In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 30

Looking at her sleeping face filled with complete trust, and recalling her clumsy yet earnest "care" when he first woke up, Higashino Yu felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

He carefully adjusted his position, supporting her shoulders to make her more comfortable on the sofa, and pulled a small blanket over her.

After settling Index in, Higashino Yuu leaned back on the sofa, a hint of indescribable, almost indulgent smile on his tired face.

He got up and walked to the window.

The storm has subsided for now, but the ripples caused by the "Index" pebble are only just beginning to spread.

Magical side, scientific side... What kind of scheme lies behind my encounter with Index? The brief calm is just the calm before the storm, and the future will only be more turbulent.

at this time--

"Ding dong!"

The doorbell rang, like a cold drop of water suddenly falling into the still lake, instantly shattering the tranquility of the room!

Did they forget something in early spring?

With this question in mind, Higashino opened the door, and two figures came into his view.

One of the figures was exceptionally tall, but his body was tightly wrapped in layers of pale medical bandages, like a mummy just moved from an Egyptian museum.

However, just by looking at his red hair and the cigarette in his mouth, Higashino was certain that the person in front of him was Stiyl Magnus!

The woman standing beside him was undoubtedly Kanzaki Kaori. She had changed out of her striking black outfit, which exuded a fighting spirit; a simple white shirt and dark jeans made her a bit more reserved, but she looked surprisingly capable.

They even waited until the banquet was over before coming.

"Click."

The door lock was opened slightly.

Higashino Yu opened the door a crack, looked out at the door expressionlessly, and said in a calm and even voice, "Good evening."

He stepped aside, making way for the entrance.

Kanzaki's gaze fell on Higashino Yu's face. She remained silent, her steps steady as she entered the house, each step carrying a heavy atmosphere. Stiyl followed closely behind, the strong smell of medicine and pungent tobacco immediately filling the doorway.

Kanzaki didn't immediately look away. Her gaze swept across the living room, which had been restored to cleanliness but still retained a faint odor, before finally settling on Higashino Yu. She spoke, her voice low and calm, yet containing an undeniable power:

"Let's talk, Mr. Higashino Yu."

Stiyl exhaled a large puff of smoke, his hoarse voice breaking through the smoke, carrying a burning urgency and unwavering persistence, adding to the sole theme:

"About that child. Everything you know."

"Bang." The heavy security door slammed shut behind the three of them, cutting off the last ray of light from the corridor.

Chapter 41 Explanation

Kanzaki sat upright on the edge of the sofa, her seven swords lying across her lap, her eyes fixed on Higashino with an unwavering gaze. Meanwhile, the bandaged monster Stiyl leaned against the window, silently smoking.

"So," Kanzaki's voice was filled with doubt and distrust, "you're saying the church deceived us?"

Higashino Yu gently placed three steaming cups of barley tea on the coffee table. Index, who had already woken up, was curled up at the other end of the sofa, her eyes darting nervously between the three people. She was still somewhat afraid of the two who had been chasing her just a few days ago.

"Isn't this obvious?" Higashino took a medical laryngoscope out of his pocket. "The human brain has a memory capacity of about 78848 trillion gigabytes of storage space. What are 103,000 books? They don't even occupy one ten-thousandth of that. How could it possibly require memory erasure every year? How could you have believed such an absurd claim for so long?"

Stiyl exhaled a smoke ring, his brows furrowing beneath his red hair, the cigarette almost crushed between his fingers: "Gb?" He frantically searched his mind for information about the word, but with little scientific knowledge, he couldn't recall any related concepts.

“Well…” Higashino gestured, trying to explain in the simplest way, “In short, its brain capacity is huge. Even if you put the entire contents of the British Library inside, it would be more than enough and wouldn’t burst.”

He suddenly turned to Index, his voice softening unconsciously, tinged with pity: "Can you open your mouth so I can see it?"

Index blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what Higashino was going to do, but obediently tilted her head back, revealing her slender neck. Higashino turned on the LED light of the laryngoscope, illuminating the structure inside her throat.

"See for yourselves."

As Kanzaki bent down, the scabbard slammed heavily against the coffee table with a dull thud. Deep within Index's throat, a glowing rune was clearly visible.

“This…is impossible…” Steele’s cigarette slipped from his fingers, a spark landing on the carpet and leaving a small scorch mark. His face turned deathly pale, his eyes beneath his red bangs trembled violently, and his lips shook uncontrollably.

