Bonus: A Certain Index Girl’s Personal Thoughts

――――Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.

Index’s heart brimmed with those words of relief upon confirming that Kamijou Touma was safe and sound.

Of course, part of it was simply that Kamijou hadn’t died—but just as much, it was that she hadn’t taken away someone that girl held so dearly.

『How… how could you… after coming this far, how could you end it like this?! I… I went this far for this…!!』

『Kamijou-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!』

Just before the destruction of John’s Pen, Index had clearly heard that girl scream.

Thinking back, it might have been the very first time she saw that usually calm and aloof girl completely lose her composure.

Chapter One: I Know Nothing of Pre-Established Harmony
Theory_is_broken.

Bonus: A Certain Index Girl’s Personal Thoughts

If you asked her when they first met—Index would probably say it was when she was fading in and out of consciousness from blood loss, mumbling vaguely about “what to do now” while slumped against Kamijou’s back.

But her pain-blurred vision at the time hadn’t registered the girl’s appearance at all.

So in her mind, the “first time they met” was when she was brought back from the brink with recovery magic and finally regained full awareness.

To be honest—Index’s first impression of the girl was: “She seems pretty harsh.”

Those sharp blue eyes bore a pressure that weighed on Index as they faced each other, and the tightly pressed lips gave off an air of nerves or tension.

Of course, Index didn’t judge people by their impressions. She was simply stating how she felt.

『……Now that I think of it, I haven’t introduced myself to you two, have I? I am Reicia Blackguard. A second-year at Tokiwadai Middle School. As for Kamijou-san… let’s see, I suppose you could say we’re comrades-in-arms.』

When she said that—Reicia’s expression was one brimming with confidence.

And when she briefly glanced over at Kamijou while referencing their relationship, there was even a trace of teasing amusement in her smile.

Seeing Kamijou respond with a weary grin, it felt to Index like there was some “something” between the two that she didn’t know.

And so… Index felt a flicker of jealousy toward Reicia, who knew a version of Kamijou Touma she didn’t.

Thinking about it, that was only natural. After all, she had only met Kamijou that very morning. It made sense that there’d be things she didn’t know about him. It made sense that he’d have past relationships she wasn’t part of. It made sense—but still, something murky and uncomfortable started to fester inside her.

『…Reicia, are you Kamijou’s girlfriend?』

It wasn’t “Are you two dating?”—her phrasing was directed at Reicia, and it carried a deeper, more private emotion than a simple inquiry.

That said, Index herself wasn’t even aware at this point that she was feeling jealous. She hadn’t yet come to fully realize her own feelings for Kamijou. And it wouldn’t be fair to say she was lying—her question also came from a place of honest concern toward Reicia.

Still, a side of Index that wasn’t the endlessly kind and good-natured girl Kamijou and Stiyl often described—a regular girl with her own selfish thoughts—felt like something sharp had lodged in her chest. An uncomfortable, unshakable unease.

But that feeling soon faded away.

Because the flustered Kamijou and mildly exasperated Reicia were clearly not in that kind of relationship.

At least, not from Kamijou’s side.

「…Hey, Reicia. Why are you helping me?」

A while later, during a quiet moment as she was being wiped down with a damp towel, Index asked.

She could understand Kamijou. That was just the kind of person he was. The kind who’d throw aside all logic the moment he decided someone needed help.

But Reicia was different—or so Index thought.

She always seemed calm. Always calculating risks and rewards. She gave off the impression of someone with a very “rational” moral compass.

That was part of the reason why Index had wondered if she and Kamijou were dating. It seemed like the only logical reason Reicia would get involved in Index’s problems.

And in truth—Index wasn’t wrong.

Reicia did know that Index would be saved even if she didn’t interfere. Her decision to get involved stemmed more from her thoughts about Index’s relationship with Stiyl and Kanzaki—and from her desire to prevent Kamijou Touma’s first death.

As for a heartfelt need to “personally save Index”—well, that wasn’t exactly strong. Not nonexistent, but faint.

But of course, Index had no way of knowing all that. And now that she understood Reicia and Kamijou weren’t lovers, she was more confused than ever.

「You’re from the Science Side, Reicia. Helping me doesn’t benefit you at all, right? And this might even cause trouble at school. So why?」

「Why… huh…………」

Reicia murmured the word like it had caught her off guard. The reaction suggested she hadn’t expected to be asked that question at all. Index suddenly wondered if she’d said something rude.

Kamijou would probably have flicked her forehead and said, “What the hell kinda dumb question is that?”

But instead, Reicia gave a soft, amused smile and answered:

「If I had to give a reason… I suppose it would be… for a better future?」

「…A better future?」

「Honestly speaking… I don’t believe I’m necessary here.」

Still wiping Index’s back with the warm towel, Reicia continued.

「Even without me, I believe Kamijou-san would have found a way to save you. I haven’t known him for that long, but I can tell that much at least.」

「…Yeah. That might be true.」

「But even so, I believe that with me alongside him, we can shape a future far better than he could alone. And knowing that—how could I choose to stand by, out of selfish fear? I don’t want to be that kind of person.」

“If you’re looking for a reason—that’s my reason,” Reicia said with a smile.

And with that, Index finally understood.

Yes, Reicia was different from Kamijou. She didn’t act on pure emotion. She thought things through. She based her actions on reasoned, realistic assessments of the world.

That’s why she always seemed so removed—why she could come across as distant or uncaring.

But at the core of it all, she wasn’t so different from Kamijou.

In the end, she just couldn’t help herself.

