Magical Powered Kanamin unleashed a Dimensional Exile attack, wiping out the leader of the criminal syndicate holed up in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo in one fell swoop.
As the dust settled, the brave and steadfast Miss Kanamin escorted the rescued civilians to a spot near the hospital before finally dragging her severely injured body slowly towards the crimson setting sun on the horizon.
After a cute ending song played, the credits began to roll on the television screen.
"Kanamin's so amazing! She can even use a high-level spell like Dimensional Exile!"
Index's face flushed with excitement as she spoke, practically dancing on the spot.
"They're already on the third generation now, but the first generation Kanamin left the biggest impression on me," Tsuchimikado Maika sighed, seeming to reminisce about the past.
"He's so slow. That Touma guy still isn't back yet." With the Kanamin anime finished, Index finally had time to complain about a certain high school boy's tardiness.
"Did Kamijou-senpai have some business to take care of?" Natsume Sonoko asked a rather meaningless question.
"Touma went to a sale. The fridge is completely empty, and all the eggs he bought this afternoon broke," Index hung her head slightly. Her stomach let out a mournful groan in response. Clutching her belly as if all hope was lost, she collapsed onto the floor.
"And all the manga he bought for me got soaked too."
A look of disappointment crossed Index's face as she crawled to a corner and retrieved a waterlogged volume of the Magical Girl Kanamin tankōbon.
"If you're hungry, I have a bento here, Index. You can have it," Tsuchimikado-san thought for a moment, then brought out the bento she had prepared for her brother.
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course it is," Tsuchimikado-san said with a smile. It wouldn't hurt for her brother to skip a meal.
"Then I'll dig in!" Index pressed her hands together, and her HP bar instantly refilled.
The moment she opened the bento box, little stars sparkled in Index's eyes. The bento Tsuchimikado-san had made was incredibly extravagant.
Index's appetite was wildly disproportionate to her petite frame. The packed bento began to disappear at a visibly rapid rate.
Sphynx, the calico cat, chose that moment to crawl over to Index's feet and was rewarded with a meatball.
The kitten Sphynx was also quite friendly with Natsume-san. It seemed to remember the canned fish Natsume-san had given it before, as it soon started rubbing against and fawning over a certain girl with twin drills.
"I'm full," Index rubbed her stomach, a happy smile spreading across her face.
"Ah, that's right." Tsuchimikado Maika raised a finger, looking quite serious as she turned to Index. "That acquaintance who kidnapped you the other day, his motive was definitely a twisted form of love, right?"
Tsuchimikado-san recalled an incident from two days prior, speaking with considerable interest.
"Kidnapping? An acquaintance?" Natsume Sonoko was a bit confused. Had Index been kidnapped by someone she knew?
"It was a red-haired guy, wearing a black cloak, with a barcode-like tattoo under his right eye. He snatched Index away right in the middle of our discussion about the path of a maid. Later, I heard from Kamijou Touma that he was an acquaintance," Tsuchimikado-san explained.
"That was Stiyl, nya! He's a friend of Touma and me. We had some very important business to take care of. It started as searching for someone, but it turned into a fight partway through."
As she said this, a thoughtful expression appeared on Index's face.
Although Natsume-san knew a little about magic, Index instinctively omitted the parts related to it.
She wasn't quite sure how to explain things like the interpreter of the 'Book of the Law,' Orsola, the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church, or the schemes of the Roman Catholic Church and their Pope. It all felt too distant for an ordinary student.
"But in the end, Touma had to stay in the hospital for a whole day because of it. He was just discharged this morning." Index's mood shifted quickly, becoming downcast again.
"I see," Tsuchimikado-san nodded.
Natsume-san, standing to the side, also nodded, even though she didn't quite understand most of it.
That person called Stiyl sure was trendy. Was he a chuunibyou or a delinquent or something?
However, Natsume-san did understand one thing clearly: Kamijou-senpai had been hospitalized again.
…Huh? Why did she think 'again'?
"I'm home." Before Index could finish, Kamijou Touma's voice came from the entrance, carrying a bunch of groceries he'd just bought.
Following him in was a tall, slender girl. Her T-shirt was tied up at the waist, revealing her fair midriff. She wore jeans with one leg missing, giving her a maturity far beyond her years.
"Kanzaki-san!" Natsume-san recognized her immediately. That signature style of dress was unmistakable, unlike any standard school uniform.
Back inside that magic circle, she had relied on the other girl to escape.
Counting Kanamin, the room had suddenly gathered quite a number of magical girls.
"You're that girl from back then," Kanzaki Kaori also seemed surprised, not expecting to encounter Natsume Sonoko here.
This girl had been a considerable help back then.
What was more surprising was that she seemed able to resist the assimilation effect of the magic circle on people, at least her memories hadn't become scrambled.
Back then, she was just a skilled esper, but now she had become a Level 5.
Kanzaki Kaori had been in Academy City for a few days now, and she kept hearing discussions about a Natsume-san. After asking around, she realized it was the same person.
"So you two know each other," Kamijou Touma also seemed stunned. In his mind, the two belonged to completely different worlds.
One was a Level 5 esper, the pride of Academy City, while the other was something like a Saint from the world of magic.
"We know each other. We even lived together for a long time," Natsume-san nodded.
The flow of time inside that magic circle was clearly different from the outside world.
"My apologies. Actually, I came to say goodbye to Index. I happened to run into Kamijou-san at the door. I've already informed Kamijou-san about the after-action report regarding the recent 'Book of the Law' incident." Kanzaki Kaori walked over to Index, patted Sphynx's head, and then continued.
Book of the Law?
Just from the name, it sounded like something from the magical world, Natsume-san thought to herself.
But was it really okay for an ordinary student like her to hear about this?
"Ah, regarding that magic circle from last time, it has become unstable again. The original seal is expected to fail in about half a year. It would be best not to go near it then." This time, Kanzaki Kaori was speaking directly to Natsume-san.
"I understand," Natsume Sonoko said. It wasn't like she planned to leave Academy City anyway.
The outside world was too dangerous. Academy City was much safer... or so it seemed.
"What magic circle?" Index asked, curious.
"I believe it's the Phases Magic Circle recorded in the grimoire 'Sanctus Georgius Sequentia.' I can't say for certain about the specifics," Kanzaki Kaori explained.
Among those present, only Index was likely to understand.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.