Toaru Majutsu no Index Episode 07

"Science Worship" is the seventh episode of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime series and the first episode of the Deep Blood Arc. It was first broadcast on November 16, 2008, and was directed by Tomizawa Kazuo, the script for the episode was written by Tanizaki Akira, and storyboarding continues to be done by series director Nishikiori Hiroshi.

Touma chances across two of his classmates, Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu, while walking down the street with Index. The four of them stop by a fast food restaurant. Despite the restaurant being packed, they manage to share a table with a shrine priestess who calls herself a "magician". She was unable to go home for she did not have enough money for the train fare, but is later picked up by a group of men in suits, whom she calls her cram school teachers. On their way back, Touma encounters someone strange, Stiyl Magnus appears. Stiyl explains to him that an alchemist called Aureolus Izzard has taken a girl who has Deep Blood, which is the power to kill vampires. Stiyl says that the girl is confined in Misawa Cram, and he requires Touma's assistance in rescuing her.

Synopsis
The episode starts with a red tinted sky on a remote farming village somewhere in a Japan. The entire village first appears abandoned and desolate, but a closer glance reveals that nearly all the villagers have been turned into corpses. The screen pans out to reveal that the corpses appear to be crawling in a certain direction. At the center of the corpses, on the path, is a little girl wearing a traditional miko dress. She appears to have been the objective of the now-dead villagers. The speaks, asking no one in particular, or perhaps herself, the words: "I killed again, didn't I?"

Back in present-day Academy City, Kamijou Touma and Index are waiting to cross the road when Touma complains about how expensive the reference book he bought is, Index berates him for spending the money but is later distracted by a billboard advertising ice cream. They then bicker about his suspicions that she wants ice cream. Touma's thoughts wander, and he narrates that she is supposed to be the talkative Sister (that is, nun) that he knew before. He then reveals that he doesn't have memories beyond two weeks ago, but he is keeping it a secret from everyone, especially Index.

Index interrupts Touma's gazing at the sky and continues to argue about the ice cream. Their argument is interrupted by the appearance of Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Aogami Pierce, Touma's classmates from before his memory loss. They ask who the girl he is with is; however, he is unable to answer quickly enough – probably due to the surprise of having two strangers – in his perspective – talk to him. Aogami comments on his dull reaction and jokes that he may have lost his memories, and comments that losing memories is a special privilege that belongs solely to mysterious, wave-emitting girls. They continue to talk and try to s what kind of girl Index is, with Aogami going so far as suggesting Index might be a trap as her chest is too flat for a girl. This irritates Index, which prompts Touma to tell them that she is still a girl regardless of her figure, which irritates Index even more. Sensing the effect of his words he apprehensively turns around and sees Index clasp her hands, telling him to repent for what he said. His apology is to take her – with Motoharu and Aogami tagging alongside – to the ice cream parlour that was advertised on the billboard they had been bickering about. However, it was close due to renovation, irritating Index and forcing a wary Touma to go to another fast food restaurant, where they ordered shakes, presumably as the closest available alternative to ice cream. In the restaurant, Index seems pretty content with Touma's decision, but he is exasperated at having to treat not only Index, but Aogami and Motoharu as well. Index then directs Touma to an occupied table where a suspicious-looking girl is sitting with her head in her arms. Touma asks her what the problem is, to which she replies that she has spent all her money on food. Touma, Motoharu and Aogami play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would be the one to answer her, with Touma naturally losing to his misfortune. Touma is forced to ask the girl how she managed to lose all her money; she replies that she spent all of it on the 100-yen burger the restaurant sold and had coupons for them, not knowing that it wasn't enough to cover the amount she ordered. She goes on to say that she doesn't have enough money for the train, and Touma suggests that she should just borrow it from someone. She sits up, revealing a beautiful face and long black hair, and exclaiming that she thinks that's a good idea. Motoharu and Aogami are amazed at how lovely she is and the latter takes a picture of her. The girl keeps staring at Touma, who recognizes the request in her look and responds that she shouldn't expect money from him. She gets irritated at Touma because of this, but Touma asks her rhetorically, who the idiot was who doesn't even have the money for the train. Motoharu comments on how uncharacteristically frank Touma is to a beautiful shrine girl and tells him that he has grown up. Hearing the word "beautiful" the girl asks Touma for money because of the fact, but is turned down. She then asks both Motoharu and Aogami for money to lend to her, especially the latter who has taken pictures of her.

However, Index gets fed-up with her and comments on how shrine girls sell their faces in this city too. She kindly tells Index that she is not a shrine girl but is in fact a magician. This angers Index, who demands more details if she truly is a magician, and tells her that she should at least pretend to be an oriental-style astrologist, to which the girl immediately claims to be. This infuriates Index, and Touma trying to calm her down, but she comments on how his attitude is completely different from when they first met. She goes on to say that back then, in order for Touma to confirm that magic is real he had to strip her naked. This shocks Aogami. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of several men in suits, apparently acquaintances of the girl, which she confirms by asking money from them and saying that they are her cram school teachers. She then leaves with the men, prompting Aogami to ask why a cram school teacher would be looking after a student. While walking home, Touma expresses to Index his unease with her mentioning he stripped her down, worrying about the consequences of word getting out that they live together. He then mutters to himself that he also never would have thought he had such bad friends, as if to suggest his suspicions that the person he was before he lost his memories was actually like those "bad friends". Later, Index finds a stray calico cat inside a box and Touma rejects the idea of taking it home before she even suggests it, much her to chagrin, and in her retort she refers to the cat as Sphynx, and they bicker about how she already named it and why she can't keep it. The cat runs away while they're arguing, and Index tries to go after it, but she suddenly stops when she notices a magical formation being activated and proceeds to investigate, leaving Touma alone. However soon after she has left, Touma suddenly feels uneasiness in his surroundings and is greeted by a tall man with red har who seems to know him, Stiyl Magnus.

