Suzushina Yuriko

Shirai Kuroko had sensed that Academy City had been far from peaceful lately. With Level Upper spreading ever more widely, some low-level Espers had managed to break through their limits.

They were students to begin with, their minds still immature.

On top of that, the Espers who obtained Level Upper were mostly self-destructive delinquents and thugs, causing public order in the surrounding areas to suddenly descend into chaos.

After dealing with who knew how many troublesome cases, Shirai Kuroko lowered her head and let out a deep sigh.

"Honestly, I've had enough already!"

Her uniform was covered in wrinkles and dust, exhaustion written all over her cute face. Her body was also marked with bruises and scrapes.

She was a level 4 Esper, and her ability was the rare power of teleportation. Yet even she had been injured this badly, showing just how excessively frequent the incidents around the city had become.

"Shirai, we've just obtained information that a group is conducting a Level Upper sale in an abandoned building in the southern district. Please proceed to investigate."

Just as Shirai Kuroko sighed, Uiharu Kazari's voice came through her earpiece.

Though her body was already utterly exhausted, her duty as a member of Judgment still drove Shirai Kuroko onward.

"Ah, I really want to soak in a hot bath and snuggle up with Onee-sama!" Shirai Kuroko complained loudly, yet her feet carried her swiftly toward the target area.

An abandoned building in the southern district.

This area was mostly a gathering place for delinquents and thugs, and ordinary students rarely set foot here.

At that moment, a mushroom-haired high school student had come here to purchase Level Upper. After handing over one hundred thousand yen, however, the thugs raised the price on the spot and demanded another hundred thousand.

"Then I don't want it anymore. Give me my money back," the mushroom-haired boy protested timidly.

What he received in return was a knee to the gut, followed by a savage beating.

The mushroom-haired boy's screams caught the attention of Shirai Kuroko, who happened to be nearby. She ran toward the source of the noise.

The moment she saw the group assaulting him, Shirai Kuroko stepped forward, tugged at her armband, and shouted.

"I'm with Judgment! You are under arrest for assault caught in the act!"

"Huh? Judgment!?" One of the thugs doing the beating instinctively raised his hands, only to be berated by his companion beside him.

"Idiot, we're not like we used to be!"

"That's right, that's right! We're level 2 now!"

Shirai Kuroko had heard this sort of conversation countless times over the past few days. With a helpless sigh, she tossed aside her handbag and ran a pale hand over her thigh, metal darts slipping between her fingers.

"Don't look down on us, brat!" One thug manipulated metallic construction materials and launched them at Shirai Kuroko. She instantly teleported away from the attack, flashed behind him, and drove a flying knee into the back of his head, knocking him down.

"One down," Shirai Kuroko said calmly. That composed attitude thoroughly enraged the others, and they abandoned all pretense of fairness as they swarmed her together.

Using her ability's nimble mobility, Shirai Kuroko quickly dealt with the remaining thugs. Only one remained—a hedgehog-haired delinquent with crooked, missing teeth, standing some distance away with a confident expression.

"So this is teleportation? It's my first time seeing it in person."

"You're acting like this has nothing to do with you. You're next!" Shirai Kuroko said.

"Heh heh, that's not so certain!" The hedgehog-haired thug sneered and charged straight at Shirai Kuroko.

"Charging straight at me? I really don't know what you're thinking." Shirai Kuroko threw a metal dart at him. At the instant it touched the thug, it passed through him as though slicing through air. The dart continued onward along a bizarrely curved trajectory for some distance before dropping to the ground.

As Shirai Kuroko stared in astonishment, a heavy kick landed squarely in her left abdomen. The impact sent her flying, and she slammed hard into the wall.

Did it break my ribs? Shirai Kuroko thought as pain surged from her left side, forcing herself to stand.

"It's not over yet, you little brat." The hedgehog-haired thug raised a metal rod with an excited expression and swung it at Shirai Kuroko.

Shirai Kuroko teleported several meters away, widening the distance between them. Suppressing the discomfort in her abdomen, she drew a deep breath and began to analyze the situation calmly.

That last attack—his leg twisted at a strange angle, and the metal dart veered off target along an unnatural path.

His ability must be able to bend light, causing images to form in the wrong locations.

"Hahaha, scared now, huh? So, what do you think of my ability?" The hedgehog-haired thug laughed excitedly, taunting her as though bullying a middle school girl made him immensely proud.

With an ability like that, it'll be hard for me to hit him unless I use a large-area attack. As Shirai Kuroko thought, she scanned the surroundings. The moment she spotted the abandoned building beside them, a plan formed in her mind.

Just as Shirai Kuroko was about to put her plan into action, she was interrupted by a cool female voice.

"Get out of my way."

The two instinctively looked toward the voice and saw a girl with short white hair.

The girl had scarlet-red eyes, snow-white hair, and skin that was somewhat pale, making her look like someone recovering from a serious illness.

She wore a high school sailor uniform, with a pair of slender legs wrapped in black thigh-high socks.

Her expression was cool, a hint of impatience in her eyes. She showed no fear at the scene before her.

"Whew, what a beauty. How about you come have some fun with your big brother?" The instant he saw the white-haired girl, the hedgehog-haired thug developed wicked intentions. The moment his teasing words left his mouth, an enormous shockwave sent him soaring into the air.

After free-falling from dozens of meters in the sky and hitting the ground with a thunderous crash, Shirai Kuroko finally snapped out of her daze and stared at what had happened in disbelief.

When she saw the white-haired girl silently and indifferently walking toward the exit, Shirai Kuroko hurried forward to stop her.

"Thank you for your help, but please come make a statement. That way, the Anti-Skill officers won't come looking for you later. Don't worry, I'll testify that this was self-defense."

"No. What a hassle! Tch! That bee woman really knows how to cause trouble for me!" The white-haired girl clicked her tongue irritably and tugged at the hem of her skirt, seeming deeply resistant to the very act of wearing one.

"Bee woman?" Shirai Kuroko tilted her head in confusion. Though she did not know why the girl before her was so irritable, she still grabbed her and continued persuading her.

"It's precisely so you won't be inconvenienced that I need you to make a statement."

"Ah, this is such a pain! Fine, I get it." The white-haired girl scratched her head irritably and complained, but her steps were not slow as she followed Shirai Kuroko.

"Your name?"

"I... Suzushina Yuriko."