In Academy City, ten at night was relatively late.
This was because the city's trains and busses stopped running after all of the students were supposed to have left school. In some places, stores would close at that time too, so it seemed that the only stores open were ones geared towards adults.
Because members of Anti-Skill who functioned as both teachers and the security forces were patrolling the city, students who weren't prepared to get scolded would stay in their dorms.
For that same reason, Academy City was full of delinquents at night so a normal student could easily get caught up in some small bit of trouble if he went walking around then.
In one of those streets, the sound of a cane tapping against the ground could be heard.
It was Accelerator.
(Ahhh… Dealing with that leftover work kept me out pretty late…)
He was not returning to Yomikawa Aiho's apartment.
He was registered as a first year at Nagatenjouki Academy, but he wasn't going to one of that academy's dorms either.
He was heading for a building that was referred to within Group as the "Nap Room".
It wasn't required for members of Group to sleep there. Apparently, Tsuchimikado Motoharu attended a normal high school and lived in a student dorm and Musujime Awaki was living as a freeloader with some nosy woman teacher. Unabara Mitsuki hadn't said anything about his living arrangements, but it seemed he had his own place. As long as they didn't do anything too noticeable in the open, they had some freedom as to their basic activities. At the very least, the higher ups hadn't complained about where the Group members were living.
Accelerator didn't care where the other members were or what they were doing, but he was sure they had to be thinking the same thing he was. Simply put, he would have no problem if the organization called Group was destroyed so long as it didn't damage him any.
(That would make this all easier.)
It was past the point where they could conspire together and change things for the better.
"…Tch. I guess I'll stop by a convenience store and buy some coffee…"
The can he was currently drinking was pretty much empty so he started walking in a different direction to go get a new one. He headed towards the convenience store on the first floor of a nearby building as if he was being attracted by the various fluorescent lights that made up the scenery of Academy City at night.
"Uhh…Uhhhhnnn…"
A voice that sounded like someone talking in their sleep came from next to him.
But there shouldn't have been anyone there. After all, there was only a red mailbox there. And that metal mailbox that made one question its usefulness in that age of email was clearly not a bed.
And yet…
"U-ugyahh…I don't feel so gooood…"
A strange drunk woman was clinging to the mailbox's support post like it was a dakimakura and rubbing her cheek against it.
She looked like she was a college student. She was wearing a simple shirt and slender black slacks, but they were probably some expensive brand. Also, a small handbag that couldn't have held anything more than a wallet had fallen to the ground a little bit away from her. Everything about her was screaming "Attack me, dumbass!". She seemed so "welcoming" in that way that it made you not want to try to help her.
Accelerator was about to ignore her and head into the convenience store, but..
(Hm? Her face looks familiar…?)
He suddenly stopped.
He looked closer at that drunk college student's face. He looked at her shoulder-length light brown hair and the well-proportioned lines of her face. Her eyes were closed so he couldn't tell, but he easily guessed that her eyes would be filled with excess energy. Her height and proportions were completely different, but oddly enough that girl still came to mind.
She obviously couldn't be part of Last Order's family.
Clone espers did not have families.
(…Who is she? Don't tell me this is just a coincidence…)
Accelerator couldn't help but be curious and he was staring at the woman's face from close by.
"Yaaawwn… Yes, yes. I'm Misaka Misuzu-saaan…"
Just when he saw her eyes suddenly open, the drunk grabbed onto him. She moved slowly, but Accelerator used a cane.
They both fell down onto the dirty road.
The woman was grabbing him around the waist, but she didn't seem to notice.
"My hobbies are number theory and studying. My special skill is swimming and my boobs are 91 cm… Oh, whoops. I'm married. C'mooon, don't touch me so familiarly, it's rude to papa."
As she spoke, she pushed Accelerator to the side and sat on the ground a bit away. For a second, he felt the urge to shoot her in the head, but…
"Huh…? Where's the Dangai University database center? Hey, white guuuy. Do you know?"
She was completely drunk.
She probably would have said the same thing to anyone, be it the chairman of the board of directors or the President of the United States.
(Th-this is so fucking stupid that I'd be an idiot to pay her any heed. I just need to go and buy my coffee. Fuck dealing with that woman.)
Accelerator stood up while supporting his weight on his cane and wiped the dirt of off his pants with one hand. He then sighed and started to leave.
"Heeey, don't be like that. Don't ignore me, white guuuy…"
The drunk grabbed on to his ankles.
Accelerator fell again with a yell.
The strange drunk climbed on top of him and spoke.
"Hey, white guuuy. I'm the kinda person that'll kiss anyone – boy or girl – if they're younger than meee."
"Quit blathering on about meaningless shit!!" Accelerator yelled back without thinking, but then realized what he had done.
Now that he had actually acknowledged that lonely drunk's existence, he saw a most unpleasant smile appear on her face.
"Like I said… Do you know where the Dangai Universtiy database center is? Misuzu-san has to do some studying theeere. I've got reports piling up after allll. Bwaaah…"
The strong stench of alcohol slowly surrounded Accelerator.
"Why the fuck would I know that!? Go call a taxi or something!!"
"Ahhn. How do I do thaaat?"
Luckily, a taxi happened to be coming by. Accelerator had been pushed to the ground and had someone clinging to him, but he still managed to get his hand in the air and wave it vigorously.
The taxi slowly stopped and the driver, a middle-aged man, jumped out.
"A-are you okay!? Did something happen!?"
"…If anything else happens here to annoy me, I'm going to beat everyone here to death…" Accelerator muttered in a low voice.
He shoved the drunk off of him to the side. He ignored the strange woman saying something about the taxi and yelled at the taxi driver telling him to deal with her. He finally managed to walk off. He no longer cared about the convenience store or a can of coffee. He just wanted to get as far away from that drunk as possible.
Academy City's strongest esper was human and it seemed there was at least one thing he had trouble dealing with.