Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item7 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 2===

“In the first place, have you heard of Microscopium, Onee-chan?”

“??? Why are you bringing up a southern constellation?”

“The night sky is so generous to let there be constellations for things like a clock or a ruler. I want to be a constellation too.”

…Was this trivia she had learned from the astronomy event? That was all you saw these days, even in the LCD ads on the trains and the tablets used to order at restaurants. But, anyway, apparently not all of the southern constellations were based on BCE-era mythology. Plenty of them had been named by the astronomers of an earlier age.

They were at the busy station area in District 7.

The city remained abuzz with the astronomy event.

Apparently businesses would leap at any business opportunity because it was in full swing even now at midday.

Frenda didn’t often see this, but school sometimes let out before lunch for a seven-year-old.

Some companies must have decided to double up with the moon viewing season because the convenience store sweets section had a lot of wagashi dango, the stand-up soba shop and the burger shop both had a moon viewing special using eggs, and some strange bunny girls were handing out fliers on the street corner. However, they may not all have been fully satisfied with their job because some of those high school girls lured in by the pay had stiff smiles on their faces.

The seven-year-old, who wasn’t aware of those painful financial issues, seemed brimming with energy – far more than necessary – while holding a flier for a pet cafe that was doing a rabbit event for the moon viewing season.

In fact…

“In the first place, did you know, Onee-chan? If you wish upon a shooting star, your wish will come true! I want to be a constellation.”

“Wanting to be a star is a bad omen, so stop saying it.”

“I want to make an Onee-chan constellation too!”

“That’s also a bad omen, so stop!!”

The small snort of triumph told Frenda her seven-year-old sister really did intend to accomplish it. In just a few months, a blonde miniskirt Santa Claus (special skills: lock picking and home security breaking) would be placing the toy she most wanted by her pillow and her New Year’s money would come along a week later, but children could be so greedy.

That said, how many seconds did it take between a shooting star appearing and disappearing? The dark side assassin who knew a lot about bombs and martial arts considered that question. You had to repeat your wish thrice in that time, which sounded difficult even with a pro boxer’s excellent kinetic vision.

“In the end, what do you want for dinner tonight?”

“Hm, moon viewing curry!”

“Ehh? It’s not just soba and burgers? They’re doing that for curry too?”

“In the first place, a partially fried egg is the only way to go!!”

While they were chatting like that…

It was Frenda’s dark side nose that picked up on it before her conscious mind.

But why now?

Sensing a quiet tingling, it took her a moment to realize what had caused it.

A face she couldn’t make out was mixed in among the passersby.

It was late October.

And yet this person was wearing a short-sleeve summer uniform.

So they briefly looked like a ghost to Frenda.

Or…

Maybe that was wishful thinking on Frenda’s part.

But that was no ghost.

They looked right at Frenda and grinned.

With the face of someone who should not have been alive.



Hanano Choubi.

A girl who was supposed to be dead.



“What is it, Onee-chan?”

The seven-year-old looked curiously up at her frozen sister.

She hadn’t noticed.

Because the crowd making up this peaceful scene only contained one dark side scum who knew that Hanano Choubi had already died.

Without that crucial piece of information, she only looked like a timid puppy of a girl.

But Academy City Bomber Frenda Seivelun couldn’t overlook this.

Because she knew.

This was the traitor who had once perfectly deceived Item and escaped beyond their reach.

That was certainly part of it.

But more than that…

“?”

Her seven-year-old sister was by her side.

She had trusted this to be a perfectly safe sanctuary, but this dark side idiot had to barge on in.

That was one thing she could not allow.



''She had to update her definitions.

''This demon had put her sister’s life at risk.



Frenda put on a smile and crouched down to her sister’s eye level.

“Hey, my sister.”

“In the first place, what is it, Onee-chan?”

“See what my phone says? The moon viewing burgers and tsukune are selling so well there’s a shortage of chicken eggs. In the end, we might not be able to have moon viewing curry tonight if we don’t get some eggs soon.”

“My goodness!!”

“If we run to the supermarket now, we might not make it. But I also seem to recall there still being some raw eggs left in the big fridge at your dorm.”

“In the first place, you can count on me, Onee-chan! I will protect our moon viewing curry future!!”

The seven-year-old sister waved both her little hands and boarded the next bus that arrived.

The bus’s engine roared as it drove off.

…A joke app that let you rapidly create fake articles could come in handy. Her sister vigorously waved through the window and didn’t seem to notice the water bottle drones flying over the bus to keep an eye on her. Sunset hadn’t arrived yet, so those UFOs wouldn’t get in the way of the astronomy event.

And…

“…”

That left only Frenda Seivelun and Hanano Choubi.

The time for kindness was over.

Hanano giggled.

She gave the same impression as when Frenda had last seen here. Which was what felt so off. The assumptions had greatly changed since then. This traitor had duped Item and run off, yet she was still playing the pure and timid creature.

“Looks like this isn’t going to be a tearful reunion. W-was it a bad time? I did like you a lot, Frenda-san, so I was waiting for a time when the rest of Item wasn’t around. And I chose to use ''this face and body''.”

“…What do you want?”

“Heh…heh heh. I want to help you.”

“Then in the end, you shouldn’t have done anything that my sister is likely to remember. Even for a moment.”

Hanano pulled something from her pocket.

It was a pack of menthol flavored cigarettes. She shook it, pulled one out, and placed it in her mouth. With practiced ease.

Finally something clashed with the timid creature Frenda remembered.

Hanano was a master of disguise and infiltration.

Was she really a student? She may have been a lot older than Frenda had thought.

Hanano lit the end of the cigarette with a faded oil lighter, blew out some smoke…and began to speak.



“''You will die, Frenda Seivelun.''”