Chapter 46: A New Home
---30th September 12:30p.m.---
It was September 30, meaning Accelerator and Last Order were supposed to be released from the hospital.
And they knew they were going to stay at Yomikawa's place.
The nurse had came over earlier to inform him of their discharge and when Accelerator heard her, he wasn't surprised nor was he happy.
It was probably due to the fact that he had went out of the hospital multiple times due to the number of 'pure coincidences' that he had.
Whatever it was, he was still relieved to finally get out of the hospital. They had their luggage packed and ready to go.
The only thing now was waiting for Yomikawa to get off from her work duties as a teacher.
Accelerator laid in bed as Misaka, Last Order, Ester and Oriana sat around in his ward.
With that being said...
"Why the hell are you here?"
Accelerator glared at Oriana who was just sitting directly beside him.
"Oh, Nee-chan doesn't have any other place to stay at, so I was just wondering if Nee-chan could stay at your place..."
Then she leaned in closer as she pushed her breasts up in front of him, but that tactic was futile against him.
"You could've rented an apartment somewhere."
"Oh, but Nee-chan was only supposed to be here for one day...until someone came up to her and told her to work for him even though he doesn't pay her..."
"(This sly bitch!!)"
"Oh no...you poor thing, says Misaka as Misaka sympathizes with you."
"Tch, do you even know what sympathize means?!" Accelerator said as he leaned out of his bed.
Then she leaned in closer to her with her sparkly eyes shining in front of her.
"That boy who doesn't pay you must have been a terrible employer, says Misaka as Misaka tries to make you feel better by hugging you and acting like an older sister even though you're older than her."
"Oh, so cute~" Oriana hugged her back as she glanced at Accelerator with a smirk on her face.
That was when Accelerator sighed as he gave up on trying to reason with her seeing as how she was playing a mind game with him.
Even though what she said was true, it seemed like she had only came with the intention of taking over Academy City with the Croce Di Pietro then leaving. But since her plan was foiled, she had to seek some kind of help from the person who messed up her plan.
"Whatever. Just don't cause too much trouble for me."
"Yayyy!! Nee-chan gets to stay as well, isn't that nice~~!!"
Oriana hugged Last Order so hard that it was almost like she was trying to suffocate Last Order in her big cushions.
"Of course, you have to check with Yomikawa and see whether she'll allow it or not. Though I doubt she will, seeing as how you're a fully grown woman who can't even do shit."
"My~ So mean, Accelerator..."
Accelerator and Ester watched in disgust as she tried her seductive talking, but Ester had to do it discretely.
Misaka then jumped on his bed to cuddle up with him and when he scooched closer to Oriana to avoid Misaka, Oriana lets Last Order go as she went closer to him just as Misaka closed the gap between her and Accelerator.
When she did that, he simply pushed Oriana's face away as he lets his left arm rest on the cot side. Then Misaka brought her face closer to Accelerator as she too had sparkly eyes showing.
"Papa, papa!! I have something cool to show you later!!"
"Not interested. Go show Ester or something."
"Hnngg...No!! I want to show you, papa!! You know, I can--"
Suddenly, his phone rang and it cut Misaka's word off.
When he picked it up, Misaka started to pout as she looked away and crossed her arms.
"Yo Accelerator, I'm coming over now. Got everything ready?"
"Yeah, we're just waiting for you now. Also..."
Accelerator looked at Oriana, who was smiling seductively at him as he sighed before continuing.
"I have someone else who wants to stay as well."
"Oh, is it Ester-chan? I thought we already said she could stay?"
"No...actually there's someone else..."
"E-Eh? W-Well, is she someone you know?"
"She's a homeless person."
Then Oriana started to shout at him playfully.
"Hey! Don't be so mean to Nee-chan~~"
Which Yomikawa heard.
"Tch, shut up, I'm talking here. Anyway, do you have space for one more?"
"Well, after that one person that you brought here, it would be pretty crammed--"
Before Yomikawa could finish her sentence, Accelerator turned to Oriana as he told her straight up with no hesitation or stutters.
"She said it's crammed so go rent an apartment for yourself."
"Hey, hey, I haven't finished talking!! It's crammed but I can free up some space for her."
"Tch, you don't have to care about her so much."
"Why are you so mean to Nee-chan..." Oriana whimpered as she looked at him with puppy eyes but of course someone of her age doesn't have the eyes that the youngsters have.
"Well, she's your friend, isn't she?"
"How would you know that? You haven't even met her yet, how can you come to that conclusion?"
Accelerator purposefully missed out the part where she called Oriana his friend because he really didn't want her around him as she was quite the handful. But Yomikawa had quite the perception.
"The way that you're talking about her makes her sound like quite the friend, doesn't it?"
Accelerator clicked his tongue as he continued glaring at Oriana who was still looking at him with her puppy eyes that would only coerce someone who was desperate for attention.
"Whatever...we're going to wait at the lobby."
"Alright, I'll see you there."
Accelerator hung up the phone as he slid his phone inside his back pocket.
"So...what did she say?"
"Nothing, let's go."
"Nee-chan will take that as a sign of acceptance~" She winked at him as he grabbed his cane beside him and slowly got out of the bed.
They slowly made their way to the lobby as they gathered their luggage and bags behind them.
However, Last Order decided to take the easy way out as propped herself onto Accelerator's sports bag and sat down seiza-style.
"Get down from my bag, you annoying brat!!"
"No! says Misaka as Misaka refuses you! Misaka isn't getting down! Misaka is never
getting down! This bag is Misaka's territory! says Misaka as Misaka strongly objects
while sitting on top of the bag you are holding!!"
"Why you...!! Don't swing around on the bag someone's carrying over their shoulder,
you little shit!!"
Accelerator was standing on wobbling legs with his cane in his right hand and a sports bag strapped over his left shoulder.
Even though he was walking normally and his movements had gotten better, it didn't mean he could walk properly at all, mix with the fact that the girl using his two straps like a swing did not make him move any better.
"Oi, get off!!"
