Author's note: So, I did a stupid. When coming up with the name for Mark, i had forgotten that Mark Space was already a character. Call it damage control, but I'm changing Mark's name to James as to not have two Marks, since Birdway will be appearing in this story. That is all.
"YOMIKAWA! WORST SPIKED THE FUCKING COFFEE AGAIN!"
The albino teenager roared down the hallway. A voice responded from another room.
"We are running late as it is. Just get a can from the vending machine once we get there."
"If you're running late, then stop trying to drag me along with you."
"I already told you, you are not getting out of this."
Accelerator clicked his tounge before turning to the person responsible for making his already shitty morning even worse.
"So, not only am I being dragged along for this, but now I get no coffee. I bet you're fucking enjoying this."
"Misaka doesn't see the problem here. I think you're getting mad over nothing."
"You don't see the problem with putting alcohol in the fucking coffee?"
"Misaka abides by the notion that alcohol makes everything better. You should try it. Maybe it would help that attitude of yours, or maybe even give you some libido. Then again, Misaka is pretty sure no amount of alcohol can fix a lolicon."
"That's rich, coming from the person who would stick anything up there as long as it's solid."
"Oh? I'm pretty sure you count as a solid. Are you propositioning Misaka?" The girl in the pink ao dai made a seductive pose. "Misaka doesn't blame you. After all, Misaka does have quite the desirable bo-"
"I would rather gouge my own eyes out."
"Oh yeah, Misaka forgot about the whole 'lolicon' thing."
"If not wanting to fuck you is all it takes to be a lolicon, then anyone with any shred of sanity is a lolicon. Hell, the fact that you managed to create a situation where a sentence like that even remotely makes sense shows how much of a fucking dumbass you are."
"Come back to Misaka in another ten years after you've married that br-"
The glare Accelerator shot at her was enough to shut up even Worst.
A woman walked out of the hallway in gym clothes before speaking to the teenager.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Fuck off."
"I'll take that as a yes."
They walked towards the apartment door.
However…
"Wait! Says Misaka as Misaka rushes towards you!"
Accelerator turned his gaze towards the girl who looked around 10 years old.
"What do you want now?"
"I want a kiss on the head before you leave, says Misaka as Misaka hopes for a display of affection!"
Accelerator let out a sigh. He placed a hand on the girl's head a ruffled her hair for a few seconds. It was no kiss, but Last Order's smile suggested she was satisfied. He turned back to Yomikawa.
"If we wait any longer I'm not fucking going."
Yomikawa didn't respond, but opened the door and walked out with the boy following behind. The door shut, with no words being spoken except Worst muttering "lolicon" under her breath.
"I still don't know why you think this is a good fucking idea."
The two of them were in Yomikawa's car, headed to their destination.
"Look, I've had a teenager living under my roof for months now who isn't even going to school. It hurts my pride as a teacher."
"Your 'pride as a teacher'? That's the best you could come up with?"
Yomikawa only sighed.
"Despite what you think, you don't know everything."
"I know a hell of a lot more than that place could teach me."
"And what makes you say that?"
"I am the top ranked level 5. Do you know what that means? My brain has the ability to run circles around a fucking supercomputer. Retaining information is easy as hell for me. I would never go back to that fucking 'classroom', but we went much faster than the normal curriculum, and much further. This is a waste of time."
Yomikawa went silent for a moment. She couldn't exactly deny what he had said. Nevertheless, she continued.
"Regardless of whether you need the education or not, you need to get out of house. The only time you every leave is when you need something or Last Order wants to go somewhere. You're becoming a complete shut-in."
"So your solution to that is to have me locked in another building for six hours a day? You almost sound like those scientists."
"That isn't the point. I'm hoping you meet people, maybe open up a bit and actually develop a life outside of moping all the time."
"Are you fucking kidding me? You do know what those people out there think of me."
"Look, I know you don't have the best reputation, but I believe that not everyone is cruel enough to judge you for it without actually trying to know you."
"You're making a crucial mistake in assuming that reputation is wrong."
"I also believe you aren't as far gone as you think you are."
"Tch."
I swear, you cannot talk sense into this woman.
The car came to a stop in the staff parking lot. To nobody's surprise, Accelerator's first action was to get a can off coffee from the vending machine. He looked up at the building in front of him.
The top ranked esper is going to some random-ass school of level 0s. What the fuck is even with this city anymore.
Yomikawa had brought him here shortly after the reconstruction efforts finished to help set some things back up. He only now realized that she had actually done this so he would learn the layout. Ironically, this was a perfect example of why he didn't need to be here. He hadn't been in the hallways long, but he remembered the layout perfectly. He did not have a photographic memory like Index, but he rarely forgot information. He didn't need a teacher lecturing him and a pile of homework to remember a concept - a quick google seach and that concept would be with him for as long as he needed.
