One-way traffic

"What? You, you bastard—!"

Accelerator did not hesitate.

In a mere split second, he swung his right hand, and a 120-meter-long tornado instantly ripped open the glass of that building, revealing the figures inside.

Those are the soldiers we just saw.

Boom—Accelerator's feet exploded, and he shot into the building in an instant at a speed that surpassed the speed of sound.

At such terrifying speed, the soldiers in front of them stared wide-eyed as if they had seen a demon.

"I found you, you scoundrel."

For an instant.

Like screams echoing from the depths of hell, the sounds continued incessantly within the building.

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

They easily wiped out all the soldiers.

Accelerator shook his hand, ignoring the mangled mess of flesh scattered on the ground. He draped a rag over the mess and then looked at the two people behind him.

"It's really yours."

Besides the person in the boat, there was another person who survived.

It was a young man, who only had a pistol in his hand, and he stood at the very center of the boat.

However, this wasn't the first time Accelerator had seen this young man.

“I told you, my benefactor, I will help you repay your kindness.”

That was the man who had been with the woman he had rescued after the attack on the terrorists.

The young man smiled and looked at Accelerator, seemingly quite pleased with himself.

"You saved someone more important than my life, that's an undeniable fact, so I'll do my best to help you in any way I can."

In other words, what just happened was that this guy suddenly fired a shot, attracting Accelerator's attention, which allowed him to kill these soldiers directly.

Upon learning this, Accelerator realized that the other party was also someone who operated in the shadows, as evidenced by the fact that the other party was carrying a gun.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

"So... what's going on with you?"

He turned his gaze to the center of the ship and asked without hesitation.

"Why did Chao An's soldiers come to arrest you? Or do you also want to know the information that guy has sealed away?"

"No... I think there must be another reason."

The captain of the ship remained calm, showing no signs of fatigue even after such a large-scale attack. It seems that the members of the council are quite capable.

"I think it's because Chaoan thought I would affect his future development, so he attacked me."

"what?"

"Shiogishi represents the pure military supply faction in the General Council, and I even gave a speech that said I would give the students the decision-making power of Academy City, so if it were him, he probably wouldn't let me off the hook."

If subsequent developments are indeed as Okafune Morinaka once predicted in his speech, it will be an unprecedented blow to Shiogishi.

Even for the sake of pure profit, this situation cannot be allowed to happen, which is why they chose to attack the mother ship as well.

"Hmph, that's perfect then."

Accelerator pursed his lips and continued looking at the bride's ship.

"After that, come with us to meet Chao'an."

"What…?"

"You should know that it's not enough for us to simply fight Chao'an. We need a comprehensive council capable of confronting him. We'll handle the fighting, and you'll handle the policy maneuvers. You can also take revenge on what that bastard did. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

At least, that's how it is from a purely profit-driven perspective.

However, the expression on the face of the person in the boat was very downcast.

"...I do not intend to meet with Chaoan."

"...What is the reason?"

“A few weeks ago, I received an email containing a photo of my daughter…and an unused handgun.”

Accelerator frowned.

That means that Shiogishi had already been eyeing the situation on the Osaka ship several weeks ago.

"Now you understand, right? I don't care what happens to me, but I can't allow my family to be involved... I'm sorry, please forgive me for not being able to go with you this time."

If the main ship cannot be moved, it will be a very difficult situation for Accelerator and his crew. They may be able to retire successfully, but they will inevitably be labeled as having attacked the Council of State, which is equivalent to being wanted by terrorists.

even so.

"Really? That doesn't matter."

"...?"

"No matter what, we're going to beat that bastard Chao'an to a pulp, it has nothing to do with whether you're here or not."

He spoke as if cursing.

"In order to find a breakthrough, we have to face that guy Chao An. So, the bastard's fate is already sealed."

"…I see."

Regardless, the mother ship will never go with them to face the tide shore.

