Temperature Control in Academy City

"Index, Fuzan-san won't disappear for the time being."

"I can sense that Feng Zhan-san's anchor point in the physical universe is very solid right now."

Sensing Index's concerns keenly, the bun-haired girl beside her, who seemed to see through everything, spoke comfortingly, then gave Feng Zhan a beautiful smile.

At least before completing this experiment or mission, those guys behind the scenes will not let Feng Zhan Binghua leave the physical universe, Natsume Sonoko added in her mind.

"An anchor of existence? The physical universe?"

Index looked back in confusion. Sonoko had said a lot of ambiguous things today.

This is probably another term that Sonoko learned in school. I heard that Sonoko is also a rare psychic in Academy City, so this is not surprising.

Although it was difficult to understand the specific meaning, I knew what the other person was saying, and the two people's channels became closer and closer with each communication.

"Hey, Index, you don't have to worry about what these words mean."

"To put it simply, Feng Zhan-san is in a very stable condition now. The situation like last time where we couldn't find her no matter what we did won't happen again in the short term."

After organizing her words, Natsume Sonoko held her chin and spoke softly.

But this time, what task do those guys behind the scenes need Feng Zhan to complete? As soon as the voice fell, another idea popped up in Natsume Sonoko's head.

Could it be that like last time, a magician has invaded Academy City?

"Hey, why do you have such a thought?"

"Is it because I've met a lot of magicians recently? This is the most scientific place, but magicians just show up as they please. It doesn't seem to be a deterrent at all."

Natsume Sonoko shook her head somewhat nonchalantly, attracting the attention of both Index and Kazezan Hyouka.

Conclusions drawn based on speculation and conjecture naturally cannot be used as a basis for reality. They can only be used as a powerful reference before the truth is discovered.

And if she really encounters a magician, although her combat power has been greatly enhanced, Miss Bun Head is still focused on escaping and sneak attacks and is full of confidence.

It seemed that her thinking was still limited to the performance of the magicians she had encountered before.

"Binghua also said that she won't suddenly disappear now. It seems that she has a premonition that can judge how long she will stay in reality."

After scribbling something on the ground, Index heaved a sigh of relief after receiving a clear reply.

"By the way, Sonoko, you seem to have lost weight again."

Finally remembering something important, Index suddenly spoke.

I was distracted for a long time by the news of Natsume's eye injury and Kazezan's appearance, and only now have I started to pay attention to another thing.

Standing up, Index stretched out her little hand and poked someone's meatless belly, then glanced at the other's almost meatless cheek.

Yuanzi is really thin, even thinner than the last time I met her.

It was as if something had consumed a lot of the energy in the body.

Index actually has similar experience with this kind of thing.

In order to maintain her "full memory ability", she needs to eat constantly to replenish her energy and physical strength, which has led to a period of time when she often fainted from hunger. If she cannot replenish enough energy for a long time, she will become very thin.

However, Sonoko's situation seems to be a little special. I have never heard Sonoko say that she is hungry. Perhaps her stomach's digestive ability is far inferior to that of the big eater Index.

Sonoko, who never gets hungry, becomes thinner and thinner, while Index, who is always hungry, becomes fatter and fatter. What unknown situation is going on inside?

"I have lost some weight, but the doctor said I am normal in every way."

“So it should be a problem of capacity development.”

Natsume-san said as he recalled, tilting his head back a little.

She had just had a checkup from the Ghost Chaser yesterday, and apart from her eyes, no problems were found. She still had great confidence in the doctor's medical skills.

Maybe the Ghost Chaser noticed that Natsume seemed to have lost some weight recently, but he would probably also associate it with things like girls dieting to lose weight.

As has been speculated many times before, Natsume Sonoko's abnormal weight loss is because her brain is robbing her of a large amount of nutrition, and the condition is getting worse.

This kind of thing is unlikely to happen to ordinary people, but it happens naturally to people with special abilities.

In fact, this is a very scary thing. If the fragile body of the person with the ability cannot bear the consumption of the brain, then the best result is to lie in bed and use medical means to directly deliver nutrients to the brain and body.

However, Natsume believes that his brain consumption is still at a relatively normal level.

Neither the thermostatic layer on the body surface nor the connection to Zero can reach this level of gradual weight loss.

After much thought, only the development activities of the brain itself can consume the body's energy so intensely.

In other words, perhaps because some changes have taken place in Natsume, the originally normal speed of brain development has been accelerated, even to the point of quickly consuming the fat and even muscle fibers of the ability user.

