I! AM! NOT! DEAD!
Yeash, this was a long time coming. Sorry for the wait, everyone. A new semestar started for this college student and its been pretty rough getting back into the rhythm of things and finding time to write. However, none of that matters now, since a new chapter of A Certain Strange Addition has finally be released!
But before we get to the chapter, let's respond to the reviews you'll all left for me in the last chapter. This has been a long time coming, so this might take a while.
Nemonobody001: Thank you for all the support! Sorry this took so long.
mohamadstar94: This is an internal crossover of sorts. Why wouldn't those two team up with the added history I've given them?
fuji92: Actually, the Yamisaka Ouma story is part of the Three Stories Arc, which chronologically happens before the Kazakiri Arc in season 1. The anime is weird like that. Remember, Shizuri as a doting older sister in this story (and a likely source of Touma's preference for older-sister-types) so she's going to show concern before acting out. If Touma is directly at fault for whatever accident he has, like walking in on a girl in the bathroom, that's when she breaks out paper fan. I'm am currently planning on including A Certain Scientific Accelerator and Endymion. That's the beauty of writing a serial story in real time, there's plenty of room for the plan to shift.
Xd (Guest): Terima kasih atas dukungannya. Maaf atas keterlambatannya.
Cyber (Guest): Itu akan menjadi waktu yang lama datang.
Isokage: Sorry this took so long. While I do have plans for a couple of original arcs, Liberal Arts City is not one of them. I just can't think of a believable way to get Touma in a middle school field trip. Yomikawa's reaction will be kept secret for now, as that is spoiler territory. It's important to remember that Uiharu is the least physically oriented of the group. While she may have an extremely versetile weapon now, using it the same way Touma or Kuroko might is not going to come very easily to her. She is the one that kept smacking herself in the face with it during training. What's important to remember is that ODD is very versatile, so while she may not be very effective in the same way Touma or Kuroko might be with it, she is sure to find a style of combat that works for her.
ChancePluto: Considering everything that had happened over the course of the last couple of months? The railgang would probably be pretty numbed to Touma's side of things by now.
Generation Zero: Well, that's what's great about Touma's character. He means well, and does well, but he's so focused on keep others happy that he doesn't consider how his well-being affects that happiness. The two siblings will definitely have an intervention at some point, I actually have some big plans in store for exactly that, with plenty of drama and comedy mixed in. I'm sure you'll find it quite enjoyable when it comes about. Give Touma a more close knit support system has been a major sticking point for much of the story, just as much as it has been for the Railgang with Touma and all the people he connects them too. While Touma is by no means antisocial, joining Judgement was the push he needed to force him to interact with others more and let them be involved in his problems. You can expect to see much more of this in the future.
BlueJack22: What's so special about this chapter? Himegami shows up in every chapter in my temple.
fencer29: Looking at the Toaru timeline, yeah, I think it's fair to say that Touma deals with a lot of crisis within a given week. My counterpoint being that they are usually pretty localized, only really picking up in scale by the time the Daihasei rolls around. Well, secrets and lies are the name of the game when it comes to the Kamijou siblings. Neither of them are telling the full truth, which puts a strain on their still healing relationship, even if they don't realize it. Eventually, its going to reach a breaking point and snap, and its never pretty when a Kamijou snaps. Hey, Himegami is one of the most consistently appearing characters after the main cast after I implemented the Animan Temple!
vampireharry the 2: Thank you for all the support!
Herox100: Figured I'd showcase what life was like with Saten and Index living together since I had yet to explore that change in too great detail. Naturally, its much less awkward that when Index was living with Touma, but it's also just as difficult to keep Index happy since she still has the mental maturity of a child be virtue of her previously regular mind-wipes.
janjakennen: Guess the answer to that question is approximately two months. Jokes aside, I did not intend for the wait to be this long. I'm trying to juggle everything a bit better and not keep all of you waiting for such an ungodly amount of time.
Anime-ted Life116: Well, Shizuri will eventually learn about magic and have some sort of misunderstanding in the beginning. It just probably won't be exactly what you're thinking. Next arc is actually the Kazakiri Arc. Believe it or not, its actually been an arc I've been excited about for a long time. Sadly, because of the nature of the Liberal Arts City Arc as a middle school field trip gone awry, I decided against including it since it would be rather difficult, if not impossible, to include characters like Touma and Index, who are the major linchpins for change on the Railgun side of things. I am planning on doing Endymion, as it is a story that spans all sides of the original story and one that will be integral for the expanded lore I'm crafting. Thank you for such high praise. Honestly, I'm not entire sure if I deserve it. I mean, sure, statistically, A Certain Strange Addition is one of the most successful Toaru stories on this site, but how much of that was just due to it being the longest running of its kind? Still, who am I to argue with statistics.
5waydragon: Yes, yes she will.
JayMyBoy: Oh, I think you'll find this version of Himegami's cameo just a hit more humorous and tripy. Glad you like the Animan Temple segments. I work hard to give the endcards just a little more personality. Touma has always had some pretty skewed priorities. He just wanted to have some quality time with his sister, not deal with an overly complicated and dangerously misguided attempt to break a curse.
The Richmaster: Group dynamics have always been the lifeblood of this story. I got to make them good.
tython055: Saten learning about the Parameter List is something I have planned in the future, though very far off. I think you'll find it very interesting when it does happen.
Rajarshi Sarkar: Well, yeah, spoilers only hurt the person who hears them, unless of course you're like me and care more about the "how" than the "what". Sorry this took so long!
Stitches (Guest): Well, Touma will be learning at least half of Yuri's story pretty soon, that being the price he paid trying to protect Last Order. The rest of that story will come to light soon enough, so you'll have to wait until then to see just how exactly Touma and Mikoto react to that. Sorry for the wait.
Guest (1): She will find out eventually. To give you an idea of when, I'll at least say that it happens at some point during the events covered in Index II.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Yeah, that supposed original arc did feel more like an extension of the Three Stories Arc in the grand scheme of things. Touma was the main catalyst for change in this story, but he's not the only one. I new I had to explore how Index's lifestyle was affected by previous changes, so now seemed as good a time as any for the first dive into it. As you'll undoubtedly see, stuff like this will become an increasingly common phenomenon. Secrets and Lies is the name of the game for the Kamijous, generating worries and concerns for both siblings. Eventually, its all going to come to a tipping point. Thanks for all the support.
Fyr RedNight: Thank you!
Berix: Thank you for the kind words and pointing out some errors. I may or may not get around to fixing them. Either way, I'll do what I can to make sure they don't happen in the future.
Kim454: Accelerator will be adapted. Considering that alteration, if and only if I can think of some plausible reason to do so.
Chroma (Guest): A surprisingly popular pick that I am considering, if even on as a minor shiptease.
Kami (Guest): Currently under consideration.
OnePunchPlayer: I think this chapter's existence answers that question. Sorry it took so long.
