The sky had shifted, dark clouds gathering before releasing a fine drizzle.
Raindrops pattered against the car windows, leaving long, trailing streaks.
The atmosphere inside the car felt a bit heavy, perhaps because both occupants leaned towards the introverted side. The only sound filling the cabin was the steady rumble of the engine.
Natsume Sonoko sat in Kiyama Harumi's car, her gaze distant as she watched the rain fall outside. There were things she wanted to say, but she hadn't quite figured out how to begin.
Dr. Kiyama's car was nice, at least the seats were very comfortable. Sonoko adjusted her posture slightly and stole a glance toward the driver.
Beside her, Kiyama Harumi gripped the steering wheel with focused intensity, turning it left and right before navigating a large curve onto a highway ramp.
Once on the expressway, they found little of the dense traffic common elsewhere. In a city dominated by students like Academy City, only a few cargo trucks shared the road.
"Dr. Kiyama, did you come looking for me specifically?" Natsume finally found her voice.
She wasn't entirely sure why she'd happened to run into Dr. Kiyama, but it was a good thing regardless.
She had been wanting to find the doctor, and now things seemed to be falling into place.
'What a coincidence,' Sonoko thought.
"Me? I was just out shopping."
Dr. Kiyama's glance shifted toward the back seat. Following her gaze, Sonoko saw it was piled high with various daily necessities and instant noodles.
"The area near the supermarket is vast. I spent a long time looking for my car. Just as I finally found it, I saw you and your friend coming out," Kiyama Harumi said softly, her eyes on the road ahead.
"I see," Sonoko nodded, listening.
Was this like that poem? 'Searching hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd, then suddenly turning back—there she is, where the lantern lights are growing dim.' Remembering her own situation, the verse felt strangely fitting.
"If anything, I'm the one who should be curious. Back at the supermarket entrance, after just a few casual words, you followed me to my car? Are Tokiwadai students nowadays accustomed to keeping company with wanted criminals? Or perhaps the young ladies of Tokiwadai are just so sheltered from the world that they make perfect targets for lawbreakers."
Dr. Kiyama's tone hadn't changed, casual as if making ordinary conversation, but the words themselves carried a sharp, almost challenging edge.
"Your wanted status has been revoked, Dr. Kiyama. Strictly speaking, you aren't a criminal. Actually, after the Level Upper incident concluded, I looked up some information about you with the Judgment office. You had students who fell into comas due to an experiment, and your repeated requests to use the Tree Diagram were rejected."
"Whether it was the Level Upper incident or the giant monster, they were both… negative outcomes stemming from your attempts to save your students. And the recent mass outbreak of RSPK Syndrome… while there's no direct evidence, based on some peripheral information I've pieced together, I suspect it might be your doing, Dr. Kiyama."
Sonoko had thought a lot about this. Her mind worked quickly. She lifted her head and looked directly at Kiyama Harumi.
"And if it is, what will you do, Natsume? I recall you have good relations with those Anti-Skill officers." Kiyama's expression remained unchanged as she gripped the wheel and changed lanes.
"I'll consider contacting Anti-Skill. But more than that, I think you need help, Dr. Kiyama."
Of course, she wasn't here to help destroy Academy City.
Sonoko wanted the 'earthquake' to end as soon as possible, and she wanted the children, the 'Child Errors,' to wake up just as they had in the storyline she knew. In short, Natsume Sonoko felt she could be of use.
The atmosphere in the car grew more calm, or at least, that's how it felt to Sonoko.
When Sonoko stated that she was actually there to help, a flicker of surprise showed on Kiyama Harumi's usually impassive face.
Kiyama fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking again. "It seems you've already decided I'm the culprit. What an un-cute middle schooler."
"If Banri and the others hadn't done that experiment, if they could live normal lives… they'd probably be in middle school like you by now."
"Banri?"
"One of my students."
"Since you've followed me this far, come and see."
The car exited the highway and finally arrived in front of a research institute.
"This is Dr. Heaven Canceller's institute. Thanks to his help, Banri and the others were brought here for treatment." Kiyama Harumi got out of the car, holding the items she'd just bought, and offered the explanation.
Entering the institute's elevator, the two arrived at a laboratory on the third floor. Dozens of life-support pods were arranged neatly within, each containing a sleeping child who looked to be around Sonoko's age.
Near the lab stood a simple work desk, piled with computers and various documents. Scattered instant noodle cups littered the floor nearby. This was likely Kiyama Harumi's workspace.
"You're back."
A doctor who looked like a frog was standing before a glass wall, observing the status of the pods. His ear twitched slightly, and he turned to look at Kiyama Harumi and Natsume Sonoko who had just stepped out of the elevator.
"Is this student also an ally?"
Squinting slightly, the frog doctor offered a kind smile.
"Hello, Dr. Heaven Canceller."
Natsume Sonoko seemed somewhat dazed, her expression complex as she looked through the glass at the peers lying in the pods. Their actual ages were probably a bit older than her.
'These are Dr. Kiyama's students...'
This was different from the hazy images in her memory. Here before her were over a dozen living people, and the reality of it left her feeling somewhat at a loss.
"If Kiyama was willing to bring you here, then certain things can be shared with you."
Dr. Heaven Canceller observed Sonoko for a good while before speaking.
"Kihara Gensei. It all originates from this one man."
"The 'Parameter List' experiment he originally led wasn't supposed to result in irreversible comas. But based on some experimental data and results I've accessed, he without authorization changed the experiment to the 'Capacity Down' program test, which is what led to these victims." The frog doctor spoke gravely.
"And the ultimate goal behind it all was to use the Capacity Down program to create a Level 6—'one who comprehends the divine will without being a god.'"
"Level 6… Absolute Ability?"
Sonoko murmured the words. However highly she might rate her own potential, she knew she still had some distance to go even to reach Level 5. Level 6 was pure fantasy.
She could understand the desire of scientists to create a Level 6, but she felt a deep, visceral disgust for their inhumane methods. They treated Ability users' lives as utterly disposable.
"And all I can do is save these children in my capacity as a doctor. Fortunately, it didn't take too long to find all of them. My connections in this city are passable. I consulted some brain specialists, and later felt I should speak properly with the person involved, so I had some help get Kiyama Harumi's wanted status revoked."
The frog doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, an aura of authority emanating from him.
"After we found a method to treat them, a new problem emerged." At this point, Kiyama Harumi walked over.
"Is it the mass outbreak of RSPK Syndrome?" Sonoko ventured after a moment's thought.
"Correct. As they are on the verge of awakening, their AIM diffusion fields develop a problem—a collective ability miscontrol. Kihara Gensei's Capacity Down program experiment turned them into out-of-control Ability users while they slept. Once they awaken, their AIM fields will resonate with others', potentially causing random, destructive surges powerful enough to destroy Academy City."
"There must be a solution. Dr. Kiyama, haven't you been trying to find one recently?" Sonoko recalled the increasingly frequent random surges lately.
"I'm developing a program to suppress the miscontrol. However, I lack the architectural core of the Capacity Down program—the crystal extracted from the initial test subject, called the 'First Sample.' I must analyze it to complete the final program." Kiyama Harumi's voice grew slightly hoarse, and she seemed weary.
"A program to suppress miscontrol… The initial test subject?" Sonoko frowned, as if remembering something.
She quietly pulled her phone from her pocket, searched uncertainly through it, and opened an audio file.
"I have an audio file here that can suppress abilities. I'm not sure if it would be useful for this program."
--+--
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.