In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 4

"that..."

She hesitated.

"I...I've always been curious..."

"What are you curious about?"

Higashino leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"What will I be like when I grow up...?"

Xiao Meng raised her head, her eyes sparkling with longing as she looked forward to what she would be like when she grew up.

"Could you...use your abilities to let me see? Just...let me see it within the illusion..."

Higashino stared at the older loli in front of him, who was forever stuck in the size of an elementary school student.

The longing in her eyes was so pure that it was impossible to refuse.

Are you sure?

"Um!"

Xiao Meng nodded vigorously, her eyes practically brimming with anticipation.

"It'll only be a little while!"

Higashino nodded slightly: "Then, please look into my eyes."

Xiao Meng immediately held her breath and waited quietly.

"When I count to three, you will see your adult self in the mirror."

"one..."

Xiao Meng's breathing became steady, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically.

"two..."

Her gaze began to unfocus, and her pupils dilated slightly.

"three."

Xiao Meng's body trembled slightly, then an incredulous expression appeared on her face. She stared intently at the empty wall, as if a magic mirror really hung there.

"Wow..."

She sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously touching her cheeks and patting her full breasts. She couldn't believe that she had grown up to have a figure that rivaled Huang Quanchuan's.

"Is this... me after I grow up...?"

Higashino stood quietly to the side, like a silent observer. Under the influence of his ability, Xiaomeng was currently immersed in a vivid illusion. What she saw was not her current petite body, but her imagined adult form, a future she could never truly possess.

"Her hair has grown longer... but her eyes are still round..."

Xiao Meng muttered to herself and even spun around.

"So this is what I look like as an adult..."

Just then, the kitchen door was suddenly yanked open.

"What are you doing?!"

Huang Quanchuan stood menacingly at the door, his bathrobe disheveled and draped over his shoulders, clearly having gotten up in a hurry.

When she saw Xiaomeng talking to herself, her face turned ashen, and a series of inappropriate scenes for children flashed through her mind.

"untie!"

Higashino immediately removed the influence on Xiaomeng.

Xiao Meng blinked sharply, and the hallucination vanished instantly. She looked around in confusion, like a lost child: "Huh? I clearly saw..."

"Xiao Meng!"

Huang Quanchuan rushed over in a flash, grabbed Xiaomeng's shoulder and looked her up and down, his movements quick and urgent.

What did he do to you?

Xiaomeng then came to her senses, her cheeks flushing bright red: "N-nothing! It was me who asked Mr. Higashino..."

"She just wanted to know what she would be like as an adult."

Higashino calmly explained that since the two of them were completely innocent, there was nothing to hide.

"I only let her see it in her hallucination; I didn't actually change anything."

Huang Quanchuan's sharp gaze swept back and forth between the two, scrutinizing them like a searchlight. Finally, she took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead with one hand: "I'm truly impressed by you two... in the middle of the night... actually..."

Xiao Meng lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong: "I'm sorry, Huang Quan... I was just too curious..."

Huang Quanchuan shook his head helplessly, finally sighing and visibly relaxing his shoulders: "Forget it, I'll settle the score with you tomorrow."

She grabbed Xiaomeng's wrist and dragged her towards the bedroom, her actions leaving no room for refusal.

"Now, right now, go back to sleep!"

Xiao Meng stumbled along, not forgetting to turn back and mouth "sorry" to Dongye, her expression a mix of guilt and mischief.

Higashino stood alone in the kitchen, hearing the muffled sound of the bedroom door closing. He could also faintly hear Huang Quanchuan's low scolding and Xiaomeng's aggrieved explanation.

He walked back to the sofa, lay down, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

I'll probably be kicked out tomorrow... It's really not a good idea to think about a guy of unknown origin being alone in a room with my best friend late at night.

Looks like... I'll be wandering around Academy City again tomorrow.

In his hazy sleep, Higashino recalled Xiaomeng's innocent smile as she immersed herself in her hallucinations. Perhaps for her, even just experiencing adulthood in a hallucination was a precious gift.

Chapter 4 The Generous Little Scoundrel

On the morning of July 18, Higashino Yu stood on the street in the Seventh School District, rubbing his sore neck. Sleeping on the sofa for one night was not very comfortable.

As expected, Huang Quanchuan "politely" asked him to leave the apartment as soon as it was light. Now he only had the D card that Chu Chun had given him and a few coins in his pocket, and his immediate priority was to find a place to stay.

Let's wander around this area first...

After turning two street corners, Higashino suddenly stopped. Three boys in flashy clothes were blocking the alley entrance, and the red-haired boy in the lead was tossing a switchblade around with ill intent.

"Uncle, where are you going so early?"

The red-haired boy grinned, revealing a tooth missing a front tooth.

Higashino sighed. "Uncles? I'm only twenty, okay? What a bunch of rude hooligans."

However, he really should shave off the stubble that's sprouted up these past few days; he doesn't want to be called "uncle" all the time.

"Hand over your wallet."

Another blond-haired boy stepped closer, looking menacing.

"Don't force us to take action. You don't want to get beaten up, do you?"

Higashino scanned his surroundings. There were no surveillance cameras or pedestrians. If it weren't for the fact that Academy City had the Sky Loop, a device specifically for voyeurs, this would have been a perfect crime scene.

But Aleister probably wouldn't be so idle as to bother with disciplining those thugs.

A slight smile played on his lips: "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Without further ado!"

The third boy, wearing a nose ring, impatiently reached out to grab his collar.

Just as the boy with the nose ring was about to touch Higashino, Higashino activated his ability.

"At ease! Attention! Stand up straight!"

Higashino shouted sternly.

The three boys froze simultaneously, their eyes becoming vacant. Higashino slowly took a wallet from the red-haired boy's pocket, counted the banknotes inside, and found that there were more than 200,000 yen.

"Now, put all your valuables on the ground."

The three boys obediently carried out the orders. Cell phones, watches, and even spare banknotes hidden in their shoes quickly piled up on the ground.

Higashino raised an eyebrow; these thugs were richer than he had imagined.

"listen."

He said this to the three of them as he packed the spoils into his backpack.

“Starting today, you will do a good deed once a week, such as helping an old lady cross the street or rescuing the tea-haired Tokiwadai lady who was being bullied by thugs!”

"Understood...Brother!"

The three answered in unison.

"very good."

Higashino nodded in satisfaction.

"Now you'll forget everything that just happened, and only remember that a man in a black trench coat stole your wallet."

The three boys blinked, then suddenly looked terrified. They exchanged bewildered glances, then screamed and ran away, completely unaware of Higashino standing there.

What an unexpected bonus...

Higashino weighed his backpack; this unexpected windfall was enough for him to rent a short-term apartment. As for the money in his shoes, Higashino didn't take it and left it where he was.

He was about to leave when he suddenly heard an explosion in the distance.

Looking up, I saw several security robots moving rapidly in a certain direction.

An explosion? Could it be a void explosion event...? And it happened today?

Higashino looked over there thoughtfully. According to the original work, the recent series of explosions should have been caused by that ability user.

However, right now, he's more concerned about finding a place to stay. Even without his involvement, this matter shouldn't have any unexpected problems, since Mr. Kamijou should be nearby.

Turning the corner, a "Short-term Rental" sign caught his eye. It was an ordinary apartment building, not in a great location, but cheap. Dongye pushed open the door to the management office, where a sleepy-eyed middle-aged man looked up.

"For short-term rentals, the deposit is 50,000 and the monthly rent is 70,000."

Higashino counted out twelve 10,000-yuan bills from his backpack: "Rent it for a month first."

The manager raised an eyebrow in surprise, but handed over the key without asking any further questions: "Room 307, utilities not provided."

Half an hour later, Higashino stood in his newly rented apartment. The room was small, but at least there was a bed and a desk.

Higashino first shaved off the stubble he hadn't shaved for days, then lay down on the bed to rest, when he suddenly heard another loud noise outside the window.

"boom!"

A ball of orange fire rose in the distance. Higashino walked to the window and looked in the direction from which black smoke was billowing.

Another explosion! Hasn't Misaka Mikoto dealt with that guy yet...?

He touched the D card in his pocket. Was there really no chance of anything going to happen? If he remembered correctly, it seemed that Haruharu had been the target of the attack.

"No, with a butterfly as big as me already involved, Chu Chun is now the only person I'm going to completely change. I can't let anything happen to her!"

Higashino quickly locked the door and ran in the direction of the explosion.

Pedestrians on the street had begun to run in panic, and sirens wailed everywhere. He moved against the flow of people, his expression unconsciously becoming tense.

"In early spring, I hope nothing unexpected happens to you!"

Higashino quickly made his way through the intricate alleyways of the Seventh School District, heading towards the site of the explosion. Sirens wailed from all directions, and the crowd on the street scattered like startled fish.

As he turned a corner, Higashino suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck; someone was staring at him.

"Don't move."

A familiar girl's voice sounded behind him, and at the same time something sharp pressed against the back of his head.

"Hey kid, isn't this the time for hide-and-seek?"

Higashino deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, while slowly turning around.

Before him stood a petite girl with twin ponytails. Shirai Kuroko, the personal mount of A Certain Scientific Railgun, was currently scrutinizing Higashino with a suspicious look.

"Ordinary citizens, please go to the shelter immediately."

Kuroko put away the metal arrow and said helplessly, "There's a dangerous area ahead. It might be dangerous if we go any further."