Toaru Majutsu no Index

Volume 4, Epilogue: The Sinners of This Everyday World Who Breached the Trust

The moment Kamijou woke up, he found himself in the hospital.

From the looks of the surrounding facilities, it should be a hospital in Academy City. Kamijou thought that this was be expected. He was an esper, and he had all sorts of esper development drugs injected into him. If someone randomly drew blood from him, some ridiculous corporate information may have been revealed, so of course he couldn't be sent into an ordinary hospital.

Kamijou was lying on the hospital bed and looking outside.

It was just past noon, and the August sunlight was too bright. Under the clear sky, there was a visiting family and an old man letting the nurse push him on the wheelchair. The news broadcaster nee-san in the television was reporting Hino Jinsaku's recapture.

There was a piece of notepad paper on the table. There was only one line of words, written in ball-point pen: 'Welcome back, Kamijou Touma' with a small frog sticker on it.

(My main doctor's that guy again?) Kamijou wondered.

He then relaxed his body on the bed and closed his eyes silently.

(I'm back to my own world.)

Am I really back in my own world? Don't kid around.

The effects of Angel Fall really had vanished, and everyone on the streets all over the world should have reverted back to normal. Everyone may not have realized that they ended up in some abnormal world. Perhaps it was the effects of the magic being cut off that everyone's memories, including those of the angel's Sweep spell, had been changed.

But some things would never be restored.

A boy had known that he would die, and yet had grinned at Kamijou.

"...What was that for, damn it!"

Kamijou muttered alone in the patient's room

Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He thought that he managed to protect Kamijou's world.

But could a world with a person less be considered a normal world?

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, DAMN IT!!"

In this everyday world that was lacking, Kamijou roared.

He roared out at the world that was unable to be gotten back.

At that moment...

"Long time no see nya, Kami-yan! You still okay?"

An unbelievable thing happened. Tsuchimikado Motoharu actually walked in.

"—Eh? Hold on? W-wait a minute! What's this? Some prepared body that's made through cloning?"

"Fu, this Tsuchimikado won't even bother playing with some easy thing."

Mocking and grinning, the boy was thoroughly bandaged.

When Angel Fall activated, Tsuchimikado had become a super idol named Hitotsui Hajime... why was it that when Angel Fall had been removed, the wounds and memories hadn't returned to Hitotsui Hajime? Was it because Tsuchimikado used the weird magic to block off half the effects of Angel Fall that he was treated as an exception?

No, that wasn't the main point.

A more basic problem was, why was Tsuchimikado still alive?

Kamijou tried to throw a pillow at Tsuchimikado.

"Ah, damn it, I really hit him! Didn't pass through him! If that's the case, did I create an illusion in my mind to escape from reality?"

"I'm not an illusion or a ghost! I'm a living Tsuchimikado!"

"Why? Didn't you say that since an esper's body is different, you'll die if you use magic?"

"Ahh, that was a lie."

"Eh!?"

"Haven't you forgotten? Tsuchimikado-san is a liar who likes to lie."

Tsuchimikado raised his hand and used it to fan himself.

"My esper ability is the Level 0 Auto-Rebirth. Actually, it's alright if I play with another four or five spells. But if I say it out honestly, the church will keep asking me to use magic until I die. I didn't want to let myself end up so tired, sorry?"

"UUWWAAAAHHH!!!"

The next moment, Kamijou inadvertently grabbed his own blanket and tossed it at Tsuchimikado.

Tsuchimikado stepped aside and easily dodged it.

"Hello, Kami-yan, this should be a touching scene, right?"

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE A REAL BASTARD! LET ME ASK YOU, IF THAT WAS THE CASE, WHY DID YOU BEAT ME UP UNTIL THE END!?"

"Well, if I want to act, I better act till the end. And even if I said that I won't die, wouldn't you still stop me? You'll definitely choose to run back to your house and use your Imagine Breaker to destroy the ritual site as it won't hurt anyone. I don't want your right hand destroying my spell while it's ongoing nya."

Kamijou remained silent.

On seeing that Kamijou didn't argue back, Tsuchimikado tried to force the issue to end.

"This will be the end of our touching reunion, Kami-yan. To be honest, that was a close shave—"

"I NEARLY DIED AT YOUR HANDS! AND AREN'T YOU ALL JUMPY NOW!?"

"Oh yeah, no need to worry about Kanzaki nee-chin. She's rather weak, but at least she can use that ridiculously long katana to peel an apple as recuperating exercise."

"Are you even listening to me? Alright, I'm happy that she's okay now!"

"But there's still one thing left."

Tsuchimikado wasn't listening to Kamijou.

"Who's going to be responsible for this incident?"

"..."

Kamijou remained silent.

Whether or not it was deliberate, the culprit behind the Angel Fall incident was Touya. Because of that, the entire world had sunk into chaos, causing the magicians all over the world to get red eyes looking for the culprit, Hino Jinsaku getting involved accidentally and getting hurt, and worst of all, Kanzaki had even been forced to fight a real angel.

Maybe Touya didn't have to be responsible for this.

Then the question was, who?

When the magician Aureolus Izzard had created a series of commotions in Academy City, he had managed to create the ultimate magic Ars Magna that nobody else in the world managed to develop. But because of that, he had been targeted by numerous secret organisations eyeing the Ars Magna, and so he had to have his face reconstructed and live on as another man. Kamijou understood that clearly.

Must the same thing happen with Angel Fall?

If that was the case, Touya's future would be...

"...Since I'm a spy sent from the Anglican Church into Academy City, as for my stand, once the church asks me, I have a duty to answer," Tsuchimikado revealed a troubled look, and then said, "But that's really troublesome. Tsuchimikado-san is basically someone who likes to lie, so he'll just make up a story nya!"