"This is the shackles you Puritans have set up." Higashino turned off the laryngoscope, his voice cold. "The incisions carved near the vocal cords connect directly to the brainstem through the laryngeal nerves. If the memories don't clear when they accumulate to a critical point, her life will be in danger."

"We...we actually..." Kanzaki suddenly slammed her fist on the coffee table. Her shoulders trembled violently, her voice filled with self-reproach: "Every time, we were the ones who...discarded that child's memories...like garbage..."

Stiyl suddenly grabbed his red hair, his nails digging deep into his scalp. He staggered back two steps and crashed into a bookshelf, books clattering to the floor. "Two years... a full two years!" His voice was terribly hoarse. "I watched her suffer after each cleansing... curled up and trembling... I thought it was a necessary sacrifice... but... but..."

Index was startled by their reactions, but her eyes revealed worry. Higashino immediately grasped her small hand and found that her pulse was as fast as a frightened penis, pounding wildly beneath her thin skin.

"This is not your fault," Higashino said in a deep voice, his tone unwavering. "The Church took advantage of your loyalty and your concern for her."

Kanzaki suddenly looked up: "Then haven't we been hurting this child all along?!"

Higashino pointed at Index, his voice growing colder: "Think about it, how much damage does forcibly erasing memories do to the brain? Every time, it's like tearing apart neural connections..." Actually, Higashino didn't know if there would be any aftereffects, but he wanted to make the two of them feel more guilty and believe him.

"Damn it!" Steele suddenly sprang to his feet, slamming his fist into the wall. Blood seeped from the back of his hand, leaving a shocking red mark on the pristine white wall, yet he seemed oblivious. "All we've been doing... has been hurting her!" His voice suddenly choked, as if something was blocking his throat, "For this despicable... filthy..."

Index flinched slightly, her eyes darting between Kanzaki and Stiyl's pained faces, filled with bewilderment and a hint of instinctive fear. She didn't understand why the two were so agitated; she only felt an immense sadness and anger permeating the air. She instinctively moved closer to Higashino, at a loss for what to do.

"My...my memories..." she murmured softly, her eyes somewhat unfocused, "Every time I wake up, I feel so empty...like I've lost something very important..." She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake off that emptiness, "But I'm used to it...it's just like this..."

These words pierced Kanzaki's heart like a sharp knife. She abruptly stood up, the knife clattering to the ground. The usually composed saintly woman's face was now filled with boundless pain and self-reproach, her voice trembling: "I'm sorry... Index... We actually let you suffer this with our own hands... with our own hands..." Her fists clenched so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms, "I swear... I will break these damned shackles..."

Seeing the two of them on the verge of collapse, Dongye felt that the time was right and there was no point in letting them continue to be angry: "I can solve this problem, but I need your help."

Stiyl turned around, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, the tattoos on his face looking particularly ferocious under his distorted expression: "Speak! I'll give you my life if you want!"

“The Moving Church.” Higashino pointed to Index’s monastic robes, the seemingly ordinary fabric concealing powerful defensive magic. “You’ll need Kanzaki to use all your strength to create an opening in it. I know your ‘Kanzakir’ should be able to do that.” Actually, Higashino had initially considered taking the robes off, but it turned out they were bound to Index; as long as she was within a certain range, they would be effective, so taking them off wouldn’t help. And if Index was too far away, the Moving Church would simply float over—it was absurd.

Kanzaki nodded without hesitation, her hand veins bulging and her knuckles cracking as she picked up the long sword. "You even know this..." Her voice was low and calm, like the calm before a storm, "But for this child, I will do everything in my power. Even if it means severing a god."

"As for the technique itself..." Higashino's eyes were filled with determination, "My ability can completely erase it. Once and for all."

Index looked up, her eyes finally reflecting a faint but real hope after the blurry tears. "Really... can it end?" Her voice was as light as a feather, with a hint of cautious probing. "My memories... won't flow away like water anymore...? I can... remember everything, right?" Her fingers gripped Higashino's clothes tightly, as if grasping at the last ray of light.

Kanzaki and Stiyl's expressions froze simultaneously. Stiyl twisted his head sharply, the cigarette between his fingers crumpled, ash falling in a flurry; Kanzaki's face was pale, her head bowed, her shoulders trembling.

