Hey internet! Long time no see! Man, this chapter took much longer to write than expected. Stretched out longer than expected to. Literally, not even halfway through the original episode and it had already matched and surpassed the lengths of most of the previous chapters. Couple that with me getting a bit sick during that time and needing time off from writing and this chapter came out much latter than expected. Well, nothing I can do about it now. All that matters is the chapter is here.
For now, let's take a look at the reviews you all left so we can get your questions answered.
Healthcare: Thanks for the tips. Writing fight scenes has never been my forte and text as a medium doesn't exactly lend itself will to long, complex, action scenes, so I usually keep them short and concise. I'll try to improve the next time action is brought up, which my be a little while.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Thanks so much! Not a lot to work with in the last chapter, but I made do with what I could and added a bit of flare where it could fit.
BlueJack22: Everyone needs a break every once and a while. Aliester knows all in Academy City. No one's secrets are safe in that city. No one messes with a Kamijou and gets away with it.
Savior555: HeRe iS mOrE!
SolanaLeonhart: Like I've said many times before, a personal goal of mine within this story is to make the original story a bit more centralized, hitting all the original story beats in new and refreshing ways. Controversial might be the wrong term. More like maligned. It's not that the arc is talked about a lot, it's that all the talk about it is about how bad the arc was.
OnePunchPlayer: Poor, unassuming fools, those scientists. I'm pretty sure the Invisible Thing has some sort of blunt force behind it. When it attacked Aureolus in the anime, there were blood splatters when it bit down, so it could be possible.
mohamadstar94: You don't have to keep me updated on that kind of news. The internet blew up when that news first hit, so I was sure to learn about it on my own.
fencer29: Hey, one might be a pervert and the other by be a backstabber, but they're both genuinely friendly to people they care about. That is slander right there, good sir.
RedSS: You've become a really hard to please customer as of late, you know that? Well, can't blame anyone but myself for that considering the last time you've had a purely positive reaction was back during the Sisters Arc, an arc that was already well praised and reinvented with my own writing skills while everything else as of late have been generally less well received arcs, with Silent Party being the absolute worst among them. Still, not giving up on this. Too far in to back out anyway.
Berix: Thanks for pointing out the typos. No matter what I do, some of them always elude me.
shiroryuu012: You really think Heaven Canceller got nerfed in this arc? Well, good sir, allow me to counter that assessment with an argument built from real world science which you will see later in the chapter.
dhart868: That is some heavy spoilers for later down the line, so I unfortunately cannot reveal anything here. If you really want to know, please PM me for a private conversation.
GhostlyStranger: Honestly, I don't think it was meant to be a surprise considering the arc's placement right after the Sisters Arc. Doesn't help that in the Railgun S second OP, Febri is depicted with strings attached to her, a literal puppet. Pretty sure you where supposed to suspect it the whole time.
vampireharry the 2: Sorry to keep you waiting.
Generation Zero: Like I said, I had plans for changes to come in effect early on, they just don't don't have any lasting impacts until recently. I'm not sure I want Touma to get so strong that he can take on the FIVE_OVER Series. After all, that's Hamazura's specialty, so I don't want to take to much away from him when he hasn't even made an appearance yet. Aliester has always been one to play the long game and not make unnecessary moves. Trust me when I say I have big plans for the near future, especially during the Daihasei. That when things are really going to start shaking up.
A certain guest (Guest): Yeah, Saten always did feel underutilized and/or misused past the Level Upper Arc, so I'm hoping to do something somewhat interesting with her in the future.
Handsomistic1: References and 4th wall breaks. They are among my top 10 forms of comedy, along side puns and bodily humor.
mohamadstar94: Big spoiler there, friend. PM me if you really want to know what I have planned for her.
RPGPersona: Well, As Touma pointed out later on, obvious Esper abilities like Technopaths wouldn't work since they still need the tech to be in functioning condition. Diffusion Ghost was an unknown ability at that time, so they had no clue who the incidents could have happened. Like Tsuchimikado and Aogami said, a bathhouse is a social experience. You have to bring a plus one. That wasn't a joke either, from what I've learned about Japanese culture in my own time, it really is a supposed to be social experience where you interact with others on an even playing field. In Mikoto's defense, on in in her party had an ability to check the inside of the suit for a pilot. All she knew was that there was no power running through it. Honestly, I don't think the Febri thing was ever meant to be a twist. The second OP for Railgun S clearly depicts her as a puppet with strings. I think you'll find the changes with Shizuri added to be quite interesting.
Rajarshi Sarkar: I don't do irregular uploads because I want to. I have a life outside of this site and have a hard time meeting a deadline, so I just post whenever I can get a chapter written.
Skywarp (Guest): That is a massive spoiler there.
Okay! Now that that's been taken care you, you all know the drill by now.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 47: Into the Darkness
Touma and Mikoto could barely believe what they were hearing. According to Heaven Canceller, the best doctor in all of Academy City and possibly the world, the little girl knows as Febri was an artificial construct. She was made by a couple of people in lab coats in a laboratory somewhere. She was not human. The whole concept sounded so crazy, it just didn't seem like it could be real.
"Come on, quick pulling our legs, Doc," Touma said through a humorless laugh.
"Honestly I wish I was. It's easy to see why you wouldn't believe me, most wouldn't. Common sense would normally negate the possibility. But then again, we humans have never been very good at knowing where the limits of common sense are. It's how we progress. We take something that seems impossible by common sense and make it possible," the doctor explained, "Of course, you two of all people should understand such a situation."
Looking down at the floor, the two students couldn't deny the doctor's claims. Mikoto MIsaka, the third ranked Level 5, had twenty thousand clones of her produced and ten thousand thirty-one of them killed in an experiment. That same experiment was put to a stop by Touma Kamijou, the Imagine Breaker, after stumbling upon the secret and stepping in for the sake of his oldest friend, his newest friend, the girl who confessed to him, and himself. They knew better than most how far some people would go in pursuit of something. The researchers of Academy City conducted numerous inhumane experiments to produce a Level 6. Yuri Suzushina embraced his title as Accelerator, the Strongest Esper, to gain the power to scare people away from pursuing him to take it. Shizrui Mugino Kamijou gave up her normal life in a bid to give her little brother one that he was denied because of his luck and reputation. With the right motivation, there were no limits to common sense and what people would do.
"I started my investigation by analyzing the proteins of which Febri's body was composed," Heaven Canceller explained, "It wasn't long before I realized that they were not proteins that occur in nature. For her part though, it seems she is not aware that she's not just an ordinary person wandering through the city. Of course, you can't tell just by looking at her. Her body functions very similarly to the way anyone else's would, but there is one problem."
"And that would be?" Touma asked, already not liking where the conversation was going.
"Every time her body produces new cells to replace the old ones, it involuntarily produces a certain amount of toxin at the same time as well," the frog-faced doctor revealed, taking a seat on a hospital bench.
"Toxin?" Mikoto asked, utterly shocked.
