AUTHOR PREAMBLE: Simple and to the point, after many months of being entertained by many a fanfic story related to the To Aru continuum, I figured the time has come to start give something back.

I won't promise rapid updates as I'd rather go at my own pace and produce something I feel to be of quality. Criticism of a constructive nature is always welcome.

Except for any original characters and situations introduced within this story, all characters and situations depicted herein are © KAZUMA KAMACHI/ASCII MEDIA WORKS/PROJECT-INDEX.

Chapter 1 - A Conversation Upon A Rooftop

Although snow has not yet begun to fall, the cold weather currently being experienced in Academy City was typical for this time of year. Everywhere one looked, life as is generally known in this sprawling metropolis was slowly yet steadily returning to its normal state, or at least as normal as it was, before the various incidents involving those mysterious monsters known simply as Elements and the machinations of one Kihara Yuiitsu, even if the masses may have had no idea of the underlying causes of said incidents. However, it is safe to say that not everything was fitting back into their previous state.

As communications were gradually restored, suddenly and inexplicably, a mysterious and controversial piece of information became available and accessible to the general public; a document called the Parameter List. Even if one was not particularly "techno-savvy" (for want of a better term), the more persons who put their collective heads together to even try to unravel the contents of this List, the more at least two significant facts became open if not common knowledge; (1) it seemed that the List contained details of the possibility for every esper student currently in Academy City with regard to their development of their ability via the Power Curriculum Program, and (2) perhaps of more significance to some than others, it was clearly indicated that it was a matter of what was stipulated as "the long-term strategic plans for the growth and maintenance of Academy City" (most of those who professed to study the List interpreted that statement as: "whether it was worth it, financially", and they were at least partially right in their conclusions), whether any one of the millions of espers currently living there would move beyond their present Level.

Of course, such a revelation was a figurative slap in the faces of the hundreds of thousands of espers, many of whom were seemingly stuck at Level 0; manifesting practically no ability whatsoever. It made the oft-times publicized well-meant cheers and encouragements of higher-Level espers such as the Railgun appear to be lies and hypocrisy. Naturally, some took the revelation harder than others, falling into depression, even resentment. With increasing frequency, the two organizations responsible on the whole for maintaining law and order, as well as upkeeping public security, Judgement and, on occasion, Anti-Skill, had to face-off against disgruntled espers who, whether as individuals or in groups such as many of the more hard-nosed factions of Skill-Out, made their public outcries against their interpretation of the Parameter List vociferously, and sometimes with disorder, which sooner or later erupted into outright violence. And, as to be expected, the public disavowals issued by Academy City's Board Of Directors against the leak of the Parameter List were dismissed as a feeble attempt to cover up the matter. Neither was there to date any official word from the City's General Superintendent on the subject.

Over at A Certain High School, the general mood among the populace was similar to almost any other location. The Parameter List became the subject of much discussion and debate; more often than not outside of the standard education curriculum. At this immediate moment, one particular class - Year 1, Class 7 - was supposed to be engaged in a self-study period. Currently, Tsukuyomi Komoe was wavering in and out of periodic bouts of depression, at seeing the reactions of her students to the implications of the Parameter List. Himegami Aisa was at her side, trying, but apparently having little success in bolstering Komoe-sensei's spirits.

Suddenly, the only member of the Delta Force present, Aogami Pierce, rose from his seat with a declaration to all present: "Well, my classmates; there's possibly one good thing that comes out of all this." As others in the class turned to look at him, Aogami continued, with a smile and his trademark eyes wide shut: "In all likelihood, Kami-yan's ability to raise flags with girls remains unaff - BLLRRGGGKKK!" ... the sentence was never finished, as with a blur of speed, something slammed into the back of his head, causing him to collapse onto his desk, having been rendered immediately unconscious.

"We're all facing a serious issue, here, and you're going on with this flag-raising nonsense?" growled Fukiyose Seiri, Year 1 Class 7's self-appointed disciplinarian and general tamer of the Delta Force's antics. "At least those other two imbeciles aren't around to add more fuel to the fire." Seiri continued, speaking perhaps more to herself than to anyone else. Yet, things were not as cut-and-dried as they might seem.

