Looking at the smiling Su Yuzu before her.
And... behind Su Yuzu, the woman who was grinning at her, revealing a threatening, crazed smile.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi could only curse inwardly.
'An explanation?'
How the hell could she dare ask for an explanation?
That was a Third Sequence Esper.
Even her own father... had only just entered the Third Sequence not long ago.
Su Yuzu's sister, that much-lauded genius of the Soga family's main branch, was only a Second Sequence.
And yet... a Third Sequence Esper stood right in front of her.
How could she still dare to demand anything.
She looked at Su Yuzu and the docilely standing Kujou Katora behind her.
Her mind was clouded with suspicion.
Perhaps... Su Yuzu's position in the Soga family's main branch wasn't as miserable as it seemed.
Otherwise...
why would a piece of trash who only awakened her abilities at seventeen be worthy of a Third Sequence Esper's dedicated protection.
Due to some rather subtle coincidences and Su Yuzu's morning mischief...
Kujou Katora happened to be wearing a hip-hugging skirt that bore no insignia of the Fourth Action Division.
Otherwise... Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi would have definitely recognized her.
The woman before her wasn't some attendant dispatched by the Soga main branch to guard Su Yuzu.
She was that lunatic from the Investigation Bureau's Fourth Action Division.
Holding back her feelings, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi forced an obsequious, awkward smile at Su Yuzu. "Sister Yuzu, you must be joking..."
"What I mean is... well... 'one must consider the master before beating the dog.'" Her expression was strained. "The Ishikawa family is merely a dog of the main branch."
"How could we possibly tolerate someone barking madly at Sister Yuzu."
Behind her, the girls who had fallen to the ground felt a chill run down their spines as they heard Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's words, as if they'd been plunged into an icy cavern.
The girl wasn't as gentle and refined as she appeared.
Su Yuzu had made her bow so low, making her lose face.
After they left the training hall... they would be the ones to suffer.
Su Yuzu watched Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi with great interest.
She certainly had a lot of patience.
Normally, she might have just waved her hand and let Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi go.
Just a fly buzzing annoyingly in her ear; the farther it got, the better.
But... things were different now.
Completely different.
In Su Yuzu's eyes, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was just a walking mimic.
The corners of Su Yuzu's lips curled up.
She and Soga Yura were twins.
For a fleeting moment—
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi even had the illusion that the one standing before her was not some outcast from the Soga main branch, but the lofty Soga Yura, who always looked down on her peers with the disdain of a god observing ants.
But... she shook her head slightly.
The girl's delicate figure reminded Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
This was only Su Yuzu standing before her.
Not Soga Yura with her terrifying, domineering mental power.
"Since you don't want an explanation anymore, Kiyomi... how about we talk about my business?" Su Yuzu said, holding the gleaming tachi.
It was a favorability reward from Kujou Katora.
[Collector's Tachi].
[☆☆☆☆].
It was probably the most precious favorability reward Su Yuzu had received.
"Please speak, Sister Yuzu—" Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had already prepared herself for a heavy loss.
But... looking at Kujou Katora behind Su Yuzu...
she could only endure.
"If it is something Kiyomi can do... Kiyomi will absolutely not refuse."
As the girl's voice fell...
she saw Su Yuzu's smile suddenly widen.
That kind of smile made her even more uneasy.
But... it also put her a little bit at ease.
After all, the person standing before her wasn't Soga Yura.
That girl, who seemed as if she would never smile, was a lingering shadow in Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's heart, a nightmare that made her tremble.
"You said it yourself, Kiyomi—"
"I've only just awakened my ability." Su Yuzu twirled the sword in her hand. "So..."
"How about you help me with some practice, Kiyomi?"
"Don't worry."
"I, Su Yuzu, am not a sore loser."
"One-on-one."
"I absolutely won't let a third person interfere."
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's eyes widened. The girl who had been prepared for a great loss almost laughed out loud.
What could she say about her?
Stupid and naive?
This was like her offering up her own face to be slapped.
Did she really think her unrivaled swordsmanship could compete with an Esper?
A martial artist was, in the end, just a martial artist.
"Fine—" Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi agreed quickly, almost worried Su Yuzu would regret it.
"Rest assured, Sister Yuzu."
"I will be careful."
The girl raised her chin arrogantly. "I am a First Sequence, Level 14 mental-type Esper."
"My ability is 'Mental Interference.'"
"Be careful, Sister Yuzu."
"No problem." Su Yuzu gave a wide smile.
Ah, 'Mental Interference'~ an ability of the mental type that affects an opponent's will.
Its simplest manifestation is momentarily stunning an opponent.
A light touch is like motion sickness: the world spins, and you feel nauseous.
A strong one... can make a person faint on the spot.
However—
compared to Soga Yura's 'Mind Control,' it was lacking by more than just a little.
Soga Yura... could even rewrite a person's will.
She gripped the long, narrow tachi with both hands, spread her legs slightly, lowered her center of gravity, and slowly pointed the blade at Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
"Then let's begin, Kiyomi."
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi stood her ground. The girl's orange-dyed hair moved without a wind, her crimson eyes began to glow, and an invisible wave spread out.
Malice spread in the girl's heart.
Of course, her ability wasn't simple 'Mental Interference.'
To be more precise... her ability was 'Wide-Area Mental Interference.'
Although there was only a two-character difference, the manifestation of the ability was worlds apart.
If the former was just a single-target attack that Su Yuzu could possibly escape, then 'Wide-Area Mental Interference' was an omnidirectional attack with no blind spots.
The few girls standing close to Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi even clutched their heads in pain.
But... Su Yuzu seemed completely unaffected.
The sword-wielding girl's lunging thrust was as graceful as a butterfly flitting across a battlefield.
Even Kujou Katora showed a look of approval.
And then... a slight sense of pity.
If only Su Yuzu's ability wasn't 'Psychokinesis.'
Even the most common physical-type ability would have made Su Yuzu a terrifying sharp blade on the battlefield against Aberrants.
And with her sister... the two of them would be an existence even more feared by Aberrants than the 'Seat of Evil' of the past.
However... she recalled the fluctuation of 'Blood Veil' she had detected in Su Yuzu's room last night.
Was the girl's ability really just Psychokinesis?
Facing Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's net of mental interference, Su Yuzu charged straight through it.
The gleaming tip of the blade deftly... sliced vertically through the uniform on Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's chest, leaving a faint, vertical line of blood on the girl's chest.
"How is that possible..."
If this were a game...
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's experience would be something like... she made her move, and got instantly one-shotted. The screen went black, but she didn't even know what had happened.
Picking up the scabbard from the ground, Su Yuzu slowly sheathed her sword.
Just as she'd expected...
Perhaps she was just used to Soga Yura's influence.
Even Soga Yura's 'Mind Control' could only give Su Yuzu a splitting headache; it couldn't rewrite her will.
'Mental Interference'?
What kind of trash was that.
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