Volume 2 - CH 3(2/2)
“...Say what?”
“?Judgement Blow?, no matter for which legion master, is an almost zero range contact ability. For it to hit, you have to score a number of normal attacks and stop the person. But no matter how many times my main cannon and missiles were fired, I was not even able to scratch him... I was hit here and there by his sword and lost HP. In the end... it was time up and I lost.”
“Lost!? Let’s leave ?Judgement Blow? alone, a King like you lost!?”
“Such a big show of surprise... you also fought it before so you should have understood. That mobility, other than a monster no one has. Huge distance jumps, changing path in the air... it was almost like flight.”
“Fly... ing...”
With that whisper, Kuroyukihime first looked at Yuniko standing pass the table, then at Haruyuki sitting next to her.
Then, she slowly and deeply nodded.
“I see. Finally, your goal... using a very troublesome way to do reality intrusion on Haruyuki-kun and using yourself to do social engineering, I understand the reason now.”
At that time, Takumu seemed to have reached the same conclusion. Looking dubiously at the three other than himself, Haruyuki moved his body and view around.
“Wh... what is it? The goal... what is that anyway?”
“Isn’t it obvious, onii-chan?”
Yuniko’s mood suddenly changed sharply and said sweetly with angel mode pure simile.
“I need Haruyuki onii-chan to capture Chrome Disaster.”
After about 5 seconds of relaxed feeling.
‘No way...I am scared. Don’t joke.’
Haruyuki screamed that, falling from his chair and went to hide behind Kuroyukihime.
However Kuroyukihime titled her head as if thinking about something, then ruthlessly held the back of Haruyuki’s uniform and pulled, saying with a saint like smile.
“Haruyuki-kun, you should experience everything. I think there’s no harm in trying.”
“Wh... whattt!?”
“I never said it would be a one on one fight. Also, this is not just the Red legion, it’s all of accelerated world... including our ?Nega Nebulas?’s problem. Then here, it’s time for you to stand up like a man as a Burst Linker.”
‘- This person saying that with this face, she is planning something.’
That appeared in Haruyuki’s mind, but he could not determine what that ?something? was, so he desperately tried to find excuses.
“B, but... that’s an opponent that the King, that is level 9 Scarlet Rain could not deal with! Level 4 me would be instantly blown away and it would be over! I don’t want my head and arms to be pulled off!!”
“I won’t let that happen to you.”
Another smile that can melt the highest grade gelato[1].
“Use your speed and flight ability to chase Chrome Disaster and just stopping him for a short while is fine. Afterward this little girl and I will rob him of mobility.”
“So... so simply said, but...”
Being a bad loser, Haruyuki put this normal run away skill into full gear, and mumbled his final rebuttal.
“That’s right... that requires a team battle to happen first right? Also, against just Chrome Disaster, at the very least needs senpai, Scarlet Rain and I. He would not accept such a disadvantageous duel!”
For Burst Linkers, while their Neuro Linker is connected to the net, could not refuse a normal one on one duel from other Burst Linkers. But if the battle mode was ?Team? or ?Battle Royale?, that’s another story. In that situation, it would be three against one with Chrome Disaster, with that kind of disadvantage, there’s no way he would accept.
‘- No, wait. Earlier, didn’t he have the same question?’
After nodding lightly to the speechless Haruyuki, Kuroyukihime took a glance at Yuniko and asking in confirmation.
“If Chrome Disaster would have been rampaging with normal battles, I would have heard about it already. However I have not heard a single rumor, so that means...”
“...That’s right.”
The Red King put her hands into her cut-jean pockets and twisted her slender upper body around to nod.
“That guy’s hunting ground is no longer the ?Normal Duel Field?. Above that... in the ?Unlimited Neutral Field?.”
‘...What is that?’
Haruyuki raised his head with a question mark, instead a bit to the right front, Takumu shouted sharply.
“Da... dangerous, master!”
He rose up with a clank from the chair and continued.
