In the afternoon, Haruto and Frenda headed to the newly built academy in the Seventh School District—Star Sea Academy.
It had already been some time since the Cursed Children began studying there.
Haruto wondered if those kids had managed to adapt to campus life here.
But he guessed it wouldn't be a big problem.
After all, the Cursed Children were around ten years old, right at the age when their values could still be shaped.
Although each one of them possessed remarkable powers, their experiences in that dark, gray world had made them all mature far beyond their years.
As long as the shadows of that dark world could be erased and they received proper guidance, Haruto believed these children would grow into truly outstanding people.
Besides, it had been a while since he last saw that kid Nishinomiya Shouko, so he was looking forward to it.
The moment Haruto arrived at Star Sea Academy, he was immediately noticed.
A group of little girls came running over, surrounding him and calling out "Big brother!" one after another.
Loli-lover's paradise. (just kidding)
Seeing Haruto surrounded by little girls, Frenda's expression turned shocked.
"So this is the kind of person you really are, Haruto?!"
Haruto wanted to break free from the siege and smack this Frenda, but sadly, he couldn't.
These children could no longer be called "Cursed Children." They no longer had to hide their eye color. Here, no one would despise them for those crimson eyes—on the contrary, people would find their red eyes beautiful.
Other than that, they were no different from ordinary children.
Their once-sickly thin bodies were now visibly healthier, most of them with a healthy roundness to their cheeks.
They wore clean, pretty Star Sea uniforms instead of dirty rags or barely any clothing at all.
The changes were truly gratifying.
And of course, the girls knew exactly who had made these changes possible, so they were especially close to Haruto.
…Maybe a little too close.
Several of the more outgoing little girls had already climbed onto him, making it hard for him to stay balanced.
Just then, a light cough sounded from the distance.
The moment they heard it, the girls immediately behaved themselves—hopping down from Haruto and standing in a neat line.
Haruto looked toward the source of the sound and saw Fuse Midori.
Running alongside her were Shouko and Otosaka Ayumi.
"Haruto-sama, sorry for causing you trouble," Midori said a little timidly, as if worried he might be angry.
Instead, Haruto simply reached out and picked her up.
"Why would you say that?"
Midori clearly hadn't expected him to be so direct and close, letting out a small gasp before her small body went limp in his arms.
The pair of cat ears on her head trembled rapidly, showing just how excited she was.
Since coming to Star Sea Academy, Midori had even taken off her pointy witch hat.
"After I joined the academy, because I'm Haruto-sama's Initiator, everyone voted me as class president. Now I've caused trouble for Haruto-sama, so it's my fault," she explained softly.
Haruto rubbed her cat ears—the texture was as good as ever.
"You haven't caused me any trouble at all."
Hearing this, the surrounding girls cheered in relief.
A moment ago, they'd been worried that their excitement might make Haruto dislike them.
Meanwhile, Frenda was giving him a disdainful look that practically screamed: "Caught in 4K! Loli-lover! Death penalty!"
Then she looked down at her own long legs and shook her head in mock lament.
Such a good man… shame he's into lolis.
This time, Haruto had a hand free, so he flicked her on the head without hesitation.
"Um… Haruto-sama, please put me down… Everyone's watching," Midori murmured, her voice barely above a mosquito's buzz, her face bright red.
Haruto finally set her down and turned to greet Nishinomiya Shouko.
"Shouko, do you still remember me?"
Shouko smiled gently.
"How could I forget, Haruto-oniisan?"
Time had passed, and Shouko's hair had grown long.
Even without any special styling, it flowed smoothly down her back and over her chest.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear—a soft, graceful motion—and pulled a pendant from between her pale collarbones.
It was the Rainbow Stone Haruto had given her before.
Now, against her fair neck, the brilliant gem shone dazzlingly.
The Rainbow Stone would only shine for those who held dreams and believed in miracles, granting them the power to make those miracles real.
Clearly, Shouko had already awakened hers.
Although Haruto had high hopes for her from the start, even he was a little impressed.
The Rainbow Stone could only be activated by an extremely rare few.
Now, he couldn't help but wonder—what kind of superpower had Shouko's wish manifested into?
Before he could ask, the answer arrived.
Two Academy City volunteers came to visit Star Sea Academy.
They seemed to be students themselves, perhaps in high school or university, wearing Daihasei Festival volunteer uniforms.
The Daihasei Festival was actually planned entirely by students.
That was the biggest difference between Academy City and other places—it was a city for and by students.
The two scanned the area, and when they saw Shouko, their eyes lit up.
They hurried over, ignoring everyone else.
"Miss Light of the Mind, may we invite you to participate in tomorrow's Daihasei Festival opening ceremony?" one asked earnestly.
"We need two Level 5s to take the athletes' oath, so we're here to ask for your help."
Hearing this, Shouko instinctively looked at Haruto.
If Haruto-oniisan wanted to see her there…
Haruto was intrigued—A Level 5, huh? And that title, Light of the Mind, was so very fitting for Shouko.
Noticing her gaze, Haruto smiled.
"If Shouko goes to represent at the opening ceremony, I'll definitely be there to watch."
"I'll go!" she replied immediately.
She then turned to the volunteers.
"Are there any special instructions for the oath?"
The two volunteers looked a little surprised.
A Level 5, and she was this easy to talk to?
Also, who was this boy next to her? The Light of the Mind seemed oddly deferential to him.
Still, they quickly explained the details.
Getting a Level 5 to agree to something was usually extremely difficult, so this was an amazing stroke of luck.
"Here's the oath script—you just need to appear at the set time and recite it. No other hassles."
They handed over the speech they'd prepared, then promptly left.
At that moment, Haruto also accessed Academy City's network to check Shouko's official profile.
[-Nishimiya Shouko
-Currently in: Star Sea Academy, 3rd year of middle school
-Power Level: Level 5
-Ability Name: Light of the Mind
-Academy City's newly recognized 8th Level 5 Esper
-Ability Type: Psychic
-Ability Details: Telepathy, mental linking, mental projection, and more…
-Note: Light of the Mind is undeveloped, making her the city's second natural-born Esper ("Gemstone").]
Reading this public data, Haruto couldn't help but be impressed.
Shouko's superpower, brought into reality through the Rainbow Stone, was also a psychic-type like Misaki's.
The difference was that Misaki specialized in control, while Shouko focused on mental depth.
Her ability could completely deconstruct and present a person's mind, allowing others to truly, fully feel what they felt—not just watch their memories from an outsider's view.
Her influence on the mind was fine and fundamental, going right to the root.
If Shouko ever decided to use her powers for evil… it would be terrifying.