This chapter will have a slightly obscure writing style compared to my normal one. It will follow a first-person perspective of Accelerator. I've added a quirky component; however will try not to deviate from his character… Outside of the usual insanity that comes with this story, of course. There is an abundance of puns, small cameos and a couple of common phrases. Try and find them all in my horrid writing, not that they are hidden.

"Dead and Buried"

August 25, 2020

Thud, thud, thud, thud…

…Urgh… who the fuck is stomping around out there…?

Thud, thud, thud…

It's getting closer… Good I'll tear your throat open…

Thud, thud, ka-chink-!

"Get your lazy arse out of bed! It's oh-six-hundred! Hupp-two soldier, up and at 'em!" boomed a woma- no that would be giving her credit as a member of the female race. She is no Venetian and may god forbid her to reproduce. Her body may be shaped like one but that hardly gets a passing grad from me. Ah well, for now I'll regard her as genderless, much like myself. Birds of a feather, I suppose.

"It" or otherwise referred to as "Aiho Yomikawa" burst open the door and disturbed me from my otherwise peaceful sleep. I was thoroughly enjoying the pleasant change in scenery from my slum to this, in comparison, mansion. That instant urge to kill and bathe in the blood of my enemies had strangely dispersed. It might've had something to do with her-no, "It" being so kind to me, a monster, last night. That's probably the reasoning that stopped me from gauging her- I mean "It's" eyes out and helping myself to the three grams of fat and seven grams of protein those sensory organs possess… where was I…? Ah right.

Well, she turned the lights on suddenly…. I got it wrong again? Didn't even notice. It seems I created a label I can't stick too. "Aiho" will have to do.

"Come on, I've got to get to work today. Big news, big news indeed! I'm sure you heard it on the news? The assassin we caught outside of a dorm yesterday? Well apparently the boss got some staggering news!"

Surprisingly lively, for this time of day. Like Aiho screamed earlier, it was only six a.m. Did I automatically adjust to the light? I'd say so, I've never known any different. Everything seems to just happen automatically to keep all my senses at this stable level. I guess that's what you get for being, essentially, the world's biggest supercomputer/serial killer.

I rose out from the relative comfort the sheets and doona's that I was offered last night gave me. I took a long, unapprovingly glance at Aiho. Aiho seemed to wanting something in the form of gratitude. Tough luck, that just isn't in my nature. We shared a mini-competition, the act of a stare-off. I won, convincingly might I add. Aiho seemed that "It" just did not have the time to be playing games. "It" seemed skittish; something had her in both suspense and worry. Man, these "trooper" types really piss me off… They get worked up over the littlest things…

"Aahh! You killed Juno! Y-You're a monster!"

"My legs are not weapons! Do not beat my friends with them!"

"My blood! He punched out, all my blood!"

Honestly…

"Basically, what I'm saying is that you have to get your bum arse out of my house. You're a nice kid, but I can't have you in my house when I'm out, you know?"

Yeah, yeah. I got the gist when you told me earlier. I'm a supercomputer, after all. This City's most powerful psychic. Simple implications are nothing to me.

And like that, "It", myself and I were facing an abnormally cold August morning on the streets of Academy City, 9th district. Aiho offered me a lift in the general direction of her 8th district office, but I nonchalantly declined. If I had an interest in the other gender, I'd be a proper right pimp.

It's not that I'm a misogynist, I just don't like people in general. Bother, hassle, dead-weight, useless. All words that are synonyms with "person" in my dictionary. Well, thesaurus is the closer term… but I digress, the point I'm making here is:

I got myself this far by myself. Myself alone.

Especially not with his help.

That's when I remembered, recalling past events does that to you, remembering things. It's like looking for something and finding another thing completely unrelated to what you are looking for. Regardless, I've an appointment today. My first one of these social tasks I've had since I left that god forsaken research facility. Being a freelance psychic for so long… the idea of an appointment was so nostalgic…

It was sickening, in other words.

I slipped the piece of paper I wrote the address and time on and gave it a good look over, not that I needed too. I already knew; supercomputer, remember? I just wanted to double check.

