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Accel World - Volume 17 - Chapter 5




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5

The chime signaling the end of fourth period rang, and the teacher was barely out the door at the front of the classroom before Haruyuki was standing up and turning toward Takumu Mayuzumi. He quickly looked around to check that no one was listening before starting to speak in a low voice.

“Taku, about that thing I mailed you.”

“The emergency meeting.” Takumu nodded, his glasses glinting in the light. “Sounds like something big happened, huh?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’ll be shocked, too, Taku.”

“Can’t wait.” Smiling, Takumu stood up, his lunch in hand. “Fifteen minutes until the meeting starts. The cafeteria, right, Haru? I’ll come and eat with you there.”

“Yeah? Thanks.” He glanced over at Chiyuri. His other childhood friend appeared to be eating her lunch with a group in class she was chummy with, but she met his eyes as if to say she was all right, so he nodded lightly in return. The meeting would take place in a duel stage with Kuroyukihime as the starter and Haruyuki as the receiver, so it would be at most 1.8 seconds long. For that length of time, even if she was in the middle of eating with someone, no one would suspect anything as long as she prepared for it mentally.

“Okay, let’s go.” He slapped Takumu on the back and moved to leave the classroom.

“Arita, Mayuzumi, got a sec?” A voice called from behind, and Haruyuki jumped before turning around.

Standing there was a girl with her long hair tied in a side ponytail to her right, her forehead half exposed. Mayu Ikuzawa, the class representative for class C.

After exchanging a glance with Takumu, given that she’d said his name first, Haruyuki replied ever so timidly, “S-sure. What is it?”

“I wanted to speak with you. Would you mind letting me join you for lunch?”

“H-haa…,” he replied unintelligibly, his mind racing at maximum speed. He’d experienced this kind of situation once or twice when he was in elementary school. When he was with Takumu in the plaza at the entrance to their condo building, several girls would approach them and glare at Haruyuki like he was in the way while telling Takumu they needed to talk to him. “Um, Ikuzawa, if you needed Taku for something, I can just leave you two.”

He made the suggestion in an attempt to be thoughtful, but Ikuzawa blinked, uncomprehending, before shaking her head fiercely. “N-no, c’mon, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Huh? It isn’t?”

“No!”

“Anyway,” Takumu interjected, smiling wryly. “How about we continue this in the cafeteria? If we don’t hurry up, we’ll run out of time to eat.”

And time to prep for the meeting. Twelve minutes until Kuroyukihime challenged Haruyuki. Taking travel time into account, they were already cutting it pretty close. “Got it. Okay, let’s go.”

Ikuzawa agreed with an “Okay.” Looking closely, he saw that she was holding a small pouch. Her lunch and a drink were apparently inside.

From her seat a little ways off, Chiyuri was watching them with a doubtful look, so Haruyuki threw a glance her way to say “I’ll work it out somehow!” and then followed Takumu and Mayu out of the classroom.

The Umesato student cafeteria was fairly large for a junior high. And farther in, by the windows, there was even a lounge that could be mistaken for a stylish café. The lounge was separated by a trellis covered in decorative plants, and it was an unwritten rule that only eighth and ninth graders could use it. So Haruyuki and his group could indeed have used it, but he figured they should probably use the long cafeteria tables. Because just maybe, at the round table in the very back of the lounge…

“Oh, lucky!” Ikuzawa said happily. “We’re here late, but there’s still a table left in the lounge! I’ll go get the table; you two buy lunch!” She bounded a step forward before trotting off and disappearing into the lounge.

“Ikuzawa, so she’s that kind of person, huh?” Haruyuki murmured. “She’s the class rep, though, so I figured she’d be a little more serious…”

Takumu laughed a little as he said, “I’ve heard that a certain Animal Care Club president is also very serious and formal. Okay, we better hurry, we don’t have much time. I just want a drink. What about you, Haru?”

“…I’m apparently very serious, so curry.”

“Okay, I’ll go on ahead of you to the lounge. Five minutes left.”

“No probs!” He parted with Takumu, and as he got in line at the counter, he opened the menu window, which was just as the name implied, and selected the weekly curry that was always his Monday choice. Four hundred twenty yen was subtracted from the e-money charged to his Neurolinker.

This week’s curry was a summer vegetable with batterless, deep-fried okra and eggplant, topped with zucchini. Two more weeks until summer vacation, huh? And then we’ll all go on a trip to Yamagata. I gotta call Grampa. But we still have finals before that…His mind wandering, Haruyuki took the tray with piping-hot curry on it from the counter, and after pouring himself a glass of water, hurried to chase after Takumu.

When he slipped under the arch that served as the lounge’s entrance, he stopped in his tracks. Seated at the round table by the window in the very back was a girl turning the page of a hardcover book. The white light coming through the window caught her long black hair, giving her a dreamlike silhouette. It was almost like he’d gone back to that day eight months earlier…

As he stood there absently, the girl—Kuroyukihime—abruptly lifted her face and looked at Haruyuki. A gentle smile briefly crossed her lips before she shrugged as if to say “Almost time.”

Haruyuki hurriedly bowed to her and student council secretary Megumi Wakamiya next to her before moving over to where Takumu and Ikuzawa had gotten a table on the right side of the lounge. He set his tray down on the table and took the empty seat. Neither of his lunch companions had taken the lids off their lunch boxes.

