"'Tadaima!' Says MISAKA as MISAKA enters the apartment." After taking off her shoes, Last Order went to her room.
"Oh, welcome back, you three." Yoshikawa was sitting on the couch, engrossed in a thick book.
"Hey Yoshikawa, what are you reading?"
"Oh, this?" She held up the cover for Haruka to see. "Just a book on magic."
"A few days ago, you would have tried to hide the book and deny everything we asked about it." Accelerator glanced at the cover of the book, noting the strange-looking symbols etched on the leather-bound cover.
"Things have changed. Besides, I'm reading up on the churches, just in case there's anything we need to know before the war."
"Anything on Necessarius?"
"Hmm, let me see." Flipping through a few pages, Yoshikawa scanned through the passages. After a few seconds, she stopped and put her finger on a page. "The English Anglican Church, known as Necessarius, the Church of Necessary Evil. It was formed mainly to track down and apprehend rogue magicians in England. The magicians there are diviners, elementalists, scholars, and combat magicians."
"Magicians fighting magicians?" Haruka looked surprised.
"How else can you bring down rogue magicians?"
"Where did you get this book from?"
"It was a gift."
Accelerator didn't seem too satisfied with the answer, but nevertheless, he didn't push the subject.
"Anyways, what do you want for lunch?" Yoshikawa put the book down and got up.
"I don't care, I'm not hungry."
"Too bad, I'm betting the girls are."
"I don't really mind what's for lunch."
"'MISAKA doesn't mind either,' answers MISAKA as MISAKA reenters the room."
"Accelerator's been rubbing off on you two, hasn't he?"
Accelerator scoffed and glared at the females. "Not my fault they can't choose what to eat."
"I'll make something simple then. Sandwiches, anybody?"
Haruka and Last Order nodded. Accelerator shrugged.
Everybody, minus Accelerator, was finishing up the sandwiches when the ring of a cellphone cut through the air. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Accelerator flipped it open and checked the caller ID. Unsurprised, he pressed the answer button, and held the phone to his ear.
"I suppose you want to talk to Kishinami?"
"So you did read my note. Please pass the phone to her."
Accelerator tossed his phone to Haruka, who deftly caught it. She raised an eyebrow in question.
"It's Yomikawa." She nodded and put the phone to her ear.
"Yomikawa?"
"Hey there, Kishinami."
"Accelerator said you wanted to speak to me?"
"Yeah."
"Any news from the raid?"
"Not to our surprise, the place was abandoned. However, they seemed to have left everything there."
"I see."
"We also found some items that seem to belong to you, Kishinami."
"Really? What did you find? I don't recall bringing anything there though."
"A photo album, a blue dress that would fit Last Order, and a silver locket. Your name was on all three items."
"Have you looked through the album?"
"It's been sealed with something strange. None of us were able to open it."
"Then how did you know it was an album?"
"There were words written on the cover."
"Did you open the locket?"
"Same situation as the album. I suspect only you can open them."
"I see. When are you guys coming back?"
She heard a snort of derision from Yomikawa."Even though the raid is done, they're not letting us go yet. Something about tracking down the escapees. I doubt I'll be back until 7."
"That's really long though. Any messages to pass on to the rest of us?"
"Now that we have the items belonging to you, Anti-Skill and Judgment know that you exist. I suggest you lie low for a few days. I don't have any other things to say. Bye." There was a click, indicating that Yomikawa had hung up.
Haruka tossed the phone back to Accelerator. He had a quizzical look on his face as he pocketed his phone.
"What's this about a photo album and a locket?"
"Apparently Yomikawa found some of my belongings in the lab I was in when Anti-Skill and Judgment raided it today."
"How would she know they were yours?" Yoshikawa looked skeptical.
"Had my name written all over it. By the way, Haruka Kishinami is my real name."
"Well, now we don't have to call you by anything else. I've gotten used to calling you Kishinami."
"My request is a little late, but please, just call me Haruka."
"Fine by me." The answer came from Accelerator, not Yoshikawa.
"I'm surprised you're the first one to agree."
Accelerator pretended to not hear her statement as Last Order and Yoshikawa also voiced their agreement.
Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring. Yoshikawa got up to open the door.
"Sorry to disturb you, Yoshikawa-san!" The bright tone came from Komoe, who led a group of people into the room.
"They're all magicians from Necessarius? With the exception of Touma Kamijou?"
