A tense air of confrontation loomed.

"Hand over Index!"

Stiyl couldn't hold back any longer and whipped out a batch of rune cards.

"I was wondering how we'd track you down again, but here you are, walking right up to us!"

"Stiyl, shut up!"

Kanzaki Kaori barked, halting her companion who was about to activate the runes. Her hand gripped the hilt of Seven Heavens Seven Swords so tightly her knuckles went white.

Her gaze locked onto the black-haired young man holding Index—Rei Ao, someone she'd never seen before, yet who radiated an aura that triggered every instinct she had telling her he was dangerous.

Stiyl scowled.

"Kanzaki, what are you—?"

"I said shut up."

Kanzaki's voice was low and taut. She could feel cold sweat on her back. The man across from her just stood there silently, but she felt like she was staring into an abyss.

In Rei Ao's arms, Index lay quietly, her silver hair hanging loose, as if merely asleep. But Kanzaki sensed it was nowhere near that simple.

Mikoto Misaka's bangs crackled with a hint of electricity, her brown eyes full of caution.

"Hey, you magicians—could you be rational here? We're helping Index!"

"Help?"

Stiyl sneered.

"With your science-side methods? Don't make me laugh!"

Rei Ao took a quiet breath—so soft it was almost inaudible. Yet the moment Kanzaki heard it, every muscle in her body snapped taut. She saw Rei Ao lift his right hand and snap his fingers.

Snap.

It was a crisp sound, and time seemed to freeze. Stiyl's face stayed twisted in its sneering contempt. The rune cards in his hand hung in midair, along with the drifting ashes of his cigarette, utterly motionless.

Kanzaki's pupils contracted violently. She realized she could still move—but Stiyl, her comrade and one of the Anglican Church's genius rune magicians, was pinned in place without even a chance to resist.

"What did you do?"

Her voice trembled with tension. Seven Heavens Seven Swords had slid three inches from its scabbard, the cold blade catching the light.

Rei Ao gave her a calm glance. There was no emotion in his iridescent eyes.

"I just made him quiet for a moment. I'm not fond of stubborn idiots."

He paused, then added, "Although in my eyes, you're not exactly bright, either."

"Pff!"

Kuroko couldn't help laughing, before Shokuhou gave her an elbow to the side. Meanwhile, Mikoto pointed at Kanzaki.

"Listen, lady. We're not here to fight. Actually, we want to help you see certain truths… that someone's been hiding on purpose."

Kanzaki's gaze shifted among the four people. She could sense they weren't hostile, yet her years of faith and duty kept her from lowering her guard so easily.

"What truths?"

"It's about the lie that Index needs her memory erased every year," Mikoto said, taking a step forward, anger flashing in her eyes.

"That whole 'insufficient brain capacity' claim wouldn't fool an elementary school kid in Academy City!"

Kuroko chimed in, though not fully clear on the details:

"Even though I don't know everything, Onee-sama's right. The brain's memory capacity is effectively infinite—claiming it'll overflow is ridiculous!"

Kanzaki frowned. She stared directly at Mikoto and spoke in a low voice, "How do you know this?"

That was supposed to be a secret mission known only to her, Stiyl, and the archbishop.

Mikoto brushed it off, clearly impatient. "Don't worry about how we know. I'm telling you, you've been deceived. Humans don't die because 'their brain's memory overflows.' Science has proven that's nonsense!"

"…"

Kanzaki fell silent. She herself knew nearly nothing of science, but she remembered, all too well, the agony Index suffered every year.

"Then why does Index get those splitting headaches annually? It's evidence she needs her memory erased—I've seen it with my own eyes!"

"Huh?"

Mikoto couldn't answer this. She looked at Rei Ao in confusion—she didn't know about that detail.

"Ah."

Rei Ao let out a derisive chuckle.

"Saint, let me ask you: how many methods do you know that can make someone's head feel like it's splitting—physically or magically included?"

"?"

Kanzaki froze. His question struck her like a hammer to the chest. As a Saint, of course she knew magic that could induce pain. Wait—her eyes narrowed sharply. She finally grasped what Rei Ao was implying.

"You're saying… Index's headaches are man-made?"

A faint smile tugged at Rei Ao's lips.

"You're not totally clueless, then."

He gently lifted Index's chin, revealing her slender neck.

"There's a 'Memory Shackle' planted in her throat. That's what's causing her yearly migraines."

Kanzaki felt dizzy. She shook her head reflexively.

"N-no way… The archbishop would never…"

"He tricked you."

Rei Ao's voice was as cold as ice.

"He used your faith and loyalty to turn Index into a living library."

Kanzaki's hand trembled slightly on the sword. Memories of the archbishop's kindly smile each time they made their mission reports, of Index's vacant expression after every memory purge… If all of it was a lie…

"Prove it."

She bit down hard, a tremor in her voice betraying her desperation.

"If you're telling the truth, prove it to me."

Rei Ao met her gaze, as though looking right into her soul.

"As you wish."

He laid Index gently on the floor. With slender fingers, he reached into her throat. Kanzaki felt an unusual flow of energy.

"!!!"

Her eyes went wide in shock. No wonder she never found anything on Index's person—the throat! The inside of the throat isn't protected by the skull. In terms of a direct path, it's closer to the brain than the top of the head.

And few people would have the chance to see it, much less examine it thoroughly. Even Kanzaki, also a woman, had only stripped Index enough to check for superficial injuries. She'd never thought about the inside of the throat. If there was a spell powerful enough to cause Index's migraines, that would be the perfect place to hide it!

~~~

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