"So that's how it is, Nunotaba-senpai. You're involved in a secret experint, and they've cut off your outside communication."
A certain bun-girl wore a strange expression, unable to hide her surprise as she spoke.
She still didn't fully grasp the situation, but Nunotaba-senpai certainly didn't hold back.
It figured, coming from the girl who'd once dared to oppose the Level 6 Shift Project all on her own.
A vague foreboding, born from fragnted mories, stirred a flicker of concern in Natsu Sonoko for this senior she barely knew.
Yet, curiosity about what Nunotaba would say next burned even stronger.
If Nunotaba revealed her location in the next second, Natsu-san just might charge straight in to rescue her.
"But, Senpai, if you're in any trouble, maybe I can help," Natsu-san offered after a mont's thought, her voice tinged with hesitation.
The mont Natsu Sonoko finished speaking, everyone present, including Aritomi Haruki, fixed their eyes squarely on Nunotaba Shinobu.
One person seed to want to cut the call short, but was stopped by another.
"It's nothing serious. The experint here requires my assistance, so I'm temporarily unavailable. If I truly need Natsu-san's help, I will find a way to contact you."
Nunotaba Shinobu's reply was delivered with an expressionless face, her tone detached and calm.
"Is that all? Alright then."
On the other end, Natsu-san felt she understood. She had gained a clearer picture of Nunotaba-senpai's predicant.
It seed the people holding Nunotaba-senpai were right there with her.
She hated troubleso affairs, but if she could eliminate a problem at its root, it was far better than letting trouble seek out her and her friends.
While she hadn't heard anything explicitly negative from Nunotaba-senpai, Natsu Sonoko's habit of assuming the worst kicked in, fueled in part by those lingering mories.
Past experiences parsing these mories had taught her they rarely heralded anything good.
"Well, I should hang up now. I still have work to do here."
"Eh? Wait a mont, about..."
Natsu Sonoko started to ask about Febrie, but stopped herself.
If her hunch was correct, Febrie was definitely connected to Nunotaba-senpai. But since Nunotaba-senpai hadn't ntioned her, it was probably best not to bring it up.
Besides, Nunotaba-senpai had already said she would make contact if she needed help.
'Make contact'... did that an through Febrie?
Natsu-san tilted her head, as if rembering sothing.
She recalled Febrie constantly murmuring her na and Misaka-senpai's na.
So that was it! The hidden distress signal!
As for Nunotaba-senpai's work, Natsu Sonoko's thoughts turned to the Sisters.
The technology derived from Nunotaba-senpai's thesis—the Personal Reality apparatus, a device for fabricating personalities.
Was Febrie a being similar to the Misaka Sisters?
-- --
Beep, beep, beep—
The dial tone buzzed in her ear. Nunotaba-senpai handed the phone back to Aritomi Haruki and glanced around, eting the gaze of nurous eyes fixed upon her.
"The connection on the other end has been severed," one of them announced.
He had been using a computer to monitor the entire conversation, preventing the other party from using the call's pulse signal to trace their location.
As for locating them via the phone number itself when not in a call or using data—that was currently impossible.
"Nunotaba-san, why did you ntion the experint?" Aritomi Haruki asked, his tone serious.
"I am a researcher. Being invited to participate in an experint is the most normal thing imaginable."
"Furthermore, I was sold here by the Dark Side. I have nowhere else to go."
Nunotaba Shinobu's earnest reply was ant to convey her loyalty to 'STUDY'.
Any attempt to escape would be tantamount to challenging the bottom line of the entire Dark Side, making it impossible for her to remain in Academy City.
This was likely the reason many mbers of the Dark Side could never leave—they simply had no choice.
"It's getting late. I should probably head back."
Putting her phone away, Natsu Sonoko schooled her expression and leaped from the hundreds-of-ters-high perch.
Through repeated flight, her original acrophobia had long been cured. After experiencing such grand vistas, jumping from skyscrapers felt like taking the stairs.
But she didn't head back to her dorm. Instead, she set off in the direction of Saten-san's place.
Since she had more or less confird that Febrie's appearance was a distress signal, the next step was to figure out what was happening. She just needed to make it back before lights-out.
-- --
At A Certain University Hospital.
She never made it to Saten-san's house, detouring instead to this hospital mid-journey.
This hospital was also one of the facilities where a number of the Misaka Sisters underwent cellular adjustnt. Reiko-chan visited here often. The most famous doctor here was the Frog-Face—no, it's Heaven Canceller.
ntioning 'Reiko-chan'—she was still toiling away, delivering packages, as her speed was considerably slower than Natsu-san's own.
While at Saten-san's ho, Febrie had suddenly collapsed, running a high fever soon after, and was rushed to this very hospital.
"Natsu-san, you're finally here!"
At the hospital entrance, Misaka-senpai and the others were waiting anxiously. Febrie had been admitted for so ti, but they still hadn't received any concrete news from the doctors.
Besides Misaka-senpai and the others, even Kongou-senpai was present.
"Kongou-senpai, what are you doing here?"
Natsu Sonoko blinked, slightly puzzled.
"Of course I'm worried about Febrie! And this ti, I ca to inform Misaka-san and the others that Febrie is in grave danger."
Kongou-senpai's fan rested against her face, a barely perceptible seriousness flashing in her eyes.
Natsu-san had unknowingly beco a Level 5... truly a friend worthy of recognition by Tokiwadai's Kongou Mitsuko herself.
She rembered when Natsu-san was just a clueless first-year.
"Natsu-san, don't think you can afford to slack off just because you've beco a Level 5. I intend to catch up, you know."
Kongou-senpai suddenly snapped her fan open, revealing a face full of determination.
"I understand. Let's both do our best, Kongou-senpai."
A pleasant smile graced Natsu-san's features as she nodded in reply.
As the conversation returned to Febrie, Natsu-san soon learned the news Kongou-senpai had brought.
It turned out that while helping out at the academic exhibition, Kongou-senpai had not only t Febrie but also overheard talk of soone intending to harm her, planning to 'retrieve' Febrie.
"Regarding Febrie, I have so new clues as well. I just spoke with Nunotaba-senpai on the phone."
Natsu Sonoko glanced at the group, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
"Natsu-san, are you saying that Febrie's consciousness might be artificially created?"
After listening to Natsu Sonoko's account, Misaka-senpai's fists clenched slightly, a thick, palpable anger radiating from her.
Was Febrie another product of so cloning experint? These kinds of experints just never seed to end.
"If that's the case, it would explain why the other party is trying to retrieve Febrie."
Uiharu-san, who had been looking up information on Nunotaba Shinobu on her laptop, suddenly looked up at everyone.
-- --
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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