Accelerator swung his bag in the same direction as Last Order as he had miscalculated the way she was swinging which made him fall over onto Misaka.
"Pa...pa...that's ticklish..."
His left hand was on her broad chest as his right was right beside her face and his knee laid in between her legs.
"Pa...pa...it feels weird..."
"Oh my, Accelerator...quite daring of you to do it in public where everyone is watching."
"Accelerator..."
"Oh! Onee-sama is being sexually assaulted now?! Exclaims Misaka as Misaka is scared of what will happen to her next..."
"Shut it!! And where the hell did you learn that from?!"
Accelerator pulled Misaka up as they slowly gathered their things again.
"Oi, brat stop swinging around. If you want to swing, go to the playground."
Accelerator continued walking but it seemed like Last Order wasn't listening so Accelerator decided that it was best to just leave her on the sports bag.
The moment they made it to the entrance, they stood there waiting for Yomikawa's car. Since they didn't know how long they were going to wait, Accelerator decided to put down the bag, even as Last Order was swinging around.
"Hey!! Misaka wants to be carried again!! Protests Misaka as Misaka hides the fact that she just wants to be swung around."
However, Accelerator ignored her cries as he leaned against the wall outside. Oriana took the initiative to carry the bag herself and since she was taller than Accelerator, Last Order was elevated even higher.
So, she did as what Last Order wished for.
She vigorously swung the bag back and forth until Last Order had no more control over the swinging.
"Gabgabgabgabgabgabga!!"
"Is it fun, Last Order?"
"Noooo...This is not fun!!! Now get Misaka off!!! Shouts Misaka as Misaka begs you to stop."
Oriana cheekily laughed as she set Last Order back down on the ground.
Ester went over to Accelerator just to engage him in a normal conversation.
"Lively as ever, aren't they?"
"..."
"So what are you going to do when you get to Yomikawa's apartment?"
"Sleep."
"O-Oh...Umm I was thinking maybe you'd like to go out because we've rarely spent anytime on the outside..."
"...Haaaaa...no means no. I just want to relax after escaping this hellhole."
"O-Oh...I see..."
Ester stood beside Accelerator, constantly taking glances at him to see what he was looking at, but all he was looking at was the parking lot.
Oriana, Misaka and Last Order were still inside playing around. Messing around with the bag and whatnot.
For her age, she was pretty immature, but it could also be that she just liked playing with them to kill their boredom. Whatever she was doing, she was cutting Accelerator some slack.
A blue car pulled up to the entrance and Yomikawa came out of the car to greet them.
"Yo. You guys are down pretty quickly."
"Maybe you're just driving too slowly. Ever thought of that?" Accelerator commented as he went to the back of the car, more specifically, the trunk with Last Order sitting on his bag in hand.
"Open up the trunk, I wanna put my luggage inside."
"You're treating Misaka like luggage!? says Misaka as Misaka flees to the back seat while
trembling!!"
The moment Last Order got down, he threw his sports bag inside the trunk, followed by the rest of the girls' luggage and bag.
The moment all of their things were inside the trunk, he expected Yomikawa to ask him about Oriana, which she did as she waited for them to enter the car except for Accelerator who was stuffing their luggage and bag in the trunk.
"That foreign woman, she's your friend?"
"No. Anyway, whatever you want to ask her, you may ask her inside."
With that, Accelerator got inside the passenger seat as that was the only seat that was free as the other four forced themselves to squeeze inside a space that was enough for only three people.
"Hey, stop touching me there!! Says Misaka as Misaka feels the fearsome presence of this woman now."
"Oh, aren't you very adorable. Come and sit on Nee-chan's lap."
"Wha-- No!!! Stop moving Misaka!! Says Misaka as Misaka is scared of this lady now!!!"
"Tch, did they install a shut up function on you?"
The moment he said that, he felt a sudden pain in his throat.
"AD(*@(*$!$*@"
"Yeah, I have it for you, says Misaka as Misaka shows off her power over you."
As Last Order crossed her arms in superiority while sitting on Oriana's lap, Accelerator tried to grab her from the front but Yomikawa made him sit back down by nudging him back just a little.
"Hey now, I'm about to start driving so don't make too much fuss, okay kids?"
"Okay!! Says Misaka as Misaka tries to be a good girl!!"
"Tch, this annoying brat..."
"Yes ma'am." Ester spoke with a sturdy voice.
Misaka didn't respond as she was looking outside the window in awe.
"Hey, remember to put on your seatbelt. Especially you, Accelerator."
"Whatever."
The moment Accelerator strapped himself to the seat, Yomikawa stepped on the pedal.
As she was driving, she threw out a few questions to Oriana.
"My name is Yomikawa Aiho, but you can just call me Yomikawa. What's yours?"
"My name is Oriana Thomson, nice to meet you. And you can call me Oriana."
"Oh! A foreigner. Wow, Accelerator, I didn't know you could make friends with a foreigner."
"What are you implying?" Accelerator glared at her, but she paid him no attention.
"Yes~ I started talking to him because he looked very lonely and with that cane in his hands, I pitied him and we became friends."
"Oh wow, uhh...what a way to make friends I guess? So, where are you from?"
"From Rome."
"Wow, it must have been a tough journey for you, right?"
"Yes, fortunately Accelerator gave me a very warm welcome when I arrived~"
"First time I've heard him being this nice to others."
"At this point, you're just insulting me, aren't ya?" Accelerator gripped the cane beside him as tightly as he could as Yomikawa passively insulted him but in a nice way.
"He can be mean to me as well, but because I'm a very understanding person, I've tolerated him for quite a while..."
"You seem like a very nice person, I hope you'll be able to be his friend for a very long time."
"She's only selectively friendly."
"That's not nice now, Accelerator." Yomikawa scolded him as she stopped at a red-light.
"She is also very dangerously endowed, says Misaka as Misaka refuses to lie down but is forced to because of this woman's grip on her."
"Where the hell did this brat learn this type of language?"
"Heh heh, the Misaka network is pretty impressive, isn't it? Says Misaka as Misaka shows off the knowledge of 10,000 Misakas."
