It seemed unlikely to meet the basic requirements for surveillance equipment, but that didn't mean the possibility was entirely out of the question.
You could always count on Academy City's technology to throw all sorts of surprises your way.
Meanwhile, a certain young lady with her hair tied in a bun—whose knowledge in this area was clearly lacking—let out a quiet sigh of relief, her expression softening as if a weight had been lifted.
Clearly, she had confidently ruled out the possibility of surveillance, even though the objects in question looked perfectly suited to serve as miniature monitoring devices.
Not only were they emitting none of the electromagnetic signals typical of mechanical equipment, but even when Natsume-san tried probing deeper into their microscopic structure, she found nothing unusual about them.
Aside from the obvious fact that they were man-made, they were practically indistinguishable from ordinary airborne bacteria.
Nothing. She had found nothing.
And that, in itself, was a small comfort to the young lady. No bad news was good news, after all.
The things she'd been doing in secret were still her own—not laid bare for some unknown observer to scrutinize.
The idea of living under constant surveillance was something she simply couldn't accept. It would have made her unbearably uneasy, even stirring up intense anxiety.
That sense of unease had always lingered in Natsume-san's heart, though it was usually buried under the noise and bustle of daily life. Only when she was alone did she truly glimpse what lay beneath.
These nano-spheres drifted and spread with the air currents. To block their influence, all you had to do was close the windows.
In other words, as long as you could maintain a static air environment and clear out any already present within a certain range, you could temporarily escape their reach—just as a strong, persistent wind could achieve a similar effect.
Whether it was willful ignorance or simply lack of evidence, Natsume-san managed to soothe her restless heart for the moment, allowing her to settle down and continue observing this piece of technology.
The possible uses of these nano-spheres were enough to spark the imagination, but Natsume-san had learned to see past appearances to the truth—likely a conditioned response after being caught up in so many incidents.
Sure enough, this had to be another secret experiment or project unfolding in the shadows of Academy City.
Its exact purpose remained unclear, and Natsume-san knew she probably wouldn't be able to figure it out on her own. But one thing was certain: the test subjects were the entire city.
Her mind still lingered on what had happened to Misaka-senpai, and the ordeals faced by Banri and the others were still vivid in her memory. Natsume-san held little affection for the various experiments Academy City carried out.
Perhaps driven by concern, Natsume Sonoko quickly began to entertain thoughts of intervening. Once the idea took root, it sprouted rapidly in her mind—she couldn't just pretend she hadn't noticed anything.
Sometimes, a person grows without even realizing it. Lying on the sofa, Natsume Sonoko tossed and turned restlessly, as if she'd developed a sudden case of hyperactivity.
Stirred by the day's events, the trouble-averse young lady had already started thinking about taking action.
She'd told her esteemed Railgun-senpai that she wanted to help change this city—to steer it away from a future of violence and ruin.
And now, some unknown organization had placed these technological devices of unknown purpose right beside everyone. That alone deserved serious attention. Whatever their intentions might be, the act itself was a severe violation.
Gazing thoughtfully around the familiar yet suddenly unfamiliar room, the young lady with the buns clenched her hand slightly. A gust of wind swept through, shattering every nano-sphere in the air.
In her domain, she would not permit the presence of the unknown.
--+--
The second day of the Daihasei Festival. Clear skies.
By the time a certain bun-wearing girl, bandaged and looking rather pitiful, stepped out of her room, Juufuku-san was already waiting beside the door, dressed neatly in her Tokiwadai athletic uniform.
Out of consideration for the injured, Natsume-san was exempt from having to run around in sportswear. Instead, she was one of the very few students still wearing the summer uniform.
If she'd worn an eyepatch over her right eye, she'd have radiated the aura of a full-blown chuunibyou.
"Natsume-san, are you all right? On the school forum, they're saying that you and the Queen both disappeared all afternoon and came back injured."
"No one's discussing it much, but I heard your injuries were more serious."
Holding a few condolence chocolates, the two encountered Hanazono-san at the edge of the hallway.
The girl, who wasn't much taller than Natsume-san, seemed hesitant. She wasn't sure whether she should involve herself in the affairs of the espers, but after gritting her teeth, she'd waited in the corridor anyway.
Although the posts on Tokiwadai's forum were restrained, this young lady had instead picked up all sorts of rumors—like something about a power struggle within Tokiwadai Middle School.
Scenarios like the up-and-coming esper challenging the authority of the established one, or the buns-wearing girl taking on Mental Out.
But it seemed Hanazono-san had overthought things. Not only did she seem to enjoy chasing stars, but she also liked gossip—truly a lively adolescent girl.
Among the student body, the espers commanded real respect.
Without much effort, one could easily gather many students to their side—the surge in membership for Natsume-san's club was proof enough.
Among first-year students, many didn't refer to Misaka-senpai by her title but used honorifics like "Misaka-sama," and sometimes even second-year students did the same.
It was easy to imagine that once Natsume-san became a second-year, people might start calling her "Natsume-sama" or the like.
Given her relatively reserved personality, that would probably make her extremely uncomfortable.
But back to the matter at hand—Natsume-san accepted Hanazono-san's condolence gift with some surprise.
She hadn't expected news of her injury to have already spread throughout Tokiwadai, and on a forum she hardly ever visited, no less.
The Tokiwadai forum was always filled with topics like cosmetics and romance. The rule-abiding, buns-wearing girl had little interest in makeup and even less in romance, so she'd always considered the forum rather boring.
Natsume-san usually frequented forums that discussed manga and urban legends.
But it seemed that because Misaka-senpai hadn't returned to the dorm, the focus of this discussion had shifted to the two espers who'd both come back looking rather worse for wear.
"Speaking of which, I wonder how things went with Shokuhou-senpai's discussion. But if she's able to come back on time, it probably went smoothly."
"Ah, should I tell Shokuhou-senpai about what we found yesterday? But…"
Her mind raced, the surroundings seeming to move in slow motion as Natsume-san instantly considered countless possibilities—only to be followed by a wave of conflicting emotions.
With a soft sigh, Natsume-san set aside her other thoughts and focused her attention on Hanazono-san.
It was only polite to give someone your full attention when speaking with them.
"Thank you. I really like the chocolates."
"And it just looks bad, really—I'm totally fine now."
Natsume-san quickly shook her head, raising her right arm and moving it up and down demonstratively.
She didn't like people worrying about her injuries.
"So… did Natsume-san come out on top?"
"Huh?"
--+--
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.