The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

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Inoue Hideka's kitchen.

Saten Ruiko is washing the dishes with the help of Kamijou Touma.

"Kamijou-senpai, leave the rest to me. You should go back and get some rest!"

Saten Ruiko picked up a plate and continued washing it, then turned to Touma Kamijou with a smile and said...

"Oh, it's okay. We already feel bad that you cooked for us, how could we leave the whole mess to you!"

"Senior is so considerate! Unlike Yinghua, that jerk, all he cares about is eating and doesn't care about anything else!"

"After all, Yinghua is just a junior high school student! As his senior, I need to set a good example for him! Even though I'm not treated as a senior..."

Kamijou Touma walked dejectedly to Saten Ruiko's side and handed her a plate. Saten Ruiko washed the plate and then took it and put it away.

"Hey, Saten-san, Saten-san!"

Last Order suddenly burst into the kitchen, grabbing Saten Ruiko's apron and shaking her while calling out.

"Misaka Dory has something for you to hear from Misaka Misaka! Ahem, listen carefully..."

Finally, he cleared his throat, his face shifting between expressions, seemingly trying to find the right one.

"Misaka hopes that in the future, she will have the opportunity to raise cats with Saten-san again, cook together, eat together, go shopping together... There are so many things she wants to do with Saten-san. Once Misaka's health has recovered, Misaka will go to see Saten-san. "Misaka said this while perfectly mimicking Misaka Dory's melancholy expression.

"Uh...hehe..."

Saten Ruiko chuckled dryly, looking away, unsure how to respond.

This, this conversation... why does it give me a sense of déjà vu?

"Um, haha, okay! I'll be waiting for Misaka-san!"

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Inoue Hideka dropped Shokuhou Misaki off at the entrance of the school garden and stopped his motorcycle.

"Then I'll be waiting for your good news, Shokuhou-senpai!"

"..."

All that remains of Inoue Hidekazu is a golden back of his head and a thin, receding figure.

"Forehead……"

Watching Misaki Shokuhou's figure disappear, Inoue Hideka received no response and helplessly wiped away non-existent cold sweat from her forehead.

Buzz!

He started the motorcycle again and drove it home.

"Yinghua, don't you have anything to tell me?"

After Inoue Hideka returned home, she took a can of beverage from the refrigerator and walked towards the sofa while drinking it.

I didn't drink much alcohol at dinner, so my stomach and head didn't feel too uncomfortable, but I still couldn't avoid feeling thirsty.

"Of course there are, but..."

Inoue Hideka glanced at Last Order and Accelerator sitting on the sofa, and then said:

"Come on, let's talk in your room."

This is the perfect opportunity to seize it!

A wicked thought flashed through Inoue Hideka's mind, but his expression remained as serious as that of a sage monk.

Touma Kamijou and Index had already gone back; they were nowhere to be seen in the living room.

Accelerator was still sitting on that single sofa, with Ruiko Saten sitting next to Last Order. The three of them watched a variety comedy show on TV with different expressions.

When Saten Ruiko saw that Inoue Eika had entered her room, she also stood up from the sofa.

squeak~

After Saten Ruiko entered the room, Inoue Eika immediately closed the door and looked at her eagerly.

"Tears, where's my phone? Did you record it properly?"

"Okay, here you go!"

Saten Ruiko handed the phone to Inoue Eika. She had already backed up the videos on her own phone, so it wouldn't matter if Inoue Eika saw the embarrassing images of herself and deleted the videos.

Inoue Hideka simply opened her phone and glanced at it to confirm that the video actually existed.

Suddenly I saw a photo I had completely forgotten about—

In the photo, Misaka Mikoto is dressed in a maid outfit and is flirting with Shirai Kuroko.

"By the way, Ruiko. I haven't asked you yet what deal you made with Shirai during the last summer festival."

"Hmm...hehe, Shirai agreed to exchange this photo for her treasured photos of Misaka-senpai's daily life! It's a pity that I've never had a chance to meet Shirai alone, Misaka-senpai is always there."

"Wow! That's really amazing! Well done, Ruiko!"

Inoue Hideka gave Saten Ruiko a thumbs-up, not holding back his praise, then stroked his chin thoughtfully and said:

"Speaking of which, the camera I used to secretly take pictures of Misaka-senpai acting cute in the cafeteria... I didn't see it when I was cleaning my dorm, did I, Ruiko? When you were cleaning my dorm..."

Have you seen this camera before?

"No! But when did you secretly take pictures of Misaka-senpai, Eika? How come I didn't know?"

"Huh? Haha! It's nothing! Oh, right! I have something important to tell Ruiko!"

Chapter 118 A Cheng Yaojin Appears Out of the Way

"Don't change the subject! Eika! I haven't asked you about what happened between you and Misaka-senpai, or how you got involved with her, but don't think I don't care!"

Saten Ruiko was a little angry. When did her boyfriend get involved with Misaka Mikoto, and how could he make the third-ranked Level 5 so devoted to her? It was truly unbelievable.

