Hey, thanks for reading A Certain Scientific Counter. And thank you to everyone who left a review it really helps me out in getting new ideas for the series. I'd also like to thank my Beta Reader Graeskog for helping me edit this chapter. Without further ado Q&A.
D. N Works- I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and only a select few people know about the duo's relationship. Particularly the only who have a particular interest in the two for their own ends.
Deus Aut Bestia- No you understand too well. :)
Fortitude501- They teach them how to be maids, though if you take anime as an example some of the most destructive people are maids. Rem from ReZero some of the cast in Black Butler and that Virgo from Fairy Tail. Though she didn't actually hit him just lecture and yell, even if she were to try to hit him since Tschumikado loves his sister he'd take it like a champ.
Anti-Mage29- Thank you and I know about her but since she won't be introduced for some time now I can still use both without confusing people though maybe I'll stick to her given name as to not confuse people. Spar! Save the kids Kami!
BlueJack22- The Delta Force is still close just not all the time. This is mainly since he started hanging out with new people, though they'll still be part of the story since they're both still some of his best friends.
awardedall- Your welcome and thank you for the comment.
Ril Noyama- I know right. But he'll have to start practicing now to get ready for the real thing.
Chris- Hooray big comment. His Misfortune indeed. Yeah, you can't really blame Misaki for being overprotective especially with the week she just had with him. 007 Kamijou reporting in. He used that assist like a champ, he knew he couldn't win in a straight-up fight so he used his kryptonite. Mh-mm gaining points every day. And yeah, there wasn't even a second of hesitation there. And he thought he was home free, he's gotta learn not to tempt fate. And yeah Yuki said no, he honestly thought he was gonna turn on the TV and see Touma on the news for getting arrested. And the plot thickens. Thank you, and thank you for your review.
Nguyen Thanh Long- He'll meet them eventually.
Guest- Don't worry Misaki will be involved and you're right fights are not always won by force. Thank you for the comment. (No te preocupes, Misaki estará involucrada y tus luchas correctas no siempre se ganan por la fuerza. Gracias por el comentario.)
Save the Date II Poltergeist
August 5
Early Morning
The sun was just starting to rise on Academy City as Two students found themselves on a familiar river bank at the break of dawn.
Kamijou Touma the misfortunate highschooler was wearing an orange shirt with shorts. While his high school did have a dress code it was less enforced than others. For example one of his best friends Tsuchimikado wore a flashy gold chain with his uniform.
He was currently only 1 meter apart from his sparring partner.
Misaka Mikoto #3 out of all of Academy City's Espers. She had shoulder-length light-brown hair, good looks that didn't need make-up, a short-sleeved white blouse with a summer sweater along with a gray pleated skirt and tan shorts.
Unlike him, she went to a prestigious school called Tokiwadai Middle School. They had a very strict dress code that made all students who attend wear their uniforms at all times even when there not on school properties.
You might think this was a bad thing but in reality, depending on the school uniform you wear you would get special discounts in certain stores. This was mainly due to the mob effect. An effect where when famous people go somewhere it will draw in a bigger crowd.
But this was neither the time or the place for all of that since the misfortunate boy was currently running for his dear life as he maneuvered around the iron sandstorm that his partner had conjured along with the spears of lighting she flung at him.
*SHATTER!* *SHATTER!* *SHATTER!**SHATTER!**SHATTER!**SHATTER!**SHATTER!*
"*Pant**Pant**Pant* Okay, now that we got that out of your system, can we please try something else?"
The electromaster clicked her tongue, "Fine."
"Really? Thank you! For a second there I was thinking you were gonna go all edgy shonen protagonist on me and say 'not until I win!"
"Is that what you really think about me!?"
The instant the girl shouted, she unleashed a pale spark from her light-brown bangs.
(Crap, does she have no sense of humor?)
*Shatter!*
You'd think attempted murder by electrocution would be a friendship ender, no?
Well, thanks to Touma's right hand it wasn't.
It housed a special power known as Imagine Breaker. No matter if he was facing espers, magicians, or anyone wielding unknown powers, or even divine miracles, anything supernatural was negated when his right hand touched it.
"GEEZ! Okay, now that we know my right hand can survive that can we move on to the other one."
She rolled her eyes as they got back into position. "So what'd you want me to hit it with an electrical spear or an iron sand sword?"
Touma looked back and forth between the craters on the ground and the girl called Misaka Mikoto.
"Electric Spear?"
Now, what's this?
While this may sound like someone choosing one death sentence over another, it wasn't.
For you see the boy named Kamijou Touma not only had one ability but two.
His left hand housed an ability yet unknown to him.
A pale lightning-like spark jumped from her right palm and instantly struck his left palm directly.
*REVERB* *BIRI*
Suddenly a blueish white spark shot out from the boy's hand and directly at her.
She flinched for a moment.
The pain wasn't as terrible as gunshot or anything, it was more as if someone was shocked by static electricity as a practical joke than anything.
"A-Are you okay?"
She sighed for a moment, "Yeah, I made sure to make the voltage low enough, so I could guard against it, but you know that was weird."
"Uhhh ...can you be a little more specific there."
"Hmmm, how can I explain….think of it like you would a mirror except in this case you're mirroring my current flow, but keeping the energy signature the same"
"..."
From the blanks looks, she was receiving she could tell she was losing him.
"...Uhh, hmmm ...Well, the simplest way I can put it is your shooting my AIM field back at me with my electrical flow increased."
"Ahhhhh…...okay."
"You didn't understand a word I said, did you?"
Touma shook his head proudly.
"Don't be proud of that! I literally explained it to you in the simplest in I knew."
"Geez, I'm joking. Nayuta already told me something like that, but seriously you suck as a teacher."
"What!? I'm a great teacher!"
"You know what you're right. In fact, I think you should be a teacher. Cause I understood more of what you said right now than all the other times Komoe-sensei carefully and calmly explained it to me in class. Hell, I think you should be teaching her."
His sarcasm was soon met with another barrage of electrical spears.
Once they left they left the river bank they stopped at a park bench where Touma unpacked lunches for them both to eat.
"You made Nori bento boxes?"
"Yep, it was really early so I didn't have time to make breakfast and I was guessing you didn't either,"
"Thanks, I guess," As Mikoto ate her lunch she was actually surprised at how good it actually was, "Wow, I knew you were aiming to be a chef but this is really good."
"...Thanks...I guess...anyways about what you said earlier about copying your AIM Field, what'd you mean?"
"*Munch* Well, whenever I shoot out my electricity I have to make specific calculations as to how much voltage I'm gonna use this includes measuring the Resistance in the air so I can shoot long distances. So when I zapped your hand it shouldn't have come back at me as it did."
"*Munch* What'd you mean?"
"It's like I said, I had to make very specific calculations given where I was and where you were. So the fact that it came back to me means that you had to tweak the formula."
"Okay, but you know I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, right?"
She nodded as she continued eating, "Yeah you're not smart enough to make those kinds of calculations on the spot anyways. But what's weirder is it used my exact formula to."
"You have a formula?"
