On that night, he once said this to the people around him.
"When everything is over, let's look at the stars together."
That was what he had once said.
He once said such lies, jokes, and excuses — it was true.
At that time, he didn't mean what he said.
Because he was afraid that he would break his promise. He was afraid that he would die before that day came.
However, he wasn't the one who betrayed his oath. Instead —
—
"Damn it!!! Why don't you stop! It's enough! What's the point of doing this?!! "
Tōma Jōjō knelt on the cold concrete ground.
He buried his head deeply between his arms, and his right hand, which was clenched into a fist, pounded the hard ground.
In this way, how was he different from the incompetent him who didn't stop Accelerator from writing the command file into his brain on the 20th?!
Pain.
Sadness.
All the emotions that had been deliberately buried in the Preceding Article's heart finally gushed out at this moment. It was like a wound that would never stop bleeding, and the sad blood kept gushing out.
Then, he asked himself.
"How many times have I … been frustrated because I didn't save Accelerator?"
On the 20th, he watched as the first command file was entered into his brain.
On the 24th, he let Accelerator, who had lost his self-consciousness, escape.
On the 26th, he almost let Accelerator die under the attack of Mud Valley and his subordinates.
And now, he had allowed this esper to leave without a word.
"Haha …"
The Preceding Article stood up shakily.
That thin and lonely figure swaying in the night wind seemed as if it would fall into the darkness below and disappear in the next moment.
The Preceding Article muttered to himself.
"I can't go on like this."
He began to walk slowly in a daze.
It was a very narrow aisle to begin with. Like the Preceding Article, he would inevitably hit the walls on both sides of the aisle.
His head hit the wall heavily.
His still bleeding arm rubbed against the rough concrete surface.
However, even the organ that felt pain seemed to have lost its function.
In the end, he stopped in front of the blocked path.
His soulless eyes looked up at the countless broken stones and twisted steel bars in front of him. In the depths of the thick darkness, nothing could be seen.
Suddenly.
Tōma Jōjō let out a heart-wrenching roar.
"— What a joke!! No, this was utter nonsense!! Accelerator won? No, how can we let that guy win!! "
After roaring out such angry words, the Preceding Article lowered his head.
"I … will definitely wake that guy up from this ridiculous fantasy. This is the only time … "
"… Only this time, we must definitely win."
— —
First, he dialed Mikoto Misaka's number at a crazy speed.
After a few beeps, the girl's panicked voice sounded. Perhaps it was due to the unexpected actions of the Preceding Article, she stammered.
"… Eh? What? Didn't you say you would contact me another day … "
"Don't worry about that, Misaka!!" The Preceding Article suddenly roared. "Where are you right now? Since you're in the Ninth District … "
Then, he was calmly interrupted.
"Okay okay … I understand. This time, you want me to do something. "
Mikoto Misaka said.
She said calmly.
"… But, if it's an impulsive request from you, I won't do it obediently."
The Preceding Article froze at that moment.
He was indeed blinded by anger and despair. If it wasn't for Mikoto's reminder, he would probably still be so impulsive.
He took a deep breath to calm down the restless emotions in his chest. But just as he was about to speak, the tea haired girl beat him to it.
"Seventh District Spire (Ladder).
Tower, you're there, right? "
"Ah? Why did you … "
Mikoto Misaka immediately answered his question of why she knew about this.
"I met with my sisters and used the intelligence network to slightly locate your location. And the observation deck at the top of the tower was destroyed in such an exaggerated manner … No one could do such a thing except for the first person. "
Mikoto said as she walked forward quickly.
In front of her was the site of this fierce battle, the Seventh District Spire.
Facing the Preceding Article on the other end of the phone, Mikoto Misaka showed a triumphant smile.
Then, he stretched his body and stirred the game coins in his pocket with his fingers.
"Okay ~ ~ ~ I won't let you escape this time. Before you pay off my tram fare, there's still a large debt waiting for you to pay!!"
