After school
"Yo yo~ Arata, how's life with Index? Have you had any… other thoughts about her?" Tsuchimikado Motoharu patted Arata on the shoulder with a grin.
"Tsuchimikado, you actually dare to joke about a Saint. Be careful you don't shorten your lifespan." Arata teased. To ordinary people, Saints in Christianity are beings who serve under God. Disrespecting a Saint is no different from disrespecting God.
"Don't joke around, nyaa. I still want to live a few more years." Tsuchimikado Motoharu raised both hands in surrender.
"Aren't you going off to flirt with Kamijou again?" Arata said with annoyance. This guy and that blue-haired delinquent are always together. Anyone who doesn't know them would definitely misunderstand.
"Don't make it sound so disturbing, nyaa."
"Speaking of that, you already have Index at home, yet you still can't forget Fukiyose. Aren't you afraid of getting chopped into pieces?" Tsuchimikado Motoharu said with a mischievous smile.
"I believe in universal love." Arata replied with a bright smile. After saying that, he waved his hand and walked toward the school gate. "As for relationships, nothing has happened yet. We'll talk about it when it does."
After all, emotions are not something that can be clearly explained with words.
"I'm honestly a little jealous." Tsuchimikado Motoharu muttered to himself.
Originally, the Puritans had assigned him to locate a Saint. The entire world was searching for the newly emerged Saint. A Saint's existence is simply too conspicuous. Every major faction in the Roman Catholic Church is already aware that one has appeared within Academy City.
The situation is bound to become chaotic for a while. A large number of magic-side spies will flood into Academy City.
Even though Arata was the one who stirred things up, he is the one left dealing with the aftermath. It's enough to make anyone irritated.
Arata hummed casually as he stopped by the supermarket to buy groceries before heading home to cook. He had not returned at noon, so Index had probably already devoured all the bread stored in the refrigerator.
He opened the door.
"I'm back." Arata said, wondering how Index would react. Would she run over happily, or bite him in annoyance?
"You're back, Arata."
Index, who had been watching TV, quickly stood up and greeted him with a bright smile.
"You seem happy. Did you go out today?" Arata asked.
Index had her own key and would often go out shopping by herself. With her personality and appearance, she easily gained the favor of others. However, she struggled with anything involving modern technology.
For example, automatic doors, electronic access systems, and train stations.
"Yes, yes. I saved three lost lambs today, so my soul feels purified." Index said devoutly, crossing her arms over her chest, while glancing toward the balcony with a guilty expression.
"Lost lambs? Let me take a look. Don't tell me you picked up some abandoned animals." Arata said as he walked toward the balcony with a faint smile.
"Small animals are also God's lambs, so I'm not wrong." Index replied, trying to remain composed.
"So you want to keep them."
Arata looked at the two small kittens meowing inside a cardboard box on the balcony.
"I've seen plenty of boxes like this on the roadside, but I never picked one up before."
Back then, he could barely support himself. Now, those concerns no longer mattered.
Index's eyes lit up with excitement as she asked softly, "Really? Can I really keep Sphinx and Bastet?"
"You already named them and you're still asking? But I don't have time to take care of them." Arata chuckled and lightly flicked her forehead.
"I will take good care of Sphinx and Bastet." Index said happily, immediately running over to pick up the two kittens.
"She's clearly a nun, yet she names them after Egyptian deities like Sphinx and Bastet. Wasn't there supposed to be conflict between those gods and Jehovah?" Arata thought to himself.
The Book of Exodus, one of the foundational texts of the Bible, records the struggle between Jehovah and the Egyptian gods, ultimately ending in Jehovah's victory.
"Index, are you hungry?"
"No. Arata left so much delicious food in the refrigerator. He's so considerate, so I'm not hungry right now." Index said sweetly, holding the kittens in her arms. The two kittens twitched their noses as if agreeing.
"Alright. Call me if you get hungry... actually, you don't even know how to use a phone."
Arata sighed, recalling how cautiously Index handled even basic phone usage. He then took out several magic cards and handed them to her.
"If you get bored, just use these to pass the time."
Index tilted her head as she looked at the seven cards in her hand. She blinked and carefully examined them.
"Hmm? How strange. This magic formation isn't particularly powerful, but it combines structures from Taoism, Solomon-style magic, astrology, Latin systems, and modern Tarot theory. Yet it doesn't completely match any of them."
"Are these the bubbles Arata summoned before using these cards?"
"You could say that. These cards themselves function as vessels capable of containing magical spirits." Arata nodded. Although magic in this world is considered the strongest within the known system, foreign systems still differ fundamentally.
"I'm heading out for a while." Arata said.
Index froze for a moment and frowned. "Arata, you're not going to stay out all night again, are you?"
"Relax. I won't. If I'm not back by dinner, you can bite these arms of mine as much as you want." Arata said confidently, stretching out his arms.
"I thought when you came back, you would spend time with me." Index pouted slightly, though her mood quickly recovered.
She always returned to her cheerful self almost instantly.
"I have things to take care of as well." Arata said calmly.
"I know you're busy, but I don't even know what you're busy with. Is studying really that demanding?" Index asked curiously.
"Something like that." Arata replied, before vanishing from the spot.
Index blinked, staring at the cards in her hand.
How do I use these?
As soon as she finished speaking, the seven cards emitted a faint glow, and seven dreamlike magical spirits appeared before her.
...
"I wonder if Accelerator made it to the experiment site on time. There haven't been any Misaka clones released for two days. I should check on her later." Yoru thought as he stepped onto the rooftop of an abandoned building.
"But first..."
Arata closed his eyes, and his consciousness gradually separated from the physical world.
Within his inner spiritual space, Aiwass stood beside him, resembling an archangel positioned at the right hand of God.
"The first book of the Bible, the grimoire known as Genesis." Arata gazed at the three large, vivid characters engraved upon the manifested book in his hand.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.