Persuasion

—16th September 3:45p.m.—

"Ridiculous."

This one word was said by a boy with a head injury. That boy had electrodes plugged into his temple and the back of his head. Someone was behind this boy named Accelerator, Academy City's former #1 esper.

"Come on, it's been so long since we met. Trust me, this deal is much better than—"

*Beep*

A sudden wave of air gathered around Accelerator's right hand and he released it, causing a surge of air to push the person back.

This person is a guy, and he was the man who lured Accelerator into doing the Level 6 Shift.

"W-Wait! Let me finish!"

"There's no need for you to."

Accelerator and that man were in an alley that led to A Certain Hospital. Accelerator had wanted to buy some juice, or at the very most, black coffee for himself to drink. But as fate would have it, he didn't get much luck finding black coffee.

"No no no! You don't understand it's about the—"

A trash can flew through the air and hit the man straight in the nose, and a stream of red flowed down from his nose.

"You want to make kill the clones all over again?"

Accelerator had an almost murderous black aura around him, his red eyes that made him look like a demon in the dark.

"Eek! It's about the Daihasei Festival! Please hear me out!"

Daihasei Festival.

As if the presence of that man was enough to tick Accelerator off, he also had to mention about the Daihasei Festival, or Daihaseisai.

Accelerator reached his right hand out into one of the bricks in the bricked buildings and pressed his fingers down. He probably just endangered about 100-200 residents in that building.

Removing a single brick from an old building could cause it to collapse instantaneously. But that man in front of Accelerator deserved death.

Accelerator raised the single brick on his right hand up and flung it straight into the man's face, cracking his neck and skull in the process. The man laid there, probably paralyzed for life.

"Tch, don't come up to me when we're on bad terms. And don't ever come up to me with those words, you're gonna fucking regret it."

Accelerator stomped his foot on the ground, and small piles of stone flew into his right. He stuffs the stones into the place where he took the brick from.

—17th September 4:38p.m.—

"I'm so excited for the Daihaseisai! Exclaims Misaka as Misaka relays information about the Daihaseisai from the clones."

"Right? Right? I'm so excited too! I wonder what games we'll play there and what other things we can do!"

This was in a certain ward in A Certain Hospital, and the patient named Accelerator was under attack. He had to act fast but of course, the answer was also simple.

"You're not even enrolled in any schools, are you?" Accelerator asked as he leaned his head back on his soft pillow that provided him his only comfort.

"Uhh...maybe I could sneak—"

Before Ester can come up with a confident answer, Accelerator intercepted her.

"Don't bother. The security on the outside will be less stricter than before, but in exchange for that, the security on the inside will be tighter. Or so I think. I've never participated in that idiotic event before so I wouldn't know."

Accelerator said it so casually, but the weight behind those words were unusually heavy. Last Order and Ester looked at the ground as their faces twirled into unhappiness.

Those words reminded Last Order of what Accelerator said during their first meeting.

'I went to school before, but I attended a special class where I was the only student.'

It was along the lines of that. He had attended school, but he was not there to make friends, fight or socialize with others. He was there just to refine his powers and keep them tamed. That was his school life.

Dull and disconsolate.

The room became silent as if they were at a funeral, but it was broken after the door to his ward open.

"Okay it's time for your weekly check-up, Accelerator...Hm? Why is everyone so down?"

The man who came in had a frog-like face, and a wide body. This man saved countless lives that were thought to be dead, and Accelerator was also saved by him.

He is called Heaven Canceller.

"Oh... we were just talking about the Daihaseisai, and...well..." Ester hesitated to finish her sentence, but Heaven Canceller got the idea of the conversation.

"Well, it would be great if he doesn't go out there and start playing with the teenagers. He is injured after all, and his power could be deadly against the other competitors."

Heaven Canceller walked right into the middle of the trio as he continued.

"They would have to put massive restrictions on him. For example, maybe limit him to run at a certain speed so as to not annihilate the competitors in a single second?"

Accelerator couldn't care less about what they were talking about as he got up from his bed and walked out of the ward.

