Well, it's been an IN-teresting ride, which was prompted into action almost a year ago, at the suggestion of a certain fanfic writer based in Canada (that alone should clue some folks in as to that other person's identity), but this chapter will be the final one of this story. More on that afterwards.

Quick acknowledgement to: Sargent Crash, Suffragius, BeatDaBest and Scriptura for favoriting and/or following this little contribution to the To Aru fanfiction world since Chapter 11

Reviewer Responses will likewise be dealt with after this chapter itself has ended.

For the final time (at least where this tale is concerned), except for any original characters and situations introduced within this story, all characters and situations depicted herein are © KAZUMA KAMACHI/ASCII MEDIA WORKS/PROJECT-INDEX.

Chapter 12 – Future Preparations

After dinner that evening, a message showed up on Touma's phone – it was an invitation sent by Seria for him, Index and Othinus to have lunch with them tomorrow at the restaurant she visited that day with Misaki and Ayu.

"If I trust my instinct on this, this may be more than just a mere social interaction, human." remarked Othinus.

"It's still a chance to go out and have lunch, Othinus-san – I say let's go for it, Touma." was Index's comment on the matter.

"All right, then … we'll confirm that we'll be there at the stated time." replied Touma, even as he composed and sent a reply message. "One thing though; I noted in the message; the restaurant doesn't allow for animals or pets to come inside, so we'll have to figure out what to do with Sphynx, unless it's all right to leave him in the dorm."

Within a few seconds, Index replies: "We could ask the cool beauty, who has a cat of her own, to look after Sphynx, while we're at the restaurant."

"And just who is this 'Cool Beauty' to whom you refer, Index?" asked the former Magic God, with one eyebrow raised.

"By mentioning she also has a cat, no doubt Index is referring to Misaka Imouto." responded Touma. "So far as I know, she's the only one of the Misaka Clones who has a cat as a pet. And a search of my address book … confirms I have contact info for her."

Within a few seconds, an e-mail is composed and sent to Misaka 10032. After a few minutes, 10032 (a.k.a. Misaka Imouto) replied, consenting to look after Sphynx during that time.

Before calling it a night, a message regarding the possibility of war is drafted, intended for Ollerus. At Othinus's suggestion, they could look it over in the morning, tweak it if necessary, and then send it. After agreeing to that, the Kamijou Family retired for the night.

The next morning, as Touma eventually turned on his phone during breakfast, he saw two incoming messages – the restaurant lunch appointment confirmed by Misaki, and, rather surprisingly, a message from Fukiyose Seiri.

"What's this one about, human?" inquired Othinus.

"No idea at all, Othi-chan; outside of school, I generally have no interaction with Fukiyose, … unless perhaps it's connected to a few people noticing something different about me since our trip outside." was Touma's reply.

"Another one, Touma?" asked Index, almost with a snarking tone, upon hearing who else had also sent Touma an e-mail.

"It's not absolutely impossible, but I seriously doubt it's for anything like that." was Touma's reply. "Still, she is a classmate, so I'll meet with her, … of course, some things will naturally not be raised, at least not by me."

Browsing the full body of the message, Seiri indicated that she obtained his contact info from Komoe-sensei, and also asked if he had a moment to talk. Taking into account the time for their being at the restaurant, Touma composed and sent a reply to Seiri, suggesting either 10:00am (before lunch) or 3:00pm (after lunch), and that they could meet either at their High School, or at the park by a certain Vending Machine. While waiting for a reply, the message previously drafted to be sent to Ollerus was recalled and, after satisfying themselves that it was good enough, it was sent. No sooner had that message gone forth, a reply from Seiri appeared in Touma's inbox, stating that 10:00am at the park was fine.

Once all messages were accounted for, the Kamijou Family went over and agreed on final preparations for the trip to the restaurant. It was suggested via an exchange of a few more e-mails and agreed that Misaka Imouto would come to Touma's dorm to (so-to-say) pick up Index and Othinus, as well as to collect Sphynx, then they would proceed to the park to meet Touma by the vending machine. From there, the Kamijou Dorm residents will proceed to the restaurant, while Misaka Imouto will take Sphynx with her and look after him until the Kamijou Family made their way back home.

