Chapter 2: Many Introductions

My face was glued to the window, drinking in this strange new world. The air itself was glowing, even though it was nighttime. The skyscrapers were lit like Christmas trees, advertising their existence to the cars driving by.

"You've grown since I last saw you." Oni-chan said, "How old are you now?"

"Twelve." I said, " My birthday was last week."

"Oh right!" He said, "Happy birthday."

I frowned to myself. Oni-chan always knew when my birthday was. Last year, he even sent me presents. Something must have happened to make him forget.

The driver paid us no attention as he drove through the city.

In many ways Academy city was like any other metropolis. Cars drove on orange ribbons of concrete and asphalt, while tall buildings rose along either side like the walls of a canyon. Tall glistening hotels slowly gave way to and restaurants and shopping centers. Soon, those also melted away into quieter residential buildings.

Yet, Academy city still had a spirit of its own. Frequently, I spotted a ghostly wind turbines turning in the breeze. There were no power lines to see as all of the electricity had been buried deep underground. Gazing down on the streets, I could see strange cylinders wandering the sidewalk. I stared in amazement as they wandered through the sidewalk, sweeping up litter and debris.

But then, my eyes fell upon a vertical beam of light shooting up into the sky.

"Oni-chan, Oni-chan!" I cried out, tugging on his sleeve, "What is that over there?"

Oni-chan took one look at where I was pointing, and his whole body stiffened. "Oh that?" he stammered. "That was where the board of directors' office used to be." He shuddered. "I don't know the details, really."

"Use to be? Did it fall down or something?"

Oni-chan grimaced. "Or something, I guess."

My thoughts went to the similar beacons in New York. I had learned about them in kindergarten. Apparently, some kind of disaster happened and two planes flew into two tall buildings.

Oni-chan opened his phone to check the time. He cursed, "Fuku-da! We are so late. Index must be starbing by now. If only the train station wasn't so far up north!"

"It won't be long now," the driver said, "We're already entering district 7."

Suddenly, all of the taller buildings melted away. All I could see now were short, squat buildings bathed in the city's ambience. That beacon was still there, though. In fact, it was the single most visible feature in the skyline. Even as we left the highway, I was still staring at it, wondering if I could visit that place someday.

"I checked out your dorm this morning," I heard Oni-chan say, "They said it wouldn't be ready until after the new year, so we can stay in my dorm tonight."

Soon, we were dropped off at a family restaurant. I climbed out of the car, all stiff and wobbly.

As I was stretching, I heard a door slam open. A strange girl came running out. Her hair was completely white and covered with a long vail. She wore white robes with gold trimmings.

"Touma! Touma!" She cried, "You're late! I've been waiting here for hours!"

"Don't exaggerate!" Oni-chan slammed the trunk lid and wheeled my pulling-up towards me. "It's only been a few minutes!"

"But I'm so hungry! Couldn't you come any faster?"

"I don't control when the train comes, damn it! You need to learn how to be patient!"

"And you need to learn how not to keep a lady waiting!"

I stared agog as these two people continued to argue in front of me. Who was this girl? Why was she talking to my Oni-chan like this?

"Oni-chan?" I said, "Who are you talking to?"

Both of them jumped; they had completely forgotten about me.

"Sorry, Otohime-chan! Where are my manners?" Oni-chan stammered. He gestured to the white-haired girl. "This is a friend of mine, Index. Index, you remember my cousin, right?"

"How do you do. I am Index Librorum Prohibitorum," The girl took my hands into hers, "A member of Church of Necessary Evil and 0th Parish of the Puritan Church of England. You must be Tatsugami Otohime, we met at the beach house during the Angel Falls incident."

I blinked. "Angels Falls?"

"She's talking about the last summer trip to the beach," Oni-chan said.

"Oh yes, I-I-I remember." I said, "That day was so much fun! I was very happy to see Oni-chan again, after so long!"

Index blinked. "You don't remember me?"

"N-n-no," I stammered, "Of course I remember! How could anyone forget you?"

Oni-chan smiled. "Alright, it's getting cold out here. Let's all head inside."

…

"Itadakimasu!"

I watched in amazement as the nun tucked into the enormous spread of food before me. There was roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti with meatballs, and chicken curry over rice. All of it looked so delicious, but they were being devoured by the white-haired nun. I watched longingly as each morsel disappeared down the girl's throat. Then, I looked down at my own plate of hamburger and vegetables. It was delicious but I wanted more. I glanced at Oni-chan who only had a bowl of soup.

I had restrained myself.

Maybe this was for the best.

And yet all that food!

I sighed.

"Why do you look so glum?"

I jumped at his voice. His eyes were scanning me, as if he was reading my thoughts.

He smiled. "You are still growing," he said, "You have to eat to build your strength."

"But…" I motioned to his meager meal.

But Oni-chan turned around and called the waiter. "I want to order some more food more food for my cousin!"

One plate after another arrived before me, carrying every delicious dish you could think of. Rack of lamb with potatoes and carrots, Fettucine Alfredo with Shrimp and Mussels, beef stew thickened with cream. I demolished the food, relishing every bight.

