The next morning, as per the pre-arranged plan, Lin Wuming and Shokuhou Misaki met in the Hospital's underground parking lot.
To minimize unnecessary disturbances, Shokuhou Misaki specifically called Lin Wuming last night to explain her thoughts and suggested that Lin Wuming also disguise himself to some extent.
The agreed meeting location was also changed from the School Garden's entrance to the Hospital's underground parking lot, allowing both of them to arrive secretly by private car, minimizing the possibility of exposure.
Lin Wuming, of course, would not object to these suggestions, as he also felt that this date might encounter unexpected situations.
When Lin Wuming got out of the car, the first thing he saw was a graceful figure waiting by the private car.
Following Junko's suggestion, Shokuhou Misaki changed her usual style today, switching from the warm-toned Tokiwadai Middle School uniform to a white dress paired with a cool-toned light blue knit cardigan, wearing a white beret, and her small bag was replaced with a wicker-style one.
At least at first glance, she indeed looked like a completely different person from the inherent image of “Shokuhou Misaki.”
As for Lin Wuming, what he needed to do was simple—stand up from the wheelchair and walk.
There was no need to change his clothes at all; after all, a simple, plain male uniform was the best camouflage in Academy City.
“Shokuhou, you truly are a breath of fresh air today.” Seeing Shokuhou Misaki in her new style, Lin Wuming indeed felt a strange sense of emotion, just as he said.
Shokuhou Misaki cheered internally—Runzi-jie, I will thank you properly!
She walked up to Lin Wuming, tilted her head slightly, and looked directly into his eyes.
“Today’s Wuming Senpai also gives off a refreshing feeling,” Shokuhou Misaki exclaimed.
—Wuming Senpai, whose eyes could only meet hers by slightly looking up, not down.
Even though she knew Lin Wuming’s legs had healed long ago and he didn't need to rely on a wheelchair to move.
But the reality was that both Lin Wuming himself and those around him had become accustomed to “Lin Wuming in a wheelchair.”
It was as if being bound to a wheelchair was the true Lin Wuming.
So, Lin Wuming in this naturally standing state… was rarely seen.
Shokuhou Misaki is 168 centimeters tall, which almost qualifies her as a “small giant” among girls—all thanks to her perfect body curves, which dilute the abruptness of her height.
For Shokuhou Misaki, even in daily life, situations requiring her to “look up” were relatively rare, so she also felt quite novel at this moment.
“Mm-hmm.” Satisfied with the current situation, Shokuhou Misaki nodded, then hugged Lin Wuming’s left arm, “Then let’s go! Time is precious, we can’t waste it!”
The destination was “Seventh Mist”—a well-known large shopping mall in the Seventh District.
Even many of the young ladies from Tokiwadai Middle School were fond of the clothing stores in “Seventh Mist” and often came here to shop and play.
The reason for choosing this as the first stop today, besides being not too far from the Hospital, was more crucially, that “Seventh Mist” has a food court in its basement, perfect for filling their stomachs.
Although she woke up early, Shokuhou Misaki hadn’t had time for breakfast yet.
—Although it certainly wouldn't be as good as Wuming Senpai’s cooking, occasionally trying different flavors is also very nice.
Moreover, it’s rare to not have Runzi-jie supervising, so many high-calorie desserts that were listed as “forbidden” could finally be indulged in without restraint!
The best part was that since there was a boy with her, she could just taste a bite of various foods and hand the rest over to Lin Wuming, without worrying about overeating or exceeding her calorie intake!
—Hmm… no wonder many girls like dates; it turns out there are such convenient benefits!
Shokuhou Misaki pondered.
Fortunately, among the Espers, Lin Wuming still somewhat adhered to the “law of conservation of energy”; as his esper ability improved, his daily consumption also increased.
Although maintaining the same food intake as an ordinary person was not an issue, if he was given more than a normal portion of food, he could still eat it.
This was a characteristic discovered during the last incident with Hu Feng Toumi’s excessive strawberry cake.
So, no matter how many snacks and desserts Shokuhou Misaki handed over, Lin Wuming could eliminate them without changing his expression.
After eating their fill, Shokuhou Misaki decided to head upstairs.
To be honest, Our Queen of Tokiwadai Middle School didn't have much enthusiasm for “shopping.”
Shokuhou Misaki’s usual shopping style was to accept “tributes”—recommended good things—from her Sadan Faction members.
If she was satisfied, it would lead to developments like “buying everything in that store” or even “buying that store.”
Having to walk on her own two feet, trek laboriously, and still not find the goods she liked… such activities, no different from those of an “ascetic monk,” held no appeal for Shokuhou Misaki.
However, today was a date after all, so proceeding with the normal process was always correct.
Moreover, there were indeed some things that needed to be purchased in stores.
As for Lin Wuming… he, of course, had no interest in shopping either; his only focus was the girl beside him.
There were no secrets between them, so they quickly reached a consensus—to finish quickly, buy what they needed, and immediately leave “Seventh Mist” for the next location.
…
“Quick, quick, quick! They left the store… and called a taxi!”
At a slightly further distance, three girls huddled together furtively, staring at a small screen.
“Onee-sama, don’t worry,” Shirai Kuroko said calmly, “The tracker Hu Feng Senior brought is very useful; we won’t lose them. And with so many Misaka Sisters helping, there won won’t be any problems.”
To ensure the smooth progress of today's tracking plan, Misaka Mikoto also actively utilized her initiative, specifically asking for help from the broadest network of contacts she could think of—the Misaka Sisters.
Ten thousand Misaka Sisters, plus the real-time networked “Misaka Network,” formed a human surveillance network capable of covering the entire Academy City.
As long as Lin Wuming and Shokuhou Misaki didn't suddenly decide to leave Academy City for their date, they wouldn't escape “Misaka’s” surveillance.
However, the high-tech gadget brought by Hu Feng Toumi made the process even simpler.
Placing a tracker and a listening device in Shokuhou Misaki’s bag via Shirai Kuroko’s “Space Movement” was incredibly simple.
After all, Shokuhou Misaki is a mechanical idiot.
If it were Misaka Mikoto, such a trick would not have succeeded from the very beginning.
However, Shokuhou Misaki also had her own advantages.
“Damn it, the listening device is completely useless!” Misaka Mikoto complained.
Because the two on the other end of the listening device spoke very little.
