Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:RailgunSS3 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 6===

And.

In a third-story hallway overlooking the courtyard, someone rested her elbows on the windowsill as she looked outside.

She was Academy City’s #5 Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki.

That Queen of the largest clique had waist-length blonde hair and model-like proportions.

“I see you’re causing trouble again, Misaka-san☆”

“You’re going to blame me for pouring oil on the fire when you’re the one who dumped the initial sparks on the mountain?”

Mikoto held a chocolate bar in her mouth. Shokuhou avoided all additives, so she stared at Mikoto like the girl was a creepy old guy eating mud dumplings that children had made at the park.

“Your adorable little underclassman could have sidestepped all of this by forfeiting the competition, couldn’t she have?”

“Isn’t that girl from your clique?”

“She just happens to have a convenient power: ''the ability to precisely measure carbon isotopes.'' That gives her accurate appraisal ability for the legitimacy of antiques and artwork. It couldn’t hurt to have someone like that around, could it?”

That power was not as obviously useful as Mikoto’s Railgun or Shokuhou’s Mental Out, but it was all in how you used it. A <sup>14</sup>C power could be used to appraise antiques and artwork, to search for geological layers and mineral veins, and even to scan the human body. When looking only at physical scans, that power would rival Mikoto’s free control of electromagnetism.

Shokuhou giggled before continuing.

“Her power can even detect spoiled food. I thought it was a neat ability, so I had her join my clique☆”

“It’s called Carbon Search, right? That explains why she was so willing to spend all that money on that violin as soon as it was up for sale. …Although I heard you were the one who got her in touch with the auction house.”

“The Chandelier Auction House, yes. I didn’t expect her to actually win the thing, though. I just wanted her to expand her horizons by experiencing a more mature atmosphere ability, but I should have been more careful. I forgot auctions houses tend to get beginners so worked up they forget how to make smart decisions.”

Shokuhou bent her hips to lean on the windowsill as she looked down to the courtyard outside once more.

Sakibasu Yuri’s performance was at a very high level.

The Tokiwadai girls were used to hearing high-quality music, but even they were drawn in to listen. Their hearts must have been tickled by the adventurous spirit that was like gently touching a half-healed scab. But all of them would give the credit to the Stativarius. They were drawn to the shine of that famous instrument, so none of them would acknowledge Sakibasu Yuri’s own efforts.

Yes.

Not even the girl herself would.

That would trample on the possibility budding up from the dirt.

It was not uncommon for a Tokiwadai girl to eventually stop trying when the results of her efforts were always chalked up to coasting off her parents’ success. Sakibasu’s situation was similar. The Stativarius was only a tool to be used, but Sakibasu was choosing to let it swallow up her own efforts.

“I really did fail with her,” said Shokuhou. “For once, I really need to make sure I do better next time.”

“What were you even trying to do with her?”

“She is always worried about her parents.” Shokuhou gave a sorrowful look toward the courtyard instead of turning back toward Mikoto. “Both her parents worked so very, very, very hard at their jobs so they could save up enough to raise their child as best they could, but then a mere child’s toy earned far more than that. She says her parents were delighted by her success ability and are proud that she managed to get into Tokiwadai, but it still weighs on her. She worries she broke something irreplaceable at the very core of her parents.”

“…”

“They have money now, but none of the tradition ability. They have too much money to return to a normal life, but the upper classes reject them and refuse to protect them because they lack a prestigious family name and the history that brings. She worries they are struggling in that awkward in-between position. You know, like the people who end up unhappy even after winning the lottery.”

Was that why the girl was so fixated on the Stativarius Ainsel?

No, it probably did not have to be a violin. She had wanted something with enough depth and weight that no one could turn her away. She did not have that herself, so she had wanted an outside source for it.

History and tradition.

If she had those, she believed she could give her parents a solid foundation to stand on.

Misaka Mikoto sighed quietly while holding the chocolate bar she was eating for an efficient boost of energy.

It reminded her of a woman going into debt buying handbags and wristwatches to dress herself up for social media photos. She had heard those brand-name items had a community built around them. You had to be wearing specific fancy products to be allowed inside certain shops or to be told about the secret menu or hidden services. Mikoto was satisfied spending time afterschool at a normal family restaurant with her friends or using the punching machine at the arcade, so she did not understand any of this. But to the people who wanted to enjoy the side of the world hidden below three layers of secrecy, it was worth pursuing those special “keys”.

There were regulars who were provided luxury foreign cars not normally available. Whose palms were the latest phones designed for? There were super VIPs whose personal needs the entire world catered to.

Money by itself was useless.

It could be jewelry or a sports car, but the new field was only opened to you once you exchanged the money for a special “key” that unlocked the secrets of the city around you. Like a castle lined with color-coded doors in an RPG.

That side of the world was out there.

Although living a life focused on that and only that was a frightening thought for Mikoto.

“Misaka-saaan.”

“What?”

“Can I leave this with you?”

“I guess. Really, I’m relieved to learn that someone like you can screw things up sometimes. It’s adorable.”

“Ah, hey! Stop patting my head like that!”

“I know yelling at you would accomplish nothing, so you get the good girl treatment. Being treated like a little girl hurts the most to prideful people like you, doesn’t it?”

“Mhh…”

Shokuhou Misaki must have legitimacy felt guilty because she could not bring herself to brush off Mikoto’s hand like she normally would. …And she decided to ignore the girls from her clique trembling and breathing heavily while they watched from around the hallway corner.

“I’ll handle it.” Mikoto narrowed her eyes. “I would’ve helped out Kuroko either way.”

“Good, good. Glad to hear it.”

“Y’know, you’d be pretty cute if you were always this honest about what you wanted.”

She finally removed her hand from Shokuhou’s head and waved as she left.

The Queen continued to pout her lips like a small child, but then she realized something: that hand.

Hadn’t Misaka Mikoto been holding a sticky chocolate bar!?

The #5 grew pale and reached up to her head….

“Are you freaking kidding me, Misaka-saaan!?”

No matter how much she shouted, the #3 did not turn around. She did, however, stick out her tongue.