"We'd better not cause a scene inside the sphere of influence of a hostile force. If we incur the wrath of Academy City, we might end up in a direct, all-out conflict with them. We don't know what kind of secret weapons they have hidden to deal with Magicians like us," Kanzaki Kaori said worriedly.
Her cool eyes scanned the futuristic environment, which was completely different from the outside world. She felt an unprecedented tension gripping her.
"No outsider can escape the surveillance network of the General Board of Directors—the highest level of management in this city," she continued.
This was the absolute headquarters of the Science Side. She wondered what kind of terrifying things were classified as 'high-tech weapons.' Although she was a Saint with superhuman physical capabilities, she knew absolutely nothing about science, which was a completely alien field to her. She would absolutely not be able to handle being targeted by something called a 'nuclear weapon,' and it would be very difficult for her to escape a coordinated military strike.
"I understand. At most, I'll just teach him a lesson. If I don't at least teach that Esper bastard a lesson for taking her, I won't be able to calm down," Stiyl said coldly in a deep, gravelly voice.
"That Esper probably didn't mean any harm to Index. He most likely just heard about her predicament and wanted to take her away to safety," Kanzaki sighed, her expression softening. "Index hadn't smiled so happily in a long time while she was eating."
Stiyl clenched his fist, his heart a chaotic mix of emotions. There were only a dozen days left before Index's memories had to be erased once again. And soon, he was going to have to be the one to hurt that child with his own hands.
"No matter what his intentions were, that guy has caused us a massive headache. Tsk," Stiyl spat.
...
"Hey, Yuuya, are we going to your home now?" Index held her second ice cream cone in both hands, happily licking it. She innocently looked up at Yuuya, who seemed to be casually window-shopping.
"Not yet. I'm on my way to the hospital first. I'll take you home after I visit some people there," Yuuya said softly.
Anyone would easily be drawn to Index's innocent and carefree nature. How long had it been since they met? Only a couple of hours, yet he already felt a natural sense of closeness to her.
"Oh! So, does Yuuya also live in one of those tall buildings?" Index asked curiously, pointing to the towering apartment complexes not far away.
"More or less, but not quite that high up. And my apartment is actually quite small, though it's big enough for two people."
'Wait a minute,' Yuuya suddenly thought. 'My apartment only has one bed. Am I going to have to sleep on the floor tonight? This living situation is getting complicated.'
Soon, Yuuya and Index arrived at a highly secure, state-of-the-art hospital facility.
At the hospital entrance, standing in front of a glowing vending machine, a middle-aged man with a face resembling a benevolent frog was bending down to pick up a canned coffee. He looked up and saw Yuuya approaching.
Heaven Canceller.
"You've come. It's Sunday today. I knew you'd show up around this time," the doctor said.
"Of course. I come every day. I'm sorry to always trouble you, Doctor," Yuuya said with a bright smile. It was a genuine pleasure to come and see the recovering Misaka Sisters every day.
"And who might this be?" Heaven Canceller asked with a kind, grandfatherly smile, looking at the silver-haired nun standing next to Yuuya.
"This is a girl I found wandering outside Academy City who was being chased by some bad people," Yuuya shrugged.
"Found?!" Index puffed out her cheeks indignantly. She quickly put her hands together in prayer, flashing a saintly smile. "My name is Index! I am a dedicated Puritan Sister, not a stray cat that was 'found' on the street, Doctor!"
Looking at Index's radiant, overly pious smile, Yuuya felt a strange chill run down his spine for some reason.
"Index, hmm? Index..." Heaven Canceller rubbed his bald head thoughtfully, then looked back at Yuuya. "It seems this is yet another girl you've decided to help. You and troubled girls always seem to have a magnetic connection, don't you?"
Yuuya shrugged innocently and entered the hospital, with Index following closely behind like a little duckling. They walked down the sterile hallways until they arrived at the Misaka Sisters' designated recovery ward. Yuuya pushed open the door.
Four identical-looking girls with shoulder-length brown hair looked over from their beds.
"It is that lecherous Takahashi-san, says Misaka 9923, taking the initiative to speak first."
"Did Takahashi-san prepare a souvenir today too? Misaka 10023 deeply misses the taste of the dish uploaded to the network by Misaka 8992 on June 26th, says Misaka, looking at Takahashi-san with expectant eyes."
"Wow!" Index peeked out from behind Yuuya's back, looking completely surprised to see four identical people in the same room. She walked forward like a curious kitten. "They look exactly alike! Are they quadruplets?!"
"Who is this little girl? asks Misaka, tilting her head to observe the strange nun."
"L-Little girl...?!" Index retorted angrily, planting her hands on her hips. "I'm fourteen years old! I'm not a little girl anymore! And you all look about my age too!"
The four Misaka Sisters completely ignored Index's outburst, all gathering around Yuuya instead.
"Did Takahashi-san fail to bring a gift today? asks Misaka, expressing her profound disappointment while internally remaining very happy that Takahashi-san came to visit."
"Of course I brought souvenirs. I didn't bring any food today, but I did bring these," Yuuya smiled.
He discreetly accessed his System Inventory and pulled out a string of green plush accessories.
"Ta-da! How about it? You girls should really like these, right?"
The four Misaka Sisters blinked their listless eyes and stared intently at the string of Gekota hair clips. Although their specific emotions were hard to discern due to their deadpan faces, judging from the intensity of their stares, they had already grown incredibly fond of the items—a love for the mascot that was deeply ingrained in their original DNA.
"Wow... Misaka does not know why, but Misaka is already completely obsessed with these frog hair clips, notes Misaka."
"Misaka also likes these frogs. Are these all for Misaka? asks Misaka, her eyes sparkling with anticipation."
"You girls really can't resist this kind of mascot. It's a hobby hardwired into your genes," Yuuya grinned. He gently stepped forward and pinned the Gekota hair clips to the Misaka Sisters' brown hair one by one, giving them a small pat on the head.
Because the rescued Sisters were being slowly processed and sent to external research institutes outside Academy City for long-term physical therapy every day, the Sisters in this ward were basically different every time he visited. So, he made sure to give small gifts to the new batch every single day.
After all, having nearly 10,000 identical clones wandering around District 7 would disrupt normal life and cause massive panic among the citizens of Academy City.
Thanks to the Misaka Network, the memories of the 10,000 Sisters were shared instantly, and most of their warmest, safest memories were of their interactions with him.
"Waaaah..." Index looked at the Misaka Sisters and Yuuya, who were completely ignoring her, and puffed out her cheeks in a massive pout. 'These four twins are so rude! They're totally ignoring me!'
"Oh? You're in the hospital too?"
At that moment, a tired, familiar voice rang out from the hallway outside the ward. Yuuya turned his head to look.
A woman wearing a white lab coat stood at the door. She had incredibly messy, long brown hair, and dark, heavy circles under her eyes, looking as though she hadn't slept in a week.
Kiyama Harumi.
"Kiyama-sensei," Yuuya greeted her warmly.
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