In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 53

Haru and Ruiko turned around at the sound and smiled when they saw Mikoto: "Misaka-senpai!"

Mikoto's gaze unconsciously swept around the two of them, and then... almost blurted out the question that she later wished she could turn back time:

"Um... uh, wasn't Higashino with you guys today?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mikoto froze. She had absolutely no idea why she had asked such a question. She felt her ears begin to burn.

Haru didn't find Mikoto's question strange at all, and answered naturally, "Ah, Higashino-senpai? He's not in Academy City today."

"Not here?" Mikoto asked instinctively. "Where did he go?" She regretted asking as soon as she did; her tone sounded... like she was being a little too concerned.

Ruiko blinked beside her, her sharp gaze sweeping thoughtfully over Mikoto's slightly reddened ear tips and her forced composure.

Chu Chun continued, "Well, he went to London with Index."

"Going to London? What for?" Mikoto asked almost reflexively. Then it dawned on her—she was asking Higashino's girlfriend! It just didn't seem right for a girl to be asking another girl where her boyfriend was!

A series of thoughts made her mind a little confused. Mikoto tried to act casual, but her eyes couldn't help but wander, and she couldn't meet Haru and Ruiko's gazes directly.

"Well, how should I put it? I'd say we went on a trip, right?" Ruiko chimed in, her smile bright, but she wasn't entirely telling the truth.

"Oh...I see." Mikoto nodded, feeling her cheeks grow even warmer. Realizing her reaction might have been a bit "over the top," she quickly tried to smooth things over, "Uh, I was just asking casually. With that guy not around, you guys have time to clean?"

"Okay, go help your senior tidy up the room," Chu Chun replied obediently.

"You guys go ahead with your work, I have some things to do at the Curious Shop." Mikoto ended the conversation rather hastily, feeling that if she stayed any longer, the heat on her face would be obvious. "Goodbye, Haru, Saten."

"Goodbye, Misaka-senpai!" The two waved goodbye to her.

Mikoto practically fled from Haru and Ruiko, only letting out a long sigh of relief after walking quite a distance, feeling the heat on her face subside slightly.

"Honestly...so embarrassing..." she muttered under her breath, extremely dissatisfied with her behavior just now. "What was I doing! Like an idiot, asking about other people's whereabouts...that womanizer, who he went to London with, what he did there, what does it have to do with me!"

She shook her head violently, trying to shake off Higashino Yu's smirking face and the embarrassing scene from just now.

My gaze inadvertently swept across the roadside, and a familiar square outline came into view. It was a vending machine, with marks on its surface from being kicked so often.

Her steps faltered involuntarily. She stared at it, stunned. This location…this model…

Memories suddenly flooded back. She clearly remembered that it was here, just two weeks ago. That time, the vending machine swallowed her coins, and in her anger, she kicked it, finally getting her drink. She was sitting on the bench next to it, tilting her head back to drink, enjoying the brief coolness and the cathartic relief after venting her frustration.

Her gaze inadvertently swept over another vending machine not far away... and then, she froze.

A muffled clang followed, accompanied by the vibration of the metal casing. The vending machine in front of me was empty, but in the blink of an eye, a strange man appeared. He was wearing a blue hoodie, staring at the vending machine's display screen with a look of utter disbelief, seemingly muttering something under his breath. He looked rather furtive.

Then she struck up a conversation with him, and he told her she was cute. At the time, it didn't seem like much, but now when she thinks about it, his complimenting her always makes her heart race.

Mikoto found herself standing in front of a vending machine, having inserted coins. She instinctively pressed the button for a particular drink.

"Clang!" A familiar muffled sound. The drink didn't spill.

"..." Mikoto's forehead instantly tightened into a deep frown. History always repeats itself in surprising ways? The battle between vending machines and Mikoto has never ceased!

"Are you going to oppose me too?!" A surge of anger, along with the complex emotions brought on by the memories, welled up inside her. Almost instinctively, and with a hint of venting her frustration, she skillfully raised her foot.

"Thump!" A muffled sound rang out as the machine was kicked solidly in the side.

"Glug glug..." Accompanied by the machine's protesting noise, a bottle of beverage finally rolled out.

Mikoto bent down to pick up the cold canned drink, pulled the tab, and tilted her head back to take a big gulp. The icy liquid, with its irritating bubbles, slid down her throat, but it did nothing to quell the irritation in her heart.

She looked down at her blurry reflection on the smooth exterior of the vending machine, her cheeks still flushed, her lips tightly pressed together.

"Saying something like that on our first meeting...what a frivolous guy..." she muttered softly, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach she herself didn't realize. And the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards very slightly. That bizarre and dramatic first encounter, now recalled, somehow felt absurd...amusing?

The drink in the can didn't seem so bitter anymore; instead, it had a strange...sweet taste?

Wait! Sweet?!