At the appointed hour, Touma arrived at the park to see Fukiyose Seiri approaching from the opposite direction. As they proceed to sit on the bench, Touma sensed that something seems to be weighing on Seiri's mind, as, from experience, she was usually not one to refrain from being outspoken, or to speak her mind on any subject. At the moment, she seemed un-naturally silent and withdrawn, yet he made no push for a reason or explanation.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, Fukiyose?" inquired Touma.

After a pause, in which it seemed she was gathering her courage to face some herculean task, Seiri spoke up: "What might be your plans for next year in school, and maybe even beyond that, Kamijou?" Recognizing that a similar question was put to him by Himegami Aisa, yesterday, Touma gave her effectively the same reply, only omitting any mention or reference to Imagine Breaker.

"If it comes down to it, if fulfilling your plans require that you have to leave Academy City, will you?" was Seiri's next question.

Pausing to frame his response appropriately, Touma stated: "If it's decided that it's the best thing to do, yes."

Seiri still seemed tense as if whatever is bothering her still has a grip on her mind. Instinctively, Touma put her initial question back to her: "How about Fukiyose's plans for the second year of high school, or even beyond that?"

There was a pause of a few seconds before Seiri turned to face Touma, her eyes seemed clouded and unfocused. Finally, she spoke, seemingly changing the subject: "I was brought up to believe there's no such thing as good luck or bad luck and that those who subscribe to such are making an excuse for their laziness or unwillingness to work hard." She paused after her statement, but Touma refrained from saying anything at that moment.

Eventually, Seiri went on: "It's a fact that we don't interact much outside of class, but even if I can recall witnessing a few ... incidents you've been involved in, Kamijou, … in another time and place, I might have considered it at least strange that such a thing should occur, yet I held on to my belief and refused to chalk it up to misfortune or bad luck."

It was at that moment Touma chose to speak up: "I don't consider it my place, and never did, to tell you or anyone else what to believe on anything. As for certain things that have happened to me in the past, whether luck is the right term to describe them or not, I'm fine with letting everyone come to their own conclusion on that."

"But what happens if something comes along that makes you question those conclusions you've held onto for so long … to the point where you just can't hold onto them anymore?" Seiri replied, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. Touma felt an uneasy feeling in his gut, as if in some inexplicable way, he was also feeling the confusion and anxiety presently clawing away at his classmate's mind and heart.

After probably half a minute, Seiri spoke again, turning her face away from Touma, yet speaking clearly enough for him to hear: "First there was that … Parameter List … the more its contents came to the surface, even if most of its scientific content is right now beyond me, the more it seemed to make my belief that hard work would one day see me develop an esper ability a lie. For probably the first time in a long time, all those thoughts about whether luck … good or bad … existed, thoughts I'd been telling myself for a long time were nothing but excuses or lies … they've been creeping back into my head, going round and round … and I can't shut them out. And that's not the only thing that has been bothering me over this last few weeks or so."

After a further pause, Seiri turned to face Touma once more, before resuming: "I honestly don't know how I happened to find it, but, in doing my own research via the Internet on the subject of luck, whether good or bad, I somehow stumbled across something … an article supposedly written 9 or so years ago, referring to … a 'God Of Pestilence'."

Seiri paused to look directly at Touma at that moment. His facial expression and posture was for the most part neutral, but his eyes were staring almost piercingly at her, almost as if he were seeing through her skin, flesh and even bones, right into her soul. It was at that point that Touma spoke again, his voice soft but clear: "That term you used … 'God Of Pestilence' … it's something I recall my parents talking about years ago, probably when I was literally a child. Right now, the only thing I recall clearly about it is contained in a few of their letters sent to me by them after I first came to Academy City. What was in that article you happened to encounter, Fukiyose?"

"A young boy … supposedly one who experienced things for the most part of his life, that could be described as bad or misfortunate; a few of those things described in perhaps rather graphic detail … although, my first impression was that the article writer was 'dressing up' the content to appeal to the intended target audience. The boy, and by his extension his family, being in some cases looked upon as a source of bad luck, avoided or even ostracized. An grown man who attempted to stab the boy, believing him to be some sort of evil monster or demon, who caused something bad to happen in the man's life. A TV studio's attempt to make a series out of the whole thing … and in all that, I saw a name contained in the article … your name, Kamijou." Seiri managed to say.

"I won't make any sort of joke about there being someone else in Japan or any part of the world who also carries my name, even if that's possible." stated Touma plainly. "Getting straight to the point, Fukiyose … yes – the boy in that article was and is me."

