The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

Shirai Kuroko, unsurprised, spat out her tongue and frowned, casting an increasingly disdainful glance at Inoue Hideka.

Saten Ruiko...

Saten Ruiko looked completely bewildered, but then she began to look at Inoue Eika again with the same gaze she would give when she first met him.

Inoue Hideka: "..."

Silence, silence.

After a while, Inoue Hideka, whose worldview had been shattered, rallied her spirits and, with her last remaining belief, argued with Misaka Mikoto:

"No, no... I'm not a masochist, how could I be a masochist? Really, I really... I'm really not a masochist!"

Chapter 357 Not a masochist, but a pervert!

"If you're not a masochist, who would think of punishing yourself with a whip? Are you an idiot or a moron? Just admit it! You're a complete and utter masochist!"

Misaka Mikoto seemed to have finally laughed enough, and stopped to look at Inoue Hideka, mocking her to the fullest extent.

"Huh??"

Faced with Misaka Mikoto's sharp retorts, Inoue Hideka was speechless.

Indeed, he didn't know what he was thinking at the time. He just felt sorry for Saten Ruiko and felt he had to change his bad habits and share the housework with her. So, he walked into the sex shop as if possessed.

I didn't notice anything wrong with it afterwards, so I just bought it and took it home.

Honestly, what normal person would go to such lengths to share housework with their girlfriend?

Could it be...?

Cold sweat dripped down Inoue Hideka's cheeks, but he felt nothing. At this moment, he was stunned by his own guess.

"Could it be that I really am a masochist?"

"Cough cough!"

A coughing sound came from beside me.

One of the parties involved, who had only uttered one sentence throughout, coughed awkwardly twice and, looking at the dazed Inoue Hideka, reminded her:

"Yinghua, you accidentally said it..."

"Huh? What?"

As his gaze gradually returned to focus, Inoue Eika asked Saten Ruiko, who had just seemed to call him, with a puzzled look.

"That line... Could it be that I really am a masochist..."

"No, that's not it. He's not a masochist, he's a perverted masochist!"

Shirai Kuroko placed the soup bowl on the table, interrupted without hesitation, and then added after a moment's thought:

"Oh, don't misunderstand. It doesn't mean that simply; it's an abbreviation for masochism and perversion."

"Hey! Shirai! Of everyone, you're the least qualified to say that. Don't you have any self-awareness at all?"

"What did you say, you pervert! Don't think I won't do anything to you just because you have my big sister protecting you! You bastard! How dare you steal my big sister! Kuroko, I've been wanting to fight you for ages! Let's duel!!"

Upon hearing Inoue Eika's words, Shirai Kuroko suddenly sprang to her feet, her hands quickly sweeping across the outside of her legs, and in an instant, several steel needles appeared in her hands.

"Huh??"

"what!!"

Two voices, speaking in unison but using the same words, came from the mouths of Inoue Hideka and Misaka Mikoto respectively.

Inoue Hideka's tone was one of doubt.

Judging from Shirai Kuroko's posture, she seemed to be getting serious, and Inoue Hideka was quite puzzled by her sudden attitude.

When Misaka Mikoto heard Shirai Kuroko say something about protecting someone, she felt both ashamed and indignant, as well as somewhat surprised, wondering why Shirai Kuroko would suddenly say such a thing.

However, as the two of them nervously watched Shirai Kuroko, trying to figure out how to calm her down, Shirai Kuroko snorted and sat down on the sofa, pouting and refusing to speak, as if she was sulking.

"Come on in, Yinghua. You're not planning to just stand at the door and watch us eat, are you?"

"Oh, okay! But I still want to make a serious statement: I'm really not a masochist!"

Seeing that everyone was there, especially Misaka Mikoto, Inoue Hideka knew that now was obviously not the time to give the bracelet to Saten Ruiko. After silently putting the bracelet into her pocket, Inoue Hideka made a bitter face and explained again.

"Huh...? I wonder who was just muttering to themselves, could I really be a masochist...!"

Misaka Mikoto, seemingly venting all the bullying she had suffered in the past, pressed her advantage and continued to indiscriminately mock Inoue Hideka.

"Forehead!!"

Inoue Hideka, who had just taken off her shoes and hadn't even put on her slippers yet, stumbled upon hearing Misaka Mikoto's words and almost fell face-first to the ground.

What a dark history!

What's today's date? Is today going to be recorded in the Inoue family history?

