Chapter 2_ Stadium of Sorcerer and Esper_0

CHAPTER 2 Stadium of Sorcerer and Esper“Stab_Sword.” 1 Next up was the ball-rolling event. Touma Kamijou and the other students in his grade had already entered the field. In the relatively small asphalt schoolyard, each opposing team had lined up with their classmates on either side. The rules were irregular. Upon the firing of a signal gun, each team would need to push its twenty-five giant balls across the goal line behind the opposing team. Whichever team was first to get at least half its balls over the goal line would be the winner. The biggest difference between this and normal ball-rolling games was that the balls were large enough that opposing teams’ balls would run into each other at least once. The very moment that happened it would be possible to obstruct the other balls by using your own or firing abilities at them. Kamijou and a few other classmates all had their hands on one of their white team’s balls, which was almost two meters high. They smelled sweat, and they smelled dust. The tingling air right before the signal gun went off was stinging their skin, and though this was all just fun and games, the current atmosphere somehow seemed to say that wouldn’t cut it. But even in this situation, Kamijou was preoccupied with something else: what Tsuchimikado and Stiyl had just talked to him about not twenty minutes ago. “Security is lower in Academy City right now so they can let in all these people, right?” “It means sorcerers are slipping right through the holes.” Kamijou’s class had a total of three balls assigned to them. One for the boys, one for the girls, and one for both. Kamijou was in charge of the boys’ one. Aisa Himegami, at the ball next to them, kept looking over silently like she had something to say, but he was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice. “But why? Did they come to kidnap Index again?! Then I’ll—” “Relax, Touma Kamijou. They’re most likely not after her this time. It would end in only more trouble and hardship for them if they were to lay hands on her.” “Eh? What do you mean?” “We’ll answer ya later, Kammy. Let’s get down to business right away. About why the sorcerers made their way into the city in the first place.” He heard the words on your marks come over the school loudspeaker. Everyone held their breath. They lowered themselves just slightly. Kamijou glanced over to the side. Motoharu Tsuchimikado, in his signature sunglasses, had his hands on the ball with their other classmates. “Wait…sorcerers? More than one?” “We’ve even got confirmation on two already. Lidvia Lorenzetti, from the Roman Orthodox Church—and Oriana Thomson, a smuggler born in England in her employ. Both female. There should also be at least one other person they’re looking to make a deal with, but we haven’t figured that out yet. They’re saying Nikolai Tolstoj from the Russian Catholic Church is suspicious, but we don’t have confirmation on that.” “A smuggler? And a deal? What are they trying to do?” “Just what it sounds like, Kammy! They’re tryin’ to make a trade for a Soul Arm belonging to the Church, right here in this city.” Bang The signal gun went off. Kamijou, his thoughts elsewhere, reacted a moment late. “But why here…? Academy City has the least connection to occult stuff in, like, the world, doesn’t it?” “Well, yeah, nya! I should say that’s exactly why. Anti-Skill and Judgment can’t go intercepting and arresting sorcerers from occult factions willy-nilly. But the Crusaders and Necessarius from the occult side can’t easily set foot in Academy City, either. This place is hard for either side to take action in, basically. “Their movements would be very restricted were it not for the security being lax during the Daihasei Festival. But right now, they have to loosen the security so they can be bold and take advantage of it.” Kamijou hastily began to run so that the ball wouldn’t leave him behind. Countless footfalls and the sounds of the giant balls rolling reverberated through the ground and up through his feet. The balls were empty inside, so they didn’t feel very heavy. Because of that, though, they were easily affected by wind, and any slipup could cause them to roll sideways. “But Stiyl is here. Couldn’t you just get a bunch of your Necessarius friends here in secret and capture them?” “I’m operating under the pretext that I’m acquainted with you and came for leisure. We can’t call up other sorcerers. If the English Puritan Church ended up taking credit for this as an organization, then all the other sorcery-related factions sitting back and watching this would want in on it as well. You think all of them are friendly toward Academy City? There would be people trying to sabotage it without a doubt. You think you can rely on any of them to even try to protect this place that is directly opposed to all things occult?” “Academy City is the head of the science faction. It has way more say in matters than a single organization on the sorcery side nobody’s heard of, nya. But if Academy City were to ignore the opinions of the smaller groups, then bigger sorcerer’s societies will start quibbling and arguing, too. This problem with Lidvia and Oriana is real delicate, Kammy. The situation’s already a pain to deal with. If we call in more than we need, Academy City’s gonna fall into total chaos. Think of it like this: The only ones who can move right now and put a stop to this are the friendly sorcerers who came here on vacation. There’s really only a few sorcerers with contacts in Academy City anyway; obviously they were going to have to stick with an elite corps.” The balls tumbled and rolled along, slowly but surely picking up speed. The ball belonging to Kamijou’s group was ahead of the rest of their team’s. That meant they were in serious danger of being the first to clash with the enemy’s balls. “? But wouldn’t Kaori Kanzaki fit into that group? Wasn’t she, like, some crazy-strong person? A saint, or something like that. Wouldn’t we want more help?” “They can’t use Kanzaki. Especially not this time—given the Soul Arm being traded.” “Huh? What’s that mean?” “Kammy, the Soul Arm is apparently called the Stab Sword. And it can…” The ball was too big for Kamijou to see in front of him very well. Blue Hair shouted that they were getting close, and Kamijou focused his mind. “…instantly kill any saint in existence.” He heard a voice behind him shout, “Look out!” His other classmates all flew away from the big ball at once. Huh? I thought we still had a bit before getting to their guys… But right as Kamijou wondered that… …something slammed into him from behind. “Gwaahh” Their female classmates’ ball had overtaken them at a blistering pace, and it swallowed up Kamijou as it rolled. Next to that one, the co-ed ball ran by. Seiri Fukiyose shouted coldly, “What are you doing, Touma Kamijou?!” Aisa Himegami gave him this look, like she wanted to say, Once again—your fake bad luck with women. It’s showing. 2 A saint. “You know the word. It means someone with qualities similar to the Son of God in Crossism. If you look at Idol Theory, you see that replicas of the cross used to crucify the Son of God hold a degree of the original’s power, right? If you apply that to the Son of God and people, then they have a degree of the Son of God’s power. Those chosen few are called saints. They have an unimaginable amount of power. Except…” It was after the ball-rolling had ended (again in victory for Kamijou’s school, fortunately) and they’d left the field. As they sipped their sports drinks—recommended to them by the administrative committee member Seiri Fukiyose (“Here, it has amino acids, drink up! And this one’s got black vinegar and isoflavones!”)