The simple conversation between Kihara Nayuta and Index was but one ripple in the infinite disturbances of information surrounding Natsume Sonoko.
She resided in a place of limitless height and distance, having shed the narrow perspectives of the physical body and even of Espers. Simply attempting to view the world from the observer's standpoint felt like stepping into another, wondrous realm.
It was a pity that Natsume-san was, in the end, just an ordinary human.
No matter how special she might seem, if her own computational power was insufficient, if her brain couldn't bear the load, she would instantly be forced back into her original, confined, and inefficient senses.
The simplest yet most radical method to break free from these computational limitations was to have others perform the calculations in her stead.
Both the previous Level Upper incident and the current situation with Kazakiri Hyouka essentially followed similar paths.
While there was no concrete evidence, the fact that Kazakiri-san could now think and live normally was likely also aided by the brains of all Espers within Academy City, much like Kiyama Harumi-sensei during the Level Upper incident.
However, extrapolating from the impact of the previous Level Upper incident, Kazakiri-san, backed by the entire Imaginary Number District, must possess computational power far exceeding the former's by hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
After all, Academy City housed over two million people, while the Level Upper incident only affected about ten thousand, the vast majority of whom were Level 0s or low-level Espers.
Yet, judging by Kazakiri-san's current performance, she could hardly be considered a proper Esper, and was seemingly being used by the party behind the scenes merely as a platform to release 'equations'.
"To use a not-quite-fitting analogy, the current Kazakiri-san is incomplete."
"While she appears to be the core of the Imaginary Number District's field, connected to its nearly infinite AIM diffusion field energy, she's actually bound by far too many restrictions."
Taking a brief respite from the arduous task of recording the data from the 'starting point' pathway, Natsume Sonoko finally found the mental capacity to ponder more.
And as the recorded data grew, a strange sense of déjà vu welled up within Natsume-san.
It was as if the entity inputting the equations from behind the scenes was always giving Natsume Sonoko breathing room, time to adjust her own state.
Starting from the initial optical 'equations', to the telekinesis and friction coefficients constituting skin tactile sensation, followed closely by the body temperature composition Natsume-san was familiar with—each phase was separated by an interval just long enough for her to catch her breath, allowing her to barely hold on until now.
This slightly eerie sense of déjà vu left Natsume Sonoko somewhat distracted, but no matter how she thought about it, it seemed unlikely, probably just a coincidence.
Although she was a beautiful middle school girl whom everyone adored, she didn't flatter herself that the mastermind would go to such lengths for her sake.
That would be far too kind.
More importantly, did the mastermind know she was secretly peeking into the Imaginary Number District and Kazakiri-san?
Natsume Sonoko observed the AIM diffusion field energy through her own unique perceptual ability, making leakage almost impossible.
The only conceivable possibility was her own physical body, currently being cared for by Index.
In fact, unless the other party had encountered or understood observational methods similar to her own, Natsume-san felt certain no one would ever guess, as this ability was far too unimaginable and unscientific.
And up until now, Natsume-san hadn't mentioned her observational ability to anyone.
On one hand, she truly didn't know how to explain it, and on the other, there was no need to do so.
"I'm just about at my limit."
"Even if I have computational power to spare, my body and brain can't take much more. I almost forgot about this problem."
Her rapidly processing brain seemed to finally take notice of certain matters. Natsume Sonoko jolted awake from her current fervent state and was forced to confront the fact that she was still a normal human.
How lamentable. The opportunities to save her classmates and investigate the potential of Level 6 were right before her eyes, yet she had to stop midway because of her physical limitations.
If Natsume-san had just slightly reduced the proportion of her consciousness residing within Reiko's body, she would have known just how dire the state of her own 145-centimeter-tall body had become.
The consciousness and attention shifted to Reiko's side had severely diminished her awareness of her own physical condition.
No longer busy recording the new round of 'equation' data, Natsume-san focused her attention on her own body.
Ultimately, her body was Natsume Sonoko's true capital.
And with the limited return of her consciousness, waves of intense swelling and nausea from her brain began relentlessly assailing Natsume Sonoko's nerves.
The consequences of neglecting her body erupted all at once, not even giving Natsume-san a chance for regret.
This very real agony instantly shattered Natsume Sonoko's last vestiges of endurance, even directly interfering with her computational power usage. The very link with Reiko began to waver and grow unstable.