"I don't think the Sisters are in a safe place, Yomikawa."
"Well, what can we do? They've been dispatched all around the world by the higher-ups."
Accelerator clicked his tongue as she continued driving after the light turned green.
Most of the students in Academy City lived in dormitories. There were some who did things like freeload at a city bakery, but those were very rare cases. Leaving a school meant losing your place to live in that school's dorms but since Accelerator was constantly targeted by Academy City's delinquents and they would also trash his dorm room he had no problem ditching that residence. Every single piece of furniture had been destroyed, so there was no value in the place. However, losing his only real place of shelter was still a big deal and he had only worried about it before Yomikawa took custody of him.
He had abandoned everything that reminded him of his past, his dorm, school, the lab, everything just to live a normal life.
The only thing that stuck on was his power which every researcher wanted their hands on.
Even then, if he were to be brought back to the dark side, it would take very little for researchers to persuade him because all they have to do is just kidnap the people close to him and threaten to kill if he didn't obey.
That's why he didn't like the company of others.
At least that's what he likes to think.
"Anyway, are you sure you can even handle the dangers of us being at your home? A Molotov cocktail heading your way is just an understatement, you know that right?"
"Haaaaa...we've talked about this already, Accelerator. Don't make Oriana-san and Ester-chan worried. In the first place, is Misaka-chan supposed to even be here?"
"She can't go anywhere as well. One of the Sisters is replacing her at her school and if she were to go back in this state, who knows what the higher-ups or Tokiwadai might do to me. I don't want to risk anything."
Yomikawa had a small smile as she continued steering the wheel.
"It's nice to see you take responsibility and take care of her since she's in that state."
"Tch, who's taking care of who now?"
"Ohh!! In that case, Nee-chan will take care of this little one! What's your name?"
"My name is Last Order! Serial number 20,001 says Misaka as Misaka tries to pull herself forward to avoid this woman's grasp."
"Oh, how cute~"
While blocking out his ears from the commotion at the back, Accelerator continued talking to Yomikawa.
"Anyway, can you even deal with all this noise inside one room?"
"Haha, it's nice to have a noisy home. Living alone is quite sad."
"...You're a very strange person."
"Haha, same to you."
---30th September 1:10p.m.---
Accelerator was looking up at an apartment building meant for teachers.
Residences in Academy City were primarily nothing but student dormitories, so students did not often set foot in this kind of apartment.
From the outside, the apartment building did not look that different from a student dorm building, but the small differences in the service side of things gave it an overall distinctive feel. The student dorms were essentially buildings meant to control children. In the name of security, the dorms were known to go a bit overboard with the positioning of the security cameras, but this apartment building gave more thought to the wishes of the residents in their placement.
"Which floor?" asked Accelerator to Yomikawa Aiho who had led them there.
With a smile, she replied, "The thirteenth. It's a pain when the power goes out and I have to take the stairs."
"Ohh," said Last Order as she looked up at the tall building. It seemed she was trying to look at the thirteenth floor, but the sun got in her eyes and she shook her head dizzily. Luckily for her, Oriana was supporting her from behind like a mother holding her one-year old child who just learnt how to walk for the first time.
"Wow, this place looks really nice."
"Papa, this looks so cool!!"
Yomikawa pulled out a laminated card that was likely used to open the self-locking door and said, "Now then, now then. It's a bit late, but we still need to eat some lunch. Let's hurry up and get to the room."
The entrance to the apartment building was an automatic glass door that looked defenseless at first, but it appeared to be made to resist explosions. The lock appeared to only require a swipe of the card, but it actually scanned the fingerprints, the pattern of bioelectric signals, and other data from the fingertips holding the card.
Realizing this was quite a high-class apartment building, Accelerator looked at Yomikawa with suspicion in his eyes.
"I thought they were reducing the salaries of public servants."
"Even with the fairly low pay, I manage somehow. This place doubles as a practical experiment in construction, so the university pays some of the rent. But in exchange, the security measures will sometimes suddenly change," explained Yomikawa.
"Also, Anti-Skill may not pay anything since it's a volunteer force, but enough people appreciate what you do that it comes with some nice perks. I can get meat at the supermarket really cheap."
"...You treat help on your apartment's rent the same as getting a good sale at the supermarket?"
"It's not much but it's just enough to survive everyday. But that's also why they have something called bonus pay." Yomikawa pulled out a peace sign as she smiled with her teeth showing.
As they spoke, Accelerator, Last Order, Ester, Misaka, Yomikawa and Oriana entered the apartment building.
They rode a low-vibration elevator that was probably one of the prototypes being tested. It allowed them to reach the thirteenth floor without the odd floating feeling usually felt in an elevator. The door right next to the elevator led to Yomikawa's room.
"Come in," said Yomikawa as she opened the front door.
Inside, they found a 4LDK. The room was clearly meant for a family and was large enough that one would normally have to spend their whole life paying back a loan for it.
No matter how much the university paid for cooperation with the experiments, Accelerator seriously wondered how anyone could afford it on a public servant's salary. The living room's flooring was polished to a shine and it was overall much tidier than one expected of someone living alone. The bottles of alcohol and glasses were arranged decoratively on shelves and the magazines and newspapers were stored on special racks.
The remote controls for the TV, air conditioner, stereo, video recorder, and other devices were neatly lined up at one corner of the table. Each individual cushion on the sofa was carefully placed in the proper spot.
Last Order's eyes opened wide.
"Wow, wow! There's almost no dust, praises Misaka as Misaka leaps onto the sofa."
However, when Last Order leapt onto the sofa, she felt something solid but soft beneath her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a fluffy-brown haired girl wearing a Tokiwadai's summer uniform in front of her face.
"AHHHHH!!! Who is she?! Asks Misaka as Misaka thought Yomikawa had been living alone!!"
"Oh, I thought you had introduced her to them, Accelerator?"
"It's okay, Yomikawa-san, I can just introduce myself to them now. My name is Mitsuari Ayu. My, Accelerator you have quite the number of people with you today."
However, Accelerator ignored her remarks as he continued inspecting the place.
