In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 110

The robber frantically pulled up his pants, making the scene instantly comical. Some people in the surrounding crowd couldn't help but laugh.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ruizi increased her strength, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and then swung them outwards sharply. A semi-transparent wall of wind immediately trapped the robbers inside, and no matter how they struggled, they could not break through. One of them tried to climb over from above, but Ruizi precisely controlled the airflow and flipped him over, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

"Just surrender and capture me!"

She gave a soft shout, and the wall of wind suddenly contracted, squeezing the robbers together like sardines in a can, unable to move. The robber on the motorcycle, seeing the situation was bad, twisted the throttle and tried to escape, but Lei Zi snapped her fingers quickly, and the front wheel of the motorcycle was immediately lifted into the air by a whirlwind, spinning in place.

Passersby stared in disbelief at the scene. There were many people with special abilities in Academy City, but they didn't usually use their abilities on the street, let alone such a cute girl defeating a robber.

"That's... a wind-type ability user?!"

"Wow, that's amazing! Which school are you from?"

"Is she a student from China? We rarely see her dressed like that!"

Even if Higashino's abilities would prevent people from paying too much attention to Ruiko's image under normal circumstances, it is clear that doing something so conspicuous cannot be sustained.

Higashino simply reversed the influence of this perception, making Ruiko a hero in the public eye at that moment.

Hearing the whispers around her, Ruiko's cheeks flushed slightly. She instinctively straightened her posture, making sure her demeanor wasn't affected by the earlier fight.

Just then, she noticed a little girl looking at her with admiration, so she winked at her, which made the little girl clap her hands happily.

"It's done!"

She turned to look at Dongye, her eyes sparkling as if waiting for praise. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing was a little more rapid than usual, but the smile on her face was exceptionally bright.

Dongye walked over, reached out to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and carefully straightened her slightly disheveled collar: "Well done, heroine."

His voice was filled with undisguised admiration.

Although I had given her some information on how to use her abilities, the fact that she could come up with so many ways to use them in her first battle, and act so decisively and without hesitation, shows that Ruiko has some talent in this area.

Tears chuckled, looking down at her hands: "So... this is the power of Level 4..."

She could feel the energy within her body slowly fading, but the feeling of controlling the wind was deeply imprinted in her memory.

"This is only temporary."

Higashino reminded her, gently taking her hand in his.

"However, when you truly reach Level 4, you will be even stronger than you are now."

Reaching this level ahead of time will definitely help with future promotions.

Tears clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with determination: "Yes! I will definitely try my best!"

She suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up.

"By the way, senior! When I reach Level 4, could you give me another gift?"

Higashino raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What do you want?"

Tears welled up in his eyes and whispered mysteriously, "It's a secret! I'll tell you later~"

Her warm breath brushed against his ear, carrying the unique fragrance of a young girl.

In the distance, the sound of sirens grew closer. Higashino Yu took her hand: "Let's go, it's time for the hero to retire."

Tears welled up as she nodded, and before leaving, she waved to the little girl who had been staring at her. The two quietly departed, leaving the robbers trapped by the wind wall, waiting for the police to arrive.

Sunlight shone on the two of them, and Lei Zi's star bracelet sparkled, reflecting her joyful mood.

Ruiko skipped a few steps, then suddenly remembered she was still wearing high heels. She quickly resumed her elegant gait, but almost tripped because she moved too fast. Higashino caught her waist in time, making her blush again.

"senior!"

She suddenly spoke, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Ok?"

"Next time... can I be a hero again?"

She tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She really liked how she felt today, which was one of the reasons she had been so determined to become an ability user in the past.

Using your abilities to help the weak is so cool.

Looking at her cheeks, which were flushed with excitement, Higashino Yu couldn't help but reach out and pinch them: "Of course, no problem."

He paused for a moment, then added.

"But next time, remember to wear clothes that allow for easier movement."

