One-way traffic

“If these are the friends she knows now, they can’t really be considered true ‘friends’ at all.”

A slight glint flashed in Kagamine Len's eyes.

"Just think about it, even if Miku really wants to make some friends, are the friends she makes really just friends with her?"

"This is the downside of being an idol. Even when it comes to making friends, you might end up with a group of people who are just trying to ride on your idol's fame. Those kinds of friends aren't real friends."

That's it.

If one day you win the lottery and become a millionaire, many people will soon come to find you. These people are either strangers, people you've just met by chance, or even people who have disliked you from the past. Are they really only coming to make friends with you?

They only care about the status of being a millionaire.

What Kagamine Len fears is precisely this.

“If Miku’s status as an idol prevents her from having a single close friend, that would be something I don’t want to see.”

"But things are different now."

His deep blue eyes gradually turned serious.

“If it were you, Yifang-ge, I think Miku-nee truly considers you a real friend, and you wouldn’t have come here simply because she’s an idol.”

"Oh? How can you be so sure?"

"What are you talking about? It's written all over your face."

Kagamine smiled and continued.

"Isn't it clear from how you both view each other that you're in a relationship?"

"Even just looking at the way they are addressed, you can tell enough about the situation."

Accelerator was slightly startled.

Could it be that this kid, who looks only fourteen, has been testing me ever since he started talking to me?

Hey, although it's ridiculous to call these stupid things "testing," he never expected this guy to do something like testing at a time like this.

Is this what idols are?

It's not just about simply standing in front of people; even in private, there are so many things to be mindful of. It seems there's a lot more to the relationship between idols than meets the eye.

This was truly a first for Accelerator.

but.

"...I think you've misunderstood something."

"Huh? There's a mistake?"

The blond boy blinked.

The first one, with white hair, spoke in silence.

"If you think I approached her with the intention of making friends, then you are sorely mistaken."

"To put it another way, if she were to associate with someone like me, she would only end up suffering... If she continued to stay with someone like me, I couldn't guarantee that her life would continue to be peaceful."

"If the goal of making friends is harmony and safety, I think it would be impossible for them to have anything to do with someone like me, right?"

If this were in the original Academy City, some people would say that being friends with Accelerator would be a safe situation.

All those people killed by Accelerator will probably be laughed to death again in hell because of that.

Perhaps, the world of these idols also contains profound depths and unimaginable darkness.

But that's incomparable.

For Accelerator, what he had witnessed was a much deeper, more profound darkness.

Simply put, if you want to make friends for safety reasons, it would be safer to befriend a death row inmate than to befriend someone like Accelerator.

He is the very embodiment of destruction.

To date, almost everyone who has been around him has met a bad end.

Even the little brat he tried so hard to protect, Last Order, has now been in danger countless times.

…If you try to talk to someone like him with the intention of making friends, perhaps in the end, that person will only be swallowed up by the darkness around him, leaving not even bones behind.

The idol industry is indeed a murky place, but the darkness surrounding Accelerator is even deeper.

Staying with someone like him will only lead to an unfortunate fate.

"what are you talking about."

However, all of this only elicited a light laugh from Kagamine Len.

He said this.

"Miku-nee was happy when she mentioned your name, isn't that enough?"

The number one esper in Academy City, a former villain mired in darkness, revealed a slightly different expression.

He stared intently at the still surface of the mocha coffee in front of him.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through, Brother Yifang, but if you’re saying that misfortune will happen to you, then I think you’re just worrying too much.”

"Because when Miku mentioned your name, the smile on her face was a genuinely happy expression."

"Even so, are you able to say things that would make her unhappy?"

The atmosphere gradually became quiet.

Accelerator has only eaten a few bites of food from the beginning until now, and hasn't touched anything else.

He closed his eyes instantly.

Ultimately, why is it that the idol heiress is still willing to stay by his side even now?

Is it just because of the system's compulsive nature? If so, then what she should be expressing is simply dissatisfaction and complaints.

But why?

Why is it that so far, Hatsune Miku has only shown a happy and joyful side to Accelerator?

I don't understand, I really don't understand.

—To this day, apart from his final work, no one in his life has ever felt happy or joyful to be with him.

This is something Accelerator cannot understand.

