The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

……

Yeah, kneeling at the dining table, sulking... and then, grinning slyly while secretly taking pictures with his phone, thinking no one had noticed... and then, putting away his phone and looking around, relieved to be 'confirming' he hadn't been seen...

"puff!"

Saten Ruiko couldn't help but laugh.

Inoue Hideka's guilty conscience and smug satisfaction at not being caught really made Saten Ruiko laugh.

Inoue Hideka, who was looking through her phone's photo album, suddenly looked up when she heard the sneer from the other end of the line, only to see Saten Ruiko looking at her smugly.

"Tsk!"

Realizing she had been tricked again, Inoue Hideka clicked her tongue in frustration.

"I said, Ruizi, you..."

"Hey! You brat, pay the commission first!"

Just as Inoue Eika was about to settle accounts with Saten Ruiko, Mugino Shizuri's impolite shout came from the doorway.

The first to arrive were the four 'props'.

"Ah... I know! I won't owe you anything, why are you in such a hurry?"

With outsiders present, Inoue Hideka naturally couldn't argue with Saten Ruiko about family matters anymore. Accelerator, Kamijou Touma, and the others usually ate together, and Inoue Hideka had long regarded them as family.

But Mugino Shizuri and the others were different; at best, they could be considered friends.

Furthermore, even Frenda, who was closest to him, was closer to Saten Ruiko. Although Saten Ruiko was Inoue Eika's girlfriend, Inoue Eika could only treat them as friends, not family.

Getting up, Inoue Hideka switched her phone to the payment screen and said to Mugino Shizuri as she walked over:

"I can't possibly carry that much cash with me. How about I transfer it to you via mobile transfer?"

"Ah...it doesn't matter what! As long as I get the money."

While Inoue Hideka and Mugino Shizuri were making their deal, Frenda, along with Takitsubo Rigo and Kinuhata Saiai, sidled up to Saten Ruiko and the others, introducing them to each other.

A short while later.

Misaki Shokuhou, Ayaki Kihara, Psychological Stirring, Junha Sho, Mitsuko Kongo, Aizari and Tsuchimikado, the four members of Shingetsu, along with Toshikawa Yuuki, as well as the Trial Judge and Masaga Fujiwara, also arrived one after another.

The last to arrive was Kaito Hatsushiro.

This former bomb-monger was somewhat intimidated by the two disciplinary committee members he recognized.

Now that he has reformed, Hatsuya, after respectfully consulting with Inoue Hideka, walked up to Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari and solemnly apologized for his past excessive behavior.

Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari accepted Sakutari Hatsuya's apology, saying they didn't mind, and the matter was officially put to rest.

The food was ordered by Saten Ruiko and the other three, while Inoue Eika only had to eat and pay.

The food was plentiful, but if you remove the kneeling requirement, Inoue Hideka would still be quite dissatisfied.

The dinner was generally well-received by both hosts and guests.

In addition to sincerely thanking everyone present, Inoue Hideka also introduced the people present to each other.

Of the seven Devil Fruit users in Academy City, five of them appeared here, which really startled the few unsuspecting people.

Well, Inoue Hideka has already been introduced. Whether they can get along well afterward is not up to Inoue Hideka to decide.

What Inoue Hideka was particularly concerned about was that Shokuhou Misaki, unusually, did not sit with Kamijou Touma this time, and did not interact with Kamijou Touma much during the meal.

Instead, she sat between Index and Saten Ruiko, and mostly talked to Index or Saten Ruiko, or bickered with Misaka Mikoto opposite her. In any case, whether it was Kamijou Touma or Inoue Eika, Shokuhou Misaki acted as if she had no interest in paying attention to them.

After dinner, the group went to a karaoke bar and sang until late at night before returning home in the early hours of the morning.

Because she was worried about her companions, Kihara Tatsuki went there after dinner, based on the location that Uiharu Kazari had found out about her companions' hiding place, and did not continue the activities with them.

It's late at night again.

Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko, and Uiharu Kazari continued to stay at Inoue Hideka's house.

This time, the two young ladies of Tokiwadai were not worried. For some reason, Misaka Mikoto simply tried to apply to the Tokiwadai dormitory supervisor for overnight accommodation, and the usually strict supervisor readily agreed.

After sleeping all day, no one could sleep when they got home, so they decided to have a celebration party for everyone in the industry.

With Chef Saten Ruiko and Inoue Hideka assisting, they prepared a few simple dishes, and then the 'family,' including Accelerator and Kamijou Touma, gathered in the living room to drink.

While celebrating Inoue Hideka's overcoming this difficult time, we also let the girls vent their fears of the past few days.

It wasn't until after 3 a.m. that everyone finally drifted off to sleep, swayed by the effects of the alcohol.

Chapter 454 A Sudden Appointment

Time is merciless, and youth fades quickly.

More resolute than the flowing water that fallen petals follow, time keeps flowing ceaselessly, never stopping for a moment for any person, any object, or even a single particle that may not even exist.

The date is October 7th.

