I started to ship Accelerator and Mugino Shizuri after reading the sixth volume of the NT Novel.
This story is like a " love letter" to both of them.
I'm Italian, so I apologize for all the grammatical errors you will find.
I don not own To Aru Majutsu No Index and To Aru Kagaku No Railgun, all rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi.
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There are two types of people. Those who sit on the sofa and watch a documentary to learn something about nature ... and five minutes later they are terrified and shout to the director to drop the equipment and save the poor zebra from the attack of the hyenas ... And the others. Those who understand ... and accept. Those who know that nature is like this ... that the world is like this. That somewhere in the world, every second ... the same story is repeated. The brutal cycle of life. Of the predator and of the prey. Animals ... who do everything to survive.
Accelerator, Gakuen Toshi's most powerful Level 5 esper, belonged to the latter: the predators ... the hunters. No one knew what his real name was, which is why people simply called him by the title he received from the research centers where he spent most of his life. He was the best at what he did ... but sometimes he was right to doubt it.
After all, his story would have raised several eyebrows.
Accelerator had been taken to the Academic City at a young age, when his powers had just been discovered.
In fact, it possessed a unique ability compared to those of all the other espers: vector manipulation.
Every single type of vector on the planet, direction, movement, momentum, electricity, heat ... Whatever had a direction was completely under his control. Using simpler terms ... He was an "untouchable" person.
However, precisely because of this power, people begun to fear him.
Years later, his unique ability had made him the object of an experiment to try to create the first Level 6 esper in history. According to the best supercomputer of the Academic City, Tree Diagram, this venture could only be achieved by killing 128 Level 5 espers, without a single mistake.
Since there were only six other Level 5 known in the Academic City, an alternative plan to "level up" was formed, which consisted of Accelerator killing 20,000 Level 3 Esper: the clones of the Railgun Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful esper of Gakuen Toshi.
Accelerator joined the experiment with pleasure, determined to gain a reputation that would make him the most powerful and feared human on the planet, so that no one would be foolish enough to challenge him or try to kill him anymore.
All because he wanted to pursue a peaceful life free from the constant possibility that he would be attacked.
The experiment, however, came to an abrupt conclusion after the Level 5 had already killed as many as 10,000 clones, due to the intervention of Misaka Mikoto and Kamijou Touma, an espert whose ability was to cancel the abilities of others.
The couple managed to defeat Accelerator after a long and brutal battle, which led to the closure of the Level 6 project.
Embittered by this turn of events, the albino had returned to everyday life. Fate, however, had other plans in mind for that unusual boy.
The possibility of redemption appeared before him in the form of a new knowledge: a child of about ten years named Last Order, the last clone of the Misaka project, now gone bankrupt.
During their meeting, Last Order was kidnapped by one of the scientists who had carried out the experiment, Amai Ao, intending to infect the girl with a computer virus to take revenge on Gakuen Toshi.
Accelerator discovered that this virus would infect the entire Misaka Network via Last Order and, on the advice of its legal guardian, Yoshikawa Kikyou, he decided to try to save her to compensate for all the pain he caused to the Railgun's clones.
During the process of saving the child and all the clones of the Network, however, Amai fired at Accelerator, which lowered his defenses to focus on Last Order.
The Level 5, however, managed to save the girl, reporting severe injuries to the brain system, thus losing the ability to use 100% his power and the ability to move freely. From that moment on, in fact, to be able to walk he was forced to use a crutch.
Thanks to the help of a doctor, however, the Level 5 managed to recover some of his faculties, using the Misaka Network through an electrode system that from then on began to wear around his neck.
Tired of fighting, the albino agreed to take care of Last Order and become his guardian, and then move to the home of Yoshikawa and his friend, Yomikawa Ahoi.
Currently, the Level 5 was four hundred and fifty meters from a target, in the famous shooting range of Gakuen Toshi.
