Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

The world fell silent, light and shadow receded, and all tangible things dissolved into nothingness.

Anything that didn't contribute to computation seemed to vanish from Natsume Sonoko's mind, becoming insignificant specks in a vast, desolate world.

Put in terms of an ancient philosophy, this was probably the advanced state of being unburdened by material concerns.

Truth be told, it was rare for Natsume Sonoko to be so wholly, single-mindedly focused.

Holding her breath, clearing her thoughts, she felt like a fisherman out at sea, slowly reeling in his line from the boundless ocean, anticipating the final catch.

And as she struggled through this vast sea, certain obvious things gradually revealed themselves to her. She began to understand information contained within the AIM diffusion fields.

To her relief, the way the AIM fields expressed 'formulas' wasn't different from her earlier conjectures. It was a phased process, moving from the simple to the complex, from the near to the far—quite consistent with the common sense of an ordinary person like Natsume Sonoko.

"Even by working backwards to the 'formula's' starting point this way, I can't see the original 'formula' itself, only the fragmented remnants of the 'formula' as it changed over time."

"To truly understand the formula's true form, I can't rely on these 'fragments.' I need to reinterpret the entire data region near the 'starting point,' filtering out the variances caused by the passage of time."

"However, compared to the monumental task of interpreting the entire path from start to finish, focusing the target just around the 'starting point' is much more manageable. It eliminates a huge amount of useless work and even allows some room for error."

She drew a quiet breath, the nervous tension coiling tighter within the bun-girl.

She felt she had gained some initiative, but the scale of the work remaining was still immense.

No matter what data the AIM field originally held, it had been drastically altered under the influence of the external 'formula.'

What she was interpreting wasn't just the data itself, but also the patterns of change and disturbance induced by the formula's influence.

But as long as the mastermind behind this gave her enough time to find the inputted 'formula,' then the goddess of victory would be waving at her.

"There's no time. Kazakiri-san looks more real now."

"The optical 'formula' input by that mastermind is changing. They're making some kind of adjustments."

The moment she pinpointed the 'starting point' path through reverse calculation, Natsume Sonoko realized she had no spare time at all.

This was natural, of course. Wasn't debugging all about checking for issues? And since no problems were found, they'd immediately move on to the next step.

Which meant the path she had just found would soon become useless. The ripples from the second stone would severely disrupt the changes here, unless they happened to drop both stones in the exact same spot.

"Then there's only one way. I stop interpreting in real-time and dedicate all my current computational power to recording and organizing the data from the 'starting point' section. Then, I'll put the observed data into Reiko's pending tasks."

As the thought formed, Natsume Sonoko prepared to postpone all the existing formula derivations running on the computer inside Reiko's body, instantly freeing up what would have been a month's worth of work for Reiko.

It was like switching from having to solve problems to simply copying the problems into a notebook to solve later. And this notebook was Natsume Sonoko's own brain.

She didn't know exactly how much capacity the human brain possessed, but just thinking about the 103,000 grimoires Index stored in her head showed that human potential was substantial.

She could even borrow Reiko's brain capacity, but Natsume-san wouldn't do that.

The internal data of the AIM field contained a mass of chaotic thoughts from others, which would severely interfere with Reiko's nascent consciousness.

Although Sonoko would only extract the valuable parts, she couldn't possibly catch everything. She was bound to record some of the chaotic noise—this was the risk she now had to face.

"Am I really going to do this?"

"If problems arise, I'll just stop immediately."

Natsume Sonoko comforted herself with these words. It was already hard for her to stop.

Whether for Kazakiri Hyouka's sake, or because of a certain sudden, awakened longing within herself, she chose to keep trying.

Things like this only happened once, and then countless times. Ever since she chose to accept that Hitomi's memories, her internal threshold had been gradually lowering. That was probably why she was being so decisive now.

As long as she remained the lazy, helpful, kind-hearted Natsume Sonoko, there was no possibility of being replaced.

It was like growth, in a way—a process akin to killing your current self, though nobody really paid it any mind.

Her anxious heart finally calmed as the first batch of data flowed into her mind. Natsume Sonoko was surprised to find that this data didn't cause nearly as much trouble as she had anticipated. Even the extreme emotions of other ability users were scarce.

Normally, AIM fields rarely carried data like memories, but were full of emotional content. Because the AIM field was energy unconsciously emitted by ability users, it was naturally influenced by their emotional state at the time.

Was it because many people were just like her?

Or perhaps the noisy thoughts in most people's field energy were just reflections of their daily lives.

The mundane day-to-day life of a certain bun-girl wasn't really any different from anyone else's in Academy City. She just occasionally ran into unpleasant situations.

