Psychic Overlord

The trio stepped into the Silvergate Mega Mall, the automatic glass doors parting as cool and slightly scented air hit their faces point blank.

A massive atrium stretched out before them, filled with LED lights, animated signage, and holographic displays of fashion models strutting along invisible runways above shoppers’ heads.

The mall’s layout spanned four floors, each dedicated to different experiences: fashion on the first floor, tech on the second, food on the third, and lifestyle on the fourth, along with suspended walkways crossing over an indoor garden waterfall in the center.

"Alright, mission objective: spend Kaizer’s money until he cries," Rina said mischievously, a little fang growing at the side of her mouth.

Sophia blinked at her. "That’s... a mission?"

"Of course." Rina nodded solemnly.

She then folded her arms arrogantly. "A girl’s gotta test the limits of a man’s wallet before she decides whether he’s worth keeping."

Kaizer sighed. "I’m right here, you know."

"You’re the designated wallet." Rina waved him off.

"And the chauffeur," Sophia added without missing a beat, adjusting her gloves.

Kaizer narrowed his eyes. "I swear I’ll abandon you both in the parking lot."

"You’d miss us in five minutes," Rina said smugly.

"I’d miss the silence more." Kaizer retorted with a snort.

As they approached the fashion wing, Rina veered toward a sleek boutique named Éclipse Noir, dragging Sophia by the wrist. "C’mon, I’m dressing you up. You’re cute but so... repressed."

"I’m not repressed!" Sophia protested, though she followed anyway, bewildered but oddly cooperative.

Kaizer didn’t even try to stop them. He simply sighed, turned around, and walked toward the nearest café to await their spree’s conclusion.

Inside the boutique, Rina spun on her heel, eyeing Sophia critically.

"Alright, Sophia. We’re giving you an upgrade. No more ’prim and proper war widow’ vibes."

Sophia tilted her head. "But I like my current wardrobe. It’s practical."

"And practically tragic," Rina deadpanned, already grabbing a cropped combat jacket and a high-waisted midi skirt from the rack.

"Try this then add boots. Boom! Instant main character energy." Rina added as she smiled.

"I don’t want to be the main character," Sophia mumbled, slightly flustered by Rina’s fast pace.

Rina tossed the clothing to her and continued browsing. "Tough. You’re on Kaizer’s squad. You’re automatically supporting cast at worst."

Sophia caught it and held it tightly. "...Am I the love interest?"

Rina paused and turned around with a dangerous expression. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, in this ’main character energy’ thing. You said ’main character.’ Does that make Kaizer the protagonist?" Sophia still persisted despite seeing Rina like this.

Rina narrowed her eyes. "He’s my protagonist. You’re just the NPC who shows up in the romance side quest and gets rejected."

Sophia turned pink then blue. "You really don’t like sharing, do you?"

"Nope." Rina said casually as she went back to browsing.

Kaizer, meanwhile, was sitting in the café with an iced coffee, glancing at the two bags they had already passed off to him. His phone buzzed, and he saw that it was a bank notification.

-2,075 Dollars: Éclipse Noir.

-3,220 Dollars: Astra Footwear.

-898 Dollars: Café Latte & Almond Croissant.

He stared at the screen, speechless. "It’s only been fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes and they had already destroyed the monthly salary of the average worker.

Suddenly, a voice beside him spoke.

"Can we have a table for three, please? My people are trying to out-sass each other to death, and I need to eat before I lose brain cells."

Kaizer turned to see Rina plop herself into the seat beside him, tugging Sophia into the opposite one. Sophia, now wearing the combat jacket and skirt combo with chunky platform boots, looked inexplicably radiant and also mildly horrified.

"She dressed me like this," Sophia muttered, poking the collar of the jacket.

"I don’t hate it. I just... I don’t know who I am anymore." She said with confusion.

"You’re... not bad. It’s a bit impressive," Kaizer said, surprised.

Sophia blinked in surprise and some level of satisfaction.

Rina raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Kaizer. Complimenting her before me? You’ve got a death wish."

Kaizer glanced at her askance. "I would say you look like a diva, but I figured you already knew that."

Rina smirked. "Correct answer."

The server approached, and Kaizer ordered for the group with practiced efficiency, getting Rina’s usual, Sophia’s supposedly favorite tea, and something random for himself.

As they waited for their food, the three of them finally settled into a rare moment of peace as shoppers moved about the mall beyond the glass wall, and a soft fountain bubbled nearby. The air smelled of pastries and chilled fruit.

Sophia sipped her tea, eyes closed. "This... isn’t bad."

Rina stretched, feet on the edge of Kaizer’s seat. "Yeah. I guess... this isn’t the worst way to spend the day."

Kaizer looked between the two of them. The back-and-forth sniping, the chaotic energy, the quiet moments... it was kind of nice.

He smiled faintly, then muttered under his breath. "Better than almost dying on a train, at least."

