Like a bubble bursting, the illusory buildings of light and shadow instantly vanished into nothingness. Even the glow from the streetlights seemed to brighten a little.
The abandoned apartment complex finally revealed its true form: collapsed walls, load-bearing pillars stripped bare to their steel reinforcement, and strewn across the ground, criminals fallen into unconsciousness.
The stun gun borrowed from Juufuku Miho-san had proven more durable than expected. Even after so many uses, it still showed nearly one bar of charge remaining.
Walking over to where Awaki Musujime lay collapsed, Natsume Sonoko picked up the case containing the remains of the Tree Diagram.
A closer inspection revealed a shipping label attached to it, along with the emblem of District 23.
The destination on the label was inside School Garden, a place called 'Auxiliary Calculation Facilities—though Natsume-san had never heard of such a place within School Garden.
And then there was District 23. So this thing really did fall from space, huh?
Natsume-san stood quietly, lost in thought, while the gazes of every single illusion simultaneously turned towards the case.
"If I didn't speak up, were you just going to keep pretending you couldn't see me?"
His hair was even paler than the bleak moonlight, and his skin carried a strange, almost translucent quality—a side effect of perpetually reflecting light.
Due to the lack of pigment in his irises, even his eyes faintly reflected a reddish glow from the blood within.
Standing at a gap on the second floor of one of the apartments, Accelerator's face betrayed no particular expression as he looked down upon the chaotic scene below.
Though he hadn't made a move, a strange, oppressive atmosphere emanated from him.
The pressure brought by the #1 Level 5 in Academy City was like casually walking down the street only to come face-to-face with a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus rex.
This made a certain Natsume-san, who had been deliberately playing dumb, unconsciously tighten her grip on the stun gun and retreat back into the cover of the shadows.
'I'm not staying up in the sky this time. If I run on the ground, I should be able to shake him off, right?'
But then, thinking it over, right now she didn't really have any reason to fight that white-haired guy.
Natsume-san's fundamental impression of Accelerator hadn't changed; she still disliked him as much as ever, even if his relationship with the Sisters had improved considerably.
Once Natsume-san decided something in her head, it was usually hard to change her mind.
However, for things that were neither here nor there, she wasn't quite so stubborn.
"I could see these light-and-shadow tricks of yours from a mile away. Same as before, you still like playing these little games. Right, #8?"
A slight smirk tugged at Accelerator's lips, his face taking on a reminiscent look, completely ignoring the wary expressions that had simultaneously appeared on the faces of the hundreds of Natsume Sonokos.
"And whatever opinion you're holding about me in that head of yours right now, I don't have time for it. While I still have some patience left, you'd better stop staring with those boring looks."
"For once, I actually took a request from that brat, so I'm out here handling some business."
Accelerator's stern expression relaxed slightly, and he scratched his head irritably, as if he couldn't quite understand why he had agreed to such a thing.
"Last Order?" Natsume-san muttered under her breath, thinking of that younger, smaller version of the Misaka Sisters.
So the Sisters know about the remains of the Tree Diagram too.
Before she could ponder further, a violent circle of air erupted outwards from Accelerator's feet, scattering the surrounding illusions into disarray.
Whether it was mirages or eerie mists, they were almost useless against Accelerator.
Her eyes widening slightly, all the illusions turned their heads in unison to look at the spot where Accelerator had landed, while the real Natsume-san quietly took a few steps backward.
The sudden movement made a certain bun-girl's heart pound 'thump-thump' wildly.
It was clear that Natsume-san had no confidence in replicating her previous performance against him; she didn't feel she had much of a chance facing Accelerator.
However, the white-haired boy's target had been, from start to finish, that case—or more precisely, the remains of the Tree Diagram inside.
The moment Accelerator's hand touched it, the case and its contents instantly disassembled.
Countless fragments floated in mid-air as if gravity had ceased to exist, the intricate components turning to dust in an instant.
Even if these fragments could be repaired, the cost would be no less than building a new one from scratch, effectively rendering them beyond any practical repair.
"See that, #8? The solution is simple. Now, that experiment has no chance of ever restarting."
A villainous grin spread uncontrollably across Accelerator's face.
His shoulders shook slightly as if suppressing some emotion, but he quickly returned to calm.
"I see," Natsume-san replied honestly.
She had considered destroying the case herself, but not as directly and decisively as Accelerator had.
"Tch." A look of boredom flashed across Accelerator's face.
Just then, Accelerator's phone suddenly rang. He answered it, and a lively young girl's voice immediately came through.
"You said you'd only be half an hour! Misaka Misaka pretends to be casual as she calls to check on you!"
"Just stay put at home. The matter here is settled."
A trace of helplessness showed on his face as Accelerator replied with thinly veiled impatience.
He glanced back at the countless Natsume Sonokos scattered everywhere, then, still on the phone, began walking out of the abandoned apartment complex.
Having achieved his objective, he had no further interest in sticking around. Leaving Last Order alone for too long still made him uneasy.
As Accelerator's figure gradually disappeared, Natsume Sonoko, who had been tense the entire time, finally let out a sigh of relief.
But immediately, a sense of severe urgency set in, because lights-out was in just over half an hour.
She obviously couldn't just leave these criminals lying here. Natsume-san took out her phone and began contacting Anti-Skill.
She also gathered up the fragments of the Tree Diagram's remains. She'd have to hand them over to the Anti-Skill teachers later—it wasn't like they were of any use now, anyway.
However, the Anti-Skill team in District 10 seemed particularly busy. It took a long time for them to arrive, making the anxious girl practically dance a tango on the spot.
"Miss, are you the one who reported the incident? Are these individuals the perpetrators of the robbery case in District 7?"
Unlike teachers like Yomikawa-sensei, this time the responding team consisted of tall, burly male Anti-Skill officers.
But shortly after Anti-Skill arrived on the scene, a certain teleporter arrived with them.
As soon as Natsume Sonoko's report call went out, not only did District 10's Anti-Skill get the message, but Uiharu-san on her end was also quickly informed.
--+--
T/N: 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.