For one dizzying moment, Accelerator felt the world tilt, as if he had plunged into the very abyss of hell.

The agonizing pain had nearly paralyzed his body, his consciousness adrift in some alien dimension... Why? Why did I lose? This guy couldn't possibly compare to me—how could I lose to him? Protecting... the Dolls... Why were they so incredibly strong? ...My power was just one step shy of absolute... If only I possessed invincible strength... then no one would ever dare challenge me again... At that time... at that time, surely... I wouldn't have to... hurt... anyone...

"To me, the lives of the little sisters are the only things that matter; they are my irreplaceable treasures!"

Ah! Is that true? Those dolls... are they... the only ones? Irreplaceable? But they never spoke of them that way... Is it really true?... Over ten thousand of them... What... what in the world have I been doing...?

Bang!

Accelerator crashed heavily to the ground, his thoughts abruptly severed. His slender frame tumbled powerlessly across the floor.

Crash!

Simultaneously, on the other side, Lin Luo's body finally hit its absolute limit. His skin ruptured, blood vessels burst, and vivid crimson arrows sprayed forth from within him...

Ah... I’m truly done for this time...

All his strength dissolved in that instant. With a bitter smile in his heart, Lin Luo closed his eyes and slumped weakly toward the ground...

Smack!

Just as his body was about to make contact with the floor, a slender hand reached out from behind him, catching him securely. In the final fading moment before consciousness fled, Lin Luo heard a voice achingly familiar:

"You idiot, what in the world were you thinking?!"

When he awoke, Lin Luo found himself lying in a hospital room, bandaged from head to toe like a mummy... It was a hospital, which meant... I survived?

Recalling the hand that reached out just before he fell and that familiar voice, Lin Luo couldn't help but offer a wry smile. It seemed Mikoto had found out in the end... But thinking it over, it was only natural. They shared a bond of life and death, existing on the same lifeline; if he reached that near-death state, it would be truly strange if she didn't sense it. However, this also meant his deception was exposed...

At least Accelerator had finally been defeated. Although, according to Mikoto, the discrepancy between Level 5s was within the limits allowed by the experiment, Lin Luo knew that once the premise of Accelerator being the strongest was broken, even if the Board of Directors planned to continue, the 'Man in the Hanging Tree' wouldn't stand idly by. After all, he still needed the little sisters to pave the way for his Artificial Angel.

The thought of the Artificial Angel made Lin Luo frown again... That thing was undoubtedly another entity capable of endangering the lives of the little sisters. In the original story, if Accelerator hadn't risked everything to stop it, the sisters would have almost certainly all perished when the Angel descended. But now...

If things proceeded according to the Hanging Tree Man's plan, the little sisters were doomed!

Lin Luo knew that, as a 'Walker,' he couldn't protect the little sisters indefinitely. Although there were no explicit warnings, he could sense that his time in this world wouldn't be long... Perhaps a month was the absolute limit!

To save someone completely, one must see the task through to the end. Moreover, the little sisters were Mikoto's clones. Before he left this world, he absolutely had to equip them with the means to defend themselves, or find someone powerful enough to shield them.

But making the little sisters capable of self-defense against the Hanging Tree Man was no easy feat. The First Prototype possessed Level 5 strength, but she was incomplete. Even if she became the true eighth Level 5, self-preservation might not be a major issue, but protecting nearly ten thousand sisters was clearly insufficient.

Of course, the best candidate would be Yuriko... ah, no, Accelerator. But now that Last Order was rescued and Aiwass was dead, Accelerator seemed to have lost the chance to be redeemed—a rather perplexing situation.

Never mind. Lin Luo shook his head. He could figure those things out later. He still had about twenty days left in Academy City, so there was no need to rush this particular issue.

...Opening the Contract Book in his mind, Lin Luo found his vitality fully restored. He immediately activated the Holy Heal spell, feeling a wave of profound comfort wash over him, as if he had just drunk sacred water.

Tearing off all the bandages, Lin Luo pulled open the bedside cabinet. Sure enough, a set of clean clothes lay inside, along with two other items... the Misaka Network connection chip and Accelerator's reflection device.

Just as he finished dressing, the door was pushed open, and a girl with short, tea-colored hair walked in.

"Ah, Mikoto!"

The ace of Tokiwadai, the Level 5 esper Mikoto Misaka, now wore a look of deep exhaustion. If one looked closely, faint dark circles could be discerned beneath her eyes.

"Lin Luo, you're awake? Are... are you alright?" Seeing the person standing before her, the surprise on Mikoto's face could not conceal the joy surging within her.

"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. But I just finished changing; you're one minute late," Lin Luo said, stretching his limbs while speaking words that made little sense.

Bzzzt!

A spark of electricity flashed across Mikoto's forehead. "You... Can't you let a rare moment of sentiment stand without ruining it?!"

"Atmosphere doesn't really fit in a hospital room like this... Huh? What are you holding in your hand?" Lin Luo interrupted himself, noticing a thermal container in Mikoto's hand.

"Oh, this is a bento I bought from a fast-food place nearby. I figured you’d be hungry when you woke up... Here, come eat." With that, Mikoto placed the container on the table and quickly opened it, releasing a wave of fragrance.

"Mmm... I think a homemade bento would have been better," Lin Luo moved closer, a hint of disappointment coloring his tone.

"Are you serious? Do you think I’m the kind of person who would do something like that?" Mikoto shot back, her face twitching.

"No, no, you misunderstood. I just think that a hideously ugly, terrible-tasting 'murder bento' laboriously prepared by a proud young lady like you would be the most wonderful get-well gift."

"Just what kind of scenario are you expecting... And how many times do I have to be called 'proud' before you’re satisfied?!" Mikoto clenched her fist, electric arcs playing over it, radiating a palpable sense of danger.

Seeing this, Lin Luo dared not tease further and quietly sat down to eat the bento.

"How is it? How does it taste?" Mikoto’s anger arrived quickly and departed just as fast. As soon as Lin Luo finished eating, she immediately asked.

Lin Luo put down his utensils, smacked his lips, and sighed with a look of lingering desire. "The taste is fine, but the sentiment... Honestly, I was still hoping for your homemade culinary disaster."

"Are you looking for a fight?!" Mikoto leaned over him, her eyes threatening, but upon seeing Lin Luo's perfectly innocent expression, she immediately deflated. "Ah, forget it, forget it. If I argue with an idiot like you, I'll probably end up brain-dead myself."

Big Sister, Lin Luo thought, the way you insult people is truly circuitous. I am utterly impressed. He felt profoundly speechless.

After that, the two stared at each other, falling into silence.

Three minutes into the silence, Mikoto broke it. "Alright, you’ve finished eating. Now tell me, how does your body feel? Is there any lingering discomfort?"

"Huh?" Lin Luo looked at her strangely. He had expected a storm to break after the silence, but what was this? Had the tsundere Railgun suddenly become gentle? While the feeling was incongruous, Lin Luo felt surprisingly flattered. Well... the difference between people, and the attribute of the 'King of Harem' really wasn't for nothing!

"Of course, I'm fine!" Flustered with excitement, Lin Luo slammed his chest firmly, radiating an aura of command. "Mikoto, don't forget I have Divine Great Healing. How could a little skin wound possibly trouble me!"

"Is that so? I see. That puts my mind at ease. If that's the case, I don't have any lingering worries either."

"Uh, worries? What do you mean... Whoa!" Lin Luo paused, but before he could process the situation, he felt himself being bodily flung into the air, followed by a heavy thud as he crashed face-first onto the floor, stars momentarily dancing before his eyes.

"Mikoto, what was that for, so suddenly? I’m a patient!"

"What was I doing? You ask what I was doing? I’ll tell you, I am furious right now, incredibly, frighteningly angry!" Mikoto had thrown him with an over-the-shoulder throw and now sat astride his back, locking his arms with her left hand while seizing the back of his neck with her right, radiating pure killing intent.

"Um... why are you angry?" Lin Luo asked tentatively, not daring to resist due to his guilt, feigning ignorance.

"Why? Don't you know?"

Lin Luo remained silent.

"Do you have any idea how I felt three nights ago when I saw you like that...?"

Mikoto’s words stunned Lin Luo. Three nights ago? Had he been unconscious for three days?

Without waiting for Lin Luo to question her, Mikoto continued: "When I held you, I found that most of your bones were broken, and not a single patch of skin on your body was intact. Your blood was pooling all over the floor. On the way to the hospital, I called out to you desperately, but there was no response, as if you would never wake up again. Do you know... do you know how I felt then?"

Lin Luo fell silent once more.

"Liar! ...Why? Why did you do this? Why did you shoulder everything yourself? Hiding it from me, you went alone to stop the experiment, fought Accelerator alone, and in the end, couldn't even stand up... Am I really not worthy of your trust? Couldn't you let me fight alongside you?"

Mikoto’s voice was low and strained, brimming with pain, self-reproach, anger, and resentment.

"I'm sorry. Deceiving you about the experiment ending and going to fight without you was indeed my fault. From now on, no matter how much you shock me or hit me, I will have no complaints. But, the reason wasn't what you think..."

Lin Luo turned his head, smiling gently. "The reason I did it was only to protect you. I didn't want you to get hurt, didn't want you to be shackled by that kind of sin again."

"Uh..." Mikoto’s face instantly flushed crimson, like boiling water, steam visibly rising. "Wh-what nonsense are you talking about? Pr-protecting me... I... I'm a Level 5! Getting hurt... That sort of thing... N-don't look down on me!"

Alright... Railgun, Lin Luo thought, your tsundere streak is definitely a selling point, but if you keep going like this, I'm getting weary of it... And all these ellipses!

Lin Luo smiled again. "This has nothing to do with strength. As a man, protecting the girl he likes—isn't that the most natural thing in the world?"

"Uh, l-likes??!"

Vwoom!

The steam was officially out of control.

P: My condition still isn't great; staring at the screen has made my eyes hurt. Here is one chapter for now. Weakly asking for votes.