Mikoto and Kuroko talk with Harumi Kiyama, the AIM specialist Mikoto had previously met, about the Level Upper. They are later joined by Kazari and Ruiko, the latter of which has the Level Upper, but decides to keep it to herself when Kuroko mentions its relation to criminal activities. Noticing Ruiko feeling down about being a Level 0 esper, Mikoto tries to assure her that an esper's level is not important, though this secretly irritates Ruiko further. The next day, Ruiko stumbles upon a boy being conned by a group of thugs over Level Upper and can't bring herself to just run away, so she confronts them. Kuruko coincidentally arrives before Ruiko gets hurt and subdues two of the thugs, but has trouble using her teleportation powers against their boss, Trick, due to his ability to distort light affecting her calculations. After dealing various injuries to Kuroko, Trick chases her through an abandoned building. However, Kuroko manages to defeat him by teleporting the windows directly into the building's supports, cutting right through them and causing the building to collapse. Having barely just survived, Trick surrenders his Level Upper, which is revealed to be a music file. Meanwhile, as Ruiko feels even more conflicted about what to do with the Level Upper, she is approached by some of her friends and, upon hearing that they are also interested in the Level Upper, tells them she has it.