Academy City Weather Report! - 471
--+--
Over half a century ago, or perhaps even longer, the science faction, led by Aleister, brazenly set foot on this island nation.
Through harsh and coercive terms, they forcibly carved out a massive portion of land in western Tokyo, equivalent to one-third of the entire Tokyo area.
This seized territory would later become Academy City.
Yet, in the common perception of the general public, the mysterious Chairman simply acquired the land through commercial means.
Surprisingly, both parties involved in this transaction have maintained a relatively amicable relationship to this very day.
Though nominally still entangled with the island nation, this city, encircled by its towering circular walls, has in fact developed its own independent power structure. It has become a place possessing crucial rights such as the power to declare war and conduct diplomacy.
Even if a third party were to declare war, they would bypass the island nation entirely, confronting this unique city directly.
And the students living within Academy City, unable to leave completely, have long since become residents of another country, forcibly embedded into the massive war machine of the science faction.
As for the various existential crises faced by Academy City, their origins can likely be traced back to the moment of its founding.
Even so, the city still stands intact, making the word 'destruction' seem rather ill-fitting.
Just as Natsume-san was still busy with the petty scheming within her own school, and a few seniors she knew or didn't know were opposing each other for their own goals, a certain unlucky high school boy thwarted yet another plot aimed at destroying Academy City.
It was hard to understand how that misfortune-ridden upperclassman managed to win a trip to Venice in a lottery, but the fact that he could leave Academy City so easily was the truly shocking part.
One had to admit, everything seemed preordained.
The flagship of the Queen's Fleet, the 'La Regina del Mare Adriatico,' had its core destroyed by Kamijou Touma, grinding to a halt in the waters near Venice. The magical ritual capable of erasing Academy City itself and all information of its existence was forcibly halted.
--+--
The sky was dark, with just a few minutes left until midnight.
Natsume-san, her mind full of thoughts, had already fallen asleep on the sofa. No matter what happened during the day, it had nothing to do with her now.
Maintaining sufficient sleep was a crucial strategy for Natsume-san to handle crises.
Invisible nanomachines drifted around the dormitory, silently observing this esper who had finally settled down.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Academy City, a strangely punkish girl—who actually belonged to certain old-fashioned factions—was tilting her head back, gazing up at the immense, cloud-piercing walls not far away.
From her eyelids to her nose, from her lips to her earlobes, she was adorned with meaningless small iron rings.
Her eyes were decorated with exaggerated makeup, and she wore a medieval-style gown, yet its color was a garish bright yellow, embroidered with a large, pale yellow cross.
Beneath this overly rebellious and nonconformist attire, even if she originally possessed bright, beautiful features and a fine figure, it was still rather hard to appreciate.
In other words, her aesthetic was just… ahead of its time.
Around her lay a dense scattering of fallen armed personnel clad in modern equipment.
Most were stationed personnel from Academy City's outer perimeter, perhaps even emergency response troops belonging to the Board of Directors.
Whether it was the fully-equipped Powered Suits, built for pure firepower capable of wiping out high-level espers with a single shot, or various unmanned weapons, all had been reduced to scattered components.
Kicking a still-struggling armed man to the side, the punk girl unhesitatingly crushed the earpiece he was using to contact the inside of Academy City.
A smile played on her lips, and combined with the iron ring on her tongue, it gave her a deranged and eerie look.
'Following this world's nearly cold, unchanging rules, science is such a cold, cold thing.'
'So, you see, I'm going to destroy it completely. I'll let a warmer power envelop this world.'
A strange blush flushed her cheeks, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
She had waited for this day for far too long.
This time, no one could stop her from declaring war on Academy City.
This also meant the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City was now out in the open for all to see.
The Roman Catholic Church—a religious organization existing only in the world of A Certain Magical Index, a powerful entity completely unconnected to anything in Natsume-san's memories.
Among the friction between Academy City and various other forces, the conflict between magic and science had grown increasingly sharp. Seemingly manipulated by someone's deliberate hand, they had become two utterly unrelated, even opposing, powers.
Unlike the science side, where Academy City was the dominant force, the magic side housed entities like the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of England.
Among them, the Roman Catholic Church was likely the most hostile faction towards the science side.
After the core of her Church's 'La Regina del Mare Adriatico' was erased by Kamijou Touma, the girl before you had forced the old Pope to sign a secret order to investigate and eliminate Kamijou Touma. Then, she brought her own forces here.
Her goal was to inflict the maximum possible casualties on the science faction.
Besides Kamijou Touma, any additional results were welcome—the more, the better. Ideally, she could destroy Academy City in one fell swoop.
Yet, despite her nearly cruel objectives, this girl held onto a surprising shred of compassion.
None of the armed personnel lying before her had lost their lives. Unless they were targets designated for elimination or cleanup, this old-fashioned girl did not kill indiscriminately.
'Kamijou Touma, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the Board of Directors, the Level 5s...'
Muttering her targets, the strange girl didn't find her mission particularly burdensome.
As the ultimate weapon among two billion believers, she was far beyond anything Academy City's technology or mass-produced espers could match.
The scene shifted back to Dormitory 210. The sleeping Natsume-san turned over in her slumber.
Gatherings of AIM diffusion fields, of unknown origin, quietly materialized around her, forming illusory, phantom-like tentacles.
They made contact with her own emanating AIM field, transmitting unknown information through the unique properties of the interacting fields.
These special field aggregates suddenly paused for a moment, then vanished into thin air, as if sensing their host was rapidly awakening.
Before long, Natsume-san abruptly sat up on the sofa, staring blankly at the familiar surroundings, her head tilted in contemplation.
Had she really had such a bizarre dream?
And also… she seemed to know where the Phase related to the dream was located.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 472
--+--
The tail end of September marked the seasonal uniform changeover in Academy City.
On this day, many schools, including Tokiwadai Middle School, swapped out their cool summer uniforms for the warmer winter versions.
While there were some minor grumbles about Tokiwadai's winter uniform bottoms merely being a slightly thicker, dark blue plaid pleated skirt, the fact that all schools followed similar rules meant even the usually opinionated Natsume-san didn't have much room to complain.
This was probably also largely due to her being accustomed to living in a pleasantly warm environment year-round.
The existence of climate-controlled layers meant someone like her lacked any real personal experience or feeling regarding the cold.
But anyway, setting aside the skirt issue, Natsume-san quite liked the winter uniform.
The blazer had more pockets, for one. It was a beige, three-button women's suit jacket, worn over a long-sleeved white dress shirt.
"Thank you for your care, Supervisor."
Accepting the bag handed over by the Supervisor with utmost deference, Natsume-san—one of the very few students, and an injured one at that, still remaining in the dormitory during school hours—offered a shy, well-behaved smile.
The bag contained three sets of the newly issued winter uniforms. The measurements were still based on the data from her summer uniforms.
She watched as the Supervisor—who, despite wearing flat shoes, somehow managed to make a distinct 'clip-clop' sound with her footsteps—walked away and disappeared around the far end of the corridor.
Only then did the bun-girl let out a sigh of relief and carefully close her dorm room door.
With her eyes injured, Natsume-san had no need to attend school.
After all, by any reasonable standard, she currently lacked the ability to study, and even moving around normally was inconvenient.
So, until the bandages were removed at the hospital, she had a perfectly legitimate reason to skip classes.
Even regarding the investigation into yesterday's incident, the Anti-Skill teachers had permitted her to delay giving her statement for a few days.
"Honestly, it's not like I really want to stay cooped up in the dorm either," she muttered, a slight pout forming on her lips.
"Having this rare free time, only to be kept under the Supervisor’s watchful eye… it's really quite frustrating."
Whether she attended school or not made little difference to her. She'd already self-studied all the material, and her homework was done up to a month in advance.
The biggest perk was probably legitimately skipping a few P.E. classes.
She might have escaped Shirai-san's clutches, but she couldn't avoid the Supervisor’s proactive concern.
As long as the Supervisor was around, this 'injured and mobility-impaired' student had no hope of leaving the dorm normally these next few days.
