By the time they made it back to the student dormitory, the clock had already ticked past four in the afternoon—right around when club activities were winding down for the day.
Chatting with Misaka-senpai about Shirai-san all the way back had slowed their pace considerably.
Natsume Sonoko listened to quite a few of Misaka-senpai's exasperated complaints, feeling a faint sense of reflection, though not much surprise.
Ever since Shirai-san had moved into the dorm in District 7, the stress she caused Misaka-senpai had never really let up.
"Kuroko's always up to some nonsense," Misaka-senpai said with a sigh, pausing in front of the dorm building, "but sometimes… I wish she'd rely on me a bit more instead of constantly ending up covered in bruises."
Even though Shirai-san always seemed to be irritating Misaka-senpai, all that time together had ultimately brought the two closer.
Their relationship really is complicated, Sonoko mused, a little intrigued.
Back in her own room, Sonoko refilled her suitcase with the snacks she'd just bought.
Seeing her food reserves hit their peak, the girl with the bun-haired girl—broke into a wide grin.
No squirrel-like hoarder could resist the allure of a fully stocked stash.
Checking the time, she saw there was still a while until dinner. Natsume Sonoko pulled a manga from her suitcase and flopped onto the sofa.
This is the life, she thought blissfully. Reading manga while waiting for mealtime, with a trove of favorite snacks hidden under her bed—this was the existence Natsume-san had always dreamed of.
But she hadn't been settled long before a knock came at the door of Room 210.
Setting the manga aside, brushing stray chip crumbs from the sofa, Sonoko slipped quietly off the cushions and padded barefoot to answer it.
She'd considered using her ability to open the door from a distance, but it was better to be discreet inside the dorm.
Even her personal "calorie vacuum radar" was confined to her own room—privacy was something to respect, after all.
"Ah, Juufuku-san!"
She opened the door wide, stepping aside to let the other girl in. "Welcome," Sonoko said cheerfully.
"Good afternoon, Natsume-san."
For once, Juufuku-san didn't lead with "Have you eaten yet?"—maybe because it wasn't quite dinnertime.
Sonoko had previously bombarded her with vague messages over the phone, leading Juufuku-san to assume it was some kind of local dialect or quirk of Sonoko's.
"You know, this is your first time visiting my room, Juufuku-san."
Closing the door, Sonoko looked thoughtful for a moment.
Glancing around, she hurriedly crouched, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it to reveal a tightly packed hoard of snacks.
"Take whatever you'd like, Juufuku-san! Don't be shy!"
With a generous wave, Sonoko scooped up a heap of snacks and pressed them into Juufuku-san's hands.
"Oh, no, this is too much—"
A flustered blush spread across Juufuku-san's cheeks as she waved her hands in protest.
Seated on the edge of the bed, arms full of snacks, she stared awkwardly at the clean floor. Natsume-san's hospitality was… intense.
So Natsume-san likes tuna-flavored candy… Juufuku-san thought, spotting the unusual variety mixed in with the rest.
[Flashback to the supermarket: a certain Index had mistakenly mixed up the orange-flavored candies with the tuna ones—their pale yellow packaging was nearly identical.]
"So, Juufuku-san, how was your first day at school? Getting used to it?"
Leaning back gracefully on the sofa, Sonoko maintained perfect posture—when others were around, she took care to keep up appearances.
It was a bit tiring, but she cared about these things. She was a proper Tokiwadai young lady, after all.
Still, her hands grew restless. She tore open a bag of chips and, coating her hand in an imperceptible layer of air—creating opposing micro-currents to pick up the chips—reached inside.
Not only did it help her precision control, but she wouldn't need to wash her hands afterward. Two birds with one stone: ability training and snacking, simultaneously.
The only downside was that the chips used to get crushed easily. But after dozens of bags worth of practice, she'd finally overcome that issue.
"It's… very different. Quite novel, really. I'm still not totally used to it," Juufuku-san admitted, nodding and lifting her gaze to Sonoko.
Tokiwadai Middle School used a rotating classroom system, while Juufuku-san's previous school, Sekisho Junior High, had traditional fixed classes.
Even ignoring teaching quality, that difference alone was significant—it really would take some adjusting.
"Everyone feels that way at first," Sonoko shared sympathetically. "I kept getting lost looking for classrooms until I memorized the whole school map."
She couldn't help boasting a little about her past cleverness. Once you knew every classroom's location, you'd never get lost again.
Tokiwadai's curriculum was packed—one class ended and another began immediately, all in different rooms. It was easy to get mixed up.
"As expected of Natsume-san. I hadn't thought of that."
Juufuku-san's eyes widened slightly, a look of dawning realization on her face. It seemed she'd been struggling with getting lost, too.
In some ways, Juufuku-san was a bit of an airhead—but a hardworking one.
Looking at her face, Sonoko was abruptly reminded of the time she'd tossed Juufuku-san's boyfriend into a trash bin.
Yeah, I definitely did the right thing. Who would bully such an innocent girl?
"Actually, the reason I came… There's something I've been unsure about," Juufuku-san ventured, still holding the unopened snacks, her eyes pleading.
"I see. Well, if there's anything troubling you, Juufuku-san, I'll be glad to help."
Setting her chips aside, Sonoko's expression turned more serious.
Was Juufuku-san in some kind of trouble?
"Thank you very much. It's about club activities. I haven't found a club I really like, so… I wanted to ask which club you've joined, Natsume-san."
"J-just for reference!" Juufuku-san added quickly, avoiding eye contact as she took a nervous breath.
"Oh, the club! Would you like to join mine? Let me ask for you."
Sonoko looked enlightened and pulled out her phone, typing into a certain four-person group chat.
"Just for reference!" Juufuku-san repeated urgently.
Sonoko flashed an OK sign as messages began scrolling up the screen.
Juufuku-san has good taste, she thought. My club is definitely the best at Tokiwadai.
"Sorry, Juufuku-san. Amakusa-senpai says the club isn't accepting new members right now."
Before long, Sonoko shook her head regretfully.
Even though Juufuku-san's ability would suit the "Urban Legend Investigation Club" perfectly, Amakusa Yū-senpai still hadn't agreed.
In fact, according to Amakusa-senpai, she'd only recruited members before to fill vacancies and avoid the club being disbanded—they'd needed at least four members.
Despite ample funding, most Tokiwadai young ladies didn't seem interested in such an odd club.
And that other occult club Sonoko had visited first was now on the verge of being shut down and reorganized.
That clueless bun-haired girl had accidentally ended up saving a failing, barely-active club from dissolution.
"But Amakusa-senpai also said that next year, when I become club president, I can decide the recruitment numbers myself. With my influence, I'm sure I can get people to join."
Sonoko's face went blank. Had she just heard something she wasn't supposed to?
Amakusa Yū-senpai was in her third year and would graduate next year. With her grades, she'd likely advance to Nagatenjōuki Academy.
The other two senpai were second-years, so they'd still be at Tokiwadai next year.
But Sonoko had been slacking off all this time—how had she suddenly been nominated as the next president?
"Wait, no—I need to talk to Amakusa-senpai properly. The other two senpai have been working so hard."
Sonoko was caught completely off guard.
Club president? That didn't suit her at all. Being a regular member was much more her style.
[Don't worry, Natsume-san. You're our club's ace now. You have my full support.]— The Elegant Photographer
[I have no objections.]— Hata Ranko-senpai chimed in.
[It was just a suggestion. Who becomes president will be up to the three of you to discuss.]— Amakusa-senpai added.
"Natsume-san, are you alright?" Juufuku-san asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. So it's not decided yet."
Even though everyone's comments felt a bit risky, she felt an inexplicable wave of relief.
"My apologies, Juufuku-san," Sonoko said, snapping back to the present.
"It's alright. I'll definitely try to join during next year's recruitment," Juufuku-san declared earnestly.
"Eh?!"
--+--
The tiramisu was as delicious as ever—the skills of Tsuchimikado-san and the others were truly top-notch.
Patting her full stomach contentedly, Natsume Sonoko sat in the Tokiwadai dining hall, her gaze drifting unconsciously to the window.
It was getting dark already.
Misaka-senpai had already left to find Shirai-san. Having spent some time with Juufuku-san, Sonoko was running a bit late.
She stood up and headed out.
She'd promised Misaka-senpai she'd help Shirai-san.
She hadn't gotten a proper tracking map, but she'd asked Uiharu-san and gotten Shirai-san's location.
According to surveillance footage, the intruder seemed to be searching for something and was moving quickly.
They were now near the underground shopping arcade. All nearby Anti-Skill officers had converged there, and a certain teleporter had also been dispatched to the scene.
So it's that underground mall.
Comparing the location, Sonoko felt a flicker of recognition.
She remembered: Index and the others had gone to that very arcade.
--+--
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.