“Sorry I took so long,” he said.

“No, you’re fine.” The class representative shook her head with a serious expression. “I’m sorry for making you rush.”

“So what do you want to talk about?” Haruyuki asked, impatient.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Takumu noted, from his right. “Let’s eat and chat.”

Haruyuki glanced at the lower right of his field of view and saw there were just thirty seconds left until the time Kuroyukihime had specified. It wasn’t like his curry would get cold even if he waited until the end of the meeting, but with the steaming plate before his eyes, it was too sad to leave it for thirty minutes of subjective time. “R-right. Okay, let’s eat.”

Almost before the other two had finished nodding, he was taking a spoonful of the summer vegetable curry. He stuffed it in his mouth and chewed and swallowed, enjoying the spicy heat and the texture of the zucchini, and let out a sigh.

And then, for the second time that day, the sound of acceleration caressed the nerves of Haruyuki’s auditory system.

“Um, so this time it’s…a Primeval Forest stage?” The aftertaste of curry in his mouth rapidly disappearing, Haruyuki whirled his head around to check out his surroundings.

The Umesato school building had transformed into a superlarge, ancient tree. The cafeteria and the lounge were now massive cavities, and fluffy moss grew at his feet. Instead of tables, large mushrooms with caps that were a meter in diameter dotted the area. And at one of the mushrooms sat a jet-black duel avatar.

“Oh, Kuroyukihime!” Waving his right hand, Haruyuki started to weave through the mushrooms and run over to her.

Shwp!

A pale light cut in front of him, so he swallowed a yelp as he put on the emergency brakes. Tiny sparks flew off his helmet, and his health gauge decreased by a mere dot. “Wh-whoa?!”

At the same time as Haruyuki leapt back, several enormous mushrooms fell apart from the root, in pieces. His duel opponent, Black Lotus, had whirled the outstretched sword of her right arm several times with incredible speed to cut down the surrounding mushrooms. All that was left was an empty clearing about five meters across.

“Mm. What’s the matter, Haruyuki? I was just making a meeting space.” Her voice was chilly for some reason. She couldn’t still be mad about the Metatron thing, could she? Or maybe it was the Niko invasion…“Don’t just stand there. How about you have a seat? I’m not concerned about anything, you know? You are free to deliberately bring a girl I don’t know to the lounge and enjoy lunch with her.”

That…! Having understood the reason for the Black King’s ill humor, Haruyuki tried desperately to explain. “Y-you’ve got the wrong idea, Kuroyukihime! That’s Ikuzawa— Oh! She’s our class representative, but she came over and said she needed to talk to Taku and me.”

“Oh-ho? And what did she say?”

“Th-the meeting started before she could tell us…”

“Oh? So then, have I interrupted an important conversation?”

“N-no, that’s not what I…” Beneath his visor, a virtual cold sweat poured down his face.

“That’s probably enough bullying of Corvus, hmm, Lotus?” The voice that echoed through the hall was on the verge of laughter.

He looked to the Legion members who were only watching as they came in through the entrance farthest to the left from Haruyuki’s perspective. Leading the group was “Strong Arm” Sky Raker in her wheelchair. To her right, “Shrine Maiden of the Conflagration” Ardor Maiden. To her left, “Aquamatic” Aqua Current. And behind them, Lime Bell and Cyan Pile stood alongside each other.

Rebuked by Fuko, Kuroyukihime stepped over to one of the uninjured mushrooms and crossed her arms. “Well then, I’ll leave off there.”

Haruyuki breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the neighboring mushroom when a follow-up comment reached his ears.

“Of course, I’ll have you explain every detail later on!”

“O-okay, that’s already— Well, I actually have no idea what it’s about myself.”

The others, except for Raker, sat down on their own mushrooms, and they were ready to start the meeting.

Or so he thought, but Kuroyukihime, who was supposed to announce the start of the meeting, said with an air of importance, “Now then, Crow. Call the eighth member of our Legion.”

“Oh, r-right,” Haruyuki replied.

Fuko also nodded, but the other four Legion members looked bewildered.

“Wh-when did we get another one?!” Chiyuri cried.

Haruyuki waved her off before focusing his mind. Go deep into the image—he gently called to his precious comrade. A few seconds later, the pure-white icon appeared soundlessly.

“Whaaaat?!” Chiyuri and Takumu both shouted the instant they saw it.

When Haruyuki introduced the icon by saying “This is the Archangel Metatron,” Utai and Akira also joined in the shocked outcry.

Haruyuki explained the situation with Metatron’s recovery and status, and then there was an extremely arrogant greeting from the Enemy herself, by which time, they were down to twenty-five minutes left in the duel.

“It is very surprising, but when I think that it was C’s doing, I can accept it somehow,” Utai commented.

Chiyuri shook her head in exasperation. “Well, Haru’s always been known to bring weird strays home…”

“Lime Bell,” the icon on Haruyuki’s left shoulder immediately snapped. “Surely you do not mean to suggest that I am a weird stray, do you?”

“Huh? Oh! Ha-ha-ha, nah, it’s, uh…” Muttering and fumbling her way out of the question, Chiyuri cleared her throat loudly. “Anyway! The reason we asked you for this meeting today was because of a slightly—no, a fairly surprising story!”

