Allies

--------13th September 4:45p.m.---------

Accelerator had plenty of time to strike back. Hell, he could lay back in bed and sleep for an hour before disposing of Oriana's acquaintance.

But he didn't want to.

He had plans tonight.

He went back to the hospital, to do some things. One of which included the charging of his battery, but he only charged it for about 5 minutes before leaving the hospital. He had to do it quickly, if not the doctor might give him a lecture again.

"(Next, to buy a handphone, I would need money...)"

And then he clicked his tongue. His credit card had been laid to waste a few days ago.

"(Great, now I have to retrieve my credit card.)"

And so, he went to the bank.

----------13th September 5:30p.m.---------

"(Tch, how fucking unlucky, why was the line so fucking long on a day like this?!)" Accelerator lamented as he checked his credit card.

Surprisingly, the people at the bank knew how he looked. Though he did not harass them with his looks, they were still terrified of his presence.

So when it was his turn, they didn't ask him for any identification.

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

They simply asked him," Are you Accelerator?"

"Tch, what does it look like to you?"

"O-Okay, may I know what you would like to do?"

"I want my bank card back."

The person behind the counter was sweating profusely as she conversed with the strongest esper, Accelerator. Her colleagues beside her were also nervous for her as they looked at her through the corner of their eyes.

"U-Uh okay. U-Uhm, o-okay, may I have your student ID? I need to make sure that you're the owner of this account."

Accelerator told her his student ID, and once she keyed in the appropriate information, she went to the back of the bank.

He had to wait quite a while before she came back.

15 minutes to be exact.

"Sorry for the wait, here you go."

He was annoyed by the fact that he had to wait so long just for her to grab a simple card.

"It took us a while to find one of these cards. So we sincerely apologize!"

Accelerator clicked his tongue as he walked away.

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

And so now, he was in this position.

"(Now for a phone...)"

Instead of using his powers, Accelerator decided to flag for a cab.

A blue cab stopped in front of him, so he got in.

"Where you goin' boy?"

"District 7, the underground shopping mall. Just drop me off at the entrance."

"Alright."

As the cab started moving, Accelerator looked out of the window and saw a bunch of students from different schools running around.

They were all smiling with a look of uneasiness, probably stemming from the challenges that they were competing in.

But as he looked at them, he thought to himself, "A normal life huh? How I wish for one."

The things that people usually do, like eating together with their family, attending school and making friends.

Accelerator didn't have the luxury of enjoying those simple things.

And he chuckled to himself.

The driver thought that Accelerator was crazy, just laughing to himself. But he brushed it off as just youths being youths.

Once they had reached their destination, Accelerator paid him with his credit card and he went underground to purchase a new phone.

There weren't any specific phone brands in Academy City, but there were two types of phones in Academy City. A flip phone and a smartphone.

A flip phone is generally more appealing to those students who barely have any money to get by since the flip phones are relatively cheap. While on the other hand, a smartphone appeals to the students of the higher economy class, but they are more expensive.

Though both phones have the same functions, like taking pictures and containing a map of the world, the smartphone is faster when it comes to processing speed.

"(Guess I'll go with a smartphone.)"

Accelerator had plenty of money to spare, so he didn't care about how he spent his money.

There wasn't any queue in the store, so Accelerator just picked a random design and paid for it as well.

Though it wasn't as simple as that.

"Pick a phone number."

"This."

"Would you like a care-plan for your phone?"

"No."

"Would you like an insurance for your phone?"

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wrong script."

"Here's a warranty for your phone. If there's anything faulty with your phone, just..."

Before the man can even finish explaining the warranty to him, Accelerator left the place with his new smartphone.

"Ah, sir! You forgot your receipt!"

Accelerator ignored his cries as he went out of the underground shopping district.

"(Tch, fucking salesman. Don't try to make me buy more of your shit.)"

Accelerator turned his phone on, and had to set-up his phone as well.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! Hurry up!"

The time was already 6p.m. and now Accelerator was really in a rush. He stood in the middle of the pavement, where the rush hour was starting to kick in. So while he was setting up his phone, he was also being pushed around. With one hand, he couldn't do it any quicker.

---------13th September 6:15p.m.-----------

The colors of dusk appeared in the sky.