There were a few nigh-deafening moments of silence after that revelation, after which Seiri asked: "Why didn't you disclose this to anyone, even up to now?"

"One: I suppose I didn't want people to pity me over that, and two: until now, I had no cause to consciously recall it." responded Touma. "To keep it simple, that incident did happen, and it was the outcome of many … incidents which actually took place during my childhood. I recalled later on from my parents' letters, as well as a conversation between my father and me in August of this year (another reference to the Angel Fall incident); my father decided to send me to Academy City, hopefully to avoid another scenario like that occurring. Right there is the major difference between myself and virtually everyone else who came here. Speaking for myself, my coming here was not my wanting or seeking to develop an esper ability … I'm not even sure if my parents knew anything about espers or abilities, when they made that decision back then. They genuinely believed that, here in an environment where science was the norm, those superstitions and fears concerning 'bad luck' would not be present to cause me trouble. Yet even while here, 'things' happened to me, and, so far as I knew, no explanation for those things could be found."

Touma paused a moment, before continuing: "Perhaps Komoe-sensei might recall some if not all of them, as, if I recall correctly, she was one of the first people I met when I first came to this City. If anything about the matter still bothers you, and you want to ask sensei about it, I've no problem with you doing so; if you want, I can tell her she has my permission to tell you."

"Maybe some other time." Seiri answered quickly, seemingly to change the focus of the conversation.

As if sensing her desire to change the subject, Touma spoke again: "Then, how about yourself, Fukiyose – what about your own plans for the second year of high school, or even beyond?"

Seiri replied in a slightly more even tone, almost as if some of her confusion and anxiety over what she had been harboring had been released to a degree: "To be honest, I really don't know whether to stay and hope that something changes, or to give up and leave. I'm not even sure right now which option irritates me more."

Touma's next statement was: "Well, I have no answer for what has been revealed out of the Parameter List, nor do I think I can offer any sort of assurance right now that something good might yet come out of it … but, this much I can say, and I think our classmates on the whole might say something similar, ... Fukiyose has a good enough head on her shoulders, so that, even what has arisen out of the Parameter List being revealed won't keep you down for long. You will make a decision as to what to do and where to go, and, as long as it's the right decision for yourself, first and foremost, that's perhaps what's most important."

After a few more moments of silence, Seiri raised her head, showing a faint trace of a smile, as if more of her initial tension has receded, to say: "It's moments like this when I can be proud to consider you a classmate; I wish you could be like that more often."

"If you're no doubt referring to the influence of both Aogami and Tsuchimikado," was Touma's reply, "I won't abandon or cut my ties with them, but since a few problem areas in my life have recently been straightened out, I have no intention to get caught up in their weird antics as before. Tsuchimikado knows that to a degree; it will likely take some convincing to get Aogami in line, but somewhere within even his relatively twisted mind, there must be something that would get him to take things a bit, if not a lot more, seriously."

"Do you really think such a thing is possible, regarding Aogami?" asked Seiri.

To which Touma replied: "I have no reason to doubt that anyone can change and become better than they may be now … and that includes Aogami, as well as anyone else."

There was silence for a few moments before Seiri spoke again: "Perhaps one last thing; Himegami & I didn't press Komoe-sensei for all the details she might know about your trip outside, but … by any chance was Kumokawa-sempai with you as well?"

Touma replied: "She was there, as well as Tsuchimikado and a few others."

After another moment's pause, Seiri continued: "Isn't this the point where you'd start swearing emphatically that nothing even remotely perverted went on?"

Touma responded, seemingly without missing a beat: "Kumokawa-sempai has had, and does have, moments that might raise an eyebrow or two, but, to be frank, I trust her, and I'm willing to say it only because you raised the subject; I admire her and respect her, … so, to use your own words, nothing even remotely perverted happened, and that's all there is to that. This Kamijou-san would be lying if he said he had no interest in that sort of thing at all, but I don't need to be targeted for a beat-down by our classmates, much less probably the whole school, for making Komoe-sensei sad over doing some irresponsible act like that."

