Peace returned to the hospital in District 7. The special treatment room run by the foreign intern quietly resumed its operations.
What Ethan didn't expect… was for one of the Anti-Skill officers to plop herself right down into his room like she owned the place.
"Yomikawa-sensei, we're still on duty…" Tetsuyuki said timidly.
"No other assignments. Just a matter of whether I've taken off the uniform or not."
And with that, Aiho Yomikawa peeled off her Anti-Skill uniform.
The thin white shirt she wore beneath couldn't hide her impressive chest.
Any teacher like Komoe would've burst into tears from jealousy.
In Ethan's impression, Yomikawa was the iconic busty woman in green track suits year-round. Rarely did she look this commanding in uniform.
"Same routine as always?"
"Please. And don't worry about the cost, Anti-Skill's insurance covers it."
Yomikawa tossed out a casual "Thank you" in her thick Japanese-accented English.
Ethan shook his head and pressed both hands lightly onto her shoulders. If he were some back-alley thug attacking from behind, she'd have flipped him and broken his arm by now.
Heal
Ping!
A soft green light glowed from his palms as Ethan gently massaged her shoulders, an extra "bonus" service on top of healing. The strain in her muscles began to fade in moments.
A full day's exhaustion, gone in seconds.
"No matter how many times I experience it, it's still unbelievable," Yomikawa sighed. "Your heal does more than just fix wounds. Honestly, it's a waste having you as an intern in this little clinic. Ever thought of joining Anti-Skill support? Branch 7-3 would welcome you anytime."
"I still have a lot to learn here," Ethan replied calmly.
Anti-Skill was made up of powerless adults. No thanks. He'd rather sneak into Judgment or even the Dark Side.
"Fair enough." Yomikawa turned to her colleague. "Tetsuyuki, want a turn?"
"C-Can I…?"
"Of course," Ethan said with a smile.
He charged, after all.
"Your hands are better than any professional masseuse. You could just slap a 'Healing Massage' sign out front and this whole clinic would be packed," Yomikawa joked, putting her coat back on and giving him a thumbs-up.
But Heal didn't just dissolve pain, it transferred it into Ethan's own body. While he could tolerate the physical strain, the mental fatigue was harder to avoid.
Surprisingly, after inheriting Shokuhou's mental strength, Ethan felt more refreshed than ever. Even consecutive heals no longer wore him out. A month ago, after a full shift, he'd collapse like a dead dog and have Komoe drag him home.
This was also key to leveling up Heal.
"What? That guy killed himself?"
Moments later, Yomikawa got a call. Ryosuke Miyagi, the student who attacked the nurse, had apparently slammed his head against a wall in the detention center when no one was watching.
Cracked his skull, brain matter and all…
"Before he died, he kept screaming about a 'tumor' in his head, clawing at his skull…"
The other end of the call fell silent.
Even hearing about it gave Ethan chills.
"That's… a miserable way to die."
"S-So scary…" Tetsuyuki shuddered.
Yomikawa, seasoned as she was with countless esper-related crimes, couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She glanced toward Ethan, the bespectacled, clean-cut boy with a harmless smile.
…Impossible.
She shook her head and hung up.
"Don't worry. He won't be coming back. Even if he had, Anti-Skill would've protected you."
"Anti-Skill can't protect everyone," Ethan said flatly. "Shouldn't we have zero tolerance for people who try to kill doctors, Yomikawa-sensei?"
"…Maybe." She gave a bitter smile.
Ethan had already used mental out to confirm the attacker's murderous intent. Had he not intervened, who knows how many people might've gotten hurt.
His first time killing.
And he didn't even lift a finger.
Strangely, he felt nothing.
Maybe it was because transmigrating still felt surreal to him, like this was all just part of some anime world. In truth, he was simply a monster who couldn't feel the pain of others.
One command, and his enemy ends himself.
What could be more humane than that?
In the process, Ethan confirmed something else: he could activate a "blank" heal, not to treat, but to read memories and copy abilities.
Even trash had value. Squeeze them dry before tossing them out like used cloth.
He was acutely aware that he was nowhere near Level 5 in power. The gap? Calculation power.
Heal allowed him to copy an ability exactly. But if his body couldn't support it, the copied version would often be downgraded.
