I'M SAVED!
And by that, I mean that the school year is finally over and all my summative assignments are finished~so, by saved, I mean saved from the whiles and woes that is high school work. I'll be graduating in like a week!...Though saying it like that makes me feel old...
Anyways!
The Kaguya season 3 finale is dropping today and I wanted to put out something to celebrate, so this is what I came up with! Just keep in mind, this is non-canon to this fanfic(I get it's ironic since fanfics are non-canon themselves in the first place, but bear with me here), meaning that the events of this chapter do not necessarily translate over into the main fic. This is like my hype for the Kaguya season 3 finale manifested into words. Also, don't be worried about having to wait another...two months?! It's been that long already!? Oh...well, at any rate, don't be worried about waiting another two months for the next chapter of the actual story; it's already close to finished, and should be out within the next few days to a week. I'll also be able to put out chapters more often now that the school year is over, so look forward to that!
Before the omake begins, I'll cover the reviews!
candrariski155: Dunno if I'll ever make an Oregairu story. I did like the series, but I wasn't a big enough fan to inspire me into writing it-and the other story I've got in the works is probably gonna eat up most of my time. Sorry :(
TheOneWhoSimulatesFantasy: Well, that was the goal.
Vinicius Henrique: Well, this omake isn't exaaaactly stuff that's canon to main fanfic, but I hope it satisfies you somewhat in regards to Accelerator's interactions...and I'm glad you're loving the story!
ifiesekibod: Don't really wanna spoil anything about what will happen later on, but as for your other question, the story will probably reach somewhere around the second half of Index Old Testament-as for exactly where, not sure yet. However, I do wanna clarify something; I'm planning on going over a good chunk of events from the Kaguya manga, but since the manga timeline extends over a year, I'm messing with the Index timeline a bit out of necessity. Since Index's timeline is so compact and only goes over half a year, I'm basically gonna have to stretch things out-essentially giving each arc of Index more space between them so it actually falls in line with the Kaguya timeline too. I probably didn't explain it well enough, but essentially I'm just spacing Index's events out more. For example, think Battle Royale being sometime in like February-March or something like that instead of October 15th like it is in the normal Index timeline.
zora does not exist: I'd insert the emote here if I could
6: :P
Cieszesi Niezmiernie: I was planning on that actually, yes, but it'll probably be short scenes or cameos as opposed to anything else is what I'm planning currently; though I might change my mind down the road.
Enigmathenightmare: Thanks! That's the exact vibe I've been going for with the writing, so I'm glad it's hitting the mark! And I hope you enjoy the developments that will occur down the road~
nifahs: :)
Successful World Is A Nice Rel: Thank you, thank you!
HYDE-BERSERKER: Ok well...I normally never spoil anything, but since you were so spot-on, I will confirm to you one thing, since it's not a ground-breaking part of the story anyways: one of the Sisters will indeed make an appearance later on in the fic. That's all you're getting outta me, though.
Guest: Ummm...right.
ym8606: Thanks for your kind words!...As for your suggestion though, I'm afraid I've made up my mind already. I put a lot of thought into it, and the thing is, Accelerator's psyche at this point of the Index timeline is just so far-focused from romance that it wouldn't make any sense, even disregarding the hormone imbalance thing. Accelerator isn't a romance-centric character and he never was, which was one of the reasons why I had the idea for this fic in the first place; someone impervious to romance having to deal with people who very much aren't. Accelerator isn't really in a position to pursue romance and he's well aware of it-the only thing he would try to pursue would be family in the Index timeline, but in this fic I'm focusing it on friends for obvious reasons. Reeeeally sorry, but that's just kinda how it is. I wanna keep him in character as much as I can.
Luiz Fernando1: Uhm...well, I'm not Brazilian, I kinda just run things through Google Translate; sorry, I know it's crude and can be innacurate, but I wanna respond to everyone as well as I can as thanks for reading-so not quite Brazilian. But thank you for your support, and I'll keep the updates going!
Alpyh Null: Glad I've caught your interest!~
weirdbutOK: Of course not! It's the war of love and brains after all, no one is safe :P
With all that said, let's begin!
