Bearing the imnse weight pressing upon her body, she reduced every obstacle in her path to re fleeting clouds.
Soone, riding a high-tech Academy City transport vehicle, sped through familiar streets, nimbly climbed steep slopes, a satisfied smile gracing her face.
But then the ground suddenly shook violently. Natsu Sonoko looked up to see a dazzling Railgun streak tearing across the sky.
"Was that Misaka-senpai?"
Natsu-san frowned slightly at the sight of the orange beam.
Without hesitating for long, she leaped down from the white cylindrical vehicle.
Before gravity could pull her fully to the ground, a pair of translucent wings carried Natsu-san skyward.
Even with an armful of packages, it didn't hinder her performance. Natsu-san quickly spotted the source of the commotion from her aerial vantage point.
By the ti she landed, a crater about ten ters deep marked the spot, surrounded by deep fissures, with piles of scattered earth and rubble heaped not far away.
Near this pile of debris, Shirai-san, whom she'd just t earlier, was slumped on the ground, breathing heavily. On the other side stood Misaka-senpai, her arm still extended from having launched her Railgun.
Natsu Sonoko's feet touched down precisely between Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san.
Natsu Sonoko glanced at the dozen or so tal needles embedded in the ground—Shirai-san's signature weapon.
Shreds of torn fabric clung to the needles, but the guy who had been pinned down by them was gone.
It looked like the perpetrator had escaped.
"To not only defeat Shirai-san but also manage to escape from Misaka-senpai…" Natsu Sonoko was astonished, quickly piecing together a rough idea of what must have happened.
Even if Shirai-san's ability thods were sowhat straightforward, she was still a spatial ability user. Your average thug was no match for Shirai-san.
Anyone who could give her trouble ant this was no ordinary incident.
"Onee-sama! You finally ca to save Kuroko! Kuroko is so happy!" Shirai-san slowly got to her feet, her face a picture of moved gratitude. She had so minor scratches, but nothing serious.
The mont she regained her balance, she accelerated into a dash towards Misaka-senpai, seemingly aiming to throw herself into her beloved senpai's arms, only to collide head-first with a certain atball-haired girl who happened to be standing right in the middle.
"Oww, ow, oww!" Shirai-san clutched her head and crouched down, a prominent bump already forming. She couldn't help but hiss sharply through her teeth.
That really hurt! But why was there a wall in front of Onee-sama?
Puzzlent suddenly clouded Shirai-san's thoughts.
"Shirai-san, suddenly ambushing people isn't very good, you know. It causes quite a bit of trouble." A familiar voice reached the ears of both Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san.
They froze for a mont, but their eyes saw nothing.
"Is that you, Natsu-san?" Misaka-senpai ventured.
Misaka-senpai caught on quickly. She could perceive her surroundings via minute electrical currents in the air.
It was similar to how Natsu-san could sense heat, allowing her to detect hidden enemies even in darkness.
The weak electrical currents in one particular area were behaving too uniformly, outlining the shape of a relatively short person.
One hand shot forward, and a wind shield hastily materialized, catching the accelerating Shirai-san off guard and sending her bouncing away.
The rebound force wasn't strong, so it couldn't deliver a critical hit.
Her other arm was still tightly clutching her spoils of shopping. Just after she finished speaking, Natsu Sonoko prepared to deactivate her optical camouflage.
Natsu-san's optical camouflage had reached a highly refined level. Simply by manipulating light refraction through air of different temperatures, she could derive a host of useful skills. Shirai-san and the others were aware of this, so they weren't overly surprised.
With the camouflage deactivated, Natsu Sonoko made her flashy appearance.
"You! What are you doing, standing between Onee-sama and Kuroko for no reason?!" As she spoke, Shirai-san's displeasure grew.
The camouflage was one thing, but this person had the audacity to use her ability to bounce her away, giving her a bump on the head! Couldn't she have at least provided a softer landing?
"Eh? Back at the Judgnt Branch Office 177, you weren't treating with this kind of attitude, Shirai-san."
Natsu Sonoko shook her head slightly, putting on a look that said she'd seen right through her.
Under normal circumstances, even if it was unintentional, she should offer a proper apology. But if the other party was Shirai-san, that was different.
After all, normal people don't launch themselves at others at a full sprint.
"Fine, let's forget it this ti. I suppose you didn't do it on purpose, Natsu-san." Shirai-san rubbed her head and spoke sowhat gloomily, as if rembering sothing.
Before long, Anti-Skill officers appeared on the street to restore order, and the panic among the crowd subsided.
Although the assailant had vanished, Shirai-san hadn't given up the chase.
