In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 2

"This……"

Luo Xiu was surprised by the increase in his attributes. His strength remained almost unchanged, indicating that vampires were indeed at a disadvantage in terms of strength; his agility improved slightly, while his physique and spirit were greatly enhanced, especially his mental strength.

He subconsciously unleashed his telekinesis, and an invisible wave rippled around him, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes solid, sometimes dissipating. The result was unexpected: apart from a significant improvement in control and mental strength, progress in other areas remained minimal. Was there a limit to telekinesis itself, or had he simply not grasped the essence? Luo Xiu wasn't sure, but at least at the elemental level, he was finally able to touch them.

Elemental power had always been an inaccessible realm for Luo Xiu. Previously, when using his mental energy, he could always sense the various active elements around him, but if he intentionally tried to contact them, they would retreat like mischievous children. This time, however, it was different—his greatly enhanced mental energy, coupled with his dark elemental talent, allowed him to easily communicate with dark power. In layman's terms, he gained a dark elemental affinity far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, even though he could sense the elements, Luo Xiu still found it difficult to apply in actual combat because he didn't even know a single dark spell.

However, the abilities granted by the vampire significantly boosted his strength. Aside from telekinesis, Luo Xiu had always lacked wide-range attack methods, and "Blood River" greatly compensated for this. As for the limitation of only having one life left? He didn't care at all, since Luo Xiu's strongest state was always his original form.

After resting, Luo Xiu pushed open the door to Hei Tong and the others' room again. This time, they didn't pretend to be asleep; all eyes were on him.

"I'm very sorry I didn't inform you of this beforehand." Black Eyes was referring to the situation where they were forcibly enhanced in strength by drugs. Remus also came to her senses at this moment. The torment over the past few days had brought her to the brink of collapse. When she woke up, her whole body was numb, which made her mistakenly think that she was about to die—in fact, it was just that the anesthetic effect had not worn off, which led to the confused conversation earlier.

After talking with her companions, Remus realized that she had made a huge fool of herself in front of her future lord. At this moment, all she could do was bury her head in the sand like an ostrich.

"It's none of your business; it was my negligence. I would feel guilty if you lost your lives because of it," Luo Xiu waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

"...Please rest assured, even without medicine, we will remain loyal to the end..."

Wu Min hurriedly expressed her opinion, but Luo Xiu stopped her by raising his hand. Looking at the anxious look on the bespectacled girl's face, Luo Xiu understood her worries—there was an unwritten rule in the assassination world: assassins who had lost their combat value had no reason to exist, and only death awaited them.

"Don't compare me to those scumbags. I won't let my men die in vain." Luo Xiu smiled gently, which stunned Wu Min for a moment. Realizing her lapse in composure, she hurriedly lowered her head.

This is understandable. This enhancement not only improved her physical functions, but also directly increased her charm by three points—charm is an extremely difficult attribute to improve. The vampire bloodline made Luo Xiu's skin even whiter and more delicate, and his originally handsome and resolute face gained a touch of softness and beauty. To the girl who had not yet experienced love, he was practically a walking, talking seduction device.

"I have something important to tell you now. Whether you accept or not is entirely voluntary. I will never force you."

"I can free you from the torment of drug addiction, even grant you stronger physical attributes, and perhaps even awaken certain innate abilities, all without any side effects. However..."

Luo Xiu's words had everyone on the edge of their seats. The mere mention of "getting rid of drug addiction" was enough to make their hearts race, let alone the added bonus of becoming stronger? Could there really be such a good thing in the world?

"...However, you will lose your human identity and become my vassals, unable to escape until death. Even so, are you willing?"

Losing their human identities? It's that simple? Black Eyes and the others exchanged bewildered glances—not because the conditions were too harsh, but because they were unbelievably good. They had long been Luo Xiu's people, and the thought of leaving had never crossed their minds. In this respect, the Imperial assassination organization's training was remarkably thorough: assassins who left the organization did exist, but they were few and far between.

"We promise!"

The answer was decisive and without hesitation. Escaping the torment of drug addiction was their dream come true, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure disappeared around the street corner.

Higashino stood there, gazing at the crater in the ground and the smoking wreckage of the security robot. His smile deepened, but his eyes held a heavy weight of thought.

The ability is indeed effective... but against a Level 5, the effect is not as expected. Perhaps closer contact or sustained influence would be possible... It seems my current strength is far from sufficient to do as I please in this world.

"Beep beep—Warning! Suspect spotted attacking vending machine! Immediately..." The remaining security robots adjusted their direction and locked onto Higashino.