It was anyone's guess whether Seiri may have been on the verge of saying something further, except for a familiar voice suddenly blaring out across the space to were they were:

"Kami-yannnn, …. you're raising another flag, in addition to whatever I sensed two days ago, … AND with the Iron-Wall Girl of all people, … CURSE YOU, YOU BAAASSSS-TAAAARRRRDDDD!" yelled none other than Aogami Pierce with a maniacal glare in his eyes, his body trembling, and what appeared to be foam flecking off his lips.

Touma muttered, with a sigh: "Well, Aogami might need a lot more work to get himself straightened out than I thought …"

Any further words were cut short as Seiri, trembling slightly herself, her head down and her eyes momentarily hidden by her hair obscuring her face, yet somehow radiating a malevolent aura, spoke or perhaps rather snarled: "Thanks for taking time to meet with me, Kamijou, but you said you have an appointment coming up; you'd better get going. I'll deal with Aogami."

Touma spoke again, with a sweat-drop: "Uh, thanks for that ... he's still our classmate, so please don't do any major damage, Fukiyose."

Seiri's next words sent a chill across Touma's spine: "This shouldn't hurt him … much."

Even as Touma rose from the bench, Fukiyose Seiri shot up herself and and lunged towards their rather-perverted classmate with a speed that, on first glance, would seem almost preter-natural. Aogami did not even seem to register the Iron-Wall Girl's approach, until it was too late to get out of the way, except perhaps via teleportation or some similar means of instantaneous motion. Anything thought or said at that moment was, to say the least, brief:

Aogami: "Eh?"

Seiri: "Divine Punishment."

Touma (to himself): "This is a moment where I hope you realized … you messed up, Aogami."

Interlude

Somewhere away from Japan and Academy City, A Certain Siscon Sargent, Multiple Agent and Esper-Magician Hybrid suddenly cringed as if he felt a chill traverse his whole body for a few seconds. After the moment passed, Tsuchimikado Motoharu said to himself: "I suppose if I get back to Academy City one day, I'll find out just what you did, Aogami Pierce, to invoke such a reaction, nya."

End Interlude

Moments later as he walked away from the 'scene of the massacre', Touma spotted Index, Othinus, perched upon Index's shoulder, and Misaka Imouto (with two cats in hand), approaching him.

"Misaka was briefed further by the Sister and the Chibi Fairy regarding your plans for today." spoke Misaka Imouto, in her usual vocal monotone.

"Oi, … who's a Chibi Fairy?" retorted Othinus, not amused by that description.

Seemingly ignoring the former Magic God, Misaka Imouto continued: "The Savior can call or send a message later, and Misaka will meet you all back at his dorm, with Sphynx." After thanking her for her help, the Kamijou Family proceeded on to their appointment.

As they went on, Index asked: "How did things go with Seiri-san, Touma?"

Touma replied: "Similar if not the same as with Himegami, yesterday; people are hurting because of what has been revealed by the Parameter List."

Othinus, noticing something in Touma's tone of voice at his reply, interjected: "That bothers you, doesn't it, human?"

To which, Touma replied: "Yes it does, in ways I'm not too sure I understand why. We could probably discuss it with sempai and the others later on."

As they proceeded further, something prompted Touma to then ask Othinus: "Is time travel or at least observing past or future events possible from the standpoint of being a Magic God, Othi-chan?"

Othinus paused a bit before replying: "Either is possible for a Magic God, although I admit I myself have never had cause to actually do it, but even so, if the purpose of time travel is to go back into the past and alter some already established event, such action has the risk of creating a progression that leads to a totally different present position that the one existing now. Likewise, there is no single exclusive unfoldment of future events, but an infinite number of possibilities, and, so far as I know, even if one could observe any one of them via supernatural means, that alone is no guarantee that said observed unfoldment will actually take place."

After a pause, Index spoke up: "Are you thinking of doing something along that line, Touma?"

"I'm not really sure what could be done with that," responded Touma. "We could discuss it further before actually attempting such a thing, but, maybe regarding the possibility of war, could such a thing be used to at least discover the reason or reasons for the conflict … either to understand what brought it on, or to maybe find a way to resolve it before conflict does actually break out?"

"As you said, we could discuss it further, then decide if that course is worth taking." remarked Othinus.

Eventually, the Kamijou Family arrived at the restaurant, where Ayu, Seria and Misaki had themselves just arrived and, having spotted then, waited outside. All headed inside to their booked table … naturally, Othinus assumed 'doll-mode', until the others were seated. After settling in, orders were placed all round for their respective meals (Index included a little extra for Othinus).

