Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Mental Out SS (section)

===Part 3===

It was Sunday at a completely ordinary park in District 7.

Just like the public square by the train station, it was a classic location for guitarists, comedians, and other performers to build up their courage on the weekends. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to see people in costumes or masks holding a tablet script in one hand and raising their voices on the grass or along the walking paths.

Among all that, a pointy-haired boy’s eyes widened.

He was Kamijou Touma.

“A Shakespeare play? That’s incredible. Do they really do that kind of thing at Tokiwadai? Isn’t it a middle school?”

“We do☆” replied a honey-blonde girl with a hand over her smiling mouth. She wore a winter blazer uniform, but that was because Tokiwadai students were required to wear their uniforms even when out in the city on the weekends. “I’m really not sure what to do. How am I supposed to play a male role when there aren’t any real gentleman around to base my performance ability on?”

“I still can’t get over that you perform plays for school. I mean, I’d probably fall asleep just watching one, but you have to memorize all your lines and get up on the stage.”

Kamijou Touma was in high school and the honey-blonde girl was in middle school, but the latter’s knowledge and mental maturity were clearly greater. To be blunt, the boy seemed childish to her.

Kobayashi’s voice sounded in Shokuhou’s head.

<How did you even find a gentleman with such a low rank as a human being? Sleeping while watching a play is unthinkably rude. He might think no one will notice with so many people in the audience, but you can see each and every person’s face from up on the stage. And even a professional actor would have her feelings hurt by that.>

“(Hee hee. How cute. Yes, he probably wouldn’t know what to make of Shakespeare’s plays, would he?)”

<Queen, why are you being so unusually lenient in your judgments of people today?>

“(Ehh? Now you’re just being a silly billy.)”

<nowiki><I</nowiki> am referring to how your guard has been lowered so far you don’t even sound like yourself. He is older than us, but you are acting like you’re looking after a baby chick.>

Kobayashi’s telepathy allowed her to mentally communicate with people over a distance. It was a convenient mental power, but since it worked through the medium of words, she could not share images, alter formless memories or personalities, or influence facial recognition or a meetup place.

After hearing that, her enemies tended to take her lightly, but ''that power was actually very powerful in combat.

Anyone who wrote it off as no more than a psychic cellphone needed to take a step back and think it through. How had Kobayashi Satori risen to the position of the largest clique’s intellectual strategist, placing her right alongside the stupidly strong Hokaze Junko?

She was skilled enough that even the Queen at the top of the clique couldn’t predict which of those two would win if they went all out.

<Queen, couldn’t you just find a random boy and use one of your remotes on him? Why take the time to get him to tell you about his male mind when you have Mental Out?>

“(Sure, I could copy over the full contents of his mind, but where would I store all that personality data? If I save it to my mind, it would end up mixed with my own personality and I would be permanently stuck with masculine speech patterns, mannerisms, and stride.)”

<You have a point. Your power is ''too'' convenient in this case.>

The two girls continued their telepathic discussion.

The only one in the dark was the pointy-haired boy seated on the bench next to the honey girl.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream…”

“Hee hee. Do I need to give you a plot summary?”

Little by little, the honey girl was growing more comfortable around him.

Although this was still nowhere near as close as that pair had once been.

“(…)”

Shokuhou Misaki had seriously cursed her luck when she ended up in the same group as Misaka Mikoto for the joint drama class, but maybe A Midsummer Night’s Dream wasn’t so bad after all. It was the Queen’s style to make use of everything she could, so she had used the play to let her contact ''him'' over the weekend.

''He would forget any of it happened afterwards, but even so.

(Heh heh. Misaka-san could never spend a relaxing Sunday with him like this.)

<Are you sure you want to do this, Queen?>

“(Why wouldn’t I?)”

<Because no matter the reason for it, this is still effectively a date, isn’t it?>

“Bfff!!??”

Kamijou took a puzzled look around, so Shokuhou quickly recovered and blended into her surroundings.

Kobayashi’s telepathic voice now had an appraising tone to it.