Since Natsume is not sensitive enough about his body, it is difficult for him to notice these subtle changes. At most, he feels that he is getting more and more tired and his physical condition is getting worse.

"It's probably because of this."

After repeating it silently, Natsume Sonoko was a little flustered about it.

Although she is the master of the brain and the body, she actually has no way to do anything to them directly. She can't just stab herself.

She hasn't figured out how to deal with this kind of thing, and seeking help from doctors or researchers are only options for now.

But the simplest thing is to replenish yourself with more energy, such as eating more at dinner or lunch.

Although I don't necessarily have to become as plump and white as Shokuhou-senpai, I just have to look healthier. No one would like me to be skinny like this.

Chapter 489: Operating Rules

Because the people with special abilities in Academy City have their brains developed, the various negative effects that arise from this have existed from the beginning to the end.

Negative physical effects include physical disability, brain damage, hormone disorders, etc. Psychologically, people are more likely to become anxious and sensitive, extremely paranoid, hysterical, and even suffer from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Side effects such as weight loss are probably the mildest of them all.

In fact, among the high-level esper users in Academy City, it is rare to see overweight cases. Being white and plump like Shokuhou-senpai is probably the end point of the body shape for most high-level esper users.

This is because as long as these people use their abilities a few more times, the brain's consumption of body calories will exceed normal aerobic exercise, and they can easily consume the calories consumed in the whole day.

So in their Tokiwadai Middle School, almost no one would buy any weight loss products. Just dieting for a few days would produce very good weight loss results.

Similarly, it seems that for similar reasons, small things like losing weight have become things that are clearly prohibited in school rules and dormitory rules, although basically few students will abide by such things.

However, now Natsume has fully realized the necessity of such school rules. It seems that many of the seemingly inexplicable regulations in Academy City have certain sources.

From this, it can be foreseen that normal ability development can achieve a balance between income and expenditure through daily diet, and this also applies to people with super powers.

The nutritional meal provided by Tokiwadai Junior High School is regarded as the pinnacle of Academy City's dietary management of people with special abilities. Any leaked meal can be sold for 40,000 yuan in the underground street. It's a pity that Natsume Sonoko lacks this kind of business acumen, otherwise she wouldn't be worried about having no money now.

However, if even Tokiwadai's nutritious meals cannot prevent a certain bun-head from losing weight, then the situation has reached a very bad level and the body's intake and output balance has been completely disrupted.

At this horrific rate of weight loss, Natsume-san would be nothing but skin and bones in a few weeks.

Although skinny beauty is a very popular aesthetic, it refers to a healthy and disease-free thin body. In fact, once you look skinny and weak, it is pathological.

Back to the topic, a certain girl with a bun still has the leisure to comfort Index, and it seems that she does not realize the seriousness of the matter.

She just felt that becoming too thin would make her look ugly, which was a bit worrying for her.

Although she is only twelve years old, she has already formed concepts about beauty and ugliness. She cares a lot about her image and appearance, and has a heartfelt pursuit to become an elegant and noble young lady.

And objectively speaking, the Tokiwadai Middle School where she currently lives is actually a small microcosm of society.

Since students in the school start living independently at an early age, they basically have a precocious mindset that is inconsistent with their age, and develop all kinds of adult habits such as buying luxury goods, vanity, dressing up, and falling in love.

It is normal to hold a tea party with expensive black tea and desserts, and buying brand-name bags and brand-name pendant bracelets is even more commonplace. It seems that in places where school rules do not have clear provisions or cannot be managed, everyone's personalities are released in all kinds of strange ways.

There are many people who secretly put on makeup like Misaka-senpai. After marriage, she filled her dormitory with precious dolls and beauty products. Shigefuku-san likes to read model magazines...

As for classmate Shirai, let’s not talk about her because she is too precocious.

However, Natsume Sonoko has not been affected too much by the school's trends, probably because she is only a first-year student. But when it comes to her own image, she can no longer compromise.

[Feng Zhan classmate, long time no see]

A series of standard printed fonts appeared on the smooth floor.

While Index looked confused but still worried, Natsume-san was trying to communicate with Kazezan Hyouka.

She used her ability to pile up words on the ground. Her efficiency was much higher than Index's, but she seemed to lack patience and sincerity.

Natsume is obsessed with efficiency, and sometimes she doesn't know whether it is good or bad. Perhaps only she knows.

