Hello internet, I'm back with another chapter. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. The last chapter seems to have been a bit divisive, mainly in regards to the fights. Since I don't want to have to address this more than once, I'm going to address this here.

First is the matter of Tsuchimikado vs Shizuri. I'm going to try to make this as clear as possible so I don't see this complaint again. She was holding back! The fight was in no way an accurate interpretation of who would win, and that was the intention. I have no doubt that a seasoned killer like Shizuri could take down someone like Tsuchimikado, but she wasn't fighting at her best. She gave a warning shot for crying out loud! If she was out to kill him, that warning shot would have been the time to do it, but she didn't because she promised Touma she would hold back on the killing. Speaking of which, the fight itself was a set up for the future! Anyone who has seen or read any story involving a criminal underworld of any kind knows that mercy is a surefire way to get killed, and this fight was setting up for a later conflict revolving around that. But no, I had to give this much away because some of you couldn't read the context. Sorry if this is coming off as rude, but the writing is on the walls, people. It's not that hard to pick up.

Second is the matter of Tsuchimikado vs Touma. To those complaints, all I have to says is, "Did you even read the last 41 chapters?" In no way have I made Touma some sort of combat beast. In terms of combat capabilities, this Touma is only a step above Canon!Touma, and only because ODD gives him more options for improvised attacks. The only reason ODD is a thing in the first place is so I can reinvent fight scenes and have Touma fighting Powered Suits be plausable. Comparing Touma and Tsuchimikado, their skills are worlds apart, much like in canon. Touma is self-taught in the use of a weapon his only had for 1 month, 2 months tops, while Tsuchimikado has been properly trained and specializes in hand-to-hand since his nature as a Esper/Magician Hybrid makes using combat magic impractical. Seriously, there was no other way for the fight to turn out.

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. But seriously, what were you all expecting? I like wish fulfillment as much as the next guy, but only when its appropriate. I'm not going to go out of my way to create an awesome or cathartic moment if doing so conflicts with the story I'm trying to write. Sorry if that disappoints you, but that's my stance on the matter. I have my pride as a writer and I'm not going to jeopardize it just to satisfy certain people's preferences.

But enough about the negative stuff. Let's just get to the reviews for now.

Healthcare: I hope you liked that bit of lore. Just a bit of an expansion. Character interactions is the name of the with this story, so Itsuwa is sure to get plenty more once she shows up.

SolanaLeonhart: Glad you liked the arc. The bit of lore was something I had planned for a long time. I thought to myself, "I have a family consisting of a father that accidentally performs magic, a daughter that's a Level 5, and a son with a miracle power beyond conventional understanding. There has to be something I can do with that." And thus, the Kamijou Clan backstory was created. Next arc is Silent Party, so get ready for it.

RPGPersona: True, anyone would have a hard time thinking straight with everything happening like it was. Well, in this continuity, Touma already knew the reason for the good luck charms. It was discussed back in the Level Upper Arc when he was trying to reassure Saten about her feeling powerless. The charms were also discussed in the chapter before. Nice to see someone understands the reasoning for Tsuchimikado and Shizuri's fight, same with Touma's fight. I have plans for the expansion on the Kamijou family, mostly to better justify Touma's involvement in everything. Given the what all the arcs in Old Testament amounted to, I'd say it's a worthwhile expansion.

zherzfeld1219: Great minds think alike, I see.

Kim454: Glad to see you so excited for the Silent Party Arc. That will actually start in the next chapter, but it will start soon. I just need to rewatch the arc for research.

X the Reaper: Less giving the rest of the family more relevance, more better justifying Touma's involvement. The idea is that the family has long since forgotten their role in the power struggle between magic and science, but they still unknowingly carry out their duty to maintain balance through this ultimate power that they were entrusted to guard.

escleto278: Glad you liked that expanded lore. Nice to see so much excitement for it.

TimeDiver: Shizuri's mind has been wiped. Or at the very least, it was made hazy. The rest of the Kamijou family was unaware of the whole story, only knowing that their son got hurt and their house blew up.

OnePunchPlayer: People really should give Touma more credit. He's not as dumb as a lot of people like to make him out to be.

Bornkiller9: Happy to have you're support.

100PorCientoKino: That's not a bad idea. A Gemstone with the ability to transfer his pain to others would make for an interesting antagonist.

felixiglesias8: I'll just leave that to your imagination. Rest assured, there was blushing, embarrassment, and lots of electricity.

CChuTrain: Thank you so much for the support. Though, I have to ask, just how far behind are you in FGO? Loads of other players, including myself, have already beaten the first story campaign.

