The greatest injustice in Academy City has always been the inequality in ability development.
They often preach that hard work leads to success, but so many factors predetermine how far one's abilities can develop, quietly creating a class divide among espers.
Even among the small circle of Level 4s, there are those brimming with potential and others stuck in place.
Some would even ruthlessly suppress the Board of Directors' prized assets, trying to secure more resources for themselves, yet still find themselves tripping over the same old obstacles.
Those born mediocre are doomed to disappointment and powerlessness, while the gifted often find themselves constrained by limited resources. That's the reality of Academy City.
This harsh status quo remains unchangeable, breeding endless problems. The intense conflicts between some Level 0s and espers are just a minor manifestation of this greater contradiction.
As a girl completely unaffected by ability development limits, Natsume-san's situation is exceptionally rare. This makes it difficult for her to truly understand the frustration other leveled espers feel when their development stagnates.
Still, having lived through the Level Upper incident last semester and witnessed the resentment and anger of thousands of Level 0s, she's been left with a vague, indescribable sense of absurdity.
In this city, those deemed worthless lead pitiful lives.
But are the "valuable" ones really any luckier? They too just huddle together for warmth, desperately trying to protect what matters to them.
"Even if we catch these people, unless they've caused serious harm like severe injury or death, the worst they'll face is a few months of community service. That kind of penalty is enough for ordinary violence, but for organized actions like this, we can't be sure it'll be effective."
Uiharu-san's chair swiveled slightly as she leaned back, looking dejected. With this competition, or "game," driving them, those hot-headed types wouldn't care about potential punishments anymore—call it herd mentality or another form of incentive effect.
Deep down, Uiharu-san had always known the Judgment couldn't solve every problem. They merely worked alongside more powerful institutions to maintain Academy City's surface-level peace.
Judgment was, after all, just a student organization. Having them handle student affairs was gentler than bringing in Anti-Skill, but that was the extent of it.
"You know, this game isn't much different from the previous ability user assault cases. The main difference is that one was perpetrated by Level 0s, and this one by espers. But now that I think about it, attacks on ability users seem to have decreased lately," Sonoko Natsume remarked, her thoughts drifting as she spoke.
There wasn't much practical difference, but Natsume-san undoubtedly cared more about things that affected her directly.
"That's likely related to Skill Out. They've gathered many armed Level 0s from District 7 and beyond, and they're restraining their members from attacking espers."
"Honestly, since they emerged, assaults on ability users have dropped significantly. Even the ability users participating in this game seem to avoid their members," Uiharu-san said, pressing Enter to pull up Anti-Skill's database.
Profiles of key members immediately appeared on the screen.
"Actually, the decrease in attacks on espers is also connected to... a certain mysterious individual," Uiharu-san added, her tone turning serious as she scrolled further.
"You mean that guy in the black cloak, right?"
"The one who single-handedly ambushed half the armed Level 0 gangs in Academy City? The one where they had to mobilize Anti-Skill from multiple districts to contain the situation?"
Though it was a buried part of the city's urban legends, Saten-san recounted it like she was listing family treasures.
"Exactly. Skill Out's rapid growth was partly fueled by the panic that person caused among armed Level 0s. After all, he was the first to target them on such a large scale. But then he just... vanished."
"Because of him, some people were negatively influenced too. They started recklessly attacking Level 0s for fun. Of course, they didn't dare go after the powerful armed groups—only targeted weaker individuals," Uiharu-san nodded in agreement, her opinion of that shady figure unclear.
"Eh? Was this person really that famous? How come I've never heard of him?"
Natsume-san instinctively touched her nose. It had been a while since she'd heard that title, but she knew exactly who they meant.
To clean up the dark corners of District 7 and shrink the experimental grounds for the Level 6 Shift Project, a certain someone had indeed gone out of their way to cause trouble for armed Level 0s.
Back then, after being attacked alongside Juufuku-san, Natsume-san had felt no remorse about dealing with those delinquents. Now, though, she felt a twinge of complicated emotion.
She had a part in this too? Talk about accidentally playing 4D chess.
Though she didn't want to admit she'd influenced other espers to attack Level 0s, she couldn't deny there was some truth to Uiharu-san's words. In a way, she had encouraged those assaults.
Unknowingly, a certain bun-girl had become one of the sparks that ignited this game.
Her eyes drifted to Uiharu-san's monitor, where the image of a boy who resembled a gorilla filled the screen.
It was that guy. Natsume-san felt a jolt of surprise.
His build was so distinctive she remembered him clearly, along with the little girl who was always with him.
"Of course he's famous! Speaking of which, Natsume-san, you're actually a suspect, you know? Lots of people online think it was you."
"Hehe, just kidding, of course."
As if remembering something, Saten-san gave the twin-bunned girl a thoughtful, half-teasing look.
Rumors said the cloaked figure was at least 180 cm tall—no way it could be Natsume-san.
"Is that so?" Natsume-san forced a strained smile, secretly convinced Saten-san was a clairvoyant in disguise.
This was practically a dark chapter of her life she'd rather not revisit. In a way, it had intensified the conflict between espers and armed Level 0s, though her overwhelming power had temporarily forced a tense calm.
In the small Judgment branch office, the girls chatted idly about various incidents.
Saten-san sympathized deeply. Natsume-san's feelings were complicated. The girl with the flower wreath was righteously indignant.
Yet their hearts were aligned—none of them wanted things to turn out this way.
"This feels... uncomfortable. I think I want to do something about it."
"But if I get involved, it'll just mean more trouble to deal with..."
Natsume-san sensed the shift in her own emotions, as if confronting her own heart, and her thoughts grew increasingly tangled.
She'd spouted all those high-minded principles to Misaka-senpai, but in truth, she was the one who didn't get it.
Confronting her heart forced many things she'd rather avoid or ignore to surface. Sonoko Natsume was just a hesitant, unambitious, slow-on-the-uptake side character.
Acting regardless of profit, regardless of self, without considering good or evil, guided solely by one's own personal moral compass—acting from the heart alone. Perhaps only someone like that is truly free.
It sounds simple, but how many can actually live it? If such a person exists, they'd probably be the true protagonist of this world.
"Speaking of which, Natsume-san, has your mother already left Academy City?"
The topic had drifted elsewhere without them noticing. Saten-san's curious question cut through Natsume-san's tangled thoughts.
It was the last day of the Daihasei Festival. Parents who'd come to visit were leaving, and Academy City was returning to its usual self—a city of students.
The space elevator was still closed, disappointing many, Natsume-san included.
"She left this morning. Went with Aunt Misaka."
Natsume-san nodded softly, refocusing.
She was used to living alone and could quickly regain her composure.
But even now, she hadn't caught a glimpse of her father, who was supposedly somewhere in Academy City. The thought still nagged at her.
--+--
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.