Vein Bloodborne: Sorry this took so long!
Im The Person: I do have plans for major changes, its just that most of them don't happen until events covered in Index II, when the plot really started to pick up and the stakes started getting extreme. My story works on a Butterfly Effect, small changes in the beginning lead to massive changes later on. Things like STUDY being free as a new ally and the secret lore of the Kamijou Clan are such small changes that will have massive ramifications much later down the line. I hope you'll stick around for when they happen.
And that's all of them! Huh, was as long a list as I originally anticipated. Anyway, I know it's been a while, but I'm sure you all know the drill at this point.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 58: First Days
The morning of September 1 was a tiring one for Touma, to say the least. After promising to help save the love of one Ouma Yamisaka, the unlucky Kamijou was sent one quite the misadventure. Thanks to the higher security level put in place after Yamisaka broke into Academy City, no one was allowed to leave the city and the Imagine Breaker and Magician had to get sneaking in order to get out of Academy City. Using one of Yamisaka's spells, the pair were to fool the Anti-Skill on guard into believe that the pair had clearance.
Unfortunately, this also meant Touma had to leave his Judgement equipment behind, leaving him significantly less armed and without transportation. The latter of which was especially problematic since the hospital that the cursed woman was in was located in the opposite side of Tokyo from where Academy City was located. Thus, Touma was left make the journey to the hospital with Yamisaka and back on his own two feet and through the use of Tokyo's public transportation, leaving his wallet hurting a bit.
And to top it all off, after sneaking in and out of Academy City to help save the life of a misguided Magician's love, Touma was met with the final misfortune of arrive home at midnight to discover that his dinner had gone cold and his sister had already gone to sleep.
"Are you okay, Touma?" Shizuri asked in concern as the siblings sat down for breakfast, "You seem rather tired."
"I'm fine." Touma yawned between his bites of toast, "Apprehending the rogue Esper and rescuing that hostage was just a bit more exhausting than expected."
"Are you sure you're going to be okay to go to school today? You look a bit sleep deprived."
"I'll be fine. It's just the opening ceremony today anyway. There shouldn't be any classes and I'll be done by noon at the latest." Touma insisted.
Noticing the tired look in her brother's eyes, Shizuri didn't completely buy Touma's claims. The high school boy had some serious stamina, but even he couldn't operate without proper sleep or at the very least an energy boost. Getting up from the dinner table, Shizuri walked over to the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. Reaching inside, she pulled out a single black can and tossed it over to Touma.
"Here, catch." Shizuri called out as threw the can.
Said can nailed Touma straight in the head, causing him and his chair to fall back on to the floor.
"… Why would you do that?" Touma whined, rubbing his forehead.
"… Honestly, I'm not sure myself. Sorry." Shizuri apologized, "But this does help prove my point. You're reflexes and senses are sluggish from lack of proper sleep and all the running you did yesterday. You need something to get you up and about."
"And throwing a can at my head helps me how?"
"Read the can." Shizuri instructed.
Grabbing the offending can of the floor and setting himself and his chair straight, Touma read the label to see that it was for his favorite brand of black coffee.
"When did you get this?" Touma asked in surprise, not having any recollection of restocking his supply himself.
"When I went to the store yesterday. I bought a whole case of the stuff. You did mention it was your favorite." Shizuri explained with a smile, "Now finish your breakfast and drink up or you'll be late for school. We can't have that on the first day of the new term."
"… Thanks Sis." Touma said gratefully as he sat back at the table, "Though, I have my doubts that the caffeine in a single can of black coffee will get me through the day before lunch. Maybe through the commute, but anything else would be pushing it."
"I also got a couple of cans of your favorite brand's expresso, also black, for just such an occasion." Shziuri added as she dug through the cabinet once again, "Catch."
Once again, Touma failed to react in time and the can clonked in the face, knocking him and his chair over.
"… Please stop throwing things at me." Touma whimpered.
Across District 7, Saten and Index were enjoying their own simple breakfast of butter and toast in preparation for the first day of the new term. Unfortunately, the young nun was rather vocal about her displeasure with the situation.
"It's not fair." Index whined, "I don't see why you all have to go back to school today."
"Oh yeah." Saten mused, "I guess that means you'll be here by yourself all day."
"Can't I just go with one of you?" Index begged, "I don't want to just stay indoors all day."
"Come on, we've been over this already." Saten reprimanded, "Even if you somehow managed to get legal residency in Academy City despite obviously having originally entered illegally, that doesn't mean you can just waltz into a school and spend the day there. The only people who should be in a school during school hours are the staff and students. We'll figure out a long-term solution later, but for now, just stay here for the day. Okay?"
"Okay." Index conceded, "But you'll come home right away, right?"
"Count on it!" Saten said with a thumbs up as she finished her breakfast and got up from the table, "We've already all agreed to hang out one last time with Kamijou before we leave for the regional field trip tomorrow, so we'll be sure to have lots of fun then! That sound good?"
Index's only reply was a very jubilant nod.
"Alright then, I'm off." Saten replied, grabbing her school bag, "I'll see you this afternoon."
"I'll be waiting!" Index cheered as her roommate stepped out the door.
As soon as Saten was gone, Index immediately grabbed a hold of her kitten Sphinx and started playing with him. It would only be a matter of hours before Index got the chance to have some fun with Touma and everyone else. For the time being, she would entertain herself with Sphinx as the clock ticked towards the time that school would be out for the day and they could all have some fun.
However, an unpleasant thought crossed Index's mind as she rolled around the floor with her kitten. After all the commotion last night with Ouma Yamisaka, Saten had never gotten the chance to restock the fridge. It was the reason that their breakfast only consisted of butter and toast, as it was the only food left in the dorm. That also meant that when lunch rolled around, Index and Sphinx had nothing to eat, and if no one came around by then, they would go hungry. Truly, it was a far worse crisis than anything she had encountered before.
Riding on top of his hoverboard, Touma easily cruised through the streets of Academy City as he approached A Certain High School. Thanks to the prototype transportation entrusted to him by Doctor Bakuya of the Disciplinary Committee, the commute to his high school was nowhere near as long or strenuous as it used to be. It also completely negated the exhausting climb that came with having a high school located at the top of a hill. However, the hoverboard also came with the drawback of being a massive attention magnet. The sight of the infamously misfortunate Touma Kamijou on a hoverboard garnered the attention of many students at A Certain High School. Attention that was, thankfully and surprisingly, rather pleasant.
"Hey, nice ride Kamijou!"
"Great work over the summer!"
"We're counting on you too keep this city safe, so keep it up!"
