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"If there's anything I wouldn't feel sorry for, it'd be if he blew off your damn mouth at the very least," the Number One grunted abrasively as he tended to, before letting out a small breath as Worst would attach herself to his arm. She really did like to do that, huh? If she was so motivated by her wish to cause him as much inconvenience and suffering as possible, then was this part of it too? Accelerator sometimes wondered if he simply only believed himself to dislike the close contact because he assumed Worst wanted him to dislike it. Funny how emotions worked like that.

Yet... Now that he thought over it, it was an odd sensation. Being touched at all. Usually, more often before he'd gotten shot in the head, just about nothing touched Accelerator. No person was able to lay a hand on him, no force could influence his existence in any way unless he allowed it to, like he did gravity. Nowadays, everyone was getting their grubby hands on him. Yomikawa giving him unwarranted noogies, Last Order giving him random hugs, and of course, Worst latching onto him like they were boyfriend and...

...

Well, anyway.

"Well, if you're not actually that hurt, then that means that you can at least take care of yourself a little, right?" Accelerator initially replied to Worst's later remark. Thinking back, perhaps it wasn't the best course of action to leave Worst by herself, but he didn't want her to get in on his business with Tsuchimikado and GROUP, if that even still existed. Of course, it was a moot point now, since Worst ended up getting involved anyway.

Though he was a little loath to admit, people were indeed capable of taking care of themselves, but considering that he was "the strongest" around, he couldn't help but worry a little, though of course, like with many other things, he'd never admit it. People may be capable of protecting themselves, but Accelerator was simply able to protect them more, or so he believed. And considering this situation... He wasn't sure what would have happened if he hadn't caused Kira to escape, nor did he really care to find out if the chance arrived.

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Whether out of sensibility on the matter at the given moment, or Worst accidentally came on stronger than intended, Accelerator would indeed catch on to the tone that the girl took, furrowing his brow for a moment as he pondered what to say, how to feel. Could she be just playing dirty for the sake of it again? In any other situation, perhaps, but here and now, there was just something about her that made him want to...

"But... Yeah, I guess it is my fault," Accelerator suddenly said in an uncharacteristic fashion, speaking in a not-sarcastic or caustic manner to Worst for once, continuing to walk with her as he'd let out a sigh. The white-haired boy averted his gaze, a little embarrassed for whatever reason, feeling almost like he really did do something mean to a helpless girl. Something akin to what a normal high school boy would feel.

"... I suppose I should have brought you along, since you ended up being involved in all this business anyway, huh? Then, I guess... Sorry."

@Kaykay
 
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Worst stopped for a second, like a deer in the headlights. He apologized? It simultaneously made her want to make a mocking laugh and cling to him tighter. But why the hell would she want to do the latter? She was just messing with him after all. She should just sneer and jeer him for that weak softness he was showing.

...

But she just didn't feel like it. She'd make sure to laugh up a storm next time though, dammit.

"Yeah, it's your fault. Don't leave Misaka alone, or next time she might just let herself get blown up." Despite her best efforts to make it sound like normal teasing he might have expected from her, it ended up coming out more like a child complaining.

Continuing to walk along with him, her grip around his arm seemed to tighten a bit, unable to turn her gaze to meet his. Not that he was looking at her, but thanks to the direction she turned her own gaze it wasn't like she knew that.

Gah, why wasn't he berating her, or trying to shake her off, or even just do something ridiculous like threaten to throw her off with the strongest powers in Academy City? She could almost feel the steam emitting from her head at this strange situation that didn't suit either of them.

@Verite
 
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"Swear on my life. I'll take full responsibility for you," Accelerator continued to speak nonchalantly. Some might consider it difficult to tell whether he was simply too tired to put up any sort of fight, or if there was just something different about the situation that made him act as such, though... One could spend some time thinking about it, couldn't they?

Not seeming to take note of the internal struggle that Worst seemed to be going through (though he seemed to have a small idea at the very least, given how tightly she was holding on to him now), or maybe not caring that much, the Number One silently continued to walk with her, gripping the strange "multiversal transportation device" as Tsuchimikado roughly described it in his other hand, the scene was almost one that the Esper could describe as peaceful. Ideal, even. A serene situation that a part of him wanted to last forever. Just... tranquil all around. That's all he ever wanted, wasn't it?

All Accelerator wanted now was to just live a quiet life.

And though this life was certainly far from quiet, he would never stop reaching out to grasp and secure a quiet life, not just for himself, but for everyone around him. Yomikawa, Yoshikawa, Last Order... and of course, Worst herself. They were all... family, after all.

As the two continued to walk, quickly making their way out of the alley and back on the streets, there was noticeably less people around than before, and those who were in the two's lines of sight almost seemed like they were... heading home. Of course, it was hard to blame them. Judging from the clouds above in the sky, rain was imminent, and it didn't exactly look light. For all the advanced technologies that Academy City had access to, it seemed that sometimes, even it could not predict Mother Nature fully, given how earlier today it was warm enough that ice cream seemed like a viable option, and how Yomikawa--

Drip.

"!"