There was no one around on that asphalt road. A sonic boom could be heard from above.

Looking up, the gigantic body of a plane flew through the sky at a low altitude. Maybe it was because it was the Daihasei Festival, as there were a lot of planes flying around.

This area wasn't meant to attract others.

Thus, she was the only one on that asphalt road.

There was a woman holding a large cross. The owner of that cross slowly pulled the cross away from her shoulder, and placed her hand on the white cloth wrapped around the cross.

The cloth unraveled with a gentle sound.

A 150-centimeter-long, 70-centimeter-wide, 10-centimeter-thick pure white marble cloth appeared, with only the bottom of the cross as thick and sharp as a sharpened pencil.

The Croce di Pietro.

On first glance, one could feel the weight of that thick stone item. Even after more than 1800 years, that antique still looked as good as new, as if it had been shaped inside a plastic mold. Though it was a large stone item, being passed down from person to person over such a long time, the interior had not deteriorated the slightest bit.

This item was never revealed in history at all.

She used two hands to grab the smooth white cross, and slowly lifted the cross. Without hesitation, she planted the cross into the ground.

Because of the sharp tip at the bottom, and the enormous weight of the cross, it pierced through the asphalt ground without any resistance, deeply into the ground of the capital of Japan.

"Let the sky be the ceiling, and let this place be a safe haven for the living. Please grant me protection, O twelve apostles."

The cross that was erected on the asphalt ground activated by itself, as it moved by adjusting the angle.

She looked up at the sky.

Though it was not completely night yet, the first star was starting to twinkle.

"Then...I'm all done here. In a few minutes, the world will change."

Then she looked straight ahead at the walls that surrounded Academy City. Though she wasn't in Academy City, she could still see the large walls from the outside.

"I wonder what happened to the lost sinner. If she was captured, I pray she doesn't spill the beans about our plan. Once we capture Academy City, I'll save her from that wretched city."

Then, a satisfied smile came from Lidvia.

"The world will be ours."

She went on her knees and prayed in front of the Croce di Pietro. But just as she went down on one knee, a boy's voice could be heard behind her.

"Wow, first try. I must be in luck."

That boy's voice sounded very sarcastic, but he sounded playful as well.

Lidvia turned around, and saw a white boy with a cane in his right hand. His hair was as white as the moon itself.

"Who are you?" Lidvia asked him in Japanese, which surprised the boy. But after all he had been through, he slowly wiped the surprise off his face.

There should be no one around, yet that boy was still here.

"Oh, I'm no one. I'm just sightseeing."

"I see...But there is nothing here to see." Lidvia says as she stands back up on her feet.

"Oh really? That's a very nice object right there. Mind if I touch it?"

Accelerator pointed to the large white cross behind her with his slender middle finger.

"I-I would appreciate it if you do not use that finger to point at the cross."

And then, she cleared her throat.

"Are you interested in religions by any chance? I could educate you about the bible."

Suddenly, she heard the same voice behind her.

"No, that won't be necessary."

Her eyes opened wide as she turned around. But that boy was faster.

With a flick of his finger, Lidvia was sent tumbling forward.

"W-Wha...How?! Who are you?! Are you a member of the Anglican Church?!"

"Anglican Church huh?"

Accelerator thought about it for a second as he placed his right hand on the cross. His cane was by the side of the asphalt road.

"Don't touch that!"

In just a split second, the cross had cracks forming all over it's body.

"No! Curse you!"

"Hooooh? Is that a spell? Well, whatever."

"You-!"

Accelerator clenched his fist and slammed it on the cross, completely shattering the marbled cross.

"NOOOO!!"

"GYAHAHAHAHA!! That's right, that's good! Scream for me!"

Lidvia immediately got up from the ground and ran towards the shattered cross. But before she could even run a single meter, the white boy got in front of her in a flash and pulled his arm back.

The distance between Lidvia's face and his fist was just a meter apart.

"Sleep tight, you fucking bitch!"

"?!"

With all the strength he could muster, he clenched his fist as tight as he could and slammed it through her face. The sound of cracking could be heard, like a bunch of firecrackers popping off. He applied so much momentum to his punch that it went all the way forward to the point he had to bend his back forward just to go through with it.

Lidvia's body on the other hand, did backflips after backflips as it flew back.

