Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

The journey from the Service Club to home was a blur for Li Mo. He only vaguely remembered that Yukinoshita Yukinon had exchanged a few words with him, expressing some level of concern about his state.

—It was the kind of concern unique to Yukinoshita. It might make people feel like she wasn't worried but rather mocking.

Dinner was eaten at the neighbor's house.

It was better than ordering takeout.

Yukinoshita Yukino's cooking was quite good.

What troubled Li Mo was the timing…

"I'll have to leave early tomorrow."

The time for entering the dungeon coincided precisely with his club activities.

To be more precise, it was the time he spent training with Totsuka Saika in tennis.

Admittedly, the dungeon would only take an instant. From entering to returning, only a second might pass in this world. But his state of mind couldn't be faked.

He didn't want to enter the dungeon in front of others.

All other problems paled in comparison to the dungeon he was about to enter.

*A Certain Magical Index*.

An anime that, if you only watched the anime, you might think was just another harem series.

But if you read the light novels, you'd realize it was anything but! From summer vacation to the end of the year, the forces of science and magic took turns making appearances, with various conflicts unfolding one after another, almost like the battles in a certain new-generation Ultraman TV series. Later on, the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City even led to World War III.

And that was just the Old Testament arc.

What if it was the New Testament arc?

The characters in the Old Testament were no small fry—a demon masquerading as the highest bishop, a magician submerged in a cultivation tank with billions of possibilities, and the Right Seat of God wielding the "Holy Right."

The New Testament? That was a full-on chaos of demons and gods.

"The Magic Gods… in the end, they're all part of the same overarching world."

Li Mo felt he was overthinking things.

He was indeed a bit scared. The specific tasks were still unclear, and the timing of entry was uncertain. What if he was dropped right in the middle of a chase scene with the High Priest going after Kamijou Touma?

As time passed, his chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down. Since he couldn't change the system's tasks, there was no need to overthink it. Based on past experiences, the places he was dropped into weren't suicide missions.

The mountains around the Kamado family, the shores of Narukami Island, the streets of Fuyuki City—key locations, but not overly dangerous.

Would he be dropped into Academy City?

Kamijou Touma left his footprints all over that world, but the main stage of the story was always Academy City.

If not Academy City, the next most likely location would be England. After all, Aleister Crowley was British. The past stories were deeply intertwined with the ruler of Academy City. He didn't live in the present; he existed in the past.

A sleepless night.

As a non-human, Li Mo didn't need as much sleep as a regular person. Information about that world continuously streamed into his brain through his retinas.

…

…

Early in the morning, Yukinoshita's second daughter woke up, entered the kitchen, and noticed there were still plenty of ingredients left.

There were even enough ingredients for lunch bento boxes, with some to spare.

"I bought too much."

In the past, she would have stored the extra ingredients for the next day, even if they became less fresh. It wasn't ideal, but it was acceptable.

But now…

Yukinoshita Yukino took out her phone and contacted someone whose behavior was annoying but somehow not entirely detestable.

Yukinoshita: I have extra ingredients.

Li Mo: I'll take them. The dishes can be whatever, but I'd like double the rice. Also, I'll help wash the dishes.

Yukinoshita: Okay.

She turned off her phone screen and put it back in her pocket.

The her from before would never have imagined she'd be preparing lunch for a classmate.

The twists of fate were truly unexpected…

"Wait… did Li Mo pull another all-nighter?"

He had replied instantly.

In the past, he would still be curled up in bed at this hour, responding to messages slowly. Usually, by the time he finished showing off his sword skills, her messages would arrive belatedly.

An instant reply could only mean one thing: he had stayed up all night.

She'd have to remind him about it later.

After living next to him for a while, Yukinoshita had come to understand her father's words about how "raising a child is exhausting" were true.

…

…

Li Mo had no idea that his standing in Yukinoshita's mind had dropped a notch. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care. At most, he'd just call her "Mom" once. Having experienced the "mutual father-son" dynamic in the dorm, this was nothing.

His energy didn't allow him to focus on such trivial matters.

His mind was busy formulating various plans. While many of them might not be used, having a comprehensive set of plans gave him a sense of security.

"Yukinoshita-sama, where's my bento?"

As he left the house, Li Mo waited at the door for Yukinoshita Yukino. When she appeared in her Soubu High uniform, he reached out his hand.

"Did you pull another all-nighter?"

"Not just an all-nighter—a full-on all-nighter. Yukinoshita-sama, your wording is off. So, where's the bento?"

"Here. Try not to stay up all night in the future."

"What kind of young person doesn't stay up all night?" Li Mo said with a haughty tone.

Yukinoshita replied, "Am I not young?"

"Yukinoshita-sama is just Yukinoshita-sama."

Yukinoshita said, "When will you grow out of this childish procrastination habit?"

Such a nonsensical reply was something only an elementary schooler would give. Anyone slightly older would know that this kind of evasive answer would only invite ridicule.

"If it works, it works, right?"

Using another topic to divert the current one was also a form of evasion.

Cowardly, but effective!

Yukinoshita Yukino, familiar with his personality, tossed the bento box to him and said, "Remember your promise."

"Yes, Club President!"

Washing dishes? A trivial matter. A summoned shikigami could handle it.

The shikigami he obtained from the old shrine on Narukami Island had become a household helper after careful nurturing. The only thing it couldn't do well was cooking—it could barely boil water for instant noodles.

For the rest of the day, Li Mo barely thought about his research. Instead, he focused on analyzing the data and plot, refining his plans. He accounted for all variables, though he chose to ignore extreme scenarios like a Magic God attack. But if he ended up in Academy City, he had contingency plans for everything, down to how to control his behavior under nanoscale surveillance.

As someone who frequently traveled to unfamiliar worlds, being cautious to the extreme was key.

The day passed quickly.

When the school bell rang, Li Mo packed up his things and prepared to leave.

"Yukinoshita-sama, I'll be heading out now."

"Go ahead."

During lunch break, Yukinoshita Yukino had already heard about his early departure from club activities. She had seen him discussing it with Totsuka Saika.

Had something happened?

Watching him leave in a hurry, Yukinoshita Yukino pondered for a moment.

She'd ask him about it later.

At some point, the girl had started paying close attention to her mysterious neighbor.