Still, it wasn't an unsolvable problem. By mastering the Supervisor’s routine and tracking her whereabouts, Natsume-san was confident she could sneak out.
Sneaking out of the dorm had become second nature since the school year started; the faint imprint of shoes on the windowsill was a periodic occurrence. The bun-girl considered herself quite experienced.
Right now, however, was the Supervisor’s work hours, a period where she might storm into her room at any moment. She'd have to wait until the Supervisor left the dorm on business before she could consider doing anything else.
After tidying up her summer uniforms and stuffing them into a box under the bed, Natsume-san swiftly changed into the new winter uniform. Then, with an air of idleness, she slumped sideways onto the sofa.
The new uniform, made from data unchanged for half a year, still fit perfectly. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset about that. A subtle, indescribable pressure quietly crept into her heart.
“Hmm, I wonder if Tsuchimikado-san will bring me a lunch box? I think the dormitory cafeteria still prepares lunch on school days, though.”
“That's different! A patient should eat specially made, nutritious boxed lunches. You need a balanced intake.”
“That makes sense. I do feel like I should supplement my nutrition more. I seem to have lost a bit more weight recently, and it's definitely not just in my head.”
The bandaged girl's fingers flew across her phone screen as she discussed the side dishes for her lunch box with the maid-san on the other end, a faint smile gracing her lips. Chatting with a friend always made Natsume-san happy.
Over at Tokiwadai's school restaurant, Tsuchimikado-san was also feeling quite cheerful, sneaking in some leisure time during her studies and work.
'Work and rest should be balanced' was her personal motto. As for how the temporarily blind Natsume-san was managing to reply so swiftly… well, neither of them seemed to pay it any mind.
“By the way, what's the situation like at school?”
Remembering certain events, Natsume-san asked.
Yesterday's attack had set the school forums ablaze, and she had been right in the middle of it. Even though she wasn't at school today, she was still concerned.
“School's back to normal. Well… mostly.”
“I heard Tokiwadai originally planned to suspend classes, given the serious security incident. But Anti-Skill defined the event as a technology misuse accident. Most students involved weren't really affected much.”
“...”
Message after message came from Tsuchimikado-san's side. It seemed slacking off was addictive.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling directly onto Natsume-san's smooth forehead. Her bangs, due to her slumped posture, hung entirely to one side.
Putting her phone down, Natsume-san rubbed her slightly aching temples and then flopped straight back onto the sofa, resembling a dried-up freshwater fish.
Even though she hadn't been awake for long, Natsume-san still felt tired. It seemed a state of suboptimal health was tormenting the lazy twelve-year-old.
In reality, it was probably because she'd been abruptly startled awake by that bizarre dream last night.
And in that dream, Natsume-san had discovered the coordinates of the Dreamtime Phase and spent considerable time conducting some curious experiments.
"Anyone would be scared if they found themselves consciously dragged into some kaleidoscopic, bizarre place while dreaming, right?" she muttered with a strange expression, unable to hold back the complaint.
Was this what a lucid dream felt like? She'd only ever heard about them before.
Back then, she had immediately realized she was dreaming because she was in a surreal environment, yet her thinking remained perfectly normal.
One had to admit, Natsume-san, with her head full of science, was quite discerning.
However, she hadn't initially been aware of the Dreamtime Phase's existence. But being able to use her sensory abilities in that bizarre, kaleidoscopic place made her realize it instantly.
In the Dreamtime Phase, concepts of space and time grew blurred. It was a vast, infinitely deep, pale white world, dotted with dream bubbles originating from countless people.
These bubbles overlapped, touched, and separated within the pale space, yet seemed to exist on different spatial scales and temporal dimensions—infinitely large and infinitely small simultaneously.
They carried, in a way incomprehensible to ordinary people, every dream that had gathered here since the phase's formation.
Dragons, knights, and princesses—an orange-tinted dream from a chuunibyou boy.
Dissection, aliens, scalpels—a purple-hued dream from a fanatical scientist.
Just like how Indian Poker cards categorized different types of dreams by color, this place seemed to have a similar classification system.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 473
--+--
Phases stacked layer upon layer above the reality of the universe, together forming the whole of this world known as the A Certain Magical Index universe.
Natsume-san hadn't the faintest idea how she'd suddenly managed to find a clue related to dreams amidst that vast, dense ocean of phases.
But this discovery was, without a doubt, a rather pleasant experience for her.
In fact, each phase represented a facet of the entire world, allowing one to view this reality—altered by countless filters—with greater clarity.
For someone as lacking in ambition as Natsume-san, it was like stumbling upon a fascinating new toy. She'd been intensely curious about the world of dreams for the longest time.
--+--
District 7, The Windowless Building.
Suspended upside-down within a massive glass container, Aleister controlled the Direction of Energy Manipulation apparatus in secret, inputting AIM diffusion field parameters into the Personal Realities of certain key individuals, his face an expressionless mask.
Altering an esper's Personal Reality wasn't an impossible feat.
Even something like Indian Poker, developed by a subordinate research institute, could achieve similar effects, let alone the man who stood at the pinnacle of the entire scientific side, the Board Chairman.
However, besides inputting AIM diffusion field values, effects similar to telepathy and duplication weren't bad either—perfectly sufficient to transmit the necessary information directly into some people's minds.
‘Simply by conveying the right information to the #8, we can guide her development in the desired direction. This has proven true in practice as well.’
‘Comparing this with the previous data on the Shrine Maiden, the #8's current changes align with the expected degree of progression.’
‘We can confirm the existence of a power external to her Personal Reality. We can also confirm that the Shrine Maiden has found a way to adapt her power for use on the science side, transmitting it via a soul-based link.’
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Aleister silently observed everything within Academy City.
He hadn't told Natsume Sonoko the location of the dream phase. Such heavy-handed guidance often led to complications; he preferred to let things unfold naturally.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Aleister had merely input some of the Shrine Maiden's own past research on her abilities—the part she had left behind.
In Aleister's view, that Shrine Maiden had, through unknown means, obtained this world's forbidden fruit, gaining the power to perceive the true nature of things.
This allowed her to progress from an ordinary shrine maiden to a powerful magician, perhaps even enabling her to see through his own true identity.
But in reality, her understanding of the fruit's power wasn't thorough.
Of course, Aleister was an outsider. Looking at it from Natsume-san's own perspective, one might better understand the Shrine Maiden's initial feelings.
Anyone would be curious about strange phenomena manifesting in themselves.
Be it the identity of a 'transmigrator' or a bizarre perceptive ability, it would put anyone on edge, creating a desperate urge to find the source.
That Shrine Maiden had likely chosen to investigate using scientific methods, unlike a certain 'bun head' who was a pure pragmatist, remaining carefree and unconcerned to this day.
Moreover, it seemed Natsume-san's recent intense focus on dreams, combined with the dual catalysts of stray thoughts and sleep, had triggered the emergence of some of the research results Aleister had input, directly connecting her to the Dream Phase.
Although the research data input via the AIM field existed within the brain, it wasn't directly perceivable by conscious thought.
It was like a book left on a shelf—if you never open it, you'll never know its contents.
Instead, it was like a buried spark of inspiration, requiring excavation by an inner force.
'The conflict is arriving a bit sooner than anticipated, but it's of little consequence. Many plans are nearing their activation point anyway.'
'While the existence of that Shrine Maiden is merely one optional plan among many, I will utilize everything at my disposal to achieve my goal—even kin or beloved ones are no exception.'
Aleister's long silver hair swayed slightly with the bubbles rising in the liquid of his glass vessel, his eyes hollow and utterly calm.
He couldn't guarantee his plan's success rate, but it was enough that events progressed in the direction he desired.
It seemed nothing in this world could ruffle him. He had an objective he would stop at nothing to achieve, facing the onslaught of malice and tumult with profound, unfathomable resolve.
Simultaneously, the Underline brought him information from the darkest corners of Academy City.
Vento of the Front, from the Roman Catholic Church, had already breached the outer walls, paralyzed the city's external defenses, and was now pushing deep into its heartland.
As a member of God's Right Seat, she was undoubtedly a top-tier combatant on the magic side.