Her worries and joys were simple and unadorned. Happiness came from eating delicious food; she didn't put on a pleasant face for people she disliked; for friends she cherished, she'd stand her ground no matter how scared she was; and her lack of money was just like most other students.

Even as a Level 5, she was more like a cog lost in the crowd—an unexpected benefit of her ordinary nature.

Hidden somewhere in the world, this was a power that could be called 'the everyday.'

Incidents like the previous Level Upper, which caused ability users' fields and emotions to run wild, seemed more like exceptions. Negative things could never truly replace the cherished daily life. And the resulting aggregates of negative fields were just insignificant parts of the vast ocean of fields.

Although there weren't many extreme emotions, the most prevalent feeling within was a longing to be a stronger ability user.

But this overlapped significantly with Natsume-san's own emotions. She too had climbed step by step from an ordinary ability user.

"It's like... everyone in Academy City is inside me now."

"That's not quite right either. I'm just witnessing the traces of many people's existence. Sounds pretty impressive when you say it like that."

Natsume-san couldn't help but let her thoughts wander as she worked to imprint the data into her brain, for the waves from the second stone were coming.

And this massive amount of information would be neatly arranged in a corner of her mind, waiting for a certain righteous shoujo to review it.

Having read the chaotic data within the fields and being exposed to the countless ordinary emotions contained within, the bun-girl seemed to have been granted an impenetrable armor, shielding her from severe psychological issues.

Under the impact of so many plain, ordinary emotions, the strong-willed might have their resolve eroded, the brave might turn cowardly, the faithful might become doubtful, and the ambitious might grow dull. Only the girl who was ordinary to begin with seemed largely unchanged.

This also represented a possibility: that Natsume Sonoko might eventually have a chance to harness this colossal field dragon, born from the convergence of ordinary ability users, without instantly losing her nature and will.

"If Kazakiri-san is the core of the numerous AIM field energies, an extension of everyone's collective will, then her existence represents the true inner nature of most ability users."

"Everyone in Academy City... they aren't actually violent or evil. Instead, they're naive and pure. People like that white-haired guy are ultimately a minority."

Upon touching this quasi-collective consciousness within the field, Natsume Sonoko clearly understood one thing, and a feeling of agreement welled up inside her.

Even if Kazakiri-san's personality could be artificially determined, it would ultimately end up on a similar path.

Because a field core was, by nature, an aggregate of everyone's thoughts.

Even the mastermind couldn't defy the overarching nature of the AIM fields to forcibly create a being with a will that contradicted the collective intent of the ability users—unless they wanted a tool that operated poorly and was plagued by chaotic thoughts.

So from the very beginning, their choices were limited.

Her mind gradually began to fill with data. The high-intensity input made Natsume Sonoko's head feel heavy and muddled.

But Natsume-san was, after all, a girl with similar experiences. Between reading the memories of a transmigrator and interpreting dream memories, she was already quite accustomed to this sort of thing.

Having circumvented the most worrying psychological issues, all that remained was Natsume Sonoko's own capacity to absorb the data.

Indeed, you couldn't compare people.

Index was, in some ways, not entirely human.

Recording such a vast amount of data in a short time, even for a Level 5 like Natsume-san, caused waves of nausea and discomfort. Her brain was sending warnings through her body, telling her this was dangerous.

Unfortunately, at this moment, Natsume Sonoko's body was almost beyond her control. Even sensations like nausea were significantly dulled, manifesting only as faint twitches in the stomach muscles of her 145-centimeter-tall frame.

Fortunately, the heavy, muddled feeling spread through both Reiko and Sonoko's bodies, making her realize the severity of her problem.

But by this time, she had already weathered three rounds of changes to the optical 'formula,' managing to collect sufficient data on the optical aspects.

Moreover, the other party seemed to have no further intention of adjusting the optics, giving the bun-girl some time to rest.

"I should have realized it sooner. If Kazakiri-san is an aggregate of the fields within the Phase, then naturally, my share is included too."

"Which means... that mastermind has been using my power through Kazakiri-san all along."

Her thoughts raced, and a distinctly uncomfortable feeling rose in the bun-girl' heart.

--+--

At a certain crossroads in District 18, the traffic lights had cycled through red and green several times. Even the passersby casting curious glances had changed over multiple times.

In this peaceful, utterly normal environment, Index, clad in her white nun's habit, flusteredly knelt on the ground, desperately shaking the bun-girl who had suddenly collapsed as if struck by a severe, unknown ailment.

Just moments ago, the two had been happily chatting about the local culture of District 18.