"Oi!"

Kamijou couldn't help but retort.

"Is it really alright to leave things like this?"

"Don't worry don't worry! The Anglican Church are witch hunters and radical interrogators, so if they find out that I lied, I will be tortured. But as a spy, I'll just ignore that."

Tsuchimikado raised his index finger and shook it.

"Ah, that's right, Kami-yan. I also lied to you about this. I once said that I was a spy in Academy City, but actually, it's the other way around. My real identity is a double agent on the Anglican Church's interior intelligence. So it's basically nothing to me when I lie to them."

"Wha...t?"

"But that's also a lie. Actually, besides the Anglican Church and Academy City, I was also requested by many other organisations. So I'm not just a double agent, but a multi agent ny-a."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!? AREN'T YOU JUST A BLABBERMOUTH!?"

So he was similar to some information broker? Kamijou tilted his head and wondered.

"The reason I came here is also to share some information with you. How about it? Let's choose something Japanese. How about the existence of the Tachikawa-ryu remnants ny-a?"[1]

"WA--YOU'RE REALLY UNRELIABLE!! I DON'T WANT TO SHARE SECRETS WITH YOU AT ALL!"

Kamijou grabbed his head as he shouted half-seriously.

"Hahaha!" Tsuchimikado casually laughed.

"Although this Tsuchimikado-san can do any kind of betrayals, I can differentiate what's corporate and what's private, and I won't use those private issues, so you can relax, Kami-yan."

"..."

Kamijou stared at Tsuchimikado with a suspecting look.

Then, he sighed tiredly.

"Alright. Since you saw my dad's face, I have no other choice but to thank you. Either way, I have to thank you for being my dad's saviour."

"Ah, don't need to say it so nicely. I had to blow Kami-yan's house up in order to remove Angel Fall nya—"

"Eh?

"W-wait a sec, Tsuchimikado. What did you just say?"

"Ah? My Shikigami blew your house up into smithereens. That house has all sorts of god-related souvenirs all over the place, of course I had to blow the entire house up if I want to destroy it all."

"WHAT THE HECK!! ARE MY PARENTS HOMELESS NOW!? WE HAVEN'T PAID THE INSTALLMENTS FOR THAT HOUSE!"

"Ah, that's right."

Tsuchimikado wasn't listening.

"There's also another thing, Kami-yan. During Angel Fall, after the switched people's memories returned, they will revert back onto that person's body. In other words, if Mr. A got switched into Mr. B, all the memories Mr. B had when he thought he was Mr. A will come back to Mr. B. You have to remember this, maybe it might be beneficial to you. But me and Kanzaki nee-chin cast magic, so we should be considered exceptions."

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT! WHAT ABOUT MY HOUSE!?"

With Kamijou shouting, Tsuchimikado cackled a few times before walking out of the room.

"SUCH AN UNRELIABLE GUY!" Kamijou shouted, but he couldn't get out of bed due to the severe injuries. Unable to do anything, Kamijou could only widen his mouth and stare at the door.

At that moment, someone floated in like a ghost.

It was the silver-haired white foreign girl Index.

Index was giving off an ominous presence that was completely different from usual, making Kamijou forget about Tsuchimikado as he stared at Index. As she lowered her head, her bangs covered her face, so it was impossible to see her expression.

"I-Index, what's wrong? You got heatstroke? Really, why are you wearing long sleeved nun habits in the hot summer? You really underestimated Japan's—"

"...I got bullied."

Index muttered, interrupting Kamijou.

(What?)

On hearing Index's words, Kamijou inadvertently frowned.

"I GOT BULLIED BY TOUMA!"

WHAT!? Kamijou was shocked by this shocking declaration from Index. Kamijou didn't remember doing any domestic abuse.

Index glared at Kamijou with a teary expression.

"It's rare for us to go to the beach, and I was really looking forward to it! In the end, after going there, Touma completely ignored me, and when I tried to attract Touma's attention, I got mercilessly attacked by Touma. And after I just called Touma from behind, I got buried by Touma in the sand up to my head! What's going on!"

The girl's cry made Kamijou wonder what was going on.

Ah. Suddenly, Kamijou thought of something he shouldn't have thought of.

"—When Angel Fall was activated, after the switched people's memories returned, they will revert back onto that person's body."

If that was the case...

If so, when Angel Fall had been activated, Aogami Pierce was Index.

"—If Mr. A got switched into Mr. B, all the memories Mr. B had when he thought he was Mr. A will come back to Mr. B."

What did that mean? Would Aogami Pierce as Index return to Index's memories?

Kamijou had slammed the door hard in front of Aogami Pierce in the nun habit, and he did remember burying a swimsuit-clad Aogami Pierce into the sand.

If that was the case...

(Don't tell me...)

Kamijou stared at Index.

Index, who was crying and angry, bared her fangs as she closed in.

"Ah, that, hold on, please wait, Index-san! There's a complicated reason for this! What you didn't know, was our world was in a terrible crisis!!"

"No need to find excuses! You Oedipus complex boy! Always staring at your own mother, why is that attitude so different from me!!"

Saku-n! The sword of lecture stabbed viciously onto Kamijou's forehead.

Note: On a side note, when Angel Fall was activated, Index=Mother☆

"There's really a good reason for this—why did this happen? I tried so hard! I definitely did so much for you! Why did it end up like this!?"

Kamijou's explanation became a cry for mercy midway through, but Index wasn't showing any compassion on her face.

She opened her mouth.

"I won't forgive you! I'll bite Touma's skull out!"

Just like that, with misfortune and cries of agony, Kamijou's daily life continued once again.

Notes

1. ↑ The Tachikawa-ryu were one of the old secret sects that were hunted down and eliminated during the Edo period.