And here we are with another arc!

I hope all of you have been looking forward to this. This covers another one of the 'black box' characters mentioned once in this series and never again. I hope I can give justice to this character, this arc and everything to happen. I can tell you though that given what I have planned, be prepared for another long arc with numerous characters! Although not as long as Uiharu's…I think.

For those who have been waiting, I hope I can make it worth it!

But whatever the case, as we move in blind, we'll start with the Q & A:

Levolutioner: Hahahaha, I've come to love bullying in my own way, but if I had to say, I've made Orion the permanent bullying target in my mind while Touma is the suffering target (if you couldn't already tell). I hope you can look forward to whatever messed up thing the ZERO_Over ends up being. And I'm glad you liked the payout with Misaki – she needed it! I think Touma's normal is pretty abnormal so I think you're not the only one in the camp there!

Yourfellowwriter: And losing interest is nothing to apologise for. If anything, that falls on me to try maintain interest so that's on me if you've lost interest. I can sort of feel why you think that this was too long, however, I do actually have an ending in mind (believe it or not). I just think that reaching there is going to take a LONG time. But are you saying that my story was TOO good; haha!? If anything though, I thank you for having stuck around so long – I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

whwsms: I sort of wanted to have a character like Orion play the devil's advocate to Touma's line of thinking on so many things so I hope you can hope his future conversations with Touma interesting! But Touma's inferiority complex is something that I like playing with a lot here so I hope how I deal with it becomes engaging for you! Misaki and Touma need some more moments together, damn it! Does anything go well for Touma though…(not in this fic at least).

JCarrasco: And here is the next chapter! Also, thank you for your words; it's stuff like this that always keeps me going.

Baycon: Glad to see I still have it when it comes to the surprises! Faith continues to be a strange character to have in this story. But for the arc centred around Touma…oh, boy. There'll be a lot to unpack there. Hahahaha – I'm not too sure if you're trying to be funny but having Shutaura and 'miracle' in the same sentence is a bit ironic.

Aminadab Brulle: I suppose it does sound funny! Good grief though; I think just being able to endlessly regenerate and survive any type of wound would make you a monster in this world in the sense that you literally would be unable to be stopped. Although you would have to keep in mind the Magic Gods and Secret Chiefs. Touma definitely needs to thank Yume for various things… LOL; "Misaki's done worse so shooting Orion is a walk in the park" – I sort of laughed at that reasoning. If it didn't feel like a proper saving, then that's on me and I apologise for that with the intention of definitely getting better! When does anything go well for Touma though in this fic? Are you telling me that your prediction for this arc is a High School Musical moment?! As for MINUS, let's see what happens in the next few arcs, huh?! But you'll have to see who the final boss of this entire series is… They've made an appearance although I don't think it'll be that obvious until the series ending is revealed. …Did you want to take a High Priest home?!

Animan10: And thank you for your kind words – they mean the world. I didn't intend for it to be like that but Orion vs. Touma really does feel like EMIYA vs. Emiya, doesn't it? I need to get my head out of Fate. I hope you can look forward to whatever ends up happening with the ZERO_Over, especially when there are other projects going on at the same time.

BlueJack22: Misaki with a gun is something to be feared…! Which Index and Touma scene are you talking about? And of course Touma was going to be experimented on! I hope you can look forward to this new arc!

HegemonyWalker: …Thanos did nothing wrong.

onilink500: ¡Me alegra que te haya gustado el capítulo! Jajajaja, ¡veamos a dónde van las cosas ahora que se recuerda a Misaki ...! Creo que tener un mercenario que no puede morir cuando su corazón es destruido es bastante normal para esta serie. ¡Veamos a dónde van las cosas con Touma de aquí en adelante ...! ¡Mierda, la idea que tenías al final era bastante interesante!

Anime-ted Life116: Must…resist…temptation to give…Touma…power up… But thinking about it, are you suggesting that his left hand become something that can fight to 'truly' normal while his right fights the 'abnormal'? Things are going to get crazy(er) with Misaki in the mix! Given that this is a fanfic, the timeline is AU, but it basically starts after NT 17. Although I was of the thinking that the story would update with the novels, I doubt that will happen from here on out given the current evolution of the series and how this fic has progressed.

sergioqsc: I'm glad that I got you to feel something! Let's see where the series goes from here, shall we?!

DNWorks: I wanted to give this impression that while Faith bullies Orion, she cares for him in her own weird way, even though Orion is just an edgelord to her. I'm glad that you noted how Orion was right in that Misaki was not suited to killing, but let's see where things head from here, shall we? Although you have a lot of faith in the main characters, let's not forget that Mugino fell to Personality Swipe, shall we? Touma is always dealing with crap later, isn't he?

WwEpsilonwW: Please don't die…! Let's see what happens next, shall we? And are you in the same culture camp as me with best girl?!

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Let's see what happens with the mercenary/handler duo, shall we? I really want to have a scene with them where Faith says "Prepare for trouble" but I can only dream at this stage. Although having Misaki cower in the face of what she did to Orion and his reaction really does show the things he's seen in a way. I just want to leave the Touma and Misaki moment as it was, if only to make sure that I don't ruin it with words if you know what I mean. I hope you can look forward to what the ZERO_Over has in store…! And yes, Aleister does know about all of this but what exactly does that mean for the story?! Time will tell, but in the meantime, here's another chapter!

MeowMyaMiao: And since the anime came out with that one scene, I can't picture anything else now that you rose that point. Yep, it was a reference to NT 11 but I think that was what you meant. Let's see what is in store for this fic and that will answer your question!

Sirius962: Good grief, I'm loving what your bad and evil side is pulling this time, even though I want to side with your good side! I hope that you can look forward to what this chapter ends up delivering!

tenryu71: I think this is a good thing?

DimensionalReapers: Are you telling me Touma just has to get the controls for his left hand and then we're all good?! As for the nanomachines, they're a machine that surpasses the Metal Gear…! But I hope you can look forward to whatever it ever ends up being. I'm just signing out so I can grind in Sword for Bottle Caps…!

Guest00: Nobody expects the Shokuhou Inquisition! Let's see what happens with said characters, shall we?

Geust's Account: It's been way too long, but I guess that's what happens with long chapters ad even longer updates. I want her to cosplay as Kanamin at some point to be honest – I really do. Touma and Tsuchimikado have nothing to do with idols…*cough cough*. I really wanted to have this arc revolve around taboos in a particular way and hence, having Misaki shoot Orion was really important, if only to briefly step on those taboos in this way. But thinking about a yan Misaki is terrifying. Let's see what other taboos I can raise in this fic…! As for the sweet talk, some things are better left unsaid. As for the gunshot, Touma didn't manage to hear it given that Misaki ambushed Orion as he was walking out of the hospital. As for the Orion in the movie though, it's completely different from the Orion in this fic…although maybe Shutaura won't see it that way. I…sort of see what you described in Hayashida even though I already have a mental image for her. I don't really know much about the other series you mentioned personally but I think it comes down to who can destroy whatever is thrown at them; if they can do that then any projectiles would be deemed useless. Although don't underestimate Touma my friend! Touma's been through a lot, but I don't know whether he can survive what you just said! Ayu's been arrested…so I'm definitely sure that if she ever appeared, it really would be her 'materialising' into existence. Good grief; imagine if his left arm turns into a loli?! Don't go giving me ideas though…!

ScareCrowFM: I need to give Touma a break… Rensa was a cyborg though but I think we really do need to find bodies for all of them. I need to have Ayu appear at some time or another in this fic to be honest – she needs love even though she's in jail.

Chris: Holy crap – has Touma unleashed the extent opposite of what he wanted now that Misaki has taken control?! I can sense a lot of misfortune heading his way now. Touma turning into a dragon was pretty cool though, not going to lie. I've put Touma through his paces and allowed him to survive, so I think what I've made him go through his pretty standard.

wildarms13: The epilogues always make things go 180 for me. I sort of wish Misaki's arc started next chapter, but that doesn't mean Misaki will be forgotten here! I hope you can look forward to whatever I have to offer.

Suspicious User: I hope I can continue to give you chapters like the last one as well! Don't think that just Touma will be facing his ideals questioned though; everyone is going to be in it for the long haul! I think, in the end though, the conversation between Touma and Orion was one where they just giving their opinions and hence no conclusion was actually 'reached' if you know what I mean. Despite being in the same hospital though, the placement of the events where Misaki shot Orion and where she met with Touma were actually far away though. Thanks for the kind words though!

Agent Nine: Are you telling me you want Touma's left hand…to be detachable?! But if I did that, Touma can finally have a projectile weapon. I made Faith to be in part that comic relief so I'm glad she's doing her part. And also glad to see Misaki getting her happy ending.

Kenny Galt: Let the sparks fly…!

Kami: Give Touma at least two chapters worth of rest, this bastard writer!

ShadowBloodedge9396: Okaeri! Maybe the fact that Orion and Faith keep on going against Touma suggests something about Touma's misfortune or how many people he actually knows. Let's see where things go from here though, right?! I'm glad that I could manage to surprise you though and that I gave you a nice little moment all the same. When will Kamui be shot, damn it?! Leave Touma alone!

Kamijou no Touma: Yeah, I did see this tweet. Although seeing your additional thoughts and comments on them makes me realise how much depth there is to this series!

I'm Not Guest: I've just finished the next chapter of "Reincarnation (Fantasy)" so I hope, if you end up managing to read that, that you enjoy what is on offer!

Geust: Ohohohoho, you definitely have some interesting predictions there! Although to be honest, how many of the heroines engage in 'pointless fighting' but have yet to stop entirely?! And while I do want Ayu to appear, the only thing that is preventing me from adding her is failing to see how she would contribute to this story outside of a cameo. We shall see though. I hope you can look forward to whoever Hayashida fights, if she even fights anyone. Let's see what happens coming out of the PTSD arc of Touma's here as well. I have to say though, while that idea is indeed weird, it's not that outrageous as a whole, you know! However, I do think that the idea of Itsuwa transferring to Touma's school is a bit tame when you consider everything that has happened in this series.

Formboy1: Glad you liked the chapter kouhai! And Touma suffering is basically the staple of this entire fic in a way… We'll see if things get solved quickly though!

madtad1: I'm happy that you're enjoying this series! It's comments like this that really make my day.

AJStyle17: Started in April and ended in July – sounds about right for my monster story. I know you said 'you're welcome' but truly, thank you for giving it a go. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Komigakuo: Thanks so much for your kind words – I think the 'feel' of the canon is something pretty hard to nail so hearing you say that I've managed to make a story that feels that way means the world. As for what happens as Touma gets more involved with Kamui, I hope you can look forward to it!

X-KT: In terms of Kamijou no Touma, while I do have plans for their appearance, it's nothing concrete at the moment. But we'll just have to see if I ever include them at all.

Bestest: I do love my foreshadowing… As for the ZERO_Over, I hope you look forward to what comes next regarding that! I would have thought you would have wanted a Mugino and Touma slice of life story though! Thank you for your kind words regardless.

AssassinBlaze: Hopefully as Index gets more prevalent in this story you can come to like you a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit more. Although what the hell did I do to Otohime to make you hate her?!

And finally, the thanks. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, to my beta reader PokeRescue18. For the things you have done for me over the years, you have my endless thanks. Seriously man, I say it every chapter and mean it every chapter. From the bottom of my heart; thanks.

And to you, the reader. Seriously, to all of you, I hope you read this. Because from the bottom of my heart, this thanks is one I hope reaches you. There's nothing I can give apart from this but I want you to know I mean it entirely for those who read this and have reached this far.

But before we start, what was GT 2?! My thoughts on the novel are at the end, but to think this is only the second novel of the new series and we've already had so many developments?! I say this every time we have a novel, but what a ride and I'm looking forward to where Kamachi takes us next!

And from me, I hope you do what you always do when you read this:

Enjoy.

Mr Question Mark.

What is a miracle?

If one moves past the controversy and questions of whether God exists, you can think of them as events that cannot be explained using the theories of Magic or Science and hence, in the absence of proper explanation, events attributed to the work of some divine being.

The Japanese word for this term is made up of two kanji; 奇蹟.

For any miracle, looking at it brings out the wonder of what has happened. Even looking to basic examples, the healing of an incurable wound or disease or even the occurrence of something that cannot be explained in rational terms can be seen as a miracle. As a result, the definition of a miracle is one that is a 'welcome' event, something that happens and everyone can look back on fondly and think it changed their life on some way.

Miracles, in some way, heal. They provide goodness and for that alone, it is why they are associated with a 'divine' being; because they are so inherently good in their nature.

But is that really the case?

Looking past the basic sceptical view and being a devil's advocate, is there anything in the world that is always good and has nothing but good consequences? Even looking at a basic example, the healing of some incurable wound.

Yes, it is a miracle. If by chance some wound that cannot be healed is healed through means that are neither magical or scientific, then for that alone we can think of it as being a miracle, something that has brought about nothing but good.

But who decides that?

What of the other people who have succumbed to that incurable wound? By what process of selection is one chosen above another? What makes one person more fit to be on the receiving end of a miracle than another?

If we assume miracles are acts of a divine being, then only that divine being can say. But this is not a discussion on the finer points on the morality and the authority of higher beings. No, instead, let's turn our gaze to something else entirely.

For someone healed from that incurable wound or disease, what is to follow? Surely while they have the chance to live out their life, this comes at the cost and the knowledge they have managed to overcome something so many have succumbed to. Even if the effects of survivor guilt are not going to be felt, those families of the people who did not survive and succumbed to the wound or disease will only feel spite towards that survivor. What makes them better than someone else? What being chose that person over another person?

Such questions will be in their mind and pressure their hearts with darkness.

So, looking at this type of reaction, we can change the definition of a miracle, can't we?

How about…

Yes.

A miracle is a welcome event that cannot be explained by the theories of Magic or Science that brings about good, until the bad and the darkness of that event is revealed. Like a balancing scale, when one good thing happens, another bad thing happens in its place. Even if it does not happen to you, a miracle will surely have an adverse effect on someone else in the world, whether it be through the despair in not being chosen or the false hope they will.

Thinking about it like this, something arises.

Do you want to be the victim of a miracle on the off chance something bad will happen to you or perhaps to a stranger? In the former case, probably not. But the latter case, who cares?

But that's beside the point.

This is not going to be a story about the goodness of miracles.

But rather the adverse effects.

And the consideration that maybe not everything that glitters is gold and that it is sometimes only time before the poked dog unleashes its claws and fangs, whether it to be you or to someone else.

It was a miracle.

Kamijou Touma honestly felt that as he stared down at his left arm, swinging it around and feeling its movements and how fresh they were after what he had been through only a few days ago. The fact only a measure of time had passed gave him shock and the bare left arm made it feel as though nothing had happened to it in the first place.

It was hard to believe that a few days ago it had been amputated and he had been tortured by the hands of Kihara Kamui who had applied his project Personality Swipe on one Aaron Gracestone. The boy and his entire security team had pressed down at Kamijou's heart for the sake of trying to break him and when the psychological attempts to do so had failed, the physical attempts had resulted in his left arm being torn off as he screamed the entire time.

But now that he stared at his left arm as it was now, Kamijou could barely even think such had happened.

He clenched his left hand into a fist and the movement felt…insignificant. It was such that there was nothing to even think about and nothing noteworthy; it was as if his left arm had never been torn off in the first place. It had been reattached and felt as good as new.

It didn't even feel real but in truth, Kamijou felt as though it was nothing short of a miracle.

And two people had made this all possible.

"How does it feel? You've had it for a few days but now the initial shock of the surgery is done, do you feel anything strange? Any adverse effects?"

In the room Kamijou was in, the only other male spoke. Kamijou rose his head and stared at Heaven Canceller, unsure of what to say or even think, blinking once and opening his mouth. Nothing came out and it was a poke in the backside as Kamijou stood next to his hospital bed that brought him back to his attention. Even if Kamijou did not really appreciate being poked in the butt by the 15 centimetre fairy underneath the sheets, the movement brought his thoughts back to reality.

"Uh..." Kamijou said, the lack of words proving to show his shock but also in part his stupidity for not thinking of anything to say sooner. His mind went over what had happened to him, the fact he had been tortured and his left arm had been ripped off. The words that suitably described the experience and the fact he now had his left arm back came out in rushed words.