“With our lineup, diving ?above? is way too reckless! For me and Haru maybe, but you are chained with a special rule! If you were suddenly ambushed by other level 9 players, with one loss, at that instant you would lose Brain Burst forever... no, in the worst case...”
Takumu took a quick glance at Yuniko to the right and after a bit of hesitation, touched the bridge of his glasses with his right hand finger and said.
“...It’s my duty to say this, so let me say it. - The worst case, all of this act... Haru’s reality intrusion, the talk about Chrome Disaster, all of these could possibly be the Red King’s trap. To lure master into the ?Unlimited Field?, with a big army in ambush, planning to take your head, is possible.”
Yuniko who again returned to the little devil mode, with her hands in pockets, point her small jaw and glared at Takumu.
“...Well said, Cyan Pile. Everything you said earlier was in a clever way, what are you? Glasses character. Nickname Professor?”
Hit.
His little hurt face soon returned to normal, Takumu said in rebuttal.
“Show some kind of proof, then we can talk, Red King. We are just a three person legion, for us to dive ?Above? knowing the danger, you should provide some kind of proof!”
“Here is your proof.”
Yuniko took her right hand from her pocket and manipulated her virtual desktop for a bit, then snapped three fingers. In Haruyuki’s view, another half transparent name tag appeared. But, this time bigger than the one earlier. Not just the real name, below that also showed home address.
Starting from Nerima ward in Tokyo, ending with unfamiliar school and dormitory name, Haruyuki looked on in amazement. With face and name can be said to be plenty of ?Reality intrusion?, showing home address too, is way past courage into recklessness.
Takumu and Kuroyukihime too were surprised by that, while being looked on by three silent and wide eyed middle school students, Yuniko removed her right hand from her virtual desktop and poked her small chest with her thumb.
“You still do not understand why I personally contacted you? The real world me is an elementary kid with no strength, economic or organizational power. I have no way to defend against ?attacks? on me. If I betrayed you, you can come get revenge anytime you like in reality.”
Yuniko who said that, her eyes seem to be burning from the left over winter sunlight coming through the window.
He thought she was reckless, but she had tremendous resolution. To be true, she could not possibly overlook the problem of her legion member breaking the no invasion treaty and attacking other legion members. However, before everything else, Brain Burst is just a ?Duel Game?. Something that exist for play, enjoy and excitement.
That’s why Haruyuki thought that sacrificing your real self for Brain Burst is a mistake. That deceived Takumu three months ago, and he is still tormented by it now.
“Yuniko... -chan.”
In place of the overwhelmed Takumu, Haruyuki involuntarily called out, trying to find words to continue.
However, that one word seemed to allow the Red King to see through his heart, she lowered her right hand and said with a self delirious smile.
“I understand what you want to say. But... you will eventually come to understand when you get to this height, that this game with ?accelerate? technology can make the wall of real side thin. If you knew how much time that girl and I spent in the accelerated world, you would certainly fall right down.”
“Wh... total play time...?”
Haruyuki titled his head and did a little calculation. Right now, he had about 10 ?duels? per day. Each fight average around 20 minutes, so total 200 minutes - a bit more than 3 hours. It’s a bit high playtime for a middle school student, but not way too absurd.
If one day is around 3 hours, one month is 100 hours. One year is 1200 hours. Since Yuniko became a Burst Linker for about two and half year -.
“3000... hours or about?”
That’s a big number, but compared to actual VRMMO-RPG addicts, that’s nothing. Those people dive at least 10 hours a day.
However, after hearing Haruyuki’s hard mental calculations, Yuniko laughed aloud and Kuroyukihime too had a slight wry smile.
“Wh, that’s not right? Yuniko-chan, then how much total time...?”
“Not telling you. That answer, you can find out yourself. Also...”
The Red King suddenly put on a scary face and said in a threatening tone.
“Stop calling me Yuniko-chan. I get shivers in my back. ...Niko is fine. Call me Niko, absolutely not allowed to add -chan or -tan.”
