The hospital in District 7 gradually returned to calm, and the special consultation room of the "exchange intern from China" resumed receiving patients.
What Kurokami Gen hadn't expected was that the overly familiar Anti-Skill officer would plop herself down in front of him without hesitation.
Tessou Tsuzuri said timidly, "Yomikawa-sensei, you're still on duty…"
"No other assignments. I'm basically off work," Yomikawa Aiho replied lazily. "The only difference is whether I've taken off this uniform yet."
The moment she finished speaking, she stripped off her jacket. The thin white shirt beneath did absolutely nothing to conceal her overwhelming curves.
Komoe-sensei would probably burst into tears at the sight.
In Gen's impression, Yomikawa was a busty beauty who wore a green tracksuit year-round. It was rare to see her in full Anti-Skill uniform, looking so sharp and heroic.
"Same as usual?" he asked calmly.
"Please. The bill will go through Anti-Skill insurance."
She added a casual "Thank you" in heavily accented Japanese English.
Gen shook his head and placed both hands on her shoulders. If he had been some attacker striking from behind, he would already have been thrown over her shoulder and had his arm snapped.
"Heal."
A faint green glow flickered with a soft "ping."
Gen gently kneaded the busty teacher's shoulders—an added-value service, free of charge. She could feel the soreness dissipating almost instantly.
After a long day, her drained stamina returned as well.
"No matter how many times I experience it, this effect is incredible," Yomikawa sighed. "Your Heal isn't just about closing wounds. Being an intern in this small hospital is seriously a waste of talent. Why not join Anti-Skill logistics? The 73rd Activities Branch will always welcome you."
"I still have a lot to learn here," Gen replied evenly.
Anti-Skill were mostly powerless adults. Who would want that? I'd rather blend into Judgment—or even the Dark Side.
"Alright." Yomikawa looked disappointed. "Tessou, you too?"
"I-Is that okay?"
Gen smiled. "Of course."
Paid service, of course.
"Better than any massage therapist. One hundred percent fatigue relief. If we didn't know it was an ability, you could just put up a sign for 'Authentic Chinese Qigong Therapy' and this hospital would be flooded with patients," Yomikawa said, pulling her coat back on and giving him a thumbs-up.
Heal transferred the target's pain onto himself. Physical pain he could endure—but the mental burden was unavoidable.
Perhaps because he had inherited the spiritual strength of Misaki Shokuhou, Gen felt refreshed. Consecutive Heals no longer exhausted him. In the past, one day of consultations would leave him drained like a dead dog, forcing Komoe to drag him home.
And this, too, was a crucial way to increase Heal's proficiency.
"What? That guy smashed his head against a wall and killed himself?"
Not long after, Yomikawa received a call from a colleague. Miyagi Ryosuke, while being transferred to detention, had suddenly rammed his head into a wall when no one was looking.
"Apparently… his brains were…" The voice on the other end trailed off.
"Before he died, he kept muttering that there was a 'tumor' in his head and tried to claw at it…" Silence followed.
Even hearing it secondhand was horrifying.
"That's… a pretty gruesome way to die," Yomikawa muttered.
"S-So scary…" Tessou shuddered.
Having witnessed countless esper crimes, Yomikawa felt something was off. She glanced at the black-haired youth. Behind his glasses was an innocent, gentle face.
No way.
She shook her head and hung up.
"Don't worry. That criminal won't be coming back. I was thinking—even if he somehow tried revenge again, Anti-Skill facilities would've protected you."
"Anti-Skill can't protect everyone," Gen said lightly. "Yomikawa-sensei, shouldn't we have zero tolerance for people who attempt to kill doctors?"
"…Maybe." She gave a bitter smile.
Gen had already confirmed the criminal's murderous intent through Mental Out. If he hadn't intervened, the casualties would have been unpredictable.
First time killing someone.
Remotely.
He felt nothing.
Perhaps he still lacked any real sense of transmigration. Perhaps, deep down, he still thought this two-dimensional world wasn't quite real. In the end, he was just a monster incapable of feeling others' pain.
One thought could compel an enemy to end themselves.
A humanitarian destruction, perfectly suited.
During the process, he had confirmed something else: casting Heal "empty"—without actually repairing injuries—allowed him to directly read memories and copy skills.
Even trash should be squeezed for every last drop of value before being discarded like a rag.
