Keeping the student council election on her mind, Natsume-san found herself carrying just a little more on her shoulders.
She felt a bit sorry for not supporting that Gaouin Tsukasa-senpai, but Natsume Sonoko was, from start to finish, a rather biased and willful girl.
When considering or getting involved in matters, she almost always approached them from her own perspective.
Of course, everyone being happy was a good thing, but what she cared about more were her own friends and companions.
Everything that Kihara Gensei did was, in a way, for the future of espers and to explore the unknown frontiers of science, which could be beneficial for the entire esper class.
Yet, Natsume-san would absolutely not allow her own senpai to become a sacrificial lamb for scientific progress. She would stop it without hesitation.
Even though the things weighing on her mind were increasing, it didn't affect her 'do-as-I-please' attitude in the slightest. Thinking about it carefully, the election wasn't even on the horizon yet. She'd deal with it when the time came.
'Doing the right thing at the right time'—that was the proud motto of the #8 Level 5, after all.
However, Natsume Sonoko was already looking forward to seeing Shokuhou Misaki-senpai serving as student council president.
Aside from the Tokiwadai uniform, she also had a few thoughts about the menu and layout in the cafeteria.
The maids from the practical training program seemed to prefer limiting the number of desserts available in the cafeteria.
This was probably to prevent the young ladies of Tokiwadai from consuming too much sugar and ending up plump and fair-skinned. For a specific counterexample, one could refer to Shokuhou-senpai herself.
But was that really reasonable? Letting everyone work hard to lose weight was part of youth, and getting enough sugar was necessary for healthy growth, right?
A certain bun-girl who never seemed to gain weight, no matter how much she ate, rested her chin seriously in her hand, earnestly pondering her own dubious logic. She really loved offering all sorts of suggestions.
She had plenty of these strange ideas, but the most important thing right now was to rush to her next class. Natsume-san had clearly heard the school bell ring earlier.
Instantly clearing her mind, Natsume Sonoko lifted her feet and dashed toward the other school building. She absolutely couldn't waste any more time.
"Natsume-san, even if you're running late for class, you can't just casually tread all over the floor I just finished mopping."
"You must respect the fruits of others' labor and be considerate of their hard work."
Tsuchimikado Maika stood near the cafeteria entrance, holding a bucket and leaning on a mop, her expression full of righteous indignation as she mercilessly blocked the path of a certain bun-girl trying to take a shortcut through the cafeteria.
"My apologies, Tsuchimikado-san."
Caught red-handed, the stopped bun-girl replied with a complete lack of presence.
The floor is meant to be walked on, after all... but Tsuchimikado-san looks so authoritative.
She's definitely the future private maid I've set my sights on. I must succeed in whisking Tsuchimikado-san away to my home someday.
With these peculiar thoughts, Natsume-san's presence seemed to shrink even further.
--+--
Afternoon, at Judgment Branch Office 003.
This classroom, located within Tokiwadai Middle School's club activity building, seemed livelier than usual.
Unusual straining sounds, the thuds of heavy objects, and the voices of two Judgment girls arguing could be heard from inside.
"I get it now, you just don't want to give them to me."
"Hmph. If you're so capable, Shirai-san, go secure the funding yourself if you want the equipment."
The incessant, noisy chirping seriously disturbed the peace of a certain bun-girl trying to quietly sunbathe not far away, even if the weather today was rather overcast.
Standing expressionless by the entrance, Natsume Sonoko tried to maintain her composure, but a wave of intense awkwardness welled up inside her.
Several girls participating in club activities passed by one after another, casting curious glances around, looking at the bun-girl and then at the commotion inside the branch office before quickly leaving the contentious area.
As much as she didn't want to face her classmates' strange looks, Natsume Sonoko was even more reluctant to step into the branch office right now. She could only wait patiently for the battle inside to reach its peak.
This was probably also one of the few times Natsume-san had visited the branch office in her own school since joining Judgment.
As a Judgment member driven by whim, Natsume-san didn't have a fixed assigned branch office, or even regular daily duties.
Now, how did all this even happen?
She had rushed off campus right after class ended, even taking a path she didn't usually use, but she was still caught at the exit by a certain Teleporter, who perfectly exploited the intel that a certain bun-girl wouldn't turn invisible within School Garden, especially near the exits.
"Even though I promised to cooperate fully with solving the assault case, Shirai-san really doesn't trust people, does she?"
"Thinking about it, someone like Gaouin Tsukasa-senpai is quite rare, choosing to be open and honest right from the start."
A hint of displeasure unconsciously appeared on her face. Natsume-san seldom had a pleasant expression for that twin-tailed classmate of hers.
But since she was one of 'hers,' there was no exchanging her for someone else, so she could only swallow her resentment and endure the frustration.
Was she really the type of person to quit halfway, dump all the undesirable tasks on others, then just find a spot to laze around in the sun and breeze, leisurely whiling away the entire afternoon?
Really, Natsume Sonoko's mood took a sudden turn for the worse.
After catching Natsume-san at the exit, this Teleporter, aiming to fully utilize her equipment and connections, planned to get some things from the Judgment Branch Office 003.
Well, 'get' was one way to put it, though the Makigami Komaki-san on the other side seemed somewhat unwilling.
"Twenty Capture Grenades are absolutely impossible! The branch's inventory doesn't even have that many!"
"And the drone swarms all have real-time tracking by Anti-Skill teachers. There's no way I can let you take them outside the School Garden!"
Makigami Komaki stood with her hands on her hips, aggressively scolding the Teleporter before her.
If the Anti-Skill teachers found out these drone swarms were used elsewhere, writing an apology letter would be the least of her worries.
As a kouhai who had been directly instructed by Shirai-san before, she was well aware of this twin-tailed girl's reckless behavior. She had no desire to be dragged into various incidents outside the school.
"She's not biting," Shirai-san frowned slightly, realizing this kouhai was becoming increasingly difficult to handle. Is this the downside of growth?
"Then it can't be helped..." Shirai-san murmured to herself.
As a dignified and impressive senior, how could she let a mere kouhai get the better of her?
With a 'thud,' the door was shut firmly, and a certain Teleporter was unceremoniously tossed out of the classroom, dust on her face, clutching five small oval metal canisters in her hands.
These high-tech devices, when activated, could automatically identify life forms in the vicinity and release titanium cables to bind them completely—enough to instantly subdue most espers.
Only a well-funded Judgment Branch like 003, with the support of the Queen's faction, could use such tools as standard equipment. The standard gear for slightly more ordinary Judgment branches usually consisted of riot shields and helmets.
"With these, even a lone non-esper could instantly subdue an attacker."
"Are these meant for the Skill-Out groups?"
Natsume Sonoko asked, somewhat surprised. She recognized these devices too, though she'd never gotten her hands on any.
However, these devices were specifically designed to restrict an esper's movement. For someone like her who could fly, being tied up wouldn't hinder her much.
"These are definitely not for the Skill-Out groups. It would be too dangerous if they got ahold of them. Besides, every single use has to be reported to Anti-Skill, and the used remnants must be recovered. There's no way we'd just hand them over to anyone."
"Actually, if we equip these grenades on the flying camera drones and set up a simple mechanism, Uiharu can help us from her end."
Shooting a very displeased look at the someone who had watched her make a spectacle of herself the entire time, Shirai-san finally explained.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon!
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