Confrontation

-13th September 3:01p.m.-

"Where is he?"

The person who asked this question was wearing something unusual to them. This female would've usually worn a nurse's outfit as her regular, everyday outfit for outings. But this time, she was wearing something different.

"Trying to find him is already a difficult task, but wearing this outfit really doesn't make it any easier..."

This lady was Ester. She was wearing very light clothing to combat the heavy heat during the summer. She had her bra underneath a V-collar white T-Shirt, with black leggings and short pants that reached up to her thighs.

She chose this type of clothing because she wanted to impress a certain someone, and to at least make herself seem presentable. She was not some doll that wore the same nursing outfit outside. She also realized that fighting in the nurses' outfit made movement difficult for her because it was practically a one piece outfit with the skirt restricting her movements around her thighs. Her outfit was also inspired by a certain pair of twins because of how much they got 'pampered' by that certain someone.

However, the shirt was so tight that she had to occasionally pull the shirt at her sides away from her sticky body. She did not shower when she went back to the hospital so she had a bit of an odor around her, but it was not as obvious as the odor of boys. But if someone were to be beside her, they would be able to smell it.

"(I have to find and question him about this. Why does he know magic?)" Ester was making her way to the festival area where all the stalls and minigames were. She had a belt around her waist, and attached to the right of the belt, was a plastic casing which contained all her talismans that she made last week when Accelerator went to the ship. And on the other side was a kitchen knife that was kept in a leather sheath.

Though she had no money on her, she had received a bit of an allowance from the doctor last week and she spent it all on her shopping. With the paper at the hospital, and a bit of penmanship, she managed to create a few new spells in her arsenal.

When she finally reached the area of festivities, as expected, it was packed with people. So more often than not, she would get a few bumps left and right. All she had to do was look up and search for the spiky blue hair in the crowd. Probably the only boy in the school who dyed his hair blue.

She walked all over the area but could not find him anywhere. In the first place, her class were not needed anywhere near the stadium during this time as this timeslot was for the middle schoolers event. So it was their free time during this period for the next hour or so.

"(Could he possibly be in the city right now?)" By that, she meant whether he had gone out of the vicinity. She bit the tip of her thumb in frustration. It was really killing her right now.

Why did he want her dead? Even after being so nice to him? Was it something that she had said before that triggered him? These questions ran through her mind as she made her way out of the place and into the main city area with adults making their way around the city.

Now that she was out of there, she had to locate him in Academy City with over twenty districts to choose from. She clicked her tongue as she placed her right index finger at her forehead and started massaging the area around it.

As she was thinking, she did not notice someone approaching her from behind. When she opened her eyes, she saw a shadow in front of her that was right beside hers. On instinct, she pulled out the knife in her leather sheath the opposite way with the tip of the blade just directly below her hand, and turned around.

However, her left hand was stopped in place, and a strong grip almost crushed her hand.

"Hey hey! Calm down there! You're one of his partners, right?"

When Ester turned her head and got a better look at this person, her eyes widened with surprise.

"If I recall correctly you're Tatemiya Saiji, right?"

"Ah, yes! So you do remember me!"

"Of course, I helped you before but you decided to knock me out."

That created a very awkward situation for Tatemiya because they were supposed to be way past that already.

"U-Uh right...B-But right now, we're helping the boy right now."

"Sorry, but there are quite a lot of boys in Academy City. May I please have his name?"

"Uhhh..."

Tatemiya scratched his head at that question because of one reason.

Accelerator never told him his name.

"Uh you know, your stick-partner with the white hair."

Ester tilted her head to the side as she tried to figure out who that 'stick' friend was.

"Y-You know...the boy who was with you during the night that you guys decided to attack us!"

"Oh! You were referring to Accelerator?"

"Who?"

"Huh? Am I wrong?"

Now they both had their heads tilted to the side.

Suddenly, a girl went behind him. She was wearing a pink sleeveless tank top with a single flower on a line across as a pattern, with normal looking jeans. She also had a two meter long wooden pole over her shoulder.

"Tatemiya...I think she meant to say Accelerator is his name or his alias."

"Ah! Itsuwa, you were listening?"

"Yes, since it seems like you were having difficulty trying to understand her."

"Ah...thank you." Tatemiya nodded his head as he scratches his head, trying to figure out why he would call himself Accelerator. Then, he turns to Ester to continue their conversation.

"Anyway, your partner, Accelerator, requested for our help."

"Requested? That's the first time I've heard him look for help. Are you sure he asked you guys for help?"

With sweat dripping from his temple, he nodded his head awkwardly.

"Yes, he did request for our help!"

"Hm...? That's very strange of him."

"A-Anyway...I can assume that you're doing the same? We're both looking for the same culprit here, yes?"

Ester looked at him and frowned.

"A blue-haired boy, right?"

At that instant, Tatemiya tilted his head yet again.

"Did you misidentify the culprit?" Tatemiya asked.

"Huh? But it was him that handed me the drink. And on that bottle was a paper that had colored words that spelled out 'wind'."

"...Could we be dealing with two people working together here?"

"Possibly..."

"Then, all the better I guess. Itsuwa, relay the information to identify any blue-haired boy and pinpoint the locations of any blonde women."

"Yes sir!" Itsuwa quickly ran over to her group of four to five people and relayed the following information to them. They soon split up in four different directions. Ester could guess that they were going to their other members situated in Academy City. Now, that she thought about it...

"How many members of the Amakusa Church did you bring in to Academy City?"

"Hm...there's forty of us out here, including me of course. The rest of them should be back at one of our bases taking care of Orsola."

"Oh...that's quite a lot of people...wait a minute..."

Then, she realized something.

"By out here...you don't mean you guys are staying in Academy City?"

"Gugh?! Please don't tell Accelerator this. Actually, our leader is back with us!"

"Leader? Aren't you supposed to be the leader?"

