One-way traffic

The sound reached my ears.

Accelerator did not turn on the electrode switch, but simply clasped his hands together.

He looked at the men in black without any emotion.

"Anyway, no matter what they do, they're definitely thinking about revenge against me, right? So it doesn't matter, since it doesn't matter what they do."

"Wait, wait a minute—!"

They saw Accelerator decisively intending to walk towards them.

Although they didn't know what the first guy was up to, a Level 5 superhuman was a monster that they couldn't handle.

"No! Please wait a moment!"

Just as Accelerator was about to use these guys as test subjects for his abilities, they suddenly shouted.

"That's right, we're the first one! We didn't come to you with any ill intentions!"

"what?"

"It's an idol's business!"

Seeing Accelerator's puzzled expression, the man in black quickly continued to explain.

"Right now, a new idol project is underway within Academy City. It aims to cultivate seven Level 5 espers into popular idols while simultaneously helping them acquire a large audience's AIM diffusion field. You personally made the decision before, didn't you? The rehearsal is scheduled for tomorrow, so—"

"I am not interested."

"Eh?!"

The man in black stared wide-eyed, his glasses nearly falling off.

"Idols and such have nothing to do with me. It doesn't matter what I said before, but I'm telling you now, I have no interest in playing this utterly boring bullshit game with you."

"Yes, but-"

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

The white monster stared at the man in black, its oppressive aura making it hard for him to breathe, as if the monster would pull out a pistol and point it at his head at any moment.

"But this is... that request from Hatsune Miku, the world-class idol!"

"…What?"

"It was Hatsune Miku who wanted to find you at this time and invite you to the VOCALOID Japan branch building. We were just following the instructions of the higher-ups to come and find you as requested by that lady. We really didn't have any ill intentions!"

That idiot young lady...?

Of course he could refuse, but even if he did, Hatsune Miku would definitely try to persuade him with all sorts of sweet talk.

The first person clicked their tongue in obvious displeasure.

"lead the way."

"Eh? Wha-what?"

"I told you to lead the way, didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, yes—! I understand!!"

The man in black nodded quickly, and Accelerator had no choice but to follow behind him.

Wow... Unbelievable! That raging number one was actually calmed down in an instant?!

Could it be true that the rumored world-class idol, Hatsune Miku, has a significant affection for the number one idol in Academy City?

Wait, is that even possible?! That world-renowned idol heiress is actually connected to a terrifying monster like the number one in Academy City?!

"I advise you not to think about useless things."

Before the man in black could continue thinking, he heard the monster's cold, low voice from behind him.

"If you don't want to get a gunshot wound into your leg or arm."

"I, I understand!"

This guy is a monster! He can even read my mind?!

The man in black dared not utter another word, and the other men in black did the same, simply leading Accelerator to their destination in silence.

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

After walking through several streets, Accelerator followed them to a building.

The building looked very familiar, with a huge VOCALOID sign hanging on it.

Accelerator looked around and found the layout of the surrounding streets very familiar to him.

'...It really is exactly the same terrain as that world.'

Back in Hatsune Miku's world, the streets next to the VOCALOID company building were laid out just like they are now.

Just as Aleister had said, the two worlds had merged together, with a part of that world appearing directly on the streets of Academy City, and the people around them didn't find it strange at all.

Is this also part of the so-called self-deception of the world?

"So, this is it..."

"Alright, you guys can leave now. I can handle the rest myself."

After casually waving his hand, Accelerator entered the building without looking back, which made the men in black behind him feel relieved and they left as quickly as smoke.

The exterior of the building looks much the same as before, but the internal structure has undergone significant changes.

The decorations have become more luxurious, and there seem to be more employees as well.

"Hello! How can I help you? Ah! You, you are...?"

The female waitresses at the counter seemed to recognize Accelerator instantly, staring at him with wide eyes.

Where is the upstairs entrance?

"Yes, over there..."

Because the entire building was renovated, even the locations of the stairs and elevators are unclear.

Just as Accelerator was about to leave, he saw two waitress girls behind him handing him something.

"that…"

A seventeen-year-old girl with a ponytail handed him a pen and a notebook with trembling hands.

"Excuse me... could you... sign here... Mr. Accelerator...?"

What are you doing?