"Shit, I think she's dead. Well, whatever."

Accelerator went forward to check with his cane still by the side of the asphalt ground.

"Yo, you still alive?" Accelerator kicked her stomach 'lightly' as he asked that question in a sarcastic voice.

He thought she was dead, so he walked away from her body, just to hear small creaks coming from her body.

"I...I will save all the lost sinners!!"

Lidvia sunk her fingers into the asphalt road as she started dragging her close-to-death body on the ground.

Accelerator smiled at the sight of her helplessness, and he slowly walked to her.

"Seems like you're not dead yet. That's great! I love resilient girls!"

He stepped on her fingers which were sunk into the ground and made them go in even deeper.

Lidvia was laughing as she was getting tortured and Accelerator laughed along with her.

Then, he pulled his other leg back and kicked her skull in, causing her forehead to bleed.

But she was still laughing. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything else as she went cross-eyed.

Accelerator lifted up the leg which was pressing down on her fingers and kicked her temple, making her head tilt back and forth like a bobble head. At this point, she was only letting out bursts of laughter.

"Oh, did I break her already? Oh well." Accelerator shrugs his shoulders as he walks to the place where his cane laid at.

He turned his battery back to 'normal' mode, and looked at the walls of Academy City. Then, he checked the time on his new phone.

And it read...

6:30p.m.

The fireworks that were scheduled to show up at the time, flew up into the sky and popped, forming an array of lights. Blue, white, red, orange and green fireworks lit up the dark sky.

"How unfortunate..."

Accelerator walked away from Lidvia as he whispered under his own breath.

"For me to spend a time like this with a sinner."

And as for Lidvia, her laughter soon faded away.

------13th September 6:38p.m.-------

Accelerator was back in his 'home'.

In A Certain Hospital.

And he wasn't greeted very warmly. Since the events ended at about 6 o'clock, Ester got back and had a quick shower. All that just to have a quarrel with the patient who lives in the ward.

When Accelerator opened the door and saw his blonde haired follower, he immediately slid it shut.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Ester shouted as she chased after him.

Accelerator couldn't run, and he didn't see the point in using his power. Though he could reflect the noise around him, right now, he had to learn to endure this sort of 'beating'.

"Why do you always leave me in the dark?! I have my spells ready now! I am prepared to help you. So why won't you take my help? Why do always leave me? Am I just not trustworthy enough?!"

"..."

Accelerator continued walking forward with his cane in his right hand. He didn't want to say anything to her.

"Hey, can you at least answer me?!"

"..."

"Hey!"

Ester grabbed his left hand to stop him from moving any further.

"Answer me now."

Accelerator knew that at this point forward, he couldn't escape her grasp so he had to give in to her.

"You wanted freedom, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier this morning, you wanted your freedom. So I gave it to you. Now that it has come to this point, are you implying that you do not want your freedom?"

"No, I just want to help you."

"Then, explain this. You couldn't catch the enemy, so I had to do it. My cane was taking up the backseat, so I couldn't have anyone. Besides, I could've caught her on my own without any help. All I needed was her location, and that was it. Don't blame your incompetence on me."

"..."

He made a good point, and Ester was forced to suck it up.

"I...understand..."

With that, her grip loosens on his left hand and he continues walking away.

She stood still on the spot as she clenches her fists. The only thought that came to her mind was, "Strength".

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

After escaping that tight clench, Accelerator couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"(Tch, it's that same feeling again.)"

Accelerator entered a ward that could care for six patients. Basically, six patients were living in that ward, and Accelerator came to visit a certain someone. The curtains by the side were all pulled, so the patient could only see ahead.

But if they wanted the curtains in front to be pulled so that they wouldn't see the person on the other side, they could also do that. Fortunately, all six of them had their curtains pulled so that they wouldn't see the nightmare walking past their beds.

Accelerator limped all the way to the final bed, and he pulled the curtains to reveal a joyful looking girl reading manga. Her usual ribbon was gone, and seeing her in a hospital gown felt weird.

"Hm? Oh, it's you!"

"Are you that surprised to see me?"

"Oh, given the type of person you are, I thought "Hey, maybe he might not come" and so on and so forth, eh heh..."

"And what type of person do you think I am?"

