Standing a little straighter, Natsume Sonoko remained poised in the gentle evening breeze.
The wind blew with fervor, yet a shiver of unease crept through Sonoko.
Though concealed by the play of light, she couldn't avoid the occasional stray bullet—careless, unseeing things.
To keep from getting caught in the hailstorm of gunfire here—and without resorting to obvious moves like ice walls or wind barriers—Sonoko quietly called to mind formulas she'd once picked up at the thermal dynamics research institute.
The formula for thermal-kinetic conversion allowed the two to be transformed into each other through the user's Personal Reality.
Pushed far enough, this principle could even reach the point of "hand-crafting" nuclear or hydrogen devices—though that would involve manipulating movement inside atomic nuclei.
An intriguing idea, but attacks on the level of nuclear weapons were still beyond her. The intense heat from a nuclear blast?
Maybe she could manage that—with a thermal barrier, what Sonoko called a "surface thermostatic layer."
With enough computational power, she could take a dip in lava and come out a stone statue. But pervasive nuclear radiation? That was beyond her.
Even if a nuke was out of reach, she could still conjure a fireball with temperatures rivaling one.
Her thoughts had wandered too far.
The formula she'd obtained was only the most basic version—the kinetic-to-heat conversion part covered just iron and copper, and even that didn't quite suit her. Still, it was enough. Many tech-side weapons relied heavily on those two metals.
Her attention returned to the rather noisy MAR-affiliated research lab.
In a flash, her brain cells kicked into high gear.
In almost no time, Sonoko ran a massive set of equations in her mind—automatically locking onto nearby fast-moving, high-heat objects, then processing them via thermal-kinetic conversion.
With data only on copper and iron, the formulas restricted themselves to those.
She'd worked out these equations long ago, but they devoured computational power. By her estimate, even maintaining this alert stance—plus light refraction and the thermostatic layer—her capacity would drain in two hours.
If enemies showed up, that reserve would plummet, and her brain would simply shut down.
The day she could keep up this alert state indefinitely would be the day she reached Level 5.
So-called growth in computational power was really just the brain's ability to process information increasing.
Bullets, artillery shells, even the Railgun or Meltdowner—the moment they were fired, and all along their paths, they came with glaring thermal shifts, easily spotted by a Temperature Manipulator like Sonoko.
Their heat signatures stood out far more than a human body's. No matter their speed, they couldn't escape her notice.
Even the Railgun couldn't harm Sonoko—before her computational power gave out—unless Misaka stopped using iron or steel coins.
The only question was how many full-power Railgun shots Sonoko's calculations could withstand.
Maybe one.
As for dodging? She had no confidence in evading a projectile launched at twice the speed of sound with terrifying accuracy—not when it was fired by Misaka herself. This impostor in front of her, though, didn't count.
Against Meltdowner, she stood no chance—unless she got the opportunity to study its principles. So a Nitrogen Armor barrier was still essential.
Just as Sonoko was busy with all this, she suddenly sensed someone watching.
She turned toward the source—and met two pairs of eyes fixed on her location.
One gaze held confusion; the other was full of lethargy.
"Did they find me?" Sonoko wondered, pausing mid-step as she prepared to relocate.
She really didn't want to get dragged into these dark, deceitful underworld struggles. All she wanted was to be an ordinary disciple in a respectable school, looking up to the brilliant senior students, improving step by step, occasionally fighting evil and championing justice.
Enough daydreaming. As an unrelated bystander, she'd better find that initial sample fast—before some violent type accidentally destroyed it.
Before she could move, a doll-like figure appeared beside her.
"What's this?"
Sonoko studied it curiously—an ordinary-looking doll, with a countdown timer attached.
Strange. That definitely hadn't been there a moment ago.
Sonoko frowned, sensing something off. A fierce gust of wind swept past, lifting the doll into the air.
Boom.
A deafening blast erupted. Scorching shrapnel flew in all directions as flames engulfed a one-meter radius around the doll.
The explosion was too sudden—almost no time to react. A powerful wind pressure surged, blowing all the ceramic fragments away and leaving a clear vacuum zone at the blast's center.
"Looks like there's a little mouse hiding here," remarked Mugino Shizuri, a hint of interest in her smile.
"Actually, our mission is to investigate the Capacity Down prevalent among the Skill-Out groups. If you'd be willing to hand over all the data, Ms. Therestina, we won't trouble you further."
"As for what we're after, we already know it's not here. We figured that out on our first visit," Mugino added impatiently.
"It's not impossible for you to have the Capacity Down data," Therestina replied, her gloomy expression shifting into an amiable smile. "But you'll have to let me consider it. I wonder—would you be open to a job from me?"
"Maybe. But you'll have to talk to our handler," Frenda cut in, earning a sharp glare from Mugino.
"Your handler? Understood," Therestina answered, still smiling.
Meanwhile, Sonoko quickly pieced together what had happened. If that doll was a bomb, then she'd truly been discovered.
Using a doll as a bomb wasn't much different from that guy she'd met who hid a sniper rifle in his sleeve. Sonoko hated these kinds of sudden ambushes.
So she'd been exposed after all.
What she still didn't get was how they'd spotted her. It probably had something to do with the two people who'd come with the fourth-ranked—Meltdowner.
Her newly built automatic thermal-weapon defense hadn't even had a chance to activate before her position was revealed. At least her wind-pressure wall managed to blow away the blast's aftermath—or she'd really have been in trouble.
That wall might handle small-caliber bullets, but against heavier firepower, it wouldn't hold up.
"Strategic retreat."
Sonoko made her decision swiftly. She wasn't prepared for a head-on fight with these armed fighters. She was here to find something, not to pick a fight.
--+--
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!
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