Hello internet! I'm back with another chapter of A Certain Strange Addition! This time, we're covering the finale of the Three Stories Arc.
Looking at the reviews from the last chapter, I can see that opinions are a bit mixed once again, and I apologize. I know you all come here to see changes and divergences from the original story, and lately I have not been delivering on that too often, but I swear they are coming. Unfortunately, the nature of Accelerator's portion of the Three Stories Arc did not work in my favor. By virtue of the arc only working by having Accelerator work alone and push through his issues on his own, plus the fact that other characters were doing their own thing at the same time, I was unable to create any notable changes to Accelerator's story outside of those involving his past. At the very least, a majority of you seemed to enjoy the little twists and tweaks to Accelerator's past and motivations, so that's at least a plus.
On the bright side, we're getting back to following a large cast of characters, which means a much wider opportunity for fun changes. Again, story beats are going to stay mostly the same, but the journey between those beats can change in various minuet or radical ways. Either way, I'm sure many of you will find those changes fun is some capacity.
For now, let's review all of your reviews.
fuji92: Glad you liked the chapter. Given what happens during this chapter, I think it's fair to assume that Touma does not know what happened to Accelerator on the last night of summer vacation. Of course, that doesn't mean he won't find out. After all, nothing can stop Academy City's rumor mill from eventually exposing the truth, even if the details are a bit blurred. After all, everyone who did a little digging into the rumor mill knew about Accelerator's injury in canon. Sorry to keep you waiting.
The Richmaster: In the words of Until Dawn's Chris, "Boom! Butterfly Effect." The changes are small now, but by the time Index II events start rolling around,
mohamadstar94: OH! Now I get what your saying. Unfortuantely, that is something that Mikoto has been moving past as part of her character arc. To win Touma over, she has been getting progressively more serious about it, moving past her usual tsundere habits.
Aminadab Brulle: Butterfly effect, my friend. The changes start off minor and internal, but they grew increasingly divergent and external as they impact later events. That would certainly be an interesting prospect. But then again, Accelerator already has two mothers in Yomikawa and Yoshikawa.
Anime-ted Life116: Like I've been saying, small changes will snowball in to big changes later on. You can't rush a butterfly effect. Be patient and the end result will be so all the more rewarding.
janjakennen: Huh? That is an unexpectedly positive response, especially considering the core of the chapter didn't differentiate too much from canon. Don't worry, I'll keep my plans secret, unless explicitly asked via PMs.
ARandomFanfictionAuthor: Thank you! I actually have a lot of plans for Misaki, but if you want to hear what exactly they are, you'll have to PM me. Think of it as a final warning before I go full spoiler bomb on you.
O (Guest): I get what you mean. I was tempted to give Accelerator some way to maintain a bit more of his strength, but to do such would be a massive disservice to his character and character arc. I want to re-imagine the story, not butcher it to the point of being something unrecognizable.
Stitches (Guest): Something like that. You can always rely on the Academy City Rumor Mill to reveal some hidden secrets about the city.
Isokage (Guest): Thank you for being so patient with divergences. As for Uiharu and Kuroko using ODD, they will mostly emulate Touma's style of using the weapon's versatility and recall function to their advantage, with Kuroko sprinkling in the use of teleportation tactics to enhance her combat. Uiharu will stay closer to Touma's style, but will more often than not simply use the device for its logistic functions.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Yeah, the only part of last chapter that felt like I needed any real creative input was the flashback since its was a complete revamp of what was seen in the anime. Thankfully, as we start moving past the Three Stories Arc, we can start getting to some really fun and engaging changes. Yeah, probably would have been better to have Accelerator's portion just span a single chapter, but whatever.
Exiled Soul Nomad: Hopefully. Maybe a little help from a certain reunion with a missing friend.
Rajarshi Sarkar: Yeah, sadly the backstory was the only real major change last chapter. At least it was a pretty good change.
vampireharry the 2: Thank you!
lordrednight: Glad you like the story so much. That's kind of the beauty of this project. It started as a simple "What if" story, but it grew into something so much more. When I first started this project, I never would have guessed I would be throwing in OCs and completely revamping backstories. This story is just one massive, constantly evolving beast, and its still evolving now. Just wait until you see what else I have in store.
lovecrazyhedgehog: Well, the funnest part of Accelerator (in my opinion) is how is parallels Touma in so many ways. Expect me to use that to the fullest when building their friendship.
GunsAndMagic: Glad you liked the chapter so much. Accelrator/Yuri wouldn't be the amazing character he is if not for the character development he undergoes as a result of his interactions with Touma. Expect a lot more with of that with their revamped relationship.
JeaSonDash: This fanfic train ain't stopping soon!
Generation Zero: Sorry for the lack of strange additions (pun completely intended). Just you wait, Touma and Yuri will be reuniting quite soon.
Well, you all know the drill by now.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 57: War for Love
The date was August 31 and the time was past 5:00 pm. For a certain pair of girls in a certain middle school dorm room, that could only mean one thing.
"Hey Ruiko, it's past snack time!" Index cheered jubilantly as she prodded her host for her regularly scheduled and late snack.
"In a minute, Index," Saten replied as she dug through her suitcase, "I just need to make sure I have everything for the regional field trip next week."
