To Aru Majutsu no Index:Volume4 Prologue

From Baka-Tsuki

[edit] Prologue: Parallel World in Real World

Today is August 28, and the sky is clear.

High school student Kamijou Touma is awakened from his slumber by a girl's voice yelling, "Oniichan~!"

"What was that shrilly voice just now?"

Kamijou, still half-asleep, slowly opens his eyes. The blanket that should have been covering his body is crumpled at his side.

The source of the voice came from beyond the door.

His glance sideways reveals a 6-tatami mat-sized Japanese room. Worn-out tatami mats stretch out along the floor. On the ceiling is a fluorescent lamp covered with an old square covering for electric lamps. The wooden door that is layered with specks of dirt has a simple lock, the type that looks like one commonly used at toilets, on it. A discolored yellow electric fan ventilates the room instead of an air conditioner. He breathes in deeply and smells the scent of the sea.

This is not the room in his apartment, nor a place in Academy City.

This is a guestroom on the 2nd floor of a beach lodge named Wadatsumi, located somewhere in a certain sea coast within the Kanagawa Prefecture. Kamijou's parents and Index each have a separate room.

"Ah, yeah, we're already outside."

Kamijou concludes with a half-functioning brain.

The Academy City where Kamijou normally lives in lies in the western part of Tokyo. Therefore, those people who are used to living inland might love the idea of going to the seaside (though they could still enjoy the waters if they go to the fishery schools, but not much).

Due to countermeasures against abduction of students (samples) by a possible agent or spy, leaving the premises of Academy City is strictly prohibited. To leave, the student must first write and turn in three written applications. After signing all of them, their blood has to be checked for authenticity of identity using a micro machine, and lastly, they need to have a guarantor to obtain a complete pass. However...

I'm here right now.

Kamijou strokes his right hand. The mark made by the mosquito needle that was used to draw his blood is barely noticeable even when touched.

Under a normal situation, the student is the one who begs the teachers for permission to leave, which somehow goes like this: "Sensei, please allow me to leave~". However, it was a special case this time; the teachers actually ordered Kamijou to leave, like this: "Get out of the city, idiot!!"

Last week, Kamijou defeated the most powerful psychic user (Level 5).

The rumor regarding the denouement of battle spread like wildfire despite the sparsity of students during summer break. With that, one might think that Kamijou's position had become better- but in reality, it was the reverse.

"I see! If we defeat that Level 0, we can have Academy City's title of the strongest psychic user!" Because of that rumor, the town delinquents gathered and went after Kamijou, starting the game of survival hunt.

The higher-ups, frazzled by this rumor, contacted Kamijou and said, "Hey, Kamijou Touma-kun, we'll handle the matters here by manipulating information, so in order to not cause any unnecessary uproar, can you go someplace else until the dust is settled?"

They said that, but they were clearly showing their contempt by sending me here to a rundown lodge.

Kamijou lets out a big yawn. Due to the outbreak of large jellyfish apparently inhabiting the waters near the shore and even though it is summer, the number of customers visiting the place is close to zero this year. Putting that aside, leaving Academy City requires accompaniment by a guarantor- in this case, his parents. Never mind if they were cute girls or sexy older women, but why does someone have to spend their precious vacation with their parents at this age?

For Kamijou, everything would be fine if things were just this simple.

The upshot of defeating the Level 5 forced a big project to be terminated. Some of the higher-ups might have bore a grudge against Kamijou. Fortunately, thanks to the recent rumors, they could not take action immediately; the reason was that if they thought of doing so now, it would be disclosed to the public immediately.

However, the Kamijou that is still half-asleep does not even feel a fragment of uneasiness.

Uhhh, I'm still sleepy... Is everyone up now?

He absentmindedly recalls the sister in white, who is supposed to be sleeping in a room in front of his. Maybe she's still enjoying herself in dreamland, he thinks. The sister in white would probably be classified under the "cute" category. Still, seeing her childlike body in a swimsuit and shouting "Thank you very much for the nice summer!" with tears of joy would be abnormally ridiculous.

He was surprised at the sight of Index, who nervously came out of the fitting room after trying out the swimsuit they had bought in the supermarket- not to mention that he was also surprised at the number of zeros written on the price tag.