"I promise." Higashino gently patted Index's head, his voice soft yet firm. "After tonight, you will never lose any memories again. The shackles in your throat will disappear, disappear forever."

Kanzaki flung open the door, the night wind howling into the living room, dispersing the heavy smell of smoke and the oppressive atmosphere. Her back was straight as a knife, yet her voice was unusually gentle: "Let's go, Index. Let's end all this as soon as possible." She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on Index. "This time... I will definitely protect you."

Stiyl stubbed out his cigarette in frustration, his movements stiff as he lit a new one. He walked up to Index, trying to keep his voice steady: "Well... let's go. This time," he paused, his voice carrying an unwavering resolve, "I won't let anything hurt you again."

Index looked at the two people blocking her way, then looked up at Higashino beside her. She pursed her lips, finally revealing a small smile that was both apprehensive and trusting. As usual, she reached out and gently tugged at Higashino and Kanzaki's sleeves.

Higashino felt her small hand gripping his tightly, the dependence clearly conveyed through the fabric. He gently squeezed back, giving her a silent response.

After tonight... everything will change.

Chapter 42 Automatic Book Activation

An abandoned industrial area on the edge of the Seventh School District.

"This is it."

Higashino's voice echoed in the empty space.

"It's spacious enough, and it won't harm innocent people."

Stiyl followed closely behind, three rune cards between his fingers, cigarette smoke swirling around his face.

"Hey kid from the science side, you'd better stand back."

His voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"What's coming next is something you can't handle."

Kanzaki appeared silently ten meters to Higashino's left.

"Higashino."

Kanzaki's voice was softer than usual, yet it carried an undeniable power.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Higashino didn't answer immediately. He turned to look at Index, who was clutching his clothes tightly.

Index.

Higashino crouched down to be at eye level with the girl.

"Please believe that no matter what happens, do not be afraid."

Index bit her lower lip and nodded, her silver eyelashes trembling slightly.

"But Higashino..."

Her voice was full of worry.

"The defenses of the mobile church are not so easy to break through..."

"I know."

Higashino gently squeezed her hand.

That's why we need their help.

With his current strength, he would definitely be affected by the barrier of the mobile church, otherwise he wouldn't have needed Kanzaki's help and could have handled it all by himself.

Stiyl clicked his tongue impatiently, the cigarette glowing at the corner of his mouth.

"Enough with the nonsense."

He tossed three rune cards into the ground, where they landed precisely in an equilateral triangle. "Forts931 (A Gift of Pain to Giants)!"

Flames erupted from the rune card as if they were alive, twisting and coalescing in the air. Within three seconds, a five-meter-tall fire giant rose from the ground, ominous flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets, leaving molten footprints on the ground with every step it took.

Index instinctively stepped back, but Higashino grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid."

He whispered in her ear.

"His flames aren't strong enough to harm you."

The fire giant roared deafeningly, wielding its massive arm made of pure flames as it slammed towards Index. The scorching heat distorted the surrounding air, and a burning pain shot through Higashino's skin, but he refused to yield an inch.

boom--!

The giant fist of fire struck the air in front of Index, but it was as if it had hit an invisible wall. The absolute defense of the Mobile Church worked perfectly; the flames were completely blocked and dissipated, without even harming a single hair on Index's head.

"cut!"

Stiyl stomped out his cigarette.

"So it really didn't work."

Kanzaki Kaori's expression remained unchanged as she slowly walked towards Index, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Let me try."

Index's body trembled slightly, but her eyes remained firm.

"Okay, go ahead and do it..."

"rest assured."

Kanzaki's voice was as cold as a knife.

"I will break these shackles."

Her movements were so fast they were almost invisible. The moment the knife was drawn, a piercing shriek as if the air was being torn apart pierced the eardrums.

"Seven Flashes!"

Seven blades of light simultaneously attacked Index from different angles, each powerful enough to cut through steel. Higashino's pupils contracted slightly; even knowing the defensive capabilities of the Mobile Church, witnessing such an attack still made his heart race.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The mobile church's defenses perfectly blocked all attacks, and Index stood unharmed, though her face was even paler.

"Not enough."

Kanzaki sheathed her sword, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

"Looks like we'll have to use that."

Higashino knew that Kanzaki was getting serious, which was exactly what he had been hoping for.