"So, what do you want to drink?"

"Uhh... It's okay, you don't need to-"

"I'm getting you a drink. No objections!"

"B-but-!"

"C'mon! Just say what you want to drink."

Misaka Mikoto stared at the teenage girl with a troubled expression, bullets of sweat running down her forehead. Her small stature was stiff from the nervousness that ran down her entire body. Her eyes scanned around restlessly as she struggled to find for a way out. But in a single glance, she could easily assess her state in this situation.

She was trapped.

A few minutes ago, she was just sitting not-so-peacefully on a bench outside. When she stood up, someone bumped into her and from there she couldn't get away.

That 'someone's' identity was Saten Ruiko, her friend who was a year lower than her. She attended a different school as her, but certain circumstances and situations caused them to become close. Mikoto knew her as a kind and enthusiastic girl, but that enthusiasm could easily turn into an inescapable situation. She also liked to hunt for urban legends, but that's a story for another day.

Shaking off her thoughts, Mikoto sat on the soft cushions unwillingly with her hands joined together on her lap.

"Hey, you seem to be sweating a lot. Are you okay?"

"H-huh? I-I'm definitely okay! I-it's just..."

"...?"

"Uhhh t-the thing is I have someone to pick me up..."

Mikoto waved her hands as she instantly made up a story to go with. Saten would seem to be naive, but she could sometimes see through a person's lie. She tried to wipe the sweat off her eyebrows as Saten tilted her head in wonder.

"Really? Is that person your guardian?"

"Guardian... Y-yeah! That person is my guardian, so you don't have to worry about me."

'Please, let me gooooooo!'

She screamed in her head. Saten doesn't seem to notice her dilemma but she looked like she bought her made up story.

"Is that so? Then we'll get our order for take out and we will wait for your guardian to arrive."

"Hm. Sounds good... Wait, we?"

Her relief suddenly disappeared as it was replaced by another feeling of anxiousness. She gulped but her mouth was completely dry. Saten smiled at her and declared proudly.

"Yeah! I can't just leave you alone right there, especially right now that there have been crazy things happening around the city... Nevermind that. Let's go!"

Mikoto's ears perked up as she heard her musings. An ominous feeling swam at the pits of her stomach for an unknown reason.

"What do you mean about that?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"About those 'crazy things' happening in the city."

"Oh, that? Well... those are second hand information I saw in the net but... It's too much for a child, I guess? Let's just move on and go back to that bench you were sitting at earlier, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Ah! Two cups of hot chocolate please, for takeout."

Saten said to the waitress with a smile. Mikoto begrudgingly backed down as she stared down at her feet. The things that her friend said increased her worries. She frowned deeply as she immersed herself into thinking. Were these information connected to her current predicament? But if it came from Saten Ruiko, that means it probably came from urban legends sites, making the info a bit unreliable. But, there were instances in the past that her hobby helped her and Judgement in their crime-solving adventures, right? The space between her eyebrows creased further as her mind debated with conflicting thoughts.

"Sorry for the wait. Here you go!"

She snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a cup of steaming cocoa being handed to her. She accepted it gingerly with her small hands then walked outside to go back to their previous post.

As they reached the bench, the two of them sat down with their hot chocolate enveloped in their hands.

"So, how are you related to this guardian of yours?"

"E-eh?"

Mikoto jolted in surprise. How was she supposed to answer? She wasn't even really waiting for anyone anyway. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she thought of an answer.

"A distant relative..."

"Oh."

Saten took a sip of her drink then gazed at her direction.

"Then, do you live near here?"

"Uh, yeah. It's quite near..."

Then silence. Saten couldn't seem to make the girl talk to ease the atmosphere, so she continued to ask basic questions.

"Why are you out here anyway? Isn't it cold?"

"Ah."

Mikoto stared at her cup as she answered.

"I'm just clearing my mind off things."

"Huh? Did something happen?"

Saten stared at her with eyebrows furrowed in worry. Mikoto breathed out a sigh that instantly turned visible.

"I kinda got myself tangled in a mess that made my friends worry about me. I also had a bad dream earlier, so I decided to take a short walk."

"Really? Have you talked to your friends already?"

Mikoto nodded her head.

"Yeah..."

