Line up, line up, treats for everyone.
With Natsume Sonoko and the others joining the sampling line, it instantly grew quite a bit longer.
Add to that a certain local fixture, Index, who had practically taken over the free sampling event at this supermarket.
Holding a paper cup and scooping up the sample jelly with a free spoon, Natsume seemed to find the taste quite delightful. 'Next time we do a big supermarket run, we should add this brand of jelly,' she thought.
"Misaka 9877 shows a triumphant expression after obtaining the largest portion of jelly."
"Jelly... Misaka 9981 suddenly finds the takoyaki in her hand less appealing," she murmured.
Several Sisters were gathered in the supermarket's public seating area, chattering about something, drawing involuntary glances from passersby.
"Um, miss, the sampling rule is one portion per person," the sales clerk said with an awkward smile, looking somewhat helplessly at the Misaka in front of her.
"I understand, Misaka 9980 nods. However, Misaka 9980 has not yet sampled this takoyaki," declared Misaka 9980, a strange military-style goggle hanging on her forehead, her face filled with certainty.
"But it's the rule, we really can't..." The clerk hadn't even finished speaking before her expression turned hesitant.
She noticed five identical students, all wearing Tokiwadai uniforms, were now staring in her direction in unison.
"...Alright, fine. So you're multiples. But no cheating, okay? Only one portion per person."
"Thank you very much. Please add some of this seasoning. Misaka 9980 sniffs the aroma with an expectant expression," the Sister said with a slight nod, gazing eagerly at the sampling stand.
"O-okay. Thank you for your patronage."
The clerk, still unaccustomed to the Misakas' manner of speaking, could only nod repeatedly.
The supermarket had quite a variety of samples, all decently sized portions from the regular products. For a moment, someone found it a bit hard to finish everything.
Just as she finished her jelly, someone suddenly patted her arm. It was Index, blinking mysteriously at Natsume Sonoko.
"Did something happen?" Sonoko asked, utterly confused.
Her arm held firmly by Index, Sonoko had no choice but to follow her to a corner of the supermarket. There, a small chair sat surrounded by a few scattered comic books.
"Ta-da!"
"Sonoko, Sonoko, this is my very own special seat!"
"Your... special seat?" The girl with the twin buns tilted her head, not quite understanding.
"The big sister who works here arranged it for me. I'm actually an employee of this supermarket now!"
Seemingly dissatisfied with Sonoko's doubt, Index fished an employee ID card from her pocket and waved it proudly.
"An employee ID?" Sonoko nodded gently, taking the card. It looked quite official.
--+--
[XXX Supermarket Employee ID]
[Name: Index]
[Position: Food Sample Tester]
--+--
"That's amazing."
Sonoko looked at Index, genuinely surprised.
So you could actually get a job just by eating?
"Heh heh. Besides sampling, I'm also responsible for disposing of food that's about to expire. To prevent customers from buying it, I work very hard, patrolling at least three times a day!"
Index hopped onto the chair, placed her hands on her hips, lifted her chin slightly, and wore a triumphant smile.
"Wow, that's so like you, Index."
Sonoko's jaw dropped slightly, her tone full of admiration.
She instinctively didn't ask about the pay for this job. She had a feeling it was probably the supermarket's solution to the 'operational challenges' a certain Index tended to create.
Seemingly very pleased with Sonoko's reaction, Index grew even more proud.
"By the way, Sonoko, who are those people with you?"
It finally occurred to Index that she'd seen the people who came with Sonoko somewhere before.
"They're the Misakas. Well... they're new friends of mine," Sonoko said after a moment's thought. Index nodded beside her, as if everything made sense now.
"Just as I thought. When you make friends, you take them to the supermarket for free food. It seems you're just as poor as Touma."
Index nodded, her eyes filled with contemplation and a knowing glint, as if she'd seen right through the girl with the twin buns.
"That's not it at all! There's a reason for this!"
Sonoko quickly defended herself, seemingly unhappy with Index's assessment.