Like many others, Seiri had, in her own way, taken the revelations of the Parameter List with a mixture of shock and indignation at the implication that one or more forces totally beyond her control or influence determined whether she herself would advance any further as an Esper. Interestingly enough, she considered it not her business to pry into the data on other people, yet, arising out of the recently-concluded incidents involving the Elements, and having observed that he seemed to have some sort of effect upon them, she finally sought out and perused the specific data on Kamijou Touma within the Parameter List. This seemed to only raise more questions than any being answered.

To make an otherwise long story short, Kamijou's data contained mention of something given the name: "Imagine Breaker", which she presumed was akin to the name Espers assigned to their ability; however, the accompanying write-up contained countless references to "insufficient data" and "unquantifiable factors", that, to be frank, unless Seiri attained sufficient scientific knowledge, its content was at present over and above her current intellectual capacity. It was clearly indicated that Kamijou neither demonstrated nor manifested an AIM Field, which at first sight contradicted all that she had learned and studied via the Power Curriculum Program. Finally, there was a notation at the end of Kamijou's file, stipulating that "by directive of the Board Of Directors and the General Superintendent", he was assigned the rank of Level 0 - a notation that was absent from her own file. Part of her considered whether she should raise the issue with Touma directly, but at the same time, she felt conflicted that her initial and to date maintained judgement of Touma being a slacker who used the notion of "misfortune" as an excuse for his lack of advancement might no longer be substantial, in the light of what had been revealed. Simply put, Seiri was at a loss of whether to pursue the matter of Kamijou any further, and if she should decide to do so, how.

Around the time that all this was taking place within Class 7, Kamijou Touma was by himself seated upon the lone bench situated on the rooftop of the main school building. Like most other student residents of Academy City, he had browsed the contents of the Parameter List, all the while restricting himself to the specific data concerning himself. He had no particular feeling one way or another regarding his being assigned the rank of Level 0. It's no real surprise; Touma had been through countless tests and assessments, since his arrival and enrollment - even if due to the incident of July 28th, he no longer had any memory of anything before that date - at the end of which it had always been declared that he had no AIM field, which, according to the Power Curriculum Program, says that he had not developed any esper ability. And yet, there is, for want of a better word, something within his right hand - something that defies being analyzed or quantified even by the super-technology of Academy City - something known only by the name given to it:

Imagine Breaker.

Rather, what concerned any internal monologue on Touma's part at the moment was his own self-reflection that, for roughly the better part of the past six months, since the loss of his memories before July 28th, he had pressed on or stumbled through many diverse experiences - the arrival of the silver-haired girl known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum into his life, his discovery of and introduction to the subject of Magic, the Number One Level Five Esper known as Accelerator and the Sisters Project, Angel Fall, the Level Six Shift attempt taking place during the Daihasei Festival, the Agitate Halation incident, Aqua of the Back and God's Right Seat, involvement in the affairs of the British Royal Family, embroilment in World War III and many others - without any real knowledge of just what Imagine Breaker is. He even recalled a time where, after one of these incidents, he had decided that he would seek to discover more about that which resides in his right hand, but even that endeavor had met with limited success or headway to date.

Immersed in his own reflection, Touma did not sense the presence of someone approaching him, until they were literally right behind him. It would probably have been no surprise if he had been discovered by one of the school's teachers, as generally, students were not allowed on the roof without either permission or supervision. In this instance - what some, observing, if not necessarily knowing, how Touma's life tended to go, might consider a rare bout of good luck - that was not the case.

"Kamijou-kun?" A voice called out. A girl's voice.

As if awakening from deep sleep, Kamijou slowly turned towards the apparent source of the voice. Indeed, a girl was standing behind him, or perhaps more correctly, a young woman. Some might consider it a crime to describe her as just "a girl". This was the unofficial idol of A Certain High School; drop-dead beautiful, mysterious, among the top students in her year, generally referred to especially by many male students (oft-times in less-than-wholesome ways) as the "Beauty-Sempai" ...

Kumokawa Seria.

After about two seconds, a light appeared in Touma's eyes as he recognized who had come behind him, at which point, he replied to her greeting: "Oh, ... hello, Kumokawa-sempai."