—they continued their conversation on the road. “Saints have one weakness.” “They do? I mean, Kanzaki was so strong she could fight on even terms with an actual angel.” Saying the word angel didn’t quite feel real to him, but he’d actually seen one in real life. Even the fact that he really saw one seemed unreal, though. The angel called itself Misha Kreutzev, and it was so powerful it could destroy the world with a fingertip. Kanzaki had fought through it with a level of skill that Kamijou could never even hope to get anywhere near. However, Tsuchimikado continued, slurping up his drink. “There’s a downside to their strength. Listen—saints are people with traits similar to the Son of God. The power they’re granted is also added onto by the special traits and attributes of the Son of God. Which means…” He paused. “Putting it simply, saints inherit the same weaknesses as the Son of God, too.” “Oh,” mumbled Kamijou. “The Son of God died once. He may have been resurrected and ascended to heaven, but that one fact remains the same. And do you know how exactly the Son of God died, Kammy?” Tsuchimikado looked at him and grinned. “He was stabbed to death. His hands and feet were affixed to the cross with iron nails, and at the end they shoved a lance into his side. Opinions are split among theologians over whether the lance was to finish him off or to check to make sure he was dead, but it doesn’t change the fact that all these ‘attacks’ were ones to stab him to death, nya.” He gulped down some more of his drink. “The Stab Sword extracts the religious significance that Christianity places on the execution of martyrs and the stabbing of Jesus on the cross—then amplifies, compresses, and focuses it into a weapon said to be able to pierce the skin of dragons and pin them to the earth. It doesn’t do anything to regular people, but it’s so strong, it can send a saint to their grave in one strike. And at any distance, just by pointing the tip at them.” Kamijou shuddered. “Scary, right?” Tsuchimikado continued, agreeing. “Once the Stab Sword is activated, you can be in a nuclear bunker, on the other side of the world, or all the way on Pluto, but just having the tip aimed at you will kill you. Laser weapons aren’t even on the same level of brutal convenience. It was apparently originally made to kill saints with greed and ambition, though, nya.” “And they’re trading it for something? What the heck are the sorcerers planning to do?” “War, of course. Saints are basically the sorcery world’s version of nuclear weapons. If you could surgically kill enemy saints and preserve your own, everything in the war would change.” A war. For an ordinary high school student living in modern Japan, the term didn’t hold much weight. But Kamijou had once witnessed a fraction of what it might look like. A three-sided battle among the English Puritan Church, the Roman Orthodox Church, and Amakusa over the Book of the Law and the sister said to hold the key to deciphering it, Orsola Aquinas. When Tsuchimikado said “war,” though, did he mean something on an even bigger scale? Like the kind that can entangle unrelated people from all over the world and redraw political borders? “But there’s plenty of sorcerers who aren’t saints, right? I feel like Necessarius could fight even without Kanzaki.” “Kammy, Kammy. That’s not the problem. It doesn’t matter if other factions are able to win or not. All they need is the illusion that they can win to start a war. Saints are symbols of power, and if they die, it’s not hard to start imagining the total collapse of the system of sorcerer’s societies. Like when despair spreads through a nation after the royal family is killed off, nya. As soon as someone sees a chance, it’s over. Whoever thinks they can win is gonna plunge right into battle—without seeing the miserable results waiting for them.” Tsuchimikado spoke his words with such intimidation that they sent a chill down Kamijou’s spine. Perhaps it was because he worked as a spy and knew firsthand just how fragile the world was. “The countries and groups whose religious power balance is thrown into disarray by the arbitrary killing of their saints would come under all sorts of attacks from magic factions both inside and out and eventually collapse. It might not be visible, but those nations and the world would definitely be devastated. And if the unbalancing in one spot lights a fire, others might start plotting to alter their own power balances, and that could lead to war. That’s why the English Puritan Church’s 0th parish, Necessarius, a national peacekeeping agency that fights sorcerers, can’t let this little incident go, nya.” Despite Tsuchimikado’s actual words being an assertion of his own determination, he ended his sentence with a lot of levity. Kamijou was too much of an amateur to determine whether that made his position as a spy nice and easy, or if he just had all his emotions under control like a professional. He kept at his drink, which was now lukewarm. “But if it’s really that serious, shouldn’t you ask for Index’s help?” Yes—Index wasn’t here. After Stiyl and Tsuchimikado had explained things to him, he’d been dragged along to the school field for the ball-rolling competition without getting to meet up with her again. She was extremely reliable in matters concerning sorcery. In fact, as far as Kamijou knew, there was nobody more knowledgeable about it than her. Tsuchimikado rejected that outright, though. “Nope. We can’t use the Index of Prohibited Books this time. We can’t let her anywhere near this incident, and we can’t tell her anything about it, either.” “…Why not?” “Hmm. It’s a pretty complicated situation, nya. I guess I’ll start from the beginning, so listen up.” He scratched his head like this was all a big bother. “Like I said before, the science faction can’t interfere with the sorcery faction very much. Right now, Academy City’s got its hands full with problems both inside and out…Do you understand that?” “Huh? Right, because Anti-Skill and Judgment can’t do anything to sorcerers directly.” Kamijou felt like Stiyl had explained similar circumstances when an alchemist hijacked Misawa Cram School in secret. The science faction and sorcery faction both had a monopoly on their own technology, and that’s how the two worlds stayed at peace. If an Academy City peacekeeping organization were to try and arrest a sorcerer under these circumstances, it could mean a leak of the sorcery faction’s intel and tech to the science faction. “As an analogy, it would be like a state-of-the-art jet fighter crashing in enemy territory and them grabbing it, right?” “You got it. In addition, a bunch of sorcerers coming into Academy City as an organization would be bad. Which means the sorcerers here now trying to complete their deal pretty much have free roam at the moment, nya. Seriously, they could probably even start killing people.” Now that he thought about it, this whole setup seemed absurd to Kamijou. Everyone was after the same thing, but because of all this, nobody could actually do anything about it. “So that’s why we special exceptions—you, me, and Stiyl—are doing stuff…” Tsuchimikado grinned. “But there are groups that aren’t taking that too well, either. They’re all casting their nets, trying to find out if there’s a way to sneak into Academy City for one reason or another. Some of them want to resolve the situation, and some of them don’t. They’re using radar-like spells outside