Toaru Majutsu no Index SS

Volume 1, Prologue: The Calm Before the Start of War. Breakfast.

There was one tube-shaped kamaboko[1] left over.

"Hmmm..."

In the kitchen, Kamijou Touma let out a groan, as the tube-shaped kamaboko would reach its expiration date at 10 AM today...

Devoting oneself to salad instead of ham was the latest trend. The kamaboko's coloring had shown that it had gone beyond bad, but on the other hand, there was another two or three hours before the expiration date passed.

For students, morning was an important time.

"I can't always be troubled by my luck, but what do I do with this leftover kamaboko?" Kamijou was in a quandary when he looked over from the kitchen to see a calico cat assaulting him by constantly purring. As its winter coat was growing in, it seemed a little bigger.

...

Kamijou, from the kitchen, turned his gaze towards what quietly sat on the bed.

There was a single nun there.

Her name was Index.

Despite the principle of "early to bed, early to rise", she was always lazily idling on top of the bed. Yet this time her back was straight and crisp, her knees were on the floor, and her hands were together as she underwent a quiet prayer this morning.

The calico cat came this way, as if trying not to bother Index.

(Phew...)

Kamijou took the remaining kamaboko in a column and, leaning over the kitchen floor, spoke in a low voice to avoid alerting Index.

"...Do you want to eat this kamaboko?"

"Meoww!" the calico cat let out in a loud voice.

Feeling that his happiness maxed out from the look of the small pet's tail, Kamijou Touma squeezed down on the tube.

The calico cat sank its teeth into the center of the tube, almost like a dog with a bone, before running off from the kitchen once again.

When cats ate their own food, if it exceeded a certain size, they would sneak off and eat in privacy.

It would likely sneak off to underneath the TV or somewhere similar, Kamijou thought appropriately, before going back to making breakfast.

Replacing the calico cat was Index, who came in and started her assault.

"Are we eating kamaboko!?"

"Hah? No, that was the last one!!"

The calico cat stared quietly at the glittering glare of Index's eyes on the kamaboko. Moreover, she was giving off a muddy "How was the calico cat secretly eating without my approval!?"-like feeling. Kamijou quickly stopped her.

She wasn't picky. From foreign food to Japanese food, at that rate, everything in the kitchen would be gone instead of one kamaboko.

"Wait, Index, ten minutes—no, just seven minutes and breakfast will be ready!! So, please don't raid the fridge...!!"

"Kamaboko is kamaboko!!"

"I don't know what you're saying anymore! And what the heck were you praying back there for!? You, Sister-san, whose stomach is never full!!"

Wait, it's only halfway done, so wait!! But Kamijou didn't have time to stop Index, who raced into the kitchen and started moving her mouth.

October 3rd, 7:02 AM.

Kamijou stood, and found himself dumbfounded that, aside from the side dish in one hand, his own share of food had been eaten up, too.

Notes

1. ↑ Also known as fish paste. Wikipedia entry here.