"If left alone, they will accumulate in her body, causing her internal organs to shut down, killing her," the doctor concluded with a solemn look in his eyes.
"That can't be right, she's doing fine now," Mikoto denied.
"That's because of her candy," the doctor rebutted, "A component within them neutralizes the toxin. It's no exaggeration to say that its those suckers are keeping her alive right now."
"Without the lollipops, she dies," Mikoto summarized grimly, "Is that what your trying to tell us?"
"I'm telling you what I know," Heaven Canceller clarified, "Unfortunately, I can't fill in the details for you. This could be a mistake made in a lab or an intentional failsafe implanted in her design. Either way, if you want to find out how to keep her body functioning as it should, the best idea would be to track down the people who created her in the first place."
"But who is that? Who are the people who created Febri, and for what reason?" Mikoto growled, "Are the people who run this city starting another sick experiment?!"
"I'm not sure if this will be of any help, but a number of years ago, I hear rumors of a group that was looking into scientifically recreating human life," the doctor confessed, "Unfortunately, the rumors evaporated, and I can't say for certain what happened next."
"So, she's a product of that experiment," Touma deduced.
"At the time, experiments of that nature were the province of the city's underworld," the frog-faced doctor continued, "You of all people should understand this concept very well, Kamijou."
Neither student could deny the doctor's claim. Touma's own sister now lived a double life, trying to live in the light along side her brother while working in the darkness that she dived head first into for that same brother's sake. While working in that darkness, she nearly took Mikoto's life while the Railgun was trying to undermine Project Level 6 Shift. Having to face such forces head on was not an appealing prospect.
"I assume you want to save the girl, but if you do, you had better be prepared to face the darkness at the heart of this city," Heaven Canceller advised as he took his leave, "Tell me, is that something you think you're ready for."
Mikoto had no response. After the experience she had fighting for her life against ITEM, she wasn't sure if she was willing to face something like that again. However, Touma responded immediately, almost naively so.
"Of course I'll dive into the darkness," Touma replied firmly, "Shizuri has been living in that underworld for the last decade. She may have been twisted in some ways, but she's still the same sister I've always known. If she can walk through those shadows, then so can I!"
Neither Mikoto nor the doctor could believe how genuine Touma sounded about his reply. There was not hesitation, no second guessing, just un unyielding will fighting against everything that stood between him and his goal. Much like the people who he had faced in the past, Touma Kamijou was not the kind of person to just let something stop him from reaching his goal. He always moved forward, facing down anything and everything in his way with steely eyes, a silver tongue, and a clinched right fist. All that mattered to Touma was that a little girl's life was in danger and he was in some position to help.
Upon hearing Touma's response, the frog-faced doctor couldn't help but smile as in continued to walk away. At times, Touma's courage and determination was misguided, idiotic even. But at the same time, it was admirable, something that everyone can learn from. If only that same courage and determination didn't always land him in the hospital.
"Why do you always have to go and act cool like that?" Mikoto asked in exasperation once the doctor had left.
"Who said I was trying to act cool? I'm just being honest," Touma replied, sounding somehow offended.
"Still, do you even know where to start? We have no leads whatsoever on who created Febri," the Railgun pointed out.
"I wouldn't say that," Touma countered, "Remember how we were both attacked by Powered Suits with no pilots or power supplies? How did your fight end?"
"Well, Febri ran into the middle of the fight to retrieve her Gekota which she dropped. When the suit charged at me when I was trying to get her out of the line of fire, it just suddenly stopped. Why do you ask?"
"I didn't think much of it at the time, but I saw that guy with the glasses that insulted Kongou the other day at the Academic Reach Assembly the other day," Touma confessed, "He was on the phone and standing by the Security Robots that attacked Febri just before we found her. Those Security Robots were just like the Powered Suits that attacked us: no power source and no one operating them. Now that we know that he's been searching for Febri, I think he and the malfunctioning robots might be connected. If he is connected, then it would make sense as to why the Powered Suit that attacked you stopped when Febri was a risk."
"But how are we going to track him? Do you even know his name?" Mikoto inquired.
"I don't, but someone I do know might," Touma said vaguely, gesturing for Mikoto to follow him back into Febri's room.
Upon entering the room, the Level 5 and the Level 0 were greeted by the sight of a perfectly happy and healthy Febri playing with her Gekota finger puppet. The middle school aged girls of the group were peacefully watching the young girl play and even Shizuri seemed to be getting along with Febri well enough. When the group noticed Touma and Mikoto return, the two elder students informed everyone that there was nothing to worry about and that Febri could be checked out. Upon hearing this, the likes of Uiharu and Saten discussed having Anti-Skill patrol around Saten's dorm to better protect the little girl in the event of another attack. Meanwhile Touma asked his sister to meet with him and Mikoto outside of the room, claiming to have something important to discuss. While Shizuri was skeptical at first, she obliged and followed the two younger students outside.
"So, what is this about exactly?" Shizuri asked, "This better not be about asking me to approve of a relationship between the two of you."
"It's not like that! Also, what is your problem with me?!" Mikoto cried in exasperation.
"Oh damn, where do I even start?" Shizuri grimaced.
"Could you two cut it out for a moment, please," Touma begged, "Listen Sis, yesterday, Mikoto and I were both attacked by rouge Powered Suits. No pilot, no power source. They're just like the suits that have been attacking you on the bust jobs you've been getting."
"What about it?" Shizuri inquired, narrowing her eyes.
"I believe that the person that attacked us and sending you on these bust jobs are the same, or at the very least connected," Touma confessed, "I need you to tell us what you know about the client whose been giving you these jobs."
"Even if I was comfortable telling you that kind of information, I can't," the Meltdowner sighed, "We work through an intermediary for client and worker security. Everything about the client is kept hidden from me."
"Rotten luck," Touma sighed, "Well, that hit a dead end quickly."
"Why did you want to know this information anyway?" Shizuri asked, clearly suspicious, "You're not trying to get involved in anything relating to Academy City's underworld and/or overly dangerous now, are you?"
"What? Of course not! It's just for a Judgement investigation," Touma quickly replied, "Besides, when have I ever done something like that?"
"Jumped in front of a graviton bomb, fought an AIM Burst, help take down a mad scientist with a jury-rigged hoverboard when you've never surfed before in your life, fought the city's strongest Esper to stop an inhumane experiment killing off a couple thousand clones of this little princess," Shizuri listed off, "Want me to keep going?"
"In my defense for the hoverboard, I had used a surfing simulator at a carnival I went to with Mikoto a few days prior," Touma defended weakly.
Shizuri only intensified her glare. At which point, Touma quickly got on his hands and knees, begging his sister for forgiveness.
"Well, I guess there's no point in trying to keep you uninvolved. You are in Judgement," Shizuri sighed, "Just promise me you won't go in over your head."
"I can't make any promises with my luck, but I'll do what I can to not get into too much trouble," Touma laughed stiffly, getting off the ground.
"Honestly, that the most I can hope for with you," Shizuri sighed, patting her brother on the head, an act that was a little awkward considering he was now five centimeters taller than her.
