Over a month later, but I'm still here! Sorry too keep you all waiting.
Because of the nature of this chapter, it was really difficult to put everything together in a way that feels natural. After all, not everyone has an older sibling that disappeared from their lives to work for a criminal underworld, and even fewer people are as forgiving as Touma Kamijou. You know the old saying, "Write what you know"? This was a case where I wasn't writing what I knew, so a lot thought had to be put into this chapter. There was also the distraction of "Torna~The Golden Country", but that's not important now. At least it's done now.
Before we get started, I would like all of you to look up "Elysium of the Blue Sky" from the Xenoblade Chronicles OST. This is part of a little experimental addition for this story, musical accompaniment. I've seen it done before, and I figured I'd test the waters a little bit with this story. If it works out and enough people like it, it might become a regular thing, so please, give it a shot and give me some feedback on how it works out. It won't be an overly common thing, just something for more emotional moments.
For now, let's get some reviews taken care off. Man, it's been a while since I did this.
Mercenory: Sorry to keep you waiting... again.
felixiglesias8: Next chapter is the offical start of the Angel Fall Arc, so please bare with me.
sdino95: I'm not stopping any time soon.
OnePunchPlayer: Sorry for the long wait again. At least it was shorter.
MrQuestionMark: Yeah, Xenoblade is a big time sink. Especially now with Torna~The Golden Country. I just can't put a Xenoblade game down. Well, the true reunion is this chapter, so strap in, get my super feelsy song recommendation ready, and prepare for an emotional roller coaster (probably).
icedshadows: Thanks! Also, lame pun is lame. XD
RyuAssassin: Will do! Not leaving any time soon!
SoulReaver267: I don't plan on abandoning this project any time soon. This is my passion project right now! Glad to see you like all the subtle changes to Touma and Mikoto's dynamic. Just wait until the Three Stories Arc.
RPGPersona: Glad you liked the chapter. I really wanted to capture the confusion of the situation in the restaurant, which is why I wrote it mostly from Shizuri's perspective. I always liked a plotline that jumps between different character's perspectives, but it annoys me when they have headers telling the reader whose perspective it is. I trust my readers to figure it out based on context clues and if feels much more natural. Also, the types of broth were less about preference and more because of my limited knowledge about food. The only vegetable broth I knew was Miso, which I knew was bean paste.
ahsoei: This chapter will be dedicated to Touma and Shizuri, and Angel Fall will mainly be shaken up by Shizuri's presence.
RedSS: Wow that is a lot of sins on my part. Jokes aside, I'm glad I managed to write a satisfying chapter. Hopefully, this next one will be just as enjoyable. I should note that Heaven Canceller has always been more involved than he lets on, so all those files aren't necessarily medical files.
Guest (1): You're welcome.
Guest (2+5): Glad you liked the chapter. It was an interesting theory to say the least. Too bad it had a few discrepancies that ruined it.
Guest (3): Sorry to keep you waiting!
Guest (4): You're welcome.
fencer29: Well, you know me. I've always loved that classic Index wackiness. To be fair, Heaven Canceller has always been more involved than he lets on. He's sort of a neutral party in everything. And it's not just medical records, it's everything. Angel Fall is still in play. It's actually the next arc planned, as you'll see in this chapter.
Xeno01: I get the feeling you've only seen the anime and never read a single light novel. You seem to have a bit of a misconception of Touma. I've been trying to emulate how Touma normally acts the entire story, the only real differences is how events play out with slightly difference character relationships. There are some really deep parts of Touma's character that are only visible in the inner monologues of the Light Novel and hidden even deeper in the finer details of the anime. I have been considering an AccelXSaten ship. I might do it once Accelerator and Touma properly reconcile.
mohamadstar94: Sorry to keep you waiting!
TeotakuFantasia: I hate abandoning projects, especially when they pick up so much steam. It's nice to know my story is in the 10% worth shattering illusions for. It's important to remember that Heaven Canceller is far more involved than he leads most people to believe. He has connections to Aleister, after all. Everything else will be answered in this chapter here.
Generation Zero: Glad you liked the chapter. The restaurant scene was the heavy hitting scene of the chapter, and where most of my focus in writing when. The second half was mainly to establish Touma and Mikoto's new dynamic since how she feels is out in the open now.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Oh, a light freakout would be putting mildly. I'd say it be a bit closer to existential crisis. You know, given the fact all her efforts have been for nothing.
