One-way traffic

That's why he knows very well what he should do in this world.

Ah...that's right, that's exactly it.

I've already figured out what my reasons are for taking action in this world.

Accelerator placed his left hand on his right wrist, slightly rotated his right hand, and then closed his eyes.

"…snort."

He was already fully aware of the situation.

and so.

The first one, without hesitation, severed ties with this tragic history that had already occurred in the past.

We've returned to normal time.

————————————————————————

When Accelerator opened his eyes again, it was already quite dark outside.

As the setting sun slowly descended in the distance, the complex night sky, a blend of black and starry hues, gradually alternated with the deep red sunset.

It only took a few minutes for Mitsuha to consciously experience everything that Mitsuha went through.

But after being transferred to the real world, has a whole day already been used?

Accelerator didn't pay any attention. He put the lid on the sake jug in his hand, placed it back on the side of the altar, and left the sacred body.

They traveled in silence, returning to the city at top speed.

During the journey, he carefully checked that his speed was not excessive and would not cause the glass and ground of the entire city to collapse due to the supersonic phenomenon.

The person who arrived at his room even faster than Taki Tachibana was Accelerator himself.

Click.

After he had been alone for about fifteen minutes, the bedroom door was opened.

The boy who entered the room looked completely listless.

It's just like--

It felt like losing something incredibly important.

"...You're still here."

"I'd also like to ask, since the phenomenon of body swapping has stopped happening, why am I still able to stay in your timeline?"

The body-swapping phenomenon no longer occurs…

The unintentional remark seemed to strike Taki Tachibana, causing him to pause in his packing.

"...So you knew about this too, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Taki Tachibana turned around and looked at Accelerator, who was sitting in a chair drinking coffee.

The boy's expression gradually changed from listless to anxious.

"If Mitsuha and I had successfully swapped bodies, you wouldn't be here, right?"

That is indeed the case according to the rules so far.

But nowadays, if this rule is broken, it can only mean one thing.

Miyamizu Mitsuha will no longer switch bodies with him.

"What exactly do you know?"

He took a deep breath.

Sitting on his bed, he looked at the person in front of him with the most serious and earnest attitude he had ever shown before.

"Accelerator... exactly what do you know about these things? Could you please tell me everything?"

"..."

"Please, even if there are things behind this that I can't accept, I have to know!"

Although she had no idea what had happened, Taki Tachibana had a vague feeling from the moment she couldn't get through to the phone number Mitsuha had left for her.

A very bad feeling.

There's something extremely important that seems... like it's about to disappear...

"I beg you."

He looked at the person in front of him who might be the only one who knew the whole truth.

With all his might and with the utmost sincerity, he bowed deeply and shouted.

"I want to know the truth about all of this, even if it's something I can't bear!"

"I want to know how Mitsuha is doing, so please... If it were you, I think you would be able to find out, right?"

"Please! The person who's been by our side for the past month... Accelerator!!"

This might be the first time Taki Tachibana has spoken to Accelerator with such concern.

For the past month, both Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu have been mainly enjoying the novel life after their bodies were swapped, without focusing much attention on the number one student in Academy City.

To this world, Accelerator is nothing more than a third party or a traveler.

but.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: even if I explain the situation clearly, I still don't know the specifics of what to do next."

"...That's alright."

The boy shouted loudly with a determined expression.

"I just want to know what happened to Mitsuha, even if it's a result I can't accept... at least let me know all of this!"

Since things have come to this point, there's no need to cover it up anymore.

Accelerator closed his eyes and then told the other person everything.

Whether it's about comets or anything else.

It's still about... this matter, that Itomori Town has already disappeared three years later.

"I think you yourself have vaguely sensed it, haven't you?"

He stared at Taki Tachibana, who was standing there stunned, and said, word by word.

“You’ve actually been vaguely aware of this all along, which is why you haven’t deliberately investigated it.”

“Every time you switch bodies into Mitsuha Miyamizu’s body, you can remember the name of that town. Then, you could go back to the world three years in the future and search for information about Itomori Town... But you didn’t do that. Do you know why?”

He revealed a fact that even Tachibana Taki himself was largely unaware of.

"You are afraid that you will know the fate of that woman's past in this future."

"You're afraid that if you knew the truth, you would face an ending that would drive you to near despair... isn't that right?"

"No... I'm not afraid!"

Taki Tachibana shouted again, and Accelerator looked at him with a cold smile.

"So what do you want to do? With your looks, what do you think you can accomplish?"

"...I only want to do one thing."

The boy clenched his fists.

I want to transform all the feelings I've been holding in for the past month into a single, simple sentence.

"I want to see Mitsuha again, I want... I want to save her!"

Chapter 719 The Miracle of Salvation and Being Salvated

So the boy made a decision.

In order to save the girl who had died in despair after enduring that disaster alone, Taki Tachibana took concrete action.

…Then.

"Hey…"

He stood in front of the station, frowning as if in disbelief.

"What on earth is going on..."

It was September, and Taki Tachibana was dressed in autumn/winter clothes, standing next to Accelerator, who was still wearing short sleeves and looked somewhat out of place.

But this was not what horrified him.

There were two other people in front of him.

A boy wearing glasses, and a tall woman who was much older than the boy.

He knows.

He knew both of them.

Taki Tachibana's classmate, Tsukasa Fujii.

And the beautiful woman, Miki Okudera, who worked with him at a restaurant.

"Si...didn't I tell you to help me find a job without telling my family?"

Upon realizing that his two friends would actually appear in such a place, Taki Tachibana exclaimed in disbelief.

"I've had someone else handle the job situation."

"No, no, it's Takagi, isn't it? That guy can handle the part-time job without any problem, but that's not all I want to ask!"

Why are these two friends here?

Before Taki Tachibana could get an answer, Miki Okudera, who was standing to the side, was somewhat surprised.

She looked at Tachibana Taki's side in surprise.

"Oh? I remember you were...?"

She vaguely remembered the white-haired figure.

It seems... I saw it about a month ago?

If Miki Okudera could recall that about a month ago, it was Accelerator who took care of the blond guy causing trouble in their restaurant, her surprise would probably increase several times over.

It feels like there are more and more troublesome things happening.

Even Taki Tachibana couldn't help but tremble, his heart filled with helplessness and speechlessness.

"You two actually conspired to come and join me..."

"Because I was worried about you. After all, someone like you would actually choose to meet someone you met online."

"No, no! I already said that netizens are just trying to make things easier to understand—"

"Even so, we are still very worried about Taki's situation."

"Ms. Okudera, um... thank you..."

We exchanged pleasantries for about five minutes.

In short, Accelerator, who was standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch any longer.

“The train has arrived. If you don’t plan to get on and leave right away, it’s perfectly fine for me to travel alone.”

"I know... You think I want to be bothered by these two guys?!"

Um…?

Tsukasa and Okudera stared at each other. What was going on? This person who seemed to have no discernible gender...?

I don't recall Taki ever knowing such a strange character.

"Excuse me, who are you...?"

"Ah, this one is called Accelerator. He is the guide who is responsible for leading us in the right direction."

"So, a position similar to a tour leader or guide?"

"So, as I've already said, this can't really be considered tourism!"