02x23 - Prewar

[bunniefuu]

I'm always running after you

"A Certain Magical Index II" I'm always running after you

"A Certain Magical Index II" You are my ideal

You are me

There was a bird that could not fly any farther than this

It rebuked the blue skies on fine, flawless wings

This place is not that bad

That sky is not that high

This place is not that good

Afraid of the speed it would feel in its body

Everybody has a chance,

but they cannot go any farther

The truth is they cannot take flight

The truth is they want to take flight

Right now, beyond the wish I want to make come true

you shine

In my eyes I picture you

"Standing in the future, always strong,"

and that "you" is me

You are still blindingly bright

but in the same spirit, I reach out my hand

and the "I" who I am will someday grab hold to become

the you that I will be

"# Prewar"

Kazakiri!

Kazakiri!

Kazakiri!

We used to take the smiles we always shared for granted Kazakiri!

We used to take the smiles we always shared for granted

We used to take the smiles we always shared for granted Are you coming around?

as we walked together in the sunlight shining through the trees

as we walked together in the sunlight shining through the trees Thank goodness. Are you all right?

as we walked together in the sunlight shining through the trees This... isn't right...

as we walked together in the sunlight shining through the trees

as we walked together in the sunlight shining through the trees How did things end up like this?

How did things end up like this?

Just hearing the sound of the word "friends,"

Just hearing the sound of the word "friends," This is all because of me, and yet, why am I the only one unhurt?

Just hearing the sound of the word "friends," If I can't stay with everyone else, then why was I even born?

I thought you would be at my side forever If I can't stay with everyone else, then why was I even born?

I thought you would be at my side forever

I thought you would be at my side forever Thanks to the power of the espers, I can finally exist as a freak,

no matter what happened Thanks to the power of the espers, I can finally exist as a freak,

no matter what happened and now that that girl was nice enough to call me her friend,

Because the feelings we always shared and now that that girl was nice enough to call me her friend,

Because the feelings we always shared I thought I had become at least a little bit more human...

Because the feelings we always shared ...but I can't take it anymore!

Because the feelings we always shared Please hit me, and put an end to all of this!

are still alive here, I believe in you Please hit me, and put an end to all of this!

are still alive here, I believe in you

are still alive here, I believe in you Why...

are still alive here, I believe in you Why are you making that face?

are still alive here, I believe in you Because I'm relieved.

It's my desire to see you again that makes me stronger

It's my desire to see you again that makes me stronger I don't know why I have this power within my right hand.

It's my desire to see you again that makes me stronger But if it means obliterating one of my friends,

It's my desire to see you again that makes me stronger I'd rather chop off my right hand right here.

through whatever darkness or persistent rains that may come I'd rather chop off my right hand right here.

through whatever darkness or persistent rains that may come Why...?

through whatever darkness or persistent rains that may come You protected the others, right? You tried to keep everyone safe.

If my voice will be carried on Is that any different from the person you picture yourself as?

the wind and my prayer will get through Is that any different from the person you picture yourself as?

the wind and my prayer will get through Hold your head high, and look ahead.

the wind and my prayer will get through After fighting like you did for the sake of complete strangers,

the wind and my prayer will get through and managing to pull everyone through,

then I'll pray until I am able to get you back and managing to pull everyone through,

then I'll pray until I am able to get you back there isn't a single reason to hang your head down.

then I'll pray until I am able to get you back

then I'll pray until I am able to get you back I'm going to go check around to see if anyone needs any first aid.

After that, let's head home.

There's no telling when you're going to vanish on us.

Before that happens, we need to let you and Index meet up.

And don't go asking why.

It's because we're friends, of course.

A-Are you all right?!

That stuff from your back was a lot like telesma, but what was it?

Hey! What ended up happening over there?!

It looks like those huge wings have disappeared, too.

If you need any help, I'll head over there.

I'm going to go call a doctor.

Hey, hold on!

