Bam!
"Phew!" Millie let out a breath of air after punching the last thug into the ceiling. She then turned around, looking at the hostages, "Are you guys alright?"
"Y-Yes," The clerk was the first to reply, sporting a sigh of relief. Though for some reason, she found it difficult to make eye contact with Millie, stuttering in response.
The assault team brought the hostages out of the building as the crisis was resolved.
Millie observed the world vanish in the next moment, just as she experienced all the time, now noticing that she was back at the training hall. She looked around, observing that the faces of all the students were foul, like they had swallowed the worst of insects.
She then noticed Compass Carburettor arriving to a halt before the students, about to announce something. But the moment she stared at him, something seemed to well up within her as before she realised it, she was standing before him.
"Yes?" Compass Carburettor looked at her in response, wondering what she was about to say when suddenly, all the staring students were shocked.
Slap!
A crisp sound resounded within the training hall, causing the place to become silent like the dead of the night.
"You're an absolute asshole, you know that?" She screamed in anger, her eyes reddened, tears streaming out of them as she turned away and ran out of the training hall.
'Um, shit!' Old man Mida was just passing by the training hall to observe the situation when he noticed his granddaughter slapping Compass Carburettor, fearing immediately as he became ready to protect the students from possible retaliation by the Contained Villain.
When Millie rushed out of the training hall, he hurriedly grabbed hold of her, "Why did you do that, Millie?"
"Shut up, grandpa. You don't know anything." Millie slipped out of his hold using her power and leapt away, vanishing from the spot.
"When…did she become so strong?" Old man Mida was shocked at her speed and control over her power, "She's almost at C-Class already."
"I'm sorry, sir. But this simulation was indeed too much for us to bear." Vahor bowed in response before walking out of the training hall, followed by the students who too felt the same way as him.
Though of course, none had the guts to slap Compass Carburettor like Millie did.
Soon, the training hall was empty, and standing there in silence was Compass Carburettor who still hadn't digested what had happened, 'What…went wrong?'
Millie's expression was etched clearly in his mind as he processed all the data that he had inferred, 'I can't find any problem. The task was well within her limit. She was also fully aware that this was just a simulation, unlike before when I made them perceive things to be real. So, what changed?'
This was a surprisingly perplexing question for him, since he couldn't find a correct answer despite all the data presented to him. According to the data, there were no problems. As he had expected, Millie grew by leaps and bounds.
Not only were her powers strengthened, her mind too had grown stronger, allowing her to maintain full control over her abilities despite giving in to rage. Usually, when people give in to anger, their actions would become simple and almost impulsive.
But even in that state, Millie had perfect control over her powers. She took the most rational path to save everyone, 'She did display a sight to the hostages that most Heroes wouldn't, but she ensured everyone remained unharmed. Other than the two victims that were shot to death, everyone else didn't even suffer a scratch once she arrived at the scene.'
"It's a stellar performance, but then, why did she slap me? Is it because I made her experience something like this?" He frowned, because that too wasn't the answer. He didn't see any such inclination from her.
Millie hadn't displayed any hatred towards him or even willingness to hit him. But in the end, she still slapped and cursed at him.
And indeed, as he pondered, he felt a singeing sensation on his cheek, surprised as he traced it with his finger, "There's no injury. But why does it sting?"
His eyes widened as he sighed, "Haha, seems I have a lot left to learn indeed."
Psyche Star—Unforeseen Humiliation!
The fact that despite all the data available to him, he was still unable to find the solution. Considering how confident he was in his ability to infer and conclude, he felt humiliated. And as expected, he had by far the strongest resonance with the people in his Dreamland.
As everyone there was as smart as him, when they came across something that they couldn't understand, they felt humiliated. Being smart too had its weakness, depending upon the situation.
And this feeling of humiliation was one such.
He pondered for a few more minutes before bursting into a laugh, "I should ask her for the answer then."
After all, he noticed one more Psyche Star forming in his Dreamland, something that was a lot more valuable for his needs.
Psyche Star—Clear Confusion!
"You alright?" Vahor asked upon finding Millie seated at a table in a park within the campus. It was a somewhat secluded location with occasional passers-by.
"Yeah," Millie nodded as she wiped her tears, "I was just…angry with myself."
"You too, huh." Vahor sighed as he sat beside her, "I was just shocked throughout the whole simulation."
"I went in knowing that it wasn't real," Millie said, "But the events that happened there…"
She groaned and clenched her hand into a fist, "I saved everyone but more than the terrorists, I probably scarred the hostages mentally worse. When I realised that, I just…"
"I'm not a decent student, huh," Millie said, ashamed of her actions.
"Still, you did right by slapping the teacher." Vahor surprised her with his support, "What I noticed was that from the very first simulation, he pointed out our defects clearly and showed us all the paths we could take to grow stronger. The experience given by every simulation strived to grow us."
"But," He massaged his forehead, "When I came to see so many faults with myself, I wondered if I was actually fit enough to be a Hero. You see,"
He sighed, "I always thought I was a righteous individual fit enough to be a Hero and inspire others. But now, I can't feel so confident in myself. Yes, as compared to before, I can save people without letting anyone be harmed. Yes, I can neutralise enemies stronger than myself. Yes, I can also inspire in them hope."
"But, it just makes me feel a bit…"
"Calculating."