For your information, this white sister had no plans to tag along in the first place. She was supposed to stay in Academy City. Kamijou planned to leave her- and her cat- in Komoe-sensei's custody. The swimsuit that they bought was originally prepared for use in the school pool.

After reflecting upon it, it was naturally the best choice. However, that white sister is not one of the students enrolled in the city- in other words, she is an outsider. That airhead sister might be spotted and caught by the Anti-Skill (Police). That said, Kamijou still had no way to make her a pass to leave the city.

But the sister in white did not care one bit about that fact. Kamijou gave up when he saw a crying Index after she was told to stay home.

As a result, he tried smuggling the sister out of the city.

To put it simply, they just needed to call a taxi, let Index hide in the rear seat or compartment, and wait until they got past the gate. Kamijou could not believe that he considered carrying out this cheap method. However, things did not really go his way. They were stopped at the gate. It seemed an infrared seeker and a MRI scanner were used to monitor the vehicles passing through.

Oh no, we're gonna be caught, Kamijou thought on tenterhooks. However, they were not actually arrested. It appeared that Index was registered as a guest with a guest ID.

Both Kamijou and Index did not know about this.

I wonder who registered Index?

The registration of a person requires three things: fingerprints, a voiceprint, and retina patterns of the person. Well, voice and retina patterns can easily be forged using a high resolution video camera, and even fingerprints can be duplicated using either aluminum or carbon powder.

But why bother going through all those things?

Kamijou felt dubious, but it did not manifest on his face. He cannot possibly do something which could cast suspicion on them. Kamijou just tilted his head as he watched the guards restrain Index, who was putting up a struggle against the injection of a nanodevice (a transmission device) into her body. (Actually, it does not hurt at all, thanks to the mosquito needle.) They finally passed the gate after that.

Uwaa, I'm sleepy~

He covers his head with a blanket as he drowsily recalls the events. He decides to resume his sleep. His nocturnal habit from summer vacation probably hasn't left him yet. As his consciousness is about to fade into nothingness, he hears the voice again.

"Onii--chan, wa--ke u--p!!"

An energetic call from the girl coming from the hall outside the room penetrates the barrier of the door and reaches Kamijou's ear.

Kamijou thinks that maybe there is a useless brother and a reliable sister also staying in the lodge. Wait, what the hell was with that enticing combination!? Why do only weird girls like Index or Himegami Aisa (Deep Blood) flock to my place and not a girl like that? Kamijou thinks stupidly- and then remembers the fact about the large jellyfish outbreak that is driving away the customers. There are supposed to be no customers besides them today.

Then, a loud bang echoes around the room, and with it, the door opens suddenly.

What!? What's happening!? Before Kamijou could bring his face out from the blanket, he hears light footsteps approaching.

"How long are you going to sleep, Oniichan? C'mon, get up! Get up! Get up!!"

The voice of a cute girl reaches him, along with the feeling of a body pressing on his stomach.

"Gwahh!?" Kamijou cries as he feels the shock from the conventional pro-wrestling technique usually seen in manga or dating sims.

Kamijou coughs violently inside the blanket. This is weird- Kamijou Touma doesn't have a younger sister.

A soft sensation runs above his stomach that is partitioned by just a flimsy blanket. Just thinking about which part of the girl is touching his stomach is enough to make any healthy boy excited, but unfortunately for Kamijou, he is feeling too annoyed at something else to realize that. Kamijou's stomach screams "Kyaah!" in surprise before rolling onto the floor.

"Dammit, who is it that tries to disrupt my sleep?"

When he lowered his gaze to confirm the identity of the nuisance...

He finds the culprit to be Misaka Mikoto.

"Ouch~ Hey, is that how you treat your sister who especially went over to your room to wake you up?"

The girl wearing a red camisole falls cutely on her back and pouts her face (in a manner that doesn't suit the Misaka he knows).

"Wh----"

He wants to say "What are you doing here?".

Anyway, his drowsiness disappears instantly.

Misaka Mikoto: an ace student of the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School. She is one of the 7 existing Level 5 psychic users in the city. Although capable of discharging high-voltage electricity and with a cranky temperament to boot, she is also a crybaby. During a certain incident, Misaka owed Kamijou a debt, and every time he tried to bring that topic up, she would peremptorily assault Kamijou with sparks.

And of course, she is neither Kamijou's genuine younger sister nor stepsister.