the city to detect the flow of mana. So that as soon as something happens, they can storm in, nya~.” “Huh…Is that how it works?” That was all Kamijou could think to say. He didn’t honestly have an idea of what “mana flows” were. “But what does that mana detection have to do with Index? She can’t use mana, can she? Even if they used a radar spell, that wouldn’t mean we had to keep her away from all this.” Kamijou had amnesia, so this was recorded in his brain only as knowledge, but Index couldn’t use any magic whatsoever in exchange for having access to the 103,000 grimoires. Supposedly it was just a countermeasure to guard against her using the grimoires for her own ends or just going crazy, but… “That is what we call a difference of opinion. Listen, Kammy. A whole lot of sorcery-related incidents have been going on around you for the past few months. And you’ve settled them all brilliantly. But in the world of sorcery, your name hasn’t really gotten around, nya~.” “W-well, it would be weird for me if it had. Why’s that important?” “I’m saying that compared to you, Index’s name is far more important. Most people in the sorcery world don’t think, ‘A lot of incidents are happening around Touma Kamijou.’ They’re thinking, ‘A lot of incidents are happening around the one managing the 103,000 grimoires: the Index of Prohibited Books.’” Oh, I get it, thought Kamijou. “So most of them are working under the assumption that if something happens, she’ll be at the center of it. It would be only natural for them to search the areas around Index, right? Unfortunately for them, there’s no spell that would allow them to monitor all of Academy City at all times. Even if they were to use a group spell, like the Gregorian Choir, it would still be down to a circle about two kilometers across, nya. So if we put Index far away from the stuff going on, we’ll be able to draw their attention elsewhere. That also means they would probably overlook a sorcery battle or two happening somewhere else, nya~. But if we called her to the middle of everything, that wouldn’t happen.” “Are you telling me we’re supposed to do something about this without Index noticing any of the sorcery or whatever?” It might seem simple, but it was actually a pretty difficult problem. In the first place, Index could perfectly remember those 103,000 grimoires for the purpose of countering any sorcerer in existence. She would never miss even a tiny hint, and once she got that, she’d naturally act. But if they explained the situation to her in advance and told her to stay put, she probably wouldn’t accept it. The one thing she hated most was other people getting mixed up in sorcery-related incidents, so she wouldn’t be okay with someone being a substitute for her. As Kamijou mulled it over, Tsuchimikado shook his now-empty drink container. “Still, Kammy, I guess this is just another instance of your rotten luck, nya~. Everything you did, and they still give all the credit to Index, huh? Must be tough.” “You’re dumb. I’m worried about her. I can’t believe her. She’s already got plenty of reasons for other people to go after her, and now this…” He clicked his tongue and turned his thoughts even more inward. Tsuchimikado smiled a little as he watched. Just a small smile, with no sarcasm or scorn in it. “Well, whatever the case, nya~. We’re just gonna leave the problem of Index to you, Kammy! I mean, just promise to show her around some place or other, and get her as far away as you can from anywhere you think sorcery might start flying back and forth.” “Huh? What?! You make it sound so easy…” “You’ll be fine! You’ve raised so many flags already. It’ll be a cinch!” “That is one big, unfounded clump of confidence! I mean, what are we supposed to do for our events? Fukiyose’s gonna go crazy on us if we skip out on them without telling her anything! No one will even want to look at us when she’s through with us” “You’ve got a ton of flags raised—use them for something! Index is more important right now. Some ‘index of prohibited books’ she is. I bet you could just give her some food and she’d do whatever you wanted, nya~. If worse comes to worst, just throw some candy in the direction that’s not where the incident’s happening, nyaaa!” “If Index heard you say that, she might bite off your whole skull. Actually, I guess I’ve never seen her bite anyone except me…,” concluded Kamijou tiredly as Tsuchimikado patted him on the shoulder a few times. 3 The asphalt under the hot sun was really hot. That was the thought the starving Index had as she lay flat on the sidewalk. After the parade ended and the female Anti-Skill officer Aiho Yomikawa took away the no-crossing sign, she couldn’t look at the girl anymore. She stopped her work and swept Index up into her arms like a princess. There probably weren’t any scientific cooling effects applied to the bench, but she laid her on one anyway, under one of the trees lining the road. The calico that was with Index followed right on Yomikawa’s heels and jumped up onto the bench. Then, her female teaching colleague, Komoe Tsukuyomi, whom she had notified in advance, finally arrived. Supposedly she was older than Yomikawa, but she was wearing a cheerleading outfit: a light green tank top and a short, pleated white skirt. She probably had it on so she could root for her class along with the other students, but Yomikawa sighed; the fact that the outfit looked good on her at her age was nothing short of terrifying. “M-Miss Yomikawa! You said you found one of my acquaintances, and— Ack!” Miss Komoe looked at Index and yelped. “Th-the sister?! Wh-why does she look like a wilted vegetable left over at the supermarket?! O-oh, don’t tell me she’s been suffering from heat stroke since before I got here” Her shouting made the calico meow disagreeably and its fur stand up a little. My…As Yomikawa stared at Index on the bench, she thought. A cursory glance might tell a person she had heat stroke. After all, she was collapsed in a habit of pretty thick fabric under the hot sun. Thinking that the heat had gotten to her was probably the correct judgment. “Miss Tsukuyomi, earth to Tsukuyomi! Come on, calm down a little, ’kay?” “H-how am I supposed to stay calm?! This sister may not be one of my students, but she’s still a child I need to protect” “Yes, I get it, enough of the ideal teacher spiel. It’s not heat stroke, ’kay? She’s just hungry.” “What?” Miss Komoe looked at her, confused. And then: “A-again, how am I supposed to stay calm?! Malnutrition is a dangerous thing in and of itself” “Jeez. I suppose I should respect my senior teacher for not deflating even a bit here. But you know, I already gave her three servings of my portable rations and she scarfed them down.” At Yomikawa’s appalled voice, the calico meowed comfortably as if to say, Yeah, and she gave some to me, too. There were crumbs left over around his mouth. “…Then it’s not that she’s hungry, it’s that she’s so full it hurts?! But you’re a teacher, too, so you should know how to properly maintain nutrition…!” “You know what? Why don’t you just hear it from her?” Yomikawa pointed her finger at the bench. As Miss Komoe pushed down her finger, saying it wasn’t polite to point at people, she looked at Index again. In a very weak voice, the exhausted girl in white said, “I-I’m hungry…I-is Touma here yet…?” “You’re really just hungry?!” “That’s what I said! Right, so can I leave her to you?” Miss Komoe assented with a bow and a word of thanks, and Yomikawa turned and trotted away, waving one hand back at her. It was a carefree response, but it was because Yomikawa