The heated discussion between Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san buzzed in her ears, but Natsume Sonoko listened quietly, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.
"Just two weeks until break! What is everyone planning to do during the holidays?" Misaka-senpai's interest had finally shifted away from that incident, now eagerly discussing the upcoming vacation.
Students in Academy City typically had three main breaks: spring, summer, and winter vacation, sprinkled with a few smaller holidays in between.
The exact timing of these breaks differed from Japan outside the city, and the start of term or make-up class schedules varied between Academy City's schools.
Summer was nearing its end, and the holiday was approaching fast. All things considered—including exams and supplementary lessons—it amounted to nearly a month off.
While Tokiwadai Middle School scheduled exams for the very first days of the break, the one saving grace was that the school hardly ever held extra lessons, so it wouldn't eat further into their holiday time.
"Now that you mention it, the break really is just around the corner," Sonoko nodded in agreement.
It felt so different from her school life in her previous world. Here in Academy City, holidays always seemed to arrive in a flash and end just as quickly.
Spring break might be a bit longer, but the others lasted twenty days at most. And when you subtracted time for exams and remedial lessons, they felt even shorter.
"When the holidays come, I'll actually be busier. On normal days, I just do a few hours of duty after class, but during the break, it's the whole day," Shirai-san sighed. 'Such is the fate of a Judgment member,' she seemed to imply.
"If possible, I think I'd choose to go back home," Sonoko said, furrowing her brow in thought. Thinking carefully, it had already been three years since she last left Academy City to visit home.
"Eh? But will the Academy grant permission?" Misaka-san's tone held a note of uncertainty.
"From what I know, getting approval to leave Academy City requires applying to the school, the Anti-Skill, and the Board of Directors simultaneously. You also need to have a tracking device implanted in your body," Shirai-san recounted after a moment's thought, laying out the requirements.
"That's mostly correct, but Shirai-san's description isn't complete. You actually need a guarantor as well," Sonoko added, supplementing Shirai's explanation.
"Sounds quite troublesome. Has Natsume-san managed to go out before?" Misaka-san asked, her eyes curious. She herself had never left the city since arriving.
"Once, three years ago. But my applications for the last two years were rejected. Honestly, I'm not very confident about getting approval this year either," Sonoko replied, looking somewhat dejected.
Filling out the application was simple; the real challenge was those so-called important figures on the Board.
--+--
Club activity time, at the mouth of a certain alley.
After just a short ride, Natsume Sonoko hopped off a struggling white cylindrical cleaning robot, watching calmly as it scurried away in a panic.
The moment she dismounted, the optical phenomena cloaking her body began to fade, and soon a somewhat petite figure became visible.
After some time spent studying optical formulas, the chaotic, flickering afterimages from a few days prior were gone.
In their place was a writhing shadow on the ground. It wasn't a fundamental solution, but at least it looked somewhat normal now.
Furthermore, after consulting some materials, if she didn't refract external light and only projected her own phantom image, she could now create a semblance of herself in the surrounding area. In terms of ability level, this was already a solid Level 3 optical power.
If she could control this phantom like a normal person, making it walk and move naturally, then it would be almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
At the same time, Sonoko was also thinking about how to reduce the range of temperature fluctuation when using these derivative or lateral abilities. She wanted to confine the temperature changes to her immediate vicinity, so that every time she used a similar power, it wouldn't be so easily detectable by a crowd.
"Why did Misaki Shokuhou-senpai ask me to come here?" At the alley's entrance, Sonoko looked up at a signboard not far away.
Yep, this was the place.
As she stood there slightly dazed, Sonoko suddenly heard footsteps. A student she didn't recognize appeared beside her, stars shimmering in their eyes.
"Natsume-san, please follow the guide," the unfamiliar student whispered, pointing towards a spot not far away.
"Thank you." Even though she understood what was happening, Sonoko still nodded politely in thanks.
She had just reached the indicated spot when a salaryman stopped this time. The star pattern in his pupils was unmistakable. Without a word, he pointed Sonoko in another direction.
"Thank you."
Next was a Judgment member on duty, a supermarket clerk, a well-dressed woman walking a dog, a middle-aged man with a briefcase, a student from the Third Education Center cram school...
Amidst a chorus of 'thank you's, Sonoko wandered around like a headless fly for a while before finally arriving in front of a shabby five-story building. Waiting at the entrance was a female researcher in a white lab coat.
"This is the place. Welcome to Academy City Public Fourth Thermal Research Institute, Natsume-san," the researcher said with a slight smile, the familiar star emblem still visible in her eyes.
Following the researcher inside, Sonoko found the interior starkly contrasted with the dilapidated exterior.
The equipment here was exceptionally high-end and advanced. Researchers bustled about busily, and a huge projection screen covered one wall, displaying what was unmistakably various files and information about Natsume Sonoko.
"Shokuhou-senpai, what exactly is this place?" Sonoko's eyes widened. Finally tearing her gaze away from her own personal data, she turned to the researcher in the lab coat beside her.
"Isn't it obvious? It's a research institute prepared specifically for you," the researcher replied, a faint smile playing on her lips, a hint of something unreadable in her expression.
"...For me? I don't really understand," Sonoko felt a sudden, inexplicable confusion.
"It's simple. This institute's original purpose was to support a student named Ito. But he clearly failed to live up to Academy City's expectations. So, this place was slated for decommissioning... unless they decided to restart the project," explained Shokuhou-senpai, who was currently speaking through the researcher's body without a hint of awkwardness.
"Here's my thought. Rather than letting all the data here go to waste, buried forever, and the specialists scattered to the winds, why not hand it over to you, Natsume-san? This institute's fundamental purpose was to create a Level 5."
The real Misaki Shokuhou was sitting primly in the school library, her most frequented spot on campus.
Holding a book in her hands, a smile graced her face as she murmured something to herself.
"Your Highness, some freshly brewed green tea." Hokaze Junko-senpai approached, carrying a cup of steaming tea.
"It's completely bland. Junko, did you forget the sugar?" Shokuhou-senpai cut the connection on her other end, put down her book, and looked somewhat irritably at the curly-haired girl before her.
"That's not it, Your Highness. This is the proper taste of green tea."
Natsume Sonoko watched curiously as the researcher in the white coat seemed to freeze up. However, the stars in her eyes hadn't vanished, indicating Shokuhou-senpai was still in control.
"My apologies, a minor issue on my end. Such an… uncooperative subordinate," the female researcher said after a moment, her expression slightly resigned as she spoke again.
"It's fine."
Sonoko's ability to accept and comprehend situations was strong. From Shokuhou-senpai's fragmented explanation, she naturally grasped the senior's intention.
"Shokuhou-senpai, are you hoping that I'll become a Level 5?" Her mind was in slight disarray, but Sonoko voiced her thoughts anyway. She was the type particularly sensitive to others' goodwill.
"Hope is the most fleeting thing. And this alone isn't enough to reach Level 5. Consider it a gift… and an investment. The Board will likely move to decommission this place and transfer the data within half a month. You'll need to seize this opportunity, Natsume-san."
With a playful smile, Shokuhou-senpai's words cut off abruptly.
The white-coated researcher shuddered, the stars in her pupils vanishing instantly as she returned to her normal state.
Just as Sonoko, startled by the disappearance of the stars, was about to speak, the researcher grabbed her hand.
"Ito, you're a bit late today," the researcher said sternly, a commanding look in her eyes.
"Ito? Are you talking about me?" Sonoko asked uncertainly.
"What nonsense are you speaking?"
'Even without Shokuhou-senpai's direct control, it seems she's already altered her memories. Such a convenient, yet terrifying ability.'
--+--
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.