August 31 8:53 PM.
Amai collapsed onto the ground.
He shook his head to recover his vision that was flickering out all of a sudden, before finally recovering. It seemed like he had passed out, but Amai didn't know how long he had been passed out for, a few seconds, a few minutes or many minutes.
A woman in a white lab coat was standing in front of him.
Yoshikawa Kikyou.
Her back was facing Amai as her antique car's trunk was open. She seemed to be operating on some machine. There was a device in the car that Amai was extremely familiar with. It was an incubator.
(Ugh...)
Amai twisted his trembling neck and turned to look at his own car. Last Order, who had been in the passenger seat, was long gone. It seemed like she had been placed in the cylindrical incubator, but his view was blocked by Yoshikawa who was working, so Amai couldn't tell.
He tried to stand up, but his body couldn't follow what he wanted. He tried raising the Italian military pistol with a trembling hand.
At that moment, Yoshikawa turned around.
The work seemed to be over as she closed the trunk, and aimed her pistol at Amai. Yoshikawa seemed to be smiling, as she raised her pistol and slowly walked towards Amai.
"I'm sorry, it seems like I'm too naive. Not kind, but naive. I didn't have the guts to shoot at your vitals, but I didn't dare to let you escape. I ended up increasing your pain. Perhaps this naive method was the most cruel choice."
"How did you, find me here...?"
"The GPS function of the cell phone. It's quite the old technology, isn't it? Haven't you realized it? That child's phone is still on the line."
Yoshikawa stared at Accelerator with a motherly look and said,
"I could roughly hear what happened around here through the phone. But at least there's no commotion 'outside'."
Amai's hand was trembling even more. The numbness spread to his fingers as if he had buried his hand in snow for a long time. The finger that was on the trigger continued to tremble, and the metal parts of the pistol could be heard rattling against each other lightly.
"Ah, don't worry about that child. I know of a doctor who's really good. Though that doctor looks like a frog and doesn't look to be really amazing, but he has the nickname 'Heaven Canceller', and I believe that he can cure that child."
The sound of an ambulance from afar was becoming closer. Maybe she had called for an ambulance before she shot, and even designated the hospital.
Yoshikawa looked at the pistol that could fire at anytime, not stopping as she walked forward.
It seemed like she practically ignored her own safety.
She had come there to protect these children. Ever since the 'experiment' had failed, everyone wanted to push the responsibility to others, but she seemed to have forgotten about protecting herself. Facing the pistol that could fire at anytime, she didn't feel fear at all. She had only one goal, and that was to return the children that were involved in the 'experiment' to the world they should be in.
Was it really just being naive? Couldn't this be considered kindness?
"...Why?"
Amai squeezed his voice out,
"I don't understand. This isn't like you. You can't possibly do this. You always measure up the probability of chance and risks. Is the chance presented by this act enough to topple that balance in your heart?"
"If I have to answer, I'll say that I hate to use this method of thought. I don't want to see myself succeed like this. But ever since I was little, I've had a wish. Even if it's just once, I just wanted to do something really kind and not just naive."
Yoshikawa Kikyou gave a lonely smile as she walked forward.
Both of them were less than 3m apart from each other.
"Actually, I never wanted to be a researcher."
Yoshikawa added on, mocking herself,
"Unbelievable, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Amai Ao was extremely surprised, for he knew that Yoshikawa was really talented.
"I wanted to be a school teacher. But I didn't want to have that kind of inflexible position of being a lecturer or a professor. I wanted to remember every single student's face, and for every student to come to me if they had any problems. I wanted to run around for a student, not asking for any favors in return. To always smile and act strong, yet cry out loud during a graduation ceremony and get ridiculed by my students. I just wanted to be a kind teacher. Of course, I understand that someone naive yet unkind like me has no right to teach others anything, so I've already given up on that."
Yoshikawa smiled.
Both of them were only 1m away. At that moment, Yoshikawa knelt on one leg. She wanted to make herself reach Amai's level, who was sitting down on the ground, making sure that their eyes were at the same height, as if she was talking to a child.
"However, I thought, I won't be able to give it up completely. Just once, I want to do something really kind, and not just naive. Like a teacher, I want to run about for a child."
Yoshikawa said firmly,
"That's simply it."
Both of their pistols were pressed at each other's chest.
Actually, she knew that Accelerator was unable to return to the ordinary world. The fact that he had killed 10,000 Sisters remained, and that may not have been all there was to it. Although he had tremendous power, the wielder of that power had an unstable heart. If he was not careful, he could end up causing much more damage to humanity.
But Yoshikawa Kikyou still earnestly prayed.
The strongest esper whose real name no one remembered bet his own life to save a girl, and was even willing to take a bullet to the head. The boy knew that he wouldn't be able to live together with that girl, knowing that that girl who was living under the sunlight wouldn't have any reason to be with him, but he never gave up. No matter what, the boy wouldn't give the girl up. Until the end, the boy chose the kind option, and not to protect himself.
He knew that it was too late, but the boy had finally realized that he could have a choice.
The boy understood the significance of protecting others with his own hands.
Yoshikawa wanted to protect that kindness in the boy's heart.
Yoshikawa was unable to accept that the results of that kind action would be such a cruel ending.
"It's over, Amai Ao."
The two people put their fingers on the triggers of the pistols that were pressed onto each other's chest.
"You should be afraid of dying alone. If you want to drag someone down, bring me along. No matter what, I won't allow you to do anything to those children. This is my once in a lifetime request of kindness."
"Humph."
Amai chuckled.
Since Academy City and the opposing force wouldn't accept him, he had no hope for the future.
"It seems like 'kindness' doesn't fit you."
He happily muttered. The force of their fingers were exerted on the triggers.
"Right now, you can be called 'strong'."
The two shots hit each other's chest.
The bullets pierced through their bodies and flew out from Amai and Yoshikawa's backs.
August 31 8:57 PM.
END