Under the night sky, Academy City felt unusually quiet. But inside a certain izakaya, lights were bright, and the air buzzed with noise and laughter.
"Cheers!"
After a long day at work, this was where office workers came to unwind in droves. Even the normally shy and reserved female teachers were guzzling down liters of beer, forming a picturesque scene in the nightlife of the city.
Ethan Cole found himself craving Mapo Tofu, one of the most beloved foreign dishes among Japanese citizens, and one of the few "hometown flavors" available in Academy City.
Unfortunately, this izakaya only served Japanese fare.
"This isn't a kindergarten bus, I want off!!"
No sooner had they entered than Komoe Tsukuyomi collapsed onto the bench seat, dizzy and nauseated before she'd even had a sip of alcohol.
"I thought I was gonna die..."
"I drive just fine," Ethan said confidently.
"You're never driving again!"
Yomikawa Aiho pulled back her long black ponytail, letting it sway past her hips. If she didn't sweep it aside and lay it over the seat, her curvaceous figure would crush it beneath her.
"Kid, that was one hell of a ride. But since you gave us a good thrill, I'll overlook your little driving offense… this time."
Coming from a busty bombshell like her, and under the neon haze of alcohol and night life, those words would send any man's imagination spiraling.
"Wait… is that really okay?" Tetsuyuki asked hesitantly.
"Lighten up, will you? Don't be so stiff."
With that, Yomikawa plopped a chilled mug of beer against Komoe's cheek. The pink-haired legal loli flushed red on contact, letting out a comforted sigh.
"Hnghh~"
Komoe shivered like a startled kitten.
"As punishment, Ethan-kun isn't allowed to drink tonight," Yomikawa said teasingly. "He's underage. Alcohol messes with ability development."
"Let me guess, the real reason is that someone still needs to drive the drunks home?"
"Busted," Ethan sighed.
Komoe suddenly turned stern.
"Ethan-kun, you must take this seriously. Ethanol alters brain function in developing adolescents, hindering neural development, and impairing both cognition and behavioral patterns. "
Her chemistry teacher instincts were flaring up again.
In Academy City, ability development, Personal Reality, was directly tied to cognition.
Even so, many Level 0s who failed to awaken abilities often gave up on themselves, spiraling into despair.
That, more than anything, was what Komoe couldn't stand, and why she'd taken in an undocumented "black market" transfer student from other country.
Ethan looked at the petite teacher and said sincerely:
"Thank you, Komoe-sensei."
"Wha- whaaat's with the sudden formality…?"
She wasn't used to the polite tone. This boy, who lived under her roof and shared every day with her, suddenly being so proper? It made her fumble for her drink to hide her flustered expression.
"Kids aren't allowed to drink," the waitress warned. "Sir, please watch your little sister. Our establishment doesn't serve minors."
…Little sister?!
A tiny strand of hair popped upright on Komoe's head like an antenna, her emotional sensitivity radar.
The keyword "small" had hit her like a thunderclap.
"I'm an adult!!"
The new waitress didn't believe her for a second.
Here we go again.
Guess I'll have to be the sacrificial lamb...
Ethan adjusted his glasses and said:
"I can vouch for her. She's actually my older sister. She's a high school teacher."
"…Eh?"
The waitress stared at this chaotic "sibling duo" in disbelief. The tiny Komoe looked nothing like a responsible older sibling, more like a clingy elementary schooler.
It wasn't until the manager rushed out, bowing repeatedly, that the situation calmed down.
"I'm so sorry. That staff member is new, didn't recognize Komoe-sensei…"
"Tch… Do I really have to whip out my teacher ID?"
Komoe puffed out her cheeks, sipping juice through a straw like a child. Ethan couldn't help but smile.
And she says she's not a kid…
"So, how old are you, Sensei?"
"Ethan-kun, that's classified," Komoe said, speaking gravely. "A true lady never reveals her age so carelessly."
And yet… the moment he called her "sister," something soft inside her heart was stirred.
She'd left her family behind after college to live alone in Academy City. Though her students were always noisy and lively, loneliness still lingered.
"Alright." Ethan smiled. "Today's my first paycheck. My treat tonight, dear sisters."
"Well now, aren't you thoughtful."
Yomikawa wrapped an arm around Ethan's shoulder, her coat long discarded. The sultry beauty showed no concern for appearances.
So I'm not the only 'onee-chan' anymore, huh...
Komoe quickly composed herself and chuckled.
"I'm happy to spend Ethan-kun's money tonight. After all, you earned it with your own hard work."
"There's a story there."
"Hmph. A certain troublemaker once tried to run away on the second day I took him in. Left behind the cash he swiped from somewhere to 'pay rent', didn't want to owe me anything."
"I found it on the street," Ethan added casually.
"Ladies~ care to join us for a drink?"