After their friends in Judgement had left their little intimate get together at the café over a matter of city security, Saten and Index saw it fit to simply leave themselves and find something else to do. Thus, they had returned to Saten's dorm room, where Index occupied herself with watching reruns of Magically Powered Kanamin as Saten took the time to double check her luggage for the regional field trip to Liberal Arts City that all the middle school kids were going on.
"What's so special about this field trip anyway?" Index asked, clutching her kitten Sphinx close to her chest as she watched Saten close up her suitcase.
"It's a trip to Liberal Arts City, a massive artificial island off the coast of Calafornia, United States," Saten explained, "It was originally built as part of a set for an American movie and planned to be dismantled after filming was finished, but since effort was put into building it in the first place, it was instead revived and transformed into a giant seaside themed resort."
"That sounds amazing! Can I come?" Index begged.
"I don't think that will be possible," Saten giggled.
"Why not!?"
"Well, for one, you need a passport like this to travel between countries," Saten explained, holding up her own open Japanese passport, "Without one of your own, leaving the country would be legally impossible."
"You mean like this?" Index asked, holding up a British passport with all her information.
"… Where did that come from?" Saten asked, stunned.
"… I honestly can't remember," the nun-in-training admitted sheepishly, "Does this mean I can go on the trip with all of you?"
"Well, unfortunately, a passport isn't all you need to go on this trip," Saten explained further, "Since this is a trip designed for Academy City middle school students, a basic requirement to go is to be an Academy City middle school student. Since you're not a student here, they won't allow to come along."
"Well, that's no fun," Index pouted.
"Sorry Index. That's just the way the cookie crumbles," Saten apologized, petting the young nun on the head.
"Cookie… crumbles… crumbs… crumb cake… sweets… snacks…," Index mumbled under her breath, "Ah! My snack! I haven't gotten it yet!"
"Okay! I get it, you're hungry!" Saten laughed as she headed over to the refrigerator, "Just give me a second to see what we have."
Opening the refrigerator in her dorm's kitchenette, Saten was quick to make a rather unsavory discovery.
"Uh oh," Saten said grimly.
"What's wrong?" Index asked in concern.
"Looks like we're out of food," Saten lamented, stepping aside to let Index see the empty fridge for herself, "It seems you've cleaned us out again without realizing it. I'll have to go to the grocery store later and restock. I know I still have that money card Misaka lent me to cover your food expenses."
"But I can't wait that long! I'll die if I don't get something to eat soon!" Index whined, deflating on her belly on the floor.
While Sphinx nuzzled his owner in an attempt to comfort the young nun, Saten pondered as to what to do about the situation. When Index was hungry, she tended to go through something similar to the five stages of grief. In most cases, in no particular order, she would deny the lack of food, grow angry and throw a tantrum and attack someone (usually Touma), become depressed as her hungry grew, and bargain for any possible way to get the food she craves. Sadly, the one way this process differed from the act of grieving was the fact that Index never accepted being hungry, only calming down once something was put in her stomach. Even with the training she received from Touma regarding her restraint, this was still a reoccurring issue. If Saten didn't thing of some why to sedate Index's hunger, she my very well become victim to the Touma Treatment, i.e. bites to the head.
As the middle school girl continued to ponder, the television that Index was watching Magically Powered Kanamin on changed to a commercial break. Said commercial was for a new menu item at a certain family restaurant known as Julian Café, specifically a new Super Deluxe Hamburg Steak. The sight of this new item instantly caught Index's interest as the nun-in-training literally sitting centimeters form the screen and drooling waterfalls. Seeing Index salivate over the commercial, Saten felt a lightbulb go off over her head.
"How about we go out to eat?" Saten suggested, "That restaurant on the TV looks pretty good."
"Really!?" Index yelled excitedly.
"Sure!" Saten replied, giving her roommate a thumbs up and a wink, "We can even see if the others are available!"
"What are we waiting for!? Let's go!" Index cried, rushing for the door.
"Hang on! I still need to find that money card! Also, you remembered to bring your cellphone, didn't you!?"
As the sun began to set on Academy City, a single man could be seen wandering the streets. He was a Japanese man with short black hair and a considerable build, but nothing overly spectacular. His outfit was equally inconspicuous, a normal business suit consisting of a white dress shirt and a set of black pants, jacket, and tie. However, there was one element of his outfit that did not add up; the crossbow like device he wore on his right arm.
This device was an Asuzayumi, a sacred bow used in certain Shinto rituals. Its purpose was not to fire arrows, but rather to produce a sound, making it less an instrument of war and more an instrument of art. However, this particular Asuzayumi had many more capabilities then its counterparts for it was no simple tool but a magical object suited for tracking, combat, and escape, After all, it was only natural that a practitioner of magic such as Ouma Yamisaka, the man who illegally snuck into Academy City earlier that day, would possess such a device, especially for his particular mission.
"Soon I will have you, Index Librorum Prohibitorum," Yamisaka whispered to himself, "The List of Prohibited Books."
As Yamisaka continued trekking the streets of the city of science, the resonance of his Asuzayumi's bow string grew louder and more noticeable, similar to the sound of a sweeping radar or sonar as objects grew closer. Following the path laid out to him by his Seeking Demon's Bow String spell, the magic user closed in on his target
By the time the sun had set, Index and Saten had settled down at Julian Café to eat. Also with them was Sphinx, who contented himself with sitting on Index's shoulder. Both girls had their noses deep in the menus, debating on what exactly they wanted to eat.