"It's alright, I guess?"

There was silence as everyone stared at Kamijou and the rather lacking response he had given to what had seriously been his left arm torn off at the hands of a madman. The awkwardness of it pierced Kamijou's soul and he felt red rushing to his face, unsure of what to say in response.

However, the silence was broken by the sound of muffled laughter from the oldest woman in the room.

"Pfft!"

Kamijou, in his embarrassment, turned towards the woman, the scientist Yume and the person who had brought to Kamijou's attention the method in which he could get the left arm he had lost back.

The woman, in her lab coat brought her hand to her mouth and trembled slightly, the laughter she wanted to hold back forced down and she turned her blue eyes away from Kamijou to avoid meeting his face. The red face of Kamijou now made it clear how embarrassed he was and it was the sighs of the other two girls in the room that made it clear to Kamijou just how stupid his response had been.

"Touma, your lack of response is amazing. You did have your left arm amputated if you recall?"

Index, the nun who was always by the side of Kamijou made that comment with a frown and put her hands on her hips but the way she relaxed her entire body suggested she was grateful that Kamijou could have that response at all.

"I don't think I would need a perfect memory to recall that!" Kamijou retorted. "What do you even want me to say!? It's not every day you come across a technology that not only reattaches a broken left arm and barely leaves a scar."

"Even so Onii-chan, couldn't you think of something cooler to say than 'It's alright'? I mean…it was kind of lame."

Tatsugami Otohime, Kamijou's cousin, said those words but her small grin and sigh of relief suggested even she had been nervous about the response Kamijou was going to make after the surgery to repair his left arm.

"Again, what did you want me to say!? I'm still in shock we even had the technology to even get this done in the first place. It barely feels like my left arm was removed at all. A-And stop laughing, Yume-sensei! How about you cut your arm off and go through the same thing I did and see what your response is!? A lack of response in this situation is the right thing so it's not something I have to feel bad about!"

"D-Did you just suggest to me, in a causal way, that I cut off my left arm!? I-I was more surprised by the fact your response was so unnatural given what happened that I couldn't control myself is all. And stop calling me Yume-sensei!"

The response from the woman with mature and large curves was rather childish but the way she made it meant her laughter had died. But even then, the words she spoke had a definite ring of truth to them.

After all, Kamijou Touma's left arm had not merely been amputated.

It had been cut open, had the fingernails removed, had the fingers broken and had numerous bones within it shattered at the hands of Kamui who had infected Aaron with his personality. What with the previous trauma over the past few weeks with MINUS and Mugino Shizuri, the fact it had been successfully put back into place was the most amazing miracle of all.

And it was all through the power of Science, specifically, the use of what Kamijou had coined as 'Tetris Nanomachines' given how they worked. From how it had been explained to him, he understood that small machines were now within his body, even though they were no longer such.

Although they had started as nanomachines, the moment they had entered his destroyed left arm, the Nanomachines had started their assimilation process, changing their entire structure to become what had been lost. Like that falling block puzzle, the nanomachines had entered that left arm and repaired what had been lost: becoming the skin that had been torn, the nerves that had been destroyed and the muscles that had been ripped.

Within hours, those nanomachines had done the impossible: becoming part of Kamijou Touma and managing to reattach the left arm to Kamijou's body by acting and assimilating into what was missing. They became the skin, muscles and bone that connected the left arm to Kamijou's body and the result of that feat left Kamijou sitting in that usual District 7 hospital room within nothing short of astonishment and shock on his face.

Even after a few days with the left arm reattached to his body using the power of Science with hardly a scar, it didn't feel real. It didn't feel like anything had been lost and although it could be explained using Science, it still felt like Kamijou had been given one of the world's greatest miracles just in that one left arm by his side.

Nothing felt different and nothing felt as though it had changed. Even despite knowing his left arm was only attached because of nanomachines, it barely felt as though it was the case. Even now, Kamijou could only look at the repaired arm and look at nothing but skin instead of what had once been machines, now a part of that skin and body.

Kamijou realised himself that his response to his surgery had been lacking. But that was how natural his left arm felt to him and in all honesty, was the only thing Kamijou could feel he could say when presented with the solution.

It seemed the frog faced doctor standing in front of Kamijou understood that very inner part of Kamijou's heart and smiled at him. He stepped forward, bringing his arms forward to touch Kamijou's left arm, the pressure and the feel of the man's hands feeling as natural as anything it ever had before.

"Although this was the first time it has been used on a human, the fact you had that response suggests nothing but the best for the future using this type of technology, even if it is expensive. But even then, we have to make sure. So, I must ask: are you experiencing any adverse effects? The machines we have to monitor you only go so far."

Heaven Canceller's voice was serious and Kamijou understood the reason why. This was the first time it had been used on a human and just looking at the results was enough to make Kamijou realise the possibilities for this technology if it was given the go ahead. But that go ahead and the possible lives this technology could save all relied upon the response Kamijou was going to give.

So, the only thing Kamijou had to do was be entirely honest.

"Nothing. I feel nothing." Kamijou rose his left arm and clenched his fist, moving his hand in complex movements that would otherwise only be emulated using human nerves instead of a machine. "It feels entirely natural. Like my left arm was never removed. It hurt when I pinch it, it has a strong grip; maybe even stronger than my right hand. It basically feels as if it is a part of myself."

"Enhanced abilities?" asked the frog faced doctor as he turned and looked at the woman who had helped organise the miracle. She placed a hand underneath her chin and nodded slowly.

"I heard about this from the colleagues we got the technology from. Kamijou-chan, you have to remember the nanomachines inside of you are only assimilating what was missing in your left arm. Although physically they are your cells, your blood and your nerves; they were once machines and are stronger than what you were born with. Marginally though."

"So, does that mean Onii-chan is superhuman!? Like he could jump from this window, hit the ground and be OK?"

"W-We're not doing that, are we!? I don't want that to be the first test run for my repaired left arm!"

"No, I don't think he'll be able to do that. His enhancements are probably marginal. Small changes. I guess if he tried, he could smash a glass cup in his left hand if he applied enough force. Besides, throwing your cousin from a window isn't exactly going to be the best way to test out that left arm, right?" Yume said that kindly as she smiled and patted Otohime on the head, Otohime pouting slightly all the same.

"I guess you're right."

"You guess!?"

"Well, knowing Touma, he's going to end up in some kind of trouble anyway that is going to push his left arm to the edge. So, what it comes down to is an issue of sooner rather than later."

"Why is that an assumed conclusion!? N-No, this Kamijou-san has realised his faults and will attempt to live out his life adventure free! No more battle series action for me. I'm going to embrace my role as a slice-of-life protagonist instead! We're going into the realm of a cooking comedy, Index!"

"Although you say that, I'll make sure your room in nice and clean within a few hours…" said the frog faced doctor.

"It really is an assumed conclusion!? Does no one have faith that I'll be able to live out my life without facing some kind of trouble!? Such misfortune!"

"W-Well, in any case," Yume said as she ignored the fact Kamijou seemed to be on the verge of tears as he clutched his head with both hands. "It does seem as though Kamijou-chan isn't facing any negative consequences from the…" She paused, seeming to regret what she was going to say but saying it anyway. "Tetris Nanomachines. Are you sure there's nothing Kamijou-chan? Even the smallest of things could be significant. A limp, a twitch, a change in speech patterns, a headache, anything."

"Ah, yeah, that one." Kamijou seemed to have been reminded of something, pointing to Yume using his left hand. Heads turned to Kamijou in worry, but he held up both hands, waving them in front of his face and seeming to hide at the sudden atmosphere that seemed to have formed around him. For that alone, for the worry others were giving him, he was entirely grateful, but he quickly put to ease anything anyone was worried about.

"Headaches. For the past few days, after the surgery, I've been having a small headache. Nothing serious but like a small throbbing in the back of my head. It's practically gone now though so…"

Even though that was the case and even if he tried to swing the way he described it in a positive way, the stress and the concern on the faces of the two adults was valid. After all, the Tetris Nanomachines within Kamijou were nothing but a test product and the possible faults were things that had yet to be properly identified and studied. Even the smallest thing could prove to be significant.

"Headaches?" Heaven Canceller frowned, Yume matching it as she tapped her foot and ran a hand through her long black hair. Her mind seemed to be turning for an answer before she turned to the left arm and reached for it. She paused for a minute, looking at Kamijou with a questioning gaze, one that Kamijou responded to by nodding.

Yume wasted no time, slowly reaching for the boy's left hand and holding it within her own.

The touch was warm to Kamijou and even though she was merely doing her job inspecting the status of the left hand, Kamijou felt the colour red rise to his cheeks. The soft skin of Yume pressed up against his own and made various things within Kamijou rather aware of themselves as Yume traced her finger against Kamijou's palm like a medium reading his future.

"Can you feel that, Kamijou-chan?" Yume asked, her voice soft. The question could be taken out of context but given she was leaning over and basically whispered the words to the boy, the allure and the seductiveness of the older woman was thrust before the budding high school boy. The touch of the slender finger of the large breasted woman who was well within Kamijou's strike zone threatened to make various parts of the high school boy go out of control.

This was nothing but the scientist testing out something but the lack of awareness she was showing made it clear to Kamijou that Yume was the type to lose focus of anything not within her vision. So, with that in mind, he knew there was nothing special about this and nothing to get excited about.

Yep!

Nothing special at all and nothing to get excited about!

Girls were really were soft to the touch though! The rumours were true after all!

Withholding what the pure adolescent Kamijou wanted to say, he nodded while blushing all the same, even if he tried to hide it. He felt another poke in the butt from his Understander beneath the sheets and felt a glare from Index who was holding Sphynx but, in his defence, there was nothing he could do about it!

He was a normal high school boy here and had nothing to feel guilty about!

Rapidly realising this was going to accelerate into more than just simply butt poking and glares if it went on any further, Kamijou rapidly nodded.

"Y-Yes, I feel that!"

"That might be the reason…" Yume pulled back, placing Kamijou's left hand down gently onto the bed and turning back to Heaven Canceller. "The nerves have connected and are sending signals of sensations to the brain. Bioelectricity is flowing throughout Kamijou-chan's body meaning he receives whatever his left arm feels. Kamijou-chan, when you pinch your left arm does it hurt?"

"H-Huh? Ah, yeah. I mean, obviously."

Heaven Canceller's eyes widened and he put a hand underneath his own chin.

"If that's the case, then the headaches could be explained as…"

"Yeah. Feedback from the Tetris Nanomachines."

"Um, hello?" Kamijou asked, rising his hand and tilting his head. "I'm not exactly too sure about this but the terminology you're throwing around doesn't exactly do wonders for my heart."

"Of course." Yume said as she turned and pointed at the left arm. "Kamijou-chan, the mere fact you're moving and feeling things in your left arm suggests a lot. The surgery was a success and everything has gone according to plan. But the reason you can move your arm and everything and feel pain is because your brain is sending those signals to your arm or your arm is sending signals to your brain. Connecting your left arm using the Tetris Nanomachines gave life to something that otherwise should not have been and created a new connection between your left arm and brain."

Kamijou frowned, the biology lesson he was receiving going over his head, as well as the others who were with him as well.

"So, my left arm and brain are connected like they should be? What does that have to do with my headaches?"

"Think about it," The frog faced doctor said carefully as he tapped his own head. "The Nanomachines within you were not your original left arm and because they have assimilated within you to replace what was lost, they naturally have to repair the connection lost between your left arm and brain. Meaning that the Tetris Nanomachines had to enter your brain to cause that connection. Without it, you would just have a lump of flesh connected to you that would not move and feel no pain."

Kamijou's eyes went wide as he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. He barely understood a lot of what was being said but the one thing he managed to extract was enough to make him pause in surprise.

"Wait… Are you telling me I've got nanomachines…inside my brain? Forming the connection between it and my left arm?"

"That does seem to be the case. And the headaches are a result of the feedback from that forced connection. I don't know if it will cause brain damage since this would be an invasion on a microscale but the fact the nanomachines are entering your brain and causing that connection between it and your left arm does explain the headaches."

"Is this feedback…bad?" Kamijou felt the word reluctantly leave his mouth. Although he had never intended it, the knowledge the nanomachines had entered his brain to form a connection with his left arm and brain was something that only had a negative connotation to it. The damage that would otherwise never be repaired felt sickening to him but the response he got was not something that made him tremble any further.

After all, it was a shaking of the head.

"Not at all," Yume said immediately. "They are only forming a connection. Nothing more and nothing less. If there was something more sinister behind it, then sure. But we made sure there was nothing of the sort when we had it delivered here."

Kamijou only had to recall what those precautions taken were. Because Kamui's Personality Swipe had the ability to take over the minds of any male because he was one, in order to ensure the healing Kamijou was to receive was not compromised, the two adults had ensured they only communicated with females when it came to transporting the goods to District 7.

And because of those precautions, they was surely no way this miracle was going to result in any negative side effects at the hands of men who had been infected with the personality of Kihara Kamui.

There was no way this miracle was going to have a negative side effect at all.

Kamijou breathed a sigh of relief at what he had been told and leaned backwards, realising one thing implied in what had been said. His head shot up and he stared at both adults, his eyes burning with a glare in them that told of determination and possibly hope.

"W-Wait a minute. Are you telling me that right now, in my head, there is technology here that is extremely advanced?" Kamijou asked, practically begging with his question. All eyes turned towards him with some fraction of worry before Heaven Canceller responded.

"Y-Yes, that is the case."

"Then does that mean…"

Kamijou paused for only an instant.

"That my intelligence has increased?! That because of the additional support being pumped into my head by the machines that I'm smarter?!"

Kamijou's eyes burned with determination and the possible hope of that very distinct possibility.

Yes.

One might forget because of everything that high school boy went through, but he was primarily a high school boy. Currently a failing one at that. Because of his inherent stupidity and the fact he could barely remember a lot of things due to constantly fighting for his life, he needed whatever support he could get to drag him through to the next year. And right now, even if it was grasping at straws, the possibility he had become smarter as a result of the nanomachines inside of his head was something he could not simply pass up.

This was important after all.

Because if the nanomachines inside of his head were making him smarter…

Didn't that mean he wasn't going to fail and repeat a grade!?

Kamijou's eyes held a sparkle within them and it was only because of that simple possibility that his sanity seemed to be holding on by a thread. No, it was more he was begging for the answer he wanted to hear more than the truth and in the face of that, the awkward looks of the adults seemed to be a hint as to what the truth was.

But Kamijou was not going to let that discourage him! No, sometimes you had to hold on until the answer was actually revealed. It was only when the truth was made known that you could have a reaction and those pitiful looks were no indication of what the truth was! He had to believe!

Heaven Canceller smiled, placing a hand on Kamijou's shoulder and patting it slightly.

"As a doctor, there are many things in the world I endeavour to find a cure for. I have and will always strive towards ensuring I always find the best cure for my patients, no matter the illness and no matter the condition afflicting them. But even then, my skills can only go so far."

Heaven Canceller shook his head.

"And because they only go so far, I can tell you with confidence. I can't cure stupidity. That's all on you."

"Y-You just cut me down in the worst possible way, didn't you?! You could have just said 'no' and the same thing would have been conveyed, you bastard! What kind of bedside manner is this!? I'm on the verge of tears!"

"No, actually, Kamijou-chan, I think you're actually crying."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It's not my fault! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Kamijou Touma was brought to tears far easier than anyone would have thought as he fell onto the bed (crushing Othinus underneath the sheets in the process) and rolling on the bed in a fit of despair that rivalled even the infinite hells Othinus had given him. Yet, even though that was the case, a hand on his shoulder was what made him stop and turn, the corners of his eyes still wet.

Index smiled, purity radiating from her as she stared at the boy and stroked his head with a calm tone.

"It doesn't matter to me, Touma."

"Index?"

Kamijou stared at the girl who had been by his side all this time as she stared back at him, tilting her head cutely to the side, her eyes looking and showing the kindness she had always shown to that single boy.

"Even if you fail a grade, I'll still be with you."

"You're not making me feel any better! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"H-Human, get off me! I-I'm being crushed!"

