In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 123

Chapter 156 The Tracking Trio Officially Disbands and Mikoto Arrives!

Halfway there, Junko saw a message on her phone and, with mixed feelings, told Mikoto that she had something to do and needed to go to the mall to buy something. She hurriedly said goodbye and parted ways with Mikoto.

With this, the three-person tracking team officially disbanded.

After parting ways with Junko Hohō in the park, Misaka Mikoto walked towards Tokiwadai with mixed feelings.

She didn't even feel like asking Junko if she was going to the mall to buy Gekota, since the other girl left in such a hurry that Mikoto's first thought was of this senior with similar interests.

My mind is a mess. The scene I saw in the park keeps replaying in my head—Kuroko's "divine assist" of throwing the banana peel, and Higashino and Shokuhou's...damn kiss!

And that guy actually put his hand on that starry-eyed buttock in such a public place as if nothing had happened, and Shokuhou didn't resist at all. Even though there was no one else around, the two of them were too bold!

And then, Higashino Yu inexplicably disappeared along with Shokuhou Misaki!

"You idiot Yu! You womanizing doctor! You're such an idiot, an idiot, an idiot!"

She muttered under her breath, kicking an innocent pebble away in frustration, completely oblivious to the path beneath her feet.

Mikoto only snapped out of her daze and looked up when she reached a dead end.

"Eh?!"

What came into view was the familiar gate of the villa—the gate of Higashino Yu's house.

"...How did I get here?!"

Mikoto's face flushed with embarrassment. Her body, without her consent, had unconsciously led her in this direction.

Really!

She stood there, staring at the door, caught in a brief internal struggle.

Turn around and leave? That would seem like protesting too much, and besides… he hadn't done anything wrong! It's perfectly normal for a girlfriend to come over! …But You's not here, what would he do inside? …No! That starry-eyed woman is the last person who should be here! She's probably inside right now, all lovey-dovey with Higashino!

"Tsk!"

Frustrated, Mikoto scratched her hair, took a deep breath, and her proud and aloof spirit returned.

"Hmph, I'm already here! Can't I just stop by and take a look? Besides... isn't it normal for a girlfriend to come to her boyfriend's house to play?"

She found herself a perfect excuse.

So, based on the principle of "since we're already here," Mikoto confidently pushed open the villa gate, walked a short distance, and stopped in front of the gate of the house inside the yard.

Press the doorbell.

Ding-dong-

Light footsteps soon came from inside the door, and then the door was pulled open a crack.

"Well…?"

A small head peeked out from under a white nun's habit. Index, dressed in her nun's habit, recognized the person outside the door, and a hint of surprise flashed in her innocent eyes.

"Huh? It's B...Misaka?"

Index almost called out a nickname that Misaka Mikoto didn't like, but quickly corrected herself. Since coming to her senses, her attitude towards Misaka Mikoto had become much friendlier and closer.

Because she knew that Higashino didn't like people arguing and hoped that everyone would get along well. As a well-behaved and obedient nun, Index completely followed Higashino's advice. At the last swimsuit party, she even apologized to Mikoto for her rudeness at the mall.

Index opened the door wide, revealing a bright smile: "Misaka, welcome! What do you need Higashino for, meow? He doesn't seem to be home right now." She glanced towards the living room as she spoke.

"Ah, Index..."

Mikoto greeted her somewhat awkwardly, not expecting it to be her who opened the door.

"Oh, nothing special, just... passing by to check. Isn't he home?"

She subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a strange unease that she couldn't quite put her finger on—if Higashino wasn't home, where did he go after he and Misaki Shokuhou disappeared together?

"Misaka-san."

A calm, even voice came from the living room. Mikoto looked in the direction of the sound and saw Himegami Akisa sitting on the floor, holding a game controller, with a vibrant adventure game playing on the large screen in front of her.

She was wearing the shrine maiden outfit that Mikoto had seen for the first time. Although she didn't quite understand why she had to dress like that at home, Mikoto held back her urge to complain, out of consideration for not judging other people's interests.

"Himegami, are you playing a game?"

Mikoto responded, "It seems there are only the two of them at home."

"Yes."

Himegami Akisa nodded, acknowledging her greeting. Her gaze lingered on Mikoto for a moment; though she showed no emotional reaction, given her personality, the fact that she didn't immediately look away indicated considerable interest.

Index enthusiastically pulled Mikoto into the entryway: "Don't stand at the door, Misaka, come in! It's good that Higashino isn't here, we're playing games, Himekami-san is having a particularly good day!"

As she spoke, she went to the shoe cabinet to get a spare pair of slippers.

Mikoto was a little flustered by Index's enthusiasm. After changing into slippers, she was pulled onto the living room carpet.