Now reassured that her brother would at least try to stay out of trouble, the fourth ranked Level 5 took her leave from the hospital, much to Touma's surprise.
"You're leaving already?" the unfortunate high school boy asked.
"I can see you have a lot on your plate right now," Shizuri responed, "I'll just stay out of your hair for now. If I'm not dragged out on to another job, I'll see you at home later."
"See you then, I guess," Touma said, somewhat disheartened.
"Oh, and something else before I go," Shizuri added, "Don't try anything with my brother, princess. You wouldn't be the first girl I had to chase away."
"Seriously?! You ignore me for the entire conversation and that's when I become relevant?!" Mikoto cried in frustration.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'wouldn't be the first girl' you 'had to chase away'? Is that why girls kept avoiding me in elementary school?!" Touma yelled in outcry, "I thought girls were just naturally put off by my rotten luck for all these years!"
Hearing the two student's outbursts, Shizuri couldn't help but giggle to herself as she walked away. Her brother had a tendency to get himself in a lot of trouble, but she trusted that he would be fine. After all, he managed to handle himself well enough for the last decade without her, hospital trips and amnesia aside. Now she was back in his life and could do what she could to protect him. Touma was her gleaming light in the darkness. She would do whatever it took to keep him shining. After all, this wouldn't be the first time she's done a little digging into what her clients were doing.
"I really, REALLY, don't like her," Mikoto huffed once Shizuri was out of sight.
"Trust me, I realize that the feeling is mutual," Touma sighed, "Sorry for making you sit through that. I thought we could have got some sort of lead, but it just came to a dead end."
"Don't worry about it," Mikoto insisted, "Let's just try to figure out our next move from here."
As the group left the hospital with Febri in tow, they discussed breakfast plans for the day. However, Touma and Mikoto remained silent, being much more focused on the matter of the mysterious group that manufactured the young girl they were taking care of. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by Kuroko, who instantly called them out on it.
"Alright, spit it out you two," Kuroko demanded.
"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked, feigning innocence.
"You two have been acting strange ever since you spoke with the doctor," Kuroko pointed out, "Not only that, the two of you had a private conversation with Shizuri immediately afterwards. Something is clearly bothering you two."
"Come on, don't be ridiculous," Touma denied, waving off the topic.
Kuroko attempted to push the subject further but got distracted by the sound of a kitten meowing. Looking down, the conversing students was a small, black kitten standing at their feet, one that Touma and Mikoto recognized very well. Looking over towards the hospital, the pair also spotted a familiar figure with bandages over her eyes and a pair of goggles on her head hiding behind a tree. Recognizing the kitten as a messenger of sorts, the two eldest students quickly made excuses to return to the hospital.
"Oh, I just remembered I forget to ask the doctor something," Mikoto blurt out, picking the kitten up from the ground, "You guys go one ahead, I'll catch up later."
"I'll go with you," Touma offered, "I actually need to check up with the doctor to make sure I don't owe him too much on medical bills."
"What are those two hiding now," Kuroko sighed, watching her seniors run back to the hospital.
"Long time no see," Touma greeted as he and Mikoto approached the Sister, whom now sat at bench at the hospital's park "It's been a while."
"Are you really okay to be out and about?" Mikoto asked in concern, handing her sister the kitten.
"I got permission from the doctor, so it shouldn't be a problem, Misaka says providing explanation," the bandaged girl said in her usual, robotic manner, "Thank you for retrieving Miko for me, Misaka says gratefully as she retrieves her kitten."
"So, you finally decided on a dignified name for him, huh?" Touma mused.
"Yes, his name is Miko, named for big sister, Misaka declares proudly as she presents the boy with her well cared for pet," the clone said, holding the kitten lovingly in her arms.
"Is that so? Nice to officially meet you, Miko," the high school boy greeted with a smile, "You and Mikoto picked a great name for him, Misaka."
"When picking names, the rest of the Misaka Network also added suggests such as Mato, named after a pumpkin. I decided to disregard those choices as a way to display my own individuality, Misaka explains, mildly surprised by the fact that the boy referred to big sister as 'Mikoto' and Misaka as 'MIsaka,' as opposed to 'Misaka's Sister' like he has in the past," Misaka 10032 said, "Will you tell Misaka why this change in addressing Misaka was enacted? Asks Misaka, grilling you the boy for information."
"Well, I've known Zapper here for a while now," Touma explained, "I figured that just using 'Misaka' and 'Misaka's Sister' would get really confusing considering there are now…"
Touma took a moment to do the math in his head.
"…9970 of you in total, so I switched to calling your big sister by her first name since she's the only one that has one."
"To make in fair, I also started calling this idiot by his first name," Mikoto added, "Of course, we still throw nicknames at each other for fun."
"I see," the Sister replied, "Basically, rather than taking the time to visit your hospitalized younger sister, big sister decided to instead grow closer to the boy that save her and her sisters collective 9970 lives. At the same time, you also decided to wait all night with the boy to see the results of that little girl's treatment. It appears that big sister cares far more about boys and unrelated little girls than she does for her own flesh and blood, Misaka notes with a pouty look and a dejected slump of her shoulders."
"Well…," Touma trailed awkwardly, "That certainly wasn't the turn I was expecting this conversation to go."
"Hey, you stop that right now," Mikoto demanded, "I've just been busy recently, all right. It wasn't like I wanted to favor Febri or this idiot over you. Besides, how do you even know about Febri?"
"If you will allow me to continue, Misaka sighs, exasperated by her big sister's antics. Late last night, I spoke with the girl known as Febri. During our conversation, I learned that she too has a big sister."
"Seriously?" Touma said in awe.
'Does this mean we have two artificially created little girls running around in the city?' the lone boy thought to himself.
"That is not all," the Sister continued, "See, Misaka pauses for effect, I sensed that all the knowledge she possesses adheres to a specific pattern, one embedded at the most basic level."
"What does that mean?" Mikoto asked, not completely following on what her sister was saying.
"It is something Misaka has experienced, similar to the early stages of the Testament Learning Process, Misaka reports, observing a comparison. In Misaka's opinion, it is not unlikely that she received her knowledge through the use of Testament," the Sister explained, "In fact, considering all the similarities in the underlying pattern, it is highly possible that the Testament Program developed for the girl was created by the same individual who developed Misaka's program, says Misaka, expressing her conjecture."
Upon hearing this, Mikoto's brain instantly went into overdrive. She knew very well who her sister was referring to. If Misaka 10032 was correct, then one Shinobu Nunotaba was responsible for Febri's current mental abilities. The high school genius hadn't been seen by Mikoto since she first learned about Project Level 6 Shift, and Touma had not seen her since he investigated her on the same project with very limited results.
"She was nice," Misaka 10032 mused, "That other girl. She showed Misaka what milk tea tasted like. If it were possible, I would like to meet her again to express gratitude. But that might never happen, says Misaka, resigned."
"Who are you talking about?" Touma asked, not entirely sure about what the sisters were discussing.