"Every esper does. The more complex the formula is, the more results you get. The formula I used on you was simple, it was just measuring the voltage over the resistance while taking distance into account. But when you shot it back at me…...I don't know, it was like I was shocking myself or something."
"That is weird. I can understand the basics of what my hands do. Right negates Left counters. How they do it, I don't know."
Mikoto then looked at him skeptically, " Hey can I see your hands for a second?"
"Sure"
"Hmmm…."
Mikoto began holding onto his right palm.
(Just like the last time, I don't feel my current moving at all)
She then let go of his hand and held onto his left palm.
(...But he should be feeling something right?)
She looked back at Touma who was just staring at her nervously.
"Kyhaaaaaa! Stop looking at me like that! I-I didn't do anything wrong, okay I mean It was for ...huh?"
"What's wrong, Mikoto?"
She just kept staring at his left palm.
"Shouldn't something be happening by now?"
Touma began to back up nervously,
"Heh?"
"I put a current through it so shouldn't it be shooting it back or something?"
"Y-You tried to shock me again, didn't you?"
With no shame whatsoever, she nodded.
"Yeah, so where're my sparks?"
"I don't know, I mean I didn't see any blue or white lights so…."
Mikoto looked at him as though he was a complete idiot, "Hey what color do you think electricity is?"
"Blue."
She facepalmed, "Y-You really are an idiot, aren't you? You're in high school and still don't know that electricity doesn't have a color."
"Heh!? What'd you mean? The lighting spears you usually shoot at me were blue so I thought…"
She raised her hand towards his face to stop his idiocy from spreading, "Electricity doesn't have a color. Electricity is simply the flow of electrons. The only reason you're seeing the color blue is that I'm raising the voltage in the air to make plasma which can be seen as blue. Do you understand now?"
Touma raised his hand, "Misaka-sensei, can I use the bathroom."
"*Sigh* I'm starting to see why you have to take supplementary classes."
"Okay ouch, and now that the learning show is over what'd mean you passed a current through me?"
"So you really didn't feel it?"
Touma started opening and closing his left hand, "I mean I know you touched my hand and all but no apart from that nothing."
"Well, I don't know what to tell you. Your power doesn't make any sense to me. I mean I did shock you with more than enough voltage to pass through the air."
"As I said, I don't know what you're talking about."
Touma had gotten up from the bench and proceeded to go the vending machine, "Do you want anything?"
"Plum cider and I'm not dropping this. How can you just absorb that much electricity and walk it off and how come you didn't know electricity was invisible I mean what do they even teach you at…."
*Boom!* The heavy vending machine shook from side to side like a mechanical bull.
Touma paled.
"Huh...So that's where it went. Hey, why are you running away!? Oi!"
"STOP TALKING AND RUN!"
He ran at full speed to get even just one millimeter farther away from the vending machine. Touma could usually tell when misfortune would strike; he'd get a feeling about a second before whenever something was about to go wrong. But not this time.
The sounds of the vending machines alarms screamed as he continued to make his escape.
Part 2
Touma didn't know how long he'd been running for just that he was now outside of the park and on some bus stop bench.
He gazed up at the clear blue sky and his eyes wandered to a passing Ad-blimp.
Academy City news: "Mizuho Organization Withdrawing from Muscular Dystrophy Pathological Research."
"Hey, why'd you run off!?"
"I didn't choose the misfortunate life Mikoto…..the Misfortunate life chose me."
Mikoto sighed as she sat down beside him, tossing a can into his lap. She looked peacefully at the wind turbines turning round and round nearby. "If it makes you feel any better I think I know how your power works."
"*Sigh*"
She cracked open a can of Plum Cider, "Well I think your power works on a catch and release type of system."
"? But that doesn't make any sense my fist wasn't clenched or anything."
"Huh? Did you just say your fist wasn't clenched?"
"Yeah, that's how I hold whatever power I absorb. I open when I want to shoot out whatever I absorbed."
"I think I actually might have lost some brain cells from that….Tell me, does clenching your fist really cover your whole palm.
Before Touma could test his theory out fully she stopped him.
"It doesn't! Are you telling me this whole time you've been thinking that you can hold back the full force of a railgun in your hand by clenching your fist?"
"...I wanna answer yes but I have a feeling your gonna…"
"It doesn't!"
"Then how did I-"
"Shhh! I need some time….." Mikoto gazed up into the sky.
"Huh? I helped out Mizuho Organization when I was younger. Shame they're closing down that section of their research."
Touma didn't dare to poke the bear. So, he just waited until she spoke to him.
Touma thought about what she said and it made logical sense.
He only learned he could store abilities when he was face to face with one of the graviton bombers explosives and absorbed it fully.
At the time it made perfect sense, but now that she explained that it didn't.
Logically speaking even if his fingers were immune to the blast there would still be some leakage, right?
And as he continued to think about, didn't Kanzaki tell him the feathers fell all over him including his left hand.
Shouldn't there have been some type of explosion back then?
Even if they were both passed out he felt as though Kanzaki would mention that he was firing off potshots in the air while passed out.
"*Sigh* Look I didn't mean to pop off at you it's just ...You beat every time we fight and now that I know that you weren't even using half of the power that was at your disposal is kinda disheartening you know?"
Do you know the saying where you could beat someone with one arm tied behind your back? Well, Mikoto now felt that all the times she challenged Touma in the past were just a joke.
Touma rubbed the back of his head, "I'm sorry, It's just that I didn't really know how this power worked so I didn't wanna go using it against somebody."
Mikoto smiled, "I know…..Anyways like I said I think it works on a catch and release type of system. You can absorb my electricity and then shoot it back out whenever you want."
"If that's the case why didn't I automatically shoot your electricity back at you?"
Mikoto looked at Touma, "Tell me, have you heard of subconscious thinking?"
"Not enough to be an expert."
Mikoto rolled her eyes, "Same, but the point is you think your powers work like that so they do."
"Hmmm...you mean like how people back in the day thought blowing into game cartridges would help fix it?"
"Retro example but still works. Yeah from what I can tell, you expect that's how your power works so that's how it works. Here let me see your hand again."
*Reverb* *Biri*
"See it works fine right?"
"Yeah"
"But it shouldn't, I did the same thing I did last time, except now you know that electricity doesn't work the way you think it does."
"This is really complicated"
"Well if it makes it any easier just think that you can absorb whatever you want and not shoot it back if you don't want to, if the whole clenching your fist thing works then keep doing that, but don't think that you need to do it in order to not shoot it back."
"*Sigh* Okay…..in any case I got something that might help you."
Mikoto looked suspicious,
"I-Is this a pachinko ball?"
"Yep, I noticed that you used arcade tokens as ammunition and read somewhere that steel balls were better because they would spin."
If you counted shonen manga as a reputable source of information then Touma obtained this idea from one of the most reputable sources out there.
Mikoto further examined it,
While it's true that pachinko balls weren't made from the same material as arcade tokens they were however about the same size at 11 mm in diameter. Pachinko balls also had more mass weighing 5.75 grams.