Rina and Sophia glanced at him, feeling a hint of worry in their hearts.

Then Sophia tilted her head. "Are you okay, Kaizer?"

He looked at them both, his expression soft. "Yeah. Just... somewhat glad you’re both here."

Rina blinked, her teasing demeanor dissipating as she looked away, brushing her hair back in silence.

Sophia simply smiled. "Me too."

Kaizer hummed. "Food’s here."

Rina smiled at the waiter who put down their food while being unable to take his eyes off the two beauties seated with Kaizer. However, his envy was only minor because he saw Kaizer’s extraordinary bearing, especially his powerful blue eyes which shone like torches, and felt that this was natural.

"So, Sophia, this is the part where you share your backstory in order to close the gap between us as friends and allies." Rina said as she began digging into her array of pastries greedily.

Sophia looked up from her tea, a bit startled by Rina’s directness. The expression on her face made it clear that she wasn’t used to this kind of social rhythm that was chaotic, rapid-fire, and warm despite the thorns.

"You want... my backstory?" She asked slowly, eyes flicking between the two.

"Yes," Rina confirmed immediately, licking a bit of strawberry glaze off her thumb.

"Preferably something juicy but not tragic. I’m tired of orphaned prodigies and betrayed heiresses." Rina added with a wave of her hand.

"Also not world-ending," Kaizer added, stirring his iced coffee.

He shook his head. "We already have enough of that going on."

Sophia exhaled softly and leaned back in her seat, resting one arm across her lap and staring out the café window for a moment. "Well... it’s not tragic. At least, not in the way you’re probably expecting."

Rina raised a brow, interested now.

Sophia continued. "I’m the youngest daughter of Dean Rochester, one child among twelve. Seven boys, four girls, and then me. That’s not counting the 23 grandkids he already has."

Rina blinked. "...Seriously?"

Sophia nodded. "Dead serious. Family reunions feel like a minor political summit."

"That’s a platoon, not a family," Rina muttered through a croissant, eyes wide.

Sophia chuckled faintly. "He’s the strongest esper alive, but he’s also... a very committed father. None of us were neglected nor were any of us rejected. He raised each one of us intentionally and taught us directly, mentored us when needed, made sure we knew we were loved."

Rina narrowed her eyes. "Okay, that doesn’t sound bad at all. Where’s the conflict?"

Sophia’s smile became a little tight, her voice calm but tinged with something wistful. "It’s not about being unloved—it’s about being... unseen. When everyone is exceptional, you’re just another star in a constellation. Bright, yes, but not... singular. Especially as the youngest."

Kaizer leaned forward slightly. "You felt like a background character in your own home?"

Sophia nodded. "In a way. My older siblings are amazing. One is the commander of an elite recon unit. Another is a war strategist who writes policy for the Federation. One of my sisters opened a medical research division for esper physiology. Even the youngest grandkid has a precognition ability that lets him ace all his tests without opening a book."

"Oof, that’s not a family. That’s a Hall of Fame." Rina muttered.

Sophia gave a small smile. "Exactly. So even though my father loves us all, I still had to fight for relevance. That’s partly why I trained so hard. Why I tried to be perfect in every category, even if I wasn’t naturally the best at anything."

Kaizer looked at her quietly. "Void Walking suits you, though. It’s subtle and measured, but absolute when needed. We wouldn’t have taken down Azrael without it."

Sophia blinked at him, her cheeks lightly flushing. "...Thank you."

Rina, watching the exchange, squinted suspiciously. "Hmph. Emotional development unlocked. I’m not sure I approve."

Sophia tilted her head, face blank. "Do you want me to go back to being emotionally repressed?"

"Yes, it’s less threatening." Rina said instantly.

Sophia was left speechless by Rina’s cruelty.

Kaizer chuckled, sipping his coffee. "Well, thanks for sharing that, Sophia. It’s a rare thing to have power and stability without trauma. Refreshing, actually."

Sophia relaxed a bit more, her posture loosening. "Thanks. I was worried it’d sound too... privileged."

Rina shrugged. "You were raised with power, love, and terrifying overachievers. Honestly, that’s probably the most mentally healthy origin story I’ve heard."

Sophia tapped her spoon against the rim of her teacup. "You don’t think I’m boring?"

Rina scoffed. "You walk through dimensions and you can vaporize bullets. You just wore a combat jacket along with boots and made my Kaizer compliment you in public. You’re not boring. You’re dangerous."

"True, just quietly so." Kaizer added with a nod.

Sophia looked between the two of them, warmth curling in her chest despite knowing that the ’dangerous’ the two of them meant was different.

"Then I guess I’ll stay exactly the way I am."

"Good, because the moment you start acting like a romcom heroine, I’m void-walking you into a garbage bin." Rina threatened with wide eyes that tried to be fierce, but came off as adorable.

"Noted," Sophia murmured, amused.