Chiyuri was concerned about Haruyuki being forced into a dangerous position, and Takumu was probably disappointed with Haruyuki for not telling him anything. However to resolve this situation from the foundation, it could only be done if Haruyuki somehow conquer Noumi Seiji/Dusk Taker in a duel.
At this moment, Noumi held «Haruyuki’s real information», «Video in front of the shower room», and «Flight ability» three cards. On the other hand, Haruyuki only know about «Noumi’s real information».
But if he thought about it, then the Burst Linker’s real information is way too lethal, that no matter how many other cards were gathered could not be canceled out. Even in this era, somewhere in the United States and Russia deep sea, nuclear missile submarines swam like ghosts, and similar to that, even one of them could have a huge deterrent effect. For example, if Haruyuki expose Noumi’s photo, real name, address, and his duel avatar name in the accelerated world, then Noumi would be same as dead as a Burst Linker. If radical groups willing to do Real Attack go after him, he would probably be bound till all of his points are drained dry. Haruyuki heard that happened in no small numbers of times in the past.
That was why, the «Video» that Noumi recorded with his tricky setup, in the end was a card that could or could not be used due to its power. If he submit that to the school authorities and it reach a point where Haruyuki’s school life was destroyed, then he should at least have understood that there is the danger that Haruyuki would expose his «Reality» while in desperation.
That meant, in order to make Haruyuki into «A dog that brings points to munch on», the card that Noumi would use without hesitation would be «Flight Ability» only. But, in order to transfer points, it could only be done in a duel, so if he could win against Dusk Taker even with his wings robbed, then he could resist or possibly even turn it around.
Of course, this decision, would mean that he would have to bid farewell to the silver wings that shone brilliantly on Silver Crow’s back until yesterday.
But even that is fine, Haruyuki’s heart decided. It was not because he was given new way to fly by Sky Raker. The attachment towards that wing’s appearance as an object, was forcing dependence onto his small frame, he finally realized.
‘—— I will, defeat Dusk Taker who has my wings.’
‘—— And then eventually, without the use of ability or enhanced armament, show that I can fly in the sky with just mind power.’
Holding both hands tightly, Haruyuki declared that to himself.
Right after, the front door opened, and their homeroom teacher Sugeno entered. His tense mood, made the noisy classroom suddenly returned silence.
Before the stand and bow courtesy ended, Sugeno said in a loud voice.
“Everyone, keep standing!”
After the students who were sitting down stood up again with troubled faces, the young Japanese history teacher, with blood vessels appearing on his face under the short hair, again ordered.
“Everyone, look down and close your eyes!”
The air became more dubious, but pushed by Sugeno’s threatening attitude, everyone quietly followed the order. Haruyuki’s mouth was twisted, but also did as told.
“...Good. Listen like that. Everyone, I think you already know. Yesterday morning, a small camera was discovered in the heated pool girls’ shower rooms. Fortunately, it was soon noticed as the students entered, so basically there was no victim, but even so that is something that absolutely cannot be forgiven. Sensei is sad. And then ten times more angry. That there is a student in this Umesato middle school who did such a despicable thing.”
‘Bang!’, the teacher’s podium being hit sounded.
“...This time, since there was no victim, this morning’s meeting decided that it will be kept to punishment inside the school. That’s why, listen... if, the offender is in this second year C class, lift up your head now, and look at sensei. If you give yourself up, then the punishment will be lighter. How about that... is there anyone?”
‘—— Are you seriously saying that?’
Haruyuki was appalled while facing down. Even with head down and eyes closed, with just one manipulation of the virtual desktop, the Neuro Linker camera video can easily be displayed inside the eyes. There should be students who were actually doing that right now. Anyway, after angry, despicable and punishment being freely said, who would be crazy enough to confess.
Haruyuki of course did not raise his head, and other students were the same. Sugeno stubbornly made everyone stand for over one minute, but eventually said in a low sound.
“...Alright. This is the final chance. Sensei, will not be so lenient next time.”
‘That speech sounded like you are certain that the offender is in this classroom.’
He was nervous that Takumu might actually say that —— Kuroyukihime would definitely say it —— fortunately, he heard “Okay, sit and open your eyes.” sound there. After 40 chairs creaked, when it became silent, the teacher said.
“If you are going to confess, do it today. Before the punishment gets more severe.”
While that was said, he felt that Sugeno was staring at him intently, so Haruyuki frowned. And then soon, he thought, ‘Ah, that’s right’. The day before yesterday, on the Sunday that Haruyuki came to school, the log of it should have remained in the school local net. Going to school on a non-school day when he did not belong to any club, must be the reason why Sugeno was suspicious. But with just that degree of evidence, he could not even be called to the student counselling room.
Haruyuki looked away while making a ‘I don’t know about that’ face. Doing so, he saw Chiyuri’s eyes who looked at him sidewise. Seeing her deeply scared by fright, Haruyuki this time sighed. Chiyuri had just became a Burst Linker for a few days. She did not know that there was a huge risk of reality intrusion for Noumi if he actually used that video.