Academy City, which is always in the spotlight of the world, is facing one crisis after another.

The purge of the council that took place the day before has not yet subsided, and external pressure has once again plunged Academy City into an even more tense atmosphere.

Today, the Roman Catholic Church, which has been restless since the Winds of the Front incident, has gone further and further, with large-scale demonstrations taking place all over the world.

Early in the morning.

In Inoue Hideka's living room, a simple breakfast is being prepared.

The television screen is showing today's morning news, and the announcer is reciting the news report.

"A large-scale protest by religious groups took place in Toulouse, an industrial city in southern France, early yesterday morning local time. Crowds filled several kilometers along the Garonne River, which runs through the center of the city, causing serious disruptions not only to traffic but also to the infrastructure network."

The broadcast footage showed a large corporation carrying torches to illuminate the night as they walked.

Above were banners with people holding French-written curses, and young people holding them aloft on billboards in Academy City.

However, they were just conducting a 'protest,' not out-of-control rioters.

Even so, the sight of tens of thousands of people silently marching and protesting in the streets, expressing their anger, was enough to send chills down one's spine.

"These kinds of activities are particularly prevalent in areas surrounding Japanese companies with a large automotive presence. It's reasonable to assume this is part of a protest against Academy City. Similar activities can be seen in many French cities, where over 80% of the population is Roman Catholic."

Then the scene shifts to another location.

"In Dortmund, in central Germany, a pusher, believed to have been stolen, stormed into a Catholic church today, injuring nine clergy members. It is generally speculated that this was retaliation for a series of protests, and so far no criminal charges have been filed. The conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Academy City faction is likely to escalate further."

Like moving a tiny spark to a dry haystack, the world changed dramatically in those few days.

The simultaneous protests by the Roman Catholic Church around the world, and the partial overreactions to these protests, have accelerated the conflict between the two sides.

In the original work, when the council was intact, the corresponding measure taken was to hold an exhibition of counter-attack weapons.

Now that the council only has two pro-peace members, Chin-Sen and Bei Ji-min, what kind of action will they take?

As Inoue Hideka ate rice, she thought to herself this.

Ringing~~

The phone rang, and Inoue Hideka subconsciously reached into her pocket to see if it was her phone.

"Ah... Tsuchimikado, what's wrong?"

By the time Inoue Eika realized it wasn't her phone ringing, Kamijou Touma had already answered the call.

Ringing~~

Just as I took my hand out of my pocket, my phone rang again in the living room.

The vibration from beside her leg made Inoue Hideka know without even checking that it was her phone. She took it out and saw that it was Kumokawa Sera.

Gollum~~

After swallowing the rice in her mouth, Inoue Hideka pressed the answer button.

"Senior? Is there something you need?"

"Here's the thing, the former head of the Disciplinary Committee has been suspended and placed in a reformatory pending further investigation for allegedly colluding with Shiogishi and inciting other Disciplinary Committee members to participate in the incident the other day. In other words, Academy City is currently short of a Disciplinary Committee head. Mr. Beiji's idea is to make amends for the harm the Board of Directors has caused you, and at the same time prove your innocence through your actions, to have you take over as the head of the Disciplinary Committee. I wonder what you think, Inoue?"

"what?"

Inoue Hideka was somewhat surprised by what Kumokawa Sera said.

Just because you want to make amends, suddenly making yourself the head of the disciplinary committee... isn't that a bit too casual?

Or is there some other consideration besides this reason that you are unaware of?

Thinking this, Inoue Hideka stole a glance at Shirai Kuroko, who was sitting across from her eating.

I wonder if she, who considers being a disciplinary committee member an honor, would be furious if she knew that she had such an easy opportunity to become the head of the disciplinary committee.

However, despite her thoughts, Inoue Hideka had neither the experience of a disciplinary committee member nor the corresponding sense of mission and responsibility, so she would never do such a thankless job.

Moreover, it is said that disciplinary committee members do not receive a salary and participate entirely on a voluntary basis.

Although Inoue Hideka himself was not very smart, he was unwilling to do anything foolish.

"Um... if it's alright, could you please help me politely decline... um!"

Before he could finish speaking, Inoue Hideka felt his toes being stomped on hard.

Turning his head in confusion, Inoue Eika looked at Saten Ruiko sitting on his right and asked her with his eyes why she had stepped on him.

“I…agree…” Saten Ruiko mouthed.

"??" Inoue Eika looked bewildered.

“I agree! I agree!” Saten Ruiko raised her voice slightly and whispered to Inoue Eika.

"Forehead……"

Once Inoue Hideka realized that Saten Ruiko was referring to the head of the Disciplinary Committee, a troubled expression appeared on her face.

He didn't want to be some kind of disciplinary committee chief.

boom!

"Ugh!" Inoue Hideka's foot was stepped on with even greater force than before.

"Give me your consent first, and I'll explain later!"

Seeing Saten Ruiko's threatening expression, Inoue Eika hesitated for a moment, then pouted and said to Kumokawa Sera: