“Indeed,” Hu Feng Toumi nodded in agreement. “When it comes to those two, they often prefer direct mental communication, not speaking aloud.”
“Huh?” Misaka Mikoto looked over, a little surprised. “So you have this kind of trouble too.”
—She thought she was the only one rejected by that Queen Bee.
“When Shokuhou Misaki needs to communicate with me, it’s naturally not a problem,” Hu Feng Toumi said. “But there’s a secret between her and Lin Wuming that only they know.”
“…” Misaka Mikoto couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you feel resentful?”
“Such useless emotions were discarded from the very beginning,” Hu Feng Toumi remained calm. “That’s a domain exclusive to Shokuhou, and no matter how hard I try, it’s useless, so it’s easier to just give up.”
Conversely, as an alternative compensation, Hu Feng Toumi had been trying to find her own exclusive domain elsewhere.
There was no other way, because Hu Feng Toumi knew very well that her first meeting with Lin Wuming had been too terrible, so from the start, she knew it would be difficult for her to get along with Lin Wuming like a normal girl.
But due to various coincidences, Hu Feng Toumi became, in fact, the person closest to Lin Wuming.
Under such conflicting Mindset and circumstances, Hu Feng Toumi had long ago determined her direction—to fully leverage her strength in combat and become Lin Wuming’s partner, fighting alongside him.
So, much of the time, she appeared calm and composed, because she only needed to ensure she had a place by Lin Wuming’s side.
Just like this time, seeking Shinkanzaki Kaori as a mentor to improve her strength, ultimately, it was still to solidify her role.
On this point, Hu Feng Toumi has a fundamental difference from Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki, which is also why she can always become an “ally” of one of the other two to counter the third party.
As expected, upon hearing Hu Feng Toumi’s “open-minded” remarks, Misaka Mikoto showed a fleeting expression of “disagreement,” but then immediately relaxed—this way, she wouldn’t be her main opponent.
—At least until that Queen Bee is dealt with, Hu Feng Tong Xue is not a threat.
Shirai Kuroko observed the expressions of the two upperclassmen from the side, while also paying attention to the information on her phone screen. Compared to the somewhat absent-minded upperclassmen beside her, Shirai Kuroko was the only one among the three who remained fully focused, always remembering the purpose of their trip.
“Time to move, they’re about to leave the tracker’s range,” Shirai Kuroko said.
“Huh? Oh, okay.” Misaka Mikoto snapped back to reality, naturally extending her left arm.
Hu Feng Toumi frowned slightly, but there was no hesitation in her actions—she also extended her right hand towards Shirai Kuroko.
Shirai Kuroko grabbed both of them and activated Space Movement.
Aside from the high-tech “gadgets” kindly provided by Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the reason their tracking operation went so smoothly without being detected by Lin Wuming and Shokuhou Misaki was because of Space Movement.
With Shirai Kuroko’s ability, combined with the tracker, Misaka Mikoto and Hu Feng Toumi could track from outside their line of sight, thus greatly reducing the chance of exposure.
…
In the taxi, Shokuhou Misaki finally let out a long sigh.
“Sure enough… they won’t give up,” Shokuhou Misaki murmured to herself, looking out the window.
“Are you talking about the Misaka Sisters?” Lin Wuming asked.
Earlier, at “Seventh Mist,” he had noticed that the “Misaka content” in the surroundings was unusually high.
“Hmph, the Misaka Sisters are just eyes and ears. The mastermind, of course, is… hehe,” Shokuhou Misaki sneered.
Not choosing to continue shopping earlier was partly due to noticing those sneaky Misaka Sisters.
“Lin Wuming, how many did you find?” Shokuhou Misaki asked.
“Seven to ten, I guess. Since they all look the same, I couldn’t be sure if I encountered the same person repeatedly,” Lin Wuming recalled.
“As far as I know, there’s a large group of at least twenty,” Shokuhou Misaki said. “Honestly, with such high density, aren’t they afraid of being exposed? They’re too reckless!”
“That’s exaggerated…” Lin Wuming couldn’t help but exclaim.
Although he had anticipated this situation, when he actually encountered it himself… Lin Wuming was filled with indescribable emotions.
“Alright, don’t think about irrelevant things,” Shokuhou Misaki stretched out her hands, cupping Lin Wuming’s face and turning it towards her. “This is my date now.”
“You say it’s a date…” Lin Wuming said, “But the place we’re going next… is it really suitable?”
“Don’t be so indecisive, Lin Wuming,” the girl said with a serious expression. “This is something you decided long ago, isn’t it? If so, what are you still hesitating about?”
“Besides…” Shokuhou Misaki’s starry eyes sparkled, “I don’t dislike the next part of the itinerary. Rather, in this world, only I can accompany you there, right?”
For a couple’s date, that place was undoubtedly the worst, but for Lin Wuming and Shokuhou Misaki, that place held special significance.
…
“What? Where did they go?” Misaka Mikoto couldn’t believe her ears, though she was sure she had heard clearly just now. “Where in Tenth School District?”
Shirai Kuroko also hesitated, and only after repeated confirmation did she speak again: “That’s right, if the tracker isn’t malfunctioning, Lin Wuming and Shokuhou Misaki entered the ‘cemetery’.”
“Cemetery…” Misaka Mikoto looked a little lost. “Does Academy City have such a facility?”
Academy City is a city primarily for students, with an alarmingly young population age structure.
Moreover, due to the nature of the “student” group, the city’s population mobility is extremely high, with the vast majority of citizens being “temporary residents” for about twenty years.
Therefore, apart from a few accidental deaths, the normal death rate in Academy City is infinitely close to zero.
Even in cases of accidental death, after the remains are rendered harmless, they are returned to the student’s family to be buried in their hometown.
So, public facilities like “cemeteries” fundamentally have no basis for existence.
In Misaka Mikoto’s view, compared to a “public cemetery,” a special facility for processing experimental subject remains might actually be more “reasonable.”
“Yes, there is such a facility as a cemetery,” Hu Feng Toumi suddenly said. “Because occasionally, there are orphans without families or similar situations.”
In such cases, the cemetery in Tenth School District comes into play.
