"Uiharu-san, any results from the investigation?"
In a Judgment branch office that hadn't yet completed all its reconstruction work, Natsume Sonoko was comfortably settled at her new desk.
Feeling a bit restless, Natsume Sonoko had taken some black tea from Uiharu's stash, enjoying the leisurely Sunday afternoon together with her.
Unlike the desks of others, which were piled high with documents and all sorts of clutter, her desk held only an empty ceramic teacup.
"It's pretty much done, but are you really that concerned about the donor's identity, Natsume-san?"
Uiharu took a sip of black tea, her gaze fixed on her new computer.
Using the donation information and transfer records Natsume-san provided, and after navigating several twists and turns, Uiharu had almost tracked down the details of the person behind the donations.
"Of course I am. If someone suddenly appeared, quietly donated a large sum of money to the student dorm and clubs in your name, and then didn't tell you who they were, you'd be pretty troubled too, Uiharu-san."
Natsume Sonoko stretched her arms forward, leaning on her desk as she tilted her head to look in Uiharu's direction, acclimating to her hard-won office life.
As a Judgment member who barely managed to secure an office space, she still hadn't figured out what exactly to use her desk for.
"I suppose that's true."
Uiharu nodded in agreement.
"I just found out—both fund transfers went through Daiichi Bank, but the initial source of the money traces back to a trust company."
"A trust company?"
"Mhm. And its shares are wholly owned by Orbit Portal Company In other words, that trust company is one of Orbit Portal Company's subsidiaries."
Seemingly having reached a surprising conclusion, Uiharu spoke with a hint of uncertainty.
But no matter how many times she verified it, Uiharu couldn't find any major issues; this was the final result of her search.
The name Orbit Portal Company was quite unexpected, because the company's president was that gothic lolita, Ladylee.
During the recent incident, the company had been heavily affected, with almost all its public operations halting.
Its core asset, the space elevator, had been indefinitely shut down, facing the misfortune of potential bankruptcy and restructuring once again.
Yet, this very company had suddenly decided to fund a certain bun-head who had knocked out its president with ill intent—it was utterly incomprehensible.
No matter how she thought about it, Uiharu couldn't make sense of the situation, so she clutched her head in puzzlement.
"If that's the case, then there's only one possibility."
Resting her chin on her hand in thought, a certain bun-head seemed to have pieced something together.
A company on the verge of bankruptcy wouldn't make such a suicidal move; the only possibility was instructions from the company's owner.
Previously, she had extracted two stone-like objects from Ladylee's body—so perhaps this money was actually her surgical fee?
Something like Dr. Natsume's first major surgery yielding an incredibly hefty fee.
Her thoughts began to drift, and the more Natsume-san pondered, the more plausible it seemed.
Her past self had some entangled history with Ladylee, and coupled with that wooden bow long since shattered to atoms, the whole truth had become a secret known only to those involved.
But the biggest question was: Hadn't Ladylee already been arrested? How did she contact the outside world?
"It really is strange, isn't it, Natsume-san?"
Uiharu, still tangled up in the mystery, continued digging through the data, while Natsume-san beside her seemed to have a sudden moment of clarity.
"Mhm."
Natsume-san nodded absentmindedly. Though she had some ideas, they were ultimately just speculation.
"Uiharu-san, what's Ladylee's current situation?"
Thinking of something, Natsume-san asked with some concern.
Towards this person who might have been a friend of her past self, Natsume-san felt no particular emotion; it was merely an attitude of seeking verification.
Having lost the memories of her past life, Natsume-san was simply Natsume-san herself, and no one else—this point was crucial.
She wouldn't overflow with sympathy for someone she didn't know, especially since that someone was a villain she disliked.
Even the pre-transmigration memories within her soul hadn't influenced Natsume-san much; she remained true to herself, becoming the present Natsume Sonoko.
"Didn't you see yesterday's news, Natsume-san? The president of Orbit Portal Company was sentenced to life imprisonment by the board of directors for conducting unauthorized experiments that caused an extremely severe incident."
"To be honest, I originally thought she'd be sent to a juvenile correctional facility, but it turned out to be the special prison in District 1."
Uiharu remarked with some emotion.
Uiharu was already aware of the existence of magic and could imagine that the girl who looked only about ten years old was, in reality, a centuries-old loli.