Sergio644: You might be a bit disappointed, but maybe you won't. That's for you to decide.
Handsomistic1: Yeah, that scene always got a laugh out of me.
Kami (Guest): Sorry to keep you waiting!
swagmaster (Guest): Not planning on stopping.
Totsalu (Guest): The name was changed to Yuri since the original parody name "Yuriko" was feminine, so I altered it to be masculine. I plan to have Hamazura involved for sure.
mohamadstar94: Insert Ninjago "Wo-ho" clip here.
scarletrailgun (Guest): Here you go!
Now that that's out of the way, Disclaimer!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 39: Truth is Stranger than Fiction
Going through all of her brother's personal records was no small task. Not surprising, considering Shizuri had ten years' worth of potentially falsified data that she had to cross-reference. After getting through the first five years of records, it had gotten very late at night and she had still not found anything contradictory between Heaven Canceler's records and the ones she was given. At that point, she decided to just pack away the physical copy of the records and go through the rest of them at home. Said physical copy was thick enough to be a full book lasting over a hundred chapters while still receiving additions.
After several more hours of read, Shizuri still had yet to find any discrepancies between the stories she had been told about her brother and the truth. However, at around midnight, she finally found an event that was omitted from her own records. About a year ago, he had come in contact with Misaki Shokuhou, the fifth ranked Level 5, and had met up with her regularly since then. Those meetings eventually became extremely infrequent following an incident involving Mental Out that left Touma with brain damage and unable to create and retain memories of her.
This first discovery left Shizuri with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was furious that another spoiled, Tokiwodai princess of a Level 5 had been so close to her brother. Girls constantly approaching him was bad enough, but Tokiwodai girls were by far the worst kind, not to mention this specific girl caused him to be seriously injured and left with an irreversible condition. On the other hand, said irreversible condition left him unable to remember Shokuhou, so at least kept them separated from one another.
Regardless of what she thought about Touma meeting a second Tokiwodai Level 5, Shirzuri knew this confirmed that Academy City had been purposefully censoring and generally tampering with the reports she was promised regarding Touma's everyday life. The fact that the first event that was censored was clearly one she was going to disapprove of only stacked more evidence against the city.
Aside from the exclusion of Touma's previous and now infrequent interactions with Mental Out, everything else following the event seemed to check out. However, it was after she reached the reports regarding events from earlier that summer that Shizuri realize just how much she had been lied to. To her horror and rage, everything since just before the summer break had been tampered with. After saving a Judgement Officer and two other civilians from a Graviton Bombing, Touma had been recruited into Judgement and been heavily involved. He had fought a giant AIM Burst Monster, helped disband and arrest a whole Skill-Out faction, and was instrumental in the shutting down of multiple illegal experiments, including Project Level 6 Shift.
With his heavy involvement with law enforcement came increasingly frequent and severe injuries and visits to the hospital. Just recently, he had been let out after recovering from his scuffle with Accelerator. Not too long before then, he had been checked in to the hospital after having his right arm chopped clean off. However, it was his incident on July 28 that broke Shizuri's heart. On that day, Touma was checked into the hospital with total amnesia.
Due to some unknown circumstances, Touma had been admitted into the hospital with extensive brain damage. The damage wiped his episodic memory clean, leaving him unable to remember any event prior to waking up in the hospital. His memories of everyone he knew, his friends, his family, had been permanently and thoroughly erased.
As soon as Shizuri finished the most recent report, she let the floodgates open. For the first time in years, she allowed herself a moment of weakness and cried. Although the act of crying was easier to do with no one to see her, it did not make the weight of what she was feeling any easier to bare. After disappearing from her brother's life, Touma had faced more hardship than she ever could have imagined. For the sake of her brother, she gave up her morality, so Academy City would insure his safety, but the city didn't do a single thing. He always had it bad, but his inclusion in Judgement had only exposed him to more danger. It was only after he joined Judgement that the frequency and severity of these incidents increase. Academy City should have stopped him from joining Judgement in the first place to keep him safe.
"No. It's my fault," Shizuri whispered to herself, "If I had stayed with him, if I had protected him with my own two hands like I was supposed to, I could have done something. If I had been there, he would have been safe."