"Yup."
"How did you know we were from Necessarius?" Kanzaki entered, holding her sword.
"I have my sources," said Yoshikawa, holding up her book.
Stiyl looked mildly surprised. "Where did you get that? You are clearly not a magician."
"A gift."
"Anyways, why did I have to come again?" Touma had a look that was practically screaming "I did not want to come here."
"For once, I'll agree with the level 0. Why did you bring him here?" Accelerator had an annoyed look on his face.
"We have our reasons."
Trying to play peacemaker, Komoe said: "Anyways, why don't we all introduce ourselves? Let's start with Kamijou-chan!"
"I thought we knew each other already," Touma protested.
"Then who's the black-haired girl over there?" Komoe replied, gesturing to Haruka.
"My name is Haruka Kishinami. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I doubt this meeting will be nice. I am an esper, level unknown, and I have two abilities, element manipulation and telepathy."
"An esper with two abilities? Is that even possible?"
"Under certain circumstances, yes. With two abilities, the esper's level should be that of a level 5's." Despite her own answer, Komoe still looked astonished. "A-anyways, I'm Komoe Tsukiyomi, and that's Kamijou-chan over there. The sister over there is Index, and the red-haired guy is Stiyl. The girl with the sword is Kanzaki. Stiyl, Kanzaki, Index, this is Yoshikawa-san, and Last Order."
Komoe was about to introduce Accelerator, but he waved his hand, dismissing her introduction. "You should know me by ability and reputation." Turning to Touma, he asked: "Hey, level 0, did you tell Stiyl about the spell?"
"Uh… I forgot."
Accelerator gave Touma a death glare and ignored his protests, which were along the lines of trying to escape Mikoto Misaka. Turning to Stiyl, he started telling him about the seals and the spells in his mind and on Haruka's. Stiyl didn't look too surprised.
"That's the whole reason why we're here. I wasn't told about the girl over there though."
In one fluid movement, Kanzaki stepped in front of Haruka and studied her, looking at Haruka's face hard. Haruka stared back, refusing to look away. After a few minutes, Kanzaki looked away and turned to Index and Stiyl.
"Spending months here must have dulled your sight, Stiyl. You too, Librorum Prohibitorum. Haruka Kishinami has the distinctive aura of magic around her."
Everyone besides Kanzaki and Accelerator looked surprised on different degrees. Accelerator had a blank look on his face, masking any shock he felt initially. Stiyl had a somewhat ashamed and surprised look on his face. Index, Touma, Komoe and Last Order had identical expressions of shock, while Yoshikawa didn't look too surprised. Haruka herself looked half astonished and half frightened.
Collecting himself, Stiyl spoke to Kanzaki. "How did you know?"
"The magic aura is very faint from years of suppression, but it's still there. Look for yourself."
Index and Stiyl studied Haruka for a minute, and then they both nodded. Getting over her shock, Haruka asked tentatively: "What does it mean to have the aura of magic around me?"
"Either you're a magician or your parents were magicians. Same thing goes for the first-ranked esper over there."
Upon hearing this news, Touma's mouth dropped open and he stared at Accelerator. Accelerator gave him a look of pure disdain and looked away. "I already know one of my birth parents was a magician. You people can stop flaunting the fact."
"How do you know?" Yoshikawa exclaimed.
"The archangel told me."
"So it's true; you have an archangel watching over you."
"He told me his name was Michael. At least that's what I heard."
"The leader of the army of angels," Index breathed. She looked at Accelerator with what seemed like awe.
"Well, why did you come here? You guys did say you had some stuff to tell me."
"Not technically things to speak about. It's more like we're here to maintain secrecy while the seals break."
"What's so secret about all this?"
"Eighteen years ago, a diviner in Necessarius foresaw a war between science and magic. The visions showed him that only a child born of science and magic could turn the tide of the war. If that child was not born, the war would be a very long, drawn-out war and there would be great losses on both sides. Whichever side has that child fighting for them would win the war, and find a way for science and magic to coexist. As he was one of the most powerful magicians two decades ago, he fulfilled the vision himself. Now, you must know that the blood of science and magic mixing is a great taboo in this world. If such a child were to exist, both sides would reject the child, and try to dispose of him or her as quickly as possible. The diviner knew that, and still took it upon himself to fulfill the vision in secret. He traveled to Academy City, fell in love, and married a woman there. They had one child, who eventually became the first-ranked esper. Sound familiar to you, Accelerator?"