While they thought the variety of snacks here wasn't as rich as in District 7, the flavors seemed superior, and they agreed to visit more often in the future if they had the chance.

But in almost an instant, before Index could even react, the body of the girl beside her went limp as if all support had vanished, crumpling to the ground.

Thankfully, she didn't hit anything on the way down, avoiding secondary injury, though her newly issued winter uniform was now dirty.

"Sonoko-chan, this is so scary! Did you get a stomach ache? Is it food poisoning, like Touma mentioned?"

"Right! I need to get Sonoko-chan to the hospital!"

It was only after shaking her friend's arm until her own grew sore that the little nun snapped back to reality.

She couldn't just continue like this. She needed to do something. After all, they were a team.

Though she didn't know what was happening to Sonoko, taking her to the hospital was surely the right move. The people called doctors would know what to do.

Index thought of the place Touma visited every few days, a place whose smell of disinfectant was all too familiar. Her expression finally became more animated.

Wiping the worried tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Index tried hard to stand up and then attempted to lift the bun-girl.

Fortunately, due to her drastic weight loss, the girl's weight had dropped to a worrying level; there wasn't much flesh on her bones.

Even Index, who was similar in height and build, could barely manage to lift her, though moving was still a struggle.

"Hey, you there! Do you need help? My, what a surprising encounter. A nun, the rarest sight in Academy City."

"So, Miss Nun, are you and that Tokiwadai student friends?"

An unfamiliar girl's voice came from behind. When Index turned her head, she saw a short girl with golden twin tails carrying a red backpack.

She looked only about twelve or thirteen, no different from an ordinary elementary school student, and not very tall either—in fact, she was shorter than Index, barely on the same level as the bun-girl.

Index, you see, was a full three centimeters taller than Sonoko.

But whether it was her appearance or height, what immediately caught Index's eye was the green armband on the girl's arm.

So, she was a Judgment member, just like Sonoko.

However, at this time of day, few students were out and about. Most Judgment members were still in class. Running into one on the street was quite a rare occurrence.

"Let me help too."

"My name is Kihara Nayuta. I'm a new Judgment member."

The tall camphor trees lining the sidewalk cast deep, thick shadows, enveloping the few girls in this small, secluded space.

The air around them grew still in an instant. The movement of vehicles seemed to slow down, and if one listened closely, they could almost hear each other's breathing.

After offering her help, Kihara Nayuta placed her hand on the shoulder of the bun-girl. A faint curiosity and concern flickered in her eyes as she skillfully attended to the limp, paralyzed girl.

She was a genuine Judgment member, not some criminal impersonating one with a stolen green armband. That was the main reason she had stepped forward to help.

In fact, she belonged to Judgment Branch 49, a subsidiary of the Advanced Education Department.

However, this school had ceased formal operations several years ago. Even the Advanced Education Department itself was nearly defunct.

So, although she held student status, she didn't need to attend school until she transferred to a middle school.

And, just like her appearance suggested, she was actually still an elementary school student.

Someone like Natsume-san, who by age should be in elementary school but was actually in middle school, was the real rarity.

Come to think of it, this Kihara-san could choose to remain at this school in name only, as the institution held certification to operate classes from elementary through high school.

"So, this is the Sonoko-neechan that Banri-neechan mentioned? She looks the same age as me."

"The Level 4 who accidentally stumbled into Banri-neechan's world and saved them all... has now become a Level 5, a dazzling star high above in Academy City."

"Even more legendary than Misaka Mikoto, a true legend who rose from Level 0 to Level 5, climbing all six steps. You know, even the Railgun started out as a Level 1 when her ability was first developed."

Kihara Nayuta drew a quiet breath, her feelings complicated. A flood of information about the girl before her flashed through her mind, causing her to somewhat overlook Index, who was trying to continue the conversation.

Many people overlooked Natsume Sonoko's past, only seeing her dazzling present. But for many researchers hidden in the shadows, her past had long been dissected and laid bare before certain eyes.

Natsume-san easily empathized with lower-level ability users and even Level 0s because she was once one of them. This was also why she often carried a strange sense of melancholy.

Everyone worked hard, drinking bitter medicine together, having electrodes inserted into their heads together, being tormented to the brink together... yet only she had reached this point.

Those who hadn't experienced striving together with others, only to find themselves alone in achieving the dream, could hardly understand—especially a sensitive girl like Natsume-san.

"It looks like this Tokiwadai student collapsed suddenly."

Snapping back to attention, Kihara Nayuta slowly slid her backpack off her shoulders and took out a first-aid kit issued by Judgment.

--+--

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