While waiting for their food to be brought to them, Seria brought out an envelope and passed it over to Touma: "This is something I collected yesterday on your behalf."

"Index and I met Komoe-sensei while we were out, yesterday." remarked Touma. "She mentioned you were collecting something, but I suppose she had no other information as to what it might be. Is it fine if I open it now."

"By all means, please do so, Touma." replied Seria … perhaps rather curiously, she, Misaki and Ayu were, for want of a better word, bearing Cheshire Cat-like grins at the moment.

Without further ado, Touma opened the envelope. There was a smaller sealed envelope therein, together with a letter, signed by Tsugutoshi Kaizumi … to make an otherwise long story short, the letter stated that the sealed envelope contained a cheque in the amount of 10 million yen, representing a one-time payment to him. Touma's eyes bulged as the revelation sunk in … prompting giggles from Seria, Ayu and Misaki … to the point where he reached for a glass of water and chugged down a portion of its contents, before he could speak.

"Now that I can speak sensibly again, … what is this all about?" Touma managed to say.

"Simply put." replied Seria, "arising out of your particular situation, stemming from your arrival in this City nine or so years ago, and your apparently being subjected to a curriculum which would deliberately exclude you from developing an esper ability, the Board has offered this to you as, so-to-say, 'compensation'. Mitsuari, Shokuhou and I merely did the background research, but it was Tsugutoshi-san who approached the Board and negotiated everything."

Silence reigned for about half a minute before Touma, replacing the sealed envelope and letter back into its original envelope, took a deep breadth, before saying to the others present: "Well, granted I'll read the letter over later in more detail, but, to put it simply, … I'll accept it."

"Oi, … Shokuhou-san, Mitsuari-san, mind-read him now … I'm not sure this is the real Kamijou Touma alongside us!" declared Othinus with a frown, even as the others fought to suppress more giggles or outright chuckles.

"It's all right, and it's really me here, Othi-chan." Touma spoke again. "It's probably true that, once upon a time, I might have declined or even rejected this, calling it an attempt to buy my silence over what has happened in the past, and maybe there is some truth to that. However, I'm simply being realistic about things as of now – both in the short-term, as well as in the long-term."

"In what way are you being realistic, Touma?" asked Index.

"I had actually started looking up options for further education since we got back from Kanagawa." stated Touma. "So, as I mentioned to two of my classmates between yesterday and today, while I'm fine with finishing high school, once that's over, I'm very likely to shift away from any purely academic undertaking. I'm nowhere near finished looking things up, but I have seen some estimates of what that kind of education is likely to cost. This may or may not close the deal on what I may pursue after high school, but at least it does open the door to some possible options."

"That would be an interesting topic to discuss further, but before we do, pardon me for saying so, but, … I feel something is troubling you, my prince." Misaki interjected at that point.

After a pause, Touma replied: "Yes, there is, Shokuhou-san … it probably started when Index and I met Himegami yesterday, and Fukiyose wanting to talk to me today, before coming here. Both seem to point to the same thing; people are hurting because of the revelations of the Parameter List, and there is probably not much I can do to help any of them on that." Without saying a word, all present recognized that such an attitude was to be expected of Kamijou Touma's desire to, as he often expressed it, bring smiles to people's faces.

Othinus interjected at that point: "I and even the others don't need to remind you, human; so long as the General Superintendent is effectively in charge of this City, and probably by extension, the Science Side and carrying out his plans, to say nothing of the threat of war between Science and Magic, there is probably nothing you can do about that, right now."

Silence reigned for a few seconds until Touma spoke again: "This is hard to accept, but I've got nothing with which to argue against that point, Othi-chan. In that case, and for now, this money shall be put aside for that future time, but personally, if something can be found that will help everyone else in this City, this Kamijou-san will go after it." After a further pause, Touma continued: "Perhaps instead of holding onto this myself, I should make arrangements to have my parents secure this, at least until I finish high school."

"Considering the possibility that, if war should break out, Academy City could be a likely target, that makes good sense, Touma." was Seria's response. "If you wish, I can arrange with Tsugutoshi-san to have this cheque sent to your parents … alternatively, we could arrange another road-trip, perhaps whenever they return to Japan."