“Oh-ho. Well then, shall we have you report, Chiyuri?”

“Okay!” Springing to her feet, Lime Bell looked at Haruyuki.

“Silver Crow.” The voice of Metatron echoed in his mind. “What is this designation those ones have been using?”

“Huh? Oh, that? That’s the name I use in the real world— Um, I guess it’s even lower than the Low Level, like the world outside.”

“Hmm. So the Lowest Level, then.”

“…W-well, I guess so…”

“And there you are called Haru?”

“Yeah. You can call me that, too, if you want…”

“…I shall take it into consideration.”

While they were having this exchange, Lime Bell came forward into the center of the meeting area and looked around at everyone before beginning. “Um, you all remember the Legion Petit Paquet we told you about before in Setagaya Two, right?”

Everyone except Haruyuki bobbed their heads up and down.

“So this morning, the master of that Legion, Choco—er, Chocolat Puppeter, suddenly challenged Haru, and I was in the Gallery. At first, she was really letting him have it, and I was thinking, Well, I guess he’s gonna lose—”

“Sh-sh-she did not let me have it! It was my first time in a Buffer stage, so I didn’t know how to fight there.”

“C’mon! Be quiet, Haru! But then from the middle, Haru was licking and munching, and it ended up in a draw.”

“Licking?” asked Fuko.

“Munching?” asked Akira.

“So this is the main part now.” Fortunately, Chiyuri continued without explaining in detail. “Choco and the other members of Petit Paquet were there, too, Plum Flipper and Mint Mitten. So like, the three of them…” She paused for a moment before getting to the point in a loud voice. “They said they want us to let them into Nega Nebulus!”

Silence.

In the now-quiet meeting venue, Haruyuki remembered that moment. To be more precise, Chocolat had said, “We would be willing to do you the honor of adding our ranks to your Legion.” But Mint pushed Chocolat’s head down right away as she revised the statement to “What I meant to say is…We want you to let us in!” And then Plum began to explain the reason for the sudden request.

Plum Flipper, who was apparently the brains of Petit Paquet—in other words, in the Takumu position—had spoken in a rather laid-back tone, “Sooo, we heard this ruuumor. That Nega Nebulus destroyed the ISS kit main body. So the three of us talked it over and made a decision. As a thank-you for saving us and Coolu that time, we could join you and fight together.”

What pulled Haruyuki out of his recollections was Kuroyukihime groaning next to him. “Mmmm. It’s a bit too soon, however. I appreciate the request, but do they know what kind of situation our Legion is in?”

“They said they talked that over quite carefully, too, before making the request,” Haruyuki replied. “If they cooperate with Nega Nebulus, the kings of the other Legions will give them the side-eye. So then, rather than helping as Petit Paquet from the outside, it’d be better to join Nega Nebulus. Then they’d be able to help out wherever the need is greatest. That’s what Chocolat and the others said.”

“…They thought that far ahead,” Kuroyukihime murmured.

Fuko picked up where she left off. “Where the need is greatest— So then, they mean…”

“The Territories,” Akira finished.

Everyone nodded firmly. It was no easy feat to defend all three of Suginami’s areas in the territory battles held each week on Saturday evening. Fortunately, up to that point, they hadn’t surrendered a territory, but lacking sufficient members to defend thoroughly, they’d come dangerously close to it several times.

But if the three members of Petit Paquet joined them, Nega Nebulus would have a total of ten members, so they’d have one person extra if they placed teams of the minimum of three people in each of their three areas. In terms of numbers, that meant they would be able to fight equally in all areas.

“What shall we do, Sacchi?” Utai asked.

Kuroyukihime remained silent for a brief moment before saying slowly, “It’s a very serious thing to disband a Legion that’s already been formed.”

“True.” Fuko nodded. “Chocolat and her group, they managed to clear the Legion Master quest with just three people, even when it normally requires at least four, right? That’s not something you can do unless you’ve built up an incredibly strong bond.”

“Mmm. It’s not as if she would lose her Legion Master qualification, though, so it would be possible to re-form at some point. But…” Kuroyukihime was unusually hesitant. “There are indeed things that they would lose by disbanding for the time being. I’m not sure if it’s really all right for us to accept their request simply because it would make the Territories easier.”

“Kuroyukihime!” Chiyuri sprang up in front of her.

“Wh-what is it, Chiyuri?”

“You’re overlooking a question that most people would ask straightaway! Can we trust them?” Chiyuri asked with laughter in her voice.

Kuroyukihime appeared caught off guard. She blinked her eye lenses several times before clearing her throat. “Th-that is because I trust you and Haruyuki. If you believe in them, then I will not doubt them, either.”

“Then c’mon, go all-in!” Chiyuri spread her arms wide. “Of course, Chocolat and the others are sad about disbanding Petit Paquet. But more than that, they want to offer their strength to you, Kuroyukihime—to the Black King, Black Lotus, someone they’ve never met. So then maybe you could at least meet them and hear what they have to say?”

“…I’m starting to think that you are much more qualified to be Legion Master, Chiyuri,” Kuroyukihime said with a wry smile, nodding slowly. “You’re right. Perhaps I should meet them and hear about their decision before considering whether to accept their application.”

