Next Chapter: Accelerator dies a little on the inside.

Timeline: 42, 43


Hi-hi~!

My name is Misaka Mikoto, but you can call me 'Miko-chan'!

Today, I'm here to tell you about something super interesting that happened!

I was practicing drawing froggos on a sidewalk, when all of a sudden…

A young Misaka Mikoto raised her head in time to see the Number 1 appear out of thin air.

Following that, he dropped down onto the windshield of a moving car.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The pink-haired driver shrieked as she swerved in a snake-like motion. Screeching to an abrupt stop, the boy shot forward, bounced off the road, and rolled down a sweeping riverbank. Very much like a skipping stone, he skidded across the water's surfaced until he smashed up against the backend of a fishing boat.

"…?"

"It's here! I finally caught something good!"

A hobbyist fisher, who resembled someone who'd eventually supervise a dorm, pulled her fishing rod with all her might.

And with that brute strength, the boy flew up into the air, unhooked, and spun uncontrollably. Flying at an angle, he arced over the other side of the river and crashed into an empty lot, which happened to be near the younger Misaka Mikoto.

"EHHHHHHH?-!"

I was recently traumatized.

Extra: Miko-chan's Side

The small girl who would eventually be known as the Number 3 esper of Academy City stared up at Accelerator. Her eyes glistened as she spoke.

"You're a… time traveler?"

It was a claim with little substantial evidence.

She had only managed to pick up bits and pieces from eavesdropping, but this was what made most sense to her.

In reaction to that statement…

Accelerator closed the door.

[ SFX: *Click* ]

And locked it.

( Accelerator: Hey. Old man. C'mere for moment. I think I saw some lice on your head. )

( Heaven Canceller: Eh? What? What are you-! HAH?-! OW OW OW! S-STOP! STOP IT! YOU'LL RIP IT OFF! )

The small girl heard a scuffle from the other side.

"Sounds like they're having fun…"

A Hairy Situation

Accelerator once again sat on the edge of his bed. The doctor stood opposite of him with a disgruntled expression.

"Have you calmed down?"

"…"

The boy glanced up at him blankly.

A separate image appeared. A duplicate of the old man but bald. A version he now knew to be the future version of the doctor.

"More or less."

"Good, good. Now if we could continue where we left off-"

Accelerator raised an arm and pointed.

"That girl is still out there listening in. Are you fine with that?"

"I-Is she now…"

The older man shut his eyes and formed a jellybean frown. He was somewhat aware that the white-haired boy was attempting to distract him.

"You should take care of that, don't you think? It'd be irresponsible to leave her alone."

"…"

He shook his head and sighed. A responsible person couldn't ignore a child left to their own devices.

"Fine. I'll take care of her. Just… wait here until I get back. Don't go anywhere."

The doctor shot him a stern look, but he, nonetheless, stepped out to the hall. He shut the door behind himself, and Accelerator detected a noticeable change in attitude on the other side.

( Heaven Canceller: Oh my! Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else? )

( Miko-chan: Ah?-! I wasn't- I was just about to… )

( Heaven Canceller: Right, right. Why don't I escort you then. )

( Miko-chan: Ehhhh… )

Remove Railgun

For the first since the Number 1 had arrived, Accelerator found himself alone.

"…"

He sat idly, focusing on the muddied footsteps outside. And once they faded off…

The boy stood up.

I have to run.

Obviously, he had no intention of listening to the Heaven Canceller.

But…

Run to where?

He had no idea.

Regardless, a time traveler meeting with those who he has prior relationships with would certainly raise complications in the future. It didn't matter where he took off to as so long as he could avoid further interactions. The boy could sleep soundly without thinking of world ending paradoxes.

"…"

A certain uneasiness washed over him, as a world ending paradox may have already occurred.

It was hard to say what could and could not potentially effect the universe at large. The rules and parameters to time travel were way too ambiguous. Would his exchange with the Heaven Canceller and Misaka Mikoto be enough to change reality? Perhaps, Accelerator merely existing in a time frame he didn't belong to was enough mess up the timeline. It was very possible that…

The future he belonged to could already be gone.

The boy pushed himself forward…

He had to run.

Staying wasn't an option.

And abruptly-

"Leaving already?"

Chronostasis

"…"

For sure he was alone. He should have been alone, anyway. There were no apparent changes to his surroundings, but…

SomethingSomething doesn't feel right

A lot had happened in a short time span, so it was natural that he'd become tense. Maybe the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. And maybe his stress was taking form.

If that was true, Accelerator was in a terrible position.

The feeling of dread spread across the Number 1's veins. This wasn't the time to have an episode.

His collar wasn't making any noise, but he could feel his heart beating.

Accelerator's breathing started to harden. He needed to calm down.

Immediately.

"…"

Gritting his teeth… He took a step forward…

And another…

He made his way toward the exit, exhausting his-

"Wait a little longer. There's no need to rush."

!

The feeling was too real.

Accelerator could sense the presence of a person.

Where? Where is it coming from?

Corner to corner. There was nothing. He couldn't decipher a direction. His senses were firing off too many false flags.

Something was definitely wrong.

"That's not a good face. You should try a more… gentle expression."

Affectionately…

Arms draped from behind. A woman's voice brushed against his ear.

Chronostasis II

It was a surreal experience. He felt 'weight' over his shoulders. But at the same time, there was no physical contact. The wires in his brain were crossing illogically. The woman he could scarcely sense continued to whisper.

"No doubt, you must be alarmed. Would it put you at ease if I said you weren't going crazy?"

Accelerator didn't turn his head. It wouldn't have helped if he did.

If this was telepathy, it shouldn't make it past my reflection. Which means…

"Are you familiar with the term 'Stopped Clock Illusion'?"

