Just a moment!
Even in the dim light—only the afterglow of a setting sun—one could clearly see the instant flush spreading from the tip of his nose to his ears.
"So that's it. Your perverted nature finally exposed, Haramura Makoto."
As a noble and elegant young lady, she certainly wouldn't do something useless and rude like screaming just because someone flashed.
Like a nimble phantom, she quickly sat upright, and the remote that was first aimed at herself now swung to point sharply at the man she called Haramura Makoto.
This was a very dangerous situation.
In this city of Academy City, no one would turn a blind eye to this.
There was no way any would—a Level 5 psychic like her was now directing her control device against herself.
What did this mean?
It meant from this moment onward, his memories, his past, and his perceptions would be at the mercy of this beautiful young girl's unrestricted tampering.
To avoid this, one had to either have computing power equal to or surpassing hers, or possess a device that blocked radio waves.
But the boy showed no fear or resistance.
He wasn't one of the seven espers in the entire city, nor did he carry any external devices.
"Although we haven't met often, I don't think Shokuhou-san would carelessly manipulate others' memories over something like this."
Haramura Makoto wore a calm face and did not withdraw his hand placed before her—only gave it a slight waggle.
"Tch, boring."
Threats didn't faze her. Shokuhou Misaki rolled her starry eyes but, upon his signal, placed her small hand in his palm and used his strength to stand.
"That said, your confidence comes from the fact that you didn't see anything."
Standing tall, she brushed off fallen leaves, put the remote back in her bag, and said firmly.
She was definitely not the type to tamper with people's memories and experiences on a whim over trivial matters.
She knew all too well how despicable her own power was.
It was precisely why she understood the weight of her responsibility.
The power of Mind Control chose her, indicating that only a person of noble character like herself was fit to wield it.
But she was no prude.
When the time came, she wouldn't hesitate to use that power without useless second-guessing.
Like, for example, erasing a memory of seeing someone's underwear.
She certainly could move her little finger and completely delete this man's memory of what just happened.
What gave this man such confidence was that he hadn't actually done anything wrong.
Why erase the memory of something that never happened?
"You caught on quickly... as expected of a Level 5."
"But it's good that you understood so fast. Although I trust Shokuhou-san, I still don't like having my memories arbitrarily erased."
Haramura Makoto shrugged and left her with his back, walking toward a wooden bench under a streetlight.
She paused in thought but took a step toward him the moment he sat.
Overall, their acquaintance was almost entirely by chance.
An incident between buildings where a tacky delinquent targeted the noble Tokiwadai lady.
An event where he returned her forgotten belongings from a luxury shop.
Such coincidental events seemed arranged by some invisible force.
At first, they only exchanged greetings without actual conversation.
Now, at least they knew each other's names.
Could they even talk calmly while sitting down like this?
The sun had long set, and the afterglow had faded to darkness.
Because of this, the arrival of night during the stifling summer finally brought some relief.
The rustling of leaves in the breeze.
The chorus of insects singing through the forest.
They sat quietly on the bench, each at opposite edges, spaced about two or three seats apart.
They could hear the sounds of nature but not each other's conversation.
In truth, they hadn't spoken a word.
Since Haramura Makoto invited Shokuhou Misaki, they had maintained this silence for almost half an hour.
Neither had spoken a word, as if both quietly enjoyed the peaceful summer night, gazing at the calm lake.
"Really? You're just going to say nothing?"
"Let the lady speak first. You're as annoying as ever, you know."
Perhaps it was bland.
Perhaps playful.
Perhaps sarcastic.
Or maybe it held a subtle hint of shyness.
In any case, she broke the silence first, but what she meant was hard to understand.
"I think it's hard to call me a lady when someone defines me as a pervert with no evidence."
He spread his hands helplessly; even from his expression alone, you could tell Haramura Makoto was at a loss.
"Huh?"
Like stepping on a tail, the pitch of the words "Shokuhou Misaki" sharply rose, ascending eight degrees.
"You have so many women with useless fat hanging around their chests in your group, and you still say you're not a pervert?"
"Hey!"
This time, he really sighed.
Looking into her eyes, his expression wasn't just helpless but mixed with pity.
Then he lightly shook his head and said,
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
"Putting aside the label you gave me as a pervert—since you've already concluded that I like women with good figures,"
His gaze shifted slightly downward, landing perfectly on Shokuhou Misaki's chest.
"How could I possibly be interested in someone as 'nothing special' as you?"