The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

"Eika! Come find me and Misaka-senpai after you've paid!"

That doesn't mean Inoue Eika should finish eating first, then pay, and then go find them afterwards.

Instead, pay now and catch up with them immediately.

They didn't even consider what would happen if Inoue Eika didn't have enough to eat.

"Ugh! That's so mean... Wait, wait! Ruiko, I..."

Inoue Hideka complained silently, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called out to Saten Ruiko, who was walking out.

But Saten Ruiko had already reached the door and showed no sign of stopping. She pulled Misaka Mikoto out the door and disappeared from Inoue Eika's sight.

"I...I don't have any money!"

With his head hanging low and muttering to himself, Inoue Hideka's expression was quite interesting.

He had just given his bank card to Ueno Rei and didn't have much cash on him, so he didn't know if it would be enough.

Moreover, the phone he's wearing now is a retractable phone that can only be used to make calls and send text messages, so transferring money is completely impossible.

On a whim, Inoue Hideka called the waiter to settle the bill.

……

"Forehead!"

The underground shopping mall truly lives up to its reputation as the most futuristic place in Academy City; the prices are indeed extraordinary.

Realizing he didn't have enough cash, Inoue Eika awkwardly asked the waiter to wait a moment, then took out his retractable cell phone and started dialing Saten Ruiko's number.

Beep beep beep... No one answers.

Sweating profusely and enduring the waiter's slightly disdainful look, Inoue Eika switched to Misaka Mikoto's number and dialed again.

Dudu... It just hung up!

Glug!

Embarrassed, Inoue Hideka swallowed hard, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead as he frantically racked his brains for a solution.

After thinking it over, I felt that it would be embarrassing to call anyone for help.

Except in front of Misaki Shokuhou, who knows him inside and out, Inoue Eika doesn't care about saving face, since Misaki Shokuhou knows all his embarrassing moments anyway.

But right now, Misaki Shokuhou is probably enjoying a sweet time with Touma Kamijou, and Eika Inoue doesn't want to disturb her at this time.

"Um... you see, I... can I pawn my phone?"

Inoue Hideka lowered his head desperately, feeling utterly humiliated. If there were a crack in the ground, he would have wanted to crawl into it immediately.

He could imagine that when he said those words, he would be surrounded by a mixture of disbelief, surprise, and disdain.

Thinking of this, even someone like him who prides himself on not being too thin-skinned couldn't help but blush, and a burning sensation, hot and throbbing, came from above his neck.

"Um, sir..."

"Oh! I was just kidding! Please go ahead and do your work! I'll wait here for my friends to come back, and they'll pay for me!"

Before the waiter could finish speaking, Inoue Hideka, who was already driven crazy by the shame, yelled in frustration, gave up, and sat back down in her seat, determined to wait for Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko to come back and save the day.

In his view, once they realized they hadn't followed, Saten Ruiko and Misaka Mikoto would definitely come looking for them.

"Okay, okay!"

Seeing this, the waitress felt embarrassed to urge Inoue Hideka any further, so she politely said something and went to attend to other matters.

in this way.

10 minutes passed.

……

Half an hour has passed.

……

Another half hour passed.

……

Chapter 315 Is emotional sensitivity a woman's prerogative?

An hour and a half has passed.

Inoue Hideka was leaning against the restaurant entrance in an extremely awkward position—resting with his eyes closed.

The restaurant is already crowded during the Daihasei Festival, and now that it's lunchtime, the flow of people is quite large.

After sitting quietly in his seat for a short while with his head down, Inoue Eika was politely asked to get up by the waiter.

Unable to leave, Inoue Hideka had no choice but to wait for Saten Ruiko and Misaka Mikoto in a conspicuous spot by the door.

Unable to bear the strange feeling of being stared at with odd eyes any longer, Inoue Hideka simply closed her eyes and began to stabilize the electric current that had been dispersed by Kamijou Touma's right hand that morning.

Seeing that Inoue Hideka had no intention of secretly skipping out on his meal payment, the restaurant staff didn't make things difficult for him.

During this time, Inoue Hideka also called Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko multiple times, but he couldn't get through even once, whether the two had planned to mess with him or not.

More than an hour has passed, and the two still haven't returned.

I opened my eyes again and glanced helplessly out of the restaurant.

"what……"

Then, Inoue Hideka sighed in disappointment again, closed his eyes, and continued to stabilize the current.

Time flows quietly.

Inoue Hidekazu no longer had the time to pay attention to exactly how much time had passed.

As time went by and the restaurant emptied out, Inoue Hideka found a seat, sat down, and continued to wait for the two girls who were giving him no choice, while stabilizing the current.

……

……

"Yinghua, Yinghua!"

"Hey! Idiot! If you're going to sleep, don't sleep here! Don't you know you'll catch a cold?"

Hearing a familiar voice in the distance, and feeling someone push his shoulder a few times, Inoue Hideka opened his eyes groggily.

? ?

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes for the first time, Inoue Eika was still confused and stared at Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko for a while.

It wasn't until the two of them were barely holding back their laughter that Inoue Hideka finally came to her senses.

"Tsk! Humph!"

Frowning and clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction, Inoue Hideka snorted coldly, turned her head away in a huff, and refused to look at the two people standing by the dining table watching her make a scene.

"Pfft! Haha! Yinghua, you're acting just like a complaining woman!"

"Hmm! Cough cough, I didn't expect... someone like you to have such a childish side!"

Hearing the two teasing each other, Inoue Hideka simply rested her chin on her hand and closed her eyes.

He really, really, absolutely doesn't want to have anything to do with those two people right now!

They've spoiled them! Absolutely spoiled them!

It is because of their previous indulgence that they have become the way they are now, completely disregarding themselves.

Seriously, don't they understand?

Being mistaken for dining and dashing, and having to stand there like an idiot for hours, is really embarrassing!

Besides, I'm a man!

It's not about sexism, but no matter how you look at it, it's always easier to accept a pretty girl standing at the restaurant entrance for hours than a silly-looking man standing there, right?

If someone I know sees this, how am I supposed to face them?

Can't stand it!

This time, we absolutely cannot tolerate it!

If we continue to indulge them, they might even feel proud if they sell me out one day!

Inoue Hideka became increasingly angry as she thought about it, and her breathing became labored and labored.

"Yinghua?"

Sensing something amiss, Saten Ruiko called out in confusion, but Inoue Eika did not respond.

"Hey...you're not really angry, are you?"

……

Still no response.

"Misaka-senpai, what should we do? Eika seems really angry. Did we go a bit too far?"

"Ah...don't, don't ask me! Who, who knew this guy was so stingy?"

……

Inoue Hideka was speechless. Was this really a matter of being petty or not?

You two have ruined my self-esteem!

"Well, never mind. Saten, I'll go pay the bill first. This guy... ugh... so annoying! I'll deal with him later!"

Misaka Mikoto said with considerable distress, then turned and walked towards the restaurant's front desk.

However, those familiar with her should know that when Misaka Mikoto makes such a statement, it's basically a tacit admission of weakness.

She probably realized her mistake.

However, given her personality, realizing her mistake and apologizing to someone are two different things.

"Um, Eika, Misaka-senpai has already paid the bill, so please don't be angry anymore, okay?"

Judging from their tone, they were clearly aware that Inoue Hideka was unable to pay for the meal.