The So-Called [Book of Ten Thousand Worlds]

Little did Misaka Mikoto know that if she hadn't shown up, it wouldn't have been Luo Yifang who was in trouble, but those delinquents with incredibly good luck. If she hadn't arrived in time, they might have gone from beating people up to needing to be rescued, and even losing a limb would have been considered lucky.

"Onee-sama!" Just as Misaka Mikoto was still dwelling on Luo Yifang's escape, a sweet shout rang out. Misaka Mikoto felt her body sink, as if some pendant had been added to her.

"Kuroko?! What are you doing here?" Misaka Mikoto was a little shocked, but after recalling how Kuroko always inexplicably found her whereabouts, she didn't think much of it. She simply extended her right hand and pressed it against Kuroko's face as she nuzzled closer.

"It's all because Onee-sama is too reckless, acting alone with a Disciplinary Committee armband. What would I do if you got hurt?"

"It's, it's not that serious, right? They were just some delinquents." Misaka Mikoto awkwardly chuckled, her cover blown for sneaking out, and tried to change the subject with the mention of delinquents.

"Even if they're just delinquents, you have to be careful," Kuroko said with a look of great concern, but she stuck to Misaka Mikoto like glue, her hands getting restless.

"Kuro...ko..." Misaka Mikoto, seeing through Kuroko's true intentions, wouldn't let her have her way. A "well" character popped up on her forehead, and the blue and white arcs of electricity between Railgun's hair tips began to flicker again. Immediately after, a more dazzling flash of light erupted in the alley than before.

One second later, another charred "unidentified object" appeared in the alley. She lay on the ground, twitching uncontrollably, emitting groans that could make people misunderstand—"Ah~~~~". Misaka Mikoto stood beside her, tidying her slightly disheveled Tokiwadai school uniform with an annoyed expression. Although she didn't want to admit it, Misaka felt her mood had suddenly improved a lot after discharging electricity again.

Does discharging electricity help relax the mood? The terrifying thought flashed through Misaka Mikoto's mind. The arcs of electricity dancing around her seemed to betray her owner's somewhat "pleased" mood.

"Is Onee-sama unhappy?" Kuroko, who had been twitching on the ground moments ago, had miraculously revived and was standing beside Misaka Mikoto again. The charred blackness seemed nonexistent, only her hair was a bit messy. She was using a comb to smooth her hair. "Is it because of these delinquents?"

"No, that's not it," Misaka Mikoto hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you see a white-haired boy just now? Hmm, about a head taller than me."

"Uh, let me think?" Kuroko touched her chin, frowning as if in thought. After a moment, she said with some uncertainty, "Wearing a black and white striped short-sleeved shirt and black jeans?"

"Yes, that's him!" Seeing that Kuroko had indeed seen Luo Yifang, Misaka Mikoto hurriedly asked, "Which direction did he go?"

"I don't know." Kuroko shook her head. "I saw him during a brief teleportation on my way here, but he just flashed by and disappeared into the crowd. I don't know where he went. What, is he a straggler?"

"He's not a delinquent, but I do want to ask him some things." Misaka Mikoto didn't know why, but she was very concerned about this matter. Although Luo Yifang's act of running away was not wrong, a sense of stubbornness lingered in Misaka Mikoto's heart, making her feel restless if she didn't catch this runaway and give him a good talking-to.

"Wha-wha-what!" Kuroko shrieked hysterically upon hearing Misaka Mikoto's words. "Onee-sama, you want to ask a man something? How can this... Ouch!"

After interrupting Kuroko with a punch of love, Misaka Mikoto stated resolutely, "Nothing is impossible!"

Tears welled up in Kuroko's eyes. What she had wanted to say was—How could this be forgiven! Onee-sama, can't you let me finish speaking!

"Alright Kuroko, stop messing around. Hurry up and take these delinquents back to the Disciplinary Committee, or we'll be late getting back to school."

"Yes, Onee-sama!"

Luo Yifang, who had already walked far away, naturally didn't know that the events in the alley had caused him trouble like a sticky candy. He was still pondering Misaka Mikoto's question. "No. 3 [Railgun]? Misaka Mikoto shouldn't have met Accelerator at this time, right? Is it because I came out? Wait, at this time, Accelerator should be participating in the Absolute Ability User Project, but my memory tells me I haven't participated in anything like that?"

Luo Yifang's expression turned grim as he began to delve into his memories. Although his memory was absolute, some less-used memories were like items stored in deep folders; they still took a while to find. Fortunately, this incident hadn't happened too long ago.

"Two months ago, I received a project proposal from Academy City's officials?" Luo Yifang frowned, realizing things weren't that simple. He had no recollection of the contents of this proposal, meaning he hadn't even looked at it?

Just as Luo Yifang was lost in thought, a message from Paqi shook his heart. "Yifang, the worldline has undergone a change recognized by the [Book of Ten Thousand Worlds], and you have received a reward."

"Hmm?" Luo Yifang happened to be walking to his doorstep at that moment. Pushing the door open and entering his room, he suddenly realized he had forgotten a problem, a very important problem...

What was the purpose of the [Book of Ten Thousand Worlds]?

"You're only asking now?" Paqi rolled her eyes. It was strange, even though he couldn't see Paqi's appearance, he could clearly sense her expressions and actions. It was like someone sending emojis in his mind.

"You never told me either," Luo Yifang said, shifting the blame cleanly.

"Tch, you guy," Paqi glared at Luo Yifang unhappily. "Listen up, the [Book of Ten Thousand Worlds] is different from the Sovereign or systems you know. Let's just say its purpose is observation."

"Observation?"

"Observing the actions of countless universes, like observing a particle moving from A to B. There are infinite possibilities." Paqi explained in an understandable way. "But it's a bit different. Although a world has countless parallel worlds, most of these parallel worlds are identical. Only a very small portion appears slightly different."

"You mean... deviating from the original information I know?" Luo Yifang seemed to grasp something.

"Hmm, you can understand it that way, but you should know that the information you understand isn't necessarily the 'original script'. For example, the person Accelerator, in the infinite parallel worlds of the anime or novels you know, doesn't exist. What you know is the special kind."