Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:MvM Chapter7 (section)

===Part 1===

The ceremony had succeeded. The gatekeeper was defeated.

The upside-down U of the double doors made of sparkling wine stone had opened and something was visible through them. It looked as unstable as a mirage and gave off a terrifying sense that it would suck everything in like a black hole.

That was the Strange Underpass.

The former slaver woman sighed at the sight of it.

Her voice contained a hint of resignation, or maybe of getting over something.

“Good grief. Now I feel silly focusing so much on money. Why don’t I just use magic ceremonies to give me everything I need for an ideal life?”

The old mayor and guild receptionist wiped sweat from their brows and viewed everything around them.

Thoughtfully.

“To think a joint task between humans and elves would actually succeed.”

“I don’t like that we can’t keep the gate open, though.”

Lavender the Knight and Brain the Butler were focused on the result of the recent battle.

They must have needed a certain level of satisfaction to feel they could continue on by themselves without relying on slaves.

“Milady, you have finally become a commander who can win the battles she wants to win no matter how poor the odds.”

“Heh heh. How could they have ever lost when I, Lavender, was helping them!?”

The sneakthief-faced lord was focused on the world’s economy.

Someone who could look to the realistic issues more than his own pride or appearance might be useful now that this world had stopped using slaves.

“The most important task is to help the economy recover from the fulgurite crash. How well you can recover without slaves may determine the next world leader.”

The king served by the two witches viewed the gate curiously.

The witches viewed it with more exasperation.

“It would seem the gate only goes one way.”

“I would recommend not touching it unless you have a strong sense of purpose.”

“That’s right, sister. Our job is to create happiness here in Celesaqphere.”

Whoever that was from the Hegemony held her head high in meaningless pride.

She was apparently quite strong in an ordinary battle.

“Heh. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who could defeat me, the Queen of Explosions.”

The superpower’s king nodded just once.

He spoke as if he had already seen what form the next age would take.

“A world with no privileged class, hm? What that world of freedom and equality looks like may be dependent on how we live our lives.”

“Patissiet.”

Mikoto called to the nearby elf and reached up to the side of her own head.

She removed one of her hairpins and placed it in Patissiet’s hand.

“Maybe it would be better not to leave a memento, but if you want it.”

“Thank you, Lady Misaka.”

Maybe it was because the three treasures ceremony was complete and maybe it was because she had to say goodbye to Mikoto and Shokuhou so soon, but she held the hairpin between her hands, which she held to her flat chest while speaking with great emotion in her voice.

“It is finally time…”

“It sure is,” said the two girls with a nod and weary smiles.

A dull “crash!!!” rang out.

Bikini armor Mikoto and dancer Shokuhou hadn’t hesitated to throw their fists at each other.

They pulled off a cross counter right away.

Their refreshing smiles were distorted by the punches.

The lack of hesitation showed they had both planned to betray the other from the beginning.

“We said we’d cooperate until we had a way home.”

“That’s right. I kept you around until now because I was worried about the two goddesses part of the ceremony’s incantation ability, but now I’m going home to a peaceful world without you!!”

Mikoto and Shokuhou butted heads hard.

And they rubbed their foreheads together.

Everyone else watched on, dumbfounded.

The two girls glared into each other’s eyes from point-blank range and spat out their words simultaneously.