Sorry to keep you all waiting, everyone! After my little ciesta, I had a bit of writers block and trouble getting back into the rhythm of writing. This was also my own fault for getting distracted, since I've clocked over 200 hours in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all in the quest to awaken all the Rare Blades (which I have), complete all the sidequests, and max out all the affinity charts(something that is taking me several New Game + files to accomplish). On the bright side, this gave me a lot of inspiration for future chapters and potential spin-offs, so its not all a total waste of time.

In addition, there were a few production hiccups, leading to me splitting this chapter in two. I originally planned for this chapter to have the Kamijou sibilings reunite and reconcile, but the chapter came out longer than expected, so I'm pushing the reconciliation back for the next chapter, which will be all original content.

Since I ended up taking so long, reviews have piled up too high for me to properly respond to them, so I'm going to skip that part for now. I'll answer all of your reviews for this chapter next time. For now, let's not waste any time and get straight to the chapter, right after this quick disclaimer.

Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.

Chapter 38: Unbreaking Bonds

Before long, Touma's injuries from his fight with Accelerator had healed to the point that he could be let out of the hospital. His most recent trip had been a new personal record. Given the severity of his injuries and the time it took for all of them to heal to an acceptable degree, it was by far his best recovery period in the last few years.

To celebrate, the girls decided to throw a hotpot party, which also doubled as a study group. Everyone was to bring their own ingredients to add to the hotpot, and then meet up at Saten's dorm. Meanwhile, Saten and Index would prep the room for everyone's arrival. They could only hope that they disciplined Index enough to keep her from eating the whole pot in less than a minute.

Going through his usual grocery store, Touma picked up ingredients he would need for the hotpot. As the group's resident master chief, everyone agreed that they should leave the soup stock to Touma. Having freshly made soup stock was sure to be much more delicious than anything store-bought. In addition, it let Touma add the usual Kamijou flare to the food.

Picking up the last of his groceries, Touma went to check-out and purchased his ingredents. Looking in his wallet, he couldn't help but grimace out how slim his food budget was getting. He always made due, but sometimes he wished he had a little extra help when it came to his finances. According to his journal, his older sister was a Level 3 before he disappeared. If she had still been around, maybe life could have eased up a little for him, both financially and emotionally.

Choosing not to dwell on it, Touma gathered his things and headed out the store to meet up with Mikoto and Kuroko. If he turned up late, he was going to get an earful from them, something he would rather avoid.

Shirzuri was not in a good mood in the slightest. After her humiliating defeat at the hands of the Railgun, she was elated to learn about the struggle the third ranked Level 5 was putting herself through in an attempt to put a stop to Project Level 6 Shift. She had planned to follow the reports on the destruction of the involved research facilities. It would have been fun to watch the Railgun struggle and squirm, desperately trying to destroy the innumerable facilities. Unfortunately, the night after she learned about the experiment, it was frozen. Apparently, a certain unknown Level 0 intervened and managed to defeat Accelerator, ruining the basic premise of the experiment. Shizuri was starting to thing that her brother's rotten luck was starting to rub off on her.

In an attempt to cheer her up, Frenda offered to take her out to a special restaurant. Apparently, it was a really popular one that Frenda went to all the time with friends outside of ITEM. Not having anything better to do, Shizuri agreed to the explosives expert's plan. Thus, Meltdowner found herself sitting down in a both at Joseph's Coffee & Restaurant.

The restaurant seemed decent enough. The décor was moderate but passable and the food at other tables looked rather appetizing. However, there was something that didn't feel right about it. Misfortune seemed to follow Shizuri just as bad as it did her younger brother, as she was faced with an unpleasant surprise. Just before Frenda sat down, she froze at the sight of someone walking up from behind Shizuri. Looking behind her, the fourth ranked Level 5 was rather miffed to set the third ranked Level 5, Mikoto Misaka, standing right behind her.

"I'll be right back with some water and a menu," a nearby waitress said.