The words of praise confused Touma to no end. No doubt he had been busy that summer. Even with his memory loss and limited records from his journal, there was enough information out there from his friends and media outlets to tell him that he had been involved in the take down of a lot of serious criminal activities. Those same media outlets were probably also the reason that so many of the students at his school were congratulating him, but he honestly didn't understand why. Sure, he was involved in resolving many of those instances, but so was the rest of rest of Judgement Branch 177, and in the case of the STUDY Incident, all of Judgement and even his homeroom class were involved.
They always that things like teaching and law enforcement are thankless jobs, but in Touma's opinion, that's because it's supposed to be that way. There's no need to thank a teacher or law enforcer for doing they jobs because that's exactly all that happened, they were just doing their jobs. They're doing their jobs not out of obligation, but because they want to. In the same way, Touma was simply doing his job as a member of Judgement when he fought in those conflicts and was not seeking praise. He may have been strong-armed into Judgement during the end of the last term, but he stuck around because it was what he wanted to do, nothing more, nothing less. In his eyes, the praise he was receiving from his peers was unearned and unnecessary.
When Touma arrived at the school's parking lot, he saw it fit for him to make the rest of his trip to his classroom on foot. Jumping off his hoverboard, the Level 0 picked up the device, shutting it off and collapsed it into the size of a dinner plate before sticking it into his school bag. As he did so, he noticed a small car drive past him and spotted a familiar tuff of pink hair in the driver seat window.
"Is that Miss Komoe?" Touma asked himself aloud, "Hold on, there's no way her feet can reach the pedals, right? Now with her height."
Evidently, the deceptively young looking teacher heard him, immediately parking the car in her designating spot and opening the door for Touma to see inside. As it were, her car was equipped with the standard equipment used by those with disabilities, such as paralysis or amputation of the legs, allowing her full control of the car without use of the petals.
"True, my feet don't reach all the way to the petals, but I can still perfectly capable of driving." Komoe reprimanded as she walked along side Touma towards the classroom, "Now Kamijou, I certainly hope all that gawking wasn't because you were doubting my abilities."
"Well… I… um…" Touma stuttered, lost for words, "Wait, is this a pop quiz? I'm not being graded on my answers, am I?"
"Aw, come on! I wouldn't do that to you." Komoe teased, giving her precious student a sly wink, "I like to wait until at least second period before dropping a quiz. Besides, I've been busy collecting data. A friend of mine has asked me on so information on AIM Diffusion Fields. You've heard of those, right? You were involved in a lot of Judgement cases over the summer that exploited them in shady experiments."
"Yeah. AIM stands for 'An Involuntary Movement,' right? They're the power that Espers release subconsciously that are so weak they are nearly impossible to detect." Touma deduced.
"Right on point!" Komoe congratulated.
"It's an interesting concept, honestly." Touma mused, "If there was an Esper that could detect the diffusion fields, they could detect any Esper nearby. That'd be a solid hypothesis, right?"
"Uh huh. And taking it a step further, the same Esper could be able to tell the type of Ability and how powerful it is." the tiny teacher added, "Yes! This guy's battle power is over 8000 points! Or you know, something like that. At any rate, there are plenty of people out there who would love to be able to detect nearby Espers and measure their power."
'Now that I think about it, Zapper mention one of Shizuri's allies being able to track her movements through some sort of Ability, and with extreme accuracy at that.' Touma mused to himself as the finally reached the classroom, 'Maybe that's how she pulled it off.'
Standing proudly at the very center of School District 7 was a single skyscraper with no windows or doors. Appropriately named the Windowless Building, it was an impenetrable fortress with no means of getting in or out of it through traditional methods. The only way to gain access to the insides of this building was through the use of a guide, specifically a Teleporter. The reason for such a well defended building? It was the home and headquarters of Academy City's elusive founder and leader, General Superintendent Aleister Crowley.
As the leader of Academy City peacefully floated upside-down in his giant tank, a pair of individuals teleported into the spot directly in front of him. The first individual was Motohara Tsuchimikado, the multifaced, Esper/Magician hybrid spy for both Academy City and Necessarious. The second individual was his teleporter guide, a twin tailed girl in a pink crop top with a school jacket as a cape whom would surely never hold any significance in the machinations of the world.
"Thank you again." Tsuchimikado said as the girl let go of his shoulder, "I appreciate all the help."
The girl only returned a tired smile before teleporting out of the room, leaving her passenger alone with its sole inhabitant. Now alone, Tsuchimikado turned his attention to the figure in the tank, a stern and serious look plastered on his face.
"Alright, tell me what's going on." the double agent demanded, "Since when do we let magicians sneak into the city so easily?"
"Calm yourself. We are tracking the intruder's whereabouts as we speak." Aleister instructed, his voice displaying not emotion, "We should know before long."
"Sherry Cromwell," Tsuchimikado replied, pressing a photo of the offending magician walking among a crowd in the city.
She was a young woman with tanned skin and wild, short blonde hair. Her outfit consisted of a flowing black, gothic dress which appeared tattered in some places. With such a unique outfit, it was not hard to spot her in a crowd of students in uniform.
"She's not an ordinary magician," the double agent further explained, "she's a member of Necessarious. If she's brought down sloppily, it will cause a rift between Necessarious and Academy City."
"How sad to think that such close neighbors that love each other as much as we do could be at such odds," Aleister mused, seemingly not taking the issue seriously.
"Just so you know, I'm going after Sherry." Tsuchimikado declared, "If another magician takes her down, the waves it makes won't be as big."
"There's no need to involve yourself," the person in the tank insisted, catching the spy off guard.
"You don't mean… You're planning on using Kamijou again?" Tsuchimikado deduced, "After all the warnings I've given you up until now regarding you messing with the last remains of the Kamijou Clan?"
"It will shorten plans 2082 through 3277," Aleister reasoned.
"The Imaginary Number School District's Five Elemental Control Method?" Tsuchimikado mused, recognizing the significance of those plans.
"This run-away horse can destroy the world if we don't act now. It's best that we do our best to take hold of the reins again as soon as possible."
"Hey Aogami, I haven't seen Tsuchimikado around. Have you?" Touma asked his friend as they sat in their desks, waiting for the start of first period.
"Nah, I haven't seen him either." Aogami replied, "Honestly, I expected you to know where he was since your neighbors. I wonder where he is."
"You know what I think?" Touma smirked, "I bet he's still trying to finish up his summer homework."
"Yeah. I decided to conveniently forget to do mine just to see Miss Komoe get all worked up," the blue haired guy with piercings said, flashing a cheeky grin.
"Okay, that's just low, even for you." Touma deadpanned.
"Alright class, settle down!" Komoe called out as she entered the room.
As soon as she did so, the students in the room quickly sat themselves in their seats and turned their attention to their teacher. As troublesome as they could be at times, the students of Class 1-7 loved their adorable teacher more than anything else. To go out of their way to cause trouble for said teacher with ill intent was just not something the class normally did.
"Now then, before we get started and go to the opening ceremony, I have some very special news for all of you." the comedically young looking teacher announced, "Starting today, we'll be having a new transfer student joining us! So, please join me in welcoming her!"