On the white pole planted in the grass next to him was marked the number 44 and the same number was repeated at the top of the mound of land behind the only target, a square about two meters on the side that at that distance, and in the haze of the Late spring, it looked no bigger than a postage stamp.
But the Level 5 telescope, a Sniperscope with infrared lenses attached to the barrel of his rifle, framed the entire lens. He could even clearly distinguish the blue and beige colors of the target; the semicircular center of fifteen centimeters appeared similar to the crescent which, on the distant crest of the city, began to rise in a sky that was growing darker.
The teenager pushed the trigger of the weapon, and the resulting shot echoed throughout the length of the polygon, causing him to wince inwardly.
Believe it or not, they shot him a lot times. A LOT.
Carabine M1. M16. M79 grenade launcher. AK-47. Luger. Walther PPK. Tommy Gun. Uzi. Carcano Bolt-Action. Howitzer. They had shot him all over.
During his early years of training, his trainer, Kihara Amata, filled him with lead. When he was ten, the army shot him with a 50-caliber machine gun for weeks and weeks.
And, as already mentioned earlier, they had also shot him in the head.
You might think that by now he was used to it. But no. However hardy one believes ... one could never get used to the sound of a firearm.
Naturally, he made sure that every single person who shot him had regretted it bitterly.
When battles like those end, at the end of all the skirmishes, the albino remained only with an undeniable truth: to kill a living being, any living being, was an unpleasant and difficult thing.
When two killers confront each other, various factors determine who will leave and who will remain lying on the ground. A killer must have a strong desire to kill his opponent. And this has it for sure.
But the thirst for blood is not enough to win. It takes something that the creature doesn't have. And it's a blind thirst for life. A will to survive so strong that it helps you take away a life to keep yours.
The killers who live to fight are not those who venerate death ... but those who love life. And basically, Accelerator had always wanted one thing: to live a normal life.
Have you ever had a recurring nightmare? Some people dream of falling by plane, drowning or being buried alive. Regardless of the dream ... you always wake up before you die. Try to imagine that same nightmare ... but do it awake. That nightmare was his life. A hundred times worse.
A constant succession of dangers and sufferings, which even in moments of apparent peace enjoyed tormenting him.
No matter how many times he saved the world ... he would always be more a killer than a hero. A destroyer rather than a savior.
He found himself cursing. This kind of holidays always managed to depress it.
Which holiday? You are wondering. Two words: Valentine's Day.
Or as he called it, "the curse of the female gender".
After all, this was how chemistry worked: on Valentine's Day women were full of endorphins and they saw everything pink, and everything was romantic. The problem was when they shed chocolates and had the collapse, while life suddenly became monotonous.
Yomikawa and Yoshikawa tried several times to organize him a date, much to the dismay of Last Order.
And he always answered the same way.
" Since St. Valentine was a Roman bishop of the third century, who was scourged and beheaded, wouldn't be more appropriate to celebrate it going to witness a brutal murder?"
And so, here he is, once again for his business, in an attempt to get away from that happy and carefree aura in which the whole city had fallen.
After finishing his shift, he put the rifle back in the polygon locker and started walking towards the city park.
That was where he usually went when he wanted to be on his own business. With luck, being Valentine's Day a working day, there would also be few children to bother him with their screams and scolding from their parents.
In fact, once arrived on the spot, he realized that the area was practically uninhabited, if not for a couple of mothers trying to control a couple of young espers who would throw balls of sand using Telekinesis.
With a satisfied sigh, the Level 5 proceeded to sit on one of the many benches circumnavigating the public area and sat slumped on the back for about half an hour.
At least until an unpleasant smell invaded his nostrils, forcing him to open his eyes.
A few steps from the bench, in fact, there was a street cleaner smoking a cigarette, while inflated the cans and debris that the cleaning robots could not reach in the flower beds.
Accelerator snapped his tongue, visibly irritated.
