The Accelerator had never realized how far beyond all limits his irritation could go.
— How many times do I have to repeat that I refuse? — the teenager's voice was almost turning into a growl. It's hard to say just how fed up he was.
— Stop being stubborn. Do you even understand what opportunity you're letting slip through your fingers? — the response was surprisingly calm, though tinged with fatigue.
— As if I care. Just leave me alone.
— It's so difficult to deal with you...
The Accelerator lay on the couch in his dorm room. He couldn't care less about the hot and stuffy weather, so the air conditioning had not been turned on at all during the summer. He wanted to take a nap, but one annoying interlocutor on the phone line wouldn't leave him alone.
— So will you leave me alone already? I'm not going to participate in the experiment anymore, — the albino sighed wearily. — Besides, isn't it pointless? The algorithm for reaching level 6 is already broken, and the Tree of Diagrams no longer exists to recalculate.
Grumbling came through the line.
— I won't even ask where you know about the state of our main supercomputer, — the man's voice was filled with a sarcastic tone. — But where did you get this ridiculous idea that it will hinder us? We have enough data and computational power to avoid such a problem.
The young man frowned. To be honest, he didn't like where the annoying interlocutor was leading him.
— What do you mean?
— It's simple. The experiment can continue. According to our calculations, even with a lower chance of success, reaching level 6 is still possible. The main thing is that you finally come to the laboratory today.
— Damn it. Stupid idiot, — the Accelerator muttered quietly to himself, covering the phone with his hand.
So, it turns out the experiment could continue anyway. From those anomalous memories, the albino knew that the last hope for Raygun was her own death to undermine the course of the experiment and save the dolls. He had even seen the brunette's attempt to kill herself just a few days ago with his own eyes. The young man thought, with a touch of sarcasm and anger, that this idiot was on the verge of wasting her life. It was foolish to hope that such a thing could stop such a large and important project. And #1 should think for himself rather than blindly trust Mikoto's guess. He had a brain on his shoulders.
— So what's your answer? — the man's voice asked.
— What the hell do I need all this for? — the albino replied with a roll of his eyes.
— Why?! — the man exclaimed indignantly. — Damn it, remember, Accelerator! The chance to become level 6! You initially agreed to this experiment for that; don't mess with me!
The albino wanted to retort that his plans had changed since then, but he fell silent for a few seconds. Despite all the irritation, he realized that the research agent's proposal was exactly what he needed. The young man had been thinking about visiting the laboratory to verify some data, and he shouldn't pass up this opportunity.
— ...Alright, I agree to continue the experiment, — the young man replied slowly. — When do we start?
— Huh? Really?! Okay, we don't have much time. In about 15 minutes, they'll come to you. We'll continue the experiment today.
— I see you're always on the go, — the albino said, clicking his tongue.
He turned off his phone and sighed, closing his eyes. After lying down for a while, the young man got up, stretching his body.
Accelerator looked around. The room was somewhat messy because he was too lazy to clean up. Rubbing his forehead, he walked to the refrigerator and took out his usual can of coffee. The albino thought he could eat after finishing all his tasks at one of the cafés, so he could just settle for cold coffee for now, as he often did. But after taking a sip, he angrily threw the half-finished can into the sink.
This was already the fourth brand of coffee that the young man had switched to in these days. With the acquisition of these strange memories, he had somehow grown tired of the taste of any such drink in a very short time. Accelerator had always had the habit of eventually buying coffee from a different producer because he would get bored of the taste sooner or later. But now it was happening too quickly. The young man was already starting to tire of the constant search for different brands and types of cold coffee. Moreover, each time it was happening even faster. The day was not far off when #1 risked permanently losing his love for coffee altogether. Not that it scared him; it was just that such a sudden change was inconvenient. He couldn't just switch to drinking all sorts of teas, whether black or traditionally green. This was starting to genuinely annoy him. Of course, these strange memories could be useful, but they were just… memories. Yes, memories…
In just a few days, Accelerator managed to digest and systematize this confusing data. It turned out to be not as easy as it might have seemed. Moreover, the knowledge was incomplete and had obvious gaps, which was frustrating.
