Meanwhile, Mikoto casually reached out toward the collection of junk. Was her
magnetism pulling it in, or was it the opposite? Several pieces of scrap metal wriggled
toward her palm in preparation to touch it.

He thought.

He worried.

And he finally squeeze his eyes shut, clenched his teeth, and yet could not make up his
mind.

“No, wait, Misa-...!!!???”

She did not wait.

It happened a moment later.

Despite being the most powerful Electromaster, the girl’s entire body jerked like she had
been struck by lightning.

-Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 17 Chapter 2 Part 13


From that instant on, Kamijou Touma’s sense of time may have been malfunctioning.

As time seemed to stretch out infinitely, he heard a watery sound from the depths of the
darkness swept away by Fran’s backlight. Something was flowing from Misaka Mikoto’s
mouth as her body arched backwards. Round drops glittered like jewels colored with a
unique shade different from both red and black. There was only one answer, but
Kamijou’s fruitlessly spinning mind could not come up with the word.

The girl’s eyes were opened wide.

But not from fear or pain. Why had this happened to her? Her eyes were filled with the
confusion of being unable to answer that question.

Mikoto could not support herself with her back arched so sharply, so she slowly collapsed
backwards. Kamijou finally reached his hands out.

But he could not reach her.

He could not reach her in time.

A heavy metallic thud rang through the container. Then time returned to normal. The girl
lay on her back and her entire body writhed and convulsed. The blood droplets that had
spilled from her mouth were pulled down by gravity and sprinkled across the floor. Many
red flowers bloomed with a dirty splattering sound.

“Misakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”

He yelled and frantically tried to pick her up in his arms, but Pirate Girl Luca cut in from
the side and grabbed him to stop him. As she convulsed, Mikoto was desperately trying to
move her right hand. No, she probably thought she was raising her hand and holding out
her palm to stop him.

She was telling him not to touch her with his right hand.

Fran alone looked at everyone in turn like she felt left out.

“Why!? Didn’t this happen because the A.A.A. is an outside product and an esper just
touched magic!? Then if I use my right hand...!!”

“This isn’t the A.A.A.!! She was hit by a carefully-aimed external curse. She was attacked!!”

-Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 17 Chapter 2 Part 14