Reaching into her pocket, Shizuri pulled out the old photo of her and Touma from when they first arrived at Asunaro Park. Touma had such a bright and joyous smile on his face back then. Shizuri would have given anything to see that smile again. Holding the photo close to her chest, the fourth ranked Level 5 steeled her nerves and made a decision. Academy City failed to keep its end of the bargain, so now it was about time she broke her end.
The next day, Touma trudged into the Judgement Office with an exhausted look on his face. It was only noon and he had just got out of his remedial class, but it appeared he already had his day's worth of misfortune. His condition did not go unnoticed by the rest of the office's regular visitors, who quickly expressed their concern. The only person not present was Konori, who had gone out to run an errand not too long before hand.
"Geez, Touma. What happened to you?" Mikoto asked.
"It's nothing, really," Touma insisted, sitting at his desk, "I'm just being forced to pay the price for an Academy City rumor and conspiracy."
"Ooh, a new rumor! Please, do tell us more," Saten begged.
"Well, apparently, my recent activities this summer are causing a lot of unrest, especially with the higher ups," Touma explained, throwing Mikoto a subtle glance, "Including a rumor about a certain unknown Level 0 beating the most powerful Esper in a fight."
"Well, you have beaten Sissy multiple times before. Plus, your ability is the universal counter to all Esper abilities," Kuroko noted, "I honestly wouldn't put it past you to actually be able to do it."
"I still want another rematch!" Mikoto added.
"So, what are they making you do?" Uiharu asked.
"They're making me leave the city for a little bit, at least until everything settles down," Touma explained, taking out a beach resort brochure, "Miss Komoe arranged for me to go to this beach resort while I wait this out. She even went out of her way to get my parent to join me there."
"Well, isn't that sweet," Uiharu cheered, "A Kamijou family reunion at a beach resort. Looks like you lucked out for once."
"Yeah, lucked out," Touma said in a low voice, his eyes downcast, "A Kamijou family reunion, where my entire immediate family gathers together to enjoy each other's company."
Noticing Touma's suddenly depressed mood, the girls couldn't help but feel like they hit a nerve.
"Did I say something wrong?" Uiharu asked, "It wasn't about the luck remark, was it?"
"No, that's not it," Touma replied.
"Oh, I think I get it now," Mikoto realized, "It's about your missing sister, isn't it?"
"Oh no! I'm sorry," Uiharu apologized, "I forgot you were still looking for her."
"No, its fine," Touma insisted, sparring a glance at Mikoto, "I guess recent events have just got me thinking about her more."
Mikoto knew exactly what he was talking about. It was all because of the Level 6 Shift incident. While trying to help her and her own sister, Touma ended up coming face to face with his long-lost childhood friend, Yuri Suzushina, now known as Accelerator. A prodigy Esper at a young age, Yuri had disappeared from Touma's life to undergo special training. Unfortunately, that special training had twisted the supposedly sweet, harmless young boy into the most experienced killer in the whole city. After seeing his friend twisted in such a way a seeing Mikoto adopt a literal older sister role, it was no surprise that Touma was thinking more about his own sister.
Shizuri had disappeared from Touma's life in a similar way to Yuri. She was a prodigy Esper, having reached Level 3 while she was only in elementary school, and then suddenly disappeared with out a trace. Did she abandon Touma for special training? Did she become twisted in the same way as Yuri?
Thankfully, the socially inept Index found a way to lighten the mood using her usual, naïve, childish charms.
"Hey, Touma," Index cut in, "Can I come with you?"
"Sorry, I don't think that would be a good idea," Touma apologized halfheartedly.
"Why not?" Index whinned.
"Think about it for a second, would you?" Touma begged, "You're an illegal immigrant in Academy City with no official documentation. If I tried to take you out of the city, we'll just get stopped at the gate. Not to mention how troublesome it would be if I, a Judgement Officer, was caught doing something like smuggling an outsider."
"Actually, that's not entirely true," Kuroko cut in.
"Huh?"
"That's right, I was going through some files the other day, and I found something strange," Uiharu added, pulling up a webpage on her desktop, "Apparently, Index has a fully registered and legitimate resident's file on the database. It even has her photo and everything."