Leizi looked down at her beautiful cheongsam, then suddenly smiled slyly: "Then you have to tell me first, senior, whether this looks good on me?"

Higashino pretended to think for a moment, then slowly said under her expectant gaze, "Barely passing."

This is a lie. Just like when we first met, I thought this dress really looked good on Ruiko and suited her perfectly.

"Eh—?!" Ruiko puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"You said it was good-looking before! Senior is too cunning!"

"Hmm... if you wear it alone at home and show it to me in the future, I'll give you a higher rating~"

"Eh, wear it alone? Oh, senpai, you're definitely thinking of some naughty ideas again!"

Thinking of the novels and comics she and her classmates had secretly read together, Ruizi's heart pounded rapidly, as if pounding a drum to express her nervousness.

"Hey, that way we can really appreciate our lovely Ruiko."

"Hmph, I won't give my senior a chance, hehe~"

Their laughter echoed through the afternoon streets, as if the battle had never happened.

Regarding shotguns: In certain contexts, "shotgun" may be considered a sensitive term, related to its weapon attributes and related regulations. Due to its characteristics, this type of weapon is strictly restricted by laws and regulations in some regions. For example, the well-known Aa-12 fully automatic shotgun is listed as a "banned firearm" by international conventions due to its immense destructive power. In Chinese, "霰弹枪" (xiàn dàn qiāng) is the standard term, but historically, "霰" (xiàn) was pronounced "SǎN" in "霰弹枪," but it is now uniformly pronounced "xī ān." Furthermore, according to the "Top Ten Language Errors" published by *Biting Words and Chewing Characters*, using "散弹枪" (sàn dàn qiāng) is incorrect. In online gaming communities, shotguns often spark balance disputes due to their high close-range power and relatively simple operation, and are even boycotted by some players. Therefore, in text processing or online communication, measures are sometimes taken to avoid using this term.

Chapter 140 Senior, H is prohibited!

Higashino didn't continue the conversation about wearing a cheongsam alone, but instead changed the subject. He felt that if they continued, Ruiko would get too hot; the skin around her collarbone was even a little red. Sure enough, after returning to the topic, Ruiko quickly became immersed in the excitement of her "heroic moment," forgetting her earlier wild thoughts. She couldn't help but skip and hop while walking, completely forgetting to maintain a ladylike image.

"Senior, senior! Wasn't I super cool controlling that wind wall just now?" She gestured with her hands, trying to make a cool move, but combined with her cheongsam, she just looked incredibly cute. "And that move where you make the motorcycle spin in place with the airflow! It's just like a hero's special move in a tokusatsu drama! I imitated it on purpose, wasn't it cool!"

Seeing her gesturing wildly, Dongye couldn't help but laugh and said, "Yeah, she's really amazing and cool."

"Hehe~" Ruiko laughed triumphantly and pounced on Higashino.

"But when you asked me to go just now, you scared me quite a bit... It was really too sudden to ask a girl to go into battle like that!" Despite saying that, Higashino, who was pounced on, didn't feel that Ruiko was angry at all. Instead, she seemed to be deliberately giving him a treat and snuggled into his arms.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a guy let his girlfriend rush ahead to deal with bank robbers..."

"Hmm, it's nice to switch roles once in a while, isn't it? Ruiko's handsome appearance really smittens me." He placed his hands on Ruiko's shoulders, her baby-soft skin making him want to touch her, and he was also starting to crave the taste of "cherries." Ruiko had deliberately applied some lipstick when she changed into her cheongsam, making her breasts look even more moist and alluring.

"Hey, senpai, H is forbidden~" Reiko coughed lightly, releasing her arms from Higashino's waist. She didn't mind being taken advantage of by her senpai at all; she was the one who initiated the contact earlier. But there were a lot of passersby around, and even someone as bold as her was embarrassed to kiss him in such a place. Although none of the passersby seemed to be paying attention, it would be incredibly embarrassing if someone noticed and started teasing them.