<Let me ask again: are you sure you want to do this, Queen?>

“(Cough, cough. Ugh. I am as sure as sure can be. Phew. Of course I am. What kind of dangers or surprises could we run into in a park on Sunday? And why should I be scared of a high school boy just because he’s already left the category of middle school? I can bend a boy or two to my will in no time at all!!)”

<That loud, rapid talking is so cute. I’m sure you could step on and remote control the average handsome VIP or wealthy minor villain, but you are acting very strangely today. Oh, how I wish I could record your mental voice. Then I could let the clique hear it and share this happiness with Hokaze-san, Asato-san, and the others. I feel guilty keeping this to myself☆>

(I’m definitely erasing this memory from her mind later.)

<Queen, I can hear everything you’re thinking. And that low, ultra-serious whispering is terrifying coming from Academy City’s #5.>

Even Kobayashi sensed danger here.

The honey girl made sure none of this showed on her face as she smiled and continued her conversation with Kamijou Touma.

She raised a white-gloved finger before saying more.

“While it is Shakespeare, no one dies an emotional death in this one.”

“Ugh!? I’m a little disappointed you managed to predict my own lack of imagination. Did a middle schooler really see right through me!?”

That had apparently stabbed deep into his high schooler pride.

After hearing his comment, Shokuhou sighed too quietly for anyone to hear.

“(You aren’t making fun of me, are you, Kobayashi-san?)”

<No, I would never. You are the beloved leader of our clique.>

“(Hm, at least you know that much. By the way, Kobayashi-san, are you making fun of me?)”

<Repeat the question like an Anti-Skill interrogator all you want – my opinion will not change.>

The Queen had the strongest mental power and the aide was specialized in telepathy alone.

They both specialized in the mind, so of course Kobayashi knew all the tricks too.

In fact, she might know them better than Shokuhou who could brute force everything with her power.

<Please do try to calm down, Queen. I will give you all the advice necessary to spend a valuable Sunday with this gentleman.>

“(''You'' will?)”

<Hee hee. I am the Shokuhou Clique’s intellectual strategist, after all. Not to mention a third year, which gives me more experience than you.>

That shut Shokuhou up.

She led the largest clique, but she couldn’t completely deny the power contained in the difference from one school year to the next. She would scoff at and brainwash an adult agent or researcher who crossed her, but she was more obedient here.

A third year.

That placed Kobayashi at the very top of the middle school world, which may have warranted a certain amount of respect.

“(Fine. Where do you think we should start, Kobayashi-san?)”

<Where else? Balls are what dates are all about.>

“Bff! E-excuse me?”

Shokuhou accidentally spoke out loud.

But Kobayashi apparently didn’t mean anything weird here.

Shokuhou forgot all about the boy’s presence and stared over at Kobayashi from a short distance away.

“A ball is the one and only place where princesses and princes can meet, hold hands, and show off their charm to each other. They gather attention with their outward beauty, demonstrate their inner purity with their elegant movements, and measure their compatibility by how well they dance together!”

Shokuhou wondered why she should go to a ball and dance with a bunch of boys when she was already in a one-on-one situation with a boy.

Plus, this was modern Japan.

Who would be dancing in a Sunday park?

…Well, there were some girls in baggy T-shirts and shorts energetically dancing in front of the phones they had set up in the flower beds with special stands. Probably because (much to Shokuhou Misaki’s chagrin) dancing was a widely accepted thing to learn at school. That just confused matters. That was not at all the ballroom dancing you would see at a ball! Why must they play that loud dance music from their wireless speakers and show off their athletic ability in a public space like this!?

“…”

<Hee hee. Is the concept of a ball too exciting for a second year like you, Queen?>

For some reason, Kobayashi felt the need to keep the upper hand in this truly sad situation.

And in her ignorance, she was, in a way, invincible.

“?”

On the bench, the pointy-haired boy gave the honey girl a puzzled look.

She had gotten too focused on the telepathic conversation.

She must have been neglecting the spoken conversation.

“(Kobayashi-san.)”

<Understood, Queen. You can count on me. I know exactly what needs to be said.>

“Do you enjoy dancing, Kamijou-san?”

