Temperature Control

The weather in Academy City this year is as hot as ever. Even though it is only the transitional period between spring and summer, the soaring temperatures have already begun to take their toll.

Despite Academy City being twenty years ahead of the outside world in terms of technology, the oppressive heat remains undeterred. In fact, the dense buildings and crowded streets amplify its effects.

According to the weather forecast, this heatwave is expected to persist for at least another half month. And when summer arrives, these scorching days will become even more frequent. The recent weather patterns are becoming increasingly unusual.

The blaring sound of car horns only adds to the lethargy. On the streets, groups of students walk in twos and threes, hurrying toward the air-conditioned comfort of the nearby shopping district.

As night falls, the sky gradually darkens. The once-bustling shopping street is winding down for the day, while the streetlights flicker to life one by one.

"Shirai-san, the camera in the seventh school district has detected something unusual—a meteorological anomaly. It looks like it's snowing there," Uiharu Kazari exclaimed into Shirai Kuroko's headset. Her voice was so loud that Kuroko instinctively removed the earpiece.

"Uiharu, what are you doing? You know I'm listening to you through the headset!" Kuroko grumbled, rubbing her ear before lowering the volume.

"Sorry, Shirai-san," Uiharu replied with a sheepish laugh, her face slightly flushed as she glanced at her computer.

"I can't do anything about you," Kuroko sighed, shaking her head. Her tone shifted to one of exaggerated grace as she added, "Alright, tell me the location. I'll head there to check it out. Hopefully, I can still make it in time."

Her expression turned serious as she listened carefully to the coordinates Uiharu provided. Adjusting the crumpled armband of her disciplinary committee uniform, Kuroko stretched lazily before preparing to take action.

It was probably near the School Garden in the Seventh School District, in a small, remote park.

The cameras in that area were sparser compared to those inside the School Garden, but fortunately, a nearby traffic camera had captured evidence of the weather anomaly.

"It's really strange for it to snow in this weather. I wonder which ability user could be responsible for this. It's already late, and we need to get this sorted before the lights go out," Shirai Kuroko muttered thoughtfully, her mind drifting elsewhere.

It had been several days since she entered Tokiwadai Middle School, yet she had only just discovered that her elder sister didn't reside in the dormitory inside the School Garden. Instead, her elder sister was staying in the student dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School located outside the School Garden, in the Seventh District.

"What a blunder! Ah, ah, ah!" Kuroko scratched her head, recalling the oversight that now made her cringe.

In her excitement about enrolling in Tokiwadai Middle School and being closer to her elder sister, she had completely forgotten to ask Uiharu to investigate the location of her sister's current dormitory.

If there had been a table nearby, Kuroko might have slammed her head against it. Wasting time she could have spent with her elder sister felt utterly unforgivable.

"I've been handling the transfer of dormitories these past few days, but tomorrow I must move to my elder sister's dormitory," she resolved, biting her lip fiercely as if to steel her determination.

Just as Uiharu's voice came through her headset again, an invisible spatial distortion formed around Kuroko, and she vanished on the spot.

Though distracted moments earlier, Kuroko quickly switched into her working mode. She might seem noisy at times, but when it came to fulfilling her duties as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, she was as serious and meticulous as ever.

In a remote park, a girl clad in a white short-sleeved shirt, a beige knit vest, and a gray pleated skirt appeared suddenly. Her abrupt arrival caused a faint disturbance in the air.

The skirt was very short, barely reaching the knees. However, due to the absence of a rising airflow—let alone anything resembling Level 6—and for some unfathomable reason that would have made Newton weep, the skirt clung snugly to the girl's skin, unaffected by the earlier spatial movement.

"Uiharu, I've arrived at the location. By the way, this park is really remote. It's no wonder people rarely come here. Hmm?" Shirai Kuroko landed gracefully on a large tree branch, frowning as she carefully surveyed her surroundings.

"There are no visible traces of snowflakes. It seems they've already melted. However, there's water on the ground and on the trees. There hasn't been any rain in the Seventh School District recently, and it's too much to be morning dew. It's almost certain that this park experienced some kind of meteorological anomaly."

Shirai Kuroko lightly touched a leaf with her fingers, and a drop of clear water fell into her hand.

After a meticulous inspection of the park, she observed that the water droplets were spread over most of the area, forming a roughly circular pattern.

Based on her quick calculations, the radius of this circle was approximately 90 to 100 meters.

"Could the ability in question work within a 100-meter radius? Or perhaps it operates within the range of sight? Regardless, it seems the culprit has already left." Shirai Kuroko mused, her thoughts turning to the limitations of her visibility through the dense woods, which spanned roughly 90 to 100 meters.

After assessing the situation, Kuroko concluded that it was likely an incident caused either by an ability user or some experimental machine.

