Demonstration and Tension

Chapter 27: Demonstration and Tension

Chris's answer surprised everyone who didn't know about my power. They looked at me in disbelief.

I wasn't too confused by their reaction. All the Floater members and Imelda also reacted the same way when they first learned about it. My power could be considered in the cheater class if thought about thoroughly, but there is a drawback in every advantage. The side effect of using my power is the biggest disadvantage or weakness of my power.

"Chris wouldn't lie in a situation like this." What I said was nothing but the truth, yet they still felt disbelief.

"Then, about the electrical manipulation you have?" Helena asked for confirmation.

"Of course, I wasn't lying about that."

They fell silent once again. I looked at each of their faces to check their expressions. Just like before, they all still seemed not to believe it.

'I think it's not strange for someone to have a copying power like mine. Aren't they exaggerating too much?' That's what I thought. Powers manifest due to their desires or life paths when they make a 'contract' with the Relic. They can wish for a desire like copying when making a contract with the Relic.

When I first held the Relic, my life motto at that time was 'If others can do it, then I can do it too,' and that's what caused me to have this power. 

Looking at Violet, she seemed confused or thinking about something. Whatever she was thinking about, when I looked at her face, I didn't think she doubted what Chris and I said, so I asked her directly.

"Are you thinking about something, Edina?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry." Violet was slightly startled when I asked her. She was indeed thinking about something else.

"Alright, if it's nothing. If you have anything to ask, just ask, okay?" Violet nodded in understanding. I didn't ask her further. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Everyone surely has things they think about.

"Can you show us one of your powers? I think, as you know, we still find it hard to believe what you're saying."

"Sure." Since Chris is here now, I'm not worried about the pain that will strike me.

I searched for a spot slightly away from everyone. I stood and tried to relax myself.

Slowly, a blue-white light flowed and emerged from the tips of my hair. Then it started to appear from my hands, but since I didn't want to use all my power, I tried to hold it back. It's easier to unleash power than to restrain it. When I first used this power, it was easier because I just released electricity around and caused the grass where I stood to burn.

They all could already see it, so I decided to stop. I thought it was enough if I just wanted to show my power. I didn't want to destroy this place. 

After I demonstrated my power, I heard clapping. When I looked at the source of the sound, Violet was clapping with a smile on her face. Was that worth clapping for? I think it could be done by a mid-level person. Even so, I couldn't deny that I was happy she was also happy because of it.

"Was it that good?"

"I rarely see an Esper showing their power, so I'm glad to see it."

That's true. Violet is at the magic school and stays in the dormitory, which makes it hard for her to wander around freely. Once again, I was grateful she seemed happy.

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that."

Helena approached with sparkling eyes. "Sorry for this, but... could you demonstrate the Esper power of one of us? Somehow, I still want to verify it," Helena, growing more interested, asked me to do something I didn't want to do.

The side effects of my power last from thirty minutes to two hours, and the effects accumulate depending on how many times I use it. Even though Chris is here, he can't heal me before the symptoms occur, so if I use my power twice, my body might go into shock as a result.

Seriously, it's very unpleasant. For one-time use, I think I can handle it to some extent. I used to feel it often because I pushed myself. As for the second time or even the third time... I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Now, if I tell them about the side effects, it will limit me in the future. I've decided to tell them about my power, but not about the side effects and its cumulative effects. It's not good to reveal all my weaknesses at once.

"Alright. So, whose power should I copy? Additionally, I can't copy powers that I can't see."

I'm not lying about that, though it is only half the truth and something is missing. Let's leave it like this for now. Maybe I'll deal with it sometime later. 

It seems Chris, Imelda, and Alysha were surprised by my decision this time.

"Nao, you..." Chris, who knows the consequences of using my power consecutively, was also worried about me.

"Don't worry. I'll treat you to something later."

Half of my words were a joke, but it was also my way of trying to calm him down. Chris would lose stamina equivalent to what he healed. Because of that, I want to pay him back later, even if it's just a meal.

Although I answered calmly, my heart couldn't be calm thinking about the consequences later. The last time I used my power twice in a row was when I first arrived at the lab for the initial testing. They forced me to do it because they didn't know about the cumulative side effects of using my power. As a result, I had to lie on the floor in pain for a few minutes before they brought a healer. It was a slightly terrifying memory.

Meanwhile, I just smiled at Alysha and Imelda, who were also concerned about me. You might also be wondering why Imelda knows about my weakness even though she's not a core member. It's because of her basic ability to get what she wants. She got that information from Chris and others. 

