One-way traffic

Before I knew it, Hatsune Miku had already taken up the seat in front of me.

As Origami Tobiichi walked away, a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes.

"She seems even more closed off than you were back then; I'm afraid something unimaginable must have happened to her too..."

That's probably why Origami Tobiichi has such a cold and aloof personality.

That's probably why she hates anything related to elves so much.

"That's none of my business."

Accelerator curled his lip indifferently.

"You should take care of your own life and stop taking your temper out on irrelevant people."

"That's true, but... don't you think that girl's situation is a bit too tragic?"

"Ha, I've never felt that way at all."

Accelerator's tone was very calm.

"If this is considered tragic, then everything I've ever seen must be apocalyptic?"

Hatsune Miku was slightly taken aback by these words.

But at the same time, she also recalled a sentence that Accelerator had said in the past.

—In Academy City, tragedies are as numerous as planets in the sky.

In that city of 2.3 million people, tragedy was the most abundant thing.

And how many tragedies, like stars, have Accelerator, who stands at the pinnacle of all this, witnessed?

She couldn't imagine all of this.

The fact that this level of understanding is unimaginable precisely proves that Hatsune Miku lives in a world of kindness and light.

Accelerator couldn't help but chuckle.

then.

A strange sound echoed throughout the entire classroom.

"...?"

Not only the two of them, but all the students around heard the sound.

"This, this could be—"

There can't be any mistake...

Itsuka Shido, Yatogami Tohka, and Origami Tobiichi, who were still planning to have lunch, all showed expressions of astonishment.

"A spacequake, huh...?!"

Accelerator walked slowly to the window.

As he watched the crowds being evacuated outside, his expression became complicated.

It seems that as long as I stay by Itsuka Shido's side, I can find a substantial goal to do.

"Don't make me too bored this time, you bastard."

Chapter 364 The Hermit

"Looks like you're all here now."

This is the command center inside the giant spaceship Fraxinus.

Kotori Itsuka had been waiting here for quite some time.

Accelerator, Hatsune Miku, and Itsuka Shido, along with the other two, all boarded the spaceship.

"Kotori!"

"Don't make such a fuss, it's just a spacequake. You've even had firsthand experience with spirits, why would you be afraid of this?"

This kind of thing can't be explained like that at all...!

Shido Itsuka twitched the corner of his mouth, just like a zookeeper who sees tigers every day in a zoo but still has a fear of wild tigers. This was a very instinctive behavior for Shido Itsuka.

Hatsune Miku looked at the large screen in front of her.

"...The weather outside seems completely different from what it was three minutes ago."

“That’s right, I think this is also a sign that the elves are showing.”

"Uh...you mean, elves can change the weather?"

Itsuka Shido was somewhat surprised by this.

"Idiot, use your brain to think things through."

But Accelerator simply clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"Even the best weather conditions can't change drastically in three minutes. Besides, you haven't seen a single cloud in the sky all day. Anyone would find it strange if a massive downpour suddenly started in such a situation, right?"

"But something still feels a bit strange."

Hatsune Miku, on the other hand, couldn't help but ask in a questioning tone, her delicate little hand cleverly resting on her chin.

"This didn't happen when that girl named Tohka was born, so why is it happening today?"

"There are many types of elves, so you can't generalize."

Kotori Itsuka said it directly.

She seemed to be very knowledgeable about this kind of thing.

"Oh my, it seems our true master has truly arrived."

As soon as they finished speaking, even the spaceship they were on trembled slightly.

The image on the big screen instantly turned white.

Then, after a series of flashes, the destroyed street came into view.

The impact covered an area of ​​approximately tens of meters, leaving countless destructive marks on the surrounding streets and high-rise buildings.

But in reality, only the streets in the very center area were truly damaged.

A place resembling a meteorite crater appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the road.

"That's the spirit we'll be using this time."

The images were displayed directly on the big screen.

Everyone present saw clearly what was happening there.

The elf's figure, located right in the middle of the road, appeared directly before people's eyes.

"Small--"

Itsuka Shido couldn't help but speak up.

It was a tone of utter astonishment.

"child--?!"

Standing in the center of the pit was a little girl who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.

Her attire was quite unique; it was a onesie with green rabbit ears that looked like a raincoat.

Even from this distance, you can see that she has long, thin blue hair and blue eyes of the same color.

The rabbit-like doll on the other arm attracted a lot of attention.

Shido Itsuka was stunned by the scene, and so was Hatsune Miku.

"Ha, so it's a hermit?"

Kotori Itsuka crossed her arms and showed a somewhat surprised expression.

However, that expression quickly turned into a smile.

"This actually makes things much easier."

Before anyone could understand what she was saying, the scene on the screen changed instantly.

boom! ! !

A series of bombing sounds came directly from the inside.

The petite green-clad girl, after realizing something, flew into the air.

The spot where she had been standing was now completely filled with countless craters from artillery fire.

"Varied…?"

"What exactly is this...?"

"It's a very simple matter."

Seeing the same expression on Itsuka Shido's face as Hatsune Miku's, Kotori Itsuka calmly explained.

"Now that the spirits have appeared, the AST will definitely make an appearance as well."

exactly.

It wasn't just that petite girl flying in mid-air; the AST girls who had surrounded her also rushed to the scene.

Itsuka Shido immediately widened his eyes.

"I... I remember now... I saw that girl a few days ago!"

"Tsk... You actually dared to hoard intelligence?"

"No, no! It was near a shrine back then, I had no idea she was a spirit..."

However, Itsuka Shido is not the only person who has had this experience.

Accelerator, who was standing to the side, remained silent throughout.

The moment he sensed that aura, he was certain that the figure that would appear next would be the same brat he had seen before.

The situation on site continues to change.

"All personnel, prepare for long-range firepower!"

"learn!"

Upon receiving Ryoko Kusakabe's order, the girls of AST quickly took action.

Click.

That was a series of tracking missile launchers.

All the team members aimed their cannons at the girl and unleashed a barrage of shells without hesitation.

The people seen through the screen immediately widened their eyes.

The artillery fire had already reached right in front of the green-clad girl.

Boom——! ! !

The smoke and dust obscured the entire scene in one breath.

A few seconds later, the girl finally managed to break free from the attack, but was then caught in a barrage of shelling and pursuit, becoming entangled in the chaos.

Sometimes it's just missile bombing.

Sometimes it's a rear-end collision by AST and others.

However, regardless of the type of attack she faced, the green-clad girl ultimately made only one choice.

"Why…"

Hatsune Miku, standing still, asked in confusion.

"That child... won't even put up the slightest resistance?"

From the moment she was bombarded until now, the elven girl codenamed Hermit has offered no resistance whatsoever.

That was a scene completely different from the one featuring Yatogami Tohka back then.

"That's why she's called Hermit."

The person who answered her was not Kotori Itsuka.