Accel World Vol 4 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2

Something terrible had happened at school, and he returned home while gazing down with the feeling of being knocked down.

Such an experience was an everyday thing for Haruyuki. During the time he had been severely bullied by cla.s.smates last year, he had gone home while counting the tiles on the sidewalk beneath him almost every day.

However, for Tak.u.mu next to him—for that Mayuzumi Tak.u.mu, who was walking next to him and hanging his head and dragging his feet just like Haruyuki, this must have been his first time experiencing this in his life.

After silently walking along the path to their apartment building from Umesato Middle School alongside Tak.u.mu, who had skipped out on kendo club practice on the pretense of being sick, Haruyuki spoke in a whisper when they pa.s.sed through the apartment’s front gates.

“Come inside my place.”

“……Sure.”

He got on the elevator with Tak.u.mu who feebly nodded and got off on the twenty-third floor. After opening the door of his empty home and entering the living room, he threw his bag onto the floor and sat down on a chair at the dining table.

Tak.u.mu sat down on the other side as well, and the two of them remained silent like that for a while.

—We sat down opposite each other like this before as well.

Dimly thinking that, Haruyuki finally recalled that that incident that occurred only twenty-four hours ago—in other words, on Monday after school.

During the recess yesterday, Haruyuki had dueled Noumi Seiji for the first time, and had the silver wings on his back taken away by his special technique.

Tak.u.mu had been puzzled by the strange state of Haruyuki and Chiyuri, who had been present there, and had visited Haruyuki after club activities had ended and sat down in the exact same place. That time, Haruyuki had showered Tak.u.mu with cruel words while feeling self-torturous, and had been severely hit. Afterwards, he had gone out to s.h.i.+njuku to challenge anyone to an accelerated duel in despair, had had his lethargic att.i.tude scolded by the familiar bike-user «Ash Roller», and had been forcibly brought by him to the Old Tokyo Tower in the Unlimited Neutral Field.

There, he had been introduced to Ash Roller’s Parent and former member of Nega Nebulas, «Sky Raker». She had taught Haruyuki about the existence of the ultimate power of Burst Linkers, the «Incarnate System», and had given him super Spartan-type intensive training to make him learn it.

Though Haruyuki had mastered the first step of the first step of Mind Power, he had actually needed one week in that world that was accelerated by one thousand times.

That’s why, in a sense, it was natural for him to feel like the current situation of facing Tak.u.mu was such a long time since the last time.

Unconsciously raising his right hand, Haruyuki traced in his jaw where he had been hit by Noumi during yesterday’s recess and then his right cheek where Tak.u.mu had hit him after school. Almost no marks were left anymore more on either of them, but he could still keenly feel the pain as it stiffened stingingly.

…No matter much I accelerate my minds and shut myself in a different world, the wounds of the flesh…in other words, real pain can’t be healed.

While he thought that, Tak.u.mu, who paid attention to that action, gave a self-deprecatory smile and muttered.

“Haru. When I hit you, I said that I said that was fine with Chii-chan becoming happy no matter who her partner was, but…I take that back. I can’t accept it at all. That…Chii-chan would become that Noumi Seiji’s partner.”

Dropping his hands on the table, Haruyuki also responded back with a hollow voice.

“Before accepting it…I can’t believe it. Certainly, there are no rules in Brain Burst that say that real-world friends have to enter the same team, but…For that Chiyu to betray us and join Noumi for the sake of getting points is…”

“Well, if you just think about earning points, it certainly is more efficient to join up with Noumi than us. Now that he’s stolen Haru’s wings, Dusk Taker’s battle power is already at a foul play-like level…If he debuts in duels with that while paired with the «healer» Lime Bell, there would be no Burst Linkers within the middle range that could directly fight against them.”

“What a calm conclusion while still being depressed, professor.”

This time Haruyuki gave a wry smile, but then quickly swept it away with a sigh.

“But still, Taku…It’s Chiyu we’re talking about. Do you think Chiyu, who lacks any game sense and who is always useless in RPG event battles where she gets annihilated, would make a decision based on something like point efficiency?”

“T-That’s…I don’t think so, indeed…”

It was in a subdued tone, but Haruyuki’s shock from Chiyuri declaration of parting finally eased down a little from taking with his best friend, and he stood up slowly and headed toward the kitchen.

He took out a box of frozen pizza from the large freezer and simply threw it into the microwave. He also took out a bottle of oolong tea and prepared two gla.s.ses. After the pizza finished thawing and heating in only a few dozen seconds, he carried it all to the table and properly placed them down.

“…Thanks.”

After pouring tea into Tak.u.mu’s gla.s.s as he muttered that, Haruyuki opened the box and picked out a piece of sea-food pizza. Just as he pulled at the thin strands of cheese, he suddenly heard a voice in the back of his ear as he tried to take a bite.

‘Aah, you’re eating something like that again!’

‘No other choice, I’ll have to get Mama to make you something.’

But, of course, that was neither a real voice nor a PCM[1] file played by his Neuro Linker. Beginning to recall the taste of the lasagna that Chiyuri had brought over just a few days ago, Haruyuki emphatically bit at the ma.s.s-produced-type pizza in over to overwrite that taste.

Casting his eyes down, he chewed the strangely salty pizza, and heard a sniffling sound all the while as he did so. When he quietly raised only his gaze, he saw Tak.u.mu rubbing vigorously beneath his gla.s.ses while eating with the same downturned face as him.

Suddenly, a different pain than that until now pierced his chest throbbingly.

—Taku, he’s always so calm and so clever that I’m no match for him…But, by no means is he someone who can stay strong in the face of all adversity.

—When I lost my wings and became careless, he tried to help me with all his strength. Then, it’s my turn this time. It’s my turn to encourage him and support his back.

