[SS] A Certain Valuable Remnant

August 24th, 17:46, District 7

Sunset had begone. Another hot summer day was coming to an end, inviting the cold of the night into the city. To some people this might have been another sad end to the endless story that was youth during the summer vacation. However, when did things ever really end?

The streets were still bustling with people in the major shopping districts while the actual school ones felt more abandoned than usual. But who goes to shops close to their schools when they don’t have to head study in the first place?

Many would have labelled this another peaceful evening.

However, when were things ever peaceful in this city?

Another storm was coming.

The loud shriek of tires sliding over asphalt. A crash. Numerous footsteps. Shouting voices. The melody of another incident.

What remained was two cars who had crashed into each other and another parked on the open street rather closely. All three having their doors stand wide open.

However, only one showed traces of violent entry. Only one had its goods forcefully removed.

A man dizzily tumbled from it, holding his phone to call in on the event.

«They took it. Ten guys. They’re headed east.»

He quickly uttered the news to another party that clearly did not belong to law enforcement.

Then he pulled out a gun and chased after the robbers.

The ten men who had robbed it were already on the run with the object they taken: A metallic suitcase of unknown origin. All clad in black suits and moving in a visible formation, they did not give off the image of your usual run-the-mill criminals. They were an organised group. And they knew the exact route they were headed down. Avoiding as many cameras as they could on their path through the sunset city streets.

Another storm was coming.

17:48, elsewhere in District 7, unbeknownst to the approaching storm...

'Hm, seems to be fairly peaceful out, tonight.'

Thought Unimato, wearing his usual loose fitting hoodie as he carries a stack of books in his arms, making his way back to his dorm. Being low on reading material, he deiced to make a bit of a late night trip to one of the used book stores to see if he could find anything of interest to keep himself occupied for however many days of his break were left.

"Not bad quality for a used book store, though I may have gone a little overboard..."

He mumbles to himself, looking down at the five or six odd books he managed to collect, which was mostly a mix of chapter books with roughly four hundred or so pages a pop along with an odd manga or two he was able to find in decent enough condition. They weren't particularly heavy, but at the same time, its not like Unimato had much in the way of strength to begin with, as his arms were already getting tired from carrying them.

"On second thought, maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to literally wait until public transportation ceased for the night."

Complaining to himself with a sigh, he decided it was best to get to his dorm as soon as possible, as much as he would of liked to stop and sit on one of the benches and just read there. Even with how quiet it was that night, there was always the off chance it could go downhill, whether it was something as horrific as a mugging or perhaps just simply running into the unusual sort one would normally want nothing to do with...

"perhaps just simply running into the unusual sort one would normally want nothing to do with..."

ϟAchoo!ϟ

The cute girl and her cute sneeze were soon joined by the terrified yowl of an alley cat. And that loud, piercing noise in turn made that selfsame girl feel a sudden sense of fear. The alleyways of the city weren't all that scary during the day. In fact, this little girl knew them quite well despite the fact she could be no older than ten or so. She knew this alley too, despite the fact she had never once been here before or looked at a super detailed map. Some part of her just remembered it, because she wished to - and she recalled rather expertly a memory that was not hers to begin with. In fact, at the least bit of conscious effort on her part, the girl could recall a lot of things. In a strange way, it was like having her own "book" to read, if that book was actually a movie in her head. She turned to such a thought now, just to stave off the tense sense of fear she felt while alone in this back alley.

"As such, Misaka will need to take her leave with a show of gratitude for the treats. Though can Misaka count on you to look after the Neko? Miss Judgement girl? Asked Misaka with a sincere tone."

ϟ"Huuu."ϟ The girl made an uneasy noise, part jealousy and part disappointment that the memory was only hers by proxy. Even her habit of "watching" memories couldn't make her feel at peace now.

ϟI hope I'll get to go to a place like that, one day. I wasn't sure I'd ever have the chance before, but now... Here I am. Outside. And like this, too. I've got to find that boy. If anyone can help me, he can. I shouldn't be out of the incubator yet.ϟ

Well, at least the girl's own thought patterns were normal, and not in the third person like her sister's speech. Well... That was just on the inside.


Wrapped in only a long and light blue shroud worn about her small frame like a cloak, the girl stepped barefoot into the street. She would take her chances with how dark it had gotten. The dark was good. It meant he would be more likely to turn up. Even though the students of the city had a curfew, it seemed that boy who she wanted to meet had little regard for such things. He often went about at night, although this little Misaka did stop to consider if that had only been for the experiments. That thought - that maybe she had squandered her chance to find him by waiting until it got darker out - was too much to bear. With her cloak-like shroud hiding her body and face from view, the girl called out in a frustrated way eerily similar to the Original.

ϟ"'Gah, Misaka can't stand this!' Explains Misaka as Misaka wonders if she should have spent the day looking instead of the night!"ϟ

The girl proclaimed as much, looking like some individual from a sketchy organization with the shadow of the "hood" over her face. Even as that face turned upward to regard the lesser light in the sky, the features themselves were well-hidden. And yet, her high-pitched voice carried easily enough to the only soul within earshot. A boy, whom the cloaked girl had not quite seen after stepping into the street. Even as she mournfully looked up at the pretty sunset, she couldn't believe her situation. She wasn't supposed to be here. Not yet. Not for a few more months at least, or a few years, depending on how one looked at it.

Then, to herself, and more quietly than her outburst.

ϟ"'How is it that none of them know where he is?' Asks Misaka of the unseen stars as Misaka laments how unhelpful her Sisters are..."ϟ

The girl looked down to her bare feet, already resigned to another cold and lonely night to come.

ϟ"'Gah, Misaka can't stand this!' Explains Misaka as Misaka wonders if she should have spent the day looking instead of the night!"ϟ

The sudden yell caused Unimato to jump with a start, phasing for split second, which then led to his books falling to the ground with a couple of dull 'thuds.' He quickly bent over to gather them back up in his arms, wondering where the sudden high pitched shout came from. Straightening back up as he readjusted the books in their previous position, he turns around in search of who the cry came from just to see a... blanket?

'Oh, its one of those classic 'sheet ghost pranks,' isn't it?'

He thought as he observed the hidden person, however, something seemed off. It wasn't just some delinquent trying to get the jump on him, in fact, the silhouette of the person was quite small. A lost, cold child, perhaps.

"What are you doing out here, alone?"

He inquired the individual in a calm tone as he took a couple of tentative steps toward them.

