"Hahaha~"
Savoring Uiharu's bitter expression, as if she'd been betrayed, Samuel grinned while eating her ice cream.
"Always going on about Judgment this, Judgment that—then at least show up before I deal with those punks!"
Misaka Mikoto muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Mikoto, don't get so worked up. Judgment's job is tough."
"Who said you could call me that?"
"Zappy-zappy…"
"Fine, I allow it!"
Hearing Samuel about to call her "zappy-zappy shock sister" again, Misaka quickly relented.
"Seriously, I'm a Level 5! What's Judgment got that I can't handle?"
"Wanna try?"
Samuel picked up an armband from the table, offering it to Misaka.
"That's Uiharu's, isn't it?"
Misaka pointed at the armband.
"Yup! But if you want to prove yourself, why not try it for a day? Uiharu's got spares."
Samuel pushed the armband toward her.
"…"
"What, no way! The fourth-ranked Railgun is all talk?"
"Who's all talk? I'll show you!"
Misaka puffed out her chest, slipped on the armband, and stormed out. Samuel shook his head, knowing she was in for a rough time.
Her fiery temper was the worst fit for Judgment's work.
"Well, then!"
Samuel downed the rest of the ice cream, stood, and a glint of crimson flashed in his eyes.
"Void Explosion? Causing quite a stir!"
With significant public attention, the matter demanded immediate action.
Laws existed to maintain order, so high-impact incidents took priority.
"The system shows the esper capable of this has been hospitalized for a while. So… someone broke through, or used some trick…"
…
"Hey, Megumi-chan, look, look! A new urban legend—Level Upper! They say it can grant abilities, and even boost existing ones for espers!"
Under the sun, two girls sat beneath a parasol, chatting about recent rumors.
These were Saten Ruiko and Katou Megumi, somehow fated friends.
"Hm… this Level Upper sounds suspicious. Feels like trouble—maybe users will just pass out one day!"
"No way! Tons of people online are using it!"
Saten scratched her head, flashing a goofy grin.
"If it's real and safe, why's it just an online rumor? Academy City would promote it. It's probably a myth or flawed—maybe a test product released to experiment, with unknown consequences."
Katou rubbed her chin, her laid-back nature making her more rational about such things.
"Well… true. But if I got the chance, I'd still want to check it out…"
Saten shrugged, temporarily dropping the idea.
"Hm… once this thing spreads, that guy's gonna be busy."
"Huh?"
"Think about it! If it boosts abilities, what happens when low-level espers get stronger? Some might stay normal, but others could turn to crime. And delinquents with no abilities suddenly getting powers? That's a huge threat to order here. Tsk, tsk… that guy's got his work cut out for him~"
Katou smirked, imagining Samuel swamped.
"That means Uiharu and Shirai are in danger too, right?"
Saten thought of Uiharu Kazari and Shirai Kuroko.
"Probably…"
…
Boom! Boom!
"What's with this guy?!"
Explosions echoed in an alley as a grim-looking man sprinted ahead.
"Hey! No need for this. These little tricks in front of me? Just turn yourself in—it'd be better for both of us!"
Samuel emerged from the explosion's smoke, sighing as the man tossed another aluminum can.
He raised his palm, gripping the air toward the man.
His other hand caught the can, which twisted on contact but froze in that moment.
Samuel crushed it into a metal sheet and tossed it aside.
The culprit behind the Void Explosions, Hatsuya Kaitsuya, collapsed.
Using Mental Out, Samuel manipulated the water in Hatsuya's body to trick his brain into sensing a blackout.
To protect itself, his brain shut down his senses, sending him into a coma.
With a wave, Samuel summoned Hatsuya's earphones and phone to his hand.
He put them on naturally…
"Hm… that's it?"
In moments, Samuel grasped the principle—or concept—behind Level Upper.
It was… underwhelming.
Similar to his Scientific Magic, but far cruder.
It used a song to hypnotize the mind, linking computational power via the AIM Diffusion Field.
Its structure was wildly unstable, unable to control the AIM field, merely spreading through it, prone to going haywire.
"Tch…"
Samuel tossed the Level Upper, precious to Hatsuya, to the ground. This so-called ability enhancer was worthless to him.
Hatsuya's motives? Samuel didn't care. His past? Irrelevant. The man himself… was worthless.
The world was never fair. Some things were set from birth. The weak, to the strong, were simply… worthless.
Hatsuya drawing Samuel's personal attention was only due to the incident's social impact.
Otherwise, a small fry like him would've been dealt with in seconds.
A single word from Samuel could erase him.
But the public demanded a satisfying resolution, so Samuel acted—swiftly, decisively, with thunderous force!
***
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