"By the way, you've been at this hospital for almost, if not, everyday. Don't you have school to attend?" Heaven Canceller asks Ester as he makes his way to the entrance of the ward.

"Oh, right. I was transferred to Academy City from the outside four years ago. I had been busy with helping Mikihiko's research that I had no time to apply for a school."

Heaven Canceller stops at the sliding door and turns around to tell Ester,"Well then, isn't that great? If you wanted to attend school, you can ask Yomikawa. She's a teacher in A Certain High School. I'm sure she'd love to have you onboard."

Ester looked away from his eyes as she twirls her index finger around each other.

"Well...I'd love to. But I have to stay with master. I have to take care of him."

Suddenly, a ball of white popped out from the side of the door. It had two red dots on it, and a very straight line across its face.

It was Accelerator's head.

"Seriously? You're practically useless in almost every situation we've come across. I don't need you, you're practically dead weight."

Heaven Canceller and Last Order both looked at Accelerator as if an arrow had struck them right in the heart. Literally.

However, Ester was not fazed by his words.

"That's your way of saying...`Go out and have fun without me', right?"

Accelerator looked at her with a blank expression and shook his head as he sighed.

"Whatever. Just fuck off. No one needs you here. You're just wasting the air here."

With that, he disappears from his own ward.

—17th September 5:17p.m.—

"(*sigh* Finally my checkup's over. Guess I'll head back and hibernate again. My fucking head hurts from not resting. Tch, that Aoi bastard better be burning in hell for eternity for this shit.)"

Accelerator was limping through the hallways of A Certain Hospital with his left hand covering his eyes and forehead. But as he was walking forward, his chest bumps into something soft and he was immediately pushed back.

"Tch, what do you want?" Accelerator furiously asked, thinking the person in front of him was either Ester or Yomikawa. But it was someone entirely different.

A girl with long hair that reached down to the centre of her back, she was stunningly pretty as she pushed her well-endowed chest from underneath with her arms crossed. She wore what looked like a uniform from a high school, well she looked pretty mature so she must be in high school.

She looked down at Accelerator and glared at him. Accelerator didn't know who this girl was, but the way she was staring at him, made it look as if she wanted to pick a fight with the #1.

He raised his left hand up to his neck, his fingers about to close in on the power button.

——15th September 2:34p.m.——

There were currently four students in a small classroom. Or rather, it looked more like a meeting room. With only one long table at the centre of the room, one student sitting at the end of the table, and the other three by the side of the table. They had armbands with the words "Daihaseisai Management Committee" above their elbow.

They had their heads hung low.

Why?

Well, that's because the Board of Directors has given them a very gruesome task.

"Are you serious? They actually want us to do this?" One of the male students asked.

"Yes, the higher-ups have decided that they want the opening ceremony to be done by the top-level espers. The only students to have made it to the top. The 7 level 5 espers in Academy City." A female student replied him.

"This must be a joke! The 7 of them are crazy! They can't fit in with society. What's the point of having them do the opening ceremony?! They'll just ruin everything!" The third person added on.

However, the last person, who sat at the end of the long table made the final calling.

"We have no other choice. The higher-ups want to show off to the whole world the only level 5's to ever be produced in Academy City. We just have to do our part in this."

And so the disaster that occurred the day after, happened.

——16th September 5:17p.m.——

"Ah!!! This is a disaster!!"

The results were in.

The #2 was contacted through a call, and he did not accept that offer, and destroyed his whole hotel room. Who knows why.

The principal of Tokiwadai Middle School didn't want Misaka Mikoto, the #3 to do it, as Misaka had been acting strange recently, speaking in third person, and having absolutely no emotions at all.

The #4 didn't want to do it as she was working in the Dark Side.

The #5 has yet to respond.

The #6 couldn't be found.

The #7 also couldn't be found.

And the newest #8 was nowhere in sight.

"What do we do now?! The whole festival is going to be ruined!"

"Calm down. If we can't get them, that just means we don't have to do it." The supposed leader explained.