The little Misaka's ears missed the noise of the heavy books as they rained upon the ground. A series of dull, repetitive thuds that didn't quite manage to pull her out of her skyward stupor. Either due to the quiet nature of such a sound or the girl's own sidetracked brain she missed such a thing. Therefore, it was a surprise when the boy who had recovered those books made his way towards her. The girl was out of the alleyway by this point, but only just - yet with her small frame and the blanket about her person, she could indeed have been mistaken for someone hiding and playing a prank. When Unimato stepped towards her for a closer look and spoke to her, the girl pulled her gaze from the sky and settled them upon the boy who dwarfed her considerably.

The guy in the weird hoodie wrote:"What are you doing out here, alone?"

He had asked, not unkindly.

The pretty, young face of a child stared up at him - she couldn't be older than ten or so, this girl in the blanket. Although it hid her person like a cloak, that was only possible because she was so small and thin that it could do so. And while her shroud resembled a cloak it also hid her regular clothing beneath (presumably). The girl offered a neutral look of muted surprise at Unimato. In the first place, his presence had taken her aback. She hadn't thought to ask outsiders for help tonight - although she had tried it before, and they usually decided she was begging. Besides that, the girl was conflicted about dragging others into her situation. But the nights were still scary even in late summer, and even she knew they'd only get colder and darker from here on out.

ϟI don't want to involve anyone if I can help it, but maybe it isn't a problem to look for help. After all, this all started because my sister's received kindness.ϟ

Their faces came to mind.

The twin-tailed teleporter who had dubbed a particular model "little sister".

The original, present to put a stop to the experiments.

Spoiler:

And him.

His face swam forward, most of all.

The Misaka Network hadn't gotten to observe the fight itself, but the Sisters had all seen Accelerator's immense power in action. And he with no clear ability of his own had stepped forward to bring the experiment crumbling down. In a way, this mini Misaka wanted to thank him most of all - although, meeting Accelerator himself was important to Misaka for other reasons.

And it was the memories of those three and their outside assistance that made Last Order decide to regard this boy as someone who could potentially help her.

ϟ"'Misaka was simply wandering about thinking to herself.' Answers Misaka as Misaka tries to refrain from asking a rude question..."

"..."

"'But who are you, and why are you wearing such a strange hoodie that would look much cuter on a girl Misaka's size?' Asks Misaka as Misaka can't restrain herself any longer!"ϟ

With an apparent lack of restraint, the girl spoke to him in a strange manner - and didn't hesitate to bring up the question at the front of her mind like any child would.

“It was multiple men. I counted ten, but there could be more.”

Shirai Kuroko was commonly seen as the type of person who would invariably get herself caught in the action and press forward. She was, in many aspects, a wild card. The type of person who would possibly get injured and come back dragging the unconscious body of the culprit with her. Some could call that almost ape-like. Reminiscent of a troglodyte. Some could also have their memories beat out of them and it’s plain to see that’s never comfortable.

“We have visuals of them stealing a strange, metallic-looking suitcase before running.”

Shirai Kuroko spoke on the phone at her ear as she sat on a chair in the offices of Judgement Branch 177. Yes, for once she was sitting behind a desk with a computer in front of her and a stack of papers next to her.

“We have their initial coordinates but we lost track of them so, we can only assume they are avoiding cameras.”

The dreaded words had come to her. She was to be on standby. She was to be support until needed. In other words, she was grounded.

“Uiharu just sent you the most possible routes given this information and she’s working on enhancing something she said she noticed on the suitcase.”

Usually, this kind of case was something meant solely for Anti-Skill, but Judgement was getting involved. Either the former was short-staffed or they needed more firepower of a different sort. Perhaps both.

“You feeling up to this, Futaba-san?”

She couldn’t help but let some venom leech through in her tone. After all, this was the kind of case she worked best with. The ones where her violence was the best solution.

《"...multiple men... ten... could be more... metalic-looking suitcase... initial coordinates... lost track... avoiding cameras... Uiharu just sent... possible routes... enhancing... suitcase...

You feeling up to this, Futaba?"》

It wasn't too regularly that the bunny-bow-crowned officer was sent to deal with the important-sounding stuff. Usually she had to stumble upon it all on her lonesome, call in back-up and then see if she couldn't take care of it alone before they got there. This time, however, it seemed that it was in fact she who was being called in as backup. From a different branch, sure, but in Judgement, it was all one big family of justice.

"Three-hundred percent!" spoke Futaba affirmatively with that trademark pep that sounded both totally unaware of the envy being focused in her direction and full of growing pride at the same time. Her phone buzzed a bit as the details came in, just as Kuroko-san had mentioned. "Alright, plugging the coordinates in now. Contact me of any notable changes in the situation," she spoke, having gotten the gist of the situation and being ready to act, mostly. "Oh right, what's the threat assessment? Think I'll need the big guns, or will my usual suffice?"

She finished combing out her bangs while simultaneously sliding on her well-broken-in shoes, and applying her blush with her free hand. They had caught her while she was at her dormitory still, because today was a day off. She eyed the case in her still-open closet, like if a briefcase, a backpack, and a coffin all got fused together in a freak carrying-case accident. At its foot was a duffel-bag full of all her crimefighting needs, her usual as it were. Kuroko-san's answer would really just determine if she was going to bring one or both on this patrol.

There were a handful of rumors about her 'big guns' which circulated throughout Judgement. She rarely got to use them, because there was rarely a threat big enough that she could prepare for. It was mostly used for training exercises, and whatever equipment it was used against was usually destroyed. When it came down to it, though, it wasn't particularly necessary for that much power in the case of a handful of bad guys. Unless they were one-man armies that required the power to beat down a tank or two, or had a hold of stolen powered armor from anti-skill or something.

Her phone plugged in the coordinates and she would take either the duffel-bag or both cases. With the GPS program on her phone, she would have a map up, and look over it. Once she knew her route, she was ready to start her patrol!

The light outside bled through the edges of the closed blinds, leaving the flashing screen as the only illumination in the darkened room. The sound of gunfire blared loudly from the display, joined by the clatter of plastic cracking as the errant controller flew against the wall.

Accelerator clicked his tongue in irritation.

Another distraction, another pointless waste of time. Reading books, watching movies. None of it was working. Nothing could take his mind off the gnawing feeling that remained ever-present in the back of his mind. It wasn't boiling anger. And it wasn't simple frustration. It was a hollow, directionless discomfort. And In the end, he always came back to thinking about it. The Level 6 Shift and the pathetic way it had ended.

He hadn't enjoyed the experiment. He might have even gone as far as to say he hated it. It was a grotesque fucking pantomime with no guarantee of accomplishing anything. He'd told himself it was just something to pass the time. That he'd never expect it to show any results.

But it was something. Something to give him a purpose. Something that promised to give meaning.