Therefore, he naturally had to deploy a corresponding force from his side, allowing for a preliminary test of the Artificial Heaven's power.
At this moment, Aleister's thoughts drifted to those individuals following behind Vento of the Front—the ones previously restrained by the Shrine Maiden's Archetype Controller.
Using the Archetype Controller in reverse... now that was an interesting idea.
Be they god or man, all were part of this world. If their very existence was denied by the rules of this reality, everything would come crashing down.
Of course, this didn't include the Magic Gods who had transcended the limits of magicians and the physical universe, and could only seal themselves away in the Hidden World.
Their very concepts had long been obscured and blurred. This universe was merely a form they had modified; there was no way to pinpoint their original prototypes.
Only by utterly eroding the existence of all magic, deducing the world's true form, could one possibly find their correct history and mythology, and thereby interfere with or even erase the rituals they used to ascend to Magic Godhood.
And currently, the one with the potential to accomplish this was Natsume Sonoko, who possessed a certain means of observing the world.
--+--
Outskirts of Academy City.
A massive breach gaped in the towering perimeter wall. Security robots and Anti-Skill members who had rushed to the scene were locked in a desperate struggle.
Vento of the Front, clad in her punk-style attire, walked nonchalantly through the chaotic battlefield, her body effortlessly ignoring the concentrated fire of thermal weapons.
And around her moved a number of 'beasts' that only barely retained a vaguely human shape.
But Vento of the Front paid these helpers little mind. She was merely pleased to see it happen.
Her actions were hastening the destruction of Academy City and the science side, attracting even more of its enemies. It was a welcome bonus.
The paralysis of the outer wall's defenses also meant the measures restraining those 'beasts' had failed. A number of grotesquely shaped entities had already broken into Academy City.
Though, to be accurate, neither 'beasts' nor 'youkai' were quite right to describe them. Even in their fallen state, those existences still possessed a station surpassing that of mere humans.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 474
--+--
Academy City felt unusually lively today.
Even though Natsume-san was alone in her dorm, she couldn't help but notice those Six Wings and other unidentifiable flying models frequently passing overhead.
Oh well. Was there ever a day when serious incidents didn't occur in Academy City? Once you got used to life here, it all became background noise.
Ignoring those terrifying killing machines, Natsume Sonoko—whose heart overflowed with truth, goodness, and beauty—returned to pondering the new Phase abilities she'd suddenly acquired.
Truth be told, if Natsume-san had ever felt like exploring them, her unique perception could've uncovered far more from the countless Phases long ago.
But realistically, given her mapping capabilities, Phase exploration was exhausting work.
Nearly every Phase operated under rules completely alien to the real world. She couldn't easily discern their true nature, nor comprehend how a Phase's 'eye' perceived the physical universe.
Only those aspects aligning with Natsume-san's own understanding, those adhering to her logical framework, could be partially grasped and accepted.
Given that, expecting the lazy Natsume-san to voluntarily engage in such strenuous activity was about as likely as seeing Shokuhou Misaki-senpai eagerly participate in P.E. class.
"I've been wondering since yesterday—aren't dreams just byproducts of unconscious brain activity, much like AIM diffusion fields?"
"Except AIM fields are exclusive to espers, while dreams cover nearly every sentient being."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Natsume-san seemed genuinely intrigued by her new toy.
While Natsume Sonoko couldn't be bothered wasting energy exploring the sea of Phases, having something placed right before her eyes was another matter entirely.
"AIM fields are essentially specialized energy dissipated by espers, so are dreams a form of energy too? No, dreams are merely neural activity—chemical exchanges between neurotransmitters and such."
"But if they're just unconscious brain activity without physical substance or energy carriers, how do dreams reach the Phases? In other words, how do dreams exist independently from the brain?"
Natsume-san tried applying her scientific knowledge to understand Phase existence, only to find it completely defied her understanding.
Upon reflection, this was probably another waste of time. Not all Phases were as scientific as the Lightless Phase.
Her expressionless face gradually furrowed into a frown, clearly indicating her intellect wasn't quite up to the task.
Still, she was neither the first nor would she be the last to attempt understanding Phases through scientific means.
Most Phases bore no relation to the fundamental laws of the physical universe, yet within them they existed with logical consistency—even spontaneously generating energy applicable to their own rules, capable of overwriting physical universe data.
Fortunately, Natsume Sonoko wasn't some obsessive researcher, just an easygoing girl content to admire the conveniences technology brought to daily life.
"Whatever, if I can't understand it, I'll stop thinking about it."
"This world's weird enough already, anything could happen. Geez, I'm seriously worried about this world's future."
She sighed, her expression deliberately theatrical and exaggerated.
The internal conflict soon vanished from her face as Natsume-san acknowledged that current science still couldn't explain many phenomena—magic being a prime example.
Remembering this world was like a ridiculously layered sandwich, Natsume-san's research enthusiasm was promptly extinguished. She clearly lacked the fundamental patience required of a researcher.
Yet deep down, Natsume-san maintained faith that science would eventually explain everything. And if it couldn't? Then just eliminate anything unscientific.
Eyes closed, her consciousness drifted through mysterious realms as her cheeks gradually flushed pink. She was analyzing the Phase information she could actually comprehend.
Within the Phase christened 'Dreams,' space and time existed in chaotic disorder. Merely having her thoughts brush against this realm forced Natsume-san to endure the visceral sensation of her worldview shattering.
Though she could filter out unnecessary information, the newly-arrived Natsume-san couldn't distinguish information importance yet. She could only narrow her perception's focal point, cautiously learning about this dream-bearing realm.
Thankfully her adaptability was decent, and her processing power had slightly improved, preventing physical reactions like vomiting or dizziness from the bizarre information overload.
"Such a strange feeling. When I focus on those dream bubbles, it's like actually entering someone else's dream."
"And if I 'look' toward the physical universe from an anchored dream world, I can even observe dreams being born and their corresponding owners."
Natsume-san quickly abandoned probing the Dream Phase's essence, instead focusing—as she always did—on finding practical tricks she could exploit.
Past experience taught her these shortcuts often brought pleasant surprises and assistance.
Admittedly, Natsume-san always preferred applying her cleverness toward laziness-enabling endeavors. Such an easily understandable character.
"Is nobody sleeping because it's daytime?"
"Not necessarily—people do sleep in class too."
Her eyebrow twitched. While Natsume-san had no personal experience sleeping boldly during lessons, she'd heard it was fairly common.
From her Dream-Phase perspective projecting into the physical universe, reality itself appeared bleached of color.
Pedestrians, vehicles, buildings—all seemed illusory and transient, leaving only a false sense of detachment.
This occurred because the Dream Phase's rules drastically differed from the physical universe's. What Natsume Sonoko perceived was merely the portion reflecting reality back. Only when sentient beings dreamed would vibrant colors emerge from the bleak whiteness.
Simultaneously, alongside freshly generated dreams from the waking world, past dreams existed here too—sorted into different temporal dimensions within the Phase.
And when she focused her perspective on specific individuals in the physical world, the dream Phase responded accordingly, reflecting their Phase information—meaning she could see the dreams they'd left imprinted here.
"I think I can confirm it now—the colors used to distinguish dreams on Indian Poker weren't artificially assigned. Phase forces influenced them."
"Indian Poker replicates dreams originally destined for the dream Phase, simultaneously staining them with the dream's inherent coloration."
"Following this logic, this color staining might represent how Phase filters manifest their influence on the physical universe."
Contemplating these matters, Natsume-san's expression gradually turned serious. It seemed she'd unraveled another piece of the puzzle.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 475
--+--
Dream bubbles shimmered in hues that shifted with the nature of the dreams they held.
At the same time, this Phase was crammed full of dreams born from every corner of the world and every era, using chaotic space and disordered time as its X and Y axes within.
In Natsume-san's understanding, this was what the Dream Phase looked like to her.
If it were someone else, the Phase might appear completely different. The way one perceives the world is always deeply intertwined with their own worldview.
Her awareness lingered amidst countless bubbles. Natsume-san didn't need to replicate the dreams within them in her own mind; she simply kept gathering the information flowing from these bubbles.