You wouldn't believe how happy I was! No longer was I slave to a single choice. Now, I was free to explore all the different flavors in front of me!

Dimly, I was aware of someone approaching our table. I thought it was the waiter again, but a loud raspy voice told me otherwise.

"Oi! Oi! What are you doing spoiling your kids like that?"

I lifted my head and nearly choked. A gaunt, pale boy appeared out of nowhere. Like Frankenstein's monster, but realer! His hair was completely white and his eyes were like two bleeding ulcers. A black collar was strapped around his neck with wires sprouting out. He wore a grey and white striped shirt and long skinny jeans that enhanced his skinniness. When our eyes met, his mouth widened into a grin.

I could only think about how his teeth could rip my flesh apart. He must have known what I was thinking, because the next thing he did was snap his teeth at me. I jumped at the sound.

"Stop it Accelerator," Oni-chan said, completely indifferent to the boy's appearance. "You're scaring my cousin."

"My apologies," he sneered. His eyes never left mine. "I didn't mean any harm!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself, says Misaka as Misaka holds on to his right leg!"

A small girl with short auburn hair popped out from behind the boy. She smiled at me. "Hello, I am Misaka, Misaka says as Misaka extends her left hand."

I shook her hands.

"Misaka thinks that you shouldn't be so scared of this bully," she said, "He's just nervous about to meeting strangers, Misaka says as Misaka gestures to the boy."

"Oh sure, I'm quivering in my boots," Said the boy, rolling his eyes.

Oni-chan just shook his head. "Otohime, don't be scare of them. These two are good friends of mine." He gestured to each in turn. "This is Accelerator and that's Last Order."

"It's so nice to see you!" I stood up and bowed quickly as I could. "You aren't as scary as you look."

"It's nice to me you, Misaka says as Misaka bows in response."

But Accelerator paid no attention. "It's rare isn't it? To see you eating out," he said.

Accelerator turned to watch Index who was still busy with all her food. The girl wasn't even paying attention.

"Oi, Oi," the boys smirked again. "You're gonna go broke if you keep treating your guests like this."

"Leave me alone," Oni-chan crossed his arms and hunched over. "Today's my cousin's first day in the city. I wanted it to be a happy one."

The boy snorted. "That's so like you. Always so selfless," he laughed. "Poor students like you should be getting job or something."

"I have a job!" Oni-chan shot back, "It's just not a good paying one."

"Maybe you should start actually charging them for once!" Accelerator laughed. "But then, we wouldn't be talking about you, wouldn't we?"

Laughing, he left with the girl in tow, leaving Oni-chan to stew in his seat.

I was just confused. Oni-chan was working now? What was he doing?

Index suddenly looked up. "Huh?" she said, "What were you all doing?"

…

Between the Lines 2: Midgard is the Realm

"Brrr! It's cold!" Tessou Tsuzuri shivered in the cold. Despite the thick coat and woolen hat, the cold had seeped into her bones. Unfortunately for her Regulation dress code prohibited any clothing worn over the assigned Anti-skill gear, so she couldn't add a sweater underneath. The higher-ups decided that battling hypothermia was good for building character, she thought darkly as she stood outside of the city walls.

It was just her luck to be assigned here and on Christmas Eve, no less!

Her only solace she was the cup of coffee in her hands. She drank deeply in the hot beverage, and She sighed contently the warmth fill her up inside. Her breath came out like hot steam, covering the butt of her rifle with a thin layer of moisture.

Yet even that morsel of relief was fleeting. Already, she could feel the cold come flooding back in. She looked mournfully down at the cup. It was now empty.

She sighed, and was about to go back to the guard house, when she noticed a shaggy man stumbling towards her.

"H-h-halt!" She cried, "Who goes there?"

The man sprang forwards on all fours, bounding towards her like a dog. Tsuzuri lifted her rifle up to shoot, but he was already leaping onto her. Tsuzuri screamed as the man tried pounced, and pushed her to the ground. Her firearms discharged, but landed harmlessly nearby. He tried to bite her, but she kept him away with her rifle. His hands clawed at her face and Tsuzuri cried out as they dug into her skin. Dimly, she was aware of shouting from nearby, but the man was relentless in his attack,

And then, the weight disappeared, and Tsuzuri lurched forwards at the sudden loss of resistance. Turning around, she saw the man leaping up the stairs. Other guards had come out and were all shooting at him, but the man veered into the forest, using the trees as a shield.

Tsuzuri gritted her teeth. No one was getting through on her watch!

She sprinted up the stairs, trying to get a bead on the man, but just as she was about to fire, he ran through a thicket and disappeared. Tsuzuri stared agape at the where the man should have been, but then, she noticed a giant hole in the ground. No man could dig that fast, she thought, and yet the evidence was irrefutable. She sighed in frustration.

"Call it in!" she shouted one of the other guards, "Alert Judgement that an intruder has breached wall!" She pointed to another roup. "All of you follow me. I'm going after that person!"

With six other in tow, she leapt into the hole.