Toaru Majutsu no Index

Volume 7, Epilogue: End Action. The_Page_is_Shut.

Part 1

Kamijou’s injuries seemed to have been more serious than he had thought.

He could only piece together what had happened afterward with his fragmented memories.

He had fainted in the "Marriage Chapel"... Index had run over, screaming... He had been sent on an ambulance... The administrative issues had taken quite some time before he had been sent for emergency treatment... He still had been sent back to Academy City in the end... The frog-faced doctor had appeared before him... The moment he was awake, he was on the soft bed.

...This hospital room again. Ugh, this is terrible; to think that I can even tell by the scent...

Kamijou kept his eyes shut as he thought about this before he suddenly sensed someone beside him. He could hear a gentle sigh and the sound of clothes gently rubbing together. A warm and soft hand was stroking his fringe.

“Although I’ll be laughed at by Tsuchimikado...”

A voice rang.

“...I really want to do this.”

There was some sense of reluctance in the tone. The hand that was stroking his fringe was gone, and so was its warmth.

Kamijou opened his heavy eyelids.

“Hm... Kanzaki?”

“Ah... you’re awake? I was intending to leave.”

Kamijou’s voice seemed to stun Kanzaki, as her upper body bent slightly back. She was sitting on the metal chair reserved for visitors, and it looked like she had been staring at Kamijou closely.

Kamijou sat up on the bed and shook his head, trying to keep himself awake.

It seemed to be early morning now. The lights in the room weren’t turned on, so it was a bit dark. The morning sun shone in through the window like it was shining through the gaps between the leaves of a tree. On the short table beside him, there was a box of seemingly high-class snacks and a sheet of tissue paper. Kamijou continued to look around.

Kanzaki had already stood up from the metal chair. It seemed like she didn’t intend to stay any longer.

“...Ah...”

Kamijou’s dizzy mind started to work. Looking closer at Kanzaki, her attire was still the same. A short T-shirt with a knot tied at the bottom, revealing her navel; and a pair of jeans below with one side sawed off, revealing her thigh. Because the T-shirt was tied down, her breasts were much more noticeable. One could see her snow-white leg, from the thigh all the way down. Although Kamijou felt that this getup was hot, he didn’t dare to say it, for he would get a punch the moment he said this. He quickly looked away, saw the note on the table, and read from it,

“Since you’re still not awake, I’ll just leave a message...”

Before he could even finish the first sentence, Kanzaki snatched the note off the table with astonishing speed. It would be an unbelievable new record if it were a competition. Kanzaki's face flushed red, as she gazed around, sweating all over, and quickly crushed the small note.

“It’s... it’s nothing important! Since we have the chance to talk to each other, there’s no need for this note!”

“Eh? But...”

“No buts! Saying the contents of a note to the writer who’s leaving is very embarrassing.”

Kanzaki wanted to throw the note, now crushed into a ball, into the dustbin. She thought about it, and decided to keep it in her pocket. Kamijou was curious, wondering what she wrote that could not be seen. Kanzaki placed a hand on her ample chest, took a deep breath, and regained her original expression.

“Is your... body fine?”

“How do I say this...? The numbness isn’t completely gone, and I’m not exactly sure where I’m hurting.”

“I’m sorry. Although the Amakusa have spells that restore a person’s health through eating, they'd be useless on you.”

“Why do you have to say sorry? Now that you mentioned it, eating things like sushi and burgers can heal wounds? The Amakusa are really amazing; isn’t that an old element of RPGs?”

“Um...?”

Kanzaki was puzzled as she barely gave a perfunctory answer.

“Oh, yeah, where’s Stiyl?”

“He already left Academy City. He doesn’t want to stay in a city where he can’t buy cigarettes. He grumbled to me a long time ago that Academy City is very strict regarding the age when it comes to buying cigarettes.”

Kamijou muttered deep inside. That was how it should be.

“Can’t you buy them for him?”

“I’m only eighteen years old; I can’t buy them for him.”

...

“Why a look of disbelief? What are you trying to say by digging your ear?”

“Liar! You faked your age, right? No matter how I see it, you’re already past the age for marriage- WAAAAAA!”

Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Kanzaki’s supersonic metallic punch brushed past his face. Being unable to react at all, Kamijou was scared, but Kanzaki’s expression wasn’t any different from how she normally looked.

“I’m eighteen years old.”

“Eighteen?! You’re a high school student who can finally do those things! Kanzaki-senpai!”

Kamijou, whose teeth were still chattering, barely squeezed a smile out. Kanzaki sighed, and retracted her fist. She seemed rather tired.

“...Seems like I should have left after writing that message. We’ll never get straight to the point if we continue on like this.”

“The point?”

“Yes- or should I call it the closing report... I want to tell you Orsola Aquinas’s current condition. Would you like to hear?”

“Yes! I’m very interested!”

Kamijou pulled his upper body over, answering without any hesitation. Seemed like Kanzaki sighed when she saw him being so panicky.

“Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa were accepted as members of the British Puritans; this is how the situation ended. The benefit of this is that they’ll be protected from any revenge or assassination plot by the Roman Catholics.”

Kamijou thought about Agnese and the other nuns.

“In other words, Orsola is still in danger, right?”

“No, the Roman Catholics might look like they’re not going to quit, but deep down, they’re not interested in her anymore because the British Puritans have declared to the world that Orsola found ‘the wrong way to decode the book’. Once everyone finds out that her way of decoding is wrong, nobody will bother her about ‘The Book of the Law’.”

In other words, if Orsola had really found the correct way to decode "The Book of the Law", she wouldn’t be able to live a peaceful life. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Thinking about this, Kamijou broke out in cold sweat.

“Hm. However, you said that the Amakusa have become members of the British Puritans?”

“Yes. Although the main base of the Amakusa is still rather secretive, there’s no benefit to opposing the Roman Catholics anyway. Really, it’s like they were hoping for this development. For example... do you remember that white T-shirt that Tatemiya Saiji wore? There's a slanted red cross on it.”

“...Is there? Now that you mentioned it, there did seem to be one.”

“That’s right. That red cross is the logo of St. George, the symbol of the British Puritans. Wearing that shirt to battle, it means that he wants to join the British Puritans together with me. I ordered them that time to not follow me around.”

“That’s right... Besides, you’re a British Puritan.”

Kamijou lamented. Kanzaki muttered, “Really.” She looked like a mother who was seeing her child being unable to stand up on his own; it was just that she never sensed it herself.

“However, are you alright with this? Even though the Amakusa are small, they’re still a religious sect. Now that they’ve been taken in by the British Puritans, isn’t it like a small company being absorbed by a large one?”

“Although the Amakusa were absorbed by the British Puritans, they don’t have to abandon their codes and teachings. Like a feudal lord allowing a general to keep a faction, the ‘Amakusa Catholics’ can still exist. Also, the Amakusa is a multi-religious group that can hide within history itself and change according to the age. They’re never picky on the rituals; as long as they can make their lives more convenient, they can work under any condition.”

Come to think of it, Kanzaki originally had given up her position as the leader of this small sect in order to protect them. Thinking about it, she was really an amazing person. Even though she said that she was eighteen, to Kamijou, an eighteen-year-old was an adult.

Just when Kamijou was casually thinking about this, Kanzaki suddenly gave a proper bow to him.

It was not a simple nod, but a deep bow. She said,

“Erm... That... what happened this time... I’m really sorry.”

“Ah? Eh? What? Why are you bowing to me? What are you really sorry about?”

At this moment, Kamijou had just woken up, so his mind was rather hazy. He felt that it was really frightening for "a female to bow to him", like he had done something extremely evil.

Kanzaki stammered, a rare sight,

“It’s... that... what happened this time... due to some personal matters... I caused you some trouble...”

Seemed like Kanzaki was unused to saying something like this, as she looked like she didn’t know what to do. Kamijou, who was still in a daze, didn’t understand what was going on at all; all he knew was that Kanzaki seemed troubled, so he said,

“Ah, sorry, Kanzaki. Did I do something that bothered you? If that's it, let me apologise to you for that.”

“No, no, it’s not that. I’ll feel even more ashamed if you apologise to me. Eh, it’s not that, back to the original topic; anyway, it’s...”

