"Hey there."
Even through the thick steam that made everything hazy, it never hurt to offer a greeting upon arrival.
Natsume Sonoko crept quietly into the private bathing area, carefully sliding the glass door shut behind her.
The establishment offered mixed-gender bathing, but this section was for women only.
Not far away, the Dorm Supervisor-sama, who was pushing thirty, was relaxing in a massage chair. Well, she still counted as a woman, Sonoko supposed.
Since it was a private room, the only occupants were Misaka-senpai and her group.
"Sonoko-chan."
The moment the glass door clicked shut, a soft, somewhat muffled voice reached her, a gentle sonic assault cutting through the steam.
Sonoko's eyes, adjusting to the haze, finally landed on a small figure.
It was Febrie.
She walked over and slowly crouched down, a fond smile gracing her features as she gently pinched Febrie's cheeks.
The little girl wore a special child-sized bathing cap designed to keep her hair and eyes separate, protecting her eyes during hair washing.
Kneeling behind Febrie, helping to wash her hair, was Misaka-senpai.
But as Sonoko watched Febrie and Misaka-senpai, her gaze suddenly grew distant, her thoughts wandering.
"Natsume-san, is something wrong?"
Noticing her shift in demeanor, Misaka-senpai looked up, her voice filled with concern.
"I was just thinking... you and Febrie have gotten really close, haven't you, Misaka-senpai?"
Snapping back to the present, Sonoko offered a bright, lovely smile. It seemed things had happened while she was away.
"Natsume-san, over here! You're the last one!"
Saten-san, leaning against the tiled edge of the large bath, waved an arm energetically.
Splash~
After storing her bathrobe in a nearby locker, Sonoko, her hair cascading loosely down her back, dispelled the thermal layer she'd maintained around her body.
With a cheerful grin, she slipped into the spacious five-by-five bath, sending a shallow wave of water rippling out.
Just as the temperature data in her mind had indicated, the water was perfect—not too hot, not too cold, ideal for a good soak. Beneath the baths, a large device continuously pumped heat into the water.
"Ahh, so warm and comfortable..."
Her body submerged, buoyed gently by the water's embrace.
A flood of warmth seeped into her pores, and a look of pure contentment settled on Natsume Sonoko's face.
"Natsume-san, here's a towel."
"You know, Natsume-san, you look completely different with your hair down."
Konori-senpai said with a warm smile, handing a towel from the rack beside the bath.
"Thank you very much."
Sonoko wet the towel, wrung it out, folded it into a rectangle, and placed it on her forehead.
Leaning back against the bath's edge, she mimicked the posture of middle-aged uncles from manga, letting out a soft sigh.
Her face immediately flushed a bright red from the heat, but it was a deeply pleasant sensation.
"Natsume-san, towels are for wrapping your hair," Uiharu-san chimed in, her head partly submerged and partly above the water, as she gently poked Sonoko's arm.
"It's fine, it's fine. This is a good chance to wash my hair anyway," Sonoko replied breezily, slowly paddling her feet in the water until her body floated effortlessly on the surface.
"You probably haven't heard yet, Natsume-san. Earlier, at the research exhibition grounds, Febrie was attacked by a cleaning robot."
Saten-san sat up in the bath, a worried expression on her face as she glanced towards Febrie.
"Febrie was attacked?"
Sonoko felt a sudden jolt. So it had happened after all.
She'd had a feeling this might occur. This practically confirmed her memories were accurate.
"Luckily, Misaka was there. And that Kongou-senpai from your school, she was a big help too."
Konori-senpai furrowed her brow, her tone growing serious.
"Kougou-senpai was there too?"
Sonoko nodded, listening intently as Konori-senpai continued.
"Based on the wreckage of the destroyed robots left at the scene, we found that none of them had their main control batteries installed. Instead, we found a strange device tucked away in a corner."
"A strange device?"
"Was it a purple, container-like thing? With hair inside?"
Listening in, a certain bun-haired girl suddenly interjected. She thought she'd found a few of those herself, stashed in her pockets.
