Quick thing: thanks, Fateion, for following, both this piece and A Certain Strange Scenario! It's great to have you on board. Thanks, Karlos1234ify for following and favoriting! I'm very grateful for your support! Thanks, nothost, for favoriting! Welcome aboard! Thanks, RoguishNinja500 for following and favoriting! It's great to have you along for the ride! Also, thanks, for following and favoriting a Certain Strange Scenario!
Without further ado, let's get into response time! I can't wait to see what you lovely people have to say. Of course, those of you who choose to silently follow along, instead, are just as lovely.
321jaz: it's chappy time again! We all know exactly what that means. So, let's get into what we do, around this time.
Who knows just how many "Diseases" there are? So far, only "Kamisato Disease", which appears to be an interesting variant of "Kami Disease" and "Kami Disease" itself have been discovered, but, there could easily be many more. Uho hoi! You indeed sound like you might be coming down with something. Maybe you should get some rest, friend, or visit a doctor! A certain frog-faced doctor, even!
You have the right idea. Given that this piece's events take place in an alternate timeline, I think I can take some liberties, and introduce divergences from Kamachi-sensei's wonderful prime canon. Your suggestion, regardless, is very much appreciated! I welcome any other words of advice you could impart. Of course, only do so if you feel the desire to do so.
Some things never do change, even when one timeline diverges from another. We could go into the talk of nexus points, and how timelines can even converge, very temporarily, allowing for things to be messed up, and for things that shouldn't be seen to become visible; but that's another story for another day.
Musujime Awaki will have her time to shine. It's a matter of where, and when, such a moment will present itself. We've seen her lover, so Awaki herself might not be too far off!
We just might! Moose Knight is one of many types of Canadian-brewed lager (in-universe; as far as I'm aware, there's no such thing as "Moose Knight lager" in our real life), and, one of many types of Canadian-produced products available in the City of Science. Keep an eye out! You might just see more!
Shhhh. We'll pretend you never said that. Everything should be good, so long as he didn't hear.
On the final leg, we are, indeed; worry not, it will inevitably come up in discussion, among our characters. As always, time reveals all things.
And, as always, I'm glad to know that I'm able to consistently gain your approval! I hope to be able to continually do so, through subsequent chapters.
Whwsms: we are, for the moment, in a bit of a cooldown period; don't fret, though, friend. Following the conclusion of the Surfacing Arc, and the beginning of the arc that will succeed it, we'll be seeing a lot more juicy, sugary lemonade, though, the focus will be on another family, one which has already been introduced, however briefly. The proceeding arc won't be too far away at all. You're entirely correct; sometimes, it's nice to slow these things down, so everything doesn't go too fast.
I'm glad to know that you're enjoying about the interactions between Floris, and Kamisato Kakeru as much as I'm enjoying writing about them! I guess it was just the right thing to do. If Kakeru's "endgame" goal is, indeed, to "get it on" with Floris, it would only make sense to be honest about his Faction, and the goings on within. Generally, unless one is a skilled manipulator, one will eventually end up becoming tangled in their own web of lies, should they constantly utter them.
It really would've been. The question I have is, where would such a thing go, and how would it affect the denizens of the "Ideal World" it would be "banished" to?
You're not wrong; you're quite warm, in fact. You're nearly there. You've already solved part of the puzzle, but, there's a bit more to it than that. A lot more, in fact. As always, time will tell, and unveil the truth.
Your thoughts on the matter regarding the potential romantic inclinations of Kamachi's prime canon's Kamijou Touma were a very interesting, and enlightening read. Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Aogami Pierce, for all intents and purposes, seem to just be messing with their friend, and aren't to be taken seriously.
You could've very well opened the floodgates there. Thankfully, it seems that shipping wars haven't broken out, at least in the review section of this piece, so, I think it's fair to say that we're off the hook.
Again, you're correct. The only real difference between the distant past of this piece's timeline, and the recent past of the timeline of Kamachi-sensei's prime canon is the fact that, in the distant past of this piece's timeline, Shokuhou Misaki was present, as a close friend of Kamijou Touma's, when he had his first fateful encounter with the hungry, oddly-dressed girl who'd ended up on his balcony's railing. It very well could've been a source of reasoning behind Touma's formerly repressed sexuality. As you stated, however, in the present, Touma is a married man, free to explore the Infinite Possibility(ies) of sexual interactions with his adoring, fully consenting wife.
The possibility of Mugino Shizuri interacting with the firstborn son of the Hamazuras is, surprisingly, quite good. The Mugino Shizuri of this timeline's present is quite the changed woman.
As always, it's great to know that I'm able to continually gain your approval! I hope to be able to continue to do so, through subsequent chapters.
Anon: whwsms' review was comprehensive, wasn't it? I'm glad you've decided to share something, with us, regardless, friend!
Such a thing could very well still be possible. The currents of time are fast and many. Some even converge, for the briefest of moments. Keep hope alive!
That she will. Kumokawa Seria, Academy City's Supreme Superintendent will be making quite the triumphant appearance, soon enough.
As always, I'm glad to know that I'm able to gain your approval! I hope to be able to continually do so, through subsequent chapters!
Guest: Ayu will be introduced soon enough. This I can promise.
A decision had been made. Accelerator, and the tiny former Magic God patiently waited, as Kamijou Misaki produced her phone, and began dialling Index's number, tapping her fingers over the tempered glass touchscreen of the device. Once the number was dialled, Misaki raised her phone to her left ear, and rubbed her shoulder against her husband's, affectionately.
From within her purse, Index's phone's ringtone played, loud and clear, once Misaki's phone managed to successfully connect the call. It was anything but the fluffy, easily-consumed pop tune that the married couple, as well as Academy City's "top dog" and the former Magic God had expected.
The piece's rhyming lyrics, in English, were rapidly spoken, rather than sung. The rhymed words were layered over a simple, repeating beat, consisting of synthetic sounds resembling the clapping of hands, an instrument no one among the quartet could put a name to, and a steady, constant drum beat, also synthetic-sounding.
Misaki lowered her head, and giggled, at the mention of the forbidden "F word". The rhyming speaker was apparently angry about something, as his deep, identifiably male voice was practically dripping with barely-contained fury. Referring to the female population, apparently of the entire globe, as "bitches", the speaker proceeded to inform the audience, while rhyming, about how, exactly, he was going to forcibly engage in coitus with their respective female partners.
Misaki's facial expression curled into one of disgust. Shaking her head, the young woman muttered to herself; under her breath, she spoke words of disapproval.
"What in the world has Index even been listening to?" Touma inquired, shaking his head. Passersby were looking, some shaking their heads in disapproval, others seemingly unconcerned, only sparing the quartet the briefest of glances. "What kind of music is this? Is this even music? Does this even count as actual music? It's just someone talking."
"It's called Hip Hop, hero," Accelerator pointed out. "You can't tell me you've never listened to Hip Hop before. I won't fucking believe it. I've even listened to this shit. Not by my own volition, but, whatever."
Misaki halted the call, bringing the aggressively-rhymed speaking, and the odd, dark-sounding music beneath to a standstill, and proceeded to dial Last Order's number, instead. Repeating the same actions that she'd performed, previously, Kamijou Misaki again raised her phone to her left ear, and patiently awaited an answer, as her phone attempted to connected the call.
Upon succeeding, a soft, buzz-like ringing was produced, for some moments, before the call was connected. Following a singular, loud click, Misaki could hear what sounded like the same 'music' played previously, but, lacking the spoken, aggressively-rhymed words delivered by the deep-voiced individual, along with Index's own desperately failing attempts at karaoke.
"I-I'm g-gonna f-fuck your BITCH! Swag, swag, swag!"
The nun's voice was unstable, cracking repeatedly, and, she was perpetually giggling, occasionally breaking down into vaguely hyena-like laughter during her attempts at karaoke. Misaki could hear Last Order's giggling, as well, though the clone's giggling was much closer to the device on the other end than Index's was.
