One-way traffic

"Ha...woowa..."

For various reasons, Mikoto Himeno couldn't help but kneel down beside a nearby tree.

The girl couldn't help but gag at the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Even after she was able to get up, her legs still felt weak.

"This is just... way too reckless!!"

Just now, Accelerator drove that sports car and Mikoto Himeno straight off the cliff.

It would be alright if it just plunged off the cliff.

However, this supercar, which surpasses all other vehicles in the world, rushed forward at a speed of about Mach 1.2.

If it were to go all out, it could even fly out of the atmosphere in one go, which is nothing compared to Nathos's maximum horsepower. However, it remains to be seen whether the people inside can withstand such an impact.

In any case, there was no way for Himeno Mikoto to resist this dizziness.

"The car has shock absorption and environmental adaptation systems. Even if the car flies out at supersonic speed, these shouldn't affect you, right?"

"No way! How could that be...it wouldn't have any impact...!"

Despite her complaints, Mikoto Himeno still felt waves of nausea coming from her abdomen.

The human body cannot withstand supersonic impacts, so Nateus's internal systems have various mechanisms to mitigate the effects of energy shocks and sonic booms, ensuring absolute safety even for infants and toddlers.

However, whether it is actually safe or not is one thing, and whether one feels safe or not is another.

Just like a roller coaster, everyone knows that as long as they hold on tightly to the handles, they are in a completely safe situation and will not be thrown off under normal circumstances. But in reality, when faced with this situation, passengers will still be unable to bear this subconscious fear.

Accelerator stopped paying attention to that and put away Nathos, turning his attention back to the area ahead.

It's another area that looks like a village.

However, this village was much more dilapidated than the town before it.

"What's ahead is the singularity of this world."

Based on Accelerator's intuition, he should be able to reach the singularity in just a few more steps.

To definitively confirm the existence of the singularity, one can no longer rampage through such places at the speed of Nathos.

He turned around and looked at Himeno Mikoto, who was still panting.

“You’re perfectly fine and have rested enough, so there’s no need for you to stay here any longer.”

"Um...I...I understand..."

Upon hearing this, Mikoto Himeno finally realized that everything was merely a subconscious reaction, and her body was not actually affected in any way.

Even so, I'm still quite shaken...

The girl had no choice but to start walking and slowly follow behind him.

The two of them stepped into the village.

However, what they completely failed to notice was...

There was actually a wooden sign in the bushes not far from where they left.

That was the signboard used to indicate the name of the village, and it read—

Giant.

—

As mentioned before, the two have now officially entered the village.

There was no sign of life, and you couldn't even sense the atmosphere of human habitation.

The previous place still had traces of human life, but here... there's nothing left but monotonous houses.

The house was empty, the interior was dilapidated and infested with termites, so it wouldn't be surprising if it collapsed at any time.

The entire village was surrounded by a strange and oppressive atmosphere, which instilled an indescribable fear and made people want to get away from it at all times.

"what…"

"I can't sense even the slightest human presence... Hmph, this supernatural bastard is truly utterly devoid of humanity."

Accelerator had never witnessed any large-scale supernatural phenomena before.

Although he had witnessed magic many times, magic and the supernatural were still two completely different fields in his eyes.

Compared to magic, which is specifically used for various special effects and combat methods, so-called supernatural phenomena tend to be more about horror. Most of them are probably just things that exist only in legends, but those supernatural phenomena that actually exist are probably capable of harming people.

Just like the Yuka Kamishiro incident, where a small doll could transform into a large-scale killer, this method could be used to kill someone else.

Mikoto Himeno realized that the distance between her and Accelerator had increased considerably, so she quickly quickened her pace.

"Those monsters from earlier...aren't you afraid of them at all?"

"What terrible necessity is there?"

"Because, those are all...non-human."

"So what? I may not know exactly what these so-called oddities are, but their real purpose is to instill fear in their opponents in order to increase their own power, right?"

"Woo..."

"In that case, we should not expose our fear when facing them, as that would only hasten our demise."

Accelerator's words sounded preachy, but were actually spoken rather casually.

"Ha, then again, why should I be afraid of that kind of thing?"

"...That's amazing."

"It's basic practice. Sometimes, even with something you've never seen before, you can't just show weakness to it... Humans are the kind of creatures that get more panicked when they encounter something they can't understand. If you let this biological instinct hold you back, you'll only end up destroying yourself."

