Chapter 2 (1/2)
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Misaka Mikoto sat on a bench on an Acadeles up fro the cheers around her directly
”Yes! We cleared the preliminaries, so we're the District 7 representatives now!!”
”Th-that's ae…”
Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari were tre in excitement nearby They went to the sa their sailor uniforms today
They wore cheerleader-style outfits colored a bright purple
Needless to say, it was the sa seen on Mikoto's Raiden and shi+rai Kuroko's Fei-Yen
Which meant…
”Uuh… I just remembered”
”What's that bashful fidgeting for!? We're the representatives! The district's honor rests on our shoulders!! Hold your head high!!”
Mikoto had been engrossed in her Virtual-On battle aa miniskirt She had felt like she was inside a sealed, cocoon-like cockpit, but how had it looked to the people around her?
”P-pant, pant! Onee-sas are completely defenseless… But I can sense Onee-sahtly closed even in the middle of battle”
”I had a feeling this would happen!!”
Mikototo stoirl crawling on the floor right in front of her
Saten was still excited and she estion from next to Mikoto
”Okay, okay! Let's go have a victory party for clearing the preli to celebrate the occasion! The usual faht!?”
”…Let e first”
”You can't This uniform is District 7's trademark now!”
Mikoto sighed
Shokuhou Misaki, Tokiwadai Middle School's other Level 5, cae: wearing a dress and giving a speech on stage as a representative of their year, or walking around town in a cheerleader costume on the weekends?
As Mikoto stood up (while grabbing shi+rai's collar for trying to get an even better low-angle look from the floor), her portable device emitted a quiet beep
In fact, all of their devices did
Instead of an email or voice call, it was a request for a chat service that allowed a real-ties
”Furashi+na: I saw yourfor the main tournament”
”Oh! How about we invite Ririn-chan? She's the one that introduced us to Virtual-On in the first place”
Saten setic one
”Furashi+na: I would love to join you, but I would have a hard ti out where anyone is in this crowd”
”Yeah”
”I suppose that is true”
Anywhere near where the Virtuaroids were fighting would get incredibly crowded It was enough to render the city nearly unrecognizable even to residents like Mikoto and the others Even if they searched each other out while continuing the chat, there was no guarantee they would find each other After all, they could easilyinside the same train station
”Furashi+na: I have a terrible sense of direction and I'ood with crowds, so I'll enjoy the celebration from here”
”Eh? Even with your portable device's navigation?”
”Furashi+na: The 3D makes me nauseous I can handle this text chat, but I prefer to avoid using any of the ”
”If you say so”
Mikoto did not ask any more questions
They had tried to meet up a few times before, but they always just missed each other due to crowds near the meet-up spot Mikoto and the others still needed to return the handkerchief she had dropped
For that reason, they had only spoken with her online, but she did not seeets They had firsther having trouble with so on an SNS
Overall, she was the small animal type
She did appear to be attes, but some people needed more distance than others It was possible this was the most comfortable distance for her
(She seems a lot more like a proper underclassman than Kuroko)
It had been a truly lucky find that she had introduced Virtual-On to them
It was possible even she was surprised
”Let's get going, Onee-sa, so it's i sweet and relax”
”No, no We've got to coether as a team for tomorrow! We need to come up with all sorts of formations!!”
”Ahh… You ht into strategizing mode?”
The 4 girls chatted as they left the rooftop
They all held portable devices
They spoke about Virtual-On as so perfectly normal
Once the battle with the Cypher named Blue Stalker ended, Kamijou Touma and Index were released unharmed
The white and black Specineff was nowhere to be found
Only after pushi+ng the ultra-thin goggles up onto his forehead did Kamijou remember that he could even do that
He no longer felt the extreme realism that had seemed to dive deep below his skin
The portable device he held was unhar been snapped in half
He saw the usual scene of District 7 in front of the center
”Index That's right! Index! Are you okay!?”
”Bwoh, !?”
Kamijou suddenly remembered they had done that to her
Index et her head out of the sack, but the calico cat only stuck its head out and mewed It seemed to like the enclosed space
Meanwhile, Aogami Pierce blinked in confusion
”Kaht!?”