"The road-trip option might be more fun, if circumstances permit it to occur." stated Ayu, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"I tend to agree with Mitsuari-san's suggestion, and probably for the same reason." chipped in Misaki.

"As we all agree, none of us wants war to occur, but sempai's suggestion that her employer handle things might be the quicker option." was Touma's reply. "Besides, once the issue of war has passed, one way or another, maybe we can one day arrange another 'road-trip'."

"Agreed." was the joint response from Ayu, Misaki and Seria.

After the food has been brought in, and lunch actually got going, Ayu raised the question: "Notwithstanding the possibility of war, what might be your plans for the future, Touma-san?"

In response, Touma stated: "Nothing has been set in stone yet, beyond my agreeing to finish high school, but after that, I'm thinking of shifting towards a business- or vocation-oriented pursuit of some kind. So far, I'm not even sure whether such options are available for me to pursue here in Academy City, but I'm still checking things out."

"Shall we assume there is some basis for such an aim, Touma-kun?" inquired Misaki.

"The basis, as you suggested, is probably best explained like this." replied Touma. "As we understand it, and unless something comes along to change that, Imagine Breaker will be with me as long as I live. Granted we are aware, looking back, of how being dragged into one situation after another over the last six months threatened my progression through my first year of high school, it will be virtually impossible to hold a conventional job, if at any moment I may have to go use it in some situation, whether here in this City, or on the other side of the globe. And notwithstanding the possibility of war, chances are some situation will come along where Imagine Breaker is needed, so in all likelihood, I won't simply sit aside and do nothing, but at the same time, I can't just walk away from a regular job or position to do so. I've not considered the possibility of whether I could do that solely for a living; although I recall Thomson-san telling me on our outward journey to Kanagawa that she freelances her magical skills and seems to be able to do all right with it, but I did not pry into how she handles her 'occupation'."

"Well," Misaki remarked, "If you'd like, Thomson-san can be consulted on that occupational ability, as we exchanged contact info with her before she, the Matriarch and Choi-Shi-san departed for China."

"Thinking about it, that could be useful … I'm willing to at least consider it." stated Touma. "Aside from that, I figure the best approach for me is to become either self-employed or have my own business, with staff who can run things, if ever I have to go do things with Imagine Breaker."

"I'm impressed that my kouhai has indeed thought this far ahead," remarked Seria, with a smile, "even if, as you admitted, you may not have not covered all the bases just yet."

"Given what can best be called my unique situation, all the research I've done suggests this is the most sensible approach to my future." replied Touma, "but while it may ultimately be my decision, at least out of courtesy, I will want to discuss it with my parents at some point; either they come to Academy City, or I go to them. Again, I can't claim to have covered all possibilities or contingencies, so I don't mind seeking advice on what else might be required to make this work."

"That sort of 'advice', your sempai is more than willing to give, Touma." was Seria's reply, "and, if I don't have the information myself, we … " glancing at Ayu and Misaki, "… can seek it out and find it."

"Hmm, ... did we just get promoted to exercise 'sempai' ability over Touma-kun?" asked Misaki, sporting a grin.

"This could be fun … we won't go easy on you, Kamijou-kouhai." responded Ayu, grinning in similar fashion.

"You all have the right idea; don't go easy on this human, just because you like him." declared Othinus, with resulted in a few slight blushing faces.

"Another road-trip is looking more like a definite future occurrence." declared Index, to which all others agreed.

"Well, my plans … at least, education-wise … have been revealed. Does this qualify me to ask you all about your own plans?" inquired Touma.

"For my part, and assuming nothing happens to this City if war should take place," replied Seria, "the courses in which I'm interested are available in one or more colleges in Academy City, so I can go onto college here, while retaining my employment as Tsugutoshi-san's advisor. Notwithstanding, let's get it clear; if Touma leaves this City, I'm leaving as well … I can still retain my advisor position, even outside of this City."

"Correction there, 'sempai'" interjected Ayu, "if that happens, we're leaving as well."

"And likely, for the same reason." chipped in Misaki.

"One way or another, if we get past this potential hurdle of war, the next few years of your life should prove to be … interesting, human." snarked the former Magic God.

"And no doubt, you want a front-row seat to see it all, Othi-chan." inquired Touma.

"Of course." fired back Othinus.