"Shinobu Nunotaba," Mikoto answered, her eyes downcast, "She was responsible for developing my sisters' minds during Project Level 6 Shift."
"So that's how she was connected," Touma mused.
"You know her?" the Railgun asked, clearly surprised.
"Kind of. I investigated her as a lead after Tsuchimikado told me he spotted you talking to her not too far away from my old dorm building," Touma admitted, "She didn't take to kindly to this and attacked me twice: once by trying to chop my head with a bag and again with a kick to my side. Thankfully, she telegraphs her attack a lot, so I managed to defend myself."
"You too, huh?" Mikoto sighed, rubbing the spot where she herself was kicked.
"Well, I must be going, Misaka says, getting up out of her seat," the Sister said, "I have another check-up scheduled with the doctor soon, so I will take my leave. It was a pleasure to speak to the two of you again, Misaka says, bowing in gratitude."
"No problem," Touma insisted with a smile.
"Yeah, you actually helped us a lot," Mikoto added, "I'll be sure to visit you again when I get the chance."
Nodding in reply, the Sister made her way back into the hospital, leaving the two students alone in the park with their thoughts.
Leaving the hospital grounds, the Level 5 and the Level 0 wandered the streets of Academy City, lost in thought. They were silent for the most part, each of them wanting to digest everything they learned so far. Eventually, Touma, in his usual straightforwardness, dropped the question that would set off a powder keg of doubt.
"So, what do you think about all this?" Touma asked, wanting to clear the air of all the tension.
"I'm not sure, honestly," Mikoto sighed, "We just managed to take care of the Sisters, and now we have this whole other problem with Febri apparently being artificial too. Not only that, but it appears that Shinobu Nunotaba might be involved as well."
"You think she is?" Touma inquired.
"I'm not sure," Mikoto admitted, "When I last saw her, she was just as determined to stop Project Level 6 Shift as you and I were, believing the Sisters to be even more human than herself in some respects. I find it hard to believe that she would willing get involved in another project that created artificial human life and regarded those lives as things instead of people."
"Then let's focus on what we do know for now," Touma suggested, "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem like much. We have a strong case for the people who are after Febri being the same people responsible to the recent robot attacks, but we can't confirm that without knowing their identities. Shizuri has been attacked by the same kinds of Powered Suits that we've been attacked by while on bust jobs, but given the fact she works through an intermediary and her feelings about me getting involved with the Academy City underworld, I'm not going to be able to get any information out of her as to who these people might be."
"Kongou also mentioned that the group we're dealing with was upset that they were unable to retrieve Febri, implying that they had lost her at some point," Mikoto pointed out, "This means that Febri got away somehow."
"That, or the group has a mole among them that helped her escape," the Level 0 argued.
"What are you getting at?" the Level 5 asked in response.
"You said it yourself, Nunotaba wouldn't agree with such a project after what happened with Project Level 6 Shift. It's just a hypothesis, but she could have been forced to work on the project and is now trying to undermine it from the inside."
"Either way, the best way we have of learning more would be to ask these people directly," Mikoto concluded, "Only problem is we don't know who these people could be. The most we know is that they're affiliated with Academy City's underworld.
"If that's the case, I can't drag the others into this," Touma added.
"Why are you acting like you're the only one that's getting involved in this?" the Railgun glared, "I'm just as involved in this as you are now. You can't make me stand still this time."
"But I'm the only one that agreed to carry the burden," the Imagine Breaker countered, "I said I was willing to trek through the darkness of this city if it meant protecting someone. You made no such declaration, nor are you obligated to. Like the doctor said, are you ready to face darkness at the heart of this city?"
For a moment, Mikoto was at a lose for words. If she were being honest, she wasn't entirely sure if she could face Academy City's underworld again. The last time she did, she nearly lost her life to two ruthless killers, and one of them happened to be Touma's older sister. Even though she wanted to be able to help Febri, Mikoto was unsure if she had the courage to step up to the plate again. Even when she planned on dying at the hands of Accelerator to stop Project Level 6 Shift, she lacked the proper courage to do so, wasting time on a bridge, crying her eyes out for some hero to come to her rescue.
Really, that was one of Mikoto's biggest weaknesses, her lack of courage. People saw her as the Third Ranked Level 5, the strongest Electromaster. With titles like that, her friends and innocents looked up to her for encouragement during the tough times. In actuality, her heart was a weak as anyone else's. She freezes up when faced with someone clearly stronger than her like with Accelerator. She hesitated when deciding to end her life for the sake of 9969 others. She couldn't even muster the courage to tell a boy she liked her true feelings without some sort of "now or never" scenario. With such a weak heart, could she really face the darkness at the heart of the city?
"How do you do it?" Mikoto asked in a near whisper, "How do you always find the courage to stand up for what you believe in?"
"Me?" Touma asked, pointing to himself.
Mikoto only nodded in reply.
"Honestly, I don't think I'm all that courageous," Touma sighed, taking a seat of a flight of outdoor stairs, "I guess I just can't let a goal go once I've set my sights on it. I see someone in need, and I do whatever I can, however I can, to see that they get the help they need."
Touma paused for a moment, lost in thought.
"When it comes down to it, I just can't leave people alone to suffer," Touma concluded, "I think of all the smiles that I need to protect, and they keep me going."
"A happy ending where everyone walks away smiling, right?" Mikoto asked, taking a seat next to her crush, "That's what you always aim for."
"Yeah," Touma replied with a smile, "That's why I don't want you to get involved if you don't think you're able to handle it. I don't want you to have to sacrifice your own smile for someone else's, especially after everything I did to give you the chance to smile after the Sisters incident."
"You're sweet, you know that?" Mikoto said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "But you're also the biggest idiot I've ever known."
"What did I do this time?" the boy sighed, having no clue what the girl was calling him an idiot for.
"Your reason for wanting to get involved is the same as mine. I don't want you sacrificing your smile just to protect someone else's either," Mikoto explained, determination evident in her voice, "That's why I've decided to help. You're happy when other people are happy, but you always suffer on the road to help others. That's why I'm getting involved too, so you don't have to carry this burden all by yourself. I'll watch your back and you'll watch mine. If we do that, we can get through this without sacrificing anything."
"Are you sure?" Touma inquired, silently hoping he could convince her otherwise.
"Definitely," Mikoto nodded, "You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll walk beside you then entire way through the darkness of this city."
Touma took a moment to take everything as Mikoto made her declaration. There was a fire in her eyes that burned with determination. It was quite obvious that she meant every word she had just said, a rare occurrence considering her status as a bonified tsundere. It was clear that wavering from this decision was the last thing she was going to do. Smiling at the girl, Touma placed his hand over the one on his shoulder and gripped it tight.
"Alright then," Touma nodded in reply, "We'll do this together."
As per usual, Touma failed to see the subtext of the actions he had taken. Also as per usual, Mikoto saw nothing but the subtext of the pair's positions and quickly started to get embarrassed. Even if she had come to terms with her feelings for the high school boy, being able to deal with them was still a challenge at times, especially when Touma blindly put the two of them in compromising situations that could easily be mistake for as couple's interactions without proper context.