"Wait, seriously?!" Touma yelped, jumping over to Uiharu's desk.
Pulled up on Uiharu's monitor was, indeed, a full file on one Index Librium Prohibiturm. Everything seemed to be there, including her name, description, and a photo. Best part was the entire file looked completely genuine. There were no signs of it being a fabrication whatsoever. However, there was one little about the file that irked Touma.
"Why are you holding a leek in your photo?" Touma asked the young nun, "In fact, why do you have a photo at all? We've never taken you to get official registered."
"Well, there's a bit of a funny story behind that," Index explained with a nervous giggle, "A while back, Ruiko and I went grocery shopping and I was carrying one of the bags. On the way home, we got separated and I got lost. I eventually got hungry and ended up eating most of the bag before a main in a black suit and sunglasses offered to help me. He took me through a shortcut through a photo studio where I got a quick photo taken with the one thing I didn't eat before he led me back to Ruiko's dorm."
"You don't seriously expect us to believe that, do you?" Touma deadpanned.
"What?! It's true!" Index insisted.
"Actually, there is some truth to that," Saten cut in, "I took my eye off her for a second and she was gone. I looked frantically before I ended up back at the dorm and found her there munching on the leek."
"Wait, so you got lost, followed the directions of a stranger in black, took a random picture at his request, a picture mind you that is now a part of your official Academy City residence profile, and didn't find anything suspicious about it?" Kuroko inquired.
"Is that bad?" Index asked cluelessly.
Everyone just gave her a blank look.
"Okay," Touma sighed, pulling out his journal, "Next goal is to teach you how to properly deal with strangers. Going to have to write that down."
"Well, on the bright side, you should be able to get her out of the city with no problem now," Uiharu encouraged.
"I guess," Touma chuckled under his breath at the absurdity of the situation, "Alright Index, you win. I'll take you on the trip with me."
"Yay! I get to go to the beach!" Index cheered.
"You're all as lively as usual," Konori mused, entering the office, "What got you all excited?"
"Kamijou and Index are going to a beach resort paid by the city. The even get to meet with Kamijou's parents," Kuroko explained, "Honestly, I'm a bit jealous."
"Of who, exactly?" Saten asked with a smirk.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuroko replied.
"It's nothing to be jealous about," Touma sighed, "The city's just trying to kick me out for a little bit until all the commotion I've caused with Judgement work and the like blows over."
"Well, at least you get a free vacation out of it," Konori encouraged.
"Well, I better get back to work," Touma said, returning to his normal desk in the corner.
Soon enough, everyone else did the same thing, returning to either their desks or congregating at the center coffee table. Work at the Judgement office continued as per usual, a quite calm washing over the workspace. Everything was exactly as it should have been. At least, that's how it was until there was a knock on the door.
Not wanting to be a simple loiterer, Mikoto volunteered to open the door. She would soon realize her mistake as soon as she did so. Once she did, Mikoto found herself face-to-face with one of her least favorite people, the fourth ranked Level 5, Shizuri Mugino. Based on the expression on the older girl's face, she was not happy to see Mikoto either.
"Oh, it's you," Shizuri said with disgust in her voice, "Why am I not surprised."
Unlike her counterpart, Mikoto was very surprised by the Level 5's appearance. Why would the Meltdowner come to a Judgement Branch Office of all things? Based on what she saw in their battle, Mikoto would have expected the other Level 5 to just vaporize whatever problem she was faced with. Heck, she was probably the cause of a large portion of the unreported crimes in the city.
"Hello there, miss," Konori greeted, come up behind Mikoto, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Actual, yes," Shizuri replied in a friendly manner that Mikoto had not expected, "I'm here to file a missing person's report."
Seeing as the dangerous Level 5 was no longer focused on her, Mikoto used the opportunity to excuse herself and retreat to the coffee table with Saten and Index. As much as she wanted to get as far away from the Meltdowner as she could, the Railgun couldn't just leave all her friends alone with her Out of everyone there besides her, only a third of them had an Esper ability of Level 3 or higher, and only Touma had a feasible chance of taking on the experienced fighter. The risks and stakes were too high for her to just leave her friends, so Mikoto chose to stay close in case something went down.
"Do you have any information on this missing person?" Konori asked politely.