Mikoto jolted awake, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Sweet my foot!" She shook her head violently, as if trying to shake that absurd adjective out of her mind. "Misaka Mikoto! What nonsense are you thinking!"

She glanced at the vending machine again, as if she could see the man who had suddenly appeared and uttered those frivolous words. Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

"Oh no!" Mikoto suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening and her face turning deathly pale.

Limited edition frog! What was she doing just now?! She was just standing there spacing out, reminiscing about her first encounter with that womanizing rascal?!

Time! Precious time is slipping away! We still have a long way to go to reach the Curious House!

"It's all over, it's all over, it's all over!" she cried out in a short, mournful voice, nearly dropping the beverage can from her hand.

Limited edition! Extremely rare! Get there early and everything's gone! Forget Higashino Yu! Forget frivolous men! Forget first encounter memories! Get out of my way!

Mikoto gulped down the rest of her drink, not caring about elegance, and casually tossed the empty can into a trash can a few meters away.

"Limited edition Gekota! I'm here, be sure to wait for me!"

She let out a low growl, her eyes burning with an intense longing for Gekota. Her legs instantly unleashed astonishing power, her long, slender legs encased in jeans taking a leap, and she sprinted down the street like a white lightning bolt towards the "Fun House"! The hem of her T-shirt fluttered wildly in the wind.

At this moment, the girl had only one thought in her mind: to snag her Gekota before it sold out! Who cares about anything else! Forget about Higashino!

Chapter 67 The Girl with Glasses and the Attack

The day after returning to Academy City.

Higashino Yu stood in front of the full-length mirror in his apartment, adjusting his shirt collar with a slight smile on his lips.

He had a date with a girl at 3 PM this afternoon. The date was originally supposed to be a few days ago, but it was postponed to today because of his trip to London, and he received quite a few complaints in the text messages.

However, thinking of her expression—clearly wanting to resist but also looking forward—he couldn't help but feel happy.

"Yu, are you going out?" Index peeked out from the sofa, her mouth full of potato chips.

"Hmm, going to give a psychological treatment to a certain 'patient'." Higashino Yu ruffled her silver hair.

"Hmph! He's not going on another date with that girl, is he?" Index puffed out her cheeks, with an expression that said, "I knew it all along."

"Well, it's true that I'm going to see a doctor."

Higashino Yu smiled, picked up his coat, and went out.

As for Index, she's going to see a movie with Ruiko later, which was arranged yesterday. Only Haru, the disciplinary committee member, has to work overtime today, poor thing.

Checking the time, Higashino decided to take a shortcut to the agreed-upon location. However, an unexpected situation arose as soon as he entered the alley.

"Hey, isn't this the newly promoted Level 5?" A blond-haired thug stood in front of Higashino, holding a metal baseball bat in his hand.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen or so delinquents wielding sticks and machetes appeared and blocked the alleyway.

Higashino Yu raised an eyebrow: "Who are you?"

This setup doesn't seem like a chance encounter; the tools are so complete, but I don't think I've offended anyone, have I?

“You don’t need to know.” The blond thug grinned. “Anyway, as long as we defeat you, we’ll become famous throughout Academy City, proving that you can defeat a superpowered person even without superpowers.”

Higashino Yu sighed: "An incapable armed group? Never mind, it doesn't matter who it is. I'm in a hurry, can you hurry up?"

I thought there was some big conspiracy targeting me, but this is all? Where did these thugs get the confidence to stake out Level 5?

"Damn it, how dare they look down on us!"

The thugs swarmed him, but Higashino Yu didn't even bother using his special abilities, easily dodging and counterattacking with just his physical skills. It was like he was playing a game; he even deliberately slowed down his movements, making one of the guys with the machete think he could succeed, before casually sidestepping and knocking him down with a single punch.

"That's it?" Higashino Yu clapped his hands. "You guys aren't even good enough to warm me up."

This is the first time I've engaged in hand-to-hand combat since transmigrating; after all, my abilities are incredibly useful. But this kind of brutal, visceral fighting is quite satisfying; it feels good to have it once in a while.

"Is this any good, Greyhound?"

The thugs looked grim, and one of them suddenly pulled a pistol from his pocket.

Gunshots rang out, but the bullets veered off course just before hitting him, grazing the wall as they flew past.

"Hehe, this kind of toy has no effect on me~"

"Damn ability user! If your ability fails, let's see if you still dare to be so arrogant!!" another thug shouted, pulling a black device from his pocket and pressing a switch.

Higashino Yu sensed a faint interference, but even the ability suppressor specifically designed for Level 5 during the previous test was ineffective, so the simplified version used by these petty thugs from who-knows-where was even less likely to work.

"You guys are pretty professional, you even managed to get your hands on something like this..." He chuckled, "What a pity..."

Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished abruptly, and the next second he appeared in front of the armed thug, delivering a light chop to the neck, knocking the man unconscious.

