"From the information we have gathered, it seems that Takahashi Yuuya was attacked by Edward with a dimensional strike, but it did not succeed. That's really quite interesting. He was actually completely unharmed by an attack of that caliber. This Takahashi Yuuya is not a simple anomaly."
Laura Stuart muttered to herself in the dimly lit sanctuary. This was the first time she had ever seen such a situation. Edward Alexander was an anomalous Magician who had practically touched the domain of a Magic God, and yet even his personal attacks had not shaken this boy in the slightest.
'This is very strange. There is something intensely interesting about this Takahashi Yuuya...' Laura thought, her eyes narrowing. 'Is he truly a Gemstone? Then what kind of unquantifiable Gemstone ability can flawlessly defend against an attack from an existence like Edward?'
The earliest magic in human history was simply a series of techniques created to imitate those with innate miracles—the Gemstones. It was a system that allowed the talentless masses to possess power.
The power of the Gemstones represented the natural favor of the world itself, but just how much divine favor was needed for a teenager to remain entirely unscathed from Edward's attacks? That was a very intriguing question.
Judging from the faint magical aura lingering around Takahashi's file, Edward had not been holding back; he had been aiming for a fatal blow.
"It seems that sending Index to Takahashi as a diplomatic bargaining chip was a remarkably wise choice. So... when exactly will the old fox finally reveal his tail, Edward?"
Laura gave a cute, delicate yawn, though her blue eyes sparkled with ancient, demonic malice.
Academy City was only so big. Hiding a Magician of his caliber within its borders might be possible for a time, but it was impossible for him to avoid giving himself away forever.
The moment Edward revealed his true colors would be the exact moment she struck him dead. There was no Magician in existence who could escape the relentless pursuit of a Great Demon.
The next morning, Index slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a quiet, handsome face breathing evenly right in front of her.
'It's Yuuya... Yuuya is asleep,' she thought groggily.
The young nun was slow to realize what was actually happening. She blinked rapidly, and her green eyes gradually widened in shock. 'Wait... why is Yuuya sleeping right next to me?!'
Oh! Right, it's already morning. Index looked past him, gazing out the window at the rising sun over Academy City.
'Last night... I felt like I wasn't myself anymore. I entered that terrifying state again,' she recalled, shivering slightly. 'Then I attacked Yuuya. I remember seeing Yuuya rushing towards me, declaring that he would definitely save me. After that... I don't remember anything.'
Index's thoughts gradually became clearer. She listened to the hum of the working air conditioner, lifted her side of the blanket, and completely froze the very next moment.
'My nun's habit... the Walking Church is gone! I've been changed into pajamas...!'
Looking back at the peacefully sleeping Yuuya, her cheeks instantly turned a violent shade of red, and a potent mixture of shame and indignation rushed straight to her head.
"AAAAAHHHHH—!"
A glass-shattering, high-decibel scream rang out with sharp, penetrating force, instantly waking Yuuya from his deep sleep. He opened his eyes in shock and immediately felt a strange, tickling sensation on his right arm. He looked down and saw Index, completely wrapped up in the blanket like a burrito, looking as if she were about to cry from pure resentment.
Index was furiously biting down on his wrist, gnawing on it like a defensive puppy with a bone.
However, because of the passive protection of the Star Grail, he only felt a mild, ticklish sensation instead of her sharp teeth piercing his skin.
"What's wrong with you? Acting as a human alarm clock so early in the morning," Yuuya said, letting out a long yawn. "And you're even biting my hand. Are you really that hungry? Do you want to eat me for breakfast?"
"Waaah! What exactly did you do to me?! I never expected you to do something so shameless to me while I was unconscious, Yuuya! I'll never be able to get married now!" Index bit his wrist even tighter, her green eyes filled with a mix of resentment and maidenly shame.
"Huh? If you can't get married, I'll just take you in," Yuuya mumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his free hand.
"Waaah! Something so incredibly serious happened, and you're just yawning like it's nothing?!" Index complained resentfully.
"You don't actually think you're no longer a pure nun, do you?" Yuuya said, highly amused as he looked at Index's flushed face.
"Really, treating me like an idiot! Of course I can feel that my body is perfectly fine... you idiot!" Index stammered, her cheeks flushing even darker before she resorted to cursing him.
"I didn't change your clothes, dummy. Kanzaki did it for you before she left," Yuuya smiled faintly, naturally knowing exactly what Index was silently panicking about.
"Then... then why did you climb into my bed?!" Index asked quietly, still pouting.
"Please. Saving your life and battling the Automatic Secretary was exhausting for me, too. I practically fainted myself," Yuuya sighed, feigning extreme, dramatic exhaustion.
"Oh... I see..." Index looked deeply into Yuuya's eyes, and her panicked heart was instantly filled with a warm sense of happiness and security.
Before she even consciously realized it, in just two short days, she had grown completely accustomed to this sense of security and happiness, and had become habitually attached to Yuuya.
But in that same instant, Index suddenly felt nervous and deeply afraid. Her heart raced, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had just gone way too far by biting and yelling at him.
'What if Yuuya hates me now? How am I supposed to apologize to him?' she panicked internally. 'Yuuya went through so much terrifying trouble for me. He even had a massive, life-threatening fight with the Church because of me. He only laid down next to me because he was completely exhausted from saving my life. If I blindly blame him instead of thanking him... how could I bear it?'
Index lowered her head involuntarily, her small hands gripping the edge of the blanket tightly, a cold sense of fear creeping into her heart.
'If Yuuya thinks I'm someone who doesn't know how to repay kindness and has no gratitude, he'll definitely hate me.'
"I'm so sorry, Yuuya."
"Why are you saying sorry all of a sudden?" Yuuya asked, looking down at Index, who had suddenly become incredibly timid and hesitant.
"I shouldn't have scolded you or bitten you so impulsively just now. Will... will you hate me?" Index asked softly, her voice trembling with genuine fear of abandonment.
"Idiot, of course I'm not going to be angry," Yuuya suddenly laughed. 'So she was actually terrified that I would hate her over something so trivial?'
He wouldn't care about a little morning bite. Besides, was Index even really Index if she wasn't gnawing on his arm?
He gently rubbed Index's silver hair with one hand and playfully stroked her chin with the other.
"However, Index now owes me a massive life debt that she can never repay in this lifetime. Because of that, the Puritan Church has officially decided to temporarily pledge you to me."
"?" Index looked up at Yuuya in utter confusion.
"Never mind the exact politics of it... The short version is that the Puritan headquarters decided to let you stay here in Academy City. Because there are no rival Magicians operating openly in Academy City, the Archbishop thinks it's much safer to keep the Index Librorum Prohibitorum hidden within these walls. I am officially your guardian from now on," Yuuya explained with a wide grin.
"Yuuya is my official guardian? Does that mean... I get to stay with Yuuya from now on?" Index asked, tilting her head as hope bloomed in her chest.
"That's right. Aren't you happy?" Yuuya laughed cheerfully.
"Hmm, happy... No, no! You're still an idiot, Yuuya!" Index showed a radiantly happy smile before instantly realizing she was giving in too easily, quickly reverting to her tsundere defense mechanism.
Just then, before Yuuya could tease her further, a massive explosion rang out from the street outside their window.
BOOM—!
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Give me powerstones.
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