A/N: I've got different threads going in and out. And with plans, I'm bound to make mistakes along the way. Hopefully, everything will fall into place just at the right moment.


5:05 PM

Misaka Mikoto had never asked the others what they did after the experiment ended. But even if she wanted to know, it wasn't likely that anyone would tell her. Simply because… it wasn't her business.

All the Number 3 knew was that…

The Number 1 would stay behind…

After leaving the front gates, the Number 2, Number 4, and Number 7 all took off in the same direction. Probably due to similar destinations…

And the Number 5 would walk with her the opposite way, splitting after arriving at a nearby street corner.

Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki did not have particularly friendly conversations during their short walk together.

And today was no different.

"What a shame~!"

The blonde-haired girl stretched her arms to the air.

"Don't you think it's a shame, Misaka-sa~n?"

The way she elongated her name was almost antagonizing. The Number 3 replied in monotone.

"If you want to get yourself caught up in some convoluted time travel plot, feel free to turn back. I'm sure Nunotaba-san would be happy with some extra help. Even if it's yours."

Shokuhou Misaki swatted her hand playfully.

"Oh no, no, no! I'm not talking about that. I was just thinking of the Number 1. I mean, who knew he was such a cute child!"

Misaka Mikoto frowned.

"…cute?"

"Oh, you know. The way he pouts and complains. How he puts on airs but really is just as innocent as they come. His tsukkomi's weren't bad either."

After saying that, the blonde-haired girl blinked.

"In a lot of ways, he reminds me of you. No… rather, doesn't Misaka-san resemble a young boy too much?"

Crossroads

Shokuhou Misaki had a small bump on her head from an alleged "accident". As they walked, the Number 3 continued the conversation.

"In truth, I do think you should help. Using that ability of yours, you can find that kid in an instant."

Misaka Mikoto's tone was matter-of-fact. She deliberately looked forward as she walked.

"Afterwards, you'll be able to tease him all you want. That's a win-win situation, right? Everyone gets what they want."

As the Number 5's steps slowed down, she made a correction.

"Ah, but you're mistaken.

"Back there, it was stated that the objective wasn't to play around… but to bring the 'original' Accelerator back. And in order to do that, the 'current' one would have to disappear."

The distance between the two girls grew. And the farther they came apart, the softer the girl's voice became.

"I don't know about you…

"But if you know someone is going to disappear… And that someone should disappear…"

Shokuhou Misaki's smile faded.

"Wouldn't it be best to not get attached?"

"…"

A pause.

They had reached their split-off point.

Standing at the corner, Shokuhou Misaki bid a solemn farewell.

"Misaka-san. Take care."

Dark and Dark

Accelerator-kun found himself being pulled by the whims of two little girls. Between having nothing better to do or being weak-willed against the opposite gender, the latter was more likely.

"Recruit!"

The small boy's back stiffened at the sudden address.

"A-Ah?-!"

Fremea Seivelun turned to him with a serious expression.

"Essentially, when you think of the word 'darkness', what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

The boy stared blankly.

"Not being able to see well."

"'You fool! Are you an idiot?' berates Misaka as Misaka grabs her head in disappointment!"

"That's what we get for essentially recruiting a simpleton!"

( Accelerator-kun: If you don't want me around, I can easily leave. )

( Fremea: Err, wait. Please stay. Essentially, things will get out of hand if there's no straight-man to play off of. )

( Accelerator-kun: Is that so. )

"Ahem."

Last Order called attention to herself.

"'When you think of 'darkness', it's gotta be that, right?' Misaka remarks as Misaka strokes her chin."

"Of course! Definitely! Essentially, there's no way around it! It has to be that!"

"'That! That! Obviously that!' repeats Misaka as Misaka makes it apparent that someone would have to be a dupe to not know what that is."

The two girls gave him expectant looks.

They're getting on my nerves…

Cream and Sugar

"…"

The boy reluctantly took the bait.

"And… what is-"

"Canned coffee!" (x2)

They didn't even let him finish.

Last Order gushed with enthusiasm.

"'That rich aroma! That deep flavor! It's a beverage that invokes sophistication and mystery!' says Misaka as Misaka waves her arms!"

Fremea Seivelun clasped her hands together.

"Essentially, it's the drink of mature adults! Which is exactly what the 'Dark Side of Academy City' is all about!"

Accelerator-kun, once again, stared blankly.

"Canned… coffee?"

"'Ehhhh? What's with that doubtful look?' asks Misaka as Misaka totally starts to discredit your ability to understand such a subtle concept."

"If you don't believe it, we essentially have to prove it!"

And so…

Arriving at a vending machine…

"It's here! The canned coffee we've been all waiting for!"

The three children stared blankly at the machine.

"Well…"

A heavy mood hung in the air.

"Essentially, I've already spent all my allowance on video games."

"'Yeah… P*Kemon, Fin*l Fantasy, and the L*st Guardian came out, so Misaka is spent,' says Misaka as Misaka begins realizing her own addictions…"

"Is that why you two were so desperate for money?-!"