”Eh? Ah? Well, I feel just fine…”
”I was really shocked when you suddenly disappeared, Kaht you'd been kidnapped by a Teleporter”
”Disa-…what?”
”You just up and vanished Want to check the center's security ca Scan is?”
”No”
”When you play Virtual-On, a ring of light appears and scans you froht not be able to tell when you're playing with the goggles on I think it's used to display your body when you move around in the cockpit”
”Ohh…”
He had seen that in front of the center He recalled the ring of light that appeared over the heads of the boys and girls as they played Virtual-On
”So that's called a Ring Scan?”
”But that only appears once at the start I've never heard of the scan suddenly starting in the ame and I've definitely never heard of the player's body disappearing into it No, wait…disappearing…a Virtual-On player disappearing… Could it be…?”
Not even Aoga, so his explanation was quite fragmentary
But he failed to notice Kamijou's confusion and tilted his head as he continued
”Right after you disappeared while joining the battle, your Tea had happened What was that?”
(A Teleporter? No, ht?)
That second Ring Scan should not have happened
And if Aogami Pierce was to be believed, Kamijou Touma's disappearance had happened in the short period between Temjin's sudden activation and the end of the match
A certain idea came to mind first
(It all felt oddly real and I couldn't quite tell where I really was)
A chill ran down his spine
”Did it happen when I smashed the controller - my lifeline - inside the cockpit?)
He still did not knohat that hadto do He was even doubtful that si their portable device would provide other players the same result
Perhaps it hadout all assumptions
Perhaps it hadhe could move the way he wanted
Or so like that
”Hey, Aogami”
”Yeah?”
Kaue
Aogaative view of the Defected players But the puzzled look on his face suggested he had yet to realize that Kamijou had Defected
(Hestealth, didn't he? Can the center's uess they'd just search them out and delete their accounts if they could)
After thinking through it all, a new question occurred to him
Yes…
”Index What about her? Did an unnatural Ring Scan start in the middle of the battle for her too?”
”No, it was only you, Kami-yan”
”Tou about?”
”It was…onlythat Blue Stalker? Um, how should I put this…?”
”No There were only some times when Bal-Bados's movements were a little unstable”
”Unstable?”
”It was like theI would move the stick, but it only strained and wouldn't react like I wanted”
Was that it?
Kamijou could not say for sure, but had he resisted that odd feeling by taking things a step further and breaking his portable device while Index stayed put and returned to the rules of the Next Generation Game?
Was that the source of the difference?
Kamijou's physical body had entirely vanished, but Index had si her portable device like she was possessed even when her vision was blocked
But…
(In that case…Aogaht a Defected Virtuaroid)
Kamijou looked down at the device in his hand
(Does it actually begin when you realize you can do more in that cockpit than just operate the Virtuaroid via the portable device? Well, I had a little help getting there thanks to the Blue Stalker's unfair e)
Question it
That e had been sent to his address from his address
But he see on a system error For example, the automated eht have been so inside his own device with no connection to the Blue Stalker
But this was different from an email delivery error
He had no idea what the portable device had read froe
”…”
The Next Generation Ga
A massive amount of data and scripts were hidden below the surface
His intuition told hi to the syste off the security to use the system's full functionality to so Scan used on nor their bodies, but Kamijou doubted it influenced how they controlled their units Could it be nearly useless and the proper Ring Scan was the one that had made Kamijou disappear?
But
In that case, the Blue Stalker's intent was a mystery Why did they not keep that secret to themselves? If they wanted to cheat and show off their superiority, it et people who could not cheat in the same way, but that would ultimately let the secret out and rob them of the very superiority they wanted to show off
Kamijou doubted they were too stupid to understand that
In that case, did they have sooal?
”Whatever the case, I'et fewer visitors if so around nearby”
(Oh, then I should probably avoid fighting others from now on It would hardly be fair now that I've Defected and I want to avoid providing an odd inspiration like the Blue Stalker did for me It's a shame because this seems like a lot of fun)
”But is it really over?”
”Who knows, Kami-yan Your movements were pretty superhuman to keep up with the Blue Stalker, but that blue Cypher never did transfores in a row I bet it was just toying with you Plus, look at its na you around everywhere, do you?”
