Things had taken a rather bizarre turn.
It was as if the entire conflict between both sides had converged onto the everyday lives of the Misaka Sisters.
If the Sisters reduced their various outdoor activities, the situation would develop favorably for Natsume and her allies.
But if the Sisters decided to go on an outing or something similar, the problem instantly became severe.
'Maybe I should just lock all the Sisters in their rooms at the first opportunity, and show them who's the real dorm supervisor around here,' Natsume mused.
Even though she was usually so meek within her own student dorm, Natsume-san certainly had her moments of decisive action.
"In order to keep the number of sightings to a minimum and avoid causing a widespread impact, I altered the perceptions of the local residents regarding the Sisters. Even if they see one of the Sisters, they won't find it strange or act unusually."
"However, most of the sightings that get spread around come from highly mobile individuals like pedestrians or drivers. Those are unavoidable. Even ordinary social interactions can transmit this information, mainly through various online social media apps."
Shokuhou-senpai explained, sounding rather weary.
Just to handle all this, to protect the Sisters' privacy, she'd lost several pounds during that period. Her physical activity level had even risen to that of an ordinary middle schooler.
Roughly on par with a certain bun-girl's level, to be precise.
"Wow, Shokuhou-senpai, you altered that many people's memories?"
Natsume-san's eyes widened considerably, thinking the golden-haired girl before her was as formidable as ever.
Both were Level 5s, but Shokuhou-senpai's computational power definitely surpassed a certain bun-girl's—age had its advantages, after all.
Altering perceptions… it was basically like implanting a special suggestion in their brains, making them believe the Sisters were just a normal part of everyday life.
As an ordinary, run-of-the-mill first-year at Tokiwadai, Natsume-san felt she was still far too naive.
The second-year Level 5 senpais—one could invade networks, the other could invade minds. Meanwhile, she seemed utterly plain and harmless by comparison.
But for Level 5s, Academy City's surface-level rules could hardly restrain them anymore. Only their personal moral compasses and sense of ethics kept them firmly anchored to the side of light.
Although, a Level 5's idea of morality was somewhat different from an ordinary person's.
Natsume-san didn't particularly judge Shokuhou-senpai for altering people's cognitions. After all, she'd done similar things herself, bullying all the delinquents in Academy City for her own purposes.
Their abilities were simply part of their lives now—tools to achieve their goals. It was just that Shokuhou-senpai's ability was so ridiculously overpowered it was a little hard to accept.
And if she herself were ever targeted by memory or cognitive alteration, Natsume-san didn't have a great countermeasure, unless she could somehow back up her own memories.
Alternatively, she could use her immense computational power to scan her memories for inconsistencies. If her memories or perceptions were altered, Natsume-san could theoretically identify the problem by comparing the discrepancies.
But the simplest solution did exist: just borrow Kamijou-senpai's right hand.
Natsume-san had been touched by that right hand once before, so she was certain her memories were completely untouched.
"Yes, it was utterly exhausting."
"As you know, Natsume-san, that area is so vast, and I was constantly running up and down stairs. While my physical fitness is quite good, it's still no match for Junko or Misaka-san's."
A slight smile appeared on the golden-haired senpai's face, having noticed the change in Natsume-san's expression.
Initially, Natsume-san had been somewhat afraid of her due to her ability. But after becoming friends and getting to know each other, interacting had become surprisingly easy.
Perhaps it was a sense of kinship between kindred spirits.
"I think Shokuhou-senpai should attend P.E. class more often. Skipping so much isn't good for your health."
The golden-haired senpai's statement seemed ripe for teasing, and Natsume-san muttered something under her breath.
In all of Tokiwadai Middle School, it was only in front of this particular senpai that Natsume-san's P.E. grades were anything to boast about.
A certain bun-girl thought that, in a thousand-meter run, even without using her powers, she could probably lap Shokuhou-senpai by a full circle.
"P.E. class… I'll keep that in mind," Shokuhou-senpai responded awkwardly, resting her chin on her hand.
Ignoring the gradually emerging softness around a certain senpai's midsection, the conversation between the two Level 5s continued.
"Although that mysterious power is formidable, it can't possibly erase all the information completely. So long as those eyewitnesses leave even fragments of information on social media, even if it doesn't form a widespread dissemination channel, powerful computers can still retrieve it and pinpoint the Sisters' approximate locations."
"To plug this leak, my partner generated a massive amount of fake social media traffic to throw off their surveillance. This just happens to be an area Misaka-san specializes in."
Shokuhou-senpai had no desire to continue the P.E. class topic, steering the conversation back on track, while deftly passing the buck to a certain Railgun.
Even though they had raided numerous 'Personnel' bases, this type of information generally existed within networks, impossible to purge centrally. The only option was to create more misleading, ambiguous information to sow confusion.
"But so long as 'Personnel' dispatches people to investigate these true and false locations, the risk of discovery remains. Especially now, during the Daihasei Festival, the number of potential eyewitnesses will reach a peak."
"Worse still, their agents might, without our knowledge, coincidentally run into the Sisters while they're out."
Shokuhou-senpai added, a trace of concern appearing on her face.
If the enemy wanted to find the Sisters, the most likely reason was the Misaka Network—the most valuable asset the Sisters possessed.
"Then we have to take the initiative."
Natsume-san seemed to grasp Shokuhou-senpai's meaning, though she wasn't sure how far the investigation into the mastermind behind it all had progressed.
If they couldn't stop the enemy from finding the Sisters, then the simplest solution was to eliminate the source of the problem—the people causing it—within this timeframe.
This was consistent with Natsume-san's usual approach, even if the perpetrators always ended up delivered to Anti-Skill headquarters in the end.
It all sounded terribly troublesome. But to ensure she could sleep soundly at night and continue her peaceful, ordinary life, Natsume-san's choice was simple.
"I've already identified the intermediary: Kouzaku Mitori."
Shokuhou-senpai had read the memories of 'Personnel' members.
By cross-referencing the information within those memories with student records, she'd finally found someone who matched the criteria.
"She supposedly died from cardiac arrest at the juvenile correctional facility two months ago. If we find out who faked her death and helped her escape, we'll probably find our mastermind."
Shokuhou-senpai's tone turned serious; she seemed utterly confident now.
The Daihasei Festival's opening ceremony had ended over ten minutes ago. While the final outcome was somewhat regrettable, they'd just have to live with the mistake.
Honestly, compared to the standardized, formulaic oath, Natsume-san far preferred Sogiita Gunha-kun's impassioned speech about guts. Especially those suddenly appearing, multi-colored smoke effects—definitely one of the few highlights of the entire opening ceremony.
By now, the thirty-thousand-seat stadium had mostly emptied. Only a handful of lingering visitors remained, perhaps mixed with a few patrolling security robots.
A certain bun-girl was anxiously pushing her way through the thinning crowd. No one would have guessed this seemingly ordinary girl was about to be late for her very first event.
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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.