…
Vertical distance of 332m.
Range of 50m.
"Well … it's not enough at all, this distance."
Mikoto Misaka said after visual estimation.
"The railgun can't reach the top at all. With the material of the game coins, it will be melted by the high temperature as long as it flies out 50m. Considering the factors of gravity and air resistance, it really doesn't seem feasible."
"No, there's no need to use the railgun to deal with Accelerator. Since that guy is using his ability, the railgun will be 'reflected' back. Then we'll interfere with the electrodes and stop Accelerator … "The Preceding Article said.
Mikoto sighed.
"That won't work either. Since the railgun will be 'reflected', there's no reason for the first person not to eliminate the interference waves, right? And that guy seems to be doing something dangerous now … "
"… It's like the Big Bang or something."
The Preceding Article said embarrassedly. This sentence immediately received a fierce reaction from Mikoto.
"W-w-w-w-what?! Are you kidding me?! That's something that humans can't do … No, it's possible if it's the first person, but does that guy really want to blow up the entire solar system?! "
"It seems that he only wants to blow up the spire," The Preceding Article said helplessly, and then said to Mikoto in a serious tone.
"Hey, Misaka. Can you stop one side from passing through? "
"Impossible."
Mikoto answered without hesitation.
"Let's not talk about whether or not the first person can reflect the interference waves. If he rashly interferes with the calculations, not only Academy City, but the entire island of Nippon will be destroyed. On this point, I still have self-awareness. "
The Preceding Article laughed at Mikoto's denial.
He didn't feel frustrated at all, nor did he feel discouraged.
Or rather, he was laughing happily.
"That's great."
He gave such an unexpected answer.
"If that's the case, then there's no need to start with Accelerator, right? That guy's goal is to destroy the entire detonation device so that Academy City won't be able to recover it. Then, we just need to destroy the device before that guy, before the first person. "
"But … the best way to destroy the device is indeed a large-scale explosion …" Mikoto muttered in a low voice.
"No, you can do it, Misaka."
The Preceding Article was said with the most resolute tone he could muster.
Even though there was a vertical distance of sixty meters between them, and they didn't see each other, Mikoto believed that this hedgehog-headed boy must have an expression of unwavering determination on his face.
The Preceding Article spoke confidently.
Then, he said the words that meant the most to her.
"Because you're Mikoto Misaka."
Mikoto chuckled.
She casually stirred her hair as she spoke.
"Ah ~ That's true."
The electromagnetic force from her fingertips pulled her body, and Mikoto kept jumping in the air. Like a light bird, she flew in the night with magnetic force.
"I'm the Ace of Changpantai High School, Mikoto Misaka!"
So, there was nothing that couldn't be done.
Therefore, she would definitely succeed.
This was the fact that both the Preceding Article and Mikoto firmly believed.
— —
Mikoto finally landed on a huge steel bar, and after looking around, she spoke with a dejected tone.
"No, this is the furthest I can go. There's still about 281 meters to the top of the tower."
The Preceding Article clenched his teeth.
"Then it's still not possible, is it?"
He still couldn't reach Accelerator.
Although a large part of the reason was the difference in power between the two of them, the most crucial difference in ideology was the culprit that caused all of this.
Just as the Preceding Article was thinking about this, he suddenly heard Mikoto say this.
"No, it can be done."
Mikoto tapped the shaft-shaped piece fixed on the outer edge of the steel bar with her fingers.
"BTR material, have you heard of it?"
The Preceding Article muttered to himself. "It seems to be the thing that was very popular on the Internet a while ago? It seems that some of them were auctioned for tens of thousands of yen … "
"Yes, that's it. Simply put, it is that the thermal motion of molecules can be treated as absolute zero under normal temperature conditions, thus achieving zero resistance, just like a superconductor. "
Ignoring the Preceding Article's comment that "this thing seriously violates the principles of physics", Mikoto continued.
