In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 88

His arrogance and twisted confidence, built on "invincibility," are being crushed bit by bit, cruelly by Higashino Yu.

"Cognitive restructuring".

Higashino Yu's voice was icy, announcing the final judgment.

"Reconstruct your understanding of 'direction,' reconstruct the 'rules' under which your abilities take effect, and even allow me to use your abilities."

He gave Accelerator no chance to catch his breath. His figure flashed again, this time appearing directly in front of Accelerator, who was still reeling from shock!

Accelerator instinctively tried to activate Reflexes, attempting to manipulate energy to retaliate, but the immense turmoil within him caused his abilities to stagnate.

Higashino Yu's right hand, fingers spread open.

"ended."

boom--! ! !

A deafeningly loud bang.

Higashino Yu's palm pressed firmly against Accelerator's chest.

Accelerator tried to deflect Higashino Yu's attack, but it was as if his ability had completely failed, rendering it useless against Higashino Yu.

However, the hand pressed against his chest seemed to carry a will of "denial." It denied the possibility of "reflection" existing in that direction! It denied the path of "kinetic energy transfer"! And it denied the "fact" that "harm" itself had occurred at that moment!

"Uhhh-!!!"

Accelerator let out a piercing scream.

He couldn't feel any physical impact, but something far more terrifying was the core of his survival and pride—the "vector manipulation" ability, his "cognition" and "rules"—as if an invisible hand had gripped, crushed, and then... stripped away!

It wasn't that his abilities were eliminated, but rather that the "sense of direction" and "cognition of energy flow" that formed the basis of his abilities were forcibly interfered with, covered, and disrupted by Higashino Yu's "cognitive reconstruction"!

He can no longer precisely set the direction of the reflection!

He can no longer manipulate kinetic energy and power at will!

He even found it extremely difficult to maintain his balance while standing!

Pfft!

Accelerator, the strongest Level 5 in Academy City, collapsed to his knees like a boneless rag doll. He braced himself on the cold, broken ground, gasping for breath, sweat mixed with blood dripping from his forehead.

Those eyes, once filled with savagery, were now only filled with blankness, emptiness, and a deep-seated fear. He tried to raise his hand, attempting to manipulate a piece of gravel, but the gravel merely rolled weakly between his fingertips before slipping out of his control.

He lost.

He was defeated by a force he had never imagined that could overturn the "rules".

The entire abandoned tunnel fell into a deathly silence.

Misaka Mikoto covered her mouth, her eyes wide with utter shock.

Chu Chun Shiri clutched the clothes to her chest tightly, but her eyes glistened with tears of excitement.

She saw it; her senior had truly done it! He had defeated Accelerator!

Misaka 9999 watched Higashino Yu's retreating figure, unable to comprehend what had just happened that led to Accelerator's easy defeat.

Fubuki Toshinobu supported Misaka 9999, showing no surprise whatsoever. Her trust in him was absolute, Higashino Yu's strength was a given, and his ending of everything was a predetermined outcome.

Higashino slowly withdrew his hand, looking down at Accelerator kneeling at his feet, dejected and like a stray dog. His eyes held no triumph, but rather a deep doubt.

"Is this feeling... a cognitive anchor?"

Setting aside his doubts, he turned around, his gaze sweeping over the still-shocked crowd before finally settling on Misaka Mikoto. His calm voice broke the deathly silence:

"It's over, everyone."

He strode towards the crowd.

Next, it's time to deal with the aftermath, and... that real scum hiding in the gutter.

Chapter 116 Higashino's evil claws have reached into the land of sin!

"It's over, Mikoto."

Higashino's calm words were like a stone thrown into still water, stirring up ripples of emotion after surviving a catastrophe.

The brief silence was broken by hurried footsteps.

"Yu——!"

With excited shouts, Misaka Mikoto practically pounced on him, her eyes still red, her feigned composure crumbling instantly.

She gripped Higashino Yu's arms tightly with both hands, so tightly that it hurt a little, and her eyes scanned his face back and forth, as if to make sure he was really safe and sound.

"They really...they actually won?"

Although she had already received Higashino's assurance, Mikoto still felt a sense of unreality after actually defeating Accelerator.

"Is anything bothering you? To defeat that guy and maintain the power you mentioned to modify the main story space... your abilities must be under a lot of strain, right?"

Even if Higashino appears to be handling things with ease, it probably won't be an easy task for him to ignore Accelerator's abilities and exaggerate the impact on the surrounding space.

Mikoto is still worried that he has paid an unseen price.

"It's alright, Mikoto."

Higashino looked down at her worried face, his voice softening, carrying an undeniable certainty.

"There is some consumption, but it is completely within an acceptable range."

He gently took her hand that was tightly gripping his, letting her feel the real warmth of his palm.

"I'm perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with me at all, didn't I just say that?"

"But I'm really worried about you..."

At that moment, another figure squeezed in – it was Haruharu Kazari.

Her little face was full of excitement and relief, with tear stains still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

"S-senpai! That's great! We really...we really won!"

Chu Chun's voice was tinged with tears and boundless joy as she looked at Dong Ye, her eyes filled with love and admiration.

When Higashino looked at Chuchun, the gentleness in his eyes faded, replaced by a hint of helplessness and feigned sternness.