Ruiko, looking around to distract Higashino, suddenly noticed the sign for an arcade on the street, and her eyes lit up. "Ah! Senpai! Let's go play there!" Before Higashino could answer, she had already grabbed his arm and run towards the arcade.

Once inside, Ruiko ignored all the various game machines and entertainment options and headed straight for a certain area—the arcade claw machine section.

The arcade lights flickered, and the sounds of various game machines filled the air. Ruiko was immediately drawn to the dazzling array of claw machines upon entering, especially the one in the center that contained a limited-edition Gekota plushie. "Wow! That metallic Gekota looks really rare! I saw it on the forum before!" she exclaimed excitedly, pressing her face against the glass, her eyes practically glued to it. "Senpai! I have to get it! It'll be so interesting to show it off to Misaka-senpai!" She didn't have any particular feelings for Gekotas, but she knew very well that Misaka Mikoto was a die-hard Gekota fan. Presenting her with such a super limited-edition Gekota would definitely create a very interesting scene.

"Okay, good luck then." Higashino went to the counter to exchange for game tokens. When he returned, he found Ruiko already standing in front of the claw machine, her hands clasped together, muttering, "Goddess of Fortune, bless me... I must succeed..."

"Here you go." Dongye handed her a handful of game coins.

"Thank you, senior!" Ruiko took the game coin, confidently inserted it, gripped the joystick, and stared intently at the claw. "Watch this!" The first challenge began, the claw descended, and precisely grabbed Gekota's head! Ruiko held her breath, her eyes wide: "It's going to work! It's going to work!" However, when the claw reached its highest point, it suddenly let go, and Gekota fell back down.

"Huh?!" Ruiko slapped the machine in disbelief. "How could this happen! They had already caught it!"

Dongye stood aside, unsurprised. In his past life, the first time he tried it, he spent a hundred yuan and got absolutely nothing. However, during his years studying abroad, he practiced countless times and spent a considerable amount of money, successfully improving his success rate. Although there was some behind-the-scenes manipulation, technique still had its uses. And what technique? Of course, it was the reset technique!

"Shall we try again?"

"Of course!" Ruiko, unwilling to give up, inserted another coin, staring intently inside. "This time it'll work!" Her claws descended again, this time adjusting the angle, trying to hook the doll's lanyard. But the claws wobbled, only managing to graze the edge.

"Ugh..." Tears puffed out her cheeks, like a puffed-up little pufferfish. "This time I'll try a different strategy!" She carefully controlled the joystick, tilting the claw downwards at an angle, trying to use momentum to fling the toy out. "Thud!" The claw hit the toy, but only made it flip over; she still couldn't pick it up.

"Ugh! What a cunning machine!" Ruiko scratched her head in frustration, then turned to Higashino with pleading eyes, "Senpai... help me..."

Higashino raised an eyebrow: "Admitting defeat?"

"No way!" Ruiko immediately straightened her back, showing off her curves. "I'm just... making a strategic adjustment!"

Higashino chuckled, walked behind her, and placed his hands on hers. "Then I'll teach you." Tear was startled, feeling his warm palms against the back of her hands, her heart suddenly racing. She had only wanted Higashino to help her with the game once, but she hadn't expected it to be this hands-on teaching, with so many people around! With her back pressed against Higashino's, and the warmth of his hand in hers, she couldn't calm herself down at all.

“Catching claw machines isn’t about brute force, it’s about timing.” His voice rang in her ears, tinged with a faint smile. “When the claw lands, pause for a moment, let it tighten naturally.” Ruiko felt her face burning, but she tried to concentrate, banishing those strange thoughts, and nodded. “Mmm… mmm!”

Guided by him, the claw landed steadily, precisely gripping Gekota's body. Ruiko held her breath, watching the claw slowly rise. "Thump!" The doll finally fell into the exit!

"We did it!" Ruiko cheered, bending down to take the frog out of the retrieval slot and excitedly holding it up to Higashino. "Senpai! We did it!"