Due to his inability to comprehend the situation, Kamijou asks Misaka,

"What? Ehh!? Were you also forced out of the city after the Sisters (Misaka clones) incident? ...Wait, is this some kind of an exile island for the congregation of expelled students?"

"Haahhh!? What are you talking about? Is me hanging around you really that weird?"

"Can you stop that disgusting act of fawning? It's been giving me goosebumps for a while now! You're not supposed to be a sister character... You're a tsundere! You should just stick to your proper character."

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Kamijou feels more goosebumps at Mikoto's apparent nonchalance.

After a moment of being dumbstruck, Kamijou's brain begins to fire up.

Hypothesis ①: The authorities ordered Mikoto to pull Kamijou's leg using this canned joke.

Hypothesis ②: Mikoto decided to play the sister role (stepsister setting: on) upon Kamijou as an act of repayment.

Hypothesis ③: One of Misaka's clones for some reason or other had a glitch.

I'm sure it is ①; there is no way it is ③. I know Misaka's clones are sister characters. If that is the reason, that would be nice- no, there's no way I will have a fantastic flag like that. But what if... what if it's ③?

...

...Ohhh.

"Ha!?"

Kamijou returns to reality after a few seconds of reverie. Shaking off the fantasy that the summer had showed him, he shouts,

"Idiot! Don't make fun of a high school student!! Do you think a middle schooler like you can bewitch me using that technique!?"

"Oniichan, you've been hyper ever since this morning."

"Dammit, stop lumping me into the happy-to-be-called-oniichan category! First of all, why are you calling me oniichan!? And is that coming from a true or a false incest setting!? Goddammit, I can see where it's going!! It's probably the latter, right? With a plot twist revealing they were actually blood related in the end stopping the possibility of the route! I'm pretty sure it is!"

"Haah, I wonder what language you're speaking in? That double dutch? Anyway, who cares about whatever I call you? I'm calling you oniichan because you're my oniichan."

"No, I'm not! Why are you my younger sister!?"

"Hmm?"

Mikoto pokes her cheek with her own index finger as a sign of puzzling countenance.

"Does me being your younger sister necessarily require a reason?"

Mikoto heaves herself up from the floor.

"C'mon, now. If you have that much energy, then get up. Afterward, come down to the first floor for breakfast."

Mikoto says nonchalantly and leaves the room.

What's happening here?, Kamijou mutters while gazing at the exit of the room.

...Ummm. In the end, what was that all about?

Unable to understand what is happening, Kamijou changes into his casual clothes and leaves the room.

Outside his room is a short straight hallway. Abutting its flanks are three doors belonging to guestrooms- six in total.

The wooden floor is black like that of an ancient temple, and particles of dust and sand are scattered sporadically on the surface of the floor, causing anyone walking upon it barefoot to feel disgusted.

The stairs are located at the end of the hall.

That was where Kamijou was heading to when he hears the door open behind him.

"Morning, Touma. Hmm? Your hair is disheveled at the back of your head."

It is the voice of his father.

Kamijou Touya. Age is somewhere around 30. This middle-aged man, with a beard in the form of stubbles, somewhat resembles Touma. His occupation is in the exporting business and has him leave the country thrice every month. His appearance is probably influenced by his job, as he looks intrepid yet somewhat intellectual.

Kamijou, who had lost his memory, does not remember the face of his father, so he has no way of attesting whether or not that person really is his father. In contrast, his father approaches him without reserve.

For a high schooler, a college student who has a two- or three-year difference is already "A different person living in an unknown realm with a different lifestyle". Much more to a person with a significant age gap, Kamijou has no idea how to behave in front of him.

"Un~ Morning... eh?"

As he turns to greet his father, Kamijou's face lights up in astonishment.

"What's the problem, Touma?"

Kamijou's father, Kamijou Touya is knitting his eyebrows.

But let us put that aside first. That Kamijou Touya...

Kamijou casts his glance to the source of the anomaly, who is standing beside Touya.

"Index, what's with that getup?"

Yes, the girl standing beside Touya is a silver-haired foreign girl with green eyes.