Berix: Yeah, you gotta love those paradoxes. Mikoto is the front runner, that's for sure.

Guest (1): The reason for the way the fight turned out actually has some deeper plot reasons. You can read all about them in the note at the top.

Guest (2): Sorry to keep you waiting.

TheTimeWalker94: Well, that is the whole point of adding the lore.

RedSS: Sorry about that. Guess with everything happen IRL, I wasn't able to set everything up as well as I could have. Sorry for all the spelling mistakes, I have no idea how I keep missing those.

Kami (Guest): You have a really inflated view of Touma if you honestly think that he had any chance of winning that fight. Reasons are in the top note.

X-KT (Guest): My reasons are explained clearly in the top note. It's called planning ahead and setting up for the future.

Chroma (Guest): Take a look at the top note, because everything is explained clearly there. Heck, everything was explained pretty clearly in the story itself.

Well, now that that's out of the way, you know the drill.

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

Chapter 43: Welcome Home

Thanks to another miraculously fast recovery, the misfortunate high school boy known as Touma Kamijou was once again out of the hospital. To celebrate the occasion, Touma's friends decided to take him out to lunch at their usual diner, Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant. Mikoto offered to pay for everything, partly because it was a special occasion for their group, partly because it would give her points in improving Touma's overall opinion of her.

The group of friends was having an overall normal and enjoyable time. Index was eating an ungodly amount of food, clearly taking full advantage of the fact that this was a special occasion and Mikoto was paying for everything. Touma was struggling to keep Index in check, not wanting to abuse Mikoto's kindness. The rest of the girls simply laughed at the scene in front of them, with Uiharu distracted by her own oversized parfait to pay any attention.

After finally managing to convince Index not to order, Touma noticed he had received an email from his older sister on his phone. This earned the attention of the group's resident rumor hound, who immediately inquired on the email's significance.

"So, Kamijou, what's the email all about?" Saten asked, hungry for all the details on her friend's more than eventful life.

"It's just Shizuri," Touma explained as he read the email, "She's been doing some house hunting ever since we reunited. According to this, she's final found an apartment that she thinks will suit both of our needs."

"So, you two are moving in together?" Mikoto asked, uncertainty evident in her voice.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we're family, right? It's only natural," Touma admitted.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Uiharu chimed in, "It be a great way for the two of you to get readjusted into each other's lives. So, what's the place like?"

"That's the thing, I don't know," Touma explained, "I haven't been out to see a single apartment the entire time she's been house hunting. Shizuri said she wanted to keep the apartment a surprise. She actual texted me to meet at my dorm so we can get my stuff moved over."

"You sure you're okay with this?" Mikoto asked, "I mean, your sister is having you move into an apartment with no info on it."

"Come on, Mikoto, I know you two don't exactly see eye-to-eye, but I trust her judgement. She's my sister, after all," Touma insisted, "Plus, she's spent the last decade living like a high-class lady. I'm sure she knows how to judge a decent apartment. She got some of the best tutors in addition to her Esper training. I think she also mentioned having a butler growing up at one point."

"Geez, you weren't kidding when you said she lived the high life," Saten chuckled.

"Well, I better get going," Touma said as he exited the booth, "Trust me when I say you don't want to get her made. She's usually pretty calm, but she's got one hell of a temper is you annoy her."

'Don't remind me,' Mikoto thought to herself, thinking back to that night in the research facility.

"Okay then, Kamijou. See you around," Kuroko said with a wave."

"Send us the address when learn it! We'll throw you a house warming at your place once you're settled in," Saten cheered.

"Saten, you can't just go to someone's house uninvited like that!" Uiharu reprimanded.

"I'll be sure to tell you guys as soon as I get the chance," Touma laughed with a wave, "See ya."

When Touma arrived at his dorm, he was more than surprised by the sight he was greeted will. Shizuri stood outside of his door, proudly marveling at the sizable stack of boxes, each one labeled with some generic names like "kitchen", "clothes", "school", "bedding", and "personal items". The only box not in the pile was the one at Shizuri's feet, whose label Touma was unable to read from behind her foot. When she noticed her brother approach in her peripheral vision, she gave him a small smile and a wave.

"There you are, Touma," Shizuri greeted, "I was wondering when you would show up."

"Hey, sis," Touma replied, "Um, what is all this?"

"The stuff from your dorm," his sister answered, not skipping a beat.

"And how did you get it all in there in the first place to fill these boxes?" Touma asked again.

"You're neighbor Tsuchimikado gave me the spare key," the Level 5 answered again, "I ran into him when I arrived to wait for you and he happily gave me it when I told him what I was doing. From there, I made a quick call and got some guys to pack your things for you."

"Damn that Tsuchimikado," Touma growled under his breath, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted him with that!"

"Interesting kid, that one. Somehow, I feel like I've met him before," Shizuri mused.

"So, what now?" Touma asked, eyeing the pile of boxes outside his former dorm room.

"Well, you don't have to worry about the logistics of the move. I've already contacted your school and gave them the details of your new living arrangements," Shizuri explained, "As for the boxes themselves, I've called some movers to take them to the new apartment. They should be arriving soon."

As if on cue, a car horn could be head just outside of the dorm building. Looking over the balcony, Touma could see a rather sizable moving van, as well as a rather sleek commercial van, parked in front of building. Three men hoped out of the moving van and quickly made their way to the floor where Touma's former dorm room was located. Without needing a single instruction, the men each grabbed one of the stacked boxes and loaded them on to the moving van, running back and forth until all the boxes were loaded. The only box left untouched was the box at Shizuri's feet.

Once the boxes were loaded, the three men made one last trip to the dorm room and gave a quick bow to Shizuri, who proceeded to hand each of them a money card worth about a thousand yen as a tip. Having received their tips, the three men immediately piled into their moving van and drove off to the new apartment. All of this happened within the span of five minutes.

"What just happened?" Touma asked, stunned at what he just witnessed.

"Best movers in Academy City," Shizuri said proudly, "You'd be surprised at how many mundane connects you get in addition to the underground ones. Plus, their fees are a drop in the bucket compared to a Level 5 stipend."

"I think you might want to reconsider that claim," Touma argued, pointing towards the box that was left behind.

"Oh no, I wanted them to leave this one," Shizuri replied, picking up the box.

"And why is that?"

"Because I wanted to ask you about these magazines I found under your bed," the Level 5 answered, pulling out a magazine from the box with a young maid on the cover.

"I swear that is not mine!" Touma yelled in a panic, "Tsuchimikado must have planted that on me! Little-sister-type-maids are his thing!"

"And the magazines with older girls clad in bikinis?" Shizuri inquired, pulling out another magazine from the box.

"A gift from my friend Aogami," Touma admitted, although not the entire truth.

'Only half of those are from Aogami. The rest I bought myself,' Touma thought to himself.

"Is that so?" Shizuri asked skeptically, putting the magazines back in the box, "I guess you'll just have to give them their supply back later once we're all moved in. Come on, we can't keep the van waiting for too long."

'That was way too close!' Touma thought to himself as he followed his sister into the van.

The van itself was rather nice, complete with leather seats, cupholders, and an onboard video phone. It was as if Touma was riding in some sort of luxury vehicle. He could hardly believe that Shizuri went this far just for the two of them moving in together.

"I can't believe you're doing all this for a move," Touma admitted as the van drove down the street, "All of this must have cost a fortune."

"Don't worry about that. Honestly, all of this and the apartment itself is just a drop in the bucket compared to the funds I get as a Level 5," Shizuri insisted.

"This is just from research stipends, right?" Touma asked nervously, "You're not using any money you got from your… shadier jobs?"

"Of course," Shizuri insisted, "I'm doing all of this for your sake. I wouldn't want to devalue this stuff in your eyes by paying for it with money from questionable sources. What kind of sister would I be if I did that?"

"And for that, I am grateful," Touma said with a slight bow, "So, what's the new apartment like?"

"Well, it's still in District 7, so attending school shouldn't be an issue for you," Shizuri explained, "It's also pretty big, more than enough space for the two of use, and definitely bigger than your old dorm room. I'll save the rest for when we get there."

"You are really set on keeping this place a surprise, huh?" Touma deadpanned.

"Sir, madam, we have arrived," The driver interrupted as he brought the van to a halt.

"Well, it's not going be a surprise for much longer," Shizuri joked as the driver opened the door for the passengers.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Touma was greeted with the sight of a massive skyscraper. While the building was nowhere near the tallest structure in Academy City, it was still at least twenty stories tall. A bit of a ways down the street, Touma could see the moving van from earlier parked in front of the building with all of the boxes no longer inside. To him, this was a good sign since it meant these movers didn't just leave everything in front of the apartment like what happened when Haruue first moved into Uiharu's dorm.

Following his sister inside, the young high school boy rode the elevator at the back of the lobby up to the tenth floor. After exiting the elevator, the siblings walked down the hall until they reached a door with Touma's stuff and the three movers standing just outside it. After Shizuri opened the door, the movers quickly moved the boxes into the apartment, leaving them in a neat pile in the main room. Once everything was put down, the movers gave Shizuri one last bow before wordlessly leaving the premise.

