Ding! Ding! Ding!
Daily classes came and went. Although factional strife and covert struggles constantly simmered within the academy, considering the status of Espers, those who gossiped behind the backs of Mikoto, Chinatsu, and Shokuhou could only gossip; few dared to actually take physical action.
Of course, there were still some bold individuals.
Shokuhou Misaki, defined as an Esper even earlier than Mikoto and Chinatsu, walked alone through the academy. Due to the special nature of her ability, the exclusion she faced from others was more severe than what Mikoto and Chinatsu experienced.
[Mental Out]
the strongest psychic-type Esper in Academy City, her ability's essence stands at the very apex of the psychic spectrum. She single-handedly handles almost all psychic phenomena, such as memory reading, long-distance telepathy, thought erasure, will amplification, thought reconstruction, emotion transplantation, and more. She is known as a versatile Esper akin to a Swiss Army knife.
In fact, because the scope her ability governed was too vast, to better utilize her power, she imposed psychological constraints on herself. She used a multi-button remote control to precisely and flawlessly activate each specific aspect of her ability's effects.
It could be said that before her, lies and disguises held no meaning. She could even read or interfere with someone's mind without them realizing it, leaving them to continue their normal lives completely unaware.
"What's going on lately? My feet keep hurting for no reason. Did I bump into something, or am I coming down with some illness? Should I go to the hospital for a check-up..."
Shokuhou Misaki bent her legs, one hand gently rubbing her slightly aching ankle while muttering softly under her breath. It was at that moment that several girls who had been following her finally stopped hiding and stepped forward with imposing presence.
"I'm Lily, a second-year. There are some matters we'd like to investigate. As long as you don't resist, we promise we absolutely won't harm you," Lily said with serious earnestness.
"Such a condescending way of speaking really makes one not want to agree~"
Shokuhou Misaki frowned slightly as she straightened up to face the girls before her.
Seeing this, Lily and the others let out a helpless sigh. With a muttered "Fine," several vines suddenly coiled around Shokuhou Misaki's body.
These vines didn't directly bind Shokuhou herself but instead ensnared the small bag she carried. The remote control Shokuhou usually used was kept inside that bag.
In response, Shokuhou Misaki, unhurried, allowed a slight smile to curve her lips. To outsiders, it seemed she couldn't use her ability without the remote—a piece of misinformation she had carefully crafted to mislead others.
Just as Shokuhou Misaki prepared to directly activate her ability to control the girls before her, the vines Entanglementing her suddenly withered and disintegrated for some unknown reason.
In the moment of mutual surprise, Shokuhou Misaki changed tactics, quickly trying to break free from the vines and reclaim her bag to use the remote. The faction girls, reacting swiftly, strengthened the vines' power. Ultimately, the bag was flung away, landing on the ground not far off.
A hawk dove from the sky, streaking towards Shokuhou Misaki's bag. Shocked, Shokuhou herself gave a small leap, lunging for her bag.
"At this distance, I can reach it!"
Shokuhou Misaki confidently set up a flag for herself, and it took effect in the very next instant. Not only did she fail to grab the bag, but she misjudged her footing and accidentally kicked the bag further away. She then proceeded to fall face-first onto the ground.
Complete silence fell over the scene.
"This... this is..."
The faction girls stared dumbfounded at the spectacle. Even without using mind-reading, one could easily guess what they were thinking. Shokuhou Misaki, climbing to her feet, her cheeks flushed crimson, opened her mouth and shouted in furious embarrassment.
"Ruriko-nee!!!"
The instant her voice fell, a threatening figure suddenly appeared behind the faction girls. A sharp, intimidating aura made the girls' hairs stand on end.
"What?"
Before the faction girls could even react, the owner of this figure used a seamless set of martial arts techniques to knock every single one of them unconscious. There was no suspense whatsoever.
Hokaze Junko.
This was a beautiful girl with twin low ponytails. Her looks were no less striking than Shokuhou Misaki's. Her ability was [Heavenly Garb], a branch of the Electromaster spectrum, allowing her to manipulate the bioelectric currents within her body to enhance her physical capabilities. She was a Level 4 Great Ability User with the potential to become a Level 5.
"You're way too late!!!"
Shokuhou Misaki huffed angrily, complaining to Hokaze Junko. Hokaze Junko, however, responded with a faint, calm smile, "Didn't Misaki-sama say I should be kept as a trump card and not approach you casually?"
Having said that, she slightly raised her head, gazing towards the main teaching building of Tokiwadai Academy, and murmured softly with a sigh, "Tokiwadai is truly an impressive school. I feel like if things continue like this, something major is going to happen..."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Misaka, having just stepped out of her classroom and preparing to visit her sister again, was blocked by two groups. They were two of the three major factions: Mizukagami and Sashikura.
However, rather than speaking to Mikoto, the two faction leaders instead launched into a Full of gunpowder (gunpowder-laden) conversation the moment they met, though it felt somewhat one-sided from Sashikura.
"Long time no see, Sashikura."
"It has been a few days since we last met, but my subordinates complain to me about your faction's affairs every single day. I'm getting tired of it, oh no, I'm already sick of hearing it."
"Oh~"
Faced with Mizukagami's cold (cold/indifferent) reply, beads of sweat involuntarily appeared on Sashikura's cheek. She had never been able to converse well with Mizukagami; in her view, Mizukagami was a master of dialogue who used retreat as a form of advance.
Immediately, she decided not to continue chatting with Mizukagami. She reached out and firmly grasped the wrist of a bewildered Mikoto, pulling her along as she spoke.
"Forget it. Esper, come with me!"
"Ah... okay."
Mikoto, surprised, allowed herself to be led by Sashikura. Such a forceful attitude also astonished her. She wondered if this was the aura of a faction leader—truly impressive.
However, she didn't recognize who exactly was holding her hand. Her sister had introduced her to one of the three major factions, Satan Sen, so that one was exclude (ruled out). The remaining two were Mizukagami and Sashikura, giving her a fifty-fifty chance of guessing correctly.
Great, the odds are good. Let's take the gamble!
"Um... excuse me, are you Upperclassman Mizukagami?"
"I'm Sashikura! That one over there is Mizukagami!"
Having lost her gamble, Mikoto awkwardly stuck out her tongue in apology. Sashikura, still holding Mikoto's hand, led her to the garden behind the academy building.
Suddenly, she stopped walking. The forceful, tough (unyielding) aura she had been emitting diminished considerably. With a faint smile, she turned to Mikoto and asked,
"Esper, how about a one-on-one fight with me?"