Academy City, a technological utopia said to be 20 to 30 years ahead of the outside world. With a population nearing 2.3 million, over 80% of its residents are students, each developing their own unique esper abilities in various schools.
For some reason, Ethan Cole found this narration oddly familiar.
His ability? [Heal].
By the time he came to his senses, he was already in Academy City. Everything before that was a blank slate. Through a series of fortunate coincidences, and his own sharp instincts, Ethan ended up as an intern at a hospital in District 7.
It was July.
Ethan sat at his desk, typing out an electronic medical record in fluent Japanese, so practiced it almost hurt to watch.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"It's this way… Queen-sama, hang in there!"
Chaotic shouts rang from outside the door, pulling Ethan's attention. Before he could react, the exam room door was violently kicked open.
Bang!
Two well-dressed girls barged in, wheeling a blonde girl on a stretcher. They looked like middle schoolers.
"Patient: female, age unknown. Mechanical trauma visible on the back of the skull and outer thigh. "
The girl's waterfall-like golden hair was soaked in blood. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her exposed skin was covered in bruises and abrasions. Her white blouse, coffee-colored jacket, and pleated skirt marked her as a student from Tokiwadai Middle School, an elite academy for highborn girls.
"What's going on?" Ethan stood up. "You've got the wrong floor, ER's on the first floor, main entrance."
The girl with elegantly curled purple hair forced herself to remain calm and explained, "Doctor, it's like this. Our Queen… Shokuhou-san… accidentally fell down the stairs…"
At that moment, the girl on the stretcher looked around the room with interest.
The sign on the door clearly read: Esper Ability Special Treatment Room. The young doctor looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, wearing a white coat, glasses, and a mask. His black hair and eyes gave off a quiet, scholarly impression.
High school or maybe a college student?
On his badge, she spotted his name, Ethan Cole.
A foreigner? That's a rare surname in Japan. How is an intern allowed to diagnose patients alone? What makes this guy so special?
"Fukiyose, this is a waste of time. I'll just confirm with my ability."
The one who spoke had fluffy chocolate-colored hair like cotton candy, and legs so elegantly shaped they stole the eye. She pulled out a sleek smartphone and pointed the camera at Ethan.
A mental-type esper?
Ethan immediately sensed danger, his instincts screamed at him to resist.
Beep!
Mental Stinger.
"So that's how it is. A transfer student from a foreign country, huh? The legend about someone with a 100% healing ability really was true… and hiding here, just like the rumors said. Good, now I don't have to worry about the Queen getting scars."
"Misaki-chan!" the blonde girl scolded.
"Shokuhou-sama, you understand, don't you? For our kind, a certain degree of paranoia is essential. I've already confirmed he's harmless."
Misaki Ayumu retracted her phone and stepped aside obediently. In just a few seconds, her Mental Stinger had scanned the young doctor's brain.
Aside from the strange [Heal] ability, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Queen Bee herself didn't like manipulating others' minds unless necessary, especially not diving into someone's brain. That job was better left to her "worker ants."
"Even with Academy City's top-tier cosmetic nanoneedles, I was told they'd have to cut my beautiful hair just to stitch up this gash…"
The blonde girl poked at her cheek with a troubled look. Her white lace gloves remained spotless. But what truly stood out were her star-like pupils, sparkling like something out of a shoujo manga.
"So, may I ask for your help… Doctor Ethan?"
As soon as she spoke, the Mental Stinger was lifted.
Ethan's dazed eyes cleared as he furrowed his brows.
He didn't know exactly what had just been done to him, but saving the patient came first.
Judging by her condition, she must've used her mental ability to suppress pain. Otherwise, she would've passed out already. The name "Shokuhou"… why did it sound so familiar?
"I'll try. But I need to make physical contact. Apologies in advance."
From the side, Misaki shot him a look full of hostility. Letting some random guy touch her queen? Jealousy and suspicion swirled in her eyes.
"If it's within the bounds of medical necessity," Fukiyose said, hesitating, "please bear with it, Queen-sama."
"Let's lift Shokuhou onto the bed to- "
"No need. This won't take long."
Ethan approached the blonde girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.
To a doctor, there was no distinction between male and female patients. Still, he kept contact to a minimum, to avoid complaints. The elegant touch of a noble girl's shoulder held no particular allure for him.
Heal.
Ping!
A soft green glow surged from Ethan's right hand. Right before their eyes, Shokuhou's wounds began to vanish.
They healed.
Muscle tears, bruises, even deep tissue damage, recovered in seconds. It was nothing short of miraculous.
"Amazing…"
"Even stronger than the city's regeneration tech!"
But Ethan paid no mind to their praise.
His healing had a fatal flaw. The moment Heal activated, every ounce of pain, fear, and despair his patient had endured flowed straight into him.
Not just recent wounds, but the entirety of their physical suffering.
His pupils contracted. His face twisted in agony.
