Last chapter of the Index Arc, everyone! After the reception from the last chapter, I just had to get started on this one right away. Is this some sort of record? Probably not, but still.
Today, we finish the Index Arc and answer the question eating away at everyone. What becomes of the journal?
Before we get to that, let's cover some QA.
narufuuin: What can I say, I have an evil side, but I also have a self-deprecating side. Something tells you'll like what I have here.
Awareness Bringer: We're about to find out.
Bluejack222: That sure sounds fun. Of course, I change some of the dialogue for a more fresh feel.
MrQuestionMark: Surprise! I'm glad you liked the parts of the journal. Gives a little insight to what kind of kind of character Touma is, or at least how I interpret him. I'm surprised you didn't notice the "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" reference there. Kamikoto is always good for the heart, man, unless it's an overdose of electricity. The Railgang is definitely going to get more involved from now on.
Cyber dragonarmy: Fast update! We now see the fate of the journal.
mohamadstar94: I might do that fight. Just need to find a good segue into it.
ADdude: I get it if you didn't like the invasion of privacy. The point of it was that it wasn't cool, but everyone has their vices. Glad you liked the cliffhanger, but I can't really take credit for it. The episode in the anime did the exact same thing.
Guest (1): You're about to find out who loses their memory, if anyone.
RPGPersona: Yeah, that's pretty much the reason I've never been bothered by her behavior. I don't know much about girls, but if a journal is left with one girl that loves rumors and gossip and another girl that has a crush on the owner of the journal, I'm pretty sure they'd be more than tempted look. Still contemplating including a Misaki page somewhere in there.
Handsomistic1: All those questions will be answered, right here, right now!
ahsoei: All fair criticism. But, can a journal really be a Deus Ex Machina if there has been set up for it. Granted, I guess I could have set it up a bit earlier.
Josephantom: Time to find out.
Agent Nine: You may have mixed feeling about this.
ALostBlueIdiot: More involvement from the girls was the main idea. It really wasn't a surprise that the girls saw through the lie. Mikoto could do Touma's summer homework like it was nothing!
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Glad you liked the journal part. Did you honestly think I was just going to make the journal a one time thing? I follow the Scott Cawthon philosophy of story telling, everything has a purpose.
AriaTheLostMelody: Why, thank you for the kind words.
Guest (2): Thank you! I am not worthy of such praise! Yuri, however, certainly is!
Guest (3): I'll see what I can do about Misaki in the future.
RedSS: Thanks for the kind words.
Now that that's done, disclaimer!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 12: A New Page
Index hovered before everyone, completely under the control of John's Pen. She radiated immense power, more than everyone else in the room combined. Needless to say, the sight was quite the shock. For as long as anyone had known her, she was believed to be completely powerless, needed a guardian to protect her with their magic. Yet here she was, more powerful than everyone else present.
"There's something I thought didn't quite fit since all of this started," Touma said straight to Index, "You're not an Esper like the students here, yet you told me you weren't able to use magic."
Index gave no reply. Instead, she fired a laser of pure magic straight at the person John's Pen labeled as an intruder to the grimoire library, Touma. Touma reacted quickly, throwing his right hand in front of him in defense. As soon as the blast met his hand, the sound of shattering glass rang out and the negating power within took effect. Touma struggled to hold his ground, using his left hand to support his right. His right hand negated the magic at an incredible rate, but it struggled to keep up with the constant flow of magic. Any more magic and Touma's right hand might just meet its limit.
"She sure seems to be able to use magic to me!" Saten yelled, shielding her face with her hands.
"This is impossible!" Styil yelled in shock.
"She told you the truth," Kanzaki called out, "She can't use magic!"
"Don't you see what's happening? The church has been lying to you this entire time about Index having no magical ability!" Touma explained, "Yeah, do you get it now? And that thing about her dying if her memory's not erased every year? That's another whopper! The only thing killing her right now is what ever magic the church planted in her! We just have to find a way to stop it! After that's done, there won't be any need to erase her memory! Think about it this way. The church made Index memorize a bunch of evil books without a second thought about her safety or happiness. That's the kind of group they are! Do you think they'd be likely to share their true plans with low level enforcers? Not convinced? Why don't you ask Index about it yourselves?"
