Toaru Majutsu no Index

Volume 2, Prologue: The Same Usual Every Day. The_Beginning_of_The_End.

To understand a person, one must simply examine their bookshelf.

“...A pile of manga.”

The date was August 8th. Kamijou Touma looked around the room and found that he could not find a single book that was not manga on not only on his bookshelf but throughout the house. Thus, in order to save face, Kamijou Touma had decided to head to the train station of Academy City and purchase some reference books.

...He went there.

“To think that one reference book costs 3,600 yen (a. $43.58)...” muttered Kamijou Touma as if he had recently lost terribly in a great battle. And, according to the shop attendant, every reference book was sold at half price until yesterday in order to promote the summer exams.

Such misfortune. It truly was unfortunate.

However, this was the essence of Kamijou Touma's everyday's life. Additionally, he was popular simply because his friends felt that "with him around, he’ll absorb our bad luck like a lightning rod.”

The problem was the precariousness of the situation.

It was imperative that he avoided the label, "someone with only manga on his bookshelf". Of course, his thought processes were abnormal. An ordinary person would disregard unscientific claims like “to understand a person, one must simply examine their bookshelf.”

It was because Kamijou Touma had lost his memory.

Naturally, everything was not forgotten. He still knew how to read traffic lights and operate his cell phone. He lost his “memories”; “knowledge” was intact.

Though he knew how to use a cell phone, his brain would wonder “Eh? Where I did I put my phone?” or “Hold on, since when did I have a phone?”

His apparent "knowledge" was like a dictionary.

For example, one might know that “apples” were the “fruit of the Rosaceous deciduous tree which bloom in spring with a round shape.” But, to decide if it were tasty, one had to eat an apple. His brain lacked the diary-like memory of “I ate a delicious apple on month X, day Y.”

He was told that the reason was because the “experience memory” (memories) part of his brain, rather than the “meaningful memory” (information) part, was destroyed. However, this was not the main issue.

Kamijou Touma wanted to know what sort of person he was before he "lost his memory"; even if it meant that he had to adhere to some baseless claim like “one must simply examine their bookshelf.” But, it did not mean that Kamijou’s expression was that of pain.

After all, Kamijou was not alone in the world and was not thrown into some unknown environment. He had food, clothes and friends he could call companions.

“Touma!”

Returning home on a summer day, a girl beside the half-dead Kamijou cried out angrily in the face of the sudden shopping spree. Kamijou had gone out on this assault and spend more than 1000 yen (a. $12.11).

Around 13 or 14 years old, one could tell that she was foreign. She had waist-length silver hair, skin as white as snow emerald green eyes. Despite all of that, the plainly obvious foreignness of hers was the outfit.

She wore a Christian nun’s habit that was uniquely white and with gold lacings. It seemed like the gold-outlined cups that upstarts enjoyed using.

Her name was Index. Of course, it was a fake name but Index was what everyone had called her.

Kamijou met her in the hospital. Or rather, from Kamijou's perspective, he met her at the hospital but it appeared that he had already met her prior to his memory loss. Though Kamijou recalled nothing related to the girl no matter how he tried, he avoided saying it aloud.

The day he first met her, she cried tears of happiness to see him on the bed. However, her tears were shed not for the current Kamijou but the Kamijou prior.

He could not bear to break the joy in the girl’s heart. In order to protect her warmth, Kamijou Touma formed a façade as the Kamijou Touma before his memory loss.

It was a complicated feeling, as if Kamijou Touma were two people.

However, the girl called Index, seemed ignorant of Kamijou’s inner conflict (though, to be fair to her, he avoided her realization). Shorter than Kamijou by a head, she looked up and started unhappily at him.

“Touma, what could we have done with 3,600 yen?”

“...Don't ask.”

“What could we have done?” The girl asked again.

Just as Kamijou stuffed his ears and shut his eyes, shouting "DON'T SAY IT!" to escape from reality, he suddenly realized that the girl walking beside him was looking elsewhere.

With curiosity, Kamijou followed her gaze and found that the shop sign of an ice cream shop was spinning before him.

It was August 8th, a considerably hot summer afternoon, and because of the heat waves floating up, Index’s long-sleeved habit should have been hot...