A muffled voice came from the bed but it was entirely ignored as the lack of understanding Index had of the fragile heart of Kamijou Touma meant the boy only burst into tears even more. Otohime, realising from precedence that actually calling out Kamijou on his stupidity patted Kamijou on the back in a pitiful way but the action hammered into Kamijou's brain that he was stupid and that idiocy was not a condition cured by modern science.

Heaven Canceller, not really wanting anything to do with this despite having started it, nodded towards Yume before looking back at Kamijou.

"It's been a few days since your surgery and I've filed the paperwork for your release so you should be able to attend school today. Given how easily you moved your left arm, everything should be fine and there should be no lasting problems but if there are, don't hesitate to come back here, OK? I'll see you later then."

"Later!? Are you just assuming I'm going to end up back here again!?"

"Of course. I've bid 3500 Yen on three days time. Don't let me down."

"ALL OF YOU ARE HORRIBLE! SUCH MISFORTUNE!"

Kamijou screamed into his pillow as Othinus was crushed even further but no matter what she said, the larger body of the boy above her meant no words of hers were going to be heard. The only thing she could do was sit sight and wait for this storm to be over but with the things Kamijou had pent up inside of himself, them being released in this way made sense.

Heaven Canceller started to leave the room however, stopped halfway through, turning around and looking at Kamijou.

"One other thing."

"Unless it cures this feeling in my heart, I don't want to hear it!"

"Have you been leaving your room recently? As in during the dark of night?"

"Huh?"

Kamijou stared at the doctor and waved his left arm which for the past few days he had been trying to deal with, what with the technology to repair it and the fact it had been cut off. The past few days had been entirely focused on rehabilitation and the idea he would even leave his room, even if there was some crisis he had to attend to, seemed rather absurd.

"What do you think?" The boy asked that rhetorical question with his tone suggesting the answer was obvious.

"True…" Heaven Canceller trailed off, everyone else staring at him with curious gazes.

"Why do you ask?" Otohime asked with a tilt of her head before the doctor shrugged.

"It seems as though," Heaven Canceller started, clearly finding there was nothing to hide in what he had to say. "That over the past few days there have been numerous incidents of delinquents and other people who have been up to unfavourable dealings within the City beng sent to various hospitals around the City, having been taken down by a self stylised 'hero of justice'. They wear a cape, a mask and a full body cloak: it's like something out of an American comic book. Anti-Skill is having a field day dealing with these people who have criminal records being sent to hospital but given how that is exactly up your alley, I was wondering whether there was a hidden vigilante within this room as I spoke."

"A hero of justice? How does that suit me in the slightest?" asked Kamijou, waving a hand back and forth. "Besides, I don't even need to go out seeking trouble when it's the last thing I need. Isn't this basically just the par of the course for the crazy characters of this City? I'm more surprised it's taken this long for someone acting as a hero of justice to take this long to appear."

"…That is true; actively seeking out misfortune doesn't seem like your style. And you're the type who gets into trouble without the need for a cape. Knowing you, you'll probably run into them within a few days and get yourself hospitalised. Hopefully, this can happen within three days?"

"Can you just leave?!"

Heaven Canceller left the room, leaving the spiky haired grumbling underneath his breath. Dealing with and encountering this 'hero of justice' who had suddenly appeared in Academy City was the last thing he needed and the slight headache he had seemed to increase in its intensity, although slightly.

Yume turned to see the senior doctor leave, waiting until the doctor was out of earshot before turning back around and facing Kamijou.

"Kamijou-chan, I'll see you later tonight? You have my number so if anything comes up, don't forget to call. See you later."

Gacking sounds were made by both Otohime and Index as they stared at the busty older woman who smiled cheerily at the boy. She nodded and waved to the others with her and left but even then, the red faces of both Index and Otohime were enough to make them collapse out of pure embarrassment of what they had just heard.

The misunderstandings and the lack of knowledge about the context of what had been said was enough to make them both collapse, but it was the person who was at the centre of what had been said that they turned to with glares and a shine within their eyes.

"Touma."

"Onii-chan."

"What!? Can't you see this Kamijou-san is entering a severe state of dealing with the fact he's going to be stuck eternally in a state of constant misfortune dealing with the secondary education system? If it's not one thing, then it's another! Nothing could possibly get any worse when it comes to this!"

"…You're in a right position to say that when Yume-sensei just said she would see you tonight."

"Wha - ?! That airheaded woman, what happened to the confidentiality between… Oh shit."

Kamijou paled, rising his head from the bed and feeling a strong sweat come from his entire body. He felt his mouth go dry and his mind freeze but while all of this could have been explained with a small explanation, the reluctance Kamijou had in actually telling those girls what his meeting with Yume was about because of him not wanting to worry them was something that only further dug his own grave.

He could try and explain but the strong reluctance to do so was enough to outweigh the costs of not doing so. And because he felt no reason to actually explain himself because he wanted his meeting with Yume to be a secret and remain that way, the hole he had dug for him was one he did not see himself getting out of so easily.

She just had to open her mouth, didn't she?! He was going to give her a piece of his mind tonight, that was for sure!

Kamijou opened his mouth to say something but with the shine within Index's eyes, there was nothing good about what was coming.

"Touma, what exactly are you doing to Yume-sensei behind my back? Given your reaction when she touched your hand, I can't think you aren't going to be enjoying yourself with that type of mature woman…"

"A-And didn't you say that if you were released Shokuhou-san was going to be coming for dinner?! Don't tell me you doubled booked Onii-chan!"

"Ah, that Long Hair!? What exactly are you doing behind our backs, Touma?!"

"W-Wait, hear me out."

"Isn't having her over only going to mean less food for the rest of us!?"

"That's your concern!? No, this is normal for you. Yes, it's normal I have a greedy freeloader that absorbs food instead of eating it! Maybe I need to teach you a little thing about the proper eating etiquette of a lady!"

"Maybe you should learn the proper etiquette of a person and get the hell off me, human! I'm suffocating underneath these sheets!"

"I-I am a lady!"

"In what universe did this happen!? Now if you look at Yume-sensei, that is what you call a lady! You need to follow her example to raise some points in my book you short statured vacuum cleaner false name nun!"

"Are those your last words?"

"…Such misfortune."

Kamijou belatedly realised exactly what he had said and how, perhaps, he had gone a bit too far in calling her name false, even in the other points were somewhat true. That was the only thing he had to think as the beast holding the smaller beast leaped through the air and caused enough of a commotion to put Kamijou in the hospital again.

However, if you were to look at the scene between the boy and the girl as Otohime had to hold back Othinus who was now free, there was only one thing to be observed.

And that was this scene was not something any one of them had thought they would have after what had happened a few days ago.

But with the restoration of peace, they had been given the chance to once more live out their normal days again and retain the peace they had thought they had lost. They had been given a card that allowed them to grasp what they had felt they would never once grasp and because of that, they were endlessly thankful for the chance to once more return to those days where they could do what they were doing without a care in the world and without thinking about what anyone else was thinking about them.

As for that alone, it was surely a miracle.

One that not one of them was going to think they would ever take back for the life of them.

That was merely how precious those days were to them, to the extent they never wanted to ever lose them.

It was a miracle.

That was the truest thing Shokuhou Misaki felt as she sat at the table on the edge of the Tokiwadai Middle School courtyard. The breeze felt fresh on her face and as she rested her chin on her hand and stared at the rustling trees of the courtyard, she felt something warm one more rise in her chest and spread onto her face.

The smile she made was one her clique had seen her make so many times before during the last few days and yet, it was only for Shokuhou to know exactly why she was smiling in the way she was.

She had been lifted out of the darkness and a miracle had been given to her.

After all, Kamijou Touma had been able to remember her.

And for that reality alone, it was enough for Shokuhou to know there was nothing else in the world she wanted. That simple knowledge was enough for her to realise in this world of cruelty there existed kindness, a chance for redemption for her and the chance she could be saved.

And she had, in the mere fact she was no longer going to constantly relive the 'first' meetings she had endlessly had with Kamijou so many times before.

She was no longer the forgotten girl and the chance given to her was one that made her weep tears of joy and think back on that one moment where Kamijou Touma had said the magic words, words she had never thought he would say and words she had always wanted him to speak.

I remember you.

Perhaps Shokuhou was simple in that those small words were enough to move her and her heart. But that only showed just how much power they held over her as she brushed a loose lock of her hair over her ear. In doing so, she brushed up against the string tied around her neck, a small piece of string that held the greatest good luck charm she could ever possess, now around her neck and hidden beneath her clothes.

Her wish had been granted.

And while it was cheap, the silver whistle Shokuhou now had around her neck was one she never wanted to part with and one she knew held more power and memories than anything else. The whistle itself had come with a promise, a promise of salvation and when she had blown it a few days ago in that single hospital room, there was no doubt in Shokuhou's mind.

She had truly been saved in that one moment when those words had been said.

The warmth that spread through her chest, the smile that spread on her face and the chance to once more live out things and experience them with Kamijou Touma was enough to make her want to tear up again in joy, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she reached for the cup in front of her and slowly drank the tea within. She lowered the cup and stared at her reflection in the liquid, once more looking at it surprised as she had over the past few days.

She never expected she could make the face she was making now. The smile on her face seemed more radiant than ever before and the memory of what had caused her to make that smile made the smile widen and became purer than ever before.

Shokuhou wanted to supress a chuckle but knew that if she were to list out exactly what she was feeling and why she was feeling them, it would be enough to fill numerous pages with endless thoughts from that single girl.

She had been given the chance to start over.

While Kamijou had said he remembered her, the fact of the matter was that the only thing he remembered was her as a person. No longer was she going to be erased from his mind and no longer was she going to have to relive constant 'first' meetings with him. She had been given a second chance.

However, the time she had spent with him previously and the Kamijou Touma she knew was dead.

He was never coming back and the boy that had become the object of her affections was someone else entirely. Or at least, that was how he saw himself: a new person in a borrowed body and living a life not his. Even if, to Shokuhou, he was the same person at heart and that her emotions and feelings would not die even if he had his memories destroyed prior to July 28th, the same was not said for that single boy.

For Kamijou, anything tied him to his previous self and formed a link between the past 'him' and the current 'him' was only going to mean he would have to constantly live in the shadow of his former self. For that reason alone, Shokuhou did not dare to think of expressing her emotions and her feelings for the boy as he was now.

Because if she did so, the 'current' Kamijou Touma would think in that modest and hurt mind of his that the person she was telling her feelings of was not the current 'him' but the previous 'Kamijou Touma'. In showing and revealing what she felt for Kamijou, the only thing he would feel was a hurt in that Shokuhou was not looking at 'him' but rather his past self. He would feel inferior, ashamed and rejected in that Shokuhou was lingering and hoping for the chance to spend her time with someone who was essentially dead.

Shokuhou knew she would be killing everything she had to do with him if she confessed her feelings. No amount of telling him would convince him otherwise, the boy only thinking that she was always seeing 'Kamijou Touma' instead of him now. Even if Shokuhou was always looking at that single boy for who he was and not the life he used to lead, confessing would result in chaining Kamijou to his past life and mean she would go on a path of self-destruction when it came to her feelings.

For herself…no, that was never the case.

For that single boy, for the chance he had to live out his own life as his own person and not following in the footsteps of the shadow of his former self, Shokuhou had not said anything of what she felt for him.

And perhaps that was the right thing to do.

Their important talk they had had in that hospital room, only the two of them as boy and girl was her shedding her weight. Her telling Kamijou everything when it came to their past, the past he had forgotten and at the end of it, Shokuhou had only asked for one thing.

One very, very sweet, kind and important thing.

"Please. Give me the chance to start over. Just you and me. So I can learn who the person Kamijou Touma is now."

She was starting her journey anew.

She was forming her connection and her relationship with Kamijou anew.

Even if she had already come to her answer of what she was seeing with Kamijou now, if she confessed, she would destroy her relationship with him as he constantly tried to follow in his former self's footsteps instead of being his own man. And because of that, Shokuhou was willing to show kindness to that single boy for what he was thinking and feeling in his heart.

So, she would start again.

Just the two of them, building up what Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma were from the ground up.

That was the resolve and the kindness Shokuhou was willing to give Kamijou at the end of the day.

And through it, no matter what the consequence, the fact she could spend her time with Kamijou in this way was more than she could ever ask for.

(I…I look forward to our time together, my Prince. Even if the things I feel will not die, I only ask the time we will spend together will make me feel the things I feel ever stronger.)

And it seemed Kamijou had the exact same sentiment as well.

Even though he had already lost his memories prior to July 28th, the fact there was someone who he could never remember seemed to be a weight almost too heavy for him to bear. Because of that alone and the guilt along with the crime he had in forgetting her, for the chance for them to reconnect and for the chance Shokuhou could accept him for who he was now, he had been more than willing to start from scratch. For the chance for them to rebuild who 'Shokuhou Misaki' and 'Kamijou Touma' were.

And that chance had come far faster than she would have thought.

He had invited her over for dinner tonight.

A simple task and offer but with the intention of ensuring the two of them could reconnect, to learn about the other and their life now they had the chances to remember each other once more.

It was going to be nothing more than a meal with the two of them and others.

But never in her life had Shokuhou Misaki been looking forward to a meal as much as this one.

Kamijou had been the one to suggest it and Shokuhou had been more than willing to take him up on his offer. As a result, like a school girl waiting for the school field trip, she could not get the smile on her face off it and felt butterflies in her stomach.

Shokuhou smiled once more at the mere thought of what she was going to be doing later this evening: dining together with Kamijou. In the process of it, she reached down and felt that whistle underneath her clothes. Her wearing it as a charm now was a promise to herself, a promise to hold onto and never lose the connection she had formed with that boy once again and with the small things they were now forming with each other, allow herself to enhance that connection.

But even as she lost herself in those thoughts and the miracle given to her, the time she had to herself was not something she could hold forever.

There was something more important to think about after all.

"Queen?"

A voice came from her side and Shokuhou threw all the thoughts she had about Kamijou in the air, as much as she was reluctant to do so. The miracle and the chance to once more reconnect with him were not things she could so easily forget and even if it was unlike her, she planned to be at least an hour early to Kamijou's dorm for their 'dinner date'.

For the chance to reconnect and form who they were once more, that was the least Shokuhou was willing to do.

Shokuhou calmed her mind and turned around, seeing the person who had spoken and another person with her, a girl Shokuhou had requested to see. Seeing both proved to be the trigger, the thoughts of the miracle going to the back of Shokuhou's mind and in its place, more darker thoughts replacing it.

"Hokaze. And Kongou-san."

Hokaze Junko, the ringlet curl girl of Tokiwadai Middle School and Shokuhou's right hand when it came to her clique, gave a small bow in response to the words.

"I am sorry to disturb you in your moment of peace. I have brought Kongou-san as requested. However, would you like to take a moment?" The question was innocent but even Shokuhou could tell how carefully it was said. After all, the happiness Shokuhou had experienced over the past few days was not a happiness she was willing (or been able) to hide.

It had been obvious in her smile, the way she acted and talked with others and the effect it had had on people was obvious. Her clique had been more than happy with her change, not knowing what exactly the cause was but more than happy to experience the happiness Shokuhou was having and living.

While that was the majority view, other people, such as Misaka Mikoto, felt the change to be creepy in the way that Shokuhou smiled without restraint.

Yet, no matter the thoughts of others, the happiness Shokuhou was having and feeling was her own and no one else's. There was nothing else she wanted and the consideration Hokaze had in that she was willing to leave Shokuhou alone to revel in the happiness of the miracle spoke of the value within that girl.

Shokuhou on the other hand did not allow her emotions to cloud her judgment. She had seen the negative effects of that in other people more than anything and had even experienced such when her rage had resulted in her committing a crime against Kamijou Touma she was not so willing to forgive herself for, even if he had forgiven her.

Her shooting the mercenary, Orion Phoenix, in the chest was not simply that easy a thing to get over.

It had taught her the value of controlling one's emotions lest the negative consequences abound and for the sake of applying her own learning to a practical environment, Shokuhou nodded and indicated to a seat across from her.

"There is no need for that. As much as your consideration ability is appreciated Hokaze, there are some things I need to discuss with Kongou-san. Please, Kongou-san, take a seat."

Shokuhou smiled at the person standing right beside Hokaze, the girl who she had called for before the morning classes of Tokiwadai started: Kongou Mitsuko.

