A/N: I eventually got lazy and started writing "Yoshikawa" and "Yomikawa" as "Yoshi" and "Yomi" respectively. There's also one point where you'll think I'm missing a quotation mark, but it's supposed to be like that. *Sigh* I'm back to posting close to midnight. Some things never change. I'll add the "Thanks" page back later.
Chapter 4:
The mahogany door opened without warning. Yomikawa was past caring, though. She had nagged Accelerator countless times by then; of course, none of her attempts worked. So, she just gave up and started mastering Yoshikawa's technique of listening to the lock tumbler in the door.
"We're home! Misaka Misaka jumps into the apartment! There is a guest today, Misaka Misaka declares!" Misaka marched into the room and held out her arms wide. Yoshikawa turned from the stove and looked curiously at her. When the door opened wider, she looked to Accelerator. There didn't seem to be anyone else accompanying them.
Yomikawa looked up from her magazine and got off of the light blue armchair. She lightly tossed the magazine on the armchair. "Welcome back, jan!" She said cheerfully, picking up Last Order. She spun around in circles, and Last Order giggled delightfully.
When Yomikawa and Yoshikawa started living with Accelerator, the two were set to renovate Accelerator's apartment completely from the destroyed drab it once was. Besides several cleanups, new floorings, and coats of paint, new furniture was brought in. Yoshikawa brought in her oval glass coffee table. It surely seemed expensive. The glass oval had black wooden siding to protect the sides of the top glass. The classy black wood then went downwards as four legs. A few inches below the top glass was a second shelving of glass. It didn't matter, though. Yoshikawa preferred nothing on the table; drinks were allowed when necessary and were required to be put back into the kitchen later. Yomikawa brought her matching three-piece sofa set: an armchair, a loveseat, and a three-person sofa.
"Umm…" A mousy mouse sounded behind Accelerator. Accelerator showed no emotion. The usual. Yoshi turned back from the stove and Yomi stopped spinning Last Order. The three looked curiously at Acclerator. Specifically, the voice behind him.
Rei peeked in from behind Accelerator, only giving Yomi and Yoshi a glimpse of her face.
"Ah, are you the guest?" Yoshi inquired, sounding neither welcoming nor unwelcoming. Accelerator and Yomi knew her ways. She had a soft voice. Unless a person knew Yoshi well, it was hard to crack her neutral surface. It set people on edge. It once set Yomi on edge before she became close friends with Yoshi.
"Pardon the intrusion. My name is Ryuuzaki Rei. Pleasure to meet you two." Rei said. Once Accelerator moved away, she bowed.
Accelerator took of his shoes and walked straight. He took a left and opened a door: he had to go to the bathroom. It was as if he didn't want to explain anything about Rei.
"The pleasure is ours." Yoshi answer softly, turning back to the stove to stir a pot.
"You are…?" Yomi trailed off. It was understandable. It was hard to word her question without sounding rude. Why are you here?
"I am a Level 4 ESPer that goes to Toshiko Academy."
"Ah, a prominent school." Yoshi said, not turning towards her.
"I have requested Accelerator's help in teaching me his ability, as I wish to obtain Level 5 status." Rei finished formally, her eyes not wavering from Yomikawa.
"Eh? You requested Accelerator's help…?" Yomi echoed, startled. "Ah, I see! Well, stay for dinner!" She got a hold of herself.
"Yes. Please stay." Yoshi's voice betrayed no surprise. She didn't even turn around to look at her as she bent down and searched the fridge. "It's a long way to the Toshiko dorms, isn't it? We have a guest bedroom. You should stay overnight. It's too risky for you to go back home now, even for a Level 4 ESPer from Toshiko such as yourself."
"Oh…I could? I wouldn't be imposing?" Rei saw the logic in their words and didn't bother refusing.
"Not at all! I'm sure we have an extra toothbrush somewhere! And I'm sure either-Ah! We haven't introduced ourselves! So sorry, jan!" Yomi said. Looking sheepish, she scratched her hair. "I am Yomikawa Aiho."
"I am Yoshikawa Kikyou. Nice to meet you. Please sit somewhere at the table. I'll be serving dinner soon."
"If you insist, I accept…" Rei responded back politely. She didn't sit at either end of the table (she didn't know which side they considered the "head") - that would be arrogant of her to do so. She sat near the huge window. It was the furthest from the door, and it was covered with white panel blinds. Everything in the area, Rei noticed, seemed to be white. The wall didn't entirely have the same color as the table though, she observed.
