Following Unohana Chiyo, they arrived at the laboratory in the deepest part of the training facility.
The surroundings were filled with high-tech, silver-white mechanical modules, as well as a massive cylindrical container filled with a pale green liquid, standing at the edge of the lab's control console.
It made stars of curiosity seem to dance in the little rabbit's eyes.
"That's an emergency medical pod for urgent situations."
As if sensing the little rabbit's curiosity, Unohana Chiyo explained to Saotome Yukina, "A typical severe injury only takes ten minutes..."
"...for the 'Medical Unit' inside to restore about seventy or eighty percent of the human body."
"Even if your heart is pierced... injecting multiple 'Medical Units' can pull someone back from the brink of death."
Su Yuzu looked up at the cylindrical container.
A 'Medical Unit,' huh... To think that something from a game would actually appear in reality.
In the game.
This thing came in handy when an Operator's health dropped to zero in combat or when their stamina bottomed out in a 'Catastrophe Domain.'
"A piece of medical equipment with virtually no drawbacks, aside from being expensive." With a rare, pained expression, Unohana Chiyo looked at the two girls. "The price of a single 'Medical Unit' is..."
"...about ten years of my salary."
Seeing that look on Unohana Chiyo's face, a strange thought suddenly arose in Su Yuzu's mind.
"Could it be..."
"The 'Medical Units' used on this person could never be paid back, even if we sold her."
A childish, irritated voice came from the depths of the laboratory.
Thud—
It sounded as if someone had jumped down from somewhere.
Su Yuzu and Saotome Yukina looked in the direction of the sound.
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared in their line of sight.
Su Yuzu paused for a moment.
She had met the taller, older woman just yesterday.
She was the head of Keigunen Private Academy's Assault Department.
Saionji Sagara.
She was an elegant and serious woman, famously known among the students of Keigunen Private Academy as the 'Rakshasa'.
But... the students deeply respected her.
Because she was stricter with herself than with others, and everyone knew she genuinely had the students' best interests at heart.
What truly made Su Yuzu freeze... was the 'young girl' beside Director Saionji.
A girl who wasn't even as tall as Saionji Sagara's thigh.
She looked like an elementary schooler from a nearby national school who had secretly put on a lab coat.
Her long, chestnut-colored hair was a messy pile, like a clump of weeds.
Her pale blue eyes, which should have been beautiful, were listless and dull from staying up too late.
But... Su Yuzu knew her.
Without betraying any emotion, she called up her 'Operator Index.'
Su Yuzu made the comparison.
[Operator: Yamabuki Nanako]
[☆]
[Level 0 - Plant-type Esper]
[...]
[Favorability: 5 (Unfamiliar)]
Although her profile and story were still locked due to low favorability.
But... comparing her to the portrait, there was no doubt it was the 'girl' in front of her.
"Such a little kid..." Saotome Yukina muttered subconsciously.
"Pfft—" Unohana Chiyo couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Oops."
Even though the little rabbit's voice was very quiet, Su Yuzu still saw a '#' pop on Yamabuki Nanako's forehead.
The girl, who looked like an elementary schooler in a researcher's coat, stomped angrily towards them.
"I'm so sorry!!!" the little rabbit apologized frantically to Yamabuki Nanako.
"This has nothing to do with you!" The girl, puffed up like a blowfish with anger, jumped up and kicked Unohana Chiyo right in the knee.
Unohana Chiyo obediently feigned a look of pain and half-knelt on the ground.
Yamabuki Nanako shook her little fist at Unohana Chiyo. "You idiot!!!"
"Explain things properly to your student!"
"Sorry, sorry." Without changing her expression, Unohana Chiyo pressed Yamabuki Nanako's little face directly into her chest.
She stood up, holding Yamabuki Nanako.
Su Yuzu's eye twitched.
"I believe you are already familiar with this person, Yuzu-chan and Saotome-san."
"The head of the academy's Assault Department, Saionji Sagara-senpai."
"As for this one..." With a gentle yet sly smile, Unohana Chiyo pressed on the back of Yamabuki Nanako's head and gave it another shake before finally letting out the girl who looked like she was about to suffocate.
Su Yuzu and Saotome Yukina instinctively turned their heads to the side.
