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

The midday sun shone through the trees lining the commercial street, casting dappled, swaying light on the ground. The heat hadn't yet reached its peak, but the asphalt road already radiated a subtle heat, slightly distorting the silhouettes of distant buildings.

Today is the day that Kamijou Touma's right hand cast is completely removed. Although the doctor suggested immobilizing it for another week, at his strong insistence, the hard white cast was finally removed ahead of schedule.

"I feel so light I could float away~" Kamijou moved his right hand, which had regained its freedom, opening and closing his five fingers, feeling the long-lost flexibility. The stiffness was still there, but at least he no longer had to ask for help to even turn a doorknob like a paralyzed patient.

A gray-haired girl walked beside him, carrying an eco-friendly shopping bag filled with daily necessities and groceries she had just bought at the supermarket. Today, she was wearing that white hooded sweatshirt, and her long gray-white hair swayed gently in the breeze, the ends of which were dyed almost transparent silver by the sunlight.

"Touma, is your hand really healed?"

"More or less..." Kamijou clenched his fist, a slight cracking sound coming from his knuckles. He quickly relaxed it, pretending to casually wiggle his fingers. "Although the doctor said to avoid strenuous exercise, at least I don't have to carry that annoying thing around anymore."

His eyes darted around as he said this, and he wasn't entirely confident that he could actually "avoid strenuous exercise."

The two had just left the supermarket and were heading back along the shopping street. Various shops lined both sides of the street; the signs of convenience stores, bookstores, clothing stores, and a few family-run restaurants gleamed in the sunlight. During the summer vacation, the street was quiet in the morning, with only a few students occasionally hurrying past, cautiously observing their surroundings.

"Want to sit over there?" Kamijou pointed to a family-run restaurant not far ahead. "I'm a little hungry after walking around for so long. Perfect timing, I still owe you a hamburger patty from last time. Last time it was discounted beef, this time I'll make up for it with a proper one."

The gray-haired girl glanced at him.

"The beef last time was also very delicious."

Kamijou paused for a moment, then scratched the back of his head: "Then, let's just consider it an extra meal."

Pushing open the glass door, a wall of cold air rushed in, a stark contrast to the heat outside. The interior was decorated in a typical family restaurant style: warm yellow lighting, dark brown booths, several reproductions of Western oil paintings hanging on the walls, and central air conditioning and chandeliers hidden in black square steel grilles above. Because it was a weekday morning, the restaurant was nearly empty; only a mother and daughter were eating dessert in a corner, and a college student was typing on a laptop.

The waiter led them to a booth by the window, handed them two glasses of iced water and towels, along with two menus, before leaving. Kamijou flipped through the menu, his gaze sweeping over the familiar dish names.

What would you like to eat?

The gray-haired girl took the menu and carefully flipped through it. Her fingers moved slowly across the pages, pausing briefly on each one, as if meticulously checking the dish names and pictures. Finally, her fingertips stopped on one of the pages.

"this…"

Kamijou leaned over for a look, "A hamburger patty combo with a vegetable salad..."

"Okay, this will do. I'll have... uh, Neapolitan pasta, please."

After ordering, the two sat facing each other. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a small shadow on the condiment bottles on the table. The gray-haired girl's gaze fell on the window, watching the leaves of the roadside trees and the occasional bicycle passing by.

"Touma..."

"Um?"

"It's very quiet here."

Kamijou smiled. "Yes, too much has happened lately. First, there was the void explosion incident, which injured many members of the Disciplinary Committee, and then there was the massive power outage caused by lightning strikes. Last time, a huge hole was punched in Komoe-sensei's roof, and when she returned, she was so stunned that she knelt on the ground, feeling like her soul had left her body."

Even with his broken right hand, he barely managed to spend a few days in the hospital before being discharged and then catching up on lessons and homework. A quiet meal in a restaurant like this became a precious moment.

He leaned back in the booth, enjoying the cool air conditioning. Although his right hand still ached slightly, it was like heaven compared to the days it had been bound in a cast.

The waiter quickly brought the food over. The hamburger patties sizzled on the hot plate, the thick sauce bubbling around the edges, and the aroma of meat mixed with butter filled the air. The Neapolitan pasta, on the other hand, had a sweet and sour flavor that combined with tomatoes and basil, garnished with a few slices of bacon.

"I'm starting..." Kamijou clasped his hands together, then picked up a fork, rolled up a ball of pasta, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The gray-haired girl picked up her knife and fork and began working intently on the hamburger patty in front of her. Her knife skills were still a bit clumsy; she always cut at slightly off angles, the blade making a soft, crisp sound as it struck the metal plate. But she learned quickly.

Just as the two were quietly eating lunch, the restaurant door was pushed open, and the wind chimes on the door made a crisp sound.

Several young men dressed in flashy clothes and adorned with various accessories walked in. They ranged in age from seventeen or eighteen to their early twenties, wearing loose printed T-shirts and ripped jeans. Some had metal chains wrapped around their wrists, and their pockets were bulging with something. As soon as they entered, they started making a loud, unrestrained noise, so loud that even the mother and daughter in the corner frowned.

"Damn it, it's so hot! This awful weather is killing me."

"Hey, let's find a cooler spot! Over there, towards the back."

The group shoved and jostled their way to a booth further inside the restaurant, right next to Kamijou's group. A waiter nervously approached to hand them menus, but one of them impatiently waved him away. The mother and daughter in the corner quickly paid their bill and left with their child. The college student typing on his keyboard closed his laptop, head down, and hurried out the door.

Touma Kamijou frowned, but didn't say anything. They were almost finished eating, and there was no need to get into any unnecessary trouble with this kind of person, so he quickened his pace of eating noodles.

However, things did not go as he wished.

After the group sat down, one of them noticed the gray-haired girl by the window. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he nudged his companion with his elbow.

"Hey, look over there..."

"Oh? That white-haired girl doesn't look like an ordinary person."

"Is your hair natural or dyed? Tsk, that's interesting."

Several people began to frequently glance at him, and their conversations gradually became more unrestrained. Touma Kamijou's fork froze in mid-air; his expression remained largely unchanged, but his fingers tightened their grip on the fork.

The gray-haired girl seemed oblivious to the stares, or rather, she didn't care at all. She continued focused on cutting the hamburger patty in front of her, dipping it in the sauce, and taking a bite.

"I said..." One of them stood up, hands in his pockets, and swaggered over. "Little sister, eating alone is so boring. It's lively over there, why don't you come sit down?"

He walked to the booth, rested one hand on the edge of the table, leaned slightly forward, and wore that experienced, unsettling smile. His companions behind him seemed to be cheering him on, bursting into laughter.

A few seconds later, Touma Kamijou put down his fork, looked up at the person, and said, "She's eating, please don't disturb her."

His voice was calm, without deliberately raising his volume. But the look in his eyes became unfriendly.

The man's smile froze for a moment, then turned into a displeased expression: "Who are you? Her boyfriend? Or just someone who likes to meddle?"

Kamijou didn't answer. He quickly glanced around the restaurant out of the corner of his eye. The waiter who had been wiping glasses just moments before had quietly retreated to the back of the counter, clutching his phone, his face pale, hesitant to dial. The remaining two tables of customers were either elderly or young; any conflict could potentially affect them.

That's the most troublesome part.

He stood up, seemingly naturally shielding the gray-haired girl behind him, and said in a low voice, "Fighting in the store will break things and might hurt others. Let's leave first and see if we can shake them off."

The gray-haired girl nodded. She simply put down her knife and fork, quietly stood up, and picked up her shopping bag. Since Touma Kamijou said to leave, she left.

"Hey! Trying to run away?"

The thug reached out to grab his shoulder, but Touma suddenly turned around and feinted with his right fist. The thug instinctively took a half step back, and by the time he realized it was just a feint, Touma had already pulled the gray-haired girl and pushed open the restaurant door.

"Damn it!" The thug slammed his fist on the empty table next to him, making the cutlery clatter. "Chase them! Don't let them get away!"

"Call Lao San and his gang! Tell them to go around through the side alley!" Another thug pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. "Yeah, it's that white-haired woman, the two the boss told us about! They ran west from the shopping street, you guys block them from the front!"

Several people chased after him outside, shouting and cursing.