The incident that had surrounded her was one that even now was still being discussed even after it had ended a few days ago. Even if the incident itself was over, the fact the fake fiancé trio who had been courting for her hand in marriage for the sake of harassment had been found dead in an inexplicable massacre in which Kamijou Touma had been kidnapped was enough to start the rumour mill.

Given that the two days before they had been found dead Kamijou Touma had proclaimed Kongou was his fiancée, that was enough to place some suspicion over the events. Some hidden assassination unit of Kongou Airlines taking revenge for what those three were doing to its heiress, Kamijou boldly protecting the person who had been betrothed to him: the rumours that surrounded such were complex, long-winded but more importantly, did not even once scratch the truth of what had happened.

Even after the incident, Shokuhou Misaki realised she knew nothing.

In fact, the only one with that knowledge seemed to be Kamijou Touma who had been thrust into this incident at the last minute.

As such, the knowledge Kihara Kamui had infected the personality of Aaron Gracestone and had attempted to prevent the interference the trio were having on his projects of the FIVE_Object and some other cyborg project, weapons in the underground war against Science with MINUS and Magic with Harmonia's Cradle, was knowledge she was not privy to.

But even without that knowledge, Shokuhou could tell the incident around Kongou lay on the edge of something dark. However, with Hokaze not knowing the truth of what had happened to those fake fiancés, Shokuhou did not want to involve Hokaze in this.

Kongou Mitsuko seemed to flinch slightly at the words said. The negative air around her and Shokuhou seemed to have died but even then, having the #5 Level 5 address her in the way she was was enough to put her on edge. Holding her fan up to her mouth, she did as she was asked. The girl smiled, holding out a hand and indicating to the teapot on the edge of the table and the array of sweets in the middle.

"Tea? And of course, if you would like to treat yourself to some of the refreshments, you are more than welcome. If I might say, the macarons have a delicate ability on the tastebuds." Shokuhou turned and looked at Hokaze. "Thank you very much Hokaze. If you could leave us now, Kongou-san and I are going to need some privacy."

"Of course, my Queen."

Hokaze bowed, turning swiftly and leaving the area as Kongou stared at the retreating girl with some awe in her expression.

"Is something wrong?" Shokuhou asked with some disinterest as she twiddling her fingers in mid-air, choosing one of the macarons on the array in front of her and placing it on her plate.

"N-Not wrong so much as… Hokaze-senpai is certainly attached to you, isn't she, Shokuhou-san?" Kongou said, the nervousness within her dying as she stared at the girl who had now left her field of vision.

"Of course she is. Every attendant needs to have that same loyalty ability. It makes her invaluable as a companion. Much the same as your two companions, I would say? Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya. I do hope me calling you out here did not inconvenience them in any way and that they respected your privacy."

"Y-Yes, I do believe they did. I…trust my friends."

Kongou said that with conviction in her voice, basically snatching up the teapot on the table and pouring herself a cup. Shokuhou smiled but even then, the sparkling in her eyes was enough to make Kongou flinch. She set the teapot down, staring at the liquid before speaking once more.

"Is this about…them?"

"In a way~."

Shokuhou sipped her tea and set it down on her saucer, leaning forward with her fingers intertwined.

"You surely can't forget what the both of us saw a few days ago in District 10. And neither could your precious friends. And yet…what is this? They suddenly forgot that horror even though they should have recalled every single detail. Certainly, that does hold a fraction of strangeness ability, does it not?"

Those words were enough to make Kongou freeze in place. In her mind, the chaos and the death she had seen in that District 10 facility where Kamijou Touma had been held after he was kidnapped in her place was one she would never forget and refused to do so, as those deaths had been a result of a deal Kongou Airlines had with some unknown party. At least, unknown to her.

However, while Kongou would never forget those deaths, the same did not apply to her friends, Wannai and Awatsuki.

Yes.

Because, out of kindness and not wanting the two girls to suffer from the trauma they had clearly experienced, Kongou Mitsuko had asked Shokuhou Misaki to erase their memories of the incident. She had complied and the action Kongou had thought was out of kindness now had the truth of revealed.

She had made a deal with the devil.

And as a result, the way she was going to dance right now and in the future was going to be decided by the greatest puppeteer that existed within Academy City. The knowledge she held and the memories she could uncover in her friends' heads were something that had placed Kongou right in Shokuhou's palm. The fear that came from her entire body as a result of the position she had placed herself in trapped her in her seat. Her mouth felt dry and her body cold as she looked down at the teacup and the liquid inside in silence.

The threat Shokuhou was making was clear and it was with reluctance and the biting tone of resistance that Kongou answered.

"What…do you want?"

Kongou knew she had done the right thing, asking Shokuhou for help. But that was only a decision she made in the knowledge the information she had hidden from her friends for their safety would never get out. If, by some chance, it did and that they learned of what Kongou had kept from them, Kongou was not entirely sure what effect it was going to have on their friendship.

She had done it to protect them.

But maybe both Wannai and Awatsuki would not see it exactly like that.

Despite treasuring her friends and saying she trusted them, she had done something behind their backs. Something that could potentially drive a wedge between them, even if the uncertainty behind such meant there was no way to know whether revealing the information was going to have a good or bad effect on their friendship. And because of that uncertainty, there was no way Kongou could let those traumatic memories return to her treasured friends.

Even if that meant she had to dance in the most twisted ways for the devil.

Shokuhou stared at Kongou silently before shaking her head and lifting her cup once more to her lips.

"Make no mistake Kongou-san. The relationship ability you have with your friends is of no concern to me. I will not tread on it if I do not have to and I will not harm it if there is no reason to. I merely want to make it clear exactly where you stand when it comes to what I am going to ask of you. You could say…yes, I think this phrase applies perfectly to this. I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."

Shokuhou smiled maliciously before blinking once and putting the cup down. She placed a finger onto her chin and tilted her head in a cute way, her honey blonde hair moving down her shoulders as her head moved.

"No, that's not right. I'm not making you an offer, but rather giving you a request. I certainly stuffed that one up, didn't I~?"

Shokuhou taped her tilted head with a small fist and poked out her tongue, a pose that suggested a childish cuteness behind her. However, Kongou stared at her with some aspect of surprise as she looked at the tone behind her pose and what she was implying.

"You're…not going to harm my friends?"

"Like I said," Shokuhou lowered her pose, the fact she had made a rather well known reference and stuffed it up all the same annoying her. "Only if you give me a reason not to. If you do what I ask, I assure you that you and your friends can live the same life you have been living all the same. Of that, you have my word, Kongou-san."

Shokuhou's expression turned serious and Kongou straightened. The business like talk happening between her and the Level 5 held an atmosphere of darkness and given that Shokuhou had to remind Kongou exactly where she stood and how she could not refuse did not exactly bode well for what was to be requested. A shiver went up Kongou's spine and she took a sip of her tea.

It was lukewarm.

Today was turning out to be more disappointing than she thought and Kongou slowly set the cup down, the demon in front of her smiling.

"If you can assure me, Shokuhou-san, that the status quo between me, Wannai-san and Awatsuki-san is not to be harmed…then I will do whatever you need me to. All I ask…is that you simply do not harm me and what I have with my precious friends."

The voice was soft and quiet but even then, the fact Kongou said that request looking directly at Shokuhou was enough to indicate how much she had grown from her prideful self. The transformation into someone that said she valued what she valued and was not willing to throw anything away made Shokuhou blink in surprise at how different the girl seemed but she put it aside.

Yes.

The growth of Kongou Mitsuko was not the focus of the talk Shokuhou Misaki was about to have.

"You have my word."

That was the only thing Shokuhou said and the only thing needed. Kongou straightened, nodding and taking a deep breath as if to prepare herself all the same and looked at the girl across from her with a more determined gaze than she had been previously.

"Then what do you need from me?"

"An excellent question!"

Shokuhou smiled, reaching for something on the chair beside her and lifting it up. Kongou stared at it with surprised eyes and felt something within her reel in both disgust and confusion.

Confusion because the papers Shokuhou held up in front of her were thick documents littered with numbers and letters that made little sense.

And disgust because of the red stain that smelled like iron plastered along the side of them.

Shokuhou did not mind whatsoever as she placed the documents onto the table and pushed them forward. Kongou slowly reached for them with a hand and lifted them up, staring at the red stain with fearful eyes before looking up at Shokuhou with that same fear.

"Before you ask, the answer is yes."

"Yes?"

"That is blood. Kamijou Touma's to be exact."

Kongou's eyes went wide and as if the paper were searing hot, she dropped it onto the table and stood up, backing away. Her face was pale and she trembled all the same, the sensation of disgust that ran through her being something she was having trouble forcing down.

Shokuhou, not even blinking, continued all the same.

"If you remember to a few days ago, Kamijou Touma was found in a room next to where Kisaragi Maeda had been killed. And that room where Kisaragi was killed was covered in documents. Do you remember?"

The way Shokuhou spoke of things so easily was terrifying and the memories of the incident, that room of documents, the body of the heir to Kisaragi Motors and the blood in that very same room threatened to make the Tokiwadai girl pass out. She closed her eyes as she stood, forcing down the sick and slowly nodded.

"I…remember."

"Those documents are ones I managed to acquire from that room. I would appreciate it greatly if you did not ask how I managed to do so but merely sit back down and look at the contents of said documents." Shokuhou's voice was scarily casual but how exactly she had the peace of mind to remain so calm suggested she had already come to terms with the horror of that incident.

How exactly had she reacted when she had learned the blood was Kamijou Touma's? Not even Kongou was sure but the ice mask Shokuhou had put on was clear for anyone to see.

Trembling and not wanting to do what Shokuhou asked but realising she literally could not refuse if she wanted everything with her friends to remain the same, Kongou breathed in and out. With hesitation, she reached down for her fallen chair and picked it up, placing it back and sitting down.

The faint smell of iron of Kamijou Touma's blood hit her nose. She felt once more like she was going to be sick, but she forced down that sensation and steeled herself. Reluctantly, she held the paper on the edge where the boy had once bled, staring at its characters and the numbers.

"It's a…transportation document?" Kongou asked, focusing on what she had to and trying her best to ignore the red that sometimes blocked a few of the characters and numbers. "A transportation document detailing movement of goods from a warehouse in District 21 to…somewhere. It doesn't say."

Kongou frowned as she flicked through some of the other documents as well.

"These are the same; transportation documents. Someone was moving something within Academy City to some undisclosed location."

"And what was being moved, Kongou-san?"

"What? It says right here; a railgun…"

Kongou's eyes went wide as she stared at that one term. The first thing that came to mind was simply that of Misaka Mikoto and her namesake, but even that seemed to be laughable as she looked at the word. Mikoto was a person who used her esper power to create those weapons but what was being transported from District 21 to somewhere else in Academy City was a macroscale version of one: one likely been built from scratch.

The fact that Academy City could even build such a thing was not beyond belief but even then, seeing the word on the page surprised Kongou.

No.

That was not what truly surprised her.

It was the quantity.

"T…" Kongou forced her voice down and looked up at Shokuhou, speaking with nothing but a whisper. "Twenty of them?"

"And that's only the first document. Check the others."

Kongou was not really sure she wanted to but the command of Shokuhou and how she could not refuse forced her hands to move, shaking as they went through document after document, face going whiter and whiter as she looked at and processed the information written on them.

"Lasers, quantity 50. Missiles, quantity 3500. Pile bunkers, quantity 100. Coilguns, quantity 20. Sonic acoustic weapons, quantity 400. Wh-What is this? What is this, Shokuhou-san!?"

"You tell me."

"W-What!?"

Kongou let out that shout of surprise, sweat going down her face as she stared at Shokuhou. The Level 5 in response frowned and pointed at the documents in her hand.

"Read the footnote on the third document in your left hand. Yes, that one."

Kongou held said document in front of her, eyes pouring over the content she had only briefly looked at and going wide eyed when she reached the bottom, her hands trembling. Her mind went blank, her throat went dry and her body seized up, going over the words at the bottom of the page over and over again but never finding they were merely an illusion.

[These materials are all to be sent to the same facility as the materials obtained from Kongou Airlines. The details and the placement of such weaponry will be decided upon arrival.]

Kongou Airlines.

Her father's company was written right there on the page and no matter how many times Kongou wiped her eyes, it never faded. Fright and a complete lack of comprehension filled her but no matter what she said or did, the only thing her mind came back with a complete and utter lack of understanding.

Why?

Why was the company she was to inherit on the same documents as transportation for weaponry that could be used to assist a small army? What were the materials transported by her company and how exactly were they going to be used to interact with the weaponry Academy City was transporting somewhere?

Nothing made sense.

However, in the back of her mind, something clicked together.

"The…The deal with Kongou Airlines Aaron and the others were trying to stop…"

"Yes."

Shokuhou nodded, leaning forward and holding her gaze towards Kongou, the unamused expression showing exactly the emotions she was feeling.

"The unknown deal with Kongou Airlines at the heart of your incident was with Academy City. And while those three fake fiancés were trying to stop said deal, they were taken swiftly out of the running. Meaning nothing is stopping or preventing Kongou Airlines from transporting the materials used in conjunction with that weaponry. Academy City is building something, Kongou-san. And the documents in your hand barely cover everything within that room."

A choked gasp came out from Kongou's mouth and she felt her body go weak. She dropped the papers in her hands onto the table once more, placing a hand to cover her forehead and tried to steady her breathing but the fright within her tone she could not refuse.

The implication was obvious.

But even Kongou Mitsuko did not have the nerve to say it.

The mere possibility was enough to make her shiver and she felt her heart race through her chest.

But Shokuhou Misaki did not even give her the time to feel those emotions.

"Academy City is building something. A massive weapon that uses more than simply a few railguns and missiles. They are building something on such a level that it would be enough to wipe an entire city from the map. And that is merely using the weapons as noted in the documents in your hand. They are building something Kongou Airlines has been helping them to build. So, my question is to you, Kongou-san…"

Shokuhou did not waste any time unleashing the question.

"What exactly are they building? What is the deal Kongou Airlines had with Academy City?"

"I…"

Kongou felt the chill up her spine plunge her entire body into an ice cold state. She shook her head.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Shokuhou's voice was dripping with disbelief and sarcasm. "You mean this is what Kongou Airlines is helping Academy City with and you still know nothing about it?"

"If I knew, don't you think I would have the sense to stop it?!" Kongou yelled into the air and slammed a fist onto the table, placing a hand onto her chest. "I knew nothing about what that deal was. The only thing Father told me was the bare minimum and even now, as I ask, I know basically nothing. That deal was at the very heart of my own suffering so don't you think I would have gone to the greatest lengths to figure out what was behind it!? But nothing I did came up with results. Father stopped me at every turn and the only thing that hinted anything to what Academy City is building with the help of Kongou Airlines has been these documents!"

"So, you know nothing?" Shokuhou spat out the words. "Academy City is building something fearsome Kongou-san. Using your company's technology and resources. And you know nothing?"

"The only person that knows anything about this deal and what it entailed is my father. And perhaps that fake fiancé trio, but unfortunately, they decided to kick the bucket before anything could have been gotten from them in terms of information." The bitter tone Kongou used was perhaps a testament to her own anger, especially when the things being built using her company's technology was as fearsome as what was being told on the documents.

Indeed, the frustration of knowing nothing was felt the same by Shokuhou but as she sat there and listened to what Kongou was saying, there was nothing in her expression.

"So the only person in the world with knowledge of what this project entails is your father?"

"W-Well, I mean, if we're talking about who knows, then the other people involved would be people who knew as well. The transportation officers, whoever designed the project, anyone who interfered, my father's advisors, Academy City officials and…!"

Kongou stopped, her breath catching in her throat. Shokuhou tilted her head and frowned, the way Kongou had stopped catching her attention.

"And?"

"Kamijou."

There was no need for Kongou to repeat herself, Shokuhou's eyes going wide as she stared at the girl. They begged for her to continue and it was only through more horror at what she realised herself that Kongou continued, speaking in rapid tones at her own discovery and memory.

"A-After that incident ended, Kamijou Touma gave my father a call. A call in which he implied he knew what was going with that project, what it was being used for and what was happening with it in Academy City. It was barely mentioned but Kamijou-sama definitely hinted he knew what project was about. Y-You don't think that – !"

