A Certain Magical Index: The Primal Spirit Descends to My Side

In the Tokiwadai Middle School dormitory, morning sunlight streamed through white lace curtains, scattering dappled golden light across the floor. A single door separated the room from the outside light and view. A damp atmosphere permeated the bathroom.

Shirai Kuroko was blow-drying her hair. Although it was naturally curly, she had it straightened just two days ago, so it was only slightly curled now, which made her look quite cute.

"Today is a memorable day for Kuroko and Onee-sama..."

She applied a white lip balm to her lips, meticulously applied moisturizing liquid to her face, and then gently patted her face with her hands, making her skin feel smooth and soft.

"Brought together by the red thread of fate, exactly one month has passed..."

Pour a mild-tasting Italian Moscato d'Asti into a stemmed glass. This wine is gentle on the palate, won't stain your teeth, and most importantly, has no bitterness or astringency. Add two cherries.

"It's a bit of a shame that it wasn't delivered..."

She put on a loose purple nightgown, covering her still-steaming, fair skin. Shirai Kuroko took out the "Victory Underwear" she had bought a few days ago and slowly put it on.

"But today... today Kuroko is determined to offer herself up..."

Holding the wine in her hand, she gently swirled it. The dampness from her body made the sheets wrinkled, but Shirai Kuroko didn't seem to care.

"This is a gift filled with my heartfelt wishes... Yes, just like when I was born..."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and the mechanical sound of the ball handle turning came from the dormitory door. The moment it popped open, Shirai Kuroko leaped out of bed and pounced towards the door.

"I'm back..." Misaka Mikoto pulled the key out of the lock, then lowered her head and stuffed it into her pocket. When she looked up, Shirai Kuroko was already almost bumping into her.

"Big Sister—!"

"I'm sorry—" "Excuse me—" Hearing this emotionally charged call, Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko peeked out from the side.

"Well--!"

Tokiwadai Girls' Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in Academy City. The campus is beautifully decorated, even the dormitories are furnished in a European style reminiscent of a young lady's home. There are exquisitely hand-carved wainscoting panels, and luxurious patterned carpets that remain soft even when wearing hard-soled leather shoes. The rooms even feature green glass lampshades reminiscent of those seen in works from the late 20th century.

"Wow...this is the room of the young lady I've always admired..."

"So beautiful...so unique..."

At this moment, two naive girls barged into this magnificent dormitory. They looked left and right, and even the ordinary carvings on the side panels of the cabinets took them a long time to look at, and even took pictures as souvenirs.

Saten Ruiko glanced at the bed and suddenly sat down. Instead of the expected elasticity, the bed absorbed her kinetic energy and, instead of being crushed by her weight, lifted her up.

"Wow... even the bed is so soft..."

"Haha...it really is!"

Misaka Mikoto sat on the edge of the bed, about a meter away from Shirai Kuroko, who was lying on the bed in her school uniform. She crossed her legs and crossed her arms.

"Seriously... what are you doing...?"

"It's you, Big Sister! Why did you bring Haru and Saten along?"

"I ran into them while shopping on the street... I brought them to my dorm to show them around; they said they wanted to see what it looked like. I guess this is compensation for making them come with me while I was shopping..."

"Buying something?"

"Ah... I'll just buy a little bit..."

As Shirai Kuroko listened to Misaka Mikoto's words, she seemed to sense that Misaka was hiding something. However, Shirai Kuroko didn't intend to delve into it further, because forcing things wouldn't work; she would speak up when she wanted to.

"The girls' dormitory at Tokiwadai... I'm so envious..."

"Even the cafeteria is so big!"

"That's not true..." Misaka Mikoto waved her hand quickly, seeing Saten Ruiko's exaggerated gestures. Watching Misaka Mikoto engrossed in chatting with Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko, Shirai Kuroko lay on the bed, her hands covering her head.

"My dear older sister, why did it have to be on a day like this... ruining our precious anniversary..."

"Could it be?" Shirai Kuroko began to imagine... A gloomy, rainy day, in front of a wide airport, she wore a brown trench coat with a white pointed-collar shirt and a black tie, topped with a hat matching her coat. And she stood to the side, like Watson beside Sherlock Holmes, wearing a brown collared long-sleeved fitted women's suit, paired with a white collared shirt with a red ribbon bow, a brown pencil skirt, and a brown Fedora hat.

"This is exactly one month since Kuroko and I were connected by the red thread of fate. Kuroko and I are one and the same. Hyuharu-kun and Saten-kun, please continue to take care of us in the future."

After Misaka Mikoto finished speaking, she reached out with her left hand and pulled Shirai Kuroko into her arms. She then used her white hand, gloved with silk, to lift Shirai Kuroko's chin. Her soft chin was forcefully lifted, and her skin was rubbed against the smooth silk fabric. Her gaze was filled with Misaka Mikoto's serious eyes. Then, the wine glass in her hand clinked together, and as the sound entered her mind, Misaka Mikoto whispered her last words in her ear.

"A toast to your eyes..."

As the fantasy ended, Shirai Kuroko felt as if Cupid had struck her heart. She collapsed onto the bed with a thud, clutching her chest and thrashing her legs like someone drowning on land.

"Shirai-kun... are you alright?" When Uiharu Kazari saw Shirai Kuroko suddenly breathing rapidly and then clutching her chest and throbbing, she hurriedly got up to check on her.

As a result, she accidentally kicked something, and when she looked down, she saw that Saten Ruiko had pulled a box out from under the bed.

"Saten-kun! You can't just touch other people's things..."

"Oh dear... coming to a friend's dorm... this is the usual search."

Saten Ruiko opened the box, which seemed to contain clothing. She immediately spotted a piece of fabric, grabbed it, and unfolded it to reveal a pair of underwear. It was made of black cotton with yellow lace trim and was tied at the sides.

"Wow! So sexy!"

"Hey! Saten-kun! Don't take other people's clothes without permission..."

"As expected of Misaka-senpai...she's so mature!"

Seeing Saten Ruiko's sparkling eyes, Misaka Mikoto's gaze darted away. Knowing it wasn't her underwear, she turned to Shirai Kuroko. "No… that is…"

"Yes...it's mine..."

"Huh...?" x2

"Shirai-san...is this some kind of daring underwear?"

"I wouldn't call it daring..." Shirai Kuroko chuckled, twirling the curled end of her hair with her fingers. "Owning a black bra is a lady's hobby..."

Saten Ruiko picked up another red bra with both hands; it featured a butterfly-themed openwork lace design. "So… what's this red bra with the butterfly pattern…?"

"When you want to get your spirits up, use that color..."

She picked up another blue thong; the waistband was just a single elastic band, and there was barely any fabric below. "So this... this thong with so little fabric is also...?"

"This is a treasure that won't leave any marks on your skin!"

She casually picked up a large bundle of clothing, confident that this time it would be fine. It turned out to be a full-body fishnet stocking. Saten Ruiko's voice trembled: "Like this… this kind of pantyhose that shows… the whole… whole body…?"

"Women also have times when they have to show their bodies..." Shirai Kuroko loosened her hair and placed her right hand, shaped like an "8," against her chin.

After hearing what she had to say, Saten Ruiko felt that her worldview was being expanded. She quickly lifted the pleated skirt of Uiharu Shiori next to her, then took a deep breath and calmed down.

"What are you doing, Saten-san!" Uiharu Kazari hurriedly covered her skirt, almost burying Saten Ruiko inside as well.

"Ugh... after seeing so many outrageous clothes, looking at the water ripple pattern for early spring makes me feel so much calmer..."

Shirai Kuroko got out of bed and squatted down next to the box. She reached down and opened the next layer of clothes, and Saten Ruiko quickly made way for her, sitting obediently on the edge of the bed.

"You're so flustered over just this little bit of underwear... Look, there's more~" Shirai Kuroko lifted up a piece of clothing. It was a camisole nightgown made of transparent material with a built-in bra. The bra part had thin ribbons to adjust the size, and the edges were decorated with lace.

The other one is also a camisole nightgown, but this one is different. It does not use the bra design of the previous one. Instead, it uses a tie to bind the upper abdomen, and there is also a garter stocking design at the thighs. The neck to the lower abdomen is carefully exposed and covered by lace.

