Stalling

Shokuhou Misaki was nervously walking down the sidewalk.

The thoughts of what happened yesterday were playing through her head.

She had been feeling vulnerable, and scared. She didn't have her usual 'faction' surveying and walking around the area. The girls she took in at her school, her eyes and ears around the city. No one knew she was here.

It was the time she would check. She the hope she had been hanging onto since meeting that man a couple days ago. She had trouble sleeping and could help but have her mind wonder at the thought of him being 'healed'.

She didn't know how to love someone. After all the experiments and darkness she had to shift through just by having her powers, she found it extremely hard to trust people. But that stupid boy managed to wiggle his way into her heart.

She wanted to try, she wanted to see what it was like to have someone special like that.

Yesterday at the same spot she was going to right now, she set up an 'ambush'.

She knew the path he took to school each day....she definitely wasn't stalking him.

As she reached a certain location, she started to make plans. She ran through scenario's to 'accidentally' run into him and get his attention. But each one caused a certain amount of embarrassment to run over her face.

Her mind went blank when he finally entered her view. She didn't know how to explain it, she had interacted with him before and been near him on many occasions. She was completely silent as he walked by, she couldn't muster any kind of response to seeing him with the thought that she may be remembered.

She was scared. Scared that he won't remember her still, scared that her heart would break again.

As she turned away in defeat, she suddenly felt a hand press on her shoulder.

She quickly turned around to see who was touching her and possibly give him a bit of punishment.

Her eyes widened in surprise to see who was standing there.

"Excuse me, but do we know each other? I feel like we've met before." Touma asked.

"….o...…Of Course we know each other, I'm Shokuhou Misaki, don't you dare forget it again." She said sternly.

She quickly left the confused Touma and walked away.

When she got out of his view she ducked into an alley to calm herself down.

Her heart was beating faster and her face became flushed.

That had never happened before since the incident, he never 'recognized' her even just subconsciously before.

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Still thinking about that incident from yesterday caused all those emotions to come flooding back in.

She had to quickly calm herself down, she was the lvl5 Mental out, she did not get flustered!

She was in the same place as yesterday, waiting for him to come again. He took this same path to school every day so she knew he would be here.

She was nervous.

She saw him walking from a distance, he had yet to notice her.

It was only when he was a few yards away from her that his expression changed.

"Hello Shokuhou Misaki." He said awkwardly, not wanting a repeat of yesterday.

She held back the urge to cry.

"So you remember my name after yesterday!? How rude to forget a ladies name. As punishment you are going to walk me to school every day for now on." She declared, leaving no room for argument.

Touma didn't argue and merely accepted the predicament. He had learned recently that there was no arguing with the opposite sex when it came to matters like this.

"....alright." He said with a sigh.

Misaki happily wrapped her arm around his and pulled him forward as they disappeared into the distance.

A rare-genuine smile adorned her face.

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The night came rather quickly.

Alex had been letting the kids have time to themselves, it could get hectic at any moment in the next few days and he didn't want Touma to be tired. Plus, he was sure that the girls wouldn't mind some time to spend with the boy.

He had started to notice the glances that Kaori would take at him. They were very subtle before, but she started to linger a bit longer.

Even during dinner, she would peek every so often. It was cute to say the least.

Alex was curious to see if Touma would start up the Saint path like the others.

But as amusing as the boy's love life was, he had other thoughts on his mind.

He left the apartment after dinner, it was time to do some hunting.

He had been aching to move his body for awhile now, this would alteast provide some entertainment while so supporting the kids for a bit.

In his free time he had been doing his best to map the city, more specifically to map the areas that were secluded. The parts under construction, the parts that no one ventured into ect.

Those would be the places that the little sisters would engage Accelerator at.

He made preparations these past couple days without anyone knowing. He found a dagger in the gate that left him very sentimental. It was apparently the 'prototype' for Carnwennan, the dagger he used in his youth before he could properly hold a sword.

There were many legends about said dagger, though more obscured than his other weapons. He didn't know about his alternates, but he basically threw away the dagger when he got older in a fit of stupidity.

It was actually a gift from his father, the previous king, that was to be given to him by Sir Ector. The father of Kay and the man who took up his raising until Merlin finally took over.

No one had told him the significance of the blade. He merely thought it a decent dagger and he got 'rid of it' when he reached the ability to truly wield a sword. It was a symbolical act of growing up. Atleast that's how he tried to play it off.

The truth was he thought he had out grown the 'baby weapon'.

It apparently had made its way into the ranks of noble phantasms by the association of him even if he never wielded it as an adult.

