Episode 14 - Special Workshop
Sitting in Joseph's Family Restaurant, Mikoto and Kuroko debate what to do with their day off. Kuroko wants to go to the movies, but Mikoto suggests visiting an exhibition at Seventh Mist — which has absolutely nothing to do with a Gekota-themed event being held there. Uiharu soon joins them, and they ask her where Saten is. It seems that Saten has been told to attend a special workshop at another school today.
Saten makes her way to a certain high school where the workshop is being held. She's joined by her friends from before, and it's soon clear that all the attendees are students who were involved with Level Upper. Their teacher for the morning is Komoe Tsukuyomi, who tells them they're going to review the basics of esper development, then promptly launches into a lecture about Personal Reality theory.
At lunchtime, Saten realizes she forgot to pack a lunch. The school cafeteria is closed, so she's about to head out to a store when Miho Jufuku appears and greets her. Miho, blushing, tells Saten she's happy to see her again, and thanks her for answering her letters. She offers to share her lunch with Saten, who is embarrassed but accepts.
The afternoon class is conducted by Aiho Yomikawa, who makes everyone run laps around the school track. She tells them to raise a hand when they feel like they can't continue. When they do, however, she orders them to continue running. After an exhausted Saten is made to sprint an extra lap and then told to keep going, one of the other students — a delinquent-looking high school girl note — confronts Yomikawa. She says that if they're being punished, they should just call it punishment instead of playing games. Yomikawa tells her she's got it wrong, and points to one student who is still running. She says he was the first person to raise his hand, and yet he's still going after everyone else has stopped. The point of the exercise is to show them how to find strength inside themselves, even when they think they've reached their limit.
After the students go back inside, the delinquent girl grumbles that Yomikawa is spouting empty rationales. Saten stands up to her, saying that if it is punishment, then they deserve it for trying to cheat the system. The two glare at each other for several moments before the delinquent girl shrugs and walks away.
When they're back in the classroom, Komoe tells them they're not being punished — their experience with Level Upper has caused them enough suffering. Instead, she says, this is a chance for them to use what happened to their advantage. She points out they're in the unusual position of having experienced power above their normal abilities. Unlike most aspiring espers, they don't have to try and imagine their goal — they've actually seen it for themselves. This can help them develop their Personal Reality — effectively, the power of belief — to get there normally some day.
The final part of the workshop is an ability measurement test. Saten and her friends are interested to find their numbers are slightly better than they used to be, even though their actual levels haven't changed. As they're leaving, Saten finds a letter from Miho Jufuku in her shoe locker. Miho says that Saten's strength and courage have inspired her, and that she'll try to be more confident in the future. Touched, Saten says to herself that she'll continue working hard to improve her own abilities.
When she goes outside, Saten finds Uiharu, Kuroko and Mikoto waiting for her. They say that without her, they couldn't decide how to spend the day, and ask what she wants to do. The four girls head off together as they debate the various possibilities.
Tropes
- Blatant Lies: Mikoto repeatedly insists she isn't interested in the Gekota costume show. Nobody is fooled.
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Broken Aesop:- Whatever the intended lesson about pushing past one's limits, forcing the students to keep running when they're already exhausted is potentially very dangerous, given that they're outside in a heatwave. note
- There's a belated in-universe one as well. The message behind the workshop is that if they try hard enough and find a way to push past their limits, they can eventually develop their abilities on their own. As will be revealed much later in A Certain Magical Index, this is a lie, although even the teachers don't know it. The Power Development Curriculum incorporates a number of techniques, some of which involve surgeries and drug regimens... and it's strongly implied that students whose potential powers aren't considered "useful" are secretly given placebos.
- Call-Back: It seems that Miho did indeed start writing letters to Saten. We're also reunited with the asphalt-melting delinquent girl from episode 8 and a few of her gang members, who turn out to be high school students.
- Locker Mail: Miho leaves a letter in Saten's shoe locker.
- The Nondescript: Miho says that, without Level Upper, all her power can do is make her this. Being a Shrinking Violet, she still finds it useful.
