Ren Isana and Aleister reached an agreement just like that. After they chatted for a while, Awaki Musujime, whom Ren had seen earlier, suddenly appeared out of thin air holding a document folder.
Aleister slowly spoke up. "Inside is your identification for operating within Academy City. I will provide you with the identity of an Esper, along with some operational funds. You are free to do whatever you wish; I will not interfere with your actions."
Listening to him, Ren took the folder Awaki handed over. He pulled out the contents and glanced at them. Seeing his own ID and name printed on the documents, he raised an eyebrow.
"I don't believe I ever mentioned my name," Ren pointed out after a brief silence. He hadn't brought it up once during their entire conversation, had he?
Yet here it was, clearly printed on the ID card. His name, and even his exact birthday, were perfectly accurate. *Did I just get doxxed? Good grief...*
"That is unimportant. Please, do as you please from here on out," Aleister said, closing his eyes. Seeing this, Ren couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. *Those two probably have some sort of world-reading ability too, right?*
Ren possessed a similar ability, but he wasn't about to use it recklessly in this world. Heaven knew if the Magic Gods could also extract information on a planetary scale. If they could, he would be discovered the instant he tried.
Glancing over the items and the address of his new residence, Ren casually stowed them away. Aside from his ID, the folder also contained a set of keys. With his belongings secured, his figure vanished from the spot.
After Ren left, Awaki Musujime took her leave as well. Once they were both gone, Aleister slowly opened his eyes and addressed Aiwass. "What are your thoughts?"
Aiwass smiled at the question. She looked quietly at Aleister and replied, "Do you not already know? For her to send this person over, she must have her own plans. That kind of talent is truly enviable!"
Naturally, Ren's true nature couldn't be hidden from the two of them. The moment he stepped into the room, they had seen right through him. That was exactly how they knew his name.
To glean someone's information, one only needed to peer into the essence of their soul—a feat both of them were perfectly capable of. *Such a gift would invite jealousy in any world, wouldn't it?*
"If he were given time to grow in our world, he could likely become a Magic God with ease, couldn't he? Letting him make contact with Kamijou Touma is fitting. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum will be arriving soon as well; he should find that quite interesting," Aleister murmured, closing his eyes once more.
Was this not a gift to Ren? Knowing his capabilities, if the Index Librorum Prohibitorum were presented to him, he would likely absorb its knowledge as nourishment in no time. Aleister certainly didn't mind lending a hand to someone cultivated by Pandora.
His cooperation with Pandora had been quite pleasant so far. He had placed a considerable number of chips on her; as long as she achieved his goals, it would all be worth it.
"Handle it as you see fit, but do not let him catch the attention of the Magic Gods," Aiwass warned before vanishing from the spot. Aleister remained unbothered.
It was impossible for them to cast their gaze here. The moment that dimensional passage appeared, he had made countless preparations. How could he possibly allow the Magic Gods to look in this direction?
Leaving the Windowless Building, Ren materialized on the street. He smacked his lips as he took in his surroundings. He hadn't noticed it before coming here, but now that he was looking, a lot of the technology on Nexus Island was quite similar to this place.
Anime and reality were different, after all. He hadn't expected this at first, though perhaps he should have realized it the moment he saw those cleaning robots.
Sighing inwardly, Ren began to stroll through Academy City. Aleister hadn't just given him an ID; he had also provided him with an inexhaustible amount of money. Ren wouldn't have to worry about going broke in this world.
However, as he wandered, a street-side news broadcast suddenly caught his attention. Ren followed the sound and stared blankly at the television screen.
"The artificial mecha ASW-G-08, designed for Mars exploration, has recently been completed. It will soon depart for Mars to commence operations." The news report left Ren's face covered in imaginary question marks.
*Holy Barbatos!!* What the hell was going on? This world had Gundams?! Surprise flashed in Ren's eyes as he stared at the screen.