There were some interesting experiences with it when he used it as a child that left many a crowd surprised and possibly added mystery onto it.

There was the time that he actually manage to kill 4 bandits with it in a single throw.

He was with his brother Kay, Sir Ector, and a caravan of peasants that were traveling. His brother and Sir Ector were hired to protect the caravan to reach a certain town and Alex had convinced them to bring him along. He had decent practice at that point and was able to atleast defend himself against the likes of bandits.

He was stronger than most his age due to already having the Dragon's core in his body but it being dormant.

They told him to stay back with the caravan as they charged the bandits, being the stubborn boy he was, he wish to help but feared the punishment that Sir Ector would give him if he disobeyed. So he threw his dagger at the nearest Archer. Technically he was staying with he caravan.

The Dagger had hit the Archer in the throat as the archer fell back, he let loose the knocked arrow and hit one of his fellow bandits in the back. The Bandit that got shot by an arrow had fallen down and caused the bandit behind him to trip over his body and fall on his Axe.

The battlefield became quiet and everyone stopped in their tracks to look back towards the boy who had thrown the dagger.

Even Kay and Sir Ector looked at him with dumbstruck expressions.

The handful of bandits that were left had begun to freak out and thought that Alex was a wizard and began to run back into the forestry area they had emerged from.

In the retreat, one of the bandits had run face first into a tree and managed to hit his head just right to kill himself.

Even as Alex got older, his brother continued to retell that story to anyone who would listen. With a mere throw of his dagger, he had managed to slay four bandits.

As embarrassing as it was to hear his brother recount the tales, the memories still brought a smile to his face.

The were other incidents with the dagger that added more mysteries onto it. Defeating a 'hag' which was actually just a spellcaster masquerading as a Wizard who was very unpleasant to look at.

And there was apparently a magical effect on the dagger itself that made it so that when one was cloaked and wielding the blade it made them not noticeable. Not quite stealth, but it was very good at being undetected.

The prototype only had the passive 'stealth' effect that he was familiar with.

He found a random cloak in the gate and slung it over himself and used to dagger to scour the city.

He wanted to give the kids time to prepare themselves without anymore people dyeing.

He checked the locations he mentally marked throughout the city. He dared not start setting up bounded fields everywhere, he was sure Aleister would not tolerate that and probably begin to move against him.

He didn't fear the man, but his job could get more harder if he truly crossed the head of the city. He was probably going to have to meet him after the situation with the little sisters gets settled. Aleister doesn't care for the lvl 6 experiment as a whole but for the little sisters themselves.

He had a plan with regards to them and the Artificial Angel. As long as that plan isn't ruined, he shouldn't care about Accelerator failing to reach lvl 6.

He jumped from roof to roof until he noticed a slight glint the distance.

The moon had briefly reflected against the scope of a gun.

Alex smiled as he made his way towards the target.

He quietly snuck up on a familiar looking girl. She was dressed and looked just like Misaka Mikoto.

"Watcha lookin at?" Alex said as he walked up to the unsuspecting girl.

The clone quickly turned around and pointed her gun at the newcomer.

"Oi, don't point that at me." He said as he pushed the gun away from his face.

"Who are you, Misaka doesn't recognize your face. She says with annoyance."

"My name is Alex, I'm here on behalf of your older sister." He said with a smile.

She finally lowered her gun at his words.

"She doesn't want any of her little sisters to get hurt and is trying to stop the experiment. So I'm stalling for her to figure out a plan." He said again.

"You can't stop the experiment, Misaka says with sadness."

"You don't have faith in your sister?" Alex asked.

"Misaka thinks you are trying to manipulate her emotionally."

"Did it work?" Alex asked again.

"Misaka wants to know what you will do with her, she says with hesitation."

"I have a safe house I was going to stash all the little sisters I find at." He replied.

"Misaka wants to know how she can trust you , she says with skepticism."

Alex took out his tablet and showed her a few pictures that he had taken when Misaka Mikoto was with him and the others.

"Misaka will believe you for now, she says bluntly."

"Alright! Any others nearby that I need to grab?" Alex asked.

"Misaka will show you the location, she replies."

Alex smiled as he grabbed the girl and made their way down to the street.

This was probably the simplest way to delay the experiment, but it wouldn't continue to work for long.

He had other plans in mind, but for now he just wanted these girls to get to safety. He set up a safe house on the other side of the city. It was basically a warehouse that he spent an entire day and night furnishing for living conditions. He set up dozens of bounded fields and reinforced the whole structure with what runes he could.

He had opted not to reinforce the structure itself, less he mess up and make it unstable. But for now, it would do and they could hold up for well over a year with the supplies he left.