If you ask Touma to describe Index, he would just simply say, "She's a girl in sister dress." However, Index is not wearing her usual outfit today. Even though it is hot, she is wearing this flimsy half-sleeved one-piece dress that stretches down to her ankles. Draped around her shoulder is a cardigan, and on her head is a big white hat (Tsubahiro). Let's be frank: she does not look like an energetic girl at all. He is about to ask her which sickly character she is or which country she is from when he suddenly remembers vaguely that her mother, Kamijou Shiina, had the same kind of attire yesterday.

Shiina's hobby is paragliding. At one time in a park near their old house where a public exhibition was held, she sat in a swing-shaped parachute with a motor engine on her back that ran the propeller. There was a report at that time stating that local people had witnessed the sight of a flying wife in the sky.

"Where did you get hold of that dress?"

Touya, confounded at Kamjou's odd question, asks instead,

"Touma. Is there a problem with your mom's dress?"

Kamijou eyes Touya with a "What!?" expression.

Touya turns his face to the girl beside him and confirms, "Yeah, it's your mom."

Kamijou returns his gaze to the girl. No matter how you look at it, she has an appearance of an airheaded foreign girl of fourteen years or less.

"Eh? Wait, father, don't tell me you see this girl as Mom?"

"Is there any way you see besides that?"

"Wait, just wait a minute! I'm having a hard time comprehending this joke- if it really is a joke. If you're intending to continue performing this joke up until the end, I have no idea how to respond."

"Touma, tell me which part of your mom has a problem."

"Everything! Firstly, her appearance doesn't even look like that of a mother at all!"

Kamijou pinches the cloth that the fourteen-year-old girl is wearing.

"My, my, Touma-san, are you saying you don't like my sense of fashion?"

"Stop that, Touma, you're making mom sad with that (worried)."

"No! I mean, no matter how you look at it, she's younger than me! Even if this is a theatrical play intended for elementary students, she can't even pass as a high school girl that is already a mother!"

"My, my, Touma-san, are you saying I appear younger than my age?"

"Stop that, Touma, you're making mom happy with that (jealous)."

"Aahh, geez!" Kamijou cries while burying his face between his palms.

Kamijou knows it. The first time he saw Touya and Shiina was a month ago in a hospital, after he was hospitalized for a head injury. At first, he doubted them when they told Kamijou that they were both almost the same age. Kamijou knows that his mother looked like an elder sister in her twenties.

But no matter how young his mother looked, Kamijou would not be convinced that his mother is a fourteen-year-old girl.

"Why are you suddenly burying your face between your palms, Touma? Are you already experiencing puberty-related problems? In that case, I have a souvenir here that I bought during my business trip. It's an amulet to ward off trouble."

"No thanks. I don't believe in amulets or any other superstitious stuff. I'm pretty sure it's just an ordinary product mass-produced in a factory somewhere... eh, what's up with that palm-sized stone statue? It has the shape of male genitalia no matter how you look at it."

"Ahaha, I think so, too, but it somehow looks like an occult amulet."

"What protection does it provide? If I try keeping this thing as a replacement for a cellphone strap, not only will people think that I'm a freak, but I will also be arrested!"

"What, Touma? A souvenir from abroad doesn't suit your taste? In that case, here's one that I bought from Akita."

"What is it this time...? Uhh, it's shaped like male genitalia again! This time, it's crafted from wood. Are you an elementary student who likes dirty jokes!?"

"Mmmu. Come to think of it, my co-workers roared with laughter when I brought this to the office on the day of my return."

"Why are you pretending that you have unknowingly ventured to the realm of sexual harassment, you idiot father!?"

Because of Kamijou's sudden behavior that is unaccounted for, Touya makes a mysterious face and asks,

"By the way, Touma. The lady with you, is it alright not to wake her up?"

"I'm already telling you, she's there beside you! Never mind that, tell me where mother is!"

"My, my, Touma-san, you prefer to treat me not as a 'mother' but as a 'lady'?"

"I'll slap you with a paper fan if you say anything more than that!!"

At that moment, the door beside Kamijou opens.

"Look, Touma, you woke up your friend with your commotion."

"Index?"

Kamijou turns to look at the direction of the door.

The person that appeared from the room, clad in sister suit, is a blue-haired guy with an earring pierced in one ear.

A tall man with a height of 180 cm. He is wearing Index's sister suit, though he appears to have not donned it forcibly. Kamijou does not know where he got the clothes, but it appears to have the exact design in an extra large size fitting his tall body.

The tall man says with a sonorous voice,

"Fwaahhh, Hmm? Touma, you're full of energy early this morning. Did something happen?"