Even with the push from Chiyuri, the Black King’s usual decisiveness did not return. Maybe the memory of having terminated a Legion once before—the former Nega Nebulus—still weighed heavily on her heart. If that was why she was hesitating to expand the Legion, then they might not be able to pull that boulder away with words alone, Haruyuki thought.

And then, Metatron’s 3-D icon jumped gently from his shoulder, flapping its wings to move to the space directly in front of Kuroyukihime. There, it made the small angel halo flash brightly. “How pathetic. How long does one who would call herself king intend to hang her head?”

“Wh-what?!” Kuroyukihime shouted, and the other six in the Legion snapped to attention.

“A king is one who leads one or two hundred soldiers easily!” Metatron continued to scold the Black King. “So then, why do you struggle with a mere three?! It is precisely because I believe your words about crushing the Acceleration Research Society that as one pillar of the Four Divines, I offered my strength—”

“Th-th-that’s enough!” Haruyuki leapt forward and caught the floating icon in his hands, landing in a formal kneeling posture on the former mushroom table. As he hid Metatron, raging and shouting “Insolence!” behind his back, he explained to Kuroyukihime, “S-so like, Metatron’s kinda the boss of all the Enem—I mean, Beings in the Unlimited Neutral Field, so she can sound a bit imperious someti—”

“Not imperious! I am imperial!”

“Aah, come on! Please be quiet for a sec!”

“Then first release your hands. How many times must I tell you not to touch me without permission, Silver Crow?!”

“Pfft…ha-ha…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…”

He realized the laughter was Kuroyukihime’s and lifted his head.

The Black King, Black Lotus, continued to laugh, the slender body of her avatar shaking, and then eventually said in a carefree voice, “Honestly, I really can’t beat you, Haruyuki. Even the Archangel Metatron, who made us shiver from head to toe, is already a friend to you.”

“Huh? Uh, I don’t know about that.”

“Who would you call his friend?! I am Crow’s master!”

“Heh-heh.” Kuroyukihime wiped at the corners of her eyes. “I can’t sit around being afraid, either, hmm? These hands might be nothing more than swords, but unless I push forward without fear of hurting others or being hurt myself, the path will not open up. So then…”

Nodding firmly, she took a few steps forward.

“Chiyuri, thank you for the message. I have indeed received the application from Chocolat and her comrades. I would like to set up a meeting venue soon and confirm their ultimate intentions.”

“Okay. Then I’ll tell them that!” Nodding happily, Chiyuri stepped back to her own mushroom table.

Haruyuki returned the now-calm Metatron to his shoulder and waited for Kuroyukihime to speak.

“I haven’t formally explained this before now…” With this as a preface, the Black King started speaking slowly, as though selecting her words carefully. “The name of our Legion, Nega Nebulus, was chosen with the image of a dark nebula in mind, like the Horsehead Nebula in Orion or the Coalsack Nebula in the Crux constellation. The correct word is actually dark nebula, apparently, but that doesn’t have a defined enough color associated with it. That said, however, at the time, I was still in elementary school, and it’s a fact that I held the ambition to paint over the brilliant primary colors in the galaxy of the Accelerated World with darkness.”

“Oh? And what about now, Sacchi?” Fuko asked, all smiles.

“Well, it’s not as though I’ve abandoned all ambition.” Kuroyukihime shrugged lightly. “Still, in the beginning, the meaning of the name had a more negative connotation for me. But after the first Nega Nebulus was destroyed because of my recklessness…I learned that a nebula wasn’t simply a black spot in space, but rather a place where matter came together to someday give birth to a new star—a nebula is a so-called cradle of stars. I felt this was deeply ironic when I lost my Legion comrades and all our territory and locked myself away on the local net, but that was the truth. Because in the reborn Nega Nebulus, new comrades come to join one after another and give me the strength to fight on.”

She looked at each of them in turn before announcing in a resolute voice, “I’d like to take this opportunity to confirm our Legion action policy once again.” The Black King thrust the sword of her right arm out with a cool shakeen.

“We in Nega Nebulus will confront the Acceleration Research Society and the front that is the White Legion, Oscillatory Universe! Someday, when the time is right, we will attack and take down Minato Ward Area Three in the territory battles, the location of the Eternal Girls’ Academy, Oscillatory headquarters! In that instant, they will lose the right to refuse challengers, and the names of Black Vise and Rust Jigsaw will appear on the matching list. We’ll have Blue Knight confirm that, and then we’ll launch the joint attack by the six Legions. Before we reach that point, we will no doubt face a series of battles fiercer than anything we’ve yet encountered. But I know that we can overcome them. That is all!”

Unable to contain himself at these rousing words, Haruyuki jumped down to the ground and shouted, “I-I’m gonna give it all I’ve got! No, we’ll all give it everything we’ve got!”

“Yeah!” Chiyuri and Fuko cried out in response. And although Metatron didn’t say anything, the ring above her head flashed brightly.

In the midst of all this, Takumu, who seemed to have been thinking about something the whole time, asked calmly, “Master, may I?”

“Of course, Takumu.”

Cyan Pile stood up from his mushroom and stepped forward into the center of the meeting space. “I also have no objections to the action policy Master just announced. Because the road to eliminating the Acceleration Research Society cannot be passed without a general attack on the headquarters. But…I will take the opportunity to say this in my role here. I think there are two major issues that we must overcome in order to attack Minato Three in the Territories.”

