Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Biohacker Chapter2 (section)

===Part 12===

It began with his phone.

Kamijou Touma pulled it from his pocket and glanced down at it. A few unread online news notifications were flashing.

A parking garage was on fire near the School Garden.

The wind could carry the smoke to nearby locations.

Kumokawa Seria raised one of her shapely eyebrows.

“What, did you actually write a macro for that?”

“It’s nothing that fancy.”

It was a built-in service on the phone, although he rarely used it.

The pointy-haired middle school boy exhaled through his nose. By inputting some keywords, the icon would flash whenever related news articles or blog entries were posted. He had given it several keywords related to the previous night’s incident: dragon, District 7, L.S.S., archery, Tokiwadai Middle School, Biohacker, and School Garden.

“I was a little afraid that this list of terms would make me look like I had something to do with it, though.”

“You’re overthinking it. Bored people on the internet will pursue incidents far more obsessively than the actual criminal. If search terms were enough to arrest people, the jails would be full of self-styled defenders of justice and freelance tabloid writers. It’s not hard to find full articles posted online about the various crimes and accidents that happen around the city. With very little evidence for any of the conclusions drawn therein.”

Kamijou Touma did not care if it came from TV, a newspaper, or the internet. He just wanted to find what news he could related to that dragon so he could learn that the culprit was arrested and there would not be a second attack. Unfortunately, he had found nothing so comforting and had to conclude that someone was instead covering it up.

That was why he had set this up, but it had not given him what he wanted.

And now it was picking up on something else. Because he had set the keywords to focus not on himself and not on Kumokawa Seria but on that other girl.

“…”

He snapped his flip phone shut and sighed.

Then he turned around.

“Where are you going?”

“I know where this is happening. I’ve wanted peace of mind this whole time and I’ve finally found a clue where I can find it.”

“Have you already forgotten what you got caught up in yesterday? Based on that article, there’s already a fire. We have no idea what is going on a rampage there. It might not be ''anything as cliché as a dragon''.”

“Does it look like I ''want'' to go there? Can’t you see my legs shaking? But that’s why I have to go.”

He was no saint.

He had his own reasons for doing this.

“It might be that Mitsuari girl being targeted today, or it might be someone else entirely. But what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? How can I ever relax knowing nothing has stopped the people who released that dragon, had it attack us, and then cleaned everything up afterwards? Plus, we already tangled with them last night. We probably have higher odds of being attacked than most anyone else.”

He glanced down at his right hand.

He clenched it to form a fist.

He was plagued with misfortune, so he would never consider the possibility of being coincidentally overlooked for no reason.

He knew all too well that those prayers would only leave him feeling like a fool.

He needed a solid basis for thinking he was safe.

“This is an opportunity. Or you could call it a crossroads. I was only reacting to the crisis before my eyes, but now I might be able to catch up to whatever this is. It’s either this or tremble in fear while waiting to be attacked. It could be tomorrow, it could be six months from now, and it could be a year from now. Am I supposed to wait that long? If it’s dangling in front of me like this, it would be faster to just go for it. The risk is the same either way. Whether I’m attacked tomorrow or a year from now, the odds of death are still 100%.”

And if this was not considered to be the crime it was, then he could not call Anti-Skill like normal. He felt like the grownups’ rules did not apply this time. He had no proof of that, but he still felt sure of it. If he did not see it through to the end himself, he could never rest easy.

If this did not follow the grownups’ rules, he would have to seek out the truth using the children’s rules.

“I see,” said the older girl, even if she did not sound convinced. Her tone was one of pure exasperation. “You seem to have a way of sounding reasonable without actually being reasonable. That sounds nice and all, but if the risk is the same tomorrow or a year from now, then why the rush? Plus, those search terms aren’t focused on you. You clearly used ''keywords related to Mitsuari Ayu''.”

“…”

“Fine, let’s just say your reasoning is valid. But even if the risk to you is the same whether it happens tomorrow or a year from now, you might be able to save someone else if you act now. Isn’t that what this is about?”

“No, I wasn’t…”

He trailed off and stopped speaking altogether.

He heard a dull metallic sound and looked over to find Kumokawa Seria had broken the chain lock to a large motorcycle parked nearby.

“Hold on. What are you doing!?”

“Was it that confusing? Don’t they teach how leverage works in elementary school? Scissors and chain cutters use it, so it isn’t just about seesaws, you know? I knew you weren’t bright, but this is just sad.”

“No, not that.”

“This is a no-parking zone and it’s covering up the tactile paving for the visually impaired. Removing this asshole’s bike would be doing the world a favor.”

“No, I’m asking why you’re getting involved in this! Stealing a motorcycle isn’t exactly risk free!!”

