A girl sporting a seemingly ordinary bun hairstyle actually harbored dreams of becoming an idol.
But because she was simply too outstanding, she was now an undisputed powerhouse, ranked eighth among the student representatives of Academy City.
Praise caught her off guard, leaving her a little light-headed. Natsume-san had very little resistance to compliments from her own mother.
Nevertheless, Natsume-san maintained excellent flight etiquette, deftly weaving around obstacles one after another while steadily maintaining a high subsonic speed.
Her condition was greatly influenced by her mood, yet she simultaneously retained considerable rationality—this was one of Natsume-san's character traits.
However, if she were to get injured, given Natsume-san's tolerance level, there was an immediate risk of crashing. Of course, nosebleeds were an exception.
As she flew on, a certain windowless building came into view. Natsume-san glanced at it a few times, somewhat curious.
The building was entirely white, over a hundred meters tall, with the upper edges sloping inward to form a frustum-shaped roof.
Truth be told, Natsume-san was actually a bit wary of this structure.
As the location of the Academy City Board Chairman's office, who knew how many of Academy City's secret weapons were hidden inside? It was the most mysterious place in District 7, and arguably in all of Academy City.
Combined with all the bizarre rumors circulating online, its intimidation factor shot up a whole notch.
Yep, better keep my distance.
Thus, one of Academy City's publicly known strongest weapons decisively made the choice to give it a wide berth.
Natsume-san felt it was highly likely this building housed methods capable of countering her invisibility. For all she knew, she was already being monitored by something.
So, Natsume-san chose to be polite, even if the other party was just a building.
Towards entities she had no intel on, or those she had intel on but couldn't defeat, it was always best to maintain a certain degree of wariness and caution.
"What's wrong? Why'd you suddenly go quiet?" The voice on the phone sounded puzzled.
"Just saw a big obstacle, took a moment to go around it," Natsume-san replied, a hint of concern in her voice, a trace of seriousness appearing on her face.
"I see."
"Sonoko-chan, on my way today, I specially picked out a gift for you. It's that little bear plushie you love the most."
The woman's voice on the phone, remembering something, immediately brightened, seeming quite pleased with her gift choice.
In order to pick a suitable present for her daughter, she'd had to part ways with her newly made friend and spent a long time browsing nearby toy stores.
"Huh? I think the last gift was a bear plushie too. And liking bear plushies was ages ago, back when I was in fifth grade, I think. I'm a middle school student now."
Natsume-san was slightly taken aback, the gift feeling somewhat familiar, and she couldn't help muttering under her breath.
Even so, a certain bun-haired girl was actually quite happy.
After all, Natsume-san herself had a collector's streak, though it hadn't reached the point of buying two of everything.
Speaking of the last gift, it still held its unchanging spot on her sofa. That bear plushie's belly was stuffed full with Natsume-san's various little secrets.
As a good companion in Natsume-san's dorm room, she sometimes even greeted it.
"Sonoko-chan doesn't like it? That is a problem." The woman's voice on the other end sounded troubled.
"Absolutely not the case!" The bun-headed girl declared righteously.
Truthfully, the gift itself didn't matter much. Natsume-san wasn't really bothered by such things.
"Is it just you coming this time, Mom?" Natsume-san asked hesitantly after a moment.
"No. Your father actually arrived in Academy City ahead of me. Haven't you seen him, Sonoko?"
"Nope." Shaking her head somewhat blankly, Natsume-san indicated she knew nothing about it.
"He probably went to handle some urgent matters." The voice on the other end paused for a moment before explaining.
"I see." Natsume-san nodded lightly, not particularly surprised.
Her impression of her father was that of a workaholic and a clingy person—both to an extreme degree.
When he was working, he'd disappear who-knows-where all day, completely unreachable.
The moment he had free time, he'd stick by her side like a shadow, constantly paranoid about something.
That was a long time ago, though, back before she entered Academy City.
And 'handling some urgent matters'… did it refer to that Cold Light incident from a few days ago or something?
But Natsume-san had little interest in the world of adults. After pondering it briefly, she put it out of her mind. Once he finished his business, that man was sure to show up.
--+--
Academy City's area was about one-third that of Tokyo, entirely enclosed by tall, sturdy walls.
As soon as you reached the border districts of Academy City, you could see the massive barrier separating it from the outside world.
The Anti-Skill teachers in these border districts were not only responsible for security within their districts but also for guarding these walls against external intruders.
District 11 was one such border district.
Due to its proximity to Tokyo, it had become a massive logistics hub.
Similarly, a large portion of tourists coming to Academy City from the Tokyo direction entered through the entry and exit stations in this district.
Unlike its usual quiet, nearly deserted state, it was now a bustling scene with a constant flow of people.
Cars from outside couldn't drive into Academy City; they had to be parked in lots near the city, so most outside visitors entered on foot.
As if sensing the business opportunity, a large number of taxis were already parked here. Today was an important day for the drivers to make money—this kind of opportunity only came once a year.
After all, even the maids were working hard making boxed lunches, preparing to break into the food service industry.
The propulsive force behind her faded evenly, her speed slowing more and more.
Both feet landed steadily on the ground, and then a living person materialized on the spot, characterized by a bun on her head.
Thankfully, this rather startling scene didn't scare anyone.
Having obediently landed near the station, the air around Natsume-san grew agitated from the dissipating pressure.
It seemed her timing was perfect. Before Natsume-san could even walk into the station, she received another call from her mom.
She had just answered the phone when the familiar voice sounded simultaneously from both the phone and right beside her ear.
Following the direction of the sound, she looked.
A woman with a gentle smile on her face, happily holding up a phone, was energetically waving her arm.
--+--
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.