Thump, thump...
As Saten Ruiko watched her Senpai slowly lean in closer, her heart pounded violently against her ribs. Her cheeks flushed a deep, burning red all the way to her ears.
'What does Senpai want to do?! Does he want to kiss me...?'
'What should I do?! I'm about to be kissed by Senpai! Waaaaah... I don't dislike it, but being kissed by a senior I just properly met feels so embarrassing and strange! My heart is beating so fast!'
Before Uiharu Kazari could even react, Takahashi Yuuya gently pressed his lips against Saten's.
Feeling her Senpai's breath against her skin, Saten's head suddenly spun dizzily.
'We really kissed...'
Across the table, Uiharu Kazari's cheeks turned crimson. She couldn't help but cover her face with her hands, peeking at the shocking scene through the gaps in her fingers.
'Wow... Senpai and... and Saten-san...'
Based on Uiharu's understanding of her best friend, despite Saten seeming so carefree, casual, and prone to jokingly flipping skirts, she actually barely interacted romantically with guys. She was secretly quite innocent.
'And when Senpai kissed her, Saten-san just accepted it! Oh my god, Saten-san really fell in love with Takahashi-senpai!' Uiharu panicked internally. 'But wait! Takahashi-senpai is supposedly involved with Misaka-senpai! And now Takahashi-senpai is...'
In an instant, a multitude of chaotic thoughts burst forth in Uiharu's overwhelmed mind.
Meanwhile, an unprecedented change was actively occurring within Saten Ruiko.
Saten's eyes widened in shock. She seemed to hear a sharp cracking sound echo inside her head, as if something were breaking out of a shell. The sound grew louder and louder.
'My head is starting to hurt... a very unfamiliar feeling is spreading in my brain. It's something incredibly complex that I can't understand at all... it looks like mathematical formulas!'
Saten was completely stunned by this sudden neurological change.
Five seconds later...
Yuuya pulled back and casually wiped his mouth. She tasted faintly of jasmine tea.
Of course, one could cleverly find an excuse to do such a bold thing in public. Suddenly granting someone a genuine superpower was an irrefutable reason, wasn't it? Moreover, such a shocking, romantic act was guaranteed to leave an extremely deep impression on Saten's mind. This impression would only gradually deepen over time. It was only a matter of time before she fully fell for him.
The ability that best matched Saten's canon affinity was Aero Hand. He had over a dozen Level 2 Aero Hand skill books sitting uselessly in his System inventory, so transferring one was effortless.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for unlocking Saten Ruiko's Silver-tier Treasure Chest. Reward obtained: Level 4 Vector Manipulation.]
Vector Manipulation: From the Toaru universe, an Esper ability that alters the magnitude and direction of any vectors.
Yuuya's eyes lit up slightly at the prompt. It was Vector Manipulation—Accelerator's absolute signature ability! Although the system drop was only Level 4, his brain had already unlocked 20% of its computational capacity due to his Multi-Skill developments, meaning he could potentially wield it at a Level 5 standard. While it might not reach Yuriko's abnormal, planetary-scale calculations just yet, it was definitely not at the bottom of the Level 5 tier.
'Equip it,' he commanded internally.
The fundamental concepts of Vector Manipulation flooded his mind, accompanied by a massive torrent of hyper-complex calculation formulas.
Vector Manipulation was fundamentally different from other Esper abilities. The power itself didn't generate any offensive output; all offensive power came from redirecting existing external forces.
Kinetic energy, thermal energy, electrical energy, wind, radiation—any vector with a direction and magnitude could be manipulated.
However, there was a strict prerequisite: the user must possess a perfect, real-time understanding of the physical parameters of these vectors. Even a microscopic mistake in the calculations could lead to fatal operational errors, causing the redirection shield to fail. And real-world vectors were not constant; their parameters shifted by the millisecond.
