Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki.

"You—you—bastard!"

Even a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river has some temper, let alone Misaki Shokuhou, who is not exactly known for her good temper.

"Okay, are you feeling better now?"

Completely ignoring Misaki Shokuhou's aggressive behavior beside him, and without any warning, or rather without any reason or logic, Haramura Makoto, with a smile on his lips, looked at Misaki Shokuhou and said such a sentence.

"What do you mean?"

The fist, already clenched but utterly powerless, had reached Haramura Makoto's ear, but then stopped as if a sudden brake had been applied.

Similarly, Misaki Shokuhou's face, which had been contorted with anger, calmed down.

The gaze directed at Makoto Haramura was no longer filled with anger, but rather with a calm mixed with doubt.

"It's obvious, isn't it!"

"I could tell from just one glance that you were overwhelmed by the pressure and just wanted to escape."

Makoto Haramura chuckled, but didn't meet Misaki Shokuhou's gaze. He simply stared at the calm lake, his eyes as still as the water, without the slightest ripple.

Her small hand, which had been raised, naturally fell down. Instead of relaxing, her clenched fist tightened even more, and blue veins could be clearly seen under her fair skin.

Quiet, with only the sounds of wind and insects, creating a heavy atmosphere.

This state continued for quite some time.

"what……"

It was a sound of utter dejection.

The one who made that sound was none other than Misaki Shokuhou, who had been struggling with this issue since earlier.

"It's this inexplicable ability to see through people's hearts, even though he's clearly just someone without any abilities."

Her straight back and shoulders relaxed. If Misaki Shokuhou was like a cat that was tense and ready to hunt just now, she was now like a rabbit that had returned to its safe haven.

"This kind of thing has nothing to do with ability or inability."

Makoto Haramura shrugged and spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

"It's just the accumulation of experience and another kind of talent. And let me correct you, I am not powerless."

"Is there any difference?"

Misaki Shokuhou's lips curled up.

This isn't exactly mockery; it's more like Misaki Shokuhou, who had been at a disadvantage throughout the conversation, finally gained the upper hand and was smug after her victory.

"At Level 1, the spatial distortion is so great that you couldn't even break a pencil."

"Sigh, their words are really sharp enough to leave one speechless."

Makoto Haramura let out a bitter laugh.

On this point, Makoto Haramura really couldn't refute it at all.

That's right, he also lives in this Academy City. He's not very old, and looks like a teenager, so he's naturally a student in this Academy City.

So he must have also undergone the so-called ability development process unique to this city.

He had already experienced drugs, hypnosis, electrotherapy—all sorts of strange, almost torture-like methods of developing abilities—when he was sent to this city at the age of six.

Unfortunately, he was not a chosen one like the girl next to him.

Although he has developed superpowers and is slightly stronger than those powerless individuals who don't even know what their abilities are, Level 1, after ten years of hard work, is actually no different from a powerless individual.

"But you really don't give an inch."

He wasn't angry, though. Putting aside the fact that Makoto Haramura's superpowers hadn't improved at all in the past ten years, he had long since become accustomed to such mockery.

It was also because he knew that this girl was just the most arrogant of the arrogant.

She wasn't intentionally mocking herself; she just wanted to retaliate in kind for the earlier mockery of her small breasts.

After all, in this Academy City, mocking someone with no or low abilities for their poor skills is an extremely damaging blow.

"Humph--"

She turned her face to the other side, pouting her pink lips. While Makoto Haramura avoided eye contact with Misaki Shokuhou, Misaki Shokuhou also didn't really want to look at Rei Sōwa right now.

Actually, after saying it out loud, she realized that what she said was a little excessive.

But apologizing is absolutely out of the question.

"So, are you willing to talk about what you can say?"

"Some things feel better when you talk about them. I happen to be free today and have plenty of time to spend here."

Perhaps the current Misaki Shokuhou is very similar to a certain period of her past self.

Even though their interactions weren't particularly deep, he always felt like he couldn't just walk away.

To put it simply, it's just that I can't let go.

With his hands resting on the back of the chair, he turned his head and stared at Misaki Shokuhou's delicate, slightly chubby profile, which was not yet fully developed. Haramura Makoto said softly.

"What? He's just a delinquent leader."

Even though the gaze wasn't particularly penetrating, Misaki Shokuhou couldn't ignore it at all and could only mutter a helpless remark.

He turned his head, and the instant his eyes met Haramura Makoto's, he nodded as if possessed.

"it is good……"

Chapter 005 There is no way to escape

Makoto Haramura, to be honest, has a very normal personality.

I usually do good deeds and have a kind heart towards many things. When I encounter something within my power, I will do my part without caring if it is none of my business.

However, he is not a kind-hearted person who indiscriminately shows kindness; he has his own set of qualified standards for evaluating people's value.

For example, he would never do something so trivial as to harm the interests of his own family for the sake of outsiders.

But it's the same.

As mentioned earlier, Makoto Haramura, due to his own past experiences, became unusually talkative when Misaki Shokuhou showed such an expression.

After all, the person in front of them was no ordinary person.

She is one of only seven Level 5s in Academy City. Just by thinking about it, it's clear what's behind the things that are troubling her to the point of wanting to escape, and how deep those things are.

Neither way is it something he, who isn't even considered a lab rat in Academy City, can interfere with.

Having lived in this city for many years, it's still the same kind of place where all sorts of people mingle.

He already knew how deep the waters were in this city, but he still couldn't help but ask directly.

As I said before, it's impossible to be completely indifferent to something that doesn't concern you.

……

Misaki Shokuhou's narrative is not long, and can even be described as simple.

She nodded and agreed just now as if possessed, but that doesn't mean she'll tell you everything.

The man in front of me is nothing more than the leader of a powerless armed group.

If this man finds out about what I'm involved in, it will only bring him endless trouble.

But as this man said...

Having many things piling up in your heart will only make your stress worse. Talking about it may be a better way to relieve your stress than to run away from it.

After all, given her status and position, even if she erased her memories, could she really escape?

impossible!

Isn't this what people with superpowers are really like?

"I see!"

"Is that really the case?"

Makoto Haramura sighed softly.

He didn't immediately offer any words of advice or comfort, as those words would have been completely meaningless.

After all, even a nobody like him has a lot of things to worry about every day, not to mention Misaki Shokuhou, it's something she absolutely can't escape.

"Then let's put it aside for now."

"Sometimes, there are responsibilities that we cannot avoid or escape."

"But that doesn't mean we have to carry this responsibility on our shoulders all the time."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing to relax occasionally."

Normally, given this atmosphere, we should reach out and take things a step further – that would be the proper course of action.

However, this only applies to boyfriends and girlfriends, or at least to those with a certain degree of ambiguous relationship, for it to be effective.

Unfortunately, Makoto Haramura and Misaki Shokuhou were merely nodding acquaintances; their relationship was nowhere near that level.

"Is this really okay?"

Misaki Shokuhou's beautiful starry eyes sparkled, the stars in her pupils truly resembling the stars in the night sky, beautiful and dazzling.

For her, Makoto Haramura's idea was nothing short of a completely new perspective.

After all, Misaki Shokuhou, who was used to taking everything upon herself and bearing all the burdens, had never thought of it this way.

Because of my own abilities, because of my own experiences, and because of my own personality.

She has never trusted anyone, and she would never try to trust anyone.

"There's nothing wrong with it; it's simply what a person in a position should do."

"If you have to do everything yourself, you'll only overwhelm yourself, even if you're a Level 5 superhuman."

I will bear everything myself and solve everything myself. I don't need anyone else's help. I just need to take full responsibility for everything.

This unique atmosphere is exactly like my own two years ago.

However, I only understood this principle after making some sacrifices myself.

"Even if you say that, there's nothing I can do. Unless I use my abilities to thoroughly examine this person, I can't possibly believe it."

"After all, you wouldn't pry into someone's mind unless there's a specific reason, right?"

Although Misaki Shokuhou didn't finish her sentence, Makoto Haramura correctly supplemented it.

The fact that Misaki Shokuhou did not object completely proves the correctness of Makoto Haramura's earlier statement.

In the original work, all the talents controlled by Misaki Shokuhou were researchers who had been psychologically manipulated by her.

After all, these were her enemies, disgusting guys who wanted to control her.

It's about cutting open her brain, taking a piece of tissue from it, and growing it into an external brain implant.

Therefore, using her abilities to completely control these guys and change their thoughts was a breeze for Misaki Shokuhou.

As for whether she really has no one she trusts at all?

It's not that bad.

At least for now in Tokiwadai, because of her personal excellence, people have gathered around her, worshipping her as their queen. She can give even a little bit of trust to the girls who follow her.

After all, she was quite certain that she had not used her abilities on those children.

but……

"There's no need to completely believe in it anyway. And if you don't want to use your abilities, how about trying to see through people's hearts like I do, without relying on them?"

He wouldn't try to explain things to Misaki Shokuhou by spouting grand theories.

After all, many things can only be understood through experience. Trying to force someone to change their mindset without having experienced them is futile.

Even for some teenagers, your denial of their ideas is more likely to trigger their rebellious tendencies than to gain their approval.

Therefore, he chose to propose a solution.

A way that might make Misaki Shokuhou accept it naturally, even though it might take some effort on her part.

"Really?"