It all started with strange associations. These memories were connected to… damn manga and light novels. And also to anime. When #1 realized this, he was, to put it mildly, furious. Because wrapped in the covers of these pathetic works was information about his life and the lives of other people in this world. Some series of light novels with an unpleasant title about some dumb Kamijou Touma, a student from Academy City, who experiences a bunch of events over many volumes of this unfinished work. And, of course, throughout all this, there were many other phenomena related to it all. It was also nauseating to know and perceive all this in the form of animation and manga. Frankly speaking, from the perspective of a work of art, the young man viewed this strange franchise as one of those he wouldn't want to be associated with. Simply because this… "work" was boring and stupid, making him want to yawn and simultaneously burn with Spanish shame.
But that's not all. With these memories of this work, the albino gained many other unclear pieces of knowledge and skills that were unrelated to the light novel and manga. For example, Accelerator previously didn't know how to hold and use an M16 rifle, nor the algorithm for disassembling it. Of course, with his level of learning ability, he could have learned all of this in a very short time. But the thing is, he had never touched on such areas in his life before and had never even thought about doing so. Frankly speaking, the young man would hardly have decided to study, for instance, the very obscure German and Russian philosophers. Or the seemingly random skills in Muay Thai and Thai boxing. Much of this, as Accelerator felt, he could apply in practice right now. He had too many unclear skills and pieces of knowledge that appeared out of nowhere. This irritated the albino: despite the flood of data, he couldn't find an explanation for where this knowledge came from. The young man had already begun to think that he had some issues with his consciousness, or that something had been done to him in one of the laboratories. But after some reflection, he dismissed all these options as lacking a coherent explanation.
In general, that was the picture. In theory, Accelerator could have ignored all of this and continued living his previous life without focusing on it too much. Sure, some knowledge and memories appeared in a way he couldn't understand. So what? What did that change for him? This alone shouldn't have meant much to the young man. He could have simply looked for information about it later without fully committing to it. That would have been the case under one condition—if this knowledge didn't concern Accelerator himself. But it certainly did. In all this literary nonsense, Accelerator played a direct, damn role. Literally, he was the antagonist of one of the arcs, and then became one of the protagonists, albeit with a much smaller role in the narrative.
What irritated the young man was what was happening to him in all this nonsense. Not only had they turned him into some sort of half-villain, but they also slapped on a disgusting and stupid "redemption." And there were seemingly intentional illogicalities. Why on earth was the Accelerator supposed to lock himself up in a damn prison, demanding justice from himself? Why the hell should he feel such heavy guilt towards these puppets? And what the hell... This whole story about the battle with Amata Kihara! He would have torn that bastard apart or rammed into him with his body in the blink of an eye if he had seen him even out of the corner of his eye! If there was anyone the esper truly hated, it was that person. Moreover, no strange fighting techniques or specialized anti-esper equipment would have worked on him. At worst, the albino would need about a minute to find countermeasures against all of that. Ridiculous! Ridiculous to the point of anger.
The problem was also that these strange memories contained fragments of the Accelerator's past. As if someone from the outside had seen all of it. This became one of the reasons for concern. The image of him once trying to break free from the confines of the laboratory and eagerly turning a multi-ton armored concrete wall into dust. It was surprisingly accurate. However, this picture did not include how, before the Accelerator could be subdued and placed back in another cell, he had killed a lot of scientific staff along with security forces. In this regard, those strange memories were very mistaken about him. The Accelerator was by no means a whiny child who melancholically, with a hint of rejection, regarded the useless violence he was forced to confront. Why on earth?! He wouldn't even have minded repeating that very incident when the entire military potential of the city-state was unleashed on him. Strangely enough, it was one of the brightest moments of his life. He had even found it very amusing at the time. How could he not! A child like him genuinely enjoyed all those explosions and the destruction of the city's architecture. The only problem was that now the Accelerator wouldn't want such hassle. Although the young man didn't mind such... let's say, colorful events, he understood that it would be very difficult to return to a calm life with ordinary quiet pastimes after that.
The Accelerator even smirked at the thought. For some reason, in that misrepresentation, a scenario of a possible conflict between the Accelerator and Academicity was elevated to the absolute, to the point that the whole world would decide to initiate a nuclear bombardment, and the albino would be forced to bring the situation to the point where all current civilization would fall, and the esper would have to survive in the forests. In reality, this would only end with the esper trying to escape somewhere after the shuffle with the troops of the city-state, and possibly the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the U.S. Army, if they decided to intervene. He had thought about the possibility of escape before, as he understood they would try to keep him there for the rest of his life, regardless of his own opinion. In this regard, at any convenient moment, the albino could take off at full speed. He could dash at 15 Mach towards the border of the Japanese archipelago and cross the sea in any direction, all while evading detection by any radar or other surveillance means. Life, for example, as an illegal immigrant in Mexico—wasn't all that appealing, but honestly, the Accelerator didn't need much, and he was confident in his adaptability. The Accelerator had mastered English, Chinese, and all dialects of Japanese to perfection, and learning a new language posed no difficulty for him. He could figure out how to make a living and obtain the right to live anywhere.