"Uh...hehe!"

Inoue Hideka was a little embarrassed. Should she say that she had already offended her because of a way of addressing her, even before she met him?

The key is how to explain it clearly without mentioning that dark experiment; that's a real test of intelligence!

"Ahem! I think I should explain my situation with Shokuhou-senpai first. It's like this... Hey! Ruiko, don't look at me like I'm a scumbag! Although I am a scumbag in some ways... it's really hurtful..."

Inoue Hideka looked at Saten Ruiko with a wronged expression. He felt that he had been quite conscientious as a member of the transmigrator army. At least he hadn't been like those characters in the novels he had read in his previous life, who were promiscuous and indiscriminate in their relationships.

Moreover, even when Misaka Mikoto clearly extended an olive branch, she didn't simply accept it without asking questions or taking responsibility.

If I'm still considered a scumbag under these circumstances, it would be a disservice to my virginity that I still have!

"Hmph! Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Saten Ruiko sat on the edge of the bed, crossed her legs, and scrutinized Inoue Eika.

"Oh! Actually, Shokuhou-senpai likes Touma. But for complicated reasons, Touma has no chance of remembering Shokuhou-senpai at all. So, I'm just pretending to be Shokuhou-senpai's boyfriend. It seems that this way, Touma can retain some memory of her. Because Shokuhou-senpai is just too pathetic, I want to do something for her..."

Inoue Eika finished speaking in one breath, then looked nervously at Saten Ruiko.

"How could this happen... This is just... so tragic..."

Saten Ruiko frowned and said sadly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Yes! There are many similar sad things in this world..."

It's like having your memories erased every year, like the meaning of life being to be killed, like your constitution causing the whole village, young and old, to fly like moths to a flame, like all the luck you've had since birth being wiped out by your right hand, and so on.

These things, unimaginable in reality, seem to be ubiquitous in this world.

"Then, Eika, can't we change this outcome? If Shokuhou-senpai continues to like Kamijou-senpai, there won't be a happy ending, right? Can't we make Shokuhou-senpai change her mind or change the situation where Kamijou-senpai can't remember Shokuhou-senpai?"

"This... sigh!"

Inoue Hideka sighed. Faced with Saten Ruiko's earnest gaze, Inoue Hideka couldn't bring himself to say that neither of the two things he mentioned could come true.

Knowing Misaki Shokuhou's personality, he was well aware that the possibility of Misaki Shokuhou changing her mind was zero, after all, Kamijou was the one who supported her reason for living.

What price must be paid to change this bond?

Regarding the repair of Touma Kamijou's brain, Inoue Hideka felt even more strongly that he lacked the ability, and even if the brain returned to normal, whether Touma would choose Misaki Shokuhou remained a question.

For a moment, the room fell into an awkward silence.

Saten Ruiko is a cheerful and optimistic girl. She can't accept this tragic situation with no way out, and she frowns as she racks her brains for a way to save Shokuhou Misaki.

"Oh, right, Ruiko. I haven't thanked you for your understanding yet. In that situation, you didn't expose me, but chose to believe and support me. How should I put it..."

Inoue Hideka scratched her face shyly, trying to ease the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

"You're tired of hearing me say 'It's so great that you're my girlfriend' all the time, right? This time I'll try something different."

As he spoke, Inoue Hideka walked up to Saten Ruiko, looking down at her sitting on the bed with an unusually serious expression.

"Tears, I like you, I like you so much, I like you so much, so very much!"

"Hmm... suddenly... what should I say?"

Saten Ruiko immediately blushed. This was the first time Inoue Eika had expressed her feelings so directly and openly.

It seems that since they started dating, they have never said anything like "I like you".

For a moment, Saten Ruiko blushed and was a little at a loss.

Seeing Saten Ruiko's shy appearance, Inoue Eika couldn't help but slowly lower her head and approach those alluring red lips.

Suddenly remembering how he had just been treated like a scumbag, he hesitated. Wouldn't doing something like this at this moment just confirm his reputation as a scumbag?

Saten Ruiko lowered her head and felt Inoue Eika getting closer and closer, so she nervously closed her eyes.

After waiting for a while but still not sensing Inoue Hideka's next move, he looked up in confusion.

Inoue Hideka remained bent over, her eyes filled with struggle and her face contorted as she stared ahead.

As Inoue Hideka hesitated between continuing and retreating, she suddenly felt a heavy sensation on her neck.

Her body was involuntarily pulled downwards by gravity, and when she looked down to meet Saten Ruiko's gentle eyes, Inoue Eika's heart was instantly filled with warmth.

At the same time, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Is it not that I won over Ruiko, but that Ruiko won over me?"

Slowly lowering his head, their lips met. While sucking on Saten Ruiko's cherry lips, Inoue Eika wrapped his arms around Saten Ruiko's waist and pulled her up from the bed with a slight effort, pressing her against his chest.

Feeling the touch of Saten Ruiko, her soft body, slender waist, and full breasts, Inoue Eika slowly, bit by bit, conquered her.