Accel World Vol 1 Chapter 5 (2/2)
Haruyuki er outside of Chiyuri's vision, and opened the storage icon
In thethat opened and piled over half of the real Chiyuri’s face, there was a folder that displayed Chiyuri’s ID Nae of her Neuro Linker
At this point, it could be said that the possibility of Chiyuri = «Cyan Pile» was already exceedingly close to zero Because if she were «Cyan Pile», Chiyuri should have already known that Haruyuki was «Silver Crow», an underling of Kuroyukihime, and therefore should have refused to Direct Connect with him
Or—her intentionally laying down on the bed e Haruyuki froht be shocked and panicking in her heart
While feeling asha the childhood friend he had known for ten years in that way, Haruyuki quietly moved the cursor over the physical memory folder of Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker
”But…but, I was a bit shocked”
As if to overwrite his guilty feelings, such words gushed out frohts
”When I iuys, I’ about all those things for my sake…but I”
-- —I just don’t want to be pitied by Chiyuri and Takumu Exactly because we're friends—I want the distance between the three of us to remain the same at least
Though it’s already too late
Haruyuki put er, and clicked the folder
At the same time as a differently colored and semi-transparentsuddenly opened, Chiyuri’s voice sounded in both his head and ears
”Haru…You misunderstood”
The clu up until now Right before Haruyuki’s eyes, her small lips moved and more words followed
”I didn't tell Takkun anything I couldn’t tell him I promised to remain silent Takkun only knew about the sandwich because, when I went to his kendo tournament the other day, I told him I would also make one for Haru next time”
”Eh…”
Haruyuki unconsciously turned his gaze away fro theand met Chiyuri’s eyes Her determined eyes suddenly softened, and her eyelashes turned as if yearning for the past in some way
”…How many years has it been? Since Haru has talked about himself so much”
Avoiding eye contact with Haruyuki, who couldn’t say anything, Chiyuri continued
”I also I was also dishonest And cowardly Even though Haru…was going through sotih there were so s I could have done if I really felt like it I could have told the teachers, written a letter to the school board, or asked Takkun and he would have beaten thery at me and hate me…I was afraid that we couldn't be ‘us’ anymore”
Haruyuki held his breath as he watched a clear drop distinctly gather along the long eyelashes that bordered one of her eyelids It was only two days ago that Chiyuri had cried as he knocked down her sandwiches, and even though they had both cried and made the other cry in the so many times they had quarrelled in the past, but he felt that the tears he sa had a completely different hue from those times
”But, Haru is also dishonest”
Squeezing her eyes closed, Chiyuri continued to speak with tre lips
”You said that it would never, never change That we’d be the sao…when I consulted with you about Takkun…Haru said that if I rejected him, Takkun wouldn’t play with us anymore But, Haru proether, you would always stay as our friend I…I just felt that I didn’t want anything to change I just wanted the three of us to always be together…”
——I also feel the same
Haruyuki resisted vocalizing that thought at a dangerous moment
But, as if she had heard hiht at Haru as drops scattered about
”Yet…Why!? Why are you depending on that person now!? You toldto that person!? You’re so unfairIt’s so frustrating, even though I alorried about you for so le day…And then, she acted as if Haru…was an object that belonged to her…”
That person—Kuroyukihime
When the na, Haruyuki nearly forgot about checking Chiyuri’s
”Th…That’s not it, I didn’t beg her…Senpai just resolved the bullying because she’s the vice-president of the student council…”
”If that's the case, why does that person lead Haru around like you’re her pet!? Why did Haru act s!?”
”No…That’s not how it is!”
While shaking his head vehe to ask himself “What on earth do I want to do?”
Before, he had stubbornly denied the claim that Chiyuri was «Cyan Pile» by Kuroyukihiainst Kuroyukihisaw puzzle that had already been stirred around by a blender, and he couldn’t iether
Even as the tone of his voice fell, Haruyuki repeated it again
”That’s not how it is Because I don’t particularly…hate it…”
”But I hate it!!”
Just then, Chiyuri cried out with a voice that could even be heard from outside the room
”Haru, you were always cold ever since we entered o home with us at all, had an annoyed face when I talked to you at school, and you wouldn’t even come over to my house anymore You weren’t like that in elementary school”
”That…couldn’t be helped, because you already had a bo…boyfriend”
”Haru was the one that told me to do so!! Haru said that, if I did that, ether just like always!! Was that a lie!?”
”It wasn’t a lie! It wasn’t a lie, but…we can’t stay as elementary students forever!!”
Clenching the sheets tightly on both sides of Chiyuri’s face, Haruyuki also shouted
”In the past, I didn't care about it, about walking alongside you and Taku, about entering a haether! But…it’s icu…cuter, but I, the one walking next to you both, is like this! Even e’re in the sa myself!!”
Until now, he hadn’t openly confessed his inferiority complex to Chiyuri—no, to anyone He fir later, but Haruyuki couldn’t stop his thoughts no matter what
If he tried to say the sa and be unable to get the words out But right now, he was Direct Connected and using thought-speaking, so Haruyuki’s had beco into Chiyuri’s brain
”You’re the sa hands, you can’t do it with me! That shows that you yourself have chosen Taku! Whatever I say is just unrelated now!!”
