Esper X Family – Chapter 13 – Not Human

“Ahaha… no need to rush, I’ll explain everything slowly.”

This was the first time Mo Qiuli had helped someone without using her magical girl identity.

Normally, she was extremely introverted. Her first instinct would be to run away when faced with trouble.

Then, she would find a secluded spot to transform into her magical girl form and resolve the issue.

That was her fundamental logic.

But she had been thoroughly cornered today.

She didn’t even get the chance to transform.

If Ye Yao hadn’t been so clingy, she would’ve long since slipped away to some hidden corner and transformed.

Suddenly, Ye Yao noticed something.

“Wait, won’t telling me all this cause trouble for you? Like, leaking classified info and getting punished?”

Mo Qiuli scratched the back of her head and shook it lightly.

“This is just basic knowledge. If we encounter civilian Espers outside, we’re allowed to educate them and even recommend them for recruitment. There’s no punishment involved.”

“That’s a relief. I’d feel terrible if you got in trouble because of me.”

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

Mo Qiuli looked genuinely touched.

Normally, she would flee at the first sign of trouble. When interacting with others, she would act like a slug hiding the shadows, which was why she barely had any friends.

And when she transformed into a magical girl, she was treated like a problem child.

Even adults found her troublesome.

Nobody ever wanted to have a deep conversation with her.

Now that she met someone as odd as Ye Yao, she felt an unfamiliar warmth and importance.

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So moved~

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything I know! I won’t let you down!”

Mo Qiuli erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm.

For the first time ever, she radiated the energy of a magical girl in her normal form.

“Wow, so lively! Now you really look like a magical girl!”

Praise was exactly what this insecure girl needed.

With her experience from playing hundreds of dating sims and watching thousands of anime, Ye Yao had no trouble handling her.

According to Mo Qiuli’s explanation, Espers are divided into five ranks.

“Newly awakened Espers like you usually start with a mental power of just over 10, the baseline for D-rank. Breaking through 100 means reaching C-rank, which is where I am now.”

“Ooh~ Interesting.” Ye Yao nodded thoughtfully.

She finally knew where the bottleneck was.

Based on her years of novel-reading experience, if D-rank mental power only allowed for one fission count…

Wouldn’t that mean two fissions after reaching C-rank?

Recalling yesterday’s experiment, her mental power had indeed surpassed 100 after fission and reached the C-rank treshold, but she still didn’t feel the possibility of a second fission.

Maybe the initial value had to be 100 before a second fission could occur.

“Then, Qiuli, when do you think you’ll reach B-rank?”

“Still a long way off. To reach B-rank, the mental power needs to break through the 500 mark. I’ve only just started.”

Mo Qiuli sighed.

At this level, she was far from capable of handling major crises.

As a magical girl who swore to protect the city, she was utterly unqualified.

Every time a serious threat emerged, she could only watch from the sidelines while the adults stepped in.

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Calling herself a magical girl while being so powerless was pathetic.

“500!?”

Ye Yao’s eyelid twitched.

How many people do I have to recognize as ‘Mom’ to milk that many attribute points from the system?!

Couldn’t the system’s criteria be a little more lenient?

She glanced at Mo Qiuli, wondering if she could call her ‘Mom’ to add her to the family registry.

What’s wrong with a loli being a mom?

If abandoning her dignity to become like Char ¹ Gundam reference. He’s the main character’s love rival and said this rather weird line once, which led others to speculate that he wanted an underage mommy gf (she’s 17). meant that she could slack off and grow stronger, then so be it!

“What about after that? How much for A-rank?”

B-rank was already a distant dream.

Not that Ye Yao was getting ahead of herself, but she was curious. Plus, she wanted to gauge her adoptive parents’ level.

“To reach A-rank, mental power must exceed 1000. Espers at this level can already stand on their own.”

“Huh~ The gap between B and A doesn’t seem that big.”

Ye Yao finally understood Xiao Jing’s level now.

With a mental power of just over 1000, she was an A-rank Esper, likely part of the elite within the National Countermeasures Bureau.

“It is big.”

Mo Qiuli shook her head.

“1000 is A-rank, and 4999 is also A-rank. The difference between a top-tier B-rank and a top-tier A-rank is like heaven and earth.”

Ye Yao’s mouth twitched, her mood instantly souring.

She started calculating how many ‘Moms’ she would need to call to farm that many stats.

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“ Gulp .”

Ye Yao swallowed her saliva.

“Then… what’s next?”

“Next is S-rank, requiring over 5000 mental power. There are barely any Espers in the country at this level, and you could probably count them on one hand.”

“And if someone reached 10,000?”

“Hmm… That would probably make them the strongest under heaven. At that point, they’re practically not human anymore.”

Mo Qiuli sounded uncertain.

She had heard rumors of someone reaching that legendary realm.

But that person was shrouded in mystery.

There was no name and no records, just whispers within the Bureau.

“I see.”

Ye Yao expressionlessly pulled out her phone and typed into her notes:

【My dad isn’t human. He’s a Dayun truck.】

Meanwhile…

A technical staff member monitoring her phone blinked in confusion.

Then, she quickly messaged Lou Wei:

“Mr. Lou Wei, your daughter just called you ‘not human’ in her notes. Did you make her mad?”

Lou Wei: “?”

Standing on the balcony, Lou Wei frowned in bewilderment.

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He glanced toward the park. Even from a kilometer away, his sharp eyes could make out Ye Yao chatting with a young girl.

He had no idea what they were discussing.

Even though he could use the wind to eavesdrop, he wouldn’t.

He might not be able to give Ye Yao paternal love, but he would at least respect her privacy.

Just like how he had never probed her room with his mental power.

At that moment, Xiao Jing finally returned from headquarters.

“Lou Wei, where’s Ye Yao?”

“At the park.”

He didn’t even turn around.

“How did things go?”

“I met the child known as Rising Star. After explaining the situation, she’s willing to join this ‘family’.”

Xiao Jing couldn’t hide her concern.

“Do you really think this will work? What if Ye Yao doesn’t get along with that child as well?”

“It should be fine.”

Lou Wei scanned the area within a one-kilometer radius of the park, his gaze eventually settling back on Ye Yao, who was happily talking to the dark-haired girl.

“Compared to us, she’d probably prefer interacting with girls her own age.”

The evidence was right in front of him. It was clear what kind of social circle suited Ye Yao.

“That’s good.” Xiao Jing exhaled in relief.

After a few seconds of silence, Lou Wei spoke again, unable to let it go.

“Xiao Jing… What does it mean to compare a person to a truck?”