"O-oh no," Mikoto stuttered, "Please don't. I'm not with them."

"I knew there was something I didn't like about this place," Shizuri sighed, "Apparetnly, they cater to spoiled, sheltered, little princesses."

"You know, that fight was far from a clear victory for you," Frenda claimed, leaning on the table.

"Huh?" Mikoto asked.

"All told, it was an issue of lacking information," Frenda said smugly, "If I had known that you were the Railgun, I would have taken more care in setting up my stuffed dolls."

"Frenda," Shizuri growled dangerously, "Havem't forgotten that she got away in the first place because you forgot to clean up those very same dolls, have you?"

"O-oh, I guess that's right," Frenda stuttered, playfully punching the side of her head.

Shizuri gave her a harsh kick to the shin for that little mishap, leaving Frenda clutching her leg on the ground.

"Clean up you're messes, you blonde bimbo!" Shizuri yelled in frustration.

Supporting her chin on her hand, Shizuri couldn't help but let out a huff. The day was just getting worse and worse. No matter where she turned, more and more misfortune kept coming to meet her, and it just kept coming.

"What's going on here?" a young voice called out.

Peeking over her shoulder, Shizuri saw a pigtailed, Tokiwodai girl known as Kuroko approaching her booth. The girl marched towards them, slipping on a Judgement armband and speaking with a tone of authority.

'Great, just what I needed,' Shizuri thought to herself, 'another spoiled little princess who thinks she's some hotshot cop."

"If you're going to fight, take it outside," Kuroko ordered, "As a Judgement officer, I cannot allow you to disturb the other cust- Sissy! I'm disappointed in you! You know better than to start a dispute in a place like this!"

'Great, the two princesses know each other,' Shizuri huffed mentally.

"Hey, I didn't start this," Mikoto defended, "I was just-"

"We've discussed this sort of thing so many times before," Kuroko cut her off, "You can't keep getting into fights with member of the weaker general population."

"Um, excuse me? Who are you call weak?" Frenda cut in, "What are you, a fourth grader?"

Shizuri swore she heard a vein pulse in the pigtailed girl's cheek.

"I'm certain you aren't talking to me, as I am clearly middle schooler who was only speaking out of concern for your personal safety," Kuroko clarified, "Angering Sissy here can be very dangerous. Only a handful of people in this city can get away with that unscathed, and I'm pretty sure you are not among that very short list of people. It may cost you your life if you're not careful."

"Like I said, you should really keep your nose out of this, little girl," Frenda retaliated, "Your friend would be the one shredded to bits if we got into it."

"Just like I thought, you don't know anything!" Kuroko snapped, "I'm sure you'll revise your opinion knowing that Sissy is the Railgun of Tokiwodai!"

"Well, Mugino has more combat experience than her!" Frenda countered, "She would tear you friend apart, molecule by molecule!"

"Sissy would rip her apart!" Kuroko yelled, clashing heads with Frenda.

"Mugino would win!" Frenda pushed back.

"The victory will go to Sissy!"

At this point, Shizuri was left with no choice but to intervene. Frenda was starting to make a scene, and with how she was acting, she was sure to start blabbing about ITEM's activities. The whole purpose of ITEM was to work in the shadows and maintain order in Academy City through any extremes necessary. If news of their activities reached the public ear, it wouldn't good news for anyone. Getting out of her set, Shizuri got behind Frenda and grabbed her shoulder, urging her to back out of the argument. Mikoto did the same with Kuroko, most likely to keep her own activities involving Project Level 6 Shift hidden. Unfortunately, there efforts ultimately came to nothing.

Shizuri could hardly believe the luck she had been having recently. First, on of her targets gets away from her during a job because of Frenda's stupidity. Then, the entertainment she had been hoping for got shut down the day after she made arrangements for it. Now, she had a run in with her lost target in a public place with Frenda causing a scene. It was as if a god of misfortune had decided to pay her a visit. Little did she know how accurate that description actually was.

