Carrying a cake box the size of a computer tower, she could barely feel its weight.
A miniature wind tunnel was active beneath the box, its faint gusts occasionally ruffling Natsume Sonoko's hair. The box itself had been sourced from a family restaurant—a perfect fit for the cake inside.
The cake was massive, easily enough for a dozen or more children.
Standing in front of the tram station, Natsume Sonoko waited with a hint of boredom for the tram to arrive.
Because of the cake, she'd decided that riding her bike or taking one of those white cylindrical transport pods would be too risky. A single bump or jostle could ruin it.
Luckily, the tram fare was cheap—only a third the price of a regular bus ticket—affordable even for someone as strapped for cash as Sonoko.
'A little over a week left until the scholarship money comes through,' she calculated silently, a faint glimmer of hope lighting up her eyes.
"The tram's here."
Finally, the tardy tram arrived, lifting Sonoko's spirits noticeably.
The tram's whistle sounded, but just then, a commotion erupted on the platform, snapping Sonoko out of her thoughts.
"Someone, help! A person fell onto the tracks!"
"Quick, grab my bag!"
"Are you crazy? You'll get pulled under too!"
Shouts overlapped as, about twenty meters away, someone seemed to have fallen onto the opposing tracks.
The tram tracks sat much lower than the platform, making it nearly impossible to climb back up without help.
"An unexpected situation, huh."
Sonoko was startled, but her mind moved faster than her surprised expression could form.
Her ability instantly enveloped the vicinity of the tram station, thermal data from everyone nearby flooding into her mind in an instant.
She didn't just stand by. It was hardly any effort for her—a chance to prevent an accident without disrupting the station's operations.
An icy hand, growing straight up from the track bed, emerged and swiftly lifted the person until they were level with the platform.
"Don't just stand there! Move!"
Sonoko frowned at the figure frozen stupidly on the ice hand. Just a step or two, and they'd be back on the platform.
But whether from shock or weak legs, the person—who looked like a high school student—wasn't reacting.
With the tram about to arrive, Sonoko didn't hesitate. She prepared to blow them back onto the platform with a gust of wind, but suddenly, the high schooler vanished from the ice hand.
Crack! The ice hand shattered instantly, as if bearing pressure it was never meant to hold.
The next second, the tram rushed into the station with a roar.
When the high schooler reappeared, a boy in a red coat and white athletic uniform was holding him by the scruff, having materialized in the blink of an eye on an overhead cable above the platform.
"Look, someone's up there!"
"Is that the #7?"
The crowd stirred. Some seemed to recognize the red-coated boy, his distinctive white headband making him easy to identify.
Among ordinary students, the #7 Level 5's reputation was arguably bigger than the others. The reason boiled down to his daily habit of helping people, coupled with his flashy, passionate entrances.
'So fast… All I can catch is a faint energy afterimage.'
Afterimages seemed to fill Sonoko's senses. Body heat was no longer a reliable marker; pinpointing his location was impossible.
She was astonished. She had mapped everything around her into her mind, yet even with her computational and analytical power, she couldn't easily track his movement.
Only in the instant he settled on the cable did his heat signature finally stabilize into a solid form.
To be fair, thermal tracking could work in theory, but Sonoko's heat perception was still relatively rudimentary. It wasn't yet capable of tracking entities moving at such high speeds.
Capturing such rapid movement would require, besides raw processing power, at least a highly efficient calculation formula capable of registering the most minute thermal fluctuations.
Sonoko looked over at the boy in red.
The high schooler in his grasp didn't look so good, mouth agape as he struggled to breathe, face flushed red from the air pressure. Not everyone could withstand ultra-high-speed travel, after all.
Even Sonoko figured that being carried hundreds of meters at that speed without protection would give her a 90% chance of keeling over on the spot, and maybe a 10% chance of suddenly comprehending the principles of airflow and ascending to become a legendary Nascent Soul cultivator.
The red-coated boy jumped down from the cable, landing—as luck would have it—right near Sonoko.
His impact sent a wave of air rippling outwards, kicking up dust like a shockwave.
The gusts rattled her cake box, instantly disrupting her upward airflow spell. Sonoko nearly dropped the cake, and the violent shaking definitely messed up the cake's shape inside.
Worse, the sudden blast sent her skirt fluttering noisily. She hastily used her ability to control the airflow around her, managing—in the nick of time—to keep her skirt from flying up.
If Newton could have seen it, he'd have shed a tear of relief.
Fortunately, there were no other girls nearby, so no chorus of shrieks ensued.
'Ugh, how annoying!'
Sonoko glared irritably at the guy. Did he have to make such a grand entrance? At least her skirt was safe.
"Don't go falling down so easy! Even in pain, you gotta show some guts!"
The #7 Level 5 of Academy City, the boy known as Sogiita Gunha flashed a bright, toothy grin, setting down the nearly incapacitated high schooler.
Said high schooler, however, seemed unmoved by this pep talk. The moment his feet touched the ground, he staggered and collapsed, followed by a bout of dry heaving.
"Such fragile resolve."
Sogiita sighed slightly, gazing skyward, not one to force his philosophy on others.
"Hey there. Mind if we talk?"
Sogiita's ear twitched slightly. He turned to see Natsume Sonoko looking thoroughly unamused.
"My apologies, that was careless of me."
After a brief, friendly exchange, a slightly awkward smile appeared on Sogiita's face, and he scratched the back of his head.
"It's fine. You were just trying to help."
Sonoko's tone had softened. She found this guy, despite his odd way of speaking, surprisingly easy to talk to. She suddenly felt a bit like she was picking on an honest, straightforward kid.
He didn't seem much like a Level 5 at all—more like a model student.
Not academically, of course, but he seemed excessively earnest, radiating an almost fiery, passionate energy.
"Then, to make it up to you, if there's anything you need help with, just say the word." Sogiita gave a firm nod, speaking with seriousness.
"No compensation needed." Sonoko shook her head.
"But… if it's not too much trouble, could I get your phone number?"
Sonoko hesitated. It felt a bit strange for a girl to ask a guy for his number, but this was a rare opportunity.
"My phone number?"
Sogiita seemed taken aback.
"I don't really use my phone much, so I don't carry it. The number…?"
"Truth is, I don't really remember it. I think it starts with a 1?" He frowned deeply, crossing his arms as he tried hard to recall.
The tram gradually started moving, the scenery outside the window sliding past like a series of posters. After three stops, she finally reached her station.
Walking along, cake box in hand, Sonoko's thoughts drifted back to her encounter with Gunha Sogiita. It was a shame she didn't get his number in the end.
So there really were people in this world who didn't know their own phone numbers.
Without even realizing it, her phone had accumulated a long list of contacts. In terms of social connections, Sonoko figured she was probably a minor expert among the student body.
Having unlocked this bizarre little achievement, her mood lifted slightly.
When she arrived at the research institute affiliated with Heaven Canceller, Sonoko felt her pocket and pulled out her ID card.
The institute never seemed to have many staff around. Even in broad daylight, the main entrance was shut tight. Its location was remote, at least by District 7's standards.
Yet, who would have thought that this unassuming place housed a treasure trove of high-end equipment and instruments?
--+--
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.