The news instantly caught the attention of the class, prompting many of them to start private conversations among themselves as to what the new student was going to be like. Touma himself was rather curious about this new addition to his class, but he opted to keep those thoughts to himself. As per tradition in Japanese schools, the new student would be introduced shortly, so there was no need for him to set himself up with expectations that could leave him with disappointment.
"That's right! The new addition is a girl! It's your lucky day, gentleman! Better luck next time, little ladies!" Komoe said as she stuck a few poses with a hit of showmanship, "Now, allow me to introduce you to your new classmate!"
Gesturing to the door, Komoe directed her students' attention to the arrival of their new addition to their class. However, everyone, Komoe included, was quite shocked when a certain nun with a kitten nestled in her habit walked through the door like she owned the place.
"What are you doing here!" Touma cried in complete shock, standing up in his seat.
"Oh good, I found you! So, this is the school you go to." Index mused, ignoring Touma's blatant panic, "I was hoping to find one of the schools you and the others go to, so I guess I got lucky. Glad I picked the right one."
"Oh dear! How did you get in here!?" Komoe cried, beginning to push the nun out the door, "You are most certainly not the new transfer student! Out you go now! Out! Out! OUT!"
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Index yelled in confusion as the classroom door was shut behind her.
"My goodness, what were you thinking!" Komoe reprimanded, "You can't just match in here pretending to be a student!"
Digging into her wallet, the childish looking teacher pulled out a 5000 yen bill and handed it to the nun-in-training.
"Take this." Komoe instructed, "I want you to use that to get yourself a taxi and head straight home, okay? Also, whatever you do, remember not to talk to strangers, even if they offer you candy."
As Komoe shoved the intruder towards the exit, a certain girl in a hime cut standing outside of the classroom let herself in. Quickly writing her name on the chalkboard, the girl formally introduced herself to the students of Class 1-7.
"Just so you know, I'm actually the new transfer student." the girl clarified, "My name is Aisa Himegami."
Sadly for the new girl that got way too little attention to really justify her presence, the class was not too focused on her. Rather, everyone's attention was trained on the unlucky Kamijou sitting by the window, slumped down in his chair, looking like he wanted to die.
"Rotten luck," he whispered, tears flowing down his face.
"I'm going to faint from hunger." Index whined as she wandered the halls of A Certain High School.
After arriving at Touma's school by pure luck in hopes of finding some help in solving her food dilemma, Index was greeted with a less than warm welcome. Not only had Touma not acknowledged her presence in any sort of positive way, but Komoe had made it her mission to send the nun-in-training away as quickly as she had arrived. Now all she had in her possession was a single 5000 yen bill, which while certainly enough to get her a meal somewhere, was not an immediate solution for her current hunger problem.
To worried about her hunger to actually bother finding her way out of the building, Index stumbled upon a certain room that all students of the school found themselves in at some point, the cafeteria. Entering the room out of curiosity, Index discovered the room empty and what she recognized as a food ticket vending machine sitting in the corner. If what she heard of the machines was correct, users purchase meal tickets from such machines to exchange them for food form the facilities they were located in. If that was the case, then she might have just found a solution to her hunger problem. Of course, she naively failed to realize that without proper staff active in the cafeteria, there would be no one to exchange said purchased ticket with to receive the corresponding meal.
"Touma always makes fun of me for being ignorant about technology, but this should be easy as pie." Index mused as she relayed the instructions she had memorized from overhearing and offhand conversations, "First you put your money in, and then you press the button.
However, as soon as she had put her only bill into the machine, she quickly discovered that the machine did not have any buttons on it, at least none in the traditional sense. All that the machine had was a screen that Index failed to realize had touch screen technology implemented in it, leaving the naïve nun-in-training panicked and teary-eyed.
"What am I going to do!?" Index cried, "That was the only money I had, and the machine took it!"
"Excuse me?" an unfamiliar voice asked as someone tapped Index's shoulder.
Turning around, Index was greeted a person she had never seen before in her life, or at least within the last year. It was a high school girl who looked to be about Touma's age, standing just a head taller than Index herself. The girl had long, brown hair that reached to her knees with a few strands of it tied off on the left side of her head. She had brown eyes and wore a pair of round glasses. Her uniform consisted of a long blue skirt, a red necktie, and a white blouse that looked a bit tight because of her ample bust.
"It's simple," the unknown girl instructed, "just push the button."
"But I don't see any buttons on this machine." Index lamented, explaining the crux of her problem.
"It's a touchscreen. You just have to touch the monitor," the girl explained, stepping around Index towards the machine.
While Index expressed her confusion, the mysterious girl touched the bottom most icon on the touchscreen. A moment later, the 5000 yen note that Index had supposedly lost to the machine slipped out of the money slot.
"Amazing!" Index gasped, "Do they make TVs that do that to?"
"Not really," the strange girl giggled, handing Index the bank note, "sorry."
"Thanks so much!" Index cheered as she reclaimed her money, "What's your name? You're nice."
"Oh, thanks! I'm Hyouka Kazakiri." the new girl introduced herself with a smile.
Having introduced themselves to one another, the two girls sat down at one of the cafeteria's tables to get to trade stories as to how they got to that point. In a rather annoyed tone, Index recalled how she had made her way to Touma's school by pure luck in an attempt to ask him what she was going to do about lunch but was quickly forced to leave before getting a chance to ask her question. Kazakiri was kind enough to be understanding of the situation, be she also understood the school rules well enough to know why Index was forced to leave.
"I can see why that can be frustrating, but only students and staff can be on school grounds during school hours," Kazakiri explained.
"What about you, Hyouka? You're here." Index pointed out.
"Oh! I'm here because I'm a new transfer student." the older girl clarified; the logic self-explanatory.
"Okay! Then I'll be a transfer student too!" Index cheered, pathetically and naively misunderstanding said self-explanatory logic.
"Uh, it doesn't actually work like that…" Kazakiri trailed.
"Well, I didn't come all this way just to get turned around!" Index protested, "I'm not leaving until Touma tells me what I'm supposed to do about lunch!"
"Okay, I understand," Kazakiri said soothingly, trying to calm the ill-tempered nun down, "but in that outfit, you're going to draw attention to yourself."
Taking a moment to inspect her iconic white and gold habit, Index had to agree that it made her stand out, perhaps a bit too much. After all, one does not usually go to Academy City, let alone any school, expecting to see a person of extremely devout faith.
"Alright," Index conceded, "then what am I supposed to do?"
"Well. I might have one idea," Kazakiri suggested.
After getting pestered about the sudden appearance of Index at the school, Touma had excused himself from the class under the pretense of going to the bathroom. In actuality, he was really only trying to get away so he could take a walk through the halls and compose himself. Being surrounded and constantly asked about a strange girl in a white and gold nun's habit was not how he wanted to start the new term.
