Toaru Majutsu no Index

Part 1

The next day.

In the cool and refreshing morning, Index, who was now Kamijou's mother, woke up from her dreamland to see the father and son with black rings around their eyes, as they continued to stare off against each other.

"Good morning. Ara ara, two men continued to talk for the entire night? I'm so envious, it feels like some field trip or some sabbatical."

It was true that on seeing the current depressing energy that permeated the atmosphere, one might have thought that it could rival 'a real gathering of a guys' room real-life experience during the night of a school excursion' (with 80% and above having plump and swollen faces while they continue to bluff each other). However, because of Kamijou's lost memory, he couldn't recall such an experience.

Anyway, as Kamijou had fought valiantly against his tired body for the entire night, he was too tired to be able to reply to Index.

(Ha...haa. Damn it, at least I managed to hold on...it's morning now, don't worry...)

As Kamijou was thinking this, he was attacked by the sleep monster and collapsed onto the futon.

With this comfortable feeling of victory, he entered dreamland.

"Here, okaa-san! Touma's already asleep, we should have a passionate kiss once in a while in the morning, right?"

"Ara ara, can't be helped. Thinking about this so early in the morning, I really don't know what you two were talking about last night."

Touya seemed to treat Index as Snow White and he hoped to give her a wake-up kiss.

Just as the couple's lips were about to meet, Kamijou's eyes suddenly widened.

"A terrifying tongue-biting uppercut!"

Before their lips met, Touya was hit by an uppercut to the chin from Kamijou and his face flew upwards while the like landed on the futon. Kamijou hadn't actually used a lot of force, but Touya was already rather tired since he hadn't slept. It should be alright now, right? Feeling relieved, Kamijou again collapsed.

However...

Kamijou's enemy wasn't just Touya.

"ONNIIIIIIII--CHAN!! THE ALARM-CLOCK-REPLACEMENT-ATTACK IS HERE!"

Being attacked suddenly by Mikoto (who seemed really happy), Kamijou felt all the weight of her body pressed down on his chest and his body cramps inwards. His mind instantly woke up (it takes about 15 minutes for a person to start sleeping).

(Uoohh...ack...ackack! Wha...what's going on?"

"Hahahahaha!!!"

"STOP LAUGHING ON ME! HURRY UP AND GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION!"

"Captain! It's an imouto's basic skill to have a special wrestling move that can replace an alarm clock's functions!!"

"STOP FOOLING AROUND! ARE YOU TRYING TO ACT CUTE? I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I'M GOING TO TIE YOU UP AND STUFF YOU INTO THE GYM STOREROOM!"

At this moment, Aogami Piece, who was acting the role of Index, came into the room.

"Ah! Touma's already playing an interesting game so early in the morning! I wanna play! I wanna play!"

"HOLD...HOLD UP YOU MUSCULAR HULK! YOU'LL KILL SOMEONE WITH THAT SQUASH ATTACK!"

"Why? Why is Touma pushing me away? I wanna play, I wanna play! I must play!"

"Ah...hold...hold on! I'M SORRY, IT'S MY FAULT! I CAN AT MOST GIVE YOU 2000 YEN, PLEASE LET ME OFF...GYYAAAH!!!!"

The impact Kamijou took nearly caused his insides to explode.

"Uu...uuggghh...ha....hoho...I'm going to start killing! I'M GOING TO SMASH YOUR STUPID BRAINS LIKE A WATERMELON!!!"

Just like that, the second day of the Angel Fall phenomenon opened with a bang.

Part 2

Noon.

Kamijou's family (including the nun who was freeloading at Kamijou's house) were all playing at the beach, leaving Kamijou alone in the resort on the excuse of summer illness. The moment everyone left, Kanzaki, Tsuchimikado and Misha stepped into the Wadatsumi resort.

As Tsuchimikado's appearance was that of an idol who had recently created trouble, it would have been troublesome if the boss saw him, so they held the meeting in Kamijou's room.

On a side note, the reason why Kamijou hadn't done anything all morning was because Kamijou really was unable to move due to morning illness. This tragedy was due to a lack of sleep, insufficient intake of water and the hot weather.

Misha seemed to have searched for Hino alone in the morning, but she couldn't find anything. Kamijou felt rather self-loathing that he had become everyone's baggage.

"Really...what were you thinking for the entire night?"

Right now, Kamijou looked like a plant that had withered because someone forgot to water it. With Kanzaki raging and worried as she lectured him, Kamijou felt even more depressed.

At that moment, Tsuchimikado, who was wearing blue sunglasses, grimaced and said, "Okay, okay Kanzaki nee-chin, there's no need to make the patient feel worse."

"You're too naive, Tsuchimikado. When you have to scold, you have to scold heavily, or he may end up repeating that again! I always see him getting into trouble. We can deal with it!"

Kanzaki sounded like she was lecturing a child who had just played with fire, and these words hit Kamijou the hardest. Unable to stand this any longer, Tsuchimikado put his mouth near Kanzaki's ear and whispered to her like a couple.

"...(Nee-chin, is it really alright to pressure Kami-yan like that? Kami-yan did drag his poisoned body along to protect the Index that you care for the most!)"

"Uuu..."

Kanzaki was stunned.

"...(You should be thanking him, right? Why are you angry at him instead? Besides, you haven't thanked him for what happened the last time.)"

"Uuu..."

Kanzaki's entire body froze.

Standing slightly further away while looking at Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado, Misha sighed. Though she didn't say anything, Misha must have been feeling that this was rather funny. Since she normally lowered her head, and her face was often covered with her bangs, it was hard to see her expression.

Kamijou had a feeling that if that meaningless conversation kept going, the hastily-assembled group would break up. Starting to worry, he decided to take up the role of the leader for the meeting.

"Speaking of which, the culprit behind Angel Fall is Hino Jinsaku, right?"

Hino Jinsaku was the man who had attacked Kamijou from below the floor yesterday.

"According to the eyewitness report I got from Misaka Imouto, that person wasn't changed."

Kanzaki looked at Kamijou and said, "I didn't see Hino Jinsaku directly, so I didn't dare to conclude this. But if he really wasn't switched, he's most likely the suspect."

"...In other words, we just need to capture Hino Jinsaku...but..."

Looking rather bothered, Tsuchimikado stroked his sunglasses.

It was not that easy to capture Hino Jinsaku. He hadn't left any trails behind, so it was impossible to tell where he escaped to.

"Since Hino's a magician, can't we just track his magic trail?"

"My first answer: We couldn't trace the trail of magic that Hino used last night. It's likely that he may have used some masking method to prevent being traced."

"The most important angel also didn't leave any trails. If an angel-like magical energy is left alone, the huge amount of energy can even cause the ground to distort, so he must be using some other method to hide the power of the angel."

"Hiding...is it really that simple?"

In regards to Kamijou's question, Kanzaki pondered for a moment, before continuing.

"According to records in the Old Testament, angels did hide their identities to enter ordinary people's cities and have meals with ordinary people. Also, there was a story that an archangel walked into a river to save an infant from drowning. Maybe we have to assume that angels have extremely skilled techniques in hiding their powers."

On hearing Kanzaki's words, Misha nodded her head slowly.

Though her bangs obscured any expression, Misha seemed satisfied. This response was similar to what Index often did; seems like nuns love to talk about things in the Bible.

"Anyway, all we can do right now is to compile all our information."

Tsuchimikado said this, and then turned on the old TV in the corner of the room.

On the news, Komoe-sensei was still holding onto the microphone as she reported the news.

"...It's been past a whole day since Hino Jinsaku escaped from jail. Right now, we have professor Ono Raizen of Miwa University's criminologist department. who'll give us an in-depth analysis. Professor Ono, please."

Saying 'thank you' with a heavy tone, Professor Ono looked like a third grader. The show looked like some children's education show when both of them appeared on screen. Professor Ono said,

"Hino Jinsaku's modus operandi is extremely rare in the history of crime. He did kill 28 innocent victims, but he insisted that this wasn't voluntary. He said that he was just following orders from an 'Angel-sama'. To be honest, this feels somewhat similar to the ritual killings of the religious crimes in Europe and America.

The elementary school kid dressed in Western clothes continued to rattle on. Kamijou nodded his head.

"That's right, Hino did mention yesterday of an Angel-sama. This analyst should be talking about the 'Hino before he was switched', and this can prove the one 'before he got switched' is the same as 'the one after switching'.

"My first question: Let me confirm this again, is this Hino Jinsaku the culprit behind Angel Fall?"

Hearing Misha's question, Kamijou nodded his head again.

Unlike Kamijou, Hino didn't have the power of the Imagine Breaker, but he never got switched. Therefore, Hino Jinsaku was the most likely suspect.

"But who is the Angel-sama?"

"As for that, while I was repairing the floor yesterday, I found this underneath the floor."

Tsuchimikado pulled out a thin block of wood that was about the size of a notebook. The wood block was scarred thoroughly on the surface, as if someone had used a nail to scar it, and there didn't seem to be any place without a scar.

"What's carved onto it seems to be alphabets, and because there were so many alphabets carved onto it, they seem so packed together."

Tsuchimikado sighed.

"This is somewhat similar to an oracle or a John's Pen mode. Hino may just be following orders of the 'right hand that was naturally carving out words', like some Kokkuri-san or Planchette."

(...Kokkuri-san?)

Kamijou felt that something wasn't right, but he didn't say this out loud, since they were the experts here.

"We can tell that this ritual killing that the Angel-sama commanded took 28 lives away...what kind of ritual is that?"

"...Maybe that's Angel Fall?"

Kamijou couldn't understand the talk about some world-level magic spell and huge ritual arena, but it was really spine-chilling to hear 28 live sacrifices. It really sounded like those black magic spells to worship demons.

"But if that's the case, things got a lot more complicated. Assuming that Angel Fall really was casted by Hino, the one who commanded him was this Angel-sama. Why would an angel deliberately cast such a spell like Angel Fall."

Tsuchimikado folded his arms and pondered. At this moment, Kamijou answered without hesitation.

"...Maybe the most simple reason is that the angel wanted to descend into the mortal realm?"

"Um, Kami-yan, your explanation here has a huge flaw. The angels have no personalities. Angels are messengers of heaven, and their real appearances are like humanoid balloons with lots of abnormal power within them. In Idol Theory, a fake cross can obtain power, and the angels are the same. In theory, an angel's power can be divided into 100 and invoked into swords and armour. Also, without God's commands, angels themselves won't automatically create miracles on their own, help good people or defeat evil. Angels are basically like remote controlled cars in this regard.

"...So angels are like these?"

"Ya. In the Final Judgement described in the New Testament, God will judge the humanity of mankind at the end of the world. Sending good people into heaven and bad people into hell. Before that, angels can't deliberately save or kill people as it may change history." Tsuchimikado continued, "Oh ya, like what I just mentioned, angels are like remote-controlled cars of God. If one of the cars couldn't receive the commands because of some failure, or if the command received was wrong, it will become what we call a demon."

Tsuchimikado's words really surprised Kamijou. The angels and demons that often appeared in video games were completely different things. In his own impression, angels were just some random dumb blond beauties (with wings attached) that loved to watch from the heavens. Of course, this impression came from movies and manga.

"..."

At this moment, Kamijou didn't think again as he said, "Maybe the angel wanted a heart?"

"Since it doesn't have a heart, how can it desire one? Though angels look like they have their own will and can move about on their own, that's just a false impression. They're like stringed puppets, they can't move when the strings controlling them are snapped."

Said Tsuchimikado, scratching his head.

"As for the reason behind this, we just have to ask Hino after we catch him. Right now, let's thoroughly discuss what the enemy has."

After Tsuchimikado finished speaking, Misha just glanced at him slightly. However, she did not add on. It seemed like she wasn't used to initiating a conversation, only asking questions or giving answers. Thus, only Kanzaki could continue.

"First point, did Hino Jinsaku control an angel?"

"From what we discussed, I think we can exclude that. Besides, if Hino did completely control an angel, why didn't he use the power when he was in such a critical situation?" Tsuchimikado thought for a moment, and then continued, "Maybe Hino isn't able to command the angel fully, as if there were some static on a radio signal. Also, it seems like Hino had to follow the angel's orders, so in that critical situation, I don't think that Hino was able to get the angel to help him."

Now that he mentioned it, Hino, who was desperate, bemoaned why Angel-sama wouldn't help him out.

"But on the other hand, if the angel got his orders, it is still likely that it will accept Hino's command when he's in danger, right?"

Hearing Kanzaki say that, the eyes hidden under Tsuchimikado's shades revealed a haughty expression.

"Well, it's not a bad thing to think of the worst case scenarios. But...hoho...if we really want to go against an 'Angel', the history of Mankind will most likely meet an end."

Even though Tsuchimikado had said that, Kamijou couldn't really imagine it.

What was an angel? How would the world look like when humanity is destroyed?

"Next, we'll analyse his allies' support. Is there a likelihood that Hino may be under the charge of a certain group or organisation?"

"That's a really low probability. If Hino really has comrades, he wouldn't be alone when the 'Angel-sama' commanded him to carry out the 'sneak attack'. Of course, it's a different case if his comrades are working on other things."

"Hm...it's unlikely that he has an accomplice. If so, where is Hino going to heal himself? According to Kreutzev, Hino has two teeth pulled out, and his left wrist is fractured."

"He'll definitely be arrested if he stupidly decides to walk into a hospital. Even if he wants to find a private doctor, he shouldn't have any money with him when he just escaped from jail. If so, either he's going to rob a cash truck or he's preparing to cast a recovery spell."

"Either way, we can't guarantee it. Also, I want to know how he got the knife and the poison. Maybe he hid it some place, or maybe he got them when he attacked someone. He may also have funds, or not. Or maybe he has accomplices who gave him the weapons. Since we're not criminologists, overly guessing here will give us more wrong information."

Kanzaki sighed and stopped talking.

Once someone became quiet, the entire conversation was interrupted. The atmosphere seemed rather heavy. Only the sound of the TV continued to echo about without any feelings.

At that moment, the originally calm voice from the TV set sounded rather panicky.

Turning around to look, Kamijou saw the huge words 'breaking news' flashed on the TV. The baffling analyst was shoved aside, and Komoe-sensei looked shocked as she saw the sudden news report that was shoved into her hands.

"Ah, we have the latest news on the Hino Jinsaku jailbreak! Hino's in a house in Kanegawa-ken, and the police assault squads have already arrived at the scene, surrounding the house! Reporting from the...can you hear me? Reporting from the scene is reporter Kugimiya..."

Everyone was now staring intently at the TV; even Misha Kreutzev was silently peering over.

The screen changed.

Two-storey tall houses were located on the sides of this commonly seen residential street scene. The originally quiet street was now bustling with interested onlookers, policemen were blocking the civilians, and assault squad members were dressed up as if they were ready to go to war. The entire place was buzzing, but the policemen and assault squad members were converted into old grandpas and kindergarten children, so it looked really unnerving.

A man who looked like a vegetable seller held onto the microphone and said, "Dear viewers, as you're seeing now, all the people, including us reporters are stopped just six hundred metres away from the house that Hino Jinsaku took refuge in. The civilians here seem to be residents who received the advice to escape to safety. According to reliable sources, Hino Jinsaku pulled all the curtains and the windows up after he escaped, so nobody outside could see what's going on."

Tsuchimikado lowered his voice and cursed.

The eyes behind the blue sunglasses revealed his anxiety.

It was unknown whether he was worried that things would be more difficult due to the situation escalating, or whether he was worried about the residents in the house.

"We don't know what the situation is in the residence. We don't know whether there are hostages, and we don't know what sort of weapon Hino Jinsaku has, so the assault squads aren't attacking...ah, something's happening. A car just entered a restricted area. Is that the police's negotiator?"

The screen changed to the bird-eye's view from a helicopter. The red roofed house should be where Hino Jinsaku was hiding.

"Idiot..."

Kamijou couldn't help but curse. Lifting the helicopter above the residence would only cause unnecessary disturbance to Hino Jinsaku, and it was likely that he was watching the TV. It was a good thing that it was just an enlarged image; if they showed a bird-eye's view of the surroundings, it would basically be telling Hino of the assault squad's location.

(...Eh?)

Suddenly, that image caused Kamijou to feel something strange. However, the image was unnaturally switched back to the studio; maybe it got restricted. Komoe-sensei looked helpless as she read the news, and the content was basically about the crimes Hino committed and a reminder to the surrounding residents not to leave their homes.

"Alright, things just got messy. If Hino lands into the police's hands, it'll be hard for us to make him remove the Angel Fall spell. If possible, we should take Hino away before the police, but what should we do?"

"Tsuchimikado! You know what will happen if he has a hostage!?"

It was rare to see Kanzaki so agitated, but Tsuchimikado merely replied casually.

"Hm, no matter what we do, we have to get to the scene of the crime. But where is it? Kanegawa-ken."

At that moment, Kamijou timidly raised his hand as he requested to speak.

Kanzaki said in an impatient tone, "What do you want to say? If you want to go there, I refuse. I'm different from Stiyl, I don't intend to bring you to the scene."

"It's not that, I just noticed from the aerial footage..."

"What?"

"Ah...well...that...I may be mistaken...and even if it's true..."

"Hurry up and say it, stop beating around the bush."

"Um...my mom has an interest in paragliding...ah, there are many kinds of paragliders; one type uses a motor. I don't really know, but it's basically sitting on a chair that looks like a swing and flying with a huge propeller on the back. My mom sent me lots of photos when I was hospitalised; I don't know what's so fun about it, but these were shot in the air near my house..."

"Aerial shots? So what..."

Before she could finish, Kanzaki suddenly understood.

Kamijou nodded and said, "I find that red roof familiar...I often see that in the aerial shots near my house."

Part 3

Pain will cause people to lose their cool when they make decisions.

The escaped convict Hino Jinsaku silently cursed as he grabbed the left hand that was like a rotten fruit. Though it was not yet noon, all the windows and blinds were pulled up, so light couldn't enter.

The electricity seemed to have been cut off by the assault squad outside. In this late August summer season, sealing all the windows up without turning on the air conditioning and letting the hot air gather wasn't any different from a greenhouse. Though he knew that he was thinking too much, the room was really too hot, making him worry that his wounds would rot because of the heat.

On the way there, he had managed to pick up some metal wires and a wooden stick to hold his wrist together. However, the teeth that had been pulled out couldn't be treated medically now. The wound brought out a mysterious scalding and numbing pain.

This heat and pain caused Hino Jinsaku to sweat heavily, and he muttered to himself in the darkness.

"Angel-sama, Angel-sama..."

He continued to mutter as he considered the current situation.

After Hino became the infamous mysterious killer who killed 28 people through ritual-like killings, there were a lot a people who appeared on the internet, either worshipers or con-artists. Among them was a college student who created a website to support the serial killer Hino Jinsaku, and that person lived in an apartment nearby. After he escaped from prison, Hino had wanted to use that hiding place and the funds he provided...

It was impossible to watch the television when the house had no electricity, so he couldn't tell what was going on outside. However, the residents nearby seemed to have been ordered to evacuate. If that was the case, the helper who was living nearby would have been chased outside the perimeter.

"Angel-sama, Angel-sama..."

What should I do now? Hino started to think. Right now, the assault squads didn't seem like they intended to attack, maybe because they still didn't know what was the situation inside the house. But if they found out that there were no hostages inside the house, they would immediately charge in.

He couldn't let the assault squad figure out his bluff, so the trick was to maintain the secrecy. Being a specialist in psychological attack, Hino understood that the most savage and rowdy criminals weren't the hardest to handle, but the ones who were so silent they're scary.

What should he do? How can he escape?

He still had a curved knife in his hand, but that alone wasn't going to break through.

