Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

After Misaka Mikoto finished speaking, Shokuhou Misaki was shocked. Misaka Mikoto called out to Shokuhou Misaki several times before Shokuhou Misaki finally came back to her senses.

"What's wrong, Cao Qi?"

Misaki Shokuhou covered her face, her expression quite unpleasant, and said, "Do you know how long I've been here, according to my perception?"

Misaka Mikoto was slightly taken aback and said, "Isn't it half an hour?"

Misaki Shokuhou shook her head, smiled wryly, and said, "I was annoyed that it had been so long and you hadn't done anything. But now it seems that it wasn't that you hadn't done anything, but that this place was too special and made me misunderstand."

"What exactly happened?!"

"Simply put, time is something that is inherently difficult for humans to perceive. To perceive time, we need to rely on our brains to connect our memories with everything we experience, and at the same time, we need to use time-recording devices that we have invented, such as watches, to truly connect human perception of time."

Misaki Shokuhou continued, "And our human consciousness itself does not have the basic ability to perceive time. Without memory and reference points, we are lucky if we can roughly determine how much time has passed."

Misaka Mikoto was a little confused and asked, "What are you talking about?"

“I’m saying we’ve been through different periods of time. I’ve been here for at least a year, waiting in despair for your rescue for over a year with no results. After waiting for several months, I also began to take desperate measures.”

"And you, Misaka Mikoto. For you, only half an hour has passed in reality. That's what I want to say."

Misaka Mikoto stared in astonishment, her eyes wide. "You mean, half an hour has passed in reality, but more than a year has passed here? This... how is this possible!"

"According to you, time here is accelerated by at least tens of thousands of times?"

"Let alone tens of thousands of times, even a million times is theoretically possible. Human consciousness is more mysterious than the human body, although consciousness still needs a body as a carrier."

"But how could this situation have occurred..."

"That remains a mystery for now. Perhaps it's due to the abilities of your savior, or perhaps it's the power emanating from the strange symbols within that person's body."

At this point, Misaki Shokuhou sighed. Looking at Misaka Mikoto in front of her, she realized that she hadn't been abandoned, but was still being missed and worried about.

She was influenced by Best, by Misaka Mikoto in front of her, and by the relatively conscientious doctor, Meito Tsurugi.

Having figured everything out, Misaki Shokuhou's originally cold and weary heart began to warm up, making her gaze towards Misaka Mikoto even gentler. She said, "So, Mikoto, you just rushed in to save me without any regard for the consequences?"

"I'm not just saving you, I'm saving you and him together, ah!"

Misaka Mikoto was just shocked by Shokuhou Misaki's words, but now she has sorted everything out. As if she has thought of something, Misaka Mikoto doesn't even care about her own sincerity. She gets out of bed and rushes to Shokuhou Misaki's side, taking Shokuhou Misaki's hand.

Shokuhou Misaki was taken aback. Looking at Misaka Mikoto's face so close to hers and at her concerned gaze sweeping over her, she suddenly felt an urge to turn away.

What's this?

It seems a little embarrassing...

"Mikoto, what are you doing? You're not wearing anything. Don't you feel ashamed?"

However, Misaki Shokuhou is the queen of mental control, so this kind of self-control is nothing to her, and she did not show any unusual expression.

"Shyness and all that... well, we were both like that just now. We're both girls, there's nothing shameful about it. Compared to you, Caoqi, are you feeling alright? Staying here for a year, you won't have any problems, will you?"

Misaki Shokuhou smiled and shook her head, saying, "I'm a mind controller, and you said I'm a professional, how could anything happen to me... Oh dear, it seems I've been discovered."

Misaki Shokuhou looked on helplessly as Misaka Mikoto reached out and took her hand, then lifted her hair. She sighed and said, "It's nothing, don't be so nervous..."

"How could I not be nervous!"

However, Misaka Mikoto shouted loudly, her eyes filled with confusion and panic, pointing at the strange color on the back of Shokuhou Misaki's hand.

It's like having irregular red and white patterns tattooed on someone's skin, or rather, the tattoo design is like patches of red and white color scattered across the skin.

This was definitely not a tattoo that Misaki Shokuhou gave to her own consciousness out of boredom. In addition, Misaki Shokuhou's hair also showed the same discoloration from the shoulders down—her originally beautiful golden hair had turned into messy white and red hues at the ends, making it look quite strange.