"Misaka, want to play together?"

Index handed her another handle, her big, round eyes looking at her expectantly.

In this two-player co-op fighting game, she has been carried to victory by Himegami Akisa in several matches, although her record is still quite poor.

Index was very interested in this kind of thing, but for some reason, her skills could only be described as "terrible"—she felt that she had memorized all the tricks, but she couldn't apply them at all when actually doing it.

"Huh? Me? This..."

Mikoto looked at the cartoon character and complicated button instructions on the screen, and hesitated a little.

As for her gaming skills... well, they're definitely top-notch. Even if she encounters a level she can't beat, she can easily clear it by using her abilities to "cheate" a little. As for whether using her abilities counts as skill? Mikoto thinks of course it does. Why can't "cheating" with her own skills be considered skill?

Isn't it a bit inappropriate for a pro like her to be stomping noobs? She had heard from Higashino that Index had recently taken to playing games, but she was the type who was bad at them yet loved to play.

But seeing Index's expectant eyes, she felt too embarrassed to refuse.

"...Okay, I'll give it a try."

She took the controller and sat down next to Himegami Akisa. Himegami silently exited the original two-player co-op save and selected the three-player co-op mode again.

Games start.

Since it was her first time playing this game, Mikoto was a little rusty at first, but she quickly got used to it. She wasn't familiar with the controls at first, but within minutes she had completely mastered the button rhythm on the controller.

When enemies and bullets appear on the screen, her fingers are already precisely and quickly pressing the best dodge or attack combination on the controller, and a dazzling series of operations easily eliminates the enemies.

Wow! Misaka is amazing!

Index watched as Mikoto's character weaved through a hail of bullets with incredible agility, unleashing a series of high-level combos with dazzling skill, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Her own character clumsily followed behind, only occasionally managing to get a tiny bit of damage.

Himegami Akisa didn't speak, but her focus became noticeably stronger, as if Mikoto's speed and skill had ignited her competitive spirit.

So, the next few games turned into...

"Watch out for the bullet from the upper left... Wow! Misaka has dodged it!"

"We need to break this boss's tail, Himekami... wait? Misaka already defeated it?"

"Wow! Combo! 20 hits in a row! Misaka is too strong!"

Index's eyes lit up. Although her skills were lacking, her ability to shout "666" was top-notch. Even though she won by doing nothing, she was good at providing emotional value.

Moreover, adhering to the principle of "if you're not good at it, don't make things worse," she carefully followed behind to finish off the enemies, but unfortunately, even so, she didn't achieve any results.

When Higashino first taught her how to play games, he complained, "If I can teach you how to play games, my teaching level has already surpassed most teachers." Index, who was furious at the time, bit him, and unsurprisingly, she got a spanking.

Even though she's not very good at it, it doesn't change her recent hobby of playing games.

"Yeah, Misaka-san's skills are really strong."

While praising Himekami Akisa, she worked even harder. The output statistics panel in the lower left corner of the screen, representing the output of the character she was controlling, showed a steady increase in data, indicating that she was having a great time being carried.

Mikoto was a little embarrassed at first, after all, she felt a little guilty for "showing off" in front of two newbies when she was an experienced person.

But after playing together for a while, Mikoto gradually became more familiar with them.

Himegami Akisa may appear expressionless, but she is actually quite active inside, easily frustrated by minor mistakes or excited by defeating enemies; while Index, the girl who used to be somewhat at odds with her, is completely guileless, as innocent and carefree as an elementary school student.

After several rounds, no matter how difficult the level was, Mikoto's character almost always pulled ahead, easily breaking various score and speed records. Himekami Akisa steadily assisted in clearing out any stragglers, while Index was responsible for cheering and winning without any effort.

"call……"

After playing for more than two hours, Mikoto finally put down the controller. She didn't feel tired, but the excitement from being highly focused faded, and all the emotions she had suppressed before surged back into her mind, making her feel a little drowsy.

"Oh? Mikoto, are you tired?"

Index keenly noticed the change in her demeanor and unconsciously switched her address to the more affectionate "Mikoto".

"Take a break if you're tired! Would you like something to drink? There's juice in the fridge!"

Himegami Akisa silently put down the controller, looked at Mikoto, and calmly asked, "Do you need to rest? There are many rooms upstairs."

When Higashino made a request to Mitsuko after their marriage, he specifically mentioned wanting more rooms, the purpose of which was, of course, to make the place more lively—it would be rather awkward to have too many friends and not have a place to stay.

"I……"

Mikoto initially wanted to refuse and go straight home.

But when she was about to speak, she thought of Higashino and hesitated for a moment.

"...Okay, I'll just rest for a bit."

She nodded, her voice carrying a hint of expectation that she herself was unaware of.

