In a little-known office at the AIM Analysis Research Institute.
The brain physiology expert, whose specialization lay in brain physiology and AIM diffusion fields, Kiyama Harumi, had shut herself in her office for three days straight.
Even with stocked provisions and water in the office, this kind of prolonged, high-intensity research wasn't something just anyone could endure.
But now, even with bloodshot eyes, Kiyama Harumi's face still held a trace of inexplicable joy, her entire being in a state of extreme excitement.
'The computational limit of this stone actually reaches one-third of the Tree Diagram's normal operational capacity.'
The Tree Diagram, a supercomputer housed aboard the artificial satellite "Orihime I," was nominally used only to monitor and analyze Academy City's meteorological data.
'Insufficient access privileges? They've really buried this special experimental product deep.'
She tried searching the internal research network for information about this stone, but in the end, only found a few commonplace news photos.
She could only confirm that these stones came from a meteorite, though there were obvious differences in size.
'An incredibly sturdy stone, easily withstanding attacks from the Railgun and Meltdowner, yet it shows clear cut marks around it, as if something split it into several pieces.'
'Its surface can automatically receive and feedback bioelectrical signals, but it's extremely demanding regarding biological cells. The stone's computational power can greatly enhance the monster's regenerative abilities, but changes in the monster's AIM field are also inextricably linked to this stone's calculations, altering almost every minute.'
'It's possible the new cells generated by the monster's regeneration are causing the stone's computations to change, which in turn triggers the shifts in the AIM field.'
'It's speculated that the abilities the monster displays will vary with the new regenerated cells, but it hasn't evolved beyond the scope of its regenerative capability.'
'Even without deliberate control over the stone's computational power, just the monster's instincts alone can achieve a state of near-constant regeneration.'
Kiyama Harumi silently studied the peculiar meteorite before her, having cut a large opening in the monster's chest and using a waterjet to peel back its skin.
'Touching the stone with a bare hand can suppress the monster's recovery. Simultaneously, upon contact, one can borrow the meteorite's computational power for ability development, but the cost is the rapid death of biological tissue.'
Glancing at the large patch of necrotic skin cells on her palm, she ignored the pain and tried using the Level Upper once more to invade the monster's brain.
Because the monster's AIM field kept changing, she had to readjust periodically. But as long as she refrained from attacking the monster in any way, the rate of change in the AIM field slowed considerably.
--+--
"So, Natsume-san, you were at the scene of that gas explosion incident the other day?" Asked Wannai, her eyes filled with concern and curiosity.
Beside her, Awatsuki Maaya also wore a faint smile, listening to Sonoko Natsume recount the events from a few days prior.
"It wasn't a gas explosion, it was a secret experiment in Academy City! There was this huge monster, too. If I hadn't been so quick on my feet, I'd probably be in the hospital right now."
Sonoko Natsume gestured emphatically in the air, recalling the creature's massive size.
"Really? That sounds absolutely terrifying," Awatsuki said, a note of worry in her voice, as if picturing herself in Sonoko's story.
"Secret experiments... it really hasn't been very safe outside lately," Wannai agreed, sounding sympathetic.
"But don't worry! That monster got hit by Misaka-senpai's Railgun. The scene afterwards was... pretty gruesome and disgusting, from what I hear."
Sonoko declared this with an air of authority, though she herself hadn't dared to look at the monster's remains.
Just the descriptions from others were enough to make her scalp crawl.
Sonoko Natsume, who privately believed she knew the whole truth, was discussing the recent events with her classmates, seeming somewhat dissatisfied with the deliberately obscured reports in the online news.
Wannai and Awatsuki were excellent listeners, paying close attention to Sonoko's every word.
As time passed, Wannai and the others eventually left, leaving Sonoko alone in the classroom, working on her homework.
She planned to spend about ten minutes finishing the assignment her teacher had given. She'd been so focused in class today that she'd even forgotten to sneak in time to complete the practice questions.
For a time-management pro like herself, failing to use class time for homework was a major blunder.
Just as Sonoko was scribbling away, her phone in her bag suddenly buzzed.
Casually setting her homework aside, Sonoko checked her phone. It was another message from Juufuku Suhō.
Juufuku Miho had been taken away by Anti-Skill after the whole eyebrow incident. But it had been over a week now, so her punishment period was probably about over.
Honestly, 'punishment' mostly meant a lecture and some volunteer work.
To be frank, Sonoko's first impression of Juufuku wasn't great. She was nothing but trouble.
Sonoko really wanted to say, 'Can't you be mature about things, like me?'
But since Juufuku kept messaging a certain someone, the two had somehow become oddly familiar.
[Natsume, have you eaten yet?]
Juufuku's message seemed like meaningless small talk, but if you looked at their previous chats, this line was usually initiated by Sonoko, leading Juufuku to believe it was some kind of special custom from Sonoko's hometown.
[Yeah, for lunch I had a specially prepared nutritious meal by Tsuchimikado-san. She even added an extra egg for me.]
She recalled lunchtime, when Tsuchimikado had given her special treatment. A smug look crossed Sonoko's face. Pretty impressive, right? Having connections in the cafeteria.
[I just heard there was a gas explosion in District 7. Are you okay, Natsume?]
Juufuku's words carried genuine concern, as if she was truly worried about Sonoko's safety.
[I'm totally fine! And Juufuku-san, you shouldn't just blindly believe Academy City's official reports. They might be hiding some shocking secret.]
Sonoko replied with a hint of deeper meaning, though Juufuku clearly didn't pick up on it.
[Figured your punishment should be almost up.]Sonoko thought for a moment before sending another text.
[Yes, it should end in the next few days. It was tough, but also kind of fulfilling.]
[Once you're out, I'll take you to get revenge.]
[????]
Quietly putting her phone down, Sonoko suddenly remembered the bold declaration she'd made before.
Words spoken are like water spilled; as long as she remembered them, she had to follow through, Sonoko thought resolutely.
Sitting at her desk, she quickly finished the remaining homework, then contentedly packed it into her black schoolbag. Something outside seemed unusually noisy, though.
"It's The Queen of Tokiwadai!"
"One of the only seven Level 5s in Academy City, ranked 5th: Mental Out."
'Why is Shokuhou-senpai causing such a stir today?' Sonoko wondered from her seat.
This Shokuhou-senpai was always popular, but most Tokiwadai students were used to it by now. Even Sonoko had seen her from a distance over a dozen times.
It was just that this senior's ability was particularly intriguing. Mental Out—it just sounded so much more useful than her own Temperature Control. She could read minds, control people...
Some of Sonoko Natsume's secrets were pretty explosive, but fortunately, they were stored within her soul.
Even when recalling related memories, her brain didn't actively retain much about them, since they belonged to two different systems.
The only similarity was using the concept of 'thinking' to access those memories.
Puzzled, Sonoko stepped out of the classroom and saw a crowd of students from other schools on the grounds.
"Ah, right, it's the Kyūdō club's exchange competition today. No wonder there are so many outsiders."
Come to think of it, among the five elite schools in the School Garden, it seemed only Tokiwadai Middle School had two Level 5s. The other schools didn't seem to have any real heavy-hitters.
"It's the Kyūdō club captain, third-year student Yumiya Iruka. So cool!"
Sonoko thought with admiration, spotting from a distance a senior wearing kyūdō attire and carrying a standard short bow, stepping out from the crowd and smiling as she conversed with people from other schools.
--+--
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.