The weather in Academy City this year was as scorching as ever. Even though it was still that transitional period between spring and summer, the high temperatures had already begun their relentless assault.
Even with technology twenty years more advanced than the outside world, the power of the heat hadn't diminished in the slightest.
If anything, it felt worse, amplified by the dense buildings and teeming crowds.
According to the weather forecast, this heatwave was supposed to last for at least another half-month.
And once summer truly arrived, these blistering days would just come in waves. The weather lately really was getting more and more abnormal.
The blare of car horns was drowsy and hypnotic. On the streets, small groups of students walked together, taking hurried steps as they rushed towards the shopping district in the distance, no doubt seeking its air-conditioned relief.
Night fell, the sky gradually darkened, and the once-bustling shopping street was nearly all closed up for the day.
The streetlights in the vicinity had long since flickered on, one after another.
"Shirai-san, the cameras in District 7 picked something up. There's some abnormal weather… ah, it seems to be snowing there!" The exclamation from Uiharu Kazari rang in Shirai Kuroko's earpiece, so loud that Kuroko couldn't help but rip the device from her ear.
"Uiharu, what are you doing? You have to remember, I'm wearing an earpiece to hear you," Shirai Kuroko grumbled, rubbing her ear before quietly turning down the volume.
She placed the earpiece back in her ear, then proceeded to smooth out the slightly wrinkled Judgement armband on her sleeve.
She clasped her hands together, raised them high above her head, and stretched with a languid sigh.
"Sorry, Shirai-san," Uiharu's voice came through again, accompanied by an embarrassed chuckle. On the other end of the line, the flower-wearing girl's cheeks flushed a light pink.
'Really, what am I going to do with you,' Shirai Kuroko sighed internally. "It can't be helped," she said aloud, her voice taking on a deliberately ladylike cadence.
"Alright, tell me the location. I'll go check it out, hopefully I can still make it in time." Kuroko's expression shifted to one of seriousness as she listened carefully to the location Uiharu relayed.
It was near School Garden in District 7, at a small, out-of-the-way park.
The camera coverage there was a bit sparse compared to inside School Garden, but fortunately, there was a road nearby. The traffic cameras had captured clear signs of meteorological changes.
"Snow in this kind of weather? How strange. I wonder which esper is responsible this time." A private thought crossed Kuroko's mind. 'It's already so late, and I still have to get back before lights out.'
It had been several days since she enrolled in Tokiwadai, and she'd only just found out that her esteemed Onee-sama didn't actually live in the Tokiwadai dormitory located inside School Garden.
Instead, she lived in Tokiwadai's District 7 Student Dormitory, located outside of School Garden.
"What a blunder, aah, aah, aah!" Shirai Kuroko scratched her head frantically, clearly recalling something that drove her mad.
Because she'd been so overjoyed about entering Tokiwadai and getting to see Onee-sama, she'd completely forgotten to have Uiharu investigate the location of Onee-sama's current dormitory.
If there had been a table nearby, Kuroko would have gladly banged her head against it a few times. 'Wasting precious time that could have been spent with Onee-sama… my crimes are unforgivable!'
'I've already started the paperwork to transfer dorms these past few days. Tomorrow, I will move into Onee-sama's dormitory!' Shirai Kuroko bit her lip fiercely, as if cementing some monumental resolution.
The moment Uiharu finished speaking, an invisible spatial tremor rippled around Shirai Kuroko, and her entire body vanished from the spot.
The distracted young lady quickly shifted into work mode. While she could sometimes seem a bit excitable, when it came to her duties as a Judgement member, she was consistently meticulous and thorough.
In the secluded little park, a girl wearing a white short-sleeved blouse, a beige knitted vest, and a gray pleated skirt appeared abruptly. Her arrival stirred up a minor shift in the air currents.
The skirt was quite short, barely brushing her knees. But, lacking any LV6-caliber upward drafts, and thanks to reasons that would make the elusive Newton weep, it remained firmly pressed against the girl's skin, completely undisturbed by her recent spatial jump.
"Uiharu, I've reached the location. This park really is out of the way, probably doesn't get many visitors, huh? Hm?" Shirai Kuroko had landed on a large tree branch, furrowing her brow as she carefully scanned her surroundings.
"There's no trace of any snowflakes left now; they must have melted. But there's residual water on the ground and the trees. It hasn't rained in District 7 recently, and it's not morning dew either. We can basically confirm there was some kind of meteorological anomaly here."
Shirai Kuroko lightly touched a leaf. A single, glistening drop of water fell into her palm.
After a careful inspection of the park area, she found the water droplets were scattered across roughly half the park, forming a somewhat irregular circle.
A rough estimate put the average radius of this circle at about ninety to one hundred meters.
'A range of effect up to a hundred meters from the user? Or perhaps the effect applies to any location within their line of sight? But it seems the perpetrator has already left.' Kuroko mused. Her own line of sight through this grove of trees was also limited, to about ninety or a hundred meters.