"Well, yeah, but now I'm honored to be an assistant leader now! Because our priestess is back with us thanks to him. We, the Amakusa Church, can't express how grateful we are to him. That's why, the least we can do is help him when he needs it." Tatemiya looked up at the sky as he smiled.

"(Just how many people has he helped?)"

--------------------------------

"Achoo!"

Accelerator had managed to escape the hospital after wriggling his hands free from the restraints. While it is a precaution that nurses must take in order to hold down their patients, they are not supposed to tie a dead knot for the patient because it could slow down the flow of blood in their arms and possibly hurt them.

"(Did the doctor decrease the temperature in the hospital?)"

Accelerator limped out of the hospital with his ever heavy cane and placed his left hand over his eyes to block the sunlight from going into his eyes. He didn't know where to look for Oriana Thomson and he did not know what she was thinking about right now.

He tried to think of a place where tourists would go, and the first thing that came to mind was the Daihasei Festival and District 6. But it could not be so simple.

"(What is her reasoning for coming to Academy City. The painting that she had in her hands could not simply be a painting. It must have been something else. Could she be bringing this to someone in Academy City? Rrrrghh...this is annoying...)"

Accelerator slammed his cane on the floor after every each step as he thought about the reasons she could be here. If he knew her objective, he could probably guess where she was going.

"(If she was delivering this to someone, she could be going to District 11 to do business with someone. But at the same time, she's a magician. If she was going to deliver that discretely, she wouldn't go there. She would probably go to a quiet place like District 10. But...)"

The more he thought about it, the more difficult it got for him.

"(Wait a minute, if she was going to deliver it, she should've just ran away and avoided the stadium. But she still went in, even though there was no reason for her to. She's just moving around. Was she trying to lose me? Could it possibly be that...)"

With that final thought, Accelerator's straight-slit mouth curved into a smile.

----------------------------------------------

Oriana Thomson walked through the bustling crowds like a normal everyday person would, however, everyone around her was ogling at her. And she knew it. However, as she was walking, she couldn't enjoy the peace of the crowd because of the person walking beside her.

"And so what do you do on your free time?"

"I paint." She replied to her follower.

This blue-haired fellow caused so much trouble for others, yet he can still enjoy himself with the beauty that is Oriana Thomson.

Oriana still had the painting in her right hand.

"So, beautiful, may I know what's your name now?"

"I'm sorry, but I only give my name to guys who really try their hardest to chase me."

"Ah...I see. so you're those 'play hard to get' type of girls. I see then, no problem! What would you like me to do for you?"

"Hmmm, let's see..."

As Oriana looked at her surroundings to see where she could abandon him to, she noticed the large broadcasting television at the side of a mall.

Apparently, a disaster had occurred during one of the events.

A woman holding a mic stood in the center of the screen as she reported:"Two boys from Habatobi High went a bit too fast in the event called the 'Three-legged race'. Apparently, they had veered off the course because of a small slope by the side, and went flying into the crowds. Unfortunately, a six year old girl happened to be standing at the point of impact, and could possibly be suffering from internal head injuries. Habatobi High answers to the press."

The footage that they filmed live, showed paramedics lifting a small girl on a stretcher into the ambulance.

Oriana Thomson looked at the ground as she continued walking and whispered as quietly as she could while gripping the painting in her hand as hard as she could.

"It's okay, little girl. Your suffering will soon come to an end."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Aogami went beside her face as he asked that.

"O-Oh, it's nothing. Can you fetch me a drink? I'm quite thirsty right now." She leaned against the wall as she talked to him, while making sure that she could still see the live broadcast.

In order to increase the chances of him leaving her alone, she fanned herself with her left hand and then placed it on top of her massive breasts, with her fingers touching her throat. This sent Aogami going crazy and he answered immediately.

"Al-Alright! What drink can I get for you?!"

"Hmm, maybe a bottle of water?"

"Sure sure! I'll be back immediately! Just wait here, okay?"

"Okay~~, take your time!"

Without even listening to her, he bolted away, leaving nothing but dust behind.

"Heh, how desperate."

Oriana had to move quickly. While she wanted to get away as far as possible from District 7, since things were starting to get wild, she did not want to lead Aogami too far away from the stadium, because he might still have events that he has to participate in. Boys would do anything for a woman they love.

Right now, she was probably three or four kilometers away from the festival area. She needed a break, as her heart still had not calmed down ever since she interacted with Ester. That high speed chase had her tired out.

She covered her eyes with her left hand as she thought,"(Why must people suffer...?)"

But it's because of this thought, that she decided to keep moving.

She stopped leaning against the wall and continued moving forward to the train station. From there, she planned to take a train ride to the different districts.

"(The plan must succeed. It's the only way to make everyone happy...)"

Then, she bit a flashcard from a metal ring and tore it off the ring. Then, words appeared in front of her eyes like a user interface.

And she whispered under her breath, "Lidvia, my trap..."

After pausing for two seconds, words from Lidvia came back to her.

"I don't know what you were thinking by giving that boy the task to deliver an item that had your shorthand on it."

"..."

She kept quiet as Lidvia berated her.

Of course it was stupid of her to try that method, but she wanted to give that boy an opportunity to interact with a girl while still achieving what she wants. That is why she told the boy not to reveal her identity as much as possible.

But...

She unintentionally slammed the underside of her fist against the wall as she gritted her teeth hard. Lidvia could sense her frustration, so she comforted her.

"Make sure you don't make that same mistake again. We still have a lot of time to go."

"Understood..."

She was going to make her way around Academy City by a bus. There was still a bit of time left before the plan commences. But it was close.

"(3 hours more...)"

She was walking along an open pathway that didn't have any cameras. But that exposed her to the public, who were all eyeing her down as the buttons on her shirt looked like they were going to pop out and reveal her assets.

