[Updraft: Formed by air pressure differences from thermal expansion/contraction - Research Complete]
[Tornado: Rapidly rotating air to create tornado conditions - Pretty much figured out]
[Tropical Cyclone: Scale too large, not feasible - Abandoned]
[Refraction: Air at different temperatures has different refractive indices. Should ask light-type ability user Makigami-san about it someday, might get some formula references.]
[Boiling Water: Heating liquid water to produce steam - Development complete. Could always get a boiler operator job if unemployed.]
[Beverage Bombs: Randomly throwing explosive drinks - Currently perfected: red bean soup, chocolate soda, strawberry juice, mineral water. Other beverages pending testing. Spoiled drinks require verification.]
[Thermal Kinetic Conversion: Converting kinetic energy of various particles into heat, and heat into kinetic energy - Potential for free particle manipulation. Could also finish developing the Nitrogen Armor. Difficulty level astronomical. Recommend finding a research institute to assist.]
--+--
Good. Lots of ideas. Another day diligently developing her abilities.
Natsume Sonoko sat upright at her desk, frowning slightly. As expected, ability development couldn't be rushed.
After a moment, she retrieved a bottle of pineapple-flavored soda from a box under her bed.
After analyzing the composition of the pineapple soda using her taste perception, and cross-referencing various data on her computer, Sonoko finally let out a sigh, not entirely satisfied.
Following the red bean soup, strawberry juice, and other beverages, she had now finished researching pineapple soda as well.
Truthfully, any beverage could be made explosive as long as it contained water, though adding carbon dioxide probably enhanced the effect.
Sonoko's seemingly pointless research into the differences between various drinks was purely about refining the craft, pursuing the ultimate artistic expression.
'What should I research today?' Sonoko's gaze drifted towards the several treasure troves under her bed, but through sheer willpower, she remained firmly seated in her chair.
After mentally theorizing about 'Mirror Ice Crystals' for a while, a somewhat listless Sonoko stood up and headed to the bathroom. She'd almost forgotten something important.
Flipping the bathroom light on, Sonoko squatted down, filled a few basins with water, and placed the purchased mice inside.
She touched the water's surface, and soon, 60 mice, frozen vividly within blocks of ice, appeared before her.
'I definitely don't want to spend the night with these things.'
Sonoko thought hesitantly, then staggered as she moved the basins onto the protective grating outside her window.
'One more cooling cycle before bed should do it.'
With everything finally ready, Sonoko flopped onto the sofa, shifted into a comfortable position, and pulled out her tablet.
'Right, that's enough formulas for today,' Sonoko thought to herself.
Her eyes glued to the tablet, she gripped it with both hands, tilting it up and down as if steering a car.
Suddenly, her movements became more exaggerated, her right hand thrusting the tablet towards the ceiling before twisting into a left-hand-up position.
'Playing racing games is all about chaining those drifts through the corners.' A faint smile appeared on Sonoko's face as she left second place dozens of meters behind.
Lights out, time for bed. It was already very late.
Sonoko lay asleep on the sofa, but a troubled expression was on her face, her hands unconsciously grasping at the air as if disturbed by something.
'So noisy... who isn't sleeping at this hour?'
She abruptly sat up in bed, her hair a messy cascade over her shoulders, her eyes so heavy they were nearly shut. Her pajamas were slightly disheveled—looked like she'd been tossing and turning again.
Rubbing her eyes, Sonoko looked around, rather flustered.
Of course, there was nothing to see. She was alone in the room.
"Meow, meow."
Scrape, scrape.
Found it. So the culprit was here.
Getting off the sofa, she yanked the window open. A pair of glowing green eyes stared directly at her, startling Sonoko into stumbling back several steps.
"Oh, it's just a cat." Sonoko wiped her forehead, brushing away non-existent sweat, and let out a sigh of relief.
In the moonlight, the silhouette of a black stray cat was visible perched on the security grating. Its two claws were scraping at the ice, producing a grating sound as claws met frozen water.
