"Heh. This is because you completely failed to show them the gap between you and them. Your approach is wrong. Completely wrong."
Takahashi Yuuya stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "You need to know that it's impossible to live a completely peaceful life after possessing great power. But... you can minimize the trouble. Do you want to do that?"
Yuuya's lips curled into a smile that seemed to thrive on chaos.
"What?" Suzushina Yuriko asked, her interest reluctantly piqued.
"In this world, no matter the era, it's a dog-eat-dog world. The winner takes all. Might makes right," Yuuya said incisively. "As the Number One Level 5 in Academy City, you haven't shown your strongest side to the public at all. Because you haven't intimidated them, they think the 'Strongest' is just a title. They have the delusional attitude of 'Let's challenge her and see.'"
Everyone in Academy City knew Accelerator was ranked Number One. But how many people had actually seen her fight?
"Why are there fewer thugs challenging Misaka Mikoto than you?" Yuuya asked. "Is it because she's only ranked Third? Not at all. It's because videos of her firing the Railgun are everywhere on the underground forums. Anyone who wants to challenge her gives up after seeing a coin blow a crater in a bridge. It's that simple."
Yuriko remained silent, pondering for a moment. 'Have I really not shown them enough?'
"The title of 'Strongest' isn't bestowed; it's earned through terror," Yuuya patted her shoulder, ignoring her flinch. "You just need to gather everyone in Academy City who wants to challenge you in one public place. Then, use your abilities to crush them all at once. Let the entire city see your terrifying power. These pests will naturally disappear."
"I see..."
A world-weary smile appeared on Yuriko's lips. Her red eyes flickered. After thinking about it... his logic made twisted sense. Her Level 5 status was achieved in closed laboratories. There was no public spectacle. Even though she was ranked first, most low-level Espers and Skill-Out thugs still harbored doubts, hoping for a lucky break to make a name for themselves. She hadn't given them a measuring stick to realize their own worthlessness.
"Do you need my help?" Yuuya's eyes gleamed with excitement. "If you want to stop being bothered by these scoundrels, this is the most efficient way."
He was already picturing the news headlines. The upper echelons of Academy City would probably go crazy. The unrest would be highly entertaining.
"If I do this, Anti-Skill will definitely cause me trouble," Yuriko said, her smile turning cynical. "If I openly slaughter or cripple hundreds of guys in public, I'll end up in a maximum-security juvenile detention center."
She looked at this troublemaker. 'This bastard just wants to make a spectacle out of me.' It was true that a mass public beatdown would stop the daily harassment. But once she did it, the General Board would send in the army. It would constitute a massive riot. It would escalate into a disaster.
"You want to get out of this miserable predicament, but you're afraid of the bureaucratic consequences? Heh. You're really useless."
Yuuya knew from her expression that she was hesitating. "Listen carefully. If you hesitate, you'll lose even more. And don't worry about what the General Board will do. Aleister will handle it."
Yuuya grinned wickedly. "Don't forget, Yuriko. You are the core of Aleister's plan. The Main Plan. As long as you don't do anything that irreparably ruins his endgame, you have absolute immunity."
Aleister must be green with envy by now, Yuuya thought to himself. I didn't ruin your Level 6 Shift Project... I'm just tweaking the parameters for fun. Aleister wouldn't fall out with him over something as trivial as a street brawl.
"Aleister... the Board Chairman?" Yuriko chuckled self-deprecatingly. "So, what 'rights' do I actually have?"
"You have the right to meet Aleister directly," Yuuya said, half-closing his eyes. "This is a privilege that none of the twelve Directors of Academy City have. Not even the other Level 5s. You are that important to his foundation."
"..."
"Not interested," Yuriko muttered, looking away.
"You will be interested," Yuuya pressed. "Aleister can suppress the chaos and give you the green light. You just need to defeat the challengers once and for all."
"..."
Yuriko fell silent. Her heart was wavering. 'Is he right? Can I finally get some peace?' She knew Yuuya's personality. He was a chaotic variable. But having just learned the disgusting truth about the Level 6 Shift Project, she had become desperate for any action that would break the status quo.
She didn't speak. She just carried her crushed coffee can as she arrived at the door of her old, rundown apartment building.
"Hey. Since you're too shy to say it out loud, I'll help you out."
Yuuya grinned. He took out his smartphone. His fingers flew across the screen. Using the processing power of a Level 5 Electro Master, he bypassed the city's firewalls instantly. He drafted a post and simultaneously uploaded it to every major forum, Skill-Out message board, and Dark Web node in Academy City.
"Tsk..."
Yuriko paused at her door. She clicked her tongue. But she didn't stop him.
Beep.
The post went live. Within seconds, it went viral, igniting the digital underground of Academy City.
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