Misaki puffed out her chest slightly, her gaze tinged with anticipation. But seeing her like that, Su Mo could only shake his head.
"Let's not," he said flatly. "If one of the other teachers sees us, I'll probably be mistaken for some pervert preying on his students. Especially considering the 'target' is a middle schooler… I don't want to be labeled a lolicon."
No matter what, he was still a teacher—and had some professional ethics.
Hearing this, Misaki Shokuhou pouted in obvious dissatisfaction. "I'm so not a loli anymore! Besides, I'm nothing like I was a year ago!"
As she said this, she gave her chest a little bounce—those slime-like assets made a statement all their own.
Truth be told, her current figure was far beyond what one expected from a middle school student. Even many high schoolers couldn't compare.
Su Mo couldn't help but give the golden-haired girl in front of him a rather curious look. Noticing his gaze, Misaki stood even straighter, pride practically radiating off her as she beamed with confidence.
After a few seconds, Su Mo finally asked, "I've been wondering for a while—how exactly did you go from what you were last year… to this? Don't tell me the rumors are true, and you used your ability to manipulate your hormone levels?"
He looked genuinely intrigued.
When they first met a year ago, Misaki had been as flat as an ironing board—arguably even flatter than Misaka Mikoto. It had been so tragic, it almost brought tears to the eyes.
Yet in just one year, she had somehow transformed from a total washboard into someone this… developed. The speed of her growth bordered on the miraculous.
Su Mo had long suspected that she'd tampered with her hormone production using her mental manipulation powers.
After all, her Level 5 ability, Mental Out, wasn't just some vague psychic skill. It operated on the brain's fluids, chemical signals, and neurotransmitters—it was more scientific than mystical.
"…Uhh…" Misaki's confident smile instantly froze. "Su Mo-sensei, isn't it kind of bad manners to dig into a girl's secrets?"
Her eyes darted to the side as she quickly tried to change the subject.
Su Mo sighed and gently rapped her on the head with his knuckles. "I'm not criticizing you," he said. "I've never had a problem with people using their powers to improve themselves. But if you have time to fine-tune your figure, maybe focus a bit more on your stamina too. I don't want to catch you skipping gym class again."
Misaki had incredible talent when it came to controlling her ability. Mental Out—with its toolkit of mind reading, memory erasure, hallucinations, telepathy, and more—was like the Swiss Army knife of powers. Just mastering it was a feat.
And yet, when it came to physical endurance, she was utterly hopeless.
She would be winded after a hundred-meter dash, standing there panting like she'd just run a marathon. If the world used the Fate universe's Servant stat system, her Endurance would've been classified as EX—because her stamina was too low to measure.
Because of that, she almost never attended PE. She used Mental Out to skip gym class so many times, it had become routine.
Su Mo had warned her more than once: you couldn't always rely on powers. In a city like Academy City, filled with anti-esper technology and ability-specific weapons, being physically weak could get you killed—Level 5 or not.
Misaki, however, just muttered, "But it's cuter when girls are delicate and soft. I don't want to end up like that musclehead Misaka Mikoto…"
Su Mo's mouth twitched. The friction between Misaki and Mikoto was nothing new, so he decided not to push the issue further.
But just then, a cold voice came from the doorway.
"Misaki Shokuhou…"
Misaka Mikoto had been about to knock when she overheard Misaki badmouthing her. Her face darkened.
"You've got some nerve, talking trash about me behind my back—and to a teacher, no less!"
Her face burned with anger. If this was what she heard just by chance, how many times had Misaki slandered her when she wasn't around?
To Mikoto, tattling or gossiping was the ultimate sin.
"…Ah, Misaka-san," Misaki replied without missing a beat, caught red-handed but entirely unflustered. "Eavesdropping is hardly proper behavior for a model student."
She even had the audacity to scold her, flipping the situation around like a pro.
Then, from her bag, she pulled out her signature remote.
"Looks like it'd be better if you just forgot this little incident," she said sweetly, pressing the button to activate Mental Out.
A pulse of psychic power surged forth—but then a spark crackled.
A visible jolt of electricity flickered near Mikoto's forehead.
Misaki's manipulation had been blocked.
"Tch. I figured as much…" Misaki said, disappointed.
