Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item Chapter3 (section)

===Part 9===

Frenda Seivelun had emerged from the abandoned railway tunnel.

Poison gas was a bad match for Item. Mugino could simply use her firepower to burn the gas – that is, forcibly oxidize it to rewrite the chemical formula – and neutralize it. Frenda could use her explosives in the enclosed tunnel to push all the contaminated air outside. Finally, Kinuhata could protect herself with the thick gas barrier created by her Offense Armor.

But they didn’t feel like they had outsmarted their enemy.

“Get the van moving!! Hurry!”

Mugino shouted and the van’s tires screeched.

She was shouting this command to a driver from the support organization. His presence meant the situation had advanced to the next phase.

The delinquent driver first merged onto a large highway.

“Wh-where exactly do you want to go!?”

“''You can see that smoke in the distance, can’t you?'' Get there as fast as possible!!”

Frenda was desperate because she already knew what this had to be. As an explosives expert, the deep noise was enough for her to identify the type of explosive used.

The young driver’s eyes widened.

“The light’s red.”

“So what!? Don’t let your foot off the gas!! Run the light!!!”

They plowed right through the large intersection at full speed, just barely avoiding a yellow sportscar. A flurry of horns honked at them, but they ignored it.

But this couldn’t last forever.

They crossed a few district borders, but they hit some congestion upon entering District 15.

A few sirens blended together in the distance.

“I can’t get you any further!! It looks like Anti-Skill is directing traffic up ahead…”

“Tch!!”

The girls didn’t bother listening any further and hopped out of the van.

Even now, a blimp floated leisurely by overhead. Its screen read, “A fire in a building along a major road in this area is causing traffic delays. If you are nearby, please watch out for falling objects. For a detailed map of the affected area, please check the traffic management center or the railroad company’s website.”

In the distance, they saw orange light and black smoke rising into the night sky. Firetrucks and ambulances were gathered at the base of the building.

All four of them had to be thinking the same thing: why did it have to be ''here'' of all places?

Outside the “keep out” tape, the press and personal phones were filming the scene.

That made it difficult for anyone on the dark side to approach. But quite a few things were flying through the area, even outside the taped-off area.

There was sharp shards of glass, scorched wreckage of what had once been furniture, and a book that looked like it had been chewed up by a fierce dog.

The book contained Umisuna Seiru’s makeup techniques.

Who was it that had so happily embraced that prize up after discovering it at the parasol market?

Silence fell over all four of them.

Their rescue of Hanano Choubi had failed. But this explosion had revealed Enemy Item’s location. More than that, it had probably killed some of them.

But that meant nothing.

Why hadn’t Hanano considered that part?

Frenda recalled an earlier conversation with the girl.



''“Oh, right. I forgot to congratulate you for your performance earlier today, Hanano.”

''“Thanks.”



Yes.

It had been meant as a reward.



''“Without your help, we couldn’t have gotten that data from the insurance company. I doubt Mugino would have given up, but she would’ve relied on brute force to get the job done.”

''“Ha…ah ha ha…”



She had disguised herself as the insurance company’s general manager and skillfully retrieved the data.

So Frenda had wanted to give her a reward to welcome her into Item. She had thought the nervous newcomer might relax some if she felt like she had done something for the group as a whole.



''“So we owe you one. Is there anything you want us to do for you? Or anything you want from us?”

''“U-um, there is actually…”



The response Hanano had given had been a dangerous one: a liquid explosive.

But Frenda had decided that was something you might need to get along in the dark side.

Had that been a mistake?

At the time, Hanano had looked so relieved.

And yet…



''“Really? That’s pretty dangerous.”

''“Hmm. Think of it as a last resort I can use. I am in the dark side now. And I thought you would be the best person to ask.”



Frenda stared silently at the embers and smoke for a while.

She stared at that overwhelming reality.

She had failed to do anything.

She had plenty more friends, but what did that matter? She had a lengthy list of addresses in her phone, giving her connections to various industries from the light and the dark, but could any of that fill the emptiness she felt now?

The death of just a single person brought so much sorrow.

Needless to say, nothing else could replace her. It wasn’t a simple matter of arithmetic.

Hanano Choubi wasn’t meant to die.

That might sound odd for Item, who killed other members of the dark side all the time, but Frenda refused to accept that argument.

''Keep fighting,'' she thought.

''It doesn’t matter how pathetic or unsightly it is.

''The villains of Item aren’t meant to have a noble death, you idiot.

Finally, the blonde girl said something no one else there would understand.

“In the end, how was this your last resort? There had to be other options to try, like injuring yourself badly enough the enemy would panic and feel the need to take you to a normal hospital.”

That timid girl must have been pushed to her absolute limits.

She hadn’t wanted to die without accomplishing anything, so she had at least wanted to take them down with her.

Frenda thought that was a foolish decision.

But she couldn’t let Hanano’s courage go to waste. That friend had paid with her life for this hint. That smoke and fire couldn’t be hidden by any dark side tricks.

That was their new starting point. If they used that, they could resume the hunt no matter where the enemy tried to run.

(Damn that girl.)

Frenda’s mind was boiling.

She repeated much the same words, but directed at someone else.

(Damn those girls!!)

She didn’t care about the money.

There was no hostage anymore.

The girls’ objective had changed yet again.

In other words…

Frenda Seivelun bit her lip for a moment. And then…

“You’re dead, counterfeit Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem!!!”

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Villains were selfish.

They didn’t reflect on their actions, they spoke of payback and debts when they usually rejected the obligations of the righteous world, and they thoroughly criticized and punished other people for their actions. When something went wrong, they found someone else to blame before considering their own mistakes.

But none of that mattered at the moment.

Who cares about Academy City’s #6? What did the Dark Side’s Bane matter?

They would throw out their own goodness if letting their morals restrict their actions would allow their target to escape. If they couldn’t reach the enemy as things were, they would throw it all out. The wolf would break free of all its bonds, race through the night, and tear out the fat pig’s throat with its fangs.

They would choose to become wild animals.

The enraged girl’s howl rang through the night.

The foolish sacrifice had lost their final shield. They no longer had any bargaining chip capable of stopping Item.

The hunt had begun.