The green lights were vastly overshadowed by the formerly oppressive white column of light. Yet, despite that, it still graced his vision by a small amount. Shortly thereafter, Kamijou felt a scorching heat over his head as something shot over it. Not once either, he felt it pass him several times as he continued pressing forward without looking up. Curiosity was not an issue because he knew what it was as well as who was doing it. There was also no confirming whether it was safe to move or not and he did not care.

There was a great comfort to be had in knowing Shizuri as well as he did. Hence why he could put all his focus on the task at hand with a lesser degree of concern. He could afford that luxury because he knew just how impeccable her aim was. But she was not doing this for Index's sake, at least he did not think so. Shizuri was acting on pure selfishness, much like Stiyl was. It was because Touma stood at the heart of this that the Meltdowner had answered the call to action. He was her reason to act, again like how Index was to Stiyl. Like the aforementioned magician, Shizuri acted purely for the sake of protecting him above all else.

Words could not express how thankful he was for that support.

Kamijou would definitely need to prostrate to her later for his stupidity three days ago.

He just had one important thing left to do here before he could do that.

Driven by that thought, among the plethora of others, was what allowed him to take that last step forward. He did not know if this was all part of God's plan. Touma never fancied himself as someone to question a higher power's grand scheme or the purpose he had in it. Perhaps his purpose was much greater than himself or perhaps not. However, Kamijou did not have any interest in understanding God or his long-term intentions. Not before and most certainly not now. If this girl's suffering was all part of his plan then he did not want to know. There was no point in him knowing since Touma's intention was not to understand the Almighty's divine rules.

Because Kamijou Touma was going to go against those rules set by God.

Just like the seal that shackled Index's fate to the path of despair.

He was going to break that fucked up illusion!

Five fingers spread wide as his mangled, bleeding, and broken hand finally swung downwards. Down onto the magic circles in front of Index's face, tearing them apart in an instant. Those cruel circles, the seal that put these people through so much pain, were finally erased. More words were spoken by the girl, yet oddly enough he could not hear them. Well, he could, but he was not paying them much mind. Same could be said about the pillar of light as it faded away into nothingness alongside the fire apparition. With the ceiling gone and the clouds dispersed, the gentle glow of the moon above painted a unique and tranquil scene.

Index, sound asleep, remained below him on the ruined tatami mats. Touma himself was still standing above her, blood still dribbling down from his hand forming a puddle at his feet. A rhythmic thumping pounded into his ears, but he did not care. Too captivated by the peacefully slumbering nun who he had sworn to save. Who they all managed to save, even if they did not realize it for themselves just yet. Elation did not even come close to describing the feeling that had settled at the center of his chest. Was it relief, contentment, serenity, all of these things? These wide ranging emotions were beyond his ability to sort out at this given moment.

A shout was heard off to the side, but he did not hear it.

A green glow filled the darkened room, but he did not see it.

All he could do was smile as his eyelids grew heavier and the world around him grew darker. Even at that moment, the only thing that came to mind was the image of that girl sleeping soundly and peacefully under the moonlight. He had done it, he had saved that girl from her silent suffering. She would no longer have that stained smile on her face. No longer would her memories have to be erased. She could finally have the chance to live the life she was supposed to have lived from the start. Free to make new memories, lots of memories, for years to come without sacrificing her old ones.

And for him that was enough.

...Yeah...

That sounded like a hero's reward.

---

An Oath Worth Swearing

---

"I hope you understand that there is nothing personal about this."

Within a certain patient's room sat a particularly difficult individual. Someone whom, most folk, would not commonly or brazenly approach without some reservations. A young woman who's cranium was adorned with bandages wrapped around the crown of her head. Around her right wrist was a splint as part of the treatment for the fracture present there. A consequence born from exerting a greater power output than she icould handle. The ability known as Meltdowner had the potential for outstanding destructive capabilities. What served as a hindrance to that was how the body could not withstand the 'recoil' generated from that massive output.

Hence the fractured wrist.

Best guess, from a medical standpoint, was that the head injury had caused her to miscalculate.