knew she didn’t need to hesitate with her. Miss Komoe looked back at Index. She was lying there exhausted on the bench, trembling slightly. “I-I smell sauce…If I smell any more, I’ll be done for…” The teacher’s shoulders finally loosened (not from exhaustion but relief—which was very like her), and then she reacted to the word sauce Index had suddenly said. She sniffed around. “Hmm? You mean the food stalls?” She looked around them. Across the road where Aiho Yomikawa had put up the no-crossing sign was a corner with homemade-food stalls lined up like a student-run culture festival. “Little Sister, I bought you some food!” Index looked at the products from the stalls Miss Komoe had chosen randomly and bounded upright on the bench. “W-w-woow…” She sounded like an archaeologist who had just discovered new ruins. The calico in her arms made the same sort of sound. “I didn’t know which you wanted, so I brought some yakisoba, okonomiyaki, a hot dog, and some takoyaki…Oh, you’re from the West. Are you okay with eating octopus? How about Japanese pancake?” “I’ll eat it! I’m so hungry I’d even eat fermented beans like natto or dried horse mackerel!” She looked at the food wrapped in clear plastic, which was made by students and not very high quality, but Index’s eyes were sparkling with a lust for food. The calico began to shake a little in her arms, too, as though her attachment to food had awakened its animal instincts. Miss Komoe gave a pained grin and said, “Ah, ah-ha-ha. Well then, this is a good opportunity. Let’s use it to learn how to hold our chopsticks properly instead of in your fist and— Aaah!” Index had started devouring her targets before she could begin an explanation. Chomp chomp chew chew munch munch The pile of food was disappearing fast. The calico, undaunted, went for the yakisoba noodles, but having a cat’s tongue was a fatal handicap when faced with hot food. Miss Komoe’s shoulders drooped in disappointment. “No…I thought we finally…finally had a chance for me to teach you about Japanese culture…” “Chomp chomp…Huh? Did you say something, Komoe?” As she gulped down the final piece of okonomiyaki, she blinked a few times blankly. The huge pile of food had been completely leveled. Passionate teacher that she was, Miss Komoe had a weakness: She’d get depressed if someone took away an opportunity for her to teach something. Still, the full and completely satisfied Index didn’t notice. As her tiny shoulders shook, she said, “I-I didn’t say anything important anyway! I’m not frustrated at all! I would never cry over something as silly as this!” “? Oh, I didn’t thank you. Thanks a lot for the food! Wait, was that wrong? Why do you look like you’re going to cry, Komoe?” Index tilted her head to the side. “…Anyway, I wonder where Touma went. It’s almost lunchtime!” “…Um, lunchtime…after th-that…?” stammered Miss Komoe, but Index wasn’t listening. “I really wonder where Touma went…I’ve been like this all day…I wonder if we’ll be away from each other for the whole day…” That relit the flame of her teacher’s soul. This sister didn’t seem to be affiliated with any school. That meant it would be hard for her to stay with Touma Kamijou during the Daihasei Festival. There were a few events where non-student residents would compete, but they were all them versus the students anyway. She’d never actually compete alongside him. Miss Komoe could sort of understand how she felt. Being left alone at an event of this size could seem like no big deal, but it could also be devastating. But on the other hand, if she could be involved somehow, no matter what it was, she would be able to gain a sense of closeness and satisfaction. Kami just doesn’t get it, does he? Leaving a poor child like this by herself, she thought as she shook her head at her terrible student, considering her options. Not a compromise but a solution. “It’s okay! There’s a way you can take part in this, too!” She found an answer. I’d be a failure as a teacher if I can’t help a child who looks so sad and lonely, she thought, giggling a little. “Eh? Wh-what?” “I said, there’s a way for you to enjoy the Daihasei Festival with Kami! You don’t have to be by yourself anymore!” At first, Index was taken aback by her overly cheerful voice, but then she forgot about her appetite and her expression softened. The calico didn’t seem to care; it stretched and yawned. “Wh-what is it? What should I do?” “This, right here!” Smiling, Miss Komoe pulled on the chest of her tank top a little. She was wearing a cheerleading uniform. “Eh-heh-heh. You can’t actually play in the games, but you can cheer him on from the sidelines. And cheerleading is the perfect way to do that, right? If you think it’s too embarrassing alone, then don’t worry! Miss Komoe will be right there with you!” Miss Komoe smiled, and she kept on smiling. Energy from actively teaching bubbled to the surface, causing her face to shine. Index started to feel a little cautious about this. “Wh-why do you look so happy about this, Komoe?” “You don’t need to act like Little Red Riding Hood with these questions. Eh-heh, being happy about getting an impromptu chance to teach you cheerleading? Eh-heh-heh, being able to get you to pay me back for missing that opportunity to teach you how to use chopsticks? Eh-heh, eh-heh-heh, I’m not thinking of any of that!” Index was frozen in place after seeing this new side of a person she thought she knew; Miss Komoe took that as a good thing, grabbed her hand, and led her off somewhere. 4 Touma Kamijou went back to the point where they’d been blocked from crossing the road earlier, but Index wasn’t around anymore. The no-crossing sign was gone entirely, and the Anti-Skill lady was nowhere in sight. According to Tsuchimikado: “Searching for Lidvia and Oriana is important, but making sure Index doesn’t find out what’s happening in Academy City right now is just as vital. Kammy, I’ll check with city security on my end and look for any traces of sorcery, so you meet with Index at regular intervals and don’t let her catch on. If there’s any suspicion about what we’re doing, Index will probably ruin our plans and plant herself right at the center of the incident.” So he said, but Kamijou couldn’t do anything like this. Nobody around to ask where Index is, and no clues. I can’t call her, because her cell phone’s battery is dead…Did she actually get lost somewhere for real? Kamijou didn’t think it was a big deal, since he was used to the streets of Academy City, but if someone, for example Stiyl, were to find out she’d gotten lost, he’d say, “I understand the situation. For now, if you could just die, please?” and attack him without further ado. Hmm. Where would Index go…? He glanced around, then his eyes locked on to something in front of him. On the other side of the main street, there was an area with student-made food stalls like a culture festival. “N-no. Did her hungriness get to her and make her go floating in there without any money? Then that means the entire street corner could’ve already been devastated by the Starving Girl Disturbance…” Kamijou blanched. Imagine Breaker, the power in his right hand, could wipe out any supernatural ability, magic, or even divine miracle with just a touch, but up against that chomping girl he was an ineffective Level Zero. Nevertheless, he needed to stop her with his own hands. He strengthened his resolve and headed toward the stall area. But then, something bounced into him from the side. He turned and saw Aisa Himegami in her short sleeves and shorts and Maika Tsuchimikado peddling her bento from atop a