Accel World - Volume 24 - Chapter 5

5

Once Haruyuki had explained the various incidents concerning the Acceleration Research Society, Seri Suzukawa returned to her fifth-floor condo and then came outside again a mere fifteen minutes later. She had changed from her gym clothes into an unbleached linen shirt and dark-gray capri pants and was carrying an unadorned canvas backpack.

“Let’s go!” she called to Haruyuki, who was waiting at the park entrance, and started to walk toward the main road.

Matching his pace to Seri’s wide, brisk stride, Haruyuki asked in a small voice, “Uh, um, are you really sure? I mean, I’m grateful, but…It’s pretty far, and the park back there would have…”

Instantly, she gave him a hardened stare, definitely reminiscent of a veteran Linker. “Arita, do you honestly believe you’ll be able to master the secrets of Omega style with a month or two of training?”

“Huh?! N-no, that’s not what I meant, but, um, I don’t have to become a fully realized master. If you could just teach me some techniques that might work on Inti—”

“You’re soft with those sweet thoughts. Sweeter than gulab jamun. That ball has a sick hard core inside those flames, and you’re not going to be able to cut even a millimeter into it with a half-assed slash.”

“…What’s gulab jamun?” he asked the thing that caught his attention.

Seri snorted. “I’ll treat you to some soon. Anyway, the Tozai Line’s all right, yeah?”

“Oh! Sure. If we change to the JR train line at the last stop in Nakano, get off at Koenji Station…,” he said. “Well, we could also just walk the one station.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” she replied calmly and kept walking at a brisk pace that gave no hint of any exhaustion from soccer practice. When they hit the Kanda River, they went east along the path next to the waterway. If they kept going like that, they’d come out at Takadanobaba Station soon enough.

It was just like she’d said: They couldn’t exactly dive from a bench in the park if they were going to be in the Unlimited Neutral Field on the order of months. Thirty days on the other side meant about forty-three minutes would pass in the real world. That said…

“Um, Seri—I mean, Maestro, are you okay with this?”

“With what?”

“I-it’s just…” He paused. “This is the first time we’ve met in the real, and even I know the way I was talking back there was suspicious. So I was wondering if you weren’t kind of anxious to be suddenly going to the house of a guy like that.”

He braced himself for another scolding, but Seri just stared blankly for a moment before saying, “Mmm. Well, normally, I guess, yeah. And I’ll tell you right now. This is the first time I’ve ever gone to a boy’s house, okay?”

“I-it is?”

“But it totally doesn’t feel like this is the first time I’ve met you, Arita. Our contact in BB was actually when you were fighting Glacier Behemoth, so in real time, it’s a mere…um, two days, right?”

“R-right.” He nodded.

“But the first time I detected your existence was when you fought the fifth. And even in real time, that was already six months ago.”

“The fifth?” Now Haruyuki was left staring blankly. The fifth what? he wondered before finally getting it. Obviously the fifth Chrome Disaster, Cherry Rook. Through his senses, Seri had detected Silver Crow for the first time.

Right. Seri Suzukawa was Centaurea Sentry, but she had also been the third Chrome Disaster. So did that mean she was also linked to Cherry Rook and the fourth Chrome Disaster? Haruyuki stared intently at her cool profile as he tried to decide whether to voice the question.

But almost as if she’d guessed what he was going to say, Seri raised a hand slightly and said, “Let’s talk about that later. It’s too much to handle and walk at the same time.”

“Okay.”

They continued in silence for a while. Before he knew it, there was only a hint of red left in the western sky, and the lights along the walkway were shining with white light. The temperature finally started to drop, and the wind blowing in from across the river felt good, cooling his hot skin. A bicycle with a small child in a child seat passed them, the equipped motor humming.

“Maestro—Sentry. Were you always by yourself inside the Main Visualizer?” Haruyuki threw her a different question, and Seri looked thoughtful for a moment before, for some reason, patting his head.

“That depends on the definition of ‘by myself.’ I was alone, but it’s not like I was all by myself in the dark for thousands of years. If that had been the case, I think my spirit inside the light quantum circuit would have broken before ten years had even gone by. Fundamentally, it’s like I was sleeping all that time, and every rare once in a while, I would wake up for a brief period and think about things.”

“Things?”

“About Brain Burst, about myself, and…like, ‘I’ll have to train this chickadee over from zero.’ Stuff like that.”