Somehow feeling that they are off topic, Haruyuki nodded and looked around.
“Let’s see... So the result is that ?Nega Nebulas? will assist Niko-cha... the Red King, is that right?”
“...Umu. There are many risks, but for now we will swallow it whole. Also, there is some merit.”
“M, merit?”
Kuroyukihime looked away from Haruyuki who asked that, towards the Red King.
“That’s right. ?Prominence? under the sun coming to request this very big favor, must have prepared some kind of exchange condition. For example... from now on do not touch our small territory, things like that.”
“Chii.”
With that small click of her tongue, the Red King - Niko light waved her right hand.
“I understand. If you are fine with a verbal promise. My guys won’t touch the Suginami area.”
Kuroyukihime nodded slowly, then one finger from her folded right hand came up.
“However, just one thing. Scarlet Rain... how are you supposed to ambush Chrome Disaster in the ?Unlimited Field?? In that place, it’s almost impossible to purposely encounter someone, you should have already known that.”
“...I won’t trouble you guys. It’s my responsibility to determine the time and place. Not right now, probably tomorrow evening... is all I can say.”
“Ohh. You can do that?”
To Kuroyukihime’s question, Niko nodded.
“I will leave it to you. Tomorrow after school, we will meet here again and dive into the ?Unlimited Neutral Field?. Is that okay, Haruyuki-kun and Takumu-kun?”
‘- What is that Unlimited Field anyway?’
Before that question, Haruyuki was surprised with ‘Arg, my home again!?’ that shout in his mind. His mother won’t be home till the day after tomorrow so that is fine, if he returned home tomorrow, and this time Niko played with praise the ?other type of Z games? in the living room - if that happened, he would not be able to stand up again.
‘Defend till death. This time he will defend his room till death!’
With that oath, Haruyuki and Takumu both nodded.
“Then, for today from now on is free time. Haruyuki-kun, thank you for the coffee.”
With those words Kuroyukihime stood up, she again looked at the tens of years ago vintage collection of western games scattered in the living room.
“Next time, I will come to play normally. There are many titles I don’t know of.”
“Y... yea, please do.”
‘Something that doesn’t have a lot of blood and guts spilling.’
He added that in his mind, then walked Kuroyukihime and Takumu to the entrance.
“See you Haru at the school tomorrow. Uwaa, it’s already this late.”
First Takumu waved his hand then walked out of the hallway to another part of the apartment, next Kuroyukihime put on her loafers and turned around.
“Ah, that is. I will walk you home, it’s late...”
Haruyuki said that, but she waved her hand lightly and said.
“No need to worry, with student council work it’s even later than now, so this is nothing. Also, this place is pretty close to my home.”
“Is that... so. But, be careful.”
“Un, then, sorry to have disturbed you. See you tomorrow.”
Kuroyukihime smiled, raised her right fist, then was about to step outside the door.
To her back, from behind Haruyuki, Niko’s drawling voice called out.
“See you, black one. Don’t be late tomorrow. Okay then, time to continue.”
To the Red King who then skipped to the living room, this time Kuroyukihime turned around with incredible speed and shouted.
“Hey wait, wait a minute, red one!”
“What?”
She glared at Niko who stuck her head out and cross-examined.
“You are not thinking of staying here today as well.”
“Of course. It’s troublesome to go back all the time.”
“Don’t mess around, go home! A child should go home, do homework, brush teeth and sleep!!”
That fiery sharp tongue was washed away by a grin from Niko.
“But, my school is a boarding school. After getting a three day pass to go out, even if I return, there won’t be any food. ...Anyway, onii-chan, what should we have for dinner tonight?”
After saying the later part in angel mode, Niko disappear into the living room.
“Wha... wha...”
While her face quivered as if right before a huge eruption with her fists shaking, Kuroyukihime glared sidewise at Haruyuki who stood there dazed.
“...Cancel the ‘See you tomorrow’. I will stay over here tonight too.”
