Mikoto opened the door, her heart filled with dread upon facing Touma who had already awaken from his coma. The doctor said that there was no visible damage to his brain, so it was unlikely he would suffer from any memory loss, but Mikoto knew better. It was possible for Misaki to alter memories without causing any damage to the brain and magic just made that even a stronger possibility.
"Hey, glad you're awake." Mikoto said.
"Oh it's you Biribiri."
Electric sparks escaped from Mikoto's bangs, "It's Misaka Mikoto you idiot, not Biribiri!"
That was odd. Misaki did say that she wiped Touma's memories, but he seems to remember everything. What's the catch?
Touma smiled sheepishly "Sorry, I lost my memories again so I can't remember what was your real name. Such misfortune."
Apparently, Touma vaguely remembers meeting her at the alley and her stalking him the next day after but he forgot everything that happened in the cram school and the rest of his past.
"By the way, do you remember about an international war you started in the past?"
"You gotta to be kidding me. I can't possibly be that misfortunate!"
Index, the silver-haired nun, popped out from under the bed, "Do you remember me as well? I'm Index!"
"No…" Touma said. "What's my relationship with the both of you anyway?"
"We're your good friends. Anyway, glad to know that you're fine. We shan't disturb your rest any longer. By the way, I was joking about the war thing. Don't take it to heart." Mikoto forced a chuckle before leaving the room with Index.
So Misaki only partially erased Touma's memories… why? Not being able to figure out why was the most frustrating part. Was Misaki really planning on changing Touma's personalities to her liking, or was it something different?
Mikoto sighed. There was no point in thinking about why. Misaki was just too complicated to figure out.
Index devoured a piece of chicken cutlet, "I can sense it. A part of him is being trapped somewhere within the Phases."
"Phases?"
"I guess you can call it an alternate dimension, but it's real-"
"So if I enter this alternate dimension, I can restore his memories?"
"Yes, but to be exact, hi-"
"So how do I do that?"
When it comes to magic, this nun was undoubtedly the best in her field. She was so powerful that a complicated system had been installed within her to seal her magic. As Touma used his Imagine Breaker to adjust the system so that Index can use some of her magic, Index could somehow sense the Imagine Breaker telling her what was wrong with Touma.
Index pouted. "Could you please stop interrupting me?"
"Sorry, I just got too anxious."
"As I was saying, with my 103,000 grimoires, I've already figured out a way to get Touma back but I need an expert magician proficient in Golden-style magic and is also willing to risk her mind being contaminated by the grimoires."
The expert magician in question was an unconscious British girl named Leivinia Birdway. She was cursed by a spell that 'condemned her to the Lake Of Fire', which is to say that she will never regain consciousness because there was no 'key' in the Bible to free her from the 'Lake Of Fire'.
Lessar's eyes were puffy and she looked like she was going to fall apart any moment. Her relationship with Touma must have been something more than allies. Idiot Touma. Why are all so many of his allies and friends girls anyway?!
Mikoto chided herself for getting jealous. This was not the time for that.
Lessar passed Mikoto a slip of paper, "I'm going back to London to finish up some work. Let me know once you find a way to wake Leivinia up."
Written inside was Lessar's number, and the numbers of her three other group members in case she wasn't contactable. Apparently, Lessar belongs to a small British magic organization named New Light dealing with work related to magic in the UK. In the worst case scenario, Mikoto could fly to UK and find her by asking around for New Light.
"Are you okay? Maybe you should take a break from work and clear your mind a little."
Lessar waved off Mikoto's concerns, "I'm fine. And don't worry about contacting Index, I'll handle it for you."
While there was no magic that could free Leivinia from her coma, science was a different story. The plan now was to find a scientific method and pray that Index doesn't recaptured by the magicians after her before that.
Kuroko shook her head in disappointment as the tester announced the results of her System Scan, a regular city-wide testing event in Academy City conducted over a few days to determine the Levels of their students.
Result(Teleportation): 78.23 metres. 54 centimetres. from the specified target. Overall evaluation – Level 4.
She would have done better if it wasn't for Judgement work and that stupid ape Kamijou Touma whose only purpose was to make Onee-sama cry day and night for him. All Onee-sama wanted was to just be with him, and this guy had the audacity to pretend that he lost his memories in front of her before choosing to lose all his memories!
Lessar even had a big fight with that ape in the hospital but there was nothing she could do to convince him not to 'be a bloody wanker' by letting Shokuhou Misaki wipe all his memories.
