One-way traffic

The main body merely remained in place.

From its monstrous mouth, some words were faintly revealed.

It slowly resounded in the vacuum where sound could not possibly travel.

“Accelerator…”

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

Itsuka Shido made thorough preparations.

Her clothes, hairstyle, and other appearance were all carefully sculpted by a professional makeup artist hired by Kotori Itsuka.

With his deep blue hair, he definitely has the air of a top-tier handsome young man.

…If we exclude the expression on his face and what he said at that moment.

"It's over, it's all over!!"

The agreed time was 10:00 AM, but it's 10:10 AM now.

In other words, it was at least ten minutes late, and Itsuka Shido was still on his way to his date.

"Damn it! If I had known there would be so much trouble after I got up, I would have stayed up all night!"

Although he got up very early today, he encountered many unimaginable things all morning.

Even after finally making it there, I was still late.

Don't underestimate the power of just ten minutes; even those mere ten minutes are enough to lead Itsuka Shido down the path to utter destruction.

His first appointment was with Tohka, followed by Kurumi Tokisaki, and then Origami Tobiichi.

If the first person is ten minutes late, the next two people will be delayed even longer.

"Ah...! I finally found it!"

Tohka Yatogami was still standing there directly in front of them.

Moreover, it seems that because she doesn't quite understand the concept of time in this world, she doesn't know what ten minutes means, and it shouldn't seem like a long time to her.

It seems like we can still make it!

After Itsuka Shido sped away, the sports car that had just brought him here peeked out from behind.

Behind the car windows, where only the inside could see out but the outside couldn't see in, Accelerator watched him leave with utter boredom.

"This is so boring, such utterly ridiculous nonsense..."

"No matter what, he finally made it. It's really not easy for him."

If it weren't for Accelerator's vehicle carrying him, Itsuka Shido would probably still be stuck on the road.

Although it was impossible to hear what he and Yatogami Tohka were saying from inside the car, it didn't seem like anything unusual had happened from this vantage point.

…On another note…

"Yifang... although it's not really appropriate to say these things on a day like today."

I know what you want to say.

Recalling what the two had seen yesterday regarding the girl named Takamiya Mana.

She works for a company called DEM, and her body has been modified to the point that she can only live for about ten years.

"So, she... really will be here in ten years...?"

"From my judgment, that's true. And that guy's body has been modified for too long, which means that I can't restore it with my abilities."

Even if I could eliminate the harmful neurotoxins and necrotic substances from her body, it wouldn't make a difference.

Just like removing the rotten part from a spoiled fruit, no matter how much you remove the rotten part, the original part will never be restored.

This is completely different from the brain virus in The Last Work.

but.

"There might not be a way now, but it might be different in the future."

"Huh…?"

Hatsune Miku seemed somewhat puzzled by this.

However, Accelerator's tone was quite calm.

"As we continue to travel the world, our power will eventually become stronger than it is now. By then, we might be able to use the ability to save that girl."

Although it's just an uncertain situation, it's the only thing they can do so far.

Accelerator's current strength is not enough to reach that level.

However, if I acquire other, stronger powers in the future, I will surely find a way to resolve all of this.

Given the technology of this world, it is impossible to restore Mana Takamiya's body through scientific means.

DEM, right?

Do you think I'll let you bunch of shit bastards continue like this after I've finished what I need to do?

"...Anyway, let's deal with today's matters first!"

That's about it.

Hatsune Miku then changed the subject, and Accelerator nodded knowingly.

And so began Itsuka Shido's hellish day.

Chapter 381 The Return of the Nightmare

"Oh! Is that so? The scenery here is truly beautiful, haha—"

"It's okay, Tohka. My stomach is a little upset, but I'll be right back."

"Um, Origami, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for a while. I had a stomachache earlier..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kurumi! Actually, the reason I left was to help you pick out some clothes—wait, you said there aren't any clothing stores nearby?! Then I must have made a mistake…! Ahaha…"

The morning passed just like that.