It was clear that the chickadee was Haruyuki, so he reflexively shrank into himself. “O-oh yeah?”

“So I’m happy my dreams have come true now. A night out’s nothing compared to that,” she said as if processing the idea in real time, and then a mischievous smile slid across her lips as she continued. “I told my parents I was staying over at Shima’s, but if they find me out, you apologize with me, yeah?”

“Y-yes— No, no, no, no! I can’t!” Haruyuki waved his hands in front of his face, and Seri laughed out loud as she walked over to the entrance to the Tozai Line at Takadanobaba Station that had come into view.

After alighting at Nakano Station, they reached Haruyuki’s condo building at seven. The sky was already totally dark, but his mother wouldn’t be home until the next morning, so unlike Seri, there was no need for him to make up any excuses. He didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

They took the elevator to the twenty-second floor and made their way down the hall. Haruyuki was about to unlock the door to his condo when—

“Huh?!” He yanked his hand back from the holopanel.

“What’s wrong?” Seri looked wary.

“Um. The security says someone’s home,” he explained quietly.

“Huh? I thought your mom wasn’t coming home until morning?”

“She’s not supposed to.” He hurriedly opened his mail, but there was no message saying her plans had changed. She always came home in the morning, but she was very precise about this sort of thing, so it was hard to believe she would return without saying anything. But he couldn’t come up with any other explanation. “Wh-what should we do?”

“Don’t ask me. Maybe your only option is to say I’m a friend and we’re doing homework?”

“B-but…Maestro, no matter how you look at it, eighth grade is just…”

“Sorry for having an old face.” She frowned but then shrugged dramatically. “So say whatever you want, like that I’m your girlfriend or something.”

“N-no, that’s a little…” As he shook his head, he desperately examined temporary measures. If his mother was already home, then it was impossible for Seri to stay over. There was just no way. About the longest she would be able to stay was until ten o’clock, so three more hours. If they dived that whole time, they would be able to remain in the Unlimited Neutral Field for 125 days, about four months. He wanted to think they would be able to finish his training in that time.

“I’ll go with you’re in a higher grade at school,” he announced finally.

Seri nodded, looking like the whole thing was funny somehow. “Understood. Umesato…right?”

“That’s right. I’ll explain things, so you just try not to talk as much as possible.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Okay, here we go!”

Hesitating now would only decrease their training time. Firming his resolve, he touched the holopanel and unlocked the door. As soon as he heard the lock open, he yanked on the door handle.

The entryway was dark, but bright light spilled out through the checkered glass of the living room door at the end of the hallway. It looked like his mother had actually come home half a day early. Now that he’d come this far, however, there was no turning back. He led Seri down the hallway and listened hard at the door. He couldn’t hear any sound from inside. Maybe she was having a glass of wine on the sofa.

Just rip off the Band-Aid!

Haruyuki turned the knob and threw open the door.

“Welcome home!”

““““Welcome home!””””

A chorus of voices rang out, and Haruyuki froze to the spot in shock.

There were a lot of people. Pressed in around the dining table, standing clustered around the sofa, turning warm smiles toward him. And naturally, not an unfamiliar face among them: Kuroyukihime, Chiyuri, Takumu, Fuko, Utai, Akira, Niko, Pard, Rin, Shihoko, Satomi, Yume, Rui. Pretty much everyone from the Nega Nebulus Black side.

While he gaped, he heard a lively puh-puh-puh-pom, and colorful paper confetti danced down from the ceiling. A large banner appeared above the window on the south side. Written in hand was CONGRATULATIONS, SPECIAL MISSION LEADER SILVER CROW! A SUPER, SUPER, SUPER SEND-OFF PARTY!! Naturally, all of this was AR objects, but the feast that covered every centimeter of the table appeared to be real.

The ratio of girls is as high as ever…

His brain chased after this escapist thought, and Haruyuki somehow managed to open his mouth.

“Uh, um, what exactly is—?”

“You’re laaaaate!!”

He was interrupted by Chiyuri’s shouting. Smile turning to a puffed-cheek pout, his childhood friend put her hands on her hips and proceeded to grill him.

“Haru, the meeting ended just after five, didn’t it? Fuko told us she let you out around Waseda, but where on earth did you go?! We even went to the trouble of hiding our shoes and everything!”

“That’s, uh— No, wait.” He shook his head. “You have to tell me what all of this is!”

