One-way traffic

"Misaka wants a hamburger steak! Misaka Misaka happily begs Yomikawa to add a delicious steak to her plate!"

"Wow, I just ate a ton of snacks and I'm still so energetic. I have such a good appetite."

"That's how kids are, and maybe it's because the younger girls' bodies really need nutrition?"

"That being said, she really ate a lot... Kikyo, you eat a lot too, don't you?"

"Hmm... I don't need to lose weight recently, is there anything wrong with that?"

"That's right! Misaka has a very sincere attitude towards food! After hearing what Yomikawa said, Misaka couldn't help but praise your cooking again!"

The people in front of me seemed to be getting along very well.

However, this situation made Hatsune Miku even more unbearable.

"…that."

After a long while, the girl finally spoke.

"Is this... really okay?"

Because of her, the others couldn't help but turn their gaze in her direction.

This caused Hatsune Miku's face to show an even more complex expression.

"Yifang, he still hasn't returned, and he probably won't be back for the next few days either... Is this situation really okay...?"

"Yes, that's true, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Kikyo Yoshikawa shook her head and took a sip of the hot coffee that had been prepared.

"That child has always had something he wanted to do. Although we don't know exactly what it was for, it must have been something he was striving for for us."

"If possible, I really don't want that kid to get involved in that kind of thing again."

Yomi Kawa Aiho sighed.

"But there's nothing we can do. Who can stop him? It's his own decision. No matter what, he'll still choose to go to a place unknown to any of us and fight alone."

"He's really a terrible person," Misaka Misaka couldn't help but express her dissatisfaction with that person, but at the same time, she couldn't hide her longing for him.

That's true.

The people present were all close to Accelerator, like family to him. Their anxiety and anticipation for him were no less than his own.

I'm the same way.

No matter how many unknown worlds they have experienced, no matter how powerful they have become, for Hatsune Miku, simply sending that person to an unknown place is enough to cause her unparalleled anxiety and worry.

How strange.

I've never experienced this feeling before in my life, which has never gone through any of this. What exactly is this feeling?

"Oh dear, someone's knocking on the door. My package must have arrived?"

"You bought random things again..."

The more Hatsune Miku thought about it, the less she could calm herself down. If she continued like this, she would probably fall into another sleepless night.

Honestly... that person has made a mess of my mind, it feels so strange...

"What nonsense are you thinking now?"

"…Eh?"

She looked up and saw this scene before her.

Accelerator stood beside her, staring at her with a completely bewildered expression.

"Eh? Eh? One, one side?!"

"Hey, little Hatsune, you don't even recognize him anymore?"

Aiho Yomi couldn't help but laugh, while also supporting Accelerator with her shoulder.

"What's wrong with you? How could you make the people closest to you so surprised by your appearance?"

"Stop talking nonsense, you idiot."

He spoke without any hesitation, then walked into the kitchen, took out a can of coffee, and started drinking it.

Hatsune Miku stared at him, almost dumbfounded.

"The bastard on the other end of the phone told me that there won't be any missions waiting for us for a while, so we can relax a bit."

"So, that means—?"

Thinking about this, Hatsune Miku finally understood what the situation was all about.

"You think I'll never come back to this place?"

With an expression that suggested he was looking at an idiot, Accelerator spoke to her directly.

"Even presidents who work abroad have the opportunity to return home. Use your brain a little."

In that instant, an indescribable feeling of emotion filled the girl's heart.

She gazed at the person before her, wanting to say something, but in the end, she could only nod deeply.

"...Welcome back."

Hearing that sincere and gentle voice, Accelerator couldn't help but purse his lips.

"Ah! Is there something wrong between you two?! Misaka Misaka can't help but start paying attention to the physical and mental state between Hatsune Miku and you!"

"Eh?!"

"Stop joking, you brat, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Well, it's a rare opportunity for everyone to get together, so let's have a good meal today. Come on, sit down quickly, I made some really delicious hamburger patties!"

"Don't you ever get tired of eating this stuff...?"

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

And so, life returned to Accelerator's side as usual.

After concluding a situational mission akin to a battle in the shadows, the higher-ups of "The Group" arranged their subsequent schedules via telephone, seemingly indicating that they were not required to complete any further tasks.

"Even you all need to take a break. If we exhaust you, who are important subordinates, it will be very difficult for us."

