One-way traffic

The number of victims in this accident must be at least several hundred.

And among them.

Accelerator glanced at one of the names on the victim list.

—Miyamizu Mitsuha.

That is, the name of the girl who should currently be inside Tachibana Taki's body.

This girl died three years ago in a comet impact event.

So, if that's the case...

"Three years ago, that kid also traveled to a time three years ago in this world, right..."

The time when Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu exchanged their souls was three years in the future for one and three years in the past for the other, and the time when the comet fell was also exactly three years ago.

In this case.

All the details seemed to gradually fit together.

and.

"Dragon-like traces were observed inside the comet?"

This statement on the news website also caught the attention of Accelerator.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. Putting aside the fact that Miyamizu Mitsuha had actually died on October 4th three years ago, the fact that the two of them had started exchanging bodies not long before the comet arrived was already very suspicious.

Was the crash site really just a coincidence that it landed in Itomori Town?

What exactly was the dragon-like shape depicted in that comet event?

Why did Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana switch bodies? And why exactly within a three-year timeframe? Why did it have to be just the two of them?

and…

That word is called 'Musubi'.

What connections exist in this incident?

After regaining my senses...

The sun in the distance seems to have moved a little distance.

One of the people standing here has been thinking for a full half hour.

"Tsk... How could they actually pull off something like this?"

For an ordinary person, such a surreal event would be so terrifying that they would be in a daze just by seeing it, let alone accepting it.

But this is nothing for Accelerator.

He himself is a miraculous technological achievement, so even something as magical as this is something he can still accept.

just.

if it is like this.

…Mitsuha Miyamizu, and everyone in that town.

They will all face the inevitable fate of death, no matter what.

Originally, I was just using the phone I found at Tachibana Taki's house to do a simple search for information about Itomori Town in this timeline, and I never expected to find something like this.

So, after confirming this intelligence...

What are your plans for the next three years?

"Comets visit once every twelve hundred years..."

I have a very strong sense of déjà vu.

Even without witnessing the scene firsthand, Accelerator still squinted, deep in thought.

All of this was not entirely in consideration of the tragedy in this small town.

He was more concerned with what he, an outsider from another world, should do in this current timeline.

What exactly needs to be done to allow him to fully return to his original world?

This is what he is most concerned about at the moment.

He cared more about the affairs of his own world than about the affairs of this world.

But no matter what, staying in front of these ruins will still get you nothing.

He turned around, and before turning away, he also gazed deeply at the wreckage in front of him.

…and left without looking back.

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

Tokyo.

It was already past 5 p.m.

During this time, people who have just finished get off work or school are generally walking slowly towards their homes.

then.

People walking on the street after get off work, or sitting in their cars rushing home.

They all witnessed this situation.

boom--! !

That was a shadow carrying a fierce wind.

The flying shadow streaked across the sky in an instant, causing the surrounding clouds to appear strangely distorted.

No.

Most importantly, there was the bombardment that followed, arriving a few seconds later, crossing the sound barrier.

In other words, a popping sound.

boom! ! !

This single action caused the windows of all the vehicles on the street to shatter instantly.

"W-what's going on?!"

"Is it a typhoon?!"

"Stop joking! How could a typhoon possibly produce a sonic boom?"

"How terrifying, could it be an alien?"

"What should I do? I'm waiting to get home!"

The traffic congestion caused by this phenomenon alone has already caused serious trouble, not to mention that the surrounding buildings also had all their windows shattered because of the explosion.

It was practically a natural disaster.

However, no one would realize that this could not actually be considered a natural disaster in the strict sense.

That was merely a secondary phenomenon caused by the aftermath of something an unintentionally created by a monster.

"You bastard, you've completely forgotten that this is just an ordinary city."

In Academy City, even ordinary residential buildings can withstand a minimum level of sonic damage in order to cope with natural disasters that could break out at any time.

But the Tokyo district of this ordinary world is completely different.

Let alone a street-wide explosion, even a simple storm sweeping through the area would be enough to instantly paralyze the entire city.

Accelerator smirked, then slowed down and used the refraction of light to evade the surveillance camera, flying directly into the house on the other side.

This is Taki Tachibana's bedroom.

However, even after Accelerator entered the room, he still couldn't sense any human presence.

Neither Taki Tachibana nor his father seem to have returned home yet.

Accelerator quickly glanced at the layout of his room.

…Aside from the usual things that male high school students should have, there was nothing else to be found.

In other words, any investigation or attempt to conduct it within this room would be completely futile.

Click.

He put away his spare phone, which he used for intelligence gathering, and then turned on his own phone, which was connected to the monitor.

The image shown above is very strange.

That wasn't a scene from the school.

Instead, it was in a completely black, or rather, completely enclosed space.

Although it's unclear exactly where it is, it's probably where the backpack was stuffed into a locker or something similar.

Accelerator simply glanced at the location shown by the surveillance camera.

"They're in a restaurant... eating, right?"

That was indeed my initial thought.

However, once Accelerator actually arrived at the restaurant's location—

"Taki! Why did you break the plate again?"

"Table number six is ​​this way, Taki! Aren't you ready yet?!"

"Hey kid, why are you acting so strange today?"

"You brat, you don't want to work here anymore, huh? The kitchen is swamped with work, we don't have time to watch your monkey show!"

"I'm so sorry, so sorry—I'm so so sorry!!!"

Wearing a waiter's uniform, Taki Tachibana was working at an almost frantic pace.

Accelerator stood at the entrance of the restaurant, and even from there, he could faintly hear various curses coming from the kitchen. Besides that, there was Taki Tachibana flashing back and forth between the restaurant and the kitchen.

This is his part-time job, but Taki Tachibana is behaving as if he's just starting out for the first time.

No, if it were a normal Tachibana Taki, she could easily solve this kind of part-time job problem.

The reason for this chaotic situation is simply that the owner of that body is not the original person.

Taki Tachibana, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to Accelerator, so flustered that he didn't even have time to speak.

"Um, this guest."

Meanwhile, the female waitress who walked over seemed to have noticed Accelerator as well.

A girl who was also wearing a uniform, but had long brown hair and looked extremely tall.

She should be an adult by now.

Just by looking at her, she's a genuine beauty.

Are you alone? Please come and sit over here.

——Okudera.

The sign on her chest read "Woman named Okudera," and she led me to a single seat by the window.

"Let me see... What would you like to know?"

"A cup of coffee and some spicy fried chicken would be fine."

"I understand, is that enough?"

The waitress briefly noted down Accelerator's requirements and then left. In reality, Accelerator himself had no money in this world, let alone any bank accounts.

The reason he was able to order food so readily was simply because he had found some savings under Tachibana Taki's bed before leaving his house, and he had borrowed it temporarily.

In other words, it was all Taki Tachibana's own money that was spent.

After handing over the menu, the waiter named Okudera immediately looked towards Taki Tachibana, who was rushing over from a distance.

"Taki! We have another customer at table number one!"

"I'm coming right away!"

After a flurry of activity, Taki Tachibana quickly grabbed a new menu and ran towards a spot a little further forward by the window.