Grumbling a bit, the Accelerator pulled out an untouched box of tea bags from his nightstand, which had been there since he moved in. Not wanting to wait for the electric kettle to boil the water, the esper heated the liquid himself using his ability, directing the heat. After brewing the drink, he snacked on a bun filled with sweet beans. It wasn't much, but later the young man planned to have a proper dinner at a café. Strangely enough, he had quite a healthy appetite. After a while, the sound of the phone distracted the Accelerator, who was sitting in the kitchen. He answered the call and brought the cell phone to his ear.
— Hello, — a voice said. — I'm at the building.
— I'll be down now.
Scraping his tongue against the roof of his mouth, as the bun had left some strange sensation there, the young man stood up and walked to the exit of the room. Locking the door, he walked down the gallery of the not-so-tall dormitory and descended the stairs, approaching the familiar car. Opening the car door, he sat in the front passenger seat. The driver looked at the young man and silently shifted gears, moving the vehicle from its parking spot.
The Accelerator looked through the open window at the passing buildings of Academy City, propping his face up with his palm. He didn't want to start a conversation with the driver, so the trip went on in silence. In reality, he was just lost in thought. With the information from... the "canon," as his memory oddly suggested, he understood that a particularly quiet life was out of the question. Not that the albino was afraid of this, but it was clear that the city's elite wouldn't leave him alone in any case. He was too important an asset, one that would be used for their own purposes sooner or later. The young man didn't trust anyone in the city's leadership or any institutions or laboratories. For the esper, any of their movements would likely bring no benefit, especially since the very thought of being used as a tool infuriated him. He would tear out the throat of anyone who thought they could use him as they pleased. Involuntarily, a plan from strange memories came to mind. Kakine Teitoku's plan, Dark Matter.
Esper #2 seemed to have outpaced the Accelerator in terms of the activity of his grasp and understanding of the situation. The albino admitted to himself that the plan to make himself indispensable to the city by eliminating the competitor in the form of Esper #1 was quite plausible and didn't sound unlikely. Moreover, Kakine wanted to literally pave his way to seize power in the city through this. Perhaps this was a good option. The albino could even try to replicate it. He could kill #2 tomorrow or even today. And not just him. All level 5 espers. In that case, the Accelerator's negotiating position would be much stronger. The young man could secure the necessary conditions and try to change the situation somehow. However, there was a problem in the form of one... mage.
The Accelerator involuntarily frowned as the wind from the slightly open window blew on his face. From those memories, the esper learned about the underbelly of the world. About mages. Strangely enough, they were often people connected with world religions who could perform almost miraculous feats with their powers. The Accelerator, unfortunately, couldn't extract detailed information about them. He just knew they could be dangerous. And, as luck would have it, one of the most dangerous mages was the city's main leader — the CEO of Academy City. Alistair. Alistair Crowley. Previously known as Alexander Edward Crowley. A very slippery and cunning mage. A century-old madman willing to make any sacrifices for his delusional ideas. The young man had never felt any sympathy for the mysterious figure of the city's head, and now he felt nauseated at the mere thought of this person. In truth, analyzing him, only one idea came to the Accelerator's mind — somehow achieve the death of this strange fruit. And if that was impossible, he could try to thwart all of Crowley's plans by killing all the espers in the city, destroying the attempt to create some "new heavens." Of course, the Accelerator dismissed this from his mind as unacceptable in the current situation... But he only dismissed it. Anything could happen, and while the albino would try to avoid such a course of action with all his might, if necessary, he wouldn't shy away from it. However, after that, they might really try to drop a nuclear missile on his head.
The driver instinctively flinched at the cold smirk of the esper, nervously glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Once they reached the parking lot, he stopped the car and turned off the engine, telling the young man that they had arrived. The young man silently opened the door and trudged toward the entrance of the research center, where he was already expected.
— Good afternoon, Accelerator, — someone addressed him with a hint of melancholy.
