District 7 was the largest of Academy City's twenty-three school districts, boasting wide, clean streets, a comprehensive public transport system, bustling commercial areas, and it was also home to most of the city's middle and high schools.
Sometimes, tourists from outside the city could be seen enjoying the lively atmosphere of District 7.
Not far off, a common sight—a tour bus—slowly made its way down the street. Through its windows, you could spot parents and their children, laughing and playing.
"What's wrong, Natsume? Is something on your mind?"
Misaka-senpai and Shirai led the way, while Natsume Sonoko walked with the pair from Sakugawa Middle School.
As Natsume fell into her usual habit of getting lost in thought, she walked silently with her head down, prompting the observant Uiharu to speak up with concern.
The ice sculptures Natsume Sonoko had given to Uiharu and Saten had already melted away. But as the ice vanished, the bond between the girls had somehow grown stronger.
"I'm fine, really," Natsume Sonoko replied immediately, turning to look at the worried Uiharu.
"Natsume-san, was that ice sculpture your doing? Is your ability something like ice control?"
Uiharu Kazari's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she held out her hand, looking somewhat sadly at the puddle that was once her sculpture.
"Ice control? That's amazing! Can you make ice whenever you want?" Saten Ruiko found it fascinating and turned to Natsume Sonoko for an answer.
"Not exactly. It's temperature control. I just froze the moisture in the air," Natsume Sonoko explained seriously, holding her backpack with both hands and taking small, quick steps as she listened to their conversation.
"That's so cool! No wonder it always feels a bit cooler around you, Natsume-san. So it's temperature control!" Uiharu exclaimed, her face filled with admiration.
Even though their abilities were both related to temperature, Natsume-san's power was just so incredibly useful.
Uiharu's own ability, Thermal Hand, or 'Fixed Temperature Preservation,' allowed her to maintain the temperature of any object she touched within a set range.
But ever since elementary school, her ability had stubbornly refused to improve.
"Really, Onee-sama! Must you always spend your time in arcades or reading books in stores without buying them?"
"Couldn't you cultivate more suitable hobbies for a young lady, like flower arranging or playing the piano?" Shirai's voice, full of exasperation, drifted back from ahead as she shook her head in despair.
"Ugh, so annoying. Since when are things like piano or tea ceremony my style?"
Amidst the bustling crowd, Natsume Sonoko and the others chatted and joked as they walked.
They passed a few students from Ryouran Maid School, whom Natsume recognized; these were the students responsible for preparing the daily meals at Tokiwadai Middle School.
Natsume Sonoko loved the food they made—healthy, nutritious, and delicious.
Their meticulously prepared Tokiwadai nutritional combo was so sought after that it could sometimes sell for up to forty thousand yen a serving.
But it seemed they never got any holidays.
Seeing them looking rushed and weary, Natsume Sonoko guessed they were probably on their way to a practical training session. 'A true maid needs no rest' seemed to be the motto of that school.
'How tough,' Natsume Sonoko mused with a sigh. Even though Tokiwadai had a busy curriculum, it wasn't to the point of having no days off; they even had club activities for relaxation.
'A whole lot of mackerel cans?'
Natsume Sonoko's gaze landed on another odd sight: a person carrying a stack of mackerel cans so tall it completely obscured their head and upper body, leaving only glimpses of golden hair visible.
The person, wearing a miniskirt and knee-high socks, was stumbling down the street under the weight of the cans.
"Huh? What's this flyer?"
"It seems to be for a new crêpe shop that just opened at the Exchange Square. The first hundred customers get a Gekota commemorative gift," came Uiharu's sweet, slightly excited voice.
Natsume Sonoko pulled her attention away from the strange sight and looked at the flyer in Uiharu's hands.
"What kind of cheap-looking mascot is that? Who'd actually fall for that these days?" Saten said dismissively, only to accidentally bump into Misaka-senpai, who had stopped abruptly in front of them.
"Sorry!" Saten yelped, startled.
"What is it, Onee-sama? Are you interested in the crêpe shop? Or perhaps... the free gift?" Shirai leaned in curiously, a knowing smirk creeping onto her face as she eyed Misaka.
"What are you talking about? Why would I be interested in Gekota? It's a frog! An amphibian! What girl would want something like that?" Misaka-senpai said frantically, spinning around to avoid Shirai's scrutinizing gaze as she launched into a flustered explanation.
'Was she embarrassed about showing an immature side in front of Shirai's friends and fans?'
If Natsume Sonoko recalled correctly, not long ago, she and Misaka-senpai had a lively twenty-minute discussion about Gekota.
Back then, Misaka-senpai hadn't seemed to be on her guard around Natsume at all.
'Was it because I look like I'm at the age where I'd like Gekota? Surely not.'
Natsume Sonoko watched Misaka-senpai's frantic denials, completely unaware that the Gekota charm dangling from Misaka's backpack had already given her away completely.
At the entrance of the newly opened crêpe shop in District 7's Exchange Square, a long line snaked into the distance. Unfortunately, the tour bus had parked right near the shop.
"So many people. Did we pick the wrong day?" Misaka-senpai crossed her arms, a worried look on her face as she surveyed the dense crowd ahead.
"I'll go find us some seats first," Shirai announced, eyeing the throng of people.
"I'll come with you," Natsume Sonoko chimed in quickly. After walking for so long, her feet were sore and tired, and she desperately needed to sit down.
"Me too! Saten-san, we'll leave getting the crêpes to you," Uiharu said, entrusting the task to Saten before following behind Shirai and Natsume.
They finally managed to find an unoccupied bench nearby. Natsume Sonoko sat down comfortably, massaging her aching calves and stamping her feet a little to get the blood circulating.
