Academy City felt unusually lively today.
Even though Natsume-san was alone in her dorm, she couldn't help but notice those Six Wings and other unidentifiable flying models frequently passing overhead.
Oh well. Was there ever a day when serious incidents didn't occur in Academy City? Once you got used to life here, it all became background noise.
Ignoring those terrifying killing machines, Natsume Sonoko—whose heart overflowed with truth, goodness, and beauty—returned to pondering the new Phase abilities she'd suddenly acquired.
Truth be told, if Natsume-san had ever felt like exploring them, her unique perception could've uncovered far more from the countless Phases long ago.
But realistically, given her mapping capabilities, Phase exploration was exhausting work.
Nearly every Phase operated under rules completely alien to the real world. She couldn't easily discern their true nature, nor comprehend how a Phase's 'eye' perceived the physical universe.
Only those aspects aligning with Natsume-san's own understanding, those adhering to her logical framework, could be partially grasped and accepted.
Given that, expecting the lazy Natsume-san to voluntarily engage in such strenuous activity was about as likely as seeing Shokuhou Misaki-senpai eagerly participate in P.E. class.
"I've been wondering since yesterday—aren't dreams just byproducts of unconscious brain activity, much like AIM diffusion fields?"
"Except AIM fields are exclusive to espers, while dreams cover nearly every sentient being."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Natsume-san seemed genuinely intrigued by her new toy.
While Natsume Sonoko couldn't be bothered wasting energy exploring the sea of Phases, having something placed right before her eyes was another matter entirely.
"AIM fields are essentially specialized energy dissipated by espers, so are dreams a form of energy too? No, dreams are merely neural activity—chemical exchanges between neurotransmitters and such."
"But if they're just unconscious brain activity without physical substance or energy carriers, how do dreams reach the Phases? In other words, how do dreams exist independently from the brain?"
Natsume-san tried applying her scientific knowledge to understand Phase existence, only to find it completely defied her understanding.
Upon reflection, this was probably another waste of time. Not all Phases were as scientific as the Lightless Phase.
Her expressionless face gradually furrowed into a frown, clearly indicating her intellect wasn't quite up to the task.
Still, she was neither the first nor would she be the last to attempt understanding Phases through scientific means.
Most Phases bore no relation to the fundamental laws of the physical universe, yet within them they existed with logical consistency—even spontaneously generating energy applicable to their own rules, capable of overwriting physical universe data.
Fortunately, Natsume Sonoko wasn't some obsessive researcher, just an easygoing girl content to admire the conveniences technology brought to daily life.
"Whatever, if I can't understand it, I'll stop thinking about it."
"This world's weird enough already, anything could happen. Geez, I'm seriously worried about this world's future."
She sighed, her expression deliberately theatrical and exaggerated.
The internal conflict soon vanished from her face as Natsume-san acknowledged that current science still couldn't explain many phenomena—magic being a prime example.
Remembering this world was like a ridiculously layered sandwich, Natsume-san's research enthusiasm was promptly extinguished. She clearly lacked the fundamental patience required of a researcher.
Yet deep down, Natsume-san maintained faith that science would eventually explain everything. And if it couldn't? Then just eliminate anything unscientific.
Eyes closed, her consciousness drifted through mysterious realms as her cheeks gradually flushed pink. She was analyzing the Phase information she could actually comprehend.
Within the Phase christened 'Dreams,' space and time existed in chaotic disorder. Merely having her thoughts brush against this realm forced Natsume-san to endure the visceral sensation of her worldview shattering.
Though she could filter out unnecessary information, the newly-arrived Natsume-san couldn't distinguish information importance yet. She could only narrow her perception's focal point, cautiously learning about this dream-bearing realm.
Thankfully her adaptability was decent, and her processing power had slightly improved, preventing physical reactions like vomiting or dizziness from the bizarre information overload.
"Such a strange feeling. When I focus on those dream bubbles, it's like actually entering someone else's dream."
"And if I 'look' toward the physical universe from an anchored dream world, I can even observe dreams being born and their corresponding owners."
Natsume-san quickly abandoned probing the Dream Phase's essence, instead focusing—as she always did—on finding practical tricks she could exploit.
Past experience taught her these shortcuts often brought pleasant surprises and assistance.
Admittedly, Natsume-san always preferred applying her cleverness toward laziness-enabling endeavors. Such an easily understandable character.
"Is nobody sleeping because it's daytime?"
"Not necessarily—people do sleep in class too."
Her eyebrow twitched. While Natsume-san had no personal experience sleeping boldly during lessons, she'd heard it was fairly common.
From her Dream-Phase perspective projecting into the physical universe, reality itself appeared bleached of color.
Pedestrians, vehicles, buildings—all seemed illusory and transient, leaving only a false sense of detachment.
This occurred because the Dream Phase's rules drastically differed from the physical universe's. What Natsume Sonoko perceived was merely the portion reflecting reality back. Only when sentient beings dreamed would vibrant colors emerge from the bleak whiteness.
Simultaneously, alongside freshly generated dreams from the waking world, past dreams existed here too—sorted into different temporal dimensions within the Phase.
And when she focused her perspective on specific individuals in the physical world, the dream Phase responded accordingly, reflecting their Phase information—meaning she could see the dreams they'd left imprinted here.
"I think I can confirm it now—the colors used to distinguish dreams on Indian Poker weren't artificially assigned. Phase forces influenced them."
"Indian Poker replicates dreams originally destined for the dream Phase, simultaneously staining them with the dream's inherent coloration."
"Following this logic, this color staining might represent how Phase filters manifest their influence on the physical universe."
Contemplating these matters, Natsume-san's expression gradually turned serious. It seemed she'd unraveled another piece of the puzzle.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL