"If it's about leaving Academy City, Kongou Aviation is willing to provide some assistance."
As soon as the words fell, Nunotaba Shinobu picked up an envelope from beside her, bearing the logo of Kongou Aviation.
"Has Kongou-san been here too?"
Reaching out, Misaka-senpai took the envelope.
The letter inside wasn't particularly lengthy, but it contained a plane ticket tucked within.
"Kongou-san is also very concerned about Febrie and the others. She said she'd try to think of ways to help, and Doctor Heaven Canceller is also willing to offer some assistance."
Nunotaba Shinobu seemed to recall something, her gaze shifting toward Febrie and the others.
"That's wonderful."
Misaka-senpai couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. With Kongou Aviation and Doctor Heaven Canceller offering their help, there might be a turning point in this situation.
Febrie and the others weren't alone; there were still many people willing to fight for them.
The Academy City Board of Directors had acted much faster than anticipated, reaching a decision less than a day after the incident occurred.
Even before Natsume-san and the others had left the hospital, Nunotaba Shinobu and her group had received the after-action report from the Board.
The final resolution allowed everyone to breathe a little easier.
The report was divided into two parts, addressing Nunotaba Shinobu and Janie respectively.
First, Nunotaba Shinobu's status as a member of the Dark Side was revoked, and her student ID within Academy City was deactivated.
Although Nunotaba Shinobu had been expelled from Nagatenjouki Academy, she could have originally transferred to another high school within Academy City.
However, having her student ID deactivated meant not only could she not attend school, but she couldn't even remain in Academy City unless she applied for residency through other means.
As for Janie and Febrie, Academy City's stance was even more unexpected, almost excessively magnanimous.
Janie and Febrie were both directly granted student IDs, effectively making them students of Academy City.
Nunotaba Shinobu was approved as their guardian, and Febrie and the others were permitted to receive examination and treatment at research institutes outside Academy City.
The condition was that they had to be injected with nano-trackers and required to report the progress of their various examinations and treatments in real-time.
Espers belonged solely to Academy City. Even Level 0 students couldn't leave as they pleased.
Academy City would never allow espers to leak out, even if they were artificially created lifeforms like Febrie and the others.
Once treatment concluded, Janie and the others were required to return to Academy City immediately to attend school.
Given the inescapable control of Academy City, this was already a fairly good outcome.
--+--
Today was yet another day of clear, boundless skies, but everyone's moods fluctuated with each blast of the teacher's whistle.
Tokiwadai's more than week-long physical training camp continued, unwavering despite a certain bun haired girl's constant complaints.
The fiery passion of youth was on full display these days, everyone compelled to pour out their sweat.
On Tokiwadai's seemingly endless running track, athletes wearing red and white headbands lined both sides.
The young ladies of Tokiwadai all seemed transformed, the atmosphere growing lively, with occasional cheers erupting from the crowd.
After the first day's long-distance running and physical training, Tokiwadai's training had entered its second phase.
They had begun simulating some of the events from the Daihaseisai, but ability use was still prohibited during this stage.
First up was the relay race, though in the Daihaseisai, it often turned into a scavenger hunt race.
Following everyone's gaze, six figures burst into view from the end of the track, each holding a baton.
Their flowing hair and agile figures were quite a pleasing sight.
Arranged by the P.E. teacher, students from all three grades were divided into red and white teams, split into six groups. For each race, each group sent out six members.
In this round, a certain bun haired girl was unceremoniously assigned the second leg of her team's relay. She watched the approaching first runner with trepidation.
"It's Wannai-san."
Watching Wannai-san approach, Natsume Sonoko took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm, but she couldn't help stamping her feet.
This was different from the previous physical training; now it was time for teamwork.
Natsume-san couldn't help glancing to either side. On her left was Hokaze Junko-senpai, on her right was Yumiya Iruka-senpai. A wave of unease immediately washed over her.
Hokaze Junko-senpai was an all-around athletic ace, and Yumiya Iruka-senpai was the captain of the archery club. By all rights, she shouldn't have been grouped with them.
The moment her hand made contact with the baton, two gusts of wind whipped past Natsume-san.
Two agile figures, neither yielding to the other, immediately left the others in the dust.
A look of blankness instantly appeared on Natsume-san's face. Gritting her teeth, she ran at her absolute fastest speed.
Over the same distance, Natsume-san needed to take more steps than the others, so it was only natural she ended up in last place.
But this time, Natsume-san seemed to surpass herself, reaching the position almost simultaneously with the second-to-last runner, quickly passing the baton to the next person.
Truth be told, the group Natsume-san was in got rather short-changed.
However, Natsume-san was confident that once ability use was permitted, she could definitely turn the tables.
After the relay race concluded, training began for the three-legged race.
Natsume-san's partner couldn't be too tall. After much deliberation, she was paired with a classmate from the same year, Hanazono-san.
Standing about five centimeters taller than Natsume-san, she was only around 150 cm tall. Her ability was a rare sonic-wave type.
Echolocation. She could perceive her surroundings through sound reflection, which was why she usually carried a small triangle.
Even the seemingly frail-looking Juufuku Miho-san stood at 153 cm.
Speaking of which, ever since Natsume-san found out that Shokuhou-senpai was only 148 cm tall at age thirteen, but grew to 168 cm within a year, she'd felt a mysterious sense of reassurance.
Once she reached the right age, Natsume-san was convinced her height would shoot up just like Shokuhou-senpai's did.
"One-two, one-two!"
Chanting the simple, clear count in unison, Natsume-san began her first three-legged race practice.
The three-legged race practice turned out to be much easier than expected. She coordinated well with Hanazono-san, the two maintaining a steady pace as they advanced.
Though their speed wasn't particularly fast, they surprisingly managed to avoid any tumbles or falls.
--+--
T/N: 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.