cleaning robot, staring at him. Apparently Himegami had been basically following her around as she sold her wares, making conversation as they walked the streets. “Your face. You look like a hero of justice. About to face the final boss. Why do you look like that?” “You look like you’re gonna fall over and die right here! If you’re hungry, do you want a bento?” Just as he was about to charge into the battlefield, their calm voices ruined all his determination. “Hey! You know! I left Index hungry and alone when I went to the last event. And now that I’m back, she’s nowhere in sight. And the closest place with food is that food-stall area, and she could have already rampaged through there, and I…” His basically crying declaration took the two girls off guard. “You mean that sister? She walked over there.” Himegami pointed in the complete opposite direction of the food stalls. “I think she got kidnapped by that famous miniteacher from your school,” answered Maika from her perch on the cleaning robot, looking up and away in recollection. “? She got kidnapped…No, that can’t be. Miss Komoe knows who she is. So then, what? Is she going to show her around the city? Well, whatever. Thanks for the tip. I’ll go find her now.” With just that, Kamijou walked off in the direction Himegami had pointed. From behind him, Maika loudly wished him luck, and Himegami remained silent. Hmm…Since when are the two of them friends? Well, they both came to my student dorm over summer break, so maybe they met then? As he mulled everything over, he walked onto a relatively large road. The people going back and forth were staring in amazement at every little thing, like the wind-power-generating propellers, and that in turn felt new to Kamijou. Then, suddenly, he heard a cat meow from nearby. He was used to the particular traits and qualities of that meow already—it was Sphinx, their calico. “Index?” He stopped and looked toward where he’d heard the sound. There was a small park there, surrounded by buildings. The metal fence was higher than usual, giving it an intimidating air to keep people out. The entrance was overgrown with foliage, and he had a hard time seeing inside. The lack of vision made it seem even more forbidding. Well, it makes sense, he thought. It wasn’t strictly a park. The metal fence had a sign nailed to it that said, PROPERTY OF TADAYAMA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BOTANY. It was for growing plants and collecting data on them. Given the heightened state of security during the Daihasei Festival and the lack of anyone patrolling the area, it seemed to be open but not really a place they’d want outsiders entering. Then the familiar calico poked its head out of the brushwood. When it saw Kamijou, it pulled its head back in and ran farther inside. Just the cat…? No, Index wouldn’t let him out of sight so easily. I guess that means she’s in there, too. Hmm…If they’re growing apples or something in there, then maybe she’d wander in. Knowing she’d flare up at him if she heard him say that, he decided to check inside. Careful not to break any of the tree branches blocking the way, he stepped in. “Indeeex? If you’re here, it would be great if you could say something…” He went in farther, and when his vision cleared… …Index was there. In the middle of changing her clothes, for some reason. “” Kamijou and Index locked eyes and froze. In addition, Miss Komoe, wearing a cheerleading outfit, was facing Index, but she had her back turned, so she didn’t realize he was there. That’s strange, he thought. The latest version of Index in his memory wore a teacup-like habit, white with gold embroidery. For some reason, the habit was neatly folded on the ground— Why was that? And why were panties of the same color on top of her habit? Where had they gotten that short, pleated white skirt and light green tank top that looked like something a cheerleader would wear? She had on both those things right now, and Miss Komoe was in the same outfit. However, she had just gotten a hand on her tank top to pull it down. Her breasts were ever so slightly poking out of the slanted edge of the clothing. On top of that, it was the very moment when Miss Komoe was in the middle of pulling up the cheerleading underwear (possibly the same thing that women wore intennis). The underwear was up to one of her thighs, and she was currently about to get her other foot through it as she froze. Of course, in that state, the skirt wasn’t doing much for her. Cheerleading clothes didn’t have much utility in “covering” anyway. Once again, Index’s habit was neatly folded and placed on the ground. On top of that were panties of the same color. If not for Miss Komoe’s head as she was pulling up the underwear, he would have gotten a glimpse of something he would probably regret for a long time. “…Ah…” After freezing temporarily in surprise, her expression slowly changed to one of anger, one that said, I’m going to devour him this very instant. Kamijou, naturally, was sweating all over and couldn’t move. Miss Komoe had already finished changing into her cheerleading outfit, and only she was unaware of how they were acting. She talked to Index casually. “I’m sorry! The rules say you can’t use the official changing rooms unless you’re actually a student. I didn’t want to have you change in a place like this, but…Huh? Eek!” Index didn’t listen to everything she had to say. With her panties still hanging at her thigh, she surged forward toward Touma Kamijou. “Toumaaa I think maybe you should reflect and think about how many times this makes” “Agh! I’m perfectly ready to apologize, but I won’t let you eat any more of me than you already have” Kamijou managed to twist around to avoid Assault Girl Index’s bite attack. Index’s hands ended up behind him, and she grabbed onto his body, but though she was aiming for his head, her aim slipped a little. Squooch. Index’s mouth landed right on his cheek. “Eegh…?!” He felt her small but soft lips on him. The hardness was her top and bottom teeth, and the warmth must have been her tongue. Breath warmer than his body heat came to him, and he shuddered heavily at the subtle sensation of her saliva. “…I— What— Index?!” “…” Kamijou shouted, his face bright red, but didn’t get an answer. Whoosh Index shot away from him without a word. He would have expected her to yell at him, but she stayed quiet and looked down so far he couldn’t see her face—but she was red up to her ears. Maybe she was actually giving thought to the act of biting him, which she hadn’t really paid much attention to before. Maybe she’d lost her head; she hadn’t seemed to notice her own state of half-undress. Kamijou looked at Miss Komoe, but she had her hands at her cheek, stammering words that weren’t actually words. He couldn’t expect anything from her. “I— Well, um, Miss…Miss Index? It’s all right—it was an accident! Just an accident! We won’t count that one, so don’t get so serious about it…Wait, what?! Wait, Index, why did your face suddenly flip from embarrassment to your angry mode?! Did I say something I shouldn’t have?!” He took a few steps back as he looked at the cheerleading girl who started to tremble in silence, and at that moment… “…Kamijou.” A cold female voice stabbed him in the back. Staying cautious of Index in her unpredictable state, he slowly turned around tolook. It was Seiri Fukiyose. She was wearing her thin administrative committee parka over her gym clothes. “I was looking for Miss Komoe for administrative business, so when I heard voices I came this way…and here we are again.” She looked first at Kamijou and the shaking, half-naked Index; then at Miss Komoe, who was red-faced; then at the clothing and underwear, neatly folded and placed on the ground; and finally back at Index—or, more precisely, to the underwear hanging from her thigh. “Was this why you weren’t with the rest of us rooting for our school? You traitor!” With one hit from her fist, no supernatural abilities included, she slammed Touma Kamijou and put him on the ground. 