Accelerator, I would like a word. Is that all right?

Huh?

Telepathy? And I have a small amount of computing power back, too.

That's correct. I made arrangements for several telepathic espers.

What do you want?

I would like to speak to you about the series of disturbances you made,

as well as concerning the damage that Academy City has suffered.

Are you going to slice me to pieces for research material?

That is one path we could take.

But how would you like to work together with us?

Is Academy City trying to start a w*r or something?

I cannot answer that.

I see. Then there's only one thing I can say.

Get bent.

This is a critical moment for Academy City.

We want to try to oppose it, and we want you to work with us.

Supposing that Academy City is completely wiped out,

is there any other place for us espers?

And, just as with other skills...

Tch, just tell me one thing.

What is that?

The name of your current ringleader.

I'm taking the head of the person who treated the kid like this.

It doesn't matter to me, but he will just be a scapegoat.

You don't say.

So, what will it be?

Suit yourself.

A fine answer.

I look forward to working with you, new guy.

Terra?

Yes, that's right. Terra of the Left. Are you finished there?

Vento has had it. I just recovered her,

and had the detached squad in Academy City's outskirts stand down.

Good work.

What's our next move? If you like,

I've got no problem with lopping off the target's head.

Let's not do that.

I think it's better to wait until after we hear your full story,

then reconsider how we're going to bring down Academy City.

How we'll bring down Academy City?

You don't like that idea?

Cheap tricks aren't my thing.

Defeating a foe head-on is obviously the easier way to do it.

Do you think they might still have some use?

Like, say, that fallen angel.

I do not approve of plundering the b*ttlefield.

Leave it to a knight to say one thing and do another.

I'm no knight. I'm a has-been mercenary miscreant.

Well, whatever, please bring Vento back here at once.

Those are the instructions from Fiamma of the Right.

Acknowledged.

Well then, I wonder if Academy City really is as frail

as you think it is, Terra of the Left.

Good morning, Aleister. There's something I have to say to you.

What is it?

I want you to stop treating my patients as your toys.

Hmm... And if I don't, what will you do?

Those are my patients. And I am their doctor. Do you follow me?

Having had your life saved by me once...

Do you regret doing that?

Is that a serious question?

I'm not going to stop. I am already past that point.

This is goodbye, my kind, kind enemy.

Lunchtime!

--Let's buy something, quick! --I'm getting a yakisoba sandwich!

Now see here! No running in the hallways!

--Heh... --Mm-hmm.

This is an out-of-the-usual day.

It looks like you brought something yummy today, too.

I'm not sharing anything for free. If you want some, let's trade.

Himegami, I'm impressed at how you can still fix a bento lunch

day in and day out.

Oh, your broth is leaking into your rice zone.

H-Having the broth seep in like this makes it surprisingly good.

Sour grapes?

No! And if you're going to pull that face, try some taro root!

Hmm, I guess it's not bad.

A-Are you all right, Himegami?!

Huh? What? You want me to rub your back?

How's that, Himegami?

Okay, should I do it harder?

What are you up to?

Fukiyose...

Why do you always eat that bland-looking bread, anyway?

Hey! It tastes just fine!

"Ability-boosting bread, with twelve nutrients for energizing the brain."

Want some of my taro root?

Just so you know, I'm wearing a front-hooking bra today.

Seriously?

Once the city's entrance controls are tightened,

they said we might not get any more field trips.

I wonder if this affects the Ichihanaran Festival, too.

Oh, yeah, the Antiskill teachers are working on the precautions,

so they say we may not have to take any midterms.

Really?

A w*r, huh?

It's just too much, you know? I mean, if a w*r starts,

the price of meats and vegetables will go up, right?

Not to mention conventional oil.

Hey, Kamijo!

What are you being so quiet about?

O-Oh, nothing! I was just thinking,

best if we have some stew pot or whatever now, while we still can.

Just so we won't regret not having eaten it later on.