”Ugh…”
”There's no guarantee since a Teht not be able to keep up with a transfor to be defenseless otherwise, wouldn't it be a good idea to come up with a self-defense plan?”
”H a different unit?”
Kamijou tried to do just that, but the unit selection would not accept his alternative choice
”What's going on there?” asked Aoga it”
(No, could this be due to Defecting?)
He set that plan aside and tried co else
”Instead of that, what if I turn off the wireless…or just switch off the power?”
”That ht work, but it'd be pretty inconvenient These days, you need these things to ride the train or withdraw otten into using them, Kae or relish vocabulary without therow reliant on cellphone kanji conversion The people who are really into it can use them to produce really coes even more chuuni than German, but take away their portable device and they can barely co”
”I-I can't even think about living without the coupons!! …But that only leaves me one option”
”You've gotta thoroughly custoht? Most rookies have barely touched the custorow”
It was the second day of the long weekend
Part of the reason Kamijou had waited a full day was simply because he had found the Blue Stalker that creepy He would grow hesitant when he realized hearound before he came up with a perfect countermeasure
But he soon realized so
For as long as he re his situation, he would rerow and he would not beco so and accomplish it himself
So he took action
The Virtual-On tournaan that day His portable device kept receiving PR emails and some of the events were introduced on TV
”This is Nakains today!! If you don't like crowds, you can stop by one of the viewing bars to enjoy a drink while you watch or you can laze around your home and watch on your portable device! As your Live DJ, I will help connect the footage together, so itit in person And the et, so make sure you watch!!”
”What in the world are you doing, you shi+ll?”
The conversing coround like music in a family restaurant as Kamijou took Index out into the city with him
Posters were plastered across the walls, fireworks burst in the sky on sooods lined the streets There were also a lot selling telescopic lenses s were selling for a fight between giant Virtuaroids, it was easy to iround had to be While the preliminaries had used a round-robin tournament system, the main tournament used a traditional tournament system The matches the a specific team or contestant would have to move all over the place, which could not be easy
Index was entranced by colorful drinks in bottles shaped like Teed on her hand and kept walking
”Tou today?”
”Hmm”
He wanted mobility and stability
Altogether, that meant speed
Thick arle bloere less if he could not keep up with the speed of that world Plus, Cypher could transforreater speed and explosive attack power It would not just stand there and take a rush from a blind spot
And luckily, Virtuaroids were easily customizable
No fancy tools or maintenance equipment were necessary
”You can use the Material analyze feature …You've probably already forgotten about it, though”
He had received an explanation froami Pierce and Lilina ould show up on the screen when released from sleep mode
”Just by holding up your portable device, you can read in the traits and features of any material in the real world and incorporate it into your Virtuaroid It can be ical For example, you can incorporate the structure of a real weapon or the nature of an insect or other anis as a row endlessly if you are creative enough”
That was apparently hoorked
The portable device in his hands was all he needed to infinitely expand his Virtuaroid
”If that's what I'o?”
He and Index discussed it as they walked through the streets of District 7 together
Even now, they could see fluorescent-colored Virtuaroids clashi+ng here and there
The main tournament did not just have one location, so the matches were held in districts across the city
The croerethe preliminaries that had ended the day before and the fields for the y used to display the units in e like bluish-white tape to de endurance, the re attention at other fields
They could also hear the coiant speakers They see fro of an overlapping echo effect
”Those atherin soical actions”
”Yes, but the vieill notice that right away And did they think ere just showing the hest number of viewers? The world of videos isn't that kind Videos need ups and downs to keep people's attention! And you're the down! You're just the necessary filler, so don't get cocky! Gwa ha ha ha ha!!”
Kah the crowds The raetting pushed down, and rolling along the roads, but the students were unconcerned as they cheered and used their portable devices in recording rew more excited as they shouted support or jeers
”Fast, quick, speed… What could I use? An airplane? A rocket? But even if alked to District 23, I doubt they'd let me near any of those”
While waiting with the crowd for the light to change, he aimed the scanner on the back of his portable device at a red sports car stopped nearby
It worked differently fro the sports car's surface, but it seemed to work more like a projector
(Huh…this light I could swear I've seen it before)
He thought for a moment and remembered
It reht that passed over the players' bodies when beginning a match
A sation and alerts during a game, appeared on the screen
”Okay, okay! Material analyze coive the new data a name and indicate a stored preset Go!”