"You seem wrapped in deep thought as I approached you. Perhaps the major subject of the day has got your attention?" inquired Seria, with just a hint of teasing in her voice.

To which, Touma responded:" Not really - I'm probably more concerned with other things, such as addressing my attendance record and all the make-up work I need to do to avoid being left back for a year. Plus, there's nothing in that report about me that I haven't encountered before, and, although I'll admit to considering it, I've no intention of looking up information on other people without their consent."

'Such is to be expected of you, my cute kouhai.' was Seria's un-worded appraisal of his consideration for the privacy of others. Of course, she knew to a certain degree of some (if not all) of his many disappearances from classes over the last six months, if not for a period of time before that (many of which concluded with trips to Heaven Canceller's hospital), and, to a point, she was sympathetic to the fact that, to put it in general terms, saving individuals, Academy City, even the world from trouble would not count as suitable grounds to excuse his absenteeism.

Suddenly, Touma skirted to one side of the bench: "Oh, you can have a seat if you'd like, unless you weren't planning to stay very long."

"Hmm, ... then please excuse me." replied Seria, moving to sit alongside him, while actually hiding her delight at being in rather close proximity to Kamijou; such moments being rare occurrences.

For a few seconds, no further words were exchanged, until Seria, all the while noticing a far-away look in Touma's eyes, took the conversation in a different direction, with her next query: "Do excuse me for being somewhat forward, Kamijou-kun, but by any chance, might one of those 'other things' holding your attention be ... Imagine Breaker?"

Touma twitched, imperceptibly to some, but definitely noticed by Kumokawa, at the mention of the phrase. He seemed to tense up for a few seconds, then let himself relax. Turning to Seria, he stated: "To be honest, there are not many people who have any idea about what that term means, especially around me. Would you care to share what you know about it, sempai?"

Seria's mind was already in motion, processing how to reply. Naturally, it would be risky both to Touma as well as to herself to reveal her position as an "advisor" to one of Academy City's Directors, but at the same time, she'd never forgive herself if she said or did anything that could drive a wedge between her and the young man she secretly liked, or more significantly ...

'Careful, Kumokawa ... the last thing you want is to give up your current advantage too easily ...'

In the end, choosing to be as honest as she felt she could be, without revealing everything about her extra-curricular activities, Seria answered his question: "What I'm about to tell you may be considered rather sensitive information, Kamijou-kun ..."

Touma interrupted swiftly: "H-hey, it's all right, sempai ... if it's like that, maybe it's safer to keep that to yourself ..."

"It's fine," Seria replied, "It's just that, at this moment, if I'm going to touch on the subject, it's probably better that I be as open with you, as I can; plus I feel I can trust you to keep what I say to yourself."

Receiving a firm nod from Touma, signifying his agreement to confidentiality on his part, Seria continued: "Aside from my being a student, I do work with someone on the City's Board Of Directors. Thereby, once in a while I come across certain bits of information, that, as you can guess, doesn't immediately get revealed to the public, if it's revealed at all. As you might guess, some things probably should not be revealed, as their revelation often does more harm than good."

"Uh, sorry to interrupt again, sempai." came Touma's interjection, "but, does that mean that, under normal circumstances, this Parameter List should probably not be public knowledge as it is now?"

"Correct," came back Seria. "Somehow, it had been leaked, and, to be honest, I have no idea how it happened, or who might have done it." - silently thinking to herself: '... although I do have a suspicion or two.'

Touma's response in kind was: "Well, I won't pry into your private affairs, sempai, but I do want to know what you know about Imagine Breaker."

To which Seria replied: "I've picked up one or two things from various sources, but at the same time, I'm not versed in advanced science like those who run or administer the Power Curriculum Program, so most of those explanations go over my head. The only thing I'll admit to understanding about Imagine Breaker is that it's something capable of negating esper abilities. Am I on track, or am I off, Kamijou-kun?"

Touma mulled a bit, before replying. "You are on track, Kumokawa-sempai. I can't claim much knowledge on the matter myself, but I've come to look at Imagine Breaker as ... something residing within my right hand. As far as I know, it's not an esper ability, and I'm told after every check-up that it's not possible to measure or analyze, even by the technology present in this City. But you are right on that point ... whatever it is, it's capable of negating esper abilities - it can even negate so-called supernatural things. One might even go so far, if one professed to believe in some Higher Power, that it can even negate GOD's blessings.