Just then, a sharp shout came from the alley entrance:

"What are you doing! Stop right now!"

A lithe figure rushed into the fray, her uniform skirt billowing with her movements, her long legs appearing exceptionally powerful beneath the black stockings. She held a baton, her eyes sharp, her full breasts rising and falling slightly with her rapid breathing.

"Sir, get out of here! This way!" she shouted, and at the same time, she kicked a thug who was trying to sneak up on Higashino Yu's flank, sending him flying. Then, she accurately struck the wrist of another thug who was holding a knife with her baton, disarming him cleanly and efficiently.

"Disciplinary Committee member?!" someone in the thugs exclaimed.

Higashino Yu's lips curled into a slight smile when he saw the person who appeared. He already recognized her: black hair, glasses, and a member of the Disciplinary Committee.

Kofumi Miwa is the head of the 117th Disciplinary Committee branch and the superior of Kuroko and Hatsuharu.

The two exchanged a glance and quickly assumed a back-to-back defensive stance.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked in a low voice, her eyes fixed on the enemy in front of her.

“No problem at all.” Higashino Yu easily parried a baseball bat attack and subdued his opponent with a backhand. “I can handle these small fry all by myself.”

If you use your abilities, it might only take a moment.

"It's my duty," the girl replied succinctly, her movements swift and decisive. With the two working together, the thugs fell like wheat being harvested.

The battle was quickly drawing to a close, with seven or eight thugs lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Higashino Yuu was facing away from Kofumi Miwa, preparing to take down the last standing guy.

Suddenly, one of the thugs who had been knocked to the ground and pretending to be dead sprang up and pointed his gun at Kofumi Miwei's chest!

"boom!"

A gunshot rang out, the bullet grazing above Kofumi's left chest, instantly staining her uniform shirt with blood. She groaned and staggered.

Higashino Yu turned around abruptly and saw this scene; his eyes suddenly turned icy cold.

"Damn it! I was careless!" he thought to himself, annoyed. He had been so caught up in the fight that he had overlooked the possibility that they might use guns to attack the girl.

"You... are looking for death!"

In the next instant, all the thugs who were still standing, including the one who fired the shot, were frozen in place as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, their faces filled with nothing but fear.

Higashino Yu rushed to Kofune Miki's side. Her face was pale from the pain, her brows were furrowed, and her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness from blood loss and pain.

The bullet grazed a very awkward spot; through the tear in the shirt, one could vaguely see fair skin and a glaring bloodstain.

"Don't move, I'll help you." Dongye gently placed his palm on the wound below her collarbone.

Although the injury was serious, as long as it wasn't fatal on the spot, such a common gunshot wound wouldn't be difficult for Higashino to recover from.

Kofumi gasped in pain and instinctively tried to pull away, but Higashino Yu's other hand had already firmly supported her shoulder, rendering her unable to move.

"Don't be nervous, it'll be over soon," he said softly, his tone reassuring.

Her gaze wavered for a moment, then softened, and her tense body gradually relaxed. For some reason, she suddenly felt that she should absolutely trust the man in front of her.

Higashino Yu pressed his palm against her wound, activating his ability: "The wound does not exist."

Blood flowed back, and the skin tissue healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the torn shirt fabric was restored to its original state, as if the dramatic scene had never happened.

"This...this is..." The girl looked down at her perfectly intact chest and shirt, feeling the pain disappear, and was too shocked to speak. Her cheeks were even redder because of the contact and the location just now.

"I'm sorry, I was too presumptuous. I just wanted to play with them, but I ended up hurting you." Higashino Yu's voice was filled with sincere apology as he helped her straighten her slightly disheveled collar.

"No, it's not your fault!" Kofumi quickly shook her head, her voice still weak but firm. "It was my own lack of vigilance that almost caused trouble..."

“No, that’s not true. Your support was timely and professional.” Higashino Yu interrupted her self-blame, turning his gaze to the group of thugs who were frozen in place and terrified. “Who sent you?”

The thugs were deathly pale, and one of them stammered, "We...we just want to be famous...if we defeat Level 5, the giant spider will give us a reward..."

"A giant spider?" Higashino raised an eyebrow, looking at the girl. "I remember this organization..."

Gu Famei's expression turned serious: "It seems the rumors are true, the giant spider has risen from the ashes. I was patrolling nearby when I heard fighting and gunshots, so I came over. I didn't expect it was them attacking you."

Higashino Yu nodded, asked no further questions, and simply snapped his fingers: "'All to sleep'."

The thugs, who had been standing stiffly just moments before, suddenly collapsed to the ground as if their bones had been removed, instantly falling into a deep coma.

Higashino turned to look at Kofumi again, reached out and grabbed a bottle of cold milk from thin air.

"Here, have some protein to replenish your protein and quench your thirst."