Looking around at the restaurant, Touma remarked: "The thought has crossed my mind that, perhaps one day, there would be a restaurant or similar establishment with my name as the owner, whether here in Academy City, or elsewhere … after all, I do enjoy cooking, and possibly, with the right skills and advice, I could one day channel my culinary skills into a business venture."

"Perhaps with that somewhere in mind," Seria came in at that point, "and assuming I stay in this City, I'm likely to move from my current dormitory to a somewhat larger unit, which including a communal and co-ed kitchen, … in that way, Touma can visit to conduct cooking lessons, in due time."

"Consider us signed up for said lessons, in advance." declared Ayu, with a V-sign from Misaki.

"Ah, … the information collection from the Shén Fēng Society had arrived yesterday." stated Misaki. "A casual browse of it states it also contains details of various aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. My initial thought is the best person who could sooner or later make use of that knowledge would be Heaven Canceller, so perhaps we could share this with him."

"My only advice on that," interjected Othinus, "is that perhaps anything we pass onto the doctor should be … how else can I say it … stripped of any or all reference to Magic, to avoid any possible problems of its magical secrets being discovered by espers who might attempt to use it."

"It's still unclear as to whether the Society's magic, which, from what we've experienced, doesn't seem to rely on mana, can be used by an esper from Academy City." remarked Index.

"Perhaps that could be explored at some future time, but Othinus-san has a point," remarked Seria, "… unless or until we can confirm that, it's probably safer to give Heaven Canceller, as Othinus-san suggested, a "clean" copy only containing reference to medicine."

"Well, can I then count on both of you, Index-san, Othinus-san, to help prepare the "clean" copy for passing onto Heaven Canceller." inquired Misaki to both Index and Othinus.

"Deal." declared Index, while Othinus gave a thumbs-up in response.

"I don't mind mentioning to you all … some of this just might shape the direction of my own future path." remarked Misaki, "From the viewpoint of Science alone, there is much still to be discovered and possibly put to practical use regarding the powers and potential within the human mind. Of course, I know next to nothing about Magic, but just maybe there is similar knowledge on the matter there also. Perhaps one day, some common ground can be found between the two."

"Just speaking briefly, Shokuhou-san, there indeed may be parallels of knowledge that are actually common to both Magic and Science … it's just been that the two fields have traditionally been kept separate from one another." stated Index. "In that case, Shokuhou-san, you can leave it up to Index-sensei and her assistant sensei, Othinus, to help chart your path in that direction." Index suddenly invoked a solemn tone in finishing her statement.

"Oi, … since when am I the assistant-sensei? I should have seniority at least counting for something." interjected Othinus, prompting chuckles all round.

"Well, as for myself, I'm currently all for eventually furthering my studies and expertise in Information & Communication Technology, to keep things simple." stated Ayu.

"In which case, Mitsuari-san," remarked Index, "could I one day seek your tutelage in the finer points of technology."

"I would be pleased to do so, Index-san." replied Ayu, "but like Othinus-san said regarding Touma, I won't go easy on you."

"Uh, granted there's not much we can do about it right now," interjected Touma, "but is there anything long-term than can be done regarding the Parameter List?"

Seria responded to that: "Tsugutoshi-san had mentioned that he and others have begun discussion on a long-term plan in mind. Said plan would be practically impossible to implement, as long as things remain as they are, but some sort of move has to take place, even if it takes years or a lifetime to achieve it. I don't claim to know any details as yet … no doubt, if or when there is something to be revealed, it will be."

Even as they settled in to enjoy their meal time, a single thought passed through Touma's mind:

"A simple thing such as this … it's good, and worth preserving and protecting. Therefore, no matter what the future might bring, short-term or long-term, this Kamijou-san will do what he can to both preserve and protect it … the smiles of those around me, and my own as well."

On to Reviewer Response time (if any reviews show up after this chapter is published, they will be responded to & likely posted here):

Generation Zero: I'm not making any definite promise as to when my next 'saga' will show up here, but I'll do my best to make it worth any wait.

Sargent Crash: Re: Chapter 1 – it could be argued that Hamazura also has a (somewhat unstable to the point of demonstrating "yandere" behavior) Level 5 Esper in his 'unwanted harem', so that those who might otherwise think of taking him out just might think long and hard before trying such a thing. I'm glad that you seemed to enjoy the initial fruits of my labor.

