Boom—
A huge wave exploded out of the swimming pool in the gym, clearly Misaka Mikoto's doing.
The other girls looked at her with admiration.
On top of that, Misaka had an easygoing personality, so she quickly gained many admirers.
"Good day, Teacher Ren."
"Good afternoon, Junko." Ren replied when he saw the curly-haired girl.
"Did Student Shokuhou not come to class today?"
"She isn't feeling well today and took a leave."
"Oh my, is that so? May I go visit Shokuhou?" Hokaze Junko asked.
"That won't be possible," Ren said with a smile. "You should know as well. It's just an excuse."
"Teacher Ren, are you a researcher?" Hokaze Junko asked, her tone still calm and polite.
"Yes."
Ren had already mentioned his identity during the interview, so there was no reason to deny it.
After all, it could be verified very easily.
"Did you come to the Tokiwadai Middle School to observe Shokuhou's data?" Junko's tone remained courteous, but a hint of dislike had appeared.
"No. I was just a little worried about her."
"But now there's no need. She has already pulled herself together."
"Teacher Ren, what happened?"
"Her friend helped her untangle what was troubling her," Ren said, recalling Shokuhou Misaki crying and apologizing in the hospital yesterday.
"Is that so?" Hokaze Junko looked a little downcast.
So she wasn't considered a friend yet?
"Alright, aren't you going to test your ability data?" Ren changed the subject.
"The second-years are already done. The first-year Misaka is really amazing," Hokaze Junko said with a smile.
"Perfect timing. Let's go take a look."
Ren walked past her.
"Teacher Ren?" Misaka Mikoto looked surprised when she saw him approach.
"It's nothing. Just do your test. I'm only here to look at the ability data," Ren said, waving his hand.
After that, Misaka Mikoto completed all the tests normally.
Still, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
A certain man had been staring at her the entire time.
"Teacher Ren, is there something wrong?"
"Your ability is very interesting. When you have time, let's spar a bit," Ren said with a smile.
"Teacher Ren… I think I'll pass," Misaka Mikoto replied.
She knew Ren was a Level 0, so considering that, she politely refused.
"Mm."
Ren did not really care and began watching the other people being tested.
He had to admit that Academy City really had something special.
Using science to create so many kinds of espers was impressive, even though it had been researched before.
Shokuhou Misaki's so-called Mental Out ability was essentially the power to manipulate fluids inside the human brain, thereby interfering with a person's mind.
It sounded ridiculous, but it actually worked.
Ren could only attribute it to the unique rules of this world.
Tokiwadai Middle School truly lived up to its reputation as an elite girls' school.
Most of the students were already Lv3, and their overall quality was very high.
Being a teacher here was fairly easy as long as one's professional knowledge was solid.
Generally speaking, esper evaluations tested the user's physical condition, ability strength, and development direction.
For example, Mikoto Misaka was an all-rounder, which was why she would later rank third among the Lv5s.
After classes ended in the afternoon, Ren had no extra work to deal with.
He drove back home, when his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Ren answered the call.
"Kihara Gensei, why are you calling me?"
"Ren, you participated in the early stages of the project. Are you interested in working with me?" Kihara Gensei said.
"What do you want me to do?"
"That is something you will only know after joining."
"I'll think about it and get back to you."
"The offer is valid for three days. Any time within three days, this number will still work."
After saying that, Kihara Gensei hung up.
The Level 6 Shift Project.
Ren knew it very well.
In the end, Dolly's existence was meant to verify the performance of the clones.
Now that the data had been collected, mass production was clearly the next step.
What a headache.
Ren felt irritated just thinking about it.
Letting Accelerator slaughter over nine thousand Sisters and then giving him a so-called lesson in justice afterward?
That was already too late.
If it had been before, when he had no power, things might have been different.
But now, it was not the same.
He shared power across countless worlds, and his strength was no longer something a mere Lv5 could resist.
So Ren quickly made a decision.
He would get involved in this plan.
In the end, he would probably still be used by Kihara Gensei, but there was no other choice.
The timing of gaining shared abilities had come too late, and many things could no longer be stopped.
After making up his mind, Ren decided to participate.
There was no need to reply immediately.
He would respond when the time came.
When he got home and pushed the door open, he saw two pale, naked bodies.
The two girls froze on the spot.
In the next moment, ear-piercing screams rang out.
"Thanks for the treat," Ren said calmly.
Then he silently closed the door.
"Ahhh—!"
Shokuhou Misaki's scream echoed from inside.
As for why Dolly did not scream, it was simple.
When she first opened her eyes, she had been naked and surrounded by a crowd.
She did not care about such things at all.
"I will definitely erase his memory," Shokuhou Misaki shouted as she hurriedly put on her clothes and rushed out.
"Don't worry, I didn't see anything. Honestly, it was the same as looking at myself." Ren spoke calmly.
"Humiliation…" Shokuhou Misaki's face turned red. Even though she was only in her first year of middle school, she already understood what she should. She hurriedly picked up the remote and pressed it at Ren.
Ren instinctively pretended to be controlled.
Shokuhou Misaki clenched her teeth. "Ren, how long are you going to keep pretending?"
"When did you notice?" Ren laughed.
"From that day on, I couldn't read your thoughts." Shokuhou Misaki answered honestly.
"Don't worry. Even if you can't read minds, you and Dolly are still the most important people to me." Ren said softly.
"Hmph. If I can't read your mind, how would I know if what you're saying is true?" Shokuhou Misaki said so, but her reddened face had already betrayed her real feelings.
"Haha, it's fine. I'm not interested in flat little boards." After saying that, Ren went to prepare dinner.
Shokuhou Misaki patted her chest subconsciously.
It really was small, and that made her feel a bit embarrassed.
After this incident, Shokuhou Misaki stopped giving him a good attitude.
During dinner, she ate silently.
Whenever she noticed Ren looking at her, she would give him a death stare.
"Misaki, it's fine. I misspoke. You're super charming, and I rate you very highly in my heart." Ren commented seriously.
"Cough—!" Shokuhou Misaki almost choked on her food. Her face turned bright red as she pulled out the remote and pressed it wildly at Ren.
But since things were already out in the open, Ren didn't bother pretending to be hypnotized anymore. He simply looked at her with interest.
Seeing that her ability didn't work at all, Shokuhou Misaki picked up her bowl, took some dishes, and returned to her room to eat alone.
Seeing this, Ren finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Shokuhou Misaki wasn't really angry.
She was just embarrassed, even though this whole incident wasn't actually his fault.
Dolly, on the other hand, was confused from start to finish.
She didn't understand what the big deal was about just looking at someone's body.
Clearly, her sense of shame hadn't formed yet.
"Dolly, your body can only be seen by the most important people." Ren continued to instill his very wrong ideas.
"And you are all the most important people to me."
"Researcher big brother is my important friend." Dolly thought for a moment before replying.
"Good girl. I'll bring you some dessert when I come back tomorrow."
"Okay!" Dolly's eyes lit up, clearly remembering the desserts she had eaten in the hospital.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24