Accel World Vol 1 Chapter 6 (2/2)

Slowly—Slowly, the white hand left his shoulder

‘That’s fine’

‘Without touching ain’

‘Without even facing me in the real world, just make me into an ordinary tool’

Haruyuki didn't knohether those feelings reached her as thought

‘Goodbye’

Just as he murmured that at the end

Slap!!

A sharp sensation hit his left cheek

Feeling a burning heat, Haruyuki raised his face in astonishment

”…Idiot!!”

That word came from her pale lips as real sound

Dumbfounded, Haruyuki watched as tears poured out like a waterfall on that face that isted to its limits, yet was still extremely beautiful

While still in the stance of having waved her left hand in a big way, Kuroyukihime’s face and entire body became cru tears without interruption

”Idiot…Idiot…”

The sound of that repeated word seemed different from the «idiot»[1] with a mature and wry smile he had heard up until now

As a single girl of suitable age—of 14-year-old, Kuroyukihime had abused Haruyuki so, so many times

And Haruyuki, without even some responses that a 13-year-old boy should be able to do co to mind, just stood there stock-still and wide-eyed

The words he spoke had deeply injured the person in front of him He understood that

However, Haruyuki had thought that, if it’s Kuroyukihi and possesses a reasoning and ability to think beyond that of adults, she would siusted with him and separate her heart from him

To think that she would cry so ile face Such a—such a possibility was…

Haruyuki opened his

Kuroyukihi tears with both hands

Only a momentary breeze passed by them as they stood on the sidewalk as it sunk into the color of dusk

Immediately after that—

The dreadful sound ofmetal hit Haruyuki’s ears

At first, he thought that it was quantuinated from the Neuro Linker

As Haruyuki was shocked and his heart juht

What burst into his field of vision was—a terrible sight

A white car, as it cut down the guardrail that separated the road and the sideith its left front fender, was hurtling straight towards him

An accident!? No! He couldn’t hear the sound of brakes

Those four thoughts flashed through Haruyuki’s mind in less than 01 seconds

His mouth moved almost automatically and sent out one word And at the sah the direct connect cable with a voice completely different from his own

””Burst-Link!””

Bashi+!!

Along with a sound similar to thunder, the world stopped

Blue

A frozen scene, that was transparently blue as far as one could see

But, Haruyuki was immediately conscious of that fact that it wasn’t completely stopped

The tires of the large sedan that was driving right before his eyes, as if resisting the freeze, were turning little by little, little by little, gnawing on the road surface and decreasing the distance between them

…Uwaaah!?

Though a little late, Haruyuki screa back Instantly, the for it fro the Umesato middle school uniform

This blue world wasn’t si the ies from the countless Social Security ca theon-made pseudo-reality

Turning his gaze down a little, he saw that his body had changed into a pink pig Moving his familiar virtual avatar, Haruyuki went around the back of his real self and saw the white sedan once more

There was only three meters of distance between Haruyuki and the car, which had slantingly gone outside of the road and crashed through the gap between guardrails Also, judging froradually but steadily advanced forward, it would come into contact with the two of them in less than ten minutes within this accelerated world

For such a thing to happen—Why!?

Haruyuki thought desperately within his confused mind

It was normally impossible for a car to deviate away from the road Because the instant an abnormal course was detected, the control AI of the car would take the driving authority away from the driver and automatically perform a course correction, deceleration and stop

In other words, this car’s control AI must have been broken, or temporarily stopped by the driver's manipulation

Most likely the latter, as Haruyuki quickly sur sound of the tires chafing against the road surface due to full braking at all

The driver wasn’t stepping on the brakes Rather, he was plunging forward by accelerating full throttle

This was an intentional attack Kuroyukihime had hinted at it before, about «attacks» on the side of reality by Burst Linkers

Was the attacker an unknown Burst Linker belonging to the legion of a «King»? Or was the person at Umesato middle school, «Cyan Pile»?

Most of the surrounding social security cae of the car’s interior, and thecouldn’t be seen through easily Haruyuki changed angles, strained his eyes and finally found a position where he could peek into the interior

After raising the short pig avatar to its full height, he saw that the driver, who had almost collided with the car hood, was—

“Wha…!?”

The instant he saw, Haruyuki once again let out an astonished cry that was similar to a scream

The one inside there was the face of a classnized coain

“A…Araya…!? Wh…Why…”

Why was this guy here

Because of the assault event he had caused inside school and the things that had been discovered in his Neuro Linker as a result, including the ga the social security cas, he had simply been arrested without any question Like that, he had been thrown into the juvenile institution of the Discri—at the very least, he shouldn’t be returning to our school

Not believing his eyes, Haruyuki blinked several times and stared at the icy blue face of the attacker

However, that needle-like hair that stood up on end, those raised-up thin eyebrows, those lips that were twisted in cruel excite of fear that all those features forcibly created inside Haruyuki, all these things told him that the person in front of him really was Araya

“This iven bail”

A said voice spoke out suddenly next to him, and Haruyuki quickly turned his face

Kuroyukihi the body of her black stail butterfly-like fairy princess avatar, stood there biting her lip

