Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:RailgunSS3 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

“My, my. If it isn’t Sakibasu-sama. It is wonderful to see you again. How have you enjoyed the violin we helped bring into your life?”

The next day after school, they were greeted by a gray-haired old man in a black suit. His smile and polite behavior gave him the air of a butler.

But his exaggerated speech made Mikoto put a hand on her hip and sigh.

They were in Academy City’s District 6.

The entire district had been made into a giant amusement park.

They sat around a circular table designed to look like a tea party, but that table was located at the center of a large intersection on Main Street, the route for a largescale parade. That area was so constantly crowded that it was said it would only be deserted once the world came to an end.

They were meeting a giant organization which was as intangible as shimmering heat.

It seemed to be true that the organization had no obvious headquarters.

Sakibasu Yuri must have recognized the old man because her shoulders were less tense than Mikoto’s and Shirai’s. The girl scratched her cheek as she responded.

“Yes, well, I lost pretty badly with it. I assume you already know about that.”

“Ha ha. So the rumors were true. I am glad to hear it.”

The old man smiled gently toward the violin case the black twintail girl always carried around with her.

Shirai, however, looked suspicious.

She was the one who had destroyed that legend, but…

“What do you mean? Isn’t it a problem for you if the Stativarius legend collapses? You must have received a significant amount in handling fees while acting as the middleman for the violin’s sale. Was it perhaps 20% on a price in the hundreds of millions? The greater the purchase price, the better for you.”

Saten trembled at the thought of 20% out of hundreds of millions of yen.

Shirai had summed it up as “acting the middleman”, but Mikoto, Sakibasu, and Shirai herself knew that procuring, storing, securing, and transporting such a famous instrument would come with plenty of risk. What if they ended up with a counterfeit? What if it was stolen before the auction? What if it was ruined by humidity or a leaky roof? What if it did not sell for as much as initially thought? Whether it was a jewel or a painting, possessing a pricey item would wear at the nerves. Since this issue had already proven it could place people’s lives at risk, this business could not be an easy way to make money.

But the old man in a suit did not tough on any of those internal issues and only added a hint of bitterness to his smile.

“I cannot deny we have our financial interests to consider.”

This was not enough to shake him.

He was very different from the Anti-Skill officers from the day before.

“However, you must not forget that the products we handle are tools. Whatever they might be and whatever price they might sell for, we appreciate it when they reach the hands of someone who will use them to their fullest. I believe the Stativarius Ainsel itself would want to be used in a serious competition with a chance of losing instead of easily-won competitions where your opponent never stood a chance. You and the violin you hold have accepted each other and become comrades-in-arms bound by genuine trust. I cannot reveal the identity of the former owner as our sellers are guaranteed their anonymity, but I can say that I am proud to have sold it to a benevolent owner such as you.”

“Um…” Saten hesitantly raised a hand. “Excuse me, but we had heard that all the products sold by Chandelier double as secret ‘keys’. Is that part of what you mean by using them as tools?”

If the Stativari were a sort of “key” and another owner refused to accept Shirai Kuroko’s victory since it threatened the value of their “key”, then the Chandelier Auction House might have a list of suspects. Especially if this was the only place someone could obtain a Stativarius. Although it was unlikely Chandelier would reveal any personal information about their wealthy clients since that would bring those clients trouble similar to the people who won big at the lottery.

However, the old man shook his head.

“We have nothing to do with the ‘keys’ you refer to.”

“What?”

Mikoto asked for clarification, but he did not seem insulted.

In fact, he closed his eyes sadly.

“It is similar to how the game company plays no direct part in the real money trade that has become so prevalent in online games. Those transactions are carried out on message boards and social media communities separate from the game servers. And even if it intrudes on the game servers, it is difficult for a single company to forcibly put a stop to it.”

“You mean Chandelier doesn’t deal in those ‘keys’; someone else ''has turned your products into them''?”

The old man nodded at Uiharu’s carefully worded question.

