"Let me walk you to the your apartment."

Accelerator watched her lips curl into a smile suggesting that he should be grateful that such a beautiful woman would see him off. He merely turned away from the table knowing she would follow anyway. He had just finished a conversation with Misaka Misuzu whose footsteps began behind him. If there was one thing that he was grateful for, it was the free coffee he was able to have from Misuzu's invitation, though he definitely have more money than her.

The bell door rang marking their exit, and on instinct, Misuzu held her scarf in place as the chilly air blew past them. Accelerator dug into his pockets and gave Misuzu an indecipherable gaze. He believed they had discussed everything that she had wanted to in the coffee shop, but here she was— smiling and waiting for him.

"Are you cold already, Accel-kun?"

He scoffed, beginning a slow walk in the direction of the Yomikawa's. He was a little curious about her motives, but he wasn't going to prompt another conversation. However, their leisure and silent pace didn't linger long before Misuzu finally spoke once they reached a stoplight.

"You know you're my favorite person to talk to, Accel-kun."

His eyes drifted to the side doubtingly. "Is that a compliment?"

"Just a fact and bit of compliment." The light changed and the signal appeared allowing them to continue their way.

He was close to asking how or why, but instead he decided that silence was the best course of action. He didn't know what she was doing either. Small talk was unlike her or was this actually leading somewhere?

"Things are starting to become a bore."

From her words, his best and worst assumption was that she was dissatisfied with the lack of interaction or...night activity with certain member of her family, but that wasn't his problem to breeze picked up again, and he noticed Misuzu rub her nose. A cold?

"Should you be here?" he asked, with me, he added in his mind. Even if Misuzu was older than him, his Misakas instincts forced a question to leave his lips.

She turned to him with a quizzical look before laughing a little too heartily. It almost seemed earnest.

"You noticed?" A pleasant but insincere smile developed. "It's not too bad, so you don't have to act so worried."

But it'll get worse if she was still prancing around as if nothing was wrong. It wasn't really his business to tell her what to do, but he couldn't help feel a little worry creeping in concerning her homelife.

"But… if you are so worried, then I wouldn't mind if someone with such ability took care of me in my loneliness" she teased.

"That doesn't sound like one of your better ideas," he replied, a small smile forming at her implication.

They've had talks more often recently, and while he would rather be doing something else, the conversations they've had were slowly becoming refreshing. Though their topic of conversation is his esper ability and her family, the focus on that topic has become increasingly less and surprisingly on more mundane things.

"Shouldn't you be excited that I'm inviting you into my home?"

"Is that it?"

"Am I making it sound like it's not?"

He chuckled, but he honestly couldn't tell if she was just teasing him. The wind picked up once more forcing Misuzu to brace herself again, and Accelerator was almost considering seeing her home safely. Instead, he took a glance at the darkening clouds threatening them with snow.

"You should head home before it starts to snow." He didn't really know what he was doing, giving Misuzu of all people advice, especially because she didn't ask, but she only smiled in return.

"That is the idea," she laughed. "Maybe you should tell me to get some rest or action next?"

"Maybe," he scoffed.

"I'll take it easy then." She leaned into Accelerator's shoulder pretending he was support before being gently nudged away. "You don't have to be shy, Accel-kun. You should take things while they're available."

"Like what?"

"Like when things are on sale. Or maybe a limited coffee drink at a restaurant. If you wait, you might not be able to get what you want."

"I would need to want it."

"Then tell me— what's on your 'wants' list."

He stared at her hesitantly, wondering if there was even anything on that list. He had never really thought about anything similar to what she had in mind since he was a child. Afterall, if you iare the strongest at Academy City, everything became mundane and less.. important?

What did he want? He had wanted achieve Level 6 but he knew that wasn't the case so much, anymore. Did he want anything more from that than just an unchanging pace where he could spend the rest of his life with people that knew him best? Speaking of people who knew him best... Looking at the woman next to him— it reminded Accelerator; in the same way he was able to see through her facade almost immediately, she was able to understand him just as quickly. Just like Last Order.

He wasn't too sure about answering seriously, so he ended up mumbling something about a novel he was interested in reading. With his destination nearing, their attention to the conversation fell. Accelerator slowed his steps as they approached his place, expecting some sort of send off from Misuzu, but she merely waited. Maybe the cold was finally getting to her attitude. In their silence, Misuzu idly checked her watch, a motion for Accelerator's to move on.

"Bye," he finally muttered.

"Later, Accel-kun."

*₀* *₀* *₀*

A few tenants passed him in the hallway, probably on their way out. They didn't pay him much attention and neither did he. Though, the sounds of their footsteps in the otherwise silent hallway bounced around in his thoughts.

Not too long after, those sounds were replaced with a door opening, and the curious head of a single and intrusive woman propped up. Yomikawa smiled and gestured for him to come closer.

"Here's the item and ingredients you want," he said, dropping the item onto her open hand. "Did you need me for something else?"

"Yes…" she began. "I just have a little errand for you. You can see it as a request if you want."

"Okay?"

"Can you buy some cold medicine and deliver it to Misuzu?"