"Then, if it can be connected to a high-voltage current to the top of the tower, it can be broken through the insulation layer with a current higher than the resistance strength and destroy the device."
However, there was a problem.
Mikoto held the phone with her shoulder and carefully looked at the outer edge of the steel bar.
"I can't see the connection point, if that's the case, I can't accurately control the direction of the current."
Mikoto was still 281 meters away from the top of the tower. It would be too hasty to just look at it, but there didn't seem to be any better way.
"… Guard robots."
The Preceding Article, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
"Huh?" Mikoto asked in a daze.
"On the way here, you should have seen a lot of guard robots. Because of the strong vibration of the tower, the robots will also gather here. If I'm not mistaken — "
While talking about the Preceding Article, he recalled the moment when he and Accelerator were traveling on the 15th, the first person who asked him to cover his face, and the tragedy where he was forced to cover his head with a plastic bag without a scarf or hat.
That's right, the face recognition device on the guard robot was actually equivalent to a camera.
"… If I use the guard robot's camera, I can capture the image of the connection point!!"
The Preceding Article shouted in a hurry.
This was the last way to save Academy City, to save Accelerator.
That's why, even if he didn't believe in God, he still deeply prayed at this moment — —
No matter what, I have to succeed.
"Ok, give me 40, no, 30 seconds."
The tea haired girl took out her PDA and confidently snapped her fingers.
"Infiltrate the video surveillance center, capture the location, 30 seconds is enough — —!"
At that moment.
At that moment.
Blue and white sparks flew from Mikoto Misaka's finger.
This was the third person in Academy City to use her ability to its fullest.
Shattering all electronic barriers. Destroying all key barriers.
Mikoto's eyes reflected a huge amount of complicated data. It was a complicated arrangement of numbers that normal people couldn't understand. A few moments later, the image of the entire Academy City was listed without reservation — —
"Done."
The Preceding Article heard Mikoto Misaka say so.
He instinctively looked at the mobile terminal's screen. The Preceding Article was extremely surprised.
— — it didn't even take 30 seconds.
The girl used brute force to break through Academy City's heavy security system. This monster-like strength displayed a shocking side of her.
"… It's, it's done?"
Because it happened so quickly, he didn't even dare to confirm it.
The Preceding Article trembled as he asked.
"Ah, it's done."
Mikoto replied.
The corners of her lips curled up into a smile of high spirits.
"Then next — — it's time for me to shine!!"
— — at that moment, high-voltage electricity was released.
— — —
The Preceding Article staggered as he stood up.
How should he describe it, the feeling of being wrapped around his entire body was very strange.
It was similar to being covered by a large black cloth, or the fuzzy feeling of falling asleep in his mother's womb. But it wasn't gentle at all, instead, he felt cold and pain all over his body.
And then, the Preceding Article finally noticed the reason.
— — the sky was black.
It wasn't the deep blue black that belonged to the night sky, nor was it the pleasing black that was dotted with stars.
Instead, it was the chilling black of nothingness that had nothing in it.
No, something isn't right.
I did indeed have Mikoto Misaka send electricity to the top of the tower to destroy the detonation mechanism and prevent One Directional Passage. But my memory after that was completely cut off.
"… Misaka?"
He couldn't hear a reply.
The Preceding Article shifted his gaze to his cell phone screen.
Is it because I'm busy? The Preceding Article was unable to dial Mikoto's number no matter how hard he tried. He could only hear the cold notification echoing in his ears.
"… One Directional Passage?"
There was no reply.
Everything around him was deathly silent. Under the black sky, only the desolate night wind brushed past his face.
Aside from a few emergency lights in the distance, darkness enveloped the entire city. Even the faint sound of car horns that he could still hear earlier had gone silent. Nothing could be heard.
It was as if Tōma Jōjō was the only person left in this world.
— — as if this world had been destroyed.
…
"Something's not right."