“In the past year, our sales prices have rapidly grown by more than 50%. We had found it odd since it did not seem the sellers were hiring plants to inflate the prices… You might find this viewpoint odd for someone who makes a living by running an auction, but a tool is no more than a tool. Any value not attached to its functionality will always lead to a distortion. An unnecessary added value acts like a curse and will occasionally harm people. I do not know what unseen person is possessing us, but it saddens me very much.”

Mikoto sighed quietly.

She decided to tentatively view what the old man said as evidence.

If the source of the infection really was elsewhere and Chandelier itself had done nothing wrong, there was nothing they could accomplish poking around here. No amount of prodding or coaxing would get him to do anything beyond his duty. That meant he would never hand over personal information on his clients.

“So we’re back to square one, huh? This is another dead end.”

“Um.”

However, Sakibasu did not seem to have given up.

“You said it was best if your products ended up with people who would use them, correct? Then you would not want a Stativarius to end up with someone who will not use it. Anyone who bought one of the violins as a ‘key’ is using it in a way that violates Chandelier’s values. Don’t you want to flush out that corruption!?”

The old man did not respond.

Their client list might contain some suspicious people who were not worth protecting.

But if they sold off the entire list for that, they could not continue running their auctions. Mikoto, Sakibasu, and the others did not have any material evidence to back up their claims and the clients would all back out if their personal information was divulged based on mere speculation. It was the same as a big winner at the lottery. No one would leave their personal information with someone who did not follow any strict rules and gave out names and addresses on a whim.

“This is your chance. You need not take any risk yourself! We will take care of everything for you!! So please!!”

This had nothing to do with what the old man wanted to do.

He could not agree to this.

“Give it up, Sakibasu-san. Continuing this won’t help anyone.”

“But…”

“Sakibasu-san.”

“I was so happy when I got the Stativarius Ainsel. I will not let history and tradition bind me any longer, but when I first held this instrument in my hands, my life definitely did change. I felt like I was ascending into heaven. You said you helped bring it into my life, didn’t you? You said you were proud of that. Then you must understand. I cannot be the only person who truly needs a famous Stativarius! I don’t mean as a bizarre ‘key’ and I am not referring to the people who would pull out a shotgun because their cheap pride was threatened! There must be plenty of people whose lives would really and truly change if they could only pick up a Stativarius and play a song on it!! Don’t you want to send those violins to people like that!? Isn’t that the entire reason Chandelier exists!?”

However.

It was all wasted effort.

The old man maintained his perfect smile and remained entirely motionless. Sakibasu bit her lip, but there were some things he could not compromise on. So even if he completely agreed with them, he could not allow these girls to trample on everything Chandelier had built.

Or so they thought.

But then…

“I cannot hand over the client list that Chandelier holds in the strictest confidence. That is nonnegotiable. For one thing, Sakibasu-sama, your name is on that list as well.”

Wasn’t that exactly what they had expected him to say?

Then why had he bothered to say it at all?

“However, there might be a seam in that anonymity where another company plays a role. Yes, just as an online game’s real money trade is difficult for the game company to stop because it occurs on a message board hosted by another company.”

“Hm? What do you mean???”

“Pay me no heed. I am merely ''speaking to myself''.” The old man smiled. “Leannán Sí, Titania, Tam Lin, Pixy, Siren… Whichever Stativarius we are talking about, they sell for hundreds of millions. Especially in the last six months when the prices have grown by more than 50% what we predicted. Do you think they are simply thrown in a closet after won at auction? In most cases, wouldn’t the buyer hire various forms of security, hire more private guards, and take out a high-value insurance plan to prepare for the unforeseen?”

“Ah.”

Sakibasu placed a hand over her mouth.

The old man looked at her like she was his beloved granddaughter.

“This is truly no more than a senile old man ''speaking to himself'', so please do not take it seriously. That said, there are likely only a few specialist divisions even among the largest national insurance companies that will provide a policy for a violin worth hundreds of millions. Only one or two in Academy City I would imagine.”

“Th-then if we pursue that…!!”

“They are doing their job as well. From what I have heard, they provide such superb service that they will preserve their obligation of secrecy even if it is a blatantly stolen item. They will keep its storage location secret and reject any requests for the return of the stolen item. It is possible that you could find something by searching the division that specializes in antiques and artwork of that nature.”