----13th September 3:23p.m.----

"I swear, I don't know who she is!"

The person shouting in distress was Aogami who had been caught by one group of the Amakusa members. Though the Amakusa members didn't dress like thugs, they still had 'wooden poles' and 'kendo sticks' pointed at him. Their outfits were pretty plain looking and had a bit of a hawaii feel to it. Their sleeveless shirts with simple patterns and short pants, made them appear like tourists.

"Are you sure you don't know who she is?" One of them asks.

They had set up a barrier around themselves before confronting Aogami.

"I-It's true! Is she a runaway criminal or something?"

The two guys who were in charge of interrogating him looked at each other for a brief second then looked back at him.

"Yes she is. She has a criminal offence of attempted murder."

"W-Wha--!?" Aogami was in disbelief as his jaw hung open. The rest of the members were watching while one of them called for Tatemiya using her cellphone.

"I-I swear I didn't know she was a criminal! She just told me that she's a painter!"

"Then where is she now?"

"She should be over there! Just a few hundred meters!" Aogami points to his left side and they turned to see an open park with countless of people walking around.

----13th September 3:30p.m.-----

"Hmmm...doesn't seem like he's lying."

Tatemiya concludes as he wraps his chin with his index finger.

"Let him go then."

The two guys who had pointed their weapons at him earlier lifted him up and guided him out of the area, but not from where he came from, but where they came from which was the opposite direction, further away from the arena he was supposed to gather at.

"N-Nooooo!!!" Aogami's screams faded away, as they carried him out.

"Heard that, young lady?" Tatemiya called out to Ester who was hiding in a dark corner, just to listen to his interrogation. Ester did not want any bad blood between Aogami and herself, so she had to hide herself.

"We patted him down and seems like he wasn't carrying any magic items." Tatemiya added on.

"So that means she's alone..."

Then she pulls out her own cellphone.

"I'm going to give Accelerator a call to tell him about this."

"Oh, don't bother. I had my guys to relay that information to him."

"..." Ester kept quiet as she thought about something else. And she frowned.

"(Are they stalking him?)"

"Anyway, let's hurry. He said she went that way. So we have to hurry. Who knows if she's still waiting for him."

Ester nodded her head and they hastily moved to the next area.

Then Tatemiya looked at his phone and reported to them," Seems like my guys caught sight of her nearby. Right now, they're tailing her."

Then he receives another ping from his phone.

"Also...this one we can ignore." He added as he kept his phone back into his pocket.

"Hm? What was it about?" Ester asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." Tatemiya calmly replied her as they kept running.

The pinging from his phone became very consistent after every ten steps they took.

"They caught her entering a bus! Quickly, where's the nearest bus stop?"

"I...I'm not sure, I barely know Academy City..."

Tatemiya clicked his tongue and they stopped momentarily.

"I'll have them share their location. For now, we'll just have to wait."

"I'm sorry." Ester suddenly apologized to them and they didn't know what for.

"There's no need to. We chose to come here unprepared." Tatemiya clenched his left hand tightly as he said that. There was no helping it. The only map that tourists would get are the pamphlets that they handed out. But that was useless as well as it only showed the tourists the way to the different stadiums and events in the Daihaseisai.

There was an awkward silence that lingered in the air for a few seconds, but after another ping, Tatemiya spoke up again.

"That way! Around the corner and straight ahead!"

They continued running through the crowds, pushing their way through, though they did apologize to some of them.

Once they saw the bus stop, they ran for it like their lives depended on it. When they got there, Tatemiya immediately checked the route of the bus.

"Seems like...it's a pretty short stop."

"Huh?"

Ester went over to check it out as well and she was stunned by it only being five stops only. Seems like the bus route would lead to an interchange at District 5.

"Isn't there a faster way to get there?"

Suddenly, as if on cue, Accelerator showed up. But not in the way that she expected him to.

A rumbling noise came from behind them, and on the asphalt road. Then, a green motorbike stopped next to the group. The rider wasn't wearing anything fancy, if anything, he was wearing a grey and white striped shirt with jeans, and of course, he had his black helmet on with the visors down. He tilted the bike to the left and supported it with his left leg.

"Where is she?" Accelerator asked as the group gawked at him. He had his cane around his right forearm, which made look like the motorbike had a machine gun at the front.

"The bus that she took left already." Tatemiya points to the direction that the bus went using his thumb.

Accelerator looked forward, and then he nodded his head.

"Bring her back. I don't want anyone holding me back."

The first one to speak out was Ester.

"B-But I can do it! I'm much prepared now! Look!" Ester was anxiously shouting as she pulled out her talismans.

Accelerator just looked annoyed as he prepared to roll out. He placed his left foot on the foot peg and tilted his body downwards.

"Now, don't you think that's a bit rude, Accelerator?" Tatemiya placed his hand in front of Accelerator's visor as he questions him.

Accelerator didn't care as he pushed Tatemiya's hand away and started revving up his engine.

"Don't get in my way unless you would like to be my enemy as well." Though it was barely visible, his red eyes felt like they had pierced through the visors and met Tatemiya's eyes.

With that, he drives after the bus as his engines roars across the whole area. They all stared at the back of his motorbike while Ester grips onto her talismans tightly.

Everyone could tell that Ester was mad. Her white cheeks were reddened like an apple. Itsuwa went beside her and stroked her back without saying a word. Right now, the only words she wanted to hear was from Accelerator himself. But he would never say it.

Did he really need her like what Yumi said?

She wanted to find out the answer. But he was always out of her reach.

-------------------------------------------

"(I can still make it. At my speed, the bus shouldn't be too far away.)"

After riding for more than two minutes, the shape of the rectangular bus could be seen.

"(There you are.)"

He rode right up to the side of the bus and took a quick glance inside to see whether there were any other passengers inside. Fortunately, there wasn't any. He released his grip on the left side of the bike and turned on his battery.