"No."

Shokuhou spat out those words as she leaned on the table.

"I don't think. If Kamijou-san hinted he knew something, then he knew something. Even if we don't, he knows exactly what is going on with this weapon within Academy City and what it is going to be used for, in what capacity and what extent."

(And, as a result, is more than likely to get caught up in it in some way or another.)

Shokuhou had that silent thought as she leaned her head into her hands and breathed out a frustrated sigh. But it took all Shokuhou had to hide the fright within it and the pure terror she was feeling at the knowledge Kongou had given her.

Kamijou Touma, in some respect, was involved in the massive weapon Academy City was building. Or at least, he knew exactly what was going on with it. There was something he knew and even as he took the time to focus on the issue with Shokuhou and her memories, he had in the back of his mind something he likely could not let go.

Something was going on in Academy City.

And somehow, in some respect, Kamijou Touma knew all about it.

Even if Shokuhou Misaki and Kongou Mitsuko knew nothing at all about it, there was a single boy who did.

A single boy who, for the sake of the peace of those around him, was willing to do whatever it took so that others could be happy, no matter the punishment given to him as a result of being involved.

The thought frightened Shokuhou more than she could say. No, perhaps now she had been given the miracle in Kamijou remembering her, there was more than enough reason for her to be frightened of hm getting involved.

For the life of her, she didn't want that. Now she had her Prince back, she didn't want to be cruelly taken from him. The thought she was going to lose him once again to the plans and the happenings of the world around her made her chest ache and it was all she could do to hold herself together.

As nothing more than an instinct, she reached for the whistle she had tied around her neck, clenching it tight and hoping to whatever higher power that the thoughts and the hopes she was pushing into that whistle would reach Kamijou in some way and provide him with the safety to protect him in the times to come.

But even she knew it was not enough.

So even if Kamijou would dodge the subject when she raised it or even if he lied to her to keep her safe, there was something Shokuhou Misaki had to do to return the favour.

Something she had to do so she could ensure that one single boy's smile would be protected in her own way.

Kamijou Touma was involved. How he was and how he had come by the knowledge of what was being built within Academy City using the resources of Kongou Airlines and being fitted with enough weaponry to completely annihilate a city was something Shokuhou did not know.

But what she did know was that she was not going to be silent about this.

Not when she was in a position to lose the miracle she had been provided.

"Kongou-san. I think it is time I reveal what I want you to do. And I don't particularly care if you don't want to do it."

She could not afford to lose him once again.

That was the only thing behind the thoughts of Shokuhou Misaki as she said those words.

Something was happening within Academy City that could not merely be ignored because of not only the impact it was going to have on her and the City itself but also on that single boy who deserved to have his smile to be protected above all else.

So it was time for Shokuhou Misaki to take her first step.

Her first steps into the world Kamijou Touma was always living in.

However, the resolve and the steel she had hardened within herself were not what she unleashed from her mouth.

Instead, it came from elsewhere.

"You want me to dig into this. To use my connections within Kongou Airlines and Academy City to find out exactly what is being built and how my company is involved."

Kongou Mitsuko said those words with the same amount of conviction within her voice. Shokuhou turned her head up and stared at the girl with some surprise but the only thing Kongou Mitsuko did was shake her head and stand up.

"If that's all you need me to do, then I am more than willing to do it. Kamijou-sama was the one hurt because of this very deal…and now he is someone withholding information on it when it has the potential to threaten more than just Academy City. This isn't something I can just afford to ignore as well. Me, my friends, my home… Something is happening. And all of us are threatened because of it. I don't even need you to threaten me over it, Shokuhou-san; I will be more than happy to comply."

"It will be dangerous. Whatever is being built…I can assure you there will probably be someone out there who might try to stop you."

"Then that is a risk I am willing to take. If that was enough to stop me…then that would an insult to all of those threatened by this mysterious weapon. You have my word, Shokuhou-san. I will get what you need on what is happening within Academy City."

Kongou's expression was just as serious as Shokuhou's as she passed her on the table. Both girls did not even bother to look at each other, only the silence and the small vow between them being the only thing that was passed.

But it was broken by the soft and quiet voice of Kongou.

"(Besides, if I refused, then that would be the greatest insult to Kamijou-sama. The person who has already risked so much for me and my own smile. If I ever want the chance to face him properly…then this is the least I have to do to protect him.)"

This was not a journey Shokuhou Misaki was going to walk alone.

For whatever was within the world of Kamijou Touma, it was clear Kongou Mitsuko was more than willing to face it for the sake of protecting Kamijou's smile as well.

This girl had indeed changed from the person who had declared she had hated Kamijou a few days ago.

And she was much more powerful because of it.

That was the only thing thought by Shokuhou as she sipped her tea, Kongou walking off into the distance with that same resolve Shokuhou had.

They were not just doing this for themselves and for those they loved.

They were doing it because they owed so much to someone who had tried to protect them from that very same thing they were now charging into. For the things they owed that very special person, it was the least they could do if they wanted to make sure he was also protected.

Because if it was the reverse, then there would have been no other choice. There would have been no hesitation. If Kamijou Touma was asked to risk his life to protect someone and the city they lived in and to find out as much as he could for the sake of their safety then there would truly be no other option in his mind for what he had to do.

And because of respect and because of what they owed him, it was only natural those girls would respond in the exact same way.

Shokuhou Misaki felt the lukewarm tea drift into her mouth. The preparation for what Kongou was going to do was something they both had to sort out if they wanted to minimise the chance of her getting caught and facing the backlash of her actions. Given Kongou was likely going to use her influence within Kongou Airlines to figure out exactly what was going on on her side of things, it would be the role of Shokuhou to ensure nothing traced back to Kongou herself.

For someone who was going to be walking on the same path as her for the sake of protecting the life and smile of Kamijou Touma, that was the least they had to do.

Something was happening within Academy City, a dangerous game was being played.

Something was going to change.

That was much was clear to Shokuhou as she sipped her tea again –

Only to spit it right back out as she noticed something belatedly, turning back around with her eyes wide. Kongou Mitsuko had already managed to turn the corner and disappear from sight but there was something she had said which Shokuhou now only realised had meaning given she had never said it before today.

Could it mean –

No, it couldn't.

She had said she had hated him and yet that way of referring to him was – !

"Wh-What do you mean by Kamijou-sama!? What part of him in your mind needs to be respected? Kongou-san? Kongou-san!?"

It was a miracle.

But, all of a sudden, the fact Kamijou had managed to have the effect he did on someone who truly had hated him a few days before indicated to Shokuhou Misaki that there were indeed backlashes for miracles on occasion.

At least for her in this case.

Kongou Mitsuko is my responsibility. Her normal life and everything she owns will be protected and I will do whatever it takes to ensure her smile is protected and that she has the chance to go home smiling and happy, no matter what happens to me.

Those words had once been said by a single boy.

And because of it, it had been enough to move the heart of Kongou Mitsuko to do things she never would have thought to do.

Something was happening within Academy City.

Something that could change the world was being built.

And to protect her home, herself and her friends, Kongou Mitsuko was willing to do whatever it took to ensure she got to the bottom of it. Things had to be done and further organised with Shokuhou before they started on this investigation of theirs, but they would be done. But even then, one face appeared in the back of her mind that made her face heat up more than it had ever before and more than she ever thought possible.

Her heart raced but for an unknown reason.

But the only thing she knew was that she had to make things right.

Yes.

After all, it was only right Kongou Mitsuko did this in return for the things Kamijou Touma had done for, even if they barely met the minimum for what she had to do to repay him.

But why did she feel this particular way whenever she thought of him?

Not even the sheltered Kongou Mitsuko knew that but in truth…

She didn't mind the feeling associated with Kamijou Touma.

She didn't mind it at all.

It was a miracle.

That was the only thing Uiharu Kazari felt as she stared at the parfait in front of her that made her eyes sparkle and her heart swoon.

She had finally gotten it.

After so long, she had finally gotten it!

Nothing was going to ruin this moment.

Nothing!

"You know, Uiharu, you call it a miracle but if you eat this so early in the morning, you're going to think eating sweets is the normal thing for breakfast. 10 years later, you've got diabetes. Are you sure you want that?"

"Just because I said I wouldn't give you any doesn't mean you have to ruin it like that, Saten-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! I'm all self-conscious about it now!"

"Meaning more for me!"

"Are you not even listening to your own advice!? I'll eat it myself right now and without any contribution from you!"

True to her word, Uiharu dug the spoon in her hand into the parfait in front of her. No, this was no mere parfait.

It was a tower.

100 centimetres tall, the 7 layers were meant to represent the different colours of the rainbow, although going in reverse order to what a rainbow usually looked like in order to determine degrees of difficulty as to how far it would take to eat the monstrosity.

The easiest level: violet. Topped with blueberries and ice cream cones, of the same colour, they sparkled with an intensity because of the golden flakes ordained on top, the colour melting into the others below it and making the flavours from the top layer leak into the other layers for a taste explosion.

The next level: indigo. The violet from the top layer mixed here with cream pudding contained within, the yellow of the pudding mixing together with the violet above and filtering it, giving the impression the violet was lighter, hence giving indigo. The taste of the leftover blueberries inside the pudding was said to be astounding and enough to make anyone collapse out of pure enjoyment.

The next-next layer: blue. The indigo from the above layer here leaked into the vanilla ice cream contained within and the small gel filled lychee within the ice cream were meant to burst when poked with a spoon, mixing with the indigo from the above level to give the colour blue.

The next-next-next level: green. The jelly and the mint chocolate ice cream contained here did not allow for the blue of the above layer to invade it meaning this layer was solely reserved for the taste sensation that was the combination of both jelly and mint.

Now this was where it got extreme.

The next-next-next-next layer and the rumoured layer where those eating it would stop because it was proving to be too much: the yellow layer. The chocolate coated pudding that was within here was mixed with custard and cornflakes, the combination of these along with what was previously eaten preventing anyone without proper training from advancing further while also allowing them to enjoy the taste.

The next-next-next-next-next layer and where only those who had been battle hardened could progress to: the orange colour. Orange peel and fine tiramisu along with caramel sauce all combined together to give the type of taste anyone would die for and it was enough to send anyone without proper training into a frenzy from the mere tastebud explosion.

And finally, the layer for true masters.

Only once you had reached a true epiphany could you ever reach this layer.

The next-next-next-next-next-next (read: final) and the one with the hardest difficulty: the red layer. Red jelly, jaffas, pudding and ice cream all combined together to give a strong red colour that would only be looked at with jealously from the other layers and give the impression there was no other equal.

Combined into a glass container that showed off each layer with the type of perfection rarely found anywhere, the 100 centimetre Rainbow Destroyer had destroyed many a wallet for those who had been unable to finish it. Yet, the appeal of it could not be denied.

After all, it was this restaurant's policy that if you could finish this, then it was free. For those unlucky enough to do so, the price was equal to the number of centimetres that had been left unfinished: 2000 Yen for each centimetre left untouched. If you chickened out just from seeing, it was equal to 200,000 Yen. With the rule being they measured from the highest left over part of the parfait and that you could only eat it by yourself, it was also deemed as the 'Wallet Destroyer' by those who had been subject to its evil machinations of deliciousness yet size.

There were only two people said to have finished this in the entirety of Academy City.

A strange girl who was often seen with a live chicken on her head and a single sister of God. It was even said that both of them, when they had been dragged in once by their 'manager' (rumour had it he had trained the both of them in an intense training camp in the District 21 mountains) had managed to completely destroy the profits of the restaurant for 6 months and they had all been banned, which had resulted in the manager being eaten.

Of course, this was nothing more than a rumour although what looked to be teeth marks, blood and a feather stuck in the wood at the table Uiharu and Saten were sitting seemed to be false evidence to give credence to that rumour.

Or was it?

Uiharu did not care though as she pulled her sleeves up and sank the spoon into the first layer (Difficulty: Extremely Easy) and began to scarf the parfait down.

It was also somewhat depressing that a dessert got most of the explanation than the other two girls at the table, staring at Uiharu in surprise.

Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko watched with partial disgust at the way Uiharu Kazari ate and looked at Saten Ruiko beside her who also looked just as surprised.

"U-Um, Uiharu-san? Do you even have that much money? I'm looking at this diabetes provider and thinking you are going to need a lot more money on hand. Because there's no way you're finishing this." Mikoto asked with a rather pale face but the response she got only made her more confused.

"Ffffuffufuffuff fufufuffff!"

Uiharu's face seemed full of glee and also just full but the only thing the other girl had to say in response was to put a hand to their foreheads and shake their heads.

"Kuroko, can you do something about this?"

"Like what, Onee-sama? Please, tell me what I can do that will even remotely solve this problem at hand."

"Shirai-san, the fact you can call it a 'problem' is a bit of an issue as well. Besides, Uiharu, there is school today and Kamijou-san has gotten out of the hospital, so you have to hurry if we want to catch both!"

Uiharu responded to Saten's concerns with the same muffled response and face full of food made Mikoto and the other Railgang members sweatdrop as they saw the small girl carve into the parfait (No! It was the RAINBOW DESTROYER!) without holding back.

"Looking at this makes me lose my appetite." Mikoto said with the same pale face as she stared at Uiharu chowing down, the rapid movements of the spoon giving the impression there was a monster behind it.

"I agree. So, shall we discuss something unpleasant so we can put her off her appetite?" suggested Shirai as she stared with the same horror.

"Like what Kuroko?"

"Something disgusting. Saten-san, what do the boys at your school talk about in their spare time?"

"Huh? Games and the like. I mean, everyone in middle school is worried about their debut so they want to make sure they don't step on anyone's toes. So, the boys in our school are pretty careful. From what I've heard, it's when you reach high school that it becomes a problem."

The face of a particular high school boy that was part of that problem and talked about relatively disgusting things sometimes came into the heads of all four girls and they sighed, shaking their heads and realising that as fair ladies they were going to have nothing of the kind of discussion a particular spiky haired idiot might have raised in a casual way.

Yeah.

He's probably say something like "Someone's probably been unable to finish that and thrown up in the jar" to put Uiharu off her food. Yet the fact such a thing was not even thought of suggested the decency of the girls there.

But even so, the topic of conversation raised was one immediately brought to the attention something Shirai had to say.

"Speaking of which, that reminds me. Onee-sama, I thought I might discuss this with you…" Shirai asked carefully, Mikoto staring at her with a frown.

"Kuroko? What's this about?" The tension in the air suddenly seemed to have increased tenfold and it was with some caution that Mikoto asked that question. Shirai stared at her and then looked at both Saten and Uiharu, both of whom were staring at the Teleporter with the same tense gazes. Those gazes themselves were enough to suggest that whatever Shirai was about to say was not going to be ignored or asked off by either middle school girl and with that alone, it was with a sigh that Shirai leaned forward and spoke in hushed tones.

"It's about that incident Onee-sama. The one in which the ape was found with his arm amputated."

Saten and Uiharu felt a shiver go up their spines and Mikoto herself only felt a surge of dread go through her. Although Kamijou had been given surgery to fix his left arm and hence very little people knew about that particular injury he had sustained, it had been the report filed to Judgment (given Kamijou had been 'found' in the centre of the massacre of three of the biggest companies with influence in Academy City) that had detailed the nature of the injury he had sustained.

Although Kamijou insisted everything was alright and there was nothing to worry about, those thoughts and sentiments were not entirely shared by those who were on the receiving end of the information, especially Mikoto who had been in the centre of that incident, even if her involvement had not been noticed.

The concern and the worry those girls had for that single boy was enough to make Uiharu stop eating, staring at Shirai with a tense gaze. Mikoto especially held it, unsure and worried about whether her involvement had been uncovered in the investigation into what had happened.

"…What about it?" Playing it cool was the only thing Mikoto felt she had to do, something of which she hoped would hide anything from her best friend about the involvement she had in that incident.

"What exactly do you know about it? First off so I can tell you exactly what you don't know."

"Well…"

"Just what was covered in the news," Saten started off, Mikoto thankful as it meant she did not have to be careful with the information she unwittingly said as someone at the centre of that incident. "In District 10, the bodies of key members of Circuits and Chips, Kisaragi Motors and Unergy were found along with numerous members of their security forces. No blood was found that did not belong to anyone not there and there was no security camera feed. It was as if someone invisible had massacred the entire group."

