Chapter 15: Roy's Guidance - Leaving Judgment to Adults

"Hey, isn't it about time you made a move?"

On the plaza of Black Vinegar Middle School, Teruki Hanazawa glared at his opponent with evident frustration.

Shigeo Kageyama shook his head in refusal. "My master said we can't use psychic powers to attack humans."

"Besides, I've already decided to live a normal life relying solely on my own strength, without psychic powers."

"Huh? Live without psychic powers?!"

Teruki Hanazawa's anger flared, a tic mark popping up on his forehead. "Are you kidding me?!"

"We're psychics—the most exceptional beings in this world!"

"Have you lost your mind, stooping so low as to live like those ordinary people?!"

Shigeo Kageyama: "…"

Watching Teruki Hanazawa strut about arrogantly nearby, spouting his psychic superiority rhetoric, Shigeo fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

People who run fast, sing well, excel in academics, speak eloquently, or wield psychic powers—there's no hierarchy among them.

Shigeo Kageyama, who always held Reigen Arataka's teachings close to heart, felt at that moment as though he and Teruki belonged to entirely different worlds.

With his way of thinking, he couldn't fathom why Teruki would look down on ordinary people just because he had psychic abilities.

"What's with that look in your eyes?"

Teruki, mid-sentence, paused abruptly, catching Shigeo's expression.

"…I just think you might be worse than I imagined."

"Huh? Are you trying to piss me off?!"

A sharp crack sounded as the thread of reason snapped.

Teruki raised his hand, telekinesis surging powerfully around him.

In the next instant, a barrage of pebbles lifted from the ground and hurtled toward Shigeo at breakneck speed.

Seeing this, Shigeo raised his hand to erect a protective barrier, ready to deflect the attack.

But just then, a figure stepped in front of him.

"Playtime's over, don't you think?"

A vivid red burst of demonic power flared from Roy, swallowing the incoming stones in an instant.

"Hm? And who are you?"

Teruki's face tightened with caution.

"Someone hired to teach you a lesson."

Roy appeared before Teruki in a flash, pressing down with his hand.

"That kind of attack won't work on me!"

Telekinesis coalesced into a shield, encasing Teruki within it.

Yet, in the next moment, a loud bang rang out as Roy's hand pierced the shield and seized Teruki's head.

Boom—!

Teruki's head slammed into the ground, cratering the earth beneath him.

"Uh… wasn't that a bit too harsh?"

Shigeo, standing nearby, shivered and murmured a quiet warning.

"It has to be harsh, or how else will he learn?"

Roy looked down. "Do you get how weak you are now?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

The ground shattered as Teruki broke free from Roy's grip, soaring into the air.

"I'm done holding back. You and that guy over there—both of you can die!"

Yanking off his tie, Teruki shaped it into a sword with telekinesis.

Gripping it with both hands, he swung downward with force.

A massive surge of telekinesis gathered, forming a shockwave that crashed toward the ground.

"What a brat."

Roy raised his hand skyward, catching the telekinetic wave barehanded.

"How is that possible?!"

Teruki's eyes widened in disbelief.

That had been his full-powered strike—how could this guy block it?

"I told you, you're weak."

With a slight squeeze, Roy crushed the telekinetic wave and reappeared before Teruki, fist descending.

Crimson Power of Destruction pulsed around him, and for the first time in his life, Teruki sensed a genuine threat to his existence.

In his vision, Roy's fist seemed to bear the faint outline of the word "death."

Oh crap!

Unable to dodge, Teruki's eyes bulged, despair washing over his face.

But just as he braced for the end, Roy's fist screeched to a halt inches from his face.

A deafening boom echoed as the sheer force of the punch's wind shot past Teruki, scattering the clouds behind him.

"Now do you understand how weak you are?"

"…I understand."

"No, you don't."

Roy tapped Teruki's forehead.

Activating an immortal art, he stirred the life flame within Teruki's body.

A second later, excruciating pain seared through Teruki, wrenching a scream from his throat.

"Weakness isn't the problem. The real issue is being weak and ignorant."

Roy ceased the technique. "Get out of here. Cause trouble again, and the punishment won't be this lenient."

"Yes!"

Gritting his teeth, Teruki managed a reply before fleeing into the distance.

Watching him go, Roy descended from the air to stand before Shigeo.

"Is there something you need?"

Having observed everything, Shigeo tensed up, his nervousness plain to see.

"I was watching from the sidelines. You don't like fighting with your powers, do you?" Roy asked.

Shigeo nodded. "My master said psychic powers are dangerous weapons and shouldn't be used against people."

"That's true enough, but sometimes you've got to adapt to the situation."

"…Adapt?"

"Yeah, flexibility's key. Though for a middle schooler, that's probably a tall order."

Roy pulled out two flyers and handed them over. "Next time you're in a bind like this, channel some energy into these to summon me."

"Huh?"

"If kids can't figure out the right call, leave the judgment to adults."

It'd also give him a new way to rack up some points.

Looking at the bewildered Shigeo, Roy offered a few more words of advice before vanishing from the spot.

"Leave it to adults to judge?"

As Roy departed, Shigeo gazed down at the flyers in his hands, etched with magic circles.

A bright glint flickered in his eyes, a sense of relief washing over him as if a mental block had lifted.

Right—there's no need to overthink it.

If he didn't know what to do, he could just ask an adult.

Tucking the flyers away, the weight on Shigeo's heart melted away.

Emotion value: 50% → 0%.

…

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