Right after turning it on, he used his left leg and gave the side of the bus a good light tap. The moment his AIM diffusion field came into contact with the automated bus, the bus spun around like a beyblade and was knocked down to the ground. Accelerator drifted the bike into a halt as he watched the fallen bus.

The automated door to the bus was blocked by the asphalt road and Accelerator took his helmet off, and tossed it aside.

Without hesitation, he revved up the engine once more and with his right hand, he created a bit of electricity. Using that electricity, he slowly burnt the oil in his fuel tank and when smoke was coming out, he drove the motorbike full speed straight into the bus.

But before the motorbike could connect with the bus, Accelerator jumped off the bike as if he were in an action movie.

In an instant, both vehicles exploded and went up in flames. The satisfying sound of the fire as if it was crisping filled the air, and Accelerator smiled.

"How unfortunate, I really liked her. Well, whatever."

As he turned his back to the flames, a sudden 'Tsssss' sound could be heard, like someone pouring water over burning charcoal. At the sound of that, Accelerator clicked his tongue.

"My, this nee-chan also really like wild and youthful boys like you, but reckless driving can get you in trouble you know?" A flashcard was stuck in between her lips as she talked with the corner of her mouth.

"But look at what you did. Because of that, this nee-chan is so wet~ Even my panties are soaked now." Oriana teased him as she pulled down her zippers to reveal a wet soaking pink panty.

Accelerator felt like his efforts to kill her were being mocked, but then he smiled yet again.

Right now, killing her was a challenge.

She stepped out of the wreckage with her clothes slightly darkened due to the explosion.

"My, you're a really persistent one. If you want Nee-chan's attention that badly, you can have it!"

She bit down on another flashcard and tore it out of the metal ring with all her other flashcards. At that instant, Accelerator prepared his right forearm in anticipation of a battle. But it didn't come.

"Oh? Were you expecting Nee-chan to use a spell on you? This Nee-chan only set up a barrier around us, so no one will be interrupting us."

Accelerator raised one eyebrow as he dropped his forearm. He looked around him and saw the multiple tall buildings around them.

"No one will even feel odd about not coming here."

Accelerator smile widened up even more.

"Well, that's great! Guess I can go all out." He threw his cane to the side as he prepared to lunge at her.

Accelerator stomped his foot on the ground, and the whole floor cracked open. Oriana's footing was off. And Accelerator could see it as well.

There were about twenty meters apart, and with one burst forward, Accelerator covered nearly half the distance in a second.

However...

Oriana saw through his tricks. She knew what he was capable of, and knew he wouldn't be fooled that easily. Without even caring about her footing anymore, she bit on her flashcard and tore it out. Just as Accelerator was about two arm's reach away from her with his right hand ready to smash into her face, an ice wall formed in front of him.

In that instant, he used let his right hand smash down onto the fifty centimeters thick, three meters high wall. When he smashed it open, Oriana was next to the spot that she was just standing at and from the corner of his eyes, she prepared her right leg to kick his face.

Accelerator didn't even blink because he knew what would happen to her. And he grinned at her. When Oriana saw his grin, she didn't know what was going on in his mind.

He was about to get hit.

Was what she thought.

But the opposite came instead.

And it came in the form of her own leg. Her leg which she used to kick him bent back and she instinctively jumped with her left leg to ease the impact. She flew back spinning like a ballerina and she landed on her knees.

She wasn't smiling anymore.

"What kind of spell is that? A reflection spell?"

"Reflection huh? Guess you're close enough."

Accelerator didn't want to give her too much space, so he pressed on. He knew he could beat her in close combat.

Oriana clicked her tongue as she bit on another flashcard and pulled it out. Right then, fire surrounded Accelerator like a 'C' shape as his right fist was about to smash into Oriana's face. But he stretched his left hand out at the same time, and he dispelled it.

"(He destroyed it?!)" Oriana thought, but she predicted it as well. So she had one more flashcard torn out right after tearing the latter out.

In front of Accelerator was an ice blade, but he grabbed the tip of the sword with his left hand and crushed it. Then with his already lifted right hand up, he forcefully smashed it square into her face.

A loud thud was audible in their vicinity. Yet, it still didn't catch anyone's attention. Of course, he punched her with everything he could give her, while still redirecting the opposing forces of momentum back at her so that he didn't have to feel the pain of punching her.

Right after he punched her, he stopped dead in his tracks as she flew back about twenty meters. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold as he stood before her. He punched her to the point the buttons connecting the two sides of her shirt burst open, revealing the assets she wanted to hide.

"Right, time to finish this." Accelerator mumbled as he slowly approached her, thinking that she was knocked out. And she was. Only barely being able to open her eyes.

"(What is up with this guy's punches?! They're the hardest punches I have ever felt!)" Oriana thought as she laid on the ground, not caring that her breasts were visible to him.

With all the strength in her forearm, she lifted up her flashcards yet again, but Accelerator took them out of her hands.

"Give it up, you've lost."

With the flashcards in his possession, he tore the ring that was attached to the flashcards with his right hand and held them in his left hand. He expected to hear the sound of glass shattering, but nothing came of it, but he paid it no heed.

"(I want to win...)" That was all Oriana could think about as she weakly got up from the ground.

Accelerator released all her flashcards onto the ground as if he was sprinkling salt onto the ground.

"(I want to win...!)"

With that final declaration in her head, she decided to say it.

"My name is Basis104 - The one who carries the foundation!! With my name declared, I won't lose!"

Accelerator could have shut her up then and there, but he didn't. He chose to see it to the end.

He moved back ten meters away as she continued casting her spell.

The pieces of paper scattered around like snow.

In a horizontal manner, cursive words appeared on these pieces of paper like blades appearing on snow.

In pitch black, the words read "All of Symbol".

"Using all of my talents..."