When it came to pain, Espers were the least capable of enduring it, let alone an ordinary girl like Natsume-san with her wavering resolve.
The return of her consciousness immediately triggered more chain reactions.
As various unpleasant sensations flooded her brain, a certain bun-haired girl could bear it no longer. She sat bolt upright from the lawn, an expression of extreme discomfort on her face.
Despite the Judgment lady's diligent massage, which had soothed the agitation in her stomach muscles, the dizziness and swelling originating from her brain were unaffected by physical massage; this was a nausea stemming from the brain's nerves.
In an instant, the esteemed Tokiwadai young lady couldn't help but clutch her stomach and retch dryly, her face immediately turning pale.
The feeling of dry heaving was terrible, as if someone was stirring a knife inside her stomach, but at least she didn't vomit acid, saving her from losing face in front of her friends.
"Sonoko! You're finally awake!"
"I was so worried."
Index's voice reached Natsume-san's ears, but she had no energy to respond.
And before the echoes of Index's delighted cry had even faded from the air, the Tokiwadai girl, her mind filled with nothing but nausea and dry heaves, flopped back down onto the ground with a thud.
This is too much. I'd better take refuge in Reiko again.
Watching the bun-haired girl who had suddenly sat up, retched, and then laid flat again, Index and Kihara Nayuta looked at each other, seemingly unable to figure out what was going on.
Truly befitting of the #8. Always so hard to pin down, Kiyama Nayuto thought to herself.
Sunlight streamed through the window, its warm rays adding a touch of coziness to this not-so-spacious dormitory room.
A girl with slightly chubby cheeks suddenly opened her eyes wide, as if finally free from the brain-stuffing feeling of swelling. She couldn't resist rolling around on the soft 'Green Prairie' brand wool carpet.
"Ahh, this feeling of breathing again."
"I'm alive."
Letting out a forceful exhale, the bun-haired girl hiding within Reiko's body finally relaxed, a flustered sense of having narrowly escaped disaster washing over her.
Due to a small mistake, she had almost fallen into a major crisis, nearly crushed by the immense pain.
While constantly hiding in Reiko's body wasn't a real solution, Natsume Sonoko simply couldn't withstand the feeling of pain.
However, as Reiko's guardian, responsible for her three meals a day and even taking the initiative to handle things like bathing, she was quite accustomed to life with Reiko.
Moreover, to avoid affecting the normal development of Reiko's consciousness, Natsume Sonoko had been gradually reducing her interference with Reiko these days. The time to completely sever the link with Reiko seemed to be drawing nearer.
If not for her current reliance on Reiko's computational power, Natsume Sonoko's interference with Reiko would have dropped to an even lower level.
"Reiko, it's not lunchtime yet."
"Even if you're hungry, you have to remember to be patient, or you'll become a chubby girl. There's an upperclassman I know who didn't pay attention to her calorie intake, and now she weighs over 110 pounds."
"While it's true that girls your age look more fortunate with a bit more plumpness, it's still important to maintain good habits like eating on time."
Sensing a part of Reiko's thoughts, Natsume Sonoko patiently instructed her.
Having gained some experience in educating children, and after realizing her actions could influence Reiko, Natsume-san became very mindful of her words and deeds, ensuring she didn't bring any negative ideas over to Reiko's side.
Thoughts like 'the only important thing in life is eating' or 'the meaning of life is that there is no meaning'—Natsume-san declared those were things of the past.
She was a very positive and upward-striving good girl now. Probably.
"Sis, sis.."
Reiko's thoughts fluctuated continuously, engaging in a direct, almost barrier-free communication with the bun-haired girl that transcended language.
At times like this, Natsume-san could clearly perceive the other's thoughts and feelings, and also sense Reiko's dependence on her.
"Alright, I'll stay a bit longer today."
"After all, I managed to make a mess of things on my end. Not sure when the pain in my brain will fade."
Natsume-san's thought form let out a personified sigh and immediately responded to Reiko's thoughts.
"Reiko, you're full of energy today as well, I see. Misaka 9982 declares boldly while wearing a Gekota mask."
With a bang, a certain door in the Misaka dormitory swung 180 degrees, meeting the wall with a close encounter. There, hands on her hips, stood Misaka 9982, who had just witnessed a certain Reiko rolling about on the floor.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL