Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item4 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 3===

The first wave had ended.

Mugino Shizuri and Frenda Seivelun had both escaped, but that wasn’t what mattered.

Sakuya remained confident within a long, skinny blast and bullet resistant car that could probably carry 20.

The driver couldn’t hear her with the thick glass between them, but…

“Experts from the strange land of Academy City attacked, but they were forced to flee without killing their target. That alone qualifies as a success. The Mugino Family power I have gathered already rivals Academy City’s dark side.”

Of course, Sakuya was not heading to a hideout linked to the Mugino Family.

A new phase had begun.

From here on, she had to be cautious of the Mugino Family Bloodline. So she was on the way to a resort hotel she had acquired using hidden assets unconnected to the Mugino Family.

The physical distance was irrelevant.

Was there a link in the data or not? That was what mattered in the world of more shadowy pursuits. As long as no one knew you were there, you could be safe hiding in the adjacent room.

“Hm, hm♪”

In a corner of the Kingdom Suite taking up the entire top floor, an extra room had been built without the knowledge of the hotel’s owners. That said, it was only something that could be assembled on site, such as a simple sauna or a soundproof room.

“What’s the latest word on the Management?”

Sakuya’s question was answered by Mujinayama who had rejoined her after taking a different route. He looked as unconcerned as ever.

Nothing could be more reassuring for someone plotting misdeeds.

“The ones pretending to work for Eika-sama, Ginsuke-sama, and the rest of the Bloodline will be joining us soon.”

“Good. Now none of the Bloodline can interfere.”

The Management were an important part of the Family.

Ougigumo was in charge of the spinning business.

Bakyaku excelled at horse racing and other forms of gambling.

However, the Management did not draw a line between the legal and the illegal. So Ougigumo still ran a forced labor system where people were bought and imprisoned, just with those unthinkable things referred to by more modern terms like “online loans” and “away-from-home employment with free housing provided”. Bakyaku would work alongside the official gambles to dope the racehorses or to lay high-interest traps for shady investors and rich kids who had never worked a day in their life.

More than simple deadly force was asked of the Management.

They each had to monetize their business and expand their influence beyond the Mugino Family. For simple money, the Family could rely on their legal grain production corporation. The Management involved themselves in illicit businesses so they could listen in on what people were saying in every industry and at every class.

“Sakuya-sama.”

Mujinayama, the old butler in a tuxedo and monocle, bowed with greater precision than an automatic door.

This was an exciting crossroads in her life, but Mujinayama, who stood there with her, remained as precise as ever.

How reassuring was that?

That alone told her she had the upper hand on Shizuri.

“You have finally made a big step forward.”

“It took much too long.”

“There is no going back now. Sakuya-sama, victory is the only path left.”

This was a coup.

Mugino Sakuya’s methods might seem rash and risky, but she didn’t actually have much time left.

Because her greatest rival, Mugino Shizuri, was Academy City’s #4 Level 5.

That girl’s body itself was filled with the secrets of esper development technology. Investigating her body would reveal it all. By abusing that and mass-producing espers, the Mugino Family would transform into the world’s greatest violent group, both in name and in fact. That girl didn’t have to do anything at all. She didn’t need a vast fortune or army. She only had to return home to the Mugino Family and she would bring the Family a greater reward than the rest of the Bloodline combined.

If nothing was done, she would take the head spot.

Sakuya’s generation would be skipped over and Shizuri, of the next generation down, would take it all.

How could she just sit around and let that happen?

“What will you do now?”

“Good question.”

Sakuya smiled at Mujinayama as he bowed obediently.

“I must swiftly search out a path forward.”

She didn’t care that a man was present.

The beautiful woman reached around to her back and gracefully unzipped the back of her dress.

She removed the gorgeous dress.

Along with her underwear.

Then she stepped through the door and entered a small 2x2m room.

And then something crashed into her bare body.



“Snails” “That’s why Sayu says” “Finally reached a million!!” “Umeboshi are” “Here goes!!” “Aeuiueahoh” “Who killed him?” “Tomorrow’s weather in Kantou will be” “For a limited time only, you get 50% off!” “Next is Ikebukuro. Repeat: Ikebukuro.” “This one product is all you need for your basic makeup.” “Join me in prayer.” “Not just the redback spider! You also need to watch out for” “Now you need to stir it all together. Think of it like getting some air into” “To prepare for their harsh journey, the migratory birds will” “Be especially careful when fishing for bass” “The founder’s secret is” “You will never have to drink tap water again” “We’ve arrived on the scene, but the suspect is nowhere to be found! We will begin a search of the surrounding” “Continue north” “You were the traitor!?” “Hat” “Here you want to move the Gold to 63” “A brand new age of ramen” “Ahhhh!” “1, 2, 3, 4” “In zero-g outer space”



It was a flood.

A deluge of sound.

The room contained countless speakers. Like an octopus’s suckers or a peacock’s feathers, the cramped space was filled with circular patterns of various sizes. They were all simultaneously playing different voices.

It physically vibrated her fine skin. She received all that information at once through not just her eardrums but her entire body. The vibrations in her bones stimulated her brain.

Of course, not every voice meant something. She employed the cocktail party effect. When people were surrounded by a lot of noise, psychology said they would subconsciously select the topic that most interested them and try to focus on that voice alone. Using that, the information she most needed at the moment would rise to the surface even when she would have a hard time consciously picking it out.

She couldn’t assume she was blessed.

Thinking she had the perfect position was the same as giving up on thinking.

She had to always focus on her hunger.

Mugino Sakuya grinned as she picked up on one term.

“ ‘Fishing’ is it?”