The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

A flurry of footsteps sounded as a group of people entered Inoue Hideka's room and then pushed him toward a certain place.

The only thing Touma Kamijou can be thankful for right now is that his best friend is still alive.

But apart from that, his heart was shrouded in an unknown fear.

I never dared to imagine that one day I would kill someone.

He now feels like a murderer, a sinner.

After being captured by Misaka Mikoto, he sat quietly on a bench in the corridor, waiting for the security guards to arrest him as a murderer caught in the act.

------

Seeing that class was about to start and Inoue Eika still hadn't returned, Saten Ruiko called to inquire.

Misaka Mikoto answered the phone, and when Saten Ruiko heard the word "disappearance" from her, she was so surprised that she couldn't speak.

She didn't have time to explain to Uiharu Kazari, nor did she care about the afternoon's classes. She immediately activated the electrodes and used her ability to speed towards the hospital that Misaka Mikoto had mentioned.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she first found Misaka Mikoto, who was waiting outside the operating room.

Looking at Misaka Mikoto's haggard face, Saten Ruiko asked with concern:

"Misaka-senpai, how are things now?"

Chapter 333 A Girl's Growth Accompanied by Pain

Upon hearing Saten Ruiko's words, a hint of sadness flashed in Misaka Mikoto's eyes, and she said softly:

"A heart transplant is being performed inside..."

At this point, Misaka Mikoto's already red eyes filled with tears again.

She wasn't a girl who cried easily.

On the contrary, she is strong, hardworking, and although not frank, she is very brave and never runs away.

She has a boyish charm but also a girl's sensitivity; seeing cute things touches the softest part of her heart.

She has never liked to shed tears, and she never backs down when faced with difficulties; her style is to forge ahead and overcome them head-on.

Yes!

From childhood to adulthood, from an unknown level 0 to level 5, she has experienced many setbacks, and she has worked hard to hone her abilities.

But she never sheds tears because of the hardship of training or the bottlenecks in her growth.

She would grit her teeth, her eyes shining with unwavering determination, and overcome all the obstacles in her path!

That's how she became who she is today.

He loves to stand up for the weak but never acts recklessly because of it; he often provokes bad people but never harms their lives; he is keen to challenge the strong but also knows his limits; he is at the pinnacle of Academy City, receiving much attention and admiration, but he does not feel superior or arrogant.

Thus, out of 230 million people in Academy City, there are only 7 people who are espers!

Now, facing Saten Ruiko's question, he had only spoken half a sentence when tears were already welling up in his eyes.

She couldn't believe that she, who would never kill even the most heinous villain, had today, after almost killing the person she loved, truly caused the death of an innocent person!

She, who was once so strong, is now so powerless in the face of reality.

She doesn't know what to do now.

How can we ensure that no one dies and that everyone is safe and sound?

So what exactly should we do?

She couldn't believe it; she had absolutely no way out.

Her shoulders began to tremble, and as tears fell, Misaka Mikoto's helpless voice reached Saten Ruiko's ears.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's all my fault... Saten, what should I do? I'm the one who hurt them... It's all my fault..."

Looking at the familiar face before her, head bowed, tears streaming down her face, Saten Ruiko felt an extreme pang of heartache.

The first time we met, that initial shock and that confident smile—those memories are gone now.

Standing before him now was just a frail girl crying helplessly.

Listening to the intermittent whispers filled with self-blame and regret, Saten Ruiko couldn't help but put her arm around the girl's shoulder and gently pat her back.

She didn't know what had happened, nor what the girl in front of her had gone through to cause such a drastic change.

She could only whisper words of comfort in the girl's ear:

"It's okay, it's okay! Don't cry. No matter what happens, I'm willing to share it with you, senior... No, please allow me to share it with you, senior! If you feel bad about it, then in the future, for the rest of our lives, we will do our best to make it up to them, okay?"

Saten Ruiko didn't know who Misaka Mikoto was referring to as "them," and in fact, she had no idea what was going on.

Even so, she still said that she was willing to share the burden with Misaka Mikoto.

