Without moving her lips that had a slight smile, a smooth voice sounded in Haruyuki’s brain.
“Sorry to make you come all the way here, Arita Haruyuki-kun. Can you do thought talk?”
It’s a skill where you talk through the Linker without moving your lips. Haruyuki nodded then replied.
“Yes. Umm... what is this really about? Is this an elaborate, well... prank or something?”
He thought she would be angry, Kuroyukihime shook her head slightly and gave a ‘Hmm’.
“Well... in a certain sense it might just be that. Because I will send an application to your Neuro Linker. If you accept that, then your current reality will be completely destroyed, and rebuilt in a shape you can’t imagine.”
“...Re, Reality... destroyed...?”
Haruyuki repeated in blank amazement.
He no longer saw the students around the tables full of curiosity or heard their noisy comments. Only Kuroyukihime’s words repeated in his mind.
The deep black upperclassman looked at Haruyuki with another smile, and raising her right hand, her supple white fingers made something slide.
Pon, a beep sounded.
[Execute BB2039.exe? YES/NO] A holo dialogue appeared.
This should be a familiar system display, but he thought this window seemed to have its own intention that forced him to make a decision.
With common sense, executing an unknown application sent by a stranger over Direct Connect would be indiscretion. He should pull out the cable right now. However, Haruyuki for some reason could not do that. In exchange, he looked down at his body squeezed into the chair.
- Reality. My reality.
Stolid body. Lackluster appearance. Repeatedly being bullied and escaping to the net. And more than anything, the self that did not change this situation. Being like this is fine, since nothing will change, this self that gave up.
Haruyuki moved his view, and looked into Kuroyukihime’s dark eyes.
In half a second, he raised his right hand, and thrust his finger into the YES button. Her white face held a slightly surprised expression, slightly satisfied, he relaxed his chest.
“That’s my wish. This reality... if it was destroyed.”
He whispered that, at the same time.
In his full view, a huge flame erupted.
He instinctively stiffened his body as it seemed as if the wild fire might sweep him up, but its flow eventually concentrated in front of his body, transforming into a logo. Its design sense was certainly not new. It was a harshness that reminded him of the late last century, of a certain popular VS fighting game.
The words that appeared was - «BRAIN BURST».
This, is how Haruyuki met the single program that would revolutionize him and his recognized reality.
The installation continued for about 30 seconds. It was a huge application even for the Neuro Linker.
The indicator bar under the burning title logo finally reaching 100%, Haruyuki swallowed his breath and watched. Reality - will be destroyed, was what Kuroyukihime said. How exactly is that shown?
The indicator disappeared along with the logo as if it was being burnt. The remaining orange fire displayed in small English font the message «Welcome to the Accelerated World», which was soon split like fireworks. What does it mean - Accelerated World?
Haruyuki held his breath for about 10 seconds in anticipation.
However, his own body or the surrounding view, nothing felt like it was going to change. As usual, under his uniform, he is wet with sweat, and the displeased stares from the surrounding tables seemed to increase.
Letting out a short yet lengthy breath, Haruyuki looked questioningly at Kuroyukihime.
“Umm... This «Brain Burst» program, what is...”
Asking with thought talk, the black clothed upperclassman, while maintaining her smile, said something different from his question.
“It installed without any problems. I was confident that you had enough aptitude for it.”
“Aptitude? For this program?”
“Yes. «Brain Burst» cannot be installed in someone without a high level brain neurological response rate. For example, like someone that can make stupidly huge scores in virtual games. When you saw the illusion flames, the program was checking your brain’s response. If there’s not enough aptitude, you won’t even see the title logo. However... I was a little bit surprised. For me, it took about two minutes of doubt whether to accept this strange program. This made all the speech I prepared to convince you useless.”
“Ah... sorry. But, that, nothing... seems to be happening. It’s not a resident application, but a select execution type?”
“Well, don’t be in such a hurry. From now you will need a little mental preparedness. I will explain the basic functions later. Why, we have plenty of time.”
Haruyuki took a quick glance at the continuous time displayed in his view’s lower right corner. Half of lunch time had already passed. He didn’t think they had plenty of time left.
He painfully felt the curiosity and disgust in the surrounding atmosphere, and leaned back. The chair under his body squeaked.
That was a familiar sound, but it felt like even the chair was laughing at his ugly and comical self, he bit his lip. There’s no way he would love this reality. If it can be changed, no matter what kind of change it was, he would accept it.
“...I am already mentally prepared. Please teach me about this program...”
As he said up to that point.
From the lounge entrance behind Haruyuki, the voice that he didn't want to hear the most could be heard.
“You dickwad, Pi... Arita! You can’t escape!!”
Haruyuki cowered in reaction, his waist lifted from the chair. When he turned around, he saw a red-faced Araya standing there, he wasn't supposed to leave the roof while at lunch time.
As Haruyuki’s expression changed from surprise to fear, Araya’s face also changed from rage to doubt. After Haruyuki stood up, Kuroyukihime’s delicate shape and the cable that connected their Linkers, which were hidden behind his huge body earlier were shown.
