rroundings every time.

Persuading himself that he was just self-conscious about that kind of thing and that anyone would worry about other people as he sat down in a boxed seat facing Blood Leopard, Haruyuki tried to block out the surroundings customers from his mind by concentrating with all his power on the hamburger set he was being treated to.

‘It seems like I’ll succeed’, is what he thought for a brief instant.

Pard-san took out a red XSB cable from her belt pouch, leaned forward and thrust one of the plugs at the end into Haruyuki’s Neuro Linker. Expressionlessly, she connected the other end to her own.

The Wired Connection warning that appeared in his vision couldn’t hide the spectacle of the middle and high school students within the shop clearly looking at them and whispering amongst themselves, and so Haruyuki found himself in an awkward situation as he ducked his head down and felt cold sweat run down his skin.

The length of the Direct Connect cable expresses the degree of progress between two people going out with each other—that kind of custom was clearly something that Pard-san didn’t care about at all, but Haruyuki wasn’t able to be that free of worldly cares, and asked in thought speech with half a scream.

‘Ah, u-u-umm, w-w-why Direct Connect?’

Her answer was very simple.

‘We can talk while eating this way.’

Besides replying with ‘....That’s true.’, Haruyuki couldn’t say anything else.

Pard-san displayed the high-level technique of talking via the cable while eating her hamburger with relish just as she had declared. This seemed simple, but the risk of biting one’s tongue while unintentionally trying to talk with one’s mouth as well was high.

‘Do you understand how to Dive into the stage for the race on Sunday?’

After she suddenly asked that, Haruyuki stopped his mouth in the middle of chewing a fry and spoke.

‘Eh..don’t we just use the Sky Tree portal again?’

‘That isn’t necessary. The card we got when we registered as drivers is a ?transporter? item. It transports up to ten Burst Linkers who we Direct Connect with at the same time.’

‘H-Heee..Then, if we gather in Suginami and use it, we’ll instantly go to the Hermes Cord?’

‘Yes.’

That was a feature he was really grateful for. Because, if Kuroyukihime also participated in the race, it would be dangerous if she, who was a Level Niner that was bound by the sudden death rule, connected to an external network as far away as Sumida Ward for even an instant.

After letting out a sigh and biting into his hamburger, Haruyuki felt his original question rise up within him now. Since he had jumped into the portal at the Sky Tree, he had been caught up in the flow of the situation all the way until now, but in the first place—

‘..In the first place, why did it suddenly turn into a race? Those machines were prepared not by some player, but by the system’s..in other words, Brain Burst’s administrator. I’ve been a Burst Linker for about eight months already, but I don’t think there’s ever been even one GM event like that up until now..’

In response to Haruyuki’s question, Pard-san answered after thinking for just 0.5 seconds.

‘Certainly, signs of the presence of BB’s administrator are usually not felt at all. But, when there is a large-scale update in Accel World, there are also cases where one-time events occur like this time. Like when the ?Tokyo Glass Castle? opened up the year before last..’

The Glass Castle was a large-scale theme park that had been constructed in the bay area. According to what he knew, it had been built as a Medieval European-style fortress city made of real stone with the theme of being ?realistic?, at the time when the Full Dive technology was at the height of prosperity.

‘..The day when the social camera network there began operating, an event based on breaking through a group of monsters that crowded the city and aiming for the throne inside the castle occurred. My team regrettably got swarmed by a large heard of them along with the blue team and we all got mutually annihilated.’

As Pard-san’s eyes burned with fire, Haruyuki somehow managed to respond while unconsciously drawing back his head.

‘I..I see. Then, the race this time is also..so to speak, a ?New Stage Connection Commemoration Event?? In other words, it is a race that will occur only once..?’

‘Definitely.’

In that case, he really was extremely fortunate to have been able to reserve one of the only ten machines. Haruyuki cried out ‘Mega-Lucky!’ inside his head, but he then frantically drowned out that thought. Going to the Hermes Cord had never been about obtaining the right to participate in an open event. It was because there was something that Haruyuki had to tell that person—Sky Raker no matter what, that he was aiming for the top of the space elevator.

—Then, there should also be that.