“Eh? The people who do it really seem to enjoy it, but it honestly feels like a different world altogether. I could never dance in front of people.”

Kobayashi commented in Shokuhou’s head.

<Silence would be the kind choice here. Are you relieved, Queen?>

“(…I suppose.)”

<But based on the muscles I can see, he appears to be the athletic type. If he was forced to dance, I bet he wouldn’t freeze up and would keep moving even if he had to adlib it. And once he figured out how it was done, he would fit right in.>

“(Oh, shut up. Yes, I already know he’s one of ''those'' people!!)”

<The people who don’t let embarrassment stop them will continue learning and constantly build up their experience. That is one strength you lack as the perfect queen who is always considering how people will see you.>

The strategist’s mental voice carried a hint of exasperation.

Directed at Shokuhou, not Kamijou.

<You might be able to handle ballroom dancing since it is less athletic, but you tend to overthink anything related to fitness or exercising. Place you in front of a sports gym’s wall mirror and you probably wouldn’t be sure which way is right and which is left.>

“(I know my right from my left!! It’s just that I have a perfect image of the performance in my head, but the person in the mirror refuses to move the way I want her too!)”

The incapable Queen felt a need to draw an entirely unnecessary distinction there.

But even with all this going on, the honey girl’s smile remained perfect.

“Really? Then are you exclusively a listener when it comes to music?”

“What else would I do? Oh, you mean like karaoke? I never do that.”

“I meant writing your own on the computer☆”

“There’s no way I could do that.”

The honey girl was smiling on the outside, but she continued the telepathic strategy meeting on the inside.

<Oh, I know. If you don’t like the idea of a ball, it might be a good idea to correspond with him via letter instead of jumping straight into a joint activity. Coming up with secret nicknames for each other is a great way of demonstrating your intelligence and charm to your beloved. Like Prince of the Icy Blade or Rafflesia Princess!!>

Had Kobayashi’s worldview drifted off to the Palace of Versailles full of long eyelashes and perfect proportions? The Queen was suddenly curious what she would find on Kobayashi’s bookshelves. And why was her strategist comparing her to a giant grotesque flower?

“Hey? I-is something wrong? You’re glaring pretty intensely over there.”

“It’s nothing☆”

The honey girl seated next to the boy on the bench was so focused on the telepathic conversation she was neglecting her reactions to him.

Shokuhou Misaki took inspiration from a smiling college couple she saw walking along nearby.

She gave an idea in her mind.

“(Doesn’t a Sunday date in the park mean things like scooping ice cream up in a tiny spoon and feeding it to each other?)”

<Out of the question, Queen! Letting a gentleman feed you will get you pregnant!! We are still in middle school!!>

“I could rest my head on his shoulder while sitting next to him, or I could use my thigh ability to give him a lap pillow.”

<Letting a gentleman touch your bare skin is far too risky! How many children are you planning to have at your age!? Do you want a house full of children!? …As thin as they are, the white gloves over the arms at least provide some form of contraception.>

Something had quickly become apparent to Shokuhou.

As much as Kobayashi Satori was trying to control the situation as the older one, she was a Tokiwadai girl through and through. She had zero experience with boys. So much for her supposed experience as a third year. Her view of boys was even more distorted and unreliable than a long-eyelashed shoujo manga!!

<Who are you calling unreliable? If you think I’m so ignorant, how about I demonstrate the special move I have developed for use against gentlemen?>

“(I can’t have you murdering him here in broad daylight, you stupid third year.)”

Shokuhou mentally provided that exasperated response.

And while her focus had been elsewhere, the pointy-haired boy had started acting oddly.

“Hmm?”

“…”

When the honey girl shook her long blonde hair and turned to look at him, the older boy looked away.

It was amusing to watch.

The honey girl turned her body toward him, placed her hands behind her back, and peered up at him from below. Since they were both seated on the same bench, this put her very close to him.

“Hee hee? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, my bad. It’s just, well, I noticed this sweet scent, so I was thinking about how much beauty care girls have to deal with. I’m in high school and all I do is wash my hair and face, so I was feeling really childish and silly.”