— I'd prefer never to see you or anyone from this lab again, Yoshikawa, — the esper replied, slightly irritated.
— I wish you all the best too, — the woman pretended not to notice the biting comment. — I take it you've come to continue the experiment after all. They managed to persuade you?
— Yes, yes. I'm going to break the necks of a bunch of dolls here. If you want, you can watch it from the front row today, — the young man said sarcastically, taking some pleasure in the slight grimace on his companion's face.
This was Yoshikawa Kikyo. A woman around 30 years old, dressed in simple clothes — a regular shirt and jeans. Over this ordinary outfit, she wore a crystal-clear white lab coat, indicating that the scientist took her professional appearance seriously. She was one of the responsible staff members in the lab for the Level 6 enhancement project. In particular, she monitored the condition of the sisters, ensuring they were in operational condition. According to those strange memories, this woman was supposed to become Accelerator's guardian along with another woman from Antinomy. But apparently, it was not meant to be.
After exchanging meaningless phrases with this woman, they entered the laboratory, crossing the corridors of the building. As had happened many times before, Accelerator was apparently supposed to conduct the experiment in the underground facilities they were heading to. There was a reinforced chamber there, where the first few thousand experiments had taken place. Additionally, part of the incubators used to produce clones was located there. Quite ironically... the sisters were born and died almost in the same place.
Yoshikawa Kikyo, walking beside Accelerator, adjusted her bob haircut. Throughout the corridors, she kept casting puzzled glances at the young man, which began to irritate him. Eventually, he stopped, and she repeated her action, looking at him in confusion. He stared back at her with a hint of anger.
— What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with something? — the woman tilted her head and addressed the esper. — Maybe you need to go to the bathroom?
— You've already annoyed me, — the young man ignored the scientist's obvious teasing. — Do you think I don't notice your dissatisfied eyes, Yoshikawa? What do you want from me?!
— I don't even know what you mean, Accelerator, — she tried to look away. — Let's keep walking.
— Stop talking nonsense. What are you, useless woman, so unhappy about? Either speak your mind, or go to hell and tell someone else from the staff to replace you in working with me. I can't stand being silently stared at.
At first, Kikyo said nothing, just closed her eyes. She massaged her nose with her finger. Sighing, the scientist looked at the young man.
— Tell me, Accelerator, do you really need to keep killing those girls? — she asked plaintively.
Accelerator was surprised. The young man looked at Kikyo with disbelief. Frankly, he hadn't expected to hear such words from her. While he knew she had some feelings for the dolls, he didn't think she would say something like that. Yoshikawa, like most of the other staff in this experiment, knew what she was signing up for and wouldn't have said something like this before.
— What's that about? — the esper addressed the woman with skepticism. — Since when did you start sympathizing with the clones? And why should I listen to you at all?
— You see… — the woman sighed and looked directly into the albino's blood-red eyes. — After that recent incident, they… They started behaving differently. The sisters have become much more lively.
— What do you mean? — the young man pretended not to understand her.
Accelerator hadn't bothered to explain why he decided to abandon the experiment after Railgun's intervention. He thought it unnecessary. After all, the project was supposed to fail once he deviated from the course set by the diagram tree. Then he just became… lazy. Yes, he didn't consider it important. His mind was occupied with other thoughts. Why should he care about the awareness of people who were, frankly, foreign to him?
— They… started behaving as if they had a full spectrum of feelings and emotions, — Yoshikawa frowned. — The sisters used to show, albeit muted, but still genuine emotions. Few from our project preferred to notice this, but I did. And I can say for sure now: you can't just consider them some kind of expendable material!
At the woman's words, Accelerator quietly smirked. He looked at the scientist with irony, twisting his face. For some reason, he didn't want to play along with her.
— Isn't it a bit too late for you to care about the clones? You could have told me this earlier, — the smirk on the esper's face widened. — I'll repeat: why should I listen to you?
— One of the sisters actually laughed yesterday! — the woman's tone carried a hint of desperation. — She laughed, Accelerator. For real. She burst out laughing!
— Chimpanzees can laugh too. That doesn't prove anything. Come on, let's go. — The young man rolled his eyes and turned away from his companion, continuing to walk down the corridor.
— But!.. But… damn you… — the woman wanted to say something more but bit her tongue and fell silent, sighing as she followed the white-haired boy.
Kikyo regretted giving in to the provocation and saying what she thought. She should have kept quiet, and now she would regret it even more — that's what she thought.
