If China had an Akihabara, Lin Luo would definitely have taken Misaka there to look around, perhaps even indulge in some role-playing, but alas, there wasn't one. There was a Donald Duck-themed park, but given Lin Luo’s financial standing, he could only admire it from afar, never truly enjoy it. If only there were a Gouta Paradise; that would guarantee Misaka lingered until closing time, boosting her affection level by a solid ten points. A few more trips, and it might just skyrocket to one hundred.

Ah, daydreams are certainly satisfying!

“There aren't many fun rides here, are there? This is so boring,” Mikoto’s voice drifted in from beside him.

“The real world is just like this, my dear. Do you think this is your world? One where an apocalyptic Demon Lord awaits your final blow, a heavenly Angel awaits your salvation, and countless beauties are waiting to be conquered…” After several hours of wandering, both of them were a bit tired. They settled onto a park bench to rest, beginning to swap idle gossip.

“My world doesn't have that kind of plotline either!” Mikoto shot Lin Luo a look that conveyed her annoyance.

“Then I suppose all we can do is see this boredom through to the end,” Lin Luo spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

“Ugh, truly tedious.” Mikoto leaned back against the bench, tilting her head back to gaze at the sky, her face a picture of profound ennui.

Watching her like this, Lin Luo suddenly grew thoughtful.

In fact, thinking about it, Misaka Mikoto was quite the unconventional person. Whether in the main story or the side stories, she was always doing something disruptive: picking fights with delinquents for group brawls (don’t get the wrong idea!), cosplaying as a Judgement member, dabbling in terrorism for illegal activities, and occasionally acting as a vigilante saving the world—but never was she seen putting much effort into her primary role as a student. Of course, perhaps the Hippo-sensei deemed academic study unimportant for a student, which is why those details were omitted.

Lin Luo found himself agreeing with this assessment.

In any case, at this moment, Lin Luo developed an immense curiosity about Mikoto’s daily life; the flames of gossip within him roared to life.

“Kuroko, what did you usually do every day back in your original world?”

“Oh, nothing much, really. I was just a normal middle schooler. Besides classes and studying, after school I’d hang out with my juniors, read manga, play video games—all pretty routine stuff…”

Mikoto’s reply made Lin Luo realize she was, after all, just an ordinary junior high student. However, her next sentence completely shattered that notion: “Occasionally, when I got bored, I’d go teach some blind delinquents a lesson just to clear my head.”

Lin Luo nearly sweated through his clothes. So you regularly picked fights with thugs just to relieve stress? They were truly cursed to have lived eight lifetimes unlucky to share a city with you!

“As expected of the Railgun style,” Lin Luo praised dryly.

“Is that a compliment? Because it sounds an awful lot like an insult,” Mikoto narrowed her eyes at Lin Luo with ill intent.

Startled, Lin Luo immediately raised both hands in surrender. “Absolutely the most sincere compliment.”

“Hmph, since you put it that way, I’ll take it as such. Oh, right, let’s go ride that one.” Mikoto gave him a sidelong glance, not pursuing the matter further, seemingly feeling sufficiently rested. She pointed toward the roller coaster not far away.

Lin Luo jumped, his face paling as he looked at the towering structure, stammering, “Ah, that... Railgun, I… I have acrophobia. Can we skip that one?”

Mikoto paused, a slight smile playing on her lips, and then spoke with paternalistic concern: “Little brother Lin, it’s not good to have such an ailment at such a young age. You should overcome it.”

Damn it, how is something like that something you just overcome!

“Little brother Lin, a boy can’t back down in front of a girl,” Mikoto said the gentle words, but her eyes held a powerful aura surpassing Level 5.

“…Fine, I give up,” Lin Luo sighed helplessly. Although he genuinely wanted to refuse, Railgun’s steely, watchful gaze was too intimidating. As a mere Level 0, he had no choice but to submit.

He followed Mikoto’s steps onto the roller coaster. The instant the car began its ascent, his head spun violently. Lin Luo instinctively gripped the safety bar, his body trembling slightly.

“No way, you’re shaking this badly when we haven't even gone up two meters yet,” Mikoto observed him with amusement, clearly finding the spectacle highly entertaining.

“I told you I have acrophobia,” Lin Luo retorted weakly, rolling his eyes. Yet, a strange feeling stirred within him; while it was true he suffered from acrophobia, it had never been this severe. It was peculiar.

