Number 9982

"Ugh... Luo Yifang is so boring, always acting like he's busy," Misaka Mikoto complained, walking with her hands behind her head.

Seeing Misaka Mikoto's demeanor, Ruizi advised, "Senior Yifang is a superpower user, right? He probably has his own things to do."

"Tch, that guy. I just saw him wandering around earlier, even going to some obscure cafe," Misaka Mikoto scoffed at the idea of Luo Yifang being busy, which she clearly didn't believe. "That cafe is in Academy Garden, and I even got him a pass."

"Huh? An obscure cafe? And in Academy Garden?" Ruizi suddenly perked up.

Misaka Mikoto was a little curious about Ruizi's strange reaction. "Yeah, is there a problem, Saten-san?"

Before she could finish, Ruizi pulled out her phone and started tapping away. Then, she handed the phone to Misaka Mikoto. "This is it, Senior Misaka, look!"

"The Creepy Cafe of the Horror Wizard?" Misaka Mikoto read the title on the phone aloud.

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Ruizi said excitedly. "Don't you know? It's the latest urban legend. It says some students from Academy Garden went exploring a haunted house late at night and actually encountered ghosts at that cafe."

"No... no way..." As Misaka Mikoto thought about it, she suddenly felt something was off. The atmosphere of that cafe did seem a bit strange. The day she waited there for Luo Yifang, there was a constant, chilling feeling pervading the surroundings. Hearing Ruizi say this, Misaka Mikoto felt a little scared.

And the owner seemed strange too. Although she was a very pretty girl, she was taciturn. If Misaka Mikoto hadn't gone up to order coffee herself, the owner seemed to have just stood there polishing the same cup, completely unaware of her presence.

Plus, when Luo Yifang arrived, he was carrying that unusually large block of ice. Even though the ice was thick and murky, obscuring whatever was inside, it gave her a very uncomfortable feeling. Thinking about it, Misaka Mikoto felt things were getting increasingly bizarre – could she have been cursed?

"Senior Misaka? Senior Misaka?" Seeing that Misaka Mikoto hadn't reacted for a long time, Ruizi waved her hand in front of Misaka Mikoto's eyes.

"Huh? Huh!" Misaka Mikoto noticed her distraction and quickly waved her hand. "What is it, Saten-san?"

"You've seemed unfocused since a moment ago. What are you thinking about?" Ruizi asked, puzzled. "Did you not rest well?"

"Hahaha, how could that be? I slept really well last night, I definitely wasn't scared by the ghost stories Kuroko told!" Misaka Mikoto gave a dry laugh.

What textbook tsundere behavior... Ruizi's mouth twitched as she looked at Misaka Mikoto, who was acting nothing like a proper lady.

"Nice!" Misaka Mikoto clenched her fist in celebration after defeating another player.

Ruizi was sitting nearby, playing on her phone. She had only come along to accompany Misaka Mikoto to play games; she herself wasn't as interested in this kind of thing as Misaka Mikoto was. After playing here for a while, Ruizi felt a little thirsty and decided to buy some drinks. "Senior Misaka, I'm going to get something to drink. What do you want?"

"Ah, thanks, Saten-san. Just get what you're having!" Misaka Mikoto, already engrossed in a new round of battle, didn't even look up.

Senior Misaka is really full of energy. At least she doesn't have to worry about her exam scores... Thinking about her own barely passing, or even failing, grades, Ruizi held back tears of sadness. Why can a top student do so well even when playing games?! Weak-limbed, Ruizi walked to the vending machine and bought two cans of lemon tea. As Ruizi squatted down to retrieve the lemon tea, her gaze inadvertently swept past the street outside the window, catching sight of a slender figure that seemed somewhat familiar. What made her even more familiar was the short brown hair and the Tokiwadai uniform.

"Senior Misaka?" Ruizi thought she saw the figure again, but it had already vanished. She then turned to look at Misaka Mikoto, who was still playing games. "Hmm?? Did I see wrong?"

Handing the lemon tea to Misaka Mikoto, who was also planning to sit down and rest after playing, Ruizi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Senior Misaka, do you have any sisters?"

"Huh?" Misaka Mikoto was clearly taken aback. "If you really want to count, then Kuroko, who calls me Onee-sama every day, could be considered one?"

Ruizi shook her head. "I wasn't talking about someone like Shirai-san. I meant, do you have any twin sisters or older sisters?"

"I'm an only child," Misaka Mikoto smiled. "My mom has her hands full raising just me. If there was another daughter, I don't know what she'd become! Sigh, but speaking of which, I really do want a sister. That way, I wouldn't be lonely, and I'd have someone to keep me company. Do you feel the same way, Saten-san?"

"Huh? Yeah..." Ruizi replied vaguely, still thinking about the person she had just seen passing by... Did I really missee?

"So why are you here looking for me again?" Busu Dixin said irritably, stroking her hair. "Wandering around during experiments is a big no-no."

"What number are you experimenting on today?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?" Busu Dixin was taken aback, then saw Luo Yifang's serious expression and stopped wasting words. "Number 9982."

Luo Yifang's pupils contracted. This number... was it the first Misaka Sister that Misaka Mikoto encountered?! "What about the previous numbers?!"

Busu Dixin's expression held a hint of sorrow. "All of them..."

"Alright, I get it," Luo Yifang interrupted Busu Dixin. He now had only one question on his mind – didn't the outdoor experiments start from 8912? Why was it starting with Misaka Sister number 9982 now? Or... had something changed in the week or so since he arrived in this world?

Concealing his sadness, Busu Dixin continued, "What I need to explain is, for some reason, starting last week, the planned outdoor experiments were postponed, and the indoor experiments were also suspended. The reason is that some of the Misaka Sisters have gone missing..."

What? Luo Yifang felt a sense of unease... Just then, Paqi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "As expected, the changes in the worldline aren't just because of Kakine Teitoku and you. There are other factors."