Misaka-senpai's idea of building a satellite-dish-like receiver to pick up nanomachine signals sounded pretty solid.
The ponytailed girl, who didn't know much about this field, only had a vague understanding of it. Still, trusting her senpai completely, she nodded along in agreent.
Even if she couldn't grasp all the technical details, the plan felt workable—at least in theory.
If this thod could help locate Shokuhou-senpai, it would be far more convenient than asking their club's mber, Maeda-senpai, for help.
"Hey, Senpai, you seem pretty confident about this."
Glancing at Misaka's slightly flushed face, Natsu couldn't help but hesitate inwardly.
Now that Misaka-senpai had her own plan, Natsu decided not to insist on her own idea.
She had never once doubted this senpai's expertise in electromagnetism—it was an impression built up over a long ti spent together.
Truth be told, Natsu wasn't the type to assert herself strongly. She was good at listening to others' opinions, or to put it another way, her personality was sowhat reserved.
Though she enjoyed writing opinion letters or voicing her views, she never got upset or held a grudge if soone turned her down. That was part of why so many people liked being friends with her.
Of course, a certain Judgnt mber who seed to enjoy riling her up was an exception.
A gentle breeze brushed against her skin, sending Natsu's dark hair swaying lightly—a sight just captivating enough to briefly distract her two mostly recovered eyes.
Even with the faint scent of gunpowder lingering in the air, the sll of the free shampoo provided by Tokiwadai Dorm still clung to her.
Natsu rarely spent extra money on things her dorm already supplied—a thrifty habit that helped her save a decent amount each month.
For now, her injuries were temporarily treated. The pain was still intense, but it was gradually fading.
After only about five minutes on the rooftop, Natsu had recovered a bit of both stamina and computational power.
After discussing their current situation with Misaka-senpai and ntioning Kihara Gensei's strange behavior, both girls felt a growing sense of unease.
Just as Natsu had thought, this incident was far from over.
The first ti they had formally encountered Kihara Gensei, the three Tokiwadai students had been nearly wiped out. That lesson was still fresh in their minds. Right now, the only one with any real ability to resist him was Natsu Sonoko herself.
So until Kihara Gensei was dealt with, Misaka-senpai absolutely could not face him again. The Misaka Network was still in an aggregated state and could reconnect to her at any mont.
"Misaka-senpai, we should split up—"
Just as Natsu Sonoko was about to explain, a sudden heat signature appeared in her mind.
Her gaze fixed blankly on the rooftop of a building about a hundred ters away, where a familiar girl in a wheelchair had just arrived, the dark green shield-shaped armband on her shoulder clearly visible.
These building rooftops were like resting platforms, offering a brief respite for an injured Judgnt mber whose abilities might be acting up.
In fact, teleporters often preferred traveling at high altitudes with fewer obstacles—not only to reduce the risk of crashing into walls, but also to attract less attention.
After all, Judgnt mbers weren't idols or celebrities; more exposure only ant more danger.
Natsu herself disliked having her photo appear on TV or school pamphlets—it made her feel insecure.
In the blink of an eye, the wheelchair and the girl vanished, completely overlooking the trio hidden in the shadows all along.
"It's Shirai-san."
Natsu's mind registered it quickly, but her body lagged behind. By the ti she eagerly turned to tell Misaka-senpai, the figure had already teleported away.
"We have to get in touch with Shirai-san first."
The two exchanged a glance, the sa thought forming in both their minds.
Kihara Gensei was still nearby, and his insidious ntal Out ability could target Shirai-san at any mont. Natsu Sonoko and the others didn't believe for a second that Kihara hadn't already investigated everyone close to them.
And with Accelerator in the mix too, unexpected clashes could break out among any of the three parties.
Nearby, however, Miss Reiko was floating on an updraft, chin propped in her hands, curiously observing the two peculiar girls.
Misaka-senpai occasionally glanced at Reiko too. Though she didn't know much about her, she recognized her as the muscular, headless creature from before.
Now, freed from Natsu Sonoko's active control, Reiko had returned to her original form, staring wide-eyed and innocent, mouth slightly agape as if to say she was hungry.
"I don't have anything on . Once we're done here, I'll buy you so takoyaki," Natsu said.
Finally grasping the aning behind Reiko's open mouth, Natsu patted her pockets awkwardly.
The only thing resembling food she'd had earlier—a trial-size packet of that "Smart One" supplent—was long gone, dropped who-knows-where.
But then Natsu Sonoko's eyes widened slightly, because the mont she finished speaking, Reiko nodded thoughtfully, as if recalling the taste of takoyaki.
It seed Reiko could understand so of what she was saying now, leaving Natsu Sonoko montarily lost in thought.
She'd noticed similar changes during their ntal communication, but seeing it manifest so clearly in reality was different.
Reiko had only been "born" about two months ago. Was her growth being influenced by Natsu herself? It was hard to say whether that was a good thing or not.
In truth, Reiko's brain and body were developing normally. Thanks to Dr. Kiyama Harumi's modifications, she even retained so of the original's regenerative abilities. She was physically healthier than Natsu herself—all she lacked was ti to learn about the world.
But it seed Natsu was accelerating that process, and through their ti together, she'd also filled Reiko's head with plenty of strange ideas.
"I need to interfere less with Reiko."
Making this silent resolution, the bun-girl—who was self-aware enough to realize she might be a bad influence—sighed inwardly.
But this also reminded Natsu of another issue: Reiko's identity still hadn't been settled.
That was important too—it would determine whether Reiko could live a normal life in Academy City.
anwhile, subtle electrical currents infiltrated the building's internal network, and an email was swiftly sent to Shirai-san's phone.
With a startled cry, the teleporter—who had just arrived at the building closest to the battlefield—vanished from the spot without warning.
-- --
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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