None of that was too terribly important in regards to this particular discussion.

"However, my obligations require this of me, so must apologize in advance." This particular remark was accompanied with a weary sigh. "A lot of the staff have informed me that you have been threatening them. They also tell me that you are refusing to cooperate in regards to your treatment. Furthermore, many of them feel as though your presence here is impeding on their duties. With good reason, I might add, considering the list of obscenities you've been throwing at them."

Mugino Shizuri did not budge.

She did not speak, she did not move, she did not do anything. Instead she sat in silence, her hand resting atop of the heavily bandaged right hand of the boy sleeping soundly in front of her. Her back was to the door, therefore making it easy to ignore those who entered. It also made it difficult to gauge her emotions since no one could see her face. Doubtful that this choice of seating arrangement was simple case of coincidence. She chose that place on purpose; although it probably was not meant to be for a malicious or threatening one.

Which is why he was able to casually scan the contents on the clipboard he was holding without concern.

"The damage was not extensive, but you are still suffering from a mild concussion." Reading off the diagnosis, his weary gaze shifted back onto the girl only to then turn towards the boy. "He shouldn't be waking up any time soon either. Clearly whatever had caused this had placed quite a bit of strain on his body. He'll be here when you wake up tomorrow so I insist that you let yourself-"

"I'm not leaving him again."

A curt response that was accompanied by a scowl.

Said response succeeded in gartered his attention, but nothing else emerged beyond that.

Excluding, of course, a raised eyebrow.

"Was I implying that I wanted you to leave?"

"Sure as shit sounded like it." Just as quickly as she leveled him with that hard look, it was gone. Though her attention snapped back towards the bed, it did not mean she was finished talking. "I'll tell you what I told everyone else: if you want me to leave then you'll have to make me. If you don't have the balls to do that, then you might as well fuck off. I'm staying, so stop wasting your breath and go wipe the shit off of someone else's ass."

Once, twice, he counted three times he had blinked upon hearing that before clearing his throat.

...what a charming young lady this girl was...

"Truth be told, it wasn't my intention to make you leave." The genuine response he provided did not succeed in grabbing her attention even as he stepped closer towards her person. "I'm simply here to gain an understanding of the circumstances behind your obstinacy and open hostility. Safe to say I found my answer and I would kindly ask that you refrain from that sort of behavior. In return, as long as you promise to behave, you will not be bothered or asked to leave. Unless, of course, the wellbeing of patient demands that you not be present. Fortunately, at this time, it seems unlikely that it will come to that."

For a moment, his eyes caught the girl's undamaged hand tensing slightly over the heavily bandaged appendage it was resting on. Much like her glare, her hand relaxed quite quickly as her thumb tenderly brushed along the boy's knuckles. Observations like these tended to tell more honest tales than any words ever could. Regardless, he opted not to comment on it given the sensitivity of the subject matter.

"Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that you are still my patient." Instead he went back to reviewing the information on the clipboard still on hand. "As one of my patients, I cannot condone the foregoing of proper procedures regarding your recovery. It's counterintuitive to being in a hospital, which is why I advise that you get some rest. While I would prefer you sleep in a proper bed, the sofa here will suffice if need be. I can even bring in some extra pillows and a blanket for-"

"Waste your time if you want to, but I'm not gonna use them."

This time he sighed audibly, though it was not born purely out of frustration. Exasperation was there, that he was not about to deny. What was also there, however, was something that Mugino could not hear. Fine by him, in all honesty, because he promptly tucked the clipboard beneath his arm. His feet shuffled along the floor as he made his way over towards the window to the left of the boy's bed. An ideal place where Mugino could clearly see him without having to invade her personal bubble.

"I can understand that the term 'visiting hours' does not apply to you." He began as he watched the morning sun cast away the darkness of night. From there, his hands slipped into the confines of his coat pockets before continuing. "I also understand what it means to live for someone else's sake. To give up oneself fully and completely to the point that nothing else in the world matters. I've seen it a lot over the years, to the point that it's not a rare sight for me to come across. Far too many people, both older and younger than yourself, stepped into the darkness for reasons like that. Most of them don't have the luxury of coming back once they do."