The entire time Touma gave his speech, John's Pen continued to fire the attack. However, it soon realized that the attack was not working and elected to switch to an alternative spell, switching over to the new spell without skipping a beat. The new spell was another beam of magic, but much more powerful. It was several times larger than the original beam, taking nearly the entire room just to hold it.
Touma continued to resist the attack, but the strain was becoming too much. The force of the attack caused the joints in his had to crack and the blood vessels to pop. Touma screamed out in pain as he tried his best to hang on. Hearing his screams, the girls quickly crowded around him and applied pressure to his back and arm, doing whatever they could to make sure Touma didn't drop his hand, their only surefire defense.
"Why is Index acting like this?" Uiharu cried, "This isn't like her at all!"
"She told me about this once. It's called John's Pen," Touma explained, "It's a magic defense mechanism. When she is in extreme distress, it takes over her body and relays magic instructions directly from the grimoire library in her head, but I didn't think it could perform magic on its own, too."
"Clearly, she doesn't have any sort of control when this thing is active," Mikoto noted.
"Anyone else notice the room feels bigger?" Kuroko asked.
"It must be Index," Touma reasoned, "She might be using some sort of space distorting spell to create more distance and keep the library safe."
Meanwhile, Stiyl decided he had seen and heard just about enough from this unlucky Esper with the mysterious right hand. He yelled out his magic name, Fortis 931, and scattered hundreds of rune cards on the walls of the apartment. Once the rune cards were in place, Stiyl approached Touma and gripped the unlucky Kamijou's back.
"I have no interest in hearing your unproven theories," Stiyl declared, "What we know for certain is this; if we do this then we save her for the time being. I'll do whatever it may take to make sure that happens. I'll kill you if I must. That's what I decided long ago, so give up!"
"If you even consider hurting him," Mikoto threatened, holding an arcade coin in Stiyl's direction, "I won't hesitate to use this."
"Put away the railgun, Misaka. I can handle this," Touma insisted, "Is that really all you can hope for, sorcerer? 'For the time being'? That's not exactly a promise. I'm talking about saving her for good! There's only one question you have to ask yourself. Do you want to help Index, or are you too afraid to?!"
This last question left everyone present in shock. Even in his current condition, Touma was still not giving up on saving Index. Even a death threat from someone completely willing to attack him while his guard was down didn't make him waver. The girls new he would do anything to help someone, but to take a death threat and not even stutter was a whole new extreme.
"You guys have been waiting for a long time," Touma continued, "You want a happy ending for all of this, don't you? One where you don't have to be Index's enemy. You want to be her friends in truth and not the people who snatch away her memories every year."
The attack continued, causing more of Touma's blood vessels to pop and leak blood.
"You never gave up hope completely! You never stopped trying!" Touma continued despite of the pain, "You made a promise to yourself not to abandon her! Knowing what you would have to do, you made it your personal mission to save this girl who had been your friend and companion! You wanted to be the heroes of this story, so why content yourselves with supporting roles now? You told me earlier you swore to protect her with your lives, no matter who or what got in the way! If so, your part is far from over, it's barely even begun. Are you going to give up just because that's what turned out to be a little on the wrong side? If you help us instead of fighting us, then maybe you'll get your happy ending! So, let's do this!"
The attack never stopped. It soon began to overwhelm Touma's right hand, bending the fingers out of shape. The Academy City students panicked at the sight of their only defense being overpowered. However, Kanzaki stepped in and said her magic name, Salvare 000, and released her Seven Flashes. The seven wires that resulting from the spell pulled the floormates from under Index, causing her to fall backwards and fire the attack into space, unknowingly destroying a certain satellite that was rather important to Academy City.
Back on Earth, several white feathers fell from the sky, emerging from the beam of magic. Kanzaki recognized the feathers as part of the spell, Dragon's Breath. She warned everyone to avoid the feathers at all costs, explained that their power was equal to Saint George's Legendary Dragon Strike. Should one of them hit a victim, it would only spell trouble.
However, the feathers were not their only concern. John's Pen quickly realigned Index's body, once again directing the attack at Touma. Luckily, the attack never hit it mark as Stiyl summoned his flame monster, Innocentius the Witch Hunter King, to take the attack for Touma. Using this opportunity, Mikoto magnetized the various pieces of metal on Index's person, specifically the safety pins, and forced her against the back wall. Even though the pins appeared to be golden, Mikoto could tell they were just gilded iron. While it wasn't a lot to work with, it was just enough for Mikoto to apply her power. Kuroko then followed up by teleporting several of her pins into Index's robes, pinning her to the wall. Despite the distorted space, she managed to complete her calculations and have her pins hit their mark,
With Index now held still, Touma rushed in to stop John's Pen once and for all.