Kuroko sighed before turning to see Kongo Mitsuko covering her face with a fan while laughing obnoxiously.
"At this rate, I will probably reach Level 5 before you, don't you agree?" Mitsuko said.
"Please don't compare your ability with mine. Eleven dimensions are a whole different story from just three… are you even listening to me?!"
This air-headed transfer student was still rambling on and on even when it was clear that no one was listening to her. Of all the transfer students that entered Tokiwadai this term, Kongo Mitsuko was both the highest levelled at Level 4 and the most arrogant.
"...Additionally, I can't stand the way you act all important, even though you are a mere first grader. Listen, you, when everyone calls me Tokiwadai's Ace, you'll de-"
A shockwave knocked Mitsuko off her feet.
"Wh-What's going on?" Mitsuko said.
Kuroko pointed at the direction of the pool with a smug grin, "You might not be aware since you've only just transferred in this term but the person whose ability is being measured over there is our current Tokiwadai's Ace."
Another shockwave shook the area.
"She has so much destructive power that they can't measure it properly without dampening it using the pool. Are you prepared to face it head on? By the way..."
Mitsuko stared at Kuroko dumbfounded, "What...?"
"That's not the only thing you should be afraid of."
Mikoto left the pool with a satisfied smile on her face. She took the System Scan at another facility a week ago, so she didn't really have to participate but the school insisted that she participate because it was compulsory for all student to do so and she also didn't want any preferential treatment just because of her status as a Level 5.
Today was a good day. Her results were even better than the previous one.
Result (Railgun): Maximum projectile velocity at 1030 meters per second. Rapid fire mode at 8 shots per minute. Impact distribution at 18 millimeters. Combined accuracy of all shots at 99.993%. Overall evaluation – Level 5.
Mikoto rubbed shampoo into her hair as the warm water washed the sweat off her body. While it was still too early to say waking Leivinia up would mean recovering all of Touma's memories, at least there was hope.
Medical information about patients are often locked away behind an S grade firewall, but Leivinia's condition was so unusual that it was made public in the hopes someone would be able to find a cure.
Levinia's brain had no neurological activity, but her organs continue to operate as per usual without the help of any machines. If it wasn't her brain sending electrical signals to keep her organs working, then what? The answer was obviously magic, and she had to use science to figure out how to crack the magic behind Levinia's condition.
"One step at a time I guess..."
"Maybe you should tone down your power a little," Kuroko said from the opposite shower cubicle, "You even knocked down a transfer student with the shockwaves you were generating."
"Was it really that bad? Honestly, I'd love to have a much more convenient ability like yours Kuroko. Those tests can get really annoying after a while."
All Kuroko had to do for her System Scan was to teleport something heavy and be done with it, but for Mikoto, shooting a Railgun wasn't her only ability. She also had to go through a battery of tests for her other electromagnetic abilities like controlling iron sand for example.
"Like they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Who wouldn't want to be in your position as Tokiwadai's Ace?"
Being Tokiwadai's Ace was just a silly title given to her because she was the highest ranked esper in Tokiwadai. If she had a choice, she'd rather be a carefree Level 0 than to be a Level 5 hiding her dirty past behind a glamourous facade.
"Just kidding." Kuroko said. "That being said..."
Mikoto felt a pair of hands groping her chest. It was Kuroko who teleported into her shower cubicle.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
"I heard massaging one's chest during puberty can encourage a bigger growth spurt. The modest size of your chest is what I like most about you but Onee-sama, if you really want a bigger chest, then let me fulfill your dream!"
Mikoto kicked Kuroko out of the cubicle, "That's none of your business, you pervert!"
Was Kuroko really a pervert or was she just cheering her up in a weird manner? Sometimes, it was hard to tell which is which.
Suzushina Yuriko rolled her eyes at the blimp cruising through the skies of Academy City. She hadn't taken her System Scan for more than two years and she was still ranked at the top. No wonder those Skill-Out losers are rioting at how unfair the city was. This System Scan was definitely rigged from the start. Besides, levels were something only good for putting more money into your bank account.
Against the Devil Kamijou Touma, levels and money meant nothing at all. Not even Academy City's cutting edge military technology stood a chance.
Yuriko could still remember that day clearly. The Devil showed her what "Absolute Power" truly meant and how weak she actually was.
"Onii-chan, could you bring me to the park?" A small girl with dark brown hair tied into two tiny ponytail by the sides said.
Yuriko clicked her tongue. "I'm a girl."
"But you look like a guy… a pretty guy!"
