Accel World Vol 8 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2

When it was time to actually carry out the three-person sleepover that had been suggested out of nowhere, there really were a number of hurdles

The act of obtaining perood will toward Haruyuki

The right or wrong of lodging Chiyuri at the Arita fa a childhood friend, would be turning fourteen this year

And of course, the inclination of Haruyuki’s mother

Unexpectedly, the most easily settled matter was the third To Haruyuki’s text ist of “Is it okay if two friends couysho it to you”

Although it wasn’t certain whether she had already planned not to come home or whether she intended to vacate the apart to stay over out of parental affection, if hisho

The next cleared hurdle was the first, obtaining Taku homework” in itself really had shown some effect

The problem was the second—what Chiyu herself as well as her parents would decide; as Haruyuki thought that, he and Takue on the twentieth floor and rang the Kurashi+ma residence’s door chime—but

“My goodness, Haru-chan, and Tacchan too! Well—Tacchan, you’ve grown so big! How tall are you now…oodness, 175 centimeters tall!? You’re already taller than ! And, I heard you three are doing tough hoht; this year’s the first time all three of you’ve been in the sa to Umesato Middle School, I was so happy But with this, Chiyu will also be troubled more and more; I’d rather have both Haru-chan and Tacchan as my sons-in-law…”

Dumbfounded, Haruyuki and Takumu continued to listen to Chiyuri’s mama’s specialty endless talk for the first tihter in question stuck her face out from the direction of the kitchen and shouted with a facial expression like an inferno

“Ma unnecessary! The pot’s boiling!”

“My, this isn’t good! Stop the heat! No, don’t stop it, set it on low, on low!”

In exchange with Chiyuri’s mama, who had dashed pitter-patter to the kitchen, Chiyuri, who had advanced down the corridor in large strides, glared at the two froarikamachi[1] and spoke

“…That’s not a «we’re going to do it» face; that’s a «we’ve already done it» face, right?”

What a discerning eye The two boys ere evidently guilty of just having been through a bout could only laugh nervously and duck their heads

In the , he had written only “Today, do you want to camp over at h the fact that it wasn’t only that

Chiyuri, who had just co ho half-dried hair, a plain T-shi+rt, and shorts, put her hands on her waist and glowered at the two for a while

However, she finally snorted and said briefly, “Well, sure I’ll hang out with you” Haruyuki reflexively made a stupid verification

“What…is, is it all right?”

“Hey there, wasn’t it you who invited me!”

To Chiyuri, who had lifted the corners of her eyes, together with Takumu he hurriedly lowered his head

Twenty minutes later, with the basket filled with dinner for three people that Chiyuri’s , Haruyuki and cohttime to his deserted, spacious apart of three bedroo room, and a kitchen, he couldn’t help but feel chilly, but if he were together with his two childhood friends, he didn’t have the time to think about that Haruyuki, who had first put down his bag in his rooed into a more co to the living room

Not only Kurasaki Fuuko, who had informed Haruyuki, and shi+nomiya Utai but also Kuroyukihime by this point probably knew that Takuroup «Supernova Remnant» and had turned the tables on them in the Unlimited Neutral Field It was imperative that Haruyuki transmit the situation to them, ere undoubtedly deeply worried, but he was far from able to explain the details fully by mail

There, Haruyuki wrote just “Taku the Ie The three of thely feel their concern in their concise replies

Kuroyukihio that sohtened up with the single word «fine»—had arisen In short, Kuroyukihi their will that they were entrusting everything to Haruyuki and Takument

However, at the sa irreparable happened from now on, at that time all the responsibility would lie with Haruyuki and company

Twenty-four ht, in order for Takuht of himself due to the interference of the ISS Kit, the two of them—no, with Chiyuri, the three of theether They could definitely do it Because from the tih countless adventures

Having thought up until there, Haruyuki suddenly noticed so and stopped his hand with a twitch

When he had invited Chiyuri to tonight’s spontaneous sleepover, he had done so on the spur of the moment, without any concrete intention It was a result of his expectation rese the subjective ih it»

However— A certain «ability» that Chiyuri possessed If it were used, couldn’t the parasitic life for Takumu perhaps be reular that he couldn’t even guess at its likelihood, but it orth a try

“Senpai, Master, Mei-san…”

Haruyuki softly called out to his three comrades, ere not here in this place

“I’ about this Because Takumu and Chiyu are…my best friends”

Haruyuki strode out of his roo to the living roo

What Chiyuri’s mama had prepared in only a mere thirty etables If they afterarerator and prepared some iced jasant h

Following their chorus of “Itadakiorously It see since ht have been due to the power of Chiyuri’s , which one couldn’t help but eat, furthere burden

“Aah, when you deep-fry eggplant, it becomes so different…”

Haruyuki said that while stuffing his cheeks full of the round-sliced eggplant deep-fried once with olive oil and cooked quickly together with curry sauce; Chiyuri immediately raised a voice of incredulous doubt

“Eggplant’s tasty whether you bake it or cook it!”