There was a moments's silence before Touma continued: "Heh, ... sorry if that sounded weird; talking about GOD and supernatural things, especially in a place like this where just about everything is governed by science."

"Oh no, I don't think it 'weird' at all, Kamijou-kun". Seria replied: "On the contrary, while I myself might not profess to believe in some Higher Power, I consider myself open-minded enough to accept that, just maybe, there are some things that either may not, or cannot be answered by science, or perhaps by science as we now know it. Also, do keep in mind, Kamijou-kun, that most if not all of the bells and whistles and flashy stuff to be seen in Academy City is not the totality of what science is."

Touma broke into a grin. "Such wisdom is to be expected of our school's Beauty-Sempai; Perhaps I should seriously consider requesting you to tutor me in my make-up lessons. It'll probably be my best chance of passing the year."

Whether unconsciously or deliberately, Touma missed the pink flush that momentarily broke out on Seria's face, nor did he noticed her eyes opening wide or her short yet sharp intake of breadth upon hearing his last comment. On the other hand, Kumokawa's mind for a few seconds almost suffered the equivalent of a software system crash at the possibility of spending time with the secret object of her affections ...

'Wait, What? ... did he just consider asking me to tutor him? ... I know he wasn't very serious right then ... but he's not one to tease a girl ... maybe I should volunteer to tutor ... oh, wait, perhaps I should approach the matter through Komoe-sensei; yes, it's more proper ...'

"Uh, sempai ... are you all right?" Touma asked, leaning in a bit close.

Something seemed to click in Seria's mind, thereby bringing her back to so-called reality, but not before she registered Touma's face closer to her own than what may transpire in a normal conversation. Taking a deep breadth, she regained at least a major measure of her composure.

"Er, we were on the subject of Imagine Breaker, weren't we?" Seria continued, doing her best to hide her flustered state. "Oh, your last comment about supernatural things and GOD's blessings - as I said, I don't profess deep belief in those things, but ... could that be why your life seems to go as it often does? Like that time you were at the water cooler. I recall others before you used it without any problem, but when you tried to, it virtually exploded in your face, soaking you from head to toe." It was all Seria could do to avoid breaking out into laughter, although laughter could be heard in her voice as she recalled that moment.

Touma tried his best not to face-palm at the recall of that incident, but with a deep sigh (at that sound, a brief picture popped into Seria's mind, where she'd either pat Touma on his back, or give him a hug, as if to say: "There, There") he replied: "What you just described, on comparison, was probably one of the less misfortunate things that happen to me, on a regular if not a daily basis."

"Daily?" inquired Seria. "I mean, it's not that you and I see each other regularly, so I have little knowledge of what happens to you, except if I should hear about it, later."

To which Touma replied: "Perhaps I don't dwell for long on the things that happen - debit cards getting eaten by ATM's, tripping on an otherwise empty pavement and my groceries fall into a drain, dogs ignoring everyone else and deciding to chase me with harmful intent, umbrellas seeming to self-destruct in the midst of a heavy rainstorm, being the target of birds flying overhead, if you know what I mean - if I did dwell on them for long, I'd probably be depressed to the point of becoming a shut-in, and even then my dorm might catch fire or something." Seria was staring long and hard at Touma as this revelation of even a brief description of what he put up with came forth, and something stirred within her; for a while, she knew not what.

Touma continued: "I'm not just saying this for you or anyone else to have pity on me - I'm merely stating things as they have occurred. To make a long story short, sempai, things which I can only describe as unfortunate happen to me on a regular basis. It's been that way as far as I can remember ... I've probably got no way to explain why it should be so, but perhaps I've come to accept that, no matter what, sooner or later something bad is going to happen to me. I'm sure there are persons out there like Fukiyose who would reject that outlook; I've heard it often from her that there's no such thing as good luck or bad luck, and that if bad things happen to a person, it's somehow their fault. Well, that is her opinion, and I don't consider it my right to change it ... I'm the one living my life, so I'm pretty much aware of what takes place, and not all of it is pleasant."

