Teruki Hanazawa, halfway through his sentence, suddenly stopped, noticing the calm expression on Shigeo Kageyama's face.
"…You know, I might've overestimated you."
"Huh? Are you trying to provoke me!?"
Snap—
The thin thread of reason inside Teruki broke at that instant.
He thrust out his hand, and waves of telekinetic energy burst forth, whipping through the air like a storm.
In the next moment, countless stones ripped free from the ground, hurtling toward Shigeo at blinding speed.
Seeing this, Shigeo Kageyama quietly lifted his arm, forming a psychic barrier in front of him.
He was about to defend when a figure suddenly appeared between them.
"Playing around like this… don't you think it's about time you stopped?"
A calm voice echoed.
Crimson light bloomed from Satoru Mikami's body, and in the next instant, all the flying debris vanished—swallowed by his magic.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
Teruki's gaze sharpened, wariness flashing in his golden eyes.
"The one who was hired to teach you a lesson," Satoru replied casually.
He appeared before Teruki in a single step, his palm pressing down lightly.
"This kind of attack—won't even tickle me."
Teruki clenched his teeth, gathering his telekinesis into a shimmering barrier that enveloped his entire body.
However—
With a loud crack, Satoru's hand effortlessly pierced through the barrier and clamped down on Teruki's head.
Boom—!
The ground exploded, sending dust flying as Teruki's face was driven deep into the earth, leaving a crater in his shape.
"Uh… wasn't that a bit harsh?"
Shigeo asked nervously, his shoulders trembling.
"Of course it has to be harsh," Satoru replied matter-of-factly, "Otherwise, how will he learn his lesson?"
Lowering his head slightly, Satoru spoke to the boy half-buried in the dirt.
"Do you understand now how weak you are?"
"…What a joke!"
The ground trembled violently.
Teruki shot upward, breaking free, his body levitating mid-air. His expression twisted in fury.
"I won't hold back anymore! Whether it's you or that guy down there—you're both dead!"
Ripping off his tie, Teruki infused it with psychic energy, shaping it into a gleaming blade.
With both hands, he slashed down fiercely.
A torrent of telekinetic power roared toward Satoru like a crashing wave.
"As expected of a brat."
Satoru simply raised one hand and caught the incoming energy—barehanded.
"W-What…!?"
Teruki's eyes widened in disbelief. That was his full strength—how could this man hold it so easily!?
"I told you, didn't I?" Satoru said, his voice calm but sharp. "You're still too weak."
With a light squeeze, the psychic wave shattered like glass.
Satoru appeared before Teruki once more, his fist glowing crimson.
Crimson Destruction Magic flared around him, and for the first time in his life, Teruki felt genuine fear.
In Satoru's fist, he swore he saw the word "Death."
Wham!
Teruki froze, eyes wide in despair—yet the fatal blow never came.
Satoru's fist stopped just centimeters from his face.
A deafening gust blasted past, scattering the clouds behind him.
"Now," Satoru said quietly, "do you understand how weak you are?"
"…Y-Yeah… I understand…"
"No," Satoru corrected, tapping Teruki's forehead with one finger. "You still don't."
A pulse of Fairy Arts rippled out.
Teruki's life aura trembled violently, and a searing, bone-deep pain tore through his body. He screamed in agony.
"Being weak isn't scary," Satoru said calmly. "What's scary is being weak… and pretending you're not."
With that, he released the spell.
"Get lost. If you cause trouble again, the punishment won't be this light."
"Y-Yes!"
Barely holding back tears, Teruki turned tail and fled as fast as he could.
As his presence faded, Satoru descended back to the ground beside Shigeo Kageyama.
"You… wanted something from me?"
Shigeo asked cautiously, his body stiff from tension.
"I was watching you earlier," Satoru said. "You really don't like using your power to fight, huh?"
Shigeo nodded. "Master said psychic abilities are dangerous—tools that should never be used against people."
"That's true," Satoru agreed, "but there's also a time when you need to act. You have to know how to adapt."
"…Adapt?"
"Yeah. But for someone your age, that's a hard thing to figure out."
Satoru reached into his coat and pulled out two magic flyers, handing them to Shigeo.
