Saten Ruiko's happy smile froze instantly. She let go of Yuuya's hands, suddenly realizing she had been way too excited and physically forward. She sat back down, scratching her head with an embarrassed smile. Her cheeks were deeply flushed, making her look incredibly cute.
Two little voices were fighting inside her head.
'Little Devil: Oh no! What should I do?! I was just joking around, I didn't expect Senpai to be serious and actually give me an ability!'
'Little Angel: But Senpai made my lifelong wish come true! Although it was a joke, I did say it myself, and Senpai took it seriously. Besides, Senpai is a Level 5, yet he doesn't discriminate against Level 0s at all. Becoming his girlfriend isn't a bad outcome...'
'Little Devil: But I'm only a middle school student! How can I do that?! Besides, I have zero experience interacting with boys!'
'Little Angel: But Senpai has already kissed me, so I guess that counts as experience...'
'Little Devil: Absolutely not! Ahhh, this is so strange!'
'Little Angel: But Senpai not only saved my life from assassins but also gave me superpowers. If I do nothing to repay him, I'd feel disgusted with myself.'
'Little Devil: That just means you were joking to break the ice, right? Tell him!'
'Little Angel: But then Senpai will hate me for leading him on!'
While the angel and devil were locked in a fierce internal battle, Uiharu Kazari hurriedly spoke up, still in a daze.
"S-Senpai! Aren't you Misaka-senpai's boyfriend?! Are you trying to two-time her with Saten-san?!"
"Huh?!" Saten looked at Yuuya in total surprise. The angel and devil in her heart vanished instantly. "Senpai and the Number Three are in a relationship?!"
While surprised, a bright, gossipy glint appeared in her eyes.
"How could that be?" Yuuya shrugged effortlessly at the sight of Uiharu seemingly catching him cheating. "The person you saw me with that day wasn't Misaka Mikoto. It was her twin sister. We just happened to run into each other and shared a table at the buffet. We weren't on a date."
"Shirai Kuroko just has a bad temper and mistook her for someone else," Yuuya added smoothly.
Technically, he and Misaka Mikoto were not in a romantic relationship. They were something far more antagonistic and complicated, though this couldn't be said outright. And revealing your romantic entanglements with other girls in front of the one you were currently teasing was a rookie mistake.
"Misaka Mikoto's twin sister?" Uiharu blinked, a string of question marks practically appearing over her forehead. "The Railgun has a twin? How come Shirai-san never mentioned it?"
"Yes. And Saten-san has seen her too. Right, Saten-san? The girl named Misaka..." Yuuya winked at Saten, giving her a heavy hint.
Saten's eyes, which had been gleaming with gossip, widened in shock.
Misaka?
Saten forced a bright smile and said cheerfully, "Y-Yes! I met her that day when Senpai was helping me."
'Misaka... isn't that what the clone called herself?' Saten thought frantically. 'Oh right! Misaka Mikoto is the Railgun! They both wear the Tokiwadai school uniform, they both share the name Misaka, and they both use electricity!'
'The girl I met is a clone of the Number Three!'
Suddenly, Saten completely understood why her clone friend had always seemed so familiar.
'I remember there used to be a terrifying urban legend on the forums about a Level 5 being mass-produced as a military army, but the official City channels heavily denied it.'
'It's true!' Saten shuddered, realizing she had stumbled upon a massive, city-wide conspiracy. Now that she knew the dark truth, she feared she might be permanently "silenced" by men in black suits at any moment...
"Really? So the Third Level 5 has a twin sister," Uiharu said, genuinely astonished but accepting the lie.
"Don't worry, Saten-san. She'll be completely fine," Yuuya said with a reassuring smile, knowing exactly what Saten was panicking about.
Saten chuckled nervously and scratched her head. Her cheeks flushed slightly before she took a deep breath. Having mentally prepared herself, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, stood up, bowed exactly ninety degrees, and spoke loudly.
"I'm sorry, Senpai! I was just joking earlier! Suddenly talking about becoming your girlfriend or something... I-I'm too shy for that right now! So... so can we just start as friends?!"
Uiharu opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Although she was a highly competent Judgment officer, she was completely clueless when it came to romantic matters.
Saten kept her eyes tightly closed, her heart pounding with anxiety. She didn't know what kind of answer her Senpai would give her.
Saten's loud voice drew the attention of everyone in the cafe. Several patrons couldn't help but applaud, thinking they were witnessing a dramatic middle-school confession scene.
Yuuya glanced at the surrounding guests out of the corner of his eye. He felt a warmth in his heart at the sight of Saten's adorable, nervous expression.
"Okay. We're friends, Saten-san," Yuuya said softly. "I know you were joking. I was just teasing you."
Saten received the unexpected answer and quickly looked up at him with a relieved, gentle smile, blinking her eyes.
"Don't look at me so cutely, or I might actually fall for you for real, Saten-san~" Yuuya teased.
"Hehe." Saten sat down awkwardly, feeling a little uncomfortable under the smiling gazes of the other cafe patrons. She had been so happy to gain an ability that she completely forgot they were in a public place.
"However... thank you so, so much, Senpai. I'm an Esper now too," Saten said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I'll never be looked down upon as a Level 0 again. I can finally call my mom and tell her that I have talent too."
She truly didn't know how to adequately thank him; this kindness was invaluable.
'Honestly, if I can't repay this kindness any other way, being Senpai's girlfriend wouldn't be a problem at all,' she thought, sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Hey! By the way, Senpai, you said you can give people multiple abilities?" Uiharu suddenly remembered Yuuya's earlier explanation and looked at him with intense curiosity. "Could it be... is that how you acquired your Multi-Skill status?"
"Do you understand the concept of the AIM Diffusion Field, Uiharu-san?" Yuuya asked.
"I know it's the faint, involuntary energy field that an Esper constantly emits, which can only be detected by highly sophisticated instruments," Uiharu recited flawlessly.
Saten became serious. Although she didn't fully understand the complex science, she wasn't a terrible student.
"My fundamental ability is the absolute manipulation of the AIM Diffusion Field. If I forcefully overlap two distinct AIM fields onto a person, there is a high probability they will gain two abilities. Saten-san's awakening happened simply because I used my AIM manipulation to aggressively stimulate her dormant Personal Reality, forcing her power to activate," Yuuya said, making up a highly plausible scientific lie.
"At that time, it really felt like an eggshell was cracking open inside my head, and then a massive amount of formulas appeared in my brain," Saten nodded innocently.
"So your true ability is AIM Diffusion Field Manipulation, Senpai?! Why does your official profile say 'Space Master'?" Uiharu asked curiously.
Inwardly, she was stunned. What a terrifying ability! If he could do that, wouldn't he be able to single-handedly mass-produce Multi-Skill armies?!
"You're not allowed to publicly reveal the true nature of certain classified abilities. You know what I mean," Yuuya said vaguely. The phrase "You know what I mean" was enough to conjure up a whole host of dark political possibilities.
Saten and Uiharu immediately understood. The General Board of Directors must be terrified that exposing Yuuya's true ability would cause a massive riot among the millions of powerless Level 0s begging for powers.
At that very moment...
"Uiharruuu~!"
A familiar, highly energetic, and slightly perverted voice rang out from behind them. "I was wondering where you were! I didn't expect you to be leisurely drinking cold drinks in a cafe! You're already late for our patrol!"
Uiharu froze for a second, then looked over her shoulder in a total panic.
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