With Magical Powered Kanamin as its industrial core, an entire related industry chain had been developed.
The Lotus Wand, magical capes, character pendants, posters of the girls, and so on—all these were key components that the future Daidouji Group was striving to expand within Academy City.
Put that way, a certain toy company suddenly found itself with a bright future ahead—quite the unexpected turn of events.
Their pace was somewhat slow, and the two of them gradually melted into the bustling crowd around them, becoming just two insignificant little dots amid the noise.
Those two dots wound their way through the lively streets, climbed a pedestrian overpass, and soon found themselves on another bustling road, eventually arriving at a public park.
Their destination hadn't changed; it was still the hotel that a certain lady had booked.
But the distance to the hotel seemed to be yo-yoing back and forth. Clearly, a certain complicated girl was deliberately taking the long way around again—so troublesome.
Every now and then, laughter could be heard from near the park. Natsume-san's face was lit up like a blooming flower, beaming with a joy rarely seen, even under the harsh white glow of the streetlights.
A certain lady, spotting the hotel advertisement she'd passed twice now, allowed a faint, wry smile to touch her lips.
She rubbed her own pale cheek absently and continued to follow the girl who was so clearly leading her astray.
Lights-out came faster than expected. If it were for tomorrow's evening parade, the curfew could be pushed back by an hour.
She'd heard other schools got a two-hour extension—typical of Tokiwadai Middle School, always having to be different.
Finally having settled her mother into the hotel, Natsume-san was now somewhat reluctantly preparing to head back.
But her steps halted after just a few paces, her attention caught by something in the distance.
"It's the Anti-Skill Teachers."
A fraction of a second later, the wail of an Anti-Skill armored vehicle reached her ears, speeding past right before Natsume-san's eyes.
"Another incident, huh? The teachers really have it tough."
She couldn't help but sigh. Natsume-san was a laid-back person, so she truly admired these Anti-Skill teachers who protected Academy City.
Rumor had it that Anti-Skill salaries were trending downward lately. Natsume-san had even considered writing a letter to the Anti-Skill headquarters to firmly oppose such a thing.
Speaking of suggestion letters, the one Natsume-san had written previously concerning Meigo-senpai had also been sent off sometime later.
It was signed with the names of three espers, including Natsume-san, but there'd been no reply yet. The Daihaseisai operational committee's efficiency was just too low.
But with the Daihaseisai right around the corner, whether the committee members even had time to read mail was a question. And even if they did, they couldn't possibly change the opening ceremony procedures at this late stage.
The method Natsume-san had thought of—sending a letter—was already too late timing-wise, seemingly dooming it to failure from the start.
And really, who even paid attention to suggestion letters? Only someone like Natsume-san would take them seriously.
Well then, she might as well just invite Meigo-senpai to be the future face of the Daidouji Group. Once the corporation was properly established, they could hold a magical girl-themed concert for Meigo-senpai.
Lost in these tangled thoughts, a certain bun-girl was already hatching some new, peculiar scheme.
Managing to get back to the student dormitory just before lights-out, Natsume-san dragged her heavy head inside.
She pulled the ID from her pocket and swiped it absently in front of the scanner.
Head bowed, Natsume-san walked past the Dorm Supervisor deep in thought, drawing a sharp, scrutinizing gaze from the formidable woman.
Normally, Natsume-san would be all smiles, passing by her with perfect propriety.
'As expected, with the Daihaseisai here, everyone's minds are wandering,' the Supervisor mused, resting her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's right! I forgot to bring the presents back."
The moment she reached her floor, Natsume-san's face lit up with sudden realization. The whole way back, she'd felt like she was forgetting something.
Her new gift, the teddy bear plushie, and the manga she'd bought that afternoon—she'd left them all with her mom.
She knocked on Room 208's door. Passing by, Natsume-san had wanted to check on Misaka-senpai, only to find she wasn't back yet.
A pang of disappointment hit her.
Seems everyone was busy today.
--+--
Her eyes opened. The sky was already growing light, rays spilling through the window onto the floor, though they formed no visible beams of light.
That was because Natsume-san kept her room spotless. There was hardly any dust in the air or on the floor. She even gave the whole room a thorough high-temperature disinfection every few days.
Partly it was her mild OCD, but it also served as precision training for her ability—Natsume-san's own secret method for honing her powers.
The air carried a faint, dewy morning scent. Natsume-san had forgotten to close the window again last night.
It had also been a while since she'd last seen that black cat by the windowsill. The canned fish she'd specially bought for it was still tucked away in a box.
A glance at the clock showed she still had an hour before she needed to get up. The legion of alarm clocks lined up beside her hadn't even started their shift yet.
Quietly shifting position, Natsume-san prepared to catch a little more sleep. It had taken her so long to finally drift off last night; she'd been just too keyed up.
But before she could even close her eyes, she shot up from the sofa.
That's right. She couldn't afford to waste time sleeping these days. There was still so much to do, and time waited for no one.
It felt like a return to her morning jogging days. Once again, Natsume-san found herself facing the student dormitory's firmly shut main door.
'So this is Tokiwadai's dormitory at 5 a.m.,' she thought, a sense of unreality washing over her.
"First, go to the hotel to see Mom, have breakfast together, then bring back the presents and the manga. At 8, head to District 7 for the Daihaseisai opening ceremony. Around 10, the first event starts..."
Counting off her schedule on her fingers, Natsume-san winced at the packed day ahead.
Even though she'd lived through busier times, today's itinerary was enough to set anyone's nerves on edge—especially since a certain someone was trying to be a master of time management.
"And I can't let my guard down around Misaka-senpai either. But the second-year events are different from ours. I'll just have to rely on Reiko-chan to keep an eye on her today."
Another thought crossed her mind, and the furrow in Natsume-san's brow eased slightly. Having Reiko-chan around was such a relief.
The carefree, detached mood from yesterday had largely faded, and Natsume-san was back to pondering the various troubles around her.
There'd been no news from Shokuhou-senpai lately, and she hadn't spotted any suspicious characters near the Misaka clones recently. Lacking intel, Natsume-san was almost starting to believe everything had calmed down.
But peaceful times were often as fragile as glass. Natsume-san had experienced that sudden shattering of tranquility far too many times.
Right now, though, the biggest problem was waiting for the Dorm Supervisor to unlock the main door.
Honestly, how could the Supervisor be so lazy? It's almost 6 a.m., and she's still not up?
--+--
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.