In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 76

Mikoto blushed and her attacks became even more aggressive.

Suddenly, she feinted an attack, secretly pulling a few coins from her pocket with her left hand. In the instant Dongye parried the lightning sword, she abruptly withdrew her sword and leaped back, the coins bouncing into the air.

Three coins shot out in a triangular formation. Unlike the attack used at the start of the battle, this one possessed power and speed befitting an electromagnetic cannon. However, perhaps because three coins were used simultaneously, it was slightly weaker than when Higashino remembered using a single coin.

At the same time, Mikoto manipulated the remaining metal objects in the training field to attack from behind, forming a pincer movement. Then, she slammed both hands down onto the ground!

Countless high-speed vibrating iron shot needles, like a black storm, shot out silently from all directions, especially from Higashino's blind spots! This was a truly all-around, no-blind-spot kill!

This time, Higashino was truly amazed by Mikoto. Not only did she unleash three electromagnetic cannons simultaneously, but she also combined them with this all-around attack, making it quite perfect.

Higashino crossed his arms in front of his chest: "Oh dear, there's no way to avoid this, but it's not enough to hurt me."

A hemispherical, transparent barrier instantly deployed, blocking the three electromagnetic cannon shots, the metal storm, and the deadly rain of iron pellets. The violent explosion shook the entire training ground.

When the smoke cleared, Higashino was still standing in the same spot, and there wasn't even a crack in the barrier.

"How can this be……"

Mikoto's eyes widened, her chest heaving violently; the continuous barrage of powerful attacks had greatly depleted her stamina.

Although this attack wasn't a full-force attack, it was still quite powerful, yet it was blocked so easily.

"Good tactics."

Higashino removed the barrier and slowly moved forward.

"An all-around attack would indeed be a headache for an ordinary person, but my ability is just right for all-around defense. Besides, it seems your battery is low?"

Mikoto gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat already forming on her forehead. Using powerful techniques in succession had indeed drained a lot of her stamina.

"Who said that!"

She stubbornly raised her hand and pointed to the sky! Above the training ground, a small patch of simulated thunderclouds was instantly condensed by her electromagnetic force!

"Today, I'll let you experience what it feels like to be struck by lightning!"

Although the scale was far smaller than in its prime due to physical limitations, a blinding blue-white giant lightning bolt still carried a terrifying aura as it struck directly at the top of Higashino's head!

Higashino's pupils shone brightly with silver light as he raised his hand to face the descending lightning.

He didn't take the hit head-on, because that would have been too much of a blow to Misaka. It would be hard to accept that her strongest attack was blocked by her opponent with her bare hands.

Higashino subtly interfered with the 'trajectory' of the lightning. The terrifying bolt of lightning seemed to have struck an invisible, smooth curved surface, producing a deafening explosion before being refracted and deflected at nearly a 45-degree angle. It then struck the open ground a few meters away from Higashino, melting a large, charred crater in the ground, with arcs of electricity flying everywhere!

Seeing that Mikoto was already at her limit but still wanted to keep going, Higashino sighed helplessly.

He suddenly accelerated, closing the distance in an instant.

Mikoto staggered from the shock of the lightning strike and from exhaustion. In her haste, she released an arc of electricity to attack Higashino, but he easily dodged it. The next second, Higashino had already grabbed her wrist, and his other hand was gently pressing on her shoulder.

"enough."

His voice suddenly softened.

"That's enough for today, you're already very tired."

Mikoto struggled for a moment, only to find that all her strength seemed to have been drained away. She then realized that she was completely exhausted.

"hateful……"

She bit her lip in frustration. She had originally planned to give Higashino a good performance and teach him an unforgettable 'lesson', but she was the first to run out of energy.

What is the limit of this guy's ability? He can still deflect his ultimate move after fighting for so long! And he only seems to be tired from overusing his abilities, unlike me who can't even stand up straight.

"I'll definitely beat you next time."

She felt that she must have been too hasty today. The continuous use of her powerful abilities had exhausted her stamina, while Higashino, who had only been dodging and defending in the early stages, had consumed much less energy.

Higashino released his grip and chuckled, "I'm always ready. But for now..."

He pointed to Mikoto's somewhat disheveled sportswear.

"Sorry, I got your new clothes dirty."

Mikoto looked at the clothes she had just bought yesterday. They were indeed covered in dust, but thankfully they weren't damaged, otherwise she would have been heartbroken for a while.

"It's inevitable that clothes will get dirty during a battle, don't worry about it."

She turned to leave, but her legs gave way and she almost fell. Dongye quickly caught her, saying, "Be careful."

"Let me go!"

Mikoto frantically struggled to break free, but fell backward due to excessive force.

Higashino put his arm around her waist again: "It seems Misaka-san needs to rest for a bit."

"No need!"

Mikoto protested, her face flushed, but she had no choice but to lean on his arm for support.

"I'm just... just a little tired..."

Higashino smiled and helped her walk off the field.

Chapter 101 Big Sister's 'Hand-to-Hand Combat' Invitation!

"Don't be stubborn."

Higashino, supporting Mikoto as she walked off the court, steadily supported her back, allowing her to stand firmly on her own.

"Your performance today was absolutely amazing."

"Don't...don't look down on people..."

Mikoto's voice was muffled, her forehead resting on Higashino Yu's shoulder, still somewhat unwilling.

"I can still..."

Before she could finish speaking, her knees buckled again, and she fell forward. Higashino Yu reacted quickly, catching her around the waist and turning her around so that Mikoto's weight fell entirely on him.

