Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

What is all this nonsense?

Although the people around him seemed silly to Yan Ming, his expression remained unchanged.

The reason I came to this coffee shop with them was because they said they would treat me to a drink.

"These people around us are really rude, don't you think, dear sister?"

"Well, this kind of thing happens quite often... Anyway, thank you so much! You helped us catch all those robbers, it saved us a lot of trouble!"

The girl with short chestnut hair spoke in a very spirited voice.

"I'm Misaka Mikoto, nice to meet you!"

"And then I am Shirai Kuroko... Thank you so much for your help, sir. You've been a great help to me, a disciplinary committee member, in carrying out my duties."

He heard some unfamiliar words, but Yan Ming simply put them aside and came back to think about them later.

"Shilun Yanming, you can call me that."

"The Wheel of Time..."

"...Yan Ming?"

Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko exchanged a strange look.

It feels like... a rather strange name.

Of course, no one said such a thing out loud.

"Then, Mr. Shilun...? Uh, I feel it would be better to call him Mr. Yan Ming?"

"Call me whatever you like, whatever you prefer."

Yan Ming took a sip of coffee, and after hearing what he said, the two nodded.

"Mr. Yan Ming, may I ask which school you attend? If possible, we can ask Hei Zi to report your story to your school later."

"That's right, sir. Assisting the disciplinary committee with their duties can be quite helpful for your academic credits and grades at school. How about it? Would you like to consider it?"

"Yes, yes! Especially in an academy city like this, schools are indeed quite troublesome."

Academy City...Disciplinary Committee...

So, Academy City doesn't refer to a specific school, but rather the name of the city? Or the entire region? And is being a disciplinary committee member the job title of that twin-tailed girl?

The information revealed in just a few words allowed Yan Ming to instantly capture various intelligence and analyze it.

His mind started racing.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually like to make a big fuss at school, so let's just let this matter go today."

"I see... But it's fine this way."

"Hmm, I can totally understand how you feel. Sometimes being too famous isn't a good thing..."

"It would be difficult for someone with superpowers (Level 5) like you, Sister, not to become famous. Please make sure you maintain the proper attitude befitting your important status!"

"I understand. And being a Level 5 esper isn't so bad! You still eat and drink like everyone else in your daily life."

"Wow! Such words... such words are so beneath your dignity as a young lady!!"

After exchanging only a few words, the two girls seemed to have started chatting with each other.

Yan Ming, however, noticed some important information in the conversation.

A person with super powers?

Just now, he witnessed the two girls acting somewhat strangely. For example, Shirai Kuroko could suddenly appear in mid-air, while Misaka Mikoto could generate electricity from her fingertips.

Considering the context of this modern metropolis we live in today—

It is very likely that this is a science fiction world that is quite different from the previous fantasy worlds of swords and magic or the ability to command historical heroes to fight.

When they referred to superpowered individuals, they used the term Level 5, which means that there are also different levels among superpowered individuals.

Fortunately, I pretended to be a stranger, otherwise it would have been very troublesome if I had revealed that I was an outsider in front of them.

If I keep being questioned, it will probably get complicated... so I might as well take the initiative and move the conversation to my side.

"You two girls, even though it's supposed to be the job of disciplinary committee members, is it really okay for you to be out so late...?"

"Yes, it is indeed quite dangerous, but there's no need to worry too much."

Shirai Kuroko elegantly took a sip of the latte on the table.

"As a member of the disciplinary committee, I was only there to carry out my duties, so this is something I had no choice but to do."

"Um... I'm not a disciplinary committee member, but there's still some time before curfew, so..."

"Honestly... Big sister is always like this! Disciplinary committee matters shouldn't be handled by ordinary people, and if they get caught, your position will become very troublesome!"

"But didn't Mr. Yan Ming get involved here too?"

"That was... ah, anyway, it was just a one-off thing. You've interfered in our affairs way far too many times!"

"Okay, okay, I'll know next time, alright?"

Yan Ming did not interfere while the two girls were playing around.

He's already starting to wonder why he suddenly ended up in this kind of world.

"Oh, right!"

At this moment, Misaka Mikoto seemed to have thought of something, and with a flash of inspiration, she looked directly at Yan Ming.

Her expression showed excitement and anticipation.

"Excuse me, Mr. Yan Ming, what kind of abilities do you possess?"

"Eh—?!"

This scene actually startled Shirai Kuroko.

"Because, look, Mr. Yan Ming just demonstrated some amazing fighting skills, didn't he? I was thinking, someone as amazing as him must also have equally amazing superpowers!"

Superpowers… Yan Ming couldn’t help but start thinking about how to make up a lie.

Should I say I don't have any? But what if everyone in this city has some kind of superpower? And what if I say I do? What if they ask me to demonstrate it?