He was not lost on the irony of this and why he went by 'Accelerator' in the first place.
According to Yomikawa, his teacher was Komoe-sensei, that woman who looked like a preschooler. He had met her briefly when he first moved in with Yomikawa, but that was their only interaction.
What a pain.
He arrived in the hallway leading to her classroom. She seemed to notice him from the doorway before turning back to her class.
"Oh, I think the second transfer student is here!"
I almost prefer GROUP work to this.
Touma immediately recgonized the sound of that modernized cane. Panic quickly set in, and a chill went down his spine.
Touma rarely held grudges. If Accelerator ever needed him for something, or was in trouble, Touma wouldn't think twice about lending him a hand.
But he had a feeling Accelerator was not the same way. The last time they saw each other, Touma knocked him out with a rock before leaving him unconscious in Denmark. Granted, he only did so because he knew for a fact Academy City would pick him up shortly after, but it didn't exactly change what happened.
Touma was pretty sure their relationship was still better than "kill on sight," but he had no way of knowing this for a fact and could only hope that the school didn't get destroyed a second time.
The albino gave the class no attention. He simply walked in and gave his "introduction."
"Accelerator. Level 5. Where the hell do I sit."
In truth, he probably could have said absolutely nothing and it would have had a tremendous effect.
The seven level 5s were basically celebrities. However, not every one of them was well known outside of their esper title. Ask anyone about "Meltdowner," and they would instantly recgonize the #4. But ask about Shizuri Mugino, and many people would be clueless. This was often done on purpose, since multiple level 5s had worked for the dark side, so obscuring knowledge about them besides what was required for marketing was necessary.
But everyone knew the #1. His pale skin, white hair, red eyes, and icy gaze were iconic. Some people failed to recgonize him shortly after his injury, but once it had become public knowledge that the #1 needed a cane it ironically made him stand out even more.
But he also had a reputation as the city's #1 monster, who could kill anyone with a touch without a second thought. Those who tried to overtake him as strongest had their limbs destroyed with zero effort, his gaze showing no sympathy towards his victims.
In short, the class of level 0s had absolutely no idea how to react. They could only sit in stunned silence as the white monster stood among them.
"Oh, there are some open seats over there by Kamijou-chan!"
Kamijou
The moment that name left her mouth, the monster's body visibly stiffened. The tension in the classroom shot up to an 11.
Accelerator turned his gaze towards where she was pointing. Sure enough, a spiky haired boy sat waving.
"H-Hi Accelerator!"
His attempt at sounding cheery would have been much more convincing had his face not looked like he just stepped out of swimming pool.
Accelerator's hand clutched into a fist.
The class tensed up. They had heard the rumors of what the #1 could do. While the idea that some random level 0 in their class knew the #1 was highly unlikely, the idea that Touma had beef with the #1 was actually quite probable given his infamous misfortune.
The longest 5 seconds in the history of 5 seconds passed…
And Accelerator unclenched his fist, his body loosening up.
"Yo."
The entire class gave a collective sigh of relief as the tension seemed to settle down. The last thing they needed was the school being destroyed for a second time.
And then…
"AAACCEEEEL-SAAAN!"
"You have got to be fucking kidding me."
The sunglasses idiot had returned.
He unhesitatingly walked over to the albino, and threw his arm around his shoulders.
"Don't act like we're friends, you bastard."
"How's it been, nyah? I haven't seen you in forever! I hope you didn't forget me nyah!"
"Believe me, I fucking tried."
"Aww, you couldn't forget me, I'm flattered! Anyways, welcome to our humble classroom!"
"You guys...know each other?" Touma asked in shock.
"We go way back! He helped me with some work, didn't you nyah?"
"Go fuck yourself."
Work
It was a word with dark connotations. Accelerator and Tsuchimikado both knew what he was talking about. GROUP. The organization that once resided deep within the depravity of Academy City's dark side. Touma never knew about GROUP. However, between the level 6 shift project involving Accelerator, the second level 6 shift project involving Mikoto, and the Agitate Halation project, he was more than aware of the dark side's existence, so he understood the implication, though vaguely.
Tsuchimikado practically dragged Accelerator across the room before almost throwing the albino in the seat in front of him.
"Welcome to the Delta Force! Here we discuss all fetishes of all genres nyah! It doesn't matter how niche or unusual, here you are free to discuss any sexua- OOF!"
Tsuchimikado had been forcefully stopped by Fukiyose driving her fist into his stomach. Accelerator had no response to this, as he was too busy thinking of all the different ways to kill Yomikawa when this was all over.
Touma felt James get up close to his ear.
"I think you jinxed it…"
"Such Misfortune."