From a scientific point of view, this would be superior. There wouldn't be a downside to switching over to this ball as steel was also a great conductor so firing it off wouldn't take more energy than it would be firing off an arcade Token.
However, this wasn't what concerned her.
"How'd you even get one? You have to be 17 to enter Pachinko parlors in Japan."
"..."
"Anyways thanks, but I have a feeling that I wouldn't be able to spin this, did you mean twist rate, like with bullets?"
"Yeah…."
"...Why'd I even ask?"
"...Well now that that's out of the way what next on the agenda?"
Mikoto pulled out her phone and checked the time, "Well Uiharu mentioned something about meeting her new roommate today, so we were all heading over there to help her unpack, what about you?"
"Well, I was gonna try to head over to the hospital to talk Yuki again. And after that, I was gonna get ready to go to the firework festival today"
Mikoto raised her eyebrows, "Fireworks festival?"
"Yeah it's really cool, there gonna have vendors and everything me and Misaki were gonna head over there later tonight wanna tag along?"
"...No thanks.."
Part 3
Accelerator's Hospital Room
As Yuki laid there on his bed listening to his music his mind wandered.
"RISE AND SHINE YUKI!"
"*Sigh* You know, I was kinda hoping you would've been in prison by now."
Touma waved that notion aside and casually chuckled, "Nah, not this Kamijou, no matter how many times they throw me in the slammer I always get out."
"Glad to see our justice system is as broken as ever, so what do you want, I'm busy."
This was a lie of course.
"Ohhhhh, and what do you have to do Yuki? I'd be glad to help….if there really is something."
This was a challenge.
"What do you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I won at being a Double agent yesterday no thanks to you."
"Again, remind me why I should care?"
Touma then pulled out a piece of paper, "Well while you were here doing whatever you do when I'm not here, this Kamijou got an idea."
Accelerator looked skeptically as he read the piece of paper,
"What the hell is this?"
PlayGround Gau Arcade Tournament
"The arcade is having a Tournament today and I was thinking we should enter. The prize is pretty enticing too, it's ¥4,000 yen worth of tokens. So with a ¥100 yen entrance fee, it should be a good way to kill some time."
The prize was less than alluring to Accelerator. He was already well off when it came to money and what's more, this wasn't even real money it was tokens.
It was like a chain-restaurant giving out a gift card to there own restaurant as a prize.
Though there was one thing that did interest him.
The prospect of beating him at the game he had beaten him in.
Somehow Accelerator had a feeling that this was the selling point he was referring too.
"Fine, let's go."
"Great, just gotta make one-stop first, I'm gonna wear my new Leather Jacket later today so I'm gonna head home first to get it."
Part 4
"Ruiko, where are we going?" asked Index.
"We're gonna see Uiharu's new roommate and my new friend!"
"Is that how it works in Japan? If your friend moves in with someone new they become your friend. I never knew."
Index was new to the culture and accepted that there are some things she still didn't know about. For example, the agathions of this city were mechanical. (cleaning robots)
Kuroko shook her head. "No that's not at all correct. Anyways Saten-san you said that she transferred here from District 19"
Saten nodded, "Yep, don't know why though, hey have you seen Misaka around she said she'd meet up with us by now and I wanna show off."
Kuroko sighed, "No…..when I awoke this morning my dearest Onee-sama was nowhere to be seen. She left me a note saying she was going to help someone"
"Hmmm?"
Before too long Mikoto finally caught up with them.
"Hey, guys sorry I'm-"
"ONEE-SAMAA! Where have you been!? I was so lost without you!"
"Hey Saten, what's up?"
(ouch!)
(ouch!)
"*Sniff**Sniff* That's so mean Onee-sama. I already told you I didn't mean to go on your bed."
(But I was so sure I put everything where it was originally down to her stuffed animals.)
Mikoto glared, "This is your last chance."
"THANK YOU SO MUCH ONEE-SAMA! This is such a glorious day. I knew my Onee-sama would be magnanimous."
Saten sighed in relief as she saw Kuroko hug Mikoto as though she was gonna fly away.
The group then soon found themselves at Uiharu's dorm.
Uiharu was in her usual school uniform while adorning her signature flower headband. The only thing that made this different was that she was standing with her new roommate Haruue Erii.
She was a young girl around the same age and build as Uiharu though unlike her she was dark brown hair and was wearing a casual pink dress.
The groups made their introductions and they headed up to the stairs of her dorm building to help her unpack.
When they all arrived they all noticed that the movers were less considerate.
While Uiharu was at the train station picking up Haruue they had left all of her things in boxes next to the front door.
After Kuroko teleported the giant pile of boxes all in one go into the dorm they got to work unpacking.
As Saten laid the last piece of flattened cardboard down she stretched and said, "That should do it."
Haruue nervously gave a small bow and said, "All of you, Thank you very much."
She was a bit shy.
Mikoto waved her off, "It's no problem really. What's more important is that we finished earlier than we expected to. So how about we go and have some fun?"
Before Uiharu could raise her hand in agreement she felt Kuroko grab onto her shoulder.
"We'd love to Onee-sama, but Uiharu and I have to be going to a joint conference soon."
Uiharu sighed disappointed that she wouldn't be able to have fun.
Such was the life of a Judgement Officer.
There were two positions that took down berserk espers and kept the general peace: the teachers' corps was called Anti-Skill, and the students chosen from every school were called Judgment.
This joint-conference was a rare occasion where both parties would discuss something that would affect everyone in Academy City. This could include a cut back on curfew or the more recent instance an esper gone wild such as the Graviton Bomber.
Mikoto sighed, "What's it about this time?"
"It's about the earthquakes we had recently"
"A conference about earthquakes?"
Saten then smiled, "Well what if she goes with us for now and you meet up with us later."
Haruue shared a concerned look with Uiharu but she reassured her that they were good people and nothing bad would happen.
Eventually, the 4 of them went to a local park to buy crepes and talk.
"This spot is a marker for new friendships, how do you like your crepe Haruue?"
"It's good."
Mikoto sighed, "Still it's a shame that they weren't able to come with us, why do you think they're talking about earthquakes?"
Saten's eyes gleamed, "Well I was trying to keep this on the down-low but apparently there's a hot rumor going around that it's not earthquakes but actually Poltergiestings."
"What's that?"
Saten clenched her fists in excitement, "Well apparently the source of all the shaking is a pulse form an alternate dimension! It's a special kind of plasma, you know, the governing board has been conducting secret underground experiments! In any case, they say there's gonna be a big one soon! See!?"
Saten proudly presented her phone which had the urban legends website pulled out.
Everyone present save for two people knew it was a complete lie.
Mikoto felt someone grab her shoulder, "Mikoto…...I'm scared ...what're we gonna do!? If another one comes how can we stop it!? I never once read about an extra-dimensional pulse in any of my 103,000 grimoires, were doomed!"
"*Sigh* Saten can you cool it with the theories. Index is starting to believe that the end is nigh and I don't want to see her eat like there's no tomorrow. She already ordered 7 crepes just for herself."
"Hehe, sorry"
Part 5
PlayGround Gau Arcade Tournament
It was the final round of the Tournament only two players remained.