Omake: Miyuki Shirogane Can't Pop the Question
"You've been going out with her for how long and you can't ask one goddamn question?!"
A 23 year-old Miyuki Shirogane and a 23 year-old Accelerator sat together at a classily decorated table.
They were sitting within the Moelleuse; one of the higher-end restaurants of Minato Ward, Tokyo.
"It's not that simple, alright?! My hands start trembling just thinking about it! It's precisely because we've been going out for so long that I'm nervous!"
"How in the hell does that make any sense? If you've been going out for so long, then shouldn't that make you more comfortable with each other!?"
Contrary to the refined environment of the restaurant, the two men were having a very...unrefined argument. Heads were turning towards their table with uneasy and reproachful glances, but none seemed courageous enough to interrupt. It was possible Accelerator's albino-like appearance had a hand in that.
The two of them hadn't had drastic changes in appearances since their teenage years, but the difference was clear. Shirogane's hair had grown slightly longer and he himself had grown a little taller, in addition to a bit more muscle in his arms. In accordance with the setting, he wore a white dress shirt and black dress pants, with an ocean blue tie to round it all off.
However, across from him, Accelerator was the opposite of "refined." While Shirogane's posture was upright and straight, Accelerator was leaning back into the seat and he had a leg crossed over the other. His snow white hair was slightly longer and still just as unkempt as it was years ago, and he wore a black and white sweater with jeans. It was very much "casual."
"That's not how it works! The better you know them and the more you cherish them, the more you get scared of something like this! If it goes south, then everything will break beyond repair!" Shirogane said with a distressed voice.
"But you both love each other and are aware of that, so how the hell is it that much of a problem? What are the realistic chances of her saying no?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Accelerator face-palmed.
"U-Um...h-here's your food, sirs!...Enjoy!..."
Accelerator raised his head upon hearing the female voice, but the waitress had disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. Shirogane's ravioli sat in front of him, and Accelerator's French onion soup sat in front of himself.
Not that the two had much of an appetite.
In reality, going out to eat was merely a pretense for this discussion.
"Okay, you two have been going out for how long again?" Accelerator asked exasperatedly.
"5 years, but that's not the poi-"
"Not the point my ass! I've seen you two slobber over each other and flirt, so from an extensive amount of first-hand confirmation that I want to forget, I know you two are obsessed with each other! Hell, when you went to America, you two were fucking video calling each other every. Single. Fucking. Day! And the rest of us had to listen to it because you did it in the damn council room too! Do you have any idea how fucking awkward it was for the rest of us to have to listen to you guys talk to each other?! You'd say shit like "I wish I could feel you at my side," and she'd say something like "I do too..." And then you'd both give your goofy ass smiles and she'd say she would fly over to America that night to see you! IT. WAS. TORTURE! YOU HEAR ME!?"
Shirogane just blinked owlishly. "You've been bottling this up for a while, haven't you?"
"You have no idea."
"Iino seemed to like it, though."
"That's because she likes cheesy shit like that. Also, about that, you saying that sorta thing convinced her that some sort of prince must exist for her. You're dooming her to another 5 years of fruitless dreaming in the hopes that a fairy-tale prince is gonna come galloping in front of her on a horse," Accelerator said with a deadpan.
"...I-I see..."
The white-haired boy sighed and grabbed his head out of frustration. He knew that if the other people in the restaurant hadn't noticed them before, they definitely had noticed them now.
("For fuck's sake...") He groaned in his head.
He raised a hand, and the waitress who had delivered their food earlier hesitantly walked over. "D-Do you need something?"
"Two doggie bags," he said curtly. ("No way in hell I'm letting my money go to waste. This shit was expensive.") He then slapped some bills on the table.
"Keep the change." The waitress seemed surprised, but did not complain and hurried away. Accelerator then stood up, and forcibly pulled Shirogane out of his seat.
"Come on," he said gruffly. "We're going for a walk."
"I feel like this is a walk of shame," Shirogane said in a small voice.
"That's because it is," Accelerator replied shortly.
The streets of Minato Ward were very scenic and looked beautiful in both sunlight and the dark, but Shirogane could not bring himself to enjoy it whatsoever.
