The following day, January 22nd, Thursday, 12:05pm.

While looking bleary eyed due to lack of sleep, Haruyuki walked towards the student cafeteria on the first floor of Umesato middle school.

Last night, Haruyuki eventually slept in his own room, and his second cousin Tomoko - the ?Red King? who faked being her, slept in the living room sofa bed, but of course he did not have the courage to sleep properly in such situation.

What was the goal of the Red King anyway? Why did she pretend to be a sweet imouto character in the beginning and even bake cookies, and then want to meet and talk with Kuroyukihime, who is the Black King.

He wanted to think about that and other things seriously, but his brain kept replaying that bathroom scene, ‘ahaa this way I might really be a hentai, since I am a troubled 13 year old boy, however I already have someone called Kuroyukihime.’

With that kind of worry it became daylight, Haruyuki tried not to wake up the Red King who was sleeping deeply, ate cereal for breakfast then left his home quickly.

He somehow managed to get past his morning classes with the help of the Neuro Linker alarm to keep him awake, however when the noon recess neared, he was excited about meeting Kuroyukihime today too, so he was partially awake, and at the same time as the chime sounded, he rushed out of his classroom.

Haruyuki stepped into the still almost empty cafeteria, went between the long tables that were lined up, and jumped into the lounge that was on the other side.

A circular area with elegant round tables, at the farthest table inside. With the winter light shining through the glass wall behind her, was a black clothed human shape that looked as if she was shining with an aura, Haruyuki stared at her while forgetting to breathe.

During the past three months, he had seen the same scene many times. However, the painful tingling in his chest never seemed to wane. That this picturesque scenery exists today too, he thought was a miracle.

Looking small and quiet with her cheek resting on one hand, reading a large book on the table - Kuroyukihime eventually raised her head without a sound. Long black hair that flowed down her shoulders, shone in the soft sunlight.

“Ah, good morning, Haruyuki-kun.”

While feeling happy that the somewhat low and smooth silky voice called his name today too, he recalled a little bit of his recent clumsy battle losses and felt shameful, Haruyuki walked to her table and bowed.

“Good morning, senpai. That is... to...”

‘Today too, you are beautiful.’

He had the ambition of saying that one day, but he did not have the skill to say that with his human voice, so with no choice, changed to something else.

“...Today too, you are early. I have never gotten here before senpai...”

“That’s of course. The first year classroom is on the 3rd floor, and the second year on the 2nd floor.”

She shrugged with a composed expression. Haruyuki pulled out the chair beside her and sat down, then retorted.

“Th... that’s reasonable, but. Even though, that’s everyday...”

“That, I like waiting for you more than you waiting for me. In this precious time, I can store in memory from the moment you enter.”

Again, she smiled like a black lily flower opening.

Those words and smile was aimed at his fat and clumsy self, that made him felt equal parts of happiness and wither, he blew out his momentarily stopped breath slowly.

- It’s absolutely unbelievable. That the ephemerally kind senpai, and the Sparta demon instructor in the accelerated world were the same person.

For Haruyuki, he wanted to spend more time with the former type, but that wish probably wouldn’t be granted today. After he explained the situation from last night that continued today, the kind ?Kuroyukihime senpai? will surely change into the scary ?Black death water lily?.

He wanted to spend even one second more looking into each other’s eyes, while Haruyuki was thinking like a girl in love, Kuroyukihime said ‘oh that’s right’ and opened her mouth.

“Last night’s phone call... what was that? While I thought you went silent during the conversation, then suddenly you hung up after ‘good night’. Something like... ?Red King? was mentioned...”

“Ah... well... that...”

‘In that one second of silence, I dueled with the Red King herself.’

If he had said that suddenly, she would not have believed him. For the level 9 ?Kings?, they no longer need to fight normal duels to earn Burst Points to level up, so they rarely appeared in battle fields.

So Haruyuki voluntarily told her everything. Everything starting with ‘Welcome home, onii-chan’ - he was not able to avoid the problematic bathroom scene.

A few minutes later.

Kuroyukihime with 30% amazement and 70% anger, took in a long breath, and held her hard right fist in the air.

‘You fool!’ Blam!

