One-way traffic

She didn't feel anything wrong with her body; at most, she just felt a strange feeling of being enveloped all over.

then.

In that brief moment of less than ten seconds, an unimaginable sensation suddenly arose in the inner part of my brain.

"—?!"

It wasn't severe pain.

Rather, it's like suddenly being able to sense something that was previously imperceptible.

Kotori Itsuka instinctively focused her mind on that area, and gradually, she began to see the memories stored within it.

She knew everything in an instant.

“Ah… ow…”

While trying to process this long string of information, the girl's facial expressions kept changing.

Accelerator, who had been standing in front of him, finally came to his senses.

What might take a few minutes in the spiritual realm and the real world could be nothing more than a few seconds here.

So, from Kotori Itsuka's perspective, it's like standing still for about ten seconds and then suddenly having a sudden realization.

"There's... such a thing...?"

"I think I've mentioned it to you before, that thing called Phantom."

"I had never witnessed anything like it before, so my actual impressions weren't clear, but now..."

Now, no matter how you look at it, it's probably hard to believe that the reason you actually became an elf was because of that illusion.

But this is entirely new information for Kotori Itsuka.

"In that case, the possibility that elves are actually transformed from humans has indeed increased a lot."

"No, there is another question."

"what?"

Kotori Itsuka looked at the other person with a slightly puzzled expression.

Accelerator, on the other hand, directly stated his inner thoughts.

"Just who exactly is that bastard that looks like a mosaic?"

This is actually a huge question for Kotori Itsuka as well.

After they had fully understood everything, the things that phantom had done were far beyond their imagination.

But in any case, Accelerator finally understood something completely.

Transforming Kotori Itsuka into a spirit was a conscious act by that phantom.

Although it is unclear what the other party's purpose is in doing this, the previous actions taken against Hatsune Miku were probably for the same purpose.

It seems to be trying its best to transform some humans into elves.

This seems to be something that can only be achieved in human girls.

Whether it's the documentation from DEM or the memories just gleaned from Kotori Itsuka's spirit, they all point to a very direct conclusion.

The being called an elf is definitely closely related to that phantom.

However, Accelerator is currently unaware of what this connection truly means.

but.

"As long as you know there's a real goal, that's enough."

With a wave of his right hand, the six generators disappeared behind him.

He didn't care about the specifics of the details.

As long as you know there are tangible goals to pursue, that's enough.

Now, for Accelerator, the biggest mystery is right in front of him, and all he has to do is keep trying to find a way to solve it.

It's the same principle as when you're in the shadows, constantly striving to solve the mystery called "Dragon".

————————————————————————————————————

Heavy rain was falling.

As the strong wind whipped up raindrops, the surrounding temperature plummeted.

But the girl hovering in mid-air didn't care about that at all.

Beneath his rain-soaked clothes, his silent yet somewhat sorrowful expression seemed to be telling a story.

"Are you really alright, Yoshino?"

"It's fine…"

The rabbit-shaped doll on his arm confirmed this to him, and he responded to it.

But the girl's expression remained one of constant sorrow.

The girl felt sad because of her experience.

She was also saddened by how the world treated her.

then.

Behind it, countless missiles surged forth like rockets.

"Yoshino!"

The doll on her arm immediately reminded her, bringing her back to her senses.

Yoshino immediately opened her eyes wide.

Using some kind of power that transcends the laws of physics, her body moved swiftly through the rain-strewn air like a kite.

Boom boom boom————

Its original location was immediately engulfed by countless explosions.

Although such an attack shouldn't pose a significant problem for her, the blast still blew her a distance through the air.

"Woo..."

The girl immediately showed a pained expression.

Despite not being physically injured, the treatment she received only highlighted her already vulnerable personality.

A crowd, like a long queue, was chasing after them.

They were dressed in uniform dark green mecha suits, and in their hands were all deadly weapons that would send chills down your spine at first glance.

AST, a land-based special forces unit against elves.

If any being called an elf ever appears in this world, they will never let it go.

Even those who appear as little girls, like Yoshino, are no exception.

"Lock the target."

As the team leader, Ryoko Kusakabe immediately led everyone to line up in formation.

They circled around each other, completely encircling the girl in front of them.

"Identified as Hermit, shall we proceed with the attack?"

"of course."

Ryoko Kusakabe raised the cannon without hesitation.

There was absolutely no concern on their faces.

"All personnel, attack immediately!"

The moment the order was given, the first thing to shoot out was a white shadow.

Tobiichi Origami.

Although I had expected her to take such action, I still didn't expect her to fly out in an instant.

"That Origami guy..."

While clicking her tongue in amazement, Kusakabe Ryoko led everyone forward at breakneck speed.

Even elves would find it difficult to escape if they were completely surrounded.

"This is bad! We're going to get caught now!"

Yoshino, who was holding Yoshino, also shouted loudly, and Yoshino's face began to show panic.

The next moment.

A dazzling, starlight-like azure blue descended directly upon the scene.

BOOM! ...

A burst of light erupted, and then, things resembling colorful Rubik's Cubes filled the surroundings.

The AST team, who were supposed to attack, were all blocked outside the Rubik's Cube.

"Eh…?"

Yoshino blinked, realizing she felt nothing at all.

She looked up and saw the figure blocking her way.

She was a girl who was a little taller than me.

She appeared to be older than me, and she was wearing a black and blue dress. The scepter she was holding looked like a microphone at a concert.

"What--!"

"What's going on...?"

The AST team was extremely confused by this.

But the girl in front of them exuded an aura completely different from theirs.

"Are you okay?"

A gentle, soft voice.

Yoshino, questioned by this voice, didn't even realize that the expression on her face had turned astonished.

What comes into view is a very striking face.

The other person looked at me with a gentle smile, unlike everyone else, showing no rejection, aversion, or hostility whatsoever.

Pure tenderness.

"Captain! This person...this is the one who was there when we met the Princess that day..."

"...So, you're an elf too?"

Ryoko Kusakabe couldn't help but make that judgment.

But before that, someone had already taken action.

Boom! A loud explosion rang out.

Rushing straight towards them at near-airplane speed was Origami Tobiichi, wielding a lightsaber.

The members of AST looked surprised, and she had already walked directly in front of the two of them.

Knife up and down.

The light blade slashed towards Hatsune Miku's forehead in one swift motion.

Clang——! !

Before the tragedy occurred, a thin, colored film directly blocked the lightsaber from entering.

Hatsune Miku simply raised one hand, and a barrier formed by her magic blocked the attack.

"Try to get out of here."

With a light, tinkling voice, the girl finally moved.

She raised the wand in her hand, causing a burst of dazzling light to erupt.