"You were planning a date for tomorrow, weren't you? Aren't you all set up already and shit?" Accelerator asked lazily.
"...Yeah, I am. But that doesn't make it any easier."
"How? You always set up things like this in advance and you agonize over every detail, so I'm sure you have each of your bases covered. Isn't putting it into action the only step left?"
"It's a steep step," Shirogane said uneasily. "I know I've been dating her for years and years, and we both love each other to bits and pieces; I know that. I...don't know what I'm really afraid of, honestly. This is something I should have the utmost confidence in, yet I'm hesitating this much...I need to get a grip on myself."
"Well, something's holding you back, at any rate. I know fuck all about this kinda thing, so I can't necessarily give much insight," Accelerator drawled.
Shirogane put a hand on his shoulder. "I know that. That...city," Shirogane spat the last word, "shaped your fate in a way you couldn't control. I'm not asking that you try to sympathize with me; I just needed to hear the words of someone who I can trust to give an unbiased viewpoint."
"...Unbiased viewpoint, huh?" Accelerator breathed out the words like they were made of glass. "That's a good way of putting it."
Shirogane grimly nodded.
It was truly a wonder to Accelerator how it felt.
He had no real desire for it, yet he was also curious what it felt like to be in love like Shirogane and Shinomiya were. It was a domain of emotion, trust and affection that he could never understand, knew he would never understand, yet wanted to understand.
They both knew the ugly subtext behind the statement, but both weren't so snowflake-like so as to get worked up over it.
Accelerator had lived years and years content without knowing the feeling of love, but spending his time in the vicinity of two people so deeply in love was like watching the joys of normal people; whom were experiencing an aspect of life that he did not know nor could ever learn.
He didn't particularly mind it, but it did peak his curiosity.
"Was there ever anyone you ever considered?"
"Hah?" Accelerator looked at Shirogane confusedly at the seemingly random question.
"U-Uh, when I say that, I don't mean like-truly considered, if that makes sense," Shirogane said sheepishly.
"It doesn't," was the honest response.
"Well...I know that due to your...situation, you can't really feel attraction and such, so you...can't truly experience that feeling," The blonde said uneasily. He was looking to Accelerator as he spoke, seemingly nervous that he was treading on a sensitive subject, but Accelerator's expression remained unchanged. "But...I was wondering, if you had the chance or capability to, is there anyone you'd prefer to explore that prospect with?"
Now Accelerator looked truly dumbfounded.
"As in...what, like how you and Shinomiya are?"
Shirogane gave a hesitant nod. "Essentially, yeah."
As they walked down the streets of Minato, Accelerator went silent.
Was there someone like that to him?
He knew that he was not a good person.
Back alleys. Underpasses. Switchyards.
Those places resurfaced in his memory, places he could never forget. They were murder locations.
Murders he had committed.
There was no debating that Accelerator was about as far from a Saint as one could get. He was tainted with far too much blood to contemplate being truly able to stand on the same footing as those in the light like Shirogane.
His mindset was twisted, even disregarding the murders he had committed. His personality was dysfunctional, rough, and unpleasant. He was the kind of person you could catch one eyeful of and discern to be bad news. Even if a few people had accepted him, the way he spoke was notably brash and rude compared to others.
Perhaps the years with Kihara Amata had done something about that.
There was no one who would call him "good."
However...
...if he could get rid of the things that weighed him down, cast them to the side, or better yet, if they had never happened at all-
-was there someone that he would want to choose over others to explore that warm, bright, shining aspect of life he currently had no right or ability to touch with?
A face came to the forefront of his mind.
Accelerator smirked a bit. "...Maybe."
"R-Really?" Shirogane said in surprise. "W-Who?"
The white-haired man just laughed, and sped up his pace, pulling ahead of Shirogane. "Try to figure it out for yourself, Mr. Shuchiin Student Council President."
"Oh, shut up, will you?! I haven't been president for years!"
Shirogane indignantly shouted as he began jogging to catch up with Accelerator.
"Oi, Dead-Eyes. You said you wanted my unbiased viewpoint, right?"
"Just how long are you going to call me that name for?! This isn't high school!"