The avalanche of paper created a pure white explosion. The flash distorted itself like melted candy, grafting onto Oriana's right arm.

The explosive flash that stopped there looked like it was trying to resist getting pulled by

Oriana, like stretched-out chewing gum.

Oriana pulled her right arm back.

"...Release all the souls and destroy the enemy ahead!!"

After that, she strongly swung her arm down like she was pitching, and a strong white-colored explosion occurred in front of him.

That white-colored light didn't have a definite shape as it kept changing its shape. But its size still remained the same. The air that touched the light was being trapped inside along with other things as well. The real identity of that white light was a suction force, and it was pulling many things in.

Accelerator being one of them.

He let her cast her spell not because he wanted to see what she was capable of, but to show her true despair.

The despair of being powerless.

That is what the dark side taught him.

To break others like how he was broken.

He went along with the suction force, and jumped up with his left hand at the ready and he pressed it down onto the white light.

The light broke apart upon contact and inside, were rocks ready to explode out of the white light.

But he was not worried.

The rocks imploded around Accelerator's body like a tornado, but he redirected them back at Oriana.

"Taste my pain."

She closed her eyes shut as she anticipated the end of her unfulfilling life.

However...

The rocks went around Oriana's body, intricately cutting bits of her skin off, but not enough to kill her.

"Now you've really lost. Whether you declare another name or not doesn't matter. Now explain what your purpose is for coming to Academy City." Accelerator placed his right hand on her forehead and she realized something.

"(His reflection's down?!)"

She swung her right arm at his left forearm, hoping that she could get the upper hand in a close combat match. But to her dismay, it only ended up hurting her even more. Her arm bent back, and it almost sounded like her bones cracked in the process.

She didn't scream. It wasn't because she didn't want to.

But she couldn't. Her right arm dropped lifelessly to the floor and she just looked at it. Her beauty was gone in an instant.

"How ugly." Accelerator commented.

"Now, tell me what your purpose is for coming to Academy City. Depending on your answer, I might choose to keep you alive or kill you."

However, she refused to speak.

Accelerator tightened the grip on her forehead even more.

"I know you're trying to buy time for yourself. There's no point in hiding it. You go to the places where you don't even need to go, and you keep walking back and forth. I know that you have no destination in mind."

"I..." She paused for a beat as she tries to think of a strategy out of the situation that she was in.

And then she remembered something he said earlier.

Fifteen minutes.

That was the magic number.

"Before Nee-chan can speak...Nee-chan needs a new set of clothes. This atmosphere is making me feel so cold."

"Sorry, but you're the culprit, and I'm the interrogator here. There is only a bad cop here."

"Oh, so we're role playing now? Nee-chan is good at roleplaying! Oh Mr police, I didn't mean to do it~" Oriana teased him as she squeezed the sides of her breast together.

However, Accelerator didn't care.

"Get real here."

"Sorry, but I feel so cold. Unless you want to accompany Nee-chan in bed, I suggest you get me a new set of clothes or else I won't tell you anything."

Accelerator clicked his tongue as he looked around. No shops were open around them. The shop owners probably went to set up a booth at the Daihasei Festival.

"I have a better idea."

"?" Oriana was confused by what he meant.

A better idea?

What was that idea?

He grabbed his cane with his left hand and lifted her up by the neck. From his back, came a set of wings made by winding up the air behind him.

Oriana was stunned by what she saw. She couldn't tell if it was magic or not.

"How did you do that?"

There were different types of magicians in the magic world. Some magicians relied on certain items to harness their power. Some of them rely on their chants to cast magic. And for her, it was a mix of both. Her ability Shorthand, allows her to replicate the power of the grimoires, but as the grimoire gives out knowledge, hers is to simply cast and self destruct itself.

Where was Accelerator's power coming from?

Accelerator took her on a flight. As her bare body hung from his hand, she tried to struggle free, but she couldn't even move his hand. If anyone looked up from District 7, District 22 and District 18 looked up, they would see a half naked girl flying across them.

But even though the winds were brushing past them at high speeds, Oriana couldn't feel cold.

Why was that so?

After two minutes of flying around, Accelerator finally reached his destination.

The whole place was desolate. Not a single soul was in sight.

"O-Oh my...what are we doing here?"

The whole area looked as it had suffered an earthquake with the asphalt road having multiple big cracks on the floor, unfit for driving. The buildings by the side were about the size of a hostel, and they were littered with graffiti on them.

Accelerator brought her into a small 10 meters wide, dark alleyway, and set her down there.

"Welcome to my home." He said as he stretched his arms out and breathed in the dirty air around them.

"This looks so sad." Oriana inspected the place as she rested on her knees.

"Of course! This was where I had my childhood. But..."

With a big smile on his face, he looks down at her.

"This place has been long abandoned. Only people we call Skill-Outs, or what you guys would call, 'thugs' live here. Poor people live here as well, but it's whatever."

The walls were grimy and filled with moss, it was like an abandoned hometown.

Accelerator lifted her body up and slammed against the wall. First, he had to set his cane down against the wall beside her, then he grabbed a nearby 10 meter long water pipe which was connected with one of the many buildings in the area, broke it in half, and wrapped it around her thighs.

"W-What are you doing?" Oriana frantically asked.

Then he took the other half and wrapped it beneath her exposed assets.

He stuck both ends of both pipes to the wall to secure her against the wall.

With that out of the way, he could finally turn his battery back to 'normal'. But he also couldn't reveal his weakness that easily, so he gave her a bullshit reason.

"I'm going to call someone. Don't be too lonely. Heh."

Accelerator went out of the alleyway with his cane by his side and turned his battery back to 'normal' mode. And once he did, he waited outside the alleyway for 3 minutes.

"(Now, the only thing is... How do I make her talk? Sexually harassing her would probably arouse her. Even though she is from a church, I highly doubt she cares about her values. Guess I'll do it the old fashion way.)"