"What the hell is happening here?" a boy's voice called out.

Turning towards the sound of the voice, Shizuri could hardly believe who had just arrived on the scene. Standing right in front of her with a Judgement armband was her precious little brother, Touma Kamijou, only he wasn't so little any more.

For the first time in a very long time, Shizuri had felt fear. It was not fear for her life. She always made sure to kill those who threatened her before they even got the chance. It was the fear of rejection. Ten years ago, she left her little brother all alone under the pretense of protecting him. Now, he stood in front of her in plain view, her cover surely blown. What was he thinking now? Is he wondering why she disappeared? Would he accept her reasons if she told him? What would he think of the life she had lead over the last decade? Was she about to lose the love and approval of the one person she sacrificed everything for? Shizuri was in complete suspense.

However, what came out of Touma's mouth shattered all of it.

"I'm very sorry about my friends, miss," Touma said with a stiff smile, "I hope they didn't bother you too much."

He then placed a hand on each of their shoulders, his left on Mikoto and his right on Kuroko. Ever so slightly, he gave each shoulder a small tug, trying to intervene and defuse the situation.

"Hey, Zapper, Pigtails, what ever beef you have with these people, drop it and let's get out of here!" Touma whisper-screamed.

"Hey, I didn't start this! I was just waiting for Kuroko and she assumed I was picking a fight," Mikoto defended.

"Aren't you always?" Touma deadpanned.

"Not the point," Mikoto rebutted, giving the boy a stink eye.

For Shizuri's part, she didn't pay much attention to her brother's conversation with the Railgun. Rather, she was more focused on who he chose to converse with and how he addressed each person. He addressed her, his own sister, like he was talking to a complete stranger. Sure, she had been missing in his life for a decade, but she still had the same face. He should have still been able to recognize her. On the other hand, he spoke to Mikoto and Kuroko with extreme familiarity. He was using nicknames, reprimanding them, and making witty banter at each other's expense.

Ever since being separated, Shizuri had been provided with regular reports of how Touma had been managing in Academy City. For the most part, everything checked out with what she was promised and what she expected of him. His misfortune caused him to struggle in school, but he always managed to advance to the next grade. He's stipends where reportedly as low as you would expect for a Level 0, but he was smarter than most people gave him credit for and was an expert at budgeting. Everything in the reports had seemed perfectly normal.

However, what she had seen from him in the restaurant was never mentioned in any of the reports. There was nothing about him even coming close to coming in contact with the Railgun, let alone being friendly with her. And then there was the issue of the Judgement armband he was wearing. Since when was he in Judgement?

There was so much to take in. So much that she didn't know about and had been kept in the dark from. These revealations consumed all of Shizuri's thoughts. The arguments that Frenda and Kuroko were throwing back and forth at one another didn't even register in her mind anymore.

"Okay, fine! Sissy may have cartoon characters on her underwear and her tastes in general are a bit more childish then one might want, but as Tokiwodai's Ace, she's still a formidable opponent," Kuroko argued, much to Mikoto's displeasure.

"Yeah? Well Mugino may have her flaws, like a shrewish temper and a tendency to flaunt her underwear to passersby, but in a fight she's completely unstoppable!" Frenda yelled enthusiastically.

"You flaunt your underwear to passersby?" Touma awkwardly asked the girl he was unaware was his sister.

Suddenly, Shizuri was paying complete attention to the petty argument.

"Honest, you think your flat friend can win against this kind of power?!" Frenda cried, grabbing Shizuri's chest from behind.

"How ignorant to think that size matter!" Kuroko yelled back, mimicking Frenda with the flat Mikoto, "When it comes to future potential, Sissy is the clear winner here!"

"And that's my cue to run!" Touma screamed as he booked it out of the restaurant.

"Get your hands off of me!" the two Level 5s bellowed as the restaurant's windows flashed with blue light.