"Oh, right, Sonoko. Back during the Summer Festival, I noticed a trace of magic on you. But since it was a blessing/protection type, I didn't bother with it."
As they chatted, Index suddenly brought up magic, which only confused Natsume further.
Still, she was someone who'd been through her share of storms. She'd even spent a fair amount of time with that magic girl, Kanzaki Kaori, the one who liked wearing torn jeans.
'Could it be related to that ancient magic circle on Conan? But according to Kanzaki, I shouldn't be affected anymore.'
She actually had quite a bit of faith in Kanzaki's magic, so it probably wasn't that.
It finally dawned on Sonoko. This girl in front of her, who seemed about her own age, was actually from the magic side. It's just that every time they met, Index's mind was always focused on food.
"Magic? How could I have any on me?"
Natsume thought it over carefully. As far as she could tell, she currently had no connection to magic whatsoever.
"So, Sonoko, do you believe magic exists?"
Index, seeing the twin-bunned girl's reaction, asked in a hushed tone. People in Academy City generally didn't seem to believe in magic.
"I believe it."
When it came to magic, Natsume Sonoko had witnessed it herself on several occasions.
Seeing Sonoko nod emphatically, Index's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Sonoko, you're the best! Touma absolutely refused to believe it at first. He even destroyed my 'Walking Church'!"
No sooner had Index finished speaking than her face flushed a bright red, though it was unclear whether from anger or something else.
To locate the magic, Index circled around Sonoko a few times, scrutinizing her up and down for a good while.
"Found it! It's this thing."
A look of vindication spread across Index's face as she held up an amulet, examining it closely.
"Huh? Are you sure, Index?"
Sonoko was a bit slow to react. She half-crouched down to peer at the amulet with Index.
She remembered this amulet. Her cousin, Takashi, had sent it to her. She'd kept it with her ever since.
"This is a spell from the grimoire 'Nihon Yōkai Shi', called 'Reverse Flow'. It gradually gathers good fortune from the surroundings and can also ward off some weaker forms of magic."
Index nodded as she explained. However, she also found it a bit strange.
Humans shouldn't be able to use this spell. 'Could it be that yōkai truly exist in this world?'
"Really? I thought it was just an ordinary good-luck charm." This was Sonoko's utterly astonished reaction.
She carefully tucked the amulet close against her body, a slightly silly grin spreading across her face. A good-luck charm that actually increased fortune? Sounded wonderful.
Just as she was thinking about calling her cousin Takashi to properly thank him, some commotion seemed to break out not far away, the area growing noisy.
"It's Touma!"
Index began hopping excitedly, grabbing Sonoko's hand and pulling her towards the source of the noise.
"Sonoko, Touma's here to take me back!" Index said happily.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Kamijou Touma had one hand behind his head, offering a slight bow of apology. Standing opposite him was a Misaka, staring at him with vacant eyes.
Even though Touma had lost his earlier memories, anyone would find it hard to ignore that strange girl who started zapping him with electricity the moment she saw him. It had conditioned him to want to flee on sight, which was how he'd ended up bumping into another 'Biri-Biri'.
"It is of no consequence. Misaka 9977 considers this a trivial matter."
"Misaka 9977? Sure gives off that sci-fi movie vibe," Touma muttered to himself, which earned him an intense stare from 9977.
"Anyway, how come you all look exactly the same? Are you multiples or clones?" He let out an awkward laugh, trying to deflect with a joke.
"We are clones. Misaka 9980 states this matter-of-factly," another Misaka chimed in.
"So it's true, huh." Touma's mouth twitched. He finally grew serious, examining the Misakas before him with a concerned expression.
"Touma, over here!" Index's voice called out.
"Index!" Touma waved back.
"Sonoko, my shift's over. Touma's taking me out for a big meal today. His scholarship finally came through, thank goodness."
Index shot a somewhat reproachful look at Touma, seemingly worried about his financial situation.
"Sorry about that. We'll be going now," Touma said with a nod. His gaze lingered on the Misakas for a few extra seconds, a flicker of concern in his eyes.