Kanzaki looked like she couldn’t open her mouth, as her fingers continued to play with her fringe. She stuttered, unable to say anything.

After a while, Kanzaki finally made her decision, and was about to open her mouth. At that moment, the door of the hospital room was rudely opened.

This tall guy, who went into a hospital room early in the morning without knocking on the door, was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of blue shades.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu.

He was holding a plastic bag, swinging it around. There seemed to be gifts for hospital visits inside it.

“Hoho—hehehe—! Kamiyan, I’ve come to play with you! One entire honey dew is too expensive, so I bought those luxury puddings in the convenience stores with a honey dew topping on them! Just settle with this, won’t ya?”

Kamijou looked away from Kanzaki to Tsuchimikado.

“Hai! It’s time for school in a few hours; don’t you plan to sleep? Ah, sorry, Kanzaki. What were you trying to say?”

“Ugh...”

Being asked by Kamijou like this, Kanzaki seemed terrified. She stared at Tsuchimikado from the corner of her eye, giving off a signal saying, “Do I have to say it in front of this guy? Why is this guy so inopportune in coming here?”

Tsuchimikado, who was acutely sensitive, immediately sensed that the atmosphere wasn’t right, and said,

“Whoa, whoa! Nee-chin, you’re finally planning to say thanks to Kamiyan? Let me guess: it’s a very cliché line, isn’t it? If it’s not ‘It’s hard to forget your grace even if my teeth are gone,’ it’s going to be ‘I won’t forget this even through death,’ right? Eh, eh!? Hahahaha! You think you’re the crane that showed gratitude in a fairy tale?”

“No... no way! Who'd say that sort of thing to this immature brat that lacks common knowledge!?”

“...Lacks common knowledge... immature brat...”

Upon hearing that, Kamijou was hit really hard, and lowered his head.

Kanzaki was shocked, and quickly corrected herself,

“Ah, no! I don’t mean it, that... that statement was to make Tsuchimikado retract his ridiculous comments... but as for that thanks-giving... erm...”

“Why bother saying so much? Besides, won’t Nee-chin strip herself naked?”

“What... what 'strip naked'!? Who'd do that sort of thing!?”

“Oh? Or are you planning to cosplay in any costume to show your gratitude? What a sacrifice!”

“Shut your mouth! It’s because of your misguidance that this situation became so complicated!”

Kamijou was uninvolved in this as he saw the two bickering (to him, they were bickering rather happily). At this moment, Kamijou thought of a ridiculous thing.

...She’ll wear anything to show her gratitude?

No... no way! Kanzaki looks really serious! I can’t joke around in this situation! Stop thinking about Kanzaki as an onee-san wearing that cute swimsuit that Index wore at the seaside! Hurry up and get rid of this idea!

“...Are you okay? Why do I feel a strong aura from you?”

“It’s nothing! As a man, I definitely won’t buy that kind of book! I, Kamijou Touma, am not intending to stoop so low!”

“What?”

Kanzaki was confused, tilting her head over, wondering how to answer. Tsuchimikado, however, gave a cynical smile, saying,

“Hohoho! Say it, what’s your wish? Resting on Nee-chin’s legs? Let motherly Nee-chin clean your ear for you? Or do you want Nee-chin to make a bento that’s completely different from her character?”

“Don’t say any more! It’s not a casual talk between men right now! Don’t say what I like in front of girls!”

“Tsuchimikado, although I’m not sure what’s going on, you staying here may cause the patient’s condition to worsen. Can you please leave?”

“Ah, you want to be alone with him? What do you want to do? Don’t tell me it’s...!”

Tsuchimikado’s eyes glowed.

“Nee-chin wants to shape an apple into the shape of a rabbit, and gently feed it to Kamiyan? Sorry, I didn’t notice it, how slow of me!”

“It’s not! I beg you, stop making random guesses and make yourself feel ashamed!”

“Ah, or are you going to feed him with your mouth? However, although it’s nice thinking about it, it’s disgusting when one actually does it.”

“That’s enough; stop saying any more! Hurry up and disappear!”

Wonder what expression Tatemiya Saiji will give when he hears this? After creating quite a ruckus in the hospital room, Tsuchimikado ran out of the room, laughing.

