In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

"Yu! You were just sleeping, and here you found another beautiful girl?! And this...this..."

She couldn't find a suitable word to describe the existence of a ghost. She couldn't just call someone a dead person, could she? She had been warned by Higashino afterward for calling someone "electrifying girl," and she wouldn't make the same mistake.

"This older sister who looks really special...?"

Index felt that using the word "special" to describe the ghost would both indicate that the ghost was not simple and would not seem too impolite.

"Hmph, with me and Himegami included, are you planning to pick up every homeless girl in Academy City?!"

It has to be said that Higashino really did have this plan, but this small, shabby apartment is not enough; it's already the limit to fit all of them.

"But this time I really didn't bring it back on my own initiative!"

As for the fact that the person stayed because of his inducement, Higashino was completely unaware of this. After all, last night was just a simple chat, and he gave a small suggestion; the person staying was simply Mingya's own choice.

"She came to us on her own initiative. And, strictly speaking, she might not need a place to 'live'..."

Being able to live directly in the shadows is quite convenient. Yesterday, she entered through the shadow of her own room, but just now she came out through the shadow of the kitchen. Does this mean that the spaces between the shadows are interconnected?

Higashino decided to ask him about it when he had time, as this ability was quite novel to him.

"Don't you need a place to stay?" Index looked at the spirit demon Mingya suspiciously, then thought that she seemed to have just come out of the shadows.

"Can she rest in the shadows? Hmm... Ghosts rest in the shadows, right? I've never read about this in any of the books I've read before."

Unlike Himegami, Index showed no fear of ghosts after her initial surprise; instead, she was very interested in the fact that ghosts could rest in shadows.

As for the new tenant, she had already put it out of her mind. After all, that's the kind of person Yu is. Whether it's her, Himegami, or the current ghost, they're all basically people who were taken in by her.

Just then, the silent Miya slowly shifted her gaze from Higashino Yu to the box of strawberry milk that Index had just tried to take.

"That strawberry milk looks very sweet. Can I drink it?"

Mingya looked at the box of strawberry milk with some anticipation. Dongye remembered that she seemed to have a particular fondness for it, and even had a habit of using food to mask her body odor?

Surely drinking this stuff won't turn you into a strawberry-scented person, right? Higashino didn't quite understand the logic, but it was better than eating stinky tofu. Otherwise, a ghost reeking of stinky tofu would be truly terrifying. (Though stinky tofu is indeed delicious.)

"You want this too?"

Index finally took the milk down, looked at what she was holding, and then looked at Mingya.

Do ghosts need to eat?

Another new discovery; she became even more interested in Miss Ghost.

"Well, I don't know if it's necessary, but I can definitely eat."

Mingya nodded. Just like she could cause trouble, she could eat things without any problem, though she rarely did.

Even though she is a ghost, she is surprisingly principled and cannot do something like taking something without paying for it.

The first time she drank strawberry milk was when she accidentally picked up a lot of coins and bought it from a vending machine. She still remembers the surprised expression on the face of a boy with spiky hair who was passing by when he saw the coins fly into the vending machine and then the milk fly out of the vending machine.

He was looking around, muttering to himself, "It's that boring guy again trying to mess with Mr. Kamijou..."

Himegami watched this scene silently, thinking that real ghosts were indeed different from those on TV; they needed to eat and weren't scary at all.

"It's truly a peculiar existence."

Himegami gave her evaluation, and she completely relaxed, her last bit of worry about Meiya disappearing.

However, I also thoroughly remembered the fact that Higashino liked to bring strange girls home.

Today's ghost, someone who has an attraction to vampires, and Index who fell from the sky.

From my interactions with Index over the past two days, I've learned about her encounter with Higashino, and that she is actually a real magician with a magical name.

After the two chatted and learned some basics, Himegami finally understood the meaning of magic names and the true nature of magic. It was a pity that Index couldn't use magic, otherwise she would have loved to see it for herself.

