Everyone was looking at Daisuke Kamei, the school’s counselor, wondering if this was the end for the Parapsychology Club. Except for Chiyoko. She was cowering behind her sketchbook.

The woman, after a brief period, managed to compose herself. Riko was just about to wonder how someone, who was supposed to be an emotional pillar to a school full of girls in the most turbulent period of their lives, could be made to nearly weep so easily. Interrupting that chain of thought before it happened, she spoke up. “Right. Telepathy. However, knowing this, you must understand the position I’m in. Your club proposal is already surrounded by controversy. It’ll be more controversial if it gets out that I’m an esper, and that I signed off on it.”

Riko managed to get over her own swelling emotions and offered a reply. “Why is that bad? Why can’t espers help each other?” She had a look of innocent curiosity to her face.

Daisuke looked to Riko with a look the young girl knew all too well. It was the look people, who knew how smart her father was, heard Riko open her mouth. She could feel the uncomfortable, unfavorable comparison.

“You watch the news, correct? Certainly you’ve heard concerns about ‘esper supremacist’ movements forming. The Harbor High School program was created in large part to prevent exactly like that.”

Riko smiled. “Well that’s not a problem. I’m normal and no one treats me differently.” She meant it, she really did feel like she was part of a family, despite only knowing everyone for a day.

Daisuke sighed. “But you’re the only-” The counselor stopped herself, examining Riko’s face and manner closely. Nothing but genuine feelings were reflected on her face. Riko was slowly starting to get it. She was the only normal human in this room. Token representation for the billions of people on this planet without powers beyond reckoning. Riko didn’t care about that, though.

She just wanted to be in the same club as Aimi.

It was then that Riko noticed something, glancing down from the counselor’s gaze, to the desk. “Um, Kamei-sensei, is your hand okay?” Black ooze had begun to accrete there, as if she was sweating coffee.

Quickly grabbing a tissue from a handy nearby box, kept at the ready for crying teenage girls, Daisuke began to wipe her palm clean. “It’s a rare disorder… I suppose I can tell you five the truth. It’s my ability. I can channel positive energy into others, using my hands. Energy Medicine, I believe Professor Brinsfield called it.”

Nana was suddenly impressed. “You know of Professor Brinsfield? Most professionals I talk to won’t take him seriously.”

Daisuke nodded and replied,  “Met him briefly during a trip to the United States. He helped me figure out what was going on with my hands.”

That reminded Riko of something, and she spoke up again. “You still haven’t told us what that black stuff is.”

The counselor looked at the now blackened tissue, before dropping it into a waste basket and replied. “Thin-layer chromatography reveals it to be water, salt, fatty acids, and amino acids. An estern medicine practitioner I talked to called it ‘poisoned ki’. It’s a byproduct of my ability. I can use my channeling to alleviate people’s stress, health problems, and anxieties, but in return I take on some of their issues myself. I can purge some of it through the pores of my palms. It also happens sometimes as a reaction to my own stress, as you can see.”

Riko looked amazed, at least by the parts of that she understood, which admittedly, were not a lot. “You could help a lot of people with that if you told people you were an esper.”

“It’s not healthy for me to expel too much of this stuff. It contains the body’s essential electrolytes, fats, and proteins. It’s the cost of using my ability." She sighed wistfully. "That’s why I became a counselor, so I could help people without putting myself at risk.”

It was all Riko could do to stop herself from diving across the desk right at that moment to hug the woman. If she wasn’t school staff, and was closer to their age, she’d definitely want to be club mates with her. Well, she could still be their ally. No, she would have to be their ally, Riko decided.

“Kamei-sensei, I really think you should be our club supervisor. No one else really understands my new friends and what they’re going through,” Riko said, her usually cheerful demeanor replaced with a building conviction. “The teachers here have never had poison come out of their palms, sent objects flying with their mind because they were angry, or memorized an entire library because they could.”

Kyo adjusted her glasses. She wasn’t used to being put on the spot like this, Riko realized. Probably didn’t attract as much attention as the other espers, except maybe during test week. “It’s not like it’s unenjoyable,” Kyo added in her defense.

The counselor weaved her fingers together and placed them beneath her chin. She seemed reluctant to admit Riko had a point, which was as good as a confession to the young girl. However, before she could press the advantage, Daisuke retorted, “How about you? You’ve never faced any prejudice like that. Do you feel any actual sympathy for these girls, or are you here for fun? You don’t strike me as being academically interested in the subject of parapsychology.”

It was Riko’s turn to admit a direct hit, via a moment of silence. She had come here in the hopes of getting close to Aimi, not to become an expert on all espers, or go on a crusader for esper rights. Still, she had more friends than just Aimi now, she couldn’t let them down. She had to think of something.

“Kyo?”

“Yes?”

“What’s a word like ‘prejudice’, except when you deserve it?”

“Karma.”

“Thank you, Kyo. I know what being stuck with karma is like. At my last score, I got abysmal test scores. I ran with a gang, and got into fights. The only reason I’m at a place like this is because of who my father is, and everyone who knows me knows it. I can see my teachers thinking about it when they look at me. Except my new friends. They don’t care. They accept me, so I want to support them.”

Riko wasn’t exactly lying. She just omitted the part where her primary motivation was her crush on Aimi. Not to mention her exuberance was running on high. It would be hard not to find Riko convincing right now.