After Accelerator had sat down, the class went on surprisingly normal. James had seemingly fit in well with the delta force, while Accelerator was quite good at completely ignoring them.
There was just one problem.
"Come on Kami-yan! You can't just ignore the question! It is your duty as fellow pevert to answer nyah!"
Due to Touma's earlier comment, the discussion about whether catgirls or bunny girls were better had started back up. At least, until someone (Touma couldn't even remember who) made a comment about how the #5 would look good in a bunny suit, and someone else retorted that the #3 would look good in a catgirl maid outfit. The discussion about catgirl maid #3 vs bunny girl #5 went on for a bit, before devolving into just the #3 vs the #5 in terms of sexual appeal. And then someone else brought up how the #4 was also female, and eventually they decided to just hold a vote as to whether the #3, #4, or #5 would be the prime candidate to sleep with.
Tsuchimikado chose the #3, something about having the best "little sister" appeal.
James went with the #4, something about being the most conventionally attractive.
Aogami went with the #5, something about big-breasted lolis being an underrated genre.
This meant they needed a tiebreaker, which was naturally decided to be Touma, even though he had tuned out the conversation long before it got to this point.
"Let's be honest, the Kami-yan disease is at least level 6. He would just infect them all and go for the harem route."
"Yeah, but that's no fun. We gotta make him pick one."
"Come on Kami-yan! We need your vote to settle this debate nyah!"
He had no choice but to answer. And that meant he had to put thought into it.
He wasn't even gonna consider the #3. If he expressed any desire to even hypothetically sleep with Mikoto, she would somehow overhear him from across the entire city and chase him for an entire week while shouting insults and calling him a pervert.
He had never met the #4 personally, though he had seen her before, such as during the St. Germain incident. That being said, he was rather close to her roommate, and had multiple times received texts at midnight from Hamazura stating that Mugino had gotten mad again and had blown something else up.
That left the #5…
The #5…
…
I don't know anything about the #5! I think I heard somewhere that they had a mental ability, but that doesn't help at all here!
His choices were to feel the full tsun of the tsundere, a complete psychopath, or take a complete shot in the dark.
He made his choice.
"The #5."
"HA!"
The mocking laugh hadn't come from Aogami, despite having been the winner of the debate. In fact, it hadn't come from the delta force at all.
It came from the albino sitting in front of them.
"If the third ranked heard you say that, she would have your fucking head."
"What?! No! I just said I wouldn't sleep with her! If anything, it shows how unpervered I am! Does she just hate me that much?! Will she find any excuse to make me suffer?!"
Accelerator rarely showed any emotion.
When he did, it was often sadastic glee in the middle of battle, although even that hadn't shown up in a while.
But when the spiky haired level 0 said those words, he was legitimately dumbfounded.
THIS is the idiot who beat me three fucking times?!
Accelerator and Mikoto were not on good terms. However, that had not stopped Accelerator from observing her at Hawaii. He saw how she looked at that boy, and Worst had told them about their stop at Cupid Arrow.
If Touma had not slipped away from the group to run off to Baggage City, Accelerator truly believed Mikoto would have had her way with him right there on the airplane.
However, it was becoming increasingly obvious that there was a fatal flaw in that hypothesis. Even if Mikoto had dragged him into the bathroom, made out with him, and tore off his pants, he would still have had no idea what she was trying to do. That was just how incredibly dense that boy was when it came to anything even remotely related to romance.
"You're an absolute moron."
And with that, Accelerator left Touma to dwell in his own confusion and went back to ignoring the group.
"Onee-sama? What's wrong? You're cracking your knuckles quite aggressively, and your hair is sparking!"
"Oh, it's nothing, I just have a sudden urge to beat up that idiot."
Meanwhile, a few tables down:
"My Queen? What's the matter? Your face is all red!"
"Oh, nothing. I just feel like something very good has happened "
"I don't care what the rest of you say, nyah. The #3 is the only one who could fill the role of a tsundere maid little sister!"
"You're only saying that because she's flat."
Touma had finally gotten annoyed. "Can we just change the topic already?"
"I suppose you're right, nyah." The sunglasses idiot turned to look the spiky hair idiot in the eye. "I mean, after all, it isn't like any of us actually have a chance with any of them, right?"
It happened for a brief moment.
For less than one twentieth of a second, the question entered Touma's mind about whether or not he could actually have a chance with the #3…
"You're right, they're all way too far out of our league."
...And the thought was immediately rejected. The idea that he would ever have a chance with Misaka Mikoto was far too ridiculous for him to seriously consider.
"...Onee-sama? you've been staring at that map for a while now. Are you looking for someplace particular?"
"Oh, nothing. I just need a good place to hide a body."
Accelerator's ability was Vector Manipulation. At the most basic level, he could manipulate the magnitude and direction of anything he came in contact with.