He wanted to tell her «Don’t worry» with email, but with Sugeno stubbornly glaring at him, in exchange he just sent a short, but strong look to Chiyuri. She seem to have felt something, and after his childhood friend’s mouth moved slightly, she looked back to the front, but the bluish white on her cheeks did not disappear over time.
The morning classes, Haruyuki listened with twice his normal seriousness, and took lots of notes. Since if he drift off even slightly, his consciousness would soon be drawn waveringly towards the direction of his revenge match with Noumi.
However, he had no way to challenge Noumi who used some kind of unknown method to block being registered in the matching list even now. The chance to fight him again, would probably be when Noumi come to «collect» next week’s share of points. Anyway, he still have to practice with the ultimate unruly enhanced armament he got from Sky Raker. If he thought like that, then one week is too short.
When attending class seriously, the time was strangely short, so in no time the noon break chime was rang. He looked at Chiyuri and Takumu to see which of them he should talk with for a bit, but Chiyuri was eating lunch with a few girls, and Takumu left the classroom without even looking at Haruyuki.
After a short sigh, as his back lifted up in order to chase after Takumu first, a small message receive icon blinked in the center of his view. Neither an email or voice call, it was a full sensory mode conversation request dialog.
Who would that be, at the moment he looked at the sender’s name, Haruyuki crashed down to the chair with a thump. He instantly forgot everything, closed his eyes and whispered the command.
“D, Di, Direct Link.”
Due to too much of a rush, his stuttering command was accepted by the Neuro Linker, and Haruyuki’s five senses were cut from the real world. The classroom scene was painted by darkness, and he was soon visited by a falling sensation. If he wait like that, then he would land in the Umesato middle school local net’s VR space, but before that, Haruyuki extended his hand towards the access gate floating in front of him.
His body was sucked in virtually, and where he was spitted out ——.
Under the intense sunlight and could not be any more blue sky, right in the middle of a white sandy beach that stretched everywhere.
He stood up with the pink pig avatar shape, took a few steps towards the shore seen somewhat far away, then Haruyuki noticed that this was not a virtual space made with polygons. There was no sensation of stepping on sand. That meant this was a real world optical image taken with a video camera and projected to Haruyuki’s sight as a planar view. The proof for that, was when he looked left and right, the scene did not follow and was distorted by unnatural perspective. Right behind him was complete darkness.
The conveyed information should be sight and sound only, but strangely he could even feel the hot and dry wind of the southern country, so Haruyuki took a deep breath. Right after that.
“Ya..., long time... maybe not. Three days no see, Haruyuki-kun.”
With the familiar, yet never even slightly boring sound echo, a figure appeared smoothly from the right side of his view.
Large straw hat. Thin white parker. The deep black hair on those shoulders, glittered with light as sunlight slid on them.
With both hands behind her, Kuroyukihime who had a slight irritated expression, quickly continued.
“Is there any lag? This is connected through the student council room server to the local net there, so it might be a bit slow.”
“N... no, none at all, it’s fine. There is no noise either. Ah... that is, Go, good day, Kuroyukihime senpai.”
After a bow with his avatar’s head, Haruyuki again looked at the shape in front of his eyes.
There was no three dimensional feel due to it being an optical image, however it was not made with polygons, it was the real Kuroyukihime. She went to the trouble of using a camera, to bring the Okinawa scene to Haruyuki as promised.
“Be, beautiful, very. The beach too... ah, also, senpai too.”
After he added the end with a very small volume sound, even though Kuroyukihime had half a wry smile, a happy smile appeared on her lips, and she also turned towards the emerald green sea.
“It’s the Henoko beach. Just earlier, a military plane that you like so much flew pass.”
“Is... Is that so. Wish I could have seen it.”
While saying that and other things, Haruyuki’s sight nailed down the pure white bare feet extended from the hem of the parker. When Kuroyukihime again turned towards him, he quickly looked up towards the sky and un-naturally said.
“W, ww, weather is fine so that’s great! The sky is very blue, just like the «Desert» stage!”
That side should be looking at the camera lense, and should not be able to determine where Haruyuki’s eyes were focusing on, but even so Kuroyukihime seemed to have felt something instinctively, and firmly pulled her hem down while her lips became slightly pointed.
—— At that moment.
“Geesh, Hime, how long are you going to be in that shape?”
With that sound, a new figure appeared from the left side of the picture and was framed in. The fluffy haired girl, was a student council member known to Haruyuki. She was wearing a pink one piece swimsuit, that made Haruyuki’s throat tighten in a gulp, but the girl who went around behind Kuroyukihime, suddenly acted unbelievably.
With tremendous sleight of hand, she lowered Kuroyukihime’s parker zipper, and pulled it off with both hands.
“Waa, hey, what are you doing!”
“Who was it that went to all the trouble of going with someone to pick swimwear this morning?”
While laughing in a giggle, the female student waved towards the camera.
“Arita-kun, relax and enjoy yourself.”
And then quickly framed out from the right side. After that, only left behind Kuroyukihime with bright red face under the straw hat, holding her hands tightly in front of her body.