August 25th, 3:15 pm.

Honestly… What am I going to do for the next 9 hours?

Rape, pillage and plunder? A capital idea. Yet today just didn't feel right.

"Sunny with no cloud cover. Wear your hats and sunscreen!" rang the 6:30 weather update from the TREE DIAGRAM. Well, I was right. Such a pleasant day shouldn't be filled with bloodshed.

Though tonight… tonight just feels all kinds of right!

Wandering around such a large City can get tiresome, I'll admit it. I'll also admit that the other side of this City just seems… lighter, if that makes sense. 63rd and 70th district, for example have a distinct lack of game and organised crime compared to this side. It's no wonder I'm on this side of the City more often then, isn't it?

Well, nothing to do… I guess I'll get something to eat then.

All things considered, I don't eat much. Sometimes I think I must be some kind of plant that photosynthesises, yet that's not possible. This bleached hair, my ghostly skin, my arrogant attitude, all due to my passive nature of my ability.

Well maybe not my attitude, that's probably got something to do with a psychological issue. No parents, tortured childhood, enslavement, etcetera. You pick one, make one up and I'll agree; that's what fucked me up. I don't really care; I'm fucking Number #1! Besides, there has never been a mentally stable genius, and I'm the smartest there is.

It's genetics.

Trudging to my favourite eatery on this side of the City, I took a seat in my favourite (and may I add the biggest) lounge and waited to be served. Criminals are always hanging out and making deals here. The owner gets paid off to let them do it. It's the perfect spot for eavesdropping to find locales to hunt in the night. Let's see what we can find…

"…I know! I know! Bam! Just like that, the "boy in goggles" broke his arm. He only…"

Nothing there…

"…Kazari, why'd you wake me up so early! I was having the best dream, I was sucking this big…"

Not even the slightest bit interesting.

"…How much? How many super doses will that get?"

Ah, that's better. Sounds like a drug deal.

"Depends, who's using it?"

"Takitsubo. She's a super heavy user, you know? She's got to have it to use her super ability."

The waitress finally grew the testicles to serve me at one of the more critical times in my action of eavesdropping. A spiteful hairy eyeball was all I could muster to tell her "ask later, bitch".

Fucking woman, can't you see I'm in the middle of prying into someone else's life?

Better than prying their ribcage open and devouring the soft, delicious organs inside. At least for their sake. Early morning isn't a prime time to invest in cannibalism either.

Oh and I'm not actually a cannibal. Think of it as a Hyperbole.

"Tsk, t'is whole situation is a shame, it is. T'at young, pretty girl needing BODY CLEAR to use her ability and an even younger girl buying t'e stuff for her. I'd say… t'is amount will do you for what you've got on you."

I can hear a pen scribbling a number… I can't tell, but it's a fairly large number.

"…You trying to screw me? I super know how much BODY CLEAR is worth, Shiage. Don't make me take care of you here, super you know? It's even for Takitsubo, you can lower the price, can't you?"

I heard her blink. She's trying to be cute. I'm going to rip her throat out. I'm super going to rip her throat out. And that voice of hers sounds like a trendy girl… Her voice makes me want to grind my teeth against a brick wall! Yet that gusto is getting me a little anxious. She give me this vibe that she is like me six years my junior.

"Alright, sheesh. Can't blame a guy for tryin'. I gotta make some money on t'e side too y'know? A grunt like me doesn't get much from t'e bosses for being in ITEM."

"Lackey, just find some pretty cheap, ok? This is all I got from the heads. Shizuri got some super-secret plan to take out some super annoying "GROUP", you know?"

"GROUP"… sounds familiar. Well I'm just about done here-

Ching-Ding.

"Alright Kinuhata, let's go! Lackey, get out of my sight and get what we need. My beautiful legs are sick of waiting on sentry du-" Blonde hair? Red beret? Paler than me? Bad attitude? A foreigner for sure. She stormed into the eatery then basically yelled at her friend halfway across the room. She burst into a half-hearted laughter, as if trying to cover up something she just said. Sorry, doesn't work like that, halfwit. You might fool idiots that are half listening, but not me. She really must only be half there.

