Academy City.
A place where the impossible was possible, where the fantastic was mundane, and the extraordinary was... little more than ordinary, for the most part.
Needless to say, a kind of city like this where a number of students (students themselves taking up the majority of the population) have access to Esper powers ranging from teleportation to electrokinesis, manipulation of the human mind, and more, could be considered rather different from the ordinary city that you would find in the rest of the world.
However, with all the things that were different, there were some things in the world that would never change, no matter what, it seemed.
For example, akin to what you would see in other densely populated places like New York City, Tokyo, or Kowloon, Academy City was the kind of place where one could expect to be crowded during many times of the day, filled with students rushing to class on foot, cars making their way down the road to get to work, and the like, everything coming together as one would get a feeling of the bustling energy within the environment.
But more prominently, there was another thing.
A feeling of having something like a family.
Granted, as mentioned earlier, the majority of the city's population consisted of students, most of whom only made a temporary residence here, but if one looked close enough, namely in a certain apartment complex called Family Side, you could find it.
Contrary to what one might initially believe from the name and the description beforehand, Family Side has little to do with housing actual families, but rather, adults and other personnel, namely teachers, though this certain "family" was quite the special case. Not exactly as bizarre as one might think, but Accelerator, Last Order, Misaka Worst, Kikyou Yoshikawa, and Aiho Yomikawa all made quite an interesting family, if one could even call it that.
Dysfunctional as some may believe the family to be, the place was probably more homely than other actual homes in "normal" places. What they might have lacked in connection by blood, they made up for with... something. If asked, everyone would likely give a different answer, but perhaps the basic gist of it can be described as something "genuine," corny as it may sound.
Accelerator wasn't really a fan of sappy stuff like that either, personally, not that he'd ever admit he was secretly a sucker when it came to these things with these people.
But if there was one thing he couldn't deny...
"Oi oi, Accelerator-kuuun!" The voice of a certain high school's P.E. teacher named Aiho Yomikawa called out on a day like any other, with nothing out of the ordinary happening, even for the standards of this extraordinary city, "I need you to do something for me!"
"No," came the Strongest Esper's flat reply, without missing a beat.
For the city's strongest Esper (a title that some believed he didn't deserve on account of the losses he had suffered in the past), life could be quite boring for Accelerator. He didn't have any particular hobbies besides beating on cocky idiots who thought they were hot stuff, enough that they thought they could "dethrone" him, and there was nothing that particularly caught his interest on TV, so he just spent most of the day today laying on the couch, partially being grouchy about being bored (some would say it's a silly thing to be grouchy over, but he'd been grumpy over less than that in the past), and partially enjoying the freedom of not having anything to do, though it seemed that Yomikawa was intent on disturbing that peace.
"Eh? What was that?" Yomikawa asked, walking over to the younger man and looking down at him, arms crossed, "I wasn't asking, y'know. If you have time to laze around, then you've got time to fetch some groceries!" She exclaimed, producing a slip of paper, presumably the list of what they needed, from her pocket and holding it out to Accelerator.
"And I didn't say maybe, I said no," he grunted curtly in response.
"Jeez... You're such a pain! You're lucky that I let a freeloader like you in out of the goodness of my heart! I mean, even Worst has done more for his household than you have! I bet she'd be perfectly willing to go out and be a dear! Isn't that right, Worst?!" Yomikawa would grunt, speaking in a higher volume as she'd call out for Misaka Worst, wherever she might be.
"This isn't gonna end well..."
Misaka Worst wasn't exactly a good girl. Anyone who knew her could attest to that. Just looking at her gave one that idea, the look in her eyes giving it away. Anyone familiar with the dark side of the city they currently resided would recognize it instantly too. One could say appearances could be deceiving, but for Misaka Worst she was pretty much exactly what she looked like. Though perhaps this was only the natural result of being the collective negative emotions of nearly 10,000 clones.
Despite that, the third season clone rose from her position on the floor, ignoring the frustrated child who looked like a 10 year old with an uncanny resemblance to her who'd apparently just lost in a video game.
"Tsk tsk, even Misaka is more helpful than you, #1. What does that say about you when even this Misaka is more dependable?"
Misaka Worst gave him a sneer and waggled her finger at him as she teased him.
The clone wasn't particularly interested in going shopping. In fact, the boring peace of it almost made her sick. The main reason she'd actually piped up was, more or less, simply to put Academy City's strongest esper on the spot.
