First off, Index can be called the "Index Librorum ProhibiTohrum of magic."

Because she has a perfect memory, Index's brain holds the contents of 103,000 grimoires, encompassing forbidden knowledge of religion, mythology, and secret arts from around the world.

Normally, these grimoires can cause severe mental contamination—any ordinary person who reads them either goes insane or dies. But as a "container," Index can carry all of this knowledge safely. Consequently, in the eyes of the magic side, she's of immeasurable value.

As for Kanzaki Kaori and Stiyl: while Index was imprisoned by the Anglican Church and had her memories regularly erased, the two of them served as her watchers and protectors. Because Index's memories are wiped annually, they had to re-establish their relationship with her over and over again—naturally developing a kind of "family-like" bond with her.

At this point, some people felt something wasn't right.

Yukinoshita Yukino: "Wait a second—family, but… you're talking about memory erasure? That's a bizarre mix of terms."

Bibi Dong: "I agree, it's confusing."

Tohru: "Tch, sounds fishy to me, probably another one of those human schemes."

Rei Ao: "Tohru's actually got it right."

Rei Ao: "Basically, that big boss of the Anglican Church claimed Index's perfect memory could only safely store 103,000 grimoires. Adding everyday memories on top of that would cause her brain to 'overflow,' leading to self-destruction."

Rei Ao: "Also, they emphasized that the grimoire knowledge itself carried 'mental contamination.'"

Rei Ao: "If Index were to retain her personal memories, she might end up truly grasping all that content, go berserk, and threaten the entire world."

Rei Ao: "So they packaged memory erasure as a 'necessary maintenance,' like 'formatting' a computer, to keep her stable."

Akame: "Um… I don't get it."

Yukinoshita Yukino: "????"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "The idea that her brain is overloaded with memory… does that even make sense? What about subconscious memory?"

Mikoto Misaka: "Ha? That's obviously nonsense, right?"

Rei Ao: "Haha, yeah. It's obviously fake to you guys, but from the perspective of these magic-using folks who lack a decent 'scientific education,' they fully believe it."

Rei Ao: "The Anglican Church just wants Index to remain an unknowing tool, so they made up a flimsy lie."

Tohru: "I knew it—another human conspiracy!"

Mikoto Misaka: "…"

At the moment, Mikoto wore an expression like she'd bitten into a bitter chocolate. It's mind-boggling that anyone could believe such a bogus claim—utterly irrational! And apparently, the other side even has a 'Saint' or something. Her eyes suddenly narrowed, staring fixedly at the chat.

Rei Ao: "Listen, Mikoto."

Rei Ao: "You might already be wrapped up in something huge."

Mikoto Misaka: "Something huge?"

Rei Ao: "A war between the science side and the magic side."

Rei Ao: "From what I explained, you should see that Index is invaluable to the magic side."

At that, the chat erupted in discussion.

Frieren: "Wait, this setup sounds bad."

Erica: "That means two major factions may go to war over her."

Erica understood too well how battles between different forces begin. She'd just heard about a brewing conflict between the Bronze Black Cross and her own Crimson Black Cross.

Inori Yuzuriha: "Sounds troublesome…"

Mikoto's face turned pale.

"So… the higher-ups of Academy City know about this?"

Rei Ao: "They're not just aware of it."

Rei Ao let out a cold laugh.

"I'd bet all of this is part of Academy City Director Aleister's calculations."

Rei Ao: "That upside-down guy in the life-support machine is probably waiting for the magic side to step foot in Academy City."

Yukino walked over to Rei Ao, asking quietly, "Is it dangerous?"

She recalled him mentioning Aleister before—a powerful manipulator behind the scenes. Rei Ao didn't answer her directly but continued talking to Mikoto.

Rei Ao: "You have two choices now."

Rei Ao: "First: stop meddling in this."

Mikoto Misaka: "I'm not letting her go to those shady people!"

She refused without hesitation. Rei Ao smiled at the response.

Rei Ao: "I knew you'd say that, Mikoto—exactly why I admire you."

Inori Yuzuriha: "Hehe, how cool."

Frieren: "Haha, definitely an admirable trait."

Suddenly embarrassed by the praise, Mikoto's cheeks flushed.

"Ah, shut it! Just tell me the second choice."

Rei Ao: "Second: let me handle it."

Tohru: "I get it—this is a trade, right?"

Mikoto's face stiffened a bit. She instinctively imagined something pervy. Her first reaction? Absolute mortification.

But remembering the scale of this problem, she realized she and Kuroko and the others might be in way over their heads—potentially dragging them into deep trouble. Mikoto's lips trembled.

Mikoto Misaka: "Are you sure you want to get involved? You said it's dangerous—this could put you at risk too."

A faint, nearly imperceptible smile curved Rei Ao's lips.

Rei Ao: "Looks like my sweet Mikoto is starting to worry about me."

Mikoto Misaka: "Shut up!!!"

Rei Ao: "Haha, okay, okay."

Rei Ao: "If it was before, I might've hesitated. But now, I think there's a chance I can manage. So go on—make your choice."

Mikoto Misaka: "Hmph! Alright, but don't blame me if you get killed!"

Rei Ao: "No need to say that."

Rei Ao: "You know the old saying, 'If I must die under a peony, I'll still be charming as a ghost.' Mikoto, you've piqued my curiosity, you know~"

Mikoto Misaka: "Shut up! You perv! You creep! You jerk!"

She didn't just type it in the chat—she also shouted it out loud in real life, cheeks burning.

"???"

Kuroko and Shokuhou Misaki both stared in bewilderment.

Shokuhou Misaki: "What's gotten into you?"

Kuroko: "Onee-sama?!"

~~~

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