After that, Misaka Mikoto took a rest, finished her food, and then said goodbye to depart. The Tokiwadai Middle School dormitory has a strict curfew, and she must return on time; otherwise, the Dorm Supervisor's discipline would be severe. Although she is often late... she considers the rumors of the Hound Dogs, a special forces unit capable of wiping out teams, and the terrifying deterrence of the Dorm Supervisor who can instantly suppress three Level 4 espers.
Even Misaka Mikoto, who is a Level 5 esper, does not dare return late at night. As for her previous late arrivals, they were due to unavoidable circumstances. She truly didn't mean to break the rules, especially after experiencing the consequences once.
"Thank you for your hospitality. If you visit my world next time, please let me know. I will certainly entertain you well."
"It's a deal. I will definitely look for you when I have the chance."
Misaka Mikoto exchanged polite farewells with Takumi and then, under his watch, stepped into the dimensional gate to return to the Toaru world. Takumi also received the system reward for hosting Misaka Mikoto. However, what left Takumi speechless was that the reward was actually Misaka Mikoto's superpower: the Level 5 Electromaster ability. It was a pure version with no characteristics that conflicted with magic.
However...
"I already possess elemental power; this ability is of no use to me..."
Compared to a single-element superpower, wasn't his elemental power—which could transform into various elements—more versatile?
"In terms of practicality, it is useless to me, but it could be used for research or given to someone else."
In Takumi's view, these superpowers from the Toaru world were mystical in nature. Although Academy City uses scientific means to activate and strengthen them, giving them a scientific appearance, their true form of existence belongs to one's Personal Reality. Superpowers are actually quite idealistic, similar to the awakening magic in the Danmachi world. Both stem from the user's mentality and subjective cognition of the world, hoping to project those thoughts outward. This form of existence itself has great research value.
If researched thoroughly, it could provide the girls in the Dimensional City the opportunity to awaken exclusive superpowers, just like awakening exclusive magic through Grace. However, as residents of the Toaru world know, calling superpowers purely scientific is inaccurate. Science did not create superpowers; it merely discovered them. In fact, there are Gemstones among espers—those who didn't gain abilities through technology but were natural espers activated by environmental factors. The existence of Gemstones proves this point. In other words, the occult branch was simply hidden within the scientific skill tree.
Regarding the source of superpowers and where they are stored, scientists in the Toaru world concluded that they seem contained within the body itself, inhabited by something called a soul.
Good grief! Why does everyone say the end of science is theology? They hadn't even reached the end yet, and the banner of occultism was already being raised high. Regardless, this did not stop Takumi from wanting to study superpowers.
"It just so happens I have nothing to do, so I'll treat it as a way to pass the time."
Then, Takumi returned to the City Lord's Mansion to prepare for bed. As for research? He would wait until he finished enjoying life first. There was no rush.
Misaka Mikoto reappeared at the entrance of the alley where she had been before entering the Dimensional City. She looked around and sighed, "It's amazing that such a thing happened to me." She had now confirmed the authenticity of the Dimensional City. Putting everything else aside, that ultra-long-distance spatial movement was not something possible in her known world. She also felt very lucky to have encountered such an adventure. If for nothing else, the food in the Dimensional City was delicious. Food produced in a gourmet-themed world was far superior to an ordinary world's cuisine. Combined with the special ingredients in the Dimensional City, which were several grades higher than ordinary ones, the final dish made Misaka Mikoto feel she had tasted the best meal in existence.
Food is indeed a medicine for the soul. After a delicious meal, Misaka Mikoto felt relaxed and happy. Humming cheerfully, she walked toward Tokiwadai. She even ignored the vending machine nearby, not bothering to worry about the money it had swallowed.
Meanwhile, in the windowless building on the other side, deep within the life support equipment, a figure that looked like an old man and a child, a man and a woman, a saint and a sinner—hanging upside down—slowly opened its eyes.
"Has it reappeared? What is that door made of rainbow light?"
This person was exactly the one Takumi called the old schemer. The founder of Academy City! The leader of the scientific camp! The greatest magician of the 20th century! The one recognized as the greatest shame and traitor in the history of magic! The public enemy of the magic camp: Aleister Crowley.
Just as Takumi expected, he had noticed this phenomenon when Misaka Mikoto disappeared from Academy City. During her visit to the Dimensional City, he had been monitoring her situation. Now, he waited until she returned to see the rainbow vortex of the dimensional gate.
"Is it a magic similar to spatial transfer? But how did that child come into contact with magic? Has that side already reached into Academy City?"
Many questions appeared in Aleister's mind, but none were viewed as critical.
"Forget it, I'll just wait and see. As long as it doesn't affect my plan."
Aleister didn't waste brain cells on this. For him, everything followed a plan. As long as it didn't disrupt his layout, minor changes in other people didn't matter.
Misaka Mikoto didn't know she had been targeted by the Chairman, but she managed to return to the dormitory before curfew. As soon as she entered the room, she met her junior roommate, Kuroko—often described as a pervert but actually a reliable partner—and was immediately ambushed by Shirai Kuroko. Although it was only spring, school had started, and Shirai Kuroko had already entered Tokiwadai Middle School and become Misaka Mikoto's roommate.
