Chapter Summaries

Kuramitsu Ruka tried to kill Michael with a series of bomb traps, relying on futures he saw with his right eye. Michael survived the first explosion unharmed, and Ruka detonated another massive blast in a parking garage, leaving its outcome unresolved.

• Kuramitsu Ruka chose to stay and fight Michael, then planted bombs along the route he expected Michael to take.
• Kuramitsu Ruka detonated a truck bomb as Michael stepped onto a bridge, but Michael emerged from the explosion completely unharmed.
• Kuramitsu Ruka moved to a multistory parking garage and hid near the elevator among the bombs he had placed there.
• Kuramitsu Ruka saw Michael approach the truck, escaped into the elevator, and detonated the parking garage bombs as the doors closed.

Michael survived the explosion and confronted Kuramitsu Ruka, who revealed that Asagami Kōzō had hired him to kill Asagami Fujino. Michael took Kuramitsu Ruka’s Future Sight eye and revealed that he had controlled the futures it showed.

• Kuramitsu Ruka left the department store believing the explosion had killed Michael, but Michael appeared unharmed beside him.
• Michael declared Kuramitsu Ruka the loser of their game and demanded to know who had hired him to kill Asagami Fujino.
• Kuramitsu Ruka named Asagami Kōzō as his client and explained that he had hired him for five million yen.
• Michael demanded Kuramitsu Ruka’s right eye, despite Kuramitsu Ruka believing that answering the question would let him go.
• Michael removed Kuramitsu Ruka’s eye and revealed that he had scripted the futures Kuramitsu Ruka had seen.

Asagami Kōzō worried over Babel Tower’s growing power and his adopted daughter’s failed assassination, then found Michael waiting in his office. Michael introduced himself as the Fool and said he had come to play a game, leaving Asagami Kōzō uncertain what would happen next.

• Asagami Kōzō brooded over internal family disputes, Babel Tower’s expansion, and the lack of news from the Bomb Demon he had hired to kill his adopted daughter.
• Asagami Kōzō looked out over Kanbōzi City at night and reflected on humanity’s place beneath godlike beings.
• Asagami Kōzō returned to his desk and discovered a white-haired stranger sitting in his executive chair.
• Michael introduced himself as the Fool and told Asagami Kōzō he was not qualified to be his friend.
• Michael reassured the uneasy Asagami Kōzō that he had come only to play a simple game.

Michael forced Asagami Kōzō to stake his life on a coin toss, then used hypnotic suggestion to make him submit despite the coin landing heads. Returning to Garan no Dō with a jar containing a Mystic Eye, Michael defended his relationship with Rojyan, unaware Shiki had heard him.

• Michael gave Asagami Kōzō a coin and said heads meant he would survive the night, while tails meant death.
• Asagami Kōzō tossed the coin, which landed heads, and celebrated his apparent survival.
• Michael hypnotically influenced Asagami Kōzō, who revived, knelt before Michael, and called him master.
• Michael returned to Garan no Dō before dawn and found Tōko Aozaki examining something in the office.
• Tōko Aozaki recognized the jar Michael carried as containing a Mystic Eye and teased him about Rojyan.
• Michael insisted that he and Rojyan were pure friends, then turned and saw Shiki behind him.

Michael returned to Garan no Dō, where Shiki had fallen asleep waiting for him, and learned from Tōko Aozaki about Asagami Fujino’s past and dangerous Mystic Eyes. As dawn broke over Kanbōzi City, Tōko confirmed that Michael had cured Fujino’s congenital analgesia.

• Michael found Shiki asleep at the office and laid her on the sofa beneath a blanket.
• Tōko Aozaki teased Michael about Shiki, Ori, Asagami Fujino, and his fiancée, Sajo Aika.
• Tōko gave Michael Mikiya’s documents about Fujino, revealing that her Mystic Eyes could bend objects without touch and had grown stronger after her pain was suppressed.
• Michael explained that Fujino’s power had been sealed like water behind a dam and could erupt with enough force to twist an entire building.
• Tōko concluded that Michael had cured Fujino’s congenital analgesia, and Michael admitted he helped her.
• Tōko dismissed concerns about her smoking and sleep as dawn arrived over Kanbōzi City.