While frozen, Haruyuki’s sensitive feelings detected that other than the council members, the rest of the students around him, their atmosphere were subtly changing. What the relationship between the same green necktie but big build Araya and the small but large width Haruyuki’s was, they probably instantly realized. However the students didn’t show displeasure toward Araya, but a ‘Ah, so it really is’ kind of understanding.
Stop - Stop this right now.
Haruyuki desperately wished. He absolutely did not want Kuroyukihime to know that he was being bullied or such. ‘After I finish here, I will buy buns and bring them to the roof so please wait there quietly’, he wanted to tell him that, so he faced Araya and forced a smile.
Araya who saw that smile, his further outrage made his face turn purple. ‘Pig’, his lips moved without sound, Haruyuki saw in horror. The meaning of his smile while in Direct Connect with the school’s most famous person, was totally misunderstood by Araya.
With his eyes lifted up shinning, Araya silently dove into the hedge that separated the cafeteria and the lounge. With the heel of his indoor shoes making crushing sounds, he approached in a direct line. Behind him, his underlings A and B followed with somewhat tensed faces.
It’s hopeless, while thinking that Haruyuki took a step back.
Araya is unbelievably tall for being 13 years old, the same age as him. He might be doing karate or something of the like, as he's built up quite a lot of muscle. He wore a short blazer over a long lavender shirt, and big pants. His white-tinged golden dyed hair stood up like a mountain of swords, his small eyebrows and piercings on both ears, his colored up-angle eyes all spelt danger.
Umesato middle school is a private future preparation school, but since this is a low fertility era, just about no middle schools require an entrance exam. So a fighting type like Araya came here thinking “Easy to control”.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
After the line came out of Araya’s twisted lips, Haruyuki was about to mouth a servile apology, but before that.
From behind him, Kuroyukihime’s real voice with a cool rich inflection was heard.
“You are Araya-kun right?”
Araya who heard that was surprised for an instant, then had a flattering smile. Even this guy is happy that his name is remembered by «That Kuroyukihime».
However, what she said not only shocked Araya, but Haruyuki as well.
“I heard about you from Arita-kun. About whether or not you were mistakenly sent from the zoo to the middle school.”
Araya’s jaw dropped and started trembling, Haruyuki looked on while dumbfounded.
“Wh... Wh... What...”
At the same time that Araya’s mouth starting to move, Haruyuki wanted to shout.
Wh - Why did you say that!
But that thought did not become sound, Araya released a tremendous roar.
“Why you, I am going to kill you, pig!!”
Haruyuki shrunk from fear, he saw Araya’s right fist tighten and held high.
At the same time, in his brain, a piercing voice commanded Haruyuki.
“Shout now! «Burst Link»!!”
Haruyuki did not know if he used his real voice or thought voice to say that short command. However, he felt for sure that every corner of his body reverberated with that sound.
Burst Link!!
Bashiiiii!! With that impact sound, the world wavered.
The colors were drained, replaced by a transparent blue that started to spread out. The surrounding lounge, the staring students, and Araya in front of him as well, all became a monotonous blue.
Everything stopped at that moment.
Araya’s fist that should have hit him flying in a second, was frozen a few centimeters in front of him, he watched while dumbfounded.
“U... uwaa!!”
He involuntarily shouted, and jumped back a step.
The result of that action, showed him something else that was hard to believe.
His own back. He was the same blue color as Araya, his round back was unnaturally stopped in a comical cowering position. It looked like only his soul left his physical body.
Then, what happened to him now!? He looked down in surprise, there he found the familiar looking pink pig. Without a doubt, it’s the avatar he used in the local net.
No longer understanding anything, Haruyuki turned around shakily.
In front of his eyes, was another strange sight.
On the lounge chair, Kuroyukihime sat with elegance, her back straight and lap tightly closed. However that body too, including the cable extending from her neck, were all transparent blue like a crystal.
And next to her body, in a black dress with a parasol, her avatar with the swallowtail butterfly wings stood with a mysterious smile.
“Wh... What is this!?”
Haruyuki frightfully shouted.
“Full Dive!? Or... astral projection!?”
“Fufu, neither of those.”
With a happy tone, Kuroyukihime’s avatar told him.
“We are now under «Brain Burst» program’s function. «Accelerated».”
“Ac... Accelerate...?”
“Yes. The surrounding looks stopped but that’s not true. Our consciousness is moving at ultra fast speed.”
Kuroyukihime moved a few steps with the silver balls at her cuff’s rim shining, and stopped beside the blue frozen reality of Haruyuki and Araya. The tip of her parasol pointed at Araya’s fist in the path of a right straight punch.
“This fist too, you cannot notice it but it is even now moving very slowly... like the short hand of a clock. If we continue to wait, it will eventually pass this 80cm or so and we will see it make a dent in your face.”
“That’s no joke. No that’s not it... wait a minute please.”