The Preceding Article muttered to himself. He stumbled forward.
"This place, it's completely wrong."
Where did Mikoto Misaka go?
Where did One Directional Passage go?
Where did the 2.3 million people of Academy City go?
I can't explain.
I can't understand.
"So, this is an illusion."
Joujo reached out his hand and touched the spatial boundary that was like a barrier. The power known as [Fantasy Killer] came into play at that moment.
The moment he touched it.
— — [Reflection], dispelled.
Heatwaves that blotted out the sky and covered the earth rushed to the top. Blazing flames, intense light, and violent explosions that shook the internal organs rang out.
The Preceding Article's vision was scorched by the terrifying heat and heat. He took a step back in fear, then remembered.
— — Mikoto Misaka didn't succeed in stopping One Directional Passage.
After destroying the device, the First Door didn't stop calculating, and the explosion still occurred.
But at the moment before the explosion, One Directional Passage seemed to have intentionally "reflected" the heat, light, and vibrations. The black sky that I saw earlier — — was also caused by the First Door reflecting the light.
But the Preceding Article used [Fantasy Killer] to dispel the "reflection" and saw the tragic scene after the explosion.
The particles in the air were broken down and destroyed. The top of the spire was even more tragic, nothing was left. The knotted steel bars seemed to have been forcibly broken at a certain point, leaving a terrifying hole in it.
Under such circumstances, One Directional Passage couldn't have survived.
That guy's Domain of Calculation could only last until the light and sound were completely reflected. In order to fully utilize the Domain of Calculation, One Directional Passage probably gave up on his ability to walk and speak, and in the end, he couldn't even do something as simple as standing up.
"Did I, fail …?"
The Preceding Article muttered in a daze.
The heat of the explosion still hadn't dissipated, and the burning steel bars made him itch unbearably. As soon as he touched anything, he would be scalded.
However, The Preceding Article staggered to the pile of rubble.
He used his hands that had not been insulated and were already covered in scars to push away the burning stones frantically.
He knew it was futile.
He knew it was futile.
As he used all his strength to throw away the rubble one by one, he whimpered helplessly.
They were cold tears, but the moment they dripped onto the back of his hand, The Preceding Article still felt pain that far exceeded the pain of being scalded.
He just wanted to protect something precious.
He just wanted One Directional Passage to survive.
"Why can't I do it!!"
He grabbed the stone with all his might.
The coarse sand and sharp edges cut into his palm. Sticky and bright red blood flowed down his palm.
Even though he desperately tried to pull out the stones, the blocked path still didn't feel the slightest sense of being cleared.
There wasn't even a gap that could allow him to sneak through.
The Preceding Article used all his strength to push away the rubble. He didn't know how long this action and process lasted. He didn't know if he repeated it hundreds or thousands of times, but he still couldn't move forward at all.
In the end, he knelt on the rubble and looked at the rubble in front of him.
Trembling.
As if he was about to cry out loud.
He beat and scratched his head with both hands, his body slowly arched, and finally knelt on the ground.
He couldn't feel anything anymore.
Sadness. Sorrow. Pain.
He was numb to everything, and he couldn't feel anything at all.
Yoshikawa said to him.
"Come back alive, and then become a hero."
But he went back on his words.
Xiao Meng -sensei said to him.
"If you have any pain or sadness, you can discuss it with sensei."
But he hid it.
Mikoto Misaka said.
"Don't hide it in your heart and not say anything!"
But he went back on his words.
If working hard was meaningless, what was the point of struggling?
If living meant that he was destined to be cut by thousands of knives and extremely painful pain, then what was the point of living for him?
Shangjo desperately shook his head, trying to throw the negative thoughts that hovered in his mind to the back of his mind.
But he couldn't do it.
Even if he couldn't feel anything.
Even if he couldn't see anything.
Even if he couldn't touch anything.
"I want to … see you."
