"Couldn't take my eyes off you for a moment, and you've already stirred up this much trouble."
Shirai stood with hands on her hips, a hint of exasperation coloring her expression.
While coordinating with Anti-Skill to load the delinquents into armored vehicles, a certain teleporter began scrutinizing the two girls before her.
Though it was unclear why Judgment had arrived when Anti-Skill had already been notified, it wasn't surprising that Sonoko Natsume recognized Shirai's branch.
"After all, you're a Level 4. No matter how many Level 0 delinquents there are, they couldn't possibly win against you, especially with a Level 3 Strong Ability user backing you up."
Shirai withdrew her gaze and nodded as if stating the obvious.
"By the way, Juufuku-san, congratulations on reaching Level 3," she said, glancing at the newly registered information.
"Thank you. I owe much of it to Natsume-san's help," Juufuku replied softly, her head bowed.
"Can I go now? Shirai-san, Konori-senpai?"
Sonoko Natsume asked quietly. Notifying Judgment and Anti-Skill always came with hassles—endless reviews and paperwork were inevitable.
"Not yet. We still have questions about the earlier incident. That grating noise that interfered with abilities—can you elaborate?"
Konori Mii, Shirai's senior, was the reason Shirai often found herself involved in various incidents and investigations.
'So troublesome. I should've stopped Juufuku-san from reporting this,' Sonoko grumbled inwardly.
In Academy City, doing good deeds anonymously was the norm for students.
After a round of questioning and explaining everything from the Ability-Lowering Device to that biker who passed by, Sonoko Natsume finally escaped the clutches of Judgment and Anti-Skill as if fleeing for her life.
But there was a silver lining—she learned the delinquents belonged to a powerless armed group called "Big Spider," headquartered in the "Unfamiliar Area" of District 10.
Konori-senpai seemed to recognize the biker, becoming somewhat distracted, but that had little to do with Sonoko.
As they walked down the street, Juufuku Miho kept glancing at Sonoko with concern.
"Natsume-san, are you really planning to go to that Big Spider's headquarters?" Juufuku asked, worry evident on her face. Something felt off about Sonoko.
"Mhm." That single syllable confirmed it—something was definitely amiss.
"Aside from hating those guys, I'm also after that Ability-Lowering Device. I accidentally broke the speaker earlier," Sonoko muttered quietly beside Juufuku, sounding genuinely regretful. She wasn't referring to the speaker itself but the jarring sounds stored within it.
"Don't tell anyone, Juufuku-san, but I suddenly think that device could be really useful."
Sonoko spoke softly, glancing around to ensure no one suspicious was nearby. This was her exclusive discovery.
"Useful? I only found it gave me a headache."
Juufuku looked puzzled, recalling the brain-piercing pain that made her scalp crawl.
"This device is different from the Level Upper you used before—it suppresses abilities, severely reducing their power and accuracy. But what if we think about it differently?"
A hint of pride flickered in Sonoko's eyes—a recent revelation that made her feel like she'd struck gold.
"First, if we lower the volume and frequency, it could be used for training. Like that watermelon-headed Lee who always wears weights—never mind who he is."
"By interfering with calculations, it not only reduces power but also drastically increases computational load. The more computational power consumed, the more it promotes growth. Accuracy plummets too. So, imagine using abilities under such interference—wouldn't that improve precision? In such conditions, it's easier to identify flaws in your calculations."
Sonoko's pride was unmistakable now. 'I'm quite something, coming up with this brilliant idea in such a short time.'
"As expected of Natsume-san." Juufuku's face lit up with understanding, a trace of admiration in her eyes.
"There's a second point too. I think it could be used as a trump card."
Sonoko spoke earnestly, not hiding anything from the earnest Juufuku. After organizing her thoughts, she continued.
This wasn't much of a secret—anyone who used it once would figure it out.
"If we deploy this device in combat at ultra-high frequencies and volumes, I believe even Level 5s could be countered. The only issue is portability. But what if we do this?"
Sonoko's fingers danced lightly in the air, and audible whistles of wind emerged from every direction. By adjusting wind speed, she could produce various tones through air vibrations—like whistling.
Of course, carrying an instrument like an accordion would work too, but the air itself was Sonoko's instrument.
Sonoko was naturally knowledgeable about music—she could play violin and piano. Though in music class, whenever singing was required, she was always the one off-key.
"And I can use pseudo-vacuum barriers to block the sound. If we encounter powerful ability users, wouldn't this be an incredible trump card?" Sonoko continued, her expression turning serious.
Since it only required controlling wind speed to produce sound, the energy cost was negligible. Of course, it wouldn't work against a silencer-type ability user like Amakusa-senpai.
After all, safety standards in Academy City were abysmally low, and there were many situations where Sonoko felt powerless.
That was why she hadn't refused Shokuhou-senpai's goodwill—no matter what help Shokuhou-senpai needed, Sonoko would assist.
But if she gained the means to intervene, even against inhuman opponents, Sonoko wouldn't back down.
"Natsume-san, can I help you? My Visual Obstruction is Level 3 now. Unless someone focuses intensely, ordinary people won't notice me. I'll help retrieve the device." Juufuku Miho took a deep breath and spoke without hesitation.
"Thank you." Sonoko blinked, momentarily stunned.
"But no need for such trouble."
--+--
District 10 - "Unfamiliar Area"
Dilapidated buildings crowded the area, construction materials scattered everywhere, walls covered in graffiti.
Members of various powerless armed groups roamed the streets, occasionally passing cleaning robots.
The fact Academy City turned a blind eye to this place was rather questionable.
Jumping down from two cleaning robots moving side-by-side, the fully armed... duo eating shaved ice landed from the white cylindrical machines.
They'd taken the train to District 10, hitched rides on local cleaning robots to reach "Unfamiliar Area," and bought shaved ice from an unfamiliar dessert shop along the way.
Juufuku seemed fascinated—this was her first time riding robots. Combined with her ability, it worked perfectly—no need to worry about being seen.
"Time's getting late. We need to move quickly. Let me tell you, the dorm supervisor at my student dorm is terrifying."
"Really? Our supervisor hardly ever bothers us."
Big Spider Headquarters—though it was more accurate to call it their regular hangout.
The delinquent leader was aggressively lecturing his underlings, face contorted in fury.
"Worthless! All of you got captured despite outnumbering them!"
"Boss, should we keep targeting ability users?"
The leader fell silent, then kicked the underling in the chest.
"Stupid question! Have you forgotten how those ability users look at us? That condescending glare? We'll make them pay for their attitudes!"
While this unnamed Big Spider leader delivered his inspiring speech, two inconspicuous figures had already slipped into headquarters undetected.
"This must be it. Pretty obvious, parking a van with speakers right at the entrance."
--+--
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.