When it was time to actually carry out the three-person sleepover that had been suggested out of nowhere, there really were a number of hurdles.
The act of obtaining permission from Takumu’s parents, who by no means held good will toward Haruyuki.
The right or wrong of lodging Chiyuri at the Arita family’s apartment, who, despite being a childhood friend, would be turning fourteen this year.
And of course, the inclination of Haruyuki’s mother.
Unexpectedly, the most easily settled matter was the third. To Haruyuki’s text mail, timidly sent to his mother still at work with the gist of “Is it okay if two friends come over tonight,” the response was “If you guys make a mess, clean it up properly. Mom won’t be coming home tonight, so I’m leaving it to you.”
Although it wasn’t certain whether she had already planned not to come home or whether she intended to vacate the apartment if her son’s friends were going to stay over out of parental affection, if his mother wouldn’t be coming home, it meant they could use the living room all night long.
The next cleared hurdle was the first, obtaining Takumu’s parents’ permission. It seemed that the phrase “doing homework” in itself really had shown some effect.
The problem was the second—what Chiyu herself as well as her parents would decide; as Haruyuki thought that, he and Takumu crossed the connecting bridge on the twentieth floor and rang the Kurashima residence’s door chime—but.
“My goodness, Haru-chan, and Tacchan too! Well—Tacchan, you’ve grown so big! How tall are you now…my goodness, 175 centimeters tall!? You’re already taller than my husband; kids these days are amazing! And, I heard you three are doing tough homework together? That’s right; this year’s the first time all three of you’ve been in the same class. When I heard that Tacchan was transferring to Umesato Middle School, I was so happy. But with this, Chiyu will also be troubled more and more; I’d rather have both Haru-chan and Tacchan as my sons-in-law…”
Dumbfounded, Haruyuki and Takumu continued to listen to Chiyuri’s mama’s specialty endless talk for the first time in a while. But at that point her single daughter in question stuck her face out from the direction of the kitchen and shouted with a facial expression like an inferno.
“Mama! You don’t have to say anything unnecessary! The pot’s boiling!”
“My, this isn’t good! Stop the heat! No, don’t stop it, set it on low, on low!”
In exchange with Chiyuri’s mama, who had dashed pitter-patter to the kitchen, Chiyuri, who had advanced down the corridor in large strides, glared at the two from the agarikamachi[1] and spoke.
“…That’s not a «we’re going to do it» face; that’s a «we’ve already done it» face, right?”
What a discerning eye. The two boys who were evidently guilty of just having been through a bout could only laugh nervously and duck their heads.
In the mail Haruyuki had sent to Chiyuri before arriving, he had written only “Today, do you want to camp over at my place?”, but she had probably immediately seen right through the fact that it wasn’t only that.
Chiyuri, who had just come out of the shower after coming home from club activities and was sporting half-dried hair, a plain T-shirt, and shorts, put her hands on her waist and glowered at the two for a while.
However, she finally snorted and said briefly, “Well, sure. I’ll hang out with you.” Haruyuki reflexively made a stupid verification.
“What…is, is it all right?”
“Hey there, wasn’t it you who invited me!”
To Chiyuri, who had lifted the corners of her eyes, together with Takumu he hurriedly lowered his head.
Twenty minutes later, with the basket filled with dinner for three people that Chiyuri’s mama had had them bring, Haruyuki and company moved to his apartment. When he came home alone at nighttime to his deserted, spacious apartment with few possessions consisting of three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen, he couldn’t help but feel chilly, but if he were together with his two childhood friends, he didn’t have the time to think about that. Haruyuki, who had first put down his bag in his room and had changed into a more comfortable outfit, launched his mailer application before going to the living room.
Not only Kurasaki Fuuko, who had informed Haruyuki, and Shinomiya Utai but also Kuroyukihime by this point probably knew that Takumu—Cyan Pile had been attacked by the PK group «Supernova Remnant» and had turned the tables on them in the Unlimited Neutral Field. It was imperative that Haruyuki transmit the situation to them, who were undoubtedly deeply worried, but he was far from able to explain the details fully by mail.
There, Haruyuki wrote just “Takumu’s fine. I’ll explain the details tomorrow during the Imperial Palace escape strategy” and sent the message. The three of them quickly responded “Understood”; Haruyuki could strongly feel their concern in their concise replies.
Kuroyukihime, Fuuko, and also Utai had probably surmised long ago that something not so simple—a state unable to be straightened up with the single word «fine»—had arisen. In short, Kuroyukihime and the others were implicitly conveying their will that they were entrusting everything to Haruyuki and Takumu’s judgment.
However, at the same time, that also meant if something irreparable happened from now on, at that time all the responsibility would lie with Haruyuki and company.
Twenty-four more hours. Especially during tonight, in order for Takumu not to lose sight of himself due to the interference of the ISS Kit, the two of them—no, with Chiyuri, the three of them would have to pull through it together. They could definitely do it. Because from the time they were very little, the three of them had been through countless adventures...
Having thought up until there, Haruyuki suddenly noticed something and stopped his hand with a twitch.
When he had invited Chiyuri to tonight’s spontaneous sleepover, he had done so on the spur of the moment, without any concrete intention. It was a result of his expectation resembling the subjective impression that «the three of us will somehow get through it».
However—. A certain «ability» that Chiyuri possessed. If it were used, couldn’t the parasitic life form tormenting Takumu perhaps be removed from the system? The situation was so irregular that he couldn’t even guess at its likelihood, but it was worth a try.
“Senpai, Master, Mei-san…”
Haruyuki softly called out to his three comrades, who were not here in this place.
“I’m sure, I’m sure that I’ll do something about this. Because Takumu and Chiyu are…my best friends.”
Haruyuki strode out of his room and with great momentum opened the door leading to the living room from where a good scent was floating.
What Chiyuri’s mama had prepared in only a mere thirty minutes was curry soup made with plenty of summer-season vegetables. If they afterward warmed the frozen food stocked in the Arita household’s refrigerator and prepared some iced jasmine tea, then they would have a dinner table extravagant more than enough.
Following their chorus of “Itadakimasu!”[2], first the three wordlessly moved their spoons vigorously. It seemed that the appetite of Takumu, who had eaten nothing since morning, had returned as it was. Or it might have been due to the power of Chiyuri’s mama’s cooking, which one couldn’t help but eat, furthermore when one’s mind was carrying a large burden.
“Aah, when you deep-fry eggplant, it becomes so different…”
Haruyuki said that while stuffing his cheeks full of the round-sliced eggplant deep-fried once with olive oil and cooked quickly together with curry sauce; Chiyuri immediately raised a voice of incredulous doubt.
“Eggplant’s tasty whether you bake it or cook it!”
“No way, eggplant that hasn’t been deep-fried is just an edible sponge. Stuff like fill-and-fry is the cooking of the gods.”
“Ah, enough already, this is precisely why people with kids’ tastes are—! Why don’t they understand the deliciousness of well-done, peeled, cooked eggplant with ginger sauce—”
Takumu, who was looking alternatively at the two of them quarreling, coughed and spoke.
“Now, now, both of you. Fried eggplant and baked eggplant are both delicious, but of course it’s best pickled. Pickled eggplant soaked a deep blue for sure is the taste of summer.”
To the statement unbelievable for a middle schooler, Chiyuri and Haruyuki exchanged glances and let out a long “Whaa~t…”
“Sorry, Takkun, but to me pickled eggplant is rather…it tastes for sure like a sponge…”
“Unh, me too...Taku, as much as you’re a blue-color, you don’t have to want your pickled vegetables to be blue…”
“Wh-what, avatar color’s not part of the story, is it!”
Takumu, who had shown a genuinely hurt face, had his shoulders tapped by a laughing Chiyuri.
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry! As an apology, next time I’ll request mama to also pickle eggplant with her secret nukadoko[3]!”
While exchanging small talk, Haruyuki was conscious in a corner of his heart of the fact that this was the first time in a relatively long time that just the three of them had had a meal together.
The circle bonding Haruyuki, Chiyuri, and Takumu was preserved through means of an exceedingly delicate balance.
The relationship between Takumu and Chiyuri, who had begun to date in the winter of their fifth grade in elementary school, had been reset once on the occasion of the «Back Door Incident» last fall, and since then the two had been estranged for a while. However, Takumu had transferred to Umesato Middle during the third school term, and by the first semester of their second year, when even Chiyuri had become a Burst Linker, though it was awkward they had once again begun to shorten the distance between them as «friends», which included Haruyuki.
Immediately after that, they had undergone a difficult fight with Dusk Robber, who had assaulted them, and their circle of three people was tightly bound once again the way it was in the past—so it seemed.
However, that relationship was built above the fact that they were Burst Linkers and members of «Nega Nebulas». Even if one of them lost all his or her Burst Points and memories of the Accelerated World, whether they would be able to continue to maintain their bond…Haruyuki did not know.
The one thing that was clear was that now was not the occasion to be afraid of hypothetical crises.
There was only rushing through every obstacle from the front, continuing to run toward only one ultimate target. Beyond the «level 10» horizon, where their legion master Kuroyukihime was aiming—.
While resolving himself anew, Haruyuki tried to extend his fork out to his plate, which had a little curry remaining.
However, at that moment,
“Haru, if you like it that much I’ll give you some eggplant! In return, you can have this—”
While saying that with a grin, Chiyuri dropped some round-sliced eggplant onto his plate and retrieved a large lump of chicken with her reverse strike.
“A, aaaaah—! Hey you, I’ve been carefully, carefully raising…I mean, saving it aside..!”
“Hey, didn’t you say at first that you liked eggplant a hundred times more than chicken?”
“I didn’t say that! Bring it out, give it back, return it—!”
While nearly being in tears, he protested fiercely, but as he watched, the gently simmered, juicy chicken meat was chewed inside Chiyuri’s mouth.
“Ah—, delicious…I wouldn’t begrudge using the acceleration command to prolong this deliciousness…”
“D, damn it—!”
From the neighboring seat, with a slightly amazed face Takumu watched Haruyuki, who was stamping his feet from his chair, but at last—.
“Fu, ha ha…ahaha…”
He let out his voice and laughed merrily.
Soon Chiyuri and Haruyuki also joined in his laughter. With their forks in one hand, they continued to laugh to no end.
After they had cooperatively tidied up the tableware and dining table, as per their declaration it was homework time.
They moved to the sofa set at the west side of the living room, huddled their shoulders together, and launched their homework applications. As this was exclusive software developed by the parent body of Umesato Middle’s administration, a major education-related enterprise, copying and pasting answers was wholly impossible; furthermore, even if one tried to use an ad hoc connection or a wired direct connection, the technical specifications were inflexibly set such that other people’s screens were invisible. If one dived into the Initial Acceleration Space/Blue World by means of the «Burst Link» command, each and every one of those limitations would be invalidated, but if one did not begin at least five minutes before the start of homeroom at school, one would not be permitted the luxury of «accelerating» and finishing off one’s homework.
There, while the three shared information using the old-fashioned method of writing by hand on A3-sized electronic paper spread out on the glass table, they finished math and Japanese homework in forty minutes. If Haruyuki had been working alone, he probably would have taken several times longer.
When he looked at the clock, it was not even eight o’clock yet, so starting then and also for the first time in a while, they played a tournament of the old games that Haruyuki had been collecting. While connecting to the panel TV the hardware over thirty years old that even the manufacturer could not fix if it broke and while even enjoying the coarseness of the 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution, they clamored over the games chock-full of expressions of violence hardly seen in more recent games.
