Astral Buddy Manga Chapter 008

"Innermost Feelings" (女王 (ちゅうしん) ) is the eighth chapter of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Gaiden: Astral Buddy, released on January 27th 2018.

Synopsis
In her dreams, Misaki complains about being trapped by her captors, and angry at the researchers of Academy City doing evil deeds. The ghost girl, now with her face blackened, tells her that Misaki truly has a strong sense of justice. But Misaki says it isn't about justice and it is more about something personal. Misaki believes that the Indian Poker cards that remake people's minds are certainly connected to the Clone Dolly experiment and will certainly crush those who continue it.

But then the Ghost Girl shows a malicious smile, telling Misaki that she and those researchers are the same as she also toys with other people's minds just like them. Suddenly, the facade of the Ghost Girl breaks, and a naked Misaki before her. This Dark Misaki mocks Misaki's justification in taking responsibility for the lives of those she uses her powers on. Telling her how she still toys with the people who loved her, making her the same as those researchers, even though there is something wrong with those girls who let her use them. Misaki is angered by hers, telling the Dark Misaki not to mock those girls. The Dark Misaki then however changes topic, pointing out that she only ever gets mad for other people, and is holding her power back. She indicates that she always sacrifices her happiness for the sake of others, and distance herself from happiness. Dark Misaki wonders why if it is Misaki thinking she has no right to be happy, truly believe it is wrong to manipulate others, of if she really is pure. However, Dark Misaki concludes that she is rejecting all happiness in the hopes of a single miracle happening, for that person who can never again remember her.

Dark Misaki comes close to Misaki, goading her to become more selfish to take everything for herself before "that pesky girl" does. The Dark Misaki concludes that in the end, she is someone who sacrifices others to get what she wants, just like those scientists.

But then from above Ghost Girl arrives, calling out that Misaki is far kinder than anyone else. And from there, Ghost Girl has possessed Misaki and frees her from her nightmare. As Ghost Girl wakes up, she notes how difficult it is to control Misaki as if she has a natural resistance to being controlled. Ghost Girl wonders about Misaki's nightmare and the bad Misaki that was whispering in Misaki's ear. She wonder if it was an evil spirit, and it scares her.

Major Events

 * Shokuhou Misaki is possessed by the Ghost Girl and is freed from the malicious Indian Poker card.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Ghost Girl
 * Hokaze Junko (fantasy)
 * Kobayashi Shimanaka (fantasy)
 * Dolly (flashback)
 * Kouzaku Mitori (flashback)
 * Kamijou Touma (flashback)

Abilities

 * Mental Out - Shokuhou, Misaki, level 5
 * Ghost powers - Ghost Girl
 * Possession

Locations

 * Academy City

Trivia

 * Shokuhou Misaki is revealed to be afraid of scary stories.

Referbacks

 * Misaki's dream world before the Dark Misaki reveals herself replicates the room where she and Dolly met back in Chapter 59 of Railgun.
 * Misaki trying to hide herself from Dolly meeting Mitori again back in Chapter 70 of Railgun.
 * A flashback occurs to when Touma saved Misaki from Deadlock, an event first recalled in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 11.

Cultural References
No references to culture were introduced this chapter.

Unanswered Questions

 * Was the Dark Misaki truly an evil spirit and how did it end up in the Indian Poker card?