Truthfully, Natsume-san had no idea whose dream she was observing, or from where or when. Her physical coordinates were useless here in this bizarre Phase, lacking any point of reference for the first time.
A Phase with space-time rules similar to the physical universe probably could serve as a positional reference. In situations like this, Natsume-san's petite frame acted somewhat like an anchor point to the real world, preventing her consciousness from getting lost in the vast ocean of the Phase.
"A dream from the era of King Arthur in Britain. The language back then was quite different from modern English, you know."
"Legends of the sword in the stone, the magician Merlin, dragon-slaying knights, and ladies of the lake... The imagination of ancient people isn't bad at all."
A spark of excitement lit up Natsume-san's face; it was clear she'd stumbled upon something that fascinated her.
Besides eating, sleeping, reading manga, browsing forums, and gaming, watching movies was one of Natsume-san's favorite pastimes.
And by interpreting these dreams, she could observe the people and history of the past, much like watching a movie—but far more immersive. She could even place herself in the protagonist's shoes and experience the bizarre and fantastical dream worlds.
However, to avoid potential complications, while Natsume-san observed and interpreted the dream content she perceived, she strictly avoided actually recreating the dreams themselves within her own mind.
Anyone who knew a little about Indian Poker would understand the risks of letting someone else's dreams invade your brain.
Although there didn't seem to be any sneaky side-effects like the cards influencing her Personal Reality this time, the risk of brainwashing was still something to be wary of.
Natsume-san prioritized her own safety far above any other concern.
On the flip side of the physical universe, in this Phase world equivalent to the world's shadows, an ordinary young girl peered into all the history and fantasy lost to the flow of time. The novelty of it all felt incredibly fun to her.
It seemed that from this observational vantage point within the Phase, no one could block her prying eyes.
But Natsume-san was, ultimately, a proper young lady with a sense of decorum. She didn't attempt to actively spy on the privacy and secrets of people in the real world.
She merely skimmed the surfaces of those dream bubbles already adrift within the Phase, whose owners and histories were indistinguishable. Whether she might incidentally encounter dreams belonging to people in the real world within these bubbles wasn't something Natsume-san bothered to consider.
"Wow, this is combat knowledge."
An eyebrow raised, Natsume-san couldn't help but pay closer attention.
She'd long known that dreams could carry knowledge.
She'd been very curious about those skill cards from Indian Poker too. But here in the dream Phase, seeing this category of knowledge sorted out, forming dream bubbles primarily tinted in blues and greens, still gave her a thrill.
This meant Natsume-san was on her way to becoming a jack-of-all-trades, a veritable professional in everything.
Just thinking about such a future made her breathing quicken. Being able to effortlessly absorb vast amounts of knowledge was the ideal future for any student in Academy City.
Relying on books to transmit knowledge was just too slow, not high-tech at all.
And Academy City always poured most of its resources into ability-related technology, developing esper powers and even weapons. Technology that could benefit ordinary students seemed to develop much more slowly in comparison.
Come to think of it, Natsume-san had undergone special Judgment training with Yomikawa-sensei for a while last semester. She'd even bought Judgment combat training materials from a street stall. Deep down, this bun-girl harbored a dream of mastering martial arts.
However, Natsume-san's talent for combat was on the same level as Uiharu-san's.
Even with effort, she'd only barely managed to learn the Judgment combat techniques. Her physical reaction speed was simply too slow, making it impossible to form any effective practical combat ability.
"If I can find everyone's dreams lingering in the Phase by observing the real universe, then I should be able to see my own past dreams too."
Thoughts in her head were always complex and varied. Natsume-san suddenly realized her idea had merit, and a strong sense of curiosity welled up within her.
While she wasn't planning to snoop on everyone else's private lives in Academy City, looking at her own was a different matter.
Even though Natsume-san was an esper, she couldn't remember all the dreams she'd ever had.
But as she turned her gaze from the Phase back towards her own body, it seemed dreams that didn't belong to her were being fed back to her through this observation.
"The numbers feel off. There seem to be way too many."
"Wait, something's really wrong here."
Natsume-san's thoughts hesitated, and her jaw dropped slightly.
She'd heard a person has dozens of dreams each night, with only a very few clear ones remaining in memory. So, as one ages, the number of dreams formed becomes astronomical.
But Natsume-san was only twelve. Even an astronomical number should have a limit. It certainly shouldn't be like what she was observing now: dreams belonging to her were as vast as the sea, forming a minuscule but definite tidal flow within the dream ocean, far exceeding the limit for a twelve-year-old girl.
Her face immediately showed hesitation. Gritting her teeth, Natsume-san shifted her observational focus onto the Dorm Supervisor.
She felt a bit sorry for her Supervisor, but she needed to see if others had a similar effect—in scientific terms, she needed a control group.
That said, Natsume-san still wouldn't read the Supervisor's dreams. She merely took an extra glance at those pink-hued bubbles full of romance and a maidenly atmosphere surrounding the Supervisor.
'Why do I suddenly feel worried about the Supervisor? At her age, still without a boyfriend... I really hope she can get married soon.'
Pushing aside her sympathetic thoughts for the Supervisor, and seeing the far smaller number of dreams belonging to her, some strange notions surfaced.
Her own dreams were definitely problematic. It would take the accumulation of centuries, maybe more, to form a tributary of dreams that now surpassed her own ability to fully perceive.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 476
--+--
Nothing in this world comes for free. Every gift from fate has its price, quietly marked in the shadows.
Sitting on the soft sofa, the utterly ordinary Level 5 esper girl hurriedly stood up and began pacing around the room without pause. An unprecedented sense of foreboding welled up inside her.
How could she describe this feeling?
It was as if her dull life had been suddenly tossed into a sizzling pan of oil, and this girl of limited capabilities could only hope that everything would somehow remain unchanged.
However, Natsume-san ultimately didn't have the habit of praying to gods or Buddhas. She simply clung to a sliver of hope, just like any ordinary person.
Ever since accepting her identity as a transmigrator and the settings of her past life, Natsume-san had long understood a simple truth: the more one knows, the more one must bear.
Although Natsume-san deeply wanted to know everything about her past life, she hadn't dwelled on it too much after that eternal loli, Ladylee, disappeared.
Truth be told, Natsume-san wasn't truly prepared to uncover her own secrets.
In Natsume-san's mind, she was just an ordinary student like everyone else. She was already carrying the double burden of a transmigrator's soul and a past life—why should she have to face even more danger and trouble?
'Should I look? What if I get dragged into some incredible mess?'
'After all, if you just extrapolate based on the number of dreams per unit of time to trace back the tributary of my dreams, you'd find its length far exceeds twelve years.'
A conflicted expression appeared on her face. Natsume-san felt she might have a bit of decision paralysis. This was essentially a choice about whether to directly confront her own origins.
Following her usual approach, Natsume-san always preferred to simplify problems and hope for others' help, only stepping up to face things when there was absolutely no way left to avoid them.
But Natsume-san also clearly knew that if she faced this particular dream tributary, she would likely uncover many truths buried deep within history.
Why was she targeted by mysterious creatures, forcing her to hide in Academy City?
The past of that shrine maiden from her previous life;
Whether there were even older past-life identities;
And even the truth behind the transmigrator—all were secrets that might be revealed.
'And just what rules does the Dream Phase use to determine a person's information?'
'If the Dream Phase accounts for my past life, then why is everything normal for the Dorm Supervisor? Could it be that for other people, there's no such thing as reincarnation?'
'Or perhaps the humans of this world inherently follow certain rules, while I seem to have jumped outside those constraints. Without a doubt, this must all be a change brought by the soul.'
Her thoughts wandered further, and Natsume-san felt her head was about to swell.
Knowledge involving the workings of the world seemed even harder to grasp than magic.
If the soul represented a person's identity in this world, then her own peculiar transmigrator soul was definitely a troublemaker or an outsider.
'It's just so exhausting. Why can't my own soul be a bit more ordinary, like me?'
Sunlight spilled over her shoulders, and a slight breeze drifted through the open window into the dorm room.