"C'mon, #1, why don't you be a dear and get Misaka some ice cream? Kuku."
She could blame the desire for ice cream of all things on the 10 year old looking command tower.
Accelerator, trying to avoid conversation by pulling a book, presumably some sort of light novel specifically, closer to his face, but his pride, whatever was left of it, (after it seemed to spiral down and down into oblivion ever since that fateful fight against that damned Level 0 just a few months ago), wouldn't let Worst have the last word.
Still... Damn, it felt like much longer than that. That night where the Level 0 beat him in a fight somehow but... Bah. He was already in a bad mood as it was, so recalling that kind of event was only gonna put him in a shittier mood.
"I shoulda left you back in Russia when I had the chance," the Number One grumbled grouchily, being toyed with by these women exponentially weaker than he was, much to his dismay, "And go get it yourself. And don't even think of trying to use the guilt card on me because it won't work this time!"
... The sad part was that if Worst bawled her eyes out, which Accelerator could imagine that she could force herself to, he would probably cave in quicker than he'd like to admit.
"Actually, ice cream does sound nice. Surprisingly hot today even though we're in the later part of Autumn," Yomikawa would pipe out, briefly fanning herself with one hand while the other rested on her own hip, before a small, almost wry smirk would begin tugging at her lips, "Maybe you two should go out and get some together. You're always so naturally heated up, you could use something to cool you off, Accel-kun. And you shouldn't deny a lady her wishes after all."
"That witch is no lady, let me be clear about that," he grunted.
Normally, he was more... open about his cursing, but he knew that if he used such dastardly language in Yomikawa's presence, he'd instantly get kicked out of the building. Otherwise, he'd be much more openly mean-spirited towards the girl who seemed to enjoy being on the higher side of the scales than him.
Then again, it looked like either way, he was about to leave against his own will anyway if things kept up like this.
"Ahh, but this Misaka's arm still hurts a little," she lied with a faux pained expression, which wouldn't sell anyone on it thanks to the smirk on her face, "Misaka thinks she can't push the cart very well with just the other arm. Shouldn't you take responsibility for this Misaka?"
Completely ignoring his assertion, Misaka Worst poked at his conscience anyway. She knew that the strongest esper wasn't particularly good at handling his guilt, particularly when it came to anyone with her face. After all, she was basically designed entirely to take advantage of that, like she had back in Russia. From the implants she had to prevent orders from the command tower to the fact she was a clone of the #3 in Academy City in the first place, her existence was only here for that one reason.
But that was then. Now, rather than trying to break Accelerator, she just used that fact to get trivial favors and reactions out of him.
Worst's not so pleasant smirk wavered as the PE teacher suggested that she had to go along too. She had no particular desire of her own to go shopping. Yet somehow, the idea of going out shopping made her feel...jealous? Of what? Tch, not again. It seemed she had plenty to blame the Misaka Network for, as always.
Aaaahhh!! Why do I want go shopping?! It's not any of my business if he has to go read a list and grab food. But, but, this stupid network...!
Last Order's jealousy of Accelerator's ability to move about freely got the better of her, despite the fact Worst was not really being constrained to the room herself. It was ridiculous, like an older sister doing something simply because the younger sister couldn't, and she was astutely aware of this fact.
Then again, she was technically the younger sister here.
Powerless against the surges of emotion from the network, the woman in the ao dai abruptly walked over to Accelerator and began prodding him, purposely pushing at his cheek with just enough force to make his head turn and make the reading experience thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Misaka wants to go shopping too! C'mon, shopping!"
Even Worst herself couldn't fully comprehend her outburst.
At least Accelerator wasn't going to be much happier about it, she felt.
Accelerator tried his hardest to ignore the first few quips that Worst would throw concerning her condition, and though his hardest wasn't quite good enough if Worst really wanted to get under his skin, he was almost slightly relieved when she would seem to almost abruptly stop trying to egg him on, only for his relief to once again turn into irritation when she would continue on with her shenanigans, this time through a slightly different method. Poking. Wonderful.
He furrowed his eyebrows as Worst would continue to pester him, trying to no avail to ignore her as he could feel her soft finger poke and poke and poke his cheek without any stop. But he wasn't gonna let her have his way because... because...!
...
Ghhgh... She smells nice.