”Hmm Name the data Sports Car Red, create a new preset, and name it Preset A”
”That's pretty plain”
”There's no good reason to give the names That would just make it harder to find what I want later”
Temjin, Raiden, and the other Virtuaroids each had their own basic specs
They could have high speed, powerful close-range attacks, a low juht, poor brakes, and more
But the Material analyze was separate to that
”How does this work…?”
Simply put, the scanner attached to the device could read the traits and features of a material and incorporate them into your own Virtuaroid You couldspeed to heavily-ariving even greater firepower to Raiden The possible combinations were endless and that was one reason why there was never a single best choice of Virtuaroid
It could be anything fro Academy City Some players had even earned a visit fro that they had incorporated a japanese sword or explosives
”I guess I'll start by scanning everything that looks fast”
”Hm?” Like cats and birds?”
”I suppose that's an option too I really am from Academy City, aren't I? All I could think of were hter jet or a rocket engine Soht be more constructive”
For the ti, he captured the calico cat on Index's head in the ring of light …He doubted the yawning kitten would be the trump card needed to defeat that blue Cypher, but the more options, the better
And where could he find other birds, cats, and dogs?
Partially because he was sick of the crowded sidewalks, Kaestion
”Oh, I know Let's try going to a large park”
”…”
Misaka Mikoto's face was soaked with sweat
She wore the bright purple cheerleader-style uniform of her team and she had frozen in place
She slowly inhaled and exhaled
Her eyes were on her portable device
(Nothing…)
No matter how she operated the device, the desired display never appeared
She gently clenched her teeth to drive back the dizziness
(I keep waiting for a response, but she still hasn't sent anything)
It felt like having a hole in her chest
A normal presence by her side was not there
She could not reach that girl no matter how far she reached out her hand
At tiirl's value and even found her irritating
And then that blank spot was slowly filled by so rumors
The Defected portable devices
And the related penalty
”The official Virtual-On tournain soon The players who passed the preliminaries should coister your unit data and the number of players on your team”
When that businesslike ereater
They had qualified for the main tournament as a team This was supposed to be a day they would look back on fondly Searching out the concerning ru her own portable device But if she did that, she could not use the device in an official
Misaka Mikoto shut her eyes and pictured each face in turn
Then she opened her eyes and came to a decision
She concluded that it was
She spoke into the portable device
”Lilina, send an e I won't take part in the main tournament”
She spoke quickly, regretted it, and forced down that regret
Defection
She knew the ru how to do that
And she knew the theoreticalthose who had been ”sed” If anyone in Acade elsewhere
She first had to Defect and contact someone who had started ahead of her After that, she could co the plan and even directly join in if necessary
Parks came in many forms
They could be a grassy es or they could be a vast forested region that provided a home for rare animals The District 5 nature park that Kamijou and Index arrived at felt a lot like an outdoor event site
Green surrounded a large manmade lake in the center An indoor pool and a tennis court were located further out
It had a jogging course and an outdoor concert stage instead of slides and swings for children, so it felt like it was raphic
”C'et the viewers all fired up with an exciting battle!!”
”So this is what happens to a woets too full of herself…”
This too seee for the tourna this way and that atop the neatlylook of a giant construction e as Temjin It was a little rounded and uns and tonfas
The open space was full of students and fa weekend
Kae in a wooded area with a more obstructed view
He could see the deave it a wide berth
Observing the movements of those more experienced players could come in handy, but he was focused on the Material analyze at the moment
”There we go There are plenty of small birds like doves and sparrows Andfor perht as well scan as many other animals as I can”
”If you wish to use the Material analyze feature, please reet object for 10 seconds”
”Pigeon, sparrow, bird skin, bird meatballs… Drool…”
”Surely you haven't been adding flavor data to your Bal-Bados…”
No matter how annoyed Kamijou was, Index was still the more experienced Virtual-On player
”So what exactly have you incorporated into your Bal-Bados?”
”Soda, of course Mint, of course Lime, of course I ically doesn't actually exist…”
”I was afraid of this! So anything other than food!?”
