"This van is way too cramped. Juufuku-san, have you put on some weight lately?"
Squeezing into the narrow space with considerable effort, the two girls were packed inside the van. A certain Natsume Sonoko blinked her curious eyes as she looked at her companion, Juufuku-san.
"Ah, really? I'm not actually sure myself."
Hearing this, Juufuku-san became rather flustered, suddenly seeming tense.
"Honestly, it's fine if you have. Just watch what you eat and exercise more. Take me, for example, I've been going for morning runs every day recently."
Speaking with the air of someone who'd been through it all, Natsume half-crouched in front of a computer connected to an external sound system, diligently tinkering with something.
"As expected of Natsume-san."
After fiddling inside the van for a good while, Natsume Sonoko connected to the network, copied an audio file named 'Capacity Down' to her phone, and meticulously deleted the original file.
"All done, that was surprisingly smooth. So this thing is called 'Capacity Down'."
She didn't fully understand how the device worked, but it probably shared some similarities with the 'Level Upper' system.
Having obtained what she wanted, Natsume looked quite pleased with herself.
"Natsume-san, we should get out of here quickly."
Juufuku-san peered nervously through the van window at the gangs of delinquents gathered outside, her voice laced with worry.
"We can't just do that. These guys attack people for no reason. Who knows if they have backups of the 'Capacity Down'? If you're going to attack others, you'd better be prepared to get a taste of your own medicine."
"Huh?"
Three minutes later, the duo was riding cleaning robots back towards the train station. Cleaning robots weren't common in this area; they were lucky to find two stragglers.
Back at the Big Spider headquarters, delinquents lay scattered haphazardly across the floor.
The gang's leader, known as 'Kurozuma' to his underlings, was slumped on the ground, eyes rolled back, his phone clutched in his hand—he had just managed to dial the local Anti-Skill office.
"Hello, can you hear me? This is Anti-Skill, School District 10 office. Hello?"
School District 10 had poor public security. Because land was cheap, it also hosted many facilities people preferred to avoid—not just various high-risk research institutes dealing with bacteria and nuclear energy, but also the city's only juvenile detention center and cemetery.
In short, it wasn't a place where ordinary students like Natsume Sonoko wanted to linger. Having once again done a good deed without leaving her name, she thought it best to take the train back early.
Taking the train back to School District 7, she parted ways with Juufuku-san right after getting off, as their routes home differed. It was already quite late, but thankfully, there was still some time before lights-out.
Naturally, she hopped on a cleaning robot again after leaving the station. But she didn't idle on the way back.
Natsume Sonoko put on her earphones, turned the volume down low, and started listening to the 'Capacity Down' file she had just acquired.
A harsh, piercing noise assaulted her brain, causing intense interference instantly. Not only did her head feel fuzzy and confused, but the ability she had been using to conceal herself also failed abruptly, exposing her to plain sight.
She hurriedly ripped the earphones off, rubbing her throbbing temples with a pained expression as she hastily reapplied her optical refraction ability.
Luckily, the dim lighting meant her sudden appearance didn't startle anyone else.
Returning to the dormitory, the Dorm Supervisor was standing at the entrance as usual. But unlike her normal self, a rare trace of gentleness graced the Supervisor's face.
"Ah, Natsume, you're back. Hurry up and go wash up. Lights-out is soon."
"???"
Silently climbing the stairs, Natsume glanced worriedly at the Supervisor, who wore an expression of pure bliss.
Shirai's plan hadn't even officially started yet, and it was already having an effect. She just hoped the plan would continue to go smoothly.
--+--
Saturday, Tokiwadai Middle School Dormitory, School District 7.
The very air seemed to brim with joy, carrying the refreshing, exhilarating feeling of a welcome holiday.
Today was the day of Tokiwadai Middle School's periodic exams, but it was also the first official day of the school break.
Having exams during the holiday was hardly something to celebrate, but fortunately, they didn't take too long—just a day or two to complete. For first-year students like Natsume, the exams were finished in a single day.
Compared to previous years, this break was slightly longer, clocking in at almost a full month. However, even though the school was on holiday, the dormitory's daily schedule remained unchanged.
Just then, the Dorm Supervisor's eyes suddenly blurred, as if something had slipped past her.
A look of sheer terror on her face, Shirai burst through the main doors in despair and dashed towards the second-floor staircase like a hunted animal.
She radiated an aura of abject failure, a desperate will to survive palpable even from a distance.
This was a far cry from Shirai's demeanor just a few days prior, when she had been brimming with confidence.
Just as her foot was about to hit the first step leading upstairs, her whole body froze stiff. She stood rigid, then slowly, painfully turned her head.
Two familiar, large hands clamped down like unyielding vices, one gripping her head, the other her chin.
"Shirai. Late again, I see."
The Supervisor's earlier gentleness had vanished completely, replaced by a sharp, penetrating gaze fixed on the girl in her grasp.
"But... it was only by a second!"
"Whether it's one second or a tenth of a second, you're still past curfew. Prepare yourself, Shirai." The Supervisor's eyes narrowed slightly as she began dragging Shirai back towards the dormitory entrance, stooping to pick up Shirai's black schoolbag along the way.
"—Kuroko!" Misaka-senpai came rushing down from the second floor, letting out a heart-wrenching cry at the sight.
A flashback to yesterday: Shirai, having crafted the perfect dating plan and filled with confidence, encountered yet another crushing setback in her life.
Creating an environment for them to be alone, buying cake together, sharing lunch—everything had started off perfectly smoothly.
Even encouraged by Shirai's advice, the Dorm Supervisor had changed into a handsome white dress, put in contact lenses, and mustered the courage to confess her feelings to Daigo-sensei.
"Thank you for your advice. Perhaps age really isn't an issue if two people truly love each other."
Wearing a gentle smile, Daigo-sensei pulled out a prepared engagement ring and, under the Dorm Supervisor's bewildered gaze, walked towards the female principal of the 'Asunaro Park' kindergarten.
In short, these recent days were definitely not the time to get on the Dorm Supervisor's bad side.
"A woman scorned is truly terrifying," Misaka-senpai muttered, leaning on the railing and watching with a shudder as Shirai was unceremoniously tossed out of the dorm.
Back in Room 210, Natsume also felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine. She quietly turned up the volume on the 'Capacity Down' audio, using its noise to drown out Shirai's desolate wails.
Lately, Natsume had gotten into the habit of using the 'Capacity Down' device for a while each day. Even with the volume kept low, her brain was constantly left buzzing.
--+--
"A city-wide blackout, this time?"
Waking up early on the sofa, a certain Natsume Sonoko belatedly caught the news about the massive power outage across Academy City.
The blackout had started last night and still wasn't completely resolved. Even the entrance/exit gates on the city's perimeter were affected.
Thanks to backup generators, the impact on Tokiwadai's dormitory was relatively limited.
While she wasn't clear on the specifics behind the blackout, Natsume seemed to recall that Misaka-senpai had looked a bit strange when she returned yesterday.
"So I've already received the approval replies from the school and Anti-Skill. Now it's just the Board of Directors left."
Natsume gazed thoughtfully at the email on her phone. Barring any surprises, the result should come today.
The Board of Directors was indeed the toughest hurdle. Even with the other two approvals secured, she still didn't feel very confident.
She suddenly remembered meeting Kumokawa Seria-senpai at the administrative office.
This senpai seemed to hold some position within the Board of Directors. Maybe there really was a chance of getting the Board's approval after all.
--+--
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.