A/N: This is the most plot-focused of all the chapters so far. Next chapter will be a breather.
I/O
In the Yomikawa household…
There was a morning routine.
"…"
Accelerator, Yoshikawa Kikyou, Misaka Worst, and Last Order woke up at roughly the same time. All with dead tired expressions.
"…"
In the bathroom, the four of them brushed their teeth, gargled, and spat into their own personal mugs.
[ SFX: *sound of hair dryers* ]
Of course, Accelerator would leave first as the other three spent an extra hour getting ready.
MN:\Databases\temp\BeanSprout\
The white-haired boy saw Yomikawa Aiho in the kitchen.
"That's right… It's your turn to make breakfast, isn't it…"
"Yep! And this time, I'm going all out!"
The woman in the tracksuit glittered with energy. She gave Accelerator a thumbs up.
"I decided to make pancakes from scratch! (It's gonna be delicious!)"
After saying that, she started pouring batter into a rice cooker.
"…"
"What are you making?"
"I said I was making pancakes."
Loading
"Ah? Tou-san's making breakfast again?"
Yoshikawa Kikyou, Misaka Worst, and Last Order walked in. Yomikawa Aiho sat at the dinner table with a slightly sad smile.
"He insisted."
Having finished cooking, Accelerator brought out servings of more traditional-styled pancakes.
( Last Order: Uwah! Looks delicious! Says Misaka as Misaka's mouth waters! )
( Worst: Tou-san's gonna make a good wife someday! )
"Just shut up and eat."
It was a routine. Those who gathered around the dinner table would clap their hands together and say…
"Itadakimasu!"
"Uƨɒmiʞɒbɒƚi."
But today was different.
ERROR: SYNTAXERROR UNRECOGNIZEDEXPRESSION:nth-CHILD()
…?
Huh?
Accelerator took notice of the nonsense word that came out of his mouth.
"Ara? Did Tou-san bite his tongue?"
Around the table, it seemed like everyone was slightly amused. In frustration, Accelerator spoke aloud.
"Yɒƨ ƚnɒɘm ƚɒʜw... Ǝɿɒ ƨbɿow ym..."
Disconnect. Words and sounds weren't matching up. The faces that were once stifling laughs were now at a loss.
"Is something… wrong?"
Instinctively, the white-haired boy shot a glance at Last Order, but she too seemed confused.
Huh?
And then… He started to feel it.
The blood flowing in his veins, the push his heart made every time it pulsed. It became louder and louder, starting to ring in his head.
His head. His head was hurting.
"Acc…ator…?"
His hearing blurred as did his vision.
Everything was turning white. Everything was turning to white noise.
OVERWRITE:\DEFAULT? (YES/NO?ALL):
It did not go quiet.
Accelerator could barely hear, but noise was all around him. Muffled screams and shouts. Maybe crying. He couldn't pick out whether if this was occurring at present or if this was something he was remembering.
In the white fog, he could swear he could see a ceiling. And maybe Yoshikawa's face.
"Stay with me! You just had a seizure! You're about to have another one!"
Huh?
It was happening all at once. There were too many inputs.
Birds. Sirens. Wind. Engines. Trees. Wheels. Doors.
"You too, right? There's something you want to say also?"
Blood. Drilling. Metal. Searing. Bone. Flesh.
"If you don't say it now, you'll end up regretting it."
Black. White. Red. Black. White. Red.
"Okaeri." (Welcome home.)
restart
"Tadaima." (I'm back.)
…
The Number 1 was sitting in bed. A hospital bed.
"…"
Noticing a nearby presence, he turned his head to see a girl by his bedside. She had seaweed-like hair along with a pair eyes evocative of a fish, and she was in the middle of peeling an apple.
"Welcome home?"
"Who in the fuck?"
It's All Fanfiction
The girl put aside the apple and introduced herself. It was hard to pinpoint what facial expression she was attempting to make.
"My name is Nunotaba Shinobu. I was the unnamed [ cool beauty ] in Parallelogram that got Kihara Amata off your back and gave you homework later that day."
"…"
"I also supervised the operation of Testament machines for use in the Sisters Project, if you're familiar that."
( Accelerator: Just say that in the beginning. )
"Nunotaba… I sorta remember that name…"
Accelerator's head was jumbled, but he slowly began to get his thoughts in order. It occurred to him.
"Wait… I wasn't around during the Silent Party Arc, but in the end, didn't you go to America or something?"
"That was my [ unsightly ] twin sister, Nunotaba Shinopu. I had her take my place in Railgun S as I was busy with a dentist appointment at the time."
The girl looked off to the side.
"That's the story I'm going with."
"I see."
On the Edge
Nunotaba Shinobu stared right through the Number 1. Or so, that's what it felt like to him.
"You've been in a coma for… quite some time. Yes, yes. I know. You would like to know how long. I'm afraid it's been… nine years."
"…"
"That was a Metal Gear reference."
( Accelerator: Just tell me why you're here. )
"Actually, it's been a few days. While you were out, you underwent surgery. There was internal bleeding that had to be dealt with."
The girl pulled out a medical chart and looked over it.