Become the strongest. Unparalleled. He'd always thought pursuing strength for the sake of strength was something childish, reserved for simple-minded manga characters and their villains. But what if there was an answer beyond all that? Maybe once he broke through the barriers of this mundane world he'd find something worth giving a damn about. It had seemed as good a goal as any. He would explore the limits of power if such a limit existed. But it had all been for nothing. A promise as hollow as any other.

And in the end he felt more worthless than ever.

What was he if he wasn't the strongest?

He'd grown up in the darkness, clothed himself in it. Made it his. But now the darkness was consuming him.

The albino boy stood up suddenly and walked for the door. It was an action as automatic as his reflection. He didn't know why or where he was going. It didn't matter, though. Anything was better than sitting in that blackened room, stewing in self-pity.

He made a point of blocking out the sounds around him until he was clear of the apartment building.

"Oh right, what's the threat assessment? Think I'll need the big guns, or will my usual suffice?"

As far as Kuroko went, she was always the type of person who veered towards the assumption of high threat. Her arsenal was always at the ready so she could adapt regardless. As much as Kuroko wanted to give that answer, she couldn’t do that if it was something that could hamper Futaba’s activity.

So, she gazed at the footage once again, this time, seeing the weird emblem that was placed on the suitcase in question.

“They’re probably armed...Scratch that, they’re definitely armed. At least, considering the victim was also armed.”

She had seen the guns in their hands. That was enough. “I can’t tell the make or model, so assume they’re using the bleeding edge of weaponry.”

“Agreed on that. Take a look at this Shirai-san.” Uiharu had finally been able to zoom in and enhance the image well enough that something important was discernible.

“That emblem...looks familiar.”

“That’s the emblem for School District 23.” Uiharu then pointed to the briefcase itself with her finger. “I tried to research the model number. There’s no doubt that this briefcase is Made in Academy City. It’s designed to be completely airtight and even block cosmic radiation. Pretty overkill for use on terra firma, all things considered.”

“What? Did someone want to toss it into space? Is the victim a researcher from District 23?”

“No idea. All parties involved evacuated the scene. There wasn’t even a damage report to Anti-Skill. Whoever the victim was calling, it wasn’t law enforcement.”

Not a single party involved in this incident could be removed from any sort of suspicion. Then again, that should have been clear when the victim decided it was a smart idea to pull out a gun.

“Do you copy all of that? We’ll send over the extra data we have as well. But, assume that you need to go all out.”

An Esper was still a human being. Regardless of the fantastical powers they used, the number of Espers for whom a bullet to the head would not be worrying could be counted on two hands. It was an unbearably risky mission for whoever had the misfortune of being stuck with it, making it even more frustrating that someone with as much utility as Kuroko was held as back-up.

Even worse, something didn’t sit right at all. This whole mess was nonsensical beyond belief and it raised far too many questions. With suspicion upon suspicion piling on from all ends, creating a grand mountain, what was really going on?

ϟ"'Misaka was simply wandering about thinking to herself.' Answers Misaka as Misaka tries to refrain from asking a rude question..."

Hearing her first response, he decided it was probably fine to get a little closer to the individual, especially since he couldn't quite see their face from this current distance. After taking a few more steps forward, he sat down on his knees to put himself at her level in attempt to look friendlier.

ϟ"'But who are you, and why are you wearing such a strange hoodie that would look much cuter on a girl Misaka's size?' Asks Misaka as Misaka can't restrain herself any longer!"ϟ

Unimato gave a blank expression of confusion as the question sank in.

"O-oh, um, I'm Narikiki Unimato, but Uni is fine. As for the jacket... well, its just something I've had since before I came to this city, is all."

From where he was currently sitting under one of the streetlights, it was clear the hoodie looked quite big on him from the way one of the sleeves appeared to completely hide his hand whilst the other was pulled up quite a bit just for that hand to be free. The light also appeared to make his pale green eyes shine a bit, similar to that of a cat.

"Anyway... what about you? Judging from the blanket you have wrapped around you, I'm guessing your cold."

He placed his books to the side before carefully removing his hoodie, revealing a black and blue striped long sleeve shirt underneath as well as his messy, dark brown hair that is now sticking up in places from having the hood on. He extended it towards the kid, as if gesturing for her to take it.

"I-I know its a bit big, but it would probably do a better job at keeping you warm."

He said with a slight smile, trying to keep with the friendly appearance so as to not scare the kid off.

The black suits were no amateurs. Not only had they managed to execute a perfectly orchestrated car crash entirely unharmed, they also managed to slip through Academy City nearly undetected. Normally, neither Anti-Skill nor Judgement would have caught onto their trail.

However, normalcy did not exist today.

«Their escape ability is impressive. But that’s just about all.»

A blonde middle school beauty with the body of a well developed high school student sitting in a cafe far removed from both the site of the accident and the thieves’ escape route whispered over a cup of tea.

The uniform consisting of a short sleeved white dress shirt worn underneath a simple beige vest and dark tan skirt she wore belonged to none other than one of the city’s most prestigious schools: Tokiwadai Middle School.

Her name was Shokuhou Misaki. She was Academy City’s #5. The Mental Out.

And right now, she too was following the incident unfold.

In her case, she had made use of the countless girls belonging to her clique. With a network like that, keeping an eye on one thing or the other was quite the easy feat. As such, even while Anti-Skill or Judgement may have had a hard time keeping up, she alone could pursue the thieves – or rather the contents they had stolen – from the moment they had left District 23 across the city streets and into an underground mall.

Then, the moment they would emerge from the tunnels again, she would strike.

In that, however, there were still lines she wasn’t willing to cross. Her clique were her friends. Friends whom she valued, no matter how great her tyranny may seem from time to time. As such, she would not draw them into things like these. No, they had done enough.

Instead, she would rely on the asset she had placed in advance. A criminal who had been forced to the brink of despair only recently. Someone who may as well deserve the punishment that was imparted on them, but at the same time held greater potential than that.

The very moment the men had climbed the top of the stairs leading back to the surface, the leader of their pack ran into someone by ‹accident›. Both parties naturally lost their balance. Yet while the young girl they had run into plummeted onto asphalt with their tiny butt, the other fell down the stairs, involuntarily pulling three of their comrades along.

That served to stop the remaining four in their tracks as, unfortunately, the cargo had been knocked down the stairs as well.

«Uuuu…»

Rubbing her head, which had taken the full brunt of the initial impact, the small girl rectified her glasses innocently. She was an overly cute sight, not only for the extremely oversized lab coat she wore but also for her round face and poofy blue hair tied into even poofier pig tails.

Anything else than that may have sparked the men’s caution. However, right now, they seemed more concerned with retrieving the suitcase which had taken a race down the entire stairway and back into the underground mall’s corridors.

