I'm... Not... you've all heard this line from me countless times. You know where it goes from here.
Hey everyone, long time no see. Really sorry this one took so long. Normally, summer is by most active writing period since that's when I'm off from school, but I've had a serious case of writer's block on multiple story fronts, so I just couldn't progress any stories I had ongoing. Still, I managed to break through and present you all with a new chapter! Better late than never, as they say.
It's the chapter you've all been waiting for. An original chapter based on the two most major deviations from canon my story has to offer: the relationships between Touma and the Level 5s Accelerator and Meltdowner. Now, I've made you wait three months for this chapter, so let's not keep you waiting too much longer. First, I need to respond to some long overdue reviews.
Blankow: You and me both. I don't see myself being able to drop this story any time soon.
SolanaLeonhart: Well, it's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. I think you'll be in for an interesting ride. Touma and Last Order actually have met in canon during the events leading up to the Academy City Invasion. She and Misaka 10032 interrupted Touma and Mikoto's Punishment Game Date after Last Order stole 10032's goggles. Don't worry about me and Covid-19. I was never one to leave the house too often to begin with, so I kept myself Covid free over the entire pandemic so far.
Isokage: Yup, this chapter is going to be a double whammy with reveals on two fronts. You'll have to read the chapter to see what those reveals are and how they play out. I can't say too much for Saten and Index since Saten has always be a noncombatant and the most "normal" of the cast, and thus prone to going in over her head when it comes to crazy shenanigans. Index, meanwhile, has always been capable in combat, it's just that her skill set is strictly anti-magic and in most cases when she is involved its because she is a target. Uiharu will be seen in more active combat situations now that she has her own ODD, but she will still use it more as a means to flex her hacking skills than to engage in direct combat, only doing so when absolutely necessary. Jobs for Touma and the Railgang grown up? Let's see... Touma I could definitely see as a teacher/guidance counselor. Mikoto would probably be a doctor researching muscular dystrophy, the same illness she was lead to believe she would help cure by giving researchers her DNA map. Kuroko would definatly step up from Judgement to Anti-Skill, with Uiharu doing the same or even working independently in cyber security. As for Saten, I'm think journalist in a urban legend magazine.
Vein Bloodborne: Glad you liked the cliffhanger and the Animan Temple short. I would like to say that those crossover ideas look interesting, sadly I am only familiar with a handful of the series involved and RWBY is the only one I've actually watched.
drak3n: I am so, so sorry this one took so long!
DuckBoi: Honestly, I'm surprised there weren't any cases of people going full isolation bubble on the news. Before we get into Index II, we need to cover Accelerator. That arc is going to be insane with loads of lore deviations, I promise you that.
BlueJack22: So, so, so sorry this took so long!
Teloz: Glad to know my work helped you through such a painful time.
Anime-ted Life116: Glad you liked the chapter. Thank you for your patience with this one.
Exiled Soul Nomad: Today's the day!
Kaichou9779: I do love a good cliffhanger. Sorry I left you hanging for so long. (That sounded more morbid that it should have.)
JustSkimmingMilkHere: Sorry for disappearing for so long.
MrQuestionMark: Glad you liked it. I know that the lack of massive divergences has been a sore point for a lot of readers, but it's nice to see that even the smallest alterations are appreciated. Thankfully, now that I will be exploring more extreme divergences as a result of really digging into the small divergences I made before hand, I can flex my creative abilities more freely. The following chapter is an especially excellent case of that, in my humble opinion. As for how I can make Touma look so cool, there's only one real step to doing so: going full Touma-fanboy when writing a scene involving him, and I'm a Touma-fanboy 24/7.
fuji92: As you'll see in the following chapter, I'll be covering Touma's reunion with Yuri, as well as Shizuri's interrogation of Index. Sadly, I will not be covering the events of Liberal Arts City as there is no way to mix that up without the inclusion of the Index cast and I get enough flak for mostly rehashing canon materail.
fencer29: Accelerator will still be referring to Touma as a hero, but given their more amicable relationship compared to canon, the "damned" part is going to be dropped.
tython055: That's actually not a bad idea. I'll have to give it a bit of thought, but putting out a writing challenge of sorts for anyone interested could be a fun community thing.