Undoubtedly, all three of them are homeless girls with strange pasts. It's just unclear whether Miss Ghost, like herself, has also made some kind of strange pact with Higashino.

Thinking this, Himegami secretly glanced at Higashino, but when she realized that his attention was not on her, she looked away and continued making the unfinished breakfast.

Today's breakfast was wontons, a food somewhat similar to dumplings. Index told me that Higashino made them once and said it was one of his favorite foods.

She woke up half an hour earlier than usual and specifically searched for videos online to learn how to make this food that she had never made before.

Meanwhile, Index, having received confirmation from Mingya, was deep in thought, her small mouth unconsciously muttering, "Penetrating the physical body...absorbing energy...I see, so eating isn't the necessary energy to replenish the spirit's energy? Or is it..."

Looking at the now quiet kitchen, Higashino knew that Index and the others had accepted the new residents.

However, this was to be expected. Neither of them were unreasonable girls. Index was just a little surprised that she had brought another girl home in one night.

"Then, Mingya, you will be the fourth member of the Dongye family. Please take care of me!"

Setting aside her curiosity about ghosts for the moment, Index politely greeted Mingya formally.

Jealousy has become less frequent due to habit. After yesterday's encounter with Misaka Mikoto, Index has seen through Higashino's true nature as a pervert.

Despite Higashino's confident assertion yesterday that it was just a chance encounter and he was going to say hello, he definitely wouldn't have gone over to a girl he didn't care about.

And the other party must also be interested in Higashino. Although she had focused most of her attention on Higashino yesterday, she secretly observed that Mikoto's attention was also on Higashino. The smile she saw before she and Himekami went in was just like the one when Hatsuharu was chatting with Higashino.

As they chatted, the girl even moved closer to the boy. If Misaka didn't have feelings for Higashino, Index would never believe it.

Who knows, she might confess her feelings sometime and become Higashino's fourth girlfriend, and her status as his cousin will be reduced by one.

Thinking about this, Index felt depressed again, and really wanted to go back in time and bite the head of the version of herself who had agreed to be her cousin.

Higashino was completely bewildered by Index's change in expression, not knowing what was wrong with her, but the fact that she didn't throw a tantrum was already the biggest improvement.

Nodding in satisfaction, Higashino's gaze swept over the other two, and Himegami also said "Welcome to the team" to Miya before resuming cooking.

Meanwhile, Mingya drifted to Index's side at some point, and, lost in some unknown emotion, took the strawberry milk from her hand.

"It's time to think about moving."

Higashino muttered to himself, his brow furrowed slightly. The small apartment was already feeling a bit cramped, and Higashino had ambitious 'plans' to make; this kind of place was no longer enough for him.

Chapter 98 The Empress of Tokiwadai's Infirmary

After breakfast, Higashino left the apartment alone.

He had two appointments today, one of which was with someone who could help him find a new place to live. At breakfast, Higashino thought it over and over, and still felt that among the people he was close to, the only one who was the richest and most likely to help him was Miss Mitsuko after marriage! She was the heiress of the Marriage Corporation, and her allowance was an amount that ordinary people could hardly achieve in a year of hard work. A slightly larger place to live was no problem for her at all.

Since visiting him in the hospital, the two hadn't seen each other for a while. Although they occasionally kept in touch by phone, relationships need to be maintained through frequent face-to-face meetings. After all, Mitsuko was the second girl he'd changed his mind about in terms of feelings, and Higashino valued her highly. He absolutely had no intention of living off her; he had a good stomach and preferred hearty meals.

So after breakfast, Higashino called Mitsuko and asked her to meet him for tea. As expected, she agreed to meet him without hesitation. Higashino could hear her nervousness and excitement over the phone, and she even personally chose the meeting place.