There were two sofas lined up in an 'L' shaped manner and Mitsuari was laying on top of the one that was directly facing the TV but when they had entered, she peeked her head above the top to reveal her hair that looked like it had the feeling of a marshmallow.
When Accelerator walked in, her kitchen top had a picture of Yoshikawa and her in their usual attire. The PE teacher with her green track suit and the researcher with her lab coat. Upon seeing that photo, Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance.
She had left him to atone for his sins alone.
"Ah...yeah, I miss her as well." Yomikawa said with a depressed expression that only a true friend would show.
"..."
Accelerator looked up ahead even further inside the kitchen. Yomikawa's kitchen had many different types of cooking equipment lined up in it that she had as part of the experiment. With a steam microwave oven, an AI-equipped high frequency automatic dishwasher, and other such devices, it all seemed very mechanical.
But it seemed Yomikawa did not use those things much.
Those cooking devices were overflowing with a sense that they just sat there without being used. The only items that really appeared to get used were the five electric rice cookers. From the steam coming from them, they all appeared to be functional.
With an annoyed look, Accelerator said, "One for each of us, hm? Are you fucking with us, you white rice obsessed freak?"
"No, no. That's not it at all." Yomikawa pointed at each of the rice cookers in turn.
"These rice cookers can do anything you want: boil, simmer, steam, or bake. This one is baking bread, a stew is cooking in that one, and that one is steaming fish."
"..."
The whole room went quiet as they all stared at Yomikawa. The only person not shocked by this was Mitsuari as she had already seen it on the first day that she had arrived.
"Yomikawa is so lazy, she doesn't even use the induction stove that she has." Mitsuari let out a sigh as she shrugged her shoulders in disappointment.
"U-Umm...! But these rice cookers can still make good food!!"
"Then those pots and pans are useless in other words..."
"U-Umm..."
Yomikawa was at a loss for words at this point as the verbal abuse had reached it's peak.
"I guess this is what we're going to have to deal with."
The rest of them continued walking in as they gathered around Yomikawa as if she was a tour guide.
"Well, if you want, I could always take over the cooking." The person who suggested this was Oriana which made Yomikawa's face lit up.
"If you would, thank you very much, Oriana-san."
"No worries, it's the least I could do since I'm under your hospitality now. I just need to know how to use some of the electronics here, since I'm pretty new to Academy City."
"Sure thing, I'll give you a rundown after I show you guys around."
Yomikawa then lead them into the guest rooms, but there were only two guest rooms for them to use while Yomikawa had her own room.
"Umm well, Ayu-chan is already occupying one of them, so you guys might have to share, two in one room, and the other one has three. I'll take care of Last Order."
"Then I'll take Accelerator☆" Mitusari said as she went in front of Accelerator, but Accelerator showed her a disgusted look as he went to the sofa and laid down.
"I don't need a room, I'll just sleep on the sofa."
Mitsuari clicked her tongue as he said that, though he didn't mind her.
"Isn't that damaging to your neck? Yomikawa asked as she went in front of him with her hands beside her hips.
"Unlike you, I'm still young, so it doesn't really matter."
"Watch your mouth, young man." Yomikawa then started to pull his ear, lifting his head off the pillow on the sofa.
"Tch, that hurts, let go!!"
"This is not only for your bad mouth, but for all the motorbikes that you had crashed! Do you know how much Anti-Skill had to pay in damages?"
"Alright, alright!! I hear you!! Now let go!!"
The moment he said that, she finally lets his ear that had turned red go.
"Anyway, let's eat first. The things I made must already be done."
As Yomikawa was walking to the kitchen, Misaka jumped on Accelerator who was still lying on the sofa.
"Papa papa!! Let me show you something cool!!"
"Get off of me!!"
"You know? The Gekota doctor taught me how to boom boom!!"
"Ha? Wait...that doesn't sound good..."
Immediately, Misaka had electricity buzzing in front of her, and soon after that, the Accelerator received unnecessary first aid shock. The shock was so bad that it actually caused the whole building to lose electricity power.
So now they were left in the dark, with the only light shining through the large windows behind his sofa.
But he had passed out from such a devastating shock, he only had a pulse.
"Oh no!! Papa is not breathing, I have to perform CPR!!!"
"Ahhhh wait!! Says Misaka as Misaka wants to try it instead."
"No!! I want to do it!!"
"No, Misaka wants to do it! Wait, not you, Misaka but Last Order Misaka!! Says Misaka as Misaka tries to push you away!!"
It was like playing tug of war without a string as they pushed each other left and right while the other people in the room was watching.
"U-Uhhh, I think we can just leave him there...He's probably just asleep at this point..." Ester tried to mediate the situation but the two other girls were persistent until...
"Alright, that's enough you two."
Yomikawa came from behind just to pull the back of their collars up like little children, which they almost were.
"Come, let's eat."
Yomikawa made them sit down before taking the food out of the rice cookers. The other three girls were grown up and mature enough to know how to behave around the table. Actually, they were more surprised by the fact that she even had enough chairs for everyone despite living alone. But they didn't ask anything as they dug in.
"Thanks for the food." They all said in unison as Yomikawa handed out the utensils to each and every one of them.
As they ate the food, their faces had a little show of dissatisfaction.
"Yooomiiiikaaawaaaa...this food tastes like the food at the hospital...Says Misaka as Misaka tries to find compliment in the food."
"It tastes great, Yomikawa-san." Oriana said with trickles of sweat flowing down her forehead.
"I feel like eating out right now..." Mitsuari followed up.
"I think your cooking's pretty good, Yomikawa."
"Why does it feel like I'm being insulted right now..."
Yomikawa grimaced as they hesitantly ate.
---30th September 4:02p.m.---
Accelerator opened his eyes slightly as he laid on top of the sofa.
He clicked his tongue.
"I passed out..."
He checked the clock and he wasn't the least bit shocked that he had been passed out for so long. Actually he was more surprised that he managed to wake up that quickly.
The TV was on, but it didn't seem like anyone was watching it. Accelerator shook his head a bit in the otherwise deserted living room.
