Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 4 - A Vow to Uphold
Part 1
It was the tian to dye the sky in its colours
The siblings headed in a taxi through the New City towards the western business district After getting off in front of a white building they hurried inside
”You came, it's here”
Wary of Fuyuki, Haya who guided theh Fuyuki heard her real tone of voice in 《Aries》, she was still cautious
The only, and a very large hospital in New City, Kiritou general hospital The private room they arrived at was in a special ward, they entered
”Ah, yahoo—, you two are here〜”
Rui had a raised upper body It didn't feel like she was in a state where she was barely conscious an hour ago, Taiga stroked his chest in relief
”Looks like you're alive and well I wondered what happened ere suddenly called to the hospital”
”Yahaha, sorry for worrying you”
”If you're alright, then that's fine”
For the ti, they were happy that Rui was safe
When he looked around again, he noticed the hospital room was quite broad The furniture and a pure white wall had a considerable sense of quality to them
”It's a private VIP roo in one hour, as expected frohter of Kiritou”
”Fufufu, I'm acquainted with the director of this place so I had it specially prepared”
Her tone changed to a polite one (Taiga didn't remember her cold tone anymore) as she stood a small distance away from the three of them
Taiga wanted to learn what's happening as soon as possible, but he hesitated to ask in front of Rui
So while Fuyuki was talking with her, he walked up to Haya and asked in a low voice
”is Rui really alright?”
”There's no need to worry for the ti to start now”
”got it”
Being said that it's alright only for the ti, part of his anxiety was revived
”You said you prepared this room But you're not acquainted with Rui are you?”
”I knew her na fresh at your house today, Taiga Her parents sent you their best regards and leave her to you”
Although Haya answered indifferently, there was a gliue she couldn't hide on her face, it was probably one a sudden change, he could only sympathize with her
”Are you alright?”
”Don't worry about me, worry about her”
Haya clasped both her hands soundly as she said that, and drew the line of sight of Rui and Fuyuki She instantly pasted a perfect smile on her face
”Let's go down the irl you three met, I'll explain all of it”
”First of all, Saionji's state It's pretty poor to be honest”
Haya sat down on the chair and looked straight at Rui Rui probably guessed it, and somehow accepted the declaration
”what do you mean by 'poor'? It looks pretty normal”
”Absolutely not Saionji-san is in a state where her foot barely works right?”
”Rucchan, is that true?”
Fuyuki didn't expect these words and stared at her
Taiga as well thought that it couldn't be, and grimly stared at Rui
”Uu Kaichou-san I told you not to tell them”
”Recognition of the current situation is important Besides that, the abnormalities are not only on the surface Saionji-san, how much memory do you have left?”
”Eh?”
For some reason Haya said those words with confidence And not even Rui herself anticipated them
”so you still haven't realized”
”Please wait, Kaichou-san What do you mean by memory?”
Fuyuki cross-exaa had an idea Memory——that word, it was only for a nize him back then
”Just what I said Saionji-san, do you reht?”
”Of course I remember”
”I see Then a raduated from middle school What about that time?”
”Uraduation ceremony I ith a friend a, eh?”
She played with her friend——that's how it should be
But she could not remember Her friend's face was definitely in her memory, but she didn't re from the memory's landscape in her memory, as if they were cloth eaten out by a moth
”What why?”
”looks like you can't reht, we'll see the results of the scan and you'll leave this place to”
”Hey, Haya! Co to Rui?!”
Taiga hearing the roundabout conversation focused on the core issue
If there's a progressing abnorate the cause as soon as possible And that said, as she talking leisurely about it
”Brother, please calm down”
”But——!!”
”Little Sister is also confused, but nothing will change even if you shout Nothing good co your cool”
He cal straight on the bed and looking at him with a worried expression
——Idiot What are you doing worrying her instead
As Taiga took a deep breath and waited, Haya projected afrom her terminal
The projected Hologra in the void
”Now then to continue——Taiga-kun, do you kno the consciousness is maintained in Elysion?”
”Eh yeah—as it The consciousness is downloaded in form of data and placed in a virtual body”
”The outline is not wrong, but the answer isn't sufficient”
”Brother, wasn't it just taught in the class today?”