He honestly couldn't believe how much trouble Index was able to get herself into in such a short amount of time. Within the last few months alone, she was being pursued by magicians under the pretense of protecting her via memory wiping, kidnapped on multiple occasions, and banned from several restaurants after she ate through their entire supply and nearly put them out of business. And she had the gall to show up in a school that she had no reason to be in after Touma and the girls had explicitly instructed her to stay home until school let out so they could discuss how to handle her during the new term. If this most recent incident alone didn't punctuate just how little life experience the nun-in-training had as a result of her annual mind wipes, then nothing could.
As Touma trekked down the halls of A Certain High School, he heard the very familiar voice of a certain nun coming from behind one of the many classroom doors. He could hardly believe it. After all that, Index was still on school grounds!? Well, not if the unlucky Kamijou had anything to say about it.
Unfortunately, in his hast to get Index to leave in his quest to restore normalcy to his school life, Touma had failed to actually pay attention to what was being said. Had he done so, he would have realized that there was another girl in the room with Index and the two of them were discussing clothing. Had he known, he would have not been so quick as to barge into the room to see Index and Kazakiri half-naked and in the process of switching to gym clothes. Once again caught in an unfortunately perverted situation, only one outcome was in the cards for Touma, and it involved a lot of biting and screaming form all parties involved.
"Okay, I'm fairly certain we've explained this before, but today is only the opening ceremonies." Touma explained to the nun sitting across from him, "The latest any of use was going to be gone as noon. Someone would have been able to drop by the dorm and take care of lunch for you once the ceremonies were over."
"Are you accusing me, the nun with a photographic memory of 103000 grimoires, of having forgotten something like that?" Index glared at the bit covered boy from across the table.
"No, never." Touma snarked, "What I'm accusing you of is the tendency to ignore basic and explicit instructions."
"Well, how was I supposed to know then? I clearly have no memory of you telling me this, so are you calling me a liar?" Index countered.
"No, I'm calling you an undisciplined child who doesn't listen to those around her and manages to miss the most basic of general information. Everyone in Academy City knows how the opening ceremony is handled. It's a standardized procedure."
"Okay then, if you know so much, Touma then answer me this!" Index challenged smuggly, "When preforming a ceremony to project a telesmatic image to be used as an idol for the English Puritan Church, what role is played by the direction and position of the castor? If the position is off by even a little bit, then the spell won't take effect, but of course you know the answer. After all, that's how it is. Everyone knows that!"
"You do realize your argument falls flat when the basis of your example is rooted in a power system that is kept secret from a majority of the world, right?" Touma snarked, not appreciating Index's childish attitude towards the argument, "Anyway, I'm curious. Who exactly is this girl sitting next to you?"
Having suddenly made the subject of discussion, Kazakiri visibly flinched and froze up.
"…Actually, I don't really know myself, but she's my friend." Index reply simply, dropping the smug act.
"Yet you don't know who she is." the high school boy deadpanned.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she can't be my friend!" Index argued, standing up in her seat.
"Um, it's nice to meet you," Kazakiri introduced herself, "My name is Hyouka Kazakiri."
"Hello, I'm Touma Kamijou." Touma instantly lightened his tone to introduce himself, "Are you a new student?"
"Y-yes," Kazakir stuttered nervously, "t-that's right."
"That's enough!" Index suddenly shouted, slamming her hands on the table, "You're making Hyouka nervous, and I won't stand for it!"
"Huh!?" Touma asked confused by the sudden spike in aggression.
"Don't worry about it, Hyouka." Index said reassuringly to the girl next to her, "Touma may be a hormonally charged teenage boy whose friend ratio is heavily skewed towards girls in a way that raises concerns from the general public, but overall he's a pretty nice guy."
Touma was rather insulted by Index's blatantly unflattering description of his social status and behavior, especially considering the fact that the majority of the girls he ends up hanging out with are at least a year his juniors. Even more so considering he clearly showed his displeasure on his face, yet Index continued to speak of him as if he wasn't in the room.
"You can hold Sphinx if you want to." Index offered, placing her precious pet down on the table in front of her new friend, "Petting a kitten lowers stress and reduces blood pressure."
"His name is Sphinx?" Kazakiri mused, inspecting the kitten as he rolled on the table, "That's adorable."
Picking up the kitten in her hands, Kazakiri couldn't help but giggle as Sphinx happy meowed at her, a clear indication that he immediately took a liking to her. Unable to hold back when faced with such cuteness, the apparent transfer student pulled the small cat into a tight hug, burying Sphinx's face into her bountiful breasts.
As a perfectly healthy high school boy, Touma couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at the sight. Not wanting to prove Index's rude claims about him true, he found it best to simply look away and pretend to not notice the scene. He did feel slightly better about the situation when Sphinx forced himself out of Kazakiri's hold after clearly suffering from a considerable lack of air.
"I wonder what's wrong." Index mused obliviously, having never seen Sphinx turn away from affection like that before.
"Animals have significantly sharper senses than humans do. Perhaps he's uncomfortable with the differences in our smells, with mine being unfamiliar to him." Kazakiri reasoned.
'That's one way to put it." Touma snaked in his head.
"Kamijou!" a fourth voice interrupted, much to Touma's surprise.
Turing to the source of the voice, Touma was rather bewildered to see Komoe approach the table. The expression on her face was clearly that of anger and disappointment, something the misfortunate Kamijou feared to learn the reasoning behind.
"The first day of the second term, and you're already playing hooky!" the diminutive teacher reprimanded.
"Miss Komoe! Shouldn't you be at the opening ceremony?" Touma asked in surprise.
"I should be asking you that!" Komoe rebutted, "I came her looking for you! As I'm sure you are well aware, you're supposed to be in the gymnasium with all the other students! Yet here you are in the cafeteria! Is that any way for our school resident Judgement Officer to be acting!? You're supposed to be setting an example for following school rules, not blatantly disregarding them!"
"Well, here's the thing." Touma reasoned in a minor panic, trying to think of some viable argument.
"… How is it you always have girls fall into your lap, Kamijou?" Komoe noted, noticing the two girls and kitten sitting across from Touma, "Are you emitting some sort of special AIM Diffusion Field!?"
"Why would you assume that? I'm sure the rumors of my Ability are common knowledge in Academy City at this point, and you of all people should know just how low I rank on the Esper list." Touma sighed as he turned to face Kazakair, tired of the situation, "Kazakiri, could you please explain why… eh?"
To Touma's surprise, the mysterious new girl was no longer in her seat. Looking around, there didn't appear to be any sign of her exit. Her chair didn't even appear to have been pulled out. The looks on Index and Sphinx's faces told Touma that they were just as surprised as he was.
"Did she cut and run on the first day?" Touma mused to himself.
