The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City (Author: The Color of Red Tea)

Introduction

A fanfiction of A Certain Magical Index and Railgun, depicting the daily life of an ordinary person transported to Academy City. No powers, no system, not an invincible protagonist story. Also, this is a slow-paced story, primarily focused on slice-of-life moments.

The daily life before the start of Volume One's plot!

Chapter 1 Is this a dream?

"Ring ring ring~ Ring ring ring"

Early in the morning, Li Mu was awakened by an alarm clock. He groggily opened his eyes, picked up his phone from beside his pillow, turned it off, and planned to sleep for another five minutes before getting up to prepare for today's interview.

"Huh?" Recalling the scene before closing her eyes, and the ringtone she had just heard...

He opened his eyes in confusion, picked up his phone and checked it several times. Finally, he was sure he wasn't seeing things. The white phone had turned blue, and the brand was one he had never seen before.

"What's going on?!" Li Mu scratched his head speechlessly, then suddenly stopped, his head went numb as if he had been electrocuted, and it seemed like something had been added to his memory.

'Is this a dream? Or did I travel through time? No way...'

Li Mu thought with surprise and doubt.

Based on the memories he suddenly gained, Li Mu learned that he was a thirteen-year-old boy named Inoue Eika, a recent elementary school graduate, from Academy City. This year, he would be starting middle school at Sakugawa Middle School in the seventh district of Academy City.

That's right, it's Academy City!

The city in a work that Li Mu particularly likes.

"Seriously? He has to work? It's pathetic that a thirteen-year-old has to work! But right now, working isn't the important thing. He should observe the world first and figure out what's really going on!"

Standing in front of the mirror, I brush my teeth and wash my face.

Looking at the boy in the mirror, who was about 1.7 meters tall, with short, choppy black hair, a well-proportioned figure, and above-average looks, he wasn't particularly handsome, but he was pleasing to the eye.

She's already 1.7 meters tall at thirteen. Does that mean everyone in Academy City grows up on hormones?

However, there are also some freaks here who are 2 meters tall at the age of 14!

Looking at his reflection in the mirror—a figure that was clearly younger, more energetic, and more handsome than himself—Li Mu couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.

"It's so good to be young!"

Thinking that he had already graduated from university and was about to start struggling to make a living, and that his major was traditional Chinese medicine, which was very difficult to get ahead in, Li Mu suddenly felt an immense pressure coming at him.

'Speaking of which, the students in Academy City really have great living conditions! This luxurious dormitory with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen, wow~~'

Li Mu put on his coat and looked at the furnishings inside the house.

To the left of the entrance is the toilet and bathroom, to the right is the kitchen, and further in is the bedroom/living room.

Because there is no balcony, the bedroom is quite spacious.

A single bed is placed in the corner on the right side of the bedroom. To the left of the bed, next to the window, is a desk, and further to the left is an unused space.

Inside the desk and single bed was a low dining table, and against the wall near the bathroom stood a wooden wardrobe. Apart from that, there were no other decorations.

The bedroom isn't small, but with only these pieces of furniture, it feels a bit empty.

Li Mu couldn't help but feel envious, jealous, and resentful of this kind of luxurious life that was unimaginable in real life!

Shaking his head to stop thinking about it, Li Mu got up and walked outside.

After quickly finishing his breakfast, Li Mu began to stroll around the streets.

A huge airship floated slowly overhead, and a large screen displayed today's date, weather, and other information.

The towering buildings lining both sides of the street were breathtaking, even for Li Mu, who was used to modern cities. Every corner here seemed to exude a high-tech feel!

The streets were spotless, and because it was early in the morning, there weren't many people on the streets. Only the cleaning robots that were constantly running around were particularly eye-catching.

As expected of Academy City, which is 30 years ahead of the world in technology!

Li Mu wandered around aimlessly until noon, but didn't see the characters from the original work he was hoping to see. He found a place to have a quick lunch and then went back to his dormitory.

After wandering around outside, although everything seemed very real, Li Mu still couldn't believe that he had really traveled to Academy City.

Lying in bed, Li Mu opened his phone, wanting to see if there were any comics he was following.

I remember seeing "Shakugan no Shana" in an anime, and it seems that Shana herself appeared in the first episode.

However, Li Mu also knew that it was just an official cameo appearance!

"As expected, there isn't one! But what's with these low-quality comics? Does this mean the comic industry in this world hasn't actually developed?"

Holding his phone, Li Mu's hands trembled as he complained, his expression... well, it seemed like he was quite disgusted.

As a male anime and manga enthusiast, Li Mu cannot tolerate these works that lower the standard of anime and manga; they are simply an insult to the anime and manga community!

'Forget it, I'd better go to sleep. I really hope it's a dream I can wake up from in one sleep!'