...Ah.

The big man is acting in a cute manner.

"I know it's late, but good morning, Touma. Anyway, the sea! I thought Japan's sea was concrete fortified with oil floating on water, but it's actually pretty. Mmmphhh, okay, I'm ready to play!"

"Ahhh..."

The big man inadvertently peeks at Kamijou's face from below.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Touma, suddenly looking petrified? Ah, don't tell me you're already fantasizing about my swimsu----"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Finally unable to withstand it, Kamijou grabs the blue-haired man together with the door and... *Bam!* The sound of the big man being thrown inside the room followed by the violent slam of the door closing reverberates through the hallway.

"To-Touma! Sit there in the corner. I'll preach to you not to treat girls in a brutal manner!"

"My, my, Touma-san, I didn't know that you have a violent passion towards girls."

Touma ignores the apparently flurried Touya and the fragile-looking Index and starts reflecting.

Calm down and think, Kamijou Touma. This must be a wide-scale prank. I don't know what that blue-haired earpiece is doing here outside the city, but if I keep making reactions like this, then that's exactly like falling to their plan.

Ignoring his parents, who are worried about the man claiming to be Index, Kamijou makes his way down to the first floor. He thinks, I don't have time to play along with your prank. But in reality, he is just too hungry and has no energy left to keep up with them.

Kamijou descends the narrow wooden stairs.

The first floor of the "Wadatsumi" lodge is built from wood, and spans a large area. Due to the absence of a door or a wall in the entrance and exit of the lodge, the sea breeze directly blows through it.

The self-proclaimed "younger sister", Misaka Mikoto (aka Biribiri) is sitting at one of the tables (or was it a low tea table?) that are interspersed around the middle of the room. She is idly reading through magazines. Under the table, her feet, extending from her short camisole, are kicking back and forth. Her face clearly displays extreme boredom. There is a TV nearby, but it is turned off.

Kamijou puts on an annoyed face.

"Hey, Biribiri, why are you sitting there as if it's natural for you to be there?"

"What, oniichan? Are you still mad about earlier? It doesn't matter, does it? Whether I hug you, cling on you, or flirt with you?"

"..." It seems that she is intending to keep this fawning act up to the end. "Uuu... I feel like a fool for going through all this trouble to leave the city."

Kamijou sighs heavily out of mental exhaustion. Mikoto sighs, too- out of boredom, though- closes the magazines, lays herself on the floor, and starts rolling around.

"Ah, by the way, oniichan, can I watch TV?"

"W-What is it, all of a sudden?"

"Mmmu, I can't find the remote control anywhere. This TV has a 'This is for public use, so don't monopolize it by yourself, shorty brat' aura to it, so that's why I'm hesitating to turn it on myself without permission, oniichan."

"..."

Kamijou clutches his head at Mikoto's persistent sister act.

"And why does the arrogant and self-centered Mikoto-sensei restrain herself from using the TV?"

"Mikoto? Who's that?" The Level 5 psychic seems to feign ignorance. "Anyway, I'm not really restraining myself- it's just that the owner of this lodge is scary. Oniichan, can you go ask him if it's okay to use the TV?"

"...Correction, even if you change your character, you're still arrogant."

Even though he says that, Kamijou has a habit of watching the TV during mornings, so he finds himself uneasy without watching it.

Where's the owner? Kamijou scans the place nearby. There is no one at the counter. Kamijou tilts his head as he ponders about the inattentiveness of the staff when he suddenly smells a burnt-like aroma of soy sauce wafting in from the exit.

???

Kamijou directs his attention to the exit. A slender and tall man is grilling something a small distance away from it.

"Ah, that's the owner. C'mon, ask him about the TV!"

Mikoto says as she flaps her feet under the table.

Kamijou finds it odd. True, the owner of this lodge is a tall and gruff man and may look intimidating at first glance. But was his hair originally shoulder-length- and on top of that, red in color?

Kamijou walks towards the man, creating creaks from the wooden floor with his footsteps.

"Excuse me."

The red-haired man turns to face Kamijou.

Kamijou sees the face of the person who is wearing a T-shirt coupled with half pants and a towel hanging on his neck,

Which turns out to be the magician, Stiyl Magnus.

"What the hell----!?"