"So Index, have you decided on what you want to eat yet?" Saten asked, peeking over her menu.
"Let's see…" Index mumbled as she scanned the menu before suddenly perking up, "The most expensive thing!"
"… How about we focus less on the price and more on getting the most bang for our buck?" Saten suggested wearily, "How about this Super Deluxe Hamburg Steak? It's new, it's big, and it's got a super cheap price as part of the promotion."
"Ooh! That's a great idea!" Index cheered, "Okay! I'll take that!"
'Thank goodness,' Saten mentally sighed, 'I was worried I wasn't going to have enough left in the money card for groceries later.'
"Saten? Index?" a familiar voice but in from the other side of the restaurant window.
Looking past Index, and out the window behind her, Saten saw her dear friend Uiharu standing just outside the building, giving her a friendly wave. Seeing as it was near dinner time, the roommates decided to invite their friend to join them, an offer the headband wearing girl gladly took them up on. With Uiharu now with them, the girls saw fit to rearrange seats, with Uiharu facing the window and Saten and Index with their backs turned to it. After everyone ordered their respective meals, Saten decided that the time waiting would best be spent grilling her Judgement friend on all of the details pertaining to the little incident earlier that day.
"So Uiharu, what's the deal?" Saten asked eagerly.
"What deal?" Uiharu replied obliviously.
"You know. The deal with the sorcerer earlier today?" Saten clarified, "Why was he in Academy City?"
"I have to admit, I'm curious too," Index admitted, "I don't see any particular reason for a magic user from an Aztec organization to be in Academy City. The only thing in Academy City that should be of any interest to a magical organization should be me, but that intruder seemed more interested in Touma than anything else."
"That's because the whole incident actually revolved around Kamijou, strange as it is," Uiharu revealed.
"What do you mean?" Saten inquired.
"Apparently, there have been rumors among the magical community that a third side is being formed in the cold war between science and magic being referred to as the Kamijou Faction," Uiharu explained, "Because of all of Kamijou's connections to influential individuals on both sides like his sister, Index, and Misaka, other magical organizations have jumped to the conclusion that he's forming an organization of his own to throw off the balance of power. Pretty ridiculous, don't you think?"
"I don't know, I could believe," Saten mused.
"You'll believe anything, Ruiko," Index said flatly, "Besides, could you honestly see Touma as the leader of a faction like that?"
"I mean, sure, why not? You saw how he acted during that counterattack against STUDY," Saten argued.
"True," Uiharu agreed, "When things first started going south, Kamijou immediately took command and made sure everyone was able to get to safety until reinforcements could arrive. Still, I can't really see him as someone who would actively form a group to lead like that."
"Yeah, fair enough," Saten conceded, "Still, it's an interesting thought. Wouldn't it be cool if he was that kind of leader, like one of those super spy directors of global peacekeeping organizations you see in manga and western comics?"
"That does sound interesting," Uiharu mused, "Still, feels like it would be something a bit too close to the realm of fantasy for Kamijou to pursue, especially at this stage in his life."
"Besides, I don't think Touma would even want that kind of lifestyle," Index pointed out with a giggle, "With his luck, he'd probably have a world ending crisis on his hands every other week."
"You got that right!" Saten laughed alongside her roommate.
"Excuse me," a waitress interrupted, "Thank you for waiting. I have your orders ready."
"Food!" Index cheered with stars in her eyes, her kitten mimicking her reaction.
With their food now ready, the three girls eagerly prepared to eat. Index ordered the Super Deluxe Hamburg Steak, a massive Hamburg Steak at least five times the weight of a normal Hamburg Steak. As for Saten, she had exactly that, a normal Hamburg Steak. And finally, Uiharu had ordered a parfait, and a rather large one at that.
"You sure that's what you want to eat?" Saten asked skeptically, "Aren't you a bit worried about ruining your apatite?"
"It's still early. I can have something sweet and have a proper dinner later," Uiharu argued.
"Come on, let's eat already!" Index cried, her mouth salivating bucketloads.
Following the young nun's lead, the other two girls took hold of their utensils and prepared to dig in. However, before Uiharu could take even a single spoonful of her parfait, she noticed something odd in the window behind Saten and Index. Standing outside was a man in a business suit staring rather intently on them despite his eyes being closed. Wordlessly, the man rose his right arm and pointed it at the window, revealing the crossbow he wore on it.
"Something wrong, Uiharu?" Saten asked in concern.
"With this shot, the battle begins!" the man shouted for all to hear as he took aim.
"Get down!" Uiharu cried as she dove to her left and out of her chair.
Although unsure of what was happening, Saten had no hesitations when she followed her friend's lead. Grabbing Index in her arms, the Level 0 tackled the young nun out of her chair and off to the side, joining Uiharu on the floor.
"Severing Demon's Bow String!" the man named Yamisaka yelled as he fired his spell.
As soon as the bowstring of his Asuzuyami fired, several blades of wind blew into and threw the window of the restaurant. The wind tore up everything in its path, shattering the window on impact and reducing the table the girls were sitting at to splinters. After a few seconds, the wind stopped, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.
"What was that?" Saten moaned as she, Index, and Uiharu picked themselves off the ground.