"It's this tea restaurant. Mitsuko really knows how to pick a place. I remember the prices here are ridiculously high." Higashino looked at the meeting place Mitsuko had sent to his phone. He'd overheard some girls talking about it while waiting for their appointments in the infirmary on his first day at work. It was a place that young ladies loved to go to. Higashino hadn't been there and didn't know the specifics, but he was sure it was very expensive.

The tea restaurant was a bit far from his apartment, and although it was still early before the appointed time, he decided to take a shortcut. As for using his abilities to travel, there was no need to show off now. What was the point of having legs if he had to use abilities to fly or teleport to get somewhere?

Just as he was about to enter the alley to take a shortcut, something unexpected happened. A figure brushed past him. It was a young girl who looked quite young, dressed in a simple white sailor uniform. She had smooth, shoulder-length black hair with the ends curled inwards gently. The girl kept her head down, walking hurriedly, seemingly preoccupied, and didn't notice Higashino.

Just as the two passed each other, the girl suddenly stumbled, lost her balance, and collapsed to the ground without warning. "Ugh..." Higashino's first thought was, "Is this a staged accident?" But he quickly realized something was wrong; this wasn't a staged accident, but rather...

Although the other party's purpose was unclear, his reaction was extremely fast. Almost instinctively, he stepped to the side, stretched out his arm, and steadily caught the girl's body before she hit the ground. The girl's body was very light, and her eyes were tightly closed, as if she had already fainted? Higashino was somewhat speechless about this; this encounter and fainting seemed far too deliberate. But the fainting seemed genuine? Higashino examined the girl carefully; this aspect didn't seem fake.

Fainting right next to me couldn't be a coincidence. This deliberate contact must have some purpose, right? Looks like becoming a Level 5 has brought me into the spotlight; they're even arranging this kind of situation to get close to me. In that case, I'll play along! Hey, the girl's quite cute. But if there's a mastermind behind this, don't blame me for making you lose everything!

"Hey? Wake up?" Dongye crouched down, letting her lean against his arm, and gently patted her cheek. Her skin was cool to the touch, and her breathing, though weak, was relatively steady. He quickly checked her over; there were no obvious external injuries, and her pulse was slightly rapid but still strong. It seemed more like some kind of sudden weakness or fainting.

Low blood sugar? Anemia? Or… overuse of his ability? Higashino Yu's thoughts raced. He looked around; the alley was still deserted, and it seemed no one was monitoring the area. He could easily use his ability to heal the girl, and it didn't seem like a serious problem, requiring little exertion. Perhaps the person behind this was doing it intentionally, just to test his ability? Regardless, Higashino certainly wouldn't let them have their way; he had no obligation to use his ability on a stranger.

Of course, the main reason was that the person in front of him had deliberately approached him, and wasn't a passerby who had genuinely fainted unexpectedly. If he were to encounter a passerby who had suddenly fainted and was in a precarious condition, Higashino wouldn't mind lending a hand; after all, he had already encountered them, and it was a small favor. The safest course of action right now was to take her to the hospital, since the girl's condition wasn't serious, and sending her to the hospital was the choice any normal person would make.

He immediately took out his phone, dialed the emergency number, and concisely reported the location and the girl's condition. While waiting for the ambulance, Higashino remained kneeling, letting the girl's head rest on his bent knees to prevent her from collapsing to the ground. She was, after all, a patient, and Higashino could show her that much kindness. Even if this person was highly likely an enemy, an enemy posing no threat to him was like a menacing kitten—utterly harmless.

Of course, the main reason is simply that it's more convenient this way. With such close contact, it would be a disservice to the scheme behind the scenes not to use his abilities to subtly plant some favorable perceptions for himself. His abilities work even from a distance, but close contact is far more effective; touching someone's forehead like this might be only slightly less effective than mucous membrane contact. A flash of silver light appeared in Higashino's eyes; the unknown perceptions had already been planted in the girl's consciousness, waiting only for the right moment to guide her to make the correct choice.