Back then, Chris still had trouble reading the situation. Even though Imelda had never seen it directly, she fully believed what Chris and my friends said. Most of the information Imelda got was from Chris.

"In that case, use Chris's Heal like you did with Lulu."

I could guess this after speaking honestly with her, though I hoped you'd ask me to use my healing power first. I understand that this is also my fault for not asking to use my healing power instead of someone else's.

"But since no one is injured here, the effect of that power would be hard to see."

"That's true. In that case..." Helena reached into one of the pockets of her jacket. She took out a small knife and, without any warning, suddenly cut her hand. Not a small cut on the finger but a slash cut on the wrist.

She's gone crazy! I can't believe she did that just to understand my power. That's excessive! Everyone was stunned and couldn't believe what she had done. It was truly something they had never expected.

Helena had slashed her hand right at the blood vessel. Blood was dripping quickly as she bit her lip to endure the pain. Slowly, as if she was about to fall and couldn't maintain her balance, I reflexively caught her. I supported her body with my hands and laid her down on the floor. 

Quickly, I used my skill on her. I had no reason to delay healing her anymore. Even though Chris could also heal her, my body moved on instinct to heal her.

Using my power, the same light as before appeared in my hand, then I placed it on Helena's wound. This scene brought back memories of when I was about to leave Evan. My heart pounded loudly. My mind started to flood with fear. Tears seemed like they could fall at any moment.

"Don't overdo it! Just prick your finger a little or... You didn't have to go this far!" I shouted at her, my panic taking control. 

Although I had only just met her, I couldn't bear the thought of losing someone again right before my eyes. If this happened a second time, I wouldn't be able to face tomorrow. I couldn't even imagine how I would cope the next day. 

I was incredibly worried. I didn't want to witness someone suffer in front of me again. Helena was someone my friends trusted, and I strangely felt a connection with her as well. Besides that, losing her would make everyone here sad. But above all, what weighed heavily on my heart was the fear of seeing someone I cared about get hurt right in front of me. Even unconsciously, tears started to fall slowly from my eyes. 

The light shone for quite a while, and slowly the wound wrapped in that light began to shrink. Helena, who had looked pale before, started to look better. Alysha and Chris turned their faces away, unable to bear seeing my expression, while the others shared the same anxiety for Helena's safety.

At that moment, Helena was still conscious, although she struggled to maintain it. She could see her hand slowly healing and noticed my face, which showed extreme worry. Guilt filled her heart as she realized she truly hadn't expected someone to care so much about her as if they were afraid of losing someone precious. This was the first time she had seen someone genuinely scolding and worrying about her from the depths of their heart.

"I know it's wrong. I'm sorry... My curiosity got the best of me. Once again, I apologize," she said in a faint voice, truly remorseful. She reached out to touch my face, trying to wipe away the tears that were about to fall.

I stayed silent and didn't respond to what Helena said. I couldn't find the strength to open my mouth. I couldn't think of any words to reply to her. 

Slowly, the healing light started to fade. The slash wound that had been open before was now closed as if nothing had happened except for the remnants of the blood that had spilled. It was all over and the tension in the room began to lessen.

Helena managed to stand up, despite the others telling her to stay lying down. She was determined to remain on her feet. Alysha approached Helena with an angry expression on her face. Without warning, she raised her hand and swung it toward Helena, intending to slap her with all her strength. 

As I stood beside Helena, I instinctively caught Alysha's hand. She turned to me, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME!! LET ME SLAP HER ONCE!!" Alysha was without a doubt very angry, as shown by her outburst. She was going to slap Helena with all her strength.

"I understand why you're angry. Calm down! You've held your composure for so long and don't need to do this." I tried to calm Alysha. 

She has very rarely been this angry before. I also felt a bit of hatred in her outburst. Alysha wasn't someone who would hate others, so this made me feel bad because her hatred was for my sake.

I knew she never really showed her true nature. She seemed to cover her real personality with a cheerful one. But this time was different. I could feel her emotions pouring out without trying to hide them as she usually did.

Alysha, aware of my words, was slightly startled and realized what she was doing. She knelt, then sat on the floor as if she had no more energy and started to cry. 

Seeing Alysha cry, Helena also unconsciously started to shed a tear. She truly felt guilty for making me worried and Alysha so angry. Helena herself couldn't even remember the last time she cried, but her tears this time seemed to release everything in her heart.

Helena knelt in front of Alysha and hugged her. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry."

Seeing this, everyone else remained silent. They didn't know what to say or do. Only the sound of Alysha and Helena's sobs could be heard in the silent Student Council room.