"That's good then."

The two of them drank their drinks at the same time then Saten spoke.

"Come to think of it, I'm also in a similar situation."

"..."

Mikoto stayed silent. She had a feeling that she definitely knew what her next words would be.

"I have a friend who suddenly went away without telling us anything. I don't have any idea where she might be right now, that's why I'm getting really worried."

"I-is that so...?"

Mikoto gulped another mouthful of hot chocolate to ease her nerves.

"I know I don't have that much reason to worry about her. She's strong, no, REALLY strong! And she's smart, too. She could definitely do anything if she put her mind to it. But..."

"Huh...?"

Mikoto stared at her with a raised eyebrow and a bit of red on her face. You think too highly of me, Saten-san!

Saten breathed out a sigh that instantly turned into white mist.

"...She may be really remarkable, but that doesn't change the fact that she's still a middle school girl. There are still things that she couldn't do alone. I know she's kinda aware of this, but she still insists on solving her problems by herself."

"O-oh..."

Mikoto's face suddenly turned apologetic when she heard her rambles. She didn't have anything to say.

Saten's grip on her cup tightened a bit as she stared down, her shoulders trembling a bit due to both the cold and her emotions.

"I know she just didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her, but everytime she would look at us with weary eyes, I'm starting to think what kind of ordeal would make her waver like that. The last time this happened, I heard from her roommate that she would go home battered and tired. If it's to that level, I don't think it's something that we could beat even if I tried to help. I... might end up being a burden. I'm just a level 0 anyway... I can't do anything much."

"I-it's not like tha-"

"Aaaahh! I said I wouldn't mull over that 'level 0' stuff anymore! Why am I like this?!"

Saten shouted the last part in exasperation while clutching the sides of her head. Her cup of chocolate now stood beside her on the bench. She quickly grabbed it and took a swig, gulping all of its contents in one go. When she finished, she placed it down again then she slapped her cheeks a few times. Mikoto could only watch as her friend bare her heart out and frantically correct her sudden mistake in succession. Her throat felt completely dry that even drinking something would not ease the sensation in her throat. She couldn't bear to see her friend like that anymore so she averted her eyes to a nearby sidewalk. As she sullied over the girl's words, Saten's determined voice pierced through the silence.

"But!"

She clenched her fists as she continued.

"Even if I don't have enough strength to help her ability-wise, I will still do the best that I can! This world isn't grounded only by power levels and what-not! Heck, it's not even that important! People outside Academy City don't have esper powers, and yet, they're still alive! I'm stronger than this!"

She burst out with renewed vigor. She was more likely saying these words to herself, but Mikoto still listened with attentive eyes.

"I know there are things that only I can do, so I'll just keep on doing that. I shouldn't force myself on doing the impossible, but I'll improve myself bit by bit."

She stared at Mikoto with a wide smile and declared.

"When Misaka-san finally comes back, I'll be waiting for her with Shirai-san and Uiharu. That way, she would brighten up fast. We will serve as her support no matter what happens. As long as she would have a home to return to, she'll definitely overcome her problems in a flash. All we have to do is to trust her, and wait for her to come back. We'll provide her with the warmth that she deserves."

Saten Ruiko had tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She wore a bright smile on her face, but it quickly fell apart as she suddenly turned worried.

"U-u-uhh, w-wh-wha?! Why are you crying?! Are you hurt somewhere?!"

"E-eh...?"

Mikoto touched her cheek and her hand was immediately stained with tears. Seeing her friend panicking in front of her, she couldn't help but cry a bit more.

"H-huh? Why won't the tears stop...? I-I..."

"A-are you okay?"

Saten inquired worriedly while waving her arms. Mikoto smiled at her through the tears.

"I-I'm okay... I-it's just that, I really think my friends would say the same thing to me."

Saten stopped panicking then smiled contentedly, reaching her right hand in front of her to pat her on the head.

"Un. I'm sure they would. Here, yoshi yoshi."

'I guess it wouldn't hurt if I stayed like this for a while.' Mikoto thought as she savored the warmth from Saten's hand on her head, with a smile forming on her face.

"Ugh. What a pain..."