“Oh, that? My reasoning isn’t as pure as yours. For me, it’s about weighing the pros and cons. The risk is the same whether I’m attacked tomorrow or a year from now, but if I save a useful esper now, it increases the odds of having them on hand later. We aren’t up against a single Biohacker here; it’s probably a group, so I doubt anything we do today will be enough to fully end this. And if I’m looking at a long-term fight, it can’t hurt to have a full set of cards I can play at any time.”

“Her power was called Mental Stinger, right? I’ve never actually seen what it can do, but I guess she is from that prestigious Tokiwadai school.”

“(She isn’t the useful esper I was talking about.)”

“?”

“Just talking to myself.”

After brushing off his question, she spread her legs wide in her skirt to mount the large motorcycle.

With a dull snapping sound, she broke the keyhole and easily reconnected the wires to start up the engine. She really was a super high school girl. The pointy-haired boy had no idea who this mystery older girl was, but she seemed more accustomed to the rules of the city’s night than he was.

“Now, boy. If we are going to act, time is of the essence, but are you prepared to do this? I am the one stealing the bike, but some blame will fall on you if you ride behind me.”

“There’s no time.”

“Didn’t even have to think about it, hm? You’re quite something. …But you’re only thinking about fluffy cotton candy girl, aren’t you? I may need to give you a kiss on the cheek once this is all over.”

With an unnecessarily deep roar, the motorcycle picked up speed.

Kamijou was nervous at first and tried not to touch the defenseless back and hips of that busty high school girl (every word there is crucial), but it was too wild a ride to keep worrying about that. He ended up wrapping his arms around her torso to hold on for dear life. She was a lot softer and warmer than a boy.

“You’re awfully pure for someone who wanders the streets at night. Heh heh heh. I can feel your pounding heart on my back.”

“Bff!? No, um, you misunderstand! I’m scared because I don’t normally ride motorcycles!!”

“Oh? So you won’t say you never ride them?”

“…”

“And if you’re going to hold on, do it a little lower. Stop using your arms to surreptitiously weigh my boobs. Stop lifting them.”

He frantically let go only to have the blowing wind nearly blow him back into a bridge pose.

And.

The girl and boy riding in broad daylight without a helmet roared out onto the main road while ignoring all the lights and speed limits. First, a drum-shaped security robot sounded an alarm and then one of Anti-Skill’s (so-called) supercars, which was legally modified from a civilian vehicle, took chase with lights flashing.

“Pull over right this instant, you criminal couple!! We have a V12 hooked up to oxygen under the hood, so we can reach 400km/h easy! You can’t outrun us, so give up now! We’ve already scanned the license plate number! Why the hell are you stealing people’s bikes in broad daylight!?”

“Hey,” said Kamijou.

“A couple, hm?” said Kumokawa. “Heh heh. Is that what we look like? And, boy, don’t look back or their facial recognition will get you.”

“No, not that.”

“We know something’s going on at that parking garage, right? Won’t the attacker panic if we arrive along with Anti-Skill, the defenders of law and order?”

Their motorcycle’s engine could not hope to outdo that car, but it provided its own advantages. Once the cheerful blue sky grew discolored by toxic-looking smoke, Kumokawa turned the handlebars so hard Kamijou screamed and clung to her back. They turned right into a nearby park.

Park entrances generally had thick poles in place to keep vehicles out. A motorcycle could slip between them, but a car could not. They heard screeching brakes and shouting behind them.

“You damn criminal couple!!”

“Hah hah hahhh!! If you want to stop the city’s young residents from getting it on, you should really research the usual hookup spots!! You’ve gotta use your head if you want to keep people from doing it outdoors, Anti-Skill!!”

Kumokawa laughed as she cut across the park and drove out the exit on the other side.

Kamijou blinked.

He felt like a mystery phrase of hers had hinted at an exciting concept.

“Outdoors?”

“You’re probably full of questions, but don’t search that one online.”

They were almost to the burning parking garage now.

Since they were so close to the School Garden, a well-dressed adult woman could be seen watching the spectacle. The white foam she was spraying on the sidewalk from something like a monstrous vacuum cleaner was probably a fire extinguishing chemical meant to prevent the spread of the blaze.

“If she has something like that, why isn’t she helping to put out the fire?”

“Stop breathing on my ear, boy.”

“If I don’t hold your hair down with my chin, the wind blows it back into my face, and it really hurts when it slaps me like that!!”

“Call it what you like, but stop using it as an excuse to enjoy my scent, fetish boy.”

She must have had her own thoughts on what was and was not acceptable because her tone was much lower than with the arms on her underboob earlier.

And after that sharp warning…

“Also, don’t be so harsh on her, boy. Adults have their own issues to deal with. The School Garden has much better equipment than the other districts, so acting beyond their jurisdiction can get them in trouble more easily. Simply put, she wants to help out but can’t. Because that would count as moving beyond her territory.”

