Accel World (先飞看刀)

April 19th.

Friday.

On the lunch of this day which was just a day away from Kuroyukihime’s return to Tokyo, Haruyuki went to the school cafeteria, cut through the long lines of tables and headed straight to the very back of the room.

The place he was heading towards was the lounge. In this place where, in addition to the unwritten rule that only second and third year students could use it, there were also many tables for the exclusive-use of some committees and outstanding clubs, Haruyuki hadn’t never once set foot inside here until now when Kuroyukihime wasn’t present.

However, just this once, he mustered his courage and went under the white gate, stepping up to a circular table there. The students that were sitting there and eating lunch while pleasantly chatting raised their heads as they noticed Haruyuki approach.

Among these prodigies of the swimming club and softball club who were staring at this out-of-place student stepping up to them, Haruyuki walked up to the short first-year who was the only one with his back to him, and called out to him in a low voice.

“Noumi. I have something to tell you. Please come to the place where we talked for the first time.”

And then, he turned around and left without waiting for an answer.

While waiting for Noumi to arrive underneath the dense grove of trees that was at the back of the courtyard and outside of the range of the Social Cameras, Haruyuki recalled back to the day he had first met that first year student here.

The undercla.s.sman who had a pretty-looking appearance like a girl had declared to Haruyuki that the battle was over using a cheerful voice while smiling. Just as he had said, Haruyuki’s situation had worsened thereafter the more he struggled.

He had hit Noumi and conversely been knocked down himself, his flight ability had been stolen in a Direct Connect duel after he was trampled on by him, and although he had grasped a come-from-behind win in their second battle after learning the Incarnate System in the Unlimited Neutral Field, he had been further defeated because of the unexpected intrusion of Chiyuri.

Noumi’s attacks hadn’t stopped there, and in the real world he had spread rumours that Haruyuki was the peeping camera perpetrator in the real world in order to corner Haruyuki, while in Accel World he had earned a vast amount of points using his wings and Chiyuri, and further leveled up.

At this rate, Noumi’s objective, the Black King Black Lotus, would be exposed to danger just as Tak.u.mu predicted.

—However.

This is as far as you go, Noumi.

Hearing a twig snap from being firmly stepped on and footsteps approaching from behind him, Haruyuki slowly turned around.

Haruyuki saw the pure yet crafty smile on the face of the undercla.s.sman as he appeared from the shadow of the thick trunk of the big oak tree—and then he spoke.

“Game Over, Noumi Seiji…No, Dusk Taker.”

“……What was that?”

Still smiling, Noumi tilted his head.

“In other words, are you saying that you completely accept defeat this time? Meaning like ‘I give up, so please don’t bully me anymore’?”

“…No. It means that bargaining things over with you is already over.”

Haruyuki replied in a low voice, putting all his strength into his eyes while taking the sneering gaze from his opponent.

Noumi’s smile gradually faded. A detestable wrinkle was faintly etched between his brows.

“…Senpai, you’re also someone who’s bad at understanding things, aren’t you? Although I recognize your efforts in acquiring a stingy incarnate technique and picking up a fireworks-like Enhanced Armament, isn’t it already obvious that you can’t stand up to up to me no matter what kind of hand you have? You and Mayuzumi-senpai can only hold your thumbs in your mouths and watch. I will take down the Black King, and rule over this school…no, over all of the Suginami area.”

Haruyuki shook his head strongly and brushed off those words that were released in a knife-like cold voice.

“No. That won’t happen.”

Haruyuki took one step forward—

And spoke in a clear voice.

“The reason you don’t appear on the Matching List is because you have a second VR machine within your head…in other words, a Brain Implant Chip.”

Instantly.

The sudden change that struck Noumi’s expression confirmed the correctness of Haruyuki’s guess.

Both his eyes widened greatly for a moment, and then narrowed grimly. His bared teeth grated, and several thin lines of wrinkles raw down to the bridge of his nose.

“………”

Facing Noumi as he said nothing, Haruyuki attacked even deeper.

“If I’m wrong, remove and show me your Neuro Linker right now. Your school register tag that’s displayed in my vision shouldn’t disappear even if you do that.”

