Hello. It's been a long time. I don't think anyone really cares about how often I publish, but I'm sorry anyway.

Most of the text in my stories was pretty much filled with one liners. You probably (and I hope) don't mind it, but it was seriously bothering me. I'm just not the best at displaying "detail".

So if you see some paragraphs filled with trivial things, it's me trying to display most detail and hone my skills more. Please don't mind it.

I also would like to say that that uploads will be coming at a much slower pace. Exams and stuff.

Now let's get started.

EDIT: So, It looks like the website is bugging out because I can't seem to properly post the next chapter.

Please bear with me while I try to get it fixed.

Emilia was stressed. Well, she was already stressed to begin with, but now she was even more stressed than before. She had all kinds of judgement work to deal with, but luckily for Emilia, X reduced the amount of missions back to just once a week. So, Emilia still had a steady schedule going. However, this week was especially stressful. Not only did X assign two overnight missions, Kazari was sick and left more work for Emilia to do.

Emilia was pretty okay when it came to computer science, she was able to program games and websites, but she wasn't much of a hacker. She didn't really need to replace Kazari at the moment, but she knew she had to get a little more experienced.

When she was casually clicking onto her laptop, she got a phone call from Ruiko. Her new blue phone rang for a few seconds before being picked up by Emilia.

"What is it now?" Emilia asked in a tired voice. Ruiko called her friend often and invited her many times. Emilia often stayed out of most of their hangouts, but Ruiko always invited her to every single one.

"Do you want to visit Uiharu together with the gang?" Ruiko asked. Emilia remembered that Kazari was sick. Of course, friends should visit each other to make sure they're okay.

"Okay, I'm going over to her dorm right now." Emilia said, shutting her laptop. She heaved herself out of her seating position, and put on the new outfit she bought in the mall. She wore some normal girl clothes, including a skirt and a navy cap.

Ruiko, Misaka, and Kuroko were at Kazari's door. Thanks to Kuroko's teleporting ability, they got there much faster than any normal person would. While Ruiko called Emilia, Kuroko knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Yelled a hoarse voice.

The girl proceeded to enter the room to find Kazari in bed. She was wearing her pink pajamas, without her head filled with flowers. "H-Hello. Thanks for visiting me." She said shyly in bed.

They made themselves at home, sitting down, or standing still. Mikoto and Kuroko both seemed troubled about something. Ruiko obviously notices this, and asks what's wrong.

"Is something wrong? You seemed troubled by something." Ruiko was sitting down, legs crossed.

"Well yes, you see, the graviton bomber was only a level 2 esper. However, the explosion he caused should have made him at least a level 4." Kuroko responded. She continued to think, rubbing and scratching her head in the process. To Ruiko's eyes, it looked like she was staring at the coffee table pretty aggressively.

"Well, he must be a level 4 then. There must have been some kind of mistake." Ruiko reasonably said. She was still confused as to why Mikoto or Kuroko haven't thought of that yet. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, not exactly." Kazari jumped in. "The chances of the records being wrong is very low. It's not only the bomber too, other espers seem to have this mistake too. Just like the girl that drew eyebrows on you the other day. It's like they can do more than what their ability level is." Kazari sneezed lightly and went back under her covers.

Ruiko quickly stood up to get Kazari a tissue. "Don't sit up, stay in bed, you will…" she trailed off. "That's a thermal hand for you." Emilia's voice flashed into her mind. "I think I already told you I'm a level 1."

"Saten? What's wrong?" Mikoto asked. "Did you realize something?" She had a hopeful look in her face. The pressing situation clearly had herself stumped.

"Uiharu, can you cool down the room with your thermal hand?" Ruiko asked suddenly. She needed to know if her theory is correct.

Kazari looked surprised. "Why? I have a cold." Kazari turned back to look at Kuroko. "My ability isn't even that strong anyway. What does that have to do with anything?"

A stern look appeared on Ruiko's face. "You can't, but Emilia was able to. She's a level 1 just like you." She looked at Mikoto and Kuroko to see their reactions. "I think Emilia is hiding something."

"No way." Kazari breathed out. She sat up again and covered her mouth. "Do you think she matches the other espers?"

"She's definitely worth questioning. Without a doubt."

"Let's wait till she gets-"

*CREEK!*

Emilia carefully opened the door. "I'm here." She announced. She looked at friends with a confused look. "Why are you looking at me funny? Well, if I'm not supposed to be here I can just leave if you want…" She took a step back.

"GET BACK HERE!" Mikoto yelled, charging for Emilia.

Emilia sighed. She was sitting on the bed with Kazari with almost everyone looking at her, including Kazari. "What's all this about?" They know about something. I should come up with a lie fit for any possibility.

"Emilia, you're a level 1 right?" Mikoto asked. She had her arms crossed, looking at Emilia suspiciously. So this is what this is about. "We think you're-"

"More powerful than a level 1? Yeah, I'm aware." Emilia cut off. She proceeded to stand up. "I'm not feeling well. I'm leaving." As she walked out the door, she felt someone grab her wrist. It was Mikoto, she looked serious and determined to find information about the case.

Emilia rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not hiding anything. I can help you with whatever case you're thinking about, just leave me alone okay? Even if I was hiding something, I wouldn't be telling you it that easily." She yanked her arm back, freeing herself from Mikoto.

"Well, it's just that most of the people we apprehended are a much lower level than the problems they cause." Kuroko said. She still had her arms crossed, clearly still suspicious of Emilia.