The three of them widened their eyes and heaved a massive sigh of relief.

"You're...you're right. The most that will happen is that people will get disappointed on the first day. It's not like the whole festival is going to die."

"Ah, but that reminds me. In the report that the Board of Directors sent me, they said that a whole lot of people wanted to see the #1. Seems like a lot of things had happened to him in recent weeks."

The leader stood up from his chair and walked to a board which has all the names of the level 5's, excluding the #1 and #6. But they were labeled by their positions.

"Seems like they want to know how he got defeated by a girl, and whether or not he's in a serious condition. And most importantly..."

Then he turns to face the three of them.

"...is he a pervert or not."

"Oh don't worry, no one will be able to pursue the #1."

Suddenly, from the door that led people inside the room, a girl with a slim body, but well-endowed chest appeared at the door. Her long black hair swayed left and right from the wind and gravity at work.

"Will it make the Daihaseisai more enjoyable for others?" The girl asked.

"Huh? W-Well who knows? He's kind of psycho...right?" The leader replies as his cheeks turns red.

The girl was pretty, but not cute. Any boy would be lucky to have her as his wife. A girl with a positive outlook on life.

"Then I'll make sure he does the demonstration."

When she said that, all four members of the Daihaseisai Management Committee froze up. That girl was also part of the Daihaseisai Management Committee.

"Besides, I've finished all the preparations on my part."

"Eh? I-It's not necessary!"

That black-haired girl puts the back of her hands on her hips as she sticks her chest out proudly. Unaware of her assets that attracted horny teenagers to her.

"It's okay. I want everyone to be happy during the festival. I want everyone to make fond memories with each other. Therefore..."

She points her index finger towards the leader and demands,"...where is he?"

———17th September 5:18p.m.———

"I'm Fukiyose Seiri. From your looks, you must be Accelerator, right?" Fukiyose points her index finger at the fallen #1 as she asks him.

"(This girl...I think I know how this is going to end. I don't want anymore pains in the ass. Guess I'll just ignore her.)"

Accelerator got up from the ground and pats his whole body to get rid of any dust on his body.

"No, you got the wrong person."

Accelerator turns away from the direction of his ward and walks away. He could always get to his ward from another floor, walk back, and then go back up. Though that method would be a longer route, it was better than dealing with another troublesome situation.

"(I can't shake a very uncomfortable sensation on my back.)"

Before he could limp away, the girl holds his left hand down with both of her hands.

"Wait, then can you direct me to him?"

"Turn back, go straight down the stairs, turn right and walk straight until you see a sliding door. Afterwards just go through there."

He could feel one of her warm hands release his hand. Now it was time for the other one. However...

A loud, dull sound slammed him on the back. He dropped down. However, since she was still holding his hand, his cane was the only thing that dropped. The muscles in his legs loosened as he hung in the air. His right arm went limp.

Accelerator turned his head 90° to the left, revealing only his left eye to her. But instead of scaring her, she showed a very stern face as she clenches her teeth and right hand.

"That's the way to the exit."

"Oh, is that so?"

"White hair and red eyes. There's no doubt that you are the #1 esper."

"Does it even matter?"

"Of course. I have a request for you."

Accelerator turned his head back in front as he drops his head down and sighs.

"Are you kidding me? First you approach me, knock me down. Then you hit a patient in the back. Have you ever considered me to be an old man?"

"If you were an old man, you'd have traces of black hair or your hair would have dropped off. Moreover, your voice would have been raspy."

"Tch, can you just let me go? You're literally making my left arm feel uncomfortable. I'm still a patient."

"Hm?...Oh, right."

Instead of releasing immediately, she wrapped her right arm around his waist and he flinched immediately. Since she had to bend down to wrap her arm around him, his back slammed into the side of her face.

The force was so sudden that it knocked her back as well, and she pulled Accelerator to the ground with her.

Accelerator was met with darkness right after. However, he did not pass out. His head was in between somewhere soft. He placed his right hand beside his head and felt something soft.

