"And Touma always, always, alllllways goes off somewhere and leaves me behind. Maybe it's what you call wanderlust. The next thing you know, he's always off on some new journey."
"…"
Accelerator used his modern cane to walk through the underground mall where it was difficult to distinguish between day and night. All of the students walking about seemed a bit rushed, but that was probably because the last train and bus were set to the city-wide curfew.
"I wonder why he does that. It's not that he doesn't like where he is, but there's nothing specific he likes about the places he goes to either. He just seems to wander around and around and around and around and around."
"…"
Accelerator still did not know who this "Touma" person was, but from what he had heard, he sounded like a horrible person. For some reason, it pissed him off each time he heard the name.
Index grabbed the calico cat that was wandering around the area and said, "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for someone."
"Is it that girl on your cell phone?"
"What's it to you?" replied Accelerator carelessly.
He had no real reason to hide it, but he had a feeling that brat would keep asking more and more and more questions. He knew this because he knew someone a lot like her.
Index merely looked confused while holding the cat.
"Hey, hey. Come to think of it, I never did anything to show my thanks."
"Just shut up and get lost, you damn brat. I get the feeling that having a pain-in-the-ass brat like you around will bring nothing but trouble."
"I never did anything to show my thanks."
"…"
She just ignored him.
Accelerator gave her an annoyed look, but Index ignored that too.
"I can help you look for that girl until I find Touma," she said with a smile.
She had no idea what kind of person she was speaking to.
"…God dammit," he cursed when he heard that perfectly innocent voice.
This was the day he first realized that dealing with the good will of others was exhausting.