A Certain Bizarre Incident

[Verite]

"Hey, I told you to stay put at the market, but you just had to up and--" Accelerator began, shooting a look at Worst that could be described as hostile if it didn't seem like he was almost too tired to properly be hostile like he usually was.

His words were interrupted when Yomikawa seemed to hug them even tighter, almost in a deliberate gesture to squeeze the air out of them, before eventually loosening her grip. However, she hardly let the two out from her arms, continuing to act as an umbrella for them. "Jeez... You kids are gonna be the death of me, making me anxious like that. Though I suppose, if every time I decide to send the two of you off on your own that this much excitement happens, maybe it'll make our daily life a little less dull."

Amazing for a member of Anti-Skill, let alone a person living in Academy City at all, to say such a thing.

"... Tch. It's not the two of us that'll be the death of you. It'll just be this crazy lady over here, and she'll get to me first if nothing else," Accelerator said, nudging Worst back.

"Alright, alright, I guess not ruining the moment was too much to ask," Yomikawa sighed, eventually letting go. Accelerator let himself be doused in the rain, not bothering to turn on his ability again, whether because he was too tired to, or because he simply chose not to. And considering how oddly refreshing it felt, the sensation of something gentle yet perpetual like rain hitting his skin... It almost felt like a refreshing shower.

"In any case, before you get around to explaining the whole gist of what the hell went on, are there any loose ends you need to tie up still before we head back? And more importantly, do you at least have the chicken like I wrote?"

Accelerator was silent for a moment, as though pondering what to say for the answer to the first question. Let's see, there was...

Returning this device to Tsuchimikado.

Seeing if Musujime was gonna be alright.

Asking just what the hell was with that man, and what world he was from.

...

"Nah," Accelerator grunted flatly, mostly in response to the first question, while leaving Worst to give her own response as well.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

In the end, that kind of moment would never last long with Worst and Accelerator packed in the same area.

"Ah, if it'll be this exciting every time Misaka goes shopping with him, maybe she'll do it more often~" There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she spoke, like a bad kid who'd just found out something really annoying.

The Sister made no effort to protect herself from the rain, the water soaking her as her bangs began to cling to her face. It was a cool sensation. As though it was washing away the events of the day. With Kira completely gone, only this sensation and a single scrap of purple cloth proving anything had even happened.

That, and the warmth that remained from that hug.

As Yomikawa asked about the chicken, Worst suddenly remembered the abandoned cart. ...It was probably long gone by now.

"Misaka suggests heading to a restaurant."

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"Ngh. Maybe... though I'd certainly feel bad about eating without Yoshikawa and Last Order. Heck, probably wouldn't hear the end of it for weeks," Yomikawa sighed, scratching the back of her head.

"We'll just take it all to go," Accelerator grunted, knowing firsthand what wrath Last Order was able to exact should she get peeved for whatever reason. Especially with Worst accompanying them...

"In any case, I, for one, am never going out with this broad ever again."

"Aw, don't be like that. If even Worst there knows that it's a good bonding experience, then it must be good for you. Knowing how well you socialize with others, you really could do well with deeper human interaction. Now come on! I know how tough you two can be, so you can at least walk with me to pick something up before you can collapse when we get home, right?!" Yomikawa exclaimed eagerly, her spirit evidently not disturbed by the encounter with Kira, though then again, knowing her profession, life-threatening situations were practically daily encounters for her.

As Accelerator and Worst were dragged along, trailing behind the woman who had led the two of them into the sidewalk, occasionally protected from the rain by the covers above, the Number One said one more thing to the Sister, averting his gaze from her. He started with a cough, and then...

"... Thanks. I couldn't have... saved Yomikawa without you..." He said with evident discomfort in his voice, as though uncomfortable with the thought of even uttering those words, further seen with how his voice was barely audible above the rain, a few murmur, but still able to be made out by Worst.

"Some protector I am if I had to rely on you to do the job. Go ahead, do your laughing thing then," he sighed in exasperation, more mildly annoyed with himself than any sort of depressed, the white-haired boy running a hand through his head.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

"Tch, and Misaka was hoping they'd been forgotten..." Worst muttered to herself, a tinge of disappointment apparent for just a moment. She had to admit though, it wasn't like that kid's "Father" would have forgotten even if Yomikawa had managed to. So her hopes hadn't been particularly high, or rather even existent, in that regard. That response wasn't any kind of surprise at all.

When Accelerator had so meekly thanked her, though, that had been surprising.

"Kuku, you really are such a good boy now, aren't you?" The Sister cackled as Accelerator seemed as exhausted with her as usual. Then suddenly, she slung her arm around the boy's shoulders. "But that's okay. Misaka hates to admit it, but Misaka would have died to him herself, if Mr. Hero hadn't saved her. So Misaka will let you call it even, for now."

Her voice was some sort of strange mix of bitingly sarcastic and sincere as she dropped her body weight onto the lanky teen.

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"..."

Accelerator softly sighed and bit his lip briefly, saying little more as he continued to walk alongside Worst. With him practically asking to be tormented, perhaps it was fitting that Worst would respond by giving the opposite reaction that he intended to get. But even so, it was strange to get such a reaction from her. Something... sincere. Then again, perhaps the same could be said for him to a degree, but he didn't want to hear anything about being "honest," lest Yomikawa start teasing him about it. Then again, if Worst got that idea in her head and started teasing him, then it could create a domino effect and...

...

Off-topic.

Mr. Hero, huh...

The Number One remembered a time when such a title mattered to him, like a child aiming to get a trophy for being the best at something. All that changed way back with World War III, which seemed like such a long time ago, but in reality, was only but a relatively recent occurrence. Felt like he was changing every day at that rate. Of course, how a person changed was influenced by whom they came into interaction with. From that Level 0 who'd dared to beat him in a fight, to the old man whom he had run into a few times here and there named Frank Castle during the old Murder Game business, and now...

Now it was those who lived with him. Yomikawa, Last Order, Yoshikawa, and... And of course, Worst.

They were the only ones that mattered now, and he would do everything to protect them, to protect this life that was given to him, that he did not deserve. Accelerator wondered if someone who wanted to protect others no matter what the cost, willing to do anything at all, despicable and not, could still be classified as a villain, but... Well, "villain" was a word that had lost its meaning to the Number One by now. But if Castle's words meant anything to him, Accelerator would be able to take from him that not only should he spend the present making up for the past, but also that the objective of protecting someone dear to oneself is just as capable of being selfish as it is noble, and if he were to take upon this goal, then he couldn't possibly be wrong, could he?

... Well. Maybe it didn't matter all that much.

It was an odd sensation. With his Redirection powers completely off for the time being, Accelerator was feeling a whole bunch of things he wasn't used to. Drops of cool rainfall hitting his body coming into conflict with the weight of Worst's body dropped upon him, Accelerator finding her quite... warm.

Warm like a human being. And yet, she was a Sister. A being that Accelerator had once considered to not even be human, but... Now that he had gotten to know some of them, beyond even Worst and Last Order... He couldn't believe that anymore. He couldn't believe their personalities and bodies were just manufactured and programmed. Truly, from the warmth of Worst's body to Last Order's erratic personality... They couldn't be anything other than human.

And if they were human, then perhaps... The possibility of determining one's own purpose in life would become possible.

Until then, it was all just conjecture in a world full of possibilities.

Fin​