Both Noumi and Haruyuki were aware that there was no meaning in feigning ignorance by saying something like ‘I have no obligation to do such a thing’. Because, if Haruyuki anonymously conveyed his suspicions to the school authorities, Noumi would receive a head scan at the hospital with staff members of the School Management Department present, and falsifying the results of that scan were completely impossible. Noumi would then be accused of illegally pa.s.sing his entrance exams, and in addition to being expelled from school he would be forced to receive treatment to have his BIC deactivated.

The damage from that would be equal to or greater than the punishment Haruyuki would receive as the perpetrator of the peeping camera.

Noumi glared at Haruyuki without trying to hide his fury, and spit out words in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

“…I thought you were a pig, but to think you were actually a rat. Always darting about, sneakily sniffing around…”

“In that case, you should have crushed me from the beginning. Not doing so was your mistake.”

In response to Haruyuki’s retort, Noumi gradually brought his expression of anger under control and gave a contemptuous smile once again.

“Well, I’ll recognize that. So? What do you intend to do? Do you wish to exchange missiles between us and be destroyed together? …Both me and senpai will be expelled from school. I’ll go to the hospital, you’ll be sent to juvenile hall. Furthermore, we’ll both eventually receive real world attacks and then lose Brain Burst…That can’t be the ending that you wish for, right, senpai?”

“If forced to, I’m not afraid to do so, but.”

Tightly clenching his cold and sweating fist, Haruyuki spoke the method to put an end to things that he had thought about overnight.

“—Noumi. We each have our respective trump cards, with you having the video of me, and me knowing your secret. Supposing that there is a way to settle things without using those and mutually destroying each other in the real world…the only way is to «duel».”

“Duel…?”

“That’s right, since you and I are both Burst Linkers. From now on, you will connect to the local network using your Neuro Linker instead of your BIC. In addition, you will cancel your once-per-day restriction and do nothing but continue to duel against me. Until one of us either accepts defeat or loses all our Burst Points…Although, I have no intention to surrender, not until the last point is lost.”

—And then, even if I were to lose, after that will be Tak.u.mu. And then Kuroyukihime-senpai will fight you.

Noumi must have also heard those words that he added within his heart.

Once again, Noumi Seiji let his deep anger and irritation appear on his face for only a very short time.

“……Dueling. Burst Linker. Both of those are words that I hate. No, it’s the mentality itself of seriously using those words that I find truly detestable. But…If that is senpai’s wish, it can’t be helped.”

Changing his expression back to his usual thin smile, Noumi leaned his back against the trunk of an oak tree, and nimbly raised one finger.

“But, if we’re going to do things like that, I also have a proposal.”

“…Proposal?”

“Yes. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous for us to repeat acceleration duels dozens or worse hundreds of times until either me or senpai loses all our points? Also, even if one of us surrenders, how we will be secure in the veracity of those words?”

“Then, what would you have us do?”

“Let’s finish it in one go. With Arita-senpai’s favorite «duel[1]»

Noumi spoke with a gruesome smile etched onto his face.

“In the Unlimited Neutral Field, there is a method for betting all of both side’s Burst Points in a single match. Two or more duelers charge all the points they have into an item, and when there is only one person left standing, it becomes winner takes all. How about it, don’t you think that we can settle things smartly like this?”

“……”

After staring intently at Noumi’s smiling face for several seconds, Haruyuki shook his head slightly.

“…Unfortunately, Noumi, I cannot trust you that much anymore. I’m not really surprised, though. If it’s in the Unlimited Neutral Field, there’s no way to eliminate the possibility that you will make a comrade of yours lie in ambush at the location of the duel.”

Then, Noumi spread out his hands as if to say ‘Good grief’.

“I think that there is also such a danger for my side as well, though! …In that case, let’s attach too guarantees. First, you may take Cyan Pile…Mayuzumi-senpai with you. You two will fight me in turns. And secondly, you may postpone the time of the duel as many times and for as long as you want right up until its starts. If it’s like this, it’s realistically impossible for someone to lie in ambush.”