"Eh? Well, that's... uhhhh..."

"..."

Accelerator leaned in towards her as he raised one eyebrow, and she started to sweat profusely despite being in an air-conditioned room.

"Uhhhh..."

Yumi avoided eye contact with him by looking up at the ceiling with her head turned to the side.

"Tch, forget that I ever asked."

"Oh?"

"Anyway, how are you feeling?"

Accelerator placed his cane by the side of the bed as he grabbed a chair to sit on. He placed one leg on her bed as he hung his arms over the chair. He was like a delinquent hanging out with a gyaru.

Except, there was no gyaru, and it was a hospital, not a motel.

But he made sure that his leg wasn't pressing down on hers. He still gave her space to stretch her legs out.

"Huh?"

"What? Didn't you hear me?"

"No, I did. But..."

"Just spit it out!"

"I didn't expect you to ask me that..."

"*Sigh* I won't even ask you again."

Yumi quickly shook both of her palms in his face as her mouth wriggled out of panic.

"No no no! That's not what I mean!"

Her voice bursts out throughout the whole ward which annoyed the patients who were trying to sleep.

"ZIP YOUR MOUTH! Everyone in here can hear you, you dumb bitch!!" A male voice shouted back towards her as she placed both of her hands over her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Yumi turned to the side before looking at Accelerator who was seriously pissed. He had his feet on the floor as he sat up straight, looking towards the direction where the voice came from.

Looking at the way his teeth was gritted, she immediately pulled his arm closer to her bedside and whispered in his ear.

"I-It's fine!! I-It's true. We have to be considerate when we are in the hospital." Yumi whispered loudly just for the sake of emphasizing on the needed urgency to stay calm.

"A-Anyway...I think this distance is fine with me as well."

"Hm?"

Accelerator was just one metre away from Tobio Yumi. The distance between them had really closed in.

"What? If you didn't like my leg on your bed you could've just said so."

"I-It's not that. You were just really far from me. Being near you somehow provides me a sense of comfort. I can see why Ester likes to stay around you."

"Tch, what the hell are you talking about. Me? Making someone feel safe? Ha! What a joke."

"I'm not lying."

Silence lingered around them for a second as Yumi looked at Accelerator.

"You should treasure her. She's not that bad of a person."

"..."

"She will really go to any lengths for you."

"..."

"So, why do you resent her?"

"If you have so much energy to ask me questions, why don't you save that energy so that you can heal faster?"

Accelerator forced his arm out of her grasps as he walked out with his cane in his right hand, leaving Yumi alone in her small bed.

She touched her heart that was racing.

"Am I a selfish person?"

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

Accelerator walked out of the ward as he scratched the side of his neck.

"(Tch, of course I know all that. What the hell does she think I was doing?)"

Accelerator walked up one more flight of stairs and went to the end of the south hallway to someone else's ward.

He slid the door open and a woman's voice could be heard immediately.

"My, I didn't think I was expecting any visitors. But of course, this was inevitable right, Mr Esper?"

Accelerator walked out of the short hallway that led him into a ward for one person only. It provided the best treatment to all the patients who stayed in such a ward.

It had privacy, a television, and plenty of room to move around in.

"But still, did you seriously have to leave nee-chan in that alleyway like that? You could have at least taken me with you."

"Be glad that I informed the nurses to go and pick you up. I even gave you quite the room to sleep in."

"Oh, don't be shy. Just say that you wanted to have a nice refreshing room just so you can fuck nee-chan."

The lady in the ward was Oriana Thomson, and there were casts on her rights arm and right leg with bandages covering almost every part of her body. The hospital gown that she was wearing barely fitted her. If someone were to pull her gown from whichever side, they would get to see something big and plump.

And she knew it as well, as she slowly pulled the right side of her gown down with her left hand, revealing a bit of flesh.

However, Accelerator wasn't fazed by her actions.

"Is this how someone in a church is supposed to act?"

"I thought I wasn't going to the church anymore?"

"So you're serious about this, huh?"

"Your offer seemed very interesting and I think it's something worth investing my time in."

She sat back on her bed as she pulled the right side of her gown back up.

"But with your violent nature, how can you say that others won't get hurt? What makes you so confident about your ability?"

