Chapter 916: Spatial Ability User Waiting
Of course, “Mage Slayer” and such were all later developments; despite discussing it seriously, neither Lin Wuming nor Aleister took it too seriously.
Before becoming a “Mage Slayer,” the most important things at hand were to heal his injuries and figure out the cause of the magic backlash.
After a discussion of this idea, the two implicitly ended the conversation.
Due to the subtle relationship between them and their frequent meetings, there wasn't actually that much for Lin Wuming and Aleister to talk about.
Lin Wuming only wanted to inquire about the magic backlash and reserve a magic spell from Aleister that wouldn't backfire in the future; as for Aleister, he probably just wanted to see Lin Wuming's current condition with his own eyes.
As for the subsequent academic discussions about “magic and mana,” they were more about mutual probing and finding topics after their primary objectives had been achieved.
“Well then…” Finally, Aleister decided to end today's meeting, “Good night, and I wish you a speedy recovery.”
Lin Wuming replied, “Good night to you too, Chairman.”
Then, Lin Wuming summoned his guide, Kihara Tamski.
However, compared to her usual promptness, Kihara Tamski's response was noticeably slower this time.
Just as Lin Wuming was wondering if she had fallen asleep from being too tired, Kihara Tamski finally appeared.
It was less than ten seconds late, which, upon closer thought, wasn't a particularly serious matter, but Lin Wuming had entered “Bullet Time” state a bit too often recently, making his perception of time different from that of a normal person.
Kihara Tamski looked at Lin Wuming with a strange expression, but considering this was Chairman Aleister's place, she ultimately didn't say much and directly led Lin Wuming away from there.
A Space Movement brought them outside the No Window Building, and Lin Wuming finally understood what Kihara Tamski's hesitant expression earlier had been about.
In Front of their landing spot, a familiar figure stood there.
“Kihara Yuiitsu has been waiting here for a while,” Kihara Tamski whispered, then decisively let go, stepping back as if to draw a clear line, but without any intention of leaving immediately, instead looking at Lin Wuming with interest.
“Shirai Kuroko…” Lin Wuming walked forward.
Waiting by the roadside was none other than the twin-tailed Spatial Ability User.
“Good evening, Lin Wuming Senpai,” Shirai Kuroko greeted politely.
Lin Wuming subconsciously looked around, “Are you alone? Mikoto… Ugh, never mind, pretend I didn't ask.”
“Oh my…” Kihara Tamski's sigh came from behind him.
Lin Wuming also knew that mentioning other girls at such a time seemed inappropriate, but before he could even see Shirai Kuroko's expression, the Spatial Ability User had already vanished.
The next moment, Shirai Kuroko appeared directly beside Lin Wuming, glared back at Kihara Tamski who was watching the show, then hugged Lin Wuming's arm and activated “Space Movement.”
“She got away… How stingy.” Kihara Tamski clicked her tongue, then yawned, “Never mind, Lin Wuming isn't my type anyway, I should hurry back and rest.”
As a guide, Kihara Tamski, whether willing or not, inevitably came into contact with all sorts of secrets.
Therefore, ordinary gossip had long lost its appeal to her.
If it weren't for Lin Wuming and Shirai Kuroko, also a Level 4 Spatial Ability User, being involved this time, Kihara Tamski probably wouldn't even have had the interest to stay and watch the show.
“Kuroko, why did you come?” Lin Wuming asked again.
After several consecutive Space Movement actions, completely escaping Kihara Tamski's line of sight, Shirai Kuroko finally stopped using her ability and switched to normal walking.
“I'm afraid it's just me this time. Will Lin Wuming Senpai be displeased by that?” Shirai Kuroko asked as she walked.
Lin Wuming shook his head, “How could I be? I just asked subconsciously. After all… didn't you all agree to temporarily ostracize me?”
“…” Shirai Kuroko looked over speechlessly, “Lin Wuming Senpai, you actually know everything, don't you?”
“Pretty much. As long as I'm not blind or stupid, even the most Insensitive person could figure it out,” Lin Wuming nodded directly, admitting it.
After staring at Lin Wuming for a while longer, Shirai Kuroko averted her gaze and continued walking forward: “Onee-sama is currently dealing with the Dorm Supervisor. Because I've always been responsible for the cover-up, the Dorm Supervisor has already become suspicious, so now we have to switch and have Onee-sama handle it.”
“Also,” Shirai Kuroko said, “my ability can get you back to the Hospital quickly—Lin Wuming Senpai is injured and can't be away from the Hospital for too long.”
In fact, the reason Shirai Kuroko was chosen to pick him up was precisely because her esper ability, “Space Movement,” was the most mobile, allowing her to reach Lin Wuming in the shortest amount of time.
Although they had actively initiated a “cold war” mode, Shokuhou Misaki and the others were actually still keeping an eye on Lin Wuming… or rather, “monitoring” him.
It's no exaggeration to say that Lin Wuming's every move was within their grasp—unless Lin Wuming deliberately concealed something, almost nothing in his daily life could escape the intelligence networks of Shokuhou Misaki and Misaka Mikoto.
Perhaps in terms of investigative breadth, it wasn't as extensive as Chairman Aleister's “Stagnant Air Circuit,” but if they wanted to investigate a specific target, “Railgun” and “Mental Out” working together could achieve a seamless result.
The moment Lin Wuming left the Hospital, the girls in School Garden received the news; they also obtained the diagnostic report from Heaven Canceller.
Therefore, they knew that Lin Wuming was indeed injured; although the injury was not serious, to be safe, they finally decided to send someone to pick him up, lest Lin Wuming faint on the way for some inexplicable reason…
It wasn't that the girls were overly worried; there were simply too many precedents—after every major battle, Lin Wuming would have to stay in the Hospital for a few days, and more often than not, he would lose consciousness and fall into a coma.
This battle with Front was particularly intense, arguably the strongest enemy he had encountered apart from facing “God's Power.”
After the battle, Lin Wuming didn't fall into a coma and could even go to the Hospital by himself, which was already far beyond the girls' expectations.
As for why Shirai Kuroko was ultimately chosen… in Shirai Kuroko's own view, besides her superior mobility, the main reason was probably “mutual checks and balances,” right?
—Onee-sama, Shokuhou, and Hu Feng Senior were all restraining each other, and in the end, it could only be herself, the latecomer, who seized the initiative…
“…Such a development, it shouldn't be possible, right?” Shirai Kuroko muttered.