In the end, they reached their final destination, where other scientists were waiting for them. Several staff members in white coats and one of the project leaders, a portly man with a bald head. When he saw Kikyō and Accelerator approaching, he greeted them with his usual unpleasant smile. The young man noticed that his gold tooth gave him the appearance of someone not very trustworthy.
— Accelerator, you're finally here! — the leader pulled his hands out of his coat pockets and began to nervously massage his left arm with his right. — You have no idea how worried we were. The experiment was on the verge of failure, but everything is fine now. Most importantly, its key element, that is you, is back!
— Old man, shut your mouth. Stop wasting my time, let's get started. — With a hint of disgust, the young man looked at the smiling fat man. — Is the arena ready?
— Yes, yes! Of course, you're right. No need to waste time, or we'll fall behind the new schedule.
They led him to the chamber where the new experiment was to take place. It was a fortified room about 35 square meters in size. Through the protective glass in one of the walls, on the elevated part, and the monitoring equipment that filled the chamber, they were observing the progress of the experiment. This room had been built in the first six months. Accelerator even felt a bit pleased after the project started being conducted on the surface. But apparently, according to the new schedule, they had to return to this place.
When the automatic door closed behind Accelerator, the main lights in the room turned on. The young man wondered why they were trying to save in such a ridiculous way for such a large project, but his attention quickly shifted to the figure standing in the middle of the chamber. She was holding the Barrett M82A1 anti-tank rifle, which had annoyed Accelerator after so many battles, also known as the "metal eater."
It was a brunette. Dressed in Tokiwadai uniform, the girl looked about 14 years old. One of the many clones of Misaka Mikoto, esper #3.
Accelerator looked at her carefully. As always, the clone's face was almost lifeless, showing no emotions. The young man was about to click his tongue, thinking that nothing had changed, but in the next second, he changed his mind.
— Misaka #10033 refuses to participate in the experiment, says Misaka, not wanting to take part in this meaningless event. — Despite the typical doll-like manner of speaking, the clone genuinely twisted her face.
She threw the rifle on the floor and stepped back to the corner of the sizable fortified chamber, where she sat down, starting to drill #1 with her gaze. Despite Yoshikawa's warning that there had been changes in the personality and behavior of the dolls, Accelerator was a bit surprised but not shocked. He silently continued to stand, responding to the clone's gaze only by putting his hands in his pockets.
After half a minute, the speakers in the room crackled. A malicious and panicked voice from one of the project leaders came through.
— What does this all mean?! #10033, start the battle! You're jeopardizing the experiment!
— Misaka will repeat what was said. Misaka refuses to participate in the experiment, and nothing will change that. She suggests the scientist go to hell, says Misaka, showing a very rude gesture. — The clone wasn't lying. She literally extended her hand towards the glass where the observers were, with her middle finger raised.
Through the speakers came snorting, which then turned into outraged nonsense and demands to start following orders and not disrupt the precious project. To which the clone logically responded with a sarcastic undertone.
Accelerator didn't expect any of this. Frankly, he started to quietly laugh at this comedy. Who could have expected that the clone would suddenly say such a thing?
In the end, of course, the esper decided to put an end to all this. And once and for all, with a bold period.
— Listen, — the esper interrupted the dialogue between the researcher and the clone. — Isn't it obvious? She refused the experiment. I think it's clear that it's pointless to do anything now. If you think about it, I'm also withdrawing from this project. You've already annoyed me.
— Why are you suddenly singing a different tune, Accelerator?! — they spoke through the speakers, genuinely panicking. — Do you have any idea how much effort went into all this? And let me repeat, why are you refusing?! You're the main beneficiary! It's you who gets the chance to become a Level 6, damn it!
— It's already clear to me that I won't become Level 6 during this experiment, — the esper replied irritably. — The algorithm has been disrupted for many days. There are no guarantees that your calculated scenario will bring me any benefit. I'll just waste my time, enough already.
— Believe me! Our calculations are no less reliable than those of the Tree of Diagrams! — apparently, the lab agent had already informed them that the young man was aware of the destruction of the supercomputer. — I'll bet my head on it, you'll definitely get results! We just need to deal with the clone, and…
He was interrupted by a sarcastic laugh from Accelerator.
— If you have such reliable and powerful computing capabilities, why didn't you predict such behavior from the clone? — the young man's mocking tone shifted to indifference. — Admit it, there are no guarantees. You're just wasting my time. I'm withdrawing from my participation. The project to achieve Level 6 is dead. And, by the way, maybe this project was stillborn.