"Hi, Second Savior! How's it going? Are you and First Savior enjoying yourselves? How is Accelerator, and the Redeemed One, MISAKA MISAKA inquires, completely aware of, but unconcerned by the knowledge that she is rudely intruding on the business of others!"
Last Order's vocalizations were loud, and awkward, as if they were dribbling from her lips; they were so loud, in fact, that even Accelerator, sitting upon the next bench over from the married couple could hear her, a look of concern on his face. He'd whipped his head in the Mental Out user's direction, his right eye's eyebrow raised.
"You are never intruding, Last Order," Misaki remarked, softly. "You are family, after all. We thought that we would check up on you two, and learn of what you are getting yourselves up to. You sound… intoxicated. Have you two been drinking?"
Misaki giggled, as she looked downwards, to her feet. The young woman blushed, as her husband chuckled, and shook his head. Accelerator, leaning forward, head still tilted to his right, seemed to be less amused.
"My, my; you are both such delinquents. Engaging in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. You sound like you are absolutely plastered, Last Order."
"MISAKA is trashed, MISAKA MISAKA confirms, knowing that she's going to come to regret her juvenile actions in the morning to follow," Last Order remarked, barely able to control the volume of her voice. "MISAKA's dear friend, Index, is also strung out, she's trying to rap along to the lyrics of "I'mma Fuck Your Bitch Swag Out", but she's failing miserably, MISAKA MISAKA explains, secretly mocking her dear friend's vocal performance."
"I'd like to see you do better, bitch! I have a voice that sounds like the chorus of a thousand angels! You want singing? I'll show you singing!" Index exclaimed; on Misaki's end of the line, a loud crash, followed by a series of thumps could be heard. On the opposite end, Index had stumbled over, tripping over the wire of microphone, which was plugged into the headphone jack of Last Order's tablet. Her body had hit the floor, her face facing downwards. She was giggling loudly. Index rolled over, onto her back, as her giggling only increased in volume.
"You sound like you are having fun; but try not to drink too much. It is unhealthy for your liver. We will see you later tonight. Have fun, Last Order, and, you too, Index! Behave yourselves, as best as you can!"
On the other end of the line, Last Order nodded her head sagely, as Index managed to stagger towards Last Order's bed, which she proceeded to fall back onto. The nun's face was as red as the outer layer of a beet.
"MISAKA greatly respects Second Savior's health-related advice! MISAKA is done drinking, for tonight, and MISAKA is fairly sure that her dear friend is done, as well. MISAKA's dear friend can barely stand up straight, MISAKA MISAKA explains, attempting to reassure Second Savior, and therefore First Savior and Accelerator as well. Bye!"
The call was ended; Misaki placed her own phone back into her purse, next to the phone that belonged to Kamijou Index. The young woman looked from her left, towards Accelerator, and Othinus, and then to her right, towards her husband, Kamijou Touma, who tilted his head to one side, and grinned.
"The Butchery" it is, then?" Kamijou Misaki inquired.
"I'm game," Touma responded, clasping his hands, and leaning forward in his seat. He rolled his shoulders, and produced a pleasured groan, as he stretched the muscles within. His spine silently cried out in relief, as he removed his back from the backrest of the bench, which was beginning to cause him to experience soreness.
Accelerator clicked his tongue. Othinus had clambered up, onto his right shoulder, where she'd perched herself. Gripping onto his shirt, with her tiny left hand's fingers, she seemed to be in deep thought. "Whatever. I guess I'm there."
"Othi-chan? How're you feeling? Tired, or, up for some more adventure?" Touma asked, curiously. The tiny, former Magic God seemed to be suddenly snapped out of her musings, as she smiled, looking in the direction of her "jailer".
"I could certainly go for more "adventure", as you put it," Othinus remarked. "I'm slowly becoming more and more curious as to the outward appearance of this "Butchery".
Touma grinned, as he rose from the bench, stretching his arms outwards. Misaki rose with him, still hand in hand, her left arm being raised along with his right. "Then it's decided!"
That action brought a lot of memories rushing back to the mind of Academy City's "top dog". Accelerator couldn't help but think back, his mind travelling backwards in time, as he froze up, in the present. The arm of Kamijou Touma, and the arm of Kamijou Misaki raised, upwards, as if challenging the very sky itself to stand against them; it reminded him of the hectic, chaotic first seconds of the Battle for the Windowless Building, that had followed the conclusion of that same action, five years prior.
Cries had nearly punctured the eardrums of Academy City's "top dog". In the present, Accelerator could still hear them, as if their echoes never truly left his mind. Cries of anger, cries of grief, savage cries of hatred; all had been battle-cries, nonetheless, each of the cries' utterers just, and righteous, in their shared belief; the belief that Aleister Crowley, the faceless 'thing' dwelling within the towering Windowless Building had to die, no matter the cost. The diverse members of the Academy City Liberation Legion had cried out as one.
There was no overcast, with rays of sunlight beaming downwards, between the clouds; it wasn't even daytime, in the present, like it'd been on that day, but it was enough to make Academy City's "top dog" think deeply about the past, and the many prices paid for their freedom.
Sure, the married couple's facial expressions were jovial, in the present, when, on that day, five years ago, their facial expressions had been twisted into scowls of righteous anger, and a deep, boiling hatred, directed towards the towering Windowless Building, and the demon that dwelled within; but the action was almost completely identical. Accelerator found himself shuddering, slightly, an involuntary action which Othinus was more than vaguely aware of.
Accelerator sighed, as he rose, fully, abandoning his seat on the bench. Quickly, a group of youths took his place, laying siege to the bench, and tossing themselves onto it. The bench groaned, and creaked, its frame practically crying out in terror at the extreme stress placed on it.
Exiting the cottage-like structure, the married couple, hand in hand, was followed by Accelerator, and Othinus, who remained perched upon his shoulder. The quartet retraced their steps, moving away from the wooden structure, and the lift cars that continued to travel through the air, suspended on the long, winding trail of tightrope.
Kamijou Touma and Kamijou Misaki could only look up, and see a car they believed had been theirs; each individual car's exterior looked quite similar to the other, and, as such, it was nearly impossible for the married couple to identify the car that had been theirs; they tried anyway, no matter how vain the attempt was.
Kamijou Touma and Kamijou Misaki were smiling quite guiltily at one another; Academy City's "top dog" and the tiny, former Magic God could only guess what the couple was thinking about. Their respective guesses weren't incorrect, technically speaking.
Othinus silently grieved for the unsuspecting individuals who'd entered the same car that her "jailers" had been in. Hopefully, they wouldn't step in anything. Her tiny stomach churned, as she tried to distract herself from the disgusting, internal musings.
After some time, in which the quartet successfully retracted their steps, and found themselves at the ramparts, which acted as walls, sealing the "the Hub's" city in, as if it was an Academy City of its own, within Academy City, they passed between the frontal ramparts, like they were willingly entering the gaping maw of some hungry, salivating thing.
As the quartet passed between the entranceway, situated in the exact middle of either rampart, Kamijou Misaki found herself looking upwards. The ramparts, though nowhere near as tall as the gates at the entrance of "the Grand Kingdom", were tall enough to be intimidating. Their individual bricks looked to have been shined to the point of perfection; obsession, even. In Misaki's mind's eye, she could see some unfortunate worker buffing each brick, with some sort of rapidly-spinning machine, in either of his hands.
Strangely, to the young woman, at least, Misaki began to concern herself about the prospect of the ramparts crashing downwards, bringing great catastrophe to "the Grand Kingdom", and those within. Silently, she began to pick up her pace, as Kamijou Touma adapted, slightly confused, but loyally following behind his wife, nonetheless.
Beyond the ramparts, the sights of "the Hub's" city was even more impressive, somehow. The neon lights, which the married couple had been bathed in, during their experience in the car lift were closer than ever before. Signs, windows, neon light fixtures were even wrapped around the frames of metallic doors, leading into all sorts of different structures, each serving different purposes.
