In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 127

Even she had never seen a ghost before.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaomeng..."

Higashino quickly supported her petite body and explained.

“This is Yu Ling Mingya. She… well, she’s a ‘resident’ with special abilities. She usually exists in a state of ‘low presence’, not easily noticed by ordinary people, or she stays in the shadows. She’s also part of our family.”

Mingya bowed slightly to the still-shaken Xiaomeng, her expression serious: "Nice to meet you, Tsukuyomi Xiaomeng-sensei. I am Miyuki Mingya."

Tsukuyomi Komoe clutched her chest, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and curiously looked at Miya: "A...a special ability user? Like a ghost? Wow...so amazing! It's okay! Komoe isn't afraid!"

She straightened her chest and patted it confidently.

"Summer camp is all about having fun and interesting friends! The beach... ghosts... seems like a good match, doesn't it?"

The more she talked, the more amusing it became, and she started giggling to herself.

"Does Mingya also want to go to the beach?"

Higashino looked at the tall, ghostly girl.

Mingya remained silent for a moment, a longing expression appearing on her pale face. She nodded gently: "...I have never seen the real sea. I would be extremely grateful if we could travel together."

"Great!"

Index cheered. Although she was disappointed that Yu couldn't go, she didn't object to his arrangement.

Himegami Akisa nodded slightly: "...Thank you for your trouble, Tsukuyomi-sensei."

Without further ado, since they had decided to travel together, Higashino immediately helped the three of them pack their simple luggage. Index packed a lot of snacks, Himegami Akisa brought her "magic wand" and a simple change of clothes, and Meiya... didn't seem to need to prepare anything special.

Higashino stuffed the luggage into the trunk of Xiaomeng's small car, filling it to the brim. He watched as Index jumped for joy, Himegami remained calm yet expectant, Meiya curiously examined the car, and the petite teacher stood beside the car, trying her best to play the role of a reliable leader.

Higashino felt a warm sense of reluctance, but he was mostly happy that they had the opportunity to go out and have fun.

None of them—Index, Himegami Akisa, or Mikoto Meiya—had ever participated in a similar event before, making this experience extremely valuable to them.

Therefore, even though Higashino himself couldn't go, he didn't want the girls to miss this rare opportunity.

As for the safety of the four of them, Higashino was not worried. The existence of Mingya was enough to solve most of the troubles, and the talismans that Higashino gave them could also protect them from enemies that she could not deal with, so that they would be teleported to his phase when they encountered life-threatening danger.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Teacher Xiaomeng."

Higashino said earnestly to Tsukuyomi Komoe.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Tsukuyomi Komoe nodded vigorously, a confident smile on her face.

"Keep up the good work, Higashino-kun! We'll bring you some local specialties from the seaside when we get back!"

The pink car slowly started, carrying the four of them away from the villa and heading towards the seaside outside Academy City. Index leaned out of the car window and waved vigorously, while Himegami Akisa also reluctantly said goodbye to Higashino.

Mingya's figure blended into the shadow of the vehicle, but her protruding half-body was also waving goodbye to Higashino.

According to her own request, she did not want Higashino to maintain a situation where she could be seen by anyone; it was enough for only a few people in the car to be able to see her.

Higashino stood at the door, watching the car disappear at the end of the street until it was completely out of sight. The villa fell silent instantly, leaving him all alone.

He glanced down at the Midsummer Festival duty notice on his phone and let out a soft breath.

"Alright, so next..."

He turned around, locked the villa door, and strode towards Tokiwadai Middle School.

Chapter 161 Wannei Juanbao and Pao Fu Wanbin's Request and Kissing Deal!

Tokiwadai Health Care Room.

Higashino Yu looked around at the room, which he had restored to its original state after fighting with Hohō Junko yesterday, and couldn't help but rub his forehead.

"Tsk, there's really nothing I need to clean anymore."

He muttered to himself, complaining.

Yesterday, his battle with Junko filled the entire infirmary; you could say the place was covered in traces of their fight. After all, Junko is in excellent physical condition; she even has abs, something many girls don't have, and she can do all sorts of difficult moves without a problem.

As a result, they went a little too far and the infirmary was left in a mess. Afterwards, feeling annoyed by the mess, Higashino used her ability to restore the infirmary to its original state before she arrived.

"Never mind, let's tidy up the medicine and clean off the dust."

Just as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to start cleaning, a gentle knock sounded on the door.

Stopping what he was doing, Higashino spoke towards the door.

"Please come in."

The door opened, and two girls dressed in Tokiwadai school uniforms walked in somewhat reservedly. Their eyes lit up instantly when they saw Higashino standing in the center of the room.

"Dr. Higashino! You're really here!"

The first to speak was a girl with short, wavy brown hair, named Wannai Kinuho.

"That's great! We were worried we wouldn't be able to find you..."

The other one, with long black hair and a soft voice, is Pao Fu Wanbin.

Higashino was also somewhat surprised to see the two of them: "Paofu-kun, Wannai-kun? What a coincidence."

On his first day working at Tokiwadai, these two girls from the swimming club pretended to be sick and came to the infirmary.

Of course, most of the girls who came to the clinic that day were in this situation.

When Higashino deliberately strolled around the campus, he subtly spread "cognitive anchors" using his ability, influencing many girls. Otherwise, even if the young ladies of Tokiwadai were curious, they wouldn't have approached him so enthusiastically.

This aroused their curiosity and a slight fondness for him, an impression that has lasted to this day.

However, because the next day was a holiday, Higashino did not have the opportunity to continue interacting with the other people.

