The Gradually Approaching Truth

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Luo Yifang asked.

"I didn't know either. I only discovered something was wrong with the latest batch of data when I returned to the lab today. After investigating, I found that data from several previous batches had been mixed together." Busu Dixin felt like she was about to explode. What the hell were Academy City's higher-ups doing? So many Misaka Sisters had gone missing, yet they still hadn't found the mastermind?!

After leaving Busu Dixin, Luo Yifang's thoughts were thrown into turmoil by the mysteries piling up before him. Walking down the street, he muttered, "Did I do something wrong? Should I have stopped thinking so much and just rescued the Sisters directly?"

"It was wise that you didn't," Paqi sighed, speaking slowly. "So what if you could rescue them? If you intervened, could Aleister's plan still proceed? What would become of those ten thousand Misaka Sisters in the future? Even if you succeeded, the science side's strength would surely be weakened by internal strife. And then how would you deal with the other side watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey?"

"So transmigration really is such a troublesome thing." Luo Yifang gave a bitter smile. "The protagonists in novels seem so carefree, but can you really stand by and watch people simply disappear?"

Indeed, Academy City's world looked quite peaceful, but Luo Yifang knew exactly how dark the road ahead was. Saving the Misaka Sisters was only part of it. What he truly wanted was to stop this world from becoming a plaything in the hands of the Magic Gods. Since he had spent his previous life as a pitiful man and a wise man, why not be a little selfish this time and do what he wanted?

"Come to think of it, this world really is warped," Paqi said. "An existence on the level of a Magic God—this kind of world could barely withstand even one. Yet this world has several of them. The pyramid is practically standing upside down. Isn't the world's instability the result of those Magic Gods messing around?"

Luo Yifang had always found that strange as well. The power of those Magic Gods was simply not something an ordinary universe could bear. A massive universe like Marvel's would be one thing, but how could this tiny temple possibly hold so many great Buddhas? Was it Imagine Breaker?

"That's merely a fragile balancer," Paqi said disdainfully. "In essence, it's only the will of this world itself. But are those Magic Gods really helpless against it? Not necessarily."

"We've gone off topic. Let's deal with the Sisters' problem first." Luo Yifang did not want to think about those things yet. The matters right in front of him had not even been resolved.

"I think you should just go kill Kakine Teitoku. Why all the pointless talk?"

"Ah... actually, I was thinking the same thing..." Luo Yifang rubbed his chin. "But the problem is, where is he?"

"9982..."

"Huh? You said you just saw someone who looked exactly like me?" Misaka Mikoto pointed at herself in surprise, but she immediately patted Ruizi on the shoulder. "Haha, how could that be! You must have seen wrong. There are so many students at Tokiwadai, and I know several girls with short brown hair alone."

Ruizi rubbed her shoulder, which had been slapped sore, and was just about to say something when a soft, adorable "meow" involuntarily drew her gaze away. Not far off, a kitten that looked only a few months old seemed to be trapped in a tree, unable to get down. But when her gaze shifted downward, she froze in shock and pointed behind Misaka Mikoto, unable to speak.

"Huh? Saten-san, what's wrong?" Misaka Mikoto turned around in confusion, only to freeze as well the moment she looked.

There wasn't supposed to be a mirror there, was there? That was Misaka Mikoto's first thought, but she immediately flung that stupid idea out of her mind.

"Meow~~" This time, the catlike cry came from the girl standing beneath the tree, who looked exactly like Misaka Mikoto. The sheer embarrassment of it made even Misaka Mikoto herself blush—was she really that cute when imitating a cat?!

"Senior Misaka... is that your little sister?" Ruizi looked at Misaka Mikoto with a strange expression.

Could it be that Mom had secretly given her a younger sister without telling her? No matter how little Misaka Mikoto believed Ruizi, how else could she explain what she was seeing? Or had she played too many games and started hallucinating?

Misaka Mikoto vigorously shook her head and looked again. The scene before her had not changed. Instead, there was now another person... Wait, why did the extra guy look so familiar? What was Luo Yifang doing here?!

Luo Yifang seemed to say something to that "Misaka Mikoto," then left with her. From beginning to end, he never noticed Ruizi and Misaka Mikoto standing in their blind spot.

Ruizi looked at Misaka Mikoto, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and asked, "Senior Misaka, do you really not know her? Why does Senior Yifang seem to know her?"

At that point, no matter how slow Misaka Mikoto was, she realized that this seemed to have gone beyond the bounds of what ordinary people could accept. She hurriedly said to Ruizi, "Saten-san, sorry, excuse me for a moment. I have some personal matters to take care of." Then she ran after Luo Yifang.

"So... Senior Yifang is dating Senior Misaka's little sister?" Ruizi immediately imagined all sorts of terrible things. Combined with Misaka Mikoto's strange behavior regarding Luo Yifang lately, as well as Luo Yifang treating them to dinner today—ahhh! Ruizi felt like the plot in her mind could fill an entire family melodrama!

A few minutes later, on an overpass, Luo Yifang leaned alone against the railing, staring at the setting sun as it slowly sank, lost in thought. The sudden sound of footsteps behind him interrupted his musings, yet Luo Yifang spoke without the slightest surprise. "Oh, Misaka, you're here?"

Misaka Mikoto braced her hands on her knees, panting heavily. She simply could not understand how Luo Yifang had run so fast. "Huff... huff... Who... was that just now?"

"Ah... Academy City's sunset is really quite nice."

"Hey, hey, don't change the subject!" Misaka Mikoto irritably smacked Luo Yifang on the back. "You definitely know what that was about, right? That person who looked exactly like me?"

"Huh? Wasn't that your little sister?" Luo Yifang said strangely. "She kept saying things like 'Misaka Sister,' 'Misaka Sister'..."

"Huh? How could I possibly have a little sister?!" Misaka Mikoto retorted, only to suddenly notice that something was off about Luo Yifang's expression. "Wait, that look on your face... do you really know something?"

"You might not believe me if I told you..."