In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 36

"Are you kidding me?!"

Higashino's expression remained unchanged as he continued rambling in that monotonous voice, "My mission is to collect dessert data from Academy City and find the energy core that can defeat the evil cosmic dessert monster 'Sugar Tyrant.' Shokuhou-kun, your stress level is very high. I suggest you consume double the amount of caramel pudding to neutralize it."

"enough!"

Misaki Shokuhou suddenly took a step back, almost crushing the remote control in her hand.

Her delicate face flushed red, and her angry little expression looked quite cute.

She was filled with shame and indignation at being fooled, and unbelievable rage. She finally, completely, and utterly realized that this guy had been acting the whole time! That blank look, that nonsensical rambling—it was all a hoax!

"You...you weren't controlled at all!"

She almost screamed, her voice losing all elegance and composure, replaced only by the exasperation of being tricked.

"You've been resisting my abilities! What I just said...it was all a lie!"

The blank look on Higashino Yu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a faint, knowing smile. He even shrugged, his tone returning to its previous gentleness, but with a hint of teasing: "Oops, Shokuhou-kun found out? Looks like my acting skills still need some work."

Seeing Shokuhou's chest heaving violently with shame and anger, and her eyes practically spitting fire, Higashino's smile faded slightly, his gaze becoming serious and sharp as he looked directly into her slightly flustered eyes:

"But, Shokuhou-kun, there's one thing I'm not lying to you about."

He took a step forward, his voice deep and clear, carrying an undeniable penetrating power:

"You have slight dark circles under your eyes, although they're well covered with concealer; and..."

Higashino suddenly reached out, and Shokuhou reflexively tried to back away, only to find a cold medicine cabinet behind her.

"You're really in a bad mood, and the pressure has reached its limit."

Higashino's voice possesses an all-seeing magic, yet it leaves Shokuhou feeling utterly exposed.

"That sense of exhaustion, that tense mental state, almost overflowed from your perfect appearance. Being under such high pressure for a long time is not good for your physical and mental health."

Misaki's lips trembled slightly, the words of rebuttal stuck in her throat. Not because she was being controlled, but because of the other person's terrifyingly precise observation and the truth revealed in their words that she was desperately trying to hide.

The immense psychological gap and the embarrassment of being completely seen through left her speechless for a moment, with only the thunderous sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Chapter 50 Past Deviations

Misaki's lips trembled slightly. She suddenly raised the remote control, a resolute glint in her eyes.

"In this case."

Her voice suddenly turned cold, and she decided to hold back no longer.

"Let me show you what true 'psychological control' really means!"

She pressed the button on the remote control hard, no longer using it tentatively as before. This time, she held nothing back and went all out.

In an instant, the air in the entire infirmary seemed to freeze.

An invisible yet heavy as a mountain, viscous as the deep sea spiritual force, without any further probing or detours, transformed into billions of sharp, cold probes, carrying an absolute command to forcibly rewrite personality, and surged into Higashino's consciousness!

Unlike the previous tentative reading or control, Misaki Shokuhou, as a Level 5 "Mental Mastery" user, went all out, intending to instantly dismantle his mental defenses and reshape his thinking!

Is she angry out of embarrassment? Oh dear, this young girl just can't keep her temper in check.

Higashino did not back down; instead, he opened up his own "domain" to meet this spiritual torrent.

A silver-blue ripple appeared deep within his pupils. The mental shock released by Shokuhou was reflected back the instant it touched Higashino.

"what!"

Misaki suddenly screamed, and the remote control slipped from her hand. She staggered backward, her back slamming heavily against the wall.

She wanted to read Higashino's memories, but instead, Higashino read her memories instead.

"No...don't look...!"

Misaki knelt on the ground, clutching her head tightly with both hands. Her meticulously styled hair was completely disheveled, and the remote control rolled to the side.

Higashino stood rooted to the spot, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Resisting Shokuhou's abilities wasn't difficult for him now; the real challenge was ensuring that Shokuhou Misaki wouldn't suffer too much backlash.

Moreover, through his ability to reflect, he not only defended against Misaki's attack, but also unexpectedly glimpsed a forbidden area deep within her memory.

This is different from what I knew... No wonder the pressure was so immense. A normal person would have collapsed long ago after experiencing this. No wonder he's a Level 5 psychic, but he's already reached his limit.

Those fragments of memory were clearly seen by Higashino. The experiences of Dolly, Honey Ant, Talent Workshop, and the External Brain were all slightly different from what Higashino knew. However, this strong queen resolved them all with her own abilities.

Higashino slowly walked towards Shokuhou, who was curled up on the ground. As the distance between them shortened, he noticed that the girl's shoulders were trembling slightly as she helplessly rubbed against the ground.

“Shokuhou-kun.”

He crouched down, his voice much softer than usual.

"need any help?"

Misaki suddenly looked up, tears blurring her delicate eye makeup. Her eyes held a mixture of anger, fear, and some indescribable longing.

"Don't...don't look at me like that!"

Her voice was weak and feeble, completely different from the confidence the queen had when they first met.

"I don't need... anyone's pity..."

Higashino didn't respond to her bravado. He gently picked up the remote control and handed it to Shokuhou.

"Your weapon."

He reached out and ruffled her blonde hair.

"But true strength doesn't require self-harm to prove anything."

Shokuhou stared blankly at the remote control in front of her, then looked up at Higashino, feeling the lingering warmth of his hand even after he had withdrawn it.