"Hehe, Dr. Higashino, actually we came here specifically to see you."

Wan Neijuan stepped forward, her tone tinged with distress.

"Here's the thing, the company that has been sponsoring our swimming club really wants us to help out by modeling swimsuits for a promotional magazine. But right now, only Paofu and I can participate. The others... can't participate for various reasons."

She sighed helplessly.

"We asked quite a few classmates for help yesterday, but they all refused..."

Pao Fuwanbin interjected, his voice tinged with a hint of pleading: "Yesterday we wanted to ask Misaka for help. We heard she... uh, is very popular and has a good image. But Misaka wasn't at school yesterday..."

Yesterday, Pao Fu Wanbin searched for Meiqin for a long time, but to no avail.

After all, Mikoto went to buy a limited edition Gekota early in the morning, and then followed Higashino until she had dinner at his place before he used his ability to send her back to her dormitory.

"We heard you were at school today, so we were thinking... could we ask you for a favor? You know a lot of people, maybe you can get a few girls who are willing to help?"

Even though she only worked one day, rumors circulated on campus that Higashino had a very close relationship with many young ladies from Tokiwadai, and that the two of them were even part of the rumors.

Most importantly, their target, Misaka Mikoto, seems to be in a romantic relationship with Higashino.

As if remembering something, Pao Fuwanbin continued to add.

"You don't need to worry. The staff for the shoot are all women, and the magazine is sold to women as well. There won't be any problems."

Upon hearing this, Dongye knew that she was afraid he would misunderstand.

Swimsuit models? The “spectacle” of the villa pool party a few days ago is still fresh in my mind; the girls’ unique swimsuit poses were truly unforgettable.

Want to see it again? He certainly wouldn't mind, and would even be happy to see it happen.

However, Higashino was not too keen on having his woman pose for swimsuit photos for magazines.

After all, it's enough for me, a man, to appreciate the girls' swimsuit looks!

Higashino thought this somewhat selfishly.

However, I can't let this rare opportunity slip by. After the magazine shoot, I'll use my abilities to change the staff's perceptions and have them send the finished products to me.

Then they felt that this kind of shooting was too ordinary, so they decided to find male high school students to cross-dress. It would be more interesting for boys to wear women's swimsuits to shoot for a magazine.

However, one shouldn't easily grant such a request, right? A free lunch isn't his style.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the two elegant and beautiful young ladies for a moment before he slowly spoke: "Could you help me invite a few girls to participate in the modeling event? Hmm... it's not impossible."

Upon hearing this, hopeful expressions immediately appeared on the faces of Pao Fu and Wan Nei.

"But..."

Higashino suddenly changed the subject, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"It doesn't seem to be in line with my style to just agree to help unconditionally like this. I can help you, but you have to agree to two small conditions first."

The two women exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of tension in each other's eyes. But considering the urgency of the event, they nodded vigorously without hesitation.

"No problem, Dr. Higashino! Please let us know if it's within our capabilities!"

Representatives from both sides of the Wannai Kinu expressed their stance with determination.

"it is good."

Higashino smiled with satisfaction. The girl had already willingly walked into the spider web; all that was needed was to wait for the right opportunity.

"The first condition is simple: help me clean this place up."

He pointed around.

"Don't worry, the workload isn't heavy, and it's not too chaotic."

"That's perfectly fine!"

Pao Fuwanbin immediately agreed; the request was reasonable, even a bit too simplistic for them.

"Then, the second condition..."

Higashino's smile deepened. He took two steps forward, approaching the two of them.

Bubbling and in the bay unconsciously held their breath, their heartbeats quickening slightly.

Higashino first turned slightly to the side, getting close to Kiwana Kinuho's ear.

“My second request is… after I finish cleaning, you have to let me kiss you. As a ‘thank you gift’ for helping you solve your problem.”

Wannai Kinuho's body froze instantly, her cheeks flushing red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her ears.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she felt that if it were Dr. Higashino, it would be quite normal to give him this as a return gift.

Immediately afterwards, Higashino Yu turned to Paofu Wanbin and whispered in her ear as well.

"Pao Fu, you too. A thank-you kiss isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Pao Fuwanbin blushed slightly at the breaths and demands whispered in his ear.

Normally, such an abrupt and even rude request would have offended or even angered these two well-mannered young ladies.

But at this moment, under the subtle influence of Higashino's abilities, a "reasonable" explanation automatically formed in their chaotic and shy minds:

Dr. Higashino has helped us so much, a kiss as a thank you... doesn't seem like it's entirely unacceptable?

He helped us find someone, all he wanted was a kiss... It doesn't seem like... that's too much to ask?

Besides... he's so handsome and so capable... I think I... have a bit of a crush on him... I should fulfill even the most outrageous requests.

Once this thought arose, it entwined their hearts like vines. The words of refusal stuck in their throats, impossible to utter. Their cheeks burned, their earlobes turned so red they seemed ready to bleed, but deep within their hearts, a secret expectation, one they themselves were unwilling to delve into, quietly sprouted.

They exchanged a shy, resigned look, and without much thought, nodded almost imperceptibly, replying in voices barely audible:

"Okay... okay, Dr. Higashino..."

"Um...we...agree..."

The sound was soft, but it reached Higashino's ears clearly. His smile instantly became extremely bright, like a fox who had succeeded in its scheme.

"very good."

He nodded in satisfaction, as if he had simply completed an ordinary transaction.

"Well then, let's get started cleaning!"

Outside the infirmary, the sun shone brightly. Inside, the three began their cleaning and tidying work.

Chapter 162 Intimate Teaching in the Swimming Pool