"Shut up."
It was definitely the jeans and t-shirt and her short hair, but why the fuck must she wear a dress just to prove that she was a female instead of those idiots opening their god damm eyes? And wasn't her voice enough proof already?
Yuriko took the girl's hands and walked into an alley.
The girl looked around nervously, "Are you sure that's the way to the park…?"
"It's a shortcut."
"But this place is dangerous. Sensei always tells us not to cut through alleys because there are horrible people inside."
"Did your sensei say that you can't enter even if you're with an adult?"
"Not really... but I'm scared those horrible people might hurt you!"
"Just be quiet. If you're too loud, those horrible people will start appearing like cockroaches."
A group of thugs appeared from a corner.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the strongest esper Suzushina Yuriko. What are you doing here with a kid?" A thug said.
"Fuck off." Yuriko said.
More thugs appeared. Some with blunt weapons like a sewer pipe, some with knives, and some with guns.
"You see, we just got a huge upgrade from the Level Upper. Today is the day we Skill-Outs finally beat your ass to the ground!"
Yuriko sighed. "Kid, you might want to close your eyes for a while."
Fucking idiots. When will they ever learn?
Yuriko walked out of the alley with a pile of unconscious bodies behind her. There was no blood because the girl refused to close her eyes.
"Yuri-nee, you're amazing! If I work hard, could I be a Level 5 just like you?" The girl said.
"Why do you want to be a Level 5?"
"Umm… because it's cool, and I can protect all my friends just like how you protected me!"
"You don't need to be a Level 5 to protect your friends."
"But being a Level 5 means you're someone with a lot of power. That's what it says on the brochure. Don't you need power to protect someone?"
Yuriko regretted not saying yes when the girl asked if hard work was enough to reach Level 5. What a pain.
"Ever heard of guns? If you get really good at guns, even if you're a Level 0, you still can protect your friends."
"Really? I think I heard it from somewhere… let me think..."
Yuriko decided that replying wasn't worth the possible questions she had to answer again in response.
It was funny though how having more power only seemed to make her less able to protect people.
Would achieving 'Absolute Power' like the Devil finally change that once and for all?
Mikoto put on a smile as she shook the hands of a nervous girl wearing a flower headband. "Hello, my name is Misaka Mikoto. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The girl bowed, "My name is Uiharu Kazari. It's a pleasure to meet you too!"
To everyone in Academy City, Misaka Mikoto was proof that hard work can indeed bring one to the top. This resulted in her gaining a lot of fans who were inspired by her hard work and wanted to be like her as well.
Uiharu Kazari was Kuroko's long time partner from the same Judgement Branch, and a big fan of her.
"Hi there, I'm Saten Ruiko, a friend of Uiharu. She decided to drag me all the way here, so here I am. By the way, I'm a Level 0."
"Saten, wh-what are you saying?!" Kazari said.
Mikoto offered her hand to Ruiko, "Nice to meet you as well."
"Thank you." Ruiko said, surprised.
It was Academy City's fault that people like Ruiko are so insecure about their levels. The higher levelled you are, the more money Academy City pays you. The difference in income levels alone was enough to cause a social divide in terms of both actual power and financial power.
Kuroko cleared her throat, "Now that introductions are over, let us all he-"
"How about the arcades?" Mikoto said. There was no way she would let Kuroko's perverted plans come to fruition.
Kazari and Ruiko looked at each other confused, "Arcades?"
"Is there anything wrong with arcades?" Mikoto said.
"Going to arcades is beneath your status, Onee-sama. Perhaps shopping would be a more appropriate choice." Kuroko said.
Mikoto smacked Kuroko with her briefcase, "For the last time Kuroko, we are not going lingerie shopping. If the both of you have no objections, then let's go."
"Yeah... sure." Kazari said.
Mikoto grabbed a flyer offered by someone as she wondered if she should be spending more of her time figuring out Leivnia's mysterious condition at research facilities instead of socializing and going to the arcade. But Kuroko really wanted her to meet Kazari, and sometimes solutions to impossible questions can be found in unexpected situations, so it wasn't really so bad.
The flyer was an advertisement for a Gekota giveaway from the new crepe store at a plaza up ahead. Wait what, there's a Gekota giveaway?! And only for the first two hundred customer?!
Mikoto felt a thud from behind. She somehow stopped walking and Ruiko bumped onto her.
"Sorry!" Mikoto said.
"Is anything the matter?" Ruiko said.