"Kamijou-senpai's involvement in such and his kidnapping, even if the reason for such is still unknown," said Uiharu as she slowly ate a spoonful of cream pudding of the second layer of the parfait (Difficulty: Very Easy). "Was only given to Judgment as a report and only known amongst law enforcement officials."

"And naturally, given that idiot, he basically said he was kidnapped as a result of mistaken identity. Which was believed by the Anti-Skill agents he told it to." Mikoto noted with a feigned look of disbelief as she noted that Uiharu, despite being a suspended Judgment member, was still in Judgment mode all the same.

Mikoto, after all, knew exactly why Kamijou had been captured, having taken the place of Kongou Mitsuko who was the intended target of kidnapping. It was somewhat true then that it was a case of mistaken identity but the fact Kamijou had gotten away with that was the important thing and the source of her disbelief.

"It's unsurprising if you actually look at the file Anti-Skill has on him. Besides, even if he had done something, it would mean nothing to that ape. Apparently, he's been banned from all prisons within Academy City…" Shirai shook her head, dropping a bombshell that made everyone else gawk. Uiharu threatened to do a spit take but refrained from doing so as it meant that technically she had not finished her parfait.

"Anyway – "

"W-Wait, what do you mean, 'anyway'!? Th-That idiot was blacklisted from prison!?" said Mikoto underneath her breath.

"Yes, yes. I was surprised too. Do you want to hear what I have to say, Onee-sama?"

"Wh-Why are we treating this as a footnote, Shirai-san!? That's a really big achievement! N-Not a good one, but an achievement nonetheless!" Saten said underneath her breath, not entirely sure if revealing this out loud was a good idea.

"Look. Do you want to hear what we discovered or not!?"

"I can't believe that that isn't getting more focus…" Uiharu said as she stabbed her spoon into the parfait, somewhat regretting she had stopped to listen.

Shirai scowled at her all the same but still continued nonetheless.

"Basically, everything on the news is what we discovered. There was signs of forced entry and a struggle, that was clear in the bullet holes discovered at the scene. But there was no sign of anyone being hit who was foreign in nature. Given the source of that size, they would have hit someone. But there was nothing. It's hard to believe but given the evidence, either they were fighting a ghost or the person who killed them all was too powerful for them. In fact, we only found three bloodstains that related to people we could not find dead at the scene."

"Three?" asked Uiharu.

"Yeah. There were three bloodstains that did not match the bodies found and that of the ape's. One that was constantly found throughout the facility, one inside the hallway where most of the bodies were found and another that was found in the same room where that ape was…tortured."

Shirai struggled to say the word but forced it out of her mouth, only choosing to disclose exactly what she knew without the bitter taste in her mouth.

"Currently, within the Academy City database, there are no matches. Even if the size of most of the unknown blood found is too small to suggest they bled a lot, the evidence suggests not everyone was found. There were three people, maybe more if they did not bleed, who managed to escape. They have yet to be found."

Saten and Uiharu stared at each other, unsure of what to say, Mikoto doing the same too although only knew exactly in her heart the falsity in the concern on her face.

She knew exactly who the unknown blood belonged to, having been there and seen the people bleed.

One had been Orion Phoenix, a mercenary who had failed to hold and push back the group as they had invaded to rescue Kamijou.

Another had been an unknown girl to Mikoto. But even then, that same girl had the insane ability to return from death even after having her head blown outwards from a bullet. A Gemstone in nature, that very same girl had killed Aaron Gracestone with a swift breaking of his neck and had promptly left with Orion.

But even the girl who seemed to be granted immortality through natural means meant nothing to the person the third piece of unknown blood belonged to.

Shirai had suggested the men who had died in that facility, something that still disturbed Mikoto even now, had been fighting either a ghost or that the person who had killed them had been too powerful. But while the former was ridiculous, the latter was not.

That Silver Sister had killed them all.

The blood found was probably a drop left after she had been shot in the head but the fact she had then gotten up and massacred everyone who had been her enemy had been horrifying to see. In fact, it was unknown if even Mikoto and the others with her would have been spared after she had killed everyone else; that was how mechanical and cold she had seemed.

And yet, like a switch had been flicked, she had 'turned back' into the same gluttonous nun Mikoto knew and interacted with. It was as if the person who had killed all those men had never existed and even now, Mikoto felt a chill when staring at the unbelievable power used to annihilate all of those trained soldiers.

There was something there, something dangerous about that nun and it was all Mikoto could do to withhold the chill up her spine seeing her smile and standing next to the side of that idiot after she had killed so many.

But was it even her who had killed them?

Mikoto did not know but the identity of the three unknown bloodstains was clear to her.

"S-So are you saying those involved in the massacre might still be in the City?" asked Saten warily.

Shirai nodded, her expression grave.

"I don't think I need you to be careful. To avoid a panic, Judgment and Anti-Skill aren't disclosing this information. Do I trust all of you would be as kind as to not reveal this information either?" Shirai said in a hushed tone, nods coming from everyone else although it was her former partner who frowned.

"…There's more. Isn't there?" Uiharu asked.

Shirai looked at Uiharu and once more, her expression grew grim. She nodded hesitantly but all the same, looked as though there was something she wanted to get off her chest immediately.

"Yes… There is. And this news I think is going to matter to you more than anyone else, Uiharu."

"Me?"

"There were weapons found on the bodies on the men. Not all of them had it but there was a single weapon found that I think would be of interest to you. It was a makeshift grenade, encased in glass. I can't show you any pictures because it's classified but the object within it was put within a vacuum. The idea behind the grenade was that the grenade was thrown against something, the glass would break, the vacuum was be exposed to air and the grenade would explode."

"O…kay…? So what?" Uiharu asked, the others staring at Shirai with the same confusion. Mikoto remembered the small canister and recalled how the explosions caused by the grenade had ripped through bodies as if they were butter. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down, tightening her fists but still listening all the same.

Come to think of it, what had those small canisters been? She had never questioned it but now it had been pointed out to her, she realised she knew nothing about them.

Still, it was Shirai who gave the answer.

"Uiharu, we analysed the contents of that canister, off the surviving ones we found."

"And?"

"It was antimatter. They were throwing grenades of antimatter."

Uiharu froze, the other two girls going wide eyed and staring at the flower headband girl with the same shocked expression on their faces.

"U-Uiharu, didn't you say that bomb Gakusha from MINUS put on the bottom of the bus was made from – "

"Antimatter." Uiharu spat the word out, moving her parfait to the side and staring Shirai in the face. "Shirai-san, I need to be sure about this. How sure are you what was inside that container was antimatter?"

"100% positive. Antimatter is not something strange to Academy City and we had numerous experts check it. With this case and what happened when MINUS were at their peak, we can't deny the facts any longer. There is someone out there who is weaponizing antimatter."

The statement hung in the air, both Uiharu and Shirai looking entirely grave. Their thoughts, and the thoughts of the others with them turned into one direction, heading for the unknown factor present within the MINUS chaos Uiharu had yet to uncover.

The Outsourcer.

The psychology expert being protected by the Board of Directors who had approved of the Plan of Attack who had let 11 people die when they allowed Judgment to take the front lines.

Uiharu, using the observation skills of Kamijou Touma, had discovered that an additional filter had been placed over the footage that had showed the Outsourcer where they had been first seen, meaning they took on the appearance of someone else entirely. While they had initially thought it was Endo Hanshiro who was the Outsourcer, upon realising there was another filter over that, removing it had served to reveal to Uiharu exactly who the Outsourcer was.

Only the person she had uncovered had been Misaka Mikoto.

Uiharu had removed the filter that had been placed over that filter, but the same results had happened: the person shown and revealed to be the Outsourcer was merely another filter placed over the true image.

It was endless.

Like some kind of matryoshka doll, whenever Uiharu removed a filter, she discovered that there was another one beneath it. No matter what she did, removing the filter only proved to be a red herring and even after spending days on it had she realised that she had been led for a loop the entire time.

After all, wasn't the Board of Directors the one who had complete access to the data created by Academy City? If they wanted to protect someone, compromising the data would be the first thing they would do.

Meaning that it had all been a wild goose chase.

The Outsourcer was never going to be uncovered using standard methods that Uiharu was applying. The Board of Directors, in their efforts to protect that very same individual had likely compromised the data pertaining to their presence meaning that no matter what Uiharu uncovered on them, it was not to be trusted as the data could be compromised.

She was being laughed at.

And that meant that the person who had helped 11 people die was still free.

They were like a shadow.

Yes.

Very similar to the person who was now weaponizing antimatter in this City of Science.

A figure cloaked in darkness and without anything hinting towards who they were and their name. They were a silent person who had only resulted in destruction where they went and no searching for them would result in anything good.

Only pain.

And the fact there were people like that in Academy City, their home, stung deep into the girls sitting at the table in silence.

"The antimatter we found," said Shirai as she realised the heavy atmosphere that had surrounded everyone. "Is something we are tracking. It should not be too hard because of how specialised materials are needed to prevent exposure to the air. But the fact antimatter is the problem here goes beyond something we can solve."

"…What do you mean, Shirai-san?" asked Saten. "Can't we just like, I don't know, detect it?"

"Antimatter isn't that simple," Uiharu said with a slight smile. "After all, if we could detect it, don't you think scientific advances would have advanced further than where they sit now, Saten-san? No, the fact we can't detect it is the problem. It doesn't rely on metal, it only needs a glass container and given what you've described to me Shirai-san, enough of it in a small canister is enough to level a building. And all you need is to cut the power to or expose the vacuum. For whoever is weaponizing that…they are truly insane. Absolutely, completely insane."

The weight of the words Uiharu said sank deep into them all and no one dared to say anything. What was there to say? There were people who had taken part in the massacre in District 10 still roaming around and someone out there weaponizing antimatter who had worked with MINUS. There was someone who had unsavoury intentions as they had taken part in a massacre and someone who supported those with unsavoury intentions with unsavoury products.

It was a match made in hell.

And with Academy City and everyone within stuck in the middle.

"I can see why you said nothing." Mikoto broke the silence with those heavy words. "Doing so…"

"Would cause a large panic. Even if it is paranoia, having the public go rampant and enter a frenzy right now is the last thing we need Onee-sama."

"…I don't even imagine Uiharu's panties can make me feel better at this stage."

"I'm going to hit you if you were being serious with that Saten-san. I'm also going to hit you if you weren't."

Saten did not respond, smiling slightly but even then, it felt fake. The words and the reality put onto the middle school students right now was something no one wanted to feel, especially this early in the morning and it was with disdain that Uiharu stared at her parfait, noting her lack of appetite and how she had barely even finished the Very Easy level of the parfait.

"Well congratulations everyone."

"Uiharu-san?"

"?"

"What is it?"

Mikoto, Shirai and Saten responded with that but Uiharu stared at her unfinished parfait and slammed her forehead on the table.

"I can't finish this. And because you were the ones who participated in that, you're going to learn exactly why this parfait is also known as the 'Wallet Destroyer'."

"A-Ah, Kuroko don't we have school soon?"

"I-Indeed. I say we make a quick getaw – I mean, ensure we reach morning classes on time."

"I – uhh… Have class?"

"We go to the same school, Saten-san. and I know our timetable."

"Damn it, I went for broke, didn't I?!"

"This day can't get any worse…"

Uiharu groaned as she slammed her head onto the table again. The others looked at her with some fractions of pity but while they felt some sympathy in their hearts, all of that was removed the moment they heard the phone ring.

Uiharu jumped, reaching into her pocket and bringing out her phone, looking at the caller ID and frowning. Saten next to her did the same thing, going wide eyed in response to the name she saw on the phone.

"Who is it?"

Mikoto asked, peering over the edge of the table to try and see however Uiharu, in her consideration, answered the call and placed it on the table, so everyone could hear the person on the other end as she had put it on speaker.

"Konori-senpai?"

"Uiharu-san!"

The voice on the other end was frantic and rapid, as if she had been running around trying to find Uiharu but without managing to do so, had decided to call the girl to save time. The frantic voice on the other end was all that was needed to suggest this was a time of emergency and once again, everyone there tensed up.

"Wh-What is it?" Uiharu answered nervously, finding her heart was racing, with everyone else equally as nervous as they stared down at the phone.

"They finally contacted me…" Konori's voice was rushed as if she had to get something off her chest, only resulting in frowns on confusion.

"Who did?"

"Logic and Deduction. The two who suspended you from Judgment temporarily."

Everyone there froze on the spot, staring at the phone in surprise and shock but even then, the words that came through were enough to entirely throw into the air any thoughts.

"Tomorrow. They want to see you tomorrow for a proper meeting regarding your future in Judgment. Come 4 pm tomorrow, you'll be meeting with them…and the future you have in Judgment will be decided."

Kamijou Touma had learnt the hard way that his left arm was surprisingly sturdy and basically the same as before he had had it amputated. Such was seen in the marks across the left arm itself that resembled teeth and the fact the arm itself had not destroyed itself, blown up or anything like that suggested to Kamijou that it had received enough of a trial run for stress that he was confident it would last no matter what happened to it.

(I'm using Index's biting as a benchmark for trauma. I don't want to read into what exactly that says about my life. Nope! This Kamijou-san is not going to look into it!)

It was with that type of attitude that allowed Kamijou to get through the day positively and without worry but even then, the lingering nature of what exactly he had to deal with and what was happening with the people around him made him realise it was that type of attitude that was going to allow him to get through everything.

The word 'everything' might have seemed large but then again, that perfectly described the nature of what he was having to deal with right now.

Even if it was large, it was with the same type of attitude to life that Kamijou knew he was going to have to deal with what was happening to him now.

But even then, the scope of the things that had suddenly come up in his life went beyond something a normal high schooler would have to deal with.

It was not just the issue of his left arm, Kihara Kamui and the project Personality Swipe.

There were the other issues to deal with as well: primarily around the silent war on the underside of Academy City between Magic and Science.

On the Magic side there were the issues of Index and the sentient grimoire that had successfully managed to control her, the path Otohime was going to take now she had finally decided on the Magic Name Salvare001 and even Itsuwa and her protection given she had betrayed the Church by not disclosing the severe changes with Index and Otohime.

On the Science side, there were the primary issues of Kamui and the projects he was undertaking: not only Personality Swipe but also the massive weapon known as the FIVE_Object and the mysterious cyborg project the remaining materials sent in by Kongou Airlines had been sent towards.

Even if Kamijou wanted to ensure no one he knew going to be involved in this war, given the scope of what was happening, it was not merely something he could just ignore.

And then there was his own personal and mental problems he had to deal with.

But, thankfully, the process in which he aimed to resolve those had slowly been put into place. And it was tonight that resolution would be started.

Even though that was the case, the day ahead of Kamijou was one he was not going to spend letting the issues surrounding him destroy the normal life he had gained. Again, perhaps it was the attitude that allowed Kamijou to face each day as it came and for that alone, for the normality and the peace he wanted to live out, there was nothing else he would rather want.

Kamijou Touma did not exactly have large dreams for the future or dreams that possessed him to move.

The only thing he wanted was for other people to be happy.

But the threat this silent war was going to have on that was obvious.

Kamijou sighed, leaving the hospital with his school bag in his left hand, making sure he tested it out as much as possible to ensure it was indeed just as it had been. But, as the sun beat down on him and he rose his hand to block it out, he let out a sigh.

(There's…so much to think about. Honestly, I have no idea if this even classifies itself as misfortune at this stage or just 'normal' for me.)

A headache pounded through his head, a dull throbbing that had filled him for the past few days. Happening after he had his left arm reattached thanks to the Tetris Nanomachines, the pain running through his head was apparently because of the foreign items of the nanomachines allowing him to move his left arm in the first place. While that was the explanation, the small amount of trepidation towards it was something he could not exactly pass off either.

And that was yet another thing to add to the list.

"Such misfortune."

Nothing more than a natural reaction at this stage, Kamijou let out that single phrase into the air.

But what he received in response was something he had never expected.

"Perfect timing."

Kamijou lowered his hand and squinted, looking at the person in front of him with surprise for an instant before it relaxed and softened.

"Don't give me that look. I can't stand cheery people in the morning."

"I just think you can't stand cheery people period." Kamijou retorted with a grin and placed his bag over his left shoulder, tilting his head all the same. "But given you said 'perfect timing', I assume this isn't a coincidence?"

"Wow. And here I thought Level 0s were supposed to be unintelligent thugs."

"…Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"What do you think?"

"You answered my rhetorical question with a rhetorical question!? I was pretty sure which it was now, but it was actually an insult, wasn't it?"

"How the fuck did you think it was a compliment?"

"You know, the whole 'I thought Level 0s were supposed to be unintelligent but you're pretty smart' sort of thing!"

Kamijou started to feel rather hurt at what was being said to him, panting as he shouted all the same. The other party grimaced, turning away in some type of irritation but instead of keeping his gaze averted turned back to Kamijou and spoke.

"Think what you want. I don't care and I'm not here to amuse you with cheap words and conversation. The things I want to hear from you are not of that sort of nature."

"You just called insulting me cheap, didn't you!?"

"Shut up, you fucking Hero."

Accelerator, the #1 Level 5 in Academy City spat out those words and glared at Kamijou Touma.

"You and I are owed a talk. And I'm going to get answers from you whether you want to give them or not."

It was a miracle.

But even then, Shutaura Sequenzia was unsure what the benefits of such were. Instead, only the costs seemed to be more open to her as she walked through the streets of Academy City, rubbing her eyes to wipe the sleep out of them.

Even since the incident with the Endymion space elevator, the change that had come over her body was one she could not ignore and push to the side. Even if she did not understand it, did not know the theories behind such, the reality of the situation was the only thing known to her.

And that was, right now, she was not one person.

But rather two.

In the climax of the Endymion incident, the idol known as Meigo Arisa had fused with the person she had originally come from: Shutaura herself. The girl herself was a person who had been created by her wish, extracting a part of herself and turning it into an entirely different person.

The parts of her lost when Arisa had formed Arisa had gained. They had come to form the core of her being, had been the core of her personality and what she had been known for so well.

After the accident that had involved the death of her father, Daedalus Sequenzia upon the Spaceplane Orion, created by Orbit Portal, the resulting effects on Shutaura had been the inability to process notes and rhythms. Music, as a result of the Orion incident and the Miracle of 88, had turned into nothing but white noise, an irritation to her ears.

And it seemed as though, upon her creation, that Meigo Arisa had taken that very part of her and refined it. Shutaura's loss of music had been Arisa's gain and had been something she had refined and pushed forward, turning her into an idol who had a number of rumours around her given she had later disappeared.

The climax of the Endymion incident had returned Arisa back from whence she came, to Shutaura. The two of them had combined, turning into another being entirely, a combination of two girls: Shutaura Sequenzia and Meigo Arisa who were so different in terms of personality and yet the same at their core and as a person.

It had literally been a miracle.

As a result, her inability to process notes and rhythms was gone. Instead, a refined knowledge of music and appreciation of it had appeared, as if the memories and the knowledge of the girl known as Meigo Arisa had been implanted into Shutaura the moment they fused. Knowledge of chords, music theory, hell, even how to play the goddamn piano had filled her head and with it, the thought that music was nothing but white noise was a thought Shutaura could no longer think.

She had started to believe in miracles.

The fusion of two girls back into their proper form had been the catalyst for that and with it, Shutaura could no longer ignorantly deny the existence of such things. The appreciation of music, something she thought she would never have was an indicator of that as well as one other thing.

Her body had changed.

Perhaps it was natural, the combination of two people into one was bound to have some kind of physical effect and for Shutaura, that very effect had been more focused upon one part of her body that had resulted in her being the apple of many a man's eye.

Through some messed up system she wanted no part of, the fusion between her and Arisa had resulted in her cup size increasing. Why it was that particular place affected by their fusion and nothing else was beyond her and while the resulting change would have been welcome by anyone, to that girl, it was more of a hindrance than anything else.

She was a soldier after all.

And as a result, the larger breasts she had attained proved to be more in the way than anything given her line of work. A-After all, the extra weight they provided, especially when she was active in most of the things she did proved to be more of a hindrance than anything else!

Even now, she was finding it hard to readjust to the changes her body provided and it was with a sigh she blinked, trying to remove the last bits of sleep from her eyes.

But while she had acquired mental knowledge and a more impressive body figure, it was perhaps the change in her personality that had affected her work more than she would have liked.

She, something she had heard from those within the Black Crow Unit, had become kinder. That seemed to be the only explanation for the things and the change in personality that had overcome Shutaura, the cynicism towards the world and miracles having seemed to disappear as a result of the fusion between her and Arisa as well as realising the truth behind her father's death and the miracle he had brought about.

It was small things.

But it was those small things that had the largest effect.

The kindness she showed, not only to her allies, but also her enemies seemed uncanny. Before, she had treated everyone underneath her as equals but at the same time pushing them beyond their limits to ensure they could operate and perform the duties given to them at peak performance. She had been called a 'hard headed leader' and that had suited her fine.

But now?

She had made it her policy to take extra good care for anyone underneath her command. Ensuring everyone felt comfortable and going out of her way to ensure the men and woman underneath her command felt at home and could speak to her or anyone else about their problems was never a policy she had openly stated before but after the Endymion incident, that policy had become more and more obvious.

Shutaura Sequenzia had always been focused on the results: using the unit at her command to accomplish a job with the utmost precision and efficiency.

But now?

It was like she was building a family. A family of men and women, drawn together and tied underneath the name of the Black Crow Unit for the sake of protecting Academy City in the background. There were no lies between the comrades and nothing was hidden; everyone cared for each other and her in much the same way as one would a family and that sentiment was extended to and by her as well.

She had transformed.

As had the Black Crow Unit she commanded.

To such an extent she did not know who she was anymore.

The change in her personality was clearly because of the fusion between her and Meigo Arisa. The kindness of that idol had affected her on a deeper level than she thought and the one thing that scared her above anything else was the strange blackouts she constantly received.

Even she did not know how to explain them, why they happened or when they would. No, calling them blackouts was strange: she had a semblance of consciousness but there were times, very few times, in which she simply could not remember what she had done for some few hours. She was aware of what she had done but she simply, could not for the life of her, remember doing whatever she had done.

It had boggled her mind and more than one occasion made her want to kill herself.

After all, there had been times where she had, in the darkness of late night, walked over to District 9 and found the same isolated space for herself, set up a piano she had bought for herself and merely sang.

Shutaura was aware that was what she had done.

But she simply could not remember why or that she had done it. If there anything she had forgotten to be aware of, given she could not remember it, there was nothing she could do.

She was convinced it was not a dream: she had filmed herself doing it one time and even though she could not remember it, the evidence did not lie. One night, late in October, she had moved out from her apartment and come back late at night. Shutaura herself knew she had started her routine of singing in District 9 but for the life of her could not remember doing it at all.

The only thing she could surmise was that, within her consciousness or brain or whatever, there was a tiny spark and a tiny flame left.

Even now, Meigo Arisa lived on. She lived on within Shutaura and the person she was now was a combination of the two of them: Shutaura and Arisa, the latter of which, every now and then, took control of Shutaura and performed in the silence of the District 9 night.

The danger of such actions was obvious to Shutaura. Whenever Arisa took over her mind and body, how exactly it worked was unknown and inexplicable to Shutaura, the change in gait, posture and the way she walked was obvious. The movements she would make seemed careless and far removed from the professional solder Shutaura was and the potential dangers as a result of that movement were obvious to her. If an assassin or someone with a grudge attacked her when Arisa was controlling her, it would be goodnight Vienna.

Her ticket to the afterlife would be punched and she would be sent off.

And yet, there was nothing she could do about it.

The consequences of Arisa controlling Shutaura's body were obvious in the small things: people who called out to her a few times when she was out telling her they loved her singing or that they had made out to her beautiful voice. It seemed that along with the knowledge and ability to represent music once more, Arisa had given her the same voice that had belonged to an idol.

And while that was the positives of such (even if Shutaura did not understand why she wanted to hear others had made out to her singing or why someone would tell her that), the negatives were also obvious.

After all, some girl called Fusou Ayame, some self proclaimed 'hero', had decided Shutaura and her voice was to be her rival. The girl with a megaphone had been more of an annoyance, challenging her to 'sing offs' in the middle of the street on more than a few occasions.

What was worse was Shutaura was aware Arisa had managed to control her body on more than a few occasions and win each and every one of them before leaving it to Shutaura to escape from the crowds asking for her autograph and thinking the spirit of Arisa had managed to possess her or something ridiculous such as that.

Shutaura's life, after the Endymion had turned into nothing short of a chaotic mess as she balanced the life of Shutaura Sequenzia with that of Meigo Arisa. But as a result of that miraculous fusion, Shutaura had to ask herself one thing.

Who was she?

Was she Shutaura Sequenzia?

Meigo Arisa?

Both?

Neither?

It was something she could not understand and had no explanation for. Both Shutaura and Arisa were dead, that was clear in how much Shutaura had changed and how Arisa was no longer physically a person anymore. But because they were both dead, did that mean the person who took the name 'Shutaura Sequenzia' was both of them? Or neither?

Not even she was sure.

And because of it, she could not so easily face the people she had once known.

As 'Shutaura', as the Captain of the Black Crows, she could not easily cut off those ties. She had a job to do and a City to protect. Besides, that was her family and she could not so easily shove them aside.

No, the people who she had cut off were those who she had known as 'Meigo Arisa'. The knowledge and memory of many people she had been attached to had filled Shutaura's mind and the desire to grow close to them and to explain her situation to them was something that had possessed Shutaura's mind more than once. No…was that Arisa telling her what she wanted?

The fact she did not outright possess Shutaura like she usually did showed the same reluctance to reforge those ties with those people Arisa did not want to face now she had changed. Would they accept her now she had?

There were so many people Arisa wanted to reconnect with, people Shutaura knew given their shared memories.

But of them, two seemed to have the greatest importance.

A single girl.

A single boy.

Index and Kamijou Touma.

The two who had taken her in and given her the chance to spread her wings after everything was said and done. The things those two had given Arisa she clearly could not repay and it was the pure strength of the emotions connected to those two that seemed overwhelming. The thanks she wanted to give and the time she wanted to spend with them seemed more overpowering to Shutaura on more than one occasion that it had almost driven her mad.

But given Arisa did not overtake her body, it was clear the reluctance she had in that endeavour.

Who was she right now? Shutaura? Arisa? Both? Neither?

It was hard to say and because of that, Shutaura did nothing to act on the whims of Arisa either.

There was just too much uncertainty…and fear.

It was ironic.

Shutaura, someone who was a hardened soldier, was scared of meeting a single boy and girl.

Not only that but Shutaura and Arisa had merged into front of that single boy. If there was anyone who understood her situation… No, the only person apart from her who knew her situation was likely that of Kamijou Touma. Whether he had explained everything to Index was unknown but even if he knew, the reaction he would have instilled too much fear with Arisa and Shutaura to act on it so easily.

And it was through her work that she had lost herself in as to ensure she did not give in to the emotions she felt.

Shutaura stopped in front of the building, bringing out a necklace she wore and pausing for a single instant while also staring at the bracelet on her wrist.

The blue bracelet had re-joined, a testament to the connection and fusion of Shutaura and Arisa. Looking at it made Shutaura sigh, the truth and the secret about who she was now and how she shared her life with a famous idol who had become the stuff of legends after she had disappeared being reflected in the bracelet she wore.

Still, shaking her head, she realised she had work to do.

Bringing out the necklace fully, she reached for it and the keys there, turning them in her hand before choosing one and opening the door in front of her.

Darkness awaited her, the only light being the sun that streamed in through the open door but it was quickly put to rest as Shutaura closed the door. Not that it mattered as she reached for a switch on the side of the wall and flipped it, the lights in the room all turning on and showing her the interior of the building.

Desks and lockers filled the small room and it looked more like an office than anything. Computers and documents flooded the tables in the centre of the room and the tightly packed nature of them revealed to Shutaura exactly how much her change in personality was reflected in her work; the family she had built with her unit was seen in the closeness of the desks.

Turning off the alarm, Shutaura sighed and leaned against the wall of the building.

This was where she worked.

A home base and only one of a few offices belonging to the newly formed Black Crow Unit.

Known as the Civil Affairs Resolution Intervention Unit officially, the Black Crows had once been contractors, better known for their private security jobs than anything else and their fighting prowess. After the resolution of the Endymion incident and the disappearance of both Meigo Arisa and Ladylee Tangleroad, the only thing left for the Crows was to resume their activities after they had lost their primary employer.

If anything, it went to show that no matter what incident it was, for those involved, the only thing they could do was once more resume the lives they had been living prior to that very incident. People's lives weren't determined and fixed in just one thing: they continued ever onward and looking at the office building set up to facilitate different jobs made Shutaura somewhat grateful for the fact her own life was back on track.

This was where the human resources of the Black Crows were located.

The actual machinery and their mobile weapons were an entirely different story, located and positioned strategically close to the offices within the 23 Districts for the sake of ensuring the Black Crows had ease of access to the machinery for their work.

This was her life now.

And for the peace she had attained within it, Shutaura would have it no other way.

Officially, opening hours were at 8.45 am however, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility as she was the Captain of the Crows, Shutaura made it her personal policy to ensure she was always the first and the one who unlocked the office they had within District 7.

It was here her life was after everything that had happened with the Endymion. And it was here that her life was going to continue all the same, no matter where the tides of fate took her.

(Right.)

Shutaura, looking and reflecting on what her life had been up until this point stood up straight and slapped herself on the cheeks.

(Time to do business. The successful incorporation we have done with Anti-Skill resulted in the destruction of one of our automated Crows in District 23. From what I recall, the rebuilding of that destroyed mobile weapon was to have manual control rather than AI. I'll have to give Crow 32 a call and tell him what exactly is going to be expected of him when it comes that new machine. New recruits are always a handful, aren't they?)

She had no idea who she said that to but maybe she didn't really need to know.

The only thing she knew she had to do was focus on the world and the work ahead of her. No matter who they worked for and what form they took, the Black Crows always had one job: to ensure Academy City was as safe as it could possibly be and to extend all efforts and personnel towards that one single goal. And it was with a smile that Shutaura Sequenzia took her first step forward to start the day and head off into what it would provide.

Her foot caught on something, the girl stumbling forward slightly as she tripped, but caught herself, looking down at her foot and staring at what her foot had caught on.

It was a small piece of wire.

Going from one end of the room to the other, the thing piece of wire was barely visible to the human eye and Shutaura stared at in confusion. She was always the last person to leave the office and she was sure in her mind she had not put something such as this in the room. Even if Arisa had been the one to do it, Shutaura was not 'aware' of such an action being conducted in the first place and hence knew the wire she had tripped on was not something she had placed there herself.

So what was it?

No, that was not the first thing that came to mind.

Being a member of private security, Shutaura was no stranger to threats to her life. And the only thing she could think of when staring at the small piece of wire she had tripped on was the worst case scenario, her entire body going into overdrive.

(A trip wire!? Did someone break into the office and place it?!)

It was nothing but speculation.

But it was not taking any chances that had kept Shutaura Sequenzia alive for this long.

She wasted no time, breaking into a run and throwing open the nearest locker. The weapons inside indicated to the line of work Shutaura was involved in but she did not care, pressing and squeezing her lithe body inside and slamming the door shut when she managed to do so. The fit was tight, her larger breasts pressing up against her and making the fit uncomfortable, Shutaura once more being reminded just how impractical such a figure was.

She braced herself for anything that was coming, gritting her teeth to prevent her from biting her tongue if she was in for a shock.

Said shock came a few seconds later.

Just as the grenade, whose pin had been unhooked as a result of Shutaura setting off the trip wire, exploded.

The explosion ripped through the streets of District 7, completely destroying the building upon which it was centred. People, out of nothing more than an instinctual reaction flinched, throwing themselves to the ground and staring in shock and horror at what had happened.

The screams that came followed an instant later.

Those who had been nearer to the explosion fled, turning and running for their very lives, others who were further away staring in mute shock and surprise. As was the twisted nature of the age, the first thing many people did was reach for their phones, holding them up and filming the burning inferno that was the building which had exploded.