Accelerator stepped away from the convenience store and the automatic doors closed in response. He wore a thick, white jacket over his usual gray shirt. His white hair and red eyes stood out from the seemingly dead background. In his right hand was his crutch while the other one held an entire plastic bag filled with cans of his favorite black coffee. As seen from the scowl on his face, he wasn't really pleased.

When he woke up on the couch this morning, his eyesight was immediately filled with childish stuff that he had to shout for it to be cleaned by the perpetrator.

Then next, a certain nuisance tried to destroy his day in the worst way possible, but fortunately, he stopped her in time.

To top it all off, the origin of most of his problems started acting jumpy and avoided him so much that she went out for a walk in the cold weather.

It's not like he cared for her (she could just die if he wished to), but her actions pissed him off to an extent. If that brat Last Order would see her all jumpy and elusive around him, she would definitely think that he did something wrong and she would go all mopey the whole day. Thinking about it already increased the intensity of his headache tenfold.

But that's not all. When he downed his entire supply of coffee in one go, he stacked the cans neatly to relieve his head from the pain. Then suddenly, the damned brat threw a ball, imitating a bowling player and destroyed the tower. He wasn't angry about that petty stuff, but the ball triggered an unpredictable chain reaction that turned everything in their apartment upside down.

He couldn't take the stress anymore so he went outside to buy coffee and meds. But due to the cold weather, the coffee in the convenience store near the apartment ran out of stock, so he was forced to walk further away.

He repeatedly cursed a certain spiky haired boy with a deadly right hook in his mind with all the contempt that he could muster.

(And not so far away, a spiky haired high school boy you could see anywhere sneezed and shivered for unknown reasons. He thought maybe the cold weather was getting into him, but that thought immediately perished when he tripped on a crack on the sidewalk. The shopping bag that he was holding flew a meter away from him, and the newly purchased carton of eggs he bought for half the price all turned to waste. His wails of misfortune were heard.)

Right now, he had already bought what he wanted so he decided to walk back home. But he abruptly stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar lump of chestnut colored hair on the bench not far from his post. He stared for a while to confirm which one was it, then his eyebrows raised when he reached a conclusion.

"The original, huh."

Not that I care anyway. He was about to turn around when he noticed that the Railgun was not alone. Beside her, a raven haired girl was sitting on the same bench. Somehow, he became interested so he walked towards the two figures.

"Hey, third rate. Who are you talking to?"

The Railgun turned her head to his direction, then her eyes turned wide. He noticed that her eyes were a bit red and puffy. She seemed to realize what he noticed and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeves. The stranger also stared at his direction, but he just brushed her off and stood directly in front of the little girl.

"W-what are you doing here?!"

He just raised an eyebrow at her then gestured to his left.

"I bought coffee."

"Again? You just bought almost 30 cans the other day."

"Not enough."

"Caffeine addict."

"Is he your guardian?"

""Huh?""

In the middle of their exchange, the girl suddenly interjected. Accelerator looked confused while Mikoto stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ah- Y-yes! He's my guardian..."

"Huh? What the fu-"

But his protests were immediately cut off-

"Ahh is that so? Then, I still have to get my phone so, see ya!"

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

The girl was about to dash away when Mikoto suddenly called out. She looked back at her, waiting for a response.

"I... That person is really lucky to have a friend like you, I think. She will definitely be back soon."

I will definitely be back soon, I promise.

"Let's go, Accelerator."

Mikoto said with a sincere smile, then she turned around, walking the opposite direction without waiting for the white haired man. Accelerator huffed but still followed. They walked the road silently without looking back.

On the other hand, the girl named Saten Ruiko stood still in a daze. Her mind was racing with a lot of thoughts, but she shut them off then quickly darted to her dorm's direction.

"Saten-san, what took you so long?"

"Ah, sorry sorry, I kinda met someone along the way."

Saten Ruiko now stood outside the luxurious dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School in District 7. In front of her are her friends Uihari Kazari and Shirai Kuroko, who finally recovered from her slump. They seem to be going outside for lunch, so she immediately ran to their direction.

"You met someone?"

"Yeah. It's a child."

""A child?""

The two seemed to be interested as they stared at her intently.

"Yeah. She's probably 10 years old, I guess."

"Ehh... So, what did you do?"

Uiharu, who was asking all the questions inquired with a curious glint in her eye.

"She was completely alone, so I decided to accompany her. I had a feeling that I shouldn't leave her alone by herself, but I don't know where that came from."

"Really? That's weird."

"Let's continue that after we take a seat, shall we?"

Shirai said as she lead the two to the usual family restaurant. Uiharu and Saten followed then they took the seat beside the glass window.

"Then, why was that child alone in the first place? It's really cold outside right now."

Uiharu said immediately as she sat on the soft cushions. Saten placed her hand on her chin and answered.

"She said she wanted to take her mind off things. She had a problem with her friends, you see."

"She sounded really mature. Are you sure that person is really a child?"

Shirai said skeptically. The iced coffee that she ordered finally arrived and was placed in front of her on the table. She took a sip as she waited for an answer.

"I'm sure. She didn't deny it when I called her one. We actually talked for a while as we waited for her guardian. All in all, she's a good kid. Talking to her made me feel better."

She folded her arms over the table and smiled radiantly. Shirai suddenly looked a bit confused then asked a question.

"Saten-san, you keep calling the child 'she', so she must be a girl. But, did she tell you her name?"

Saten's eyes widened a bit then she smiled wryly.

"Ahahaha. I forgot to ask her."

"Really...?"

"Because she looked really familiar, it slipped my mind! It felt like I've known her for a long time, I don't know why."

Saten explained frantically as she noticed her mistake. She didn't even tell her her own name! She felt a bit ashamed, so she slumped on the table.

"It's okay, Saten-san. It's normal to be forgetful sometimes."

"Don't say that while stealing my ice cream!"

Saten suddenly acted the tsukkomi role for a while as she protected her ice cream from the beaming Uiharu. Shirai steered them back to the topic.

"So, what did you talk about?"

"Ah, we talked about Misaka-san."

"Misaka-san...?"

"...Onee-sama?"

The two said simultaneously. Saten smiled sheepishly as she played with the straw.

"She's actually in a similar situation with us, so I kinda told her my worries about Misaka-san. She seemed to be carrying some heavy burden by herself that she even cried after I told her my side of the story. I was really shocked back there."

"She...cried?"

It was indeed rare to hear someone cry after hearing some stranger's story, so they immediately concluded that the girl's problem was too heavy for a child to carry.

"Yeah. She said that it was because her friends would definitely say the same thing to her so... And oh, she actually said something to me after that."

"What did she say?"

Uiharu and Shirai straightened their backs, staring intently at her. They didn't know why, but something was telling them to listen carefully to Saten's next words.

"'That person is really lucky to have a friend like you, I think. She will definitely be back soon,' she said. Hearing it actually made me all warm inside that I suddenly wanted to cry hahaha... Shirai-san?"

As soon as she said that, Shirai Kuroko's eyes started to water. She just stared at the table, wide eyed and flushed. The other two was flustered from her reaction that they started to flail their arms in the air in a panic.

"W-wa-wahh? Sh-Shirai-san...?"

"Are you okay?!"

It's not normal for her to act like this, and she knew that. She couldn't blame them for their reactions, so Shirai wiped her tears then replied.

"I'm okay. It's just that it reminded me of what Onee-sama told me earlier on the phone..."

'It feels like... I want to see that child too myself.'

Shirai thought to herself as she smiled faintly. The other two smiled in response because they all felt the same.

"Is that so?"

That child's words are so full of heart and emotions that they couldn't grasp how they should react. They ate their food in a comfortable atmosphere while chatting about mundane things, like usual. But the child's words still resonated in their heart, filling them with vigor they never knew they had.

'We'll definitely wait for your return.'

The hard concrete sounded with footsteps and a metallic sound as two people walked on the sidewalk. The one leading the way was a small girl with short chestnut colored hair and the one who was a step behind her was a sickly looking adolescent male with white hair and red eyes. The metallic sound was made by his cane and the jingling of the cans inside the plastic bag that he carried.

For an outsider, if you looked from afar, everything seemed to be normal. But if they passed by you, a cold shiver would definitely rush down your spine.

The atmosphere around them was bone-chilling tense. It almost felt like you would trigger a landmine if you crossed them. In addition, these two young people belong to the list of people you shouldn't mess with.