Kuroko smiled teasingly, "In the mood for crepes, Onee-sama? Or are you after something else?"
Mikoto's face flushed red, "Of course it's the crepes! I mean, it's just a stupid frog for kids. Which girl my age would possibly be interested in Gekota? Ridiculous."
Kuroko pointed at the Gekota keychain attached to Mikoto's briefcase.
Mikoto's face grew even redder when Ruiko and Kuroko suppressed their laughter. "It's a gift from someone else! I swear that's not me being interested in Gekota!"
"Hey," Kazari said. "Don't you guys think it's weird that the bank over there has its shutter down?"
There can be only one reason why a bank would have its shutter down in the afternoon.
Mikoto took out a sniper electrolaser rifle from her briefcase. "Kuroko, I'll neutralize the robbers from a distance. Just help me get them into a good position."
The good thing about bank robberies in Academy City is that the robbers can only escape from the entrance.
Kuroko put on her Judgement armband with a smile, "Got it, Railgun."
Mikoto turned to face a confused Ruiko with a smile before making some adjustment to her rifle. "Do you know if you get really good with guns, even if you're a Level 0, you can still can protect the ones you love. It's an unofficial Anti-Skill catchphrase."
"Shouldn't you be using your ability? Why are you using a gun?" Ruiko said.
"Because I want to show you that even a Level 0 can achieve something meaningful with the right kind of training."
"And also because Onee-sama has a tendency to get too carried away with her powers, so she uses the rifle as a way to limit herself. Otherwise, she's going to have to forfeit her monthly allowance to pay for collateral damages again." Kuroko said.
"Sh-Shut up!" Mikoto said. "Anyway, my point is being a Level 0 doesn't mean you're flawed. It's the educational system that is flawed."
The shutter exploded and Mikoto leaped into position behind a bush.
Instead of hiding her assassin skills, might as well flaunt it and twist them into something positive. Obviously Misaka Mikoto wasn't a real assassin working in the Dark Side because a 'real assassin' wouldn't be so dumb as to show off her skills and attract suspicion right? Also, the official reason was because of her intense custom Anti-Skill training program in the past, which was true on paper anyway.
If there was one nice thing Shokuhou Misaki ever did for her, it would be for helping her to hide her past in such a manner.
It would have been nice if she could trust and work together with Misaki just like how Kuroko was willing to trust and work together with her to take down the bank robbers even though she wasn't part of Judgement.
Misaki was once her friend after all.
Everything Ruiko thought about Misaka Mikoto was shattered in a single day.
"She's pretty weird for a Level 5. I mean, what Level 5 would carry around a gun, right? Is that why she's called the Railgun?" Ruiko said as she was walking back to her dormitory with Kazari.
"That's also part of the reason why, but you gotta admit that her electrolaser rifle looks really awesome! She could totally join Judgement and make a big difference if she wanted." Kazari said, her eyes filled with awe.
"She's definitely not an ojou-sama."
No ojou-sama would enjoy going to the arcades to play Bang Bang Revolution, read mangas at convenience stores and also has an unusually odd interest in Gekota.
"Maybe that's why she's so easy-going and doesn't look down on people at all. See Saten, you shouldn't judge Misaka too quickly."
"Yeah, yeah. My bad."
A quick internet search revealed that Misaka Mikoto had undergone a hellish custom Anti-Skill style training program when she was just a mere Level 0 and kept at it until she reached Level 5. No wonder she was also good with guns.
Mikoto definitely did put in a lot of hard work, but it was an impressive training program made possible with the fortune her deceased father left behind.
So much for 'hard work will get you there' and 'keep on trying, you'll make it someday'. What a load of crap. Even the hardworking Misaka Mikoto also needed an obscene amount of money to reach Level 5, a fact that Academy City conveniently omits.
Still, it was nice of Mikoto to try and encourage her that being a Level 0 doesn't matter, even though she was being too direct in her approach. But the reality is that being a Level 0 does matter in a lot of ways, something a Level 5 would never understand.
There were rumors about Level Upper, something that no one is exactly sure what exactly it is, but it increases the level of the esper who obtains it. Some say it doesn't exist, but if she were to get one for herself, surely it would solve all her problems about being a Level 0.
Author's Note:
While I got the idea of how to write this chapter fairly quickly, actually writing it and taking care of all the details took quite some time.
This is an AU after all, so I took the liberty to make some changes, which may or may not to be for the better but still I hope you liked the chapter enough :)
P.S: I wonder if you realized it, but memories wasn't the only thing Touma lost.
