A Scientific Urban Detective

After stating his purpose, Lin Wuming introduced everyone, as Misaka Mikoto and Kofuku Miwi were meeting Kinuhata Saiai for the first time.

"Eh? You're the Level 5 Electromaster?" Kinuhata Saiai was most interested in Misaka Mikoto, and she also noticed that Misaka Mikoto was the only one not wearing an armband.

"Eh? Well… I am a Level 5 esper, the Electromaster," Misaka Mikoto nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Super nice to meet you!" Kinuhata Saiai shook her hand while comparing this girl to Mugino Shizuri in her mind.

"Then, I'll leave it to you," Kofuku Miwi greeted her amiably as well.

Then, she explained the case to Kinuhata Saiai.

"So, in other words…" Kinuhata Saiai subconsciously looked at Lin Wuming, "You want to know if there are any other espers who can manipulate gas?"

The problem is, I super don't know about that, Little Lin brother!

Kinuhata Saiai's social circle was very narrow. Besides her comrades in the former 'Dark May Project,' the only people she knew were her three colleagues from 'Item'.

Now it seems understandable that Little Lin brother would first think of looking for Yoimikawa Aiho. At least, she's definitely better at dealing with people than I am!

Noticing her difficulty, Kofuku Miwi quickly said, "Don't worry about it. We just want to get some reference opinions. We don't necessarily need to find that corresponding esper."

"Using high-pressure gas to create an explosion effect," Misaka Mikoto handed the damaged can to Kinuhata Saiai, "Can your ability do something like this?"

Kinuhata Saiai raised her hand, and everyone could vaguely see the air distorting above her palm.

"I can only do this much," Kinuhata Saiai said. "Nitrogen Armor—super reliable in terms of strength, but the air pressure… probably not that strong."

Komugi Tōma curiously poked it with her finger and indeed encountered resistance in a ball of air above her palm.

It was like poking a tough leather bag. It took a lot of effort and could only be poked in halfway.

"Very impressive armor defense!" Komugi Tōma withdrew her finger and nodded in praise.

Kinuhata Saiai's expression changed. "So amazing… no, it's super amazing!"

Although she had known for a long time that the "Hero Partner" beside Little Lin brother was also a powerful esper, she didn't expect her to be so powerful!

Apart from Mugino Shizuri's completely unreasonable "Meltdown," Kinuhata Saiai had never encountered an ability that could penetrate her "Nitrogen Armor" so easily.

And it looked like Komugi Tōma hadn't even used her full strength!

Kofuku Miwi and Misaka Mikoto were still a bit confused, only thinking that the two were politely praising each other.

Lin Wuming knew that Komugi Tōma had activated her "Absolute Pierce" just now. Although it was only a finger, with the blessing of her esper ability, it was the sharpest sword in the world.

And Kinuhata Saiai's "Nitrogen Armor" had indeed effectively blocked her attack, so it was no wonder that she received Komugi Tōma's praise.

Of course, these were all things unrelated to the case, and neither Komugi Tōma nor Kinuhata Saiai intended to continue discussing them.

"In short, although my ability can also affect air pressure, it can only be said to be a passive phenomenon," Kinuhata Saiai said. "The effect of my ability doesn't rely on ultra-high pressure."

Essentially, Kinuhata Saiai's "Nitrogen Armor" and Yoimikawa Aiho's "Nitrogen Blast Lance" did not manipulate nitrogen gas, but rather "nitrogen molecules."

In principle, they directly manipulate and adjust the arrangement structure of nitrogen molecules, giving them a certain fixed shape, ultimately forming "armor" or "lances."

In other words, relying on their abilities, they don't need to increase the air pressure of nitrogen to directly change the physical properties of nitrogen.

This is a completely different path from the "Explosion Man's" use of ultra-high-pressure gas to create explosions.

So, this time, the "consultant" was sought in completely the wrong direction.

"Super sorry! I couldn't be of any help!" Kinuhata Saiai said with great guilt.

"It's okay, at least we can rule out one type of situation, can't we?" Lin Wuming himself didn't seem to care much.

"So, in the end, we still have to start the investigation with this can?" Misaka Mikoto manipulated electromagnetic force to move the can that once contained high-pressure gas closer.

While waiting for Kinuhata Saiai, they had discussed sending the can remains to the lab to see if they could extract the "Explosion Man's" fingerprints.

To avoid destroying the evidence, Misaka Mikoto had been manipulating the can remains with electromagnetic force to move it in the air, ensuring that no one else touched it.

"In the end, the most primitive method is the most effective," Kinuhata Saiai unconsciously imitated her colleague's verbal tic.

Then, the group of five prepared to return from the park rest area to the shopping street.

To express his gratitude for Kinuhata Saiai's assistance, Lin Wuming suggested buying her a drink.

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"If you want a drink, there's a vending machine right here," Misaka Mikoto pointed to the red machine next to them.

"…" Lin Wuming's mood was very subtle, and his gaze kept moving back and forth between Misaka Mikoto and the red vending machine.

"?" Misaka Mikoto felt confused and couldn't help but look down at herself to see if there was anything strange. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No," Lin Wuming quickly shook his head. At this time, Misaka Mikoto shouldn't have learned that 'Tokiwadai Secret Technique' yet.

Lin Wuming immediately made an excuse, "I'm just worried about the machine malfunctioning, swallowing the money but not dropping the drink."

"Really?" Misaka Mikoto patted the vending machine. "Academy City's machines are very reliable. It shouldn't have such a low-level malfunction."

"After all, there was an explosion here just now, although it didn't really explode," Lin Wuming pointed to the scattered drink cans all over the ground. "Maybe this machine was also affected?"

But in reality, Lin Wuming just subconsciously thought that this vending machine was broken when he saw the combination of Misaka Mikoto + red vending machine, so he didn't want to buy a drink here.

"It's because you don't have any money on you, Wuming," Komugi Tōma exposed him from the side. "So you can only go to stores where you can swipe your card to buy things."

Komugi Tōma was right. Because he had invested all his scholarship money into buying limited-edition "Gekota" merchandise, Lin Wuming was actually penniless.

Fortunately, the identity of a Level 3 Strong Ability User was still somewhat valuable—Lin Wuming used this identity to apply for several credit cards for overspending.

"Forget it, I'll do it," Komugi Tōma took out her wallet and bought drinks for five people at the vending machine.