Chapter 75: Psychometry – Takato Kotoha ③
"I'm going to think for a second. If you start feeling sick, cut the telepathy."
"Okay."
It didn’t take long to understand why Kotoha-chan is considered Public Safety’s nightmare. She can turn any classified information into an open book.
Used properly, her ability would be an unparalleled intelligence-gathering weapon. But because it can’t be controlled that way, she’s been locked up here.
At a glance, she doesn’t seem particularly athletic. If they tried to bring her outside and use her, she’d probably end up dead or kidnapped. Keeping her under Public Safety’s watch is the safest option.
What I don’t get is why they’re letting her meet me at all. She doesn’t seem especially hostile toward Public Safety—less so than Bitvine, even.
First off, is she even a villain? Aside from being able to read minds, she just looks like an ordinary woman. She doesn’t seem like the type who could pull off some huge crime either.
"I was arrested for insider trading."
Wow.
"Right… crime isn’t just about violence, huh. Were you strapped for cash?"
"No. I was cornered because of my ability. I thought that if I did something abnormal, I might reach a place where people like that gather. It turned out to be a little different from what I imagined."
Insider trading is a crime involving buying and selling stocks based on confidential information. The law forbids someone with access to such information from using it to trade and influence stock prices. In short, “I just found out this stock is about to skyrocket, so I’ll buy it!” is illegal.
The way she said “abnormal” probably means she went all out—maybe buying up massive amounts of shares in multiple companies that were guaranteed to rise. With her mind-reading, she’d have endless access to secret info.
"Tough break."
"Oh, no, no. I picked a crime that would draw attention, so I was prepared for at least this much."
State-imposed confinement. It might look like an arrest, but there probably wasn’t any official legal procedure for detaining her. Is she really okay with this?
An ability like mind-reading is something Public Safety would kill to have. I just hope Kotoha-chan is being treated decently. Does she even have any friends besides me? Are there any normal Public Safety espers?
"She’s not in your line of sight, but Omokage-san came by. Apparently we can both use our abilities through glass."
"Hold on a sec, Kotoha-chan. I don’t mind being read, but I’m worried about the strain on you."
"…’kay…"
Her speech was starting to slur—she definitely looked unwell. She probably can’t control it completely, but she seems able to at least “choose not to read minds” to some extent. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to recover after getting sick the moment she saw me.
"So you had a mind-reading showdown with Omokage? A mirror match?"
What would happen if Omokage, transformed into Kotoha-chan, tried to read Kotoha-chan’s mind?
"Hehe. I won."
Omokage-san could only read what he himself was thinking.
So it really was a mirror match. Like a reflection, Kotoha-chan bounced the ability back. She read Omokage’s mind, then let Omokage read those very thoughts she’d just read—meaning Omokage couldn’t access Kotoha-chan’s true inner self.
Omokage’s ability isn’t all-powerful. He’s dexterous enough to handle copied abilities even on first use, but he can’t wield them better than the original owner.
Still, Omokage is undeniably useful.
If Public Safety has Omokage under their thumb, then any esper with a powerful but noncompliant ability becomes even more worth confining. They can have Omokage copy the power and use only the ability as they please.
Omokage can copy a person’s appearance and ability after seeing them once. However, if he cancels the ability himself or loses consciousness, he reverts to his original form. He can’t copy again unless the person is back in his line of sight.
That’s why, if they want him to keep copying an ability over and over, they have to keep the original esper under control.
Am I the reason Kotoha-chan is stuck in confinement—because I led Omokage into Public Safety?
Either way, this is something to think about later.
Damn it. I’ve got my priorities mixed up.
What do I need to do—what do I need to be thinking about—right here, right now?
I took a moment to gather my thoughts.
"Mmh, okay. I hope I’m not putting too much strain on you. How about it? Can you still talk?"
"Yes, I’m fine. Inori-san, you’re really good at this. Sometimes I end up reading people even when I don’t want to, but with you that doesn’t happen."
Hearing that, I let go of a lot of my worries.
Keep it simple. Think as little as possible. Be an idiot if you have to.
"Is there anything you want me to do for you?"
"N-no… nothing comes to mind in particular."
"Then what would you write on a tanzaku for Tanabata?"
Kotoha-chan blinked, as if she hadn’t expected that question at all.
"I’d wish for this power to disappear."
"I see."
I gave a wry smile.
I’d written something similar on a tanzaku once, too.
"We’ll be able to get along, right?"
"Yes. I hope so."
I stepped closer and shook hands with Kotoha-chan.
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