Essentially, here is the rundown. You and that young girl sitting at the table with that monstrosity of a man are high ranking members of some organisation that requires a supposably substantial amount of BODY CLEAR. This already puts you into my "organised crime/syndicate that would be enjoyable to butcher" category. Do I win a prize?

Oh, and might as well go back over my knowledge of BODY CLEAR, just be crystal on the matter.

BODY CLEAR is basically an illicit substance that works in much the same way as crack-cocaine does on a CHILD ERROR, except it is especially for psychics. It heightens the ability of the user to otherwise impossible levels temporarily. Sounds awesome right? Well there are drawbacks.

The more you use BODY CLEAR, the more you need it. It becomes compulsory to use it to be able to use your ability at all. It is also highly addictive as the rush of power it gives becomes too seductive. It's also very expensive, costing an office drone an arm and a leg just for the tiniest amount of it. This also puts you girls and your group into the "organisation backed by the dark side of Academy City", simply because any person looking to buy more than a fingernail of the stuff is either a celebrity or backed financially.

And you little skanks don't look like the superstar type to me.

Well everything has its plusses and minuses, which I plan on tallying right now. Don't be too worried ladies; it's just the fate of your lives and your organisation hanging on the result of this tally.

Dark, mysterious organisation? One point to killing them.

Young girls? Well, I don't particularly like staining my hands with their blood and it is awfully early in the morning. I'm sure I could find trouble elsewhere. Half a point to not killing them.

Dark side backed? Another point to killing them.

Annoying? Another point.

Saying "super" too much? Three points.

I just plain don't like you. Another point.

…

Well that's good enough for me!

I watched the three of them leave, with the two girls leaving the eatery on foot and the ugly beast-man by automobile. I thought to myself 'Right, I'm not hungry anymore for food. Live game sounds so much better…' until I was interrupted by someone hovering behind me. It's that dam waitress, for sure. Sorry toots, but I'm a bit-

"We need to have a chat." Awaki, a fiery haired and natured bitch was behind me. She was bounded by fresh bandages on her chest and still wore her over-sized jacket slash coat slash cape. I really did not like the idea I was going to be working with her in the future; something ticks me off about her. Like we share a common interest, something possibly illegal. She probably likes little boys or something. Weirdo.

She helped herself to a seat opposite to me and the waitress I eyed off earlier literally jumped over seats like an Olympic hurdler to take our order. Toast seemed perfectly ok for me. The bitch opposite to me ordered a French breakfast. I guess being a mole takes up a lot of energy. Try being apathetic about anything but killing and you can eat like me.

As Awaki devoured the three course meal in front of her and sprayed crumbs of croissants and French toast over my table and my clothes, I nibbled on my 50 cent piece of toast and 30 cent spread of butter, muffling my thoughts of killing her at that very moment.

'I could turn the blood into pure nitrogen, giving her an aneurysm! Or I could destroy her haemoglobin and have her bleed out from a paper cut! Or even-'

Awaki glanced at me for moments before giggling with her mouth stuffed of pastry. She waved her finger and shook her head disapprovingly.

"I know what you're thinking and no I won't let you. You'll have to contend with this fork in your heart if you want to try something like that."

Oh, she saw straight through me. That bitch. Oh well, I guess my poker face isn't the best when thinking about something you truly enjoy. Nobody's is. But if she is going to cut me off while I'm in the middle of thinking I'm going to –

"You saw those girls and guy in here earlier right? You over heard them, didn't you? I'd be ashamed if you didn't pick up the gist of what they are planning to do, Number 1. Especially who that 'super' girl is. If a lowly Level 4 could figure that out, surely Academy City's best could."

That's it. Now I've lost it. I know I can kill her. My lost pride is just beyond her fractured skull. She's mocking me. Her smug attitude is going to make me compulsively burst my fist through her face.

To answer your question; No I don't and no I don't care. I was going to kill them before you came here blabbing to me, what's the difference once they are dead?