Or are you going to use the power of Kamen Rider to make up the numbers? Just to put on a show? Like casually throwing out an aurora curtain and doing some magic tricks, or pausing time for them to see?

"Big sister, you're being too naive! Not everyone has abilities!"

Shirai Kuroko quickly gave Yan Ming an apologetic look and leaned close to Misaka Mikoto's ear to whisper something.

"Besides—this gentleman's outstanding fighting skills make him seem more like a Level 0 esper, right? Level 0 espers are usually like that; they train in physical combat to defend themselves because they lack abilities. And directly asking someone if they have abilities is just too rude!"

"I...I understand...Actually, I only asked on a whim, I didn't mean any harm..."

"That's the idea, but people might see it completely differently. Anyway, this kind of behavior is quite rude. I hope you'll be more careful in the future, big sister!"

…Are these two girls always like this?

At this moment, Yan Ming began to feel that the gazes of the people around him were becoming somewhat strange. At first, they might have just been gossiping, but now they might have started to regard them as oddballs.

However, having been discriminated against as a weirdo for so long, Yan Ming had long been used to it.

"Then, can we exchange phone numbers?"

"Um…?"

"Sister, dear sister! What are you saying?!"

Shirai Kuroko almost jumped up in a rage.

But Misaka Mikoto had already taken her phone out of her pocket—it was a flip phone.

"Look, what a rare and wonderful encounter! I think we might even become friends! It's no big deal to just exchange phone numbers, right?"

"What do you mean it's nothing! That's a man! A man! My sister might get... Waaaaah! Anyway, it's very dangerous!"

Despite saying that, Misaka Mikoto showed no intention of backing down.

This is getting a bit troublesome...

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Misaka Mikoto asked impatiently, while Yan Ming hesitated for a moment before finally taking out his phone.

Of course, if it were the Faiz phone X, the panic would be even greater, so he directly took out the smartphone he had always been using.

"Hmm... is it a smartphone that's been popular lately? These are rarely used in Academy City."

I don't know how the other party did it. Even though they were completely unrelated phone models, they just scanned it with the infrared light on the back of the phone, and Misaka Mikoto nodded triumphantly.

And a new contact was added to Yan Ming's phone.

It's incredible... After all, this is equivalent to the technology of two different worlds... His phone doesn't even have a signal in this world, how could he still succeed?

"Is that all?"

"...Yes, indeed."

In short, the other party successfully added him on their contact list.

This scene caused Shirai Kuroko, who was standing to the side, to show a somewhat indescribable expression.

He seems... a little unhappy?

"Ah, it's almost curfew time, big sister, we should go now."

"Huh? Curfew time? But there's still a long time before it starts—"

"Mr. Yan Ming, I'm very happy to have received your help today. I hope we'll have the chance to meet again in the future, and I look forward to your guidance then. Also, we've already settled the bill for the coffee. See you next time!"

"Hey Kuroko! Wait a minute—!!"

Then, in front of everyone, Shirai Kuroko grabbed Misaka Mikoto and left the cafe.

Only Yan Ming was left here.

Feeling the strange looks from those around him, Yan Ming shook his head and drank the somewhat bitter liquid in his cup in one gulp.

This world has people with superpowers, and there are teenage girls who possess these superpowers…

It really feels like an incredible city.

"Academy City...?"

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Volume 5 of A Certain Magical Index: Chapter 130 Welcome to Academy City

It was close to eight o'clock in the evening.

However, there were still many people on the streets outside.

Most of the people walking on the street are students, which is obvious even without judging by their appearance or age, because they are all wearing school uniforms.

Besides that, there were some adults on the street, but their numbers were relatively small. The majority of the people dressed in casual clothes were students.

Some girls walked together, some couples walked together, and some looked like street thugs walking together, but there were also some elegant girls who looked very classy walking together.

Yan Ming stood on the street, raised his head, and looked up at the sky.

An airship flew back and forth in the center of the building complex.

"Our Academy City is a large city with a population of 2.3 million."

"Nearly 80% of the population are students, and a significant proportion of them are individuals with special abilities..."

Academy City...a massive city with a population of 2.3 million, located in the interior of Japan.

Through the various messages continuously broadcast by the airship, Yan Ming finally obtained relatively accurate information about this world... or rather, this city.

First of all, this is a city located within Japan, and even an independent one.

Secondly, the population here is a full 2.3 million, 80% of whom are students. There are countless superhumans with special abilities here, and they are also divided into different levels.

Finally, the existence of people with special abilities is widely recognized in this city.

Although Yan Ming knew a lot about the city, he couldn't find the two familiar people.

He took out his Faiz phone X, which allowed him to communicate with people across time and space.

But when I dialed Gates's number, there was no corresponding signal.

Yan Ming put away his phone and looked at the time displayed on the airship... 8:15 PM.