'It's him...' Uiharu Kazari imdiately recognized who this senior was.
He was a dreamlike existence in Academy City—the Eighth Level 5, the Multi-Skill user. She suddenly felt a wave of nervousness wash over her, as if she were standing in front of a major celebrity.
"Senpai! It's great to see you again!" Saten Ruiko approached Yuuya, taking a light breath and scratching the back of her head happily as she spoke.
"Oh, it's you. I didn't expect to run into you here," Yuuya smiled as he looked at the cheerful and optimistic girl.
At first glance, Saten seed very casual and carefree, but Yuuya knew from canon that she was incredibly caring and considerate towards others, and highly adept at reading the atmosphere.
"My na is Saten Ruiko! Thank you so much for your help that day," Saten said cheerfully, then bowed very sincerely to Yuuya.
"My na is Takahashi Yuuya. I was just doing the right thing. After all, a normal guy can't just stand by and do nothing when a cute girl is in danger," Yuuya gladly accepted her thanks.
"Hehe! If you complint on being cute right to my face, I'll get shy," Saten scratched the back of her head, slightly embarrassed by her savior's praise. "I really don't know how to thank you properly, Senpai!"
"Hmm~ Well, if we're following the classic trope of the hero saving the damsel in distress, it seems perfectly reasonable for the beauty to offer a kiss as a reward," Yuuya said teasingly, stroking his chin as if in deep thought.
"Huh?!" Saten and Uiharu were both completely caught off guard.
"Just kidding. Don't take it so seriously," Yuuya laughed. "Buying a cold drink is more than enough."
"You scared , Senpai," Saten said, her face flushed, though she clearly wasn't offended. Her fingers twisted together nervously; she had genuinely been a little flustered just now.
'Judging from his deanor, Senpai is definitely the type who likes to joke around and tease people,' Saten thought. Then, realizing she had left her friend hanging, she quickly gestured beside her. "Oh! This is my best friend."
"N-Nice to et you. I am Uiharu Kazari." Uiharu lowered her head shyly, speaking in a highly respectful and polite tone. Her voice was sweet and slightly childlike, which was very pleasant to listen to.
"Nice to et you too, Uiharu-san," Yuuya said gently, looking at the timid Judgnt officer.
"Well then, let's go find a cafe and chat... Wait, are you busy right now, Senpai?" Saten asked energetically with her hands on her hips, before suddenly realizing she needed to ask his opinion first. If he had sowhere to be, she wouldn't be able to properly thank him.
"It's the weekend, and I was just wondering what to do with my free ti. How could I refuse your invitation?" Yuuya said with a smile. As he spoke, he seamlessly interacted with the System, silently collecting the Bronze Treasure Chests hovering over Saten and Uiharu.
'Now I won't embarrass myself by triggering a high-level lock condition in public,' he thought with satisfaction.
...
They quickly found a nearby cafe, and Saten ordered a relatively cheap drink. The cost of living in Academy City was quite high, and even a simple cafe wasn't cheap. As a Level 0 Esper, Saten's monthly stipend from the city was incredibly ager, so she naturally tried to save as much as possible.
However, based on the canon lore in Yuuya's mind, Saten had a surprisingly keen sense for business. She frequently bought inexpensive sumr clothes, altered them, and resold them online to support herself.
'She's the kind of girl who would make a perfect wife,' Yuuya mused.
"I never expected that the Senpai who helped Saten-san would actually be the Eighth Level 5! Although I don't know the exact details of what happened, I am very grateful that you saved her," Uiharu said shyly across the table.
"It was no trouble at all. Actually, I feel like I've seen you before, Uiharu-san," Yuuya said, his eyes flickering as he recalled their previous encounter.
A month ago, when he had gone to a buffet restaurant for a late-night snack with a Misaka Sister, Shirai Kuroko had mistaken the clone for Misaka Mikoto and furiously intervened. At that ti, Uiharu had been there, frantically trying to hold her Judgnt partner back.
"Y-Yes! Takahashi-senpai, I'm so sorry for the trouble Shirai-san caused you back then!" Uiharu bowed politely. At the ti, Senpai had seemingly been on a date with Misaka-senpai, and Shirai-san had completely lost her temper.
'I'm really worried about what will happen to Shirai-san's unrequited feelings for Misaka-senpai,' Uiharu chuckled awkwardly, rembering how absent-minded Kuroko had looked in the days following that incident.
"Wait, Senpai is a Level 5?!" Saten looked at Yuuya in absolute shock. The Eighth Level 5 in Academy City!
She couldn't help but sigh in awe. She had actually been saved by a supre Level 5! And this elite Esper hadn't looked down on her—a Level 0 without any abilities—at all. She looked over at Uiharu. "Huh? Uiharu and Takahashi-senpai have t before? That's such a coincidence!"
"We didn't officially introduce ourselves at the ti, but yes. I never expected such a coincidence either," Uiharu said in her sweet voice.
"I see! Well, now that we're all familiar with each other, let's chat about so interesting urban legends, Senpai!" Sensing the conversation was turning a bit too formal, Saten quickly stepped in to liven the atmosphere. She took out her smartphone and pulled up a webpage.
"The Urban Legends forum has been updated a lot lately! Especially this rumor, which is currently ranked number one."
"?" Yuuya leaned over to take a look at the screen, then touched his chin, pretending not to know what it was. "Level Upper?"
'That was fast,' Yuuya thought. 'This audio file must have just been uploaded last night, and it's already trending as the top urban legend.'
"Level Upper?" Uiharu blinked in confusion.
"That's right, Level Upper!" Saten spoke eloquently, her eyes sparkling. She leaned in mysteriously. "It's said that a mysterious audio file that can instantly enhance your Esper abilities suddenly appeared on the web last night! It can even forcefully awaken abilities in those without any! According to the forum posts, more than thirty Level 0s have already gained powers after listening to it."
"Isn't it amazing?!" Saten added, practically vibrating with excitent. "According to the rumors, the Level Upper is a classified tool originally developed by a top-secret research institution funded by the General Board of Directors. It was accidentally leaked online! If soone finds the file, they can jump straight to becoming a high-level Esper!"
"Huh? It's probably just another baseless rumor. There are a lot of fake rumors circulating in Academy City lately," Uiharu said reasonably, taking a sip of her cold drink as she imdiately set out to debunk the myth. "If Academy City had actually developed sothing this miraculous, they would have officially announced it already. After all, a tool that universally enhances abilities would be revolutionary."
"Moreover, the cybersecurity at those research institutions is incredibly strict. It's virtually impossible for sothing like that to just 'leak' onto a public forum," Uiharu added.
"Of course I know that! It's just a fun urban legend. But... what if it's true?" Saten scratched her head cheerfully, though a fleeting hint of deep frustration and longing flashed in her eyes.
Of course, she knew it was logically fake. Even so, as a Level 0 who desperately wanted powers, she couldn't help but hold onto a tiny glimr of hope.
"It's true."
Yuuya noticed the hidden disappointnt in Saten's eyes and couldn't help but smile warmly as he dropped the bombshell.
"Huh?" Saten and Uiharu were taken aback for a mont. They both looked at Yuuya and blinked.
"The Level Upper is real. It genuinely exists," Yuuya said with a slight smile, looking at the completely stunned Saten Ruiko.
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