Humans are such creatures—when something they've long persevered for or fought over finally gets resolved, they tend to slip into a brief phase of confusion and aimlessness.
That's exactly where Shokuhou Misaki finds herself now.
The sun has long since set, and a bright moon hangs high in the night sky.
"Too late to get into the dorm now—Professor Kuroko must be furious," she mutters to herself, but her expression shows no worry, no concern—nothing that lines up with her words.
In fact, her face looks utterly indifferent and carefree—completely different from her usual self.
She's thrown aside her refined, noble lady persona and decent upbringing, lying on a plastic track in her Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform of the first year, dressed in a way that seems almost reckless.
She even, not caring if anyone notices, spreads her delicate white legs wrapped in lace web stockings into a wide 'X,' her short skirt slightly lifted, revealing a hint of something mysterious.
"But, honestly, I feel so much better now," she whispers.
Starting to unwind her mind on a spiritual level, Shokuhou Misaki gently closes her starry eyes. She rummages into her cross-body designer bag and pulls out a TV remote control—just like a Western cowboy in a movie—twirling it in her hand before pointing it at her temple.
"Maybe I should just do this," she suddenly thinks.
It's a spontaneous idea—an instant burst of inspiration.
Her external brain, the Cairen Workshop, has already been fully under her control, becoming her private force, and she has gained the support of Takayama Hisako.
Though she can't say she's completely worry-free yet, she has at least moved one step up from the bottom of the chessboard.
"I'm so tired. I don't want to think anymore."
Memories…
Recollections…
Responsibilities…
Pressure…
Interpersonal relationships, schemes, and plots…
She's one of only seven superpowered individuals in the entire City of Academy, within a population of two million.
At the same time, she's the only one among those seven to have reached Level 5 psychic ability.
Her research value surpasses that of her peers—those other Level 5 espers.
This is the power to manipulate minds.
This is the power to alter wills.
If her power falls into the hands of ambitious or malicious people, the world could be thrown into chaos.
Naturally, she's been manipulated by the interests of the adults and the research institutions.
Since she entered Academy City—an environment indistinguishable from a massive laboratory—she's never truly had her freedom.
Living within a laboratory, her head cut open repeatedly by researchers for experiments, until they developed what's called an "External Brain."
Once the External Brain fully matures, she's instructed to kill herself.
There's no other choice. Any individual capable of reaching Level 5 as a psychic—regardless of who they are—cannot be allowed to continue living without restraint.
What's worse, those researchers did countless excesses to her.
What they didn't expect was that, despite their repeated attempts to suppress her abilities with drugs, she still managed to upgrade her computation power to that of a true esper.
The devices they implanted on her head to block her powers naturally became ineffective.
She took control of those researchers, eliminating those who had caused Dolly's death.
But now that everything has ended, she's left with nothing but endless fatigue.
Perhaps this seems a little ridiculous to many—how could a psychic, capable of controlling spirits, thoughts, and wills, feel tired?
But the truth is exactly that.
So, what does it matter how strong she is?
No matter how powerful she becomes, no matter how resilient her heart may be,
She remains just a thirteen-year-old girl.
A darkness so heavy it could crush a determined adult.
With that kind of darkness weighing her down, who's to say that a young girl in her teens can truly bear it?
"This must be fatigue," she thinks. "How should I put it? It feels like I don't want to care about anything anymore…"
She knows very well.
This kind of thought is essentially a form of self-destruction.
She's come so far, fought so hard to reach this point—and now, the idea of giving up everything is surfacing. It's a denial of the self she was just months ago.
"Honestly, I should just completely reset my mind," she considers.
"If I do that, I won't have to carry such heavy burdens anymore."
The task is simple—no effort needed.
Point the remote at her temple, and with her tender, white thumb, gently press the red button.
That's all.
With her unparalleled psychic ability—the strongest psychic in history—her Mind Control will activate instantly, completely resetting her memories as the master, Shokuhou Misaki.
It won't reverse time, nor will it alter the world in any meaningful way.
But there's no doubt that, once she presses that button, she will return to being her pure, innocent self from before.
But her sense of responsibility is stopping her finger from moving.
And yet, the more she resists, the more the urge to escape—like wild weeds—begins to grow wildly within her.
Her index finger twitches...
Her ability is ready to activate!
But at that moment, a shadow suddenly envelops her, and a familiar voice echoes softly in her ear.
The sudden voice makes Shokuhou Misaki stop her movement.
She recognizes this male voice immediately.
At first, she thought it might be a park staff patrolling nearby, but as a psychic, she can never forget the voice of someone connected to her.
Even if this person had only met her once or twice.
Even if they'd only exchanged a few words.
"It's you. Why are you here?"
Feeling a bit weak, she closes her eyes and raises her hand to shield her face.
But really, it's no wonder!
Anyone who's just made a firm decision to do something—and then gets interrupted like this—would inevitably feel complicated emotions.
"Hah—"
The shadow over Shokuhou Misaki gradually dissipates as the boy slowly kneels and extends his hand.
"I guess we're both here for the same reason," he says. "And, by the way, you've already flashed."