Before Accelerator could reply her, the door to her ward slid open, revealing someone else at her doorstep.

The person at the door was so frightening that it gave the strongest esper chills.

"Not you again..."

Accelerator whispered as he turned his head and looked outside the window.

"(Is this his strongest rival?)" Oriana thought about that because Accelerator was seriously feeling fear.

"What do you mean 'not me again'? You're not even supposed to be walking into someone else's ward without my permission.

"Tch, I know."

When Oriana heard the voice, her jaw just gave a weird 'huh?'.

It was just the doctor.

It was Heaven Canceller.

The broad doctor walked out of the small hallway and greeted Oriana.

"So, you're Oriana Thomson... says here you're a foreigner. Hmmm... in that case, after your treatment, I'll book a flight for you back to wherever you came from. Is that okay?"

"...Yeah, it seems fine."

Though, it wasn't what they planned, Oriana gave Accelerator a wink of assurance at an angle where the doctor couldn't see it.

"Alright... your recovery should take about one 3 weeks to a month. Although, it will not be a complete recovery, it will just be enough for you to walk. After that, you could go back to your country to continue with your recovery."

"Thank you so much, doc."

Oriana winked at the doctor as she blew him a kiss. But he wasn't even touched by it.

He looked at Accelerator as he raised one eyebrow.

"You came at the right time I guess. Can you follow me now? I need to perform a surgery on this girl. It seems like parts of her skull had stabbed some parts of her brain, and I can't stabilize her blood flow. With so many patients coming in to seek medical treatment, I'm running out of time to treat her. So we have to hurry."

"I'll be on my way."

Accelerator glanced at Oriana and smirked at her as if he was going to answer her question using his actions.

Seeing that smirk, she immediately sat up ever straighter than before and shouted for the doctor.

"Doctor!! May I tag along as well?"

Heaven Canceller turned around as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Listen here, I don't know what that boy told you, but you shouldn't even be moving in that state."

"Please, doctor! I-I just want to see how this operation will turn out."

"Look, I don't know if you're trying to give me more problems, but in your state, moving around is not going to make you any better, and is just going to make my job even more difficult as it is already."

"Please, it's just this once!"

"..."

Because of her constant begging, Heaven Canceller let out an exasperated sigh and looked towards Accelerator who was just at the doorway waiting for them.

"If it's just this once, I guess I can turn a blind eye to it. But just this once, understood?"

"Thank you very much, doc!"

Heaven Canceller ignored her thanks as he nodded his head towards Accelerator.

"Please help me carry the patient, Accelerator."

They both walked past each other and Accelerator whispered something under his breath.

"Thanks for playing along, doc."

"Anything to make my patients happy. But remember what we agreed on."

Accelerator didn't acknowledge his last sentence as he was about to show himself to Oriana.

-----13th September 7:35p.m.-----

The surgical room was located in the basement of the hospital. It was located there for convenience. So as soon as the patients were brought in, immediate medical assistance could be given to them. However, the distance from the 4th floor to the basement was way too far, so they took the elevator down to the basement.

Once they reached the basement floor, Accelerator left Oriana at a bench where she could look down through a window and see a dark empty space with what appears to be a lamplight that doctors use to examine their patients.

Underneath that light was a small table, most likely used for the patients to lie down as they undergo surgery.

"What is this place? Who works in an environment like this?"

The thing that annoyed her the most was how anyone could look through that window while standing in that hallway. There was absolutely no privacy given to the unfortunate families who had to see their loved ones undergo such a life-threatening process.

It was like they were giving a show to the public who were given no context at all as to what's happening.

But it could have also been for safety and trust purposes. By showing the public that the doctor can save people's lives, they would entrust their life to him as well.

"...That girl should have been beyond repair, why are they so confident that they can save her?"

Suddenly, she heard sobbing noises coming not so far away from where she was sitting. When she looked to her left, she saw a couple standing behind the window.

"Come on, cheer up, dear. If we keep thinking so negatively, our daughter might actually not make it."

"B-But!!"

The man stood behind the lady as he gave her a light squeeze on the shoulders just to comfort her.

"It's fine. Believe in the doctor."

He held her hand as they looked through the window together.