"Yes. I have this photo, but it's a couple of years old," Shizuri replied, holding out a small polaroid sheet, "It's of me and my little brother."
Peeking out from behind the couch, Mikoto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the conversation. Why in the world would the Meltdowner be reporting a missing person? Not to mention the fact that the photo she was using was several years old, suggesting that the person had been missing for a long time. And since when did the fourth ranked Level 5 have a little brother? Shizuri was one of the more secretive Level 5's, but knowledge like that would be pretty common, or at the very least be a harder to find rumor. Mikoto's confusion only grew when she saw Konori freeze up at the photo and call Touma over.
"Something the matter?" Touma asked, curious as to why he in specific was called in.
"You might want to take a look at this," Konori replied, averting her eyes as she handed the photo over to him.
Taking the photo, Touma took a quick glance at it before freezing up himself. His eyes then slowly moved away to photo the girl that owned it before he whispered out a single word.
"Sis?" he asked, barely audible to the rest of the office.
To Mikoto's complete surprise, Shizuri gave Touma a soft, genuine smile.
"Hey Touma," she greeted gently, "I see you've gotten taller."
"Eh?" the rest of the office's inhabitants cried, "EH?!"
"You're Kamijou's sister?!" Saten yelled.
"I can hardly believe it!" Uiharu screamed.
"I can't believe I made a fool of myself in front of such an important individual!" Kuroko cried.
"What do you mean, 'made a fool of' yourself?" Index asked.
Mikoto was the only one of the girls to not cry out in some sort of reflexive yell. For her part, she was completely speechless at the revelation. The fourth ranked Level 5 who tried to kill her not even a week ago was Touma's sister? The concept was too absurd to comprehend. How could someone like Touma, who chases after a happy ending for everyone, be related to a hardened assassin like Shizuri. Touma always described her as sweet and caring, if a little overprotective, but the Meltdowner was anything but those things. And why didn't she reveal herself yesterday at the restaurant? It just didn't make sense to her.
Unable to accept such a revelation so easily, Mikoto quickly jumped out of her seat and grabbed Touma's arm, tugging him towards the back of the room.
"Hey, Touma, mind if I have a word with you?" Mikoto asked.
"Huh? Why?" Touma replied, still shaken up by the recent revelation.
"Just come with me. It's important," Mikoto whispered before turning Shizuri and dragging Touma away, "I'm sorry, I just need to talk to him for a second."
Despite the somewhat miffed look she got from Shizuri, Mikoto dragged Touma to the farthest corner of the office. As soon as they were out of earshot, the two of them whispered amongst themselves as to keep the information between them.
"Touma, this is bad," Mikoto whisper.
"You're telling me," Touma agreed, "I just found out that my sister apparently flaunts her underwear to passersby in public."
"Seriously?! That's what you're concerned about?!" Mikoto quietly screamed.
"Wouldn't you be concerned if any of your 9969 sisters regularly showed people what was under their skirts?" Touma inquired.
"True, but that's not the problem here," Mikoto explained, "The night before you first met one of my sisters, I attacked on of the facilities that was in charge of Project Level 6 Shift. For extra security, they hired a Level 5 and her team to protect the facility. I barely got away alive."
"So, what?" Touma asked, still not following.
"That girl claiming to be your sister was that Level 5," Mikoto revealed, "She was dead set on killing me, blathering about proving she was the stronger one."
"What?" Touma asked, his face contorting in shock, "You mean to tell me that while you were running around like some sort of Mysterious Heroine X, my sister was trying to kill you?"
"That's why I'm telling you this. For all we know, she's just an imposter hired to kill you or something," Mikoto stressed, "I seriously don't trust her, and neither should you."
"Maybe so," Touma agreed, "but what choice do I have? This is the only lead on my sister that I've found since she disappeared ten years ago. This could be my only chance of finding her."
Looking at Touma's eyes, Mikoto couldn't help but notice them twitch ever so slightly. There was a sadness in then that she didn't often see from the misfortunate boy. No matter what life threw at him, he usually just took it in stride and faced it with exasperation at the very most. Bad luck never brought him down, but the possibility of losing his chance to find his sister did. It was a look that Mikoto felt didn't suit him.
"Alright, fine," Mikoto conceded, "But you better have tests done on her to make sure. I don't want you doing this halfway."