Mikoto's cheeks took on a slightly pink tint and she could feel her face warming up. She found it increase more difficult to look Touma in the eye as he gripped the hand she placed on his shoulder. Thankfully, before Mikoto could really start thinking too hard about the situation, she received a phone call that broke her from her thoughts and back to reality. Taking her hand back to check her phone, the Railgun saw that it was Kongou.
"Hello?" Mikoto greeted, answering the phone, "Hey Kongou, what's going on?"
"What's going on? I've been on pins and needles ever since I left you all yesterday," Kongou replied, concern evident in her voice, "I call the hospital, but they said she had been discharged."
"Oh! Sorry about that," Mikoto apologized, "Yeah, she's fine now. By the time we left, she had even gotten her appetite back, so there should be no cause for concern. She was seen by Touma's regular doctor, who is a real miracle worker. Touma's actually here with me right now so you can ask him yourself. I'll put you on speaker."
Pulling the cell phone away from her face, Mikoto switched it to speaker mode and held it between her and Touma, allowing them to both hear and speak to Kongou on the other end of the line.
"Hello? Kamijou, are you there? Is what Misaka said true?" Kongou asked.
"I'm here," Touma answered, "Yeah, the doctor I normally see saw Febri and she's as good as new now. I really couldn't recommend him enough."
Technically, Touma and Mikoto weren't lying. Heaven Canceller was a miracle worker with the highest recommendations and had seen Febri. They never said that his treatment as the direct cause of her improved health.
"That's wonderful news! I'll be sure to pass that on to Awatsuki and Wannai," Kongou cheered.
"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it," Touma encouraged.
"You know, they were really glad to be of help the other day," Kongou admitted, "They said they were lucky to find Kamijou just as he got the call about what happened to Febri so they could make sure he was informed about that group out to get her."
"I will admit, that was a lucky break," Touma agreed, "The three of you found our two groups just in time and make sure we all knew about the danger Febri was in. We really are grateful you told us."
"Think nothing of it," the Level 4 said in a surprisingly not haughty manner, "Wannai and Awatsuki told me the other day that true friends are there for you during the bad times, as well as the good. That's what caring about someone means. I believe they're right to think so. I know I would have hated to be left out of the loop when there was something I could have done. Friendship is a truly wonderful gift, isn't it?"
Upon hearing Kongou's words, the Level 5 and Level 0 couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt about their decision to leave everyone else out of the loop regarding Febri's position. The friendships they made with the likes of Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, and Index have been some of the most precious things they have. When Touma lost his memories, they were there to help ease the burden of having to start over. When they first met Index while she was on the run, they helped Touma take care of her both during and after the time she was pursued. When Touma was recruited to infiltrate Miswa Prep School, they provided support that guided Touma through the figurative dungeon. When Therestina Kihara Lifeline had powerful Espers like Mikoto and Kuroko under her thumb, it was the Level 0 that saved them so they could survive long enough for Touma to arrive and lend his aid. Time and time again, these friends the Railgun and Imagine Breaker shared have been of great help.
And what do the Level 5 and Level 0 do? They continue to keep them out of the loop if things appear to get hairy and the rest of their friends don't know. After discovering Project Level 6 Shift, Mikoto kept to herself as to not worry her friends, further isolating herself as she learned more about the project and faced greater threats. It took Touma forcing his way in for her to accept any help from anyone. Meanwhile, the friends they sought to not worry only worried more because of how secluded and secretive the two of them were being. When Touma first learned about how much danger Index was really in, he attempted to handle the situation by himself, only letting the girls help after he was careless enough to get caught sneaking Index away. Even then, he continued to withhold information from them until he was interrogated.
Was it really right to leave them out of the loop? Was it right to betray their trust and not tell them when something was happening? Were Touma and Mikoto really protecting their friends from danger by keeping these things a secret, or were they only hurting their friends themselves? These were the questions that passed through the pairs minds as they spoke with Kongou on the phone.
"Yeah, you're right," Touma finally answered for the pair.
"Glad to know you agree," Kongou cheered triumphantly.
"Well, we better get going," Mikoto said, a hit of melancholy in her voice, "We'll talk to you later, Kongou."
Hanging up the phone, Touma and Mikoto sat in silence on the stairs until Kuroko showed up, strangely not acting suspicious of the fact that the pair was all by themselves. She merely asked if Mikoto was ready to go home, leaving Touma all by himself to return to his own home.
As he made his way home, Touma couldn't help but think about what Kongou had said on the phone. Thinking back to the things he wrote down in her journal, he always had a history of helping people in need, even before he joined Judgement. When face with someone else's problem, he always made it his mission to take on the burden himself and ease their pain. It was a fundamental part of who Touma Kamijou was that was not affected by a lack of memories.
Even if he now regularly worked collaboratively with others to help people, he would always do what he could to keep people uninvolved if he could help it. In the case of Judgement work, other people usually were aware of the problems before he was, so he had no choice but to let them help. But in private affairs like the Sisters incident, he would keep secrets, only letting people know what they needed to so they would give him the information he needed.
Some people would argue that this methodology was morally questionable at best, morally wrong at worst. He essentially exploited the good will of his friends and allies where were willing to help but continued to shut them out of the actual conflict, making them nothing more than tools for Touma to reach a certain end. Like Kongou said, friends are hurt when they are left out of the loop. If he really wanted to not leave anyone to suffer, was this really the best way to go about it?
When Touma arrived home, he was given a warm welcome by his sister, who had been home since leaving the hospital. She sat in the living room with a laptop on the short table and had a small earpiece attached to her right ear. Upon seeing her brother return home, Shizuri quickly closed her laptop and removed her earpiece to greet him.
"I'm home," Touma called out as he walked in.
"Welcome home," Shizuri greeted, "You're certainly home early. I thought you would have had more Judgement work to worry about."
"Just taking a bit of a break," Touma replied, stepping into the kitchen, "I'm planning on making so tea to help calm my nerves a bit. You want me to get you anything?"
"Just give me whatever you're having," the Level 5 answered, moving her laptop off to the side and out of mind.
After a few minutes, Touma returned to the main living space with two cups of green tea, one for Shizuri and one for himself. Handing his sister her cup, Touma sat down on the couch next to her, silently taking a sip of his own drink. When he did, Shizuri couldn't help but notice how distant Touma seemed. It was as if something was bothering him clouding his mind and making his judgement fuzzy. Just as any caring older sister worth her salt, the elder Kamijou took it upon herself to investigate Touma's predicament.
"Something bothering you?" Shizuri inquired, "You seem distracted."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Touma put his cup of tea down on the short table. For a moment, he avoided eye contact, as if contemplating about how to respond.
"Can I ask you something?" Touma finally replied, "When you started working in Academy City's underworld, did you ever think to drag anyone in with you when needed help with something?"
"Why do you want to know that?" Shizuri asked in response, not entirely comfortable with where the conversation was going.
