A dazed expression gazed through the window into the dark, silent world, punctuated only by the occasional soft whirring of a passing security robot's wheels.
The windowsill had long been empty of the little black cat and its companions that used to come scavenging for treats. All that remained was a lonely, repurposed can that once served as a food dish.
Snapping back to reality, Natsume Sonoko sorted the items on her desk into neat categories before flopping onto her soft sofa. She lay there with her eyes open, lost in thought.
After gathering a handful of ambiguous clues and forming some tentative theories, the girl's mind was still a tangled mess, leaving her in a state of quiet contemplation.
While her ability to collect information had improved significantly, and she was decent enough at piecing together faint traces from a web of complex intel...
Natsume-san didn't seem to have much confidence in the conclusions she drew. She had a habit of obsessively picking them apart for flaws.
These temporarily unresolvable holes would, of course, end up overturning most of her deductions, only for her to then optimistically decide that the problems weren't so big after all.
Unlike her friends in Judgment or her esper senpai, who—once they had a generally acceptable hypothesis or even just a faint possibility—would immediately start hunting for evidence to confirm their theories, their capacity for action far outstripped that of a certain hesitant bun-girl.
When left in charge, forced to assess and judge a situation on her own, Natsume-san tended to fall prey to indecision, constantly second-guessing herself.
This lack of confidence in her own deductive abilities... perhaps it could be traced back to a certain spatial mover who loved nitpicking and was, more often than not, correct.
After repeated 'guidance' and 'education' from that certain Judgment senpai—the one who was a certified weirdo—the once meek rookie Judgment member had been thoroughly led astray.
'So troublesome... Should an ordinary middle schooler like me even be worrying about this sort of thing?'
'There are so many adults here in Academy City. The Anti-Skill teachers are plenty reliable, and my senpai and teammates are working hard too.'
'Right now, the most important thing is to get a good night's sleep and make sure I have enough energy for tomorrow. If I oversleep, I'm definitely getting an earful from the dorm supervisor.'
Pushing all the random thoughts from her mind, Natsume-san let out a huge yawn. She was genuinely exhausted.
Such an unladylike yawning habit was something she only allowed herself in the privacy of her dorm room. Outside, even her walk and her smile had to be maintained with elegance.
Come to think of it, the biggest difference between her and Shirai-san was that, as long as there was someone else to rely on, Natsume Sonoko didn't like taking initiative or burdening herself. She much preferred teamwork.
Unless, of course, she had firmly resolved to do something herself.
That was also one reason she held such deep respect for the Anti-Skill teachers. She fervently hoped they could crush any obstacle in their path, slaying gods and buddhas alike—preferably so she'd never have to step onto the field herself.
What was the highest realm of martial arts—or rather, superpowers? It was 'not killing'—or in her case, 'not lifting a finger'—happily watching everyone else solve the problems.
It was only when official forces couldn't be relied upon, and even the friends around her were frowning and facing a crisis, that Natsume Sonoko would lose sleep over it. But clearly, things hadn't reached that level of urgency yet.
Dealing with someone of Natsume Sonoko's soft, pliable nature... using a 'slow-boiling a frog' approach would likely have a pretty high success rate.
But anyway, since she couldn't figure out the truth, Natsume-san decided not to press the issue.
Her main reason for trying to peek into others' AIM diffusion fields was simply because she could, and because she didn't mind giving it a shot.
'A Judgment girl driven by mere curiosity'—now that was a fitting description.
Closing her eyes, Natsume-san let her whole body relax. Yet, her brain kept whirring, maintaining a certain rhythm.
'That's right... if it's about dreams, could there be a Phase for that, too?'
'What if everything everyone dreams at night eventually ends up in another place?'
Random thoughts rose unbidden. As drowsiness set in, Natsume-san's thinking grew sluggish. Recently, she'd been exposed to various things related to dreams, leaving a good part of her mind filled with such notions.
The AIM diffusion field energy she was familiar with had a specific Phase to carry it. The 'Lightless Phase' might have once been a gathering place for some other power or something else entirely. So this idea of hers did have some basis.
In fact, the Phases in this world of magic and science all originated from various existing myths, legends, and religious beliefs.
To put it in fancier terms, they were products forged by the collective will of sentient beings—high-end works of worldly miracles.
Given that dreams were something humans experienced daily, it was only natural for a wealth of related myths and legends to accumulate.
Time slipped away quietly. Part of her perception, fueled by these drowsy thoughts, transcended her body and even leaped beyond the physical universe, gazing upon the vast, innumerable sea of Phases.
It was only at times like this that the insignificance of an individual felt utterly real. Espers were nothing but insects parasitizing the world.
If someone told her there existed beings who could effortlessly shatter this magnificent universe, Natsume-san—currently feeling the profound vastness of the cosmos—would definitely think they were overthinking it.
She might even earnestly advise them to watch less anime and read fewer novels, and to ponder more on the relationship between humanity and society.
If there really were some entity that could casually blow up the universe, its energy level would necessarily surpass that of the entire cosmos.
In that case, what could possibly contain its existence? It was a complete paradox.
Of course, this assumed that outside the universe, there was nothing. If there were some surreal setting, like chaos existing beyond the cosmos, that would be a different story.
She, Natsume Sonoko, even having witnessed magicians, a space elevator, and other world wonders—not to mention cross-dimensional travelers—remained a staunch warrior of materialism.
Even if superpowers were, in her eyes, the most orthodox and proper form of science.
Holding high the banner of science, using smartphones, computers, washing machines, and hair dryers, she lived happily in an era of technology where clothes and meals came with minimal effort.
A scientific girl enveloped by her own custom-made, original Parameter List... her thoughts were always so straightforward.
And now, in her bewildered state, Natsume-san was still wondering how to find the part of the Phase Sea related to dreams. But the sea of Phases was so immense that trying them one by one would take who-knows-how-long.
Still, searching for a so-called 'Dream Phase' was just a sudden whim. Once her drowsiness became unbearable, Natsume Sonoko sank into a deep sleep.
Perhaps finding that Phase about dreams would be easier once she was asleep.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL