One-way traffic

"It's probably because of the clothes, right? After all, our outfits look like cosplay to them."

Marisa and Kaguya Houraisan said this together from behind.

And just as they said, as they walked into the street, the students around them were basically staring at them.

"A shrine maiden? There are witches?! Is this a fusion of East and West?!"

"Could that winged thing over there be a vampire...?"

"Although Christmas is indeed approaching, Halloween is already long over..."

"Wow, that's amazing how openly and honestly they cosplay!!"

"It definitely wouldn't work for other people; it's too embarrassing."

"What? You were cosplaying with me last night..."

"Ugh, please don't talk about last night!!"

The discussion topics came from a variety of students.

Finally, Reimu's head was spinning from listening to all that.

"I really... really don't want to stay in this place any longer!!"

"Save your breath, Reimu."

Remilia said nonchalantly.

"Even if you don't want to stay, you still can't go back to Gensokyo, and isn't that a good thing?"

"You're the only one who thinks you're great, vampire. You walk around with an umbrella during the day and your eyes glow at night, so everyone really looks at you with a sense of awe."

"No way, it's just because I'm the true progenitor of vampires that I unconsciously exude such a powerful kingly aura. Everyone was just intimidated by me!"

"Oh dear, if that's the case, then I'm going to have a princess aura?"

"Then I'll have the aura of a mage!"

"Ugh, seriously... you guys are all too much."

Reimu, whose head was already throbbing from the stares of the guys behind her and the people around her, was now only thinking about when she could get home.

Patchouli, on the other hand, didn't care at all about what others thought.

"However... it seems like I've always been missing a book, Marisa."

"Why, why are you suddenly asking me this?"

"What do you think?"

"I did take a book, but that book... is still in Gensokyo, so I can't return it to you for now."

"Hmm~ What book is it? Fran is quite curious."

"It's a book that teaches girls how to date the men they like."

"puff--!!"

As a result, Marisa immediately spat it out.

"Whoa?! Marisa, do you have a human male you've set your sights on?!"

"Keep your voice down, you idiot Remy! Of course not!"

As a result, Marisa's situation completely drew everyone's attention to her.

Even the people on the roadside are the same.

"Do you think I'd be the kind of person who does that kind of thing? For me, the most useful thing is still gathering mushrooms and making magic!"

"That's true. After all, she's Marisa. It's hard to imagine someone like you doing something like this."

"That's right! Hahaha—"

"But if that's the case, why did you take that book?"

*Thud!* Patchouli's words completely stunned Marisa.

She turned ashen-white, as if petrified.

"This, this, this—I just grabbed the wrong one!"

"…oh?"

"Well, I meant to take the book next door, it was something like... a book that records magic, I think? Anyway, that's the one. But I accidentally took the wrong one, and I only realized it when I got home! After that, I was forced to come to this world with everyone!"

"Hmm... now that you mention it, it does make some sense."

Patchouli stroked her chin, reluctantly accepting Marisa's explanation.

"But remember to return it to me when you get back, otherwise I'll definitely blast you to pieces."

"Definitely! Definitely—!!"

I managed to... barely manage to get by!

Thinking back to how she helped Alice solve various problems, Marisa went to Patchouli's library and retrieved that book.

Fortunately, things have been smoothed over for now. It would have been better if this had caused any real trouble…

Ah no.

She then realized that she wasn't the only one who knew Alice had become hopelessly infatuated...

"I said."

Reimu Hakurei standing beside him.

She looked at Marisa with a puzzled expression.

"You didn't steal that book for Alice—"

"Ah, it really is for Alice! As for magic, there's absolutely no problem discussing it with Alice when the time comes!"

So the witch simply covered the witch's mouth, preventing her from saying these words.

'Please, Alice... I've gotten myself into all sorts of trouble because of you, you absolutely have to make me proud!!'

And so, the girls from Gensokyo continued to stroll through the night in this academy city.

--------------------------------

Virgil walked alone through the streets of the city.

He ignored the students around him and the security guards who were about to question him because he seemed too suspicious.

Anyone who tries to approach him only needs to glare at him, and his terrifying aura will scare them all away.

For him, staying in the city now is simply to confirm some intelligence.

After helping Accelerator resolve that matter and repaying the favor, he completely severed ties with the world.

however.

Another figure walked past Virgil.

"..."

The azure demon slowly turned around.

The person walking past was a high school student.

He had brown hair and looked unremarkable.

but.

His right arm appeared to be covered in countless bloodstains.

It looked as if it had been attacked by something extremely dangerous.

"I see."

I did hear that sentence from that high school student.

"The Demon God... is not the Demon God I understand. Even the power of 'Ideal Exile' is useless against him?"

Virgil narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't pay much attention.

He simply watched calmly as the high school student walked away from him.

"Interesting humans."

Thus, the demon of the Spartan Sons set its sights on a certain power.

They set their sights on the leader of a group known as the "Uesato Force".

Chapter 685 Virgil Intrudes into the Upper Village's Power

Fire on the Right and Orelus.

Like the others, the two left after learning the relevant information from the windowless building.

By 6 a.m. tomorrow.

That will be the time when they enter that black hole and end it all.

All the time before this... will become useless rest time.

Like other girls in Gensokyo, the two strolled casually through the streets.

However, no one seemed inclined to pay any attention to the two of them.

"The chairman of the board is indeed Aleister Crowley."

"I already knew about this at the end of World War III, and you yourself are well aware of it too, right?"

"It's nothing, just something I mentioned casually."

So far, the topics the two have been discussing are completely incomprehensible to others.

In addition, considering their respective clothing, under normal circumstances, passersby would have already been paying attention to their actions.

But they didn't act like the girls of Gensokyo.

…This is because the Right Flame possesses a technique that can conceal its own presence, and Orelus, like him, also used this technique of considerable skill.

Unlike simple spells that disperse idlers and scatter others, this spell directly affects the user, causing the user to become like a shadow and disappear from people's perception.

"It will start tomorrow morning..."

The two passed by a coffee shop and bought two drinks.

Orles is pineapple soda, while Fire on the Right is pure English black tea.

While leaning against the shop entrance, they openly discussed major events concerning the future direction of the world, completely unnoticed by others.

"But then again, why would someone like Aleister choose to disappear from Academy City?"

"Who knows? That's something I'd like to ask too."

The king who rules this academy city, the chairman who governs all 2.3 million people, should be more committed to his post, especially during times of crisis.

However, when everyone arrived inside the windowless building, they discovered that all that remained were videos pre-recorded by the chairman himself.

The real Aleister has long since disappeared.

"However, the fact that he knows about this series of strange things is itself noteworthy."

And to make matters worse, during this time, demons and other such beings were also roaming around the city.

Since there is a demon god like the monk, he must be the only demon god here.

The Right Fire has reason to believe that other demons have also descended upon this city.

However, now is not the time to prioritize such matters.

"What are you going to do?"

"What else can we do? Just go with these guys. We're just killing time anyway. If we don't find a way to stop this, even if we and the others survive, the world will become as chaotic as it was back in the time of Othinus, right?"

"That's not what I asked."

"O'Reilly said after taking a sip of his soda."

"From now until tomorrow morning, how do you plan to spend that long period of time?"

"...That does make some sense."