Natsu-san's reflexes were always so sharp, proof that her nerve conduction speed was top-notch, yet she could be surprisingly oblivious in many other ways.
That dreaded Daihasei Festival, which a certain bun-girl absolutely loathed, was sothing the Sisters yearned for but could never have.
Day after day, she comfortably lived what she called her 'ordinary daily life,' yet this city was a living hell where countless others struggled desperately.
Joy and sorrow didn't interconnect between people, and often, Natsu-san only really thought about herself.
Co to think of it, Natsu-san wasn't interested in anything that happened outside her imdiate line of sight.
Even when she wanted to help Senpai, who was caught in the city's dark underbelly, she never considered intervening in the lives of others suffering similar fates.
She didn't want to bother with too many things, treating her duties as a Judgnt mber with a 'good enough' attitude, preferring to leave the maintenance of Academy City's rules to the Anti-Skill teachers.
When it ca down to it, Natsu-san was just an ordinary person with esper abilities.
"Did Reiko-san participate in the Daihasei Festival before? Even though Reiko-san doesn't go out to school like us, Misaka 10032 asks while tilting her head forty-five degrees with a strange expression."
It seed her earlier remarks had sparked a certain curiosity among the Sisters. Misaka 10032, acting as their representative, was the first to speak up.
"That's not important right now!"
"In any case, everyone needs to listen to the Dorm Supervisor. You must stay properly inside the dormitory."
Natsu-san's mood was easily influenced by her surroundings, and she cared deeply about the Sisters' feelings, but her mind remained firmly set on executing her own little plan.
The Sisters needed to stay in their rooms until Natsu-san and the others found and dealt with the mastermind behind it all.
Since the Sisters were all connected via the Misaka Network, generally, by communicating with just one Sister, important information could be shared with the entire group.
But this also ca with a significant drawback. Through the access permissions of a single Sister, one could still influence the entire Misaka Network to a certain extent—for example, by uploading specialized viruses disguised as mories.
Therefore, the upcoming operation was crucial; they couldn't very well let the Sisters stay cooped up in their rooms forever.
However, Natsu-san wasn't leading this operation. Whether the mastermind would be fortunate enough to even walk into an Anti-Skill building was still an unknown.
She wasn't entirely sure how Shokuhou-senpai handled these kinds of incidents, but she figured it probably had sothing to do with her ntal Out ability—most likely things like brainwashing, and such.
Silently steeling her resolve, Natsu-san's brain went into overdrive, quickly coming up with what seed like a perfect solution.
"Then, as a reward for everyone staying nicely in their rooms, the Dorm Supervisor has also prepared to provide you all with a set of Academy City's latest technological products."
Wearing a thoughtful expression, Reiko paused for a mont before continuing.
Actually, participating in the Daihasei Festival and such didn't necessarily require going outside. Doesn't everyone always say technology changes lives?
"This latest product is essentially a set of holographic projection equipnt. It not only simulates the real competition environnt of the Daihasei Festival but also has a quite effective olfactory system. It can even adjust various weather conditions and temperatures, and the tactile feedback from the scenes reaches about thirty percent of the real thing."
"And when fully deployed, it can create a holographic environnt with a radius of about twenty ters. The yard here, plus the nearby lawn and flower beds, should just about be enough to fit it, though it needs to be cleaned up properly first."
Natsu-san recalled the projection system she had her eye on, then scrutinized the yard of Misaka Apartnt Building No. 1, speaking with a serious tone.
The more obvious shortcomings were the tactile feedback and the detail level of the scenery.
But to upgrade to the near one-hundred percent realism she experienced during her Level 5 evaluation—well, that kind of thing simply wasn't available on the market; it was strictly a lab prototype.
She'd heard about the equipnt used when Misaka-senpai went to help shoot that comrcial—the kind that could fill an entire studio with a realistic, imrsive environnt.
Probably, even increasing Natsu-san's budget several dozen tis wouldn't be enough. That was strictly comrcial-grade machinery.
"Misaka 11530 just stated on the Network that if there is only one set of equipnt, the Sisters living in the dormitory building won't be able to use it, Misaka 14530 promptly reports this new information to Commander Reiko."
"Eh, is that so?"
"One set does seem a bit insufficient. Then we'll just buy two sets. The Dorm Supervisor surely won't have a problem with that."
Having fully considered the Sisters' opinions, a certain bun-girl's two bodies nodded in unison.
The number of Sisters remaining in Academy City was quite large, and they were split between two locations. They really did need to properly consider everyone's feelings.
If she included next month's scholarship and her Judgnt stipend, it should be just about enough to buy two holographic projection systems with olfactory capabilities.
Assigning a purpose to her scholarship money before it even arrived was painful, but it was a necessary expense.
Natsu-san noted that Tokiwadai Dormitory provided food, drink, and even free transportation.
If she placed the order now, it would probably be delivered around tomorrow, and delaying the paynt for a few days wouldn't be an issue.
Furthermore, if they were holographic projectors, setting them up in the Misaka Apartnts could also reduce the chances of the Sisters being spotted.
At the very least, no one would be able to observe the Sisters who liked to space out on the balcony, as the holograms could project a different scene.
Thinking it over, it instantly felt like getting more than her money's worth.
Natsu-san began considering whether to buy two more—one for each of the two Misaka Apartnt buildings and one for each of the two dormitory buildings, making four in total.
The energy consumption of these units wasn't low, but Academy City's energy prices were absurdly cheap. Plus, the Sisters could generate their own electricity. It seed sowhat feasible.
As for the one Natsu-san planned to buy for herself… that would have to be postponed again. But Reiko playing with it was basically the sa thing.
Her mind made up in an instant: she'd buy two for now. The rest would have to wait.
"Really? Actually, any request from the Dorm Supervisor is one we have no reason to oppose. These requirents have already been relayed through the Misaka Network, and the vast majority of Misakas remaining in Academy City have confird the ssage and are preparing to return to their rooms, Misaka 10032 adds, feeling her arm getting tired and placing the kitten back on top of her head."
Truth be told, the Sisters were willing to trust Reiko from the very start. Natsu-san's worries were completely unfounded.
It was just that a certain bun-girl underestimated her own influence among the Sisters—and, of course, the depth of the Sisters' trust in Reiko.
"Of course it's true. Keeping her word is the Dorm Supervisor's personal motto in life."
Reiko stated this sowhat matter-of-factly, a look of certainty flashing across her face.
That's right. I, Natsu Sonoko, am just that kind of outstanding young woman. Money? It's all just fleeting clouds. Even if it ans no new comics or supermarket trips next month.
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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.
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