Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

The secret revealed by Misaki Shokuhou caused Satella to show a look of surprise. She felt that scientists were indeed the root of confusion and conflict in the world. If this plan were to be known by the outside world, it would probably directly cause conflict between Academy City and the outside world.

but……

"Now that the [Talent Workshop] is yours, does that mean their plan has failed?"

"It can't be called a failure, but rather a change of mindset."

At this point, Misaki Shokuhou paused, then the blonde girl, with a smug expression, pointed to herself as if showing off to someone she liked, and said:

"They were captivated by my genius-like abilities and thought that instead of creating great men, it would be more efficient to brainwash them. So they turned to cultivating me instead—I would say I grew up in this research institute."

...That must have been a rather unhappy memory, right? Because when she said those words, Misaki Shokuhou couldn't even manage a smile.

Satella gently held Misaki Shokuhou's small hand, giving her strength in her own way.

"Um... thank you."

Misaki Shokuhou, still a little girl, blushed slightly, feeling a bit awkward, as the person she liked held her hand like this, before continuing to speak:

“Satella, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this urban legend—a mysterious underground organization that can grant people abilities… or rather, a machine that generates abilities.”

Misaki Shokuhou placed her hand on a seemingly ordinary wall, and the wall opened, revealing the space inside.

"...!"

Satella covered her mouth.

In this vast and empty space, there stand two shocking 'things'.

Those were two enormous human brains, stuffed into a giant test tube and covered with electrodes.

"It's disgusting, isn't it?"

A complex expression, beyond Misaki Shokuhou's years, appeared on her face. The girl slowly said, "This is an experiment based on me, [Exterior]—an external brain implant."

Author's Note:

PS1: Thank you to War Correspondent Kirov, Saint Moon Wise Wolf, Q Autumn Leaves Summer Flowers Q, Yu Qiu, My Name is Li Jiayu, Night Coolness, Little Star Biu~, Idle Wings, Blinblin, Yuˇ's Blade, and Chi Bai for the generous donation of over 5,000 coins. I'm so grateful!

PS2, I feel like I've lost a lot of votes lately, please vote!

Chapter 32 Satella's True Self

"When we were being chased by the Dead Knot, I remember you were curious, Satella, about why I could unleash such powerful strength all at once, right? That's one of the abilities of the [External Brain], which can amplify and expand my abilities dozens of times."

"Isn't that something amazing?"

To be honest, those two halves of the brain were really ugly, looking like the product of brains magnified hundreds of times from a barbecue stand.

This kind of thing, soaking in a viscous liquid, looks nauseating.

But compared to its incredible practical value, its slightly less attractive appearance is not a big deal.

"Is that all there is to it?" However, Misaki Shokuhou said this in response to Satella's praise.

When Satella looked at her with a puzzled expression, Misaki Shokuhou covered her forehead with her hand, revealing an expression of disgust and embarrassment where Satella couldn't see.

"But the real purpose of this thing is to allow everyone to use my abilities!"

Before the surprised Satella could speak, Misaki Shokuhou explained in one breath:

"The so-called external brain is a giant brain cultivated after a portion of my cerebral cortex was removed. Anyone who registers with the [Exterior] system, whether they have abilities or not, can gain the ability of [Mental Control]—this thing is just such a toy..."

In other words, the external brain has two functions.

First, increase Misaki Shokuhou's own power.

Second, share Misaki Shokuhou's "Mental Mastery" with others.

"If you understand, I will transfer the permissions to you now."

Having said all that in one breath, Misaki Shokuhou let out a sigh of relief and clapped her hands:

"Although only one person can log in, the external brain is just icing on the cake for me. I don't need it normally, so it's more appropriate to give it to you who doesn't have the ability."

...As she listened to Misaki Shokuhou's words, Satella blinked gently.

To be honest, even now, Satella still lacks a sense of reality.

She was just an ordinary fan who had watched the anime series A Certain Magical Index and Railgun. At most, she had only seen some spoilers and vaguely knew that many powerful characters would appear in the later stages of A Certain Magical Index.

These characters can destroy the universe and create new worlds with the flick of their wrists; they're incredibly powerful.

but.

For Satella, these characters were too abstract and lacked a sense of reality.

Having only watched the anime, she still believed in her heart that level 5 was the top combat power and Accelerator was the strongest.

But now, Misaki Shokuhou clearly tells her that in the next moment, she will also become a member of Lv5.