This time, there was no sign of a dragon, kraken, or other giant monster created by a Biohacker. They only saw the tall parking garage engulfed in flames and dark smoke.

They had no idea who they would run across if they rushed in there. They did not know the first thing about what the attacker looked like, so they could not even trust an office worker with neatly parted hair walking in the area. Thus, they chose to observe things from a distance.

The motorcycle was stopped now, but Kamijou continued holding Kumokawa Seria’s slender waist in his arms like she was a stuffed animal.

“The first floor is burning and the second and third floors look risky too. Hmm.”

“I’ll overlook it this once since I doubt you’re doing it on purpose, but stop teasing my navel with your fingertip, boy. That hurts more than you would think.” And after that sulky warning, “Do not forget about the smoke and heat. In a real fire, most of the deaths aren’t from the flames themselves. You need to worry about heat, lack of oxygen, and dehydration.”

Kamijou glimpsed something.

The plain concrete wall had openings that were more not so much windows as gaps between the barrier and ceiling.

He saw some fluffy chestnut hair through one of those.

He subconsciously squeezed the motorcycle driver’s torso even tighter.

“There she is. 5th floor!!”

“Ngh, my navel! Kah, cough, cough! W-we have two options here. One, run into the blaze and meet up with Mitsuari Ayu. Two, circle the parking garage to find the attacker and defeat them if they’re here.”

That was not even a question.

“If circling the place is enough to find them, then the Anti-Skill we brought here can deal with them. And defeating them isn’t going to make that fire go away. What’s the point if the girl in there suffocates on the smoke while we’re fighting!?”

“Rescuing an ally takes precedence over defeating the enemy? Fine, we can do things your way today.”

The engine gave a deep roar once more.

Kumokawa spun it around and the pointy-haired boy could only grab onto her waist like before.

“Hm? What’s this hard thing here?”

“What are you, a mischievous elementary school boy? That’s my bra hook. But I will throw you off the bike if you undo it during an emergency like this.”

Now, Kamijou Touma had stated his ideal solution, but how exactly were they supposed to get in there? The ground floor was engulfed in flames, so they could not get in unharmed no matter which cardinal direction they chose. And these flames were not as thin as a circus’s ring of fire.

“This will be a little bad for your heart, so be careful,” casually warned Kumokawa Seria.

“Huh? What will be?”

“Academy City is well known for packing its buildings in close together. Entering the first floor of a burning building is not going to be easy, but there’s a tall building right there next to it.”

The parking garage had been built as a later addition for the large shopping mall next door. The older sailor uniform girl drove the motorcycle directly inside the large shopping complex and sent it up the down escalator for a ride even wilder than a coming of age ceremony. Once at the top, she made a sharp turn and drove up to the next floor. They needed height. Their goal was the 5th floor, so the 7th or 8th floor would be best.

Kamijou Touma’s eyes widened in shock while he was tossed around in the back seat like he was in a rodeo.

“Can we calm down for a second!? What are you trying to do right now!?”

“If you would hold onto my hips more firmly, you wouldn’t be so close to being thrown off and dying. Listen, you need to wrap your arms around my hips for what’s coming. Nice and tight like this, okay? Bikes don’t come with seatbelts or safety bars, so you have to look after yourself.”

She finally stopped the wild motorcycle.

The engine continued to idly rumble below them.

Kamijou had his chin on her shoulder and was nearly rubbing his cheek against hers, but he was entirely focused on what the headlight was shining at.

It was a women’s clothing store.

It looked like it had a solid wall in the back, but that was actually a giant window with decorations attached over the glass wall.

It did not take a genius to realize what she was planning.

“Hold on. Wait.”

“What, does the women’s underwear section still make you blush? That mannequin there is displaying a concept model, but don’t you worry, boy. Don’t let it shock you. Not everyone wears that kind of see-through stuff on a daily basis. Everyone prefers what’s easy, so you’ll find ordinary white is pretty common. Same with stripes.”

“That’s not what I meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeant!!!!!!”

He tried to shout in the busty high school girl’s ear, but accidentally bit her earlobe instead, eliciting an odd cry from the older girl’s lips, but none of this changed that she was the one in control of the handlebars and foot pedals. With a screaming Kamijou on the back, the 750cc mass of metal used its full speed to crash through the women’s underwear and negligees.

His life flashed before his eyes while he was surrounded by a kind of frilliness that featured nowhere in that life.

“That one you can’t stop staring at is known as an open gate bra. Undo the bow in the middle and the thin cloth falls away to reveal the tips. There’s also a bottom to go with it, but I don’t have to explain how that one works, do I?”

“Agfelborvehh!!!???”

He was too preoccupied to respond.

The large motorcycle plowed full speed into the wall and shattered the reinforced glass window simply covered with a sheet.

This was the 8th floor.

An ordinary motorcycle with no special flight equipment soared through Academy City’s sky.