Natsume swallowed a spoonful of the rich broth. The sharp spiciness didn't mask the turtle's delicate savor—it actually made the whole thing taste even better.
Just then, the heavy, brooding clouds finally gave in to gravity's pull, and a torrential downpour began drumming against the dormitory windows.
"It's raining… Good thing I closed the window earlier," said Uiharu Kazari, quickly getting to her feet and double-checking for any leaks around the frame.
"The weather's been so weird lately," added Uiharu, swallowing the last of her dumpling with a thoughtful frown.
"Yesterday was perfectly clear, but they say we're stuck with this for days."
From what she'd picked up online, abnormal weather patterns were cropping up more frequently around the world—extreme conditions that used to be rare were becoming disturbingly common.
Part of it might be climate change, sure, but there were also strange rumors floating around the net.
Some claimed it had to do with those massive ocean-monitoring installations Academy City had been building worldwide—monstrous structures whose central control system supposedly sat deep inside some Academy City research facility.
There were even conspiracy-style whispers that, under certain conditions, these ocean-control devices could briefly alter regional ocean currents.
"It's probably just normal weather," Shirai Kuroko said, hauling herself up from the floor with a groan.
She cast a mournful glance toward the drain where her turtle-flavored drink had vanished, then slumped back into her seat like someone who'd accepted her fate.
"Anyway, did anything happen at the branch today?"
She picked up her bowl and rubbed a bump on her head as she turned to Uiharu.
"Everything was quiet," Uiharu replied. "Oh—except Sakugawa Middle School's server got hit a few times. I already reported the attacker's IP to Anti-Skill. Knowing how fast they move, they've probably caught the guy by now."
Her cheeks were flushed from the hotpot, a light sheen of sweat on her brow, and she sounded a little distracted.
"I see," Kuroko nodded. She'd long since stopped being surprised by Uiharu's hacking skills.
Come to think of it, this tiny dorm room now held two of Academy City's absolute top-tier hackers. But hacking wasn't the star of this hotpot party—no, that honor went to a certain grilling prodigy.
A light coat of oil shimmered on the grill, and the meat sizzled gently over low heat. The trick was perfect timing: crisp outside, tender within—that was the holy grail of barbecue.
For someone who could cheat with her ability, though, it wasn't hard at all.
All she needed was to look up the ideal grilling temperature online, do a quick calculation, and she could hold the heat steady as a machine.
Honestly, maybe Natsume would've fit right in in the world of Food Wars instead of this one.
"Natsume-san, is the meat ready yet?" Kuroko patted Natsume Sonoko's shoulder and reached for the tongs to flip the slices.
But as she lifted a piece, she realized flipping was pointless—both sides were cooked to identical perfection.
A wisp of fragrant smoke curled upward, carrying a faint charred aroma into everyone's noses. Natsume's first attempt at ability-assisted grilling was a success.
"Let me try!" Saten Ruiko crouched halfway down, snatched a slice with her chopsticks, slathered it in sweet bean sauce and a dollop of wasabi—an odd combo—and popped it straight into her mouth. "Mmm! Delicious! Seriously good!"
She couldn't help but gush. Kobe beef plus a data-driven chef was like pairing the finest ingredients with a heartless, precision grilling robot.
"Well then, I won't hold back," Misaka-senpai said, pressing her palms together.
The hotpot party raged on until one in the afternoon, lively and steamy enough to make even Natsume break a sweat—not from the heat of the food, but from the searing spice that seemed to open every pore like a hot bath.
By the time it wound down, Saten's dorm looked like a battlefield of half-empty bowls and scattered plates, with only the bubbling broth left simmering in the pot.
Most of the food remained untouched—plenty to save for dinner. The only things fully devoured were Misaka-senpai's beef and Kuroko's turtle dish.
Natsume lay sprawled motionless on the floor, hair tousled, eyes glazed, expression blank—as if her very soul had been siphoned out.
Of course, it wasn't food poisoning. She'd simply entered her post-meal hibernation phase and had zero intention of moving.
She'd once considered taking a walk after meals to aid digestion, but that never really suited her. In the end, she'd decided it was better to just lie still and let her stomach do its work.
"Ahhh… so full," Uiharu sighed, mouth slightly open as she took deep breaths, clearly stuffed.
"Then let's wait a bit before starting the reading circle," Misaka-senpai suggested with a smile. "Everyone should rest a little longer."
"Agreed!" came the chorus.
The air filled with the soft rustle of turning pages, mingling oddly with the lingering scents of hotpot and old paper.
As the reading circle began, Natsume's expression turned unmistakably bored. This was dull. The hotpot party had been way more fun.
Natsume was the type who believed in doing things at the right time—like finishing her reading notes before break so she could spend the whole vacation playing.
But life rarely went according to plan. The damage was done. All she could do now was face reality head-on.
She flipped through the assigned book—lent to her by Shirai-san—and, with nothing better to do, glanced around.
Everyone else was deeply absorbed, scribbling notes with quiet intensity.
Seeing them so focused made the girl with the buns feel guilty about even thinking of pulling out her phone.
She'd already read all these assigned texts last semester. Now they held zero interest for her. Her attention kept drifting—especially toward Reiko, who sat nearby, giving the whole scene the vibe of a student daydreaming in class.
Banri and Haruue, having transferred mid-term, hadn't finished their reading notes yet, but they were working just as hard as anyone else.
As for Misaka-senpai—though she, like Natsume, had already completed her assignment—she was still underlining key passages, a sharp contrast to the distracted bun-headed girl beside her.
"Everyone's working hard… I can't slack off either. Come on, Natsume Sonoko—you've got this!"
She took a few deep breaths, trying to rally herself.
"I'm done," Shirai announced after just over an hour, thanks to her extensive experience writing apology letters. Saten finished shortly after.
Surprisingly, Uiharu—who usually aced everything—got completely stuck on her reading notes and barely finished by evening.
"That… was exhausting," she whimpered, snapping her book shut with a look of pure relief.
"Poor you, poor you," Saten said, patting her shoulder comfortingly.
"So as a reward for all that hard work," Saten declared with a grin, "Round Two of the Hotpot Feast begins now!"
--+--
They left Saten's dorm long after lights-out.
The evening hotpot hadn't lasted too long—the rest of the time had been swallowed up by a popular board game Saten pulled out.
They'd played with such gusto that they only noticed the time when they were nearly late for curfew with the dorm supervisor, forcing them to drag themselves away with heavy hearts.
Outside, Academy City was drenched in rain. Fat drops pounded the pavement like hailstones, blurring the world into a watery haze.
Thanks to the city's excellent drainage system, even days of this downpour wouldn't cause flooding—but it did make the walk back to the dorms tricky.
Yet the Tokiwadai trio walked dry beneath the deluge, shielded by an invisible barrier that deflected rain from every direction.
"We owe it all to Natsume-san," Misaka-senpai sighed in relief. Even Kuroko nodded in agreement.
Kuroko's teleportation was handy, sure—but she could only jump less than a hundred meters at a time, and the brief gaps between jumps would've left her soaked.
"By the way, Onee-sama," Kuroko said as they walked, "have you heard? Academy City's about to get its eighth Level 5."
--+--
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.