For some reason, her ability had never worked on Mikoto. Every attempt was neutralized by the electric fields that surrounded her subconsciously.
Not once had she succeeded in overriding her mind.
It was one of the key reasons why the two of them were always butting heads.
And Mikoto? Seeing Misaki dare to try that memory-wiping trick on her—even if it didn't work—sent her into a rage.
Electricity crackled between the strands of her hair, blue and white arcs dancing along her bangs.
"You little—today, I'm not letting you off the hook!"
The moment she spoke, she summoned her signature Railgun move—an electric spear fired with near light-speed force.
Frankly speaking, once you encountered it, dodging was nearly impossible.
This time, Misaka Mikoto had even fine-tuned the power output of her Railgun. She was determined to zap the scheming girl in front of her until she twitched like a fried frog.
But even as she stared down the barrel of that crackling attack, Shokuhou Misaki remained composed and completely unafraid.
"Oh my, unleashing your ability in a teacher's office? Misaka-san, you're quite bold," she remarked nonchalantly, gently tapping her lips in mock surprise.
"You're in no position to talk! Who was the one who used her ability first?!" Misaka snapped back, her frustration barely contained.
And truth be told, she did regret it a little. Unlike Shokuhou, she had always been the rule-abiding, respectful student type who revered her teachers and followed school regulations. Using her power in a teacher's office was clearly against Tokiwadai's rules.
Thankfully, her attack shouldn't have harmed Mr. Su Mo. Even if it had brushed past him, he likely wouldn't have been hurt.
And the reason?
"You two, enough!" Su Mo's voice finally rang out.
Without even looking up, he waved his hand toward the Railgun's arc of lightning—and the powerful spear of electricity dispersed into nothingness like smoke in the wind.
After all, the man before them was none other than Su Mo—the third-ranked Level 5 esper in Academy City, a master of gravitational manipulation.
"This time I'll let you two off the hook. But if either of you breaks school rules again, I'll report you to the dorm matron."
That warning sent a chill down Misaka's spine.
"Eek! Please don't!" she pleaded immediately, bowing in surrender.
The dorm matron at their residence might be a Level 0, but her strictness and frighteningly adept martial arts skills had earned her the dreaded nickname among the girls: the Hidden Level 6. Every girl who had ever dared to sneak back late had suffered her terrifying wrath—including Misaka herself. Despite being a Level 5, she still held deep respect (and fear) for that woman.
Meanwhile, Shokuhou Misaki had a completely different reaction.
"If Mr. Su Mo tells the dorm matron, I'll have nowhere to live," she said, putting on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression. "Surely, as my teacher, you wouldn't let your poor student sleep out on the street, would you?"
She looked at him with mock sincerity. "Shouldn't you take me in, give me a warm home?"
Before Su Mo could even react, Misaka had already exploded.
"No way! I don't care what the reason is, Su Mo-sensei is still a man! Even if he's a teacher, that kind of behavior is absolutely out of bounds!"
Even if they were just middle schoolers, some lines must never be crossed.
Shokuhou gave her an icy glance. "This is between me and Mr. Su Mo. It doesn't concern you, does it?"
"Actually, I think when it comes to preserving the school's moral atmosphere, it's perfectly appropriate for me to step in," Misaka replied firmly.
The two girls squared off, their gazes locking in a silent clash of wills, as if sparks were flying between them.
Just then—
Ding-ling-ling~
The music chime from the corridor broke the tension.
Misaka's expression changed instantly as she remembered the reason she had come in the first place. "Ah! I came to remind Su Mo-sensei that it's time for class!"
She shot a glare at Shokuhou. If not for this schemer, she wouldn't have been distracted and nearly forgotten her original purpose.
"Class already, huh?" Su Mo said, only now remembering.
But he remained relaxed. "Well, if we're being honest, most students would be thrilled if the teacher showed up late. Let them enjoy the break a bit longer."
"...Yeah, I guess that's true most of the time," Misaka admitted, nodding. "But Su Mo-sensei's classes are different. The students actually love them. That's why they sent me to fetch you."
Su Mo's classes were especially popular. At an all-girls school like Tokiwadai, male teachers were a rare sight. Add to that his good looks and Level 5 status, and it wasn't hard to see why he was so well-liked.