A lazy male voice cut through the air. A group of drunken punks staggered over, reeking of alcohol, clearly trying to hit on the ladies.
Hardly surprising. Yomikawa and Tetsuyuki were hard to ignore.
"You ladies are talking pretty wild, how about ditching this brat and letting us show you a better time?"
"I see how it is… Getting special treatment, huh?"
"Wait, is that a kid?"
They stared at Komoe's tiny frame in disbelief.
The insult hit hard. She downed several cups in rapid succession, face red with frustration.
"See what I mean?" Ethan gestured casually. "Every night, this city spawns new wild mobs. Beat them and you get loot drops."
"This isn't some gacha mob game!"
Tetsuyuki, still relatively sober, stood up instinctively to scold the punks.
District 7 was home to middle and high schools, and students had curfews. These guys were obviously school dropouts.
Then, SMASH!
Thirty seconds later, the punks were tossed out of the izakaya, groaning and beaten to a pulp.
"Hope you boys had fun."
Go home and practice some 'swordplay' with your bros…
Geass!
A red bird of light flickered in Ethan's eye. He lowered the curtain and dusted off his hands, then turned to find the ladies staring at him.
If those punks had known who they'd been harassing, they'd be dead.
"No need to trouble the teachers. Oh, look, they dropped their wallets. I'll hand them to the manager to cover our tab. Gotta support small businesses, right?"
"E-Ethan-kun, that's robbery! Yomikawa-sensei!"
"Huh? What? So loud... I can't hear you…"
Yomikawa was already "drunk" and sprawled across the table.
"Always like this…" Tetsuyuki sighed.
Komoe was wobbling in a tipsy haze, her eyes unfocused. Her thoughts drifted to a similar evening, the night they first met.
A month earlier, in a narrow alley of District 7.
I… I really came to Academy City?
An eighteen-year-old transmigrator looked at his hands, struggling to process the truth.
The body was still his own, physical transmigration, not just soul. That meant the disease hadn't gone away.
The world around him painted a clear picture:
A sprawling metropolis. Futuristic architecture. Towering buildings lined with solar panels. Cylindrical robots rolled across the streets, handling security and sanitation.
In the distance stood a white tower that pierced the sky, a space elevator.
That ruled out The Wandering Earth. Only A Certain Magical Index had an Academy City in Tokyo.
Above, a white airship broadcast the weather on a massive screen: Academy City.
It hovered like a giant solar-powered blimp, right on time for the evening rush hour.
It was mid-June in Tokyo. Though the weather was warm, Ethan felt a chill in his bones.
The science side of this world had basically built a modern-day Tower of Babel. Erecting a space elevator so far from the equator? It was… absurd.
What tech could counteract Earth's rotation?
And if this was Index's world, then terrifying beings like Magic Gods or Aleister would find him in an instant.
At least… he'd die 'painlessly'.
Am I the most peacefully reincarnated transmigrator in history?
He'd probably passed out at his desk mid-anime binge. After all, he had been watching Redo of Healer on some very questionable websites…
If his family found his search history, it'd be game over!
Damn it, I should've just booted up Steam and played "Crap! I'm Surrounded by Beauties!"
Being transported into a sci-fi dating sim world where gorgeous women fight over you? Way safer than this mess of magic and science.
But nope, his newbie village was Academy City.
"Hey punk, hand over some spending money."
A gang of delinquents blocked the narrow alley. Ethan clicked his tongue.
Couldn't understand them. But judging by their tone, it was your typical shakedown.
So much for "safest city."
He'd always been a model student, not much of a fighter. But anyone who had messed with him before… remembered it.
He could weaponize his condition. Just charge in like a rabid dog immune to pain. He might pass out eventually, but most opponents ran off in terror first.
I wonder how long it'll take to recover this time…
Just as he prepared to strike first, a slender figure appeared at the alley's edge.
Bathed in the sunset's glow, a middle-school girl with shoulder-length brown hair slung her bag over her shoulder like a shonen protagonist. Hearing the commotion, she turned her head toward the alley.
She saw a clean-cut boy surrounded by delinquents, looking helpless.
"This city really never gets boring," she muttered.
"Who's that?"
"Tokiwadai uniform? Some rich lady?"
"That your little boyfriend? Come join him, sweetheart."
"B-Boyfriend?!"
Flushed red, not from shyness, but from rage.
That voice… that frog keychain on her bag…
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that face. That voice. That CV.
It's her…
"You punks know what this uniform means, right?" she growled. "Only Level 3s and above can attend Tokiwadai Middle School."
This girl stood at the peak of Academy City's espers. The Railgun, Misaka Mikoto.
"Huh?"
The punks didn't even get to react before,
CRACK!
Blinding lightning burst down the alley.
"Bzzzt!"
As the current surged across the ground, Ethan closed his eyes peacefully.
I've entered the anime wrong.
Why the hell is the story starting with the heroine saving the guy?!
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