One-way traffic

And so, the first person went straight to the front of the food truck and made a request to the restaurant.

Strangely, after glancing briefly at the silent Alice, the shopkeeper then looked at Accelerator in front of him.

"Hey kid, did you make your girlfriend cry?"

…ah?

"What utter nonsense are you spouting?"

"Hahaha! I get it, I get it! Oh dear, I often experienced similar situations when I was young!"

Accelerator almost lost his temper on the spot, but the shop owner—a man in his forties—didn't care at all.

He placed his muscular arm directly on the front desk and smiled familiarly.

"However, it's not cost-effective to eat just one serving by yourself."

"what?"

"If you only order one regular one for her, she'll think you just bought it casually, and the result will be terrible. If you order two, it will be even worse. You'll each have a crepe and eat your own, which will only make things more distant."

"So I've already said, that's not how it is..."

"I understand, I understand, so this time I'm lending you a hand."

Bang! The man pulled something else out of the box.

Swish, swish, swish—after a series of quick movements right in front of Accelerator, a freshly baked crepe is ready.

…It’s just a little strange.

That crepe was much larger than usual, and it was split in two.

The one on the left is blueberry flavor, and the one on the right is strawberry flavor.

This...it's totally a case of the two of them sharing one portion!

"you…!"

"Don't get too worked up. I understand you might be a little angry, but this is the best way for you two to make up quickly."

The man completely ignored everything Accelerator said and proceeded to lay out the crepes on his own.

"For the sake of both of you, I'll only charge half the price. But! You absolutely have to make that girl happy. A man who makes a girl cry can't appreciate the sweetness of a crepe!"

"Alright, let's fight back in one fell swoop!"

…It's completely true; they won't listen to even the slightest explanation.

Even though Accelerator tried to make a scary face, the man remained unmoved, seemingly completely misunderstood.

After paying, Accelerator could only stare awkwardly at the crepe in his hand.

“…Huh?”

"That's about it. See if you can eat all of this by yourself."

Alice stared in surprise at the huge crepe in front of her.

Although she is a magician with a physique that surpasses that of ordinary people, she doesn't need to care too much about things like food.

But in the end, she was just a girl.

For a girl, the idea of ​​eating such a large portion of crepes by herself is simply absurd.

and…

"Together…"

Alice herself couldn't believe her own words.

She seemed unable to control herself, her pretty face flushed red, and she grabbed the crepe in Accelerator's hand with both hands.

It was uttered in a very soft voice.

"Shall we eat together...?"

"…ah?"

Then, before Accelerator could react, Alice went straight up and took a small bite.

My mouth is filled with the fresh scent of strawberries…

She wiped her mouth slightly, and Accelerator in front of her was... utterly speechless.

He even had an impulse, feeling that an immense amount of black energy, exceeding ten billion universes, was gradually gathering behind him. He imagined that in the next instant, the black wings, surpassing the level of a nuclear bomb, would explode like a supernova, instantly destroying the entire world infinitely due to their berserk state.

The shopkeeper behind them seemed to have seen this scene as well.

Then that guy... actually cheered himself on right there.

What kind of bullshit joke is this?

"That's enough, I'm not in the mood to keep rambling."

Accelerator pursed his lips without hesitation and turned away.

Ah—Alice froze on the spot.

"...Is this alright?"

Then, the other person offered their hand.

The crepe in my hand had already been bitten several times.

…and the spot where I bit myself has already been touched.

Alice finally realized what had happened.

"Now you can eat it, right? If you still can't, I'll use my power to compress this thing along with the air—"

"No... this is... um... okay."

Alice lowered her head slightly, her face still flushed, and looked at the crepe in front of her as if it were a precious treasure.

...eating in small bites.

On the other side, Accelerator was perfectly fine, because he wasn't thinking about any of these trivial matters. He was just thinking that since this girl couldn't eat it, he could take a few bites and she would be able to finish it, right?

However, this kind of action alone...

That was enough to make Alice's heart flutter.

"And then what, did you continue shopping?"

"Hmm... I want to continue."

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

A considerable amount of time has passed.

During this time, Alice and Accelerator shared crepes, bought two identical drinks, and Alice even had Accelerator buy her a cute bunny plush toy…

When she received the doll, she was so happy she almost cried.

It's just an ordinary doll, but even the ones she makes herself are more exquisite.

But for Alice, it held a very deep meaning.

"A lot of people are gathered here..."

Around 10 o'clock, they arrived together at a bridge.

Many young people gathered by the bridge, and most of them were pairs of men and women.

It's easy to see that they are in a romantic relationship.

Why are there so many people here?

"Let me think, it seems to be because of that, Christmas is coming soon, so these guys have started spreading some boring rumors here without permission."

"What kind of rumor is it?"

"How could I possibly know? Who would care about something that's obviously nonsense?"

The answer was as expected; it makes sense, given Accelerator's personality—how could he possibly understand such a thing?

but.

With a quick glance, Alice noticed the sign not far away.

There was a newly written message there.

"Christmas is coming! It's said that all the young people who confess their love here will eventually become a couple who will never be apart!!"

It looks like baseless nonsense.

But... even though it's obviously a fake statement, it still attracts so many people to come here to confess their feelings.

Humans are like that; sometimes, even knowing that some rumors are false, they still choose to believe them.

Alice and Accelerator stood together on the edge of the bridge.

Accompanied by the sound of water flowing under the bridge and the cold winter wind blowing in December.

A unique atmosphere was thus created around the two of them.

"...One-way."

Alice seemed to have thought of something.

She clenched her hands tightly, her heart pounding with nervousness.

"Have you ever had a girl you liked or had a crush on so far?"

"Ha, do you think I'm the kind of person who would care about that kind of thing?"

An answer that was not surprising at all.

This is indeed a very troublesome opponent... really.

The girl smiled helplessly and continued to ask questions.

"What are your feelings about Hatsune Miku?"

"..."

Accelerator narrowed his eyes slightly.

Although Alice raised a question about love, the first person didn't expect her to turn the conversation to Hatsune Miku right away.

"Why are you suddenly asking these questions? What are you planning to do?"

"Just curious."

Alice continued to talk about everything she was thinking.

"I heard about your relationship from...that guy named Takibayashi. It seems you've been working together for a long time, and even lived in the same house. So, what exactly is the nature of your relationship?"

This is not simply Alice's question about love.

More than anything, it also contains a simple curiosity about the experiences of the two people.

And to this.

However, no trace of affection appeared in Accelerator's eyes.

That wasn't the kind of look I gave when I looked at someone I liked or had a girlfriend.

…but rather a look of deep affection, like that of a family member.

"That's basically how things have always been between me and that guy."

"Going to a world like your Gensokyo was just an accident. Long before that, Hatsune Miku and I had been traveling to different worlds."

"We possess the ability to travel to other worlds. This phenomenon is the same as how you came to this world from your own original world."

"If you ask me what kind of place that guy holds in my heart..."

Even someone as cold and aloof as Accelerator couldn't help but show a complex expression on his face.

But it was by no means just simple love.

Instead, it was an expression even heavier than that.

"...All I can say is that she is someone I need to protect."

"what…"