"I'm not sure," Uiharu replied as she drew out her ODD and shifted it to Crowd Control Pike Mode, "but I'm scared to find out."
As the Judgement Officer stood in defense of her friends, Yamisaka stepped through the massive hole in the building he had just made, turning to face the girls.
"I did not foresee this possibility," Yamisaka said as he approached the girls, "I would prefer to limit unnecessary loss of life. Surrender yourself and I will take no further action against you. So long as I achieve my objective, no one else will come to harm."
"I cannot allow that," Uiharu declared, taking a stance, "As a member of Judgement, it is my duty to apprehend anyone who disturbs the peace of Academy City. Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish; I cannot allow you to continue. If you do not surrender, I will use force if I must."
"Unfortunate," Yamisaka replied as he fired his Asuzuyami behind him.
The blast of wind generated by Yamisaka's weapon sent him propelling past Uiharu and behind Index and Saten. With a swift movement, the strange man shoved Saten to the side and wrapped his arm around Index, holding his arm over her neck in a choke hold. With his master effectively captured, Sphinx's survival instincts kicked in and he fled Index's arms, retreating to his second owner on the floor for comfort and security.
"Saten!" Uiharu cried as her friend hit the floor.
"I have no time nor interest for childish games," Yamisaka said as he held Index hostage.
"Then why are you here?" Uiharu demanded, "And what do want with Index."
"Think it over, girl," Yamisaka instructed, "If you are aware that this girl's mind contains the 103,000 volumes of the List of Prohibited Books…"
"I see. So you're a sorcerer then," Uiharu deduced.
"So you are aware of magic, even using the term commonly used with outsiders of the community," the man mused, "While the terms are interchangeable, I prefer to go by the more professional term of magician, as should you if you wish to not earn the ire of certain individuals."
Raising his crossbow arm up again, the magician fired his weapon again and cast another of his many spells.
"Invisible Demon's Bow String!"
As soon as the Asuzuyami fired, Yamisaka and Index disappeared from view, their presence concealed by the wind. Desperate to not let the magician get away with one of her friends, Uiharu charged in with her ODD and tried to strike the place that the man was standing. Unfortunately, by the time Uiharu reached her target, the man had changed position while concealed by the wind, causing her to miss.
"Where did he go?" Uiharu whispered to herself.
The young Judgement Officer got her answer when a certain ceremonial crossbow appeared out of thin air right next to her face. A moment later, the crossbow fired a strong but harmless gust of wind, knocking her off her feet and on to the floor next to Saten and Sphinx. With his opposition temporarily incapacitated, Yamisaka blasted another window out and took his leave, completely unseen by those still present at the restaurant.
"So that's what fighting a magician is like," Saten moaned as she picked herself and Sphinx off the ground, "Really feel sorry for Kamijou having to be the one that fights them all the time."
"I'd hardly call that a fight," Uiharu whined as she did the same, "Are you okay, Saten?"
"Don't worry about me. We should be worrying about Index," Saten insisted, "She did just get kidnapped by a magician."
"Better call the others to tell them what happened," Uiharu said as she activated the communicator function on her ODD Bracelet.
"Um, miss?" a third voice interrupted in a rather angry tone.
Turning to face the owner of the voice, the two middle school girls and one cat were rather surprised and frightened to see the entirety of the restaurant staff gathered at the scene of the crime, all of them looking rather mad about the damage done to their workplace.
"… Better inform Anti-Skill as well to deal with the property damage," Uiharu added as she continued to type at her ODD's holographic screen.
"I'm home!" Touma called out as he walked through the front door of his shared apartment, setting down is ODD and hoverboard off to the side.
"Welcome home," Shizuri greeted from the couch, "How did your date go?"
"Can't say it went bad, but I can't say it went good either," Touma admitted as he sat on the couch next to her.
"What did the Railgun do?" Shizuri asked dangerously.
"Nothing, I swear!" Touma insisted, fearing for what Shizuri might do if given a reason to attack Mikoto, "We got along really well, actually. The issue was that she was a lot more popular than I expected and I had to deal with a jealous admirer."
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Nah. Believe it or not, I actually managed to get out of that one unscathed, especially since Mikoto was able to provide support from the sidelines," Touma chuckled, "If it weren't for her, I probably would have suffered a lot worse considering we accidentally collapsed a steel construction site."
"You collapsed a steel construction site!?" the elder sister cried in shock, "What kind of crazy Esper were you fighting!? And why did you wait until now to tell me this!?"
'Crap! I wasn't supposed to tell her that last part!' Touma mentally panicked.
"I-I just didn't think it was important," Touma stuttered, raising his right hand in self-defense, "I got out of it okay thanks to Mikoto, so I didn't think it was something of priority. B-besides, I can handle a single Esper well enough with my right hand and the Judgement equipment I always carry with me, so it was no big deal."
"That's not the point!" Shizuri yelled, grabbing her paper fan and raising it over her head, "Everything I've done since we moved to Academy City as been to keep you safe! How am I supposed to do that if you go and nearly drop several kilograms of steel on top of yourself and not tell me!?"
Seeing the dreaded paper fan in his sister's hand, Touma braced himself for the worst. He crossed his arms in front of his face and shielded himself from the inevitable attack. A second went by, then two, then three, but nothing happened. There was no distinct pain of a paper fan harshly smacking against his skin. Instead, Touma felt a gentle touch on his head, easing him to drop his guard. When he did, he saw Shizuri look at him with sad and pleading eyes, her fan lowered to the ground.
