"Are you kidding me?!"
"Two new Level 5s at once?!"
"Since when did Level 5 become so common?!"
"And what even is this 'Talent Workshop'?!"
Shockwaves spread across Academy City.
The sudden appearance of not one—but two Level 5 espers had completely shattered the balance everyone had taken for granted.
Even more absurd—
They were immediately ranked 5th and 6th.
And their abilities?
Both were Mental-type.
That alone was enough to drive people into a frenzy.
Rumors exploded overnight.
Some speculated that the mysterious Talent Workshop had specialized entirely in psychological abilities. Others tried digging into its background—
Only to find nothing.
Every piece of information had been completely sealed.
As if the entire facility had been erased from existence.
Inside the Talent Workshop—
Neither Izumi nor Asagi Aiba paid any attention to the outside chaos.
Instead, they were dealing with something else entirely.
After the announcement of Shokuhou Misaki and Mitsuari Ayu, invitations flooded in—
Academic exchanges. Joint research proposals. Collaboration offers.
Asagi rejected every single one without hesitation.
At the same time, they released a public notice:
Recruiting volunteers—Level 0s or low-level espers—for experimental participation.
The result?
An overwhelming response.
Students who had failed their esper development—or had been stuck at low levels—sent applications in droves.
And then—
Izumi began filtering them.
"…Male applicants rejected. Female only."
Asagi stared at him, then rolled her eyes.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"What now? You've moved on to middle school girls?"
Izumi grinned unapologetically.
"Girls are easier on the eyes."
"And the ones I picked? They're all top-tier."
He scrolled through the list with clear satisfaction.
Frenda SeivelunYanagisako AomiHimegami AisaFukiyose SeiriNunotaba ShinobuHarue UiharuUiharu KazariSaten Ruiko
Looking at two particular names, Izumi smirked.
Frenda… and Nunotaba.
Those two were almost certainly planted by other research institutions.
But he didn't care.
If they dared to come—
He'd take them.
Compared to strangers, he preferred using people he already knew.
Asagi's expression twitched.
"A full lineup of pretty girls… seriously, you've gone too far."
"You've already got plenty at home. Now you're targeting these ones too?"
Izumi waved it off.
"Don't lump me in with that kind of person."
"These girls are genuinely promising."
"Especially the Level 0s—you'll understand soon enough."
He leaned back.
"Now send the invitations."
Asagi clicked her tongue.
Clearly unconvinced.
But she sent them anyway.
If they don't live up to your hype, she thought, I'm smashing your head in.
Sakugawa Middle School Dormitory
Inside a girls' dorm room—
Two students sat nervously in front of a laptop.
Waiting.
Refreshing.
Waiting again.
Then—
An email arrived.
From Talent Workshop.
"Did we get in?! Did we get in?!"
The black-haired girl leaned forward eagerly.
Beside her, the girl with a flower crown quickly opened the message.
These two were—
Saten RuikoUiharu Kazari
Uiharu's hands trembled slightly as she read.
"R-Ruiko…!"
"I… I… we got accepted!!"
"They approved both of us!!"
"YES!!"
Saten jumped up instantly, eyes shining.
"This is amazing!"
She was genuinely thrilled.
A research facility that could produce Level 5s—
And now claimed to grant abilities even to Level 0s?
There was no way she wouldn't be excited.
She had applied on a whim—
Never expecting to be accepted.
"Quick! What does it say?!" she urged.
Uiharu nodded and continued reading.
"They want us to report to the Talent Workshop in District 2 next Monday."
"And… we need to apply for leave. The experiment might take a while."
Saten blinked—then her eyes widened.
"Monday?! That's tomorrow!"
"Let's go! We need to get permission—now!"
"School—and Judgment too!"
Uiharu quickly shut her laptop.
"R-Right!"
And just like that, the two rushed out of the dorm.
The same scene played out across the city.
Students everywhere began requesting leave.
Meanwhile—
Frenda Seivelun and Nunotaba Shinobu had already secured theirs.
Nunotaba had been sent by the Seventh Pharmaceutical Research Center.
Frenda?
She had accepted a job.
Her mission—
Investigate the Talent Workshop.
But she had her own motives too.
As a member of the dark side, she was one of the rare cases—
Someone with no esper ability.
She relied entirely on weapons and explosives.
Now, a chance to gain power—
While getting paid?
Too good to pass up.
So she accepted the request without hesitation.
After informing her superior, she headed straight for District 2.
Planning to stay overnight—
And report in first thing the next morning.
Back at Academy City's core—
Aleister Crowley had already issued orders.
Any student participating in this experiment—
Would be granted leave without condition.
And now—
He watched.
Silently.
Waiting.
For the results of this experiment—
That could change everything.