goddessofshadows7212: It's really nice of you to say that! And I do try to get the chapters out as quickly as possible. I hate waiting for chapters to come out, so I try not to make my readers wait either.
Electricity crackled.
Celeste blinked and took a step back and to the side, behind one of the two small potted tree in front of the grocery store. Just in time too. A split second later, a wave of electricity surged over the group, effectively burning hair and clothes. The men collapsed, unconscious.
Celeste eyed the bodies. That would hurt later. She smirked, unsympathetic. Good.
"Hey, you okay?"
Celeste glanced up from the bodies to look into the worried eyes of her saviour. Tokiwadai's Ace.
"Yes," Celeste answered. "Thanks."
"Ah, no problem," the younger girl answered, smiling.
So this was the Railgun. She had never met Misaka Mikoto in person, despite having been her senpai for almost half a year in middle school.
Celeste cocked her head. "You know, you were pretty cute at age ten. Still cute now, of course, but you're turning more 'pretty' than 'cute' at this point."
"Uhh… Thanks…?"
The other girl, the one with pigtails, gasped dramatically. "You! You're not flirting with onee-sama, are you? Because this Kuroko will not allow it! Onee-sama belongs to me—oof."
"You shut up!" Misaka Mikoto round-kicked Kuroko in the stomach, dropping the Judgement member.
Celeste was not a little disturbed when the girl smiled up from the ground, clutching her abdomen in pain, and said, "Ah, onee-sama! Pay more attention to me! Kick me all you want, it would be wonderful to have more skin-ship!"
Misaka did not bother to answer in words. Celeste had to hide a smile as Misaka shocked her friend with the same voltage she had shocked the men with.
"Sorry about her," Misaka said sheepishly.
"No problem…" Celeste frowned. "That… wouldn't be Shirai Kuroko, would it?"
"Yes. How did you—"
"You have a fan site. I came across it by accident. And after I saw what 'Shirai Kuroko' posted I swore to stay five miles away from her at all times."
Celeste watched as shivers ran up and down Misaka's body, a terrified and disgusted look on the younger girl's face.
"If that's going to high school soon, I'm glad I dropped out…" Celeste muttered, eyeing Kuroko warily. "I don't want a creepy stalker kouhai…"
Misaka frowned, thinking for a moment. She asked, "Did you go to Tokiwadai?"
Celeste smiled at her and nodded.
Misaka blinked. Was she a delinquent…? Looked like one, plus she dropped out of school… But she furrowed her brows. Why did her senpai look so familiar?
It hit her. "Ah! You're Accelerator's girlfriend!"
"I'm doomed to be known only as 'Accelerator's Girlfriend'?"
Misaka thought for a second, and remembered Saten's words. "Titania?"
"That's better," the blonde smiled. "I'm glad there's one person who remembers who I am."
Misaka laughed nervously. Should she tell the older girl that it was because of Saten's urban legends website? But she was pretty sure she had heard the name 'Titania' before. And not from Shakespeare.
Misaka frowned. Wasn't it a few years back? When she was a lot younger? She had heard of a level four as famous as any level five because of the rarity and remarkability of her ability.
"AH!" Misaka shouted, eyes wide in realization.
Titania. Named after the fairy queen in Shakespeare because her abilities seemed almost magical, and sounded overwhelming to any normal person. Real Illusion, wasn't it? To be able to make anything seem real, to the point where the mind would be deceived and the body affected… Almost as if she was manipulating reality.
It would be terrifying if she was an enemy.
Celeste raised an eyebrow at the shout, and Misaka blushed.
"Tsuu ka yo, uttoushiin da. Tengoku nante doko ni mo nee darou. Tsuu ka yo, amattaruizee. Tamatta doro ga omokute. Yabai ne, massugu arukenee…" The song rang out, and both Misaka and Celeste looked startled.
"Sorry," Celeste said with a small smile, and answered the phone. "Hel—"
"Hurry up, you idiot! How long does it take to get some groceries, kusotare!"
Misaka blinked in surprise at the familiar voice practically shouting through the phone.
"Sorry. There were just a lot of idiots today—"
"I don't give a damn how many idiots are on the streets! Just get back here now!" Accelerator snarled.
"But—" She put down the phone, interrupted by the dial tone. Celeste sighed, muttering under her breath, "But I wasn't even going to your place…"
The girl couldn't help but smile, though. Accelerator was listening and waiting for her to get home safely! And people—read Aleister—asked why she liked him? Accelerator was sweet. Even if he did swear at her in the process of worrying.
"Erm…" Misaka murmured, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there. "That was…"
"Shir—Accelerator!" Celeste answered happily.
Misaka discreetly backed away a step. She had never heard of someone being so happy when they were insulted and ordered around. Maybe Titania was half insane. She probably had to be to date Accelerator.
It was creepy that that Accelerator would be dating someone. Especially someone cute and cheerful. Someone insane, however, was a different story. And Titania definitely had a few screws loose.
If she hadn't lost all of them already.
But watching Celeste's face, she was pretty sure Accelerator wasn't hurting the girl or forcing her to do anything. Otherwise the girl would look terrified. Misaka had seen abused girls. She had saved a few girls from men on the streets. She had even met one or two Tokiwadai students with secret relationships, and secret abusive relationships at that. They were always frightened and sliding in and out of depression, and whenever their boyfriend contacted them, they looked absolutely terrified. They dreaded the contact.
Celeste? Just the opposite. Misaka sighed.
"Are you going to be okay?" Misaka asked. "Walking home, I mean. He has a lot of enemies, you know."
"Hmm? Yeah. I'm fine, thanks. See you around, kouhai-chan!" Celeste grinned.
Misaka saw her mouth move, and she was gone. Misaka blinked in surprise, staring at the empty space for a moment. Teleport…? Then she shook her head. Probably an invisibility illusion. Not a bad idea, if any more of Accelerator's enemies planned to attack her.
And speaking of going home…
"Oi, Kuroko. How long are you going to sleep?"
"Ah, onee-sama, you're so cruel~" Kuroko moaned.
A/N: And Celeste's ringtone is... Well, anybody could guess, right? 99.9% Noisy by Accelerator!