5 Now covered in scrapes and bruises, Touma Kamijou left the park (well, the botanical laboratory) for now. Actually, it was more like Seiri Fukiyose dragged him out in a bout of righteous fury. Not by the hand, but by the back of his collar. Back there, Index was probably in the middle of changing clothes with Miss Komoe’s help. “I swear. Can’t you put just a little effort into making this competition a success? I know that as the administrative committee member, I should be doing the most work, but seeing someone be as unmotivated as you makes me so mad!” While she spoke, she took an extra paper carton of milk out of her parka and started drinking it. She must have had low calcium levels thanks to her anger. Not in an “I hate you, Touma Kamijou” kind of bashful way, though; instead, she mercilessly conveyed her honest feelings. Bsssshh. As Kamijou continued to be dragged along by his collar, he managed to say, “F-Fukiyose, is…is our school in a match right now…?” “Why can’t you remember that yourself? Not enough nutrients in your brain? Yes, I get it. I understand. Then your top priority right now should be consuming some sugar!” she said, throwing her milk carton into a trash can, then fishing around in her parka pocket and bringing out a sugar stick used for coffee to hand to him. “Eh?! That’s literally just sugar! With nothing else!” Kamijou’s shoulders jerked in surprise and he tried to run, but at that moment, Fukiyose put her arm around his neck. Then she completed her headlock with just her right arm by tucking Kamijou’s head under her armpit. “For now, just wake up your sleeping brain. If you can’t, we can try a soybean isoflavone infusion. I trust you’re okay with soy-milk pudding!” “Agh! If you would be so kind as to give me soy-milk pudding from the start, I would be in your debt! It would contain sugar, too!” Kamijou flailed as Fukiyose attempted to force the sugar stick down his throat, but with his head being fixed in place in her armpit, he didn’t actually move anywhere. Still, he continued his struggle. Suddenly, he felt something soft touch his right cheek. It was one of her big breasts. Ack?! Kamijou began to resist three times as hard. Fukiyose must not have noticed what was happening, she was just frowning at the sugar stick in her hand. “Wait, just wait! I could fill myself up with just that and it wouldn’t fix how stupid I am” “…Doesn’t it make you sad to say that about yourself?” “It does not!” retorted Kamijou pathetically as he quickly tried to veer in a different direction. The bounciness of her breast amplified then, causing his entire body to lock up. Fukiyose, still looking dubious, sighed and released him from the headlock. Thank God, said Kamijou, exhaling, when a moment later, she grabbed his collar and began dragging him right along again. “Right now our school is doing two events: The second-year girls are doing the tug-of-war and the third-year boys are doing the best-pick triathlon. Which do you want to go cheer for? I bet the girls, right? I mean, that would make sense for Kamijou!” “Your words—they hurt so much! How can you be so coolheaded all the time?! Does even your heart stay cool in the summer?!” “Don’t give me that. It’ll take more than that to get past my defenses!” But your defenses are cold as ice, retorted Kamijou to himself, but she obviously wasn’t going to laugh at that, so he kept his mouth shut. “By the way, Fukiyose, are you okay with your committee work right now?” “…You don’t have to keep worrying about every little thing concerning me, you know.” “I guess this is what it’s like to be completely rejected…Isn’t your committee work, like, hard? Well, I mean, I don’t know what exactly you’re doing, but I was just wondering if you really had the time to be bothering with an idiot like me.” From setting up and judging the competitions to broadcasting their starts, middles, and ends; dealing with lost children; and giving people simple directions, the administrative committee was assigned a wide variety of tasks during the Daihasei Festival. Plus they would have to compete as athletes themselves, too, so they had far less free time than normal students. Fukiyose, though, gave him a sidelong glare. “It’s fine. I told Miss Komoe. Besides, I made sure my schedule has some give in it to deal with unexpected situations like this, so there’s no problem!” “Seems like a waste. You should just leave me here and go around the food stalls with your friends or something.” “Everyone has their own ways of making things memorable. They agree with that, too!” For just a moment, the sharpness in her expression faded to something more normal. Kamijou, still being dragged along, sighed. “Yeah, yeah…Doesn’t matter to me, but could you stop dragging me like this?” “All right, give me your hand,” she said, letting go of his collar surprisingly easily, then offering her hand to him. Her palm looked soft, like she used hand cream. It was probably one of those coenzyme Q10s or a health fad relentlessly advertised on television. “Oh, well. Uhh, right. Thanks.” He thought for a moment, but decided to take her hand anyway. He figured it would be cold, but it was warmer than he’d thought. He felt his heart thump in slight surprise just from that simple fact. Fukiyose gave him a glance, then said, “You walk too slowly.” “…” Touma Kamijou sighed and wondered what he was getting all excited for as the ironclad, unhappy Seiri Fukiyose started to pull him away by the hand. 6 They walked through the city, Fukiyose tugging Kamijou along. The crowd was especially thick around this area. The cause seemed to be a cluster of traffic locations like subway stations and automatic bus terminals all in one place. People were going in every direction, making transfers from trains to buses or from bus line A to bus line B. He noted they’d gained a lot of distance from where they’d parted with Index. Fukiyose seemed to want to get Kamijou to come root for their school, but right now, he’d have to take action immediately if any word came from Tsuchimikado or Stiyl, who were tracking Oriana separately. Help, I don’t know what to do, he worried to himself. “Hey, Kamijou. Does the Daihasei Festival bore you?” Fukiyose said suddenly, still holding his hand. “Huh?” Kamijou frowned. “You seem rather restless, like your mind is on something else entirely!” He gulped. Fukiyose saw him gulp and continued. “Well, I can’t force you to focus only on the festival, and I can’t stop you if you want to drop out of it…” She didn’t seem to have suspicions that something else was going on behind the scenes of the festival. She just had doubts as to where Kamijou was directing his focus. “Still, and it may seem selfish, but seeing as how I’ve worked hard to plan for today, I want everyone to participate and have a good time that they can look back on and remember fondly. If everyone’s happy with that, then great…but if you feel like today’s been boring, then it means I haven’t done enough to prepare for this, that’s all.” “…You’ve got a strong sense of responsibility. Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s boring. Crazy events like this are best if you let yourself go crazy, too, you know?” Kamijou didn’t know why Fukiyose was on the administrative committee for the festival. However, it seemed that not only did she nominate herself rather than be forced into it, she had a reason for wanting to make everything a success. A reason that meant spending time until late after school and forgoing free time with her other friends. But there was something she didn’t know. Sorcerers were out there right now trying to take advantage of those kinds of feelings. She didn’t know about their secret efforts to come to a deal on the Stab Sword, nor about all the different opinions and purposes clashing both inside and outside the city walls. I’ll have to do my best, he thought. Fukiyose’s not the only one. All the administrative committee members are trying to make the festival a success. The students walking around, too, and even the people from outside who came to watch—all they want is a memory they can look back on fondly. So I need to do my best. Fukiyose peered at his face dubiously. “…I guess I can’t do anything about the fact that you’re thinking about other things.” “What? No, that’s not it! I am super pumped for this. You’re plunging into your angry zone for no reason, Fukiyose” Fukiyose was quickly losing her sparkle to her displeased irritation. Still holding her hand, the flustered Kamijou went in front of her, looked her in the eye, and was about to answer her… …when someone bumped into him from behind. The sidewalk was so crowded that someone’s shoulder must have bumped him. Ack! He couldn’t immediately react to it, and he took a step forward by accident. That brought his face a lot closer to Fukiyose’s. Actually, there were only about thirty centimeters between their faces in the first place. “Ack…” “Huh…?!” In less than a moment after they cried out, the distance between them shrank to zero. With a loud thud, their foreheads rammed into each other. The tips of their noses touched a little, too. Their lips didn’t, but he felt her light breathing on his. Wha…? Kamijou stopped breathing despite himself. “Get away from me, Touma Kamijou!” A moment later, Fukiyose delivered a hard head-butt to him. “Ack— Whoa?!” His entire upper body reeled back. His hand, which had been in hers before, jerked back. He felt heat rising to his face. Fukiyose’s expression didn’t seem to change too much, but it was gradually being painted over in more and more anger. “…I suppose Touma Kamijou is still Touma Kamijou even when people are trying to talk seriously to him.” “Th-that’s not it! I was trying to think seriously, too” “This is one of those cases, isn’t it? All the time in the world wouldn’t be enough for me to open up to you.” He groaned. “I feel like I’ve been destroyed by Fukiyose’s chilliness!” he shouted without meaning to. Fukiyose’s palm came right at the back of his head and smacked it. Her retorts lack that sense of affection, he thought, rubbing his head and lowering it in apology, when just then… …bloof. This time, as he lowered his head, it suddenly ran into something soft. He calmly assessed the situation and saw that it was a woman’s breasts. “Oowahhh?!” He hastily pulled back. What the hell is going on here?! he thought, surprised once again. The woman he bumped into, though, went, “Whoopsies,” and didn’t seem to mind it very much. He heard Fukiyose rumble out a low “Kamijou…” that sounded like evil spirits were leaving her mouth. The woman he’d run into was dressed in a plain work outfit and was about eighteen or nineteen years old. She might have been the same age as Kaori Kanzaki. She was taller than Kamijou,too. The phrase “tall for a Japanese” might have worked for her, but her bright blond hair and blue eyes suggested the evaluation might not have been accurate. Seiri Fukiyose was particularly good-looking among his classmates, but this woman’s sexiness far outshone Fukiyose’s looks. Her simple physical features like her chest and waist were great, but he felt some kind of invisible charm about her. Her long blond hair seemed to be fixed up with quite a bit of wax or a curling iron or something. In all, she had a hairstyle where a curling iron had been used on thin bundles of hair, combined into three thick bundles of many strands coiling around one another. There were several other parts of it that had their own thing going on, so the style was very difficult to classify. On the other hand, there were no accessories in it. It was more like her blond hair itself had been made into a decoration. Dried paint was stuck all over her work outfit as if she was related to the painting industry. Her hands were barely long enough for one to hold the bottom part of a signboard under her arm. However… “Wow…” …he was not the one to accidentally murmur something: Fukiyose did it instead. The woman’s work outfit was the kind you buttoned up in the front, but it was wide-open. Some wore those things with the top two buttons open, but not her—the only button not open was that second one. It gave a blindingly clear view of her belly button and enormous cleavage. Kamijou thought it almost seemed like a swimsuit in that regard. Her pants were fairly loose as well, like they were just hanging from her hips. He didn’t feel like going around behind her to check, but a little bit of her butt may have been showing from out of the low pants hem. She was certainly exposing quite a bit, but it had an added layer of another kind of danger, like the slightest wrong move would send her clothes flying off. She had confidence in her body, which, to Kamijou at least, put her in a different category than the jersey-wearing, big-breasted Anti-Skill lady. The painter woman used her free hand to make a gesture of apology and, in surprisingly fluent Japanese, said, “Oh, whoops! Sorry about that. I’m just not used to this kind of crowd! Does it hurt anywhere? Oh, there? The back of your head?” Kamijou groaned. “You’re not actually right, but you’re being so nice it’s infecting me and I might just let you have me…” Seiri Fukiyose shut one eye at his tearful response and brought another fist down to the back of his head. And, in so doing, sent Kamijou plunging into the painter woman’s breasts again. She didn’t scream or anything; she just used one hand to peel him off her slowly. “There we go. Are you okay now? You really mustn’t fight so much. Festivals don’t come around very often, so it would be wise to use this time to make some fun memories, right?” Kamijou’s entire look burst into an expression on the verge of tears. “You have such a good heart! I can’t even compare you to a certain biting girl or this punching girl! I think I’d like to drown myself in your kindness!” “Oh my. Your pickup lines could use a little work—saying you loved me after looking at only what would benefit you.” This jerk, said Fukiyose’s eyes as she glared at him. The painter woman smiled thinly and bowed a little in apology. “Oh, oops. I apologize to you as well.” Fukiyose looked surprised. “Wh-why would you say sorry to me?” “Well, because I suppose I indirectly caused this, perhaps?” The girl winced at the too-relaxed, adult words. Kamijou thought to himself: Look—that’s what a real woman is like; did you see it? Learn from her! Use her as a reference and stop being so straitlaced A moment later, Fukiyose belted out an aikido throwing technique and planted him in the ground. She looked at the boy being held to the ground and the girl holding him there and called out, “Umm, I suppose you’re all right? You both seem plenty energetic.” Then she came out with one hand, looking