"Yes, that room was just cleaned up."

Himegami Akisa stood up and pointed to the outermost room on the second floor. There were actually quite a few rooms like this, and she would tidy them up when she didn't have time. Higashino had even complained that she didn't need to do this; she could have tidied them up when someone was staying there, and tidying them up in advance would require frequent cleaning.

But since she was just idling at home anyway, she found all sorts of things to do every day out of boredom.

"Thank you."

Mikoto got up and walked towards the room. She pushed open the door and found the room clean and tidy, with the blankets neatly folded.

Closing the door shut out the sounds of games in the living room, and the world instantly fell silent. Mikoto walked to the bedside, lay down fully clothed, stared at the ceiling, and her mind began to race again.

Why did Misaki Shokuhou disappear with Yu? Where did they go?

Amidst her chaotic thoughts, a growing weariness crept into her body. Before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted into a light sleep.

Outside the guest bedroom door, inside the living room.

After playing games all afternoon, Index turned them off, took out some snacks, sat on the sofa, and started watching a magical girl anime she had been following recently.

Himegami Akisa silently picked up her phone, tapped the screen lightly, and told Higashino about Mikoto's arrival.

Although Mikoto's arrival was unexpected, it was obvious that she wasn't there to play games with the two of them.

Chapter 157: In Mikoto's dream wedding, Mirei makes her appearance and exclaims, "Your husband is amazing!"

Higashino stood in front of his villa, followed by a large group of Misaka Sisters. To allow his sisters more exposure to the outside world, Higashino had deliberately chosen to walk back. Fortunately, although the Misaka lacked some common sense, they still followed Higashino in an orderly line, just like kindergarten students on a field trip. To avoid causing a commotion by having so many identical sisters on the street, Higashino even used his ability to make passersby ignore the unusual sight.

"You've been grinning from ear to ear since just now. Are you really that excited about these kids coming to your house?" Misaki asked softly beside her.

Higashino smiled but didn't answer directly. He turned to face the group of brown-haired girls behind him, who stood in neat rows like well-trained soldiers. "Alright, this is my home. Are you satisfied now?" Higashino said, his gaze sweeping over each identical face. "Also, Mikoto is inside. Don't get too excited when you see her later."

"Misaka 10032 confirms the order, and will ensure that she does not faint from excessive excitement," Misaka replied earnestly. One of the younger sisters standing in the front row immediately responded.

"Misaka No. 10086 added: The surprise elements have been recorded, and we will cooperate in executing the surprise plan. Misaka is looking forward to it," another sister added.

Last Order popped out from the group, waving her little hands: "Misaka Misaka will lead the way in keeping quiet! But brother-in-law, do Index and the others know we're coming?" Misaka Misaka asked curiously.

Higashino patted her head: "They don't know, so this is the surprise." He took out his keys, opened the door, and went in first. The entrance was quiet, but the sound of a television and Index shouting what sounded like magical girl transformation lines came from the living room.

"I'm back," Higashino shouted, deliberately raising his voice.

Almost immediately, a series of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the living room. "Yu! You're back!" Index called out joyfully, rushing towards Higashino, but stopped abruptly when she saw the large group of brown-haired girls behind him. "W-this is...so many Mikotos?!"

Himegami Akisa and the spirit Meia, who emerged from the shadows upon Higashino's arrival, also came upon hearing the commotion, only to be stunned by the scene at the door. Higashino hadn't explained the Misaka Sisters' situation to the family separately; he'd used the excuse of "sisters" to cover up the arrival of Misaka 9999 and Last Order. But when did Index and Mikoto become so close? Even their way of addressing each other had changed; she'd seemed quite resentful when asked to apologize before.

"Wow! They're Misaka Misaka's older sisters!" Last Order excitedly jumped in front of Index. "Misaka Misaka brought her older sisters as guests! This is a family gathering! Misaka Misaka proudly announces!" She and Index seemed to get along unexpectedly well; the two had inexplicably become good friends at their last housewarming party.

Shokuhou followed closely behind, and seeing the bewildered looks on Himegami and Index's faces, she chuckled, "What, aren't you welcoming us?"

Index snapped out of her daze, her little face scrunching up: "Ah, you're the Starry-Eyed Queen!" Her address startled Shokuhou, who nodded somewhat speechlessly, but didn't correct Index's address. "Yu! Why didn't you tell us you brought so many people! We didn't even prepare enough food at home!" She glared angrily at Higashino, then looked at the group of Misaka sisters with a puzzled expression. "And they're all Misaka Misaka's older sisters, Mikoto's younger sisters...?" Although Index knew absolutely nothing about biology, it simply didn't make sense that Mikoto's mother could have so many children who were roughly the same age and looked exactly alike!