" Ehi, here there are people who like to breathe" He said in a high and scratchy voice, attracting the man's attention.
" What ?" the man asked, with an arched eyebrow.
" I understand that for you that shit may seem like fresh air ..." the esper continued, pointing to the cigarette. "But you know what that stuff can do to you? It's written right on the back! Perhaps the phrase "It's harmful to your health" makes you laugh. But what it should say is ... that the butts can cause cancer of the nose, mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, throat, esophagus, kidneys, pancreas ... even to parts of the body that you'd rather not think about. And it's just the beginning! Emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disorders, melanomas and carcinomas ... not to mention how they reduce hearing, sight, skin, fingers and hair. Even if it doesn't seem to me that you care a lot about your appearance. Cigarettes should be called "coffin nails" because this stuff ... kills you, "he whispered coldly, startling the street sweeper.
He swallowed frightened and proceeded to move away quickly.
Accelerator released a sigh.
Maybe was too hard with that man. After all, he was just a person who was doing a public service.
"Tsk ... I'm such an asshole" he muttered to himself.
Then, a female voice surprised him behind.
" Self-loathing doesn't suit you"...
XXXX
" Valentine's Day was invented to make those who are not a perfect couple feel like shit."
These were the thoughts that lingered in the mind of Mugino Shizuri, the fourth Level 5 of Gakuen Toshi, as she made her way through the numerous couples occupying the pedestrian overpass.
After all, what was Valentine's Day, if not a succession of broken hopes, hurt feelings and broken relationships?
It was a day full of bitter disappointments in which it was easy to take advantage of those who were vulnerable and alone.
While someone continued to languish for a great unrequited love, others could not help thinking that they had been cheated. It would have been nice to believe that for most of the people Valentine's Day ended with a positive note, but Mugino knew that it was much more likely to find himself with a broken heart
And maybe nobody knew it better than her. A girl who had never been able to undertake a romantic relationship that lasted more than a few weeks.
" But, in the end…" she muttered to herself, " I suppose I deserve it".
Karma could be a real shit.
Daughter of a rich family, Mugino Shizuri came to Gakuen Toshi when she was only ten years old. Her parents immediately enrolled her in the esper research program, which she managed to climb in a short time, until she became the fourth most powerful Level 5 in the city.
His ability was to create and manipulate electromagnetic energy and plasma to create powerful enough rays to destroy an armored tank within seconds.
With the nickname of Meltdowner, the girl soon became one of the most infamous characters of Gakuen Toshi, a pragmatic and ruthless person who always aimed at the best, always reaching the summit. She hated to lose, and anyone who tried to fight her always faced a creepy end.
When she was only fifteen, she created her own assault team, the ITEM, with which she began to perform various jobs for the Dark Side of Academy City.
And it went on for years, until one of the most devastating events ever faced by the urban complex took place: the Battle Royale among the various organizations of Gakuen Toshi, in which Kakine Teitoku and Accelerator were also involved, respectively the second and the first most powerfull Level 5 of the whole Esper community.
During that time, the defeat of Mugino by the hand of Kakine left the girl in a deep state of amger and obsessive inferiority.
And so, in that moment of madness, she ended up killing one of the only people she considered her friend: Frenda Seivelum, a member of ITEM.
Did she feel remorse for what she did? Obviously.
But in the end, what was the remorse? Nothing but the fear of responsibility for what she did, a grave on which to cry crocodile tears.
To feel remorse for a wrong thing was better than nothing, but no remorse in hindsight could atone for the guilt of having tasted in harming, burning ants or killing people.
After recovering her sanity, she also decided to become the guardian of Frenda's sister, Fremea, in order to honor the girl's memory. But now, even such a gesture seemed empty, nothing but a good action with which she hoped to compensate for past mistakes. Nothing else ... that an escape.
She was shaken by those thoughts when her ears captured a voice she would recognize everywhere.