As the opening ceremony at A Certain High School reached its close, the students slowly but surely flooded out of the building, ready for one last taste of freedom before classes were back in full swing. Standing under a tree in the school's courtyard was Index, anxiously waiting for Touma to arrive. As she waited, the nun-in-training was greeted by a familiar voice, just not Touma's.
"Hey." Kazakiri greeted as she circled around the tree behind Index.
"Oh, hi!" Index replied, happy to see her new friend again after she so suddenly disappeared.
"That was quite the scene back there. Honestly, it kind of surprised me." Kazakiri mused.
"Komoe wasn't made at us or anything," Index said reassuringly, "so there's nothing to worry about."
"Then why do you look so sad, Index?" Kazakiri inquired, noticing Index's long face.
"… Touma was mad at me," Index admitted, staring at the ground, "He was so made, he wasn't even willing to listen to what I had to say, let alone spare a smile. What if… what if Touma doesn't like me anymore."
The thought alone scared Index to her core. Because of her lack of memories prior to July 28 of last year, she had no knowledge of anyone she had close connections with in her past. No family, no friends, all she had for as long as she could remember was the Grimoire Library and her faith as she lived on the run from the magicians who sought out her magical knowledge.
But that all changed when she met Touma that faithful day after she accidentally landed on his balcony at his old school dorm. Despite having no obligation to, the totally normal high school boy stretched out his hand and helped her, giving her a place to stay and doing whatever he could to protect her. Admittedly, she gave him a hard time every so often, but Touma had stuck with her no matter what happened. He had become her hero. More than that, he had become her family.
After a year of constantly being on the run, Index was finally able to just stop and live a relatively normal life. Through Touma, she had a roof over her head. Through Touma, she was able to make friends. Through Touma, she was able to find a home. Through Touma, she was able to find a family. Touma had become the older brother she never had. Losing him over such a small and trivial mistake was the last thing she wanted.
"Now I can tell you not to worry." Kazakiri replied reassuringly, "If you two can argue like that, it means you're close."
"How's that?"
"Good friends can argue with each other because they know they'll always be able to make up afterwards," the transfer student explained, "I think that's why he felt comfortable arguing with you, because he knows you two are inseparable."
"Really? You mean it?"
"He cares enough to get made at you, and that says a lot about his feelings. I'm sure it will all blow over." Kazakiri concluded, "Although, I have to wonder how he was able to talk to use with a straight face after seeing us undressed."
"Oh, that's just Touma's lifestyle," Index explained, "For one reason or another, his circle of friends is heavily skewed towards girls, plus he lives with his older sister. With his luck, accidents like that are commonplace. I'm more confused as to how he has yet to learn how to knock first with how often it has happened."
"Hey!"
Speak of the devil, Touma soon arrived on the scene, meeting Index halfway under the tree.
"Touma!" Index greeted with a smile.
"Well, I'm all done." Touma smiled in return, "Ready to get something to eat?"
"We're still go out to eat?" Index asked in surprise.
"We all agreed on it, didn't we?" Touma reminded the nun, "After all, this will be our last chance to hang out with everyone before the girls leave for their regional field trip. I already emailed everyone what happened, so there shouldn't be too much of a panic when Flipper arrives home to see you missing. You want to come along, Kazakiri?"
"Please Hyouka?" Index asked, "I'd love it if you'd join us."
"Is that really alright?" the transfer student asked with uncertainty.
"Yeah, of course!" Index replied jubilantly, "It will be the perfect opportunity for me to introduced you to everyone!"
"Okay then!" Kazakiri agreed with a wide smile.
"Just give me a minute to take out some cash before we leave." Touma instructed as he headed towards the nearest ATM.
At a convenience store not too far away from his high school, Touma went about his business like he normally did. It was a normal, everyday ATM withdrawal his was making. Of course, that also meant he was to expect some form of misfortune, such was the nature of his life. It was for such occasions that the misfortunate high school boy reminded himself to expect the unexpected, as all misfortune was unexpected on some level.
However, this particular ATM visit seemed to prove just how paradoxical that statement was. When Touma started his transaction, he was expecting something unexpectedly horrible to happen, like losing his back card in the machine or discovering that someone had hacked his account and syphoned all the money out. Instead what he found unexpected in a good way. For some reason, his bank account was reading several more digits than remembered it having. As the lowest ranking of all Level 0s, Touma always some difficulties trying to make ends meet, at least while he was living alone, but seeing such a long number plastered on his savings account made it hard to believe he could possibly struggle now. The amount in his account now rivaled what a Level 4 or even Level 5 earned from stipends.
'A Level 5…,' Touma thought to himself as he felt a lightbulb go on over his head.
Pulling out his phone, Touma quickly dialed up the only person he knew could have been behind this.
"Hi, Touma," Shizuri greeted cheerfully over the phone, "How was your first day of school?"
"Never mind that now. Did you do something to my bank account?" Touma inquired.
"Oh, so you noticed," Shizuri mused, "Yeah, I took the liberty of depositing a fraction of my total savings into you account to give you a little bit of an easier time. I couldn't just let my little brother continue to struggle financially when he's one of the hardest working people I know."
"Have I told you you're the greatest sister ever?" Touma asked, tears of joy pouring out of his eyes.
"I can stand to hear you say it some more."
"… Wait. How did you get my bank account information in the first place?"
"I have connections. Don't worry though. I made sure my people didn't make you a victim of identity theft."
"… You know, if you keep this up, they'll have to switch the term from 'Big Brother' to 'Big Sister'," Touma sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I'm begging you, please stop using your shady connections to peep into my private life."
"I'm your sister. Were you expecting anything else?"
"Fair enough." Touma sighed again in defeat, "Well, I better get going. I'll see you at home tonight."
"Okay then. Stay safe. Try not to get yourself involved in anything crazy."
"You think I like getting involved in that kind of stuff!?"
"See you tonight! Love you."
"… Love you too." Touma replied as he hung up the phone.
Returning to his business with the ATM in front of him, the unlucky Kamijou proceeded to make a withdrawal of cash, enough to cover his expected expenses for the rest of the day. His heart filled with joy upon seeing the effects the withdrawal had on his savings account balance, or rather the lack there of. For the first time ever, the drop in his total savings from that one transaction could be considered negligible. He didn't even lose a digit this time around. For the first time in his life since he started living by himself, he didn't have to worry about his financial status.
'Having a Level 5 for an older sister is the best!' Touma thought to himself as he collected his stack of yen from the machine.
After collecting his money, Touma turned around to leave when he was greeted with a familiar face, one that was not often seen.
"Oh! Hey, Himegami." Touma greeted casually.
"Didn't you notice I just transferred into your school, more specifically your class?" the girl asked bluntly, cutting straight to the heart of her issue, "I didn't get a very warm welcome, especially considering we know each other."
Touma's only reply was to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Well, isn't that swell." Himegami lamented, casting a glance to the side, "Guess I'm one of those girls, the kind that's easy to overlook and just fades into the background."