"Man, I'll never be able to go back to that restaurant again!" Shizur grumbled as she stomped down the street.

Not too far behind her, Frenda desperately tried too keep up with her friend, holding her aching head and begging Shizuri to slow down.

Shizuri paid Frenda no mind. She was too focused on the recent turn of events at the restaurant. The embarrassing incident aside, something very important had happened, she had reunited with her little brother for the first time in over a decade. However, said reunion did not go as she originally thought it would. For whatever reason, Touma didn't recognize her at all. In addition, it appeared that the reports she received regarding his daily life had been falsified. Nothing she witnessed today matched up with what she was told.

Clearly, there was something amiss going on, and it all pointed towards the higher ups of Academy City. In exchange for leaving her brother to work as the city's underground checks and balances system, she was promised that Touma would be well taken care of and provided with a normal school experience and she would be kept up to date with his status. Someone was not keeping their end of the bargain, and it was certainly not her.

The city was keeping Shizrui in the dark about something, and she needed answers. It was clear she wasn't going to get them from the higher ups. They've been feeding her false information long enough. There was only one person she could even hope of trusting in Academy City's underworld, and it was time to pay him a visit.

Following the incident at Joseph's, Mikoto was rightfully angry. As she, Kuroko, and Touma made their way to Saten's dorm, she didn't say a word to her roommate. Understanding that she may have gone to far earlier, Kuroko respected her idol's wishes throughout the entire trip, keeping her distance. Touma walked between the two girls, acting as a buffer to prevent any further incidents, with Mikoto at his right and Kuroko at his left. Thankfully, Mikoto's mood improved greatly once they reached Saten's place.

"Hey, it's us!" Mikoto called through the door.

"Glad you guys came," Saten greeted, opening the door, "Come on in."

"What happened to Shirai?" Uiharu asked, noticing her friend's slightly messy hair and fresh electric burns.

"Don't worry about it," Touma insisted, "It's nothing she'd die over."

"Oh, you're finally here!" Index cheered, coming out from behind the corner, "Check out the amazing hot pot Ruiko got!"

In the middle of the dorm room was a short table with a portable burner and hot pot. Next to the table was Saten's bed, which had been set up with pillows and a blanket to emulate a sofa. Around the other sides of the table were several throw pillows for the guests' convenience.

"Wow, nice hot pot you've got here, Flipper," Touma complemented, "Where'd you get it?"

"I borrowed it from a friend of mine," Saten explained, "So, you ready to get that soup stock prepared?"

"I've got everything I need right here," Touma said proudly, holding up his grocery bag," I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me."

As Touma went into the kitchen to prepare the soup stock, the girls all took seats around the table and spread out dishes for everyone. Given the number of people expected to participate, the table was a bit crowded. However, the group made do as they were too excited by all the delicious food they were about to have to care.

"This is pretty exciting," Mikoto mused, "I bet we're the only people in the city having a hotpot party in this time of year."

"Now remember, this isn't a party," Kuroko reprimanded, "As it says on our permission slips, this is a study group."

"Right, nearly forgot about that," Mikoto laughed stiffly.

"Well, regardless of whether or not this counts as a party, getting hot food while it's hot out is good for the body," Uiharu noted.

"Oh, I can't wait any more," Index cried, "What did all of you bring? You have to tell me!"

"Easy there, Index," Saten giggled, "No need to rush."

"Well, if you're that curious, I had a bit of trouble deciding on what to bring, but the man at the meat counter suggested these," Mikoto explained, reaching into her bag.

Much to everyone's confusion, Mikoto pulled out a rather large stack of wood boxes. She dropped them on the ground next to her with a large thud, startling Touma in the kitchen.

"What was that?!" Touma yelled in a panic, peaking into the room.

"Don't worry, it's just a couple of boxes," Kuroko explained.

