After finally managing to pull her hand back, Natsume-san stared somewhat dazedly at the red mark on her arm.
She suddenly felt the urge to say something, but no words actually came out.
She was, after all, a proper young lady from Tokiwadai—she absolutely couldn't start publicly beating up an upperclassman, even if she'd done it plenty of times before and had gotten rather good at it.
"Index!"
A certain bun-girl rather dramatically pointed toward a spot behind her, successfully diverting the upperclassman's attention.
But by the time Kamijou Touma had gathered his wits, Natsume-san had already vanished from his sight.
As her abilities grew, Natsume-san's personality was becoming more and more troublesome. Thankfully, Tokiwadai Middle School still had someone who could keep her in check.
Maybe it was also partly because she'd hit her rebellious phase?
Her mindset was becoming increasingly capricious, yet her actions remained cautious.
On one hand, she worried she couldn't beat that flame magician; on the other, she felt that even if she lost, she could still escape. Natsume-san could always find a reason to justify her actions.
But now, her original "wait-for-the-rabbit" plan had undergone too many changes, leaving her unsure if these were even the rabbits she'd been waiting for.
"I remember they went that way… Wait, that doesn't seem right. Maybe it wasn't this way after all."
Distracted by that spiky-haired high school boy, Natsume Sonoko had completely lost track of her target, and now she was just wandering aimlessly.
She weaved through dark alleys and narrow lanes, passing a few delinquents reading under dim streetlights, and spotted a Misaka clone out shopping at a street corner.
"Dorm Supervisor." It seemed the Misaka clone had noticed Natsume Sonoko too.
"Misaka-san. So tonight's dessert is fresh milk cake?"
Lately, Natsume-san usually referred to the Misaka clones as "Misaka."
For one, she didn't know their specific numbers, and for another, she felt the clones were fine with—even approved of—the general address.
She stopped walking, looked up at the Misaka clone, and instinctively arranged her features into a dignified expression.
"Dorm Supervisor, this is tonight's dessert. They only sell 500 limited-edition cakes every afternoon. Misaka 10086 succinctly highlights the cake's rarity."
Misaka 10086's face was blank as she held up the cake, her demeanor utterly serious.
"Aw, I'm so jealous. I've never managed to get one."
Natsume Sonoko's tone immediately shifted to one of genuine lament, her "Dorm Supervisor" dignity instantly evaporating.
Whenever she saw the long lines, her impatience for such things always made her choose a different shop.
"Although the cake portion is only enough for one person, upon careful consideration, and given that there is also fruit previously purchased by Big Sister, Misaka 10086 has decided to give half of the cake to the Dorm Supervisor."
Looking at her Dorm Supervisor, as if having made a weighty decision, Misaka 10086's expression turned resolute.
"Really? Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Natsume-san's face immediately broke into a slightly embarrassed smile, but her hand very naturally accepted the half-cake from the bag.
A clear case of a Dorm Supervisor accepting bribes.
It was very sweet, with a strong milk flavor—in other words, delicious.
In the middle of chasing someone, Natsume-san had been successfully sidetracked and nearly forgot her original mission.
"By the way, Misaka-san, did you see a weirdo in black clothes, with red hair, about two meters tall, pass by here?"
Suddenly turning her head towards the Misaka clone, cake still in hand, Natsume Sonoko asked distractedly.
She didn't get any useful information. The bun-girl's long-distance tracking mission was officially a failure.
But luckily, she'd gotten half a delicious cake along the way, which improved her mood slightly.
"Sonoko, don't be angry. Touma didn't mean it."
Back at the earlier corridor, Index shook Natsume-san's shoulder, trying to comfort her.
Next to them stood Kamijou Touma, now sporting several large bite marks.
"It's fine, I'm not really that angry."
Her face blank, Natsume-san wore an expressionless look.
The recent experience was actually quite profound. The moment that right hand touched the air behind her, Natsume-san's wings had vanished. It was a truly baffling ability.
Natsume-san didn't have particularly strong feelings about the ability itself; it was just the first time she'd been on the receiving end, and she wasn't quite used to it.
"I'm sorry. But what I said earlier was sincere. I'll find out why Stiyl suddenly attacked you as soon as I can."
Kamijou Touma also seemed apologetic, nodding as he spoke.
"But this time, the target of the attack was Meigo-senpai. I don't think we can just leave it at that."
At that moment, Misaka-senpai spoke up, clearly thinking the singer-senpai was the intended target.
"No need to worry about that. Arisa-san's safety will be temporarily handled by us for now."
Yomikawa-sensei, wearing the Anti-Skill uniform, walked over, looking somewhat weary.
She'd been outside Academy City recently, helping local police dismantle several hideouts of the 'Science Association,' and had only returned today.
"Meigo-san, while we still don't know the reason for the attack, until we investigate the matter thoroughly, we'll need you to remain under Anti-Skill protection."
Yomikawa nodded towards Meigo-senpai, her brow furrowing slightly as she scanned information on her tablet.
One of the 88 survivors of the so-called 'Miracle,' and now a popular online singer. Was there a connection?
The so-called 'Miracle of 88' dated back three years.
The spaceplane 'Orion' had made an emergency landing after an accident, but all 88 passengers and crew survived—hence, it was called a miracle.
Teacher Yomikawa glanced around again. The area was practically reduced to rubble, but thankfully there were no casualties.
However, with two Level 5s and a recently famous singer involved, Anti-Skill deemed the situation significant.
Any incident involving Level 5s was automatically prioritized highly within Anti-Skill.
Seeming to sense Teacher Yomikawa's gaze, a certain bun-girl stood obediently to the side, the Judgment armband on her shoulder, looking completely harmless.
"Will I be staying with you?" Meigo-senpai asked hesitantly.
Truth be told, from the moment this incident began, she'd been even more confused than the others.
Natsume-san wasn't much better off; the "wait-for-the-rabbit" plan in her head kept muddying the waters.
In contrast, Misaka-senpai had grasped a key clue: the target was this Meigo Arisa.
"Just in the apartments attached to the Anti-Skill building. If needed, you could also stay at my place. I know you have street performances and such, Meigo-san, but those will need to be put on hold for now."
Teacher Yomikawa's tone was serious.
"But what about the performance at the opening ceremony for the space elevator 'Endymion'?"
At this, the senpai became animated.
To leave the streets behind and perform on a grander stage, to have her songs heard by more people—that was her greatest wish.
"I've received a phone invitation from the 'Star Orbit Gate Company' to perform at the space elevator's opening ceremony."
Meigo Arisa's eyes shone brightly as she earnestly expressed her thoughts.
The stage was right within her grasp; she absolutely didn't want to give it up.
"Was it that phone call just now?" the well-behaved twin-bunned girl chimed in, also looking surprised.
Performing on such a stage was, roughly speaking, almost like giving the oath at the Daihaseisai opening ceremony. This senpai was truly amazing.
"If that's the case, then I'll accompany you when the time comes."
After a moment's thought, Teacher Yomikawa nodded understandingly. She couldn't just crush a student's aspirations.
--+--
On the rooftop of a certain building in District 7.
Three magical girls slowly regained consciousness, their eyes vacant and confused.
But when their gazes fell upon a familiar figure, tears of wrong welled up unbidden.
"Master!" *3
The three girls rushed over, but Stiyl nimbly dodged them, making them look even more wronged.
"If there's a next time, I'm sending you all back to the Church."
Stiyl flicked the ash from his cigarette. The heavy smoker was never far from the scent of nicotine.
"Sorry, Master. Actually, it was going smoothly at first, but…"
The girl named Jane tried to explain, her voice trailing off as she lowered her head.
--+--
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.