vampireharry the 2: So, so, so, so sorry this took so long!
ahsoei: Oh, you can bet that Kamijou is going to get himself involved in the conflict with Isaac Rosenthal. Note how I said "Kamijou" instead of specifically "Touma". Interpret that how you like.
gaidzani: I make it a point to reply to every review posted on my stories, no matter how superfluous or pointless. I've taken your advice into account and made sure to proofread before posting. Actually found some spelling errors along to way, so it should improve the overall quality.
janjakennen: Don't you worry. In this story, all paths are bound to intersect at some point. I've actually had a scene in mind for having Touma, Mikoto, Accelerator, and Shizuri all appear in the same room for a long time now. I have just yet to reach the point in which it would be appropriate.
Guest (1): Well, you'll be happy to know that half of this chapter is devoted to Shizuri interrogating Index on her suspicions. As for Touma, while a majority of the enemies are weapon based, there are still a good handful of supernatural threats that Touma is more than equipped to help deal with. Of course, there will be some bigger splashes to result from Touma's involvement, but you'll see them when the story gets to that point.
Guest (2): While I appreciate being a whistle blower, please refrain from attacking other readers, no matter what they may write in a review. This is why I actively avoided replying to that previous review from janjakennen as I did not want to end up attacking him despite his admitedly rude comments.
Guest (3): Glad you liked the cliffhanger. Sorry for the wait.
calderoneric758: What? Had to give some continuity for why Accelerator was reading the novel during the Necromancer Arc. As for Misaki, she technically already had some mentions. However, her first appearance will be during the Daihasei, but it will play out very differently from canon.
Kdburke2: No need for that. I hit 1500 reviews just fine, thank you very much. Plus, I'd prefer if they were all genuine reviews rather than continuously spammed copies. The worst statistic is an inflated statistic. What can I say? ArmorCoreNineBall, MrQuestionMark, and myself are not only active authors, but also active readers.
Kami (Guest): So, so, so, so, so sorry this took so long!
X-KT (Guest): What can I say? I like title drops and double meaning. Touma's fighting skills will improve along the way. If there is one thing Touma is good at, its improvisation. So sorry these take so long to make. It's especially embarasing since I remember putting out several chapters in a week regularly when this story first started nearly three years ago. At least the quality of my writing has improved since. The Yuri/Saten meeting isn't happening for a while, unfortunately. Not until Touma gets the chance to introduce him to everyone.
Mokey D. Dreiko: Wow. My story transcends language barriers. I have no idea how I could possibly peak any higher.
deathstalker982: Yeah, working with that super compact timeline is going to be fun. Yeah, the Daihasei is going to be a massive powder keg. There is so much I have planned for that arc, it might just be set to become the best of the story when it comes out. Just you wait. Hopefully not too long.
LegallyRestricted: If I had to describe what the chapter you about to read was like on the front of Touma and Yuri in one word, it would be messy. Lots of stuff brewing this chapter. Honestly, it's hard to gauge how well either Oriana or Frenda would fare given how little they show up with Oriana showing up sproatically in the grand scheme of things and Frenda being dead.
Generation Zero: Let's be honest, nothing really changed in the Touma v Sherry fight aside from some of the choreography. I've never seen Sherry as a harem member, so I'm gonna say no. Trust me when I say that Shizuri's discovery of the world of magic is not going to be a pretty one. You'll see when you get to the end of the chapter. I have every intention to reveal more of the Kamijou Clan's mysterious history, just you wait.
GunsAndMagic: So, so, so, so ,so, so sorry this took so long!
Guest (4): So, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this took so long!
Sieglinde Eremiah: I understand that the concepts I'm introducing regarding Touma's family are a bit off putting, but I'm confident you'll find them much more intriguing as time goes on and more is revealed. I'm playing the long game with this concept have meticulously planned out everything about the backstory for this concept. Rest assured, I've got all the answers you're looking for, you just need to wait for them to be revealed.
Karina P: All will be revealed in the following chapter.