[I want to say something very presumptuous]

[If possible, I want to know everything about you, whether it is the composition of your body or the scattering of your consciousness, they are all secrets that need to be figured out for me]

Some things I wanted to tell Feng Zhan-san went through my mind. Natsume-san's thoughts were always very straightforward.

She intends to figure out the mystery surrounding the other party, which is important to both Index and Kazezane.

As for herself, it would be great if she could gain something else, but if not, she wouldn't really care.

Natsume was about to write these words on the ground, but hesitated when the time came. She frowned like a crescent moon and immediately changed them to something else.

It was too abrupt, just like a confession between lovers in a girls' comic. Natsume, whose skill in girls' comics was second only to Tsuchimikado Maika, reacted immediately.

[It is only now that I have a clear idea. It is not a coincidence that you, Feng Zhan, appear in reality.]

[Including the birth of Feng Zhan, the formation of his body, and the influence and control of the aim force field, there are established operating rules.]

Taking a deep breath, Natsume-san put on a serious expression, and the remaining muscles on his face were squeezed together, making people feel very formal. Then he began to negotiate with Feng Zhan-san in a serious manner.

There was no time for trash talk. Natsume's purpose this time was very clear, which was to gain the other party's support.

It seemed that Natsume's series of words had some effect. Fuzhan's expression became a little strange, and he just stood there in a daze.

[When I saw you last time, I wanted to help you. And just like Index, everyone will work hard to find a way to make Feng Zhan-san appear in reality.]

Natsume Sonoko spoke in one breath, watching Feng Zhan's reaction anxiously.

She was truly hesitant when she was hesitant, but she was surprisingly decisive when she encountered the enemy head-on, because she was not sure when she would meet Feng Zhan next time, so she had to make a decision immediately.

Natsume has always had the ability to make decisions on the spot.

The formality and seriousness of this conversation did not last for even a minute before it was disrupted by the little nun Index standing nearby.

A concerned face looked at a girl with a bun on her head, and then suddenly pounced on the girl who was a little shorter than herself.

She knew that Yuanzi was a very careful and considerate person who could fully understand her sad mood.

[Touma said that Sonoko is the best student here and attends the best school here, so she must be able to help Binghua.]

[Although I don’t understand the scientific knowledge, I will try my best to help]

The little nun picked up the small wooden stick and painted on the ground with great effort, her face showing great determination.

Chapter 490: Thought Collection

As a person with super powers that Academy City is proud of, this eye-catching identity seems to be particularly useful only when gaining the trust of others.

It seems that as long as there is such a dazzling shell, what Natsume Sonoko says will be more credible, but she is obviously still an ordinary girl who lacks faith and has divergent thinking.

The people living on this land are always so simple and naive. People with super powers only represent powerful strength rather than special humans with strong character, courage and wisdom.

Only those who truly master their inner selves, view the world dialectically, and then act according to their beliefs can perhaps be called special.

「Hehe, Index is right, I am a person with super powers.」

[Finding ways to help every student in crisis is what I should do]

With a blushing face, she wrote some untrue words on the ground, and Natsume Sonoko straightened her chest with great confidence, showing her meager beliefs to Feng Zhan.

It’s good enough for a creature with super powers not to bully his classmates.

Natsume rarely takes the initiative to publicize his identity as a person with super powers, because apart from the generous scholarship and the fulfillment of his dreams, the identity of a person with super powers always brings some unnecessary troubles.

But sometimes it can help to gather people's hearts, comfort classmates, and boost morale. For Natsume, this can be regarded as a kind of waste utilization.

"Even though you live on the other side of the world, you are still influenced by the mainstream ideology of Academy City."

Natsume was thinking to herself, she could clearly feel the change in Feng Zhan's expression.

This sense of trust derived from the identity of a person with super powers is something that Natsume Sonoko has verified on some people without super powers.

However, what Natsume has never understood is that many people choose to believe her not because of her identity as a psychic, but only because she is willing to communicate with everyone that they choose to try to rely on her identity as a psychic.

Maybe we can't become true friends, but we will get different results because of the different ways we treat others. This is probably something that Natsume doesn't quite understand but has been practicing.

Whether it was throwing Shigefuku's ex-boyfriend into the trash can, or standing up for Shirai and electrocuting Aoki Yume, many seemingly insignificant things were actually the reason for building up the small circle around Natsume Sonoko, rather than her identity as a person with super powers.

For Feng Zhan, the actions of the two girls in front of her who were trying to give her confidence were a little silly and cute, and she couldn't help but feel touched and confident.

Even if this inexplicable confidence is unfounded, it is still enjoyable.