Accelerator was silent for a while, and then he asked: "That kid is me, right? And I'm supposing the diviner was my birth father?"
"You're getting it now. If any word of this had come out, you would have been killed a long time ago, most likely by Aleister Crowley's hands or the Roman Catholic Church. That's why your memories were erased as well, so you'd remember nothing about magic, and instead be raised as a pure child of science."
"What happened to my parents?"
"They disappeared off the records around 14 years ago. Nobody knows what happened, but it's suspected that they were killed."
"Who's my birth mother then? Is she just a resident in Academy City or is she an esper?"
"We have no idea. Well, one person knows, but I can't contact him right now. He's unreachable at the moment."
"Who?"
"Your father's younger brother. He is a Necessarius member, and the diviner I told you about."
"I see." Accelerator stayed silent after that, his face blank except for the usual glare if Touma happened to make eye contact with him.
"What does Haruka have to do with this then?" Yoshikawa asked.
Kanzaki spoke this time. "We don't know much. From what our sources tell us, Haruka Kishinami is the daughter of two magicians, but they gave up the magician's life and lived in Academy City. I don't know if they knew Accelerator's parents though. With circumstances like that, it was only a matter of time and chance before the two met."
Haruka spoke up, her voice quiet. "Do you know who my parents are?"
"No. We do know they were elementalists and combat magicians though, which means your elemental skill must have been inherited. That's pretty much the rarest thing to happen in magic."
"Then what of my telepathic skill?"
"I believe Haruka-chan was put through the esper curriculum, and was able to manifest a scientific ability. Is that true, Haruka-chan?" Komoe asked.
Haruka nodded.
Stiyl spoke again. "When the seals break inside your minds, a large wave of magic will be released and will most likely disrupt life in Academy City, and alert Aleister Crowley to the fact that Accelerator is also a child of magic. This will also alert the Roman Catholic Church, which will make lives all the more dangerous for all of you. To prevent that, we brought along Librorum Prohibitorum and Kamijou."
"Stiyl, you never told me what I was supposed to do." Index said in an irritated tone.
"Oh, I didn't? Sorry. To prevent the wave of magic to spread, anti-magic and magic-containing spells need to be put up. There should be some powerful ones in the 103,000 grimoires you have, so put them up."
"Then what's the point of bringing me? I don't think I'm wanted here by the first-ranked." Touma looked over at Accelerator again, but Accelerator shot him another death glare and closed his eyes, deliberately looking away.
"You two have to deal with each other. I'm not sure if anything bad will happen along the way, so I brought you to negate any magic that may go wrong."
"How long will the seal-breaking last?" Yoshikawa asked.
"That's not important right now. Right now, I need a lot of time to set up the correct magical circles and spells. This may take a few hours." Index got up and looked around the room, noting the places of the furniture. She turned to Yoshikawa.
"How many rooms are in here?"
"There's the kitchen, we're currently in the living room, and that hallway over there leads to 4 rooms. 3 bedrooms and a bathroom."
"Please show me the rooms and tell me which person sleeps in which bedroom."
Yoshikawa led Index out of the room. The rest of the group sat in awkward silence. After a few minutes, Accelerator broke the silence with a question to Last Order.
"Hey brat, what are you going to make of this?"
"'MISAKA is very surprised,' says MISAKA as MISAKA voices her honest opinion. 'However, Accelerator-chan and Haruka-chan are still the same people to me.'"
"I see. Considering all the information and the network, do all the clones know?"
"'Yes. However, MISAKA has told the Sisters to keep everything secret.' Says MISAKA as MISAKA finishes her report."
In an extremely rare once-in-a-lifetime gesture of affection, Accelerator reached over and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Good job, brat."
Last Order stared at him, not comprehending what just happened, but finally she smiled and hugged him hard, refusing to let go. Everybody minus Haruka was staring at the pair, while Haruka was smiling. The moment was abruptly broken when Index's voice was heard.
"Stiyl, Kanzaki, please come over here. You two, Accelerator and Haruka."
"Coming!"
Stiyl got up and strode into the hallway, Kanzaki following closely after. After a few tries, Haruka pried Last Order off Accelerator and they went into the hallway.