An uncharacteristic thought assaulted the genius Esper's mind with Misaka Worst being so close to him. As it was, Accelerator was not used to really being touched, since his Redirection used to be automatic and active at all times before the incident that led him to where he was now. However, this was a little different from when Last Order would hug his leg like an excited child, or when Yomikawa would give him a not so playful noogie for... being himself. There was also the factor that Misaka Worst was different in one other regard from the other. The Number One had no interest in little girls, nor did he chase after "Christmas cakes," or to put it simply, older women. The young man never really put much thought into what kind of woman was his type, but even if his mind never gave it any thought, that wasn't gonna stop anything. After all, he was at that kind of age where he began to take an interest in these kinds of things, whether he'd ever admit it or not.
And by "things," he meant... not Worst.
Right?
Geh. In any case.
"Fine, fine, if it'll fucking get you both off my back, then alright already!" Accelerator snapped. With that, he let out an annoyed sigh, closing his novel and tossing it onto the nearby table, before reaching over and grabbing his crutch, along with the list that Yomikawa had been clutching in her hand.
"Ice cream, and then whatever is on the list. Shouldn't take too long... hopefully. Are you two happy now?"
"As can be when dealing with you," Yomikawa said with a laid-back smile, giving a brief thumbs up, as well as a wink.
... The hell was that wink for?
Her ploy a success, Misaka Worst stepped away from Accelerator only long enough for him to get up, put away the book, and grab the cane and paper before draping herself into the rail-thin esper's back. She placed her head on his shoulder, resting most of her weight on him while barely standing up using her own two feet. While not in esper mode he had to rely on a crutch, but she didn't seem to pay that any mind as she sneered. Besides, if he complained about her weight, a house full of women wouldn't let him off that easily, strongest in Academy City or not.
"Heh heh. You can't get Misaka off your back that easily~. But Misaka is the collection of the Sisters' negative emotions. Misaka is never happy."
Quietly chuckling to herself, she didn't relent from his back as they walked out of the apartment, giving Yomikawa a wink of her own. She didn't need the Misaka Network to see the steam rise from Last Order's head if this were an anime or something. That thought brought an almost happy looking smile to her face. For some reason.
? I can't receive positive emotions from the network, right?
Well, no need to dwell on those thoughts.
Worst had decided to plant herself on Accelerator on a whim, more or less doing it in equal parts to annoy Accelerator and the little girl that was Last Order. As soon as they were out of the room, she hadn't really planned to keep clinging on like a child. It was less convenient for both of them, making it harder to walk as she relied on a boy with a crutch to carry her forward. But when they walked out to begin the grocery shopping, she didn't really feel like getting off. It felt nice in that disgusting way that everything on the light side did. Like peacefully walking through a store, or just casually eating ice cream without anything to worry about, or the handshake she'd exchanged with Accelerator when she decided it'd be more fun to be on his side than Academy City's.
"Hm, this is the first time Misaka has clung to someone like this. Do you want Misaka to whisper sweet nothings into your ear until we get to the shop? Or do you even want me to continue when we're inside?" She teased him in a voice somewhere between talking normally and a whisper, purposely exhaling a bit of warm air onto his skin that currently didn't use Reflection.
It'd be a long walk to the store.
"I now remember why I prefer it when nothing touches me," Accelerator only grunted somewhat sardonically in response to Worst's continued teasing. True enough, along with the unwanted(?) invasion of personal space on Worst's part, the feeling of the sun's rays that he wasn't used to like other people were only added a little to his irritation as the two of them walked from the building onto the streets.
Still, despite his words, he didn't shake her off.
Accelerator remembered why neither of them often went out. Even though Worst looked quite a bit different from the real Misaka and the clones on account of her being biologically older and the fact that... For better or for worse, she actually emoted, unlike the Sisters, and emoted in a manner that the original never would.
If worst came to worst, no pun intended, he could probably just say that she was the real Electromaster's older sister, though then again, according to rumors, she had enough trouble with that as it was, as her mother supposedly already looked young enough to be a sister anyway.
But that wasn't his business.
As they continued to walk along the streets of Academy City, the pair no doubt getting strange looks from onlookers, Accelerator let out a small sigh, recalling something Worst had said earlier, and decided to make small conversation with her, greatly against his better judgment.
"Y'know, for someone who claims to never be happy, you're awful cheery most of the damned time."
"...What if you touch Misaka?"