“You’d know if you took one look at the banner!” she snapped. “We thought it up when I ran into Kuroyukihime this afternoon—we wanted to cheer you on now that you’re the attacker in the Inti mission, so you should be grateful! By the way, we even got your mom’s permission and everything!”

“Wh-when did you—? Master, did you know about this?”

When he turned his gaze on Fuko, who he had only said good-bye to in Kansenen Park two hours earlier, she returned a faintly wry smile.

“I was out of the loop on this one, as well. If I had known, I wouldn’t have let you take that detour.”

“Apologies, Fuko. It was to prevent information leaks,” Kuroyukihime said.

Fuko pursed her lips. “I’m not the type to let it all out on my face, you know.”

“Whatever!” Niko’s loud voice put a stop to this back-and-forth. “Let’s get this thing started! I’m s to the tarving!”

“Agreed!” Shihoko responded and ran over to Haruyuki. “Look, Corvus, come on over here! The feast’ll get cold!” She was about to tug on his hand as he stood in the doorway to the living room and then blinked rapidly. “Huh? Corvus, who’s that?”

Presented with this question, Haruyuki finally remembered that he was still making Seri Suzukawa wait behind him, and he hurriedly moved to one side and urged her to come into the room. Seri showed absolutely no sign of flinching as she stepped forward and all eyes focused on her.

His friends looked doubtful, and Haruyuki introduced her half on autopilot. “Um, this is Seri Suzukawa. Her avatar name is Centaurea Sentry.”

The Petit Paquet group, Rin, and Chiyu and Taku—the younger members—still looked puzzled at this, but the reaction of the high rankers was different.

“Ruthless!!” Kuroyukihime shouted, immediately bracing herself.

“Asura!!” Fuko cried, jumping forward next to her.

“Omega Weapon!!” Akira shouted, standing farther to the side.

Even Utai had an unprecedentedly stern look on her face.

That last one is new to me, but I feel kinda like I’ve heard it somewhere before, Haruyuki thought and finally grasped the reason for this reaction.

Centaurea Sentry was a master fencer whose name had thundered since the dawn of the Accelerated World. She naturally would have fought the older members of his Legion. And Sentry had also become the third Chrome Disaster, been subjugated by the Blue King, and banished from the Accelerated World. It would have been odd if they hadn’t been on guard when suddenly faced with such a person in the flesh.

“No! Um! It’s!” Haruyuki panicked belatedly, and Seri put a hand on his shoulder as she took another step forward.

“’Tis a strange thing. Even upon first meeting in the real, we know you, more or less.” For some reason, she spoke in Sentry’s voice, and a faint smile curled on her lips as she pointed at Fuko. “You would be Strato-Shooter. Beside you, Aquamatic and Testarossa.”

She moved her finger to Akira and Utai in turn and then faced Kuroyukihime.

“And you are World End? We never dreamed we would come face-to-face with our former friendly rivals in such a fashion. And the Anomaly…does not appear to be that boy.”

Takumu silently shook his head, and Seri shrugged lightly.

“Regrettable. We thought to battle decisively for the first time in four years.”

Kuroyukihime and the others made no move to reply. It was almost as if they were seeing a ghost—actually, that was probably exactly how they felt.

It was Niko, who likely had no overlap with the time period when Sentry was active, who spoke up instead. “Whoa, whoa, whooaaaaaaa!” Both hands thrust into the pockets of her cutoff jeans, shoulders squared, she strode forward in genuine hoodlum style. “I don’t care if you’re Sentry or Country, but you don’t get to just waltz into the party and bring it on!”

“And who might you be?”

Even challenged by Seri, who was much taller, Niko kept strutting as she introduced herself. “I’m the second Red King, Scarlet Rain! You wanna duel, I’ll take ya, so just come at me right now!”

“H-h-h-hey, Niko…” Haruyuki worried that given Sentry’s personality, she might actually start a duel, but Seri grinned as though she had all the time in the world.

“I see. So you’re Rider’s successor? We would not hesitate to show you our skill, but we are disinclined to cast a shadow on your hard-won banquet.”

“What’d you say?!” Niko snarled. “You trying to say I’d lose?!”

“O-okay, okay.” Haruyuki somehow managed to insert himself between the girls, and he grabbed Niko with both hands to pull her away from Seri.

“Ah! Hey! What’re ya doing?!”

