A/N: I broke one of my 'rules'. Usually, I try to keep chapters short and sweet, at least under 3000 words. This might be the longest chapter in 'Super Seven', and honestly, I don't know how I should feel about this. In general, the nth-child arc feels like it's packed with little events that take time. And pacing isn't exactly one of my strong suits... In any case, I reached a checkpoint that I can build on in the next chapter.
Also, if anyone is interested... I did a re-edit for the previous chapters of 'Super Seven' (1-32), getting rid of most of the typos and making it easier on the eyes format-wise. I'm tempted to do this for 'Super SS'... but at this point, would people even care if I did? I certainly don't think so.
With this, the nth-child arc progresses to the next stage! Look forward to the next chapter!
Pots and Kettles
Four kids were huddled around a hole in the ground.
"Essentially, does everyone have their letters?"
Following that inquiry, pieces of paper were inserted into a plastic bottle.
( Accelerator-kun: Will this really hold? )
( Last Order: Of course it will! Plastic bottles take 450 years on average to degrade! Says Misaka as Misaka recites a common fact you can search on Go*gle! )
It came time for Accelerator-kun to hand over his letter.
"…"
"Recruit?"
After holding it out for a moment, he retracted his hand.
"…on second thought, I think I'll keep mine."
"…?"
With confused glances going around, the boy had to explain himself.
"Well, I just figured that… if I ever see my future self, I'll hand it over to him then. It seems simpler that way, you know?"
The girls smiled blankly.
"Weirdo…" (x3)
Accelerator-kun painfully held back a tsukkomi.
Traumatized
With the activity complete, Accelerator-kun requested more information on the next event.
"It sounded like you had something planned after this. A celebration, you said?"
Fremea Seivelun smiled and nodded emphatically.
"That's right! Essentially, to commemorate the new recruits, we've gotta do something fun! Something that everyone's gonna remember!"
The boy expressed his doubt with a frown.
"Fun?"
…
…
A darkened hallway…
Footsteps creaked on an aged wooden floor. A young woman slowly crept her way to the door at the very end.
Gradually, the unnerving echoes of a music box chimed louder and louder.
The young woman's breathing grew heavier as she reached closer.
And closer...
Her hands trembled…
With those trembling hands, she reluctantly clutched the doorknob…
Wincing to prepare herself…
…
The music stopped.
Traumatized II
The room was empty, as it had always been.
There was a sense of relief… though, dread remained in the air.
Still, it was enough to make the woman breathe a sigh.
"Thank god."
…
Those words did not come from the woman.
Turning around…
"I was getting hungry."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH-!"
Accelerator-kun screamed from his theater seat as the woman on screen was torn to meaty pieces from the monster's razor sharp teeth.
Feeling someone from his side tap his shoulder, Accelerator-kun turned to see Fräulein Kreutune opening her jaw. Her thin needle-like teeth elongated as saliva dripped forth.
"I'll eat you up…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH-!"
On his other side, Last Order and Fremea Seivelun ignored the shrieking and continued gazing at the banquet of blood with glistening eyes. That is, until…
( Attendant: Eh? What the-! What are you kids doing here?-! )
Weak
The four of them were scolded and escorted out by a movie attendant.
( Attendant: Go! Scram! Children shouldn't be watching this! )
Stumbling out the doors of the theater…
"…"
…
The three girls angrily pummeled at the boy's back.
"'Oi, oi! If you weren't screaming so much, we wouldn't have been caught!' gripes Misaka as Misaka lashes out!"
"Essentially, everything was going perfectly well until you opened your mouth, dang it!"
"I'm still hungry…"
Accelerator-kun broke away from the assault.
"Hey! Cut it out! If I knew we'd be watching some gore-filled torture film, I would have never agreed to it! I hate that kind of stuff!"
It appeared that Last Order and Fremea Seivelun were now looking down on him.
( Fremea: Ara? How could this be? Essentially, how can this child not appreciate the marvels that is blood and gore? )
( Last Order: How irritating. He should at least be appreciative to us whom have allowed him to witness such a mature scene, but all he does is complain. Misaka remarks as Misaka slowly loses respect for the new recruit. )
"Shut up! I can't handle it, alright! Is that really a problem?-!"
Stray
Last Order went on.
"'The movie was called 'Slice of Life'. What were you expecting going into it,' asks Misaka as Misaka states the obvious."
"I don't know! Certainly not a horror-flick! Some love-comedy maybe?-! Am I the only one who was misled here?-!"
The girls both sighed. Fremea Seivelun spoke up.
"Well, essentially, I wanted to do something fun, but there's not a lot you can do without money… And now that we got kicked out of a movie theater, our options are even more limited."
( Accelerator-kun: Really?-! I'm the only one?-! )
"'Arcades are out. Karaoke is out. We can't even find a place to sit and have snacks…' says Misaka as Misaka lists the places one can't go without the cash…"
…
…?
Noticing that a member had meandered from the group…
"Huh? Essentially, is something wrong?"
Fräulein Kreutune was a ways off. She was looking up into a tree.
"…"
Raising her hand, she made an observation.
"Kitty…"
"Kitty?"
Stray II
Gathered together, they lifted their heads.
High up in one of the branches, a cat had comfortably perched itself. Its coat was a creamy beige with its ears and tail dipped in black.
"A stray?"
"'Maybe it's stuck?' suggests Misaka as Misaka admires the naïve bravery of felines."
"If so, that means someone has to essentially rescue it."
"…"
…
The girls turned their heads to Accelerator-kun. He reacted immediately.
"I feel like some unreasonable expectations are being thrown here."
In response…
"'That may be so, but if one of us were to climb, then you would definitely stare, wouldn't you?' says Misaka as Misaka straightens her skirt."
"Stare? What do you-"
Mid-sentence, the boy figured out what she meant. That brief image was instantly discarded.
"Right. I'll climb the tree."
"Pervert…" (x3)
Stray III
Accelerator-kun had climbed to the same level as the cat. However, the feline's position was bothersome.
"Dang…"
( Fremea: Essentially, are you having trouble? )
( Accelerator-kun: Just give me a second! )
Squatting on the tree's limb, he could only go so far without tipping the branch. Even more worrisome, it seemed like the branch they were both on was making some dangerous creaking noises.
"C-Cat…! Cat! Get over here!"
The feline briefly turned its head before going back to rest.
"O-Oi!"
The boy skootched closer. The branch slightly swayed.
"Wait… How about this…"
Pulling out his charm, he began dangling it around like a toy.
"You like this, right?"
The cat turned its head again, but this time, the feline seemed interested.
"That's right! C'mon over!"
The boy continued to dangle the charm as the cat drew nearer.
"Good, good, good! Now you're safe and-"
He underestimated the animal. The feline grabbed his charm with a single bite… and it then bolted off in the opposite direction.
"Eh?-!"
Stray IV
Jumping down, the cat ran off into the streets of Academy City at a ridiculous speed.
( Last Order: Ah! )
( Fremea: E-Eh?-! )
…
"…"
Accelerator-kun went slightly blue in the face.
It was as if he was realizing…
…
"Essentially… what just happened…?"
The boy answered to the best of his ability.
"I… think I'm stuck…"
"Eh?-!"
"Err, no… scratch that… I can climb down just fine…"
Parting
Accelerator-kun stumbled as he felt hard ground again.
"Essentially, we should chase after Melos, right?-!"
"'Umm… Melos went left, then right… then came back around… and disappeared somewhere…?' says Misaka as Misaka somewhat recalls the feline's path?"
( Accelerator-kun: Melos? )
( Fräulein: Melos… The cat… )
( Accelerator-kun: You guys already named him? )
"Essentially, let's split up! Melos couldn't have gotten far!"
"…"
As the girls were preparing to start the search…
The white-haired boy…
He called attention to himself.
"Hey…"
"Let's… not…"
"…?"
…
His expression was hard to read, but... he seemed to have had enough.
"How about we call it a day?"
Parting II
The boy with white hair and red eyes was more acutely aware of time than the others.
He pointed out something important.
"It's starting to get dark out, and while we can start chasing a cat around… who knows how long that'll take. I'm sure you guys have better places to be, right? So…
"Let's call it day."
…
"…"
The three girls glanced at each other.
They had to acknowledge the darkness settling in.
…
Last Order spoke up first. Though, she lingered with her words.
"'Ah… that's right... Misaka will get scolded if she's out for too long…' says Misaka as Misaka comes to realize how long it's been…"
The image of Yomikawa Aiho and Yoshikawa Kikyou appeared in her head.
After that, Fremea Seivelun followed up.
"I suppose… people might worry if I essentially don't get back…"
Members of ITEM appeared in her thoughts.
…
The boy's logic couldn't be refuted. But a certain frustration remained…
As they came to terms with the situation…
Subtly…
The boy took a step back. And distanced himself.
…
After his charm was stolen…
Perhaps he became conscious of it. While he was in no hurry to leave this place… The people around him still had homes to go back to.
"…"
Promises You Can't Keep
Fremea Seivelun kicked the dirt.
"Aaargh! I hate to admit it, but an opportunity to get a mascot-like character for the group essentially disappeared!"
"'How about we find another mascot tomorrow? Melos the Second?' suggests Misaka as Misaka points out that time isn't really an issue."
