Chapter 8: The New Life

August 31, 8:12:51 PM. There were less than four meters between them. He couldn't miss at this range if he tried. "Kuh...!?" The accelerator was using all of his strength to control Last Order's brain signals, so he couldn't divide it to reflect anything. If he did, he'd introduce an error in the precise electrical signals on the scale of an electron microscope. That would mean frying Last Order's brain to a crisp. Only 7,001 lines of code remained. Only nine warning windows were left. His work wasn't over. Time slowed to a crawl. Amai probably had no idea what Accelerator was doing, but from his point of view, just the thought of him touching Last Order, whom he absolutely couldn't let die, was probably close to driving him insane. "Don't...get in my way..." Froth formed in Amai Ao's mouth. His eyes were red with blood. He seemed to have even forgotten just how reckless it was to point a gun at Accelerator. But Accelerator couldn't divide his power to reflect anything at the moment. There was nothing he could do in this situation. If that one insignificant lead bullet hit him, he'd die from it. His survival instincts implored him to take his hand from the Last Order. They screamed to take back his reflection. He knew that if he did, he'd be saved. He wouldn't take damage from a rain of nuclear missiles, much less a handgun. August 31, 8:12:58 PM. However, he still didn't take his hand from Last Order. There was no way in hell. Only 102 lines of code remained. Just one warning window was left. "Don't...get...goaahhhh!!" The trembling hand of the shouting Amai Ao, the handgun he held, its muzzle—all stared Accelerator down. There was nothing he could do to avoid it. He could only stare vacantly at his fingers moving to pull the trigger. A dry gunshot. But In the next instant, just before the trigger was pulled, Accelerator watched in shock as the man's head was suddenly missing. Blood splattered everywhere as Amai's lifeless body fell to the ground, staining the concrete with a vibrant red hue. "Error. Break_code_No000001_to_No357081. The administrative command was canceled due to improper usage. Reawakening serial number 20001 by descriptions." With a light, electronic sound, the final warning window vanished, indicating that the dangerous code had been successfully overwritten. However, Accelerator had no time to dwell on it, as his attention was now focused on the girl standing behind Amai's corpse. She had facial features similar to the little girl in his hands, though she was older and had long white hair reaching to her back. He knew her; after all, he had met her before, and the encounter wasn't a pleasant one. That's why he was confused about why she was here, why she had saved him. Locking eyes with him, she didn't utter a word, and neither did he. However, the silence didn't last long. The clone opened her mouth. "Thank you for saving Misaka's little sister, alongside all the Misakas that link to the Misaka networks, says Misaka as she bowed in gratitude" "Huh?" She was thanking him, showing her gratitude with a lowered head. This was the man who had killed her, who had killed over 10,000 of her kind. And here she stood, bowing to him, expressing her thanks. He didn't understand. "Tch, whatever. Don't wait for me to thank you. Everything was under my control," he said, holding Last Order in his hand as he left the car, leaving Misaka-10000 behind. But... "I hate that, says misaka" "..." He came to a stop upon hearing the clone's words from behind him. Remaining in the same position, he didn't turn around to face her. He simply waited for her to speak and convey her intentions. "Despite the pain and suffering you made Misaka go through, despite Misaka's efforts to try and relive all that you made her experience so she could feel hatred, Misaka can't hate you. Misaka can't hold anything against you." "..." "The worst part is that instead of hatred, the only thing Misaka feels towards you is sympathy. Misaka understands that you were trying to make her run away, to give up so that you could see her as a human being rather than just a clone with a single mission. But still..." This time, Accelerator turned his gaze toward her, his eyes locked onto hers. "...Even if Misaka can't hate you, even if 9999+ clones have already forgiven you..." Misaka placed her hand over her chest. "That one remaining part of Misaka will never do so. It will never forget what you have done." A heavy silence enveloped the scene, with an unchanging expression on Accelerator's face and a stoic gaze from Misaka-10000. Cold eyes met with an unreadable face. Amid this oppressive silence, Accelerator finally spoke. "Didn't ask, Don't care." He simply said as he turned away once again, continuing on his path, Last Order held tightly in his hand. Misaka-10000 remained motionless, her gaze fixed on his retreating, watching as he disappeared. Part 2: September 15, 9:12:58 AM. "Ma'am, your drink is here," The voice of the waitress brought her back to reality, and she snapped out of her reverie, leaving behind the memories of that night. "Thank you, says misaka" Replying with a nod, the waitress went back to her duties, leaving Misaka-10000 to enjoy the drink in her hand. "Boring," Misaka muttered to herself, feeling a sense of monotony in the air. Taking a seat at one of the park tables near a small drink store, she scanned the park with narrowed