The walkways of "the Hub's" city were lightly colored, a shade of light brown, made up of what must've been millions of bricks, each set next to one another, forming the walkways' rectangular shapes.
There were structures of all sizes, mostly sharing a similar shape. Fairy tale facades lined the streets, little cottages, and little "ye olde"-styled structures, constructed of brown-colored bricks, covered by roofing made up of brightly-colored shingles; hues of orange, yellows, greens, blues, and even purples were visible. Their doors were constructed of wood, or, possibly, a metallic substance which had been painted to resemble wood. Their windows were round, resembling the portholes of a ship, surrounded by wood-styled, circular frames.
There was the occasional oddly placed great, towering skyscraper, each of which rose, high above the other structures of "the Hub's" city; they stood out from the fairy tale theme of "the Hub's" city, looking similar to the architecture that would be found in Academy City proper.
Some were dark, and others were light in coloration, their windows light silver, and apparently tinted, so that nothing of the inside could be seen, from the outside. What purpose these sky-scraping structures could have possibly served was lost, on the quartet, who could only take their respective turns at internally guessing.
Though the fairy tale-esque structures of "the Hub's" city were ornate, their shapes were fairly limited. There were those that were rectangular, in shape, while, in addition, there were also those that were smaller, and square-shaped, instead. On the left of the quartet, and on their right, there were structures, and other pedestrians everywhere. Flooding in, and flooding out of structures, there were far, far too many people.
Accelerator removed the tiny, former Magic God from his shoulder, causing her to squeak in terror, and placed her upon the left shoulder of Kamijou Touma, before he proceeded to flip his choker on, and reflected the hustling, and the loud noises produced by the crowds away from him with his ability, wordlessly complaining, by grunting all the while.
The married couple, with Othinus on Touma's shoulder weaved between groups of individuals of all ages, genders, heights, weights and skin colors. Othinus clung to the shoulder of her "jailer" for dear life, squeaking in fear whenever someone came too close to her, subsequently invading her comfort zone. Misaki silently wished she'd brought her remote along, so that she could've possibly directed some of the crowds away from her and her husband. Quickly, however, Kamijou Misaki shook her head, as if to physically cast the thought of doing such a thing away.
Eventually, after some time had passed, in which the married couple had dodged many an aloof, and inattentive passerby, and many an aloof, inattentive passerby became quite attentive, upon seeing Accelerator walking towards them, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, the quartet came to something of an intersection.
The walkway diverged in four directions; to the north, the walkway continued into an area that seemed to house something of an entertainment venue. In the distance, a great, semicircular bowl could be seen. Baby blue, in coloration, it rose above the other structures, its round top reaching nearly as high as some of the skyscrapers. Kamijou Misaki internally likened the structure's shape to that of a clamshell, which had opened. The "pearl" within was no literal jewel, but, rather, it was a large, metallic stage, which was elevated by a series of crisscrossing, dark-colored metallic bars.
Dark in coloration, what could be seen of the stage was impressive. It looked to be wide, and large, easily able to hold more than once performance at a time, by its appearance. Finer details couldn't quite be made out by the young woman's eyes, even when she squinted.
Some far ways down the western walkway, which was flanked by more rectangular, and square-shaped structures, there was what appeared to be a large stadium, of some type, at the walkway's end, from which crowds flooded in, and flooded out. The outermost wall of the structure was visible. Light silver, in coloration, it looked to be constructed of some type of shining, reflective plastic, rather than any sort of metallic substance.
Beneath the glowing, synthetic light provided by "the Hub's" city's streetlamps, as well as from the lights on the exterior of "the Hub's" city's structures, the outer walls of the stadium-like structure reflected golden, and white-colored amorphous blobs.
Seemingly, it was a modern variant of the ancient Roman Colosseum, complete with adaptations of the original's semicircular 'windows'. The married couple both silently assumed that, on each side of the structure's 'floors', these 'windows' were present. Presumably, there were many circular rows of seats, within the stadium, from where activities of some type would be observed. Touma, for a moment's time, wondered if there was any sort of pseudo-gladiatorial activities that were taking place.
Down the eastern walkway, there was little of note to be seen. It seemed, from the respective perspectives of the quartet's individual members, that the eastern walkway ended in another intersection. The walkway was flanked on either side by more buildings, most of which seemed to be tourist traps, one of which advertised that it contained "the remains of REAL Nephilim giants! Never before seen, UNEXPLAINABLE by SCIENCE!"
"So, where to?" Touma inquired. He, with the tiny, former Magic God, Othinus perched on his shoulder, and Kamijou Misaki quickly made their way off to the side, next to one of "the Hub's" city's many tourist traps, on the threshold of the eastern walkway.
Academy City's "top dog", Accelerator, was considerably less swift, in his movements. Those who crossed him weren't about to bump into him. Rather, instead of going anywhere near him, they avoided him, not like he was a plague victim but, rather, like he was a plague itself. Accelerator seemed, outwardly, to enjoy the attention.
He grinned, maliciously, at passersby, causing "the Hub's" city's crowds to further gravitate away from him. Eventually, he'd meandered his way over to the side of the tourist trap, and leaned himself up against the wall, a few feet away from the married couple, and Othinus. Removing either of his hands from his pockets, Accelerator folded his arms, across his chest.
"North, and west aren't where we want to go," Accelerator stated, firmly. "I don't know what the fuck is east. I didn't see anything. We somehow fuck up, and go the wrong way? Guess we could backtrack, but, I don't know. Too many dumbass twists and turns."
Touma had turned around, with the intention of seeking his wife's council; she'd already seemed to have figured something out that he hadn't, a fact which hardly surprised her husband. Her starry, golden eyes looked up at a large road sign. Mounted atop a long, wooden pole, it was made up of four individuals arrows; one pointed upwards, another downwards, one to the left, and one to the right. Elongated, and dark green in coloration, the arrows were bordered by white trim, which looked to have been worn, and weathered by the elements.
Each of the green-colored arrows were covered in a variety of written languages. White, in coloration, the many different languages mixed quite effectively with one another. They were carved into the signs' surfaces in an ornate, and italicised fashion. English text, simplified Chinese characters, characters originating from multiple Japanese dialects, French and Spanish text, and an odd, vaguely runic-looking written language, which no one among the quartet could discern the meaning, or origin of.
The text written upon the arrow that pointed to the north spoke of of "the Emperor's Bowl", which, apparently, was the name of the large venue in the north of "the Hub's" city. Beneath that text, more text explained that another location, known as "the Den of Debauchery", was located beyond "the Emperor's Bowl", but was intended for "mature (20 YRS PLUS) parkgoers only".
The text written upon the arrow that pointed to the west spoke of "the Staging Grounds of Destiny", which was, more than likely, the name of the modern variant of the Roman Colosseum. Beneath that text, more text spoke of an area known as "the Halls of the Feast", which must've been behind, or perhaps beyond the Roman Colosseum's modern variant.
The text written upon the arrow that pointed to the east spoke of exactly what the quartet was searching for.
"Travellers' Haunt" was apparently the name used to refer to the long stretch of tourist traps. Beneath the text that spoke of "Travellers' Haunt", was text that looked completely different from what was printed above it, and on the other signs.
Rather than being white in coloration, and ornately-styled, the text was colored bright red, and, from the individual characters that made up each word, what appeared to be globs of crimson lifeblood dripped. "The Butchery (mature (20 YRS PLUS) parkgoers only", the text read.
"Nice find, beautiful," Touma complimented. "Didn't even see that myself. Goes to show how much attention I pay to my surroundings, eh? Good thing I've got you here. Don't know what I'd do without you."
Kamijou Misaki blushed, as her husband wrapped his right arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close to him. The warmth his body caused the young woman's lips to curl, upwards, into a smile. She placed either of her arms around her husband's waist, and snuggled close to him. "Thank you, handsome. I do not know what I would do without you, either."
The married couple, and Othinus, followed by Accelerator left the sign behind, moving away from the side of the structure which they'd pressed themselves against, and beginning to walk down the easternmost walkway.