"Onee-sama! You're back! I haven't seen you for hours, and Kuroko missed you very much!"
Shirai Kuroko pounced on Misaka Mikoto. Usually, Misaka Mikoto would dodge, kick her away, or reward her with a lightning bolt. But because she was in such a good mood, she didn't bother to argue.
"Ah! Onee-sama actually stopped hiding! Could it be she was moved by Kuroko's perseverance and is finally willing to be with me? That's really... hehehe..."
Shirai Kuroko, having successfully hugged Misaka Mikoto, was startled before her imagination ran wild, letting out a strange laugh.
"That's enough."
Misaka Mikoto frowned and pushed Shirai Kuroko away. "I'm in a good mood today, so I won't argue, but don't ruin it."
With that, she went to her area, grabbed her pajamas, and prepared to wash up.
"Wait, why is this happening?"
Kuroko felt depressed at being pushed away, but then she paused. "No, why is Onee-sama in such a good mood? She usually isn't this happy even when good things happen. What happened today?"
Misaka Mikoto rolled her eyes and didn't explain. She went to the bathroom, locking the door to prevent a sneak attack.
"Something is wrong! This is very wrong!"
The more Kuroko thought about it, the more she felt there was a shocking secret. "Could it be? Is Onee-sama having an affair?!"
The idea shocked her. "No, how is that possible? How could someone as outstanding as Onee-sama like those stinky men?"
But then she thought about the high rate of young love in Academy City. It wasn't impossible. "No! This is absolutely not okay! Onee-sama is mine! I was the one who came first! Onee-sama must have been deceived by some ape outside! That's it! Damn bastard, you dare to steal my Onee-sama? Kuroko will never let you go! Just wait until I catch you!"
Shirai Kuroko decided that from today on, she would follow Misaka Mikoto everywhere to find the "bastard" trying to steal her away. Inside the bathroom, Misaka Mikoto couldn't hear Kuroko's rambling due to the soundproofing and the running water. She had no idea her silence was about to turn Kuroko into a stalker, or what trouble that would bring. Perhaps when she realized the consequences later, she would regret being so quiet today.
Back at the Dimensional City, after a wonderful night, Takumi began enjoying the next day. He didn't get up until nine, had breakfast, and walked out slowly. First, he handled daily projects and tended to the fields, a task made easy with universal tools. Then he began traveling around the city.
He spent time with Riveria in the office, read books with Hestia in the library, and answered questions for Luluxi, who was looking up information. At noon, after lunch, he took a nap in Shizuka Marikawa's infirmary. After waking, he instructed Rika Minami in swordsmanship. Then he went to the forge to assist Hephaestus. He even took some elf girls to the reservoir to catch fish, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
Finally, in the evening, when Esdeath's group returned, he greeted them at the dimensional gate and cooked for them personally. An unpretentious day passed. Takumi was happy, and the girls were thrilled because he finally had time to spend with them. However, because he had spent time with them all day, few were willing to practice combat with him in the evening; they simply lacked the energy.
After two days of this, Takumi noticed and felt a bit embarrassed. He decided to change his "enjoyment mode" next time. But soon, he had other things to worry about. Three days had passed, and Eris had arrived at the Dimensional City, following the elf girl from the Konosuba world. Out of respect and because he was currently free, Takumi went to the gate to greet them. In the Dimensional City, he had no reason to fear anyone; system restrictions and expulsion authority meant even a god could not cause trouble.
Takumi looked at Eris, who had arrived in her true form, and smiled. "Welcome to the Dimensional City, Goddess Eris."
Eris smiled back politely. "Thanks to Lord Takumi's invitation, how could I not come?"
After greetings, Takumi looked at the girl behind Eris. Blonde, blue-eyed, tall, and wearing knight's armor. Despite the armor, her impressive figure was obvious. Her delicate face looked serious, giving her the aura of a cold beauty. This was Darkness, real name Dustiness Ford Lalatina. A Crusader and a high-defense front-liner. Born into a noble family of devout Eris believers, she had prayed for a friend, which led Eris to descend as "Chris." Beneath her noble exterior, however, she was a complete masochist.
In the original story, she follows Kazuma Sato. Takumi had expected Eris to bring a priest or another goddess like Aqua. He certainly didn't expect Darkness. He cast a doubtful look at Eris.
"This is the liaison we chose, named Dustiness Ford Lalatina," Eris explained, introducing her.
"Hello, Lord City Lord. I look forward to your guidance. Please just call me Darkness. If you have any tasks for me, please do not hesitate to ask," Darkness said, giving a knight's salute. However, by the end of her sentence, a blush appeared on her face as her imagination clearly started working.
Eris sighed internally. There had been no other choice. She had screened her followers and found Darkness was the most qualified. Others lacked either capability or piety. Darkness's family had been devout for generations, making her faith in Eris exceptionally strong. This was why Eris had received her prayer in the first place. Although Eris had initially hesitated and asked the Celestial Center for a different appointee, the gods there had chosen Darkness. They didn't want to expand the city's contacts too far, so they avoided sending other goddesses. As long as she didn't interfere with the main business, her personality quirks were deemed acceptable.