Cream and Sugar II

The two girls gave the boy expectant looks again.

"You already know I don't have anything on me."

"Ugh…"

Fremea Seivelun and Last Order made a longing sigh.

And with that…

The girls unexpectedly became invigorated!

"Since we're at this point, we essentially have no choice…!"

"'Misaka agrees', says Misaka as Misaka charges her kii…!"

Running at the vending machine!

"CHASER! CHASER! CHASER!"

"STRAIGHT-O! STRAIGHT-O! STRAIGHT-O!"

A flurry of kicks and punches!

"Oi, oi! What happened to maturity and all that other crap?-!"

"Who cares! What's the point of maturity if in the end we essentially don't get what we want!"

"'We can be mature adults AFTER we get canned coffee!' argues Misaka as Misaka accepts no buts from outsiders!"

[ BGM: No Buts! by Kawada Mami starts playing. ]

"Stop that!"

[ The music stops. ]

White Lie

( Accelerator-kun: Seriously. Stop that. You're making a scene. )

( Fremea: Essentially, do you have any better ideas?-! )

"…"

The white-haired boy took a breath.

"Alright. Fine. If all you guys want is coffee, then stand back for a second."

( Last Order: 'What's this? Recruit is acting like some kinda big shot now?' guffaws Misaka as Misaka grows somewhat curious. )

Approaching the vending machine…

He raised his hand.

The boy closed his eyes…

And then…

A light tap.

[ SFX: *ka-THUD!* *ka-THUD!* ]

Two cans dropped down to the dispenser.

"…!"

"R-Recruit! You had such an ability! That's amazing!"

"'Misaka knew you had potential!' says Misaka as Misaka pumps her fists in happiness!"

In response to the praise, the boy felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Err… well. That wasn't anything special…"

White Lie II

Fremea Seivelun heartily slapped Accelerator-kun on the back much to the boy's chagrin.

"No need to be bashful! What you did there was essentially awesome!"

"What I did was help you steal from the city. Which, now that I think about it, is probably something I shouldn't have done."

"Who's the real thief here? Us? Or society?"

"It's us."

"…"

Fremea Seivelun changed the subject.

"So, essentially what kind of ability was that?"

( Accelerator-kun: You should at least pretend to feel guilty. )

The white-haired boy frowned.

"It's… a little complicated…"

He looked to the side, avoiding the girl's gaze.

"But basically, I break anything I touch."

There was a subtle change to his voice. He didn't appear to like talking about himself.

"That's… not something people would normally want. Really, it's not something to feel good about…"

As the girl stared…

Perhaps, she noticed the boy's discomfort…

White Lie III

"Hand."

Fremea Seivelun said a single word.

"…"

Accelerator-kun was unsure of what she wanted or what she had in mind. And catching onto his hesitation, the girl repeated her order.

"Show me your hand."

"…"

The white-haired boy slowly half-raised his hand. Fremea Seivelun spoke once more.

"To tell you the truth, I also have a non-special ability."

"…Eh?"

The girl raised her own hand and touched his.

"You see, despite being a Level 0, I'm essentially able to see a person's character like this. But, it only works 3-4% of the time."

( Accelerator-kun: Isn't that exceptionally bad? At that point, that's not even an ability. You're just really bad at judging people. )

"Hmm… Ah, ah, ah…"

Like a fake fortuneteller, Fremea Seivelun pretended to process pseudo-magical information.

"Essentially, I can see it. You are… You are… extremely weak, aren't ya?"

"Oi."

"After all. For someone who supposedly breaks everything he touches…"

She gave him a bright smile. And began entwining her fingers with his.

"You still haven't broken a fragile girl like me."

White Lie IV

"A…A-Aah…"

With that, the boy gradually began to notice his own heart beat. He could feel the heat rising to his face.

"Err, um…"

The girl continued to beam. It didn't seem like she had the intention to let him go. In fact, it felt like the distance between them was closing.

"…"

Words were stolen away from him. He couldn't come up with anything to say. All he could do was stare back and blush.

And so… for a moment, the two stayed as they were.

Until Last Order grabbed both their wrists…

Pulling them apart…

"'What's with this weird development?' asks Misaka as Misaka unknowingly prevents a bizarre time shift."

"Essentially, Recruit seemed a little down. I was cheering him up."

"Mmhm…"

Last Order narrowed her eyes. However, her thoughts didn't linger. Bringing everyone back on track…

"'Since we have canned coffee here, it's about time we indulge ourselves, right?' says Misaka as Misaka declares her intention to move forward!"

The boy took a moment to recover.

( Accelerator-kun: That… That was close… )

Bitter and Sweet

The three found a secluded spot to indulge in adult pleasures. This, of course, meant drinking canned coffee.

"Ara ara~ I'm only holding the can, and yet I essentially feel like an adult."

"'Hora hora~ Misaka can feel her childish tendencies dissipating!' says Misaka as Misaka rubs the can on her face."

