Messages flew back and forth across the network, a busy chorus of overlapping voices filling the earpiece.
Acting as the relay, Uiharu Kazari's mouth felt parched. She cycled through connecting to Misaka-senpai's and Shirai-san's signals, her hands full managing the frantic flow of information.
Trying to handle both sides at once was honestly quite draining, both physically and mentally.
"So, that's the situation. We've pinpointed the general location, but they've run into some trouble over there."
Uiharu unconsciously cleared her throat before continuing.
"It seems Shokuhou-senpai isn't doing well. She's still unconscious and has sustained some fairly serious injuries."
"In that case, even if we rescue Shokuhou-senpai, we'll probably have to wait for her to wake up before we can find out what exactly happened."
She paused for a moment, her tone taking on a slightly curious, almost speculative note.
"They say she's the ojou-sama from Tokiwadai who rivals Misaka-senpai… that they dislike each other so much they live in separate dorms, occasionally clashing and feuding at school…"
"But to have this kind of relationship in private…"
Almost muttering to herself, a look of keen interest surfaced on Uiharu's face as she recalled some of the rumors she'd collected about the prestigious girls' academy.
The story forming in her mind was this: Shokuhou-senpai, trying to help her rival, was ambushed and left injured and unconscious. And Misaka-senpai, despite having just escaped danger herself, didn't hesitate to rush headlong into peril to save the other girl.
Publicly, they were archenemies. Privately, they were incredibly close partners?
The classic 'love-hate' dynamic, the passionate entanglement between noble young ladies, seemed to leap straight from the pages of a story. It fit the plot progression of a shoujo manga perfectly.
A certain Uiharu Kazari, deeply 'afflicted' by such manga and full of yearning for ojou-sama life, felt her dark eyes begin to sparkle.
"Uiharu, please rein in your imagination," Shirai-san's dissatisfied voice came through the earpiece, having clearly heard her muttering.
"There's no way Onee-sama would have any sort of private relationship with Shokuhou Misaki. And now isn't the time for this sort of discussion."
That's what she said, but her own thoughts were firmly snagged on the idea, to the point where the threat of Kihara Gensei seemed to fade slightly.
She usually scoffed at such notions, but given the current circumstances, working backwards, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
Besides, Onee-sama herself hadn't explained much about why Shokuhou Misaki got involved, glossing over it to save time. All she'd said was that Shokuhou got dragged into this because of her, so she absolutely had to rescue her.
Could there be more to it?
Just thinking about it made Shirai Kuroko's face twist with anxiety. Onee-sama already has me!
Oh ho~ It seemed a new, non-existent rival had appeared.
"Still, for someone like Shokuhou Misaki to end up in such a dangerous situation…" The anxious expression on Shirai Kuroko's face gradually receded.
Aside from a slight tremor in her voice, little else showed on her face.
Unlike Onee-sama's relatively 'low-key' conduct at school, that Shokuhou Misaki had formed a massive clique, practically ruling over half of Tokiwadai.
This faction included students not just from all three grades of Tokiwadai, but also from other schools within the School Garden, and contained no small number of Level 3s and 4s.
Shirai Kuroko had never been fond of the 'power-drunk' #5 Level 5, referring to her dismissively by her full name without any honorifics.
What surprised Shirai Kuroko now was that someone like that had made the same choice as Onee-sama.
She wasn't relying on the strength of her Queen's faction, but was facing the danger alone.
Their usual conduct seemed worlds apart, yet they shared the same gentle, kind heart, unwilling to drag unrelated people into danger.
'She really is a formidable rival,' Shirai Kuroko thought, lowering her head, lost in thought.
A moment later, her injuries twinged again, making her grimace in a most un-ladylike fashion.
"Speaking of which, where did that Natsume guy run off to?" Finally remembering the missing meatball-haired classmate, Shirai Kuroko asked through gritted teeth, pain evident in her voice.
'Didn't that guy even come looking for me?'
--+--
High above, a girl with disheveled, ordinary features stood impassively in the sky.
A white cloud drifted past her feet, mercilessly shredded into countless fragments by the violent updrafts.
Her hair danced wildly in the wind, the shriveled blister on her right arm particularly conspicuous.
When Natsume-san's face was this expressionless, it usually meant her brain was working overtime—in simpler terms, she was in a state of divergent thinking.
Shirai-san was who-knows-where, and Reiko-chan had now moved to a safer location.
With a limited number of communication devices, Natsume-san hadn't been issued an earpiece or anything similar, leaving her temporarily unable to contact Uiharu and the others.
Their tactical retreat had been successful, but a new problem had emerged afterwards.
Kihara Gensei, that vile old man, absolutely had to be dealt with; it concerned everyone's safety. Add to that the fact that Natsume-san's brain had been invaded, with a great deal of her information now in Kihara Gensei's hands, she really had no other choice.
But right now, Natsume-san felt utterly stuck, not knowing how to proceed. Because of that Mental Out ability, she was powerless against Kihara Gensei.
Getting close meant instant Game Over—either being controlled directly or having a bunch of messy memories implanted.
Even teaming up with Shirai-san again would likely just be a repeat of last time.
Unless Shirai-san chose to attack Kihara Gensei's brain directly, they might break the stalemate, but that wasn't a viable option either.
"'What should I do?' No, the better question is, 'what can I do?'"
Natsume Sonoko bit her lip, a wave of frustration washing over her. She was clearly unwilling to just retreat like this.
It was rare for her to dislike someone this much.
The last person who'd come close was that coffee-loving white-haired guy, but this Kihara Gensei had far surpassed him.
But her brain, for the moment, couldn't conjure up any workable ideas. Even 'Miss Master Planner' had moments of creative block.
However, after just a short while, Natsume-san's movements stilled slightly. She tilted her head, gaze sharpening as she looked in a specific direction, before a look of sudden realization dawned on her face.
"I remember… that white-haired guy should still be nearby."
"Isn't he afraid of Mental Out or something?"
Her face showed a flicker of hesitation as she muttered under her breath with some uncertainty.
She clearly remembered how Accelerator had completely ignored Mental Out. He seemed uniquely suited for the task.
Even though the experiment had been halted, the Onee-samas remained unconscious, and Accelerator was also searching for a way to solve that problem.
'Is this the so-called 'balance of power'?' Natsume-san's feelings were a little complicated.
Kihara Gensei seemed to possess an ability similar to Vector Control, and coincidentally, they had one of those on their side too.
Even though Natsume-san still held no fondness for Accelerator, she generally leaned towards the safer option.
That's right. Once again, she'd decided—he was the one for the job.
--+--
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.