Temperature Control

The night faded, and the morning sun shone on the seventh district student dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School.

In dormitory 210, alarm clocks rang one after another, as if a thousand chattering Dorm Supervisors were talking, leaving no time for anyone to rest.

But there was nothing to be done; after all, it wasn't someone else who had set the alarm time.

As if awakened by the noisy sound, a yawning figure slowly rose from the sofa and looked helplessly at the alarm clock nearby.

A thin layer of frost suddenly covered the apple-shaped alarm clock, and the noisy sound gradually diminished until it could no longer be heard.

The small copper bell on the alarm clock had frozen to the striker, while the other parts of the clock were still running normally. From the alarm clock, it could be seen that the time was now almost 7:10.

Accompanied by a weak complaint, Natsume buried her head back into the sofa, hugged the large bear beside her, and continued to sleep.

I'm so sleepy. Why does it have to be dawn? — Natsume's complaint.

Looking away from Natsume, there were two neatly placed beds in the middle of dormitory 210, but there were no quilts or pillows—only two clean Simmons mattresses of unknown brand.

In every dormitory hygiene inspection, Natsume always won the cleanest bed award because there was almost nothing on her bed.

Since she developed her ability to control temperature and created a constant temperature layer that lasts year-round (the brain remains active even while sleeping), beds were no longer necessary for Natsume.

As long as the place was clean, Natsume claimed she could sleep comfortably.

On the contrary, the space under the bed was filled with all her treasures.

Let's ignore the mess under the bed.

There were sounds of walking and playing in the corridor outside the dormitory. People were rushing back to their dorms to grab things, and some were dropping items on the ground. Occasionally, ambiguous sounds like "Sister, you bastard" could be heard.

It's so annoying. Natsume was woken up again and was still standing there, feeling disheveled and not wanting to think about anything. The only thing she wanted to complain about was the extremely strict schedule of Tokiwadai Middle School.

Wake up from 7:00 to 7:30; breakfast from 7:30 to 8:00.

The first class of Tokiwadai Middle School starts at 8:30, and the remaining time is just enough for students to rush from the dormitory to school.

Natsume seemed to be a little uncomfortable with the daily routine of junior high school. After all, she had previously attended an ordinary elementary school, which didn't have such strict rules as Tokiwadai Middle School.

Usually, she would sleep until 20 minutes before class, then slowly tidy up her appearance and rush to the classroom 10 minutes in advance.

Since she started at Tokiwadai a few days ago, Natsume had encountered some difficulties. On one hand, she needed to adapt to the life of junior high school; on the other, she was preparing for the physical examination.

She was exhausted and even had panda eyes.

Time passed relentlessly, unaffected by human will. Natsume, who was extremely eager to stop time, had to make a difficult decision.

She opened her eyes drowsily, got off the sofa like a puppet, and took out her Tokiwadai school uniform from the box under the bed to put it on.

A beige V-neck knitted sweater, a white short-sleeved shirt, and a gray pleated skirt. Natsume changed out of her pajamas, packed them into the box, and skillfully put on her school uniform.

Tokiwadai's school uniforms are tailor-made, so Natsume didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, she looked much more energetic after putting it on—though it was best to ignore the pair of sleepy panda eyes.

Natsume subconsciously glanced at the time on the alarm clock. The frozen copper bell had thawed, and the time was about 7:25 or 7:26.

"Fortunately, it's not too late." Natsume's expression eased, much better than the day she had gotten up at 7:29 and almost been caught by the Dorm Supervisor.

The Dorm Supervisor should be checking the dorms at this time. Thinking of this, Natsume-san didn't dare stay in the dorm to wash up leisurely and hurried to the public washroom in the student dormitory. It was better to move quickly.

Next time, she promised herself, she would get up earlier and try to keep up with everyone. She couldn't afford to be caught by the Dorm Supervisor!

By the way, did some strange cat sneak in?

But Natsume-san also noticed that she was getting more and more sleepy. Was this a sign of entering a growth period? Was she going to grow taller?

Tokiwadai Middle School's student dormitory not only has independent bathrooms but also has a public bathroom and washroom in the seventh district dormitory for the convenience of students. Although it is still within the sphere of influence of the Dorm Supervisor, she shouldn't encounter them before the inspection is completed.