After a general inspection of the snowy phenomenon, Shirai Kuroko was leaning towards it being just an accident caused by an esper or some piece of machinery.
If it was an esper, their level probably wasn't low—at least a Level 3, Strong, what they call the 'practical stage.'
"Uiharu, given that the individual involved didn't cause any large-scale impact or damage public property, I recommend we document it in the files and conduct follow-up observations," Shirai Kuroko said, enunciating each word clearly. As she spoke, she took a deep breath of the still-chilly air.
'So refreshing…' Shirai Kuroko closed her eyes briefly, savoring the feeling. In this sweltering heat, finding such a cool spot was truly wonderful.
She cast a somewhat regretful glance at the park, which was gradually being reclaimed by the oppressive heat, and in the next second, her figure vanished once more, destination unknown.
Meanwhile, under the glow of a streetlamp, a figure was pedaling a brand-new bicycle along a road that cut through a large part of District 7, speeding quickly towards the remembered location of Tokiwadai's District 7 Student Dormitory.
Academy City had a population of 2.3 million, 80% of whom were students. Its technological prowess far surpassed the world's level, with cleaning and security robots visible everywhere.
Standing at the peak of these 2.3 million people were seven Level 5 espers. With those seven as her goal, this cycling figure always sought opportunities to train her ability, striving to become the eighth Level 5.
Although currently only a Level 3 'Strong' esper, the young girl before us was confident she wouldn't lose to a Level 4 'Superior'.
This time, she'd managed to affect the ambient temperature across an entire area with a radius of one hundred meters—a full doubling of her range since sixth grade.
Within this vast area, Natsume Sonoko could influence the temperature by roughly 30 degrees Celsius, and that was her absolute limit.
Of course, if she shrank the area of effect, concentrating her control on just a small part of that hundred-meter radius, the temperature change she could achieve was far greater than just thirty-some degrees.
Temperature Manipulation. Such an ordinary ability.
She considered its applicability, research value, and combat practicality all rather average. 'Air conditioners and heaters were invented ages ago, for heaven's sake!'
And that nickname, 'The Mobile Central Air Unit'—her elementary school classmates had called her that for years!
To get a clear picture of her current strength, and also in preparation for her first comprehensive periodic examination since entering Tokiwadai, this twelve-year-old girl named Natsume Sonoko had been pushing herself to the limit these past few days.
The scholarship for Level 4 was a full twice that of Level 3. Even though the Level 3 scholarship was already quite generous, the penny-pinching nature ingrained in Sonoko's bones just wouldn't fade away.
Despite her significant progress, she still felt a bit anxious about whether she could actually advance to Level 4.
"Still thirty minutes until lights out. Need to shower, brush my teeth, rinse… but there should be enough time." Natsume Sonoko gritted her teeth as she pedaled. She could have taken the last Tokiwadai school bus back, but she couldn't bring herself to leave her bicycle behind.
This bicycle was a brand-new model she'd bought not long ago to exercise, spending nearly a month's scholarship on it. She'd only been riding it for a few days—what if someone stole it?
Click-clack. The bicycle came to a steady stop near the flower bed of the Tokiwadai Student Dormitory. A glance at the time confirmed she hadn't passed curfew.
Then, with a touch of practiced nonchalance, she shot a glance towards the Dorm Supervisor standing at the entrance, stopwatch in hand, before quickly walking into the dormitory.
This Supervisor was a terrifying existence who had taken down a Level 4 with her bare hands and made a Level 5 cry. How could a mere quasi-Level 4 like herself hope to escape her clutches?
"Natsume-san, wait a moment." The Supervisor adjusted her glasses, turning her gaze towards the now-stiffening figure of Natsume Sonoko.
"Long time no see, Supervisor," Natsume Sonoko said with a bow, her heart filled with trepidation. 'I know I'm not late, and I made sure to keep my ability tucked away without breaking any dorm rules…'
"There's a crease on your blouse, and your skirt has water stains. While I don't object to you riding a bicycle, you must not forget to maintain the image of a Tokiwadai student, even when outside. This is something every Tokiwadai student must remember." The Supervisor's glasses reflected the light, radiating immense authority.
"Yes…"
"That was close. As expected of the Supervisor-sensei." Natsume Sonoko let out a long sigh of relief and hurried towards her room.
Passing by one particular door, Sonoko couldn't resist taking a few extra curious glances. The nameplate bore the number 208. Inside lived Tokiwadai's strongest—the Railgun.
"I actually live next door to Misaka Mikoto-senpai? This has to be the price for staying up late binge-watching 'A Certain Scientific Railgun T'."
Thinking these somewhat ambiguous thoughts, Natsume Sonoko rubbed her head in mild vexation and walked towards door number 210.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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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If you guys wanna check it out.