Under the scorching sun, Natsume Sonoko took small, careful sips of water from the bottle Shirai had handed her.
She lounged listlessly on a bench in the school garden, staring blankly at the sky, her thoughts a mystery.
A burning sensation filled her chest, and her muscles had begun to twitch involuntarily, leaving her looking utterly drained.
"Really, Natsume-san, isn't this a bit much? It's been half an hour and you're still not recovered?"
The familiar twin-tailed silhouette of Shirai entered Sonoko's field of view, her expression one of pure exasperation as she looked down at the girl sprawled out like a corpse on the bench.
"Shirai, you can't compare people's physical conditions like they're all the same. Just leave me be. Let me melt away into this beautiful blue sky."
Sonoko's voice was weak and lifeless, her face pale and sickly, as if she'd seen through the dull monotony of life itself.
"Still, I have to admit, I'm surprised you managed to run the whole two kilometers. Usually, you can't even walk after five hundred meters."
Shirai stretched her arms high above her head, working out the kinks in her joints, before settling comfortably onto the bench beside Sonoko.
"Heh, guess that means my recent training is paying off."
Sonoko suddenly lifted her head, a thoughtful look crossing her face as her mind began to buzz with the idea.
It did seem true, now that she thought about it. All the running around she'd been doing lately probably had improved her stamina a little.
If she ignored the fact she'd come in dead last, simply finishing the run felt like a monumental achievement for someone like her.
"You call that training? Why is it that every time I see you, you're eating sweets?" Shirai's eyes narrowed with suspicion, and she couldn't help but give Sonoko a once-over.
Due to the major power outage in District 7, the traffic lights at the intersections were all dead, throwing the entire transportation network into a gridlocked, semi-paralyzed state.
Shirai, wearing her Judgment armband, was stationed on the central traffic platform, directing the flow of vehicles.
A whistle hung from her neck as she used hand signals to guide the cars through the chaos.
Since it was still club activity hours, the shuttle bus between Tokiwadai Middle School Dormitory and the school itself wasn't running yet, leaving Natsume Sonoko with no choice but to walk back.
"Judgment members really do have to be jacks-of-all-trades," Sonoko mused.
Her body aching and weak, Sonoko trudged wearily along her route home. As she crossed the street, she spotted Shirai directing traffic. It wasn't just Shirai; other intersections also had Judgment members helping out.
PE class had left her completely exhausted. She decided to put today's club sketching session on hold; recovering her strength was the priority.
Fortunately, she had the company of Misaka-senpai, who was also heading back to the dorm, making the walk less boring. They were engaged in a friendly and spirited discussion about Gekota.
"Misaka-senpai, did you hear about the huge deployment of Anti-Skill officers this morning?"
As they walked, Sonoko remembered the large-scale Anti-Skill mobilization she'd seen earlier. She hadn't paid it much mind at the time, but now it seemed like it might have been something big.
"I know a little. Kuroko told me this morning that there seemed to be some problem at the AIM Analysis Research Institute," replied Misaka-senpai, her schoolbag slung over her shoulder in a somewhat boyish manner as she glanced back.
"Problems at a research institute again? Don't tell me there's another weirdo like last time."
Sonoko felt a twinge of alarm. Ever since that last incident with the strange attacker, every large-scale movement of Anti-Skill officers made her nervous.
"That part, I don't know."
Misaka-senpai slowed her pace considerably so Sonoko could keep up. The two of them ambled along, occasionally stopping to buy some snacks.
"Kuroko?"
Teleportation really is convenient. Shirai had a knack for popping up out of nowhere.
Suddenly sensing someone new nearby, Misaka-senpai, holding a takoyaki skewer in one hand, looked puzzledly at Shirai Kuroko, who had just dropped down from above.
"Onee-sama! We have a problem! Kaitabi Hatsuya suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness during his interrogation with Anti-Skill, and he still hasn't woken up!" Shirai's face was etched with urgency the moment she landed.
"Kaitabi Hatsuya? The culprit from the 'Graviton' bombings?" Misaka-senpai asked.
Sonoko's heart immediately tightened. Had things finally reached this point?
"And it's not just him. That girl from Sekisho Junior High School, the one involved in the last Tokiwadai attack case, is the same. Over the past few days, hospitals have been receiving a steady stream of unconscious perpetrators," Shirai continued.
"Is that... Juufuku Miho-san?" Sonoko interjected suddenly.
Although Juufuku Miho was a bit eccentric, Sonoko had gotten to know her fairly well after their recent interactions.
She knew using the Level Upper would cause side effects, but now that it was actually happening, she felt completely at a loss.
"Then let's get to the hospital quickly. Natsume, you should head back to the dorm," Misaka-senpai said, her enthusiasm overflowing.
Whether influenced by Shirai or just her natural self, she'd become utterly fixated on the Level Upper incident lately.
"No, I'm coming too." Sonoko shook her head firmly. Even though walking was difficult and she felt weak all over, she couldn't just stand by knowing a friend was in trouble.
"Alright then. Kuroko, you take Natsume-san with you." Misaka-senpai gave Sonoko a slightly surprised look, then nodded in agreement.
"Honestly, you're nothing but trouble," Shirai grumbled, a hint of reluctance on her face as she reached out and grabbed hold of Sonoko's sleeve. In an instant, both of them vanished.
Seeing this, Misaka-senpai put on a burst of speed, shooting forward like an electromagnetic projectile and kicking up gusts of wind in her wake.
Suwa General Hospital seemed unusually busy today, with a continuous stream of unconscious students being brought in for treatment.
Although the city outside was blacked out, the hospital's backup generators ensured its operations continued uninterrupted.
"We're here, this is the place."
Two figures materialized abruptly in space. Before Sonoko had much time to think, Shirai had teleported them repeatedly, covering the distance to the vicinity of Suwa General Hospital in no time.
The sensation of teleportation was strange and wonderful. Before her brain could even process it, her vision would suddenly shift to another location, like scenes rapidly switching on a television screen.
"Onee-sama will be here any moment. Let's wait outside for her," Shirai said, putting her phone away after sending a message.
In a park elsewhere, Saten Ruiko sat on a swing.
Holding a charm in one hand and gripping the swing's chain with the other, Saten stared into space, lost in thought.
"Mimi! What's wrong?"
A girl named Mimi, who had been using her ability to levitate a cleaning robot, suddenly collapsed, causing a stir among the people nearby.
"What happened?"
Saten's head felt a little fuzzy. She stared, speechless, at the suddenly fallen Mimi. Her phone vibrated abruptly, signaling an incoming message.
Meanwhile, Misaka-senpai finally arrived at Suwa General Hospital, slightly out of breath from running so fast, but still looking far better off than Natsume Sonoko.
"Let's hurry inside," Misaka-senpai urged anxiously.
"I'm Shirai Kuroko from Judgment. I need information on the recent status of the perpetrators." Showing her Judgment armband, Shirai spoke with seriousness.
"We've done all we can, but he still shows no signs of waking up."
"His entire body, including his brain, shows no damage. He's simply in a comatose state. And we've been receiving similar cases over the past few days, but we're completely in the dark about the cause," the doctor in charge of the coma patients explained, clearly just as baffled.
"Unexplained comas... May I see the patient files?" Shirai asked, resting her chin thoughtfully on her hand.
"Of course."
While Shirai, Misaka-senpai, and the doctor were talking, Natsume Sonoko had already entered a hospital room. Lying unconscious on the bed was a girl with her hair styled in twin buns.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.