From the throat of the Preceding Article, such a soft and weak sob came out.
Towards the front that had been buried by layers of rubble, towards the dark depths that were filled with dust. The Preceding Article smiled helplessly and sadly.
Although it wouldn't be heard by the other party, although he was prepared to be sad from the beginning.
The Preceding Article was still like this over and over again, as if he wanted to save something.
"I want to see you … Accelerator."
"— I don't want to see your stupid face at all."
There was no response at first, but at that moment, it was followed up.
A voice that was so far away that he couldn't touch it, but also so close, sounded behind the Preceding Article.
The Preceding Article turned his head stiffly, and he could even feel the bones in his neck making a dangerous sound.
His breathing was tight. His heartbeat increased explosively. His vision began to blur and spin.
He had already made up his mind not to listen to any sound. But only that guy's voice was still so clear.
He couldn't refuse at all. He couldn't give up at all.
— The white monster was there.
With the raging flames as the background, he was still laughing arrogantly and carelessly. Under the dark sky, in the lonely night wind, the pure white seemed particularly pure and dazzling.
Accelerator said casually with a bored voice and the arrogant tone that the Preceding Article was most familiar with.
"— Yo, long time no see, you lowlife."
"Accelerator … Can I punch you?"
The Preceding Article said with a gloomy face.
Even the Preceding Article couldn't bear being forced into this situation. To be honest, the moment he saw the first figure, what surged in his heart wasn't the feeling of being reunited after a long time. Instead, it was a feeling of anger that was stronger than ever before.
After setting up so many flags, in the end, he swaggered back as if nothing had happened at all, and played him like a fool. If this was a novel, Shangjou felt that he could give the scriptwriter a punch.
"Sure." Accelerator's reply was unexpectedly straightforward.
Something was fishy!
Even if he agreed, the Preceding Article began to hesitate. After experiencing the baptism of Accelerator's style of "acting first and reporting later", he was already sensitive to this person's actions.
As the Preceding Article expected, Accelerator immediately added an additional condition.
"Use your left hand."
With that, the first person immediately turned on the electrode. His ulterior motives were obvious.
— Why the hell do you want me to hit you!!
The Preceding Article was helpless facing this kind of Accelerator.
However, this was the first person he was familiar with. This was the true Accelerator that he had always wanted to find.
The Preceding Article cautiously approached Accelerator. But just as he was about to reach out and put his hand on the first person's shoulder, he was mercilessly told off.
"Fuck off, didn't I say I don't want to see your bastard face?"
"Mr. Ujō, I'm about to start the lyrical part! Isn't that usually the case? The most important part of the strategy at the end of light novels and dating games! "
"— Who cares about you!!"
How unfortunate … Shangjou thought to himself with a sullen expression as soon as he saw her and was immediately suppressed by her fierce ridicule.
He patted the dust off the ground and sat down on the other side of the stone.
"… Then I'll sit here … You don't mind, right?"
Accelerator was right behind him. Although he wouldn't be able to see the first person's face, he would still be able to hear his voice.
Accelerator was silent for a while before he reluctantly spoke.
"So annoying … You bastard, fuck off as far as you want."
In other words, he tacitly agreed.
The Preceding Article smiled awkwardly and sat down after he came up with the correct translation. He tried to lean his back against the stone, and managed to move back a little. But even so, he didn't seem to be able to get any closer to Accelerator.
"Hey, Accelerator, how did you … escape?" The Preceding Article tried to ask.
Yoshikawa already told him about the fact that Accelerator's Domain was limited. Even if he successfully simulated the explosion, the first person probably didn't have the basic ability to perform a "reflection."
The result was that every part of his body would be decomposed and exploded.
But since Accelerator was still here and able to talk to him, it meant that the experiment was a success.
Accelerator let out a sigh and said with a reluctant tone.