"What?"

"You heard me the first time."

"Why can't you? I don't even know where she lives."

"Well one of us is busy looking for job and-

"Fine," he surrendered, putting his hands up. "Fine. Can you make sure Last Order sleep by the time I got here back?"

"No promises." Yomikawa settled back into sofas, finding a piece of scrap paper and a pen. "Here's her address." He looked at the piece of paper, a trace of apprehension slowly building inside him. "Besides, she asked me to ask you, anyways. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Now take it."

She shook the paper around like bait which Accelerator reluctantly accepted.

"Sorry about this one, Accelerator. Misuzu told me she was down pretty bad with a cold, so I didn't want to tell her no."

"Yeah…" He didn't know whether to not be surprised that her condition worsened or that someone like Misuzu could even get sick.

"You knew about it?"

"Sort of…"

"Right. Stay safe then," she nodded, waiting to turn back to her work once he was out of the room.

The cool air greeted Accelerator after he made his way through the city. He remembered to buy more coffee this time and quickly made his way to the nearest store.

So she wasn't joking about inviting him to her house. He glanced at the clouds, reminding him of the conversation he had with Misuzu yesterday. It wasn't a desire to make sure that Misuzu would get better that convinced him to accept Yomikawa's request. And it definitely wasn't Yomikawa's threats that convinced him to. It was a request, but he couldn't deny he was wondering why Misuzu had asked for him. He sighed half-heartedly, contemplating his decision, knowing this was more of a chore than he bargained for.

Estimating the time it would take for him to buy the medicine and how long it would take him to get to Misuzu's place, he messaged Yomikawa that he would miss dinner. Microwaving food wasn't his main concern, however. He was hoping the trains would stay running long enough for him to get home. Why would he use his abilities for something mundane? He rather conserve his battery for something more beneficial or dangerous.

Access didn't spend much time in the store. He grabbed the cold medicine and something warm to eat before heading to the train station. There weren't that many people hanging around on his snowy walk to the station nor were there many in his time in the train car. It was a quiet journey and plenty of time for him to ruminate about Misuzu's intention. Maybe she really did just need someone to get her some cold medicine. For why it had to be him, he'll find out when he arrives.

The apartment Misuzu lived in wasn't too different from the one he and other lived in. He double-checked the apartment number on the note and made his way up. After a slight struggle to find the apartment number, he hesitated to knock on the door. He hadn't thought much about what he was doing prior to his arrival. Accelerator had merely thought this to just be another chore, but suddenly, he found himself rooted in place.

A quick nod of confidence and his knuckles made two resounding knocks on the door. He pulled out the the medicine from his plastic and continued waiting. He knocked again and nervously tapped his thigh. Accelerator had a tighter first ready to knock again before the door opened slightly with a brown pupil staring at him back.

"I brought this," he said softly, holding up the bag.

"Accel-kun." A small smile managed to escape her sickly expression which almost made Accelerator wince.

"Was there no one else for you to ask for besides me?"

She opened the door wider, retreating into the room and presumably inviting him in. He was uncertain about the whole situation, but Misuzu was very clearly not at one hundred percent. He decided there wasn't too much harm in spending a minute or two inside and followed her in, closing the door behind him.

Looking around her apartment, it felt rather empty. It was decorated, but it didn't feel like somewhere where married woman would live— not that he would know what that would be like in the first place.

"To be honest," Misuzu began, attracting Accelerator's attention from the decor. "I vaguely remembered calling Yomikawa-chan this morning, and only remembered what the call was about when I was wondering who was knocking loudly on my door. But I suppose I owe you a thanks."

She didn't answer his question, but it was not the best time to press her about it.

"Do you want something to eat before you leave?"

"No thanks." It was best that she just got some rest, and for him to leave.

He turned around, wondering why she even bothered to bring him inside. His way back to the door gave him a clear view of the kitchen and it seemed as if nothing had been touched. It reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything besides the snack he bought with the cold medicine, but more importantly, a question escaped his lips.

"Have you not eaten anything?" he asked, turning back to face her.

"What?" She glanced back wearing a weary expression. "No…"

"You should—" he paused, realizing his admittedly overbearing instincts were taking over despite Misuzu being the person in front of him instead of Last Order.

He mentally scoffed at the idea that popped up in his head, but the fact that he wasn't out in the hallway already meant that something was wrong. He was contemplating making some food for Misaka Misuzu before he left, and he was not as against the idea as he thought he would be.

"I should what?"

"Eat something warm. It might help."

"Thanks, but I don't have the energy to make anything right now, so if…" Her voice faded like she had come to a realization. "Are you asking if you can make dinner for me?"

"You said yourself, that you don't have the energy." Somehow, he was able to maintain his composure despite how direct and quickly she managed to figure him out.

"Yeah. Go ahead." She waved her hand, granting him permission. "I'm not in the right headspace to say anything else."

He nodded in silence and began an awkward walk to the kitchen. He heard a door close behind him, glancing back to see Misuzu gone. She must have just gone back to her room to rest while she waited.

