With the dust settled, all those bad endings were tossed right out.
Using her most tried-and-true method, Natsume Sonoko knocked out the mastermind behind it all, even if the other party didn't seem to harbor any ill will anymore.
As for this gothic lolita who'd made a mess of herself and dragged everyone into a massive crisis, the fact that Natsume-san was willing to help clean up the mess left behind by her past life was more than enough.
From the looks of it now, this lolita going by the name Ladylee had lost her ageless, infinitely regenerative abilities.
But judging by her appearance, she still looked barely over ten years old, forever stuck at the age she was when she first swallowed the elixir of immortality.
Thinking of that, Natsume-san felt the two small white calculi in her pocket.
'Immortality, huh?' The thought suddenly nagged at Natsume-san's mind.
She decided she'd find a jar to store them in as soon as she got back; they'd be her most precious collectibles.
"You, this student, your relationship with that spiritual tool is quite complicated," Tsuchimikado Motoharu rubbed his head, a trace of puzzlement flashing across his face.
Even after eliminating a whole host of possibilities, it was clear Natsume-san's connection to that spiritual tool ran deep.
Considering artifacts where usage rights were passed down through bloodlines, and while the earlier patterns restricted the wielder, perhaps the authorization could be transferred via lineage.
Investigating her family background might be the way to go.
This girl who appeared thoroughly scientific might just have a magician in her family tree, for all he knew.
But was there even a need to investigate? This incident seemed to be over.
"Yeah, I just feel like I've seen it somewhere before," Natsume-san replied absently, fatigue washing over her, making her want to find a place to just collapse.
"No need to trouble yourself over it. We owe the resolution of this incident largely to you, Natsume-san," said Kanzaki Kaori, who had no interest in prying into others' secrets.
She stepped past Tsuchimikado and Stiyl, who wore complex expressions, and thanked Natsume with genuine gratitude.
"It wasn't that big a deal," Natsume-san instantly brightened, waving a hand dismissively.
Anyway, the whole affair was finally over, and she absolutely despised these kinds of sudden, inconvenient disruptions.
Her 'waiting-by-the-stump' plan was still underway, and here she was, having inexplicably finished some side quest along the way.
Still, for Natsume-san, the biggest takeaway was accidentally stumbling into the microscopic world.
The two elixirs of immortality were just so-so; she'd definitely never eat such weird things anyway.
The space elevator finally returned to normal operation. Misaka-senpai, using the authority ID found on Ladylee, unlocked the entire structure.
It wasn't long before Anti-Skill officers and some unknown armed personnel arrived on the scene.
With the entire space elevator blockaded by these forces, anyone involved had to go through Anti-Skill checks to enter or leave.
That white-haired guy had vanished at some point, the dog that had popped into her head was gone too, leaving only that clueless 'guts' kid.
Although many people had come to help this time, most were just along for the ride.
"Um, Sogiita-senpai, are you planning to participate in the Daihaseisai opening ceremony?" Natsume Sonoko suddenly remembered something and asked Sogiita Gunha, who was waiting with her for the Anti-Skill questioning.
Even a newcomer like Natsume-san had received an invitation email; the 'guts' kid ranked just above her must have gotten one too.
And from what Natsume-san knew of him, he wasn't the type to refuse.
"Of course. Standing on the stage, facing the world, showing not a shred of fear before the cameras, overcoming all hardship with pure guts!"
He clenched his fist tightly, his aura shifting dramatically.
Sogiita Gunha was dead serious, his stern face reminiscent of old-school heroes.
"Then, could you do me a favor?" Natsume Sonoko hesitated for a moment, then her expression firmed with resolve.
"Sure." His brow smoothing, Sogiita Gunha nodded.
"It's really not a big deal."
"Since there's a student representative giving a speech at the opening ceremony, having a singer perform should be pretty normal too, right..."
Natsume-san carefully chose her words, voicing what seemed like a flight of fancy.
She planned to write a proposal letter to the Daihaseisai operating committee, suggesting that Meigo-senpai perform at the opening ceremony. Natsume-san was an old hand at this sort of thing.
'It's an opening ceremony either way, so it should be roughly the same, right?'