Unbeknownst to everyone, they are not those kind of people you could see anywhere.

These people were actually two of the seven level 5s, Accelerator and Railgun, the number 1 and the number 3 respectively.

They held such intense power that they could take an entire battalion head on and emerge victorious. They are the pride of Academy City itself.

The two just walked in silence. No one dared to talk, they were not that close anyway. She treated him as an enemy while he treated her as a pest. Nothing positive would come out of this. But because Last Order was between the two of them, they have no choice but to work together when the need came. But that wouldn't occur for now.

Well, until they reached the apartment, that is.

When they opened the door, they have different expressions on their faces. The other scowled while the other gasped in bewilderment. They just stood at the porch with a stiff posture.

What greeted them was the very definition of chaos. Everything was in disarray that they couldn't remember how the living room originally looked like. It was exactly the same as how Accelerator left the house, except for the lamely erected tower of cans standing in the middle of the mayhem. Mikoto gulped then turned her head to the person beside her.

"...What is this?"

"...I know what kind of fuckery is this yet I also don't."

Acceletator's head throbbed in pain. He still couldn't grasp the situation at hand. Before he could compose his self, a small voice caught their attention.

"'U-uhh... Misaka did her best to recreate this tower to its original form...' says Misaka as Misaka hides her face from everyone..."

Behind the piles of upturned shelves, a strand of hair peeked out. They definitely knew who that was, so Mikoto could only breathe out a sigh. As for Accelerator...

"WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT THAT SHIT?! YOU COULD HAVE JUST THROWN IT AWAY! THAT SHITTY TRASH WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING, YOU DAMNED BRAT!"

"Eeep!"

Last Order ran away then went to her room in a flash. The two of them stared in silence.

"...So that's the culprit."

"Ugh."

Accelerator couldn't help but grumble and grind his teeth angrily. If it was before, he wouldn't care about it as long as he could sleep. But now, this state of chaos irritated him, especially when he thought about what would Yomikawa Aiho do if she saw this. He heard a sigh coming from the other person beside him that brought him out of his thoughts.

"...Then we'll just have to clean this up before Yomikawa-sensei arrives."

Mikoto said as she avoided the obstacles in her way with wary steps. She stood in the middle beside the 'tower' and looked everywhere.

"Nothing seems to be broken. You're lucky."

"..."

She turned to the kitchen and noticed to her relief that it was completely unscathed. So the extent of damage was limited to the living room, she thought. She brought a plastic bag out of the drawer then went back to collect the cans. After this, she tried to fix the piles into their proper places. She had encountered a bit of trouble with the heavier ones but she managed to flip them over to their original positions. She wiped the sweat off her forehead then glared sharply at Accelerator.

"Oi, don't just stand there! Do something!"

"Tch. You're annoying."

"I should be the one saying that!"

Then the two of them proceeded to put things back to their right places. It was a bit arduous but they continued with their work in silence. There maybe a few exchanges of 'Where should I put this?' and 'Just fucking place it anywhere you want' but that's it. When they were nearing to a finish, someone came out of the bedroom, so they turned their gazes in reflex.

"What was that noise...? Oh, you're cleaning it already? Misaka still has not taken a picture of it yet."

From there stood Misaka Worst who seemed to have been woken up by the noises they made when flipping the furnitures over. Mikoto turned to Accelerator.

"Was she an accomplice?"

"Unlikely. She had a fucking alibi."

"Is that so?"

"Why are you guys talking like you're investigating a crime scene? Roleplay? Woah, kinky~~"

""Shut up, Worst.""

The two continued cleaning while ignoring the nuisance circling around them. When they managed to arrange everything into place, 2 hours have already passed. Suddenly, they heard a movement from the bedroom and the door slowly creaked open.

Last Order peeked her head from the doorway. Her eyes were teary and filled with anxiousness. She stiffened further when Accelerator glared at her direction. She was about to go back hiding in the bedroom when Mikoto called her name.

"Last Order."

"'Y-yes?!''

Last Order almost felt her heart jump out of her chest as she heard her name being called. Her older sister just stared back at her with a calm demeanor.

"Come here."

"'...R-Roger,' says Misaka as Misaka complied in reluctance."

