Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item6 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

Item had returned to their suite in the District 5 hotel.

“Oh, ohhhh. Super ohhhhhh…”

Kinuhata Saiai was thrashing about on the floor even though there were plenty of chairs and sofas.

Wet-haired Frenda, who was wearing a towel and cutting across the large room in search of a hair dryer, frowned (and showed no concern about the extreme low angle Kinuhata would have from the floor).

“In the end, what has you so worked up this early in the morning?”

“Right this very moment, they’re showing a trash movie that was never released in Japan! At a Mexican restaurant!! I just called to check and they said all the seats were full! Even though I said I’m perfectly fine standing!! Why can’t I watch it on that TV right over there!? What kind of niche industrial service does that restaurant have their monitor hooked up to!? I’m super jealous!!”

If it wasn’t available on a phone movie subscription app, was it such a minor film that no one could track down who owned the rights anymore? It could also be such a horrifically gory movie that all of the ordinary apps’ regulations kept it out.

“Ugh…”

A lump in the bed groaned as if the shouting voice had struck it like a physical blow.

That lump was Mugino Shizuri.

Takitsubo Rikou climbed into the same bed and spoke quietly to her.

“Mugino.”

For some reason, Mugino wouldn’t look her in the eye. This was extremely unusual.

Takitsubo continued with no change of expression.

“This was your decision, so if you’re going to do it, get started.”

“Ehhhh? But…”

“It’s already October, so the heat no longer works as an excuse. You need to start jogging.”

The track suit girl was Item’s oldest member.

She knew very well how to deal with Mugino Shizuri.

“Look, these are the numbers on your health app.”

“Ugh.”

“This shows your current calorie intake and exercise level. If you keep this up, the results will be tragic a month from now. The changes will be noticeable in your figure. Especially in the hips and legs.”

“…”

“Mugino. I know it’s in season during autumn, but you’ve been eating too much fatty salmon. Are you going to go jogging?”

The daughter of the Mugino Family silently got out of bed.

This was unusually obedient for Item’s leader, but if she refused now, the track suit girl might continue pestering her. And there was no escaping that search expert when she wanted to find you.

Mugino left the suite alone and took the elevator down to the ground level, but she had zero intention of jogging.

“It doesn’t matter what I do as long as I lose some weight, right? That doesn’t require running on my own two legs.”

Mugino grumbled to herself as she walked to a business that was hardly unusual in the grown-up District 5.

The sign out front called it a beauty salon.

Just as a barber would pay careful attention to their hair and clothing store workers would wear the store’s clothing as a form of advertisement, the college-aged receptionist at the counter had an unnaturally model-like figure. She looked somewhat surprised to see Mugino.

But not because Mugino had shown up without an appointment.

“Why, if it isn’t Shizuri-sama. What brings you here today? Need to alter your body to the point your own parents wouldn’t recognize you?”

“Don’t be dumb. I wouldn’t screw up that bad. Is the doctor in?”

“She’s ready when you are☆”

This salon used the swelling and slimming effect of the body to remake one’s body lines so a criminal could slip past the latest security cameras that, in addition to facial recognition, would analyze your build and bone structure.

Incidentally, the place next door was a repair shop for leather products like bags and belts. But it was also known as an ID forging specialist that carried all sorts of different special inks. The intended clientele here was more obvious than a bicycle shop right next to a school.

Mugino was guided to a locker room where she changed into the paper underwear and grabbed a towel before heading to the treatment room.

The blonde woman in her mid-twenties waiting there was something else entirely from a doctor.

“Wah hah hah. Those are some nice tits. Man, isn’t youth a wonderful thing?”

“Shut up and get to work.”

“Then will you lie down there for me?”

Mugino Shizuri lay face down on on a stretcher about as tall as a desk.

Something fell onto her back. A liquid.

“Hot! What is this!?”

“Massage oil. This is better than ice cold, don’t you think?”

Hands reached for her unguarded back.

“Ohh, ohh. You dark side customers are fascinating. The firmness of the skin and flow of the muscles differs so much from person to person. It makes great study material☆”

“Damn anatomy model freak.”

“Yes, Academic Hall’s latest model looks very nice indeed. I just know that was designed by someone who’s seen real living organs and not just the samples floating in formaldehyde. The old Tanaka Educational Model Shop has to be panicking right about now.”

“…”

That was what you got with this blonde woman who bought a new one each season like they were body pillows.

“God, you really are a pervert.”

“My, my. But a human’s skin is only a fraction of their total weight. Trying to measure the extent of human beauty from the exterior alone is quite frankly ridiculous. You need the bone, the muscle, and the fat below or the skin won’t have that alluring firmness and spring to it. Human beauty is more than skin deep.”

She was supposedly the best esthetician in the business, but she was definitely enjoying the ways she used her fingers a little too much.

Still face down, Mugino spoke up in annoyance.

“Nh, kh…hey, is this really necessary?”

“The human body is over 60% water. Shifting its location can drastically change your appearance. As a liquid, it can change shape freely. This lacks the permanence of cosmetic surgery, but it can easily redesign your figure for a short time☆”

The massage oil had been a little too hot at first, but it adapted to her body heat as the esthetician worked it in with her hands. As the boundary between temperatures faded, the oil felt like it was silently entering Mugino’s skin. Adapting? Fusing? With her eyes shut, her awareness of her own body seemed to glitch.

“Let me know if this hurts, okay? I might not do anything about it, but I’d still like to know.”

“Well, nh, it’s a small price to pay for easy results. Jogging is a pain in the ass and I’m all for real-life pay to win if it buys me time. I’ll just put up with it and enjoy the easy weight loss.”

“Oh, uh, no matter where I move your excess water around, the total amount will stay the same, so while you might look slimmer, your weight will not change.”

Mugino threw the wet towel into the esthetician’s face.