Chapter 1: A Certain Scientific One-Way Road. Last_Order.[Part 3]

August 31st 12:51 AM

Through an alley off the road and down a few narrow lanes, they finally arrived at a five-story student dorm. The surrounding buildings were more than ten levels tall, and in contrast, this student dormitory had a dark and damp feeling. It seemed like the damp air had sunk deeply into the concrete of the entire building.

"Wah! Your place is really good, says Misaka as Misaka can't help but praise."

"Are you mocking me?"

"It's a good thing to have your own room and a place that belongs to you, explains Misaka as Misaka's eyes widen."

The barefooted brat that continued to follow Accelerator, Last Order, didn't have any ill intent on her face. Accelerator ignored her as he walked into the building and climbed the concrete stairs that were in disrepair.

At that moment, there was the sound of a towel being dragged.

Accelerator, while climbing up the stairs and without turning back, said, "Oi, how long are you going to follow me..."

"Sorry to bother you! says Misaka as Misaka takes the first move."

"..."

"Thank you for your hospitality! says Misaka as Misaka hopes for three meals and snacks and nap time!"

Anyway, she probably wished that Accelerator would provide her with lodging and food before they contacted the researchers of the experiment.

"Sigh..." Accelerator shook his head as he sighed.

"Choose, take the stairs down or be chucked off the handrail."

"WAH! Misaka is an idiot for thinking that you softened your stance! says Misaka as Misaka uses her fist to knock her head gently. But if Misaka leaves you now, Misaka may be unable to contact you. And it's dangerous for a girl to live on the streets, so Misaka can't back away, says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain what she meant."

After reaching the third level, Accelerator moved away from the stairs and arrived at the corridor. At that moment, Last Order ran in front of Accelerator and turned to face him, stretching her arms out to block him.

"Which is your room? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to ask."

"None of your business."

"Which room? Which room? asks Misaka as Misaka completely ignores other people and continues to ask you who has zero communication skills."

"...Seems like you're an idiot who won't shut up until you meet the coffin, huh?"

Hearing Accelerator mock her, Last Order didn't reply. However, she was not lacking words, but deliberately shutting her mouth to create a small space in the conversation, causing both sides to remain silent.

After a while, Last Order finally said something.

She narrowed her eyes and said, calmly and slowly, "Electromagnetic sounds detected. Wavelength at 3100 Hertz. Detecting situation, at this moment, there are five people armed with unknown dangerous objects, says Misaka as Misaka honestly reports. That may be your room, says Misaka as Misaka gives a warning."

"...What?"

Accelerator narrowed his eyes. Like what had happened in the alley, Accelerator had been attacked by countless delinquents. There was still a possibility that the enemy may be lying in ambush in his room.

"Hurry up and say it, hurry up and say it, what number is your room? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to ask."

Accelerator pondered for a while, and said, "Room 304."

"Ah, seems like that's the one, says Misaka as Misaka points her finger at the door. Misaka will go look! Excuse me! says Misaka as Misaka doesn't forget her manners."

Last Order continued to rattle off as she walked towards room 304. She had just said that there were intruders, and yet she didn't look wary at all.

She reached her hand out to grab the handle in front of her, and opened the door. The electric lock seemed to be opened by her ability. Last Order seemed rather satisfied with her skills as she happily entered the room. Accelerator glanced at her, and then ignored her as he headed to his own room door.

After a while, from the room behind Accelerator, there was the sound of the TV airing a late night show, the angry growls of the room's owner and Last Order sounding rather calm as she apologized.

After that, Accelerator heard the sound of a loud 'BAM' as the door closed, and Last Order took huge strides as she caught up to Accelerator.

"That completely looked like someone else's room, says Misaka as Misaka remains extremely angry. So you're someone who likes to play such pranks, protests Misaka as Misaka's eyes wells up with tears. But it seems like you aren't listening to Misaka at all, right?"

"Shut up. It's not easy to trick me. What 3100 MHz? That's a microwave unit, right?"