She walked closer to Mikoto with small steps. As soon as she and her older sister were standing face to face, the latter held her left shoulder and breathed out a sigh.

"Are you the one responsible for this...?"

Last Order flinched from her inquiring gaze.

"'...Y-yes, but, it was all an accident!' says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain herself."

"I know, I know. I'm just confirming it."

Mikoto glanced at the grumbling Accelerator to the trembling Last Order in succession.

"You should apologize to Accelerator over here."

"'B-ut, Misaka didn't really wanted that to happen!' says Misaka as-"

"But you caused him quite the trouble you know?"

"Fucking yeah."

Accelerator suddenly interjected in agreement. Mikoto just rolled her eyes at him and ignored him. She squeezed Last Order's shoulder gently, reassuring her.

"Last Order, what would you do if you caused an inconvenience to other people?"

"'...Misaka would offer an apology...' says Misaka as Misaka lowers her head in guilt."

"That's correct. So you should do it now in front of everyone. A simple apology wouldn't hurt, right?"

Mikoto released her from her hold then patted her on her back. Last Order fiddled her hands as she faced Accelerator, who, was staring expectantly at her with his sharp crimson eyes.

"'...Misaka is really sorry,' says Misaka as Misaka apologizes sincerely."

Last Order felt like disappearing on her spot as the white haired man's stare seemed to pierce through her for a few seconds. Accelerator sighed, causing her to look up at his face. He brought forward a hand above her and landed a chop squarely on top of her head. Last Order flinched as she clutched her head with her small hands.

"'Owwww...'"

"Whatever. Just don't cause more problems, brat. Or I'll hit your head harder than that."

Last Order suddenly brightened up like she had forgotten the pain on her head. She latched herself on Accelerator which the man found irritating.

"'Yes!' says Misaka as Misaka promises with her whole heart!"

"Oi, get the fuck off me, you damned brat!"

Accelerator managed to pry Last Order away from him after much difficulty. Even though she was shoved forcefully, Last Order still beamed at the albino. The tension suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a comfortable feeling.

Mikoto couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Alright, Misaka knows that you all are having your moments over there but do you know what time is it already? It's already past lunch! Misaka is starving!"

Worst's voice pierced through the comfortable silence that caused them to look at the digital clock placed on the table.

"You're right. We should probably prepare lunch right now."

Mikoto said as she turned towards the refrigerator in the kitchen. She opened it and peered inside, noticing that it was refilled for the day.

"How does karaage sound?"

"'Yay!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka jumps for joy!"

"Just do whatever you want."

"Misaka is hungry."

Mikoto smiled to herself as she closed the refrigerator with the ingredients in hand.

"Alright, alright. It won't take a while."

But sometimes, staying here isn't that bad.

When night came, Accelerator sat alone on the living room couch, his eyes staring blankly at the flat screen television. He pressed on the buttons repeatedly without paying attention. When he got tired of it, he hung his head on the backrest and massaged his temples. He pressed the uppermost button on the remote, switching off the tv with his eyes closed.

But then the sounds of a door opening and some footsteps approaching made him open his eyes and look to his side.

From there he saw Misaka Mikoto in her sleeping attire, staring at him with steely eyes. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at her.

"What is it, third rate?"

The girl breathed in deeply before giving a reply.

"...I'm sorry about how I acted earlier."

"Huh?"

His faced was riddled with confusion. Her words made him feel irritated and confused at the same time. He was about to talk, but the Railgun didn't give him a chance to do so.

"I don't want to be a hypocrite with my lecture earlier. I know I also caused you some trouble, so I'm sorry."

She said it again. That cursed word.

'A simple sorry wouldn't hurt, right?'

Fucking imbecile. You don't know what you're saying.

He gritted his teeth as these thoughts swirled in his mind. He tried to calm himself down by flushing all those thoughts out of his head by drinking a mouthful of black coffee. It worked a bit, so he decided to talk back.

"And what made you think you caused me some trouble? Don't think too highly of yourself."

He said with a scowl. Mikoto just shook her head and breathed out a sigh.

"If me staying inside this apartment with you and everyone else isn't considered as causing you trouble, then I don't know what to call it."

"..."

"..."

