Toaru Majutsu no Index Manga Chapter 072

Shorthand, Part 3 (③) is the 72nd chapter of the Toaru Majutsu no Index manga, released on August 12, 2013. It details Touma and the other's first attempt to defeat Oriana Thomson.

Synopsis
In the aftermath of the incident involving Oriana's Shorthand, Fukiyose Seiri recovers in a hospital room. Deep inside, she feels bitter upon the thought of ruining everyone's fun in the Daihaseisai because of her condition, which she has been thinking was just a heat stroke. Soon, she is accompanied by a certain frog-faced doctor, who assures her that he will be able to help her.

Meanwhile, Stiyl impatiently waits at the bus terminal with an All-Around Reality Circle prepared. He soon receives a call from Tsuchimikado Motoharu reporting Touma's destruction of Oriana's Shorthand and asking him to perform the All-Around Reality Circle spell once again. Motoharu also reports to him about the incident that ended with Touma destroying the Shorthand and the only casualty.

With the call ended by Stiyl he prepares for the spell, and traces Oriana's location: Futsuka Station in School District 7.

Touma and Motoharu rush to pursue Oriana once again, and with Stiyl's help, they track down Oriana's movements. Oriana takes them to different locations, trying to wear them down, and makes her escape by boarding one of the buses roaming around Academy City. They failed to make it in time, but upon Touma's confirmation that no one else is aboard the bus, Motoharu contacts Stiyl and the rune magician activates one of his runes at the bus. It turns out that Stiyl prepares runes on all the buses they found at the terminal earlier.

The explosion brought by the rune tips the bus to one side and turns it into an inferno. However, Oriana makes it out in one piece, using a water spell to douse the flames. Touma confronts her about Seiri's involvement, and Oriana reveals that she expects it to happen; according to her, everyone is involved, and it would be easy for one to be dragged into the conflict, though she tells him that she'd rather not involve civilians if she can help it. With the intent to finish off Touma, Oriana unleashes her Shorthand, but it only affected Motoharu. Oriana tells him that the spell uses blue letters (attributed to water) to cancel the effects of regeneration (attributed to fire). Touma tries to cancel the spell, but he finds out that it is a sustained spell. Oriana then advises Touma to get to her quickly so that he can save Motoharu.

Major Events

 * Touma and Motoharu confront Oriana Thomson

Characters

 * Fukiyose Seiri
 * Heaven Canceller
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Tsuchimikado Motoharu
 * Stiyl Magnus
 * Oriana Thomson

Abilities

 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma, level 0
 * Shorthand - Oriana Thomson
 * Several unnamed spells
 * Rune magic - Stiyl Magnus
 * All-around Reality Circle - Stiyl Magnus

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital
 * Automated Bus Maintenance Terminal

Referbacks

 * Seiri's flashback references Touma's worried look from the previous chapter.
 * Stiyl references his defeat at the hand's of Touma back in chapter 4.
 * Motoharu references him asking Stiyl to stick rune cards to the buses is a reference to Chapter 70.
 * Touma references his and Seiri's meeting Oriana for the first time back in chapter 69.

Quotes

 * Seiri: "That guy... had that look on his face the whole time during the Daihaseisai. I don't want that... Until today, I gave it my all, so that everyone could enjoy themselves..."-Seiri's internal monologue.
 * Heaven Canceller: "Just who do you think I am?" -response to Seiri's question if she can be saved.
 * Stiyl: "No one's perfect. That Kamijou Touma, who once beat me, must've failed at some point too. That's the reason why I am regretting my own experience, isn't it? That's some unexpected development."-Stiyl's introspection on Touma's failure.
 * Oriana: "Ufufufu. You can't fire up this onee-san with physical flames. But... I wet myself a little by surprise. See? Even my underwear is dripping."-to Touma and Motoharu after surviving the bus she was on that was just bombed by Stiyl.