Suddenly, Accelerator would abruptly stop dead in his tracks, blinking in surprise. However, it wasn't any life-threatening force, no evil Esper, magician, or even Kira around the corner that surprised him. It was... but just a drop of rain that had landed on his nose. That was the thing that made him softly grunt, as though it had been a while since he let rain touch him, despite in reality it only being somewhere around one month, though it was during the 0930 Incident, a time where Accelerator had other things on his mind than the rainfall.

Shortly following the one drop, another drop of rain would land on top of Worst's head, and then another on Accelerator's head, and then another, and another. Slowly, but steadily, more and more drops of rain began to fall down until it was evident that it wasn't lightening up any time soon. Just as Worst's grip on Accelerator tightened before, Accelerator seemed to ever so gently pull her closer to him until they practically couldn't get any closer, before he'd begin to take another step.

"... We'd better find some place to lay low. Come on."

Usually, something like rain would hardly be something anyone would assume gave the legendary Accelerator pause, but alas, things changed with the times, though there was more to the story than just that kind of explanation.

@Kaykay
 
Something burned inside Worst's chest. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't unpleasant. A good word for it would have been...annoying? Something she'd rather do without, yet couldn't. She was uncharacteristically quiet as they walked, for once seeming to have nothing to say in response.

Misaka doesn't care about him, right? So why...?

As the rain started to pour down on them, Worst looked up into the cloudy sky. The weather certainly was fickle. But whatever, it wasn't any of their business. What was a bit of rainfall compared to the battlefield of World War III itself after all? Expecting to just continue on walking, Worst took a step forward.

Only to get pulled back by Accelerator.

After a brief pause with an almost puzzled expression, Worst smirked at the Number One.

"Ara, the Accelerator is scared of the rain? If it's too cold for you, Misaka will warm you up~" she teased him, not fighting against his grip.

@Verite
 
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"Save it. You'll probably need your heat more than me," Accelerator sighed, almost intending for it to be some witty comeback or so, though it really seemed to end up sounding like he was trying to look out for her. Tch. A lot of miscommunication happening between the two of them, right?

Or rather, was it...

With Worst still clinging onto him, the Esper walked forward in a slightly more hurried speed, though not by too much. Certainly, if he wanted to, he could have simply set his Redirection so that the rain simply didn't affect him, as well as the cold while he was at it, but he wouldn't want to waste his collar battery on that. And besides... He didn't really feel like accidentally pushing Worst off him by just turning on his collar, and then having to adjust the setting so that the Redirection wouldn't affect her. After all, everything he did and didn't do elicited some snide comment from the Sister, even now... So he wondered, what made her so suddenly quiet in this place, here and now?

Of course, if he had time to think about all that, he had time to get them both somewhere dry. As he led her around the suddenly deserted Academy City, the place almost looking like some sort of ghost town if that were even possible, especially with the ever graying sky, Accelerator would catch sight of a course of action that seemed ideal.

"Over here."

Tugging Worst over to the far side of the sidewalk, the white-haired teen would guide her down a small flight of stairs that would have led into a restaurant, though upon a quick glance if it wasn't noticed before, the place was closed. The true reason Accelerator had led her here was because of a cover over the door that protected them from the rain, though it was so small that in order to truly be protected completely, they'd have to sit down against the door and tuck in their legs, which the young man did, evidently a bit worn out from standing, walking, and throwing a trash can. There was a reason why he looked scrawny as he did, after all.

It was an awkward display. They practically looked like homeless children like this. A notion that Accelerator was aware of, but didn't seem to do much about. It wasn't like there were people around to take note anyway. Besides, this place was as good as any a spot to stake out and wait for Kira, though to be honest, that man wasn't exactly high on Accelerator's priority list right now, though he knew he'd have to get the blasted device in his hands back to Tsuchimikado when he was done with it.

But for now, he simply took a breath and sat down beside Worst, though didn't force her to sit down with him. Just in case she'd prefer to... stand.

"... For the record, rain doesn't scare me."

@Kaykay
 
Worst went along with him as he took her to find cover from the rain. Even though she'd teased him about being scared of it, it wasn't like she particularly enjoyed the feel of rain on her anyway. In fact, she could probably get sick if she just stood in it all day. Tempting as it was to get herself sick, the clone eventually decided to take a seat next to the scrawny strongest, pulling her legs in and hugging her arms around them.

Hm, if she looked at the place in a strategical sense, it didn't look like the best place to be hiding. The one that wanted to kill them used explosives, and being cooped up in a small place like this was the exact kind of space that favored explosions. She doubted she'd be able to mount any sort of practical defense if she was caught off guard here.

But then, that only applied to most people. With a press of a button, no amount of explosions would so much as dirty Accelerator's clothes. So really, it didn't matter where they hid. In fact, it wasn't so bad. Letting her head rest on his shoulder, she began to cackle as he finally denied her accusation.

"Is that so? Misaka thought it would be very interesting if the strongest in Academy City was scared of something mundane like rain. Then Misaka could share it with the rest of the Misaka Network, and she could laugh at you with the little one."

With just the two of them sitting under cover from the rain, it probably seemed like a rather peaceful scene. The kind of scene that certainly didn't fit either of them. But this time, Worst wouldn't complain. It was disgustingly ill-fitting, but she couldn't quite say it was unpleasant.