'God, they say you are good and just,' Touma thought to himself as he ran, 'If that is true, then I will be able to destroy this evil magic, to shatter this illusion. Are you good? Will you do justice?'
"We'll find out right now!" Touma yelled as he placed his right hand on Index's forehead.
The sound of shattering glass was heard. The beam John's Pen was casting disappeared instantly and Index's speech became slow and stuttered, like a glitching computer. The last thing she said before falling unconscious was, "John's Pen failing."
Touma could hardly believe it. They had done it. They saved Index. She didn't have to forget anymore. No one had to suffer from the loss of one's memories now. It was all over. Touma gently removed the pins holding Index to the wall before holding her close. He just wanted to savor the moment. Despite all odds and what everyone else had told him, he managed to save her from this cruel fate of yearly memory loss. He had effectively shattered every illusion the church had put on Index and her friends.
However, in his reveling, Touma failed to notice his friends calling out to him. He felt something land on his head and suddenly, the world went blank. His eyes grew dark and he collapsed on the floor, passed out.
The morning of July 28th was a hard one for the girls. After bringing Touma to his usual hospital, Heaven Canceller had given them some rather troubling news from his examination. Apparently, the feather from Dragon's Breath had destroyed the brain cells that dealt with memory. Specifically, he's episodic memory was completely wiped clean. It was quite ironic, really. He managed to save a girl from losing a year's worth of her memories and he loses his life's worth of his own.
In addition, it seemed Index would be staying with all of them for the time being. Stiyl sent a note intended for Touma giving thanks for his assistance, albeit begrudgingly. The note went on to explain that the church wanted Index to remain under Touma's protection for the time being, but only after they were confronted with the theories Touma and the girls proposed. Until they gathered enough evidence to prove those theories, Index would be left under Touma's protection and would return to the church eventually. Unfortunately, the note was magically set to explode after being read, so Touma wouldn't get a chance to read it since Index hastily opened it herself.
Currently, the girls were waiting outside of Touma's hospital room, one that he had gone to so many times in the past it was permanently labeled as his room. They had let Index met with him alone first. They figured they would give her the chance to thank the person who saved her personally, without the interference of anyone else. They sat outside the room for a few minutes before they heard screams of pain and biting from inside. A second later, Index stormed out of the room, grumbling something about Touma pulling a nasty prank on her and making her think he had forgotten everything. If anyone had to guess, she was probably heading for the cafeteria to vent out her anger through food.
The girls exchanged a look with one another before they too went inside to visit Touma. Sitting up in the bed and covered in bandages and fresh bite marks was Touma himself. He turned to face them, giving them a warm smile and a small wave of his hand. It seemed so casual, like someone greeting a good friend, but at the same time if felt fake, like there was no connection behind the action.
"Hey, Kamijou," Kuroko greeted, "You okay?"
"Well, aside from being injured while already admitted in a hospital, peachy," Touma said with a small laugh.
"So, you remember us?" Uiharu asked.
"Of course," Touma replied, "I'd have to be some heartless monster to forget about such wonderful girls like yourselves."
"Then you must remember your girlfriend here, Mikoto Misaka," Saten said as she shoved Mikoto forward, much to the rest of the girls' surprise.
"What kind of guy forgets his own girlfriend?" Touma asked rhetorically.
That last response all but confirmed it for the girls. Touma had most definitely lost his memory. He was just going alone with whatever they said, faking being okay for everyone else's sake. It was just like him, really.
"So, it's true," Mikoto whispered, heartbroken, "you did lose your memory."
"What are yo-," Touma began to say, but was cut off.
"The two of us were never dating," Mikoto interrupted, "Saten just told you that to bait you into revealing your true condition."
Touma remained silent for a second before dropping his head in disappointment.
"Rotten luck," Touma lamented, "I was hoping to keep that act up for a little longer. It's really too bad, I would have considered myself lucky to have such a sweet looking girl as a girlfriend. Guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Like some girl would find interest in me."
"Anyway, you really don't remember anything from your past?" Mikoto asked, desperately trying to hide a blush.