When Natsume went out, the corridor was nearly empty, and she finally managed to escape the clutches of the Dorm Supervisor. Upon rushing to the public washroom, she only saw a classmate who had finished washing up and was about to head to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Students, hurry up, everyone is already eating," the classmate kindly reminded her, not knowing Natsume's nature.

"Thank you for your concern, I know," Natsume responded while running past her.

Standing in front of the large mirror in the public washroom, Natsume carefully checked her appearance, pressing down the collar of her short-sleeved shirt and buttoning all the buttons near the V-neckline. The red decorative lines on the collar were also carefully smoothed down.

After combing her hair into a bun and adjusting her handsome school uniform, Natsume took out the towel and toothbrush she had prepared in advance from the personal belongings cabinet and began to wash her face and brush her teeth.

When she finished, a girl wearing a Tokiwadai school uniform with a black bun appeared in the mirror. She was about 1.45 meters tall.

Delicate facial features, bright eyes (struggling to keep them open), pale skin, light dark circles around her eyes (a little more noticeable because of her fair complexion), and some toothpaste foam at the corners of her mouth.

Natsume wiped the foam away, gritted her teeth, and adjusted the constant temperature layer near her head to a few degrees below zero.

Instantly, Natsume's eyes widened, probably due to the cold air she inhaled, combined with the rapid contraction of blood vessels under her skin. The shock finally helped her wake up.

...

After taking two servings of milk and a loaf of bread in the cafeteria, Natsume sat down and ate breakfast slowly.

It was completely different from when she was in elementary school, when she used to eat the egg pancakes bought from roadside stalls in just a few bites during the break.

Although it was only a little over ten minutes after breakfast, the students of Tokiwadai Middle School had mostly left.

"Alas, I didn't see Misaka-senpai or Kuroko-san at all," Natsume said as she drank her milk through a straw. By now, everyone had finished eating and left. Only a few late risers or those who had trouble getting up were still eating breakfast leisurely.

Natsume waited at the dormitory door for five minutes before the campus bus slowly arrived.

Sitting on the campus bus, Natsume, seated at the back by the window, stared out absentmindedly. She looked a little distracted, but her posture was straight, and her skirt was smoothed flat, giving her the air of a lady from a noble family.

The campus bus is shared by five schools in the seventh district, and its interior is luxurious and spacious. It is a two-floor vehicle, with the lower floor designated for students and the upper floor functioning as a café. It is also known as a double-decker parade car.

It is said that this bus can withstand artillery bombardment, and its explosion-proof performance is superior to that of an ordinary armored car.

Tokiwadai Middle School does not have a seating system, meaning there is no strict class system, but for organizational purposes, the grades are nominally divided into three large classes. In reality, a class system is still followed.

Natsume followed the flow of students into the school, mentally reviewing her schedule for the month while comparing it to the school map. She quickly found her way to the etiquette classroom.

Upon entering the classroom, Natsume realized that the teacher was instructing on Western etiquette in this session.

Using knives and forks was just the basics, and there were other etiquette aspects to be learned, like those for Western banquets and dances.

For example, how to eat various types of fish, how to drink soup, and how to properly savor red wine.

Looking at the various fish and caviar placed on the desks in the classroom, it seemed that today's lesson was about learning how to eat fish according to Western etiquette.

Natsume couldn't help but touch her stomach, a bitter smile appearing on her face. It seemed that she couldn't eat any more, especially since the two servings of milk had already filled her up.

"Let's sit in a secluded corner." Just as Natsume made up her mind, someone suddenly patted her on the back.

Natsume turned around and found that it was Wannai Kinuho, a classmate from the same grade. She stood there like a lady, her hands clasped in front of her, with a warm smile on her face.

"Natsume-san, let's find a good seat. Teacher Dicun is an expert in Western etiquette, and her class isn't easy to follow." Wannai looked at Natsume, who was hesitating, and with a bit of surprise, she still pulled her to sit in the most conspicuous spot in the middle.

Natsume's day of study officially began. She followed the teacher's instructions, learning how to eat various types of fish like a lady and how to spread caviar on bread.

"It turns out that Natsume-san doesn't like eating fish. No wonder she looks a little uncomfortable." Wannai observed Natsume, who was eating fish with a sad face, and seemed to understand something.