Chapter 2: The Illusionist Bestows Demise. Part 3

"Bathtime? Bathtime?" sang Index as she walked next to Kamijou, holding a wash basin in both hands.

As if to say she were done being sick, she had changed from pajamas into her safety-pin-covered nun's habit.

Kamijou had no idea what kind of magic trick she used, but the bloody habit was perfectly clean. He had a feeling it would tear into pieces if place in the washing machine, so he wondered if she had taken it apart and washed each individual piece.

"Does it bother you that much? To be honest, I don't care about the smell."

"Are you the type that likes the smell of sweat?"

"I didn't mean it like that!!"

After three days, she was finally well enough to head out and a bath was her first request.

Komoe-sensei's apartment lacked anything even remotely resembling a bath so their only options were to borrow the one in the manager's room or head to the run down public bath nearby. And so, the young boy and girl were walking along a footpath at night with wash basins in hand.

"Just what era of Japanese culture are we living in?" Komoe-sensei had commented with a smile as she explained the public bath system. She let Kamijou and Index stay in her apartment without asking for details on their situation. Kamijou agreed to freeload with her because he did not want to return to his dorm that was undoubtedly being watched by the enemy.

"Touma, Touma," said Index in a muffled voice because she was lightly biting the upper arm of his shirt.

Due to her habit of biting people, it was nothing more than a gesture similar to grabbing at a person's clothes to draw their attention.

"…What?" Kamijou replied in exasperation.

That morning, Index had realized she didn't know his name, so he had introduced himself to her. In the time since then, she had to have called his name about sixty thousand times.

"Nothing. I just like calling your name for no reason." Her expression was like that of a child going to an amusement park for the first time.

Index seemed much attached to him.

It was likely because of what had happened three days prior but Kamijou was less happy than he was unsure how to feel about the fact that no one had ever said something that basic to Index.

"Komoe said the Japanese public bath has coffee milk. What's coffee milk? Is it like a cappuccino?"

"You're not gonna find anything that elegant in a public bath. Don't get your hopes up so much," said Kamijou. "Hmm, but the giant bath might be a bit shocking to you. In England, the cramped baths like those at a hotel are most common, right?"

"Hm? …I don't really know." Index tilted her head to the side as if she really did not know. "The first thing I remember is begin here in Japan. I don't really know how things are back in England."

"…Hmm. So that's why you speak Japanese so fluently. If you were here since you were little, then you're practically Japanese yourself."

However, the certainty that she would be safe if she escaped to the Anglican Church became less credibility. He had thought she would head home, but she would actually be heading to another country that she had never seen before.

"No, no. That isn't what I meant." Index shook her head, shaking her long silver hair back and forth. "Apparently, I was born and raised in London's St. George's Cathedral. Apparently, I only came here about a year ago."

"Apparently?" Kamijou frowned at that vague term.

"Yes. I have no memories from before about a year ago when I arrived." Index smiled.

Just like a child heading to an amusement park for the first time in her life. It was the perfection of the smile that showed Kamijou the fear and pain behind it.

"When I first woke up in a back alley, I had no idea who I was. All I knew was that I had to run away. I couldn't remember what I ate for dinner the night before, but knowledge of things like magic, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and Necessarius were swirling around in my mind. It was so scary…"

"Then you don't even know why you lost your memories?"

"That's right," she replied.

Kamijou knew nothing of psychology, but he knew from video games and dramas that there were two major causes of amnesia: receiving a major shock to the head or sealing a memory that your heart simply could not bear.

"God damn it…" Kamijou muttered as he looked up into the night sky.

While he did feel anger towards the magicians who would do that to a girl like her, he was mostly overcome by a sense of powerlessness.

He now knew why Index had covered for him and grown so oddly attached to him. It was simply that Kamijou just so happened to be the first person she had gotten to know after spending a year alone in the world without knowing anything.

This displeased Kamijou.

He had no idea why, but for some reason that answer truly angered him.

"Mh? Touma, are you angry?"

"No, I'm not."

The question had caught him off guard, but Kamijou managed to feign ignorance.

"If I upset you in some way, I apologize. Touma, what's got you so mad? Is it puberty?"

"I don't want to hear about puberty from someone with a childlike body of yours."

"Mh. What was that? I really do think you're mad. Or are you only pretending to be mad to trouble me? I don't like that side of you, Touma."

"Hey, don't say that when you never really liked me in the first place. I'm not expecting that kind of wonderful love comedy-esque turn of events with you."

"…"

"Huh? …Why are you staring up at me like that… princess?"

"…"

Even when he tried to force it in the direction of a gag, Index gave no response.

Odd. This is weird. Why is Index folding her arms, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, lightly biting her lower lip with a hurt-looking expression on her face? Kamijou intelligently considered.

"Touma."

"Yes?" Kamijou responded, deciding he might as well respond since she called his name.

He had a strong foreboding of misfortune.

"I hate you."

In that instant, Kamijou gained a good amount of experience points for the rare experience of a girl biting down on the entirety of the top of his head.