"Oh, is that so? I forgot the part where that was my problem," Accelerator barked with mocking laughter. "High-school student or 23-year old businessman, your eyes are still as soulless as they were years ago."
Shirogane's eyebrows twitched, but moments later they morphed back into a serious expression. "Yeah. I want your opinion. I know that me and Kaguya have been going out for years, so this should be a no-brainer. Hell, I know she's in love with me; and I'm in love with her just the same. Neither of us had any problem flying across the world to see each other," he said with a small chuckle. "But...the prospect of proposing is just...so suffocating. The pressure it gives me even just thinking about it makes me start to stress, and start thinking: 'This is a bad idea, you should get off the road while you're ahead, don't get too ambitious-' that sort of thing. It's just...so much easier to say that you're dating, or girlfriend and boyfriend, or whatever-as opposed to saying, 'we're married, or we're husband and wife. I just...wanted a friend to tell me what they thought."
A friend.
Yes.
Before thinking about his response, Accelerator basked in that word a little.
It was such a warm word.
That was a very common term used in the world of the light. Accelerator considered himself lucky that there were even a few people out there willing to refer to him as such.
The term was broad, and there were many meanings attached to the word "friend." But although Accelerator was no expert in the subject, he knew that there was one, very specific responsibility attributed to it.
"You're my friend, and friends help each other."
Someone had told him that before.
Accelerator gave a small smile.
Not a grin.
Not a smirk.
Not a mockery.
Just a smile.
If that was the duty of a friend, then he had a duty to uphold.
"You're such a dumbass."
"W-WHAT?! I POURED OUT MY HEART TO YOU AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY?!" Shirogane, for the second time, indignantly shouted at Accelerator with an unbelieving expression.
"Hahahahahaha!" Accelerator just barked with mirth.
Calling each other dumbasses is one of the many duties of being a friend. (A/N: Do NOT quote me in that.)
"A-Are you trying to hurt my ego even more!? What are you, the devil?!"
"No, just factual," Accelerator replied, wiping a tear from his face.
Shirogane seemed to notice, and looked at him with widened eyes.
"Hm? What?" Accelerator asked questioningly.
"No, it's just...It's been a really long time since I saw a tear on your face for whatever reason, comedic or not," Shirogane said in a surprised voice.
Accelerator sighed. "Oh, that. I guess. When was it, sometime in high school?"
"Yeah. Never thought the almighty Accelerator, strongest artificial esper in the world, could ever become a crybaby. You cried buckets," Shirogane sang in a mocking tone.
"Shut your ass up, Dead-Eyes."
"Just evening out the score," Shirogane laughed.
Accelerator couldn't help but give his own chuckle.
As the two of them arrived at an intersection, Accelerator leaned against a stop sign as they waited for the lights to change.
"Oi, Shirogane."
The blonde's attention was instantly gained at the use of his proper name.
"Hm?"
"Remember the cultural festival we had at Shuchiin?"
Shirogane raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I worked my ass off for it, after all."
"There it is."
The blonde looked confused as he gazed at Accelerator. "There's what?"
"The key," Accelerator said simply.
"Key?"
"The key to your success."
Accelerator could imagine the gears turning in the boy's head, and almost laughed. "I still don't understand," came Shirogane's voice from in front of him.
"You said it yourself. You worked your ass off for it," the white-haired man said. "I still remember it-hell, I think everyone in our year remembers it. We may not know all the specifics behind how you made it happen, but that army of heart balloons, being released at the same time into the open sky...that was your work, wasn't it?"
"H-How did you know?! I never confirmed anything to you guys!" Shirogane spluttered with a red face.
"Do we look like we were born yesterday?" Accelerator asked with a raised eyebrow. "It felt more like an open secret then something we didn't know and weren't sure about. Not to mention all those hearts floating up towards the clock tower-we were the only ones with access to there since we were student council, remember? And all the balloons conveniently floating up towards the top, too...it was pretty obvious," he finished dryly.
"IT WAS EASY TO READ?! I THOUGHT I WAS BEING SNEAKY!"
"...A toddler could've done a better job hiding it."
"Ughhhh..."
Shirogane seemed to physically wilt(at an alarming rate), so Accelerator decided that was enough emotional damage for Shirogane to sustain for one day.