Someoneluck: Glad to see someone so excited about what this story has to offer. It's not often I see such enthusiasm. I have been reading The manga and light novels, but I've been so busy that progress has been slow on them. I don't have plans to skip any arcs that contribute to the main story, so Skill-Out Uprising is still going to happen, especially since it's particularly pivotal to original plot points I want to implement in the future.
patrickthehedgehog21: So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this took so long!
emiya unlimited blade works: I ain't stopping now, that's for sure.
Garauga (Guest): Glad you like the story so much. I will admit that my proofreading has never been the best. I'm doing what I can to improve on it, and hopefully it show here.
Guest (5): Unfortunately, updates are as inconsistent as they come as I write in a very serial manner. I write, I post, I read reviews, and I write the next chapter with those reviews in mind.
Guest (6): Undecided as my update schedule is nonexistant.
Treviisolion: Being completely transparent here, I completely forgot that Mikoto would eventually find out about the connection between Accelerator and the Sisters. Going to have to brainstorm on that.
0 Jordinio 0: Sorry I worried you before, and most likely again given the even longer gap. I have heard about the reveal of the powers of Touma's dragons. I've got a whole slew of ideas brewing for how I can make use of that information. You have given me such a renewed take on Touma's ability to fight that I have to reconsider everything I know about Touma's fighting capabilities. Thanks mate, you've given me even less of a reason to have Touma lose any future fights. I will admit, the Kazakiri adaptation was not one of my better works. The ending cliffhanger from last chapter was definitely the highlight, and now its finally going to pay off. Hopefully it pays off well.
cashmancool (Guest): Oh, hohoho. "Big" doesn't even begin to describe my plans for this story. Just you wait.
mhihnj (Guest): So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this took so long!
So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so so sorry that took so long! You all know the drill!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 62: Other Side
In a certain hospital in District 7 sat two high school aged boys. One boy had smooth, white hair and sat in a hospital bed. The second boy had spiky black hair and sat on a chair next to that hospital bed. Between them was a decade of separation and a history riddled with more complications than quantum physics. Neither one could bring themselves to look each other in the eye, let alone in their direction. To say the atmosphere of the room was awkward would be a serious understatement. The only person who couldn't seem to detect the awkwardness was the third occupant of the room, a young girl who resembled a ten-year-old Mikoto Misaka who was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the bed.
"What are you doing here visiting? Asks Misaka Misaka, curious as to why the Savior would be in the hospital as a visitor rather than a patient."
"How are you even know about my tendency to be a patient!?" Touma asked in outrage, completely forgetting the awkwardness of the situation for a second.
"Misaka, like all Sisters, has access to all memories within the Misaka Network, Misaka Misaka explains diligently. This Misaka is the control tower of the entire Misaka Network, Misaka Misaka proclaims proudly. Misaka's serial number is 20001, designation Last Order, Misaka Misaka further explains, puffing out her chest in pride of her inherent superiority over the rest of the network."
"… How can a little girl who looks to be two thirds my age spout out so much high concept stuff that I can barely comprehend!?" Touma yelled, dumbfounded.
"Basically, she's the last Misaka Sister to be born and acts as the center of the whole Misaka Network." Accelerator explained, dumbing the explanation down for his admittedly slowwitted old friend, "She's probably seen your hospital history through the other Sisters staying in this hospital."
"Is that it?" Touma asked, still struggling to wrap his head around the fact that the most important Misaka in the network also looked distinctly younger by a wide margin.
"Seriously though, why are you here?" Accelerator inquired, his own curiosity pushing him to move past the awkward situation.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Touma replied, bring his gaze up to meet the patient, "I'm visiting a hospitalized friend."
For the first time since Touma entered the room, Yuri turned to meet Touma's gaze.
In a certain apartment in District 7 sat two girls from completely different worlds. One was a silver haired nun in white and gold, charged with safeguarding the secrets of the 103,000 grimoires. The other was the fourth ranked Level 5, an agent of the darkness of Academy City responsible for maintaining order in the shadows through any means necessary. Despite how different they were, they shared a single commonality, they were a sister to Touma Kamijou. The latter was the elder sister by birth while the former was the younger sister by dynamic. Despite this commonality, neither girl knew too much about the other, an issue Shizuri would remedy today.