"(There's no one around...)"
Accelerator had originally been the type to get sleep at his own pace. Whether an alarm clock went off right next to his ear, a brat was screaming at him, or a bomb exploded on top of his stomach, he would just continue sleeping soundly.
This was because he had the power to alter all types of vectors, so he normally reflected all vectors except for the bare minimum he needed such as oxygen and gravity. While in that state, Accelerator would remain unscathed even if he was directly hit by a nuclear bomb.
That was why Accelerator did not hesitate to enter that horribly defenseless state of sleep even with the huge number of enemies he had.
But that was when his power had been fully functioning.
Accelerator reached up to his neck.
An electrode that looked like a black choker was located there. The device linked to the brains of the almost ten thousand Sisters who were scattered around the world. It allowed him to borrow their massive parallel processing ability.
He required that calculation assistance device to live an ordinary life as an esper. The normal mode that allowed him to walk, talk, count, etc. could last for 48 hours. However, the esper mode that allowed him full use of his vector control power would drain the battery in only about fifteen minutes due to the massive amount of calculations that needed to be carried out every instant. It was quite a restrictive item.
Accelerator looked over at the giant flat-screen TV with suspicious eyes.
The most popular afternoon talk show was playing on a cable channel that required a ridiculously expensive contract. The deck placed below the TV was in recording mode, so Yomikawa may have been a fan of the entertainer who was on the show as a guest.
"Hitotsui Hajime-san, you played the leading role in the movie. What was it like? It seems to me having a Japanese actor play the lead role in a foreign film is fairly rare. Did it feel especially different to you?"
The moderator and guest faced each other on either side of a small table.
While watching the screen, Accelerator reached up to the switch on the side of his choker-style electrode.
And he turned it off.
"Well, the most characteristic instruction next to the plot was to appropriately function as Japanese. He did not have Even, and did the other people appropriately understand as Japanese today?"
The words were all jumbled up.
The guest had actually said "Let's see, the most peculiar instruction from the director was to behave like a Japanese person. But do we even know what it means to be Japanese nowadays?", but Accelerator's head was unable to properly process the meaning of the words that entered his ears.
He wavered as he lost his balance.
Before he even realized it, he had collapsed down into the sofa. He could see the digital numbers on the video recording deck, but he could not discern what they meant. His head seemed to be missing a gear. He felt like he was looking at a question from a state examination after going a hundred hours straight without any sleep.
"(Kh...)"
Accelerator brought his hand to his neck.
His entire body was unsteady and it took him several seconds just to flip the small switch. He fumbled with it several times before finally touching the protrusion of the switch with his thumb.
It made a small click.
With the electrode switched back to normal mode, Accelerator finally returned to the normal world.
"I had to speak in the native American English, but I was told to keep my gestures, manners, and overall behavior noticeably 'Japanese', so I had to think over what that meant."
The entertainer's obvious bragging continued in Accelerator's field of vision as he lay on his side.
He had once been known as Academy City's strongest esper, but now he was stuck in this condition.
"(Tch, living with this is so damn annoying. And with this hand as well...)"
Accelerator had received a new power after killing Kamijou Touma, or otherwise the 'hero' of Academy City. Kamijou Touma had somehow saved a number of people who the Accelerator is now affiliated with and he knew that if any of those people learnt of his death, he would bear the brunt of the wrath of all those affiliated with him.
It was not a good thing.
If the brunt of all those affiliated with him were to come down on him, it meant he had to deal with a girl with a long ass sword, a Caucasian smoker who holds the power of fire magic, Mental Out, the Sisters coming after him, and who knows how many more people he had saved.
It was truly an unfortunate situation for him overall.
Hoping to improve his mood, Accelerator took his cane as he decided to take a shower.
He got up from the sofa as he started limping towards the door of the bathroom.
"(Come to think of it, there's no one here. Are those idiots out shopping?)"
With that offhand thought, Accelerator opened the door to the changing room.
And there, he found a naked Last Order having her brown hair dried with a bath towel.
Oriana and Yomikawa were also naked and doing the drying from either side of the girl.
Last Order was the first one to react.
"Wh-why did you suddenly appear with no warning whatsoever!? says Misaka as Misaka reaches out for a bath towel but cannot reach it!!"
Accelerator ignored Last Order's shouting and looked toward Yomikawa and Oriana with a blank look.
"...Why didn't you lock the door?"
"Oh, sorry, sorry. I've lived alone for so long I forget you could do that. My bad, my bad."
"Oh my, Accelerator...how brave of you to walk in like that. Would you like to join us~"
Oriana and Yomikawa were both bare naked and without a towel covering them as well. So, Yomikawa grabbed the nearest towel to her as she covered herself with a look of annoyance but Oriana stayed adamant.
Last Order realized there were not enough towels for her, so she frantically hid behind Yomikawa.
With tears in her eyes, she said, "Why are you two able to just look calm and grab a towel rather than panic? says Misaka as Misaka asks a simple question."
"What?" said Yomikawa as she gave Last Order a puzzled look. "There's no real reason.
It's just that he's a kid and we're adults."
"Misaka thinks not caring about this is more of an old lady thing than an adult thing, says Misaka as Misa—ow ow ow ow ow!! Don't start working together to scrape Misaka's head like that! says Misaka as Misaka protests resolutely!!"
"Heh heh, it's like a grown lady type of thing, Last Order~" Oriana said as she licked her lips.
"If you want to get big like me, you have to eat more and grow up~"
"Don't lecture Misaka while attacking her head like this!! You over there, help me and give me a towel! says Misaka as Misaka looks up at you with puppy dog eyes to stimulate your desire to protect me!!"
The tiny brat was shouting about something or other, but Accelerator ignored her and closed the door to the changing room.
He sighed once.
When the door clicked as it closed, he saw Mitsuari standing just behind it.
"Tch, so it was you who was watching the TV. You could've warned me before I went in."
"Heheh, I just wanted to see how you would react and also, I just wanted to entertain myself☆"
"You seriously get off on this?"