Clearly, they did not care about the girl, no matter how frail she may have seemed, but that had also been part of the plan.

It had never been about anything than buying time, after all.

«Now, come and do your job, Judgement ☆»

A third party joined the call just as she was about to choose her supplies for the mission at hand. Uiharu, was finally returned from analyzing the video footage they had. In summary, a person was carrying some high tech suitcase and got robbed by nearly a dozen people, and pulled a gun to defend themselves, and didn't even call for Judgement or Anti-Skill. The case was designed and used in District 23 and was totally everything proofed for use in deep space.

Kuroko, on the other hand, analyzed the information at hand, and deemed everything too suspicious and the involved people too well-armed to go in with her usual fare. It was one thing to take down a handful of level two or three espers robbing a bank, but with so many individuals and unknowns entailed, with guns being a very real threat from any and all of them, Futaba would need to be worried for her life this time around. Safety was her top priority, as was the ability to subdue or even dispatch any threats that cropped up.

"Hmm. Big Guns it is, for sure. I'm headed to the scene soon, send any additional info via text message, as I'll be silencing my phone until I'm sure it's safe to send an update," she would say, with a dutiful tone to her voice, "Oh and just in case, have the collateral damage report paperwork ready. If it comes to my best, the scene could get messy."

With that she hung up the phone and held the volume down button until the slider was all the way empty, then openned a menu and moved down all her sliders. She tucked her phone into her duffel bag as she took a deep breath. She had to worm her way into position in order to get her case up off the ground, cuz the thing weighed way more than it looked like, it basically required her to move it with her legs and straps over her shoulders to distribute the weight down her body, like a backpack. Even in addition to this, she also grabbed her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Normally she wouldn't bother bringing the whole case and simply double it, but Kuroko-san's analysis had her a little on edge. Besides, it was a good workout. For the matter of the long travel time it would take on foot, she would never bank on being able to make that. She wasn't some physical goddess, after all.

She just needed to get out of the dorms. With a bit of effort, and drawing the eyes and attention of not too few peers and faculty, she made it to the courtyard, humming a merry tune to herself along the way. Now to make this trek a lot easier. The best part about this big case containing her big guns, was that it was big and sturdy, so it was useful for a variety of things; a shield, a battering ram, uhh... other things, presumably. Workout equipment for sure! But for Futaba's purposes right now, there was another.

She slipped her hand back and touched the case. Her esper ability kicked on as she consumed a bit of effort to pull out an exact duplicate of the case, down to its material, structural integrity, weight and contents: A double. Futaba was also known by a dumb alias, Doubler, which was pretty much entirely on the nose, but it wasn't like she was a huge presence in the grand scheme of things, so it stood to reason people wouldn't know who she was even if she used her power in front of them.

This ability was not mere cloning, however, it was Telekinesis, a form of it anyways, which functioned on materials native to any dimension save for the first through third dimensions, essentially allowing her dislodge anything from itself in the grand supersymmetrical scheme of the universe, by touch usually, though she was familiar enough with some things that she could do it remotely. Once dislodged, that matter – that double – was a puppet in her hands, the telekinesis working at an impressive range, and up to an equally impressive weight and size.

Futaba would toss the big case double onto the ground fairly casually, and stepped up onto it, kneeling and grabbing hold of the straps. The case on her back turned 90 degrees on a ratcheting bolt which was expressly put in for this purpose so it wouldn't accidentally touch the double and get dismissed.

She would then hold up her right hand, balled up into a fist with her pinky extended, and the case underneath her would begin to lift off the ground. Slowly and steadily at first, but it didn't take long to speed up to an alarming speed. It stopped once it reached a certain height and Futaba pulled out her phone to look at the map she'd generated, then angled herself appropriately and took off quickly the straps on the doubled case being the only security she'd given herself as she lurched back a bit from inertia. She had to consider getting a set of handlebars for this thing. The adrenaline rushed to her head, nonetheless, because this was certifiably awesome, and she let loose a fairly unprofessional howl of joy.

"Yahoooooo!!!"

Once she was up to an impressive speed, which was difficult to measure since she had no speedometer, but was probably best suited for a car on a highway. This wasn't the limit to her speed, of course, but she wasn't terribly far away and didn't want to miss any turns.

The problem with such plans was the time it took for them to properly materialise. The suits had hurriedly rushed down the stairs to collect both the suitcase and help their comrades back onto their legs. No attention was shed towards the dumb idiot who had bumped into them. No word of apology. No civil care. Absolutely nothing.

Hmph. What’s taking them so long? Shouldn’t Shirai be out and about as usual?

The scheming queen had once more been double crossed by what were simple circumstances. Expectations build on experience not always dealt better cards than mere chance.

Fine. Fine. Let’s keep them a bit more busy ☆

Matching the thoughts of her blonde puppeteer, the blue haired lab coat girl returned onto her shaky legs, just as the men had regained their form and posture. And just as they were about to finally climb onto the top of the stairs for real, the frail girl tripped and fell right down upon them, clumsily landing on exactly the guy who had been in charge of carrying the suitcase.

A sound strategy, even if greatly embarrassing. For both the queen and her pawn.

Now hurry up already!

At least none of the cafe’s guests or clerks would understand why exactly the refined lady sitting in the corner was awkwardly burying her face in her palms.

However, the comedic slapstick aside, the mood of things had shifted.

While they may have treated a single happening like a one-off nuisance, a repetition of the same scene could quickly alter the point of view. They had been on the run with a stolen valuable good. As such, how rare could a simple accident like this truly be?

The mood had changed.

The gazes of the black suits had changed as they eyed the small annoyance who once more was attempting to return to stable posture while emitting cute sounds from her lips.

Yes, this was no coincidence.

«Everything alright, missy?»

One of them had finally moved up to the small scientist, visibly pretending to finally emit some care towards her. Yet, at the same time pulling a gun from his belt behind his back.

Even as the older boy knelt down to be more level with Last Order, the Misaka clone turned to find him at eye level - where, for the first time, he would be able to see her young features under the hood she had made for herself. Light brown hair and bright eyes that shone with the frantic and excited energy of youth stared back at him. Seemingly not put off by his attempt to look friendlier, the little girl watched him with eyes that lacked wariness or weariness despite the dirty, light blue blanket she had wrapped herself in lending her a bedraggled look fitting to an orphan right out of Oliver Twist. Minus the funny British hats of course. And some shoes would have been an improvement.

"Uni is fine. As for the jacket... well, its just something I've had since before I came to this city, is all."

ϟSo, his name is Uni? That kind of name belongs to something like a sea creature, I seem to recall one of my Sisters reading... Gosh, those cat ears on the hoodie are adorable!!ϟ

Such were the innocent and tonally inconsistent thoughts of a child, after all.

"Anyway... what about you?" The sea-urchin boy with the cute hoodie asked, before stating something that should be rather obvious. And yet, like a girl a few years older - say, a middle-schooler, she tried to be polite.

ϟ"'Oh! Well, Misaka is Misaka,' Misaka explains as Misaka patiently introduces herself!"ϟ The girl piped up, gesturing to herself with a small, inward flourish of her fingers against her chest proudly. ϟ"'And Misaka isn't overtly cold,' Misaka says as Misaka denies the fact that will be true as night comes along. You don't have to worry about Misaka."ϟ

But even as she said as much, Uni was already taking off his hoodie - though the expression he missed upon Last Order's own face was one of confusion. She had no idea what his intentions were as he began to strip, and while he slid out of his hoodie the little girl looked down to the pile of books in her own form of awkward embarrassment. And when he held out the hoodie to her, Last Order stared at it at first before looking to the slight boy whose frame was even smaller minus his trademark outfit. The little clone couldn't deny that the nights weren't always the warmest. And she only preserved her modesty with that blanket after all - although she wasn't about to admit that. The miniature Misaka reached out with one hand - the other kept her blanket cinched where a cloak's own metal clasp would be.

ϟ"'Uuu... Misaka really doesn't want to take anything from someone else.' Misaka lies as Misaka tries to be polite. 'But it would also be rude for Misaka to refuse such a cute - Ah! Misaka means, 'useful' gift!' Justifies Misaka as Misaka takes the cute hoodie from the nice boy~"ϟ

With that, Misaka's small hand accepted his hoodie and she stepped back with it. There was a sudden redness to her face, and her eyes almost nervously flickered down and away from the boy.

ϟ"'Misaka may not be completely grown yet,' Misaka explains as Misaka says something embarrassing. 'But Misaka still thinks it would be wrong to dress in front of the nice sea urchin boy, because any girl's body is a secret to be kept!' Elaborates Misaka as Misaka imparts wisdom upon you."ϟ

As if the little girl could have that much to keep in the way of secrets.

Either way, her mind seemed up as she asked Unimato to wait there - and dipped into the nearby alley. She emerged shortly after - wearing a hoodie that was much too big for her. It had been too big for Unimato in the first place, and on her it was downright comical - swaddling her small body more easily than the blanket had. She could walk, at least, but the sleeves now flopped about over her hands in such a way that a Level 3 Esper in a certain Dark Side group would probably be envious. Floppy sleeves aside, the hood was only about half on her head and still mostly concealed her features except for her now smiling face. Last Order looked about this way and that - and then ran with her arms outstretched to either side until she came to a stop in front of the reflective part of some shop's display.

ϟ"'Misaka looks adorable!' Misaka says as Misaka states the obvious!! 'Misaka now gets to use both of her hands and has cat ears, which will doubtless increase the success rate of Misaka's mission!' Declares Misaka as Misaka celebrates loudly!"ϟ

Well, if nothing else, the girl seemed over whatever had caused her to cry out in frustration before.

ϟ"'Misaka may not be completely grown yet,' Misaka explains as Misaka says something embarrassing. 'But Misaka still thinks it would be wrong to dress in front of the nice sea urchin boy, because any girl's body is a secret to be kept!' Elaborates Misaka as Misaka imparts wisdom upon you."ϟ

Unimato merely tilted his head in confusion at this... odd statement as the girl calling herself Misaka ran back into the alley. Deciding it was best not to think about, he grabbed his books, standing back up, wondering as to what would be the best course of action at the moment.

'Well, of course I could always just call Judgement, but at the same time, I don't want the kid to be subject to that drawn out nonsense...'

Cutting off this train of thought, the little girl ran out from the alley way wearing the hoodie, looking very excited as they spun and ran around before stopping in front of the window of a storefront to admire their new appearance.

ϟ"'Misaka looks adorable!' Misaka says as Misaka states the obvious!! 'Misaka now gets to use both of her hands and has cat ears, which will doubtless increase the success rate of Misaka's mission!' Declares Misaka as Misaka celebrates loudly!"ϟ

He gave a small chuckle at this apparent change in mood.

'She does seem to be in a better mood, now. Maybe I could get some answers out of her, try to see if I could help her out. Would be a lot quicker than going through law enforcement...  and its not like I had much going on, anyway.' he takes in a breath before trying to get the hyper kid's attention.

"Misaka, right? Um, you wouldn't mind maybe elaborating more as to why you were wondering around? Maybe tell my what's on your mind? I would like to help you out, if I can."

He then motions to a nearby bench with some kind of glass frame around it, plastered with various advertisement, normally used as a bus stop.

"Maybe even take a moment to rest... I mean, I'm not sure how long you've been wondering around... but I have a manga you could probably look at."

Meanwhile the thought going through his head:

'I really hope I don't look like a creep trying too hard, right now...'

Since he did legitimately want to help this kid as well as wanted to know their reasoning for wandering around alone, but his usual paranoia made him worry that this might look like an attempt at something else entirely from an onlooker...

"Misaka, right?"

ϟ"Hm?"ϟ Misaka was pulled from her time in the looking glass by Unimato speaking up, and she turned to face him nearly instantly with a wide smile visible on her face.

"Um, you wouldn't mind maybe elaborating more as to why you were wondering around? Maybe tell my what's on your mind? I would like to help you out, if I can."

Misaka watched the friendly sea-urchin gesture to a bus stop. Misaka recognized it for the simple fact that she had been sleeping under them now and then when the alleyways got too scary. She was usually shooed along come morning as one of the many Child Errors in the city - and she never showed her face if she could help it. Now though, she decided that sitting on the bench rather than laying under it sounded nice - and the boy had proven friendly so far. So, Diet Misaka decided to go along with his suggestion. She didn't know if this older boy could help her with her real mission - but maybe he had heard of the person she was interested in meeting. Misaka plopped onto the bus stop bench and her feet dangled off the ground by a few inches at least as she did so.

If there was a suspicious or darker way to understand Unimato's actions, they didn't occur to Misaka.

ϟ"'Misaka's always wanted to read a comic like that!' Misaka exclaims and doesn't hide her enthusiasm! But Misaka is looking for someone, and she just has to find them. Maybe you can help Misaka one more time."ϟ

The smile on her face was still broad and those brown eyes registered trust if nothing else, the half-drawn hood of Unimato's jacket showing more of her cute face - and framing it with those cat ears with which he was so familiar.