“…I’d hear that he was going to have a trial in family court next week and would be imprisoned for one year at least…That’s why I that it was no long necessary to worry about this man anymore But…to think he would do such a…”

Aftereyelashes and shook her head

“No—I should have anticipated and watched out for this One doesn’t need the power of «acceleration» to attack someone…I should have known that a knife or car is h, but…it seems I didn’t truly understand that…”

As she said that in her usual tone, any lingering of the childish crying from before couldn’t be seen on Kuroyukihime’s face

‘No, that’s simply what I want to believe’ is what Haruyuki iht

In the eyes of her avatar, of what should have just been a constructed i like resolution could be clearly seen

Kuroyukihime slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then spoke in a whisper

“This…is so like a punishment For me, who didn’t understand the hearts of people, nor tried to understand the with them for amusement”

“…Wh…What…What are you saying?”

Haruyuki barely ed to say just those words Kuroyukihime didn’t responded immediately, and instead turned towards Haruyuki and quietly kneeled her avatar, whose height was double his own

Spreading her black dress on the ground, she went down to the saht at him

“Arita-kun…Haruyuki-kun”

Her voice noas kinder than any other

“I’m sorry The one who caused this situation was et hurt I’ll definitely protect you”

“…Eh…Wh…What…”

Dumbfounded, Haruyuki repeated the same words as before

Even if they undid the acceleration now, there should be nothing they could do

The instant they returned to reality, the sedan before them would cross the distance between them with dreadful speed and would splatter first Haruyuki, and then Kuroyukihime from behind

Good thing that it was in that order If he becaht possibility that it would end without Kuroyukihiht of that

But, Kuroyukihi resolution

“I can definitely save just you I haven’t told you yet, the greatest and final power of Burst Linkers…of «acceleration»”

“Eh…!?”

Save me…? You, my master, save me, a mere tool…?

Haruyuki held his breath and veheht

“Y…You can’t!! You can’t do that!! If there’s such a power, I’ll use it! And I’ll protect you!! Because I’m your chess piece…it’s only natural that I have to protect you!!”

He stretched out his short arms and desperately cried out

“Please teach it to me…What is this final power!? With what kind of command is it used!?”

“It’s no good This command can’t be used if one isn’t Level 9 or above, and it consumes 99 of one’s accumulated points And before that—I am your «parent» How could a parent not protect its «child»?”

“Bu…But…But, but!!”

“Don’t make that kind of face Because to race”

“Eh…s-saving grace…?”

“Yes In this ht?”

Kuroyukihime quietly lifted both of her hands, overlapped her open palainst her chest

Closing her eyes, a s flower bud appeared on her lips, and—

She slowly said a single sentence, a single sentence, like a falling jewel

“Haruyuki-kun I love you”

From within her lifted eyebrows, those black pupils looked at Haruyuki while giving off an infinite radiance

“It’s the first time I’ve felt this way inable to really controldown in bed at ho sad This is the thing called love, huh…Hoonderful this is It’s like miracle”

Clenching both hands in front of her chest, Kuroyukihime smiled

That sh Haruyuki’s chest with a splitting pain

I want to believe I want to believe

I want to believe—

The tears which overflowed from his avatar’s eyes distorted Haruyuki’s vision with too strong of an effect

With a jerk, Haruyuki wiped them away and looked at the two eyes that were so close, and then asked with a blurred voice

“Why…Why me? Why someone…someone like me?”

“Hmm, a reason, huh There are an uncountable number of reasons, but…No, I don’t think a reason is needed for love, but alright Then, I’ll just tell you the trigger”

S Kuroyukihime stretched out her hands and put them on Haruyuki’s shoulders

“Haruyuki-kun Do you re?”

“Yes…of course, of course I remember it In the local net…in the Virtual Squash room, you said it to me ‘Do want to accelerate further ahead?’”

“That’s right The high score I ame…”

Her sed and became just a little mischievous

“I used «acceleration» to achieve that”

“Eh…Eh!?”

“If I didn’t use it, I wouldn’t be able to achieve that kind of score at all I did it thinking to attract your interest and easily persuade you, because you would want to improve yourself at any cost…I…”

There, Kuroyukihiaze towards the sky of the accelerated world

“I becaht years-old Since then, I craved for only strength and speed and beca down so many enemies it can’t be counted, and yet even so I dyed these hands in the blood of friends without being satisfied There is no way that soh score you carved out”

Changing her expression and looking straight at Haruyuki with strong eyes, Kuroyukihi

“Listen well, Haruyuki-kun You are fast You can becos Speed is a Burst Linker’s greatest power One day, you’ll become known far and wide as Accel World’s fastest Linker You’ll take down the Kings, cross beyond even the surface of the earth, and reach the origin of Brain Burst And I know That you’ll reach the ultimate potential hidden within people…within our minds and souls”

Nodding slowly just once, Kuroyukihime continued further

“I…When I saw your figure as you play that game, I trembled I shi+vered as I never had before, and was moved Inside my heart, I cried out, ‘To think a person could be this fast Eureka…Finally I had found the true King, ill once nant world’”

Haruyuki could only listen dumbfoundedly to her words now

‘I’m, faster than anyone…?’