After Michael defeated the Bomb Demon, Asagami Fujino chose to become Tōko Aozaki’s disciple and join Garan no Dō to learn to control her Mystic Eyes. Meanwhile, Kuramitsu Ruka recovered in the hospital after losing his future-seeing eye, uncertain where his life would lead.

• Asagami Fujino woke beside Seo Shizune and spoke with Michael, who reassured her that her ability did not make her a monster and said he had dealt with the Bomb Demon.
• Michael explained Mystic Eyes and recommended Tōko Aozaki teach Asagami Fujino to control hers.
• Asagami Fujino asked Tōko Aozaki to take her as a disciple, and Tōko agreed on the condition that she join Garan no Dō as an employee.
• Akimi Daisuke investigated the explosion that destroyed a multi-level parking garage, where the only injured person was a fourteen-year-old boy who could offer no explanation.
• Kuramitsu Ruka lay in the hospital after losing his future-seeing right eye, feeling freed from his fixed future but unsure how to live without its guidance.

Michael took care of Tōko Aozaki while she recovered from a severe flu, cooking her a meal and suspecting she was using the illness to avoid work. Tōko stayed in bed as Michael waited for Shiki, Senka Kiritsugu, and Fujino to arrive.

• Michael watched the winter city from the Garan no Dō office while Tōko Aozaki woke up in bed.
• Tōko complained that she was hungry and refused the leftover porridge, so Michael prepared vegetable and pork porridge with steamed egg custard.
• Tōko explained that she had caught the flu because she lacked antibodies and called illness a special experience.
• Michael questioned why Tōko was not seeking treatment and suspected she was prolonging her illness to avoid unresolved work.
• Michael noted that Shiki, Senka Kiritsugu, and Fujino were expected to arrive around noon.

Tōko Aozaki resumed magecraft lessons for Senka Kiritsugu and Asagami Fujino before sensing an intruder at the abandoned building. The visitor turned out to be Cornelius Alba, whom Tōko greeted with open hostility.

• Senka Kiritsugu and Asagami Fujino brought fruit to visit Tōko Aozaki, who said her recovery was helped by Michael’s care and cooking.
• Tōko Aozaki taught magecraft while Senka Kiritsugu and Asagami Fujino studied; Senka’s lessons were driven by her desire to take her brother back from Utou Kirie, while Fujino wanted to grow closer to Michael.
• After the lesson, Tōko Aozaki sensed an intruder and identified him through the vision of a doll outside.
• Cornelius Alba entered the office, greeted Tōko Aozaki familiarly, and asked how she had been.
• Tōko Aozaki recognized Cornelius Alba as the next abbot of Schubalheim Abbey and asked why he had come.

Cornelius Alba visited Tōko Aozaki’s Magecraft Workshop, taunted her and invited her to his doll exhibition. He provoked her by mentioning her younger sister’s new title, then stopped himself before saying more as the room’s atmosphere turned threatening.

• Cornelius Alba mocked the Far East and its magecraft traditions while Tōko Aozaki listened in silence.
• Cornelius greeted Michael respectfully and recognized him as a powerful Lord and Progenitor of Dead Apostles.
• Cornelius insulted Tōko’s workshop and invited her to his exhibition, but she refused and dismissed his research.
• Cornelius angrily confronted Tōko and said her younger sister had recently been granted the title of Blue.
• The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, and Cornelius stopped before finishing his insult to avoid provoking Tōko in her workshop.

Cornelius Alba provoked Tōko Aozaki while inviting Michael Animusphere to an exhibition, claiming Schubalheim Abbey might change its political alignment in the Clock Tower. After Cornelius left, Tōko explained to Senka Kiritsugu and Asagami Fujino that she and Cornelius had once been close colleagues with similar research interests.

