In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 28

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Higashino's voice softened, filled with gratitude and a touch of heartache.

Higashino noticed her haggard face, which was probably not just from exhaustion, but also from hunger. After all, she had eaten all the leftover food from the banquet the next day, and the little bit that Stiyl was making before he appeared was not enough for this gluttonous nun.

"Ok!"

Index nodded vigorously, seemingly trying to prove that she was very capable.

"I took your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure as instructed in the book!"

She picked up a notebook and opened it; it was filled with crooked lines and numbers.

"Look, I've written it all down!"

Higashino glanced at it; the temperature recording line fluctuated wildly like a rollercoaster, with the highest point marked as a heart-stopping "41.2℃" and the lowest as "35.1℃". His lips twitched slightly; this error... there was probably something wrong with how the instrument was being used.

"Um... the thermometer doesn't seem to be very accurate."

Index explained somewhat embarrassedly.

"It was always a bit unstable when I tried it... but then I prayed for you using the church method! The book says that a high fever might be... um... something bad invading, and prayer can purify it!"

She pointed to Higashino's forehead, where a piece of paper with a crooked cross drawn on it was stuck.

Higashino raised his hand and touched the note, then felt the dryness and pain in his throat. He understood about 70-80% of what was going on. The so-called "care" process was probably accompanied by a lot of "experimental" feeding attempts.

"water……"

He felt like his throat was on fire.

"right away!"

Index immediately got up, her movements a little hurried, and accidentally bumped into an empty medicine bottle on the bedside table. She quickly left the bedroom, and soon the sounds of rummaging through cups and kettles came from the kitchen.

A moment later, she returned with a tray containing a glass of murky, pale green liquid with suspicious bubbles, and two charred, curled slices of bread beside it.

"Special Nutritional Meal!"

She tried to make her voice sound confident.

"I did it according to page 374 of the book! Replenishing energy and vitamins!"

Looking at the liquid that seemed to contain some unknown sediment, Higashino felt a nauseous churning in his stomach.

"What... is this made of?"

He asked, trying to keep his tone calm.

"It's vegetable juice!"

Index answered seriously.

"I added spinach, broccoli, bitter melon, and a little bit of... uh..."

She looked down and quickly flipped through the pages, as if to confirm something.

"Yes! The book said that an alkaline environment is beneficial for recovery, so I added some... I think it's something called baking soda? I found it in the corner of the kitchen..."

Higashino felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. Baking soda… while theoretically non-toxic, adding it to vegetable juice? He began to deeply doubt the authority of her “Complete Guide to Nursing Care.”

“Index, I’m very grateful, but…”

He tried to politely decline.

"I don't feel hungry yet, and my throat isn't too sore either, so drinking water will help..."

"no!"

Index, however, was very insistent, with a stubbornness that patients had to obey.

"The book says that patients need to replenish their nutrition in time to recover quickly! And this can relieve your sore throat!"

As she spoke, she picked up the glass of green liquid and brought it close to Higashino's lips, her eyes filled with pure, undeniable concern.

"Wait! I can do it myself..."

Before Higashino could finish speaking, Index pinched his nose without warning. The instant he instinctively opened his mouth to breathe, an indescribable liquid, a mixture of strong vegetable odor and pungent alkaline smell, was forcefully poured in!

"Ugh...!"

Caught off guard, Higashino was choked and coughed violently. The taste was extremely strange; the alkaline flavor burned his oral mucosa, instantly blurring his vision with tears and numbing his tongue.

"How's it going? Are you feeling better?"

Index put down her cup and looked at him with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"How about another sandwich? I found some meat in my neighbor's fridge..."

As Higashino coughed, he waved his hand with difficulty. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the piece of meat on the charred bread slice was so burnt that it looked no different from a lump of coal.

"No...cough cough...no need! Really, no need!"

He struggled with all his might to sit up, trying to avoid the black, unidentified object. In the process, he knocked over a small medicine box on the ground, scattering its bottles and jars all over the floor.

A small, dark purple glass bottle rolled to Index's feet.

"Ah! Found it!"

She picked up the bottle with delight, completely unaware of the "powerful sleeping pills" label on it (only the words "Don't drink too much" were hastily written on the other side by her neighbor).

"The book says that concentrated fruit juice of this color is especially good for restoring energy!"

She clearly mistook the bottle of medicine for some kind of nutritional supplement.

"Index! You can't drink that! It's..."

Higashino's warning came a step too late.

Index had skillfully (or rather, recklessly) unscrewed the bottle cap and tilted her head back to gulp down a large mouthful.

She smacked her lips, a look of confusion mixed with satisfaction on her face: "Hmm...sweet, like juice...but also a little strange..."

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes quickly became unfocused, her body swayed, and she softly fell backward like a puppet with its strings cut!

Index!

Higashino was shocked. Ignoring his own discomfort, he rushed over and caught her petite body. In his arms, her breathing became even, but her face quickly relaxed, as if she had fallen into a baby's sleep.

Higashino frantically checked her pulse and breathing. Fortunately, despite taking strange sleeping pills, her vital signs were stable.

However, just in case, he used his ability as insurance, and Index should wake up soon.

Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, her silver hair was scattered messily, and the signs of fatigue around her eyes were even deeper. Higashino felt a mix of emotions.

"Feel sorry……"

He sighed softly.

"You said you would help me solve the problem, but you fell ill first and now you have to take care of you... Thank you for your hard work."

