Chapter 20: Self-Repair

“Again.”

I exhaled slowly, pressing the cold plastic of the controller more firmly into my palm.

We were in a place where only students breaking rules would be at this hour.

“Remind me why we’re here again?” I asked, glancing around nervously. “We could get in trouble.”

Misaki didn’t even look concerned.

“I mean, we can test things on them,” she said casually. “And they won’t report us, because they’d get in trouble too. So it’s perfect.”

She waved a hand dismissively.

“And don’t worry about supervisors. Worst case scenario, I just adjust their memories.”

“…If you say so.”

I still wasn’t convinced.

But at this point, there wasn’t much point arguing.

“Don’t just stand there,” she added. “I said again. We don’t have all night.”

Right.

“And we’re aiming for control without hesitation,” she continued. “Face-to-face, forcing someone to do something they actively resist is still too much for you right now. But if they’re distracted—if their mind isn’t focused—you should have near a hundred percent success rate.”

Got it.

I took a breath.

Focused.

I reached toward Misaki’s AIM field, aligning with it, replicating the pattern as best as I could.

Then I shifted my attention to another student nearby.

“…Sit.”

The word left my mouth before I could really thing about it.

The girl froze.

Ten seconds.

Then, slowly—

She sat.

“…Mirai.”

I winced slightly.

“I already told you,” Misaki said, voice flat. “You’re asking. Not controlling.”

“I know, but—”

“No,” she cut in. “You’re giving an order and hoping it sticks.”

She stepped closer.

“Think of it like this: you’re not telling someone to fall—you’re pushing them.”

“…I’ve tried that,” I muttered. “I can imagine it, but it doesn’t translate.”

“Then try again.”

“Again.”

Ugh.

If I could just see how she does it—

Not imagine.

Actually understand it.

…Wait.

I turned back to her suddenly.

“Misaki.”

She flinched slightly.

“Ah—don’t do that!” she snapped. “You scared me.”

…That was kind of cute.

Focus.

“I think I have an idea,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes.

“Oh? Do share. I’m starting to regret skipping sleep for this.”

Right. No pressure.

“It’s simple,” I said. “You use your ability on someone.”

She didn’t interrupt.

“I watch your AIM field closely,” I continued, “and then—after—you transfer me the memory of what you felt in that exact moment.”

A small pause.

“I combine both.”

Her expression shifted.

Just slightly.

“That should give me a clearer reference,” I added. “Even if it’s not perfect… it should help.”

“…Huh.”

She crossed her arms.

“That’s actually not terrible.”

High praise.

“It’s worth trying,” she said. “If it speeds things up, I might even get some sleep tonight.”

“Hey, I’m trying here.”

“Try faster.”

“…You’re annoying.”

“Effective.”

She looked around for a second, then pointed.

“There. That one.”

Another student walking alone, not paying attention to anything.

Perfect.

“Watch carefully,” Misaki said.

“I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

“…Just do it already.”

She lifted her controller.

No buildup.

“Stop.”

The girl froze mid-step.

Instant.

That was way too clean.

“Turn around,” Misaki added.

The girl turned immediately, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

No delay.

“…That’s not what I’m doing,” I said.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

I blinked.

…Yeah, she was definitely running low on patience since we started. Lack of sleep, probably.

I decided not to comment on it.

I focused harder this time.

Her AIM field…

“…You’re not forcing it,” I said.

“Good,” she replied. “Keep going.”

“It’s like… they just go along with it,” I added.

“Good.”

She dropped the control.

The girl blinked and just walked away like nothing happened.

“…Alright,” Misaki said. “Time for your idea.”

“Yeah.”

She stepped closer.

“Don’t resist.”

“I won’t.”

She aimed at my head.

And suddenly—

I got it.

Just the moment.

The feeling.

There was no struggle.

Because she didn’t treat it like one.

She didn’t push.

She just made it happen.

“…That’s so unfair.”

“Skill issue.”

I looked at the controller again.

Then at another student.

“…Again.”

Misaki smirked.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

I focused.

I tried to follow that same feeling.

Not forcing it.

“…Stop.”

The girl froze.

Right away.

I blinked.

“…Oh.”

“Better,” Misaki said.