"Thanks, Mikoto," Touma cheered, grabbing both of her hands in graditude, "You're the best."
"Thank me after you prove she's the real deal," Mikoto complained, almost begrudgingly forcing Touma off her.
Having finished their talk, Touma and Mikoto rejoined the rest of the office and faced Shizuri.
"Okay then, miss," Touma greeted his supposed sister, "We're going to have to ask you to take a few tests before I can accept your claim to being my sister. The photo is a good start, but not enough."
"When you were three, a man stabbed you in the back, so mom and dad sent us to Academy City so you could escape the superstitions of bad luck back home," Shizuri replied flatly.
"…Okay. I admit, that's a good start, but I was talking more along the lines of a DNA test or something," Touma replied.
"It will get you to believe me, sure," Shizuri responded instantly with no resistance.
'Man she is confident,' everyone else in the office thought collectively.
"I'll contact your doctor, Kamijou," Uiharu said as she dialed on the phone.
An hour later, the group found themselves waiting in the office of one Heaven Canceller. After Uiharu called the doctor ahead of time with news of finding someone claiming to be Touma's sister, the frog faced doctor arranged for the pair to have a DNA test. Unknown to anyone other than Shizuri and the doctor himself, the older Level 5 was undeniably telling the truth. All the DNA test would do was provide the proof.
After arriving at the hospital, the long-separated sibling each provided a hair sample for the doctor to run his DNA tests. The group was then told to wait in the doctor's office until the tests were done. Thankfully with Academy City's advanced medical equipment, the DNA analysis didn't take more than half an hour to complete and Heaven Canceller quickly returned with the results.
"So, doctor," Touma asked, "What do the results say?"
"Well, unfortunately, our primary test proved to be tricky due to the data we had to work with and how short notice this test was," the doctor explained, "Since a DNA map from the parents is not required for any student to enroll in Academy City, we had not base DNA maps to compare the similarities of your genetic code."
"Rotten luck," Touma huffed under his breath.
"However, that's not to say we didn't find results," Heaven Canceller added, "Comparing both Kamijou and Mugino's DNA maps side-by-side, we found that the two of them share about 50% of the same nuclei DNA, putting them in the range of siblings of the same parents."
"But that could be a coincidence, right?" Mikoto asked desperately, earning a glare for Shizuri, "Human DNA does have 0.1% diversity."
"True, but that's not the case with mitochondria DNA," the doctor countered, "All mitochondria are inherited solely from the mother, and you two just so happen to have identical mitochondria DNA. Coupled with the fact that Mugino happens to be Shiina Kamijou's maiden name, I'd say you have a strong case."
"So that means…" Kuroko whispered.
"Shizuri Mugino is the long missing Shizuri Kamijou," Heaven Canceller confirmed.
"Congratulations Kamijou…s," Saten cheered.
"Isn't this great, Touma?" Index inquired.
Touma didn't respond. If he were being honest, he didn't know how he should feel. On one hand, he had finally found the sister he had been searching for over the last ten years. At long last, he had found his loving if a bit over protective older sister. He should have been happy for that even if he couldn't properly remember her.
However, the information Mikoto had given him put that into question. From what Mikoto had told him, Shizuri had become a very dangerous individual. She had become a much more powerful Esper, a Level 5 in fact, but she used that power to work as a hired gun, accepting jobs from the likes of the researchers behind Project Level 6 Shift. She even tried to kill Mikoto and was quite enthusiastic about it.
How did she get so strong? Why does she do such terrible things? How did she become so sadistic? All those questions cumulated into a single question. It was the question that everything about her disappearance went back to. Why did she leave him all by himself? The destress he felt over all of these questions was clearly visible on his face, prompting Heaven Canceller to usher the rest of the guests out of the room to give the siblings some time alone. Despite the girls' protests, especially those of Mikoto, the office was left empty, save for the two Kamijous.
The room was left quiet for a good minute, but to the brother and sister if felt like an eternity. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The two siblings sat in total silence, both unsure of what to say to the other. Eventually, Shizuri decided to break the tension and was the first to speak.
"I take it the Railgun told you about my profession?" Shizuri asked, addressing the elephant in the room.
"Just the part where you tired to kill her," Touma replied flatly, his eyes downcast.
"You must have a lot of questions."