The absent-minded Natsume Sonoko finally quieted down, sitting properly at her desk.
Being honest with oneself and then putting that honesty into practice required courage.
Natsume Sonoko wasn't actually lacking in courage—in fact, she was braver than most—but she often chose the easier path for herself.
Just like in real life: studying hard for a better future, or just drifting along, concerned only with immediate comfort? It was a test of one's character.
'If I choose to know nothing, letting everything from the past fade away, then who will bear the consequences of my willfulness?'
'Dad? Mom? Or everyone here in Academy City?'
Her thoughts were complex. This was an issue laid bare for all to see.
Those strange creatures she encountered when leaving Academy City, her parents' recently unusual behavior… it all seemed to point towards a foreseeable future.
Her mom suddenly deciding to start a company and an automated factory in Academy City, her dad too busy to even show his face until after the Daihaseisai festival… Perhaps her life had always been under someone else's protection.
From the very start, she knew which choice was the right one.
This was something she could never truly escape, once she knew about it.
Yet, sometimes, she just wanted to live an ordinary life, like everyone else in Academy City.
'Just by simply adjusting the timeline to over twelve years ago, the first thing I encounter is that shrine maiden's dreams, huh?'
'No wonder that Ladylee recognized me. We look so alike. And it's different from just superficially resembling Mom—the subtle shifts in expression, the look in the eyes… it's exactly the same person. Just… a bit taller than me.'
Staring blankly as she perceived the shrine maiden within the dream, Natsume-san couldn't help but feel surprised, her mind racing.
This resemblance shocked her. She had thought that even if it was her past life, there would be differences here and there. But aside from height, they looked nearly identical in many ways.
Especially when expressionless—that vacant, blank look was almost exactly the same.
Of course, this discovery also gave Natsume-san an inexplicable boost of encouragement. It meant she too would eventually grow to be over 160 cm. Maybe she'd even end up taller than Reiko one day.
'The dream's setting… an ancient shrine?'
Natsume-san was slightly taken aback. She couldn't pinpoint the exact time period, as there were no clear indicators—not even simple light bulbs or concrete buildings were present.
"Hitomi, why would you say such a frightening thing?"
"We are the chosen shrine maidens. We are destined to serve the god-sama our entire lives."
In the dream Natsume-san was observing, a frail-looking shrine maiden tightly grasped another maiden's arm, tears of fear continuously streaming from her eyes.
Both wore the classic red and white shrine maiden attire. The white upper garment and slightly faded red hakama strongly evoked an ancient era.
Limited by the times and being handmade, their Shrine Maiden robes were far less gorgeous and refined than those in Natsume-san's time. Instead, they appeared coarse, simple, even somewhat worn.
The two had lived within the shrine since childhood, surrounded entirely by matters relating to the gods. A rebellious shrine maiden should have been nearly impossible here. Yet, that possibility became a reality one day.
Because one of them seemed to possess knowledge or memories that didn't belong to this world.
"Tsubaki, you simply don't understand. This world is wrong from the very start."
"This entire shrine is filled with falsehood. None of it makes any sense."
"And you expect me to spend my whole life serving some so-called god? I refuse to accept that!"
Clenching her teeth, facing the girl who was her closest friend—almost like family—the rebellious Hitomi declared with absolute resolve.
When speaking of the world's errors and the shrine's falsehood, the Shrine Maiden named Hitomi could barely maintain a calm tone. But the moment it came to devoting her entire life to servitude, her voice became agitated and vehement.
She was only fourteen. She refused to accept such a pitiful life.
Clearly, this was the root cause of this Shrine Maiden's attempt to rebel.
Whether the gods existed or not, she would not acknowledge them.
The more those around her tried to force religious matters upon her, the more her alternative consciousness—formed from her transmigrator memories—recoiled. She wanted to leave this place, to do what she herself wanted, to find her own place in this world.
It was a personality completely different from Natsume-san's. Natsume-san was content with the status quo, while this Shrine Maiden was assertive, driven, and full of fighting spirit.
Likely, their differing living environments and experiences had forged these two contrasting personalities.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 477
--+--
Natsume Sonoko rarely felt such an urgent desire to understand a complete stranger.
Yet now, she couldn't help but slip into another person's perspective, her expression shifting between curiosity and surprise in response to the other's actions and words.
The stark contrast in their personalities felt refreshing to Natsume-san, especially since the other girl wore a face nearly identical to her own.
It was an eerie sensation, like looking into a distorted mirror. Natsume-san's attention was completely captured by that rebellious shrine maiden.
This was her first time directly confronting her so-called past life.
The other girl wore a simple Shrine Maiden outfit, her long hair tied up in a traditional bun. Her wooden geta made only soft, muted sounds against the floorboards.
Every movement, every gesture, displayed refined grace and etiquette—the result of years of rigorous training. She perfectly fit Natsume-san's mental definition of an ojousama, even if the standards for propriety had shifted drastically between their eras.
It was as if time and space had warped, connecting two existences that should never have intersected in this bizarre way.
Dreams often reflect fragments of reality, sometimes even replaying a person's experiences; the brain unconsciously weaving memories into vivid, lifelike dreams.
And now, Natsume-san was essentially 'watching' snippets from that Shrine Maiden-san's past life.
"It's over? Was the dream really that short?"
"Now that I think about it, they were arguing, weren't they? That Shrine Maiden-san from my past life didn't want to be a proper shrine maiden anymore, and her friend was trying to talk her out of it."
Snapping back to reality, Natsume-san sat dazedly at her desk, her mind still filled with the scenes she'd just witnessed.
This wasn't quite what she had expected. She'd initially assumed that Shrine Maiden-san was a good, dutiful shrine maiden. Turns out, she was actually a bit of a bad one.
Strangely, this made Natsume-san feel a bit happy. 'That sounds like a choice I'd make.'
She herself wasn't a fan of all that feudal superstitious nonsense either.
However, the situation Shrine Maiden-san faced was completely different from Natsume-san's own. Natsume Sonoko's dislike was just a personal preference.
That Shrine Maiden-san, though, had to contend with societal and public opinion pressures.
Drawing a parallel, even though so many adults treated them like lab rats, and her friends often found themselves in danger or under attack, Natsume-san herself had never once considered rebelling against the science side. One had to admit, that felt like a significant step back.
But, what could she say? As long as Natsume-san was content with it herself, that was enough. She knew these were her own genuine feelings, unaffected by any external influence. That Kamijou-senpai's right hand could attest to that.
"So... the Shrine Maiden-san from my past life was named Hitomi, huh? Sounds a bit...perfunctory."
(T/N: the kanji 瞳子 translates to Hitomi, which means eye)
"It seems she didn't even have a family name. Just Hitomi. Was it because her eyes were beautiful, so they called her that?"
"But why has no one ever complimented my eyes? We look almost the same."
Natsume-san blinked, then instinctively opened the notebook on her desk, transcribing the information she'd gathered into a mysterious, martian-like script. 'Good. I hope future me can still understand what I'm writing here.'
She suddenly felt a strong urge to get a good look at her own eyes. But the bandages were still firmly in place, so she had to abandon that peculiar notion.
Although her eyes couldn't see anything, her brain had just perceived something far more distant and mysterious than any physical sight could offer.
"Judging from the dream's content, she probably encountered the same problem I did. That Hitomi-san... is very likely a transmigrator, too."
"Wait, that's not right. Hitomi-san is my past life. The memories of being a transmigrator shouldn't be different. If you consider her and me as a single entity, then there's only ever been one transmigrator: me."
"Something still feels off. Maybe we should be counted as two people. Hitomi-san was the transmigrator in the past, and I am the transmigrator in the present, connected only by a soul-link. How annoying. It's troublesome no matter how you slice it."
She rubbed her not-particularly-bright head. Natsume-san always liked to accompany her thinking with little fidgets; it seemed to help her focus.
Since she couldn't figure out which was correct, she decided to simply stop thinking about it. Both answers seemed plausible anyway.
But before that first problem was even settled, Natsume-san's mind immediately leapt to further connections.
Unsurprisingly, that shrine maiden likely possessed the same perceptual ability she did.
