"Hello, mister. You look like me. Were you a cursed child too?"
"Class, we have a new student today," the teacher said, and turned to the blonde eight year old. "Don't be shy. Say hello."
She wasn't shy at all. She grinned, bouncing a little on her feet. "Hello! I'm Celeste Crowley. I hope we can be friends!"
She was met with smiles, from all but one boy. She cocked her head curiously at him, but he didn't meet her gaze. He only stared out the window, as if transfixed by the scenery outside.
"You can sit next to Mai. Raise your hand, Mai-chan," the teacher said.
Celeste moved to sit next to the girl, and they shared a grin.
Class began. By break, she was practically dying with curiosity.
"Ne, what's your name?" she asked the boy.
No reply.
"Shiro-chan, want to be friends?" She asked, deciding to give him a name if he won't tell her his own.
Without moving his head, he turned his eyes to glare at her. They were red. She sucked in a breath. They were beautiful. Just like his snowy white hair.
But then she felt someone tug on her sleeve. She turned to see a nervous Mai, hurriedly pulling her away. Celeste cocked her head, frowning, but moved away.
"You should stay away from Accelerator-san. He's a level five. He'll kill you if you annoy him," Mai whispered, glancing over occasionally to make sure Accelerator didn't hear her words.
"That's silly," Celeste frowned.
"Trust me! Just stay away from him!"
Celeste blinked at the other girl's vehemence. Then she glanced around the classroom, and wondered how she had never noticed before. Everyone stayed as far from the boy as possible. There was a half circle around him, everyone at least four desks away from the boy. At least halfway across the classroom.
Celeste cast a worried glance at the white haired boy. Didn't he get lonely?
"You got tested yesterday, right? What did they say? Do you have abilities?" Mai asked, excited for her new friend.
"Yup! They said my ability was called Real Illusion, and I'm a level four!"
"Real Illusion?"
"The ability to make illusions that seem real enough to trick the mind into thinking they are real," Celeste frowned. "I don't get it, though. How could illusions trick the mind? If you know they are illusions, they're illusions."
The girl didn't say that her 'brother' thought they were wrong. She would just go along with what the scientists said. After all, they were smart, right?
Mai shrugged. "Scientists always have their complicated terms and stuff. So since you're free today after schoo—"
But the girl was already gone.
"Ne, Shiro-chan, what's your ability? You're a level five, right? That means you're really strong, right?" Celeste asked, halfway across the room from Mai, right next to Accelerator's desk.
He turned to glare at her, but she grinned back at him, unfazed.
"Celeste!" Mai half screeched, and yanked the girl away. She ignored Celeste's protests.
"Shiro-chan! You're early. Are you always this early?"
She didn't get a reply, like usual.
"Do you wanna play with me today? You never play. You should play and stop frowning. You'll get wrinkles early," she said wisely. "It's healthy to laugh."
"Shut up and get lost. Didn't they tell you to stay away from me?!" Accelerator finally snapped.
If looks could kill, she would have burnt to a crisp, been drowned, frozen, and stabbed a million times by now.
She stared at him, surprised. He huffed and turned his attention back out the window. Good. Now that she was rightly scared—
"Your voice is so cute!" She squealed. He froze. "Your voice is just as cute as you are! I really really really want to hug and squeeze you. May I?"
"No!"
The girl was insane, Accelerator decided. Insane and stupid. Very stupid. He would have thought she didn't understand Japanese, if she didn't talk so much. Was it really so hard? 'Stay away'. It was a simple command. Everyone else understood.
So why didn't she?
He glared out the window, where the other children were at recess. The girl named Mai and the annoyance were playing tag with a bunch of others. She was laughing, sticking out her tongue at the chaser. With an angry look, he lunged at her, only for her to dance out of his reach. She stuck her tongue out at him again, and the bell rang. He shouted something at her, and she retorted with that usual annoying grin, and they disappeared, only to reappear in the classroom moments later.
"Shiro-chan! You should play with us next time. You look like you don't have enough muscles!" She called out from across the room.
He didn't deem her worthy of a reply.
She must be blind as well as deaf. None of the others want to be anywhere near him.
The teacher moved to the front of the classroom. "We're switching seats today. Accelerator-san, you can stay in that seat."
Of course. The teacher never dared move him. They were all afraid of him.
"Hi, Shiro-chan! Looks like we're neighbours!" Celeste grinned, waving at him from the seat next to his.
He groaned, letting his head thunk onto his desk.
"Shiro-chan! You can't just eat bread everyday. That's not healthy! Here. We'll switch," the irritation scolded, pushing her bento towards him.
He glared at her. Get a hint already!
She only smiled at him, the smile as bright as always. He threw the bread in her face and yanked her bento to him. If it would make her shut up…
Her grin only brightened. But at least she was quiet.
"Shiro-chan!" The girl, now ten years old, shouted, running towards him.
He groaned and walked faster. Why did he let the teacher convince him to go outside for recess?
"Ne, Shiro-chan! Don't ignore me! We're friends, aren't we?" She pouted.
He turned with a snarl. "We are not friends. We have never been friends, and we will never be friends!"
She stopped for a moment. But no hurt look crossed her face. No frightened look crossed her face. "That's fine. How about lovers?"
"NO!"
"Don't say that to someone who loves you," she pouted.
Love? Nobody loves him. He wasn't meant to be loved. He would never be loved.
"Tch. Yeah right. Nobody loves me."
Her eyes widened. "Don't say that! Everybody can be loved!"
"Don't lie!" Accelerator snarled.
His hand flashed out. Shock crossed her features for a brief moment as she was sent flying back, her hair whipping over her face, until she crashed.
A sickening crack silenced the schoolyard. And it wasn't the tree.
The girl crumpled at the base of the tree, and he saw a trail of blood run from her nose and mouth. And a bigger trail run over her neck, pooling on the dirt. His eyes widened. He… Again… No!
"Sensei!" Mai screamed.
The teacher came running out, and everything was a blur. The ambulance came and took her away, performing emergency procedures the whole time.
She didn't return to school the next day, or the next.
The entire class completely avoided him, remaining silent in his presence. He felt their fear grow, and he didn't care. It was better this way. Even when she returned—he ignored the voice in his head that said she may never return—she would be afraid of him. She would never talk to him again. He didn't care. It was better this way.
She did return. He felt his shoulders lighten, knowing he didn't kill her. She glanced his way, then quickly looked away, silent. Something in his heart clenched, but he ignored it. It was better this way.
A week later, she approached him nervously when he was alone, wringing her hands. He ignored her. She would go away. She was scared of him now, just like everyone else. He didn't need love. He didn't need friends.
"Shi… Accelerator-kun," she began, voice soft.
What happened to 'Shiro-chan'?
"I'm sorry!" She shouted suddenly, bowing. "Because of me everyone's even more scared of you even though you're so cute and kind, and it'll be even harder to make friends and… and…"
He stared at her in surprise. She was avoiding him because of that? Not because she was scared? "Hah?"
"You're not mad?" She glanced up hopefully. "Then can we still be friends?"
"Tch. Whatever."
"Yatta! Ne, can you let down your guard for a second?"
"Hah? Why should I?"
"Please?" She used her puppy eyes.
He felt his heart skip a beat. He ignored it. It was probably the heat. Huffing, he stopped using his powers completely. He wasn't prepared for what she did.
Her arms around his neck, she pulled herself close to him in a hug. "Even if everybody else hates you, even if nobody else in the world loves you, I will. Okay? I'll always be your friend, and I'll always love you."
He felt his heart going haywire, and made a mental note to go to the doctor and get it checked. And he made sure never to use his powers on her again.
"Stop! I don't care! I like Shiro-chan! You can ignore me or bully me all you want, but I'll still like Shiro-chan!" Celeste yelled, fists clenched at her sides.
"Monster! He's a monster, and you're a monster for liking him!" A boy threw a rock, and missed.
"Shiro-chan's not a monster!" Celeste screamed.
"Come on. Leave her alone," Mai muttered, not meeting her former friend's gaze.
After that they ignored her. Not one of them spoke to her again.
"Oi," Accelerator said, gaining the girl's attention. "Are you…"
"I'm fine! I still have Shiro-chan!" She smiled brightly.
"Tch."
They were thirteen. He had gone to a special class three years ago, after he had destroyed the military that came after him, and she was in Tokiwadai. But somehow she always found him, always stuck with him. No matter how many times he told her to leave him alone.
"Shiro-chan, if I disappeared, would you be sad?"
He stared at her. Where did that stupid bright smile go?
But he looked away. He lied. "No."
"I'll just call you onii-chan. It's too troublesome to call you great-great-great-great times who knows how many great's grandfather, don't you think? Besides, you don't look that old."