”Hht weight of a paper airplane, and the toughness of a frying pan…but overall I guess I went for speed Since tricky Bal-Bados's original reat”
”Hmm So there's a lot you can do With that et lost if I don't decide on a direction to start with”
Fro journey
The pigeons showed zero - if not negative - caution around hun of fleeing even with the bright lights and explosive noise of the clashi+ng Virtuaroids In fact, he had to be careful lest he accidentally kick one while walking around
The sparrows proved ht and noise and they refused to let him within a meter of them 2 meters was the liht, he left the device on the grass and used string and wire to press the button from a distance
He also scanned sorasshopper and a dragonfly He would be incorporating their traits and structures into his Virtuaroid, so those ss could actually be quite useful He had heard a lot trivia about the strength of spider webs and such
After scanning a whole bunch of things, Lilina expressed some doubt from the screen
”Toun? That see Material analyze data”
”Don't worry about it These things can con next to the manmade lake
The sign was a notification concerning the water level adjuste ditch
Meanwhile, Index and the cat began to protest while following him around
”Toury It's already lunchtime”
”Oh? It's that late already?”
He orried about his finances, but he really did not want to head back to the dorm for lunch only to return to this park afterwards
They ended up visiting the food cart zone that had appeared in a corner of the park's parking lot through soreement The croere a bit of an annoyance, but these carts would not have all been there if not for the tournament
”Lilina, perform a search”
”Sure thing Found so on the tournament's official site They have a portable device coupon accepted at any of the registered stands or carts”
That was a relief
He ignored all the stands selling portable device accessories such as POV cameras attached by the ear, sheet-style wireless keyboards, and drones that could be sent out for siertips
He focused on the ones selling food
He saw the gold standards like ras and kebabs, and even dark horse options like skewered deep sea fish and peanut butter curry Soed around by manpower and others were full-on vans
”Let's try them all! Them all!!”
”Not a chance!! You need to decide on one, Index!!”
They looked around and ended up checking out a seafood bowl place that only served rejects Of course, the ”rejects” did not refer to the customers; it referred to the fish the fishermen had thrown out because they would never sell Since no one ate therew and they tended to wreak havoc on the ecosystem
Ka their delicious meal would double as a social service, but his real reason was how super cheap the rejects hen compared to bluefin tuna or sweetfish
”Mood! But what kind of fish is this tuna-like one!?”
”It's best not to think about it, Index The long deep sea fish na to you anyway and I proret the pictures you found if you searched the name on your portable device!”
Kamijou and Index chowed dohile on their feet The cat was able to eat a special cat bowl that the guy running the cart had prepared for theain price because it was actually more cost-effective than the human lunches
”Tou to do now?”
”It ht not be a bad idea to check out the zoo or aquariuht through the glass Would it just scan the glass? But light and air don't seem to affect it…”
Because people payed by portable device, there was a wireless router sitting next to the cart's register
Ka his styrofoam bowl
(A communication device… But I doubt I could ht if I incorporated optical fiber And even if I could, I wouldn't be able to control it)
”Ahh, that was yummy Thanks for the meal”
”It makes Kauy at the cart when you said that…”
After they finished their lunch, Kae can a short distance away
(But if that blue Cypher really does show up again, how ae to cut off their escape route? Stay close and keep attacking so they don't have time to transfore depending on the answer)
He opened the appropriate menu on his portable device and found 20 to 30 scan data files, fros But they were essentially ingredients What would he expand on and ould he throw out? He had a feeling those decisions hat mattered most
Ka thanks to his amnesia, but the way Lilina spoke to him was like the aquatic mammal that had come with the word processor and spreadsheet software of an older age
”Is so further inquiries”
”It's nothing”
(I can just leave the data ement to Lilina I've heard soh …Maybe I should study up on all this But if I go for it without knohat I', I'll probably screw it all up)
He reached the recycling trash can while still deep in thought Due to the crowds for the tournament, it was about to burst But Ka had honed his lazy housework skills through life as a student, so that was not enough to bother hiht on in
That hen someone spoke to him from the side
”Mumble, mumble…”
No, theyto him
But he still turned a curious glance in that direction due to the location