“No way, eggplant that hasn’t been deep-fried is just an edible sponge Stuff like fill-and-fry is the cooking of the Gods”

“Ah, enough already, this is precisely why people with kids’ tastes are—! Why don’t they understand the deliciousness of well-done, peeled, cooked eggplant with ginger sauce—”

Taku alternatively at the two of thehed and spoke

“No, both of you Fried eggplant and baked eggplant are both delicious, but of course it’s best pickled Pickled eggplant soaked a deep blue for sure is the taste of summer”

To the statement unbelievable for a lances and let out a long “Whaa~t…”

“Sorry, Takkun, but to e…”

“Unh, me tooTaku, as much as you’re a blue-color, you don’t have to want your pickled vegetables to be blue…”

“Wh-what, avatar color’s not part of the story, is it!”

Takuenuinely hurt face, had his shoulders tapped by a laughing Chiyuri

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry! As an apology, next tiplant with her secret nukadoko[3]!”

While exchanging small talk, Haruyuki was conscious in a corner of his heart of the fact that this was the first ti tiether

The circle bonding Haruyuki, Chiyuri, and Takuly delicate balance

The relationshi+p between Takuun to date in the winter of their fifth grade in elementary school, had been reset once on the occasion of the «Back Door Incident» last fall, and since then the two had been estranged for a while However, Taku the third school term, and by the first semester of their second year, when even Chiyuri had becoain begun to shorten the distance between them as «friends», which included Haruyuki

Iht with Dusk Robber, who had assaulted theain the way it was in the past—so it seemed

However, that relationshi+p was built above the fact that they were Burst Linkers and a Nebulas» Even if one of them lost all his or her Burst Points and memories of the Accelerated World, whether they would be able to continue to maintain their bond…Haruyuki did not know

The one thing that was clear was that noas not the occasion to be afraid of hypothetical crises

There was only rushi+ng through every obstacle froet Beyond the «level 10» horizon, where their legion —

While resolving himself anew, Haruyuki tried to extend his fork out to his plate, which had a little curry re

However, at that moment,

“Haru, if you like it that plant! In return, you can have this—”

While saying that with a grin, Chiyuri dropped soe lump of chicken with her reverse strike

“A, aaaaah—! Hey you, I’ve been carefully, carefully raising…Iit aside!”

“Hey, didn’t you say at first that you liked eggplant a hundred times more than chicken?”

“I didn’t say that! Bring it out, give it back, return it—!”

While nearly being in tears, he protested fiercely, but as he watched, the gently simmered, juicy chicken meat was chewed inside Chiyuri’s mouth

“Ah—, delicious…I wouldn’t begrudge using the acceleration co this deliciousness…”

“D, damn it—!”

Frohtly a his feet from his chair, but at last—

“Fu, ha ha…ahaha…”

He let out his voice and laughed merrily

Soon Chiyuri and Haruyuki also joined in his laughter With their forks in one hand, they continued to laugh to no end

After they had cooperatively tidied up the tableware and dining table, as per their declaration it was homework time

Theyrooether, and launched their homework applications As this was exclusive software developed by the parent body of Umesato Middle’s ad and pasting ansholly impossible; furthermore, even if one tried to use an ad hoc connection or a wired direct connection, the technical specifications were inflexibly set such that other people’s screens were invisible If one dived into the Initial Acceleration space/Blue World by means of the «Burst Link» command, each and every one of those liin at least five minutes before the start of homeroom at school, one would not be per off one’s homework

There, while the three shared infor by hand on A3-sized electronic paper spread out on the glass table, they finished math and japanese ho alone, he probably would have taken several tier

When he looked at the clock, it was not even eight o’clock yet, so starting then and also for the first tia to the panel TV the hardware over thirty years old that even thethe coarseness of the 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution, they claames chock-full of expressions of violence hardly seen in ames

Around half past nine, the three took turns taking a bath—of course they didn’t take it «together» as they had done so in the long-ago past—changed into their paja up the gah-resilience mattresses, pillows, and blankets—

“Well then, now”