Then Ester appeared beside her as well.
"I'm sorry...I tried to tell her that it was a bad idea..."
Accelerator rolled his eyes as he made his way back to the sofa with the two other girls accompanying him.
He simply sat down in the middle of the sofa directly in front of the TV and the two girls sat beside him on both sides.
Though he didn't mind it, he didn't know why they didn't just sit beside each other. Until a second later, he realized but it was far too late for him.
"Accelerator☆ I didn't know you enjoyed watching these types of shows."
Mitsuari hugged his arm as she went closer to him to the point where she was leaning on his arm.
"Tch, let go of my arm."
"I don't wanna☆"
Suddenly, he felt another tug on his other arm.
"It's not fair that you give other people this much attention but not me..."
"What the fuck is up with the two of you?!"
When he tried to reach for the black box on his neck, his arm was being held down by the weight of Mitsuari's body.
He was stuck.
All he could do was shout as they continued clinging on to him.
"Oi!! I said let go!! If you don't, I'm gonna fucking murder the both of you once I go esper mode!!"
"Then all the more we shouldn't let go, right☆"
"GAHHHHH!!!!!!!"
---30th September 5:30p.m.---
Accelerator was finally released thanks to the help of Yomikawa. Even though there was a bit of shuffle at the time, thanks to Oriana adding more trouble for him.
But once he got out, he received a message from a Tokiwadai girl that he had spent time with during the ghost incident.
Yes, that girl had ringlet curls at the end of her long-straight hair, and she was the girl who could manipulate the electric signals in her body.
"My, sounds like you were having a lot of fun."
"Did it? Anyway, why'd you call me out here for?"
Accelerator was inside the underground mall at District 7.
The area did not have the dark image one expected of being underground. The floors and walls were polished to a shine and it was lit up as bright as midday with fluorescent lights and LED light bulbs. The cafes, clothing stores, and the like lining the passageway used a lot of glass to give an open feeling despite the low surface area.
Due to the advantages of being underground, the area gathered a lot of recreational facilities that made a lot of noise like arcades, karaoke boxes, and live music clubs. And it hardly affected Accelerator's electrode this time around.
"Because there was only something I could get with your help."
Then she pointed her slender index finger at a cellphone service store.
It was only about half as big as a convenience store. All that he could see inside through the large glass window was a counter and chairs lined up horizontally and a magazine rack filled with thin catalogues of cell phone models. The vertical advertisement banner hanging in front of the entrance divided the models up between the major companies and Academy City's originals.
Then she held his hand as she pulled him forward. Although he didn't like to be pulled around by a girl, she was at least tolerable to a certain extent compared to all the other girls that he had met. Even if their encounters with each other didn't go very well.
But her mannerism was friendly overall, so he didn't mind her company.
"This shop is called Handy Antenna Service. I don't know what service you're currently using, but I heard that this one is the cheapest cellphone service available to Academy City. But I heard it was also very inconvenient as it uses up too much battery on their cellphones."
"Uh huh...and then? You just brought me here to sign up for this service?" Even though he was annoyed, he didn't let his annoyance show in his voice yet. But Hokaze still explained to him nicely.
"No, actually right now they have this cute exclusive Gekota strap that I want, but in order for me to get it, it has to be under a pair contract." She explained as she looked at him with glitters in her eyes.
"Tch, this is troublesome. Why can't you have someone else instead?"
"Well, because it has to be a b-boy and a girl, and you're the only guy friend I know..."
"Couldn't you have picked someone up from the street?"
"That would not be a pair already!! And plus, I'd feel uncomfortable with someone who I don't know..."
Hokaze twirled her fingers around as she looked away from his gaze. But it was true.
There were no guys allowed in the School Garden and trying to make friends outside of the School Garden is hard, unless they have an ulterior motive for using them. Otherwise, it would be very awkward for her to walk up to a guy and start a conversation with them.
Accelerator sighed as he looked at her again and made his decision.
"Let's go. I want to quickly get this over with anyway."
"Really?! You'll be my pair?!"
"Tch, hurry up and go."
Hokaze pulled him inside the shop and the young female worker sitting behind the counter had her smile crumble a bit when she saw Hokaze dragging Accelerator, a handicap, into the store, but she did not forget her training.
The air-conditioning inside the shop felt slightly different from the one in the underground mall and the atmosphere inside was comfortable as well, possibly because they routed the ventilation to ensure their customers feel at ease.
"Good evening, do you still have the Gekota strap available?"
"Yes we do, luckily it's our last one. But you do know that you have to sign the pair contract with us, right?"
Hokaze grabbed his arm as hugged it and with a lovely smile on her face, she simply replied.
"Of course! That's why I brought my boyfriend with me today!"
Even though, Accelerator wanted to say something, he just pretended that he heard nothing as he looked away. The girl working behind the counter had an uneasy smile as she brought out a bunch of paperwork from underneath her desk.
"Umm well, please fill in these papers, and I'll take about 20 minutes to set up the service for you. And also, I'll need your phone."
Hokaze and Accelerator took a seat each as she took out her handphone.
"Here you go."
"Alright, just fill in the blanks with the bulletpoints and I'll set up the service for you."
"Sure thing, thank you."
"Oh yeah, we also need a photograph of the two of you to confirm that the both of you are also a couple."
"E-Eh?" Hokaze stuttered as she voiced her confusion to the lady. She was only informed that she had to bring another boy with her, but she wasn't aware of the photo part, and so she started to stress.
"U-Umm...will a photo from an ID photo booth be enough? And what size do you need it in?"
"Oh, actually it doesn't have to be a formal photo. We just need photographic proof that the two of you are a couple. It can be from a camera on his phone as well. We'll also provide you with a pair picture frame charger cradle so you can use it as well."
"Oh...ummm..."
She glanced over at Accelerator who sighed once more and gave her an indirect message by shrugging his shoulders.
"Just make sure that you have it within the 20 minutes it takes to complete the registration."
After quickly filling out the huge amount of paperwork with ballpoint pens, Accelerator and Hokaze left the service store as they prepared to take the photo in question.