Around half past nine, the three took turns taking a bath—of course they didn’t take it «together» as they had done so in the long-ago past—changed into their pajamas, and assembled in the living room once again. Cleaning up the game consoles, lining up three beds with folding-type high-resilience mattresses, pillows, and blankets—.
“Well then, now.”
Chiyuri, who had changed into light green pajamas with a cat design on them, looked at Haruyuki and Takumu successively; while smiling she spoke.
“Both of you, have a seat.”
“Huh…”
“Uh, unh.”
The two of them hurriedly downed their after-bath iced tea and sat down side by side on top of the mattresses before Chiyuri, who had stood up quickly. The reason why they had somehow ended up sitting seiza[4] style was that their understanding that «both of them were basically Chiyuri’s subordinates» engraved in their bodies and souls since they were young had caused them to do so.
Without wiping away her smiling expression, Chiyuri, who had folded her arms before her chest with great momentum, continued and spoke.
“Well then, let’s have the explanation again, shall we? Haru and Takkun, this time what have you two perpetrated, and how bad of a situation has it become?”
—Uh oh, she had already seen through that far.
While earnestly being impressed, Haruyuki thought inside his head at high speed.
The biggest reason why he had also involved Chiyuri in this «spontaneous sleepover» was due to the expectation that her existence—to be precise, this state of affairs in which the three childhood friends huddled their bodies together like in the past—would block out the interference of the ISS Kit, which had been preserved «somewhere» inside Takumu. He had not thought to go as far as to reveal the entire situation to Chiyuri. The reason was that it would be equivalent to exposing as far as the deep wound that Takumu was carrying—his sense of guilt for the fact that it was he who had destroyed their circle of three people.
However, Chiyuri had already sensed the situation to a certain extent; no, nearly to the crux of it. What was more, if they wanted to attempt to erase the Kit with Chiyuri’s «ability», then they couldn’t hide the truth anyways.
Haruyuki glanced at Takumu to the left of him. His old friend with freshly washed hair returned his gaze straight back for a second, then turned back to Chiyuri and spoke.
“Chii-chan, I believe you’ve already at least heard the rumor. The problem of the «ISS Kit», which has been casting a great shadow over the Accelerated World beginning about a mere week ago…”
From there, in about twenty minutes Takumu told everything.
How he had went in the direction of the depopulated area Setagaya by himself and had received the «ISS Kit» in its sealed state from the Burst Linker «Magenta Scissor», whom he had encountered there.
How he had returned home and had seen a nightmare clearly seeming to be due to the interference of the Kit after climbing into bed, even though he had removed his Neuro Linker.
How on the same occasion his parents had sent him to the family hospital since he had a slight fever, he had attempted to collect information in the Shinjuku area. However, he had been sold out by the comrades of his former legion and had taken a real attack by the PK group «Supernova Remnant».
How Takumu had dived into the Unlimited Field with them and had summoned the ISS Kit there, cornering all the Remnant members into losing all their points with the strength of dark Mind Power. How as a result, while his Brain Burst had been protected, a considerable portion of his consciousness had been corroded by the Kit. How he, believing that he would harm his comrades of Nega Nebulas at this rate, had made up his mind to fight with «Magenta Scissor», to pin down the distributor of the Kit, and to obtain information with the resolution of committing a simultaneous suicidal kill while he could still barely manage to control the Kit’s power.
However, immediately before that, he had entered a direct connection duel with Haruyuki, who had run from Umesato Middle to Takumu’s home, and they both had fought with all the strength and suppressed emotion they had—at the end, they had succeeded in repelling the Kit’s interference to some degree, but.
“…But, it still hasn’t disappeared from inside me.”
Takumu, who had finished telling the long story, with both his hands gripped his blue Neuro Linker, which he had not been wearing out of the bath, and brought his talk to a close with a half-whispering voice.
“The «Kit» is somewhere inside this Neuro Linker…and a part of it is maybe lurking somewhere inside my head. It’s steadily absorbing power from the other linked Kits; even now, moment by moment it’s becoming stronger. Tonight...if I see that nightmare again…I will probably call awake the black thing inside my heart. That’s why Haru is trying to prevent that by spending tonight with the three of us together…That’s the reason that you were suddenly invited, Chii-chan. Everything’s…a result of my foolish conceit…”
There, Takumu closed his mouth and deeply hung his head.
Chiyuri, who was still standing and had finished listening to the long story without stirring an inch, abruptly bent down on her knees in front of Takumu and reached her fair hand out from the pajamas covering three-fifths of her arm—with her fingertips, she gently wiped something beginning to blur the edge of Takumu’s left eye. At the same time, a subdued murmur.
“…Sorry, Takkun.”
“Huh..?”
To Takumu, who had raised his face and had opened his eyes wide, Chiyuri began to talk gently.
“From the past, I knew that you were really a very sensitive and kind person…maybe as sensitive and kind as Haru, Takkun. However…I’ve always depended on your kindness…”
Her pupils, always swirling and sparkling like those of a cat, slowly became downcast. Chiyuri let down her hands, seated herself in seiza position like the other two, raised her face again, and spoke in a firm voice.
“When I was small, I believed stubbornly…That no matter how old we became, how many years passed, the three of us would be able to laugh, getting along with one another. But in reality, that’s impossible, isn’t it? The flow of time is unstoppable…it can’t be turned back. Even though I understood that somewhere inside my head…I always hoped that for just a little bit more, for just a little bit more things could stay like that…”
She took a deep breath—.
While looking in turn at Haruyuki and Takumu, Chiyuri suddenly said something greatly unexpected.
“Haru, Takkun. This is something I haven’t said to anyone outside my family but…you see, my papa might not be able to live for long.”
Completely as if those words had been lodged somewhere between his ear and his brain, for a while Haruyuki was unable to recognize what they meant. Takumu seemed to be the same; from his left, far from feeling his body stir, there was no sign of even his breathing.
Before the eyes of the two and furthermore without letting her peaceful expression crumble, Chiyuri continued and opened her mouth.
“Both of you, you already know why I was able to clear the «first condition of a Burst Linker», right?”
“…Unh.”
While slightly nodding, Haruyuki thought in a corner of his mind.
To become a Burst Linker, that was, to install «Brain Burst Program» in one’s Neuro Linker, there were two conditions. The first was «having continuously worn a Neuro Linker since immediately after birth». The second was «possessing a high-level quantum connection aptitude».
The second was able to be cleared through prolonged full dive experiences or active training—like how Chiyuri had done so herself. However, the first couldn’t be helped by the will of the person himself or herself at such a late point. In brief, one could say that one’s aptitude as a Burst Linker was halfway inherently decided.
The reason why a newborn baby was equipped with a Neuro Linker was almost always due to «child-rearing labor reduction» or «education for gifted children». Haruyuki and Takumu had been given infant-use Neuro Linkers immediately since birth, Haruyuki for the former reason and Takumu for the latter.
However, Chiyuri fell under neither of those categories.
Immediately before she was born, her father had suffered from a throat ailment and had had his vocal cords excised, making conversation using his real voice difficult for him. However, Chiyuri’s parents, who had wanted their beloved daughter somehow to be raised having heard both their voices, had chosen to use the Neuro Linker’s «thought voice function». From the time she was a baby, Chiyuri had been brought up hearing her father’s voice through a Neuro Linker.
“…The disease that caused Papa to lose his voice was lower throat cancer.”
“..!”
To the two who had again turned speechless, Chiyuri shook her head to calm them.
“It’s okay; it’s not something that’s going to happen right away. With the advancement of RTMMs[5], cancer itself isn’t a disease as scary as it was in the past…But, you know, once it’s begun to metastasize, it’s impossible to completely annihilate the cancer cells spread here and there even with today’s technology. In these ten years, Papa’s had a relapse once each in his esophagus and his lungs…each time, he was able to suppress it with anticancer drugs and MM therapy…but it seems he was told by the doctors that if he had another relapse, his prospects would be grim...”
Chiyuri, who continued to chat on, stoutheartedly made a smile, but Haruyuki noticed that her large eyes were thinly moist.
“…Of course, both Papa and Mama were considerate so that I didn’t worry but…despite that, we’d been family for years; I somehow caught on. When Papa was undergoing treatment, he seemed so pained from the side effects…Mama, she woke up so many times in the middle of the night and rubbed Papa’s body. That’s why when the treatment was over and Papa got better, I made a prayer to the gods. I said, “Please let us be the way we are now.” That was…back in fourth grade. To me, that time was…that time, when every day was enjoyable and seemed to be enveloped in a golden light, was…”
Chiyuri, who had shut her mouth there, turned her gaze toward the ceiling as if refraining from spilling her tears.
Haruyuki, unable to say anything, pictured the face of Chiyuri’s father in his mind.
Around third or fourth grade, after they had returned from playing outside till they were worn out, nearly every day they intruded on the Kurashima residence, had dinner, and even took a bath. Haruyuki had frequently met Chiyuri’s papa, but he was never let known a bit of his painful fight continuing several years against the disease. He always wore a smile on his thin face and sometimes also became their game playmate.
“…Chiyu, I didn’t…”
Didn’t notice anything.
To Haruyuki, who had tried to say that, Chiyuri again pointed a smile and shook her head bit by bit.
“I said it, didn’t I, that nothing’s going to happen right away. Maybe at this rate there won’t be a relapse ever again. —That’s why I also really shouldn’t only have been afraid of the future. Despite that, I pretended not to see everything that was changing…I didn’t try to understand Takkun’s feelings either…even if «now» became the «past», I continued to try to return there. Last fall…when Takkun tried to learn my true feelings, it was obvious too. Because even if he were at my side, even if we made a dive call, I didn’t properly see the current Takkun.”
At that moment—.
Takumu, who had been silent all along until now, tightly clenched his fists above his knees and violently shook his neck left and right.
“That’s wrong…Chii-chan, that’s wrong. The one to blame is me, who was unable to trust you. I didn’t notice at all what you were carrying inside your heart. Only me, only seeing myself; only forcing that selfish wish on you. In the end…on your Neuro Linker…I set up on your Neuro Linker…”
His forcibly squeezed out voice fairly resembled his shout of anguish when he had fought with Haruyuki during the evening.
But Haruyuki believed that his openly spoke feelings were not uttered out of self-blame or self-repugnance. Believing that, he fought hard to swallow his words.
Takumu clenched his hands one last time to the point where his hands creaked—then he drained his strength and continued in a husky voice.
“However.”
He lifted his head and looked straight and Haruyuki and then Chiyuri, then spoke.
“However, I will change, Chii-chan. I promise. Though it will be little by little, I will grow stronger. One day I will recompense for all my sins such that I can lead your hand toward the future this time for sure.”
“…Unh.”
Finally letting a teardrop spill, Chiyuri also nodded.
“I too…I too will stop looking at just the past. Right now…I’m still scared, and I can’t see the path ahead of me, but…despite that, I treasure the present, this moment. Because it’s fun right now. It’s fun and I’m happy being together with Takkun, Haru, Senpai, Nee-san, and Ui-chan and being able to aim for the same goal. That’s why…”
She sucked in a deep breath and resolutely straightened her back; after wiping her eyes with a jerk, Chiyuri spoke in a clear voice.
“That’s why I won’t let that «ISS Kit» thing do with you as it likes. I will also protect you. Together with Haru, I will protect you, Takkun.”
