(Seitenshi-sama has given me information, and I'm trying to figure out what to do next.
"Hiruko Kagetane, huh?"
He was an unexpected person to appear. At least, I didn't think he'd show up in the A Certain Magical Index story. The fact that the gadget drones appeared meant that the enemy could have been someone other than a magician—no, the possibility of it being someone else was more likely.
However, there are no clues. It's impossible for me to run out there and find Kagetane.
"He said he'd tell Section Six and Ms. Tatenashi too, so the real investigation will probably start tomorrow..."
I'm sure Section Six will take some measures as well, so there's no point in rushing alone.
"Let's not act alone. Patience, patience..."
I calmed myself down.
Looking at my terminal, it was exactly 3 p.m. It's about the time elementary and junior high school classes end. I'm not tired yet, so...
"Alright! I think I'll go check on everyone's training today."
There's something I want to try, too!
---------
"Hey there."
"Yo."
When I arrived at the park where the kids always trained, Nove-san greeted me with a raised hand.
The kids weren't there. It seemed they had gone for a run.
"Is Section Six here today?"
"They're off. They were busy yesterday."
"Oh? Come to think of it, Subaru was dragged out by Tearju last night..."
"Yeah, it's something like that."
"I see."
Even though we're "family," I can't share the details with Nove-san, a non-member. It's a top-secret transport plan. Nove-san seemed to understand and didn't press for more information.
"..."
"What's with the staring?"
On the contrary, I had realized something.
I came here for a completely different reason. And there are things I can't talk about with a non-member. But the information I just received was given to me personally. If that's the case, maybe it's okay to tell him.
"..."
"Seriously, what's with all the staring?!"
Yeah, I should probably tell Nove-san for the kids' safety.
"Actually..."
I told Nove-san about Kagetane.
"...Are you sure you should be telling me that? Isn't it classified?"
"I was told about it personally. It's not like I'm using it for anything bad."
"You're a crafty one, aren't you?"
"I think it's much better than rushing ahead and sticking my nose into a case on my own."
"You're talking about yourself, aren't you?"
"Of course... So, yeah, we might want to send the kids home a little earlier."
"Right. We'll end before it gets dark for a while."
It was a natural decision for someone in charge of children. And from this point on, he stopped being "Master Nove" in charge of the kids and became "Nove," a combat cyborg created by Jail Scaglietti, as he questioned me.
"So, this guy, Hiruko Kagetane... he's a mechanical soldier with a modified body, right?"
"Yes."
And this was the connection I had just realized.
Nove-san is also a combat cyborg—in other words, something like a mechanical soldier with a modified body. Still, the connection is undoubtedly tenuous. I thought the possibility of getting a clue for the search was very small.
"No, I mean..."
Nove-san was at a loss for words.
He must have something on his mind, but he can't say anything. Even though I've spoken to him like this, I haven't been told that Nove-san is a combat cyborg.
Even Nove-san wasn't so brazen as to reveal his secret just because a terrorist was said to be a similar existence to him.
Nove-san fell silent, and then,
"Oh, they're back."
"It seems so."
Everyone returned. And with that, the conversation was cut short.
"Ah!! Big brother!"
"Good work everyone!!"
Vivio-chan, who found me, sped up, followed by Rio-chan and Corona-chan.
Further behind, Einhart, Kirin, Chloe, Tina, and Yami followed. Yami was running too, it seems. It's probably to make it easier to deal with anything that might happen to Vivio-chan if she runs with them.
As expected, they weren't even out of breath from a simple run with the kids.
Yami, in her school-designated gym clothes, approached me.
"Kirin Todo seems to have recovered. At least, from my perspective."
"You were looking after her? Thanks."
"No problem. It was just a side thing."
Yami was involved in that incident, too. It seems she was watching over Kirin because of that connection.
The kids approached me as Yami moved away.
"Big brother, what are you doing here today?!"
Right. This was the real reason I came here.
"I have something I want everyone to help me with."
I explained what I wanted everyone to do.
"...So, is there anyone who can help me out?"
"Me, me, me!!"
Everyone raised their hands at once. Einhart and Kirin also raised their hands, though more reservedly.
The kids looked at each other and,
"Rock, paper, scissors!!"
The result was,
"I won!!"
The one holding up a peace sign was Corona-chan.
"That's so lucky, Corona!"
"I'm next!!"
"Well, well, Vivio-san. We'll have another chance."
"You're right... but I'm a little curious."
Vivio-chan and Rio-chan looked envious. Einhart and Kirin, who also participated in the rock-paper-scissors game, seemed to be curious too.
"...Hey, big brother. We're the ones who fight with you more often, so wouldn't it be more efficient to test it with us?"
"That's right, big brother. We should be the ones to test it."
Chloe and Tina were saying some childish things, but the outcome of the game (rock-paper-scissors) was everything. Their suggestion could not be accepted.
"Alright, let's go."
"Okay!"
Corona-chan gave a guts pose in front of her chest, looking excited.
She seems like the most reserved of all the girls (Chloe's age and personality don't match, so she's not counted), but seeing her like this makes me smile, seeing her act her age.
"W"
I activated the Double Watch. I set it in the Zikan Girade and pulled the trigger.
I came here today to test the ability to Armor Time others, which I recently acquired.
I wanted to properly verify how much I can give other people the power of a Rider and if there are any restrictions.
"ARMOR TIME!"
"CYCLONE! JOKER! W!"
Armor was attached to Corona-chan.
Her training wear was disassembled and became a form-fitting inner suit and under-armor. Then, the W Armor, which I had also worn, was scaled down to fit Corona-chan's body and was attached to her.
A two-color, green and black hair ornament in the shape of a 'W', presumably inspired by W, was attached to her head.
