One-way traffic

"Rocket…?"

"That's right. I had already anticipated the possibility of the Lunar Capital guys invading Gensokyo not long ago, so I secretly had those vampires start building a spaceship behind the scenes, just so that we could avenge our previous defeat and fly directly to the moon to teach those guys a lesson."

"Are you sure you won't get beaten to a pulp if you let those vampires over? Even I, a priestess, got beaten up and was crying out in pain!"

Even Reimu, who was standing to the side, knew just how unrealistic this was.

However, this is not what Accelerator cares about.

"Hey."

He looked at Yukari Yakumo again.

But at this moment, his eyes changed.

"Those bastards on the moon, they just dumped that spider machine here today, didn't they?"

"Um…?"

"I've had this question for a while now, ever since I saw that thing today."

Gradually, Accelerator's gaze toward Yukari Yakumo began to turn strange.

"How exactly did those guys' machines break through the Hakurei Great Barrier?"

"Ah...! Right! I was just wondering why things from the outside world would suddenly appear in Gensokyo... Could it be that you're doing this on purpose again, Yukari!"

"Oh my? When something like this happens, I'm the first one to be labeled a suspect. This is a completely unexpected turn of events."

Yakumo Yukari waved her folding fan.

"Don't worry, I would never gamble with the life or death of Gensokyo, at least not to this extent."

"Since those despicable people of the Moon could develop a design method to specifically target the power system of Gensokyo, I think they must have also developed some kind of method to invade the Hakurei Barrier."

"Is it really possible that someone from the Moon who has never been to Gensokyo could do something like that?"

"Don't underestimate those guys. Having had some contact with them before, I know very well just how advanced their technology is."

The string of words left some people present stunned.

Yagokoro Eirin remained silent for a long time, standing there, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Yukari Yakumo smiled with satisfaction.

"Don't worry, the fact that I can talk to you like this proves that the situation is definitely not at a devastating point."

"You'll see what my plans are when the time comes. For me, the survival of Gensokyo is extremely important."

"Then, shall we meet again when everything is settled?"

In the blink of an eye, the elusive monster vanished completely from sight.

"Ah...! It's gone..."

The Moon Rabbit Girl stood there in surprise, while Reimu Hakurei grew somewhat displeased, and Eirin Yagokoro remained lost in thought.

Only one side can pass.

He looked in the direction where Yukari Yakumo had left, and narrowed his eyes in confirmation.

Because he was very clear about one thing.

'It is precisely because I have been diligently studying the barrier here that I have a clear understanding of just how complex it is.'

Therefore, the first one is also very clear.

Even if the Moon People have advanced technology, it wouldn't matter if they didn't come to the ground to conduct actual exploration and data collection.

The idea that one could so easily breach Gensokyo's barrier is simply a pipe dream.

And how exactly did they know that Gensokyo was here?

Everything, in the end, can only converge into one most conspicuous point.

That was Yukari Yakumo herself.

It's very likely that she's hiding something.

'That sage bastard, he's as infuriating as ever, isn't he?'

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Accelerator secretly made a plan in his mind.

If that guy really intends to do something disgusting, then I'll beat her up along with the mastermind.

'But regardless, this matter...'

He won't stand idly by.

He didn't care about the fate of this Gensokyo.

However, he was clear about one thing.

If someone bullies you and you don't intend to say anything, that's definitely not in line with his style.

Even if the other party is a completely clueless lunar person, it's the same.

Chapter 485 There is no difference between us

The night illuminated by the crescent moon.

Under the moonlight, the first person sat alone on the rooftop, gazing at the sky as if admiring the moon.

"Is that thing currently inhabited by a group of aliens whose true nature is unknown...?"

Several days had passed since Yukari Yakumo announced the moon landing plan to him.

He also figured out a variety of other issues at the same time.

The actual situation couldn't be as Yukari Yakumo said, that the Hakurei Great Barrier was easily breached by the people of the Lunar Capital. There must be some hidden story behind this, but perhaps even Yukari Yakumo herself doesn't know it, which is why she dealt with me that way.

But he was very clear about one thing: Yukari Yakumo would never lay a hand on Gensokyo, which she loved.

Now that this matter has been confirmed, it can be fairly certain that there must be other shady dealings behind it.

But even he himself had difficulty grasping the clues to the actual situation.

Over the course of several days, he searched countless areas and contents of Gensokyo, but in reality, none of it was of any value in the current situation.

That's inevitable, since it concerns matters on the moon. Therefore, no matter how much investigation is conducted on the ground, it will still be difficult to arrive at an answer.

