Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

Chapter 464: Academy City Weather Report! - 464

Putting school matters aside for now, she didn't need to worry about the various troubles there.

Truth be told, Natsume-san lacked experience in handling administrative affairs—she didn't even know how to assess damages or comfort people properly. Her presence there was about as useful as a mascot character.

In this regard, she paled in comparison to the ever-capable Hokaze Junko-senpai, who commanded situations with the poise of a seasoned general.

Even the powerful and well-organized Shokuhou Clique couldn't do without an efficient leader like Hokaze Junko.

After all, their queen, Shokuhou Misaki, mostly just lazed around expecting everything to be handed to her—a bona fide good-for-nothing.

This kind of carefree life made a certain bun-haired girl intensely jealous. She longed to live such a blissful existence, her envy so strong it practically tinted her vision red.

But she couldn't be bothered to form her own clique. Doing so would inevitably pit her against Shokuhou-senpai and the others, and she had zero patience for management—unless she could find someone like Hokaze-senpai to handle everything for her.

But back to the matter at hand. After some basic first aid, Natsume-san was escorted by her twin-tailed classmate to their usual university hospital.

Tokiwadai's infirmary had been left in disarray after the recent chaos.

Natsume-san felt at ease with the doctors here too, since this was the territory of the famous 'Gekota-face' doctor. She held a soft spot for anyone who'd ever helped her out.

Sitting primly on the small stool in the examination room, Natsume-san was practically a veteran when it came to hospital visits.

She didn't need to handle registration or payment—she was just a pitiful, mobility-limited patient now. Let Shirai-san run all the errands.

Her grey pleated skirt fell neatly to her knees, her Tokiwadai sweater showed no wrinkles, and even with her eyes closed, she looked serene and gentle—from a distance, she could almost pass for a proper lady.

Thanks to their dorm supervisor's high standards and Natsume-san's own lead-by-example attitude, her 'proper young lady' persona was finally taking shape, inching ever closer to true refinement.

But her restless little hands betrayed her, fingers fidgeting and intertwining—she clearly had too much idle energy.

Just a week ago, her arm had been wrapped in bandages, and here she was back at the hospital already. Life really was unpredictable.

Well, at least she probably wasn't the most frequent visitor here—just a bit more than most. It was a good chance to check in with Doctor Heaven Canceller anyway.

During these waiting periods, Natsume Sonoko usually peeked in on Reiko's side to stave off boredom.

So Reiko was sunbathing with Misaka 9982, huh?

What a leisurely life. She envied those who didn't have to go to school.

Sighing, Natsume-san often indulged in these impractical fantasies about her own life. Best to just pretend she never saw anything.

"I have some history with this child. I'll take over her treatment."

"Houjou, you can go attend to your other duties."

Footsteps echoed outside the examination room. Two figures parted near the entrance, and one very familiar person walked in.

Natsume-san did take an extra moment to notice the other doctor though. He had a dramatic scar running down his face—starting between his eyes, crossing his nose, and extending to one ear, as if someone had stitched his cheeks together with thin thread.

He was one of the more well-known doctors at this university hospital. Natsume-san had encountered him several times before and vaguely remembered him—rumored to be a highly skilled surgeon.

As the door opened, the approaching Gekota-faced doctor looked just as she remembered: hands in his pockets, wearing a clean white coat, radiating an indescribable warmth especially towards children—and Misaka-senpai in particular.

After a brief examination, Heaven Canceller placed a disinfectant dressing over the bun-haired girl's eye. A cool sensation spread through her skin to her brain, making her instantly relax.

It wasn't just the dressing drawing away the heat—it was also because the doctor treating her was Heaven Canceller himself.

"Doctor, sorry to trouble you again today."

Transforming into a picture of obedience, Natsume-san always respected those who made her feel safe, even stopping her habitual fidgeting.

"Treating patients is a doctor's duty."

"And strictly speaking, Natsume-san, you're still my employee—though I've never actually paid you."

Holding a medical chart in one hand, Doctor Heaven Canceller smiled, trying to inject some humor into the situation.

He recalled once issuing this bun-haired girl an intern assistant researcher ID card for access to one of his affiliated research institutes. He still hadn't revoked those permissions, for that matter.

"Eh?"

Natsume-san blinked in surprise before quickly understanding, though she clearly had no memory of where she'd tossed that ID card.

"While medication could speed things up, this condition really just needs time to heal naturally. Let your eyes rest properly these next few days."

Not dwelling on the previous topic, the kindly Gekota-faced doctor spoke gently.

"Do I really have to wait several days?"

Natsume-san asked hesitantly.

While using her microscopic vision wouldn't disrupt her daily life much, it still felt like it hampered her efficiency with phone games and manga—and she was a girl who valued efficiency above all.

"As a patient, you should cooperate fully with your doctor's instructions."

Heaven Canceller's expression turned serious as he replied firmly.

Two trimmed pieces of medical gauze were wrapped over her eyes, secured around the sockets with medical tape.

Perfect. Though Natsume-san hadn't even reached second year of middle school yet, her 'chuunibyou' aesthetic was now fully realized.

Natsume-san was, after all, just an ordinary person. She lacked the superhuman recovery needed to be discharged right after admission. Once injured, she could only patiently wait for her vision to return.

Her actual condition was worse than she'd anticipated too—after all, the trap had been set with esper-level durability in mind.

So even if she opened her eyes now, everything would remain a blurry mess. At least the sharp stinging pain had mostly faded after time and repeated treatments.

Heaven Canceller had initially wanted to hospitalize the bun-haired girl, but Natsume-san herself strongly objected. In the end, her considerate teammate Shirai Kuroko escorted her back to the dorm.

"You know, that look is really something else."

Not long after leaving the hospital, Shirai Kuroko studied her teammate with a peculiar expression, kindly offering her opinion.

She'd assumed the doctor would just apply some ointment, but instead, Natsume-san's eyes were completely swaddled in bandages.

How to put it... She looked like a pirate straight out of a Hollywood film—except this time, both eyes were covered.

"Anyway, I'll take you back to the dorm first. After that, I'll have to ask the supervisor to look after you properly."

After a moment's thought, Shirai Kuroko decided she couldn't afford to spend more time on Natsume-san.

It worked out perfectly—their dorm supervisor had plenty of free time and seemed to enjoy watching her every move. Having her care for the mobility-limited Natsume-san would kill two birds with one stone.

After all, she still had to deal with the mess at school, and due to certain circumstances, Shirai-san now had an elementary school teammate who could predict the future through photographs—meaning even more cases awaited her attention.

The righteous girl who always shouldered burdens and crises herself had reached a level her bun-haired companion could scarcely comprehend.

"Eh?!"

"Not having vision doesn't really affect my mobility much. Let's not trouble the supervisor."

Hearing the teleporter's terrifying plan, the bun-haired girl hurriedly objected.

She couldn't worry about hiding her capabilities now. Even though the supervisor was kind-hearted, young, beautiful, and had excellent character... she'd much prefer to live her life quietly alone.

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