Gen knew he was still far from true Level 5 strength. The key was computational power.
Heal could replicate a target's skills exactly. If the copied level dropped, it was usually due to his own insufficient conditions.
He had forcefully extracted the most powerful mental calculation formula from Misaki's memories—a formula refined by a dedicated research institute at immense cost.
But without undergoing brain development, his base computational power remained Level 0.
The current Geass manifestation was merely brute-force hacking of ordinary brains. Even so, that calculation formula could push him to Lv.2 or Lv.3 output—punching above his weight.
The flaw of Heal was that it couldn't copy physique, class, or passive traits. Computational power fell into that category. In the Toaru worldview, calculation power was essentially an esper's output multiplier—the damage coefficient.
The human brain was a computer.
From Miyagi Ryosuke's memories, Gen extracted crucial information: the guy had used Level Upper to temporarily raise his stagnant ability to Level 3.
"There's an urban legend about an audio track that increases your ability level if you listen to it…"
So the major Railgun arc had begun.
This event wouldn't interfere with Aleister's core plan. It could be leveraged.
Level Upper likely wouldn't help him. External boosts were temporary.
Instead of relying on that, Gen would rather believe he could "replenish mana" like the healing hero from anime—leveling up beautiful girls through contact.
After a month of training, he should be close to unlocking new derivatives of Heal: Enhancement and Degradation.
Raising computational power had to be prioritized.
Otherwise, facing someone on Misaki Shokuhou's level again, he might not be able to protect the secrets hidden in his brain. It was a shame he hadn't yet obtained an electromagnetic barrier to block mental attacks.
"Um…"
A knock sounded at the door, followed by a gentle female voice.
"Thank you, Kurokami-kun!"
It was the nurse he had saved earlier. After calming down and finishing her shift, she had come specifically to thank him.
Yomikawa elbowed his chest teasingly. "Kid, looks like you've got some romantic luck."
"Hardly."
Gen's eyes flickered—but what lingered in his mind were Misaki's memories. While countering her mental probe earlier, he had stealthily invaded her supreme brain.
So even Mental Out had its day.
Compared to the voluptuous beauty in front of him, the Queen of Tokiwadai was no less impressive. The immersive first-person experience was like wearing VR goggles—tilt your head down and you could see the "dangerous weapons."
So that's why she trips.
With that chest, you really can't see your feet.
For a former shut-in otaku, restoring memories was a dream ability. After transmigrating into anime, simply healing a goddess of the two-dimensional world allowed him to see details beyond the plot—every inch of skin.
Not just visually. Even weight and tactile sensation felt real. The Queen of Tokiwadai privately worried about her dramatic growth over the past year, stripping naked to weigh herself…
Who would've thought that one year ago, the Queen had been almost as flat as Railgun?
He had witnessed her development from a first-person perspective—year by year, more mature.
Her fangirls would kill me if they knew.
Gen suppressed the urge to indulge further. It required considerable willpower.
There were more important matters than G-rated fantasies.
Unexpectedly, Mitsuari Ayu existed by Misaki's side. In the original story, they should have been enemies. Why were they together now?
In the memories from a year ago, Misaki had saved Mitsuari from attempting suicide.
Before his transmigration, the plot had already changed.
Like a quantum eraser experiment—terrifying upon reflection.
The future seemed to have altered the past.
Careful. A transmigrator's greatest trump card—foreknowledge—would gradually vanish under the butterfly effect.
"Kurokami-kun, wake up. She already left," came a kindly voice.
"Huh?"
He looked up.
Standing before him was perhaps the greatest bug in the Toaru world—
Heaven Canceller.
An elderly, balding doctor with white hair and a frog-like face beloved by Mikoto.
Appearances deceived.
He was arguably the strongest doctor in anime—said to be able to save anyone "as long as they're not completely dead." Even Aleister Crowley owed his life to this man.
"You've been staring at that pretty nurse the whole time. You scared her off," Yomikawa laughed. "At your age, boobs are what matter most, right?"
Heaven Canceller nodded thoughtfully. "So this is the real reason Kurokami-kun works part-time here?"
You're the real nurse enthusiast!
With a single thought, a certain blonde's bouncing chest could loop infinitely in his mind. The heavenly dormitory bath scenes of Tokiwadai's queen and her clique…
Anyway, who cares.