"Damn it! I only kicked him once, I'm not a habitual offender like Misaka Mikoto!"

Higashino cursed under his breath, banishing all other thoughts, and turned to plunge into the intricate alleyways, running wildly in the opposite direction from Mikoto.

After wandering through countless unfamiliar streets and alleys, he finally collapsed onto a bench in the back alley, his clothes already soaked with sweat.

"Why are they chasing me so closely, these lumps of iron?" He caught his breath, his mind racing. "I'm an undocumented immigrant... If I get caught, I'm finished... I need to get legal status as soon as possible."

Although they have the ability to protect themselves, it is not easy to control the people who can solve problems in this unfamiliar place.

Just as he was racking his brains, his gaze fell on a slender figure hurrying past—Hatsuharu Shiori.

The disciplinary committee member girl, wearing a flower wreath headband, is holding a tablet computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Higashino's eyes suddenly burned with intensity.

What a coincidence, the opportunity came knocking on our door.

If she were to use her unparalleled hacking skills to infiltrate Academy City's "Library," wouldn't forging an identity be a piece of cake?

He took a deep breath, timed the moment perfectly, suddenly stood up, pretended to stumble and cried out "Ouch!", and crashed straight into the focused Chu Chun!

"Ah—!" The girl exclaimed as the laptop flew out of her hand, and the two of them fell into a heap.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" Chu Chun looked up with a pained expression, only to be met with a pair of deep eyes that seemed to devour her soul.

An imperceptible, invisible ripple spread across the depths of his eyes—Higashino's ability had been activated.

Cognitive rewriting.

"I am your boyfriend."

These words were implanted into her consciousness like a virus. Chu Chun's expression gradually shifted from surprise to confusion, and then to a tender dependence.

"Ah...right, right..." she murmured absentmindedly, her voice barely audible, "You...you are mine..."

"We've been dating for three months, right?" Higashino's voice was deep and resolute as he gently stroked her hair.

The girl's body trembled violently, the struggle in her eyes quickly dissolving into a watery longing, and she even unconsciously leaned closer to him. The initial rewriting of her cognition was complete.

"Mmm..." she responded almost inaudibly, shy and obedient.

Higashino nodded in satisfaction, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness—it had clearly been without warning just moments before.

"Beep beep—beep beep!" The alarm from the security robot drew closer again!

Chu Chun instinctively tried to turn her head, but Dongye forcefully stopped her: "Don't worry about that!"

He needed to anchor her perception immediately! He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look directly at him: "You just need to... look at me."

In early spring, her gaze was unfocused, her breathing erratic, and her brain seemed to be filled with a sweet yet domineering force.

“…Hmm.” All she could see in her pupils was his reflection.

Higashino's gaze fell on those slightly parted, moist lips. The dimness of the alley, the distant alarm, the scattered tablets, the excruciating pain in his head... all blurred into background noise.

The distance between the two instantly disappeared.

"Ugh...!" Chu Chun's body was as tense as a bow, her fingers gripping his clothes tightly, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood, or like an instinctive attachment.

A few seconds later, Higashino suddenly let go, almost falling over from dizziness. He braced himself against the wall and wiped the warm blood from under his nose. The anchoring was complete, but the mental exhaustion left him feeling as if he had been working for several nights in a row.

Looking towards early spring, the girl's confusion vanished, leaving only a sweet longing and adoration—pure and ardent, yet built upon utter delusion.

“…We have to go, it’s too noisy.” Dongye pointed hoarsely to the alley entrance, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against her lips.

In early spring, her cheeks flushed, and she nodded vigorously, her eyes shining brightly. Suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly rummaged through her skirt pocket, pulled out a magnetic card, and stuffed it into his palm.

“Give me…my spare pass.” Her voice was as soft as a spring bud. “With this, the guards won’t give you any trouble…so we can stay together forever…”

She tilted her head back, her eyes filled with a determined, ingratiating gaze.

Higashino stroked the card, the effect far exceeding his expectations. This distorted "affection" had actually offered him the talisman he needed most, even providing a reason—to be together?

terrible.

He wiped away the blood seeping from his nose again and pressed his throbbing temples. Ability… ultimately comes at a price.

Chapter 2: He was taken away by a mature older sister.

As night fell, Higashino wandered aimlessly alone after parting ways with Chuchun.

Although she and Haruhachi had established a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, she lived in the school dormitory, which Higashino couldn't sneak into.

Moreover, she had disciplinary committee work to do in early spring, and soon she reluctantly parted ways with Higashino.