He was a monster who could cause the end of the world when he was only ten years old.

Children who played with him would have their arms broken due to the reflexes.

The parents who followed were also broken in the process.

In the years that followed, he entered the Special Research Institute, a research institute where he was all alone. No one had any expectations or joy for him, which was to be expected. He was a living calamity that even the Earth feared.

Although he encountered the Last Work and found the person who guided him to see the world of light in his life.

But what about Hatsune Miku?

What was it that made her dare to repeatedly express kindness to him? What was it that made her dare to approach him, this monster capable of destroying everything?

Therefore, he couldn't understand any of this.

"…boring."

The first person clicked his tongue in displeasure and stood up abruptly.

"Aren't you going to finish your food before you leave?"

"I'm not in the mood anymore. I'll come back here to practice shooting again tomorrow."

He left without looking back.

Only Kagamine was left standing there.

"...Oh my, Miku's friend, it seems she has a story to tell."

The blond boy took a sip of his slightly cold mocha and smiled.

"However, he's not a bad person at all."

Chapter 87 The Inner Conflicts of a World-Class Idol

Under the night sky, the city's night view shimmered continuously with the evening breeze.

A white-haired, red-eyed figure stood on the balcony, holding his usual can of black coffee, still with a bitterness that most people couldn't handle.

The coffee is almost finished.

I should go and buy some food by tomorrow morning.

Thinking this, Accelerator casually sipped the bitter, dark brown liquid from his lips.

He didn't try to reflect the wind; the evening breeze gently blew on him, and the moonlight wasn't particularly bright. The entire scene here was only visible thanks to the city lights.

With lights illuminating every home, one can take in the entire magnificent modern city at a glance.

Further ahead lies the city street, with massive buildings standing on one side, beneath which people dressed in modern clothing walk. In the distance, a huge screen atop a building plays promotional clips of VOCALOID's idols.

On nights without sunlight, only the city lights and a little moonlight can illuminate this city, and it is all of this that makes the city full of a lively beauty.

It's such a familiar scene.

I've seen this kind of environment countless times in that Academy City, but unlike there, the environment here is much more harmonious.

Same scenery, different city.

Accelerator has a deep understanding of this.

"Yifang, the food is ready."

A girl with long, light blue hair, dressed in simple clothes, walked up from behind.

She was simply wearing slippers, a white and pink striped shirt, a dark blue skirt, and white and blue stockings.

She definitely qualifies as a stay-at-home girl.

Unfortunately, Accelerator's clothes have almost never changed; it's always the same standard gray and white striped shirt.

It's practically like a label.

"Um, drinking coffee while eating is bad for your health."

"Who do you think you're talking to about this?"

The first person glanced at the other person briefly before walking back into the living room.

Plate after plate of delicious-looking dishes were laid out on the table.

The menu features a mix of meat and vegetables, including a simple tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) with a filling made from a mixture of shrimp paste. Even the miso soup looks delicious.

Hatsune Miku's skills have improved a lot; this is probably what Rem taught her back then.

Accelerator sat down in the chair without any regard for Japanese traditions, such as saying "I'm starting to eat" before eating, and started eating as soon as he picked up his chopsticks.

Having spent so many days with the other person, Hatsune Miku had long since come to understand their lifestyle and could only feel helpless about it.

Hatsune Miku shook her head, put her hands together, and said "I'm starting to eat" before she began to eat.

Mmm... the food tastes amazing!

"That's really great! Experiencing life in another world and then going back to modern life is wonderful!"

"It all seems like it'll just be the same thing, right?"

Accelerator had no interest in such trivial matters. For him, it didn't matter where he lived. With his reflexes, he could sleep peacefully even in the middle of nowhere, because even if World War III broke out, it wouldn't wake him up.

"Seriously, don't ruin the mood like that."

The girl said with some dissatisfaction, but then seemed to remember something.

"Ah, speaking of which, I seem to have something important to do tomorrow night."

"Is he going out to buy food again, like today?"

"No, it's not that! It's something really important!"

Hatsune Miku put down her chopsticks and said with a serious expression.

"It's a live performance! A live performance! They're having a live performance tomorrow night, so one of them..."

"Are you saying you won't be back to cook dinner tonight? Is that all?"