Just as he had thought of an idea to make her talk, he suddenly heard screaming in the alleyway.

"Please, go away!" That was Oriana's voice that echoed through the alleyway. He hadn't turned the corner to look yet, but he could roughly guess what had happened.

"Oh, come on! We barely have anyone that comes here to entertain us! You're a very good catch."

Accelerator could hear multiple laughter coming from the alleyway, and when he finally decided to take a look, he could see three guys wearing ragged clothes standing around her. Their hairs were messy and didn't really have a particular style. They were also very frail looking, as if they didn't have anything to eat for the past few days.

They were probably still in District 10 as they didn't have anything to do at the Daihasei Festival, and definitely no money to purchase anything. None of them noticed the white figure standing at the entrance.

"(Heh, that's quite convenient.)"

It didn't matter to him about whatever happens to her. All it mattered were the results. If it worked, he wouldn't complain.

"Oriana. Are you ready to talk?" Accelerator asked as he stepped into the shadows.

"Huh? Who are you?" One of them asks.

If Accelerator was some buff dude who decided to confront them, they would've no doubt ran for it. But Accelerator was just as lithe as they were. And they had the man advantage as well, so they weren't scared.

"I'm no one..." Accelerator replies with his left hand up and head down.

"...but, that woman over there happens to be my client. Well, she will be, depending on her answer."

Then, he looks past them and into Oriana's pleading eyes.

"If I help you, you will give me the necessary information, am I wrong?" His grin still ever wide.

"Yes, yes I will! So please lay them off me for now!"

"Well said."

Then, Accelerator faces the group of three again.

"So, you heard the lady. I need to speak to her first. If she fulfils her part of the deal, you guys must leave her alone. But if she doesn't, she's allllll yours."

The three of them looked at each other with a brief silence in the air.

And then they laughed.

"Why should we listen to you?!"

"Yeah!? Why should we?!"

"We can beat you up right here and now if we wanted to, and bring her back with us!"

Accelerator stood there quietly with his head down. At that point, his slightly overgrown hair, covered a tinge of his facial features, which included his eyes. He dropped his left arm, as their hyena-like laughter filled the whole alley.

Then, he slowly looked up, and once their eye level met, the maniac in him rose up once again.

"Gyahahahahha!!! You think you can beat me?! You're free to try!"

While they were focused on his expression, he quickly pressed the button at the side of his neck. In that instant, the wind surrounding him started to circulate around him like a tornado. And the three guys were slowly getting pulled in.

The three of them fell back as they cowered in fear, at the sheer sight of his power. Before he could lay his hands on anyone of them, Oriana shouted at him.

"Don't hurt them!"

At that moment, everyone and everything froze and the three of them looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Guys, please let me have a word with him." Oriana pleaded them with her ever calming yet boner-inducing eyes.

The three of them paused for a moment and looked at each other as they nodded their heads in unison. Accelerator just felt puzzled as he looked at her.

He turned his battery back to 'normal' and the three guys walked past him, cautious of the fact that he might leap out and attack them at any given time.

Once they were gone, Accelerator leaned against the wall opposite to her.

"So, what are you doing here for?"

"To deliver an item..."

Accelerator was about to ask what item she was referring to, but she continued speaking.

"...is what I was supposed to say."

"?"

"Truth is, my objective was like what you said. Stalling for time."

Then, she kept quiet, and from her facial features, it was like she was hesitant to talk.

"Go on."

But she didn't.

"You know what? This Nee-chan has said too much. I would rather receive my punishment from those three guys."

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Accelerator stopped leaning against the wall and approached her.

"This is as much information as you will get. My, I can't believe how incompetent the Anglican Church has become! To not even know the mission that they were assigned. Haaaaa"

Oriana let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"(Anglican Church? Those bastards are in it as well?)"

The first thing that came to Accelerator's mind when she said that, was the man called 'Stiyl'. That smoke addict who has a bad attitude.

"Just bring those boys in, and let Nee-chan have her fun. Nee-chan will wring them out dry~"

Accelerator clicked his tongue as he looked at the entrance where they were just waiting by the side.

Accelerator did not listen to her as he stepped forward and gave her a punch to her face. There wasn't even a thud sound. That was how weak his punch was, and Oriana could tell that it had little to no power in it.

"Heh, that was a punch? Nee-chan is disappointed. I thought you were a very strong boy. What happened to all your strength?"

Accelerator thought of other methods that he could use to make her speak, but none came up in his mind.

"(How do I break her...I don't know...)"

He thought of the events that had happened so far, but none stuck out to him. Except...

"Come on, bring those boys in!" Oriana still encouraged Accelerator to continue his punishment, and Accelerator gladly heeded her command.

"Sure! Boys, please come in!" He had a demonic moon-slit on his mouth as the three boys reappeared at the bright entrance of the alleyway.

Before Oriana could speak, Accelerator instructed them to do something first.

"Stand in a line in front of me." Accelerator stood beside Oriana Thomson as he said that, and they excitedly and hurriedly did as they were told, hoping that they were about to get a taste of her.

Oriana teased them by licking her lips as she looked at them. But they were about to receive another treatment.

"Now, for the main dish! A dish served in a form of a beating!"

They all kept quiet as the expressions of their face turned into a slow realization of what he meant.

"Heh, this will leave a bad taste on me, so don't take it too personal."

He discretely turned his battery on, and stepped forward. Oriana didn't think he would do it.

But he did.

With his right hand, he pressed his finger up on to the middle guy's chest, pushing him into the wall, to create the perfect carving. Next, he turned his attention to the guy on the right, he slammed his fist hard onto the guy's face, practically removing any sort of facial features that guy had.

"Stop! Please!" Oriana pleaded again, but he didn't stop. Since both of her arms weren't restricted, she tried to grab on to Accelerator, but she couldn't.