Soon after, the siren of an ambulance grew louder as it approached. Paramedics in white coats quickly got out and deftly lifted the girl onto a stretcher, performing initial vital sign monitoring and administering oxygen. "Sir, did you call the police? Do you know her?" one of the paramedics asked. "No, I just saw her suddenly collapse when I was passing by," Dongye shook his head, telling the truth. "I'll go with the ambulance to the hospital and leave once her condition stabilizes." He figured he might as well go all the way; since she had deliberately approached him, leaving would ruin the charade. Besides, Dongye was also very curious about the girl's identity.

She looked vaguely familiar, but that was all; Higashino couldn't quite place who she was. However, he was certain she was a character from the original work, otherwise he wouldn't have felt this way. The paramedic nodded: "Okay, please get in the car."

The ambulance sped towards the nearest general hospital. Higashino sat to the side, watching the girl's still-closed eyes and slightly rising and falling chest beneath the oxygen mask. He had to admit, she was quite pretty and had a good figure. Perhaps the person behind it all knew his personality and was planning a honey trap? Staring at the girl's face, Higashino carefully recalled the plot he had seen, and the girl's appearance seemed increasingly familiar.

"Who could it be...?"

Upon arriving at the hospital, the girl was quickly taken to the emergency room. Higashino Yu waited outside in the corridor. About half an hour later, a doctor came out.

"Are you the gentleman who brought her here?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, how is she?" Although I felt there shouldn't be any major problems, I still needed to find out the basic situation.

"The preliminary test results are in." The doctor flipped through the record sheet in his hand and told Dongye in detail, "Her vital signs are stable. Her blood pressure and blood sugar are low, indicating moderate anemia. There is no evidence of acute brain lesions or heart problems. Considering the fatigue and mental stress she may have had before she fainted, the preliminary judgment is that it was a vasovagal syncope induced by physical weakness and possible hypoglycemia. She needs to stay in the hospital for observation overnight, receive some nutritional supplements, and have some basic check-ups tomorrow. If there are no problems, she can be discharged."

"How long will it take for her to wake up?" Higashino asked.

"Yes, it should be soon. Once she wakes up, we'll ask for her identification and contact her teacher. Thank you for bringing her here in time." Academy City is so convenient; it doesn't make kind strangers pay for medical expenses. It's like they've solved a small problem for Higashino.

"You're welcome, this is what I should do."

The doctor nodded and hurriedly left; he had other patients to treat.

"Vasovagal syncope..." Higashino checked the time; he had been delayed quite a bit by accompanying the girl to the hospital. He sent a text message to Mitsuko after marriage: "Sorry, I encountered some unexpected situation on the way and will be a little late."

Just as Higashino finished sending the message, the emergency room door opened again. A nurse pushed out a gurney, and sitting on it was the black-haired girl who had just woken up. Her eyes were still a little dazed as she anxiously looked around at her surroundings. When her gaze fell on Higashino, the only person standing in the corridor, she seemed to recognize him, and a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes.

Hmm, the performance is too fake! When they brushed past each other just now, Higashino remembered that the girl had her head down and shouldn't have seen his face, but now she recognized him at a glance, which is really illogical.

The nurse pushed the hospital bed to the door of an observation ward and said to Higashino Yu, "Sir, this young lady has woken up. She can't remember her teacher's contact information yet, so we may have to wait a little longer."

Higashino walked to the bedside and looked at the girl. She'd even come up with an excuse like not being able to remember her teacher's contact information; it seemed the girl wasn't good at lying! Or was she doing it on purpose?

"Feeling better?" Higashino tried to soften his voice, conveying concern. As a psychologist, he was also a professional actor.

The girl nodded timidly and whispered, "Much better. Thank you so much for saving me."

"You're welcome, it was nothing." Dongye smiled and pointed in the direction the doctor left, saying, "Before the doctor left, he told me that you were just too weak and needed to rest and replenish your nutrition. Since you don't remember your teacher's phone number, the hospital will look for your information in the library later to help you contact your teacher."

