Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume6 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 2===

“…”

When Index arrived at the back-alley capsule hotel, she crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.

Othinus and Kumokawa Seria weren’t much different.

The only one who wasn’t upset was the calico cat on the nun’s head.

Kamijou Touma was confused. The Bologna Succubus was the one crazy enough to go around in nothing but underwear, so why were their piercing gazes focused on him? Not to mention that the god was trying to act like a reasonable dresser when her outfit was just as revealing.

Maybe it was all the time he had spent in that capsule full of sweet female pheromones to dry his clothes.

Whatever the case, he wasn’t given a chance to defend himself.

[[Image:GT_Index_v06_BW3.png|thumb]]


“(My plan is in complete shambles now. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to be the mature beauty of his group, but then she comes along out of nowhere and steals that position away from me!)”

“(Human, why are you falling for a mere big-titty demon when you are already have an ultra super rare god?)”

The ones muttering under their breath were giving off a terrifying dark aura. And one of them was a god, so she was probably uttering curses that would drive all who heard them to madness.

“(He’s clearly a phone newbie, yet he can summon a swarm of girls with a single message? And he didn’t think twice about calling in more girls when he was already with me. Not to mention that this is a ''hotel''. I can’t believe he didn’t have an issue asking them here or that they didn’t have an issue coming here.)”

“Shut up, you winged freak!”

“Shut up, you winged freak!”

Kumokawa and Othinus appeared to have become friends at some point.

Index didn’t seem to realize what the Bologna Succubus had been implying, so she alone watched on in confusion.

They couldn’t all fit in that capsule, so they remained in the hallway. The Bologna Succubus used the edge of the capsule entrance like a bench since she was injured. When Kamijou tried to leave the capsule, her pink tail coiled around his neck and yanked him back to her side. The super sweet and sexy young woman’s lonely gesture nearly sent him (quite literally) to heaven.

Othinus got the conversation started, sounding somewhat irritated.

“So, human. Did you drive everyone out of this building to claim it for yourself?”

“Do you really think he could do that? It is still the late afternoon outside, but the guests will start returning once night falls. Capsule hotels are generally built alongside saunas, but they are still hotels.”

Kamijou wanted to get down to business.

What did his two experts – Index and Othinus – think of Transcendent Aradia?

“I’ve never heard of a person called Aradia.” The nun still looked upset, but she answered his question while seated on the hallway bench. “But I have heard of ''a book'' called Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.”

Kamijou’s heart skipped a beat.

Aradia. And witches.

“But a lot of people think that was a story a witch made up on the spot to tell the author what he wanted to hear.”

Kumokawa seemed to prefer being in the corner because she leaned back against a square pillar and held the bored-looking cat while tilting her head at that answer.

“So that witch used the same technique as a streetside fortuneteller?”

“More or less. ''According to a fortuneteller who has since abandoned their authority,'' the entire field is about drawing out the words a hesitant person wants to say themself.”

“The witch herself probably wanted to be seen as a good talker and a clever doctor,” cynically added Othinus while climbing up onto Kamijou’s shoulder.

But this wasn’t any help at all.

If it was only a book, then what exactly were the Transcendents of the Bridge Builders Cabal?

Kamijou glanced over at the Bologna Succubus, but the demon seated next to him was only smiling. When she noticed him looking, she winked and squeezed her upper arms together to accentuate her cleavage. But he did recall that she had said her purpose in life and actions were centered on someone being sentenced to death for the absurd charge of running a succubus brothel.

Anna Sprengel had apparently joined that cabal and the magic side generally believed that she was no more than a name that appeared in the letter Westcott forged when founding the Golden cabal. Kamijou had assumed that forgery theory only meant that Anna herself had never appeared directly on center stage to spread any those global disasters, but what if there was more to it than that?

And then there was ''Alice'' who stood at the top of the Bridge Builders Cabal.

“Don’t let them confuse you, human.” After finally reaching her usual spot on his shoulder, the 15cm god tickled his ear with an exasperated sigh. “There is no way of proving one way or the other if a goddess named Aradia really existed in the distant past. The same is true for the entire Bridge Builders Cabal. The issue we need to focus on is the fact that a magician going by that name is here in Shibuya today and that she is attacking you with some kind of powerful spell. Whoever she might be, you can eliminate her as a threat if you defeat her.”

That was true enough.

But this was a big problem Kamijou didn’t think he could just ignore.

“If she is using witchcraft, then it should be based on natural chemicals.” Index attacked the issue from a different angle while kicking her legs atop the bench in the shared hallway running between the locker-like rows of capsules. “A witch’s supernatural feats of healing, divination, cursing, flight, and crop growth should all be derived from medicinal herbs and minerals. They are basically priestesses living deep in the woods after all.”

“So what is that Triple whatever thing, Index?”

“You mean the Wiccan Triple Reload?”

The Bologna Succubus, who was of uncertain age, was playing with the cat. The cat had slipped from Kumokawa’s hands to chase after her wiggling tail, so she was skillfully sending her tail darting this way and that to just barely dodge the kitty punches.

Her clarification meant nothing to the high school boy, but it was valuable information for Index.

“I see. ''That'' explains the Aradia name. In that case, you can call what she uses witchcraft, but her spells are not based on a specific mythology or religion like Greek or Celtic.”

“U-um, Index?”

“This is something newer and more like a ''superstition''. Instead of digging up the ancient techniques, this witchcraft was created new by mixing together bits and piece of the thoroughly Christianized culture. That means she won’t just use the Rule of Three. Wicca has plenty of rules and taboos all its own. Use those against her and you should be able to defeat her no matter how much more powerful she- oh.”

Index was cut off by a rattling sound.

But what was rattling?

The floor was. No, was it the entire multi-tenant building containing the capsule hotel!?

The Bologna Succubus whispered into Kamijou’s ear while sitting next to him and resting her head on his shoulder (and receiving threats from Othinus for invading the little god’s territory).

“Aradia is here.”