"I've already prepared lunch," Yomikawa Aiho said as she carried a basket of vegetables into the kitchen. "Nana-kun just got discharged today, so I figured we shouldn't make you cook at noon."
"Then why are there so many vegetables piled up at the entrance?" Kobayashi asked, lifting the lids of the rice cookers one by one.
The two smaller cookers held plain white rice and red bean rice. The larger ones contained steamed buns, dumplings, and a rich pork rib soup slowly simmering away.
"Why is it basically all carbs?" Torahachi Toumi couldn't help complaining as she followed him in. "Where are the vegetables?"
Yomikawa scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed.
"After eating Nana-kun's cooking, I kind of… lost interest in making stewed vegetables with a rice cooker."
But she also didn't think she could properly use any cooking tools other than a rice cooker, so in the end she'd resigned herself to her old methods.
Since today was Kobayashi-kun's discharge day, Yomikawa had already washed all the cooking tools he usually used and bought a large amount of fresh ingredients in advance.
"It's just that we were short on time today, so I didn't get around to prepping the vegetables…" she explained, averting her gaze.
"So, these are basically waiting for me to come back and cook them, huh?" Kobayashi said flatly.
"They're for dinner," Yomikawa admitted without hesitation. "As I said, lunch is already done."
Staring at the five rice cookers puffing out steam, Toumi and Kobayashi spoke in unison:
"Suddenly, I don't feel very hungry anymore…"
"The taste is actually pretty good," Yomikawa said dejectedly. "And there's cake and snacks too, so… could you just bear with it?"
Kobayashi immediately began organizing the kitchen. With a casual use of telekinesis, he gently but firmly ushered the two women out of the room.
"Alright, leave it to me. If I stir-fry everything over high heat, it won't take long."
The two—one older, one younger—returned to the living room with nothing to do and turned on the television.
"Living with Kobayashi really is lucky," Torahachi Toumi remarked.
She couldn't help thinking about her own situation. Sakurai-sensei was actually a very capable cook herself, but her workload was so heavy that sometimes it felt like she practically lived at the hospital. She rarely had time to come home.
As a result, Torahachi had long since gotten used to eating out, hunting for restaurants that suited her tastes. It wasn't that she couldn't cook—she was just too lazy to bother when living alone.
After all, not everyone had psychic powers like Kobayashi's, which made housework absurdly fast and efficient.
Watching an injured patient busily working alone in the kitchen made them feel a little guilty—but once they remembered just how effortlessly he wielded his abilities, both Torahachi and Yomikawa relaxed again.
That was why Torahachi envied this kind of leisurely life.
"My apartment's pretty big, and there are empty rooms," Yomikawa said lazily, sinking into the sofa. "Why don't you just move in and live with us? I am your guardian now, after all."
"No thanks," Torahachi rejected her without a second thought. "I'm not giving up the home I share with Sakurai-sensei."
"Suit yourself~" Yomikawa yawned, grabbed the remote, and began flipping through channels aimlessly.
In the midst of this laid-back atmosphere, the sudden ringing of a phone was especially jarring.
The instant she recognized the ringtone through the noisy TV music, Yomikawa nearly jumped up from the sofa on reflex.
"What now? Today's my day off!" she complained—then abruptly snapped back to her senses.
"…Wait, it's not my phone. Then never mind."
She flopped back down again.
Following the sound, Yomikawa tilted her head toward the kitchen.
"Kobayashi, is that your phone ringing?!"
The flames died down, and the loud sizzling from the stir-fry stopped. The ringtone became clear.
"It is mine!" Kobayashi called back.
Ever since he'd gotten a phone, he hadn't received a single call—or made one himself. He'd almost forgotten he even owned the device.
Even the ringtone sounded unfamiliar enough that it hadn't immediately caught his attention.
"Who'd be calling you?" Torahachi asked. "Telemarketers?"
Kobayashi had spent a long time as an experimental subject in the "Selection and Refinement" group. He simply didn't have friends who would call him.
"No," Kobayashi said, his expression turning serious. "It's someone I know."
The contact's name on the screen read: Shokuhou Misaki.
"We just exchanged numbers not long ago… I didn't expect her to call at a time like this," he muttered, answering the phone.
"Excuse me—are you Nana-senpai?"
The voice on the other end was not Shokuhou Misaki's.
"Who are you?" Kobayashi frowned, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
"My name is Keisaku Mitori," the caller replied. "Shokuhou Misaki gave me her phone and told me to contact you."
"…Keisaku," Kobayashi said, realization dawning. "I understand. What's wrong?"
Keisaku Mitori's speech sped up dramatically.
"Nana-senpai, there's a girl here in critical condition—she's dying! Please come help us! Please save Dolly! Shokuhou said you're our hero!"
"…Dolly."
Hearing that name, Kobayashi let out a long sigh.
In truth, the moment he'd heard "Keisaku Mitori," he'd already suspected as much. Now it was confirmed—it was too late.
The Mass-Produced Esper Project had already begun, and it had produced its first result.
Misaka No. 0—Dolly.
"Dolly is—" Keisaku began to explain, but Kobayashi Nana cut her off.
"Tell me your location. I'll be there immediately."
"Huh?"
Keisaku had been prepared to plead at length, but she hadn't expected such an immediate response.
She quickly gave him the full address of the research facility and sent a location pin to his email.
Kobayashi didn't waste a single second. He ended the call and sprang into action.
"…It really went that smoothly?"
Keisaku Mitori was still in disbelief. Everything had gone almost exactly as Shokuhou Misaki said it would.
Was Kobayashi her ally? Or… someone she was controlling?
"Hmph. I didn't control Nana-senpai," Shokuhou Misaki said from the side.
"Then why would he be willing to help us?"
"Maybe because he's a hero?" Shokuhou shrugged, then recalled the main storyline she'd seen in her memory data.
"And besides, this time… the one we're saving is a Misaka."
(End of Chapter)
If you are enjoying the story and want to read 50 chapters ahead of schedule, join my Patreon.
https://patreon.com/Omarfome