Heaven Canceller was standing beside the vending machine at the hospital entrance, buying a canned drink. When he heard footsteps approaching from behind, he did not turn around. Instead of sounding authoritative, his voice carried calm concern.
"Is it finished?"
With his hands in his pockets, Arata asked curiously, "Doctor, you did not even turn around. How did you know it was me?"
Heaven Canceller took the canned drink from the vending machine, turned around, placed one hand behind his back, and said calmly, "The only people who would come to the hospital at this hour are either you or an emergency patient."
"Oh, I see. Normally no one from the hospital comes here at this time unless something special happens." Arata muttered to himself. He had something like a senior and junior relationship with the doctor and often came over to eat. The doctor had probably become familiar with his habits.
"Seeing you like this, I knew you would be fine. I had even prepared a psychological treatment plan for you," Heaven Canceller said while rubbing his bald head.
"Although I do feel a little uncomfortable, it was my first time killing someone, so this kind of reaction is normal. But I am still a Level 5. My mental strength is not that fragile," Arata said with a faint smile.
Before coming to Academy City he had only been a kind hearted otaku. During the ten years he spent in Academy City he had simply been a good student who avoided trouble. Killing someone truly had been a first for him.
However, he did not feel any psychological barrier because those people truly deserved to die. They were hopeless scum.
"What will you do next?" Heaven Canceller asked.
"Next? Well, of course I will try to make life more enjoyable." Arata smiled brightly. Thinking about the Misaka Sisters and Komoe sensei waiting inside the hospital seemed to wash away the discomfort lingering in his heart.
"It may not be easy to return to a peaceful life," Heaven Canceller said with a soft sigh.
"I never said I wanted to return to peace. I only said I wanted to be happy," Arata replied.
"As long as you do not forget that there are people who care about you, life will not be so bad," Heaven Canceller said seriously as he looked at him.
"Understood, Doctor. I will give you something later. If it can be replicated, it could cure many diseases that are currently considered incurable," Arata said confidently.
"Then I am truly looking forward to it," Heaven Canceller replied with a gentle smile.
Arata walked past Heaven Canceller toward the hospital entrance. After taking a few steps he suddenly turned around as if he had just remembered something.
"Doctor, can I take Misaka home now that her body has been adjusted?"
Heaven Canceller calmly looked at Arata and said, "Although patients who have recovered can leave the hospital at any time, it would be best for you to follow the law and not do anything strange to that child. According to the laws of Academy City, if molestation or something more serious occurs, you would be sent to a juvenile detention center. You would become the first Level 5 esper in history to be imprisoned for molestation."
Arata's lips twitched involuntarily and he immediately looked discouraged.
"Why is everyone like this? I am just shameless, not a scumbag."
Both Nunotaba Shinobu and Kaibi Gokusai, whom he had only known for a short time, had reacted in exactly the same way.
"Sigh." Heaven Canceller sighed helplessly and covered his forehead. "That child can be discharged from the hospital now. Just please do not do anything strange to her."
"Understood. Please trust my character." Arata said with a bright smile before quickly walking toward Misaka's hospital room.
"By the way, thank you for not killing that researcher."
Heaven Canceller's gentle voice came from behind him.
"Kikyou Yoshikawa?" Arata stopped walking when he heard the name. "Is she a friend of yours, doctor?"
"I have treated her several times before. As a doctor, I also bear responsibility for my former patients," Heaven Canceller said with quiet satisfaction.
Arata nodded before continuing toward the inpatient ward. Just as he reached the door of Misaka's room, voices coming from inside caught his attention.
"How about giving you new name?."
"Misaka already has a name. Misaka is called Misaka 8912, do, Misaka replied like this."
"That is only a number, not a name. A name should have meaning. It can represent someone's personality, or be given by their parents, or perhaps a nickname given by their husband after marriage."
Arata raised his eyebrow and pushed open the ward door.
Inside he saw an intellectual looking woman wearing a worn out T shirt and faded jeans chatting happily with Misaka Mikoto. One of her arms was in a cast and there was a bandage on her cheek.
She was the researcher he had previously allowed to leave.
Kikyou Yoshikawa.
"Why are you here... um..." Arata asked before suddenly understanding when he remembered what Heaven Canceller had said earlier.
"Excuse me, am I not allowed to come here?" Kikyou Yoshikawa asked innocently. Her voice trembled slightly with a touch of naivety before her expression dimmed.
"I see. In your eyes I am probably just an executioner who participates in those dirty experiments. But please do not worry. I will not do anything to them," she said somewhat nervously.
"Ugh. I hate dealing with situations like this." Arata rubbed his temples. It felt strange for someone who was clearly an adult to speak to him like this, yet there was an unexpected hint of cuteness in her behavior.
"You can stay here."
"Really?" Kikyou Yoshikawa asked in surprise.
"Really. I believe you will not do anything to them," Arata replied casually.
He then turned toward the Misaka Sisters with sparkling eyes. Opening his arms widely, he spoke with a bright smile.
"Sorry for making you wait for two hours."
"Mr. Arata is two hours and seventeen minutes late," Misaka said seriously. "Misaka accuses Misaka 8913 of secretly taking one of the playing cards that Mr. Arata gave to Misaka as a gift."
"Do! Rebuttal! That deck of cards was originally given to Misaka by Mr. Arata. Yet Misaka 8912 has taken possession of the gift that originally belonged to Misaka. Misaka strongly demands that Misaka 8912 return Misaka's card."
"Do! Rebuttal. That deck of cards was given to all the Misakas by Mr. Arata. Misaka accuses Misaka 8912 and Misaka 8913 of monopolizing shared property."
When the four Misaka Sisters saw him enter the room, they immediately surrounded him and began speaking all at once.
"Huh? Playing cards? Oh... I see." Arata tilted his head as the corners of his mouth twitched helplessly.
"It seems I overestimated those researchers. They never input any knowledge about playing cards into the Misaka Network at all."
He had originally wanted the Misaka Sisters to play cards together to pass the time while he handled other matters.
But after thinking about it carefully, if the Misaka Sisters shared their memories through the Misaka Network, then playing cards would be no different from playing while invisible.
"Pfft... hahaha..."
Kikyou Yoshikawa suddenly burst into laughter when she saw the expression on Arata's face. Just a short time ago he had appeared fierce and domineering, yet now he looked completely helpless in front of the Misaka Sisters.
Arata immediately turned to look at her.
Kikyou Yoshikawa quickly suppressed her laughter.
"You just laughed, did you not?"
Kikyou Yoshikawa blushed slightly and shook her head.
...
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