He couldn’t just suddenly believe that But, in this situation right now, he didn’t allow himself to doubt even a piece of the words that Kuroyukihi he absolutely could not do

“But, while you possess such strong power and potential, the real you is very fragile…so painfully so that it’s heartrending, and seemed to tear upBut, at the same time, I want to protect you and wrap you in s steadily swelled up inside me…and before I noticed, I only saw you I was in love I finally realized it yesterday”

“Yester…day?”

“Yes When you were talking about Kurashi+ known as jealously for the first tiot that kind of attitude because of that Thistoo I was too slow to notice…No, I was slow, but it’s not too late Like this…”

Putting a bit ing her face close, Kuroyukihime smiled

“Because I was able to confess If could have a wish, I would have wanted to face you in reality and properly say it, but”

Jewel-like tears suddenly welled up in her glistening jet-black eyes, and collected into drops on the corners of her eyes

“Now then…It’s time to say farewell”

“What…what do you intend to do? No…saying farewell, that’s just…”

As Haruyuki felt his breath catch and shook his head, she left her last words like an instruction

“Please Becos» in my place, climb to the top and see what I wanted to see”

“No…No!!”

Haruyuki gave out a cry similar to a scream

“I can’t do that!! That’s too…it’s no good if only you leave! I’ll protect you…If I can’t do that, I’ll go with you!! Please don’t leave …”

As Haruyuki spoke with a voice —

Kuroyukihime’s lips quietly approached and closed up his mouth

It was between virtual avatars, but that sensation was above all soft, warentle

After that kiss that was a thousandth of a second in the real world, and also like an eternity in Haruyuki’s perspective, their lips slowly separated and Kuroyukihime whispered

“Soain”

On the track where she stood up, the drops of the tears she had spilled lined up in a silver radiance

As Kuroyukihi car and blocked its path resolutely, an aura of incredible willpower rose from her back, while Haruyuki couldn’t move or even speak

She spread both her hands wide Her back tightly straightened and—

Kuroyukihinified voice

“Physical Full Burst!!”

Paaah…!

Kuroyukihiht, and then disappeared

What? What had happened?

Exploding with confusion, uneasiness and a unna that overwhelmed those other emotions, Haruyuki strained his voice and cried out

“Senpai!!”

Briain, he lost his sense of balance with his distorted vision and staggered back several steps

And then, Haruyuki saw so he couldn’t believe

Kuroyukihime—the body of the real Kuroyukihi

Kuroyukihi in the back with the real Haruyuki interposed between her and the approaching car, put her foot forward at about 10 the speed of running in the real world but still definitely in a continuous round and moved forward

Such a thing—shouldn’t be possible!!

The Brain Burst progra the heartbeat as its source and accelerated only the user’s consciousness

Conversely speaking, the effect of that didn’t extend to the entire body Therefore, even if one accelerated, it wasn’t possible to ram, at the same time as one accelerated, separated the user’s consciousness fro Full Dive, and connected it with a pseudo-reality generated from the Social Security cameras

Yet right now, the flesh and blood Kuroyukihi her body at a speed which was so fast it could be clearly seen and confirmed by the accelerated Haruyuki Her ice-colored body so, perhaps because she had exceeded the photographing speed rate of the Social Security cameras

In other words—her real-world self was dashi+ng at a super-speed one hundred times that of an ordinary person!

So this was the greatest and final power of Brain Burst Overclocking not only the consciousness, but the entire body, truly a forbidden command

Doing such a thing, the body couldn’t possibly finish it safely

On the expression of the charging Kuroyukihi with resolved deter all her force of will to endure so

That was most likely intense pain

Her inal i simultaneously

However, Kuroyukihime didn’t stop

With one, two, three steps, she lined up with the real Haruyuki’s left side

The front buhty centimeters away from Haruyuki

Kuroyukihiently drew Haruyuki’s body close to her, as if e him

Putting in a little strength, she started to move Haruyuki’s body as she pushed it to the side

At the same time

He felt a terrible ih his whole body and his vision blacked out

Kuroyukihiraceful, but in the real world it was equivalent to a body bloith that extreme speed The safety mechanism of his Neuro Linker had activated from that shock, and automatically released the Full Dive

In an instant, froular colors returned as if enlarging outwards

Haruyuki returned to his living body froht away he hit the pave

As Haruyuki forgot to even breathe again and opened his eyes wide, immediately in front of him was—

With both hands still extended forward, Kuroyukihi

Immediately after, the white car which had fiercely crashed into the sidewalk collided with Kuroyukihime’s slender body

She was sent flying as if both her legs were scooped up by the buainst the frontand was thrown up even higher

Her black hair flowed in the air while drawing an arc

It caught the light of the sunset and shi+ned orange

Next to her, the pulled-out direct connect cabled danced and fluttered white

References

↑ Kuroyukihime usually uses the word ”bake ”idiot”, while right now she is saying ”baka”, the simpler and more widely known phrase for ”idiot”