But only one would leave victorious.
"So how you feeling Yuki?"
"Like I'm about to beat the shit out of you."
All of the male students in the crowd cheered as they watched Yuki verbally assault Touma.
Why was this you ask?
Well while the Tournament was playing about Touma had won the hearts of all the girls who entered the Tournament as well.
Yep, he won them all. [+70 charisma]
You can imagine that they were all out for blood.
"TAKE HIM DOWN!"
"NO MERCY!"
"DID YOU GUYS GET THE SHOVELS YET?"
At all of these screams Touma sighed.
(Why do they all hate me? Haven't you guys ever heard of sportsmanship?)
He wouldn't dare say that to the mob, of course, they were all but one more push away from rushing him right now.
Accelerator glared at his opponent as the screen was about to load up.
If Touma could hear him over the shouts of the crowd he expected him to say something like 'you're going down.' or something else that an edgy protagonist would say.
*START!*
The match started as their characters appeared on the screen.
Accelerator made the first move using his villain character to attack Touma's.
Their clash was something to be seen as it didn't last too long.
As soon as he made contact he countered his attack and stuck his character with a 15-hit combo!
The crowd was in an uproar as they saw their last hope take damage from the greatest evil that they'd ever seen.
Ironically Touma picked a Hero character though from the way the crowd was screaming you'd think he was the villain.
The match continued as Accelerator used the damage he took from the combo to increase his attack power.
His strategy was simple if he increased his already ridiculously high attack power up then he could use his super and finish him off with one hit.
It was a hell mary shot for sure since for this to work he'd have to get his own character below 5% of his original health, but it was one he was gonna take.
He had already calculated the necessary equations from watching his previous matches and deduced how much each of his strikes did all that was left now was to put all he learned into action.
Right as Touma landed his character signature right Accelerator blocked so his health would only go down to 4%.
Now was the time, in the split second between an attack that had been blocked his character was wide open.
"I win!"
Accelerator launched his super directly at Touma…
But one thing that Accelerator didn't calculate was Touma's insane reaction time.
Some would say it was at the level where it should be called precognition since his body reacted faster than his mind ever could as he negated the super midway.
In the very next frame, the screen read Touma's player name Victorious.
Winner: SAINT DESTROYER -FLAWLESS VICTORY!
"Y-You've gotta be shiting me!?"
The screams of disappointment were tantamount to a sports arena after, their home team lost.
"Tch! God DA-"
Before he could say another word Touma grabbed his shoulder.
"My friend Aogami got me with that strategy last time ...or should I say every time. I practiced day in and day out to try to get the timing right."
"What the hell are you trying to say?"
"I was gonna throw the game."
"..."
The crowd was silent as they listened in.
"I thought that if you won it might make you feel better, hell I was even gonna make it close so you couldn't even tell, I mean after everything you'd done for me it's the least I could do right?….. But a certain Biri Biri told me that I should always give it my all or it wouldn't mean a damn thing."
Touma smiled and said, "The only reason you lost was that I lost more times than you even picked up the controller. I must have tried to counter that move over 10,000 times. But this was the first time it actually worked. I had fun playing against you Yuki I can honestly say that. And I hope we can keep playing and if you ever want a rematch I'll be here waiting. We are friends after all."
Touma then pointed to himself, "But don't go thinking this Kamijou is gonna stay here all day, no thank you! I have a life outside of games to you know? Not all gamer otakus stay indoors all day I'll have you know."
Accelerator rolled his eyes and made what resembles a smile, "Whatever."
The crowd had died down and was now actually supporting Touma's good sportsmanship.
It was all going good for Touma, he even got his gift card for first place along with Accelerator who got second.
He made it outside of the Arcade when a girl who was in the crowd went up to him.
"That was really sweet of you to cheer up your friend after he lost."
Touma smiled "It's nothing really."
Little did he know that all the male students who were spectators and or competitors watched as all the girls who were in the store went up to him to congratulate him.
Eventually, it got to the point where he was surrounded by girls.
Even though Accelerator didn't know of Touma's knack for misfortune even he saw what was to come next. So he did what any friend would and pulled out his cellphone and started to record what was about to unfold.
The moment the crowd of girls had left they all saw that he had his phone out and had collected all of their gamer tags.
This was the last straw for the crowd.
"Huh!? W-Where did you guys come from?"
In the angry mob, he could make out one familiar face. A face that caused him to shutter.
Aogami Pierce.
It had seemed that he too was a competitor but was eliminated by Accelerator in the earlier preliminaries.
Though he wasn't here to actually win but to hit on the girls who also competed.
You can see now why he was so upset.
"So it wasn't enough for you to have one ojou-sama by your side? No, you wanted more."
The crowd turned to him as they waited for his clarification, "Everyone here, who actually has a girlfriend?"
The crowd was dead silent as no one moved.
The only hand that did move was Touma's as he slowly raised his.
"W-Wait a second you guys, listen to me-"
"GET HIM!"
"KYHA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! YUKI HELP ME!"
Accelerator laughed as he continued to record. "Don't worry, I did have fun today."
"YOU BASTARD!"
"Mikoto do you hear something?"
Mikoto turned to the sound in question, "Y-Yeah. What the hell is that?"
In the distance, they could see a spiky black-haired boy run for his dear life.
Haruue turned and said, "S-Shouldn't we help him?"
Index shrugged, "Touma's fine."
"Y-You know that boy?"
They all nodded.
Haruue was stunned silent as she looked at them as though she was disappointed in them.
Mikoto sighed, "Alright, I'll be right back."
Accelerator laughed as he finished his home video and continued down the street.
He was currently researching new ways to play the game that he'd just lost in and his eyes were glued to his screen.
As Mikoto ran up the street to catch up to Touma her eyes were locked on to the small mob's movements as they all chased him down.
She laughed as she thought of what he could've done to piss them off.
(Knowing him he probably deserved it)
Maybe it was some cruel Twist of Fate.
But as their eyes were glued to their targets, neither the #1 or the #3 noticed or acknowledged the existence of the other as they passed one another.
Something that wouldn't happen again.
Part 6
"HAHAHAHA! So you're saying the mob chased you because your classmate turned them on you!"
Touma tried to catch his breath as he sat on the bench nearest the Arcade that he had just fled from. He had taken off his jacket as he ran so he wouldn't overheat, so he was holding it in his hand as he ran.
While the angry mob chased him down for a good 20 minutes he managed to lose them when Mikoto changed a crosswalk to continually be green once Touma had passed.
After that, he hid out at a local supermarket until things died down.
"Yes…."
Haruue gasped, "T-That's so cruel. Why would your friends do that to you?"
Touma shrugged, "That's just how boys are I guess, heh now that I think about it, it was actually kinda funny. Though I still have no idea why they got so mad at me over some dumb game?"
Index sighed, "You probably said something rude to them like you always do Touma."
"EH! What're you talking about Index? When have I ever been rude?"
Right as Index was going to list out all the times she thought Touma was being rude Kuroko appeared out of seemingly nowhere along with Uiharu.
(Teleportation must be convenient.)