The wooden bow that helped Ladylee find liberation, and the power contained within it, were both things left behind by that Hitomi, and they were deeply intertwined with the Phases.
Furthermore, during her previous experiences, that strange sense of familiarity she felt within the ocean of Phases… part of that likely originated from Hitomi as well.
"Hitomi-san undoubtedly had that perceptual ability too. She saw the world's true form, which is how she could recognize the world's errors and the shrine's falsehood. This world, layered like some giant, multi-decker sandwich… who could possibly like seeing something like that?"
"Her decision to leave the shrine might have been partly because of that. A quest for the world's truth, or something along those lines."
As she pondered, Natsume-san felt a certain resonance with this girl she'd never met, even trying to guess what the other might have been thinking.
She'd long wanted to properly complain to someone about this messed-up world, but no one who could understand her had appeared, and she couldn't explain such bizarre concepts anyway.
Now, she'd finally found someone like that, but that person was already long gone from this world.
Outside, time flowed steadily onward, and one dream bubble after another was being observed.
Compared to the vast, branching river of dreams, the number of bubbles Natsume-san observed was a mere drop in the ocean. Yet, it was enough to give her a basic impression of that Shrine Maiden.
A flood of information concerning the shrine maiden poured into Natsume-san's mind. Most of it was worthless, chaotic dream fragments, but it seemed to be interspersed with some potentially useful intel.
In one of Shrine Maiden-san's dreams, there were records of some simple conjectures she'd made regarding her own perceptual ability.
Concerning the perceptual ability they both shared, unlike Natsume-san's almost perfunctory approach to exploring it, that Shrine Maiden-san had exhibited immense passion for it. For her, it was a crucial power that could help her break free from her cage and seek her true self.
The difference in their circumstances led to two completely opposing attitudes toward this power. Just like their personalities mentioned before, the two of them developed in entirely opposite directions.
But, to get back on track… In this world, the power to traverse between different Phases within the same world can be defined as Telesma.
In some magical societies dedicated to research and exploration, Telesma is even referred to as Angel’s Power.
Simultaneously, this power can also be defined as a forbidden force, not circulated among humanity, and at most can only be manipulated and guided by a select few special humans.
As for the perceptual ability possessed by Natsume-san and the Shrine Maiden, it allows consciousness to wander through Phases and the cosmos. By dropping an anchor point, one could make the Phases feedback the desired information.
While it's impossible to confirm the relationship between this power, which exists only within Natsume-san's mind, and Telesma, merely judging from its ability to traverse Phases, it shares similarities with Telesma.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 478
--+--
Though it shared some similarities with Telesma, its manifestations were almost entirely different.
At the very least, Natsume-san's perceptual ability couldn't really be called a form of energy.
It was more like a purely metaphysical esper ability, requiring computational power to parse the information and intelligence it gathered.
As everyone knew, esper abilities needed to be borne by one's Personal Reality, using computational power to drive that Personal Reality to interfere with the physical universe.
Perceptual ability, however, not only lacked its own unique Personal Reality, but it also had no effect of interfering with the universe or its Phases.
It was just a ghost drifting through the world, staring impassively and self-contentedly at this deeply flawed reality.
'Hitomi hasn't undergone the systematic brain development curriculum that espers have. So how does she parse the intelligence gained from her observations? Just the initial observation of the Phase Sea created enough computational pressure to crush a regular Level 3 esper.'
'Or perhaps, the computational power espers possess isn't the only way to parse information. Depending on the user's worldview, there might be different mechanisms for processing the feedback.'
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Natsume-san's thoughts wandered along these lines.
She couldn't comprehend the true nature of this perceptual ability. It wasn't matter, it wasn't energy, it wasn't magic, and it wasn't science.
The only thing she could confirm was that perception itself was probably related to the identity of the 'Transmigrator', or perhaps connected to the very reason why so-called 'Transmigrators' appeared in this world in the first place.
'Was perception an ability that a Transmigrator brought from another world?'
'But that doesn't explain why it works here too, and why it's so compatible with this world's power system.'
'And does another world truly exist? Beyond the layered Phases, there's nothing. Everything there feels utterly false, even more unacceptable than the Phases themselves. The moment my perception touches it, my brain hurts terribly trying to comprehend its existence, forcing me to abort immediately.'
Thinking this far, the conflicted expression on Natsume-san's face mostly faded away.
She never liked wasting too much time on things she couldn't understand. No matter which world you're from, if you choose to stare at the stars, you'll eventually exhaust yourself on that very path.
The capabilities of a human being have limits. She needed to form an AIM Stray Thought first, at the very least.
Putting down the notebook in her hand, Natsume-san didn't seem to be in the mood to record anything else.
She felt somewhat mentally drained, probably because Natsume Sonoko had absorbed too many dreams and too much information from the same person, leading to a kind of cognitive confusion and disorientation.
This wasn't strongly related to whether the dreams were reenacted.
The brainwashing effects were hard to trigger in a 'read-only' state. This was more like an informational impact stemming from another personality.
After all, Indian Poker couldn't hold that much information; only its brainwashing effect was truly feared. But for the nearly limitless volume and capacity of the dream world, that limitation didn't apply.
Fortunately, espers had a significant advantage in maintaining self-awareness. She could continuously digest the intelligence from another person. However, with so much information flooding her brain at once, her own thought processes were being subtly influenced.
The bun-girl, lacking experience akin to Mental Out's, was ultimately going to pay the price for her greed.
If only she'd consulted that blonde senpai about similar issues beforehand, she'd know the risks of stuffing too much of someone else's life into her head in a short time. Plus, she didn't have that senpai’s skill in tidying up brains.
Furthermore, precisely because the two of them were originally one, this subtle influence seemed even more severe. Deep in her subconscious, Natsume-san also acknowledged the special relationship between herself and the other.
'Can't keep going like this.'
'The dangers hidden within the dreams run far deeper than I imagined.'
Observing that tributary, which was far longer than her own twelve years of dreams, Natsume-san thought with some worry.
She had no desire to develop schizophrenia, to conjure up another Hitomi within her own body. The other's volume of information clearly surpassed her own twelve years of life. Absorbing the other's life without restriction was just asking for trouble.
Personality is closely tied to one's environment and experiences. Once influenced by someone else's life, would the person she became still be herself?
After observing so much of the other's daily life, Natsume-san even found herself unconsciously adopting some of her speech and mannerisms. The only upside was that she seemed a bit more elegant now.
How annoying. Wasn't she elegant before? She'd studied hard on how to become a proper young lady!
Forcing her thoughts back on track, separating herself from the jumble of extraneous information, Natsume-san struggled to clearly recognize the distinctions between the two of them.
Finally, she slumped listlessly against her desk.
At least no major problems had arisen. The other's life was far too fragmented, nowhere near as complete as the river of her own life.
This experience also made Natsume-san somewhat wary about exploring the Dream Phase. If she explored a large enough number of dreams, she could easily imagine her head being stuffed full of the lives of all sorts of people.
To avoid this potential cognitive hazard, having an independent, sound self-awareness was just the foundation. She needed to find powerful anchors to support her own sense of identity.
The simplest method was to enrich her own memories and deepen her various bonds, so she wouldn't lose herself in the vast sea of information.
In Natsume-san's view, even if this Toaru-verse contained beings who could, with a single thought, overwhelm the universe and all Phases, none could withstand the terrifying state of having the infinite informational sea of the world superimposed upon them to achieve a form of omniscience.
That path inevitably led to losing everything, unable to find the shore of salvation.
Unless such a being's own informational content was vaster and more majestic than the world itself. But in reality, if two or more such beings existed, that possibility vanished, as they themselves would be included within that sea of information.
However, what Natsume-san didn't understand was that 'overwhelming the universe' was ultimately just a direct representation of the quantity of matter and energy.
From the perspective of the Toaru-verse itself, matter and energy were essentially meaningless, merely surface-level manifestations of the Creator's power.
Both could be generated and annihilated through various means.
What was more important was the information and knowledge the Creator used to operate the universe, and indeed, the entire world.