"The fragments of the A-level password were erased a few seconds before the explosion. But since something like this happened … it was most likely discovered by that brat … Final Work. "
Final Work used the computing power of the ten thousand sisters of the Osaka Networks to allow Accelerator to perform a "reflection" at the last moment, which was how he survived.
That was the best explanation he could think of right now.
"Haha … How should I say this? It was truly a close call. "
The Preceding Article smiled wryly as he scratched his head.
In fact, another reason was Mikoto Misaka's assistance. It was impossible for the Osaka Networks' computing power to solve the problem in such a short period of time. Accelerator knew this, but he didn't want to say it out loud.
The Preceding Article exhaled the turbid air in his chest and suddenly felt a sense of relief. It was as if a boulder that had been stuck in his heart had been removed, and even the bone-chilling night breeze had become comfortable.
As if he could understand his feelings, Accelerator said faintly.
"… You're not going to say 'it's finally over,' right?
"How do you know … But, that's exactly how it feels." The Preceding Article narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. His entire body was bathed in the gentle night, and it brought him a wonderful feeling that he had never felt before.
"Although I've thought about it many times, this feeling is the strongest … Accelerator, I think this world is beautiful. Even though there is so much pain and setbacks in front of us, we still have to live here. This is the most beautiful world we've ever lived in. "
The Preceding Article looked at the city under the dark sky.
The warm lights gradually lit up, dispelling the darkness and haze that originally shrouded the streets. Street lights, bridge lights, neon lights, countless tiny lights emerged to illuminate the silent night.
Behind Kamijou, Accelerator chuckled.
He probably didn't object, but he probably agreed with what Accelerator said.
"For the time being … I'll agree with what you said."
The Preceding Article quietly reached his hand to the side. Then, he held Accelerator's slightly cold hand.
Separated by a broken stone wall, the two of them finally reconnected back to each other.
Accelerator trembled slightly at that moment, but he seemed to have acquiesced to the Preceding Article's action. He quietly let Accelerator hold his hand.
Although they had done this a few hours ago, this time was extraordinary for the two of them.
"Welcome back."
The Preceding Article said.
It was a gentle tone, as if coaxing a child to sleep.
"As for the corresponding line … I won't say it."
Accelerator said and turned his head to the side awkwardly.
But at that moment, the Preceding Article keenly captured a few syllables from the first person's mouth.
It was a secret sentence with a rather reluctant tone.
"— I'm back."
—
Looking at the city in the distance with a gentle gaze, the Preceding Article thought of Inticus, who might still be hungry at home. He thought of Platycodon Fangchuan, who might be angry with him and Accelerator. He thought of Mikoto Misaka, who might be unhappy with him for not picking up her phone.
His home was there.
And in order to protect his favorite home, he had to fight with all his strength.
"Ahhh ~ I want to go home."
After saying this, the Preceding Article chuckled. This kind of joke that could be said casually on normal days seemed precious at this time.
"… Call Yoshikawa, I told her before that I would come to pick you up," Accelerator suggested.
After hearing Accelerator's words, the Preceding Article began to search for Yoshikawa's number in the address book.
"What are you going to do when you get home? I feel like Mr. Ujō made a lot of wishes before he died … such as being able to buy special products every day, being able to memorize a few English words … Ah, speaking of which, there's one more … "
The Preceding Article muttered to himself, then showed a shy and expectant expression.
"… Let's go see the stars together, Accelerator?"
"Rejected."
"Huh? Huh …? Wait, wait, are you listening to me carefully — "
Faced with Accelerator's firm rejection of his dream plan, the Preceding Article began to wave his hands in a panic.
Then, Accelerator sneered.
"Who wants to do that kind of unromantic thing with you. Speaking of which, you did say this ridiculous thing that night in the third district of Huangchuan … But, I didn't take it to heart. "
"At least give me a reason to be rejected! I don't want to! Can you understand the feeling of being told by the patrolling teacher that 'your answers are too bad, so you don't have to hand in the paper' before you finish the test paper …?! "The Preceding Article still had a glimmer of hope as he struggled.
