"Do I need to inject that into my body?" Saten Ruiko asked, her skin crawling as she watched Nunotaba Shinobu draw the blue liquid into a painless syringe.
Even knowing it was meant for esper development, the color alone was unsettling.
"Don't worry. It's a painless injector. You won't feel anything." Nunotaba Shinobu said flatly, lightly flicking the syringe.
"D-do I need an injection too, Arata-senpai?" Uiharu Kazari asked nervously, shrinking back slightly.
"No need. Uiharu is already Level 1. Just taking an Ability Crystal will be enough."
Arata handed her the crystal.
"...Okay."
Uiharu hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes tightly and swallowed the Ability Crystal in one motion, as if bracing for poison.
Three seconds later, her eyes snapped open.
She clutched her chest with both hands, her breathing becoming uneven. Her body temperature surged, her skin turning red as if she had a high fever.
"Haa... haa..."
"Uiharu!" Saten Ruiko panicked and quickly supported her.
"Relax. This is a normal reaction." Arata said calmly, observing the rapid expansion of her AIM diffusion field.
"But..." Saten was still anxious.
"It's okay, Saten. I trust Arata-senpai." Uiharu said, even as the discomfort began to fade.
Her clothes were already soaked with sweat. At the same time, the surrounding temperature began to rise sharply.
The thermometer nearby climbed from 26 to 37 degrees.
"It's so hot!" Saten quickly let go, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"This is no longer Level 1. The ability has reached Level 3. The name 'Thermal Hand' is no longer accurate." Arata said thoughtfully.
"Phew..."
As the effect stabilized, Uiharu raised her arm and wiped her forehead, still in disbelief.
"Was that really my power just now?"
"Uiharu, you leveled up. What did your ability become?" Saten asked eagerly.
"Try using it." Arata said.
"I... I'm not sure yet. But I really leveled up..." Uiharu's cheeks flushed with excitement.
After calming her breathing, she raised her hands.
The air in front of her visibly distorted due to rapidly increasing temperature.
Then, with a soft burst, a stream of high-temperature airflow erupted outward.
"High-temperature airflow. Not bad. You won't feel cold in winter anymore." Arata nodded.
Privately, he thought that summer would be unbearable for her, given how intense the heat output was.
"This... this is my ability. It must already be Level 3." Uiharu's shoulders trembled with excitement.
She immediately bowed ninety degrees.
"Thank you, Arata-senpai."
"No need to thank me. Just repay me with your body." Arata said with a laugh.
"Eh!"
Uiharu instantly froze, her face turning bright red.
"Huh?" Saten stared in shock.
"I'm joking."
"Senpai, you scared her." Saten complained.
"I... I wasn't scared." Uiharu muttered, though her face remained flushed.
"Now it's your turn, Saten. Are you ready?" Arata said, picking up the painless injector prepared by Nunotaba Shinobu.
For some reason, he felt like a doctor.
"I'm ready." Saten swallowed nervously, her heart pounding.
Since Uiharu had successfully leveled up, she should be able to develop powers too.
But what if something went wrong?
Arata pressed the injector gently against her arm. The blue liquid was instantly absorbed.
After the injection, Saten waited anxiously.
A faint buzzing filled her head.
Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Her past thoughts and fantasies suddenly became clearer in her mind.
"Huh? Nothing changed..." she muttered, looking at her hands with a trace of disappointment.
"It's not that simple. Abilities developed through the Charlotte Factor don't rely on calculation, so the change isn't obvious. Here, take this as well."
Arata handed her the Ability Crystal.
"Oh."
Saten swallowed it immediately.
A surge of heat spread through her body, just like Uiharu's reaction. Her heartbeat accelerated rapidly.
"The AIM diffusion field is expanding. It should stabilize around Level 3." Arata observed.
"Unlike standard development, abilities created through the Charlotte Factor are not restricted by traditional limits. They can grow over time."
Reaching Level 5 in the future would not be impossible.
"Haa... haa..."
As the sensation stabilized, Saten felt something different within herself.
She didn't even bother wiping the sweat from her face as she raised her hands.
This feeling...
This must be it.
Her ability.
But instead of immediately using it, her face turned red from excitement.
"Saten, calm down. Do you feel a new kind of perception in your mind? That is your Personal Reality. Follow that sensation and guide it."
Arata raised his hand as an example, forming a small sphere of water in his palm.
Saten's reaction was actually quite composed.
He had seen others who became arrogant, or rolled on the ground from excitement after gaining power.
Saten took a deep breath.
Following his instructions, a small rotating vortex formed between her hands.
It was weak, barely stronger than a fan's breeze.
But it was real.
This is my power.
Her deep blue eyes shone brightly.
She wasn't greedy. She had never dreamed of reaching high levels.
Even Level 1 had once felt impossible.
"I... I finally have my own ability!"
Overcome with joy, Saten rushed forward and hugged Arata tightly.
"Thank you, senpai. I really don't know how to repay you."
...
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