“………”

Haruyuki held his breath, and quickly thought.

In the Unlimited Neutral Field, time flowed 1000 times faster than in the real world. For example, if he specified to Dive in at 5 PM at first and then postponed it enough until several seconds after that, a timespan of one week would pa.s.s by inside the field during that interval. If this postponement was repeated several times, the elapsed time inside would become huge, and it would be impossible to continue waiting with normal nerves.

However, if gradual Dives and log-outs were repeated one after another instead, one would have to consume 10 Burst Points for each time. One couldn’t withstand that even if they were a «King»-cla.s.s.

Speaking of an ambush in the Unlimited Neutral Field, Haruyuki recalled the case where the Yellow Legion had laid a trap for the Red King Niko during the Chrome Disaster incident three months ago, but he didn’t know when they appeared there and they did not necessarily wait many months inside there for Niko. The real world ident.i.ty of «Cherry Rook», Disaster’s true form, had already been discovered by them due to the process of the Enhanced Armament transfer by Direct Connect, and as such he had likely been under surveillance and the time when he Dived was predicted.

Since even that kind of method couldn’t be used here, it was surely impossible to set an ambush in the Unlimited Neutral Field—or so he thought.

However, Haruyuki was aware that his knowledge regarding Accel World was still far from complete, so of course he didn’t give an immediate answer.

“…In that case, may I consult with Tak.u.mu?”

“Of course, go right ahead! Please consult with each other for as long as you like.”

Smiling, Noumi stepped back.

“When you come to a conclusion, please inform me at this address. Since I also want time to prepare myself.”

He sent over an anonymous mail address to Haruyuki with a flick. Haruyuki held his breath and watched Noumi’s back as he then simply turned around and walked away.

He had an unpleasant feeling. When Haruyuki had said the words ‘BIC’ to Noumi, he had a.s.sumed that they would rush into a duel right away just like that. Now, he felt like the pace had once again been taken away from him by taking time between them here.

After confirming that Noumi had disappeared from the school building, Haruyuki leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree and spoke with thought-speech.

‘…What do you think, Taku?’

‘…It’s dangerous.’

Tak.u.mu, who been listening to the entire conversation with Noumi online, immediately gave that response.

Haruyuki had already told Tak.u.mu last night about the matter of the BIC that he realized. In addition, he had also told him how he had decided to settle things with Noumi Seiji. That is, by first having Haruyuki, then Tak.u.mu determinedly continue to challenge Noumi to local network duels until Noumi had no more Burst Points.

Of course, they had considered the possibility of both of them losing all their points against the Level 6 Dusk Taker. But, if they lost a normal match—that just meant that was as far as they went, right? «When you Dive into the battlefield once, there is nothing but battle». That was the teaching of their master, Kuroyukihime.

However, Noumi’s proposal was something that they had not expected. Tak.u.mu once again repeated his words with tense thoughts.

‘It’s too dangerous, Haru. In the Unlimited Neutral Field, there is no telling what may happen. Even more so if the opponent is that Noumi.’

‘Then, shall we reject his proposal?’

‘……’

Here, Tak.u.mu also became silent. Eventually, his voice resounded again in Haruyuki’s mind in a lowered tone.

‘…But, just as Noumi said, it is certainly true that there is no way to guarantee things even if he surrenders…Since there remains the possibility of him devising a new trap against us again someday…’

‘Hey, Taku. Do you think there is a way to avoid the constraints of the «unfixed extension of the designated time» that Noumi spoke of and make an ambush ahead of time…?’

After sinking into silence again for several seconds, Tak.u.mu slowly answered.

‘Either by having a huge amount of burst points…or a huge amount of patience. There shouldn’t be any other ways besides those. The problem is whether Noumi has a comrade who would agree to pay such a huge sacrifice…’

This time Haruyuki thought for a while, and then answered.