Before long, a visibly delighted Misaka-senpai, who seemed to have gotten exactly what she wanted, appeared before the three of them, followed by Saten Ruiko carrying several crêpes.
Misaka-senpai had successfully obtained the Gekota trinket.
Her collector's soul, which yearned for every piece of merchandise related to the things she loved, was satisfied, and her face was a picture of pure bliss.
'Misaka-senpai is so easily pleased.'
Though, just a minute ago, Natsume Sonoko had seen from a distance a version of Misaka who had just missed out on the Gekota, collapsing in front of the crêpe shop as if all her dreams had been shattered.
Saten had given her own Gekota to Misaka-senpai, effectively performing a rescue operation for the latter's incurable collecting obsession.
Meanwhile, a certain someone with a unique approach to dieting was more than happy to accept the sweet treat.
The crêpes were delicious, and Natsume Sonoko ate hers with satisfaction. After a few bites, it felt like her depleted stamina was rapidly returning.
Nearby, Misaka-senpai and Shirai were having a heated discussion about the natto and fresh milk flavored crêpe, while Uiharu and Saten were talking about how Misaka-senpai wasn't much like a typical 'ojōu-sama' at all.
"Mhm, Misaka-senpai is actually really easy to get along with, isn't she?" Natsume Sonoko chimed into their conversation, voicing her agreement.
"Doesn't that seem strange to you?" Uiharu said, sounding concerned as she pointed towards a bank with its main gate shut tight not far away.
"It is strange. Normally, banks don't pull down their shutters during the day, right?" Natsume Sonoko nodded in agreement.
Just as the words left her mouth, the group turned their attention to the closed bank.
At that moment, a violent explosion ripped through the air.
The metal shutter was blown in half, and thick smoke billowed out from inside the bank, scattering debris all over the road.
From the newly created hole, three criminals, their faces wrapped in black cloth and carrying large bags, rushed out through the smoke.
As the smoke began to clear, the urgent blare of an alarm siren pierced the air, and the crowd immediately erupted into chaos.
"Everyone, don't panic! Please gather over here with me immediately!" The tour guide on the bus, though clearly shaken, remembered her duty to protect the tourists and children first and foremost.
Academy City's well-developed security system hadn't prevented the crime from happening. This city wasn't exactly a safe place.
Shirai Kuroko immediately produced her Judgment armband, stuffed the last of her natto-and-milk crêpe into her mouth, and sprang into action.
Uiharu was equally swift; as Shirai's partner and support, she knew exactly what needed to be done.
"Yes, that's correct. A bank robbery is in progress at the Exchange Square in District 7. Please dispatch Anti-Skill units immediately," Uiharu said into her phone, having quickly contacted the authorities.
Misaka-senpai moved to help, but Shirai stopped her, citing the rule about 'ordinary citizens' not interfering.
"Maintaining public order in Academy City is the duty of us Judgment members. Please refrain from getting involved, Misaka-senpai," Shirai declared, stepping onto a bench and vaulting over a flowerbed with practiced ease as she fastened her armband.
In truth, Judgment's authority was limited to maintaining order within schools; they had no jurisdiction outside school grounds.
In this particular incident, even Shirai Kuroko was technically just an ordinary citizen.
But Shirai's sense of justice was always overflowing.
"Please stop right there! This is Judgment speaking! I'm placing you all under arrest on charges of vandalism and robbery in progress!"
Shirai stood boldly in front of the three large-framed criminals, announcing this without a trace of fear.
"Hahaha! They only sent a little girl like you? Is Judgment out of people?" The criminals seemed to find this hilarious, clutching their stomachs and laughing uproariously right on the spot.
Their brazen laughter after Shirai's formal declaration rubbed Natsume Sonoko the wrong way.
"Dammit, why can't I move my feet?!" One of the burlier robbers tried to step forward to teach Shirai a lesson, but as soon as he tried to lift his foot, he found his soles seemed glued to the ground.
He put more force into it, only to lose his balance and tumble to the ground.
A faint mist rose from the pavement, forming a thin layer of ice that fused the big man's limbs and torso to the ground, leaving him completely immobilized.
"Damn it!" The other two criminals, realizing their shoes were also frozen to the ground, started desperately trying to wrench their feet free.
Shirai hadn't expected this either. Noticing her own feet were unaffected by the ice, her gaze instinctively shifted to Natsume Sonoko, who was standing not far away, looking somewhat dazed.
Then, an invisible ripple passed through space. Shirai Kuroko vanished, leaping into the eleventh dimension.
When she reappeared in reality an instant later, her feet were already planted squarely on the face of one of the helpless, immobilized criminals, mashing his cheek against the pavement.
It froze solid too.
His eyes wide with terror, the criminal's face was now literally stuck to the ground. If he tried to pull it off with any force, he'd probably need to schedule a cosmetic surgery appointment pronto.
"Who's messing with us now?!" The last standing criminal wore a look of grim desperation. Seemingly panicking, a ball of fire materialized in his hand, which he promptly used to burn away his own shoes. He tried to control it, but the flames still nearly managed to singe off half his trousers.
While the fire freed his feet, it didn't seem to hurt him. The ice crystals on the ground continued to gather around his ankles, as if determined to reclaim him.
"Judgment won't let you get away with this!" Shirai Kuroko's voice rang out, firm and resolute, as she prepared to confront the final thief.
The situation was far from over, but for now, the immediate threat was being handled. All around them, the chaos of the robbery continued, but on this small patch of pavement, a strange sort of order was being enforced, one frozen footprint and spatial leap at a time.
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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.