The problem now was how to get the committee to agree. The best way was probably to get these student representatives on board.
"But the Daihaseisai is a sports festival. The format of its opening ceremony is different from a space elevator event or a garden party, isn't it?" Misaka-senpai interjected, sounding a bit surprised.
Her kouhai seemed to have come up with another novel idea.
Holding a concert at a sports festival opening ceremony… was that really okay?
"Putting my name on the proposal letter? I see. Understood. No problem." Crossing his arms, Sogiita Gunha thought for a few seconds.
He was probably just trying to recall if he'd ever seen this Tokiwadai girl before, but upon hearing it was to help a friend achieve her dream, he agreed without a second thought.
Sitting in a seat near the stage side of the broadcast room, Natsume Sonoko, pondering the contents of the proposal letter, gazed distractedly as the Anti-Skill troops led Ladylee away.
After a series of mysterious negotiations via satellite phone between the people on the magic side and Academy City's upper echelons, even though Ladylee was strictly speaking a member of the magic side, she was ultimately handed over to Academy City.
As a price, Academy City seemed to have given up something in return.
Shifting her gaze away from Ladylee, Natsume-san wasn't particularly concerned about the fate of this criminal.
Even if her past self had known her, that person wasn't her. Natsume Sonoko only did what she felt was right.
Whatever punishment awaited Ladylee, Natsume-san felt it was justified. If you did wrong, you had to pay the price.
Come to think of it, Natsume-san always judged right and wrong based on her own values.
Luckily, those values aligned well with everyone else's, especially a certain justice-obsessed Judgment lady.
Time flowed on relentlessly. The sky began to darken, marking the start of Tokiwadai Middle School's dinner hour.
But due to the strange celestial phenomenon that just occurred, the maids hadn't had time to prepare the evening meal.
And so, both Natsume-san and Misaka-senpai's phones simultaneously received email notifications about the delayed meal time.
Unlike the ascent, the ride down the space elevator was perfectly smooth and steady, allowing Natsume-san to leisurely enjoy the view outside.
Also, because of the incident Ladylee caused, and with all parties involved needing to conduct a full inspection of the space elevator, this unprecedented marvel's official opening would be postponed indefinitely.
In other words, Natsume-san's sightseeing trip on the space elevator was ruined. Well, at least she'd gotten to go up once.
As the central figure who solved most of the problems, a certain bun-haired girl didn't face the barrage of questions and investigations one might expect.
On one hand, the investigating Anti-Skill officers were unaware of the existence of magic and the specifics of the space elevator incident. Their mission was simply to secure the elevator and the Orbit Portal Company, and incidentally, arrest the person in charge, Ladylee.
As for the sudden cold light appearing in the Northern Hemisphere, Academy City had yet to offer an official explanation; it remained an unknown phenomenon.
Gliding down the length of the space elevator, Natsume-san pressed herself against the glass once more, her eyes tracing the darkening sky outside.
The orbital train, capable of carrying hundreds at once, still only had the two of them as passengers.
Natsume-san was rather curious about how Academy City would explain this event.
The aurora, maybe?
But don't auroras only happen at the North or South Pole?
"I'm exhausted. Thank goodness tomorrow's Saturday," Natsume-san sighed, unable to muster the energy to ponder the problems facing Academy City. Today had been plenty long enough.
As they were leaving the space elevator, they ran into the belatedly arriving Kamijou-senpai and Index. The twenty-five-kilometer-per-hour electric bicycle had finally fulfilled its duty.
Kamijou-senpai looked rather worse for wear, as if he'd been set upon by some ferocious creature.
His head was wrapped in bandages, and faint tooth marks were still visible.
"Oh, it's already over? That's great," Seeing the returned-to-normal sky and the swarms of Anti-Skill officers everywhere, Kamijou Touma's face relaxed with relief.
"Ah, right! About that thing yesterday, the reason Stiyl attacked Arisa-"
Remembering something else, Kamijou Touma hurriedly began explaining to the bun-haired girl, having promised yesterday he'd find out the reason for the attack.
"Eh? But I already know," Natsume-san tilted her head, stating it plainly.
--+--
T/N: 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.