Ignoring this, Accelerator immediately decided to leave.

"Wait a moment, my benefactor, let me see you off."

"What, I didn't know you could drive?"

“I’m a highly educated person, after all… and this old lady over here is the same, right? Whether you’re planning to leave or go to a new place, I can give you a ride.”

There's really no need for that. Accelerator already has a car and doesn't need him to give him a ride. But even if he refused, the other person would definitely disagree given his expression.

Knowing that the outcome wouldn't change no matter what, Accelerator could only nod.

"As you wish."

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

Although its speed is not as fast as its own Nathos, it is already enough.

The young man, carrying Accelerator and the wedding boat, and the three of them stopped in front of a huge, museum-like building.

"...What a huge building!"

"After all, it's the overarching council, so even temporary accommodations should far exceed those of a five-star hotel, right?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Accelerator let out a casual sigh.

"You can get off the bus now."

"..."

"Anyway, continuing this will only implicate the people around you, won't it? You'd better leave now."

"This kind of boring, shitty battle is enough for me to fight alone."

If that's the case, and there's no corresponding oversight council opposing Shioan, Accelerator and his team will be added to the terrorist list after the battle.

Even if they win, the result will be the same: they will never be able to live a normal life again.

He could never see Aiho Yomikawa again, never see Kikyo Yoshikawa again, never meet Last Order again, and never meet Hatsune Miku again.

He will forever live a life of mere survival, and as long as he remains in Academy City, he will never be able to live a normal and harmonious life.

So what?

He made this choice himself, so he has no complaints.

As long as I can protect the people around me, that's enough.

It's enough for one person, Accelerator, to bear everything; there's no need to care about the rest.

and so.

"--what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, he heard a sound.

Accelerator froze on the spot, noticing a figure outside his right-hand window.

It was a somewhat familiar figure; it was a young boy.

That's right, it was the boy he saved while he was using a hula hoop.

"you…?"

"You were a hero back then, weren't you?"

The boy, who was clearly still in elementary school, looked at the car and saw that it seemed to be a school-organized field trip, and he was probably one of the students there.

Not far away, he could see teachers and students looking at him with surprise, and it seemed that even the school principal was there.

But the boy didn't pay attention to that.

"I heard everything you just said. You... still plan to fight, right?"

"..."

Accelerator remained silent, looking at the boy in front of him.

"In that case, I'm going too! If it's to save people like me, I'm willing to fight alongside you!"

"...What kind of international joke are you talking about, you brat? What kind of nonsense do you think you're spouting?"

Accelerator spoke without any mercy.

"Go back to your school. This isn't a place for you."

“I know, I know you wouldn’t fight for something trivial. You must be fighting to save people like me who are suffering in dire straits, so I’m going with you!”

The teachers and students could hardly believe it, and the principal was also astonished as he watched it all.

Only One-Way Street remains completely steadfast in its principles.

"Listen up, kid."

He glared at the boy in front of him and said, word by word.

"Only those who are equally evil can fight against those villains."

"Anyone who can pick up a weapon and kill someone, no matter what their reason, has no right to claim innocence when they do such a thing. That is a crime, and the people responsible for doing it are us villains, not you kids who should be in school, understand?"

“You don’t need to be that kind of guy. This is something I should be doing.”

"...I don't want to."

However, he did not give up.

Even as security guards arrived and pulled him away, he did not give up his last words.

"I don't want to hand Academy City over to those despicable people!!!"

Accelerator watched him leave, and even after he was pulled back into the student group, his gaze remained fixed on Accelerator.

then.

"…I see."

The person in the middle of the boat turned around.

"Who exactly is that despicable fellow the boy is referring to?"

Is it referring to the dark side of Academy City? Or is it referring to those who know about this darkness but refuse to act on it?

If the people on the ship don't take action, many more people will probably die because of it.

"...What should I do?"

"Who knows?"

Accelerator casually rested his hand on the car window and hummed.