Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item4 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 8===

The Mugino Family head really was not in the mansion.

He had left on a job before midnight.

The well-polished black bulletproof car was parked on the curb in the verdant city outskirts.

“Oh, the sun’s coming out already. I really am becoming nocturnal now. That’s so bad for your health… The line is so fuzzy when doing things online, but now that that amateurish group of false billing scammers causing so much trouble in the area has been dismantled in a game of .50 caliber target practice, I really thought I could rest easy and get some sleep, but now this.”

The elderly family head left the car.

The man in a fancy Italian suit breathed in the biting chill of the early morning air, released a white breath, and gazed into the morning sun. Without really focusing on it.

A maid called Kagyu bowed respectfully next to him. She had only just been promoted from the troops to the Management. That meant she was still a new Manager. That wasn’t a position that normally let one speak directly to the head.

The reason for this was obvious.

“We still cannot reach Sakuya-sama. Roll call is underway, but we still do not know how much of the Management has rebelled. Plus, those who did obediently respond could always be spies.”

“I see.”

“Shizuri-sama was seen around, but we do not know where she has gone. According to the troops present, she did not seem intent on joining Sakuya-sama. She escaped after catching Manager Mujinayama off guard. …That we had no information on her before this suggests Sakuya-sama’s faction was monitoring her actions and keeping any reports from reaching the Family as a whole.”

“…I see.”

The number of butlers and maids who responded to his lowered gaze was noticeably small. All the trump cards known as the old-timers or veterans were missing. Even Mujinayama, who had acted as the chief holding Management together, had left the head’s side and gone into hiding.

That would explain why Shizuri’s presence in Yokohama had not reached the head’s ears.

Their betrayal had not been revealed by mistake. At this point, there was nothing he could do with this knowledge. Sakuya was making her intentions clear.

The amount of Management on your side was directly linked to your strength in the Bloodline.

This alone revealed the scope of Mugino Sakuya’s rebellion. Maybe that was a natural cause of concern for the one whose throne was being targeted.

''Except this wasn’t about that.

“I can only think of one reason Mujinayama would freeze long enough for Shizuri to escape. She fried my diorama, didn’t she?”

He had spent 40 years on that. A man would have things he prized more than his life. Quite a few things.

The Italian suit man’s shoulders slumped and he leaned his weight against the handle of the shovel sticking into the ground.



And in that ground, men with the fearsome look of professional criminals were buried upright with just their heads sticking out.



Who the row of heads belonged to was obvious.

These were the troops of the rival organization who Frenda Seivelun had baited into a shootout with the Mugino Family. They apparently operated in budget padding.

The head spoke quietly.

“Who do you think you are giving me more work to do at 4 or 5 in the morning? Well, it hasn’t been fun for you either, I suppose, but the fact remains that you fired bullets toward our mansion. You have to pay for that.”

“We’ll pay you money. We know how the professional world works. Violence is our business and we know what it’s worth. We’ll even throw in some extra so the Mugino Family will profit from this. How does that-”

“Satou-san was out taking a walk.”

The criminal organization men had no idea who that was and fell silent.

But they had misread the situation.

“The Suzuki couple were out jogging in the morning like they always do. Yamada-kun, a scholarship student, was out delivering newspapers. Yabe-san the baker was taking a break after finishing his morning preparations. He had left his bakery to visit the nearby convenience store, a small joy he treats himself to every morning. Because he lately learned that Kimura-san the convenience store manager has a shared interest with him.”

He knew them all.

But not to find new sources of money for his criminal organization.

This was what mattered to him.

“You weren’t worried about stray bullets? Not even a little? Professional criminals like you should know just how much lead hurts.”

“W-we didn’t hear anything about anyone being hit.”

“Whether or not anyone was actually hit isn’t the point.”

A chill entered the air.

The Mugino Family didn’t put all that much weight on illegal sources of income.

They made all the money they could need with their above-board grain production business that filled 1.4 billion people’s stomachs. And without having to worry about money, they could stick more strongly to their principles without ever compromising.

If they didn’t need money, why did they support crimes like gun running and people smuggling?

So they could hear the voices of people from every business and class.

Like St. Mary Magdalene who protected sex workers and others of low status, or like Enma who viewed all of an individual’s sins and judged them accordingly.

“This comes before that,” said the great umbrella that drew no line between good and evil. “The very act of firing guns plants fear in this area. You wield your guns for your own purposes and commit crimes without a second thought, causing the local people to withdraw. You have put the entire Yokohama area ''on edge''. Satou-san, Suzuki-san, and all the others did nothing wrong. Yet they are afraid, reluctant to head outside early in the morning, and have unfairly lost some of the options they should have had in life. Doesn’t that seem like an unforgivable misdeed?”

“What are you babbling about? None of that changes that we’re both criminal organizations!”

“Which is fine. I am simply trying to help the incredible people who can do what I can’t.”

He answered right away.

He didn’t yell and he didn’t scorn.

The Mugino Family’s king had long since moved past anger.

“Since you don’t seem to understand, let’s discuss definitions. All the people who live normal lives in the ordinary world are incredible people deserving of our respect. We ''couldn’t manage that'', so we need to understand that on a deeper level than anyone. That’s why I won’t let you harm those people who have outdone me so thoroughly. I won’t.”

Sensing something, the young maid stepped back, so he couldn’t swipe her handgun.

So instead he raised the shovel in both hands and smashed each head in turn.

Right on down the row.

This boosted the despair and terror.

The next man in line glared resentfully, but not at the family head.

At the maid.

The criminals were crushed without the right to a quick and painless death.

It was all over.

The maid began to hold out a handkerchief but hesitated. He was entirely soaked with blood. A single handkerchief wouldn’t make a dent in that.

The Mugino Family head ignored the blood as he stabbed the heavy shovel into the ground again.

“You said someone fired the ALCMs without my permission?”

“Yes. We detected a variable-sweep wing aircraft take off from the remote island. That Russian four-seater is not designed for stealth, so that is worrying. We assume it was launched by Sakuya-sama’s faction.”

“And Shizuri was using her Academy City power all over the place.”

“Yes. Meltdowner, I believe it is called. I believe she is ranked as the #4 Level 5 in all of Academy City.”

So much for regional stability.

Who was it that was most responsible for Yokohama being ''on edge''?

That went without saying.

“Sakuya made the first move and then Shizuri responded. So from the other likely candidates, Horika and Ginsuke must be waiting to see what happens. Of course, those cunning brats probably won’t aim for the top spot themselves. They’re more likely to side with the most likely winner and then turn them into a puppet ruler.”

Just because a Bloodline member wasn’t acting now did not mean they were a pacifist.

They were viewing the map and lining up their pieces in their own way.

The family head smiled bitterly while dyed red with the blood of around a dozen people.

“I dread to think what will become of the Mugino Family.”