When it was time to actually carry out the three-person sleepover that had been suggested out of nowhere, there really were a number of hurdles.
The act of obtaining permission from Takumu’s parents, who by no means held good will toward Haruyuki.
The right or wrong of lodging Chiyuri at the Arita family’s apartment, who, despite being a childhood friend, would be turning fourteen this year.
And of course, the inclination of Haruyuki’s mother.
Unexpectedly, the most easily settled matter was the third. To Haruyuki’s text mail, timidly sent to his mother still at work with the gist of “Is it okay if two friends come over tonight,” the response was “If you guys make a mess, clean it up properly. Mom won’t be coming home tonight, so I’m leaving it to you.”
Although it wasn’t certain whether she had already planned not to come home or whether she intended to vacate the apartment if her son’s friends were going to stay over out of parental affection, if his mother wouldn’t be coming home, it meant they could use the living room all night long.
The next cleared hurdle was the first, obtaining Takumu’s parents’ permission. It seemed that the phrase “doing homework” in itself really had shown some effect.
The problem was the second—what Chiyu herself as well as her parents would decide; as Haruyuki thought that, he and Takumu crossed the connecting bridge on the twentieth floor and rang the Kurashima residence’s door chime—but.
“My goodness, Haru-chan, and Tacchan too! Well—Tacchan, you’ve grown so big! How tall are you now…my goodness, 175 centimeters tall!? You’re already taller than my husband; kids these days are amazing! And, I heard you three are doing tough homework together? That’s right; this year’s the first time all three of you’ve been in the same class. When I heard that Tacchan was transferring to Umesato Middle School, I was so happy. But with this, Chiyu will also be troubled more and more; I’d rather have both Haru-chan and Tacchan as my sons-in-law…”
Dumbfounded, Haruyuki and Takumu continued to listen to Chiyuri’s mama’s specialty endless talk for the first time in a while. But at that point her single daughter in question stuck her face out from the direction of the kitchen and shouted with a facial expression like an inferno.
“Mama! You don’t have to say anything unnecessary! The pot’s boiling!”
“My, this isn’t good! Stop the heat! No, don’t stop it, set it on low, on low!”
In exchange with Chiyuri’s mama, who had dashed pitter-patter to the kitchen, Chiyuri, who had advanced down the corridor in large strides, glared at the two from the agarikamachi[1] and spoke.
“…That’s not a «we’re going to do it» face; that’s a «we’ve already done it» face, right?”
What a discerning eye. The two boys who were evidently guilty of just having been through a bout could only laugh nervously and duck their heads.
In the mail Haruyuki had sent to Chiyuri before arriving, he had written only “Today, do you want to camp over at my place?”, but she had probably immediately seen right through the fact that it wasn’t only that.
Chiyuri, who had just come out of the shower after coming home from club activities and was sporting half-dried hair, a plain T-shirt, and shorts, put her hands on her waist and glowered at the two for a while.
However, she finally snorted and said briefly, “Well, sure. I’ll hang out with you.” Haruyuki reflexively made a stupid verification.
“What…is, is it all right?”
“Hey there, wasn’t it you who invited me!”
To Chiyuri, who had lifted the corners of her eyes, together with Takumu he hurriedly lowered his head.
Twenty minutes later, with the basket filled with dinner for three people that Chiyuri’s mama had had them bring, Haruyuki and company moved to his apartment. When he came home alone at nighttime to his deserted, spacious apartment with few possessions consisting of three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen, he couldn’t help but feel chilly, but if he were together with his two childhood friends, he didn’t have the time to think about that. Haruyuki, who had first put down his bag in his room and had changed into a more comfortable outfit, launched his mailer application before going to the living room.
Not only Kurasaki Fuuko, who had informed Haruyuki, and Shinomiya Utai but also Kuroyukihime by this point probably knew that Takumu—Cyan Pile had been attacked by the PK group «Supernova Remnant» and had turned the tables on them in the Unlimited Neutral Field. It was imperative that Haruyuki transmit the situation to them, who were undoubtedly deeply worried, but he was far from able to explain the details fully by mail.
There, Haruyuki wrote just “Takumu’s fine. I’ll explain the details tomorrow during the Imperial Palace escape strategy” and sent the message. The three of them quickly responded “Understood”; Haruyuki could strongly feel their concern in their concise replies.
Kuroyukihime, Fuuko, and also Utai had probably surmised long ago that something not so simple—a state unable to be straightened up with the single word «fine»—had arisen. In short, Kuroyukihime and the others were implicitly conveying their will that they were entrusting everything to Haruyuki and Takumu’s judgment.
However, at the same time, that also meant if something irreparable happened from now on, at that time all the responsibility would lie with Haruyuki and company.
Twenty-four more hours. Especially during tonight, in order for Takumu not to lose sight of himself due to the interference of the ISS Kit, the two of them—no, with Chiyuri, the three of them would have to pull through it together. They could definitely do it. Because from the time they were very little, the three of them had been through countless adventures...
Having thought up until there, Haruyuki suddenly noticed something and stopped his hand with a twitch.
When he had invited Chiyuri to tonight’s spontaneous sleepover, he had done so on the spur of the moment, without any concrete intention. It was a result of his expectation resembling the subjective impression that «the three of us will somehow get through it».
However—. A certain «ability» that Chiyuri possessed. If it were used, couldn’t the parasitic life form tormenting Takumu perhaps be removed from the system? The situation was so irregular that he couldn’t even guess at its likelihood, but it was worth a try.
“Senpai, Master, Mei-san…”
Haruyuki softly called out to his three comrades, who were not here in this place.
“I’m sure, I’m sure that I’ll do something about this. Because Takumu and Chiyu are…my best friends.”
Haruyuki strode out of his room and with great momentum opened the door leading to the living room from where a good scent was floating.
