Lilith's Gift

"What do you mean you're no longer Number 1 soon?" Misaka Mikoto walked down the main street back to the Academy Garden, sipping a drink from a cup. She was confused as to why Luo Yifang said he wouldn't be Number 1 soon. Did that mean Number 2 was even stronger? If that were the case, wouldn't she, Number 3, be too weak? A rare look of dejection appeared on Misaka Mikoto's face; she felt like she was too much of a pushover.

"Hmm, it's complicated to explain, but it's definitely not what you're thinking," Luo Yifang took a sip of his canned coffee. Seeing Misaka Mikoto's dejected expression, he knew what she was thinking and replied, "Number 2 is indeed strong, but still a bit weaker than me." Friend, it's not just a bit weaker, is it? With your dual LV.5 abilities and Vector Manipulation nearing LV.6, you're almost on par with the one with Black and White Wings. Are you really just a bit stronger than Kakine Teitoku right now?

"Then what's going on? Can't you tell me?" Misaka Mikoto felt a little better upon hearing this.

"You'll know in a while," Luo Yifang smiled mysteriously. "Oh, we're here. I'll be going then." After escorting Misaka Mikoto to the Academy Garden, Luo Yifang waved and left on his own.

"This guy," Misaka Mikoto muttered indignantly as she threw the empty can into the trash bin. Suddenly, her face turned red again. "Why did I even ask him to escort me back!"

Unfortunately, Luo Yifang was already far away and didn't hear Misaka Mikoto's words. He now planned to return to the coffee shop to settle things with Lilith. The nights in Academy City were quite peaceful, as most of the city's inhabitants were students. There weren't usually many people out at night, and only a few cars occasionally drove by on the streets, their headlights flashing past Luo Yifang, leaving behind a solitary shadow.

"Railgun seems to have a crush on you," Paqi suddenly dropped a bombshell on Luo Yifang.

Luo Yifang, who was drinking coffee, almost choked. "Cough, cough, what are you talking about?"

"How could a shut-in like me have girls liking me? Hahaha!" Luo Yifang let out a dry laugh, quickly finishing his coffee, only to choke again. "Cough, cough..."

Paqi rolled her eyes. You pathetic loser, you're a disgrace to isekai protagonists. Luo Yifang awkwardly touched his cheek, unsure how to respond.

"Alright, alright, stop embarrassing yourself here and finish what you need to do quickly," Paqi pouted. "Don't bother me if you don't need to, I'm still catching up on anime."

"..." Luo Yifang was speechless. You're catching up on anime at a time like this? I'm doing all the dirty work, and you're mocking me for not having a girlfriend? Arghhhh! This is unbearable! Luo Yifang angrily crushed the soda can and threw it away. Well, the truth was that this was just impotent rage. He couldn't do anything about Paqi; the only thing he could do was block her from speaking.

After turning a few corners, he arrived at the coffee shop run by the Necromancer Lilith. Luo Yifang pushed the door open and entered. As usual, there were no customers.

"Mr. Yifang, you're here." At Luo Yifang's strong insistence, Lilith had changed her address to "Mr. Yifang."

"How's the Corpse Fire situation handled?" After ordering a cup of coffee and some dessert, Luo Yifang sat at the counter and asked Lilith.

"I've already dealt with that demon's soul. Its power will be permanently weakened this time, as it was its most fundamental part," Lilith chuckled. After eliminating the enemy from the abyss, her mood had also improved slightly. "Mr. Yifang, are you here to send me back?"

Luo Yifang nodded. "Of course. If you don't want to, it's not a big problem to stay in this world."

Lilith shook her head decisively. "This world is indeed peaceful and serene, but it doesn't belong to me. I still have my mission."

Just as Luo Yifang was about to call Paqi to send Lilith back to her own world, Lilith suddenly said, "However, I haven't repaid Mr. Yifang yet. Please accept this small token." Lilith took out a golden ring from a cabinet and handed it to Luo Yifang.

Seeing Luo Yifang's confused expression, Lilith smiled and explained, "This is an enchanted item. Its function is simple: to store items. The ring is just one form; it can also become a necklace or earrings. The space inside is quite large, enough to fit a car at least. It's also very easy to use. We input magic power, but I imagine you espers can open it by extending your abilities or consciousness to it."

Luo Yifang picked up the ring and tried it. He found that he could indeed open it using Lilith's method. "This is a wonderful item, but won't this... cost you too much?"

"It's alright. This item is a magical product created from the soul of Corpse Fire," Lilith shook her head. "In our world, people who awaken their powers gain their own storage space, so such items are purely for backup."

"Then thank you." Luo Yifang put the ring on his hand, choosing to let the flashy gold fade and change to a simple silver. With a thought, he put the cake on the table into the ring. "Ha, it's very useful."

"I'm glad you like it, Mr. Yifang. If you can find someone skilled in Space Magic, they might be able to increase the ring's capacity. Well, it's time to say goodbye." Lilith waved to Luo Yifang. Under the power of the [Book of Ten Thousand Worlds] guided by Paqi, Lilith's figure gradually became transparent and finally disappeared into thin air.

Luo Yifang looked at the empty coffee shop, with only himself inside. A feeling called loneliness inexplicably arose in his heart. He sat at the counter, gloomily drinking his coffee.

"She seems to have left something for you, inside the ring," Paqi reminded him.

Luo Yifang then remembered that there seemed to be something in the ring. He flipped his palm, and a letter appeared in his hand. Luo Yifang opened it. The handwriting was very elegant. He didn't expect Lilith to write such beautiful Japanese. It seemed that mages were indeed not simple when it came to learning.

"Respected Mr. Yifang, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me. Perhaps now I can finally return to my own world without any burden. But I once said that the old lady who took me in, was alone, with no relatives still alive in this world. If I leave, this coffee shop, which has a history of nearly a hundred years, might disappear forever. Besides you, Mr. Yifang, I don't know anyone else in this world. Therefore, I entrust this shop to you. Thank you very much."

Luo Yifang looked at the letter, completely bewildered. What? Run a shop?