That angry roar and slam on the table, dangerously did not happen. In the lounge, some students entered while holding their lunch trays. They glanced at Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime, even though it was a familiar sight to them, the unbelievable expression still always showed on their faces, and they sat at tables a bit away from them.

Unlike Haruyuki, Kuroyukihime did not seem to notice the other students’ looks, she held her fist about 5cm above the table and repeatedly breathed hard, then eventually lowering her hand onto the table.

“Why did you not... notice when you first met her, I would like to say that very much... but with that perfect social engineering, also, the ?King? herself coming is beyond expectations...”

“Ye, yea, isn’t that right?”

After avoiding Kuroyukihime’s violent eruption, Haruyuki rubbed his chest and nodded.

With her final expression heading towards a large bitter smile, Kuroyukihime shook her head many times and said in a low voice.

“Well... there’s also your unexpected success from failure. A direct fight with a ?King?, is an important experience that no amount of Burst Points can buy. How was the 2nd generation ?Red King??”

“Absolutely unreasonable. One hit blew away half of a city... my home was totally destroyed...”

Thinking back on that transcendental firepower made Haruyuki tremble. Seeing that, Kuroyukihime laughed.

“That is the power of ?very specialized ability?. I heard that ?Scarlet Rain? put all of her level up bonuses into enhancing her long range firepower. That’s right... in your duel, did the Red King move?”

“Huh?”

Momentarily unable to understand the question, Haruyuki blinked.

Soon, he understood what Kuroyukihime was trying to ask.

That’s right - thinking back, while the Red King Scarlet Rain changed to her duel avatar in front of him, she was covered with that fortress like armament. She destroyed Haruyuki’s apartment home, and finally shot all that anti-air fire, but she did not move even once.

While he was shaking his head, he suddenly stopped.

No, to be exact that’s not right. At the duel’s very end, to avoid Haruyuki’s full speed descent attack, the Red King moved just one step - .

“Ah... she moved. Just for 50cm.”

Hearing that, Kuroyukihime finally smiled once more, and clapped her hands together.

“Oh, that’s impressive! One of Scarlet Rain’s names is ?Immobile Fortress?, it was given not because she could not move, it was because she did not need to move. According to rumors, in a large scale battle for the throne of 2nd generation Red King, she did not move even one step from where she appeared and destroyed around 30 people.”

“Wow...”

Haruyuki unconsciously let that out. Fighting that kind of person head on, being ignorant was scary.

“If... if I heard of that before, I would have surrendered at the start. Or more like, if I knew she was a ?King?, I would have instantly rejected the duel. Since it is called ?Pure color six kings?, I just thought the Red King would be ?Red something?.”

Hearing that, Kuroyukihime said with a smile.

“That’s why I said you were short on study on the phone. In the accelerated world, the Red crowned, is the one and only ?Red Rider?...”

She said till there.

Then stopped abruptly.

As Haruyuki looked on, her smile slowly disappeared. Her white flesh lost blood, and seem to become pale as ice.

“Se, senpai...?”

After Haruyuki asked with wide eyes, Kuroyukihime replied with ‘No, nothing’ in a completely dry tone.

With a completely blank expression, Kuroyukihime slowly lowered her face. When he saw her right hand that was on the table trembling slightly, Haruyuki finally - way to late, realized the reason for Kuroyukihime’s reaction.

The previous Red King. ?Red Rider?.

It was the first time he heard of that name from Kuroyukihime. However, he knew the reason why the Burst Linker with that name left the accelerated world.

Two years ago, Kuroyukihime - the Black King - Black Lotus, cut off his head with her own hands.

However it was not in a normal duel, it was during the gathering at the seven kings’ conference. She sneak attacked him while he was delivering a speech.

For level 9 Burst Linker duel, a cruel rule existed that made them lose all their Burst Points even in one defeat. Without needing to say, those who lost all points is the same as forever losing Brain Burst itself.

Looking at Kuroyukihime’s tightly clenched white hand on the table, Haruyuki half involuntarily asked.

“Senpai... perhaps, the previous Red King, to you...”

‘- Instead of just a friend, did he have some kind of special place in your heart?’