He carried the struggling firebrand over to Pard.

“It’s hard to believe, but there seems to be no doubt that you really are Sentry,” Kuroyukihime said, her voice hoarse, and she snapped her hand out at Seri. “There are many things I would ask you, but why on earth are you even with Haruyuki—Silver Crow to start with?!”

“It’s obvious.” Seri whipped a hand up as if blocking Kuroyukihime’s slicing attack. “We are Crow’s teacher, and Crow is our student.”

Five minutes later.

While Haruyuki scarfed down Cajun chicken in the seat of honor at the end of the dining table, Takumu, sitting diagonally to his right, said seriously, “Haru, how did you end up getting involved with a person like that?”

“I-it’s not like I contacted her or anything,” he muttered before changing his tone and continuing. “Oh, and, Taku, congrats on making it to the Kanto meet. We should be having a party for you instead of this send-off for me.”

“Nah, I ended up losing in the semifinals, so…” He shrugged. “You can celebrate me when I win at Kanto.”

“Oh! Looking forward to it. Next time, we’ll all come cheer for you.”

“Thanks. It’d be great if everything was sorted out by then.” Takumu looked over at the sofa, so Haruyuki also shifted his gaze.

Fuko, Kuroyukihime, and Seri were sitting on the three-person sofa, and for some reason, they were all eating thick rolls of sushi. When they finished at the same time, they all took a sip of cold tea and let out sighs simultaneously.

“The sushi rolls are delicious. You make them?” Seri said to Utai, having dropped her ponderous Sentry tone.

The younger girl sat formally on her knees on the carpet, and her reply, which happened to be in Haruyuki’s field of view, appeared as text. UI> YES, ALTHOUGH MY NANNY ALSO HELPED.

“Nice.” Seri smiled. “I thought you were pretty put-together on the other side, but you’re even more so in the real. If you ever want to apprentice with me, you’re more than welcome.”

Before the seemingly stunned Utai could move her fingers, Fuko said with a smile, “Would you like to be knocked into next week?”

“Oh my! But I believe in the sum total score, I had more wins than losses.”

What?! Seriously?! Maestro Sentry had more wins than losses against Master Raker?!

Haruyuki was apparently not the only one dumbfounded at this; the air in the large living/dining room was filled with tense chatter.

“That’s because you ran off after winning, isn’t it?” she responded in a somehow more threatening voice, maintaining her vacuum-breaking Raker smile. “I could turn that score on its head for you right now, if you’d like?”

“I think that’d only increase the gap,” Seri insisted.

They radiated ice-cold battle lust from opposite ends of the sofa. But just as the swirling auras were about to collide, Kuroyukihime raised her hands from the middle and pushed on their shoulders.

“All right, that’s enough! If the two of you can’t be good until the end of the party at least, then you will be sentenced to no dessert!”

Instantly, their battle lust subsided as though it had never existed in the first place. He supposed that even the fiercest, most legendary warriors in the Accelerated World were still sugar-loving girls in the real world. But then he rethought this stance and decided they were absolutely not too easy to understand as that. He secretly prayed there would be no trouble until at least the end of the party, just as Kuroyukihime said.

“Crow…Arita,” Rui Odagiri said from her position next to Takumu, and Haruyuki looked over at her. In a casual T-shirt and jeans, she leaned forward slightly and asked quietly, “The fact that you’re apprenticing with someone with the nickname Ruthless, does that mean you’re seriously aiming to be a sword user?”

“N-no, no. It’s not like that,” Haruyuki replied reflexively and then had the thought that this might sound like he was taking the sword lightly, so he glanced over at Takumu. His childhood friend returned a slightly wry smile, as if to say he’d read Haruyuki’s mind.

He turned back to Rui and continued. “Um, I took the sword as my level-up bonus because I wanted to be able to do more things. Like, all this time, I’ve only been thinking about how I could get stronger, but joining up with people for tag-team matches, fighting in groups, I started feeling like I wanted to expand my range of fighting styles.”

That was the sincere truth in his heart—or it should have been. But the previous evening, Haruyuki had told Kuroyukihime one more reason: He wanted to fight Takumu with a sword when they dueled again for real once they reached level seven, just like they’d promised each other.

“The reason that you are limiting your fight with him to sword against sword is because somewhere deep in your heart, you feel you would win if it was a no-holds-barred contest, isn’t it?”

