Accel World: Return of Princess Snow Black

by Reki Kawahara

  Then, as if he suddenly noticed something, Takumu turned his body to the side.

  His eyes turned to the direction of the automatic door, and he put his left hand over his mouth as if he were calling out to someone in a loud voice.

  As Haruyuki thought ‘Did Chiyuri also come?’, he also tried to look through to the other side of the front entrance.

  Just before his gaze left Takumu. A faint uneasiness came upon him.

  Takumu, who had good conduct unlike Haruyuki, was shouting inside a hospital?

  Rather using his hand in place of a megaphone, it was as if—his mouth. And the words he was issuing from there.

  To Haruyuki, it seemed like he was trying to hide them.

  At that instant, the uneasiness changed into a shudder. A needle of ice pierced straight through Haruyuki’s spine.

  Even as his eyes widened and he stood upright, several thoughts flashed through his mind at the same time.

  I—Why did I conclude that that guy, that «Cyan Pile», was a student at Umesato Middle School?

  Of course, because he put that virus in Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker. Because he was using Chiyuri as a stepping stone, and attacking Kuroyukihime like a ghost from somewhere within the school’s local network.

  But. What if he made that Backdoor for the sake of accessing it from the Global Net? In that case, the suspects wouldn’t be limited to within Umesato Middle School, but extend across the entire country.

  However, at the same time, a new filter to narrow the suspects down appeared.

  Why Chiyuri? Of course, because she was within easy contact for him.

  Someone outside the school, who is the closest to Chiyuri. Someone so close to her side, that he could direct connect to Chiyuri’s Neuro Linker. There was only one person who fit these conditions. Someone who, right this instant, was standing just twenty meters in front of him—

  The instant his thoughts reach that point, Haruyuki’s mouth moved automatically and sent the command.

  “Burst Link!!”

  —The boy who was both Chiyuri’s childhood friend and boyfriend. Takumu.

  Bashiiiiiiii!!

  A cold and dry froze the world.

  Ahead of him, Takumu, with his left hand in front of his mouth, hardened into blue.

  But, that wasn’t true. Within that palm, Takumu was also reciting the command at the same time. And his consciousness was being accelerated in a different frozen space from Haruyuki.

  You? It was you? No way. Impossible. Why. Why?

  Even while he made incoherent shouts in his mind, the right hand of Haruyuki’s avatar flashed to the top of the virtual desktop at the highest possible speed.

  Right at this instant, Takumu should also be doing the same thing. Activating the Brain Burst console, and waiting for the update of the matching list. And then, like touching a dropped fruit, he would click on the name «Black Lotus» and challenge her to a duel.

  Before that happened, Haruyuki had to challenge «Cyan Pile».

  Haruyuki clenched his teeth, opened his eyes wide, and stare at the searching indicator of the matching list.

  With a ping, there was his own name at the top. «Silver Crow».

  Next, the beloved person he had to protect. «Black Lotus».

  And then last, the name of the enemy he had to defeat finally appeared as a real string of characters for the first time before Haruyuki’s eyes. «Cyan Pile».

  Be in time————!!

  While sending out that scream with all his body and soul, Haruyuki clicked the name at super-speed and hit the duel command from the window with a pop.

  Chapter 8

  BAKIBAKIBAKIBAKI!!

  What rang through the world in that moment was a strange tremor, like countless metal clumps grating against each other.

  The fresh morning sunlight flowing in from the front entrance degenerated into a creepy yellow.

  The surrounding floor and walls were covered with biological-looking slime everywhere from Haruyuki’s feet, and with creased and rusted metal. The support pillars had joints like the abdomen of an insect and were twisted, and there were many strange eye-like bulges visible on the ceiling.

  It had only taken a few seconds for the interior of the cutting-edge hospital that had been so clean to be covered with organic metal-like pollution like something from the nightmare of a classic cyberpunk author.

  As he held his breath and stood stock still, Haruyuki’s body began to be covered by shining silver armor from the tips of his limbs and at the same time was squeezed and thinned down like a wire.