In an instant, the hospital room in the morning became extremely silent.

Kanzaki was gasping due to anger. Seeing her from behind, Kamijou was trembling throughout, thinking, Oh, Tsuchimikado, Tsuchimikado, maybe you intended to lighten the mood by saying those words, but must you run away after saying all that?

“Ar... that... Kanzaki-san? Can I say something?”

“...Why the honorifics all of the sudden?”

“That gratitude or thanks... is only a joke by Tsuchimikado, right?”

Kamijou was afraid of being scolded furiously by Kanzaki like what happened to Tsuchimikado, feeling really tense. But Kanzaki stammered,

“But... I have no other choice... Protecting ordinary civilians like you should be our responsibility... but we ended up letting you get hurt. I understand that this isn’t a problem that can be settled with just one deep bow. So...”

Kanzaki got more upset the more she spoke, and her voice became even softer and softer. She again used her fingers to play with her fringe. Maybe this was an action she was used to doing when she was frustrated. Then, it seemed like she finally couldn't take it, as she roughly grabbed her hair and sighed. Kamijou thought that this action was like an author with writer’s block crushing up a script and throwing it into the dustbin; there was something similar between each action.

To Kamijou, anyone who was still bothered by the situation even after it was over, like Kanzaki, was a headache to him. If it was the irresponsible Tsuchimikado, he’d likely say, “Sorry to bother you, bye.” Kamijou really preferred this simple feeling. Too bad Kanzaki’s sense of morality was too strong, so she couldn’t do that.

At his wits' end now, Kamijou sighed heavily.

It seemed like he had to be more serious.

“So this is what your ‘point’ is?”

“Yes, I’m the type that will easily cause other people trouble- especially you, who carried quite a burden several times because of me. I feel guilty every time. Besides, it’s not just me this time, but the entire Amakusa sect that caused you a problem.”

“Ohhh... but, why do you have to bother so much? Besides, the problem between ‘us’ is settled, and there’s no one injured.”

Hearing that, Kanzaki was startled.

She blinked her eyes, and asked,

“The ‘us’ you’re talking about is...?”

“Um? That’s me and the Amakusa. Ah, and the British Puritans. Including Orsola, Index and Stiyl, and you- everyone that’s involved.

“...”

Kanzaki was stunned.

It was like a difficult question that seemed impossible to solve being solved in front of her by someone.

“Do you have to be so surprised? Whether it be Britain, Rome, or any problem, the way I, as an outsider, see it, there’s nothing different. To me, who’s a stupid and ignorant child, a group doesn’t mean anything.”

In contrast, without any hesitation, Kamijou continued on with fervor and assurance.

It was as if he thought that the question was so simple that there was no need to think about it.

“I’m not helping Index for the sake of the British Puritans, but rather helping the British Puritans because of Index.”

At that moment, one could hear someone running in the corridor.

Kamijou thought that it might be Index.

As if he was announcing his own stand, he continued,

“Next time, if Agnese asks me for help, I should help her. She was coincidentally the bad guy this time. But being a bad guy once doesn’t mean she’ll be a bad guy forever.”

Kamijou stopped, smiling.

Kanzaki gave a surprised expression, and revealed a smile of helplessness.

Maybe Kamijou Touma’s idea of doing things was too simple, too stupid.

But because of it, he would never be at a loss.

Ever.

Part 2

There was no rainy season or dry season in England, as the weather was unpredictable throughout the year. In England, the weather would change every four hours; it was common knowledge. Even if there was good weather at the moment, many pedestrians would be carrying their umbrellas along.

It had been raining in London since evening. But the citizens wouldn’t cancel their outdoor plans because of the rain. Many different colored umbrellas were squeezed together on the narrow street.

Stiyl Magnus and Laura Stuart were walking side by side through the drizzle that was like a wet fog. Stiyl was holding a black umbrella that was like a bat, while Laura was holding a beautiful white umbrella laced with gold lines on top that was like a cup of red tea.

“If you’re just going back to Lambeth Palace, why don’t you just call a chauffeur to fetch you?”

“Those who hate rain shouldn’t stay in this city.”