She gives the impression of being the Queen of Tokiwadai, suddenly wanting to become a delinquent girl, and a rather tasteless one at that. This is completely different from the Misaka Mikoto we know, the extremely vain and ambiguous Shokuhou Misaki.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Author's Note:

This is the first update of the third update today.

041 Misaki Shokuhou is a good girl

Misaki Shokuhou looked at Misaka Mikoto and saw the genuine anxiety on Misaka Mikoto's face. This was not a fake or pretentious expression. Even without using her powers, Misaki Shokuhou could tell.

Such pure emotions can probably only be seen in younger children, but right now, they are all present in Misaka Mikoto. Perhaps this is why Misaka Mikoto is loved by more people?

After all, everyone likes good kids who live in the sunshine.

Even Misaki Shokuhou is the same.

Despite the fact that Misaka Mikoto's naivety and ignorance have caused her clones to fill the entire Academy City, resulting in one tragedy after another, not only the tragedy of Misaka Mikoto's clones, but also the tragedy of everyone else.

But should all of this really be blamed on Misaka Mikoto?

Obviously, it shouldn't be like that.

Misaka Mikoto understood this as well, because what caused all these tragedies was actually the evil hidden within Academy City, not Misaka Mikoto's innocence.

Ignorance may be a sin, but when a child's innocence is exploited and leads to disastrous consequences, then everything except that child is guilty—the entire Academy City.

Now, looking at Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki couldn't bring herself to blame her, especially after learning that Misaka Mikoto had entered this place without hesitation, with one of her goals being to save her.

Neither of them said much about who saved whom. Misaka Mikoto seemed to take it for granted. However, Shokuhou Misaki knew that, at least for a long time, she would never forget the emotion she felt when she saw that bolt of lightning in the sky during the storm, when she was crying out in despair.

"All right."

Misaki Shokuhou forcefully pulled Misaka Mikoto's hand back, saying, "Don't be too nervous. This is a phenomenon of mental and conscious assimilation; it's not that serious."

"It's not that serious, but I feel... Caoqi, you're not lying to me, are you? Is this the mental pollution you mentioned before?"

Misaka Mikoto recalled the words "mental pollution" that Shokuhou Misaki had mentioned, and Shokuhou Misaki was also somewhat surprised, not expecting that Misaka Mikoto would remember what she had said.

Don't worry, that's not true.

However, under Misaka Mikoto's tense gaze, Shokuhou Misaki shook her head and said, "This is different from mental pollution. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine now, do I show any signs of being polluted?"

Misaka Mikoto looked left and right and said, "Hmm... apart from a slight change in personality, and the fact that I seem to have become easier to get along with, it seems that nothing has really changed."

These words left Misaki Shokuhou both amused and exasperated. She had subconsciously opened her heart to Misaka Mikoto out of gratitude, hoping to improve their relationship. But had it turned out to make Misaka Mikoto feel uneasy?

Well, Misaki Shokuhou didn't really care about that. At least for now, Misaka Mikoto was certain that she didn't harbor any hostility towards her and was someone she could trust.

That's enough.

“I’ll just tell you directly,” Misaki Shokuhou said, pointing to the spots on her hand, “this is the assimilation of spirit and consciousness, not pollution.”

“Pollution will directly affect my mind and consciousness. If I am not prepared, it is not impossible for me to even go crazy.”

Seeing that Misaka Mikoto was tense again, Shokuhou Misaki patted Misaka Mikoto's hand and said, "As for me now, it's because I've been here for too long, and in terms of the amount of mental energy, my current part of my consciousness is too far behind the boy's."

"Furthermore, the essence of human spirit and consciousness is actually not that different; their composition is roughly the same, they are almost identical. So, because I have been here for too long, I have unconsciously absorbed a part of this boy's spirit, which is why I have become what I am now."

"Once all this is over and we return to our own bodies, I can use my own mind and consciousness to slowly eliminate this assimilation. At most, my abilities will be slightly affected for a short period of time."

Seeing that Misaka Mikoto's words were well-organized and didn't seem like a hasty lie or fabrication, she finally nodded with some skepticism. This action made Misaka Mikoto feel genuine concern.

For this reason, Misaki Shokuhou would never tell Misaka Mikoto the real details.

Misaki Shokuhou's condition was much more serious than she described.

Misaki Shokuhou's spirit and consciousness have not been infected, nor is it assimilation caused by her prolonged mental contact with the boy; rather, it is a third state.