Y-Yeah, maybe...

Huh? Kami, are you having a stew pot tonight?

Yeah! If it's sukiyaki you want, I know this great, cheap place!

What's this? You guys going someplace tonight?

We can't let you go hogging this tasty restaurant all to yourselves.

Wait, why are we suddenly going out?

Warming up for the Ichihanaran Festival?

Majority rule! Majority rule!

Huh? When did the class decide we were all going out for supper? Huh?

M-Miss Fukiyose?

Good grief!

Fukiyose with a deluxe forehead?!

"Tonight's stew pot"

"Tonight's stew pot" Okay, I'll look after this for us, so everyone cast your vote!

Okay, I'll look after this for us, so everyone cast your vote!

Miss Tsukuyomi, I heard you had taken in yet another runaway girl.

I've been kind of lonesome since Himegami moved into the dorms.

but now that Musujime is here, everything is fine.

The ones who were staying with me just heartlessly moved out.

It's decided!

Tonight, it's decided that we're all going out for sukiyaki!

I'm going to go bring things under control!

See here! What is all this commotion?!

--Ah, Miss Komoe! Want to eat with us?

--Nice. Always some nuttiness going on. --Ah, Miss Komoe! Want to eat with us?

"A Certain Magical Index II"

Okay then...

Let's eat!

We're getting more

"If w*r breaks out, Academy City is not safe, so return my child"

requests from a lot of the parents.

Huh? So things have gotten that far?

Kamijo! What are you b*ating that egg so slowly for?!

Huh?

Gah! I can't stand it anymore! Let me have that!

Wah! What a control freak!

Kami...

From what I saw on the menu, the prices still haven't changed yet.

Y-Yeah.

Here!

Oh, thank you.

But then, the price for them to stock up could be increasing.

So you're saying, eat up while we can, right? Yoink!

Ah! You're just taking all the meat!

Toma! I need more meat!

--♪ Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! ♪ --Huh? I haven't eaten a single bite, and you've already...

w*r, huh?

I've got to do something.

Kami...

If you think the w*r that's about to break out is all because of you,

you're way off.

All this time, you've been protecting those around you.

I guess, maybe.

The w*r is happening because those behind the scenes screwed up.

It's starting.

Yeah.

The scale of fighting will change. From now on,

passing through each phase the way we've done up to now will be hard.

Yeah, right. Or more like,

the fact that we've made it through up to now is miraculous.

Everyone has been carrying me up to now.

I've left everything dealing with a world I know nothing about

up to someone else. But I can't do that anymore.

I'm going to have to step inside a new world I've never seen before.

Tsuchimikado, I've made a decision.

Kami...

Yeah. I'm...

I'm going to start studying English!

I've tried up as high as daily conversation level ,

but English is just so hard, you know?

Why does his next phase have to be English?

Everyone else has been using Japanese with me up to now,

but I can't let them keep coddling me like this.

So, what it comes down to is...

W-What was that for...?

Drill number , begin.

Drill number , begin.

What do you want, Mr. Dress-up?

I was trying to cover up my presence, in my own little way.

But it looks like I still have much to learn.

Unabara Mitsuki, was it?

Yes, though both the name and face are fakes.

Have you settled on a w*apon?

None of them feels quite right.

You can bring in g*ns from all over the world,

and I still may not find one.

What if you made a list of gear you can use your ability with?

Stop trying to be such a know-it-all.

You can't rely on this thing.

According to GROUP's engineering report,

they have extended your ability usage time to thirty minutes.

GROUP, huh?

You're dissatisfied with their tuning on your electrode?

Ha! Whether it's thirty minutes or three days,

once some glitch comes up, it's all over.

If you can't fight because of a malfunction, you don't survive.

Is that all you wanted?

GROUP has received a work order from the governing board.

Academy City...

...is about to line up against the Roman Orthodox Church.

As a result, the truth of the matter

is that the city's internal defenses are thinning out.