The first person raised an eyebrow and looked at the notebook in her hand, which was filled with very cute girly content.

"Please, please don't look at the contents! Just sign here on the first page, that's all!"

He glanced at the other person with a surprised look, and then casually drew his name on the picture book.

Before leaving, I could still hear a series of excited exclamations behind me, such as "You really did it!" and "Ahhh, I really got my future idol's autograph! He looked so cool!"

Is this what it means to be an idol? To ask for autographs from everyone you see?

This is only the situation he hasn't even experienced before, he's not even gone through a rehearsal yet, will he have to encounter this kind of thing every day from now on?

"What was I thinking, to go down such a stupid path?"

Accelerator is certain that, given his personality, he would never choose to become an idol or anything like that.

The chairman of Academy City made a very good point: this world is indeed hateful in a certain sense.

He took the elevator to the top floor, and he vaguely remembered that it should be this floor.

Soon, the elevator doors opened, and an unexpected scene unfolded before his eyes.

It was a huge place, like a dance hall.

There weren't many people around, but those who remained were mostly people who were obviously very professional.

Not far away, you can also see places like artists' studios and photography studios.

Although there weren't many people, it was still quite noisy. Accelerator slowly walked inside and looked around.

He found the person he was looking for right in front of him.

Ah! You've already arrived!

It's the familiar twin-tailed girl.

Hatsune Miku is wearing a light blue long dress, and her twin tails have new decorations at the front.

With an elegant demeanor, the girl walked slowly to Accelerator's side and looked at him gently.

"Wow, that was fast! I thought it would take at least half an hour to get here due to traffic!"

"I walked here... When did you end up in a place like this?"

He remembered that Hatsune Miku should have never left her home before, so how did she end up at this company?

"Well, I later discovered that a lot of strange contacts had appeared on my phone. Before I could even react, someone called me and located me. When I went downstairs, a private car was already waiting to pick me up..."

"Tsk, be careful."

If it were Accelerator, he would definitely be more cautious, having to constantly consider the possibility of assassination.

"Oh! It's Yifang!"

"Oh my god? It really is him."

"Long time no see!"

To his bewilderment, countless people suddenly called his name from behind.

It was Kaito, Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin, and others who were still getting their makeup done and doing some simple filming.

"I remember you went on a trip abroad before? It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"This must be the first time we've met since our last get-together, right? It's been so long, and you and Miku seem to be getting along better and better."

"Hey, Yifang, did you bring back any local specialties from your trip abroad? I'm really looking forward to it!"

It seems these guys are the same.

Because the worlds have merged, the memories that originally belonged to that world have changed slightly. In their eyes, Accelerator seems to have traveled abroad for a while.

But at least they still know each other.

"Well, let's talk about these things later."

Kaito chuckled, interrupting the conversation between Kagamine and her brother.

"You came to the company today, probably to prepare for tomorrow's rehearsal, right? It's rare that you've made up your mind to become an idol, so Miku and I will do our best to help you."

No, I never intended to do such a stupid thing in the first place.

That's what they say, but in their memory, it's just nonsense like they said they wanted to become idols. There's nothing they can do about it now.

"Idol...do you have any good ideas?"

When thinking of his idol, Accelerator's first thought was actually of the girl beside him.

"Hmm... They already planned out the content for tomorrow's rehearsal before you came."

As a world-class idol superstar, Hatsune Miku must have extensive experience in this area.

"First, we need to consider the interview. You can't use your usual fierce expression when facing reporters. Oh, and then there's the outfit. This one looks good, but you definitely need to change into an outfit more suitable for the idol stage. And then there's the first idol declaration. Hmm... you need to prepare a good script for that too."

"...Is it okay if I just leave?"

"No way! All the news reporters know about this now, and they'll definitely be coming for the rehearsal tomorrow. There's no way I can refuse!"

Ruined.

Accelerator felt extremely anxious, finding it more troublesome than fighting any enemy.

He would rather fight the archangel or even Aiwass a million times than continue doing something so incredibly stupid.

"...Don't you like it?"

After spending a long time with Accelerator, Hatsune Miku could immediately see the reluctance on his face.

"It's okay, with someone like him to help you, you'll definitely get through these tough times!"

"What senior? Ha, I don't want to get involved in this stupid stuff at all."