Within their first twenty feet, the quartet was bombarded by advertisements; enormous, flashing billboards, some of which played live, perpetually-moving, apparently infinitely-looping animations, others which displayed static images, and advertisements delivered the "old-fashioned way", by simple signs, which had been set out in front of some tourist traps were among the vehicles used by advertisers. While most were mounted onto the surfaces of structures, some were elevated by metallic poles, rising high into the air, and dousing the darkened night sky in their flashing, or, alternatively, static colors.
One tourist trap, which the quartet passed by, appeared to have been built to resemble a lodge, of some type. It was quite the spacey structure, at least fifteen, or twenty meters in its total length. There were a few meters' worth of space between it, and the other, unrelated tourist traps on either side of it. Its roofing, which was made up of dark-colored shingles was slanted, both of its sides meeting at a central point, which rose some few feet into the air.
Constructed from dark, brown-colored shingles, the roof sat atop the outer walls of the lodge, which were a lighter shade of brown, and constructed of what appeared to be long planks of wood.
A staircase, each of its individual steps quite thin, and covered with small, but noticeable holes, lead up to the entranceway of the lodge-like structure, which was elevated, slightly, on a small hill that could've been natural, but was assumed by the married couple to be manmade.
Othinus didn't put too much thought into the matter, and Accelerator couldn't have cared any less, either way.
Just outside of the lodge-like structure, was the object that had initially caught the quarter's collective attentions. Standing tall, its arms outstretched, was an enormous, lifelike statue depicting the legendary creature sometimes known as "Sasquatch". It stood twelve feet tall, easily, dwarfing the quartet's members, and passersby alike. Kamijou Misaki found herself swallowing, hard, at the sight of the statue. Touma seemed to share his wife's reluctance to go near it.
The creature's fangs were bared; each of its individual teeth were fangs, though, its canines were elongated, even more so than the rest of its teeth. Its dark-colored, partially yellowed gums were visible, its lips rolled downwards, their insides pocked with cuts, scars, and bloodied scabs.
The statue's glass eyes' whites were bloodshot, their pupils dilated. Its nose's bridge was flattened, its nostrils wide, with long, thin hairs protruding from within. The top of its head was almost cone-shaped, while its forehead was large, and vaguely square-shaped. Covered in wrinkles, the statue's dark skin seemed to blend quite well, with the rest of its hair-covered body.
The statue's musclebound legs were spread apart, its five-toed feet pressed, flat, against the metallic plate it was situated open. Its musclebound arms were wide, and, even beneath their hair, bulging veins were visible.
Accelerator, apparently unfazed by the creature, was the first to look downwards, towards the small, square-shaped sign, which was elevated a few feet away from the metallic plate, which the statue stood upon. The sign, milky-colored, and slightly weatherworn, splattered with blots of dark-colored dirt, told a tale, in multiple languages; Accelerator could make out the English text, and the Japanese characters.
"The taxidermized carcass of a TRUE Sasquatch, first discovered in the wilds of Saskatchewan, Canada…" Accelerator mockingly narrated, adopting a poorly-emulated English accent. "Yeah, right. Whatever you guys fucking say."
"To be fair," Touma remarked, nonchalantly, "we've seen weirder things. Maybe it's legitimate? Who knows."
"You can't be serious, hero," Accelerator mumbled. He clicked his tongue, as he bent downwards, and began to examine the statue. With his choker still enabled, Academy City's "top dog" almost wanted the statue to suddenly jerk to life, and try to assault him. He'd laugh, as the ugly thing would be sent flying halfway across Academy City.
Kamijou Misaki posed a question that caused Accelerator to shake his head even more, as he rose, stretching his knees. He flicked his choker off, and turned back to face the wife of Kamijou Touma.
"Might we go inside?"
"For what, fifth ranked?" Accelerator inquired, rhetorically. "This shit is all… well, shit. Fucking hogwash. There's no Sasquatch, no ape-men running around Canada. Just fucking polite people, who need to grow backbones… riding around on Zambonis, and shit."
"Humor the little lady, would you, Accel?" Touma remarked, chuckling, as he embraced his wife, lovingly. "Even if grumpy old Accel won't come in, I will. You want to look around, too, Othi-chan?"
Othinus seemed to be intently focused on the statue. She'd raised her little right hand to her tiny chin, and was perpetually scratching it. Her left eye's eyebrow was raised, slightly, her lips cocked, awkwardly into a vaguely confused-looking half-grin.
"Hm? Oh. Apologies, Touma; I was lost in thought, momentarily," Othinus remarked. "I actually have an interesting story to weave, when we find ourselves in a private location. You're wrong on this instance, "number one". Yes, I wouldn't mind looking around, myself. Don't be a drag, "number one". Come along."
Kamijou Misaki turned to Accelerator, who clicked his tongue at her, his facial expression turning from one of slight aggression to one of open annoyance. Her big, starry eyes seemed to become almost puppy-like, sparkling, and becoming moist. She pouted, slightly, puckering her lips up.
Touma released his wife, turning away, and trying his hardest not to break down into open laughter. Touma's hands went to his mouth, as he began to shake his head.
"Accelerator-san, I would appreciate it very much if you would come with us. Staying out here, all by your lonesome, would break my heart. You might find yourself having a good time, after all."
Internally, Accelerator's icy heart was thawed. As if compelled, Academy City's "top dog" muttered, "whatever." Accelerator relented, producing an annoyed-sounding grunt. "Hero, what's with her? Can she bypass my ability, or some shit? Is your wife a fucking level six that I don't know about? You'd better tell me now, if that's the case."
Touma had managed to compose himself, and sighed, deeply, as he placed his right hand back into the eagerly waiting left hand of his wife. Their fingers interlocked, snaking around each other. "Not a level six, as far as I know, but, she's good, Accel. You can't say no to that face, right? Now you see it, too. Those eyes. They're so big, like a little puppy's."
"I might just be," Kamijou Misaki joked, raising her available hand, and spreading its index, and middle fingers. Placing them above, and below her right eye, respectively, Misaki stuck out her tongue. "Watch yourself, husband; you may just find that you are more inclined to do my bidding."
Touma grinned, as he blushed, ever so slightly. The sight made Misaki's heart skip a beat, and then begin to beat faster, against her chest. The tinge of light pink that'd danced across either of her husband's cheeks was, perhaps, one of the most adorable things she'd ever seen.
"I'd do your bidding any day, beautiful."
"Whipped motherfucker," Accelerator remarked, with a soft chuckle, as he rejoined the quartet. The trio walked through the entranceway of the lodge-like building, with Othinus remaining perched upon her "jailer's" shoulder.
There hadn't been a whole lot of light pouring out, from within the structure; but within, there was hardly anything more to provide any sort of illumination. The light that was present was dull, and dirtied, likely the fault of the bulbs, which were placed sporadically around the ceiling of the structure, which slanted upwards, just as its exterior's roof did.
The quartet's members were quick to piece together what it was that they'd just stepped foot into. It was a museum, of some type; evidently, the museum's motto must've been "less is more". There were no individual rooms; the museum was, apparently, its own large room, with no other rooms within. The only walls within the structure were those that held it in up, aided by numerous tall, vaguely totem pole-like wooden beams, which rose to the ceiling. There were two to either side, each row being spread out some five or six feet away from the other.
Dark-colored, the inner walls, like the exterior walls, looked to be crafted of wooden planks, though, upon closer inspection, Accelerator could see a vaguely metallic reflection, created by the ceilings' light fixtures.
The singular visible floor of the structure was carpeted, dark blue, almost black, at first glance. It looked rough to the touch, and was dirtied, in some places. Streaks of what must've been mud were visible, along the carpeted floor, infrequently, along with small tufts of light-colored hair, which were strewn about in no real pattern, as if they'd fallen from something.
Kamijou Touma, Othinus, and Kamijou Misaki had cast their respective gazes to the service desk, which stood to Touma's right. Pressed against the northernmost wall, the desk's surfaces looked to have been waxed, or, otherwise, were very well cleaned. The desk was clearly constructed out of a metallic substance, of some description, with a series of wooden slabs serving as a "counter" of sorts.