As the car slowly climbed, Mikoto’s excitement seemed to rise in tandem. She leaned forward against the safety bar, peering out at the view, clearly thrilled.

Lin Luo watched her with a faint smile. Despite being a powerful esper capable of facing down an entire mechanized army, Misaka Mikoto, deep down, was just a fourteen-year-old girl. In the real world, a child her age would probably be clinging to her parents’ arms for comfort every day.

Just then, Lin Luo’s expression drastically changed. He snapped his head around, looking toward a distant point. Mikoto noticed his sudden shift and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Lin Luo shook his head, assuring her he was fine. “Maybe it’s just the height making me feel a little sick.”

“Oh, alright. We can ride other things after this car stops.”

Lin Luo agreed with a soft sound and then closed his eyes.

Strange, what was that feeling just now? Was it a hallucination?

In that instant, his heart had been pierced by a sudden, sharp pang… Cold, chilling, utterly immobilized, like plunging into an ice cavern. It felt as though an immense power was bearing down on him—a sensation he wasn't experiencing for the first time.

When facing Mikoto when she was angry, Lin Luo would also feel oppressed at the core of his being. However, that pressure wasn’t directed at her as a person, but rather stemmed from the sheer magnitude of her power. Any living creature facing an irresistible force instinctively yields; it has nothing to do with willpower, it is pure instinct.

But the difference was that Mikoto released that imposing aura unconsciously, devoid of any malice, so Lin Luo never felt fear. This time, however, his instincts screamed malice. It was an indescribable terror. If he had to define it abstractly… he felt killing intent!

Killing intent—that was something Lin Luo had only encountered in novels and comics; it should have been utterly alien to his reality… Or so he thought.

“It must have been a trick of the light,” Lin Luo shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering feeling.

…Upon dismounting the roller coaster, Lin Luo’s vision swam, and his legs felt weak. He finally understood that he had underestimated his acrophobia; just one ride on that coaster had resulted in unexpectedly severe consequences.

“You’re such a wimp, it was just a simple roller coaster,” Mikoto complained as a matter of fact.

Lin Luo felt his face flush with embarrassment; this was too humiliating. He tried to defend himself, “It wasn’t like this before; the situation just seems exceptionally bad this time.”

Mikoto gave him a look that clearly conveyed: Yeah, right, tell that to the ghosts.

Lin Luo sighed in frustration. He feared his impression score with her was about to plummet.

For the next two hours, Mikoto’s mood brightened considerably. She dragged Lin Luo around the park, though the attractions she favored were always the more thrilling kind: haunted houses, haunted houses, and more haunted houses… She gravitated toward anything dangerous or terrifying, subjecting Lin Luo to sheer torture.

Two hours later, Lin Luo was practically a puddle of liquid misery. If Mikoto hadn't been holding him up, he probably would have just collapsed where he stood.

“Railgun, your games are far too intense. If we do a few more like that, little brother here might actually die.”

“What are you talking about? This is all perfectly normal stuff; you’re just too timid,” Mikoto said, clearly displeased.

Timid? That depended entirely on who he was facing.

Lin Luo couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had never seen anyone who, upon encountering a fake zombie in a haunted house, immediately considered using an Electromagnetic Railgun to blast it—except for Misaka Mikoto!

He tried to console himself by reasoning that perhaps this was her way of blowing off steam. Yet, after doing so, Mikoto’s mood seemed only marginally better. He checked the Contract Book in his mind, and to his dismay, the affection level hadn’t increased at all. Damn it!

Lin Luo was so angry he nearly spat blood. He had spent more than half a month’s living expenses, nearly killed himself physically, and was left mentally drained, only to gain zero affection points in return. Wasn’t this a rip-off!

He’d lost money and his spirit!

Oh, the spirit as in his mental fortitude.

Leaving the amusement park, with both his HP and Power Points depleted, he refused to walk another step. He immediately pulled out a bill bearing the portrait of the Great Founder… and hailed a taxi!

Half an hour later, Lin Luo finally arrived home. Without even bothering to change his clothes, he collapsed onto the sofa with his eyes closed. Right now, he didn't want to do anything but sleep.

However, the next words out of Mikoto’s mouth instantly chased away all his drowsiness.

…

Give us some motivation, brothers! A few votes, please!