"Humor me."
Putting down her own cup of tea, Shizuri crouched down in her seat, supporting her chin on hands while her elbows rested on her knees.
"I can't say I have," Shizuri admitted truthfully, "I've never been one to ask for help on jobs and the like. It's a massive blow to my pride as a Level 5 to need help dealing with threats that should be beneath me. Besides, there's no reason to drag someone else into a problem if it has nothing to do with them."
"But what about people who leapt into the darkness of their own accord?" Touma asked, "Surely you've made some sort of friends over the last couple of years. At least some of them had to have wanted to help you at some point."
The image of fellow ITEM members Kinuhata, Takitsubo, and Frenda flashed through Shizuri's mind as Touma asked his question.
"Well, it's true that I have coworkers that help on jobs. I'd even be willing to call them friends," Shizuri admitted, "Ultimately, it was their choice to get involved in the underworld, just like it was with me. I never bothered to try to stop them. If they thought they could handle themselves, then that's all that was needed."
"Is that so?" Touma mused, his eyes downcast on the short table.
Noticing her brother's eyes drop, Shizuri reached out a hand and playfully tousled his spikey hair. Snapping out of his trace, Touma sat up straight and lightly swatted his sister's hand away, clearly not amused by her messing with his unique style. Now sure she had his attention, the elder Kamijou placed a reassuring hand on her brother's shoulder and flashed him a warm smile.
"Listen. Whatever you're dealing with, I'm sure it will turn out alright," she said soothingly, "While I might not be the biggest fan of your choice of friends, I can see that they are reliable people. If you really think they should know about whatever your dealing with, you should tell them. Let them know what your up against and let them decide whether they want to get involved. Ultimately, it's up to them to decide. I'm here too if you need me."
Despite himself, Touma couldn't help but crake a smile at his sister's words. It was clear that they held truth to them. Walking into the darkness was a choice. If they really were willing to do so and thought they were ready, they would agree to help. If not, then they would stay out of the fight with no shame at all. All he could really do was hope they made the right choice. Not just for the sake of Febri, Mikoto, and himself, but for themselves as well.
"Yeah, you're right, Sis," Touma agreed, "Thanks. I needed that."
"Glad to hear it," Shizuri replied, tousling her brother's hair again, much to his annoyance.
"Quit it!" Touma complained, swatting Shizuri's hand off his head again, "Where did this hair tousling come from, anyway? You never did this when I was a kid!"
"What can I say? I have a whole decade of doting I need to catch up on," Shizuri giggled.
"Whatever. I need to make a call," Touma said in a huff, heading for his room, but stopping just before opening the door, "If you want… we can visit Asunaro Park some time. I think Miss Shigenomori would be happy to see you after all these years. We can go once I have all this sorted out."
"… I'd like that," Shizuri replied warmly.
Receiving his answers, Touma retreated to the security of his room. Once inside, he pulled out his cell phone and immediately dialed up Mikoto. While waiting for her to pick up, the high school boy dug into his desk draws before finding a peculiar little good luck charm. It was the four leafed clover he had received during the early stages of his investigation of Project Level 6 Shift, now enclosed and protected in a handcrafted plastic pendant. His first big break through in the Sister's incident came just after he received the lucky charm, so maybe keeping it on him in the protective case will help.
Soon after digging up the pendant, Mikoto finally picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she said on the other end of the line.
"Hey Mikoto. It's Touma," the Level 0 replied, slipping the pendant around his neck and tucking it under his shirt, "Listen, I've been giving it a lot of thought and…"
"You think we should tell the others?"
"… You too, huh?" Touma chuckled.
"Seems so," Mikoto mused, "How soon can you get to Saten's dorm?"
As soon as everyone had gathered at Saten's dorm, Touma and Mikoto told them everything regarding Febri's situation while the little girl was taking a nap. They told their friends of her origins, the biological failsafe, and the scope of the threat that they faced. They of course omitted all details relating to Shizuri's own involvement in the Underworld, feeling that it would not be right to expose her like that. Naturally, the likes of Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, and Index were more than a little put off by the revelation.
"That's just awful!" Index cried.
"Imagine if your life depended on eating a lollipop," Uiharu mused sadly.
"Whoever made her in the first place, is it possible that they created that dependence intentionally?" Kuroko inquired.
"Most likely," Mikoto replied, "Based on what we know, it's a failsafe to either make sure that Febri doesn't stray too far away from her creators or to keep their research from falling into the hands of other parties."
"They're beyond Anti-Skill's control?" Saten asked in disbelief, "Organizations like that really exist."
"Yes," Touma nodded, knowing all too well that this was the truth, "They're out there, and they can be dangerous."
"Do you have any idea who it could be?" Kuroko inquired.
"It's possible," Mikoto admitted, "I got into it this one time where I got into it with some people who I think the Underworld. And they were extremely dangerous."
"We knew you would want to help, but we wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into before you made a decision," Touma added, "You don't have to help us if you don't think you can take the risks. There's no shame in saying no. Don't put yourself out if you don't think you can handle it. We'd rather take the brunt of the burden ourselves while you're safe on the sidelines than have you take a burden you can't hold."
"We can't be certain how well we can protect you," Mikoto continued, "So, if you have any doubts, don't hesitate to back ou-"
"First up, we need to find some way to track down the people who created Febri," Uiharu said to the rest of the group, already ignoring all of Mikoto and Touma's attempts to get them to back down.
"Kongou got a good look at that guys, so we know what at least one of them looks like, right?" Saten pointed out.
"That's a good point," Uiharu agreed, "Let's fill her in and see if she will help too. We should check the places that we were attacked to see if we can find any leads there."
"It's entirely possible that the security cameras weren't working because of the construction," Kuroko pointed out.
"I'll check to see if there are any signs of a system break in," Uiharu offered.
"I'll help out too," Index joined in, "I know that I might not understand a lot about the science of Academy City, but my Photographic Memory should make spotting small, overlooked details much quicker and effective."
"Are you sure, Index?" Kuroko asked, "This is a Science Side affair. You don't have to get involved if you don't want to."
"I want to though!" Index declared, "I'm always being left out of the loop while all of you are putting yourselves in danger. You've all done so much for me, so I want to be able to do something for all of you!"
"If that's what you want," Kuroko conceded.
"We can't forget that Febri needs those lollipops to stay healthy," Saten added, "I wonder if there might be some way that we can create them ourselves.
"Good thinking, Saten. Think you could look into that?" Uiharu requested.
"We still need to investigate those Powered Suits that attacked us," Kuroko added, "I'll check with Anti-Skill to see if they managed to figure anything out yet."
Touma and Mikoto could barely believe what they were seeing. After everything they told their friends, the four girls in front of them were still willing to lend a hand in facing this potential threat. Touma had always been a firm believer that it was natural for someone to help another person in need, but he also knew that people had limit to how far they would go to help. His own limit was just drastically higher up the scale than most people's. Mikoto was almost at the point of tears, unbelievably grateful to have such loyal and caring friends.
