"A duel? Are we having a ring match?!"
Mikoto's surprised pupils flashed with a hint of anticipation. Sashikura, slightly bewildered by Mikoto's expectant gaze, awkwardly cleared her throat and pinched her chin with one hand.
"No... it's not what you're thinking. It's just a simple test of abilities. Let me think... hmm, how about we try piercing that abandoned iron fence over there with our abilities?"
As she spoke, Sashikura took a projectile-like iron bearing from her pocket, then used her ability to generate shockwave-like hydrogen gas to launch the iron bearing in a straight line.
Bang!!!
The iron bearing collided with the iron fence. After a slightly harsh metallic clashing sound, the iron bearing pierced through the fence and clattered to the ground with a "Clang!"
Pleased with her perfect performance, Sashikura put one hand on her hip, tilted her head slightly upward, and wore a confident smile on her face.
"How about that? Using the minimum output and ultra-high precision operation as... Hey? Why are you walking away? Aren't we competing? Give me some face!!!"
Sashikura immediately looked flustered as she watched Mikoto silently walk a distance away from her. However, Mikoto didn't want to leave; she was truly just trying to create some distance.
Imagining two straight tracks leading to the target direction, then using these two imaginary tracks to generate a magnetic field, and then...
Mikoto slowly closed her eyes, constructing the formula for the move she was about to use in her mind and quickly calculating the extremely high-precision values.
[Railgun]
Chinatsu had once mentioned this concept to Mikoto, but that was before Mikoto had reached Level 5. At the time, Mikoto hadn't paid much attention to it, simply shaking her head and thinking she couldn't do it.
Today, the feat she previously thought impossible was constructed quickly as if it were a matter of course, and the overall fluidity was so high that even Mikoto was surprised.
"Fifty percent... make it ten percent."
Mikoto muttered softly. Because her voice was too quiet, Sashikura, standing not far away, didn't hear it. However, a sense of foreboding welled up in her heart, and she silently took two more steps in the opposite direction of where Mikoto was aiming.
Constructing the formula...
Calculating the values...
"Okay!"
Mikoto opened her eyes, a confident smile on her face. With a flick of her finger, a beam of light mixed with Biri-Biri electric current shot straight out from her fingertip.
It was far more than just piercing the iron fence; even the restrained Railgun blasted the group of abandoned iron fences in the area ahead into fragments.
"What!!!"
Sashikura stuffed both hands into her ears, lowered her head, and closed her eyes, forced to feel the aftermath of this blast. At the same time, the thought that she had lost emerged in her heart.
Although they were competing on precision rather than power, Sashikura's fundamental goal was to test her ability against an Esper like Mikoto.
After witnessing Mikoto's Railgun, she truly understood the gap between herself and an Esper. If that blast had been aimed at her, even if she could withstand the electromagnetism itself, her body would...
An Esper, worthy of the name.
This farce was seen by Chinatsu, who happened to be looking for Mikoto. She was standing in a corridor of a teaching building that had a view of this spot, watching Mikoto.
Sashikura's ability is "Hydrogen Ion Bonding," undoubtedly a powerhouse among Level 4s, but unfortunately, she was facing the "Electric Princess."
That said, Mikoto was actually able to reduce the power to one-tenth. Even though it was her first time using it, she controlled it quite well. It seems that even after recently obtaining the Level 5 title, she hasn't slackened in her training.
Then again, she was the same.
Chinatsu lowered her head to look at her palm, which she had raised to her chest. The gravity gathering above her open palm was constantly contracting...
At this moment, Chinatsu, who was looking for Mikoto, was spotted by Satan Sen, who was looking for Chinatsu. She walked up behind Chinatsu with a grin and poked her shoulder with her finger.
"Are you busy?"
"Hmm? Not busy. What's up?"
Chinatsu waved her hand and turned to look at Satan Sen in front of her. She had actually noticed her a long time ago, but rather than calling her out, she chose to wait for Satan Sen to walk over herself.
Satan Sen wore an expression of wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, looking as though she had made up her mind, she said naturally: "I'm going to the workshop in charge of my ability research later. Can you accompany me?"
Ability Users, especially high-ranking ones, cannot avoid workshops and Research Institutes. Even an Ability User like Mikoto, who wasn't directly trained by a workshop, still periodically visits a Research Institute for check-ups and ability research.
Chinatsu? She doesn't need any research; she and Hamazura Shiage have already been blacklisted by all the major Research Institutes.
Chinatsu looked at Satan Sen in front of her, wondering whether she should go along.
In truth, she didn't know much about the plot of the first chapter. On one hand, her memories from before her reincarnation had become increasingly blurry; on the other hand, she vaguely remembered that the plot for this part hadn't even finished updating before she reincarnated, and she had been hoarding chapters and hadn't read the latest ones.
Oh well, what kind of danger could there be at this stage?
"Sure, let me notify my sister first." As Chinatsu said this, she reached into her pocket, took out her phone, and sent a message to Mikoto. However, Mikoto, who was talking to Sashikura, didn't notice the text immediately.
Chinatsu turned her head and nodded at Satan Sen, and the two then went to the academy's administration office to apply for permission to leave the campus, subsequently boarding a private car heading to the Research Institute.
"Sorry, I'm a bit late this time."
"It's fine, it's fine. Hurry... who is this?"
The Research Institute's doctor looked at the arriving Satan Sen and couldn't wait to have her assist with the relevant research, but Chinatsu, who was beside her, also piqued her curiosity.
"Is that the one from the electric department?!"
"It's Misaka Chika."
"Oh... oh, it's that one..."
Upon learning that she was the older sister of the Esper sisters, the look in the doctor's eyes became quite complex. There was curiosity and desire to study Chinatsu's ability, as well as a sense of disappointment at being powerless to do so. In comparison, perhaps the doctor would have been happier if Mikoto had come.
Satan Sen's ability research began without delay. The doctor took out a fossilized bone of a young dinosaur and handed it to Satan Sen. One Researcher after another gathered around, watching Satan Sen, who stood in the center, with anticipation.
As her voice rang out, "I'm starting!", the fossilized bone in her hand turned into powder as if burned by flames.
These powders drifted with the wind and finally gathered together, actually turning into a young dragon with its mouth wide open, roaring.
"Aooooo!!!!"