The Misaka Network carried some strange desires, she figured.

@Verite
 
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"..."

Accelerator let out a small sigh when Worst would help herself to his shoulder, not seeming to react too much to her intimate move, though... He couldn't deny that he felt... nothing. But he couldn't even begin to understand what it was. For all the intelligence within his head, sometimes, the young man felt like a complete nincompoop when it came to knowledge on more... "human" matters. For every mathematical equation that he could perform in his head, there was something in the heart that he couldn't even begin to really describe, no matter how hard he'd try to read it like data from a textbook.

Was this emotion what they called...?

--Of course, his train of thought would be effectively interrupted, if not derailed, when Worst would start talking again, though to be fair, it was in response to what he'd said earlier.

"Tch. Always trying to bedevil me... You really will try to dig up any excuse to get back at me or whatever, huh?"

Despite his usual grumpy tone, there was something... lighter about their banter than before. Of course, on the surface, Worst was the same as ever, and so was he, right? Then why did something about this situation feel different? Two powerful individuals alone together, practically isolated from the world in a few ways, hiding under the rain.

Of course, Accelerator was loath to romanticize the thought of sitting alone with the outlet of the Misaka Network's negative emotions given physical form. After everything he'd done in the past, there was likely plenty of resentment and malice hidden in the backs of the heads of the surviving Sisters. They can say that everything's okay, that amends were made, considering his regret on the matter, but... It was up to the Network.

It was like dealing with real humans.

A thought plopped into the Esper's head as he thought about this, and after a brief moment of silence, he'd speak up again. "Hey... Tell me, Worst. If you're the outlet of all the Network's negative emotions, their ill will towards me, then... What would happen to you if the Network had miraculously decided to whole-heartedly forgive me and cease to hold any sort of resentment towards me? What would happen to you if... there weren't any negative emotions to let out? Accelerator inquired. It was a sudden, strange question, but it was the one on his mind.

He was not under any delusion that that was a realistic scenario by a mile, but... He couldn't help but wonder. For all the intellect stored in his head, or at least all that remained after the incident with Ao Amai, there were things unknown to even him. This one thing, he felt the need to know for some odd reason...

@Kaykay
 
"Hnnn, if there were no negative emotions?"

Worst was a collection of all the malice in the Misaka Network. All the things that those other clones could never express. That was her reason for existence, what made her herself. The negative emotions of the Misaka Network gave her substance. It was as substantial to her existence as her own cloned flesh and blood. A strangely nervous chuckle escaped her.

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"This Misaka unit's existence would be completely, absolutely denied. Hm..." She raised a finger to her chin, as if in deep thought, before continuing. "Misaka would just be a living corpse, right? Her value without the network's malice is z-e-r-o. Kuku, are you that desperate to get rid of Misaka?"

The Sister continued to tease Accelerator as usual, but with a tone that could almost be confused for being dejected. Confused because that wasn't her tone at all, naturally.

But still, she was fully aware of what the source of the resentment in the network was. Killing over 10,000 of them, who wouldn't hold on to at least a little malice there? But the only way they could express it was through Worst. All 9,000 remaining clones had to funnel all of their loathing and desire for revenge through one Misaka unit.

Though considering how many clones there were, Worst's behavior could almost be called mild in comparison to what one would expect from the hatred of thousands poured into one girl.

@Verite
 
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"..."

For a rather good moment, Accelerator remained silent after Worst would finish talking, not even responding to her so-called joke about him wanting her gone. Without blinking, the white-haired teen seemed to almost stare aimlessly at the rain in front of the two of them, as though he were in deep thought. So... For her to continue existing, it was necessary for the Network to hold at least an iota of malice for him, huh? On one hand, it was strangely comforting in a sense knowing that what she needed to keep going on wasn't exactly in short supply at the moment, but on the other... Accelerator felt something odd within him when he processed the realization that her life was tied to something in this manner at all. In a sense, it was only now that it seemed to hit him how possibly fragile her life was, even compared to a normal human being. What was this feeling though? Could it possibly be...

... Fear?

Accelerator let out a soft breath after a while, whether at his own thoughts or as a delayed response to Worst's words, closing his eyes for a brief moment. It was almost eerie how he'd been silent, though eventually, after formulating a response in his head, he spoke again.

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"So then, no matter what, you'll always be the outlet of malice towards me. There's never gonna be any changing that, huh?" He inquired, continuing to avert his gaze from Worst for whatever reason, "I suppose it can't be helped. That's just... how it is."

One could almost detect a faint hint of contrition within his voice as he spoke, as though... He regretted knowing that. A twinge of sorrow that was usually uncharacteristic of the Number One. Perhaps in the deeper depths of his mind, he would have liked to work his ass off to make up for the sins of his past, but... Some things were just plain unforgivable in the eyes of some. One person may forgive him, but two more may not. That was the truth that he had accepted.

"... That's fine though. I made a promise anyway. No matter what would happen, come what may, I'll do everything in my power to protect you and the others, and it's not so that I can just be forgiven for the things I did. It's because... I was given something good that I don't deserve. Something too good for me. But... A lot of people died because of me. I'm not letting that happen to the few people I don't want to die. And that includes..."

