A certain complicated twelve-year-old girl always carried burdens she couldn't easily share with others.
She'd worry when she remembered, forget for a few days, then worry again—drifting through each day in a hazy, aimless manner.
Even possessing power strong enough for Academy City to rate her as a Level 5 esper, she still came across as utterly ordinary and unthreatening.
Her black backpack swung loosely as she walked, the dark bun atop her head wobbling unsteadily with each step. She casually tucked the change from the shopkeeper into her pocket.
Natsume had just left the convenience store at the street corner, clutching four or five comic books she'd found interesting.
As someone who wasn't short on money, Natsume often bought things she liked to collect—one of her relatively few hobbies.
Once you develop a hobby, it's hard to let it go.
If aliens existed in this world, Natsume would probably pick up alien-watching as a new pastime too.
The wind chime at the shop entrance jingled, and just like that, Natsume was swallowed by the noisy bustle of the main street.
Pedestrians crowded the sidewalk, yet her eyes caught a strangely empty patch in the flow.
"Please, you two—I'm begging you, it's the request of a lifetime!"
A boy's voice reached her ears.
"See, if you compare them, I still think Tokiwadai's uniform suits middle school girls better."
He was muttering under his breath—clearly trying to keep his voice low, but it came out about as subtle as a public recital.
"What a weirdo, let's get out of here."
"Yeah, public safety's really been slipping lately."
Only a few steps out the door, Natsume's attention was drawn to the person at the center of that empty space.
"Wait, don't go—I just need thirty seconds, hear me out!"
Two girls in Tokiwadai uniforms had no choice but to stop; a boy with blue hair and earrings was blocking their way.
He wore a plain white shirt, a slightly odd smile on his face, one hand rubbing the back of his head.
His eyes were narrowed so tightly they were just thin black slits—as if shut completely—yet he somehow dodged the people around him with uncanny precision.
That saying about "slit-eyed people being monsters" seemed to be proven true from a whole other angle.
"I was wondering if either of you have considered a new hairstyle lately? I happen to know a new salon that just opened in the underground mall nearby."
The boy pulled out a stack of flyers and launched into an enthusiastic spiel.
"I think it'd be perfect for young ladies like you. They can do anything—sleek and straight, perms, twin tails, single ponytails, messy curls, flipped ends, single braids, double braids—you name it."
"And if you want, they even do custom styles based on your preferences. Personally, I think a bob cut would really suit you two. It's really in style for manga heroines lately."
He tried to layer on more kindness to his smile; this blue-haired boy, a seasoned part-timer, was doing his best to sound professional.
When it came to casual job experience, probably no one at a Certain High School could beat him.
"No thanks, our school has an approved salon."
The girls shook their heads firmly.
Faced with that increasingly eerie smile, the two Tokiwadai students backed away hurriedly and soon vanished down the street without a backward glance.
"Another failure. Maybe the mascot suit gig really is more my style."
Chin in hand, the blue-haired high school boy fell deep into thought, as if pondering his true calling in the part-time world.
Now that he thought about it, even the mascot job had its issues.
Last time, near the academic exhibition, if he hadn't taken off the mascot head, he definitely wouldn't have made that little blonde girl cry.
"How about you, miss? Interested in taking a look? This salon's really great."
The blue-haired boy turned and spotted a certain girl with a bun—not the least bit discouraged by his earlier failure, he smiled and made his pitch.
He was all too aware he wasn't popular with girls—dammit.
"Actually, I'm a Judgment member."
After a moment's thought, Natsume smoothly pulled a green armband with a shield emblem from her pocket.
She felt like she'd seen this guy somewhere before, but in any case, the current situation was definitely something Judgment could step into.
Though she didn't really act like a Judgment member, that green armband always came in handy for getting out of trouble.
"I'm just working a part-time job after school—I'm not some suspicious person! Here, my student ID."
The blue-haired earring boy's smile instantly stiffened, but he calmly began to explain.
As someone who got stopped by Judgment dozens of times a year, he'd long since accepted his fate—he never left home without his student ID.
"I'm just here to buy comics, too."
Natsume blinked, studying the overly cooperative boy with mild curiosity.
True to her irresponsible approach to Judgment duties, Natsume hugged her comics and walked off, disappearing down the street.
"So… I got let off by Judgment."
"It's a good thing, obviously, so why do I feel so sad?"
A pensive look crossed his face as the blue-haired boy once again confirmed his lack of popularity with girls.
"But… that guy earlier, it really looked like his eyes were closed."
Suddenly remembering, Natsume glanced back, but the boy was already far away.
Her vision couldn't make out every detail, but her heat-sensing ability could.
Different parts of the body emitted different amounts of heat; Natsume could detect those signals before they blended completely with the ambient temperature.
So, yes—his eyelids were definitely shut.
"A sensory or precognition-type esper, maybe? He acts a little strange, but in a way, you've got to admire the effort."
She wasn't particularly interested, just mildly intrigued for a moment before filing the incident away.
In Academy City, no type of esper was really all that surprising.
After wandering the shopping district a while longer, Natsume finally made her way back to the dorm, her mind elsewhere.
It was already 4:00 PM—just two hours left until the entry/exit control stations closed for the day.
Usually, though, ordinary visitors weren't allowed in past the one-hour mark.
She hadn't received a call from her parents yet, but right outside Tokiwadai Middle School's dorm, she ran into Misaka-senpai and the others.
"So that's Misaka-senpai's mother?" Natsume wondered.
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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.