"Onee-sama, I have finally returned you wouldn't believe the last minute assignment they gave us apparently there was a…..What is he doing here?"
"Sup."
Kuroko narrowed her eyes at the boy, "Somehow I know you're involved but I'll overlook it this time if you take Index with you wherever you go when we're not around."
"Huh? Are you blackmailing me!?"
Kuroko proceeded to take out her handcuffs.
"Okay, Okay, Okay, I get it, Geez come on Index. There a couple of things I need to take care of before I head off to the Fireworks Festival. It was nice meeting you Haruue-san."
"Bye."
"Hey, why don't we all go to the Fireworks Festival?"
Haruue's eyes lit up.
Mikoto rubbed the back of her head, "I don't-"
The looks she was getting from all of her friends told her that she was the only one opposed.
"Alright fine."
Accelerator's Hospital Room
On his way, to his room, Yuki made sure to stop by a game store to pick up a copy of the arcade game he'd just played along with a handheld console. He was practicing on his bed when he heard the door open.
"H-Hey Yuki."
Not even bothering to look up from the screen, he said, "So you actually survived, huh? Don't get blood on the floor."
Touma chuckled, "Y-Yeah that was kinda funny, say Yuki today there gonna have a Fireworks show and I was wondering-"
"I'm not going."
"S-So you're gonna stay here in your room no matter what?"
"That's the plan."
Touma sighed in relief, "Okay well that makes things easier, see ya!"
Touma dropped something on the floor that resembled a duffle bag and ran out the door.
Accelerator wasn't worried, even if he was stupid enough to put a bomb or any type of weapon he could survive a nuclear blast point-blank.
There was nothing he could too-
"Hi Yuki"
Accelerator paused the game and looked up.
There she stood, Index with what looked like a hamburger half-eaten in her hands.
"Oh, hell no!"
He quickly opened the duffle bag and quickly realized that the contents were Tupperware full of food and other necessities needed to care for Index.
The bag was arranged like a mother who left her child at daycare.
He ran to the door but realized he was too late,
Kamijou Touma had left the building.
Index tapped him on the shoulder, "I'm hungry."
"Goddamnit"
Garden of Learning Entrance
Touma felt bad for ditching Index with Yuki, but he couldn't just take her with him on his date. That would be a total mood killer.
Touma sighed as he paced back and forth. As per Misaki's request, he put on his new leather jacket but somehow he felt different.
On the way here, people gave him the strangest of looks especially girls. He was under the assumption that they all thought he looked lame.
(Maybe that's why they were chasing me.)
This was the first time he was actually going on a real date with Misaki after the whole Index incident and he wanted it to be special.
He then felt a tap on his shoulder and saw her.
She wore a red silk yukata that fit her perfectly and was embroidered with roses from head to toe.
The obi tied at her waist was a bright blue that popped as the red of the Yukkata emphasized the color scheme and from the way it was tied around her slender body, it emphasized her already profound chest giving them an even more profound presence than before.
What made it more stunning was the fact that it had a small yellow star on it that complimented the outfit perfectly. Her hair that once flowed lusciously down was now tamed in a bun with what looked to be chopsticks.
"Wow, Misaki you look beautiful."
Misaki blushed, "Thank you, I see you're wearing your new jacket."
"Ohh, yeah ...wait a minute you're wearing those?"
Touma noticed Misaki's footwear of choice. It was a pair of wooden sandals that elevated her feet a bit off the ground. While it went well with her outfit it would be a pain to walk in them.
Misaki smiled, "Yes and I know what you're gonna say. Your worrying ability is as charming as ever. I'm planning on having a car pick up us from here and drive there."
Touma's shoulder jumped slightly as she leaned on him.
As they continued to wait for the car to arrive they enjoyed this moment.
Part 7
Fireworks Festival
As the pair made their way to the festival grounds they both received looks from the opposite sex.
Some were that of admiration while others were that of jealousy, whatever they were they didn't pay them any mind as they enjoyed the time they had together.
After a few hours of wandering the grounds, Touma had successfully won quite a few games and gotten a couple of prizes along the way, the only problem was how to carry them.
Misaki was out of the question since she was already in enough stress having to walk in those sandals so Touma did the next best thing and started handing out his prizes to the kids of the festival who couldn't win.
Misaki was fine since she had first picked out what she wanted and already moved passed the stage of wanting to play with stuffed animals.
"Hey, Misaki I was wondering where are you keeping your remotes? You didn't bring your bag so did you put it in your obi?"
Misaki grinned, "Of course not, if I did that it would be a hassle to tie it back together. Care to take another guess?"
"Hmmm?"
(If it's not there I got no clue where it could be.)
Touma scanned her body as if he was playing Where's Waldo but couldn't find any clues.
"I don't know, I give up."
Misaki continued to grin as she placed her hand on her profound chest, "Come now my Prince if you guess right I'll let you take it out."
Touma's heart almost stopped as he realized where it was.
"B-But-"
She placed her fingers on her mouth as she shushed him, "I see your problem-solving ability led you to the right answer." She then grabbed his hand and began to move it closer to her chest, "Now why don't you claim your prize."
Touma's heart went on overdrive as he was about to earn one of life's greatest achievements
(Be still my foolish heart)
Right as he was about to make contact he heard,
"OI JACKASS!"
(GODDAMMMMMNIT!)
Hours Earlier
"Hey Yuki, can I have another snack? And you lost again by the way."
Accelerator was at his limit. At first, he tried locking her out of his room but the doctor kept letting her back in.
Then he tried to ignore her but her incisive whining made it impossible so he resorted to using his esper ability to block out all soundwaves to basically mute her.
This worked for a while until he felt it.
Through some unknown means, her whining transcended Vectors itself and annoyed his very soul.
At some point during the 2-hour mark, he had given her the bag that Touma had left behind and she began eating while using his phone to watch videos online.
At first, it worked out perfectly he played on his handheld console while she watched videos and ate food. Good arrangement, right?
And it would've worked out perfectly if, Touma had packed her enough food to last her entire stay.
Right around the end of the 3-hour mark she ran out and began whining again.
At that same time, his phone battery died from her non-stop streaming of videos. So to stop her whining he decided to play cards against her one more time to get her to shut her up.
If he won even once she would have to keep quiet for her entire stay here, but if she won he would have to buy her something from the vending machine.
One hour later and the entire vending machine had been all but cleared out and her whining kept on coming.
"That's it, I can't take this anymore I'm taking you back to that idiot's place!"
"But I don't live there and Ruiko left already with Mikoto."
"Do you know where that idiot went off to?"
"Hmm... let me try and remember" Said the girl with the perfect memory.
Accelerator gave in and tossed her the last of the vending machine snacks he had bought.
"Touma said he was going to the Fireworks Festival but he didn't want to take me, can you believe it!? What, was I cramping his style or something?"
"Yeah, I can. Now get up Nun we're going to the festival"
Index let out a shriek of joy, "Hooray! I knew you'd see the light! Thank you, Lord, who-"
This was gonna be a long night.