“Mm. Go on.”

“All right. The first is…the fact that any Legion that is already in possession of a domain may only attack areas adjacent to that domain in the Territories. It goes without saying that our domain here in Suginami and the Society’s headquarters in Minato Three are quite far apart. Nega Nebulus cannot currently issue a declaration of war on Oscillatory Universe territory.”


“Oh…” Haruyuki had completely forgotten about this basic rule. The other members had apparently long ago realized this, however, and only waited silently for Takumu to continue.

“And the second is what we are going to do about defending Suginami area.”

Haruyuki nearly cried out again but somehow managed to contain himself this time. It was exactly as Takumu said. To launch a general offensive against Minato area, all members of the Legion would have to move to Minato Ward in the real world on Saturday night when the Territories were held, and there would be no one left to guard Suginami area that week.

“It’s true, those are two enormous issues.” Kuroyukihime nodded slowly. “But, Takumu, you of all people must have realized the solutions, yes?”

“Yes.” He lowered his face mask slightly. “There is just one method to resolve both issues at once. And that is to abandon Suginami area. If we lose all our territory, then we will be free to attack any area, and there will be no need to split our battle power on defense…But…”

Here, he lifted his face and asserted in a bold tone, “But I’m opposed to this method! Suginami area is where you and Haru declared war against the six major Legions that day eight months ago. We haven’t had territory taken once since then; we’ve managed to protect it together. I think the reason Raker, Maiden, and Current came back to the Legion was because we have continued to fly the black flag in Suginami. Even for the sake of a great cause like defeating the Society, if we abandon our territory without fighting, even if it’s only for one week, I just know we’ll lose something crucial. This place, here in Suginami, is our place, Master!”

His passionate will turned to flames in his voice and echoed through the large hall at length.

Haruyuki realized how much Takumu actually cared about Nega Nebulus and Kuroyukihime, even though he was always so rational and practical, and he felt something stop in his throat. Chiyuri, Fuko, Utai, and Akira all seemed to feel the same; each nodded deeply and purposefully.

The one who broke the intense silence was the pure-white 3-D icon sitting on Haruyuki’s left shoulder. “That blue one speaks well.”

The arrogance lingered, but this was still the greatest compliment from Metatron. The most powerful Legend-class Enemy flapped her small wings as she continued.

“If this Suginami or what have you is your territory, then to abandon it for whatever reason is a shameful act. If you require soldiers to protect it, then you must simply acquire them. And if you cannot attack a territory unless it is adjacent to yours, then you simply overthrow the intervening territories and make yours adjacent.”

Makes sense, Haruyuki thought before crying out in his heart, No, no, no!

Separating Suginami and Minato areas was the intimidating Shibuya area, the territory where the Green King reigned, leader of the largest Legion in the Accelerated World, Great Wall. He couldn’t even joke about Nega Nebulus taking it down.

But then, in a surprising turn, Kuroyukihime nodded again. “Mm. A valid argument. A frontal assault.”

“Wh-whaaaaaat?! Are you serious, Kuroyukihime?!” Haruyuki shouted in disbelief.

“No need to be that surprised.” The Black King bobbed her shoulders up lightly. “That GW lot comes and attacks us basically every week, don’t they?”

“Th-that’s true, but the teams that come are always just mid-level members…I don’t think they’re holding back, but it’s not like they’re coming in here serious about bringing down Suginami.”

“Then perhaps I’ll have your team charge in on them?”

“Wh-whaaaat?!”

“Ha-ha! I’m kidding.” Kuroyukihime raised her hand lightly and sat Takumu and Haruyuki down before stepping forward again. “Metatron is indeed correct, but to put that plan into action would take far too much time. I doubt the Society will sit quietly forever, and if possible, I’d like to put an end to them this month. I want to go into summer vacation feeling unburdened. So I’d like to resolve the issue through negotiation.”

“Negotiation? Oh! Is that why you and Master wanted to see the Green King?!” Haruyuki finally remembered that Kuroyukihime and Fuko had already set up a meeting with the Green King, Green Grandé, and he cried out in surprise yet again.

“That was half our objective, yes.” Fuko nodded, and her wheelchair moved silently forward to bring her next to Kuroyukihime. “Just as you said, Corvus, our meeting with the Green King is scheduled for next Sunday—three in the afternoon of the fourteenth. Everyone who can join us will go together to Shibuya Area Two. We intend to discuss an attack on the Minato area with their executives. I do not believe we’ll be able to secure their assistance as easily as that, but that depends on the negotiations, hmm? Does anyone have any questions?”

Fuko let her eyes wander over the assembled group, and Chiyuri’s hand shot into the air with incredible force.

“I do! Me! I do! I dooooo!”

“Wh-what, Chiiko?”

“Shibuya Two—that’s, like, around the station, right?! So like, Center-Gai and Dogenzaka and Shibuya Ravine Tower!”

“I—I suppose so.”

“So then, after the meeting— No, that’ll be too late. I propose that, before the meeting, we all go shopping or sightseeing or have tea or something!”

“…Wh-what do you think, Sacchi?”

Submaster and master exchanged a look.

“…W-well, I suppose it’s fine?”