Accelerator paced out and walked straight past the kitchen and living room. He walked to the kitchen, which was straight ahead. He placed his bag on the bar-siding his kitchen acquired. "So, what's for dinner?" He plopped straight into one of the white, wooden chairs. Last Order came over and sat next to him and directly across from Rei. Last Order had announced Rei's arrival, but even then she was a bit nervous of her. Even though the apartment had gotten a bar-siding (which Accelerator preferred to eat on) and three bar-stools for it, Yomikawa suggested that they all eat dinner together at an actual dining table.
"So it seems that we are a family, jan! We should eat together at least once every day!" If Yomikawa hadn't gained Yoshikawa's approval, Accelerator would be more than happy to eat anywhere else but the table.
The pure white table was able to seat 6 people. "What if we have guests, jan? We can't get a 4-piece." Yomi said while they shopped at a furniture store.
"But the 6-piece costs more money…" Yoshi noticed, eyeing the price tag.
"It's okay! This is coming out of Accelerator's pocket anyway!" Yomi said cheerfully.
"Eh? I never agreed to any of this…"
"Acclerator-san, while you're at, could you please buy me that edition of LaLa, Misaka Misaka asks politely?"
"…"
"Oh, come on Accelerator. Aiho and I think your quality of life will be so much better with a less-trashy apartment. One way to make it less trashy is to get an actual table." Yoshi argued reasonably. Needless to say, Accelerator lost that fight that day, three to one.
"We wanted to clear out what we had before we go back to the supermarket." Yoshi answered.
"So we're having some of that surplus instant ramen we found in the cabinet-" Yomi put Last Order on the loveseat and went back to her magazine. She crossed her legs and supported her chin with her right hand, flipping through the pictures of models in an unfocused fashion.
"Great-" Accelerator began. Even though Yoshi and Yomi (and even Last Order at times) had (for the most part) weaned him off of junk food, he still preferred it over everything else.
"So I cooked it with only a pinch of tastemaker and added some of those frozen stir-fry vegetables I got the other day. Delicious!" Yoshi said, happy to make even the most instant of meals healthy.
"…" Accelerator wasn't expecting that.
"Dinner time!" Yoshi called out. Yomi put her magazine on a side table and went to the table. The side table was similar to Yoshi's coffee table. There was an identical one fit in the space between the loveseat and sofa on the other side.
Yoshi came with a big bowl filled with noodles and vegetables. The plates and spoons and forks had already been set. She placed the bowl in the center as Yomi came and sat at what Rei thought was the head of the table- the furthest seat form the window. She walked back into the kitchen to get glasses for everyone and set a metal pitcher of water at the table. "Is there anything- as in drink- that you'd like?" She looked to Rei. Rei silently shook her head.
"Well then," Yoshi smiled a little and sat next to Rei. "Let's eat."
"Itadakimasu!" Accelerator was the only one that mumbled.
人
As Rei was brushing her teeth in one of the two bathrooms, Accelerator went to the fridge. Last Order had fallen asleep in Accelerator's room.
"Did she fall asleep in my bed again?" Accelerator asked Yoshi as he fumbled around in the fridge.
Yomi shrugged, answering instead. "I think it's pretty cute, jan."
But tch. Do you have to drink something right now, jan?" Yomi scolded him. She went into the kitchen and leaned against the fridge's open door.
"She's right. You're so unhealt-" Yoshi came up behind Accelerator as he lifted up a can of green tea and shook it. It was as if he was saying, Hey, green tea is healthy, right? Right. He closed the door and stood up.
"Oi, is she really here for what she says she is, jan?" Yomi hissed. "You're going to teacher her?" Yoshi nodded. She allowed her face to look slightly confused.
"I kinda did say that." Accelerator said between gulps.
"She has your ability? I didn't know another person like that existed." Yoshi frowned as if she tried to remember her databases. "Surely the scientists would have known…"
"I didn't know either. But she claims to have it. I've seen her ID card. It's legitimate as well." He interject the last two sentences, seeing that Yomi would have said something otherwise.
"This is a really…peculiar situation." Yoshi said. No one said anything.
"Hey…are you really going to help her as you say?" Yomi asked. She looked concerned, her brows furrowed. "She seems like a nice kid."
"I believe if Accelerator hadn't given his word, she wouldn't have followed him here. At the very least, she would have been injured in some way." Yoshi reasoned, her right hand curved around her chin in thought.
"You're going to help her, right?" Yomi was still not convinced.
Accelerator was just holding his now-finished can. His silence was his answer.