"If something like this happens again, inject a bit of energy into this and summon me."
"Eh?"
"When a kid can't make the right call," Satoru said with a small grin, "it's best to leave the judgment to an adult."
He gave a light wave—and vanished.
Shigeo stared at the spot where Satoru disappeared, then looked down at the glowing magic circle on the flyer in his hand.
"…'Leave judgment to an adult,' huh?"
A faint smile spread across his lips.
For the first time, the pressure on his heart seemed to lift completely.
Emotion Value: 50% → 0%.
"Rias, I'm back."
Inside the Occult Research Club, a crimson magic circle glowed on the floor as Satoru Mikami stepped out, casually holding a rolled-up scroll in one hand.
"This is the mission reward. As usual, exchange it for cash, please."
Rias smiled faintly and accepted it. "You've worked hard, Satoru. You seem unusually cheerful today—did something good happen?"
Satoru leaned against the sofa, stretching lazily. "I ran into a psychic… a kid who might be on par with a High-Class Devil—or maybe even a Maou-level."
"…Huh?"
Rias blinked. "You're joking, right?"
"Nope."
She stared at him, searching his expression for signs of exaggeration—but his eyes were perfectly serious.
That alone was enough to make her hesitate.
Could Satoru really have found a psychic that strong?
High-Class Devil… Devil King… these weren't just titles tossed around lightly. Even she, born into a noble bloodline, knew what that level of power represented.
"What's the kid's name?" she finally asked.
"Shigeo Kageyama," Satoru replied without missing a beat. "A middle schooler."
Rias froze. "…A middle schooler? Don't tell me he started cultivating in the womb?"
Satoru shrugged thoughtfully. "Given how naturally gifted he is, that might not be far from the truth. A born esper—strong since birth."
Rias fell silent. The more she listened, the less confident she felt.
As a princess of House Gremory, her talent was already beyond most beings—yet she kept running into people who shattered every standard of power she knew.
After a moment, she sighed. "So? What do you plan to do with him?"
"Nothing." Satoru smiled. "I'm not interested in bullying kids."
After defeating Teruki Hanazawa, he had received a blue-grade Telekinesis entry.
If he had attacked Shigeo seriously, he could've probably obtained a purple, maybe even a red entry—something incredibly rare.
But still, there were lines he wouldn't cross.
Unless the situation truly demanded it, Satoru Mikami wasn't the kind of man who'd pick a fight with someone who couldn't resist.
"Before I left, I gave him two flyers," Satoru added. "If he ever runs into trouble again, he can use them to summon me."
Rias crossed her arms, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
"You're trying to develop him into a client? That's not a bad plan."
"Client, achievement—whatever," Satoru waved a hand lazily. "I just want to meet more strong people to spar with. That's all."
Rias chuckled softly. "Always so direct."
She glanced around the room—the other club members had already gone home, leaving only the two of them.
"By the way, there's no other task tonight. You're free."
"Perfect. Then I'm heading home."
Satoru waved casually and disappeared in a swirl of magic.
As the circle faded, Rias exhaled, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"That man… I can never tell if he's reckless or just frighteningly confident."
---
Meanwhile, in his apartment, Satoru sprawled out on his sofa, idly scrolling through his phone.
"Huh. Someone already applied?"
He raised an eyebrow—the job posting he'd put out that morning had been accepted faster than expected.
He confirmed the meeting for the next evening, set his phone aside, and began his nightly training.
---
The next morning, his alarm clock rang precisely at 4 a.m.
Beep—beep—beep—
Satoru's eyes opened the instant the sound started. Without a trace of sleepiness, he activated Fairy Arts, scanning the state of his body.
The flow of energy was smooth, his aura brighter than yesterday.
"Good," he muttered. "I'm getting closer."
Outside, dawn had barely touched the horizon.
The quiet hum of energy filled the room as Satoru began his daily regimen—body reinforcement, spell compression, and aura resonance training.
He preferred to live by a simple rule:
Strength first, everything else later.
Even in a peaceful morning like this, his thoughts flickered toward potential challenges—new powerhouses, new anomalies… or maybe even a certain pink-haired jujutsu sorcerer.