The two girls continued to exchange 'ara ara's and 'hora hora's with each other.

( Fremea: Ara ara! )

( Last Order: Hora hora! )

"Can you just drink the coffee and get this over with?"

Glancing at each other, the girls synchronized their actions.

Opening the can.

[ SFX: *pssssss-kah!* ]

Downing the drink.

[ SFX: *sluuurrrp* ]

And immediately spitting it out on the boy in front of them.

[ SFX: *PRR-BBBRRBRRFFFFFF-* ]

"…"

Bitter and Sweet II

The two girls looked away from Accelerator-kun.

"'A-As Misaka thought! Such a distinct flavor! Truly an acquired taste!' says Misaka as Misaka shakily recuperates."

( Last Order: Ehh? But the coffee Misaka previously had was… )

Most likely, the coffee she was familiar with was loaded with disproportionate amounts of cream and sugar, done to offset the bitterness of actual coffee taste.

"E-Essentially, it's exactly what I expected out of an adult drink! It packs quite a punch!"

( Fremea: Though, it's essentially strange… This doesn't taste like chocolate at all… )

The caffé mochas Mugino Shizuri made for her were likely more chocolate milk than actual coffee for similar reasons.

"…"

The boy stared blankly, soaked in wasted canned coffee deposits.

"I'm going to find myself a bathroom."

"Fair enough."

M.I.A.

The boy with white hair and red eyes washed his face in a public restroom.

( Accelerator-kun: I should have reflected that. No. Yes. Probably. I probably should have… )

On his shirt and on his hair, a smell emanated. He took notice.

( Accelerator-kun: Ugh… Disgusting… )

The boy let out a breath.

Turning off the faucet, he paused.

Eh?

He became alert.

In the mirror, there appeared to be someone behind him.

"That smell…"

The small girl in white took an unnatural step towards him.

"Smells like them…"

Disheveled silver hair hid most her face but… it didn't hide her mouth.

"And…"

"It makes me hungry…"

As she opened her jaw, thousands of predatory needle-like teeth revealed themselves.

Going blue in the face, Accelerator-kun let out a shrill cry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

M.I.A. II

Fast forwarding…

Accelerator-kun confronted Fremea Seivelun and Last Order.

"So apparently, you know this girl?"

Fräulein Kreutune was holding onto him in a loose hug.

"You forgot about me… didn't you…"

"…!"

The two girls instantly surrounded her and started showering her with hugs and head pats.

"'What?-! No! We totally haven't!' says Misaka as Misaka quickly throws the blame on author oversight!"

"That's right! Essentially, we would never forget about you! We're a trio!"

Fremea Seivelun swiftly turned to Accelerator-kun.

"Recruit! You're demoted to Fourth Member!"

"…sure. Whatever. Just tell her to get off of me."

Ahem...

Let's move past this...

Ambition

"Huh?"

Fremea Seivelun realized something important.

"With this many people, doesn't this mean that the 'Dark side of Academy City' has essentially doubled their membership?-!"

With this accomplishment under their belt, the girl made a declaration.

"That means… It's time for a celebration!"

[ SFX: Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! ]

Bringing it back down…

"Of course, that's after we do one more thing…"

The white-haired boy was getting tired, but for some reason, hearing that an end was coming soon somewhat revitalized him.

"And what's that?"

Pulling out several sheets of paper, an activity presented itself.

"Essentially, we're going to write letters to our future selves!"

"…"

Accelerator-kun stared blankly.

"Eh?"

Ambition II

"'It's an exercise for the long term,' explains Misaka as Misaka wags her finger."

"Essentially, we should have goals for ourselves. The 'Dark Side of Academy City' is all about thinking ahead. So write down a message you want your future self to read. And after that, we'll put them in a time capsule."

"…"

With pencils and papers passed around, everyone started to do the exercise.

Accelerator-kun glanced around.

Towards Last Order…

"Make sure… to play… VII Remake…"

You aren't being serious about this at all.

Towards Fräulein Kreutune…

The girl met his glance. After staring at each other for a bit, she quickly turned to the letter again…

"I… want to eat… delicious things…"

What's that supposed to mean?-!

Ambition III

Towards Fremea Seivelun…

"Make… 100 friends…"

The white-haired boy with red eyes took a look at his own blank sheet of paper.

This was a dumb activity brought about by dumb antics…

But…

There was no harm in taking it seriously.

The boy began writing a letter to his future self.


Timeline (condensed): ͢1̛0,̶ 1͠, 2͏,͝ 4͘, ̡8͠,͟ ̴9,̸ ҉19-͘2̸8͠, ͝3͝,͢ ̧29-̛32, x, 1͡2̴-͝17̷, x,͏ ̶5-7҉,͟ ͞x̸,͟ ͏1̴1̸


Extra

"'Let's settle this!' proclaims Misaka as Misaka prepares for battle!"

"Between me..."

"Essentially me..."

"Or... me..."

"Who do you prefer?-!" (x3)

...

"Can I say no one? You're all really weird."