"Natsume-san, you know about these too?" Konori-senpai asked, startled. It wasn't something someone who wasn't at the scene should know.
"Well, actually, just now when I passed by a nearby abandoned factory, I saw some powered suits and these strange devices inside..."
Organizing her thoughts, Natsume Sonoko proceeded to explain everything that had just happened.
"Where is this location?" Konori-senpai's expression turned stern.
"About three hundred meters left of Suzuran High School," the bun-haired girl explained, gesturing vaguely.
As soon as the words left Sonoko's mouth, Konori-senpai rose swiftly from the water.
The water swayed and churned, the water level dropping noticeably from her displacement. Konori-senpai's... volume was indeed rather impressive.
"Those powered suits are definitely suspicious. I need to go check it out immediately."
Konori-senpai's brow remained furrowed in deep thought.
No sooner had she spoken than Uiharu rose beside her.
"Saten-san, Natsume-san, Misaka-senpai, Febrie-chan, I'm sorry, but we have to go," Uiharu said apologetically.
Under Sonoko's stunned gaze, Konori-senpai and Uiharu hastily threw on their bathrobes and hurried out of the steam-filled room.
"Shirai-san, has an incident occurred?" Uiharu's serious voice carried from outside the door.
"Dorm Supervisor-sama, please forgive Kuroko. Her duties call her away."
"Shirai, you may go."
The Dorm Supervisor-sama's voice held a note of resignation, tinged with clear disappointment at losing a skilled foot-rubber.
"How did everyone end up leaving?"
In the now rather empty bath, the bun-haired girl removed the towel from her forehead, a slightly dazed look on her face.
"Konori-senpai and the others are always so diligent," Saten Ruiko commented from beside her.
Sonoko shook her head, rinsing away the last of the shampoo suds.
She ran a hand through her hair, and the water evaporated at a visible rate, quickly restoring her locks to their usual sleek, black shine.
"Natsume-san's ability is really so convenient," Misaka-senpai remarked, who was busy blow-drying Febrie's hair, a note of admiration in her voice.
Once changed, the group felt refreshed and invigorated.
Taking a deep breath of the cool air outside the baths, Saten-san let out a contented sigh. That transition from the humid, warm air inside to the crisp chill outside was always the best feeling.
Arriving at the spot where she'd encountered the powered suits, they found several Anti-Skill vehicles already parked there—sooner than Natsume-san had anticipated.
The previously sealed factory doors were now wide open. Components littered the floor, being systematically collected by Anti-Skill officers, while others continuously photographed the pieces.
A few intact powered suits remained undamaged, and Shirai-san and the others were gathered around them, deep in discussion.
"These powered suits don't trace back to any specific manufacturer. None of the internal components have traceable serial numbers either," Shirai-san mused, chin resting thoughtfully on her hand.
"Maybe we can check the surveillance footage from the area, see if anyone was seen delivering anything here," Uiharu suggested from beside her.
"Unfortunately, there are no surveillance cameras at this intersection with a suitable angle. And while this isn't a main road, the daily volume of freight traffic passing through is still significant," Konori-senpai replied, shaking her head.
Another busy day for Judgment.
Of course, a certain bun-haired girl didn't quite fit that mold, always seeming a bit out of sync with the others.
Natsume Sonoko stood patiently outside the police tape, explaining the earlier events to an Anti-Skill officer. She even handed over all the purple containers she'd found to the teachers.
"Cleaning robots delivering mysterious devices?"
Yomikawa-sensei's eyebrow shot up. She knew this wasn't simple.
It always seemed to be Yomikawa and her team who showed up when trouble arose, though there were other familiar Anti-Skill faces Sonoko didn't know as well.
"Tessou, looks like we're in for a long day," Yomikawa-sensei said to Tessou Tsuzuri beside her. It seemed they were about to launch a large-scale inspection of cleaning robots across District 7.
For Natsume-san, this was a good thing. The appearance of these purple containers had severely hampered her mobility.
--+--
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.