That question, instead of being concerned for the person in front of him, it’s more to quell his own jealousy. After dangerously noticing that, he abruptly stopped what he was going to ask. Right after, he lowered his head trying to hide it.

“Sorry, I was way too insensitive. Last night’s phone call... and the question now as well. I am sorry, really...”

“...No... it’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

That reply lost all luster and was faded.

“It’s the path I chose. Having this kind of reaction means I am still immature. Fufu... I thought I had made up my mind long ago... that all other Burst Linkers are foes, that is set as ?enemy?... this is what I get for being caught off guard, this is way too ridiculous.”

With Kuku low laughter, Kuroyukihime tried to put her hand back on her knee.

That hand, was held by both Haruyuki’s hands that involuntarily reached out. It seemed like with a breath, she tried to pull her hand back hard, but Haruyuki became stubborn and resisted.

Even though she was bathed in the sunlight from the window, she was as cold as a statue. He almost could hear her tendons that were strained to the limit.

While he tried to concentrate as much of his body heat into the cold hand as possible, Haruyuki opened his mouth.

“...I... I am...”

The image of what he wanted to say was in his head, but he did not have to ability to convert it into language. Not even noticing the stares of more students coming into the lounge, Haruyuki desperately moved his mouth.

“I will absolutely not fight with senpai. Never become your ?enemy?. Senpai is my ?parent?, and I am senpai’s ?child?. Before we are foes, we are family, right?”

The silence continued for a while.

Eventually, Kuroyukihime raised her head to look up at Haruyuki, and slowly nodded.

Her lips contained a light smile, however, Haruyuki saw that it was mixed with a somewhat sad feeling.

“...Let’s change the location.”

Kuroyukihime said simply, and this time she took her right hand back.

After that she got up smoothly, and started walking while holding her hardcover book, Haruyuki chased after her and inquired.

“Wh, where to...?”

‘To a place where we can be alone.’

That was not it, Kuroyukihime’s response was business like.

“How to deal with ?Scarlet Rain?, we can’t just decide that for ourselves. This kind of thing, must be conferred with the whole legion. For lunch, let’s go buy sandwiches.”

“Ah... Th, that’s right.”

While a bit disappointed, he was relieved that Kuroyukihime’s manner had returned to normal, so he nodded.

The Black Legion was called ?Nega Nebulas?.

It was a large scale naming with the meaning of a dark star cluster, but they were an ultra small legion with only three members, the last member responded to Haruyuki’s email with ‘on the roof’.

Haruyuki shrunk his head from the outside cold wind when he opened the iron door, he looked around, and found someone sitting on a bench far away.

While he quickly approached, what he saw was different from Kuroyukihime’s view earlier, but was picturesque enough to hold his sight.

Slender but muscular and tall. His face under his long front hair wavering in the light breeze was gentle and sharp like a Japanese sword. Leaning forward slightly, his right hand fingers moved in the air, he was probably manipulating a holo keyboard, that posture looked like a samurai sitting in a kneeling position.

When the same aged boy noticed their foot steps and looked up, Haruyuki raised his right hand to wave to him.

“Yo, sorry to interrupt your studies. But, you don’t have to study in such a cold place right, Taku?”

Hearing that, Haruyuki’s childhood friend and brother in arms, Mayuzumi Takumu - that is Takumu, touched his frameless glasses and smiled.

“Doesn’t the sunlight feel nice today? Haru, you should bathe in sunlight once in a while.”

Then he stood up energetically and deeply bowed to Kuroyukihime who was behind Haruyuki.

“Good morning, master.”

“Un, good morning, Takumu-kun.”

While nodding, Kuroyukihime had strong wry smile.

“I have said it many times, although it’s true I am the legion master, you don’t have to always call me that.”

“Sorry. But that is the best way for me.”

With that reply, Takumu moved a step, and indicated the bench he was sitting on with his left hand. With another wry smile, Kuroyukihime sat down, and crossed her black stocking small legs. Then she raised one eyebrow and inquired Takumu.

“Excuse us, but Haruyuki-kun and I will be eating lunch here, how about yours?”

“Yes, I have already eaten.”

Looking around, Haruyuki spotted a properly wrapped lunch box on the bench. Haruyuki remembered the cross colors, and made a jab at him.

