Editing Traduciendo: Toaru Majutsu no Index:Volume4 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 2===

Noon.

Kamijou's family (including the nun who was freeloading at Kamijou's house) were all playing at the beach, leaving Kamijou alone in the resort on the excuse of summer illness. The moment everyone left, Kanzaki, Tsuchimikado and Misha stepped into the Wadatsumi resort.

As Tsuchimikado's appearance was that of an idol who had recently created trouble, it would have been troublesome if the boss saw him, so they held the meeting in Kamijou's room.

On a side note, the reason why Kamijou hadn't done anything all morning was because Kamijou really was unable to move due to morning illness. This tragedy was due to a lack of sleep, insufficient intake of water and the hot weather.

Misha seemed to have searched for Hino alone in the morning, but she couldn't find anything. Kamijou felt rather self-loathing that he had become everyone's baggage.

"Really...what were you thinking for the entire night?"

Right now, Kamijou looked like a plant that had withered because someone forgot to water it. With Kanzaki raging and worried as she lectured him, Kamijou felt even more depressed.

At that moment, Tsuchimikado, who was wearing blue sunglasses, grimaced and said, "Okay, okay Kanzaki nee-chin, there's no need to make the patient feel worse."

"You're too naive, Tsuchimikado. When you have to scold, you have to scold heavily, or he may end up repeating that again! I always see him getting into trouble. We can deal with it!"

Kanzaki sounded like she was lecturing a child who had just played with fire, and these words hit Kamijou the hardest. Unable to stand this any longer, Tsuchimikado put his mouth near Kanzaki's ear and whispered to her like a couple.

"...(Nee-chin, is it really alright to pressure Kami-yan like that? Kami-yan did drag his poisoned body along to protect the Index that you care for the most!)"

"Uuu..."

Kanzaki was stunned.

"...(You should be thanking him, right? Why are you angry at him instead? Besides, you haven't thanked him for what happened the last time.)"

"Uuu..."

Kanzaki's entire body froze.

Standing slightly further away while looking at Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado, Misha sighed. Though she didn't say anything, Misha must have been feeling that this was rather funny. Since she normally lowered her head, and her face was often covered with her bangs, it was hard to see her expression.

Kamijou had a feeling that if that meaningless conversation kept going, the hastily-assembled group would break up. Starting to worry, he decided to take up the role of the leader for the meeting.

"Speaking of which, the culprit behind Angel Fall is Hino Jinsaku, right?"

Hino Jinsaku was the man who had attacked Kamijou from below the floor yesterday.

"According to the eyewitness report I got from Misaka Imouto, that person wasn't changed."

Kanzaki looked at Kamijou and said, "I didn't see Hino Jinsaku directly, so I didn't dare to conclude this. But if he really wasn't switched, he's most likely the suspect."

"...In other words, we just need to capture Hino Jinsaku...but..."

Looking rather bothered, Tsuchimikado stroked his sunglasses.

It was not that easy to capture Hino Jinsaku. He hadn't left any trails behind, so it was impossible to tell where he escaped to.

"Since Hino's a magician, can't we just track his magic trail?"

"My first answer: We couldn't trace the trail of magic that Hino used last night. It's likely that he may have used some masking method to prevent being traced."

"The most important angel also didn't leave any trails. If an angel-like magical energy is left alone, the huge amount of energy can even cause the ground to distort, so he must be using some other method to hide the power of the angel."

"Hiding...is it really that simple?"

In regards to Kamijou's question, Kanzaki pondered for a moment, before continuing.

"According to records in the Old Testament, angels did hide their identities to enter ordinary people's cities and have meals with ordinary people. Also, there was a story that an archangel walked into a river to save an infant from drowning. Maybe we have to assume that angels have extremely skilled techniques in hiding their powers."

On hearing Kanzaki's words, Misha nodded her head slowly.

Though her bangs obscured any expression, Misha seemed satisfied. This response was similar to what Index often did; it seemed like nuns loved to talk about things in the Bible.

"Anyway, all we can do right now is to compile all our information."

Tsuchimikado said this, and then turned on the old TV in the corner of the room.

On the news, Komoe-sensei was still holding onto the microphone as she reported the news.

"...It's been past a whole day since Hino Jinsaku escaped from jail. Right now, we have professor Ono Raizen of Miwa University's criminologist department. who'll give us an in-depth analysis. Professor Ono, please."

Saying 'thank you' with a heavy tone, Professor Ono looked like a third grader. The show looked like some children's education show when both of them appeared on screen. Professor Ono said,

"Hino Jinsaku's modus operandi is extremely rare in the history of crime. He did kill 28 innocent victims, but he insisted that this wasn't voluntary. He said that he was just following orders from an 'Angel-sama'. To be honest, this feels somewhat similar to the ritual killings of the religious crimes in Europe and America."

The elementary school kid dressed in Western clothes continued to rattle on. Kamijou nodded his head.