Taking a closer look at the boxes, Uiharu lifted the lid off of the top box to reveal it was filled with several slabs of raw beef. Each piece was a fresh, red color and marbled to perfection and the pieces themselves were all even cut into bit sized portions. The sight of such delicious food was enough to have Uiharu and Index watering at the mouth.

"Well, looks like some of us are happy with the ingredient selection so far," Touma chuckled.

"What about you, Uiharu?" Saten asked, "What did you bring?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Uiharu replied, breaking out of her trance, "I got use a huge variety of summer veggies, like okra and corn, as well as some mushrooms and tofu."

"Well, would you look at that," Touma mused, "Talk about a lucky combination. Those vegetables and the meat will complement each other nicely."

"I have something that will enhance I young lady's natural beauty!" Kuroko jumped in, "I think you'll all be quite impressed by what I've contributed."

"This I have to hear," Touma snarked, leaning against the door.

Based on Kuroko's sudden enthusiasm, Touma guessed they were in for another one of her episodes.

"So, what exactly did you bring?" Uiharu asked.

"Well, it is quite the story," Kuroko explained, "There I was, standing in the pet store with plum mice in my hands, completely at a lose for what to do."

"Plump mice?" Saten asked.

"Pet store?" Uiharu followed.

"Where the hell is the story going?" Touma inquired.

"However, it wasn't long before I had an epiphany!" Kuroko cheered, "At that moment, I knew I found the perfect ingredient of Sissy."

"And that ingredient is?" Mikoto asked skeptically.

"The ingredient that I choose, is turtle!" Kuroko cried, slamming her package on to the table.

In front of everyone was a shrink-wrapped, Styrofoam tray filled with turtle meat. All of the individual, edible parts of the turtle cut up and spread across the tray, organized by type. They all surrounded the turtle's shell, which sat in the center of the tray.

"Turtle?" everyone asked in confusion.

"The soft collagen with enhance Sissy's fresh, youthful skin, making it even more beautiful than before! And that's not all," Kuroko explained, pushing a glass filled with red liquid to Mikoto.

"That looks like…" Mikoto trailed.

"Fresh, softshell turtle blood mixed with apple juice to make it easier to drink! Go ahead, gulp it right down!" the pigtailed girl encouraged, "One glass, and you'll be full of energy. No, you'll be positively bursting with vitality! It's possible you'll be so fired up that you won't be able to go to sleep tonight, and when that happens, I'll come and lie down beside you. Yes!"

That episode of "Kuroko the Pervert" ended just like every other episode, with Kuroko fried to a crisp, knocked out on the side.

"Well, might as well get this ready," Touma sighed, inspecting the hotpot, "Huh, this pot has dividers in it."

"Really? I didn't realize," Saten mused.

"Well, guess I don't have to put the type of soup stock to a vote then," Touma chuckled, "Honestly, I bought the ingredients for a whole variety of different types of stock since I didn't know what you were all bringing. Guess this means I'm preparing a different type of soup stock for everything."

"In that case, I'll help," Mikoto offered, getting out of her seat.

"No, it's fine," Touma claimed, "It's just soup stock. I can handle it myself."

"All the more reason to let me help," Mikoto insisted, "With your luck, something is bound to go wrong if I was to leave you alone, especially with all the lucky stuff happening to you within the last five minutes."

"Well, you've got me there," Touma conceded, "Alright. Come on, Mikoto. We've got to get a couple more pots of water boiling if we want to get all the soup stock ready."

"Right behind you, Touma," Mikoto replied jubilantly, following Touma into the kitchen.

As the two oldest students left the room, Saten and Uiharu were awestruck but what they just saw. From what they saw of the pair, their usual banter had subtly changed. Mikoto seemed much less aggressive regarding her treatment of Touma, and both seemed to act in a much more familiar manner, using each other's first names like it was nothing. It almost seemed like they were flirting. As for Kuroko and Index, the former was still knocked out, and the latter was too distracted by the prospect of more food to care.