“That, is made by Chiyuri right? Then you two should be eating together!”

Hearing that, Takumu also had a wry smile and answered.

“We don’t have a relationship like Haru and master, where we can have a public lovey-dovey time in the cafeteria.”

“I-it’s not love!”

“It’s not love.”

Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime denied with different voices, and Takumu laughed while pushing his glasses up with a finger.

“You two look at each others eyes every day in the lounge while exhibiting a pink aura. I've heard that rumor even in my classroom. Well, never mind that... I have stopped being hasty. Bit by bit, I will pay back what I owe.”

“...I see.”

Haruyuki made a serious face and nodded.

It was only two weeks ago, during the start of third school term, that Takumu had transferred to the local Umesato middle school from the school that he went to for seven years in Shinjuku.

The original school that he went to included grades from elementary to university. When Haruyuki remembered how hard the young Takumu had studied to get in, he tried to stop Takumu once by saying it was such a waste. However, Takumu’s decision was firm.

Even though Shinjuku is the territory of ?Blue Legion?, it was not that passive of a reason. For Takumu, his crimes - hacking his childhood girlfriend Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker to break the accelerated world’s rule for hunting Kuroyukihime, were too much for him. As atonement, he decided to use all his time to further her cause.

Basically, he will stay by Chiyuri. And then, defend ?Nega Nebulas?’s territory, the Suginami area till death.

Put it in another way, Haruyuki thought that the glasses he started using this winter, was part of that decision.

In the year 2047, using glasses to correct vision had lost its original meaning and became a part of fashion. This was because the Neuro Linker worn by many people functioned as a strong visual supplement.

However, Takumu’s blue glasses were not a fashion item. It’s real with degree lenses. That is, Takumu became near sighted from studying paper media and panel terminals, and had stopped using the Neuro Linker as visual correction.

Even for the Neuro Linker, it could not correct the actual light receptor pins in the flesh eyeball. Instead of that, the fuzzy image from near sightedness is composed with the Neuro Linker’s internal camera picture and digitally corrected in real time. That is, people in the world that use Neuro Linker as replacement for glasses, will have over half of their view being virtual images created by Neuro Linker processors.

Takumu rejected that function, and decided to continue seeing the real world with his own eyes. The real Chiyuri, Haruyuki, and the real himself.

Takumu’s feeling will eventually reach Chiyuri, who continued to behave in an awkward manner. And Haruyuki himself too, should have conveyed plenty of his feelings.

That was what he wanted to say, but it was very difficult. Going back on his own words, Takumu too sometimes seems to be in deep thought.

That’s right, he had eyes similar to Kuroyukihime’s earlier when they talked about the previous Red King.

Haruyuki threw off his momentary musings and sat beside Kuroyukihime, opening the lunch bag he held.

While he ate his cutlet sandwich, he again explained the situation to Takumu who leaned on the fence in front of them.

After the wide eyed Takumu heard everything, he mumbled a short ‘Hmm’.

“...What do you think, Taku.”

“Hmm, I do not have enough data to guess what the Red King wanted to say to master. But, I might know what would happen if she had managed to continue fooling you for three days.”

“Oh!”

“Oh.”

Facing Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime who both responed at the same time, his glasses’ lens flashed while Takumu continued.

“With Haru’s personality, he would have warmed up a lot to the ?Imouto? that he lived with for three days. Then, if that ?Imouto? said ‘Actually, I am a Burst Linker. But since I am a kid, most of my hard earned points were taken by legion senpai with force. I beg you, onii-chan, come to my legion and protect me!’...”

“Hey hey, that’s unreasonable.”

Kuroyukihime shouted in an amazed tone.

“No one would fall for that easy to see through trap. On the other hand you can easily see that you would lose all your points. Even Haruyuki-kun, won’t go that far...”

Then she glanced at Haruyuki,

“That... far...”

And was speechless. Since she noticed that Haruyuki’s eyes were already wet with sympathy.

“...Ar, are you an idiot!”

“B, but... bullied, so pitiful...”

At that moment, she extended her left hand, pinched Haruyuki’s cheek and pulled.

“Wh, wha ar yo doin?”