Basically, itsuka Shido is the most distressed and suffers the most.

Even Accelerator, who witnessed all of this from afar, couldn't help but feel a deep sense of exhaustion.

"...Won't this kid die from overwork in the end?"

Fortunately, Accelerator and Hatsune Miku had been hiding nearby all morning, helping him check the surrounding situation and the route problem; otherwise, Kotori Itsuka's help alone probably wouldn't have been enough.

It was already 1 a.m. when we got there, which was basically past lunchtime.

But Itsuka Shido still had to prepare lunch.

In fact, he had already been to the restaurant twice before.

The first time was when he went to have dinner with Tohka Yatogami, the second time was with Origami Tobiichi, and now he has to figure out how to solve the problem with Kurumi Tokisaki.

The phrase "racing against time" is no longer sufficient to describe the current situation.

Even just watching him handle these matters from a distance, Accelerator felt a sense of unease.

Fortunately, I wasn't the one who did such a stupid thing.

"What's wrong, Yifang?"

"nothing much."

Accelerator pursed his lips and continued looking at Hatsune Miku in front of him.

In fact, he is currently in a restaurant, and a very high-end Western restaurant at that.

Of course, for them who have already received a completely free meal, it doesn't really matter where they end up.

"Hello sir, um... could you please take a look at this bill? The total is..."

"I have no interest in watching that kind of boring stuff."

Without turning his head, Accelerator pulled a card directly from his pocket.

The waiter took the card and then realized it was actually a postcard.

The contents written above made his eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh, so that's how it is?! I understand now... I hope you two enjoy your meal today!"

Hatsune Miku, sitting opposite Accelerator, blinked in surprise. From her perspective, the waiter only glanced at the business card before looking panicked and quickly walking away.

"What...what does it say on that card?"

"Nothing important, just some boring stuff."

Boring... stuff?

But the more they say that, the more curious they become and the more they want to know the truth!

The lunch didn't last long, ending in just over ten minutes.

The dishes ordered by Accelerator and Hatsune Miku weren't particularly luxurious, so there wasn't much to savor.

Ultimately, the most important thing now is to keep an eye on the situation on Itsuka Shido's side.

"Ah~ the morning has passed just like that."

Hatsune Miku sighed helplessly as she walked out of the restaurant.

"Although I was planning to explore this place properly, I haven't been able to do so all day because I was busy checking on Shido-kun's situation."

"...Are you serious?"

"Huh? No, isn't it supposed to be like this?"

Hatsune Miku looked at Accelerator, but he didn't say anything at the moment.

The two returned together to the parking area.

When the driver opened the rear door, the interior was revealed.

—The piles of bags and packages looked like they were about to collapse from the inside.

If it weren't for the fact that Nateus's car could freely change its interior space, these things would probably have already come to light at this point.

"Is this what you mean by not being able to properly explore the area?"

“Ah… ow…”

Realizing this, the girl blushed shyly and didn't know what to say.

Accelerator just pursed his lips speechlessly.

"There's no need to talk about this pointless stuff anymore. Let's hurry up and catch up with those guys. They're already far ahead."

"Uh-huh…"

After nodding rapidly, Hatsune Miku quickly closed the car door and walked towards that location with Accelerator.

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

Since the distance wasn't too far, and it was impossible to drive on such a crowded street, the two parked the car where they were.

According to the plan, Itsuka Shido should be on his way to find Tokisaki Kurumi right now.

It will take about ten minutes to get there from here.

"It's really worrying. Can Shido really manage to do this on such a crowded street...?"

"Anyway, that's his own business, there's no need for us to clean up his mess."

"Hmm, isn't it a bit too cruel to say that..."

Even though it was already afternoon, the street was still crowded with people.

It seems that this theme park is mainly a place for couples to go on dates.

Looking from here, you can clearly see the loving couples kissing each other; you can tell just by looking at it from this point.

In stark contrast to them is the person ranked first in Academy City.

"It's all utterly boring stuff. What's there to talk about in a place like this?"

"Haha... You're right..."