“All right!!” Chiyuri bounded up into the air. “This Sunday, right? I’m so excited!!”

“Look, Chiyu, we’re not going there to play,” Haruyuki warned just in case, since his childhood friend was all smiles. “And don’t you have a track meet next weeke—?”

“My event’s on Saturday! I’ve got the whoooole day off on Sunday!”

“Oh, y-you do…”

“By the way, Haru,” Takumu immediately interjected, “my kendo tournament’s also on Saturday. I know I shouldn’t say this after all that talk before, but Chii and I will have to miss the next Territories again. So we’re counting on you out there.”

“Y-you are…” Haruyuki was a little disappointed—not because defending would be difficult, but simply because he’d be lonely. But he immediately corrected his thinking; he had to root for his friends at all their respective tournaments.

Kuroyukihime nodded coolly and thanked Takumu and Chiyuri. “We’ll make sure to defend all three areas, so you relax and go to your tournaments, Takumu, Chiyuri…But it sounds like the two of you will be quite busy. In a mere two weeks, you have the school festival, final exams, and tournaments all in a row.”

“It really is rough!” Chiyuri nodded her pointed hat. “If you had used your powers as student council vice president to at least move the school festival back a little, it would’ve been way easier to prepare for exams.”

“Yes, tests ten days after the festival also seemed a bit much to me, but unfortunately, it’s the end of my term. I can only stay on the student council until the elections for the next term in September.”

“Oh, right…Soon you won’t be vice president anymore, huh, Kuroyuki?” Yes, that was true. Haruyuki nodded, too. He had a hard time imagining a Kuroyukihime who wasn’t the student council vice president, but at the very least, in daily life at the junior high, there was nothing that lasted forever. In just nine more months, that day would come. The day Kuroyukihime left Umesato…

His shoulders started to sink in dejection, and Metatron’s thoughts, gentler than usual, echoed in the back of his mind.

“You little warriors do all sort of things on the Lowest Level, hmm?”

“…Yeah. In the real world, there’s this thing called school, and we all go there every day to study.”

“I see. Is it like a training facility?”

“W-well, I guess,” he replied, before bracing himself for the “Take me there” that would inevitably follow.

“I am aware that there is no way for me to descend to the Lowest Level.”

“……”

“But, Crow, I am able to ask you about it. As your master, I order you, my servant. The next time you visit the Mean Level, tell me about it. What kind of place the Lowest Level is, how you pass the time there each day, everything.”

“Huh? E-everything?! Um. I feel like that’ll take a super-long time, though…”

“Do you think I am concerned with how much time it might take?”

…Right. This Being is eight thousand years old, he remembered belatedly. “U-understood. So I’ll try to come to the Unlimited Duel Field as soon as I can.”

“See that you do not make me wait too long.”

“O-okay.”

The conversation continued at length, but apparently, it took less time than if they had been speaking out loud, thanks to Metatron’s thoughts, and when he lifted his head, Chiyuri and Kuroyukihime were still talking.

“…So that is Chiyuri’s lone wish. Shall we go to Shibuya early on Sunday and recharge our batteries for the meeting with GW?”

“All right! Aah, I’m so excited!” Chiyuri was all worked up.

“Chiiko, our main objective is still the negotiations with the Green King,” Fuko said, a smile in her voice. “That said, Shibuya is my neighborhood. Looks like I’ll have no choice but to guide you.”

“What? You’ll show us around, Sister?!”

“Even just going for fun, you really need a solid plan to get the most out of your time,” Fuko noted proudly, raising a finger.

Haruyuki didn’t miss the whispered conversation between Utai and Akira.

“Fu’s really all on board,” Utai murmured.

“When Raker gets like that, no one can stop her,” Akira agreed.

“Did you say something, Uiui?”

“I-I’m really looking forward to this!” Utai yelped.

Everyone laughed brightly at this perfectly timed exchange between long-time teammates ICBM and Testarossa.

As their cheerful laughter died down, Kuroyukihime glanced at the clock to check the remaining time and started to bring the meeting to a close.

“I said this before, but I believe the battle with the White Legion will be harder and more painful than we can imagine. Simply in terms of numbers, currently, there is a gap that would be difficult to overcome. On top of that, the White King, White Cosmos, and her executives, the Seven Dwarves, have unfathomable power in battle. They also still hold the Armor of Catastrophe, Mark II, in their hands. From the way Cosmos was talking when she appeared on the day of the school festival, it’s certain that they intend to use the recovered Armor for some purpose.”

Haruyuki clenched his teeth together tightly. Just thinking about Wolfram Cerberus still in that armor and being used once more by the Society made his whole body shake. They had to free him before that. This was Haruyuki’s mission now, after becoming friends with Cerberus through the four duels they’d had.

“But we have come out victorious in any number of fierce battles before. If we join together, I believe there is no wall we cannot smash. We’ll fight together…for the things we love and believe in!!” Kuroyukihime thrust the sword of her right hand high up into the air, and the others also threw hands up, shouting with all their might.

The meeting ended, and the instant he returned to the real world, the taste of curry once more registered in Haruyuki’s mouth. Still gripping the spoon in his right hand, he remembered that, oh right, he was in the middle of lunch.