"N-no, not at all!" Touma insisted in an effort to make her feel better, "It's just that I haven't seen much of you since the Misawa Preschool incident! What have you been up to all summer?"
"I moved in with Miss Komoe and got a part-time job as a Shrine Maiden," Himegami replied flately, still not sounding too enthralled.
"O-oh, really?" Touma mused, "Huh? Didn't think there were many of those in Academy City. What's it like working at one of those places."
"Hectic. My boss is a bit of a nutcase brandishing a sword that can warp all of reality with a single whim."
"… Are you messing with me for not giving you a proper welcome to the class? In my defense, Index's unexpected arrival threw me off, so I was unable to follow through with a proper greeting."
"I'll let you believe what you want."
"Tell you what. I'm going to meet with the others to grab a bite to eat. How about you join us as a way to make up for before?" Touma offered, "I'm sure the other girls would be happy to see you again."
"… Perfect, Komoe. Thank you," Himegami huffed under her breath.
"Huh?"
"It's nothing, never mind. Unfortunately, I have some errands to run so I can't hang out with you right now," Himegami insisted as she turned her attention to a nearby window, "I am curious though, who is that with Index out there?"
"Her name's Hyouka Kazakiri." Touma explained, "She's a new transfer student, just like you."
"Hyouka Kazakiri?" Himegami repeated, "Are you absolutely sure that's her name?"
"Pretty much," Touma shrugged, "That's what her and Index both claim, anyway. Do you know her?"
"Kirigaoka Girl's Academy," Himegami replied suspiciously, "It's the high school I went too before Misawa Prep School. I saw the name Hyouka Kazakiri both there and at Misawa."
"Really?" Touma asked, sparing Kazakiri a glance out the window, "If that's the case, does that mean she has some strange and unique like your Deep Blood?"
"I couldn't say," the transfer student admitted, "Her name was posted at the top of all the test rankings, but no one had even seen her, let alone know her face. It was as if she was ghost, a specter secretly wandering the halls of the school. No one even knew what class she was supposed to be in."
"Okay, that's weird." Touma shivered, "So now you're telling me she's a ghost of some sort? I know I have no right to be skeptical considering what my life is like, but I've already had to deal with one supposed ghost story this summer."
"Not necessarily. I did some investigating in the anomaly and discovered her secret." Himegami explained, turning to look Touma in the eye, "The girl named Hyouka Kazakiri is also known as Counter Stop, and that's not even the most important thing I discovered. Kazakiri is the key to the Imaginary Number School District-Five Element Institution."
"The Five Element Institution actually exists?!" Touma asked in shock.
The name was familiar to Touma, having come across it multiple times since waking up with amnesia. According to what few notes he had written down in his journal and what he's heard form local Urban Legend Hunter Saten, it was a theoretical place that existed in the same space as Academy City but on another plane of existence.
At the time, Touma had shrugged such ideas off as common urban legends, like breaking up with a significant other after walking under a certain arch or a giant white serpent living in one of Academy City's rivers. While the idea of alternate realities was nothing new to Academy City, that was how Esper Abilities worked, the science of that particular alternate planes of existence was still shaky at best. However, hearing the results of Himegami's research made him second guess all that, and that wasn't all she had to share.
"According to rumors, they control the administration of Academy City from the shadows." Himegami continued, "It appears that Hyouka Kazakiri was in a class all by herself, one specifically designed to investigate her own unique Ability. It's said to be part of a lab set up to find the true nature of the Imaginary Number School District. I don't understand why she'd be here though."
"According to her, she transferred in," Touma revealed.
"But I'm supposed to be the only transfer student." Himegami mused, more out of concern than the normally expected jealousy, "Be careful around her. There's something deeper going on here, so watch where you tread."
With nothing left to say, Himegami promptly left the store, leaving the poor Kamijou to ponder on his own as to what he had just heard.
"Hey guys! Over here!" Uiharu called out, waving to her friends.
"Ruiko! Kazari!" Index cheered as she raced towards the middle school girls, tackling them in a hug.
"Whoa, easy there!" Saten laughed as she returned the hug, "We missed you too!"
"Honestly, you had us worried when Kamijou sent us that email." Uiharu reprimanded, "We thought you had gotten yourself kidnapped again."
"I'm sorry," Index sulked.
"Don't be too hard on her," Touma chuckled, joining them, "At this point, it really should be expected."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Index pouted, earning a laugh from the other girls.
"So, Kamijou, who's your friend? A new member of your harem?" Saten asked slyly.
"Very funny," Touma replied flatly, "Girls, I'd like you to meet Hyouka Kazakiri, a new transfer student at my school. Kazakiri, these are two of my friends, Kazari Uiharu and Ruiko Saten."
"Hi there!" Saten greeted jubilantly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Uiharu said with a polite bow.
"O-oh no. The pleasure is all mine." Kazakiri stammered, returning the bow.
"Where are Pigtails and Zapper?" Touma asked, searching the surrounding street, "I don't see them anywhere."
"They said they were going to run a little late," Uiharu explained, "and that we should go ahead and grab something to eat without them, especially considering Index's appetite."
"Well, they gave us permission." Touma shrugged as he led the way down the steps into the underground mall.
"So this is the underground world I've heard so much about," Index marveled upon seeing the facility, "it's amazing!"
"It's mall, Index, an underground mall," Saten corrected with a giggle.
"Well Index, anywhere in particular you wanted to grab a bite?" Touma asked, "Keep in mind, anywhere too expensive or with too long of a line is out. We may have access to plenty of funds between Zapper and my sister, but I don't want to go burning loads of money on food that barely lasts a few minutes."
"All that matters is that the food is yummy!" Index cheered, "It could be a cheap old hole in the wall for all I care."
"Sounds good." Touma nodded, "That alright with you, Kazakiri?"
Upon being spoken to, the transfer student quickly scooted behind Index, putting the nun-in-training between her and Touma.
"Something wrong, Kazakiri?" Uiharu inquired, "You look frightened. Did something happen between you and Kamijou before arriving here?"
"O-oh. N-no, it's nothing." Kazakiri whimpered, blushing slightly.
"Oh, I see what's going on here." Saten grinned, "You were the victim of one of Kamijou's perverted misfortune accidents, weren't you?"
The deepened blush on Kazakiri's face was all the confirmation Saten needed.
"Ha! Classic Kamijou!" Saten laughed, enjoying the situation a little too much.
"Honestly, Saten." Uiharu sighed, "Just don't go probing her for stories. It's rude to do that to someone you just met."
"Come on, it's all in good fun," Saten giggled, "Speaking of stories, did you all hear about what happened to the top ranked Esper recently?"
"The top ranked Esper?" Touma asked, his interest suddenly piqued.
