A wave of enthusiastic cheers rose around her, and Natsume-san's half-hearted promise began to spread.
After Natsume-san joined Judgment, her frequent absence from duties and lack of public exposure meant that the changes she brought were mostly limited to rumors and hearsay.
This was probably the first time she had openly appeared before so many people in her dual identity as a Judgment member and an esper.
To be honest, even she didn't fully grasp what kind of impact her offhand remark would have. But seeing how happy everyone suddenly became, she couldn't bring herself to take back what she'd so casually declared.
All she could do was maintain a ladylike smile and act as though it were nothing.
But playing the refined young lady was seriously exhausting.
Ever since entering Tokiwadai Middle School, she'd been saddled with the inexplicable burden of acting like an ojō-sama, and lately, it seemed an "idol image" had been added to the mix.
Natsume-san was struggling to maintain elegance in front of strangers.
As for those attackers—their punishments wouldn't end for a good three or four months. Something that far off clearly didn't bother a certain bun-girl who lived firmly in the present.
"There are about a dozen or so attackers. Looks like there's no hope of wrapping this up in a day or two."
Gazing lightly up at the ceiling, Natsume-san tuned out the noisy surroundings and lost herself in thought.
All she wanted was to leisurely spend a relaxed afternoon, sipping the black tea that Uiharu-san had bought—was such a simple life really too much to ask?
"Hey, you. Time to get to work."
Her train of thought was abruptly cut off as the silhouette of a twin-tailed girl came into view. In the dim light, the outline seemed somewhat blurred.
Before she could fully clear her vision, one of her hands was firmly grasped, and without any resistance, she was whisked away from the area.
The hand holding hers felt warm, and the chestnut-brown hair carried the familiar scent of the same shampoo. The two Judgment girls broke through the limits of space, appearing side-by-side in the open air.
"We've got a result from the negotiations with the armed group."
"Bringing you along, Natsume-san, was a wise decision after all."
Before she could even ask, Shirai-san had already gotten straight to the point, casually praising Natsume Sonoko, who was already starting to sulk.
"They agreed?"
After a brief pause, Natsume-san looked somewhat surprised.
Although she had guessed they were unlikely to refuse—partly because Judgment had taken a strong stance, and partly because the other side saw a glimmer of hope for resolving the incident—Natsume-san and the others also knew that agreeing would ultimately harm the armed group itself.
A normal leader probably wouldn't make such a decision, but then again, standing up for unrelated Level 0s was already an abnormal act in itself.
"They agreed to half of it."
Bracing against the strong headwind, Shirai-san gently landed on the roof of a building, gazing out at the endless cityscape stretching to the horizon.
"If the Anti-Skill and Judgment can't manage to do their jobs, they'll resort to their own methods. But until then, they're willing to try things our way."
Shirai-san spoke, her expression growing more serious.
Those with power bullying those without—wasn't that the norm in this city? If you couldn't rely on the always-late Judgment and Anti-Skill, then you might as well protect yourself.
"Honestly, I think Judgment could do a lot more, but the adults don't want us involved in anything outside school grounds."
"When it comes to danger, what difference does it make whether it's inside or outside the school?"
A hint of complaint tinged Shirai-san's voice.
Though she treated writing apology statements as a daily hobby, that didn't mean she enjoyed it. If nearby Judgment members had stepped in earlier—even just patrolling the area—it could have reduced the number of victims.
To become a Judgment member, one generally had to sign nine agreements, pass twelve aptitude tests, and complete four months of training.
Even someone like Natsume-san, who had taken shortcuts, had honestly signed those nine forms and understood the risks involved in being a Judgment member.
But as ordinary students, they couldn't defy the will of the Anti-Skill teachers—or rather, the will of Academy City's authorities.
"I don't agree with that."
"That kind of thinking is dangerous, Shirai-san. Judgment already has plenty of work; we shouldn't add more to everyone's burden."
"Not everyone has as much energy as you do, Shirai-san. We all wish for a more relaxed afternoon."
Natsume-san shook her head with a serious expression, as though speaking her mind. This time, she clearly sided with Academy City's official stance.
She believed the key to handling such incidents lay in addressing the gray zones and expanding the Anti-Skill ranks—not in making Judgment work overtime.
They went back and forth on whether Judgment should take on more responsibility, but in the end, reached no useful conclusion.
Still, even though Natsume-san voiced strong opposition, her actions were quite honest—she obediently accompanied Shirai-san in dealing with the incident at hand.
Just thinking about the decision that armed group had made stirred a vague, hard-to-define feeling inside her.
There hadn't been enough time to even get to know each other, let alone earn something as precious as their trust. Because of that, Natsume-san and the others now felt they were carrying a certain expectation and hope.
The moment Shirai-san chose to leverage someone's identity as an esper to negotiate with the armed group—and succeeded—even someone as carefree as Natsume-san knew she had to take those hopes seriously.
More and more people were placing their expectations on the ghostly girl wandering the urban jungle.
"Anyway, since 'Skill-Out' has agreed to withdraw from patrols in the gray zones and pull back all their personnel, the rest is entirely up to us."
"I'm fine with that—just don't you go slacking off."
Raising an eyebrow, Shirai Kuroko deftly pulled an armband from her pocket and handed a spare earpiece to Natsume Sonoko.
Negotiations weren't a one-sided affair, after all.
According to the final terms, the group's leader, Komaba Ritoku, would be hospitalized—officially due to severe side effects from the Hard Taper—and most members would cease activities in the absence of their leader, creating a vacuum in the gray zones of District 7.
As long as the "game" continued, most of the attackers would gradually show themselves. They might miss a few especially cautious ones in the end, but stopping the trend would be the greatest success.
The main goal of law enforcement was to punish criminals, but ultimately, it was about preventing new crimes from happening.
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T/N: I have a Patreon!
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