"That's right, Hino did mention yesterday of an Angel-sama. This analyst should be talking about the 'Hino before he was switched', and this can prove the one 'before he got switched' is the same as 'the one after switching'."

"My first question: Let me confirm this again, is this Hino Jinsaku the culprit behind Angel Fall?"

Hearing Misha's question, Kamijou nodded his head again.

Unlike Kamijou, Hino didn't have the power of the Imagine Breaker, but he never got switched. Therefore, Hino Jinsaku was the most likely suspect.

"But who is the Angel-sama?"

"As for that, while I was repairing the floor yesterday, I found this underneath the floor."

Tsuchimikado pulled out a thin block of wood that was about the size of a notebook. The wood block was scarred thoroughly on the surface, as if someone had used a nail to scar it, and there didn't seem to be any place without a scar.

"What's carved onto it seems to be letters, and because there were so many letters carved onto it, they seem so packed together."

Tsuchimikado sighed.

"This is somewhat similar to an oracle or a John's Pen mode. Hino may just be following orders of the 'right hand that was naturally carving out words', like some Kokkuri-san or Planchette."

(...Kokkuri-san?)

Kamijou felt that something wasn't right, but he didn't say this out loud, since they were the experts here.

"We can tell that this ritual killing that the Angel-sama commanded took 28 lives away...what kind of ritual is that?"

"...Maybe that's Angel Fall?"

Kamijou couldn't understand the talk about some world-level magic spell and huge ritual arena, but it was really spine-chilling to hear 28 live sacrifices. It really sounded like those black magic spells to worship demons.

"But if that's the case, things got a lot more complicated. Assuming that Angel Fall really was casted by Hino, the one who commanded him was this Angel-sama. Why would an angel deliberately cast such a spell like Angel Fall."

Tsuchimikado folded his arms and pondered. At this moment, Kamijou answered without hesitation.

"...Maybe the most simple reason is that the angel wanted to descend into the mortal realm?"

"Um, Kami-yan, your explanation here has a huge flaw. The angels have no personalities. Angels are messengers of heaven, and their real appearances are like humanoid balloons with lots of abnormal power within them. In Idol Theory, a fake cross can obtain power, and the angels are the same. In theory, an angel's power can be divided into 100 and invoked into swords and armor. Also, without God's commands, angels themselves won't automatically create miracles on their own, help good people or defeat evil. Angels are basically like remote controlled cars in this regard."

"...So angels are like these?"

"Ya. In the Final Judgment described in the New Testament, God will judge the humanity of mankind at the end of the world. Sending good people into heaven and bad people into hell. Before that, angels can't deliberately save or kill people as it may change history." Tsuchimikado continued, "Oh ya, like what I just mentioned, angels are like remote-controlled cars of God. If one of the cars couldn't receive the commands because of some failure, or if the command received was wrong, it will become what we call a demon."

Tsuchimikado's words really surprised Kamijou. The angels and demons that often appeared in video games were completely different things. In his own impression, angels were just some random dumb blond beauties (with wings attached) that loved to watch from the heavens. Of course, this impression came from movies and manga.

"..."

At this moment, Kamijou didn't think again as he said, "Maybe the angel wanted a heart?"

"Since it doesn't have a heart, how can it desire one? Though angels look like they have their own will and can move about on their own, that's just a false impression. They're like stringed puppets, they can't move when the strings controlling them are snapped."

Said Tsuchimikado, scratching his head.

"As for the reason behind this, we just have to ask Hino after we catch him. Right now, let's thoroughly discuss what the enemy has."

After Tsuchimikado finished speaking, Misha just glanced at him slightly. However, she did not add on. It seemed like she wasn't used to initiating a conversation, only asking questions or giving answers. Thus, only Kanzaki could continue.

"First point, did Hino Jinsaku control an angel?"

"From what we discussed, I think we can exclude that. Besides, if Hino did completely control an angel, why didn't he use the power when he was in such a critical situation?" Tsuchimikado thought for a moment, and then continued, "Maybe Hino isn't able to command the angel fully, as if there were some static on a radio signal. Also, it seems like Hino had to follow the angel's orders, so in that critical situation, I don't think that Hino was able to get the angel to help him."

Now that he mentioned it, Hino, who was desperate, bemoaned why Angel-sama wouldn't help him out.

"But on the other hand, if the angel got his orders, it is still likely that it will accept Hino's command when he's in danger, right?"

Hearing Kanzaki say that, the eyes hidden under Tsuchimikado's shades revealed a haughty expression.

"Well, it's not a bad thing to think of the worst case scenarios. But...hoho...if we really want to go against an angel, the history of Mankind will most likely meet an end."

Even though Tsuchimikado had said that, Kamijou couldn't really imagine it.

What was an angel? How would the world look like when humanity is destroyed?

"Next, we'll analyze his allies' support. Is there a likelihood that Hino may be under the charge of a certain group or organization?"