Accelerator gave pause for a moment, glancing at Worst for a hot second, before looking away again. He said too much. It was funny. He used to not even think of the Sisters as "people," but almost more like robots. Nowadays, while loath to admit it outwardly, perhaps deep down, there was something about that damned Level 0 who beat him, armed only with an ability-negating right hand and an indomitable will, that reached Accelerator.

...

"Don't tell anyone I said that, or you're dead, by the way."

Back on topic, Accelerator didn't realize how embarrassing and unlike him those words were until after he said them.

@Kaykay
 
You.

That was how that sentence was going to finish, wasn't it? Such sickeningly sweet words didn't suit one whose hands had been dipped so far into darkness, so covered in blood. It was a laughable contrast, the one who'd prided himself so on being a first-class villain speaking like some kind of hero, a protector of justice.

This apparent contradiction was shocking enough to pull an expressionless, blank look onto Worst's face. Her train of thought had been delayed by those unexpected, uncharacteristic words, requiring a bit of time before it could leave the station. But once it finally did, a brief laugh escaped her as she raised her head from his shoulder.

"Hyaha..."

Her cackle seemed to lack its usual vitriol, but it was nonetheless a mocking laugh.

"What the heck is that? How is Misaka supposed to hate such a meek expression, such words like that?! You want to protect something good? You want to protect Misaka, who was created specifically to spite and combat you? Misaka's existence really is going to be denied with something like that!"

Though she said such things while laughing, it was a little less hysterical than the mockery Accelerator might have been used to. Perhaps despite that body being specifically designed for the battlefield, even a clone couldn't completely hide its fatigue. After all, there was no other reason such a collection of malice would use such a great chance to jeer Accelerator's mushy words so halfheartedly. So relatively softly. There was certainly, absolutely no other reason for that.

It took her a little while, but soon even she calmed down a bit, her head drifting back down onto Accelerator. She'd come far since the snowy plains of Russia. Being able to be in such intimate contact with someone despite being so full of negativity was proof of that much at least. But she liked to believe she hadn't changed all that much. She just did what she thought was interesting, or what would be more spiteful. That and nothing else. What kind of crazy person would want to protect a mass-produced machine of hatred like her anyway? Well, this guy, Academy City's strongest, apparently. Damn it, making her think about things like this. She was never tuned for this.

As Accelerator threatened her, the Sister looked up at him with a spiteful smirk. It was more familiar ground for someone like her.

"Hoh, scary, scary. Are you going to break Misaka apart limb by limb, or maybe use your vectors to obliterate her all at once? Or something even worse? What would you do if Misaka told the whole network this?" Such suggestions were given casually, as though they were the first thing to pop into her mind. Descriptions of her or other Sisters being brutalized tended to rub the strongest the wrong way, and as the network's outlet for negative emotions she intuitively understood that. As well as, of course, his desire to keep those uncharacteristic words private.

Which was why she found it strange when she continued on.

"Whatever it is, Misaka's life is in your hands. So treat her however you want, keh heh heh..."

@Verite
 
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"If me being like that will deny the nature of your existence, then... Maybe it's time you found something else to live for. It's what you make of it after all, and the only thing stopping you from changing anything is yourself," Accelerator said in a surprisingly profound manner in response to Worst's first remark.

It was advice that the young man had given from experience. He used to be like that too, once upon a time. To once live with singular, firm beliefs and goals. Once upon a time, all he'd cared about was being the strongest, and then getting even stronger than that, to the point where even the thought of challenging him would be considered a bad joke. But it turned out that, as perhaps most youths were, he was a fickle one. Once he had found something he wanted to protect, he despaired. He feared that, as one who was once a villain, he would always be a villain, and thus, he did not deserve to care for someone.

Of course, from time to time, he still thought this, but whenever he'd see the smile of Last Order or anyone else within the household, those worries seemed to fade away. Now, he didn't care if he'd be labeled as a "hero" or a "villain" by others. All that mattered was that at the end of the day, rather than being "the strongest," he'd just at least be strong enough to protect those before him.

In a manner, it was almost like he and Worst were more alike than they realized.

Of course, the moment was ruined when Worst would tease Accelerator by making him picture ways of how he'd end up killing her, but once again, that was probably his own fault. What a pain.

Still, her last few words struck him as somewhat odd. It was strange that she'd say that with as much comfort as could be heard, though then again, Accelerator was not exactly in any position to say that someone was acting strange, was he? In any case, he'd simply give Worst a silent nod in response, letting her continue to rest her head on his shoulder. He let the two of them continue to remain there for a while.

It felt odd, being in this position. Back in the heyday, the very thought of "hiding" was inconceivable to Accelerator. Considering all the power he held, the idea of hiding was one that was never an option to him. No, he fought. He never shied away from any sort of adversary that would come his way. And yet... It felt odd, yet comforting. It was like the two of them were hiding from the rain, from the rest of the world, and perhaps even from themselves to a degree. A place where nobody could find them. A space where they voluntarily trapped themselves. It was suffocating, but also made him feel secure. Of course, feeling "secure" made him feel "insecure," considering he had never put much thought into his own security before, physical or mental.