Watching Touma leave, Natsume Sonoko had a vague feeling that he also knew something about the Misakas.
'With the Misakas wandering around District 7, it's only a matter of time before Misaka or someone else finds out.' Sonoko felt a wave of helplessness.
Apart from defeating Accelerator like in the original storyline, she still hadn't come up with any better ideas.
The only piece of good news was that no experiments were scheduled for tonight either. That could probably be considered a reward for her efforts in trying to stop the experiments.
The supermarket sampling had easily filled their stomachs. At least she'd helped the Misakas find a place to get food, and that thought eased Natsume Sonoko's mind a little.
By the time they returned to the Misakas' Apartment, many of the Misakas had already trickled back.
But another issue soon presented itself to Sonoko.
"Having learned that other Misakas are residing here, Misaka 10001 has come specifically to investigate."
A girl stood in the courtyard, a violin case strapped to her back, her goggles properly fitted over her eyes. She had 'Newbie Misaka' written all over her.
"A new Sister?"
Natsume Sonoko looked intently at the Misaka before her, a pensive expression forming on her face.
"I hereby announce that Dormitory 101 will be welcoming a new roommate!"
Sonoko stood with mock authority in front of the first room on the first floor of the Misaka Apartments. Facing her were four expressionless Sisters.
"Misaka 9999 displays a dissatisfied expression due to the Dorm Supervisor's arrangement."
"Objection overruled! As of now, 101 is a five-person dorm!"
Sonoko summoned her best Dorm Supervisor prestige. Honestly, if they squeezed a bit, each room could probably fit six... well, maybe even eight people.
"The Dorm Supervisor will now take the new roommate to buy daily necessities. The new Misaka can cover her own expenses."
Sonoko thought for a moment before saying this. The Misakas who had just left the research institutes were actually quite well-off.
After settling the new Misaka in, Sonoko's gaze fell upon the other Misakas.
One of them wore a skull-shaped ring on her finger, had a Gekota pin attached to her waist, and a slight upturn to her lips, as if something pleased had happened.
"Hey, Misaka 9982, did you buy that Gekota pin yourself?"
Sonoko asked curiously. She recognized 9982 immediately—the ring had come from her, after all—but the Gekota pin was new.
"Big Sister gave it to me. Misaka 9982 cannot help but show a happy expression."
"Misaka Mikoto?"
Sonoko understood immediately. Sure enough, unless they restricted the Misakas' movements, trying to keep this from Misaka Mikoto was impossible.
After staying at the Misaka Apartments a little while longer, Natsume Sonoko stepped out the main gate.
Dinner for the few impoverished Misakas would, of course, also be solved at the supermarket. But this was clearly not a long-term solution.
Sonoko's mind was already brewing a plan to lift the Misakas out of poverty.
The business of raiding the Skill-Out groups was also winding down, with only a few districts left uncovered.
But Sonoko didn't plan to continue much further. The effect she wanted had mostly been achieved.
As she walked and thought, Sonoko suddenly grew alert.
Even though she wasn't actively using her ability much, she could still vaguely sense the heat signatures around her. She realized someone had been following her for a while.
She kept walking, her figure gradually fading until she disappeared completely around a corner.
A moment later, a furtive figure stopped in its tracks, frowning at the spot where Sonoko had vanished.
'Got you.'
The figure's feet suddenly froze to the ground. As it tried to struggle, it tripped over its own trapped feet, stumbling and barely managing to get back up.
"That's a Nagatenjouki Academy uniform. And a girl."
Natsume Sonoko stood not far away, looking curiously at the person. She seemed familiar, the more Sonoko looked, the more the feeling grew. Fragments of memory involuntarily slotted into place.
"So it's her."
Finally remembering, Sonoko dissolved the ice trapping the girl's feet, restoring her ability to walk.
"I came to talk to you. Natsume-san. I have a complete grasp of your data, and I am fully aware of your actions in assisting Misaka Mikoto's clones."
Nunotaba Shinobu tidied her disheveled hair, brushed the dust off her clothes, and then continued.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, 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.