Aside from child welfare facilities like orphanages with social support functions, the vast majority of schools in Academy City, including Tokiwadai Middle School, are private.
Given that context, it wasn't all that difficult to become a school trustee by providing funding.
I'd even heard that Tokiwadai Middle School, where Natsume-san studied, had connections to some important figures on the city's board of directors.
In fact, part of the reason Natsume-san had managed to become a Level 5 so smoothly was undeniably tied to the influence behind Tokiwadai.
Not that Natsume-san paid much mind to the complicated web of relationships backing her school. She'd always figured it had nothing to do with her—as long as the school's scholarship subsidies were generous, that was all that mattered.
"Well, if it's Kiyama-sensei we're talking about, it makes perfect sense she'd have that kind of money," Sonoko mused, nodding to herself.
She'd ridden in that teacher's Lamborghini several times, after all, and it seemed the woman had her own private ventures too.
Even though Kiyama-sensei had a habit of surviving on cup noodles, making her look a bit malnourished, that was just on the surface.
Mention of Kiyama-sensei made Natsume Sonoko think of her own 'Reiko'.
With Kiyama-sensei's help, they had used Sonoko's genes to patch the missing parts in Reiko's own genetic structure. Thanks to the Level Upper and the bio-computer, the two of them were now deeply connected.
Lately, though, Sonoko was facing a new situation: her connection with Reiko was growing increasingly intimate.
Their brainwaves, linked through their AIM Diffusion Fields, allowed for constant conscious communication. Even though Reiko had only existed for about a month, her growth rate far surpassed that of a normal child.
She had already progressed from a mere spark of consciousness to a curious stage of clumsily exploring the world around her.
But the moment Sonoko's consciousness withdrew, Reiko would start wailing loudly. This led to Reiko's roommates—Misaka 9982 and the others—being rudely awakened like clockwork every single night.
Sometimes, when Sonoko took Reiko for breakfast and tooth-brushing first thing in the morning, she'd see the Misaka clones with faint dark circles under their eyes.
Honestly, looking after a child was the toughest job imaginable.
The list of things demanding her attention kept growing. There was the major headache of PE class at school, the upcoming Daihasei Festival to prepare for… the pressure on Natsume Sonoko had been immense lately.
But since she was utilizing the computational power within Reiko's body, Sonoko was determined to take proper care of her. That was the promise she had made to Kiyama-sensei, after all.
Reiko wasn't just some synthetic, muscle-bound creature devoid of humanity anymore.
"By the way, Meigo-senpai, are you planning on doing a street performance today?" Sonoko asked, setting down her fork and glancing at the electronic keyboard case resting beside Meigo Arisa.
After the indefinite postponement of the space elevator's opening ceremony, this senior of hers had no choice but to return to performing on the streets.
It really was a shame, Sonoko thought, understanding that feeling of disappointment all too well.
And there was one other thing nagging at the back of her mind.
While the recent series of incidents had mostly wrapped up, the mystery surrounding Meigo-senpai's very existence remained unsolved for everyone.
A girl who suddenly appeared on the 'Orion' three years ago, her origins completely unknown, yet bringing with her what seemed like miraculous good fortune.
But in the end, those boring details didn't really matter. Just like how Misaka-senpai never questioned why Natsume Sonoko could wield that wooden bow.
"Mhmm, Yomikawa-sensei said I can start doing street performances again," Arisa replied, looking up from the bite of cake she was delicately eating.
"And she said I can move back into the School Garden whenever I want, too."
The attacks targeting Meigo-senpai were over, and the magical threat to the space elevator was now under control.
For the time being, however, Arisa remained under Yomikawa-sensei's protection, living at her home.
That red-haired magician had turned himself in to Academy City authorities, and then a whole series of events unfolded, sending the situation spiraling in an unpredictable direction.
The magicians' initial plan—to investigate and take away Meigo Arisa, who they suspected was a Saint—had become nearly impossible after Academy City's higher-ups got involved.
While no one knew the exact details of the final arrangement between Academy City and the magical side, one thing was certain: this senior would be staying in the city.
"Speaking of the network and street performances, Arisa is incredibly popular right now," Uiharu Kazari remarked thoughtfully, a gentle smile on her face.
Following Shirai-san's suggestion yesterday, Uiharu had breached the network's firewall and broadcast Arisa's song across the entire city.
Now that the incident was resolved, posts about Arisa were flooding Academy City's networks.
She was an even hotter topic now than when she'd been scheduled to perform at the space elevator's opening ceremony.
"And on the music platform site, downloads for Arisa's new song have already surpassed five hundred thousand," Saten Ruiko added.
That staggering number even surpassed the downloads of 'Futamae', the most popular pop star in Academy City.
"Although, it did cause a bit of a headache," Konori Mii said, walking over to join them, a concerned look on her face for her bold Judgement kouhai.
"Because Uiharu here hacked into the city's broadcast system without authorization and used her own voice for the announcement, the Anti-Skill officers who are familiar with her identified her immediately. Even though it was to maintain order and guide people to safety, the Anti-Skill instructor still demanded she write over twenty letters of apology."
"It's alright," Uiharu said with a slightly embarrassed but bright smile, the flower wreath on her head as cheerful as ever. "Shirai-san said she'd help me with half of them."
Any consequence was worth it, if it meant solving the immediate crisis.
"After all, I bear some responsibility too. I was the one who suggested broadcasting it in the first place," Shirai Kuroko stated flatly from her wheelchair.
"So the broadcast was your idea, Shirai-san?" Natsume Sonoko blinked, recalling the song that had suddenly played in the space station yesterday.
"In that case, Meigo-senpai really is a big star now."
It finally clicked for Sonoko. This undoubtedly increased the chances of her suggestion letter being a success.
--+--
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.