Although it was only past noon, Li Mu was indeed a bit tired after walking all morning, so he simply put down his phone, closed his eyes, and started to sleep.

. . . . . .

"Ring ring ring~ Ring ring ring!"

Once again awakened by the ringing of his phone, Li Mu picked it up and saw that it was a call from someone named 'Boss'.

Li Mu pressed the answer button and answered the phone in fluent Japanese. Although he didn't know why, after accepting that inexplicable part of the memory, he was as familiar with Japanese as he was with Chinese before.

"Moses, Moses~~"

"What are you doing! Inoue Hideka! You've skipped work without a second thought and haven't even called to explain why! Don't you know it's spring break and everyone's busy every day?! You're fired! Come get your wages tomorrow!"

Before Li Mu could finish his sentence, the wolf howl from the other end of the line made his ears ache. He quickly moved his phone away, and before he could even react, the call was disconnected.

"Tsk!" Li Mu clicked his tongue lightly. Having just graduated from university and not yet experienced the malice of society, he was quite unhappy with the boss's attitude.

Putting down his phone and looking at the unfamiliar room, Li Mu's mood became heavy.

It seems I have indeed traveled through time, but thinking of that boy from my memories...

Li Mu would rather go back to his past life to watch anime, read comics, read novels, and read fanfiction than travel to Academy City himself.

Lying in bed, feeling restless, I covered my head with the blanket and somehow fell asleep again without realizing it.

"Ring ring ring~ Ring ring ring!"

The familiar alarm rang again. Li Mu, who had just woken up, did not turn off the alarm immediately. Instead, he frowned and fell into deep thought.

Now how to do?

Is it to accept reality and strive to survive, or to fight back and find a way back?

'Anyway, let's go collect our wages first. This young man doesn't seem to be very wealthy.'

After washing up, going out, and having breakfast, Li Mu headed towards the shop where he remembered working.

We've been eating out all the time. It's not that the dorm kitchen is unusable, nor is it because we lack cooking utensils. The dorms in Academy City are quite well-equipped; they have everything you need.

However, Li Mu has always been someone who is lazy and ignorant about farming.

I can't do housework, I can't cook! My life is absolutely terrible!

Therefore, Li Mu could only buy food outside.

Based on the boy's memories, Li Mu arrived at the entrance of a restaurant called Joseph Dinning. He seemed to recall seeing this restaurant in the original story before, but he couldn't remember when.

Looking at the stack of banknotes in his hand, Li Mu was very unhappy, extremely unhappy!

One day of absence resulted in a week's wages being deducted! They said it wasn't just because of the absence, but also because of the huge losses caused yesterday due to the large number of people, which they also had to bear!

What a heartless boss! He's even more unscrupulous than street vendors in China!

Li Mu, with a dark expression and his head slightly lowered, opened the door and walked out unhappily.

"what!"

It seemed like he bumped into someone; Li Mu, who was looking down, heard a scream.

Although he was in a bad mood, Li Mu still maintained his basic manners. If he hurt someone due to his carelessness and didn't apologize, wouldn't he be a scumbag?

He looked up and gazed out the door.

A girl with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes stood at the door. She was holding her shoulder with her right hand, and her expression was slightly unnatural. It was obvious that Li Mu hadn't been careful when he opened the door, and the girl was about to open the door at the same time, so they bumped into each other.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright... Hey? Misaka Mikoto?"

Li Mu hurriedly apologized, but as soon as he looked up, he saw a very familiar yet never-before-seen pretty face. He froze, and his concerned words turned into stunned surprise.

"What did you say?!"

The brown-haired girl, who had been in pain, immediately thought of her LV5 status upon hearing the words "Railgun Sister" and turned into anger, raising her head to roar at Li Mu.

"Huh? Hey~~~! Misaka Mikoto!"

An even more surprised voice. This time, Li Mu was completely stunned. That hair color, that face, that Tokiwadai school uniform, and that tone of voice!

It really is Misaka Mikoto!

"You bastard! Do you want to fight?!"

Crackling sounds filled the air as streaks of electricity danced between the girl's brows. Li Mu knew that the girl was about to get angry.

Although I was very excited, moved, and touched when I saw Misaka Mikoto!

However, it would be very troublesome if Misaka Mikoto got angry!

Suppressing his excitement, emotion, and heart-fluttering feelings, Li Mu immediately said to the girl:

"Yes, I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else! Please forgive me!"

A sincere apology.

According to Li Mu's understanding, although Misaka Mikoto usually seems rude, impulsive, and boyish.

However, Misaka Mikoto is an unexpectedly gentle girl. Although she is arrogant, she has her own set of principles in both her personal conduct and her work, and she never crosses that line.

Furthermore, under normal circumstances, they will also be reasonable—of course, only under normal circumstances!

"is it?"

The girl looked doubtful, but then she realized she didn't know this person, and most strangers didn't know she was Railgun.