"Hey, Tomako-san, I need to ask you for a favor! It's not convenient to talk here—can I invite you somewhere more suitable?"
"Uh… sorry, I'm in a rush… Can't we just talk here? Please make it quick, I really have something to do!"
It was 3:00 PM. Since it was only remedial classes, they didn't follow a normal schedule.
Tsukuyomi Komoe had already left with her "ghoul squad," and the other students were trickling out.
Samuel, however, intercepted Kamijou Tomako before she could leave.
"Hm… alright. This is about a matter of life and death."
"Life and death?"
Samuel's words weighed heavily on Tomako's mind.
The topic felt distant to her, and she couldn't fathom why Samuel sought her out for this.
"Is someone in danger? You should contact Anti-Skill… Komoe-sensei knows Captain Yomikawa from Anti-Skill. You should talk to her."
Tomako said hesitantly.
"Someone is in danger! And only you can help—specifically, your right hand…"
At the mention of her Imagine Breaker, Tomako's expression sharpened with caution.
"How do you know about that?"
"Because you haven't exactly hidden it. You've been using it…"
Indeed, Tomako hadn't concealed it. She used it often enough that urban legends about her abounded.
"What needs my Imagine Breaker?"
"Magic! Someone cast a curse-like spell on a child, and I need your Imagine Breaker to break it!"
Magic!
Tomako's mind screamed one thought: Is this guy joking?
"What? Magic…? Uh… what's that supposed to be? Did I hear you right?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's magic—MAGIC! MAGIC CABAL!"
"…"
Samuel's English only confused her more.
"What's that nonsense? Are you talking about some shady new religion? The kind that says 'nonbelievers will face divine wrath,' makes you eat weird pills, and brainwashes you? That does sound dangerous."
"Hm, close enough. I feel the same way."
"Sorry, I can't help. Believing in magic? No way. I'm used to pyrokinetics, clairvoyance, and other 'supernatural powers,' but magic? I just can't buy it."
"In Academy City, esper powers are common. Inject drugs into your veins, zap your neck with electricity, listen to special rhythms through earphones—anyone's brain can be 'developed.' It's all explained by science. Who could deny it?"
"…Is she explaining esper powers to me?"
Samuel found it absurd. Those development methods were child's play to him.
"Don't get it? No need to! Point is, esper powers are real and obvious!"
Samuel paused, realizing they were on completely different wavelengths, though he'd anticipated this. He pressed on, "I get it, I'm a researcher. But if esper powers exist, why not magic? Magic's just as real!"
"Uh… let me put it this way. You know rock-paper-scissors? Wait, is that universal?"
"…Pretty much!"
"Imagine playing ten rounds and losing all ten. Would there be a reason?"
"…"
"Of course not, right? But people think some force is at play! They think, 'No way I'm that unlucky, there's gotta be some invisible rule.' And if you mix in something like 'astrology,' what happens?"
"Like… 'You're a Cancer, your luck's bad, don't gamble!' Right?"
"Exactly. That's how 'magic' or 'mystical forces' come about. People imagine invisible rules governing their luck, treating random events as fate. That's 'magic.'"
"Hm… interesting take. You're not wrong."
Samuel wasn't just humoring her. She was right. In this world, "fate" was indeed "magic"—the endgame of magic, the playground of Magic Gods.
Tomako wasn't off the mark.
"Exactly! I've thought it through, so I can't buy those ridiculous claims. Who believes in fairy-tale wizards? If spending MP could revive the dead, why bother with esper development? Magic has no scientific basis—how can I believe it?"
"Got it. Then let this scientist give you a crash course, young lady!"
"Huh?"
The vibe shifted again, leaving Tomako bewildered.
What's he saying? He's a scientist… lecturing me on magic?
"First, science isn't purely materialistic. You can think of it as accumulated techniques and experience. A famous scientist once said, 'The end of science is theology,' right?"
"Uh… yeah…"
"But that's flawed. It's not 'the end of science is theology'—theology is part of science! Science aims to advance humanity. There are no fixed laws, no ultimate truths. Science is about exploring and overturning. So, magic exists. Esper powers are a form of magic, and magic is a form of esper power."
"Esper powers work by the user's will altering reality. Magic does the same, just through different means! The difference is…"
"Wait, wait, wait~"
Tomako's head spun. She stared at the weirdly charismatic, undeniably strange guy. "No need for a lecture. You say magic's real? You or someone else, show me! Prove it, and I'll believe you!"
Arms crossed, Tomako eyed the oddball, ready for him to fumble or perform. Either way, she didn't care!
***
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