Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item2 Afterword
Afterword[edit]
That was Volume 2.
This is Kamachi Kazuma!!
This time, I told a story focused on Mugino Shizuri’s Level 5 research project, including a battle with the Honey Queen secret data thieves. While Volume 1 was about chasing after an external foe, this one was about digging deep inside Mugino.
The criminal theme this time was scams and deception. Ainame Caroline working as an online marriage scammer is an obvious example, but Item also deceived the enemy with their sting operation. Are lies acceptable if they are told for a good reason? Who decides what counts as a good reason? It’s a thorny issue, but I kind of like Kinuhata’s stance that she only enjoys being lied to by the film industry.
I designed the enemy boss Ainame Caroline with Kihara Amata and Accelerator’s relationship in mind. That’s why she has a gyaru-like appearance. And I feel like working to create a genius is always going to mess with a person, for better or for worse. I hope I managed to show that the two of them influenced each other and have a lot in common, but they end up clashing because they have irreconcilable differences deeper down.
I also created her with the idea that she would have what sounds like a lovely story about her past that only goes on to emphasize just how endlessly twisted and messed up she is. Come to think of it, I think this is the series’ first fake elite who achieved her position among the adult researchers by cheating. I thought it would be an interesting combination for her to use next-generation Academy City-style cheating and to have Thoughtography that lets her predict the future. And don’t overlook that her power is less about what she photographs and more about what she photographs it on.
When I was wondering what kind of enemy Mugino Shizuri would most dislike, I thought it would be a sack of shit who belongs to the dark side but doesn’t draw a solid line between the two sides and moves between them at will. What did you think of this wicked enemy who deceives with a smile?
Also, while Volume 1 was an Item group battle with the 4 (+1) against another 4, this time I intentionally gave them uneven numbers. That inevitably makes the ones on the side with fewer people look stronger. Ainame Caroline and Tachiuo Mary both had multiple means of attack and could have wiped out Item singlehandedly, but which did you find more frightening? And if anyone was moved by the initial charaben story in the Between the Lines sections, you need to be careful because all that showed was a collection of functions you could call an “otaku-friendly homemaker gyaru”. You’re at risk of falling for a 10-year-old genius online marriage scammer!
Timeline-wise, this is set in the past, but Academy City’s technology is far ahead of the outside world. That’s why I’ve been using a more old-fashioned term like UAV instead of drone since Volume 1. This time, there was also the outdated slang used by a certain someone, the cassette tape, and the SDI. If you look into that last one, you’ll see they were planning some ridiculous things, but computer chips and components have gotten a lot cheaper and smaller in the intervening decades, so maybe you could actually pull it off? A chilling thought. Let’s hope the retro boom doesn’t head in that direction.
The US weapon I based the multiple rocket launcher on was actually developed quite a while ago. That she had that hidden away shows just how high quality the Dark Side Bomber is and demonstrates the standards needed to call yourself an expert.
Speaking of technology, I was pleased I had a chance to use the personal watercraft. For some reason, the sleek designs of those watercraft and snowmobiles have a way of capturing my heart.
This time, the “it’s always like this with you” Voice on the Phone finally got to be her true self with no acting. She seems like a coldhearted schemer at first, but if you go back and read Volume 1, you should find she is poor at adlibbing and leaves flowers on the side of the road when faced with the deaths of ordinary people. Pay especial attention to her inner thoughts in parentheses.
I give my thanks to my illustrator Nilitsu-san and to my editors Miki-san, Anan-san, Nakajima-san, and Hamamura-san. It was a sweaty see-through festival of fearless villain girls in thin clothing! …Maybe you think I’ve gone nuts, but thank you for putting up with it all. Volume 1 was all about the bright sun, so I wanted to show another side of summer!!
But maybe showing see-through clothing is a challenge in black-and-white illustrations? I also included an open world of land, water, and air vehicles all in one volume, which couldn’t have been easy for the illustrations either…
And I give my thanks to the readers. I emphasized the links between the past and the present in Volume 1, but this time I focused on the links between the past and the past. Instead of just relying on the main series, I feel like I have created a living world within this series too. That is thanks to your support letting me put out this second volume. Thank you so much!!
It is time to close the pages for now while praying (once again even harder than usual) that the pages of the next book will be opened.
And I lay my pen down for now.
Man, these dark side stories kill off characters so fast…
-Kamachi Kazuma