”Ughh”
His lack of studying was exposed in an unexpected place
”Lack of Taiga-kun's knowledge aside Huical infor in, your mental structure is transferred into the virtual body located in Elysion, after it's reht That means, the virtual body is extrees automatically The body is very consistent with the mental structure, in other words, it's exactly the same as the one in physical reality”
In other words, it is a structure of soul and mind, your own body is left behind and that's inserted in an ea interpreted it
”This sphere is a graphical representation of a mental structure Normally a mental structure is not beautifully one-coloured like this but this is Saionji's mental structure now”
Haya suht next to the first one
The difference between the two of them was obvious
”this is, what does this mean”
”as expected, it's not a laughing matter”
Taiga as lacking knowledge about cyber-related things, could not understand the
But even so, he understood that the mental structure that was stained by crimson in some places as if eaten out was abnormal
”A spiritual structure, in other words, it's a soul It's like an engine that's required to move a human brain If there's a problem with the mental structure, the body is affected as well Also, so is the memory”
The part that was contaminated by red was smaller than one percent of the total But while they atching, although only by a little, a cri it blood red - 〈Crimson〉
It ree sickle
”the cause is that thing?”
”To put it simply, she was injected with a virus A virus that erodes thelike 《Jail》 or whatever”
”But, I've never heard of a virus that interferes with thewith the hu forbidden!”
”Yeah, that's right Because interference with Mind Crack”
It's not regulated by law Rather than that, the laws are far behind the logic of Elysion
Although there's a story about a special police departe of Elysion recently, but the country couldn't interfere much because of the four companies monopoly
That's why a minimum of morals was required for those that work in the cyber world Out of the things ethically prohibited——Mind Hack was a prime example
”Mental erous”
”I've heard stories that terrorists tried to develop and practice it But in fact, I haven't heard of a single success”
”Because it's still a black box to us, we're unable to analyse mental information”
No resses, thethat can be easily analysed That's why 『Is to a certain extent
”It's just as Fuyuki-san and Saionji-san said, we can't 『Interfere』 with it in a true sense But a year ago, a certain co it into a military asset, and was able to artificially create a siirl”
Haya took a big breath and sighed, she started to talk again after fixing her posture
”——a researcher affiliated with Kiritou Group, Asuether with me”
The past led to the present, the chains of cause and effect
”Just as I told Taiga-kun in the specialized lecture today, Kiritou is an ee companies before In that market, Kiritou attempted to interrupt their supremacy and benefit from it”
”There's a lot of rumours about that Like if it doesn't profit, your actions will be limited”
”That rumour is true, my father is such a person”
”I see, so that's where the mental structure interference comes in It could derive enormous profits if it could be utilized as a weapon However, Asumi Aoko was it? For her to develop it alone”
”Aoko-san had an incredible top class talent”
Haya's attitude as she exposed the dark side of her household was indifferent She just relayed the facts to theh she appeared to be a bit worried about it, she couldn't afford to bother with that now
”so, why is that damn virus in Iora?”
”I don't know that myself The project was aborted in the first place, the virus should be unfinished as well”
”Unfinished?”
”I've heard that all the data involved in its developh it shouldn't exist anymore”
”Let's ignore that for the moment That reaper——certainly, it was called Iolite What caused that runaway AI's rae?”
”I don't know that as well When I atte, which appeared between two scans, it suddenly started up in the middle of it and took that appearance”
The deletion was probably a trigger of it to start up, that's what Haya meant
It was possible that progra——with so like this
But there were too s to take in at once
Now that Aoko was dead, the only one who could access internal information was Haya Even if someone tried to access it without authorization, the barrier she developed with Aoko to prevent that wouldn't be broken so easily
”Iora ent on a rae, to borrow Fuyuki-san's words let's call her a reaper The reaper has implanted 《Jail》 into the mental structures of twenty-three researchers from Kiritou before she ran away You knohat happened after that”
”What happened with those twenty-three people?”
”They were transported into hospital in an unconscious state They didn't wake up after being left by her unlike Saionji-san, they completely lost their mental structure Also Saionji-san will soon be the same”
”!!”
Confronted with the facts again, Rui lowered her face
As if a thread was cut, she hugged her body tightly like she was losing feeling in it
”The amount you were infected as smaller thanks to short contact tiram in your consciousness to reduce the erosion, but it doesn't mean its completely suppressed You will be completely eroded by tomorrow”
Just when Haya finished explaining the circumstances indifferently, she had an interactive communication call
After Haya saw the name displayed in the , she frowned and said ”Excusethe hospital room
A silence dominated the room
Rui lost her voice because of the situation she was in, Fuyuki clasped her hands gently coa blamed himself
”It's my fault”
He squeezed the words regretfully She was cut right in front of him
It was a distance at which he should have prevented it, he should have power to block it, and because he aardly stood in one spot, it led to an irreparable situation
”If I didn't stand there carelessly, the reaper wouldn't have hit you If I was stronger, I could defeat that alone, I don't care if I were to be cut, Rui wouldn't be cut like that in front of me!”