Kamijou pulled the gray-haired girl along, quickly weaving through the streets. He walked fast, constantly watching out for pedestrians, and glancing ahead before each turn. The gray-haired girl, being pulled along, required almost no effort from him; her steps were incredibly steady, and she ran halfway down the street without even losing her breath.

After running about two hundred meters, Kamijou looked back and frowned.

The pursuers not only hadn't been shaken off, but their numbers had actually increased. Figures were converging on them from the alleyway entrance and the end of the street, as if they had known they would take this route. Not only were the pursuers behind them, but two more people peeking out from the fork in the road ahead, dressed in equally flamboyant clothes, clearly part of the same group.

As he turned into a side road leading to a secluded area, he noticed figures moving about at the alleyway to the side. This wasn't a random chase; the group was systematically closing in. This was clearly not just a few thugs acting on impulse; they had obviously planned ahead, and someone was directing them.

"Something's not right..." Kamijou said in a low voice as he ran. "These people didn't just randomly target us... it's like they already knew where we were. You heard that phone call earlier, 'The boss gave the order.' Someone is giving orders, and our target is us."

The gray-haired girl didn't answer, but simply followed quietly beside him. Her steps remained steady; she didn't need to ask why. Touma Kamijou was analyzing and assessing the situation, and all she needed to do was follow him the moment he made a decision.

There was a small alley ahead. He had passed by it several times before and knew it led to the main street. He pulled the gray-haired girl and slipped inside.

The alley wasn't deep, leading to another street at one end. On either side were the back walls of old buildings, their surfaces covered in mottled water stains and withered vines. Sunlight was blocked by the tall buildings, and the air was thick with a damp, musty smell. A stray cat darted out from behind a trash can, vaulted over the wall, and disappeared.

If they could get through this alley, they could run into the busier main street from the other end. However, just as they were about to rush out, two figures suddenly appeared at the other end of the alley. Dressed similarly in flashy clothes and holding metal baseball bats, they had clearly been informed and were waiting there. They blocked the alley exit, their faces showing smug smiles like they had caught their prey.

"Run, keep running!"

The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind; the pursuers had arrived and poured in from the alley entrance, completely blocking their escape route.

Block in front and intercept from behind.

Touma Kamijou stopped in his tracks, clenching his right fist. He quickly compared the number of people on both sides. Two in front, five behind. All of them were armed: steel pipes, baseball bats, and at least two folding knives. If he were in his prime, he might be able to put up a fight, but his right hand had just been removed from the cast, and the doctor's warning was still ringing in his ears; he needed to avoid strenuous exercise as much as possible.

He took a deep breath, loosened his right hand joints, and then stepped forward to shield the gray-haired girl behind him.

"I've already said it, it's very impolite to disturb others while they're eating."

The leader of the thugs sneered; it was the same one who had stood up in the restaurant. He was twirling a folding steel pipe in his hand, slowly tapping it in his palm, his face full of arrogant confidence.

"Kid, you've got guts. But do you think you can take on all of us by yourself? The boss personally gave the order! That white-haired girl must stay here today."

"Boss?" Kamijou stared at him. "Who's your boss?"

"Is it any of your business?" The thug slung the steel pipe over his shoulder. "Anyway, after today, it won't be any of your business."

The thugs exchanged glances, then charged at Touma simultaneously. The first thug swung a folding steel pipe at Touma's head, but Touma dodged to the side and landed a right punch to the thug's abdomen. With a thud, the thug clutched his stomach and collapsed to his knees. But the second thug was already upon them, his steel pipe sweeping across the room at perfect timing. Touma didn't have time to fully retract his fist to dodge and could only block with his right arm.

The dull thud of metal colliding with bone echoed through the alley.

Kamijou grunted, staggered back two steps, and slammed his back against the alley wall. A dull pain shot through his right arm. It wasn't the sharp pain of a broken bone, but rather the warning sign of a blow to a section of bone that hadn't fully healed. He gritted his teeth, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The gray-haired girl took a step forward, her expression unchanged, but something was subtly gathering deep within her gray eyes. The air began to tremble slightly. Without turning his head, Touma Kamijou reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No..." His voice was a little hoarse, but the determination in his tone was heavier than ever before. "Let me do it."

The gray-haired girl stopped moving. She looked at him, her gray eyes showing no doubt or questioning. She was simply waiting for him to finish speaking.

