Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies-Chapter 319 - 313: Misaki’s Inner Struggle

"Rem, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell? Or do you need a magic refill?"

Haruto looked at Rem, clearly noticing something off about her and feeling puzzled.

Rem's cheeks were flushed as if she had a fever.

Just a few days ago, she had already replenished her magic. Unless she had been through an intense battle, her magic reserves should've still been sufficient.

As for catching a cold or getting sick—

Given the physical constitution of the Oni race, ordinary illnesses shouldn't affect her at all.

"Haruto-sama, Rem is fine."

Rem lowered her head, speaking somewhat stammeringly.

Haruto glanced toward Ram.

Ram seemed normal, but her expression was a little odd.

"Ram, come to think of it, where did you two go earlier?"

Normally, Rem and Ram didn't leave the apartment much. And if they did, it was only for groceries.

They never stayed out long.

For these two young Oni maids, the outside world was still somewhat unfamiliar.

They felt safer staying in the apartment.

But today, when Haruto returned, he hadn't seen the two Oni maids anywhere.

And only after dinner did the two small girls show up again.

Ram averted her gaze and replied,

"Haruto-sama, we went out to buy some seasonings earlier. We were low on salt and soy sauce."

Haruto nodded with a bit of doubt.

Something felt off.

Did these two sneak out to fight someone?

So Rem ran low on magic, and Ram was being evasive about it?

The more Haruto thought about it, the more it made sense.

Yeah, that must be it.

Still... they're his own little Oni maids.

No need to scold them.

"You two, come to my room later. I'll give you another magic refill."

Haruto said in a soft voice.

Rem and Ram: "!!!"

Seeing the two of them so shocked and bashful, Haruto smirked and nodded to himself.

As expected of me!

Not only did I not scold them, I'm even helping them solve their magic problem. Ram and Rem must be so touched they can't put it into words!

Haruto thought proudly.

Dinner passed quietly.

Though some people were clearly distracted while eating.

Haruto set aside a portion and had Tohru deliver it to Kanna's room.

After that, it was time to replenish Ram and Rem's magic.

(The details are omitted—100,000 words.)

All Haruto could say was, this time, the two girls were much more cooperative.

Not as stiff and frozen as before.

Ahem.

The night passed without incident.

Haruto never saw Kanna come to him after waking.

He didn't know whether she slept through the night or just didn't come over and went to Tohru instead.

Still, it didn't matter.

With Tohru there, Kanna wouldn't cause any major trouble.

At dawn, Haruto set out for the base.

Today was the day Misaki and Awaki finished their studies.

It had been a while since he brought them over.

Time to check in on them.

Arriving at the residential section of the base, Haruto found Misaki in the central garden.

The strongest mental esper was wandering aimlessly through the garden.

Haruto quietly approached and stood beside her.

Though Misaki sensed someone nearby, she didn't react—clearly deep in thought.

Not until the person had walked alongside her for a while did she finally glance over.

"Haruto!"

Seeing who it was, Misaki was briefly surprised, then smiled brightly.

She was about to say something teasing but Haruto pinched her cheek before she could. He gently rubbed her still slightly baby-faced cheek and asked bluntly,

"What were you thinking about so deeply?"

Misaki fell silent, her smile faltering a little.

The two strolled quietly through the garden for a bit. Then, Misaki finally spoke,

"I was thinking about myself... or rather, who I used to be. What exactly happened that made me want to abandon my memories?"

She kept fiddling with a remote control in her hand.

It was just an ordinary TV remote—nothing special.

But to Misaki, this remote was her ability's trigger.

Her mental control powers were so broad and complex, they were difficult to manage. After all, mental manipulation could achieve so much.

And the human mind was a fragile, intricate thing.

To execute such diverse abilities with precision was incredibly difficult so Misaki found a workaround: using a physical remote.

By assigning her powers to different buttons, she could activate specific abilities by pressing them.

However, she was still in the early stages of mastering this method and far from proficient.

"It must've been something really painful."

Haruto responded.

Misaki didn't fully agree or disagree.

"Maybe it was just something trivial. Maybe I got upset and threw a tantrum... so I erased my memories. That's possible too, right?"

Haruto shook his head.

"No way. Misaki Shokuhou isn't someone who would give up so easily—not even over something small. You're resilient, radiant, unafraid to try new things—so dazzling that people can't take their eyes off you. That's something that won't change."

Hearing this, Misaki lifted her head slightly and looked at Haruto.

For a moment, she was speechless.

Am I really that amazing?

She thought to herself.

Although she never belittled herself—in fact, she was rather confident—

If someone else said those words, she'd accept them without hesitation.

Believing herself worthy of such praise.

But hearing it from Haruto made her hesitate.

Because in Misaki's eyes, Haruto was a nearly perfect, a miraculous existence.

Being praised by him didn't feel real.

Her cheeks flushed. Misaki reached up to pat her face.

"It's all your fault, Haruto. What nonsense are you even spouting? Flattery? Hah? What are you trying to get from me?"

Flustered, Misaki began to mumble.

Haruto chuckled softly.

This side of Misaki was just too cute.

At the same time, he could sense that she genuinely wanted to uncover her lost memories.

She just wasn't sure she had the courage to face them yet.

"Actually, before confronting them head-on, there's another way—you can get some clues indirectly."

Haruto suddenly said.

Misaki stopped mumbling and looked at him, waiting for more.

"Though your records in the organization are gone, if you go back to Academy City and see the facility for yourself, maybe you'll learn something. That institution's info was hidden, but if you ask me, it's easy to dig it up."

Hearing that, Misaki blinked her starry eyes.

"What a sleazy way to say it—it's like you're trying to get a girl to take the initiative. Uwah!"

She hugged herself dramatically, striking a defensive pose.

Then she exchanged a smile with Haruto.

Clearly, she had stepped out of her inner struggle—at least for now.

Looks like a trip to Academy City is inevitable.

But so be it.

"By the way, where's Awaki?"

Haruto asked curiously.

He hadn't seen her in the residential area.

At that, Misaki huffed lightly.

"Asking one girl where another girl is... hmph, how heartless! She's in the lab, helping with research. Makes sense though—she's got scientific value. Unlike me, who can't even control her own powers properly. No more use left. Tsk tsk!"

Misaki pouted, her words laced with sarcasm.

Haruto couldn't hold back a laugh.

A sarcastic Misaki was truly rare.

She was clearly jealous.

And somehow, she expressed it so naturally—without coming off annoying. It was downright cute.

Haruto pinched her cheek again.

"How could that be? Misaki-chan is so adorable—even if all you did was cuddle with me to sleep, that'd be more than enough. How could you have no value?"

Haruto teased her, making Misaki blush and raise her bag to smack him.