A broken clock hanging on a wall. Its pendulum rhythmically swung from side to side.
Left.
Right.
Left.
A hollow sound at a steady pace.
Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.
A whiteboard filled with scribbles lingered near the back. In the center, a bare table surrounded by seven chairs. A weak fluorescent glow gave the room an almost-distorted appearance.
In the field of vision…
A small child with white hair and dull red eyes.
Lifting his head, he formed a strange grin.
"I think… it's time for a recap."
Title Card: 「 nth-child Displacement: Recap 」
The child hopped in place and shook his hands, as if lethargy was something physical that could be shaken off. He took a moment to straighten his clothes and clear his throat. And once emotionally prepared, he addressed the current situation.
"Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. It's the final chapter and only now we're doing a recap? Well, well, well. Just so you know, I'm doing you a favor here."
He opened his arms in a gesture of confidence.
"Most time travel stories are pretty confusing. And it's usually only at the end when people look back and realize how everything clicks into place.
"When you're at the end, you can fit the pieces together and say, 'Oh! So that's how we got to this point!' It's that 'aha!' moment in mystery novels when the detective reveals the criminal's trick, you know?
"Right now is that opportunity. This refresher will help you understand things better."
The child made a rolling gesture.
"And with that said… Let's quickly move on."
[ SFX: *snap* ]
[ SFX: *THOOM*]
After finishing his sentence, the lights shut off. A thick darkness overwhelmed and…
An audience cheered.
"LET'S! PLAY! SUPER SEVEN QUIZ TIME~!"
One by one, spotlights turned on to reveal a gaudy gameshow stage set. The child adamantly stood in the contestant's spot while a disembodied voice vigorously hollered from above.
[ Announcer: Welcoooome~ to another addition of 'Super Seven Quiz Time'! I'm your host, Madeup McFakeperson, and tonight we'll be going over whatever the heck's been going on in the 'nth-child Displacement Arc'! I hope you've been taking notes because I assure you, this won't be easy!
[Today's guest is a young boy from Academy City. Fun fact: He's currently suffering from cognitive distortions and irrational thought patterns. Can you tell everyone here a little bit about that?]
"I'm… very stressed out right now."
[ Announcer: Annnd there you have it! ]
[ Audience: *cheers* ]
[ Announcer: So, a brief explanation of the rules: you'll be asked a series of questions related to the 'nth-child Displacement Arc'. Try to answer as many as you can correctly. And when you hear this noise-]
[ SFX: BZZZZT! ]
[ That means you made an incorrect response. Any questions so far? ]
"It seems easy enough."
[ Announcer: Alright! Let's get started and play~!]
Title card: 「 Super Seven Quiz Time~!」
The cheering subsided and the lights reduced down to a single spotlight.
[ Ready. Set. Annnnnnnd~ GO! ]
The ticking continued.
[ How many parts are in 'nth-child Displacement' (not including the epilogue)? ]
"Nine."
[ That's kinda long for an arc, don't you think? Really long. ]
"It absolutely is."
[ Well, at least it has a proper ending that wraps everything up, right? ]
"Well, no. It doesn't."
[ What? ]
"It, uh, ends on a logical point. You'll see. Just don't get your hopes up for anything conclusive."
[ Hm. What a bummer. Well, whatever. So who's the 'nth-child' of 'nth-child Displacement'? ]
"No one. It's a made-up term that sounds cool."
[ In Part 1 of this arc, there was an Eldritch abomination with beetle-like tendencies that you met. What was that creature's name? ]
"I… didn't care enough to remember."
[ What about the name of that chubby blonde girl with starry eyes? ]
"I couldn't tell ya'. Not even a guess."
[ Right. If you can recall, you were glomped by two adequately endowed girls, pushed and pulled from bosom to bosom. Now, tell us… who was softer? The blonde or the brunette? ]
"They were both pretty soft. Around the same softness, I'd say?"
[ Niiice! What was the name of the club these people were involved in? ]
"The Misaka Mikoto Fanclub."
[ And who is Misaka Mikoto? ]
"A girl with issues that I don't really understand."
[ Is that all? ]
"Um… She might be a narcissist? I don't know. She says she isn't… but she's also a part of her own fanclub, so that's extremely suspect."