"That stupid, angry look on your face tells me what you don't. I mean, you didn't even realise, did you? How similar her AIM field is to yours? Your background check revealed you were a CHILD ERROR. But evidently… here you are; Academy City's top psychic. How did you do it? Is it something due to a man named…"

Background check? Shit these guys are serious. I might be in a bit too deep to pull out now if I get the urge… I hate the people I'm with and I hate the question and methods that proceed with. Oh well, I know who she is going to say. Cue surprise in three, two, one….

"…Amata Kihara…?"

Elementary my dear Musujime.

"Heh. Yeah, he took me out of the orphanage I was in and put me straight into a research facility, followed by another and then another. I honed my abilities that way. But you already knew that, right?"

"Of course…"

A slight pause. I finished what was left of my breakfast and prepared to get up before I found something heavy and loud appear on my lap, slamming me back into the chair. A stack of plates crashed onto me. She must have teleported them onto me to keep me in place. She only smugly smiled at me. This one is going to be a hassle. I don't think this conversation is going to be worth my time.

"Tell me, Accelerator. Do you think you were the only one?"

"Of?" Don't ask me evasive questions when I'm giving you my divided attention.

"The only one they created? I'll answer for you, speed this up. Of course you weren't. However, you were the first and best subject. Get it now?"

Not really, but I'm not exactly trying. What I am trying to do is get these plates off my lap and figure out where those girls wandered off to. I could do for a serving of death.

"I'll let you in on something Motoharu doesn't want you to know. Amata or rather Professor Kihara is one of our top targets alongside LAST ORDER. Why? Have a guess."

Her smug attitude was really starting to shit me off. Even the waitress could see the anger pent up in me when she practically fled the moment our eyes crossed. Play it smooth, Accelerator. Don't lose your temper… Answer well enough to shut her up.

"He is part of the organisation behind RADIO NOISE? It seems only natural. I was planning to kill him regardless."

"Close! Very close. But also wrong. He is a ring-in. A hired brain. The entire reason he is there is to capture you and restart a little project you may be familiar with…"

Mmm… I'll be honest in saying I'm not the least bit interested in your forced drama. You practically told me all I want to hear; I get a free ticket kill Amata. Anything else you tell me in needless information.

"The DARK MAY PROJECT, ever heard of it? Do you get it now? Can you at least piece together the puzzle or do I have to guide your hand?"

I moaned without a shred of enthusiasm, partially because I wasn't interested and partially because I didn't actually figure it out. That's a symptom of my lack of interest rather than my failure of trying. A super computer can't compute something that it doesn't want to. I believe it is a behaviour called 'Selective Hearing'. I'm having a severe case of it right now.

The DARK MAY PROJECT was what gave me this life, this power. That's where they created the programming of my AIM field to be able to passively reflect any force put against me. I spent the majority of my childhood killing animals and eventually people with my powers gifted to me by the power of science. I gradually built my computing ability until I could control the forces directly around me. I owe everything I possess to that project.

Yet there is a long and distressing sob story in there, but the past is the past. Some things are better off dead and buried –

Like Amata and my real name.

"So basically your saying that Amata, LAST ORDER, the DARK MAY PROJECT and the organisation those girls belong to all intertwine with me at the centre? So what, we'll just kill them. I was planning to do all of those things without you telling me this needless shit."

Awaki sighed deeply. I obviously was nowhere near right, in her mind. I hit the bullseye in mine. I just couldn't care less about the details. I'm practically over the moon that I am being force to kill people. Why worry over some fine points to justify your killing? I don't need that.

"Ah well. Hear what Motoharu has to tell you and you might work it out. Piece what we both say together and maybe… Either way, rest assured that you were correct about one thing; every single one of those factors must be eliminated."

Awaki genuinely smiled at me for the first time. I gave her nothing in return, but suddenly she leapt from the seats and made a dash out of the eatery. I was about to stand up and stop her but was blocked by a filling cabinet appearing between her and me. She teleported it there, obviously. Shortly after a post-it note appeared mid-air in front of me and fluttered into my hands. It read the following;

'Thanks for breakfast, slowpoke!'

I'm going to hate this "GROUP".

"Dead and Buried"

END