‘Hmm…—I think that the possibility of him belonging to some kind of organization is high. In addition, the other members would be people who have undergone the BIC implantation operation as well. Rust Jigsaw, who I fought in Akihabara, is also probably a member. Though, since there’s no tag attached to the names of either of their avatars, it’s probably different from a legion…’

‘So they’re guys who earn Burst Points efficiently with the Brain Chip and then use them earnestly in the real world. They really are «Acceleration Users» just as Noumi said before.’

‘Yeah…Would guys like that cooperate to the point where they would almost infinitely waste points or time for the sake of Noumi’s personal circ.u.mstances…?’

Suddenly biting his lips, Haruyuki immediately continued.

‘No, I don’t think so. Considering Noumi’s words about there being no ‘free of charge’ friends, that must the true for him. Conversely speaking, if he had such a comrade, I think that Noumi…would surely have become a proper Burst Linker.’

There was no basis for Haruyuki’s words, but Tak.u.mu immediately responded with thoughts of agreement.

‘Yeah. Yes…That’s exactly it. This is a battle between us Burst Linkers and the Acceleration User Noumi. That is our pride that lets us stand up…That’s right…’

For a moment, both of their unified intentions flowed through the circuit of the Voice Call as a white flash.

Haruyuki nodded his head and strongly transmitted his thoughts.

‘Alright, I’ll accept the proposal. I’ll send Noumi the first designated time after you and him finished club activities and return home…let’s say at 8 PM. We’ll extend the time by 10 minutes at the lowest and a total of one hour at the highest, so the possibility of an ambush will be lost.’

‘Roger.’

Letting out a little of the tension in his shoulders after hearing that striking-like answer, Haruyuki added more.

‘…Besides, a one-shot match is honestly much more welcome.’

‘Fufu, Haru is the overconcentration-type after all. You always expect to decided things in one go.’

‘You who spent so much trouble training in mind power are just as bad, though.’

After giving a short laugh at each other and saying they’d meet against after school, Haruyuki cut the connection.

—I’m glad that Tak.u.mu is next to me.

After sincerely thinking that, Haruyuki thanked from the bottom of his heart that, half a year ago when he had first fought Cyan Pile, he had decided not to deliver the finishing blow to his friend.

After school. 7:30 at night.

While he was tidying up his home’s living room and taking out a box from the freezer in order to heat up the usual frozen pizza, his doorbell chime rang.

After quickly confirming Tak.u.mu’s face in a holo-window, he ran to the entranceway. He pressed the unlock b.u.t.ton, and headed to the opening door.

“Hey. Right on ti…”

Immediately after he ended in ‘-me’, Haruyuki was taken aback as he opened his mouth wide.

Another familiar face was there to the side behind Tak.u.mu who was standing there with a grave face.

“…C-Chiyu…!?”

Why did you come here now?

Without giving him the time to voice that question, the plain clothes-wearing Chiyuri mumbled an expressionless ‘Sorry for intruding[2]’ and entered into the hallway. She quickly pa.s.sed by Haruyuki and walked into the living room.

After watching the sight of her back while dumbfounded, Haruyuki turned around to face Tak.u.mu and questioned him.

“…W-Why?”

“I didn"t call her here. She came with me inside the elevator.”

Tak.u.mu mumbled that, seeming like he also was having trouble understanding. After letting out a thin breath and closing the door, he tilted his head in doubt to ask whether it was okay to enter.

After deeply nodding, Haruyuki returned to the hallway along with Tak.u.mu.

Standing not in the living room but in the kitchen, Chiyuri lifted up the box of frozen pizza which he had left in the sink, made a small smile and spoke.

“…As usual, you eat things like this.”

And then she returned it to the freezer and lifted up a paper bag she seemed to have brought with her.

“I got Mama to make lasagna again. Let’s eat it the three of us together.”

She paused for a moment.

“…Don’t worry, I didn’t put anything like poison into it.”

As soon as he heard that joke, a sharp pain pierced through the center of his chest, and Haruyuki’s face became distorted.

—Why did we have to become like this?

That thought ran through his mind. Turning his gaze away, he saw that Tak.u.mu’s eyes had also stiffened behind his gla.s.ses.

Unable to look at the two of them like that anymore, Chiyuri quickly took out a heat-resistant container and divided its contents onto three plates. She skillfully carried one plate in her left hand and two in her right hand, and walked into the living room.