Therefore, to use the ability effectively, one had to continuously calculate a shifting web of multivariable parameters for entirely different energy types. The computational workload required was astronomical. It was simply impossible for an ordinary human brain to process such an exaggerated task. That was precisely why, apart from Accelerator, no one had ever truly mastered Vector Manipulation.
"Ahhh...!"
At this moment, Saten finally snapped out of her daze. She let out a loud squeak, her cheeks flushing bright red as she covered her mouth.
"S-Senpai! How could you do this?!"
"This was a necessary condition for me to forcefully grant you an ability. You've already obtained it, haven't you, Saten-san?" Yuuya said with a gentle, slightly smug tone.
"I've... gained an ability?" Saten froze, stunned.
"Huh?" Uiharu blinked. She had originally been preparing to scold Takahashi-senpai for bullying her friend, but she froze when she heard those impossible words.
"Yes. You've suddenly gained a lot of new, complex concepts in your head, haven't you? That is the manifestation of your awakened Personal Reality. Try calculating those formulas in your mind and you'll see," Yuuya prompted, showing absolutely no embarrassment over having just kissed her.
After all, he collected a reward for his gifts: granting a genuine superpower in exchange for a single kiss. Saten had truly hit the jackpot.
Saten subconsciously calculated the new formulas echoing in her mind.
WHOOSH!
Instantly, a strong updraft of wind materialized around her, violently blowing both her and Uiharu's skirts up into the air.
"Kyaaa!" Uiharu cried out shyly, quickly pressing her hands down against her pleated skirt.
"W-Whoa!" Saten was startled and hastily clamped her hands down on her own skirt.
Yuuya's eyes lit up at the sudden fanservice, but he was quickly disappointed as the girls covered up before he could see anything.
"What just happened was..." Saten stared blankly at her hands, her heart beginning to pound with incredible excitement.
A beacon of hope instantly ignited in her chest, completely dispelling the deep-seated frustration and inferiority she felt about being a Level 0.
She focused her mind again. A tiny whirlwind appeared in her palm, coiling around her fingertips like a playful wind spirit. Her sailor uniform fluttered slightly in the localized updraft.
Overwhelmed by sheer joy, even the extreme shyness of being kissed by her Senpai temporarily faded away.
"This... this is... an Esper ability!" Saten's pupils trembled with unshed tears. 'I really have an ability now!'
"Saten-san..." Uiharu stared at her best friend in absolute disbelief. An ability?! It was Aero Hand!
Then, Uiharu turned her dumbfounded gaze to Yuuya.
'How is this possible?! How can a Level 0 just be forcefully given a superpower out of thin air?!'
"See? I didn't mean to take advantage of you just now. After all, the activation process to forcefully implant an ability is quite troublesome. It requires direct transmission through the mucous membranes..." Yuuya said matter-of-factly, propping his cheek on his hand. Of course, this was a complete, shameless lie to justify his teasing.
"S-Senpai, you just said you activated her ability?!" Uiharu stared wide-eyed at Yuuya, asking hurriedly.
"Yes, it's a subset of my Multi-Skill nature. I can actively manipulate the AIM Diffusion Field to forcefully stimulate a person's Personal Reality. This grants abilities to Level 0s, or even bestows a secondary ability to existing Espers," Yuuya rambled on, smoothly spouting complete scientific nonsense.
Then, smiling at the shocked Judgment officer, he added, "I could even raise your Level 1 Thermal Hand by a whole level, or grant you a second power entirely, Uiharu-san."
Uiharu's jaw dropped. She looked at Takahashi Yuuya as if she were staring at a literal God of Science.
"Senpai! Wow! I'm an Esper now too! Thank you so, so much, Senpai!"
Saten snapped out of her euphoric daze. She immediately leaned across the cafe table, grabbing both of Yuuya's hands in hers, overjoyed beyond measure.
"Is that so? I'm glad you're happy," Yuuya looked at her with amusement, a playful light flashing in his eyes. "Well, Saten-san, you did just say a moment ago that if I granted you an ability..."
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