But, returning to the main topic, this kind of cognitive hazard, leading to personality loss or collapse, wasn't actually rare. What concerned Natsume-san most was the strange state Misaka-senpai had entered during her previous attempt to advance to Level 6.
The fact that Misaka-senpai managed to hold on until she was saved was actually thanks, in part, to the death memories of the Sisters.
Although those memories were initially meant to guide the level shift, as the evolution deepened, they instead became anchors for Misaka-senpai to maintain her self-awareness.
Her rage and fury preserved her personality, preventing it from being assimilated and lost within the power of the incomplete Level 6 in a short time.
This made Natsume-san realize the immense risk involved in becoming a Level 6. Her own twelve years of experience were utterly insufficient to support such a dangerous integration with the universe, the manifestation of one's self among the stars.
That white-haired boy, who supposedly could naturally become a Level 6 in over two hundred years, aside from meeting certain hard requirements, probably had a life span of two centuries, enough to support the integrity of his personality.
As for the previous, almost forcibly accelerated Level 6 Shift Project, from this perspective, it seemed even more suspicious.
Fighting the Sisters might stimulate an increase in computational power, but using that as a means to form anchors supporting a complete personality seemed far too crude. It was even less effective than the bond with Last Order.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 479
--+--
Rubbing her throbbing temples, Natsume Sonoko willed herself to maintain a sense of calm, at least on the surface.
The subject of Level 6 was simply too advanced, probably the ultimate power an ordinary person on the science side could even conceive of.
Even for someone like her, an esper already standing at the pinnacle of Academy City, that unknown realm inspired waves of curiosity and longing.
For a mere human to comprehend the will of a god—just thinking about it made it clear this was something that would overturn the current understanding of the science side.
After all, the science side didn't believe in gods, yet the evaluation of a Level 6 had to be elevated to a divine level.
That necessarily implied an absolute dominance over all espers, including those at Level 5.
Because of this, Natsume had once doubted whether a Level 6 could truly emerge. But judging from the brief glimpse she'd had of Misaka-senpai's advancement, it seemed possible.
As total processing power continuously increased, eventually reaching the point of being loaded with the entire computational capacity of the Misaka Network, an esper would reach a critical point where they could interface with the AIM diffusion field.
That was likely the external manifestation of a portion of the Level 6's power.
What started as the brain's unconsciously released AIM diffusion field would, through the brain's own evolution, eventually reach a stage of instinctual sensing and control over the energy of the AIM fields.
Even an unprepared, or even irrational, Misaka-senpai could manipulate the AIM field as effortlessly as moving her own fingers.
However, what nagged at Natsume was that her own processing power was still steadily increasing even now, without her having touched any supposed ability ceiling.
When she had first advanced to Level 5, she didn't even possess the foundational level of processing power for a Level 5—what she had always believed to be roughly ten times that of an ordinary Level 4.
Of course, this assessment wasn't officially recognized by Academy City authorities; it was just gossip Natsume had picked up online, though it was probably close to the average Level 5's actual level.
As time passed, her current processing power had now significantly surpassed that foundational level.
Many computations that were once strenuous had become easier, and she no longer needed to occasionally borrow power from Reiko's side like before.
As long as this steady growth trend wasn't abruptly interrupted someday, it meant she too might reach that critical point of computational power. It would just take a long time, like it had for Accelerator.
That said, Natsume herself had no awareness of this potential to become a Level 6. After all, she always considered herself utterly ordinary.
"Haaah."
'The Dorm Supervisor is going out. Dressed so neatly, she must be heading to school.'
'Come to think of it, after something that serious happened within the school, the Supervisor must be feeling pretty awful too. Those brainwashing cards were circulating right there in the student dorms, and she didn't notice a thing.'
Propping her finely sculpted, slender jaw on her hand, the expressionless look on Natsume's face gradually regained some liveliness as she shifted her focus back to the real world.
Strictly speaking, the Dorm Supervisor was negligent for allowing such a dangerous item to infiltrate the student dorms.
Not that anyone would blame her, of course.
Even though she could easily reduce a Level 5 to tears and make a certain teleporter's head spin a hundred eighty degrees, she was ultimately just an ordinary, single woman getting on in years.
You couldn't ask too much of the Supervisor, and hardly anyone could have foreseen the danger.
But with the Supervisor out on business, a certain bun-haired girl’s options immediately multiplied.
Whether it was staying obediently in the dorms like a good girl, or sneakily climbing out the window for some 'club field research,' a certain bun-girl’s range of activities suddenly expanded to encompass all of Academy City.
And judging by the Supervisor's usual routine, she'd have at least two or three hours of free time. If the Supervisor decided to have lunch at school, that window could be extended even further.
Being the considerate little darling of the student dorms, Natsume Sonoko made an effort not to cause trouble for her Supervisor. She was even careful when climbing out the window not to step on the flowers and plants in the nearby garden beds.
--+--
Tokiwadai Middle School, within the School Garden.
The aftermath of yesterday's assault incident hadn't yet settled.
You could still see Tokiwadai students discussing it everywhere.
A few high-grade senpai, looking troubled and anxious, glanced towards the Shokuhou Clique's territory, seemingly worried that the Level 5 might use this chance to carry out a ruthless 'purge' to strengthen her absolute control within the school.
Anyone who had lived through the Tokiwadai clique wars a year ago and Shokuhou Clique's subsequent unification understood just how decisive and forceful that elegant blonde girl could be.
While it was true that the core members of the former three major cliques had graduated around that time, it was ultimately because the Shokuhou Clique's influence had swollen to an insurmountable level in such a short period.
Then again, thanks to the combined intervention of the Shokuhou Clique and the school board, most Tokiwadai students who weren't involved in yesterday's events still only had a vague understanding.
The school forum was flooded with new posts, everyone eagerly participating in the discussion about Tokiwadai's rare internal brawl.
Outside of Tokiwadai, only the other schools within the School Garden had received some ambiguous information.
The specific details had been locked down within the School Garden by the school board, swiftly resolving a potential public relations crisis for Tokiwadai.
One of the most popular pieces of information circulating on the school forum, however, was that the first-year, Natsume Sonoko, had wrecked one of the movable classrooms in the school building.
A certain blonde girl, using the ID 'Queen Bee,' browsed the school forum in stealth mode, then rubbed her own temples with a rather pained expression.
As Academy City began its seasonal uniform changeover, the first-year students had received their new uniforms.
Most upperclassmen, barring those whose figures had changed significantly, were wearing their uniforms from previous years.
Shokuhou Misaki was also wearing her beige ladies' suit, her well-developed figure straining the fabric in a way that didn't look typical for a middle schooler her age.
Right now, she seemed to be still pondering how to handle the fallout from yesterday.
But the excessive curiosity of the student body was causing her genuine headaches—case in point, a certain Railgun.
Not far in front of her, a girl with a fierce and scrutinizing air stood with her arms crossed, attempting to extract some real information from this nuisance, Shokuhou Misaki—a girl she'd always clashed with, though their relationship had seemingly improved somewhat lately.
--+--
Academy City Weather Report! - 480
--+--
Genuine intelligence naturally couldn't be handed over so freely to this Railgun.
Placing the electronic device in her hand to the side, Shokuhou Misaki took a delicate sip of the black tea set before her. In her heart, she still didn't trust the Electromaster sitting across from her, and her face appropriately showed it.
A paranoid, persecution-complex wasn't easily cured; it was a deeply ingrained flaw.
Furthermore, according to gossipy tidbits she'd picked up, this Misaka-san had also used Indian Poker. There was no guarantee the other girl's mind was still in a normal state.
"My apologies, Misaka-san."
"The fact that I'm willing to meet with you this closely already means I'm taking a considerable risk."
"While you might not be fully aware of yesterday's events, with your abilities, you can't possibly miss the information spreading through the networks. So you should know, someone like you, who has used Indian Poker, is highly likely to be a dangerous individual harboring latent, extreme violent tendencies."
Leaning back lazily in her chair, a mischievous smile played at the corners of Shokuhou's eyes. She made a show of pulling a remote from her bag.
This 'Golden Glitter' seemed to relish this feeling of provocation. What a terrible personality.
