Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:RailgunSS3 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 3===

A rhythmic beat shook the air.

Karaoke boxes could be found anywhere in Academy City. It was currently past 10:30 at night, so it was too late for middle schoolers to be renting out a room there. However, Mikoto and Sakibasu did not seem concerned about that.

Because…

“I used this unlimited black card for the violin auction, but I never expected it to come in handy at a place like this.”

“That’s one of Academy City’s ‘keys’, huh?”

Mikoto still sounded skeptical as she leaned back in the sofa and sipped at some cider.

The Stativarius Ainsel would have lost its effectiveness as a “key”, but it turned out the girl had another one. When Sakibasu had pulled out her wallet and phone trying to figure out how to buy a drink at a vending machine, the people around her had seen the card and made a complete 180 in attitude.

A black card was not something you could buy at an auction, so the Chandelier Auction House must not have been the only victim having their products turned into “keys”.

At any rate, they could not use the usual family restaurant so soon after the shooting, so they had been looking for somewhere else to have a meeting. That was when a young karaoke box employee had noticed the black card. This was a loophole open only to those with the right “key”. Academy City apparently had several different secret maps laid out on top of it like different pieces of colored cellophane. 

Shirai Kuroko had arrived a while later.

“…”

As someone meant to protect the city’s peace, she had not been happy about hanging out in a karaoke box at night, but she must have known that the situation called for it.

Uiharu Kazari joined them via her own social media site.

“GK> Oh, no. Sorry. It looks like I can’t meet up with you. I can’t think of any ninja skills I could use to sneak out of the dorm at this hour, so I’ll join you remotely.”

“Ehh? Uiharu, all you have to do is go up to the third floor and climb down the drain spout just below the hallway window. The second floor window is covered up, so you have to use the third floor. That lets you climb down the back of the building.”

“GK> Wait, what are you doing there, Saten-san!? When did you sneak out!?”

“Heh. Child, do not underestimate Big Sis Saten Ruiko. I am like a butterfly of the night chasing down the urban legends lurking in the shadows of Academy City. If you aren’t brave enough to head out at night for some fun, then grab your pillow and get some sleep.”

At any rate, their evidence sat on the room’s glass table.

A clear plastic bag contained a scrap of black leather.

It had originally belonged to one of the telekinetically-controlled riding suits.

“Here goes.”

Sakibasu Yuri slowly exhaled while gently holding out her soft-looking right palm. She apparently did not need to remove the leather from the bag. She held her palm just short of touching the plastic and then shut her eyes.

Carbon Search.

That power let her precisely measure the carbon isotopes inside an object.

That appraisal power let her instantly determine the authenticity of a world-famous instrument like a Stativarius.

“It is made of water buffalo.”

Her lovely lips parted and she spoke like a shrine maiden receiving a divine oracle.

“It was processed within 90 days and the leather was tanned using formaldehyde.”

“Formaldehyde?”

“Yes, the same substance used to preserve specimens. Also, the oil used for maintenance was different than normal. …Goat fat was used. There is no sign of human skin, hair, or oils…well, except for mine. What does that mean? Was a brand-new factory-produced product remade into a telekinetic weapon?”

“Hm? Wait just a moment.” Saten frowned. “You said goat fat was used to maintain it, right? If it was brand new from the factory, why bother doing maintenance?”

“Sakibasu-san.”

“Yes, that’s right… It appears to have originally been all water buffalo products, but that was washed off with water and redone with goat fat. It would seem someone did intentionally alter it.”

The treatment of leather products was quite unique.

In fact, people often likened it to the leather being alive, needing to breathe, and needing nutrients.

If it was simply left in storage, it would grow damaged, cracked, and moldy all on its own. You could not sell it if that happened, so stores had to maintain their inventory themselves. There were countless ways of doing that, so even the same product from the same manufacturer could have a different shine or shade depending on how it was stored.

There were all sorts of creams used to maintain leather. They were made from the fats or oils of cows, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, rapeseed, and sunflowers. Some even used synthetic petroleum oils.

The riding suit itself was made from water buffalo leather using formaldehyde and it was maintained using a goat cream. If they could find a store that fit both conditions, they might be able to find who had bought and controlled the riding suits.

At the very least, it was unusual for the leather to contain no fingerprints, dust, or other traces despite being removed from the bag for maintenance.