Still, no matter how many times he'd call it "odd," he couldn't exactly deny the strange sense of security he felt, being this close to someone. Thoughtlessly (a rare occasion for someone like Accelerator), his hand drifted over to Worst's, his fingers barely meeting hers, and then--

Tap tap tap tap.

"!"

With a soft, yet alarmed breath, Accelerator stood up, pulling away from Worst abruptly with eyes wide in alert. The sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance, despite the rainfall which had gotten heavier during the time they sat.

The Number One stood at the very bottom of the steps in order to stay out of sight, but as the footsteps gradually got closer and closer, before eventually just beginning to get further and further, as though they'd just passed the two of them, Accelerator slowly made his way up the steps, leaving behind the world-transporting device to take a peek, a finger raised up to his collar, as though expecting Kira above. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when a familiar voice was heard in the distance.

"Ahhh... Just my luck! For Accelerator and Worst to get lost on the day that no one expected would rain...! Where could they be...?!"

It was none other than Yomikawa, evidently having decided to look for her two wards, leaving Yoshikawa with Last Order back at the apartment home presumably. Upon hearing the woman's voice, Accelerator remained as still as a statue, as though unsure of what to even do, even looking back at Worst as though looking for guidance on what would be the best course of action.

@Kaykay
 
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Something else? Ridiculous. Foolish talk. She wasn't like a normal human, one birthed through her mother's womb. Purpose was something built into her. Like how the purpose of a hammer was to drive in nails, hers was to let the negative emotions of the Network loose. She had been designed to combat Accelerator, so the complete opposite of that, being protected by him, simply stepped all over her that.

Though, if that was the case, why had she felt relieved when he'd saved her just a little while ago? If, like she said, her existence would be denied by his desire to protect her, then shouldn't that have already been so?

Actually, thinking about it, a hammer certainly was designed to for construction, but that hardly stopped anyone from using it otherwise. As a blunt weapon, to hit things back into shape, a normal hammer could be used for things it hadn't necessarily been designed for. It was all in how one used it. The obvious question, then, was did that apply to her too? Actually, simply living this far was more than she'd expected. That alone exceeded her reason for existence.

Then it wasn't impossible, was it? To look at it differently, to change just what it was she lived fo-

Accelerator's sudden movement stopped her train of thought, Worst calmly standing up as well. It didn't take long for her to notice the footsteps as well. Had Kira sniffed them out, or was it just a random passerby also trying to find cover from the rain? She began to reach for an iron nail, playing with it in her fingers as they ascended the stairs. Though it was fun to toy with lesser opponents, Kira had proved that, at least against her, she couldn't afford to take him too lightly. She'd blast him on the spot, and if Accelerator gave her a lecture about it then she'd just hear it out.

But when she heard the voice, all of that became unnecessary. Instead, an entirely different problem made itself known. Quickly hiding the nail, Worst returned Accelerator's stare. Only rather than asking for guidance, her face only spelled trouble.

"Should we say that you and Misaka needed some private time together~?"

For some reason she responded in such an unhelpful manner.

@Verite
 
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"I don't know why I bothered looking to you for guidance," Accelerator grunted irritably at Worst, looking back at Yomikawa, who was evidently still unaware of the other presences nearby. The teen debated on whether or not he should make himself known to her for a good moment, going through all the pros and cons of it, before eventually settling to simply leave her be for now. If he made himself known to her now, if only just to tell her to get out, considering the danger that Kira was still able to present, she would surely refuse. Considering she was part of Anti-Skill, her job generally consisted of purposefully running towards danger, so coaxing her into leaving with that kind of reasoning was out of the question.

So for the time being, Accelerator stayed put, deciding to let Yomikawa continue her search until the two of them had dealt with Kira. Speaking of which, where even was he? Damn that Tsuchimikado, letting him and Worst do all the work just because he didn't feel like carrying that damn device! Academy City was a real big place, after all, so what, did he expect the two of them to search the entirety of--

Thump.

"W-Wah?!"

Just as Yomikawa was about to walk round the corner, and by extension out of the Number One's line of sight, she would proceed to bump into a figure who had been coming from the same direction, the woman nearly lost her balance, though before she could fall, the figure's hand grabbed her wrist, preventing her from falling. Yomikawa let out a relieved sigh, calming down, before looking up at the figure.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that! I wasn't looking at where I was going," she said with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head with her other hand, while her wrist was still being held by the man. Yomikawa found this odd, though she didn't say anything on it, simply pulling away with a slight tug.

"It's... fine," the figure said, looking down at Yomikawa, not getting out of her way as he continued to stand there. With the unmistakable blonde hair and purple suit, the man couldn't be anyone other than Yoshikage Kira.

"Mhm. Anyway, I've got someplace to be, though... Before I get out of your way, stranger, have you seen a pale, almost sickly and angry looking boy and a cute but needlessly mischievous girl on his arm by any chance?" She inquired, no doubt referring to Accelerator and Worst themselves. While in any other situation, Accelerator would have irritably grunted at their descriptions, here and now, he was seething, though not at Yomikawa, but rather, at Kira, as though growing angry at him before he could even get the chance to hurt her.