With that fearsome announcement, that was declaration of war, she forcefully shut the door, took off her shoes and stamped pass the hallway into the living room.
It took more than one minute for Haruyuki’s totally frozen brain to restart.
‘- What is this?’
‘What is this....what is happening...is this reality? Or is everything and everyone a polygon created fake reality?’
Haruyuki sat on the living room sofa, hugging a cushion, and stared off into space.
Maybe everything from the beginning - meeting Kuroyukihime, obtaining Brain Burst, and becoming Burst Linker ?Silver Crow? was all a dream. Maybe an escape from reality application was running that allowed him continue to see such long delusion.
Those were Haruyuki’s serious doubts, but the hamburger he ate just 30 minutes ago, its slightly burnt aftertaste, the happiness in his stomach, and also from the bathroom in the hallway, sounds of water and girls’ playful sounds were way too real.
After Kuroyukihime’s sudden announcement, the three of them went shopping in the mall under the apartment, made dinner together, washed dishes - and then Niko and Kuroyukihime went to use the bathroom first together. That’s what happened.
The situation where everything occurring all at once was so unreal that Haruyuki wasted it, being mostly on automatic mode. ?While parents are away? ?two girls came to stay over? ?made dinner and went to bath?, those kind of situations could not be adjusted into his consciousness.
What is the best way for him to act? Normally in this situation how is a man suppose to choose as best selection?
While steam puffed from his ears, Haruyuki tried to spin his overloaded thoughts. In this type of game or anime, for this kind of scene usually the man went to ask how the bath water was, and ?something? made him stumble into the bathroom. Then buckets, shampoo and things will be thrown at him to drive him away.
‘Then, me doing that would be an optimized solution.’
Haruyuki stood right up and turned towards the bathroom. In his brain, there already floated an event graphic where Kuroyukihime and Niko washed each other wearing just bubbles.
However unfortunately, or in other words fortunately, right before he opened the living room door, he heard two sets of footsteps heading there. Haruyuki teleported at light speed to the sofa and sat down properly.
After the knob’s violent turn, Niko jumped in first shouting ‘ice ice!’ and ran to the kitchen. Haruyuki turned around in reaction to the loose sweatshirt and shortpants rough shape, this time his eyes met Kuroyukihime’s.
It must be the one she bought in the shopping mall that evening, she was wearing a light pink pajama. Her head tilted, drying her shining hair with a towel, that shape is different from her normally all black clothing that rejected others, she stood there unbelievably defenseless and lovely, Haruyuki could only watch in a daze.
“...Don’t stare so much. This color was the only size that fits.”
As Kuroyukihime said that while looking away, Haruyuki finally snap back and shook his head hard left and right.
“N, nooo way, m, matches nicely.”
“I, I see. Isn’t it a bit childish?”
“Absolutely not. Great. Perfect. Critical.”
While sitting properly he stretched his back and desperately said up to there, from the side Niko showed her face while waving a popsicle in her right hand.
“Hey, do you know, Silver Crow?”
“Wh... what about?”
“This girl, even looking like that, after she is naked, is unexpectedly sugofuu”
The end of those words was messed up by Kuroyukihime’s unsparing one hit.
She then held the Red King’s neck from behind, and laughed generously.
“There, you should hurry and use the bathroom. The bath water will get cold.”
Looking at Niko who collapsed, Haruyuki gave a scream in his mind and jumped off the sofa.
“Y, yes, then excuse me, I will go take a bath! There’s barley tea and things in the fridge so feel free, I am off!”
That night turned out to be a late night Z type retro game spree night.
Sitting around the large game hardware from 40 years ago, with excited shouts they massacred creatures in the flat screen, Haruyuki still continued to think a little about if that was really real.
‘- These people and me, are basically connected to each other through a VR game called Brain Burst. That’s why their relationship is online, that is net based, it should be recognized like that.
Certainly, I love Kuroyukihime senpai, and she said she love me too. However, the intermediary of those feelings were usually quantum signals exchanged through the Neuro Linker. Their relationship is mostly made up of vector data, he thought it was fine like that.
