Chapter 17
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Chapter 17: Lu Mingxue
My name is Lu Mingxue. I’m sixteen years old, and my ability is mind reading. I’m a Level 3 esper, danger rating E.
This is not the kind of ability others should envy.
First of all, most mind readers can’t control what they hear. That’s because when a person is thinking about one thing, their subconscious is often thinking about something else at the same time—whether they realize it or not. That’s what we call a lack of focus.
Take writing homework while listening to music, for example. You might be solving a problem while subconsciously singing along. That subconscious singing is also a thought.
Second, there’s the issue of targeting. In a crowd, the voices are so noisy it’s impossible to isolate the thought you want. Even though my version of mind reading only activates when I look into someone’s eyes, my peripheral vision still sweeps in all the nearby gazes.
From the moment I awakened my ability, I could filter through the noise and extract the information I wanted. That made me a natural Level 3.
Even if someone tries to mislead me with surface-level thoughts—like deliberately thinking “I had savory tofu pudding this morning” when they actually had sweet tofu pudding—the subconscious still betrays them.
A Level 3 mind reader like me can filter out surface lies and get to the real thoughts, buried in the subconscious. Maybe only people under hypnosis or with some psychic defense could block me.
Other mind readers are envious of this. They call people like me endangered species. That’s why the police often secretly ask me to help during interrogations. The suspects don’t even realize they’re being read—I’m behind a one-way mirror.
After doing it enough times, I eventually became an officially recognized volunteer law enforcer—one of those who’ll be granted full status upon adulthood.
Even though my academic performance is average, this innate ability has already paved my way to a future as an interrogator.
But if I had the chance to go back, I would rather have hidden this ability forever.
When I first discovered I could hear people’s thoughts, I couldn’t wait to share it. Then… people began to avoid me like the plague.
Parents, relatives, friends, teachers… Even though my danger rating was just E, they acted like I was an A-rank threat. Hah.
Of course—they say the mind is the last sanctuary of privacy. No one wants their most authentic thoughts exposed—not even me.
In this era, something like that can’t just be fixed by changing schools. Within three days of exposure, the authorities transferred me to an esper elementary school and gave me specially made sunglasses. With those on, my mind reading was suppressed.
Don’t ask if I could choose not to wear them. In public, a mind reader without blockers is considered a violator of privacy rights.
Now, no matter what esper school I transfer to, people already know: I can read minds.
So cool, right? Treated like an important anime character. Just kill me already.
Nobody wants to associate with a mind reader, even if she keeps her ability suppressed.
What’s the first thing people think when they learn someone next to them can read minds? All kinds of things. But the second thing is always recalling their biggest secret. The third is the fear that their secret might be exposed—sometimes even leading to murderous thoughts.
It’s been that way for years. A universal pattern.
But—not without exceptions.
A few days ago, the arm of my special sunglasses broke while I was sleeping. Though I could replace it with parts from normal glasses, I didn’t have tools at home. That same day, I was applying for a top student scholarship, so I hurried off to school wearing regular sunglasses, hoping to bluff my way through.
Why don’t I do that more often? Based on my stats, an average person thinks mean thoughts about others at least three times a day, often including me. You think I want to hear that? if I get caught reading minds without authorization, I’d owe a fine worth three to seven months’ worth of volunteer wages.
Still, I cheated for just that one day—and discovered the exception.
He occasionally had self-directed monologues in his mind—probably an imaginary friend. I went through that phase too in junior high, since I didn’t talk to anyone back then.
Most of the time, though, his mind was just… blank. No thoughts at all. So simple that I didn’t even need to filter anything. Even after learning about my ability, he didn’t react much.
Was he some monk meditating in the mountains? How could his mind stay so empty? I had to stop looking. If I stared too long, my own brain would start going blank too. It was like we shared one brain. The legendary Morpheth neural network actually exists?!
Of course, I didn’t go all soft and believe I’d found a kindred spirit or anything.
This boy named Mi Xiaoliu couldn’t even grasp basic common sense most of the time.
He just made me feel… pity. No doubt—he was what we call a defective esper—where the side effects outweigh the benefits.
I know I was kind of meddling, but when the class misunderstood him, I still couldn’t help clarifying things. Now that I think about it, maybe he’ll end up resenting me for it. Who wants to admit they’re defective? Just like I hate people knowing I’m a mind reader.
Good intentions, bad results. I kinda want to punch myself.
I thought our interaction would end there. Even if we were both loners.
But last night, on my way home from grocery shopping… a girl fell from the sky.
I only found out this morning—that girl had jumped from the ninth floor, after breaking someone’s legs. That person didn’t even know the girl who broke them.
She was cute, sure, but also clearly dangerous.
At the time, I didn’t think much of it. But this morning, when I saw that “boy” at school… I remembered a detail I’d ignored—the brief moment when that girl looked me straight in the eyes. I saw her mind.
Blank. Undistracted. Just like his.
A perfect match.
Now I’m freaking out—because she just looked at me again. Is she planning to break my legs too? But I helped you, you know! Not that you needed it…
…
Right now, Lu Mingxue was deeply shaken. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t associate the gloomy, nerdy-looking boy with the stunning girl from last night.
She looked over again. What is she thinking?
Even knowing it was inappropriate, Lu Mingxue couldn’t stop herself from pushing her repaired sunglasses down a bit and using her peripheral vision to sneak a peek at the girl’s thoughts.
A girl disguised as a boy. Still just as cute. Isn’t this the kind of plot that only happens in novels?
One class with both a hidden dragon and a crouching phoenix…
……
“Sasha, that’s the girl from yesterday. Should I silence her?”
Mi Xiaoliu asked in her mind, remembering clearly what happened the past two days.
That purple-haired sister once said, if someone saw her, just “silence” them. Though she had no idea what “silence” actually meant.
“Calm down, Master. Even if she can read minds, she probably just thinks you’re a delinquent girl who beats people up. As long as you don’t reveal you’ve killed someone, it should be fine.”
Sasha boldly reassured her master.
After all, she was a system accessory. Even if the girl had Level 5 mind reading, she couldn’t read her thoughts.
“Oh.”
Mi Xiaoliu’s brows relaxed a little.
So, as long as I don’t reveal the assassinations, it’s okay.
Lu Mingxue: “……”
Holy crap, she’s killed people! And she’s thinking about silencing me?!
Lu Mingxue’s hand trembled. Her sunglasses almost fell off completely.
She hated this mind-reading ability. Because of it, she might literally lose her life now!
Lu Mingxue was in full panic mode. What defective esper? She was clearly a professionally trained assassin!
Her simple thoughts must be the result of specialized training or psychic conditioning. She wanted her to see them. No wonder her mind was so blank—after being spotted last night, she didn’t even bother pretending anymore!
That first-day physical fitness test? She was obviously faking it! The way she jumped from the ninth floor and still ran like the wind—how could someone like that not finish half a lap on the track?
Lu Mingxue tugged nervously at her black stockings.
Stay calm. I’m a law enforcer…
Even if it’s just the interrogation department. Even if she had no formal training. Even if she was only hired under special circumstances… Still! She couldn’t act rashly. Assassins like her were known to eliminate all witnesses if necessary. Judging by how she leapt off a building last night, only Yiwen could probably take her in a fight—and Yiwen was currently asleep on her desk. No guarantee she’d react in time.
She looked again!
Please, lady, I swear I didn’t see anything or hear anything! Please spare me! QAQ
Lu Mingxue tried to keep a straight face as she pulled out her phone, pretending to play on it while sneakily preparing to text a police contact.
Because of her value—and the sunglasses that gave away her power—there were always a few esper officers secretly rotating to protect her. As long as she sent a message…
Just as she unlocked the screen, her phone was snatched away.
“Pick it up from my office after school.”
The new chubby teacher said expressionlessly.
Finally, he’d caught someone to reassert his authority. The past two days, that Mi Xiaoliu had completely stolen his thunder.
Lu Mingxue: “……”
Eat dirt, you fat bastard!
