—Yes, it was a mistake, and yes, I magnanimously forgave her and stated I wouldn't press charges... but those were just polite words! Don't you Japanese people pride yourselves on reading the room? Please understand the situation! At least give me a different roommate and keep this girl far away from me!
Lin Wuming raged internally.
Unfortunately, he was new here, unfamiliar with the people, and an orphan, without anyone to rely on. If he didn't keep a low profile now, he might attract trouble...
—Wait a minute, I've already transmigrated, and I even have a superpower. I'm not that humble salaryman anymore, so why am I being so cautious?
Lin Wuming suddenly realized. After all that, he was the one who had been constantly "reading the room"!
Besides, he was currently in the body of an eleven or twelve-year-old child. He could just speak his mind; children are often forgiven for what they say.
"Lin Wuming, do you know that girl just now?" Torami Toumi suddenly leaned in close to his ear, asking the same question again.
Lin Wuming instantly felt the hairs on the left side of his body stand up. His body retained a deep, visceral impression of the girl's terrifying nature.
Even though he knew rationally that the girl wouldn't attack him again... probably?
Suppressing the urge to use his psychic power to push her away, Lin Wuming said: "That girl? Rather than knowing her personally, I'd say I know her name. I know her, but she probably doesn't know me."
"Is she famous?" Torami Toumi seemed to have entered casual conversation mode and asked offhandedly.
"Shokuhou Misaki. She's a Mental-type Esper," Lin Wuming thought for a moment and added, "It's said she has the potential to become a Level 5, so she's quite well-known."
Shokuhou Misaki's potential shouldn't be a secret, right? Lin Wuming watched the expressions of the doctors and Judgment officers as he spoke.
Just in case, he needed to provide a plausible reason; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain how an experiment subject locked up in an illegal research facility would know such a person.
As expected, no one other than Torami Toumi showed any surprise.
After all, Shokuhou Misaki was the "consultant" brought in by the Judgment forces; of course, they knew her basic profile.
"Level 5... that's impressive!" Torami Toumi also looked back at the girl who had walked away, unable to help but scoff.
"She only has the potential. She shouldn't be a Level 5 yet," Lin Wuming quickly added.
"I'm a Level 4," Torami Toumi suddenly stated.
"As expected..." Lin Wuming wasn't surprised. It was only normal for someone who could defeat him so easily to have a higher ability level.
"However," Lin Wuming thought of another matter of concern, "why was Shokuhou Misaki at the hospital?"
She didn't look sick or injured.
Recalling carefully, Shokuhou Misaki was wearing a long white garment, similar in style to a patient's gown.
Could it be... A nonsensical thought suddenly flashed in Lin Wuming's mind—Could this place be the "Skill-Out" base?
But he immediately shook his head and dismissed the unreliable guess.
"Lin Wuming, you really are interested in that girl," Torami Toumi's voice came from behind again.
"Only slightly interested; she is a Mental-type Esper, after all," Lin Wuming said. "Aren't you interested in her too?"
"I just find her annoying."
"Don't go attacking her!" Lin Wuming quickly warned.
"How could I? I'm not the kind of person who harms the innocent..." Torami Toumi seemed to feel her words lacked conviction in front of Lin Wuming, so she sped up, pushing the wheelchair rapidly. "So, back to the room or to the cafeteria?"
"The cafeteria is fine. Thank you for your trouble."
Lin Wuming used his psychic power to rub his forehead, feeling exhausted. With all the interruptions, it seemed he had missed the window to ask for a new roommate...
"The Queen... is he referring to me?" Inside the car, Shokuhou Misaki recalled the moment she ran into Lin Wuming.
To be honest, Lin Wuming's self-consistent, logical self-explanation truly astonished her.
If she hadn't repeatedly checked, she would have thought Lin Wuming was deliberately performing a monologue for her benefit!
The gains from this encounter were greater than expected. Furthermore, it possessed a degree of credibility.
Setting aside other details, at least Lin Wuming mentioning Chairman Aleister and the "Kihara family" showed he was well-informed, as most illegal research facilities in Academy City were insignificant compared to them, often just low-level agencies working for them.
From this point alone, it was certain that Lin Wuming's mind contained genuine, substantial information.
"The so-called 'Transmigrator'—could his superpower be time-related?" Shokuhou Misaki offered a plausible speculation.
Otherwise, how could he possibly know that she would join "Skill-Out" and eventually become a Level 5?
Although Lin Wuming misjudged the timing, thinking she hadn't yet entered "Skill-Out," this very discrepancy served as further proof that Lin Wuming held "correct" information.
During the latter half of the encounter, Lin Wuming tried to "play dumb" to get away, but this caused no difficulty for "Mental Out" at all.
Instead, he was completely seen through by Shokuhou Misaki without any resistance...
If not for the limitations of Level 4 "Mental Out," such as "reading speed," she would likely have scanned and absorbed the entire series of A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, and Ghost Sisters and other works in that single glance.
In this rushed glimpse, Shokuhou Misaki only managed to peek at the parts Lin Wuming was currently thinking about.
But even this was enough to surprise her and keep her busy processing for a while.
However, due to her preconceived first impression, the image of Lin Wuming as a "delusional patient" persisted in Shokuhou Misaki's mind.
Therefore, she couldn't fully trust the information she extracted from Lin Wuming's memory.
"First, according to the information he provided, Academy City will have seven Level 5s in two years, and my 'Mental Out' is ranked fifth..." Shokuhou Misaki was somewhat dissatisfied with this ranking.
Or rather, she was dissatisfied with the person ranked third, "Railgun."
For some unknown reason, in Lin Wuming's memory data, the other Level 5 girl, "Railgun" Misaka Mikoto, held a disproportionately large share of attention.
"In a year, both the girl named Misaka Mikoto and I will enroll in Tokiwadai Middle School, one of the five prestigious schools. It seems we're somehow linked after that, always mentioned together..." Shokuhou Misaki recalled the memory information she had just seen, pinching her chin.
Of course, this description was a self-beautified version by Shokuhou Misaki.
In reality, in Lin Wuming's memory data, "Shokuhou Misaki" was practically an accessory to "Misaka Mikoto." Every time Misaka Mikoto was mentioned, he would "casually" remember that Tokiwadai Middle School had another Level 5, the Queen, though her presence wasn't very strong.
"He makes it sound like that Misaka Mikoto is the female protagonist... when she's just a girl who haphazardly discharges electricity and flips coins!" Shokuhou Misaki judged this memory data to be definitively inaccurate.
"And..." She looked down, her chest completely flat, allowing her to see her abdomen directly.
Then, she compared this to the image of her grown-up self in Lin Wuming's memory...
"No normal human could possibly have that kind of growth rate; it must be his male fantasy!" Shokuhou Misaki couldn't help but complain.