And the most important belt... the Double Driver was attached in its Cyclone Joker state.
It seems that when I do Armor Time this way, the original belt is attached.
...That's so cool. Maybe I should transform this way too...
"Wow!!"
While I was lost in thought, the three girls (the other two being Vivio-chan and Rio-chan) raised a cheer at the changes that happened to Corona-chan.
"It's so flashy!"
"I know! It's half and half! Corona, is there anything different about you?"
Vivio-chan and Rio-chan touched the armor and asked her.
"Yeah... my body feels so light, even though I'm not using any magic!"
Corona-chan moved around to test the performance of the armor. In the process, she swung her right arm widely.
"Oh! That's right—wah?! The wind?!"
The wind reached us. The wind of this strength wouldn't happen from a child's hand fan. She unconsciously used the power of Cyclone.
"Hey, Corona, let's have a little sparring match!"
"Okay! Is it alright?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Just tell me if you feel anything strange."
She asked for permission, so I nodded in reply.
And so, the two began their sparring. It was far from a full-power match, but fists and kicks crossed with light sounds many times.
"Wow, she's definitely moving better than usual. Her movements are light."
Nove-san muttered.
That's because she has the pure physical abilities of Joker.
After moving their bodies for a while, the two returned, satisfied.
"Okay, next experiment."
I took out a memory.
"TRIGGER"
I knelt down to operate the belt on Corona-chan's waist.
...But, since the belt is scaled down, the original-sized memory won't fit, will it?
"I guess not..."
When I tried to bring the memory closer, it started to shrink to match the belt.
"...Is this some kind of Gulliver's Tunnel?"
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's nothing, just a joke."
The memory finally became the perfect size, and I inserted it,
"CYCLONE! TRIGGER!"
and she changed forms.
The armor attached to her left side disappeared, and a blue armor was attached. The Trigger Magnum was hooked on her chest.
"Ooh!!"
Everyone was so excited, it was fun.
"This is the first time I've ever held a gun~"
"Don't point it at people, okay?"
I warned Corona-chan, who was posing with the gun.
"Form change is also fine, good."
I guess as long as I have the transformation items, I can change forms as many times as I want. Right now, I only have the basic forms, but if I had the items, I could probably change to the enhanced and final forms.
This is a dream come true.
"Alright, let's go with the next person as you are."
"Yes!"
Rio-chan, who was next, nodded energetically.
I activated a new watch and pulled the trigger.
"BUILD"
"ARMOR TIME!"
"BEST MATCH! BUILD!"
The Build Armor was generated and attached to Rio-chan, just like with Corona-chan.
And then,
"Huh?!"
The Double Armor that Corona-chan was wearing disappeared.
"I see, I see."
In other words, I can't lend the power of a Rider to two or more people at the same time. The dream of lining up all the Riders in their strongest forms became a pipe dream. At least, with the current enhancement parts.
"Big brother, this..."
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. It's for an experiment like this."
But now I was able to test everything I wanted to.
"So, do you all want to try it out too?"
When I took out the new watch, the kids cheered.
---------
This is a church of the Anglican Church. A man was visiting there.
He was a flippant-looking man who was completely unfitting for a church, with sunglasses, an aloha shirt, and metal accessories jangling around his neck—Motoharu Tsuchimikado.
"Hey, it's been a while~"
He spoke to his colleagues from the "Necessary Evil" church, Stiyl and Kanzaki.
The light greeting, which was out of place in the church that should have been tranquil, made the two's faces grimace. Their faces also looked displeased because Tsuchimikado had shown up.
"You're as annoying as ever, Tsuchimikado."
"Hmm? Is that so~? You too, Nee-chin, are still the same, still in that outfit! —Nyuah?!"
"There won't be a next time."
The sheathed slash Kanzaki delivered grazed the tip of Tsuchimikado's nose. Next time, his skull would be cracked. In fact, she had decided to do just that.
"...When I think that I have to leave that girl with a person like you, I feel like I'm going to collapse from a stomachache."
Stiyl also let out a voice of disgust.
Just from this exchange, he felt that it would have a bad influence on Index.
"Well, I have other work to do too. I won't be with her all day. In fact, I'll only see her if something really happens. Other than that, I'll leave her with the people at this church."
Tsuchimikado's tone changed for a moment.
"I'm relieved to hear that."
"Hey, Stiyl! What do you mean you'd feel more at ease without a bodyguard?!"
After a round of joking around, they returned to business.
"So, when's the 'scheduled date'?"
"Three days from now. After that, we'll explain the current situation and hand her over."
"Hmm, so it's goodbye to 'the current' Index in three days. Can't she move anymore?"
Tsuchimikado, who wasn't as attached to Index as the other two, said it in a light tone. It was a cold attitude if he knew about Index's circumstances, but Kanzaki responded, taking it as a business matter.
"The headaches haven't started yet... but before that, she's scheduled to look around this island a bit."
"Look around? Oh, to make memories."
Taking an important person sightseeing is not something that would be permitted in a proper organization. However, magicians, who are generally classified as magic users, are strongly individualistic.
Being a member of an organization is only a means to an end to fulfill a "personal wish," and they use it as long as they can but will not hesitate to betray it if it becomes a hindrance.
Various measures have been taken for that, but "those who do it will do it."
Since Stiyl and Kanzaki prioritize Index, they are trying to grant her wishes as much as possible, even if it is a slight risk to the Anglican Church.
"(Even so, it's pretty carefree for someone who was attacked~)"
Even though he thought so, Tsuchimikado didn't say it aloud. Instead,
"Well, if you're going sightseeing, be careful. I don't think you'll have any problems since Nee-chin is with you, though."
Tsuchimikado said with a smirk.
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