ϟ"'Misaka isn't stupid,' Misaka informs you as Misaka insists you don't underestimate her because she looks like a kid. 'Misaka wasn't going to tell you anything,' Misaka admits as Misaka hides the fact she would have kicked you between the legs if you were a creeper or a hindrance!"ϟ

Just as casually as commenting on the weather, this little girl admitted she had been prepared to keep quiet or fight back - and fight dirty at that.

ϟ"'But you were nice to Misaka, and gave Misaka something cute to wear!' Misaka elaborates as Misaka decides how best to say what she has to say..."ϟ

A pause, but only a brief one.

ϟ"'Misaka is looking for the strongest esper in the city!' Misaka concludes as Misaka decides on the simple-is-best approach. In other words, Misaka is looking for the esper known in this city as "Accelerator", although Misaka also remembers him being called something else."ϟ

With a fitting, childlike gesture the girl raised a fingertip to slightly pursed lips and seemed to concentrate on thinking about something.

ϟ"'Oh right', Misaka adds as Misaka recalls his title once more! 'Misaka is looking for the One-Way Road, who is one of the Level Fives in this city!!' Finishes Misaka as Misaka hopes she remembered something helpful!"ϟ

Unimato joins her on the bench, placing the stack of books between them before offering her one of the manga on top.

ϟ"'Misaka's always wanted to read a comic like that!' Misaka exclaims and doesn't hide her enthusiasm! But Misaka is looking for someone, and she just has to find them. Maybe you can help Misaka one more time."ϟ

He noted the cheery expression on Misaka's face as she continued.

ϟ"'Misaka isn't stupid,' Misaka informs you as Misaka insists you don't underestimate her because she looks like a kid. 'Misaka wasn't going to tell you anything,' Misaka admits as Misaka hides the fact she would have kicked you between the legs if you were a creeper or a hindrance!... But you were nice to Misaka, and gave Misaka something cute to wear!' Misaka elaborates as Misaka decides how best to say what she has to say..."ϟ[

'Thats... somewhat reassuring... I'm just glad she didn't decide I was one of those two...'

Audibly sighing in relief, as he thought that, since he was still worried up to this point that he seemed like one of those possible options the girl listed.

ϟ"'Misaka is looking for the strongest esper in the city!' Misaka concludes as Misaka decides on the simple-is-best approach. In other words, Misaka is looking for the esper known in this city as "Accelerator", although Misaka also remembers him being called something else."ϟ

'Wait, what could she possibly want with someone like that? Probably the usual lofty child ideal, but it's still a bit early to brush it off as that, could potentially be a family member of theirs.' Unimato thought during Misaka's brief pause.

ϟ"'Oh right', Misaka adds as Misaka recalls his title once more! 'Misaka is looking for the One-Way Road, who is one of the Level Fives in this city!!' Finishes Misaka as Misaka hopes she remembered something helpful!"ϟ

"That seems... oddly specific. Why do you need specifically the strongest esper? They're six other possible level fives you could look for, though considering this cities population, the chances of running into one of them is rather slim.

He says in an apologetic voice as he scratches the back of his neck.

"To be honest, you would probably have better luck looking in the School Garden. Two level fives reside there, from what I've heard... Though I wouldn't recommend sneaking in, at the same time."

He shakes his head, realizing he's gone on a bit of a tangent.

"That aside, what do you have to do with the 'number one?' Are they perhaps family?"

While soaring through the skies at a height which was far above traffic concerns but low enough that she could watch for suspicious activities was a convenience suited to her profession, the truth of the matter was that it felt like cheating. Futaba was the sort of girl to impose restrictions on herself in her day to day life because her ability was altogether too useful. When she thought of something clever and convenient with that Doppelmaster power of her's, she would usually just file it away as 'illegal for civilian use'.

Of course, there was an emphasis on 'civilian use'. When it came to dealing with law breakers, she was willing to run the gamut with her ability. When operating for Judgement, she was free to use her powers however she chose. It was liberating, exhilerating, and probably something else that ended in '-ating', she'd wager. So to fly free through the skys like this, was a luxury that she only afforded herself on the job. They say if you love your job, you'll never work a day in your life. For Futaba, this was the truth.

As she passed over the original crime scene, she would slow down to take note of the situation down there. What a terrible car crash. She noted some signs of forced entry on one of the cars, which she assumed was the victim's. Whatever they were stealing was apparently worth more than a human life to them. She didn't spy any corpses though, nobody got dropped or particularly injured by the look of things. 'Just a car crash, and a suitcase got stolen, huh?' she pondered. Looking at the myriad routes that had been sent to her, she noted how they were fairly precise.

Odds were that they were looking for a place to lay low and hand off the stolen object. Looking at the routes, the shortest and most direct route to while avoiding cameras would take them... "Here." Of course if she had better eyes she might have just been able to fly a bit higher and take a bird's eye view of the city, but she needed to see details, so she had to take an educated guess. An underground mall was nearby, and its security cameras were separate and privately owned as opposed to connected to the Academy City security grid. Thinking like a criminal, this meant that somebody could slide all the way to the other side of the mall and be in no danger of having the security footage pulled up by authorities until it was far too late.

This would essentially be a free pass to get even further from the crime scene unhindered. With how long it took her to get ready, Futaba was certain that if they didn't intend to hide out near the crime scene, a suicidal idea by all accounts, they would have taken the mall route, and be near the end of their trek. Thankfully, being the preppy upbeat fashionista that she was, she knew the Underground Mall like the back of her hand, especially the clothing stores. The exits and entrances were well known to her as well, and thanks to her position, the angles they could have approached from undetected by the security grid, and the probable direction they intended to go once exiting, well... there was only like two stairways that would accomodate this kind of crime.

Her sureness of waypoint caused her to pick up speed as she travelled in that direction on her flying case. She passed over the nearby entrance without a second glance, because going into the mall on this thing would lead to unnecessary chaos and difficulty steering. She beelined overhead and slowed herself once she had a good view of the exit stairwell on the farthest side. As she got herself into a proper recon position, she eyeballed a scene. A blue-haired girl accidentally falling into a gaggle of suits, visibly irritating them. One of whom was holding a particular suitcase.

Another of whom was reaching for something on their belt.

With how suspicious the whole group was, and how they entirely matched the description of the assailants from the scene of the crime, as did the case they carried, Futaba's mind raced to a conclusion. Silently, on her part, she would use her precise telekinetic control over the case she rode upon, to undo the latch, causing the doors to swing open. From the inside fell out a fairly humanoid figure, though it was a cast silhouette in the shadows of night.

