"Does the Level Upper really exist?!"
Saten Ruiko blinked, then became extremely excited. Her intense curiosity made her unconsciously lean forward, invading his personal space and startling Uiharu Kazari.
"Hehe, I couldn't help but get excited when I heard this urban legend might actually be true!" Realizing she was hovering over him, Saten stuck out her tongue sheepishly and sat back down in her chair.
"Takahashi-senpai, you're saying the urban legend of the Level Upper is true? But how is that possible? Have you actually seen it?" Uiharu asked, blinking her eyes with equal curiosity.
'Senpai is a Level 5, so he might have access to classified information,' Uiharu thought to herself. 'But still, a tool that universally enhances abilities is unlikely to exist.'
'If Academy City really had a breakthrough like that, they would have announced it publicly long ago, since the entire city's foundation is built on developing Esper capabilities. Creating such a power-enhancing item would bring endless fame and fortune to the researcher, so it's impossible for them to keep it a total secret.'
Saten looked at Yuuya with intense anticipation, wondering if the Level Upper truly existed. Although she had fantasized about awakening her abilities after being saved by him that day, she knew it was usually just wishful thinking. She had come to Academy City full of hope, looking forward to discovering her talents, but in the end, she was diagnosed as a Level 0 with no apparent potential. She was always secretly frustrated by it when she was alone.
"I've seen it. In fact, I have it on me right now," Yuuya said with a smile.
"Huh?! You really do?!" Uiharu and Saten exclaimed involuntarily, looking at Yuuya in sheer astonishment.
"Did you become a Level 5 using the Level Upper?!" Saten asked instinctively, holding her breath.
She regretted asking almost immediately, knowing it was incredibly rude to pry into a high-level Esper's secrets. She might just get the cold shoulder for being so nosy. Thinking of this, she anxiously checked her Senpai's expression and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he didn't seem angry at all.
"I'm a Gemstone. This artificial tool is useless to me. If Saten-san wants it, I can just give it to you," Yuuya said gently, shaking his head. He took out his smartphone and found the "Level Upper" file in his audio playlist.
'A Gemstone?' Saten was a little surprised. She had heard of them in passing—rare individuals who were born with natural powers without needing Academy City's artificial curriculum. Natural-born Espers.
The next moment, her gaze was drawn to the playlist on his phone. She blinked and asked in confusion, "Songs?"
"Yes. The Level Upper is an audio file. It works on the principle of stimulating the brain with specific frequencies to induce synesthesia and force the brainwaves to resonate," Yuuya explained.
"The Level Upper is a song?!" Saten blinked, her breathing quickening slightly. A song that could grant powers... Although she didn't know if it actually worked, she wanted to try it, even if her Senpai was just joking around.
"Can you really give it to me, Takahashi-senpai?" Saten asked expectantly.
"Of course. But this thing is of unknown origin, and I haven't tested it myself. It can indeed artificially boost abilities, but things of unknown origin inevitably carry unpredictable risks." Seeing Saten's expectant and slightly over-excited expression, Yuuya gently reminded her of the danger.
"Although it can grant abilities, the potential side effects are high. I don't recommend you use it, Saten-san. Besides, the original version of the Level Upper is currently available on a public music forum. I just downloaded it from there. It seems someone deliberately spread it, which proves there hasn't been any official, safe release."
"It's on a public music forum?" Saten was taken aback for a moment, then quickly started searching on her own phone. Sure enough, the Level Upper audio file was right there.
"Really?! It's just a song. Can it really grant someone abilities?" Uiharu was highly skeptical and chose not to believe it. After all, gaining powers from an MP3 file was simply too far beyond common sense.
"Why don't we give it a try?" Saten said eagerly, staring at the download button on her phone.
"U-Uh... let's not! What if it actually is real? It wouldn't be good if something of unknown origin had huge side effects!" Uiharu quickly objected, waving her hands.
"What does it matter? It's just a song. But... I think it's probably just another prank," Saten said, trying to sound optimistic, though she immediately felt a wave of disappointment. Was it really just someone playing a prank? For a second, she genuinely thought it was real.
"Saten-san, do you truly aspire to become an Esper?" Yuuya noticed the deep disappointment in Saten's eyes. He propped his cheek up with his hand, asking gently.
He had a whole bunch of low-level abilities in his System's inventory, and he could easily just grant one to her.
'Furthermore, this could be used as the perfect pretext to unlock Saten's Treasure Chest,' Yuuya plotted internally.
"Well..." Saten casually held her iced drink in both hands, trying to calm herself with the icy feeling, and said cheerfully, "Everyone wants to gain their own ability, right? I also want to awaken an ability someday. Even if it's just Level 1, I'd be very satisfied."
As she spoke, she looked into her Senpai's eyes and didn't see a trace of disdain in them.
'As expected, Senpai wouldn't discriminate against someone like me who has no abilities. Even though he's a Level 5, he's so approachable.'
'Saten-san...' Uiharu looked at her friend with concern, knowing exactly how much being a Level 0 secretly bothered her.
"I see. If I help Saten-san awaken her abilities right now, how will Saten-san thank me?" Yuuya said mysteriously, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Awaken my abilities? How is that possible?" Saten smiled innocently, completely convinced her Senpai was just joking around.
"I said if," Yuuya maintained his smile.
"Well, if Takahashi-senpai grants me abilities, then I could even become Takahashi-senpai's girlfriend!" Saten jokingly winked, playing along with his banter.
"Oh~?" Yuuya let out a playful hum. He suddenly stood up from his chair and walked around the cafe table toward her.
Saten and Uiharu both looked at Yuuya with sudden suspicion.
"Then I'll just have to see if I can grant Saten-san an ability," Yuuya said with a smirk.
Amidst Saten's puzzled expression, Yuuya suddenly reached out and gently cupped her cheeks with both hands.
Saten's face instantly flushed. She hurriedly tried to push him away in a total panic.
"T-Takahashi-senpai! What are you doing?! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!"
"Don't move," Yuuya said in a low, commanding voice.
"Uh..." Saten's heart raced uncontrollably. Her cheeks turned as red as ripe tomatoes. She watched in shock as Takahashi-senpai's handsome face slowly leaned in closer and closer. For some inexplicable reason, she found herself completely unable to move her body.
Uiharu's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She involuntarily covered her mouth with both hands as she witnessed an unbelievable scene unfold right in front of her.
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