"Yes, we won, but it was thanks to a certain disobedient 'disciplinary committee member' who appeared just in time and provided the crucial 'scare' that I almost ruined everything."

Higashino raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Haruhi's face, which instantly turned red with guilt.

"I remember we made an agreement, didn't we, Haruharu? I'll handle this, and you're not allowed to investigate further on your own. And what happened? Not only did you investigate, but you also told Mikoto about it, and we got through this together?"

If the two of them hadn't come, he could have played with Accelerator a little longer, and let that guy fall into despair when he was most excited. That would have been really interesting.

However, the sudden appearance of Mikoto and Haru forced him to end his performance prematurely, as he really didn't want to see Mikoto and Haru crying and worrying about him.

Besides, Misaka was injured at the time, so he didn't have the time to continue playing.

"me…"

In early spring, her head was bowed, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"I'm sorry, senpai... I'm so sorry... I was just... just too worried, and... and the things I found out... I couldn't control myself... If I didn't tell Misaka-senpai..."

Tears welled up in her eyes again, filled with guilt for breaking her promise to Higashino.

Seeing her like this, Higashino Yu sighed.

He extended his index finger, bent it, and flicked it lightly on her smooth forehead.

"Ouch!"

In early spring, she covered her forehead and looked at him with teary eyes.

"Hmph, an apology like this lacks sincerity."

Higashino came up with a way to punish her.

Just then, Mikoto, who was standing nearby, finally couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward, gently took Higashino's arm, and pleaded, "Alright, Yu, please stop talking about her. Haru... she was just worried about you! How could she sit still after seeing those documents?"

As she spoke, she protectively pulled Chu Chun, who was bowing her head slightly, behind her, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Higashino tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Mikoto's face, the helplessness in his eyes deepening: "Mikoto..."

"So, please don't blame her..."

Mikoto's voice unconsciously took on a slightly coquettish tone, but was quickly interrupted by Higashino.

"I'm talking to you..."

Higashino's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable power.

"It would have been better if you hadn't pleaded for her. Your words have reminded me of something."

Mikoto paused for a moment, her eyes widening slightly, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

Higashino's gaze fell on the hand that was gripping his arm, then slowly moved back to her chestnut-colored eyes: "Do you think you're innocent, dear Misaka Mikoto?"

“Eh? I…”

Mikoto instinctively tried to pull her hand back.

"Early spring broke my promise to her. What about you?"

Higashino's tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of danger.

"You were the one who led the charge, finding my location and rushing over without a care in the world, right?"

Even though he wasn't there, he guessed that Mikoto was leading the charge, and was so anxious that she forgot to call him to ask.

"Am I really so untrustworthy that you can't trust me?"

Mikoto opened her mouth, unable to refute, and looking into Higashino's deep, calm eyes, her confidence involuntarily waned, and her gaze began to dart away: "...I...I was just worried about you, after all..."

"Your concern is reassuring, but your distrust is giving me a headache."

Higashino interrupted her gently, but very clearly.

"You just barged in without caring about anything and ended up hurting yourself."

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck Mikoto's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get hurt. I'm confident I can solve the problem. Can't you trust me a little more?"

The last rhetorical question made Mikoto's cheeks turn bright red instantly, not from shyness, but from the stinging feeling of being distrusted by someone close to her in Higashino's words.

The lingering fear and guilt were far more intense than any reprimand she had received. She lowered her head completely, her bangs obscuring her eyes, her voice barely audible: "...I'm sorry..."

Seeing that Misaka-senpai was also being scolded because of her, and even more severely, Haru, who was standing nearby, was anxious and wanted to speak up again: "Senpai! This isn't senpai's fault! It's my fault..."

“Alright,” Higashino interrupted her, his tone returning to calm, yet carrying an unyielding authority.

"Neither of you is allowed to speak again. You will both be punished!"

After saying that, under Mikoto's slightly surprised expression and Haru's terrified gaze, Higashino Yu reached out and very naturally scooped up Haru's small body.

He slightly bent his right leg, and in a gentle yet firm manner, he made the petite and adorable girl lie on his lap without any resistance.

"Ah—senpai! No! Wait..."

In early spring, she instantly realized what was about to happen. Her body twisted in vain, her face flushed red, and her little hands waved frantically.

She never expected that her senior would intend to punish her in this way, especially since there were other people around!

"Snapped!"

A crisp, yet not too loud, slapping sound landed on Chu Chun's pert buttocks through the thin fabric of her short skirt.

"Woo!"

Chu Chun let out a short, extremely embarrassing gasp, her body stiffened, and she buried her head deep in her arms, her exposed earlobes turning bright red.

Although it didn't hurt at all and was more of a symbolic warning, being "disciplined" like this in front of Misaka-senpai and the other two people made her wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Higashino Yu didn't hit her much, just symbolically, before helping the nearly blushing Hatsuharu to her feet: "Remember this lesson, Hatsuharu."

Before Haru, her eyes red and rubbing her bottom, could even stand up straight, Higashino's gaze shifted to Mikoto, who was frozen in place, her face equally red as if about to bleed.

Mikoto saw Higashino extend his hand to her and instinctively took a small step back: "Wait! Yu! I... I don't think I need it... Besides... there are so many people..."

Her voice was filled with panic and embarrassment.