Surprisingly, she wasn't shaken off, nor even threatened. Aside from a quick remark, he was quick to accept the situation. Perhaps she'd lost her touch at annoying him, or he was learning to not respond the way she prodded him. Whatever the reason, she wouldn't complain if she got to keep clinging onto him. Maybe cause a misunderstanding or two, and all that fun stuff. Surely that'd be inconvenient for him.
Also, for a bring on a crutch, he felt surprisingly strong, considering his steps didn't particularly waver.
Misaka Worst wasn't the type to really care about what others were thinking about her. Which meant how strange the pair may have looked only served to amuse her as she noticed the various looks they garnered from others. In other words, she had no reason to get off Accelerator, and he wasn't forcing her off. In a way, it was like a battle of wills to see who'd give up and try to break themselves apart first.
Though, perhaps it was a bit lame for a "battle."
"This Misaka's existence is to channel the rest of the network's negative emotions, so being unhappy is like validating Misaka's existence. Besides, Misaka thinks you like it better when Misaka can't be satisfied."
A sneer came to her face as her frivolous speech continued, her supposed unhappiness only truly showing through in her poor taste in jokes.
"You prefer a selfish Misaka, right, #1? Like if Misaka cried and shouted for ice cream, you'd have to buy it for Misaka, kuku," Worst cackled quietly between the two of them.
"I'm not holding your hand through the city if that's what you're asking. Not even if you beg."
She was probably gonna try to beg, just because they were out in public. At least, that's what Accelerator believed anyway.
Still, continuing to reluctantly just let her continue to cling on him, a part of him also thinking of this as a sort of dumb "battle of wills," Accelerator was loath to admit that perhaps there was some other reason he was just letting her, a person that he was supposed to dislike who was supposed to dislike him back, be so close to him, but... Tch. He really has gone soft.
Though whether that was a bad thing remained to be seen.
"I'm just gonna ignore those baseless suggestions. Making conversation was a mistake..." He grumbled, before continuing to act against his better judgment and talk again, "Still... Is it possible to see you actually happy for once, or is happiness something that doesn't compute for you?"
The Number One felt compelled to ask this after remembering the Level 6 Shift Project that he was once a part of, and the many Sisters that he had been instructed to kill. Most of them were somewhat mindless. Mentally primitive, despite their super intelligence. They were almost like robots, and yet... The more of them he killed, the more advanced they got. To the point where most of the later ones seemed to display genuine fear like a human would. On top of that was that damned Level 0 who beat him yelling on and on about how "they were people too" or something, and just... because he remembered Last Order, and wondered to himself if those expressions the little girl emoted could have possibly been fake.
Still, upon hearing the crack about a "selfish Misaka," to be perfectly honest... It wasn't like Worst, as almost like a will of the network in one light, didn't have a right to be selfish. He felt foolish for getting somewhat sentimental over a... network outlet or whatever, but after everything that had happened, maybe he did owe her that much.
Of course, he would never admit that to her or she'd never stop bothering him about it. Or even the other girls for that matter.
"Oya? Academy City's strongest esper is going to make Misaka, who isn't even a year old, cry? Scary, so scary~"
Like an endless pool of vitriol, there seemed to be no end in sight to Misaka Worst's teasing. Annoying him at every turn registered as fun in her books, the clone relishing in whatever reaction she managed to get from him. Yet at the same time, it felt kind of strange that she was always itching for attention from him. She could go so far as to say annoying him in particular brought a peculiar joy. Even if it was always searching for a negative reaction, attention was attention. Why did she need the attention of the one she was meant to destroy?
Sure, she got her kicks from manipulating a certain level 4 cyborg, but it was only around Accelerator that she could still really feel like fighting. And, perhaps, that difference in treatment extended to her other habits.
...
Hopefully not. Such matters weren't for a dark clone like herself.
"Ah, Misaka's being ignored," she complained before thinking about his question. She actually wasn't quite sure herself. Only negative emotions were received from the Network. That much she knew. But could she, Misaka Worst, feel happy? Did taking pleasure in teasing others count as happiness? Or was that just a twisted form of anger, the misery of others coming out as happiness from one who only knew the negative spectrum of...most things, actually.
"Happiness is just feeling better than others, right? Then Misaka feels very happy when everyone else isn't."
In the end, she actually wasn't sure herself. Happiness wasn't exactly something she could calculate about herself and then compare to everybody else. But, to make it simple, if she felt good, she was happy. So, was clinging to Accelerator's back being happy?