She turned abruptly. Accelerator, Gakuen Toshi's most powerful Level 5, was only a dozen yards away from her, sitting on a bench, conversing with a garbage collector.
She didn't see him around for a while. The last time they interacted was during their brief Team-up to defeat a vindictive Kakine Teitoku, which led them to an unusual verbal confrontation in which they admitted to each other the desire for a possible redemption.
Intrigued, she began to approach the couple to hear what they were discussing. Apparently, The Number One was scolding the man for smoking in a public park. The thing couldn't help but amuse her enormously.
Accelerator, defender of quiet? Certain things were certainly not seen every day.
Once the garbage man had gone, she proceeded to approach the albino.
She sat next to him and heard him mumble: "I'm such an asshole."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Self-loathing doesn't suit you," she murmured monotonously, drawing the attention of the esper.
He whirled around and, as his bloodshot eyes came into contact with the young woman's figure, they seemed to glow with recognition.
He stared at her for what seemed an interminable time, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Then, he replied: " Look who's talking. You look like you've just come out from a junkies conference".
"Charming as always" the girl muttered, sarcastically.
Accelerator merely shrugged.
"What can I say? Winning team doesn't change" he said in his low and scratchy voice. "Although, I admit that this kind of holidays always pull out the worst of me"
"Why? Don't you like celebrating Valentine's Day?" Mugino asked, with a knowing smile.
The Level 5 released a loud snort.
" It's a day that I despise"
" Me too. Even if being alone is practically my fault, I'm neurotic at the last stage ... and I don't have time to get treated because I'm too busy arranging the mess of others"
"I'm about to move," said Accelerator, slumping back to the bench.
Not at all influenced by the words of the esper, the girl continued to speak.
" Think, My most intimate relationship I have is with my blackbarry. And thank goodness that vibrates!" she exclaimed, arousing a small sneer by the Number One.
" At least it is not as sticky as this guy" the albino said, tapping his choker with a finger. "It never gets off of me"
Mugino smiled, apparently amused by the boy's declaration.
Then, she began to look at the device with a curious look.
" Does it ..."
" ... hurt? Not like a few months ago" Accelerator replied, sensing the question of the girl. " Here's what's good about physical pain. Once he's gone, he's gone. Even the memory goes out. Not like mental pain. That will remain with you forever"
"One thing I can sympathize with " Mugino murmured, stroking his biomechanical arm.
The albino followed her with his eyes.
"Ah, yes, I had heard about your accident. Was that Level 0, am I right?
" Yes, he was Hamazura. Not that I can make him a fault, at that time I was pretty crazy" she replied, shrugging her shoulders.
The Level 5 stared at her impassively.
"Only at that time?" He asked with a provocative grin.
In response, Mugino squeezed her eyelids and pointed a finger to his chest.
"Don't push the luck. I don't care if you're a cripple, I'll kick your ass without thinking twice"
"I'd like to see you try, bitch!" Accelerator exclaimed, his face adorned with a psychotic smile.
Perhaps a good fight would have managed to distract him from his melancholy thoughts.
To his great regret, however, the young woman just stared at him, before snort and slumped back in the bench.
The esper looked her cautiously and did the same.
They remained immersed in a comfortable silence, interrupted only occasionally by the sound of the children playing in the park and by the chattering of the couples who passed along the sidewalk.
After what seemed an interminable time, Accelerator turned his head slowly toward his partner in misfortune.
" So, why are you here? You never looked like the kind of person who would waste time in a park"
" Why shouldn't I?" the brunette muttered, without ever looking away from the sky. " It's nice to lounge in the sun and dust off the old times. Old pains and old pleasures ... It's funny how, after a while you can no longer distinguish them..."
" I have no problem to distinguish them" the albino replied, arousing a little smile by the girl.
" Yeah, you managed to drive out your demon. I, within myself, still have two conflicting entities. Sometimes it's like they ripped me in two" she whispered in a low voice.