No matter how much logic she layered on top, no matter how many reasons she gave—she couldn’t lie to herself. And when she believed something was right… even if it was dangerous… she chose to act.

There was no logical reason to save Index.

She just wanted to. She believed it was the right thing to do.

And that was all there was to it.

"……All right, Index-san. We’re done now. You wiped yourself off earlier, so it’s safe for you to get dressed."

"Okay. …But, Reicia, you didn’t take a bath yesterday either, right? This time, I’ll wipe you down."

"Huh? …W-Wait, that’s true, I did fall asleep without bathing, but I was planning on using the public bath today, so—"

"No buts! Reicia, you might not know this, but in Japan, we have something called naked bonding! It means that by being naked and interacting like this, we can grow closer as friends!"

With that declaration, Index started undressing Reicia.

It was, for the most part, just a way to cover her own embarrassment. Reicia had genuinely helped Index out of kindness, and yet Index had read into it, assuming there were hidden intentions behind it—

No.

She had assumed those hidden intentions were somehow related to Kamijou and Reicia’s relationship, and that’s what made her react this way.

"Wait—!? K-kyah! Kyaaaah! S-stop… please stop, Index-san! Y-you brute!"

…Despite shouting something straight out of a cliché scene, Reicia was quickly stripped of her uniform. In no time, she was left wearing only a black bra and mismatched white-and-black dress gloves. With a resigned sigh, she hung her head.

Index, clad in nothing but her underwear, rolled up her sleeves and pressed Reicia to hurry: "Come on, it’s time to wipe you down! And take that bra off too!" Reicia hesitated for a moment—Won’t she catch a cold?—but remembered it was the middle of summer, and Index’s body was already heated from a fever caused by her injuries.

And then—

BANG!! The door burst open just at that moment.

"Are you okay!? I heard a loud—"

It was none other than Kamijou Touma, our resident accidental pervert, who stepped into the room.

He’d hesitated before entering, likely because he knew Reicia was wiping down Index inside. There was undoubtedly an inner conflict: What if I see something? But what if something serious happened in there?

"……Ah."

Incidentally, at that exact moment, Reicia was in the middle of removing her bra at Index’s insistence.

She had leaned forward slightly, reached behind her back to unhook it, and was just sliding the straps off her shoulders when—

A second later.

Plop.

The girl’s chest covering slipped off and fell with a comically soft sound.

"………………………………………………………………"

"………………………………………………………………"

Kamijou’s neck froze, locked into a very specific angle.

Reicia, still deadpan, calmly picked the bra off the floor. She didn’t put it back on—she simply held it against her chest with her left arm, covering herself directly.

Then, still holding the bra, she extended her right arm toward Kamijou.

Index, her face beet red, slid behind Reicia to hide. Like a small animal, she peeked out from behind her protector’s shadow to glare at Kamijou.

Kamijou’s gaze, reflexively, followed that little peek from Index.

"Kamijou-san."

"Yes."

"No need to be so formal. I understand that you didn’t mean any harm, and to tell you the truth, I’ve always kind of admired situations like this."

Despite her warm and understanding words, Reicia’s face remained completely expressionless.

Kamijou’s neck still hadn’t moved an inch.

"Just to confirm something in advance—you do have that right hand, so I’m allowed to go all-out, yes?"

"Uh, well, um…"

Reicia, her face unchanging, spoke as if methodically processing a task.

At that moment, Kamijou could almost hear a crack in his mind.

Was it the sound of a rift splitting the air before Reicia’s outstretched hand?

Or the sound of a crack forming in her iron mask?

Perhaps… both.

"How long do you intend to keep staring, you pervert――――!!!!"

"NOOO—!! Not the Monochrome Serrated Jagged Edge! That’ll actually kill someone!!"

With a blushing girl's scream, Kamijou’s right hand was forced to desperately block a strike of tsukkomi (comedic smack) packed with lethal force.

………………There was no denying it: Kamijou, the Boob-Loving Warlock, had absolutely been staring. Naturally, Index sank her teeth into him right after.

"……………Hehe."

The current Index couldn’t help but smile as the memory resurfaced.

In the end, Reicia had gotten dressed and headed off to the public bath, but ever since that day, Index had found herself feeling much closer to her.

After that, she had no time to dwell on her feelings for Kamijou, what with all the plans revolving around her and her safety.

"……………………"

But that heart-wrenching scream from back then—and the way Reicia had reacted right after Kamijou collapsed—were far from normal.

It was enough to shake Index’s belief that Reicia didn’t have feelings for Kamijou Touma.

Because.

The first thing Index saw after regaining consciousness… was Reicia, clutching Kamijou’s head to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

It probably took her nearly an hour to regain her composure.

For Index, who had only ever seen Reicia as calm and composed, it was a surprising—and honestly painful—sight to witness.

Once she had regained her cool, Reicia had said, "Index-san, you are not at fault. Kamijou-san knew the dangers and still chose to help you."

Even so, until she saw with her own eyes today that Kamijou was safe, Index had been gnawed at by guilt.

That’s why, when she finally confirmed he was all right, Index felt, I’m really glad.

(…I’m really glad I didn’t take someone precious away from Reicia.)

But that feeling didn’t mean she was acknowledging Reicia’s feelings.

Well—maybe in a way, she was acknowledging them――

(But I’m not backing down.)

Kamijou Touma, the one she loved dearly, was not someone she would give up.

As a rival in love, Index would face Reicia head-on.

From this point on, Reicia was her friend, her savior――and her rival in love.

……If all of this wasn’t a giant misunderstanding, maybe it would’ve made for a touching little drama.