Its trajectory was oddly forward, as though it was launched by some kind of ejector seat. Suddenly, its altitude would bottom out and it would visibly fly over the asphalt. Passing under a streetlight, one could glean an oaken color to the figure's exterior.

The next time any light had shone onto it, it would be after the deployed object had been used as a battering ram to bowl through the man who was pulling a gun, and slam him and the other ten men back down the stairwell, with no attempt at grasping for handrails saving them from being totally overwhelmed, albeit if any had good reflexes they might have scattered of their own free will upon seeing a man-sized something flying at them like a bat out of hell.

Futaba giggled to herself, pumping her free hand as a fist and cheering, "Steeeeerrrr-ike!" One shot, ten men, just like at the bowling alley.

Using the very blatant distraction, she would lower the case to a position out of the way and then hop off as she struggled to get into a position to hide the real case and get in view of the fight that was about to break out, all while casually having the figure she'd deployed wrestle about trying to pin them down and such.

Of course, ten conscious men at once were difficult to pin down for one lone figure, so it would definitely be in her interest to render them all unconscious now that she was in position.

The figure would finally stand up and back away a few steps from the men. It put up its fists like a boxer from a video game, even doing an unnecessary bouncing movement idly as it did. They were looking at... A full-sized mannequin with an cartoonish angry face painted on it. The wrench in their plans was an oversized children's toy. Futaba eyeballed the situation from her position at the top of the stairs, a single pinky finger raised up to eye level just out of view of her head popped around the corner. If she could keep the men in this visual window into the mall, she wouldn't have to risk herself to go in further.

It's often the way that when someone wanders, however aimless it might feel, they tend to gravitate to certain places. Whether it's simply a matter of habit or a subconscious tendency to seek out the familiar. It's not uncommon that they find themselves someplace they've been before.

So it was for Accelerator, who stopped halfway down the plain-looking alleyway when he felt a strange, nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Did he recognise this place? It could have been any narrow backstreet in the city. There was nothing special about it at all.

Or so he thought. Until he came to a freshly laid piece of concrete. Then he realised.

This had been the scene of one of the earlier experiments.

Accelerator stopped in front of the concrete slab. When he'd last seen it the ground was splattered with viscera. They'd been barely recognisable as human remains. Now there was nothing. Not a drop of blood remained. He touched his hand to the wall where the gouges of sundered brick torn had been filled in. It was as if that battle had never even taken place. All trace had been scrubbed from the city and from history.

He'd not even been paying attention to where he was going, so why was he here of all places?

He stood there for a while, just looking at that blank slab. And then, without a single flicker of emotion crossing his face he left. Across the road a convenience store beckoned. He didn't need anything, but he entered anyway.

It was probably just habit at this point.

All it took for the situation to be diffused was the loud crash of an unknown object running into the ten men, spectacularly toppling them over like bowling pins. To any onlooker it may have been clear how much the initial attack must have hurt them.

At the same time, though, them returning to their legs under heavy grunting, proved that easy victory hadn’t been achieved. No, these folks were not the type to let things off easy. That had been how important the cargo had been to them.

Thus, standing there they would turn to face the assailant, responding to the cartoonish face of childish nonsense with the seriousness of sun glassed criminals prepared to fight over life and death. An tense scene that would only last a moment. As in the next instance, the men pulled out their handguns and started firing at their new enemy.

A messy fight had broken out. One that overstepped the boundary of what Shokuhou Misaki had wished for in her trendy cafe corner.

Still, it did serve its purpose.

With the finesse of a true coward, she manoeuvred the blue-haired lab coat dwarf past the raging battlefield, taking as great as a detour as needed to not get hit by a ricochet, and making it to where the suitcase had landed at after the initial attack. Then, after checking left and right, she’d pull it along and make a run for it, hoping for her saviour to make up for any of the black suits who’d try to interfere with her clumsy escape path.

Hastily, she would run up to the top of the stairs, as though she had truly become one with the unathletic dwarf escaping a life and death situation. But maybe that had been exactly the emotion that had overcome Shokuhou that instance.

So much so, that she would not hold back on her true reaction when finally facing the one who had come for her rescue. Blaring out her initial thoughts totally flabbergasted – in both scenes simultaneously: The peaceful cafe and the war zone staircase.

«Hi-Hitotsumi-san?! And here I was placing my rooting ability on Shirai!»

She had stopped off the side of an entrance to an alleyway. She could not help that she was being stared at by the few people who had passed by and seen her standing still at that location, gazing into a place she obviously should have no place going in. There was just too much about her that was eye-catching for all the long reasons.

The ringlet curls.

The maid outfit that would not be out of place on the streets of Akihabara.

Flashy was as flashy does and she was flashy to a degree that it probably hurt the eyes of any onlookers.

Nevertheless, that young maid-in-training gazed upon the person who was standing within that alleyway, alone for some time. But, as soon as she saw that figure move, she, herself moved, standing with her back to the alley as she watched that thin figure saunter across the street to a nearby convenience store.

As a maid-in-training, she could not take her eyes off him. Was it the emaciated frame combined with the disheveled mop of a hairdo? The eyes trained down towards the ground? The posture that could almost be called reminiscent of an old man’s despite his apparent age?

That amalgamation of elements could surely only ever be an emblem of perfection as far as the girl sought. Though she had her own agenda, she was ever the opportunist. Her instincts could not pull her away from her core.

She, too, made her way into the convenience store, found him and said a magic line that was sure to make him shiver.

“You! You look like a loser at your lowest point. But worry not!” She patted her chest and smiled at the young man with the most businesslike grin she could give. “Your problems could all go away with the help of a maid like me!”

Thus spoke Kumokawa Maria.

"That seems... oddly specific." The Sea-Urchin said, although he would notice that the little Misaka was already nose-deep in the first manga. She had no idea what kind of comics Unimato liked, but she'd probably enjoy the book regardless with its little detailed drawings and written out sound effects.

"Why do you need specifically the strongest esper? They're six other possible level fives you could look for, though considering this cities population, the chances of running into one of them is rather slim."

"'Misaka needs to talk to Accelerator.' Misaka repeats as Misaka multitasks reading and carrying on a conversation! 'Misaka thinks that only Accelerator can help Misaka with her problems.'"

Last Order didn't look up at him this time since she was reading the manga so intently. But she seemed to have no problem carrying on their conversation without eye contact. Even the simple statement she made about the Number One Esper being able to help her was filled with certainty and conviction - how like a child she was, for her moments of insight and reflection. Easily distracted, but at the same time single-minded upon her current fixation.

"To be honest, you would probably have better luck looking in the School Garden. Two level fives reside there, from what I've heard."

