A fierce battle between espers was erupting in a certain student dormitory. Let's now connect with our frontline reporter, Natsume Sonoko. Director, are we connected?
Hello, hello, hello? Is this Natsume Sonoko?
No—just two words in, the scientifically-minded Natsume Sonoko abruptly hung up on a bizarre nuisance call.
"Miss Natsume, thanks for the shaved ice. It was delicious," said Misaka Mikoto, holding a large cup of shaved ice and watching Natsume Sonoko, who had just finished the call.
"Who was it?" Misaka's mood had mostly settled from the earlier incident as she looked at Natsume and asked.
"Nothing, just a spam call. They're getting more and more ridiculous these days—actually asked if I was interested in buying a retail space! As if I had that kind of money," Natsume Sonoko said irritably, her lips unconsciously forming a pout.
With her current scholarship income, that sort of thing shouldn't even be on her radar.
But if it were Misaka-senpai… saving up her scholarship for a few years would probably be enough.
Maybe I should pass the sales pitch to her. Must be nice—a Level 5's scholarship is so huge. So envious!
"What on earth is going through that head of yours? Behave yourself!" Upperclassman Misaka's furious voice snapped right next to Natsume Sonoko's ear.
Natsume Sonoko snapped out of her whimsical daydream and immediately saw Shirai-san clinging desperately to Misaka-senpai's leg.
"It looks like you need to be taught a lesson, you perverted thief," Misaka-senpai seemed to be reaching her limit, electric sparks dancing across her hand, her whole body almost submerged in crackling currents.
Dazzling arcs of electricity gathered between the fingers of that hand, transforming into a thousand thunderbirds cawing with hoarse cries.
"Onee-sama, please, give me your loving punishment! I can't wait any longer~ Come on, don't hold back just because I'm delicate… (Content unsuitable for children. The following one hundred words are omitted. Thank you.)" Shirai Kuroko didn't seem to have learned her lesson from last time at all—in fact, she was getting even worse.
What kind of shameless talk was that?!
Natsume Sonoko watched the scene, utterly dumbfounded, feeling her sanity plummeting. If she were in Misaka-senpai's shoes, she'd probably have lost it completely by now.
"Calm down first. Let's discuss serious matters. Don't think you can run wild just because Miss Natsume spoke up for you." A powerful surge of electricity erupted from Misaka Mikoto's body.
With a single miserable cry, Shirai-san collapsed to the floor, motionless, as if all the color had drained from her.
"Name?"
"Onee-sama's slave, desu~"
"Your name!!" (Electricity crackled all around)
"Shirai… Kuroko…" Shirai Kuroko managed weakly.
"..."
Rewinding to a short while earlier: Miss Natsume had apparently been a bit too bold.
Despite only being a quasi-Level 4, she had inserted herself into the fight between Upperclassman Misaka and Miss Kuroko, two high-level espers, suggesting they resolve things through communication.
"Can we talk this over?" Miss Natsume had frozen Kuroko—and the dorm door—together.
Her first move was to confiscate a certain strawberry-patterned item from Kuroko's possession.
But what gave Miss Natsume more of a headache was Kuroko's… peculiar personality.
She was usually so proper, but the moment she saw Misaka-senpai, it was like she became a different person. (Although she'd seen the anime, now Natsume was seeing a real person with her own eyes, forming her own direct impressions.)
--+--
Shirai Kuroko, female, age 13, first-year at Tokiwadai Middle School, ability: Level 4 Teleportation, a Judgment officer belonging to the 177th Branch. Hobbies: Onee-sama (strikethrough) and writing letters of apology.
Writing letters of apology?
Because Judgement's jurisdiction is limited to their own school.
But Shirai Kuroko often took it upon herself to fight crime outside school, which was actually unauthorized, and a violation of behavior.
Hence, she frequently had to write apology letters. But to consider that a hobby… that was just too much.
As for the first hobby… Natsume stole a glance at the clearly displeased Misaka-senpai and decided it was best to pretend she hadn't heard that.
However, upon hearing that Shirai Kuroko was a Judgment officer, Misaka-senpai's expression visibly improved a little. Probably thinking that, despite her… quirks… she was still a decent person. Probably.
Misaka-senpai seemed to realize she couldn't hand this troublemaker over to Tokiwadai's Judgment Branch 3 again.
That would probably put Makigami and the others in a difficult position too.
"I have official authorization, you know! I've received permission from the school teachers to move into Room 208." Shirai Kuroko finally remembered something, producing a Tokiwadai Middle School occupancy permit with signatures from several teachers and the Dorm Supervisor.
"It's real! Shirai-san, you're really something," Natsume Sonoko also took a look and confirmed that the Dorm Supervisor's signature was indeed on it.
As for the other teachers, Natsume wasn't very familiar with them.
Knowing how this would turn out anyway, Natsume Sonoko wasn't too surprised.
So it turned out Misaka-senpai had had a roommate before, but she'd moved out after graduating.