”Taiga that's——”
Although Rui wanted to deny it, she was stopped by Fuyuki's silence Noticing anger swirling in the back of her eyes, she closed her mouth
”Eight years, I've been training desperately for eight years, and still nothing has changed! What 『Save everyone in front of myself』! I couldn't even save one person in front of me!”
Fuyuki walked slowly towards her brother who continued to curse himself
And she raised her right hand with all the strength she had,
”——stop spouting crap, shaddup, idiot Onii”
slap, a loud sound came out as his cheek was hit
Taiga, surprised by her unexpected behaviour, looked up at the beautiful sky blue pupils that displayed anger
”Ah, geez Rucchan! It will be loud so please block your ears! Little Sister is going to preach to this idiot!”
”It's a hospital room so be as quiet as possible〜”
”Fuyuki, what are you sudden——”
”Be silent for a moment, Onii! Also, sit in seiza!”
Riled up Fuyuki went back to calling hia sat down on the floor after getting off the hospital chair[1]
”Little Sister is so upset her head's gotten weird! It's all your fault? What kind of crazy nonsense are you talking about!”
”No, but——”
”It isn't just Onii, Little Sister is responsible for the fact that Rucchan turned out like this as well!”
”Letas well, it's no one's responsibility Rui-san jumped in by herself, the fact that it turned out like this is my responsibility”
Both his cheeks were pinched by Fuyuki, and her face approached his
The beautiful sky blue eyes looked as if they were to suck hiht
”I don't knohat kind of lifestyle Onii led at Renjou's However, to Little Sister it seems like 『No matter what happens, I'll shoulder it byand that, is annoying ers me to the point I can't take it”
”ngh”
His heart bounced at these words It was a lucky guess
『Renjou Taiga』 was a person asn't protected, but the one who did the protecting, he was a hu on his actions people's life and death was decided He had no choice but to shoulder everything by himself
Fuyuki conveyed her thoughts further
”I'll say it clearly I don't know about the real world, but Onii is just a beginner in Elysion Know your place Also, understand one , now you have Little Sister with you”
Even when he was blessed with strongest subordinates, Taiga was always alone He had no people whoether with
He only needed the strength adults requested from him
”No o, I will always stand next to you——please don't forget that”
——For some reason When she said she will always stand by his side, he was incredibly happy
He finally could whisper the words, ”I'm not alone”
No matter where he ends up, with this he could still believe
”Fuyuki”
”Yes What is it?”
Fuyuki s to her, but he couldn't find appropriate words
”thank you, for being my little sister”
He put all his thoughts in such mundane words
”Fufufu, Little Sister being your little sister is natural right? What are you talking about now?”
”Well I guess But that's just what I thought”
They were separated for eight years, it was so long it wouldn't be strange if their hearts drifted apart
Even so, she still had hia understood with his heart rather than his s for him were
”ahh, come on, Brother is so cute!”
And, with that as an ith, while he was still sitting Entirety of her srance filled his nostrils
”Mugha ait, Fuyuki?!”
”Seeing such weakness it's unbearable! OniiOniiOniiOniiOniii!”
His physical strength was in contrast with the fragility of his ap moved her heart
”Mu—”
Looking at the siblings by the bed, Rui closed her lips tightly Even though, to be exact it was Fuyuki hugging Taiga, but it was all the same to Rui
——Not fair
The two of them had a special atmosphere between them, and she was so envious she couldn't stand it
She wondered, if that hy she extended her hand grabbing Taiga's ear unconsciously
”Eh? Ru-Rui? ——Ow, it hurts it hurts it hurts!”
She grabbed it tightly and pulled
”Mu—, Mu—, Mu—!!”
”Wa-wait a second, it hurts! Did I do anything?!”
Taiga was confused because he was punished not knowing the reason Rui just kept pulling and twisting his ear like a child without telling why Fuyuki's gaze suddenly sharpened
”what are you doing?”
And, coarbage, with a good looking smile on her face
”Um, no, this is”
”A carnage? Two-ti is the worst”[2]
”It's a serious situation in a different sense!”
That façade, she definitely knehat's going on, and yet said that
Fuyuki stopped hugging hiht But she looked slightly angry She sat up without explaining why she had been pulling on his ear
”Looks like the poisonous air disappeared soht to continue the talk?”
”go on”
Certainly, the tension caused by his sense of guilt disappeared He wondered if that's what Fuyuki intended by acting like that——?
I' too much into it
Taiga iuess in his mind
”Really, it's all because Brother said such things”
”Is that my fault?!”
”Noit's not Taiga'sfault”
”Rucchan?”
Suddenly, Rui's condition turned strange
Her pupils unfocused, her body lost its strength and fell on the bed
”Hey, Rui?!”