At that moment, the Queen of Tokiwadai felt something solid shatter within her. Her hand trembled as she reached out, but just as she was about to touch the remote control—

"Your Majesty! Are you inside?"

The door to the infirmary was suddenly pushed open, and a girl anxiously peeked in.

"Fengfan and the others are looking for you..."

The sound abruptly stopped. The faction members stared wide-eyed at the scene before them: the once-proud Queen was now slumped on the ground, tears streaming down her face; and the new physician was kneeling before her, holding the remote control he never parted with.

Misaki's expression froze instantly. The next second, she stood up with astonishing speed, snatched the remote control, and fiercely wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve.

"go out."

Her voice regained its former arrogance.

"No one is allowed to come in without my permission."

"But, but..."

"I told them!"

With that scream, the faction members hastily retreated outside. The moment the door closed, Shokuhou seemed to have all her strength drained away, and she slid back against the wall to the ground.

Higashino sighed and took a pack of tissues out of his white coat pocket.

"Give."

Misaki didn't take it. She hugged her knees, buried her face in her arms, and let her long golden hair fall down like a curtain that shut out the world.

"……Why?"

After a long while, a muffled sound came from the crook of her arm.

"Why can you see those things..."

Higashino placed the tissues on the floor beside her, stood up, and walked to the window. He drew back the curtains, letting more sunlight into the room, which was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

"There is a strange resonance among those with abilities."

He said this with his back to Misaki.

"Especially when two mental ability users collide at full power, the barrier of memory will show temporary cracks."

Of course, all of this is nonsense; this situation is simply the effect of Higashino using his abilities.

"But don't worry, I won't tell anyone about today's events. The girls who left won't remember what they just saw."

Misaki slowly raised her head, the sunlight stinging her red and swollen eyes. She looked at Higashino's back; the shoulders beneath his white coat were broader than she had imagined, as if they could bear all his secrets.

"...You think you can bribe me like this?"

Her voice had regained some of its sharpness, but it was no longer as effortless as before.

"Knowing my secret will do you no good. The darkness of Academy City is far more terrifying than you can imagine."

Higashino turned around, a smile on his lips that both annoyed and reassured Shokuhou.

He knew far more about the dark side of Academy City than Shokuhou did.

"I'm not trying to bribe you, Misaki-kun."

He pointed to the doctor's license hanging on the wall.

"Besides, I'm a psychologist. It's my duty to help patients solve their psychological problems. And didn't you ask me to come and treat you?"

Shokuhou gave a soft hum and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. She straightened her disheveled school uniform, her fingers pausing slightly when they touched the wrinkles in her skirt.

"What happened today..."

Nothing happened today.

Higashino took over the conversation.

"It was just during a routine physical examination that we discovered that Level 5 ability user Misaki Shokuhou had mild anemia, so we suggested that she take more iron."

He magically produced a bottle of vitamin tablets from the medicine cabinet, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Misaki.

"Take one tablet a day after meals."

Shokuhou stared at the ordinary medicine bottle, her pupils trembling slightly. After a long while, she reached out and picked up the bottle, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against Higashino's hand.

"……Thanks."

The two words were so soft they were almost inaudible.

Higashino was unaware of the impact that the day his ability sublimated had on the past. This was a major plot hole that could have made many things plausible. However, he wouldn't specifically write about the impact in the main text, so that it could be used later and patched up any inconsistencies.

Chapter 51 Now, you have me.

Misaki Shokuhou took the medicine bottle handed to her by Higashino.

"...Thank you." The two words were so soft they were almost inaudible.

Higashino did not respond immediately.

The air in the infirmary seemed to freeze between the two of them as Higashino silently watched Shokuhou.

She was trembling...

This discovery did not surprise Higashino; at the moment of the collision of powers, those flashback fragments of memory were still churning in his mind.

In the cold, damp laboratory observation room, young Misaki Shokuhou was expressionlessly strapped to her seat, allowing researchers to adjust the complex electrodes on her head. Blinding white light shone on the girl's pale face, and sweat soaked through her thin hospital gown.

Late at night in Tokiwadai dormitory. Misaki Shokuhou is curled up alone on the sofa.

In the bathroom, her reflection in the mirror showed her trying to smile, but only managing a stiff curve. Tears silently streamed down her face, dripping onto her blonde hair, which she then fiercely wiped away.

Inside the stronghold of a rival organization disrupted by "mind control," the scene was one of utter chaos. Misaki Shokuhou stood alone in the center, several enemies at her feet, driven to madness or convulsions by the overwhelming mental impact. Her ornate skirt was stained with dust and unidentified dirt, her eyes vacant. Shokuhou didn't vomit; she simply leaned against the wall, letting out short, suppressed breaths, each inhale accompanied by a tremor throughout her body.

These scenes show no heroic interventions, no dramatic rescues. They depict the thorny path she traversed alone, struggling and paying the price.

As time goes by and pressure accumulates, until a certain tipping point arrives, she may actually choose to reset her memories, exchanging a moment of respite for complete oblivion.

Higashino snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that Shokuhou was staring at the vitamin bottle he had pushed towards him.

"anemia?"

Her voice carried a deliberate contempt, yet it couldn't conceal the wavering at the end.

"You think this excuse..."

Higashino suddenly reached out and pressed down on the medicine bottle. With a "click," the cap was opened, revealing pale pink pills inside.