Index and Yoshikawa met the group in Accelerator's bedroom. Index spoke to Accelerator. "You sleep here with Last Order?"
"Yeah."
Index stood in thought. Seemingly coming to a decision, she asked Yoshikawa: "Is it possible for Accelerator and Kishinami to share a room while the seals break? This way, it would be easier to contain the magic."
"You're going to have to ask them. And Last Order as well."
Index turned to the trio and repeated the same question. Haruka nodded. Accelerator merely shrugged. He didn't really care, since he knew he would be in a coma anyways. After some hesitation, Last Order also agreed.
"Alright then. Kishinami, please move the things you need to this room. Kanzaki, help her out. As for Last Order, can you go with Yoshikawa-san to move your things to Kishinami's room? Stiyl, you can help me with the magic circles for now. This room will need the most powerful spells, so I'll need a helper. Accelerator, you can help with the moving if you want."
"No way. I'm going to watch you guys."
"Suit yourself. Oh, what should Komoe-sensei and Touma do then?"
"Let Kamijou help with the moving. Send the teacher home. I doubt Himegami likes being home alone, considering that expression she made when we told her she had to stay home."
"Okay, I'll go tell them."
Accelerator watched with indifference as the girls moved belongings in and out of the rooms. When Index returned, Stiyl offered her a strange ink-like liquid in a small container. She shook her head.
"For the spell to be extremely powerful, we have to carve the magic circle into the walls."
"What am I going to say to Aiho when she finds her walls all carved up?" Yoshikawa had overheard them.
"They'll disappear when the seals' magic fades, with no lasting damage to the walls. Stiyl, hand me a knife." Stiyl produced a long, curved silver knife within his black cloak and handed it to her. She turned to the wall and started tracing a circle on it. She added a 5-pointed star in the middle, with more circles and strange symbols. After she finished, she carved multiple runes and symbols surrounding the circle in a geometric pattern. Finally, she turned to Stiyl and Yoshikawa.
"I'll need to do this on all four sides of the wall and on the ground. If possible, I may need to carve it on the ceiling as well."
"We can get Haruka to float you up," Accelerator said, walking over to the wall to study the magic circle. For some reason, the symbols looked strangely familiar when looking at them. He almost reached out a hand to trace the patterns, but then he heard Haruka enter the room.
"I heard my name. What's up?"
"Apparently the magic circles need to be on the ceiling. Can you float the sister onto the ceiling?"
"How long will it take?"
"Around 5 minutes, maybe longer."
"I'll try my best." Closing her eyes, Haruka concentrated hard. Index started wobbling hard, trying to keep her balance, but then slowly, surely, Index started rising into the air, towards the ceiling. Just before the nun could crash into the ceiling, she stopped.
"Hurry up. I can't hold this for too long." Haruka's voice sounded strained.
Index quickly started carving with precise lines and smooth curves. After three minutes, she moved on to the symbols. "Okay, I'm done."
The nun floated down to the bed, landing with a soft thump. Haruka collapsed and nearly hit the floor, but Accelerator caught her. "Looks like I have to catch you again. Don't strain yourself to the limit. I'm getting tired of it."
Haruka smiled weakly. "That took more out of me than I thought. Just… need… some sleep…" Was all she managed out before she slumped, unconscious. Accelerator quickly set her down on the bed.
"Is she alright?" Index hovered over Haruka, concerned.
"She needs some rest. The element of air is her weaker element."
"Well, I guess I can finish the rest of the magic circles. I'll need the exact same pattern for every room."
"Including the bathroom?" Yoshikawa asked.
"Yes."
"Don't tell me you'll need to do the ceiling as well for all of them."
"Just this room, since it has to contain the most magic." Turning back to her work, Index carved the same magic circle on the rest of the walls. "One more request: please move the beds out of the way so I can draw the circle directly beneath them."
Stiyl and Yoshikawa obliged and shifted the beds away, and then put them back after Index finished.
"I'll work on the next room. Stiyl, are you able to draw the circles?"
"Might take some time, but I think it's possible."
"Help me out then."
"We're done with the moving, Index."
"That's all for now, then."
"I don't think there's anything else you can do then. Go back to the living room; I'll make some snacks and tea." Yoshikawa added, exiting the room.
"'What happened to Haruka-san?' Asks MISAKA as MISAKA looks at Haruka-san worriedly."
"She spent too much energy helping me with the magic circles. She'll be fine."