"Well, that takes care of that. All that's left is to unpack everything," Shizuri mused as she walked through the front door, "Come on, Touma."

Despite the rather simple instruction, Touma suddenly found himself with cold feet. It was as if the real gravity of what was happening was only just hitting him in that moment. He was moving in with his older sister. For the first time in a decade, he was going to be living under the same roof as the person who promised to look after him all those years ago.

However, some part of him told him the whole situation was wrong. Shizuri was his sister, but because of his amnesia, he barely knew the first thing about her. Sure, he had his journal, but the information he had on her was technically ten years outdated. So much had changed in time they had been separated. Could he really trust his journal to give him an idea of how Shizuri might act now after everything she has done? Could he really trust this girl he called his sister to actually be suitably considered family?

"Are you okay, Touma?" Shizuri asked, noticing that Touma had yet to follow her in.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Touma replied, snapping out of his thoughts, "Guess I'm just nervous, that's all."

"…It's because of the work I do, isn't it?" Shizuri deduced, her eyes downcast, "You're having second thoughts about living with me after everything I've done."

"…Yeah, I guess you can say that," Touma admitted shamefully.

"I realize a lot has changed, and chances are things will never go back to how they used to be," Shizuri said, "But I want you to know that me caring about you has never changed. Everything I did, everything I still do, is because I wanted to protect you and give you as normal a life as possible. I want you to be able to feel safe here, safe enough for you to call this place home. For you to call this place with me home. So, can you please give me that chance?"

For a moment, all Touma could do was stare at his sister standing in the doorway. The way she spoke felt so genuine, he couldn't help but believe every word she said. No one, no matter how good of a liar they were, could say something so heartfelt and not mean it. His gaze then dropped to the bottom of the door frame which marked the boarder between the apartment and the hallway. Taking a deep breath, Touma took a somewhat tentative step inside, closing the door behind him.

"I'm home," he said, almost timidly.

"Welcome home," Shizuri returned with a smile.

With the Kamijou siblings officially home, Shizuri proceeded to give Touma the grand tour. The first stop was the main room, consisting of a living space about twice the size of Touma's old dorm, complete with previously prepared furniture like a short table, cushiness, a couch, a television, and a dining set. The back wall of the main room was a glass sliding door, leading on to a balcony with a breathtaking view of District 7, with even the Garden of Learning being visible from that vantage point. Partially sectioned off from the main room was the peninsula style kitchen, fully stocked with a refrigerator, stove and over, sink, dishwasher, and cabinets. Nearest to the front door was the bathroom, complete with everything one would need to get ready for the day. The next door was Shizuri's room, which was kept private, and the last door was Touma's room.

For the most part, the room was barren, only having a desk and an empty bed. However, it was only slightly smaller than Touma's old dorm, so it would have plenty of room for all of his personal items. The room also had a built-in closet and a window with a similar view as the balcony, bringing in plenty of natural light. Out of the entire apartment, it was the only room not yet moved into.

"I have to admit, this place is great," Touma said, having taken in everything about the apartment, "This must have cost you a fortune."

"Not really," Shizuri admitted, "This is just a drop in the bucket for me. It might have put a dent in my savings if I got something a bit more extravagant, but I didn't want to overwhelm you."

"And for that, I am grateful," Touma replied.

"So, Touma," Shizuri asked, "Ready to start unpacking?"

It took some time, but eventually, all off Touma's stuff had been unpacked. The closet was fully stocked with all of his clothes, the desk was prepared with all of his books and his laptop, his television was placed on the side of the room, and the bed was set with his futon. Looking around, Touma couldn't help but feel like his new room didn't deviate too much from his old dorm. Actually, the layout was nearly identical, just with a proper desk in place of the old balcony. It was actually a bit reassuring.

Noticing the time, Touma decided it was about time to start preparing dinner, so he checked to fridge to see what they had in stock. Unsurprisingly, since the siblings had only just moved in, there wasn't much food in the fridge, meaning Touma would need to go grocery shopping. Thankfully, Shizuri really did find the perfect location, as the building was only a few blocks away from a grocery store. With Shizuri insisting on coming along, the siblings made their way to the store and gathered all the necessities. With Shizuri's massive Level 5 funds, paying for everything was a cinch, something Touma was ever grateful for. However, Touma was no one to just freeload off of others, especially his own sister, so he had special dinner plans to make it up to her.

Once the siblings returned home, Touma quickly started preparing dinner. He took extra care to make sure that Shizuri was nowhere near the kitchen, which his sister wholeheartedly agreed with. If there was one thing that stayed the same over the last decade besides her love for her brother, it was the fact that Shizuri could not be trusted with a kitchen.