[ In Parts 2 and 3, the concept of time travel is expanded on. Terms like 'many worlds interpretation', 'predestination', and 'time swapping' were explained. Out of the three girls in the Misaka Mikoto Fanclub, who'd make the best 'onee-chan'? ]
"I'd have to do more research on that."
[ Okay. Real time travel question here. So… if you time-swapped with your future self, and your future self was sent back into the past where there is NO MISAKA NETWORK, isn't that bad? How is your future self supposed to function in that environment? That's a plot hole, right? ]
"A-Am I supposed to understand what that means?"
[ Not at all. In Part 3, after you fled from the Misaka Mikoto Fanclub clubroom, you met two young lads who led you into a back alley and forced you into joining their gang. Their names please? ]
"Err, Fremea and Final Command."
[ SFX: BZZZZT! ]
"Ah? Really? Is that wrong? That's gotta be close though. Um… pass."
[ When you hear the word 'darkness', what's the first thing that comes to mind? ]
"Not being able to see well."
[ SFX: BZZZZT! ]
"Canned coffee. It's canned coffee. I remember now. That's, uh, yeah. I don't know why I said that."
[ Do you still have that letter you wanted to send to your future self? ]
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I should still have it with me."
[ In Part 5, you were kicked out of a movie theater for watching this deceptively named R-rated movie. ]
"What is 'Slice of Life'?"
[ What other movie had a showing at the exact same time? ]
"Gekota Saves Tanabata: Movie Third. I remember that because of the cute mascot character."
[ Quickly. Off topic. What's the reason why it took so long for this current chapter to come out? ]
"Pers*na 5. Lots of Pers*na 5."
[ Kawakami best girl? ]
"Objectively yes."
[ And can we go ahead and explain why we're doing this bizarre gameshow bit? I bet it's confusing for everyone tuning in now. ]
"Well, sure. If it isn't apparent, we're unconscious. None of this is actually real. You see, the 'real world me' is wreaking havoc and doing other terrible things, while I'm stuck here doing 4th wall-breaking jokes. Go figure, huh?"
[ Oh. Okay then. So what color are Fräulein Kreutune's panties? ]
"White."
[ There was a cat in Part 5 that you attempted to save. What was the name given to her?]
"That would be 'Melos'."
[ And despite discouraging everyone else from going out and searching for Melos after she ran off, why did you attempt to find Melos on your own? ]
"Because, I wanted to look cool. That is, even though it wasn't necessary, I wanted to be praised and accepted for my efforts."
[ In the end… how well did that turn out? ]
"…"
…
…
The lights shut off.
Title Card: 「 How unfortunate」
[ SFX: *snap* ]
The soft uneven glow of fluorescent lights re-revealed the setting. The clubroom returned to its original form, more or less.
In the field of vision…
The child with white hair and dull red eyes stood front and center. With his back against the edge of the table, he periodically used it to sway in place, pushing close and pulling away at a slow interval.
"…"
Tilting his head…
He touched the back of his neck.
…
He clicked his tongue.
"I don't know if that helped, but… you get the point."
Balancing himself…
Leaning forward.
And leaning back.
He held onto his breath.
"…"
And he sighed.
"It's… frustrating, isn't it?
"This whole ordeal has been nothing but frustrating.
"If you look back and break it down… All I've done is run from place to place without knowing where I was or what I was doing. I kept getting myself roped into strange comedy routines by even stranger people. Really now. What's the deal with this world? My voice hurts from tsukkomi'ing so much. What an annoying experience."
The child made a bright smile.
"But… I suppose…
"It was fun."
Looking away, he seemed almost embarrassed.
"Sadly. The most fun I have ever had."
And while heartening, his expression also had a certain loneliness.
"Frustrating… Frustrating… So frustrating…
"Even when I knew this sort of thing couldn't last… when I knew I was bound to mess everything up…
"For a moment there…
"I forgot who I was."
…
He shut his eyes briefly…
Upon opening them, he turned his gaze up. Staring straight, he spoke earnestly.
…
"Hey, Accelerator."
Words felt heavy.
"The recap is over. Do you understand now that you've looked back?
"In stories like these, motivations and intentions of a character hardly ever matter. What truly defines a person is their actions.
"So what do your actions say about you?"
A list…
"You take without giving back. You waste people's time. You yell too much. You complain too much. You're no fun to be around. And, maybe the worst of it, you're immature."
He pulled out a familiar charm and deliberately showed off the fragile trinket.
"Do you get it now? The way this thing works?"
The frail paper object slowly dangled, twisted and turned.
"It doesn't grant wishes on a surface level. But what it grants are the things you're too afraid to admit. The deep-seated desires that come from the recesses of your mind.
"In the beginning, what you desired wasn't to be taken away, but to find a place where you belonged, right? Isn't that why you were brought to this place?"
The charm began turning a deep red.
"If you think about it like that… then you can explain the situation at hand.
"Since what you desire right now is…
"Destruction."
The child cocked his head to the side.
"You really are a rotten brat, aren't ya? Throwing a tantrum the second things go awry… How pathetic.
"How lame.
"But I expected no less coming from you."
As he spoke, thin black lines started gathering.
"If you were a better person, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this mess. If you actually cared, you would have kept your distance. But no. You got greedy. You wanted too much. And as a result, it's all falling apart.
"On the bright side, the only thing that's gotten hurt is a cat. So far. There's still time for more to go wrong."
The lines moved erratically, staining everything they touched in black, they crawled toward the boy's legs.
"Once again, you've been casted as the villain. It's a natural fit, don't you think?
"But I wonder… what kind of person will be able to stop you, Accelerator."
As the world around him crumbled, the boy with white hair and dull red eyes continued to smile strangely.
"Every good story needs a hero too after all."
…
…
[ SFX: *snap* ]
「 nth-child Displacement: Final Chapter 」
Accelerator-kun was within sight. High in the night sky, he hung limply like a rag doll. The black lines sprouting from his back were carrying him up in a slow ascension.
"Can't say I expected this to happen."
Through a pair of binoculars, Hamazura Shiage observed this anomaly. The way the strange lines split and frayed and entwined felt organic. At times, they formed wings. And moments later, legs. Sometimes they formed a mess of hair. Other times, they neatly wrapped around like a ball of yarn. It was hard to look away from this living work of art.
The Level 0 nodded his head.
"But… I guess it's not super terrible. All things considered."
Setting aside the binoculars…
The dropout glanced back to where Misaka Mikoto stood.
"So. Are you here to help out? You do know the goal here is to bring Accelerator back, right?"
"N-nnh…?-!"
At her acknowledgment, the Number 3 reacted sharply. She improved her once bad posture.
"…ehhh."
The girl broke eye contact with him and started grumbling.
"I-It's not like I want to be here. It's late. I'm tired. My feet hurt. I'd rather be in bed now. The dorm supervisor's gonna chew me out for being out past curfew again…"
( Shiage: Ah, tsunderes are such a pain… )
Briefly pausing…
She took a breath.
"…but, well… I, umm… I really don't…"
"…"
As she stumbled through her thoughts, Nunotaba Shinobu came in from behind and held onto the Level 5's shoulders.
"She's realized that if she left things on a bad note, she would surely come to regret it. Is that correct, Misaka-san?"
"…"
The girl turned her head and the two shared a tense moment.
"You're free to think what you want. Let's just get this over with."
Misaka Mikoto broke away.
( Shiage: Tsunderes are suuuch a pain! )
Even though the Number 3 was lacking in energy and there were still reservations about her intentions, Hamazura Shiage was glad.
"It seems like you have your own circumstances. But since I'm desperate, I won't complain. For now you'll be considered a temp worker. I hope you're okay with that."
( Mikoto: I'm not. )
"The two of us, Nunotaba-san and I, have only been able to monitor the situation closely. But now that you're here, I think we can finally do something."
Stepping forward…
He reached into the pocket of his white coat.
The Level 0 pulled out a metallic grey cylinder, about the same size and shape as a medical vial. Extending the strange object, he met his eyes with hers.
"Let's do some science."
11:45 ᴘᴍ
Fɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.
Misaka Mikoto pushed and pulled herself against the side of a building. Small sparks of electricity emerged from the soles of her feet and the tips of her fingers as she swiftly propelled her way upwards.
( Mikoto: What is this? )
( Shiage: This right here is a time machine. )
( Mikoto: I'm… almost disappointed. )
( Shinobu: What were you expecting? A car? A telephone booth? Real science isn't that theatric. )
Along the vertical trek, the night vista of Academy City gradually opened itself up. Patterns of white lights and square topped buildings took shape against a darkened canvas. Her pace quickened.