"What if it's the level upper?" Ruiko said. "It might be that the level upper is being used by people to raise their level."

"That's exactly what I've been thinking. It might be that people are using the level upper to raise their level." Mikoto commented. "Emilia, do you know anything about it?"

Emilia sighed. "I don't use it, but I do know about it." The 4 girl's faces lit up. "I just came across the info myself. It wasn't all that useful to me."

Emilia sat down and explained what she read at the document. "It's basically a music player that changes your personal reality, thus increasing your level." Emilia shrugged. "It's something like that."

"We should probably get our hands on this thing to further analyze it." Kuroko said.

"I know a way. Emilia, Kuroko come with me." Mikoto walked out the room, signaling Kuroko and Emilia to follow her. "Well, we better get going. Get well soon!"

"Bye!" Kazari and Ruiko replied back.

"So what's the plan?" Emilia asked. She noticed that they were going to a restaurant. Are we going undercover? By force? She thought that her experience with the dark side would help her be more useful to her friends, however, she didn't want them to find out her secret. I should help them, but not too much. Misaka looks like she knows what she's doing, so I can hope she gets most of the credit…

Mikoto cut Emilia's thoughts off and told the judgement member's their plan. "Emilia, when we enter the restaurant, you go beg some people if they would get you a level upper. Preferably gang members."

Emilia internally facepalmed. Really? This is as best a level 5 can think of? Well, she doesn't have much experience with the dark side. "I… I'm against that idea. Why me anyway?"

"Well, they may recognise me or Kuroko. For Kuroko it's because of her work in judgement, and for me…" Mikoto trailed off.

"The numerous times you zap people for a dumb reason." Emilia finished, while Mikoto blushed. "Well, I'm not the best at persuasion. So that idea's way off the table."

"Come on, just try it." Mikoto pressed further.

"Argh… I guess it's my duty."

Emilia was having a bad day.

In the restaurant, Emilia noticed a group of shady thugs sitting down. She approached them

"Hello. Do you have a level upper?" Emilia tried to be straightforward. She wanted to avoid throwing away her pride as much as possible.

The thugs looked at each other. "Sure, if you give us the correct payment. We can discuss it in the alleyway behind the building."

THAT WORKED? "Uh, yeah. Let's go right now."

The thugs led Emilia to a dark alleyway, just as they promised. She didn't know what her other two friends were thinking, but she guessed that they would be excited to see the level upper for themselves.

"You got the money?" The thugs asked, as Emilia nodded. She didn't know how much it was, but her savings were higher than ever since she was a level 5.

She carefully took out a money card with 50,000 yen. It should be more than enough.

"Come on, why don't you give us more?" One of the thugs greedily asked. "You can always come over for payment instead."

Emilia sighed. They think I don't know how much the level-upper is. "No thanks. I think I'm going to have to force it out of you." Emilia took out her judgement armband and tried to put it on. Argh this thing won't get on!

"One sec." Emilia said awkwardly trying to get the band on as the thugs patiently waited. She finally put it on and walked towards the thugs.

"You think you can take all of us?" Several men began grouping together, smiling.

Emilia turned on her music and put on her earphones. She wouldn't really kill them, but old habits die hard.

"She's mine!" One of the thugs ran towards her, in an attempt to hit her with a right hook. Emilia caught the fist, pulled it to the side, and knees him in the hip.

"You bitch! Three thugs charged at the same time." Emilia couldn't use her ability, so had to use anything at her disposal to win.

They probably used the level upper for themselves. They would be prideful and sloppy, I have to wait for openings. Sure enough, the men charged in without a plan.

Emilia was in a fighting stance. Considering the fact that she wasn't using her ability, this might be the hardest fight she has ever done.

Suddenly Kuroko appeared right next to her. Realizing that her hand is on her shoulder, she found herself on the roof of the building. Emilia looked down to see Mikoto in her place, knocking everyone in a single move.

"Sorry, no luck." Emilia said with a distant look. She turned around to face Kuroko and took off her judgement band.

"It's fine. We have more than enough leads anyway. Maybe tomorrow you could tell us more about it. I'm going to go check on Onee-Sama."

"Okay, bye." Emilia immediately left the office as soon as Kuroko left. She wasn't going to do any more work. What she needed was sleep.

The next day, Emilia went to the office to get her duties over with. She brought the documents about the level upper in hopes of getting some praise from her new colleagues.

"Emilia, come quick!" Kuroko yelled as soon as Emilia was on her sights. She walked up to her and teleported her somewhere.

She looked around to find herself in what appears to be a hospital. Mikoto was already there with a doctor.

"What is going on here exactly?" Emilia asked. She still had the documents in hand, clenching them in anticipation.

"You know that bomber you took care of?" Mikoto asked, Emilia nodded. "He went unconscious while being interrogated by anti-skill."

"What's strange is that there is no evidence of brain damage. He's unconscious for an unknown reason." The doctor said. "Even stranger, more patients started to get the same condition."

The doctor proceeded to show the trio all the faces of the same condition. Mikoto and Kuroko gasped at the number of familiar faces there were.

"We called a brain physiologist specialist from another department for aid." The doctor added. Everyone turned to look at the corridor.

"Sorry I'm late. My name is Kiyama Harumi." The woman said. She wore a white coat along with bags under her eyes.

"You!" Emilia and Mikoto yelled out, pointing at the woman.