Accelerator released an undemanding grunt.
" It is what makes you what you are. What did Arnold Schwarzenegger say? "What does not kill you only makes you stronger"?"
" He was paraphrasing Nietsche, ugly illiterate!" Mugino said, using an exasperated tone.
The Level 5 sent her a dirty look.
" I illiterate? Weren't you the one who always believed that Robert Frost was the author of "The Mist"?" he asked with a mocking smile.
Mugino's cheeks tinged slightly red.
"H-How did you find out?"
" Your brat always let slip the most interesting gossip" the albino answered, referring to Fremea. She had often come to his apartment to play with Last Order, after all.
Next to him, the brunette crossed both arms in front of her chest, visibly annoyed.
"All those poets full of wrinkles and white hair confuse me. It was Sandburg, right?"
"Right. That guy was different. Great writer, no stuff for romantic wives, " the Level 5 said, thinking back to the few times he read his work.
Mugino released a loud snort.
" Poets and writers ... like their works, I can not stand them" she mumbled in annoyance, arousing a small laugh from Accelerator.
He found that it was easy for him to talk with her, and he was surprised.
Generally with women he was taciturn and contemptuous. The long preambles of seduction bored him almost as much as the subsequent annoyance of loosing.
There was something disgusting about the inevitable trajectory of every relationship. The conventional parabola? The attraction, the hands that touch, the kiss, the passionate kiss, the bodies that feel, the climax in bed, and then again read, then less read, then the boredom, the tears and the final bitterness.
And even more, he detested the "mise en scene" of each of these acts of comedy: the meeting at a party, the restaurant, the taxi, his apartment, her apartment, then the weekend at the beach , again the respective apartments, then the stealthy alibi and the final farewell, bruised, in front of a door in the rain.
But with Mugino nothing of this could have happened.
In the tedium of the evening, her presence was almost an oasis of pleasure, a moment to relax.
In their conversation there was only understanding, with a distant background of ... friendship.
Soon they found themselves talking about the most varied subjects. How they coped with the burden of domestic life, their methods of dealing with their brats, how they were coping with their handicaps, etc.
And it all went on for almost twenty minutes. This until Mugino asked a rather uncomfortable question.
"When did you kill your first person?" she asked suddenly, surprising Accelerator.
The albino stopped suddenly, remaining motionless like a statue.
"It's none of your business," he replied coldly, turning to the girl an expression that promised death.
The other Level 5, however, seemed completely unaffected by the boy's reaction.
"I did it when I was fifteen years old" she said in a casual tone, as if she was just talking about the weather.
Accelerator remained silent for about a good minute, clutching both hands in clenched fists. He stared at the sidewalk and his eyes narrowed to a couple of slits.
"I was ten years old" he whispered in a low voice, attracting the attention of the brunette.
"Ten years old," she repeated, her lips curled into a sympathetic smile. "Too young. For some, even seventy is young."
She gave a resigned sigh and looked at the sky a second time.
"We saw too much death, we lost too many things. But however trivial it is to say, death is part of life. Even the unnatural ... even the murder
"The murder is not," Accelerator said, through his teeth.
Mugino just glanced at him sideways.
"Do you think so? I don't want to defend it, of course, but we find it in the fundamental texts of every religion. Cain kills Abel and the world knew the murder. It is as natural as dying of old age"
" Bullshit" was the abrupt declaration of the albino.
The girl shrugged.
" I don't think so. After all, my certainties in the ethical and theological field are somewhat vacillating. Therefore I rely on facts, as they appear to me. Actions speak louder than words. You know it better than others. It is for your actions that, as much as you are an asshole ... I still consider you a good person."
"Three months ago I killed twenty-seven men. There's not much to say, eh?"
"Were you angry?" the brunette asked, tilting her head slightly.
Accelerator stared at her intently and, for a moment, she found herself unable to hold back, while a shiver down her spine. He could be really scary.