Accelerator's eyes moved toward an analog clock on the wall.

The 'Stopped Clock Illusion' referred to the brain's ability to passively create negligible data. This specific scenario involved motion blur. That is, when a person's eyes move from one object to another, the brain "edits" visual and audio cues to manufacture a cohesive scene. Motion blur is erased, and memory is altered accordingly. The sensation of "moving one's eyes" is replaced with the sensation of "switching between camera feeds". The result of this "edit" is observed when a person's glance wanders over to a ticking clock. For some reason, time appears to elongate with the second hand staying still longer than normal. And thus, the 'Stopped Clock'.

Accelerator had a grasp of it.

This wasn't as simple as a telepath invading.

Accelerator's own brain was being used to create an illusion.

"I wish there was a better way to talk, but this was by far the most convenient."

This was on a different level of dangerous. The problem existed at the very root.

"The issues of using this method are troublesome. I have little control over my appearance or my voice. Even the meaning of my messages are left being interpreted."

Without a doubt, this wasn't a human being speaking.

"Though I'm curious. Does my form resemble someone you know?"

This was most likely 'Tree Diagram'.

"A girl perhaps? Someone you care for?"

Chronostasis III

"…"

Accelerator stayed silent.

He wouldn't have answered even if he knew.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

She buried her face into his neck. Loose hair tickled his skin, and warm breath spread out with every word.

"I can see that you're uncomfortable. Considering your circumstances, it's very… understandable.

"Although I wish I could provide you peace of mind that I'm an ally…

"Providing such evidence would be impossible."

"…"

The 'weight' increased. And her grip on him tightened.

"All I have to offer are incentives.

"Certainly, there are things you wish to obtain. Such as…

"A way back home."

Gradually, she raised her head, tracing herself up against the Number 1's back.

"In turn for my assistance…

"There's a place I'd like for you to go. And a task I'd like for you to complete.

"It shouldn't take too much of your time."

"Unfortunately, this appears to be your limit. It'd be risky to continue further."

The woman loosened her hold. A moment later, the 'weight' lifted into nothingness.

"I look forward to speaking with you again."

Influence

'Tree Diagram's' presence vanished as quickly as it first appeared. And when Accelerator turned around, he found no one there as expected.

"…"

[ SFX: *DRIP* ]

Something warm trickled down.

Looking down at the floor, several red drops had marked the tiled floor.

He touched his face and felt something wet.

Removing his hand… it was like someone had painted his palm red.

"…"

Accelerator's nose was bleeding.

Limit

[ SFX: *KNOCK KNOCK* ]

( "Coming in." )

Huh?-!

Being thrown from one situation to another, Accelerator practically had no time to process anything. The door swung open before he could do anything about the blood.

"Uwah! Whoa. What happened to you?"

The Heaven Canceller hadn't returned. But, alarmingly, it was another recognizable face. Which meant another possible time paradox.

"Here. Hurry and wipe yourself off. Everyone's already here."

She gave him a handkerchief. And hesitantly, he accepted it.

Wait… What's going on…

"…What do you mean by-"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

She moved behind him and started pushing his back.

"H-Hey! Stop that!"

"Hahhh. This is why interns are so useless. If you just did what you were told, everything would go by so much quicker."

Accelerator caught a glimpse of her nametag. There was no doubt who this person was.

In bold print, the name read:

Yoshikawa Kikyou

Pharmacology Researcher

"Oi, oi! Wait a damn a moment!"

After being pushed out a ways, the Number 1 successfully turned himself around. With one hand, he held Yoshikawa Kikyou's arm to keep balance. The other held the handkerchief over his face.

"I don't understand what's happening."

"Really? No one's explained anything to you?"

"Not at all. In fact, I think you might have mistaken me for someone else."

She blinked.

"I don't make mistakes."

Clearly, you have! There's no way you know who I am!

"I got word about a white-haired intern lazing around in one of the spare rooms. You fit the bill quite nicely. You're Narukami-san, right?"

"You've got the wrong person."

"Is that so? What's your name then?"

"That's… Mm…"

The boy was caught in a predicament. 'Accelerator' was hardly a real name that wouldn't arouse suspicion. And even if he remembered his real name, he couldn't say it because of TIME PARADOXES.

"Well… fuck it all."

Yoshikawa Kikyou smiled knowingly.

"I understand that you're uncomfortable, but there's no way you're getting out of this."

"Getting out of what?"

She sighed.

"Ha. Still playing dumb.

"The interviews. Someone has to do them. And I'm certainly not going to do it. I hate dealing with kids."

Pharmacology Researcher II

Yoshikawa Kikyou raised a set of documents.

"All you need to do is ask each of them a set of questions. It's all video recorded, so unless you want to make notes, you won't have to write out much.

"You can take a moment to get familiar with the candidates before proceeding, but there isn't much time…"

"…"

The researcher turned her head. Strangely, her face was becoming slightly red.

"Also… how long do you plan on holding on to me?"

It occurred to Accelerator.

Yoshikawa Kikyou was closer to his age.

He immediately let go, and due to that, he lost his balance.

"…Eh!"

Paper went flying into the air. From the ground, it also occurred to Accelerator that…

He wasn't in a hospital but a laboratory.

[ "Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory 7." ]

The gravity of the situation started to hit.

Time travel. Tree Diagram. Incentives.

The task to be completed…

I'm certain of it.

The documents that landed over his face had more familiar names on them.

This is hell.

Nth-Children


A/N: The next chapter of the Reversal Arc. Everything old is new! And everything new is newer! That's what happens when you go back in time. Hope everyone enjoys this despite the sporadic updates. Look forward to more. It'll be a trip.