Kira looked at her blankly, and if Worst were also observing, she would also be able to see the cat-like "shape," or at least little more than its general shape, looming over next to him, presumably ready to make a move. Eventually, he made his reply, his gaze harder than it was before. "No... No, I... Actually, come to think of it, I think I saw some kids like that at the Market when I was there earlier," he said in a voice that was almost sickeningly forcibly mild-mannered, "You're... acquainted with them?"

"Ah, yeah, they're my... wards, I suppose you could say," the woman replied, attempting to protect herself from the rain with her hand, while Kira continued to simply stand there with his hands at his side, "They may be sharp kids, but they're still just kids, and God knows what they'd do without me," she said, letting out a light laugh.

With that, the aura only got stronger from Kira, as the figure, completely invisible to Accelerator, began to raise its arm. This was a tense moment for Accelerator. He would rather have waited until after Kira left in order to dispatch with him, but he would also rather not risk him hurting her because he'd waited too long to act. It was likely all up to Worst to make a choice on whether to act immediately or also try to wait it out and see what would happen from there.

@Kaykay
 
This was not good, to say the least. Kira could hold the woman as a hostage and Accelerator, for all of his power, would be utterly helpless against the killer. Even Reflection would be useless, since sending an explosion back would almost certainly result in Yomikawa's untimely death.

But Worst wasn't the type to take action without being told to. If Accelerator didn't feel like doing anything, she hardly felt inclined to do something herself. Her own life wasn't being threatened at all here, really. And actually, if she thought about it realistically, this would be an advantage to her. If he thought he was safe with a hostage, she could simply drive a nail through both of them while he didn't expect it. That method of defense only worked on the naive ones after all, the kind of people the public would call heroes.

Besides, surely the PE teacher would move when she saw that cat-like figure, right? If that wasn't an obvious threat, Anti-Skill must have been even more naive than she'd figured them for. ...C'mon, do something already. Don't just laugh with your hands dangling by your side.

Well at least Accelerator wouldn't be so stupid, right?

...

Apparently not. To the Sister's surprise, even Accelerator just watched as the cat-like figure loomed beside him. Strangely, she felt something like disappointment, or irritation, or a mix of both. He considered them family, if what he said earlier was true, so why was he just remaining a spectator? Wasn't it obvious Kira was about to make a move?

Whatever then. Looked like it was up to her. It was a good chance to make a surprise attack at least. Redrawing the nail she'd just withdrawn, blue electricity began to crackle from her hand.

And without asking any questions, she fired the 2 centimeter nail from her hand, aiming for a shot at his chest. If she could distract him for a second, maybe Accelerator would finally move.

@Verite
 
"?!"

Letting out a slight, though still uncharacteristic, gasp, as though Worst's movements snapped him out of what appeared to be some angry trance, Accelerator's eyes widened. As the nail launched by Worst flew straight towards Kira, the man who seemed to be completely unaware of the two Espers' presence at the moment, it perhaps might have come as a complete surprise when, in the miniscule amount of time that it took for the nail to travel towards Kira, the figure swiftly moved in front of him, raising its arms in a cross fashion, as if to block the nail.

From the sheer force of the impact when it came into contact with the figure, Kira's physical body suddenly slid back a few feet, and from Yomikawa's point of view, it was as though an invisible force from behind had pulled him back, prompting the woman to form a quizzical expression on her face.

"Eh? S-Sir, are you...?"

"Yomikawa, back off from him! Now!"

Very rarely did Accelerator ever sound as urgent and serious as he did then. Taking the opportunity that Worst had provided for him, the Number One leapt forward, choker already having activated his powers, and slammed his fist into the ground, the punch causing a mighty shockwave that produced a small fault line that traveled straight towards Kira. Profoundly confused, though letting her instincts act in place of meticulousness, the woman did as her ward commanded, if for no other reason than to dodge the fault coming her way, considering her relative proximity to Kira. Stumbling away from the blonde man and towards the direction of Accelerator, who angrily walked past her, gripping his crutch firmly, had his sights set on Kira. He hadn't felt anger like this in a while. He was reminded of the battle royale of Academy City, when one Teitoku Kakine had dared to place harm upon Yomikawa, and paid the price for it. Surely, the Esper would have loved to extend the same treatment to the blonde man, but...

"A-Accelerator?! What's... What are you--?!"

"Shut up! This asshole is bad news, so if you don't mind, go fetch that device back there from Worst. I'll explain later..."

"I don't really get what's going on... but you better! The two of you just might be in biiig trouble if I don't come to hear something I like!" The woman exclaimed, even during a time like now choosing to act like the teens' mother figure. Still, eventually doing as told, Yomikawa jogged over towards Worst, looking over at her, "So if he won't tell me, then I suppose that you wouldn't feel inclined to fill me in on what's going on? And what device is he talking about?!"

@Kaykay
 
"Again, huh?"

Worst would be lying if she said she expected the nail to take him down, but it was still annoying to have her attacked so easily defended against like that. But whatever, fighting him wasn't her job anymore. She could leave that to Accelerator. Besides, the #1 had a scary look in his eyes. One that reminded her of when she'd driven him too far and he'd gone berserk. For once, she didn't plan to mess with him. The Sister surprisingly obediently began to dig around her ao dai for the device, eventually finding it and holding it out to Yomikawa.

