Reflections on Shokuhou Misaki
“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. A sunset, a mountain bathed in moonlight, the ocean in calm and in storm—we see these, love their beauty, hold the vision to our hearts. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” - Helen Keller
Love is one of those things that has a strange grip on the human heart. Anyone who has experienced it knows this. The abundant joys of love surpass any other pleasures, while the anguish of lost love can torment the soul more than any physical pain. Volume 11 of Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index: New Testament) recounts a particularly touching story of love: the tale of Shokuhou’s Misaki’s unceasing love for Kamijou Touma.
It began one summer day when Kamijou, in a hurry, ran into Shokuhou on a busy sidewalk. The force of their impact sent the contents of their bags flying. Apologizing profusely, Kamijou hurriedly picked up and handed Shokuhou’s stuff back to her. As the boy left in a rush, Shokuhou could not help but stare back at him in annoyance.
The second time they would meet, it would be an encounter of far greater significance. Sitting next to a remote lake, where she had gone to get away from everyone, Shokuhou was contemplating deleting her own memories using her esper power, “Mental Out”. Doing so would erase the emotional pain she suffered from the death of her childhood friend and the attempted suicide of her rival. She was depressed. It was fate, perchance, that Kamijou happened to walk by. In his own easy-going manner, he managed to console her, though she did get mad at him because of her own hot-headedness. Shokuhou then swore to herself to never delete her memories but to persevere instead.
Over the summer, they would continue to chance upon the other. At the swimming pool, Kamijou discovered Shokuhou’s inability to swim. He proceeded to tease her unceasingly, but also helped her enjoy herself in the deep waters. Running into each other at the local park, they sat next to each other, exchanging playful banter and resting in each other’s presence. At the end of the summer, Kamijou would gift Shokuhou with a whistle to call him whenever she needed help.
Alas, their times of laughter would come to an end. In a fight against robots designed to nullify Shokuhou’s powers and kill her, Kamijou sacrificed his body to protect her. He was on the verge of death. In a desperate attempt to save him, Shokuhou used her powers on him to alleviate his sense of pain while he was being transported to the hospital. Her treatment saved Kamijou, but due to his blood loss, it also permanently damaged his brain. Kamijou’s ability to remember Shokuhou was forever lost. Not only would he be unable to recall their past, he would also be mentally unable to remember her in the future.
The stories of Index and Railgun take place after that consequential day, when Shokuhou forever became a stranger to Kamijou. She watches on the sidelines while Kamijou builds relationships and goes on adventures with other girls. She holds in her pain when Kamijou walks by her on the streets. Yet despite Kamijou’s inability to remember her, let alone return her feelings, Shokuhou loves him. In the midst of her sorrow and grief, she holds on to the hope that someday, Kamijou’s ability to remember her will be restored. She will wait for him forever.
Isn’t the love of our God similar?
We forget God all the time. We set our affections on anything besides God. We are unable to love him as he loves us. Even so, our God still loves us. He loves us so much that he will never let any one of us, his beloved children, go. It is written, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
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