Thanks to recent events, Shizuri had been made aware of another system of powers that exist outside of Academy City. In the last couple of weeks since reuniting with her little brother, multiple users of these powers have targeted Touma and those closest to him. To complicate matters further, Touma appeared very much aware of the nature of these attackers but elected to feign obliviousness and keep his knowledge a secret from her.
Thus, Shizuri was left with no other option but to investigate on her own. While she didn't know too much from what she's observed so far, she was able to gleam a single lead for her investigation: the girl named Index was extremely familiar with this other power system. Just yesterday, when confronted with a seemingly autonomous rock monster, Index was able to analyze the foe and determine the exact methods needed to confront it. With Index as her only lead, Shizuri was going to have to do whatever she could to get the information she needed out of her without resorting to violence. After all, she was a close friend of Touma's; hurting her would be the same as hurting him. Shizuri was determined to discover the truth to protect Touma, whether he wanted her to or not.
All of that lead Shizuri to this moment. With present company including only herself, Index, and the floorboards, there would be no one to stop her from getting the answers she sought out of Index. After all, what better time to gather information than over a miniature meal that would normally be the perfect opportunity to get to know a person? And with Index preoccupied with the salmon bento Shizuri graciously shared with her, it was all too likely that she would let something slip that she normally shouldn't have. Besides, Index came off as a bit of an airhead at times, so fishing for info should be ridiculously easy to begin with.
"How are you enjoying your salmon bento?" Shizuri asked sweetly.
"It's delicious!" Index cheered as she savored another bite, "I can see why you eat this stuff all the time! This has to be some of the best fish I've ever tasted!"
"Even compared to Touma's food?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far. But its defiantly good for convenience store standards." Index corrected herself.
"That actually reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you about something." Shizuri mused, pausing from her own bento.
"About what?" the nun-in-training replied.
"How exactly did you come to meet Touma?" the elder sister inquired, "After all, a nun isn't exactly a normal sight in Academy City, especially one so young."
"Is that all?" Index replied between bits of salmon, "Honestly, it's a bit of a long story. Long enough to fit in a six chapter long light novel. Not to mention most people who hear this story find it kind of outlandish."
"Try me." Shizuri challenged.
"Alright." Index shrugged, continuing her miniature meal as she spoke, "It all started on the first night of summer vacation as I was running over the rooftops to evade pursuit from Magicians."
'Magicians?' Shizuri thought to herself in disbelief.
Accelerator could hardly believe what he was hearing. Touma thought of him as a friend? It was unthinkable, especially after everything he had done. Who in their right mind would want to be friends with a serial killer?
After taking a moment to comprehend what Touma had just said, Accelerator once again found himself averting his gaze. As much as he wanted it to be true, he couldn't accept something so outlandish to be reality.
"You must have gone insane since we last met." Accelerator deduced, "Did you hit your head too hard during our fight? I did throw you into a windmill tower."
"Can't say I did. The doctor didn't find anything too drastic in the way of head injuries when I was checked in." Touma replied.
"Then why are you here?"
"I just told yo-"
"That's not what I meant!" Accelerator suddenly yelled, swinging his face to meet Touma's eyes yet again, now sporting a glare that could kill, "You know what I did to those Sisters! Hell, you've seen and felt firsthand what I did to them! How the fuck can you waltz in here and tell me you still consider me a friend!?"
"I never stopped thinking of you as a friend!" Touma countered, "When we were kids, you and I always stuck together! Even when we were separated, we promised we would find each other again someday! I wasn't about to turn tail and run the other way after finding you after ten years! Touma Kamijou and Yuri Suzushina were and still are the best of friends, and nothing short of death is ever going to change that!"
The moment those words left Touma's mouth, the harsh look in Accelerator's eyes faded away. All that remained was a sullen look as the hospitalized Level 5 dropped his gaze and focused on his hands in his lap. What Touma said was undeniably true. Even now, he honestly believed that nothing short of death would be able to come between Touma Kamijou and Yuri Suzushina. The two of them were just that inseparable.
However, there was one massive monkey wrench in that statement.
"You're right. Touma Kamijou and Yuri Suzushina are friends until the day they die, but that's exactly the problem. Yuri Suzushina has been dead for a long time." Accelerator said, looking at Touma with resigned eyes, "I haven't been Yuri Suzushina in years, having cast aside that name long ago. I'm sorry, Touma, but I'm not the same person you knew as a kid. Your friend has been dead for a long time."