The umbrella that Laura was happily spinning about said this. It was obviously prejudice. Someone like Stiyl wouldn’t like this fog-like drizzle. Even if he raised the umbrella, his clothes would be wet, and there would even be moisture in his cigarette; there was no benefit at all.

Stiyl looked at the tip of the cigarette that was unable to light up, and sighed.

Right now, Laura was walking on her way home. Stiyl had just caught up with her, intending to use this opportunity to give a final report. The Archbishop of the British Puritans that was in front of him seemed to enjoy her freedom a lot, as the times to go to and leave the Cathedral were rather flexible. She didn’t like to stay in the same spot, so even mission reports or tactical meetings were normally held while she was walking.

For Stiyl, he had to prevent the enemy from attacking or eavesdropping every time Laura was walking on the road, and it was a truly tiring thing. Like this time, the two umbrellas that they were holding were specially modified such that they had the capabilities of telephone booths. The voices of the two could be transmitted through the vibrations of the umbrellas, and those "voices" wouldn’t get outside the "areas" the umbrellas covered.

“—So basically, this is how this mission went. The Roman Catholics seemed to have treated this as an act conducted by Agnese Sanctis and 250 militants. The Roman Catholics are declaring that the group did this independently, and that they have no intention of assassinating Orsola.

“Don’t they have to take responsibility for not managing their own people well?”

Laura bitterly laughed as she used her fingers to play with her hair. Her silky hair gave off a sense of solemn beauty, and once it got wet, it would give off a sense of sensual beauty like spider silk.

Stiyl glanced at Laura from beside her, saying,

“...Is there a need to do this?”

“Hoho, are you referring to me accepting Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa Catholics as formal members of the British Puritan Church? Are you very uneasy with this decision, Stiyl?”

“Since the Roman Catholics have formally declared that they ‘don’t intend to kill or hurt Orsola or anyone involved’, even if they weren't protected by us, the Roman Catholics probably wouldn’t dare to take action against them. With the current situation, if they die an unnatural death, it’ll cause a serious problem on a global scale.”

“But what if they die of very natural causes?”

Laura gave a barbaric smile that was like a pirate's. The huge difference between her appearance and her expression dumbfounded Stiyl.

“Thinking about it now, you seem to have already understood the Roman Catholics' true intentions. If so, why didn’t you order me to save Orsola Aquinas from the Roman Catholics? Why did I have to do it in such a roundabout way?”

“I don’t understand it completely. Even I didn’t expect Orsola’s method to be wrong.”

Laura paused for a while, and continued,

“However, that isn’t important.”

Stiyl turned to look at Laura.

Laura spun her pure-white umbrella, and said,

“Let’s think of this scenario, Stiyl. If we had failed to save Orsola in this situation, would there be any change? Once she returned to the Roman Catholics, she would still have been executed in the end. No matter whether we succeeded in saving her, ‘The Book of the Law’ would never have been decoded.”

Laura made her conclusion,

“So, it’s the same whether we saved her or not.”

Orsola’s fate was but a trivial thing.

Stiyl sighed slightly, and said,

“If this is the case, then why did the Archbishop order me to hand the cross over to Orsola? The original situation is distressing enough, yet you added on to my workload. Although you’re not going to admit it, you planned on rescuing Orsola from the beginning, right?”

“Uuu...”

“It’s somewhat weird that there’s too few reinforcements. Maybe you had already gathered most of the members of ‘Necessarius’ on standby near the Sea of Japan, so you had no manpower to give me? If Agnese and her group had brought Orsola back to Rome by ship, the people waiting on the surface of the water would use something related to the ‘cross’ as an excuse to launch an attack. Is there anything embarrassing about this that's making you refuse to admit it? I really don’t understand you.”

“Mm mm! No such thing! No such thing! I interfered with this only for the sake of the British Puritans’ benefit!”

Laura's so embarrassed that her face is about to puff out smoke as she frantically tries to deny it. Stiyl doesn’t bother arguing back. Shouting alone made Laura even more embarrassed, and now her face is flushed red.

“Alright, then, what is this benefit that you’re talking about?”

“...You’re convinced by me that easily? It’s Kanzaki Kaori.”