Was that his problem?

The honey girl kicked her slender legs below the bench and sighed softly.

“I don’t think that has much to do with being an adult or a child.”

“Eh?”

“Skincare products for men are common enough nowadays, but it is true there are far more cosmetics for women.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is,” replied the honey girl with a firm nod.

While they couldn’t wear too much because Tokiwadai’s rules were (extremely) strict, the girls there still applied a barrage of various colors and moisturizers to their hair, skin, and nails.

“This is a bit of sidetrack, but you know how the Curriculum has us write while looking in a mirror to help draw out brain functions we ordinarily never use?”

“Yeah. When I get too focused doing that, I get nauseated like I have motion sickness or something.”

“Results from that lesson have shown that girls are better at it than boys. At first, there was a lot of talk about the ratio of sex hormones creating distinct male and female thought process or even that it was the result of male and female brains being structured differently.”

“At first? So was that not the reason?”

“In truth, it was nothing more than girls being more accustomed to making precise hand movements while looking in the mirror due to applying lipstick and eyeliner every morning.”

“…”

“Hee hee. The oddities in everyday life usually have mundane explanations like that. For example, boys in their school’s drama club could complete the task as easily as the girls because they regularly applied makeup for their club activities. All in all, this means girls are still more accustomed to performing skincare than boys in Academy City. For now anyway☆”

The honey girl teased the end of her long blonde hair and smiled as she gave her conclusion.

This time, it was Kobayashi who sent a telepathic question.

<On that note, Queen, what is the origin of the fantasy that girls smell sweet?>

The Queen was not crass enough to mention the more realistic girl scent found in sweaty cheerleading teams and girl’s kendo teams. She would only mention that it was said in Tokiwadai that the sweet illusion was only preserved by the power of showers and deodorant.

<Does it come from traditional arts dating back at least to the Edo period, or is it a literary expression brought over from the West? Hm, a mystery.>

“(I don’t think fiction has anything to do with it.)”

Shokuhou mentally responded in exasperation.

“(Did you know there is a theory saying teenage girls avoid their fathers because their brains are programmed to dislike the smell of their male parent to avoid an unfortunate attraction accidentally forming between them? Your father doesn’t actually have a powerful old man smell.)”

<If you say so.>

Kobayashi wasn’t sure what to make of this since she had lived away from her parents in Academy City for so long.

Now, if you were to uncritically accept that theory, it would lead to the strange conclusion that teenage girls wouldn’t avoid the smell of old men other than their fathers, but enough of that.

From here, Shokuhou added in her own theory.

“(In that case, couldn’t the exact opposite happen for the opposite sex of your own age? Our brains could be programmed to enjoy how the opposite sex smells so we will naturally approach each other. That would mean our bodies aren’t actually emitting anything sweet smelling☆)”

From there, it was the same thing that drew people to sugary, carby, and fatty shortcakes. On an instinctual level, humans were made think that the things they required were beautiful and delicious so they would overindulge in them. The future was bright and humanity’s prosperity would not end. How many billions of humans lived on Earth nowadays?

“(Of course, I will admit that silly fantasy is propped up by the sweet smelling perfumes and deodorants the adults sell.)”

<Are you saying the more a gentleman is attracted to a girl, the sweeter he will think she smells?>

“Bfff!?” spat Shokuhou.

If that were true – really true – what would it mean that the boy so strongly associated her with a ''honey scent''!?

“(Eep.)”

<Hm. That would imply the gentlemen are using some form of self-suggestion. They do say love is blind. In the most extreme cases, they will say their favorite idol does not use the restroom. Gentleman in particular seem to trap themselves in their self-made fantasies when they have a crush on->

“(%@&$-beep-beep-beep-grind-grind-beep-beep-beep*♭☆÷〒)”

<Ow!! Queen, what is going on in your mind!? That unverbalized noise is too loud! Are you trying to destroy my mind with old computer code sounds that make me expect you to spit out a long sheet of paper from your mouth!?>

“(Gasp!? P-pardon me. I lost my cool.)”

Shokuhou Misaki took a deep breath to intentionally calm herself.