A spark of electricity flickered in his gaze. The next second, he directly hacked into the world's network to search for related data. *Could this be a fused world?*
Filled with doubt, Ren rapidly compiled information from the web. He quickly grasped the situation: this world's technology was incredibly advanced, to the point of developing Esper abilities.
Gundams were naturally well within their capabilities. Several countries had formed partnerships with Academy City and begun colonizing outer space. The Mars Development Project was one such initiative.
Because of this, these massive mechas were created entirely for space development and exploration. As for why they bore those specific names, the creators claimed it was a sudden flash of inspiration—everyone just thought of the name and decided to use it.
Having sorted through the data, Ren's confusion was finally cleared up, leaving him utterly speechless. *This has to be information bleeding over from another universe, right?* It was a shame this wasn't an actual Gundam world.
Shaking his head, he casually downloaded and packaged all the Gundam schematics before putting the matter aside. Since he had stumbled upon them, he obviously couldn't pass them up. Who knew? They might come in handy back home.
Erasing all traces of his digital intrusion, Ren stopped paying attention to the news. Compared to Barbatos, he much preferred the Freedom or the Exia. If those two mobile suits were actually here, he would have absolutely gone out of his way to pilot them.
After taking a lap around Academy City, Ren headed to the dormitory Aleister had arranged for him. Perhaps because classes were in session, his hopes of bumping into familiar faces fell flat.
The apartment Aleister provided was right next door to Touma's. Since the boy was currently at school, Ren didn't run into him upon arrival. He stepped inside, took a brief look around, and settled down to wait.
*He wants me to teach Kamijou Touma?* Magic and Esper abilities were completely useless on the guy, which meant the only things he could actually learn were ordinary combat techniques.
*And Breathing Styles.* The Breathing Styles from the Demon Slayer world would suit him perfectly. It was a technique that enhanced physical capabilities by strengthening cardiopulmonary function, thereby rapidly improving one's physical constitution.
*If I teach him that, his body shouldn't negate it, right?* It was a breathing technique that existed purely to elevate physical fitness. It wouldn't even matter if he couldn't cultivate True Qi.
Once his physical stats were up, Ren could just teach him some martial arts and call it a day. None of that would be nullified by his constitution, making it the most suitable path for him.
*Kamijou Touma...* The panacea of this world. It probably wouldn't work if he left this universe, right? The kid was more like a planetary fuse, designed to prevent the world from being broken by the Magic Gods.
*The world's reference point... just like the Root.* Ren suddenly remembered that severed arm he had seen, the one that emitted absolutely nothing. *Could that be what Pandora prepared to receive Kamijou Touma?*
After all, if Pandora directly swallowed this world and eliminated the Magic Gods, a world reference point like Kamijou Touma would no longer need to exist here. The best solution would be to take it away directly, right? To use it as a fuse for their own world?
This flash of insight suddenly made everything click into place for Ren. *She's probably been planning this all along.* The power of Kamijou Touma was only safe in his own hands; if anyone else had it, who knew what kind of disastrous mess they'd cause?
The power to delete and rewrite reality—Kamijou Touma was essentially the administrator of this world. It was truly enviable. *I wonder if I can copy it?*
Ren couldn't help but ponder the possibility, though he quickly abandoned the thought. *Forget it, forget it. That thing is only useful in this world anyway.*
The more worlds he visited, the deeper his understanding became. Every universe had different rules, and some things truly became useless the moment you left their native dimension.
Once Pandora completely took over this world, his own abilities would be able to rewrite its reality just the same. Since Pandora had granted him authority, he didn't need that power anyway.
Having thought through all this, the afternoon quickly rolled around. The sound of a door opening came from next door, and Ren sensed that unique aura. *This guy is a walking anti-magic zone.*
Any mystical power that approached his right hand was completely erased. With that in mind, Ren stood up, walked straight toward the adjoining wall, turned intangible, and phased right through.
