In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 188

"I've already missed you a little after just a few days."

Higashino Yu's voice, tinged with amusement, rang out above her head. Angry girls are actually quite easy to appease; all it takes is saying a few words she wants to hear.

"Humph."

Kihara Tsuki shifted awkwardly in his arms, trying to break free from the overly intimate embrace. Her face flushed slightly, and her voice came through in a muffled tone.

"Save those sweet, deceptive words for your girlfriends."

Although I said that, being held by him like that, feeling that familiar scent and strong sense of security, I was actually very happy inside.

"How could it be a lie?"

Higashino Yu loosened his grip on her slightly, looked down at the "Kihachi" in his arms with a loli-like face but a complicated expression, and pinched her pink cheek.

"Let's go on a date again in a few days when you're free? You'll need to have a few more 'treatments'."

Although he could solve her problem on the spot, he certainly couldn't do it so quickly; he still wanted to use this excuse to continue teasing this lovely girl.

"……Um."

Kihara Aki hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. Putting aside the fact that this guy had turned into a young boy to deceive her before the last treatment, the effect was quite good.

The treatment fee is a little embarrassing, and this guy likes to stick his tongue out, which is just awful.

Higashino Yu watched her nod, her mind clearly mature yet her appearance like a little girl, and his mischievousness surged up again.

He leaned closer to that delicately sculpted face and said with a smile, "Since you've agreed to the treatment appointment, how about... you pay the 'treatment fee' for this session first?"

Kihara Tamaki's face flushed bright red, even the tips of her small ears turned crimson.

She knew perfectly well what Higashino Yu meant by the medical fees. She just hadn't expected him to ask for payment in advance this time—wasn't he being a bit too eager?

She instinctively wanted to refuse, to call him a pervert, but her body was controlled by an invisible force and she couldn't move, or even utter a word of rebuttal.

Looking at Higashino's expectant smile so close to her face, she closed her eyes resignedly.

Higashino Yu lowered his head and gently kissed those two lips that were as soft as flower petals.

Kihara Ayaki's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed, allowing Higashino to take what he wanted.

After a while, Higashino Yu reluctantly let her go.

Kyoko Tsurugi immediately took a step back, her face flushed, and she took a few quick breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.

She glared at Higashino Yu, but her gaze was more reproachful than angry.

"Is...is this okay?"

Even though it wasn't the first time, every time Higashino made a move, she couldn't forget it. After all, this guy was just too wicked; it wasn't just a simple kiss that ended things, he would actually hit her.

"The chairman is still waiting for you! Go by yourself!"

She speaks very quickly.

"With your abilities, you don't need me to guide you to the chairman at all!"

She was referring to the direction of the building where Aleister was located, a building without doors or windows.

After saying that, before Higashino Yu could say anything more, her figure vanished without a trace.

"The way she ran away shyly is as cute as ever, it's a pity she has a different face."

Higashino Yu felt a pang of emotion. Just like what he had done to Frenda that morning, he was curious whether this counted as kissing the real person or the transformed version of them... Should he judge based on appearance or inner qualities?

"But it doesn't matter for now. Let's let her off the hook for today. We'll deal with this little wildcat properly next time we have time. She ran away without finishing her work. What an irresponsible leader."

He looked up at the center of Academy City, at that windowless building.

"Aleister...you're calling me at this hour..."

A profound meaning flashed in Higashino Yu's eyes.

"So it must be because of the fallen angels, right?"

He didn't linger. With a thought, he vanished completely into the alleyway in the early morning.

Chapter 222 Reunion with the Hanging Man

In the blink of an eye, Higashino Yu found himself inside the most mysterious core of Academy City, inside a building without doors or windows.

The enormous cylindrical space was filled with a pale green life-sustaining fluid. And in the center before him stood Aleister Crowley, the "human" suspended upside down in the solution.

Higashino Yu's gaze immediately fell on the figure in the liquid column.

Sure enough, even the global magic of the Fallen Angels did not change Aleister's appearance in any way.

It's unclear whether it was his own power, the building's effect of blocking the angel's fall, or Aiwass's.

He was still wearing that green outfit, still hanging upside down, and still had that face that seemed to be forever asleep, yet knew everything.

"It seems that this inexplicable incident that happened today..."

Higashino Yu spoke first.

"It really won't affect your existence as a 'non-human' who's been soaking in a jar."

Aleister ignored Higashino's sarcastic remarks and his emotionless voice rang out without warning: "Higashino Yu, you've arrived."

"Well, I'm here."

Higashino Yu casually responded, silently reflecting on the anchor point left by their first meeting.

Is it still there?

And this feeling... is it that "angel" is spying on me? I didn't notice it when I first came here, but now that I'm stronger, I'm noticing even more interesting things.

But at a time like this, shouldn't you say something like "You shouldn't have come" to match my mood?

"You specifically sent Jie Biao to find me, you wouldn't just want to chat with me, would you?"

"You should have already noticed."

Aleister made no attempt at small talk and went straight to the point.

"An anomaly that covers Academy City, no, that covers the entire world."

"Hmm, you mean everyone's appearance has changed, but no one has noticed?"

Higashino Yu nodded, his tone slightly playful.

"A burly man in a sailor uniform, an old lady boxing, a little girl robbing people... Pretty interesting, isn't it?"

He deliberately described this absurd drama in a lighthearted tone. Aside from the cringe-worthy scenes, some of them actually looked both bizarre and hilarious.

"It's not just as simple as 'fun'."