That being said, Accelerator was well aware that, based on the DNA test results, he was indeed human.

But probably no one would think that someone who could so easily and instantly kill even the bizarre and supernatural beings that manipulated human fears could be a human being.

As she stayed by his side, the fear in Mikoto Himeno's eyes gradually faded away.

"Um, Accelerator... sir, you're really amazing."

"Because you see... even though you and I have never seen those monsters, you weren't afraid at all when you saw them, and you could even defeat them easily. Moreover... in real life, you're a popular idol, and also the number one among the seven Level 5 superpowered individuals. With so many impressive points, you're really remarkable no matter how you look at it."

Without realizing it, the girl began to close the distance between herself and the other person.

Gradually, she began to speak involuntarily.

"Compared to me, I... am really useless."

She frowned slightly, and memories of the past began to surface.

"Mom... sent me to Academy City. Everyone hopes that I can achieve my own success here and have a bright future."

"However, in terms of ability development, I am... a Level 0 esper. Not only that, my studies and friendships are also quite average. I'm just receiving my education at a regular school. Although I know Yuka, in the future, barring any unforeseen circumstances..."

I'll probably live a mundane life in Academy City, then leave just like that and take up an ordinary office job.

After going to university, and then choosing where to work, whether or not one can get married in the future is also a question that needs to be considered. It's hard for an ordinary person like myself to believe that someone would actually like me.

My life has been neither dramatic nor tragic; it's just been an ordinary life.

"I don't think anyone who encounters something like this is anything extraordinary."

"...It was just an accident, wasn't it?"

"Maybe so, it's fine if you want to think that way."

The first person in front of me walked away without looking back.

"However, it all depends on how you think about it."

"...?"

"This is your own life, and you are the one who decides where it will ultimately lead. Whether it is good or bad, happy or miserable, it is all up to you. No matter how much I say, it will be meaningless."

Even without looking back at the girl's expression, he knew exactly what she looked like.

"I don't know what you're thinking. You're going to act as my life coach based on just a few complaints? Even if I'm number one, I'm not that great. Besides, do I look like the kind of person who would do this kind of thing?"

"Completely unlike..."

"That's just how it is. I have no confidence, nor am I interested in changing a person's life and thoughts with just a few words."

He spoke calmly and decisively.

"The person who should be responsible for cleaning up the mess in your life shouldn't be anyone else, right?"

Even without knowing what follows, the girl could probably guess what he was going to say.

Ultimately, only you can decide your own life.

The girl stood there, stunned. Although she was still walking with the other person, her mind was filled with complicated thoughts, and she no longer cared about anything around her.

Can I really freely decide my own life?

Mr. Accelerator...whether encountering strange beings he's never seen before, or on stage or elsewhere, he always exudes confidence and strength.

That's why he was able to make a proper decision about his own future.

So, if it were me... could I do it too?

Even someone as ordinary as me has the opportunity to determine a brilliant future?

She stood there, lost in thought, pondering these questions.

then.

Before she could even react, a hand had already grabbed her shoulder.

The first one pulled Himeno Mikoto's body directly behind him.

BOOM—! BOOM! BOOM!

Something suddenly appeared like a missile and crashed into Accelerator.

“…Huh?”

In that instant, the girl finally blinked and came to her senses.

Bang—a strange sound rang out, a reflected sound effect, and the thing that had tried to knock Accelerator away also fully absorbed its own impact force, flying back the way it came.

Boom!! The wooden house behind was smashed to pieces by that thing, and dust exploded, instantly shattering the eerie silence that had been maintained.

"What...?!"

Mikoto Himeno called out softly, somewhat startled, but Accelerator did not respond.

Thump, thump, bang—

Countless sounds came from all directions.

"Could this... be a landslide?"

"Do not."

Accelerator glanced into the distance and narrowed his eyes.

"These are the sounds of human footsteps."

Huh? Mikoto Himeno didn't understand that sentence at all.

But she saw it with her own eyes right away.

Right there ahead, rising from the rubble of the collapsed wooden house—

are people.

Tall humans, about two meters tall.

However, judging from its limbs and torso, that thing does indeed belong to the human category.

—It has a huge head that is disproportionate to its body and is large enough to crush the whole body.

"What's this…"

Mikoto Himeno couldn't help but feel terrified.

The enormous 'human' with its massive head twisted its head and looked in this direction with eyes that seemed to possess the instinct of a wild beast.

Boom--boom--

The footsteps weren't just his.