In truth, he had only forced his way into Shokuhou's memories to extract the supreme mental computation formulas, formulas that had cost a massive research institute years to derive.
But he himself… hadn't even undergone brain development. His calculation capacity was still that of a Level 0.
Right now, his Geass could only brute-force normal brains. With that computation method, he could push to Lv.2 or even Lv.3, enough to fight above his level.
The fatal flaw of heal was that it couldn't copy physique, class, or passive abilities, and calculation power was one of those.
In this world, brainpower was everything.
From Ryosuke's memory, Ethan had extracted a crucial piece of intel: the boy had used Level Upper to push his stagnant power up to Level 3.
"There's this rumor… about an audio clip that can boost your ability level just by listening…"
Looks like the Level Upper Arc from Railgun had already begun. Since it wouldn't interfere with Aleister's master plan, Ethan figured he could take advantage of it.
Still, Level Upper wouldn't help him much. External boosts were temporary.
He'd rather believe in something more… practical.
Like powering up girls by "mana infusion," just like in Redo of Healer.
After a month of practice, he was finally nearing the threshold of two new skills: Enhance and Debuff, derived from Heal.
It was also time to increase his own calculation capacity.
Otherwise, if someone like Shokuhou attacked again, he might not be able to protect his own secrets. Too bad he hadn't acquired Electromagnetic Barrier, the passive immunity to mental attacks.
"Um…"
A knock on the door. Then a gentle voice.
"Thank you, Ethan-kun!"
It was the nurse he saved earlier. Having calmed down, she'd come back after her shift to thank him in person.
Yomikawa elbowed him teasingly.
"Oho~, getting lucky, aren't we?"
"Not really."
But Ethan's mind was elsewhere, still replaying Shokuhou's memories. When he reversed her mind-reading, he had silently invaded her strongest thoughts.
Turned out Mental Out wasn't invincible after all.
Compared to the nurse in front of him, the Queen of Tokiwadai was just as alluring. Immersing in her memories was like VR, one glance down and you could see "the goods."
So that's how she got injured. Her boobs blocked her line of sight.
For a former otaku like Ethan, this kind of "memory playback" was a dream come true. In this anime world, healing a waifu let you view every detail of her body, inside and out.
Not just visuals, weight and texture were fully replicated. Even Tokiwadai's Queen would fret about how her cup size had exploded over the past year, weighing herself in secret…
Who would've guessed? Just a year ago, Shokuhou Misaki had been flat-chested, rivaling Misaka Mikoto.
Now Ethan had witnessed it in first-person: the golden-haired girl's full bloom, year by year.
Her fangirls would kill him if they knew.
He shook off the temptation to peek further. It took considerable willpower.
More pressing matters were at hand.
What surprised him most was Misaki Ayumu's presence. In the original, she was supposed to be an enemy. Why were they suddenly allies?
In Shokuhou's memory, it happened a year ago, she saved Misaki when she tried to commit suicide…
So the timeline had already changed.
A terrifying truth, like a quantum eraser experiment: The future had altered the past.
He had to be cautious. A transmigrator's greatest advantage, knowledge of the plot, was slowly eroding under butterfly effects.
"Ethan-kun? Snap out of it. She's gone."
"Huh?"
Ethan looked up and saw the ultimate bug of the Index universe, Heaven Canceller.
An old man, bald and wrinkled, with a frog face adored by Misaka Mikoto. His speech always ended with whimsical particles.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
This man might be the greatest doctor in all of anime. Said to be able to save anyone not completely dead. He even saved Aleister's life.
"You were staring so hard at that nurse, she ran off." Yomikawa snickered. "Boys your age really are all about the oppai, huh?"
"So that's why Ethan-kun took a part-time job in our hospital," Heaven Canceller added thoughtfully.
You're the one with a nurse fetish, old man!
One stray thought, and Ethan's mind was flooded with bouncing blonde images… The legendary "nurse bath scene" with Shokuhou and her faction lined up in nothing but towels…
Totally not interested. At all.
"Sensei, have the surgeries finished for today?" Ethan asked, changing the subject.
"Yup. Just a few minor ones, like a heart transplant under local anesthesia."
He wasn't kidding.
The techniques and theories this man employed were so cutting-edge, not even the city's Board of Directors dared approve them.