"That's a really low probability. If Hino really has comrades, he wouldn't be alone when the 'Angel-sama' commanded him to carry out the 'sneak attack'. Of course, it's a different case if his comrades are working on other things."

"Hm...it's unlikely that he has an accomplice. If so, where is Hino going to heal himself? According to Kreutzev, Hino has two teeth pulled out, and his left wrist is fractured."

"He'll definitely be arrested if he stupidly decides to walk into a hospital. Even if he wants to find a private doctor, he shouldn't have any money with him when he just escaped from jail. If so, either he's going to rob a cash truck or he's preparing to cast a recovery spell."

"Either way, we can't guarantee it. Also, I want to know how he got the knife and the poison. Maybe he hid it some place, or maybe he got them when he attacked someone. He may also have funds, or not. Or maybe he has accomplices who gave him the weapons. Since we're not criminologists, overly guessing here will give us more wrong information."

Kanzaki sighed and stopped talking.

Once someone became quiet, the entire conversation was interrupted. The atmosphere seemed rather heavy. Only the sound of the TV continued to echo about without any feelings.

At that moment, the originally calm voice from the TV set sounded rather panicky.

Turning around to look, Kamijou saw the huge words 'breaking news' flashed on the TV. The baffling analyst was shoved aside, and Komoe-sensei looked shocked as she saw the sudden news report that was shoved into her hands.

"Ah, we have the latest news on the Hino Jinsaku jailbreak! Hino's in a house in Kanegawa-ken, and the police assault squads have already arrived at the scene, surrounding the house! Reporting from the...can you hear me? Reporting from the scene is reporter Kugimiya..."

Everyone was now staring intently at the TV; even Misha Kreutzev was silently peering over.

The screen changed.

Two-story tall houses were located on the sides of this commonly seen residential street scene. The originally quiet street was now bustling with interested onlookers, policemen were blocking the civilians, and assault squad members were dressed up as if they were ready to go to war. The entire place was buzzing, but the policemen and assault squad members were converted into old grandpas and kindergarten children, so it looked really unnerving.

A man who looked like a vegetable seller held onto the microphone and said, "Dear viewers, as you're seeing now, all the people, including us reporters are stopped just six hundred meters away from the house that Hino Jinsaku took refuge in. The civilians here seem to be residents who received the advice to escape to safety. According to reliable sources, Hino Jinsaku pulled all the curtains and the windows up after he escaped, so nobody outside could see what's going on."

Tsuchimikado lowered his voice and cursed.

The eyes behind the blue sunglasses revealed his anxiety.

It was unknown whether he was worried that things would be more difficult due to the situation escalating, or whether he was worried about the residents in the house. <!-- The phrasing is a little confusing here, but I wasn't sure exactly how to change it-->

"We don't know what the situation is in the residence. We don't know whether there are hostages, and we don't know what sort of weapon Hino Jinsaku has, so the assault squads aren't attacking...ah, something's happening. A car just entered a restricted area. Is that the police's negotiator?"

The screen changed to the bird-eye's view from a helicopter. The red roofed house should be where Hino Jinsaku was hiding.

"Idiot..."

Kamijou couldn't help but curse. Lifting the helicopter above the residence would only cause unnecessary disturbance to Hino Jinsaku, and it was likely that he was watching the TV. It was a good thing that it was just an enlarged image; if they showed a bird-eye's view of the surroundings, it would basically be telling Hino of the assault squad's location.

(...Eh?)

Suddenly, that image caused Kamijou to feel something strange. However, the image was unnaturally switched back to the studio; maybe it got restricted. Komoe-sensei looked helpless as she read the news, and the content was basically about the crimes Hino committed and a reminder to the surrounding residents not to leave their homes.

"Alright, things just got messy. If Hino lands into the police's hands, it'll be hard for us to make him remove the Angel Fall spell. If possible, we should take Hino away before the police, but what should we do?"

"Tsuchimikado! You know what will happen if he has a hostage!?"

It was rare to see Kanzaki so agitated, but Tsuchimikado merely replied casually.

"Hm, no matter what we do, we have to get to the scene of the crime. But where is it? Kanegawa-ken."

At that moment, Kamijou timidly raised his hand as he requested to speak.

Kanzaki said in an impatient tone, "What do you want to say? If you want to go there, I refuse. I'm different from Stiyl, I don't intend to bring you to the scene."

"It's not that, I just noticed from the aerial footage..."

"What?"

"Ah...well...that...I may be mistaken...and even if it's true..."

"Hurry up and say it, stop beating around the bush."

"Um...my mom has an interest in paragliding...ah, there are many kinds of paragliders; one type uses a motor. I don't really know, but it's basically sitting on a chair that looks like a swing and flying with a huge propeller on the back. My mom sent me lots of photos when I was hospitalized; I don't know what's so fun about it, but these were shot in the air near my house..."

"Aerial shots? So what..."

Before she could finish, Kanzaki suddenly understood.

Kamijou nodded and said, "I find that red roof familiar...I often see that in the aerial shots near my house."