"I don't want to lose you, Touma. I lost you once before. I don't want that to happen again," Shizuri begged, "I can't stand the thought that you could get hurt or worse in a situation you get caught up in and I'm not able to help you because I don't know about it. It's why I never thought to come back sooner. For a decade, I had believed you had been perfectly fine, only to later learn I had been lied to; the truth of your dangerous escapades hidden from me."
"… I'm sorry," Touma apologized, "I didn't realize you were so scared about that."
"I'm your older sister, of course I'm going to be scared about that," Shizuri reminded her brother, "I just want you to talk to me and tell me when something crazy happens to you that might end with you in the hospital."
"… Okay. I'll try to keep you informed from now on. As long as it has nothing to do with Judgement work, I'll let you know if something happens that should concern you. I promise," Touma conceded, "I'd let you know about the Judgement stuff, but the last thing my branch needs is another Level 5 like Zapper getting herself involved in official affairs."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Shizuri reminded him, "I trust that this is something you've made sure to abide by since I left."
"… Of course," Touma insisted, "I always make good on my promises."
"Good," Shizuri smiled in satisfaction, "Now, on a lighter note, what do you have panned for dinner?"
"… Crap…," Touma moaned, "In all the excitement today, I forget to go grocery shopping. Rotten luck."
"Oh, don't be such a worry wart," Shizuri said reassuringly, patting Touma's dejected head, "I had some time on my hands today and made sure to stock up."
"Really?" Touma beamed hopefully, "What did you get?"
"Salmon fillets, shimeji mushrooms, carrots, onions, bouillon, butter, cooking sake, the works."
"… Okay, I get the message," Touma replied flatly as he trudged towards the kitchen, "Dinner is Salmon and Mushroom Butter Foil Wrap tonight."
"That's so kind of you to make my favorite dish," Shizuri chimed in a faux sweetness.
"You realize this is technically extortion, right?" Touma snarked as he got started on preparing dinner.
After a few minutes in the kitchen, Touma had two plates of his sister's favorite dish piping hot and ready. Just as he put the plates down on the dining table, the misfortunate high school boy got a call on his cell phone. Checking the Caller ID, Touma was rather surprised to see Uiharu on the line.
"Hey Headband, what's up," Touma answered, "… Wait, what!? What happened!? … Okay, where are you now? … Okay. I'll head out now."
"What's wrong?" Shizuri asked in concern, having overhead Touma's side of the conversation.
"Judgement emergency," Touma replied as he put on his shoes and collected his Judgement gear, "There's a rouge Level 4 Esper running amok in District 7 and he has a hostage. Every member of Judgement in the district is being called in to subdue him. I have to go."
"What about dinner?"
"Just eat without me," Touma insisted as he walked out the door, "Something tells me I'm not going to be getting home too soon. I'll see you when I get back."
As Touma disappeared out the door, Shizuri could only stand there with cold feet as her little brother walked out on her. Something about what Touma had told her didn't feel right. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew he was hiding something.
"Not even a whole hour and you broke your promise," Shizuri whispered to herself.
'I'm getting really tired of having to do this,' Touma thought to himself as he ran out the lobby of his apartment building and jumped on his hoverboard.
As he rode through the streets of Academy City, Touma couldn't help but feel dirty for what he had just had to do. Not even an hour after promising his sister that she would tell her when something was happening that didn't involve Judgement work, he goes and lies through his teeth to avoid telling her the truth. Sure, in his mind, Touma had a good reason for doing so, but how long could he keep this up? How many more times was he going to lie to Shizuri about magic to keep her uninvolved? Really, how much more lying is he going to do in general.
'I can't think about that right now,' Touma reprimanded himself in his head, shaking away his distractions, 'Right now, I have to worry about finding Index. There has to be somewhere I can start- OH CRAP!'
Distracted by his personal muses, Touma failed to pay attention to where he was riding. By the time he finally noticed he was about to crash into someone, it was too late for him turn and avoid the unfortunate pedestrian. To make matters worse, those same musings made him forget to manually activate his hoverboard's Voice Command and AI Assist, leaving its flight path completely dependent on the neuro signals transmitted to it via Touma's ODD's systems, which in turn were disrupted by his own clouded thoughts. With all these compounded problems, there was only end result for the misfortunate Kamijou; a very awkward and suggestive crash into an equally misfortunate female pedestrian.
After colliding with the poor pedestrian, Touma was thrown off his hoverboard when the device interpreted his mental pleas as the command to stop in its tracks. The sudden stop sent Touma flying with his remaining momentum, sending him and the pedestrian rolling on the street. When the two of them came to a stop, Touma was left on top of the female pedestrian, straddling her.
'Those Voice Command and AI Assist functions really should be automatically activated when the board is on,' Touma thought to himself as he lifted himself off the unfortunate girl, 'Maybe even a siren and lights. It is supposed to be a law enforcement vehicle.'
When he looked down at who exactly he crashed into, Touma could help but freeze up at the sight.
"… Hey, Touma," Mikoto greeted, desperately trying to hide her blushing face behind her clasped hands and avoiding his gaze.
"… Hey," Touma greeted in return, blushing slightly himself.