He carefully carried her to the bed and covered her with the blanket. Index, half-asleep, unconsciously nuzzled against the pillow and mumbled, "...more to eat..."

Higashino stayed by her bedside, and only after confirming that she was merely asleep did he wearily stand up, preparing to tidy up the mess in the room. He had just taken a step when he stepped on a rolled-out medicine bottle.

"Wow!"

He lost his balance and fell to the ground, hitting the corner of the cabinet on the back of his head, seeing stars. Lying on the floor, he caught his breath, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the edge of the hole in the ceiling. A small note fluttered down, bearing Index's neat but still crooked handwriting:

"On the second day of care, the patient recovered well. —Index"

Just then, the doorbell rang crisply.

Higashino struggled to his feet, dragging his still-numb legs toward the entrance. Through the peephole, he saw the concerned faces of Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko, who were carrying fruit and other gifts.

"Senior? Are you home?"

A gentle voice, typical of early spring, came through the door.

“We called you the day before yesterday, and a strange girl answered. She said you were sick and she had been very worried about you... We came to see you today.”

Higashino looked down at himself: his wrinkled pajamas were stained with medicine and an unidentified green liquid, a ridiculous "exorcism talisman" was stuck to his forehead, and there were red marks on his left wrist from being tied with hemp rope. In the bedroom behind him, Index was fast asleep, there seemed to be unwashed pots and pans in the kitchen sink, and a strange smell of burnt food mixed with medicine wafted in the air... The whole room was a mess.

"Wait! Don't come in yet!"

He shouted hurriedly, his voice hoarse from coughing and nervousness.

"I...I'm tidying up here, it's a bit messy! And...there might be some germs or something, I need to air it out!" He tried to find a reasonable excuse.

There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by the sound of two girls talking in hushed tones:

"Your voice... sounds a bit strange?"

"Could he really be very sick? Or... is there something inconvenient about him?"

"Should we...should we knock on the door again and ask to find out?"

"Yes, and I'm also a little concerned about that girl."

Leaning against the door, Higashino listened to the whispers outside and looked at the mess behind him and the silver-haired girl sleeping peacefully on the bed. He felt his headache getting worse, along with a deep sense of helplessness.

"Higashino..."

Index's indistinct murmurs drifted from her sleep into the room.

"...More of that green one..."

Chapter 39 The Great Housework Assistance Operation

Hearing the incessantly ringing doorbell, Higashino Yu felt his headache and helplessness reach unprecedented levels.

He glanced at Index, who was fast asleep on the bed thanks to a powerful sleeping pill, and then looked around the bedroom, which resembled a post-war scene. It wouldn't be easy to explain if someone saw this.

"Wait! Don't come in yet!"

He shouted frantically towards the door, his voice hoarse from the coughing and the ravages of the green juice.

"I...I'm cleaning here! It's a mess! And there might be germs, so I need to air it out!"

Two girls whispered to each other outside the door:

"Huh? Senior's voice... sounds so weak?"

"Could she really be very sick? And what about that girl's voice...?"

"Will there be... any inconvenience?"

Higashino Yu took a deep breath, trying to make himself sound normal.

He pried open the door a crack, hoping to buy some time to clean with a brief conversation. However, the sight revealed through the crack made him freeze instantly.

Not only were Haruharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko there, but Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko were also standing behind them. Haruharu was carrying a fruit basket, Ruiko was carrying a bag that looked like a treat, Mikoto was carrying a small bag, and Kuroko was holding a bouquet of carnations.

"S-senpai?!"

When Chu Chun saw Higashino's extremely disheveled appearance through the crack in the door—a wrinkled pajama stained with medicine and an unknown green liquid, a ridiculous "exorcism" note on his forehead, and the still-present marks of rope on his wrists—his little face immediately showed a tense expression.

"Are you alright? You look terrible!"

"Whoa!" Ruiko was also startled. "Senior, why... why do you look even worse than you did a couple of days ago!?"

It's worth noting that even when he was hospitalized, Higashino's complexion was actually quite good.

"Hey, Higashino." Mikoto stepped forward, her brow furrowed, skipping over pleasantries. "Is your injury from last time still not healed?"

Her gaze swept over Dongye's entire body, and her tone was clearly concerned.

Shirai Kuroko also looked puzzled: "Judging from her appearance, it's less like she's sick and more like she's survived some kind of small-scale terrorist attack~"

It's fair to say that they are indeed elite members of the disciplinary committee; this description isn't too far off from the truth.

"No...it's nothing serious!" Higashino Yu quickly forced a smile, trying to appear calm. "It's just a bit of a cold and fever, plus I accidentally knocked over something. Really! I'm much better now! It's just that the room is a little..."

He tried to block the door with his body.

However, Mikoto's nose twitched almost imperceptibly, and her eyebrows furrowed even more: "What is this smell... burnt? Medicine? And... a sour, green plant smell?"

Without waiting for Higashino to explain further, she used her ability to open the door.

The moment the door opened completely, the eyes of the four people outside all turned to the mess behind Higashino Yu. The bedroom, as if it had been hit by a mini typhoon, was exposed without any cover: scattered bandages and cotton wool, dishes with suspiciously colored paste, an open and greasy copy of "The Complete Guide to Home Care," a crooked note on the wall that read "Get well soon"... and a hole in the ceiling with charred edges by the head of the bed.

"What...what's going on?!" Chu Chun covered her mouth.

"Wow!" Ruiko's eyes widened as she looked around. "Senior, the power of your 'accidentally knocking over something' is just too amazing!"