Ostensibly because he should also learn as much preliminary knowledge as possible, Haruyuki nervously asked a question through the Direct Connect circuit.

‘Umm..Pard-san. Since it’s a race, umm, if one comes in first or second place, will there be something like, umm..’

‘Of course there will.’

Without letting Haruyuki finish speaking, Blood Leopard nodded.

‘It will probably give out an appropriate amount of Burst Points. Or prizes such as an Enhanced Armament or some other item will be prepared.’

“He..Heeh, is that so.’

As if roughly understanding that his throat was moving a lot despite his attempt to pretend being calm, Pard-san gave a faint wry smile. While carefully folding the wrapping paper of the hamburger she had eaten in the blink of an eye, she spoke in a completely calm state.

‘You shouldn’t raise your expectations too high. There’s no way the prizes will be so great that they could break the power balance between legions, after all. More importantly..’

Pausing for a moment there, the senior member of ?Prominence? asked Haruyuki a question as her ponytail swayed.

‘Will your legion participate with all five of your members?’

‘Eh? ..Err, the capacity of the shuttle is five passengers, so..’

As he was about to nod, Haruyuki paused the movement of his neck.

No matter how well they got along, or how she had let him ride on her bike and treated him to a hamburger, Pard-san was ultimately not a ?comrade?. She was a core member of the Red Legion, which might one day turn against the Black Legion. Was it alright to tell such a person about the movements of Kuroyukihime, who was under the Sudden Death rule?

Most likely immediately seeing through Haruyuki’s hesitation, Pard-san quickly shook her head.

‘I’m not really asking in order to take advantage of this opportunity and take the Black King’s head. In the first place, since the HP gauge is locked inside the event, it’s impossible.’

‘L-Locked..?’

After repeating the word, Haruyuki finally remembered. When he had transported over to the Hermes Cord earlier, there had definitely been the word [LOCKED] distinctly inscribed on his HP gauge.

‘E-Err..in other words, during the race event, nobody can receive damage?’

After pretending to think for a moment, Pard-san immediately nodded to his question.

‘Yes.’

‘Then, why is it necessary for there to be four other crewmembers in the shuttle? Is it because just me isn’t enough to attack and defend against other teams..?’

‘Yes to that as well. Most likely, the shuttle’s body is also configured with a HP gauge, and if it becomes zero it will be destroyed. The event at the Glass Castle I spoke of before was also like that. It was a game where you had to properly carry jewels given to each team up to the throne room on the top floor of the castle. The players couldn’t die, but it was setup so that the HP of the orbs would wear out from attacks by monsters or other teams.’

Haruyuki nodded in admiration at Blood Leopard’s words. If it was like that, then it would definitely turn into a hot race even in the slightly nulled situation where the HP gauges were protected.

‘I see..so it has that kind of setup. In that case, I’m all the more certain that all five members of my legion will participate. But..why are you asking me about that?’

As Haruyuki turned her gaze towards her, Pard-san displayed the rare sign of hesitating to say something.

However, her hesitation disappeared in just one second, and—

‘In Accel World, there are two people whose existences are important to me.’

Her quiet thoughts flowed through the red cable.

‘One is the king I serve. A person I want to protect no matter what. And the other is my eternal rival. Someone who became a Burst Linker at almost the same time as me and who I fought against countless times, known as ?Strato Shooter[6]? and ?ICBM[7]?..’

Haruyuki immediately guessed who those two names belonged to.

‘..Sky Raker-san..?’

In response to Haruyuki’s whisper, Blood Leopard softly nodded.

‘I was very happy when I heard that she had returned. But since she’s only been participating in the territory defense battles, I haven’t met her yet.’

‘Ah..I-I see. That’s true.’

Currently, the Red Legion ?Prominence? and the Black Legion ?Nega Nebulas? were under an indefinite ceasefire. Therefore, as one of the Red Legion’s core members, Pard-san couldn’t participate in attacking the Suginami area.

Haruyuki sucked in a deep breath, and then spoke while unusually looking at his conversation partner right in the eye.

‘The truth is, I also have a reason for wanting to take Raker-san to the Hermes Cord no matter what. That’s why, even if she isn’t interested in it, I’ll do my best to persuade her. I think that you’ll definitely meet her on Sunday.’