By now he knew he had her complete and undivided attention. Although he was speaking to her, his gaze did not go searching to meet with hers. It had remained focused on the world beyond the glass he was peering out of. Whether or not she was glaring at his back mattered little to him. Getting her attention was enough regardless of if she was looking at him in a good or bad way.

"Someone of my experience has seen it enough times to know the difference. Right now you might be thinking that I don't know anything and, by all accounts, you would be correct. I don't know the circumstances behind your situation and I do not intent to delve into those specifics. For better or worse, I will respect the privacy and the requests of my patients above all else. In the same vein, if it is for the benefit of my patients, I will apply all measure that are required of me. Even if that means I must sit here and personally scold a Level 5, such as yourself, about why sleep deprivation is ill-advised."

One thing doctors and nurses seem to forget is that these children are people. Espers were as human as anyone else that was brought into the emergency room on a stretcher. Level 5's suffer from grief, dread, and resentment the same way a Level 0 would. Power meant nothing to the sick and wounded whereas treatment most certainly did. Which is why it was important to remember that these were human beings and not monsters. Some may claim to be such, many may very well be such in their own minds. Making it his responsibility to remind them that, for all their power, they were still people who deserved to be treated with compassion.

"But I suppose it's a futile effort to convince you to do otherwise." And just like that, the topic in question was discarded as he turned back around. Unsurprisingly, he found that Mugino was glaring at him; which was fair enough. "That being said, I'll come back with the blanket and pillows later in case you change your mind. If you need anything, the nurse call button is right there. All I ask is that you put an effort into being polite to them. Otherwise, you're free to carry on with your business."

"Hold it you quack." Barely two steps were made before she abruptly spoke up. "You may be satisfied with that little lecture, but I'm not. By all accounts you shouldn't know a damn thing about anything you just said. That leads me to think you're more than just some toad-faced doctor. So who hell do you work for? Who's spying on me and who in the fuck are you?"

Ah, he should have seen that coming.

He did not blame her for being so distrustful of him. That was to be expected considering how often that world tricked the youth by wearing the guise of empathy. The darkness of Academy City may turn these youth into monsters. It may have made them into cruel, calculating beasts of driven by bloodlust and greed. Yet, at the end of the day, they were still just children. Children that have been manipulated, exploited, and led astray by the selfish desires of a city governed by adults.

Which is why he treated them as human beings worthy of sympathy, warmth, and indulgence.

"To be honest, I'm not sure who would be spying on you, Mugino-san. As for me, I'm just an old doctor who's seen more darkness than he cares to admit." No statement could better encompass the authentic nature of those words. "A doctor who's calling is to cure the sick and to heal the wounded. No matter what side of this city they live in, if they are brought to me alive then I'll save them."

Mugino Shizuri did not seem to have anything further to add there. A flicker passed through her eyes but he himself did not know what that meant. Regardless, she did not appear to be interested in him any longer. To which he took as his cue to go ahead and excuse himself. Just as he was about to reach the door, however, something caught his ear. A soft groan had emerged from the center of the room. One belonging to a certain boy much to the surprise of both parties present. One of them was much quicker to recover from this shock than the other. That person being Mugino, who's soft voice spoke at a volume lower than a whisper and barely registering in his ears.

...how odd.

Kamijou should have been under enough sedatives to keep him asleep for a couple more hours.

It was possible that the initial dosage was not strong enough.

His assumption was proven to be accurate since the boy's eyelids gradually began to crack open. Drawing closer to them did not allow him to hear the Meltdowner's hushed voice any better. From the instant she heard him groan, she had scooted herself as close to the bed as she could. So close that he thought she was about to crush her legs between the bed frame and the chair. As for Kamijou, his eyes were unfocused, glazed over as if he were gazing off into the distance as his mind wandered. Those pools of blue shifted in every direction; eventually settling on the girl to his right speaking to him softly.