"Yeah! Apparently, he got shot in the head last night and sustained heavy brain damage." Saten explained, "According to the rumors, he's Esper Ability took a massive hit because of the damage and he's checked into the same hospital Kamijou always lands himself it."
"Hey Touma, are you okay?" Index asked in concern, "You look really pale."
"I'm fine," Touma insisted unconvincingly, "Come on, let's just find someplace to eat."
Not too far away from the underground mall, a certain magician in a gothic dress could be seen wandering the crowded streets of Academy City. Having such a unique outfit, it was easy to pick her out from the crowd. Most people would look at this woman and think the outfit was for a cosplay, but those who were charged with protecting the city knew better. She perfectly matched the person in the photo of the suspected intruder.
Checking the photo on her ODD bracelet to double check, Kuroko could confirm that the person walking through the crowd was indeed the suspect. With her target locked, she pulled out an acoustic flare and fired it into the air. The effect was immediate. Upon hearing the flare, every other normal citizen scattered and evacuated, leaving Kuroko and her target as the only two people on the street.
"I'll have to ask you to remain right where you are, please." Kuroko requested, attempting the civil approach first, "I'm Kuroko Shirai, with Judgement, the organization charged with maintaining the safety of Academy City and its citizens. I think you know why you're being apprehended, but I'd be happy to explain if you'd like me to."
"Search temporarily suspended." the intruded, Sherry Cromwell, mused as she pulled out a stick of chalk, "Get out of my way, little girl."
However, before the rogue Magician could make any sudden moves, the Tokiwodai girl teleported directly in front of her target, catching Sherry off guard.
"Perhaps I need to make you situation a bit clearer?" Kuroko suggested as she grabbed the intruder by the wrist.
A second later, Sherry found herself flat on her back on the ground, teleported there by Kuroko's Ability. The next thing she knew, she was nailed to the ground by her clothes via several steel pins Kuroko teleported from the straps around her thighs.
"There we go." Kuroko said smugly, admiring her handywork, "Do you understand what I'm saying now?"
Sherry merely smirked in response. Although her arms and legs were bound to the ground, she still had the full range of movement she needed to perform her magic, as well as the equipment to do so. With stick of chalk she still held in her right hand, she quickly scribbled two words on to the brick road, "Golem Ellis".
As soon as she finished writing the words, her magic took effect. The ground beneath Kuroko crumbled into rubble before gathering around her in the rough shape of a clinched fist, gripping her tight. Even more rubble continued to gather together, forming an arm and eventually a body. The end result was a massive stone monster with glowing red eyes and a deafening roar.
'She's an outsider! How can she have an Ability!?' Kuroko thought to herself, 'No, that's not it. This monster has no scientific logic behind it. Is she a Magician?'
Unfortunately, those thoughts were quickly shoved to the side as the monster began to squeeze harder, as if to squeeze the life out of her. The pain of the monster's grip left her unfocused, leaving her without the calculating ability to teleport herself safely. However, that did not mean that she could not teleport smaller, inanimate objects.
Powering through the pain, Kuroko quickly thought up a plan to escape. Although it was a tight squeeze with the monster's increasing hold on her, Kuroko reached behind her waist and touched her ODD. Once she made physical contact, she teleported it into her free hand outside the monster's fist and extended it into staff mode. With some difficulty, Kuroko teleported the weapon into the monster's wrist in such a way that part of the ODD would still be within arm's reach. She quickly repeated the process about half a dozen times until the monster's wrist grew unstable and crumbled, causing the hand to fall from the rest of the body and free her.
Once free, Kuroko teleported away from the monster with her ODD in hand, putting some much needed distance between them. She started to formulate a plan of attack to deal with such a massive beast but found that she did not need to put in the effort herself. To Kuroko's surprise, the monster quickly crumbled into rubble when a glowing projectile moving at Mach 3 rammed right through it, destabilizing it and reducing it to the rubble it was built from.
"You okay?" Mikoto asked in concern as she approached her friend.
"I'm fine." Kuroko insisted, doing what she could to remain professional, "Thanks for the assist."
"Looks like that rock monster was just a decoy." Mikoto observed, noting the left behind pins with scraps of cloth, "Where you taking her in for Judgement?"
"Yes," Kuroko replied, "we were instructed to apprehend her for criminal trespassing. However, I think the situation is much more dire than we anticipated. It would appear that this intruder is a Magician."
"Another one?" Mikoto sighed, "Good grief, that's the third one in the span of two days. That idiot's luck must be rubbing off on us. Speaking of which, we should probably tell the others about this."
"Already on it." Kuroko said as she made a call for Touma and Uiharu on her ODD bracelet.
Unfortunately, since the two of them were currently in the underground mall, there were several layers of concrete, cement, and asphalt between Kuroko and them, leaving the former without a means of remotely contacting the latter.
"No good. Signal's jammed." Kuroko lamented, "Guess Kamijou's luck really is rubbing off on us."
"If that's the case, we better find them and tell them in person." Mikoto declared, "No telling what this Magician has planned."
"Right. Let's hurry."
Having made her escape for the time being, Sherry continued on her search within Academy City. Stopping by a nearby bus stop, she took out her stick of chalk and begin writing. Over and over again, she wrote down a single phrase, "Golem Ellis". She wrote on everything she could get her hands on. Street signs, sidewalks, plant boxes, guardrails, Cleaning Robots, everything was fair game. All of this done for the purpose of enacting her magic.
Her magic was a simple yet diverse one. It was based on the myths of human creation, how man was molded from clay and given life by God. It was an act that was reenacted by man in an attempt to emulate God, but only produced inferior imitations. The ability to create pale imitations of man, the creation of golems.
With a clap of her hands, Sherry dispersed all the writing she had just done. In the writings place was a swarm of humanoid eyes, one for every iteration of the phrase, "Golem Ellis". On the Magician's command, the eyes scattered, scouting the city for their master's targets.
"Try not to keep me waiting long, Ellis."
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"Hello everyone! Welcome back to the Animan Temple!" the master of the temple cried in joy, swing his trusty sword Mugen every which way, "I'm your host, Animan von Elysium X! With me is my faithful assistant, Priestess Number 1, Aisa Himegami!"
"You sure took your sweet time releasing a chapter that gave me relevance," Himegami deadpanned, a sour expression on her face.
"What's with the disrespectful tone! I gave you your spotlight, didn't I!?" Animan asked in indignation, "For that matter, what's the big deal calling me a nutcase!? Is that any way to treat your master!?"
"You told me to call you that." the miko replied with ease.
"... Huh? So I did." the master of the temple conceded, almost too easily, "Guess that makes it okay."
'You really are a nutcase.' Himegami thought to herself silently.
"Anyway, looks like we're out of time here!" Animan declared, planing his sword in the temple floor, "We'll see you all next time for the next chapter, 'Fake Humans'."
"See you all next time." Himegami said with a polite bow.