There was no one present behind the desk, though, a desktop computer was present, as well as a large, space-stealing monitor, which looked like it was a relic from decades passed. The small tower, the monitor, as well as the computer's small, compact keyboard, and even smaller mouse were black, and looked to have been recently cleaned, or, alternatively, recently sullied, as their surfaces were wet-looking.
In the center of the desk's surface, a large note had been posted. The paper itself was a shade of light yellow, with cyan text written upon it.
"FREE ENTRY (LEE ALLEN'S CRYPTOZOOLOGY MUSEUM MONITORED BY CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION)! ENJOY, AND TELL A FRIEND TODAY!"
"Sounds good to me," Touma remarked, as the quartet began to walk forwards, into the museum proper. "I pay ZERO!"
Kamijou Misaki didn't verbally respond. She gulped, as she clung to Kamijou Touma's arm, her own arm wrapped around his. She wanted to smile, at her husband's arguably "lame", and admittedly endearing antics, but, she couldn't. The headstrong woman found herself feeling intimidated, by the sight before her.
Hanging, from the ceiling, was a sight that absolutely terrified her. It was something primal, something awful, that brought out some completely unfightable, instinctual fight or flight instinct. Even Accelerator's head had tilted upwards, so that he could get a better look at it. Othinus hadn't responded, either. Like Accelerator, her head had tilted upwards.
It was suspended by what looked like ropes, which were wrapped around its large, skeletal wings. The entire creature was skeletal, in fact. It had no visible arms; instead, its wings seemed to likely have played that role, when it had been alive. Its legs were long, the three toes upon its large feet ending in sharp-looking, hooked talons. Kamijou Misaki could almost imagine some nondescript, generic-looking human being carried to their doom, the skeletal creature's talons sunk deeply into their flesh.
Its skeletal neck was long, its skull, with empty, dark eye sockets even more elongated. The creature appeared to have a large, bird-like beak, which was open, quite wide. The skeletal creature didn't appear to have teeth at all. The creature's torso was rather small, in comparison with its wingspan, which must've been, easily, seventeen feet; its wings nearly covered the distance of the entire ceiling, in fact. From the back of its head, a large, bony protrusion pointed outwards, ending in a curl.
"W-what is it? Or, I suppose it would be more appropriate to ask, what was it?" Misaki inquired, softly, continuing to look up at the creature's visible ribcage, as she, her husband, the tiny, former Magic God, and Academy City's "top dog" passed beneath it.
An unexpected voice provided the quartet with an answer. "Pterodactylus, a genus of pterosaurs. More popularly known as "a pterodactyl". Supposedly, at least. Not certain what to make of this. It sounds, to me, like a fairly tall tale… there's more to read, about this specimen, if you look closely, in the center of its ribcage. A plaque dangles. Quite easy to miss; I certainly missed it, the first go 'round."
Kamijou Touma recognized the voice immediately. Though deep, there was something instinctually comforting, about the sound of the voice, like that of a protective father figure; or, that of a knowledgeable, trustworthy teacher. "Kagun-sensei?!"
The neck of Kamijou Misaki tilted to her left. She, too, had recognized the source of the vocalization. The young woman's lips curled, upwards, into a warm, knowing smile, her fears cast aside. Whatever the creature was, or had been, before it'd died, was unimportant; it was a skeletal structure, something long dead.
Kihara Kagun, on the other hand, was anything but dead. He was tall, dark, and, even by Touma's, a straight man's own internal admission, incredibly handsome. Kagun possessed a full head of thick, dark hair, which was rather short, his hair's fringe swept, slightly, to the left. Grey-colored streaks were visible, though, they weren't many; instead, there were only a few. His sideburns were trimmed, shortened. His eyebrows, though thick, were somehow pulled off just right, suiting him perfectly.
Kagun's face was anything but youthful. Both Accelerator and the married couple could see that the pink, slightly tanned skin stretched over his skull bore wrinkles that had come knocking some twenty years too early. Othinus had been the first to make a mental note of this fact, as her little lips curled downwards, into a frown. Kagun's eyes were calm, his dark-colored irises like small, but secure ports in a storm.
The older-seeming man, Kihara Kagun, was dressed casually. A leather jacket, unbuttoned, revealing a simplistic, tight-fitting black shirt was beneath adorned his torso. The long-sleeved, leather jacket worn by Kagun was close to being the color of tree bark. Dark brown, it was slightly wrinkled, though, not to any extreme degree.
Kagun's choice in legwear was just as casual; a simplistic pair of light-colored blue jeans, that clung to his legs, and his waist, but not too tightly, held in place by a dark-colored belt, crafted from what looked like leather, with a bronze-colored, square-shaped belt buckle. For footwear, Kagun was clad in a pair of work boots. Chestnut-colored, their soles were black, like the color of coal.
With Kihara Kagun, however, was an unfamiliar face, that caused three of the quartet's members to search their respective memories, to attempt to recall the individual's identity. Accelerator had no such memory loss issues; Academy City's "top dog" knew exactly who the individual was, and what that individual meant to him.
The "mystery" individual's hair was a darker shade of brown than Kagun's own. Falling to his shoulders, it was delicately combed, its bangs trimmed, his hair's fringe trimmed, as well, hovering a few inches away from his hairline. His cheeks, his upper lip, and his chin were adorned with soft, and fuzzy-looking facial hair, as was his neck, and laryngeal prominence. Unlike the face of Kihara Kagun, the "mystery" individual's face was youthful, and without even a single wrinkle, or blemish.
He was broad-shouldered, though, he was nowhere near as large as Kamijou Touma. His torso lacked the same width, and muscularity as Touma's, though, the "mystery" individual's arms were more muscular, due to being shorter than Touma's own arms.
His torso was clad in a dark-colored, button up shirt, the buttons of which were small, square-shaped, and cream-colored. The top's collar was tucked, downwards, and was tucked, quite formally, into a pair of dark-colored, hemmed denim pants, the cuffs of which were rolled upwards, once, revealing a lighter shade of silver.
On his feet, the individual wore a pair of simple, cheap-looking dress shoes, which were dark, in coloration, their laces rather thin. His left arm's wrist was adorned with an expensive-looking watch. The watch's band was made up of small, interlocked metallic bars, which were silver, as was the watch's square-shaped case.
Academy City's "top dog" took a step forward, his crimson eyes locked with the bluish-green irises, and the dark-colored pupils of the individual whom the married couple, and Othinus seemed to be having a problem identifying. Accelerator's hands had returned to his pockets, where they were stuffed, tightly, and roughly. The fingers within twisted over one another.
"Kihara-kun," Accelerator stated, firmly, his attention fully on the individual across from him. "You're the last person I'd ever expected to see."
Kamijou Touma's memory suddenly snapped back into place, like the missing piece of a puzzle had been inserted into the right place, to form the "big picture". Just as he was about to move towards Accelerator, his right hand, and the impossible power within ready to restrain Academy City's "top dog", Accelerator's own right hand was removed, from his pocket, and extended, outwards, in a friendly gesture.
Everything was fine, between the two. Obviously, there was no bad blood, at least on Accelerator's end of the matter. Kamijou Touma breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fucking thing's not on, Kihara-kun. Relax. Reconstructive surgery allows me to walk without needing a stupid cane. As long as I've got the thing plugged in, I'm good. Don't need it on. I promise."
With only a few seconds' hesitation, the individual across from Accelerator seemed to take his word, and placed his own left hand into Accelerator's right. Their arms shook, as the individual smiled, knowingly, his grin wide, and somewhat goofy-looking. Kihara Kagun chuckled, at the sight.
"Accelerator-san! You're hardly who I expected to see, either," the individual remarked. "I'm… forgive me, I'm a bit startled, is all. You're not usually one to frequent these types of establishments. How is everything? How are Last Order and Worst? Anything new about Estelle? Heard rumors you two were an item, but, I didn't believe it. It's not true, is it? Don't lie to me!"