"If that's the case, and you still feel guilty, then let's wait for Eika to wake up, call him, and the three of us will repay the debt together. That way, we'll divide Misaka-senpai's guilt into three parts, so... um, so, Misaka-senpai should feel a little better right now! Yes! That's it! Senpai, don't cry, don't be sad, don't be upset..."

Fallacy!

As time went on, Saten Ruiko herself realized that this was simply a fallacy.

Even so, Misaka Mikoto strangely stopped trembling and asked in a low voice:

"Is it possible? Is it really possible? Will they really forgive me?"

There were two people: one was Inoue Eika, and the other was a boy named Yurei.

Misaka Mikoto asked Saten Ruiko the question, but she was also asking herself the same question in her heart.

If I spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to make amends, can I really earn their forgiveness?

But the boy named Xi Ling has lost his own consciousness. How can this be remedied?

The words the boy had said to me before he fainted flashed through my mind:

"Please tell the doctor for me, and when that guy wakes up, tell him to live well for me."

He said he had no reason to live, and that he hoped the guy could give his heart a new soul.

Now, his heart is being transplanted into someone, a boy named Xi Ling, who is finding meaning in his existence for the first time.

His heart is proof that he existed.

In that case, is the only way to make amends to that guy?

The two people he felt guilty towards were Inoue Hideka and a boy named Yurei.

The heart that represents the boy's existence will be preserved in another person's body from now on.

So, can wholeheartedly making amends to the same person truly earn the forgiveness of the deceased?

"I don't know if I can really get their forgiveness."

Upon hearing this, Saten Ruiko turned Misaka Mikoto's shoulders aside, her eyes meeting Misaka Mikoto's with solemnity and reverence.

"But what else can we do besides this? Surely we can't just cry and beg for their forgiveness and expect them to forgive us?"

……

Misaka Mikoto looked at Saten Ruiko with some surprise.

She had always found it strange that the girl in front of her seemed a bit too mature.

Whenever I encounter a hurdle I can't overcome, it's always this girl, who's a year younger than me, who comforts me.

Theristina was in that situation then, when she was consumed by guilt towards her sister, and she is in that situation now as well.

But without a doubt, what she said made sense.

Crying won't solve anything.

I've known this principle for a long time.

Do what you can do; guilt and tears won't solve anything.

Since you don't know what to do, then do your best and do what you can.

How could he let his junior teach him something like this?

Misaka Mikoto gave a bitter smile, the tear tracks on her face highlighting the smile's unattractive quality, yet it possessed a certain mature charm. With a hint of relief, she said to Saten Ruiko:

"I understand, Saten, thank you! I really wasn't a good upperclassman before!"

Saten Ruiko stared blankly at Misaka Mikoto, who was wearing a strange smile.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that Misaka Mikoto seemed to be glowing at that moment.

Compared to before, Misaka Mikoto's aura has changed in some way, but Saten Ruiko can't quite put her finger on what exactly that change is.

If she had to describe how Saten Ruiko felt about Misaka Mikoto at that moment, she felt that Misaka Mikoto seemed to have grown taller all of a sudden.

Or rather, have you grown up?

It's hard to explain, but at least Saten Ruiko felt that Misaka Mikoto was reassuring and made people unconsciously feel that they could rely on her.

Beep...beep...beep...!

As Saten Ruiko was stunned, the operating room lights went out.

A moment later, the Soul Chaser from the Underworld was the first to walk out of the operating room.

Nurses pushing stretchers followed closely behind, one after another.

Accelerator walked at the very back, looking bored.

Judging from his expression, Inoue Hidekazu should be alright.

Misaka Mikoto looked at the two stretchers, one in front of the other, with a white curtain covering the stretcher behind.

It's obvious without even thinking that the person under the curtain is the remains of the boy named Xi Ling, who has already died.

Misaka Mikoto stepped forward and called to the nurse pushing the cart.

Then, to the nurse's surprise, he walked to the stretcher and bowed deeply and solemnly to the person on it.

Only then did he apologize to the nurse.

Watching the stretcher enter the elevator, Misaka Mikoto followed Saten Ruiko and chased after the stretcher pushing Inoue Eika.

Chapter 334 Waking Up!