Higashino Yu subconsciously rubbed his stomach. He didn't know he would time travel today. He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch, and he had ordered takeout for dinner. But when he went out, he found himself in a completely different world.

He was penniless, but luckily Academy City used Japanese, so he felt no pressure studying there. If he had been transported to a place where he couldn't communicate, it would have been a real tragedy.

However, more than eating, the question of where to spend the night is also a problem.

"Hey, buddy over there."

A cool, clear female voice suddenly came from behind.

Higashino Yu turned around and saw a tall figure. Long black hair was neatly tied back, and she was wearing a green tracksuit. In her left hand, she was carrying a plastic bag with several cans of beer peeking out from the bag.

"Still wandering around outside at this hour? Which school do you attend?"

Although Higashino is quite tall, he is not very old; to outsiders, he is about the age of a college student.

Higashino carefully examined the newcomer and made a rough judgment about his identity. The appearance was very similar to someone he remembered.

"I am not a student."

He deliberately made his voice sound tired, and drooped his head helplessly.

"I just arrived in Academy City today and I'm not familiar with the area. I haven't found an inn yet..."

The dark-haired beauty raised an eyebrow: "Outsider? Show me your identification."

When Higashino Yu handed over the ID card given to him by Hatsuharu, he activated his ability at the same time.

Of course, unlike the complete change of perception in early spring, this time only a small change was made to steer things in a direction favorable to him.

"Psychosomatic Surgeons..."

She was somewhat surprised that the young man in front of her, who looked quite young, was actually a licensed and certified doctor.

"In that case, come with me. I can't let you sleep on the streets."

Normally, one shouldn't extend such an invitation to a stranger they've just met, but she was completely oblivious to this and took it for granted.

After all, her friend often brings homeless students home, so what she's doing is probably similar, right?

"By the way, my name is Yomi Kawa Aiho."

It really is her; she's the teacher and security guard from the original story. But the best-case scenario is taking her home directly? Isn't that a bit strange?

"Higashino Yu is from the Xia Kingdom."

And so, Higashino Yu was led away by the older sister to an apartment.

The apartment was cleaner than expected, unlike the scenes in anime where beer bottles were scattered all over the floor. Several pairs of slippers of different sizes were neatly arranged in the entryway. Higashino Yu noticed that one pair was clearly a child's size, with cartoon stickers on the edges.

"The bathroom is over there."

Huang Quanchuan casually took the beer out of the bag and put it in the refrigerator.

"If you're hungry, there's something in the fridge..."

She suddenly stopped speaking, and Higashino Yu followed her gaze.

The air suddenly froze, and only Teacher Xiaomeng, wrapped in a bath towel, appeared in their line of sight.

Close your eyes!

Huang Quanchuan's voice turned cold, "Peeping on young girls is a crime!"

Higashino Yu slowly raised his head and closed his eyes: "Teacher, is this your daughter?"

Although he knew this person was Tsukuyomi Komoe, he shouldn't have recognized her since he was new to Academy City.

But the idea of ​​a legal loli is truly tempting, Kamijou Touma, you deserve to die!

Completely oblivious, the little girl mumbled in a childish voice, "I'm not a little girl, Huang Quan, I'm an adult..."

Higashino Yu kept his eyes closed, and heard the hurried footsteps of Huang Quanchuan in his ears.

"Xiao Meng!" Her voice was full of helplessness. Although Xiao Meng was an adult, some of her personality traits were similar to those of a child.

"How many times have I told you..."

"What does it matter?" Xiaomeng said nonchalantly, hands on her hips, looking at Dongye with satisfaction. "Anyway, this gentleman is very well-behaved, keeping his eyes closed."

Higashino Yu's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. Even with his eyes closed, he could imagine the scene before him.

Her long, wet pink hair, her petite body steaming with moisture, and those big, innocent eyes that I've seen countless times in animation.

Does Touma Kamijou live like this every day...?

This is a legal loli! Isn't she just too lucky?

"Hey!" Huang Quanchuan's angry shout snapped Dongye You back to his senses.

"You're all smirking!"

Higashino quickly lowered his hand from his eyes and wiped away non-existent drool: "Sorry, I was just wondering... is this really a teacher?"

"Of course!" Xiao Meng's voice was filled with pride and smugness. "I'm a proper teacher, you know."

Higashino Yu subconsciously opened his eyes, then quickly closed them again. Tsukuyomi Komoe was already wearing a cute pink nightgown, but water droplets were sliding down her fair neck from her hair...

"Bang!" The pillow slammed heavily onto Higashino Yu's face.