"Ah! Let's do that!"
Turning to Accelerator-kun…
"Tomorrow then! You'll essentially be around tomorrow, right?"
…
Her intense gaze made the boy uncomfortable. Feeling the heat rise to his face again, he averted his eyes…
"U-Umm… Sure. If I have free time…"
"Okay~!"
"'It's settled! Tomorrow!' says Misaka as Misaka raises a clenched fist to the air!"
…
And so…
The girls waved their goodbyes.
And the boy with white hair and red eyes found that his hand continued to be half-raised, even as they turned their backs.
A short time had passed, but the event was finally over.
…
"…"
Noticing that Fräulein Kreutune was still standing beside him…
They briefly stared at each other.
…
"Lecher…"
The girl then jumped to the top of the closest building and began parkouring across Academy City's rooftops.
"Eh?-!"
They were white.
7:35 PM
"Ahnnn~!"
A 14-year-old girl with chestnut brown hair stretched her arms upward as she left a movie theater. Behind her, a flood of children and parents were also walking out.
And this was because… the movie she had just watched was 'Gekota Saves Tanabata! Movie Third!'. It was a popular film that was critically acclaimed among adults and younger kids.
That is to say… it wasn't strange for this girl to come and watch this movie alone.
Misaka Mikoto addressed this fact.
"There's nothing strange about a 14-year-old girl going to the theater alone to watch a family-orientated kid's movie. I'm not embarrassed. The only reason I'm by myself is because I figured no one else would be interested. I'm just being considerate, that's all."
( Child: Okaa-san! It's that girl again! And she's talking to herself again! Is she lonely? )
( Mother: Shh! Don't look! )
"…"
Congratulations
Misaka Mikoto turned on her phone, as it's proper movie etiquette to turn off your fucking phones or put them on silent during a movie.
"…?"
The girl noticed an odd string of messages.
[ Kuroko: Congratulations. ]
[ Uiharu: I wish I could've been at the wedding! ]
[ Saten: I hope the baby grows up to be healthy! But, you're still planning on doing Season 3, right?-! ]
"What the-"
It kept going.
[ Kongou: Ohohohohoho! What fabulous news! ]
[ Wannai: Uwah! This is a surprise! Congratulations on the marriage and baby! ]
[ Awatsuki: I hope the best for your new family and the best for your future! ]
[ Misuzu: That's not going to be your only one, right~? Pop out as many as you can~! ]
[ Tabigake: Don't listen to your mother. Don't overdo it. ]
"What? What? Huh?"
Congratulations.
"What's going on?-!"
Browsing
After dealing with what she assumed was a prank, Misaka Mikoto wandered around the city during the evening.
It was getting close to her curfew…
But on the other hand, it had been awhile since she had free time to spend by herself.
She wanted to indulge.
"…"
Her head turned toward a convenience store. A cat-like grin emerged.
"Just browsing~ Just browsing~"
The act of reading manga you don't intend to buy at convenience stores… please don't do this. Manga cafes exist. They're 24/7. Just pay the money.
"Just browsing~ Just browsing~ Hehehe~"
Stepping into the conbini…
…
The girl's face froze.
"…Eh?"
A somewhat familiar face was at the racks.
"…"
The small child hadn't noticed her, but rather, he seemed engrossed in a manga of his own.
Browsing II
The child with white hair and red eyes stood holding two books. On the outside, it looked like he held a typical volume of SHONEN J*MP. The inside, however, revealed the contents of something else. From this poor display of amateur deception, it was obvious he was hiding the fact he was reading something embarrassing.
Accelerator-kun's focus went from panel to panel.
…
…
[ Scene: It was evening. A boy and girl were seated next to each other in a train car. After many misadventures, they were exhausted. ]
Girl's side:
It was only by coincidence that me and Senpai ended up alone on this trip together. One event after another, we spent time with each other despite the fact that we hardly spoke at school beforehand…
When I was fussy… agitated… and restless… I was just trying to make the best out of a hard situation…
…
But even if it was for a short while…
At least…
I thought he would stand up for me.
Being called 'clingy' and 'pretentious'…
It would have made me happy if he said something… But I suppose I'm being foolish.
Senpai wouldn't do that. He wasn't that type of person. In the end, the one who kept pushing things to happen was me…
If…
If I asked him to hold hands with me, he'd scold. And if I fought enough, he'd be troubled and give in. He'd have no choice but to put his hand out.
But what I want…
I don't want him to have no choice.
What…
What do I want from Senpai…
Browsing III
Boy's side:
It was certainly exhausting, but it was fun.