"Angel-sama, Angel-sama..."

At that moment, Hino's right hand started to move on its own.

The edge of the blade stabbed Hino's abdomen in a shallow manner, and carved out words.

The red oracle, carved onto his flesh, silently answered his question.

CALL AN AMBULANCE.

I see, there was still this trick. Hino really felt impressed about it. As expected, the Angel-sama's words definitely wouldn't be wrong. Though I once got arrested by the police and got sentenced to death, Angel-sama will help me fulfil my desire to live on. Angel-sama will bless me a wonderful future. Since I know what to do, let's get into action.

Without even intending to wrap his wounds on the abdomen, Hino Jinsaku immediately got ready for the preparation.

Part 4

Kamijou Touma had lost his memory.

Thus, Kamijou didn't even know where his old house was. Using the excuse of going to the toilet, Kamijou left Tsuchimikado and company. He recalled the aerial footage he saw on the TV and used the GPS function of the phone to find an approximate location.

Luckily, the aerial footage had managed to capture a large shopping centre, which was located mainly in the Kyushuu region. There was only one in Kanagawa-ken, so Kamijou managed to get the location immediately.

However, the GPS image wouldn't be able to show the family name.

Kamijou could only find the approximate location and then search through the commotion.

After confirming the location, Kamijou walked out of the toilet and onto the beach. Ignoring the people playing on the beach, he headed to the umbrella that was slightly further away. How careless of them to have left all their luggage bags here. Kamijou felt somewhat guilty as he searched through his father's wallet and pulled out his old house keys; and then he returned back to the Wadatsumi.

Kanzaki was waiting at the first level of the Wadatsumi.

"Alright, where's your old house?"

"Hm, it'll take twenty minutes to get there. The easiest way is to take a taxi over."

"...Let me ask you again, are you really going to go there? You don't have to accompany us, you know."

"...Let me answer you again, that's my house. If I leave it to you guys, you guys will mess it up, and my house will vanish from the map."

Even though he said that, Kamijou was partly worried about Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado. Though Misha had sent Hino Jinsaku retreating yesterday through overwhelming force, it didn't mean that he could relax.

"Since Hino's a magician, my right hand can at least be of some use here. As for that, I suppose we all understood that when you guys tried to pull my beach pants down."

Kanzaki was inadvertently silent. At this moment, Tsuchimikado and Misha were there. Though Kamijou didn't know who Misha got switched with, Tsuchimikado was a troublemaking idol now, so it would be troublesome if he met the resort boss.

"Hi, Kami-yan! If you're ready, hurry up and lets go! You're the only one who knows where your house is, we need you to lead us."

Misha remained silent. The weather was so hot, yet she wasn't sweating at all.

"Ah, as for that, it takes twenty minutes to get to my house by car, so we better take a cab."

"Eh?" Tsuchimikado sounded rather unhappy as he said, "Seems like I have to hide before the taxi arrives. It'll be bad if the boss who looks like Stiyl sees me."

After saying that, Tsuchimikado left the resort like a ninja.

"Tsuchimikado!"

Kanzaki shouted as she followed. Maybe Tsuchimikado's attitude of wanting to drag Kamijou down made her unhappy.

Kamijou remained stunned for a while, then he pulled out his mobile phone to hail a taxi.

After ending the phone call, he wondered, (Oh yeah, who's paying for it? I don't want to! But if we have to play janken, I'll lose...)

Thinking about that, Kamijou suddenly felt that someone was behind him.

Misha Kreutzev was still standing there.

"WAHH!"

Having thought that Misha would have disappeared, Kamijou shrieked.

"My first question: Why are you so panicky?"

"Nothing..."

Kamijou didn't know how to explain it.

Misha's method of asking was very suitable for information exchange, but it was not suited to chit-chat at all.

The taxi would take five to ten minutes to arrive. Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki had disappeared, so there was nobody else to talk to. However, Kamijou was reluctant to leave Misha alone, so he could only stay here. This awkward silence was like taking a lift.

And Misha was basically wearing what was similar to underwear with a coat over it. While both of them were alone, Kamijou even felt embarrassed to look at her.

(This...this is too intense...damn it...I can't even smile at all...)

Thirty seconds into the silence, and Kamijou was unable to take it. Kamijou preferred to have 'a cheerful dinner table gathering'. He looked around to find something they could talk about, and then searched his pockets. He touched something hard, and pulled it out; it was chewing gum.

"You...you want some?"

Kamijou carefully asked, but Misha remained unmoving.

"My second question: From your question, this should be a form of food, right?"

"It can be eaten, but it can't be swallowed."

Misha suspiciously tilted her head. Kamijou again passed the chewing gum to Misha, who moved her hand slowly. She nudged the edge of the chewing gum with one finger, not touching Kamijou's fingers at all. Her movements were rather uncommon; it was like a shop attendant passing the change to the customer.

It seemed like Misha had never seen chewing gum before, and she stared at the paper wrapped object for quite a while before peeling it carefully. She then brought the chewing gum to her nose and sniffed it like a small animal, before sticking her tongue out and licking the chewing gum gently.

(Uu...seems like I'm not trusted at all...she's actually testing for poison...)

Even though his face was smiling, Kamijou was crying deep inside. Misha finally put the chewing gum into her mouth. After taking the first chew, she stopped. Maybe the feeling of the chewing gum was something she never experienced? Misha maintained this position before her small mouth started to move again. It seemed like she was rather satisfied.

"My personal opinion: Hm, sweet foods are good. I often say that sweets are a source of longevity, it reminds me of God's grace."

Though her expression was hidden by her bangs, her lips seemed to be smiling.

At that moment, Kamijou was finally released from the heavy atmosphere.

Seeing Misha chew the gum like a child, he heaved a sigh of relief.

However, Misha's throat rolled with a 'glup'.

"WAH! WHY DID YOU SWALLOW IT?"

"My third question: Why are you so panicky? Is this a chewing type cigarette that can't be swallowed?"

Seeing Kamijou shout on reflex, Misha just looked puzzled as she tilted her head. She then reached her hand out with an of-course attitude, meaning 'I want another one'.

(Is this really alright?)

Kamijou wondered if he should teach her the correct way to consume chewing gum.

(Never mind, it's something that can be put into the mouth and chewed. It shouldn't be poisonous...)

Kamijou then took out another piece of chewing gum and passed it to Misha, and she pinched the chewing gum as she received it.

Kamijou though didn't know that the main component of chewing gum was synthetic rubber.

Part 5

After a while, the taxi arrived. Kamijou and company boarded it and headed to the perimeter. The driver (because of the appearance switch, the person holding the steering wheel was a female high school student) said that the police had already sealed the road off, and the taxi could only go halfway. Kamijou and company indicated that it was alright.

Kanzaki's nodachi was about two metres long, and extended from the back end to the front seats in the cramped car. Though the driver looked really bothered, since it was a nodachi, she didn't care to complain about it.

The four of them disembarked some place far away from where the onlookers were gathered.

While disembarking, the driver saw Tsuchimikado's face.

"You're an idol--right? My daughter really likes you!"

The taxi driver then happily opened his notebook, and Tsuchimikado smiled as he gave a huge autograph.

The taxi left. If the reports on the TV were true, the perimeter net around the scene should be six hundred metres in radius.

"Speaking of which, wouldn't that be too exaggerating? Why must they set up such a large net when the police don't even have enough manpower? Can't they just shrink it?"

Kamijou's reply to this question was easy, but it gave him an uncomfortable feeling.

"Maybe the higher-ups have allowed them to fire? This is to prevent the civilians from being hit by stray bullets."

However, even if it was a bank robbery, the police wouldn't have set up such a large road blockage. Maybe to the police, today's incident wouldn't be settled by one or two shots. It may end up as a large scale mechanical and explosive battle. Such high level alert was only seen in Europe and America, when explosives were involved, and this was a rarity in Japan. Besides, there was only one convict. Maybe Hino Jinsaku was a rather unique criminal to the police.

As Kamijou wondered about that, Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado started to discuss the actions they should take next.

"Hm, the media's helicopter is gone. Maybe they got warned by the police."

"The reporters on the ground are also sealed off by the barricade. Those wolf-like guys can actually listen. That's weird, maybe someone's pressuring them from above."

Tsuchimikado said that as he readjusted the tilted pair of blue shades. It seemed like he was really after those gossiping reporters.

"Are you saying someone in the Japanese police has realized that Hino Jinsaku used Angel Fall? But I thought that report from earlier this year determined a 0th Investigation Department that specializes in spiritual matters was a groundless rumor."

"I'm not talking about that dimension. Those people are just afraid of someone capturing the image of the 0.22 caliber rounds the police use when they blow Hino's brains out. Political figures require a much better image than idols. It's complicated."

Kanzaki revealed an irritated look as she looked at the no entry area. Misha continued to chew on her chewing gum.

After looking at those three experts, Kamijou said, "Now what? There's still the crowd and the police out there. How are we going to go back to my house? Do we have to go by the sewers?"

"The police must have considered that Hino may escape by the sewers. Anyway, let's get to your house first."

Tsuchimikado said that as a matter of fact, and Kamijou was inadvertently stunned.

"How?" ƒ𝒓e𝐞we𝚋𝙣ｏ𝚟𝚎𝘭.co𝙢

"You're asking how? Of course we're going by the front."

Tsuchimikado said that as he pointed to the concrete wall of a nearby residence.

The police had already sealed off all the roads nearby.

But on the other hand, there wouldn't be any police on 'those places that aren't roads'. The nearby residents had evacuated, and the gardens of the residences were blocked by the shrubs and the walls, forming a space that couldn't be seen from the road.

Tsuchimikado and company casually passed by the residences, and Kamijou followed. They jumped past the hedges and climbed over the walls to get from one residence to another.

Of course, this alone wasn't enough to escape the police's eyes.

Though the police were watching the roads, it didn't mean that they would ignore the gardens of the civilians, car shades and the like. If Kamijou and company were to be seen by them, they would definitely be arrested.