"Just one really," Touma admitted, meeting his sister's gaze, "Why? Why did you do all this?"
"It's a long and complicated story," Shizuri answered.
"Well, I've got all day to hear it."
The younger brother focused squarely on the older sister, ready to hear every detail of her story. Even if she was some sort of hired assassin, Touma was going to hear her out. It wouldn't be right for him to dismiss her so quickly. She was family, after all.
Taking a pause to take a breath, Shizuri told Touma everything he needed to know.
"The day I left, a representative of Academy City's directing board approached me with an offer to give me special training in exchange for my services in a sort of checks and balances system in the city," Shizuri explained, "There are people in this city who would manipulate and exploit less fortunate citizens like you to gain power or achieve some other arbitrary goal. I agreed to this deal with the promise that you would be kept well protected and as far away from those dark forces as possible, so you could live a normal life like you always wanted."
"So why did you decide to come back all of a sudden?" Touma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, for one, you didn't recognize me back at the restaurant. It's not like I got plastic surgery or anything, so you not recognizing me tipped me off pretty easily," Shizuri replied, "There were also inconsistencies in the reports I had received on your recent activities, such as you being in Judgement and knowing the Railgun. Once I realized that the city hadn't been properly upholding their part of the deal, I figured I didn't have to keep mine. Besides, what were you expecting me to do knowing you had amnesia?"
"So, you know about that?" Touma asked sheepishly.
"The restaurant incident tipped me off. It also helps that I can get most information thanks to my connections in Academy City's Underworld," Shizuri explained, "Who else knows?"
"Pretty much everyone who was in the room besides the chief and Index," Touma answered, "I wanted took keep it a secret from as many people as possible to not make them worry. Having my journal and people who knew me helps, but it's still a struggle at times."
"That's what I was worried about," Shizuri sighed, "This is why I came back. I thought that I could continue to keep you safe from a distance but look at everything that had happened to you while I was gone, especially within the last few months since joining Judgement."
"What are you saying?" Touma asked, confused.
"I'm saying I want you to leave Judgement," Shizuri replied in a firm voice.
"What?!" Touma cried, "I can't leave Judgement!"
"This isn't your choice to make," Shizuri declared, "I'm your older sister, and it's my job to keep you safe. If you stay in Judgement, you'll only be put in more danger."
"Of course. it's my choice to make! It's something I'm deciding to do or not!" Touma yelled, standing up from his seat, "And from where I'm standing, you haven't been able to do anything to protect me for the ten years! You've been gone the entire time!"
"I left because it was all I could do to protect you!" the elder of the two retorted, getting out of her seat as well, "I've spent the last ten years working for Academy City's Underworld so you wouldn't have to face the suffering the corrupt powers of this city would unleash. Instead, you go diving head first into Judgement and directly challenge those powers every time they make something public!"
"That's why I have to stay in Judgement!" Touma screamed, "I can't just stand by and watch someone else suffer!"
That last scream actually managed to surprise Shizuri. She was left completely speechless at her brother's resolve. She had never seen Touma so determined to defy someone before, especially not her.
At this point, start playing "Elysium of the Blue Sky" from the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST.
The two siblings stood in silence for a moment before Touma dropped back down into his seat. After taking a quick breath, he spoke his reasons, his resolve, his role in all of this.
"All my life, I've faced so much suffering because of my rotten luck," Touma began, "Even after my amnesia, I knew I was in store for an endless string of bad luck."
"That's why I want you to leave Judgement," Shizuri cut in," You've suffered enough for one lifetime. You don't have to throw yourself into more suffering just for a volunteer job."
"That's the thing. Because I've suffered so much, I understand more than anyone what it feels like to suffer because of circumstances and realize just how much unnecessary suffering there is in the world. Be cause of that, I can't just stand by while someone suffers in front of me," Touma admitted, "Judgement helps me to reach as many people as I can and stop that suffering."
"Still, you don't have the power to help everyone," Shizuri argued, sitting down, "Even if you wanted to, there are some things you can't do anything about, especially as a Level 0. You may have your right hand, but that can only do so much."