The first person pondered for a moment and then said.
"… 'Winter Triangle.'"
"Huh?"
Accelerator said angrily.
"You were referring to the 'Winter Triangle' that night, not the 'Winter Hexagon'!"
The hedgehog-headed teenager was completely stunned. "… So … that's the reason?"
"Yeah, that's it. Let's not talk about the meaning of this boring activity first. I don't want to squat on the lawn like an idiot and use an astronomical telescope with a layman who thinks he knows everything … Not to mention that the person is a bastard like you … Ha, that kind of scene is disgusting to the extreme. "
The first person said with an extremely disappointed tone as if he was a troublemaker who didn't get what he wanted for the club.
So, the Preceding Article was in this kind of mood right now.
"Wah … This is clearly impossible! Blue Hair Earring kindly and carefully taught me how to identify constellations …! "
The Preceding Article was so anxious that he scratched his head. He really couldn't figure out where the mistake came from. Seeing this situation, Accelerator sighed and said.
"Okay, then tell me where Rigel is."
"… Taurus?"
After carefully answering, the Preceding Article heard Accelerator's slightly surprised gasp. Then, the first person coughed as if he wanted to hide something.
"Very good, you don't have to come tomorrow."
"Mr. Ujō was unknowingly fired?!"
The Preceding Article continued to complain. The shoulders of the Preceding Article drooped a little dejectedly.
"I feel like … the future is dark."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm unlucky in love. Because every year when I go to the lottery, it's always a big disaster, so I wanted to find Blue Hair Earring to give me a little love tutoring lesson, but the result is … I'm not qualified at all. "
Accelerator tilted his head and then looked up at the sky. Because the two of them had their backs facing each other, the Preceding Article didn't know what the first person was looking up at at this time.
Suddenly.
Broke the silence.
"Then, how about continuing the tutoring?"
The first person made a completely ridiculous suggestion.
"What?"
While the Preceding Article was in a daze, Accelerator stretched out his hand and gestured in the sky.
"That's the three stars of the belt, right? There are two brighter stars at both ends of the perpendicular. Those are the alpha and beta stars of Rigel, so Rigel belongs to Orion, not Taurus as you mentioned just now."
"Eh? … Ah, that's indeed the case … Haha. "
The Preceding Article's voice sounded a little stuttering, as if he didn't know how to respond.
"Then there's Aldebaran, the main star of Taurus, the main sequence star … No, it's now a red giant. This guy is also one of the bright stars, so it's easy to recognize, "Accelerator said.
Something's wrong.
Something's wrong.
The Preceding Article answered Accelerator affirmatively while taking out his phone.
Yoshikawa's number had been dialing since just now, but it couldn't go through at all. When a large-scale disaster broke out, the line couldn't be connected because of busy lines. Such a terrible event happened to the Preceding Article at this time.
(— — Call me ah ah!!)
The Preceding Article couldn't help but roar in his heart. His fingers quickly tapped on the screen, sending out a request for help over and over again.
"— — Canis Minor's Sirius, Epsilon, and Orion's Rigel. These three bright stars form the Winter Triangle. By the way, these are the bright stars of the Ten Bright Bodies, so compared to the hexagon, they're much easier to recognize. "
"Ah, what about that one over there?"
The Preceding Article felt his voice clearly trembling.
It couldn't go through at all.
No matter how many times he tried, he still couldn't make the call. So the Preceding Article dejectedly threw his phone to the side, holding his head and trembling.
Accelerator paused for a moment.
Then he said in a calm, thoughtful voice.
"Vega 2. It's Vega 2 of Auriga. "
This time, the Preceding Article finally couldn't stand it anymore.
He bent over, his forehead heavily hitting his knees. As if he was crazy, he silently and forcefully continued this self-harming action.
Warm tears flowed down from his eyes, as if a switch had been turned on, and they flowed non-stop.