" ... More than ever" the albino answered, with a cold and detached tone.
Mugino nodded concisely.
"And those men deserved your anger?
"Looking for an excuse?"
"No, I'm just trying to understand," she said in a calm, professional voice.
The Level 5 wrinkled his face in a discontented frown.
" What is there to understand? I'm a bad guy ... and the bad guys remain so, no matter the reason they use to kill " he said as if it was a universal truth.
In front of him, the girl known as Meltdowner squeezed both eyelids, scanning the teenager as if he had personally insulted her.
" Quod sum eris." she said suddenly, surprising Accelerator.
He arched an eyebrow, staring at her with an uncertain look.
" So?"
"" I am what you will be. "
"I know what it means, and I don't understand where you are try to go with this" the albino replied, visibly irritated.
Mugino sent him a mocking smile.
"It's bothering you, isn't it? I'm olderr than you, Accelerator. One could argue about how much ... but not so much that I don't know that the road ahead of you passes directly on my own roadway"
"I'm not like you," the Level 5 replied, growling through his teeth.
Mugino rolled her eyes, as if she just heard the statement of a capricious child.
" Oh, believe me, I know this well" she said in a dispassionate tone, waving his right hand contemptuously. "Throughout my life I fought against everyone and against everything just because I felt so ... important. You do it because you believe in it. How honest you are, Accelerator. I don't know yet whether to insult or hug you"
"What the fuck do you mean?" the esper hissed, grabbing her by the collar of the jacket.
Despite the aggressive action, however, Mugino didn't stop and started talking once again.
"You don't understand, do you? So you're really stupid. For all these years ... All these lives ... You think you've fought enemies. The Kihara, the Number 2 ... even that Level 0 who kicked your ass. But in all this time you were fighting only against yourself. Against your nature. Against what you are. You think something happened to you. Something that changed you ... Turning you into something else. But we both know it was not like that ... The real you has always been the same. Full of ... anger. But now ... you have to face it. You can't escape anymore. Only two streets. Life or death. Which one do you choose? So which one do you choose?" she demanded implacably, while Accelerator stared at her with barely concealed fury.
The thing seemed to satisfy Mugino, who smiled once again.
" All too easy. You softened. Once you were a killer. Now you're a dog. Housewives ... adoptive daughters ... teammates ... Where is the lone wolf? I'll tell you where: he's dead!"
Apparently, that was the last straw.
The albino pressed the choker, whose light changes from green to red in the fraction of a half second.
He jumped up, grabbing the girl by the collar and hoisting her from the bench.
The Level 5's blood-red eyes darted in the dim light of the afternoon with such intensity that, for a moment, Accelerator believed that he could incinerate the brunette simply by fixing her.
He clenched his teeth and looked her straight in her eyes, expecting even a slight hint of fear. Instead, to his surprise, Mugino's head was slightly lowered, her hair drooping and drawing soft shadows on her face.
And in the midst of all this ... shining eyes, full of tears ready to rub along the Meltdowner's cheeks. But not tears of terror or fear ... but tears full of anguish and regret.
"You're lucky, Accelerator ... very lucky," the Level 5 murmured, surprising the albino. "I don't know what I would give to get rid of that part of me. But I can't. You walked to the chasm, but you managed to get out of it. I'm still dangling over it, waiting to fall"
And, having said that, she raised her head, turning a sad smile to the boy.
" So don't try to self-pity, have I been clear? It would be an insult to me and to all those poor bastards who are in my situation" she ended with a whisper.
Accelerator didn't know what to say. Here he was expecting a fight, the beginning of a battle that would have destroyed at least half the park ... and instead he witnessed something completely different.
Mugino Shizuri, fourth Level 5, one of the most infamous people on the Dark Side of Gakuen Toshi…just bared her soul in front of him.
It made him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to dealing with other people's feelings, considering the fact that he could barely manage his own. However, he couldn't help feeling slightly touched by such a confession.