"That's where your wrong," Touma countered, "In the short time I've been in Judgement, I've seen people do some amazing things, even if they are low level Espers. Uiharu, the girl with the flower headband, she's the best computer goalie in the entire city. Saten, the one with the single flower in her hair, she's a Level 0, but that made her immune to an Anti-Esper weapon and she saved everyone caught in it. Despite being lower leveled, the posses a power that even you lack."
"And that is?"
"Power to protect. Their will to protect others gives them the strength to overcome what would bring harm to those they wish to protect," Touma declared.
"I have you," Shizuri countered, "I've been doing whatever I could to protect you from the Underworld."
"Maybe, but you never did the actual protecting. You just trusted Academy City to keep their end of the bargain and do it for you," Touma pointed out, "I think it's at least part of why Mikoto managed to escape you even though she was exhausted that night. She had something she had to protect. It's something I wish you had. Mikoto told me about how you kept ranting on about how much power meant to you and it reminded me of the promise we made back then."
"You still remember that?" Shizuri asked, confused.
"My journal, remember?" Touma shrugged, "What was with that anyway? It was just a silly request made by a kid who didn't know better."
"Maybe, but it was all I had," Shizuri admitted, "I knew you would never approve of the things I did while working for the Underworld, but I wanted to give you something to be proud of me for. I just thought that if I ever saw you again, if I could just become the strongest like we promised, then maybe you would accept me as family again."
"Well, you're right about one thing. I don't approve of the things you've done working for the Underworld," Touma said, "However, I'm not going to hold it against you.
"What?" the elder sister asked, shocked by his response.
"I understand that you were only doing what you thought was right to keep me safe. I'm not different, really," Touma explained, "I've been lying to everyone I know about my memory lose since I woke up, all because I believe it to be the best way to avoid any suffering on their part."
"So, you won't leave Judgement, you're not going to hold anything against me, and you're willing to let me be a part of your life?" Shizuri asked.
"Of course," the younger brother replied, "You're my sister, after all, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you dictate my life choices."
"In that case, I'll just have to keep a closer eye on you," Shizuri concluded, "If you won't leave Judgement, I'll just have to be there to make sure you stay safe. That is, if you want me there."
"Of course I want you there, but you have to make a promise for me," Touma insisted.
"And that is?"
"That you stop trying to claim the power of the strongest," Touma requested, "I don't want you causing anymore suffering for others. I just want you to be someone who protects."
"That will be easier said than done," Shizuri admitted, "Academy City's Underworld is extremely uncompromising. You either die working for it or die trying to leave. And the methods to prevent suffering for other usually involve inflicting that suffering to the perpetrators before they get the chance to."
"Can you at least try?" Touma pled.
"It will be difficult, but I can at least try to make incapacitate the default and kill the extreme," Shizuri replied.
"That's all I'm asking for," Touma sighed, "You know, I'm visiting mom and dad at a beach resort outside of the city by order of the city. Do you want to come along? I think they would be really happy to see you gain."
"I'd like that," Shizuri smiled.
"It's good to have you back, sis," Touma returned the smile.
Reaching into her pocket, Shizuri pulled out the polaroid photo of her and Touma in front of the Asunaro Park, the same photo she used to prove who she was, and handed to her brother.
"I think it's time you put this back where it belonged," she said.
Taking the photo, Touma pulled out his journal and started flipping through the pages. He stopped on the profile page labeled "Shizuri Kamijou" and returned the photo to its rightful place on the page. All of a suddenly, his journal felt heavier.
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"Wo-ho! Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Animan Temple! I'm you're host, Animan von Elysium X!" the host cried as he burst out of the temple doors.
"Hello again, everyone," Priestess Number 1 , Aisa Himegami greeted as she calmly walked through the temple doors behind her master.
"Some chapter, huh?" Animan asked, "Family reunions always give you the feels, especially when accompanied with music!"
"Sorry to interrupt you, master, but angry followers are racing up the temple stair again," Himegami observed.
"Fine, I'll handle it," the host signed as he pulled his sword off his back and slammed it into the ground, "Mugen Shield!"
The entire temple was encased in a dome made of yellow, hexagonal energy panels, keeping the impatient follower out.
"There, that should hold them," Animan said triumphantly.
"For about five minutes," Himegami deadpanned.
"Well, looks like we're out of time!" the master said hastily, "See you all in the next chapter, Freaky Beach Day!"
"See you all soon," Himegami bowed.