Curses could already be heard from the speakers. Selective, with vivid emotions.
— Do you think you're deciding anything here? We have control over those damn clones! And you, Accelerator!... There are ways to make you comply!
This already openly displeased Accelerator. His eyelid twitched. The young man was starting to get fed up with all this. Deciding not to leave their words unanswered, he redirected and transformed the vectors of force obtained from the movement of his legs, breaking through the protective glass of the observation point. More precisely, as soon as the matter collided with his body, he destroyed the molecular structure of the material, literally turning the barrier into dust. Yes, he had recently learned to do that.
The scientific staff literally shrieked as the esper entered. Ignoring them, he quickly moved to the hefty scientist, grabbing him by the skin on his chest through his clothes. He literally lifted the scientist off the ground, holding him at arm's length, in a very painful way.
— Repeat what you said, — the young man said, looking into his face with his ominous crimson eyes.
— Aaa! What are you doing?! — the scientist screamed, genuinely panicking, trying to squirm his whole body. Which was, of course, useless.
The young man was tempted to simply tear off a piece of flesh from his chest, but he dismissed the thought and tried to keep a cool head.
— Listen to me, — Accelerator began calmly, using his other hand to hold the scientist's head so he would pay attention. — I think you don't understand your situation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not coddling these dolls. But it annoys me when people like you think I'm their toy. No. That's not the case. You and those like you are just expendable material that I don't care about.
— W-what do you mean? — unable to turn his head anywhere, the scientist wheezed out a question, despite the obvious terror in his eyes.
— I mean I refuse to take part in all this nonsense. And if you even try to pressure me a little, then you'll all be torn to shreds. And believe me, I won't face any consequences for it. That's it. It's all over.
Accelerator loosened his grip and threw the man to the floor. Seconds later, armed guards from the lab burst into the room, wanting to say something and demand answers, but the esper ignored them, exiting through the observation point into the corridor. No one could stop him, and frankly, the staff of this lab were the last people on earth who would try to attack him. Simply because they knew better than anyone how dangerous he could be.
#1 moved quickly through the corridors to his destination. In fact, all this commotion turned out to be just right for his true purpose. He had agreed to come to this laboratory not for just anything, but to do something and finally confirm his suspicions. He was heading to one of the rooms with incubators.
Stopping at the entrance door to the room, he took a deep breath and touched the electronic lock. It was easy for Accelerator to bypass the security and open the door.
He was greeted by the sight of a dimly lit room with a transparent incubator chamber. Next to this cylinder, where an unconscious figure of a naked brown-haired girl floated, knelt a thin man in a lab coat. He had rather long, awkward hair. He was kneeling and typing something on a laptop, which was connected by numerous wires to the incubator. Accelerator's memory, both "old" and "new," screamed at him—this was Amaya Ao. This man was supposed to... shoot Accelerator in the head. But once again, it was not meant to be. Besides, this man was certainly not engaged in anything good at the moment. The noise of the door distracted Ao. He looked at Accelerator with confusion.
— A… What are you doing here? — Amaya tried to act as if it was all part of the plan. — Can't you leave here?
— Of course, — the smile on Accelerator's face was almost maniacal. — But first, I need to do something.
Before the scientist could react, the esper crossed the few meters that separated them. In the next moment, the man's head literally exploded from the impact of Accelerator's right hand. The force sent Ao's body crashing into the nearest workbench, after which it fell to the floor. Judging by the way the contents of his skull splattered across the room and his unnatural position—the man was dead.
Accelerator looked at the man's corpse for a few seconds. He silently turned away and approached the incubator, beginning to drill his gaze into the clone inside the cylinder. Now it could be said for sure that those strange memories were not false.
After the rest of the laboratory staff learned about the death of Amaia Ao, a real commotion began, and the situation was clearly on the brink. But it all settled down quickly. The Accelerator didn't try to hide the murder he committed. Moreover, he informed everyone about it. But before he could be accused of anything, he provided a certain PDA and said it contained interesting data.
Surprisingly to everyone, the esper somehow managed to establish a communication channel with an organization outside Academy City that wanted access to the clones. Specifically, they aimed to implant their virus into the Misaka network and provoke a situation that would lead them out of the city's control. This could have resulted in several thousand clones, originally created for military purposes, starting riots and murders in the city. And Amaia Ao was cooperating with them, as the esper proved with the data he obtained.
