"Oh, Onee-sama (Elder Sister), listen to me, Onee-sama..."
Inside the room, Haruue Erii listened to Shirai Kuroko's voice from outside, and with a worried expression, she asked Saten Ruiko, who was sitting beside her:
"Are they okay?"
"We probably don't need to worry about those two... They are Academy City's proud espers and great ability users."
At this point, a hint of loss flashed in Saten Ruiko's eyes, and she continued:
"Even if we went... right...?"
Haruue Erii's face showed a worried expression after hearing Saten Ruiko's words.
"Saten-san..."
"Oh, right, Haruue, if we used the Level Upper, would we really raise our level?"
Saten Ruiko looked in the direction Misaka Mikoto and the other had left, and said faintly.
Haruue Erii thought for a moment after hearing her, then said:
"Who knows..."
Haruue Erii seemed to have thought of something, and she held up a finger, saying earnestly:
"But cheating isn't right!"
Saten Ruiko's face immediately turned red upon hearing this, and she quickly said:
"I said 'if,' didn't I! Don't worry, I wouldn't think of something like that."
"Not even 'if,' Ruiko!"
Suddenly, a male voice entered their ears, startling both of them, and they quickly turned their heads to look behind them.
They saw Zhong Chen holding a leibi in one hand, and with the other hand, he leaned against the window, propping up his cheek, looking at them with a smile.
"Eh eh eh!!! Teacher Zhong Chen, how did you get in?!"
"Teacher Zhong Chen!"
Looking at the two girls' startled expressions, Zhong Chen had a brilliant smile on his face.
He greeted them as if nothing was wrong.
"Yo! Ruiko, Haruue!"
Saten Ruiko was not fooled by Zhong Chen's feigned casualness.
She quickly stood up and went to Zhong Chen, grabbing his shoulders with both hands, shaking him while shouting loudly:
"'Yo' my foot! How on earth did you get in here! Don't you know this is a girl's room?!"
"Eh eh eh! Ruiko, stop shaking me, I'll tell you."
Zhong Chen looked at the girl in front of him, and with a helpless expression, he grabbed her small hand, loudly stopping her actions.
"Eh! How bold!"
Haruue Erii, who was standing by, saw Saten Ruiko's small hand being held by Zhong Chen, and she immediately covered her blushing face, looking shy.
But she left a gap around her eyes.
Seeing this, Zhong Chen quickly released her small hand, coughed twice, and then explained to the blushing girl in front of him:
"Cough cough... It wasn't intentional, Ruiko, don't mind it."
"Mm..."
Saten Ruiko lowered her flushed face and softly hummed in response.
"Getting back to the point, I came here suddenly today because I have something to tell you, Ruiko."
"Eh, me?"
Hearing that Zhong Chen had something to discuss with her, the blush on her face instantly disappeared, and instead, she looked at Zhong Chen with a serious expression.
"Yes, Ruiko, are you thinking of using the Level Upper?"
Hearing Zhong Chen speak her thoughts with a single sentence, the normally cheerful girl lowered her head in shame.
"I..."
"Saten-san..."
Haruue Erii looked at the downcast Saten Ruiko with a worried expression.
And Zhong Chen said to the girl in front of him with a smile:
"Why lower your head? I don't think it's wrong for you to pursue power."
Saten Ruiko, who was deep in self-reproach, heard Zhong Chen's gentle words and immediately looked up in disbelief.
"Eh? Teacher Zhong Chen, aren't you going to scold me?"
"Scold you for what? This is your own choice. No matter what you choose, no one else has the right to judge you."
"After all, there's a saying: 'The well-fed don't know the hunger of the starving!'"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Saten Ruiko, who had been feeling heavy-hearted, suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"Hehe, I knew Teacher Zhong Chen was different from others."
"Don't worry, Teacher Zhong Chen, I've already decided to give up."
"If having this power would make my friends worry, then this power isn't worth having!"
Zhong Chen looked at Saten Ruiko, who had returned to her optimistic and cheerful self, and nodded in appreciation.
Then, he showed a teasing smile and said to Saten Ruiko:
"Actually, you already have a treasure that's countless times stronger than the Level Upper, but you haven't paid attention to it."
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Saten Ruiko sniffed around with a puzzled expression, and after finding nothing unusual, she asked:
"I have such a treasure?"
"Do you remember the parchment I gave you?"
Saten Ruiko turned around and rummaged through her person, then turned back, holding the parchment, and asked:
"Are you talking about this one?"
Ruiko, would you dare tell me where you put the parchment?
Why does it have a faint fragrance?
"Yes, this one. Didn't you just ask me how I got in?"
"It's magic!"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Saten Ruiko and Haruue Erii both exclaimed in unison, with incredulous expressions:
"Magic! * 2"
"Um... Teacher Zhong Chen, does magic really exist in this world?"
Haruue Erii asked cautiously. It wasn't that she didn't believe in magic; this was Academy City, after all, where pure technology was the game. The education she had always received was to believe in science. Now, you're telling her that magic exists in this world?
And Saten Ruiko, though not entirely convinced either, had a hint of anticipation in her heart.
"Magic certainly exists; it's just that you don't know about it."
"Ruiko, put your hand on the parchment."
"Oh."
Saten Ruiko obediently placed her right hand on the parchment. Just then, the parchment suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light.
The golden light made both girls involuntarily squint their eyes.
"Buzz!"
A red magic circle, composed of intricate magical patterns, slowly formed behind Saten Ruiko.
"This, this, this... a magic circle? It actually exists? It's really not a holographic projection, is it?"
Haruue Erii excitedly extended her right hand, pointing at the magic circle behind Saten Ruiko.
"This is a magic circle, it's so amazing!"
Saten Ruiko looked back at the intricate magic circle behind her with a curious expression.
"You'll feel even more amazing in a moment."
As Zhong Chen's words fell.
A pair of white wings, composed of energy, suddenly appeared behind Saten Ruiko.
They lifted her, floating in mid-air in the room.
White energy feathers continuously fell throughout the room.
"Wow, Saten-san has become an angel!!!"
No sooner had Haruue Erii finished speaking than the magic circle and angel wings behind Saten Ruiko instantly vanished.
"Eh eh eh!"
"Thud..."
"It hurts!"
Saten Ruiko reached back to rub her sore bottom, looking at Zhong Chen, who was laughing heartily, with a wronged expression.
"Hahahahaha!!! The angel crashed!"
"No... Teacher Zhong Chen, you absolutely did that on purpose!"
"Hehe, Ruiko, how can you gain power without paying a price?"
Zhong Chen looked at the girl in front of him, without a hint of disagreement on his face.
"Um, Teacher Zhong Chen, has Saten-san become an angel?"
Haruue Erii, having recovered from her shock, looked at Saten Ruiko with a stunned expression and asked Zhong Chen.
"Yes, the parchment I gave Ruiko actually contains a magic cultivation manual and a Seed of an Angel."
"This parchment will only activate automatically when Ruiko is in mortal danger or has a strong desire."
A brief explanation here: The Seed of an Angel was kindly provided by a certain God who became a two-dimensional otaku.
"If that's the case, then why did Teacher Zhong Chen suddenly come today?"
"Yes, Teacher Zhong Chen!"
Hearing the two girls' questions, Zhong Chen looked at the scenery outside the window and spoke with feigned sadness:
"I'm leaving... My country is about to go to war, and I need to go back and defend it..."