One-way traffic

"It's nothing more than a bunch of kids working hard for their careers, with some stupid interpersonal interactions mixed in. What's there to envy?"

"Ugh... It sounds so boring coming from Accelerator's mouth, even though you yourself have a good experience of high school life, right?"

"If that were the case, it would be fine."

"Huh? Wasn't Yifang's original school a normal high school?"

"...You wouldn't want to know what kind of awful place I used to live in."

I don't know why, but the tone of this sentence seems a little different.

Hatsune Miku tilted her head in confusion.

However, by this time the two had already arrived at the shopping street.

…Although it should be the size of a large supermarket, it looks more like a festival-style street. Should it really be called a shopping street?

"Hey~ what do you want to buy?"

"Anything is fine."

"Hmm... there should be something I want, right?"

"Do I look like the kind of person who would do that?"

"...Seriously, you're so dense!"

So, although someone was with her, it was practically the same as not being with anyone at all, and Hatsune Miku had to go shopping all by herself.

That's it.

The moment the two passed by a shop.

"So it's still here after all..."

"—?!"

A sudden sense of abruptness enveloped both of them.

The two people who turned their heads in that instant saw a boy.

Standing in front of a restaurant called "DeluxeKidsPlate," I carefully observed the blue-haired boy in front of me.

"Ah, so this restaurant has always been here. It's a bit extravagant, but... it would be fine if it were a kids' meal, right?"

"Itsuka, what are you doing? We'll be late if you don't hurry!"

"Whoa! Coming right away!"

It seems to be his classmate.

After calling out to his classmates, the boy with short blue hair took out his phone and took a picture of the restaurant in front of him.

Accelerator captured that moment.

The name engraved on the backpack he was carrying.

——Itsukawa Shido.

"Honestly, what's so interesting about a shopping street?"

"No, I'm just doing some research on the restaurants my sister wants to go to."

“Sister… Ah, I remember now, you do seem to have a sister.”

"Right? Although... well, how should I put it... anyway, she is indeed a very cute child."

"I'd love to see it if I had the chance."

And so, a series of words were spoken.

Only the two people who remained standing there were left behind.

"Yifang, just now, who was that...?"

"...Is that the kid?"

Accelerator turned his head.

You can still vaguely see the other person's departing figure.

It was through him that I sensed the system's prompts.

"Itsukawa... Shidou..."

Chapter 334 Are you here to kill me too?

It was nearly several tens of minutes later when the two finished everything inside the shopping street.

However, during this process, Accelerator discovered some strange things.

"I said."

Looking at all these things in front of him, he couldn't help but say this.

"Are these things you bought really just ordinary daily necessities?"

"Yes... Is there a problem?"

Standing to the side, Hatsune Miku, carrying a bag, looked on with some curiosity and confusion.

"So, I didn't buy enough after all? Hmm... In that case, should I go shopping again..."

"You're mistaken."

Accelerator interrupted the other party directly.

I was saying the exact opposite.

Accelerator stared at the huge pile of things in front of him with an expression of utter disbelief... or rather, it was piled up into a small mountain.

Ordinary furniture and daily necessities are one thing... but there are dozens of dolls alone, and other things are all sorts of gadgets that even his smartest mind in Academy City couldn't distinguish.

However, judging from the packaging, it's easy to guess that it's just some toys similar to those for little girls.

"Well, haha... okay, it seems like it's a little bit too much..."

Having finally realized this, Hatsune Miku laughed with a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.

Regardless, he finally confirmed one fact.

Shopping is a very, very, very troublesome thing for women.

He would rather fight Kakine Teitoku for hundreds of rounds than go shopping like this again.

"What are we going to do with all this stuff?"

"I think... using the system's inventory should be able to solve this, right?"

"You think you can use that kind of thing in front of ordinary people? Also, since you have that kind of thing, you should have brought all the necessary items with you from the beginning."

"That's true...yeah."

It seems the only option is to call the courier company for help.

That being said, neither of them knew where the courier company in this world was... No, to be honest, doing these things was a tough job.

Because they don't have actual household registration or identity, if they want to buy things from others, they must constantly change other people's mental concepts in order to be like normal people.

Along the way, these things were purchased in this way. Of course, the currency used was still the regular Japanese Yen. Before coming to this world, Accelerator had already exchanged the special currency of Academy City into normal Japanese Yen, which could then be stored in his card in this world.

Although the process is complicated, they still have to do this thing again, something they've done countless times before.

After finding a courier company across the street, the people there drove over in their truck.

"Um, hello, we'd like these items delivered to a specific location. This is our address... Is that alright...?"

"Oh, let me take a look... Hmm, I need to confirm your identities first, please wait a moment."

Seeing the staff member say this, Accelerator was already prepared to directly change the other party's mindset.

"Miss Hatsune Miku and... Mr. Accelerator...? Or..."

"…ah?"

The person who was stunned was first and foremost Accelerator himself.

"Please check the information here. If there are no problems, then you're all set."

"Ah... okay, no problem."

"Well, we'll deliver all the packages over here in about fifteen minutes. Please remember to sign for them then."

After recording everything, the staff went back inside. Then another group of people came and loaded the piled-up items onto the truck piece by piece.

Even at this point, Accelerator was still in a daze, standing still.

Hatsune Miku immediately noticed something was wrong.

“Are you okay…?”

He snapped out of his daze and looked at Hatsune Miku with some surprise.

"You did it?"

"Eh?"

"Was it you who brainwashed that deliveryman just now?"

"What...what do you mean...?"

The next sentence immediately left both of them in a state of surprise.

"Isn't this one of the psychological interferences you've caused him...?"

"..."

Both Accelerator and Hatsune Miku were stunned into place.

Neither of them interfered with the deliveryman's mental well-being.

That being the case.

How did he find out about the two of them?

No, he did see it just now; their personal information was displayed on the other person's phone screen…

But that should be completely impossible.

Because just one day ago, they didn't exist in this world at all.

All identity-related issues in this world so far have been addressed by manipulating the minds of others.

If they didn't do it themselves, then what exactly happened?

It was at this very moment.

—The sound filled the air above the entire street.

"This is not a drill."

The clear, crisp female voice spread far and wide.

However, the content it broadcasts is something that every resident in the city must know.

"All residents living nearby, please evacuate immediately and take shelter in the nearest available shelter. I repeat—this is not a drill; all residents living nearby, please evacuate immediately—"

That was an alarm.

As this sound spread, everyone's expression changed.

"...Really?"

"It's not a drill... It, it says it's not a drill!"

"It really happened... another spacequake has occurred!"

But this time, people weren't as panicked.

The people in this city have been practicing space earthquake drills for years, even decades, and are well prepared for this day to actually arrive.

So everyone began to seek refuge.

"Spatial...quake...?"

"Hey! Young lady, young man! You wouldn't happen to be new residents of Tiangong City, would you?!"

Among all the people who were rushing away, a man in his forties quickly walked up to the two of them.