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

Who is the most intriguing Level 5 esper in Academy City? The answer is obvious—it's the #6. 

Sure, Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku have incredibly powerful abilities. Misaka Mikoto, Mugino Shizuri, and Shokuhou Misaki are stunningly beautiful. Sogiita Gunha is clearly a hot-blooded idiot. Each of them has their own appeal, but Li Mo is still most curious about the #6. 

**Aihana Etsu.** 

All he knows is the name. Beyond that, he knows nothing. Even with his "S"-level access to the Library as a board member, he can't uncover more information. Photos, behavior, gender—nothing is known! 

And now, someone suddenly appears claiming to be Aihana Etsu. 

What's going on? 

Li Mo sat in the room, using magic to dig through his memories. This was how he processed the grimoires he read. As a non-human, his brain had undergone multiple transformations. Despite being a carbon-based organ, it now exhibited some characteristics of a computer. 

The name "Aihana Etsu" doesn't belong to a single individual. Rather, the original Aihana Etsu seems to have gifted the name to others, and those who receive the name "Aihana Etsu" appear to gain abilities. 

What's more… the abilities of the "Aihana Etsus" aren't fixed, unlike other espers whose abilities are constant. 

There's too little information to draw any conclusions. 

In the real world where he once lived, *A Certain Magical Index* had started serializing *Genesis Testament*. By the time he had transmigrated, several volumes of *Genesis Testament* had been released, yet Aihana Etsu's identity remained shrouded in mystery. 

Even after Aleister died once and Academy City underwent significant changes, Aihana Etsu remained Aihana Etsu. His true appearance, personality, and abilities were still completely unknown. 

He existed outside the awareness of Kamijou Touma and the others. 

So why is he coming to see me? 

Filled with questions, Li Mo felt a wave of relief when he saw the visitor. 

"You're not Aihana Etsu, are you?" 

"N-no, no, no! I am Aihana Etsu!" 

"Aihana Etsu is a twelve-year-old kid? Little guy, do you think I wouldn't know your information?" 

Li Mo looked at the small boy wearing a hood, shrinking into himself and clearly nervous. "Kanou Shinka, right? I remember you're Frenda's friend. Why are you deliberately taking on the identity of 'Aihana Etsu'?" 

It wasn't theft but acquisition. 

However, the boy didn't catch this nuance. Upon hearing Li Mo's words, the red-haired boy completely curled up in his seat and began to bawl. 

"Waaahhh~~~" 

"Wait… I didn't even say anything harsh! Kanou Shinka, little buddy, don't cry!" 

Li Mo wasn't inexperienced with children. He had recently taken care of Fremea Seivelun while also cleaning up some minor dark side organizations. After all, the elite dark side groups had been sent to Russia for missions. 

But his experience with Fremea didn't help with Kanou Shinka. Why was an eight-year-old easier to handle than this twelve-year-old boy? 

In the end, Li Mo couldn't calm the child down. He had no choice but to call Frenda. 

Frenda had many friends, as evidenced by the thousands of contacts she kept. Among them, Kanou Shinka was a special one. During their conversations, Frenda had once mentioned this crybaby boy. 

"Now I understand what you meant by 'his crying is a safety mechanism that keeps him from straying no matter how unreasonable things get,'" Li Mo muttered. 

Kanou Shinka really could cry. 

"Big brother, now's not the time to add fuel to the fire!" 

Li Mo shrugged. "Then, Frenda, could you ask him how he got the name 'Aihana Etsu'?" 

"Aihana Etsu, the #6? Why are you involved with him, Shinka?" 

*If you had died, Kanou Shinka would have voluntarily taken on the identity of 'Aihana Etsu' to search for you. That's some genuine friendship,* Li Mo thought sarcastically. 

Since developing the memory-digging magic, Li Mo had been able to extract useful memories from his brain. The side effect was headaches, but even if his head exploded, his "Pseudo-Immortality" could fully restore him. 

However, since many of those memories were from before he became a non-human, the fragments he dug up were scattered and incomplete, unlike the grimoire originals. 

Even so, even if he dug up all the plot details, he still wouldn't know what Aihana Etsu's deal was. 

"Well… Frenda, it's because someone named Yokosuka asked me for help. You always put off meeting me, so… so I came here." 

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'm sorry, it's my fault. But I've been really busy lately! Anyway, meeting now is good…" 

Seeing Kanou Shinka's tearful eyes, Frenda hurriedly comforted him. 

Li Mo watched the scene, thinking the roles were reversed. Normally, it should be the boy comforting the crybaby girl, not the other way around. 

Frenda spent a good amount of time calming Kanou Shinka down. Once the boy had settled, he finally provided some useful information. 

A phone. 

Without hesitation, Li Mo dialed the only contact in the phone. 

After a few rings, the call connected. 

"You called later than I expected." 

The voice was neither male nor female, nor even electronic. It was a single voice, yet it felt like multiple voices overlapping. It was chaotic, as if he were facing a collective rather than an individual. 

But the voice felt familiar to Li Mo. 

"Your voice sounds a lot like Aleister's!" 

"Oh, maybe. Board Member Li Mo, may I call you that?" 

"Sure. Now, what's your purpose, Aihana Etsu? What do you want from me?" 

Li Mo didn't bother trying to trace the call. Aihana Etsu had remained hidden for so long, with no information in the Library. It was clear that any attempt would be futile. 

—Maybe Aleister knows his identity, but why bother asking? 

"Do you need 'Aihana Etsu'?" 

"Do I look like I need it?" 

"True, you personally don't. But I think you'll need the power of 'Aihana Etsu' now that you're a board member." 

"What do you want?" 

Li Mo remained cautious with this most mysterious Level 5 esper. 

"I've heard you're making some big moves. I think you'll need my help. My abilities can't maintain justice on their own, and I've heard about you through certain channels. That's why I'm reaching out. 

Do you need my help?" 

Li Mo spoke up: "I can't trust you, but considering you're also a Level 5, how about I privately commission you for a favor?" 

"What favor?" 

"If someone gets desperate and targets ordinary people, could you step in?" 

"Sure."