Hearing Accelerator's reasoning on the matter, Touma found himself slumping into his seat and staring off at the ceiling. He had expected Accelerator to respond like this, all the way back to when he first woke up in the hospital after the Sisters incident. Still, hearing such rejection of their previous friendship from his old friend made the sting of it all the more real.
Of course, Touma Kamijou was not a quitter. He's never quitted then and he wasn't about to quit now. Like he told Mikoto that morning after his fight with Accelerator, if their friendship couldn't pick up where they left off, they would just start from scratch.
"You're right." Touma admitted as he continued to stare at the ceiling, "You've been through a lot in the last decade. You're not the same person I remember you being. The same could be said about me, except my case is arguably much worse."
Once again, Accelerator turned to face Touma, this time raising an eyebrow at the Level 0's oddly specific choice of words.
"What do you mean?"
Before starting this interrogation, Shizuri had promised herself that she would keep an open mind. She was, after all, investigating the existence of a source of supernatural power outside of Academy City's Esper abilities that seamed to contradict every rule and principle that the known power system stood on. But everything that the nun in front of her was making her question human sanity, both Index's and her own.
Priests that could creating fire monsters with nothing but laminated rune cards and chanting. Saints born with bodies comparable to that of the Son of God, granting them superhuman physiology. Alchemists who warp reality with only their words. Each story the nun told sounded more preposterous than the last. It was all getting to be a bit too much to handle. Shizuri could start feeling her head spin.
'Is this how Touma feels every time someone tries to explain something high concept to him?'
"Hey, Shizuri? Are you still listening?" Index asked, noticing the lost look growing on the elder Kamijou's face.
"Huh? Oh! Yes. I'm still listening." Shizuri coughed, pretending she wasn't just lost in her own thoughts. "Anyway, Index. You mentioned something about Idol Theory before. Could you go into a bit more depth with that concept."
"Sure. Basically, Idol Theory dictates that duplicates and replicas of objects of power take on a fraction of the power of the original." Index explained, "For example, a cross fashioned after the one Jesus Christ was crucified to retain some of the holy power of the original cross."
"So, anything an item in religion or mythology could do, a magical duplicate could replicate on a smaller scale?"
"That's right."
"In that case, is there anything in the Bible that could potentially do thinks like cast massive shadows or summon animals like frogs, gnats, flies, lice, and locusts?" Shizuri inquired.
"That's oddly specific." Index noted.
"Humor me." Shizuri shrugged, brushing off Index's comment.
"Well, if someone wanted to gain spells of that nature, the easiest avenue would be to draw power from the story of Moses, as those were among the Ten Plagues of Egypt."
"What were those ten plagues?"
"Well in order, they were water to blood, frogs, lice or gnats, flies, pestilence, boils, flaming hail, locusts, three days of darkness, and death to all of Egypt's first born."
"Anything in the story of Moses that could be used to produce a clocking effect?"
"I suppose a Levite cloth could be imbued with such a power." Index theorized, "Moses was found as an infant in a Levite swaddling blanket by Egypt's royal line and raised as an heir before his true heritage was revealed."
Shizuri could hardly believe it. In a single religious story, she was able to find the source of all of Ezekiel's powers, and then some. If what Index was saying was true, then Magic was a very real force that existed in the world, one that was controlled and regulated by massive organizations like the church. Such a thought terrified her.
The Magic she had seen so far herself was not too impressive. After all, Ezekiel was unable to deal any real lasting damage to her and the rest of ITEM in their short encounter. However, its potential and its versatility in a single user was something to fear. The golem from the other day was quite the hassle, and it only escalated when it went out of control. An Esper was limited by what laws of physics their Ability was capable of manipulating, so if an Ability was too specific or just too weak, it was an easy enough threat to handle. Shizuri's own Ability had limits in how many beams she can fire without assistance and the fact that could strictly only perform feats that correlated with electrons. Magic on the other hand could grant a user a wide variety of spells based on what religions it pulled from, and nothing was stopping a Magician from pulling from multiple sources of power.