“Come on, sit down.”

Smiling, she placed a plate with a slightly large serving in front of Haruyuki, and placed the other two plates with similar amounts in front of Tak.u.mu and herself. She took out forks from a cutlery basket that was placed on the middle of dining room table and held them out to the two of them.

When compared to Chiyuri’s behaviour over the last week, each of those separate actions were important as they weaved together as if in an unseen thread, to the point where Haruyuki couldn’t watch anymore. He accepted the form, fixed his gaze on his plate, and spoke in a low voice.

“…Thank you. Itadakimasu[3].”

“…Itadakimasu.”

Tak.u.mu also said it, and with Chiyuri words of “Go ahead” as the signal, the three of them began to eat in silence the lasagna that was specially made by Chiyuri’s mama.

It was delicious. Its taste was far greater than the thing they had eaten as a meal a week ago. But within that deliciousness, there was still clearly that pain which dwelled in Haruyuki’s chest. Since he would probably start crying if he stopped chewing, Haruyuki made sure to hold the plate and earnestly continued eating.

Their three plates became empty in fifteen minutes. Chiyuri, after cleaning the dishes and coming back, sat down at the table once again.

After remaining silent for a while, it was 7:50 when Chiyuri finally opened her mouth.

“……Noumi told me to come. To the location of the duel.”

“Wha…”

“Eh…”

Haruyuki raised their voices at the same time as Tak.u.mu.

Following a momentary pause, his thoughts began turning at high speed.

“I…I see. You’re already at Level 4 after all…so you’re also entering the Unlimited Neutral Field…”

Foolishly, Haruyuki hadn’t considered at all the possibility that Chiyuri would appear. But, certainly, since it’s Noumi, he would have no hesitation in using Lime Bell as part of an ambush.

“B-But…how does Noumi intend to transmit the designated time to you, Chii-chan…?”

Tak.u.mu’s question was quite natural. He and Haruyuki would be arbitrarily changing the designated time, in order to eliminate the chances of Burst Linkers lying in ambush for them. Chiyuri wasn’t an exception to that either.

Chiyuri turned down her face so as to escape from the looks directed at her from the two of them, and then mumbled.

“…Noumi instructed me like this. Meet directly with Haru and Takkun, and tell them that I’ve betrayed him. Do that so that they trust me, and Dive at the same time as them…and then once the duel start, heal him.”

“……Wh…at…?”

Haruyuki clenched his teeth hard.

—Just how much foul play does he intend to do!

At the same time as that fury pierced through his brain, Haruyuki was even more confused by Chiyuri’s intentions in confessing those instructions to him and Tak.u.mu.

As if sensing that, Chiyuri continued in a thin voice.

“…But, that’s impossible. Even if I said such a thing now, it wouldn’t be persuasive at all. That’s why, I…thought that I would tell you two the truth and ask you two.”

“Ask us, you say……”

Looking at first Haruyuki and then Tak.u.mu with wide eyes wet with pale tears, Chiyuri clearly spoke.

“Please take me there. I have to go. If you say it’s impossible…if you say that, it can’t be helped, so instead I’ll Dive into the Unlimited Neutral Field right here and now, and wait on the other side until you two come. No matter how many months or years it takes, I’ll wait.”

“…Chiyu, you……”

Those words were squeezed out from his blocked throat. Chiyuri may have declared that, but he felt a deep shock at hearing words like the «Unlimited Neutral Field» coming out smoothly from the mouth of a girl who should have been a beginner that didn’t know the basics of Brain Burst only a week ago.

Haruyuki had held dozen, hundreds of questions within his chest since this incident began.

—Why!

—Chiyu, just what on earth are you going so far for! For what purpose are you continuing to so insistently and foolishly earn points in the Brain Burst that you denied until now!!

Yes, Haruyuki wasn’t able to stop himself from thinking even this.

What if even Chiyuri’s words now are a trap? What if this is a strategy where she betrays us two-fold, interrupts during the duel and steals away the points of me and Tak.u.mu?

