Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:RailgunSS3 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 3===

Uiharu and Saten had never been to a classical instrument store, but it turned out they were not hard to find. Instead of a big-box store, it felt more like a small urban electronics store. It felt stuck in the past, but it also showed no sign of going anywhere. In that sense, it was similar to a light truck selling roast sweet potatoes or bamboo poles.

Instead of playing music over speakers, robot arms played the string instruments and air was blown through the wind instruments so customers could hear how they would sound. Uiharu and Saten walked curiously through the shelves of instruments that their amateur eyes could not tell apart.

Of course, buying the best violin this store had would not be enough to match the Stativarius. There was no point in trying to compete that way.

Mikoto instead picked up the cheapest practice model they had.

They must have had trouble selling it because it was marked down to just 5000 yen.

“Okay, this should be fine as a base.”

She was like an impatient child who popped open the toy box before getting home. She held up the somewhat faded wooden instrument on the side of the road.

As a true Tokiwadai student, she looked perfect with the instrument.

“This is a violin. I should probably start with a simple overview. It looks like the sound is made simply by vibrating the taut strings with this bow, but the inside of the violin itself is actually hollow and it resonates with the vibration of the strings. Some say the sound of a violin changes depending on how the varnish is applied, but that’s because they’re concerned about how it influences the vibration of the resonance chamber.”

“Ohh.”

“Stativari are so highly prized because of the excellent balance of the resonance chamber’s curves. And on such a subtle level that factory production can’t match it. Anyone can get the strings on straight, so any differences have to be in the holy ground where the craftsman has left their mark.”

“Does that mean the strings can be made of kite string or metal wire for all it matters?”

Saten put forth a bold theory.

“The strings produce the sound and the chamber resonates with it,” said Shirai. “It might be similar to an idol and a concert hall. Even the fanciest acoustic equipment is wasted without a singer.”

Orchestras used violas, cellos, and contrabasses in addition to violins, but the size was the only real difference and the basic structure was the same. The Stativarius name was famous for string instruments as a whole and the same creator made instruments of all those different scales.

“Since this is a cheap violin, the strings are synthetic, just like fishing line, but the more expensive ones use sheep intestines.”

“E-eww. I-intestines?”

“That is more common than you think. It is used in wieners and sausages as well.”

Even ''Saten'' was a little disgusted by the thought, but it did not seem to bother Mikoto at all.

“But to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. The Stativarius is from the 1700s and the same animal intestines wouldn’t have survived for three centuries. The strings will have been replaced at some point, so its vintage value doesn’t come from there.”

“Hmm.”

Uiharu Kazari was oddly interested in Mikoto’s elegant way of holding the violin than the violin itself, so she viewed the girl from various angles. When Shirai Kuroko noticed, she lightly hit the girl and continued the conversation.

“So it comes back to the resonance chamber? Then is altering the violin itself the quickest route to changing the sound?”

“That’s right.”

It seemed almost too easy.

Mikoto twisted loose the knob on the head of the violin and used a special tool resembling a flathead screwdriver to pop open the gourd-shaped violin so casually you would think it was a bento box.

“Ah!”

Uiharu cried out in surprise, but it was not broken. Mikoto had taken it apart for maintenance in a way only the craftsman was meant to do.

There was nothing inside.

There truly were no special parts there. They only found the blank space of an empty box inside. It was such a simple image that the others began to wonder why this was viewed as a classy instrument that was out of reach for commoners.

As Mikoto continued to dismantle it, she revealed it to be no more than a collection of wooden rods and panels. It almost looked like you could trace the shapes on some plywood as a pattern to cut out the exact same parts for yourself. In reality, the parts were processed with heat and pressure just like a bow (the weapon kind), but it meant a lot that they were starting with accurate parts similar to those used to build a plastic robot model. It was a good starting point.

The rest came down to accurate knowledge.

They had to know how a violin worked.

“Let’s think about the inner structure for a bit. As long as you meet the bare minimum of standards, anyone can get a passing grade when it comes to strings. That means the difference has to come from here. The final sound is created by the vibration of the empty resonance chamber.”

In that case…

“If we modify this resonance chamber, we can adjust the sound however we like, right?”