"Uu...the microwaves can also be used on radar and many communication signals, so your reply is meaningless, says Misaka as Misaka tries her luck as she retorts."

As for whether that was a lie, Last Order didn't deny it. Accelerator snorted impatiently.

"How can my room be room 304? Can't you tell from the door sign?"

"Misaka also doesn't know your real name, says Misaka as Misaka tries to retort."

"Same here."

"Ah, we actually had a common idea, that's a miracle, says Misaka as Misaka tries to use this to ask, what is your room number? asks Misaka as Misaka opens her mouth to ask."

"Room 307."

"Yay!"

Last Order sounded rather calm as she forcefully opened the door. Ten seconds later, she found that she had walked into someone else's room again, and could only lower her head dejectedly as she followed behind Accelerator.

"Uu, why must you be such a meanie? asks Misaka as Misaka remains dejected. Even if your room is messy, Misaka won't mind at all, says Misaka as Misaka explains."

Accelerator ignored her as he walked to his own room, room 311. But then he stopped.

Something was not right.

"Oi oi, what's going on?"

First, the door was missing.

Looking inside the ajar door, the room was in complete disarray.

There were not just a large number of footprints on the floor, everything in the room was thoroughly decimated. The wallpaper and floor were peeled, the shoe shelf was shattered, there were burn marks left in the kitchen, indicating that someone had set fire to it, the TV was hacked in half, the bed was broken, the cotton in the sofa was ripped out.

It seemed like the room had been attacked while Accelerator went out. Since the attackers found that their target wasn't at home, they had vented their frustrations on the room, causing it to become like this.

"Wah! Seems like something big and bad happened, says Misaka as Misaka is rendered speechless."

Hearing Last Order say that no-brainer, Accelerator smirked.

"Seems like your lie became true."

Seeing the scene in front of him, for a moment, just a moment, Accelerator inadvertently stopped breathing.

Basically, this was his limit.

Though his power could defend himself thoroughly, he couldn't protect anything else.

"...Such stupidity."

Accelerator didn't even take off his shoes as he walked into his own house. His soles seemed to crush some plastic scrap of a household appliance. Accelerator didn't really feel anything about his home becoming like this, as he walked towards the sofa with cotton spilled out all over it and lay down.

"Eh...eh...eh...about...this...is there no need to notify Anti-Skill or Judgment? asks Misaka as Misaka nags."

"So what if we notify them?"

Accelerator sighed. Maybe the culprits who did this would be caught, but that wouldn't prevent Accelerator from being attacked. Tomorrow, two days later, more people would come looking for him.

"Then what do you intend to do? You can stay if you don't mind living with the remains of the TV and the fridge, but to be honest, this isn't much different from lying down in a slum to sleep."

He casually concluded that about his own home.

"And there are many broken pieces of glass here, I don't think your feet can handle stepping on them, right? Ha, may be safer to sleep on the roads than here."

"Um...but Misaka still wishes to bother you, says Misaka as Misaka makes this request."

"Ah? Why?"

"Because I hope to have someone accompany me, says Misaka as Misaka answered without thinking."

"..."

Accelerator just remained silent and didn't say anything else.

He looked dumbfounded as he stared at the ceiling.

"Then I'll be intruding! Ah, that table actually remained unscathed despite all this, says Misaka as Misaka points at the table. Misaka decides to sleep on that table...ah...em...for safety reasons, attacking Misaka when Misaka is sleeping is unacceptable, says Misaka as Misaka..."

"Just sleep."

"Ah! Though Misaka got assured of safety, Misaka still feels some agony, says Misaka as Misaka says this."

Accelerator shut his eyes. In the darkness, he could hear Last Order treading about. Maybe she wasn't used to the dusty air in the room, as Last Order coughed a few times.

Last Order felt abnormally tired.

Thinking about it, he finally concluded.

(What the heck—)

In that gentle darkness, Accelerator was like a child who couldn't resist the sleep monster as he casually thought.

(—Thinking about it, how many years has it been since I last heard this kind of innocent voice?)

He pondered.