A few minutes later, Touma and Mikoto exited the kitchen with four small pots of soup stock. Each was filled with a different type of stock, miso, pork, beef, and chicken. After pouring the stocks into the different chambers of the pot, the groups started dipping in their ingredients and digging in. Touma and Mikoto sat together on the bed, Kuroko sat at Mikoto right, Index sat at Touma's left, and Uiharu and Saten sat across from the eldest students.

Everything that went into the hotpot turned out delicious. The beef Mikoto brought cooked beautifully in the various soup stocks, coming out moist and tender. The vegetables went with each of the soup stocks very well, taking on hints of meat used to create the meat-based soups. Even the oddball turtle tasted delicious and provided an exotic flare to the whole meal. The group was so enthralled by the taste of the food, they nearly forgot to keep track of how many extra ingredients they had.

"I hope Haruee gets here before much longer," Saten mused.

"She shouldn't too long to get here," Uiharu insisted.

"I wasn't thinking," Mikoto admitted, "Should we wait for her?"

"I think we'll be fine," Kuroko said reassuringly, "We still have plenty of ingredients."

"Assuming that Index doesn't woof down everything before then," Touma pointed out, his eyes drifting towards Index to see her skewer five slices of beef with her chopsticks like they were a fork, "Hey, what did I tell you?! One piece at a time and only one mouthful every five seconds! You have to pace yourself and not eat everything before everyone has had their fill!"

"Sorry," Index squeaked, returning four slices of meat back to the hotpot, "Force of habit."

"I really have trouble figuring out if you've made progress on that or not," Touma deadpanned, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

"You know, it's times like these that make me wonder why food tastes better when eaten as a group," Uiharu giggled.

"I think cooking it while we eat like this makes a difference too," Saten agreed, "I guess nothing beats homemade when it comes to cookies or hotpot, right Misaka, Kamijou?"

Having suddenly been put into the spotlight, Mikoto flinched and spilled a little bit of the soup she was collecting in her bowl. Said spilled on to Touma's lap, causing him to jump up at the sudden burning sensation. In the process, he ended up hitting his shin on the table and throwing his head into the wall behind him. The only saving grace during that turn of events was the fact that Touma's own bowl had been on the table rather than in his hands.

"Rotten luck," Touma whined in a whisper.

"I'm so sorry!" Mikoto cried, helping sit Touma upright, "All you alright, Touma?"

"Don't worry, Mikoto. I've survived worse," Touma said with a stiff laugh.

"Here, let me get that for you," Mikoto offered, pulling out a Gekota handkerchief.

"No, it's fine, I can handle it," Touma insisted, pulling out his own emergency handkerchief.

As the two oldest students dealt with the soup accident, Saten just watched them with a blissful smile, as if she had watched the world's best romantic comedy scene. On the other hand, Uiharu could only sigh at her friend's manipulative conversation skills. As for Kuroko and Index, the former was grinding her teeth at being left out and the latter was too busy helping herself to Touma's share care.

"Those two are so cute together," Saten said blissfully.

"You're pure evil, Saten," Uiharu reprimanded quietly.

While Touma tried to recover from his latest unfortunate incident, the doorbell ran to signal the arrival of another guest. Checking to door, Saten was pleased to find that Haruee had finally arrived.

"Hey everyone. Sorry I'm so late," Haruee apologized, "I didn't miss anything did I?"

"Aside from the usual antics, you didn't miss a thing," Saten replied, "Now come on in and have some food before Index eats it all."

"Did you get your errand taken care of?" Kuroko asked.

"Yup. I just needed to talk with my teacher, that's all."

"Have a seat. I'll get a bowl ready for you," Uiharu offered.

"So, Haruee, what did you bring to the party?" Touma inquired, still trying to mend his wounds.

"Yeah! I brought some noodles with me," Haruee replied, presenting her grocery bag.

"Oh, that sounds delicious!" Index cheered, "Come on, throw them in the pot already!"