Honestly, although it was a battle against Dusk Taker where they didn’t know what would happen in the match even if it’s one-on-one, their chances of victory would almost entirely disappear if Lime Bell’s healing ability was added to the mix. It would become just like the battle on Tuesday.

Haruyuki couldn’t understand. He couldn’t grasp Chiyuri’s true intentions at all.

The one that broke the heavy silence was Tak.u.mu’s quiet voice.

“…I understand, Chii-chan. We’ll go together.”

“T-Taku…”

Tak.u.mu turned towards Haruyuki, smiled quietly and spoke.

“Haru. Half a year ago, you saved me during our first battle in that hospital. You surely wavered about it, right? There was plenty of possibility that my pleading was just lip-service and that I would try to hunt the comatose Black Lotus immediately after our duel finished. But…you forgave me. No, you believed in me. I will never forget that time……That’s why.”

Taking a deep breath through his trembling throat, Tak.u.mu resolutely declared.

“I will also believe in Chii-chan. It’s frustrating that I can’t understand Chii-chan’s real intentions no matter how I think about it…But, whatever may happen due to Chii-chan’s actions, I will accept it.”

Within the silence that once again filled the room, Haruyuki saw Chiyuri’s lips move silently.

It was a minute movement like the shaking of a tree, but the clear words reached his ears.

…Thank you, Takkun.

The instant he heard that, Haruyuki shut his eyes tightly. On the screen of his eyelids, the tears that he had seen Chiyuri shed yesterday in her room were recalled.

I’m acting according to my own will.

Chiyuri had said that while crying. In that case, the small details of the situation already didn’t matter. Just as Tak.u.mu had said, it was about believing, or not believing. The problem was only that. And the answer to that was decided. Since many years ago, since the time when Chiyuri and Haruyuki could satisfyingly talk to each other, it was already decided.

“Alright.”

Haruyuki also nodded.

“Let’s go together. The three of us.”

At the same time as it reached 8 PM, Haruyuki sent the first typed email to Noumi. The specified Dive time was 8:30. The location was in front Kouenji Station within the Unlimited Neutral Field.

Of course, these would both be changed from now on again and again. Since they would only send the new directions a few seconds before the arrival of the previous designated time, even if Noumi had someone set up in ambush, it was impossible for Noumi to transmit a postponement to them. Only, there was a danger of Noumi and his ambush accomplice Diving at the same time if they met up with each other in the real world like Haruyuki and the others, but Haruyuki didn’t believe that Noumi had a comrade he trusted that much. Furthermore, Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu had also considered the idea that the accomplice would Dive after also meeting with Noumi on this side in order to eliminate that possibility, but they dismissed they because it was even more dangerous to leave one’s unconscious body in front of Noumi.

While randomly changing the time and location, Haruyuki continued to send mail after mail.

The feeling of tension while on standby was unpleasant like when being left alone for a long time in the waiting room of a dentist’s office. But, thinking that the irritation that Noumi must be feeling right now was incomparable to his nervousness made him able to endure it. On Noumi’s side, he wasn’t able to predict just how long and how many times they were going to extend this.

9:12 PM.

After amply repeating the extension more than 15 times, Haruyuki finally spoke.

“All right…We’ll Dive in one minute.”

“Roger.”

Tak.u.mu gave that answer, while Chiyuri also nodded.

The one-match battle which bet all the points of three people. Despite how long it had been prolonged, it would start in one hour. In other words, everything would be over after only three to six seconds in the real world.

Within his heart, Haruyuki called out ‘Senpai’ to Kuroyukihime who was in the far away Okinawa.

…Senpai, if I lose, you’ll probably be extremely angry, and also sad. But, I believe that you’ll definitely understand in the end. It is exactly because I aim to be your knight that I have to do this.

Five seconds before 9:13.

Haruyuki pressed the transmit b.u.t.ton for the last email.

The contents were—[Location: Umesato Middle School grounds. Time: Now.]

“Let’s go!!”

Right after Haruyuki shouted that out, the three of them gathered their voices together and cried out the command.

“““Unlimited Burst!!”””