"Well, umm...is it okay if we use your phone?"
"...There's no other choice is there?"
"Well...if you may...do the honors."
Hokaze squirmed around as she played with her fingers beneath her waist level. She was nervous to say the least. She had taken many photos with her friends, but they were all girls.
This was her first photo with a guy.
But to Accelerator, it was just a photo.
Accelerator pressed his camera function as he stretched his arm out to take the photo.
"W-Wait!! I want to make sure I look presentable..."
As he held his arm out, Hokaze was adjusting her hair and her attire as she looked straight into the camera which captured her appearance.
Accelerator didn't care how he looked. After all, a photo was just a photo. After all this, he was just going to delete the photo.
"Are you done already?"
"U-Ummm, how do I look?"
"Normal. What else do you want me to say?"
Hokaze frowned the moment she heard his response. Of course, she expected him to say something nicer or even compliment her appearance, but she forgot it was the Accelerator.
"Hmph! You need to compliment a lady when the time comes to it. You have to fix your thinking of others." Hokaze lectured him as she wagged her index finger at him.
"Tch, whatever. Let's just get this over with."
Hokaze's face was slightly red as she handled her school bag nervously. She was thinking of how she should appear so that the both of them looked convincing as a couple. Then, she turned to the other people around them for reference.
Hand holding. Kissing in a corner. Head on the shoulder. Arm around the shoulder.
"(Sh-Shameless...!!!)"
That was the only word that came to her mind as she stared at the numerous couples around them.
"H-Here, try this..."
"Ahn? What the?!"
"We have to look convincing as a couple now, don't we?! L-Let's just do this one time..."
Hokaze grabbed his head as she placed it on her shoulder, then she took his phone and forced him to hold her hand, followed by putting his other hand on her waist, using her body to support him since he had to let go of his cane.
After a bit of squirming, they were finally in position.
"A-Alright! Say cheese!!"
"..."
With an electronic tone, the phone took the picture.
Hokaze brought the phone back towards herself and displayed the picture she had just taken while still holding onto his hand.
"Accelerator-san, you have to smile more!!"
"Haaaa...I'll try."
"Alright, one more time! Say cheese!"
The electronic tone sounded once more.
Accelerator and Hokaze looked at the photo together this time.
"U-Um...Accelerator-san, why does your smile look like it's going to kill me..."
"Tch, if you don't like it, go find someone else."
"...Alright, let's try this one more time..."
"(Are Tokiwadai girls this particular with their photos?)"
The electronic tone sounded one last time and this time, Hokaze was the only one looking at it as Accelerator had enough.
"...Alright, I guess this is nice."
Accelerator wasn't smiling in the photo, in fact he just had the same bored expression he always has. But it made him look natural.
As for Hokaze, the nervousness on her face faded and she was able to smile normally at the camera.
And so, they went back in to submit the photo.
When they went in, Hokaze was greeted by another offer. They offered a Pyonko along with the Gekota, which caught her attention, but after Accelerator got his phone back, he got a call from someone.
It was Yomikawa.
"(Is it the brat this time, or is it really Yomikawa?)"
Accelerator excused himself from the store as he told her that he had to pick up a call.
"What do you want?"
"Accelerator, Last Order is missing."
"What, how? We have three different people in the apartment, what do you mean she's gone?"
"Calm down, Accelerator. She left us a message before she left, she said she was playing with the other Misaka models, also Ester-chan and Ayu-chan are looking for her as well."
"Tch, any idea where she went?"
Even with two other people looking for her, Last Order was not completely safe, given the fact that Mitsuari and Ester were essentially powerless. Add on to the fact that Last Order is still a very important research material seeing as how the Hishigata experiment to Level 6 almost succeeded had he not stopped it.
And if she were to die, the use of his powers would be stopped. Moreover, if she were to be captured, they could force him to do their bidding. In any case, he was fucked if she was not somewhere safe.
"Well, I'm not sure about that. We just have to trust Ester-chan and Ayu-chan to find her. Right now, I'm driving around Academy City, just hoping to find her running by the streets. For now, I think you should start asking around."
"...Me? Looking like this?"
"Just smile! C'mon, start practicing your smile."
"Idiot," said Accelerator with a click of his tongue.
Accelerator definitely could not smile properly as commented by Hokaze who clearly thought she was about to be killed with that type of smile and it was not of cuteness.
But if he was to search for Last Order, he needed to gather information.
"This is going to get annoying," muttered Accelerator.
And then Yomikawa suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, Accelerator."
"What?"
"I know this is random, but I'm really happy to see you opening your heart to others. You've definitely softened up from the first time I met you."
"...You really like these cheerful topics, don't you? It's perfect for an afterschool walk."
"Heh, I wonder who made you this way. Was it Ester-chan or Last Order."
Yomikawa was ignoring what he said.
"I'm really proud to see you making new friends and really happy to know that you've opened up to a lot of people. Oriana-san told me about you and how you will change this world of corruption."
"...Tch, that woman."
"Actually, Mitsuari-chan also told me how you stayed with her when she was at her lowest. Words cannot express how happy I was when I heard that. Especially knowing where you came from."
"You're just imagini--"
"No, I'm not. You're treating them nicely as compared to the first time I met you. You've changed and you've grown up. I hope it stays this way." Yomikawa said, cutting his words off.
"..."
"The place where you came from. The Special Esper Dual Modification Technology Research Institute. I doubt I could ever understand your pain, but I hope I could bear it with you."
"...Yeah, I was forced to live in that school until I was nine. That hell was rumored to have a facility for disposing corpses on the grounds. But the place was even worse than the rumors suggested. They didn't dispose of corpses there. It was the opposite. It was a garbage dump for the disposal of living human beings. I'm sure you've at least heard the stories."
The Special Esper Institute had focused on experiments and research into Dual Skills. Currently, it had been concluded that students could only use a single power each and that the appearance of two or more powers at once was impossible. Most of the data used to reach that conclusion had been gathered at that institute. In other words, a long string of failures had led to the discovery of that law. Esper powers were developed by directly affecting the structure of the brain using suggestion and drugs. It was best not to imagine what sort of tragedies were created when that failed. Contemplating on that too much could lead you to realize the truth behind the seemingly ridiculous phrase of "a fate worse than death".