Once the two made their way to the Festival grounds it was a challenge in and of itself to keep tabs on Index as she roamed stall to stall in order to find something to eat.
"Oi Nun! Get back here!"
(Tch! What a piece of work. Who does he think he is dropping this on me!? I would've preferred it if he had actually dropped off a bomb instead.)
"Yuki look! They have one of those games where you can scoop the fish!"
Index pointed to the tank as the owner handed her a scooper.
Goldfish scooping was a traditional Japanese festival stall. The objective of the game was simple, scoop up the fish with the small paper scooper (Poi) they provided. What made the game truly challenging was the fact that the paper scoopers were shoddy at best and would tear easily when in the water. To make up for this fact you have unlimited chances to scoop until your scooper broke.
If you were fortunate enough to catch one of these fish the prize was you could exchange them for a prize of equal value or you could take your fishy friend home with you.
"Yuki can you get me one!?"
"No! I'm not gonna waste my time trying to catch some stupid fish! The only reason I came here in the first place was to find that idiot and make you his problem."
Index ignored his comments and started playing the game herself, "Pfff. You're probably just scared that you'd lose all your money and still not be able to win…...Oh look I caught one! No…..it got away."
Must to his protest he watched as Index skimmed the top of the pool that held the fish with her Scooper and tried to catch them.
This went on for some time as she neither broke her scooper or caught a fish. At some point, the stall owner offered to just give her one. But she refused.
"Oi Nun, why don't you just take the fish the guy's offering?"
"Touma says food tastes better when you make it yourself so I'm guessing that food would taste delicious if you caught it yourself too."
"...Wait, a second ...You're playing this game with the goal in mind to eat them."
Index nodded.
No wonder the nautical wildlife were so quick to dodge her. Their animal instincts could sense her predatorial aura as it oozed out.
At some point, Accelerator got tired of waiting and yanked the scooper out of her hand and caught the fish himself.
Using his Vector Transformation he could make the force that touched the scooper nonexistent and caught about 10 in one go.
Index's eyes sparkled, "Wow Yuki you caught so many!"
Right as Index was about to reach for them he handed it to the owner who counted all the fish up. Apparently, there were some medaka (Japanese Rice Fish) mixed in too which were worth 4 times as a goldfish.
"Yuki! I wanted that!"
"Tch!" He shoved the meal ticket he won as a prize to Index,
This wasn't out of altruism mind you, he just didn't want the hassle of dealing with the Marine wildlife association hounding him over letting a girl eat goldfish. Plus it got her to shut up.
As they finally continued on their journey to find the idiot they finally found him.
His back was towards him and he was wearing that leather jacket again.
"OI JACKASS!"
The Spiky haired teen spun around to see who had called him.
"Y-Yuki? W-Why!?"
"You must be out of your damn mind if- Oi, get the hell off me...are you crying?"
The boy muttered something incomprehensible as he shook him repeatedly.
"WHY! WHY NOW! OUT OF ALL THE TIMES, YOU CHOOSE TO FIND MEEEEEE! WHHHHHHY NOOOOOOOOOW! SUUUUUUUUCH MISFOOOOOOTUUUNE!"
Part 8
Fireworks Festival
As it started to get dark out Mikoto and Kuroko finally made it to the festival grounds and walked towards her group of friends. Due to their dorm supervisor's strict schedule, they had to sneak out of there dorm to attend.
They both wore the Yukata's they had bought for this very occasion. Mikoto wore a bright orange and yellow Yukata that was held in place with a bright red and green obi. While Kuroko wore a lavish lavender Yukata and had a dark red and blue obi that had a checkerboard design.
"Wow! Misaka-san you look amazing."
"You look cute too Shirai."
Shirai huffed, "Of course we do."
Mikoto simply complimented all of her friend's appearances and proceeded to follow Saten as she made her way to the Festival Grounds.
Stalls lined the street as far as she could see and lit up the ominous park to the point it looked like a carnival.
They all enjoyed the festivities with Mikoto even buying a Gekota Mask from one of the Stalls.
Kuroko gently shook her head, "Oh for goodness sake Onee-sama,"
Mikoto proudly wore her new mask and said, "Where's the harm? It's a festival, after all, I'm just getting into the swing of it."
"Ugh, good grief."
Before Mikoto could say another word she felt someone grab her from behind,
"I got you!"
Mikoto hurriedly turned around and saw A twin-ponytailed girl who was slightly shorter than her who had blonde hair.
The little girl had a bright red kiddy backpack and was carrying some weird device that was producing light. It looked like one of those handheld EMF detectors except it had a shiny chrome finish.
"N-Nayuta?"
The little girl jumped back, "Railgun Onee-san!? What're you doing wearing that ridiculous mask?"
"EH! Who are you to call Gekota ridiculous!?"
"Onee-sama, you know your tastes are childish when an actual child calls you out on it."
"S-Shut up, what're you doing here Nayuta? And what's that you're holding?"
Nayuta sighed in defeat, "This is a prototype AIM Sensor, I got it from an HsB-02 (supersonic stealth bombers)
Kuroko leaned in towards the little girl, "And how may I ask did you acquire it?"
She rubbed her head, "Now don't misunderstand me Judgement Onee-san, I'm no common criminal, I'm a member of Judgement to remember. I got this from Kumokawa-senpai."
Mikoto shifted her mask to reveal her face, "Okay so what do you need that Sensor for? Isn't your esper ability to see AIM Fields naturally."
Nayuta wiggled her finger back and forth, "You're right there but as it seems my powers are too good."
"?"
"Let me explain, I can see all AIM Fields no matter if they are weak or strong but what makes it worse is that I can't selectively choose what I want to look for. At least not yet anyway, that's what this is for, it's a prototype of my power but it's a weaker variant. The reason it's only a prototype is that it can only detect very powerful AIM Fields, like those of a Level 5."
Mikoto raised her eyebrows, "So which one were you looking for? Please don't tell me you're actually gonna try to fight the #1 or #2, I'd hate to see you become a smear on the pavement.
Nayuta waved her accusation off, "Of course not Railgun Onee-san after my near-death experience with you I learned not to bite off more than I could chew before I'm ready."
Haruue turned to Uiharu, "N-Near death experience?"
"I'm looking for a specific Level 5, though the sensor must be broken because it's saying there's 4 Level 5's here already but two of them keep disappearing and reappearing. It's getting kinda annoying running back and forth."
"Hmm… I know Shokuhou's here but I have no clue on who the other 2 are."
Nayuta sighed, "Well, bye Railgun Onee-san I hope you have a good time." She then turned to Kuroko. "Oh, and do you know who took my parfait from my lunch box the last time I went to your office?"
"Ugh! Not this again. I'm telling you there was no one there."
"Hmph! Fine be mean Judgement Onee-san! When I'm done finding who I'm looking for I'll figure out who took it myself. I won't rest until I track this criminal down myself! I stake my pride as a Judgement Officer on that"
Kuroko sighed as she shook her head as she watched Nayuta march off,
"That girl never does quit making trouble, does she? Uiharu why do you look so pale"
"*Cough*...No reason."
Saten then watched as Nayuta passed in between Trucks that were labeled M.A.R.