• Cornelius taunted Tōko about her apprentices and suggested her research would survive if she died, prompting her to threaten him.
• Cornelius invited Michael Animusphere to an exhibition and raised the possibility of Schubalheim Abbey changing its stance in the Clock Tower.
• Michael accepted Cornelius's invitation, and Cornelius smugly told Tōko he expected to see her there before departing.
• Senka called Cornelius's behavior a crude provocation, and Tōko agreed that such tactics could be effective.
• Tōko told Senka and Asagami Fujino that she and Cornelius had once studied under the same person and shared interests in puppets and Rune Script.

Tōko Aozaki explained how the Clock Tower controlled magecraft education and resources, leaving Senka Kiritsugu and Asagami Fujino to consider how Michael Animusphere could help them.

• Tōko Aozaki introduced the Mage's Association and explained that the Clock Tower was its best-known division and the place where she had met Cornelius.
• Asagami Fujino described the origins of the word “mystery,” and Tōko explained that secrecy preserved magecraft's power.
• Tōko said the Clock Tower concealed magecraft while monopolizing advanced knowledge and most resources, leaving ordinary magi with few paths to progress.
• Senka Kiritsugu asked whether ordinary magi had to join the Clock Tower, and Tōko said registration was enough but suggested Michael could resolve their concerns.
• Senka recognized Michael's surname, Animusphere, as belonging to one of the Mage's Association's powerful Magecraft Families and realized he was a Lord.

Michael and Shiki discussed the secrecy of magecraft and the Root as they walked home, and Michael hinted that what he sought was beside him. Their conversation ended when a fleeing red-haired boy nearly collided with Shiki and dropped a small key.

• Shiki told Michael she disliked Cornelius, and they discussed why magi concealed their research and achievements.
• Shiki asked whether Michael pursued the Root, and he said what he sought was right by his side.
• Embarrassed by Michael’s remark, Shiki hurried ahead while he teased her.
• A red-haired boy ran from an alley and nearly collided with Shiki as he fled.
• The boy continued running after apologizing, and Shiki noticed a small key he had dropped.

Enjou Tomo fled from five pursuers after killing someone, then led them into a secluded alley and attacked them. He incapacitated two men, leaving three still standing against him.

• Enjou Tomo ran from the men chasing him and recalled killing someone, which made him tremble and feel sick.
• Enjou Tomo chose a secluded alley and pretended to be exhausted as the five pursuers cornered him.
• Enjou Tomo charged the skinny young man, struck his jaw, gouged his eyes, and smashed his head against a wall.
• Enjou Tomo attacked a second man with an empty can and his knee and elbow, knocking him down as well.

Enjou Tomo was beaten by three delinquents after exhausting himself fighting off two others, until Shiki and Michael intervened. Shiki returned a small key to Enjou Tomo, leaving him injured in the alley with his rescuers.

• Enjou Tomo was overwhelmed by the three remaining delinquents, who beat and mocked him as he lay on the ground.
• One delinquent pulled out a folding knife and threatened to carve words into Enjou Tomo’s face, while the others continued taunting him.
• Enjou Tomo coughed blood and began losing consciousness as the delinquents kept beating him.
• Shiki entered the alley, and Michael struck down the three delinquents with three explosive blows.
• Shiki told Michael she could have handled the delinquents herself, and Michael replied that taking out the trash was about efficiency.
• Shiki tossed Enjou Tomo a small key, telling him he had dropped it earlier.

Enjou Tomo confessed to Shiki and Michael that he had killed someone, and Michael offered him shelter from the police in exchange for an unspecified price. After following Michael, Enjou Tomo dreamed of his mother stabbing him and then killing herself.