His bandaged hand twitched, prompting the girl to gently take it within her own. Lips parted as words tried to leave him, yet his voice had grown dry and hoarse. Neither he nor Mugino could make out what Touma had wanted to say. Between the two of them, however, Mugino once again took the initiative and acted accordingly to rectify that issue. So it was no surprise to see her forego the chair entirely to stand up and bring her head close enough so as to better hear him. Because of this, Kamijou was able to speak at a lower volume and thus making it possible to convey his message. Problem was it made it virtually impossible for anyone besides the #4 to hear him.

Much to his dismay, this doctor was not skilled at reading lips.

Regardless, he continued to observe even though he was unable to hear what was being said.

It was after Touma's lips stopped moving that made him wish he could. For it was in that instant that he saw the her eyes widen in disbelief. Such is how it remained as she stared back at him, mouth agape as something inside her began to break. In that same instance that he found himself to be sole witness to this occurrence. Watching as a silent spectator as Meltdowner's eyes grew misty and her shoulders began to shudder. She had even bitten down on her bottom lip as it too started to tremble. Clearly something within her wanted to escape that she was adamantly trying to suppress.

Her efforts were not baring fruit though, cause a soft inaudible noise managed to escape. Sadly gauging her expression became impossible once her forehead came to rest on the boy's collar. Both arms came to wrap themselves around his neck shortly thereafter. If that was not enough to block out her face then it was her hair that applied the final touches. Her long soft-tea tresses cascaded around her face like a curtain, blocking all outside sources from view. Throughout this, Kamijou could do nothing but look down at the back of her skull; his face etched with uncertainty.

What exactly did Kamijou say?

Heaven Canceller, for all his wisdom, did not have an answer.

And perhaps...yes, perhaps it was better for that question to remain unanswered.

---

Welcome to the bottom!

Okay, so yeah, last chapter happened. The feedback I got from that made it abundantly clear that I was falling off. So I looked back at my earlier chapters to see where it started. It was something I was looking into before I posted Trial. Sorta wished I took more time on it but I was sick of being stuck so I stopped caring. For that I must apologize because I honestly feel like I let quite a few of you guys down with that one. But I refuse to go back and change it. Not due to laziness but for the sake of having a visual reminder of what not to do with future installments of Love Life.

You guys deserve better and I sincerely thank everyone for giving me their honest opinions and feedback on the matter.

No snark or sarcasm; just straight up appreciation for calling me out.

That being said, you'll note that this chapter is far from humorous. The tone of this is far from lighthearted, but please don't be discouraged by it. This is not how all of my chapters are going to be from this point forward. There's quite a bit of exposition here that was needed to shed some light on a few things. For instance, it's the only point in time that I see myself exploring the thoughts of some of these characters; i.e. Komoe. So if my author's biased shines in certain areas, then that's the reason. I just wanted to exploit the opportunity as it presented itself to me; that's all.

So I urge you to not immediately peg this as one massive exposition dump. Think on what you read and you may find a few hints of future plot points that I have sprinkled in throughout it.

I also wanted to play around with the perspectives to freshen up the narrative a bit. It helps in keeping me from dipping into my habits too much. That's still gonna be there in chapters to come, only now it's gonna be toned down. Also, know that if this was not such a monster of a chapter, it would have been brought out much sooner. But I felt that dividing this into two parts would have ruined it. I could be wrong, but I felt satisfied with the end results.

I guess I'll have to wait and see what you guys' response is.

Above all, this is meant to be an apology for my last update. You likely won't see something like this again anytime soon for the future canon arcs. That being said, I hope that you lot enjoyed the extra long chapter this time around. Last, and most importantly of all, shout-out to FrodoFighter for taking the time to beta this monster. It's hard to find good help these days and I appreciate his willingness to tackle this titan along with me. It was a big help and I can't thank the guy enough for his efforts.

As usual, if there are any inquiries, thoughts, or concerns that arise in your mind, feel free to address them to me and I'll do what I can to answer them. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my little piece of work.

Goodbye for now.