Temperature Control in Academy City

Her eyes widened, and then she showed a suspicious expression. After coming to her senses, Index seemed to have a strange feeling from the bottom of her heart towards the girl who was getting closer and closer to her.

The familiar bun, less than 1.5 meters tall, skinny body, all the characteristics fit the bill.

But she seemed unable to see the other person's face clearly. Was it because she had been watching TV too close to the machine recently and her eyesight had deteriorated?

Moreover, the school uniform he was wearing had also changed. However, I heard that today seemed to be the season for changing school uniforms, so even Touma had changed into a new uniform.

Everyone had new clothes, but she didn't...

"Index, Index."

As if because he quickened his pace, Natsume's breathing became a little rapid, and with a happy look on his face, he entered the sight of a little nun.

As Natsume Sonoko approached, the blur in her vision gradually disappeared, and she returned to her original normal appearance, a pitiful girl with gauze covering her head.

In order to avoid unnecessary troubles or curious looks, Natsume still maintained his usual style, but sometimes he used to be completely invisible or partially blurred.

After finding Index, there is no need to hide myself anymore.

"Yuanzi, how are you injured? It looks serious."

With a cry of surprise, Index was obviously startled and a little too worried.

The hairstyle of a certain bun is really terrible and it easily reminds people of bad things.

"That's not important."

"Index, guess what I found? I found Kazezane Binghua-san."

A certain girl with a bun-like haircut couldn't help but reveal a smug expression on her face, as if she was expecting Index's reaction. She didn't like others paying attention to her injuries, she just came here to share something that was worth being happy about.

However, things seemed a little different from what she expected. She originally thought that Index would also be happy, but instead she was greeted with a very serious face.

"The patient must rest well."

"Running out like this without saying anything will cause trouble to many people."

Looking at a certain girl with a bun-like hairdo, Index spoke seriously, as if she had special experience with this.

Chapter 484: Reincarnation

With her arm slightly bent, a strong little hand was pulling Natsume forward. There was no need to worry about bumps along the way. Index showed great talent in taking care of patients.

After putting down her work at the supermarket, the little nun changed into her nun's uniform and ran out with someone, then went straight to the 18th school district where Feng Zhan Binghua was suspected to appear.

"The magic information you described is too little to form a specific classic, but it can still be attributed to some Shinto magic classics such as Momotaro and The Tale of Genji that are circulated in the island country. The source of this type of book is probably Taoist magic classics such as Baopuzi and Yijing."

"Perhaps due to some historical reasons, the island nation's magic trend encountered a huge setback, and the original native religious magic began to decline and be lost. On the contrary, some schools that were good at absorbing and assimilating were preserved to the modern era. The most typical example is the Amakusa sect where Kanzaki is located. Now it has completely become a member of the Cross Church."

Instilling knowledge of magic into a certain bun-haired girl, Index didn't mind sharing some of what she knew with her friends, especially when waiting for the traffic light on the main road.

In fact, she was very happy that Natsume asked her such questions, which represented a kind of trust between both parties.

And just like her various clumsy actions on the science side, Maru-tou, who is a high-risk weapon on the science side, is equally clumsy and cute when it comes to magic.

She didn't even understand the nature of magic, and was even more confused about information such as rituals, secret books, and spiritual equipment. Until now, she only knew a general definition.

To put it simply, it's like some magical girls not being able to understand the instructions on their washing machines.

However, Natsume is different from those magical girls. Although she cannot understand it now, her other self should be able to understand it.

When I was reading the dreams of the shrine maiden, I could often sense some supernatural things. Thinking about it carefully, this was probably the power that Hitomi possessed.

In short, since it is not science, it can be classified as magic. Natsume has a superficial understanding of this wonderful world.

However, Natsume Sonoko was unwilling to go too deep into those things, or try to accept Hitomi's understanding of her own magic and the world, or even learn her magical abilities.

As long as she tries to experience the power of Miss Hitomi, many things that she originally took for granted will deviate. Once she accepts them completely, she will no longer be able to exist as a person with special abilities as she knows.

This was fundamentally different from the series of unscientific things she had witnessed before. Simply knowing and choosing to understand were two completely different things.

Once it is deeply rooted in the realization that this world is not scientific, the worldview that Natsume has built on this will collapse.

