Sunlight scattered in fragments across the snow-white wool, a scene unique to the early morning.
In a certain apartment of Misaka Apartments Building One, one resident's comfortable sleep was brought to an end by someone several kilometers away.
"Eh? You're hungry already, Reiko-chan?"
Tilting her head, a certain bun-girl was making contact with Reiko's consciousness.
Reiko's consciousness had existed for over a month now. Spending every day intertwined with Natsume-san's thoughts, with all sorts of information colliding and exchanging between them, her growth rate far exceeded that of an ordinary child.
Consciousness communication was very different from verbal language; it was something completely sci-fi, yet it was being realized within their minds.
Natsume-san could have Reiko's brain generate information, using the Level Upper to borrow Reiko's brain for calculations, though Natsume-san could leave the calculation process within Reiko's brain itself.
The content of these calculations could be ability formulas or conversational exchanges, and through this, conscious communication was achieved.
As the owner of the body, Reiko could naturally read these things.
Natsume-san could also read the information Reiko left in the brain, both of them accessing it almost simultaneously.
After all this time, there were simply no secrets between the two.
Natsume-san could know all about Reiko's various states, and Reiko could access all sorts of knowledge and common sense left by Natsume-san, even sensing some of Natsume-san's joys and sorrows through the brain.
The relationship between Natsume-san and Reiko had also become more complicated because of this conscious connection.
From the very beginning, Reiko was neither Natsume Sonoko's clone, nor could she be considered a blood relative.
Instead, the Level Upper connected their thoughts, and due to the properties of that stone, the genetic link between them couldn't be severed.
However, problems with the consciousness communication still remained.
Even though much information was left behind, Reiko still lacked the ability to read it normally. She couldn't even understand what 'reading' was, relying solely on instinct to live.
The growth of consciousness was a process, and understanding the world happened step by step.
The reason the Sisters could form consciousness so quickly was partly due to the existence of the Misaka Network, and partly because of a certain learning device—an artificial method of forcing consciousness maturation.
Even so, what initially awakened was still a tool-like consciousness, not a sense of self.
So at this stage, Natsume-san had to piece together and guess Reiko's thoughts during their exchanges, though it seemed she was having some success.
Resting an arm on the wall, a head slowly appeared as if in some non-existent camera shot.
Slowly and leisurely, Miss Reiko rose from the 'Green Prairie' brand wool blanket, turning her head to gaze blankly at the Misaka Sisters lying scattered haphazardly around her.
It was another perfectly normal morning, with her roommates all resting on the wool blankets in the room.
Come to think of it, Natsume-san didn't have a roommate in Tokiwadai's dorm, but here in the Misaka Dormitory, she'd acquired some.
Not sure who they learned it from, but her several roommates were lazy and sluggish all day, never getting up until seven or eight, their attitude towards life utterly lacking in vigor.
Stepping onto the rug, Reiko softly opened the door and breathed in the fresh air of the new day. Reiko had a mission today: to help look after Misaka-senpai.
These 'Green Prairie' brand wool blankets were very soft, and stepping on them didn't give any feeling of roughness against her feet.
The first Misakas to move into the dorm had really liked these wool blankets.
Later, it seemed to have influenced the other Sisters; even Last Order was recently planning to buy a large wool rug.
"Reiko, you woke up very early today, Misaka says while struggling to lift her head with a puzzled expression."
A head rose with difficulty from within the room, the right side of her face slightly red from prolonged pressure. It seemed to be Misaka 9982, who liked sleeping face down.
"Misaka, I'm heading out. I won't be back for lunch."
Waving somewhat casually, Reiko called back over her shoulder while standing on tiptoe to put on her shoes.
With the sound of the door closing, the small apartment fell quiet once again.
--+--
The Dorm Supervisor was always fashionably late.
After waiting bitterly in the student dormitory for twenty minutes, the expression on Natsume-san's face shifted from anxious to calm, and then from calm to bewildered.
Accompanied by a series of firm, impactful sounds against the floor, the Supervisor finally emerged, shuffling along in a pair of pink rabbit slippers.
She was wearing casual clothes, her hair a disheveled mess like a bird's nest, and she carried a bundle of laundry in her hand.
As she walked, the Supervisor happened to make direct eye contact with a certain bun-girl.
The Dorm Supervisor was a very caring and gentle person. Even after her past romantic failure, she still persevered in caring for the children at Asunaro Park.
It was the same with her own students; she insisted on educating them with love. Shirai-san always felt she'd gained great insight every time she received the Supervisor's 'guidance'.
"Ah, Natsume. Perfect timing. Come here and help me rub my shoulders; I didn't sleep very comfortably last night."
Stopping midway, the Supervisor twisted her shoulders uncomfortably and beckoned as she spoke.
"My apologies, I refuse."
Instantly, the expression on Natsume-san's face vanished, becoming as cold and icy as a terminator from a sci-fi movie.
Returning to the normal timeline, a pair of small hands were diligently pounding back and forth on the Supervisor's shoulders. In her mind, Natsume-san had just envisioned a heroic version of herself fearlessly refusing the Supervisor.
"Natsume, a bit lower down the shoulders, and put more force into it."
"Of course. Is this acceptable, Supervisor-sama?" The bun-girl replied obediently.
"It's passable. But Natsume, your strength is a bit lacking. You need to pay attention to physical exercise."
Sitting on the sofa in front of the washing machines with her eyes narrowed, the Supervisor offered her critique.
The Supervisor's shoulders were very firm, clearly a result of frequently working hunched over a desk without paying attention to rest.
To alleviate this condition, a certain masseuse first employed a move like 'White Crane Spreads Its Wings', followed by 'Black Tiger Plucks the Heart', and finally used the legendary 'Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms'.
By the time Natsume-san successfully walked out the main door, both of her palms were trembling slightly.
After just a few minutes of massage, Natsume-san's arms already felt on the verge of cramping. It seemed Natsume-san's physical activity level was still severely insufficient.
Fortunately, she didn't have to finish the complete Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, as the Supervisor became busy dealing with her own chores, thoughtfully opening the student dormitory's main gate in the process.
As the dormitory's main gate slowly rose, several fully armed security robots, which had been stationed nearby, dispersed, clearing a path for normal entry and exit.
This peculiar garrison mode looked like a newly deployed, position-defense type of security robot.
It was really a bit exaggerated. The number of security robots around their student dorm seemed to have increased again, the security presence becoming exceptionally abundant.
--+--
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.