"Because if I let you do it, they might die." Kamijou turned his head and gave her a somewhat sinister smile.

This is no exaggeration. Once she gets serious, the mere release of her aura is enough to bring professional magicians like Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori to their knees. These ordinary people in front of him probably couldn't even withstand the weight of her very "existence." The best way for him to protect her is to prevent her from falling into a situation where she "has no choice but to fight."

"They're just thugs, they shouldn't die no matter how bad they are. So this time, let me do it."

"I understand." The gray-haired girl paused for a moment. Then she stopped and nodded slightly. She didn't go any further. But her gray eyes remained fixed on Kamijou's back.

Above the wall, an unseen shadow took in the entire scene. Tokisaki Kurumi's lips slowly curved into a smile; with a single movement from the spiky-haired boy, she withdrew all her power.

That's interesting, so very interesting.

She silently changed her mind. Her original plan was to use these henchmen to force Mio Takamiya into a corner, thereby determining whether she was acting. But what had just happened had already given her the answer. An actor would never look at an ordinary boy like that; that kind of dependence couldn't be faked.

Therefore, the conclusion was reached in advance: the Primal Spirit has indeed lost its memory.

Then what needs to be done next is completely different.

The thug who hit Kamijou saw him straighten up again and instinctively took a half step back.

"You...you can still stand?"

"Is that all?" Kamijou moved his right shoulder, suppressing the pain into a corner of his consciousness.

The thug was provoked by his obvious contempt and, enraged, raised the steel pipe again, ready to swing it down.

"That's enough." A sweet voice, tinged with obvious mockery, came from above the wall.

Everyone stopped.

The shadows in the alley seemed to deepen, and a faint, almost palpable chill filled the air. Touma looked up and saw a girl sitting on the wall. She wore a red and black Gothic dress, its tiered skirt spreading across the wall like an upside-down black rose. Her long hair, as if soaked in the night, was tied at the ends with a bright red ribbon. Her left eye was a golden clock, her right eye a deep red, its pupil reflecting the faces of everyone in the alley.

She clasped her hands on her knees, as if enjoying afternoon tea in her own backyard, a sweet yet dangerous smile on her face.

"Isn't it incredibly rude of so many people to bully a patient who just had their cast removed?"

The thugs' expressions changed drastically when they saw who it was. The leader's hand trembled, and the steel pipe almost slipped from his grasp. He almost instinctively took a large step back, his voice trembling.

"Boss?!"

"Oh?" Tokisaki Kurumi tilted her head, her heterochromatic eyes turning to the thug who had spoken. "Looks like you're doing pretty well in the organization, at least you know what the boss looks like."

"Of course!" The thug nodded frantically, his arrogance completely gone, replaced by a fearful awe. "Your photo has been sent to everyone... The boss said in a meeting that you are the true leader of the organization, and anyone who dares to disobey your orders can forget about ever working in this area again..."

Another thug quickly hid his baseball bat behind his back, as if afraid of being seen carrying a weapon, his voice trembling: "Boss, we didn't know you knew these two! We really didn't! When we were given the task, we only said to find that white-haired... no, that white-haired girl, we didn't say you were here too..."

Kurumi Tokisaki leaped down from the wall, her skirt billowing in mid-air, landing almost silently.

"A mission?" She tilted her head, her tone as if she were listening to something completely unrelated to her. "I don't recall being given any such mission."

"It wasn't you who told me, it was...it was..." The thug's expression froze, then turned into a deeper fear. He finally realized that the woman in front of him might not know anything about this. In other words, something went wrong in the process, and he was the first one to get caught in the crossfire.

Kurumi Tokisaki smiled softly as she watched the change in his expression.

"Looks like someone's tried to guess what the higher-ups want." She walked slowly towards the thugs, each step feeling like it was crushing their hearts. Their legs trembled, but they dared not back down. "But we'll talk about that later. Now, let's clean up the mess you've made."

She raised her chin: "Hold onto the one on the ground and disappear."

"Yes, yes! Thank you, boss!"

Several thugs hurriedly helped their companion, who was still clutching his stomach and groaning, to his feet, and stumbled back towards the alley entrance. Just as they were about to escape the alley, Tokisaki Kurumi spoke again.