Laura twisted her mouth,

“After this incident, I believe you found out that Kanzaki has a lot of power, and her sense of morality is too strong, so it would be easy for her to take an arbitrary action. Although there’s no mishap, the situation is still perilous. There’s a need to add a chain on her for the sake of everyone’s safety.”

Stiyl’s cynical smile disappeared.

Laura’s face unknowingly became serious as well.

“We can’t use violence to stop her actions- no, we still can stop her, but a heavy price would have to be paid. I believe you've seen the report about what happened to those stupid Knights at the coastline of Japan.”

Stiyl remembered the reports of the other groups.

Twenty-one full-armored Knights had planned on their own to attack the Amakusa members, but had been attacked by someone unknown such that they were currently unable to battle.

“So, we need something other than a violent method to chain her down. In this situation, the ‘solder’ between her and the Amakusa will be useful. Also, we don’t need a detrimental shackle like ‘We’ll kill them if you don’t obey us,’ but rather a positive one like ‘We’ll protect them from the Roman Catholics if you obey us.’ If we force the Amakusa to do something that’s not beneficial to them, Kanzaki will definitely resist; if the things we do are beneficial to the Amakusa, she won’t resist at all. So, how isn’t this a huge benefit?”

Now that she finished, Laura revealed a radiant smile, yet Stiyl’s heart felt chilly.

Laura Stuart. Though she looked like a naïve girl at first glance, she was still the leader of the British Puritans, and even the cold-hearted manager who had set up the lie around Index.

She was the one who had set up the rule that "there was to be a memory wipe every year".

She was the one who had forced Index to be protected by the British Puritans at all times, or she wouldn’t live.

She was the one who had lied that this was the good deed of the Church in order to prevent Index from rebelling.

She was the one who had even told Stiyl and others that Index would die if that wasn’t done, making them unable to disobey it.

No one was better than her at manipulating human feelings, rationality, interests, ethics, and "necessary values". Stiyl couldn’t help but reinforce his guard against this girl. The problem was that Stiyl was unable to do anything. If Stiyl took any rash action, Laura would punish Index without hesitation and not Stiyl; she was this kind of person.

*Dong!* Stiyl’s shoulder hit a pedestrian.

It seemed to be a student barely squeezing in between Stiyl and Laura.

Stiyl turned around, only to find that Laura had disappeared!

The telecommunication magic linking the two umbrellas was removed.

Stiyl frantically looked around before he finally noticed that far away, there was a white umbrella laced with gold like a tea cup that was spinning around.

He had no idea how she did this.

Thinking about it, the white umbrella was lost within the crowd.

“...”

Stiyl, who was completely manipulated, couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

The hidden dragon among magicians, she had somehow been able to get to the top, and it hadn't been done cheaply.

Stiyl’s back again felt chilly.

At the same time, however, a question popped up inside Stiyl.

The reason that the Amakusa had been saved was to control Kanzaki Kaori.

He could understand that.

So what was the reason in saving Orsola Aquinas?

He really couldn’t understand.

Since the method of decoding "The Book of the Law" that Orsola had found was wrong, why had they accepted her as a member of the British Puritans? Even if they saved Orsola, there was no way they could control someone like Kanzaki. Although Orsola’s track record in evangelising was rather impressive, such that her name was even eligible to be that of the new church, she didn’t have any charisma, and was unable to lead a group or organisation like Kanzaki could. If Orsola had charisma, the Roman Catholics wouldn’t have dared to plot against her, for such an action would have brought about violence or even riots!

“...That sly woman.”

Stiyl Magnus smacked his lips reluctantly.

If he could think of the real benefit of saving Orsola Aquinas, Stiyl would think of Laura as a bad person. But this was where Laura was most brilliant. The basis of judging whether she was good or evil was too small- rather, she did as many good things as she did evil things. On the balance of good and evil, she was keeping an intricate balance.

The balance continued on without falling to either side, so of course it was impossible to tell whether she was good or evil even if there were lead weights on both sides.

Stiyl was unable to make a decision, and could only continue to work for the British Puritans.

Maybe that was her motive.

The rune magician thought as he disappeared into the smoky street.