"Hah, what nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden? I got your bento."
Accelerator set the box down on the table, his tone indifferent.
"Let me see… Ah, the premium curry bento from that fast-food place nearby." Yoshikawa Kikyou gave a small sigh of appreciation and took it with evident satisfaction.
"That girl over there—Accelerator bought a bit too much. Want to share?"
Unable to spot Natsume anywhere, Yoshikawa tilted her head, scanning the room before calling out.
"No, thanks."
Natsume Sonoko hesitated for a moment, swallowed hard, then firmly declined.
"Eighth, you really love hiding, don't you? Planning to stay out of sight your whole life?" Accelerator's brow furrowed slightly as he sneered.
Sonoko chose to ignore him entirely, as if his words had never reached her ears—though, truth be told, she was rather petty about things like this (scratch that).
At that moment, however, she found herself oddly fixated on what Yoshikawa had said earlier.
Accelerator was undeniably complicated. Much of their recent exchange left her tangled in doubt and hesitation.
In a way, the Sisters had only remained part of the Level 6 Shift Project because of him. Yet countless Sisters had also died by his hand.
The tangled web of cause and effect gave her a headache—like trying to figure out whether the chicken or the egg came first.
That researcher had even claimed Accelerator was, deep down, a good person. But Sonoko still couldn't reconcile that idea with the blood on his hands.
Still, one thing had become clear:
Accelerator and Last Order seemed to share a surprisingly strong bond, and he was willing to save her.
Understanding that much didn't make things any easier, though. Sonoko still couldn't grasp what either Last Order or Accelerator truly felt. It was just too difficult a puzzle.
After all that thinking, however, a strange calm settled over her. No matter her own opinions, the final choice had to belong to Last Order herself.
Taking Last Order away wouldn't be hard in itself—but Accelerator's danger level was far too high. She could run, sure, but her dormitory couldn't. If, however, it was Last Order's own decision, even Accelerator would have no grounds to stop her.
She took a quiet breath and glanced expressionlessly at Accelerator.
There was no way her bond with the Sisters could be weaker than his. After all, she was their beloved dorm supervisor—and once this round of cellular adjustment was over, that would be proven beyond doubt.
"Yoshikawa, I'm heading back to sleep. Leave this brat with you."
Getting no reply from Natsume after a long silence, Accelerator's face soured with boredom. "You brought her here—you're responsible for taking her back," Yoshikawa shook her head firmly.
"Yoshikawa, do you even know what you're saying? If you won't take her, there's another idiot knocking on your door right now," Accelerator grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"I've got a couch. You can rest here. Besides, I heard your place isn't exactly in great shape lately," Yoshikawa said seriously, stepping in front of him.
"Tch. Those bastards have really been pushing it lately," Accelerator muttered, a faint, mocking smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
He stopped mid-step toward the door and flopped down onto the nearby sofa instead.
"Miss Future Eighth-ranked, you should get some rest too. I'll keep watch," Yoshikawa offered with a gentle smile.
"Understood," Sonoko replied flatly—her tone gave nothing away.
Outside, the sky had grown pitch black. Sonoko sat silently on a bench in the lab, lost in thought.
Accelerator had already drifted off. The heat radiating from his body matched the natural thermal pattern of someone in deep sleep, which eased her mind—just a little. Still, she kept her guard up.
Eventually, she rose from the bench and began pacing absentmindedly, phone in hand, clearly torn.
But she didn't dawdle long—this wasn't the time or place to lose focus. Soon enough, she dialed the dorm supervisor's office at Tokiwadai.
"Hello, Tokiwadai Dormitory," came the familiar, calm yet assertive voice on the other end.
"Good evening, Dorm Supervisor. This is Natsume Sonoko. There's something I need to tell you…"
After a few seconds of silence, Sonoko finally mustered the courage to speak.
"So you're doing pre-Level 5 special training and won't be back tonight? Do you even have school authorization for that?"
"I will," Sonoko answered, her voice tinged with guilt.
"Be in my office by tomorrow afternoon to sort out the paperwork—or face disciplinary action," the Dorm Supervisor said without mercy.
"Don't worry. I'll handle everything tomorrow," Sonoko promised.
Once she hung up, her expression lightened.
"At least I won't get in trouble for staying out… but I'm starving."
She rubbed her stomach, her face twisting into a pained grimace. Her eyes drifted toward the half-eaten curry bento Yoshikawa had left behind.
That night, Natsume Sonoko went to bed with an empty stomach.
Her mind had waged a war of conflicting thoughts—and in the end, she still didn't touch the bento.
Who knew what she was hesitating over? Middle schooler pride really was a pointless thing.
Time crept on. Yoshikawa finished setting up her programs, but exhaustion soon overtook her, and she curled up on a makeshift bed on the lab floor, fast asleep.
Only Sonoko remained awake, wide-eyed and locked in a silent battle with the air itself.
"I can't sleep. I have to keep watch over little Misaka."
Paranoid as ever, Sonoko kept scanning the room, dutifully guarding Last Order. But hunger and fatigue wore her down, and before long, she stifled a yawn behind her hand.
"Just close my eyes for a bit… I've still got the radar map running," she reasoned to herself.
People always overestimate their own willpower—and sometimes, the body decides for them.
An hour later, without even realizing it, Sonoko had dozed off on the bench. Her invisibility flickered out not long after she fell asleep.
When she woke the next morning, a thin blanket was draped over her, and she was sprawled awkwardly across the bench.
Oblivious to the blanket, she sat up dazedly, her movements automatic—brush teeth, wash face, change into uniform, head to the cafeteria for breakfast—just like any other day.
Except… why was her stomach growling so fiercely? Her foggy brain wondered.
"Good morning," came a pleasant female voice from nearby.
"Good morning," Sonoko mumbled sleepily in reply.
But the moment the words left her lips, she jolted upright, her drowsiness vanishing instantly as her thoughts snapped into place.
"This is the lab! And Accelerator's here too!"
She yelped in alarm—utterly unladylike—and vanished into thin air, cloaking herself once more.
"Sonoko, where are you? Misaka Misaka asks," called Last Order, wrapped in her gray blanket, stumbling over from the corner of the lab.
But she saw no one, and her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked around.
By now, Last Order's first cellular adjustment should've been complete.
"Tch. You wake up and immediately go invisible again? If I wanted to do anything to you, you'd already be dead," Accelerator grumbled from behind Last Order, his voice edged with threat as he addressed the empty air.
Eighth-ranked, your hostility is so blatant it's infuriating.
Recent events had left them both thoroughly annoyed with each other—though, thankfully, they were holding back.
"That's no good! Sonoko is my friend, Misaka Misaka says sternly, pretending to be a grown-up," Last Order declared, grabbing Accelerator's hand with surprising seriousness.
"You little—ah, forget it."
Accelerator's expression softened just slightly. He glanced dismissively at the thick layer of ice already formed on the ceiling. With a light stomp, the ice shattered into a flurry of snowflakes that drifted gently through the lab.
"It's snowing! Misaka Misaka's never seen real snow before! Misaka Misaka exclaims happily," Last Order beamed, hopping around the room in delight.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.