Muttering that within his mind, Haruyuki closed both his eyes, and quickly made his pizza disappear with non-stop munching. He drank his entire gla.s.s of oolong tea, and returned it to the table with a bang.

“Taku!”

As he shouted that out, Tak.u.mu’s shoulder’s shook, and he lifted up his reddened eyes to look at him. Haruyuki looked straight at him and continued speaking.

“Taku, I believe in Chiyu! That’s why, I don’t believe what she said!”

“Eh…?”

“I said it before. Joining up with Noumi because she wants points? That’s not like Chiyu at all. So that possibility is completed eliminated. Probably…no, definitely by at least 90%, our first guess was correct. Chiyuri was threatened by Noumi to partner with him, and was forced to give that explanation to us. You can understand and agree with that much, right?”

While tightly grasping his gla.s.ses, Tak.u.mu seemed to scrutinize the words that Haruyuki had vigorously lined up for a short while.

Eventually, he slowly responded with some calmness returned to his voice.

“Yeah…Certainly, that may be. But Haru, your explanation has a small inconsistency. You say «completely eliminate», yet you also say «90%»? In other words, the remaining 10% is that the possibility that Chii-chan voluntarily joined Noumi, right?”

“Yeah…but, for a different reason.”

“Reason…? You mean there’s some reason other than points that Chii-chan would become our enemy?”

After looking with upturned eyes at Tak.u.mu who t.i.tled his head, Haruyuki spoke in a whisper while instinctively shrinking his shoulders.

“In other words, umm…because of the boss of our legion Nega Nebulas…that person…”

Tak.u.mu blinked several times just now as if he was caught off guard. Soon, the same kind of fear as Haruyuki was showing on his face appeared on his own face as well.

“I-I see…—A situation where Chii-chan is thinking ‘No way!’ to becoming master’s…Kuroyukihime-senpai’s (Black Lotus) subordinate…”

“Can we absolutely say that she would never do that?’

At Haruyuki’s question, Tak.u.mu shook his head left and right with a complicated expression. Letting out a long continuous sigh, he then added with a groan.

“But, in that case, that’s all the most reason not to tell master about this and seek her a.s.sistance…If master found out that Chii-chan had betrayed us because of her…”

“She would take down both Dusk Taker and Lime Bell with a single stroke…”

They didn’t need to be reminded now of the severe nature of Kuroyukihime, the «Black King» that lead the legion «Nega Nebulas» and the one that controlled the Level 9 duel avatar «Black Lotus». Once she determined someone as an enemy, she would mercilessly cut them down with the swords on both her hands. It was very difficult—no, impossible to think that she wouldn’t apply that principle on only Chiyuri.

Haruyuki temporarily raised his gaze from looking down at the table with a jerk, and though he looked at Tak.u.mu’s face, he spoke as if telling himself as well.

“Senpai will return from the school trip on Sat.u.r.day night, so we have four more days. We no choice but to settle things in that time.”

“Settle things, you say…how…?”

“Whether Chiyu is being threatened or is acting of her own volition, if we can defeat Noumi…if we can corner him until he loses Brain Burst, that will end everything. Right?”

After letting out a big breath at Haruyuki’s words, Tak.u.mu gave a faint smile.

“You say it so easily, Haru. Even if we expose the means that allows Noumi to not appear on the matching list, just how many times will we have to win in order to make that Dusk Taker lose all his points?”

“I wonder about that.”

Muttering a little, Haruyuki spoke the continuation of all his thinking.

“Right now Noumi, who has just entered Umesato Middle School, must be consuming points at an incredible pace in order to build up his position through the ability tests and kendo matches. In particular, he uses that Physical Burst command which costs five points each time in kendo matches. Do you really think that he, a Level 5, still has that much acc.u.mulated points to spare?”

“…I see…Especially since right now he’s not partic.i.p.ating in ordinary duels either. The sources for supplying himself with points should be limited.”

Tak.u.mu narrowed his eyes which had regained just a little of their sharpness behind his gla.s.ses and nodded as well. Then he suddenly looked back at Haruyuki and continued speaking quickly.

“But, Haru. In that case, it’s a battle with a different time limit that has no relation to when master returns to Tokyo. Noumi, who has now obtained an exclusive «healer» in addition to «flight ability», should be debuting in duels which he has bided his time for until now. He won’t be able to immediately fight that many times with the limitations of tag-matches, but even so he’ll still win in almost all duels…”

“In other words, we have to sever his neck before he begins saving up points.”

After exchanging a short gaze with Tak.u.mu, Haruyuki spoke decisively.

“Alright. I’ll somehow investigate the means he uses to block himself from duels by myself.”

“W-What are you saying? I’ll also investigate with you…”

“No, there’s something you have to do while I do that.”

Tightly gripping both hands over the table, Haruyuki then lowered his voice a little—

“Taku, you remember the attack you directly received, right? That technique of Dusk Taker that let him sc.r.a.pe off and invalidate everything with his hands.”

“Ah…yeah. I can’t believe it even now.”

As if doubting his memory, Tak.u.mu shook his head a little.

“The fact that his special technique gauge didn’t decrease even though he was emitting such intense light…No, before that, leaving aside punches and kicks, he even sucked in my non-substance attack «Lightning Cyan Spike». Such an impossible degree of relative priority, just what on earth kind of ability was that…?”

“Umm…it’s neither an ability prescribed by the system nor a special technique. How should I say it…I also can’t explain it very well, but…”

While frowning and strenuously looking for the right words, Haruyuki tried to somehow convey the knowledge he had gotten just yesterday to Tak.u.mu.

“It’s a «super special technique» as it were, which turns the image power of Burst Linkers into an energy source. Its proper name is the «Incarnate System». Accel World’s strongest offensive power which takes form due to the power of one’s heart and will…”