"A demonstration, huh!"
Samuel crossed his arms, pondering with a hint of concern.
"…Looks like he can't do it. Next, he'll probably make some lame excuse to back out!"
It was no different from those fake psychics claiming, "Cameras distract me, so I can't bend the spoon."
But Tomako's feelings were complex.
She insisted magic couldn't exist, yet she knew nothing about the origins of her Imagine Breaker. How did it work? What force lingered in the unseen air? Even Academy City, the pinnacle of esper development, couldn't detect her "ability" through medical exams, labeling her a Level 0.
It wasn't gained through scientific training—it was innate to her right hand.
She kept saying, "Magic's impossible," but she wielded a power beyond common sense.
Still, she couldn't jump to, "Since weird powers exist, maybe magic does too," without evidence.
Samuel's concern wasn't about performing magic—he was wondering how to convince Tomako it was magic.
"Alright, watch closely!"
With a call, Samuel moved in the empty hallway.
He plucked a strand of his black hair, stretching it. In a second, it lengthened to nearly three meters, turning silver. No longer hair, it was… a Thread of Magic.
"Oh, my God, no, no! Give you life."
Chanting in ancient Latin, the Thread of Magic wove through the air, forming a bird that soared as if alive.
It looked and moved like a real bird.
This was Einzbern alchemy, granting pseudo-life to inanimate objects.
"Ohh~"
The sight stunned Tomako. Turning a strand of hair into a woven bird was incredible.
And Samuel's chant had the flair of a magician.
But…
Tomako still didn't buy it. Academy City was vast, with countless bizarre esper powers. Maybe his was just unique!
As she opened her mouth to question—
"Flames, gather in my palm!"
Samuel chanted again, his right palm open. Heat coalesced, a fireball igniting.
He hurled it, and the fireball struck the "pseudo-magic bird," reducing it to ash.
Samuel's hair count: minus one.
Tomako was speechless. Academy City had no confirmed multi-ability espers—a known fact.
Yet doubts lingered.
As a modern materialist girl, armed with the "Hand of Materialism," she struggled to accept magic.
Samuel could only do so much. For effect, he'd even chanted. If she still didn't believe, he was out of options.
You can't wake someone pretending to sleep or save someone set on dying.
If she refused to believe, she'd find a million excuses to deny it.
"It's… incredible, but I still can't quite believe it…"
Tomako was halfway convinced, but years of habit held her back.
"Let's talk. This is about a life, right?"
"…Let's go."
It was a matter of life and death—she couldn't walk away ignoring it.
"Come on!"
…
"Order whatever you want, my treat!"
"No need, just tell me what's up."
Samuel explained the situation.
"…So, you need me—or my Imagine Breaker—to break this… curse, right?"
"Exactly!"
"Then let's go!"
"Hold on!"
"???"
Samuel looked at her, speaking slowly, "You don't have to go."
"???"
"This involves a lot. If you go, it'll bring you trouble."
"But I can't ignore someone in need!"
"True hot-blooded citizen. I won't let Index lose her memories, don't worry. There's a way to handle both!"
"???"
"I can borrow Imagine Breaker from you to break the collar. That way, trouble won't find you, and without Imagine Breaker, you won't be so unlucky. It'll still be yours!"
Tomako grasped one thing: it would save someone and keep her out of trouble!
"Alright!"
Her decisiveness surprised even Samuel.
"…Okay, give me your hand!"
A slender, pale hand extended, beautiful in every sense.
"By the way, Tomako, if you dressed up, you'd be quite the beauty!"
"W-What's that out of nowhere? Ngh~"
A slight pain spread through her arm, like an electric current.
Imagine Breaker kicked in instinctively.
Golden-red light gripped her arm.
Imagine Breaker clashed with Leumas, sparking fierce lightning. With Leumas's power, a withered hand-like object began to emerge.
"!!!"
A sense of danger hit Samuel. He stopped, switching tactics.
"Sever!"
Leumas's right hand became a blade, slicing down, cutting off a finger.
"Ah~"
Tomako cried out in pain.
The finger turned into a pattern, absorbed by Leumas, while the rest returned to her hand.
"Huh… I'm fine?"
Her hand was unchanged, as if the slash was an illusion.
"I borrowed the power in your thumb. Sorry… looks like I can't take the whole thing. Your luck won't change!"
The entity in her was more reactive than he'd thought, forcing a plan change.
"Eh, no big deal… Since I'm fine, I'll head out. Oh! It's already four—supermarket deals! Sorry, gotta run!"
"…"
Samuel stood silent, unsure how to describe her. Such a good-natured person… no one could dislike her!
***
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