Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Crossover3 (section)

===Part 3===

'''(3 Hours After)

The initial impact had been far too shocking, but there was still a challenge to overcome.

At three hours from the beginning, it was midnight. And that felt to them like 24 hours + 3 hours.

And in the tea room…

“Squeal. I’m feeling sleepy.”

“Hm? Well, that’s not too surprising. It might be time for kids to go to sleep.”

“No! I’m old enough to gather plants all on my own. I can tell which ones are poisonous and the elder said being able to get your own food is proof you’re an adult.”

Young Shinobu and the gray pig rolled around on the tatami mats as they chatted. There was no futon there and they were using a cushion folded in half like a pillow.

And the Zashiki Warashi in a red yukata and Beatrice with her red and silver hair had the exact same thought.

They wanted to let Shinobu and Boo Boo sleep.

But those two would be dragged into the forbidden room if they fell asleep, so what were they to do?

“Armelina.”

“What’s with that look, Beatrice?”

“Sorry.”

A strange shout of “Dwah!” burst out. The Holy Swordswoman had drawn her rapier (which was technically a Magic management device known as a Shining Weapon), fire had burned from the tip, and she had not hesitated to jab it into Armelina’s gut. The Fighter Priest would not normally be so easily defeated, but she had not expected an attack from her friend during this Sleepless Championship where a futon was the enemy.

This was where it began.

They had skipped right past fighting over coffee or mint gum or messing with the air conditioner to make their rivals more comfortable.

There was something wrong with these battle types.

“Y-you…idiot…?”

“Sorry, Armelina.” Beatrice did not look remotely remorseful. “But Boo Boo isn’t going to last. This championship should end if everyone else drops out, so if putting everyone else to sleep will save him, I’m not going to even think about surviving along with him!!”

“Dammit! Stop acting like a yandere when you’re single! And does falling unconscious even count as falling aslee- gbrchi!!!?”

The trick was to keep the attacks coming before her opponent could physically or mentally recover. After a few more hits to the belly, the young woman passed out like a princess being kidnapped by sleazy bandits. Armelina had a one way ticket to the graveyard. A white cloth wrapped around her ankle and she was dragged away with her metal staff scraping against the tatami mats.

At the same time, the Zashiki Warashi kicked over Hayabusa, a normal member of the Jinnai family (and a delinquent high school boy) who had been sleeping like normal. She heard some desperate screaming, but it was all for young Shinobu’s sake.

“Wait, wait, wait. What’s the point of sacrificing people who aren’t even part of the championship?”

“Oh? Um…well, it’s only Hayabusa.”

Those hunters of love readily hunted down other people if it would protect the person they loved or needed to protect. They left the tea room in search of new prey, but then the situation grew even more confusing.

“…Zzz.”

“Boo. He started this, but he’s already asleep.”

“N-nooo!! Shinobuuuu!?”

In a way, this was to be expected since the time after midnight was like another world for a 6-year-old, but that was not the most interesting part. Shinobu was sleeping with the gray pig in his arms, but the white ribbons of insanity did not attack him like they had Filinion and Armelina.

A voice from the forbidden room explained why.

“Mutter, mutter… Hmm, after getting two or three sandbags in such quick succession, I’m feeling sleepy. Zzz.”