"The dumbass necromancer?" Accelerator rhetorically inquired. "Hardly. She's a close friend. A pretty dear friend to me, nothing more. The brats are fine. The bigger brat's been doing things with her friends lately. Good to see her out, I guess."
"As I assumed," the individual stated, with a sagely nod. "I'm glad to hear it. They're both a couple of dears."
"Kihara Gunpei?"
Kamijou Touma had closed the distance between himself, and the individual, whom Accelerator had been conversing with. Kamijou Misaki, with Othinus on her shoulder, spoke with Kihara Kagun, whom she had finished shaking hands with.
Kagun had leaned forward, addressing the tiny, former Magic God, seemingly mocking her, as Othinus had turned her head from him, and was pouting, with her arms folded across her tiny chest. He placed his right hand's index finger to the top of Othinus' head, and stroked it. Othinus fought, but couldn't stop the blush that formed on her little cheeks, as she seemingly surrendered, and began to nuzzle Kihara Kagun's finger.
"Kamijou Touma. Oh, God, my man. How are you? It's been… to Hell with it. Come 'ere, you big ox."
The two embraced, as words were cast aside. Kamijou Touma threw his arms around Kihara Gunpei, as Kihara Gunpei did to Kamijou Touma. Patting one another on the back, they both chuckled aloud. They, aside from another young couple, who were in the back of the museum, enthralled by a small, water-based exhibit, were the only visitors.
"Kamijou Touma! You bastard! How's everything?! This is something wild!" Kihara Gunpei exclaimed, breaking away from the musclebound young man. Touma's wife, Kamijou Misaki approached, and offered the other young man her own hand, kindly. Respectfully, Kihara Gunpei took her right hand into his left, and shook it, gently.
"Kamijou Misaki! Tokiwadai's Once-Queen! You're as gorgeous as ever. Touma's one lucky man. You're a lucky woman, too, you know. I'd be down to date him. I like the women, but, I'd make an exception for this man quicker than you could say…"
"Gunpei," Kagun scolded, chuckling. "Come, now. You'll offend."
"It is fine," Kamijou Misaki giggled, taking her hand back. She pressed her body against her husband's, who wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. Misaki stood up on her toes, and kissed her beloved on his right cheek. In exchange, Touma kissed the top of his wife's head, lovingly, multiple times, as she spoke. "Kihara-san is only playing."
"What brings your dumb ass here, Kihara-kun?" Accelerator inquired. "Surprised you don't have your face stuffed into a book, or some shit. Fucking bookworm."
"Well, you see," Kihara Gunpei began, turning his attention to Kihara Kagun, who looked to his "relative", and shrugged, indifferently, "when two people love one another very much, they usually don't spend a lot of time with anyone else. In layman's terms, I was lucky to get Kagun-chan away from his "precious pookie-thing". Serious lack of bro appreciation, here. You're going to smother her. You've got to spend some time with the bros!"
Kihara Kagun sighed, exasperated. "I thought I told you not to tell anyone about that."
With the same amount of enthusiasm displayed by Kihara Kagun, not moments prior, Kihara Gunpei shrugged, indifferently, before he suddenly began grinning, and mockingly clicking his tongue. "Secrets are meant to be spilled. Besides, it's harmless fun. Not like it's hurting anyone. It's fun, because you're so easy to annoy."
Kihara Gunpei, more enthusiastically, turned his attention away from the grumbling Kihara Kagun, and back to Accelerator, who'd folded his arms across his chest.
While Kamijou Touma, and Kamijou Misaki had drifted away from the small group that had formed, and towards a plastic diorama that displayed what appeared to be an open field, with green, flowing grasses, and a large, dark-colored spot in the center, which could apparently be moved about by tugging on multiple long, red-tipped knobs, Othinus had ended up on Kagun's right shoulder, from where she whispered into the older-seeming man's right ear. He seemed to agree what was being said, as he nodded, once or twice, before he smirked, maliciously. Othinus was impishly grinning, as well.
"Accelerator-san! I'm glad you asked! Really glad, in fact! Reliable sources, when it comes to these subjects, are hard to find, but, this museum seems to have its facts in order, to some extent. It's a good start, at least."
Accelerator clicked his tongue. "A good start to what? You still haven't answered the fucking question, Kihara-kun. What crazy shit are you after?"
"What crawled up into your sphincter and unceremoniously proceeded to die?!" Kihara Gunpei rhetorically inquired, his tone of voice mocking, but jovial. Accelerator couldn't stop himself from chuckling, quietly, as he shook his head. "Have you ever heard of the "Mothman of Academy City", Accelerator-san?"
The facial expression of the "top dog" of Academy City, the look of disapproval caused Kihara Gunpei to throw his head back, and laugh loudly, like some sort of deranged, woodlands-stalking creature of the night. He slapped his right knee, with the corresponding hand, as he stumbled backwards.
"Don't tell me you've become one of those urban legend fucks. Put up with that shit enough in fucking high school, really don't need it now."
"Urban legend?" Kihara Gunpei inquired, approaching Accelerator, and then leaning inwards, as if he was about to tell the "number one" a secret. "This is no urban legend, Accelerator-san. The Mothman of Academy City is real. I'm tellin' you, it's real. I think its been taking lessons from our old friend, Kamijou Touma. Saved a man from drowning in an artificial lake, it did; scooped him out of the water. This place's got an exhibit, even! So much evidence, Accelerator-san. Humor an old buddy, and come check it out with me, yeah?"
"Did you put Kagun through this shit, too?" Accelerator inquired, as the two took their leave. Apparently, Accelerator was along for the ride. Kagun looked up from the tiny, former Magic God, who was perched upon his shoulder, and, looking towards Accelerator, Kagun rolled his eyes.
"He did," Kagun confirmed. "It really is quite fascinating, though. Worth a look, if I do say so. There certainly are things in this place that are difficult to explain. Some things more benign than others."
Shrugging, Accelerator stuffed his hands into his pockets, and followed behind the giddy, enthusiastically-marching Kihara Gunpei. The young man, about his age, was happy, and curious, but obviously not morbidly so. If Kihara Gunpei was interested in trite like this, he certainly couldn't have been walking the same dark route his father had walked, all those years ago. This was safe, and innocent. Accelerator was only able to silently hope.
The two passed by multiple exhibits, which ran along the rightmost wall of the museum. One, which caught Accelerator's attention was made up of a series of photographs, along with a large sign, approximately four feet wide, and three or four feet in height, which was mounted on a metallic beam, rising from the carpeted floor.
Both the sign, and the beam that elevated it were cream, in coloration, an almost dull shade of white. Upon the surface of the sign, there were more photographs, each surrounded by blurbs of text in multiple languages, including English, Japanese, and Spanish; Accelerator could recognize only certain words of the latter.
The photographs, both mounted upon the wall, and printed on the surface of the sign, depicted something squatting on a lower branch of some type of tree that Accelerator had never seen before. Its bark was a shade of light brown, its leaves a shade of bright, almost emerald green.
The unknown existence, squatting on one of the tree's lower, rightmost branches appeared almost monkey-like, but it was far too large to be any type of monkey Accelerator had ever seen; it was nearly the size of a fully-grown mountain gorilla.
Its face was cloaked in shadow, its eyes glowing bright red. The creature's hair-covered body was grey. Its shoulders were wide, and broad, its arms and legs extremely long, even when compared with the overall size of the rest of its body.
"Devil Monkey," Kihara Gunpei stated, as if to answer Accelerator's internalized inquiries, as to the identity of the strange creature. "Supposed to be lurking around overseas, in America. Best photographic evidence yet."
Accelerator clicked his tongue, in annoyance, as the two carried on. Accelerator heard Kamijou Misaki gasp, before she, and her husband, began to laugh. "I did not expect to open that flap and see… that! Ogopogo!"
"Ogopogo, beautiful," Accelerator heard Touma remark.
