One-way traffic

"—You sang quite well."

thump.

The sound of a heartbeat instantly reached the girl's mind and echoed continuously.

She blinked blankly, a dreamlike expression on her face.

That would be completely out of character for Accelerator; she simply didn't believe he could say something like that.

But that is the truth.

That first villain, with his excessive self-awareness, is now uttering these words in his own mind.

Even though it was something very unbecoming of his status, he still spoke up and said it without hesitation.

The people around watched all this, and Kaito and Meiko, in particular, chuckled softly.

"Cough cough."

"—Whoa?!"

The twin-tailed girl in front of him immediately snapped out of her daze. Her cheeks were completely flushed red, and even her hands were trembling slightly.

Only then did he realize how misleading this occasion was, especially in front of his most important friends.

Hatsune Miku's heart started pounding in her chest.

"I'm going to change my clothes—!!!"

"Miku-nee!"

Even though Rin Kagamine shouted loudly, Hatsune Miku still pushed open the door and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

The blonde girl stood there, smiling and shaking her head.

"Hmm~ Something's not right, is it? Kaito, Meiko?"

"No matter what, we are the elders. It's easy to see that, isn't it?"

The two exchanged a light laugh and then looked in the direction of One Piece.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yifang-kun. Although it may seem very confusing to you, we have basically figured out the cause and effect of all this."

"I'm still completely baffled. And to be honest, what on earth is that woman doing?"

Well, that's basically it~

"You're just making this up. Don't try to change the subject."

The first person clicked his tongue in displeasure and, in that atmosphere, leaned against the wall on his own.

But ultimately...

He himself had absolutely no idea what Hatsune Miku was thinking.

He couldn't even understand what he was thinking.

He knows at least a little bit.

That idol heiress wasn't just a pretty face; she showed Accelerator in her own way that she was also working hard.

He's not the only one working hard.

Hatsune Miku, too, took the system's tasks seriously and worked hard to avoid holding anyone back.

Knowing this is enough.

This reality completely shattered Accelerator's naive view of Hatsune Miku.

That's how the first person thought about it.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he, representing all malice, closed his eyes and whispered to himself.

"...This is really outrageous."

—

At night, the two walked together on a crowded street.

Although they could have taken a car back, Hatsune Miku wanted to enjoy the feeling of walking together, and Accelerator also wanted to get some fresh air, so the two of them didn't choose to take a car back.

White and azure, two shadows stretched across the street like a dividing line between worlds.

Accelerator casually put his hands in his pockets.

He completely ignored the crowd around him and the beauty of the bustling city night scene, as if he wanted to isolate himself from the world. He lowered his head slightly and stared at the ground he had walked on, thinking about something.

The girl next to him, on the other hand, seemed very happy.

Wearing the costume she had already changed into, the girl waved her arms around and hopped around, looking like a little white rabbit by the roadside.

She was humming a very melodious song.

Are you in such a good mood?

Yes~

She ran forward a few steps with a grin, and stopped in front of Accelerator.

Hatsune Miku leaned forward slightly, her face full of joyful smiles.

"The live show was a great success, everyone was very happy, and you came to watch it too!"

"Tch, they only came along because they were bored. It's much better than just being cooped up in the house, right?"

"Everyone knows everything, so there's no need to deny it."

"Hey, listen to what other people are saying... Damn young lady."

Hatsune Miku ran forward again, leaving Accelerator alone walking slowly in place.

Young men and women were everywhere on the streets and roadsides, some on dates, others planning to have dinner together, all of which added a lot of color to the beautiful city night scene.

But Accelerator didn't care about any of that.

The first one with white hair was always walking slowly, muttering to himself.

He was well aware of this kind of thing.

This place should never have been where Accelerator was from the beginning. The beautiful night view and city, the happy couples around him, and the idol heiress surrounding him.

None of this should belong to the world he lives in.

He knew perfectly well that he wasn't suited to do this kind of thing.

even so.

"...What am I even thinking about?"

What reason does he have to stand in such a world?

He should be grateful to some bastard god who is nowhere to be found for even being able to eat, wear clothes, and live a normal life.

After all, it was him, a bastard who slaughtered nearly ten thousand people.

The blood on his hands is even more than that; more than 10,000 people is just a simple number. In reality, the blood debts he owes are countless.

He also couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be stained with new blood in the future.

In his view, he was like a lion appearing among a group of cute kittens; he himself was a huge incongruity in this world.

In this bright world, Accelerator's existence is out of place.

Having done such a thing, he should have been plunged into an even darker world, a world that belonged to this monster, to this villain.

But why?

Why is he able to accept all of this without being moved?

I can't understand the reason at all, and I don't understand the cause at all.

"So, something has changed about me after all?"

Accelerator has a strong ability to navigate social situations. Whether in the Dark Side or in other research institutes, he has seen far too many people and can easily see through their minds.

But he just couldn't see through his own heart.

He couldn't understand why he was willing to stay in this gentle haven. He should be a malicious monster created by that Academy City, a villain living in a dark world far removed from this place.

Has something changed? Or is it that—

What am I really longing for...?

Is it a search for redemption? Or is it just a simple case of being stubborn?

Can't understand.

He sighed deeply, and when he looked up, the figure before him was back in front of him.

The other person reached out and stuffed the snack, which emitted a unique aroma, into their arms.

"Here you go, it's a croquette!"

"...Why did you suddenly decide to buy this?"

"Everyone who passes by here loves the croquette stand, and you, Yifang, love meat, right? Then you definitely can't miss it!"

Hatsune Miku took a small bite of the steaming hot croquette, chewing it slowly while smiling happily.

"It's delicious! Come on, try some!"

The first person grabbed a croquette from his pocket with one hand, frowned, and took a bite.

…It tastes really good.

After using his superpower to change direction and transfer all the excessively hot temperature, he took another bite and nodded in satisfaction.

"Just so-so."

"Eh~ is that all?"

"It's considered pretty good by most people, but I've eaten things that are far superior to this stuff."

"What? Ah, first of all, I'm guessing it's definitely a meat dish!"

"I think I ate it when I was out with that kid... He insisted on dragging me to a restaurant, and the steak we ordered turned out to be pretty good, which was a pleasant surprise."

"That brat... so that's the person you've always cared about, Accelerator? She sounds like a little girl."

"Stop arguing, it's none of your business."

"Just tell them! We live together, after all, it's okay to tell them!"

"Don't suddenly say anything attention-grabbing!"

Ignoring the crowd that had glanced at them because of Hatsune Miku's words, Accelerator shook his head unhappily and quickly left with the girl beside him without looking back.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Two days passed quickly.

For the past two days, Accelerator has been helping Hatsune Miku practice the power of the outfit called Magical Miku.

Fortunately, Hatsune Miku had already mastered the various aspects of the outfit on her own beforehand, so he only needed to give her a simple lesson.

Two days passed by in the midst of simple practice.

"It's that time of year again."

Just before midnight, both of them were standing in the living room.

Accelerator calmly opened the system menu. There was only one minute left.

"Everything is ready, right?"

"Hmm, food and clothes, and ice cream and drinks—"

"Who asked you that?"

The first person standing next to Hatsune Miku curled his lip, realizing he shouldn't have asked this guy such a question.

He simply raised his hand and grabbed Hatsune Miku's hand in front of him.

"wait--?!"

"In order for the two of them to teleport successfully, they need to be as close together as possible—or do you think I want to do something so pointless?"

Accelerator's face remained completely calm, even though Hatsune Miku in front of him was completely flustered, he remained unmoved.