With a frustrated pout, Inoue Eika ignored Misaka Mikoto and put the whip back in her room.

When she returned to the living room, she suddenly remembered that Misaka Mikoto had just come out of her room, and she immediately thought of a way to retaliate.

With a long face, she questioned Misaka Mikoto, "So, what were you doing in my room just now?"

"Well!"

Misaka Mikoto, who was already sitting on the sofa, blushed immediately when Inoue Eika brought up the matter, and stammered:

"I...I...I'm going to find Little Grey! Oh right, isn't its toilet at your place?"

"Huh? But Little Grey wasn't in my room just now, was he?"

When Inoue Hideka's gaze shifted to the little white cat that yawned and gracefully walked out of Saten Ruiko's room after smelling the aroma of food, her suspicions about Misaka Mikoto intensified.

"Um... well... although that's true, but... oh my god!"

Facing Inoue Hidekazu's increasingly piercing gaze, Misaka Mikoto, her face flushed red, finally snapped and screamed:

"So what if that's the case! They just want to see if you're hiding something again! Saten just said you were up to something last night! Who, who knows what you were up to?!"

"……Oh!"

After a moment's hesitation, Inoue Hideka gave a curt reply.

Remembering that he did indeed have a past record of collecting Misaka Mikoto's "Spring Dream" playing cards, he decided not to hold it against Misaka Mikoto and instead looked at Saten Ruiko, asking:

"So, Ruizi, what's going on tonight? Why is everyone coming to our house for dinner?"

"How disgusting! Saying we're freeloading? As expected, perverts have such thick skin! They've always been eating Saten's food for free, yet they still have the nerve to say we're freeloading!"

Upon hearing Inoue Hideka's words, Shirai Kuroko didn't even bother to look at Inoue Hideka, and simply dismissed him with a single sentence.

"Exactly! Inoue-kun's words are really too much. It was only because we didn't have time to visit Inoue-kun when she was hospitalized that I suggested we buy some groceries and come here to celebrate her discharge. I didn't expect that Inoue-kun would not only come back so late, but also have no self-awareness at all and say such rude things! Humph!"

Following closely behind Shirai Kuroko, even the usually easy-going Uiharu Kazari glared angrily at Inoue Hideka.

"Hmph!" Misaka Mikoto said, arms crossed.

“Yinghua…”

"Ah! I understand, I'm sorry, it was my fault!"

Before Saten Ruiko could utter any words of self-reproach, Inoue Eika readily admitted defeat, bowing her head and apologizing to everyone.

"Also, although some unpleasant things happened, I am serious about wanting to help Ruiko with housework in the future. So, please take good care of me from now on."

After saying this with a sincere expression, Inoue Hideka's face changed, and she looked angrily at Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko.

"As long as some people don't call me a masochist, that's fine!"

"Tch! She's just a masochist!"

"Tch! Just a mere freak!"

what!

With a heavy sigh, Inoue Hideka lowered his head helplessly.

The atmosphere in the living room felt strangely familiar.

It seems like a long time ago, this was the atmosphere in this house whenever there were many people.

But Inoue Hideka knew that not much time had actually passed.

Just a few days ago, whenever the four of them appeared here, the atmosphere was always light and cheerful.

The change seems to have occurred after the Daihasei Festival, right?

After that, Inoue Hideka felt that a dull, deathly aura lingered around him.

Only now did he feel the gloom shrouded in the shadow of Xi Ling and Qiu Shan Yan's deaths gradually receding from him—even though he was the one being bullied.

After figuring all this out, Inoue Eika glanced at Misaka Mikoto, who seemed to have nothing to do with her, and smiled gently.

Then, she looked gratefully at Saten Ruiko, who had been silently by her side, and at her friends who had never left.

Chapter 358 This is not a gourmet anime

Finally, remembering that there are so many important people in this world whom she cherishes, and for whom she should live happily, Inoue Eika finally let go of the heaviness in her heart.

It's not to put the dead at ease, nor is it to prevent them from feeling that it wasn't worth sacrificing their lives for someone like me.

It's not for such reasons that I feel burdened by responsibility and forced myself to live happily.

It's a genuine, heartfelt desire to no longer be oppressed and humiliated, while simultaneously shedding those heavy burdens and those who have always protected me and brought me joy...

friend,

Best friend,

Comrades,

confidant,

And loved ones,

Together with them, let's face the future with a smile!

call……