He didn’t, though. The many different special attacks Takumu/Cyan Pile had at his disposal were all powerful, and Haruyuki believed that when he activated his Incarnate technique Cyan Blade, Takumu was in the most powerful class as a sword user. Which was exactly why he wanted to challenge him with a sword. Rather than evade Takumu’s slicing attacks, he would stand tall and cross swords with him. That was the kind of fight he wanted to have.

Haruyuki still hadn’t told Takumu how he felt. He needed to reach a level of swordsmanship Takumu would approve of, first.

“I get that,” Rui said. “It’s true that synergy among abilities is key in tag-team matches and group fights. If you expand your range of fighting styles, you can construct even more synergies. But…you sure? Not doing that jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none thing?”

Haruyuki could tell this was no metaphor but something she was seriously worried about, and he thoroughly digested her words before replying. “Yes, to be honest, I’m concerned myself. In fact, I haven’t been training much lately in hand-to-hand combat. But it’s not like I can redo my bonus. I just have to accept it and do the best I can.”

It was hard to tell if he was looking backward or forward, and both Rui and Takumu grinned.

Akira, who was alternating between picking onigiri rice balls and karaage chicken, spoke, half muttering and yet perfectly clear to everyone at that end of the table. “It’s not bad to covet things in Brain Burst.”

“I-it’s not?” He cocked his head.

“The reason you end up a jack-of-all-trades in the real is because there isn’t enough time to master the various paths,” she told him. “But in the Accelerated World, for all practical purposes, you have an infinite amount of time.”

“W-well, I guess that’s true.” Haruyuki darted his eyes around, slightly perplexed, and Akira turned the red frames of her glasses toward the sofa, having finished her onigiri.

“In that sense, I don’t think it’s bad that you’re apprenticing to her. But…Omega Weapon is dangerous. Make very sure you don’t get pulled in too far.”

The first to respond to Akira’s murmured warning was Satomi Mito of the Petit Paquet group, sitting at the opposite end of the table.

“Akira, what does this nickname Omega Weapon mean?”

“It means, if you encounter her, it’s over.”

“…?”

Shihoko and Yume, seated on either side of Satomi, simultaneously cocked their heads, perhaps also not understanding. It didn’t click for Haruyuki, either, but this feeling of a challenge being the beginning of the end was probably a very real feeling for the Burst Linkers of old. Even Haruyuki, who was a student of this school, couldn’t immediately come up with a way to counter Omega style or understand how it cut through steel. It seemed impossible to defend against. Intently maintaining distance while attacking from afar…That kind of simple strategy wouldn’t work on Sentry.

Except. The fact that it was impossible to defend against was the same as the Black King’s Terminate Sword. So then maybe it could be handled in the same way. Which logic would be given priority: the Way of the Flexible, controlling your opponent’s movement with circular motions, or Omega style, which sought out the minimum amount of motions necessary?

Haruyuki sank into thought with a chicken bone still in one hand, and Akira’s voice reached his ears, even huskier now.

“Still, it’s a surprise she didn’t lose all her points. Wonder where she’s been, and what she’s been up to.”

“Huh? Who?” Haruyuki asked, and Akira gave him a funny look.

“I’m talking about Sentry, obviously.”

“…”

He gaped at her for a second before he finally realized that the veteran Burst Linkers in the room thought Sentry had actually survived the fight with the Blue King three and a half years earlier. And naturally, he himself wouldn’t have believed the story that she’d lost all her points and come back to life if he hadn’t seen it play out with his own eyes.

He turned his gaze toward the living room once more, wondering how on earth Seri was going to explain all of that, but the girl was biting into a smoked salmon canapé with a calm expression. It was fearsome grit in the face of an entirely unexpected cracking in the real.

Niko, Pard, Rin, and Chiyuri were sitting on the cushions arranged opposite the sofa, chatting about the dishes that covered the coffee table.

I want a canapé, too, he thought, but he didn’t have the courage to break their little circle.

At any rate, as long as Seri was keeping the situation to herself, Haruyuki couldn’t exactly answer Akira’s question, so he changed the subject. “Um. Did everyone bring some food today?”

“We did!” Shihoko replied. “Bell—er, Chiyuri sent us a message around four saying we were having a send-off party, so we should all meet at Koenji Station at six and she would be happy if people brought food. So we hurried to make some things.”