With Shizuri a safe distance away from the kitchen, Touma got started with preparing the evening meal by taking out all the necessary ingredients. Among the ingredients included were salmon filets, shimeji mushrooms, onions, carrots, butter, parsley, a bouillon cube, sake, and some salt and pepper. First, he sprinkled a little bit of sake and salt on both sides of two salmon filets to draw out the moisture, letting them sit so the salt and sake could do its work.

Meanwhile, he julienned an onion and a carrot, cutting them into thin strips. Afterwards, he broke the mushrooms into small, individual pieces, and then diced the parsley. After the moisture had been drawn out of the salmon, Touma wiped it clean with a paper towel and then seasoned it with some salt and pepper. With the salmon seasoned, he laid out two sheets of aluminum foil, and stacked on top of each of them carrots and onion, crushed bouillon cube, salmon, and butter, in that order.

With everything on the aluminum foil, Touma carefully wrapped the food in the foil before placing both packets into a pan. He then put the pan over a low flame on the stove covered it, letting the food cook for about twenty minutes. In the meantime, he took out some mayonnaise and wasabi, filling two saucers with them to make so wasabi mayo. Once the salmon was done cooking, Touma placed each packet onto a plate and opened it, revealing the cooked salmon inside. Finally, he topped off the dish by sprinkling the diced parsley on top.

With the meal prepared, Touma set both plates on the dinner table, along with two sets of chopsticks and saucers of wasabi mayo. When Shizuri sat at the table, all she could do was stare at the dish before her. It was a dish she had not seen in a long time, but one she recognized none the less.

"Salmon and Mushroom Butter Foil Wrap?" Shizuri asked, stunned.

"It's your favorite, isn't it?" Touma replied, "I figured I would make if you, just like back then."

"You remembered?"

"Well, I wrote in my journal at one point," Touma laughed, "I've learned a thing or two since then, even wrote some notes on it, so I'd imagine it's even better now."

"Well, let's see," Shizuri smiled as she clapped her hands together, "Thank you for the food."

"Thank you for the food," Touma followed.

Taking a hold of her chopsticks, Shizuri pulled a piece of salmon off her meal and dipped in the wasabi mayo. She then brought the bit of food to her mouth and was instantly greeted with a blast of flavor and nostalgia. She had always enjoyed the taste of salmon. Anyone who knew of her obsession with salmon bentos could vouch for that. But the taste of Touma's homemade cooking blew all of them out of the water.

"As amazing as ever, Touma," Shizuri said with a smile, "actually, even better than before."

"Glad you think so," Touma replied, taking a bit of his own meal.

The rest of the meal was spent in relative bliss, with the two siblings simply enjoying each other's company, something they've lacked over the last decade. Once the meal was finished, Shizuri volunteered to do the dishes, allowing Touma a chance to take a shower before bed. As he washed off the day's grime, Touma couldn't help but think how much more enjoyable life was going to be now that Shizuri was back in his life. Daily living was going to be much less of a struggle now that she was there to help with the budget and housework, for starter, and knowing that someone would be waiting for him at home at the end of the day meant that there would always be someone to help ease his suffering from his constant bad luck. Truly, everything about the new situation just felt right.

Once he finished with his shower, Touma existed the bathroom to see Shizuri on the couch with her nose deep in a book, as if to give him some reassurance that he was going to get plenty of privacy. Thankful for the gesture, he quickly made his way to his room and got ready for bed, having remedial classes in the morning. As he laid in bed, Touma couldn't help but smile at his new life style with his sister. As he fell asleep, he couldn't help but feel like maybe he wasn't all that misfortunate.

Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple

"Hey-o, everybody!" Animan yelled as he burst out of the temple door, "It's me, your host, Animan von Elysium X! Along with my assistant, Priestess Number 1: Aisa Himegami!"

"Greeting again, everyone," the priestess said with a bow as she calmly followed the temple's master.

"I'd say that was a rather nice day in the life of Touma Kamijou, wouldn't you say?" Animan asked, leaning on Mugen for support.

"Indeed. It very much felt like something from that magic anime with the recognizable characters cooking and eating together without any conflict," Himegami agreed.

"Still, it would have been nice to see some action this time around," Animan whined as he started swinging the activated Mugen wildly, "I'm starving for some high energy, Esper fights!"

"I'm sure you'll get plenty of those soon, Master," the priestess said reassuringly, casually dodging the wild swings, "Especially with the arc that's coming up."

"Indeed!" the master of the temple yelled as he planted his laser sword into the ground, "Next up is the start of the Silent Party Arc with the next chapter, 'Lost Child'! See you all then!"

"See you all soon," Himegami added with a bow.