(A/N: Yes, I just made a Steven He reference. Because I'm just that insane.)
"Well, I'm getting off-track," Accelerator said. "Anyways, my point is that you worked your damn ass off to set that all up, and did it on a scale no one was expecting. You might not think you did much, but there's very few crazy bastards in this world who would go that far to confess to a girl they liked-and that's one of the things that she likes about you so much," he said, turning back towards the intersection. "As long as you put effort into it, she'll be happy with however you decide to go about it. And don't you even fucking think of some idiotic question like 'Will she say yes?' Because you know the answer to that question damn well more than I do."
"...Right."
The crossing signal dinged on the other side of the road.
The two of course lived in different places, so they would divert paths at some point. This was their separation point.
As Accelerator began walking down the street to the other side, Shirogane called out to him one last time.
"Oi, Accelerator!...Thanks," the blonde said with a grin.
To his surprise, rather than a mere nod or wave, the white-haired man turned back and gave him a small grin of his own.
That had been 3 months ago.
"Oi, they're almost here! Hurry it up!"
"What do you think I'm trying to do, you damn bastard?! Not my fault that ties are the biggest fucking pains in the ass since taxes were invented!"
(A/N: Maaaaaaaaaaay or may not be throwing in some personal gripes into this...)
Ishigami Yuu just sighed exasperatedly as Accelerator struggled with the red tie on his black suit.
"When Miyuki asked us to be groomsmen, you should've already known you'd need to know how to tie a tie! Hell, even if you didn't, you could've at least gotten a bow tie instead!"
"Thinking about formal shit makes me wanna hurl," was Accelerator's irritated response.
Ishigami just face-palmed. Seriously, this is just ridiculous...both Tsubasa-san and Mikado-san are ready, and I heard that the bridesmaids are ready too. Maki and Hayasaka-san are getting impatient. You're the only one we're waiting on."
"I GET IT, GODDAMN IT! JUST GIMME A SECOND-I SWEAR I'M GETTING IT THIS TIME OR I'M RIPPING THIS DAMN THING IN TWO!"
A few rough pulls here, a few tugs there, and-
ZZZSSTT!
Both men stared at the torn remains of the red tie lying on the ground.
"Well, you ended up tearing it anyways before you even trying the last time," Ishigami said with a deadpan. Accelerator eyes just twitched in annoyance.
Ishigami then walked across the room to one of the drawers; and pulled out a blue tie.
"Stay still. I'll do the tie for you. This one suits you better, anyways. Contrasts the eyes."
"Since when were you a fashion guru?"
"Never, it's more that you just don't have a sense of style."
Accelerator opened his mouth, but he had nothing to retort with, so he chose to just keep quiet.
"Never thought that Dead-Eyes would muster up the balls to do it. At the rate he was going, I wouldn't have been surprised if he waited until they were in their damn 30's before he asked her," Accelerator said with closed eyes a few moments later.
Ishigami responded without taking his eyes off the tie he was currently putting into a knot. "I figured it was only a matter of time, honestly. He can be indecisive, but he'll follow his gut eventually. He probably had meant to ask her for ages, but just needed one last push," Ishigami said simply.
Accelerator opened his left eye and raised the respective eyebrow. "You always sound so sure of him," he remarked.
"I always have faith in Miyuki's ability to make decisions," the black-haired man replied. "After all, it was his, Shinomiya-san and Fujiwara-san's decision that pulled me out of my slump," he said with a fidgeting eyebrow. It seemed mentioning those old memories bothered him a little. "If it hadn't been for them deciding to look into my case, I'd have probably fell down some sort of metaphorical hole in my mentality."
"Well, I guess you have a point," Accelerator sighed.
With a few final movements, Ishigami let go of the tie, letting it fall into place; perfectly tied. "Alright, get ready. You've gotta make your speech soon."
Accelerator gave a short nod and began to start towards the door.
"Go kill it out there," Ishigami said those final words with a grin as he held up a fist.
Accelerator grinned in turn and raised his own fist.
One fist-bump later, the white-haired boy was out of the door.
A long dining table.