“Hey, let me say this now.”

Kuroyukihime stared at him with shining eyes and murmured.

“Momentarily changing legion, helping your ?Imouto? then returning, that kind of cool act is impossible.”

“Huh? Wha do ya mean?”

Nega Nebulas’ legion master answered him in a scary voice while releasing his cheek.

“You haven’t forgotten right? About how Takumu’s ?parent? and other blue legion members who spread the backdoor program ended up?”

“Err, well... I think they lost all their points... that is, their Brain Burst was forcefully removed as punishment, I heard...”

To the head tilted Haruyuki, Takumu added from the front.

“That ?all lost?, it’s not from fighting duels till all their burst points were taken. Actually that’s impossible to accomplish. After the first duel, when acceleration is canceled, if you disconnect from the Global Net or remove the Neuro Linker, then you can escape. After that, it will be similar to master’s situation, where you will be chased with a reward on your head.”

“A, ahaa... I see.”

“However, without going through something so troublesome, legion masters have a simpler way of ?executing? subordinates.”

“Wh... what!? I have never heard of that!!”

Hearing that for the first time, Haruyuki turned his head to look at Kuroyukihime beside him.

The composed face senpai made an ‘Oh, that?’ gesture and opened her right hand.

“It’s clearly written in the application document when you were invited to the legion, it was your fault for not reading it. Anyway, I won’t execute you. Of course, when you are unfaithful to me with other girls, that’s an exception.”

Smile.

While being looked at with that affection full smile, Haruyuki’s back became straight.

“I, I won’t do it, there’s no way I would. B, but, I should learn of it for knowledge sake. Execution... basically, what does it mean...?”

“Hmm, let’s see... well, it’s all right to call it a type of special attack. When a legion creation is requested to the system, the one who is registered as the master will obtain a command, with assigned user names. That is called the ?Judgement Blow?.”

“Judgement...”

Kuroyukihime looked away from Haruyuki who whispered that, she became more serious and continued.

“Burst Linkers who joined a Legion, that is a team, obtain a lot of safety. Group battles have less risk and a more stable return. The price for those advantages is the existence of the ?Judgement Blow?. Joining a legion means putting your neck out to the legion master. The legion members who are struck with that blow, will instantly have zero Burst Points, and forever lose Brain Burst. The effective time frame is, while in the legion, and one month after leaving the legion.”

“O, one month... that long?”

“Un. That is right. If you fall for Red King’s social engineering and left Nega Nebulas for even just a bit to join the Red legion, then at that instant your... Silver Crow’s life or death will be the same as in their hands.”

“Uuhee.”

That was all he could say.

Honestly, if he did not see that picture in his grandparent’s home server, he could not deny the possibility that he would believe the Red King was his second cousin Tomoko-chan. If they then spent two nights together, and he was put to the earlier Takumu guess of “I am actually”, he would probably have followed his feelings and joined the Red legion. There was almost no question he would have.

‘- However, still.’

“...But, why?”

Haruyuki whispered, and looked at Kuroyukihime and Takumu one after another.

“Why, would the Red King do such troublesome thing...?”

“Umu. After all, it’s where this question leads.”

Kuroyukihime murmured.

“Nn... She went that far to get Haruyuki-kun to join the Red legion and put the ?Judgement Blow? on his neck, but that won’t give her Haruyuki-kun’s loyalty. For a member that does not want to belong to that legion, that would only be harmful without a single advantage. That means...”

“That means, just once, she wanted Haru to do ?something?, right?”

Takumu pushed his glasses’ bridge up with his middle finger while he continued from where Kuroyukihime left off.

“If just once, he might listen with the threat... that’s what I think. If that is the case, then what she wants to say to master later in the meeting would be the same. Since her fake imouto act is found out, in exchange she changed tactics and is going for trade maybe?”

“Fuumu.”

After another low murmur, Kuroyukihime looked up at Takumu and said.

“How to say it... you, seem to be in good shape.”

“Wh, what? What do you mean, master?”

“Like a glasses type character. How about we call Takumu-kun ‘professor’ from now on?”

Clink clink, Takumu slip down the fence he was leaning his back on, and shook his head left and right.

“N, no... thanks for the offer, but I will have to refrain.”