While she pondered that, she overheard a certain level 4, the opposite of the aforementioned cyborg.
As they continued walk together, passing by a video store that was miraculously not out of business, the voice of another certain Level 0 could faintly be heard inside.
"I dunno... Are you sure this "Sharknado" movie actually exists, Kinuhata? I can't find it anywhere... Where the heck did you even hear about it?"
"Hamazuraaa, are you super trying to say I'm delusional? I told you, I super found it on the computer!"
She could just barely hear something that sounded like an impact. By the speech pattern, it seemed to be that girl who showed up last to the "villain girl meet up."
Small world. Or city.
"... Well. I guess it's something at least," Accelerator grunted in response to Worst's personal definition on what happiness might be, "And what about when your so-called urges that you get from the Network are fulfilled, like having some ice cream? Is the effect the same as when you piss me off?"
Speaking of which, as they would walk, the two of them conveniently happened upon an ice cream stand, headed by what looked like a student, probably managing the place as some sort of part-time job. Upon approaching the place, the young clerk's complexion became quite pale, though perhaps this was to be expected. After all, when one holds the title of the strongest around, Accelerator was used to most people either being scornfully skeptical of him, or rather fearful.
"A-Ah... H-How can I help you two?" He stammered nervously.
And then there was... Worst.
That is, there was how Worst looked. To the eyes of others, if she didn't look like an older sister of the Railgun, then maybe with how she was hanging around Accelerator, one could perceive her as the real Railgun if she had become a delinquent due to Accelerator's... influence. Now, wouldn't that be a thought.
Glancing at the scared boy, and then at Worst, and then back at the boy, he sighed.
"... Fuckin'... Uh, two chocolates will be fine."
...
"... Chocolate's fine, right?"
Accelerator wasn't normally one for appeasing someone, especially not Worst, but she technically had the advantage here, as if he didn't, there was nothing stopping her from telling on him to Yomikawa, where the young man would face the wrath of the one thing scarier than an Esper capable of modifying vectors as he saw fit.
Unmarried women older than 25.
Worst sneered as she realized the boy they were trying to buy ice cream from clearly wasn't used to people like the two of them. Based on his pale expression, he seemed to have recognized the strongest esper, her resemblance to #3, or simply that they were dangerous people. Not that it mattered which it was. The important thing was that he was scared. Scared of their appearance or reputation, didn't matter which.
That or he was an exceptionally nervous kid. But she was willing to bet against that.
Cupping her hand and putting her mouth by Accelerator's ear, she spoke in a low voice, "Between you and Misaka? Pissing you off is the ultimate happiness~" Pulling back, the clone stared the clerk down with an impish look on her features as Accelerator clumsily placed their order.
"Tch. I bet it is..." He simply grumbled.
"Misaka prefers vanilla, actually."
Whether she just wanted to be contrarian or actually preferred that flavor was hard to tell.
Leaning in closer to whisper to Accelerator again, she added, "Hey, let's walk off without paying and see if he calls us back. Misaka thinks he'll chicken out if you don't offer to pay him, kukuku."
Ice cream wasn't particularly expensive. She also didn't have anything in particular against the poor clerk. But as far as she was concerned, there was no reason to really actually buy anything other than that was how it was supposed to be. So long as they didn't get caught in the process or whatever, it was fine, right? With this kid's apparent state of anxiety, it didn't seem likely he'd take steps to stop them, even if he somehow could stop a Level 4 electromaster and the #1. More importantly, though, Accelerator wouldn't approve of it. She couldn't imagine him doing so, at least.
So she casually suggested a criminal act to him.
Without a word, as though too afraid to say anything, the so-called clerk got some cones and scoop up the requested flavors of ice cream, his hands visibly trembling as it seemed like his fear of Accelerator and Worst became more and more apparent. This was perhaps one of the bigger reasons why Accelerator didn't often go out. If people weren't out to kill him in order to prove themselves as the strongest in Academy City, then they feared him like some sort of bogeyman.
Granted, given his past and the blood on his hands, perhaps their fear was warranted, and maybe he deserved that kind of pseudo-ostracization that was imposed on him, as he believed he was fine as long as he had his pseudo-family with him, but even so, it could be pretty damned annoying during times like these.