• Shiki left Enjou Tomo with the key after driving off the delinquents who had attacked him.
• Enjou Tomo told Michael and Shiki that he had killed someone, and Shiki accepted that he was telling the truth.
• Michael offered Enjou Tomo shelter and help evading the police, and Enjou Tomo followed him despite not knowing the price.
• Enjou Tomo fell asleep exhausted and dreamed that his mother stabbed him in the chest beside his bloodied father.
• In the dream, Enjou Tomo watched helplessly as his mother stabbed herself in the throat and died.

A week after killing someone, Enjou Tomo wandered the city while dwelling on his broken family, his uncertain future, and a mysterious key. As he prepared to return to the apartment where he was staying, he saw a middle-aged woman whose face shocked him.

• Enjou Tomo woke from another nightmare, remembered that he had killed someone, and left the apartment lent to him by a man and woman.
• Enjou Tomo wandered the streets, wondering why the police had not discovered the body and accepting that he would eventually be caught.
• Enjou Tomo watched people in a plaza and reflected on their hidden troubles and the masks they wore.
• Enjou Tomo recalled his unhappy family and examined a small key whose lock he could not remember.
• Enjou Tomo prepared to return to the apartment, then recoiled when he recognized a middle-aged woman carrying shopping bags.

Enjou Tomo sought Ryougi Shiki’s help after seeing someone he believed he had killed, and confessed that he had killed his parents. Shiki proposed returning with him to Room 405 to confirm whether they were truly dead, and Enjou followed her despite his fear.

• Enjou Tomo went to Ryougi Shiki’s apartment, hoping she could help him understand what he had seen.
• Enjou asked Shiki why she had saved him, then admitted that he had killed his parents.
• Enjou described his parents as abusive and neglectful, but said he had seen his mother again after believing they were dead.
• Shiki put on her red jacket, took a short knife, and suggested they check Enjou’s home in Ogawa Apartments.
• Enjou agreed to return to Room 405 and followed Shiki despite being afraid.

Cornelius revealed that he had helped a group targeting Michael and trapped him in a Teleportation Array, leaving Tōko Aozaki behind. He confessed that his real aim was to kill Tōko, then unleashed his newest creations against her.

• Cornelius activated a Teleportation Array that transported Michael away, leaving Tōko Aozaki alone with him.
• Cornelius admitted that Souren Araya was involved in the plot and blamed Tōko for taking recognition he felt he deserved.
• Tōko dismissed Cornelius’s grievances and challenged his claims about his standing as a magus.
• Cornelius declared that he had come to kill Tōko, then summoned his newest creations to surround her.

Tōko Aozaki mocked Cornelius's grotesque creations and unveiled a mercury puppet modeled on Moon Cell Liquid, which swiftly destroyed them. Cornelius then completed a rapid incantation and unleashed a wave of azure magical flames, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Tōko Aozaki ridiculed Cornelius's monster-like creations and criticized his magecraft.
• Tōko Aozaki summoned a humanoid mercury puppet derived from Moon Cell Liquid.
• The mercury puppet effortlessly slaughtered Cornelius's materialized creations.
• Cornelius chanted rapidly, and Tōko Aozaki acknowledged that his incantations had improved while still mocking their flaws.
• Cornelius finished his incantation and engulfed the area in azure magical flames.

Tōko Aozaki fought Cornelius with her Mercury Golem, but Beryl Gut ambushed her with a poisoned dagger and left her dying. After Beryl departed, Cornelius began torturing her, targeting her Mystic Eyes.

• Tōko Aozaki's Mercury Golem broke through Cornelius's flames and wounded him while he struggled to defend himself.
• Beryl Gut sneaked up behind Tōko Aozaki and stabbed her through the heart with a poisoned dagger.
• Beryl explained that Cornelius had distracted Tōko Aozaki, then left after securing a year's protection from Schubalheim Abbey.
• Cornelius mocked the dying Tōko Aozaki and ground his foot into her face.
• Cornelius forcibly plunged his fingers into Tōko Aozaki's eye sockets to take her Mystic Eyes.