"Overall, I can't say things are looking good for you."
Flipping a page…
"It looks like you'll be staying in this hospital for an extended amount of time."
"…how long?"
The boy had a feeling that she wasn't here to give him good news.
"Months. But more likely… years."
"…"
"It doesn't look good."
The Number 1's Circumstances
"While it's true that the Misaka Network is allowing you to do normal everyday tasks as well as performing other complex calculations, you aren't getting better. You've actually been getting worse."
Nunotaba Shinobu continued.
"That collar around your neck was never meant to heal you. It was supposed to be a solution to get you functioning as normally as possible. But recently, you've been using it to overload yourself. Stressing. Exceeding what your brain is currently capable of. This may have been a factor to your current condition. And in lieu of these complications, your collar has been modified."
Hearing this, he touched his neck.
"If it finds you overexerting yourself again, it'll start beeping as a warning before automatically de-powering. Needless to say, you shouldn't count on your esper mode anymore."
"…"
Accelerator took in what this girl had to say. He made an observation.
"Isn't this supposed to be a comedy…?"
"It is. But it doesn't change the fact that you're brain damaged."
Radio Noise
"To lighten the mood, I brought a mixed tape of cover songs done by Internet Idol Arisa-chan~⭐ that adequately summarize the situation."
Nunotaba Shinobu placed a small boom box on the bed and pressed 'play'.
[ Shot through the head!
And you're to blame!
You just lost!
A membrane! ]
( Accelerator: Turn it off. )
"Next track then?"
[ Craaawling in my braain!
These wounds they do not heeeeal! ]
"You seem to be enjoying yourself."
"I won't lie. As someone that was opposed to the Level 6 Shift project, seeing you like this gives me considerable satisfaction."
Hello Darkness
The Number 1 was on guard.
"Did you come here just to laugh at me? Since 'frog-face' isn't here, I'm assuming there's something else you want to say… something that isn't under the Hippocratic oath."
Nunotaba Shinobu shifted in her seat. She flattened her skirt with both her hands.
"I'll say this again.
"Your hardware is deteriorating. Stuffing a damaged computer with RAM only serves as a workaround. You'd imagine that Academy City would have a simple cure for you by now, but if there was a way to fix you, you would've already gotten it.
"However… it's in no one's best interest for you to stay bedside.
"So this is the proposal: They can sweep this incident under the rug. They can forge whatever medical documents necessary to get you back to your daily life. In turn, you will need to work part time for them."
"..."
As the girl spoke, her eyes shifted away. Perhaps, she was beginning to feel the negative effects of being a messenger.
...
"Rather than serving time here in this hospital, you'll be on parole. That's another way to think of it."
Nunotaba Shinobu cleared her throat. She ended it quickly.
"No one is forcing you to make a decision, but if this is something that interests you, change your doctor. After that, the rest will be taken care of."
She stood up and prepared to leave.
The Strongest
...
An invitation appeared before him.
But what was his reaction?
Step. Step. Step.
"..."
What did he want to do?
At this point, what could he do?
Step. Step. Step.
"..."
It was clear what his goals were. But the method to go about it…
That part was muddled.
What would happen in the end...
...
"Wait."
The gears began to turn.
"I have a counteroffer."
Bargain I
"Seriously? That's what you want?"
Nunotaba Shinobu was in a state of surprise, which was no different than her normal expression.
"This entire chapter is basically about how you're [ seriously ] dying, and all you have on your mind is that little girl?"
She tilted her head back and pinched the skin between her eyes.
"I don't know what to say…"
( Accelerator: Most people would call me a lolicon. )
Accelerator described his thoughts.
"If the upper echelons of Academy City want to keep a close eye on me. Good on them. I'll be keeping an eye on them as well.
"As for whatever the hell medical condition I'm supposed to be in… I figured this would happen sooner or later. Those that I care about… I know I can't protect forever. I've even written that down on the back of a photo as a reminder…"
( Shinobu: You did that? How ominous… An outside party might misunderstand if they see that. )
"I don't want much… but for what I do want, I'm willing to go through hell. That's how it is."
Bargain II
Nunotaba stared. She really stared.
...
She opened her mouth to say something, but she appeared to change her mind midway.
"You... Are exactly the type of person I thought you were."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Who knows."
The girl's gaze was still stifling...
But somehow, Accelerator could feel a warmth.
"I believe something can be arranged for her."
Nunotaba Shinobu held out her hand.
"I very much look forward to working with you."
…
In exchange for Accelerator's cooperation...
Last Order would receive proper schooling with assurance of her safety.
That was the deal.
And that was the start.
Suggested Post-Reading Listening: Track 17: Hi Score from Tetris (Gameboy)
Timeline: 10, 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, x, 3, x, 5, 6, 7
Extra: Plot Holes
Nunotaba Shinobu listed potential cures to Accelerator.
"How do you feel about robotics?"
( Shizuri: So you want to be robot buddies? *glare* )
"Hard pass."
"Dark matter injections?"
( Teitoku: So you want to be beetle buddies! *gleam* )
"Fuck no."
"You're making this hard on yourself."
