"Natsume-san, isn't your ability Temperature Control? Honestly, in weather like this, it should be your element. Do you really need to buy this much shaved ice to cool down?"
Senior Misaka Mikoto asked, slightly curious, holding three servings of shaved ice in one hand and her school bag slung over her shoulder with the other.
'The atmosphere! It's all about the atmosphere!'
Though Natsume Sonoko desperately wanted to shout her flawed reasoning out loud, the words that actually left her mouth were completely different.
"Not really, it has nothing to do with my ability. I just simply have a sweet tooth. What about you, Misaka-senpai? You seem to really like frogs. I remember, it's called Gekota, right?"
Sonoko's gaze fell on the charm attached to Misaka's school bag—a doll shaped like a frog.
"Ah, yes! I just can't resist cute things. So you know about Gekota too, Natsume-san? Let me tell you, Gekota has so many stories behind it! There's plenty about it on TV, and there's even this legend that on a dark and windy night, by a certain pond, Gekota will..."
Once she started talking about Gekota, it was like flipping a switch in Misaka.
She launched into a continuous stream of details about the Gekota doll in her hand, right there next to Sonoko.
Senior Misaka Mikoto had a tendency to talk for twenty minutes nonstop once she got started, and a personality that involved unleashing wild electric sparks when she was upset—though it wasn't really convenient to mention where she'd picked up that particular piece of intel.
'Truly impressive, Misaka-senpai,' Sonoko thought with some amazement, 'to have so much knowledge even about frogs.'
For a full twenty minutes, she expounded on Gekota's deeds and the various specialty shops selling its merchandise scattered around the area.
By the end of it, even Sonoko could accurately state how many shops selling Gekota merchandise there were in School District 7, their approximate locations, and she'd even matched them up with spots from her memory of browsing the Academy City map.
"So Gekota has that many stories behind it," Sonoko said with a laugh, as if an idea had just struck her.
She stopped walking, set her shaved ice down on the ground, and stretched both hands out towards Misaka-senpai. The temperature around her hands plummeted dramatically.
Misaka-senpai noticed Sonoko's actions, looking somewhat puzzled.
But then she watched as countless water droplets condensed out of the air into Sonoko's palms, rapidly freezing into tiny ice crystals that finally formed a small, frog-shaped ice Gekota.
Misaka's eyes unconsciously widened, glued to the sight.
Using her ability for mimicry and creation was much more taxing than ordinary usage. As Sonoko finished solidifying the ice Gekota in her hands, her expression finally relaxed.
Though the area of effect for her ability was small—limited to her palms and the space just above them—the computational power required was no less significant.
She also had to maintain the intricate details of the ice Gekota; the little frog in her hands was essentially sculpted bit by bit using her calculations to mimic the Gekota charm on Misaka-senpai's bag.
'Now I know pretty much all the details about Gekota. I guess that makes me a Gekota expert too.'
"This is for you, Misaka-senpai," Sonoko said, holding up the Gekota with both hands.
Before she could react, an excited Misaka-senpai seized her hands, peering closely at the ice sculpture with wide, scrutinizing eyes.
"Thank you!" The gratitude from Misaka-senpai was heartfelt. Of course, she'd already placed her shaved ice on the ground beforehand.
Sonoko's hands held the ice Gekota. Misaka-senpai's hands held Sonoko's hands. The situation suddenly became a little awkward.
A look of bewilderment and confusion lingered on Sonoko's face. Her whole body felt somewhat stiff.
Catching the scent of Misaka-senpai's perfume mixed with a faint, simple fragrance and a hint of sweat, her mind began to wander inexplicably.
'School rules don't allow perfume, I think.' The memorized regulations of Tokiwadai Middle School and its dormitories flashed through Sonoko's mind.
Having striven hard to become a proper lady, Sonoko could recite all the school and dorm rules on command.
She could almost serve as the disciplinary committee member for a normal school (not the Public Morals Committee kind from Academy City). These rules had a habit of popping up in her mind at inopportune moments to regulate her behavior.
She set aside the ill-timed thought about school rules for now. Regardless, Sonoko was blushing—just a normal blush, mind you, nothing that could be mistaken for shyness.
"Sorry for startling you," Misaka-senpai said, somewhat embarrassed, as she withdrew her hands.
"I just get a little too excited when I see such a rare Gekota. It's a normal reaction, please don't mind it." Even though this ice Gekota was destined to last only a short while, Misaka-senpai was indescribably happy.
"I can understand. Everyone gets carried away when they see something they like; it's a perfectly normal reaction," Sonoko nodded in agreement, seeming to approve of Misaka-senpai's words.
Besides, compared to the other few Level 5 seniors and upperclassmen, the Misaka-senpai before her did seem much more normal—arguably the only Level 5 with a normal personality.
"It's fine, Misaka-senpai. You've actually helped me a great deal. Here, Misaka-senpai, for you." Sonoko shook her head to indicate it was no trouble.
Meanwhile, Misaka-senpai carefully picked up the small ice Gekota, a look of pure satisfaction spreading across her face.
--+--
Tokiwadai Middle School Dormitory, School District 7, Academy City.
Misaka Mikoto and Natsume Sonoko walked into the dormitory together. It was probably still club activity hours, as the dorm was mostly empty, and even the dorm supervisor was nowhere to be seen.
"Natsume-san, I'm so sorry about your shaved ice getting messed up," Misaka-senpai said, pressing her palms together in apology.
Perhaps due to some rather vigorous movements earlier, some of the shaved ice had completely collapsed, the fruit syrup mingling with the ice layers.
Just as Sonoko was about to suggest that the mixture actually created a new, interesting flavor, a series of chaotic noises reached her ears.
"I'm moving my locker here! Yes, right to this spot!"
"To be right next to Onee-sama's bookcase... Kuroko is so happy!"
"Wow, this is Onee-sama's clothes chest! So many clothes! School uniform, shirts... frog-patterned socks? And even strawberry-patterned ones...?"
Snicker, hehehe.
No sooner had the last sound faded than a gust of wind, generated by the violent reaction force of shoes against the floor and accompanied by scattered electric sparks, swept through the nearby space, causing Sonoko's skirt to flutter noisily. Sonoko, however, remained perfectly calm and did nothing.
'So, without the ability to create a Level 6 Upskirting Wind Current, it's just impossible, huh?'
Someone's thoughts seemed to have drifted off onto yet another tangent, her mind always wandering off inadvertently.
'That voice sounds a bit like Shirai-san... Wait, no, it is Shirai-san. So the Railgun storyline is about to start.' Sonoko pondered for a moment.
The other party had practically shouted her own name. But wasn't Shirai Kuroko just maintaining public order on the streets not long ago? How did she get back to the dorm before me?
'Space abilities are so useful! Space is king, time is supreme.' Sonoko felt that spatial abilities were the most powerful in Academy City.
If you can't win, you can always run! Modern society is all about mobility.
She was getting off track again. Shouldn't she be more concerned about Misaka-senpai's current situation? Misaka-senpai had bolted up to the second floor in an instant.
Her train of thought abruptly broken, Sonoko finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly rushed towards the second floor.
"Ah! My door? Where's my perfectly large door?" As Sonoko reached the second floor, her legs nearly gave way. She could see that her dorm room door seemed to be... missing.
Shirai Kuroko was lying pinned under what used to be the doors of rooms 210 and several nearby rooms—including the door to room 208.
Shirai Kuroko was sprawled further down the hallway. Next to her stood a furious Misaka-senpai, pale blue sparks of electricity crackling incessantly around her, her hair practically standing on end with angry electrostatic charge.
Forget her own door for a moment; Shirai Kuroko's situation looked dire.
She bore clear signs of electrocution, several door panels were pinning her down, restricting her movement, and she seemed to be having some difficulty breathing.
Yet, on her face was an unnatural flush, a strange smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.
In her hand, she clutched a pair of strawberry-patterned... panties.
'Okay, seems like I should be more concerned about my own door.'
"Misaka-senpai, what happened?" Sonoko asked, though she already had a pretty good idea.
Roar!
'It's Shirai Kuroko's dorm room invasion operation, isn't it?!'
'Sounds pretty intense... Level 5 Railgun vs. Level 4 Teleporter...'
"A pervert snuck into the dorm and was secretly going through my things! I absolutely cannot forgive this!" Misaka Mikoto's face was flushed, clearly very angry.
"Natsume-san, you should be careful too. Go check if you're missing anything," Misaka suddenly said to Sonoko with concern.
"Eh, that shouldn't be possible, right?" Sonoko said hesitantly. Frankly, she didn't think this particular classmate would have any interest in her things.
Just as Misaka Mikoto and Natsume Sonoko were speaking, the look Shirai Kuroko directed at Sonoko made Sonoko instinctively take a step back.
The blazing fury in Kuroko's eyes seemed ready to erupt.
'So scary... Is this what they call an obsessive fan?'
While Sonoko was also a fan, she considered herself a rational one—the kind who just quietly admired from afar.
As for her unexpectedly displaced door, it had probably been used by an enraged Misaka-senpai as a handy weapon to beat the 'pervert' with.
Although most of the dormitory doors were wooden, they did contain small metal components.
Thinking this, Sonoko held no grudge against Misaka-senpai. After all, a large-area weapon like a door was indeed well-suited for dealing with a spatial teleporter in a confined space.
"Hey, you! Even though you're wearing a Tokiwadai uniform, why were you secretly rummaging through my things? You'd better explain yourself honestly, every last detail, or else..."
A bzzzt of electricity crackled.
Veins bulged at Misaka Mikoto's temples as she clenched her fist tightly, a dazzling arc of electricity dancing in her hand.
Sonoko couldn't help but swallow hard, though she wasn't overly worried for Shirai Kuroko.
After all, Misaka-senpai knew her own strength. Surely 100,000 volts couldn't actually electrocute a Level 4 esper, right?
--+--
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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.