In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 11

"I...I had a moment of lapse in judgment, and I actually...I actually started thinking about naming my future daughter! What a stupid brain of mine!"

Another rose bud fell from her roommate's hand onto the table. She stared, completely stunned. What was this "future daughter" joke about?

After the marriage, the things Mitsuko said made her start to doubt whether she was dreaming.

After a long while, Mitsuko suddenly threw off the cushion and hesitantly touched her lips with her fingers.

The coolness of mint and a taste that was both cold and warm lingered there, a taste that reminded her of the first sip of sweet white wine she secretly drank as a child. She knew she shouldn't have drunk it, but the dizziness and sweetness of the bubbles bursting on her tongue were addictive.

"no!"

She sat up straight abruptly, as if she were challenging herself, but the corners of her mouth were subtly turning up.

Downstairs, the clock tower's hands pointed precisely to nine o'clock in the morning.

Of course, Mitsuko had no idea that the "scoundrel" she had cursed countless times was yawning and remarking that Higashino, whose ability was useful but somewhat mentally taxing, was slowly walking towards the infirmary in Tokiwadai, where he was supposed to be.

Chapter 13 The Railgun in the Infirmary

In the infirmary of Tokiwadai, Higashino Yu was bending over to organize the medicine cabinet.

The doctor on duty before didn't seem to like tidying up; in his opinion, things were quite messy.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the infirmary.

"Please come in."

The door hinges creaked slightly, and a girl with short brown hair walked in.

She held her left arm, the cuffs of her white short-sleeved shirt already stained with grass clippings and dust.

There was a fresh wound on her right elbow, the edges of which were pink, and blood beads were winding down her forearm, standing out starkly against her fair skin.

"Hello doctor, I..."

The girl's voice suddenly changed when she saw Higashino's face clearly, as if she had seen a ghost.

"It's you?!"

Why is Haruhi's boyfriend in Tokiwadai? Why is he still wearing a doctor's white coat?

Mikoto couldn't understand why a man would be wearing a white coat in the Tokiwadai infirmary.

Higashino's lips curled slightly upward; the girl's reaction was entirely expected: "Starting today, I will be in charge of Tokiwadai's health care."

He pulled out a swivel chair, gesturing for Mikoto to sit down. Explaining things was too troublesome; his mere presence here already proved his legitimacy.

The chairman's connections are invincible; it's just a bunch of school rules. People who get in through connections are so confident.

"Please sit down, Misaka-san."

Mikoto stood rooted to the spot, feeling incredibly awkward about running into an acquaintance who was also her doctor: "I... I was just passing by..."

"Did he get hit by a soccer ball?"

Higashino had already put on medical rubber gloves, ready to treat her.

The obvious abrasions and the numbered soccer jersey she was wearing made it easy for Higashino to guess the reason.

"No, that's not true!"

Mikoto didn't want to admit that she, a Level 5, could get hurt over such a trivial matter.

"The protective netting at the training ground has been in disrepair for many years..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, the last few words almost muffled in her mouth.

Higashino raised an eyebrow, but did not expose the clumsy lie.

He continued to gesture for Mikoto to sit down. The girl hesitated for a few seconds, but finally reluctantly sidled up to the examination bed.

"Bear with it, I'll be very gentle."

The moment the cold alcohol swab was applied to the wound, Mikoto's body visibly stiffened.

But she stubbornly bit her lower lip and refused to make a sound.

"Even a Level 5 Railgun can be ambushed by rusty barbed wire?"

Higashino lowered his eyes to treat the wound. His movements were very gentle, and the sound of the medical scissors cutting the bandage was particularly clear in the quiet infirmary.

Fortunately, there were no signs of infection from the rust, otherwise even a superhuman would have suffered the same fate.

"None of your business!"

Mikoto turned her face away, somewhat embarrassed.

She stared at the reflection in the glass door of the medicine cabinet, where Higashino's focused profile was shown. Mikoto suddenly realized that this guy was actually quite handsome.

The discovery made her heart skip a beat, and she quickly looked away.

The iodine swab traced a spiral pattern on the wound when Higashino suddenly leaned forward. Mikoto reflexively leaned back, her head slamming against the metal railing with a thud.

"Don't move."

Higashino was speechless at Mikoto's reaction. He had only gotten a little closer, and this was the reaction. If he had kissed her earlier, a thunderbolt might have blown up the infirmary.

This is normal, though. Although the effects of the ability are starting to appear, it will take a lot of time to achieve better results.

"Would you like a band-aid with the GuaTao design, or a regular one?"

"Of course, it's just ordinary!"

Mikoto was a little nervous and didn't know where to put her hands. The close contact between the two made her feel a little uncomfortable, as this was the first time she had been so close to a boy.

Higashino's gaze lingered for a moment between the drawers of the medicine cabinet, where a green frog with a silly grin was printed on the torn packaging.

Mikoto's protest was sealed in her throat with tape. She stared at the frog image as if it were the most shameful evidence in the world.

"The wound must not get wet for two days."

Higashino took off his gloves, his fingers seemingly unintentionally brushing against the inside of Mikoto's wrist.

"You, you...!"

