Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer naps, and when winter comes, you just don't wanna get out of bed at all.
Right now was the season most likely to make people feel weary – autumn.
With only two days left before the winter uniforms were switched out at the end of September, slacking off even a little left one feeling utterly listless.
The main culprits behind this lethargy were the pleasant climate and comfortable temperatures. So, it was somewhat understandable that a certain bun-haired girl seemed perpetually stuck in a languid, sluggish state.
It's not my fault; the temperature control is just too effective.
"So Natsume-san likes Gekota too?"
By the time she realized it, she had accidentally strayed into the territory of what felt like a Gekota enthusiasts' club meeting. Sonoko Natsume, a veteran Magical Girl faction member, found herself surrounded.
Amidst Hokaze-senpai's cheerful tone, an intensely curious gaze was fixed upon the Gekota charm dangling from Natsume-san's newly acquired phone.
This little gift, originally from Index, was reportedly a prize won by the perpetually unlucky Kamijou Touma-senpai after considerable effort in a lottery. Its rarity instantly skyrocketed to limited-edition status.
These two factors combined, creating a peculiar chemical reaction. In any case, Natsume-san had been carrying it around lately; mature girls always needed to accessorize a bit.
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert on Gekota, actually I think Magical... I like it a lot."
She had just been about to explain that she wasn't a true Gekota fanatic, that it was just a gift from a friend, and to take the opportunity to introduce Hokaze-senpai to the Magical Powered Kanamin.
But seeing the barely contained joy sparkling in Hokaze-senpai's eyes, the bun-haired girl forcefully changed what she was about to say.
One of the top ten rules for making friends in middle school: don't ruin someone's happy moment.
"It's a pity I don't have any Indian Poker Cards on me, otherwise I could give Natsume-san a dream card about Gekota."
"Sigh... Recently, everyone in the clique has been ordered to stop using Indian Poker Cards."
Hokaze-senpai suddenly let out a sigh, mentioning the matter of Indian Poker Cards, a faint trace of worry flashing across her face.
Hokaze Junko thought of her Queen's recent actions, especially the order forbidding everyone in the clique from using Indian Poker Cards. It made her smell something unusual.
For her Queen to treat the matter so seriously, had she discovered some secret hidden within the Indian Poker Cards?
"Forbidding everyone in your clique from using Indian Poker Cards?"
"Her domineering and forceful personality is really hard to take. Hokaze-senpai, you all are far too indulgent with her."
Frowning slightly, Misaka-senpai, who was resting nearby, commented with clear concern.
Although their relationship had thawed considerably, it didn't mean they saw eye to eye. When they met at school, they were still the same as always. Until one of them completely gave in, their compatibility issues would probably be hard to resolve.
"Actually, the Queen has her difficulties. It would be best if you also stopped using Indian Poker Cards, Misaka-san. After all, their origins are unknown."
Maintaining her ladylike smile, Hokaze-senpai gently advised. She trusted her Queen unconditionally, even to the point of abandoning her own innate talent as a 'Dream Ranker' and refusing to create dream cards.
In her view, no tool's value could compare to that of her fair, plump, adorably lazy Queen.
"I know."
Her expression faltering for a moment, a certain Railgun hesitated, then nodded. It was hard to tell if she had actually taken it to heart.
However, having experienced the dark dream of Gekota Land just a few days prior, which led to several nights of the same nightmare, her interest in those cards had recently plummeted to an all-time low.
Unless she encountered a new card that piqued her interest—say, something that could affect endocrine systems and promote ahem development—it might rekindle her passion for Indian Poker Cards.
Actually, Misaka-senpai had a constant worry: that she seemed a bit... underdeveloped.
Of course, this wasn't the same kind of 'underdevelopment' that Natsume-san fretted about. This was the kind related to washboards.
"That's right, it's probably better not to use Indian Poker Cards."
Natsume Sonoko chimed in, voicing her agreement.
However, her gaze lingered on Hokaze-senpai's figure a moment longer. She seemed to have noticed something bizarre.
Her original intention had just been to record the AIM diffusion field around Hokaze-senpai, just in case she needed to find her later.
Natsume-san had already recorded the AIM fields of many people; her simple person-finding system was almost set up.
But due to the system's efficiency—or rather, the limits of Natsume-san's own computational power—finding a specific recorded individual within Academy City wasn't exactly easy.
'Junko-chan, this is interesting! I think someone can see me!'
'Really? It's the first time someone other than a possessor has seen me.'
A girl in a white dress, seemingly no different from a normal person aside from being slightly translucent, floated in a few circles above Hokaze Junko's head, as if she had discovered a new continent, and exclaimed with notable excitement.