I was dragged around these past few days by my overeager kouhai, but it didn't bother me at all. In fact, this was probably the most fun I've had in a long time…
…
When those girls started talking about her…
Somehow…
I felt that… I knew more…
Knowing her gentle smile… her warmth… her kindness…
I wonder… Were they seeing the same person I was seeing? Had they seen the same faces she makes…? When she's excited? When she's angry? When she's sad?
I won't make assumptions, so I can't speak out on something I don't know well… But…
In that moment, I felt like I understood her better than them. At least, I knew she wasn't the type of girl they were thinking of.
…
If…
If I put my hand on hers… how would she react?
[ The train continued to on, rumbling and bouncing without a beat. A tear rolled down the girl's face, but she was quick to wipe it away. They both stared forward in silence. ]
Browsing IV
Girl's side:
When this trip ends, our relationship will reset. We'd return to our regular lives, hardly meeting at all…
The same as before.
The same as before is fine with me.
I give up. I'm exhausted. I won't do anything anymore. I won't ask for anything. When this trip ends, we'll go back to our tranquil lives.
Just… one more station.
Boy's side:
One more station.
Girl's side:
One… more station…
Both sides:
If only… this trip wouldn't end…
[ The train screeched to a halt. It had reached its destination. The doors opened, signaling the end. The girl turned to face her Senpai. She smiled weakly. ]
"Shall we go?"
Tsuzaki-kun held onto Moriyama's hand. Their eyes met… And then…
He kissed her.
To be continued…
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?-!" (x2)
Noticing something off, Accelerator-kun turned his head to see Misaka Mikoto reading from behind his shoulder.
"…Eh?"
Red-Handed
Accelerator-kun quickly put the manga back on the shelf.
"W-Whoa! It's that narcissist girl from awhile back! I wonder what she's doing here!"
The boy nervously avoided her glance.
"O-Oh, I know! I bet she wants to convince me to go back to that weird lab, huh?"
"That was '100 Percent Unrequited Love' wasn't it?"
"It wasn't! Look, I have no intentions of going back. That whole place reeks of shady business."
Misaka Mikoto continued to push.
"Do you like reading shoujo manga?"
"I'm trying to change the subject!"
"I'm not gonna to let you."
"Please let me!"
Red-Handed II
Accelerator-kun used his vast array of social skills to correct a misunderstanding.
"Y-You're mistaken! You see, I was… I was doing research! That's right!"
"…Research?"
"Well, you know the phrase… there's a drop of truth to every lie. Obviously, shoujo manga doesn't reflect reality in any way, so…"
…
Misaka Mikoto repeated after him.
"So…?"
By now, he realized he was digging his own grave.
"Well… I mean…"
He struggled with an answer
"You know… I guess… You might learn more… about girls…"
"…"
…
At this point, Accelerator-kun was heavily blushing.
"Can I... stop here…? I feel like I'm going to die…"
Turning Point
In front of Misaka Mikoto was a strange sight.
This person was too different from the Accelerator she was used to. He was almost like a different person.
( Accelerator-kun: Don't make fun of me! And don't say anything about this to anyone else! )
He was naïve. Expressive. Emotional and childlike. Nothing like the former.
Misaka Mikoto didn't know how to handle such a person.
( Accelerator-kun: I am absolutely not interested in hand-holding, kissing, or dates or whatever…! )
But…
Something was there…
Something she wanted to see…
Smiling…
"Hey."
The girl made a proposal.
And a new event appeared.
"Would you like to try it? A date, I mean."
…
"…huh?"
"If you don't mind being with an older girl, I can be your partner for tonight."
…
It should be kept in mind…
There's no such thing as interactions between boys and girls without ulterior motives.
Timeline (condensed): 1̶̡͜͝0̴̨,̴͜͠ ̡͟1̡̢̛,̧̀ ̢̨̀̕2̶̨͘,͏͟͡ ̸҉4̷̴̶̛̕,͠͡ ͏̧͡8̶̢͢͞͡,̛ ̸̕͡9̛̀̕͜,̀͞҉̷ ̨͘͟͠1͝9͘͠͞-̡2̢̕͞8̶̧͟,̀͟͢͝ ̸̛̕͢3̡̕͢,̴̢̨͟͟ ́͘͜2̧̛͢9̵̵̢̕͜-͏̷͞3͢͞3̸̶̢̕͝,̵̸́͝ ̷̨͘͝x̶̡̢͡,̴͞͏ ̛͘͘͜1̵̨͟2҉-̷1̶̸̶͞7̵́͘͡,̷̀͘͝͞ ͠x͢҉̴̀,́҉҉̷̀ ̡̀̀͢͟5̨̛͝-̷̸̛7̨́,͟͟͞ ͝҉̧x̨̨̢́͜,̶͏̷ ͏̴͝1̢̨̨͡1̴̢̛͟
