"Amazing, is this the Divine Healing Art!" Mikoto swung her arms with renewed vigor, her eyes wide with astonishment. Though she knew of Lin Luo’s ability, experiencing it firsthand was truly unbelievable.

Kinuhatamost Ai, standing beside her, nearly popped her eyes out!

What was going on? The Railgun’s injuries had healed instantly! And she was suddenly so energetic! Was this a joke? ...Electromaster, monster summoning, and now this miraculous healing technique... How many abilities did this guy actually possess? Perhaps the spatial ability from before was his too?

Kinuhatamost Ai felt like she was dreaming, staring at the young man before her and finding him utterly mysterious. She paid less attention to the Railgun now; having an LV5 nearby was one thing, but a user with multiple abilities...

"Ah, you saw that, did you..." Lin Luo felt the intense gaze from behind him, turning around with a knowing smile. "You know too much."

Kinuhatamost Ai’s heart skipped a beat; she thought Lin Luo was about to silence her and instinctively took a step back. However, the ensuing development gave her pause, as Lin Luo casually stated, "Well, it’s no big deal, I might as well tell you. My ability is the 'Heart of 2D.' I am the hidden eighth esper in Academy City, titled 'Forge of Fantasy.' I can manifest any fantasy imaginable, no matter what it is."

The Eighth Esper! Forge of Fantasy! Heart of 2D!

Kinuhatamost Ai was completely overwhelmed, her mind swimming with questions: When did Academy City get an eighth LV5? And a member of ITEM didn't even know? Forge of Fantasy? How arrogant! And what in the world was the 'Heart of 2D'?!

Seeing Kinuhatamost Ai’s utterly stunned expression, Lin Luo was quite satisfied. He casually scooped Shirai up from her neck and held her close.

"Who is she?" It was only then that Mikoto noticed Kinuhatamost Ai’s presence, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Oh, just a little loli, one of Accelerator's crew. She's my captive now." Lin Luo felt this needed to be addressed seriously. "Well, thanks to her, I found you so quickly. I should really thank her, in a way."

"Accelerator... I didn't expect her to be dragged into this," Mikoto frowned. As an LV5, Accelerator was not much weaker than her, and their powers shared fundamental similarities. The research institute had made a big move by bringing in such a powerful ally...

But then, she understood. This entire experiment was orchestrated by the whole of Academy City; it wasn't strange for them to command espers. In fact, it was strange they hadn't directly deployed Accelerator... Was it because Academy City didn't want to lose her as an esper, or because as an experimental subject, Accelerator couldn't easily interfere?

...Ultimately, Mikoto didn't fully grasp the true nature of this experiment; what she knew was just scraps of information.

As for this, Lin Luo didn't want to elaborate. The waters of Academy City were far too deep and dark; it was better for Mikoto if she remained ignorant of some things.

"They are just mercenaries anyway, so you don't need to worry too much," Lin Luo soothed. While he had some reservations about ITEM, at least concerning the sister experiment, he wouldn't have to deal with them directly, so there was no need to dwell on it... That is, provided that legendary butterfly behaved itself.

"I hope so." As Mikoto spoke, she walked closer. Shirai, who had been lying in Lin Luo's arms, immediately raised her head. She first looked at Lin Luo’s face, then at Mikoto, before suddenly leaping onto Mikoto’s shoulder, wagging her tail in the most fawning manner.

Lin Luo’s mouth twitched, his eyelids jumping. This lecherous dog.

Seeing Mikoto and Shirai playing happily, Lin Luo couldn't be bothered to intervene further. He turned to Kinuhatamost Ai, who was still spaced out, and said, "That's that, Miss Loli. You’re free to go now."

"Huh? What did you say?" Kinuhatamost Ai looked utterly bewildered, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.

"Did your brain short-circuit? I said you can leave." Lin Luo shot her a glare.

"You... you're letting me go?" She found it hard to believe.

"Nonsense. Do you expect me to keep you? Or perhaps you're that eager to warm my bed?"

"Who wants to warm your bed, you jerk! So shameless!" Kinuhatamost Ai retorted fiercely.

"Then bye-bye." Lin Luo waved his hand, preparing to leave with Mikoto.

"Wait! My phone!" Kinuhatamost Ai suddenly called out.