But these exclamations didn't seem to exist in the real world; it was more like they were fed directly back into Hokaze-senpai's mind, meaning no unrelated person could hear or detect them.
"What?"
The word escaped Hokaze-senpai's lips before she could stop herself, immediately causing her to blush. Two confused underclassmen were blinking, looking her way.
'I'm saying, that girl with the bun! She seems to be able to see me!'
Flying from Hokaze Junko's head to float above Natsume-san's head, then back again, the unnamed ghost girl spoke with a serious tone.
"I know, we'll talk about that later."
Covering her mouth and muttering softly, Hokaze-senpai was clearly still using the most basic method to communicate with this ghostly young lady.
But her gaze also settled firmly on Natsume-san.
Was it true? Could Natsume-san really see that ghostly young lady?
Because of the sudden possession incident, Hokaze-senpai had been paying attention to various bits of information lately, trying to uncover the ghost girl's identity, but so far, she had made no progress.
"Natsume-san, are you seeing anything strange? Like... a ghost, perhaps?"
Not even deliberately avoiding the ghost lady on her person, Hokaze Junko asked directly.
These past few days, her concern about this matter was second only to her worries about the Queen. And even the ghost girl herself seemed equally eager to find out just who she was.
"Senpai, what are you suddenly talking about? What ghost?"
Tilting her head, the bun-haired girl couldn't comprehend Hokaze-senpai's words at all.
How strange, suddenly bringing up ghosts.
As a fine young lady who upheld materialist values, she didn't believe in such things without seeing them with her own eyes.
Yet, within the extended visual field of her AIM diffusion field perception, the field emanating from Hokaze-senpai before her contained a distinctly discordant sensation. It was as if some foreign object was mixed within it, interfering with the field inherent to the senpai herself.
A very strange AIM diffusion field distribution. It looked abnormal at a glance.
Natsume Sonoko had witnessed AIM fields that could coalesce into massive physical entities, and she had encountered constructs pieced together like patchwork monsters. But something like this, resembling a parasitic type, was a first.
Although her perception-based observational abilities allowed her to easily spot the anomaly, her research into AIM fields was still at the level of an average esper—that is to say, rather unclear. She had no idea what kind of bizarre situation this was.
But one thing Natsume-san was clear about: Hokaze-senpai had gotten herself into some trouble.
In Natsume-san's view, anything involving AIM fields was never a small matter. These unconsciously emitted fields might seem insignificant, but they were an extension of their abilities.
"Could it be the Indian Poker Cards?"
She couldn't help but ponder, some ideas forming in Natsume-san's head.
But Misaka-senpai didn't seem affected. Maybe it was because she hadn't used them enough.
"Natsume-san, are you alright?"
Seeing the girl in front of her suddenly zone out, entering a dazed state, Hokaze-senpai asked with concern.
"Hokaze-senpai, have you felt particularly heavy lately, as if something is weighing you down?"
Staring at the other girl's peculiar field state, the bun-head suddenly asked a serious question in return.
Acting as an unlicensed and rather clumsy doctor, Natsume-san attempted to diagnose her senpai's condition.
Ordinary AIM diffusion fields vanished from the real world almost immediately after appearing, heading towards that field Phase. But this cluster of aggregated field was attached to Hokaze-senpai, maintaining an abnormal state of synchronization.
An AIM field that could remain in the real world for an extended period had to be an aggregate with mass and form—this was valuable experience Natsume-san had gained from her numerous encounters.
But this cluster in front of her was clearly strange, seemingly invisible to the naked eye.
"There is."
Hokaze-senpai wasn't entirely sure what Natsume-san meant, but after a moment's thought, she nodded.
Her hair had grown a bit more recently, often making her head feel heavy.
But she felt that Natsume-san definitely wasn't talking about hair. It was a normal person's intuition; perhaps they were discussing the same thing.
It was just that, due to poor information flow and difficulties in communication, they were currently experiencing a state of being riddlers.
The perceptive upperclassman inexplicably nodded, secretly feeling like she was on the same wavelength as the bun-headed girl. It seemed the two of them really had a connection.
"So, Natsume-san, do you know what's causing it?"
Having a vague, peculiar feeling, Hokaze-senpai decided to continue following the other's lead.
It seemed the ghost young lady's discovery earlier wasn't false; the bun-headed girl in front of her really did seem to see something.
The ability to see ghosts... perhaps it was the legendary 'Yin-Yang Eyes'. This thought greatly piqued the curiosity of Hokaze Junko, who had seen some fantasy movies.
"I'm not entirely sure. But if it's causing that top-heavy feeling, then perhaps there's something troublesome on you, Senpai."
Nodding gravely, Natsume-san suddenly floated up, bringing herself to the same height as Hokaze-senpai.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL