By the hospital bed, Natsume Sonoko contentedly finished a can of red bean soup, letting out a long, satisfied sigh as the sweet, smooth warmth slid down her throat.
Her gaze drifted toward Misaka and the others. She'd only stepped out for a short while, yet it seemed something unexpected had happened in her absence.
"The break's almost over, so I propose we hold a study session tomorrow!" declared Saten, raising one finger, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"After all, none of us have really finished our holiday homework, right? Let's tackle it all in one go tomorrow," she continued, looking around at the others with hopeful eyes.
"I still have a reading journal to complete, so I don't mind," said Uiharu, though she sounded a little worried about the assignment as she nodded in agreement.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't finished my holiday homework either."
Shirai suddenly jolted, having completely forgotten about assignments. As a Judgment member, how could she afford to waste precious time on homework?
Then again, given how quickly Shirai usually dashed off her apology letters, it probably wouldn't take her long.
"Mhm, and we could buy some ingredients too! Wouldn't it be fun to have hotpot while we study?" Saten added excitedly.
"Agreed!" Haruue was the first to raise her hand, her face bright with eagerness.
As for the study session itself, a certain ponytailed girl had finished something like holiday homework long, long ago. But the hotpot idea definitely caught her interest.
"So, how about everyone brings some ingredients, and we throw them all in together?" chimed in Natsume, who'd joined the conversation midway after running an errand, her tone lively and cheerful.
"Now that's the Natsume I know—someone with excellent taste in hotpot, just like me," Saten remarked approvingly.
"In that case, if Banri here is discharged tomorrow, she should join us too," said Misaka, a gentle smile on her face as she looked toward Banri on the bed.
"Understood. I'll be there on time," Banri replied with a firm nod.
"But if it's a study session, ending too early would be boring. Onee-sama, Natsume, I suggest we extend it until after lights-out," Shirai interjected suddenly.
"But what about the Dorm Supervisor?" Misaka asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry, Onee-sama. We can submit a going-out request. As long as it's procedurally correct, I'm sure the Supervisor will be understanding," Shirai said confidently.
Not long after leaving the hospital, Natsume Sonoko had wanted to visit Kiyama Harumi.
Unfortunately, Kiyama-sensei had been discharged a day earlier, forcing a certain someone to abandon that plan.
--+--
Apartment Building 1, Misaka Apartments.
With the Level 6 Shift Project terminated, the number of Sisters roaming Academy City had stopped increasing, remaining at the previous count.
Lately, the Sisters had begun acting in all sorts of peculiar ways, taking up habits that were hard to understand—though it could all be chalked up to a growing curiosity about the world.
At that moment, several Sisters were gathered curiously in one room, peering intently at Reiko, who lay on a blanket, behaving strangely.
"Reiko's current state is suspicious and differs from her usual demeanor. It somewhat resembles the crying of an infant. Misaka 10000 recalls thoughtfully, remembering a baby formula advertisement seen on the roadside."
"Based on Misaka 9985's understanding of contemporary society, this phenomenon can be classified as 'learning.' Reiko has suddenly acquired the skill of crying. Misaka 9985 considers this a development worthy of acknowledgment."
As the Sisters continued their discussion, Reiko's cries grew louder. She blinked tear-filled, pitiful eyes up at them.
"I propose we contact Natsume. As a senior figure, she should possess relevant knowledge regarding this matter, suggests Misaka 9982."
The skull ring on Misaka 9982's finger emitted a faint glow. Seeing that Reiko showed no sign of stopping, she immediately shifted into a state of deep thought.
Due to certain circumstances—or perhaps a certain ponytailed girl's forgetfulness—even though the Level 6 Shift Project had ended, it seemed she had completely forgotten about the various Skill-Out group emblems still stored with Misaka 9982.
Who knew when that scatterbrained girl would finally remember that.
Setting aside that rather pitiable situation, Reiko's current state was indeed unusual.
Some time ago, perhaps due to intense brain activity, Reiko's mental faculties had heightened, and her self-awareness had gradually taken form.
But because it was still so new, she seemed no different from an ordinary infant—only capable of crying.
Meanwhile, Natsume, who had been lost in thought, suddenly froze mid-step, falling several meters behind Misaka and the others.
How strange—she could've sworn she heard a baby crying.
"Natsume, is something wrong?" Misaka turned back, a note of concern in her voice.
"It's nothing. I think I'm just hearing things," Natsume replied, looking up uncertainly.
A moment later, the infant's cries grew even louder, piercing the sky and ringing so sharply in Natsume Sonoko's mind that her head buzzed. Finally, the ever-slightly-slow-on-the-uptake girl realized what was happening.
So it wasn't her imagination—it was about Reiko. No wonder it felt so odd.
The moment it clicked, the ponytailed girl swiftly split part of her awareness over to Reiko.
Taking control, she sat Reiko up. Reaching up unconsciously, she felt her own face—only to find it wet with tears and runny nose, sticky and uncomfortable.
Just as she was puzzling over the situation, several pairs of goggles belonging to the Sisters pressed right up against Reiko's forehead.
"Reiko, you have finally returned to normal. Misaka 10000 absolutely did not secretly upload footage of Reiko crying into the Misaka Network, attempts Misaka 10000 in a poorly executed excuse."
"I was… crying?"
Reiko murmured the question to herself.
She tried to calm her mind and focus—and immediately sensed a brand-new consciousness nestled within Reiko's brain.
"Um, who are you?"
Natsume tentatively reached out, realizing she could communicate and interact with this presence.
"Ah… ah… ah…"
The other end transmitted only indistinct, meaningless sounds—and in that moment, Natsume Sonoko understood. Reiko had been born.
A certain girl's heart squirmed with sudden shyness. So this was it, then—the beginning of her life as a guardian.
--+--
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.