Meanwhile, the brunette begun to wipe away the tears.
"Shit, I started crying in front of a boy. I just became pathetic" she grumbled darkly, before bursting a bitter laugh.
Accelerator decided not to comment on the matter and remained completely still, his gaze fixed on the Level 5.
It was at that moment that a shocking revelation began to make its way into his brain. This girl ... actually she was just like him. Or rather, as he was when he decided to undertake his own redemption.
She was lost, scared more than she realized. For her it was a completely new, alien situation, totally out of her control ... and this terrified her.
Whenever she saw Fremea, she probably found herself facing the face of Frenda, the sister she brutally killed due to a simple outburst of anger. Exactly as he saw the faces of the Sisters whenever he met the eyes of Last Order. And that was tearing her from the inside.
After this conclusion, he slumped back on the bench and took a deep breath.
"I'll tell you a story," he said impassively, waving the young woman to sit next to him.
Mugino stared at him uncertainly, but did ass he was told.
Internally, Accelerator found himself sighing. Yes ... he became very soft, he thought with an ironic smile.
A few months ago he would have left the Number 4 to wallow in her own self-committal. Now, however, he wanted to give her the same chance that was offered to him.
"One day, a guy ends up in a well," he began quietly. " He tries and tries to get out of it, but he can't. After the third day, he gives up. He sits on the ground and waits for death to claim him. Then, suddenly, he looks up and sees a man on the edge of the well looking at him. "Help me please!" he screams. "Get me out of the well!""
He paused to catch his breath, while Mugino stared at him in bewilderment.
"The other man nods and then ... he throws himself in the well. At that point the first guy goes crazy. "Are you stupid?" he screams. "Now we're both stuck down here! We'll never get out!" The other man smiles instead. "Do not worry," he tells him. "I've already been in the well ... and I know how to get out""
And, with that said, he jumped up, hoisted himself on the crutch ... and held up his right hand in the direction of the other Level 5.
The girl stared at him in shock. She looked like a deer caught by the headlights of a car.
She looked from the stretched arm to the face of Accelerator, expecting the slightest trace of deception or mockery. And yet ... she found none.
She handed her hand forward ... but it stopped in mid-air.
There was a moment of silence, while the albino stared impassively at the girl's hanging fingers. And why should he expect something different? A brief alliance, a few meetings and a heart-to-heart conversation was all there was between them.
Why did he imagined that she too shared his wishes, his plans? The possibility of having someone to share their journey with? Someone ... who really understood him.
And now? asked Accelerator.
He shook his shoulders to free himself from the weight of disappointment, from the pain of defeat that is always so much stronger than the pleasure of success.
Now he had to get out of that girl's life and take his disappointed heart elsewhere. No regrets or unnecessary sentimentality. He had to support his part, that of the strong man, of the man who was just a villain.
She looked at him rather nervously. She seemed anxious to get rid of that teenager who tried to enter her heart.
Then, with a quick movement of her arm ... she grabbed the albino's hand.
He stared at her in surprise, while Mugino stood up from the bench with a resigned look.
Soon, that disappointed expression was replaced by a placid smile.
"You'd better take responsibility for what you just said. You shouldn't make certain promises to a girl, regardless of the consequences, "she said reproachfully.
Initially stunned, Accelerator merely rolled his eyes.
" I will take this risk" he replied amused.
He gave the brunette an embarrassed frown, his cheeks lightly dyed red.
" Do you want to have a coffee?"
"It sounds like an excellent idea," the girl replied.
Then, she leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss on the albino's cheek.
The Level 5 dilated his pupils, visibly surprised by the sudden action. He started to comment, but Mugino beat him over time, clinging to his right arm and throwing him a captivating smile.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Number One"
" Tsk ... fuck Valentine's Day"
XXXX
All reviews are welcomed ! This could become a series of one-shot if it will recive a positive answer.