"What' M.A.R?"
Kuroko sighed, "Multi-Active Rescue, I'm guessing they're here to act as a countermeasure because of all of the recent Poltergiesting."
"So the rumors are real!"
Mikoto chuckled, "Yeah the end is nigh."
"Not you too Onee-sama…...Regardless, them being here does put a damper on the mood"
Saten then pointed to a hillside nearby, "If that's the case I know the perfect viewing spot."
This was how Touma's day was going. Once he calmed down and stopped shaking Yuki he met back up with Shokuhou who was speaking with Index.
Misaki looked at Touma with concern, "Touma did you leave Index with…..him?"
Touma rubbed the back of his head, "Y-Yeah but-"
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't leave her behind with people who….just don't leave her with anybody except those of us who already know of Index, okay."
While this discussion was unfolding Accelerator decided to head back to his room.
He got about 20 meters away before he felt someone grab his shoulder.
"Yuki, wait, can you please watch Index for the rest of the night. Please!"
"Screw off! And didn't the witch already say that she didn't want me to!?"
"Yeah, but surprisingly I made a good case and won!"
+70% in [Charisma]
Who said Charisma was a dump stat?
"Good for you, now screw off!"
"Please, I'll do anything!"
"Anything?"
"Yes!"
"Die then"
"Okay!"
"EHHHH!?"
"I can die a happy death if you watch Index today! Please! Mikoto said she wasn't coming here today and it'd take me too long to run Index back to Saten's house. And by the time I make it back, curfew would be just around the corner and-"
His ramblings went on for some time. He made some good points.
"So please!"
"*Sigh* …."
"Is that a good 'sigh' or a bad one?"
"It's an 'I don't know if I should snap your neck' kind of one"
"Whoa, there Yuki, you're getting awfully close to hurting Mr. Kamijou's feelings over here."
"Screw your feelings! You pissed me the hell off!"
"I-I'm sorry! C-Come on, have a heart man!"
Accelerator was at an impasse, he would either have to deal with his whining or the Nun's.
Touma looked around the festival grounds to find anything that might help him sway Accelerator's decision. That's when his eyes found it.
Shateki (Gun-shooting) Stall, the name itself is pretty self-explanatory.
"Hey, what if we play for it?"
"Hmm? What the hell are spouting out now?"
"The Shateki Stall, if I beat you in it you have to take Index if you win I'll take Index off your hands and I won't say another word about it."
"Ugh. You really are desperate, aren't you?"
"Is it a deal?"
"So Index how was Accel...I mean Yuki treating you?"
Misaki wanted to know if she had been mistreated in any way, if she had been she would've told Touma.
Index tilted her head as she grabbed her bag of cotton candy, "Hmmm...Good I guess, his room was pretty boring though, Touma left me there with nothing to do. Yuki let me borrow his phone to watch movies on it and even played cards with me ...though he wasn't that good at it."
"Mh-mm, T-That's good, if he does anything that you don't like just be sure to tell me or Touma about it, Okay."
Index nodded as she began to stuff her face.
"So I see you have a new purse, what's that design on the cover?"
"*Munch* The cross of the Anglican Church, Ruiko sewed it on for me."
"That was nice of her. I wonder what's taking them so long, he ran after him-"
"I got you now!"
Misaki hurriedly turned around and saw a twin-ponytailed girl who was slightly shorter than her and had blonde hair.
She immediately pulled out her remote and pointed it at the girl who jumped back in retreat and was about to press a button until Index spoke.
"Nayuta, what are you doing here?"
Misaki turned to Index and asked, "Do you know her?"
"Mh-hmm. I met her along with Mikoto, what brings you here? Do you want some cotton candy?"
Nayuta sighed, "Another failed run…Hi, Index are you still wearing the same habit from when we met?"
Index nodded as she handed Nayuta the bag, "Yeah but I wash it every day so it's always clean."
Misaki narrowed her eyes at the girl, "You still haven't answered the first question, what're you doing here?"
Nayuta shyly rubbed the back of her head, "S-Sorry for disturbing you Starry-eyed Onee-san, Railgun Onee-san said you might be here too so-"
"Mikoto's here! Where!?"
"They were over there when I last saw them but I think they left already."
Misaki sighed, "That makes things incredibly more complicated."
"Well, bye Index I'm gonna continue my search. Bye, sorry for bothering you two."
"Bye Nayuta!"
Misaki then tapped Index on her shoulder, "Index what's that?"
"Hmmm? What's what Misaki?"
"Oh, you must have missed it."
The moment Index was distracted she pulled out her remote and pointed it at Nayuta.
Nayuta stood stock-still for a moment with stars in her eyes.
After a few seconds, she snapped back to reality, "Oh, I guess I should go home for now. It is getting late."
(Sorry can't have you running into him, you'll thank me later)
Shateki Stall
Touma had just gotten a prize that was worth 80 points(Gekota Make-up pouch) on his first shot and now it was Yuki's turn.
Normally one would have to carefully aim the toy rifle the Stall provided you to hit your target, but this wasn't the case for Accelerator.
No, for you see it wouldn't have mattered if the target was 1-meter away or 100, with his Vector transformation he could hit the bull's eye for the 100-point prize (A new Game Console)
The moment Yuki took aim he smirked, there was no way that he could lose in this game, not when he had his powers.
The moment he pulled the trigger he felt Touma's hand on his shoulder
*Shatter!*
He completely missed it.
"No cheating, and I win. Have fun taking care of Index Yuki you're a real-"
"What the hell was that!?"
"Hmm?" Touma simply pointed to the sign on the both that read,
No esper abilities allowed
"You knew the whole time, didn't you?"
"Yep,"
"I hate you."
Touma smiled as he proudly walked back to the girls, "Good news, Yuki said he'll take care of Index for the rest of the night so why don't we-"
"But Touma! I wanna stay with you guys!"
'B-But Index wouldn't you rather go with Yuki I'm sure he'd-"
Misaki held onto Touma's shoulder, "Come now my Prince, surely you wouldn't deny Index of this."
"B-But-"
He could hear Accelerator laugh in the background, "Yeah, of course, he wouldn't, right?"
"But-But ...fine."
Index cheered, "Hooray! Oh, Touma by the way Mikoto's here too! We met Nayuta while we were waiting for you."
Touma grabbed his head, "They were here the whole time…...such misfortune."
"Well, I'm outta here." Yuki began to walk away until he felt someone grab his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Back to my room"
"*Sigh* Fine I can't stop you but at least stay for the Fireworks they should be starting any minute now."
Index nodded, "Yeah Yuki! It'll be fun."
"Fine, but after that, I'm going back crowds like this are a drag."
"Great I know a great spot to see the fireworks, it's by the hillside." Touma then began leading the group towards his spot.
Top of the Hillside
As Mikoto and her group held onto the railing of the edge of the paved ledge, they saw as the Fireworks began to shoot off.
*BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM*
Beautiful fireworks filled the night sky with an assortment of rich and colorful lights.
Haruue flinched the moment the first firework went off.
