“Alright, alright, I get it,” Shokuhou Misaki continued to comfort her companion. “Don’t be mad. That Kazakiri Hyouka is, strictly speaking, just a newborn baby. There’s no need to pay too much attention to her.”
“Shokuhou, do you really think so?” Hu Feng Toumi looked over suspiciously.
Her reaction just now was indeed intense, but Shokuhou Misaki wasn't exactly calm either.
The threat posed by Kazakiri Hyouka was clearly not as harmless as Shokuhou Misaki made it out to be.
“Well, it’s impossible to say I don’t care at all,” Shokuhou Misaki said. “But on this matter, we can fully trust Senior Lin Wuming.”
—As for the level of threat, let’s wait until she can even make it into the finals!
At this moment, the light of distant car headlights illuminated the road—Shokuhou Misaki’s private car had finally arrived.
After parking, the driver got out and bowed profusely, apologizing and explaining that he had encountered a “ghostly maze.”
No matter how the driver drove, the car seemed to only circle a few nearby streets, unable to get close to Shokuhou Misaki’s location.
Until just now, for some reason, he was suddenly able to find the correct route again…
“Kazakiri Hyouka, Imaginary Number District…” Shokuhou Misaki immediately guessed the root of the problem.
Logically, in the original story, Kazakiri Hyouka shouldn’t have had this ability, but the situation was different now. Her entire personality had changed, so who knew if she might have gained some special abilities?
“At least we don’t have to walk back laboriously.” Shokuhou Misaki certainly wouldn’t blame the driver for this; instead, she felt a sense of unexpected delight.
“By the way, should we go to the No Window Building to pick up Senior Lin Wuming?” Shokuhou Misaki asked.
“No,” Hu Feng Toumi shook her head. “The most efficient way is to go straight home. Perhaps Lin Wuming will arrive home faster than Our. Lin Wuming is very fast when he acts alone.”
Shokuhou Misaki rolled her eyes: “Alright, alright, I know, I’m the one who slowed down Senior Lin Wuming’s flying speed today…”
The sedan started smoothly and headed towards Family Side.
After getting into the car, neither of the girls had any further interest in talking, so they remained silent, waiting for time to pass.
Shokuhou Misaki had been busy all day and was physically exhausted, having already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
Hu Feng Toumi was not as tired. She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the scenery outside the window.
“Huh?” Hu Feng Toumi suddenly sat up straight, almost pressing her entire body against the car window.
“What’s wrong? Miss Hu Feng, do you need to stop the car?” The driver noticed the situation in the back seat.
“No, no need,” Hu Feng Toumi shook her head. “Let’s go home as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I understand.”
—For a moment, Hu Feng Toumi saw the figure of her “master,” Kanzaki Kaori.
She had originally thought about getting out to say hello, but then she noticed that there was another figure in the shadows beside Kanzaki Kaori.
Her master, Kanzaki Kaori, seemed to have something to deal with, so Hu Feng Toumi did not disturb them further.
If Hu Feng Toumi had chosen to get out of the car, she would have discovered that the figure beside Kanzaki Kaori at that moment was also someone she knew.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu, who was said to have once been a talented magician affiliated with Necessarius, was now lurking in Academy City as a spy.
Unlike during the day when he delivered breakfast and could act openly, it was now “work hours,” so Tsuchimikado Motoharu acted very cautiously.
He hid completely in the shadows, vigilantly avoiding all surveillance cameras.
“There’s a new order from headquarters, Big Sis Kanzaki,” Tsuchimikado Motoharu brought the latest news.
“I haven’t received any news.” Kanzaki Kaori frowned.
“Perhaps the mission isn’t difficult enough to require a Saint to step in yet?” Tsuchimikado Motoharu said. “However, based on my judgment, if Big Sis helps, it might be twice as effective.”
“I see, you’re just dumping your work on me, aren’t you?”
“Don’t say that, Big Sis. It’s just helping each other out. After all, who else can I rely on in Academy City? We can’t involve Index, can we?” Tsuchimikado Motoharu spread his hands. “And don’t worry, it’s really just a minor task for you.”
With that, Tsuchimikado Motoharu pulled out a note and handed it over.
Kanzaki Kaori took it and read the content.
“What… what does this mean?” Kanzaki Kaori looked up, her face filled with confusion.
The mission content was very simple, just one sentence: Find a way to ascertain whether Lin Wuming possesses magical abilities.
But Kanzaki Kaori felt she couldn't understand the true meaning of this sentence.
So, she looked at Tsuchimikado Motoharu with a puzzled expression, waiting for a specific explanation.
“It means what you see,” Tsuchimikado Motoharu shrugged. “Find a way to investigate, probe Lin Wuming’s background, see if he can use magic… it’s that simple.”
“But… Lin Wuming is an Esper, isn’t he? And the highest level, Level 5.” Kanzaki Kaori looked at Tsuchimikado Motoharu and asked, “Can an Esper… learn magic?”
Tsuchimikado Motoharu shook his head: “It’s no use looking at me. My situation is completely different from his; there’s no comparison.”
Tsuchimikado Motoharu was a magician who transitioned to an Esper. After undergoing ability development courses, the cost was that he could only possess the lowest level of Level 0 “Abilityless.”
At the same time, the many spells he originally mastered could no longer be used freely. Fortunately, his ability was “Body Regeneration,” which allowed him to exploit a bug; otherwise, the consequence of forcibly casting magic would be severe injury, near-death, or even immediate death.
The conclusion drawn from this was that a body that had undergone Esper development courses was destined to be incompatible with magic.
As a Level 5, the highest level, Lin Wuming had no reason to learn to use magic—the risks and benefits were completely disproportionate.
Therefore, Kanzaki Kaori could not understand the meaning of this mission; it was essentially asking her to verify something that was fundamentally impossible.
“Well, I do know some of the specific reasons,” Tsuchimikado Motoharu pushed up his sunglasses and said. “Since the summer vacation, hasn’t that guy Lin Wuming frequently participated in magic-related incidents? Perhaps he’s been too active, which has attracted attention from this side. Then, who knows where the news originated, but it says that Lin Wuming might be a super-powerful individual who simultaneously possesses both Esper and magical abilities…”
“Rumors?”
“Yes, rumors,” Tsuchimikado Motoharu nodded. “That’s why it needs to be verified and confirmed, isn’t it? Archbishop also seems very concerned. Because there are even further rumors that Lin Wuming is the product of cooperation between Academy City and Our Necessarius, which is why he simultaneously possesses both sides’ technologies.”