In the end, after several hours of investigation, all this information was passed on to higher authorities and law enforcement in Academy City responsible for the city's security. The young man, of course, was not detained, as he had effectively demonstrated that he helped to neutralize a very dangerous situation. Frankly speaking, the laboratory's security staff started trembling with fear as #1 became increasingly menacing during the investigation. Nobody wanted to anger him further. As for the fact of the scientist's death… Most likely, Amaia Ao would simply be erased from the city's databases, making it seem as if this person never existed. No one planned to expose the project aimed at achieving Level 6.
But none of this particularly pleased the young man. He left the laboratory feeling even more irritated than before. The reason was the woman who was accompanying him to the exit.
– Listen to me, Kikyō, – the young man stopped, addressing his companion. – Maybe it's time to stop wearing that damn grin?
–And why is that? – Yoshikawa didn't even hide the ironic joy on her face. – Didn't you say you don't like it when people glare at you disapprovingly? Well, I changed my behavior. All for you.
– Shut up. – The young man snapped back. – By the way, why should I be happy about your good mood? And why are you so cheerful?
– Because I realized you're not as hopeless as you pretend to be. – The woman chuckled softly. – You knew everything from the start, didn't you? Not just about Amaia, but also about the changes in the sisters. That's why you initially refused Experiment #10032, and then today's. I don't know what happened that night, but it definitely affected you. Right, Accelerator?"
– Let's assume that's true. – Accelerator didn't like where the scientist was leading. He felt there was a catch. But he couldn't back down. – What are you getting at, Yoshikawa?"
– There's still a tender side to you. – Kikyō laughed at the way the esper's face contorted. – Real kindness. You know… People like you are referred to by an interesting term — tsundere…
The albino's eye twitched nervously.
– Yoshikawa, – he said quietly, extending his hand toward the woman. – Do you happen to know what happens to the human body if you change the heat flow in different tissues?
– I just remembered something. I urgently need to get to my office, good luck getting to the exit on your own.
The woman promptly turned away, hurriedly stepping away, increasing the distance from the young man. At the same time, as he noticed, she didn't stop grinning openly. The esper clicked his tongue in irritation and headed in the direction he needed.
Accelerator, as he had originally planned, was having dinner in his favorite café. Well, not exactly dinner. He felt like munching on a few sandwiches, and besides, it was already too late for dinner. However, the esper didn't care about any of that and was enjoying his fourth ham sandwich, washing it down with orange juice.
There were about a dozen people in the café. There wasn't much noise or commotion, except for the conversations of schoolchildren on various topics. Suddenly, a couple of large guys with rather strange appearances walked in. One of them was bald, while the other had a stereotypical dyed mohawk. The two of them, after looking around the room, fixed their gaze on Accelerator. Smirking and exchanging glances, they casually approached the table where the esper was sitting. The one with the mohawk slapped his hands on the table, shaking it a bit. The glass of juice spilled on the floor from such mockery. He smiled at the tired-looking albino.
– Hey, buddy, how about ordering us something? – said the unfamiliar guy, sitting down next to Accelerator.
Apparently, these guys had decided to eat at someone else's expense, intimidating their poor victim with their imposing presence. Accelerator didn't know which youth gang from Academy City these guys belonged to, but it seemed they thought he would treat them.
Of course, that didn't happen. The esper simply stood up from his seat and grabbed both degenerates by the scruffs of their necks, effortlessly tossing them, stunned by the turn of events, out towards the street. The barely surviving small-time thugs, realizing the situation, ran away in fear, fleeing in any direction they could. After that, Accelerator went to the restroom to wash his hands. After ordering a new sandwich and juice, he sat down at a different table.
It seemed that in District 7 of Academy City, punks and juvenile delinquents had been feeling a bit too good lately. This didn't particularly concern the young man, but for some reason, another detail from that memory about the "canon" came to his mind. For some reason, in the works involving him and the other Level 5s, everyone seemed to know them almost by face, with rare exceptions. In reality, Academy City made sure that video materials and images of them were not widely circulated throughout the city and its network, which almost completely replaced the blocked internet. Few people knew what Level 5 espers looked like. Even if they did, they likely wouldn't be able to recognize them in a personal encounter right away.
After thinking for a moment, Accelerator returned to eating his peculiar dinner. Why had his appetite been so voracious lately?