"Sensei, are today's surgeries finished?" Gen asked, changing the subject.
"Yes," the doctor replied cheerfully. "Just minor ones. Things like heart transplants under local anesthesia."
The techniques and theories he used were so advanced that even Academy City's Board hesitated to approve some of them.
"Sensei, one moment." Gen turned. "Yomikawa-sensei, Tessou-sensei, let's leave together after my shift. Komoe said she wants to invite you to dinner."
"Sure, we won't interrupt."
The two Anti-Skill teachers closed the door behind them.
Heaven Canceller spoke softly. "I heard about what happened today. Kurokami-kun, thanks to you."
"No, Sensei. You allowed me to intern and test my ability for healing. I'm the one indebted."
Gen sincerely respected this great doctor. Compared to him, Gen was just an ordinary man with a cheat ability, struggling for survival.
"An esper, hmm? You might even be a Gemstone," the doctor mused. "Your insights have given me inspiration as well."
Gen smiled. "I had another bold idea today. If Ray Deflection could be applied to interventional procedures, doctors wouldn't need to wear heavy lead aprons in surgery."
Radiation prevention had always been a difficult medical issue.
"Oh?"
Heaven Canceller's eyes lit up. Looking at the refined young man, he felt increasingly satisfied with this "disciple."
Among all students he'd mentored, perhaps Gen had the lowest academic credentials—just a recent high school graduate transfer student.
But his potential was the highest.
"I haven't taken on students in years… Kurokami-kun, would you be interested in entering my graduate program in the future?"
"Ah?"
Gen froze.
Graduate student—in Japan, that meant master's or doctoral track.
He hadn't planned to devote his life to medicine. Approaching Heaven Canceller was merely for backing. Even Aleister would hesitate to move against someone under this doctor's wing.
"My apologies. I may be rushing you. Your talent shouldn't be buried in this city," the doctor said regretfully.
"I haven't even entered undergrad yet. Being able to study by your side is already an honor," Gen replied tactfully.
Such a smooth-talking child.
Heaven Canceller beamed and pulled out a thick envelope, placing it on the desk.
An intern getting paid almost felt unreal.
"This month's salary. I applied for a bravery bonus for you, but it hasn't been approved. Since you're not a full employee, it's part-time student wages. No insurance… if something had happened, I would've failed you."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Gen felt guilty. From the start, he had intended to use this man.
They chatted casually. When discussing the criminal, the doctor even remembered Miyagi's name.
"If only I'd talked to him more after discharge…" Heaven Canceller sighed. "No matter what, it was still a life."
"It wasn't your fault," Gen said gently.
That "tumor patient" had intended to cripple this kind doctor forever.
"Let's leave that aside. Summer break is coming. If you have time, help at the hospital. Your ability eases pressure, and your computer skills are valuable. Don't neglect your studies—you're preparing for transfer exams. I've arranged for you to take the medical licensing exam as an exception…"
Though he hadn't passed Japan's medical boards, Gen followed physicians as an intern. Heal carried minimal risk and required no prescriptions.
Heaven Canceller reviewed his recent electronic records and patted his shoulder approvingly.
"You've improved greatly. Keep it up."
"I won't disappoint you… I'll study hard."
Behind the lenses, a strange glint flashed in Gen's eyes.
At the moment of contact, he had already activated his ability. Now, even passive touch was enough.
"Heal."
A faint green flash.
To avoid exposing magic, he dared not activate Emerald Eyes—let alone Mental Out. The man before him understood the darkness of this world too well.
Heaven Canceller. True name unknown.
In an instant, the doctor's memories, skills, and surgical experience flooded into Gen's mind. Accidents in the operating room. The threat of death. Waves of past pain and terror crashed over him.
His brain trembled.
This darkness far surpassed even Misaki's past.
With the mental strength boosted by Mental Out, he endured.
He clenched his teeth, expression steady. A single bead of sweat, a slightly quickened pulse—such details might alert the sharp-eyed frog-faced doctor.
I have no talent. I've lost interest in ordinary human learning.
There is a simpler shortcut.
Copy—the God of Medicine.
As expected. Humanity's method for deciphering the brain and rapidly increasing computational power… found.
"Oh, by the way, Kurokami-kun…" Heaven Canceller began slowly.
Gen's heart skipped.
Had he been discovered?
"It's about your condition. I'd like to discuss it further."