eyes, searching for something to break the monotony. It has already been 15 days since the Last Order incident, the event that was on the verge of triggering a virus to spread through the network, causing all the Misakas to go into berserk mode. Being the most linked clone with the network, she was the most susceptible to the virus. She hated to admit it, but if it weren't for Accelerator's help, they would have been doomed. No wonder that clone had saved his life from her. Taking another sip from her drink, she let out a sigh. So much had happened after Accelerator's defeat at the hands of Touma. The experiment was abruptly halted as it was built on the assumption that the Accelerator was the strongest. However, his defeat against a Level 0 esper shattered that assumption. Following that incident, a decision was made to disperse the clones worldwide, with her designated to be sent to England. But just before the day of her departure, everything was suddenly concealed, and she was told to stay in Academy City. The reason behind this sudden change remained unknown to her. Whoever was responsible for altering the decision must hold significant power within Academy City to override a choice that could strain relations between Academy City and England. "..." Extending her hand into her skirt pocket, she pulled out an ID card. There was a name written on it. "Mikoto Misa...says Misaka" They had created an ID card for her and officially registered her in the academy system as a new esper, categorized as a Level 3 electricity master esper. It puzzled her how they hadn't detected her true level as a Level 5 esper through the AIM field... Though she doubted that those two esper powers had fused into a single one, she hadn't given it a name yet. However, its application had a similar effect to Rampage Dress. It was an esper ability that allowed her to manipulate the electrical signals in her cells, extracting additional strength. This enabled her to enhance her sense of smell by increasing the sensitivity of her olfactory cells or perform superhuman maneuvers by boosting her muscle cells. The difference, though, was that unlike Rampage Dress, which had caused numerous injuries, from straining parts of the body during its usage. In her case and with her instant regeneration, she doesn't have to worry. Nonetheless, she decided it was better for them not to know. Being a being that possessed such power would attract too much attention, and she already had enough of that. "Mom, I want ice cream" "yes, yes" As Misaka-10000 observed the heartwarming scene, her mind immediately went back to what happened that day. After everything was settled, she found a chance to address the situation with her parents. She found herself facing two options: either completely abandoning her old self and revealing the truth about her supposed death, hoping they would accept it, or telling them the truth about her existence. However, she wasn't sure if they would believe her or not, and given the fact that there was still a chance she would be targeted, she was afraid of dragging her parents into her problems. But in the end, she decided to go with the second option, hoping her parents would believe her. If they didn't, she was prepared to give up. That night, she called them, ready to explain everything. However, as she revealed herself and was about to start explaining, her mother on the other end simply believed her without needing any further explanation. Her mother scolded her for not telling the truth from the start, and at the end of the call, she expressed her intention to visit her in person the next time the Academy City would be open to outsiders. Everything had happened so quickly that she couldn't fully grasp the situation. However, she was too exhausted to dwell on it further and simply attributed it to her mother's intuition. With the weight lifted off her shoulders, she finally felt a sense of relief and could focus on rebuilding her new life. Along with the new identity provided by the academy, she was allowed to choose a school to attend. They granted her the freedom to choose, even offering the most renowned girls' school in the world, Tokiwadai Middle School, as an option. However, she made the decision to refuse to attend any school. She was finally liberated from the pains of school and the burdensome homework. Why would she willingly go back to that? "Okay, Let's misaka try her luck today, said misaka as she finished her drink, ready to embark on her mission." She had finally reached level 5 esper status, although not yet announced by the Academy. Despite her previous reservations about drawing attention, a part of her longed for recognition. Her plan was simple: she didn't intend to attend a school but wanted to infuse her life with more excitement. Just like the ranked 4 Mugino Shizuri and ranked 2 Kakine Teitoku, both level 5 espers. She wanted to form her own team or gang. A group that could pursue their desires, take on missions to gain fame and money, and, most importantly, have fun. At first, Misaka thought forming a team would be easy, but she soon realized that it was far more challenging than she had anticipated. The major obstacle she faced was her poor social communication skills. Even in her previous life, she struggled in this area, and now with her emotionless and robotic way of speaking, it was even more difficult for her to engage in meaningful