The road was busy with a steady stream of vehicles. As she approached the traffic lights, Natsume Sonoko came to a stop well before the crossing, dismounted her bicycle, and walked it across the crossroad.
With some time still left before class, she thought about finding an ATM to check her balance and withdraw some cash.
To be honest, Natsume Sonoko didn't have many expenses.
Meals, clothing, and accommodation were all provided by Tokiwadai Middle School, along with free school bus services. The essentials of daily life required zero effort on her part.
Most of her spending was focused on snacks, games, and the occasional big-ticket item. For instance, the bicycle she was riding now counted as her most significant recent purchase.
'I should get a decent laptop this time. The tablet is fine, but it just doesn't have that satisfying feel of tapping away on a physical keyboard,' Sonoko thought to herself.
As a seasoned denizen of the internet, she knew full well that you need good tools to do good work.
Technology products in Academy City were a dime a dozen, and computers weren't particularly expensive. Compared to bulky desktop models, Sonoko preferred the portability of a laptop.
Once she had one, looking up study materials online would be much more convenient.
Even a high-end laptop with excellent specs wouldn't be priced too exorbitantly at a specialty store. The actual cost really wasn't that much.
Setting aside Sonoko's plans to buy a laptop for 'studying,' as she passed a cosmetics store, she was surprised to see, through the display window, none other than Shirai-san, meticulously selecting cosmetics.
Shirai was hunched over the lipstick counter, completely absorbed in picking out her preferred shades.
A strange smile played on her lips, and she seemed immersed in a state of inexplicable bliss, as if her spirit had attained immense satisfaction.
Looking at the assortment of shopping bags piled at Shirai Kuroko's feet, it appeared her shopping spree had been quite productive.
They had just seen each other at the dorm, and only about half an hour had passed since they parted ways. To have already bought so much... Shirai-san's efficiency was truly impressive.
'But hasn't Shirai-san been really busy lately? How does she have time to buy cosmetics? Don't tell me she's planning another date scheme...'
Sonoko's mind whirred. This unusual behavior from Shirai immediately gave her a foreboding feeling, a sense of an approaching storm.
The feeling was irrational, but she couldn't help feeling a wave of concern for Misaka-senpai.
'Just the other day, she wouldn't come shopping or to the supermarket, and now she's sneaking around buying cosmetics that the school explicitly forbids. Something is definitely up with Shirai-san.'
Shirai, a master strategist when it came to these things, seemed to be brewing a new plan, likely after her long string of failed dating schemes.
Sonoko pedaled past the cosmetics store, picking up speed. Since there were quite a few pedestrians on this road, the dust she kicked up wasn't actually that much, and she was only going slightly faster than walking pace.
Before long, she finally found an available ATM. Since the ATMs inside convenience stores charged a small fee, Sonoko always preferred to use the public ones.
Pulling her bicycle to a stop by the roadside, a hint of anticipation on her face, she opened the ATM booth's door, inserted her card, entered her PIN, and checked her balance.
So many zeros. No need to divulge the exact number here. After all, yen aren't worth that much anyway.
After carefully checking the balance, which matched her expectations, Sonoko roughly calculated her upcoming expenses and withdrew a modest amount of cash.
The cash used within Academy City was slightly different from the yen circulated outside.
It was produced by the Academy City Mint and even contained an anti-counterfeiting IC chip. Counterfeit bills probably didn't exist here.
She slipped the money into her small wallet, stuffed the wallet into her schoolbag, and completed the whole routine with practiced ease. She was out of the ATM booth in about two minutes.
But just as she prepared to get back on her bicycle and leave, she froze. A slight frown creased her forehead. Something felt very wrong.
'It must be the way I opened the door.' She turned in a complete circle on the spot, then, stubbornly refusing to believe it, went back into the ATM booth and came out again, but she still couldn't locate a certain missing item.
'My bicycle? Where's my bicycle? Where did my perfectly large bicycle go?' Sonoko stood there, schoolbag in hand, one fist clenched tightly.
An intense internal struggle seemed to be raging within her.
'It's not possible. Something must be wrong.' Her mind was in a jumble. She stood there blankly, rooted to the spot, her thoughts far away.
