Let us rewind time a little bit.
Although it was now evening and the air was cool, the fatigue brought by walking three kilometers in the summer seemed to had far exceeded Kamijou's imagination.
Come… come to think of it, today's Physical Education lesson and several other things have tired me out…
Kamijou, who had left his wallet in the dormitory, could only walk on.
Notably, the slightly older nun, dressed in black and walking beside him, was also penniless. God knew how she was going to take the bus.
Anyway, Kamijou, who had already walked three kilometers in this hot September, arrived at the entrance of the Gloaming House, sweaty and tired.
"May I ask… Sister, the weather's so hot, and you're wearing a long-sleeved black robe. How can you smile so happily and not even sweat at all?"
"Ah, this? Compared to spiritual suffering, physical pain is almost nothing."
"…You're one heavily abused sister."
"Excuse me, how long will it take us to reach the bus stop?"
"Could you stop asking about the bus already!? Didn't I tell you that I'm bringing you to the Anglicans? Don't tell me that the words I've just spoken went in one ear and came out the other again!"
"Ah, excuse me, you're sweating a lot."
"Damn it! Talking to you is so hard when you keep changing the topic!"
"Don't move. I'll wipe it off for you."
"Eh? What? Wait a…"
The nun suddenly pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped Kamijou's face. Although it was just a handkerchief, it was decorated with some high-quality lace on the edges. It felt warm and had a slight aroma of roses. Kamijou wanted to escape, but he was restrained by the nun, who was using her unimaginable strength to hold his head.
"Okay, I'm done."
The nun revealed her vibrant smile as she looked at Kamijou.
"…Um, thanks."
Kamijou dragged his tired body into the abandoned Gloaming House.
The Gloaming House looked very large from afar, but the parking lot in front was rather small; one might suspect that it was for the employees only. Maybe it was because a bus stop and a multi-story parking garage were already next to it. The entire place was surrounded by metal plates and iron bars about two meters tall, and the entrance used by employees seemed to have been forcefully opened; one could see a very thick chain and a large lock on the floor.
There were no large pieces of machinery in the tiny parking lot. None of the building's walls had been vandalized, and the glass was not broken. Perhaps there was already a buyer, and someone came over to maintain this building because of that.
Going closer, one could observe that the Gloaming House was larger than a stadium, and square-shaped. The designers might have wanted to imitate a certain famous theater, or maybe they had been too lazy to design anything fancy.
It's so hot outside, so they should be inside, right?
Kamijou looked past the entrance of the Gloaming House. It was a rather large entrance, with five glass doors facing outwards. It had not been sealed with anything like planks, so it looked like a case of suspension of business rather than a dump. Just as Kamijou thought that, one of the doors opened.
"Eh?"
Kamijou could not help but shout.
Two of the three people walking out of the building were familiar to him. They were Index and Stiyl.
The last one was a girl who looked even younger than Index, one whom Kamijou had never met before. She was wearing a black nun's habit, similar to that of the nun he had met at the bus stop. This girl, however, had removed the part of her skirt below the zipper, so the skirt was now a tiny mini-skirt. Looking downward, he realized that she was wearing wooden sandals with 30-cm-thick soles.
The moment Index saw Kamijou, she asked,
"Hey, Touma, where did you meet that nun?"
"...you're asking that the moment we meet? Honestly, I have some questions for that evil priest beside you. Why did you have to go to such great lengths to play this kidnapping game with me? I want to know: Why do I have to walk three kilometers on such a hot day!? I really want to know why!"
Kamijou bellowed. Stiyl showed an impatient look, saying, "So, you just realised that I tricked you? I called you here to help us find a certain person; Index was the bait to lure you out. Oh, yeah, this is the person in charge right now: Agnese Sanctis of the Roman Catholic Church."
Stiyl nonchalantly pointed his cigarette at the girl wearing thick-soled sandals. The girl gave a deep bow and said, "He… hello." She might have done her research and found out that the Japanese habitually bowed to others, but her bowing so low made her look like a hotel receptionist.
Kamijou felt panicky about talking to a stranger now. Although his heart was filled with rage, he could not just vent his frustrations on a person he had just met for the first time.
It seemed like Stiyl wanted to seize the opportunity, now that Kamijou was so panicky, as he said,
"So sorry. I have no time to listen to your stupid problems. I just said that the reason I called you here was to help me find a person. Even though there are 250 people looking for her right now, there's still no news as of yet. This mission's rather urgent, as it concerns a person's life, so I hope that you can give us your fullest attention."
"'No time to listen to my stupid problems?' You called me all the way here, you bastard, and you give me that smug look!? Damn it, what's going on? How does it concern a person's life? Tell me everything! And, to be honest, what kind of searching ability does an outsider of the magic world like me have?! Is it alright to leave such an important task to a high school student!?"
"Hm, well, you don't have to worry so much. You just need to hand over the nun beside you."
"What?"
Kamijou's eyes widened. Irritated, Stiyl blew the smoke from the cigarette out of his mouth and said, "The sister beside you is the person we're looking for. Her name is Orsola Aquinas. Thanks for your help, Kamijou Touma; you can go back now."
"…oi, oi. Using a kidnapping as an excuse to lure me out, forcing me to use these documents that came from who-knows-where to leave Academy City, then making me walk three kilometers under the big, hot sun when the temperature's around forty degrees Celsius... and now you're telling me to go back?"
Kamijou muttered.
