Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:MvM2 Depth3 (section)

===Part 4===

The danger had been defused for the time being.

Work had begun on repairing the electromagnetic catapult. It might take time, but it apparently wasn’t beyond repair.

But the atmosphere inside the Izanami was unpleasant even after the sun came up.

What were things like among the teachers aboard the Izanagi?

At breakfast time, not many gathered in the restaurant they were using as a dining hall. Only a scattered few. Most of the girls grabbed what they could, gathered in small groups, and ate in different places across the ship.

Shokuhou grabbed a vegetable sandwich and breathed an exasperated sigh.

“This is your fault, Misaka-san.”

“Huh?”

“Because you brought up the possibility of the largest clique going on strike. You shouldn’t have brought up that kind of hypothetical when things were strained enough already.”

…Had that been a mistake?

It had seemed better than letting Kobayashi be attacked over a nonsense accusation.

It was possible the restaurant’s emptiness was a sign of people’s distrust in the Shokuhou Clique since they “could be hiding anywhere”. No one wanted some offhand comment to be overheard and reported on.

“It’s true we are the largest clique, but we don’t have people running every section of the Izanami. The biggest threat here is that we will tear ourselves apart – the exact same thing we used against the Empire.”

This wasn’t really about the Shokuhou Clique.

Maybe it really had been a bad idea to remind everyone that a strike was possible.

Now they couldn’t predict who would stop doing their job. That meant they couldn’t even count on this sandwich and corn pottage being available to eat tomorrow.

(A strike is meant to be paired with a demand, but there’s nothing we can do if they say they won’t work until we can ensure we’re safe from ballistic missiles.)

But…

“Then what should I have done back there? While still saving Kobayashi-san, of course.”

“ ‘We damaged the catapult as a surprise readiness test, so stop taking it so seriously. Ha ha ha.’ ”

“…”

Was that girl a demon?

The worst part was that that probably would have been fairly effective even if it was a lie.

“Truth ability isn’t the only way to save people. Isn’t that right?” Shokuhou brushed her long blonde hair off her shoulder. “Then no one would be to blame and they would all feel silly for being angry and slink off on their own. But this clueless meathead just had to turn me into everyone’s punching bag.”

An upperclassman was shrinking down shyly nearby.

It was Kobayashi.

“I-I’m so sorry my carelessness caused all this to happen.”

“What are you talking about, Kobayashi-senpai? You didn’t do anything wrong. All the blame lies with your clique leader who hadn’t prepared for that situation.”

“That’s right. The one who threw oil on the fire thinking that would extinguish it was this meathead moron here.”

“Huh?” “Huh?”

When those two glared at each other from close range, Kobayashi finally smiled a little.

“I’m so lucky to have both of Tokiwadai’s Level 5s worrying over me.”

Ultimately, the cause of the strained atmosphere aboard the Izanami wasn’t Kobayashi, Kongou, the swim team pair, or the Shokuhou Clique. Those were all minor issues.

It was the girls’ fear of the ballistic missiles.

Everyone knew what the main problem was, but no one had found a solution.

That oppressive atmosphere could drive people mad. Ordinarily, they would present a solution in order to give everyone some fresh air to breathe.

“Hey, Shokuhou.”

“What now?”

They had to discuss the fundamental issue.

In other words…

“Are we going to fight or not? And in either case, what do we do about the ballistic missiles?”