"Besides those... there's also..."

Shirai Kuroko continued searching, and this time she pulled out... a complete bra with a red Gekota printed on it, wearing a black cartoon top hat, and white clouds in the background.

"What... Shirai-san wears this kind of thing too..."

"My Shirai-kun... is back..."

Before the two could fully change their minds, Misaka Mikoto swiftly snatched the bra away. She crumpled it into a ball, clutched it to her chest, and said apologetically, "Sorry... this is mine..."

"Huh—?!" x2

In the Tokiwadai dormitories, a desk is usually placed near the window, which is also where various textbooks and extracurricular books are stored. However, in Academy City, a place almost isolated from the outside world, it is highly likely that there are family photos or letters left here as keepsakes.

"Um! Misaka-senpai, could I take a look at your photo album?"

"Ah~ that's just a routine thing~"

Misaka Mikoto loosened her distorted face a little and somewhat embarrassedly pulled out her photo album.

Flipping through the photo album, one finds countless memories of Misaka Mikoto from childhood to adulthood: kimonos, yukatas, swimsuits, school uniforms, commemorative photos of her first day of school with her mother…

"Wow~ So cute..."

"But... this is a bit unexpected..."

"What accident?"

"Misaka-senpai isn't a Level 5 esper, yet she's Tokiwadai's ace...?" Saten Ruiko looked at Misaka Mikoto. "She seems like a rich girl... like someone who's lived an elite life since childhood..."

"That's not true... I was a low-level ability user back then, just an ordinary child..." Misaka Mikoto waved her hand and smiled gently.

"Why……?"

As Saten Ruiko listened to Misaka Mikoto's words, she gripped the intricately carved chair even tighter, oblivious to the fact that her fingernails dug into her palm. A sense of loss lingered in her heart, refusing to dissipate.

In this Academy City, there are clearly examples like Misaka-senpai, who started as low-level espers but later became espers through hard work... yet I gave up on myself...

That's awful... I...

Haruharu Kazari quickly flipped through Misaka Mikoto's photo album, as if some strange personality had awakened within her. She begged Shirai Kuroko, almost obsessively, to look at her album.

"That's such a shame... Kuroko is a woman who only thinks about the future... that's why she doesn't have something like a photo album..."

"Is this it?" Just as Shirai Kuroko was speaking, Saten Ruiko came to the bookshelf, sniffed it briefly, and pulled a notebook out from a hidden compartment. The pink cover had the word "Confidential" written on it, along with a prohibition symbol.

"No! That won't do!"

Shirai Kuroko tried to stop them, but it was too late. Those candid photos of Misaka Mikoto had already been completely exposed to everyone; there was no escaping it now.

"Kuroko!" Misaka Mikoto stretched Kuroko's face outwards again. "It seems you really need to re-examine this moment more than the future..."

"I'm sorry, Onee-sama..." Shirai Kuroko, released by Misaka Mikoto, fell to the ground like something out of a shoujo manga, wiping away her tears with delicate, effeminate fingers. "I was so... Onee-sama! Do you even remember what day it is today?"

"I thought you invited Haruharu and Saten along for today too." Shirai Kuroko's voice trembled, as if she had suffered some injustice, looking pitiful.

"Today?" Misaka Mikoto scratched her head, starting to think. "Call Haru-san and Saten-san..."

"Ah!" Misaka Mikoto seemed to have thought of something and immediately raised her head. Seeing this, Shirai Kuroko quickly got up from the ground and came to Misaka Mikoto, expecting her answer.

"Today is the anniversary of my meeting with Haru and Saten!" Misaka Mikoto turned around and looked at the two classmates behind her, as if she was even more certain.

"Ah...it's been a week already?" Shiori Uiharu sat on the edge of the bed, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Time flies... It's already been a week... It feels like we've known each other for ages." Saten Ruiko took out the drinks she bought at the supermarket from her bag and handed them out.

"Please continue to guide me in the future..." Misaka Mikoto took the coconut soda, which was no longer too cold, and smiled as she spoke to the two people opposite her.

Bang-!

Shirai Kuroko crashed to the ground.