"Shokuhou…"
Kobayashi's heart tightened. Instantly, an image surfaced in his mind—a beautiful girl with shimmering blonde hair, starry eyes, and a voluptuous figure—only for it to update a moment later into her current, still childlike build.
"…Why her?"
On second thought, though, it wasn't strange at all. Even if she wasn't a Level 5 yet, Shokuhou Misaki was undeniably one of Academy City's strongest psychic-type espers. When it came to matters of the mind and psyche, asking for her assistance was only natural.
A girl with dazzling golden hair stepped into the hospital room. Whether it was just his imagination or not, Kobayashi felt as though the room itself had grown a little brighter.
If scars were excluded, Torahachi was also a blonde beauty. Objectively speaking, their hair color was identical—at least, Kobayashi couldn't tell the difference. And yet, for some reason, Toumi's blonde hair never gave off that strange illusion of "lighting up the room"…
His thoughts drifted off in a completely random direction.
"…What a strange guy."
The blonde, star-eyed girl—Shokuhou Misaki—rolled her eyes and delivered that blunt assessment.
Kobayashi snapped back to reality at once, hurriedly pulling himself together to deal with what was shaping up to be a rather troublesome situation.
"You two take your time talking. I won't interrupt~."
Tessou Tsuzuri-sensei said with a smile as she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
The hospital room was left with only Kobayashi and Shokuhou Misaki.
They looked at each other in silence, neither taking the initiative to speak.
Kobayashi felt a little tense. While doing his best to rein in his thoughts, he carefully observed the girl in front of him, trying to find some clue as to whether she truly possessed full-fledged mind-reading abilities.
Though it was purely his own speculation, he felt that before becoming a Level 5, even Shokuhou Misaki shouldn't be able to read other people's thoughts so freely, right?
—Right, Shokuhou Misaki?
Shokuhou blinked, then smiled with an innocent, guileless expression.
"This is already our third meeting, Nana-senpai!"
—Mm… so she really can't hear my thoughts?
"Senpai?" Shokuhou tilted her head, then seemed to realize something and reached into the bag at her side, pulling out a remote control.
Seeing that, Kobayashi hurriedly cleared his throat and spoke first.
"Shokuhou Misaki, sorry. I was a bit distracted just now."
—Does she need the remote to use mind-reading? I can't see any openings… I'll assume that's the case.
Kobayashi nodded to himself inwardly.
"Nana-senpai is Academy City's hero now~."
Shokuhou narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly.
"If possible, could you give me an autograph?"
Putting the remote away, she took out a notebook and a pen.
"You flatter me," Kobayashi said, then raised his hands, which were wrapped thickly in bandages.
"And I can't exactly write right now."
"That's fine~ I heard Nana-senpai is a very capable telekinetic. Could you sign it with your ability?"
Shokuhou looked as though she'd already anticipated this.
Kobayashi didn't refuse.
After getting the autograph, Shokuhou nodded in satisfaction.
"Even though it wasn't written 'by hand,' I can tell the lines are smooth, and the strokes are steady. Your mental state looks quite stable, too, Nana-senpai. There shouldn't be any major problems."
"Eh? The evaluation already started?" Kobayashi asked in surprise.
"Of course~."
The girl's smile remained as sweet as ever.
"It started the moment I walked in. Please don't worry, Nana-senpai. I really admire heroes like you, so I'll do my best to speak well of you and try to shorten the counseling period!"
"Y-yes, then I'll be counting on you," Kobayashi said, nodding repeatedly.
Shokuhou Misaki's psychological evaluation seemed to end quickly, but she showed no sign of leaving.
"Nana-senpai, do you remember Koru Jiho and Gang Rin?" Shokuhou suddenly asked.
"Of course. How are they doing?" Kobayashi paused, then asked in return.
Since being hospitalized, he'd deliberately avoided inquiring about the other children who had escaped, trying to keep as low a profile as possible.
"It's not very good," Shokuhou said.
"Koru Jiho's injuries were too severe, so she's still being treated in the emergency room. However, she's out of immediate danger."
"…I was still too slow," Kobayashi murmured.
"There's really no need for that kind of self-blame, Nana-senpai," Shokuhou said gently.
"You're the hero who saved that girl. You should be proud of that."
"Even if you say that…"
Before he could finish, Shokuhou interrupted him with a sudden question.
"Nana-senpai, do you regret this action?"
"No, of course not," Kobayashi answered without hesitation.
"And besides, I never intended to be a hero in the first place."
At the end of the day, his primary reason for acting had been self-preservation—to eliminate threats to his own safety. Saving the children had been something he did along the way.
"Nana-senpai,"
Shokuhou took a few steps forward, coming so close that she was almost right in front of him. Her starry eyes sparkled brilliantly.
"I want to ask you this—if there are other girls who need saving, would you… Be willing to continue being that hero?"
—The Talent Development Facility?
Kobayashi's heart skipped a beat. Judging by her age, Shokuhou Misaki should currently be in the Talent Development Facility—a notoriously infamous illegal research institution in the original story.
Could it be… was she asking him for help?
But she was still able to move freely, even openly working with the Security Department. That didn't look like someone in trouble at all.
Moreover, in the original storyline, after becoming a Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki had directly taken control of the research institute using her ability Mental Out, encountering no real danger whatsoever.
"Ah, Nana-senpai, please don't misunderstand,"
as if realizing something, Shokuhou quickly added.
"It's not that I'm in trouble or asking for your help. I simply admire you, senpai, and want to see you shine again as a hero~."
"I see…"
Kobayashi nodded.
"If help is needed, then as long as it's within my abilities, I don't mind lending a hand."
"That's wonderful!" Shokuhou said happily.
"Nana-senpai is a hero who saves unfortunate girls, after all. So next time a girl needs saving, please remember who you are!"
Her eyes gleamed as she stared straight into the boy's pupils.
She didn't activate her ability directly—but at the very least, she planted a subtle psychological suggestion, just in case.
Even though she had already mastered mind reading, Shokuhou Misaki still couldn't quite see through the boy standing before her—the strange youth who called himself a "transmigrator."
She didn't know Kobayashi's true thoughts or stance, nor did she dare to place blind trust in the memories and information he possessed. That was why, after their previous encounter, she hadn't sought him out again.
Until this time, when she saw his "heroic deeds" on television.
The news reported that Kobayashi, acting alone, had destroyed the illegal research organization behind the Dark May Project, rescuing over two hundred experimental children.
(End of Chapter)
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