"Misaka is fine with leaving stuff like explaining to him," she shrugged as Yomikawa began to interrogate her. "And Misaka doesn't really know herself. Let's see, what was it that blonde guy said? Oh, of course. It's...a thing."

With a mischievous look that hardly fit the situation, Worst didn't exactly give a helpful explanation. Though it probably couldn't be helped, since she knew little to nothing about it herself anyway.

@Verite
 
"A thing? Well, of course it's a thing! But what kind of thing?!" Yomikawa exclaimed, not seeming to let up and practically forgetting to take the device given to her from Worst, her eyes focused on the girl rather than whatever she held in her hand.

As Accelerator made his way towards Kira like a murderer heading for his prey, ironic given his target, the blonde man's expression was initially a surprised one, stepping back as though intimidated by Accelerator's approach. Usually, Kira didn't find himself the one feeling the need to escape, but this boy... There was something about him. Something about his power that made sure to protect him from whatever Kira would be able to throw at him.

However.

Just because he couldn't hurt him didn't mean he couldn't halt him.

With his expression quickly shifting to a stronger, more resolved one, Yoshikage Kira stopped in his tracks and stood steadfast, almost as if intending to stare Accelerator down. The Number One didn't show any sign of slowing down, fully intending on--

"Stop right there. Or you'll regret it, boy," Kira said with a stronger tone than before. It was not a plea that he had said, not a request, but rather, a demand. Authoritative, truly like an adult to a child. Of course, with someone as powerful as Accelerator, it had little effect, though it had at least prompted a response.

"Oh, yeah? And just what the fuck do you think you're gonna do?"

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"I'll blow up that woman to smithereens."

"W-Wait, whoa, whoa, what?!" Yomikawa exclaimed, able to still hear Kira from where she and Worst were.

Possibly more from the tone taken rather than the threat itself, as Accelerator was no stranger to useless bluffs, the Number One suddenly stopped, giving Kira a deadlier glare than even before, practically emanating an aura of pure murderous intent towards the man. Aha. So now, the scales had been tipped, had they?

With a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, Kira proceeded to raise a finger, suddenly boasting a more openly confident mien than ever before, practically mockingly wagging his finger at Accelerator. "It happened when I'd bumped into her, you see. I just couldn't resist taking a hold of her soft hands for just a second, and my Killer Queen the same. And... Well, before I knew it, it looked like I accidentally made her a bomb."

As soon as Kira uttered the phrase "Killer Queen," the same shadow that always accompanied Kira, once barely visible to Worst, seemed to exert an even stronger aura than before, the Electromaster now able to make out the cat ears more visibly, and glowing red eyes. A true "villain," as the Accelerator of old would have classified him, in every aspect.

"So if you take another step, I'll kill her. Same goes for your friend as well," the man threatened, diverting his attention to Worst for a hot second, before back to Accelerator, just to make sure that he wouldn't try anything funny. "What's that little thing you wanted to get from your friend anyway? Hmph. Looks like an oversized camera. Goodness, in this day and age where those small, comfortable in your palm digital cameras were getting more and more popular..." Kira spoke nonchalantly, pointing in the direction of the two females, almost seeming to go off on some random tangent as he adjusted his skull-patterned tie in his hands.

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"... Tch."

Accelerator, in perhaps a surprising move, could only look away from Kira, and towards Yomikawa and Worst, not even taking note of the strange comment he'd made about digital cameras being "new" or something. There wasn't any physical evidence that there was any sort of bomb on the woman's form, though despite the invulnerability that Accelerator enjoyed for practically all his time in Academy City, he still knew when there were risks that weren't in his favor.

Without even uttering another word, all the Number One could do was stand at bay. To feel helpless like this... This was an annoying feeling. One that he'd been feeling a little too often ever since coming into contact with that brat... and other people to care for. Unconsciously channeling that helplessness, the boy simply looked vulnerably at Yomikawa, then at Worst, and the device that had yet to be given away.

A single contraption of a button. Indeed, almost like a strangely shaped camera. But one had to wonder if from here, Worst would be able to make the gambit that Accelerator would not be able to...

@Kaykay
 
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"Who knows?" Worst only shrugged as Yomikawa continued her interrogation. She knew they'd said something about returning Kira to his world or whatever, but honestly she had no idea exactly what that entailed. So instead of an explanation that she herself wouldn't understand, the Sister simply continued to push the strange thing towards Yomikawa with her usual smirk on her face.

Though as Kira announced the threat he held over them, even she couldn't help but let a more serious expression appear. Though his power was no use against Accelerator, his power only applied to himself. He was the one safe from damage. If Yomikawa exploded, she was done. And given her position here, Worst wasn't likely going to get out all well either. There was no way even the strongest esper was going to take this risk.

"Ah, what an annoying situation, hm?" Worst merely said.

Her gaze shifted to meet Accelerator's. Damn, what kind of look was that? Don't look at Misaka like some kind of helpless child.

Worst's eyes moved down to the nail that Kira had deflected with what she could clearly see now was some kind of pink, cat humanoid. What an aura. Though that blonde kid had said he didn't belong in this world, she couldn't help but feel like he was definitely a man who would be on the dark side of the city.