“Oh! Did you make this Cajun chicken, Shihoko?” he asked.

“Yup. How’d it taste?”

“R-really good. Amazing.” He grinned. “So you’re great at making things besides sweets, too.”

“Heh-heh-heh.” Shihoko laughed as though embarrassed. “I did get my mom to help a little, though.”

Yume abruptly shoved a tortilla roll into her mouth.

“Nngh! Ngaaah!”

“Yeah, yeah, you two aren’t allowed to walk off into your own private world!” Yume told her friend.

We weren’t!! Haruyuki wanted to shout.

But before he could, Satomi said with a grin, “Got a message from Shiho right after the mail from Bell came. It said she totally wanted to go, so me and Yume totally had to come, too.”

“Ngah!” Tortilla roll still stuffed in her mouth, Shihoko turned beet red as she covered Satomi’s mouth.

Rui looked half-exasperated and half at total peace. “Not really for me to say, I guess, but it’s pretty amazing that this many people came with just two hours’ notice. You didn’t have practice, Pile?” She turned her eyes toward Takumu, and he shook his head sharply.

“No, we had the meet yesterday, so we get today off. Although practice starts again tomorrow.”

“My, so then you have to get a good night’s sleep tonight, yeah?” Rui said. “Can you take part in the Inti mission at five?”

“Of course.” Takumu nodded. “There should be something I can do.”

“Sorry, Taku,” Haruyuki interrupted. “I really should have handed Lucid Blade over to you temporarily so you could be the attacker.”

“Whoa, what are you talking about?” Eyes wide behind his glasses, Takumu patted Haruyuki’s shoulder. “I mean, you know there’s no way anyone could master a borrowed Enhanced Armament in a day. And this is a joint mission of the five Legions, so there are plenty of sword users way stronger than me. I can’t exactly march in there and leave Coba-Manga and Decurion on the sidelines.”

“No, when it comes to the technique of a pure sword user…”

You’re better, Taku. Haruyuki swallowed the words. Takumu’s Cyan Blade was an Incarnate technique, so he couldn’t use it in a normal duel. Until Pile got a new sword-type Enhanced Armament, his sword techniques couldn’t be compared with those of Coba-Manga and the other sword users.

“My duel avatar’s not a sword user,” Takumu reminded gently, as if reading his mind. “That’s bothered me at times, but lately, I’ve been feeling like maybe it actually means something important. Everything starts with loving your own avatar…right?”

“Right,” Akira answered crisply. She had what was most likely the most distinct duel avatars of any of the Burst Linkers in the room. Tilting her glass so the ice clinked against it, she continued, “The general principle of ‘same level, same potential’ is at best a duel avatar’s numerical specs. There are indeed differences when it comes to how well this matches up with the Burst Linker’s capabilities, personality, likes, dislikes, abilities, and special attacks—or even the simple cool factor of appearance. But if you are just unhappy about it, then both you and your avatar will stagnate. If you’re jealous of people or hating them, you’ll end up a prisoner of the dark side of Incarnate at some point.”

“Painfully true.” Rui looked like she was feeling actual pain at this. “I thought this difference was a fatal flaw in Brain Burst. I figured I could fill this gap with the ISS kits and make the game—the world—something more just. But this kind of perfectly equal world is warped. If you can recognize and respect other people’s differences as their uniqueness, your avatar will definitely respond at some point. If I had realized that sooner, I wouldn’t have ended up making so many Burst Linkers suffer.”

He suddenly realized that the eight people camped out in the living room had closed their mouths and turned their heads toward him and his companions at the dining table.

Rin, wearing a skirt that reached her knees, which was unusual for her, stood from a cushion, clenched both hands into fists in front of her, and said, “My brother, Ash Roller, doesn’t. Hate you. Or anything at all!”

She had said something similar two days earlier, on Saturday. Rui had come to the Arita house to join Nega Nebulus and to apologize for parasitizing so many Burst Linkers with ISS kits, and Rin had shouted in Ash-speak, “Taking an ‘over’ thing and making it a ‘forever’ thing is basic ‘nothiiiiiing’!!” But this time, Rin spoke to Rui in her own words.