“...I understand your feelings, but isn't spending 3,600 yen a bit much?”

“Hmph.” She seemed unhappy with his words and turned to look at Kamijou.

“Touma, I didn’t say I’m hot or about to get heatstroke. Of course I never thought about spending someone else’s money to satisfy myself so I didn’t think about eating ice cream at all.”

“...Okay, okay. I know nuns don’t tell lies but you don’t have to sweat and give me those abandoned puppy-dog eyes, right? Can’t you just tell me that you want to eat ice cream in an air-conditioned room? The weather’s so hot but you’re still wearing that nun’s habit, something that doesn’t consider the impact of the weather. You might get heatstroke like that.”

Though he sounded quite generous, it was just his saving face. The amount of money in his wallet would not change. Of course, it did not mean that he could not even buy ice cream, but if he did, he would be short money to get a ride back home. Academy City was one-third the size of Tokyo, and for Kamijou (who had just recovered from considerable injuries) and the physically weak Index, it was not a place they could trek with ease. Though the term “weak girls” may have been sexist, girls that could walk one-third the length of Tokyo were few.

Index seemed unhappy somehow and began to get angrier. She frowned, “Touma, this clothing is a materialization of God’s protection. I never even thought about how hard it is to wear, how hot it is, how it’s troublesome or how there should be a summer or winter version.”

"...Right..."

Righteousness and kindness were two different things and Kamijou Touma understood that cruel reality. There was something off however. Why were there safety pins all over a habit with such extravagant designs?

"And besides, I'm still a nun-in-training. Besides cigarettes and wine, I’m forbidden from having any luxury items... even coffee, red tea, fruits, sweets, iced items..."

"Oh, I see. At first, I thought about saying that eating ice cream is a good way to relieve the summer heat." When people adhered to religious principles, it was impossible to change their minds. Kamijou again stared at the signboard of the ice cream shop. "If that's the case, okay. It's not like we need to eat it—"

Before Kamijou could finish speaking, a hand suddenly grabbed him at mach one. Kamijou, unable to resist the powerful force exerted by the girl's fingers, was forced to turn his head around.

"It's... it's true that I'm still in training, and that I'm forbidden from having any excessive stuff."

"Then, no way."

"But since I'm still in training, it means that I can't completely follow a Saint's standards, right? So, in this situation, maybe there’ll be a case where some ice cream accidentally went into my mouth. Isn't that right, Touma?"

"..." Though Kamijou badly desired to lecture her, the force exerted by the girl's fingers became stronger, seemingly conveying to him to say nothing more. However, the naïve Index knew not that silence could be worse than a rebuttal.

...At that moment...

"Yo, sorry to disturb y'all from this important conversation, but who's that gal, Kami-yan?"

...A mysterious fake Kansai accent sounded from behind.

Looking back, it was a weirdo whose voice was even stranger. 180 centimeters tall, blue-haired, ear-pierced... he was too odd to be a weirdo.

Did the "Kamijou with his memories" really have such a friend? Kamijou could not help but ask. He felt like he was lecturing others as he cursed himself. Even if I don't know what relationship I have with this guy (I did lose my memories), I should at least choose my friends better!

"Hm, what's up, Kami-yan? Why are you looking at me like a stranger? Did the summer heat cause ya to lose ya memories?"

"What...?" Kamijou was shocked. Aogami Pierce, however, raised his hand and waved it about.

"I'm just joking, man~. This memory loss thing is a special privilege only to those unbelievable wave-emitting girlsDenpa Otome—right?"[1] Then, Aogami Pierce put his hand on Kamijou's shoulder (though it was ridiculously hot). "...Yo, Kami-yan, who's that gal? How do ya know such a small girl? Is she ya cousin...? Doesn't look like it. Her silver hair doesn't look inherited from ya gene pool!"

The big issue with Aogami was that his whispers failed at being whispers.

Kamijou broke into cold sweat, worried whether the girl beside him would go ballistic because of the word "small"... but luckily, it seemed that it would not be the case.

"...From the way I see it, this gal must only be asking directions from ya, right? But with ya English still country-isolated, it must be pretty hard for ya... Hold on, is that gal from an English-speaking country?"

