"Ugh…!"
Both Misaki Shokuhou and Mitsuari Ayu were crouched in the corner, dry heaving.
Their faces were pale, their bodies trembling.
It felt as if they had eaten something rotten—no, worse. Their minds themselves were spinning, rejecting something they were never meant to touch.
Izumi watched them with a sigh.
"…Yeah. That's about what I expected."
He stepped behind them—
Thwack. Thwack.
Two precise strikes.
Both girls collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Carrying one in each arm as if it were nothing, Izumi turned toward Asagi Aiba.
"Asagi, run a full diagnostic on them."
"Then call Rikō Takitsubo back. I need her to recalibrate their Personal Realities."
He paused briefly before adding:
"They've been contaminated by the grimoires."
To an esper, Personal Reality was everything.
Like the core processor of a computer—
The foundation upon which their power functioned.
And now?
That foundation had been corrupted.
Asagi's expression immediately turned serious.
"…Understood."
"This is valuable data too."
"If we can identify the overlap…"
"…we might even bridge espers and magic."
Without wasting another second, she took both unconscious girls and rushed off.
Watching them leave, Junko Hokaze and Kitori Kanaku couldn't hide their concern.
Junko stepped forward.
"Izumi-sama… will they be alright?"
Izumi nodded calmly.
"They'll live."
"Once Takitsubo adjusts their Personal Realities, they'll recover."
Then, as if remembering something—
"You saw her earlier. The girl with the Fourth Ranked."
"That's Takitsubo."
"She can manipulate and reconstruct Personal Reality itself."
"A very… useful ability."
The two girls exchanged stunned glances.
Control over Personal Reality?
That wasn't just powerful.
That was terrifying.
Izumi chuckled softly at their reactions.
"Anyway, don't go wandering around."
"Stay inside the lab for now."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Things are about to get interesting."
He already knew.
Academy City was no longer quiet.
Spies had infiltrated.
Dark Side operatives were moving.
Even Shizuri Mugino and her team had received multiple mission requests.
(All declined, of course.)
Junko and Kitori looked at each other again.
Something big… was coming.
But Izumi offered no further explanation.
Even if war broke out—
It wouldn't reach them.
Everything had already been arranged by Aleister Crowley.
Izumi's role?
Protect his people.
…and enjoy the show.
Of course—
If a few "rats" came knocking?
He wouldn't mind dealing with them personally.
Meanwhile — Laboratory Wing
Under Asagi's summons, Takitsubo and the rest of ITEM returned.
Needless to say—
Mugino was not pleased.
Being dragged back mid-shopping?
Anyone would be annoyed.
Still, orders were orders.
Inside the lab—
Takitsubo took one look at Misaki and Mitsuari.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Their Personal Realities are polluted."
"…This is a first."
Asagi folded her arms, sighing.
"Blame Izumi."
"He really did a number on them."
"When they wake up… he's dead."
Takitsubo tilted her head slightly.
"…What happened?"
Asagi explained everything.
From copying the grimoires—
To the resulting backlash.
By the end—
Takitsubo looked at the unconscious girls with faint sympathy.
"…They got hit hard."
"Even after fixing them… they'll be bedridden for days."
Still—
She got to work.
With her ability, she carefully "repaired" their Personal Realities—
Like a technician fixing corrupted system files.
Slowly—
The distortion faded.
Their expressions eased.
After finishing, Takitsubo exhaled.
"…Done."
"No major issues anymore."
"Asagi, confirm with the instruments."
Asagi nodded and began running scans immediately.
Meanwhile — Elsewhere
Index slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision blurred—
Then focused.
She saw a familiar face.
Kaori Kanzaki.
"…Kanzaki?"
Her voice trembled.
Memories flooded back—
All of them.
Kanzaki's eyes widened in relief.
"Index! Are you alright?!"
Index nodded softly.
"I'm fine."
"I remember everything now."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Relief.
Joy.
A long-overdue reunion.
Back to Izumi
From afar, Izumi observed everything.
Once he confirmed everything was stable—
He withdrew his attention.
Then—
He noticed something else.
A new presence.
"…Oh?"
A faint smile formed.
"…Now that's interesting."
Without hesitation, he sent a message.
To Aleister Crowley.
[Bring her to me. I'll take this one.]
Academy City — Seventh District
In a quiet alley—
A girl appeared.
Blonde hair.
An eyepatch.
Dressed in unmistakably magical attire.
Leivinia Birdway—had arrived.
Of course—
Nothing in Academy City escaped Aleister's sight.
Inside the Windowless Building—
He watched.
Amused.
"…So even she has made her move."
Just as he considered his next step—
Izumi's message arrived.
Aleister smiled faintly.
"Still as straightforward as ever."
"But this works in my favor."
His eyes closed slowly.
Orders began to spread.
Across the entire city.
"…Then let us begin."