conversations with others. Ten days had passed since she began her plan, yet she remained the only member of her team. The lack of progress frustrated her. "It seems it's another day of failure for Misaka--hmm?" As a gasp escaped her lips, Misaka felt an unusual sensation under her foot. It wasn't a simple rock she had stepped on. Shifting her gaze to the ground, her eyes fell upon the body of a teenage girl lying motionless. The girl had long, straight, black hair and was dressed in what appeared to be shrine maiden attire. (A girl lying on the ground in broad daylight... I think I've found my first member, hehe.) As Misaka surveyed the surroundings, she knelt beside the girl. "Are you alive? Asks Misaka hoping for a response" "..." There was no response from the girl. "Hey, are you alive-" Misaka-10000 was about to call out again in a higher tone, but her words were cut short by a strange sound. It was the rumbling of the girl's stomach. "I-I need f-food," the girl managed to utter, expressing her need. "Oh..." Part 3: September 15, 9:33:22 AM. After quite some time had passed since entering the restaurant, Misaka-10000 and the strange girl were eating their meals. However, Misaka could only watch in amazement as the girl in front of her devoured everything in her path. Instead of a simple meal, like the piece of meat that Misaka had ordered, the girl had a plate full of all types of food. It was hard to imagine a skinny girl like her finishing all of that, but somehow she was able to. The girl's nobility seemed to have tricked her into giving her the freedom to order anything, but it wasn't a big deal for Misaka, as her salary was mostly big enough to cover the expenses of what the girl ordered several times over. "This is good! Thank you for the meal," with the last bite of food in her mouth, the girl held her hands together for a moment before standing to leave. However, as she turned back, a hand grabbed her by the arm. "Wait, Misaka wants a minute of your time." Titling her head to one side, the girl replied, "Well, with pleasure," as she settled back into her seat. "..." A strange, heavy silence hung between the two. Just as expected from a conversation between two girls with poor social communication skills. "Well, to start, the name of Misaka is Misa Mikoto, Nice to meet you, says misaka politely" "My name is Himegami Aisa. Nice to meet you too," Aisa replied. "..." "..." (That silence is killing me. Most of the time, the other party controls the rhythm of the conversation, but now I have to be the one... I can't let this opportunity slip away from me. I want her on my team... My instincts tell me she would be a huge asset to the group.) As the silence persisted, Misaka-10000 gathered her courage and decided to take the initiative. "So, Himegami Aisa, Misaka couldn't help but notice you have quite the appetite. You must be really hungry. asks misaka in curiosity" Aisa nodded. "Yes, I guess you could say that. I haven't had a proper meal in a while." Misaka nodded understandingly. "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. If you're interested, Misaka has a proposition for you. Misaka is trying to form a team of espers, and Misaka thinks you would be a valuable addition. If you agree to join Misaka, you would have the freedom to eat anything you want, anytime you want, and, of course, there will be payment for your contributions to the group, says Misaka as she offered" Himegami looked surprised but intrigued. "A team of espers? I would accept the offer, but I am not an esper, I am a mage." Misaka's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "A mage?..." "Indeed, a mage," Himegami confirmed. "..." "..." (Has becoming a Chuunibyou become a trend in this city? Well, whatever, I just want someone to join, so let's go along.) "Well, even if you're a mage, you're still welcome to join the group. So, Misaka is still extending the offer to you." "Oh, if that's the case, I'll join." It's weirdly simple in Misaka's eyes but she didn't care. Finally, she found someone willing to join her team. "Good, I'm looking forward to working with you, says Misaka as she welcomes her first team member." "Well, if that's all, please excuse me. I still have a class to attend inTokiwadai Middle School, and It's my first day, so I don't want to be late," Himegami said, bowing before leaving. Misaka simply waved as Himegami's back disappeared behind the exit door. However, as she returned to enjoy her meal, she paused at the first bite, realizing something important. (She didn't leave any way for us to communicate... Wait, she said Tokiwadai Middle School. That was my old school.) Misaka quickly finished her meal and left the payment on the table. (I'll simply go and meet her there. The place is close, after all.) Part 4: Walking down the hallways in frustration, Misaka sighed. She had expected to receive the necessary help to find Himegami's class once she arrived at Tokiwadai Middle School, but to her disappointment, no one seemed willing to assist her. Instead, she faced curious gazes from the students around her. Whenever she tried to stop someone, especially the boys, they would blush and stammer, leaving her in awkward situations. The girls, on the other hand, simply ignored her question and started bombarding her with their own. Most of their questions revolved around how she managed to make her way to Tokiwadai Middle School and