Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

Chapter 447: Academy City Weather Report! - 447

The girl's patience had run dry, leaving her slumped like a salted fish hanging under the eaves, exuding a thick, cloying scent of listlessness.

Let's be honest—most people can't stay passionate about something that shows no progress for ages.

At best, they tuck it away in a corner of their mind, reminding themselves it's still a thing that happened.

But Natsume-san was, after all, a fairly lucky and complicated girl. Before long, her eyes widened just a bit, clearly hatching some new idea.

The mental "field vision" in her mind shifted away from the Indian Poker card in her hand, spreading outward from a tiny point into a much broader space.

At the same time, in a position parallel to the real world's coordinates, an AIM diffusion field perspective anchored to her body formed a crude bird's-eye view. A pair of invisible eyes quietly spread over everything, enveloping the entire Tokiwadai Dormitory.

With her physical body acting as an anchor to the real world, Natsume-san didn't have to worry about losing her bearings—probably the biggest help this petite frame offered her perception.

Even the espers lost in slumber continuously released their AIM diffusion fields; it was something espers couldn't avoid.

If AIM fields had color, the world inside Natsume-san's head would surely be a riot of hues.

But in truth, the AIM diffusion field was just a special form of energy.

Only in that so-called "AIM Phase" did it take on something resembling real color—though in essence, it was still a clumsy imitation of reality, shaped by the thoughts embedded within the esper's field.

It had long been proven that AIM fields could contain human thoughts.

Whether it was the aggregated monster formed by Saten-san and countless other Level 0s, or Misaka-senpai's ability to manipulate her own materialized field extensions when entering a partial Level 6 state—both demonstrated this clearly.

That said, these unconscious thoughts were simply too minuscule. Only when gathered in enormous numbers, or concentrated in a sufficiently powerful individual, could such effects emerge.

But let's get back on track.

As she expanded her perspective, Natsume-san inevitably caught glimpses of her classmates and seniors.

If she hadn't been observing from another angle—limited to only the AIM field aspects—she'd surely have earned the title of "Tokiwadai Peeping Tom."

That was also why she usually restrained herself and hardly ever scanned the dorm with her radar. Natsume-san had no desire to become a pervert; her goal was to be an accomplished young lady, after all.

Even so, the bun-girl felt a little uneasy—likely her inner sense of ladylike propriety acting up.

'If the Indian Poker card itself shows no issues, that doesn't mean it's problem-free when used.'

'And since the card takes effect during sleep, maybe detecting its issues requires meeting that condition too.'

Her expression growing more serious, Natsume-san shook off her earlier languor and took a deep breath.

She didn't want to slack off forever—she just didn't want to waste effort, or let her life become wrapped in endless trouble.

So she had to manage her time well, aiming to solve cases while still having fun, securing a happy ending for every innocent person involved.

But now that this possibility had crossed her mind, Natsume-san was willing to give it a shot. She did care about this city and her schoolmates, after all.

'So many people still awake… and it's this late already.'

'Then again, that's pretty normal these days. Middle schoolers who obediently keep a regular sleep schedule are a rare breed.'

Musing idly, Natsume-san continued sensing the fluctuations in everyone's AIM fields.

She knew some of the older girls had bought Indian Poker cards. So, all she needed was to observe those seniors who used the cards while asleep.

Without her noticing, these cards had gradually gained popularity in their dorm.

Although the Shokuhou Clique had banned their use, one clique obviously couldn't speak for all students—there were plenty in opposing or neutral factions.

'The AIM fields released during sleep seem a bit different from usual. How to put it… They aren't more peaceful, as you'd expect, but more chaotic and disordered. Probably because the conscious mind is dormant, and the brain's lost its subjective initiative.'

Speculating all the while, Natsume-san was a girl who liked to puzzle things out.

Even among other AIM-field-system espers, few could observe to this extent.

Her computational power was also draining rapidly as time passed.

Maintaining such a wide scope, recording the field changes of over a hundred people for so long—even Natsume-san found it taxing. Fortunately, if she really hit her limit, she could still lean on Reiko-san for support.

'What's that?'

Natsume-san's body remained properly seated at her desk, but her expression shifted along with her thoughts. She seemed to be seeing something particularly strange.

It wasn't exactly a spectacular phenomenon—just unusually abnormal.

While AIM fields during sleep were inherently chaotic, some of the sleeping students' fields became subtly distorted the moment they formed, their usual stable field characteristics disrupted by some unknown influence.

It was only after the field fully left the body that it gradually returned to its initial state—as if their own AIM fields were being interfered with by something else.

She could be fairly certain that these students showing distortion were using Indian Poker.

In the next instant, a thought struck Natsume-san.

Having a deep understanding of how crucial AIM fields were to espers, the bunned girl immediately thought of their Personal Reality.

The AIM fields espers unconsciously emitted were, in fact, a manifestation of their Personal Reality within the physical world.

And Personal Reality was the esper's own understanding of the world.

Because their ways of understanding differed, various forms and methods of interference compatible with that understanding emerged—that was the most common explanation for Personal Reality in Academy City.

How could you reduce espers to mere thought and perception? That would make them no different from ordinary people.

And these Indian Poker cards didn't just subtly brainwash the user's mind—they were also covertly influencing a person's Personal Reality.

Once someone's Personal Reality was twisted, their ability would inevitably be affected in some way—especially for espers whose powers had already settled.

But for those still in the early stages of ability development, it could actually serve as a form of guidance and correction.

Moreover, from what Natsume-san knew, simple brainwashing couldn't affect the AIM field, let alone Personal Reality. Otherwise, Shokuhou-senpai would be utterly unstoppable. So it had to be an influence coming from the cards themselves.

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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL