Izumi's gaze lingered on Shokuhou Misaki, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Under the terrified stares of the three girls, he spoke calmly:
"Hello."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Izumi."
"From today onward, I'll be the one in charge of this institute."
"In other words—you all answer to me now."
"As for those researchers…"
"They can disappear."
With a light snap of his fingers—
Reality shifted.
Under Izumi's overwhelming power, every remaining researcher was cast beyond the boundary of the world, devoured instantly by dimensional turbulence.
In the blink of an eye—
The entire facility was left with nothing but children.
After all—
Not a single person in this institute was innocent.
And Izumi felt no hesitation in erasing them.
But to the girls—
That scene only deepened their fear.
It was far too terrifying.
People… erased so casually.
Seeing their expressions, Izumi chuckled softly.
"Looks like I scared you."
"Don't worry. Aside from those disgusting people, everyone left here is like you."
"And I won't do anything you dislike."
"I only want the facility."
"I have no interest in anything else."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Dolly.
Her body was already on the verge of collapse.
If left untreated—
She wouldn't last much longer.
Without hesitation, Izumi walked toward her.
Seeing this, Misaki hurriedly stepped in front of Dolly, shielding her.
"Don't hurt Dolly!!"
Izumi rolled his eyes.
"Who said I was going to hurt her?"
"Move aside, flat-chested girl. If you keep blocking me, her body really will collapse."
Misaki froze.
And before she could react—
Izumi had already reached Dolly.
Activating his power—
A ring materialized in his hand.
A soft green light spread from it, enveloping Dolly.
Healing her.
Restoring her body.
The two girls stared in shock.
"W-What…?"
Misaki was completely stunned.
This terrifying man—
Was saving Dolly?
At that moment, Aiba Asagi spoke casually:
"Relax. This guy's a lolicon—he won't hurt you."
"He's treating her. Her body was about to give out."
"I'm sure you already knew that."
Izumi's expression twitched.
"…Hey."
But he didn't bother arguing.
Whether he denied it or not—
People already believed it anyway.
Misaki and Kiyama Harumi exchanged looks.
Isn't that even worse…?
But strangely—
They felt a bit relieved.
Hesitantly, Misaki asked:
"Um… are you sure it's okay to kill all those researchers?"
"Won't Academy City hold you responsible?"
Her voice carried genuine concern.
If that happened—
They might be implicated too.
Before Asagi could answer—
Izumi spoke first.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"There's no one in this world who can hold me accountable."
He glanced back at Dolly.
"She's fully healed now."
"Next—go gather everyone else in the facility."
With that, he turned and walked deeper inside.
The three girls looked at each other.
Dolly, in particular, was stunned.
She knew her condition better than anyone.
And now—
That constant sense of collapse was gone.
"…Mii…"
Hearing her voice, Misaki rushed over.
"Dolly! How do you feel?!"
Her voice trembled.
Dolly smiled brightly.
"I'm all better now."
"That big brother is a good person."
"So don't be afraid, Mii."
"Now… we can always be together."
At those words—
Both Misaki and Kiyama felt their eyes sting.
"That's… that's wonderful…"
Tears welled up as relief washed over them.
At the same time—
A sense of gratitude toward Izumi quietly took root.
Without wasting time, the three began gathering the remaining children.
The sudden disappearance of the researchers had thrown the facility into chaos.
The children were terrified.
Thankfully—
Misaki and the others managed to calm them down.
The institute was large.
It took some time—
But eventually, they gathered everyone.
A little over a dozen children remained.
All of them espers.
Meanwhile—
Izumi had reached the core of the facility.
Asagi was already reviewing the data stored there.
Her expression darkened.
"These people…"
"They went way too far…"
Illegal experiments.
Inhumane practices.
If Izumi hadn't come—
Countless more would have suffered.
Izumi simply shrugged.
Even if he hadn't intervened—
Things would have eventually unfolded as they did in the original timeline.
But now—
He was here.
Before long—
A small blonde head peeked through the doorway.
Noticing her, Izumi waved casually.
"Come in."
Soon, Misaki led the others inside.
Among them were:
Mitsuari Ayu
Hokaze Junko
Yuri Chiya
Yumiya Rakko
…and several others.
Most of them were young girls, around their early teens.
Looking at them, Izumi got straight to the point.
"I'll be taking over this facility."
"The direction of research will also change."
"If anyone wants to leave, you're free to go."
"If you want to stay—that's fine too."
"For those who remain…"
"I'll do everything I can to develop your abilities."
"Reaching Level 5 won't be impossible."
His words stunned everyone present.
Level 5…?
Was that really possible?
Among them—
Mitsuari Ayu felt her heart pound.
She had long believed that reaching Level 5 was beyond her.
But now—
A new possibility had just been placed before her eyes.