chapter 102: Psychic Resonance Amplification Device
Last time she went to Aokiji's house to watch a movie,
Fubuki was also taken for a tour inside the base.
She wasn't unfamiliar with this place.
As for how they toured... Fubuki blushed a little with shyness upon recalling it.
She acted naturally in front of Aokiji only because of her pride.
In private, Fubuki often covered her face, feeling ashamed of the things she said and did.
Even she couldn't understand it.
She, who usually showed a cold face to the outside world.
Sometimes, she was actually so bold... bodily instincts are truly terrifying.
Following her previous impressions, Fubuki went down the corridor into an area with a clearly higher level of technology.
A towering giant robot stood silently, with strange crane-like devices on both sides stabilizing its frame.
And this only occupied a small portion of the area.
On the other side of this area,
beside a capsule-like facility that looked like a hibernation pod from a sci-fi movie,
two people were waiting.
Aokiji was his usual self, lazy and relaxed, slowly eating potato chips.
As for the other person,
after Fubuki saw clearly, her expression became visibly hesitant.
"...Psykos?"
"President."
Psykos's tone was equally complex; she pushed up her glasses and lowered her head as she spoke.
Two former friends, companions who had managed the Hero Associations psychic research group together.
For a moment, they looked at each other in silence.
Psykos had changed a lot.
The one who followed Fubuki in high school was just an innocent girl wearing tacky glasses and a strange headband.
But the current Psykos had mature and charming long wavy hair, refined and sharp features, and an aggressive sense of beauty.
However, these changes
were not the reason Fubuki was too shocked to speak.
Fubuki's lips trembled, and she covered her face, shouting in a bit of a breakdown:
"Psykos, why are you wearing a bunny girl outfit?!!"
Psykos's arms were held stiffly at her sides, her fists clenched tight.
She lowered her head and shouted back in a self-abandoning manner:
"I didn't want to meet the President like this either!!!"
"You two really get along well," Aokiji commented like an indifferent bystander.
"Even after not seeing each other for years, you can still chat so loudly and familiarly."
As he spoke, he tossed a few more potato chips into his mouth.
The "crunch, crunch" sound felt completely out of place.
"Aokiji, you... I... Sigh..."
Fubuki couldn't even form a complete sentence.
She looked at the two of them with a complex expression.
Although she had long known that Aokiji, who could maintain relationships with both her and her sister, was certainly not a "good man" in the conventional sense.
For Psykos, who had gone astray, his methods of persuasion and change were probably not very... healthy?
But she never imagined!
That their rare reunion would unfold like this!
Fubuki looked at Psykos.
Even though she had shouted with a hint of defiance just now, she still subconsciously maintained a reserved and submissive posture, standing obediently by Aokiji's side.
Her cold, refined face was covered in a blush of shame.
She didn't dare meet Fubuki's eyes.
"How did he train you into this, my Vice President..." Fubuki let out a heavy sigh.
The bunny ear accessory twitched visibly, and Psykos hung her head even lower.
The atmosphere was extremely awkward.
Aokiji started a new topic, pointing to the capsule pod beside him.
"Save the touching reunion dialogue for later; let's get down to business first."
Where is there anything touching about this?
Fubuki and Psykos both complained loudly in their hearts.
The difference was,
Fubuki dared to roll her eyes at Aokiji irritably.
while Psykos, thinking of the times she had rolled her eyes back these past few days, didn't even dare to lift her head.
Aokiji, whose skin was thick enough to build a ship, continued seriously:
"The Psychic Resonance Amplification Device. Its principle is just as the name implies: through frequency and wavelength resonance, it pushes Psychic Power to its absolute limit."
"Then, through a special medicinal liquid, it repairs and replenishes the Esper."
"It's like muscle training; after micro-tears in the muscle fibers, you provide enough protein and rest to allow for overcompensation recovery."
"But compared to ordinary training, using this device also allows special energy waves emitted during resonance to be mixed into the Esper's own Mental Energy."
"To use the muscle training analogy again, it's equivalent to controlling your entire body's muscles to work out while also implanting new muscle fibers."
Fubuki listened intently.
The method to become stronger that she had been longing for was right before her eyes.
Suddenly, even the complaints about Psykos's outfit were forgotten.
Psykos was also surprised, her gaze shifting slightly to the device.
He actually possesses this kind of technology?!
It's truly incredible... but if it's just technology, there must be some shortcomings.
Fubuki thought of the same issue and asked hurriedly:
"Then, does this technology have any drawbacks?"
"Of course there are," Aokiji said, grabbing more chips.
"First, the amplification has a limit. Once Psychic Power reaches a certain level of strength, it will spontaneously reject new energy waves."
"Strictly speaking, it's rejected from the start; it's just forcibly mixed into the Mental Energy under the interference of resonance."
"Also, amplification is a multi-step process; it can't be raised to the limit in one go."
"Even with the medicinal liquid aiding recovery, it cannot replace the rest that the Esper themselves requires."
"Finally, the process is a bit painful."
"You can enter a sleep state to avoid it, but if you want the best results, you need to stay conscious."
"No problem, I can endure the pain!" Fubuki replied without hesitation.
"The pain level might be higher than you think," Aokiji suggested.
"It's best to think of something else to distract yourself."
Fubuki nodded to show she understood.
Although she felt a little nervous about the pain Aokiji mentioned,
she still didn't hesitate at all.
"I'm ready. Can we start now?"
"Then change your clothes and get in."
Aokiji handed over a set of pure white Lab clothes.
Continuous pain would definitely cause a lot of sweating.
Fubuki took the Lab clothes, looked around, and asked:
"Where is the changing room?"
"There's no such place."
"Huh?"
Fubuki blinked her eyes in confusion.
Thinking she had misheard, she asked again:
"The changing room..."
"There isn't one. Just change here."
Aokiji looked back at her with a sincere gaze.
Fubuki: "..."
Her hand gripping the Lab clothes slowly tightened, her face flushing red.
Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Psykos.
She happened to meet Psykos's eyes, which were Sneakily looking up to watch the show.
A burning sense of shame welled up.
What is this guy saying!
Even though it's a normal exchange, anyone can see our relationship is unusual!
Psykos is still here!
Ah... Fubuki realized belatedly.
So this was how ashamed Psykos felt when meeting her in that outfit—in fact, it was far more than that.
But let's not have mutual understanding through this kind of awkwardness!
Fubuki took a few steps back and looked around.
Then, clutching the Lab clothes, she trotted behind the giant robot to change.
A flicker of disappointment flashed through Psykos's heart.
If the President had also been shamed in front of her once, it would count as having leverage on each other, and she would feel less awkward.
The clothing change was quickly completed.
The Lab clothes only consisted of a top and pants.
Fubuki wore the simple, pure white clothes, carrying her original dress and boots.
She walked over uncomfortably, her bare feet as fair and flawless as pearls.