(Even if that is the case, it didn’t necessarily mean he had a ***** on me.)

<Queen, you need to think more clearly. Hm, this isn’t more noise. A portion of your thoughts is heavily coded, preventing me from reading one of the words.>

“(Cough, no digging deeper.)”

<Hm. I don’t see any way in right away, but a truly randomized code without any kind of pattern to it should be the most difficult kind. …No, I see it now. The key lies in the five basic tastes, including umami, which can be mechanically converted into numbers. If I use this…>

“(I said no and I meant it!!!)” shouted the queen, half in tears.

Of course, Kobayashi’s telepathy only allowed her to converse in words, so she couldn’t actually directly steal flavor memory data from Shokuhou’s mind.

Then the pointy-haired boy tilted his head while seated next to the honey girl.

“Hmm. If I wanted to start on skincare, what would be a good place to start? Is there any one thing that’s most important?”

“…Why not start with hand cream?”

“Are you making fun of me? How stupid do you think high schoolers are?”

“What about you? Did you realize that line of questioning is sexual harassment on the level of asking what part of my body I wash first in the bath?”

“Gfhhh!!?”

“I’ll take that as a no☆”

The honey girl couldn’t stop grinning.

She may have discovered how she would be enjoying her Sunday.

<By the way, Queen.>

“(Don’t distracted me during this crisis, Kobayashi-san. You’ve made such a mess of things here I need to find a way to fix it all as soon as possible!!)”

<Do as you like, but there is a physical threat 30m ahead on the walking path through the artificial woods.>

“(What kind of threat?)”

<Checking link status. Verifying details with an echo check. An unidentified individual has contacted and entered my telepathy range. ‘I want to play the princess for once.’ ‘Huh, they have Gekota balloons here.’ ‘That dorm manager really is the real monster.’ Based on the verbalized surface-level thoughts I am gathering in real time, the unidentified individual is most likely Misaka Mikoto. She will encounter us if we remain here.>

“Bff!?” spat Shokuhou Misaki.

(It’s always something!)

“?”

Kamijou Touma looked around in confusion, so Academy City’s #5 quietly cleared her throat.

The Queen was aware that Mikoto and Kamijou had developed a connection much like the one between Shokuhou and Kamijou. So what would happen if the aggressive #3, who had an extremely short fuse, happened to see the Queen here with the pointy-haired boy?

With no real evidence, the Queen of Tokiwadai’s largest clique arrived at a conclusion.

(If I’m found here, I’ll explode and die.)

<You’ll die?>

“(Yes, die. Blown to smithereens.)”

To reiterate, Misaka Mikoto was immune to Shokuhou’s power. If Shokuhou’s presence was detected here in a one-on-one situation, she would be taken out by a physical attack. She would have a hard time escaping to safety, to say nothing of winning.

“(Why did that impossibly overleveled enemy wandering the dungeon at random have to show up now!?)”

<Oh, dear. I just remembered that this park is the one where Misaka Mikoto is known to show up and kick one of the vending machines. That means this was her territory to begin with. So she didn’t come to us – we accidentally went to her☆>

“(That doesn’t matter at this point.)”

Sunday only came once a week.

Shokuhou wanted to enjoy it.

So she wasn’t letting the #3 ruin it for her.

<Queen, I can hear those thoughts. Anyway, follow my lead. We will move from here, taking him with us.>

“(As long as we don’t run into her while we try to escape.)”

<Don’t worry. Misaka-sama has not noticed because I am keeping silent, but I have already established a telepathic link with her. As long as she does not move outside my telepathy range, I can read her verbalized surface-level thoughts and track her location☆>

In that case…

“(Kobayashi-san.)”

<Yes, Queen. It’s time to go.>

“Kamijou-san☆ I’m a little thirsty.”

“Eh? Wah!?”

The honey girl stood from the bench and took the older boy’s arm with a smile.

And she pulled him to his feet.

“(Um, Kobayashi-san, Are you tracking my location, his location, and Misaka-san’s location in relation to each other?)”

<Leave it all to me.>

Kobayashi Satori’s telepathy was reliant on proximity.

