Not only Gang Rin and Kōru Jihō, who had been singled out, but every experimental subject present felt a wave of terror ripple through them.
Routine ability-development experiments were one thing.
They were agonizing, yes—but as long as you endured them, they would eventually end.
But an unscheduled, "off-plan" special experiment like this was a completely different matter.
For non-Espers, such an experiment was practically a death sentence.
There was a rumor that circulated widely among the children:
Those who are useless will be disposed of by the adults.
Kobayashi's serial number had been 007.
Before him, six other "Non-Espers" had been called away for "special experiments"—
—and none of them had ever returned.
In fact, Kobayashi himself had been taken away from this very facility and never came back either.
There were vague rumors that he had survived and escaped the project, but hardly any of the children truly believed it.
The environment was too cruel.
They had outgrown fairy tales far too early.
Now, Kōru Jihō was about to become "008."
The blonde girl seemed to accept her fate. She stopped resisting, allowing the guards to carry her deeper into the restricted passageways.
By contrast, Gang Rin struggled desperately.
But her flailing could not buy her friend even the smallest chance of survival.
The children's "legend" was correct.
To the Dark May Project team, the life of a Non-Esper was the last remaining value they could extract.
With limited budgets and resources, everything had to be used to the fullest.
Kuro Jiho's fate was already sealed—
She would become the sacrifice needed for Gang Rin to break her limits.
________________________________________
Gang Rin's problem was instability.
Though she was only a Level 1 weak esper, monitoring data from earlier experiments showed that her AIM Diffusion Field fluctuated violently.
At its peak, the readings had even reached Level 3 standards.
In other words—
If the instability could be resolved, Gang Rin had the potential to jump directly to Level 3.
That was why she had been chosen.
Telekinesis was a common ability type.
There was more than one telekinetic among the experimental subjects.
But only Gang Rin possessed the potential to immediately catch up to Kobayashi's progress.
________________________________________
With preparations complete, the male researcher stepped forward and addressed the colleagues who had come to observe.
"Based on my analysis," he said calmly,
"Gang Rin's ability fluctuations are directly linked to her mental state. Her AIM field intensity is positively correlated with emotional volatility."
"In other words," he continued with a smile,
"If we give her sufficient stimulation, her power will be forcibly awakened. If we're lucky, not only Level 3—she might even reach Level 4 in one leap."
"But by that logic," someone objected,
"Wouldn't her ability drop back to Level 1 once her emotions stabilize?"
"That's simple," the researcher replied.
"We just make sure her state never stabilizes. The second experimental subject exists for exactly that purpose."
His plan was brutally straightforward.
All he had to do was torment her closest friend—right in front of her—to drive her emotions to the extreme.
And finally—
To kill that experimental subject before her eyes, creating an irreversible reality.
Gang Rin would lose all hope and salvation.
Her mind would collapse.
But that—
That was precisely the goal.
Once broken, her shattered psyche would become her new 'stable state'.
At that point, her ability level would remain fixed at the emotional peak she reached during the trauma.
"If everything goes smoothly," the male researcher said cheerfully,
"We'll obtain our second Level 3 telekinetic within thirty minutes."
At this moment, everyone present—including the researchers— was inside the training arena.
None of this conversation was hidden from the two girls.
Despair and terror swallowed them whole.
Pale-faced, the girls clung tightly to each other.
"Please… don't hurt Jiho-san!" Gang Rin screamed.
"I'll work harder! I'll become Level 3!"
The researcher ignored her.
He simply ordered the guards to separate the two.
Then, from the pocket of his lab coat, he pulled out a stun gun and walked toward Kōru Jihō.
"You heard everything just now," he said indifferently.
"Don't worry. Your pain won't last more than thirty minutes."
Overwhelmed by fear and despair, Kōru Jihō couldn't speak.
She only forced herself not to collapse—so that Gang Rin wouldn't worry even more.
"Wait," a female researcher among the observers suddenly spoke up.
"Won't this level of stimulation cause her ability to go berserk?"
The male researcher turned around, shrugging.
"Why do you think we're doing this in a training arena?"
"And why do you think I called in this many security personnel?"
There were over thirty researchers present, and even more fully armed guards.
Their specialized equipment existed for one purpose:
Suppressing rampaging espers.
As professional riot-control forces, the on-site security was more than sufficient to suppress any Esper below Level 4.
________________________________________
Gang Rin lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the researcher's leg, begging him to spare Kōru Jihō.
She was kicked away.
Then restrained.
Electrodes were attached to her body to collect data.
She struggled desperately, forcing her telekinesis with everything she had.
But her Level 1 telekinetic force couldn't even lift a cup of water—let alone resist adult men.
Instead—
It was Kōru Jihō who, through tears, forced a brave smile to comfort her friend.
"Rin-chan… don't worry. I—"
She never finished the sentence.
The male researcher didn't activate the stun function.
He simply used the weapon's impact hammer, smashing it down onto the girl's head.
With a cry, the blonde girl collapsed.
Blood flowed from her scalp, staining her beautiful golden hair crimson.
"All right," the researcher said calmly.
"Experiment begins."
He switched on the stun gun, lowering the output to ensure it wouldn't knock her unconscious in one hit.
The girls' screams and sobs echoed through the arena.
Not a single observing researcher flinched.
They watched with professional detachment, recording data with practiced precision.
Scenes like this were routine within the project.
"Look!" a researcher monitoring the screen exclaimed excitedly.
"The curve is rising! This trend—she's already at Level 2!"
Upon confirming visible results, the entire room broke into applause.
Before long, Kōru Jihō was barely clinging to life.
Having lost all hope, she could only leave her friend with one final wish—
"Please… don't forget me…"
(End of Chapter)
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