‘I see.’

Her answer was short, but Blood Leopard gave a light smile, and slowly gave a deep nod.

‘Thank you, Silver Crow. I’m glad I talked with you..Perhaps I have three important people now instead of two.’

—Whatever the meaning of those words were, Haruyuki could unfortunately not understand it at all. Therefore, he naively asked about it. But.

‘H-Huh? What..who is the third?’

It’s a secret.

As if saying that, Pard-san quickly disconnected the Direct Connect cable.

After being transported to Suginami again on the motorbike and seeing Pard-san off until her tail-light disappeared far away, Haruyuki thought absentmindedly.

The total number of Burst Linkers was about 1000. Almost all of them lived in the center of Tokyo. There were so many that it was impossible to memorize all of their names, and most of them were in a relationship where they scrambled for Burst Points amongst each other, but—even so, if they continued to duel over a long period of time, a relationship other than as ?enemies? was sometimes born eventually. Thinking about it, even Takumu, ?Cyan Pile?, who was now his irreplaceable tag partner, met him as a genuine enemy at first..

In Haruyuki’s mind, the faces of his comrades in the legion starting with Kuroyukihime, of his friends Niko and Pard-san, of his rivals Ash Roller and tentatively Frost Horn appeared one after another and then disappeared.

Aiming for Level 10 as a Burst Linker was, in principle, equal to continuing to bring down other Burst Linkers. That was probably exactly what the game’s mysterious developer intended. To make 1000 young people fight amongst each other, and select only one person as the victor.

However, despite that, even the developer shouldn’t be able to stop feelings other than hatred from being born and exchanged in the process. The way Blood Leopard worried about Sky Raker who she shouldn’t have been friends with was proof of that.

—I also want that.

Haruyuki strongly thought that as he walked towards his home.

—Even if I’m beaten black and blue, even if I’m so mortified I shed tears, I won’t simply hate my opponent. Because I love this game..Accel World. Because I consider myself more fortunate than anyone for having become a Burst Linker.

——Really? Is that really all?

Suddenly, a voice asked him that.

At the same time, several silhouettes flashed quickly through his mind’s screen. A rust-colored avatar that seemed to be combined with a steel frame. A laminated avatar made of parallel jet-black thin membranes. And—a dusk-colored avatar with a spherical visor and huge talons, who no longer existed. They were members of the group that judged Brain Burst not as a duel fighting game but as a thought acceleration tool and who aimed only at acquiring and using points, the ?Acceleration Research Society?.

They hadn't carried out any public activities over the past two months. However, that did not mean that they had vanished. They were probably hiding somewhere in Accel World and waiting with vigilant hostility for the chance to invade again.

——Can you also?forgive those guys? Can you throw away the hatred you feel towards them, who cruelly wounded and tormented you and your friends?[8]

Haruyuki did not notice that the voice echoing in his mind had at some point become not his own, but instead carried a shadowy and twisted metallic echo in it. While grimacing at the aching feeling at the center of his back, he stepped towards the location of his apartment building with rough steps.

——It’s natural to hate guys like that. It’s natural to crush them with hatred. Release all your anger, resentment and hatred, and destroy them. You have that power. The power to tear off their limbs, devour their flesh, and drain their blood. Yes—

Devour them. Devour them. Devour them. Devour them. Dev..

“....Shut up!”

He shouted that in a stifled voice as he hanged his head down deeply. Residents and shoppers avoided Haruyuki as he stopped in front of the entrance of a shopping mall.

Feeling as if he could see talons shining with a dusky purple color among the countless shoes that passed by on either side of him, Haruyuki shut his eyes tight. Inside his mind, he strongly spoke to himself.

—If they appear again, I’ll fight them. But not because I hate them. It will be because I love Accel World. Because I believe that there exists bonds besides that of hostility in there. I will fight to protect those bonds.

——Really?

Leaving that single word along with a creaking laughter, the voice went away. The pain on his back also faded away soon and disappeared.

After letting out a long breath and rubbing his sweaty palms against his trousers, Haruyuki headed towards his empty home with heavy footsteps while hanging his head.