"Give me a moment." Ethan turned to the others. "Yomikawa-sensei, Tetsuyuki-sensei, wait for me after I clock out. Komoe's planning a dinner for all of us."
"Got it. We'll leave you two to work."
The two female officers left and gently closed the door.
Only then did Heaven Canceller speak.
"I heard about what happened today. Ethan-kun, we're lucky to have you."
"No, Sensei. You're the one who gave me this opportunity. I'm grateful to be here, using my ability to help others."
Ethan genuinely respected this legendary doctor.
He was just a transmigrator with a cheat power, doing what he had to in order to survive.
"An esper, huh? Maybe you're an esper stone, a natural, unengineered one. Your insights have certainly inspired me."
"Actually, I had another idea today," Ethan said. "If we could apply Radiation Refraction to interventional procedures, we could eliminate the need for lead aprons."
Ionizing radiation had long plagued surgeons.
"Oh?"
Heaven Canceller's eyes lit up. He looked at Ethan's delicate face with increasing admiration.
Among all his students over the years, Ethan may have had the lowest academic background, just a fresh high school grad from another country.
But he also had the most potential.
"I haven't taken on a student in ages… Ethan-kun, would you be interested in applying for my postgraduate program?"
"…Huh?"
Ethan froze.
In Japanese, "daigakuinsei" referred to graduate students, master's and PhD candidates.
He hadn't intended to spend his life in medicine. Approaching Heaven Canceller was a tactical move, having a powerful "mentor" offered protection. Even Aleister would think twice.
"Sorry, I spoke too soon," the doctor said. "Your talent shouldn't be buried in this city."
"I haven't even passed undergrad exams," Ethan said tactfully. "Just being able to study under you is an honor."
What a smooth talker.
Heaven Canceller beamed and pulled out a thick envelope from his white coat.
Ethan blinked.
Was this real? Interns actually got paid?
"This month's wages. I also applied for a special bonus for your heroism, hasn't been approved yet. Since you're not officially employed, we're only giving you part-time student pay. No insurance. If anything had happened to you, I'd never forgive myself…"
He looked sincerely apologetic.
In Academy City, it was common for students with abilities to work part-time.
"Thank you, Sensei."
What a good man. Ethan couldn't help feeling guilty. After all, he had planned to take advantage of him from the start.
The two chatted a bit longer.
When the topic returned to Ryosuke, Heaven Canceller actually remembered his name.
"After that boy was discharged, I should've talked to him more… A life is a life."
"It wasn't your fault, Sensei."
That "tumor" had tried to ruin the life of this kind doctor, make him unable to operate ever again.
"Enough about that. Summer break's coming up. If you're free, come help at the hospital. We're short-staffed, and your ability helps a lot. Not to mention your computer skills. But don't neglect your studies. You've got your transfer exam, right? I pulled strings to get you into the physician licensing process…"
Though Ethan hadn't officially passed the medical exam, he was allowed to follow physicians as a student intern. Using heal didn't require prescriptions or invasive procedures.
Heaven Canceller checked Ethan's recent digital charts and patted him on the shoulder.
"You've improved a lot. Keep it up."
"I won't let you down, Sensei. I'll ace that exam…"
Behind the glint of his glasses, a subtle glow flickered in Ethan's eyes.
The moment they touched, he activated his ability. These days, he didn't even need his hands, just passive contact was enough.
Heal
Ping!
To avoid exposing magic, he didn't dare open the Emerald Eye, let alone mental out. This old man knew everything about the darkness of this world.
Real Name: Unknown
Target: Heaven Canceller
And now… the memories, knowledge, and experience of the world's greatest doctor flowed into Ethan.
Failed surgeries. Brushes with death. Pain and fear from countless patients,
A tidal wave of anguish flooded his mind.
His brain trembled.
This darkness far exceeded even what he had seen in Shokuhou's memories. But with his boosted mental strength, he endured.
Not even a drop of sweat.
I have no talent. And I've lost interest in learning the "normal" way. There's an easier path to success.
Copy, the God of Medicine!
Just as he suspected… the secret to rapid cognitive advancement, was here!
"By the way, Ethan-kun…"
Ethan tensed. Had he been found out?
"About your condition… I'd like to talk about it again."
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