She could track the number and location of her targets whether or not she could see them, even if they were on the other side of a wall. But if she moved too far away, her connection would be severed.

So as convenient as the power was, her own position was fairly important when it came to grasping all the movement across the field.

“I need a drink☆”

“There’s a vending machine over- hey, um, where are you going?”

“You don’t actually expect me to drink that carbonated garbage full of chemical ability, do you?”

The honey-blonde girl clung to the pointy-haired boy’s arm and leaned her weight outwards. She was amused to find how easy it was to steer him around.

Kobayashi apparently had a question about this.

<Odd. I thought gentlemen stood their ground better than this, but he is surprisingly easy to move around. The slightest bit of force seems to be enough to steer him left or right.>

“(Kobayashi-san, are you familiar with the idea of basic needs? Those are needs people seek out on reflex before their rational mind can even kick in.)”

<You mean like the need for approval and to explain?>

“(Yes, like that. Around thirty of them are well known, but one of those is a need for friendship. That instinctual need has people try to make friends regardless of status or position so they can flatten out the hierarchy and free themselves from the tension that creates. And speaking of tension, being alone with a girl would mean a lot of tension for a boy, don’t you think?)”

''Need for friendship.

Those words slipped quietly from the honey girl’s lips, making the pointy-haired boy frown.

“What does that mean?”

“If you want a close-to-home example, it’s what makes you feel like the 5-minute TV horoscope actually knows you or makes you uncritically accept everything written in a celebrity’s health book.”

“Hm, I think I see what you mean.”

“Or it’s what makes a lonely boy feel like he’s sought out real advice after reading the bogus dating tips that plague the internet and fashion magazines☆”

“Gfhh!?”

Kamijou Touma groaned after that knife to the heart from this younger girl.

The honey girl displayed a confident smile, but…

<Queen, the complete silence in your mind is scaring me. What is this emptiness supposed to mean? Did that mention of dating tips damage you as well by any chance?>

Shut up.

Hey, pointy-hair, when did you ever have a need for tips like that?

But if taking his arm was enough to manipulate that older boy as she saw fit, then victory would be hers.

For now, they had to escape the impossibly overleveled enemy that was the #3.

To repeat, encountering her now could only mean one thing for Shokuhou: explode and die.

“(Misaka-san is bad enough, but I’m also afraid of her friend Shirai-san showing up. Her supposedly Level 4 Teleportation would make it impossible to shake them just by escaping into the crowd.)”

<Oh, but our school’s Judgment seemed busy at the moment. Probably something related to that recent case. I know our Makigami-san was running around working on it.>

I see.

“Hm, I’ve seen a few kids with Gekota balloons. Do you think they’re handing them out in this park?”

Shokuhou didn’t have time to cry out in surprise.

<Queen, a left at the next fork.>

“This way, Kamijou-san☆”

“Whoa, whoa! That’s soft! Hey!”

Shokuhou just barely avoided an encounter by hiding behind the spectacular pillar of water erupting from a fountain. She recalled that a sufficient quantity of water could block electromagnetic waves.

“Huh, I never knew the fountain went off at the top of the hour. I’ve seen it so many times but I never put it together.”

“Enough of that, Kamijou-san. We need to hurry away from this fountain!”

“Why- eh? Hey!?”

The honey-blonde girl took this chance to escape onto a walking path to the side (while squeezing the older boy’s arm tight so she could steer him as she saw fit).

“(Misaka-san wouldn’t leave her dorm during the weekend for no reason. Kobayashi-san, her verbalized surface-level thoughts are good enough – just tell me what she’s thinking. If we know the reason behind her inexplicable appearance here, we can predict what she’ll do and more easily avoid her.)”

<Queen, extroverted people generally do head out during the weekend without any particular goal in mind. The small stimuli and discoveries found in their surroundings help refresh them.>

“…”

<Hee hee. Unlike you, who lazes around indoors all weekend.>

Shokuhou had no rebuttal.

At any rate, they needed to focus on avoiding Misaka Mikoto. Because she didn’t want to explode and die.