Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item7 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 9===

Jumping from skyscraper rooftop to rooftop, Kinuhata Saiai – blonde wig back on – spoke exasperatedly into her phone. The machine converted her voice into text.



“Kinu> She’s still on the move. I thought you super killed her in a surprise attack, Frenda-san?”

“M> Dammit, Frenda, what is this sloppy work!? If she escapes again, it’ll be Morning Call’s turn again!!”

“Perfect Cutie Frenda-tan> In the end, Mugino, you’d go nuts if I did kill her right away! I left a treat for your battle freak side, so close in on her already.”



She was soaring through the evening sky.

Kinuhata had something like a powered suit surrounding her thanks to Offense Armor, but not even full use of her boosted leg strength was enough to close in on Morning Call. She couldn’t catch up. That girl had to be ''boosting herself'' in some way too. Each time she swung her arms and legs, the light of an explosion flashed like the muzzle flashes of a machinegun.

(She isn’t going to super start flying is she? Using rocket technology or something.)



“Perfect Cutie Frenda-tan> Okay, I was willing to accept the rockets and drone bombing. But in the end, that dog mine was over the line. How can you blow up an innocent pup like that? Does she have no standards as a bomber!?”



A small shape flew sharply in from another direction.

Another blonde girl arrived, jumping from skyscraper rooftop to rooftop.

Frenda Seivelun.

The true Academy City Bomber.



“Perfect Cutie Frenda-tan> Hey, wait! ''When you’re me,'' you need to pay more attention to your skirt, Kinuhata! You’re flashing your underwear to the entire shopping district from way up in the air!”

“Kinu> Why would you choose to wear this frilly stuff, Frenda-san? I want to super tear this awful skirt to pieces.”



Kinuhata couldn’t wait for Frenda to catch up.

She was going to arrive sooner.

Taking in a quick breath, she clenched her right fist.

Just as Morning Call tried to change direction after noticing Frenda running in from another direction, Kinuhata took a powerful step forward.

Morning Call sensed the wind pressure and turned toward Kinuhata.

She had noticed the coming attack, but what could she do? Even if she guarded with her arms, Kinuhata’s fist would break those arms and smash her skull.

She still used no esper power. Instead of keeping it in reserve, she was probably just a Level 0.

“You damn gloomy smartypants bomber. All you’re good at is sneaking around harassing people. But you’re super mine now that you’re in punching range!!”

In the corner Kinuhata’s vision, Frenda’s mouth formed a small triangle, but Kinuhata didn’t have time to worry about any collateral damage here.

A fist boosted by Offense Armor thrust straight out. A direct hit from that killer fist could easily break through a pillar of reinforced concrete as big around as Kinuhata’s torso.

Morning Call moved to the side.

She slid aside with impossible speed, dodging Kinuhata’s boosted punch.

The sound of rubber shoe soles burning from friction arrived a moment later.

And a scent reminiscent of fireworks.

That meant it was a combination of explosives and martial arts.

(This bomber freak really is Frenda-san’s super biggest fan, isn’t she!?)

Kinuhata didn’t have time to be gasping.

By the time Kinuhata noticed Morning Call holding her palm out toward her, she had already tossed several explosives smaller than ping pong balls.

She didn’t seem afraid of being caught in the blast.

They detonated right away.

Protected by Offense Armor, Kinuhata was blasted diagonally upwards.

Takitsubo watched her flight.

Kinuhata’s small body had already flown past the edge of the skyscraper. It was only a matter of time before she was grasped by the unseen hand of gravity. She wouldn’t die when she hit the ground thanks to Offense Armor, but she would have a hard time returning to the fight anytime soon. The vertical distance was too great.

The figure that broke through the explosive smoke while ducked low was Mugino.

She already had deadly light gathered in the palms of her hands.

“They’re just bombs. Throw as many of them my way you want, my Meltdowner while blast right through them and kill you!!”

“Do you really believe that?”

Something exploded on a different building and something flew this way like a long throw in baseball. It was the thick water tank attached to that building’s rooftop. Its great mass crashed into this roof.

Mugino’s world shook.

And a mere meter in front of her…

“Uh!?”

It exploded, scattering orange-heated metal all around.

She might be the #4 Level 5 and she might be Meltdowner, but if she burned through that object, there would be radiant heat and molten metal dumped on her head.

A direct hit from that wouldn’t be enough to kill Mugino, but the only way to escape self-destructing would be to destroy the roof below her feet and jump down to the floor below.

“…”

Morning Call took a quick look around and noticed the track suit girl had vanished.

That was the tracker who couldn’t directly fight.

She must have decided standing in harm’s way here wouldn’t improve the situation for her side. Or maybe this was a plan to apply psychological pressure to Morning Call by hinting at an enemy in an unknown location. Like with a sniper or mines.

It wasn’t a bad plan, but it was far from decisive.

That left just one more.

“A pleasure to meet you, Senpai.”

“In the end, I don’t even know your name.”

“And ''I don’t actually know if Frenda Seivelun is your real name.''”

The simple goggles made from a smartphone’s LCD screen covering the girl’s face muffled her laughter.

She displayed a zero and a dash on the digital display to wink.

“Plus, names and faces don’t really matter. It all comes down to how much you can boost your own skills by reaching a deeper understanding of that person. In that sense, I don’t even need you to live in the same era as you. Plenty of researchers out there right now motivate their studies with their admiration of Newton or Einstein.”

“In the end, is that why?”

“Yes.”

The raincoat and bikini bomber nodded like a small child.

And made an announcement.

“I have absorbed plenty from Frenda Seivelun. I’ve decided I don’t need any more. Because too much of a margin of error has grown between the Senpai in my mind and the Frenda Seivelun walking out in the real world. This boring, imperfect version of you will only reduce the value of your name. Learning from you would only hinder my progress. If you will only introduce noise, I should eliminate you.”

“In the end, I’m not some perfect idol you invented in your fantasies,” spat the fluffy blonde girl, pulling several objects from her short skirt.

It came down to just two.



The Academy City Bombers.

Frenda Seivelun and Morning Call.