But by all accounts, Ladylee's physical age was barely ten. According to Academy City's rules, she should have been sent to a juvenile correctional facility.
However, besides the juvenile correctional facility for disciplining students on the surface, Academy City also had adult prisons indirectly managed by the Japanese government, as well as some special prisons directly under the board of directors.
"And because of this Cold Light incident, Academy City is facing serious external pressure too."
"Though I don't know the specifics, I've heard that envoys from multiple countries will be visiting soon."
Uiharu turned back and added.
The impact on ordinary students like Natsume-san was mostly over, but for a vast city, it was just beginning. Handling the various aftermaths was the top priority.
A certain centuries-old loli, who sought death due to mental instability, had left a massive mess even after being captured.
"Life imprisonment, huh? That's about what I expected."
Natsume-san nodded lightly, having no particular objection to this punishment—in fact, she quite approved.
As for the serious diplomatic issues Academy City was now encountering, Natsume-san couldn't care less.
This city was disappointing enough as it was. Only the existence of rules made most people feel safe.
If one were to categorize Natsume-san by alignment, she'd probably be lawful good.
She believed order was essential, but this order needed to make life better for the majority.
Though certain dark side organizations weren't bound by Academy City's surface rules, existing under a different law of the jungle, the city's majority was still encompassed by them.
This city, where two sets of rules intertwined and overlapped, maintained a surface of youthful vitality and an underbelly of ruthless cunning, balanced by certain forces.
--+--
If there were a balancing scale measuring the city's bottom line, Natsume-san felt she too had been placed on one end, becoming a somewhat important counterweight.
Natsume-san was very aware of her own standing. Before crossing the threshold into the microscopic world, she was, at best, a newly risen student representative in this city.
A certain bun-head's inflated self-confidence was also built upon analysis of intel on both enemies and allies, plus her proud stealth capabilities—it wasn't that she actually failed to recognize her own position.
Even among people like Natsume-san, there were ostensibly eight in Academy City alone, including monsters that even Natsume-san would detour to avoid.
About that detouring... she'd gotten used to it over time. She just treated it as exercise.
Relying on her abilities as an esper, she couldn't oppose the filth buried in the abyss of darkness; at most, she could barely protect everything around her.
Even so, Natsume-san's thirst for power hadn't reached obsessive levels. She still lived her life step by step every day, which might have something to do with her relatively calm nature.
But she still trained her abilities daily, developing all sorts of bizarre formulas, steadily improving her own strength.
"Alright, I've finally figured out a bit about the donation issue."
Supporting herself with her arms, Natsume-san wearily sat up from the desk, her cheek slightly red from the weight of her head.
"Eh? You've figured it out, Natsume-san?"
Uiharu asked in surprise, completely unable to guess what the bun-head had realized.
"Pretty much. It's probably a thank-you gift from that Ladylee."
After a moment's thought, Natsume-san answered honestly.
"Huh?"
"The situation on the space elevator was really complicated then. To be honest, I was pretty disoriented too, but I think I helped Ladylee out with a big problem."
Natsume-san didn't really want to bring up the wooden bow—it'd be too troublesome to explain.
"But didn't you knock Ladylee out, Natsume-san?"
Uiharu grew curious now.
Uiharu knew a little about what happened then, since a certain bun-head had mentioned it within Judgment.
Could it be that knocking someone out earned you their gratitude? Was this the legendary 'returning good for evil'?
"That happened later. I'm talking about something that occurred a bit earlier."
Natsume-san hurriedly explained. She wasn't idle every day; sometimes she did good deeds too.
Speaking of a certain bun-head's glorious exploits, the Anti-Skill headquarters in District 7 had quite a few records.
For instance, just last night, she'd sent some delinquent espers to the Anti-Skill headquarters for a 'visit'.
Such things were simply effortless for her—Natsume-san had a heart of gold.
"So that's how it was."
Understanding dawned on Uiharu's face.
As expected of Natsume-san, to even receive gratitude from a criminal.
"But Natsume-san, why didn't you come with Misaka-senpai and the others today?"
Uiharu gently picked up the teapot, refilling the cup before her as the aroma of black tea once again wafted through the branch office room.
"I overslept today. By the time I woke up, they'd already left. Called them and they said they were taking Shirai-san out to relax—that it'd be good for her recovery."
Muttering softly at the thought, Natsume Sonoko sighed.
--+--
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.