It's just...unbelievable.

but……

Satella looked up at the external brain located above her, her beautiful red eyes flashing with a color that Misaki Shokuhou could not understand at all.

"You really hate honeydew melon, don't you?"

……Hate.

Isn't this just common sense?

Page 47

Misaki Shokuhou disliked, even loathed, this thing.

—There is a long sequel to the story that Misaki Shokuhou told Satella.

Under the guise of cultivating Misaki Shokuhou, that group of mad scientists imprisoned Misaki Shokuhou here. After obtaining the "external brain" cultivated from Misaki Shokuhou's cerebral cortex, their ideas changed again.

—Compared to Misaki Shokuhou, who has her own thoughts and is not very controllable, isn't something like an "external brain" more reliable?

So, at some point, those scientists started wearing helmets that could resist mental abilities.

If before that, Misaki Shokuhou still had some affection for the scientists who had accompanied her as she grew up, then this helmet was undoubtedly the one that destroyed all trust between them and built a cold cage that imprisoned her.

From then on, scientists plotted how to kill Misaki Shokuhou; Misaki Shokuhou struggled to survive amidst various conspiracies and schemes.

In the end, Misaki Shokuhou emerged victorious, brainwashing all the scientists and taking over the [Skill Workshop].

But this was the most embarrassing and least desirable period of her life.

Before meeting Satella, the reason why she had the idea of ​​resetting her memories was because those memories were too heavy.

For Misaki Shokuhou, the "External Brain" is the source of a dark history, something she least wants to mention or see.

If the [External Brain] hadn't possessed the hardness to withstand a magnitude 10 earthquake, and could only be destroyed by the user through system commands, with the person issuing the command also suffering brain death, she would have destroyed it long ago.

Even though she loathed this thing so much, when Misaki Shokuhou realized that Satella was not yet adapted to this society and needed certain abilities to protect herself, she still chose to give the [External Brain] to Satella.

Although Mental Mastery is far weaker than other abilities in direct combat, it is arguably the most functional and has extremely high practical value.

No one in the world could refuse such a skill for free.

—That's how it should be.

"I don't want to be tied to this thing."

Satella's answer, given without the slightest hesitation, made Misaki Shokuhou's eyes widen in surprise.

"Wait! Are you misunderstanding something? Although this thing looks disgusting, as long as you bind your brainwaves to it, you can use level 5 [Mental Control] at will. So in terms of practical value, it's quite high, isn't it? Although I really hate this thing, I'd be happy if it could help you—"

“If you’re really happy, then say it with a smile,” Satella said.

How could I possibly laugh?

The existence known as the "External Brain" is probably the thing that Misaki Shokuhou hates most in her life.

It wasn't because of her disgusting appearance, but because the "external brain" symbolized her darkest past.

Even though she didn't want to be touched by anyone, she now has to give it to the person she cares about most.

With such inner turmoil and pain, Misaki Shokuhou tried to maintain a nonchalant facade until she met those clear, gentle eyes that reflected her image.

[Mental Control] is indeed a very useful ability, but what does it matter to Satella?

She is not from this world. Once she goes to another world and loses the brainwave binding with the external brain, this ability will also cease to exist. Therefore, for Satella, the practical value of the external brain is nothing more than that.

but……

That's not the key point.

"My rejection of this ability has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not 'mental control' has any practical value."

The girl named Satella smiled gently.

"While I don't have the lofty ideal of 'hoping everyone can be happy' like some spiky-haired boy, I genuinely hope that my friends can show a happy smile every day."

and so……

Gently stroking Misaki Shokuhou's soft blonde hair, Satella spoke to the girl who was on the verge of tears:

"You should smile."

It must have been at that very moment that an unknown gear began to turn in the girl's heart.

It must have been at this very moment that the most powerful ability user, whose ability to manipulate people was unmatched, discovered that he couldn't even control his own emotions.

Misaki Shokuhou remained silent, for she was utterly speechless. She gazed at the elegant face before her, a face she was destined never to forget, and after a long while, she did only one thing.

She turned towards her, slowly—

smile.

Like pear blossoms glistening with rain, or delicate lilies glistening with dew in the early morning!

After peeling away the deepest scar on her body, the girl named Misaki Shokuhou finally found redemption in her soul.

"Since seeing this thing makes you feel uncomfortable, I will never use it. It would be a terrible deal to hurt the people I care about just for a dispensable ability."

That's it.

That's all.

The girl named Satella is a homebody, lazy, afraid of pain, and has no sense of direction... If you were to list her flaws, there would be too many to count.