"… Um, could you please move?" Mikoto whispered.
"… Oh! Um, sure. Sorry," Touma apologized as he got up and helped the embarrassed girl off the ground.
"I take it Uiharu and Saten told you about Index?" Mikoto deduced, dusting herself off.
"Why else would I be riding through the streets instead of sitting down for dinner with my sister?" Touma replied sarcastically as he picked up his hoverboard, checking it for damage, "Does Shirai know?"
"Teleporting all across the city trying to find Index as we speak," Mikoto answered, "Uiharu and Saten are doing the same of foot, with Uiharu using her ODD to access the city's security cameras to get better coverage."
"Need a ride?" Touma offered, holding out his hoverboard with Voice Command and AI Assist now activated, "It'll be faster than you searching on foot, and the extra set of eyes would really help on making sure we don't miss anything."
"Are you sure?"
"You're free to do whatever you want," Touma replied, throwing his board to the ground and hopping on, "If we search separately, we cover more ground. If we search together, we're more thorough with the ground we do cover. If you really want to, you can think of this as making up for the sour turn our date took earlier today, but that might be stretching it."
"… Okay. Make room," Mikoto agreed, hopping on behind the high school boy.
"Might want to hang on with magnetism or something," Touma warned, "I know you've riding on the back before, but this thing can have quite a kick on higher gears."
"What do you MEAN!?" Mikoto cried as the hoverboard suddenly took off, racing through the streets on the search for a certain magical index.
At the top of a certain hotel in District 7, Yamisaka stood on the roof, overlooking Academy City's urban skyline. However, he was not focused on the city. Rather, he was focused on the photo he held in his hand. The photo depicted a young woman about his age sitting in a hospital bed. She wore a white hospital gown, a green jacket, and had brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. She was a beautiful woman indeed, but her beauty was tarnished by her sickly state.
Yamisaka stared at the photo intently with his eyes wide open, only to be interrupted when he heard the sound of some ropes coming undone. Tucking the photo away into his jacket, the magician closed his eyes once again and turned to face the source of the sound. Sitting a mere five meters away from him was Index, tied in place with a set of ropes. However, it was no ordinary rope holding her in place, but a form of magic based on Shimenawa, a Shinto purification ritual, which made it ideal for hold prisoners. Even so, it did not mean it was impossible to weaken or even break out of, as Index was clearly demonstrating.
"I must say, I'm impressed," Yamisaka mused, approaching the bound nun, "In this short of a time, you have already untied two knots."
"You can tie this rope in how many painful ways you want, but I refuse to give into your stupid torture techniques," Index declared defiantly.
"As I already said, causing you pain is not my primary objective," the magician clarified, "My desire is to obtain a grimoire, and to accomplish that I need your assistance."
Index's only reply was to give him a defiant glare.
"Now then," Yamisaka mused, "I must erect a magical barrier for amplification purposes."
In only a few minutes of preparing, Yamisaka and surrounded the roof of the hotel with just the magical barrier he needed. Tied around the entire area were several ropes with Shinto and Buddhist tags hanging on them. Each rope had one end tied to the steel tower in the center of the roof and another end tied to the edge of the roof, giving the whole site a look akin to a summer festival.
"Is this a ritual staging ground?" Index deduced.
"Putting it that way is a bit melodramatic," Yamisaka replied, "I prefer to think of it as something closer to the dance grounds for a festival."
"Why did you go through all this trouble?" Index questioned, "Are you going to have me possessed by something?"
As she shifted her weight during their conversation, Index noticed she had dropped her cellphone from her pocket, leaving it open on the ground behind her.
"Once again, that is not how I would put it," Yamisaka clarified, "I only raised the barrier so I could amplify the strength of this tool of mine."
As the magician explained his plan, Index discreetly picked up her phone and called Touma on speed dial.
"The Azusayumi Bow," Index noted, keeping her captor occupied so he doesn't notice the phone, "a ceremonial item used in Shinto."
"Ah, how magnificent," Yamisaka mused, "Your magical library contains a wealth of knowledge, including my cultural background. Unfortunately, the bow's own power is only great enough to shock the mind or remove any imbalances. However, with the proper preparations, it can be used to read the minds of others. Yes, it can reveal even that which is most hidden, including the prohibited volumes that reside within you."
"Think this through!" Index gasped, "Even you must know what the consequences are if anyone other than me comes in contact with the grimoires!"
"Of course," Yamisaka said coolly, "I am well aware."
With a single strum from his crossbow, the ropes surrounding the roof of hotel sprung to life, glowing a deep violet.
"Uiharu, are you able to trace the call?" Touma asked over his ODD's commlink.
"Almost done," Uiharu reported, "It should take more than a minute to triangulate Index's location based on that phone call."
"Guys, that might not be necessary," Mikoto interrupted from the back of Touma's hoverboard.
"What makes you say that, Sissy?" Kuroko inquired.
"You know that massive hotel in the middle of District 7?" the Level 5 pointed out.
Stopping in the hoverboard in its tracks, Touma swung the board around so he could face towards a certain hotel he and Mikoto had passed earlier in the night. At the very top of the skyscraper was a violet glow that most certainly did not originate from any systems that would normally be placed on such a building.
"… Probably a good bet," Touma said as he kicked his hoverboard into high gear towards the suspicious hotel.