Although this worldview itself is as precarious as a castle on the beach, and the base of the castle is the even more unreliable identity of a time traveler, this is also the self-positioning she has finally obtained.

However, the world does not seem to want Natsume to follow her lazy nature, and pushes her to the point where she has to face the facts again and again, hoping that one day she can truly understand her own heart and step out of the so-called comfort zone.

"Come to think of it, Sonoko, why are you suddenly so interested in magic? Many people in this city become sleepy when they hear others talk about magic theory."

"By the way, even though she is from the science department, she has spiritual clothes given by others. This is also very suspicious."

Raising her eyebrows slightly, Index muttered thoughtfully, and what she was talking about was naturally a certain amulet on Natsume-san.

Although it was just a good luck amulet with some traces of magic, this kind of product could often be called spiritual gear on the magic side, and it was a passive spiritual gear similar to her "Mobile Church" nun's uniform, but of course the level was far inferior.

“I just thought I should find out.”

"I've come across some really weird things and I want to try and find the answers."

With some hesitation on her face, Natsume-san still spoke.

Accepting anomalous knowledge carries great risks as mentioned before.

However, from the moment she chose to get to know the shrine maiden, she had already made a decision this time. Natsume wanted to deal with the various problems she had.

Once he continues to read dreams, the opportunities for this abnormal exposure to knowledge will only increase, until Natsume completely accepts the fact that his worldview has been reshaped.

"A strange thing? Is it a secret that can't be told to others?"

After taking a serious look at the bun, Index asked curiously.

"It's not a secret. It's just not convenient to tell others."

"The dictionary says this is what secret means." Index said seriously.

"It's not a big deal, I just had a strange premonition. It's like I was a magician in my previous life. Index, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Natsume-san said this in a vague way, giving some plausible information.

There was nothing she couldn't tell others. Kamijou-senpai didn't hide the ability of his right hand, and Index didn't hide the 100,000 pornographic books in her head from her.

It's just that she didn't know how to say it. She was worried that people would think she was crazy or something. And sometimes she liked to keep things to herself.

"Reincarnation?"

Index, who was standing by, first recalled a series of necromancy magic from ancient Egypt, and subconsciously compared it with Natsume's increasingly thin body.

Immediately afterwards, his head was filled with some Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, and of course some Christian books, and then he nodded vigorously.

Of course I believe it, isn't this common sense?

In many magical and even religious teachings, humans will continue to exist in another form after death.

According to Christianity, humans will be judged by God after death.

In Buddhism, there is a direct concept of reincarnation.

Taoist scriptures actually also absorbed this part of the thought, and derived the concept of metamorphosis or ascension, not to mention other various magical books that worship death.

In short, according to the nature of the world of Toaru Majutsu no Index, once so many thoughts and consciousnesses point to the dead engaging in collective activities such as reincarnation, then the corresponding concepts extending from such collective activities are likely to really exist.

Once such a concept exists, then heaven, hell, underworld, and the underworld may all appear, and then become specific phases mixed in the boundless ocean of phases.

In this way, it is not that these concepts exist in the world itself, but that people feel they exist naturally, and can even use some tools or specific methods to control the formation or manifestation of concepts.

This kind of bizarre world setting can often be attributed to something like a miracle. For magicians, it is probably the origin of various ritual-related magic.

Perhaps even the existence of the soul can be speculated in this way. Once a large number of humans or higher-level creatures believe that the soul exists, it is not certain that it really exists.

Chapter 485: Genuine

Before meeting Feng Zhan, they were having a heated discussion, but the two sides did not reach any substantial results.

Even though there are dead people and reincarnation, there is no evidence that there is such a thing as a previous life. Index continued to speak with certainty.

This statement seems to be contradictory, but it is actually something that is well known in the magic world.

There is no mainstream magical book or concept that believes that a newly born person will have any connection with another dead person, and the relationship between the two is completely severed during reincarnation.

Also because of the concept of reincarnation and the existence of the corresponding phases, the dead who would inevitably disappear in the physical universe also become surreal.

In this world, there are even ghosts that remain in the physical universe due to some unknown circumstances.

"So that's how it is. This kind of thing didn't exist in the previous life."