At that bit of advice Misaka did look up from the book, and the cat ears upon her (well, Unimato's, actually) hood added a cuteness factor that couldn't quite erase the pout of protest she unleashed upon him.

"'No!' Misaka states as Misaka chooses simplicity over reasonable discussion. 'It has to be him, and Misaka has put plenty of thought into this!' Insists Misaka as Misaka tries to discourage you from discouraging Misaka in her mission!"

Well, to her credit, she had done that much.

The Seven Level Fives of Academy City.

Each a legend in their own right, and Last Order was as impatient as any child... And she was also practical.

First of all, while in the incubator it wasn't as though Last Order had been awake to even see the faces of most researchers on the experiment. So that was out of the question.

Further, a plan like tracking down evasive celebrities like the other Level Fives presented its own challenge. She had no information on Number Two - and the very little she had plucked from the network suggested he was not the selfless type. Number Three was on her list too, but Last Order could find her any time. That meeting was supposed to be special, and Last Order wanted to thank her big sister directly - not come crawling to her for help. Number Four was apparently involved in some group more likely to kidnap children rather than help them. Number Five was a backup, in case all of Last Order's other plans failed. Number Six - Misaka didn't even have his or her name, even if a few people knew it. And Number Seven was hard to find for someone so well-known among the people - or rather, she hadn't tried hard, as that wasn't even on her list of backup plans to begin with.

Sigh

All Unimato's suggestions (no matter how helpful and more realistic they were) managed to do was ellicit a depressed sigh that her "oldest sister" might have made when frustrated.

"'As for Misaka's relationship to Accelerator, he's someone Misaka needs to meet most of all right now.' Misaka explains as Misaka tries to motivate herself again. 'Misaka needs to find him no matter what and talk to him. He's someone who already helped Misaka once, and he's the one who can help Misaka again!' Concludes Misaka as Misaka returns the kind boy's book."

The happiness was gone from her face and the cheer from her voice. She looked older as she placed the book back on the pile - and then looked up to Unimato again. It seems that trying to change her course of action wasn't going to be something easily done - if it was possible at all.

She hopped down from the bench, her bare feet landing soundlessly on the concrete sidewalk.

"'Thank you again for showing Misaka kindness.' Misaka says as Misaka bows to excuse herself."

And with that bow Misaka turned around and began to walk off; the girl apparently resolute in her mission (to find Accelerator) and not considering the foremost problem with leaving (she still wore Unimato's trademark hoodie).

As Unimato made his suggestions, it became more and more clear how fixated, no, maybe 'hell-bent' would be a more fitting term, on finding the number one this kid was. He could see the determination in her eyes as she looked back up at him from the manga with a much more serious expression... serious even for a little kid wearing a cat hoodie that was much too big for them.

"'Thank you again for showing Misaka kindness.' Misaka says as Misaka bows to excuse herself."

Before Unimato could say anything else, she began to walk off, presumably in pursuit of her target.

'Regardless of how determined she is, I don't think she should wonder around, alone.'

He thought to himself, looking up at the sky. Of course it was only going to get darker as time went by, further increasing the risk of someone being harmed by a thug or Skill-Out, since they seemed like the sort that preferred to operate at night, on top of that a kid would be an easy target. Though she did say she can tell the difference between a creep and someone trying to help, Unimato couldn't help but feel like there was more to Misaka's goal, beyond just meeting Academy City's equivalent to a 'celebrity.' That expression she made before said it all.

Making up his mind, he stood up, grabbing his books as he does so.

"Wait, Misaka-san." Waving an arm in the the air as he tries to catch up, presuming she continued walking while he was spaced out. "I'll try to help you find them... well, if thats fine..."

'...and well, she still has my hoodie... I know I could always buy a new one but... the weird looks I would get buying one... plus it has some nostalgic value.'

As if he didn't already get weird looks from wearing the thing in the first place, but that somehow didn't bother him as much. Misaka could probably notice his attention drawn to the hoodie as he thought about it. Either way, it was still clear that his intentions of helping were pure, enough.

"Wait, Misaka-san."

At those words, Last Order came to a stop - and turned to see the boy running towards her with a hand in the air and his books gathered up in his free arm.

"I'll try to help you find them... well, if that's fine..."

Misaka was stunned for a moment, although she tried to keep it from showing on her face. Still, no doubt Unimato would see that she was caught off-guard by that offer. Her lips slightly parted in surprise and her eyes wavering uncertainly for a minute. But only just, as that broad smile returned to her face as his words sunk in. It seemed that no matter how determined the miniature Misaka was in her mission, she wasn't determined to do it alone. She had faced plenty of scary nights in the city alone - and had been lucky enough to go unmolested along the way, save the occasional Anti-Skill who tried talking to her. But she knew that having some company would increase the chances of success. And this way she didn't have to rely on her Sisters. Sure, she could just give a command and have them help, but she now knew that each Misaka held value.

She wanted to let them live their newfound lives for a bit, and some part of her whispered that she needed to do this much without their help.

"'Thank you, friendly sea-urchin!' Misaka says as Misaka accepts your offer! 'Misaka could do it on her own of course, but Misaka will like the company!' Explains Misaka as Misaka denies her own ineptitude thus far!"

Well, it seems like she was also brutally honest when it came to herself - in a paradoxical way.

And with that, the two headed back out into the night of Academy City - to play the world's largest game of Hide-and-Go-Seek.

“You! You look like a loser at your lowest point. But worry not! Your problems could all go away with the help of a maid like me!”

The albino boy stared blankly at the strange, grinning girl as she patted the chest of her maid uniform. Was she for real? For the first time in a while, he was genuinely lost for a response. He was used to people challenging him, or giving him a wide berth due to his unusual appearance and sour expression. As weak looking as his physique made him look, he still didn't give off an approachable vibe. But this girl had just walked straight up to him and started speaking. Either she was trying to distract him from a surprise attack or she was a genuinely clueless idiot. Either way he didn't have time for her nonsense.

Accelerator reached out, grasping the girl by the shoulder and with a flick of his arm launched her into the shelves. Her body crashed through them as if they were made of paper, coming to a rest against the opposite wall leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. Feeling a glimmer of satisfaction, Accelerator carried on towards the counter of the store.

He snapped out of his daydream to find the maid girl still grinning inanely at him.

"Whatever you're selling, I don't want it." He sneered. The only things someone like her would be selling didn't interest him. He wasn't some dirty old man into cosplay girls and even if he was, the girl standing on front of him wasn't even remotely his type. She was blocking his path between the aisles of the store and for a second he considered it might be simpler just barging past her. It would have been a simple matter to send her flying, but he didn't feel like causing a scene. It would have been a hassle to have to find another convenience store to buy his coffee at this time of night.