The swimsuit that appeared from under the released armor, was of course black. Furthermore very small separated one, with close to 90% of the pure white skin exposed. At that point, when he saw bright sunlight reflected from the bulge top of two modest and extremely graceful arcs, Haruyuki felt his heartbeat suddenly rose, and had to take many deep breaths to prevent his Neuro Linker from Linking Out him due to abnormality.
Eventually, Kuroyukihime looked at Haruyuki with upturned eyes, and said.
“...W, well, that is, you know. Since this is Okinawa.”
“Th, th, that is right. OOO, Okinawa after all.”
He would very much like to press the record button on the side of his view, but doing that during full dive connection would let the opponent know. So without any choice, as the real time video flowed into his brain, he carved them into his memory with his whole body and soul, and Haruyuki desperately moved his mouth.
“Ah, that, err, that... v, very, very much... f, fits you.”
“...Th, thank you.”
With a slight smile, Kuroyukihime again put her hands behind her back, which he stared at her body naturally, and what pulled back Haruyuki who was going to faint this time was ——.
In the porcelain smooth skin of the lower left side of the abdomen, there was a very faint crosswise small scar.
“...!”
Haruyuki’s eyes opened wide for a moment, then he bit down hard on his lips, but since the virtual pain created was way too slight and not enough, he bit down with all his strength.
That scar, was without doubt from half year ago when she suffered near death serious injury after saving Haruyuki from a runaway car. The modern regenerative medicine development should be able to erase most treatment marks, but even that should have a limit. In other words, her wound was that deep.
The reason for the silence seem to have been guessed by Kuroyukihime’s perception this time also, and after a slow blink, a gentle smile different from ones till now appeared on her.
With a held up left hand fingertip, she lightly caressed that scar.
“...Normally it could mostly not be seen. Under this strong sunlight, just a little.”
Haruyuki could not reply to the quiet sound. With her head lift up, looking straight at the lense —— directly at Haruyuki’s eyes, Kuroyukihime strongly said with somewhat more firm voice.
“There is no need for you to feel bad. This is my only decoration. Since I was born, the first wound and pain from protecting someone instead of just fighting. And then right now, this scar supports me.”
“...Senpai.”
Haruyuki somehow was able to whisper that one word, as he tightly held his avatars hands.
‘—— I will, never, never, hurt you again.’
He once more confirmed his vow that he repeated many times before inside his chest, but at the same time, he was also aware of a vague sense of guilt.
At this time, if Haruyuki explained the predicament he had recently fallen into, Kuroyukihime would be angry at why he did not tell her immediately, and would probably be hurt again. And then probably, she would make up some kind of excuse to immediately return from Okinawa, and try to save Haruyuki to the best of her ability.
However, that was exactly why Haruyuki did not tell her. In order to become a knight that can protect Kuroyukihime from any and everything, he felt that right now he has to fight with his own fists.
“...Senpai.”
After calling her another time, Haruyuki said as firmly as he possibly could.
“I too..., I too will become stronger. Although up till now I had just been protected... even so, someday definitely, I will become strong enough to support senpai.”
“...Un. But, I said it before, slowly is fine. The joy of protecting you, if that was too quickly gone, it would be boring.”
Her smile became something mischievous, and Kuroyukihime took a step forward, then lightly slid her hand at Haruyuki’s avatar’s position.
“It will be gathering time soon, I will contact you again. I will return there on Sunday, so decide what you want for a gift by then.”
At the moment that was said, inside Haruyuki head
, «Okinawa trip gift» and «Territory battle reward» got mixed up, and the resulting words that came out of his mouth was ——
“Ah, then, th, ththth, thirty centimeter, di, di[11]...”
“Ha? What? Thirty centimeter diameter... long Sata andagi? Hey hey, no matter what, I don’t think that would be for sale... well, I can try to find it...”
‘What a glutton’. Being hit what that amazed beam, Haruyuki hurriedly shook his head many times. But sadly, that motion could not be seen over there.
“No... that, that is... —— If it exists, it would be nice... The trip, please enjoy it...”
“Un, thank you. Then, see you.”
After saying that, Kuroyukihime who reached her hand towards the camera, stopped while muttering “Ah”. He immediately raised his head that was hung while downhearted, and while trying hard to resist looking at Kuroyukihime’s pure white slender legs, Haruyuki inquired.
“Wh, what’s the matter?”
“Come to think of it, Takumu-kun sent me a strange email. About that kendo club’s first year student suspected of being a Burst Linker...”
“What.”
Swallowing a breath, Haruyuki continued in a rush.
“Email... about what!?”
“Nn, about that... person called Noumi I think, he asked if I could check that first year student’s entrance exam point results for each subject, and I was planning to reply after checking the student database, but did you hear anything from Takumu-kun?”
After she told him that in a secretive voice, Haruyuki opened his mouth with a snap.
“En... entrance exam? Why that data at this time... —— No, nothing from Taku...”
“I see... ah, I have to go. Then, disconnecting here. See you.”
With a slight wave of her right hand and a flash, the connection from Okinawa was finally cut, and only Haruyuki remained in the dark plane. He soon forgot about Kuroyukihime’s ultra high definition swimsuit video, and tried to guess what Takumu was thinking of, but could not come up with anything.
Accel World: Dusk Robber Page 19