After a while, the doors opened, and their daughter was on a stretcher that was being pushed by 2 nurses. The doctor rushed in with the nurses, but Accelerator slowly limped towards them.

"Huh? Why is there a boy with them? What's the meaning of this?!" The father shouted in the hallway, but it didn't seem like anyone inside could hear him.

"Do they take my daughter's life as a joke?!"

Oriana simply sat back and watched as the father complained about the absurd scene he was witnessing.

"(There he goes. Seriously, I knew he was bound to bring about trouble. Why did I even pair up with him? I should've just knocked him out cold the moment I had my arms around him.)"

Oriana still could not figure out his powers. Sure he was super strong, but his arms were supposed to grow bigger if it was due to hormonal changes. And that doesn't explain how he could reflect attacks.

"(I'm not hearing the full story here...)" Oriana thought as she looked up.

There was nothing on the ceiling. She just felt lost and hopeless.

That was probably it though.

She was just lost and needed someone to guide her. It was obvious the church hadn't assisted her much in what she wanted to attain.

Could that boy change the person she was?

"Why is that bastard touching my daughter when the doctor is operating?! What kind of bullshit is this?! Is he getting paid just for that bastard to touch our daughter?!"

His wife continued crying beside him as he slammed his fists against the window.

Oriana continued watching the enraged and depressed couple as she sighs.

"(Should I even calm them down? If I do, won't it make the situation much worse? But it might still prove a point... but for a life...)"

As she pressed her forehead using the index finger on her left hand, the enraged father unfortunately went to her.

"Hey, you!"

"Hm?"

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?!"

"What are you--"

"Tell him to lay his damn hands off my daughter before I break his skinny ass!"

"Look here, sir. He is just an acquaintance of mine. That's my relationship with him. Don't you think it's ironic how you told your wife to trust the doctor, but not trust the person standing beside the doctor."

"The person beside the doctor should only be the nurse because they are all professionally trained!"

"But that boy is an esper. Your daughter should be fine under his care."

"Esper you say?! That makes it even worse! Those kids don't even know what they're doing with their powers! I'd never ever let my daughter become an esper. I'd rather disown her than to call her my daughter."

"I don't think you have to take it that far, but there are some esper powers which could be useful. Some powers might even end up saving the world one day."

The father raised one eyebrow in confusion at what the lady in front of him was saying.

"This world is already safe as it is! The existence of espers only disrupts this peace! Had I known my daughter was going to be in danger because of the reckless use of powers by the espers, I would have never brought my daughter to this wretched city."

"Mmm..."

Oriana only hummed because her argument with a parent was too difficult to fight. There was no point in fighting with him anymore.

"(I already knew the church was corrupt when I joined, but I chose to look away from it because I was struggling too much with myself to face it. Now then, which way will you make me look at now, boy?)"

A ding sound could be heard in the distance which indicated the end of the surgery. When Oriana looked down, it was no surprise to her that there was nothing left in the surgery room.

Oriana heard the tapping noises of the cane and looked at that direction. The father ran over to the white haired boy and lifted him up by the collar.

"Oi, what's--"

Before the strongest esper could say anything, he was met with a father's fury.

His face met a fist but he didn't fly back. Instead, the father's grip was so tight that it held him in place for a beating.

"You damn thug! How dare you touch my daughter!"

After eating three more punches, Heaven Canceller finally realized what was happening and went to the aid of Accelerator.

With just a touch of that man's wrist, he stopped and looked at the doctor.

"And what the hell were you thinking letting someone untrained touch my precious daughter?!"

"Do not worry, sir. I can safely assure you that he knows what he's doing."

"Knows what he's doing?! How can you say that when he's just a kid?!"

The man pulls his fist back as he lets go of Accelerator and aims it at the doctor.

A beeping sound was heard, and then the white boy gained back his advantage.

With a simple touch on that man's wrist, bones could be heard cracking. And the next thing the father knew, his hand became crooked.

The man looked down at his broken wrist and then back to Accelerator.

"What did you just..."

When he fully assessed the situation that he was in. His frowning face immediately broke apart as he held his broken hand.

"AHHHHHH!! My...My hand!! What the hell did you do?!"

"Darling?!"

The crying mother stopped her whining after seeing her dear husband in that state.

"You monster! I knew it, all of you espers are monsters! I knew my hatred was justified!"