Stiyl Magnus says that he should be familiar with this spell - it removes unwanted people from an area, leaving Touma and Stiyl alone. Touma wonders who the person before him is and is cautious in speaking with him. Stiyl interprets this as a sign that Touma still does not like or trust him, which he understands. Feeling a threat, Touma wonders about Index, but is told by Stiyl that she went off to investigate a flow of mana and is most likely unharmed. Touma wonders again about his life before he lost his memories, whether his days had been filled with strange occurrences like magic and other abnormalities, like they have been recently. Touma then asks Stiyl what he wants from him, but mistakenly smiles while doing so, prompting Stiyl to attack him with his fire magic. Touma was quick enough to block it, and is then told by Stiyl that is how their relationship should be, not friends.

Stiyl then informs Touma about Misawa Cram, which has recently become a sort of religious cult and has also imprisoned a girl. Stiyl says that the reason the school is in its current state is that it was taken over by an alchemist, Aureolus Izzard. However, Stiyl suddenly remarks on how strangely attentive Touma is being in his explanation. Thinking quickly, Touma asks if Stiyl was the type of person who likes his conversations to be ruined; Stiyl accepts Touma's bluff and confirms that it is better that Touma would not interrupt and the conversation going on smoothly. Stiyl continues his explanation, saying that the alchemist has been in hiding for three years, and is now back for the girl imprisoned in Misawa Cram, nicknamed Deep Blood. Stiyl says that Deep Blood possesses the ability to kill a certain organism – vampires – and is what Aureolus Izzard is after. After his explanation, Touma asks what he wants from him, and Stiyl states that he is on a mission to attack Misawa Cram and rescue Deep Blood, and that Touma is going with him or else Index will be taken away.

Back in his dormitory, Touma discovers that Index has brought in the cat from earlier, and after an argument, relents and allows Index to take the cat in. As Touma leaves his apartment, he finds Stiyl applying runes that will summon Innocentius in the area outside his door, as an extra precaution against magicians. Stiyl notes how troublesome Index is to look after. Touma asks him if he likes Index, to which Stiyl blushes and hastily denies any affection. Touma notices his discomfort and leaves their conversation at that.

They eventually arrive at the cram school, and Stiyl notes that the entire building has become the alchemist's seal. Touma asks Stiyl if Aureolus is strong, and Stiyl confirms this by saying that he has achieved the ultimate goal of alchemists, the power to model anything in this world, the power to bring out anything they imagine into reality. Stiyl then shows the picture of the imprisoned girl they are going to rescue to Touma. Touma gasps as Stiyl says that her name is Himegami Aisa - it's the girl Touma met earlier at the restaurant.

Touma and Stiyl walk into the school and notice a figure in knight's armor lying slumped over next to a column in the school lobby. Touma thinks that it is a robot but Stiyl tells him that it is a corpse lying in a pool of its own blood.

Adapted From

 * Prologue, Chapter 1 Parts 2-3 and Between the Lines 1, & Chapter 2 Parts 1-3

Major Events

 * Touma and Index meet Aogami and Motoharu, with Touma meeting them for the first time since losing his memories.
 * Touma, Index, Aogami and Motoharu meet Aisa.
 * Touma and Index acquires Sphynx.
 * Touma meets Stiyl for the first time since losing his memories.
 * Stiyl recruits Touma in his mission to rescue Himegami Aisa, and infiltrates Misawa Cram.

Characters
By order of appearance
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Index
 * Tsuchimikado Motoharu
 * Aogami Pierce
 * Stiyl Magnus

New Characters

 * Himegami Aisa
 * Sphynx
 * Aureolus Izzard

Abilities

 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma
 * Rune Magic - Stiyl Magnus
 * Fire Magic - Stiyl Magnus
 * Innocentius - Stiyl Magnus

New Abilities

 * Unnamed magic spell to levitate and control paper - Stiyl Magnus
 * Deep Blood - Himegami Aisa

Locations

 * Academy City
 * District 7
 * Kamijou Residence

New Locations

 * 326 Ice Cream
 * Macronall Hamburger
 * District 17
 * Misawa Cram

Trivia

 * Touma uses his "Such misfortune." phrase for the first time since the first episode.
 * Vampires are introduced in the story for the first time.

Referbacks

 * Index references Touma destroying her Walking Church which occurred back in episode 1.

Cultural References

 * The Macronall Hamburger restaurant is an obvious parody of the chain of hamburger restaurants.
 * Himegami is wearing the traditional costumes of shrine maidens or who serve at Shinto shrines.
 * Index references that the – a traditional Japanese string instrument – uses cats as a skin for its drum.
 * Touma references how England . Since November of 2004, the United Kingdom has introduced several sanctions to ban and control the huntings.
 * Stiyl mentions that Aureolus is a descendant of, a famous Renaissance era alchemist, botanist and many other professions. Credited for giving zinc its name and regarded as the first systematic botanist. In fact Aureolus' first name maybe derived from Paracelcus' second name from his full name, which is Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim.
 * The word Parsifal is engraved on the right arm of the corpse's armor, which may be a reference to 's opera of the.

Animation Trivia

 * The animation where Stiyl attacks Touma with his fire magic from episode 2 is reused in this episode.
 * The reference book that Touma bought and was carrying during Stiyl's attack on Touma, disappears before he uses his Imagine Breaker to block his attack. The book is not seen and is mentioned only once during the episode, where Touma indicates that he had lost it.
 * While thinking about hiding his memory loss from others, Touma has a flashback about events that he has supposedly forgotten. This is obviously a direction fault instead of something with hidden meaning.