Before his eyes was the still-piping-hot summer-vegetable curry. The place was the lounge of the cafeteria on the first floor. In the chair next to him, Takumu was about to dig into the lunch box in front of him. And also in front of him…

“Is the curry that good?”

Haruyuki blinked rapidly. Before him, a girl with her hair tied to one side was smiling. The class representative, Mayu Ikuzawa.

That’s right. Ikuzawa invited us to the lounge with her. Still, why Taku and me all of a sudden? It’s not like we’re close. I mean, I’ve barely spoken to her before.

As these thoughts rolled through his mind, the class representative continued, grinning and holding a small sandwich in one hand.

“It’s just, when you took a bite of the curry, Arita, you closed your eyes and just sat like that. So I was just wondering if it was so great.”

“Oh! Y-yeah. It’s pretty good.”

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll try it next time.”

…Was he supposed to offer her a bite now? But Ikuzawa didn’t have a spoon. Should he go get a fresh spoon from the counter? No, no, if he went that far, it’d actually be weird, right?

As Haruyuki fell once more into the labyrinth of his thoughts, Takumu spoke up. “Haru, let me have a taste. I’ll give you my fried egg and mini croquette.”

“Huh? Sure. But you don’t have a spoon…”

“I do, though.” Takumu grinned and pulled a strangely shaped spoon and fork out of the lid of his lunchbox. They were the good kind, normally thin plates, but when you held them, they detected the electrical current of the body and changed into a proper shape. Instantly, he felt like his thoughts had telepathically reached his friend or something, he realized with a gasp.

“Oh…Ikuzawa, did you want to try it, too?”

The class rep smiled brightly. “You sure? Okay, I’ll give you one of my sandwiches. Ah, but I don’t have a spoon…”

“Here, you can use this.” Takumu immediately held out an emergency spoon.

As Haruyuki marveled at how he’d never in his life best Takumu when it came to responding in these sorts of situations, he pushed his curry plate forward. After thanking them both, Ikuzawa spooned a little curry onto the lid of the recyclable container with her sandwiches and set out a cute square sandwich in an empty space on his plate. When the trade with Takumu was finished, the three dug in.

“Oh! You’re right!” Ikuzawa exclaimed. “It is good. It’s spicier than the usual pork curry.”

“It goes really well with the fried eggplant,” Takumu remarked.

“Taku, you really do love eggplant, huh?” Haruyuki grinned as he took a bite of the thin chicken, lettuce, and cheese sandwich Ikuzawa had given him, a little flustered.

And then suddenly sensing eyes on him, Haruyuki turned his face in that direction and met the eyes of Kuroyukihime staring at him, her face half hidden in a hardcover book at a table some distance away.

Reflexively, a stiff smile crept onto his lips, and he had the thought You’ve got the wrong idea! But Haruyuki didn’t know himself what the wrong idea was. To start with, he still hadn’t heard what the class representative wanted to talk about. Instinctively understanding that it would be best to get down to business right away, Haruyuki finished the sandwich with his next bite and went to broach the topic. But.

“Arita, how was the sandwich?”

The question came at him first, so he immediately bobbed his head up and down.

“I-it was supergood. The flavoring isn’t the usual mayonnaise, huh?”

“Yeah. It has some herbs cut up and mixed into it,” she told him. “They’re fresh, so they have a nice fragrance, you know?”

“Wow. Do you grow them at home?”

“I do. In planters, though. Sweet basil, Italian parsley, rosemary…”

While they were chatting, he could feel Kuroyukihime’s penetrating gaze growing sharper. She’s not gonna wait anymore! Haruyuki understood intuitively and nudged Takumu’s foot with his own.

Fortunately, Takumu had apparently also noticed Kuroyukihime glaring, and he cleared his throat lightly. “So, Ikuzawa, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?”

“Oh! Right. Um. I know this is super-sudden, and you might be surprised, but…” Sitting up perfectly straight in her chair, Ikuzawa looked directly at Takumu and Haruyuki as she announced in a clear voice, “I have a favor to ask. Would you maybe stand as candidates with me in the next student council election?”

Whaaaaaat?! Haruyuki just barely managed to stuff the scream that leapt into his mouth back into his throat. Stewdent cownsill elekshuns? Is that the name of an herb?

He was basically given no time to let his thoughts run off evasively like this because Takumu got back on his feet after a mere two seconds of shock and calmly confirmed, “So then, Ikuzawa, you want us to be the executive members in your standing for student council president?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” She nodded, looking utterly serious.

The Umesato Junior High student council elections were a little different from other schools. Normally, candidates ran for each of the four executive positions of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and students also voted for each of those four positions. But at Umesato, four people ran as a set. Specifically, the student running for president collected her three staff members, and then the four campaigned as a team. In other words, Mayu Ikuzawa was saying she wanted Haruyuki and Takumu to be vice president or secretary or treasurer. But.

“I heard that usually people run together with trusted friends, though,” Takumu pointed out, and Haruyuki bobbed his head up and down.

“I don’t really think that’s so great,” Ikuzawa replied, still looking serious. “Student council shouldn’t be about hanging out. You should pick people you can trust as staff first and foremost, right? I heard the current executive board was put together like that, too.”

“But all the more reason to ask, why me?” Haruyuki inquired, baffled, pointing at himself with his hand.