He found an apron, securing it around him, and rolled up his sleeves. There weren't a lot of things he could make, so he quickly decided to stick with his tried and true classic cuisine— rice and curry. As Accelerator rummaged around the kitchen, he found that it was quite lacking in ingredients. He found a few vegetables he could include in the dish, but besides that there were barely enough else to make the most basic of curry.

Yomikawa or Yoshikawa does most of the cooking for four of them nowadays, but before, because of their caretaker' busy work life he had to learn how to cook. He had a somewhat slow start after starting the rice, especially working in an unfamiliar kitchen, but it didn't take long for him to recoup his curry crafting prowess.

A long and busy moment passed before Accelerator heard anything besides the sound of his cooking, but a door opened, announcing Misuzu's arrival. She didn't say anything, but situated herself at the dining table.

"It's just about done," he announced expecting no response.

Accelerator grabbed two plates, fixing them with rice. He added curry to the plates, the smell of his creation giving him some amount of confidence to share it. The grinch's heart didn't grow any larger that day, so Accelerator continuously questioned why he offered to make her food. Was it a feeling of pity? It was hard to believe that his Misakas instincts reserved for Last Order was enough to help anyone else. He gave Misuzu a plate and seated himself across the table with his own meal.

A quiet, "Thank you for the food," from both of them, and Misuzu eagerly took the first bite. In spite of her condition, she was eating like she hadn't had a proper meal all day, which on second thought was probably the case.

"I didn't know you could cook, Accel-kun," she said idly, disrupting his thoughts.

"Just simple dish." He paused, remembering the lack of ingredients in her kitchen. If anyone could cook, it would be her, so he was wondering. "Do you not like cooking?"

"Hmm..?"

"There's not a lot of ingredients here."

She took another bite before answering, taking her time to chew and swallow before answering.

"You have a young girl, Yoshikawa and Yomikawa living with you too if I recall?" He nodded. Though apartment they currently living in is Yomikawa's, not his. "Can the younger one cook?" He shook his head. "The one that cooking for you guys is Yoshikawa and Yomikawa then? He nodded. "Would you be cooking if they wasn't around?"

If Yomikawa or Yoshikawa wasn't around, he probably wouldn't have even bothered to learn how to cook. He'd just eat some store-bought bento or leftovers, which was a lot less healthy. He could imagine that making food just for yourself would end up tiring.

"I usually eat out for dinner, anyway," she continued. "And before you continue… my nap gave me a headache, so you can ask questions later."

He was about to retort but realized she would appreciate silence more right now. He stared at his curry, a little prideful with how it had turned out, especially since it has been a while since he cooked.

Accelerator recognized he should be a lot more anxious in his situation if he hadn't already encountered Misuzu many times whenever he decided to go out. Besides the fact that Misuzu was too under the weather to even hold a conversation, or that he had made their meals, or even that they were at Misuzu's home, it was almost like they were just having another friendly meeting. He was amused by the idea, suppressing a small smile between chewing.

A vibration in his pockets alerted him, and checking his phone, he found a message from Yomikawa.

You almost home? Last Order already sleepy, and trains are closing soon.

"Something wrong?" Misuzu asked before taking another bite.

Accelerator quickly checked the train lines and found that the last train was in 15 minutes, which he wouldn't make it even if he left immediately. His battery also quite low, not enough to go esper mode.

"Trains are closed. And before you asking, my battery is low." he replied, more irritated than usual.

"Want me to drive you?"

"Huh?"

With her cold, is she—

"I'm kidding. You can stay here for the night… on the couch and take a train in the morning. Or you want to share bed with me?" She teased.

He ignored the tease because Accelerator couldn't think of a better solution to his predicament, so he gave a curt, "thanks, I'll take the couches then." and they returned to their food in silence. The pair eventually finished with Misuzu acknowledging the taste.

"You can just put the plates in the sink for now," she added. Accelerator quietly followed her advice, not bothering to do anymore than what was said. "I'm going to try and get some more rest."

"Sure."

"Just to be sure, where is your husband? Shouldn't he at home, taking care of you?"

"He on business trip. Again.."

"I see.."

"And Accel-kun… If you need me— don't."

"Right."

"Good night."

"Yeah."

The door to her room closed with an expressive thud, leaving him in the living room with plenty of hours of the evening left. He thought of calling Yomikawa or Yoshikawa, but tomorrow was a day off and it could wait. His canned coffee would only last him an 10 minutes at best, and he didn't really play video games on his phone.

Accelerator stared at the black television screen. He hadn't really thought much about the significance of his being in Misuzu's apartment since he got here, but at this point it didn't feel significant at all.

He replied to Yomikawa, stating that he would be staying over at someone else's place and nothing more. He was sure that she would be obnoxiously curious as to whose when he returned.

He finally grabbed his canned coffee from his plastic bag and began drinking. The hours passed by unhurriedly in silence until it was eventually time for him to also call it a night. He couldn't complain about his sleeping situation, as he settled on the couch as he was told. "She really lonely, huh?.." he muttered before he drifted off to land dream or in his case, land of nightmare.