This state can probably be described as erosion.

The reason is simple. Misaki Shokuhou understands that the powers eroding her are definitely not normal human mental power, and therefore cannot be considered assimilation as she just mentioned. The boy's mental power is something that transcends human consciousness; it's like a higher-level power.

These things are not offensive in themselves and will not actively erode other people's mental consciousness, but Misaki Shokuhou spent too much time in contact with the boy, and even actively hypnotized herself to become a fish. During this process, she absorbed an unknown amount of red and white light.

In reality, Misaki Shokuhou had already expended a great deal of energy just to suppress the chaotic consciousness within her that stemmed from her fish nature and maintain her current self.

However, Misaki Shokuhou will not tell anyone any of this. If she did, it would become her weakness, giving those with ill intentions an opportunity to take advantage of her.

As for Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki simply didn't want Misaka Mikoto to worry, since telling Misaka Mikoto wouldn't make any difference.

"Don't worry, it's really okay."

Misaki Shokuhou smiled and comforted Misaka Mikoto, saying, "Moreover, it is precisely because of this assimilation that I am able to do what I am doing now."

With that, Misaki Shokuhou snapped her fingers.

The surrounding environment was originally the school dormitory's dining hall, but suddenly, with Misaki Shokuhou's snap of her fingers, everything shattered into red and white light fragments that scattered in all directions, eventually turning into starlight that merged into Misaki Shokuhou's hair.

The surrounding environment has once again transformed into seawater and sand, the very place where Misaki Shokuhou and Misaka Mikoto landed not long ago. The marks left by the two when they first embraced on the sand are still visible not far away.

"Ah, this is..."

Misaka Mikoto was truly stunned this time, and her gaze towards Shokuhou Misaki held a newfound respect.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, Misaka Mikoto knew that Shokuhou Misaki had definitely obtained a lot of useful information that she could put to use immediately.

“The manifestation of self-suggestion,” Misaki Shokuhou smiled slightly and said, “Jane, don’t forget Mikoto. The place we are in is his consciousness space. In theory, everything here is fake. As long as we can think of it and our imagination is rich enough, something corresponding should appear here.”

"But...isn't this his mental world? Why are you, Misaki...ah, is it because of this assimilation?"

Misaki Shokuhou nodded and said, "That's right, it's because of the assimilation within me."

As she spoke, she looked down at the messy spots on her skin. From an angle where Misaka Mikoto couldn't see her, Shokuhou Misaki's eyes were somewhat complicated, and she seemed to have some lingering feelings. She said, "Because of the assimilation of my mind with his, my mental activities can now subtly influence him."

“He doesn’t have a complete consciousness right now, as evidenced by the simplest images of ocean, land, and sky in his mind. But this doesn’t mean that nothing else can appear in his mental world; it’s just that he, as the master, hasn’t thought about it.”

"And now, because of my assimilation with him, as long as what I think doesn't exceed his cognitive range, it can be manifested here to a certain extent."

“Mikoto, if you think about it carefully, you’ll find that the restaurant we just saw is actually quite different from our actual restaurant. After all, he probably hasn’t been to the Tokiwadai restaurant. I just roughly constructed a similar layout.”

Misaka Mikoto understood this time and said, "As expected of you, Misaki. Your power is really convenient. You have such power and you can still refrain from doing bad things. In fact, you are still a good person, aren't you?"

Misaki Shokuhou was slightly taken aback and said, "Good person, you think I'm a good person?"

"What, isn't that right?"

"Ah...no, but is it really appropriate to simply use polarized terms like 'good' and 'bad' to judge a person?"

"What's inappropriate about it? Are you a bad person? Do you have the ability to do evil?"

Misaki Shokuhou slowly shook her head. Although she had done many things, they were all based on self-preservation. She had never done anything evil simply for her own desires.

If we disregard the pranks she played on Misaka Mikoto... looking at Misaka Mikoto in front of me, she seems completely unconcerned about those unpleasant past events.

In other words, is Misaki Shokuhou... still a good person, a good girl?

"Why are you stunned again? Right, Misaki, since you have such an ability, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and find him! You can materialize things like telescopes or cars, right? That way, we can move quickly!"

However, before Misaka Mikoto could be happy about Misaka Mikoto's judgment, Misaka Mikoto shifted her attention to rescuing her savior, which made Misaka Mikoto slightly unhappy. Couldn't she have praised her a little more?