However, he still persisted in asking.
With a sad and tearful expression, he asked.
"What about that star over there? That star looks very bright. "
The Preceding Article's hand pointed to the dark sky. With a sobbing tone, he asked.
"Epsilon. Directly skip over Gemini's Epsilon. "Accelerator replied.
However, the Preceding Article's finger didn't point to Epsilon. Or rather, it didn't point to any star.
Accelerator made the most fatal mistake. This was a factor not considered in the First Person's original plan.
— — Tonight was a starless night.
In the dark sky, there wasn't the slightest bit of light.
In other words, what the First Person said just now was a lie.
Accelerator couldn't see anything.
In order to hide all of this, the white monster desperately tried its best to tell the truth.
Even if he couldn't see the Preceding Article's finger, he still said such a gentle, yet cruel lie.
At this time, the Preceding Article used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, choking the painful sobs in his throat, while asking Accelerator questions.
And Accelerator also answered him one by one, telling him about the constellations that didn't exist in the dark sky.
The two of them, who were connected by lies, sat under the dark night sky like this.
The lies they told each other were the only connection at this moment — —
Suddenly, the two of them became silent.
In this spacious ruins, the two of them held each other's hands tightly. As if they were rejected by this world, the tiny them silently sat alone.
The dust of the night wind blew through their hair, sweeping across this desolate place.
"Let's go home."
The Preceding Article said while choking with sobs.
"Although Inticus, that glutton, is at home, I'll still make breakfast. Xiao Meng -sensei may occasionally come to visit, probably for counseling or something like that. At that time, I'll have to make up for the lessons I missed. "
The Preceding Article seemed to have remembered something and began to rummage through the items in his backpack.
"… By the way, because I accidentally lost the PPK gun, I have to apologize to Yoshikawa. When I go back, I'll also fix the phone that's about to be scrapped — — this thing's screen already cracked. Ah, by the way, let The Last Person come to my house to play, as a thank-you gift for Inticus staying at your house these days … "
She got on the road and stopped.
He stopped talking and clenched his teeth.
He couldn't go on, he couldn't comfort himself like this anymore.
Because, he clearly felt that — — the temperature of his hand, which was tightly holding The First Person's hand, was dropping significantly.
It was no wonder, because Accelerator was shot before the battle with Tsurugi. Regardless of the joint dislocation or fracture caused by the hand-to-hand fight with Tsurugi, he must have suffered great damage during the simulated explosion.
Accelerator said that — — a few seconds before the explosion, he launched "Reflection".
Then, what about the dozens of seconds before the damage was reflected? I'm afraid The First Person was already severely injured by the high-speed movement of particles. He even lost his vision and couldn't walk.
He didn't let the Preceding Article get close to him probably because his injury was too miserable, and he couldn't bear to let him see him in such a sorry state.
The Preceding Article realized that — — from the beginning to the end, whether before or now, Accelerator had always been alone.
Then, he suddenly felt his hand being held.
Even though it was only a slight amount of strength, even though it was barely noticeable, Accelerator still managed to grab his hand.
The First Person said in a stutter.
"Ah, I also want … to go back."
It seemed like he was crying, but also like he was smiling.
Accelerator spat out the words in his heart for the first time.
At that moment, at that moment, the Preceding Article's tears really burst out.
However, he could only feel the discomfort from the wetness coming from the hem of his clothes.
The bright red blood that kept flowing had already soaked under the Preceding Article's body. The Accelerator on the other side of the rock was probably already soaked in blood, and he was so miserable that he couldn't look straight at him.
The Preceding Article closed his eyes in tears and held Accelerator's hand with an extremely gentle movement.
The thin and pale hand was already soaked in blood.
Saying such words that wouldn't receive a response at all.
Therefore, it was still a one-sided confession.
The Preceding Article choked with grief and said in the most painful and gentle voice.
"Then, let's go."
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