"You two have been awfully quiet," Index noted, shaking the Level 5 and Level 0 from their thoughts.
"We could really use your help in planning out our next move," Saten added.
"The two of you seem to be the most informed about all this," Uiharu pointed out, "If you have any more information that may be useful, please do share."
"it would be best if we act now before the enemy has another chance to have a go at us," Kuroko recommended.
Ever grateful for their friends' help, Touma and Mikoto each took a seat at the short table with their friends, plans already underway.
The next day, the group got straight to work investigating the mysterious group that created Febri. In the 177th Judgement Branch office, Uiharu was busy typing away at her computer, searching for any signs of intrusion within Academy City's networks. Index sat close behind her, acting as a sort of archive and making sure no details were missed. Off to the side, Konori kept Febri occupied, entertaining her in any way she could. Soon enough, Saten came be to report her findings regarding the lollipops, a search that ultimately proved fruitless.
After conversing with Heaven Canceller, she was told that finding the individual components of the candy and the reproducing the formula would be nearly impossible. After, chemistry is a complicated subject. Even with Academy City's hyper advanced technology, determining all of the base of the lollipops would certainly be a difficult task. Not only that, isolating the compounds that acted as the antitoxin from the compounds that composed the candy medium would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if they weren't even sure what the antitoxin was. Even if they could isolate the antitoxin, reverse engineering the formula would be nearly impossible since there could have been a multitude of chemical reactions that led to the antitoxin's creation, along with several catalysts and byproducts. Even for the greatest doctor in the world, that would surely be a hefty task.
"Oh, that's a shame," Uiharu sighed.
"Chemistry must be a really complicated science, huh?" Index mused.
"He did say he would stay in touch if he found anything, though. Honestly, I'm not sure how much faith I have in that guy," Saten admitted, stretching her cheeks, "I doctor just shouldn't look like Gekota."
"Come on, don't be like that, Saten," Uiharu reprimanded.
"Well, I have absolute faith in him," Index cheered confidently, "After everything Touma has be put through and how well he heals afterwards, I'm sure that doctor is the best the world has to offer."
"Well, I can't deny that," Saten said through a humorless laugh.
Across town, Touma, Mikoto, and Kuroko where all taking care of another portion of their investigation. They had all gathered at the nearby Anti-Skill office and got in contact with one Yomikawa to see if they could get access to the Powered Suits that attacked them. Unfortunately, Anti-Skill headquarters had taken full custody of the investigation regarding the Powered Suit attacks, including all evidence pertaining to it that morning. In addition, the haywire Security Robots from the Reach Assembly were also taken, all but confirming the student's suspicions that the two incidences were connected in some way.
"I did get a preliminary look at what little investigation has been done so far, but there's not much in terms of results," Yomikawa explained, pulling up a file on her laptop, "Both suits were a patchwork of unregistered parts with no solid leads on their footprints."
"Rotten luck," Touma sighed, "So much for that lead."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, is there," Kuroko lamented.
"Well, there is one thing I can do for you," the Anti-Skill chief said, reaching into her desk.
A second later, she pulled out two capsules of some sort. They were rectangular and made with a tinted pink glass at tipped with a bronze alloy of some sort. Inside each of them a single thread about a few centimeters long and as thin as a hair.
"What are those?" Mikoto asked, taking the capsules out of the teacher's hands.
"They were lying inside of the Powered Suits, one in each of them," Yomikawa explained, "I want you to take them. Who knows, they might be some kind of lead."
"Are you sure about this?" Kuroko asked, not sure if they should be receiving this kind of evidence.
"If they're going to be taken out of my hands anyway, I don't care if you or HQ have it. That said," the teacher declared, "Don't do anything stupid."
Back at the 177th Judgement Branch Office, the three oldest members of the group presented the recently recovered capsules to their friends. No one for the life of them could determine what the capsules were or what purpose they served. They certainly didn't appear to have a mechanical purpose, lacking any moving parts or way of supply power. As far as anyone could tell from a glance, they were just containers with threads inside.
"They carted off every other piece of evidence," Mikoto pointed out, "What good are these."
"The timing is very strange," Kuroko mused, "I almost wonder is someone is putting pressure on Anti-Skill."
"You mean like that shadowy organization Misaka was talking about?" Saten inquired.
"That would certainly be a possibility," Touma pondered, "Still, with no clear idea of who they are, I can't say we have much ground to stand on in that front."
"Think hard, Febri," Saten begged, "Is there anything you can remember about these people, even the smallest detail."
The little girl only shook her head in disappointment.
"What about the surveillance cameras?" Mikoto asked, "Did you find anything on that front."
"No luck there," Uiharu sighed, dejected, "Right around the time it happened, the cameras all went dark. Every one of the cameras showed an operational failure."
"Are you sure you check all of them?" Touma asked for confirmation.
"Mhm," Uiharu nodded, "None of the camera where working during either attack. They all suffered from interference."
"That makes sense when you think about it," Saten mused, "None of our phones were working."
"Same thing with my ODD. I couldn't even get the thing to deploy," Touma agreed, "Whatever the case, something in the area of both attacks was messing with wireless communication."
"I think I might have an idea of what was causing it," Index added, "Just before the camera's went dead, there I noticed a black van with tinted windows parked just barely in view. When the cameras came back up, the van pulled away shortly after. This was the case for both Mikoto and Touma's attacks."
"You think those vans might have something to do with the interference?" Touma inquired.
"Maybe. Not only that, but there was some traffic light trouble not too far away from both attacks as well," Uiharu added.
"You mean like those traffic lights Konori asked us to help with that one time?" Kuroko asked.
"You think they those incidences might be connected somehow?" Saten suggested.
"Not necessarily, but it's possible," Uiharu agreed.
"Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to track down a little girl," Mikoto msued.
"I don't think that's they're objective at all," Touma countered, "At least, not anymore."
"What do you mean?" Kuroko asked.
"Think about it. If they were just after Febri, why would the send a Powered Suit to me if they knew I was nowhere near Febri at the time," Touma argued.
"That's a good point," Uiharu agreed, "Seems like a waste of resources to send a Powered Suit to attack someone with nothing to take from them, especially when it only gets demolished afterwards."
"Not only that, but Mikoto and I aren't this group's only targets," Touma growled, "Apparently, my sister has been attacked by droves of empty Powered Suits for the last couple of days now."
"Wait, seriously? Your sister too?" Saten asked in shock.
"Yeah," Touma said in a low voice, "She keeps melting them into scrap metal, but they just keep coming. It's almost like they're trying to test her or something."
"But where does that leave you?" Kuroko pointed out, "Sissy and your sister I can understand since they're both Level 5s, so they would naturally want to collect data on them. But you're a Level 0. No researcher in their right mind put resources into testing someone without an Esper Ability to test."
"But Touma does have an ability," Index countered, "It's just not an Esper Ability."
At that moment, the entire room feel into silence. Everyone present could only focus on the right hand of Touma Kamijou, the hand that held the power known as Imagine Breaker.