The ice had already melted a fair bit. Under normal circumstances, it might have lasted until morning, but with this wild cat around, it was hard to say.
By tomorrow, she might only find a few vacuum-sealed bags.
'Such a small cat... looks only a few months old. Must be a stray from around here.' Sonoko hesitated for a moment, then walked to the bedside, retrieved a mackerel can from a box, opened it, and placed it in front of the cat.
"You can't have these mice, okay? Finish this and hurry up and leave. Don't disturb my sleep." Sonoko put her hands on her hips, looking somewhat displeased at the cat, which was already head-down in the can.
The stray cat, seemingly full after eating the mackerel, let out a few 'meows' before darting off and scrambling up a nearby telephone pole.
Sonoko refroze the mice and, for good measure, placed a small bucket over them. Only then, satisfied, did she go back to sleep.
--+--
"I heard from a friend of a friend about this thing that happened. On a stuffy night, a boy was passing by a deserted, nearly-abandoned park when a woman, standing perfectly still, appeared nearby and asked him for directions to the station."
The outside light seemed blocked, making the surroundings particularly dark.
Saten Ruiko shone her phone's light upwards onto her own face, her voice dropping to an extremely low, drawn-out tone.
"After the boy kindly told her how to get there, this woman, her eyes somewhat vacant, slowly raised her hand..."
Saten suddenly took a sharp, deep breath. She cast a wary glance at the others nearby, watching their tense expressions before slowly continuing.
Reaching this point, Saten paused abruptly, raising one hand high as if mimicking the woman from her story.
Uiharu Kazari gulped. Shirai Kuroko's face showed a look of horror, her hands instinctively clutching at Misaka-senpai beside her, only to be knocked flat by a swift hammer-fist.
In contrast, Natsume Sonoko seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere, her eyes shining with interest as she watched the enthusiastic Saten tell her story.
"And then suddenly!"
"Suddenly what?" Misaka-senpai, clearly drawn in, couldn't help but ask.
"Suddenly took off her top."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"..."
"That's not scary at all!" Misaka-senpai abruptly lifted the black cloth over their heads, standing up in a slightly frantic manner, her hands waving in the air.
"Really disappointing. We finally built up all that atmosphere, and it turns out to be that kind of story." Shirai-san nodded, expressing her deep agreement.
"Wouldn't you be scared if you suddenly encountered that? I mean, it's in public. The legendary 'Stripping Woman' who suddenly takes off her top."
Saten-san seemed unconvinced by Misaka-senpai and Shirai-san's dismissal, trying to explain.
"It certainly would make you jump," piped up Sonoko, who had been sitting quietly. "And then you'd start thinking the moral standards in Academy City have reached a point where something must be done."
After all, she was the only one present who had actually witnessed the legend herself, and felt she had the right to speak on the matter.
"Really? Natsume-san, you've seen her?" Uiharu asked, astonished.
"Really, I have."
"How enviable."
"What's there to envy about that?" Sonoko asked, puzzled.
"Well then, how about legends like these?" Uiharu smiled, pulling a laptop from her bag and opening a website that looked very familiar to a certain Sonoko.
"When the wind turbines spin backwards, something special will happen in Academy City," Uiharu read out one urban legend, word for word.
"If you cross the school district boundary at 4:44 PM, you'll get lost and stray into the illusory 'Virtual Educational District'," Saten continued, reading the next one.
"An item that can raise your ability level just by using it—the 'Level Upper'."
"A secret machine hidden underground in Academy City that can alter the weather."
"A strange man with six arms."
"A man who can nullify all abilities."
Shirai-san listened and couldn't help but sigh, shaking her head as if lamenting their foolishness. "Stop looking at those boring websites. They're just unscientific urban legends."
"That's not true," Sonoko immediately retorted. "I've heard many of these incidents actually happened in reality."
"Mhmm, the rumor about the mysterious weather machine is something that really occurred," Saten agreed feelingly. "It suddenly started snowing by that scorching hot lake. Both I and Uiharu saw it with our own eyes."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.