That's right, if they were spotted.

But Tsuchimikado and company were able to use various opportunities, like when a policeman just so happened to be talking to another one nearby, or one who was focused on the wireless broadcast, or those who just saw a stray cat leap out of a dark corner, or one who was staring at the sky for no reason...they continued to use these chances to quickly slip by the police. And they never got stopped. The moment they slipped through just so happened to be the time the police revealed an opening, as if everything was timed.

Basically, the outcome was that Tsuchimikado and company were running all the way without stopping as they slipped through the perimeter.

And they even brought the amateur Kamijou along.

At that moment, Kamijou was reminded of some video games—the spy games where one had to slip through and hide in those buildings that were occupied by terrorists, or a ninja who had to get through those Japanese style buildings that had guards roaming around, or something similar. Kamijou seemed to be under the illusion that he was seeing a record being smashed or something.

But reality was a little different from the games.

The stages of the games were designed to be broken through.

A perimeter in real life however was designed to prevent people from entering.

It sounded like nothing much, but the difference between them was huge.

Seeing such amazing prowess, Kamijou realised that Tsuchimikado, who he felt was close to him, was actually an expert, and that made him extremely bitter. Tsuchimikado, who was humming as he easily passed the perimeter, seemed a bit further away from Kamijou now.

After passing through the six hundred metre radius police perimeter, they hadn't met a single soul for a while. But after running inside, they found some people who were armed with armoured clothes and transparent shields. They were the assault forces members, but there were some people who were switched into grandpas and grandmas, so they didn't really look reliable.

At that moment, Tsuchimikado stopped and hid behind a car on the road. The rest followed suit.

"Alright, it's now difficult to sneak it. The forces surrounding Kami-yan's house are all watching with binoculars, so it's impossible to go in without being discovered."

"Impossible...? Then how?"

Kamijou was shocked that they came all the way there, only to be out of ideas.

"Yah, though magic spells that can interfere with consciousness will cause the assault forces to sleep or be unconscious, this will end up with no one responding to the wireless communication. The police outside may suspect that something's wrong."

Kanzaki paused.

She was considering what was just said.

"How about we use spells that don't change their judgement?"

Kamijou didn't understand it at all, and Misha silently stared at Kanzaki.

"Basically, we just need to let the assault forces think that another house is Kamijou Touma's house. With this, no matter what happens inside Kamijou Touma's house, the assault forces will report that everything's clear."

Shua! A gust of wind could be heard.

Numerous steel wires appeared beside Kanzaki. If it wasn't for the reflected sunlight, the naked eye would definitely have been unable to see them.

"Boundary of Forbidden Wires—a summoning circle that originates from South East Asia. It's meant to summon a god that protects houses."

"How can you reveal my methods in front of them so thoroughly, Tsuchimikado?" Kanzaki sighed, and said, "If we have to use it on all the assault forces, it seems like we need a one-hundred-metre radius web. The work will take about twenty minutes, so find a place to hide first."

"Roger that~"

Tsuchimikado stroked the blue shades with his fingertips as he casually replied.

"Also, Kamijou Touma, don't touch these wires. The Boundary of Forbidden Wires uses a three-dimensional magic array formed by the wires to replace a two-dimensional one. The wires are the core of the boundary, so the magic may be dissipated if your right hand touches it."

"I got it, I won't be so stupid to touch the wires when my fingers can be cut off. My right hand just got sliced off a while back, and I don't want to have another limb separated. No matter how unfortunate I am, I don't have to be that pitiful, do I?"

Suddenly, the expression on Kanzaki's face disappeared.

"Eh? But Kami-yan, wasn't it 'the good thing among all the bad things' when your hand got cut during the Misawa Cram School battle?"

Tsuchimikado and Kamijou didn't notice the slight change on Kanzaki's face.

"Who will be happy with getting a hand sliced off!? Meeting someone like that damned pedophile of an alchemist is already my misfortune."

Crack! Kanzaki turned away from Kamijou.

Kamijou felt a chill down his back as he inadvertently turned to look at Kanzaki. This was a subconscious act, similar to what humans would do when endangered.

Kanzaki's back was emotionless now.

"Wha...what? Are you unhappy?"

"Nothing."

Kanzaki answered.

Kanzaki left Kamijou as she went to set up the Boundary of Forbidden Wires. While leaving, she didn't even look back.

She dashed into an empty area and started to set up the wires one by one.

What was different in an ordinary city as compared to Academy City was that there were telephone poles on the road, which made it easy to hide the wires and support them. Kanzaki used the poles and cables to form a one-hundred-metre radius three-dimensional magic array that created a unique wavelength of magic to cause the assault forces to be wrong in their judgement. The Boundary of Forbidden Wires looked like a Chinese wok, but Kamijou may have thought that it looked like a saucer-shaped antenna.

Kamijou.

Hearing him say the word 'misfortune', Kanzaki frowned.

(It's not his fault. I shouldn't have taken it out on him.)

Logically she knew that, but a certain illogical emotion made Kanzaki not want to remain there.

Kanzaki had a bad memory about the word 'misfortune'.

If possible, she would not like to hear that again.

Afraid of the dusty memory being opened up again, Kanzaki chose to run. Faster, stronger, concentrate. The act of concentrating caused her to not think of those things she was afraid of.

After Kanzaki ran away, Kamijou, who was hiding in the shade of the car, sighed.

He was shocked that the magicians were so lazy they didn't have a plan, even though they were so powerful. Basically, if Kanzaki just so happened to be unable to use that 'so-so boundary', what did they intend to do? Were they going to stand around and laze? Even if they were those special forces 'who specialise in eliminating' in the movies, there would be some scenes where they were seen planning with the layouts before charging into a building occupied by terrorists.

Speaking of which, the last time he fought the alchemist with the rune magician during the Misawa Cram School incident, there hadn't seemed to be any plan.

Kamijou complained about this to Tsuchimikado, but Tsuchimikado's response was "Of course".

"Kami-yan, we magicians are experts, but we aren't like those trained special forces. We aren't like soldiers who are trained to be organised in killing, and we aren't trained to have teamwork. We're amateurs in battle."

"What?"

Kamijou frowned.

To Kamijou, the words 'battling amateurs' certainly didn't match these magicians.

"Are you kidding me? Those people like Stiyl and Aureolus can just laugh and beat up a type-90 tank from the front! Those battle maniacs, those destructive monsters, how can they be amateurs?"

Misha silently reached her hand out to Kamijou, and Kamijou again passed a chewing gum to her. Like a cashier handing money to the customer, Misha received the chewing gum without touching Kamijou's hand.

Through the blue shades, Tsuchimikado saw that action between Kamijou and Misha.

"That's like being a middle schooler with a nuke launch button in the hand. Though we have amazing magic abilities, that isn't the result of military training."

Tsuchimikado chuckled.

"Or else you would have felt weird right, Kami-yan? If magicians were trained professionally, why would they harbour so many personal feelings in battle? Knowing the shocking truth and being stunned in front of the enemy, treating the enemy's words as true, pitying the enemy, wanting to fight the enemy one on one—the battles between magicians have too many unnecessary elements."

If they really were a group of cold-blooded killing machines who were trained, they wouldn't listen to the enemy, wouldn't pity them, wouldn't want to face the enemy head on, or even enter the enemy's line of sight. Even if they knew the shocking truth, they would choose to beat the enemy down. Once they got an order to kill, even if the enemy grabbed a child to use as a human shield, they would still pierce the enemy's heart together with the child. That was a real professional fighter.

"Basically, magicians are kids. Kids with knives, kids who are crying and trembling, for they were once betrayed by the world."

Tsuchimikado sighed.

"Magicians are like this. They have wishes, and once prayed to God, but never got a response. Having lost it, they could only toss their bodies into this underground world called magic."

Kamijou couldn't say anything. Tsuchimikado was a magician; even though he was looking rather casual, the person in front of him was a magician. That teenager who had a smile on his face almost every time must probably have a blank spot within him.

Misha, who was silently chewing the chewing gum, must be the same as well.

"The term 'magician'—especially the modern magicians that were established in the tenth century, will carve their wishes onto their souls. This is the magic name. Carving the reason why they want to learn magic or give up their entire lives for the one goal by writing it out it Latin. Like for me, I'm Fallere825, Kanzaki nee-chin's Salvare000. The numbers behind are used to prevent others from repeating the word, so this is like an email authentication."

"...Thi—"

—How much must one be prepared to give up? Kamijou wondered. Even if he himself didn't have much of a real goal, Kamijou knew that it was a tough thing to talk about one's own dreams in front of others. Besides, everyone would be afraid of getting their dreams rejected. Many wanted to be idols or sportspeople, and gave up their dreams after their parents and teachers rubbished them. That was because the impact of having a dream denied was huge.

Weren't those aspiring magicians afraid?

Why could they make such a realisation of not giving up even when many people would doubt them?

"To people like us, the term 'group' isn't too significant. We just so happen to gather because we have similar goals. Whether it's Kanzaki nee-chin or Stiyl, once the group becomes an obstacle to their goal in life, they can betray the organisation easily. However, because of the hostage that's Index, they won't leave so easily."

Though the term 'hostage' shocked Kamijou, he just sighed.

The magician's definition of an expert was completely different from that of a special forces soldier, and right now, Kamijou could somewhat understand it. The magicians were different from those people who could go against their own will for money and kill. Magicians didn't listen to orders, and didn't want money, but they wouldn't go against their own beliefs—those who pushed this naive thought to the extreme were called experts among magicians.

(...If so...)

Kamijou looked at where Kanzaki left.

No one was there. It was just a wide, empty street.

Kanzaki hadn't looked happy when she left.

(Did I say something that hurt her beliefs as an expert?)

Seeing Kamijou being so insecure, Tsuchimikado smiled.

"Ah, Kanzaki nee-chin must be unhappy because she heard the word 'misfortune' nya."

"Misfortune...? Did I just say that?"