  Everything from his lower back to his abdomen and chest also changed into smooth silver, and at the end his head was wrapped in a round helmet.

  At nearly the same time as Haruyuki transformed from the pink avatar to the duel avatar «Silver Crow», two physical strength gauges extended out in the upper corner of his vision with a screeching sound.

  In between the gauges were the numeral digits of 1800.

  And then finally, a flame burst out with a roar in the middle. The characters of «FIGHT!!» that appeared inside the flames shined a deep red, and then scattered with an explosion.

  After quickly looking at the countdown that had started to decrease and letting out a breath of relief as he thought ‘I made it in time’, Haruyuki looked towards the end of the slimy hallway, where Takumu had been standing.

  Standing there while facing towards the side in the exact same place was a duel avatar with an unexpected form.

  That…was Takumu!? «Cyan Pile»!?

  Haruyuki unconsciously moved back half a step with his right leg in astonishment.

  He was gigantic, no, his height wasn’t that big. He was only about five centimeters taller than Takumu, who was one-hundred-and-seventy-five centimeters in his first year of middle school—but even so, Silver Crow, who was at most one-hundred-and-fifty-five, had to raise his eyes to look up at him.

  However, more overwhelming than that was how incredibly thick Cyan Pile’s entire body was.

  It was different from being fat. Limbs and torso with rugged muscles bulging on them like a pro-wrestler’s. And that was all wrapped in metallic-blue snug bodysuit-type armor.

  Dark blue rough boots on the feet, and a similarly colored giant glove on the left hand.

  He looked like a macho hero from some American comic book. This image was a full 180 degree reversal from the actual slender and slim Takumu.

  While Haruyuki was inescapably overwhelmed and stood stock still.

  Turning his body to the left slowly, Cyan Pile’s gaze poured straight forward at him.

  Cyan Pile’s head was covered by a stylish tear drop-shaped mask. Several long and narrow slit-like gaps were opened horizontally on the face, with points facing downward vertically at the center of each slit. Looking at it, it reminded one of a kendo mask.

  Inside one of the slits, two bluish-white eyes suddenly flashed and shined sharply. He slowly lifted his left leg and stomped the floor heavily. The piled up slime there went flying left and right with a splash.

  While he took another step with his left leg, Haruyuki’s eyes were drawn in by Cyan Pile’s exposed right arm. What—was that!?

  There was no arm-like glove on his right arm. It was connected to a pipe from the elbow onwards.

  The pipe had a diameter of fifteen centimeters and a length of one meter. Furthermore, the sharp tip of a rod, which stuck out from an aperture on it and seemed to be installed in the pipe, was emitting a glaring and dangerous radiance.

  Cyan Pile’s attribute, based on the color of the armor that wrapped around his entire body, was «Close Range Blue». Moreover, according to Kuroyukihime, this was exceedingly close to the pure color of blue. So, that sharp rod shouldn’t be a projectile weapon.

  But even as Haruyuki thought that, he couldn’t help moving back another step.

  As if he was tormenting the stock-still slender Silver Crow, Cyan Pile took one slow step, then another down the organic metal
hallway. Then, his movements suddenly stopped.

  That mask with parallel slits turned to look at the surroundings.

  The voice that flowed out from inside that was—darkly warped, but that was certainly the refreshing voice that he had heard for so long, of his best friend Takumu.

  “Hmm, so this is the «Purgatory» stage. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it. What were its attributes again?”

  In the face of that carefree chatting, Haruyuki unconsciously opened his mouth.

  “Ta…Taku…”

  SUGYAAAAAH!!

  Suddenly swinging it, the steel rod of Cyan Pile’s right arm ate into the metal wall of the hallway, and unseemly tore it up. Scattered metal scraps, slime and crushed unknown bugs fell and dripped down onto the floor.

  Haruyuki gulped back down his words and cringed in fear with a ‘HIKUN!’.

  Fleetingly looking at his reaction, Cyan Pile continued speaking further in a cheerful voice.

  “As expected, it’s hard. Destroying this stage may be a little difficult.”

