Teacher Komoe's house.
In contrast to the intense battle Kamijou Touma was engaged in, Chinatsu and Teacher Komoe were having a warm and cozy study session, with completed test papers stacked at the corner of the table.
Watching Chinatsu beside her, who was pursing her lips in concentration, Teacher Komoe didn't even realize that she was occasionally breaking into a doting, almost obsessive smile.
"Little Chinatsu~ tell me, why don't you grow your hair out? I think you would look absolutely lovely with long hair~" Teacher Komoe said with a beaming smile.
Chinatsu paused, stopping the pen in her hand. She tilted her head slightly, imagining what she would look like with long hair, and then calmly set her pen down.
"If you'd like that, Teacher, I can grow it out. I don't really have any strong preferences about my hair, and since Mikoto likes it short and practical, I just ended up getting mine cut the same way."
As Chinatsu spoke, she reached up to smooth the strands of hair falling by her ears. She suddenly remembered that her mother had also muttered something about her hair before.
However, her mother was just acting on a whim, only mentioning it when it crossed her mind. Even though Chinatsu always agreed, she never really took it to heart and ended up forgetting about it completely.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, a series of heavy knocks came from the door of Teacher Komoe's house. The two inside turned their heads toward the door in suspicion.
"Who could it be at this hour?"
Teacher Komoe blinked blankly. She didn't recall having that many friends who would visit her house at night; usually, social gatherings took place outside.
"I'll go open the door."
Chinatsu walked toward the door with a puzzled expression. Although she vaguely remembered the general plot events, she was particularly fuzzy on details like exactly when things happened.
As she reached out and opened the door, Kamijou Touma appeared in her line of sight, carrying a blood-soaked Index on his back.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The two blinked blankly at each other, neither expecting the person on the other side of the door to be the other. Sensing something was wrong, Teacher Komoe hurried over, and upon discovering it was Kamijou Touma, she couldn't help but show a look of shock.
"Kamijou?"
"I... I'm sorry. I know this is sudden, but something has happened, and I was hoping to borrow your help, Teacher."
Kamijou Touma carried the weak Index into the house. Such injuries were already difficult to treat with medical means.
In this Academy City, eighty percent of the population were students undergoing Esper development, so to use magic, one had to rely on adults like Teacher Komoe.
As Kamijou Touma hurriedly placed Index on the floor, Index's body, weak to the point of hitting a threshold, flickered with a faint white light, and she opened her mouth like a machine.
"Warning: Chapter 2, Section 6. The life energy lost through bleeding has exceeded the threshold, forcing the activation of the Automatic Scripture. If the current situation continues, calculated based on London Clock Tower time, my body will die in 15 minutes. Please listen to my instructions to perform emergency medical treatment."
Index stated her condition mechanically. Kamijou Touma nervously asked if there was anything he could do to help, but received a negative answer from Index.
"No. The best choice is for you to leave right now. Just by you staying in this room, the restorative magic will be affected and disappear."
Kamijou Touma looked at his tightly clenched right hand with a complicated expression. Then, he turned to look at Teacher Komoe beside him, said "Please!", and turned and rushed out.
Teacher Komoe blinked blankly, completely unable to process what had just happened. Chinatsu, having realized everything, leisurely prepared to follow him out.
"Teacher, I'm going out to take a look."
"Ah? Okay."
Teacher Komoe stared blankly as another person left. Beside her, Index numbly climbed up from the floor and, using the accurate time provided by Teacher Komoe, began drawing a magic circle on the table with her own blood.
"End of Cancer, eight to twelve at night, direction is West, guardian spirit is the Water Spirit, serving angel is the Cherub."
After setting up the magic circle, she placed various objects on it. Accompanied by her chanting, she connected the temple created on the table to the room.
Finally, only one critical step remained.
"Please imagine it. Imagine an angel, possessing the face of a child and a pair of wings, a holy and beautiful angelic figure..."
Although startled and confused by Index's series of actions, Teacher Komoe still nodded. Following Index's words, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
"A cute angel..."
"A cute angel..."
"A cute angel..."
Without realizing it, the image of Chinatsu appeared in Teacher Komoe's mind—the version of Chinatsu with long, flowing hair that she had imagined earlier.
And as Teacher Komoe imagined it, it wasn't the descent of a real angel that occurred, but rather an angelic form shaped by Teacher Komoe's will that suddenly appeared.
The angel flapped its wings, replenishing the magic power in Index's body. Her wounds healed at an astonishing speed, and within just a few seconds, she was out of danger.
"This... is magic."
Meanwhile, Kamijou Touma was gritting his teeth and sprinting hard down the street, not only to stay away from Index so as not to affect the activation of her magic, but also to vent the sorrow in his heart.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"Even though I'm already this unlucky, at least I should be able to make the people around me lucky..."
Facing Kamijou Touma, who was running with his head down without looking back, Chinatsu, who had stepped out a beat later, didn't even catch a glimpse of his back. She speechlessy raised her hand and lightly tapped her own forehead.
"He runs way too fast, doesn't he?"
Chinatsu had originally intended to chat with Kamijou Touma for a bit, but since he was nowhere to be seen, she decided to forget it. It wasn't worth activating her ability to accelerate and chase after him, so she simply began to walk aimlessly down the street.
This scene was taken in by a young girl standing on the roof of a nearby building. She had a black ponytail reaching her waist, a tall figure, and fair skin.
Her name was Kanzaki Kaori. She was one of the fewer than 20 Saints in the world, and just like the red-haired magician who had used fire magic earlier, she was a magician aiming to take Index away.
"She is... an Esper?"
Kanzaki Kaori's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Not to mention that strange boy who could negate magic, why was one of the only seven Espers in this city also involved?
"Was it pure coincidence?"
"Or was it intentional?"
Kanzaki Kaori thought to herself. Her hand gripped the over-two-meter-long Japanese Order Sword hanging at her waist. After slowly exhaling, she leaped downward.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"