With ever-increasing awareness of an uncomfortable feeling seemingly welling up within her, Seria raised another point: "If this is considered too personal, you don't have to answer it, Tou ... Kamijou-kun", almost addressing Touma by his first name, "but does that explain why, just based on observation, you don't seem to have a girlfriend right now?" Seria's face flushed slightly as she finished uttering that last question.

Touma seemed to gaze into the distance for a few seconds before replying: "It's all right; we're supposed to be adults if not close to that level, so we should be able to talk about such things rather openly." he admitted with what appeared to Seria to be a small grin on his face, "... although Komoe-sensei might be the first to insist that students should not be considering such things, until after they graduate." A small smile formed on Seria's own face as Touma went on. "If I don't talk much about the subject of my being single, it's probably because as far as I can remember, no-one has ever asked me about that ... except perhaps Tsuchimikado and Aogami, and I recognize that it would be a very bad idea to divulge anything in that area to those two ... it would probably lead to some truly unpleasant consequences soon afterwards. As for me, I'd be lying if I said I never gave the idea of my getting into that sort of relationship any thought ... but, while I've pretty much gotten used to what I'd call my misfortunate life, if I did get a girlfriend, chances are she'd get caught up in all the crap ... pardon the term ... that happens to me. I just wouldn't feel comfortable putting such a burden on anyone else; it's rough enough as it is dealing with it, myself."

'So, he's actually seeking to shield others from his misfortune.' was the thought now running across Seria's mind; a thought which seemed to carry two conflicting feelings along with it: admiration (or possibly something more) that Touma would go to such lengths to protect others around him from getting caught up in his less-than-pleasant experiences, coupled with frustration at his apparent willingness to shoulder those experiences all by himself. To her, it just didn't seem fair or right.

Before another word could be exchanged, an electronic-generated melody broke the momentary silence between the two teenagers. Seria recognized the sound as a notification of an incoming e-mail coming from her smartphone. She also noticed upon, so-to-say, coming back to reality, that the physical distance between Touma and herself while seated on the bench had somewhat closed in the ten or so minutes they had been there - if Touma had noticed something similar, he gave no indication of it.

Glancing briefly at her phone to read the notification, Seria sighed and said: "Duty calls, apparently, so it looks like this conversation of ours is over."; all the while a part of her wished that it was not so.

"I guess life is like that at times." replied Touma, "although, I'm willing to admit it ... I enjoyed talking about things like we just did; granted that most of what we talked about probably can't be considered regular topics for conversations."

"Well, shall we proceed to re-enter the high school life then, Kamijou-kun?" was Seria's next question, as they both rose from the bench and headed towards the stairwell door.

"I guess so, ... although ..." Touma responded, "the thought just came to me that, perhaps you should go on ahead of me." On seeing Seria raise an eyebrow, he continued: "Knowing my tendency for misfortune, if certain people saw us coming down from the roof stairwell together, we'd probably both end up as the target of rumors, and not the pleasant kind, either."

'You're being noble again, and in all likelihood, you're not even aware of how charming your actions are.' Seria thought to herself with a smile. "You might have a point there, so this time around (she grinned at the insinuation of the phrase 'this time around', suspecting that Kamijou probably wouldn't pick up on it - at least not this moment), this sempai will follow the suggestion offered by her kouhai."

"It's not a problem, Kumokawa-sempai."

"Oh, ... I feel obliged to mention one last thing before I take my leave." said Seria, slowly yet steadily moving closer to Touma than he would otherwise expect. "While you may have a point that it might be a difficult task to find a person who's willing to be at your side, especially during your moments of misfortune, I'd like to suggest that you keep your eyes and ears open, Touma-kun."

If the sudden use of his first name seemed to have the effect of momentarily freezing Touma into immobility, the next move on Seria's part - a gentle touch of her lips upon his cheek - certainly snapped him out of it.

"Such a person may actually be closer to you, than you yet realize."

With that parting sentence, coupled with a gentle smile, Kumokawa Seria took her departure.

It took the better part of a minute or two before Kamijou Touma descended the roof stairwell, all the while trying to assimilate all that had transpired upon a rooftop on a cold afternoon.

And that's a wrap for Chapter 1. More to follow in due course. (P.S. we'll see if I've finally conquered the Doc Manager's strange behavior as of late)