When the clerk finished up and Accelerator would hear out Worst, he remained silent for a moment, before sighing, not giving any indication on if he was going to go with Worst's suggestion or not until he would take out his wallet and leave the money (most of his money was just an allowance provided by Yomikawa) on the counter. Evidently, even though it was unlikely that the nameless clerk had heard Worst's suggestion, it seemed that he was surprised when Accelerator would choose to pay, but regardless, the #1 took the ice cream, ignoring the look that he was getting.
... Or at least, he would, but he may as well say something instead of just letting it be.
"... You do know that I don't have any reason to hurt you, right? Keep that in mind if I ever come back," he simply grunted, and with that, began to walk off, gesturing for Worst to follow.
Perhaps if it were a few months ago, Accelerator would have gone ahead and not paid, and would have probably even laughed about it in the process, but these past few months have caused quite a bit of change within him, as much as he didn't really wanna talk about it, between the confrontations with that Level 0 whom he couldn't defeat, Yomikawa and Yoshikawa's hospitality, and of course, Last Order's love that seemed to influence him.
"I don't know if you were trying to bait me into being a bad guy again, but while I've stopped caring about things like heroics and villainy ever since Russia, that doesn't mean you and the others are the only people I'll just choose to not be a bastard to."
And with that, he handed Worst the vanilla cone.
Worst seemed to not mind or care that he'd completely ignored her suggestion. Nothing new there. He was long past that stage, even by the time she'd first met him. Even if she cried and begged him to do it, for most things he'd probably fold, which they both knew, but on something like that he wouldn't give. Even if they always talked about the peace like it was royal pain in the ass, Worst felt she could confidently assert he'd fight to protect it, whether she wanted him to or not.
So as he handed her the ice cream, she wasn't quite sure how serious he was being. No, knowing him, he was being 100% serious in response to her, no matter whether she was joking around or not. The edges of her mouth began to curl upwards despite her best attempts to stop them, her body trembling as she did. But soon, she just couldn't contain it any longer.
"Ahahahaha! You, you should have seen your face! Misaka has no interest in you becoming a petty thief, Mr. Honor Student! ...No, actually, maybe that would be funny! Academy City's Strongest Esper is an ice cream burglar! Hahaha!!"
Wiping away the tears of laughter that had welled up with her free hand, Worst finally began to lick at her ice cream. But despite her laughter, she couldn't help but feel a little...what was she feeling? She wasn't sure herself, but that never bothered her, and still really didn't. Still, if she had to put a name to it, it'd be, perhaps, envious.
Even he, the one with the blood of over 10,000 clones on his hands, had adjusted to the peace convincingly well. Sure, she wasn't going around stealing and killing people, but she knew her own mindset was messed up from others' perspective. Not that she planned to change that anytime soon, but normally this kind of scene with two people going to get ice cream was reserved for people who didn't crawl in the dark. Not people like them.
Thus she felt a little out of place, peacefully licking an ice cream cone. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten ice cream, but she still couldn't shake that feeling off.
Accelerator, though, despite complaining all the time, almost looked like he could fit in, not that she'd ever tell him that. She could hardly believe it herself. When she went out with Umidori, it was easy to tell that neither of them really fit in with the rest. From Umidori's sense of fashion to the look in both of their eyes, it was simple for just about anyone to figure out. The same was true for Accelerator here, but somehow it felt like if his reputation didn't precede him, this would have been an ordinary scene that one might have seen anywhere else in the world.
It was almost unfair how he'd adapted already, though then again he had quite the head start.
"...Misaka still can't get used to this." Worst suddenly said with a smile as she continued licking at her ice cream. "Misaka still feels like this is just some calm before the storm, before Academy City suddenly releases something outrageous once it passes. How long do you think Misaka can stay inside their boundaries? Or do you think something's going to happen before Misaka takes a step outside them?"
A slightly discouraged tone escaped her. Ah, this kind of peace really just wasn't for her at all. Even if it was fun in its own way, this life she was building up here.
Accelerator's eye could visibly be seen twitching a little when Worst would have quite the laugh.
The Number One helped himself to his chocolate ice cream, later attempting to ignore her not so good-natured teasing and her laughing. Right. Fair enough. It was a stupid thing to even consider. He just hoped that the Sisters didn't all share one big memory, or else Last Order would probably lecture him about this stuff as well, and he certainly didn't need that from a child. Well, then again, they sorta did have that kind of thing if he remembered correctly; that was the whole point of being a collective, but...
Yeah, he's just gonna try to ignore this.