Kamijou tilted his head and recalled. He turned to Misha, who didn't say anything as she continued to chew on the chewing gum silently.

"To Kami-yan, 'fukou da' became a catchphrase already, right? In fact, Kanzaki nee-chin is bothered by her own misfortune."

"...'fukou'?"

Kamijou looked like he didn't understand, and Tsuchimikado nodded.

"In Japan, there's a secret Christian sect called the Amakusa. Nee-chin was designated to be the Priestess of this group before she was born. Also, she's one of the Saints who's blessed with the Stigma from God, and it's said that there's only about twenty of them."

Tsuchimikado smiled.

But it was now different from the casual ones before.

"She has the talent of succeeding no matter whether she works hard or not, she doesn't even need to do anything in order to earn the hearts of the people. Every day, she will have an unexpected surprise. Even if she's to be assassinated, she can survive because of luck. The bullet will deviate for no reason. Even if a bomb explodes beside her, she can survive without so much of a scratch."

Tsuchimikado's words sounded like a lullaby,

"--So Kanzaki nee-chin couldn't forgive her own fortune. No, she's probably cursing her curse."

"...What? Is there really any need to be troubled?"

As for Kamijou who was always filled with misfortune, this was truly a position worth envying.

"Who knows, maybe you should experience it to understand it."

Tsuchimikado smiled.

But he didn't look happy at all.

"But Kami-yan, how's the feeling when someone is lucky? When there's only one winning lottery ticket and someone will always draw it, doesn't that mean that other people won't be able to ever win it?"

"...Ah..."

"She's had the Priestess position ever since she was born, but others who wanted the position couldn't fulfil their dreams. She had the ability to succeed when others despaired after trying so hard. She managed to be the centre of attention without doing anything, but other people at the centre are forced out. Her wishes will always come true, she will always have a surprise everyday, but there are people behind her who can't fulfill it, and can only choose to give up all hope. She can survive so many assassinations without any reason at all, but the weak will protect her and die in front of her. Many who admired her have died blocking bullets for her, taking the explosions, and so on."

"..."

"If nee-chin was a bad person, she wouldn't even need to worry. However, she couldn't forgive herself for taking up all the fortune. It's because she loves the people around her that she can't forgive herself for being the lucky person who brings misfortune to others."

Tsuchimikado sighed.

He looked up at the sky and said, "In the end, nee-chin couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand seeing the people she cared for dying because she brought misfortune to them, who ended up telling her even before dying that being able to see her was their greatest fortune."

Kamijou didn't know what to say.

Kanzaki was now affiliated with the Anglican Church, which meant that she had left the Amakusa. Even though she had been born with the highest position and was admired by everyone, she had chosen to leave everything to prevent the people who believed in her from suffering the misfortune. In order to protect the people around her, she could only suppress her feelings of wanting to be with them and choose to be alone.

In the end, the people who could be with her—

Were those as strong as Necessarius, a unique organisation that wouldn't be affected by luck or no luck.

What kind of feeling was that? Kamijou wondered.

Kamijou really regretted causing Kanzaki to recall all of that; he really regretted talking about his misfortune in front of her so casually.

At that moment, Tsuchimikado noticed it, and said, "But Kami-yan, you don't really have to mind about this. Nee-chin wanted this. She got hurt by her own heart, what does it have to do with you?"

Tsuchimikado waved his hand.

"She's just throwing a kid's tantrum, you don't have to worry."

Though Tsuchimikado was chuckling as he said that, Kamijou's melancholy wasn't eased.

A short silence.

There wasn't a single sound on the streets, only the occasional sound of dogs barking, similar to that of a dog's bark at midnight. At that moment, the sound of a train moving far away could be heard.

After a while, Kamijou looked around on that empty street.

"Speaking of which, why is Kanzaki so slow? Nee-chin has the ability to break through tanks from the front even if she got caught. However, though nee-chin's one of the ten strongest magicians in London, her magic isn't cautious. She's not the best in setting up boundaries, so maybe she ended up spending more time."

"...Oh ya, I'm still not used to the fact that you're a magician. Does that mean that you're a priest, and will wear priest robes?"

"Undercover policemen don't wear uniforms. I'm not too familiar with clerical work, and my Bible is all dusty. My basis of magic isn't Kabbalah, but a mix of Taoism and a Japanese Onmyodo."

"...Onmyodo...that feels Japanese."

"Yeah, but Kabbalah and Onmyodo are rather similar." Tsuchimikado nodded twice, and continued, "Like for example, the symbols that represent the 5 elements; both East and West use the Pentacle. Also, everything is designated by a colour and a position, and when setting a magic array, there will be four guardian deities set at the four positions, but in the Western world, they're called the four archangels, and in the East, they're the four gods nya."

"Oh..."

To Kamijou, those were things of the unknown, so he just said, "Unbelievable."

"There's nothing unbelievable, these aren't coincidences. The one who established Onmyodo was Abe no Seimei during the Heian period, and during that time, there were a lot of foreign stuff brought in through the Silk Road, and I suppose Onmyodo was affected to an extent. Even that Onmyodo classic Kinugyokutoshū was passed here from China. If you're interested, you can ask Index for this book if you want."

Tsuchimikado then said in a self-mocking tone.

"But I specialise in feng shui. There's a difference in reading the landscape through Eastern and Western means."

"Fengshui? Like Kobayashi-sensei?"

Kamijou had seen a job called 'feng shui master' in RPGs. So that was his job, right?

"Ah, Kami-yan let me make this clear, the world originally doesn't have a profession called a fengshui master. In China, the one who's supposed to do this is the Taoise priest, and of course, here in Japan, it's the Onmyoji's job."

Tsuchimikado lifted his fingers and started to count.

"The feng shui's job is just one of it. Feng shui master, divination master, alchemist, curse specialist, prayer master, waterclock master; these are jobs that are derived from Taoism and Onmyodo."

"Oh...it's like how a part of Shaolin martial arts got passed to Okinawa and ended up being karate?"

"It's a similar feeling. The way in Taoism is to exert air into other objects, and by the same principle, using it on the ground and earth will form feng shui. In a scientific point of view, it's the Gaia theory. Basically, it's a theory of treating the earth as a life form."

Tsuchimikado then pondered for a while, and added on.

"And among which, I specialise in the black arts. Basically, it's 'creating a water road' nya."

"Creating a water road?"

"Exactly what it says, creating a water road. By using the water to create a large magic array to protect a castle or a city. It's not rare to see water roads formed as magic arrays. Though it's unrelated to feng shui, the water capital of Italy is one. It's said that at the end of World War II, the Japanese intended to link all the air-raid shelters to create a large water road array, too bad it failed nya."

Tsuchimikado seemed to recall the past.

"I used to specialise in setting traps by using water roads. Actually, that's what an Onmyoji does, to secretly summon a god far away where people can't see it, or to conceal myself by using the surrounding magic arrays the enemy set up. The Heian period people feared Onmyodo, not because how strong it was, but because it's a despicable, heinous, cunning, shameless taboo that's used to corner people from the darkness."

As they continued to talk, they saw Kanzaki moving among the shadows quickly and returning back to Kamijou and the rest.

She looked calm, almost without any emotion.

"The Boundary of Forbidden Wires is activated. The assault forces surrounding Kamijou's house should be treating an empty house three hundred metres away as Kamijou's house and shifted their perimeter."

"Okay, then we can mess up Kami-yan's house without anyone looking nya."

Tsuchimikado casually said that as he stepped out. Misha and Kanzaki followed him, with only Kamijou left stunned.

Kanzaki turned around and asked, "Let's go. Or do you intend to stay here and let us handle Hino?"

"Ah...oh..."

Kamijou replied and frantically followed Kanzaki, who was waiting for him. He chased up to Tsuchimikado's back. While running, he wondered, should I apologise to her for making her remember something this unpleasant?

(...No, she'll end up remembering that again.)

Since it was not a good memory, it was best not to make her remember. Kamijou shook his head. Kanzaki stared at Kamijou in a puzzled manner, and in order to avoid Kanzaki's gaze, Kamijou hastened his steps.

Part 6

The Kamijou nameplate was stuck on the concrete wall near the entrance--swinging together with the mailbox and the doorbell.

Kamijou and company were hiding behind the hedge opposite the Kamijou's house.

It was an ordinary looking two storey wooden house.

But in this hot summer, all the windows were shut, and the thick curtains were pulled up. One could tell that something was not right. Though he had lost his memory, Kamijou should more or less have a feeling a nostalgia, and on seeing this house that was full of evil energy, he could only talk of those tragic cases like family violence or girls being imprisoned.

And in truth, it wasn't like anyone could say that this feeling wasn't right.

In this huge house that rejected sunlight, there was truly a convict who was on death row, having killed 28 people on the excuse of demon worship and sacrificed them, and caused the world to be involved in the crisis called Angel Fall.

From behind the hedge, Kanzaki peered over from the curtain that was blocking the window at the second level, and whispered, "Hm, we can't tell where Hino is from here. If Stiyl were here, maybe he could use the heat source to detect Hino's location."

Kanzaki's tone seemed to indicate a sense of pity,

"But since the windows are shut tight, I suppose Hino can't tell that we're already nearby. If we want to strike, we have to do it fast. Where's Kamijou's house keys?"

"Over here nya!"

For some reason, Tsuchimikado actually pulled out a silver key from his pocket. Kamijou frantically searched his own pocket, and found the key missing. It seemed like Tsuchimikado had nabbed Kamijou's key, but the time when and method with which he did it was still a mystery.

Kanzaki seemed to be irritated by this meaningless act Tsuchimikado made, and she said, "Alright, we'll set up a diversion. Tsuchimikado, go by the front, and make as much noise as you can. Once Kreutzev and I hear you, we'll sneak in from another direction."

"Got it. Misha should have no problems with this, right?"

Tsuchimikado asked Misha, who only responded with a "My first response: Definite". She then pulled out a saw, and without anyone's assistance, she jumped up to the porch above the first level and hid at a small window next to the second level.

