The idea of teaming up lingered in Natsume-san's mind.
The simple notion that there's strength in numbers held true even among espers.
However, Natsume-san only intended to ask Misaka-senpai for help, not spread word of this matter to anyone else.
After all, this incident wasn't just dangerous—it likely involved the darker side of Academy City. Natsume Sonoko wasn't sure if she should burden others with such grim affairs.
The sky was clear, so clear not a single cloud was in sight.
The girl piloting the powered suit had finally managed to break her 'toy'. Two faint scrape marks trailed across the concrete behind her, like a stubborn ox had been pawing at the ground.
With an embarrassed smile, Natsume-san carefully climbed down from the now motionless powered suit, making sure to firmly catch the middle-school sophomore whose weight easily surpassed a hundred pounds.
Thanks to the nanomachines injected into her, this golden-haired upperclassman was completely drained of strength, moving with great difficulty as she shifted off the suit.
Just as her feet touched the ground, the small bag slung over Shokuhou-senpai somehow slipped loose, spilling a clatter of remote controls onto the ground.
It was a scene oddly reminiscent of monsters dropping loot in an online game, though this 'loot' consisted mostly of things like air conditioner remotes.
"Shokuhou-senpai, are you okay?" Natsume-san asked, blinking with a touch of concern. It was the first time she'd ever worried about someone else's physical condition.
She glanced warily behind them. Good, no pursuers in sight.
Instead, a few passing students or tourists were looking on curiously at the two girls who had just climbed out of the powered suit.
'So advanced. Is this Academy City's mode of transport?' mused a middle-aged tourist holding a guidebook, looking thoughtful.
"Shokuhou-senpai, it seems like the AIM Jammer's interference has stopped," Natsume-san suddenly remarked with surprise.
To test her theory, a water ball nearly half a person's height instantly materialized in her hand.
"Although we're still in District 10, we've entered a more densely populated area. There's an Anti-Skill branch nearby. If they use the AIM Jammer again now, it will alert them," Shokuhou-senpai said softly, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
It seemed their opponents weren't looking for a confrontation with Anti-Skill just yet. Or perhaps they simply weren't prepared.
There was another possibility, too. The buildings here were closer together; the skyscrapers blocking the electromagnetic waves coming from all directions.
In an environment like this, the EM waves in the air were constantly being absorbed and reflected, severely weakening the jammer's effect.
The interference might still be present, but it was now weak enough that it didn't affect their ability usage.
"Shokuhou-senpai, let's go find Misaka-senpai now. For the moment, let's just retreat."
"Wait, no. We need to deal with the nanomachine problem first."
A certain bun-girl cupped her chin, muttering to herself.
Aside from waiting for the nanomachines to metabolize naturally, there were special instruments that could manually destroy them.
But you certainly wouldn't find that kind of equipment in most hospitals or research institutes.
Actually, the simplest way to avoid being tracked did exist: just get a signal jammer with enough output power.
So, in the end, they'd still have to rely on Misaka-senpai, huh?
"Huh? They have this here too?"
While Natsume-san was lost in thought, Shokuhou Misaki beside her had already scurried over to a roadside stall. Crouching down, she picked up a strange-looking card.
The back of the card was etched with lines that formed a pattern resembling a simplified CD.
Another head popped over Shokuhou Misaki's shoulder, and the two slightly disheveled Tokiwadai girls focused their attention on the card.
"Young ladies, this is the last one for today. If you want it, you'd better be quick," the beaming vendor said, not seeming to notice their grubby appearances as he enthusiastically made his pitch.
"Shokuhou-senpai, is there something special about this?" Natsume Sonoko asked, puzzled by her senpai's evident interest.
"Not really. I just happened to notice Hokaze and the others using them too."
"But based on its advertised function, it can somehow recreate other people's dreams."
Shokuhou-senpai shook her head, her gaze lingering on the card in her hand for a moment.
It hadn't become a mainstream trend yet, but someone was already openly selling these? Who in the world was manufacturing these things behind the scenes?
Thoughts raced through her mind. Shokuhou Misaki placed the card back. Now wasn't the time to dwell on other matters.
"Whoa, this thing lets you experience someone else's dreams? That's amazing!" Natsume-san's eyes widened, her interest instantly piqued. It sounded so fascinating.
If it was dreams, did that mean you could experience all sorts of interesting things?
"Anything that records or reproduces another person's dreams is inevitably tied to abilities related to the psychological system. In essence, it's not much different from brainwashing. But it seems its capacity is limited to just containing the data of one dream. The user probably wouldn't feel brainwashed; instead, they'd feel immersed in the experience."
"We still don't know the creator's intentions. It's best not to use these cards recklessly."
Shokuhou-senpai stood up, pulling the bun-girl along with her to prevent her curiosity from leading her astray.
As the Mental Out, her words carried undeniable authority.
"Is that so? It doesn't sound all that dangerous," Natsume-san said, her movements pausing slightly as she cast another glance at the cards.
Their plan to find Misaka-senpai changed again when they received a call from Hokaze-senpai en route.
Members of the Queen's faction arrived belatedly at the District 7 train station and took Shokuhou-senpai away with them.
So, Natsume-san had perfectly achieved her initial goal: delivering their 'safe and sound' Mental Out into the hands of Hokaze-senpai and the others.
Shokuhou-senpai's situation was now much more secure. Even though the tracking hadn't been removed, she'd be fine under the protection of her faction, especially here in the bustling District 7.
Later, Shokuhou-senpai would work on retrieving the data about the masterminds behind this. That left the task of teaming up with Misaka-senpai to Natsume-san.
It was still Natsume-san acting on her own initiative, but she hadn't received any explicit objections.
Now that the masterminds were aware of Shokuhou-senpai's involvement, their original plans were effectively useless.
Bringing Misaka-senpai in now would only add to their strength, without the risk of disrupting any existing strategies.
But before that, Natsume-san decided to change into her gym clothes. Her current outfit was filthy, and her own competition was scheduled for the afternoon.
"Natsume-san, I've brought it for you."
At the entrance to Tokiwadai's dormitory, the double-bunned girl, Juufuku Miho, said, slightly out of breath.
She had just finished her first match of the afternoon when she got a call from a certain bun-girl asking for help. She'd hurried to fetch a spare gym uniform from the school.
--+--
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.