Uiharu comforted her new roommate by patting her on the back, "You can feel the *boom* echoing in your tummy, huh?"
Haruue smiled, "Mh-hmm, it goes, *boom* alright. They're so pretty."
Bottom of the Hillside
Touma and his group were just about to climb the hillside to reach the paved ledge Touma was talking about.
"Touma, we're gonna miss the fireworks can we just watch them here?"
"Index we're almost there can't you just-"
Misaki then clung onto Touma's shoulders, "I must agree with her My Prince my I don't think my walking ability can make it up all those stairs especially in these shoes."
"Alright fine, let's just watch from here."
*BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM*
Beautiful fireworks filled the night sky with an assortment of rich and colorful lights.
"Wow! They're so pretty, hey Touma how long are they gonna keep shooting them for?"
"Hmm? For about 10 minutes if I remember, but if you think this is impressive wait until you see the Daihasei Festival."
Misaki nodded, "The fireworks cover the entire night sky, I can't wait for that day"
Accelerator simply rolled his eyes.
The Daihasei Festival wasn't anything new to him. He's been in Academy City his whole life. To him, that was just another day.
Index turned to Yuki.
"Doesn't it look perfect Yuki?"
Accelerator rolled his eyes at her question. "Hate to break the news to you Nun, but nothings perfect in this damn world."
Misaki scowled at him and was about to say something until Touma spoke up.
"He's right."
"!?"
Index then felt a pat on her shoulder by Touma, "Index, let me tell you this now, nothings perfect in this world, but that doesn't make it bad, the fact that the world still has things that can make us smile is what makes it beautiful, right?"
Index smiled along with Misaki.
(Tch!)
Accelerator continued towards the path of the stairs that led up to the paved ledge.
"Where're you going Yuki?"
"Back to my room."
Part 9
As the girls continued chanting *Tamaya* *Kagiya*at the fireworks Haruue softly smiled.
"What's the matter Haruue?"
Haruue shyly looked down, "I-I was just remembering."
"What?"
"I-I had a friend. She was like you two, Miss Uiharu and Saten, she-" haruue slowly started to look more downtrodden thing about it.
"What's wrong?"
Uiharu and Saten followed Haruue as she walked off into the park.
Mikoto turned to watch them all begin to walk away and said, "Huh, where are they going?"
Sadly for her Kuroko took this as a welcoming call and started to embrace Mikoto's arm.
"I'm sure they took the hint Onee-sama! They're allowing the two of us to be alone, we mustn't squander this opportunity that we've been so graciously given."
"K-Kuroko get off! It's way too hot and muggy outside for this! Hey, your cellphones ringing go pick it up and stop it."
Kuroko pouted as she went into her obi to pick up her phone she read the caller ID and it said,
Konori-Senpai
"*Sigh* A Judgment officer's work never is finished, is it? Hello"
Mikoto stretched out her now free arms as she watched Kuroko continue to talk on the phone.
Eventually, Kuroko's face became serious, "AIM Diffusion Fields?"
"Kuroko, what're you-"
"You're saying that someone is intentionally causing them!?"
*RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE*
Before either of them could say another word, the ground itself began rumbling as though an earthquake was occurring.
The once solid paved ledge crumbled under the sheer force of the quake. And a large section began to fall to the ground below.
Right as Mikoto was about to fall with it Kuroko grabbed her and teleported the both of them to safety.
As Accelerator began to ascend the stairs he noticed a small group of students directly under the Paved ledge.
It seemed as though they had a similar idea as to what their group had originally. But found the climb up difficult as they all wore similar outfits that #5 had.
They seemed to be enjoying themselves even while on the ground.
Just as he was about to continue climbing the stairs he felt it.
*RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE*
Index tugged on Touma's arm, "Touma! You can't just let Yuki leave now he's gonna miss the Fireworks!"
"What do you want me to do? If he wants to go back he wants to back."
Ironically this from the boy who begged him to stay earlier, though he had lost his motivation in making him stay.
If he wanted to leave that was his decision.
Shokuhou nodded, "You can't force these things Index."
She was actually relieved that he was leaving so she wasn't about to protest to get him to come back.
"But-"
"Come on Index just enjoy the Fireworks, we can hang out with Yuki tomorrow."
"Touma I actually wanted to talk to you about-"
As the two began talking Index took one more look at Yuki as he was about to climb the stairs. She could tell he was looking at something and followed his eyes to a group of students who were on the ground watching the Fireworks.
She felt bad that he wouldn't get to enjoy it them with, but before she could do anything about it she felt it.
*RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE**RUMBLE*
She saw the paved ledge as it began to plummet to the ground.
Before she could say a word she felt as someone grabbed her as yanked her away.
*DING*
Dust filled the air as Index began to open her eyes.
"Are you guys okay!?"
The moment the ground began to shake Touma had grabbed both Shokuhou and Index and pulled them to safety.
"I-I think so, thanks to you my Prince."
Panic began to set in for Index as she remembered who she had seen.
"Touma! There were people under the ledge! We have to help them."
Without another word, Touma rushed over to the epicenter of the accident.
The dust still obstructed his perception as he continued forward.
Touma feared for the worst if someone really was under that ledge when it fell they would most likely be…
"Is anyone here!"
The dust began to settle and he could make out what resembled a person. Without wasting another second he ran towards them.
"Hey, are you okay!?"
"Tch! Figures you'd show up."
"Yuki!?"
Touma then saw the group of students he was currently surrounded by. They all seemed okay for the most part. They were covered in dirt but health-wise they were all perfect.
"Y-You saved them!"
"Tch! I just happened to be under that ledge as it fell down. It was self-preservation, these idiots were just lucky to be around me when it did."
The two of them then saw Index as she rushed over.
"Yuki you saved them!"
Accelerator rolled his eyes as he began walking the other way since the stairs weren't in any condition to be used he decided to take the scenic route back to his room.
Shokuhou finally managed to catch up with the two of them. (Those shoes weren't doing her any favors)
"*Pant* What happened!?"
"Yuki was under the ledge as it fell down and saved these guys."
"!?"
"Nu-uh! Yuki was climbing up the stairs when I saw him."
Misaki turned to Index and said, "I-Index are you sure?"
"I never forget something, I saw him, he saved those people on purpose."
Touma began to chuckle, "Geez how modest, how shy do you actually have to be to lie about saving somebody…..Misaki are you okay?"
"...I'm fine. I'm just glad everyone made it out okay."
Epilogue
Once Kuroko teleported the two of them to safety they began searching the entire grounds for there other friends.
Eventually, they found them, Saten was on her knees as she looked at something.
"Saten are you alright!?"
Mikoto then saw what she was looking at.
A hot pink camoed Power Suit was holding onto a Lamppost to prevent it from falling on Uiharu and Haruue.
The pilot operating the suit began to speak, "That was a close one. Are you okay? Don't worry you're safe now."
The tinted visor began to become clear and revealed that the pilot was a woman with wavy orange hair which was tied into a ponytail.
Kuroko immediately knew who it was once she saw her.
She was the very same woman who spoke at the Joint Conference earlier that day.
Therestina Lifeline