Yeah.

That felt different.

The girl stayed still for a couple more seconds before I let go.

She blinked, looked around confused, then just walked off.

“…Again?” I asked.

Misaki stared at me for a moment.

Then sighed.

“No.”

That surprised me.

“You’re getting it,” she said. “Not fast, but fast enough.”

High praise. Again.

She turned around, already walking away.

“I’m going to sleep,” she added. “If you wake me up for something stupid, I will make you regret it.”

“Noted.”

She stopped for a second.

“…And Mirai.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t overdo it.”

I blinked.

“…You too.”

She didn’t answer.

Just waved her hand and kept walking.

Yeah.

She was definitely tired.

---

I found her near the vending machines.

Of course I did.

Was this the famous cursed vending machine? The one that eats your money no matter what.

Misaka Mikoto was leaning against it, a can in her hand, looking like she had been there for a while.

She noticed me immediately.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

A short pause.

“You look better,” she said.

“I am.”

Mostly.

“Want a drink? Just warning you, this vending machine has a secret to it. Want me to show you?”

Wow, an opportunity to see her do the famous kick.

No.

Focus.

“Actually,” I said. “I need your help.”

Her eyebrow went up slightly.

“…That was fast.”

“No point wasting time.”

She watched me for a second.

Just… thinking.

“With what?” she asked.

“Electricity,” I said. “Control.”

Another pause.

“…Why me?” she asked.

“You already saw how I use it,” I said. “Or try to.”

“That wasn’t exactly convincing.”

“I know.”

I shrugged.

“You’re the best option.”

She rolled her eyes slightly.

“Flattery won’t help you.”

“Wasn’t flattery.”

That made her pause.

“…You’re serious.”

“Yeah.”

She exhaled, then crushed the can slightly in her hand.

“…Fine.”

That was easier than expected.

“You’re not even going to argue?” I asked.

“I’m curious,” she said.

Then she hesitated.

“I mean, I’ve been curious about unusual powers recently. There’s this person I’ve been trying to beat, but their ability makes no sense. Anyway… you’ve got that same kind of ‘this shouldn’t work’ thing going on.”

She’s definitely talking about Touma, isn’t she?

“Come on,” she said, pushing herself off the vending machine.

“Let’s see what you can actually do.”

I followed.

---

We didn’t go far.

Just one of the open training areas.

Safe enough.

She turned to face me.

“Show me,” she said.

I nodded and focused.

I reached for that familiar pattern again, aligning with it the same way I had the day before.

A small spark formed around my fingers.

It was weak, unstable—but it was there.

Mikoto watched closely.

She stepped back a bit.

“Alright,” she said. “First rule.”

I waited.

“Don’t try to match me.”

That wasn’t what I expected.

“You’re not me,” she continued. “If you try to copy everything exactly, you’ll just mess it up.”

“…Makes sense.”

“Second,” she added.

A small spark snapped between her fingers, effortless.

“Control first. Power later.”

Then she pointed at me.

“Don’t move.”

A bolt shot toward me.

Fast.

I reacted on instinct and tried to redirect it.

Barely worked.

It hit the ground behind me with a sharp crack.

“Too slow,” she said.

“I moved it.”

“Not good enough.”

Another bolt came, faster this time.

I tried again.

Too late.

It grazed my arm.

Pain shot through it, sharp and quick.

I clenched my jaw.

“…Again.” I said

She smirked slightly.

“Good.”

---

By the time we stopped, my arms felt heavier than they should’ve.

The kind that builds up without you noticing until you stop moving.

I exhaled slowly, shaking my hand a bit.

“…Okay,” I said. “That’s enough.”

Mikoto didn’t answer right away.

She was still looking at me.

“…You got better,” she said.

I blinked.

“That sounded almost like a compliment.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

She crossed her arms.

“But yeah,” she continued. “You’re not as stiff as before.”

“I’ll take that.”

“You’re still slow,” she added.

“Of course.”

“And your control’s all over the place.”

“Working on it.”

She nodded slightly.

“…But it’s better.”

I flexed my fingers, watching the faint spark flicker and disappear.

“…It feels better too,” I admitted. “Less… messy.”

“You’re not fighting it as much,” she replied. “Before, it felt like you were forcing everything.”

That sounded about right.

“Now?” I asked.

She shrugged.

“Now it actually looks like you know what you’re doing.”

She turned slightly, stretching her arm.

“Still weird, though,” she added.

“How so?”

“I mean,” she said. “The way you switch things—it doesn’t follow any logic.”

“…Yeah.”

A short silence settled between us.

“…Same time tomorrow?” I asked.

She glanced at me.

Then looked away.

“…Yeah,” she said. “If I’m free.”

That was basically a yes.

“Thanks,” I said.

She waved it off.

“Don’t mention it.”

Then she started walking off.

“Try not to fry yourself before then,” she added.

“I’ll do my best.”

I watched her go for a second.

Then looked down at my hand again.

Yeah.

That definitely helped.

---

I stayed there for a bit after she left.

Not really thinking about anything in particular.

Just… replaying what we did.

I looked down at my hand again.

A faint spark flickered for a second, then disappeared.

“…One more try,” I muttered.

There was no reason to stop now.

My body was tired, yeah. But not enough to stop me.

I stepped further into the training area, making sure no one was around.

Empty.

Good.

I focused.

Not rushing it this time.

Following what Mikoto said.

Control first.

I reached for the pattern again.

Electricity gathered around my fingers.

Stronger than before.

“Okay…”

So far, so good.

I tried pushing it further.

More output.

More compression.

The spark grew into a small arc, snapping softly between my fingers.

Then I tried shaping it.

Guiding it outward.

That’s where it went wrong.

The control slipped.

The arc jumped.

Not forward.

Back.

Pain hit instantly.

Sharp, violent, shooting through my arm and into my shoulder.

“—gh!”

I lost focus.

Everything collapsed at once.

The backlash threw me off balance.

My foot slipped.

I hit the ground hard.

For a second, I just stayed there.

Trying to breathe.

My arm wouldn’t move properly.

“…That was stupid,” I muttered.

I tried pushing myself up.

Bad idea.

Pain flared again, worse this time.

Something shifted inside my arm.

I let myself fall back down.

Just for a second.

Then—

It started as warmth.

Deep.

Not on the surface.

Inside.

My muscles tightened slightly.

Then relaxed.

Then tightened again.

I flexed my fingers.

Slowly.

Carefully.

They moved.

Better than they should’ve.

“…I know my healing is better than others, but this is getting strange,” I muttered. “At this point, even I know this isn’t part of my esper ability.”

I stopped and tried to think.

How was this even happening?

A few minutes passed.

Then I felt it.

A presence.

I looked up.

Someone was standing at the edge of the training area.

I hadn’t heard them arrive.

Tall.

Calm.

Watching me.

I recognized her immediately.

I used to think she was hot when I watched the anime.

Kanzaki Kaori.

“Did you see someone suspicious around here?” she asked.

“No? There was only me here.”

She stepped closer.

Then her expression changed immediately.

“…Who are you,” she said, “and what are you doing dressed as a student?”

“I—uh—I am a student.”

She frowned.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” she said coldly. “I can feel magic emanating from your body. Explain yourself. Now.”

She placed a hand on her sword.

“Magic…?” I said out loud. “But how? Isn’t it supposed to be impossible to use magic if you’re an esper?”

She froze for a split second.

“Esper?” she repeated. “What do you mean?”

“…You’re saying you can use esper abilities?”

“Yeah,” I said, lifting my hand slightly.

A small spark of electricity flickered into existence.

She stared at it.

“…That’s not magic,” she said quietly, lowering her guard just a bit. “That’s definitely not magic.”

Then her eyes narrowed again.

“But the magic is still there,” she added. “And the fact that you accepted it so easily makes this even worse.”

I opened my mouth to respond—

And then—

“Ouch.”

Pain flared again through my arm.

Not as bad as before.

But the warmth still came back almost immediately.

Kanzaki’s eyes sharpened.

“There,” she said. “There it is. You’re using magic again.”

I froze.

And then—

It clicked.

My healing.

The thing I’d always had.

The thing that put me in this situation in the first place

It wasn’t an esper ability.

…Of course it wasn’t.

It was magic.