"Didn't I thank you already? What, do you expect me to treat you to some shaved ice?"
Kamijou Touma lowered his head, gritting his teeth. Index stood near him, her face looking pale, not knowing what to do.
"Pow!" Something near Kamijou's temple broke, creating this sound.
"Up until now, I thought that, even though our personalities don't match, at least I could make a friend. Really! That's what I thought at first! But now I've changed my mind!"
"Stop saying all that nonsense and hand Orsola over to Agnese. Don't tell me you want me to alleviate that loneliness? Such a pity; I can't do it, and neither do I want to. That's too gross."
Even the words he had said in anger had been coldly dismissed. Kamijou Touma looked like he had used up all his energy as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Ahhh… huuuuu! I have no more energy to cook dinner today! Index, our dinner tonight will be a simple takeaway pork bento."
"No way! Touma!"
The girl with a huge appetite shouted desperately.
Kamijou ignored her as he spoke to the nun dressed in black, Orsola Aquinas,
"…oh, yeah, didn't you say that you were being hunted? Does that situation have to do with those people looking for you? Anyway, now that you're reunited with your comrades, you should be fine, right?"
For some reason, after hearing Kamijou's words, Orsola trembled. It seemed like she wanted to suppress her shock, but had failed to.
Upon seeing that, Kamijou felt suspicious. Orsola was not looking at Kamijou, but at Stiyl and the rest.
At that point, Stiyl closed one eye and said slowly,
"Mm, you don't have to feel insecure. Once the mission is over, the Anglicans will pull back. Of course, for someone of a different sect, like you, to be wary of us is alright."
To an outsider like Kamijou, these people were either "church members" or "residents of the magic world".
But in fact, these people were divided into different sects, like Roman and English. They could even turn on each other. Just as Kamijou thought about that, a loud yet deep voice rang out.
"No way. It won't be so easy to take Orsola back."
The voice came from above Kamijou. Everyone looked upward and saw a softball-sized paper balloon floating about seven meters above them.
The thin paper surface of the balloon continued to vibrate as a man's voice came out of it.
"Orsola Aquinas, I believe that you yourself know this well. Instead of returning to the Roman Catholic Church, how about you join us instead, and enjoy a much more meaningful life?"
The next instant.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound could be heard as the blade of a longsword sprung out of the ground between Kamijou and Orsola. Since everyone's attention had been preoccupied with the object above them, the sudden change below their feet shocked them. Then, the same sound could be heard another two times, and two more blades came out from the ground. The three blades surrounded Orsola.
The swords were like the fins revealed by sharks swimming near the surface of the water. With Orsola at the center, the three blades cut an equilateral triangle about two meters on each side.
"AAAAHH—"
Orsola, who felt her feet losing support, cried out, 30% out of fear and 70% from confusion. Before her voice could properly convert to a scream, her body, together with the triangular piece of asphalt, fell down into a deep abyss.
"Amakusa!"
Agnese shouted as she stretched her hand out, but it was already too late; Orsola's body had been swallowed by the darkness. Kamijou rushed to the side of the triangular hole and regretfully covered his mouth.
"Sewers…?"
The paper balloon above them resounded with a slightly delighted, yet clear and powerful voice.
"I knew that if I were to follow the commander of the Roman Catholics, no matter where Orsola Aquinas would run to or who she'd be captured by, she'd eventually be brought here. After hiding underground for so long, my efforts have finally paid off!"
Kamijou did not understand the situation in the least.
He did not know who was in the sewers, or why Orsola had been taken away.
But he knew one thing.
This guy had suddenly appeared and used sharp swords to steal a person away. By listening to what that guy had said, this was not a sudden event, but rather a premeditated plan, so he must have been waiting for this chance all this time.
"Damn it!"
Kamijou looked down the triangular hole. It was too dark inside to estimate the depth, though it did not look so deep. Kamijou decided to jump into the hole.
"Wait! Don't go! Touma!"
Just as Index frantically shouted,
Several swords suddenly flashed in the darkness.
The numerous swords flashing in the darkness reflected the weak sunlight, and the dim orange light faintly showed the figures of the people in the sewers. It was like a scene in which bandits wield rusted axes and knives, hide in the tall grass along the road, hold their breaths, and patiently wait for their prey.
The thick killing intent gathered to form a hot wind, which spewed out of the hole into Kamijou's face. Kamijou's body went numb instantly; he could not move. Stiyl stepped beside Kamijou, pulled out four talismans with runes on them, and threw them onto the ground around him.
"My hand, bring fire, shape it into a blade, and bring forth thy judgement!"
Stiyl shouted, and, with his fingers, pointed the cigarette upward.
The trail of cigarette smoke changed into orange lines, which converged into a flaming sword.
The newly created strong glow now lit the sewer clearly.
Stiyl grabbed the flaming sword and swung it downwards...but halfway through, he stopped.
Under the glow of the flames, there was no one in the sewer.
The black figures in the sewer seemed to have vanished like the darkness. Neither the figures that had wielded the sharp swords nor Orsola, who had fallen into the hole could be seen. Like ligiidae scattering from the banks of a sea cave, they had dispersed, leaving nothing behind.
The paper balloon floating above them descended slowly.
It floated into the triangular hole, and no one bothered to stop it.
"Damn it, what's going on?"
Kamijou said bitterly.
"Hey, you'd better give me a proper explanation!"
"If I explain it to you, then who'd be the one to explain it to me?"
Stiyl Magnus said in disdain.