Kamijou's head finally reaches maximum confusion. The Stiyl Magnus that he knows is a red-haired Englishman 2 meters in height and manipulated fire at his will to scorch his enemy to death without any compunction.

"Oh, you're up early. The sea is still cold, though- or maybe you didn't get any sleep because of the heat yesterday?"

But the magician that he used to know, fanning as he grilled the corn, says this instead.

"Oops, this isn't grilled yet, so I can't serve it to customers. Hey, Maou! Come over here and serve our guest breakfast from whatever food that's available!"

The magician wearing beach sandals orders one of the staff.

What's happening? What's going on around here?

Kamijou finally realizes something is amiss. That warfreak and a pro in atrocity magician would never participate in this cheesy prank.

Kamijou's mind temporarily freezes upon witnessing the shocking phenomenon before his eyes, but comes back to himself when he hears footsteps approaching from behind.

"Dad! You shouldn't say that in front of customers!"

Who is it this time? Kamijou thinks. When he turns around, he sees a tanned version of Misaka Mikoto wearing dark-purple shorts and an apron standing there.

"What? You have two roles? Ah, no, this one is Misaka's sister, the clone one."

"Dad, this is a customer, so I should refrain myself from reacting, right?"

Her face twitches, trying hard to keep her smile from collapsing.

That Misaka's sister, who was constantly impassive even at the face of death, is unbelievably making an expression of emotion.

No way! What the hell is she wearing? That's what people call a "naked apron" style! Looking from this side... Uwahh, her tits! For a mere prank, would they normally go this far?

This time, Misaka Mikoto's (original) voice rushes in from inside the lodge.

"Onii--cha--n! Have you asked about the TV? I'll turn it on now~!"

Kamijou peeks inside the house and sees Mikoto, who is on all fours in front of the TV, turning on the switch. Probably set up so that a lot of guests can hear it, the volume is so high that even Kamijou, who is a significant distance away from the TV, could hear it clearly.

"This is Komori reporting live. A jailbreak has occurred on Shinfuuchuu prison today at dawn. A prisoner convicted of death, Hino Jinsaku is currently on the loose, and his whereabouts are still unknown. All the middle schools in proximity have been issued urgent orders to cancel all club activities."

The reporter's name is Komori.

Yet the voice that is coming from the TV sounds like Kamijou's advising teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe.

"Don't tell me...!?"

Kamijou hurriedly dashes to the front of the TV. Then he sees it-- A girl with a height of 135 centimeters and the physique of a 12-year-old girl gripping a microphone is reading the report.

What is Komoe-sensei doing there? Is this also a part of their prank? If that's the case, then this must be recorded beforehand? No, this is too real for a prank. Then, a radio wave jacking? For what reason? For the prank? That's weird, the scale is just too big to be a prank so early in the morning.

Brushing aside Mikoto, Kamijou stands in front of the TV and pushes the little button below the bottom of the screen to change the channel.

"Oniichan, what are you doing!? I'm eagerly waiting to watch 'Fade in Morning'!"

Kamijou ignores Mikoto who's suing for the rights of the TV. He repeatedly switches channels. Every program in the channel is weird in their own way: the supposed popular sexy newscaster is an old man. A president of a certain country delivering a speech is a delinquent high school girl. Anyway, everything is mixed up and does not make any sense.

But what strikes Kamijou as the queerest is the live report. Behind the reporter who is sedately reading the news (this one looks like a truck driver) is a preschool child gripping a large hose, a group of old hags wearing sailor uniforms fiddling with their cellphones, and a Prime Minister that Kamijou frequently sees in the news playing a guitar.

The site of the live report is in front of the train station. Behind the newscaster are throngs of people, and all them are somewhat mismatched.

Hey, hey. It's the same no matter what channel I tune in!

Even if this is a grand-scale joke intended for April Fools, the stupendous number of extras participating would cost a large sum of money. Moreover, the fact that a Prime Minister is also there proves that the entire story is very ridiculous.

This is obviously not a prank.

But if this is not a prank, then what is it? Index proclaims herself as my mom, the blue-haired pierce is Index, and even Stiyl is the owner of this lodge.

It's as if everyone, be it inside or outside, has switched places.

If that's so, then what could be the explanation?

Kamijou grabs his head with both hands. Trying hard to come up with a plausible scientific explanation seems to be impossible.

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