"Please! Don't hurt us! We'll give you anything, we just want our daughter back!"

"..."

"How much do you want? 100,000 yen? 200,000?"

"..."

Suddenly, everyone heard a thumping noise nearby. From the corner of Accelerator's eyes, he could see the source of that sound.

It was Oriana falling from the bench she was sitting on.

The couple were so scared that they didn't even bother looking back at the noise.

Oriana looked at Accelerator with eyes that signalled for him not to kill or torture them. Accelerator knew it as well. But he wanted to test something out.

"How much do I want, you ask?"

"..."

"How about we start with all your money! In your credit card, everything!"

"W-What?! Th-That's not possible!"

Heaven Canceller could not take it anymore. Although he was about to be assaulted, he could not allow anyone to be hurt inside his hospital.

"Accelerator, that's enough."

Heaven Canceller pats Accelerator on the shoulder to try and stop him, but Accelerator brushed his hand off.

"You know, I don't have a place to stay yet..."

He looked them in the eyes as he licked his lips.

"How about your homes? Would you be willing to give that away for your daughter?"

"Y-You must want something else, right?"

"Something else, huh?"

"..."

Accelerator thought about it for a while, but ultimately he only wanted one thing from all of this.

"So that's your daughter's worth, huh?"

"Huh?"

The couple looked at each other with confusion written on all their faces. Oriana was also confused by what Accelerator was trying to do.

"I was just testin' all of you. It seems your daughter doesn't mean much to you, huh? She's perfect for Academy City!"

Accelerator wiped the grin off his own face as he glared at them.

How despisable, he thought.

Their next of kin wasn't in their mind.

What a family.

"Sorry doc, they're all yours now."

Accelerator limped back to the elevator at the end of the hallway. But, as he was slowly walking back, a small figure slowly came into view from his side. She had bandages wrapped all around her head, and her eyes were slowly starting to tear up.

"(How long has she been there?! And since when was she there?! Did she hear everything her parents said?)"

Heaven Canceller knew that small girl had been there the whole time. That's why he wanted to stop her father from acting anymore aggressive, however it seems like his efforts were in vain.

"As for her treatment, she requires medical care for the next 2 months seeing as how she's only 6 years old. Her body isn't built to be tough yet."

"That's enough."

The father whispered under his breath in that quiet hallway but it sounded like he was shouting.

"I'll take her to a hospital outside this wretched city. Of course, I'll still pay the full fees to respect your profession as a doctor."

"Mmm...do you need any other assistance?"

"No, that'll be it."

He had his head down the whole time as he heard small footsteps running further and further away from him.

"Where do I pay for it?"

"The bill will come out tomorrow morning, so do enjoy your stay here in Academy City."

"...Yeah, I will."

The couple quietly walked back to the elevator without muttering a single word, leaving Heaven Canceller all alone with Oriana Thomson.

"I guess it's time you get back to the ward. But seriously, how did you fall from there?"

"..."

"I'm going to call a few of my nurses over to come and put you on a stretcher to bring you back."

"Doc..."

"Yes?"

"Is it my fault that their family broke apart?"

"...Hm?"

"I mean if I hadn't told him that the boy...Accelerator, was it? If I hadn't told him that Accelerator was an esper, he might not have reacted that negatively to the whole situation."

Heaven Canceller stood over Oriana as his shadow covered her.

"I don't think you should blame yourself over this situation. The boy purposely hid the child behind him so that none of you could see her."

Despite the argument that went down earlier, Heaven Canceller still had a smile on his face.

"If I had to guess, he wanted to surprise you all."

"Uh...no, it felt more like a shock than a surprise."

"But as grouchy as that boy may be, he surprisingly has a soft spot for kids."

"What do you mean?"

"Before we came to the three of you, the girl asked Accelerator to show her some things that he could do with his power. I have to say, the kid was very amused as he made himself turn invisible and walked on walls."

"Huh? What? What kind of power does he have?"

"You don't know?"

"Of course I don't. That's why I'm asking you."

"Have you heard of the boy with white hair and red eyes?"

"I'm going to guess that's him?"

"Yes, that's right. That is also his nickname."

"Nickname?"

"Yes. The nickname for the strongest esper in Academy City."