MAR Hospital. Intensive Care Wing.
"We are deeply sorry. The nurses assigned to monitor the comatose children were interns. We feel terrible that the wrong medication was administered..."
An attending doctor bowed deeply, his voice laced with heavy remorse. Inwardly, he was cursing whoever had arranged for a rookie intern to prepare the IV drips. If the mistake hadn't been discovered in time, the patients could have died.
Kiyama Harumi's face was terrifyingly gloomy.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she suppressed her rage. Her usually drowsy eyes were now stern and razor-sharp, the dark bags under them making her look almost demonic.
"Please calm down! We will take full responsibility for this incident!" The doctor flinched, wiping away cold sweat, half-expecting the furious researcher to strike him.
"I want them transferred to another hospital," Kiyama said, her voice freezing the air in the room.
"O-Okay. No problem. I'll go process the paperwork immediately." The doctor breathed a massive sigh of relief and scurried away.
Kiyama turned to look through the glass window of the ward at the unconscious children.
"I almost made another irreparable mistake..." she whispered, biting her lip. Extreme self-reproach and lingering terror threatened to crush her.
Yuuya leaned against the corridor wall with his arms crossed, sighing as he watched her.
Although Kiyama appeared gloomy, eccentric, and unkempt, she was inherently kind, considerate, and fiercely dedicated. When it came to her students, she became incredibly tough—even willing to resort to unscrupulous means to save them.
'It's likely that Kiyama-sensei is already developing the Level Upper network,' Yuuya thought.
However, he didn't intend to stop her. He actually wanted the core of the AIM Burst—the entity born from the unified AIM Diffusion Fields of the Level Upper users.
The creation of a Level 6 was based on the ability to perfectly control a massive AIM Diffusion Field, provided the Esper already had the innate potential; otherwise, they would be destroyed instantly.
Even if one couldn't reach Level 6 perfectly, they could get infinitely close, and it was incredibly safe if anchored correctly.
'The Misaka Network + Artificial Angel Fuse Kazakiri + a Level 5 = the pathway to Level 6.'
Yuuya calculated the variables. 'The AIM Burst Core can replace Fuse Kazakiri as the aggregator for the AIM fields, while the Misaka Network provides the shaping constraints. Once I obtain the AIM Burst Core, I can link the fields and infinitely approach Level 6.'
'If I gave that setup to Suzushina Yuriko, she could directly ascend to Level 6. If I gave it to Misaka Mikoto, she would have a 53% chance of reaching Level 6 without self-destructing.'
Ring! Ring!
Kiyama's phone suddenly rang, pulling Yuuya from his thoughts.
Kiyama answered it. A second later, her expression changed drastically.
"What?! It was rejected again?! Why?!" she roared into the receiver, her composure shattering. "I've applied 23 times already! Just for 20 minutes of calculation time! Why was it rejected again?!"
The call ended abruptly.
Kiyama stared at the phone, utterly defeated. She swayed as if she were about to faint, leaning heavily against the wall before sliding down to sit weakly on the floor.
"They... they already know what happened," Kiyama whispered in despair, covering her forehead with her hand. "Yet they sit idly by. The hospital's apologies, the application reviews... it's all just a show. They just want to throw away the lab rats now that the experiment is over."
"The research institutions, the General Board... they're all in cahoots."
"Sigh..."
Yuuya stepped forward and knelt in front of the desperate teacher. He pulled her into a comforting hug.
"Let's transfer them to another hospital first, Kiyama-sensei. I know a place that is absolutely safe. Heaven Canceller's clinic."
'Please be patient a little longer, Sensei,' Yuuya thought.
Even if Kiyama gained access to the Tree Diagram, it wouldn't fix the problem instantly. The supercomputer would only calculate a theoretical cure.
To actually wake the children, they needed the Initial Sample of the Ability Crystal that had been extracted from them.
That Initial Sample was currently in the hands of Therestina Kihara Lifeline, the captain of the MAR (Multi-Active Rescue) unit.
Yuuya had a plan for that. He would find Shokuhou Misaki (Mental Out), have her brainwash Therestina, and simply walk away with the Ability Crystal.
"Yes... we have to pull ourselves together," Kiyama muttered, drawing strength from the hug. She stood up, leaning against the wall.
"Sensei, sometimes it's okay to rely on me to help you out," Yuuya said with genuine concern.
"What can a high school student like you do to help me?" Kiyama sighed, patting his head. "This is an adult's business."
"I'm a Level 5 now, so I might surprise you," Yuuya shrugged.
She always treated him like a child. Even though he had grown taller and stronger since they met, her subconscious bravado as an educator made her insist on shouldering the adult burdens alone.
Ding!
[System Notification: Silver Treasure Chest]
* Target: Kiyama Harumi.
* Activation Condition: "Kiyama-sensei, I think I can help you by massaging your pectoral muscles."
'Um...'
Yuuya blinked, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. 'Is the System reading my subconscious intrusive thoughts again?'
The unlocking condition was absurd, but surprisingly, Yuuya knew Kiyama wouldn't think he was doing anything rebellious or perverted.
Because Kiyama had been engrossed in isolated research since her youth, her logic was strictly clinical. She lacked basic social common sense. This was a woman who routinely stripped down to her underwear in public simply because her clothes got hot, completely oblivious to the reactions of those around her.
Therefore, Yuuya reached out his hand...
Squish.
"What are you doing?" Kiyama asked, blinking down at his hand in mild surprise.
"I just wanted to help you stop being so downcast," Yuuya lied smoothly with a straight face. "Physiologically speaking, a sudden, unexpected tactile stimulus can redirect nerve impulses and help distract the brain from emotional trauma."
"Is that so?" Kiyama asked, genuinely analyzing the logic.
"Yes. It's science," Yuuya nodded solemnly.
Ding!
[System Notification: Silver Treasure Chest Unlocked!]
* Reward: 10x Resurrection Coins.
* Description: An item originating from a specific dimensional game. Can be used to resurrect a target once. Note: Requires a material medium to function (e.g., DNA, clothes, corpse fragments, or an item strongly proving the identity of the deceased).
'Holy crap...' Yuuya's eyes widened. 'It actually dropped Resurrection Coins? I didn't know the System could manifest conceptual game mechanics into reality...'
He was utterly bewildered, but deeply relieved. Now, he had the ultimate safety net. Even if someone close to him was killed, he could bring them back.
"Well... I do feel slightly distracted now. Your physiological theory has merit. You don't need to stimulate me anymore," Kiyama said, tilting her head.
"Oh... right." Yuuya reluctantly withdrew his hand. 'The bigger ones really are better.'
Meanwhile, outside the hospital window, the hum of heavy engines filled the evening sky.
A massive blimp—the kind usually reserved for weather forecasts and emergency city-wide alerts—floated over District 7. The massive LCD screens on its sides lit up with breaking news, catching the eyes of almost everyone in Academy City.
[BREAKING NEWS: THE HIERARCHY SHIFTS. THE 8TH LEVEL 5 HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN CONFIRMED.]
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