The two of them fell silent. They just stared at nothing without showing emotions on their faces. The air made them uncomfortable because it held quite a huge amount of tension.

But the silence was easily broken with a sigh.

"...But in the end, I'm still being a hypocrite, aren't I?"

"..."

Accelerator remained silent. He didn't even spare a glance at her direction. Mikoto continued.

"I had a nightmare earlier."

That statement finally made him turn his gaze as it caught his attention.

"What about it?"

"...It's terrifying."

Mikoto looked away and simply stated. Accelerator raised an eyebrow at her answer, but his mouth quickly morphed into the shape of an 'o' as he sucked in a breath. Piecing all his thoughts together, he made a guess on what the nightmare was about. And his guess was correct.

"Because of something trivial as that, I avoided you like the plague. I guess I still haven't sorted my feelings yet."

She said as she glared with all her hatred directed at him. He noticed that her posture was stiff and her hands were curled into fists on her sides. He could feel the animosity seeping from her presence, but he didn't flinch at all. He just stared back with an intense gaze matching hers.

Mikoto breathed out heavily and her posture loosened. Her hands uncurled freely and hung loosely on her sides. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax her nerves.

When she finally opened them, she spoke.

"...I know you've been through a lot, but I'm not going to apologize to you. I just couldn't. This feels stupid. No, this is stupid."

"I don't need it anyway."

"I know."

Accelerator said nonchalantly. Mikoto expected this kind of response, so she briefly replied. But she was not finished.

"And I also don't want to hear an apology coming from you. I wouldn't forgive you even if you kneel down before me."

"I wouldn't even think of doing that."

"I know.

Accelerator just eyed her with scrutinizing eyes, trying to figure out her motives. But just seeing her stiff expression wouldn't tell him anything, so his eyebrows furrowed deeply in distaste.

"So, what the fuck is the point of all this?"

The Railgun stared at him with determined eyes then a small smile graced her lips. He furrowed his eyebrows further.

"I just wanted to tell you that we'll probably be hypocrites forever. With this, we're even."

"You wasted my time just because of that? You're a fucking idiot."

With the two of them having committed sins they deemed to be unatonable, they caused each other pain. But because they know they both caused troubles to each other (and their pride wouldn't let them to do so), an apology will not be given. They both claimed they didn't need anything of that anyway.

So it was fair for the both of them.

Mikoto just huffed then turned around, the soft thuds of her small feet echoing throughout the silence.

"I'm just taking a load off my chest. Don't think to much about it."

"Just shut up and sleep, third rate."

"Good night, asshole."

The two of them showed amused smiles on their faces.

She paced to the room's direction, but a sharp pain in her head made her feet unstable. She almost fell down but she quickly caught herself. The albino seemed to notice this as he glanced at her direction.

"What was that?"

"I... kinda lost my footing. I'm getting quite a lot of headaches recently. A good night's sleep would lessen the pain, I guess."

"Oh?"

He didn't seem to care as he waved his hand to shoo her away. As he heard her slow footsteps moving farther away, he breathed out a sigh.

In the end, he still couldn't understand what was the point of their conversation. Well, she told him not to think about it so it's probably nothing. He massaged his temples with his slim fingers as he felt his headache worsen.

"Ugh, that fucking brat."

He managed to sleep on the couch after relaxing his thoughts, his consciousness slipping away from him. Another day has passed, and he didn't know what the future would bring.

Probably more problems.

Author's note

HEYAAAAAAA I'M BACK AND I'M SORRY FOR MY NEGLIGENCE!

To all the readers, I sincerely apologize for not updating for a whole year. I want to cry. I read people asking me when I would update, but inspiration doesn't easily come to anyone, right? *sigh* You guys can hate me all you want. I know I'm at fault, so I'm really sorry again.

The real thing is, I kinda got distracted by reading. Reading light novels and fanfiction took up most of my time.

And self-loathing.

Yes.

I'm losing all motivation, you see. I finally realized how insignificant everything was sooooo again, I'm really sorry about thinking like this. I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help it.

I may easily give up on a lot of things, but I'm trying my hardest to continue this. I don't wanna give this up. But doing so might take a lot of time due to my nature, so please bear with me.

Thank you very much for reading this! T-T