Continuing to walk alongside her, crutch in one hand and ice cream cone in the other, he listened quietly to her next few words. He wondered what suddenly caused her to think about all that, but it wasn't like he couldn't see where she was sorta coming from. Perhaps it was natural for people like them to worry about this. Perhaps less so for Accelerator nowadays, but despite that, he dared think about the possibility that the two of them had more in common with each other than he had initially thought. Tch, he could already hear all the jokes now, that is, if people even dared to joke about Accelerator to his face. The one the Accelerator found the most in common with was a person who was supposed to be the embodiment of a collective's negative emotions.
"Yeah... There's always something going on in Academy City. So much so that it becomes boring after a while," Accelerator began to respond, raising an eyebrow at the sudden uneasiness in her voice. Hmph. So that's what she sounded like when she wasn't perpetually smug or otherwise mischievous to him. He could certainly get used to that, but he wasn't gonna hold his breath.
"Oya, so you actually do care about living here with the others," he said. Perhaps if the phrase was said by someone else, it could be taken as mean spirited teasing, but in this case, it could also be taken as just being plain mean-spirited, or actual surprise, "So I'll say it once, and only once; how long do you want to stay? If you want to remain here as we are, then... Just leave everything to me. I'll protect you, and everyone else that I have to."
... Shit. He was actually being nice to her. Maybe there really was a storm brewing soon.
With that, he decided to do something totally outrageous.
He softly flicked his finger on Worst's nose in an attempt to snap her back to attention.
It felt good to be on the other side of the scales at least.
"A-Anyway... C'mon. If you have time to worry about how much longer you might have here, you have time to think about what we're going to make for dinner. Alright?"
Staring down at her finished ice cream, Worst began biting at the cone.
"Hm...so Misaka doesn't have to lift a finger, huh? Heh, the #1 sure can be nice."
Catching on to how she'd sounded before, she quickly fixed her tone back to the usual, cackling just loudly enough to let Accelerator hear as she finished. Well, whatever happened in the future would be taken care of then. Why was she worrying about that anyway? She could probably blame the combination of the Network and the ice cream. Stupid, sweet ice cream.
*flick*
"Whu-?!"
A few harmless stray sparks flew from her head. That was different. She was used to his cold indifference or awkward sincerity, the latter of which he'd just displayed, but that was usually constrained to words. Though he broke her from her train of thought, so it had the desired effect, pretty much.
"Looks like even you can be pretty funny sometimes," she rubbed at her nose, her expression settling back to her usual one. Or, actually, a little more mischievous than normal. "Even the Accelerator stutters. Misaka can't wait to share this new knowledge~"
Dinner wasn't too high on her list of priorities. Still, though, they had to eat something. Besides the ice cream, anyway.
"What does the list say? Misaka doesn't think either of us are doing the cooking anyway, so might as well go with whatever she wanted us to nab."
"Tch... Why do I even bother, I find myself wondering..." He grumbled at her initial response.
"Anyway... Let's see..." Accelerator would continue when Worst would inquire about what exactly was on the list, before proceeding to take a look at the list that Yomikawa had given him and beginning to read, "Uh... it's split into two sections for some reason. The top part just says stuff like eggs, bread, etc., that sorta normal stuff, and then there's a line that separates it from the other half that lists chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and some other stuff, and at the bottom, a note that says she'll be whipping up Chicken Marsala tonight."
"... What the hell is Chicken Marsala?"
As much of a genius Accelerator was, it seemed that there were also a number of basic things he didn't know about.
"A pretty delicious dish! Mmm, if it's cooking somewhere, count me in-nya!"
Behind the two of them stood a certain sunglasses-wearing blonde teenager with a green Hawaii shirt. Accelerator's brow visibly twitched when he would hear the unfamiliar (to Worst, that is) voice, though then again, what didn't cause him to twitch these days? Turning around to face the young man, Accelerator narrowed his eyes warily.
Whenever the guy who called himself Motoharu Tsuchimikado was involved, it was never something good. Ever. What the hell was he still around for anyway? Did ITEM even still exist after the fiasco with Fiamma of the Right?
Swear to God, if he picks now of all times for me to do some dumb mission...
If he was, Tsuchimikado seemed to be taking his sweet time, going for a wave when the Number One would turn around with a cheery "Yo! Been a while, right? And it's nice to meet you, Misaka Worst! Gotta say, I guess I do dig the... modifications they made, comparing your body to that of the other Sisters and the original!" as though he had already heard about her, even though they had never met before.