"Go join the others, brat. Haruka's going to be fine." With a final concerned glance at Haruka, Last Order exited the room.
Accelerator turned back to Haruka. He sighed. She was definitely a handful. He recalled the memory she had shared with him back at the park. Back then, it still seemed like he was a troubled, angry child who got bullied a lot, but his deflection ability always threw them off. He remembered that Stiyl said his parents only disappeared 14 years ago, when he was four. The boy in that memory looked around 6 years old. What had happened in the two years between?
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Haruka asked, opening her eyes.
"Nothing. Well, looks like you woke up."
She groaned in irritation. "I really need to work on controlling the element of air. Oh well, at least I didn't drop the nun."
"Thanks to you, she finished the magic circles in this room. Look around."
Haruka sat up and glanced around the room. "Well, Yomikawa's in for a nice surprise when she comes back and finds the walls all carved up."
"That's what Yoshikawa said. Well, as long as they work, I don't care. We'll be in comas anyways."
"True. Where are the others?"
"Living room."
"How about we join them?"
"Fine. Just saying, you're the one who scared the brat this time."
"Seems like I always have someone worrying for me. Poor girl."
"Tch, you're her favourite person right now. Of course she'd worry."
"Don't be like that. She worries for you as well."
"I don't need people worrying for me."
"You're such a handful."
"You're more of a handful than I am," he shot back.
"Okay, we're both handfuls. Come on, let's go to the living room."
Accelerator strode to the door and waited for Haruka to get out of the bed, and then the two went to the living room.
In the living room.
Everyone looked up when Accelerator and Haruka entered the living room. Yoshikawa smiled at the two.
"Looks like you're awake, Haruka. How are you feeling?"
"A little tired, but I've been worse. Thanks for asking." She and Accelerator sat on the couch next to Last Order, who promptly turned and grinned at Haruka.
Index and Stiyl entered the room. Index spoke. "We've finished the carving in all the rooms. The rest we have to do is to stick a few more rune cards on the walls of the living room, kitchen and door, and that should be it. Remind me, what day is it?"
"August 17."
"Hmm… August 18. 8-1-8. The year is 2018, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"A palindrome. Combined with the powers of Leo, tomorrow is definitely a powerful and auspicious day."
Touma looked confused. "What's palindromes got to do with all this?"
Stiyl scoffed. "This many months with magicians and you still have no idea. Mathematics is important in magic."
"Oh, right."
"Anyways, right now, it's 5:30 pm," said Index, checking the clock. Everyone reacted with surprise. "We have six hours and 30 minutes until midnight."
"We were told that the seals would break at midnight. Luckily, we pretty much have all the preparations ready."
"So what do we do now?" Haruka asked.
"We wait. Stiyl, Kanzaki, please help me put up the rune cards." Stiyl and Kanzaki got up and started to help Index out.
"That's boring. I'm not going to spend six hours doing nothing and then go into a coma." Accelerator had an extremely disinterested look on his face.
"Then what do you propose we should do?"
"Anything but sitting around. You seem perfectly content though. Time-wasters." He scoffed.
"Oh, stop fighting already. Hey Kikyou, mind telling me who all these people are?" Amidst all the conversation, they didn't hear the door unlock and see Yomikawa step in.
"Magicians from Necessarius and that's Touma Kamijou, which you should know from your school. I suppose you didn't get a message from Komoe. Anyways, Aiho, I thought you wouldn't be back until 7."
Yomikawa scoffed. "We weren't allowed to leave. But then after so many fruitless searches, Judgment left, so we were forced to call it off, since they made up a large part of our group. Pampered brats. Anyways, Kishinami, I brought your stuff. Here you go." She handed Haruka a semi-large gift bag.
Haruka opened the bag slowly and reached inside. She pulled out a large leather-bound photo album and set it on the table. A silver locket and a blue dress followed. Everyone leaned forward, interested. Haruka held up the blue dress, smoothing out the wrinkles. She handed it to Last Order.
"Think you can wear that?"
"'MISAKA doesn't know, but MISAKA can try it,' says MISAKA as MISAKA looks at the dress."
"It's a good dress. You can keep it. Probably too small for me now anyways."
Last Order took the dress and looked at it carefully. The dress was made of dark blue linen, and had white flowers embroidered on the hem of the dress. On the sleeve, Haruka's full name was embroidered in tiny kanji characters. She hugged the dress to her chest.
