Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

Chapter 461: Academy City Weather Report! - 461

Just as dependable as her ability were the instincts rooted deep within her body—something many who relied too heavily on their powers sorely lacked.

Take that classic example, the bun-girl. Faced with a similar attack, there was no way she could've reacted on pure instinct.

Most likely, her body would only realize what happened after she'd already been knocked flat.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Natsume observed the third-year senpai who had effortlessly dodged her strike, a thoughtful expression creeping onto her face.

From the information Natsume's senses gathered, the other girl's vivid blue hair was particularly striking, paired with unusually bright crimson pupils.

Such rare features made her stand out even in Tokiwadai, and Natsume had a faint impression of her.

'I recall… she's a technical exchange student from overseas, in third year.'

'In a way, this senpai wasn't enrolled through Tokiwadai's standard admission process.'

Natsume tilted her head slightly, the bun atop it swaying with the motion. She always seemed to know the school's little tidbits of gossip.

Among the first-years at Tokiwadai, she was an incredibly popular beauty, her social network rivaling even that of Shokuhou's clique. Chatting with classmates about various rumors and scandals had gradually become a part of her daily routine.

She wasn't sure when she'd picked up the habit. Probably, it started with her keen interest in the dramatic love-hate relationship between the two Level 5 senpai, eventually evolving into a staple post-meal activity.

In the world of young ladies, gossiping wasn't just gossiping—it was holding a tea party or taking afternoon tea. But Natsume preferred to save time, often getting her chatting done right during class.

She couldn't quite remember this third-year senpai's name, though; it was only a vague impression. But those distinctive red eyes were likely one-of-a-kind here at Tokiwadai Middle School.

Come to think of it, Tokiwadai only accepted students ranked Level 3 "Expert" or higher. This was a strict, non-negotiable requirement for their prestigious academy.

However, within the regular student body, there was a special category: exchange students from other schools.

Typically, they were admitted under labels like "technical exchange," "joint training," or "rare ability" – external students who were still required to meet the Level 3 standard.

The term "technical exchange student" at Tokiwadai referred to those who compensated for a slightly lower ability level through technical skill and unique applications of their power.

Even if their basic ability data didn't quite meet the city's official standard for a Strong esper, under Tokiwadai's evaluation system, their practical application reached that Level 3 benchmark.

These exchanges were almost always one-way, though. Students came to Tokiwadai from other schools, but rarely, if ever, did Tokiwadai students get sent out. At least, Natsume had never heard of it.

'How odd,'

Natsume's brow furrowed with hesitation. She had a vague feeling that something was off.

While she was quite proud of her stealth ability—so far, only AIM-based espers had managed to see through it—this senpai's reaction speed was still unexpectedly fast.

You could chalk it up to individual physical differences, but the time between Natsume launching her attack and the other girl reacting was simply too short. It was almost like she could predict it.

'But even if she predicted it, it doesn't change much for me.'

Pushing aside the scattered thoughts, Natsume maintained her strong confidence, acting as if she hadn't just been ambushed.

For the bun-girl, the title of Level 5 wasn't what mattered; what mattered was having the ability to resolve situations. And the current scenario, aside from the initial surprise, still fell comfortably within her zone of control.

--+--

Inside the clique building.

After the attacker girls altered the floor's friction coefficient, Hokaze Junko's offensive was instantly reversed, and the pressure shifted back onto Shokuhou's faction.

The attackers who had been repelled by Hokaze earlier now regrouped, surrounding the remaining members of Shokuhou's clique.

Even though the princess-curl girl's fighting style was exceptionally... vigorous, the actual damage inflicted wasn't severe.

The girls weren't left bruised and battered, though some bumps and sprains were unavoidable. In a way, Hokaze-senpai had shown considerable restraint.

Only Houjou Arei, who had sensed the hostile presence lurking nearby, knew that the situation was on the verge of rapid collapse. She sighed inwardly.

Just from that brief contact, she knew the one hiding in the surroundings was likely the school's #8.

This wasn't just a guess or intuition; it was obvious.

At Tokiwadai Middle School, the most skilled manipulator of the atmosphere wasn't an aerokinetic like Kongou Mitsuko, but a certain, seemingly harmless Temperature Controller.

If you tried to guess the nature of her ability just from the words "Temperature Control," you'd end up with a conclusion wildly off the mark.

While Natsume wasn't very active in school, and online information about her was sparse and ambiguous, the most credible source of intel on her ability was probably the mid-air brawl with Accelerator during the summer break.

It was only after that fight that the #8 was formally recognized by the Board of Directors, so many believed those rumors held weight.

The circulated intel all pointed to her being an esper specialized in atmospheric control.

Faced with such rumors, the bun-girl always clammed up, playing dumb and trying to act cute to muddle through, maintaining a stance of extreme resistance toward these speculations.

It was so annoying. Why did people keep spreading rumors about her getting into street fights? She was clearly just a gentle, elegant young lady.

Just thinking about the various irritating rumors online—like the #8 having violent tendencies, a twisted personality, or... stunted development—gave Natsume the impulse to just destroy the world and be done with it.

Thankfully, Natsume was a rational person. She knew how to view issues and things from a dialectical perspective, comprehensively, multi-angled, and in layers, which kept her from falling into the city's dark abyss.

But just as Houjou Arei was lost in the realization that the #8 was nearby, a thin layer of electrons once again shimmered over Hokaze Junko's skin—a byproduct of her controlling cellular electrical signals.

Under the strain of Hokaze's intense ability use, her previously immaculate Tokiwadai uniform began to suffer.

Occasional extreme heat generated by the surface electrons burned clear holes into the fabric. Luckily, they were all girls, so it wasn't a big deal.

Protected deliberately by Hokaze, this scorching effect didn't spread to Shokuhou Misaki.

"You're still too early if you think this is enough to defeat me," Hokaze declared, a firm look appearing on her face as she gritted her teeth and slowly stood up, seemingly ignoring the sudden loss of friction.

The blood vessels in her brain tightened, feeling the strain even with the help of the 'Ghost Girl.' The Rampage Dress aura emanating from her body interacted with the steel reinforcements buried in the floor, generating a magnetic force that securely anchored her legs.

She'd paid close attention when Misaka-senpai was explaining electromagnetism to Natsume—no one should underestimate her learning ability.

Although many considered her a physical enhancement type, the essence of her ability, just like Misaka-senpai's, lay in electromagnetism. She just hadn't focused her development in that direction.

--+--

T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL