Accel World Vol 8 Chapter 2 (2/2)

Chiyuri, who had changed into light green pajamas with a cat design on them, looked at Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu successively; while smiling she spoke.

“Both of you, have a seat.”

“Huh…”

“Uh, unh.”

The two of them hurriedly downed their after-bath iced tea and sat down side by side on top of the mattresses before Chiyuri, who had stood up quickly. The reason why they had somehow ended up sitting seiza[4] style was that their understanding that «both of them were basically Chiyuri’s subordinates» engraved in their bodies and souls since they were young had caused them to do so.

Without wiping away her smiling expression, Chiyuri, who had folded her arms before her chest with great momentum, continued and spoke.

“Well then, let’s have the explanation again, shall we? Haru and Takkun, this time what have you two perpetrated, and how bad of a situation has it become?”

—Uh oh, she had already seen through that far.

While earnestly being impressed, Haruyuki thought inside his head at high speed.

The biggest reason why he had also involved Chiyuri in this «spontaneous sleepover» was due to the expectation that her existence—to be precise, this state of affairs in which the three childhood friends huddled their bodies together like in the past—would block out the interference of the ISS Kit, which had been preserved «somewhere» inside Tak.u.mu. He had not thought to go as far as to reveal the entire situation to Chiyuri. The reason was that it would be equivalent to exposing as far as the deep wound that Tak.u.mu was carrying—his sense of guilt for the fact that it was he who had destroyed their circle of three people.

However, Chiyuri had already sensed the situation to a certain extent; no, nearly to the crux of it. What was more, if they wanted to attempt to erase the Kit with Chiyuri’s «ability», then they couldn’t hide the truth anyways.

Haruyuki glanced at Tak.u.mu to the left of him. His old friend with freshly washed hair returned his gaze straight back for a second, then turned back to Chiyuri and spoke.

“Chii-chan, I believe you’ve already at least heard the rumor. The problem of the «ISS Kit», which has been casting a great shadow over the Accelerated World beginning about a mere week ago…”

From there, in about twenty minutes Tak.u.mu told everything.

How he had went in the direction of the depopulated area Setagaya by himself and had received the «ISS Kit» in its sealed state from the Burst Linker «Magenta Scissor», whom he had encountered there.

How he had returned home and had seen a nightmare clearly seeming to be due to the interference of the Kit after climbing into bed, even though he had removed his Neuro Linker.

How on the same occasion his parents had sent him to the family hospital since he had a slight fever, he had attempted to collect information in the s.h.i.+njuku area. However, he had been sold out by the comrades of his former legion and had taken a real attack by the PK group «Supernova Remnant».

How Tak.u.mu had dived into the Unlimited Field with them and had summoned the ISS Kit there, cornering all the Remnant members into losing all their points with the strength of dark Mind Power. How as a result, while his Brain Burst had been protected, a considerable portion of his consciousness had been corroded by the Kit. How he, believing that he would harm his comrades of Nega Nebulas at this rate, had made up his mind to fight with «Magenta Scissor», to pin down the distributor of the Kit, and to obtain information with the resolution of committing a simultaneous suicidal kill while he could still barely manage to control the Kit’s power.

However, immediately before that, he had entered a direct connection duel with Haruyuki, who had run from Umesato Middle to Tak.u.mu’s home, and they both had fought with all the strength and suppressed emotion they had—at the end, they had succeeded in repelling the Kit’s interference to some degree, but.

“…But, it still hasn’t disappeared from inside me.”

Tak.u.mu, who had finished telling the long story, with both his hands gripped his blue Neuro Linker, which he had not been wearing out of the bath, and brought his talk to a close with a half-whispering voice.

“The «Kit» is somewhere inside this Neuro Linker…and a part of it is maybe lurking somewhere inside my head. It’s steadily absorbing power from the other linked Kits; even now, moment by moment it’s becoming stronger. Tonight...if I see that nightmare again…I will probably call awake the black thing inside my heart. That’s why Haru is trying to prevent that by spending tonight with the three of us together…That’s the reason that you were suddenly invited, Chii-chan. Everything’s…a result of my foolish conceit…”

There, Tak.u.mu closed his mouth and deeply hung his head.

Chiyuri, who was still standing and had finished listening to the long story without stirring an inch, abruptly bent down on her knees in front of Tak.u.mu and reached her fair hand out from the pajamas covering three-fifths of her arm—with her fingertips, she gently wiped something beginning to blur the edge of Tak.u.mu’s left eye. At the same time, a subdued murmur.

“…Sorry, Takkun.”

“Huh..?”

To Tak.u.mu, who had raised his face and had opened his eyes wide, Chiyuri began to talk gently.

“From the past, I knew that you were really a very sensitive and kind person…maybe as sensitive and kind as Haru, Takkun. However…I’ve always depended on your kindness…”

Her pupils, always swirling and sparkling like those of a cat, slowly became downcast. Chiyuri let down her hands, seated herself in seiza position like the other two, raised her face again, and spoke in a firm voice.

“When I was small, I believed stubbornly…That no matter how old we became, how many years pa.s.sed, the three of us would be able to laugh, getting along with one another. But in reality, that’s impossible, isn’t it? The flow of time is unstoppable…it can’t be turned back. Even though I understood that somewhere inside my head…I always hoped that for just a little bit more, for just a little bit more things could stay like that…”

She took a deep breath—.

While looking in turn at Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu, Chiyuri suddenly said something greatly unexpected.

“Haru, Takkun. This is something I haven’t said to anyone outside my family but…you see, my papa might not be able to live for long.”

Completely as if those words had been lodged somewhere between his ear and his brain, for a while Haruyuki was unable to recognize what they meant. Tak.u.mu seemed to be the same; from his left, far from feeling his body stir, there was no sign of even his breathing.

Before the eyes of the two and furthermore without letting her peaceful expression crumble, Chiyuri continued and opened her mouth.

“Both of you, you already know why I was able to clear the «first condition of a Burst Linker», right?”

“…Unh.”

While slightly nodding, Haruyuki thought in a corner of his mind.

To become a Burst Linker, that was, to install «Brain Burst Program» in one’s Neuro Linker, there were two conditions. The first was «having continuously worn a Neuro Linker since immediately after birth». The second was «possessing a high-level quantum connection apt.i.tude».

The second was able to be cleared through prolonged full dive experiences or active training—like how Chiyuri had done so herself. However, the first couldn’t be helped by the will of the person himself or herself at such a late point. In brief, one could say that one’s apt.i.tude as a Burst Linker was halfway inherently decided.

The reason why a newborn baby was equipped with a Neuro Linker was almost always due to «child-rearing labor reduction» or «education for gifted children». Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu had been given infant-use Neuro Linkers immediately since birth, Haruyuki for the former reason and Tak.u.mu for the latter.

However, Chiyuri fell under neither of those categories.

Immediately before she was born, her father had suffered from a throat ailment and had had his vocal cords excised, making conversation using his real voice difficult for him. However, Chiyuri’s parents, who had wanted their beloved daughter somehow to be raised having heard both their voices, had chosen to use the Neuro Linker’s «thought voice function». From the time she was a baby, Chiyuri had been brought up hearing her father’s voice through a Neuro Linker.

“…The disease that caused Papa to lose his voice was lower throat cancer.”

“..!”

To the two who had again turned speechless, Chiyuri shook her head to calm them.

“It’s okay; it’s not something that’s going to happen right away. With the advancement of RTMMs[5], cancer itself isn’t a disease as scary as it was in the past…But, you know, once it’s begun to metastasize, it’s impossible to completely annihilate the cancer cells spread here and there even with today’s technology. In these ten years, Papa’s had a relapse once each in his esophagus and his lungs…each time, he was able to suppress it with anticancer drugs and MM therapy…but it seems he was told by the doctors that if he had another relapse, his prospects would be grim...”

Chiyuri, who continued to chat on, stoutheartedly made a smile, but Haruyuki noticed that her large eyes were thinly moist.

“…Of course, both Papa and Mama were considerate so that I didn’t worry but…despite that, we’d been family for years; I somehow caught on. When Papa was undergoing treatment, he seemed so pained from the side effects…Mama, she woke up so many times in the middle of the night and rubbed Papa’s body. That’s why when the treatment was over and Papa got better, I made a prayer to the G.o.ds. I said, “Please let us be the way we are now.” That was…back in fourth grade. To me, that time was…that time, when every day was enjoyable and seemed to be enveloped in a golden light, was…”

Chiyuri, who had shut her mouth there, turned her gaze toward the ceiling as if refraining from spilling her tears.

Haruyuki, unable to say anything, pictured the face of Chiyuri’s father in his mind.

Around third or fourth grade, after they had returned from playing outside till they were worn out, nearly every day they intruded on the Kuras.h.i.+ma residence, had dinner, and even took a bath. Haruyuki had frequently met Chiyuri’s papa, but he was never let known a bit of his painful fight continuing several years against the disease. He always wore a smile on his thin face and sometimes also became their game playmate.

“…Chiyu, I didn’t…”

Didn’t notice anything.

To Haruyuki, who had tried to say that, Chiyuri again pointed a smile and shook her head bit by bit.

“I said it, didn’t I, that nothing’s going to happen right away. Maybe at this rate there won’t be a relapse ever again. —That’s why I also really shouldn’t only have been afraid of the future. Despite that, I pretended not to see everything that was changing…I didn’t try to understand Takkun’s feelings either…even if «now» became the «past», I continued to try to return there. Last fall…when Takkun tried to learn my true feelings, it was obvious too. Because even if he were at my side, even if we made a dive call, I didn’t properly see the current Takkun.”

At that moment—.

Tak.u.mu, who had been silent all along until now, tightly clenched his fists above his knees and violently shook his neck left and right.

“That’s wrong…Chii-chan, that’s wrong. The one to blame is me, who was unable to trust you. I didn’t notice at all what you were carrying inside your heart. Only me, only seeing myself; only forcing that selfish wish on you. In the end…on your Neuro Linker…I set up on your Neuro Linker…”

His forcibly squeezed out voice fairly resembled his shout of anguish when he had fought with Haruyuki during the evening.

But Haruyuki believed that his openly spoke feelings were not uttered out of self-blame or self-repugnance. Believing that, he fought hard to swallow his words.

Tak.u.mu clenched his hands one last time to the point where his hands creaked—then he drained his strength and continued in a husky voice.

“However.”

He lifted his head and looked straight and Haruyuki and then Chiyuri, then spoke.

“However, I will change, Chii-chan. I promise. Though it will be little by little, I will grow stronger. One day I will recompense for all my sins such that I can lead your hand toward the future this time for sure.”

“…Unh.”

Finally letting a teardrop spill, Chiyuri also nodded.

“I too…I too will stop looking at just the past. Right now…I’m still scared, and I can’t see the path ahead of me, but…despite that, I treasure the present, this moment. Because it’s fun right now. It’s fun and I’m happy being together with Takkun, Haru, Senpai, Nee-san, and Ui-chan and being able to aim for the same goal. That’s why…”

She sucked in a deep breath and resolutely straightened her back; after wiping her eyes with a jerk, Chiyuri spoke in a clear voice.

“That’s why I won’t let that «ISS Kit» thing do with you as it likes. I will also protect you. Together with Haru, I will protect you, Takkun.”

References

↑ Piece of wood near the entryway of a residence.

↑ An expression said before a meal to give thanks.

↑ A bed of salted rice bran used for pickling.

↑ A formal sitting position in which one kneels down with feet pointed backward and sits upright.

↑ Radiation Treatment Micromachine. I believe this is a term created by the author.

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