( Mikoto: How do I use it? Am I supposed to throw it like a P*keball? )
( Shiage: Ah, no. Don't do that. Please. From the notes I've read, you don't need to do anything fancy. The time travel process is automatic. )
( Mikoto: Automatic…? )
( Shinobu: It'd be a waste of time to explain in detail. Just know that at 12:00 AM Japan Standard Time, everything within a 1-meter radius of the time machine will be displaced. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. )
Higher and higher. At a certain point, lights became dizzying. A normal person would have needed to stop and marvel at the scope of the scenery. A normal person would have been scared to fall. Her pace quickened.
( Mikoto: 'Supposed to work'? So you don't really know then. )
( Shiage: It'll work. Trust me on that. )
( Mikoto: … )
( Shiage: Okay, I get that you can't trust me since I'm a dumbass, but c'mon, give me break. I-It's gonna work. )
The earth below kept getting smaller and smaller. The distance between her and the rest of society kept growing. If someone else looked up. She would be forced to look down. If they cheered her on. She'd smile and wave back. Her pace quickened.
( Shinobu: When you confront Accelerator, there are two issues to deal with. )
( Shinobu: First is distance. The 1-meter radius is only an estimate, so it's best to keep the time machine as close to him as possible until it activates. )
( Shinobu: Second is… those lines around his back. I don't know how he got this way, but trying to send him off in this state is probably not a good idea. You'll have snap him out of it. )
( Shinobu: I'll leave it to you to figure out how. )
The further she went, the harder it was for others to catch up. The faster she climbed, the more difficult it became to hold a conversation. She could feel the distance. From the way others adjusted themselves around her. The way people changed their voices. The way people moved aside. Is was a strange feeling. Her pace quickened.
( Shinobu: Before you head off… )
( Shinobu: Well… )
( Shinobu: This will be your last shot. )
( Shinobu: Whatever business you need to take care of, you won't have another chance. )
An ever-present chill. The sway of the wind pressing against her body. A burden that would drift in and out. Understanding the uniqueness of her circumstances, she kept it to herself. Knowing others would have called her concerns irrelevant and silly. She was strong. She had no right to complain. All she could do was muster a strange smile. Her pace quickened.
( Shinobu: Good luck, Misaka-san. )
( Shinobu: I look forward to seeing the two of you again. )
( Mikoto: … )
( Mikoto: …yeah. )
At the last stretch, she leapt over the ledge of the rooftop, and her center of gravity smoothly realigned. Her feet skidded as she planted herself back on solid ground. Her breath was heavy and strained from unnecessarily pushing too hard. Raising her head, the blackened sky spread all over.
And in front of her…
There was a boy who stood even further above.
11:55 ᴘᴍ
Fɪᴠᴇ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.
Accelerator-kun stood motionless at the opposite end. The lines coming from his back appeared to be trying to take form but were failing to do so. They gathered unevenly and scattered when the volume became too much. Or when the shape became too lopsided.
For a second, Misaka Mikoto thought she could make out wings from the abstract figures being created. But that image immediately vanished into wisps a moment later.
Feeling the metallic cylinder in her hand…
She had no time to be enthralled.
"Yo. Long time no see."
"…"
They froze.
The lines stopped moving and froze in place.
Now aware of the girl's existence, she had become a point of focus.
This was cause for caution.
Somehow…
She needed to get closer.
Misaka Mikoto spoke up.
"What do you call a shoe… that's made from a banana?"
"…"
…
"A slipper."
"…"
…
"I got that joke from a popsicle stick… I'm sorry."
…
It should be said. Misaka Mikoto was tired. She may have made this excuse beforehand, but she truly was tired at this time.
As the Number 3 mentally self-destructed from the ice breaker, she somehow found the strength to keep going.
Stepping forward…
"Look, I-"
And without warning, a tendril formed and shot forward.
"…!"
Cement split apart with a deafening shrill. Had Misaka Mikoto reacted too late, she may have been skewered, but instead of that, she lost her balance and now lied on the ground.
"Kkh…!
"M-mnnnh…! Fine! I'm not really in the mood for small talk either!"
Picking herself back up, she took note of the tendril beside her and how it somewhat resembled a spider leg. And she noticed several more of them forming near the child, poised to strike as the last one did.
The Railgun gripped her hands. She felt a fire ignite.
"So that's how it is, huh?
"Here I was feeling sorry for myself. And then you went ahead and made yourself into a final boss. How considerate of you."
