One-way traffic

"Please... just think of it as doing it for someone else's sake~"

"…etc."

It seems that they have noticed something.

Accelerator raised an eyebrow and said in a questioning tone.

"—You wouldn't happen to want to see me as an idol on stage yourself, would you?"

"Huh? Huh? No, no!"

Hatsune Miku quickly waved her hand, but the blush on her pretty face was clearly a lie.

"...There was a little bit of personal motive involved."

"Are you sure you won't scare the audience to death if I put someone like him on stage?"

"But...I really want to see Accelerator on stage..."

Hatsune Miku clutched her skirt tightly, her head slightly lowered.

His dejected, almost tearful expression made Accelerator sigh.

"Tell me, how does the rehearsal go?"

"…Huh?"

"Make a choice quickly before I change my mind."

"You...you agree?!"

Hatsune Miku smiled happily.

"awesome!"

In an instant, the girl didn't even care about any of this and simply put her arm around his shoulder.

--ah.

This scene left the onlookers completely dumbfounded.

"Ah...ah..."

Len Kagamine and Rin Kagamine stared wide-eyed, and even Kaito couldn't help but be astonished.

"Miku-nee...you really dare to do that...!"

"Wow, how audacious..."

"Oh dear, this doesn't surprise me, but..."

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Kaito said with a mischievous grin.

"How long have you been dating like this?"

Accelerator felt as if the girl next to him was radiating heat from her face.

She pulled Accelerator directly in front of her, while she hid behind him. She could even feel him trembling, like some kind of small animal.

"What, nothing at all! Um... dating... well... it's not impossible..."

This is really troublesome.

As the protagonist at the center of the incident, the number one in Academy City simply clicked his tongue in utter boredom.

"That's why I hate this stupid plot development, you bastard."

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

The rehearsal location is not here, but underground.

Following Hatsune Miku, we took an elevator to a huge place that resembled an underground dance hall.

The entire stage is decorated in black.

There, there were several unexpected figures.

"…Hello."

Accelerator frowned.

He saw a familiar figure emerge from the darkness, smiling at him.

"I never expected that our meeting would take place in a place like this."

Bang——! !

What unfolds are six pairs of white wings.

Standing in front of Accelerator was a young man with brown hair and an elegant smile.

The second-ranked member of Academy City, Kakine Teitoku.

"Long time no see, first one. I didn't expect you to get involved in something like this..."

"You little brat...!"

Upon seeing Kakine Teitoku, the other party instantly unfurled those wings.

The situation is already quite clear.

Accelerator sneered, his body slightly levitating, and four pairs of tornado-like wings slowly coiled around his back.

The battle is about to break out.

"Wait! That's not how it works!"

But Hatsune Miku immediately shouted to herself.

"That's not an enemy. That's one of the idols among the seven current espers, Mr. Kakine Teitoku!"

"…ah?"

Chapter 248 Preparations for the Idol Project

The seven Level 5 espers of Academy City all posted their names and signs throughout the city, thus becoming famous idols.

—I thought it was just made up, but it's actually true?!

"How is it? Pretty good, right?"

With six pairs of pure white wings unfurled behind him, Kakine Teitoku let out a hearty laugh.

"If it were me, there would be absolutely no problem! Although I lost to you in terms of strength, I would definitely not lose in terms of popularity, I'd be number one."

"Wait a minute...you wait a minute."

Accelerator walked straight up to the other person and looked at him with a frown.

"When did you start playing these childish games?"

"It's not a game, you idiot."

Kakine Teitoku patted his clothes and said with a light laugh.

"—'Slowly gather the AIM diffusion field of all the espers in Academy City onto your own body, thereby amplifying your personal reality. The person who receives the most amplification will have the opportunity to evolve into an unprecedented absolute esper (Level 6)'...Is that what it means?"

"They actually say he's an Absolute Ability User (Level 6)...?"

The first person instinctively frowned.

When this word is mentioned, all that comes to mind is the sin he can never forget in his life.

But what's the situation now?

"You think you can fool people with this vague and unrealistic stuff? Putting aside whether it's even possible to reach the so-called Level 6 Absolute Ability just like that, you actually dare to believe this bullshit."

"You don't understand, do you? This is what the so-called competition means. If it goes like this, each of the seven people will have a chance to obtain a ticket to the realm of the gods... Do you understand what I mean?"

"Who the hell wants to figure this out? Go to hell, you idiot."

The two of them should have been fighting over this place in the past because of a dispute between the secret service, but now they can be chatting and laughing here so easily.

Even Hatsune Miku standing to the side could hardly imagine that these two people had once fought each other to the death.

"...That's about enough, isn't it?"

until a certain moment.

Accelerator tapped his forehead and looked at the other person.

"Just put aside this pointless nonsense for now."

"..."

"Tell me what you've been through since then, and what specific choices you've made since then."

In the past, Kakine Teitoku once tried to kill Accelerator in order to seize the number one spot, and even went so far as to take action against the Last Order.

Even though Accelerator was determined to take his life, he still saw something special in the other's eyes.

Perhaps, for Kakine Teitoku, something enormous has also happened.

Just like I was back then.

Actually, nothing has changed.

The second-ranked student in Academy City had completely lost the playful expression that had been on his face.

Instead, a calm smile appeared on his face.

That was an expression only someone who had emerged from the deepest darkness could possess.

"Kakine Teitoku is still Kakine Teitoku, nothing has changed—of course, I have completely given up on taking action against you. In a direct confrontation, my DarkMatter would have no chance of defeating you."

"This is not simply a matter of computing power. What makes you the strongest is not just your enormous computing ability. The superpower you possess is unique in the entire Academy City. It is the strongest superpower. The strength of the primordial matter and my computing power cannot compare to yours."

"In that case."

"Yes, I haven't changed anything... but that doesn't mean I want it to continue like this."

Theoretically speaking, Kakine Teitoku has now transcended darkness itself.

The Dark Side "School" has been completely disbanded. Although his own status is quite extraordinary, he is only the second-ranked person in Academy City.

Just like Accelerator, his title as number one is indeed a resounding one, but that's about it. If you take away his identity as an ANBU member, he doesn't have any special profession in this darkness.

"You once said that I had never found the path that I should take."

This time, the second person looked over with extremely innocent eyes.

"So I'd like to give it a try."

"Let's see if, even in this state, we can find a true path that truly suits us and allows us to make sense of it."

Accelerator remained silent.

Although Kakine Teitoku still didn't know what he should do, the 'evil' in his eyes was no longer the same as when they first met.

This is a scene that can only be clearly seen by those who have transcended the boundaries between darkness and light, good and evil.

Kakine Teitoku, too, will gradually transform along his own path.

"boring."

The first one clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"What you do is your own business, it has nothing to do with me."

"Don't say that."

With his hands in his pockets, the six pairs of wings dissipated, and Kakine Teitoku walked over again.

"Six of the seven people with superpowers have all become idols. This happened last week—although no one has ever seen the sixth one, at least he's been given a name."

"Has everyone really become an idol? What are Level 5 superpowered individuals' heads made of?"

"—Hey, I don't like hearing that at all."

It was not Kakine Teitoku who responded to this statement.

Accelerator looked at the stage with a puzzled expression, and two figures slowly walked down the dark stage.

A figure dressed in very elegant clothes and appearing quite tall.

One of them was a black-haired youth dressed simply, with a white robe draped over his back.

"Don't think that everyone becomes an idol just for some simple reason. I'm here to experience life, you know. I'm number one."