"Remind me to never go swimming again, husband."
He would've grinned, and shook his head, as usual, but, there was something wrong. The musculature of the creature, the way it was hunched forwards, like a feral, savage thing, so non-human, squatting on that lower branch, it was all wrong. It couldn't have just been some prankster in a suit. If it was a suit, of some type, it would've deeply impressed the "top dog" of Academy City.
The mental image of the "Devil Monkey" climbing down from the tree, and then, unzipping its torso, and its throat, revealing itself to be a grinning, giggling Misaka Worst zoomed past Accelerator's mind's eye.
Accelerator's legs' slow, but steady movements came to a grinding halt, as he nearly crashed head-first into Kihara Gunpei, who'd stopped, and was looking, downwards, towards a sign, which stood in front of him. Unlike the previous instance, the sign was pressed against the wall, rather than being mounted upon a metallic beam.
It, like the previous sign, was cream-colored, with large, neatly-written black-colored Japanese characters, of multiple dialects, running up and down its surface.
"THE MOTHMAN'S LAIR", the sign read.
Next to the sign, there was a large entranceway, which was present in the rightmost wall. Accelerator couldn't help himself, or even begin to attempt to fight the felling that was overtaking him; he was impressed.
The level of attention to detail that had been put into the design of the entranceway was commendable. It resembled the mouth of a cave, slender, and jagged, as if it had formed there, naturally. It was a shade of dark grey, its outer surfaces bumpy-looking, like the entranceway was made from naturally-formed rocks. Whatever was within, if there was, indeed, anything within, was completely obscured. Beyond the entranceway, there was only pure, inky darkness.
Kihara Gunpei raised his left eyebrow, and tilted his head to the side. He puckered his lips, and inquired, quite mockingly, "what's the matter, Accelerator-san? Afraid of the dark? Did you forget to bring your nightlight?"
"I'll jam a fucking nightlight in your asshole, Kihara-kun," Accelerator responded. Kihara Gunpei struggled to hold back a chuckle, as Accelerator stormed into the entranceway, descending into complete, inky darkness.
At first, he'd nearly tripped, and fallen; apparently, there was a staircase, which ran downwards. Accelerator's right foot was carefully lowered, downwards, onto the first step, and, then, his left joined his right. Each of the steps weren't particularly far from away from one another. There was very little space between them at all, in fact. Accelerator took the next step, repeating the process.
The steps' surfaces were soft, like the floors outside of the cave mouth-like entranceway, suggesting that they, too, were carpeted; Accelerator's restricted vision was incapable of confirming this, however.
The "top dog" of Academy City couldn't even see his hands, when he could feel himself raising them, up in front of his face, as he descended the staircase. Accelerator walked, straight, lowering his hands, and placing them in front of him.
Suddenly, as if life had come crashing down into a primordial sea of nothingness, golden, synthetic light illuminated all things. Accelerator quickly flicked his choker on, and, with the aid of the Misaka Network, deflected the light away from him. Accelerator successfully opened his eyes, which were protected from the sudden onslaught of golden illumination.
"Pranked!" Kihara Gunpei exclaimed, enthusiastically, as he began to laugh, like some sort of deranged hyena. "The lights got Kagun-chan, too. Got me good, even, on the first time around! It'd be nice if the flash was instant, huh?"
"You didn't fucking "prank" me, you twat," Accelerator commented. "I just redirected the light with my ability. Did you really, honestly think some cheap fucking parlor trick like that would get to me? I'm the top dog."
Gunpei gasped, mockingly, as he stormed past Accelerator; the "top dog" of Academy City just barely had enough time to flick his choker off, which successfully prevented the other man from being passively deflected. Shouldering his way past Accelerator, Kihara Gunpei rushed down the staircase.
The walls were tight, and cramped. If Accelerator didn't know any better, he would've sworn that the walls were closing in on him. They, like the cave mouth-like entranceway above, were made up of bumpy, and natural-looking rock formations. Dark grey, there were small, eyeball-sized holes visible within the rocky walls, from which golden, synthetic light emerged.
The ceiling, only a foot or two away from the top of Accelerator's head also shared the "natural" motif, which "the Mothman's Lair" was apparently striving to achieve. It was bumpy, and colored dark grey, though, rather than being made up of a series of rocks, it seemed to have been constructed of some type of plastic, or, perhaps, a thin and flexible metallic substance. There was the occasional bulb, a few of which were mounted to the passageway's ceiling, providing lighting.
For some moments, Accelerator continued to descend the staircase, which, on more than one occasion, turned to the left, and, then, to the right, curling, and twisting and turning. Soon enough, Academy City's "top dog" emerged from the passageway, and into a room that was far smaller than what he'd expected; though, Accelerator had to admit to himself that he hadn't quite known what he should've been expecting, at all.
The room, which Accelerator had stepped foot into was circular, in its shape. Its walls were like those within the passageway, the only noticeable difference being the size of the rocks, which had been used in the construction of the room's walls; they were far larger, and even more bumpy. The floor of the room, like the floor above, and like the individual steps that'd lead downwards, was carpeted, dark blue in coloration.
Both Accelerator, and Kihara Gunpei had been bathed in a light blue, almost cyan light, which was beamed down onto the room's floors, and walls, from its bumpy, plastic or metallic ceiling. In the ceiling's center, a large, round bulb was set, which produced the cyan light; the only lighting in the room.
"Accelerator-san! You made it without issue! I'm proud of you," Kihara Gunpei remarked, with a snide, impish snicker. Accelerator was almost immediately reminded of Misaka Worst, and, subsequently, an unusual shiver ran down his spine.
Kihara Gunpei gestured, forwards; standing, a few feet away from the easternmost wall, was another large statue. Unlike the statue that sat outside of the museum, however, it was surrounded by silver, metallic railings, which rose to the statue's knees. A small sign hung from the westernmost railing, suspended by a pair of dark-colored, chain-link constructs, which were wrapped around the railing, like a serpent's body might've wrapped itself around a tree branch.
"NOT LEGITIMATE TAXIERMIZED MOTHMAN – FALSE STATUE CREATED BY ERIC WISE . BASED ON EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES", the sign read. Accelerator raised his right eyebrow, and clicked his tongue.
Kihara Gunpei stood at Accelerator's side, folding his arms across his chest, and producing a soft, curious "hmm."
"So? What do you think, man?
The statue certainly did depict something different. While the exterior statue depicting "a Sasquatch" had been tall, this statue was, at the very least a foot or two taller; this statue was thirteen, or fourteen feet tall, by Accelerator's estimates.
The statue was covered in what looked like, but weren't, in fact, feathers. Dark red, almost resembling the color of iron rich blood, the statue was feathered, from its top, to its ankles; its three-toed feet, which looked to be, but weren't, in fact, covered in scales, lacked any sort of faux feathers. Each of its six toes ended in flat, and dull, but quite thick claws, which were dark, in coloration, like the color of a bar of dark chocolate.
It possessed no head, and no neck. Rather, the statue's face was in the upper center of its torso, and protruded, slightly, from the surface of the statue's upper torso. Two wide, and almost wild-looking, beady, dark red-colored, and obviously false eyes were set, in the upper center of its torso, with a small, beak-like protrusion a feet inches below either eye.
It lacked arms; rather, in place of arms, the statue possessed a large wing on either side of its upper torso, each of which was permanently folded back. Protruding, from the outer ends of either of the wings' primaries was a large hand, with three long, clawed fingers, either of which looked to be, but wasn't, in fact, covered in scales.
The statue lurched forward, its right leg bent, extended outwards, in front of the other, its left wing folded farther back than its right, which looked like it was about to reach out, and grab at the two young men who observed it. Accelerator walked to the right side of the statue; he'd seen something.
His sight was proved to him to be anything but faulty, despite his short-lived doubts, once he'd made his way to the right side of the thing. Accelerator stuffed either of his hands into their corresponding pockets, in his pants, and grunted. Trailing, from the top of the statue's "headless" torso, two long, tail-like protrusions were present, reaching halfway down the statue's back, close to where its buttocks would've been, if the statue possessed one. Feather-like "hairs" jutted out, from the surfaces of either tail-like protrusion.
