Academy City prides itself on wielding the world's most advanced technology, thirty years ahead of the outside world. With nearly 2.3 million residents, over eighty percent are students, each developing unique "esper" powers through their schools.
For some unknown reason, Nango Hajime found this narration oddly familiar.
His power is—[Reply (Heal)].
When Hajime came to, he was already inside Academy City. His memories were a blank slate, and by virtue of his exceptional talents, he had accidentally secured an internship at a hospital in District Seven.
It was July, and Hajime sat before a computer, typing out his latest electronic medical record in flawless Japanese—his skill so adept it was almost heartbreaking.
"Faster, faster!"
"It should be—Queen, hang in there!"
A commotion outside the door snapped his attention. Before he could react, the clinic door was flung open.
"Bang!"
Two well-dressed young ladies burst in, escorting a blonde girl on a stretcher. They looked barely fourteen.
"Patient: Female, age unknown; significant mechanical trauma to the posterior skull and outer thigh…" Hajime observed clinically.
The girl's golden hair, once like a waterfall, was matted with blood. Her chest rose and fell violently, and her exposed skin was marred by scrapes and bruises. Her pristine white shirt, coffee-brown jacket, and dark pleated skirt marked her unmistakably as a student of the prestigious Tokiwa-dai Junior High.
"What happened?" Hajime stood. "Did you come to the wrong place? The ER is on the first floor."
The girl with regal purple curls forced herself calm. "Doctor, our Queen—Shokuhou Misaki—fell down the stairs…"
The blonde on the stretcher studied the tiny room with keen interest. Above the door hung a sign: "Special Esper Treatment Room." The young doctor looked only seventeen or eighteen, clad in a white coat, glasses, and a mask. His black hair and dark eyes gave him a handsome, scholarly air.
High schooler? College student?
Shokuhou read his nametag: Nango Hajime.
A rare surname in Japan. A foreigner? An intern permitted solo consultations? What on earth could he do?
"Hokaze, this is too troublesome. I'll confirm with my power," said the girl with cotton-candy brown hair and mesmerizing legs. She produced a delicate smartphone and aimed its camera at Hajime.
An esper of the mind?
Hajime sensed a surge of danger and braced to resist.
"Beep—"
Mental Stinger!
"So you're the foreign exchange student from China? The urban legend of someone with 100 percent healing power is real—and hidden right here. Now the Queen won't be left with a scar."
The blonde scolded, "Mitsuari Aoi…"
"Queen Shokuhou, you know precautions are necessary. I've neutralized this fellow's threat."
With that, Mitsuari Aoi stowed her phone and stepped back. In seconds, she had used her [Mental Stinger] to scan the young doctor's brain.
Aside from the strange [Reply] ability, nothing abnormal.
The Queen Bee hated abusing her power to invade minds. She left such work to her "worker ants."
"Even with Academy City's advanced cosmetic injectors, stitching a wound this long would require cutting off my beautiful hair…"
The blonde's white lace gloves remained pristine. The real marvel was her star-bright eyes, glittering like a shōjo manga panel.
"So, Doctor Hajime, may I ask for your help?"
At her words, Mental Stinger lifted.
Hajime's vacant eyes cleared, and he frowned.
He didn't know what had been done to him, but saving lives was paramount.
It seemed she had used psychic power to block the pain—otherwise she'd have fainted long ago. Shokuhou… why did that name sound so familiar?
"I can try, but it requires physical contact. I hope you'll forgive the impudence."
Mitsuari glared at her. Jealousy and envy flared—how dare a boy touch their Queen?
Hokaze Junko hesitated. "If it's within medical necessity, please endure a moment longer, Your Majesty."
"Let's lift her onto the bed…"
"No need. It'll be over in an instant."
With that, Hajime approached the blonde and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Doctors treat all patients the same, but public opinion makes touching a girl tricky. A lady's shoulder offered no scandal.
Reply (Heal)!
"Ping—"
A faint green glow emanated from Hajime's right hand. Before their eyes, Shokuhou's wounds knit visibly, muscle and bone realigning in seconds.
They say a broken limb takes a hundred days to heal. Yet this young doctor mended a fracture instantly—no setting required. The assembled girls gaped at his miraculous "medical skill."
