The moon was bright and the stars sparse, its cold, pale light spilling across the ground, just enough to faintly illuminate the path back.
Misaka-senpai stood out like a source of light in the darkness; even from a distance, her striking chestnut-brown hair was clearly visible.
"Given Academy City's efficiency, the power substation equipment repairs will probably be finished by tomorrow," Shirai-san remarked leisurely.
Although the blackout was widespread, it hadn't affected the entire city—only District 7 was impacted.
Many places had backup power sources, so there was no worry about a complete shutdown the moment the electricity failed.
"Misaka-senpai, did you manage to get any useful information?" Sonoko asked, concerned.
"Nope," Misaka-senpai replied gloomily from up front. Even though she'd inadvertently caused such significant damage, she still hadn't found any clues, which left her simmering with frustration.
"Regarding your question, Natsume-san, I'd already considered that," Shirai-san reasoned, her logic sound and hard to dispute.
"Even if those guys were carrying the 'Level Upper' audio files, they were probably destroyed by Onee-sama's electrical discharge."
The blackout had reached the Tokiwadai Middle School dormitory in District 7 as well, leaving everything pitch dark.
Before they even reached the entrance, they could see the beams of several flashlights waving in the distance.
As the three drew closer, they found the Dorm Supervisor and several staff members activating the dormitory's backup generator.
Not long after Sonoko returned to her room, the lights in Tokiwadai's dormitory flickered back on—making it one of the first buildings to recover from the blackout.
--+--
The power outage caused quite a bit of trouble throughout District 7. The next day, some train lines in the district were suspended, and a large number of schools closed for the day.
But Tokiwadai Middle School continued operating as usual, with classes proceeding unchanged.
"P.E. class today… Why couldn't we have gotten the day off too?"
Riding the school bus, a certain Natsume Sonoko couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
Regular classes weren't particularly difficult for her, but P.E.—with its heavy emphasis on physical fitness—was a major weak point.
The streets were unusually crowded, likely because power hadn't been fully restored yet, and with so many schools closed, more students were out and about.
Gazing out the window at all those carefree faces, Sonoko felt a complicated mix of emotions. 'Everyone else is on break… so why do I still have to go to school?'
With the streets so packed, the school bus slowed to a crawl, inching its way laboriously through the traffic.
"What's going on out there?"
Through the bus window, Sonoko could see Anti-Skill armored vehicles racing past in the distance.
And following those vehicles were a dozen or so huge powered suits, moving like giant robots as they swiftly navigated the crowded streets.
"MAR—the Multi Active Rescue."
Each powered suit was marked with the MAR logo, which Sonoko recognized vaguely.
MAR was a branch of Anti-Skill, but their equipment was far more advanced than the standard, and their personnel numbers exceeded those of a typical district's Anti-Skill division.
--+--
Tokiwadai Middle School, Athletic Field.
"On your marks… go!"
With the crack of the P.E. teacher's starter pistol, eight students in gym uniforms launched themselves from the starting line.
Shirai-san immediately shot ahead, leaving the others in the dust and building a lead of over ten meters ahead of second place. The field was filled with an atmosphere of youthful energy.
Students from multiple grades were spread across the field—not just first-years like Sonoko, but even second- and third-year seniors were mixed into the groups, all doing warm-up exercises under the same P.E. teacher's direction.
Watching the first group set off, Sonoko felt her heart pound. As soon as Shirai-san's group finished their two-kilometer run, it would be Sonoko's turn.
A prickling sense of dread washed over her. Sonoko's face tightened with nerves, and she grew increasingly restless right where she stood.
'If there's really no other way… I could always make it rain over the field. Or maybe whip up a strong wind for a few hours,' Sonoko's thoughts wandered irresponsibly.
If you can't solve the problem, just remove the person who created it.
If it started raining or got too windy, the P.E. teacher would probably cancel the two-kilometer run, right?
The athletic field was a bit larger than her precise thermoregulation range, but she could still manage a heavy downpour over the track area.
Of course, these were just wild, unfounded thoughts running through her head—best not to take them seriously.
Just as she was contemplating secretly disrupting the class to escape this dreadful long-distance run, a vaguely familiar voice reached her ears.
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~!"
"I am Tokiwadai's Kongou Mitsuko—first place in this next race shall be mine!"
In Sonoko's field of view, Kongou-senpai came into focus, gracefully opening her ornate folding fan with a proud expression.
Kongou-senpai was as energetic as ever, seemingly already eyeing first place in the next group.
After nearly two weeks, the mark on Kongou-senpai's forehead had faded, and she was finally able to attend school and participate in activities normally.
"Wait, I think I'm in the same group as Kongou-senpai," Sonoko suddenly realized.
"Natsume-san, we're in the same group, aren't we? Don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you!"
Kongou-senpai, who was diligently doing her warm-up exercises, noticed Sonoko's gaze and called out with vibrant energy.
She was clearly the hard-working type—a stark contrast to a certain someone who was half-heartedly going through the motions.
"On your marks! Get set… go!"
In the end, Sonoko abandoned her idea of washing everything away with rain and reluctantly lined up at the starting track.
By the time Sonoko managed a clumsy start at the sound of the starter pistol, the rest of her group had already shot four or five meters ahead, instantly leaving her behind.
Leading the pack was the third-year student, Hokaze Junko, with Kongou-senpai close behind. The two of them were practically neck-and-neck from the start, separated by little more than a body's length.
Pushing each other in a fierce competition, they quickly left the other students far behind, forming three distinct tiers within the group.
"Senpai, you'd better give it your all—I am Tokiwadai's Kongou Mitsuko, after all!"
Kongou-senpai ran with determined effort, clutching her folding fan tightly as she called out to Hokaze Junko just ahead, her face alight with competitive fire.
"In that case, I'll pick up the pace!"
As if she'd heard Kongou-senpai, Hokaze Junko turned back with a warm smile, then suddenly accelerated, gradually widening the gap.
Meanwhile, Sonoko lagged at the back of the group. It was a little embarrassing, but she was used to it by now, trudging along laboriously as she tried to catch up to the seventh-place runner a hundred meters ahead.
"Hang in there, you can do it!"
A girl with long, lavender drill curls swept past Sonoko as if carried by the wind.
Sonoko was too exhausted to lift her head; her eyes barely caught a glimpse of that splendid purple hair before the figure vanished from her sight.
"Damn it, she's so fast! But I won't admit defeat!"
With solid, determined strides and a fiery, unyielding glint in her eyes, Kongou-senpai executed a curve overtake, smoothly passing Sonoko on a bend.
Now a full lap behind, Sonoko summoned a spirit of dogged perseverance and sheer effort, wobbling unsteadily at the very back of the group. Drenched in sweat, she looked as if she'd been fished out of water.
Under such extreme conditions, Sonoko even gave up on maintaining her body's surface temperature regulation, slipping into a state of resigned defeat—her mind empty, moving like a zombie.
Finally, the two-kilometer run reached its end. Under the P.E. teacher's encouraging gaze, Sonoko stumbled across the white finish line, then hunched over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath and unable to take another step.
"I'm actually surprised. I thought you might give up halfway," Shirai-san said as she walked over, handing Sonoko a bottle of water with a slightly astonished tone.
--+--
T/N: Mihoyo x Multiverse Fanfic Up!
--+--
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.