If it was an ability user, their skill level wouldn't be low—they were likely a strong ability user operating at the so-called practical stage.

"Uiharu, considering that the incident hasn't caused any large-scale impact or damage to public property, I suggest we record it as a file and conduct follow-up observations." Shirai Kuroko spoke firmly, pausing to take a deep breath of the still-chilled air.

The coolness was refreshing. Shirai Kuroko closed her eyes briefly, savoring the comfort of the unexpectedly pleasant weather in the otherwise oppressive heat.

As she glanced around at the park, now gradually succumbing to the relentless high temperatures, a pang of regret flickered in her gaze.

In the next instant, her figure vanished once more, leaving no trace of her destination.

At this time, a figure was riding a brand-new bicycle under the glow of streetlights, speeding along a road that cut through most of the Seventh School District. Her destination was the student dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School, the location etched firmly in her memory.

Academy City had a population of 2.3 million, 80% of whom were students. With its advanced technological capabilities far surpassing the rest of the world, cleaning and security robots were a common sight throughout the city.

At the pinnacle of this population stood seven Level 5 super ability users. These exceptional individuals were the ultimate goal for many aspiring ability users. The figure on the bicycle was one of those dreamers, tirelessly working to strengthen her ability in hopes of becoming the eighth Level 5.

Though she was currently only a Level 3 strong ability user, the girl was confident she could hold her own against a Level 4 high ability user.

This time, she had successfully manipulated the ambient temperature across an area with a radius of 100 meters—double the range she could manage back in the sixth grade of elementary school.

Within this large radius, Natsume Enako's ability allowed her to create a temperature change of about 30 degrees Celsius. This was her current limit (though her ability could not directly affect living beings). Of course, if she reduced the range of influence to a smaller area, she could achieve a greater temperature differential.

Temperature Control—it was such a seemingly ordinary ability.

In terms of application, research, and practicality, Natsume often thought her ability was quite mundane. After all, air conditioners and heaters had existed for ages. Her classmates had even teased her with the nickname "Mobile Central Air Conditioner" since elementary school.

Still, she pushed herself hard. In preparation for the first comprehensive ability check-up since entering Tokiwadai Middle School, this 12-year-old had been training relentlessly to evaluate her current strength.

The scholarship for Level 4 was twice as high as that for Level 3. While the Level 3 scholarship was already generous, Natsume Enako's thrifty nature wouldn't let her settle for less.

Even with her recent improvements, she couldn't shake a lingering nervousness about whether she could achieve the Level 4 designation.

"The lights will go out in 30 minutes, and I still need to shower, brush my teeth, and rinse my mouth. But I should have enough time," Natsume muttered through gritted teeth, pedaling her bicycle harder.

She could have taken the last Tokiwadai Middle School campus bus back to the dormitory, but she refused to part with her beloved bicycle.

This bicycle had been purchased by Natsume Enako not long ago for exercise. She had spent nearly a month's scholarship to buy the brand-new model and had only ridden it for a few days. What if it got stolen?

Click. The bicycle came to a smooth stop near the flower bed outside the Tokiwadai Middle School student dormitory. Natsume quickly checked the time and confirmed she had made it before lights-out.

Her gaze shifted to the dormitory supervisor standing watch at the entrance. With a composed expression, she swiftly headed into the dormitory.

This dormitory supervisor was legendary—rumored to have defeated a Level 4 ability user barehanded and even brought a Level 5 to tears. How could a mere quasi-Level 4 like Natsume hope to avoid her scrutiny?

"Natsume-san, wait a moment," the dormitory supervisor called out, adjusting her glasses as her piercing gaze landed on Natsume. The younger girl froze, her body stiffening under the weight of the supervisor's attention.

"Long time no see, Dormitory Supervisor," Natsume said, bowing respectfully. Despite her composure, she felt a wave of unease. She wasn't late, nor had she used her ability irresponsibly or broken any dormitory rules.

"Your shirt is wrinkled, and your skirt is stained. While I don't object to you riding a bicycle, you must remember to maintain the image of a Tokiwadai student whenever you are outside. This is a standard every Tokiwadai student must uphold," the dormitory supervisor said sternly, her glasses reflecting the light in an imposing manner.

"Yes, ma'am…"

"That was a close call. She's as sharp as ever," Natsume thought with relief as she hurried toward her dormitory room.

On her way, she passed by another dormitory room and couldn't help but glance at it curiously. The number "208" was displayed on the doorplate. This was the room of Tokiwadai's strongest Electric Princess, Misaka Mikoto.

"I can't believe I live next door to Senior Misaka Mikoto. She's probably inside staying up late to rewatch A Certain Scientific Railgun T or something," Natsume mused with a mix of admiration and confusion.

Rubbing her temple at the absurdity of her own thoughts, she turned away and headed for her own room, number 210.