"Your phone..." Lin Luo paused, retrieved the small, cute, feminine phone from his pocket, thought for a moment, and then addressed the loli. "I'll be commandeering this phone for now."

What?

Kinuhatamost Ai froze. Commandeer? On what grounds?

"You should feel lucky. You were my captive, redeemed for the price of just one phone. How cheap is that?"

Is that so?

Kinuhatamost Ai tilted her head in confusion. It seemed that way—being held captive and gaining freedom for the cost of only a single phone was technically a good deal for her. But why did she feel so unbalanced?

Seeing her reaction, Lin Luo ignored her further and started walking away. After only a few steps, he abruptly stopped, turned back, and asked, "Oh, right. How much credit is left on your phone?"

"Fifty yen," Kinuhatamost Ai answered instinctively.

Fifty yen? How much is that in Riel? ...Tch, too much calculation. It probably isn't much, though.

"Only that little? Sigh, remember to top it up when you get back," Lin Luo said with a shake of his head, his tone completely self-righteous.

Watching Lin Luo’s receding figure, Kinuhatamost Ai clenched her small fists, grinding her teeth. She wanted to twist his head off and kick it into outer space!

...

"Since you decided to let her go, why did you extort a phone from her?"

Walking back, Mikoto began to complain. She was quite displeased with Lin Luo's actions, and frankly, embarrassed by them.

"That’s a different matter. I never intended to do anything to her in the first place. Besides, I genuinely need one right now. It’s the information age; you can’t manage without a mobile phone," Lin Luo defended himself.

"Don't you feel ashamed? Extorting a little girl."

"Not at all. I call it redistributing wealth from the rich."

Mikoto felt helpless and sighed. "If you really needed one, I could buy you one. Doing it that way was utterly disgraceful."

"How can I do that? If I accepted a phone from you, wouldn't I look like a kept man?" Lin Luo declared with exaggerated masculine pride, speaking seriously.

He might be roguish, but he still has some manly character in him, Mikoto thought with a slight, knowing smile. However, Lin Luo immediately added, "But if you gave me some cash, I would accept that."

Okay, take back what she just thought.

"By the way, Mikoto, how much money do you actually have?"

"Why are you asking that?" Mikoto replied flatly, clearly annoyed.

"Just consulting. We are in a life-or-death relationship now, so your money is effectively my money. Based on your economic status, I can decide on my future spending level," Lin Luo stated very seriously.

"I have no money!" Mikoto felt ashamed, thinking Lin Luo's statement was an insult to the phrase 'sharing life and death.'

"How could you have no money? You're an LV5! From what I know, LV5s in Academy City get perks. Take Accelerator; his bank account holds an astronomical figure. As the third-ranked, you shouldn't be much less than him."

Mikoto suddenly lost the desire to talk.

Lin Luo, still clueless about the social danger he was in, continued, "Hmm, if that's the case, maybe I should take the esper testing. If I use the 'Contract Seal,' my strength counts as peak Level 3. Although it’s not the same benefit as an LV5, it should still be considerable. Yes, that way I could be self-reliant."

What kind of self-reliance is that?!

Mikoto really wanted to retort, perhaps punctuating it with an Electromaster blast, but she was severely drained of power right now... Forget it, ignore him.

"Wait, that might not work. If I participate in the esper testing, my records will inevitably be exposed. For someone like me who prefers to keep a low profile, that violates my principles... Robbing the rich to help the poor seems better."

Mikoto: "..."

...

And so, one person speaking his mind without restraint, and the other choosing willful ignorance to avoid rebuttal, they reached the Tokiwadai Dormitory in this strange atmosphere.

"Let's part ways here for now. Get a good night’s rest," Lin Luo said.

"What about you?"

"I still have some things to take care of. Don't worry about it."

"What things?" Mikoto looked at Lin Luo as if trying to see straight through him.

"Oh, right. In your current state, it must be difficult to get back to your room. Should I summon your Kuroko mount?" Lin Luo sidestepped the question, trying to change the subject.

"What 'Kuroko mount'? What are you thinking about!" Mikoto exclaimed, flushed with embarrassment. "That Kuroko..."

"Onee-sama!" Just as she spoke, a female voice filled with suggestive affection, clinging, overly sweet, and impossible to describe even with a million terms from 2D language, sounded near their ears.