As the ritual site atop the hotel enhanced his power, Yamisaka screamed as he powered through the pain. If he wanted to get the information he sought, he would need to overcome the strain put on his body by this dangerous technique.
Once he was able to reach the necessary threshold of power, Yamisaka's mind connected with that of Index, allowing him unrestricted access to all her memories. In his mind he could see hundreds of thousands of books, swirling around a mental projection of himself like a tornado amongst a violet, purple, and black void. Each book was different, with each having a different origin reflected in the design of its cover and binding. These were the grimoires, the 103,000 magical books memorized by Index as a means to understand all manner of magic.
Reaching a mental hand out into the current of books, Yamisaka took hold of a certain grimoire, a book whose cover and bind design suggested it was of Asian origin, specifically Chinese. As the book was in her memories, Index instantly recognized what grimoire the magician had started reading.
'The Baopuzi,' Index mentally gasped, 'the grimoire dealing with eternal youth. It also discussing the process of alchemy, by which an elixir can be created that can cure any disease or curse.'
As Yamisaka took in the knowledge found in the Baopuzi, the toll that came with coming in contact with a grimoire with improper preparation began to take on his mind and body. To Index's horror and concern, the magician coughed up a massive amount of blood, leaving a sizable stain on the hotel's roof. Although greatly pained by his currently brief interaction with the grimoire, Yamisaka stood his ground, determined to retrieve the information from the grimoire he sought.
'I though being a magician meant having the power to do anything you wanted,' Yamisaka thought to himself, 'That's why I took the oath and became what I am today. So that nothing could ever stand in my way again. That is my reason for doing this. I did this for myself. No one else.'
Firing his Azusuyumi again, Yamisaka delved further into Index's mind to grasp more of the Baopuzi, all the while the strain on his mind and body grew more intense.
'It has nothing to do with her. That woman dying form a cruel curse.'
He remembered a certain encounter with the woman from his photo, sitting there in a wheelchair in a hospital, giving him a soft, sad smile.
'A powerless, pitiful woman who doesn't fight, but smiles softly and accepts death as it closes her fist around her heart.'
He fired his Azusuyumi several more times, doing whatever he could to maintain his mindreading spell and find the answers he had been looking for.
'If I couldn't help her, it meant I did not possess the boundless power I believed to be a magician's right.'
He fired his Azusuyumi again, coughing up more blood as the corruption from the grimoire hit him like a punch to the gut.
'That's why I'm doing this! Not to save her, but to prove that my power is absolute, and nothing can stand in my way!'
Once again, Yamisaka fired his bow, causing blood to erupt from his ears and eye sockets. When the blood stopped, the magician was surrounded by a massive blood splatter on all angels before he finally collapsed on the ground. He was beaten and batter, but he was still conscious, continuing to take in the knowledge of the grimoire.
'I am doing this for myself! Not for that poor, pathetic woman! It's not about her! It was never about her!'
"You're wrong!" Index called out, earning her the magician's attention, "You're lying to yourself! Your bow's power, it's been amplified too much! The contents of your mind are beginning to bleed out into mine! That's how I know! I know the truth! You're simply in love with her! That's why you're risking your life for her, to prevent her from dying! You're willing to do anything, to hurt anyone who gets in her way, as long as you can save her! You're afraid that if you admit that, the blame for your actions will be passed on to her, so you need to stop this now before you go any further! I'm sure that using a grimoire is not the way she would want you to save her!"
Suddenly, the door to the roof of the hotel slammed open, catching both Index and Yamisaka off guard. Running through that door came five figures, six is you count the kitten alongside them. They were the pet cat Sphinx, the rumor hunter Saten, Judgement veterans Uiharu and Kuroko, the Railgun Mikoto, and leading the charge the Certain Strange Addition to Judgement, Touma.
"Everyone!" Index cried in joy.
Rushing ahead of everyone else, Touma reached out and grabbed one of the many hanging ropes with his right hand. As soon as he did, the sound of shattering glass rang out and all the ropes disappeared into thin air, destroying the ritual site.
"Touma! Mikoto! Kuroko! Kazari! Ruiko!" Index cheered, jumping for joy in her restrained position.
"Jeez, you sure know how to make us worry," Touma sighed as he and the others approached the jumpy nun.
"Here, let me take care of those," Kuroko offered, teleporting away the ropes binding Index with a simple touch.
"Thank goodness you're alright," Uiharu sighed in relief.
"You know, I still didn't get my snack," Index whined.
"I'll shill out all the money you need for food," Mikoto promised.
"Don't worry Index, you're going to be able to eat to your heart's content later," Saten cheered.
"No! Now!" the nun complained.
"Is this truly wrong?" Yamisaka growled in a low voice, prompting the Judgement Officers to draw their weapons, "What I've done? Choosing to protect someone else's life? Even if it means losing my own!? Is that really so wrong of me!?"
Raising his Asuzuyumi once again, the magician fired a Severing Demon's Bow String right at the group. Reacting quickly, Touma rushed to the front and blocked the attack with Imagine Breaker, negating it in an instant.