Shokuhou gasped. "Don't tell me…"
"My ability… transfers the patient's pain to me while healing them," Ethan said, steadying his breath. "But don't worry. I was born without pain receptors. So for me… it doesn't hurt at all."
Misaki Ayumu turned to glance at him, this time with some awe.
No sense of pain? Thank goodness she hadn't fully scanned his brain. That might've been terrifying.
"You saved me…"
The girl named Shokuhou sat up, brushing back her bloodless golden hair. Still as radiant as ever.
As she looked at the young doctor, her expression grew faintly curious.
Ethan finally had a chance to observe her properly. She wasn't just pretty, she was stunning. A figure beyond what you'd expect from a middle schooler, with porcelain features like a doll.
That name… Shokuhou… could she be,
"Thank you for today. They were just worried about me and got a little carried away. If there's ever a chance, I'll help you with your… issues… in return~☆"
She struck a cute little V-sign near her eye. Her voice was sweet, almost sickeningly so, and she even had some weird anime-girl verbal tic at the end.
"No need. I'll be reporting this unauthorized use of abilities to Tokiwadai." Ethan replied coolly. "Don't forget to scan your health card at the kiosk outside. Medical fees and the door repair bill."
"Ugh… you're so cold."
For the first time, the Queen of Tokiwadai had met a boy completely immune to her charm.
"I'm really sorry! I'll pay for the damage!" Fukiyose bowed deeply.
Ethan gave her a knowing glance. This muscle-head girl was definitely the one who kicked the door in, and likely carried the Queen here all by herself.
Tokiwadai had a few hydrokinetic espers, probably helped stop the bleeding en route.
In his month working here, Ethan had already met all sorts of ability users.
"So what exactly happened?"
Shokuhou's smile froze.
Misaki sighed. "She's the type that gains weight easily. We restricted her to one cake per day… and…"
"It's my fault for being too strict," Fukiyose said, wringing her hands.
"So she got mad, stormed off, told us not to follow, and, well, she tripped down the stairs. Landed like this."
Misaki turned away, clearly holding back laughter.
"Tripped?" Ethan blinked.
Who the hell still trips like that these days? To split the back of your head open and fracture your leg just from a fall on the stairs?
Are Japanese middle schoolers that fragile?
"If it weren't for her chest acting like an airbag, she'd be in the morgue."
"SHUT UP!!"
The Queen turned red.
"As you can see, Doctor," Fukiyose said with a sheepish smile, "our upperclassmen said you had a method that leaves no scarring, so we brought her straight here."
Had she not received that command, Fukiyose would've eliminated all threats around her Queen before they even arose.
"Want to run a CT scan just to be safe?"
Ethan shook his head. "She's fully healed. No signs of a concussion. Splint can be removed. Next patient."
After all, she had… built-in shock absorption.
The golden-haired girl hopped off the stretcher, twirling once around the room. Her skirt swayed delicately. A floral breeze of honey and perfume swept past Ethan.
"Your Japanese is really good. Bye-bye, Doctor Ethan, the boy who doesn't feel pain."
She even speaks with sparkles in her words.
"As a rule, I hope never to see recovered patients again."
Once the girls cheerfully departed, Ethan returned to his desk and entered the new patient record. Her health card scan had auto-filled her info into the system.
"Shokuhou Misaki. Age: 14."
If he remembered correctly, she was one of Academy City's seven Level 5 espers, ranked No. 5, known as Mental Out.
Only seven espers in the city were truly worthy of the title "superpowered."
"Huh? When did my sleeve get blood on it?"
With no patients waiting, Ethan made his way to the restroom. Nurses greeted him along the way.
"Good work today, Ethan-kun."
"I'm fine."
He bent over the sink and began washing his hands with perfect thirty-second form. Alcohol gel was available, but he preferred water.
"Heal… huh?"
Lately, Ethan had been having the same strange dream.
A dream about an anime titled Redo of Healer, but he couldn't find any trace of it in this world.
A magic that wasn't just healing, but reverted people to their original state… a power that copied skills, memories, even experience through Mimic.
And most tempting of all, the ability to "level up" his harem by sharing mana.
He had taken in the patient's pain. If only he could copy their abilities too…
Ethan removed his glasses and mask, splashing water on his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror.
A refined, delicate face peeked out from beneath wet bangs.
At that moment, Shokuhou's starry eyes flashed through his mind. Her unknown past… her body hidden beneath that school uniform… her ability, Mental Out, all surged into his thoughts.
Wait… why did I assume I couldn't copy esper powers?
His eyes widened in shock. Looking up, he saw that his reflection had changed.
Not Shokuhou's starry eyes, but something else, shaped by his own will.
The essence of esper powers, the embodiment of Personal Reality!
In his reflection, red-winged birds fluttered behind his pupils, ready to fly.
And he could still feel it… Shokuhou Misaki's life experiences echoing in his soul.
Residual pain.
"So that's what it was… I remember now."
Ethan smiled.
A memory his past self had sealed away.
Lv. 5: Mental Out… Acquired!
For Every 250 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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