why she had white-colored hair. Oh, and she was still wearing her Tokiwadai uniform, even though she had the option to change into different clothes. There was an inexplicable connection she felt with those uniforms, making her hesitant to wear anything else. Pausing in the middle of the empty hallway, Misaka glanced around, unsure of where to go next. Tired out and at a loss, she crumpled to the floor. She wailed on her hands and knees like a high school baseball player who had lost the Koshien Championship. "...?" Then, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Before she could give it any consideration, someone tapped her shoulder. Turning around to face who, she comes across a girl she'd never seen before. She was taller than her, which surprised her since Misaka's own body was slightly taller than the average girl for her age. Her hair was black with a tinge of brown, but it was probably natural. It was straight and went all the way down to her thighs, and she had one bunch of hair tied up with elastic on the side of her head. She wore glasses with thin frames, but they were sliding down a little bit for some reason. Glancing at the girl's chest and then at her own. She was forced to admit that the girl. Had her beat there. (Wait...Why is that even bothering me? Anyway... Who could this be?) The girl's clothing was slightly different from the outfit that students of this school wore, though. The girls here wore a white, short-sleeve sailor uniform with a navy blue skirt. This girl, however, wore a short-sleeve blouse and a lighter blue skirt. A red men's necktie accented her white and blue outfit. That, too, was different. Their eyes met. "Umm... the person you asked for is downstairs in the teacher's room," she said in a soft, quiet voice, pointing towards the stairs. "Oh..." Misaka slowly stood up, straightening her clothes. "Thank you very much, says misaka as she bowed in gratitude." "Ah, n-no problem at all. I'm happy I could help," (She is an angel, but she feels out of place... A potential member!!) "Misaka's name is Misa Mikoto, what's yours? Asks Misaka curiously." "...Um. Kazakiri Hyouka." "Misaka just passed by a nearby cafeteria, wanna go there and talk? asks Misaka." "T-Talk? But about what-wahhhh!!" Misaka didn't wait for the girl's answer as she grabbed her by the hand and started to drag her toward the cafeteria. ... Sitting down at one of the tables without actually ordering anything, Misaka was the first to start the conversation. "So, are you here looking for someone too? asks Misaka." "I...I'm different. I'm a transfer student, so I just don't have a uniform yet..." "Oh, good, good... By the way... Did you ever think about... you know, joining a group of... heroes? asks Misaka." "Heroes, huh??" "Yes, heroes. You see, Misaka trying to form a team of espers and mages, and Misaka thinks you would be a great addition, says Misaka" "Me? A hero?" "Of course, you helped Misaka, which makes you a hero by default, says Misaka." "Oh... I see." She blushed a little, seeming happy to be called something like that. "Ummm, you see, I know it might sound like a dumb question but..." she hesitated to speak her thoughts. "Oh, you're free to ask anything from Misaka." "...Um, you said a group, which means there would be other members, does that mean we can be friends?" she finished, her face as red as a tomato. (Well, for the time being, if we include her, there are 3 people in the group, but I think that makes us friends or partners in the worst scenario.) "Yes, of course, and Misaka would be happy to be your friend, says Misaka." "I-I see... Well, if you are fine with someone like me, I would like to join.." The girl named Hyouka jolted like a frightened animal. "Haa! The ice cream thief!" "...?" Just as the atmosphere was set between the two girls, a voice called from afar. Turning to the source, Misaka already knew to whom that voice belonged. With her petite build and flat chest, it was the girl named Index, though it was obvious that wasn't her real name. "Oh, the white Misaka Imouto, it's been a while." Beside her, with his ordinary look, a guy named Kamijo Touma approached together with the little girl. "Oh, the little nun and Touma, long time no see, says Misaka as she welcomes the new arrivals." "What brings you here? Looking for someone?" Touma was the first to ask. "Oh, yes, Misaka was looking for someone, but she paused as she got to know her new friend. Her name is Kazakiri H—Huh? Wait, what? stammers Misaka in confusion." She looked over, stupefied. Index and Touma looked over as well. Kazakiri Hyouka had been at their table, but at some point, she had disappeared. The only thing Left was the empty folding chair sitting by itself where she had just been. "Kazakiri... you mean Kazakiri Hyouka?" "You know her? asks Misaka" "Well, she was with us just a few moments ago, and we didn't notice until we found her disappeared. It seems she loves to leave without anyone's notice," "And she's my friend," Index added. ... "Well, Misaka has to go, for now. Misaka still has to go looking for someone, says misaka as she stands ready to go on her way." "Someone?" "You wouldn't know her, her name is Himegami..." "...Aisa?" Touma finished after her. Coming to a sudden stop, Misaka slowly turned her head toward him. Even though her facial expression remained unchanged, the aura around her told everything. (Is that guy for real?)