Kamijou_Touma

Toaru Majutsu no Index is set in Academy City; a technologically advanced academic city located in western Tokyo which studies scientifically enhanced superhuman students known as espers who develop powers. However, within this world of scientifically developed superpowers exists an underground world of magic and occult connected to the religious institutions of the world.

Kamijou Touma, an unlucky boy who happens to be one of the many students within Academy City, possesses a mysterious power in his right hand known as the 'Imagine Breaker'; an ability which allows him to negate all forms of supernatural powers, whether they are magical or psychic. One day, he finds a young girl hanging on his balcony railing named Index. She is a nun from Necessarius, a secret magic branch of the Anglican Church, and her mind has been implanted with the Index Librorum Prohibitorum: 103,000 original grimoires that the Church has removed from circulation. Their encounter leads him to meet others from the secretive worlds of science and magic.

Kamijou Touma's unusual power places him at the center of conflicts related to both science-based espers in Academy City and magicians. As Kamijou Touma tries to help and protect his friends, he learns that the people he knows are not as they appear and begins to attract the attention of magicians and espers alike as they try to unravel the secrets of Academy City and Index.

Toaru Majutsu no Index

There were numerous ropes set up on the ropes.

Looking from afar, it was like the many flags of different countries at an Olympics. With the water tower as the peak, the ropes extended out in all directions out to the railings on the edges of the tower. There were numerous talismans stuck onto the ropes, each made from washi paper and written in ink.

Index, who was tied up and sitting on the floor, said in surprise,

As what the name implies, a Kagura was a choreography that was meant to entertain the gods.

"It's not really something that impressive. It's just a Bon Odori at most."

It was basically a fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism, Yamisaka described.

Now that he mentioned it, the water tower did look like a peak, and the ropes that extended down from the peak looked like rows of lanterns (but the bon odoris Index knew of was from the illustrations of books, and the habit of setting a peak and rows of lanterns were only a recent culture).

Of course, a choreography couldn't be compared to a mere dance. But in terms of the functions, the origin of a Bon Odori was to act as a dance to calm the souls of the dead--a Kagura and a Bon Odori were similar in this spiritual aspect.

In a Bon Odori, people would prepare a special place. Everyone would then go around according to a specific guideline...this was to help interact with the spiritual world better. The Western demon worship spell 'Roshtein's Corridor' and the modern urban horror legend 'Squared Mountain Hut' were developed in different settings under the same concept.

(But why did he set up such a place? Is he trying to put something on me--it hurts!)

Her butt seemed to have squashed something. Moving her body away to look, it was a cell phone. Though Kamijou had given Index a free cell phone, Index didn't know how to use it. Right now, the phone's screen was flashing for some reason. In order to avoid angering Yamisaka, Index moved the hand tied behind her back and grabbed the phone before hiding it well. It seemed that she had pressed a few buttons while doing so, but Index didn't care.

Luckily, Yamisaka didn't seem to notice it.

Yamisaka raised the bow on his right wrist and boasted,

"Don't worry. I just set up the boundary to increase this thing's effectiveness. This bow was originally meant to be used for a Bon Odori."

Index looked around and then compared what she saw to the knowledge in her head, and said,

"That's really impressive, that magic library in your brain even encompasses Japanese magic."

An azusayumi--a ritual instrument in Japanese Shintoism. The purpose wasn't to shoot arrows, but to use the pulling of the bow to make sounds. It was said that the impact could shake demons up. It was originally an instrument in a Kagura, and the aim was for the miko playing it to lead the dancers and make them more enthusiastic and the ritual more smooth flowing.

"Originally, this bow's power could only correct spiritual damage."

Yamisaka pointed at the roof and said,

"But if I can fulfill a set condition like this--I can read the target's thoughts. That's right, even the 103,000 grimoires you're trying so hard to protect won't be a secret any longer."

Index was shocked. The next moment, with the numerous intertwined ropes as center, the entire space let out a dim glow. Yamisaka tweaked the mechanism and pulled the bow of the azusayumi.

"THESE GRIMOIRES AREN'T LIKE WHAT YOU THOUGHT! ANY ORDINARY PERSON WILL GO CRAZY ON SEEING IT! EVEN A MAGICIAN CAN'T TAKE THE BURDEN OF OVER 30 BOOKS! YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ANYONE OTHER THAN ME READ THE MORE THAN 100,000 GRIMOIRES!!"

Her tone seemed to indicate that she was worried about the enemy, but Yamisaka Ouma merely smiled.

Chapter 4: A Certain Freeloading Forbidden Index. Arrow_Made_of_AZUSA.[Part 13]