He was out of her reach.

She couldn't stop the violence that was happening in front of her.

Accelerator then turned to the last guy. The last guy already started running for it, but he manipulated the vectors under his feet, and in a split second, Accelerator was in front of him.

"Boo."

Accelerator used his right leg and kicked him in the knee joint, disabling him from moving any further, and flicked him back to where his friends were.

The guy rolled all over to them, and his face landed in front of Oriana's feet.

He quickly grabbed onto her legs and looked her in the eyes, ignoring the fact that her breasts were exposed.

"Please! Help us! We don't want to die! Tell him whatever he wants to know and free us!"

Then, the white monster's voice could be heard again.

"You heard what he said! Do you want to cooperate with me?"

In a flash, Accelerator appeared in front of Oriana and pulled the guy's ragged clothes and tossed him back to the wall.

Oriana couldn't hold in her anger anymore and raised her right fist high, attempting to punch him, but he redirected her hand back to the wall, damaging her hand even more.

"Attempted assault...I'll take that as a 'no'! Gyahahahahahaha!!!"

"EEEEKK!! PLEASE SPARE US!"

"Sorry, but the lady said 'no'" Accelerator didn't even let his smile rest.

Screams were audible in the whole alleyway. Those people in the district dared not find out what that noise was about because it was a rural area. Anything could happen, and murder is a common thing.

Accelerator spent his time, unleashing blow after blow to their bodies, but he made sure to keep them alive and conscious. He made sure to hit them in the midriff. The punch to the face was just an eye opener for what's coming.

Occasionally, he would even pull out a teeth from them.

"Yes! Yes! Keep screaming, GYAHAHAHAH!!! This is amazing, isn't it Oriana?" Accelerator didn't turn to talk to her. He just kept focusing his efforts on providing a show for her. A show which she will never enjoy.

"Stop it already...Please...I'll tell you everything!"

The desperation in her voice was evident. And the pain inside her only grew more.

It was happening again.

Her past was creeping up to her.

Her fears were catching up to her.

"I...don't want to see anyone getting hurt because of me again..." She said in a low voice, but since they were only five meters apart from each other, Accelerator could hear her clearly.

"Then what about that girl that you placed a spell on!?" He continued his relentless beatdown, as the thudding sound only grew even louder.

"I didn't mean to hurt her! I swear! I didn't know she was the one who was going to take it!"

"Then you meant to hurt the other one?!"

Accelerator's pounding only became louder, almost to the point of deafening. He was really giving it his all.

"I had to eliminate all other obstacles! It was the only way for the plan to go smoothly!"

"What is your plan!?"

In the heat of the moment, Oriana carelessly blurted out their plans.

"The Croce Di Pietro! We wanted to set up the Croce Di Pietro in an observatory outside Academy City!"

"What the hell is that?"

Accelerator then put his pounding to a complete halt and turned his battery back to 'normal' mode.

"It's...a cross that allows the Roman Catholic Church to take over any place in the world if we get the conditions right. In this case, on this date, at 6:30p.m. , the whole of Academy City will be taken over by the Roman Catholic Church..."

Oriana looked at the ground as she confesses her plans to Accelerator. This whole time, he had his back facing her, and when he heard that, he turned around, with the intent to kill in his eyes.

"My job was to stall the people of the Anglican Church until the time came. But it seems that I have failed..."

Accelerator didn't have a phone with him since he dropped it awhile back when Ester called him.

"Do you know which observatory your friend is headed to?"

Oriana only shook her head in response. Accelerator didn't have the map to the outside world, so he had a lot of things to do.

"Tch..." Accelerator clicked his tongue as he figures out his next move.

Will he have enough time?

Just as he was thinking, Oriana interrupted him.

"Boy, please...Nee-chan just wants to be happy..."

Accelerator couldn't believe what he had just heard. Happiness? How is giving control of a city to a religion happiness?

He turned to face her, and with all his weight placed into his right hand, he punched her in the face, and this time, a thud sound could be heard. He didn't even use his esper abilities to make that punch, so he felt the pain of punching her.

"Are you fucking ridiculous? For the sake of your happiness, you're willing to sacrifice others?"

He squeezed his right hand around her neck, gradually tightening it.

"No...when you've been through what I have been through, you would know it too. And you would wish for it too. You might think that I want power, but that's not it. I just want a world where everyone can be happy."

Upon hearing that, Accelerator gradually released his grip. Not because he wanted to sympathize with her, but because he wanted to hear her reason.

"What do you think a useful person is?"

"What are you getting at here?"

"I'm not trying to sound complicated here. All I'm asking is what do you think makes a person useful?"

Accelerator initially thought that Oriana was trying to tease him like she did. However, her voice seemed genuine, and she wasn't even smiling anymore.

"Like for example, if someone were to pick up an empty can on the ground, guide lost people who were standing in front of a subway map and work hard to deliver things that people really wanted to deliver to the destination. Aren't those considered helpful?"

Accelerator kept quiet as he listened to her. The guys that he had beaten down earlier took the opportunity to crawl away as quickly as possible like cockroaches.

"Heh..." Oriana let out a small pathetic laughter as she looked at the floor.

"What if that someone picked up an empty can that was on the road, and someone else who wanted to get some money and a home by cleaning the area would be troubled because there was nothing for him to do? What if that someone brought a child who she thought was lost, back home, only for the child to be abused by their family members? What if that someone delivered a cursed item to someone?"

Her eyes felt like they had seen and gone through a lot. Her heart felt heavy as the words struggled to come out of her mouth.

"What if... that someone helped an old lady up a bus that had a terrorist inside? Hahaha...so many helpful actions, just for it to harm others..."

Yet again, she let out a pathetic laugh.

"You seem to know a lot."

"Of course I would know it. I did all those."