"(...Don't tell me...)"

He struggled to push himself off the ground with his right hand as his whole right arm shakes.

"Hngh?!"

That small shocking hum was from the person in front of him. When he got up and adjusted his vision, he saw the vulnerability of the helpless girl in front of him. His left hand locked in with her right hand, her face showed an expression of struggle and pain. Her face flushed with red.

With her left hand clenched into a fist, she asked him,"Are you the same as all the other boys?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Before she could punch him, he tried to turn his battery on, however...

Her right hand clenched his left hand tightly. And then...

"Oi, I'm injured!"

"Don't try to claim your innocence while sexually harassing someone!"

"Tch, fine I'll listen to your stupid request! Now, let me go!" Accelerator yelled those words at her and her expression became softer.

"Oh? Okay then. Then can you stop squeezing my breast? You're hurting me."

When Fukiyose freed Accelerator's left hand, Accelerator immediately tore himself off her and picked up his cane. As they were both getting up from the ground, Fukiyose told him the request.

"I want you to be in the opening ceremony for the Daihaseisai."

"Again with the Daihaseisai...What's so fun about people competing with each other?"

"Huh? What's so fun? You don't get it, do you?"

"Ahn?"

Now Accelerator was the one who was confused.

"The fun is just an add-on package to the main plan. Creating memories with your closest friends on a special occasion, makes the memories more special and memorable. When you think about that event, the memories just clicks and fills your mind. To me, that is what the Daihaseisai is for."

"(Memories...huh?)" Accelerator thought about what she had just said. Well, to him what she said could be true. He had never done anything 'fun'. The only fun he ever found was killing the clones, and that gave him PTSD in the long run. What should he expect from the Daihaseisai?

"Come to think about it...what school are you from, Accelerator? We can either be allies or opponents in the Daihaseisai."

"Ha? Why don't you do a thorough background research of me first?"

"Do you think there's any information lying around that tells me something about you?"

"There could be."

A vein had popped in her head as she raised her fist up once again. The same fist that had hit him in the back.

"Would you like to stop joking around before you say goodnight? Or would you prefer after?"

"Miracles don't happen twice."

He reached his left hand up to his neck immediately as she raised her arm up and aimed it at his face.

He ducked underneath her punch, and fell straight to the floor.

"Huh?"

His battery had slipped out of his choker and he dropped to his knees, followed by his body slamming to the ground.

"Ack?!"

Then a foot was placed on his back. Fukiyose proudly stood on top of Accelerator as she crosses her arms below her chest.

"If a miracle only happens once, what do you call it if it's a second time?"

Accelerator couldn't make out what she was saying, only traces of her words could be understood.

"Miracle...what...second?" Was all he heard.

He desperately tried to reach for his battery as he weakly stretch his left arm out. The battery was just inches away from him.

Just a little more and he could get the dominant bitch on top of him off.

Fukiyose realized how much he was struggling under her foot, and she bent over to look at him. She couldn't simply turn her eyeballs as her chest would get in her way, so she had to bend over to take a closer look at what he was doing.

She saw his left arm reaching out for a small black box on the ground.

"What's this?"

Fukiyose did the honors of picking up Accelerator's battery without knowing it's functions.

Fukiyose opened her legs and sat on top of Accelerator's back with her knees on the floor. She wasn't sitting on him just to break his back, but to stop him from escaping.

Even though he couldn't have done it from the moment his battery popped out.

"Answer me. What's this?"

There was a button for her to push and she kept spamming that button. However, the black box was still not blinking.

"Hey, are you going to speak?"

Fukiyose tilted her body down to look at Accelerator, and she noticed a collar around his neck. Electrodes extended out of the collar and were stuck to the back of his head.

When she looked at the left side of the collar, there were two square walls sticking out evenly.

She tilted her head, but then figured what the black box in her fingers was for. Fukiyose stuck the battery perfectly in between those two walls and a whirring sound was produced.

"FUCK OFF!"

Then a loud thud was heard again.

"Don't be vulgar with me." Fukiyose said as she raised her right fist up to her chest. "Now then, will you do the opening ceremony for the Daihaseisai?"

Seeing as how Accelerator would keep getting pestered by the girl behind him if he doesn't accept, he had to calm down and say,"Fine."

After that, a sly grin appeared on Fukiyose's face as she gets up from him.

"Then I'll hand the script to you."

From her skirt, she pulls out a rolled up paper. It seems that the paper was placed in between her back and skirt. Seems like Fukiyose had no intention of backing away.

She points the script at him with her right hand holding it and her right arm stretched out. Accelerator, who was still on the ground, clicked his tongue and hesitantly took the script.

"See you on the 19th of September. A teacher will guide you to the podium. You'll be representing Academy City, so make sure you don't stutter!"

"Right, right. Whatever."

As soon as she turned her back, he picked up his cane and walked the other way with a grin of his own.

"(Heh, like hell I'm going.)"

—18th September 2:57p.m.—

"Master, Master! Have you heard?"

"I've heard nothing. Now get lost."

"No no. I managed to get into A Certain High School!"

"Well isn't that great?"

Ester and Accelerator were alone in the ward together. Last Order was having her inspection and maintenance. Ester held her sports uniform up proudly as she shakes it up and down. However, Accelerator had his back to her. He couldn't be bothered with her bickering.

"I managed to ask Yomikawa, and she introduced me to Ms Komoe. Ms Komoe is really kind. She introduced me to the class and everyone was really happy to have me! Especially a boy with blue hair and piercings, and a boy called Tsuchimikado."

Accelerator faced Ester, and told her,"Stay away from them. They sound like bad people."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

Ester moved her lips to the side as she thought about what made them bad people.

But most importantly, Ester was wearing the white sailor outfit with black stripes for the short sleeves, with a black collar and black ribbon at the centre of her collarbone. She was wearing a black skirt to top it off as well.

"Master, watch me win the competitions! I'll definitely make you proud!" Ester shone brightly as she exclaimed her goals. Her light was so bright that it pushed Accelerator back a bit.

"Tch, too bright..." Accelerator whispered under his breath. Ester looked at him with a confused face as she heard mumbling.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Anyway, do whatever you want. Lead your life the way you want to. Don't let others dictate it for you."

There was a slight pause before he continued, the next phrase was filled with sadness.

"...Especially me."

Ester's eyes widened in shock. There was nothing wrong with how Accelerator lived his life. He didn't want to cause anyone trouble. He wanted to live peacefully, what was so wrong about that?

Ester knew it. So she raised her hand out and patted his head. His soft, long white hair bounced on her touch.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?!"

He grabs her wrist and squeezes it, but he was too weak to actually do any damage to her.

"Don't worry, Master. I'll trust your way."

This time her smile was scary. It was too kind for him. Too bright for him.

"Tch, I'm going out."

He turned his battery on and pushed her away.

"Don't follow me."

Then, the door to his ward opened up and he was tackled down.

"Papa! I mish you vewy mwuch!"

Misaka squeezed his skinny body tightly while he was on the ground.

"What the hell do you want?! Go away!"

"There'sh a vewy scawy person behind me!"

Then, as if on cue, his head was met with a foot.

"Onee-sama!!! Stay away from that man!"

"Shtay away fwom me!!!"

"Kyaaaa~~!!! So cute, onee-sama!!!"

This voice came from a girl who was hospitalized for a leg injury. Her red hair was tied into pigtails as she wore the green hospital gown that every patient wears.

This girl is Kuroko.

Due to her leg injury, her legs immediately bent and her shin met Accelerator's face.

"FUCK OFF!!" Accelerator shouted as he manipulated the vibrations in his voice to push everyone away from him. Wasting no time, he grabs his cane and walks out of his ward.

"This is ridiculous. Is this a sign of what's to come?" The #1 whispered under his breath as he tries to find a convenience store to buy black coffee.

And so, tomorrow will be the start of an intense battle.