The discussion about the case didn't last long. Aside from a certain bun-haired girl whose way of thinking was a bit out of the ordinary, everyone else just treated it as an unusual but not particularly significant incident.
Even though the abilities granted by the new organ-like tentacles were considerably stronger than those of an average person, they only reached the level of a Level 2 esper at most.
Moreover, the tentacles lasted for a short time and didn't seem to pose any obvious harm to the user.
Even if the phenomenon were to spread on a larger scale, the resulting danger would only be comparable to the initial chaos during the Level Upper incident.
Coupled with the direct intervention of Anti-Skill, incidents like this would normally die down fairly quickly.
And the culprits secretly distributing these drugs would soon be tracked down and arrested.
"Ever since that lab accident the day before yesterday, the number of incidents, which had finally stabilized, has started rising again," noted Konori-senpai as she took out a first-aid kit and redressed her wound, a tinge of emotion in her voice.
"And with the Daihaseisai right around the corner, I've heard the Anti-Skill teachers can't even find time to rest anymore," Uiharu added with an agreeing nod.
Sakugawa Middle School also had teachers who were part of Anti-Skill, so it was easy to get a sense of the situation.
"Konori-senpai, are there any photos of the actual tentacles?" Natsume suddenly spoke up, her usually somewhat vacant face now bearing a trace of seriousness.
This wasn't like the usual Natsume.
That certain bun-haired girl typically couldn't be bothered with ordinary incidents like this—after all, she knew other Judgment members would handle them, and no one expected her to do anything.
As a Judgment member motivated purely by whim, Natsume always did as she pleased.
"Anti-Skill should have case records, and there's also surveillance footage from the unmanned bank nearby," Konori-senpai replied after a slight pause.
"I see. Uiharu, I'll leave the rest to you," the bun-haired girl murmured, propping her chin thoughtfully.
She then turned and leaned closer to the flower-crowned girl, resting an arm on Uiharu's shoulder as their eyes met in a silent exchange.
She hated trouble, but as she always said, she couldn't just bury her head in the sand and pretend not to see it.
The best way to deal with trouble was to resolve it quickly and thoroughly, then send the troublemaker where they belonged.
That had become Natsume's personal motto, and so far, it had worked pretty well.
As for less pressing annoyances, she tended to push them to the back of her mind—like that gossip site spreading rumors about her a while back.
But now, faced with something eerily similar to the tentacle monstrosities from back then, Natsume Sonoko—who'd always been hung up on matters of safety—immediately grew concerned.
The simplest way was to see it with her own eyes. She still remembered clearly what those tentacles had looked like.
"Eh? Why is Natsume-san suddenly so interested in this case?" Uiharu asked, taken aback by the sudden request.
Since Anti-Skill had already taken over the case, there wasn't much reason for Judgment to get involved.
But it seemed that whenever someone showed interest in a case, they'd usually investigate until it was fully resolved—a kind of tradition at Judgment Branch 177.
From the Level Upper incident, to the Febrie case and the struggle over the remains of the Tree Diagram, to the Cold Light incident, this branch had repeatedly gone above and beyond its duties.
"...I understand," Uiharu said softly, noticing the determination in Natsume's eyes.
The ever-considerate girl didn't mind putting in extra work if someone needed her help.
"The time was 7:30 last night, and the location was the unmanned bank on Queen's Avenue," Uiharu announced as she pulled up surveillance footage from near the bank and accessed Anti-Skill's case records. Soon, the details of yesterday's bank robbery appeared on the screen.
The footage showed a boyish culprit injecting a substance into his right arm, after which the limb began to unnaturally stretch and extend.
First, irregular lumps appeared, then they rapidly swelled into tentacle-like growths, reaching an astonishing length of five meters.
The surveillance video wasn't very clear, but close-up photos taken by Anti-Skill of the shed tentacles later revealed grotesque, tumor-like masses covered with discolored bluish veins and tissue, as though they had lost vitality in a very short time.
Because the tentacle was extremely heavy, the culprit—despite having grown it from his own body—wore himself out after just a few feeble attempts to swing it.
Still, he managed to repel three waves of Anti-Skill attacks and even grazed the arm of a certain Judgment senior in the process.
"Thank goodness," the bun-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief, a faint, pretty smile appearing on her face—which only confused Uiharu and the others.
Though these were also tentacles, they were very different from the ones she remembered. At the very least, they hadn't sprouted in the form of grotesque tumors.
The ones from back then had been like real extensions of the body—sleek and smooth as skin—bursting wildly from the user's back. Truly terrifying.
Moreover, even when severed, those tentacles didn't immediately lose vitality and would thrash around for a while. These were clearly not the same thing.
Really, she'd been in Academy City for so long without anything happening—how could those monsters suddenly reappear?
So it really was just her imagination acting up after all.
Still, with the Daihaseisai about to start, all sorts of people would soon flood into the city. Natsume knew she still needed to be careful.
"Natsume-san, are you alright?" Konori-senpai and Uiharu asked, having noticed the shift in the bun-haired girl's expression.
"Ah, I'm fine!" Natsume replied, snapping back to reality and scratching the back of her head somewhat awkwardly.
"If Natsume-san wants to investigate further, we're all here to support you," Konori-senpai said, gazing at the bun-haired girl with an encouraging look, as if seeing a lazy soul being reborn.
Though Judgment was only responsible for matters within their assigned district, Branch 177 had never been too strict about that.
If Natsume could be as hardworking as Shirai, then the future of Judgment—and the discipline of Academy City—would be in good hands.
"Actually, I was just curious," Natsume admitted.
Having confirmed that the tentacles weren't the "classic recipe," she immediately lost interest, blinking as a slightly embarrassed expression crossed her face.
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.