Many people sat there. It was, after all, the wedding feast, and the couple who were the stars of said wedding had no shortage of friends and acquaintances.
Shirogane Miyuki, clad in a simple but elegant white dress shirt, grey suit, black pants and gold tie, the color of which matched that of the Aiguilette he once wore, sat at the center of the table. His hair was noticeably combed back, giving him a more refined appearance than was usual.
Sitting next to him holding his hand was Shinomiya Kaguya; clad in a beautiful white wedding dress and vibrant red heels. Her hair was styled into a small bun, and the overjoyed, embarrassed smile on her face proved contagious as the others around her smiled widely as well.
"We shall now allow the best man to make his speech!"
Clapping resounded in the dining hall as someone stood up from their seat.
It was Accelerator.
Clearing his throat a little, he then spoke.
"...It's an odd thing," he began.
Confused looks and murmurs were seen and heard bouncing around the hall before he spoke again.
"You know, in high school, these two were absolutely fucking insufferable. Whenever they were in the same room, they'd always start something-whether a proposal to try some app, put on costumes, say this and that-and they were always focused on each other, like they were in the middle of some damn competition. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they thought the first person to confess would lose or some shit," the white-haired man said with a deadpan expression.
("THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING!")
("THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING!")
(A/N: Awwwww, the bride and groom thought the exact same thing. Ain't that cute.)
Many in the hall started to stare at Accelerator with strange or disgruntled expressions. After all, the vulgarity in his speech wasn't exactly befitting of a best man.
"But at the same time, they were strong."
There was a certain difference in how Accelerator said those words-a difference that prompted the audience's now undivided attention.
"...Or maybe, strong isn't the right way to put it. Different...or maybe bright? Well, I don't know what to fucking call it," he said with a lazy wave. "But whatever it was, there was something about these two that stood out to me. I could tell that they were people who were different in some way compared to others."
The two in question stared wide-eyed at him.
"I...didn't have the best start to my life," Accelerator said lamely. It seemed he wasn't quite sure how to phrase it without being too telling. "I spent a lot of my childhood in a place full of deceit, lies, and...shit that I don't think I should mention here," his voice grew somewhat quiet. "There were things that happened to me and things I did myself that I'm...not proud of, but...meeting them did a lot for me, I think. I hated it at first, but now that I look at it, I think I might've turned out a lot worse if not for them."
Soft-spoken words weren't a specialty for Accelerator, but for some reason now they flowed out of him as naturally as the water flow in a river.
"These two are irritating and can make you wanna bash your head into the damn wall, but they're also some of the best people I know. Shirogane over there is one of the most tenacious, determined bastards I've ever met, and Shinomiya seems like a heartless bitch at first but turned out to be one of the kindest people I know. You're two of the people who changed me into something beyond a piece of shit, and for that I thank them. So, on this day..."
Accelerator raised a hand into the air.
"Congratulations to you both, you absolute jackasses."
For a few moments, there was dead silence.
Then.
A clap.
"Pffft.." Shirogane chuckled as he clapped his hands together. "Seriously, you're the worst..."
A small clap then emitted from Shinomiya. "A vulgar way to put it, but appreciated nonetheless." However, the cold words did not match the mirthful smile on her face.
From then, claps began coming in full force throughout the room.
Ishigami Yuu.
Fujiwara Chika.
Iino Miko.
Shirogane Kei.
Maki Shijo.
Hayasaka Ai.
Mikado Shijo.
Tsubasa Tanuma.
Nagisa Kashiwagi.
Tsubame Koyasu.
Momo Ryuju.
Rei Onodera.
Kobachi Osaragi.
Adolphe Pescarolo.
So many people, all gathered in one hall, to celebrate two specific people.
Yet...
In the face of so many clapping for the most unprofessional best man speech ever made, Accelerator couldn't help but feel elated himself.
"I see your public speaking has not improved at all," Shinomiya said with a smile that did not match her words.
In a quiet garden outside the church, the newly wedded bride and groom stood with their best man. The outdoors afterparty was still going strong, but every now and then a break was required from the loud noise and dancing.
"Well, everyone seemed to like it, so maybe it never needed improving in the first place," Accelerator shot back.