Taiga wanted to approach her in a hurry, but was stopped by Haya
”Please calressed, she ake up soon”
He was relieved to hear that
But it wasn't a state where they could be optiht
”Haya, what do we have to do to turn Rui back to normal?”
”the ram that will destroy the cause of abnormality in Iora, the mental structures should all be released and restored However, there are some concerns”
”Concerns is there a time limit?”
”A time limit? What do you mean?'
”the mental structure, in other words, if there's no soul it can't be logged into Elysion, she has to be a proper entity”
If theCurrently it's the common belief that there's some kind of connection between the mind structure and body
That's why in Elysion, a bowl called virtual body replaces the substance required for mental structure
”However, if 《Jail》 erodes the ht be cut off”
”If the connection is cut off, is that bad?”
”It's very bad Brother please think about it You cannot return to the original location after that thread is cut Even if theif it can't go back to the body”
”Wha then, then Rui will——”
”Taiga-kun, calm down It won't happen immediately In Saionji's case the erosion isn't done yet, also there's still a possibility of re-connecting it after it's eroded”
He was somewhat relieved by those words And, Fuyuki asked further details
”In that case, do you know roughly how much time is left?”
”Unfortunately I don't know the exact time but it won't be too fast”
If she doesn't recover her mental structure as soon as possible, there's a worst case possibility Rui will never wake up
A day, maybe three days, even if he asks he has to hurry anyway
”And oneSince there's a barrier around Iora, it's iram in that state So her”
”The stage is 《Aries》, there's no choice but to do it by force Brother?”
”I know that's my role”
Taiga swore to her as she slept, and muttered the words with resolution
Part 2
——She had a dream
She felt as if she was floating on uncertain waters, and nevertheless, she felt at peace
She continued to look at herability
It were h the tih density
That tiain, and Saionji Rui continued to replay those last four days
Suddenly, her field of vieas dyed crimson It seemed like it came to steal it
No way I'ive it up
It didn't hear her The crimson continued to take away her dreams, and soon faded away as if satisfied She wondered just how many times this 『Predation』 repeated
The tape called memory, was literally eaten away little by little
She was exhausted by being eaten away at, she knew that even as she slept
Even so, just that, just those feelings, she will definitely not forget
Thinking like that, Saionji Rui immersed herself in the memory
Suddenly, she woke up
”Hey, sleeping beauty Are you awake?”
”aaeh? Taiga?”
She turned in the direction the voice caure ofTaiga sitting down on a chair in a white room
Eh?
Weird the infor fro attacked by anxiety, what entered her field of vieas a white wall and a darkened night sky
”It's already night?”
”You slept for about three hours that fake yamato nadeshi+ko, what kind of 『she ake up』 was it We were insanely worried”
Taiga muttered under his nose and took out a plastic bottle filled ater froerator, and held it out to her Rui was thirsty so she accepted it——but it dropped down on the bed
”ah”
”There”
Taiga caught the plastic bottle that almost fell off the bed
I see, ht hand is messed up as well now
Sonized the state she was in, as if she was talking about someone else
There still wasn't anything wrong with her sight and hearing, she would go mad if that was the case——it wasn't a theory, but an intuition
”ho, then I'll help you drink it then”
Taiga opened the cap, and helped her drink the water whilesure she didn't choke
Just because she couldn't h she could drink it by herself if she used both hands
”Thank you, Taiga”
”You're welcome How's your memory?”
”Nn〜it's ht”
She was in a state that normally would cause fear to crush her, but she answered with a smile
Beas, hiding her helplessness in the deepest corner of her heart
Because she knew that's the only thing she can do
『It's my fault』, she knew that was the only way to heal the heart of the boy in front of her
”I see and more specifically?”
”Nn〜 memories of middle school first year disappeared as if they never existed Ah, and also I don't know Taiga's and Fuyuki's last name anymore”
”isn't this serious?”
”That's why, tell me?”
”it's Tenryo Tenryo Taiga, and Tenryo Fuyuki”
”Tenryo, Tenryo Taiga Tenryo Fuyuki”
Before the girl who tried to rea was also aware of his oerlessness
But it was not the tia to save her now And because he can't do it, he needs to use this time well
”Then——Rui Uo on a date with me?”
”oui?”
Being suddenly invited 『?』 mark appeared as she smiled
Next day, eight forty in the
”Well then, I'm off”
Taiga sat on a chair in the dive roo Fuyuki was on the other hand sitting on the floor tired after working all night and just raised her hand seeing her brother off
”Yes Please send Rucchan ards Little Sister is so focused on work she doesn't have tiies”
”I know About that program, I leave it to you ——Dive Start”