"Mmm~ This is really delicious!"
Uiharu held a strawberry shortcake in one hand and with the other, she speared a large piece with a fork and popped it into her mouth. Her face was filled with pure bliss.
After finishing that piece of strawberry shortcake, she didn't immediately go for another. Instead, she turned her head with an almost predatory look toward Saten beside her.
"Saten-san!"
"Here you go!"
Already prepared, Saten cheerfully brought a fork loaded with a large piece of cheesecake to Uiharu's lips. Uiharu opened her mouth without hesitation and took it all in one go.
Happiness × Happiness = MAX Happiness!
The flavors of strawberry and cheese mingled in her mouth. An ordinary person might find that combination rather questionable, but for Uiharu, it was effortlessly handled.
Mikoto, watching Uiharu immersed in her world of sweets, placed a hand on her hip and spoke up. "Still, be careful not to eat too much. We'll be having dinner later, you know."
"No problem at all! I firmly believe desserts are stored in a separate stomach. No matter how much I eat, it won't affect my appetite for the main meal!" Uiharu answered cheerfully, cake crumbs still clinging to the corner of her mouth.
The group left the cake shop and then visited several other dessert specialty stores unique to Academy City. Finally, just before night fully fell, they went to see some buildings exuding an aristocratic air.
By the time the whole itinerary was complete, Uiharu's entire aura had undergone a transformation. She seemed like a Mary Sue character straight out of a shoujo manga, her voice even adopting the stereotypical tone heard on TV.
"It's simply marvelous. No wonder it's called the young ladies' private garden, Academy City. The environment we live in can't compare at all. What do you think, Saten-san?"
Uiharu turned to Saten with a smile. In response, Saten answered with action, wielding her sinful hands to lift Uiharu's skirt from the front.
"Th-This is the second time today!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. It's just that you seemed like you were about to float off to some faraway place, so I thought I'd bring you back."
"But you didn't have to lift my skirt!"
Uiharu retorted, her face flushed. Saten chuckled, patting Uiharu's shoulders with both hands. Chinatsu, Mikoto, and Kuroko watched the scene without much surprise. Mitsuko, seeing a girl's skirt being lifted for the first time, blushed crimson.
She drifted over to Chinatsu's side, leaned close to her ear, hesitated, bit her lip, and finally opened her mouth to murmur softly.
"Is lifting skirts popular in society now?"
"..."
Hearing Mitsuko's naive words, Chinatsu's cheeks instantly puffed up. Though she tried to hold it in, she proved incapable.
*Pfft!*
Chinatsu couldn't help but laugh out loud. Mitsuko, seeing this, immediately realized how silly her earlier question must have sounded.
Embarrassed, she grabbed her fan and fanned her face vigorously. Fortunately, only Chinatsu had heard her. If Kuroko had heard, she would have been so mortified she could have dug through the floor with her toes.
As night fell, the group left Academy City and chose to eat at a restaurant outside.
One reason was that Uiharu and Saten had temporary passes and couldn't stay in Academy City for too long.
The other reason was that after dinner, it would be easier and quicker for them to return home, avoiding the risk of running into delinquents on dark streets late at night.
"Shall we walk you home later?"
Chinatsu, hands in her pockets, made the suggestion. Uiharu and Saten immediately waved their hands, saying it would be too much trouble and wasn't necessary.
District 7, a certain family restaurant.
The group entered the restaurant, found a random table, and sat down. This restaurant was quite famous in the area. Even those who usually lived in Academy City often came here to eat, with the exception of Kongo Mitsuko.
She took the menu from the server, gave it a quick glance, and a look of confusion immediately appeared on her face.
"Hmm? Is the price listed in dollars?"
Mitsuko tilted her head in puzzlement. Kuroko, sitting beside her, twitched at the corner of her mouth. In her memory, she seemed to have once encountered another Tokiwadai Student who had said something similar.
"It's yen, of course, dummy."
Kuroko said exasperatedly as she took the menu from Mitsuko's hands. From her position bridging the ordinary and the wealthy, she began selecting dishes from the menu.
Chinatsu, sitting in the inner seat, was gripping her phone, typing furiously into a notepad app. Curious, Mikoto peeked at her phone screen.
Urban Legend Records
The Stripping Woman (✓)
Level Upper (✓)
The Ability-Cancelling Man (✓)
Wind Turbine Reversal (✓)
Guardian of the Cyber World (✓)
immortality experiment (×)
Frog-Faced Doctor (×)
Mysterious Metal (×)
...
"Huh? Sis, are you recording urban legends? You've already discovered the truth behind this many?" Mikoto asked in surprise.
At the same time, a look of confusion crossed her face. She thought to herself that even though she often hung out with her sister, she only recognized three of these, while her sister had encountered five.
"I was thinking of trying to uncover the truth behind all the urban legends. For example, the one rumored to be the immortality experiment—I've already figured out exactly who it is."
Chinatsu smiled and tapped the line on the screen that read 'immortality experiment' with a finger. Although she knew beforehand, she had still gone through the motions of an investigation.
It was a woman named Tsukuyomi Komoe, 135cm tall, who looked for all the world like an elementary school student, but was actually an excellent scholar and teacher working at Kamijou Touma's school.
No wonder rumors of an immortality experiment spread. Imagine being a student, looking up during class and seeing a legal loli standing on her tiptoes to write on the blackboard...
Chinatsu inwardly muttered, wondering if Academy City really did have an immortality experiment. It was just a rumor, but considering the tendencies of Academy City's Researchers, that possibility couldn't be completely ruled out.
Initially, Chinatsu had thought about visiting this Teacher Komoe tonight, but looking at the time now, it was probably better to wait until tomorrow night.
Getting stronger was important, of course.
But the purpose of Chinatsu becoming stronger was to protect the warmth around her. If she neglected the friends beside her now, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
Thinking this, Chinatsu quickly turned off her phone's lit screen. Perking up, she took the menu from Kuroko's hands.
"This one... this one... this one... and this one. These desserts all taste great. Let's get four of each, then. This meal is on me!"
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"