"Do you really think that they know about Imagine Breaker?" Touma asked, clutching his right hand in front of his face.
"Well, you have been gaining a lot more popularity in the Academy City rumor mill," Saten pointed out, "A Certain Strange Addition to Judgement, The Boy Who Defeats Level 5s with only his Right Hand, The Illusion Killer, The Anti-Esper, these are just some of the new rumors I've seen gain popularity online as of late, and all if them undeniably refer to you, Kamijou."
"But those are just rumors. Surely no researcher worth his salt is going to put research into something as unfounded as that," Touma argued, "Plus, how would they even connect it back to me anyway? One of the main reasons a lot of these rumor are unconfirmed by the general populous is because no one could ever pin a name on who the person in the rumors is."
"Still, most rumors have at least a hit of truth in them, as you are living proof of, and there is sure to be enough common threads in the stories to find those truths," Mikoto argue, "It's an improbably theory, but not a totally baseless one."
Before Touma could try to push the argument further, Mikoto received a call from Kongou. According to the fellow Tokiwodai student, she and her friends had been unable to come up with any leads by following the footprints of the man at the Reach Assembly. However, she promised to see what she could find on her end regarding the Powered Suits as the Kongou family had research divisions in Academy City relating to the technology.
As soon as Mikoto hung up, Kuroko instantly jumped in a frenzy, clearly not happy with the idea that Mitsuko Kongou could out do in her an investigation such as this. While her roommate was further encouraging the rest of their friends to work harder, Mikoto herself had an epiphany regarding the case. Even now, they still didn't know how Febri knew her name. If Shinobu Nunotaba really was responsible for programming Febri's mind and helping her escape, could it be that Nunotaba gave her Mikoto's name, and if so, why?
After the group broke up again to conduct their own individual investigations, Touma tagged along with Mikoto in her investigation of the missing Shinobu Nunotaba, as he was the only other person among the group that was aware of the high school researcher's potential involvement. Unfortunately, their search bore little fruit. All they were able to learn was the fact that she had been expelled from Nagatenjouki Academy and all other traces of her disappeared after that. This left the pair with only one other avenue to investigate.
Taking the two capsules to Heaven Canceller, the two students acted him to look into them to see if there was anything of interest about them. Needless to say, those capsules were more than a little interesting.
"I've performed an analysis on the fibers from the capsules you brought me, and interestingly enough, it seems to be made from the exact same components as those that compose the girl Febri's body," the doctor explained from his computer, "To put it simply, these are hairs."
"Hair? So they're some of Febri's?" Touma asked, not entirely sure where his doctor was going with the conversation.
"No," the doctor replied, "These belong to another individual."
'Could these hairs belong to her sister?' Mikoto though to herself.
"Actually, I'm glad you came by," the doctor said, getting out of his seat, "I've taken a closer look at the number candies that young Febri has that neutralize the toxins in her body. I believe her situation is more urgent than I initially anticipated."
"Urgent? How?!" Mikoto demanded.
"Roughly 72 hours," the frog faced doctor said solemnly, "That is how long her current store will last. Once they are all gone, she will die."
"That can't be," Touma growled, clutching his fist, "Come on doc! There's got to be something you can do?!"
"Like I told you both before, if there is anyone who can save the girl, it's the one who made her," Heaven Canceller answered, "I'm afraid they are you only hope now."
Unable to accept such a fate for the young girl, Mikoto started to storm off, only to be stopped by Touma grabbing her wrist.
"Wait, Mikoto! What do you think you're doing?!" Touma demanded.
"What does it look like?! I'm going to go and look everyone I can to find the monsters that did this and make them answer for what they did!" Mikoto yelled.
"We don't even know where to start!" Touma pulled back, "Shizuri was our only solid connection to the underworld and she already made it clear she wasn't going to share anything with us even if she could! You can't just go searching blindly like this!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Mikoto cried, on the verge of tears, "We have no leads and everything we come across so far has lead to nothing but dead ends! If we don't figure something soon, Febri dies! Is that really what you want?!"
"Of course not…," Touma whispered, loosening his grip on the girl's wrist, "But…"
"I will as you again," the doctor butt in, "Are you ready to face the darkness at the heart of his city."
Both students slowly turned towards the doctor, confused as to why he was bringing up the question from the other day yet again.
"It will be dangerous, and you can very well be hurt yourself," the doctor continued, "I already know Kamijou's answer, but what about your's, Railgun?"
"…Of course," Mikoto reply after a moment with new found determination, "If it's to save her, I'll do whatever it takes. Besides, I have this Touma here to watch my back this time. I know him, and he never lets anyone else get hurt if he can help it."
Seeing how determined the girl was now, Heaven Canceller saw no reason to hold back any more resources.
"As I'm sure both of you are aware of now, the quickest way to learn about the underworld is to speak to someone who has connections within it," the doctor explained, "Seeing as you're primary connection in Shizuri Kamijou has been unwilling to cooperate in sharing information with you, I will arrange a meeting. However, there is something you should be aware of before you go. The person with whom you are meeting is someone who you are already well acquainted with."
Deep within a maximum security prison, Touma and Mikoto made their way through the dark and dreary halls towards the cell of their new informant. As part of the meeting that Heaven Canceller had set up for them, Touma was present as a Judgement Officer acting as a bodyguard for the civilian Mikoto. As such, Touma had his ODD drawn and ready in shock pike mode in case the meeting when ugly. Given who exactly they were meeting with, it was certainly a possibility.
Soon enough, the Level 0 and Level 5 were faced with the cell of their informant and old acquaintance. The cell had the only source of light within a couple meters and was plated with solid steel on all sides. The front of the cell was made of an assortment of crooked bars that made for a disorganized web of cold metal, as if to reflect the mental state of the cell's occupant. Sitting in the middle of the cell was its sole occupant, the mad woman known as Therestina Kihara Lifeline.
"Long time no see, huh?" the mad scientist greeted in an obviously fake sweetness, "How I've missed you, my little lab rats."
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"We're back at the bottom of the chapter!" the man brandishing the reality warping sword cried at the top of his lungs, "Welcome back to the Animan Temple! As always, I'm your host, Animan von Elysium X!"
"And I am Priestess Number 1, Aisa Himegami." the shrine maiden with the hime cut said with a bow, "A pleasure as always."
"So, Himegami, what were your thoughts on this chapter?" Animan asked with begging eyes, "Was is good? Did you feel any emotional turmoil for Touma and Mikoto regarding their positions? Did you laugh at some of the absurdity they got pulled into along the way?"
"I've seen worse," the girl replied flatly.
"She's seen worse!" the master of the temple yelled happily, swing his sword over his head in a wild fashion.
"It certainly doesn't take much to make you happy, does it master?" Himegami deadpanned, skillfully dodging the widely swinging sword as if it were a regular occurrence.
"Well, that's all we have for now!" Animan announced, planting the tip of Mugen into the ground, "We'll see you all next time with the next chapter, 'Unheard Voices'."
"See you all next time," Himegami said with a bow.