One-way traffic

Chapter 721 A Campaign Across a Thousand Years

"Hey you, Mitsuha... don't come looking for me before we even met. How could I have known you three years ago?"

"But... how did we get here? Things from back then were already..."

"Ah... well, I think it was after I drank your kuchikami-zake (chewed sake) that I..."

"Drank...drank? You drank that?! You're kidding me! You idiot! You pervert!!"

"No—calm down! Accelerator made me drink that! Don't hit me!"

The two finally met.

Different times and spaces, different people.

Two lines that were originally impossible to merge together miraculously came together.

"...They're here."

After the two had talked about all sorts of things, they finally got to know each other.

They both looked up at the sky.

—A fluid shimmering with a bright blue light.

It's about to break into two halves, no... even more pieces.

Comet Tiamat is slowly falling towards the ground.

"It's not over yet, Mitsuha... We still have things to do."

"But! How exactly can we save everyone... in that situation!"

Even if I told everyone in town about these things, they definitely wouldn't believe me.

They were both well aware of the devastating impact of the comet's fall.

Everyone who stays in this town... will die.

"Three leaves."

The girl in front of me had an expression of extreme panic.

However, Taki Tachibana simply pressed down on her shoulders gently and calmly.

"It's okay. Just do as I say, and this will all be over."

"Eh?"

"Listen carefully, Accelerator will handle the comet problem."

Recalling what the first person had told him, Taki Tachibana uttered words that even he himself didn't quite believe.

Using the human body to fight against a comet is simply too far-fetched.

but.

But...

"...I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's what that guy said."

Both Mitsuha and Taki Tachibana are keenly aware of what kind of being Accelerator truly is.

An identity of completely unknown origin.

An existence that can freely travel between different times.

It even once displayed a variety of powerful and unique superpowers.

Who exactly is he? Or rather, is he still a human being on this planet?

This kind of question is no longer important.

"In the past month or so, I not only met you, Mitsuha, but also that guy Accelerator."

“If it’s what he said, I’m willing to believe it… I’m willing to take the gamble.”

Accelerator would never have made such a decision without absolute certainty.

and so.

If it were him, perhaps... he really could have prevented the comet from falling.

"But he can't do it alone."

Even if the comet is stopped from falling and shattered, the resulting fragments will still cause severe damage to the people of Itomori.

"You still have things to do. You are responsible for persuading your father, who is the mayor of this town. Only he can ensure the safe evacuation of the residents!"

"But, but, based solely on my words...!"

As Mitsuha said this, she felt the sunlight shining on her face gradually fade away.

The sky began to darken slowly.

When the demons appeared, they began to disperse.

"It looks like we don't have much time left to talk to each other."

Taki Tachibana took a deep look at the rope tied to Mitsuha's hair.

He wore this rope as a bracelet for three years.

Three years ago, I had no idea who gave me this rope, nor did I understand why they would give me something like this.

Now I finally understand.

"Mitsuba..."

Although there are still so many things I want to say but can't express them all.

Taki Kachika's many words ultimately boiled down to a single, simple sentence.

He pulled a pre-prepared marker from his pocket.

"Let's use this pen to write our names on our hands."

"…Um."

Mitsuha nodded and extended her hand. Taki quickly wrote the exact words on her hand.

Just as Mitsuha took the pen and drew a horizontal line in his palm.

——Crack.

The black marker, without even having its cap on, fell to the ground.

The figure disappeared.

They vanished without a trace, without even the slightest warning; they simply disappeared from the spot.

Only Taki Tachibana stood there, stunned and bewildered.

"It's alright...it's alright! I remember! Your name is—"

It's a name that should absolutely never be forgotten.

However, just as she was about to speak, she couldn't remember anything.

Why…?

why?

What exactly... is the reason I came here...?

"It's absolutely unbearable to watch."

—Bang! !

Just at this moment.

In the void where nothing should have existed, a fair arm appeared.

It tore open the gap between space and time and pressed directly onto Tachibana Taki's head.

then.

Everything that had been completely forgotten was suddenly recalled at this moment.

"Because that girl is dead, the world has begun to erase these historical records that shouldn't exist... Is that what you mean?"

Mitsuha is dead, and Taki Tachibana, who relied on the hair tie Mitsuha gave him three years ago to connect with the past, was completely unable to retain his original memories the moment he lost the hair tie.

He will just forget everything completely like that.

"what."

Other figures instantly appeared at the spot where the arm had been torn open.

A person with white hair and red eyes.

"Do you think I, this great one, would allow such unreasonable things to happen so easily? You bastard!"

Bang! !

Originally, what wrapped around Tachibana Taki's body was an invisible, tightness that came from the "world" itself.

He crushed it instantly with one hand.

An unseen explosion erupted beside Taki, and when he came to his senses, his mind was already filled with thoughts.

"I…"

He quickly looked in front of him and saw that half of Accelerator's body was in the timeline three years ago, while the other half was in the present.

This monster spans two completely different points in time.

For him, whether in the past or the present, at any time, having a complete grasp of the first element of the vector of time will not have any impact.

Perhaps the memories between Mitsuha and Taki Tachibana will be erased by this world.

…But Accelerator, being an outlier among outliers, is absolutely unaffected by such things.

“Old-fashioned ones stay here.”

Accelerator turned around and walked directly towards the timeline from three years ago.

"I'll handle the comet issue. To be honest, it was a mess I left behind."

If Accelerator had been able to completely kill that dragon thousands of years ago, perhaps there wouldn't be so much trouble today?

…But if that were the case, Mitsuha and Taki would definitely never have met.

"Thank you."

Only this simple sentence came from behind.

"Without you, we... would never have been able to do something like this. Thank you so much."

"Neither I nor Mitsuha will ever forget you, Accelerator…!"

Humph.

The first person did not respond.

Without turning his head, he simply waved his hand and vanished from the spot.

They disappeared into this space and time.

————————————————————————————

"Hurry...we have to be quick!"

boom! !

Mitsuha returned to Itomori Town, having exhausted herself on the journey.

The plan devised by the imperial messenger, Sayaka, and Taki...

It seems that it has failed.

She flung open the door, and sitting at the back of the office was someone she would never forget.

"Three leaves?"

"elder sister?!"

It seemed that his grandmother and sister were also here.