Haruyuki held his head with his two pig hands, desperately trying to sort the information.
“Th, this means... our souls did not leave our body right? Does that mean our thoughts are from our original heads?”
“You catch on fast. That’s exactly it.”
“But, isn't that strange! If only thoughts and feelings got sped up, this... astral projection like movement, looking at your own back, that means I shouldn't be able to talk to senpai[3]!”
“Hmm, a good question, Haruyuki-kun.”
Kuroyukihime nodded her head like a teacher, then with her length-wise rolled hair waving, moved to beside the table.
“The blue world we are seeing is the real world in real time, but it’s not seen with light refracting in our eyes. Take a look under this table.”
“O, ok...”
Haruyuki crouched his pig body that’s smaller than his real body, and peeked under the blue table.
“Ah, huh?”
Strange. The table is made from wood, its surface has many cross-grains running length-wise. However the underside is smooth like plastic, without any texture.
“What is this... Looks like polygons...?”
When he raised his face, he saw Kuroyukihime lightly nod a few times.
“Exactly. This blue world is made up of pictures from many Social Cameras in the lounge, the pictures are made into 3D scene and sent to your brain through the Neuro Linker. The areas in the cameras' dead zones are filled in with conjecture. So, peeking under this girl’s skirt will be useless.”
The Social Camera’s actual name is Social Security Surveillance Camera, for maintaining security, they are placed all over Japan, it means a government video surveillance network. Even a private middle school cannot reject camera placement, that data is protected with strong national level security walls, a normal citizen absolutely can not peek into it - that was what was said, but...
While thinking about such a theory, Haruyuki in reaction followed the female student council member’s leg which was extended under the table, he confirmed that the graceful line ended at her skirt’s edge.
After he hastily stood up, he saw Kuroyukihime giving him a sharp glance.
“Don’t look at my legs. They are within the camera’s view.”
“I... won’t look.”
While taking an effort to steady his gaze, Haruyuki shook his head.
“W, well, after seeing this, I somewhat understand the theory. This is the real time world made into 3D... we use avatars as substitute bodies to see and talk through direct connection right?”
“That’s right. Now, for convenience you are using your school's local net avatar.”
“If possible, I would prefer another.”
After whispering, he gave a huge sigh. While shaking his pig head to sort his thoughts, he looked at Kuroyukihime’s avatar again.
“But... this is just half way. What I want to know is from here on. …«Accelerate», what exactly is it? I have never heard of Neuro Linker having this kind of time stop like function!”
“Of course, the Neuro Linker’s secret accelerate function can only be drawn out with the «Brain Burst» program, or people with that program.”
After Kuroyukihime whispered that, she raised her left hand, and poked the XL size Neuro Linker around the reality frozen Haruyuki’s neck.
“Haruyuki-kun, do you know the operating principle of the Neuro Linker?”
Seeing the slender finger touching «his» neck, Haruyuki felt a thump for no reason and nodded.
“Y, yes... just perfunctory information. Using quantum level connection with brain cells, picture, sound and sensation can be sent, that means canceling reality’s five senses...”
“That’s right. That means its principle is basically different from 2020s headgear type VR machine, or 30s implant type. Quantum connection is not a biological mechanism. That is, it won’t put any burden on the brain c
ells, and you can do unreasonable things... someone realized that.”
“Unreasonable... that means?”
To Haruyuki’s question, Kuroyukihime returned a somewhat different question.
“Have you played with a 20s era PC?”
“Y, yeah, I did. I have one at home too.”
“Then, you know what the PC’s standard operating frequency is called right?”
“Base Clock... ?”
Kuroyukihime nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes... the oscillator on the motherboard sends out a signal, with a set multiplier moving the CPU at an overclocked speed. And then the human brain, our consciousness operates with the same mechanism.”
“What...!?”
Haruyuki’s eyes became round, and his pig nose breath out rapidly.
“No, no way. Where is our oscillator?”
“Here.”
Kuroyukihime instantly replied, she hugged the reality blue Haruyuki from the front, with roguish up-turn eyes, her left hand poked the center of the back.
“Wh... wh, what are you doing?”
“Right now, your clock went up a little. You already know right... the heart! The heart is not just a pump for sending out blood. This beat determines the thinking speed, it’s a standard clock generator.”
Taking a breath, Haruyuki touched his pig body’s chest. Kuroyukihime, like she was teasing him, still continued to touch around his heart area.
“Even if the body is in a stopped state, depending on the situation the heart beat will increase... like a racing driver. Why? That is thought - situational awareness, and judgement «Acceleration» is necessary. Or it is like two lovers touching each other. For every minute and second to be densely experienced, «Acceleration».”
Kuroyukihime’s finger that was around the reality Haruyuki’s chest, slowly moved up and stopped at his neck.
“The heart with a thump beat, creates a quantum pulse signal that travels through the central nerve to the brain, that is, the thought. If - that signal is overwritten at the neck by the Neuro Linker, and overclocked, what would happen?”
Accel World: Return of Princess Snow Black Page 3