Accelerator himself confirmed that this is the current state of the Hakurei Great Barrier.

That barrier was boundless and formless, something that could not be touched by mere hands. Therefore, it required someone with spatial abilities to make contact with it in order to have a chance to interfere with this massive barrier that could encompass the entire Gensokyo.

When Accelerator went to investigate the barrier, he confirmed that the entire surface of the barrier seemed to have been opened up with a huge hole.

It is because of this opening that an entrance leading to the outside world appears roughly above the barrier of Gensokyo.

If you follow this entrance, you can leave Gensokyo directly. However, from the outside, it looks like just an ordinary, bottomless cave in a deep forest. Basically, no one would be able to come to such a place—unless it's a plane crash that crashes into the deep forest and dies.

It's obvious that the mechanical spider that landed on the moon got to Gensokyo through this entrance.

But what exactly caused this opening to be breached? At least, judging from the surface, it certainly wasn't achieved through pure brute force or any special attack on Gensokyo.

It's more like something directly interfered with the barrier due to its own characteristics.

That mechanical spider alone could absolutely not do that.

What exactly destroyed the barrier? And how did the mechanical spider manage to pinpoint the exact location of Gensokyo?

A series of problems kept emerging.

Besides these, Accelerator also needs to solve the huge problem of those monsters whose whereabouts are unknown.

The road ahead is now fraught with difficulties and dangers.

"So it's here again."

"Um…?"

He suddenly heard someone speaking and turned his head immediately.

Then he saw a familiar figure standing on the other side of the house.

A beautiful blonde girl.

These days, the doll-like girl has been living with him.

“These days, you go up to the rooftop by yourself to look at the stars every night.”

"That's none of your business."

"It's quite lonely, isn't it? And... I'll just say I'm the landlord of your lodging place."

She walked to the end of the eaves with great ease.

The girl's blonde hair fluttered in the evening breeze, making it hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago she was a quiet, aloof girl who rarely spoke to anyone.

Alice stood comfortably next to where Accelerator was sitting.

"I'm saying, even now, you still want to leave Gensokyo?"

Perhaps influenced by the quiet atmosphere, the girl began to strike up a conversation with him.

Accelerator casually curled his lip.

"of course."

"Oh dear? I've seen you've been so busy with all sorts of things lately, I thought you were planning to stay in Gensokyo permanently."

"That's because compared to that, there are more damn problems that need to be solved first. Besides, do you think I don't want to leave sooner? If it weren't for this damn barrier, I would have left in the first place."

If it weren't for the problems caused by these monsters and anomalies, Accelerator wouldn't have such strong feelings for Gensokyo.

"Is that right?"

However, this time the doll-wielding girl seemed to see right through him.

She chuckled softly and looked down at him as she spoke.

"Well, you can actually leave now."

A gentle breeze blew.

Both of their hair were slightly blown by the wind, but the girl's words made Accelerator fall silent, just like the atmosphere.

"According to the sage of the demons, the Hakurei Great Barrier has now had an entrance opened on its surface, right?"

Alice continued speaking, as if she were gradually uncovering Accelerator's inner thoughts.

"You told me that your initial goal was simply to leave Gensokyo. Hmm... Honestly, even if there are monsters or other incidents now, as an outsider, you shouldn't have anything to worry about, right?"

As an outsider, a human who only stumbled into Gensokyo by chance, Accelerator has no reason, let alone obligation, to protect Gensokyo.

Whether it's the monster incident, the various anomalies of the past, or the intense relationship between the moon and Gensokyo that is about to develop, they should actually have nothing to do with him.

Now that a large hole has been opened in the barrier, he no longer needs to consider whether or not to untie the barrier.

"So, if you want to leave, you can leave now."

"But you didn't do that."

"Why? What's the reason? You shouldn't have any connection with the people here. You've only been here for a few weeks, at most half a month."

"And what is it that made you choose to stay in Gensokyo for so long?"

The doll's series of questions from the girl brought the atmosphere to a quiet.

She felt that she had really stumped Accelerator.

but.

"I thought you'd say something useful, but all you have to say is this?"

"Eh?"

"And I've been living at your house all this time... I thought you were somehow different from those monsters and humans, but it seems you're just a complete idiot."

The first one said with a sneer.

Ignoring Alice's surprised gaze, he rose from the roof and leaped to the ground in an instant.

'I can't figure it out... I have no idea what that guy is thinking.'

It is precisely because we don't understand it that we develop a strong sense of curiosity.

Just as Alice was filled with this curiosity, she was drawn to some kind of light and shadow in the distance.