What Chiyuri’s mama had prepared in only a mere thirty minutes was curry soup made with plenty of summer-season vegetables. If they afterward warmed the frozen food stocked in the Arita household’s refrigerator and prepared some iced jasmine tea, then they would have a dinner table extravagant more than enough.
Following their chorus of “Itadakimasu!”[2], first the three wordlessly moved their spoons vigorously. It seemed that the appetite of Takumu, who had eaten nothing since morning, had returned as it was. Or it might have been due to the power of Chiyuri’s mama’s cooking, which one couldn’t help but eat, furthermore when one’s mind was carrying a large burden.
“Aah, when you deep-fry eggplant, it becomes so different…”
Haruyuki said that while stuffing his cheeks full of the round-sliced eggplant deep-fried once with olive oil and cooked quickly together with curry sauce; Chiyuri immediately raised a voice of incredulous doubt.
“Eggplant’s tasty whether you bake it or cook it!”
“No way, eggplant that hasn’t been deep-fried is just an edible sponge. Stuff like fill-and-fry is the cooking of the gods.”
“Ah, enough already, this is precisely why people with kids’ tastes are—! Why don’t they understand the deliciousness of well-done, peeled, cooked eggplant with ginger sauce—”
Takumu, who was looking alternatively at the two of them quarreling, coughed and spoke.
“Now, now, both of you. Fried eggplant and baked eggplant are both delicious, but of course it’s best pickled. Pickled eggplant soaked a deep blue for sure is the taste of summer.”
To the statement unbelievable for a middle schooler, Chiyuri and Haruyuki exchanged glances and let out a long “Whaa~t…”
“Sorry, Takkun, but to me pickled eggplant is rather…it tastes for sure like a sponge…”
“Unh, me too...Taku, as much as you’re a blue-color, you don’t have to want your pickled vegetables to be blue…”
“Wh-what, avatar color’s not part of the story, is it!”
Takumu, who had shown a genuinely hurt face, had his shoulders tapped by a laughing Chiyuri.
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry! As an apology, next time I’ll request mama to also pickle eggplant with her secret nukadoko[3]!”
While exchanging small talk, Haruyuki was conscious in a corner of his heart of the fact that this was the first time in a relatively long time that just the three of them had had a meal together.
The circle bonding Haruyuki, Chiyuri, and Takumu was preserved through means of an exceedingly delicate balance.
The relationship between Takumu and Chiyuri, who had begun to date in the winter of their fifth grade in elementary school, had been reset once on the occasion of the «Back Door Incident» last fall, and since then the two had been estranged for a while. However, Takumu had transferred to Umesato Middle during the third school term, and by the first semester of their second year, when even Chiyuri had become a Burst Linker, though it was awkward they had once again begun to shorten the distance between them as «friends», which included Haruyuki.
Immediately after that, they had undergone a difficult fight with Dusk Robber, who had assaulted them, and their circle of three people was tightly bound once again the way it was in the past—so it seemed.
However, that relationship was built above the fact that they were Burst Linkers and members of «Nega Nebulas». Even if one of them lost all his or her Burst Points and memories of the Accelerated World, whether they would be able to continue to maintain their bond…Haruyuki did not know.
The one thing that was clear was that now was not the occasion to be afraid of hypothetical crises.
There was only rushing through every obstacle from the front, continuing to run toward only one ultimate target. Beyond the «level 10» horizon, where their legion master Kuroyukihime was aiming—.
While resolving himself anew, Haruyuki tried to extend his fork out to his plate, which had a little curry remaining.
However, at that moment,
“Haru, if you like it that much I’ll give you some eggplant! In return, you can have this—”
While saying that with a grin, Chiyuri dropped some round-sliced eggplant onto his plate and retrieved a large lump of chicken with her reverse strike.
“A, aaaaah—! Hey you, I’ve been carefully, carefully raising…I mean, saving it aside..!”
“Hey, didn’t you say at first that you liked eggplant a hundred times more than chicken?”
“I didn’t say that! Bring it out, give it back, return it—!”
While nearly being in tears, he protested fiercely, but as he watched, the gently simmered, juicy chicken meat was chewed inside Chiyuri’s mouth.
“Ah—, delicious…I wouldn’t begrudge using the acceleration command to prolong this deliciousness…”
“D, damn it—!”
From the neighboring seat, with a slightly amazed face Takumu watched Haruyuki, who was stamping his feet from his chair, but at last—.
“Fu, ha ha…ahaha…”
He let out his voice and laughed merrily.
Soon Chiyuri and Haruyuki also joined in his laughter. With their forks in one hand, they continued to laugh to no end.
After they had cooperatively tidied up the tableware and dining table, as per their declaration it was homework time.
They moved to the sofa set at the west side of the living room, huddled their shoulders together, and launched their homework applications. As this was exclusive software developed by the parent body of Umesato Middle’s administration, a major education-related enterprise, copying and pasting answers was wholly impossible; furthermore, even if one tried to use an ad hoc connection or a wired direct connection, the technical specifications were inflexibly set such that other people’s screens were invisible. If one dived into the Initial Acceleration Space/Blue World by means of the «Burst Link» command, each and every one of those limitations would be invalidated, but if one did not begin at least five minutes before the start of homeroom at school, one would not be permitted the luxury of «accelerating» and finishing off one’s homework.
There, while the three shared information using the old-fashioned method of writing by hand on A3-sized electronic paper spread out on the glass table, they finished math and Japanese homework in forty minutes. If Haruyuki had been working alone, he probably would have taken several times longer.
When he looked at the clock, it was not even eight o’clock yet, so starting then and also for the first time in a while, they played a tournament of the old games that Haruyuki had been collecting. While connecting to the panel TV the hardware over thirty years old that even the manufacturer could not fix if it broke and while even enjoying the coarseness of the 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution, they clamored over the games chock-full of expressions of violence hardly seen in more recent games.