But today, they made dinner and ate it together in my home, took turns to bath, and now are sitting a few 10cm or so from each other, feeling each other’s body heat.
This world - the separation between real and virtual is infinitely thin, in a world where information from your five senses are hard to distinguish which are analog and which are digital, this is what would happen? Things like ?Offline human relationship?, how do I capture and recognize it? So far in the offline world, all I had been doing was run away, hide, and huddle.’
His thinking that went round and round, was covered by a flashy scream from a huge boss monster in the screen.
At the same time, Niko let go of her controller and lay down backwards.
“Ah... I can’t take it anymore. Sleepy. Sleepyyy!”
“That’s why I said, children should hurry... Fuwa...”
Kuroyukihime also covered her mouth with her left hand, letting out a refined yawn.
Since his Neuro Linker was taken off, he looked at the clock on the wall, it was past midnight.
“Th, then, we should sleep. Let’s see... Yuniko-cha, not that, Niko is fine with the sofa today too right. So, senpai please use my mother’s bedroom. Ah, but the heat wasn’t on for a while so it might be cold...”
Haruyuki said till there, then Niko interrupted loudly.
“Never mind, too troublesome. Just bring out blankets, I will sleep here... it’s fine...”
Then, she buried her head in a huge cushion, and closed her eyes quickly.
“Un, that’s fine with me too. Sleeping together around game software, is truly a historical experience... or not...”
Kuroyukihime too lay down onto a cushion.
‘Whattt - .’
What he was thinking was, he would not be able to imitate ?carry both to bed?, so he did as told and took out some blankets. He used them to cover the already sleeping Niko and Kuroyukihime, and thought ‘now then’.
‘Should I be sleeping in my own room?
But, with both guests sleeping on the floor, wouldn’t it be bad manners for me to sleep in a bed? Here, shouldn’t I sleep on the floor as well for fairness? Isn’t that what a gentleman should do?’
After his own suggested justification, Haruyuki turned the ceiling lights to the lowest level, and slowly became round there. The floor was slightly warm from the buried heating pipes, the large semi-fluid cushion was fluffy soft - and within hand reach distance, was extremely nice smell.
‘There’s no way I can sleep in this situation!’, while thinking like that, Haruyuki closed his eyes under the blanket.
However strangely, in exchange of tension, a mysterious peace covered Haruyuki, and his consciousness slowly fell into the gentle darkness.
Deep in the night, Haruyuki woke up just once.
He stood up thinking of going to the toilet, and look around casually, in the dim lighting and blue white moonlight, there was an unexpected scenery.
Niko and Kuroyukihime who were supposed to be one meter apart, some unknown time ago, had fallen between two cushions and were sleeping soundly.
Furthermore, Niko had her face buried in Kuroyukihime’s chest, her right hand holding tightly on to the pajama fabric.
And also, Kuroyukihime had her arms around Niko’s red head like she was holding her.
That scene, before he was surprised by it, his heart was moved by something and Haruyuki opened his eyes wide.
?Red King? and ?Black King?. They are level 9 Burst Linkers chained with a special rule of sudden death.
Those two spent an unknown amount of time in the accelerated world and fought many fights to the death. What they were looking forward to, Haruyuki could not imagine. However he could say this. If they both aimed for level 10, someday they will have to fight. To defeat other Kings, is how a King moves forward.
But.
Tonight, these two, with a coincidence brought together by complex situations, slept together in the real world like this. Just like at the bottom of their hearts, they wished for that.
This is, this scene, is just one night’s illusion? An incidental miracle that won’t happen again?
Or it could be - .
Haruyuki at that moment captured a premonition that he had arrived at a very important something.
However, the unknown feeling overwhelming his heart and the tears flowing out of his eyes, he could not put his thought into words accurately.
So Haruyuki just stood there, looking at the girls sleeping soundly in the blue white moonlight, without being full no matter how long he continued.