Kamijou knew not what he was talking about and for Index perhaps she was rather used to having others calling her "small". She seemed unmindful, only glaring viciously at the sun that burned down, perhaps so hot that she did not want to speak.

"...Speaking of which, Kami-yan, I don't know where ya met this gal, but don't get relaxed by this. After all, ya gained sixteen years of trust and good-man performances, so ya should know that a "simple meeting with a gal" isn't possible. Isn't it like that in romantic comedies? The one with the crush is always like a young mother! Haha~ if such an event happens, all hope is gone! It's really pitiful to think about."

Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the events of his life were not an old-fashioned dramas case. The, Aogami Pierce spoke again, "Hold on, is that a cross-dressing trap? Isn't 'her' chest a little too small?"

Immediately, Kamijou seemed to hear the girl's blood vessels explode. Kamijou forced himself suppress a blood-curdling cry. It seemed that while the girl could endure being called young, being called a boy was out of the question.

Kamijou seemed to hear her barely maintain her smile as she gnashed her teeth.

Such misfortune...! Just as Kamijou wanted to shout...

"Oi, Kami-yan. How could great men like us be good friends with a 3D gal? There'll definitely be a Bad End. I can see it: just as Kami-yan takes off the final piece of clothing from the gal and goes into the R18 moment, ya finally find out the truth and roll off the bed in shock."

"...You're joking, right? Don't tell me you actually feel that way!"

"Eh? Is she really a gal? How uninteresting!" Aogami Pierce said with a gleeful expression. "So ya encounter must be abnormal, right? Kami-yan, though ya always been a good guy nobody loved, ya can't just kidnap a gal, you know? Such foolhardiness will get flamed on those image boards when ya leave them there."

"Idiot... stop joking! Who'd do such a thing!?" ...But in reality, Kamijou did not know how they met. "This person here is just a freeloader! Everything was done through negotiations with both sides, sergeant-dono!"

"'Freeloader'? 'Freeloader'? Kami-yan, ya just added a 'just' to an extremely precious 'freeloader gal'? Kami-yan! Ya like an elementary school kid who just ate too many snacks and forgot the essence of rice!"

"Shut up! How can I express it except with a 'just'!? Since when do romantic scenes happen that often in real life!? Do you know how Kamijou's finances are in a crisis because of this person right here!? Even Zashiki-warashi's better than her...!"

As Kamijou shouting continued, he realized something. Naturally, the girl Index was nearby and heard all of it.

"...Ah." Kamijou turned back with an expression of terror.

Index smiled. She revealed a Virgin Mary-like smile but her face was as green as honey dew. Terrible. Not knowing what "the Kamijou Touma with memories" would do, he was unaware whether he once knew how to quell her. If I did know, then this amnesia is really a pity, Kamijou thought.

"Touma." Index spoke, revealing a perfect smile.

It's all over, Kamijou thought, unable to respond.

"I'm a nun affiliated with the English Anglicans. Repent now or forever hold your peace."

The nun drew a cross in front of her chest, and clasped her hands together. Because the smile was too impeccable, one could tell that it was a guise.

Kamijou unknowingly desired to clutch his head and cry out.

This was a bomb—no—an unexploded mortar. If I handle this carelessly, it may explode, and this will be the end of my life! Kamijou's instincts told him thus.

What should I do what should I do? Ah! That's it, ice cream! Use ice cream to distract her! Now extremely confused, Kamijou forgot how to speak and could only crazily point in the direction of the ice cream shop near them. Index peered in the direction of his finger and stopped. She then revealed puzzled look.

Just as Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that he managed to divert her attention, he suddenly noticed something. There was a piece of paper on the automatic door which read:

"To our customers,

Due to interior renovations, we will be suspending our business for the time being. We apologize for any inconveniences."

His mind recalled a Bad End and Kamijou slowly turned his head towards the girl beside him.

The girl's smile instantly vanished.

"Such misfortune!" Kamijou shouted and the savage beast Index pounced.

In the end they compromised and agreed to buy shakes from a cheap fast food restaurant.

Of course, Index was not completely satisfied so Kamijou tried to incentivize her with the pretense of "enjoying the food in an air-conditioned room". However, the shop was actually completely crammed in the afternoon.