"You have a way of making swear words sound moving," Shirogane laughed.
Accelerator just smirked. "It's natural talent."
Silence then fell over the three of them.
"...You'll be leaving soon, correct?" Shinomiya asked cautiously.
"...Yeah. For a long time, probably. There's a lot of loose ends I need to clean up." Accelerator said with a nod.
"When will you leave?"
"Now, actually. I rescheduled just for you two, you know."
"We're touched," Shirogane said with a satisfied smile. "I think all our old classmates were glad to see you too. Including a certain someone," he said as the smile became a smirk.
"How observant of you," Accelerator drawled sarcastically. "But don't get your hopes up. That's not an option I can consider right now."
The mood became solemn once again as Shinomiya spoke up, this time with a serious expression. "If you ever need our help, we're only a phone call away. The Shinomiya family owns a massive portion of the Japanese market and has their share of international connections as well, not to mention we now also have the backing of the Shijo's. Together, we could easily place corporate pressure on Academy City's partner corporations-even buy them out if we need to. Any company with connections to Academy City would come at a hefty cost for any normal company, but it would be pocket change to the Shinomiya group," she said, her expression becoming softer. "You don't have to face that abomination of a place alone."
However, Accelerator just waved a hand. "If I need you guys, rest assured I'll call-but I'm going to do everything I can to resolve it on my own. You two have a zaibatsu to run, and everything was my own problem to begin with; not to mention that some of the fucked-up shit in that city was through the fault of my own. I need to put everything I've got into solving it with my own two hands first."
They did not question it nor protest. They knew just how important this was to Accelerator.
Academy City.
It still stood strong, all 23 districts that totaled around two-thirds the area of Tokyo. He wasn't quite sure of everything that had happened in that widespread lab that treated its students like guinea pigs, but he was absolutely sure that there was someone there who was undergoing something they didn't ask for nor did they deserve.
Accelerator reached out a hand to the sky.
"I will overturn Academy City with my own two hands. I don't know everything that's going on over there, but I will find out-and I will give whoever is at the top a rude awakening from whatever fucked-up vision they have for that place."
"We're sure you will."
"If anyone can, it's you."
Accelerator retracted his hand from the sky, and turned to face his two good friends for the last time in what would be a long time.
"Good luck, you two."
"I believe you might need that more then us," Shinomiya said with a sad smile.
"Pffft. Me? I know it's been a while since we mentioned it, but did you forget?"
Accelerator gave a confident smirk as four cyclones formed on his back, raising him into the air.
To the two on the ground, it may have looked like an angel of tornadoes ascending to heaven.
"I'm Academy City's strongest damn esper."
And with that, he flew into the night-towards the place where he would fight through the next chapter of his life.
And here we are at the bottom!
Boy, this was so much fun to write. For a return chapter, this really put a lot of energy into me.
Now, to discuss.
Canonically within this fic, Accelerator is unable to feel love or attraction, and I decided to keep that consistent even with this omake-however, I got a comment on AO3 about potential love prospects for Accelerator, and it got me thinking a little. I'm not going to retcon what I've written and there will be no pairing for Accelerator in this fic, but I kinda wanted to throw something in here that referenced the possibility because I thought it would be a nice idea. Maybe I'll do a one-shot of it sometime in the future-dunno.
As for who it was that I was talking about, I'll leave that up to your imaginations.
On a side note, I'm writing this afterword after(haha get it?)the Kaguya season 3 finale dropped, and my god, I can die happy now. The season finale and the clock tower confession was absolutely everything I could've dreamed for in regards to an anime adaptation for that scene, so I kinda feel like Karen Kino right now with how much I'm fanboying. And yes, I'm a boy. Don't remember if I mentioned that already, but there's some author lore for you guys.
Normal chapters will return after this, I just really felt like writing something special to celebrate the Kaguya season 3 finale. Hope you guys enjoyed!
As always, if you have the time, feel free to leave a review that expresses any praise, criticism, or suggestions regarding the story; any and all feedback is appreciated and helps me make the next chapter a little better! I promise you, there isn't a single fanfic author out there that doesn't read all their reviews and comments.
Have a great day and stay safe!
-Cloak