However, the most terrifying part of the whole ordeal for Shizuri was the fact that her brother potentially had a target on his back from one of the biggest organizations in the world, one that spanned across every continent where people live, the Roman Orthodox Church. While it was unlikely that everyone in that particular church was a Magician, the threat of further attacks still loomed over Touma's head. And with an organization so big, the number of potential attackers was innumerable.
"Hey Shizuri, are you alright?" Index asked in concern, "You look a little pale."
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Shizuri stammered as she got out of her seat, "I just need to lay down for a bit."
Ignoring any further questions from Index, Shizuri disappeared into her bedroom to lay down on her bed. As she did so, she was left with a single question. How could she possibly hope to protect Touma when the whole other side of the world was out to get him?
At this point, Accelerator was utterly confused by Touma's words. In what was his own situation comparable to Touma's, and how could it be argued Touma had it worse? Accelerator had become someone he was absolutely disgusted with, losing worthiness of his only friendship in the process. And while he got the title of Academy City's top dog, that title did him very little in the way of living a normal life. Even with Touma's misfortune, he had it a hell of a lot better than Accelerator did.
"Hey, your name is Last Order, right?" Touma asked, turning his attention towards the smaller Sister.
"That is indeed Misaka's designation, Misaka Misaka confirms in confusion at the Savior's question."
"Do you think you could leave Yuri and I alone for a little bit?" Touma requested, "There is something he and I need to discuss in private, if you don't mind."
"But Misaka wants to listen in as well, pleads Misaka Misaka, taking advantage of her small size and adorable visage to agreeing to her childish demands."
"Not happening." Touma replied flatly, having seen many of the same tactics from Index before she started resorting to biting.
Despite her protests, Last Order eventually complied and left the room to wander the greater hospital. This left the room to the two high school aged boys, now totally alone and able to divulge any secrets they by carry.
"What's this all about?" Accelerator asked, getting straight to the point.
"You know how my rotten luck always gets dragged into trouble?" Touma inquired.
"Hard to forget when you constantly complained about in when we were kids." Accelerator replied, noticing Touma bit his lip at the choice of words.
"At the start of the summer, I made a friend who ended up in some trouble that I naturally lent a hand in resolving." Touma explained, "As a tend to, I ended up getting injured pretty badly at the end of it all."
"… How badly?"
"… I… died." Touma admitted, stirring even more confusion out of Accelerator.
"Okay, now I know you're screwing with me." Accelerator growled, actually sounding genuinely angry, "Do you know who you're talking to? I know what a dead person looks like, and you look perfectly healthy as far as I'm concerned."
"That's because it wasn't a case of death of the body. It was a case of death of personality." Touma explained, tapping his head with a single, "By far the worse injury I obtained during that incident was one to the head, resulting the destruction of all of my episodic memories up until that point. When I woke up in the hospital the following morning, I had no recollection of who I was or what had happened. Touma Kamijou had effectively died and was reborn that day."
Accelerator could barely believe what he was hearing. Touma Kamijou, the one and only person whom he had ever called a friend, had amnesia? It had to be some sort of sick joke. It could be argued that whatever happened to the Level 0 was tamer than what had happened to the Sisters. When a Sister died, that Sister's memories at least persisted through the rest of the Misaka Network and she could on some level live on through the other Sisters. When Touma "died", essentially all the memories that made him Touma Kamijou had been lost, leaving behind an empty shell for a new personality to take form in. It was one of the was one of the worst fates Accelerator could have imagined for anyone: to die and have someone else take your identity.
Despite the terrible truth of what had happened to Touma, Accelerator couldn't linger on it. As unfortunate as the news was, it left one very pressing question.
"If you have no memory prior to that incident and are effectively a different person, why are you here?" Accelerator asked the question that bothered him the most.
"This." Touma replied, pulling out his journal, "After waking up in the hospital, some friends of mine who were also involved in the incident brought me the journal my previous self had been keeping. With it and the help of people who know about my condition, I have been able to recover some semblance of my previous life. It was thanks to these things that I was able to find you and reach out to you."
"That didn't answer my question." Accelerator elaborated, "What I'm asking is why you bothered to come to see me if you have no real connection to me and know all the horrible things I have done."