"It seems Misaka-san needs a good rest."

Higashino chuckled, feeling the girl's rapid breathing in his arms, and felt that today's battle was truly worthwhile, and that his hard work in holding back during sparring was not in vain.

Mikoto struggled to push him away, but found she didn't even have the strength to lift her arm. She could only glare at Higashino Yu with embarrassment and anger: "It's...it's all your fault...for using such a troublesome ability..."

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault."

Higashino went along with her words without refuting them.

"But Misaka-san's new move is really powerful; that lightning sword almost hurt me."

Mikoto's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"certainly."

Higashino nodded seriously. Anyway, any attack that missed was just a little off, so there was nothing wrong with that.

"If I hadn't anticipated that you could use electromagnetic force to condense weapons, I might have really been at a disadvantage."

This small compliment seemed to give Mikoto a bit of strength. She braced herself against Higashino's chest, trying to create some distance between them: "Hmph... I'll definitely hit you next time..."

Next time, just use ordinary moves to wear him down, let him experience what it feels like to be exhausted.

"I'm also looking forward to the next duel."

Higashino smiled and let go of her hand, but still kept her in a position where he could support her at any time to prevent her from falling again.

"Would you like something to drink? There should be vending machines at the training ground."

Mikoto turned her head away and whispered, "Whatever."

"Whatever? That's quite a difficult request."

After thinking about it, Dongye decided that it would be a good idea to buy some milk for the girl to replenish her energy.

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, I'll be right back."

"Don't, don't call me that!"

Mikoto's face flushed again, and she grabbed the towel next to her and threw it at him. She was already a little uncomfortable being called "Princess of Tokiwadai," and being called that by Higashino made her feel even more embarrassed.

Higashino easily caught the towel and turned to walk towards the vending machine in the corner.

At the vending machine, Higashino inserted coins and pressed the strawberry milk button. A carton of strawberry milk rolled out shortly after. He then chose a bottle of soda for himself and returned to the rest area with his drinks.

Mikoto had managed to sit up straight and was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a towel. The neckline of her tracksuit was slightly open, revealing her delicate collarbone and a small patch of flushed skin.

Noticing Higashino's gaze, she immediately and shyly pulled up her zipper.

Higashino felt that she didn't really need to do that. Her small size couldn't support a large curve, so Higashino wouldn't be able to see the details at all. It would be more appropriate to replace her with Shokuhou.

"Your drink, Your Highness."

Higashino deliberately spoke in a respectful tone, handing over the strawberry milk like a dutiful butler.

Mikoto took the milk carton and mumbled softly, "...Thank you."

She eagerly inserted the straw and began to suckle greedily. The cool milk slid down her throat, making her squint her eyes in comfort.

Higashino sat down next to her and pulled the tab on his soda: "Feeling better?"

"Um......"

Mikoto gave a mumbled reply, then suddenly looked up as if she remembered something.

"Wait, how did you know I like strawberry milk?"

Higashino blinked. "Just guessing. Girls like you probably all like sweet things, right?"

He couldn't quite remember, but it seemed like Mikoto had drunk strawberry oden and tonkatsu sandwich drinks in the original work? However, Higashino hadn't seen them in the vending machine just now.

However, during one of our conversations, I did hear Ruiko say something like, "Misaka-senpai likes to eat strawberries."

"Who, who is 'that kind of girl'?!"

Mikoto was both embarrassed and annoyed, feeling like she was being treated like some kind of weak girl. However, because she had milk in her mouth, she didn't seem intimidating at all, but rather appeared even more adorable.

Higashino smiled without saying a word, his gaze sweeping over the milk stains on her lips. Mikoto noticed his gaze and hurriedly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, accidentally spreading the milk stains even wider.

"here."

Higashino pointed to the corner of his mouth as a gesture.

Mikoto rubbed the milk stains on her lips haphazardly, but couldn't find the right spot. Higashino couldn't help but reach out and gently wipe them away with his thumb. This sudden act of intimacy stunned Mikoto.

Time seemed to stand still for a second.

"Idiot, you idiot!"

Mikoto leaned back abruptly, almost falling off the bench.

"No, don't touch other people!"

Higashino grabbed her wrist just in time: "Be careful."

Mikoto shook off his hand, her face flushed red: "I...I'll go wash my face!"

She staggered to her feet and rushed to the bathroom as if fleeing.

Higashino watched her retreating figure, shaking his head and chuckling softly. He looked down at his thumb, which still retained a faint sweet scent of strawberry milk.

Teasing this kind of proud and aloof girl is really fun; I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I do it.

A few minutes later, Mikoto returned from the restroom, her face still damp with water droplets and a few strands of wet hair. She deliberately sat in the seat furthest from Higashino, glaring at him warily.

She was afraid that Higashino would do something intimate again. Although he had been appearing in her dreams lately, this was reality. He was Ruiko and Hatsuharu's boyfriend. What if she got involved?

Ahhh, no, no, this is too embarrassing...

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Higashino noticed Mikoto's unusual behavior; her face turned red rapidly without any warning.

"Would you like to rest a little longer?"

"I'm fine, no need."

Mikoto shouted and stood up, but immediately realized that she had gone too far, so she coughed lightly and shrank back down.

"I'm not that fragile."

Seeing Mikoto's tense yet slightly sulky expression, Higashino was about to say something more to further strengthen their relationship when the heavy alloy door at the entrance to the training ground was pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in.