The rest of the evening was filled with food and merriment among friends. While the group still had their fair share of hijinks, they found the hotpot party to be a pleasant change of pace and an enjoyable time, misfortune and all. It was an event that was sure to reinforce the group's already unbreaking bonds.

On the other side of District 7, Shizuri waited patently in the lobby of Heaven Canceller's hospital. After checking in with the front desk, it wasn't too long before the frog-faced doctor himself appeared on the scene.

"Ah, Shizuri Mugino. It's a pleasure to see you again," the doctor greeted, "Or would you prefer me to call you by your father's sir name."

"Cut the pleasantries. I came here for answers and you're the only person in this city that can be trusted to give them to me straight," Shizuri demanded, "So how about we cut to the chase."

"Very well then," the doctor nodded, "Please follow me."

After a quick trek through the hospital, the pair found themselves in Heaven Canceller's personal office. Sitting down at the desk, the doctor jumped through a couple of files before stopping at the largest patient file. The file itself belonged to none other than Heaven Canceller's number one patient, Touma Kamijou.

Moving aside, the doctor then offered Shizuri a seat in front of the computer, letting her take control.

"Please, take your time," the doctor suggested, "If you feel like you need more time to go through everything, I can provide you with a physical copy of your brother's records to take with you."

"Thank you," Shizuri replied, taking the seat and opening up the folder.

As soon as she saw how much information she was going to have to go through, she realized she was definitely going to need that physical copy to take home.

Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple

At the top of a hill surrounded by dense forest was a simple Shinto temple. Suddenly, a man with unkept black hair, a red overcoat, and a large, edgeless broadsword on his back burst out of a Shinto temple.

"Hey everyone! Welcome to our Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple! I am your host, Animan von Elysium X," The man yelled raising his blade, "And this is my sword, a sacred blade born from the collective power of three sibling blades, Mugen!"

"Ahem," a young girl in with a hime cut in priestess robes coughed, quietly stepping out of the temple.

"Of course, how can I forget about my dear assistant, Priestess Number 1, Aisa Himegami!" Animan introduced, resting his sword on his right shoulder.

"It's a pleasure to be here," Himegami bowed.

"So, Himegami, how does it feel to be remembered an made one of the most reoccurring characters in this entire story?" Animan asked.

"I'm a bit conflicted, honestly," the girl admitted, "Normally, this role is given to the girl with an impossible route that has no chance with the main protagonist."

"Hey, don't be so down about it. At least you get to show up more often," Animan encouraged.

"I think you should be more concerned with yourself, master," Himegami pointed out, "You have a horde of angry followers climbing up the temple, angered by your extended absence."

"Don't worry, I've got this," Animan replied, walking to the edge of the stairs leading to the temple.

As he stared at the horde quickly climbing up the stairs, Animan activated the true power of Mugen. The edgeless blade of the sword split in half and moved to either side of the sword's circular guard. From the guard erupted two blue laser blades running parallel to one another, extending the length of the sword to twice its original size. The guard itself ignited with the same light as the blades, projecting the kanji for "power" on its glass face. Pulling the sword back, the kanji changed to read "jail" and the lights became purple.

"Mugen Jail!" Animan yelled as he swung the blade at the horde, emitting a purple wave of energy.

As soon as the wave passed over the horde, every individual person was restricted with a set of purple energy chains. Pulling the blade back again, the kanji changed to read "storm" and the lights changed to a brilliant white.

"Mugen Cyclone!" the wielder yelled with a spin, producing a whirlwind that blew the horde off the hill.

Finally, the kanji changed to read "armor" and the lights became orange.

"Mugen Armor!"

With one final swing, a wave of orange energy passed over the flying horde, enveloping them in a protective glow as they fell to the bottom of the hill.

"Well, that takes care of that," Animan said, deactivating his sword.

"Please join us next time for the Kamijou sibling reconciliation in 'Truth is Stranger than Fiction'," Himegami said with a bow.

"Later, everyone!" Animan yelled with a wave.