for a handshake. “I do apologize for running into you. I assume in Japan you would bow your head, but where I come from we generally do it like this.” “Huh…Is that right?” “Oh. Would you rather have a kiss?” Kamijou nearly exploded. After the innocent boy trembled for a few moments, he replied, “Yes! I would like that very much” The words had barely left his mouth before Seiri Fukiyose rocked him with a fist to his temple. His head spun. The painter woman smiled and offered her hand again. I wonder if Index could stop biting and learn a more gentle, cultured approach like this, thought Kamijou as he took her right hand in his right hand. Shwaaack There was an odd sound, almost like something was breaking. “Huh?” That was neither Kamijou nor the woman, but Seiri Fukiyose who was watching them. The two people shaking hands both knew what had just happened, so they didn’t say anything. Touma Kamijou was busy recalling the power in his right hand anyway. And the painter woman was busy figuring out what had just broken. “Whoopsies!” The woman forced a dry smile but failed even at that. “I should really be getting back to my work. May I go now?” she asked. And then she left without waiting for a reply. There was nothing different about the way she acted or moved, but that air about her that had earlier felt like composure was gone. Fukiyose, who had her own hand still sitting in the air waiting, tilted her head. “…Huh? No handshake for me? What do you think, Touma Kamijou?” “What? Maybe she just didn’t like you and— Gaahh?!” His deflection earned him a full-force head-butt. Fukiyose heaved a very heavy sigh and went to grab Kamijou’s hand to lead him off somewhere else again, but just then her cell phone ringtone began to play. It sounded like it was from the administrative committee; businesslike words left Fukiyose’s lips. As far as he could tell from the way they were speaking in hushed tones, it seemed like some trouble had come up. She looked at Kamijou, then at the time display on her phone. She left him with the very committee-like “The bread-eating race is next, so you’d better not be late!” He watched her leave, her phone in one hand, then rubbed the cheek he’d been punched in earlier. Then he thought. What had he just canceled out? A supernatural power or sorcery? After thinking for a few moments, he decided it wasn’t as likely to be a supernatural ability. Espers were all from Academy City and were simply students. The woman seemed like a worker from outside the city, given her painting work outfit, and the manufacturer logo on it sealed the deal—he’d seen the name from time to time on TV. And, of course, none of the students in the city had a way to acquire such clothing. Which meant… Touma Kamijou got out his cell phone. He looked around to make sure Fukiyose was gone. He figured asking her about it wouldn’t be the right thing to do, since Anti-Skill or Judgment acting would apparently be a problem. He dialed Motoharu Tsuchimikado’s number. “Heya, Kammy. Busy pullin’ the wool over Index’s eyes, nya? We’re looking for nice, insecure spots where Oriana could make the deal, but there’s way more in District 7 than we thought. If you could just keep Index away from that area for now, that would be great—” “Never mind that. I need to ask something, Tsuchimikado.” Tsuchimikado lowered his tone, catching on to the quickness of Kamijou’s speech. “…What is it?” “What was it again? The something-or-other sword, the magic item. We’re supposed to be stopping them from making a deal with it, right?” Kamijou looked at the crowd. He could still see the back of her dressed-down work clothing. “The Stab Sword. And it’s not an item, it’s a Soul Arm. Wait, why? You getting cold feet on us, Kammy? You know we won’t be getting any backup here.” “Is that true?” “…Not sure what you mean, Kammy.” Kamijou straightened, making sure not to let the woman out of his sight. Then the woman turned a corner. “I shook hands with somebody and the Imagine Breaker destroyed something. I don’t know what. But she doesn’t seem like a student. She dresses like she’s not from the city.” “Wait. Kammy. I have to ask. Was she carrying anything big? The Stab Sword is a meter and a half long, and each side of the guard goes out thirty-five centimeters. Something that could hide a huge sword…? Not sure what, since I don’t think it’d fit in a suitcase…” Kamijou’s face paled. “She was.” “What was it?” “A signboard? It was, like, this big sign, wrapped in a white cloth—” “Kammy, where are you right now?” “What? Oh, uhh…I’m in front of the Ichizai Bank.” “Wait right there,” he heard before the phone hung up. He stared at the phone. Should he follow the woman or wait here for Tsuchimikado? He thought a little, then sprinted off toward where the painter lady had gone. They’d lose her for sure if he waited for Tsuchimikado. He had a premonition—something was beginning. And he knew that it wasn’t going to be anything festive. 7 With the big sign under her arm, the blond woman wearing her work uniform casually weaved in and out of the crowds. She knew she was on edge. She thought she was choosing her movements and actions carefully. Unfortunately, she couldn’t completely deal with her emotions now that something unexpected had happened. She stuck her empty hand into her pants pocket. Her pants pulled down a tiny bit when she did, but it didn’t bother her. From out of her pocket she produced a ring of flash card–like pieces of paper. Nothing was written on them, though. The white pasteboard cards simply hung from a metal ring. “Mm…” She bit off one of the cards, ripping the paper from the ring. Then writing appeared on it like color on litmus paper. It read WATER SYMBOL in cursive, gold English letters. The symbol of water reacted to the golden ink and spun. She returned the ring of cards to her pocket, then took the card out of her mouth and placed it to her ear like a conch. “Testing! Hello? This is Oriana Thomson. Are you getting this? If you are, I’d appreciate it if you said something.” In response to her talking to herself, the card pressed to her ear spoke in a voice that didn’t vibrate the air. “Please refrain from using your real name. Take into account the potential danger if your physical voice were to leak out and be overheard. If you revealed your true identity, we could find ourselves in a difficult situation.” The voice was polite and well mannered. Very well mannered. The woman calling herself Oriana smiled drily. “I’ve already run into a bit of trouble. I do find ad-libbed comedy routines far more of a turn-on, but that wouldn’t be a very pleasing situation for you, would it? Lidvia Lorenzetti.” The person she was talking to, whom she called Lidvia Lorenzetti, was silent, but only for a moment. “Please refrain from such obscene expressions. I have been strictly ordered to go along with you for religious reasons, after all.” “Oh, right. Tantalizing yourselves with abstinence is what you nuns like best, isn’t it? I suppose gentle verbal abuse is a little too rough for you. Have you heard this, by the way? Scientifically speaking, martyred saints seeing angels at the end of their lives could be a manifestation of masochistic ecstasy.” “…” “Oh? I guess you’re not into scientific conversations. I hadn’t pegged you for one of those who would cover her ears if someone started talking about how the Church’s operating procedures make use of mass psychology.” “…That is not what I am concerned about…,” said the other person before trailing off, seeming annoyed. Oriana, finally, started to feel dismayed. Word Count: (11229)