If it had been just Takumu, he could understand that. He’d become the hope of the kendo team not long after he transferred there, and he was thought to be the front-runner for the position of captain. His grades were also always at the top of the class. And with his personality and appearance, even as a friend, Haruyuki could give him a big stamp of approval that there was no better person to run for election with.

And at the same time, Haruyuki Arita, a lump of negative elements, would most certainly erase all these positive things that Takumu Mayuzumi would bring to a campaign.

If she said something like it was because he was Takumu’s friend, Haruyuki was going to bow out in no uncertain terms. But Ikuzawa’s response was entirely unexpected.

“Well, that’s because I think I could run the student council with you, of course.”

“…Wh-why?” Once again, all he could do was ask a question in reply.

“It’s not as mysterious as all that.” This time, she giggled. “You’ve been doing great work as the president of the Animal Care Club. And officers from special clubs often stand for student council positions. I mean, the current student council president used to be the vice president of the AV club.”

“…R-really…?” Haruyuki belatedly realized that he was indeed the president of something. But he’d been ordered to be president of the Animal Care Club, and it had just been a month. Plus, his only job was to care for the northern white-faced owl Hoo in the animal hutch in the rear courtyard. Could that really be called getting results in his club?

But Ikuzawa continued, as if trying to block his path to retreat. “And at the school festival, you went the extra mile for our class exhibit and upgraded it all by yourself. That really made me think. I realized that even though I’m the Class C representative, somewhere in my mind, I was thinking the class exhibit didn’t really matter as long as we finished in time.”

“I-it wasn’t that much work at all, though. And I mean, I just went and modified it the way I wanted without actually discussing it with everyone…”

“Nah, I really loved that ‘Koenji Thirty Years Ago’ exhibit,” Takumu said with an entirely straight face.

You saying that has the opposite effect! Haruyuki screamed in his heart and tried to kick his best friend again.

But Takumu easily dodged the attack outside his view and continued, “The idea of doing AR mapping on the classroom walls and ceiling was a good one, and the skill to make it happen in just one night is a major deal. And the visitors loved it, too, right?”

“Ah, but compared with the student council’s ‘Time’ exhibit, you know…”

“True, that was amazing, but the exhibit you made, Arita, I like how time flowed at the same speed.” Turning her gaze upward as if remembering, Ikuzawa opened her mouth once again. “Looking at the condo where my family used to live, it made me think about all sorts of things. I’m fourteen right now, so I always thought that being a grown-up was a long way off, but it’s more like I’m already fourteen, you know? So like, a small part of the reason I decided to run for office was because of that exhibit.”

“Wh-what?” Haruyuki stared at her.

“Of course, I’m not confident I’ll get elected, but rather than regretting something I didn’t do, I figure it’d be better to lose and be disappointed.”

Haruyuki felt his heart tremble just the tiniest bit. It definitely wasn’t that he was curious about standing as a candidate, but before he knew it, a question was slipping out of his mouth. “Um, Ikuzawa, why do you want to be student council president? I’m pretty sure you’re doing great work in the calligraphy club?”

“Well…the thing is…” Ikuzawa hung her head for some reason, turning a little red in the face, and neatly folded up the now-empty recyclable container. “So, like, you might laugh at me, but…I really look up to Kuroyukihime in ninth grade, the current student council vice president. I wanted to get even a little closer to her…And not like I want to be her best friend or something. I’m talking about the way she lives. Kuroyukihime’s always so cool, always standing perfectly straight; she has this relaxed grown-up air about her. I really love that.”

That same Kuroyukihime is glaring really hard in this direction ten meters behind you.

Naturally, this thought did not leave his mouth. Instead, he nodded sharply. “You do? I get that…And I think that’s a seriously valid motive for running for office.”

Haruyuki really did think so, but Ikuzawa lowered her face for some reason. He panicked that he had maybe said something wrong, but a few seconds later, she spoke again, her voice quiet.

“So like, I’ll tell you the truth, okay? I explained the reason I asked you to run before, Arita, but that’s not the whole story. The truth is, I also had an ulterior motive.”

“Huh? U-ulterior motive?”

“Yeah. Arita, you’re pretty close with Kuroyukihime, right? So I figured if you ran with me, Kuroyukihime might help out with the campaign stuff…It’s not fair of me to put that on you, though, to be so petty like this.”

“Huh?! …Um…” At a loss for words, Haruyuki looked to Takumu for assistance. But his childhood friend’s expression told him he was on his own. “Um, Ikuzawa, I think maybe if you don’t want it at least that much, then you can’t win an election. And I think if you talked to her, Kuroyukihime would tell you to use what you can use.”

“…You think?” Ikuzawa lifted her face.

“Of course.” Haruyuki nodded deeply. “Although trusting your comrades is the most important thing. And, Ikuzawa, you just shared your true feelings with me, right? I think if you’re that kind of person, you can be trusted as a leader.”

“…Thanks, Arita.” Her side ponytail bobbing, Mayu Ikuzawa bowed her head. When she straightened up again after about two seconds, she said in her usual voice, “I’m convinced all over again that the three of us could make a really wonderful executive group. We’ll have to talk about which positions you’ll run for, but I feel safe leaving any of the posts to you two. Thanks…Let’s fight together!”

“Y-yeah!” Haruyuki replied with force before belatedly wondering, Huh? What just happened?



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