It was a good thing Natsume-san had mostly seen a different side of this golden-haired upperclassman, otherwise the perfect image he held of her would have crumbled to dust immediately.
"You're as much of a pain as ever, you know that?"
"No matter what reservations you have, blocking information is really infuriating. Would letting everyone know the truth really affect your precious position in this school?"
Tiny arcs of electricity sparked across her forehead. The muscles around Misaka-san's mouth tightened into a strained, yet still polite, smile.
This feeling of having to hold back was awful. She really wanted to hit her with a ten-million-volt jolt, let Shokuhou Misaki experience a taste of a certain Kuroko's daily life.
"Queen—! Misaka-san...!"
"Let's all talk this over properly, please! Have some biscuits...!"
Flustered, Hokaze Junko inserted herself into the conversation between the two Level 5s. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, her expression a mix of embarrassment and anxiety. She was holding a tray of freshly baked biscuits, hurrying over.
Clearly, she was also among those who had used Indian Poker; even Misaka-san's card had come from her.
To secretly observe this meeting between the two espers, Hokaze-senpai had temporarily set aside the complicated affairs of her clique, constantly stealing glances in their direction.
Come to think of it, this complicated faction girl still seemed to hold onto her previous idea.
Even though the idea involved pushing someone she cared about toward someone else, Hokaze Junko was determined to see it through, her resolve seemingly strengthened by the previous day's attack.
The Queen was fragile. She needed more protectors.
In contrast, her former inferiority complex toward Level 5s had faded considerably after a battle where she'd fought all-out and successfully protected her Queen.
"Junko-chan, you're too soft. That stammering tone doesn't suit you one bit."
"Use that brute strength of yours and pin Misaki-chan and Mikoto-chan to the table, then force-feed them each half a biscuit! Junko-chan worked so hard to make these!"
A certain ghostly young lady, puffing her cheeks in clear dissatisfaction, desperately offered Junko all sorts of advice, annoyed that the two girls were so busy talking they were ignoring Junko's biscuits.
"Though, it's not as if I can tell you nothing at all."
Changing her tone, Shokuhou Misaki placed her hands on the seat, adjusted her posture to sit up properly, and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, looking as if she was hesitating to speak.
"What do you want to say?" Misaka-senpai's brow furrowed.
"Among yesterday's attackers, there was one named Houjou Arei. From what I've learned, her brother works at a certain university hospital, and he happens to be a former researcher of the Clone Dolly facility."
"If we're to speculate on who might be connected to the distribution of Indian Poker, he is the most likely candidate."
Shokuhou Misaki spoke after a moment's thought.
After acquiring Houjou Arei's memories, many clues had connected, quickly leading her to her brother, whose senses had been damaged in an experimental accident.
She had a pretty good idea of what kind of opponent she was facing now; she just didn't know how they would make their move.
But before they initiated their plan, putting in more effort was definitely not wrong. In this regard, she could indeed make use of Misaka Mikoto's power.
If Misaka Mikoto really did have any latent violent tendencies, it was better she take it out on those guys.
According to experimental data, most people bewitched by Indian Poker would sober up after one good, thorough venting session.
However, it was more likely that the one hiding in the shadows, that Mitsuari Ayu girl, had already completed all her preparations, which was why she'd so brazenly sent people to attack her.
"You want me to investigate this person?"
"You just want to slack off yourself, don't you?"
Misaka-senpai's face showed clear dissatisfaction. This was completely different from the information she had been expecting.
A researcher from the Clone Dolly facility—was there a necessary connection to Indian Poker?
Even though she was baffled, Misaka-senpai still considered it seriously.
From the start, Misaka-senpai had wanted to understand why Natsume-san had been attacked.
In other words, this Railgun was here to stand up for her kouhai. Investigating the source of the Indian Poker was the key to finding the mastermind.
Just thinking about her kouhai, both eyes wrapped in bandages, looking so pitiful, made Misaka-senpai's blood boil, which was why she wanted to get involved in this matter.
"Are you saying the Indian Poker originates from that research facility called Clone Dolly?"
"But Clone Dolly is where you used to be, right? So yesterday's attack was actually aimed at you."
Catching on immediately, Misaka Mikoto spoke with a tone of dawning realization.
This fit Misaka Mikoto's earlier suspicions. While her kouhai sometimes stayed out all night and occasionally got into street fights, she was genuinely a kind girl.
If the problem lay with Shokuhou Misaki, then it was much easier to accept. Her kouhai had probably just been caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned building that was once part of the Clone Dolly facility, a girl named Mitsuari Ayu stared at several wide-screen monitors. They densely displayed the locations of various cards they had distributed, like a vast net connecting to the entire Academy City.
A look of yearning adorned her face, as if she was dreaming of an imminent future, or perhaps reminiscing about something.
However, it seemed some unexpected events had occurred within Academy City, forcing her to slow down her plans.
Launching her plan while the adults were overwhelmed sounded good in theory, but it would inevitably provoke a direct counterattack from the Board of Directors.
Those lofty adults could smile and overlook her various actions because her plan, in essence, was still validating the experimental projects they had once sanctioned. She had even prepared herself for punishment.
But if she chose to initiate her plan under these circumstances, those adults would no longer tolerate it. The chance of success would be almost zero.
Walking on tiptoe through the deserted, abandoned building, her chocolate-brown hair swaying slightly, the girl with her fingers locked behind her back moved slowly, pursing her lips.
The windows, firmly boarded up, allowed little outside sunlight to filter in. The dim light cast a gloomy, eerie feeling over everything.
This place was also a relic of the former Clone Dolly, but it wasn't the same building that housed the Exterior. It was merely one research base for the Internal Evolution project, abandoned after Clone Dolly collapsed.
Accustomed to this loneliness and desolation, Mitsuari Ayu's gaze was cold and aggressive, yet it also held troubles and sorrows she couldn't easily share with others.
When you got down to it, she was only middle-school age.
But someone like her was destined to have no place in a bustling, normal school. The moment she immersed herself in that false atmosphere where 'hard work guarantees success,' her heart would contort with pain.
They started from a similar place, yet she and that golden-haired girl standing in the sunlight had walked toward completely different futures, a chasm named 'Level 5' thoroughly dividing them.
Someone like her could only lurk in the city's dark corners, barely surviving, doing what she believed was right.
Then, as one of Clone Dolly's remnants, she would make one final effort for the dreams of a group of failures, seeking redemption.
"Everyone from Internal Evolution... they're all unhappy now, aren't they? No matter how lively the environment, no matter what changes happen around them, that past can't be erased."
"Junko-chan couldn't become a Level 5 due to her physical limits. Chisaki-chan fell into a long coma after an experiment. And I... I gave up my chance to become a Level 5."
"Kotori-chan still didn't develop a power even after her brain was damaged. Iruka-chan lost an eye in an accident. Toomine-sensei had her heart pierced by shrapnel... Such a tragic ending, it's a despair that makes you want to break down. Everyone from Internal Evolution... failed."
Kicking aside some debris at her feet, the smile gradually faded from Mitsuari Ayu's face, leaving only helplessness and uncertainty.
Her eyes fell upon the classroom they used during the Internal Evolution days. One figure after another flashed in her memory. She leaned against the doorframe, just like she used to, but the children she had cared for were long gone.
"If even one person had succeeded... then everyone's sacrifices would have meant something."
"This kind of complete, utter defeat... I can never accept it. What does this cold city even think of all the sacrifices so many people made?"
Snapping back to reality, Mitsuari Ayu struggled to suppress her emotions, leaving only a fiercer flame burning in her heart.
She would redeem their past. One of them would definitely become a Level 5 and fulfill everyone's dream.
Even if that person wasn't her.
"And besides... this is a revelation."
At that thought, a look of yearning surfaced once more in Mitsuari Ayu's eyes.
Just when she was about to give up completely and accept this tragic outcome, Indian Poker had suddenly appeared within the city.
This legacy, stemming from Internal Evolution, was connected to the 'Ideal Ability' experiment that had caused the severe accident at Clone Dolly—the experiment to create what they called 'God.'
--+--