It didn't surprise Accelerator to hear that. But he couldn't help but feel something weird about her. He couldn't explain it, but he felt weird.

No, his heart wasn't thumping because of love, he didn't have any affection for her.

He had seen this before.

"I tried my best to help others, only for it to betray me... countless of times..." Her voice became softer after each sentence.

"If I had known what my actions would have led to, I wouldn't have done it. And if I knew that my actions would lead to others' happiness, I would have willingly done it."

Then, Accelerator threw her a simple question.

"Do you think this would lead to others' happiness?"

Oriana smiled as she looked at him.

"Of course it would. The moment we capture Academy City, we can capture the Anglican Church, and then the Russian Orthodox Church. Once we've captured all opposing powers, everyone will have to follow our beliefs. Everyone will be happy because we will share many things in common. There won't be any cultural differences. And because there won't be any cultural differences, there would be no conflict."

Accelerator leaned against the wall next to her. He couldn't stand to look at her face.

Why so?

Maybe it just irritated him to look at her.

"This is the best method available. But please don't think that I hate Academy City. I have no qualms about being allies with Academy City, but because I was born on the magic side, I can't do it. I want the world to be happy."

He had heard it so many times already, but what was she willing to do for it? It's just like saying that you want better grades, and the way you're going to get it is by working hard.

But that leaves the question, how are you going to work hard?

"I don't care who it is. Even if it's the emperor, pope, minister, president or a king, no matter the title and position, I'll fight for the happiness of others. I don't even care if it's the magic or science side. I just want the person on top to decide on a rule. An absolute rule that won't hurt anyone anymore."

"Heh..." This time it was Accelerator who chuckled.

"You don't care if it's the magic side or the science side huh? Then how about this..."

Accelerator then stood back up in front of her with his cane in his right hand.

He stretched out his left hand in front of her, like he was offering a handshake.

"Pick a side right now. Will you choose to abandon your religion and follow me, or will you continue to rot in that pathetic church?"

"Pa-Pathetic?!"

"It's obvious that the church isn't doing you any good. You're practically a broken doll. But if you follow my lead, I'll give you that absolute rule."

Oriana gave him a suspicious look as she raised one eyebrow.

Even though his offer sounded intriguing, she still had her complaints about it.

"And what? You'll use me for the sake of the Anglican Church's benefits to cause havoc onto the Roman Catholic Church?"

Oriana saw what he did to those three guys. He wasn't that much of a civilized person.

However...

His answer shocked her.

"I'm not in any sort of church. Quite frankly, I'd rather die than to be affiliated with any of the churches."

"Wait, so you're one of the monsters Academy City creates?!"

Accelerator kept silent for a while.

"Heh, the only monster in Academy City is me."

Oriana didn't know how to respond to that, because she saw what he had done earlier. Without a doubt, he gave those guys a brutal beating when they didn't even try to lay a finger on him. And he was the only person who was persistent with catching her.

Not even the Anglicans could find her.

"So what is your option, Oriana?"

His red eyes glowed in the darkness, it was like he followed the ways of Sinisterism. Only consuming others for his own good.

"..."

Oriana thought hard again.

"Won't you use me for Academy City's benefit then?"

"Tch, you think I care about this rotten city?"

"?"

She was confused by what he meant.

Isn't this place his home?

Isn't this the place where he felt the most comfortable?

"Look around us."

They were surrounded by darkness. The only light that pierced that darkness was from the blue skies above, and the entrance to that alleyway.

"On the surface, Academy City doesn't look that terrifying. But if you dig deeper, you'll see the dark side of Academy City."

"..."

Oriana couldn't comment on what he had said. But she could guess that he was part of that dark side. And she didn't want anything to do with it.

"And if I say no?"

"You can't really say it now, can you? I know how corrupted the church is. The moment you go back, you'll be severely punished for failing. Worst case scenario, they'll jail you up because they will think that you're working as an informant. Think about it, you infiltrate the enemy's territory, failed the mission and go back unscathed. What do you think will go through their minds?"

Accelerator still had his left hand stretched out, waiting for her hand to shake his.

"Oh I know! Hey, this woman came back from Academy City without incurring so much as an injury. She must have been spared by the enemy! What did they order her to do in exchange for her freedom?"

"You're cruel."

"I'd rather not hear that from someone who hurt innocent lives."

"I can say the same to you."

The tension lingered in the air for a bit, but she finally gave in.

"*sigh* Fine, I'll follow you."

She threw her left hand out at his, but before she grabbed it, she hung it in the air, just a few centimeters away from his hand.

"I don't trust you. What if you were lying about all that, and just wanted to wring information out of me. And once you had no use for me, you'll kill me. I want some sort of insurance."

And she stared him straight into his eyes as her eyebrows burrowed closer to each other.

"I want to know your weakness."

That phrase didn't faze him one bit. If she wanted to know his weakness, he was more than happy to give it to her.

"My weakness huh?"

Accelerator thought about it for a second. He didn't want to tell her anything about his battery, but he also couldn't think of a good lie. He showed immense speed and strength. The only thing he hadn't shown was...

"...I'm not good at fighting close range. Though, I have the strength and speed, I don't have the technique. You satisfied now?" Accelerator told her what she needed to know already, and now he was waiting for her to accept his offer.

"Very."

And they both shook hands to settle their differences.

"Now, will you release Nee-chan? My legs and shoulders are aching."

"Sorry, but you'll have to bear with it for a while more. Try not to get eaten."

Accelerator slowly made his way to the entrance of the alleyway as Oriana shouted after him.

"W-What are you doing?! Didn't we settle on an alliance?!"

"Heh."

"S-Stop teasing Nee-chan! Come on, just release me!"

Without answering her, Accelerator quickly pressed the button beside his neck, and circulated the winds behind his back again. Then, he let the winds do it's work as he flew away from her.