Looking at her bright smile, Dongye couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair: "You caught it yourself." This time it was indeed luck. His assistance was actually dispensable. It was probably just that the claw's strength reached a certain preset value this time, and the power was obviously greater than last time.

"Hehe~" Ruiko hugged the doll to her chest proudly, then suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up. "That's right! Senpai, why don't you try it too?"

"I?"

"Okay!" She chuckled and pushed him to stand in front of the machine. "Let me see your skills again, senior! You were really amazing just now!"

Higashino nodded, took the game coin, casually inserted one, and gripped the joystick. Ruiko stood beside him, watching his movements expectantly. After Higashino performed some actions with the joystick and buttons that seemed incomprehensible to Ruiko, he began to get serious. His paw descended, precisely catching a panda plush toy and easily lifting it up.

"Wow! You succeeded on the first try again?!" Ruizi's eyes widened.

Higashino calmly took out the doll and handed it to her: "Here you go."

Ruiko took the panda plushie, looked at the Gekota she had struggled to catch, then at the panda that Higashino had caught so easily, and suddenly puffed out her cheeks: "This isn't fair! Did you secretly use your powers, Senpai?"

Higashino raised an eyebrow: "I didn't use any abilities." He wasn't lying about that. If you used abilities to cheat at a game, that would be truly boring. Besides, the technical cheating had nothing to do with his abilities; he just happened to know how to reset the sensitivity of this machine.

"Then why did you catch it so easily!" Ruiko stomped her foot in protest. "Let's do it again! This time I want to compete against my senior!"

"Contest?"

“Yes!” Leizi pointed to a row of claw machines next to them. “Let’s each choose one and see who gets three plush toys first! The loser has to buy crepes!”

Seeing her high spirits, Dongye couldn't help but smile: "Okay."

Ruiko chose a machine that contained various animal dolls, while Higashino stood in front of the machine opposite her.

"Ready—Go!" Ruiko shouted the start herself, immediately inserted game coins, and began to operate with full concentration.

First attempt: Failure! The claws loosened.

Second attempt: Failure! The doll got stuck.

Third attempt: Failure! Nothing was caught.

Fourth attempt: Failure! It fell off halfway.

Fifth attempt: Failed! Stuck at the drop point.

After five consecutive losses, Ruiko stared at the machine in disbelief, then angrily slammed her hands on the buttons: "Aaaaah! This machine is definitely malfunctioning!"

Meanwhile, the situation at Higashino Field was as follows:

First attempt: Success! (Easily caught Ultraman)

Second attempt: Success! (Another monster girl caught!)

Third time: Success! (Got a Pikachu)

"The match is over." Higashino, carrying three plush toys, walked behind Ruiko.

Ruiko turned around and froze instantly: "...Is Senpai a monster?!" How can he hit the bullseye every time? This is not scientific. She didn't catch anything except the one she caught with Senpai at the beginning!

Higashino shoved the doll into her arms: "The crepes are on me."

Ruiko clutched her arm full of plush toys, feeling both happy and resentful. Finally, she burst out laughing, "Senpai is so cunning! But..." She looked down at her spoils, her smile radiant. "Today was so much fun!"

Seeing her satisfied expression, Dongye gently pinched her cheek: "Let's go eat crepes."

"Hmm!" The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the glass windows of the arcade, illuminating the two of them. Ruiko, clutching her doll, skipped ahead, occasionally turning back to urge, "Hurry up, senpai~" Higashino followed at a leisurely pace, his hands in his pockets, his gaze always fixed on her, a faint smile on his lips.

Chapter 141 Lips with a Burning Temperature

As the sun sets, neon lights gradually illuminate the streets of Academy City.

Ruiko, carrying a bunch of dolls in her arms, walked briskly ahead, occasionally turning back to urge Higashino Yu on.

"Hey, hurry up! The crepe shop's closing!"