Around half past nine, the three took turns taking a bath—of course they didn’t take it «together» as they had done so in the long-ago past—changed into their pajamas, and assembled in the living room once again. Cleaning up the game consoles, lining up three beds with folding-type high-resilience mattresses, pillows, and blankets—.
“Well then, now.”
Chiyuri, who had changed into light green pajamas with a cat design on them, looked at Haruyuki and Takumu successively; while smiling she spoke.
“Both of you, have a seat.”
“Huh…”
“Uh, unh.”
The two of them hurriedly downed their after-bath iced tea and sat down side by side on top of the mattresses before Chiyuri, who had stood up quickly. The reason why they had somehow ended up sitting seiza[4] style was that their understanding that «both of them were basically Chiyuri’s subordinates» engraved in their bodies and souls since they were young had caused them to do so.
Without wiping away her smiling expression, Chiyuri, who had folded her arms before her chest with great momentum, continued and spoke.
“Well then, let’s have the explanation again, shall we? Haru and Takkun, this time what have you two perpetrated, and how bad of a situation has it become?”
—Uh oh, she had already seen through that far.
While earnestly being impressed, Haruyuki thought inside his head at high speed.
The biggest reason why he had also involved Chiyuri in this «spontaneous sleepover» was due to the expectation that her existence—to be precise, this state of affairs in which the three childhood friends huddled their bodies together like in the past—would block out the interference of the ISS Kit, which had been preserved «somewhere» inside Takumu. He had not thought to go as far as to reveal the entire situation to Chiyuri. The reason was that it would be equivalent to exposing as far as the deep wound that Takumu was carrying—his sense of guilt for the fact that it was he who had destroyed their circle of three people.
However, Chiyuri had already sensed the situation to a certain extent; no, nearly to the crux of it. What was more, if they wanted to attempt to erase the Kit with Chiyuri’s «ability», then they couldn’t hide the truth anyways.
Haruyuki glanced at Takumu to the left of him. His old friend with freshly washed hair returned his gaze straight back for a second, then turned back to Chiyuri and spoke.
“Chii-chan, I believe you’ve already at least heard the rumor. The problem of the «ISS Kit», which has been casting a great shadow over the Accelerated World beginning about a mere week ago…”
From there, in about twenty minutes Takumu told everything.
How he had went in the direction of the depopulated area Setagaya by himself and had received the «ISS Kit» in its sealed state from the Burst Linker «Magenta Scissor», whom he had encountered there.
How he had returned home and had seen a nightmare clearly seeming to be due to the interference of the Kit after climbing into bed, even though he had removed his Neuro Linker.
How on the same occasion his parents had sent him to the family hospital since he had a slight fever, he had attempted to collect information in the Shinjuku area. However, he had been sold out by the comrades of his former legion and had taken a real attack by the PK group «Supernova Remnant».
How Takumu had dived into the Unlimited Field with them and had summoned the ISS Kit there, cornering all the Remnant members into losing all their points with the strength of dark Mind Power. How as a result, while his Brain Burst had been protected, a considerable portion of his consciousness had been corroded by the Kit. How he, believing that he would harm his comrades of Nega Nebulas at this rate, had made up his mind to fight with «Magenta Scissor», to pin down the distributor of the Kit, and to obtain information with the resolution of committing a simultaneous suicidal kill while he could still barely manage to control the Kit’s power.
However, immediately before that, he had entered a direct connection duel with Haruyuki, who had run from Umesato Middle to Takumu’s home, and they both had fought with all the strength and suppressed emotion they had—at the end, they had succeeded in repelling the Kit’s interference to some degree, but.
“…But, it still hasn’t disappeared from inside me.”
Takumu, who had finished telling the long story, with both his hands gripped his blue Neuro Linker, which he had not been wearing out of the bath, and brought his talk to a close with a half-whispering voice.
“The «Kit» is somewhere inside this Neuro Linker…and a part of it is maybe lurking somewhere inside my head. It’s steadily absorbing power from the other linked Kits; even now, moment by moment it’s becoming stronger. Tonight...if I see that nightmare again…I will probably call awake the black thing inside my heart. That’s why Haru is trying to prevent that by spending tonight with the three of us together…That’s the reason that you were suddenly invited, Chii-chan. Everything’s…a result of my foolish conceit…”
There, Takumu closed his mouth and deeply hung his head.
Chiyuri, who was still standing and had finished listening to the long story without stirring an inch, abruptly bent down on her knees in front of Takumu and reached her fair hand out from the pajamas covering three-fifths of her arm—with her fingertips, she gently wiped something beginning to blur the edge of Takumu’s left eye. At the same time, a subdued murmur.
“…Sorry, Takkun.”
“Huh..?”
To Takumu, who had raised his face and had opened his eyes wide, Chiyuri began to talk gently.
“From the past, I knew that you were really a very sensitive and kind person…maybe as sensitive and kind as Haru, Takkun. However…I’ve always depended on your kindness…”
Her pupils, always swirling and sparkling like those of a cat, slowly became downcast. Chiyuri let down her hands, seated herself in seiza position like the other two, raised her face again, and spoke in a firm voice.
“When I was small, I believed stubbornly…That no matter how old we became, how many years passed, the three of us would be able to laugh, getting along with one another. But in reality, that’s impossible, isn’t it? The flow of time is unstoppable…it can’t be turned back. Even though I understood that somewhere inside my head…I always hoped that for just a little bit more, for just a little bit more things could stay like that…”
She took a deep breath—.
While looking in turn at Haruyuki and Takumu, Chiyuri suddenly said something greatly unexpected.
“Haru, Takkun. This is something I haven’t said to anyone outside my family but…you see, my papa might not be able to live for long.”
