"I've… sort of developed it. But not fully," she admitted sheepishly.
Misaka Mikoto spoke up, her tone a little uneasy. The developmental path Su Mo had laid out did seem very logical, but her progress over the past month had been far from ideal. She felt embarrassed to admit it aloud.
Su Mo, upon hearing her vague response, was momentarily speechless. That kind of answer—where had she even picked it up? It was the sort that said everything and nothing at once. After a brief pause, he asked more directly, "Can you generate visible light now?"
"I can," Mikoto nodded quickly, "but only a little."
"Try showing it to us," Su Mo said with interest. Electromagnetism, after all, was one of the four fundamental forces of nature and had immense potential—on par with his own ability, [Gravitational Manipulation]. While his main focus had always been gravity, he had conducted substantial research into electromagnetism as well, albeit mostly for theoretical understanding rather than combat.
Things had changed since entering the Mist Space and synchronizing with his other selves from different worlds. Thanks to the [Lord of the Sky] authority, he could now fully control and generate lightning at will—perhaps even more effectively than Mikoto, the so-called Railgun. For him, electromagnetism was no longer just an academic interest; it had become a weapon he could wield effortlessly. While his counterparts in other worlds leaned toward treating lightning as a magical force, Su Mo in the Toaru world chose to approach it from a scientific angle, believing that method would allow him to maximize its potential.
That said, it made little difference. Whether the power came from the magic side or the science side, he could wield both seamlessly. After all, the powers developed in Academy City—scientific as they appeared—were not far removed from magic in nature. The entire city's system was built around using scientific principles to channel what were essentially supernatural abilities. It was tried, tested, and safe.
With a soft "Mm," Mikoto extended her right hand in front of her. Following Su Mo's instructions, she began her demonstration. A crackle of blue-white electricity flashed into existence, dancing in her palm—then suddenly vanished. Her finger seemed empty, but Su Mo could sense subtle fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. The frequency was rising.
A few seconds later, a small red light began to flicker at her fingertip. Unlike her usual electrical discharges, this was unmistakably visible red light—part of the electromagnetic spectrum she'd rarely manipulated. As the frequency climbed, the color of the light shifted gradually toward orange. She tried pushing it further, aiming for yellow, but failed after several attempts.
"I… this is as far as I can manage right now," she said apologetically.
Beyond orange lay green, blue, indigo, violet, and even ultraviolet—but those required even higher frequencies. Her current level of development simply couldn't reach that yet. She had done her best to push as far as she could.
After she finished, Mikoto glanced anxiously at Su Mo, fearing she might be scolded or criticized. She respected him deeply when it came to ability development and didn't want to disappoint him. But to her surprise—
"Not bad," Su Mo said calmly.
Mikoto blinked in shock and lifted her head, surprised.
"Getting this far in just one month is impressive," he continued with a nod. "Increasing the frequency to produce visible light isn't too difficult in itself—what's challenging is controlling the brightness and directionality of that light. You did a great job on that front."
He went on. "This application isn't just for illumination. Light can also be weaponized. Used correctly, it can function like a flashbang, blinding enemies before they even realize what's happening. High-frequency variants like lasers could also be developed, though their destructive power may not necessarily surpass that of your lightning."
Mikoto was already sweating a little at this point. "Su Mo-sensei… we're students, not terrorists," she muttered under her breath. "I don't think I'll ever really need things like flashbangs or lasers..."
She enjoyed a good fight, sure—but there was a world of difference between a schoolyard duel and real combat. And even as a middle schooler, she could tell: the battle tactics Su Mo talked about were not for show. They were practical, highly efficient, and often lethal. For someone her age, they were… a bit much.
"These methods are way too intense for peacetime," she insisted.
Su Mo didn't argue. He simply gave her a cryptic smile. "Peacetime… is it?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't dwell on the topic, just gave a small shake of the head. "In any case, self-defense techniques are always worth learning," he said with a steady gaze. "You never know which will come first—an accident or tomorrow."
Once Mikoto finished her demonstration, Su Mo let her take her seat and scanned the room before continuing his lecture.
"Misaka's progress is commendable, but it shouldn't lead to complacency," he addressed the class. "When it comes to ability development, the possibilities are practically infinite. Using electromagnetic force to generate visible light might seem impressive, but it's only the tip of the iceberg."
He turned to the whiteboard. "According to the Yang-Mills gauge field theory, the electromagnetic force and weak nuclear force have already been unified into what we call the electroweak interaction. While we've yet to unify the strong nuclear force and gravity, theoretical physics is still miles ahead of what we can currently apply."
"Even someone like Misaka—who's already a Level 5—still has mountains to climb. For instance, by using electromagnetic manipulation to interfere with weak nuclear interactions, you could theoretically induce beta decay."
He paused for effect. "And if you can do that… then generating positrons becomes possible."
"If you can generate positrons in large quantities, you could build an antimatter-core reactor—or even positron cannons. These would be inventions that could change the world."
"And all of these are tied to your powers," Su Mo said, letting the words hang in the air. "So don't slack off. The future of humanity… rests on your shoulders."
A moment of silence followed his speech. The students took a few seconds to process what they'd just heard—then the entire auditorium erupted into applause. For many of these elite students from Tokiwadai, it was the first time they'd realized just how great their potential truly was.
Even if they didn't fully understand all of Su Mo's scientific jargon, the weight of his words had sunk in.
The students might not have fully grasped the scientific theories or complex concepts that Su Mo was explaining, but that didn't stop them from feeling his passion. In fact, their admiration for him only deepened, and their enthusiasm for developing their own esper abilities was clearly reignited.
Seeing that shift in the room, Su Mo gave a satisfied nod. Passion was something that couldn't be forced. No matter how much you tried to push someone, if they lacked the drive, results would always fall short. But if these girls could be inspired to take initiative themselves, then their potential could truly bloom.
Sure, due to the restrictions of their Personal Reality and developmental metrics, some of them might never surpass their current Level 3 classification. But that wasn't the end of the world. If a Level 3 could refine and master their powers to the point that they could rival a Level 4, then in practical terms, what difference did the official ranking even make?
Achieving that would certainly take immense effort, far more than someone with natural talent would require to level up. But it was faster than waiting on innate potential to blossom. And the payoff was real.
Outside the lecture hall, the principal and board members of Tokiwadai Middle School had been observing the class. The board members exchanged looks of approval, clearly impressed with what they had seen.
"No wonder you insisted on bringing him in, even against everyone else's objections," one of the board members said, glancing at the principal. "He's absolutely worth every yen."
"Haha, this year we've definitely outmaneuvered the other elite schools," another chimed in. "With him on staff, our school is a lock for the top spot in the Daihasei Festival!"
Laughter and confidence filled the room. For them, hiring Su Mo had already paid off. More importantly, he was a unique asset—no other school had someone like him. In the upcoming inter-school rankings, they were determined to take first place.