"Amazing…"
"Healing even stronger than Academy City's regeneration tech!"
But Hajime paid no heed to flattery.
This perfect power carried a fatal flaw. The moment [Reply] activated, all the pain, fear, and despair the patient had ever endured flooded into his body.
Not just the current injuries, but every hurt this body had ever known.
Hajime's pupils constricted, and his serene features twisted.
Shokuhou gasped, "Could it be—?"
"My [Reply] doesn't just heal—it transfers the patient's suffering to me," Hajime explained, regaining composure. "But I'm immune to pain… so it doesn't hurt me at all."
Mitsuari Aoi glanced aside.
No pain? Good—if the ability had pierced his mind, the experience would be terrifying.
"I'm saved," murmured the blonde. She sat up, brushed a strand of hair from her ear, and exhaled. Her golden locks emerged unstained, flawless as ever.
When she met his eyes, her expression flickered.
Only then did Hajime truly study his patient: a middle school girl with an improbably mature figure, a slender waist, and doll-like features. From every angle, she embodied "beautiful girl."
Shokuhou… this name must be…
"Thank you for your care. They worried so much they broke in—if I can ever repay you, I will☆"
Rejuvenated, the blonde flashed a cheeky sideways V-sign. Her sweet voice trailed a charming speech quirk.
"No need. I'll report your unauthorized ability use to Tokiwa-dai," Hajime said coolly. "Remember to swipe your health card at the door. I'll cover the medical fees—and the door repair…"
"Such a cold reaction," the blonde complained.
It was the first time the Queen Bee had met someone immune to her charm.
"I apologize—I'll compensate properly!"
Hokaze Junko bowed deeply.
Hajime gave her a knowing look. An emergency, and a violent girl had broken in with her "Queen"—likely a strength-type esper.
Had the patient really been carried all the way here?
Tokiwa-dai has experts in [Water Control]—they must've stemmed her bleeding en route.
After a month interning here, he'd seen all manner of esper.
"So, how did the accident happen?" Hajime asked.
The blonde's grin froze.
Mitsuari sighed, "She's prone to weight gain, so she got angry about being limited to one cake a day…"
"My fault for being too strict with Her Majesty," Hokaze said remorsefully.
"And so Queen Shokuhou ordered her subordinates not to follow, stormed off, misstepped, and tumbled down a long flight of stairs."
Mitsuari turned away, fighting laughter.
"Fell?" Hajime found it unbelievable.
Falling on flat ground is uncool these days. One misstep on stairs can break a bone. Striking the back of your head can tear flesh—ten centimeters and a dozen stitches.
How fragile are today's Japanese middle-schoolers?
Mitsuari teased, "If not for her chest padding, she wouldn't have landed safely."
"Urusai!" the blonde snapped, blushing.
Hokaze smiled wryly. "As you see, Doctor Hajime, we heard you have a scar-free method, so we brought our Queen as soon as possible."
Had they not been ordered, they'd have quelled any danger around the Queen themselves.
Hokaze felt guilt.
"Should we do a head CT just in case?"
Hajime shook his head. "She's fully recovered. No concussion risk, and you can remove the emergency splint. Next patient."
After all, she has those "shock absorbers," as the long-legged girl said.
The blonde hopped off the stretcher and spun once in the clinic. Her skirt swayed, and her hair bloomed like a flower. Hajime caught a sweet honeyed scent on the breeze.
"Your Japanese is excellent. Farewell, pain-immune Dr. Hajime."
This woman seemed to speak with stars in her eyes.
"I hope never to see discharged patients again," Hajime replied.
Once the girls departed, he returned to his desk and typed their record. Swiping his card, the patient's registration auto-filled.
Shokuhou Misaki, 14 years old.
If he recalled correctly, she was one of the seven Level 5 espers, holding [Mental Out] at rank 5.
Only seven people in this city truly qualify as "espers."
"Huh—when did my sleeve get bloody?"
No other patients waited, so Hajime rose and headed to wash his hands. A nurse greeted him.
"Nango-kun, thank you for your hard work."
"No problem."
The black-haired youth leaned over the sink and performed the standard thirty-second hand-washing routine. Though a no-rinse gel stood by, he preferred water.
"[Reply]…?"
Lately, Nango Hajime had been having a strange series of dreams.