Harumura Makoto, as a person, was… well, pretty normal in temperament.
He could be kind when the situation called for it, and toward most things, he carried a basic goodwill.
If something was within his ability to help, he wouldn't stand by — he'd lend a hand.
But that didn't make him some saint who handed out kindness indiscriminately. When it came to people, he had his own standard for deciding who was "worth it."
For example — he would never do something stupid like sacrificing the interests of his own family for the sake of some stranger.
That said…
Just like earlier, because of his own past, Makoto had gone against his usual habit and spoken up when Misaki showed that uncharacteristic, cornered expression.
After all, the girl in front of him was anything but ordinary.
She was one of Academy City's seven Level 5 espers — the kind of person whose troubles, if you thought about it for even a second, had to be tangled up in things far deeper than the average person could ever touch.
No matter what it was, it was absolutely not the kind of thing someone like him — a nobody who didn't even qualify as a lab rat in this city — could hope to get involved in.
After years in this place, especially in the murky parts where fish and dragons mixed, he knew exactly how deep the city's waters ran.
And yet… he still couldn't help but ask.
Like he said before — he couldn't quite make himself be completely indifferent.
…
Misaki's account wasn't long. In fact, it was so simple it almost felt like nothing at all.
That nod she'd given him earlier had been on impulse — it didn't mean she was suddenly willing to spill everything.
After all, the man in front of her was just the leader of a small "Ability-User Armed Group" with no real powers.
If he knew the things she was involved in, it would only drag him into a mess that would never end.
But, just as this man had said himself —
Letting things pile up inside would only make the pressure worse. Sometimes talking about it might be a better way to ease the weight than trying to run from it.
Because with her position and identity… even if she wiped her own memories clean, could she really escape?
Impossible.
That was the life of an esper.
"I see. So it really is like that."
Makoto exhaled softly.
He didn't offer her comfort or tell her not to worry — words like that were meaningless here.
Even for someone as small and unimportant as him, there were things every day he couldn't avoid facing.
For someone like Shokuhou Misaki, that was doubly true.
"Then… how about setting it down for now? Sometimes, there are responsibilities we can't avoid — but that doesn't mean we have to carry them every waking moment. Taking a break now and then… isn't such a bad thing."
Normally, at this point — given the mood — a guy might put a hand on her shoulder, maybe push the interaction a little further.
But that only worked for couples, or at least people with some degree of romantic tension between them.
Makoto and Misaki were barely acquaintances.
There was no room for that here.
"Can you really do that?"
Her golden eyes shimmered, the starlight in her pupils dazzling like the night sky itself.
To her, his way of thinking was almost revolutionary.
She was used to carrying everything on her own shoulders, to shouldering every burden herself.
Because of her power, her past, and her very personality…
She had never truly trusted anyone — nor would she even attempt to.
"There's nothing wrong with it. This is exactly what someone in a position of power should do. If you try to handle everything yourself, you'll only crush yourself — even if you are an extraordinary Level 5."
Handling everything alone.
Solving every problem alone.
Refusing all help.
Carrying it all, just by yourself.
It was an atmosphere exactly like the one Makoto himself had once lived in — two years ago.
Only after paying certain prices had he learned better.
"Even if you say that, I can't do it. Unless I use my ability to check someone thoroughly, there's no way I could trust them."
"Because… without a very good reason, you wouldn't pry into someone's mind, right?"
She didn't finish the thought, but Makoto supplied the rest for her.
Her lack of objection was confirmation enough that he was right.
In the original story, every single researcher in Misaki's "Talent Workshop" was under her mental control — their thoughts rewritten.
After all, they had been her enemies — disgusting people who had tried to control her… the kind who would cut open her skull and slice away pieces of her brain to grow an "Exterior."
To someone like her, using her powers to completely control them carried no psychological burden at all.
But did she truly have no one she trusted?
Not exactly.
At the very least, in Tokiwadai, her excellence had drawn a circle of girls to her side — girls who followed her as their queen.
She could give them a sliver of trust.
If only because she knew, for certain, she had never used her ability on them.
But…
"There's no need for complete trust. And if you don't want to use your power… why not try my way? See if you can read people without it."
He wasn't about to lecture her with moral platitudes.
A lot of truths couldn't be understood unless you experienced them yourself. Trying to force someone to change without that experience was pointless.
Especially with teenagers — reject their thinking outright, and you wouldn't convince them. You'd just trigger their rebelliousness.
So instead, he offered her a possible solution.
Something she might accept naturally — even if it meant extra work for him.
"Really?"
Her brows knit slightly — a reaction to his words being more unexpected than she'd thought.
"Well… some people get the knack quickly. Others never manage it in their entire lives. The question is… which kind of person is Shokuhou Misaki?"
Makoto's lips curled into a crooked smile, his tone openly provocative.