Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Manga Chapter 069

"Closure" (閉会) is the 69th chapter of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun manga series. The chapter covers the aftermath and closing event of the Daihaseisai.

The chapter was serialized in Dengeki Daioh as Chapter 71 but was renumbered for the tankōbon version due to Chapter 65 merging three magazine chapters into one.

Synopsis
Misaka Mikoto reunites with her friends, who now remember who she is. It turns out that Misaki restored their memories, but modified them so that today's events are remembered as capturing terrorists who were targeting the festival (to keep the Sisters from being publicly revealed). Mikoto thinks to herself that it might be possible for her to eventually get along with Shokuhou Misaki. However, Mikoto then hears form her friends that Misaki gave her a humiliating cover story: she claimed that Mikoto ate too much festival food and got sick, causing her to threaten Misaki's faction so she could stay in the bathroom all day. Mikoto instantly reverses her opinion of Misaki.

With that Tokiwadai Middle School continues to participate in the remaining days of the festival. Mitsuko makes a recovery and is able to participate in the festival with Mikoto as her partner again.

As the Daihaseisai winds to a close, one night the girls approach the bonfire where the folk dance is happening. Mikoto goes away to buy them all drinks. The others talk about how they can't join in the dance: Uiharu and Saten have no partners, while Kuroko is too injured to dance with Mikoto. Kamijou Touma happens to encounter them, and thanks Saten for the protective charm she lent. Touma offers her to buy her some food to make it up to her, though she says that it is all right. Mikoto comes around with the drinks, and finds Touma talking with Saten. Touma says that he borrowed a protective charm from her, confusing Mikoto though she later figures out it was for the borrowing race. Mikoto's stutters and awkward way of presenting herself to Touma do not go unnoticed before the eyes of Saten and Uiharu.

Capitalizing this newfound knowledge, Saten approaches Touma and asks him to dance with her as a way of thanking her for the charm. Touma agrees, then Saten tells him to go on ahead. Mikoto is utterly shocked by what has transpired. Saten pretends that she suffered a leg injury during a previous event which is now catching up to her, prompting Mikoto to ask her if she is okay. However, Kuroko figures out their ruse and tries to tell Mikoto, only for Uiharu to cover her mouth. Saten says that she can't move but asks Mikoto to dance with Touma in her place. Mikoto becomes embarrassed by this, and makes up a bunch of excuses. Fed up with this, Saten forces Mikoto to say that she wants to dance, to which she does.

Blushing furiously, Mikoto walks up to Touma and drags him to the dance, much to his surprise. Saten, Uiharu, and Kuroko observe the pair dancing. Mikoto tells Touma that he saved her once again, though he replies that other people helped out as well, with him just helping a bit in the end. Mikoto says that she was saved by a lot of different friends, and says that she can't forgive the unpleasant parts of Academy City that view espers as guinea pigs, but it was coming to the city that allowed her to meet everyone, and those meetings are a treasure to her. She then tells Touma that next time, she wants to protect everyone, because she thinks that's the only way to pay everyone back. Touma teases that she must also consider meeting him a treasure as well, as the way she said it included him as well. Before a flustered Mikoto can reply, Saten and Uiharu fail to restrain Kuroko and she teleports away to kick Touma in the head, ending their dance.

Major Events

 * Shokuhou Misaki restores Mikoto's friends' memories of her.
 * The Daihaseisai continues as planned, ending with a bonfire dance in which Mikoto and Touma participate together.
 * Saten and Uiharu finally discover Mikoto likes Touma.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Heaven Canceller
 * Sisters clone
 * Shokuhou Misaki (Mikoto's imagination-only)
 * Kirifu Megumi
 * Wannai Kinuho
 * Awatsuki Maaya
 * Kongou Mitsuko
 * Kamijou Touma

New Characters
No new characters were introduced during this chapter.

Abilities

 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5.
 * Float Dial - Awatsuki Maaya, Level 3.
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4.

New Abilities
No new abilities were introduced in this chapter.

Locations

 * Academy City
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital
 * Exterior

New Locations
No new locations were introduced this chapter.

Trivia

 * This would mark the first time Uiharu and Saten notice Mikoto's feelings for Touma.
 * This chapter marks the debut of several Strange Juices: Coconut Cider, Habanero Pineapple Juice, and Watermelon Tea.

Cultural references

 * Mikoto references her combination with Mitsuko as the and  combo respectively, the god of thunder and the god of wind in Japanese mythology and Shintoism.

Referbacks

 * The girl that becomes too dizzy to compete against Saten in their race is the girl whose butt Touma accidentally touches in the 67th chapter of the Toaru Majutsu no Index manga during A Certain High School's competition against her school.
 * Saten saying that "baseball bats is her specialty," may be a reference to her relation with the object in the Toaru Majutsu no Index animated universe, as introduced in the 23rd episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.
 * The events of this bonfire dance is referenced in the prologue of Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 11.
 * Dancing in the background during the bonfire dance sequence is the unnamed Judgment Boy and Twin Tails Girl he saved back in Chapter 4 of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun. They were last seen apparently on a date back in Chapter 31.
 * Mikoto's speech to Touma regarding the good and bad parts of Academy City is similar to the one she gives to Therestina Kihara Lifeline in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S Episode 22.

Unanswered Questions

 * What happened to Kihara Gensei?
 * What happened to Kouzaku Mitori and Shokuhou Misaki? Did they achieve what they set out to do and saved Dolly's sister?

Quotes

 * Mikoto: "I may have thought she was a disagreeable person...(actually I still do) But if she has her own type of justice and beliefs... the day might come when we can... walk together." — regarding Shokuhou Misaki before changing her mind.
 * Mikoto: "Okay. I'm killing her." — regarding Shokuhou Misaki after realizing she placed false memories about her being stuck in the bathroom all day.
 * Mikoto: "I was saved... by a lot of different friends. I...I can't forgive the unpleasant parts of Academy City that view espers as guinea pigs. But it was coming here that allowed me to meet everyone...And those meetings are a treasure to me... So I want to protect everyone next time. I think that's the only way to pay everyone back." — to Touma.