When Touma responded, he did so with a warm smile on his face.
"Because even without my memories, I am still Touma Kamijou, the best friend of Yuri Suzushina."
All Accelerator could do in response was stare at the Level 0 with a confused look in his eyes.
"It took me a bit of time and I needed some help along the way, but I came to discover that even without my memories, I was very much the same person at my core." Touma explained, "Although my memories were gone, the core of who I was remained. At my core, I was still Touma Kamijou, and Touma Kamijou is not the kind of person to abandon someone in need, especially his best friend."
"… Why are you so convinced that you can help me?" Accelerator asked, almost pleadingly.
"Because you and I are in the same boat." Touma replied confidently, "You claim that Yuri Suzushina is dead, just like I claim that the old Touma Kamijou is dead, but that doesn't mean your core has changed. I saw it that night at the switchyard and I saw it again just now with Last Order."
"What are you…"
"Come on now. The Esper responsible for the deaths of 10031 of Mikoto's sisters sitting the same room as the most defenseless of those sisters with no animosity whatsoever? I know I can be an idiot, but I'm not that big of an idiot." Touma chuckled, "It's obvious you are fond of her, and she you. I'm willing to bet you got that brain injury of yours while trying to protect her from something, am I right?"
"… Seriously, when the fuck did you get so sharp?" Accelerator let out an annoyed sigh.
"It those glimmers of kindness that tell me your core is still the same." Touma smiled, "At your core, you are still Yuri Suzushina, the strongest Esper who never wanted anyone to get hurt."
"Even if that's all true… no, especially if that's all true, you can't seriously think we can just pick up where we left off before we were separated, do you?" Accelerator challenged, "The two of us live in completely opposite sides of Academy City at this point. Things will never be the same as they used to be."
"You think I don't know that? I realize that that's wishful thinking." Touma admitted, "Even so, I still want to try. I want to be there for you when you need me, to make sure you're never alone again. Even if we must start from scratch all over again, I want to be able to stand by your side again, as a friend you can count on. Don't you at least want to try?"
"… Do you really mean that?"
"Have I ever lied to you before?"
For the first time since Touma entered the room, Accelerator let a smile appear on his face. That smile transformed into a quiet chuckle before becoming a rolling, good natured laugh.
"You really haven't changed, have you Touma?" Accelerator asked, a small smile on his face.
"Like I said, at my core, I'm still Touma Kamijou." Touma returned the smile.
"In that case, I'll be counting on you to be by my side when I need it." Yuri said hopefully.
"You know I will be." Touma promised. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I brought you some getting well gifts."
Digging into his grocery bag, Touma dug out the copy of Heavy Object he had bought at the convince store earlier that day and handed it to Yuri.
"Heavy Object?" Yuri inquired.
"I know how boring it can be to lay in a hospital bed all day, so I figured you could use something to keep you occupied." Touma shrugged, "I've actually read a couple of the novelist's other works. They're all pretty outlandish, but he does some great work."
"I'm sure it will be an interesting read." the bedridden Level 5 nodded, putting the book on his nightstand for later.
"I also wanted to bring you something to eat, but I didn't have too much luck on that front. So, I decided to just share a can of my favorite coffee with you." Touma admitted, handing Yuri a can, "I'm not sure why, but it felt appropriate."
As he inspected the can, Yuri couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"You like this brand too, huh?" the Level 5 mused, "Guess we have more in common than I thought."
"Guess so." Touma chuckled as he opened a can for himself and offered a toast, "Good to have you back, Yuri."
"Same to you, Touma." Yuri replied, clinking his own can against Touma's.
Here we are at the bottom. No Animan Temple segment this time around. The long and the short of it is I'm tired and can't be bother to write one, plus I really want to get the chapter out.
Stick around for prelude of the Necromancer Arc based on the first episode of A Certain Scientific Accelerator.
Fun fact: A Certain Strange Addition and A Certain Scientific Accelerator have the same acronym in both English and Japanese.
A Certian Scientific Accelerator/To Aru Kakugo no Accelerator
A Certain Strange Addition/To Aru Kimyona no Addition
ACSA/TAKNA