Aleister's voice remained steady and flat.

"This is a phenomenon caused by a world-class magic temporarily called 'Angel Fall'."

Higashino Yu's playful expression faded slightly, and he feigned seriousness: "Angel Fall? That doesn't sound like a good thing. Judging from today's situation, it's definitely magic that will have a huge impact on people's normal lives, right?"

“Correct. This is a large-scale magic that is theoretically extremely difficult to succeed. The name ‘Fallen Angel’ is based on the characteristics of the phenomenon.”

Aleister continued.

"It involves the core concept of the 'Tree of Life' in Kabbalah."

"tree of Life?"

Although Higashino knew what the situation was, he still had to act and continue to play the straight man in this situation.

"Yes. In the Tree of Life system, the number of humans and angels is constant and strictly separated. Humans cannot be promoted to angels, and angels can never be demoted to humans. However, the magic 'Fallen Angels' forcibly breaks this ironclad rule!"

Higashino remembers this point; in the original work, Tsuchimikado Motoharu explained the principle to Kamijou Touma.

"It forcibly dragged down the angels who originally lived in the heavens and demoted them to human beings! This directly caused a disruptive chaos in the realm of 'humanity'! The most direct manifestation of this is what you are seeing now: the forced replacement of identities and roles worldwide!"

Higashino, of course, understood the terrifying aspect of this magic; it wasn't some kind of dress-up game! Pulling down angels and turning them into humans? What would happen to the empty spaces? The balance of the world would inevitably be disrupted!

So even he was somewhat troubled by this incident. Of course, it was only to the extent of being troubled; if he could find Touma Kamijou, the matter could be easily resolved.

However, we'll need to investigate where Touma's father is and where the magic was activated later.

"Precisely because 'Angel's Fall' is a grand-scale magic on a world scale,"

Aleister went on to explain.

"It cannot be activated and maintained by a single mage. It necessarily requires a meticulously constructed, massive barrier or magic circle that serves as the 'ritual site.' This is the foundation upon which it operates, and also its weakness."

It seems Aleister doesn't know the truth about this incident either? He even said that it couldn't be done by one person alone, but this time it really was done by an ordinary person.

Of course, the Genesis Covenant before the time travel isn't finished yet. It would be even more interesting if Hippo later added a patch to Touma's father, revealing that he was actually a super strong person, a demon god, or a master.

But that's unlikely...

"Therefore, there are two ways to end this farce."

Higashino Yu directly stated the solution to the problem from the original work.

"First, find and eliminate the spellcaster; second, find and destroy the 'ritual site' that forms the foundation of the magic?"

"exactly."

Aleister confirmed Higashino Yu's assessment.

"And now I need you, Higashino Yu, to find the caster, defeat him, or... simply eliminate him!"

Aleister's voice suddenly became more forceful, carrying an unprecedented sense of urgency.

“You must act quickly! I don’t know when this spell will complete its final ‘replacement.’ Once the ‘angels’ have completely ‘fallen’ and replaced the ‘humans,’ the laws of the world will be completely rewritten, and the consequences… will be the collapse and reconstruction of the entire world! That will not be a ‘world-shaking’ event that we can’t bear, but utter annihilation!”

Hearing Aleister's words, Higashino felt nothing; he even felt a little amused.

He understood that this was no exaggeration. But he didn't believe this incident could really reach that level.

The world is full of hidden talents, surely someone has a solution?

However, since the request had already been made, Higashino didn't intend to refuse. He was also quite interested in the angel.

Like Laura, understanding the essence of her power will definitely allow one to further enhance their own abilities.

"understood."

Higashino Yu nodded.

"The world is going to be destroyed, that sounds like a bad thing. But..."

He abruptly changed the subject, staring directly at the inverted figure in the liquid column, a sly smile playing on his lips: "Chairman, you've asked me to do this job, there has to be some benefit, right? You can't expect me to do this arduous task of saving the world for nothing, can you?"

A brief silence followed. Aleister seemed unsurprised that Higashino was still haggling at this crucial moment.

"...After you return, you will become a member of the Academy City Council."

Aleister's voice returned to absolute calm, and he gave a promise that sounded extremely weighty to Higashino Yu.

What does this promise mean? It means that after resolving the "Angel Fall" incident, Higashino Yu will be one of the top figures in Academy City.

Unlike those with special abilities, what good are a few superpowered individuals? In the eyes of those higher-ups, they're nothing more than guinea pigs.

Of course, he had no interest in becoming a high-ranking official, nor did he care that insignificant people treated him as a guinea pig.

In short, might makes right. Apart from Aleister and a certain angel who was spying on them, Higashino completely looked down on those high-ranking officials and researchers in Academy City.

However, this identity isn't bad either; it allows me to do some things more legitimately and reduce some trouble. And since I'm a leader, it's reasonable to have a secretary, and forming my own direct secret service would also be a logical step.

"make a deal!"

Higashino Yu's smile widened; he was very satisfied with this condition.

He snapped his fingers, the crisp sound echoing in the empty space.

"Well then, Chairman, I'm going on a 'vacation' and, while I'm at it, I'll go find that guy who wants to turn the world into a giant role-playing game."

The spatial fluctuations vanished in an instant, and he had disappeared inside the windowless building as if he had never existed.

Within the massive column of liquid, Aleister's inverted figure remained silent.

"Is this really a good idea? His power... even I would find it troublesome."

Aiwas's voice suddenly rang out from the side; she had been listening to their conversation from the beginning.

"He seems to have noticed me just now."