Koneko pointed to the pair of soft cat ears on top of her head.
"Don't you think… these are kind of cute?"
Satoru couldn't resist reaching out and gently touching them.
Last time, during the fight, she had stormed off before he even got the chance.
This time, he finally could.
"K-Keep your hands to yourself, Satoru-senpai…"
Koneko's petite body trembled slightly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"And this isn't about being cute," she added in a low voice.
"If my bloodline power activates… there will be serious consequences."
"Serious consequences, huh?"
Satoru thought for a moment, recalling the Nekomata's bloodline issues.
"Ah… are you worried that you'll lose control once it awakens and end up hurting everyone?"
"…Yeah. I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Then you can relax."
Satoru patted his chest confidently. "Even if you go berserk, with your strength, you wouldn't be able to touch me anyway."
Koneko blinked. "Eh?"
Are you seriously trying to comfort me like that…?
Her face darkened, but before she could say anything, Rias, who had overheard the conversation, walked over.
"Koneko, I think Satoru's right."
"You don't need to keep suppressing your bloodline like before. Even if you lose control, it's fine. Satoru and I will bring you back."
"Right, right."
Satoru nodded in agreement.
As a top-tier Nekomata, Koneko's potential was immense.
If she kept suppressing her bloodline, her growth speed would be painfully slow.
And that wouldn't do at all—Satoru still wanted his "profit share."
"Koneko, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. I'll teach you how to use Touki."
"Huh? Satoru-senpai knows Touki?"
Koneko's golden eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Not just her—Rias and the others also looked over curiously.
"I'm not an expert," Satoru said casually. "Just… a little bit."
Just a little bit?
Rias's lips twitched.
Last night, when Sona had asked Satoru if he knew tracking magic, he'd said the same thing—
Then ten minutes later, he'd found Hanami while clearing Curse Spirits.
Thinking of that, Rias's confidence in him grew instantly.
"Koneko," Rias said, "from now on, you'll train under Satoru. Learn Senjutsu and Touki from him."
"…I understand."
After a moment's hesitation, Koneko nodded.
Before, no matter how much Rias persuaded her, she refused to touch her bloodline's power.
But after being thoroughly defeated by Satoru a few days ago, Koneko had finally realized something—
Weakness… was terrifying.
To avoid repeating her past mistakes, she had to step out of that shadow and face her true self.
"Satoru-senpai, I want to learn Senjutsu."
"No problem."
Satoru smiled faintly. "First, try to feel the flow of your life aura. That's the foundation of both Senjutsu and Touki."
"Life aura?"
"It's that flame-like energy inside your body. You'll find it if you concentrate."
"…Satoru-senpai, I think I failed."
After several attempts, Koneko finally realized something terrible—
Having a genius as a teacher wasn't always a good thing.
"Don't rush," Satoru said patiently. "Take it slowly."
Under his guidance, Koneko gradually began to sense it.
As a Nekomata, her innate affinity for spiritual energy was strong.
After a few corrections, she finally grasped the faint warmth flowing within her.
That was her life aura—
The source of all Senjutsu.
Once one could feel it, the rest came naturally.
After several hours of training, Satoru generously demonstrated a few basic Senjutsu techniques he'd developed himself.
"Got all that memorized?"
"I did!"
"Good."
Satoru nodded approvingly. "Now keep practicing these fundamentals. Once you can use them instantly, your foundation will be solid."
"When that time comes, I'll teach you how to use Senjutsu to enhance your potential—so you can keep getting stronger even while lying down."
Koneko's eyes sparkled.
"Satoru-senpai, you're amazing! You can even create new Senjutsu!"
Actually, they weren't that special.
But when he saw the admiration in her eyes, Satoru decided not to crush her enthusiasm.
Encouragement builds confidence, he thought. That's good teaching.
Just then, Rias walked over from the side.
"Satoru, you've got a new request."
Satoru raised an eyebrow. "What is it this time?"
"An esper. I need you to teach him a lesson—make him understand that he's not special just because he has psychic powers."
"An esper? That's rare."
Satoru's eyes gleamed with interest.
Devils had to work, and Satoru Mikami was no exception.
However, as a member of the Gremory household, he had the privilege of choosing his own contracts.
After discussing with Rias, he set his summoning condition to "combat-related requests."
This particular task had been arranged through Rias's contacts with a nearby faction.
Stepping onto the teleportation circle, Satoru entered the coordinates and vanished in a flash of light.
---
He reappeared inside an unfamiliar room.
"You must be the client."
Satoru's gaze fell on a middle-aged man in a suit with a round belly standing not far away.
After a brief exchange, Satoru learned that the man was Principal Kurvine of Black Vinegar Middle School—
and that the place they were in was his office.
"Mr. Mikami," the principal said solemnly, "your target is a student from our school—Teruki Hanazawa."
"Hanazawa is a natural-born esper with extremely powerful psychic abilities."
"But he's been using them to bully other students, forming gangs and disrupting the school's order."
"I hope you can teach him a lesson—show him that there's always someone stronger, and that he's not special."
Satoru tilted his head. "Can I hit him hard?"
The principal gritted his teeth. "As long as you don't kill him or cause permanent injury, do whatever you want!"
Just thinking about how much damage that kid had done to the school's reputation made him furious.
If he hadn't recently learned how to summon devils, he'd still be getting extorted by that brat.
Boom—!
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from outside.
The principal flinched. "W-What was that?! An explosion?"
"Not quite," Satoru said, walking toward the window. "Your target's already fighting."
He peered outside.
On the school's playground stood a golden-haired boy radiating psychic energy—Teruki Hanazawa.
And not far from him was another figure with a bowl-cut and a calm expression.
Satoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So that's why the name sounded familiar… Teruki Hanazawa and Shigeo Kageyama, huh?"
A small smile crossed his lips.
"The natural esper monster himself… Mob."
---
"Hey! Are you planning to stand there all day?"
In the courtyard of Black Vinegar Middle School, Teruki Hanazawa glared at his opponent impatiently.
Shigeo Kageyama shook his head.
"Master told me never to use psychic powers against other humans."
"I've decided to live a normal life… using only my own strength, without relying on psychic powers."
"Hah? Live without psychic powers?!"
A vein popped on Teruki's forehead.
"What kind of joke is that?!"
"We espers are the chosen ones—the most special existence in this world!"
"And you want to lower yourself to mingle with ordinary people?!"
Shigeo remained silent, his calm eyes unwavering.
People who can run fast.
People who can sing beautifully.
People good at studying, or speaking, or fighting—
And people born with psychic powers.
There is no superiority or inferiority between them.
He remembered Reigen Arataka's words clearly.
To Mob, Teruki's arrogance was incomprehensible—
They lived in two entirely different worlds.
Teruki frowned at Shigeo's silence.
"What's with that look in your eyes?"