The girl pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, as if gathering a great deal of courage, before whispering, "I... my name is Sha Danshan. Sha as in sand, Dan as in calm, and Shan as in fan. Thank you so much for today."

Sata Sen. So it's you, the leader of the Sata Clique, the Empress of the Infirmary! I knew you looked familiar! Higashino had read the Railgun manga, but because it wasn't finished, he'd only read the early chapters. He'd only recognized Sata Sen from pictures used in Bilibili videos by some YouTubers. That's why he hadn't recognized her immediately. This girl was much more popular than Meiya, but for someone like him who hadn't seen her appear, her presence was even less memorable.

"Satahan, huh? That's quite a unique name, rather rare." Higashino nodded at her. Now that he knew her true identity, there was no need to stay any longer. As for the person behind her, since she was a character from the Railgun manga, her backer was probably nothing special, just a nobody. Unless they were at the pinnacle of human power or above, Higashino wasn't particularly concerned.

He's taken on the girl's future; hopefully, those people will be able to handle being betrayed for no reason.

"My name is Higashino Yu, and I'm from Xia Country!"

"Higashino, that's a rather uncommon surname." Indeed, neither Higashino nor Sha is a very common surname. Although Higashino was also a little curious about her nationality, since it wasn't given in the original work.

Higashino glanced at the time; if they continued chatting, Miss Mitsuko would get impatient. "I have something to do, so I'll be going now. I wish you a speedy recovery." Higashino turned and left the hospital, leaving the girl behind.

The ward door closed softly, and the timid blush and unease on Sha Danshan's face instantly vanished, replaced by a calm expression. Confirming she was alone in the room, she deftly pulled her phone from the inside pocket of her hospital gown. Her fingers swiped quickly across the screen to unlock it, and she dialed a number.

The call was answered almost instantly. "It's me. The target has been contacted, and the initial assessment is complete."

A muffled yet authoritative male voice came from the other end of the phone: "What's the situation?"

"The approach was natural and as expected. The target's reaction was within a controllable range, exhibiting basic rescue behaviors and not using any abilities to treat me. There was virtually no wariness." Sha Danshan felt her performance was quite perfect, and as for Higashino, she saw him as just an ordinary doctor with a decent personality.

"Next, I will use this 'favor' to establish a preliminary communication channel."

“Very good. Remember your mission, Sha. The power of the objective is a crucial part of our plan.” The voice on the other end of the phone carried an unquestionable command.

"clear."

"Okay, we'll see how things go. Stay in touch and be careful." After saying that, the person on the other end of the phone hung up abruptly.

Satahan put her phone down, leaned back against the pillows, and looked slightly bewildered. "Yu-kun... Higashino Yu..." She didn't want to do this, to deceive someone she had no connection with, but she couldn't refuse her family's demands. Besides, if she could use his power to exact revenge on Tokiwadai, Mikoto probably couldn't stop her. After all, he was a potential candidate to surpass the strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City.

Chapter 99 Miss Photon's Feeding Play?

"One hour, three minutes, and twenty-seven seconds late."

This is what Higashino said when he met Mitsuko.

"As a gentleman, it's not a good habit to keep a lady waiting for so long."

Sitting in the private room of the tea restaurant, Mitsuko's expression wasn't very good. Invited by the person she liked, Mitsuko had immediately booked a private room and had her driver bring her over. But after waiting and waiting, all she received was a text message from Higashino saying he'd been delayed by other matters.

"Sorry, I ran into a little trouble on the way. And didn't I already send you a text message?"

Higashino naturally pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. He wasn't worried that Mitsuko would blame him for this; those who are favored are fearless, and that's how scumbags are.

Mitsuko frowned. Compared to Higashino's lateness, she was indeed more concerned about the trouble he had encountered.

"Has something happened? Do I need to use my family's resources after marriage to resolve it?"