Daisuke pushed her glasses up. “I see. Not everyone’s club choice lines up with their true passion, and your intentions seem just. I surrender. I’ll be your supervisor… provided the student council accepts me as a supervisor. Be aware, I’m going to take this as seriously as any teacher.”

Riko jumped out of her seat with a cheer. “Yay! Hey, I don’t think the student council has gone home yet, they probably have lots of paperwork, and proposals, and stuff, because the year just started. Why don’t we go down there right now?”

Nana’s stern expression was broken with a gulp. Every step seemed to be a battle.

For her part, Riko didn’t seem to mind constant battle. The group was now five girls and one woman, and Riko lead the charge. She almost kicked down the door to the student council chamber when they reached it. Sure enough, the student council wasn’t going to leave until school closed. They had all sorts of paperwork stacked up, in fancy wire baskets to make it look even more important and official-like.

Well, since they had those nice baskets to keep a queue flowing, Riko wasn’t going to wait for them to finish going through it all. She could hear them first. “Okay, student council! We have five members! We have an adult staff member who takes us seriously! You had better approve our club!”

Most of the members of the council just looked confused at the sudden interruption. They looked over the band of misfits before them, trying to appraise just what the heck was going on. They were all standing straight, like battle-hardened soldiers. Even the timid Chiyoko had put her sketchbook away in her backpack, no longer using it as a shield.

There was one member of the assembly who seemed to be expecting this, however. The student council president, who was staring with killing intent at Nana. “We have a process for approving new clubs,” she said evenly, her eyes never leaving the prospective parapsychology club leader.

Quietly, Nana turned to Riko, putting her hand on her shoulder to calm her down, “You’ve done well, Control Sample-chan.” She then stepped forward, clearing her throat. “Yes, and if we followed the process, we’d wait a few days for you to deign to read our proposal, find an excuse to reject it, make us submit a new proposal, and repeat. We’re saving everyone’s time. One approval, and you never see us again.”

The president grew redder in the face. “That isn’t in the spirit of mutual benefit! Or even compromise! This is just subversion of our authority through intimidation! You can’t just-”

Nana quickly faded out of view, and reappeared next to the president, their faces only centimeters apart from each other. “I’ve jumped through every bureaucratic hoop asked of me. Amano-san can attest to that.” Nana placed her hand ever so gently on the president’s shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with intimidation when justice is on your side. Now, do you intend to keep wasting everyone’s time.”

For the first time, Riko noticed Aimi looked impressed with someone. Maybe it was Nana’s proactive nature, her drive to lead, or most likely, how naturally she seemed to have mastered her apportation. Her movement was smooth, graceful, like a dancer or martial artist. Whatever it was that made Aimi look at Nana like that, Riko was glad Nana didn’t seem interested in Aimi in the way Riko was.

Otherwise Riko might be contemplating how apportation could be defeated in a knife fight right about now.

Aimi turned her gaze up to Daisuke, who was doing her best to try and look like the literal adult in the room. “Kamei-sensei. President Tahara. She is currently suffering a strained back from all the walking around she’s had to do the past few days, especially during today’s recruitment hours. You should help her.”

The counselor nodded, and walked up to the place where the president was sitting. Of course, the powermonger was at the head of the table, the entire side of the table reserved for her. Nana backed off as Daisuke approached. “Please hold still. I know a few things about acupuncture, I can help you.” She grabbed the girl’s shoulder with one hand, and used the other to jab her index finger against her spine.

Silence washed over the room, everyone’s eyes on President Tahara. Indignant anger, terror, and what was apparently pain began to fade from her face. For the first time since Riko had encountered her, her expression seemed amicable. “Perhaps… I have been a bit overzealous with my new position. I will grant the club a probationary approval. No funding, but you will be recognized by the school as participating in club activities, if you file your club reports. Which I expect to be verbose and punctual. I will be keeping tabs on you as well. No more intimidation, got it?”

Nana crossed her arms, but swiftly replied, “Understood.”

The rest of the girls chimed in with “understood” as well. Aside from Chiyoko, who gave an affirmative squeak.

The girls were issued their club room key, and sent on their way by the student council. After they were out of the chambers, Daisuke let out a groan, her palm covered in the black ichor. “Just in time. My back was suddenly killing me.” She took a tissue out of her pocket and began to wipe herself clean. For now, her secret was safe with the brand new parapsychology club.

They had just enough time to inspect their new club room, before the end of afternoon club hours would arrive, and the students would be made to go home. Riko looked over Nana, Kyo, and Chiyoko’s faces. Nana had talked to her about how much time they had spent in the library’s conference room, using it as their unofficial hangout. Riko imagined how bittersweet this must be to them, leaving an old home behind, but arriving at a new one that was truly theirs.

They’d have to clean up, of course. It was the only unused non-sports club room left, and was completely saturated in dust. They had an empty bookshelf to fill, and walls to decorate, and of course, they’d have to come up with club activities to keep the school’s bureaucracy convinced of their legitimacy.

Daisuke had at least promised to lend her own collection of texts on psychology, neurology, and therapy, and would put a call in to the Brinsfield Foundation to see if they had any books to donate. A prospect which excited Kyo, even if she’d chew through it all in minutes.

Riko had bigger concerns, however. It was almost time to go home, and that meant one thing.

“Aimi-chan! Walk me to the train station!”