"Thanks, senpai! I'll definitely give my all to the club activities. I'm going to uncover all those secrets hidden in Academy City's shadows." Natsume Sonoko nodded firmly.
Finding a club that suited her tastes so well meant today's happiness could rival that monthly scholarship payday.
Academy City's scholarships are distributed based on a student's school and ability level, automatically deposited into their bank accounts each month.
The difference between a Level 0 and a Level 5's scholarship was like night and day, with each level having its own specific bracket.
A Level 0's scholarship was just enough to cover basic living expenses in Academy City, though pinching pennies was necessary to save anything extra.
A Level 1 student received double that of a Level 0, and the gap only widened with each subsequent level.
Sonoko's current scholarship was eleven times that of an ordinary Level 0 classmate. This wasn't just due to the boost from her Level 3 status; Tokiwadai Middle School also provided additional scholarship supplements.
In other words, ever since Natsume Sonoko entered Tokiwadai, her monthly scholarship had increased.
And if she advanced to Level 4 in next week's comprehensive periodic assessment, her scholarship would see another significant jump from its current amount.
"The club's activity funds will be deposited into your bank account each month. Plus, if you uncover any useful urban legends, the club can help publish the findings on our website. The pay isn't bad either," said the club president, a third-year middle school student named Amakusa Yū, who was currently holding Sonoko's hands with evident delight.
In a school like Tokiwadai, overflowing with young ladies, finding students willing to run all over Academy City for investigations was probably quite difficult.
With Sonoko joining, the Urban Legend Investigation Club now had a grand total of four members.
Sonoko had no prior impression of this smiling president-senpai.
What surprised Sonoko, however, was learning that this senpai was also one of Tokiwadai's Level 4s.
Her ability was 'Silent Domain,' which seemingly allowed her to prevent herself and others from speaking or making sounds.
'It's actually perfectly suited for this Urban Legend Investigation Club,' Sonoko thought.
The senpai moved so quietly, not a sound emitted when she bumped into things. It must be very convenient for investigations... or tailing people.
"Sonoko, your ability is Temperature Control? That's amazing! I want to go on investigations with you from now on! I'm Maeda Kana, a second-year, height 165cm, weight..." Another member exclaimed, only to find herself suddenly unable to make any sound.
She could only wave her arms and glare furiously ahead.
President Amakusa Yū sighed and patted her own forehead, shooting a sharp look at the now-silent Maeda Kana before turning back to Sonoko.
"We don't usually gather in the clubroom. We're only here these past few days for recruitment and to handle activity fund applications."
"Normally, we just use our phones. I'll add you to the group chat—that's where we share all our updates and notifications."
"Generally, it's free-form activity. If you discover any leads, you can share them in the group. The main requirement is submitting one investigation report per month. I'm sending you a template now. Feel free to contact me if you need anything," Amakusa said, tapping the send button on her phone.
A report template promptly arrived in Sonoko's account.
"Amakusa-senpai, you still use a flip phone?" Sonoko asked, eyeing the device curiously.
Tablets and smartphones had long since become commonplace in Academy City, with mass adoption spreading even outside the city.
Yet, this senpai before her was still using such an antique.
"Mhm, old habits die hard. Besides, it's less likely to have random, shady apps installed on it," Amakusa-senpai replied with a laugh, casually releasing the Silent Domain from the still-gesturing Maeda Kana.
After finishing up with the club registration and filing the club name with the teacher, Natsume Sonoko set off towards Tokiwadai's dormitory feeling wonderfully refreshed.
Hooray! From now on, Natsume Sonoko could do as she pleased after school.
Academy City was teeming with urban legends; just picking a few would easily fulfill the club's activity requirements.
But there was nothing pressing waiting for her back at the dorm. Maybe she could start her urban legend investigation right away?
She immediately dismissed the thought.
She wasn't required to start investigations this month; they officially began next month.
Why was she in such a hurry? Speaking of which, a new shaved ice shop had just opened in the Shopping Street of District 7. How about trying it out today?
Changing direction midway, Sonoko headed towards the Shopping Street. If she truly wanted gourmet food, she ought to go to District 4, but remembering the exorbitant prices there made even the soon-to-be-Level 4 Natsume Sonoko shudder.
'A single dish costing an entire Level 0's scholarship? Can you believe it?' Poor Level 0 students had unwittingly become someone's unit of measurement.
Sitting in the cold drink shop, Sonoko ordered a large fruit shaved ice, drenched it in a generous amount of strawberry syrup, and found her appetite whetted by the sweet, chilly sensation.