"You're Natsume Sonoko from the next class over, right? You and Onee-sama seem quite close." Shirai Kuroko stood up, looked Natsume Sonoko up and down, her face falling into a look of despair, as if her entire visage had collapsed into two dimensions.
Now calmer, Shirai Kuroko quickly recalled Natsume's identity—that short girl she'd seen during the opening ceremony.
Petite, with black hair in a bun, and dark circles under her eyes. Her ability was something about Temperature Control, wasn't it?
Dark circles?! Since when did I have those?
Being stared at so intently by Kuroko gave Natsume Sonoko the strange feeling of having 'stolen a march,' making her feel intensely uncomfortable all over.
Natsume Sonoko handed a cup of shaved ice to the despondent-looking Kuroko and said, "Shirai-san, here, have some shaved ice. Actually, Misaka-senpai and I only just met. To be precise, we've known each other for just over an hour."
The moment the words left her mouth, Shirai Kuroko shot to her feet.
"Really, Onee-sama?!" Light returned to Shirai Kuroko's eyes, her whole body suddenly bursting with energy again.
"You… do whatever you want." Misaka-senpai finally gave up, plopping down onto her bed. She picked up her extra-large serving of shaved ice and started eating, though she seemed a bit sulky.
"Miss Natsume, I misunderstood you! If you ever run into any trouble, feel free to come find me at the 177th Branch for help." Shirai Kuroko, holding her own large shaved ice, wore an excited expression as she ate large mouthfuls, making sweeping promises between bites.
"Oh really? Then perhaps you should deal with the trouble right in front of you first? Can anyone explain to me what is going on outside?"
Kuroko's grandiose promises were still hanging in the air when a new, rational woman's voice cut through like a curse, making the hairs on Natsume Sonoko's neck stand on end.
Her constant-temperature layer failed again, sweat pouring uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"Did you guys hear something?" Shirai Kuroko asked, confused, before turning around and coming face-to-face with the murderous figure of the Dorm Supervisor. In an instant, she turned to stone.
"Would someone care to explain why the dorm's main door is lying in the hallway? What exactly happened to your room's door?"
The Dorm Supervisor lifted her black-framed glasses slightly, revealing the smile of a top-tier predator.
"Dorm Supervisor!" The three girls wore expressions of pure terror—especially Misaka Mikoto, whose face displayed a complexity of emotion that surpassed even the combined expressions of Natsume Sonoko and Shirai Kuroko.
Of course. As a second-year middle school student, she'd had a full year more than the other two to understand and become familiar with the Dorm Supervisor.
Truly worthy of Misaka Mikoto—she didn't even think of resisting, immediately choosing the most correct course of action.
"According to Dormitory Regulation Number 9, the use of abilities within the dormitory is strictly prohibited. You haven't forgotten that, have you, Misaka?"
The Dorm Supervisor's voice was cool, intellectual, and deliberate.
"I used my ability for a reason! Look, this one here—she's my new roommate. I can explain everything," Misaka Mikoto managed a strained smile, pulling Shirai Kuroko in front of her as a shield, ignoring Kuroko's look of utter despair, and stammered out an explanation of the events.
"Oh? So you used your ability because you thought she was a perverted thief, and in the process dismantled the doors of four separate rooms?"
The Dorm Supervisor's sidelong glance fell on Misaka Mikoto, who nodded with great difficulty.
"The purpose of establishing rules is not to provide excuses to avoid punishment. Otherwise, there would be no point in having rules."
"Breaking the rules means you must be punished. Don't you agree, Miss Misaka, Miss Shirai, and Miss Natsume in the back, pretending to be unconscious?" The Dorm Supervisor fixed the trembling trio before her with a beast-like glare.
"Yes, ma'am," Misaka-senpai replied, her voice tinged with a sob, forcing herself to answer.
"Anyone who didn't hear me gets their punishment doubled."
"YES, MA'AM!" Two voices answered in perfect, simultaneous unison out in the hallway.
Despite all the twists and turns, Shirai Kuroko ultimately succeeded in moving into Room 208.
However, the punishment was handed down: while their scholarships weren't docked, they were sentenced to clean the school sports field, pulling weeds and picking up trash.
Miss Natsume's goal of being a proper 'lady' suffered a major setback within her very first week of school, as she'd somehow managed to break a dorm rule without even fully realizing it.
Natsume Sonoko stood dazedly under the blazing sun, seemingly lost in thought.
Nearby, Misaka-senpai seemed in low spirits, sitting on the grass with her chin in her hands.
Even on a scorching hot day, they could experience the coolness of autumn—especially thanks to Natsume, who, using the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, artificially created a low-pressure area, generating a cool breeze that left everyone feeling utterly refreshed and addicted to the sensation.
In such comfortable temperatures, it was really perfect for an afternoon nap.
But Shirai Kuroko showed no signs of drowsiness at all. Instead, she was dutifully pulling weeds in a corner of the field, serious and meticulous, a pile of uprooted plants accumulating beside her.
'As expected,' Natsume Sonoko thought to herself, 'Shirai-san in full fanatic mode and the usual Shirai-san are practically two different people.'
--+--
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.