Completely as if those words had been lodged somewhere between his ear and his brain, for a while Haruyuki was unable to recognize what they meant. Takumu seemed to be the same; from his left, far from feeling his body stir, there was no sign of even his breathing.
Before the eyes of the two and furthermore without letting her peaceful expression crumble, Chiyuri continued and opened her mouth.
“Both of you, you already know why I was able to clear the «first condition of a Burst Linker», right?”
“…Unh.”
While slightly nodding, Haruyuki thought in a corner of his mind.
To become a Burst Linker, that was, to install «Brain Burst Program» in one’s Neuro Linker, there were two conditions. The first was «having continuously worn a Neuro Linker since immediately after birth». The second was «possessing a high-level quantum connection aptitude».
The second was able to be cleared through prolonged full dive experiences or active training—like how Chiyuri had done so herself. However, the first couldn’t be helped by the will of the person himself or herself at such a late point. In brief, one could say that one’s aptitude as a Burst Linker was halfway inherently decided.
The reason why a newborn baby was equipped with a Neuro Linker was almost always due to «child-rearing labor reduction» or «education for gifted children». Haruyuki and Takumu had been given infant-use Neuro Linkers immediately since birth, Haruyuki for the former reason and Takumu for the latter.
However, Chiyuri fell under neither of those categories.
Immediately before she was born, her father had suffered from a throat ailment and had had his vocal cords excised, making conversation using his real voice difficult for him. However, Chiyuri’s parents, who had wanted their beloved daughter somehow to be raised having heard both their voices, had chosen to use the Neuro Linker’s «thought voice function». From the time she was a baby, Chiyuri had been brought up hearing her father’s voice through a Neuro Linker.
“…The disease that caused Papa to lose his voice was lower throat cancer.”
“..!”
To the two who had again turned speechless, Chiyuri shook her head to calm them.
“It’s okay; it’s not something that’s going to happen right away. With the advancement of RTMMs[5], cancer itself isn’t a disease as scary as it was in the past…But, you know, once it’s begun to metastasize, it’s impossible to completely annihilate the cancer cells spread here and there even with today’s technology. In these ten years, Papa’s had a relapse once each in his esophagus and his lungs…each time, he was able to suppress it with anticancer drugs and MM therapy…but it seems he was told by the doctors that if he had another relapse, his prospects would be grim...”
Chiyuri, who continued to chat on, stoutheartedly made a smile, but Haruyuki noticed that her large eyes were thinly moist.
“…Of course, both Papa and Mama were considerate so that I didn’t worry but…despite that, we’d been family for years; I somehow caught on. When Papa was undergoing treatment, he seemed so pained from the side effects…Mama, she woke up so many times in the middle of the night and rubbed Papa’s body. That’s why when the treatment was over and Papa got better, I made a prayer to the gods. I said, “Please let us be the way we are now.” That was…back in fourth grade. To me, that time was…that time, when every day was enjoyable and seemed to be enveloped in a golden light, was…”
Chiyuri, who had shut her mouth there, turned her gaze toward the ceiling as if refraining from spilling her tears.
Haruyuki, unable to say anything, pictured the face of Chiyuri’s father in his mind.
Around third or fourth grade, after they had returned from playing outside till they were worn out, nearly every day they intruded on the Kurashima residence, had dinner, and even took a bath. Haruyuki had frequently met Chiyuri’s papa, but he was never let known a bit of his painful fight continuing several years against the disease. He always wore a smile on his thin face and sometimes also became their game playmate.
“…Chiyu, I didn’t…”
Didn’t notice anything.
To Haruyuki, who had tried to say that, Chiyuri again pointed a smile and shook her head bit by bit.
“I said it, didn’t I, that nothing’s going to happen right away. Maybe at this rate there won’t be a relapse ever again. —That’s why I also really shouldn’t only have been afraid of the future. Despite that, I pretended not to see everything that was changing…I didn’t try to understand Takkun’s feelings either…even if «now» became the «past», I continued to try to return there. Last fall…when Takkun tried to learn my true feelings, it was obvious too. Because even if he were at my side, even if we made a dive call, I didn’t properly see the current Takkun.”
At that moment—.
Takumu, who had been silent all along until now, tightly clenched his fists above his knees and violently shook his neck left and right.
“That’s wrong…Chii-chan, that’s wrong. The one to blame is me, who was unable to trust you. I didn’t notice at all what you were carrying inside your heart. Only me, only seeing myself; only forcing that selfish wish on you. In the end…on your Neuro Linker…I set up on your Neuro Linker…”
His forcibly squeezed out voice fairly resembled his shout of anguish when he had fought with Haruyuki during the evening.
But Haruyuki believed that his openly spoke feelings were not uttered out of self-blame or self-repugnance. Believing that, he fought hard to swallow his words.
Takumu clenched his hands one last time to the point where his hands creaked—then he drained his strength and continued in a husky voice.
“However.”
He lifted his head and looked straight and Haruyuki and then Chiyuri, then spoke.
“However, I will change, Chii-chan. I promise. Though it will be little by little, I will grow stronger. One day I will recompense for all my sins such that I can lead your hand toward the future this time for sure.”
“…Unh.”
Finally letting a teardrop spill, Chiyuri also nodded.
“I too…I too will stop looking at just the past. Right now…I’m still scared, and I can’t see the path ahead of me, but…despite that, I treasure the present, this moment. Because it’s fun right now. It’s fun and I’m happy being together with Takkun, Haru, Senpai, Nee-san, and Ui-chan and being able to aim for the same goal. That’s why…”
She sucked in a deep breath and resolutely straightened her back; after wiping her eyes with a jerk, Chiyuri spoke in a clear voice.
“That’s why I won’t let that «ISS Kit» thing do with you as it likes. I will also protect you. Together with Haru, I will protect you, Takkun.”