While Kamijou was still reeling from shock, he saw Kanzaki jump up in front of her. Without any assistance, she actually jumped over Misha, who was on the first level porch, and silently landed on the second level roof. She then moved to the other side of the roof, the part that was facing the yard.

That was too ridiculous, completely illogical. That was like a child asking how to run faster and an adult answering seriously with 'put an engine on your body'. It was too illogical that even common sense was denied.

After Kanzaki and Misha left with a to-be-expected look, Tsuchimikado walked out from the hedge.

Being left behind, Kamijou asked Tsuchimikado, "A...oi! What about me?"

"Kanzaki nee-chin didn't mention you, so that means you better stay here, nya?" Tsuchimikado turned around and continued, "You just saw it, Kami-yan. There are 3 magicians that have superhuman physical abilities, so don't worry."

"Bu...but...two of them are girls."

Hearing Kamijou's words, Tsuchimikado cackled like a hyena as he stared through the blue shades at Kamijou.

"Please, Kami-yan, Kanzaki nee-chin is a Saint with the Stigma. Can that weapon who has the power of a Saint be considered a girl?"

"...Saint weapon?"

"That's right, Kami-yan. Didn't I explain the Idol Theory to you yesterday? Though the crosses on the roofs of churches are fake, as long as the shape is the same, they can obtain a certain amount of power."

Tsuchimikado explained this really quickly while noticing Kanzaki and Misha's movements.

"The same theory can be applied to duplicate items of God. Humans are created in God's image, so it's possible to infuse humans with God's blessing. Of course, only a few people have the privilege to be humans similar to God. Someone like Kanzaki nee-chin, who's naturally born with the blessing of God, has the proof of a Saint: the Stigma. Once she releases the power of the Stigma, she can, for a short while, gain power that far exceeds a human. Right now, Kanzaki nee-chin can take down an entire city on her own, you know?"

Tsuchimikado said his goodbyes to Kamijou and hid beside the main door, inserting the silver key into the keyhole.

Being left alone behind the hedge, Kamijou started to wonder.

Was it really good to leave everything to them? It was true that those magicians were fighting experts. Recalling the overwhelming power Misha had displayed yesterday in defeating Hino Jinsaku, he felt that there was nothing much to worry about.

However...

Did those people really realise how hard it was to fight in the darkness?

In an indoor battle in the darkness, the most terrifying thing wasn't attacks that came from the enemy, but to have their own people kill each other. Two figures who met each other face to face in the darkness or that popped out from a corner may end up attacking each other accidentally, and that was the scariest thing. Though Kamijou wasn't an expert in night fighting, when he was fighting on the alleys, he knew that if he had to fight when he couldn't escape, he had to choose an empty space, for there may be an ambush in the dark corners.

And Hino Jinsaku would definitely understand that.

He should know how to let the enemies fight against each other in the darkness. Maybe the sneak attack last night caused Kamijou to overestimate Hino's abilities, but he had deliberately pulled up the curtains to create a dark space. It was a logical guess that his aim was to let his enemies kill each other.

(Cheh...if that's the case, the stronger the companions, the worse it is!)

Kamijou frantically dashed to the entrance, where Tsuchimikado was. He nearly knocked into a short artificial bird nest near the door as he rushed over.

"Wait for me, Tsuchimikado!"

Tsuchimikado cursed, but there was no time to argue. He softly, but firmly said to Kamijou, "...I'm going in. Kami-yan, follow me from behind. But don't think that it's a safe zone. Most importantly, watch your back."

Kamijou also knew that there wasn't going to be a safe zone. He wanted to bicker back like a child, but he saw that Tsuchimikado had already turned the key in the keyhole.

With a short inhale, Tsuchimikado forcefully slammed the door open.

BAM! The loud cannon-like opening of the door echoed throughout the empty residence.

(Uu...!)

Looking into the door, Kamijou nearly shouted out.

Hot air flowed out from the dark interior of the door, and the sealed space of hot air had a strange stench in it. It was like putting a rotting crab into a sink, and causing the water in the sink to let out such a stench as it stimulated Kamijou's nose and eyes.

From within the darkness 'zz--', the sound of a tire letting out air could be heard.

The wide open rectangular door looked like some mysterious sink.

At that moment, Tsuchimikado didn't intend to do any meaningless deal. He silently headed forward, and Kamijou followed Tsuchimikado from behind as he entered that man-made darkness.

The door was like a spring as it closed from behind Kamijou.

The hot air surrounded Kamijou, as if he had entered a beast's lair.

Though the curtains and windows blocked out the light, it was not completely dark. There were small gaps in between the thick curtains. If he had used tape to seal all the windows and curtains up, maybe Hino could have created complete darkness. But he hadn't.

(However...)

It was because it was not a complete darkness, but a dark space that had some light, that one would have a bad feeling about it. Because they could see the silhouette, an ordinary umbrella could be seen as a squatting person. If someone suddenly appeared from behind a wall, it was likely that they would attack before they could even identify the person. The nekotama on the shoe shelf and the red mailbox shaped decoration formed a scary black figure, and the wooden sword gift that was stabbed at the umbrella rack looked like an arm that had been severed. If they opened the floor on the corridor, there may have been a rotting corpse underneath. If they pulled the wallpaper down, they may have seen an old coffin hammered in.

There were huge South American masks, Moai statues and other religious decorations all over the place. Those should be what Touya had bought when he went overseas.

Upon entering the room, there was a glass door on the right side, and the front lead to the second level. There were also two doors beside the stairs. One of them had a lock, it should be the toilet, right?

(Where's Kanzaki and Misha...?)

Kamijou looked up; there was no sound at all. Of course, if he could hear their voices here, it would be meaningless for them to sneak in. 𝘧r𝘦𝗲w𝘦𝚋𝐧o𝘷𝘦𝙡.co𝑚

Tsuchimikado continued to walk on.

He headed toward the toilet, opened the door silently, and peered inside. He then closed the door; seemed like Hino wasn't inside. Tsuchimikado then opened the door beside the toilet, and this time, Kamijou followed him.

On opening the door, the ripping sound that was like a balloon losing air got even louder, and the stench that irritated the nose got even stronger.

It was the changing room.

They could somewhat see the silhouette of the washing machines, clothes dryer and face-washing sink. There was a frosted glass sliding door beside, and it was not hard to imagine that it linked to the bathroom.

Tsuchimikado pulled the frosted glass door open and looked inside.

The bathroom seemed to have become a warm and humid place. There was a plastic turtle on the ground, and it was likely something that could float in a bathtub. The entire place didn't look like a bathroom, but rather, a basement for imprisoning children.

Tsuchimikado looked into the empty bathtub.

Kamijou turned back to look at the changing room. The mirror at the washing sink was pitch black like a sea at night. There was hair wax, T-shaped shavers and Western chess-shaped glass bottles arranged on it. Seems like Touya chose all those overseas gifts based on personal liking?

Tsuchimikado pushed Kamijou aside and headed to the other end of the changing room. That place seemed to be the kitchen.

(...Hold on...)

Kamijou had a bad feeling about this. A strange stench was carried by the air flowing out of the kitchen. The sharp stench that was getting stronger as they headed to the kitchen was...

"...(Tsuchimikado! Hurry up and get away!)"

Kamijou thought that he had held his voice low, but unexpectedly, his voice in the darkness was extremely loud. The unexpected volume caused Kamijou's heart to beat unnaturally.

But Tsuchimikado didn't say anything and he gave Kamijou a look "What's up?"

"...(It's gas! This is the smell of gas! That guy turned on the gas valve!)"

Hearing Kamijou say that, Tsuchimikado seemed shocked and his shoulders trembled.

Maybe Hino had already discovered that Kamijou and company wanted to enter and had already escaped. He may have intended to set fire from the outside and blow up Kamijou and company (or maybe Hino thought that the intruders were assault forces). Kamijou took one step back after another and tried to leave the kitchen. At that moment, Tsuchimikado may have felt that it was dangerous to stay there, and he took a step out to where Kamijou was.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye.

Behind Tsuchimikado—in the kitchen, a skinny figure silently appeared behind him.

"Tsu...!"

Just as Kamijou wanted to shout, that person raised the sickle and hacked down at Tsuchimikado with a terrifying arc.

Who could have expected that?

In this house that was filled with gas, the person who turned the gas on had actually hidden in the most dangerous place.

Having been caught in this psychological blind spot, Tsuchimikado still hadn't realised the death presence behind him.

The sickle stabbed down towards Tsuchimikado's head--

"!"

--In the nick of time, Kamijou managed to knock Tsuchimikado aside. Even though the changing room was extremely narrow, a metre to the side was all they needed to touch the wall, the distance was more than enough to evade the knife.

The blade swept through the darkness, and Kamijou, who knocked Tsuchimikado aside, felt a sharp burning pain on the wrist.

He had gotten hit, but the wound was shallow. Kamijou ignored it as he stared straight ahead. Hino Jinsaku raised the sickle back up again and attacked Kamijou's face from the front.

Facing the silver knife that was coming down, Kamijou intended to grab something beside him and block that strike. But on reaching out his right hand, he didn't manage to grab anything, and a nightmarish thought suddenly appeared in Kamijou's mind.

Even thought it hadn't completely filled the place, the gas there was thick enough.

If he used something hard to block a blade, the sparks that flew off could explode the entire changing room!

"You...bastard!"

Standing besides him, Tsuchimikado frantically kicked Hino's sickle (or rather, the hand that was holding it) and prevented it from stabbing Kamijou's neck. The sickle flew out and landed on the washing machine. Kamijou was terrified, but it was a good thing that no sparks flew out.

Great chance. Kamijou intended to slam into Hino's abdomen and render him immobile.

But at that moment, Hino opened the mouth with saliva and blood all over it.

"GYAHHHHHH!!!!"

He screamed like a beast. Seeing Hino's open mouth that was filled with saliva, Kamijou hesitated due to fear. At that moment, Hino suddenly charged past Kamijou, grabbed the sickle on the washing machine and dashed out of the room.