“Magenta, everyone here. Really understands that you weren’t. Fighting for your own sake, but for. Avocado and other. Burst Linkers. The ones to blame here. Are the Society. They made the kits. My brother and I both. Want to duel you soon, the regular duel that we love. And be happy in victory and sad at losing. So. So…” Rin was at a loss for words, and her parent, Fuko, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“That’s right,” Fuko agreed. “Let’s send the Acceleration Research Society and Black Vise—and while we’re at it, the White King—flying already so that everyone can just have fun dueling. Ruthless, it’s safe to assume you came for that same reason, yes?”

“Well, I also have a score to settle with Cosmos,” Seri replied icily.

Huh…You do?

Unable to ask about it, Haruyuki stared intently at her face. Their eyes met briefly, but he couldn’t read in them the true intent of her words. Was it simply the win-lose of the duel like with Fuko, or was there some deeper connection?

Breaking the silence full of misgivings was Niko’s indifferent voice. “Food’s just about gone, huh! Getting to be dessert time over here!”

“Yes!” Chiyuri clapped her hands. “Okay, then! We’ll just clear away the empty plates!”

His childhood friend put on an apron as she headed toward the kitchen, and Haruyuki chased after her. “I-I’ll help wash up.”

“This is your party, Haru. So just be good and sit down!” Chiyuri told him, and Takumu grabbed his shoulders from behind.

“That’s right. The guest of honor can just park it!”

Guided by Takumu’s firm grip, he had no choice but to obey. He moved to the sofa, where Kuroyukihime and the others were, and sat down.

Naturally, given that the ratio of girls was over 80 percent, the cleanup went smoothly. The work was efficiently divided up into people putting leftovers into containers, people carrying the dishes, people washing, and people drying; the cleanup was done in the blink of an eye. The Aritas had a built-in dishwasher, but Chiyuri’s handwashing, thanks to her training under her mother, Momoe, apparently did the trick much better. When Akira finally wiped down the dining table and Shihoko the low table, all remainders of the banquet had vanished without a trace. But for the girls, this was only the start of the main event.

A large cake box appeared from inside the refrigerator. All eyes were hotly on it as Pard placed it gently on the dining table.

Next to him, Niko puffed out her chest proudly. “Me and Pard brought an assortment of cakes from Patisserie La Plage!”

Ooh! The entire party clapped.

“Although they’re the clearance cakes that didn’t sell!”

Gulp! The entire party slumped. But this was just to go along with Niko’s joke. Everyone there knew that the famed Patisserie La Plage never failed to sell out.

New plates and forks were set in front of the fifteen people standing around the table, and the seal on the box was finally broken. As soon as they saw the many, multicolored slices of cake packed inside, many of the members present cried out in delight. Shortcake, cheesecake, Mont Blanc, mille-feuille, et cetera, et cetera…But not a single slice of chocolate cake, likely out of consideration for Shihoko, who was allergic.

All the cakes looked delicious, but the one that shone the brightest was indeed the La Plage classic, the strawberry labyrinth, with its three large strawberries on top. Given that this sold out every day before three, there was only one slice in the box. The many eyes that focused on it looked at Haruyuki, sparks flying—or so he felt.

“Mmm. Now then, I suppose we’re all good with having the guest of honor choose first?” Kuroyukihime said, and the entire party nodded as one.

“R-really? Then if you don’t mind…,” Haruyuki murmured as he moved his right hand. He wondered how many more levels he’d have to go up before he’d be able to grab the strawberry labyrinth without hesitation and then set his sights on the rare cheesecake with blueberry sauce. “I-I’ll go with this.”

“’Kay.” Pard grabbed it with tongs in a practiced movement and moved the cake to the plate in front of Haruyuki.

“Now, for the rest, I suppose we’re all good with deciding with this?” Kuroyukihime suddenly brandished a fist, so Haruyuki very nearly dropped his cake, plate and all. Not a duel?! But then she held up two fingers and changed the fist into scissors.

“No argument here,” Fuko responded.

“Same as above.” Akira nodded.

While everyone grew more excited, Seri cleared her throat. “I’m not a Legion member, and I didn’t bring any food. I wonder if it’s all right for me to join?”

“Nega Nebulus is not such a stingy Legion as to cast someone out for a reason like that.” Kuroyukihime grinned at her.

“Then I’ll gladly.” Seri readied her right hand.

Silence came once more. Their combined battle lust swirled through the condo, setting off sparks.

“Rock!” Kuroyukihime thrust her fist forward and then raised it high in the air.

“““Paper, scissors, shoot!”””