Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume9 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 3===

They stood tall and intimidating.

Who did? Index and Misaka Mikoto.

“Explain yourself.”

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………Yes, ma’am.”

Kamijou was hesitant to discuss the magic side with Mikoto present, but he also felt like the public awareness of magic had changed since the rise of R&C Occultics. People thought of it as something close-to-home instead of something impossible. But that didn’t necessarily mean ''Mikoto really did believe in the existence of magic.''

He told them about the Shrink Drink spiritual item designed to kill Transcendents.

He told them about the Bridge Builders Cabal’s goal.

He told them about the truly evil Christian Rosencreutz.

He told them about Alice Anotherbible’s death.

He told them about Anna Sprengel who was hooked up to medical machinery and unable to move.

“As I’m sure you can tell, Rosencreutz is as bad as they get. That monster one-shotted Alice who treated Academy City’s dark side like a playground and wasn’t concerned by the magic side either. I couldn’t beat him. It happened so quickly I can’t even analyze why it is I lost. I don’t remember it, but I think I would have just died if Aleister hadn’t intervened. He had no reason not to kill me.”

“…”

As his story progressed, Index’s eyes grew grimmer and grimmer while Mikoto’s eyes grew blank and emotionless.

He was scared.

But even so, he knew they would attack the instant he kept something from them.

“I could leave the hospital on my own and go into hiding, but as you can see, Anna is stuck here. If Rosencreutz is on his way here, then I need to get out there and stop him before he reaches the hospi- um, is something wrong, you two? Why are you hanging your heads and trembl-”

“Tou – ma!! Why are you just assuming you have to risk your life and fight!?”

“Look, I don’t understand even half of what he just said, but I do know one thing quite clearly: it’s in this idiot’s best interests if I punch him for saying all this while he’s in the ICU.”

They beat him up. Quite seriously.

He saw red. Half his vision was stained red!

“Aghhhhh!! Why would you chomp on my head when I’m already short on blood, Index!? Are you trying to finish me off!? And, Misaka, you need to stop zapping me in the hospital! With all this delicate machinery, you’re turning yourself into a real public nuisance!!”

Aradia made no effort to help him.

She only looked away with exasperation on her face.

Battered and spurting red, Kamijou managed to get more words out.

“M-my point is, Rosencreutz is a monster. If he’s on his way to the hospital to get Anna, then we need to stop him before he gets here. Because Anna’s in no condition to be moved. That rules out hiding her elsewhere, so we have to make a preemptive strike on Rosencreutz.”

“?”

He thought his point was pretty straightforward, so he found the lack of agreement odd.

And not just from Mikoto, but from Index too.

And…

“Okay, maybe this is a cruel thing to say as someone who’s only been watching all this from the outside.” Misaka Mikoto hesitantly spoke up. “This person wants to kill you. And we can’t deny the possibility that this will put all the other patients and doctors at this hospital in danger. Is that wicked woman really worth risking yours and so many innocent people’s lives to protect?”