Kamijou Touma, who had just opened his door and returned home, immediately noticed Ren stepping through the wall. The moment he saw him, he froze, instantly going on high alert.
"Who are you?!" In a city filled with Espers, Kamijou Touma wasn't going to mistake Ren for some kind of ghost like a certain secretary had.
The person in front of him was clearly an Esper. In that split second, various thoughts flashed through Touma's mind. *Could this guy be a burglar?*
"I'm your new neighbor. I live right next door, kid~!" Ren introduced himself, continuously sizing the boy up. That right hand of his was truly absurd; it gave Ren a sense of fatal threat.
If the boy fully unleashed his power, Ren's `[Third Magic]` would probably be shattered in an instant, wouldn't it? The thought made Ren mutter inwardly. *Good thing I'm not a complete spiritual body anymore.*
His physical body and soul were now perfectly fused. Otherwise, if Touma touched him, Ren would likely dissipate on the spot. Coming to this world meant being bound by its rules; there was no helping it.
In this universe, the authority of Kamijou Touma's right hand superseded everything. As a filthy out-of-towner, Ren naturally couldn't compare to the local golden boy. But once Mother Pandora took over, that might no longer be the case.
"Neighbor?" Kamijou Touma looked bewildered, but he didn't lower his guard. He continued to stare at Ren in utter confusion. *Is my neighbor really this dangerous? With an ability to walk through walls, couldn't he just break into anyone's house whenever he wants?*
"That's right. I'm your neighbor, and I'm also your new instructor~!" Ren grinned, immediately pulling out a document and handing it over.
Everything Aleister had given him came with instructions. He just needed to show this to the boy. It contained details about a special experiment, essentially stating that Ren was assigned to instruct Kamijou Touma, the student capable of erasing Esper abilities.
The goal was to see if what he taught could be popularized. It was an experiment, and Ren was the director in charge. Situations like this were a dime a dozen in this city.
Kamijou Touma took the document and skimmed it, his face blanking in shock. It did indeed explain the situation, and more importantly, it stated that as long as he participated in this experiment, he would receive a substantial monthly subsidy.
He stared at the Board of Directors' seal in silence for a moment before speaking up. "Hold on, let me look this up!"
Terrified that it might be a forgery, Touma hurriedly whipped out his cracked phone and logged onto Academy City's official website to verify it.
If it was a legitimate experiment, it would usually be posted on the official site. He knew this well; a quick search would reveal the truth.
Ren merely shrugged, unbothered. Instead, he began observing Touma's dorm room. The layout was exactly the same as in the anime.
*As for the balcony... I wonder when a white-haired loli is going to end up hanging from it?* Index hadn't arrived yet, but it probably wouldn't be much longer, right?
Just as Ren was pondering this, Touma managed to find the relevant documents online. Only then did he believe what Ren had said. However, he still had one question. "Um... why didn't anyone notify me about this?"
Touma was baffled. He was supposed to participate in this experiment, so why hadn't anyone told him? Whenever he had participated in experiments before, someone had always informed him beforehand.
"Well, whose fault is it that your phone is broken?" Ren shot him a deadpan look. *Do you think you're that easy to contact? Don't ask. If you have to ask, it's because your phone is busted.*
As soon as Ren's voice fell, Kamijou Touma's phone suddenly received a text message. The timestamp showed it had been sent at noon, making it look as though his phone had failed to receive it earlier and it was only just now coming through.
Faking something like this was as easy as a single thought for Aleister. Underline nanomachines were scattered throughout Academy City, and Kamijou Touma's location was heavily monitored. Naturally, every word of Ren's conversation with the boy was being transmitted directly to Aleister's ears.
So, the moment Ren made that excuse, Aleister immediately stepped in to help him cover up the lie.
Seeing the message, Kamijou Touma instantly looked embarrassed. It seemed it really was his fault. Realizing this, he hurriedly said, "Sorry, my bad. Um, what exactly am I supposed to do? When does the experiment start?"
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