Despite her abilities, Awaki finds herself at a disadvantage as Ritoku is using stolen military weapons including an exo-suit called 'Hard Taping' which gives him incredible speed and strength. After defeating her, Ritoku then confronts Accelerator, using a chaff grenade to interfere with his Misaka Network link. However, Accelerator manages to use a pistol to clear the air and land a shot on him, thanks to Awaki's assistance. After killing Ritoku, Accelerator decides to do some overtime and encounters a drunk Misuzu, who is searching for the Dangai University database center for a report. After sending her off in a taxi, where she exchanges numbers with T?ma, Accelerator is contacted by GROUP's mysterious head, who reveals that they have hired the Skill-Outs to kill Misuzu as she is the Parent-Student representative who are attempting to take their children out of Academy City before the impending war. When they cut off his powers after he refuse to help the Skill-Outs, Accelerator decides to head to Dangai University to rescue Misuzu despite spotting T?ma, who also goes there to save Misuzu after she called him for help. Thanks to Accelerator's unseen aid, T?ma is able to escape with Misuzu from the armed Skill-Outs, only to confront by one of them named Shiage Hamazura. Shiage is desperate to kill to Misuzu as the City's higher-ups will exterminate the Skill-Outs if they fail but T?ma berates Shiage's ideals of trampling over other lives and knocks him out. As T?ma is admitted into hospital, Mizusu admits she came to take Mikoto home, but feels safe knowing there are people like him to protect her. Accelerator later meets with the rest of GROUP who reveals the kill order on Misuzu has been canceled and the four of them decides to work together so they may one day take on the higher-ups. As each of the characters spend the night in their own ways, Hy?ka and Index visit the injured T?ma.