One-way traffic

"Then what should it be considered?"

"this…"

If I were to say that I was actually going to save a girl who had already died, they would definitely think I was a fool, or even a lunatic.

With a sense of helplessness in mind, Taki Tachibana had no choice but to follow Accelerator into the carriage.

"So how exactly did you and this person meet?"

"It was just a chance encounter, uh... he was an old friend from my hometown, a childhood friend, right?"

"What's that? Even my best friend from high school didn't know such a thing existed. Just how much have you been hiding from us?"

"So that's not what happened!"

However, even after boarding the train, they still seemed unable to settle down.

Faced with Tsukasa and Okudera constantly throwing out all sorts of questions, Tachibana Taki simply couldn't think of a good way to deal with them.

Even when he looked at Accelerator sitting next to him, the guy was just looking at his phone indifferently, not paying any attention to him at all.

"Ah, if you put it that way..."

After taking a sip of the drink he ordered on the train, Tsukasa continued to ask Tachibana Taki questions.

Where exactly is the online friend you're looking for?

"Yes, although I heard from Si-kun that Taki wanted to find an online friend, we have no idea where that friend is."

"So, as I've already said, 'netizens' is just a convenient way of referring to a topic..."

Taki Tachibana was completely at a loss.

If things continue like this, these two people will definitely keep following me.

In that case, it wouldn't be very convenient to find the direction of Itomori Town.

However, on the other hand...

He paused for a moment, then looked in the direction of Accelerator.

"What they both said makes sense. Where exactly do I need to go to find Mitsuha?"

"...Huh? You really don't know where they live?"

"Wait, can it really be like this, Taki? You don't even know the other party's address...?!"

"No, I know."

It was not Taki who answered this question.

Accelerator, who hadn't said a word until now, put down his phone, took a sip of coffee, and then said this.

"But the location of that guy is somewhere you can never reach, no matter what."

"……Eh?"

"It's nothing, just some meaningless talk."

Accelerator spoke calmly, but what he said made Taki Tachibana fall into deep thought once again.

That guy is in a place you can never reach, no matter what.

That guy was obviously referring to Mitsuha, but... saying things like that directly...

“…I said.”

It seems she no longer wants to think about things alone.

Taki Tachibana took a deep breath and looked directly at the person in front of her.

"Do you really have a way to let me see her?"

"…snort."

The first person simply shrugged in response.

"Why do you think I sent you here?"

…What, what's going on?

This is the thought of the duo, who are completely bewildered and have no idea what's going on.

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

After getting off the train, the place they were going to next took on a very different meaning.

"…Hello."

They had booked a hotel nearby in advance.

After simply putting down her luggage, Taki Tachibana looked at Accelerator, who shared a room with her.

He asked anxiously.

"Are you sure it's okay? And if we leave like this, won't Tsukasa and Ms. Okudera become suspicious?!"

"Because, that's Itomori Town! Even a quick online search will show that the town is actually..."

"You talk too much nonsense."

Accelerator impatiently twisted his neck, making a cracking sound that startled Taki Tachibana, causing her to take a step back.

"Listen carefully, since I said I could accomplish all of this, I have definitely considered everything, and there is no need for you to worry about it."

"But...can you really get Mitsuha...?"

"what?"

Even though Taki Tachibana wanted to ask further questions, the first person in front of her just glared at her domineeringly.

This immediately made him unable to continue speaking.

"I've already read the memories in your mind. It's about kuchikami (chewed sake), right?"

"Eh…?"

He couldn't help but blink, then looked at Accelerator with a puzzled expression.

"Chewing... alcohol?"

"Those two jars you and that little girl named Yotsuba sent into the Divine Body, they contained that kind of stuff, didn't they? Tsk, they're really disgusting."

The thought that what he had touched with his hands was actually a mixture of someone else's saliva and alcohol made Accelerator feel a sense of disgust.

"Um, why did you ask about that kuchikami-zake (chewed rice wine) thing...?"

“I can use that thing to pinpoint the time period before Miyamizu Mitsuha’s death. With that, you can establish a connection with her.”

With a snap, he crushed the coffee can and then painstakingly pieced the broken metal pieces back together.

"...meaning that the body can be exchanged again."

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

"Taki, time to eat!"

While holding a juice she had just bought from the vending machine downstairs, Tsukasa walked up to the second floor and called out to Tachibana Taki, who was still in the bedroom.

The hotel they stayed at included meals and accommodation, so they would eat with the locals at mealtimes.

"...Why isn't there a response?"

However, after waiting for about two minutes, and calling at least a dozen times.

There was still absolutely no reaction from inside the room.

Strange.

Realizing something was wrong, Si quickly opened the sliding door, and then...

An empty room came into view.

"This is…?"

Upon entering the room, Si quickly discovered some clues, such as a note left on the desk.

"Sorry, I'll be back before dark, but she suddenly messaged me asking me to go see her right away, so I'm leaving now."

—Takidome.

"That kid...didn't he say he didn't have that online friend's phone number?"

If they really had the other person's phone number, they wouldn't have gone through so much trouble and still haven't been able to find them.

Si frowned slightly, a little strangely. But then again…

"That guy named Accelerator has disappeared too..."

——————————————————————————————

The two changed venues again.

By using methods such as spatial teleportation, one can easily reach a designated location without being detected by anyone.

"pain…"

However, even after performing the same operation several times, it seems that spatial movement is still not a very comfortable thing for Taki Tachibana.

He was currently sitting on the ground, clutching his head and looking dizzy.

"Couldn't you have chosen a gentler approach? Why did you have to use such an unpleasant method..."

"So you mean you don't like teleportation, right?"

Accelerator couldn't help but laugh after hearing what he said.

It was a very creepy, eerie smile.

"Then next time I can let you experience a flight speed exceeding Mach 10. How does that feel?"

"..."

Without even thinking, Taki Tachibana shook her head without hesitation.

…Then.

He turned his head to look ahead, and saw... everything before him.

A place that is enclosed by various fences.

Upon closer inspection, it can be confirmed that this is a school playground.

It is located right in front of the school gate.

…and then there was an enormous lake.

"This is the ruins of Itomori Town. Further away is the original lake of Itomori Town."

"..."

Even as Accelerator gave various explanations about the place, Taki Tachibana remained rooted to the spot.

It wasn't because they were unfamiliar with the place that they were confused.

It was precisely because he recognized everything here with his own eyes that he stood there dumbfounded.

"...Is this really Itomori Town?"

Memories kept surfacing from the depths of my mind.

Itomori Town, Miyamizu School, and...

The girl named Miyamizu Mitsuha.

…and, it further confirmed the fact that the other person had passed away.

He couldn't help but take out his phone from his pocket and look through it, the only trace left by that girl who once existed in this world.

Huh?

"What...what happened?"

Ziga.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—

From Taki Tachibana's phone, there were various diary entries that originally belonged to Mitsuha Miyamizu.