Yomikawa said, "It was my unit that raided and broke up that institution."
"Thanks, I guess."
"Towards the end, the Special Esper Institute had to have realized that an esper could only have a single power. Yet they still desired a completed Dual Skill for their own fame, so they sacrificed more and more children. They especially liked to use Child Errors."
A Child Error was one social phenomenon unique to Academy City.
As a general rule, every student in Academy City lived in a dormitory with a few exceptions that freeloaded in a bakery or something similar. However, in some rare cases, someone would use Academy City to abandon a child. They would pay the entry fee and then disappear once the child had entered the dorm. It was better than stuffing an infant in a coin locker, but it was the same basic idea.
Academy City had developed a system for caring for those children. But some parasitic research teams would use that to their own advantage. Produce, the Dark May Project, and experiments in inducing runaway powers to analyze the laws behind them. Those types of experiments were not permitted by the leadership of Academy City, but they were carried out regardless using the Child Errors.
"...I saw it there. I saw what became of the children taken beyond those heavy doors," said Yomikawa in a heavy voice.
When he heard that, Accelerator laughed.
He laughed at that naïve thinking of a normal person that led her to believe that was as deep as the hell went.
Her lack of imagination was proof that Yomikawa Aiho was a resident of a wholesome world.
Unlike Accelerator, who laughed because he knew how deep it all went.
"But unfortunately, I didn't get to see your heroic actions. As I said before, I was only in the Special Esper Institute until I was nine. I was moved elsewhere then. Do you know why?"
The corners of Accelerator's mouth twisted up.
"Because they couldn't handle me. Even that hell found my power to be too much. Even those demons in lab coats were afraid of me. That's just the kind of monster I am." The white student spoke into his cell phone.
"And it was no different afterwards. It was all such nonsense. Imaginary Number Institute, the Wisdom Institute, a Kirigaoka affiliate... Well, tragedies are surprisingly soft. That is how I managed to slip through. And when I slipped through, I just sank further. Deeper and deeper."
And as that monster bounced from place to place with no one able to handle him, he had eventually reached the Level 6 research institution Yoshikawa had belonged to. He had been received exceptionally well there and thus stayed for more than two months. But that had only been another face of their fear of Accelerator. The looks on their faces plainly said they were trying not to anger him. The only exception had been that naïve Yoshikawa.
And even after ultimately slaughtering over ten thousand people, the researchers had still treated him the same.
The sense of distance between them had seemed as if it would never melt away.
Fear.
A whiteness that was rejected by the darkness.
In the end, that had been what Accelerator was.
But that person who accepted him was now gone from the face of this earth.
"But maybe, I'm just doing all these kind acts to deny myself." His words became colder.
"Deny yourself from this 'debt' that you have?"
Accelerator just let out a small laugh as his reply.
"That is why I don't want you to do anything that might make you have any regrets. For example, I do not aim a weapon at children. Even if I am up against an esper, I will never aim a weapon at them. That is my own personal rule that I hold myself to."
"What?"
"Why do you think I hold myself to that rule?"
"..."
"Do you know why I would hesitate to aim a weapon at a child?"
"You..." muttered Accelerator under his breath.
The scent of dark feelings leaking from her voice brought the image of a back alley to his mind.
"That's right. The amount of my debt may be trivial compared to yours, but it is still the same sort of debt. And that means we must do the same sort of thing even if you must do it on a larger scale, right?" Yomikawa's voice stabbed into Accelerator. "No matter how pathetic it may seem, we can only pay it back one yen, or even less than a yen, at a time. As it accumulates, it will surely open the path before you. And you have powers I do not have. There may be plenty of ways for you to pay it all back at once."
"You're being ridiculous."
"But I'm saying the truth. Accelerator, as a teacher, I want you to live out your life peacefully without holding anything back. If you feel like crying, or if you feel the pain in your heart, you can always come to me. I would be more than willing to talk it out with you."
"Heh, a monster like me has no heart to cry or laugh with others. Maybe when I'm killing them I feel joy, but--"
Then she cut him off again.
"You are not a monster, Accelerator. To me, you are just another child with a heart. Stop beating yourself up because of the things in the past. If you have to repay your debt, then do it slowly. I will walk alongside you to pay it with you. I know what I'm saying is impossible, but I just want you to know that I am always beside you. You shouldn't do things alone nor handle it alone."
"...You're a troublesome woman, you know that?"
Accelerator hung up the call after that as he took her words to heart. It had been the few times when someone actually gave a shit about him and even though he didn't want to admit it, it really affected him.
"Accelerator-san..."
Accelerator was so caught up in the conversation that he had not notice Hokaze standing on his left.
"Oh, you're done getting that stupid frog strap? Well, I'll be going now."
Accelerator pressed his cane on the floor as he turned away from her, but she didn't let him run away as she grabbed his shirt from the back.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't know you had such a hard time in the past."
"I don't know how much you've heard, but forget everything you've heard today."
But she didn't loosen her grip.
"No, I've always thought that you were fine, but I never bothered to ask you where you came from. I only realized now that I don't know anything about you."
"..."
Then she looked at him with conviction in her eyes as she said, "That's why, I want to know more about you, Accelerator. I want to be your pillar of support."
"Don't be ridiculous. I have enough pillars already, I don't need anymore."
He pushed her hand down as he continued walking.
"And also..."
He turned his head only to face her with his single red eye, and he simply told her.
"Stay away from me, otherwise you'll die."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
dontouchme
dontouchme Hello everyone, author here, a bit of plagiarism here, but we're nearing the end of this arc, anyway how have you all been? Thanks for reading this chapter, I know a lot of the things are not covered, but hey, things are gonna get spicier from here on out. I hope you'll stay for the ride. Anyway, as it turns out, I will not be writing on Dark Matter anymore.
Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always, see you guys in the next chapter.