Smoke rose from the centre of the explosion, bricks and rubble having been blown outwards and smashing into the people who had been unfortunate enough to stand in front of the building when the grenade had exploded. Blood covered the few who had been in front of the building as they screamed in pain.

Whether it be because of the fortified defences of the Black Crow office or merely because the grenade had been made to destroy everything inside rather than outside, the sound of screams was a good thing when viewed objectively; it suggested there were no deaths.

While the Good Samaritans of Academy City reacted belatedly in response to that obvious news, rushing to the side of those pinned by rubble and bleeding, it was a single figure in the darkness of a nearby alleyway who stared at the scene with a focused eye.

Orion Phoenix was waiting.

Waiting for the person who, by all rights given her profession, what he knew about her and the alertness that came with her occupation, should have survived.

He did not have to wait long.

A single person threw themselves from the smoke that filled the building holding a hand to her mouth and looking around frantically. The Good Samaritans who had been rushing to the people injured in front of the building paused in shock, rightly so.

Even ignoring the blood streaming down the black haired beauty's forehead, the skin tight bodysuit that showed off her alluring curves and the handgun in her hand was enough to suggest exactly the type of person she was and the business she was involved in.

It was his target: Shutaura Sequenzia.

And, just as his client had predicted, the moment she spotted the people around her and the blood on the ground, all thoughts of caution and seeing if there was an observer watching her were thrown out the window. Instead, she turned and fled down the street, reaching for something inside one of her pockets and bringing it out, holding it to her ear; clearly, a phone.

The single grenade was the only explosive within the building and served as nothing but a scare…but a scare that would create the needed result. The genius of the plan suggested by his client was obvious even to him even though prioritising minimal deaths suggested their greenness in using the weapons he was well versed in.

The placement of the single grenade to avoid those deaths had been calculated out by his client and simply looking at the results, even though there was pain, was enough to make Orion shudder at the ability of the person who had been called his client this time around.

But he had a job to do.

That was the reason he had been hired after all.

He brought the cell phone in his hand up to his ear, watching Shutaura disappear around the corner, the shock of the Good Samaritans having passed and resulting in their attending to the screaming and hurt, but not dead, people caught in the explosion.

"Ma'am." Orion's words were brief, getting right to the point. "Just as you predicted, the target is heading west. It seems she is attempting to contact any individuals within the Black Crow Unit, most likely to inform them about what is going on. I expect reinforcements to Ms. Sequenzia will be arriving within the hour."

"That's fine, Orion. Just as predicted. We follow the plan."

Orion nodded, removing the phone from his ear, however, pausing mid-way, the person on the other end choosing to say more.

"N-No one died…did they? In the explosion?"

"Given the layout of the room, obstacles and the strength of the brick, I can assure you the grenade did not do much. Looking at the damage now, I can see the worst of it seems to be broken bones. Even seeing Ms. Sequenzia get up and run around despite being the closest should be enough to suggest the lack of ability to kill in that grenade. What does that say about others who were on the other side of a building wall and hit only with debris?"

Logic and rationality filled his words, the sigh on the other end of the phone giving Orion the only thing he needed as confirmation his client's worries were put to rest.

"W-We follow the rest of the plan," came the voice. "Make sure you follow her and give me an update of your movements."

"Understood. I – "

"Hey…what do you think you're doing?"

Orion paused, hanging up the phone almost immediately, turning around and seeing someone behind him. They were…a boy? Or a girl? It was hard to tell given their appearance, but it was clear the intent they were directing to Orion was far from pleasant, even if their clothes did not match. A short statured person, the brown hair and the hooded jacket with bear ears even though it was off suggested a playfulness but the blue short, shirt and socks made it unclear what gender this person was.

No, Orion had seen enough people like the person in front of him. They were obviously a boy, but that was likely only something he saw and realised after meeting so many people.

"Excuse me?" Orion frowned, staring at the boy with a frown, the person standing with an intense expression on their face and holding themselves tense.

"Your clothes. …They aren't normal. Not to mention that sword you're carrying. The only thing I can assume given your get up is that you're involved in some way with that explosion."

Orion opened his mouth, but paused. He stared down at his work clothes, realising the folly he had made. The Western suit had a sword by his side and a battered trench coat but even then, merely searching it would be enough to reveal the numerous guns within.

For anyone starting at Orion from an objective perspective, even if they could not see the guns, the sword was clearly suspicious. And searching him would be enough to confirm that very same suspicion.

…

He had known that placing himself so close to the blast site was a bad idea and it was only through the persuasion of his handler that he had chosen to stay so close. As a result of what he had managed to get himself caught up in, Orion swore he heard the laughter of his (self-proclaimed) handler echo in his ears.

"I have a permit for this. It's registered under the Swords and Firearms Control Law."

"…That might be true. But that doesn't exactly make you any less suspicious. Even if my time taking on the name of Aihana Etsu is over, I'm not going to just let someone as suspicious as you get away with whatever it is you are doing."

"Is that so?"

The small boy did not even remotely listen or pay attention to the slow battle stance Orion was assuming. Instead, he did something else.

"He's over here! There's someone suspicious over here! Help!"

That was all that was needed, the people passing the alley in shock stopping and staring at Orion with looks of surprise, before those looks turned into pure anger and resentment. Orion stared back at them with a stiffness, realising running was only going to get him into more trouble and fighting back when he had a sword and guns was only going to received well either, not only attracting unnecessary attention but also resulting in unnecessary injuries.

Not to mention his client had specifically asked him to avoid hurting others. Surely these people in his way now fit under that category.

Which meant he was facing a mob with no way of fighting back.

The people at the entrances to the alley walked in, although slowly and exercising the proper caution. The boy on the other end held themselves seriously and despite their short stature, suggested they were not going to go down without a fight. Looking back and forth, the only thing Orion narrowed his only visible eye (his right) before spitting out one word.

"Fuck."

That was the only thing he said as the group that had corned him in the alley all leaped at once, pressing and restraining the mercenary underneath their body weight.

There was a lesson to be learned here.

Never underestimate the power of normality.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! M-My sides! Bwahahahahahahaha!"

Faith Townsend, the (self-proclaimed) handler of the unfortunate mercenary pressed down at all sides from the sweaty bodies of middle aged men and a boy (or was it a girl?) held her stomach as she rolled around on the rooftop. Tears came to the corner of her eyes as she reached with her binoculars, looking through them and seeing the same sight: the image of a mercenary being held down by the arms and legs helplessly by the crowd who had decided to restrain him.

"Th-That face! Oh, my sides! Hahahahahahaha!"

Faith didn't even bother to hide it as she tried to catch her breath, finding it hard to do so as she breathed heavily, a single voice echoing out from the open phone on the same rooftop.

"…We should have told him."

"Ah, ah. Brainiac, the entire point of putting Orion there was to deflect attention. Now, while the authorities think they have their man, they'll put no extra time in searching for any other elements that might suggest our presence. If you give someone a solution and make it appear as though it's right, they're not going to search out another one, are they?"

Faith said that to Orion's client while also grinning all the time, staring through the binoculars at the scene, Orion having been turned around with his face stuck in the dirt and everyone else holding him down while others checked his trench coat armoury with looks of disgust and surprise.

She grinned, turning her binoculars to the other side of the rooftop and looking through them, the true person they had been following all this time appearing.

"Our target is still heading west by the way. She's stopped to ensure her call has properly gone through to the person on the other end."

"It doesn't feel right." said their client.

"Don't worry about it. For the things we're doing right now…you could say this is our divine retribution. In a way, you can say both Orion and I sort of deserve whatever comes our way. It's just the way of life we live."

Faith didn't bother elaborating but perhaps the things she was saying were only meant to be understood by her and Orion. Whatever the case, she stood up, bringing up the phone and the binoculars as she grinned, watching the gap she had to cross between the buildings in front of her.

"In pursuit of target. Personally, capturing her exactly when we needed to feels like the right way to do it. So I've got to ask, why didn't you do it that way? If you could have placed a grenade in that room, you could have put a person and captured her like we need to. It's much more efficient."

"…Are you always going to question me?"

"You hired Orion. I'm basically the plus one – the extra icing on the top. Full of sugar, spice and everything nice."

"What does that make Orion?"

"Beats me. Ketchup? Or do you guys call it tomato sauce? He tends to bleed a lot."

"You've tried to out ketchup…on a cake?"

"I've tried anything once, Brainiac!"

"I've told you once and I'll tell you again. My name is Hayashida Mari."

"Sure, sure. Well, whatever. It doesn't matter either way. Even if you've hired Orion and I'm only helping out 'cause it seems fun…Orion and I are at your service."

Faith Townsend snuck a quick peek at the boy treated as bait for the authorities, seeing his hands were being tied behind his back using rope discarded in the trash. The people who had captured him were congratulating the boy (or was it a girl?) who had stopped him and it was only with a light touch of the ahoge that came from her head that Faith ran and leaped over to the other building across from her, in hot pursuit of her target.

There was nothing to even suggest anything was wrong in other parts of Academy City, but even then, a single girl rose her head as she sat at the café table in another part of the City.

"Did you feel that?"

"Huh?"

Her companion, a small boy, frowned and stared up into the sky, however, shook his head.

"Nope. I felt nothing Sis."

"…"

Even so though, the girl stared in the distance, the skin over her entire body crawling with a sensation she could not describe. No, she had felt this sensation before; it was a feeling, as if the entire world were telling there was something wrong with the world, something she had a heightened interest in and something she could not merely ignore.

This feeling had proved to be one that had helped her many times before.

So she was not going to distrust it now.

"Louis… We're leaving."

"Huh? Why? D-Did I do something wrong?"

The girl the boy called Louis addressed paused, turning down and smiling at the boy who stared up at her in concern, reaching out and stroking his head lightly.

"Not at all. It's just there are some things you can't sense just yet with the level of mana within your body. Let your older sister Batya do everything for now, OK?"

"OK!"

That was the only thing Louis said in response to the girl who stood up and finished the coffee on the table, wiping her mouth and staring into the distance where the feeling across her skin was the strongest.

Something was happening in the City.

And the girl who did not know she was a Saint, Batya Sitara, of Harmonia's Cradle, was not willing to merely ignore this.

The Science side had moved.

And as a result, like the world was balancing the scale…

The Magic Side would move as well.

And with that alone…

The next act of yet another battle in this war between Magic and Science began.

This isn't going to be a story about the greatness of miracles.

But rather the consequences of accepting such a thing without considering the negatives.

And there we have it.

Oddly, this has been the longest opening chapter I've written. I guess in a way that's because this arc is going to have a lot more focus and a lot more consideration of different scenes and characters that make up the larger part of the whole and the larger story happening here. In a way, if this were a normal chapter and there was less consideration for the events of past arcs, then Shokuhou's and Uiharu's parts would have been cut out and leaving you with the moments with Shutaura and laying down the enemies for the arc.

But what did you think?

There were various things I had to cover but did so in a small amount of detail, especially since they cover the events of previous arcs. In a way, you can think of this as being another 'aftermath' chapter while also setting up the events to occur in the future of this story and how this incident with Shutaura as the focus is going to get started.

This is an arc I've been looking forward to for a while, so I hope you can enjoy it as much as I am going to be writing it. It is for this alone that I hope we can enjoy the journey ahead of us together.

One of the more important things in this chapter, besides the theme of miracles, has to definitely do with the fact Touma has managed to regain his normalcy. There was a lot at stake last arc and a lot lost but now that it has managed to all be fixed, you can finally see just how much what was lost meant to the characters who lost it and how valued the peace they now have is. For ALL the characters in the separate parts I think this is something that really shows: in Touma's normal life, in Shokuhou's happiness and ignorance, in Uiharu's eating of a parfait and Shutaura's consideration of a normal life after everything that has happened, the peace they have is something I really wanted to emphasise as being important.

Using this as the focus, the moment I introduced Accelerator and Orion and Faith, the sense of peace should have entirely been destroyed. Simply the introduction of such characters makes things really enjoyable: all three of them are seen to live in the world of violence and hence it is the role of destroying peace for other characters they play here, although more for the mercenary/handler duo. Simply seeing people whose normal life is that violence reflects a bit about the nature of the type of lives they lead and how they work in opposite to the normality of others.

But by no means can we just ignore that normality, can we?

There's little to say for this opening chapter as the characters are suddenly thrown into the deep end. But as all the characters experience a change, I hope you can follow it with eagerness and look forward to what is to come. After all, a lot of different people are going to be moving now and it all makes things important in the long run. Even if it will take a while for those characters to experience the changes to their normalcy, I hope you enjoy it.

We've had ties back to Uiharu arc with the weaponised antimatter and the fact that the Outsourcer was being protected the entire time and that Uiharu's 'fight' here amounted to nothing, the Mugino arc with the focus on Personality Swipe and the Kongou arc with both Shokuhou and Kongou playing a larger role. For this then and the future that is going to beheld, what lies in store?

As we enter into a new arc, I hope I can continue to surprise you.

And her are my thoughts on the most recent novel.

GT 2:

The below obviously has spoilers, so watch out for that!

Anna, you're too OP, Touma should use magic more often and Misaki's too damn precious.

If there was anything that I felt during the reading of GT, it would have to be the above. Throughout the battle scenes with Anna, the back and forth she had whether it her Sephiroth right hands and the 'oldest' weapons as well as the hinted unlimited combinations she had really showed her off as being a genuine threat. Although some part of me felt it was turned down when facing against Touma (even if she did crush a freight train and throw a goddamn blimp at him), seeing pure magic against pure science with Mikoto and Misaki against Anna felt like a slow slaughterfest that really had me on the edge of my seat. Seeing how each of those strongest Level 5s had their attacks crushed each and every turn isn't something entirely new when it comes to Mikoto facing Magic, but seeing that once more in play given the stakes was really engaging.

But damn! The power up Touma had was literally friendship power, but goddamn if I didn't love it. Even though it wasn't Touma per se (but rather, St. Toumain if I'm allowed to use that phrase), having Touma utilise magic in the way he did and alternating between the right and the left hands was goddamn awesome and I loved it. If anything, I would have loved to see more of it, but seeing what we ended up getting was good enough for me with the illustrations and everything.

Speaking of the illustrations, Kamachi and Haimura toying us with the #6 like that was a dog move. I don't know whether it says something about Touma's misfortune but facing Anna, Aiwass, being destroyed on the inside by St. Germain AND also facing the #6 sure makes for a great Christmas for him. Still, given the dialogue between the two of them, I'm on the fence about whether the #6 really is Aogami. But maybe that's me focusing on the line where Aihana says that he's avoided contact with Touma before? Whatever the case, even though the mystery of his power is still there, it's good that we get SOMETHING after all these years!?

And then Misaki. Goddamn Misaki. I'll admit her being able to 'survive' Anna was a bit of a plot armour device (she joins the ranks along with Hamazura), but if there was anything, her little dere dere side was just precious to see. After being mentally ripped to shreds in NT 22R, I was on the fence about whether she would even rely on her connection with Touma anymore, but seeing she hasn't given up all this time and continues to be 'feisty' as it were was just precious. When Touma came to save her, when she decided to save Mikoto because she didn't want to hide anything from Touma and giving the whistle to him; I swear I got diabetes. It's not fair she can be that precious, you know?

But what a novel. Anna was really unreasonable this time around, but I loved she's still a villain even though Touma punched her in the face. I guess that just means her illusions were not destroyed, but given her apparent lack of hope in the humans around her, part of me thinks that makes sense. But I wonder what she has up her sleeve for next time!? I'm really excited all the same and really enjoyed this novel, cover to cover.

Also, I worried for Mikoto and Misaki going forward. Wanting to get stronger is all good and well…but it's not always what it seems to be. But then again, with the A.A.A destroyed (I doubt this is going to stick) and the FIVE_Over Mental Out OS and original destroyed as well, it's going to be tough for everyone going forward…

But seriously, Anna comparing Touma to Jesus and then Touma being given life on Christmas; since when did Jesus reincarnate as Touma?!

Again though, a really good novel. It's hard to believe it's the second one in the GT series with everything that happened!? Looking forward to what comes next; maybe we'll hit New Years' faster than we think?!

And as always,
Review if you please.

And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.

We got some cameos! Can you recognise the two of them?