"DON'T YOU RUN AWAY!"

Tsuchimikado shouted as he pursued Hino from behind. At that moment, Kamijou finally got free from the momentary freeze. He hesitated for a while, wondering whether he should follow Tsuchimikado, but finally decided to run into the kitchen.

The smell of gas in the kitchen was too terrifying. It was thick enough that static electricity on the slightest rubbing of clothes could cause an explosion. The microwave oven that had three tiger toys on it, the metallic fridge that had a wooden badge on it, the basin with multicolored glass bottles placed there...there were metallic objects and electrical appliances that could trigger a spark all over, and that caused Kamijou to tremble.

(Anyway...got to shut the gas! I don't want to get blown up in my own house!)

In the darkness, Kamijou found the gas stove, which had an aluminium hood covering it. Looking closer, he could see that the gas pipe had been pulled out. Kamijou carefully reached his hand out, as if cutting the red wire on a bomb, and gently twisted the gas valve shut.

The terrifying ripping sound stopped.

No explosion, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. He then opened the back door, and the summer sunlight shone in, causing Kamijou's eyes to feel irritated, as he was used to the darkness. His skin may have felt the poisonous gas flow away. The outdoor summer air that he had always thought to be harmful to his own body never felt so good.

At that moment...

The sound of a man's hoarse voice and frantic footsteps could be heard.

Kamijou turned back to look. The fighting sounds seemed to come from the darkness deep inside the living room. It must be Hino and Tsuchimikado. Footsteps could clearly be heard from the second level; it seemed like Kanzaki and Misha felt that there was no need to keep their footsteps' volume down.

Kamijou frantically dashed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

The living room was wide. There was a large television set at the wall, and there was a short table suitably far away. The floor had a thin-furred carpet. There was a cupboard at the wall opposite the television, and there was excess space beside it that was used to hold an old jukebox.

Tsuchimikado and Hino were standing between the television and the short table. Hino was waving the sickle crazily, while Tsuchimikado was not blocking as he completely dodged and waited for a chance to fight back. There was an ashtray, a metallic tabletop clock and other items beside Tsuchimikado that he could use to block, but it seemed like Tsuchimikado didn't dare to randomly create sparks for fear of igniting the gas.

(Don't tell me...that's part of his plan...)

Kamijou again realised the terror Hino was capable of. Using the act of skimming on the verge of death to psychologically limit the enemy's attacks. He had never seen such a method of fighting before.

In that situation, Kamijou was unable to help at all. If he was to randomly grab a weapon and charge, he may end up crashing and igniting the gas. If he didn't use any weapons, Kamijou wasn't confident that he could dodge that serial killer Hino's knife which seemed to have a mind of its own.

Tsuchimikado seemed to notice what Kamijou was thinking.

"DON'T COME OVER, KAMI-YAN!"

The moment Tsuchimikado shouted that, Hino's attention was diverted onto Kamijou.

But at that moment, while Hino was distracted, Tsuchimikado charged in at Hino. So this was Tsuchimikado's plan.

"!"

Completely shocked, Hino frantically tried to wave the knife, but it was too late. Almost sticking to Hino, Tsuchimikado twisted his abdomen and swung his arm with all his weight. However, he was not using his fists to punch like an ordinary fighter, but an elbow at Hino's chest. This hit that was infused with all of a person's weight could break ribs and pierce through a heart. It was a complete killer blow.

And Hino Jinsaku.

Facing that hammer-like blow that was about to hit his unguarded chest.

Hino actually used his fractured left arm to block it.

GUH!! The sound of teeth biting a rotten fruit could be heard.

Kamijou couldn't help but close his eyes and he turned his head away in reflex. Some warm fluids spurted onto his face.

Kamijou started to wonder if Hino Jinsaku was crazy.

This serious sense of disgust overwhelmed Kamijou. An irritating feeling climbed up his fingers.

"GYAH!!"

Kamijou heard Hino cry out in delight. That was Hino's psychological tactic. Even though he understood that, he would still turn away on reflex. Hino intended to use that to seal Tsuchimikado's movements.

Ah! The sound of the sickle swing ripped through the air.

"TSUCHIMIKADO!"

Unable to face this terrifying image, Kamijou shouted out.

BAM!

What rang out wasn't the knife hitting, but the impact of an elbow.

"Eh?"

Puzzled, Kamijou inadvertently opened his eyes.

Tsuchimikado wasn't afraid at all. He didn't turn his head away, he wasn't stiff. he stared at the enemy straight in the face and slammed the hammer-like elbow straight into the enemy's face.

"What?"

Tsuchimikado casually retorted.

Tsuchimikado was grinning, and not sadistically or psychotically. He was just smiling normally and naturally like a child.

Psychological attacks didn't work on him.

They had no effect on him at all.

Having suffered an elbow strike, Hino's body felt like it had been slammed by a metal bat. He didn't touch the floor as he flew two metres away. Having been seriously injured, Hino continued to roll on the floor until he hit the cupboard.

"Alright, time to ask him some questions nya."

Tsuchimikado bared his fangs and grins.

The eyes behind the blue shades were grinning like a beast.

Hino seemed to be conscious, but he didn't have any ability to fight back now. His body had already lost all balance, and his limbs could merely tremble. He looked like a dead bug now.

This unexpected ending caused Kamijou to almost stop thinking.

At that moment, Kanzaki and Misha finally descended down to the first level.

"Are you alright, Tsuchimikado?"

After saying that, Kanzaki frowned.

"...What's this smell?"

"Ah..."

Kamijou remembered that gas was heavier than air, so Kanzaki and Misha, who were on the second level, didn't smell it.

After Kamijou explained about the gas, Kanzaki looked somewhat nervous.

"We'll take care of the interrogation of Hino Jinsaku, can you please open the windows?"

On first glance, Kanzaki's proposal seemed logical, but Kamijou still asked, "Oi, why don't we bring him away from here first?"

"I intend to interrogate him here until we get the information we need. I don't want to give him any chance to get away."

"Oh."

Though Kamijou didn't really agree with this, he still nodded his head.

But since they agreed to do so, they should scatter the gas out of the house. It would be terrible if Hino gave up and tried to blow the place up. Kamijou walked around every single corner and opened all the windows. The whole house was filled with foreign exotic gifts. That strange habit really dumbfounded Kamijou, but now was not the time to worry about it.

After opening all the windows, Kamijou returned back to the living room. All the curtains and windows were open, and this wasn't a dark hellish place, but an ordinary living room.

"...I don't know..."

The moment he walked into the living room, he saw the limp Hino lying beside the cupboard, saying,

"What are you saying...what Angel Fall...I don't know...Angel-sama, I don't understand what these people are talking about. Please tell me...it's weird...it's weird...why did it end up like this..."

Hino continued to mutter to himself softly, as if he was playing a record that was extended due to the heat. It was like he was talking to himself, yet as if he was trying to attract the other magician's attention.

Tsuchimikado revealed a happy yet mysterious smile.

"Alright, we'll begin with our inquisition. Remember, if you want to surrender, tell us Angel Fall's ritual place. Which part should I start with? How about I dislocate the elbow joints, right? Your arms can go long when your joints are broken, but lets go with a centimetre at a time."

That casual tone Tsuchimikado was using made Kamijou feel numb. Misha was holding onto the chisel and the saw as she stood beside Tsuchimikado. They were supposed to be tools for carpentry, but the moment the timing and location changed, they became such terrifying weapons.

But Hino's attitude didn't change.

His weak and limp limbs didn't move at all, as Hino continued to mutter,

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know..."

The flat monotone crept Kamijou out.

At that moment, the index finger that was lying limp on the floor suddenly started to crawl like a caterpillar.

The finger was moving on its own, as if the wrist muscles got hit with an electrical current. The finger continued to write what seemed to be words, but as there was no ink, he couldn't form words.

Hino looked happy as he stroked the carpet with the finger.

"Ahh, Angel-sama, Angel-sama..."

The mouth full of saliva continued to utter that mysterious chant.

Kamijou inadvertently asked, "Angel-sama?"

"Yes, Angel-sama...always lives within me, Angel-sama...will always answer my problems, Angel-sama, definitely won't be wrong, Angel-sama, I will earn happiness by serving you always..."

Hino continued to say this as his hand trembled, as if his hand got spasms. And Kanzaki was starting to worry about Hino's hand.

"That's right, Angel-sama will always be right, so I turned the gas on, Angel-sama said, that if I can use the ambulance, I can use the chance to escape..."

Kamijou saw the words Hino Jinsaku carved into his own abdomen through his own knife: CALL AN AMBULANCE.

"...It translates to 'Call an ambulance', nya?

Looking down at where Kamijou was looking, Tsuchimikado commented as he stared at Hino's abdomen.

I see, Kamijou thought. The people who were supposed to rush into the house wasn't Kamijou and company, but the assault forces. The assault forces who were wearing full armour and helmets.

Hino Jinsaku originally intended to hide in the bathroom or someplace where it was safer, and once the assault team entered, he would blow the gas up and grab their equipment. He would then act as an injured person and let them lift him onto the ambulance...and then use that chance to get away.

But as for the Angel-sama that Hino had been talking about, Kamijou felt that something was not right.

Hino continued to write on the floor with such strong force that his fingers seemed like they were about to break.

Feeling wary, Kanzaki said in a loud voice, "Stop what you're doing, Hino Jinsaku. This isn't an idle threat, I'll draw the sword if you don't listen."

Kanzaki's voice was as cold as the blade, but Hino's hand continued to move.

Continue, continue, he continued to write on the floor.

"U...Uwah...I, I can't stop! Angel-sama couldn't stop!"

But Hino himself seemed to be afraid of Kanzaki.

Hino looked like he was about to cry, and yet about to laugh. Only the right hand was writing like a monster.

(...?)

Kamijou suddenly had a weird feeling.

He seemed to have seen this before, no, heard of this before.

No, it was during lessons.