"You fool. Of course it is," Touma said in a low voice, catching Yamisaka off guard, "Do you know how it feels to have some you care about die on you? To see them in pain, to watch them suffer, and know there is nothing you can do? You know that powerless feeling, don't you? You feel it for her. To know that she's dying makes you panic and grieve, and it scares you so much that it shakes you to your very core. It makes you want to scream as the tears are running down your face. And that's exactly why it's wrong! You'd be passing all of that on to her! And you don't get to choose that for somebody!"
Unable to accept what Touma was saying, Yamisaka prepared another spell to fire with his bow. Unfortunately for the magician, his wounds from trying to read a grimoire got the better of him and he collapsed on the ground, utterly unable to fight back. The group of Academy City residents could only stare in concern and worry as the magician laid there in a pool of his own blood.
"Pathetic…," Yamisaka whispered to himself, "Look at me after reading just one volume. I'm broken. How could I have ever expected for this poor vessel to contain the knowledge and power of even a single grimoire? my story is just a series of futile fights for power. Three times now I've given up on my life, but when I did, there was still one thing I couldn't give up on. One reason, one person to keep fight for."
As tears fell from his still closed eyes, Yamisaka grew quiet before falling limp on the ground. The girls gasped at the sight, not having expected the magician to give up in such a sad way, let alone accept death and give out in front of him. However, Touma couldn't accept that. He was not about to let this man throw his life away when he still had something to accomplish.
"Saten, please hand me Sphinx," Touma requested, stowing his ODD away.
"Um, okay…," Saten replied, not sure what Touma was planning.
Taking the kitten into his arms, Touma walked over to the fallen magician and kneeled next to his face. What happened next the girls didn't expect in the slightest. In a rather dirty and underhanded move, Touma held the calico kitten to the magician's face, allowing the small animal to leave three very visible and very painful scratch makes. The pain from the sudden assault to his face instantly woke Yamisaka up, leaving him rolling on the ground, yelling in pain as he held his face.
"What the hell was that about!?" Mikoto cried in indignation.
"Sissy, language!" Kuroko reprimanded.
"After every you've put us through, you don't get to end it that easily," Touma said, slightly annoyed, "That was for making skip dinner with my sister. I had to lie to her to through my teeth just to show up her, you jerk."
"W-what!?" Yamisaka stuttered in confusion.
"Now then, where is this woman you want to save so badly?" Touma inquired calmly.
"I-I don't…," Yamisaka coughed.
"Well, where is she?" Touma asked again, handing Sphinx back over to Index, "We're going to see if we can help her without using a grimoire."
"Huh?" the magician gasped, getting up on his hands and knees.
Save her without using a grimoire? Was that really possible?
"You saw my right hand, didn't you?" Touma pointed out, "I'm no magician of course, and I don't know a lot about curses, but if I'm right, one touch from my hand should be enough to save her."
"W-what?" the magician stuttered, "No way! That's crazy!"
"I know it may be hard to believe, but I've done this sort of thing before," Touma explained.
"Trust us, it's the truth," Kuroko insisted.
"I've tried to zap this idiot with my Esper Ability at least once every week since the day I met him," Mikoto added, "His power is no joke."
"If anyone can cure the woman you love, Kamijou can do it," Uiharu cheered.
"He's a genuine miracle worker! You can trust him to get the job done!" Saten grinned with a thumbs up.
Staring at the boy in front of him with wide eyes, Yamisaka could barely believe what was happening. Ever since the woman he loved fell victim to that curse, he had been hoping, praying for some way to save her. He thought the path to her salvation lay with a grimoire, but now he was faced with an alterative solution. A solution that met him with a smile.
"Alright then, let's go," Touma said as he stood up straight, "I promise, we're going to help the woman you love, but we can't do it without your help. We're going to need you too. So, get up and dust yourself off. You do want to help her, right? No matter what it takes?"
Overcome with emotion, Yamisaka broke down in tears in front of the high school boy. After all the wrong he had done in his quest to save someone he cared for, he and finally found a solution. The woman he loved would be save, and it would seem that he will be forgiven for his misdeeds. It truly was the miracle he had been searching for.
"Oh, honestly," Touma sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Now I have to deal with a magical curse. How do I keep getting myself in these situations?"
"It's your own fault for not being able to say no to a person in need," Mikoto giggled.
"You can't really argue with that, Touma." Index agreed.
The rest of the girls and Sphinx all nodded in agreement, their opinions on the topic clear. Touma, for his part, only quietly chuckled.
"Well, there's not time like the present. Why don't we get going?" Touma cheered, offering Yamisaka his right hand, "We've got a curse to kill!"
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"Welcome back to the Animan Temple! I'm your host and master of the temple, Animan von Elysium X!" Animan cheered as he greeted his unseen audience, "And with me like always is my trusty assistant who gets very little screen time, Priestess Number 1 Aisa Himegami!"
Sadly, the introduction was met only with silence, much to Animan's confusion.
"... Himegami?" the master of the temple asked, put off by the quieter than normal atmosphere.
Checking the surrounding room of the temple, Animan found his missing assistant hobbled in a back corner, a visible dark mist surrounding her.
"... You okay?"
"You got rid of my cameo..." the poor girl sulked.
"H-hey, don't feel bad! You're making an official appearance on the first day of the term in the next chapter, 'First Days'!" Animan encouraged.
Himegami only hid deeper in the corner, the mist around her getting thicker.
"W-well," Animan stuttered, "We'll see you all next time. Hopefully, Himegami will have gotten out of the corner by then."