Haruyuki desperately tried to control his laughter and said.

“I... I too, think Taku’s deduction is correct. During yesterday’s fight, the Red King could have had complete victory over me but did not. In exchange, she said she wanted to meet senpai. That would mean, for the second best option she picked negotiation, to show her goal is not to be an enemy maybe...”

“A bit late for you to say good things!”

Kuroyukihime snorted, and changed her leg cross. She crumbled her empty sandwich paper bag in her hand, and over threw it into the waste basket a bit away.

“Anyway fine, I will listen to what she has to say. At the very least, for the king herself to come while accepting ?Reality Intrusion? means she has shit amount of courage, for a child. Haruyuki-kun, give the Red King a call. The meeting will be 4pm today, the place will be...”

Kuroyukihime stopped there for a moment and stood up.

She turned around, grinned and - .

“Your home living room.”

‘Nooooit’stooearlyIhaven’tmentallypreparedandwe’repureandpropermiddleschoolstudents.’

To that kind of confused refusal from Haruyuki, Kuroyukihime’s “The Red King is fine but I am not?” one sentence stopped him dead.

Since Takumu had invited Chiyuri to go home together, and later go to Haruyuki’s house, that naturally left just Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki going home alone.

She must be bringing her student council work home, while one of her hand is busy with the holo keyboard, she smiled and greeted many students on their way home. Haruyuki walking beside her took glances at her and desperately thought.

‘Let’s see, the living room, kitchen and toilet should be properly cleaned. I had bought tea and snacks as well. But the problem is my room. Especially the early era collection of Z type bloody games. If that was seen then I would have no foot to stand on from today.’

‘My room must be defended till death. Defend no matter what. Absolutely do not release the electronic lock.’

With that decision, Haruyuki stared at his apartment that could now be seen pass the elevated Chuo Line[1].

He entered the elevator with the usually nonvocal Kuroyukihime, pressed the button, and got off on the 23rd floor.

After about 10 meters of public hallway, it will be his home’s door.

“Ah... it’s a not especially interesting normal home. No pet either.”

“I, I see. No, no problem. I don’t like animals that shed their fur.”

With a cough, Kuroyukihime stopped next to Haruyuki.

‘Please, let nothing bad happen!’ With that prayer, Haruyuki touched the door opening dialogue in his view. Clank, the lock released.

The moment he pulled on the door knob, he heard.

‘Zubararararara’, that kind of machine gun continuous fire sound and, ‘Gyaa - Help Me - ’, that kind of English screams and, ‘Uorya -, Die -, Go Die -’, that kind of girl’s shout.

“Ugyaa -?!!”

Haruyuki also screamed, and while taking off his shoes, he stumbled towards the living room.

What he saw there were, the previous era game hardware connected to the panel monitor on the wall, Haruyuki’s collection of Z type game packages scattered on the floor, and the shape of ?Red King? sitting on the sofa cross-legged while holding a wireless controller.

“Ho... how... my room... key...”

To Haruyuki who mumbled after taking one step into the living room, the Red King glanced at him and said.

“Ah, welcome home. Onii-chan, you have a nice hobby. I love this type of thing!”

Next to the stood still, thinking frozen Haruyuki, a little bit dumbfounded voice echoed.

“...Well, I don’t dislike it either. That era western games are philosophical, yes.”

At about that moment, in the large monitor, an old guy that is perhaps a mafia boss was blown away while spewing blood.

“Yes! Stage 5 cleared!”

While looking down at the elementary school girl doing a victory pose, Haruyuki once more murmured without any strength.

“How did you... the key...”

Then, the Red King posing to the game finally turned around.

She first looked at Haruyuki, then Kuroyukihime beside him, and smiled an angelic smile while shaking her twin red pigtails.

“I told you that I got an instant key from Onii-chan’s mother right. With a bit of work, it’s easy to make it into a master key. But, don’t worry, onii-chan. I did not touch the other meaning of Z type software behind the reference books?”

‘I am done for...’

His school bag dropped from his right hand that no longer has strength.

The Red King looked away from Haruyuki who was like that, and once more looked straight at Kuroyukihime. All the innocence left her expre-->>

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