One-way traffic

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The three of them took the elevator all the way to the top floor.

The restaurant on this floor is very large and spacious, but you can hardly see anyone there, since very few people come here to eat.

This isn't a fast food restaurant that high school students can just casually visit after school.

"Mr. Kaito, where would you like to be seated?"

"A secluded spot, preferably by the window, so I can enjoy the view while I eat."

"Okay, please come this way."

The waitress led the way, and the three of them followed behind her.

The first person following behind couldn't help but purse their lips.

"Is it really necessary to make it this extravagant?"

"It's rare for the three of us to meet, so treating you to a nice meal would be a good idea."

"In my opinion, it's superfluous, and this place is too high-class."

"That's true, but the sports car you were driving just now is definitely not something an ordinary person could drive. And I'm quite surprised that you got your driver's license at such a young age."

"...Just say whatever you want."

The three of them sat together in a corner near the window.

Even the seating was made of fine animal fur, and each table was set with very expensive red wine. It looked like the kind of place where the US president entertains guests.

Kaito sat opposite him, while Accelerator and Hatsune Miku sat opposite him.

"This seat is really cramped."

"Oh dear, this is a place I carefully selected. It's perfect for enjoying the view. Or perhaps, you don't actually want to have lunch with Miku?"

This kid did it on purpose, didn't he?

Clearly, Hatsune Miku, sitting to the side, glanced at Accelerator with some concern, which made him click his tongue and stop talking.

Barely suppressing the urge to criticize him, Accelerator casually crossed his legs and unzipped the white winter coat he was wearing.

So, what exactly happened?

"Yeah, Kaito, you said you were in that building last night. You weren't attacked too, were you...?"

"It's okay, there's nothing to worry about."

After saying something reassuring, Kaito picked up his wine glass, and a waiter poured red wine for the three of them.

"I had already escaped the building for almost five minutes when it exploded. The other idols and staff were not inside that night either. The explosion seemed to have only affected the interior of the building and was not very powerful, so there were no casualties."

"However, the police haven't finished investigating some of the abrupt relationships yet."

"Um, Kaito-nii, do you know how this explosion was caused... Ah, thank you! But I still prefer juice, could you please change it...?"

"I'm not entirely sure of the reason, but it certainly wasn't a coincidence."

After Hatsune Miku said this to the waitress next to her, Kaito picked up his glass and took a small sip.

Accelerator quickly guessed the answer.

"Terrorist attack?"

"That's right. According to the surveillance footage we found near the road, it seems that a group of very strange terrorists attacked that building."

"Why...? Why would you do such a thing?"

"Well, a terrorist, if you can figure out his motives and reasons, he's not a terrorist."

"That's so unfair..."

They don't even understand the reason. In the end, even if there is a reason, blowing up the whole building for that purpose is just too much.

Kaito smiled; he had already figured out what Hatsune Miku was thinking.

"How kind you are, Miku, but you must remember that not everyone in this world is as kind as the people around you."

"Pretty much, there will always be plenty of tasteless scum."

Accelerator also agrees with this point.

This has almost become a rule. No matter where you are, there will always be a group of trashy guys who are like rats in the sewers. These people are like thugs, and trying to understand their thought process will only lower your IQ.

"No matter where you are, there will be such trash. They just twist their thoughts and try to hurt others for some reason. Their taste is only at this level of garbage."

“I agree completely, Mr. Yifang is right.”

"Ugh, I... I understand."

Hatsune Miku could only nod, but her face still showed a hint of incomprehension.

After all, she's a young lady who lives in a gentle world; she could never possibly understand the ideas of a dark-side guy.

The dishes the waiter ordered arrived quickly.

Kaito simply chose the same dishes for them. Although it was such a high-class restaurant, they were eating... hamburgers?

And it's a really, really big hamburger.

"Uh, well, Kaito-nii..."

Looking at the two hamburgers in front of her, which she might not even be able to finish, Hatsune Miku was at a loss for words.