Hearing the man on the phone say such things, Accelerator just found it ridiculous. Nevertheless, he was still given a few days off, which was like a vacation.

and so.

"What did you say?"

After a long-awaited dinner together, he looked at Yomi Kawa Aiho with some surprise.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"So, it's the recreational bathhouse in the 22nd school district."

Aiho Yomikawa raised a finger and said it in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You've been spending so much time in dangerous places, you must be exhausted both mentally and physically. You need a hot spring trip to heal your mind and body. Yeah, that's it."

"Don't make decisions for me, you stupid woman."

For Accelerator, there is no way he could be physically or mentally fatigued. He has absolute reflexes, and even if a plague virus breaks out all over the world, it cannot threaten him.

Naturally, this was just an excuse for Yomikawa Aiho to take him to that hot spring-like place.

"Speaking of which, isn't this your vacation period? In that case, it's okay for you to go out and have some fun."

"So you're going to go to such an incredibly stupid place? That's hopeless."

That's what they say, but Accelerator doesn't seem to be planning to refuse.

Compared to the past, she has really become much more tactful.

"Then it's settled. Let's get ready in ten minutes and head over there to soak in the hot springs together!"

"They call it a hot spring, but it's just a chemically produced chemotherapy solution, which is basically a bath salt."

"...Don't be such a spoilsport. It's like how most people know that divination is meaningless, but they still want to give it a try. That's the thing."

Seeing Yomi Kawa Aiho's unwavering conviction, even Accelerator couldn't say anything.

He casually sat on the sofa, gazing at the increasingly deep city night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The recreational bathhouse in the 22nd school district... is that the place called Super Recreation Center Antai Spring?

No longer caring about Accelerator's thoughts, Yomi Kawa Aiho stood up directly.

"Then it's settled. Everyone get ready, and then let's go soak in the hot springs!"

"Whoa! Misaka is really looking forward to the hot springs!" Misaka exclaimed loudly, expressing her curiosity about the hot springs.

"Yeah...that's true, I feel really tired from work lately."

"What kind of job do you even have?"

However, one person paid no attention to the argument between Yomikawa Aiho and Yoshikawa Kikyo, nor did he pay attention to the noise of Last Order.

That was the twin-tailed girl standing on the other side.

"Take a, soak in the hot spring...?"

In an instant, all sorts of thoughts rushed into Hatsune Miku's mind.

"Could it be some kind of mixed-gender bathing place..."

"what?"

"No, no, no! There's nothing left!"

Seeing Accelerator suddenly approach her with a puzzled expression, Hatsune Miku's cheeks turned bright red, and she shook her hands rapidly, her twin tails swinging wildly like scallions.

baffling.

Accelerator scratched his head and finally had no choice but to compromise.

"Seriously... this is the last time, damn it."

Chapter 205 The Invaders of Academy City

That's the sound of a sports car driving.

Unlike other vehicles on the road, the high-end-looking sports car sped away at an extreme speed that other vehicles could not keep up with.

If desired, this car could instantly surpass the speed of the world's fastest sports car, or even reach the speed of a supersonic aircraft.

"Wow, that's amazing! I never knew you had such a nice car!"

"I never would have imagined that someone like you would buy a car like this. Did you buy it on loan?"

"He's one of the celebrities in Academy City, how could he not even afford a car?"

"Yeah, that's true."

Sitting in the vehicle named Nathos were Yomi Kawa Aiho and others.

Yomikawa Aiho and Yoshikawa Kikyo sat directly in the back seat, with Last Order's figure sandwiched between them.

Hatsune Miku habitually sits in the passenger seat, while Accelerator himself is in charge of driving.

"Speaking of which, do you even have a driver's license?"

"If you didn't have it, why were you planning to arrest me?"

"Hey, stop using such a threatening tone!"

Sitting in the back seat, Aiho Yomikawa couldn't help but tease, while Kikyo Yoshikawa was in charge of explaining the car to Last Order. She seemed very excited to be able to ride in this next-generation sports car.

Although Kikyo Yoshikawa didn't know exactly what functions the car had.

"That's the kind of place we're going to? How boring."

"So you need to relax and stop being so tense."

For Yomikawa Aiho, the most important thing is to let Accelerator have a good experience of relaxing in a hot spring.

But this wasn't an important thing for him personally.

"…that."

Then, the girl sitting next to him spoke up.