Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item3 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 3===

Yes, Item had four members.

While the Frees were focused on one of them, they could lose sight of another.

The two guilty journalists were left trembling with a brutal criminal seated across the gazebo table from them.

“(Wh-wh-wh-wh-what is Mugino Shizuri doing here all of a sudden? I thought all four of them were in that convenience store!)”

“(Don’t ask me! I was only in charge of listening. You’re the photographer, so it’s your fault for getting so focused on your phone! I just thought some of the four were more talkative than others!)”

They weren’t speaking out loud, of course.

That wasn’t an option with Mugino only a meter away. Seated side by side, Kagiyama and Melusine pressed an index finger against each other’s back and secretly communicated by tapping out Morse code.

They had chosen this spot because it wasn’t covered by the security cameras and the slightly cracked walkway kept the drum-shaped cleaning and security robots away, but now they wanted all of those things here. Now that villain had no reason to leave.

“Yawwwn…”

Only a meter away, Mugino put away her phone and calmly yawned.

They felt like they were in a strange zoo with no cages or fences and a lion was lying in front of them and opening its great maw in boredom. But at least Mugino didn’t seem cautious.

Did she not know?

It didn’t seem like she had purposefully snuck up on them. She must have left the convenience store without them noticing and then just so happened to spot the gazebo and decided to sit down there.

They were fine.

Everything was alright.

There was nothing directly linking the killing of the Sadistic Dolls with the Frees. The murder weapon was a biodegradable plastic knife which was already degrading underground. Without any damning evidence, Mugino would have no reason to suspect them.

She was dangerous.

But reading people like this didn’t seem like her forte.

She seemed a lot more like a meathead who solved everything in battle!!

It was worrying that she seemed like the type to just kill everyone she thought was remotely suspicious, but not even a dark side team would be allowed to indiscriminately harm ordinary people.

So they were safe. Unless she could somehow prove it.

This was working out in their favor.

Kagiyama searched for every little thing that would make him feel better, but then…

“You came out here, Mugino?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

Another one showed up.

(Takitsubo...Rikou.)

She didn’t directly participate in Item’s battles, but she supposedly provided mental and targeting support.

Which meant her specialty was data analysis.