From two centimeters below Haruyuki, Chiyuri’s eyes widened as she listened to his ue in silence
Then, a silk curtain of water appeared under her pale-colored eyes again
Her face distorted and a whisper-like voice leaked out fro lips
”…Do you really feel that way? Do you seriously believe that a person's value is decided just by their appearance? …Haru is always like that You always act that way, criticizing scolding yourself Why do you hate yourself like that? Why do you reproach yourself so much?”
”Hate myself…Of course I do”
Haru replied as if groaning
”If I were anyone else, I would absolutely hate sole thing to like about ether with me”
”I know it I know a lot of good points about Haru I know so ers of both my hands!”
Chiyuri continued while sobbing childishly like she did in the past
”At snack tier portion; when I lost the doll I hung on , you looked for it by yourself until late; whenever my Neuro Linker had probleood points that no one else has It has nothing to do with your appearance If…if that tio, you had been the one to…”
Suddenly, after looking as if she was fir, Chiyuri smiled sadly
”…I'm sorry, I shouldn’t say this I…I just feared that Haru was not only distancing himself from the kids at school, but also from me and Takkun I didn’t want you to be alone I wanted you to feel that your two close friends were also here for you anytime That’s why I did as Haru said”
Haruyuki, while feeling the inside of his throat tighten up intensely, sohts
”…Don’t tell me, you did it for my sake…? So that me and Takkun could still be friends…?”
”It's because Haru see with Takkun And it was the ht that I wanted only this ti that doesn’t change, and a person’s heart doesn’t stop”
Chiyuri suddenly lifted both her hands and put the hith
She gave a tear-filled s face to the frozen Haruyuki from super-close distance
”My hand can no longer reach Haru To be honest, when I saw Haru and Kuroyukihiht…“Does that role perhaps belong to that person?” That was frustrating to me, because I believed that I knew many times more about Haru than that person But…if that person has the power to change Haru…—”
While right in the reat whirlpool of confusion, Haruyuki could only listen to Chiyuri’s words Sticking to hi, long years ago, it was still small and warm
”…But, I’ you, please stop that kind of attitude it's kind of hard to take in You look like a follower If that’s how it is, try to become her boyfriend And surprise the students in school that way”
‘If I hugged Chiyuri tightly here and noould happen?’
It was only for a moment, but Haruyuki seriously considered that Of course, his body didn’t actually ht hand betrayed his thoughts, tre
The holo-cursor, which moved in reaction to that movement, by chance hit the icon of the Application Install folder in thethat indicated the contents of the internal memory of Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker After a brief delay, a ne silently opened
While unconsciously the displayed application groups one by one with his gaze, Haruyuki likewise unconsciously murmured out loud with his natural voice (Note: Voice-speak ends here)
”SorryI'm sorry, Chiyu Until now, I…didn’t consider that you orried by so That’s why I’m hopeless”
”That’s right I also worry, Takkun also has things that worry hi ”that person” Everyone is the same, no different from Haru”
Both Chiyuri’s voice and small hands were so warm that it seemed to soak into him
Inside his ht, ‘How could I? How could I think for an instant that she was hiding being a Burst Linker from me?’
In fact, he had understood with one look that the icon sy letter B wasn’t in the Application folder Just in case, he checked each installed progra outwardly suspicious aames
Sure enough, Chiyuri wasn't «Cyan Pile»
While persuading himself of that, Haruyuki suddenly felt uneasy when he opened up the properties of some of the applications
The programs weren’t the problem That wasn’t it— just now, the response to the operation was subtly sluggish
Rather than wirelessly coht noas Direct Connected to Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker with a high-grade cable (s that could be sensed in the response to occur
If there was a lag, the only possible cause was that the communication bandwidth of Chiyuri’s Linker was mostly occupied by other circuits
Beco all the more suspicious of that, Haruyuki opened the network status ell
Chiyuri's Neuro Linker was currently connected to three networks, the Global Net, the Kurashi+ma family’s Ho that, the only packet exchange that should have been happening right at this moment ith Haruyuki
However, as he checked her network, Haruyuki nearly cried out Asent to the Global Net The local sender was an unidentified program that was installed under lobal side was unknown In other words, this was—
A Backdoor!!
Someone had hacked Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker, and was secretly connecting to it froht at this instant stealing Chiyuri’s sight and hearing information
This bastard!!
While nearly shouting unconsciously, Haruyuki began to ertip in order to erase the problematic application
But he stopped hiarbage can
The person connecting right now had to be «Cyan Pile» Without a doubt, this guy hadn’t succeeded in altering Brain Burst, but rather he was using Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker as a step-point in order to allow hi list
In other words, if he could trace the packet’s destination, the true identity of «Cyan Pile» would also beco sensed by the other side was difficult work The only chance would most likely be while they were in battle For that to happen, he would have to hide the fact that he had noticed the backdoor until that person next attacked
Quietly letting out a breath, Haruyuki closed all the s
”…Thank you, Chiyu”
He murmured that and quietly separated their bodies
Still crying a little, Chiyuri also slowly dropped her hands, s As he returned an aard smile, Haruyuki stretched out his left hand and re from Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker
</cyan></cyan>