--+--
"Natsume-san, Natsume-san, you seem distracted today?"
In class, Watanabe Ayame glanced worriedly at Natsume Sonoko. From the start of the lesson until now, Natsume-san hadn't seemed like herself.
Gently nudging Sonoko with her elbow, Watanabe whispered softly.
This wasn't like the usual Natsume-san. The usual Natsume-san almost never let her mind wander.
"Natsume Sonoko, please solve this problem." Just then, the math teacher called on her, pointing to a question on the blackboard.
Sonoko walked up to the podium, her face expressionless. Being a bit too short, she had to struggle onto her tiptoes to write the answer on the board, but her face still wore that same vacant look, which was strangely concerning.
"Very good. Not only the correct answer, but also a very simple and efficient method." The math teacher nodded in satisfaction.
"What's wrong? You seem really off today, Natsume-san?"
As Sonoko returned to her seat, Watanabe Ayame beside her patted her arm again and whispered inquiringly.
"Watanabe-san, do you know the saying 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'?" Sonoko turned her head blankly, looking at Watanabe Ayame as she spoke softly.
"Huh? I don't get it." Watanabe was clearly unable to follow Sonoko's train of thought.
"This morning, my bicycle was stolen. At the same time, school was about to start. I could only choose one: look for the bike, or get to school." Sonoko explained.
Her stiff expression instantly changed, her eyes now filled with a look of pure frustration.
"So... you ran all the way to class, Natsume-san?" Watanabe seemed to have understood something, but what came out of her mouth was completely unrelated.
"No. I asked a Judgment member for help. Shirai Kuroko-san brought me to school. If I'd run, I definitely would have been late. I couldn't have found a taxi in such a short time either."
Sonoko explained honestly.
Although she had asked for Shirai-san's help again, she absolutely did not think of Shirai-san as some sort of tool.
They were both just heading to school anyway, right?
Even though Shirai-san seemed a bit annoyed that a certain someone had called Judgment again, she still rushed to the scene, laden with her shopping bags, which inexplicably made Sonoko feel somewhat touched.
"That's amazing! Shirai-san can carry someone and travel that far? As expected of our school's only spatial ability user." Watanabe exclaimed in surprise.
"Did Shirai-san agree to help find your bicycle?" The two chatted back and forth, until Watanabe finally arrived at the most crucial question.
"She agreed. After school, I'm going to the 177th Branch Office where Shirai-san is, to check the surveillance footage." Sonoko replied after a moment's thought.
Checking the cameras when you lose something is perfectly logical.
Their whispered conversation in class didn't cause any ripples. Even while talking with Watanabe, neither of them fell behind the teacher's lecture.
They even managed to finish the practice problems during gaps in their conversation.
Finally, it was time for club activities. A certain someone's club activities were always so… straightforward.
Today, the first place to investigate was decided: the Judgment 177th Branch Office.
The Judgment 177th Branch Office was located in Sakugawa Middle School. It took Sonoko a long time to walk there, leaving her limbs feeling tired and sore.
"Is Shirai-san not here?" Arriving at the 177th Activity Branch, Sonoko didn't see Shirai, only Uiharu-san was there alone.
"She's not. Shirai-san has already responded to a report and is out," Uiharu replied, seated in front of a computer. A small red dot moved constantly across the screen as Uiharu busied herself giving directions to Shirai Kuroko.
"Is it about that series of bombings? Has the situation gotten worse recently?" Sonoko asked curiously.
"Yes, the bomb incident has escalated. Several innocent people have been injured recently. This time, a shop's windows were shattered, and a number of people at the scene sustained cuts from the glass," Uiharu explained slowly, a slight frown on her face.
"Natsume-san, I heard from Shirai-san that your bicycle was stolen. Would you like to check the surveillance footage now?" Uiharu, who seemed to have learned about the situation from Shirai on the other end of the headset, looked up at Sonoko.
"Yes, the location is near the ATM on Third Street in School District 7," Sonoko said, her spirits lifting instantly.
"Okay, there are twenty-one surveillance cameras in the vicinity. I've pulled up all the feeds," Uiharu said. Almost as soon as Sonoko finished speaking, Uiharu's voice came again, "All set."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.