"..."

Holding the tray with both hands, Index looked unhappy once again and remained silent. There were three shakes on the tray: one vanilla, one chocolate, and one strawberry. Though Kamijou truly wanted to shout "Are you that thirsty?" he dared not to retort out of fear that his life would be at risk.

Such misfortune, Kamijou thought.

Index, whose mood somewhat improved after getting three shakes for herself, was now facing a tough situation: the shop was completely filled with customers. But, the temperature was so hot that staying outside was not an option. They had finally managed to enter a shop with air conditioning so who would want to go back to the streets and stand under the sun?

The nearby female high school students seemed to fail to realize Kamijou's despair as they continued to talk about extremely ordinary topics.

"Hey, hey! I heard that Anzai used telepathy during the last exam! Is it true?"

"I heard that they even organized a teachers' meeting because of that, so it must be true. But, I also heard that everyone at the meeting agreed that esper powers are a part of the Curriculum, so it isn’t considered cheating."

"UU, THAT'S DESPICABLE! NYAAA!! THEN I WANT TO USE MY POWER AS WELL!"

"...Isn't your power pyrokinesis?"

"Can't I just set fire to the teacher's back and force him to spill the answers?"

...Perhaps to most, such a conversation would have been too out of the ordinary. But, as it was Academy City, such things were very common parts of their everyday lives. As the 2.3 million citizens of the city had some sort of power, it could have been called a large-scale "power development group".

In fact, Kamijou was an esper. He was the boy called the "Imagine Breaker". He possessed a right hand that could "negate any supernatural power, even one of God's miracles".

"...Touma, I really want to sit down." said Index in an emotionless tone.

Scary. The nun’s expression conveyed to him that if he did not comply, she would again leap and bite him.

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Kamijou shouted and rushed to a shop attendant who was sweeping the floor.

The shop attendant merely revealed a cruel, professional smile and pointed to a corner by the window.

Sit together? Kamijou looked over at where the finger's pointing.

"Uuu!?"

In the shop that was like a rush hour train station, there was a four-seater table in the corner. A huge space appeared in the middle of the crowd like a huge hole.

Over there, on that table, sat a sleeping miko. Jellyfish-like shiny black hair was scattered, covering the miko's face.

This... What's with this scenario? Kamijou cried out in his heart.

Not right, something's not right. Kamijou's misfortune radar warned him. Don't get involved with her, don't get involved with her, you'll definitely meet misfortune! When it happens, it won't be something solved by amnesia!

Of course, Kamijou Touma, as an unlucky person, did not seek misfortune. He closed his eyes and made his decision....Alright, let's go home! I'd rather get bitten by Index than get involved with such a person.

Having made this conclusion, Kamijou turned back to find that both Index and Aogami had already disappeared.

"...?" Kamijou looked around. "...Ack!"

As expected, under the suggestion of the shop attendant, Index had already sat opposite that mysterious miko. The girl truly lacked awareness for danger. Or was she a philanthropist? As for Aogami Pierce, who sat beside them, his eyes were gleaming. Are you really that attracted to nuns and mikos?

He honestly and truly wanted to run away. But he could not. If he turned his back on Index and ran away, Index might have leaped at him like a lion and swallow him whole. Seeing Aogami Pierce, whose eyes glittered, Kamijou felt that it was too dangerous to leave the girl alone.

But most importantly, Index, who had some strawberry shake in her mouth, waved at him happily. Kamijou felt that he should preserve that happy expression.

Though he though as such, there was a mysterious miko sleeping. Kamijou carefully approached the table. The same moment, the miko's shoulders jerked.

"Sp—" Her mouth moved. The miko's mouth moved. Kamijou had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. Why? Having lost his memories, Kamijou definitely remembered nothing but somehow had a feeling that he already had a similar experience.

He gulped down his saliva, waiting for the miko to speak.

"—Spent all my money and ruined myself."

Notes

1. ↑ デンパ少女 or Denpa Otome goes for "wave girl". "Denpa" is a term to coin someone who has a really strange or eccentric behaviour without any apparent reason, hence "the wave made me do it"; you might recognize the word as it is also the name of a novel, where the titular character is actually quite weird.

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