Regardless of all that though, she didn't have to be touching the nail to manipulate it. She couldn't do her makeshift Railgun with it from this distance, but no matter how strong the esper's ability was, his body was only that of a normal human's. So if she caught him off guard, one strike from the nail in the right place just might put him down. Or, at the very least, give Accelerator enough time to touch him and reverse his bloodflow, or whatever he wanted to do.

But defeating him wasn't the problem here. It was doing it fast enough that Kira couldn't pull the invisible trigger and turn Yomikawa into flying chunks of meat. If they moved and failed, the woman who acted as their guardian would be no more. But if they just didn't move, there was no doubt he'd simply kill them all anyway. Even Accelerator wouldn't be able to do anything if Kira said to put down his Reflection, else Yomikawa be turned into scrap meat. No doubt the current Accelerator would obediently do so, even knowing it would only result in his death.

Like hell Worst was just going to stand around and wait for his death.

Using her ability to manipulate electricity, the nail slowly began to move. Though it was crushed, if propelled at a decent speed even a small piece of metal could knock him off guard. When someone was pressured and attacked, their first instinct would be to protect themselves, not attack someone else.

...Hopefully.

Electricity began to crackle from the nail as it sprung out from the ground, the crumpled piece of metal flying out as though fired by a gun. It was no longer sharp, and the nail was only two centimeters long to begin with. But even a nine millimeter bullet could kill. Aiming to strike his jaw and even barrel through his skull, the nail soared towards its target.

If it worked, either she or Accelerator could follow up before he could pull his trigger, and then do whatever it was they were to do with this strange device she held in her hand.

If not, well...

She'd take all the blame for it.

@Verite
 
"!"

KSSH!

Like before, Kira's mysterious shadow-like aura was able to just barely deflect the nail coming at him, though he had been taken even more off-guard than before, considering he had believed himself to be in the end-all win-win situation. Confidence was something Yoshikage Kira rarely felt, but he couldn't help but drown in glee whenever he managed to claw his way to the ideal quiet situation that he so desired. He'd become so gleeful that that became the only thing he could think of, and though he often wondered if that kind of trait would be his downfall, now was hardly such a moment to think of such things.

"G-Gnghhh!"

However, unlike before, the figure that Kira had previously called "Killer Queen" wasn't exactly fast enough, as the nail had flown higher than expected, but the end result was that the nail ended up burrowing through the humanoid cat's finger and into one side of the man's cheek, though the finger had managed to interfere with the momentum of the nail enough that it was just barely unable to fly through the other side, crudely landing inside Kira's mouth.

Before he could even think to spit out the nail, let alone detonate Yomikawa, Accelerator stomped his foot into the ground, using his power to create a shockwave that not only created a fault line running towards Kira, sending him off-balance, but also sent a number of rocks and debris heading his way. From there, using the momentum, Accelerator proceeded to leap, but not towards Kira. Rather, backwards straight towards Worst! Wordlessly, skidding just next to her, he took her hands and aimed the device straight at Kira, distracted by the combined efforts of the two Espers.

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"Disappear already, motherfucker!"

With a spiteful yell, Accelerator wasted no time in pressing the button on the device in Worst's hands, the mechanism quickly glowing and emitting a blinding red laser that flew right at Kira surpassing the speed of light, faster than everyone around could possibly comprehend. With a resounding, pained yell from Kira, the beam hit him like an extending pole, and from there, a blinding light engulfed the area until it eventually subsided, and before anyone knew it, Kira was nowhere to be seen, the only trace left of him evidently being a single shred of his purple shirt, torn from the rest of it. Any outsider would think that he was completely vaporized, though with all that Tsuchimikado had said, if he had managed to be returned to whatever place he came from, then that was good enough for Accelerator. He could only hope that wherever he went, it was at a place where Kira's power no longer had any effect on Yomikawa, and considering how much time had passed since he disappeared, perhaps that was so.

The Esper let out a tired sigh, the kind that he didn't often let out, and before either him or Worst knew it, Yomikawa pulled the two of them together into a big hug, her arms wrapped around the back of their necks as her warmth almost seemed to protect them from the rain around, the rain that Accelerator had forgotten about.

"Jeez... You two are gonna have a lot of explaining to do when we get home, but... I'm glad you guys are safe."

Accelerator, packed right against Worst, only pursed his lips and let out a soft sigh, somewhat embarrassed by the situation. "Y-Yeah..." He could only muster out.

@Kaykay
 
In the end, her gamble worked out. The distraction succeeded, and before she knew it, Accelerator used the strange object she held in her hands to make the serial killer disappear. Apparently to wherever he'd come from. After a few moments, Worst let a long breath out, only realizing just then that she'd been holding her breath. And soon after, Yomikawa had decided to pull the three of them together.

The raindrops no longer fell into her eyes, and the warmth spread to her as well. The woman who acted as their guardian almost felt like an umbrella as she shielded the Espers from the cold rain.

"Ah, but, Misaka didn't do anything wrong. Shouldn't you just interrogate Accelerator?" Worst said, seeming to pass all the fault onto him. With what little space they had, she nudged him a bit with her elbow.

@Verite
 
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