Ever since gaining her ability, Sonoko had basically stopped worrying about fat buildup.
Her Temperature Control ability easily solved that problem. By creating a sub-zero environment around herself, she could accelerate the burning of fat all over her body.
'See? Problem solved.'
She agreed with the principle that ability users weren't harmed by their own powers, but the issue was that Sonoko's ability wasn't about generating high or low temperatures directly—she couldn't conjure a giant fireball or form a snowball in her hand.
Instead, it was more like using a remote control to raise or lower the temperature of a specific area.
If she misjudged the range or forgot to insulate herself, there was a real possibility of self-injury.
Therefore, the low temperatures she created could indeed affect her personally.
'A melancholy life needs a little sweetness to set it off. Sometimes, a bit of dessert is all it takes to make you forget your troubles.'
Just as Sonoko was enjoying her refreshing summer treat, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
It was a girl wearing Tokiwadai's uniform: a beige thin sweater, a gray pleated skirt, with chestnut hair tied into twin tails adorned with ribbons, and a conspicuous green armband on her sleeve.
'Judgment!?'
With an almost imperceptible ripple in space, Shirai Kuroko abruptly appeared on the street not far away.
An uppercut, a low sweep, an elbow strike to the chest, followed by a 180-degree spinning accelerated kick.
A man, his face obscured by a scarf and wearing a heavy coat utterly unsuited to the environment, was sent spinning 360 degrees in the air before being slammed to the ground. A pistol clattered out from his clothes and skidded away.
"So cool! So amazing! As expected of a Tokiwadai young lady," a boy not far from Sonoko stared, mouth agape, at Kuroko.
It made Sonoko feel a tad awkward. 'Well, there's also a Tokiwadai young lady right here who chose a lazy, laid-back club.'
Wait, that isn't true! 'I'm working very hard towards my goal of becoming a Level 5!'
"It's Judgment!" Shirai Kuroko adjusted her hair with the distinctive mannerism of a proper young lady, projecting an air of authority.
"We received a report about someone suspected of carrying dangerous items. That would be you, correct? Really, must you cause trouble for me today of all days?" A hint of anger colored Kuroko's expression.
Anyone who dared trouble her on this important day was an enemy!!
"Anti-Skill? I've apprehended the criminal. Location is XX." Despite having teleportation abilities, Kuroko preferred not to move a potentially dangerous suspect herself.
Calling Anti-Skill was the safest option now.
"Look out!" a nearby pedestrian screamed. A motorcycle shot out from a side street, heading straight for Shirai Kuroko.
"An accomplice?!" Kuroko was momentarily startled. Her body leaned forward slightly, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from the motorcycle rider's sight.
The next moment, a pair of brown ladies' loafers materialized in mid-air. The petite shoes stomped squarely onto the motorcyclist's face, hurling him clean off his vehicle.
"Hah." Just as she thought the trouble was finally resolved, Kuroko's expression suddenly shifted. She turned her gaze back towards the initially subdued scarf-wearing man.
The man was now frozen stiff, his face a mask of sheer terror. One hand had been reaching for the gun, preparing to shoot, but it was now encased in a thin layer of frost.
His entire hand and the gun were fused to the pavement. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from the ice binding his hand. His whole body seemed slightly frozen stiff, leaving him listless.
"Freezing technique, success!" Sonoko's face, not far away, was brimming with joy.
She was still relatively inexperienced in using her ability for combat, but she had managed to devise a few self-defense tricks—simple, practical, and easy to execute.
Since her goal was merely to restrain the criminal, she held back considerably, avoiding any misuse of her power.
The distance between Sonoko and Shirai Kuroko was about eighty meters, well within Sonoko's effective range.
In the span of a single second, Sonoko's mind performed a series of calculations, plugging values into several formulas.
She successfully dropped the temperature around the masked man to freezing, not only numbing his body but also gathering the nearby moisture, causing it to instantly condense into ice that trapped his gun-wielding arm.
Ambient moisture was plentiful, making it easy for Sonoko to execute her first freezing technique.
Water dripping from the external units of nearby shop air conditioners had created a humidity-rich environment.
Even the vapor rising from the sewers fell within Sonoko's manipulative range. Moisture from plant transpiration, even groundwater, was all usable.
This posed little difficulty for Sonoko.
It was nothing like that time in the park where she'd affected the ambient temperature across a hundred-meter radius for an extended period, even triggering meteorological changes. This was just a minor manipulation of temperature in a very small, specific area.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.