"'Thanks a lot Haruka-san!' Says MISAKA as MISAKA expresses her gratitude."
"You're welcome. It was my favourite dress. Now, what else is there?" Haruka picked up the locket and examined it closely. The front of the locket had her initials carved on there. Carefully, she pried open the locket. Inside were 2 photos. The photo on the left side had 3 people in it: a man, and a woman holding a tiny baby. The one on the right was of a little black-haired golden-eyed girl around 6 or 7 standing with a young white-haired red-eyed boy. Both had smiles on their faces, although the girl's smile looked more natural. Once she saw the photos, Haruka dropped the locket.
"Oi, what did you do that for?" Accelerator caught it before it crashed to the floor, and dangled the locket in front of her face.
"Sorry. The pictures startled me."
Accelerator flipped the locket over and took a look at the photos. When his eyes landed on the right-hand photo, they widened. "Is that me?"
"Who else would know me and have white hair and red eyes?"
"Don't distinguish me by my appearance!"
"Oh? Let us see." Yoshikawa and Yomikawa went over to the couch and peered at the photos. "That's Accelerator as a seven year old, no doubt. Which means the little girl is Haruka."
"They both look really cute. Even Accelerator."
"Shut up!" Accelerator had a faint pink tint to his cheeks which could easily be defined as blushing from embarrassment.
"'MISAKA thinks they're both cute,' says MISAKA as MISAKA looks at the photo."
Accelerator turned his choker on and reflected all the sound waves, effectively cutting off all outside noise and any other comments about his 7-year-old self. He settled back onto the couch, sending death glares at everyone who was looking at the locket. Finally, Haruka put him out of his misery by closing the locket. She put her hand on his shoulder and sent a thought-message.
You can stop reflecting the sound waves now. Accelerator scowled, but turned his choker off. Haruka gave him a devilish grin.
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
He groaned. "You have no idea." To his benefit, Touma hadn't moved from his seat, but stared confusedly at all of them. Accelerator gave him a sadistic, but superior smirk and had the satisfaction of seeing the level 0 flinch.
Ignoring him, Haruka picked up the photo album and ran her hands over the worn leather cover. To her surprise, the cover glowed with a faint blue light, and then the book opened by itself. On the first page was a photo of the same couple as the one in the locket. Steeling her nerves, she called Kanzaki and Stiyl. The two magicians hurried over. Haruka held up the picture album.
"Are these my parents? Do you know who they are?"
Kanzaki studied the picture. Then she spoke. "I recognize both of them. Yes, they are your parents. The man is Kushida Kishinami and the woman is Minako Mikazuki. Kushida's a water and fire elementalist, and Minako's an earth elementalist and a combat magician. They were members of the Amakusa Church."
"From the generation of magicians before you came along, right?" Stiyl asked.
"Yeah. Nevertheless, these are your parents, Haruka." Kanzaki and Stiyl went back to Index's side.
Haruka stared at the photo, desperately trying to recall any memories of her parents. Unfortunately, she didn't. She went back to studying her parents' features. Kushida Kishinami had short spiky black hair, sparkling jade green eyes, a tall, muscular build and a smile that was full of playfulness. Minako Mitsurugi had long silver hair, sapphire blue eyes and a graceful, slender figure. She had a gentle smile on her face that seemed to radiate kindness even from the photo.
Accelerator and Last Order looked over at the photo. "'MISAKA thinks Haruka-san looks like both her mother and father,' says MISAKA as MISAKA looks at the photo."
"The brat's right. You resemble your parents to a great deal." Was it her imagination, or did she hear a note of bitterness in his normally expressionless tone? "Well, that does explain why your control over air isn't too good. If the magician's right, you inherited all the elemental skills except for air."
"True." Haruka flipped to the next page. There she found some photos that made her slam the book shut, which sent a plume of dust spiraling into the air. Everyone around the couch started coughing hard. Accelerator stopped, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
"What was that for?" He demanded.
"Sorry. Just some photos that are private," she said, putting extreme emphasis on the word "private".
"Give us a warning next time, will you?" Yomikawa waved the dust away from her face. "Anyways, what's for dinner, Kikyou?"
"I'm not cooking for that many people, Aiho. Let's call for some pizza or something."
"Fine with me. 4 pizzas are enough?"
"Should be."
Yomikawa took out her cellphone and made a call. After that, Touma got up abruptly and approached her.
"Hey, Yomikawa-sensei, how do you know about magic?"
"Same reason as Kikyou, which I'd rather not say."
"If it's fine with you, can I leave? It's a little crowded."
Before Yomikawa could reply, she heard Stiyl's voice. "You're not leaving, Kamijou. I said you're needed for later."
"What am I supposed to do? I can't help out with anything."
"That's not my problem. Not to mention I think Index would attack you as soon as you step out the door for leaving her."
"Such misfortune," Touma muttered as he went back to his seat, tripping over a bump on the rug and landing flat on his face.
Accelerator stifled a laugh. "Why don't you call Railgun over here to keep you company, level 0?"
Touma promptly turned red when he sat up. "She nearly killed me for not telling her about magic. And then her roommate from Tokiwadai turned up and tried to kill me for hanging around her 'precious Onee-sama'."
Haruka started giggling, while Accelerator was trying hard not to laugh out loud. After a few seconds, Haruka stopped. "What's Tokiwadai?"
"It's a prestigious boarding school for girls. Misaka-san goes there."
"Oh, I see."
"So's Mental Out, if you haven't forgotten, Haruka."
"Mental Out? So you mean Tokiwadai's Queen, Misaki Shoukuhou?" Touma looked kind of surprised that Accelerator would know.
"Fifth-ranked, Mental Out, Queen, Shoukuhou, call her whatever you want. I don't care."
"She and Misaka-san are huge rivals. Misaka-san is called the Ace of Tokiwadai."
"Am I supposed to care? Who's this roommate girl you were talking about then? Looks like someone else is out to kill you. All the better for me." He yawned.
"Oh, uh, she's a level 4 Teleporter in Judgment."
"Whatever. This conversation is getting boring."
Just as Accelerator finished speaking, the doorbell rang, indicating that the pizza had arrived. Yomikawa and Yoshikawa went to the door, the former paying and the latter carrying the pizza boxes kitchen. After a few seconds, they heard Yoshikawa's voice. "Pizza's here! Take a break and let's eat!"
"Ah, food!" Index raced into the kitchen and took 5 slices. "I'm starving!"
"Aren't you always?" Touma asked.
"You're the one who didn't get me lunch. As a result, I'm hungrier than usual."
"I said I was sorry!"
"I wish I brought Sphinx along."
"You left him with Himegami-san, remember?"
Index said no more, since she was busy wolfing down slice after slice of pizza.
Last Order and Haruka each took 2 slices of pizza, while Accelerator only took one slice. Everybody else took 3 or 4 slices.
The general silence was broken through a series of small talk between some people. Yomikawa and Yoshikawa were discussing the next school year, while Stiyl, Kanzaki and Index were talking about the strength of the magic-sealing spells and circles. Haruka and Last Order were talking about the Sisters network and the level 5s. Strangely enough, the two people who didn't want anything to do with each other, did the same thing: nothing. Accelerator had turned on his choker and reflected the sound waves, and closed his eyes, resting. Touma sat and methodically chewed, watching the others converse easily.
After 30 minutes, everyone finished, although their conversations kept on going on for another 30 minutes. Finally, Yomikawa got up and cleared the table and plates. "What time is it, Kikyou?" She asked.
Yoshikawa checked her watch. "7:00."
"5 more hours then," Stiyl said. "There's really nothing else for us to do. We've finished the wall carving, and we're also done with the rune cards."
Yomikawa's eyebrow started twitching. "Wall carving?"
Yoshikawa rushed to explain everything. When she was done, Yomikawa sighed. "Geez. All this for a magic seal breaking? You're sure you won't destroy my apartment walls?"
"The carvings will fade, and your walls will be back to normal. No lasting damage."
"And the cards?"
"Not permanent. I'll remove them when they've done their job." Stiyl replied.
"And if we don't do this, Academy City would be destroyed?"
"Pretty much."
Yomikawa sighed in defeat. "Okay, do whatever you want. But I'm putting my foot down if you guys insist on blasting the apartment to pieces."
"We won't do anything like that."
"Good."
"Anyways, what are we supposed to do for the next 5 hours?"
"'MISAKA wants to watch a movie,' says MISAKA as MISAKA overhears the conversation."
"Well, that'll certainly work. It should keep everyone busy for a while."