"What the hell are you doing here, Tsuchimikado? I'm busy right now," Accelerator grunted, ignoring the oddly possibly innuendo-imbued comment from him.
"In a moment! I always wanted to meet someone from what was supposed to be the next line of the Sisters! How are you today, my fair lady? You can call me Tsuchimikado. You see, Accelerator and I are... you might say, working associates! That is, if "partners in crime" is something inadvisable to say, heh!"
I don't know who I'm going to kill first, him or myself...
Worst scratched at her head upon hearing Chicken Marsala. She wasn't exactly sure what that was either, or why all these ingredients were needed for it. Besides the chicken, obviously. At least that one spoke for itself. But before she could try to think on it more, or perhaps use the Network to get information on it, they were told what it was.
If one considered "It's a dish" as informative, anyway.
Turning to meet the unfamiliar voice, Worst couldn't stop herself from giving him an odd look. Blonde hair, hawaiian shirt, whoever this was seemed completely out of place. Yet somehow, he knew who she was. Her suspicions about him would've been much more direct if Accelerator didn't seem to know him. But as things stood, she relaxed and placed a hand on her hip, maintaining her "pleasant" demeanor. She couldn't see his eyes through his shades, but it didn't exactly take a genius to realize he wasn't some oblivious person from what he said.
"It's such a shame Accelerator doesn't appreciate Misaka's modifications as much as you, isn't it? Such a shame, such a shame. Well, it seems Misaka doesn't need to introduce herself to you, but Misaka feels just fine," Worst ruffled Accelerator's hair with her other hand. "Though, Misaka is actually more interested in how you're doing. If you want some food, Misaka doesn't share cheap."
Unable to discern his intentions, she simply continued to make small talk, waiting to see if something would slip. Or if he'd ever get around to saying what he came here for. Whichever it was.
Accelerator let out a soft sound, almost like that of a growl, when Worst would ruffle his hair. Though then again, who knew? Maybe it was in actuality a small purr. Maybe doing it some more would yield an answer.
Except for when he'd pull away in a matter of seconds.
On the other hand, the young man who introduced himself as Tsuchimikado let out a small laugh, scratching the back of his head briefly, before responding, clasping his hands together and letting out a small clap sound. "Sounds like a blast! Three's better than two, and between you and me, Accel-kun isn't the greatest conversation partner by himself. Besides, Chicken Marsala is an absolute must in--"
"I said, the fuck do you want, Tsuchimikado?"
"Ah, right, right! That, I'm afraid, I'll have to pull you away for to discuss. I'm sure you'd understand, right, Misaka Worst?" Tsuchimikado said, as though he had genuinely forgotten about why he was here for a moment, hitting his palm with his other hand that had been balled into his fist, "It's important and complicated stuff, y'know!"
"When you say it like that, it leads me to believe it's actually nothing at all, but fine. If it's so goddamn important that you had to pick now of all fuckin' times to bother me, then I'll go," Accelerator grumbled, pushing the grocery list in his hand into Worst's chest for her to take, "Here, start shopping by yourself. Once I'm done, I'll call you and head towards wherever you are. Don't disappear on me, alright?"
If it weren't for the fact he'd met and already knew her and Accelerator, Worst would've been inclined to imagine he was just a strange, talkative guy. But, of course, taking that into account he had to be up to something as it was. Accelerator's partner? What exactly did they do? Worst tried to think of a way to pry more information out of him without being cut off completely for inquiring too far, or any other potential conversational trip wire. But she had a feeling a direct "What are you guys doing?" wouldn't get any answers, and she didn't have enough information for a stab in the dark.
In the end, she couldn't think of anything before she was more or less handed the grocery list.
"Oya? Maybe he is interested." Worst sneered as he pushed the list into her chest. "Well, have fun with your 'important and complicated' stuff, Misaka will just slave away then. Perhaps Misaka will buy something extra on your tab if you're too slow, kukuku."
With that, she gave them a wave as Accelerator would presumably be pulled away. Bringing the list up to eye level, Worst scanned through the list. ...This was a long list. All sorts of normal necessities, and then the stuff for whatever "Chicken Marsala" was. Good thing her arm wasn't actually hurt anymore or there might have been a legitimate problem here. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she rubbed her head as she walked towards the store.
"...Misaka didn't expect to have to do the grunt work alone."
And like that, she made to collect the items on the list.