During the summer remedials, Komoe-sensei had mentioned it during lessons.

What he remembered, was research about whether a person's body could have two different powers—

"—That's right, split personalities!"

Assuming that a person's consciousness was a network; if this person didn't want to remember a memory he couldn't endure and sealed off a part of the network, it was called Schizophrenia. And if the sealed part decided to split up and work as an independent network, it was called a dissociative identity disorder—which was also commonly known as a split personality disorder.

The TV programmes had mentioned it before.

Hino Jinsaku was once diagnosed with split personality disorder, and there was even a mass debate about whether he should be prosecuted.

The split personality need not be like those depicted in manga or movies, where personality A and personality B were separate. Sometimes, the two personalities could interfere with one another.

For example, there was one case of a patient with dual personalities telling the doctor that when he faces the mirror, he would find the mirror talking back to himself. But after the doctor's investigation, the result was that the patient was just talking to himself. In other words, personality A didn't realise that his mouth was being controlled by personality B.

Maybe Hino's right hand was the same thing?

If Hino was a split personality patient, his right hand would have another personality controlling it.

"That's right, Angel Fall's side effect is to switch the inside and the appearance, right?"

Kamijou asked Kanzaki.

"What about people with split personalities? Do they count as having a appearance and two insides?"

"Eh?"

Kanzaki stared at Kamijou.

"What I mean is," Kamijou stared at Kanzaki's eyes and said, "Is there a possibility that Hino Jinsaku's 'personality A' and 'personality B' got switched?"

On hearing this, everyone was stunned.

"If it's just the two personalities with the appearance of Hino Jinsaku changing with each other, he should still be Hino Jinsaku to others, right?"

Kamijou pondered for a while, and then continued.

"If that's really the case, Hino Jinsaku really got affected by Angel Fall, and is not the real culprit."

Speechless.

The magicians all remained stiff as they heard Kamijou's declaration.

"What's the answer? Do people with split personalities count as having two insides? Or are they two personalities in the same inside?"

"..."

Kanzaki couldn't answer, and could only turn to Tsuchimikado and Misha. However, nobody could tell her the answer. Ever since Angel Fall occurred, nobody ever considered the special case of a split personality patient.

At this moment, the person who broke the silence was actually Hino Jinsaku.

"STOP, STOP, STOP BLABBERING! YOU...WHY ARE YOU SAYING THE SAME THING AS THAT WEIRD DOCTOR!? ANGEL-SAMA REALLY EXISTS! ANGEL-SAMA REALLY EXISTS! WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THIS!?"

To Hino, having the existence of Angel-sama denied seemed to be much more painful than getting his own life taken away. Besides, Hino would even kill without hesitation for this Angel-sama.

But his words couldn't prove anything.

Those words ended up making Kanzaki and the rest even more confused.

"Did...did a doctor tell you that? Your Angel-sama was once diagnosed as just a simple split personality!?"

"UUU...!!!"

Hearing that question, Hino trembled.

"DON'T, DON'T BE LIKE THIS! DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THIS!! THAT DOCTOR DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING!!! HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!"

Hino continued to tremble like a child, and Kamijou inadvertently turned to look away.

Though it was a killer in front of him, Kamijou had a weird sense of guilt within him.

"Seems like I'm right." Kamijou sighed heavily and said, "Hino Jinsaku is a patient with split personality. He wasn't switched, but has his personality A and personality B switched about."

Kamijou bitterly grimaced as he made this conclusion.

"—In other words, Hino Jinsaku isn't the culprit who triggered Angel Fall."

Part 7

Everyone was stunned.

Hino, who was unrelated to the entire case, lost consciousness either due to the pain or because his Angel-sama was believed to be false.

Now, all their trails in tracking down the culprit of Angel Fall were dead-ends. They had wasted so much time. They didn't know how to handle this, and they didn't know how much time they could use to grasp around.

"If Hino's not the culprit behind Angel Fall, who is?"

"How would I know...?"

Kamijou also didn't know what to say. They had no clues at all. Not knowing what to do, Kamijou and company could only stand around.

At that moment...

"Eh?"

Not daring to look at Kanzaki, Kamijou managed to catch a glimpse that something was not right. However, he didn't know what that feeling was.

Kamijou looked at the cupboard Hino was lying at and walked over.

The things in the cupboard were plentiful. Touya, who often went overseas to work, seemed to have placed his stash of all the meaningless items here.

The only non-collectible item here was a photo frame. Though Kamijou had lost his memory, he seemed to have moved into Academy City after he graduated from kindergarten, so the people in the photo should be the young Kamijou and his young parents.

"This is..."

The switched phenomenon wasn't just limited to the bodies, even the photos were the same. Aogami Pierce could fit in perfectly into Index's nun robes because of this. The clothes, shoes sizes, fingerprints, bioinfo, photos, film, everything related to that person would be switched.

The photo in this frame had become weird because of Angel Fall. Kamijou had managed to use his Imagine Breaker ability to escape the effects, so the image of Kamijou still remained as his young self, but the photo of his mother had become Index, and the photo of his father—

—The photo of his father.

"...Hang on."

Kamijou muttered. Looking at where Kamijou's looking, the other magicians seemed to realise this.

What about Touya?

Why wasn't Kamijou Touya switched?

The topic they had just talked about seemed to be a distant memory.

“—The only one not affected by it is this boy in the middle of the commotion.”

“—In this situation, isn’t it reasonable to suspect that this boy is the culprit?”

This suspicious point started to help Kamijou remember the numerous suspicious points.

“—According to the results of the investigation, this strange phenomenon seems to be caused by you at the center, Kami-yan.”

“—However, you’re unaffected even though you’re at the center.”

The numerous suspicious points headed towards the same direction and formed a problem.

“—Kanzaki and I were lucky.”

“—Under the double protection of the distance and the barrier, we managed to escape.”

Yeah, Kamijou thought. Even if they were magicians, even most of the experts of the magical world couldn't escape Angel Fall.

"Don't tell me...dad..."

Kamijou let out those words, which made Kanzaki frown.

"What are you saying? Are you telling me that the person wasn't switched and remained the same?"

Kamijou didn't know how to answer that question.

But on thinking through it, Kanzaki's question was logical. Since Angel Fall changed all the photos and records, even if they wanted to find the information of person A after it happened, they would only find the information of person B that was switched. So even if Kamijou Touya's information wasn't switched, Kanzaki and the rest would have thought that this was another person that got switched.

At that moment, Misha, who was standing beside Kamijou, sighed coldly.

"My first response: Found the answer. Target defined. Just need to confirm the correctness of this answer... My personal opinion: I think that's a no-brainer."

After saying that, she leapt out of the open adjacent window, into the yard, and vanished without a trace.

"WAIT! MISHA KREUTZEV! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?"

Kanzaki frantically shouted, but Misha had already disappeared.

The target.

Kamijou just saw Kamijou Touya's photo and said that.

"...Tsuchimikado."

Kamijou took a deep breath, and asked, "In this Angel Fall, is it really rare to see someone like me not affected?"

"It's not just rare, it's just you only."

Tsuchimikado peered through the blue shades.

"Even with me who set up the magic array, or like nee-chin who just so happened to be in the deepest part of St. George Cathedral or Mont Saint-Michel Monastery, we couldn't get away from the effects of Angel Fall completely. It's like me knowing that I'm Tsuchimikado Motoharu, but other people view me as Hitotsui Hajime."

That's right, that was why they had thought Kamijou Touma was the culprit behind Angel Fall.

Everyone in the world should have been affected by Angel Fall, but only one person hadn't been affected by this huge magic at all.

This was the answer.

The person who wasn't affected by Angel Fall was the culprit.

Kamijou again stared at the photo frame on the cupboard.

There was a family photo of three.

Kamijou Shiina was switched as Index, no problems.

Kamijou Touma wasn't switched because of the Imagine Breaker. That was no problem as well.

However...

Kamijou Touya wasn't switched.

Of course, Touya didn't have the Imagine Breaker ability like Kamijou. if everyone in the world had to be affected by Angel Fall, and this Angel Fall was magic that affected everyone, it would be like a computer virus, only the creator was exempt.

"Damn it..."

Kamijou Touma didn't want to admit it.

But this was the only possibility.

"DAMN IT!"

The culprit was Kamijou Touya.

And Kamijou Touma hated himself for finding out.

Part 8

Angel Fall was a large scale spell that required a boundary or a magic array.

Thus, once they broke that magic array, they could stop Angel Fall.

"...Go back, Kami-yan."

But Tsuchimikado told Kamijou to return without even checking the house for a magic array.

"I'll check this place. Kami-yan, head back with nee-chin to protect Touya-san."

(Protect?)

Kamijou didn't understand, so he frowned.

Those people were affiliated with the Anglican Church. Up till now, their reason for working together with Kamijou was just to prevent Angel Fall from activating. Right now, since they knew that the culprit was Kamijou's relative, why would they choose to help Kamijou?"

Facing Kamijou's doubt, Tsuchimikado just grimaced.

"Don't look down on us, Kami-yan. Our goal is just to prevent Angel Fall from activating. Of course, it's best that we don't kill anyone nya."

Changing his tone, Tsuchimikado then grumbled.

"That Misha's too hasty, not everything can be settled by killing nya."

Settling this by killing.

Those words spooked Kamijou.

Misha wouldn't hold back when attacking the enemy. Not only did she break Hino Jinsaku's wrist, even Kamijou, who had been suspected, had a saw put to his neck.

Did she really intend to do the same thing to Kamijou Touya?

Even though she didn't know why Touya must activate Angel Fall?

Must she really swing the hammer or crowbar at Kamijou Touma's father without holding back?

"Damn it. What kind of a joke is this..."

She definitely wouldn't hesitate.

Misha Kreutzev. She had come there for that purpose.

She had originally intended to kill the culprit behind the activation of Angel Fall to solve this problem.

"...What kind of sick joke is this, DAMN IT!!!!"

Kamijou roared.

But the person who should be taking this rage wasn't there.