  Thud. He resumed walking, and his big blue frame approached before Haruyuki’s eyes as if leaning over him.

  “Haru…Haru. As usual, the way you operate a virtual desktop is so fast. Though all I had left to do was pull the Duel button, you broke in just before that.”

  “Ta…kumu…”

  —So it really is you. Why? Since when?

  Since when on earth have you been a Burst Linker?

  Before Haruyuki could give voice to the questions swirling in his chest, Cyan Pile uttered more words.

  “To think you would become a Burst Linker…I’m shocked. Yesterday, I couldn’t keep myself completely calm as expected. I never thought that my best friend would betray me like that, right, Haru?”

  “Ta…kumu…N…No, that’s not it. That was…”

  The words that Haruyuki blurted out in a hoarse voice were drowned out by the loud sound of the steel rod hitting against the wall again.

  “…How was it, Haru? How did it feel to direct connect on Chii-chan’s bed? How did it feel to hug her? How did Chii-chan’s body feel as you touched her while thinking about me?”

  —That isn’t Takumu. Haruyuki cried that out without saying it.

  That isn’t the Taku I know. Taku wouldn’t say such things. Always bright and refreshing, never showing any negative feelings at all, that is Takumu.

  Cyan Pile was someone else. Surely, he’s put a Backdoor in Takumu’s Neuro Linker as well and is connecting from somewhere far away.

  Haruyuki desperately tried to tell himself that.

  But, at the same time, the presence that he had felt back then.

  Haruyuki was strongly aware that the presence he had felt when he had direct connected with Chiyuri and discovered the virus in her Neuro Linker, of someone lurking deep inside there, watching and listening intently, was exactly the same as the presence he felt densely rising up from the blue duel avatar in front of him.

  And, possibly, it might have been the same as the fleeting glances that Takumu had given towards the playing Haruyuki and Chiyuri since long ago, from the time that the three of them had been small children.

  “Taku…It was you.”

  The words that Haruyuki emitted from beneath his silver helmet resounded so sharply and strongly that it surprised even himself.

  “It was you that put that virus in Chiyu’s Neuro Linker. You secretly connected to Chiyu, and peeked through her memory, sight and hearing as you pleased!”

  “Please don’t call it a virus.”

  Stopping just five meters away from Haruyuki, the huge avatar lightly spread out his left hand in a stylish manner that was the only thing like Takumu.

  “Chii-chan is my girlfriend. So it’s only natural that we direct connect. And direct connecting is the same thing as presenting your Neuro Linker to your partner. Things like circumventing password authentication, exposing the deepest parts of one’s local memory, looking at any file and installing any kind of program, it’s all acceptable. Am I wrong? Haru, even you …”

  Haruyuki felt that, inside the thin slits cut across Cyan Pile’s mask, there was a warped smile on the face that he couldn’t see.

  “Even you direct connected with Chii-chan, and secretly looked through her memory, didn’t you? What’s more, you’re not even her boyfriend either. The one who took advantage of Chii-chan’s kindness and pretended to be pitiful was you, wasn’t it?”

  “Th…That’s…”

  “You’ve always been like that since long ago, Haru.”

  As Cyan Pile began to speak in a calm voice, a big metallic bug with a weird shape tried to pass by on the wall to the right of him.

  Cyan Pile lifted the giant needle of his right arm with a casual gesture, and lightly pierced the back of the bug with it. Stopped on the wall and making squeaking noises, the bug furiously waved its countless legs as it tried to escape.

  “Always, always since long ago, you kept saying to Chii-chan, ‘Aren’t I pitiful? Aren’t I pathetic? That’s why, be kind to me. Care for me more.’ Even if you didn’t use words, in your behaviour, in your eyes…No, it could be seen in your existence itself.”

  Making a wet squishy noise, the needle sank further into the shell of the bug. Grew fluid scattered around, and the virtual bug began to wriggle and struggle even more.

  “Girls sure are incomprehensible. Compared to when she holds hands with me, Chii-chan seems to be enjoying herself more when she’s pulling your hand while grumbling and complaining. She always looks so much happier by looking after you and meddling in your business, since long ago…Did you know? Whenever she goes anywhere, she always carries a huge toweling handkerchief. For the sweaty you.”

  BACHA!!

  And with a horrifying noise, the bug was crushed, and its dark green shell and legs scattered about along with slime.

  As the bug’s fluids dripped from the needle, the half-dumbfounded Haruyuki asked Cyan Pile.

  “That’s why…? That’s why you confessed to Chiyu two years ago? Looking like you were impatient…?”

  “It wasn’t ‘like’, I was impatient. If things were left as they were, Chii-chan would have tried to keep looking after you for the rest of her life, you know? Like one of those old-fashioned manga that you have archived. ‘Since you’re no good without me around, I’ll marry you.’ —Ah, could it have been your plan to induce Chii-chan into that as well?”

  ‘Hahahaha’, Cyan Pile gave a seemingly pleasant laugh, but which contained a distorted echo that made one shudder.

  No. That’s not it—

  Takumu, you’re wrong. Chiyuri definitely didn’t enjoy looking after the pitiful me. She was seriously worried and suffered.

  But, Haruyuki didn’t know how to express those thoughts in words to Takumu. Because when looking at everything from the surface, what Takumu said was true to some extent.

  Cyan Pile’s foot took another step towards the stock-still Haruyuki.

  “When Chii-chan chose me two years ago, I was so happy. I thought that Chii-chan also finally understood. That it was much better to be happy at my side, than going through hardships by looking after Haru. That…was the pragmatic decision after all.”

  “Pragma…tic?”

  “‘We can’t stay children forever’, right?”

  Those were the words that Haruyuki had told Chiyuri yesterday. Cyan Pile lifted the tip of his green-dyed metallic needle in the air as if asking for agreement.

  “Even Chii-chan is a girl…no, a woman. She eventually realized that having a boyfriend you can boast about to your friends, a happy marriage, and a satisfying life is what true «happiness» is. That’s why I also worked hard. I studied desperately to enter my current school, and trained my body by running every day. While you were playing worthless games and spent time fast asleep, Haru.”

  “You…do you seriously mean that?”

  Still unable to gather his thoughts, Haruyuki cried that out almost reflexively.

&n
bsp; “Do you seriously believe that Chiyu chose you over some calculation like that!?”

  “I don’t like how you call it ‘calculating’. It’s looking at everything from an impartial point of view.”

  ‘Fufufu’, Cyan Pile laughed once again.

  “Chii-chan has the right to be happy. The right to go out with me, who has the first place results among the first years at school and is the municipal tournament champion in kendo.”

  “……”

  Haruyuki sharply drew in a breath, and took in even more.

  As I thought, this isn’t Takumu.

  I don’t believe, I don’t want to believe at all that this is Takumu’s true nature. Something has warped him.

  Certainly, Haruyuki and Chiyuri were also partly to blame for it. While going out with Takumu, Chiyuri putting feelings towards Haruyuki. That was also part of what drove Takumu into a wall.

  But—what changed Takumu far more greatly than that was, most likely.

  “…You’re wrong, Taku.”

  Haruyuki lifted up his silver mask and stared straight at the sharp eyes of Cyan Pile.

  “The first place position, the championship, those aren’t your power. That’s Brain Burst’s…«accelerations»’s power. Since when? Since when did you become a Burst Linker?”

  For a short while, silence filled the Purgatory stage.

  A group of small bugs passed by their feet, and steam like that of a living being’s sometimes rose from the creases that opened up along the wall.

  Since it had started from 1800, the countdown had already passed through 200 seconds. At the same time as the hundred-digit column became ‘5’, Cyan Pile spoke out.

  “It’s my power.”

  He pointed his right arm’s needle straight at Haruyuki.

  “«Acceleration» is my power. My power, from fostering my aptitude by immersing myself in intellectual training software in my Neuro Linker to the point of hating it ever since I was an infant! It’s only been a year since I became a Burst Linker. The captain of my kendo club is my «Parent»…and a close-aide of the «Blue King». He had great expectations for me. I became a cadet for the elite guards. But…”