One-way traffic

"Damn it...is there really no other way?!"

Takibayashi gritted his teeth; he was unwilling to accept that everything would end like this.

It wasn't the impending death that made them resentful, but rather the fact that after all the hard work they had put in to defeat the final enemy, it was all for naught because of this.

The three of them barely managed to survive.

How could it be that all of this would be ruined because of something so baseless!

"Mr. Takibayashi!"

Under Hatsune Miku's astonished gaze, Takibayashi walked step by step into the heart of the storm.

But that's meaningless.

Even though he had only advanced a few meters, an unseen force instantly pushed Takibayashi to the ground, leaving him with no way to continue.

Wounds instantly covered his body, but he successfully recovered using his special abilities. However, soon, even more wounds broke out on his body.

If this continues, they will all meet their end here.

but.

"Hatsune, chan..."

Unable to get up from the ground, Takibayashi, pressed down by the terrifying force, barely managed to glance at Hatsune Miku to the side.

He said in a panic.

"If so, you... might be able to bring one side back!"

"Huh? Me, me?!"

The girl was immediately startled; she had never imagined such a thing would happen.

Takibayashi continued.

"Your voice! Your voice can influence other people's hearts. If that's the case, maybe it can bring the rampaging one back into this world!"

"My voice..."

"Please, I don't want the bond we three have worked so hard to build to be destroyed by some unprovoked calamity. All my hopes are pinned on you!"

But, but how do I do that?!

Hatsune Miku wanted to continue asking questions, but Takibayashi had been completely overwhelmed by the pressure and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

Hatsune Miku wanted to call out to Takibayashi, but what came first was the roar of the Black Winged Monster.

The voice was filled with ferocity.

There was despair, murderous intent, sorrow, and anger.

All the negative emotions beyond the human realm exploded within Accelerator alone. This monster is now completely unable to suppress the unimaginable ultimate power deep within his heart.

It's hard to imagine that this is actually a sound coming from a human throat.

Hatsune Miku was trembling; she was terrified of everything, but...

"You saved me..."

Regardless, it was that villain in front of her who saved her, allowing her to experience her own life anew.

Now that their positions are intertwined, the most powerful villain is in despair, and there is only one person who can save him.

That is yourself.

Hatsune Miku gripped her blue tie tightly, the storm blowing her twin tails up, her delicate body still trembling with the fear that came from her biological instincts.

but.

She took a deep breath.

"You really are a terrible person, Accelerator."

They are no longer simply referred to as Mr. Yifang.

With a wry smile on her face, the girl walked step by step toward the monster capable of destroying the world.

Whether it was psychological or not, she felt that the storm around her didn't seem so terrifying anymore.

"You arbitrarily saved someone, and then arbitrarily shattered their despair... That's really, really too much. You're so domineering."

"But...it's precisely because of this domineering nature that I truly felt the tenderness deep within your heart..."

The first one was indeed an unparalleled villain.

But is he really just content with being a member of the evil party?

If that's all there is to it, he would absolutely never accept something called "bond" that belongs to normal people.

Even the number one esper in Academy City wants to be saved, and he also wants someone who can truly stay by his side.

His final work appeared and became his spiritual pillar.

However, this alone is not enough to completely change his mind and body.

Otherwise, this level of berserk behavior wouldn't occur.

There needs to be a second person, someone who can stand beside the first person, understand his despair, and accept him.

Hatsune Miku, step by step, braved the impact of the surrounding storm, and with her frail and delicate body, she arrived at the closest distance to Accelerator.

An unimaginable sense of oppression emanated from the direction of Blackwing.

However, she didn't pay attention.

"Before, you were the one who shattered my despair..."

This time, however, the situation is the opposite.

"So let me save you!!"

And so, from a place both closest to and furthest from despair in the entire world, the girl spoke her declaration.

"—Stop! One-way traffic!!"

The girl's voice transformed into a special power, penetrating the heart of the first person.

For a moment, the storm seemed to pause, and the monster with black wings on its back seemed to pause as well.

but.

Accompanying this was the pair of enormous black wings that swooped down.

"Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

The enraged monster roared again, and the girl stood there dumbfounded, watching as the pair of wings lashed out at her.

but.

The monster's wings froze for a split second.

As if an invisible wall had blocked this level of attack, Blackwing stopped just one centimeter above Hatsune Miku's head.

The girl's eyes widened, revealing an unimaginable shock.

No one in this world can stop the power of these black wings by brute force. Hatsune Miku can't, and Takibayashi certainly can't.

So, who exactly accomplished this?

The answer is simple.

It was One-Way Street that stopped Blackwing by relying on its own will.

Even if they have lost the ability to think, even if they have completely gone berserk, even if their mind and body are filled with despair and murderous intent, it doesn't matter.

He still stopped.

He exerted all his strength, even if it meant pressing his tongue so hard that blood flowed from between his teeth, he didn't care. He was doing everything he could to control the pair of wings that represented pure killing intent.

Because he heard it.

I heard the request from the girl's side, the girl's primordial voice.

"Gugaa ...

With the monster's final roar, it was all over.

With a bang, the enormous, unidentified wings vanished behind him. Accelerator lost all his power and could no longer support his body.

but.

The girl with twin ponytails stretched out her hands and caught the first person's body.

"One side...one side!!"

She cried out in alarm, her voice trembling with worry.

He was still alive. The person in his arms was still alive, and his rampage had completely stopped.

She did it.

In this world that had become utterly apocalyptic, the girl accomplished all of this.

She used her own strength to personally pull Academy City's number one back from a world filled with murderous intent.

"Thank goodness...! Finally, finally...!"

The girl didn't know why she was so excited.

She felt tears of joy welling up in her eyes as she tightly embraced the figure in her arms, her pretty face flushed as she wept with overwhelming happiness.

then.

With the arrival of a certain point in time.

"—Mission complete."

A mechanical voice came from somewhere unknown.

"The actual mission result has been confirmed. The mission indicator item, 'Zombie Virus Source Code,' is confirmed to be in the hands of Team A. Mission assessment complete."

"Mission accomplished. Team A has won the mission. Now, disband the teams and disperse the team groups, sending all mission participants to a world with low combat power."

"The mission reward has been automatically issued. Please check it yourself."

The sound completely faded away.

then.

The three survivors in this apocalyptic world vanished without warning.

The world has returned to peace.

All that remains are the cities that were once ravaged by real monsters. The planet is now completely devoid of humans, with only a few zombies still clinging to life in some dark corners.

This apocalyptic world, having left its mark on the past three humans, has continued in this way forever.

When preparing

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Arrival

Hatsune Miku, she is alone in this space.

There was no sound, no air, and nothing that humans needed to survive.

Even so, she did not feel any discomfort.

Is it a dream or reality? She couldn't even tell the difference. All she could do was close her eyes and experience it all.

It's like when you're asleep, several people quietly lift you up, along with the bed you're on, and move you to some unknown place outside.

The girl squinted, feeling uneasy. Although she didn't know exactly what was wrong, she had a feeling—

For her, this was not a place where she should be.

If this is a dream... then please end it quickly!

Then, she opened her eyes.

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

“…Yeah.”

The room that comes into view is very simple.

The ceiling had a bluish tint, as did the wallpaper and even the flooring.