"What movie then?"
"I'll take a look at what I have," Yomikawa said, walking over to the cabinet under the television.
"Should I wake up Accelerator?" Haruka asked.
"Leave him be; I'd rather not have him get into any fights with Kamijou."
"Alright then."
Stiyl and Kanzaki declined to watching a movie, claiming they had some other things to do before midnight. They disappeared outside. Index and Touma readily agreed to join in. Yomikawa popped in a DVD, and the movie started.
Index and Last Order had fallen asleep on the floor during the second movie. Yomikawa carried Last Order to Haruka's bedroom, and Touma moved Index to Accelerator's room for later. Surprisingly, Accelerator hadn't moved a bit, or so it seemed to them. Haruka went to her room, and Yoshikawa went to her room.
When they had all left the living room, Accelerator turned off his choker and stood up, cracking his stiff neck. Grabbing his crutch, he scrawled out a short note and headed outside. Once he was outside of the apartment, he took a few stairways and ladders onto the roof.
Outside, he looked out at the expanse of Academy City. Even at night, the buildings were still illuminated with electric lights. Looking up, he still managed to see a few stars despite the light pollution. He let out a rueful sigh. He had certainly gotten himself into a nice mess. In less than 2 hours, his life would change forever. According to what Stiyl said, he'd be the major factor in the war.
"Did I really want this? Well, this was probably planned out at the very beginning." There were so many "what ifs" spinning around in his head.
What if I hadn't stormed outside when Yoshikawa was telling us about our pasts? What if I never participated in the Level 6 Shift Project? What if I killed all the clones? What if I never took a walk on that night Haruka was attacked? Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the voices until the last second.
"—got to be kidding me, Stiyl."
"I wouldn't be lying about something this big, Kanzaki."
Crap, the magicians are up here as well?! Accelerator dove behind a large metal box that housed the fans. Turning on his choker, he directed the sound waves of their conversation to himself. Staying absolutely still, he listened.
"You mean to be telling me that Nagato-san's coming here right now ?"
Huh? Who's this Nagato guy?
"For the millionth time, yes. He got off the phone with me a few minutes before you decided to join me. After he finds a way to sneak past the security here completely untraced, he's coming here."
"For what? Don't tell me he thinks we're not enough backup."
"He told me he's only here for Accelerator."
Who the hell is this Nagato guy and what does he want with me?!
"For what reason?"
"A simple family matter, if you haven't already forgotten. After all, he is Accelerator's father's brother."
You've got to be joking right now, magician. My uncle?
"The simple word 'uncle' would have sufficed."
"From what he told me, Archbishop Laura even let him go. He's only here to guide Accelerator and Haruka Kishinami in magic and act as a guard as well."
"'Only here to guide'? Considering he told us he hasn't seen Accelerator ever since he was taken into that Institute, I thought even that cold hearted diviner would at least try to act as a family member."
"How many times have I reminded you, Kanzaki? Losing his older brother and sister-in-law was a tragedy he never recovered from. He doesn't want to get close to anyone again, even his own flesh and blood. At least that's what he told me."
Right, they did say my parents died.
"Apparently time doesn't heal all wounds then."
"Anyways, I've told you everything he told me. Well, and he says Archbishop Laura will stay neutral, but we are free to do as we wish."
"Fine by me. Let's go back."
Once they headed off, Accelerator slid his back down the metal wall and sat on the ground, head spinning yet again. So his birth father's brother was coming. Another person from his past that he didn't remember. Someone related to him.
Is there any point in thinking like this when my memories return in less than 2 hours?
Getting up, he took a deep breath, calming himself. He looked out at the landscape again. Sighing, he laid down on the roof, staring at the night sky. Where was all his cool levelheadedness he had at the park? Where was his usual coldness and hostility?
If this is what I'm supposed to be like when I have my memories, I don't like it.
Taking out his cellphone, he checked the time. 11:20. He decided to head back in 30 minutes. As he shut off the phone screen, he caught his reflection on the blank screen. He examined himself. Tired red eyes, an exhausted expression, and an air of defeat around him. He slid the phone into his pocket.
"Damn, I look so pathetic right now. Maybe I should relinquish the title of the first. I'm not supposed to be like this. What the hell has happened to me?"
He laid back down on the metal roof, letting the warm summer night envelope him in a dark, peaceful silence.