But Accelerator was a level 5. His ability went well past the most basic level. And the best example of this was his reflection. Anything that came in contact with the boy's AIM diffusion field was run by a short whitelist of things necessary for survival. If said thing was not on that list, it's direction would have a negative sign thrown on it and it would fly in the opposite direction in which it came. In other words, it was reflected. And this was a completely automated process for him.
This reflection was best known for having people shoot themselves with their own bullets, or people breaking their own wrists as they tried to punch the #1. But there was another, unseen element to his reflection. Ultraviolet rays and other potentially harmful things invisible to the naked eye were also reflected 24/7. Normally, the human body would develop skin pigmentation to protect against these threats, but since Accelerator's reflection did the job for him, his body stopped producing these natural defenses, giving him his signature albino look.
But that had another side effect. His horomones were horribly imbalanced. On a surface level, he had a somewhat androgynous appearance. But it also had an internal effect. Namely, his reproductive instincts.
To be blunt, Accelerator seemingly lacked a sex drive. Nobody was quite sure exactly how weak it was, but the people around him knew that it was anywhere from pathetically weak to quite literally nonexistent. He could walk through a room full of nude, horny women, and he would be more focused on whatever brand of coffee he was drinking. Accelerator himself considered this a positive. Lacking sexual desire made it easier to tune out others and avoid emotional bonds.
But right now, it was posing a problem.
"Come on Accel-san, I know you have some fetishes nyah!"
That sunglasses idiot was determined to find out what made that albino boy tick. Something that very well may not have existed in the first place.
"There's no shame in sharing them with us! We are welcoming to any and all possible- UGH!"
The Iron Wall girl had once more arranged the marriage ceremony between her fist and the sunglasses idiot's stomach.
"Do you idiots ever know when to shut up?!"
Once the final bell rang, Accelerator seemimgly vanished. He didn't have to use his powers for this - it was a skill he learned from his time in the dark side. Tsuchimikado had to go to god-knows-where, and neither Aogami or James went in the same direction as Touma, leaving him to walk alone per usual. And then death reared its ugly head.
"Where do you think you're going, idiot."
Touma froze, and nervously tuned around. A dark aura was radiating off the chestnut-haired middle schooler.
"B-Biribiri? What are you doing here?"
"My sixth sense told me you said something stupid again."
"W-Wait! I swear I said the least-stupid thing in that situation! Please stop looking at me like that while cracking your knuckles! AH! Stop trying to zap me! Such Misfortune!"
Touma was forced to run the rest of the way home. He truly didn't understand why.
"Yeah, I came in contact with it. I shook his hand. Man, Imagine Breaker is one hell of a power. It had this wierd shock to it. Though, that probably wasn't Imagine Breaker itself, just my passive thermal shield deactivating and me feeling cold for the first time in over 6 years."
The blonde haired, blue eyed boy was leaning against the wall of an alleyway with a phone to his ear.
"There is no other power like it. That boy's right hand is truly special. What do you think of the boy himself?"
"He seems like a good guy, which isn't much of a surprise. Honestly, I feel pretty bad that he's had to go through so much. And we probably don't even know a fraction of what he's been through."
"That is simply the life of someone who wishes to help others. He places their burdens on top of his own. Yet that boy still manages to stand up against impossible odds. He has proven himself time and time again to be a benefit to society. I am sure you will get along well."
"I hope so. Though, I feel a bit...scared."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Those around him seem to have a tendency to end up involved with the other side…the occult. If I do too, I'll be going in blind. We know almost nothing about the occult outside of the fact it exists."
"That is understandable. Fear is a natural part of being human. If you want to give up on this, that is your choice. But I know for a fact that you will not. That fear will not be enough to make you back down."
"Oh? And what makes you think that?"
"We may not be biologically related, but I took you under my wing when you were young. I raised you for the past ten years, and I have observed your behavior. Blood does not matter, you are just as much of a Kihara as I am. And that means that you will not stop when you desire something. If you want to understand the Imagine Breaker on a personal level, you will do so regardless of the risks. And that is what makes me proud."
The boy formed a small smile.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Do you understand your task?
The man in the dark green robes spoke to the man kneeling in front of him.
He was a man whose body was covered in muscles. He wore a black tank top, and faded camouflage pants from a military outfit. His right arm was metal, and the bottom half of his scarred head was covered by a high tech mask that assisted his breathing.
He was a man believed to be dead.
He was one of fewer than 20 saints in the world.
But he was different than the rest.
When he was on the brink of death, he turned to the greatest taboo among users of magic: science.
What he had become could only be considered a monster. His body was augumented, reinforced. The fact that he managed to keep his traits as a saint was a miracle. He was an abomination of both magic and science.
That monster looked up at the man in the green robes.
"As you wish. I will return with the artifact."