Guest: Kamijou's not one to hold a grudge (at least so far as we've seen in canon), and, having been raised in an environment where formality is the rule, rather than the exception, the "-kun" honorofic seemed appropriate. And it is a fact that I didn't intend this story to be a (*cough-ACUL0 or ACIP-cough*) 100-plus chapter epic … more on that, later.

MrQuestionMark: While I only skimmed the issue briefly that, just maybe, there may be one or more persons who (politely-speaking) "may be cultivating a grudge" against Misaka Mikoto for being one of the "Chosen Ones" regarding attaining Level 5, I'm simply keeping that around as a potential component to work into what may happen next in this AU setting of mine. And who's to say such a thing will be restricted only to Mikoto; it may include Misaki, Accelerator, or even the other Level 5's also … perhaps even the Sixth Level 5, whoever that may be (*cough-cough*).

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Might Accel-kun have toned down his "curse-like-a-drunken-sailor" mode for the sake of Last Order? … could be. As for what was bothering Aogami Pierce, probably part of that was answered by this chapter.

Guest00: Six out of seven immediate Approvals is fine. If I must work to gain Approval Number 7, then "challenge accepted".

Guest (another one): Re: Chapter 2 – viewed from a certain perspective, it was more a case of friends who knew Touma's particular case of his being more than just a Level 0 esper, who worked together to help him pass the year. But I'm glad you seemed to enjoy it, nonetheless.

Guest: It's likely that the Society has more females than those who played a more prominent role in this story, but I have no plans for Touma to (*clears throat*) 'expand his influence', as you might be hoping. My apologies in advance for potentially "breaking your illusions" where that is concerned - then again, if that's what you want to see, you might one day produce a fanfiction work of your own.

MrQuestionMark: Re: Chapter 12 - As brief as I can say it: there have been a few attempts to portray or depict the future of many if not all of the To Aru cast in fanfiction, and frankly that sort of thing appeals to me. No doubt, Kamachi may one day do so for the canon progression of the storyline, but, following my getting into the latest novels to date, I'll then decide the course of the future of my AU setting. Granted as you said, things appear to be going by crazily around them that, as I recall from the novel content I myself have read, there are very few indications that anyone is thinking about their future, but it's obvious that, they won't remain teenagers in middle and/or high school, forever; the future will come, and one way or another, each of them will have to deal with theirs.

ADdude: (*cough-cough*) There are probably (proverbially speaking) a dozen ways to interpret the statement in the Bible that Solomon had many wives (and IIRC, quite a number of concubines also - does that make him the original 'harem king'?), or the proposition that the Divine Decree is "one man, one woman", according to Judaism/Christianity. I'm not committing my AU storyline to anything in that area, just yet.

LexArchangel: Typo found and fixed (re: Chapter 11). As for (a-hem) "the future", see what I state below.

Markoz89 (used an english-to-spanish conversion app via Google to do this): Manteniendo las cosas cortas y simples, me complace que mis esfuerzos hayan cumplido aparentemente con su satisfacción. (in English, Keeping things short and simple, I'm pleased that my efforts have apparently met with your satisfaction.)

ArmoredCoreNineBall: just drawing on my own experiences when I was at (for want of a better term) the typical age of most To Aru Characters (14 to 16 years old), I only had some faint idea of what I might have wanted to do with my life. Perhaps I chose to portray Touma as being a bit more definite than others, as (at least in my rendition of him) he recognizes that being a Level 0 (or in his case, a Level 0 with virtually no chance of developing an esper ability) in Academy City's educational system (as it may stand now) may lead to a dead-end future, unless he makes some move to do something different. In my opinion, it might be a similar limited if not dead-end future for all aspiring espers who do not ascend beyond Level 0, so long as things stay where they currently are.

GunsAndMagic - Welcome Aboard.

As to where this AU storyline goes from here, and as I've indicated to one other via PM, now that this story is over, I can finally dig into NT 18 and NT 19, in preparation for what might or shall come next – whether it be it a direct sequel, a time-skip sequel, or a spin-off. That will be revealed when a new story with my name as the author shows up in this archive. In the meantime, I will still be following the works of others, and posting reviews/comments as I see fit.

And one or two have asked whether any future offering from me might have an "M" rating (Please Note: according to FF's Rules & Guidelines, there is a difference between an "M" rating and an "MA" rating - say-no-more, say-no-more) – to them, I say: we'll see, won't we?

Until then, … peace.