"What the fuck do I think?" Accelerator rhetorically inquired. Academy City's "top dog" slowly began retracing his steps, and, facing the almost giddy-looking Kihara Gunpei, Accelerator answered his own question. "I think it's a pile of shit. I know this girl who's obsessed with this shit, more than anyone, and she's never found a fucking, single thing, when it comes to this urban legend trash. It's fake, shit, bologna, Kihara-kun. Fucking nonsense."
Kihara Gunpei seemed to become even more giddy; it was almost as if Accelerator's denial of the existence, of the creature which the statue supposedly depicted only made Gunpei more excited. "Okay, okay, I get it, Accelerator-san!" Gunpei exclaimed, almost feverishly. "Look at this. After I showed Kagun-chan this, even he was starting to believe. He was just like you, Accelerator-san! I don't blame you! I used to be the same, but, my eyes are open, now! Just look at this! You'll AWAKEN!"
Accelerator paid only a glance to the mess of photographs, and picture-less pages, full of neatly-written text, in multiple languages, including Japanese, English, and Spanish which were attached to either side of the easternmost wall, behind the statue. Each was held in place with small, translucent pieces of tape set over all four of their respective corners. Accelerator sighed, as he followed Kihara Gunpei, who was practically in a state of childlike wonder, towards a large, stone-carved, circular, table-like piece of furniture, in the center of the room.
Upon further inspection, what Accelerator had initially assumed to have been a table was, in fact, a basin-like structure, its inner surfaces covered, from top to bottom, completely, in photographs which supposedly depicted "the Mothman of Academy City". Some photographs depicted it mid-flight, while others depicted it lurking in dense, wooded areas, between foliage, and broken tree branches.
One set of six photographs, pasted above one another, in two sets of three, depicted a small, dark red-colored blot, which was apparently supposed to represent "the Mothman of Academy City" clinging to the side of the Windowless Building, in school district seven.
In the center of the basin-like structure, there was a round screen, which was encased in a translucent, protective material, of some type, likely thick glass, or, perhaps, translucent plastic. Kihara Gunpei's left hand's index finger fell upon a small, round-shaped button, which was placed next to the encased screen.
Swiftly, and excitedly pushing the button down, Gunpei set either of the palms of his hands around the outer edges of the basin-like structure, with an excited-looking grin stretched across his lower face. Accelerator watched, unenthusiastically, as the screen faded from darkened nothingness, to white, and, then, to the image of a scene containing, among other things, in the foreground, a long, metallic bridge.
The diagonal beams of the bridge were pristine, in their condition, looking as if they'd recently been hosed down, and scrubbed to perfection, which very well may have been the case, crisscrossing over one another. A sea of tall, milky-colored skyscrapers, and other large, urban structures were visible, in the background; Accelerator recognized the Windowless Building, of school district seven, which stood out from the rest of the structures that surrounded it, and beat them all out, in terms of height.
Beneath the bridge, a large, glistening body of water was present; it was in that moment that Accelerator realized he wasn't looking at a still image. The water's glistening was perpetual, and small, but noticeable currents drifted back and forth. Upon further inspection, airborne, winged creatures, birds, quite obviously, could be seen moving across the overcast sky.
A calm, collected, and slow-speaking voice became audible. Accelerator responded by leaning forward, as if to try and hear the soft-spoken voice better.
"I-is this thing on? Testing, testing. One, two, three. I hope this thing's on. Oh, well. If it's not, it's not. Scenery's nice, at least. The date today is December the twenty-first, twenty twelve. No, this has absolutely nothing to do with the Mayan nonsense you've likely been hearing about.
"Hello, and… if you're watching this, if this camera is even working, you're probably going to think I'm completely mad, by the end of this recording. I'm not; I promise, I swear on my mother's grave, rest her soul, I'm not.
"My name is Matsushita Akihiko, and… you may know me as the developer behind the popular treasure-seeking application, TresrFindr. That's not what's important. What's important is what happened to me, here, three days ago."
Accelerator turned to Kihara Gunpei, whose attention was entirely focused on the video being displayed. "Matsushita Akihiko" hadn't shown himself, only speaking from behind the camera. Academy City's "top dog" wasn't impressed.
"Keep watching, keep listening," Gunpei remarked, feverishly. "This guy knows the truth. Matsushita's stinkin' rich, he'd have no reason to lie. Right?!"
"I'd fallen into the river. See? It's… swollen? Is that the right word? There's more water than usual, because of the rain. I'd misjudged my step, and, the small riverbank I'd been standing upon gave way. Caught unawares, I'd fallen face-first, and, in my panic, my mouth had opened. I'd tried to scream. I only ended up intaking river water.
"To make a long story not so long, something rescued me, from the river's raging rapids. Tall, dark, with feathers… they were without a single doubt, feathers… the color of blood. I… don't really remember how it happened, it's all sort of a blur, but, I'd found myself on solid ground, laying in the grass, on my back, staring up at the sky; though, I was freezing cold, shivering, even, I was alive.
"It looked down at me, with big, wide eyes, the same color as its feathers, like it was sizing me up. They were glowing, like the headlights of a car. At first, I felt like a carnivore was after me. It clicked with this beak-like appendage, and tilted its face… head… it didn't… really… have a head, just a face, where its breasts should've been.
"So, trying to be polite, I remarked, "thank you, kind sir or ma'am. You've saved my life." It seemed to understand, to an extent. It shook its head, and then just… flew away, like a giant bird. Some of its feathers fell off."
Matsushita Akihiko raised his closed hand upwards, and held, in front of the camera, a fistful of dark red feathers. Each was larger than the youthful hand itself, either end of the feather protruding from each side of the closed fist.
"They're big, aren't they? I've had them analyzed. Another set of five are, as of this recording, also being analyzed. These ones produced no conclusive results, in regards to a match. I have one more thing I'd like to show you, dear viewer, before I bring this… presentation? to a close."
The camera produced a series of clicking noises, as it was, apparently, pried, and then lifted away from something, most likely a tripod. The camera was moved towards, and began filming the ground. In the mud, were a collection of enormous, three-toed footprints. They were deeply sunken, as if the body of the existence that'd produced them weighed hundreds of pounds.
Accelerator immediately found himself doubtful; if "the Mothman of Academy City" was, indeed, that heavy, how could it have achieved liftoff? Its wings, surely, must've been extremely powerful. Academy City's "top dog" clicked his tongue, and watched on.
Matsushita Akihiko placed his own foot, clad in a simplistic, leather loafer, light brown in coloration, next to one of the deep, three-toed footprints in the mud. The three-toed footprint, was, at least, four times the size of Akihiko's own.
"There is something out here, watching over us, Academy City. It means us no harm. It is our friend, our protector, our guardian angel. If you… oh, my, this sounds so silly.
"If you, whatever you are, somehow manage to hear this, or see this… "Mothman", if you can understand me, let's be friends. There's a lot we could learn from one another. Thank you, again, sir or ma'am, for saving my life. Are there more of you, I wonder? Maybe, you, and us, humans, maybe we could all become friends."
The video faded to white, and, within a few seconds, the encased screen faded to black, apparently shutting itself off.
"So?!" Kihara Gunpei inquired, almost jumping in place. "It's the real deal, isn't it?!"
"No, Kihara-kun," Accelerator stated, firmly, before he turned his back. Accelerator made his way towards the staircase, and began walking up the stairs, back towards the upper level of the museum.
Unperturbed, Kihara Gunpei pressed down on the yellow button, once again, and, as if hypnotized, watched on, curiously, as the video began to play again. Accelerator, who was nearly halfway up the staircase, shook his head, and rubbed his temples, with the index fingers of his left and right hands, as he heard the video's audio starting up, a second time. A rather troublesome headache was forming. Maybe, the more reasonable individuals on the museum's ground floor could cure it.