Natsume Sonoko agreed with Index's opinion somewhat absent-mindedly, but her heart was filled with confusion.

Although she did not agree with some of Index's opinions, she did not refute them in the end because she knew less than Index.

Thinking about it this way, it connects with the previous statement that the soul is a bond. Maybe it's not reincarnation, but both people are connected by the soul of a suspected time traveler, and are shaped into the inevitable appearance and form.

But if it is not reincarnation, then how did I come here? Was I also cloned? And then the soul and consciousness were transferred.

But if that's the case, why don't I have any memory of that miko?

And what we have encountered before, there is an obvious gap between Natsume Sonoko and his own soul. What kind of possibility does the clear distinction between the two things represent?

"I can't figure it out."

Shaking his head, Natsume couldn't help but feel a headache.

If he wanted to know the truth, he might have to completely absorb Miss Hitomi's life, but if he did that, would she become another person?

When she thought of this, Natsume Sonoko shuddered. She hated such a future, but she didn't hate that Hitomi.

"No matter which choice I make, it's uncomfortable. The best thing for me is to maintain the status quo. But if I don't know anything, I can't protect anyone. That kind of future is just as disgusting."

"But as long as you pay attention to the scale and frequency, there shouldn't be any problem."

Although she had made up her mind long ago, Natsume was not a decisive and strong-willed person. She would be shaken in her heart, but she would not easily change her mind.

What made her realize this was her family, who were more important and closer to her than Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san.

She had had similar thoughts since she came back from summer vacation, but she had never found a solution. As for why she was willing to face reality only now, it was because the sudden appearance of the dream phase gave her the opportunity to contact her past history and another self.

Although Natsume has always shown a lazy temperament and is indifferent to things that have nothing to do with her, she is no worse than anyone else in following her inner thoughts. She just lacks the courage to take the initiative to break her daily life.

Simply put, Natsume has always lacked the initiative to change the status quo.

She didn't have the determination to get involved in various disputes for irrelevant people without reservation like Kamijou-senpai.

But in fact, she did a good job every time.

"Sonoko! It's Fuuzan-san!"

Index was originally still thinking about the confusing remarks made by a certain bun-haired girl.

Reincarnation and past lives are completely contradictory words in her opinion.

Previous lives only exist in some magical novels and are not actually recognized by mainstream magical thought. Once reincarnated, there is no such thing as previous lives and one becomes a completely new person.

Could it be that Sonoko has been under too much mental stress recently? Yes, after all, Sonoko's eyes were injured, and she had some hallucinations.

However, when Index saw the vague figure of Feng Zhan Binghua not far away, her attention was completely diverted, and she ran forward holding the hand of a girl with a bun.

"She really appeared. The authentic ghost girl of Academy City."

Being pulled back to reality by Index's great strength, Natsume's "sights" were also fixed on Feng Zhan Binghua who seemed to be at the boundary between false and real not far away.

How to describe it? It's like a holographic projection, which is visible but not touchable. Sometimes, the projection model may be temporarily missing due to insufficient output power of the projection.

Fortunately, there was no problem of image penetration or mosaic. It seems that this holographic projection machine is quite advanced.

Back to the topic, Feng Zhan Binghua's current location is near Wuqiu Girls' College in District 18.

I heard that the other person is a student of Kirigaoka, but he is the type who never misses exams but is rarely seen in normal times. He is also known as an urban legend of "unknown origin".

Because she has to go to school, Feng Zhan should also live nearby, in another world that should be called Phase.

"...Ice Flower"

Before she could think about anything more, Index brought a girl with a bun over her head past the crowd of onlookers and came to Feng Zhan Binghua's side.

However, as Index stretched out her hand, her palm went straight through the other person's body.

No matter what Index tried, she was unable to touch the other party. Looking at classmate Feng Zhan who was so close to her, she could only stand there with an anxious look on her face.

"Index."

Feng Zhan Binghua, who was in a virtual state, also showed a surprised expression and blurted out Index's name.

However, due to its own existence, the sound cannot be transmitted to Index's ears at all. If she learns to read lips, the two may be able to have some simple communication.

However, Natsume understands the reason very well, which is that Feng Zhan Binghua has no way to affect the real air and use vibrations to make sounds.