"This, is it, is it a bit...?"

"Hmm? Is it too big? That's alright."

Kaito then laughed.

"Look, I ordered this specifically for the two of you, so why don't you let Yifang-kun eat with you?"

"Eh? Eh?!"

The girl once again showed an expression of utter astonishment, while Accelerator couldn't help but sigh.

This guy probably already anticipated this kind of boring thing.

Kaito couldn't help but smile and ate the last bite of the hamburger patty in front of him.

then.

"Telephone?"

His phone rang, and he picked it up and glanced at the contacts.

From that moment on, Accelerator noticed that the other person's eyes had changed.

"...Sorry, I have something to take care of."

"Huh? Now?"

"But you don't need to worry. As I said, this meal is on me, so you can continue eating here."

Kaito acted decisively; he placed his knife and fork on the plate, got up, and walked out.

"You guys should get some rest these next few days. That's all for now, see you later, Miku and Yifang-kun~"

"Kaito-nii!..."

Before Hatsune Miku could finish speaking, Kaito had already left and headed towards the restaurant's elevator.

They seem to be in a hurry... What are they planning to do?

Similarly, all of this was also observed by Accelerator, who was sitting on the inside of the seat.

This is probably not a simple matter... but he doesn't have time to worry about that right now.

Considering that he would be leaving this world for a new one tonight, Accelerator decided not to get involved.

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As mentioned before, it was already evening.

That's what they say, but for Kaito, it makes no difference whether it's day or night.

He was standing inside a building where the lights were off and there was no one else around.

No.

Soon other people arrived.

"How's the collection going?"

"As you wish."

"That's fine."

A black-haired man with distinctive clothing and sunglasses walked up.

He was holding a briefcase, which he opened and took out a laptop.

The two sat down together at a desk, turned on the lights, and started watching on the computer.

It mainly contains surveillance footage.

However, it's not limited to just their city.

"This is based on information I gathered from around the world. I discovered that similar things have happened not only in Japan, but also in other places."

Something similar to what happened yesterday, where a building was bombed.

If you look closely, you'll find that most of the videos feature people wearing red bodysuits who act in a very strange or even eerie way.

Some of them committed innocent killings, some did things of incomprehensible significance, and others carried out senseless building demolitions, just like what happened at the VOCALOID building yesterday.

But that's not the point.

At a certain point in the recording, Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"pause."

The man immediately stopped and adjusted the frame rate to where Kaito needed to see it.

right here.

In the image, there is a shadow that is thinner than anyone else's.

A girl dressed in a gorgeous kimono, with long, straight black hair and a samurai sword at her waist.

"There's no mistake, it's her."

"Is this the woman Lord Kaito is looking for?"

"That's true, but I don't think it will be easy to find her."

Kaito once told Accelerator that his past wasn't exactly glamorous.

This doesn't mean that Kaito's early life was uneventful; it refers to something else entirely.

That's because he's become involved with things related to the dark side.

The same is true now.

The person responsible for helping him find information and calling him during the day was the man in front of him.

They used some shady methods to carry out this operation in the shadows of the world, and ultimately obtained this information that no one else knew about.

Kaito raised his right arm and pulled open his sleeve, revealing a mark extending from the inside.

The knife wound landed directly on his arm.

The fact that no one was injured seems to be the result of him deceiving Hatsune Miku.

“Last night, I sensed something was wrong while I was working in the building, and then I ran into that guy.”

That black-haired woman who looks exactly like the one on screen.

“If it were Lord Kaito, with your martial arts skills, you should be able to easily deal with this girl. She looks to be only sixteen years old.”

"Idiot, how can age be a measure of strength?"

He spoke in a tone that Kaito would never normally use, pursed his lips, and looked at the girl on the screen.

That's right, she broke into the building yesterday, and it was during the fight that she injured herself with her knife.

He had already made a note of that woman of unknown origin.