Mikoto sprang up as if electrocuted, the overturned alcohol clattering and tapping in the tray. A flash of electricity crackled through her bangs, blue and white arcs dancing on the ends of her hair.

Hmm, it was canceled out again? But there is still a way.

Higashino observed Mikoto's reaction discreetly. He reached out to steady the swaying tray, precisely catching her gaze the instant she stood up.

The instant their eyes met, Higashino activated his ability once more. It was like gently soldering an extra resistor onto a precision circuit board, subtly altering the direction of the current flow.

"Be careful."

He bent down to pick up the tweezers that had rolled off the tweezers, the back of his neck brushing against the girl's tense knees. At this distance, he could clearly smell the faint scent of her shampoo, like the fresh scent of grass after rain mixed with lemon.

"I can't take the responsibility if Tokiwadai's ace faints in the infirmary."

Mikoto's earlobes suddenly turned bright red, almost transparent.

Stop talking nonsense!

Her voice was a little higher than usual.

"This kind of minor injury doesn't need any treatment..."

The last syllable suddenly became ethereal. Mikoto was horrified to find herself unable to look away; Higashino's eyes were like two bottomless whirlpools, drawing all her attention into them.

This discovery filled her with shame and indignation; this was her boyfriend from early spring!

Have you been sleeping poorly lately?

He suddenly asked a question.

"You don't seem to be in as good a state of mind as you were yesterday at the hospital."

Mikoto instinctively covered her eyes, then immediately realized the gesture implied weakness: "Don't worry about me!"

She grabbed her schoolbag and turned to leave.

There is definitely a problem!

The thought had barely surfaced when Mikoto pushed it into the depths of her consciousness.

"Remember to come back later to change the dressing."

Higashino's voice drifted from behind her, carrying the distinctive leather scent of the examination bed.

"Of course, what if we get ambushed by the protective net again..."

Mikoto exclaimed helplessly, "I already said no!"

She quickly rushed out the door and soon disappeared from Higashino's sight.

Higashino stared at the Gekota on the Band-Aid packaging and suddenly whistled in a different tone.

Outside the window, three drones hovered in the air, approached each other, and then gradually disappeared. He made a shooting gesture in the direction they disappeared, and the numbers on the digital clock jumped to lunch break time.

The sounds of girls laughing and joking came from the other end of the corridor, among which one energetic shout was particularly clear:

"I heard the new doctor is super handsome!"

"I've suddenly fallen ill and need to go to the infirmary for treatment..."

Higashino unscrewed his pen and smoothly wrote in the duty log: "July 19, 1 patient received." The pen nib paused on the paper for a moment, then added a small note: "Symptoms: Typical tachycardia with facial flushing, continued observation recommended."

Chapter 14 The girls of Tokiwadai are really proactive.

After Misaka Mikoto left, Higashino Yu continued tidying up the medicine cabinet. Suddenly, he heard deliberately suppressed laughter coming from outside the door.

"It's really inside!"

"let me see……"

"Don't push!"

The moment Higashino turned around, five girls who had been peeking through the crack in the door crashed in. The girl with the twin tails at the head of the group hurriedly held up a medical record: "I-we're here to see a doctor!"

Behind her, two first-year students were frantically straightening her crumpled shirt, the collar buttons clearly unbuttoned on purpose.

Seeing the girls' deliberately reddened eyes and their uniform "cold" symptoms, Higashino's lips twitched slightly.

He wondered if he had used his abilities too much when he was walking around the school, which might have made the girls a little more curious and fond of him?

He pointed to the wall clock: "The midday clinic starts at 12 o'clock, but..."

He drew out the last syllable, his gaze sweeping over the phones the girls were hiding behind their backs.

The girls suddenly started coughing in unison, their sneezing mingling with deliberately feigned weakness.

One daring third-year student even untied her braids, letting her chestnut-brown hair cascade down like a waterfall—the essence of the "broken look" makeup she learned from a beauty blogger the night before.

Not only that, Higashino vaguely heard voices outside the stairwell: "The target has arrived at the battlefield," "Note that he has no ring on his left ring finger."

"Let's start with taking body temperature."

He picked up the forehead thermometer and decided not to give passersby too much unnecessary goodwill in the future, otherwise today's situation would still be quite troublesome, making it difficult to even slack off.

However, modifications still need to be made. As long as he encounters someone who is not affected by his abilities, Higashino will not let them go.

This is a very important matter.

"Line up and maintain social distancing."

The girls automatically interpreted this as "Please watch in an orderly manner."

When the first girl stepped forward hesitantly, Higashino suddenly smelled a perfume scent that was a mix of strawberries and roses. During a casual chat at the hospital, he heard Haru mention that it was a recently popular "first love limited edition."

"Body temperature is normal."

He raised an eyebrow at the 36.2°C reading on the screen.

"Next person."

The fifth girl deliberately leaned forward, her body almost touching his white coat.

Unbeknownst to Higashino, his medical consultation was being broadcast live on the student forum. Under the post titled "The Mysterious Male Teacher's Medical Consultation Live," hundreds of comments were being updated every minute.

[32nd Floor] His eyelashes trembled when he touched my forehead!