"Go back and tell the person who gave the orders that although there are many interesting things to find out in this city, no one is allowed to touch my prey. If I find anyone bypassing me and acting on their own again, it won't be as simple as just 'disappearing'."

"Understood! Understood!" The thugs nodded frantically, then fled the alley without looking back.

Only three people remained in the alley.

Touma Kamijou remained vigilant, still standing in front of the gray-haired girl, his right hand clenched into a fist again. Although the sharp pain from his fractured bone from blocking the attack still lingered, he suppressed all emotion. The reaction of those thugs had completely confirmed one thing for him.

"As expected, you are their leader." He looked at Kurumi Tokisaki. "Although today's encirclement was an unauthorized action by your subordinates, ultimately, the person they are looking for is the one you ordered them to find."

Kurumi Tokisaki blinked, then smiled calmly.

"Oh dear~ I've been found out. That's right, this little organization called 'Giant Spider' just recently came under my control. I just asked my people to help me find a girl with long gray hair..." She shifted her gaze to the gray-haired girl, "As for what methods they used, to be honest, I only just found out myself."

She bowed slightly, bent over, moved her right foot behind her left, and gently lifted the hem of the gray-haired girl's skirt. This was a skirt-lifting gesture, used when addressing someone of higher status or position.

"Last time in the alley, you were in too much of a hurry. This time I've adopted a more formal approach... Please forgive me, although the process was a bit rough."

Her voice suddenly carried a different emotion, not the previous mockery or anger, but a deep-seated turmoil, almost worn smooth by time.

The gray-haired girl had been silent since earlier, and only now did she speak, her voice as steady as ever.

"I don't know you. But you were here before. In another alley..."

"Well~ you remember me..." Kurumi Tokisaki's smile deepened. "It's an honor."

"You call me 'Primordial Spirit,' or something else. If you're looking for something from me, you've probably come to the wrong person."

Kurumi Tokisaki's smile faltered for a moment.

"Wrong person..." she repeated the word softly, something trembling slightly in her heterochromatic pupils. After a moment, she raised the corners of her mouth again, but this time there was an indescribable complexity in her smile.

"I know, so I must tell you..." Tokisaki Kurumi took a step forward, her high heels clicking crisply on the concrete. She didn't come any closer, but stopped a few steps away, as if standing before an invisible boundary.

"Your name... is Takamiya Mio."

The alleyway fell silent for a moment, but the gray-haired girl's expression remained unchanged. She neither denied nor confirmed; she simply stood there quietly, as if waiting for the other person to finish speaking.

Kurumi Tokisaki didn't wait for her reply. She shifted her gaze to Touma Kamijou. A hint of amusement returned to her delicate face. Her heterochromatic eyes swept over him from head to toe, finally settling on his still slightly trembling right fist.

"So, this is the man you chose...?" She asked in a question, but her tone was as if she were confirming an obvious answer.

Kamijou Touma felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze, but he didn't move an inch. "You have a rather unique way of speaking... What do you mean by 'chosen man'? My name is Kamijou Touma, and hers is..."

Touma Kamijou paused, unsure what to call her. White-haired Little Sister? That was a temporary nickname he'd come up with. Primordial Spirit? That was the name this gothic girl used. Mio Takamiya? If that was her real name, why should he be the one to respond for her?

The gray-haired girl gently took his left hand from behind.

Kurumi Tokisaki saw this scene. Her smile remained unchanged, but the deep emotions in her eyes held an indescribable meaning.

"Touma Kamijou..." she repeated his name slowly, as if savoring something worth remembering, "Since she chose you, you should know who she is. At least, know her name."

She took a step back and bowed slightly to the gray-haired girl.

"Takamiya Mio, that's your name." She straightened up, turned, and walked into the shadows. "I hope you'll at least remember that when we meet again."

As Touma watched her retreating figure, he suddenly asked, "What...what's your relationship with her?"

Kurumi Tokisaki didn't stop. She looked back and a genuine smile appeared on her lips.

"The answer to this question is not for me to tell you."

"You should let her remember it herself."

Her figure seemed to be swallowed by shadows, gradually fading until it finally disappeared completely into the dim light of the mottled brick wall. Only the faint ticking of a clock slowly dissipated in the air.