"Kuroko!" Hearing that voice, Mikoto felt a headache coming on and instinctively called out the name.

Then, directly above Mikoto, a small girl materialized in the air. Completely ignoring Lin Luo, she dove into Mikoto's arms, clinging to her like a koala, rubbing her face ecstatically against Mikoto's chest.

"I haven't seen Onee-sama for a day, and it feels like three years! I'm so lonely and empty... Onee-sama, oh! Onee-sama!"

"K-Kuroko, what are you doing here?" Mikoto's mouth twitched as she gripped Kuroko's arm tightly, trying to pull the koala off.

"Kuroko only needs Onee-sama’s call to arrive instantly, even from the deepest pits of hell. Just now, Kuroko heard Onee-sama’s loving summons... Indeed, Onee-sama loves Kuroko! Kuroko and Onee-sama are destined to be together!"

"Kuroko... Snap out of it!" Mikoto was beyond mortified.

Lin Luo was dumbfounded. While he knew Shirai Kuroko was an extreme yuri fanatic, seeing this cute girl with reddish-brown twintails thoroughly shocked him!

Written as Kuroko, read as pervert... Truly, there is no most extreme, only more extreme!

Ahem! Lin Luo deliberately coughed twice to signal his presence. "You must be Classmate Kuroko. Yes, you are just as legendary as the rumors suggest."

"Hm?" Only then did Kuroko notice Lin Luo beside her. She turned her head, inspecting him from head to toe, her eyes filling with growing hostility. "Who are you? Why are you with my Onee-sama?"

"Uh, that's a profound question. The truth can only be uncovered through in-depth research."

Kuroko froze, her gaze darting back and forth between Lin Luo and Mikoto. Suddenly, her expression changed... Mikoto’s clothes were torn from the fight with Accelerator, leaving her partially exposed, and in Kuroko’s perception...

Three seconds later, Kuroko's imagination ran wild, and she slammed her head onto the ground. "How could this be? Impossible! Impossible... Onee-sama actually fought outdoors with another man behind Kuroko's back! Ah, I... I..."

"You need to stop right there! What 'fighting outdoors'? Your imagination is too much... Get up!" Mikoto was both ashamed and angry. Luckily, it was night and few people were around, or she would have lost all face.

"Onee-sama, you must not abandon Kuroko! Waaaaah..." Like an abandoned wife, Kuroko wept with tears and snot, her crying a complete apocalypse!

Mikoto was rendered incapable of response by the display.

"I say, this doesn't seem right..." Lin Luo, who had finally recovered from being utterly shocked, issued a warning to the pair. "It’s getting late. If your dorm supervisor finds out..."

"Ah, the supervisor!" Hearing this, both their expressions changed. Kuroko seized the opportunity to urge Mikoto, "Onee-sama, let’s go back to the dorm quickly, or we’ll be in deep trouble if the supervisor catches us."

"Yes, that's true, then Lin Luo..." Mikoto started to say, but Kuroko cut her off again. "Onee-sama, let's not bother with this questionable fellow."

"Mikoto, you go ahead. I'll visit you tomorrow," Lin Luo said with a smile.

"Don't you dare come back!" Before Mikoto could reply, Kuroko intervened once more, glaring fiercely at Lin Luo with murderous intent. Then, with a swoosh, she whisked Mikoto away, seemingly using spatial teleportation to return to the dorm.

"Tch, that ultimate yuri girl..." Lin Luo felt utterly speechless. But perhaps this was for the best, as his upcoming activities were not suitable for Mikoto to witness. Having Kuroko pestering her served as a decent distraction.

Turning around, he hadn't walked more than a few meters when he heard a cacophony of girls shouting and faint sounds of electrical crackling coming from the dormitory, followed by the angry roar of an adult woman, and the sound of something breaking. The noise ended with a piercing scream... Wait, was that Kuroko’s scream?

Lin Luo couldn't help but pause, allowing his mind to wander into speculation... Perhaps the perverted Kuroko noticed Mikoto was severely drained and tried to take advantage of her in some erotic, very erotic, extremely erotic way. But it seemed the commotion got too loud and she was caught by the supervisor... Sigh, I hope she isn't punished too severely.