They put on an act of not having seen a thing.
"Hah... hah..." Her beautiful, pale blue eyes were nearly vacant. "I'm alive..."
"She is the Chief Executive of the academy's Technology Division—" Unohana Chiyo introduced, "Yamabuki Nanako."
Having finally struggled free, Yamabuki Nanako kicked Unohana Chiyo's thigh.
Clang—
A sound like metal striking metal rang out.
Tears instantly welled up in Yamabuki Nanako's eyes.
Well... although she appeared gentle and virtuous, Unohana Chiyo was, after all, a proper Second Sequence Metal Manipulation User.
"That's enough." An imposing voice cut in. The head of the Assault Department spoke up. "The superintendents from the Investigation Bureau should be on their way now."
"Understood, understood..."
Only then did Unohana Chiyo put Yamabuki Nanako down.
Thud.
Su Yuzu and Saotome Yukina finally understood where that earlier thud in the laboratory had come from.
Unohana Chiyo and Yamabuki Nanako led Su Yuzu to the spacious testing platform in the center of the lab.
Su Yuzu immediately saw it, held in place by silver-white mechanical arms... the longsword, now bent into the shape of a mosquito coil.
It was the very one she had bent with her ability yesterday.
Yamabuki Nanako's fingers flew across the controls.
A pale blue projection appeared over the testing platform.
It showed the scene of Su Yuzu striking the Aberrant girl in the abdomen and bending the Aberrant's blade as it swung toward her shoulder.
Even though a day had passed.
Upon seeing the scene again, Saotome Yukina instinctively covered her mouth.
"We suspect your ability may not be as simple as mere 'Psychokinesis,'" Saionji Sagara said, looking at Su Yuzu.
"Ordinary 'Psychokinesis' could never bend an Aberrant's weapon."
She glanced at Yamabuki Nanako.
Yamabuki Nanako operated the controls, and a grating hydraulic sound came from the silver-white mechanical arms.
But... the mosquito coil-shaped longsword clamped within remained completely still.
"Weapons grown from the flesh and bone of Aberrants are all cursed by Catastrophe."
"Although they appear to be metal, they are, in fact, crystals of Catastrophe."
Unohana Chiyo reached a hand toward the Aberrant's weapon.
She effortlessly manipulated and pried open the silver-white mechanical arms that were exerting hydraulic pressure.
But... the black-purple weapon still didn't budge an inch.
Saionji Sagara gave Unohana Chiyo a nod.
Unohana Chiyo waved her hand.
Several silver knives, shaped like dinner knives, flew out from under the hem of her suit skirt.
Like silver-white meteors tearing through the darkness.
The silver knives instantly struck the black-purple weapon.
Clang—
A crisp sound of metal clashing.
The black-purple Aberrant longsword snapped on impact. Black-purple crystals flew out, only to be blocked by a pale blue forcefield.
"Snapping an Aberrant's weapon is not a difficult task."
"But..." Saionji Sagara looked intently at Su Yuzu.
"Bending an Aberrant's weapon is something I have never seen before, not even once."
Unlike Unohana Chiyo, Saionji Sagara, as the head of Keigunen Private Academy's Assault Department, had heard some rumors about Su Yuzu.
The former Su Yuzu... was not like she was now, an outcast seemingly abandoned by the Soga family.
On the contrary... she had once been the center of attention, dazzling and brilliant.
"Yamabuki—" she prompted softly.
As Yamabuki Nanako operated the controls, a deep... a deep, almost ink-black feather was brought before Su Yuzu by a mechanical arm.
"Want to try?"
Saionji Sagara looked at Su Yuzu.
Su Yuzu hesitated for a moment, then reached her hand toward the feather.
The girl's wrist turned.
The black-purple feather twisted along with it, becoming like a pretzel.
"Su Yuzu—" Saionji Sagara's voice was sober. The woman's feelings were complicated as she looked at the pretzel-like feather.
"We've determined..."
"...that your ability is not a basic mental-type ability like 'Psychokinesis.'"
"But rather..."
"...a rule-type ability that is extremely rare in human history—"
"...a rule-type ability that can effortlessly bend even the Catastrophe crystals of an Aberrant."
Su Yuzu's smile froze.
What am I, a human wrench?
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