Her voice shook.
"Are you angry? Are you mad? Do you want the world to just shut up for a moment?
"I can't speak for you, but…
"I need an outlet too.
"If you want to go all out, don't you dare hold back."
Reason was thrown out the window. Between these two, 'reason' was something that never existed.
Here and now. And in the future.
"DON'T GO EASY ON ME LIKE LAST TIME, YOU SHITTY BRAAAAT!"
Setting off the trigger…
Two tendrils aligned and shot forward.
Misaka Mikoto narrowly maneuvered out of their way. She could hear them crisscross against each other in a lifelike shriek.
[ Distance from target: 35 meters ]
Three more came from the side.
Despite tearing through the air at a frightening speed, the girl managed to slip through their whip-like motions. The distance between the two closed ever more slightly.
[ Distance from target: 28 meters ]
Five more from above.
Crashing down, dust and powdered concrete erupted from the points impact. But emerging through the plumes, the Railgun further shortened the gap.
[ Distance from target: 21 meters ]
Seven submerged underneath.
Seeing this, she prepared herself. One by one, tendrils stabbed themselves upwards through the floor, blocking her path. Yet, even as this happened, her pace did not stall.
[ Distance from target: 14 meters ]
Closer and closer.
The girl desperately pressed forward.
The child was about to be within the 1 meter radius. The time machine was about activate.
Events were lining up in such a perfect way, it could almost be called a deus ex machina.
She gritted her teeth. She felt the cylinder within her fingers.
The end was near.
Nothing would change.
…
And then… Finally…
…
Something pulled back against her, killing her pace.
She felt her right arm being twisted at an odd angle.
Followed by a sharp pain.
…
Turning her head, she saw a spider-like tendril piercing through her forearm.
[ Distance from target: 7 meters ]
11:59 ᴘᴍ
Oɴᴇ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.
Warm blood trickled down her skin, spreading toward her shoulder.
She started involuntarily shaking. Her grip loosened, but… concentrating, she balled her fist once more.
She could still move her fingers.
"N-Not bad…
"But you've got a long way to go."
Instead of admitting defeat…
She pulled closer.
She could feel her muscles tense. Flashes of red clouded her vision with every slight movement.
"H-Huh…?"
At her current distance, she noticed the boy wasn't even awake to see this. In a way, she was relieved.
"…"
And so...
She addressed him, knowing he couldn't hear.
"H-Hey. Our time's about up.
"I-I won't be able to play with you anymore."
She pulled.
"Back there, I didn't know what to say. Honestly, I s-still don't know the right words now."
And pulled.
"I-It's just that… maybe…
"You reminded me of myself."
And pulled and pulled and pulled.
"Or rather… don't you act too much like a girl?"
Wincing, she felt the wider flow.
Her nerves were on fire.
But even so…
"I don't know why… But…
"Just once, I wanted to try it…
"A person who might understand…
"Being friends with someone like that…"
…
She smiled and reached out.
"You… really…
"Don't know how it works around here…
"The only one who's allowed to daydream is me."
The edges of her fingertips traced down the child's cheek.
"So wake up, sleepyhead."
"…"
As the lines receded…
As the boy regained consciousness…
Misaka Mikoto fell.
And then…
[ Distance from target: 1 meter ]
12:04 ᴀᴍ
End of the Line
"Are you purposely being slow? Shouldn't the former leader of Skill-Out be at least capable of picking a lock?"
Due to her natural poker face, Nunotaba Shinobu expressed irritation without 'actually expressing' irritation. Thankfully, body language helped as she continuously slapped the back of the Level 0's head for encouragement.
"Easy! Easy now!"
[ SFX: *click* ]
"There! It's done!"
The door to the rooftop opened, and behind it…
"…"
A cold glare and a metallic voice greeted them.
"You're late."
On the ground in front of him, Misaka Mikoto lied bleeding in a pool of her own blood.
"Don't panic. She's mostly fine."
Accelerator hobbled toward the exit unfazed. Unsure of what to make of the scene, the two researchers hesitated to say anything at first. But eventually, Hamazura Shiage let out a common phrase.
"W-Welcome back."
Unflinchingly.
"I'm home."
Timeline (fixed): 10, 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 19-28, 3, 29-37, 12-17, x, 5-7, x, 11
Next chapter: An epilogue of sorts.