Cheap Coffee Bad Decision

Academy City had two types of nights.

There were the bright, bustling ones—full of students lingering around vending machines, couples loitering under streetlights, and the hum of trains in the distance. Then there were nights like this—when the city felt eerily empty, like someone had flipped a switch and left only the shadows behind.

Hayase Shinomiya sat alone at a small outdoor café, stirring a cheap cup of canned coffee. He wasn't drinking it. He just liked the motion—it gave his hands something to do while he waited.

He glanced at his phone. 10:47 PM.

"They're late. Again."

Not that he was surprised. The people he worked with weren't exactly known for respecting his time.

A gust of wind passed through the empty street, and he pulled his coat a little tighter around his shoulders. Not because he was cold—just habit. He liked having his coat on. It made him feel put together, even when he was doing questionable work for questionable people.

Finally, a familiar voice cut through the silence.

"You're looking more like a night guard than an esper these days, Hayase."

He turned his head slightly. Professor Kirisaki was standing near the entrance, hands in his lab coat pockets, looking as smug as ever. Behind him, a younger lab assistant nervously clutched a tablet, glancing around like he was expecting someone to jump them.

Hayase sighed. "And you're looking more like a conman than a scientist, but I don't judge."

Kirisaki chuckled and took the seat across from him. "Now, now. No need to be rude. We're here to help you, remember?"

Help. Right. That was one way to put it.

Hayase wasn't getting paid much for these side jobs—not in cash, at least. What he got was access. He wasn't some Level 5 monster who could develop his ability just by existing. He needed data, specialized testing, and controlled experiments—things that only someone with insider connections could provide.

And in exchange for that unofficial research, he did favors for Kirisaki's group. Quiet favors.

"Alright," Hayase said, stretching. "What's the job?"

Kirisaki pulled a folder from his coat and slid it across the table. Hayase opened it lazily, scanning the profile inside.

Target: Dr. Yamada.

Hayase raised an eyebrow. "A scientist?"

"A former scientist," Kirisaki corrected. "He was working on sensitive research before he decided to take his findings and run. We need that data back."

Hayase frowned. "And by 'we,' you mean—"

Kirisaki gave a thin smile. "Let's just say certain people don't want him handing over classified research to outsiders."

Hayase exhaled through his nose. This wasn't the first time he'd done retrieval work, but it was the first time they'd asked him to track down a researcher. Scientists were too smart to fight and too dumb to hide properly.

And that meant there was probably more to this than they were telling him.

"Where is he?"

"District 7. Abandoned apartment complex. He probably thinks he's being careful, but…" Kirisaki shrugged. "Let's just say his digital footprint isn't as clean as he thinks."

Hayase leaned back. "You really expect me to believe you need an esper like me for this? Sounds like a job for a surveillance team, not a space-warping assassin."

Kirisaki just smiled. "Oh, you'll understand soon enough."

That didn't make him feel better.

But whatever. He had a job to do.

Hayase grabbed his coat, finished stirring his coffee for no reason, and stood up.

"Fine," he muttered. "But if this turns out to be another one of your experiments, I'm walking next time."

Kirisaki just waved him off. "Of course, of course. Have fun."

"Fun, huh? Yeah. Sure."

--

Academy City was a city of contradictions.

You had futuristic monorails, holographic billboards, and AI-powered vending machines that could guess your drink preference before you even touched the panel. But take one wrong turn, and you'd find yourself in an alley that smelled like rust and regret, filled with people who didn't exist in any official database.

It was a city of light, but the shadows here were just as deep as anywhere else.

And Hayase Shinomiya was walking right between them.

He adjusted his coat as he strolled down an elevated pedestrian walkway, hands in his pockets, his thoughts drifting between his past, his ability, and the job ahead.

The scientists liked to call him Level 4: Distortion Field. It wasn't the worst name, but it also didn't really capture what his power actually was.

His ability didn't use gravity or magnetism—it was pure, localized distortions. He could create spheres of attraction force that pulled in anything within range, twisting space, implode objects, or redirect movement. In simpler terms?

If he wanted something, it came to him.

If he cranked it up? It didn't come back in one piece.

But he wasn't some battlefield monster or an underground legend. He was just a guy trying to push his ability to Level 5, and he was willing to get his hands a little dirty for that chance.

The problem was, he wasn't getting paid much for these jobs. Not in cash, anyway.

The scientists funding his development weren't exactly generous, but they provided something more valuable than money—testing facilities, theoretical models, and controlled experiments that let him refine his power in ways most Espers could only dream of.

In return?

He handled their off-the-books work.

And now, that work had sent him to an abandoned apartment complex in District 7, where some idiot scientist had decided to steal research and run.

"Brilliant move, Yamada," Hayase muttered to himself as he hopped onto an automated tram, the doors sliding shut behind him.

The inside of the tram was nearly empty, just a few late-night commuters and a couple of students too caught up in their phones to notice anything. The soft glow of holographic ads reflected off the windows, displaying shampoo commercials, new convenience store releases, and the latest Level 5 media appearances.

One ad showed Misaka Mikoto, Academy City's famous Level 5 Electromaster, promoting some high-end battery company.

Hayase scoffed. "Imagine being a human power bank and getting paid for it."

He wasn't jealous of the Level 5s. Not really.

But they got everything handed to them—funding, resources, development programs—all without needing to sneak around like he did.

Not that he was bitter.

Okay, maybe a little.

The tram's soft mechanical voice announced his stop, and he stepped out onto the platform.

District 7 was one of the busier sectors, home to a mix of student dorms, research facilities, and hidden underground projects that most people pretended didn't exist. Hayase walked past a group of students hanging around a vending machine, a couple on a bench quietly chatting, and an alley where a group of thugs were dealing something that definitely wasn't legal.

Academy City was so clean on the surface, but anyone who lived here long enough learned to read between the lines.

He passed by a small convenience store and stopped.

"Should I grab something?"

Hayase glanced inside. A female cashier in her 20s, tired eyes, absentmindedly chewing gum while tapping on her phone.

He sighed. "Screw it."

He walked in, grabbed a can of black coffee, and took it to the counter. The cashier barely looked up as she scanned it.

"That'll be 120 yen."

He tapped his card. The machine beeped. Transaction approved.

She handed him the can, still staring at her phone. "Thanks for your purchase."

Hayase took the can and walked out.

"Customer service in this city is unreal."

He popped the tab open and took a sip—bitter as hell, but it kept him awake.

Then, finally, he turned his attention to the apartment complex ahead.

It was an old, half-condemned building, five stories tall, with flickering streetlights and a rusted-out fence that looked like it had seen better days.

"If I was some scientist trying to hide, I wouldn't pick a place this obvious."

He sighed and started walking toward the entrance.

This job was supposed to be simple.

He had no idea how wrong that assumption was.

To be continued...