"Not one thing," Touma admitted sadly, "The earliest I can remember is waking up this morning."
"So why lie?" Kuroko wondered, "Index stormed out grumbling something about you pulling a prank on her."
"When she walked in here, I genuinely didn't know who she was," Touma explained, "But she looked so sad thinking that I had lost my memories. Somehow, I felt as if I knew her and didn't want to be the one to make her cry. So, I lied, played it off as a joke and said that Imagine Breaker protected me from that magic."
"Imagine Breaker?" Saten asked.
"The negating power in my right hand. That's what the doctor called it," Touma replied.
"That sounds like a very fitting name," Uiharu complimented, "Nice to have a name to call it by now."
"So, you knew about it too, huh?" Touma mused.
He stared at said right hand for a moment before looking straight at the girls.
"You know, I don't know why, but you all seem familiar, too," Touma admitted, "I know it's cheesy, but I feel as if my heart remembers you all, even if my mind doesn't. It would still be nice if my mind did, though."
"Actually," Mikoto said, timidly taking a step forward, "I might be able to help with that."
She reached into her bag and pulled out Touma's journal. After inspecting it for a second to make sure it wasn't damaged in any way, Mikoto tenderly offered the journal to Touma. He looked at it for a second before accepting it to get a closer look.
"What's this?" Touma asked in confusion.
"It's your journal," Mikoto explained, clasping her hands, "You've been writing in it ever since you came to Academy City when you started elementary school. I've been keeping it safe for you. I figured it would help you with your memory lose."
Touma smiled slightly at the journal before putting it on his lap.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Touma said with a sad smile, "but this isn't my journal. That person died when the magic feather landed on his head."
"You know, even if you don't have your memories, you don't seem to have changed much," Mikoto admitted.
"Sissy's right," Kuroko agreed, "You still believe in doing what you think is right, even if others disagree."
"You're just as caring and you put others above yourself," Uiharu added.
"Not to mention, you still consider yourself unlucky. You even use the same catchphrase," Saten said somewhat jokingly.
"The you now might be different from they you before, but the old you is still part of the current you," Mikoto summarized, "At your core, you're still Touma Kamijou."
"Thanks," Touma said with a smile, "That really does mean a lot to me. If I may ask, what are your names?"
"Ruiko Saten."
"Kazari Uiharu."
"Kuroko Shirai."
"Mikoto Misaka."
The girls introduced themselves one after the other, not even skipping a beat. Despite not having any memories, Touma knew he considered all of them very precious friends. It was incredibly reassuring. They promised to help him through this. With their help and his old self's journal, he would be able to find some sort of normalcy in this world, despite forgetting most of it.
Touma looked at the journal in front of him one last time before picking it up.
"Hey, any of you have a pen I can borrow?" Touma asked.
Mikoto once again dug into her school bag and pulled out a ballpoint pen, handing it to Touma. He took the pen and flipped to the next blank page in the journal's personal log section and wrote a single paragraph.
It is July 28th. I woke up in a hospital room, unable to remember anything before then. Despite this, I was visited by five girls that all felt very familiar. So how, in my heart, I knew they were my precious friends. Their names were Index, Misaka, Shirai, Uiharu, and Saten. I may not remember everything about them, but I look forward to getting to know them again, no matter what the world and my rotten luck throw at me.
Now that was a satisfying chapter to write.
Not bad for something made in a little over 24 hours, if I do say so myself. Next up is the Big Spider Arc.
Before I say goodbye for now, there are a few things I want to make clear now that the magic side events are starting to be covered. First, Touma and nun relationships are not going to go beyond sibling-like relationships. The main reason for this is because I myself am a devoted Christian, Roman Catholic to be precise. Don't worry, I'm not planning on magically forcing you all to convert on attack you with a fleet of ice ships and a magical nuke. I just can't bring myself to write about nuns disregarding one of the most basic guidelines for nuns. So, sorry Orsola and Agnese fans, not going to see much of those ships.
Second is something a bit petty on my part. If there's one thing I can say I dislike about the dub, it's the removal of the phrase "shatter your illusions" and its variants. As such, many of Touma's dub speak will be modified to accompany this. Speaking of which, you never realize just how long Touma's speeches can get until you actually have to write some of it.
Also, see what I did with the title here? Hint hint, nudge nudge, punch you in the face.
That's it for now.
Guys! Girls! Kiss! That's a New Age greeting!