In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 17

"what?"

Frenda spread her hands dramatically, completely disbelieving Higashino's words.

"You think Item is just something random..."

"Let him in."

A deep female voice came from deep within the factory. Mugino Shizuri walked over, her long brown hair swaying gently with her steps.

Frenda immediately jumped aside like a startled rabbit: "Mugi, Mugino! This person says he is..."

"I heard."

Mugino interrupted her, her sharp gaze sweeping over Higashino from head to toe.

"I've already been informed by the higher-ups; he's someone personally arranged by the chairman."

Higashino nodded slightly: "Nice to meet you, I am..."

"Who cares what your name is?"

Mugino suddenly closed in, and a beam of light grazed Higashino's cheek, burning a charred hole in the wall.

"Prove your worth, otherwise I won't let useless trash join, even if it's the chairman's request."

The air inside the factory seemed to freeze instantly. Frenda held her breath, and Kinuhata Saiai watched nervously in their direction.

Higashino didn't even blink: "Ms. Mugino's atomic collapse is indeed well-deserved of its reputation."

He said calmly, looking behind her.

"However, if I were the enemy, your two companions should already be..."

His words came to an abrupt halt. Frenda suddenly realized her detonator was gone, while Kinuhata stared in shock at her nitrogen armor, which had somehow dissipated.

"Wha...when?"

Frenda frantically groped for the bomb straps on her thighs, only to find that they had all turned into gummy candies.

Mugino's pupils contracted slightly. She hadn't seen Higashino make any move, but the members of Item had been silently dismantled.

“This ability…”

Takitsubo's weak voice came from the control room doorway. Her face showed an unusual alertness; she had just sensed a rather strange Aim force.

"This is not your average Level 4..."

Higashino turned to Takitsubo and gave her an apologetic smile: "I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest, Ms. Takitsubo Rigo."

Takitsubo looked at Higashino in surprise: "You...how do you know my name?"

"Because we're teammates."

Higashino spoke as naturally as if he were talking about the weather.

"starting today."

"No, it should be said that it always has been."

Mugino frowned, wanting to retort. But a strange feeling spread through her; this stranger felt inexplicably familiar, like a colleague she had worked with for many years.

"Mugino?"

Kinuhata looked at her captain with confusion.

"Didn't he just help us get rid of the rats that sneaked into Academy City last month...?"

"What, last month?"

Mugino turned her head abruptly, frowning and scolding.

"We've never even seen him!"

Frenda tilted her head: "Huh? But I remember it very clearly, we even went to eat crepes together after that mission..."

Higashino sighed softly, "It seems Ms. Mugino has been working too hard lately."

He stepped forward with concern and patted her on the shoulder.

"Why don't we take a break first? We can look at the mission briefing later."

Mugino wanted to retort, but found her hostility inexplicably fading. Those feelings of doubt and wariness were flowing away from her consciousness like the receding tide.

"I……"

She shook her head, and familiar memories surfaced.

"It might indeed be necessary..."

"Mugino!"

Takitsubo suddenly raised his voice, eager to make a move.

"He is influencing our perception!"

But those words came too late. Frenda had already affectionately linked her arm with Higashino's: "Hey, did you try the new dessert from that dessert shop last time?"

Kinuhachi relaxed as well: "I really miss the last mission we went on together..."

"Shut up!"

Mugino shouted sharply, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She tried to concentrate, but her memories, like turbid water, became increasingly difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Higashino looked at Mugino gently: "Don't force yourself."

His voice was as soft as a feather brushing against the ground, amplifying his power output.

"We have plenty of time to get to know each other."

When Mugino looked at Higashino again, she was surprised to find that she couldn't remember why she had been wary of this newcomer. A warm sense of security replaced her previous guardedness, like drinking a cup of hot tea on a winter's day.

"……All right."

Mugino finally spoke, the sharpness in her voice largely gone.

"Since the chairman has made this arrangement..."

Takitsubo leaned weakly against the doorframe, watching the Item members accept their "new teammate" one by one. She vaguely realized what was happening, but every time she tried to speak up, the words would get stuck in her throat, turning into a violent cough.

Higashino considerately supported the swaying Takitsubo: "Let me take you back to the control room to rest."

The moment their fingers touched, Takitsubo's last resistance vanished. She stared blankly at Higashino, suddenly realizing that he had indeed always been a member of Item.

"Thank you...thank you."

She said weakly, letting Higashino help her back to her seat.

Just then, Dongye stopped moving for a moment and noticed that the person supporting him was rubbing his temples in pain.

"Newcomer-kun!"

Frenda exclaimed and came over to check on her.

Kinuhata Saiai also came over with equal concern: "Oh no, are you alright?"

Mugino frowned: "Hey, you..."

Higashino shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

He gave an apologetic smile.

"It's probably because I haven't been getting enough rest lately."

As expected... applying this level of modification to several highly capable individuals simultaneously is already the limit...

He felt a sharp pain in his temples, and his vision blurred. If the changes were made any more thorough, he would probably faint again like last time.

Fortunately, he was cautious because he knew that the others, apart from Frenda, were all high-level ability users.

"Should we go to the medical room?"

Mugino's voice carried a hint of concern that she herself was unaware of.

"No need." Dongye shook his head, trying to suppress the dizziness.

"We still have work to discuss."

The factory lights had somehow brightened. Higashino stood in the center of the control room, the Item members naturally surrounding him like planets orbiting a star. The static snow on the monitor screens had disappeared, revealing clear images of every corner, but nothing unusual had been recorded since Higashino's arrival.

“Well…” Higashino said with a smile.

"Let's get started."

No one raised any objections; even Mugino nodded quietly.

In a fleeting moment unnoticed by everyone, a glint of silver flashed deep within Higashino's pupils, before returning to normal. Like a dream unnoticed by anyone, leaving only a vague sense of déjà vu and a strangely familiar feeling of security upon waking.

Chapter 22: It only takes ten seconds to defeat a magician.

In the early hours of the morning, Higashino Yu sat in the medical room of the Item Safe House, an ice pack pressed against the back of his neck.

"Hey, newbie."

Mugino Shizuri pushed open the door and entered.

"Have you rested?"

Higashino glanced at the digital clock on the wall; only two hours and thirteen minutes had passed since he modified the Item members' perceptions. Takitsubo Riko, wrapped in a blanket, was curled up in a chair in the corner, seemingly about to fall asleep.

"There is an urgent mission."

"I can't believe it," Mugino said impatiently.

"There's a rat causing trouble in District 17."

Frenda poked her head in through the crack in the door: "Newbie, don't worry, I'll blow the enemy to smithereens with bombs."

She gestured wildly and made exaggerated movements.

Kinuhata, chewing on Pocky, leaned against the doorframe: "A super simple task, just treat it as a walk."

As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously avoided Higashino's gaze, a subtle manifestation of cognitive conflict.

Higashino slowly stood up, the dizziness not yet completely subsided. The perception he had instilled in the Item members two hours earlier—that "we had worked together before, and now we are trustworthy newcomers who need to be protected"—was working steadily.

"Specific information?"

He took the tablet that Mugino threw to him.

"A third-rate magician, pulling some petty tricks in an abandoned shopping mall."

Mugino turned and walked toward the equipment room. She didn't consider whether Higashino knew about the existence of the magician; it didn't matter.

"Ten minutes to prepare."

When Higashino followed her into the equipment room, Frenda was already humming a song as she strapped bombs to her thigh.

To be honest, Higashino felt that although her thighs were not quite as good as Kinuhata's favorite, it was a bit of a waste to use them to strap on bombs.

It should be possible to develop more uses for it.

"Would you like a few new recruits too?"

She waved the plastic bomb in her hand.

"It's such a cute pink color!"

Higashino shook his head; his abilities didn't require bombs.

Have you recovered?

Takitsubo suddenly appeared behind him, her pale face flushed with a sickly redness.

"I was just a little tired, but I'm fine now."

Higashino nodded, while secretly increasing the intensity of his cognitive modification. Takitsubo was the most threatening person to his abilities among them and needed to be taken special care of.

Takitsubo's gaze immediately became unfocused, and her eyes softened.

The black van sped through the thick fog of the early morning. Higashino sat in the back, resting with his eyes closed. Frenda was enthusiastically explaining how to use various bombs, as if they were longtime teammates. Kinuhata occasionally chimed in, and Takitsubo even massaged his head; the scene was harmonious and cheerful.

"arrive."

Mugino stepped on the brakes.