My name is Uiharu Kazari, eight years old, currently in third grade at an elementary school in Academy City. I live in temporary student housing provided by the city. Today, I got held up with some things and ended up heading home late.
The streets were dark. Though streetlights glowed, the lonely road still felt unsettling, so I hurried along.
Suddenly, I spotted two people approaching. One was an incredibly handsome older boy, and the other… a classmate?
"That boy's coming closer. Wow… he's so good-looking."
Uiharu Kazari's heart nearly stopped. The stunning boy before her left her limited vocabulary at a loss, unable to find words to describe him.
Smack!
Her heart skipped a beat…
"Aaah! I got kabedon'd… kabedon'd…"
"Hey, lady, wanna come to my place for some fun? When you're tired, we can just…"
"Is he a pervert? He's gotta be a pervert, right? So good-looking… what a shame."
Terrified by Samuel, Uiharu burst into tears.
Then, to her surprise, she discovered the "classmate" was actually a teacher.
"Why are you out so late? Let me and this man walk you home. It's safer this way. Don't worry, you've got a teacher with you."
Despite the faint smell of cigarette smoke on the teacher, Uiharu's trust in her teacher's ID and her fear of the dark convinced her to follow them.
The streets were silent, the streetlights casting light on their path.
Along the way, Tsukuyomi Komoe chatted with Uiharu, while Samuel occasionally chimed in.
Through their conversation, Uiharu realized Samuel wasn't a per—well, that was still debatable, but at least he seemed like a good person.
However, the peaceful walk didn't last long.
"Well, well, look at this—a guy with two little girls?"
"Oh, how cute! Wanna come play with uncle? I'll show you some goldfish~"
A group of delinquents surrounded them, their hair dyed in garish colors, their eyes menacing, their tones dripping with mockery.
"Eep!"
Uiharu instinctively hid behind Samuel—not because of anything else, but because Tsukuyomi Komoe's tiny frame didn't inspire confidence.
"Hey! Which schools are you lot from? So young and already up to no good, causing trouble and ruining the city's reputation."
Tsukuyomi Komoe scolded them with an air of authority, though her appearance undermined any sense of sternness.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You hear that? This little pipsqueak's lecturing me! Hahaha…"
"Hahaha…"
"Hahaha…"
Her words only drew laughter.
"You should listen to your teacher, go home now, and study hard at school tomorrow. That's how you become someone useful to society."
A glint of excitement flashed in Komoe's eyes. She loved teaching students, and encountering delinquents thrilled her—it was a teacher's duty to guide wayward kids back to the right path!
"Hey, you hear her? She's telling us to study hard and be pillars of society?"
"Oi, kid, hand over all your cash and leave the two girls. Then scram."
"Heh, let uncle teach you a lesson today."
Samuel watched the three delinquents with calm indifference. In his mind, they were already behind bars.
"Hey, kid, didn't you hear me?"
Seeing no reaction, one delinquent lunged forward, aiming a hand at Samuel's shoulder.
Zzt!
A sharp burst of electric sparks repelled his hand. Silver arcs of electricity danced across Samuel's body.
"An esper! Be careful!"
"Esper or not, I'll gut him with one stab."
One delinquent pulled a butterfly knife from his waist and lunged at Samuel.
"Assault with intent to harm, attempted coercion, and gang activity. Let's say… ten years. Reform well in there!"
Samuel's casual voice reached their ears, enraging the knife-wielding delinquent further.
"You looking down on us? I'll show you a blade in, blood out."
The electricity surged, driven by immense computational capacity powering his "Electromagnetic Force Program." The electromagnetic field manipulated surrounding atoms, generating a repulsive force—or rather, an attractive force pulling the enemies toward it.
The knife-wielding delinquent was flung back and pinned to the ground.
The other two tried to flee but were yanked back by the electromagnetic pull, also pinned down.
"Hm… the calculations are indeed smoother now."
This time, he achieved the desired effect with less computational effort, proving that studying Dolly's "program" had paid off.
"I'm with Judgment. You're under arrest!"
Samuel's voice rang like divine judgment, the electric glow around him accentuating his commanding presence.
"So… cool…"
Uiharu stared at Samuel, utterly captivated. To her, he was incredibly dashing right now.
"Judgment, huh? If I join Judgment, can I be that cool? Can I protect others too?"
…
"Take them away."
Samuel called for Anti-Skill to haul the three away.
These fools thought they were Academy City's darkness, but if Uiharu and Komoe hadn't been there, Samuel would've shown them the city's true darkness.
"Thank you, nii-san, thank you, sensei. Can I ask your names?"
Uiharu asked as they reached her doorstep.
"I'm Tsukuyomi-sensei Komoe! Be sure to get home earlier from now on, okay?"
"Okay!"
"I'm Samuel, a night-shift Judgment member. Let's exchange contact info! If you ever need me, just call. And if you wanna come to my place…"
"You should've been hauled off with them!"
"Come on, Komoe-chan, don't say that! You should take my number too. If you need me—or wanna come to my place to hang out…"