Due to some issues with her body, Natsume-san reacted instantly, gently descending from mid-air.
The feeling of solid ground beneath her feet let Natsume Sonoko sigh in relief, finally giving her a moment to check the protective charm on her person.
Reaching out to touch the charm hanging around her neck, Natsume-san's mind was still a little foggy.
Since when did this charm turn into an LED light?
However, Natsume-san did recall a few things. She'd heard Index mention it before—this charm could gather the elusive luck that existed in the world.
Luck was a rather abstract concept, but Natsume-san believed in it, thanks to the walking counter-example that was Kamijou-senpai.
No normal person could possibly be that unlucky.
It also seemed that, perhaps because her luck had improved, many events around Natsume-san had ultimately turned out for the better.
In short, whether it was a psychological effect or survivor bias, Natsume-san was quite satisfied with the gift from her cousin.
Besides that effect, it also seemed to have the ability to protect her from certain types of magical damage.
Thinking this far, Natsume-san felt considerably less puzzled.
After leaving Academy City, she had only been to her cousin Natsume Takashi's place and Uncle Mori's home.
Uncle Mori's house had magical arrays, and it wasn't hard to believe her cousin knew a bit of magic, especially with Sensei around.
Natsume-san still remembered how her cousin had acted rather strangely back then.
He'd break the neighbors' windows for no reason, or show up covered in injuries, but wouldn't say a word when asked.
But Natsume-san was definitely on her cousin's side, no question.
Tucking the charm safely against her skin, Natsume-san felt a renewed sense of security.
Bathed in the charm's glow, by the time she gathered her wits, the restraints on her had already vanished.
Both her thoughts and movements returned to normal, even giving her the illusory sensation that she moved with more fluid grace than before.
"So I'm back to normal already."
"What a disgusting feeling. That despicable guy absolutely must be tossed into the Anti-Skill headquarters."
Natsume Sonoko muttered to herself, a certain resolve seeming to firm up in her mind.
As a proper Judgment member, Natsume-san decided to personally inherit Shirai-san's spirit of justice and throw all these troublemakers disrupting Academy City's peace and stability right inside.
Without even realizing it, Natsume-san had become a strategic partner of the Anti-Skill headquarters.
But before delivering him, she needed to take him to Shokuhou-senpai to have his memories read.
Come to think of it, Natsume-san was once again applying science-side common sense to gauge the magic side—of course problems would crop up.
What worked for memory reading in Academy City was a different story on the magic side.
Nearly every magician applied a spiritual protection layer called a 'religious defense' on themselves to guard against mental pollution.
Even Academy City's proudly touted Mental Out might not necessarily be able to break through such a defense.
Because of the restraining magic that had suddenly activated earlier, Natsume-san had already lost sight of the magician in her visual field, but her perception could still spread out in all directions.
Natsume-san had many thoughts, and her actions were swift.
Her gaze pierced through the complex architectural obstructions of the dark alley, as if she could see a red-haired magician moving rapidly.
While there were many people within a two-hundred-meter radius, and he had suppressed the flames on his person, the one running that fast was him alone, and his height matched too, so it was all quite obvious.
Just as she prepared to move again, a breathless voice came from behind her, calling out to a certain bun-haired girl.
"Wait! Can you tell me what's going on? Why did you suddenly start fighting with Stiyl?"
Perhaps because he'd run quite a distance, this uninvited guest braced his hands on his knees, unable to help but let out a gasp for air.
He really couldn't keep up with these espers and magicians, every one of them so fast when they moved.
And that feeling from before… that had to be magic, right?
When Kamijou Touma had chased after them, his right hand seemed to have touched something, a clear sense of obstruction.
"There must be some misunderstanding. Stiyl might seem like a slacker, smoking all day and acting like a delinquent, but he's definitely not a bad guy."
This Kamijou-senpai didn't seem to understand what was happening, just rambling on about something.
During his repeated partnerships with Stiyl, this Kamijou-senpai seemed to have developed some trust in the red-haired magician. Perhaps this was the bond between men.
"A delinquent?"
Natsume-san was taken aback, her attention successfully captured as she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. Don't let his appearance fool you; he's actually only fourteen years old."
Kamijou Touma scratched his head, clearly not too confident in his own words.
Though much younger than him, the guy was two meters tall, making his own words seem rather unconvincing.
"…"
Natsume Sonoko fell silent for a moment. So he was the same age as Misaka-senpai and Shokuhou-senpai.
"Kamijou-senpai, while I am surprised by his age, the most important point is that I'm not the one picking a fight with him. He made the first move."
"Under any circumstances, this is called self-defense. I'm taking him to the Anti-Skill headquarters now."
Natsume-san stated with righteous conviction.
She wasn't concerned about what punishment the Anti-Skill headquarters would decide; she was just responsible for the delivery.
Natsume Sonoko wasn't as harmless as she looked. She was someone who held grudges (scratch that)—someone who was very thorough.
This senpai seemed a bit long-winded. Finally getting serious, Natsume-san pulled out her Judgment armband from her pocket, adopting a business-like tone.
She'd been delayed a bit, but the target still hadn't left her radar map. Perhaps he thought he'd shaken off the bun-haired girl.
In all of Academy City, perhaps only the bun-haired girl herself knew the exact range of Natsume-san's radar.
A swirling vortex of air appeared behind Natsume-san; a certain ace pilot was preparing for takeoff once more.
But another interruption occurred—a hand suddenly grabbed Natsume Sonoko, causing the air vortex behind her to instantly dissipate.
Natsume-san stood frozen, turning back with a bewildered look.
"I'm truly sorry. While I don't know what's happening, I absolutely can't just stand by and do nothing."
"I'll find a way to contact Stiyl. So please, give me some time to figure out what's going on. You're both very important friends to me. I don't want to see either of you get hurt."
Kamijou Touma's face wore a pleading expression as he gripped the bun-haired girl's arm, his voice low.
But he seemed to have used a bit too much strength, leaving five red marks on Natsume-san's arm, causing the bun-haired girl to glare at him, her eyes wide with anger.
--+--
T/N: 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.