As she retrieved the tal needles she'd shot earlier from the ground, she noticed the other two whispering to each other.
"Natsu-san, you're just coming back from the supermarket?" Misaka-senpai remarked, looking sowhat curiously at the nurous bags in the girl's hands.
"Yeah, I was just heading back to the dorm when I saw your Railgun beam, Misaka-senpai. I was worried sothing had happened, so I rushed over to check." Natsu-san nodded in reply.
But judging by the scene, Misaka-senpai seed to have handled things. Her help wasn't needed.
"Heading back to the dorm? Then let's go back together, Natsu-san. I heard from Tsuchimikado-san that the cafeteria is making tiramisu cake tonight." Misaka-senpai suggested, a hint of anticipation appearing on her face.
"Tiramisu cake, huh? Sounds pretty good." Saliva almost unconsciously gathered in a certain atball-haired girl's mouth, and she nodded with interest.
"Onee-sama, that won't do! Natsu-san needs to co with to track down that illegal intruder! Please return by yourself!"
"As guardians of Academy City, we must hold the front line firmly. Indulgence doesn't suit us!"
Spreading her arms wide, Shirai-san used her ability and instantly teleported, planting herself between the two. Her voice was filled with unwavering resolve.
"Illegal intruder?" Natsu Sonoko tilted her head.
Uh-oh, maybe I asked the wrong question.
Why was Shirai-san trying to drag her along? There had to be so ulterior motive here.
"Correct. It's an ability user who can control soil." Shirai-san answered sowhat hesitantly, not entirely sure about the opponent's ability.
"Onee-sama, you might not know this, but Natsu-san has already agreed to beco a Judgnt mber today. We're about to start our operation."
"You're a civilian, Onee-sama, you shouldn't get involved in these matters." Noticing the dissatisfaction on Misaka-senpai's face, Shirai-san quickly explained.
A sinful hand began to move, attempting to teleport a certain atball-haired girl away, but it was unexpectedly dodged with agility by its target.
Hmph! Trying to use the sa trick on twice, Shirai-san? You're still too naive.
Imdiately taking a step back, a conditioned reflex having ford from the earlier experience, Natsu-san easily evaded Shirai-san's 'sinful hand'.
"Shirai-san."
"Strictly speaking, I'm not officially a Judgnt mber until I complete all the procedures in two days. And according to our agreent, I'm not required to do these kinds of things."
Natsu-san stated righteously. Even if being helpful was her defining trait, she wouldn't let herself be conscripted so casually.
According to the agreent she signed with Judgnt, she only needed to handle criminal incidents she happened to encounter.
If it was beyond her capabilities, she could choose to abandon the pursuit or call for backup. She wasn't required to do patrols or manhunts.
Of course, outside of the agreent, it all depended on whether Natsu-san felt like it or not.
Shirai-san left with her cheeks puffed out in anger, once again experiencing how troubleso a certain atball-haired girl could be.
Although she was terribly unwilling to let Natsu-san and her Onee-sama return together, her sense of justice and her duties as a Judgnt mber suppressed that feeling, and she teleported away in a hurry.
On the way back to the dorm, Misaka-senpai helped carry so of Natsu-san's 'spoils,' but a worried look was on her face.
"Misaka-senpai, are you worried about Shirai-san?" Natsu Sonoko asked, noticing her senior's expression as they walked.
"Yeah. The enemy Kuroko is chasing now is strong. It can create giants made of earth and rock. Even though the giant was easily pierced by my Railgun, I still have a bad feeling about this." Misaka-senpai couldn't help but voice her concern.
Maybe it was her imagination, but that person gave her a very strange feeling, unlike a normal ability user.
"Is that so? Well, after we have dinner, let's go help Shirai-san together. Uiharu always has a location lock on her."
After thinking for a mont, Natsu Sonoko said seriously. Shirai-san could be annoying sotis, but she didn't want anything bad to actually happen to her.
As for the tracking issue, maybe she could ask Uiharu to install a locator map for Shirai-san on her phone. Then she could always pinpoint a certain teleporter's location.
"But Natsu-san, didn't you just refuse Kuroko?" Misaka-senpai asked, surprised.
"That's because Shirai-san decided on her own without asking for my opinion. Sotis I really can't stand her doing that." Natsu-san complained.
"You feel that way too, Natsu-san? During the Sumr Festival last ti, Kuroko made so mad..."
Before they knew it, on this ordinary path leading back to the dorm, the two Level 5s reached a complete consensus regarding the misdeeds of a certain spatial teleporter.
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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.
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