We are going to mop up one force who would take advantage of that.

I heard that I was going to have to fill in for that bastard Kihara,

but I never imagined this kind of two-bit job would come to me.

While it may fall on you, you are the one who came here on your own.

Listen here, kid! Let me tell you one thing!

A human life is frail!

Frail enough that one touch of my fingertip could destroy it!

So be a little more considerate.

Otherwise, I might break something you don't want broken.

I will be more mindful.

May I continue now?

Suit yourself.

Your target will be Skill Out.

You may be more familiar with them than I am.

Yeah. They're an armed g*ng made up of a bunch of Level s.

Yes. They currently appear to be putting together some toys.

Toys?

Rockets, made up of hollowed-out wood packed with expl*sives.

Much like the bo-hiya fire arrows tested during the Edo period.

They've been conducting operations all over for the past few days.

Taking abandoned bikes and placing them along emergency routes,

and blocking up sewage drains around VIP facilities with garbage.

Not the kinds of things that rise to the level of security problems.

What, does GROUP now take contracts to deal with kids' pranks, too?

However, there have now been over , incidents.

When there is an orange or red alert,

they will be detected as errors.

Is that what the fire arrows are for?

If the server goes down due to a large number of error reports,

Skill Out can run wild without Antiskill coming after them.

Well, they could always cancel the alert, right?

If we weren't currently in the middle of a w*r, maybe.

Nothing but enemies, both within and without, huh?

Sounds like quite a few people have a beef with Academy City.

It is our job to somehow deal with such people.

Your target's name is Komaba Ritoku.

He is currently the leader in charge of Skill Out,

as well as the brains.

Dispose of him quickly, and we can nip Skill Out's plans in the bud.

Why a garbage truck?

They are all sorts of handy.

You can even use it to dispose of the body.

A garbage truck trolling around for the bodies of scumbags?

There's nothing funny about that.

He will return for recovery in twenty minutes, as planned. Be careful.

Ugh, win or lose, I've still gotta ride around in that thing?

Alive or dead being a whole separate matter...

Little tricks for the security robots,

as well as to block the observation satellites, huh?

There's that old familiar atmosphere.

Tsuchimikado?

I figured your first mission would be starting soon.

I just wanted to have a little word in your ear.

You're warning me, now? So, what have you got for the new guy?

Do not trust us.

Huh?

We're all a bunch of guys who would create a huge problem

just by having word of our existence get out.

GROUP, which is made up of nothing but hand-picked people like us

has no goals.

Are you trying to say that I'm expecting some kind of reward?

I'm saying that if you only follow the rules

established by the governing board, you'll never outwit them.

As such, be sure to recognize what it is you need to do to win.

You and I both have something we want to keep safe, after all.

Is that all you wanted?

Finish up quick and get back.

Musujime will be starting a job there pretty soon, as well.

Did you say a job?

I didn't hear anything about this being a contest.

It's not a person she's after; it's money.

So you mean, she's still good for something?

She's the same as you. She's been upgraded.

Oh, she has? That's great.

Well then...

...why don't I get started?

Cleanup time.

I'll have this finished in ten minutes.

That makes nine places. These guys just aren't tough enough.

I wish you would go a little easier on us, esper.

Komaba Ritoku.

Oh, my...

It looks like I've run into the target first.

At a certain world's center,

I whispered that it was okay to be alone

I bent back the hands on the clock

and kept my eyes closed

You can't turn back time that has passed

but on that day, you showed me

that that's how it should be

The miracle of you being there as the seasons roll around

makes even the broken clock start up again

Right now, yeah, I may be a helpless piece of junk

but it's funny how I feel like I can change that

All because your voice is still here

for me, even now

"Preview"

"Preview" GROUP and the non-espers clash.

Misaka Misuzu is caught in the middle of the chaos.

And Accelerator and I meet once again.

Next time, "Skill Out."

When science and magic cross paths, the story begins.